A/N: This story is dedicated to my friend DarcyBeDippy85. I hope you like it :)
It was the morning of Christmas Eve and Zuko and Mai stood right behind the palace doors. The sun had just risen half an hour ago and with her the young couple.
"Will I see you this evening?" The young Fire Lord asked Mai hopefully.
"I'll be there." She answered with one of her rare smiles that was only reserved for him.
Kissing softly in the shade of the big doors the couple said goodbye to each other. They had worked late into the night so Zuko could finally get a break on Christmas. Zuko and her had fallen asleep together on his bed after another long meeting with the politicians of the Earth Kingdom and all the work they had finished. Since the war had ended Zuko had been exhausting himself with these meetings until she had offered to come with him and take some of his responsibilities. It had left Mai exhausted, but it was worth it.
When she entered her family house, she was greeted by her parents, who were already awaiting her. Mai almost frowned when she saw the look on their faces.
"Where are you coming from so early in the morning?"
"Seeing that I have so many good friends, I could be coming from anywhere." There was nothing but sarcasm in her voice.
"That's no way to talk to us." Her father raised his voice. "You were at the palace the whole night. What will people say when they see you come out of the palace in the morning? Fire Lord or not, Zuko and you aren't married. You're dishonoring our family."
Mai wanted to tell them that they shouldn't assume things they didn't know, but thought better of it. Her and Zuko knew the truth and that was enough. She had stayed the night at the palace, but nothing disrespectful had happened.
Just ignoring the accusations, that had been thrown at her, Mai went to her room to catch up on the sleep that she had missed last night.
A few hours later Mai made her way back to the palace. The guards greeted her with respectful bows and let her pass the big doors. She went to the former war room, which now served as a conference room and waited for Zuko in front of it. This was his last conference before Christmas and she couldn't wait to have him all to herself for the evening.
"If I had known that such a beautiful lady was waiting for me outside, I would have closed the meeting earlier." Zuko greeted her with a compliment and a smile a few minutes later.
Mai had to hold herself back from blushing. Zuko had gotten better at getting that reactions from her and she suspected that he had taken lessons from Iroh.
"What a way to greet your girlfriend, Fire Lord Zuko." Mai teased him to hide how much his words had effected her.
"It's true though." He smiled even brighter now and pulled her into his arms.
"You're such a dork." She rolled her eyes but didn't pull away from him.
Gently he lay his lips on hers and the two shared a loving kiss. However Mai couldn't completely let herself relax, no matter how many fruit tarts he ordered her when they were sitting in his room together. The conversation with her parents was still on her mind. He must have seen something in her eyes and Mai cursed herself for allowing him to be the only one who saw right through her.
"Who upset you?" Zuko's mood changed and Mai could feel his natural heat rising with his temper.
"It was just a disagreement with my family. Coming home so early in the morning made them assume things that clearly didn't happen."
It took Zuko a moment, but then he knew what Mai was referring to. Zuko would never disrespect the woman he loved like that. He had sworn to himself long ago that he would treat her with nothing but care and respect.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"This is new to me." Mai said softly and gestured between them. When Zuko looked confused at her, she continued. "Having someone who cares about me and is interested in what I have to say. Before I was only seen as a trophy to show around and gain political status or in Azula's case a good fighter."
Zuko gently took a hold of her cheek and made her face him.
"I know that it's hard to show your emotions openly to me, but I'll help you with opening up. I want to hear your opinion, it matters the most to me. I know that you were raised differently, but with me you never have to hold back."
Mai smiled at that and moved in for a soft kiss. It was still easier to show him how she felt than talking about it, but she would try her best.
"Stay here at the palace with me?" Zuko offered when they pulled away.
"What would the people say?" Mai mocked teasingly. "An unmarried couple staying alone with each other."
"That is were being Fire Lord comes in handy. I don't think that anyone would be brave enough to say that to my face." Zuko laughed a little before his expression changed. "I'm serious, Mai. I would like to live with you here in the palace. If you want, you can have your own room and you don't have to decide right now. You can take all the time you need-" What soon would end up in rambling, was stopped by Mai's soft lips.
"Idiot." She said affectionately when she pulled away. "Of course, I'll live here with you and I think that I can bear to share a room with you."
When their lips met in another kiss Mai couldn't be happy. Not only would they be able to see each other more, but tomorrow she would wake up in his arms for their first Christmas as a couple.
A/N: Merry Christmas :)