A/N: Be aware of hotness in this chapter…

Chapter 23 – Ba Sing Se: The Proposal

Milah woke up from her peaceful slumber by soft footsteps outside her room. She was disoriented for a second, her mind not having caught up by all of what had happened the day before, but it didn't take long before she felt a familiar form pressing to her bareback. It also didn't take long for her to notice he was still naked, as well as she. A blush rose to her cheeks upon feeling Zuko's hardened length pressing against her bottom, remembering how it felt when he had filled her up completely, making them whole like they were the last two missing pieces of a puzzle, fitting perfectly within the world.

But it wasn't only the footsteps that had woken her. She also had to pee. Badly. It didn't help that one of Zuko's legs was tangled up between hers, pressing against parts that made her aroused once more. It was still night, that much was clear when she looked out the window and at the starry sky. They had forgotten to close the drapes, making her worry for a second that perhaps someone had seen them last night, but let that thought fly fairly quickly.

She tried to exit the bed, carefully removing Zuko's arm and leg from her body, which made him stir in his sleep.

''What are you doing?'' he asked her in a muffled whisper, his eyes still closed.

''I have to pee,'' she replied equally soft and ripped the sheets from the bed, leaving Zuko utterly bare for her hungry eyes. ''And I think Iroh's home again.''

He opened his eyes then, a mischievous glint appearing in them when he saw her standing by the edge of the bed covered in their sheets. A smile appeared on his face which she returned before turning around and walking over to their bathroom. Luckily, they had a door leading directly to it, so she wouldn't have to go out in the living room. However, she forgot about Iroh, and so when she opened the door to the washing room, she was met with the old man washing his face in the washbasin.

The two stared at each other for a horrifying moment, both not knowing what to do or say for a second. They looked like deer caught in headlights, their eyes as wide as saucers.

''Milah, why are you-''

Zuko had come up behind her, oblivious of his uncle that was still staring at her like she had grown a second head. It wasn't until he was standing at her back – thankfully, or he would've flashed his uncle with his considerable goods – seeing the reason why she was standing there frozen in her place.

''Eh,'' the Fire Nation Prince started, suddenly wanting to disappear through the ground. ''Uncle, I didn't realise you were home already.''

Iroh swallowed visibly, finally able to look from the rather exposed Waterbender towards his nephew, who was cowering behind said Waterbender. It didn't take longer than a second for him what exactly had happened between the two of them while he was away. He made sure to thank the spirits later for planting the thought in his head about going away for a walk.

''Eh,'' Iroh started, for the first time in his old life not knowing what to say. ''Yes, well, I'm home.'' The three of them shuffled awkwardly on their feet. ''I guess this means that you two have made up?''

Milah laughed nervously, clutching the sheets tighter against her form. ''We, eh, talked it out, yes.''

Zuko decided to put an end to this misery, having had enough of using Milah as his own bedsheet. ''We'll talk about this in the morning, uncle.''

Iroh nodded eagerly, giving the both of them a smile. Milah made a move towards his uncle then, making Zuko grab her arm and pull her back against his front, afraid that his uncle would see something that would be marked inside his brain forever. As a trauma.

When his uncle had left the bathroom, the pair let out a big sigh and Zuko finally let go of her arm again. ''That was close,'' she remarked, running a hand through her messy hair.

''Yeah,'' Zuko simply replied but put one of his hands in her hair as well, pulling her face closer to his so he could kiss her again. Just because he knew he now could. She eagerly returned the kiss, letting go of the bedsheet covering her body so she could cup his cheeks, wanting to be as close to him as possible.

Because, God, she was so in love with him.

''Zuko,'' she whined suddenly into the kiss, breaking it off slowly. ''I still have to pee. And shower.''

He sighed against her lips, nodding reluctantly. But suddenly his eyes lit up, like the colour of the morning sun. ''Can I join you? In the shower?''

Redness crept up from her neck, a sight which he very much enjoyed seeing on her. ''But… what if your uncle hears us?''

He shrugged. ''He won't. He doesn't even wake up from his own snoring. We'll just have to be a bit more… quiet.''

She bit her lip, hesitation still covering her eyes.

''Milah, we don't have to do anything you don't want to do. We'll go as slow as you want it to-''

''No, Zuko, I love you,'' she replied, giving him a small peck. ''Let me pee first. I'll come to get you when I have the shower running.''

A large grin covered his face then, a grin that she seldom saw on him but made her heart glow as it had never before. And suddenly she was reminded of why she loved this man so much.

When she was sitting on the toilet to do her business only minutes later, it suddenly dawned on her. She was sore. Very sore. It almost felt like she had been riding on an ostrich horse, but then ten times worse.

''Zuko,'' she whispered into the room once she was finally done. ''Come.''

