They were toddlers when they first met, both walking on wobbly feet and clutching their mother's red skirts whenever the other women gathered in the parlor looked at them. Unfortunately for them, that was often. After all, he was a prince and she the daughter of a favored general. Not that either child understood the gravity of their situations yet. That would come soon enough.
"He's getting so big," an elderly lady with too much makeup piled on to hide her abundant wrinkles crooned. She smiled down at the boy, but it scared the young child and he darted away from her on his chubby little legs.
"He'll be as big as his father one day," another lady added.
He frowned and buried his head in his mother's lap. He didn't like how the unfamiliar women looked at him. He didn't like how everything he did made them titter like nervous birds. When he was older, he'd recognize the odd sound as the fake, nasally laughter of court.
"And just as powerful, too," the first woman said, trying to keep the princess's attention on her.
If anyone noticed how strained Ursa's smile turned as the ladies began talking about her child's father, they ignored it. The general's wife joined the conversation even as her daughter started to wander off, the other young ladies keeping her from getting too far. "You must be so proud to have Prince Ozai as your husband. He's yet to lose an Agni Kai, and we all know how fond he is of accepting those."
"Or challenging!" Ursa joked, stroking her son's head
The titters of laughter echoed throughout the room as they listened in on the princess's conversation, all eager to please her.
"But truly, princess, you have done very well. And to have birthed a son for him first! Oh, my dear, you must be blessed. Your Zuko is one of the handsomest little boys I've ever seen," the eldest woman in the group added.
Now both of the mothers' smiles cracked like porcelain, one because of the continued mention of her husband and the other because of the daughter they had birthed first.
"Yes, I am most fortunate," Ursa agreed, no one noticing how weak her words were as they watched the little prince twaddle over to where the general's daughter was playing.
"Both of them are simply precious, well-manned and as pretty as their parents!" a young pregnant woman exclaimed, resting her hand on her belly. "I can only hope I honor my husband with children as wonderful as yours."
"Of course they're both cute on their own, but look at how darling they are together," the general's wife said, pointing at the children. Gentle sighs and laughter filled the room as they saw the toddlers sitting next to each other, playing with the girl's stuffed dragon. "Don't you agree, princess? Don't they look like they belong together?"
"Aren't they a bit young to be talking about them in such a way?" Ursa countered, carefully keeping her voice light.
The general's wife laughed. "Maybe wherever you're from, but here it's not uncommon for young nobles and royals to be betrothed young. You don't tell them until they're older, of course. That's what my parents did for me."
"And mine."
"Me too."
Soon, nearly every woman had chimed in agreement. Ursa looked distinctly uncomfortable and glanced over at the oblivious children, still playing with the dragon calmly and occasionally mumbling childish words at each other.
A servant came over and whispered in Ursa's ear urgently. The princess paled and stood. "Forgive me, ladies, but I must take my leave."
Before the others could even say goodbye, Ursa scooped her little prince up into her arms and was out the door.
When her footsteps faded in the distance, the young pregnant woman turned to the general's wife, a bitter look distorting her beautiful features. "We all know what you're trying to do, Michi, and it's not going to work."
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Soki."
"Don't be coy with us, girl," an elderly woman cut in. "Anyone can see that you're trying to convince Ursa to choose your Mai as Zuko's betrothed."
"As if anyone of you could judge. You've all been throwing your daughters and granddaughters at Lu Ten for years. You might have even succeeded if Prince Iroh would ever consent to an arranged marriage."
"You would be doing the same if Mai were old enough."
Michi couldn't refute that. Every woman there knew the only way left to advance their family's status was to marry into the royal family. The general's daughter was nothing more than a pawn in her family's schemes and the little prince was the prize.
...
When they were four, they were realizing their families' dreams without knowing. They were both in the palace nearly every day as their fathers met with the Fire Lord and their mothers attended to family business or court. On most days, they were dressed in their best clothes and brought to court with their mothers, but with Azula still being too young to leave Ursa's side and Michi eager to betrothe her daughter, they were increasingly told to go play by themselves.
