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The argument had started over nothing and now it was spiraling into everything.
Zuko stood in their quarters, the flickering torchlight casting long shadows across the room. His fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tight. Across from him, Mai sat on the edge of her chair, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable. The public’s whispers had grown louder, more insistent. When is the Fire Lord going to settle down and it was suffocating them both.
“You don’t get it,” Mai said, her voice low but edged with frustration. “It’s not about wanting to be with you. It’s about how we’re with each other. The public, the pressure, it’s too much.”
Zuko scoffed, running a hand through his hair.
“And whose fault is that? You’re the one who’s been dodging every conversation about the future for years.”
Mai’s eyes flashed.
“Because I don’t want to be a spectacle! Every time you joke about proposing, it’s like you’re dangling this thing in front of me that I’m not allowed to have. And then when people start asking. When is the Fire Lord going to settle down? It’s like they’re all waiting for me to fail.”
Zuko’s frustration bubbled over.
“So what? We’re supposed to just hide forever?”
“No,” Mai snapped, “We’re supposed to live. Without the cameras, without the whispers, without the expectations.”
Zuko’s chest tightened. He’d spent years making those jokes about proposing, partly to tease her, partly to reassure himself that she was still with him, still his. But the public had latched onto them, twisting them into something they weren’t. They thought he was desperate, that he’d been waiting too long. They didn’t understand.
Mai stood up, her chair scraping against the floor.
“You know what? Fine. If you want to know when I’ll be ready, I’ll tell you.”
Zuko froze. Mai took a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly.
“I’ve been ready. I’ve always been ready. I just didn’t want the wedding, the crowds, the pressure. But if you’re so desperate to prove something to the world, then let’s do it.”
Zuko’s mind raced. He hadn’t expected this. He’d said it to win the argument, to shut her down, to prove a point. But now, the words hung between them, heavy and real.
“Let’s just get married then,” he blurted out, the words slipping out before he could stop them.
Mai’s eyes widened, just for a second, before her smirk returned. Zuko swallowed hard.
“I mean it. If you want to prove something to the world, then let’s do it. Now.”
Mai’s smirk softened into something warmer, something almost shy.
“You’re serious?”
Zuko nodded, his heart pounding.
“Dead serious.”
Mai’s breath hitched. Then, slowly, she stepped closer.
“Fine,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, “Let’s do it.”
Zuko’s breath caught. He hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t expected her to say yes.
“Wait what?” he stammered.
Mai’s lips curled into a smirk, though her eyes were soft.
“You heard me.”
Zuko’s shock melted into something warmer, something brighter. He reached for her hand, his thumb brushing over her knuckles.
“When?”
Mai’s smirk didn’t waver.
“Now. Tonight. No planning. No waiting. Just us.”
Zuko’s heart pounded. “Where?”
Mai’s eyes gleamed. “Ember Island, we can find. No one to interrupt us.”
Zuko let out a disbelieving laugh, pulling her into his arms.
“You’re insane.”
“And you love it,” she murmured against his chest.
~~~
The journey to Ember Island had been a blur of hastily packed bags, whispered phone calls, and Aang’s enthusiastic agreement to officiate the ceremony.
Now, as Zuko stood on the sandy shore, the waves lapping at his boots, he was hit with a wave of doubt.
What if this wasn’t what Mai really wanted?
What if she deserved a grand wedding, a coronation of love, something the world would remember?
Aang clapped him on the back, grinning.
“Dude, you’re sulking. What’s wrong?”
Zuko rubbed the back of his neck.
“What if this isn’t what she really wants? What if she deserves better?”
Aang’s grin faded. “Zuko… you’re overthinking. Mai’s been with you this whole time, right? She’s here, isn’t she?”
Zuko exhaled sharply. “Yeah. She’s here.”
Inside the small beach house Ty Lee had arranged, Mai was surrounded by chaos. The room was a whirlwind of fabrics, half-eaten pastries, and Ty Lee’s relentless energy.
“No, no, no,” Ty Lee said, holding up a dress with a critical eye, “This one’s too fancy. You want simple and elegant just like you!”
Mai rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t stop the smile tugging at her lips.
“I don’t care what I wear, Ty Lee. I just want to be married.”
Ty Lee gasped, clutching her chest.
“Mai. Never say that. Weddings are magic.” She held up a flowing, dark red dress that shimmered under the light, “This one is perfect.”
Mai ran her fingers over the fabric. It was soft, delicate. Exactly the kind of dress she’d never have chosen for herself, but somehow, it felt right.
“Fine,” she said. “But hurry. I don’t want to keep Zuko waiting.”
Ty Lee grinned. “you bet.”
~~~
The sun was dipping low, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. Aang stood beneath a makeshift arch of driftwood and vines, his hands folded in front of him, a serene smile on his face. Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Toph stood beside him, all grinning like fools.
And there, at the end of the sandy path, was Zuko.
