Author's Note: For a full understanding of this chapter, first read my stories "Weathering the Storm" and "Healing Invisible Scars," the second of which is only on An Archive of Our Own because it's an explicit oneshot. These stories feature Mai and Zuko and take place in the universe of this story; they fill in essential background to the scene you're about to read.

Content warning: discussion of past childhood sexual and emotional abuse

This chapter is dedicated to zgod, a great writer and friend from the Kataang Discord and the Kataang NSFW Discord. Check out his story ATLAM: Water and Desire.

"Are you ready to be bored to death?" Mai came in to Zuko's room. She'd spent the afternoon submitting herself to the ministrations of hair stylists and manicurists, and now stood dressed for the coronation anniversary ball in an elaborate traditional kimono.

"Almost ready. Come here." He beckoned her. He was also wearing his formal robe, all except the large, sharp epaulets. He suppressed his nerves, determined not to let his jitters keep him from expressing himself. He pulled the box from the jeweler from the desk drawer where he'd hidden it, and held it out for her on his open palm. "It's been almost a year since you moved into the palace, and I wanted to give you something to commemorate the occasion."

She took it and opened it. Inside sparkled a pair of earrings, rectangular rubies ringed with onyx and set in rose gold. "They're beautiful, Zuko."

"They have a story." He began. The tale, and the meaning it gave to the jewels, was part of the present. "They belonged to one of my ancestors. Well, not a direct ancestor, I suppose, she didn't have any children, the first woman to serve as Fire Lord-"

"These belonged to the Virgin Queen?" Mai's eyes lit up. She was one of her favorite historical figures. As he knew.

"Yes, that's what they called her, but she wasn't. She had a longstanding love affair with one of her bodyguards. They couldn't marry because he wasn't noble-"

"And if she'd had a husband at all, she wouldn't have been allowed to rule in her own right." Mai put in.

"Exactly. She spent half her time repelling power-hungry suitors. No wonder she fell in love with someone who didn't want to rule. She and her bodyguard couldn't exchange rings, so when she decided to commit herself to him, she took off one of her earrings and gave it to him. They both wore them that way until he fell defending her from assassins. She never took another lover; the crown passed to her cousin when she died."

"And you're giving these to me. Izumi's earrings." Mai stated in disbelief.

"Yes. I wanted to give you a sign of my commitment." Zuko swallowed, gathering his courage. "I can't give you a ring yet, but at least these are tangible. So that, if you ever doubt for a second, or just want to be reminded, you can touch it on your ear, or in your jewelry box, and my love is right there. I know we haven't really spoken of it directly very much-"

"Or at all." She scoffed.

"I know." He cringed at the implied criticism. "It's mostly because I feel awkward about it and I still barely believe that you actually agreed." He shifted self-consciously, hoping that his reticence hadn't already spoiled things, and she would understand. "I just want to tell you again that I will propose. As soon as you're old enough to legally answer for yourself. I didn't want to seem needy by bringing it up too much, and making you tell me again that you really do want me to ask…"

"And I didn't want to whine about how I wish I could flash a ring at the stupid fangirls and their moms to make them shut the hell up." Mai finished, accepting responsibility for her part of the silence that had grown between them. "Because then you'll just go off on them, and there will be embarrassing headlines…"

"Sorry, I don't want to make things worse for you…"

"It would be worse if you didn't care when I get called names. And I'm not going to lie, it's kind of satisfying to watch you defend me. But I know it means your poor press secretary has to work overtime."

"He's well compensated for that. But I think the play is going to help in that regard, don't you? My approval ratings went up, but yours more than doubled."

"Woohoo, now I'm almost to 50%!" Mai put up her fist with a mock cheer.

"Maybe appearing at my side at events like today will help." He encouraged her, stroking the elaborately embroidered silk on her arm. "Especially in this kimono. You look every inch the proper Fire Lady. And now with a family heirloom….."

"You don't really care that much about your numbers, do you?" She asked worriedly.

Zuko shook his head emphatically. "Not where you're concerned. Or when it comes to moral questions. I wouldn't even let my press man tell me what the public thought of the colonies until after I decided what was the right thing to do. But I am a new ruler, a young one, and the circumstances under which I took the throne were…..dramatic, to say the least. Popularity is my best defense. And therefore, yours as well."

"I just hate that I'm a mark in the negative column for you." She frowned.

"No, you're not!" He pulled her into his arms, almost desperate to make her understand. "You're more than just a net positive, you're the single most positive thing in my life! The one person who makes me happiest. Fuck the poll numbers."

