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To be honest, there wasn’t a lot Zuko liked about working at the Jasmine Dragon. The customers were rude, the hours were long, and his hands always seemed to be so dry for no reason. In fact, the only redeeming thing about working at the Jasmine Dragon was the time Zuko got to spend with his uncle.
Or at least, that was before the flower shop in the mall opened up. Well, it wasn’t so much the flower shop as it was the girl who worked there.
Zuko had first seen her in the mall food court. She wore an al black outfit, which was somehow made more intimidating by the pair of buns her hair was styled in. Well, the buns and the icy expression on her face.
He didn’t know that she worked at the flower shop at that point, but he could tell that she was new. Despite how big Ba Sing Se’s mall was, the community of those who worked there was fairly close. There wasn’t much turnover. When the bakery a few doors down from the Jasmine Dragon had gone out of business earlier that year, it had been a shock to everyone. But the contract for a flower shop quickly came through and that was that. Zuko didn’t think anything of it until he realized that the mysterious new girl in the cafeteria worked there.
The next time he saw her in the food court, the look of utter discontent on her face was still there. But she was talking on the phone to someone. He didn’t mean to overhear her conversation, but he was sitting at the table next to her and the sound of her voice carried.
“I think I might actually kill someone Ty Lee. There’s this one woman who comes into the shop. And you know how you can just tell that someone is from the Upper Ring? Like they have that stupid way of talking and just walk around like they’re better than you. Well she comes into the shop today complaining that the flowers she bought last week died and demanding a refund. It’s just, that’s what flowers do!”
Without realizing it, Zuko let out a little snort when he heard that.
The girl’s eyes narrowed on him. “Give me a second, Ty Lee,” she said before turning to him. “I’m sorry, did you have something to say?”
Zuko’s eyes went wide. “What?”
“Did you have something to say?” she repeated again. Her voice was some soft and raspy, yet filled with rage.
“No,” Zuko said surprised.
“Then,” she started, “don’t listen in on other people’s conversations.”
She put the phone back to her ear, “I’m here, Ty Lee. Yeah. It’s fine,” she said, glaring at him.
Zuko left after that, slightly terrified, but mostly curious.
He saw her in the food court all the time after that.He figured they must have had breaks around the same time, because every day at 1:15 PM, he would see her sitting there. Sometimes, she would be reading. Sometimes, she would be on the phone. Most of the time, she was drawing something in her notebook.
Every time he saw her though, she wore the same look of discontent on her face. It wasn’t like he was trying to notice it or to stare at her - it just sort of happened. He had gotten into the bad habit of looking at her and noticing the gloomy look on her face, only to wonder why exactly she was in such a bad mood.
He really wasn’t trying to stare at her. In fact, he didn’t even think she noticed it, apart from one instance where she snapped her notebook shut, stood up and glared at him before leaving.
If looks could kill, he thought with a shudder.
***
To be honest, between her family, the start of the school year, and starting a new job at her aunt’s flower shop, the guy who would occasionally stare at her in the food court was the least of Mai’s worries.
Still, it was slightly irritating, and she didn’t know why he kept doing it. But nonetheless, she was determined to ignore it. Her breaks were the only time in the day she had to herself and she was determined to not let him ruin it. As much as she tried, she could feel the heat of his stare on her, making it incredibly hard to concentrate on anything she was doing. Finally, she had enough, so she snapped her notebook shut, and walked away. That wasn’t before she gave him her best and most fearful death glare.
The wide look on his face and the fear in his eyes was almost enough to make her smile.
Almost.
He seemed to stop staring after that at least. Or, at least he was less obvious about it. There were still a few instances where she would catch him, but the second he noticed her he would turn his gaze towards something else in a panic. She always had to hold back a smile when he did this.
All in all, the staring was harmless. She would never admit it aloud, but she thought it was cute. She definitely wouldn't admit this aloud, but she thought that he was cute. He certainly made an excellent drawing subject and renderings of his face slowly began to fill Mai’s sketchbook.
Every time she caught him staring and saw him quickly look at something else, she felt the telltale flutter in her stomach. And, if she were really going to be honest, there had been a few instances where she stared back at him. Although, it wasn’t for the reasons people would think. While she certainly wondered about the scar on his face, most of her staring was the result of the way he creased his brows in concentration while he was reading something, or the way he would tap his pen while he was thinking. It was cute.
She needed something cute at the moment. She had just started her third year of college and school was intense. Every spare moment she had outside of the shop was spent studying.
By the time her first round of exams came along, Mai felt like she was half of a person. She had made it to Wednesday before the exhaustion gripped her. She had spent all of the previous night studying, then woke up, took her exam and then headed to work. Somehow, she had fallen asleep during her shift.
“Mai,” someone said, gently resting their hand on her shoulder.
“Hmmm,” Mai grounded as she sat up. She blinked as she came to it. She was at work. In fact, she was sitting in front of the cash register at her aunt’s store.
“Oh,” she said. “Aunt Mura, I’m so sorry.”
Mura smiled softly at her niece. “It’s okay. Why don’t you take a break? Maybe you should go get some tea. The caffeine will do you good. There’s a nice little shop a few stores down.”
“Thank you,” Mai responded.
“And Mai,” Mura said. “Try to get some sleep tonight. You need to rest.”
Mai nodded. She had always loved Aunt Mura, but ever since Mai moved to Ba Sing Se for school, the two of them had gotten close. Mura was kind, understanding and loving in a way that Mai’s mother never was. It was on days like that one that Mai was particularly grateful as she knew that her aunt’s kindness and understanding took the place of her mother’s disappointment.
She left the flower shop in a daze. She wasn’t normally one for tea, but she was half out of her mind with exhaustion and desperate for anything that would make her feel more awake. She still had two more exams scheduled for that week.
The second she walked into the store, she immediately felt more alert. The intoxicating aroma of the fusion of different tea blends wafted into the air, giving the shop a comforting and calming vibe.
That calmness didn’t last long though.
She walked over to the counter only to be greeted by a familiar face.
The boy at the counter was the same one who had been staring at her in the cafeteria. His eyes went wide when he saw her, but quickly he regained his composure.
Mai’s eyes narrowed at him. “You.”
