MfWAT: No More Running
Memories from Western Air Temple
Chapter Title: No More Running
Characters: Zuko, Sokka, Ty Lee, Mai
Arc: Comet Arc
Setting: after There Is Some Power in Love, before To Look But Not to Touch
Rating: K
Warnings: the obligatory one-sided Maiko
Summary: Zuko faces the past in order to move to future.
Zuko woke up the next morning feeling content and a wide smile spread on his lips as he squeezed the body in his grasp tighter. Aang fit perfectly against him, the airbender’s head cradled in the crook of his neck while their arms held one another close. Zuko could not help but think a year or two into the future, when Aang would enter that awkward stage of adolescence when sharp elbows would always seem to be prodding anyone who tried to hug him. Despite the perfection of this moment in comparison to that vision of a possible future, Zuko was looking forward to what was to come, hoping that Aang would still be by his side when his body became awkward. No matter how many uncomfortable embraces were to follow, Zuko would never take this affection for granted.
“Are you going to get up or would you rather lie there the whole day?” Sokka’s voice cut through the pleasant haze in Zuko’s mind and the firebender’s eyes snapped open as he shot a startled look at the Water Tribe boy kneeling behind Aang’s back, meeting Zuko’s gaze.
Cheeks flushing with embarrassment, Zuko started to disentangle his and Aang’s bodies from another, finally managing to sit up and face their tent mate.
“Did something happen?” Zuko couldn’t help but worry; Sokka seemed a bit anxious.
“You know how the Order promised to help us gather people for the counter-invasion?” Sokka was stalling and Zuko glared at the other, who sighed in resignation. “Some…old friends showed up too.”
“Who?”
“Geez, stop with the death glare, it’s creepy.” Sokka turned his face away, the attempt at a joke doing nothing to dissipate the tension in the air. “It’s that girl.”
“What girl?”
“You know the one!” Sokka waved his hands and Zuko merely stared at him blankly. “The gloomy girl who sighs a lot.”
“Mai?” Zuko’s chest tightened. “Mai’s here?”
Sokka nodded. “Along with her pink friend.” The boy rubbed his head. “This is bad, isn’t it?”
“It’s not good, at least.” Zuko threw the bedding off himself and made to reach for his boots. “I mean, I’m glad they’re okay, but I was not planning on dealing with this now.” The firebender hurriedly pulled the boots on and marched to the tent flap. “Lead the way.”
And so Sokka led the way through the camp. The sun was already high up and Zuko noticed that while he had been sleeping the morning away, the amount of people in the camp had increased exponentially. And soon Zuko laid eyes on a familiar pair of girls.
“Mai! Ty Lee!” Zuko called and lifted a hand. They turned their heads to him and Zuko saw Mai smile crookedly while Ty Lee beamed and waved her arms enthusiastically.
“I’ll leave you to it, then,” Sokka murmured to Zuko before scampering off, apparently still a bit uncomfortable around the two girls. Left alone, Zuko took a deep breath before covering the rest of the distance between them with long strides.
“Mai, Ty Lee,” Zuko greeted again, looking at each girl in turn. “I thought you were captured.”
“It helps to have the warden as an uncle.” Mai’s tone was dismissive, but Zuko doubted it had been that simple for the two to escape.
“We heard that they were gathering some kind of a resistance.” Ty Lee was chattering brightly and Zuko didn’t mind listening for once. “I told Mai ‘This is our way to find Zuko,’ and here you are.” She grinned brightly, grabbing one of Zuko’s hands within her own.
Zuko was reminded of a time long ago, when his sister had tripped him in the hall and he’d scraped a knee. Mai had turned her face away from him to hide her worried expression from Azula, and Azula had giggled before turning away. Mai had followed hot on her heels but Ty Lee had stayed behind, giving Zuko a hand up before she winked and skipped off to follow her friends. Ty Lee had always been a gentle soul.
“It’s good to see you.” Zuko smiled sincerely. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“And your aura is positively glowing!” Ty Lee grinned disarmingly at him. “You look very, very happy.”
“I am,” Zuko answered and knew it was the truth. “I am very, very happy.”
