It hadn't been a good day. Zuko was crankier than usual and taking it out on everyone, even Mai. She'd brushed his comments off with her usual apathy, but now she was officially fed up as she stormed through the ship to the prince's room, determined to give him a piece of her mind.

However, that suddenly changed when she overheard Iroh talking to Lieutenant Jee and several soldiers.

"...Prince Zuko saw that it was his father who had come to duel him, he begged for mercy," he said.

Mai knew eavesdropping was bad manners, and she already knew the story from what Zuko and Azula had told her. But there was something in Iroh's voice, something that kept her standing there, ear to the door as Iroh continued to tell his version of the story.

And then, she heard something that sickened her to the core.

"...face, scarred by his own father's hand."

Azula had conveniently neglected to tell her that little detail. Unable to bear listening anymore, Mai ran, tears trickling down her cheeks. She rarely cried, not for herself or other people, but suddenly she didn't care about how Zuko was acting earlier...well, she did, and she'd let him have it later. But right now...

-x-

"It's open," he said as she knocked frantically at the door. Mai swept into the room and sat down beside him, throwing her arms around him.

"You idiot," she muttered, face buried against his shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You mean Azula didn't tell you down to the last detail while rubbing her hands together with glee?" Zuko said bitterly. "Wait, how did you find out anyway?"

"I overheard your uncle telling the soldiers," she said, voice muffled by the fabric of his tunic. Zuko frowned.

"What right does he have? It's not like the soldiers would give half a damn anyway!"

"Oh, spare the self-pity trip!" she said sharply. "Stop assuming you're so alone in the world when you're obviously not!"

"Right." His hands rested on her back. "So now you know how I really got my scar. I got it because I'm weak and stupid and you must think so, too."

"No." She pulled closer to him. "You are a little stupid sometimes, but you weren't stupid in the war room that day."

Zuko closed his eyes, bringing one hand up to stroke her hair a little.

"At least one of us thinks so. My father had every right to punish me and I deserved worse."

"Zuko." She pulled back and gave him a stern look. "I'm sorry for what happened to you, but it doesn't make you a weak, stupid person. Wallowing in self-pity does."

He smiled a little.

"I get it," he said. "...thank you, Mai. And I'm sorry for how I acted earlier."

She planted a kiss on his cheek and smirked.

"We'll talk about that later," she promised, her tone letting Zuko know that scar or no scar, he idid/i deserve the stern talking-to he had coming.