He ignored that. “What can I get you?” he asked.
She looked at him for a second, trying to decide if she should bring up the staring or not.
“You’re the guy who has been staring at me in the cafeteria,” she said in a measured tone.
“I wasn’t staring at you!” he said defensively.
Mai raised an eyebrow.
“I wasn’t staring at you,” he repeated.
“Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes.
They were silent for a moment before he spoke again. “I wasn’t trying to stare at you. I overheard you threaten to kill someone and I was intrigued. I’m sorry.”
She didn’t say anything.
“So,” he said again, “Do you want to order something or…?”
She looked at the menu. She hasn’t heard of half the stuff on it. “Would it be annoying if I asked for a recommendation?” she inquired.
The boy let out a little laugh. “Normally yes, but it’s slow right now. What tea do you normally drink?”
Mai shrugged, “I don’t drink a lot of tea.”
“And yet, you’re in a tea shop.”
“I need the caffeine.”
“If you’re drinking tea for the caffeine, then you should go with a black tea.”
Mai nodded. “What kind do you like?”
His brows creased as he responded. “I don’t drink a lot of black tea,” he admitted. “Normally, I only drink jasmine tea. It’s my favorite.”
“Alright then,” she said, “Can I get a jasmine tea, please?”
He nodded. “Coming right up.”
She watched him as he produced a small flame in the palm of his hand and heat the water with it.
Fire bender, she thought, storing the information in the back of her brain as she watched him scoop and weigh tea leaves.
“Why do you do that?” she asked.
“Huh?” he said.
“Measure the tea leaves. Why can’t you just scoop them into a drink?”
Zuko frowned. “I mean you can,” he said. “But Uncle says that when you measure it, everything is more precise, and you end up with a better cup of tea. He says that making tea is a ritual and shouldn’t be rushed.”
“Uncle?” she questioned.
He nodded as he poured the water. “This is my uncle’s shop.”
She let out a breathy laugh and he looked up at her in confusion. “Sorry,” she said. “It’s funny because I work at my aunt’s flower shop. I didn’t realize that this was a theme.”
“Oh. The one that just opened up?”
She nodded and watched him finish pouring the water. He put the cup to the side to let it brew before turning back to her.
“She’s been wanting to open up a store for a while now,” Mai said. “I was staying with her over the summer and told her I would help her. We opened the store about a month ago.”
“Oh,” the boy said. “Are you new here?”
Mai shook her head. “Not really. I’m a third year at University of Ba Sing Se.”
She didn’t know why she was telling him all this. She didn’t even know his name.
“I just started my last year there,” he said. “What are you studying?”
“Political science,” she said. “What about you?”
“Business,” he said.
“Oh cool,” she responded. She didn’t know what else to say to that.
He snorted. “It’s okay. Business is horrible.”
“Political science isn’t much better,” she admitted.
“Still,” he said as he took the pouch of tea leaves out of the cup and handed her the drink, “It’s better than business.”
She took the drink. “I mean, you’re right,” she said. “Thanks for the tea.”
He nodded. “I’ll see you around,” he said awkwardly.
“Yeah,” she responded. “Just try not to stare.”
And with that, she walked out of the shop.
***
She came back the next day and ordered another cup of jasmine tea.
“I thought you didn’t like tea,” Zuko said as he reached for the canister of tea leaves.
She shrugged. “I’m in the middle of exams. Besides, that was the best cup of tea I’ve ever had.”
“I’ll tell Uncle. He takes a lot of pride in the shop and is always looking to convert people into tea drinkers,” Zuko said earnestly.
She nodded slowly.
“I’m Zuko, by the way,” he said lamely. “I just realized that I never introduced myself.”
“I’m Mai,” she replied.
He focused back on making her drink, trying to hide a blush. He didn’t know why he was blushing. All she had said was her name, but the fact that he had been staring at this girl for so long probably had something to do with it. She was quiet as he finished making the drink. As he handed it to her, he said “It was nice meeting you. Officially, I mean.”
“Yeah, you too. I’ll see you around.”
Zuko nodded, unsure if she meant it.
But then the next day, she came into the shop again. And then she came into the shop the day afterwards and the day after that. Soon, she was a regular at the shop. She came in every day before her shift, and Zuko found himself staring at the entrance every morning waiting for her.
He still saw her during his break too. She still sat alone but she would at least acknowledge him. Until one day, she came up to him in the cafeteria and sat down across from him.
“I just had the worst customer,” she said, taking a bite of an apple.
Zuko looked up at her in surprise, “Hi,” he said. “What did they do?”
Their morning chats had evolved from casual small-talk to bonding over the horrors of customer service. It had all started when she had come in for her morning cup of tea, only to see some lady yelling at Zuko because her tea was too hot. Mai started fuming that morning, grumbling about how people had no respect and Zuko couldn’t help but supplement her outrage with his own.
Mai swallowed before starting, “This morning, this woman comes into the shop looking to buy some flowers. So, I show her everything we have and then she asks if we have any fire lilies. I tell her no, and she flips out . I’m not kidding. She starts ranting about how the shop she normally goes to has them year round and I keep trying to tell her that we don’t have fire lilies because they only bloom for like a week during the summer. That didn’t help. She just kept talking about how awful the shop was and how horrible I was. Ugh.”
“That’s awful,” Zuko said sympathetically.
“I know! What was I supposed to do, turn back the clock a few months? I can’t believe the audacity,” she said before taking another bite.
“Wait,” Zuko started. “Do fire lilies really only bloom in the summer?”
Mai nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I thought it was common knowledge. They only bloom for about a week in August.”
“I didn’t know that,” he said. “Then again, I don’t know much about flowers.”
The next day, he saw her in the cafeteria again.
“I have to get back to the shop soon,” she said. “But, I wanted to give you this.”
She held out a book towards him.
“A beginners guide to gardening,” he read. “Thanks?”
“You really should know about basic plantcare,” she explained. “Especially so you’ll actually understand what I’m talking about when I rant about the shop.”
He smiled. In all their conversations, he had explained quite a bit about the tea industry to Mai, everything from how the leaves are grown to proper brewing procedures. It was only fair that he learned about plants.
