Chapter Text
The last time Zuko had felt truly happy was not at his coronation.
Of course, he had felt immense pride well inside as he saw all the nations in harmony, and with Aang at his side, the robes he wore and the pin that held his hair in place was not a burden but a means of telling him that he had finally regained his honour.
It had taken every ounce of courtesy and decorum ingrained into him (another by-product of being the heir of the Fire Nation, along with a tendency for long, dramatic monologues and a fear of raised hands) to not start laughing when Aang said under his breath, "Please make it the official rule to greet the Fire Lord with a 'Flameo Hotman.'"
The last time Zuko felt truly happy had been just after his coronation, in his Uncle's teashop in Ba Sing Se.
The thoughts of Ozai, rebuilding the Fire Nation, the countless meetings and even Azula were not lingering for the first since Sozin's comet.
He laughed freely with his Uncle while he made Jasmine Tea and handed it out to his friends. Mai's fingers lingered against his while Sokka sat at one of the tables, painting with broad brushstrokes and yelled at Zuko to stop moving while Sokka was trying to 'capture the moment.'
Katara was loudly protesting the way Sokka had painted her and Zuko thought she had been exaggerating till he saw the painting. Aang looked at them all fondly while everyone bombarded Sokka with various criticisms till Toph intervened and said, "I think you all look perfect," and made them all burst into raucous laughter.
Zuko noticed Aang slip outside and Katara following shortly after and smiled. After everything they'd been through, they deserved to be happy.
Mai leaned her head against his shoulder and he simply savoured it all. Toph had made herself a bench (even though there were dozens around her) and talking to Iroh about the benefits of a white lotus tile during a game of Pai Sho.
Suki was helping Sokka with a new painting and both of them had ink smeared on their cheeks and fingers.
Mai whispered softly in his ear as Aang and Katara tried to be discreet but were unwilling to let go of each other's hand, "I never thought it would end like this."
Zuko a year ago could have never imagined this either--a future in which he was the Fire Lord, sitting in his Uncle's teashop in Ba Sing Se, and being friends with the Avatar, the very person he had spent the entirety of his early teens hunting; sitting with Mai in the Earth Kingdom, and felt a deep sense of peace and belonging as he watched the sunset beyond the Outer Wall.
He held Mai's hand and said, "Me neither."
Mai had been wrong about one thing. While they might have ended the Hundred Year War, the battle was far from over.