Ty Lee giggled and threw her arms around Zuko, a gesture he would have once spurned. But now Zuko wrapped his arms around the slim back and squeezed the girl tight against himself, laughing brightly in light of his new realization. He was very happy indeed.
&
It was with stunned silence on her lips that Mai saw Zuko hug Ty Lee, heard the young man laugh as he held her close and felt the sudden change that had come over the person she loved the most in the world.
Then Zuko had released Ty Lee and had turned to Mai, lifting his arms to invite her into an embrace and smiling with beauty that was almost as heartbreaking as the thought of how Zuko had somehow healed and Mai’d had nothing to do with it. She kept her thoughts away from her face, but she was unable to resist stepping closer, allowing Zuko’s strong, warm arms to wrap around her body, pulling her against the prince.
Zuko had never held her like this before; Mai had never seen Zuko hold anyone like this before. And yet, yet the arms held her the same way they had held Ty Lee mere moments earlier. The embrace was exactly the same.
“You’re not mine anymore.” Cold, emotionless, down to the point. It was nothing out of the ordinary for Mai even though her world was currently reeling off course. Zuko pulled back to give her a surprised, confused look.
“What?”
Stepping back from the other, retreating from the hug she didn’t want anymore, Mai looked at the prince with accusation in her gaze. “You don’t love me anymore.”
“Mai…” Zuko sounded hurt. He didn’t have a right to, not when he was the one hurting her like this. “Of course I do. That hasn’t changed.”
It made sense now; it made so much sense that Mai wanted to return to not knowing anything about it.
“Very well,” Mai conceded, confessing to the folly in her previous assumption. “But, there is someone else, someone you love more than you do me.”
Zuko was a terrible liar, the complete opposite of her sister. Zuko couldn’t fool anyone with his words, but if he had tried, if he had tried to lie to her, Mai would have believed him without hesitation; in that moment she was that desperate. But the gaze meeting her own was steady and sincere, the gentlest blow ever laid on her.
“Yes.”
The gentlest blow turned out to also be the most painful one.
More Memories from Western Air Temple
Chapter Title: No More Running
Characters: Zuko, Sokka, Ty Lee, Mai
Arc: Comet Arc
Setting: after There Is Some Power in Love, before To Look But Not to Touch
Rating: K
Warnings: the obligatory one-sided Maiko
Summary: Zuko faces the past in order to move to future.
Zuko woke up the next morning feeling content and a wide smile spread on his lips as he squeezed the body in his grasp tighter. Aang fit perfectly against him, the airbender’s head cradled in the crook of his neck while their arms held one another close. Zuko could not help but think a year or two into the future, when Aang would enter that awkward stage of adolescence when sharp elbows would always seem to be prodding anyone who tried to hug him. Despite the perfection of this moment in comparison to that vision of a possible future, Zuko was looking forward to what was to come, hoping that Aang would still be by his side when his body became awkward. No matter how many uncomfortable embraces were to follow, Zuko would never take this affection for granted.
“Are you going to get up or would you rather lie there the whole day?” Sokka’s voice cut through the pleasant haze in Zuko’s mind and the firebender’s eyes snapped open as he shot a startled look at the Water Tribe boy kneeling behind Aang’s back, meeting Zuko’s gaze.
Cheeks flushing with embarrassment, Zuko started to disentangle his and Aang’s bodies from another, finally managing to sit up and face their tent mate.
“Did something happen?” Zuko couldn’t help but worry; Sokka seemed a bit anxious.
“You know how the Order promised to help us gather people for the counter-invasion?” Sokka was stalling and Zuko glared at the other, who sighed in resignation. “Some…old friends showed up too.”
“Who?”
“Geez, stop with the death glare, it’s creepy.” Sokka turned his face away, the attempt at a joke doing nothing to dissipate the tension in the air. “It’s that girl.”
“What girl?”
“You know the one!” Sokka waved his hands and Zuko merely stared at him blankly. “The gloomy girl who sighs a lot.”
“Mai?” Zuko’s chest tightened. “Mai’s here?”