They needed no more encouragement than that. The two of them had an established routine. First, they would go to Zuko's nursery. They would build blanket forts, play with toys, and paint as servants went in and out, cleaning up their messes and bringing them snacks. At lunch time, the servants would set up a picnic by the turtleduck pond and they'd stay out there all afternoon eating fire flakes, climbing in trees, and feeding the turtleducks.
It was dinner they dreaded. If it was a formal dinner, they'd have to dress up and sit next to hordes of adults gorging themselves and discussing the war. If it was a family dinner, they'd have to sit quietly and practice their table etiquette while their fathers bemoaned their lack of bending while their mothers sat liked painted porcelain dolls. They didn't know which they hated more.
But dinner was still far off for the children on the sunny summer day. They had just finished off their watermelons (a rare treat for children in the capital city, even nobles) and could still feel the sticky residue of the juice on their lips and chin. Zuko flopped onto his back on the soft blanket, thin rays of sunlight painting his face in the shape of leaves.
"Zuko, sit up. Someone might see," Mai said, spreading her skirt around her in a neat circle, the perfect example of a young lady.
"They're all in meetings, Mai. Mom said Uncle sent some important stuff to Grandfather."
Mai considered that carefully. Both children didn't know much about the war or their family's role in it, but they knew anything Prince Iroh sent back would keep the adults busy all day. With a quick huff of breath, Mai flopped back, too, a quiet smule on her face.
"Zuko?"
"Yeah?"
"We're friends, right?'
"Yup," he said with an irreverence reserved for four-year-old princes.
"And friends tell each other stuff?"
"Mhmm."
"Zuko?"
"Yeah, Mai?"
"I'm leaving."
Zuko's eyes flew open. Mai didn't move as the prince sat up and scrambled over to her, kicking over the picnic basket in the process. Mai squeezed her own eyes shut, Zuko's wounded expression too much for her to bear.
"What do you mean you're leaving?"
Zuko was trembling, his whole body shaking like a leaf in the wind. Even his voice wavered, his high-pitched voice cracking like a teenager's. Mai couldn't leave. She couldn't. She would never leave him alone in the palace full of scheming adults, just like he would never leave her alone at parties and dinners where her parents inevitably left her behind.
"The Fire Lord wants my father to go to the colonies. We're leaving in a week," Mai said, sitting up but still avoiding his eyes.
"For how long?"
Mai twisted her hands through her skirts, her dark bangs shading her eyes. She tried to answer, but nothing came out.
"How long, Mai?"
"I...I-" Mai stammered, shying away from the accusation in Zuko's voice. "I don't know. Months. Mom said maybe a year."
"A year?"
Mai flinched as if she'd been struck. She made the mistake of looking at Zuko and started crying. The prince was on his knees, hands fisted in the blanket, but it was his eyes that set her off. Zuko's eyes were full of anger and pain, the irises glowing like molten gold. If Zuko were a firebender, Mai was sure that he'd be wreathed in flames.
As swift as his anger came, it ebbed. Zuko's face crumpled, eyes welling with tears. Mai reached out and Zuko fell into her arms, sobbing.
"I don't want you to go, Mai," Zuko gasped out through his tears, the salty water seeping into the fabric of her dress.
"I don't want to go. You know I don't. You're my best friend," Mai said, crying in earnest now.
"You're my best friend, too."
The sun started to set before the children let go of each other, faces red and tear-stained. The servants collected the blanket and basket before herding the children inside, none of them daring to ask them what was wrong. It was well known that their fathers hated the servants interacting with their children as if they were equals.
