Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the song "As Long as You're Mine" from Wicked, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.

Author's Note: Just a passionate little piece to prove I haven't completely given up on Soko. I'm really pushing the limits of the T rating here, so consider yourselves warned.

As Long as You're Mine

Kiss me too fiercely,
Hold me too tight.
I need help believing
You're with me tonight.
My wildest dreams could not foresee
Lying beside you with you wanting me.

Song still wasn't sure exactly what had happened. One moment, she'd been quietly sitting at home with her mother, and the next, a young man had shown up on her doorstep, a man she'd seen once before. His hair was much longer, but his scar was as vivid as ever and his golden eyes just as piercing. He'd come to apologize for stealing her ostrich-horse and make it up to her in some way.

Now, mere weeks later, she was sharing their marriage bed, quite sure that this particular form of repayment was not what either of them had expected. Certainly, she had entertained the occasional daydream since meeting him, but she'd also been convinced that she would never see him again.

He'd confessed everything to her, including his real name and the fact that he was heir to the Fire Nation throne. Despite these obstacles, she'd fallen hopelessly in love with him, and he seemed to feel the same way. He'd asked her to marry him, and they'd had a quiet little ceremony. Now, several hours after spending their first night together, it was still hard for her to believe.

"Hey," she murmured, nudging Zuko's shoulder. "Wake up." He stirred slowly, finally squinting at her.

"Is it morning already?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes and raising himself onto one elbow.

"Not quite," she admitted. "I just…" She trailed off and simply snuggled up beside him, draping one arm over his bare torso.

"You mean…you want…um…"

"Maybe," she giggled at his awkwardness, not yet faded despite their previous intimacy. "Mostly I just need help remembering that you're really here."

And just for this moment,
As long as you're mine,
I've lost all resistance
And crossed some borderline.
And if it turns out it's over too fast,
I'll make every moment last,
As long as you're mine.

"Me too," he confessed in a whisper. Zuko stroked Song's hair and kissed the top of her head. She tilted her chin to meet his mouth. It began sweetly but quickly deepened. A fresh hunger sprang up inside her, only increasing as she felt him responding similarly.

As they began to explore each other again, Song found herself once more carried away by a passion beyond anything she'd ever imagined. In all the times her mother had talked to her about love, she'd never thought it would feel like this. It was a good thing Zuko had never pressed her much before his proposal because she wasn't certain how long she could have resisted. Something about him broke down her defenses at every level.

Nonetheless, Song forced herself to slow down, wanting to savor each moment. They still had many barriers to overcome, and though he didn't seem to want to talk about it, they would have to deal with that eventually.

These more unpleasant thoughts evaporated as their caressing and probing intensified. She held things off as long as she could, wanting to make the moment last and suppressing her desire.

"Please," Zuko murmured finally into her ear, the simplicity of the request belied by his tone of voice and the insistence of his body pressing against hers. Song knew that he would stop right now if she asked, despite the fact that it would cause him extreme discomfort and possibly even pain. The thought gave her a heady sense of power. She opened up to him, giving in to both her need and his.

Maybe I'm brainless, maybe I'm wise,
But you've got me seeing through different eyes.
Somehow I've fallen under your spell,
And somehow I'm feeling it's up that I fell!

Basking in the second afterglow of the night, Song stretched languidly. Zuko reached over and twitched a lock of her loose hair away from her face, lingering to allow his fingers to tangle in it.

"You know, I always thought I had to have control over everything in my life," he mused. "I guess that's why I hated those years in exile. It wasn't my choice. For some reason, though, with you, I don't mind losing control."

"I think I know what you mean," Song replied, smiling back at him. She gently moved his hand away from her hair, pulled it to her face, and kissed it. "I certainly never expected to meet anyone like you. Sometimes, I swear you're able to use your firebending inside me." To her delight, he blushed.

"It doesn't work that way," he said, grinning brilliantly. His smiles seemed all the more stunning to Song because they were so rare. "Otherwise, I might have to accuse you of the same thing."

"I'm not a bender of any kind," she objected.

"I'm not so sure about that," he responded, kissing her once more. "You bend my heart really well."

"Now you're just being silly."

"Really? I'm not used to being silly. I think I like it."

Song laughingly gave up trying to have a serious discussion. Instead, she turned around and let him hold her from behind as they drifted off to sleep.

Every moment,
As long as you're mine,
I'll wake up my body
And make up for lost time.
Say there's no future for us as a pair,
And though I know I may know, I don't care.

Song woke up again as light filtered through the wooden blinds. She shifted a little, not enough to wake her new husband, and ran her hand gently across his scarred face. There were still many things they needed to discuss, things he'd been avoiding. For example, she didn't know whether his people would accept their marriage. Surely, he couldn't stay estranged from an entire nation forever. News of the Avatar had not yet reached them, either, so there was no knowing how the war was progressing, or even if it was over.

If Zuko found out that his father and sister were dead, would he wish to return? Even if he didn't want to, would he feel honor-bound to take his place as the new Firelord? The Fire Nation couldn't remain without a leader, and Song couldn't help but think that he would be better at it than he believed, and she knew he'd be better than any solution the remaining nobility or military officers could devise. Where would this leave her?

Every time Song had tried to bring up these potential problems, Zuko had told her that he didn't care. For his sake, she tried not to care, either. She'd been uprooted before, and she could do it again, but living as an outsider in a strange place frightened her.

Just for this moment,
As long as you're mine,
Come be how you want to
And see how we shine.
Borrow the moonlight until it is through,
And know that I'll be holding you,
As long as you're mine.

At last, Zuko turned over and blinked into the light that dappled his fair skin. He focused on Song and smiled.

"You're still here," he commented, almost as though he hadn't expected her to stick around. She knew what he meant.

"I'm not going anywhere," she answered, and she meant it. Maybe she didn't have to worry about all of these little details right now. As long as they loved each other, they would find a way to make everything work out all right. Together, they made a fire that was at once beautiful and dangerous, one that might be enough to burn up any resistance.

She could cross those bridges when she reached them, by his side. In the meantime, she would hold him every second that she could and kiss him every time she thought about it. For this moment, at least, he was wholly hers, and she'd take it.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Strix Moonwing, Avatarwolf, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows of Yester-Year, La Vixen de Amor, chocolatecoveredbananacheese, Aangy, and honorary member SnakeEyes16

Author's Note: I was originally thinking of having them meet for an assignation without being married, but then I thought the barriers to their union might seem more real and present this way. If Zuko does plan to apologize to all the people he's wronged, Song should certainly be on the list. I don't know if this is anything close to how it will go, but I liked the concept.

Review responses:

airnaruto45: I've done your request now. Any others?

joehalo15: I had long suspected that Zuko had an odd connection with the Avatar. Zhao followed Zuko to the Fire Sage temple in "Avatar Roku." Even though Zuko had no more information than Zhao about where Aang was going, he somehow knew.

Wishing Only Wounds the Heart: I know pretty much everything from Jekyll & Hyde, since I own the original Broadway cast recording. Such great music and lyrics!

intricate designs: You're probably right, but I have a tendency to compress things for the purposes of a oneshot. We know now that it took at least a few days for Zuko to reconsider his identity.