Hello readers! Long time no see? Below is an excerpt from the sequel I have written to Sparky. It will be collection of oneshots that has a plot...sort of. I hope you will go and read it if you want. Thank you to those who have read Sparky, either those who have read it all in one night or through each update. I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for reading. Until I write again, TTFN!
"The elders in the council want me to choose an heir before the beginning of summer! It's crazy. I've come so close to death so many times, I'm practically immortal at this point," Zuko cried, his head falling into his hand, his hair pooling over his shoulder.
Mai looked at him unsympathetically, closing his office door behind her. "It's more for security's sake. They are not saying they want you dead, they are actually saying they like your policies enough that they want you to choose a successor who will carry on the same ideas. It sounds like a compliment to me."
Zuko looked at Mai sourly. "Not helping."
Mai huffed and sat in front of his desk and crossed her arms. "I can't choose for you, Zuko. Just choose your uncle or your mother's children or something like that.""I don't want to do that to them, they've already been through enough with what my father did to them. It wouldn't be fair." Zuko raked his fingers through his hair. "It also sounds like they want me married, but I don't want to do that to you."
"How romantic," Mai said with a straight face.
Zuko reached out and took her hand. "It's not like I wouldn't want to, I just thought- You know what I mean."
Mai gave Zuko a side glance and sighed, giving his hand a squeeze in return. "I know; not yet," she said simply. Mai relaxed her shoulders and took a breath and walked around the desk to stand near him. He looked up at her with soft eyes, little sparks fluttering around his head. Mai brushed back a stray strand of hair and wet her lips. "Thank you for understanding."
Zuko thread his fingers through hers. "Like I said, I don't want to pressure anyone; none of you deserve it. If only I could convince my council of that."
Mai stepped away and pulled out a stack of letters that she had to reply to and settled in the chair opposite Zuko's, pulling out a brush from one of her pockets. "Good luck. They do like you and want you to succeed, but that doesn't mean that they won't look for any kind of excuse for a party."
"I hate when you're right," Zuko said with a smile pulling at his lips as he looked down at his paperwork. "Maybe I should give the throne to Azula so she gets to deal with this," Zuko laughed.
That caused Mai to laugh outright. "I think that's why your sister finally agreed to go with Aang. She knew what was coming."
Zuko shook his head tiredly. "Nevertheless, I hope she finds some solace through Aang's help. It's better than anything I could do here for her."
There was silence between the two of them as they thought about the deranged princess. They had tried to help her in the first few months after the Agni Kai, but when nothing helped, the Avatar's help seemed to be the only thing that could give peace to Azula. Her fire was gone, and so was her senses, but Aang seemed to believe that Spirit World might help. Mai didn't know how to feel about it. She didn't trust Azula, and the princess would have to do a lot to regain that trust in her, Zuko, and Ty Lee. She at least hoped, for Zuko's sake, he could finally have the family life he deserved.
"If all else fails, you could always ask Sokka," Mai said with a smile, getting a full belly laugh from Zuko.
"Don't tempt me," Zuko wheezed.
There was a knock on the door and Teddy peaked his head inside. "Hey I just wanted to swing by to say goodbye before I-" he paused. "Sorry, was I interrupting something?""Lu Ten, please save me," Zuko pleaded, setting his best puppy eyes on his cousin. "When I die, will you take after me?"
Lu Ten let out a bark of laughter, practically doubling over with the force of it. He rubbed his forehead weakly and shook his head. "I'm sorry, what?"
Mai tilted her head back, glancing over at him. "He needs an heir, so he's freaking out."
"Yeah, that would be a no from me. Couldn't you two just have a kid or something? Problem solved," Teddy teased.
Both of them turned a bright shade of burgundy even after just talking about the topic. Mai regained her composure first. "The council needs an answer by summer, and having a kid by then doesn't really happen," she explained. "At this point, it would be too much paperwork."
"More paperwork than bringing a man back from the dead?" Teddy countered.
Zuko sighed. "How long are you going to use that joke before it gets too old for you?"
Teddy grinned like shit-eating dragon. "When you two stop getting annoyed by it." He made his way to Zuko's side and thrust an arm around his cousin's shoulders. "Anyway I'm on my way out to Ba Sing Se, so I just wanted to say goodbye before I left."
Zuko got up and embraced his cousin, wrapping his arms around his cousin's shoulders. The two of them patted each other's backs gruffly before stepping away. Lu Ten offered Mai a quick hug as well before stepping towards the door. "If you are looking for someone to be your heir, there are ways around it. I remember reading in some history scrolls about previous Fire Lords who didn't have children. You might find some useful stuff in there." He looked at the both of them for a moment, clearly thinking about something before he visibly cringed. "Yeah, you two are too young for children anyway." He made a face. "Yeah, too young," he reiterated. "But if I were alive, I'm sure I would have been a great Fire Lord."
Zuko huffed, just making Teddy laugh harder.
"Wait, Lu," Zuko called out, stopping his cousin. "Can you say hi to Uncle for me? I promised him I'd visit his tea shop soon."
