Prompt – Eyes

People say that eyes reveal the soul. For years, Mai's had revealed almost nothing. Sure, there was the occasional glint of anger, a moment here and there when her anguish was so great that something had to show in her golden orbs and very rarely, the hint of a twinkle.

After her reunion with Zuko, awkward, sweet and somehow just right, her eyes showed more, especially to him. Suddenly, there was confusion, lust, sympathy, anger, humor and love. Zuko saw her soul. She wasn't quite ready to show it to anyone else.

During his long banishment and even after he returned to the Fire Nation, a hero to his people, Zuko's eyes were many things. Often, they were hard as he pushed his crew, and searched the world with determination for a myth. When the inevitable disappointment set in after another failure, his eyes flickered with pain and then the steely resolve set in again. Briefly, they would soften at a kind word from his uncle or a dream of better times.

When he talked with Mai or just sat with her in their easy silences, his eyes shone with something different. It was an emotion he hadn't felt in earnest since before his disgrace, something that was rare after his mother's disappearance: happiness, contentment, joy.

Prompt – Can I Watch?

"Can I watch?" Mai asked as Zuko began to stretch in the courtyard.

The boy flushed and looked down at the slate slabs under his feet. He mumbled something that Mai took as a "yes" and continued with his warm up.

The ten year old girl, dressed in uncomfortable looking formal robes, plopped down on a nearby bench and perched her chin in her hands. Zuko's sister, Princess Azula, was putting on a tea party of all things. Mai and Azula's only other 'friend', Ty Lee, had naturally been invited. Mai's parents had naturally pushed her to go. Azula, at a mere nine years old, was already cruel and calculating. Flames were tossed about like confetti. Dolls were burned and servants terrorized. Mai had enough. While Ty Lee giggled and praised Azula, the girl with striking ebony hair slipped away from the party and wandered into the courtyard.

Azula had casually mentioned earlier that Zuko would be practicing his firebending in the garden's quietest courtyard.

"He could practice forever and never be as good as I am," the princess boasted.

"You're amazing, Azula," Ty Lee agreed.

Mai said nothing but hid her clenched fists under the ornate table.

"Don't you think I'm amazing, Mai?" Azula asked sweetly.

Mai wasn't fooled by the honeyed tone. She knew the question was a test of her loyalty.

"Sure," she answered nonchalantly, her face impassive.

"But you hate it when I insult poor Zu-Zu, don't you?" the princess pushed.

The shy girl shrugged her shoulders, trying to convey indifference.

"Fine," Azula stated, letting the subject drop. "Let's start the party."

Zuko finished his warm up moves and began to firebend. His flames were weak and hesitant, his moves sometimes clumsy. But he persisted. He glanced furtively at Mai, under his eyelashes, trying to gauge her reaction. Her lips curved upward minutely every time he looked her way. The boy took that as approval and his form became more confident. He shot a powerful blast from his fist and flashed a very rare smile.

Mai smiled in return. When Zuko approached her slowly, Mai reached her hand out and just brushed the prince's arm.

"Next time I'm here, can I watch again?" she asked, a faint blush colouring her cheeks.

Prompt – A Different World

Politics could be so dull. Endless meetings and endless complaints were followed by endless papers to read. Zuko was grateful for the chance to bring honor back to the Fire Nation. He was grateful to be Firelord. But sometimes he wished that he could escape to a different world. And he wished that he could take Mai with him. Just an hour once in awhile would be enough to rejuvenate him.

Sure he and Mai spent time together but it was almost always in the palace with guards and servants poking around or urgent scrolls being dropped off at his office or their bedroom.

"What's the matter, Zuko?" Mai asked one evening.

"Nothing really," he replied with a sigh. "I just wish that we could get away from all of this sometimes."

"What do you mean, exactly?"

"Well, I wish there was somewhere we could go where I wasn't the Firelord and you weren't the Firelord's wife."

Mai didn't say anything else but her mind was spinning.

The knife thrower spent the rest of the week exploring the palace and its grounds in her spare time. Servants gave her questioning looks but Mai glared back daring them to speak. She was looking for an unused room, a hidden alcove or even an empty closet.

Finally, she came upon a large closet built under a disused staircase. It was close to the palace kitchen but not close enough to attract the attention of servants. Mai spent days covertly hauling cushions, lanterns and a small rug to the space. But first she had to clean it. She had no experience with that but went about it with determination, dusting and washing the floor. Once clean enough, she put the rug on the floor, placed cushions against the wall and placed lanterns strategically.

The next afternoon, when Zuko's meetings were over for the day, Mai dragged him by the hand and pulled him along through quiet corridors, doubling back sometimes and taking a new hallway. She wanted to be certain that no one could find them.

"What the Agni are you doing, Mai? Have you lost your mind?"

Mai smirked and kept silent. When they reached the neglected area, Mai opened the closet door with a flourish, instructing Zuko to close his eyes. She gave him a shove, sending him ungracefully into their 'room'.

"Open your eyes," Mai ordered.

Zuko did as he was told. Dim light from the hall illuminated the space just enough for him to see.

"This is?"

"This is our little place, where we can just be Mai and Zuko."

The Firelord looked around. He saw the lanterns and lit them skillfully. The closet suddenly took on a romantic glow. Zuko took in the comfortable red cushions and the rug. He smiled.

"No one knows about this?"

"I'm pretty certain," Mai replied.

"And the kitchen's nearby so we can sneak food in."

His smile became a full-fledged grin and he reached for Mai's hand. She smiled in return, squeezing her husband's fingers.

"I feel like a naughty little kid," he added.

"Do you want to do something naughty?" Mai asked playfully.

"Yes," Zuko declared as he pulled the door shut.

Prompt – Swimwear

Mai looked around at the other girls and their more revealing swimwear.

"Should I be wearing less?" she wondered.

"You look beautiful," Zuko whispered in her ear, never giving the other girls so much as a glance.

"I guess not," she said under her breath.

Prompt – Heat

Everything about Zuko spoke of heat; his passion, his firebending, his temper, and his intensity. He wore his feelings and his fire openly for everyone to see and feel.

Everything about Mai spoke of no heat; her reserve, her calm, her insouciance. She usually kept her feelings to herself, showing them only to a select few and even then sometimes with trepidation.

The more time she spent with Zuko, however, the more his heat transferred itself to her. She absorbed it and it warmed her up, from the inside out. The knife throwing expert allowed little sparks of intensity to leave her body and enter the world around her. Once she released those, she wanted to feel more. It was addictive, this heat.