AN: Thanks much to my beta, electric gurrl, and her input to make a story that is inspired by her fic Spring Fever. This is dark, but there isn't any abuse and everything is consensual (well, I mean, illegal, but still). It takes place in a Modern AU and while the first drabble is in medias res, the rest are all in chronological order. There will be 100 of them. Thanks for clicking and I hope you enjoy!
Bruises on the Fruit
#
We can have some more
Nature is a whore
Bruises on the fruit
Tender age in bloom
"In Bloom," Nirvana
prologue: perfume
Mai wears that expensive perfume she hates when she goes to sleep over at her best friend's house. She doesn't want to smell cheap and like a child. She doesn't want to shatter the image of herself as some kind of dark temptress.
She doesn't necessarily want to please him. She just wants to watch such a powerful man tremble from her touch, to have that kind of control that her life lacks.
Mai never has had power before.
That night in the kitchen with her back aching against a counter and her legs wrapped around him, he tells her she smells beautiful.
She doesn't care.
Or so she tells herself.
1: poolside
He watches her when he should not. Ozai is expected to pretend that she is not there, in what amounts to sea-stained lingerie. She lurks in the shadows and avoids the water, avoids the sunlight. But they call to her from the pool, his daughter and her little friend that seems to be attached to her hip of late.
His work is more important, he knows. But the window overlooks the summer scene of young people who can do whatever they want and decide to have innocent water fights. He wonders just how innocent that very sullen girl could be.
It is completely inappropriate to watch her like that.
But, to be honest, he cares about as much as she does.
###
2: window
Mai undresses in front of her window. Her mother always snaps at her to not do that, but she has no idea why anyone would even want to look inside. Azula had a decent view from her window; they used to hold up signs at night to talk to each other from afar.
Aside from that, she never put much thought into it. Not even when she began to realize the uncomfortable spark between she and someone beyond forbidden.
She does it every night.
Who would watch? Would someone climb a damn tree?
No, but someone could absolutely accidentally look up from a laptop of overwhelming work and catch a glimpse of her carelessly discarding vital items of clothing.
###
3: tease
Mai notices his attention, but she pretends that she doesn't.
She likes it. She likes it a good deal, and she likes to think that perhaps he has masturbated thinking about her. That's a good feeling, and Mai considers most feelings to be bad.
Mai notices his attention, but she pretends that she doesn't.
She likes to lead him on. She likes to lead him on a good deal, and she likes to think that perhaps he thinks she is interested in him. That's a good feeling, and Mai considers most feelings to be bad.
It only hurts when she realizes that she might want him too.
###
4: party
The tension bursts at a party.
Mai hates them. Azula hates them too, so the fact that her birthday is such a huge and rowdy celebration makes very little sense. Hell, Zuko despises them on a number of levels, and Ursa left town for the weekend to avoid it.
Azula always says she just throws them to keep people talking about her. To remind them that she is some kind of deity – as she believes she is – and Mai decides it is a decent explanation. Not the right one, Mai knows, but it is reasonable.
Mai doesn't really care enough to pry any further.
The pool is lit up with multiple colors coming from some sort of disco ball. Mai watches the slick boys and girls rub up against each other in the water. Guys look at her; she glares back at them until they stop ogling her.
Azula has copious attention but no social skills to not come off as an inept nerd or a certified psychopath. Thankfully, she has Ty Lee, when Ty Lee isn't making cute but sexually explicit comments to any boy who looks at her twice.
Mai observes. It tends to be boring, but she'd rather be watching than participating. She makes it scientific in her head. Narrates mating calls in her head to make this slightly more interesting than watching paint dry.
"Mai, Mai, Mai, Mai, Mai…!" Ty Lee continues that way for a decent, drunken amount of time.
It is a distraction. Mai unfortunately does not realize that until Azula is cackling over her drenched, half-drowned body in the pool.
Mai wishes that she didn't have any friends.
###
5: mirror
Mai walks inside seeking a towel and finds that the music is somehow louder in here. She cannot locate a towel for the life of her until, suddenly, someone hands her one.
"Thank you," she instinctively remarks, pushing herself to her feet and her eyes meet the only person she ever had a crush on. Still does, to be honest. Still does fantasize about him too often.
"You can go upstairs and change in my room. No one will be in there," he offers and Mai nods.
It is a kind offer, but Mai feels a fast jolt of electricity that makes her heart beat too fast. She walks up and wonders if she should have stayed longer. She wanted to stay longer. She goes inside of a room she has not spent much time in. It takes her a moment to sort herself out as she begins to peel the drenched black dress from her body.
"Will you help me with this?" Mai asks into the hallway. He has left, of course, but he is close enough to hear her. "I can't get it off."
Mai cannot believe she is doing this. This is reserved for daydreams during boring classes.
He will say no, of course, Mai is certain.
Until his hands are on her back, undoing the ties on her soaking sundress and letting it fall.
They both have their eyes fixated on the mirror in front of them.
Neither moves.
This is everything they dream of but never can have.
After taking a deep breath, Ozai says, "You should go find clothes."
"Yeah," Mai murmurs.
They do not look away from the mirror until she has wrapped the Hello Kitty towel around herself.
She vanishes into Azula's room; he vanishes into his office.
They pretend it never happened.