Zutara will have my heart forever, but I lost a bet to The Fox Bandit in which I wagered fanfic, and FB requested 'Mai/Zuko on the boat' (doh!) So, here it is, and all kidding aside I do hope I've done the pairing justice. Many thanks to dungeonwriter (aka. Hotspur) and WickedOni for offering their feedback. My other Avatar: The Last Airbender drabbles and one-shots may be found in my collection In the Winter Light. Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoy. :)
Switchpoint
"I'm tired of being at sea."
Mai raised a morsel of salted fish between enameled chopsticks and examined it closely. Her nose turned upward.
No one answered her. Zuko poked half-heartedly at his rice. It was over a week since they had departed the Earth Kingdom, and shared meals between the four young Fire Nation nobles were often sullen, strained occasions. Only Azula seemed continually unruffled and unconcerned, even when—as tonight—the ocean was rough.
The cabin suddenly lurched forward and its occupants scrambled to steady their dinnerware until the waves abated. Zuko closed his eyes and took refuge in the moment of comforting blackness. The rising climbs and rolling drops would be more pronounced in the hull of the ship—where the prison cells were located.
Someone made a noise in between a hiccup and a gurgle and Zuko opened them again. He looked left; Ty Lee's knuckles were white and gripped tightly around a teacup.
"Are you okay?" As little inclined as felt for conversation, he couldn't help but ask.
"My aura… is very green," she said weakly, avoiding any downward glance at his rice.
"Are you feeling seasick, Zuzu?" Azula asked, smiling pleasantly from across the table and lifting a spoonful of broth to her lips. "You've hardly touched your dinner."
"I'm not hungry," he said. Ty Lee gingerly took a sip of tea.
Azula lowered her spoon and cocked her head sympathetically.
"I would have thought you'd grown used to being on the ocean. All of that fresh salt air, the open water, just you and Uncle, nothing to do…"
Zuko's chopsticks slammed with a clink against the table surface.
Azula smiled wider.
"You must have had a lot of time to kill while you were looking for the Avatar." Her voice was light, casual. "Did you play Pai Sho together? Did Uncle teach you to play the Sungi horn?"
Zuko's mouth curled downward. His hands slowly formed into fists on either side of his bowl.
Mai's eyes shifted left, watching him.
"It sounds so relaxing." Azula's eyes glinted and focused sharply on her brother. "No wonder Uncle got even fatter—
Suddenly, there was a swift, abrupt TWANG as a serving fork sailed across the cabin, embedding with a dull thunk in a wood chest on the opposite corner.
Three shocked faces looked at the fork, still quivering, then turned in unison to stare at Mai.
"I thought I saw a rat," she said dryly. She raised a second piece of fish to her lips.
Azula frowned.
Ty Lee clasped both hands to her mouth, her cheeks bulging out with a sickly gulp.
Once the excitement was over, Mai searched out Zuko. She found him on deck, alone and staring at the dark horizon.
The waters had finally calmed. Clouds obfuscated the stars but the glow from the full moon limned their outlines and cast light over the inky blackness.
"You need to find a new hobby," she said, slipping her arm through his and smiling.
Zuko didn't answer.
"You should be also more careful," she warned, seriously this time. "Control your reactions. It wouldn't hurt for you to conceal things from Azula every once and a while."
"I'm not a liar. I'm not good at concealing."
Mai's eyes narrowed. "I didn't say you had to be a liar. You just don't have to make it so easy for her."
He turned toward her and their bodies separated.
"I thought you were Azula's friend. Are you telling me that you don't trust her?"
"You're her brother," she responded coolly. "Do you?"
Zuko turned his gaze back to the horizon. Mai continued to watch him for a moment, her lips tightly pursed. Finally, she turned to leave.
"Mai?"
"What?" she said, stopping but not turning fully around.
"I'm sorry."
The hardness around her mouth seemed to melt.
"Don't stay out here too long," she said, looking over her shoulder. "I'll see you inside."
"One more thing—
She stopped again and turned to face him.
Zuko closed the distance between them before she could react, kissing her fully on her mouth.
"You don't have to be careful all the time," he whispered as he pulled back, the warmth of his lips hovering beside her ear.
She scowled at him in mock indignation and then smiled, drawing her fingers affectionately through his ruffled hair, the faintest stroke of pink covering her cheeks and nose.
Fin.