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The dive bar on the border of the Lower and Middle Rings was dim and crowded, much to Mai’s chagrin, but the drinks were strong and cheap, which had been enough to convince her to sneak out in the first place. It had been a long week of meetings and negotiations between the Earth King, his Trade Council, and the Trade Ministers of the Fire Nation. Sokka, who “just so happened” to be visiting Ba Sing Se at the same time, had persuaded the Fire Lord to don a plainclothes disguise and let loose for the night. Suki agreed enthusiastically with the idea, promising she’d remain vigilantly, yet inconspicuously, on guard.
So much for that, Mai thought to herself. After the first few rounds of moon peach soju, the Kyoshi Warrior had pulled Sokka into a secluded corner, where they had been making out for the past thirty minutes. Regardless of this abandonment by her friends, Mai might admit that she was experiencing some vague enjoyment. She and Zuko sat side-by-side at the bar, sipping on bottom-shelf fire whisky that lacked any of the smoothness and complexity they were used to. The band playing in the corner was loud, only adding to the cacophony of the crowd around them, so they drank in a comfortable shared silence. Mai was even tapping her foot against the rung of her barstool, keeping in time with the music.
Despite how closely the couple was sitting, a young man shoved himself between them to place his order with the bartender. As he waited, he turned to Mai, eyeing her up and down.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he crooned, leaning in close enough for her to smell the alcohol on his breath, “Haven’t seen you here before. New in town?”
“Just passing through,” Mai replied curtly, pointedly looking straight ahead. It didn’t deter him.
“A tourist,” the man said, intrigued, “I could show you around if you like. Starting with my place.”
“Get lost,” Zuko growled, prompting the man to turn and face him. Mai had felt some heat begin to radiate off of him the second the man entered their space. She sighed, hoping they could avoid causing a scene - it was the last thing they needed.
“Hey buddy,” the man replied, “This is an A-B conversation. Go ahead and ‘C’ your way out.” He proceeded to laugh at his own joke, and Mai couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes.
“She doesn’t want to talk to you,” Zuko snarled, “She’s here with me.” The man spotted Zuko’s scar under the waterfall of his hair that had shifted slightly, and scoffed.
“Doubt that, ugly,” he spat, then turned back to Mai, “This guy bothering you?”
“You’re the one bothering her,” Zuko stood from his seat now, and forced himself between the man and Mai, shoving him backward, “Get lost!”
“Zuko,” Mai hissed in warning, grabbing his arm. He turned to her with fire in his eyes.
“Let’s go,” she urged, standing up and leading him away from the bar, vice grip on his elbow. They abandoned their half-finished drinks and found an empty table in a quieter corner. Zuko continued to seethe at the man who stared after them with an angry, narrowed gaze.
“Hey,” Mai grabbed Zuko’s face firmly and turned him to look at her, “The Fire Lord can’t be getting into bar fights.” He let out an annoyed sigh.
“I know,” he conceded, “But, ugh. What a dick.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Mai replied.
“Every time we do this, something like that happens. Nobody believes that you and I are together.”
Mai sighed sadly. They didn’t sneak out often; everyone in Caldera knew their faces, so it was impossible to do at home. But when they were traveling, and wanted to feel normal, they would go out in disguise, and Mai would inevitably get hit on by men who at best, ignored Zuko’s presence, and at worst, degraded him. Mai let out another sigh, pondering what to do to salvage their evening; and then, she noticed the man was still focused on them. She immediately thought of a way to both get revenge on the creep, and get the night back on track.
“Why don’t we prove it?” she whispered huskily, leaning in close, “He’s staring. Let’s give him something to stare at.” She grabbed Zuko by the collar, and leaned further over the table to capture his lips in hers. The whisky on his lips melded with the sugary sweetness of the soju that lingered on his tongue, and Mai let out a heady sigh. They broke apart just long enough for Zuko to stand, make his way around the table, and kiss her again. He shoved the barstool she sat on against the wall, pushing her back against the dingy brick. Mai’s senses were drowned out completely, filled with the smell and feel and taste of him. Forgetting where they were, she parted her legs to wrap around him, drawing him even closer. He kept one hand firmly on her jaw, but the other roamed down her back and captured the curve of her hip. The alcohol rushed through their veins as their heartbeats accelerated, adding to the already growing heat within them both. Mai whimpered involuntarily when Zuko’s lips left hers, but let out a satisfied sigh when he began to nibble on her neck, just below where her ear and jaw meet. His hand that had rested there moved to the back of her head, providing a cushion from the rigid wall. His other hand had roamed to her inner thigh, and when his pinky brushed against her heated core, she gasped.