Their mothers were waiting for them in the royal parlor, both writing letters in silence. Ursa put her quill down, the quiet smile growing on her face at Zuko's approach disappearing completely as she took in his wobbling lip and pouty eyes. Ursa scooped her little boy up onto her lap, soothing back his hair and asking what was wrong, the important letter in front of her forgotten. In stark contrast, Michi kept writing for another minute before briefly looking up to order Mai to sit down before returning to her letter, her daughter sitting quietly like a doll beside her.
Even though the children were looking right at each other, both felt as if there was already an ocean between them.
...
"Mother, make Zuko come play with us."
"Azula, if your brother wanted to play with you, he would."
"But he's just sitting in his room!"
"It's his choice to do that."
Zuko scowled at his door, where right outside his mother was protecting him from Azula's relentless attention. Why wouldn't she just leave him alone? Why did she always come to him when she had the whole nation to dote on her, Azula the firebending prodigy and true princess of the Fire Nation?
"He can't stay in there forever!"
"Enough, Azula. Go play with your friends. You're not being fair to them."
Ursa should have known that that wouldn't work. Azula thought it was her friends' duty to follow and obey her. She didn't care that they were standing there awkwardly as she argued with her mother. She thought that were lucky to bask in the royal family's presence and should be grateful for every moment they spent with her.
Azula huffed in frustration and stormed away, seeing that Ursa wasn't willing to budge. Zuko slumped in relief and opened the door. Ursa glided in, a frown reserved for Azula's antics still pasted on her face.
Zuko threw himself at Ursa, his skinny arms circling Ursa's legs and murmured into her skirts, "Thank you."
Ursa's soft hand stroked through his hair, a familiar, calming action for the both of them. "You're welcome, Zuko. I know how frustrating your sister can be."
"Why couldn't you give me a brother?"
Ursa's laugh was sad. "Even if I had, he still might have turned out like Azula. And she's still young, Zuko. Maybe a few years of schooling and training will mellow her out."
Zuko scrunched his nose. "Years?"
Ursa smiled and cupped his face. "You know, Azula wouldn't bother you so much if you would just play with her from time to time."
"Huh?"
"She wants attention. Maybe if you gave it to her, she'll be less needy and you could have some time to yourself."
"I don't want alone time. I want my friend back," Zuko pouted, crossing his arms.
Mai. That was what this was all about. Ever since the general's daughter had come back from the colonies three months ago, the royal siblings had been at war over her. Zuko wanted his best (and truthfully only) friend back and Azula wanted the new girl who was close to her age to be her friend. Neither was willing to compromise; they wanted Mai to themselves. If the girl in question had any opinions on the matter, she was smart enough to keep it to herself. Neither child would take rejection kindly.
"I know you want Mai back, but your best chance to spend time with her is to go play with her, Azula, and Ty Lee," Ursa urged.
Zuko's scowl deepened. "I just want Mai, not Azula or Ty Lee."
Ursa sighed. "Sometimes, you can't get what you want. Even if you're a prince."
"Azula gets whatever she wants."
"Not even the Fire Lord himself gets everything he wants. Azula certainly doesn't. Now go play. It's a beautiful day and you shouldn't spend it hiding from your sister," Ursa said, lightly pushing him towards the door.
And so the little prince found the little princess and her chosen companions sitting on the garden wall, watching a platoon of firebenders train. The heat of their flames made the entire area stifling hot.
"Finally here, Zuzu? Come up, there's room next to Mai," Azula said, gripping the trellis to keep from falling as she glanced down at Zuko.
Zuko climbed up swiftly, but Mai only gave him a soft smile before turning back to Azula. For a moment, Zuko felt as if the air had been ripped from his lungs before a small hand curled around his. Zuko looked at Mai, utterly confused, but the little lady's expression didn't so much as twitch as she nodded along to whatever Azula was saying.
"-of course, I'll be able to train alongside them soon enough," Azula bragged, Ty Lee nodding along much more enthusiastically than Mai. "Father says that there's no better way to bring honor to your family than to burn your enemies. Too bad none of you can do that."
