my second A:TLA fic. This is my first try on my favorite crack!ship - MAI X SOKKA [Maikka]. I never thought it would take this long to get into the gist of it, it was a lot shorter when i was playing the story in my mind. It's still short and I'm already working on the second part. I still have this as draft and haven't really checked for errors (coz i really barely do). But i'll be a bit impulsive and just post this part already.

disclaimers: still the same. my name is not Mike or Bryan and i don't earn money for this little fic.

It wasn't the first time Sokka had done it.

The first time, he didn't know. He just followed what his heart had told him, what his mind had urged him to do. It was great, it was exhilirating. The first time, it was exciting.

The second time was different, this time he knew. Sure, he still followed his heart, but his mind was against it. It was dangerous, crazy and suicidal. And if he'd be honest, it might be a bit stupid. But the feeling was true and truth be told, he also felt excited.

It wasn't the first time he's stealing somebody else's girl, but he couldn't help it. He fell, and he couldn't stop it. He'd blame his friend for letting her wander his way, but it wasn't entirely his fault. He was busy, running an entire nation and all, but to be leaving his girlfriend without nothing to do, just gave him enough reason to help her, and help him, kill boredom.

Mai is different from Yue in a lot of ways. Where Yue was ice, Mai is fire. Where Yue was consensual, Mai is a challenge. Yue was trapped in an arranged marriage and there was no love, Mai is in love, just lacking marriage and quality time with his boyfriend. Well, he guessed, maybe it was really Zuko's fault after all.

When he first decided to stay in the Fire Nation palace, it was just to accompany his sister in their duty for the Southern Water Tribe. Katara said it was their responsibilty. But all the meetings and arguing with the Fire Lord, or rather his advisors, were exhausting, he just didn't understand how difficult it was to compromise.

On one of the days when he was supposed to meet with his sister, the Fire Lord and his advisors, to discuss another treaty for the Water Tribes, he decided to skip. He knew he'd have to deal with Katara's yelling later that day, but he just had enough. He wasn't good at discussing stuff with people anyway. He already told Katara his ideas and he's sure Katara would've done so much better in explaining it for the both of them. He wandered the palace and that's when he saw her.

"Are you here for Zuko?"

"No. I got lost. The palace is so big, I don't know where I'm going anymore."

"Is that so? Maybe I can draw you a map."

"No, thanks. It would take me months to read it considering how good you are at drawing."

"He's in a meeting right now and I bet it would take the whole day till they're done with it."

"No kidding."

He's used to Mai's sighing in between her snarky comments, indicating her common boredom to absolutely everything. But the sigh that came out of her was anything but boredom. Somehow, he felt like asking.

"How long has it been?"

"Oh, I don't know. I don't even know if I'd recognize him again if I pass by him by the hall." She sighed again. Now, he knows, that's just not common anymore.

"That long huh?"

He knew she wouldn't open up to him, so he didn't really expect anything. So, he was sort of thankful when she looked at him and sort of light up.

"Would you like to spar with me? What do you say, your boomerang against my daggers."

"Are you sure? You know I already knocked your daggers once, when we first met."

"And you should also remember that I've beaten you and your gang more than a couple of times after that."

Sokka's just not one to say no to a challenge. Especially from a girl, Fire Lord's girlfriend or not.

"You're on!"

It started as just that, them spending time fighting, throwing sharp weapons at each other, trying not be killed. He would knock a couple of her daggers and stilletos and she would pin his arms on the wall. Both would be panting, catching each other's breath and he would smile and hesitantly admitting defeat to have her just walk away and leave him on his own. He'd have his practice and she'd have somebody at the receiving end of her little 'tantrums'. Tantrums, yes, that's what those are. Sokka laughed at the thought.

At first Katara didn't mind mending his clothes. She did give him lots of indignant comments on how he could allow Mai to ruin his clothes but he would just shrug at her saying it wasn't like he wasn't trying to avoid it. As days go by, the number of holes on his clothes lessened and he stopped asking Katara to fix it for him and instead had to wear the same clothes when they're fighting and just discard them when it's too torn to be worn anymore. Katara could use some to rest too.

They had stayed in the Fire Nation capitol for a few months. He didn't realize it had been that long until after one of his session with Mai.

"Took you two months." Mai had told him, his left hand on the wall, his right holding a dagger.

"Two months?" his breath trying to catch up now. He could barely talk but Mai was starting a conversation, so he thought this should be interesting.

"Well, ok. Almost two months, give or take." Mai uncomfortably shifted her weight on her left foot. She twitched her right hand only to be grabbed instantly by Sokka and be pinned to the wall behind her. Her dagger that he held dangerously pressed to her throat, made contact to more skin. A little more and she could almost feel blood trickle down her neck.

"Give it up, Mai. Just admit it. I won this time."

Mai merely smirked, her eyes never faltering. She still think she could outsmart him.

"You think Zuko wouldn't notice if you cut me there?"

Though he know this is just sparring and Zuko probably would've understood that a little cut is not unexpected out of it, but he still didn't know how Zuko would react with him leaving a scratch on his girlfriend. Sokka loosened his hold of her. He dropped his hand to his side, moved back and breathed a deep sigh. Mai rubbed her right wrist trying to let the blood flow again, hoping it wouldn't leave a mark on her skin.

"That's low, Mai. That's unfair." He flicked the dagger back to her, barely missing her left ear. Mai didn't move.

"Still took you long enough to defeat me." Mai felt smug for somebody who just lost. But Sokka took it anyway. He defeated her and she admitted it.

Mai turned around and pulled her dagger from the wall. She then walked past Sokka to pick up her other weapons scattered around the place. She also picked the boomerang lying across a pile of her stilettos and walked back to Sokka.

"Come on. I'm tired and I'm hungry." She nudged Sokka with his boomerang handing it over to him.

"I'll treat you to dinner." She seemed to not be talking to him, but instead to an invisible person standing next to him. Sokka grinned.

"I won and you're treating me to dinner? Who are you and what did you do to Mai?"

Mai rolled her eyes and turned around, leaving his question unanswered.

"Be ready in an hour and you better be on your best clothes." Mai waved without looking back to him before disappearing to the hallway.

Sokka smiled to himself, feeling stupid for doing just so.

"I'm sorry, Zuko."