When Zuko entered the bathroom, he found Milah already standing under the shower, her body concealed by the blurred piece of glass hiding her form. But when he stepped in, his heart was stumbling over the sight of her wet frame and hair dripping from the water and his cock sprang into action, hardening from the realisation that this woman wanted to be with him.

''Zuko,'' she whispered when she noticed him coming up behind her. She turned around, noticing his arousal straight away and feeling her own body respond to it immediately. Her pussy started aching again, desperate to feel him inside of her. But before that, she had to ask him. ''I'm kind of… sore. Like, down there. Is that normal?''

This made him spring into action, wrapping his arms around her middle so she was pressed up against him again. He let out a soft chuckle, kissing her forehead affectionately. ''Yes, Milah, that's common. Don't forget, it was your first time.'' She nodded slowly, her hands tracing his muscled arms.

''But, does that mean that we can't, you know…'' she trailed off, not knowing how to voice it.

Zuko started kissing her neck, distracting her from her questions, but still answering them nonetheless. ''It'll probably be best to take it slow. But if you really want to…'' He came up to stare in her eyes again when he said that, wanting to know her reaction, which he could read from her eyes as a big yes. ''We can always try.''

And with that, she pressed her lips eagerly against his, her hands having found their way up to his wet hair. He let out a groan, lifting her by her butt so she could wrap her legs around his waist. His cock pressed against her entrance, making her moan against his hot lips and tongue that was ravishing his mouth like she had been starving for days. He could already feel her wetness coating his tip, making his shaft twitch with lust and eagerness.

''Please, Zuko,'' she gasped in his mouth, greedy for what would happen next.

''So impatient,'' he whispered back, but filled her up a second later, thrusting inside her with a stroke more ferocious than the night before. She let out a rather soft yelp, her head falling back against the hard tiles.

''Zuko,'' she gasped when he pulled back and thrust back up again. His mouth found her hardened nipples, sucking and licking on them while going at a teasingly slow pace. Fire and pleasure flowed through her body like the water flowed from the showerhead, making the pipes in the walls rattle all of a sudden.

''Milah,'' Zuko grunted in her ear, making the feeling in her body intensify for a second, the edge nearing her. ''Stop bending the water.'' It didn't help that Zuko was picking up his pace, the clapping of their bodies making her fear that Iroh was going to wake up.

She hadn't even realised that she was bending the water around her, although she was suddenly very aware of various shapes floating around them. She let go of the water bodies, making them fall to the floor with a big splash.

Zuko let her go suddenly, letting her slip to the ground before turning her around, grabbing her hips and bending her forward so she was in a ninety-degree position. And then he filled her up from behind, making her let out another moan when he thrust inside of her with more power and fierceness than she thought he was capable of. What they had been doing last night had been nothing compared to what he was doing to her now.

''Zuko,'' she cried out in her hand when she came, hard, on his cock. He came only a second later with the loudest groan he had let out so far, the last few of his pushes so hard that she was sure that Iroh had woken up now.

For a moment, all that could be heard was the water running and their panting, both coming down from their incredible high slowly. Zuko started worrying all of a sudden. Had he been too harsh? Too rough?

''Milah,'' he whispered at her once he had pulled out. He caressed her arm affectionately, wanting her to look at him. ''I'm so sorry. I should've been more gentle, I just got carried away. I'm so fucking sorr-''

But he was caught off by a harsh kiss coming from her lips. ''Don't,'' she scolded him after a minute, ''believe me when I say that this… this was the best… I mean, I don't have anything to compare it to except last night, which was amazing as well, but this…''

He let out a relieved chuckle, taking her in his arms again. ''I'm so glad. I was so worried for a moment that I'd been too rough with you. I should've remembered that you're not used to this yet-''

''Stop. Worrying,'' she stopped him from his outburst. ''You read the situation just right. This was exactly what I wanted. And frankly… I can't wait to find out more.'' She averted her eyes shyly to his chest, but Zuko had grabbed her cheek so she couldn't look away.

''You don't know how happy you make me,'' he whispered with so much love that she almost teared up.

They finished washing rather peacefully, although Zuko did take his time with her lady parts once more, causing her to go over the edge for the fourth time that night. But eventually, the both of them were back in their room again rather quickly.

''Milah,'' Zuko started suddenly, watching her crawl in bed again from where he was leaning against the doorway. ''If you want to get some actual sleep tonight, I suggest you put on some clothes.''

She frowned in confusion. ''What do you mean?''

''I mean,'' he said, pushing himself off the wall, slowly making his way over to her, ''I'm not going to be able to keep my hands off of you if you're not wearing any clothes.''

A blush covered her cheeks which thankfully, couldn't be seen by Zuko since there was very little light in their room. ''Ah, yes.'' And so she put on an oversized shirt from his closet, pulling up some fresh underwear before climbing into bed with him again. ''Better?''

''Not really,'' he replied after donning his own sleeping attire. ''Because I love you best with your clothes off. But it'll have to do since you've got an early shift tomorrow.''

