A/N: Avatar Zuko - the gift that keeps on giving! :) This is the first and only epilogue I have written so far. Actually, most of this scene was written during the second week of March 2019 (last year, before the pandemic), between the time I took the first board exam and then went on vacation to Italy. It seems like eons ago but it's only been a year, somehow.

LU TEN

He wakes slowly, opening his eyes without much difficulty—it's still night, then, the lamps just starting to burn low. He feels the tread of gentle fingers across his face, the ridge of his brow, the swell of his cheek, the dip of his upper lip and fullness of the lower. Hanxin gazes down at him, and that must be what woke him—the absence of his lover lying next to him.

His fingers continue to wander, searching, or rather… reassuring himself, but presently he notices Lu Ten is awake, and a flicker of guilt flashes across his expression.

"Don't be sorry for waking me, my heart." Lu Ten reaches up to clasp the hand resting against his cheek tight. "If you're awake, I want to be awake with you. I never want to spend a moment without you."

A slight spread of the fingers within his grasp, and Lu Ten relinquishes his grip. Hanxin looks down at his hands in his lap, away from Lu Ten, as if embarrassed to be caught.

"It's so strange—everything from the moment Koh took my face to the moment you freed me with your song, took my hand and led me home… I don't know what happened. It's like there's a gaping hole in my memory."

And there it is again: Hanxin's misery, the grief of being left behind leaking from every tense muscle, ribs straining to hold back soul-deep sobs of fear, of losing Lu Ten yet again—

His desperation makes him clumsy, and he all but shoves himself into Hanxin's embrace. "My love… I'm so sorry. I'm always running off on my own, losing my head… you're the one who has to stay behind and hold onto my memories for me. It's not fair to you. I'm sorry, love. I won't leave you again," he reassures.

They cling to each other, a lifeline on the high seas of their turbulent emotions, adrift but not astray. As Hanxin shrugs out of his embrace, he takes Lu Ten's right hand in his own, tracing words with one finger in the span of his palm. Lu Ten reads them upside down, character by character, his heart breaking as he registers Hanxin's pain.

— Tell me the truth. If I got my voice back, would you love me more? —

"No. You are not your voice, Hanxin." He clasps Hanxin's other hand in his own, fingers interlaced, solemnly swearing himself to the truth. "When you made the decision to follow me beyond the ends of the earth, you didn't have your voice. You only had your faith, in yourself, in me, in the capacity of our love to endure even the separation of different worlds."

He smiles, tracing the character for 'faith', Hanxin's namesake, on the back of his hand where he will see it always, echoing his words to his love long before they swore themselves to each other. "I have always thought it describes you perfectly."

HANXIN

Lu Ten's adulation is a bountiful whisper in his ear, girded with the promise of joy and security and years of sharing each other to come. Hanxin shivers at the enormity of it all and melts into his kisses.

Everything will be alright. It sinks in then, between Lu Ten's deepening kisses and murmurs of endearment, that everything really has come around for the better. The magnitude of all the trials they have suffered, alone and together, is only a fraction of the bliss that will consummate their lives hereafter.

Lu Ten… you are so perfect. So mine. And I yours. Hands grip his hips with increasing strength as if to reinforce that, and he wants… oh, he wants everything Lu Ten will give him. He can afford to want now.

With some difficulty, he extracts himself from a puzzled Lu Ten, standing with the slightest tremor in his gait induced by the beginnings of their passion. May as well get a move on with things. He shucks his pants, relishing Lu Ten's greedy gaze on him as he reclines, desirous and anticipating a night well-spent.

What he does not expect is for Hanxin to retrieve the little glazed pot Iroh sent over earlier and shyly press it into his hands. He opens it, revealing a portion of translucent, watery gel. "You want me to…?"

Hanxin does want him to. They are creatures of habit, and over time, their trysts do tend to involve Lu Ten being on the receiving end. Penetration doesn't really do much for Hanxin ("Prostate the size of a chestnut and about as responsive," to quote Lu Ten the few times they'd tried). Meanwhile it does everything for Lu Ten, and they both crave the way he unravels when taken so willfully by his love. In any case, that is the usual state of affairs.

But tonight, Hanxin wants to forget about that, about their habits, about nearly losing Lu Ten, about everything but the here and now. So he patiently waits for his dumbstruck lover to come to his senses.

LU TEN

No, he's not mentally psyching himself up to fuck his boyfriend; he can do better than that. He is considering how to optimize this opportunity to make it as good as possible for Hanxin, because if nothing else, he is an expert at loving this beautiful individual.