Mai smiled a little at his language. "Well, you're right, my numbers are improving. Mr. Newspaper told me they'll get even better when we're officially official. When we're…planning a wedding."

"Yeah," he breathed, thrilled to hear her say the word.

"And even more than that, when I, um, knock your little brother down a peg."

Zuko's forehead wrinkled in confusion for a second, and then his face broke into a huge grin when he realized she was alluding to bearing his child.

She saw his elation and tempered it with a warning. "That might not be for another decade, though."

"Of course. Not a day before you're ready. But, Mai, you have no idea how-"

"I think I can guess." The two exchanged a relieved smile. It seemed they understood each other after all, and the months of shying away from discussions of the years ahead had not kept them from anticipating the same future.

He called her attention back to the earrings in the box in her hand. "You can choose how you want to wear them. In both your ears, or-"

"If I want to share them with you, the way Izumi did with her lover?" She guessed.

"Yes. Only if you want to." He clarified. "If you don't mind looking uneven, with only one earring."

"You'd be uneven too." She pointed out.

"I already am."

"You know I don't think of you that way. Symmetry is boring. I want you to have a reminder too." Mai pulled one of the earrings out of the box and pressed it into his palm. "You might need one even more than I do. You had trouble believing I loved you at first. Maybe you still do. I know I don't say it much-should I say it more?"

"You don't have to." He shook his head. "You make me feel it. You've given me everything. It would be churlish of me to doubt you-"

"But also natural. And it's just so nice to hear…I'm sorry I don't say it as often as you do." She looked down, shy and regretful. "When I was living at home, my dad made me tell him every single day. It was a tiresome routine that sucked all meaning out of the words. And once, I remember how my parents wanted me to say it to an old aunt who was dying, because they were hoping she would put me in her will. I even had to say it a few times to Mr. Warute-"

A sound of disgust and dismay came from his throat involuntarily. "Not that-" his arms reached for her protectively. That her father had forced her to express love to the man who had molested her-it was an emotional manipulation that took the abuse to a new level. After she had told him what her father's mentor had done to her, he had looked up the man to make sure he had no access to any other children, at least, and found that he was in ill health in a facility for the aged. The news had been a relief; fittingly, the man's own body was rotting, creating a better prison for him than any Zuko could devise. There had been no need to ask Mai for her approval to jail the man, no reason to remind her. He wished a slow, painful death on the old pervert.

"He said it as he was leaving, and my dad nudged me until I said it back." She explained, her voice matter-of-fact and detached. "And then before you ran off, my mom started suggesting I should say it to you, to make you feel obligated to me. And to test you and see how you would react, so she could plan the next step in her campaign to make me Fire Lady. So of course, stubbornly, I didn't say it then, even though I was starting to feel it, just to avoid going along with her meddlesome plan."

"I'm so sorry you went through all that." He shook his head, stroking his hand down her arm. "It makes sense that you wouldn't want to parrot words that had become hollow to you. In fact, I'm glad that you didn't go along with your mom's plan, that you didn't say anything to me that you didn't mean, or that wasn't your own idea. You respected me enough not to try to use me the way others had used you. You didn't pass on the manipulation. I'm grateful that you were too strong for that. That you maintained your own sense of integrity despite everything." His admiration for the woman before him had grown even more, and he hadn't thought that was possible. "But for the record, I would have said it back, even before the eclipse."

"Thanks for understanding." Her smile was sad, as she took comfort in his loose embrace. "It's been nice to have a break from saying those words, to reconnect myself with my own feelings. Thanks for not pushing it."

"You're a woman of action, not of empty words, and I appreciate that." He reassured her stoutly. "You've shown me your love in so many ways. In your choices, most of all. I'm used to not hearing it, so I haven't felt deprived." He shrugged, as if that were normal. "My mother was the only person I ever remember telling me she loved me with any regularity."

"And she's been gone for years!" Mai lamented both his loss and the way her own past had compounded it to keep him from enjoying the simple pleasure of hearing how deeply he was cherished. "You really have been starved, haven't you? I don't want to starve you anymore." She took a deep breath, readying herself, as if the words took effort. "I love you, Zuko."

His lips stretched into a wide smile as he breathed it in. It meant even more, knowing what she'd overcome to express her emotion. He couldn't help the almost giddy feeling that spread through his body, and the way it came out in his posture and face.