Teddy grinned from ear to ear, and held up a hand to his cousin. Lu Ten grinned cheekily at Zuko. "Hi five," he snickered.
Zuko rolled his eyes, but smiled, knowing what was coming. He weakly hit Lu Ten's raised hand.
"Low Ten!" Lu Ten cried, holding his two hands out down low, wiggling his eyebrows.
Zuko hit both of his hands with his own, creating a loud smacking sound. He couldn't help it as he started laughing at Lu Ten's ecstatic expression. Lu Ten joined in, both of them clutching their sides because everytime they looked at one another they split into another round of laughter.
"Will you two shut up?" Mai asked tiredly from behind Zuko's desk, glaring at the two of them from beyond her letters perched on her lap.
"Never," Lu Ten and Zuko said in unison, sounding like a pair of five-year olds who had just stolen a cookie as a part of their master plan.
Mai rolled her eyes, and hid the smile behind her stack of letters. "At least take it to the other room if you're going to continue to be insufferable."
"Will do, Maisy," Zuko called. He and his cousin stepped out of the room for a moment, talking in hushed voices
"You'll make sure Uncle is not outdoing himself?" Zuko asked, his hand resting on his cousin's shoulder.
Lu Ten nodded. "Yeah, Dad always goes out of his way to do anything if it comes to tea; I'll make sure he takes more breaks while I'm there." Lu Ten slapped Zuko's back softly. "You take care of yourself too. Send a hawk if anything happens and you need me, okay? Anything, and Dad and I will come. And hey, if something really goes wrong, you can write me down as your heir. It might be a lot of paperwork, but just know I will always be here to support you, even though you are doing great on your own."
Zuko bowed his head to hide the sudden rush of emotions. "Thanks, Lu; that means a lot. I will figure out something in the meantime because you deserve a good life, not one stuck in an office and in endless meetings. You take care."
Lu Ten nodded wordlessly, bowing his head as well. "Yeah, a sedentary life was never really for me." He let out a short laugh, one that Zuko remembered dearly from his childhood. "Well looks like I should head out to help out the docks. There's a shipment coming in of tea that my father wanted." Teddy pointed to Zuko. "Now Great, All Powerful Fire Lord, remember to take a break for dinner soon. You need to get some sleep."
Zuko huffed and pouted but eventually nodded his head. "Fine. Go."
Lu Ten laughed and nodded to the both of them before leaving the room with the giant grin still on his face.
"Zuko," Mai said when Zuko came back into the office. "Your cousin's right. Dinner is probably a good idea, for both of us."
Zuko nodded, humming. He kissed the side of her head gently before sitting at his desk. "Yeah sure," he said as he pulled out a new piece of paper to work on a new treaty.
Mai huffed, setting aside her own papers and letters. She got up and stood next to Zuko, leaning over his shoulder to read the papers he was working on. "Ah the treaty for trade between Kyoshi and the Fire Nation. That can be done in the morning."
"It will only take a moment," Zuko replied, flipping another page over in his stack.
Mai frowned. "Have you had a break today?" All she got was a hum in response. Mai put her hands on her hips, glaring at her boyfriend. "Are you even listening to me?" Another hum. She huffed and forced herself like a cat-mouse onto his lap and pressed her face against the side of his neck.
"What is it you want, Maisy?" Zuko asked softly, pressing his cheek into the top of her head.
Mai pressed her lips against his skin and nuzzled closer. She kept pressing little kisses into his skin, lightly brushing his skin.
Zuko giggled involuntarily and twisted his neck away the best he could. "Ah stop that," he said without any heat to his words.
"Ticklish?"
Zuko pouted. "No…"
Mai had a glint in her eye and she ducked down towards his neck and peppered his skin with light kisses, causing him to squirm. He didn't stop her, but he did lay his hands on her hips and kept her from getting too far. She pushed back his long hair and pressed her lips against the base of his scalp, tickling his baby hairs. Zuko whined and moved his head, using his fingers to guide her lips to his. He pulled her into a deep kiss, his fingers holding tight to her chin.
Mai let herself be guided for a few moments before purposefully biting his bottom lip and pushing his mouth open wider, which he easily complied to. He moaned so low, Mai could only feel the reverberations through his chest. She pulled away slightly and rested her forehead against his. Zuko whined at her and tried to reconnect their lips but she pulled back farther with a mischievous grin. "You said you still have work to do."
Zuko huffed. "You did that on purpose."
"Now you might actually come to dinner on time tonight," Mai countered.
Zuko sighed in defeat, but not before pressing a lingering kiss against the shell of Mai's ear, the closest he could get to her neck in her high collared dress.
"Come on, Love," Mai murmured as she got up and headed towards the door.
Zuko sat with his mouth open in surprise. She said it so quickly and like it was nothing, but the warmth spreading to Zuko's fingertips and to his toes, unlike his inner fire, made Zuko feel like he imagined those words coming from her mouth. Zuko knew he loved her and cared for her, and he knew she probably did, but to hear the nickname said so easily like she had said it all her life made him stumble. Zuko looked at the pile of papers in front of him. Maybe it was time to get some dinner.
