Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the song "Let's Misbehave" from Anything Goes, music and lyrics by Cole Porter.

Author's Note: Another suggestive Cole Porter song. He wrote a lot of those. It's also another Maiko. Since the scene in the Broadway show takes place on a ship, I thought it only fitting for this to be on one as well. It's a variation/expansion of the scene early in The Awakening.

Let's Misbehave

It's getting late, and while I wait,
My poor heart aches on.
Why keep the brakes on?
Let's misbehave!

"Has anyone ever told you that you think too much?" asked Mai, in that tone which indicated she wasn't really expecting an answer. Zuko almost smiled. Almost.

"All the time," he replied. It was hard not to think about everything that had happened to him recently. First, he'd lived as an exile in Ba Sing Se. Then he'd been summoned to the palace, only to discover that his sister had set a trap. Instead of escaping, he'd remained to face her and wound up imprisoned in a cave. He'd been joined first by a waterbender, then his uncle and the Avatar, and then…and then…

Zuko didn't like to think about the next part. He'd betrayed both the steadfast support of his uncle and the momentary kindness of the girl, and he wasn't proud of it.

"After three years, we're finally close together, but I feel like you're still half a world away," Mai commented, breaking into his thoughts once more.

I feel quite sure a "pair d'amour"
Would be attractive,
While we're still active!
Let's misbehave.

"I'm sorry," Zuko apologized, finally turning away from the deck rail to look at her. "I just have a lot on my mind." It was a failing of his that he rarely stopped to consider how his words and actions affected others, and he didn't want to add his girlfriend to the list of victims of his thoughtlessness.

"I know, but couldn't you forget about it just for tonight?" she requested. She took his face in both of her hands and kissed him firmly. At least she didn't seem put off by his scar. "By morning, we'll be at the Fire Nation, and you'll have to go back to the palace. We'll have to schedule time together, and we'll probably be watched by servants and guards all the time."

Zuko noticed that Mai said "Fire Nation" instead of "home." He had always thought of the Fire Nation as home, but now that he was actually going there, he wasn't so sure. It didn't feel the way he'd expected it to.

You know my heart is true,
And you say you for me care.
Someone is sure to tell,
But what the hell do we care?

Zuko also noticed that Mai expressed no doubts about his reception once he got to the palace. He felt that it was just as likely he'd be thrown in a dungeon as welcomed with a trumpet fanfare, and it was this uncertainty that kept him walking the deck as leagues of ocean fell away behind them. That, and the presence of his uncle in the brig below him.

"I'm just not really comfortable below," Zuko explained, looking away again. On top of everything else, he strongly suspected that the Avatar was not dead. The memory of the spirit water the waterbender had shown him made him wonder, and Zuko worried that her escape with the Avatar would come back to haunt him eventually.

"I don't think you're quite catching my meaning," Mai responded, sounding slightly annoyed. "I'm sure, if we spend some time alone, I can help you forget about everything else."

They say that spring means just one thing
To little love birds.
We're not above birds.
Let's misbehave.

Zuko blinked at her blankly for a moment. Finally, she made her intentions even more clear by pressing her body tightly against him and kissing him again, this time deeper and more seriously. It did feel nice, and Zuko wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the feel of her shape and warmth. He had denied himself pleasures like this for too long. Even the brief kiss he'd shared with Jin back in Ba Sing Se had only served to remind him of Mai. He just wished that she didn't have to come with strings attached, and a corner of his mind couldn't help but wonder if she were only trying to seduce him so that Azula would have more control over him. Paranoia was always a practical way to approach his sister.

"Oh," he said simply when they parted. "So, you want to…?" He left the question hanging. Instead of answering, Mai gave one of her rare, small smiles and took him by the hand, pulling him gently.

We're all alone, no chaperone
Can get our number.
The world's in slumber;
Let's misbehave.

They reached her cabin, and Mai swiftly shut the door behind them. Without any pause, she pressed Zuko against the wall and kissed him again, sliding her arms around him. Her mouth made its way down his jaw to his neck. Her urgency surprised him, and he immediately responded to the passions she normally kept hidden. Giving him a moment to breathe at last, she took him over to the bed. It was not as nice as one on land, but not as simple or uncomfortable as the bunk he'd used during his exile.

"Are you…I mean, really?" he stammered, mystified. While they'd sort of been together before the Agni Kai, he'd been just a kid, and she had still been on the verge of womanhood. The intervening three years had wrought changes on both of them.

"I can't think of a better time," she replied. "Nobody's watching us." She began removing her outer layer of clothing, revealing some of those changes. Zuko's mouth went dry.

There's something wild about you, child,
That's so contagious.
Let's be outrageous!
Let's misbehave.

She had a valid point. During all of the time they'd been staying together in the palace at Ba Sing Se, Zuko had constantly had the feeling they were being watched. There were the Dai Lee around all the time, for one thing, and though Azula had brought some of them along, they did not seem as intrusive. Maybe they were simply less comfortable at sea than with their feet firmly on dry land.

Zuko and Mai's reunion had been shy and tentative, which was all he could hope for after such a long time apart from each other. They had gone on a date into the city and managed a few stolen kisses.

He had thought it was the awkwardness of getting to know each other again that had provided their reticence, but possibly the lack of privacy had also contributed. Still, jumping into bed now felt as sudden as plunging into the icy waters of the North Pole. However, as Mai's clothing was discarded, so were Zuko's hesitations.

When Adam won Eve's hand,
He wouldn't stand for teasin'.
He didn't care, although
The fruit was out of season!

Zuko's final objection was one he didn't voice. If his fears proved to be true, he would either be imprisoned or exiled again. This meant he would again be leaving Mai, perhaps forever, and this experience they shared could destroy her future.

Yet even this worry evaporated as the fires of passion, more intense than anything firebending could produce, overwhelmed both his body and mind. Mai didn't seem concerned, and it wasn't long before he passed the point of no return. Later, he would feel doubt. Later, he might entertain guilt and shame. Later, he would consider regrets. For now, he let go of all of it, reveling in the feeling of being wanted and allowing his animal instincts to take over. True to her promise, Mai was making him forget the things that normally bound him.

For the first time in his life, Zuko was truly in the moment. It felt good.

They say that bears have love affairs
And even camels;
We're merely mammals -
Let's misbehave!

--

Author's Note: Um…yeah. I really can't explain why the naughty ideas seem to be coming to me more often lately.

Review responses:

-hawk's.I-: I'm surprised how many times I've heard that, but I admit that most songfics are just about the song. I take a different view, using the song just as an outline or framework while writing a story that could stand alone. In some cases (like Comedy Tonight), the lyrics are more of a counterpoint.

nutshak: I think that's going a little overboard, but thank you. I think matching the lyrics to the story concept is part of what makes my songfics work.

Marisol Maza: Thank you very much! I'm not familiar with Spring Awakening, but the song sounds interesting, and I'll get it on my list.

Ocaj (even though you were reviewing 46): Make believe is just pretending you're something that you're not – a superhero, a princess, a cowboy, or even simply grown up. You may have played it under another name. I think before Katara met Haru, she occasionally entertained thoughts of Aang as a boyfriend. Look at how she acts towards him in the first four episodes.