Azula wished it had not been a nightmare that finally made her brother start getting overprotective of her again. The few bad dreams she still had were so intense and so real that they made her feel bad for days, and she wanted them to just go away already. Even her brother's loving embrace was often not enough to make her truly feel better.

That was not to say she didn't like have him give her all of his attention, especially after he had spent nearly an entire month so distant. He'd talk to her, but it wasn't as frequent as before, and his voice lacked that kind, loving tone that made her feel like she was the most important thing in the world to him. He just wasn't the same Zuko, and she missed her Zuzu terribly.

Zuko clearly had missed her as well. While he had spent the previous day looking absolutely guilty and ashamed of himself for not being there to comfort her as she woke up in the middle of the night, the second Azula managed to convince him that she was okay, he went back to being by her side the entire day, and had pretty much dragged her to his room after dinner.

They built a fort with their pillows and sheets, talking, laughing, playing games, and getting on each other's nerves, like they used to do all the time when they were children. Her brother had that huge, sweet smile on his face that only appeared when he was truly at peace - a sight that was becoming less and less rare the more they rebuilt their relationship.

They stayed up almost all night, remembering especial moments they had shared; both things that had happened years ago and moments that had taken place more recently. Eventually, of course, Azula brought up their amazing day at the beach, and how her Zuzu had defended her. She loved it when he got so protective of her, and the way he blushed whenever she thanked him for being such a good, loving brother, made it all even better.

But she had another motive to talk about that day: Zuko was avoiding talking about Jin. That was an excellent sign, since that seemed to be how all of his 'romances' happened - he'd meet a girl, not shut up about her or leave her side for a few days or weeks, then suddenly act like she never existed before ending things with her. This time the only real difference was that he spent nearly two weeks being extra clingy and sweet with her... right after their mother had asked him if he was in love with Azula, but surely that had nothing to do it.

He was so painfully obvious sometimes.

It took a little more convincing than usual, but she managed to make him open up to her about it as they started preparing to sleep, and he confessed that they had broken up. Azula didn't even try to pretend she had been rooting for everything to work out between them.

"You did the right thing. I could tell the relationship wasn't making you happy."

"I wasn't... unhappy" he said as he lied in bed, shifting uncomfortably "I was just..."

"Bored? Disappointed? Frustrated?"

"Kind of."

Azula chuckled "I knew this would happen. I don't get why you even bothered to try when it's was so clear that's just not the right girl for you. Seeing her try to act like your girlfriend was so sad. Poor thing just never had a chance."

"Watch it" he warned "We might have broken up, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with you talking about her like that. And why are you even saying those things? I thought you liked Jin"

"I don't dislike her. I barely even know her" she gave him a malicious smirk "But I know you, and I could tell right away that this had no future."

"Really?"

"Of course" she slowly crawled to the space right next to him "She's too nice for you."

Zuko looked at her uncomfortably "What do you mean?"

"Come on, Zuzu" she loved watching the nervous faces he was making as she tugged at his shirt "We both know you have a thing for bad girls."

"It's late. We should sleep" he said, turning away from her and getting under the covers.

Azula sighed in frustration and got under the blankt herself. Every time she thought that maybe Zuko had stopped lying to himself, he'd suddenly push her away again, his mind desperate to keep up just enough of the illusion that they were normal siblings.

Way to ruin a perfect night, she thought about saying. Both to herself and her brother.

They stayed completely silent for a long time, not moving a muscle. Just as Azula was almost asleep, she felt Zuko wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close and kissing her cheek, making her smile despite herself. She couldn't be truly mad at him when he was so loving with her, even if he insisted on pretending what they had was purely familial.

"Goodnight, Lala."

"Goodnight, dum-dum."

Many hours later, Azula woke up, still safe in her brother's embrace. She had not had any dreams, good or bad, but that clearly had not been the case for Zuko. His hard cock was pressed against her ass, his skin was hot, his grip on her was tight, and little gasps and groans were escaping past his lips. Hesitantly, she rubbed up against him, smirking as he reacted to her little tease by thrusting his hips, moaning in pleasure. That was all the encouragement she needed to continue doing what she was doing.

"Zula..."

She froze in place, eyes wide as her brother continued rubbing up against her, until he came, his low groan making her melt. She didn't have time to enjoy it, because Zuko jumped out of bed the second he woke up. Azula heard it as he broke something as he ran out of his own room.

She had no idea whether he had even realized she was already awake, and had been fully aware of what happened, but it didn't matter. All she could care about was the fact that her Zuzu had been dreaming about her, about finally making her truly his.

She wouldn't keep him waiting. They had already wasted too much time.