Hanxin seems impatient (nervous?) with his ponderous processing rate and flips over onto his front, as if to signal, hurry up, we don't have all night.

"But we do, dearest butterfly." Lu Ten knows the effects terms of endearment have on Hanxin. There will be a gentle flush coloring his ears red within moments. "We have all night, and the rest of our lives."

He puts down the pot of lube, struck with inspiration. As quaint as it sounds, he wants this to be special for Hanxin, who has always been his unwavering support, who has always put Lu Ten before himself. He kneels quietly behind Hanxin. "Lift up for me?"

Hanxin does, and Lu Ten strokes a contemplative hand down his flank, a sensual shiver dancing through his spine. He drops a methodical string of kisses down his back until he reaches his goal, spreads his cheeks apart (not enough cushioning for a decent hold, need to rectify that forthwith), and takes a deliberate taste of the flesh within.

"Ah! - " Hanxin jerks in surprise, lifting his head from his folded arms and staring at Lu Ten. There is no reprieve to come, though, and Lu Ten persists, laying long, lasciviously wet strokes across that tiny pucker as it tightens and relaxes in turns.

It is a delightful change of scenery, seeing Hanxin so undone for once. Under the onslaught of Lu Ten's tongue, he gasps and writhes, unsure if he wants to retreat or beg for more. At one point, he surges up onto his hands and knees, pushing back against Lu Ten, craving more contact, only to collapse back down, arms trembling too violently to support himself.

Beautiful. Lu Ten can give no voice to his thoughts, occupied as he is, but he imparts what he can through broad caresses down from Hanxin's waist to his thighs and back. Your voice… I am defenseless. Even without his speech, those moans and heavy breaths go to Lu Ten's head like aged wine, and to his stiffening cock like a very potent cup of ginseng tea.

A few final whimsical swirls around Hanxin's overstimulated rim, and he presses butterfly kisses to each buttock as he lowers himself even more in his quest for unexplored horizons.

"I love you." He cannot say it enough. "I love you."

He dips lower and probes the swell of Hanxin's sac with his tongue, then with utmost care, sucks at one testicle, savoring the feeling of having his love's most delicate parts in his mouth. It's deliriously arousing, and he feels himself grow still harder. They could stand to move along, but he lingers, too enamored of Hanxin's moans and helpless twitches to stop.

"You taste lovely, my heart. So, so good." Lu Ten traces the slight cleft between his balls from front to back, moistening his tongue until the delicate fuzz there is damp and glistening.

He does not expect Hanxin to start cracking up at this, and he rewinds his words mentally. "I mean it," he protests, even as his lover moves to muffle his giggles in his hands. "You taste… nice. We had a bath today, after all. I'm not lying."

He's not; Hanxin tastes like sweat and musk and nothing unpleasant, and Lu Ten thinks he ought to know. He supposes it is a bit silly to say it so unironically.

"You're not doing wonders for my ego, you know." He pretends to be cross with Hanxin as he continues to laugh, not truly irritated with his love. If Hanxin feels relaxed enough during sex to laugh at him so unabashedly, it can only be a good thing. Lu Ten would willingly say all manner of ludicrous things to hear him in a fit of unrestrained, joyful laughter. There is nothing I want more than for you to be happy.

"Alright, alright," he grumbles as Hanxin subsides into deep breaths, trying to regain his composure. "I'll give you something to laugh about."

He fumbles a bit with his pants, wanting everything to be out of the way as they tip closer to the edge. The lube that his father sent along (massage oil, he corrects himself doggedly) is clear and oddly cool, a clean, floral smell pouring onto his fingertips as he scoops up a dollop.

"You're sure, Hanxin?" He wants to give Hanxin everything his heart desires. Even though it's harder now for him to communicate them, Lu Ten will stop at nothing to make sure his needs are met.

"Mm." He nods.

Okay. Lu Ten sucks in a long breath. Okay.

One knuckle, then two. One finger, then another. A wordless shudder and a deep inhale, Hanxin bracing himself on his arms as his walls clench around the fingers pushing farther into him.

"Nnnn…"

Fuck, Lu Ten's not sure how long he can last at this rate. He scissors his fingers a little, thrusting them in and out minutely until he estimates Hanxin's ready for a third.

He reaches around, Hanxin obligingly tilting his hips to give him access, and oh, he is achingly aroused, so hard and leaking, Lu Ten's own cock throbs in sympathy. Enough.