Mai squeezed his hand tightly before Zuko could yell at her for being so mean to all of them. Mai, Ty Lee, and himself had all failed to summon so much as an ember to the shame of their parents. Zuko had it the worst as his four-year-old sister was passing him up. Zuko, the firstborn son and heir of the feared Prince Ozai.
"Mother says that even nonbenders like you have their uses, though," Azula continued, undeterred by Zuko's burning eyes and Mai's mask of stone. "I guess even she has to be right sometimes."
If possible, that hurt even worse than her prior barb. Ursa did everything for them, yet Azula continued to worship Ozai as if he were Sozin reborn instead of a harsh and unforgiving father. Again, before Zuko could say anything, Mai squeezed his hand.
It wasn't until Zuko was trying to fall asleep that night that he realized two things; one, that Azula had him sit next to Mai as a reward, as if he were a pet who had finally obeyed a command, and two, that even if her precarious position forced Mai to stay silent, she had found a way to show that still cared without Azula noticing.
...
They were nine when they lost each other again. Mai was being sent to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls with Azula and Ty Lee set to follow the next year. Zuko should have been sent to the boy's, but Ozai was unsatisfied with how his firebending training was progressing and refused to allow Zuko to embarrass the royal family with his ineptness.
Zuko didn't really mind. He didn't like any of the noble boys his age and he had no desire to leave his mother, but it was another slap in the face reminder that he was not a skilled (or even decent) firebender. Azula certainly liked teasing him about it. Even worse than Ozai's words were the knowledge that for the second time in his life, Zuko was losing his best friend.
Mai took it calmly, as she did all things these days. She withstood Azula's fit and subsequent sneered comments, endured Ty Lee's tears and over-enthusiastic hugs, but she couldn't even bear to look at him. Zuko understood. When Mai was upset, she pushed people away. Since Mai couldn't afford offending Azula or Ty Lee, but because she could never do anything that would push him away forever, Mai would distance herself from him. It was the one thing she could control at the moment.
The day before Mai was scheduled to leave, Azula dismissed his servants and shut his bedroom door. Zuko eyed her warily, but didn't do anything to stop her. It was a futile task anyways and Ursa was desperate to get her children to become friends. If she also wanted Zuko's kindness to soften Azula's rough edges, she also knew better than to say that.
"Morning, Zuzu," Azula chirped, sauntering around his room and peeking at the open scrolls on his desk. Zuko was glad he had hidden the latest letter from Uncle Iroh and Lu Ten. Azula had burned the last one she found.
"Don't you have lessons?"
"No, not until after lunch," she said, still skipping around the room as if she owned the place. "And don't you have lessons? You know, the extra ones Dad's making you do to catch up to me?"
Zuko scowled but didn't rise to the bait. "I have lessons in ten minutes, so you better be quick."
"Fine. Mai wanted me to tell you that she doesn't want to see you before she leaves. She thinks it would hurt too much."
"That's a lie," Zuko said immediately.
"Come on, Zuzu. Do you really think I would waste time that could be spent training to tell you a lie that you could easily find the truth about?" Azula smiled at him, though there was nothing warm or nice in the action. "I'll see you at lunch."
As quickly as she came, she went. Zuko kicked a chair, a small burst of fire charring the wooden legs. Even if Mai wanted that, she wouldn't have had Azula deliver the message. Mai knew he would never believe anything Azula had to say. So what did Azula have to gain from lying to him?
What if she wasn't lying?
"Azula always lies," Zuko reminded himself.
But what if she hadn't? What if Mai really didn't want to see him? What if-
"Azula always lies," a quiet, steady voice said from his doorway.
Zuko whirled around, instinctively sliding into a fighting stance. Mai was unperturbed. She approached Zuko on light feet, the red ribbons in her hair flying out behind her. Zuko relaxed as she stopped an arm's length away from him and didn't give the overturned, burned chair so much as a glance.