Seeing the way her words seemed to light him from within, his chest puffing up expansively, Mai wilted. "You really did want to hear it more, didn't you?" She fretted. "And I've been refusing you that happiness this whole time. I'm sorry. I'll work on it. It might still take some time for me, but I'm ready to try." She shuddered, still uncomfortable. "Saying that just feels showy. Like dancing naked."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You know I'd like that too."

"I will if you dance with me. Preferably horizontally." She purred.

"Tonight? After the festivities?" He touched his forehead to hers.

"It's my favorite way to show you. Like you said, I'm a woman of action." She gave a flirtatious tug on his belt.

Zuko chuckled appreciatively, then reached into his pocket. "I brought this, in case you wanted me to wear one of the earrings." He held up a needle.

Mai looked between his hand and his face in surprise. "You want me to pierce your ear?"

"Only way for me to put on an earring."

He conjured a small flame above his forefinger, sterilized the needle, and handed it to her. He perched on the edge of his desk, and she came close to his side. His arm came around her waist to steady them both.

She had stabbed countless straw dummies and thrown innumerable knives at targets, but never pushed a blade into living flesh. This required precision and care, just the right amount of force. She positioned the sharp end of the needle at the center of his earlobe. He held still, stared straight ahead, and waited for the poke.

Something in their tense, expectant position made a memory flash through her, bringing a wry smile to her face. "You're certain?" She quoted him.

He recognized the words, and they made him turn his head to look into her eyes. He surprised both of them with the fierceness of his answer: "Make me yours already."

Mai's eyes widened and her breath caught, but before she could respond, her boyfriend turned his head to offer her his ear.

She thrust the needle through Zuko's skin and noticed his jaw clench at the pain. Her fingers were sure and deft; the stick was fast, all the way through in one movement. His skin clung to the metal as the needle came out the back, past the sharp, tapered end to the smooth cylindrical shaft. The tip of the needle touched her finger behind the lobe, where she had placed it as a barrier to protect the soft space between his skull and jaw from an unnecessary jab. Holding the needle between her thumb and forefinger, she spun it in its new hole to loosen it a little. Then she left the pin where it was and picked up the ruby. She held it for him to disinfect the post with another little fire from his fingertip.

"This part might be worse." She warned, before pulling the needle out. She pushed the blunt post into the new hole. She had to work it around and stretch the lobe a little to get it through to the other side. "Sorry," she muttered, knowing she was hurting him.

"Don't apologize." He murmured, his body adamant and unmoving.

She looked for the earring back, and saw that he was holding it ready for her in his palm, next to the needle. Blushing, she put it in place. She pulled back a bit to see the full effect of his profile, and if the earring looked centered. Overcome at his masculine beauty, she kissed the ruby, which made him turn his head and capture her lips in his. It was a spark, and the gift, words, and action were dry kindling. Together they caught fire in a passionate embrace that threatened to burn off their fancy clothes. Wanting more of his heat, she filled his mouth with her tongue, until his arms around her trembled with desire.

"Mai. My only love. I'm going to be married to you someday." He pledged breathlessly, his eyes full of wonder. "In my heart I already am. I've felt that way since that first night."

She rested her cheek against his shoulder. "Oh, Zuko. I think I have too." They held each other like that a moment, imagining that future day when their private commitment would become public and permanent.

He realized he was still holding the box with the second earring in it. "You still have to put yours on." He showed her.

"Do you want to do it for me?" She suggested coyly, pulling her hair back.

He bent a little and gently placed the earring, before kissing it, just as she had. Then he stepped away from her to put on his shoulder piece. The most cumbersome part of his formal attire, he always saved it for the last minute.

Surveying him in his full regalia, she had an irresistible impulse. "I want to see us together."

He glanced around. "I don't have any mirrors in here."

She grabbed his hand and took him to the adjoining room, the Fire Lady's chamber. She had added some of her own personality to the formerly bland room, stashing some of her clothing in the drawers and picking out new linens. The full-length mirror rested by the vanity. They stood next to each other, surveying their appearance.

"I like it this way." She asserted, meeting his eye in the mirror. "Mismatched, unless seen together. We each need the other to make sense."

He could almost stand to look at his own face, when hers was there next to it. He put his arms around her waist from behind and kissed the tip of her ear. She turned halfway in his arms, hand guiding his lips to hers. Their kiss deepened again, but he had to cut it short. They were due in the ballroom to welcome their guests.

"Tonight," he reminded her.