He opened the book during a lull at work. When Uncle asked him about the book, Zuko explained that it was from a friend.
“Would this friend happen to work at a flower shop?” Iroh asked his nephew.
“No!” Zuko said, trying to maintain his computer. “I mean, yeah. But it’s not like that. Mai’s just a friend.”
“I see,” Iroh said. “She seems like a lovely girl.”
Zuko just nodded and returned his attention back to the book.
Iroh tried not to let Zuko see his smile.
He couldn’t help but notice his nephew's fondness for this girl. It was everything from the casual way he had started bringing her up in conversations, to the way his eyes lit up whenever he saw her walk into the store. It was also his disappointment the following morning when Zuko realized Mai wasn’t stopping by for her normal cup of tea.
Mai normally stopped by for a cup of tea on her way to work. Most days she worked at the flower shop, she opened the store. So, Zuko had begun arriving a little earlier on the days he knew she opened so she could swing by without worrying about being late. Well that, and because he liked to talk to her as he waited for the tea to brew and the morning rush almost always got in the way of that.
So, the following day, when Mai didn’t show up for her normal cup of tea, Zuko couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. As he handled the morning rush, he kept looking at the entrance trying to gauge whether she was coming or not.
It wasn’t like their morning chats were an official thing. In fact, Zuko didn’t even have her phone number. He tried not to be too disappointed though and forced himself not to think about her while he finished up the morning rush.
“What can I get for you?” he asked the woman standing at the register. She was around Uncle’s age, he figured. She had grey hair, brown eyes, and there seemed to be something familiar about her.
“I’ll have a ginseng tea, please” she said. And then after a moment she added, “Oh, can I also get a jasmine tea?”
Zuko nodded and began making the order. The morning rush had seemed to die down, leaving the woman, Zuko and Iroh in the shop.
“You know,” the woman said, “my niece normally comes here in the mornings to grab a cup of tea before work.”
Zuko’s ear perked up at that.
The woman continued, “Well that, and she sometimes comes here during the day too. Actually, do you guys sell reusable mugs? She comes here so often that our trash can is constantly full, and you know that can’t be good for the environment.”
Zuko turned to her and nodded. “We have a few different versions. One in green, one in red, and one in black.”
“Black,” the woman replied. “That’s her favorite color.”
Iroh couldn’t help but notice Zuko’s change in mood after the woman brought up her niece. “Zuko,” Iroh said. “Why don’t you go grab a few more of those from the back? I think we need to restock the display. I’ll finish brewing this lovely lady’s tea.”
Zuko nodded.
“So,” Iroh said, “Your Mai’s aunt.”
“I am,” she said with a small smile and bow. “I’m Mura. It’s nice to meet you”
“Iroh,” he said, bowing slightly.
“It seems our kids have grown quite fond of each other,” Iroh responded.
“That sounds about right. I didn’t even think Mai liked tea and now it’s been weeks since I’ve seen her without a cup in her hand.”
“You two work in the flower shop, right?”
Mura nodded.
“That would explain Zuko’s sudden interest in gardening,” Iroh chuckled. “I think he has a bit of a crush.”
“I think it’s mutual. I recognized Zuko from Mai’s sketches. She likes to draw when things are slow at the shop,” Mura explained. “Normally, it's just flowers or a rough sketch of a customer, but lately, I’ve seen a lot of his face in her sketchbook. Of course, I don’t think Mai would ever admit it.”
Iroh nodded solemnly. “Zuko isn’t one for big emotional confrontations himself.”
“It’s a shame really,” Mura said, “I mean, to see the potential and to see them not do anything about it.”
Iroh hummed in agreement.
***
“A coupon program?” Mai asked in surprise as she looked up from her sketchpad.
Mura nodded. “I went in to grab a cup of tea from the Jasmine Dragon, yesterday. I know that I was the one who told you about it, but I forgot how wonderful the store was. Anyway, I was talking to the store owner, Iroh. He and I were thinking that this would be really great for both of us.”
Mai nodded. As the seasons changed, the shop had gotten a little less busy. “Sounds good,” she said, turning her attention back towards her drawing.
“We were thinking that maybe later, you and Iroh’s nephew could go down to the food court and hand out flyers.” Mura said.
Mai froze.
“You know Zuko, right? I know you go to the shop a lot so you must have seen him before,” Mura continued.
Instinctively, Mai moved her arm over her sketchpad, covering up the doodle of Zuko she was working on. “Yeah. I mean, I don’t know him. I’ve just seen him in the shop.”
“Good,” Mura said. “Iroh said that he would send Zuko over to the shop in an hour and then you two can hand out flyers together.”
Mura tried not to smile as she saw Mai snap her sketchbook shut and fix her hair.
An hour later, when Mura saw Zuko walk into the shop and Mai tried to hide a blush, she had to stop herself from saying something. Mura hadn’t seen Mai happy a lot and her nieces obvious crush was a nice change.
When Mai had come to live with her earlier that summer, Mura had been worried. It wasn’t that Mai wasn’t a good kid, it was that she was. For a college student, Mai was oddly disciplined. Over the summer, Mura never once had to ask her to do chores. Everything was already done and Mura’s questions were met with a “Yes, Aunt Mura” or a “No, Aunt Mura” or a “Thank you, Aunt Mura”. Mura may have been Mai’s aunt, but there was an air of formality to their relationship that didn’t sit quite right with her.
It wasn’t until Mai’s mother Michi came to visit that Mura began to understand that Mai’s formality was her mother's conditioning. After Michi had left, Mura did her best to change things - to bond with her niece and show her that she cared about her.
That’s when they started gardening together. Mura had always liked to garden in her spare time and, as it turned out, Mai was a natural. Slowly, Mai began to open up. She was studying political science, but she liked to draw in her spare time. She didn’t have many friends, but she was very close with a girl from school named Ty Lee. She didn’t have a boyfriend, but had gone on a few dates with someone named Kei Lo, but he turned out to be a jerk. Mura began to cherish those afternoons in the garden with her niece and it was one day while they were outside planting a new bed of flowers that Mura mentioned her dream of opening a flower shop. Two days later, it was Mai who showed her a listing for an empty space in the Mall of Ba Sing Se.