"You know that," Mai said, her voice as soft as a summer breeze, her dark eyes ringed by shadows from sleepless nights.
"I-I do. It's just-"
"Zuko," she interrupted. "I know Azula can make you confused. She confuses me, too."
"Mai, why did she lie if you were right there?"
"She wanted me to see you believe her to hurt my feelings."
Zuko was still lost. "But...why?"
"Because I told her that you're my best friend."
Zuko sighed. "Mai, you know you're my best friend, but you have to be careful. Azula wants to be everyone's favorite."
Mai shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I won't be back for months. Azula won't forget, but she can't do anything to me until I get back."
"She can take it out on me," Zuko objected.
"I'm sorry, but you know that she's going to be mean to you no matter what. That's just who she is."
To that, Zuko had no reply. Mai was right. She usually was, even if he didn't want to accept it at the moment.
"Do you have to go?" Zuko asked weakly.
"Yeah, I really do. My parents are only upset because they couldn't get rid of me sooner," Mai said, a rare burst of bitterness seeping into her voice. Though she was always honest to him about her home life, she usually told it factually, as if she were talking about things that had happened to someone else entirely.
"I'll write to you every week," he promised.
"I already have my own messenger hawk."
There really wasn't anything more to say. Zuko darted forward and threw his arms around her. Even though she usually had a very closed off demeanor, she hugged him back immediately, even burying her head into the crook of his shoulder.
"Are you sure you have to go?"
"I'm going to miss you, too."
...
The blades were the most beautiful thing Zuko had ever seen. They were a birthday present from Uncle, of course, because Ozai hadn't even gotten him a present, just excused him from his lessons for the day. Azula had given him a present similar to Ozai's, though much more valuable; Azula had promised to let him and Mai have a day to themselves, free from her dominating presence and Ty Lee's annoying peppiness.
This was how Zuko and Mai found themselves in General Iroh's private courtyard admiring Zuko's new dao blades. Iroh's courtyard was full of turtle-duck ponds and lemon trees, little benches and bridges scattered throughout the area haphazardly. Zuko had fond memories of splashing in the creek with Lu Ten as Ursa and Iroh sipped tea on his veranda, no servants or guards in sight.
The day itself was very similar. It was the same courtyard with the same mild Capital City weather. Iroh still sat on the veranda drinking tea and Zuko still played by the brook in his eyesight. The glaring difference was the permanent absence of Lu Ten and the eerie absence of Ursa.
Zuko had taken to spending a lot of time with his uncle ever since Lu Ten died, Ursa mysteriously disappeared, Azulon died, and Ozai was crowned Fire Lord all in the same week. Uncle had even begun taking over parts of his firebending training and lessons now that Ozai was too busy to pay much attention to his children's education. Azula complained endlessly about how much time he was spending with their "failure" of an uncle, but she didn't dare intrude upon his private courtyard. For the first time since Azula was a baby, Zuko had peace and privacy.
"I already have a sword master picked out for you. He should be here by the end of the week," Iroh informed his nephew as the children continued cooing over the swords. Both had had a fascination for weapons for years, but a firebending prince and highborn lady should not speak of or act upon such desires. Only Iroh, the Dragon of the West, could get away with such rebellions.
"Who is he?" Zuko asked, extending the dao out and admiring their exquisite balance.
"An old friend named Piando. Some say he's the finest swordsman in the Fire Nation."
"Do you think he is?"
Iroh chuckled. "I haven't met every swordsman in the Fire Nation, but I believe he could be. Even if he isn't, you should be honored to be his student. He's normally very picky, but he couldn't pass up the chance to train a prince."
"You're going to have to be stronger if you want to train for long," Mai said, looking doubtfully at Zuko's skinny firebending arms. Though she loved him more than anyone else, Zuko was undeniably spoiled, which meant he had no muscles or calluses to speak of.
