Prompt Day 18: Sparring

AN: I don't even know where I went with this, I think I was trying to describe how they work as a couple, and I failed, but hey I got practice in writing action-y sequences sort of.

Word Count: 1095

"At this point I don't even know why you try." Mai shrugs, unpinning the firebender from a rather stubborn pillar for the third time that evening. A low growl falls from his lips, and his eyes are still set ablaze with a slightly unhealthy determination.

"Again." He orders, dusting off the ends of his training tunic and picking up his swords, disregarding the puncture holes that have now laid waste to the fabric.

Mai rolls her eyes and re-holsters her knives taking a few steps back. "No bending. I think that's a given." She smirks letting a small, thin dart shoot between her fingertips. It's almost effortless for her, but her eyes flick over to the grip on the handles of his swords and she almost let's out a chuckle. His knuckles have turned white and fingers are trembling in a bit of rage. "Is the Fire Lord, angry with me?" She teases, innocently biting her lip and cocking her head to the side, but keeping the cold metal twisting between her fingers.

"Angry isn't what i'd call it. More like irate." He spits back, his lips curling up into a snarl as he looks for the first place he'll make his move. It's almost like she cheats, the way her head tilts slightly just to taunt him, and how the faint red pigment of her lips is pulled into her teeth, and he loses his focus in her gaze. He shakes out it and focuses on the knife, unaware that he's playing her into her hand—again.

She's been playing this game just over a decade and he still hasn't figured it out. He's smart, a great fighter even, but when she plays into his weakness it's far too easy. A simple tease there, a small smirk here, little things, just to tug at his nerves, and he grows sloppy. It's sad really, traits she's picked up on her own, and when asked she had offered them to his sister for her oen, cruel disposal. "You do realize that is essentially the same thing, Zuko?"

Zuko pouts lessening his stance significantly, much more to Mai's advantage. He realizes that's a mistake and widens it again standing strong. "Just say go."

"Fine—" she starts, stalling a moment and tucking a few strands of the longer ends of her bangs behind her ear. "Go." With her signal the dart flies, lightly grazing his shoulder as he lunges forward and takes a very ill planned swing at her with the back of his blade.

Zuko grunts twisting around to follow her movements. "Would you stay still?!"

"You know, I could probably do this in my sleep." She sighs having ended up behind him and pressed a quick kiss to the back of his neck, before jumping back a safe distance, sending a few shurikens in his direction.

Another low growl falls from his lips as he knocks them away, a hint of satisfaction in his expression from hearing from the sound it makes as the metal collides. "In your sleep huh?" he smirks, dropping his swords, the same over done determination flaring up in the fiery shade of gold, "No bending, and no knives—that's fair."

"Zuko—" She sighs, pulling the holsters from her wrists and unstrapping the ones encircling her ankles, "—this still isn't going to end well for you." Mai smirks back placing a hand on her hip as though she's unimpressed. "You do realize i'm not rendered defenseless just because I don't have my knives."

"Just say go." he responds quickly, disregarding her snark and preparing himself.

"Suit yourself—go."

It's even for a while, no contact is made, and it's like a fluid well thought out dance, narrowly missing each other with each each extension of their limbs. Of course, causing any harm isn't their intent in the slightest, and so the misses ensue, and their gaze locked. Zuko ducks where appropriate, occasionally resorting to jumping to avoid being tripped, and Mai just as gracefully stays just out of range, calculative as always and waiting until his focus has wavered just enough to make a move. That's how they work, Zuko with last minute decisions that are based purely on luck, and quick thinking, and Mai planning ahead, and waiting for openings. Complete opposites in the form of strategy but similar in their means of meeting a particular goal.

After some time Zuko starts to look winded, and grows a little sloppy, and Mai sees that, his feet aren't moving as precise as she's used to so she takes advantage. Having calculated his movements it also left her with many chances to take to catch her breath.

"Too slow." She states, the corner of her lips turning up slightly as heel of her foot puts off his balance, having made contact with one of his ankles. He falls, and grumbles, pushing himself up just to glare.

"I'm starting to think you just cheat." he mumbles, taking her hand and pulling her down on the ground and into his arms.

"Just admit you overexert yourself, I've been trying to tell you that for months." she adds , rolling her eyes and pressing a kiss to his temple.

"It wouldn't be a problem, if you weren't a distraction." Zuko furrows his brow, but tightens his grip around her waist and pulls her into his chest. "It isn't fair really."

"Scared to hit a girl?"

"Maybe i'm just a gentleman."

"Or you're just a sissy."

"No one asked your opinion."

"You didn't have to."

They bicker like that a while, while, mostly because Zuko's pride is a little damaged, but nothing more, but Mai soothes it with a soft kiss every time he rants a too hard. it works that way, she softens him, makes him calm down, the way her slender fingers fit into his and her lips pressed lightly into his cheek making him blush and lose his train of thought. it isn't fair, but it works, and he loves that, and everything he can give in return.

Maybe it's strength or confidence, things her parents have stripped away at home. There, nothing matters, just her image, not her thinking or planning, those things are left on the shelf and her mother considers them a trait that should be left to rot. Here, she can be turned from porcelain to steel just by how he lets her think freely, do everything—freely, and she appreciates that because that's what she considers—fair.