He looked different. Not the brooding Fire Lord, not the scarred prince standing rigidly on the battlefield, but something softer, something real. His hair was slightly messy from the wind, his uniform replaced with a simple tunic of undyed linen that made him look more like the boy she’d first fallen for than the ruler he’d become.
The Fire Lord’s insignia was nowhere to be seen, and for the first time in years, Zuko looked like he was exactly where he belonged. His hands trembled at his sides, his knuckles white where they gripped the rough fabric of his sleeves. When his eyes locked onto hers, Mai’s breath caught in her throat.
He was beautiful.
Zuko’s hands trembled as he waited, his boots sinking slightly into the warm sand. He’d spent the last two days convinced he’d made a mistake, that this was too fast, too reckless, too public in its privacy. That Mai deserved a grand wedding, a coronation of love, something the world would remember and whisper about for generations. But now, seeing her walk toward him, her expression soft and sure, he knew. This was exactly right.
Mai stopped in front of him, close enough that he could feel the warmth of her body, close enough that the scent of salt and jasmine wrapped around him like a promise. Her hands found his, her fingers lacing through his own, calloused and steady.
“You look nervous,” she murmured, her voice barely rising above the sound of the ocean.
Zuko let out a shaky laugh, the sound rough with emotion.
“I’m terrified.”
Mai squeezed his hands, her thumbs brushing over his knuckles in slow, reassuring circles.
“Don’t be,” she said softly. “We’re doing this. Just us.”
Zuko swallowed hard, his pulse hammering in his throat. His thumbs traced circles over her knuckles, over the faint scars that marked her hands from years of training and rebellion.
“Mai,” he said, his voice rough with something raw and unspoken,“I need you to know something.”
She tilted her head, her dark eyes searching his, her expression unguarded in a way it rarely was.
“Go ahead.”
“I didn’t mean for this to happen like this,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “I said it to win the argument. To shut you down. To prove a point. I wasn’t expecting you to say yes.”
Mai’s smirk softened, her grip tightening on his hands as if she were grounding him, anchoring him to this moment.
“And now?”
Zuko exhaled, his breath shaky, his forehead resting gently against hers. The proximity sent a jolt through him, grounding him in the reality of her.
“I want this,” he whispered, “More than anything.”
The waves crashed against the shore, the sound wrapping around them like an embrace. Mai’s breath hitched, her free hand lifting to brush against his cheek, her fingers calloused but gentle.
“You’re an idiot, Zuko,” she murmured, but there was no bite in it.
“I know,” he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. He turned his face slightly, pressing a kiss into her palm before meeting her eyes again, “But I’m your idiot.”
For a moment, they just stood there, the golden light of the sunset wrapping around them like a second skin, the weight of the world temporarily lifted. No crowns, no expectations, no whispers, no one to tell them how to be, how to love, how to live. Just the two of them, finally on the same page, finally choosing each other without the noise of the world drowning out the sound of their hearts.
Mai smiled, her thumb tracing the line of his jaw, her touch so familiar it felt like coming home.
“You’re my idiot,” she reaffirmed. Her voice soft but certain.
“And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Zuko’s heart swelled, his hands cupping her face, his thumbs brushing away the faintest hint of moisture at the corner of her eyes. “Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked, his voice barely audible over the ocean breeze. “No big wedding, no fanfare, no royal spectacle, just this? Just us?”
Mai’s smile deepened, her eyes shining with something like wonder.
“Zuko, I’ve spent years dodging your proposals because I didn’t want the circus. The crowds, the pressure of being the Fire Lord’s wife in a world that’s already decided everything for us.”
She stepped closer, her hands sliding up to tangle in the front of his tunic, pulling him just a little bit nearer.
“But now that we’re doing this? Now that it’s real? I don’t want anything else. Just you. Just us. Just this moment, right here.”
Zuko’s chest tightened, his breath catching in his throat. He exhaled slowly, his forehead resting against hers once more, his hands sliding down to grip her waist, holding her like she was something precious. Something his.
“You’re sure?” he asked again, needing to hear it, needing to believe it.
Mai laughed softly, the sound bright against the evening air, her hands sliding up to tangle in his hair, pulling him closer still.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” she whispered, “You’re mine, Zuko. And I’m yours. And no one gets to take that away from us.”
The breeze carried the sound of their laughter, mingling with the crash of the waves and the distant cheers of their friends. Zuko closed his eyes, breathing her in, letting the warmth of her presence seep into every corner of his soul. When he opened them again, his voice was steady, sure.
“Then let’s not waste another second.”
Mai’s hands slid up to frame his face, her thumbs brushing over his scars, over the lines of his life, of his pain, of his growth.
“About time,” she whispered, her lips curling into a smile that was equal parts mischief and tenderness.
And in that moment, with the sun dipping below the horizon behind them and their friends waiting just beyond the shore, Zuko realized something, He had everything he’d ever wanted. Not the throne. Not the crown. Not the approval of the world.
Just her. Just Mai.