She groaned into her pillow, facing him. ''I forgot about that. What time do you think it is?''

''No idea, although my best guess is past midnight.''

She could already feel sleep coming to her, but the way Zuko was looking at her at that moment made her stay awake for a little moment longer. ''Can you believe that after all this time, we're finally together?''

Zuko's eyes lit up for the second time that night like an idea was forming in his head again. Her thighs clenched together upon seeing him like that. He was just too hot for his own good.

''I know I can't believe it,'' he whispered back. ''Pinch me if this is a dream.''

She sat up, climbing her way over so she could sit on his lap, her legs straddling him. His hands found their way to her thighs, moving up her shirt in the process. ''You're not asleep, and this isn't a dream, my Prince.'' She kissed him softly, trading her fingers delicately through his wet, black hair. ''I love you.''

He looked into her blue eyes and decided that tonight, he would give it to her. The timing couldn't be more perfect and his mother's ring was screaming from its hiding place from wanting to be on Milah's finger so badly. ''Give me a second,'' he replied, moving her from his lap so he could take his mother's ring from the back of the closet. He found it rather quickly, removing the ring from the pouch so he could turn it over in his hand. It was still beautiful, just like his little Waterbender. He put it back in the pouch before turning around to face her flustered state, playing with one of her wavy brown locks.

''Milah,'' he began, making his way over to her but still remained standing. ''Last night, I told you that I love you and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.'' He stopped again, not knowing how to continue.

''Zu-'' she started while sitting up on her knees but was effectively stopped by Zuko who raised his hand.

''Please, let me finish.'' Her eyes were trained on the leather pouch he was fiddling with, her curiosity almost giving her a heart attack. ''Nine years ago, my mother disappeared without a trace on the same night as my grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon, died in his sleep. I remember little of what happened that night, only that when I was asleep, my mother came to me and told me that everything she had done, she had done to protect me, and instructed me not to forget who I was no matter how much things may change. Only later did I understand; you see, my father wasn't supposed to be Fire Lord. He was the second-born. But for some reason, he was crowned anyway, making me the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation.''

Milah listened carefully to his story, feeling sad for the little boy whose mother had abandoned him at such a young age.

''Anyway, when my mother left, she left behind one thing. I didn't find it until later. It was hidden in my nightstand. But the thing my mother left me… was this.'' And with that, he opened the pouch once more, taking the ring out before kneeling in front of the woman he loved once more.

Tears welled up in the Waterbender's eyes upon seeing the object in his hands and the way he was moving down towards the floor on one knee. She knew exactly what was happening right now and almost couldn't believe that it even was happening. She moved to sit in front of him on the bed, her hands moving on their own accord to cup his face.

''Zuko, I-'' but was caught off again by Zuko who pressed a gentle kiss on her lips.

''Milah, this ring was left to me by mother, who had gotten it from my father as a wedding ring. Now, I know that this isn't custom within your culture and that I should probably get you a necklace as well, although I've given you a necklace before of course. You're even wearing it now. And now I'm rambling and-''

Now it was her turn to cut him off by kissing him with such force that hopefully screamed yes at him. His arms went around her middle before he stood up, lifting her from the ground while burying his face in her hair. Her jasmine and rose scent engulfed him like a second home, making his love for her grow even more.

He put her down on the ground after a minute, wanting to put the ring on her finger as soon as possible. It fit perfectly around her left ring finger, confirming that she was the one for him after all.

''It's beautiful,'' she whispered while gazing upon the golden beauty.

Zuko caressed her hand softly, not believing his own eyes. ''This belongs to you now, as does my heart.''

She put her hand over the left part of his chest, saying, ''I'll treasure it as I treasure you.'' She looked away suddenly, biting her lip, meaning she was worriedly thinking about something.

''What is it?''

''This ring, does this mean that I'm your… wife now?'' she asked tentatively, squeezing at the flesh of her forearm.

''Well, according to Fire Nation standards, we have to get married in front of a Fire Sage, although since I'm the Crown Prince, it'll have to be the Great Sage. So, no, you're not technically my wife now, although… if you want to… you can call me your husband. And then when people ask if we're married, we can now confirm it with honesty. But only if you want to! I don't want to force anything on you.''

Milah grinned broadly, kissing him shortly. ''I'll be your wife if you'll be my husband. As of now, we're officially married. And if anyone asks, we can tell them the moon is our witness. Aren't you, Yue?'' she added with an emotion-filled voice.

And it was as if the moon winked at the pair.

A/N: Things have gone crazy. Two updates in one freaking day?! Although this one is rather short compared to the last one, but still. I had to post this as a separate chapter because the next one is going to be sooo long as well. It'll probably give me a whiplash. Next one is going to be the last chapter of part 2. Can't wait for part 3! Let me know what you think :).