Sokka nodded. “Along with her pink friend.” The boy rubbed his head. “This is bad, isn’t it?”
“It’s not good, at least.” Zuko threw the bedding off himself and made to reach for his boots. “I mean, I’m glad they’re okay, but I was not planning on dealing with this now.” The firebender hurriedly pulled the boots on and marched to the tent flap. “Lead the way.”
And so Sokka led the way through the camp. The sun was already high up and Zuko noticed that while he had been sleeping the morning away, the amount of people in the camp had increased exponentially. And soon Zuko laid eyes on a familiar pair of girls.
“Mai! Ty Lee!” Zuko called and lifted a hand. They turned their heads to him and Zuko saw Mai smile crookedly while Ty Lee beamed and waved her arms enthusiastically.
“I’ll leave you to it, then,” Sokka murmured to Zuko before scampering off, apparently still a bit uncomfortable around the two girls. Left alone, Zuko took a deep breath before covering the rest of the distance between them with long strides.
“Mai, Ty Lee,” Zuko greeted again, looking at each girl in turn. “I thought you were captured.”
“It helps to have the warden as an uncle.” Mai’s tone was dismissive, but Zuko doubted it had been that simple for the two to escape.
“We heard that they were gathering some kind of a resistance.” Ty Lee was chattering brightly and Zuko didn’t mind listening for once. “I told Mai ‘This is our way to find Zuko,’ and here you are.” She grinned brightly, grabbing one of Zuko’s hands within her own.
Zuko was reminded of a time long ago, when his sister had tripped him in the hall and he’d scraped a knee. Mai had turned her face away from him to hide her worried expression from Azula, and Azula had giggled before turning away. Mai had followed hot on her heels but Ty Lee had stayed behind, giving Zuko a hand up before she winked and skipped off to follow her friends. Ty Lee had always been a gentle soul.
“It’s good to see you.” Zuko smiled sincerely. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“And your aura is positively glowing!” Ty Lee grinned disarmingly at him. “You look very, very happy.”
“I am,” Zuko answered and knew it was the truth. “I am very, very happy.”
Ty Lee giggled and threw her arms around Zuko, a gesture he would have once spurned. But now Zuko wrapped his arms around the slim back and squeezed the girl tight against himself, laughing brightly in light of his new realization. He was very happy indeed.
&
It was with stunned silence on her lips that Mai saw Zuko hug Ty Lee, heard the young man laugh as he held her close and felt the sudden change that had come over the person she loved the most in the world.
Then Zuko had released Ty Lee and had turned to Mai, lifting his arms to invite her into an embrace and smiling with beauty that was almost as heartbreaking as the thought of how Zuko had somehow healed and Mai’d had nothing to do with it. She kept her thoughts away from her face, but she was unable to resist stepping closer, allowing Zuko’s strong, warm arms to wrap around her body, pulling her against the prince.
Zuko had never held her like this before; Mai had never seen Zuko hold anyone like this before. And yet, yet the arms held her the same way they had held Ty Lee mere moments earlier. The embrace was exactly the same.
“You’re not mine anymore.” Cold, emotionless, down to the point. It was nothing out of the ordinary for Mai even though her world was currently reeling off course. Zuko pulled back to give her a surprised, confused look.
“What?”
Stepping back from the other, retreating from the hug she didn’t want anymore, Mai looked at the prince with accusation in her gaze. “You don’t love me anymore.”
“Mai…” Zuko sounded hurt. He didn’t have a right to, not when he was the one hurting her like this. “Of course I do. That hasn’t changed.”
It made sense now; it made so much sense that Mai wanted to return to not knowing anything about it.
“Very well,” Mai conceded, confessing to the folly in her previous assumption. “But, there is someone else, someone you love more than you do me.”
Zuko was a terrible liar, the complete opposite of her sister. Zuko couldn’t fool anyone with his words, but if he had tried, if he had tried to lie to her, Mai would have believed him without hesitation; in that moment she was that desperate. But the gaze meeting her own was steady and sincere, the gentlest blow ever laid on her.
“Yes.”
The gentlest blow turned out to also be the most painful one.
More Memories from Western Air Temple