Neither of them had any knowledge about how exactly to open a flower shop, but they learned together. And now, roughly five months since Mai had moved in with Mura for the summer, Mura was standing in the corner, watching Mai try not to blush as Zuko walked into the shop.
“Hi,” he said looking at Mai. There was a soft and dopey smile on his face and then he glanced at Mura. “Oh, hello. I’m Zuko,” he added awkwardly, bowing slightly to greet her.
“Hello,” Mura said, “You must be Iroh’s nephew. Have a seat next to Mai. I’ll be right with you both.”
He nodded and sat down in the empty chair across the counter from Mai.
“Hey,” he whispered to her.
“Hi,” Mai said back, she was doodling in her notebook, trying to seem nonchalant.
“So,” he started, “I guess we’ll be working together a lot.”
Mai nodded, trying to bite back a smile. “I guess so.”
Zuko looked around the shop. It was smaller than the Jasmine Dragon, but packed to the brim with an assortment of bouquets and potted plants, organized by color and selection. Zuko had never heard of most of them before.
“I can’t believe that I’ve never been in here before,” he said.
“Yeah,” Mai said jokingly, “I’m practically at your work every day and you’ve never reciprocated.”
“To be fair, I don’t know much about flowers.”
Mai raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know much about tea.”
“Okay fine. Teach me then.”
“I gave you the book, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but I always learn better when someone explains things to me.”
Mai nodded. “What do you want to know?”
“Umm.”
Mai rolled her eyes.
“Okay,” Zuko said and then pointed to a bouquet of black and white flowers on the counter. “What are those?”
She glanced up. “Panda lilies,” she said and grabbed the bouquet. “These are one of the most expensive flowers we have in the shop. They’re really rare.”
“Oh. Why?” he asked curiously.
“They grow only on the rims of volcanoes.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
Mai nodded, “In the olden day, there used to be a tradition of people climbing up to the volcano and picking a flower for their loved one, in order to prove their love. In fact, they’re meant to be an expression of love. Even today.”
“No one’s climbing up the mountains for them though.”
Mai shook her head, “No, now they just come get it from the shop and prove their love in other ways. And we get them shipped from a small village by Mount Makapu every now and again. In fact, we rarely have them in stock because they’re so hard to find.”
Zuko opened his mouth but quickly shut it.
“What are you drawing?” he asked instead, eyes flickering over the notebook on the counter.
“Just some flowers,” she said.
“Can I see?”
She nodded and passed her sketchbook over to him, quickly praying he wouldn’t flip through the pages. Zuko, Mai had discovered, was really nice to draw.
“Wow,” he said after a moment. “You’re really good.”
“Thanks,” she said with a blush.
“I’m serious. You could be an artist or something.”
She felt a pang through her chest. Maybe in another life , she thought to herself.
She was silent for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain that given her parents expectations, art would never be a viable career for her. Even if she did love it.
But before she could find the words, Mura entered the shop.
“Okay,” she said, shuffling over to them. “So, right now, we’re just going to advertise the special. Buy a cup of tea from the Jasmine Dragon, and they’ll get a 15% discount on their order here.”
Mai and Zuko nodded.
“So,” Mai said, “You just want us to pass the flyers out?”
Mura nodded. “In fact, why don’t you take the rest of the day off.”
“Are you sure?” Mai asked.
Mura looked at Zuko, he was looking over at Mai from across the counter. “I’m sure.”
It took Mai and Zuko an hour to finally cut their losses and give up for the day.
“I hate people,” Mai remarked bitterly as yet another person swatted the flyer away.
“This is ridiculous,” Zuko said angrily. “Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t we go take a break or something?”
“We’re supposed to get rid of all these flyers.”
“We could throw them away. I won’t tell if you don’t.”
“That doesn’t sound too environmentally friendly.”
“Fine, we’ll recycle them. Let’s grab a drink?”
“I don’t think your uncle will appreciate us being back this early.”
“We can go somewhere else then.”
“Okay,” she said.
“Okay?” he repeated with a smile.
“There’s this boba shop that I’ve been wanting to try.”
“Sounds good.”
Zuko let her lead the way as he tried not to think about how much he hated bubble tea.
Luckily for him, the store was crowded.
“This is going to take forever,” Mai sighed. “You know what? I’m starving. There’s a bakery a few shops down from here.”
“I don’t mind waiting,” he said patiently.
“Well, I do,” she said, grabbing his hand and leading him out of the store.
Thankfully, the bakery was nearly empty.
“What can I get you?” the woman at the counter said as they approached her.
Mai looked at Zuko.
He cleared his throat before ordering. “I’ll just have a jasmine tea please.”
“One for me as well please. And a fruit tart, as well.”
They paid and sat down at an empty table as they waited.
“So,” Zuko said.
“So,” Mai replied.
All of sudden, their casual banter was replaced by awkwardness. Zuko cleared his throat.
“How’s school?” he asked.
“Horrible. How’s it for you.”
“Absolutely awful.”
“Well, yeah. You’re a business major.”
Zuko let out a little laugh and Mai smiled at the sound.
“That’s fair. Although, I’m hardly the worst. There are these two boys in one of my class- Chan and Ruon-Jian - they’re the worst people I think I’ve ever met.”
“How so?” Mai asked.
“The entitlement astounds me. And I work in customer service - that’s saying a lot .”
It was Mai’s turn to laugh. Zuko thought he was melting. He wanted to live in that sound forever.
“Yeah. It really does,” she said
They settled into an easy conversation after that. Zuko learned that Mai had moved in with her aunt over the summer because she was going to take some summer classes and her parents were still living in the Fire Nation. She had a younger brother, who was fifteen years younger than she was and lived with her parents.
“It’s weird,” she remarked. “I didn’t think I would miss him so much.”
Zuko nodded. “I know how you feel, I have two younger sisters. They’re annoying, but I still miss them.”
It was the first time they had talked about their families before. In fact, it was the first time they talked about anything truly personal, just how much they hated working in customer service.
Now, sitting there in the cafe, listening to Mai talk about her family, Zuko clung onto her every word, storing every detail she granted him in the back of his mind. He could have listened to her talk for forever.