"I don't know how I'll get through this party. All I really want to do is-"

"Oh, me too. Believe me. But the Fire Nation must have its pageantry." He held up his elbow courteously. "My lady?"

Eyes shining with love, she placed her hand in the crook of his arm.

The ballroom was filled with nobility, foreign guests, and friends. Iroh and Ty Lee had returned; Chief Hakoda had traveled from the South; Omashu, Ba Sing Se, Yu Dao, and Agna Qel'a had all sent representatives. The cast and crew of The Banished Prince and the Last Airbender had been invited, lending the glamour of the theater to the event. Zuko noticed the actor who had played him flirting with Nozomi, who was making her first public appearance as the newly ennobled mother of the heir to the throne. (Baby Roku was sleeping in his nursery, attended by nannies.)

After he gave a short speech welcoming everyone and thanking his friends for their support during this first year of his reign, Zuko led Mai in a stately waltz. Being so close to her without being allowed to ravish her was both torturous and delicious. Aang and Katara soon joined the dancing, and then the floor filled up with couples twirling formally.

After he'd greeted all the dignitaries and officers, an exhausted Zuko found himself standing next to Sokka on the sidelines, observing the party and counting down the minutes until its end. The Water Tribe boy was proudly decked out in his new White Lotus uniform, a navy robe with a wide white petal collar.

"Nice earring." Sokka noticed his friend's new adornment.

"Thanks. It's a family heirloom."

"Oh." Sokka was surprised; he had thought Zuko didn't like remembering his family that way. "Uh, your mom's?"

"No. A lot farther back than that. Your people probably don't really like her, though, sorry. You've heard of Izumi?"

Sokka made an impressed face. "The teenage girl who defeated the Water Tribe Armada? Yeah, I've heard of her. We Southerners weren't involved in that mess, but Arnook's ambassador over there might not like to hear that story. Although it has been several centuries."

"Noted. Mai's wearing the other earring." The firebender disclosed. "She had to pierce my ear just before we came over here."

"Did it hurt?" His friend inquired, conversationally.

"Yeah." Zuko had an urge to share, which was so rare for him that he impulsively decided to follow it. "But I liked…..letting her…...mark me. It was almost erotic. I found that pain can bind you to a person just as much as pleasure. When you choose it, I mean." Afraid he'd said too much, he blushed furiously.

Sokka's eyes went wide at this unexpected confidence. "Wow. Um. Ok."

In the face of his friend's bewildered skepticism, Zuko felt the need to explain himself further, since it was too late to take it back. He lowered his voice. "I mean, have you ever thought about what sex must be like for a girl?"

"I'd probably be pretty bad at it if I didn't think about that at all….."

"The level of trust it must take to let someone enter your body. They're so brave." Zuko shook his head in wonder.

"Yeah, women are amazing." Sokka quipped. "I mean, childbirth, am I right?"

"Obviously. And compared to that, this is the most insignificant thing." He waved at his ear. "But I swear, I have never felt closer to her."

"That's…..nice, man. I'm glad you two are happy." Sokka noticed that Zuko was staring at Mai, who stood with Toph, Ty Lee, and Nozomi across the room, chatting. The heat of his gaze added several degrees to the room. The possessiveness of his look might have been creepy if she weren't his girlfriend. She noticed his eyes on her, smirked, touched her ear, and sipped her drink through its straw.

Zuko gasped and pulled on his collar. "How much longer til this party is over?" He muttered.

Sokka had no clue how to respond to his friend's obvious impatience to bed his partner, so he was glad when his girlfriend joined them. Suki looked amazing in her own White Lotus outfit, the masculine uniform altered to fit her decidedly feminine shape, creating a gender-bending effect that definitely suited her.

"Can you walk?" Suki asked her boyfriend, eyes twinkling.

Remembering his awkward pick up line from the ball in Ba Sing Se, Sokka laughed. "Yeah, I can walk. In the garden?" He took her hand and they waved good night to the Fire Lord.

Under the warm, starry sky, Sokka and Suki wandered through the palace gardens, between flowering trees and solemn statues. He draped his arm loosely around her shoulders as he tried to figure out how to start the conversation he knew they needed to have.

"Do you, uh, like jewelry?"

"Sure, I guess." She shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"Zuko and Aang are giving their girlfriends sparkly things, and I don't want you to feel left out."

"Oh. I don't need anything like that." She shook her head.

"Are you sure? It's not just about the bling; it's about commitment. And I don't want you to think I'm not serious about you just because I haven't given you a necklace or something."