"Hey! I'm strong," Zuko objected, clearly offended.
Mai shrugged. "Can't hurt to get stronger, then."
Iroh laughed. "She's right, nephew. Besides, Master Piando won't go easy on you even if you are a prince. But before you two start challenging each other to elaborate feats of strength, come here."
Zuko sheathed the dao blades and the two of them sat down opposite Iroh on the veranda, two steaming cups of jasmine tea already waiting for them.
"I know it is your birthday, nephew, but it seems unfair to force your lady friend to watch you play with swords all afternoon, so this ought to even the playing field," Iroh said, handing a box to the curious young girl.
Mai flipped the lid open and gaped at the contents. Zuko, forever impatient, demanded, "What is it?"
For once, Mai didn't answer her best friend. Instead, she set down the box and launched herself at Iroh, very similarly to how Zuko had reacted upon receiving his dao. The old man smiled and patted her back, chuckling lightly when the normally reserved girl continued to cling to him.
Zuko grabbed the box as Mai profusely thanked Iroh, who waved it all away. After all, finding a pair of dao swords and finely crafted stiletto knives wasn't a challenge for a prince and general of the Fire Nation.
The children drank their tea as quickly as possible before rushing out to the courtyard. Mai selected a sickly tree that Iroh wouldn't miss as her target as Zuko did push-ups and pull-ups to prepare for Master Piando's training. Mai didn't care that her tradition-following father would throw a fit and Zuko didn't mind that he'd be taking eight hours of lessons on top of his other duties because for once in their lives, they had something that was theirs, not something their families had pushed them into.
As for Iroh, he was content sitting on his veranda watching the children play with a pot of tea to his right and the latest work of his favorite author in hand, though in truth he barely read anything, too consumed by the normally unhappy children's wide smiles and pealing laughs.
It was a good day for all of them, and one of the last ones before the most infamous Agni Kai in history changed everything.
...
It didn't make sense. Zuko was lying on his bed, his naked girlfriend curled around him fast asleep, and yet all he could think about was his uncle and the Water Tribe girl. He was in the Fire Nation, in his old room, his crown and royal armor scattered about carelessly in the way only princes could be. It should have seemed to good to be true, but none of it made sense.
He was a traitor, the exiled prince of the Fire Nation, Ozai's greatest failure, yet he was welcomed back as if he'd been on vacation. His life was better than it was even when his mother had still been around. He had his crown, the girl he loved, and the respect of his father all because Azula had spun another web of lies. Azula always lies, Zuko thought darkly, finally climbing out of bed.
His life was perfect, wasn't it? So why did he still visit his uncle, who never deigned to speak with him? Why did he see Katara's accusing eyes whenever he tried to sleep? Why did he hear the Avatar ask him if in a different world they could have been friends whenever he sat through a war meeting? Why couldn't he just be happy?
"Zuko?"
He turned around. Mai was stirring on the bed, her dark, silky hair loose for once. When she spotted him staring at his dao on the wall, she sighed.
"You still regret coming here, don't you?"
"It's more complicated than that."
"If you could go back to that day underneath Ba Sing Se, would you still choose to join Azula?" Mai asked, pulling on a silk robe. She knew from past experience that he wasn't going back to bed anytime soon. Or at all.
"I don't know," he admitted. He laughed, the sound sharp and bitter. "I don't know anything anymore."
Mai stalked over to him, her porcelain skin shining in the moonlight. Zuko had always thought that she was pretty, but coming back three years after his banishment to find that his best friend had transformed into a devastatingly beautiful young woman was a shock. Finding out that she didn't care about anything that happened in those three years and welcomed him back without hesitation had actually brought him to tears.
"Well, I think you made the right choice," Mai murmured, wrapping her arms around him, his own arms enveloping him automatically.