He shared some of his own life. He told her about Kiyi and mentioned Azula. Normally, he didn’t even mention Azula given how fraught their relationship is, but he felt like he could trust her. He told her that he’d been living with his uncle since he was 16 and they opened the shop shortly after.
They talked for hours, about everything and nothing - both slowly letting their guards down and letting the other know more and more about them. It felt so natural and so right.
Before they knew it, the bakery was closing and they were being kicked out.
“Hey,” Zuko said as they walked out. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Mai just nodded, trying to prolong the moment just a little bit longer.
They left the mall together and began walking around the city.
“Where are we going?” she asked with a shiver. The weather was getting colder now and Mai hadn’t brought a jacket with her. She figured that she would have been home by the time it got dark.
“You’ll see. Are you cold?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” Mai said. “I’m normally always cold.”
“Here,” Zuko said and shrugged the jacket he was wearing off and handed it to her.
She tried to hide a blush as she took it from him. They walked in silence for a few minutes. It wasn’t awkward like it was when they first got to the bakery, but comfortable and homey.
“We’re almost there,” Zuko said suddenly. “We’re just going to make a right on the next street.”
“Are you going to give me a hint?” Mai asked.
Zuko smiled, “It’s one of my favorite places in the city.”
They turned the corner a moment later and Mai was greeted by a fountain. The fountain itself wasn’t that special, but it was surrounded by a ring of lanterns. The soft, flickering light of the lanterns reflected in the water of the fountain and painted everything with a soft glow.
“Oh. Wow.”
She wasn’t often speechless, but under the glow of the moonlight and the lanterns, she didn’t have much to say. She didn’t realize that the city could be so beautiful.
“I know,” Zuko said, as if he knew what she were thinking. The strange part was that she felt like he did.
She smiled at him. It was small, but filled with a softness she didn’t often show and Zuko felt his heart flutter at the sight.
“Do you want to sit for a bit?” he asked nervously.
She nodded. “Yeah. I would like that.”
They sat in silence for a bit, just enjoying the scenery and each other's company, before the conversation resumed. It was different now, under the moonlight, the conversation going from what their lives were to all the things they could have been. All Zuko wanted to do was to help his Uncle. And Mai talked about her dreams - how she’d wanted to be a painter her whole life but her parents didn’t think of it as a reputable profession and pushed her for political science instead.
It was all the things she didn’t want to confess to during the days, but at night, sitting with this strange boy by a fountain adorned with lanterns, she could just be. And that was enough.
That night, as she returned home under the cover of darkness and filled with the elation of the night, she couldn’t help but smile as she shut the door and thought of all the things that could be, of a young love yet to bloom.
**
When Zuko got up the next morning, he was in a considerably better mood than he should have been considering the three midterms he had later that week. He got ready for the day and walked over to the shop, where he was going to meet his friends to study.
The problem was, Zuko was too distracted to get much studying done. Yesterday, he had exchanged numbers with Mai while they were at the bakery.
“I’ll be easier to coordinate when we’re handing out coupons this way,” he had explained hurriedly.
She had nodded and handed her phone over to him and 24 hours laters, Zuko was sitting in the Jasmine Dragon with his friends staring at his phone like it was his lifeline.
“Is everything okay with Sparky?” Toph asked.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Sokka responded in confusion.
“I think he’s about to have a heart attack,” she said.
“What makes you say that?” Sokka asked with a frown, before turning his attention to Zuko.
“I can sense his heart rate. It’s all over the place,” Toph said with concern. “You good, Zuko?”
“I’m fine,” he said, turning his attention back to his homework.
Toph frowned, “You should take a deep breath or something.”
“Yeah,” Sokka started, “we really don’t want you to die on our watch.”
“Why is Zuko dying?” a voice said from behind them. Sokka turned to see Katara and Aang.
“I don’t know,” Sokka answered honestly.
Aang looked at them for a moment before asking “Would it have anything to do with the fact that he’s checked his phone five times in the last minute?”
“I’m fine,” Zuko said again.
Sokka looked at him again, a slow grin reaching up on his face, “Why are you checking your phone so much?”
“I’m not checking my phone,” Zuko said. To prove his point, he slid his phone away from him and forced himself to look at his friends.
He managed for about five seconds before he felt it buzz.
He managed to ignore it and turned towards Sokka before it buzzed again. And again.
“Just pick up the damn phone,” Toph said.
The rest of the group looked at her.
“Every time his phone buzzes, I can feel his heart rate quicken. He’s not having a heart attack, he’s just texting someone,” she explained.
Sokka broke into a grin. “Zuko,” he said. “Do you have something you need to tell us?”
“No,” Zuko lied, he could feel them all starting to grin.
“He’s lying,” Iroh supplied from behind the counter. He was grinning as he watched the scene unfold.
“Uncle!” Zuko exclaimed before turning his attention back to his friends. “It’s really nothing.”
“Zuko,” Toph started. “Everytime your phone buzzes, I can feel your heart do summersaults. What’s going on?”
Zuko sighed. “Do you know the new flower shop that opened up in the mall?”
They all shook their heads.
“Okay, well a few months ago, a flower shop opened up in the mall. And there’s this girl that works there.”
Sokka’s face exploded into a grin as he nudged his friend with his elbow. “Oh?”
“Her name is Mai.”
They waited for him to continue.
“She started coming into the shop a lot,” Iroh said after a minute.
“What?” Iroh said when he saw his nephew’s expression, “If you’re not going to tell them, I will.”
“Fine,” Zuko grumbled. “She started coming into the shop. And we started talking and then started having lunch together. She’s really cool and really pretty. And last night, we ended up having dinner together and walking around the city and we exchanged numbers.”
“Zuko,” Katara squealed in excitement. “I’m so happy for you.”
His eyes went wide. “There’s nothing to be happy for. We’re just friends.”
“But,” Aang asked, “you like her?”
Zuko held his head between his hands and just nodded. “I don’t know if it’s mutual though.”
“How often does she come in here?” Sokka asked.
Zuko shrugged. “She comes in before her shift everyday. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she comes in as she’s leaving for class. Normally, she’ll come by in the afternoon on Wednesdays. And Monday’s, Friday’s and the weekends- she’ll pop in sporadically.”
