Azula didn't open her eyes when she heard Zuko entering their room and changing from his clothes into his sleeping robe. She didn't move when she felt her brother lying down next to her or when he wrapped his arms around her

"I know you're awake" he said, repeatedly kissing her neck.

Azula didn't move a muscle and stayed completely silent.

"I'm not the one you should be mad at"

"I'm not mad at you" she finally spoke up.

"Look at me, then"

She sighed and turned around to face him "Happy now?"

Why couldn't he just leave her in peace? She didn't want to think about that stupid letter, or about how many rich, noble men would be desperately trying to separate them to get a little power for themselves by marrying their daughters to Zuko. She didn't want to get truly angry - whenever she did, it became harder to control her impulses, and the voices would just scream at her, over and over, all at the same time. Azula had not felt something that intense since the day she had finally saw her mother again after so many years. She didn't want to lose control again.

And she didn't want to think, even for one second, that she could actually lose him.

But you will. It's only a matter of time. You'll lose him. You'll lose it all.

"Just tell me what I can do to fix this."

"Zuko, I really don't want to talk about it."

He pulled her close, embracing her, entangling his legs in between her's "I don't want to be with Mai or any other girl, Azula. I want you. Ukano is an idiot trying to gain the Fire Lord's favor. That kind of thing never bothered you before, this shouldn't be any different."

"It is different, Zuko" she said, pulling away, freeing herself from his embrace "You did love her once. Her and that Earth Kingdom peasant. And now you're the most powerful man in our nation, and literally everyone woman wants to be with you. How do I know you won't decide it's easier to just choose one of them to be your wife?"

"I won't" he promised."

"You'd be a fool if you didn't" Azula blurted out at the same time one of the voices in her head said it to her, regretting the words the second they came out of her mouth. Her brother looked at her in shock. She desperately wanted to find a way to pretend she had not meant that, but all rational thought escaped her as she could feel that overwhelming fear taking over her.

You don't belong here.

He'll leave you. They always do.

You don't deserve to be with him.

Just as she started to tear up, he pulled her close, holding her tight, gently stroking her hair and soothing her as she rested her head right above his heart.

"She protected you. She went against the crowned princess for you. I lied to you. I hurt you. I nearly killed you and your friends. Why are you going through all this trouble for me? Why aren't you with someone else? Anyone else?" Azula was shaking and sobbing as she spoke, her hands griping tightly at his robe.

"I love you, Azula. In spite of every mistake we both made, every hardship we went through, and all the pain we endured..." he paused, looking for the right words to say "I love you in spite of it all and even because of it."

She pulled away to look at him, blinking, trying to understand what he had just said.

Zuko wiped away her tears, gently caressing her cheeks "I know you can't see it, but you're getting better every day. You went against everything you were taught, and you're truly trying to be a good person. I know how hard that is, and I am so proud of you. And I'm grateful for everything you've been doing for me. For not trying to separate me from my friends, for giving Kiyi a chance, for working with your doctors, for talking things out with our mother, for trying to teach me to act like a Fire Lord should... and I might not want to send you to battle again, but I am grateful for your willingness to protect me and fight for the nation we're building and will rule together."

He made her lie down and got on top of her, kissing her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, her jaw, her neck... looking at her with those loving eyes, caressing her cheeks and stroking her hair.

"I might wish we had not suffered the way we did, and that our family wasn't so messed up, but that doesn't mean I'd want any other girl by my side. You're my sister. You're the girl I've been in love with my whole life, and you're the only one who understands what it was like to grow up with a family like ours" he pressed a quick kiss to her lips "I wouldn't trade what we have for anything else."

Azula brought her hands to his face, cupping his cheeks as her brother leaned down for another kiss. Her lips parted, allowing his tongue to toy with her's. She could feel her whole body getting warmer as he touched her everywhere, slowly opening her robe to expose her while they made out - involving her neck, groping her breasts, grabbing her hips, and parting her thighs. She moaned against his lips as his fingers traced her labia and teased her clit.

Zuko broke the kiss to look at her, paying close attention to her reaction as he penetrated her with three of his fingers, hooking them inside of her, causing her to close her eyes and moan loudly.

"Oh, Zuzu..."

She moaned again when he brought his lips to one of her breasts, licking and sucking the nipple, then slowly taking more of her breast into his eager mouth whole his right hand continued to tease her. It didn't take more than a few minutes for her brother to make her come... and for him to cover the pale skin of her neck, collarbone and breasts with hickeys and bite marks.

"That is a perfect look for you, dear sister" he said, smiling at her maliciously as he started to undress. Azula did the same, throwing her robe to the side.

She let her eyes roam, taking in and admiring his muscular form as if she was seeing it for the first time, then fixated on the scar she had left right above his heart two years prior. For once she was happy it was there. A permanent, physical reminder that he belonged to her.

Azula pulled him back to her and Zuko placed himself in between her legs, moaning in her ear as he entered her. She wrapped her legs around him, wanting to get him as deep as possible.

"Fuck me, Zuzu. As hard as you can"

Her brother groaned, giving it to her hard and fast, and Azula bit down on his shoulder to keep from screaming. Zuko's cry of both pleasure and pain made her do it again.

She cruelly buried her nails on his back and continued to suck and bite at his shoulder neck, the marks she was leaving on him as impossible to miss as the ones he left on her and as the scar on his chest.

Her body started to convulse and she screamed impossibly loud as her brother hit just the right spot over and over, bringing her to an intense orgasm. Mere instants later she felt Zuko spilling himself inside of her, hearing his quiet attempt to control his breathing.

Neither of them moved at all, simply enjoying each other's warmth and feeling it as their hearts started beating in unison. Zuko's kind voice was the last thing Azula heard before falling asleep.

"I'm yours, Azula."