“Fuck,” he whispered in her ear. He slid his hand to her knee, using it as leverage to grind his hips into hers. The pressure of his growing erection drew a filthy moan from her lips, which he swallowed with another greedy kiss. Their tongues thrashed sloppily as Mai’s fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him as close as possible. It wasn’t enough - she craved more.
“I want you,” she broke away to whine in his ear, “I need you. Please.”
“Let’s go,” Zuko pulled her up from her seat, kissing her one more time before grabbing her by the wrist and leading her out the door.
The alcohol and the desire combined to doubly intoxicate them, and they stumbled over the threshold, drinking in the night air. They managed to flag down a carriage, whose operator went wide-eyed at the sack of gold Zuko tossed to him. The couple climbed clumsily in, and Mai slung herself into Zuko’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Are you having him take us all the way back to the Upper Ring?” she asked as he buried himself into her neck once again, “I don’t want to wait that long, please, baby.”
“Agni,” Zuko growled into her ear, “I love the way you’re begging for it.” Their lips collided again, desperate and hungry. Mai’s core began to ache, crying out for any relief. She readjusted so she was straddling him, and ground her hips down onto his, hard.
“You want me to take you right now?” he grunted, “Fuck you right here in this carriage?” Mai let out another whine, inhibitions completely forsaken. The carriage had none of the luxury or privacy of the ones they had been using throughout their visit - the seats were plain, uncushioned wood, and the windows were open to the street with no drapes to be found. Despite this, Mai nodded eagerly, peppering his jawline with urgent kisses. Zuko steeled his grip around her waist with one arm, and threaded the other between them. He shoved aside her skirts, fumbling blindly for his prize. Finally, he felt the bare skin of her inner thigh, and deftly hooked his fingers around her undergarments to pull them out of the way. They were thoroughly soaked through.
“Fuck, you’re so wet,” he whispered as he caressed the newly exposed skin. Mai let out a delicious, unbridled moan. He gently shushed her before muffling her with another kiss.
“You want it, baby?” he asked, and Mai nodded furiously, biting her lip. Zuko locked his gaze onto hers as he slid a finger inside. Mai’s head fell back as her hips began to move automatically.
“Fuck, baby,” Zuko grunted, “You’re not even letting me do any of the work.” He suckled on the skin just under her jaw as he began to match her movements, hooking his finger slightly as he thrusted it into her. When she begged for more, please, he slid in another, increasing his pace.
“Mmm, Zuko, Zuko, yes,” Mai sighed, breathing rapidly, “Keep going. Don’t stop.” Zuko obeyed, tightening his grip around her middle as she began to tremble.
“That’s it, baby,” he whispered, “Come for me.” He shoved his lips against hers, opening his mouth to swallow her cries as she reached her peak, trying to ignore the insistent throbbing of his erection as a small gush of warmth coated his hand. Rather than stilling, however, Mai kept her hips moving, though her pace slowed slightly.
“Mai,” Zuko chuckled quietly, “Baby, relax. We’re almost there.” Mai responded with an insistent kiss, combing his hair away from his face with her fingers, scratching his scalp. He let out a sighing moan.
“We’re almost there,” Zuko repeated, reluctantly withdrawing his hand from her center, “And when we get to our room, I’m going to fuck you so hard that you forget your name.”
“I’m gonna hold you to that,” Mai panted, having regained enough lucidity to manage speech, “Try to last longer than a minute.” Zuko’s erection throbbed again, and he chewed on his lip.
“I can’t help it that you turn me on so much,” he replied. Mai let out a giggle as she grazed his earlobe with her teeth.
