Zuko

"Thank you," I shook the man's hand as he left the palace steps. He was a vendor, who had come to me to discuss his permits. Obviously it was a little underwhelming for me, not exactly my normal scale of business, but I wanted my people to see me as approachable. I went into the palace and took off my Fire Lord robes, the day had felt so long. My father had requested to see me again, but I refused to embellish him, he had no more power to summon me to his feet.

I drew a hot bath and when I went back to my room I jumped back at the sight of Mai.

"Ah! Mai!," I grabbed the window curtains and covered myself.

She giggled," Oh Zuko, you don't have to be shy with me."

"Mai, I've told you can't just come in here anymore. Who keeps letting you in?!"

"Letting me in?," she faked a laugh. "Zuko I grew up here, I know all the back doors."

"Mai, we talked about this."

She shrugged," You talked, then I talked. We didn't agree."

"And this is your solution?"

"No," she shook her head. "This is," she peeling her robe off and exposing her naked body.

God damn it, I shut my eyes and looked away.

"Mai, this is not what we talked about. I don't think this is a good idea and you should leave."

"Zuko," she called out to me, I could tell she was getting closer. " I know you're lonely here in this room all by yourself. I know that because I know you. The real you."

"Mai, you need to leave," I didn't look to her.

"I know you, Zuko," she grabbed my face and turned my neck to face her. "Look at me," she coaxed me, I opened my eyes to see her face. "You may have broken my heart, Fire Lord... but I'm still here for you."

"I appreciate that, really... but I know that this will end badly, Mai. I know myself and I know you, neither of us could function in a relationship like this."

She stroked my cheek and I stood up, no longer hiding behind a curtain. We stood there as two naked people looking at one another while he sound of running water filled the tub in the joining slanted eyes watched me closely, she was trying to figure out what I was thinking, I could feel it. She did that often, she wanted to know what was going on in my head.

"Mai," I said her name softly. "You know this would never work."

"Two lonely hearts in the night," her hand moved to grip the back of my neck. She gave me a small smile, but it wasn't happy it was holding back her sadness," Maybe you're right, Zuko... maybe this just isn't who we are."

"It's not," I confirmed.

"But that doesn't make it any less lonely...," she looked down for a moment.

"I know."

She took her other hand and brushed the hair from my eyes," And it doesn't stop me from thinking about you, Zuko."

Thinking about me? What does she mean?

She must have read the confused look on my face," How could I just forget you? You were my first love... and I've loved you for so long."

"You were my first love too," I told her.

"But you don't love me anymore," she almost asked it as a question, like she needed to make sure.

"No," I tired to say it as gently as possible.

"And you want to be alone? Feel that emptiness inside again?," she now wrapped both hand around my neck and she spoke in a whisper

I sucked in a breath, Mai was beautiful. The evening light coming in from the window bounced off her porcelain skin and she looked like she was glowing. Her normally wicked yellow eyes were unusually soft and vulnerable.

"No, I don't," I told her honestly. I hated the feeling inside me, that I couldn't trust anyone, even those I considered to be my friends. It felt like I was second guessing every choice I made and nothing was right but I also couldn't confide in anyone without looking weak or childish. With Iroh being in the Earth Kingdom, I did feel alone and it was awful.

"You don't have to be," Mai pressed herself closer to me. "You don't have to be alone."

"But maybe I deserve to be alone," I told her, my fears now pouring out. "I did this to myself."

"I won't let you be alone," she told me and my hand unconsciously went to rest on her hips.

"It would be better if you did."

"No," she put a finger on my lips," Don't say that," then she removed her finger and kissed me deeply.

It was just a kiss, but in that moment I didn't feel as alone as I would have, Mai was right about that. Mai wrapped around my tighter, like a snake strangling it's prey and she kissed me harder. I could hear the little voice in my head telling me to stop, deep down I knew how wrong this was. Even if Mai had initiated it, I was taking advantage of her, I had no intention of being with her. She was just a warm body to keep me from my own self destructive thoughts.

She pulled back with a small grin on her face before sinking to her knees. She grabbed me with both hands and put me into her mouth with an initial gag. I let out a small gasp and looked down and she bobbed her head back and forth. The tension was rolling off my body, this was almost a relaxing as my bath would have been.

"Oh fuck," I groaned as she worked vigorously with her tongue and hands.

I laid my head back against the wall, the curtain beside me brushing against the side of my face. I looked up to the ceiling and let my mind go blank and Mai worked, and I came fast. It was out of nowhere for me, the build was so short and then I sprayed into her mouth.

"Shit," I muttered and looked down as Mai looked up to me, spitting my cum out onto my dick that she continued to suck. "Oh fuck...," I dragged my hands across my face. Then the sounds of water floating back to me," Fuck the water," I jumped to the bathroom to turn off the faucet which had spilled over the edge of the tub. I dropped my head and stood in a puddle for a second before grabbing a few towels. I pulled the drain on the tub and went back into the my room, Mai was putting her robe back on.