"That would be pretty silly of me if I thought that way."

"I wouldn't think less of you if you did. It seems like most girls do." He shrugged. "And I finally have money to spend now. Aang blew more than half his Banished Prince money on a bracelet for Katara, and you deserve something just as nice."

"That's sweet but not necessary." She assured him. "What else would you spend it on, if I weren't here for you to deck out in jewels?" She wondered jokingly.

"I don't even know!" Sokka exclaimed, dumbfounded at himself. "I've never had this kind of money before! On top of the cash from the play, a couple of the patents I worked on with the Mechanist just sold. I could always just go shopping and get a bunch of cool, useless shit. Bags and boots and belts and armor. But that seems like a waste, and I'd run out of steam before I ran out of cash. So instead of that, I've been thinking about, like, investing."

"What would you invest in?" Suki seemed interested.

"Maybe a new invention." He mused. "Since I've been working on the side with the Mechanist. But all my ideas worth pursuing are already in development, and he's got all the funding he would ever want from Zuko. Or I could start a business. But I think I'd end up losing interest in it before it started to pay off. And…...when I really think about the future, you're what I think about, and that's why I wanted to ask you about jewelry. What I really want to invest in is you."

"Oh, Sokka." She pulled him in for a kiss. "That's the sweetest thing I ever heard. But, like I said, I don't need any gems to know that you love me. Let's think. How could you invest in our future without buying a bunch of baubles?"

"I could buy a boat." He suggested. "So we could travel to see our families without depending on Aang and Appa. But I think I've been spoiled by flying; a boat seems so slow now. And I probably couldn't employ a crew full time unless I had a shipping company or something, and I don't think I want to mess with all that. I probably have too much to do on land."

"That makes sense."

"Or….. I could buy a house." He ventured hopefully.

"A house?"

"Somewhere we could live together. But of course, I couldn't just surprise you with that. You'd have to help me decide where we want to stay. And right now we don't even know for sure how much longer we'll be here in the Fire Nation, or where we'll go next, or if we'll ever settle down at all, or just keep moving..."

"Do you still want to go to the colonies next?" Suki asked, businesslike.

"Yeah. That's where the others are headed, and where we're needed. Since I was involved in the negotiations, it seems like I'm expected to participate in the next steps. They're going to need us to help with this referendum, and with whatever comes after that. Is that where you want to go?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I'm excited about it. But you're right that we couldn't buy property until we know for sure that we want to stay somewhere for a while. And the colonies are pretty big. We'll probably have lots of options."

"Then, you like this idea?" Sokka asked for confirmation. "I should save the money to buy you a house, once we know where we want to stay, instead of getting you jewelry?"

"The thought of sharing a home with you is…..appealing," she answered shyly. "But I want to put my own money into it too. I got some cash from the play as well, remember? And Zuko paid me for the security consultation. I haven't had to spend any money since we've been living at the palace."

"That's great!" Sokka exclaimed. "I mean, we're going to want to have a really nice place. For parties. We'll need lots of guest rooms."

"And a big practice gym." Suki put in.

"Yes! And a fully stocked bar, and a giant kitchen with lots of gadgets, and a big pantry, and a barbeque pit out back-"

"I can tell this is going to be quite the project." She giggled.

Her cheerful laugh delighted him so much that he couldn't resist leaning in for a kiss. As their lips separated, he gazed into her honest eyes and gathered his courage with a gulp.

"Would you…..want to be married first? Before we live together?" He asked softly.

"Not necessarily." She answered blithely, her expression open and untroubled. "I mean, we've been basically living together in the palace this whole time, haven't we? It's not like we're virgins. I'm not in a rush." She finished with a shy movement of her chin toward her shoulder.

He wasn't exactly in a rush either, but her carefree manner unsettled him a little. Did she mean she never wanted to get married? And, more immediately, could they just share a house without making a lot of trouble for themselves? "Would it cause a scandal? I know it's been a big deal for Zuko and Mai to move in together before they're married, but they didn't have much of a choice about it."

"Well, we aren't royal, so no one is going to scrutinize us like that, thankfully." Suki shuddered at the thought of living under the public eye the way their friends did. "I guess the only people who might care would be our families, and we can handle them. My parents wouldn't cut ties with us over this, even if they might not be thrilled with the arrangement. I just know I don't want to wait to set up house until after we have a wedding, and I also don't want to get married just so we can live the way we want to."