"Nn… ahhh…"

That's enough encouragement. He slicks himself up, the cold lube doing nothing to dampen his mood—quite the opposite. He lingers a moment at the entrance, the tip of his cock brushing the rim, teasing him, waiting for an invitation which Hanxin wantonly extends, pushing his hips back towards Lu Ten's breaching cock, slowly sliding in until he can go no farther.

"Hanxin… ahh…"

Fuck. Fuck… he forces himself to focus on the other's reactions. So far, so good. The way his body yields for Lu Ten is overwhelming, and he finds himself sprawled nearly chest-to-back against Hanxin.

"Please, my love," he whispers, breathless.

A heated, almost desperate gaze over the shoulder is all he needs. Their union is complete, their mutual desire spiking ever higher. Every muscle in Hanxin's body beneath his hands is taut with repressed need.

"Fuck… oh, oh Hanxin." He is almost beyond words but not far enough gone to miss how those strong shoulders are quaking, head bowed low. "Hanxin?" He slows the rhythm of his hips, then stops altogether. "Are you… does it hurt?"

Hanxin resolutely shakes his head no, but Lu Ten has to be sure. He starts to withdraw, only for Hanxin to reach one arm back, holding him fast. He catches that arm in motion. They need to communicate.

"Up, up now, love," he coaxes, guiding Hanxin up onto his knees, seated in his lap (and on his cock still, but that can wait). "Are you okay?"

Hanxin nods, and Lu Ten pauses, puzzled. "Then what's wrong? I can't make things better for you if I don't know what's wrong."

Hanxin takes Lu Ten's left hand from his waist and turns it face up, drawing deliberate characters on the belly of his forearm. — I miss you. —

"…miss me? But… I'm right here," he begins, puzzled, but already Hanxin is shaking his head self-deprecatingly, fingers tracing his clarifying answer on Lu Ten's arm.

— Faceless. Irrational. —

So are many of their fears, and this one at least is real. "Do you want to turn around so you can see me? Or do you want to stop?"

Negative on both counts. Now Lu Ten is really stymied. He understands Hanxin's fear, having experienced it himself. After nightmares, he is sometimes afraid to open his eyes for fear of seeing his dream's horrors superimposed on the real world, inescapable even in waking. However, if seeing Lu Ten's face and not seeing it both leave Hanxin in agony, then he truly does not know what to do.

Think, he tells himself sternly. For Hanxin.

He rubs absent circles on Hanxin's chest, his belly, nosing quietly at his nape even as he ponders, and Hanxin relaxes into him a little, his body yielding peacefully, comfortably, like they were meant to fit together thus.

They were. We have.

"My love," he murmurs. "Close your eyes."

Hanxin bows his head without fanfare, and Lu Ten takes that to mean that his eyes are closed now. With studied deliberation, almost ritual, he brings one hand up to firmly cover Hanxin's eyes.

HANXIN

He is blind again, he is safe again, and the conscious parts of him that are not in a paroxysm of celebration instead marvel at how perfectly Lu Ten is suited to him, to saving and being saved by him in turn, to deciphering his needs and partnering him for the rest of their blessed lives.

"Do you want to keep going?"

It should be strange to want it so soon after he's just been on the verge of a nightmare-laden meltdown. More than ever, though, he knows what is real and what is not. The pleasant slip of soft sheets under his knees; the relaxed rhythm of tidal breathing, his own and Lu Ten's; the heat of Lu Ten's hand over his eyes, reminding him that his lover is here, and healthy, and whole, even without seeing him. The slightly sticky tread of their sweat-doused skin against each other; the thud of his quickening heart against his ribs; the promising shift of Lu Ten's cock lodged within him, arousal not yet fully waned. Yes.

He turns, Lu Ten's hands slipping from his eyes, but that doesn't matter now that he can look upon his lover's unbroken face without fear of seeing anything else. He cranes his head back, one arm snaking around to capture Lu Ten's lips in a heated kiss.

"Mmph!" Lu Ten is taken by surprise at his ardor, it seems, and wriggles away before Hanxin has had his fill. "Stop and think, if you please, about where my tongue has just been?"

Hanxin rolls his eyes. Up my ass, and you can rest assured it did please.

Lu Ten sighs, knowing he's not going to make much headway against his suddenly lust-addled lover. "Fine, fine. But we'll both have to rinse out our mouths after this."

After? So premature. They haven't even begun.

