.lust.
He's never seen her as angry as she is now, pacing back and forth through his hot metal cell, fury evident with every disciplined clack. "You could've at least looked me in the eyes before you ripped out my heart."
"I wasn't trying to hurt you," he protests again, pleading for her to understand. "I had to do this- I couldn't live with myself, you know that!"
"So you love your honor more than me- you're right, I do know," she spits out bitterly. "I just didn't expect to come out of my eclipse bunker and find that you'd deserted from the country. Maybe a little warning would've been nice?"
"You would have wanted to go with me." That's the crux of the matter- she has no real loyalty to any side but his. Where he went, she'd follow. He isn't going to be responsible for anyone else accompanying him into exile and suffering; Uncle Iroh was enough.
"And what if?" she demands. "You think I care about whether the Fire Nation wins the war or not? I care about you."
"... You're right," he hoarsely admits. "I fucked up."
"Yeah. You kind of did." She walks over to face him and, to his shock, begins to straddle his waist. "I deserve more than a goodbye letter, Zuko."
"What are you doing?" he murmurs, though he already knows the answer; she pushes him down to the ground.
"Don't talk." She removes both of their tunics; hers over her head, his by slicing through the thin fabric with a stiletto knife, blade a centimeter from his skin. Her slim, pale torso glimmers in the low prison light- he reaches out to unbind her small breasts, but she slaps his hand away. "You don't get to touch me, either. Not yet." She pulls the cloth loose herself, and he sucks in a breath- he has forgotten, in the long weeks they have been separated, exactly how beautiful she is.
His gaze suddenly flickers towards the door; what if somebody, Agni forbid Sokka, walks in on the warden's niece screwing the traitor prince? It does unlock from the outside, after all. But Mai is unconcerned as she makes short work of his pants, pulls the last of her underclothes off. He is naked, exposed, more vulnerable than he has ever let himself be; he has never been so aroused in his life.
She takes his cock into her hands; he is already painfully hard, and her light, teasing touch does nothing to relieve the pressure in his groin. Mai continues until he has almost come undone, arching into the little release she gives, then pulls away. He whimpers in spite of himself.
"Now," she declares, spreading her legs further open. He skims down her taut belly to lave her clitoris, the way she taught him in the Caldera. She moans in the back of her throat as he stimulates the small nub; he crooks two fingers inside her for good measure. Her walls clench around him and she climaxes, hips quaking violently. This is the closest he'll ever get to seeing her lose control, he thinks.
Her convulsions stop, and she sheathes him almost immediately afterwards, which is unexpected but not unwelcome. Nails grip his shoulders, leaving livid marks on the delicate skin as she moves up and down; he doesn't last long until he comes inside her tight warmth, her name dying on his lips.
They remain like that for a while, occupying the same space. "I thought that the day of black sun was the last time I'd seen you alive," she finally acknowledges, shattering the silence.
"I'm sorry," he says, but his words are hollow, empty. There's nothing he can say that will bridge the chasm he's created.
"Damn you," she mutters, standing up and pulling her tunic back on, throwing his pants and ruined shirt at him. "Sorry won't fix this."
The door suddenly swings open, revealing a young-looking guard. "Ma'am, there's a riot outside! I'm here to protect you," he declares. If he notices their flushed skin and disheveled hair, he keeps mum about it.
"I don't need any protection."
"Believe me, she doesn't," he says, with a proud chuckle; he realizes exactly how that line sounds a good thirty seconds after it escapes from his mouth. Mai shoots him a withering look from behind her bangs.
"I'm under direct orders from your uncle to make sure nothing happens," the guard persists, and Zuko recognizes his opportunity- he blasts a fireball at the man, who immediately leaps on top of Mai to shield her, and makes his exit.
Mai throws him off and races towards the hallway, but he's faster, sliding the door shut before she can leave. He can see her eyes through its narrow slit- to his alarm, she looks dangerously close to tears.
"I'm sorry," he whispers again, uselessly, and leaves her for the third time.
A/N: Late, late, late. I was in New Hampshire and didn't have any access to a computer- sorry for the delay!