The carriage operator pulled up before the Upper Ring residence, and thanked Zuko profusely after he gave the man an extra pouch of gold as a tip. He was sure that they hadn’t been the first ones to do something like that in the man’s taxi, but he flushed with embarrassment anyway, not looking the man in the eye as they exited. Mai dragged Zuko excitedly to the door, where the young Fire Lord fumbled with the key for a moment before unlocking it. The pair practically fell inside the threshold, and Mai carelessly kicked off her shoes before winding her arms around Zuko’s neck again. She grazed her teeth along his jaw, licking and nibbling at the skin expertly without leaving any lasting marks. Zuko let out a heady chuckle as he struggled to pull his remaining shoe off his foot.
“Need some help, your Highness?” Mai sighed, sinking to her knees before him without waiting for an answer. She pulled the shoe off effortlessly, but instead of standing back up, she began fumbling with the waistband of his pants.
“Whoa, hey,” he chuckled, stilling her hands with his own, “Why don’t we head to the bedroom for that?” He bent down and picked her up, letting out a pleased grunt when Mai wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her through the hallway to the room where they had been staying, and tossed her gently onto the sheets. He kneeled before the foot of the bed and dove into her skirts again, peeling her ruined undergarments off her hips and casting them carelessly behind him. He hooked his arms under her thighs to pull her roughly to him before languidly licking the length of her slit. The moan she let out was music to his ears.
“Zuko,” Mai sighed, “Agni knows I love it when you eat me, but please, for the love of all the spirits, just fuck me already.”
“As you wish, my Lady,” Zuko answered, standing up to begin discarding his clothing. Mai knelt on the bed so as to pull her dress and slip over her head in one move, tossing the garments into a rumpled pile on the floor. She fell backwards onto the bed, legs spread eagerly. When Zuko finished undressing, he shook his head.
“Stand up,” he commanded. Mai felt a rush of pleasure course through her at his demand, and obeyed dutifully. She stood before him, running her hands over his bare chest and down to his hips. Before she could stroke his hardened length, he roughly turned her around so her back was to him, and pushed her shoulders down to bend her over. Mai let out an excited whine as she leaned over further, shoving her face into the mattress and arching her back so her hips would be perfectly even with his. The whine became a crying moan when, without any prelude, Zuko rapidly sheathed himself inside her.
“Ah!” Mai screwed her eyes shut as pleasure shot through her like lightning. Zuko gripped her hips so tightly she was sure his fingertips would leave bruises, and began to relentlessly thrust into her. The rapid slapping of their skin echoed through the room, accented by Mai’s high-pitched whines. Zuko focused on controlling his breath, holding out on his own pleasure as long as possible for the sake of hers. He came dangerously close to the edge when he felt her walls begin to flutter around his length, and she buried her face into the blankets to shout his name as she came. He slowed his rhythm by a fraction as she rode out her peak, then picked up the breakneck pace once again.
“F-fuck, y-yes,” Mai stuttered, hardly able to catch her breath, “Ahh, aahh!”
“Fuck, baby,” Zuko grunted, “You’re taking it so well. Such a good little slut.” He pounded into her unforgivingly, encouraged by her whimpering cries. He readjusted his grip so he could hold her with one hand, and slid the other between her legs. His fingers barely stroked her swollen nub when she screamed.
“Ahh, yes, I - I’m…fuck, Zuko! I - ahhh!” A few seconds of rubbing was all it took for her to be undone by him once again. Her legs began to give out from how intensely they trembled, and Zuko paused, burying himself fully inside her and wrapping both arms securely around her waist, pressing gentle kisses to her neck and shoulders as she came down from her high.
“Can we switch?” she managed to pant after a few moments, “My legs are jelly.” Zuko obliged, lifting her so she could lay fully on the bed. He withdrew from her, shuddering from the sudden lack of enveloping warmth, and crawled across the mattress to lay beside her. He watched her chest heave as she caught her breath.
“I said switch, not stop,” she turned to face him, pupils blown wide, “Get on top of me.” Zuko chuckled as she rolled onto her back, and positioned himself between her legs. He gently lifted her hips enough to realign them, then dove back inside. He let out a sighing moan as he felt her walls hug him. He began thrusting again, but more gently than before. He leaned down and kissed her, taking his time to taste her lips and tongue thoroughly.
“Mmmm, yes, baby,” Mai whined, digging her nails into Zuko’s back between his shoulder blades. Zuko felt his length throb when she did this, and she noticed it, too.