Mai was selfish. Zuko hated that realization, but it was true. Mai thought that he had made the right choice because she had gotten her best (and only) friend back. That was all that mattered to her. She didn't care that the Fire Nation had captured Ba Sing Se or that Azula had shot a kid full of lightning. She didn't even care that Iroh was imprisoned that much. She didn't think he deserved it, but her calculating mind thought that Iroh was a fool for resisting Azula. She thought in terms of survival, not right and wrong.
Zuko didn't have Mai's composure and cool intellect. He never had. He was always too emotional, too volatile to distance himself from problems like she did. When he was on the run, he was consumed by thoughts of returning, but now that he was here, all he could think about was leaving. Freeing his uncle and returning to their tea shop in Ba Sing Se. Running away with Mai to the far reaches of the Earth Kingdom where it would take the Fire Nation decades to reach them. Finding the Avatar and begging for forgiveness. Anything but staying here with Azula and Ozai.
It was only a matter of time until he had to leave. The Avatar wasn't dead. He was sure of it. And once Azula's lie fell apart, Ozai would turn on him. He'd burned a thirteen-year-old child's face for speaking out. Zuko dreaded to think of what Ozai would do to him for failing to kill the Avatar. He couldn't — wouldn't — wait around to find out.
Mai pressed a kiss to the hollow of his throat. "Come back to bed, Zuko."
He wanted to. He wanted to curl up in the silk sheet, his beautiful girlfriend in his arms, and have a peaceful, dreamless night of sleep. He wanted to be as safe and spoiled as a prince of the Fire Nation should be. He wanted to have the life he was supposed to. But he couldn't. His time had run out.
The siege and eclipse were only three days away. Three days to write his letter to Mai. Three days of prepping his getaway. Three days to figure out how to break Iroh out. Three days of lying to Azula and Ozai. Zuko always lies.
"Zuko, you're starting to scare me," Mai said, resting her slim, callused fingers of his chest, her dark eyes scanning his face, not shying away from his scar like so many did.
"I'm sorry. Let's go to bed," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
As they settled back down on the bed, Mai's head resting on his arm, Zuko felt his chest tighten. Only three days left with Mai.
...
It was too good to be true.
Zuko knew he should join the rest of his friends, but he couldn't escape that nagging thought. After all, if you asked him a week ago if he thought his friends, girlfriend, and uncle would be gathered together in his uncle's tea shop peacefully, the war won and a crown resting on his head, he would have said it could never happen. He'd resigned himself to the fact that even if he wasn't killed by Ozai or Azula, there was no way all the people he cared about from the different stages in his life could coexist, especially since Mai had only really turned on the Fire Nation because she knew Azula was crazy and loved Zuko, not because she had any strong feelings about the war.
Of course, Zuko should have known that his friends excelled at proving him wrong. The second they told Mai about Ozai's plan to raze the Earth Kingdom and anoint himself Phoenix King, she had turned her back wholeheartedly on the war and Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki forgave her immediately. It really shouldn't have surprised Zuko as much as it had considering they'd accepted him even after he'd fought every single one of them and joined Azula instead of them under Ba Sing Se. They really were too friendly for their own good, but, to be fair, they were still kids. Zuko didn't want them to lose their innocence anytime soon.
As for Mai, Zuko knew that she didn't quite know what to make of the childish Avatar and his gang of teenage rebels. Mai had always been sheltered and surrounded by scheming nobles and royals; they were unlike any of the highborn kids her and Zuko grew up with and he knew from experience that it was unsettling to be thrust into such an unfamiliar group. Still, she didn't dislike them, which was all he could really ask for. Zuko suspected that she resented them slightly since it was their influence that caused him to leave her, but she would never admit it and he would never ask her to. They were back together. That was all that mattered.
It was too good to be true, Zuko thought as he watched his friends from the corner of the room. And yet somehow, it was real.
"Zuko?" Mai asked, noticing how far away he was from the others. "Is everything alright?"
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, the first one in years. "Yeah, Mai. Everything is perfect."