Sokka liked how practical that sounded, and the matter-of-fact way she was talking about both moving in together and having a wedding. It sounded like she was open to marriage, but didn't want to make the next stage of their lives dependent on it, which was an appealing stance. "What if we didn't live alone?" He suggested, thinking of ways they could stay close without alienating family members. "Maybe if Katara and Aang shared the house with us, then that would make all of the parents involved more content with the situation. Toph too, if she wants. Like we're all just a bunch of friends, not like we're a couple shacking up. It wouldn't be all that different from the way we've been living here, or when we're traveling."

"That's not a bad idea." Suki nodded thoughtfully. "We'd really be doing Katara and Aang a favor, because I'm sure they want to live together too. It would be nice to have them around, as long as the house is big enough, and we all have our own space. We don't want to run into each other….."

"Ew. No. We'll need a house with like, separate wings." His disgusted expression made her laugh, leaning into him for another hug. He was getting increasingly excited about their developing plan. Especially since it seemed like it was just the beginning. "But um, for the future, do you, uh, like Katara's necklace?" He asked softly, apprehensively. "I mean, that style?"

"I know it's an engagement necklace, right? Not that she's engaged, but that's what Water Tribe women wear….."

"Right. But if you don't like it, or if you want to follow an Earth Kingdom tradition instead, it's up to you. When the time comes, I mean. We're both 18, but it hasn't been that long since we got back together. I don't think my feelings are going to change, but maybe you don't feel ready to be public about it. I mean, this time with you in the Fire Nation has been some of the happiest of my life. It's been awesome training with Piandao together, getting our Lotus tiles side by side, working with the Mechanist during the day and sharing your bed at night…."

"I've been happy too. I don't need a token to cement our commitment. Not yet anyway. Just hearing that you're thinking this way makes me really happy, Sokka."

"I'm just glad you didn't get mad at me for not already having some diamonds to give you! Or, worse, you could have put me off and said you don't want to be so serious."

Suki shook her head, dismissing the thought. "You know how much I love you, Sokka."

"I love you too." He sighed, stroking her hair. "My dad wants to meet your parents. There's this Water Tribe tradition of a formal sit-down with the parents when a couple has been dating for a year, and I told him we shouldn't do it yet because we haven't had a whole year. We started new in Ba Sing Se. But we should plan to go back to Kyoshi in a few months, and my dad can sail up to see us there. Maybe since I have some money now, your mom will like me more. If I can say, look, I bought us a house, I can take care of your daughter….."

"I can take care of myself. The women of Kyoshi are very independent." She corrected him, her voice haughty, in a joking way. "My mom isn't worried about that. She might have gotten a bad impression of you because we were fighting so much when she met you. But she'll get over that, if she hasn't already. I think she just got excited about the idea of me dating someone rich because she wants to take expensive vacations and attend high society balls. But I think we'll be able to make those little dreams of hers come true. We have some very fancy friends."

"Oh. Yeah. No problem. She can come along next time we stay in the Fire Lord's palace. Or go to the Earth King's spring festival. I bet she'd get along with Toph's parents."

"And she'll like your dad too. He's great." The Water Tribe chief had come to the Fire Nation for the anniversary celebrations, and had shared several meals with his children and their friends in the palace and the new embassy building.

"He thinks you're awesome too."

"Well, I did bust him out of prison."

"Which means you beat out the Avatar for favorite future in-law."

"You think they will get married?" Suki wondered. "Aang said Air Nomads don't."

"Yeah, but then I told him he'd better be ready to make some concessions, and he didn't say that was impossible." Sokka informed her. "I bet you anything, in a couple years, when Zuko and Mai have their big beautiful expensive-as-hell royal wedding, Katara will get all weepy, and Aang will be like, 'Sweetie, what's wrong?' And then five minutes later they'll be engaged."

"I can imagine that." she laughed.

Sokka wondered where he and his girlfriend would be at that point: engaged themselves, already married, or about where they were now, contentedly paired and jewelry-free. He supposed it didn't matter. Tonight they were together, and she'd just said she wanted to buy a house with him and live there. He snaked his arm around her waist and buried his nose in her hair. "My room or yours tonight?" He whispered.

Suki shrugged. "I consider them both ours. Does it matter as long as we're both naked?"

Sokka's head fell to the side in a combination moan and swoon. "Have I ever mentioned that you are the greatest girlfriend of all time?"

"You could stand to mention it more."

Author's Note: Too much? Tell me what you thought! Reviews keep me going!

Next week: Aang and Katara finally have a long-overdue discussion.