Sokka counted on his hands for a moment, “So, she comes in for tea at least 10 times a week.”
Zuko nodded. “I guess.”
Sokka hit the back of Zuko’s head lightly. “You’re an idiot.”
“What?” he asked in surprise.
He looked over at Toph, Katara and Aang. They were all nodding in agreement with Sokka.
“You’re an idiot,” Sokka said again. “No girl likes tea that much.”
“Sokka’s right,” Iroh said. “I have a reputation for being the best tea maker in the city and even I have never seen someone come in that often for tea.”
Zuko nodded slowly. “I mean, last night, we were walking around the city and I took her to the fountain.”
“You mean the one Jin showed you?” Katara said teasingly.
“Yeah,” Zuko confirmed. He had met Jin in one of his classes. They had gone out on a few dates before it fizzled off into an awkward friendship. It wasn’t anything close to what he felt for Mai.
“And?” Aang implored.
“And nothing. We just sat there for a while talking.”
“He didn’t get home until after 1,” Iroh added.
“We were just talking,” Zuko said. “I don’t know. It was just so easy.”
“Was it a date?” Katara asked. “It sounds like it was a date.”
“Not officially. I mean, we went for tea and then walked around. That was it.”
“Zuko,” Sokka sighed. “You need to ask this girl out on a date.”
Zuko looked helplessly at his friends. They were all nodding in agreement with Sokka.
He groaned.
***
The first time he attempted to bring it up, the words got stuck in his mouth. They were standing by the entrance to the mall, handing out flyers.
“So, uh,” Zuko said.
Mai turned to look at him and Zuko’s breath caught. He didn’t understand how someone could be so pretty.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Uh,” Zuko said again. “I was just wondering- uh- if you.”
She frowned in confusion and Zuko swallowed nervously. He didn’t understand this sudden onslaught of nerves.
“Yeah?” she inquired.
“I was just wondering if you..wanted to finally try the new bubble tea shop that opened up” he finally said.
“Sure,” she said.
He sighed in relief. His happiness was almost enough to offset his hatred of bubble tea.
“I wouldn’t mind a break,” she added.
The next day, as he updated his friends on the situation, he could feel their disappointment in the air.
“Come here,” Toph said.
Zuko walked up towards her and was met with a flick on the forehead.
“Ow,” he exclaimed. “What was that for?”
“You’re an idiot,” Sokka said.
Katara nodded in agreement.
“How am I an idiot? I asked her out!” he exclaimed.
“Yeah, but you didn’t clarify that you meant it as a date ,” Sokka explained. “You’ve hung out as friends in the past. You were going to get bubble tea together as friends, in the past. How was she supposed to know that you wanted to be more than friends?”
Zuko was silent.
“I’m an idiot,” he finally said.
“Yeah,” Toph agreed.
“You’re not an idiot,” Aang said sympathetically, sitting down besides Zuko and throwing his arm about him. “I mean, we all remember how long it took Sokka to ask Suki out, right?”
“That was different!” Sokka interjected. “And it took you a full year to ask Katara out!”
Aang nodded solemnly, “My point is, asking someone out is hard.”
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Zuko said miserably. “The last date I went on was with Jin, and she asked me out.”
“It’s okay,” Aang murmured. “Would it help if you practiced?”
Zuko slumped back in his seat, silently cursing whatever deity was out there. “Yes,” he admitted.
He tried not to look at Sokka’s grin.
“It’s just,” Zuko sighed, “I didn’t have this problem before. She’s so easy to talk to, but the second I try to think of her as more than a friend, my brain just short circuits.”
“Okay,” Sokka sighed, pulling a piece of paper and a pen out of his bag, “let’s draft.”
***
In retrospect, Zuko was aware of two things. The first was that it could have gone better. The second was that asking her out on a date at 2 AM probably wasn’t the best idea.
He had texted her in the morning to see if she was free to hand out flyers with him in the afternoon. Mai was normally good with responding to his texts, but for some reason she wasn’t replying. Zuko tried not to take it too personally, but every time he looked at his phone and didn’t see a new message from her, he felt a knot form in his stomach.
She didn’t respond until well into the afternoon, apologizing because she was in an exam all morning. She agreed to meet him in the afternoon, but said that she could only hand out flyers for a bit because she had to study for her last exam. Zuko tried to wait a few moments before responding, trying to pretend that he hadn’t been waiting all morning for her to text him back.
He met her outside the flower shop like he usually did.
“Hey,” he greeted, a smile creeping onto his face as he saw her.
“Hi,” she said. Her voice was flat and Zuko couldn’t help but notice the bags under her eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked with concern.
She nodded. “Just tired. And I really don’t want to do this.”
Zuko shook his head. “Me neither.”
They walked over to the entrance in silence. Normally, Zuko would not have minded the silence but he was so nervous about asking her out that he couldn’t help but want to fill the silence.
“So,” he said awkwardly, “how was your exam?”
Mai closed her eyes for a second before responding. “Horrible.”
“Oh,” Zuko said. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you did fine though.”
She nodded her head slowly, eyes fixed in front of her. “Let’s hope so.”
They managed to last a full 15 minutes before Mai brought up the idea of ditching and grabbing some tea. Zuko nodded in agreement, desperate to get a moment alone with her so he could finally ask her out. She suggested going back to the bakery they had gone to the first time they had to hand out flyers together.
“Yeah,” Zuko said enthusiastically. “That’s perfect.”
He tried to keep his composure when she ordered it to go.
“You don’t want to sit for a bit?” he asked hopefully.
She shook her head. “I’m closing the shop tonight and I need to study. I have another exam tomorrow.”
Zuko felt his stomach drop. “Oh, okay” he said, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.
“I’ll see you later,” she said.
He nodded and walked back to the shop.
“How’d it go?” Iroh asked with a grin as he saw Zuko enter the shop.
Zuko shook his head, “I didn’t get a chance to ask her.”
Seeing the disappointment on his nephew’s face, Iroh sighed. “Zuko,” he said. “You’ll never get an answer if you don’t ask.”
“It wasn’t like that,” Zuko protested, “She couldn’t stay and I didn’t get a chance.”
“I’m sorry,” Iroh said. “Maybe you can bring her some tea later and try then?”