Lu Ten gets the message as Hanxin grinds his hips down onto his stationary cock, impatient. He braces himself, lifting Hanxin a little from his lap, and begins a litany of luxurious thrusts designed to drive him insane.

It's glorious. Hanxin would not call himself spiritual by any means, but if he had to name his life's most transcendental experiences, this would be near the top of the list. Lu Ten's pace reaches an earnest holding pattern, gradually pushing them towards climax, but slow enough to savor. Gods, he's drowning in Lu Ten, in his warmth and vitality, life and love. Lu Ten plants kisses wherever he can, his neck, his back, his shoulders, hands hungrily traversing the plane of his front in search of more ways to drive him to pleasurable madness.

One finger grazes a nipple in passing, eliciting a soft hiss. It returns, indolent and idling at that center of pleasure, rubbing and worrying at his nipple in time to Lu Ten's thrusts, and Hanxin lets escape a low moan, helpless with sensation.

"Yes, that's it, love. Let me hear you." A playful tug of teeth at his ear lobe, another attack at the opposite nipple, rendering him dizzy with stimulation and adoration and everything that's too much yet not enough—he needs more of Lu Ten. He does not think one lifetime will be enough for them.

Fuck, he thinks dimly, arching his back, stretching one arm to curl around Lu Ten's neck, pulling them closer. He wishes more than anything that he could tell his lover how good this feels. How he's missed this. How he wants this forever. But Lu Ten understands without him saying anything. It's in the way he tightens his grip on Hanxin's waist, quickens his pace, lays down harsher nips and bites on his skin—they are almost there, so close.

"Touch yourself, Hanxin," Lu Ten gasps by his ear. "Do it, I want to see."

He does, finally taking his cock in hand, and oh, fuck, how am I supposed to keep from going straight for the finish. He forces himself to go slow, feeling a thin stream of pre-come leaking from his arousal, slicking up the rest of his length. Fuck. Please… Lu Ten…

Lu Ten's hand joins his, fisting his cock furiously while fucking into him at a relentless pace, and this is it. He is there, he cannot wait—

"Come on, come, Hanxin. I want you to."

A ragged breath, a burst of light behind his eyes, a silent scream as he shudders through his release. Lu Ten's thrusts become more and more stilted until he, too, surrenders to his climax. The sensation of being filled is strange but at the same time pleasingly visceral. Hanxin is vaguely aware of Lu Ten pulling out and laying him on his side, arranging his jellylike limbs into a comfortable position. He drowses.

When he comes to, Lu Ten is dabbing around his much-exerted entrance with cool, moist cloths, going on to sponge down the rest of his nether regions with that same tender care. "Rinse and spit." He holds out a small bowl of water to Hanxin, who does as he's told. Cleanliness is godliness, or so he's heard.

He watches as Lu Ten steps lightly around the tent, dousing candles, picking up discarded clothes, doing all the myriad things that Hanxin usually does in preparation for sleep. Naked and so lovely, it's not difficult to mistake him for a young god, elated with the raw beauty of the world and his own omnipotence, not yet jaded by the many hurts and tragedies of cruel life.

Lu Ten returns to lie beside him, casting a curious glance at his thoughtful gaze. He fusses with the pillows and blankets for a bit, then engulfs Hanxin in a sleepy embrace.

"I love you," he mumbles. "Will you ever get tired of me saying that?"

Hanxin shakes his head, his answer evident from the direction his chin grazes the top of Lu Ten's head where it rests. Never.

"Good, because I'm going to say it whenever I can. In the morning when we wake up, during breakfast, after morning court, in the bathtub, dinner with my father; actually, dinner with Zuko and Aang, we need to be good role models for them… in bed, obviously, and anytime I see you unexpectedly, oh, and at our wedding, too…"

Hanxin smiles, tugging his fingers through Lu Ten's tangled hair. Once upon a time, he would hold Lu Ten as he drifts off into peaceful dreams that could never come true, but no more. Their joint future has been realized. They now face the reality of their hereafter, founded on their indomitable love and loyalty to each other.

Always ascending, forever faithful.

A/N: Always ascending, forever faithful :) "ascending" for Lu Ten's "téng; 騰", and "faithful" for Hanxin's "xìn; 信". It's also something of an inside joke with myself: Always Ascending is the name of an album by one of my favorite bands, Franz Ferdinand—okay, that has nothing to do with LuXin at all, and frankly I don't even remember any songs on that album :3

Thank you for reading! :) I love LuXin so much, I'll probably write more of their happily married lives, but later, at some unspecified date in the future.