What do I say? Is there anything I can say? Why the fuck did I let this happen again?!

"Zuko," she called to me without turning around the face me.

"Yeah."

She looked over her shoulder," Since I did this for you, I need something in return."

"Something in return?," I repeated.

She spun to face me, her lips curved into a sweet smile," Don't worry, it's nothing extravagant. It's just...," she looked down to her hands shyly and her smile fell. "I don't want to spend the night alone. Can I stay with you?"

"Mai," I let myself sigh and scratched my head.

How do I tell her no?

She didn't look up," Yeah, no, I get it. You're right."

Fuck...

"Mai... I don't want you to feel alone. I'm here for you."

"But only as a friend," she finished then after a pause she said. "We never were good at being friends."

"That's not true."

"Isn't it?," she raised an eyebrow.

I let out slow sigh, thinking back between us. "I guess you're right. But we never let ourselves be friends."

"Yeah, I guess," she replied softly looking down again.

If she was trying to make me feel guilty, it was working.

"Mai, if you stay here. I need to sleep. I have a busy tomorrow."

She looked up to me quickly," Of course, Fire Lord," she smirked.

I rolled my eyes," I need a shower," I went into the bathroom and shut the door, glad that Mai didn't take my announcement as an invitation. The hot water felt great, but it didn't make me feel less dirty. I was really going to let her stay here tonight? Was I crazy? The more time from my euphoric experience, the more this idea was backfiring on me.

I dried off and went back into my room, it was already dark, Mai must've turned the lights off. The sun had set quickly and the dusky golden sky was all the remained. I crawled under my silky sheets and turned to face turned away from the body on the opposite side of the bed. The quiet brought up a lot of questions for me. How many more times will I do this? What happens when she can't separate her feeling anymore? Does she still love me? I can't tell... I can't keep doing this to her or to myself.

"Good night Zuko," Mai whispered to me.

"Good night," I told her and then fell asleep.

I awoke with a jump as there was a loud crash outside my room in the hall. I heard muffled voices and someone else yelling, it sounded like a struggle.

"Zuko," Mai sounded scared, she was sitting up and pulled the covers to her chest.

I grabbed my robe and then the door opened and light flooded in.

"Sire, are you alright?," a guard came to me.

"What's going on?," I asked.

"An intruder," he informed me. "We caught him in your wing, he had a weapon, but he's been disarmed. He doesn't appear to be a bender, sire."

"Why is he here? A thief?"

"No, sire."

"I DO THIS FOR OZAI!," a man bellowed.

You've got to be fucking kidding me. I followed him into the hall where the man was now face down on the floor, his feet and arms tied together. He looked like any other commoner, nothing seemed special about him at all.

"KILL THIS IMPOSTOR," he pulled against his restraints when he saw me. "OZAI IS THE FIRELORD!"

"It seems he was here to kill you, sire," the guard told me.

"What's your name? Who are you?," a separate guard leaned down to the man.

"OZAI WILL RULE AGAIN!," he shouted, practically foaming at the mouth.

"Yes, it would appear so," I looked down at the struggling man.

"We're checking the perimeter now, it looks like he's alone, Firelord," another guard came up to us.

I sighed," Well, throw him in the dungeon, but separate him from Ozai. Let me know if you find anyone else... and also check if he's hidden any explosives. Interrogate him, find out his motive. See if Ozai really put him up to this."

"Yes, Firelord," the both went off to fulfill their tasks.

I turned back to my room, Mai was standing in the doorway now, wrapped in her own robe. Her eyes were wide as she watched them drag the commoner back down the hall.

"Zuko?"

"It's nothing," I told her.

"Nothing?," she came back into the room with me. "It sounded to me like they said he was here to assassinate you!"

"He was."

"Are you okay," she suddenly hugged me. "I... I'm just glad they caught him in time. He was nearly here."

I rested my arms around Mai," It's alright. We're safe."

"I bet we could've taken him," she looked up to me with a devilish grin.

"I bet you're right," I smiled back then yawned," But lucky for me I can get some more sleep," pulling away and heading to the bed.

"What? You can go back to sleep after this? He came here specifically to kill you, Zuko."

"Yet I'm still alive."

"How is this not affecting you?," she crossed her arms and scowled at me.

"You can't be serious?," I scoffed and I slipped under the covers.

"I am," I she followed me.

"Mai, my father threatened to kill me if I wasn't a firebender then my father still almost killed me when I was 13. I was banished and hunted by the fire nation army for over a year and fought in a bloody war. It's not like someone trying to kill me is a new development in my life."

"You should have them double you security," she mumbled.

I almost laughed and shook my head at the thought, before shutting off the lights and falling back to sleep. I was not re awoken, so in the morning I made the assumption the man had acted alone. I went to check on his interrogation progress but he had hung himself in his cell that night. Many new generals agreed with Mai and wanted to increase palace security, but I knew our soldiers were needed out in the world, not here with me cowering in the castle.