Zuko perked up at the suggestion. “She’d like that.”
As luck would have it, the Jasmine Dragon grew incredibly busy that night and Zuko didn’t get a chance to head over to the flower shop until past 11.
He had decided that he would walk by to see if the shop was still open and if Mai was still here. If she was, then he would bring her a cup of tea.
He knew that he was overthinking it, but he couldn’t help but grin when he saw her sitting at the counter. He came back a few minutes later, holding a cup of tea. He knocked on the door and saw Mai jump at the sound.
She blinked a few times before realizing it was him.
“What are you doing here?” she asked slowly as she opened the door to him.
Zuko felt himself blush. “I saw the light still on and wanted to bring you this.”
She smiled at him and Zuko couldn’t help but think about how beautiful she was.
“Thanks,” she said, putting the cup down on the counter.
“So,” he started, thinking back to the script Sokka had prepared for him. “I, um.”
She raised an eyebrow as he trailed off.
“I have a few ideas for the program,” he blurted out without thinking.
“Zuko, it’s past 11. Can this wait until tomorrow? I have an exam I need to study for.”
“No!” he exclaimed, the words came out harsher than he meant them to. “I told my Uncle that I would finalize this with you before tomorrow.”
She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “What’s your idea?”
“Um,” he said lamely. “I forgot.”
She rolled his eyes.
“Aren’t you supposed to be heading home soon?” he asked.
“Not really. I told Aunt Mura that I would close up the shop today and figured I might as well finish studying before I call it a night.”
“Why don’t you study at home?” he asked.
“I like it better here,” she admitted. “The plants are more interesting to look at than my wall.”
He nodded, “Make sense.”
“So,” she said.
“So,” he responded, trying to pull the words out of his mouth.
“I’m going to go back to studying,” she said.
“Sounds like a plan,” he responded. Before he could even think, he added “Do you mind if I study with you?”
“No,” she said surprised. “As long as you shut up and let me study, you’re more than welcome to stay.”
He nodded and thanked whatever spirits were out there that he had his textbooks on him.
They settled into another silence as they both stared at their books. But as much as Zuko tried to concentrate, he couldn’t help but stare at her.
How was she so pretty, he wondered to himself, taking in the sharp angles of her face and the warmth of her eyes. When he had first met her, the coldness of her demeanor had intrigued him. But as he sat there watching her study, he wondered how he had ever thought of her as cold.
She shut her books around 1:30. The sound of her textbook shutting jolted Zuko out of his state of half-consciousness. After spending an ungodly amount of time staring at her, Zuko had decided to turn his attention back to his school work, only to fall in and out of sleep.
She started packing up her things and Zuko felt himself panic.
“I remembered what I was going to tell you,” he blurted out.
The bags under her eyes were increasingly apparent as she looked at him. “What?”
“About the coupon thing,” he explained.
She looked at him and opened her mouth but before she could speak, Zuko began rambling about some half-formed plan to bolster both of their business.
When he finally finished, he looked at her. She was sitting in her chair, head in her hands and wearing such an irritated look that Zuko felt a shiver run down his spine.
Maybe I should have waited, he thought to himself. He was in too deep now he decided.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“I don’t know Zuko. It’s late and I’m tired. Can we discuss this later?” she said exasperatedly.
He nodded slowly, feeling her irritation. “Okay,” he agreed.
She started packing up her books and Zuko felt a jolt of panic run through him.
He knew that logically, he would ask her tomorrow - that it would make no difference and in fact, he would probably be better off for it. But he didn’t get this far just to quit.
“Wait,” he blurted out.
“What?” she sighed.
“So, um,” he started, cursing himself for being so awkward. “I, um. There was a reason I wanted to see you tonight.”
“The coupon thing,” she said tiredly.
“No. That was a lie. I- uh. I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go out sometime. Like on a date.”
The words rushed out of him before he could even think back to the script he worked on with Sokka.
“Seriously?” she whispered. “You kept me here until 2 AM, when you know I have an exam tomorrow, just so you could ask me out?”
“No!” he stuttered unconvincingly. “Kind of.”
She was quiet for a moment, thinking about her next words very carefully.
“So,” Zuko started, shifting his bodyweight where he stood, “Does this mean you won’t go out with me?”
Her eyes narrowed at him. If she didn’t look so tired, it would have been a lot more frightening.
Suddenly, Mai’s eyes fixated on the display of Panda Lilies they kept on the counter.
“I’ll tell you what,” Mai said and stood up.
Zuko’s eyes followed her as she disappeared behind the counter. When she reappeared, she was holding a small plant in her hand.
“If you can keep this cactus alive for two weeks, I’ll go out with you,” she said.
“What?”
“Keep this cactus alive for two weeks and then I’ll go out with you.”
“Why?”
“Because,” she explained. “It’s 2 AM and you’ve been here since 11. You literally could have asked at any time, but instead you just kept me waiting. So, I’m going to do the same to you.”
He swallowed. “So, this isn’t a no?”
She shook her head.
“Two week?” he said, studying the cactus in his hand.
“Two weeks,” she confirmed.
He sighed. This definitely could have gone better.
**
“So?” Sokka asked with a grin, leaning against the counter of the Jasmine Dragon.
Zuko sighed. “I have a cactus.”
“What?”
“I have a cactus now.” Zuko stated.
“Is that new slang or something?” Sokka asked.
Zuko shook his hand and pointed to the cactus sitting on the counter next to the tip jar.
“You have a cactus.” Sokka said slowly.
“Yes.”
“Why do you have a cactus?”
Zuko sighed. “Because I’m an idiot.”
“I knew that. You’re going to have to be more specific.”
“I asked her out.”
Sokka nodded. “And?”
“Now I have a cactus.”
“Why?”
Zuko groaned as he thought about the entire situation and recounted the entire situation to Sokka.
“Oh. Wow,” Sokka said. “You are an idiot.”
“I don’t know what to do. I’ve never kept anything alive before. I don’t know anything about gardening.”
“It’s a cactus,” Sokka said reassuringly. “These things are hard to kill. I mean, you have a better shot of someone trying to make cactus juice out of that thing than killing it yourself.”