“You like that?” she smirked, even though she already knew he did. Zuko increased his pace, now chasing his own orgasm. He felt ready to burst.
Mai held him tighter to her, pressing their chests together momentarily. Zuko pulled away so he could lean down to capture one of her breasts in his mouth, licking and sucking the nipple relentlessly. Mai was tempted to put a hand between her legs, but stopped herself. She wanted to focus fully on watching him come apart.
“Yes, baby,” she moaned in his ear, “I love how you fuck me. Don’t stop.”
“Fuck, Mai,” Zuko grunted, the pressure continuing to build, “You’re incredible.” He began to openly moan as he thrusted harder, losing himself in the sensation. He prepared to pull himself out at the last second, but Mai threaded her legs firmly around his waist.
“Fill me,” she whispered needily against his ear, nibbling on the lobe. The second she finished speaking, Zuko buried himself in her completely as his orgasm overtook him, his seed spilling into her. He thrusted clumsily through his peak, pumping into her until he had nothing left to give. Mai moaned as the warmth radiated through her core, relishing in the sensation.
“Mai,” Zuko sighed, saying her name as if it were a prayer, “Mai, my love, my incredible Mai.” He let out one last whimper as his pleasure began to subside. He hovered over her for a moment, taking in every last detail. Her bangs were askew and drenched with sweat, the kohl around her eyes smudged across her temples and lids. The rouge on her cheeks had long faded, now replaced by a glowing natural flush. Her lipstick was gone, though faint traces remained around the lines of her lips, slightly blurred from their eager kisses. He caressed her face reverently as he leaned down to kiss her, gentle and tender with none of the desperation that had plagued them earlier. She held his face in her own hands, moving her lips from his mouth to the tip of his nose, the center of his brow, and the scarred ridge across his temple.
“You’re beautiful,” she whispered, lips lingering against the ruddy flesh, “So, so beautiful.” Zuko kissed her lips once more before withdrawing from her, and laying beside her. Mai spent another few seconds catching her breath, then gave him a soft peck on the cheek before getting up to use the washroom. She stumbled as she tried to regain her footing, and Zuko chuckled affectionately.
“Still know your name?” he joked.
“I can’t forget something that you’re constantly saying,” Mai joked back, “But I’m having trouble walking, if that’s any consolation.” With a wink, she disappeared behind the door. Zuko fought the sudden heaviness of his lids so he could throw on a sleep tunic and make his way to the kitchen. He brewed two cups of tea for Mai, one fennel, and one jasmine, and a lavender-ginseng blend for himself. When he re-entered the room, he paused on the threshold to watch Mai. She had her back to the door, and was twisting her obsidian hair into a loose bun to keep it contained during the night. She then sprawled back across the sheets with a contented sigh, burying her nose in the pillow Zuko slept on to inhale some of his scent.
“I have your tea,” Zuko announced quietly as he finally walked toward the bed. Mai thanked him with a kiss before plucking her first cup carefully from the tray and taking a dainty sip. She grimaced.
“This stuff always tastes awful,” she lamented, “You’d think they’d have invented a more pleasant blend by now.”
“That’s one thing I can’t bring myself to ask of Uncle,” Zuko chuckled sheepishly. While they were both adults, it was still frowned upon for them to be participating in intimacy outside of marriage: a child born out of wedlock could spell disaster for his still contentious reign. Hence, the need for the bitter tea. Plus, just the thought of inadvertently telling his Uncle about his bedroom activities was downright mortifying.
“I’ll survive,” Mai sighed, downing the rest of it as quickly as she could without scorching her throat. She picked up the second cup and gratefully sipped on the jasmine tea, swishing it around her mouth in hopes of washing away the fennel’s unpleasant taste. The couple shared an affectionate silence as they sipped, leaning against each other and basking in the afterglow. Zuko’s hand that wasn’t holding his tea was wrapped around Mai, and he ran gentle, rhythmic strokes along her arm with his fingertips. She sighed, shimmying herself down the headboard enough to rest her head against his shoulder.
“I love you,” she whispered, counting the beats of his heart with the palm that she lay on his chest. She felt his cheeks crinkle against the crown of her head as he smiled.
“My dearest Mai,” Zuko hummed, “I love you, always.”