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~*~
Mai was not a fan of triviality. Actions demanded intent, gifts required purpose. What was the point of a ‘present’ with no meaning behind it? What was the point of thoughtless actions, of careless gifts? Simply put - there wasn’t one. Mai knew this firsthand. After all, when she was a child, her parents had given her everything she ever asked for. The only point to those gifts, of course, had been to keep her quiet. Submissive. Out of the way. Those gifts had no value because her parents had given them without reason, without caring, often without even knowing what items they were giving to her. Hence, they were gifts without purpose.
Gifts without love.
This wasn’t to say her parents didn’t love her - Mai suspected they did, in their own way. But all the same… Mai knew she wasn’t enough. They needed a son, after all, not a daughter with a fascination for self-defense and for the macabre. She wasn’t worth their time, or their effort. And she was okay with that. Really, she’d come to terms with her role in their lives long ago.
Still. Mai despised trivial gestures - something it had taken Zuko a while to understand. Like the stupid seashell. But now, with the war over and Ozai out of power, Mai didn’t miss just how hard he was trying to change for the better, even if there were times he fell short. More than once, he’d had dresses made for her. This was partially because he’d assumed girls didn’t wear anything besides dresses, which was… frustrating, needless to say. But, on the other hand, he’d also specifically requested that the sleeves of those dresses be designed to fit loosely with plenty of open space so she was free to access and use her shuriken knives. The effort was there, and she appreciated that from him. In return, she’d tried to be more emotionally open about her own problems rather than shutting him out. And although she knew she wasn’t perfect, Zuko had reassured her that it was a learning curve for both of them, which was all that mattered.
In short, his actions had a new intent - intent to improve. To him, she was worth growing for. To him, she was worth being better for. She was worth something to him. She had value. And so she loved him, more than she loved anything and anyone, even through all the frustrations and setbacks.
“Mai?”
She blinked upon hearing her name called, tearing her gaze away from the family of turtleducks in the pond she was tossing pieces of bread to. Zuko was standing just behind her, one of his hands behind his back and the other at his side. “That would be me. Is there something you need?”
Her boyfriend flushed, not meeting her eyes. “I, uh… I wanted to give you something.”
Mai tossed a final piece of bread to the mother turtleduck before standing up and turning to face him, brushing crumbs off her hands. “And what gift might that be?”
His blush deepened, but he slowly pulled his hand out from behind his back, offering her a -
Oh.
Oh.
“It’s a panda lily,” he explained, his voice soft, if rather flustered. “My - My uncle always talks about how in the Earth Kingdom, they represent unconditional love, so…” He cleared his throat, not making eye contact with her, his expression almost bashfully disgruntled. “Yeah.”
Mai’s heart seized in her chest, and she knew her eyes must have widened to the size of saucers. “It’s beautiful,” she finally said, wincing at how hollow her voice sounded. “And… why are you giving it to me?”
She didn’t need to ask him. Not really. She supposed it was a lingering insecurity, the ever-hanging shadow of am I worth it, am I enough left over from her too-perfect childhood. Zuko knew about her past, of course, as well as how it impacted her present, so she had a feeling he, too, knew exactly why the question had slipped unwittingly out of her mouth.
A few months ago, her boyfriend might have snapped at her because of her doubt, thrown the flower aside in anger and embarrassment before storming off. But now, he swallowed a lump in his throat before looking directly at her, offering her a gentle if utterly nervous smile. “I’m giving it to you because…” He took a deep breath, pushing the flower towards her. “I love you, Mai. So this - it’s - I’m - argh!” He huffed at his fumbling. “I’m… giving my love to you.”
Mai inhaled sharply, her right hand clutching at the red fabric on the left side of her chest, just above her heart. “Zuko, you can’t -”
He didn’t let her finish, instead stepping closer to her and tucking the flower behind her ear before kissing away the few tears that had fallen beneath her eyes. “I can. I am.”
Mai knew Zuko loved her. She knew he did. Because to Zuko… she’d always be enough. She’d always been enough.
“I love you, too,” she finally breathed, cupping his face with her hands. And when they both leaned in for a kiss - fiery, intense, a kiss that lingered - Mai knew that Zuko’s love was the greatest gift she could ever receive.