“Let’s hope you’re right,” Zuko sighed, picking up the cactus and studying it.
It took Zuko three days to realize that he was getting obsessive with the whole thing. Although, to be fair, it was Katara who pointed it out to him.
She, Sokka, Toph, Aang and Suki had all stopped by the Jasmine Dragon to catch up when she brought it up. Zuko was sitting at the table, staring at it instead of focusing on his homework.
“Zuko, you cannot be serious right now,” she sighed.
“What?” he asked, startled.
“You were staring at the cactus again.”
Sokka turned to look at him. “You got it bad.”
Zuko was silent.
“Zuko,” Toph sighed, “It’s a cactus. It’s not going to die if you don’t check on it every fifteen minutes.”
“You don’t know that,” he huffed.
Toph held out her hand. “Give it to me, I’ll feel the soil.”
Zuko gently placed the cactus in her hand and watched as she felt the soil. She frowned slightly.
“What?” Zuko asked, panic rising into his voice. “Did I kill it?”
A smile spread across Toph’s face. “No. You didn’t.”
Zuko let out of a sigh of relief.
“You need to chill out, though,” Katara said.
“It’s fine,” he said.
“It’s not. You called me at 3 AM, almost in tears because you thought you overwatered it. Zuko, I’m studying medicine for humans! Not plants!”
“It’s still a living thing!” Zuko said defensively.
Toph let out a little snort.
“What?” Katara asked her curiously.
“Nothing,” she hummed.
Katara narrowed her eyes and looked at Toph. She glanced at the cactus still in the other girl's hands for a moment.
“Can I see the cactus?” she asked suddenly.
Toph nodded, forcing away a smile and she held out the cactus.
Katara took it and briefly examined it. Oh.
She set the succulent down on the table and pressed her lips shut.
“Toph,” she said suddenly. “I actually need to run a quick errand. Do you want to come with me? Suki? Do you want to come too?”
Both of the girls nodded, slightly confused but nonetheless intrigued.
“What’s up?” Suki asked as they left the tea shop.
“I think we should go to the flower shop Mai works at,” Katara said. “I’ve never seen Zuko act this way before.”
“You want to meddle?” Toph asked.
“No!” Katara protested, with a wave of her hand. “I just want to check her out. Make sure, she’s normal and all that.”
Suki raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
“Let’s go,” Toph sighed.
They found the flower shop pretty easily. Toph wrinkled her nose. “It smells so strong here.”
“It’s a flower shop,” Katara said with a shrug, inhaling the intoxicating aroma of the shop. She couldn’t quite figure out what it smelled like. There were some lilies and rose and something else, she couldn’t quite place.
It was a cute shop, Katara decided as she surveyed the mix of pre-made bouquets at the front of the store.
“Can I help you?” a raspy voice said.
Katara turned around and saw a girl. She couldn’t have been more than a year older than she was and Katara couldn’t help but notice how out of place she looked in the shop. The girl was wearing a mix of dark red and black and a bored expression on her face.
“We’re just looking,” Suki supplied as Katara looked at the girl.
“Let me know if you need anything,” the girl said, nodding her head. She turned around and walked back to the counter, and started making a new bouquet.
Katara watched her carefully before approaching the counter.
“You’re Mai. Right?” she asked.
The girl looked up startled. “I am.”
Katara nodded her head. “I’m Katara. I’m a friend of Zuko’s.”
She felt Suki and Toph next to her.
“What are you doing?” Toph hissed.
“Oh,” Mai said surprised. She swallowed and desperately tried to maintain her nonchalant composure.
“Anyway,” Katara said. “He’s really stressed about taking care of this cactus.”
“What?” she asked in surprise.
Suki nodded. “You should see him, he’s so paranoid he’s going to kill it.”
“He called me at 3 AM asking me for plant advice,” Katara supplied.
Mai frowned as she tried to process this information.
“So,” Katara said. “I was wondering why you gave him a plastic cactus.”
Mai sighed. “It was 2 AM and he wouldn’t let me leave. I was cranky.”
Katara nodded. “I mean, that’s fair. He can be a little much at times.”
Mai was silent.
“Anyway,” Katara sighed. “Do you want us to tell him that it’s fake or are you waiting for him to figure that out for himself?”
“What?” Mai asked in surprise.
“He hasn’t realized that it’s fake yet,” Toph supplied.
“Are you kidding?” she asked.
Katara shook her head. “When he says he doesn’t know anything about plants, he means it.”
Mai let out a dry laugh. “I thought- I thought that he knew and that he was mad and didn’t want to go out with me anymore.”
“You can’t be serious,” Toph snorted. “He hasn’t shut up about you. It’s Mai this, Mai that. Mai’s so pretty. Blah blah blah. It was cute at first, but now it’s really annoying.”
“I can’t believe he hasn’t figured it out yet. I literally grabbed it from the display case - it says that they’re fake on the case. I thought that he would realize it when he got home and come back in the morning,” she admitted. “I was going to say yes regardless.”
Katara nodded slowly. “I think,” she said, “that you should do us all a favor and go out with the poor boy.”
***
The next morning, she stopped by the Jasmine Dragon before work.
“Hello,” she said awkwardly. She’d only been in the shop once since the night she gave him the cactus.
“Hi,” he said surprised.
“How’s it going?” she asked casually.
“I haven’t killed it yet!” he said proudly.
“Zuko,” she sighed, “it’s plastic.”
“What?” he exclaimed.
“The cactus I gave you is made of plastic.”
She watched as he reached for the cactus on the counter and examined the leaves.
“Oh,” he said softly. “What? What does that mean?”
She sighed, “That means that I was being petty and was going to say yes regardless. I gave you something you couldn’t kill.”
He nodded. “So, you’ll go out with me?”
He was grinning like an idiot and Mai couldn’t help but feel her heart swell.
She sighed and leaned across the counter to kiss him. She felt him freeze against her lip and for a brief moment, she wondered if she had been too bold until she felt him kiss her back.
They broke apart and Mai felt lightheaded.
“Is that a yes?” he asked, leaning his forehead against hers.
“It’s a yes,” she confirmed before pressing her lips back to his.
“On a date? I just want to double check because last time, you thought I meant as friends.”
“Zuko. Please.”