Pro Maiko - Tumblr Posts

Mai truly is for us emotionally repressed girlies like

Her whole character arc is like she’s emotionally repressed and was never allowed to express herself so she puts up all these walls and acts like she doesn’t care about anything and is so closed off.

And then her whole arc culminates with her loudly and proudly declaring the love she feels so deeply for Zuko. she expresses just how deep these emotions go, she is willing to die for him. Because she cares so much. Her emotions, her care, her love are so strong that they overpower her fear. Not just her fear of Azula but her fear of expressing herself, of stepping out of line, of standing for what she believes in. Which at this moment is Zuko- she doesn’t even fully understand what he’s doing, but she knows she trusts him more than anyone else. More than the fire nation propaganda and brainwashing, more than Azula, more than her parents. She knows Zuko has a good heart, she loves him for it, and she trusts it.

And that trust and love empowers her to finally express just how deeply she feels.

I don’t know if I’m articulating this very well but as someone who has always struggled to express myself Mai is just so fucking good and powerful to me.

there is a serious lack of discussion about how mai is zuko’s safe space. we see this in their first appearance together (that’s not a flashback). when mai asks him a simple question, “aren’t you cold?” and zuko, who has a hard time opening up and expressing emotions that aren’t anger or angst, freely and openly starts to tell her his worries about going back to the fire nation. and while people love to chastise mai on her reply, “I just asked if you were cold, I didn’t ask for your whole life story”, I think they misunderstand her approach to this. zuko is worrying and overthinking about something he cannot change, something that will only drive him crazy and she tries to distract him with a joke. and it might fall flat, but she realises this and suddenly she is comforting him with her touch. her hand reaching out so casually towards scar like it’s not a big deal, because it’s not. they’ve known each other for a long time, they’ve grown up together and their relationship was a long time coming. and zuko leans into her hand, and her kiss, without thinking twice about it. because mai is familiar, and mai is comfort and that can be seen when you contrast it to song’s attempting at touch his scar, and how quickly he was to stop her. but it’s not only this moment that showcases mai as his safe space, but also when he’s back in the fire nation. when he’s stressed out and going through a tumultuous time, not knowing what’s right and wrong or what he should do next, it’s mai he goes to. we see this in “nightmares and daydreams” when he spends all day at her house, when he can’t stand being in the palace anymore, mai and her house and her bedroom is his safe space. and here we see her trying to comfort him, trying to say the war meeting is stupid, it would be be boring anyway, and shall we go for a ride around town? it’ll be fun… and even though he’s still sad, he goes back to her house on the day of the war meeting and she’s making him tea. and even when he does get invited to the all day war meeting, she goes to the palace with him and waits for him all day, to see if it went well and to comfort him if it didn’t. when he says that it was everything he thought wanted it to be, she’s immediately happy for him, reaching out to touch him with a smile on her face. mai is who zuko feels safe and comfortable around, even in his vulnerable moments and it’s something we should talk about.

Why is Zuko romantically interested in Mai? What does he like about her as a person? Does he understand her personal desires and struggles?

"Why is Zuko romantically interested in Mai?"

He's a moody, angsty, grumpy teenage boy, she's a moody, angsty, grumpy teenage girl. She hates everything, but she doesn't hate him, and he appreciates that. He practically brags to a guard at the boiling rock that his (ex) girlfriend doesn't need anyone to protect her because she can handle herself.

They find each other physically attractive, enjoy making out and bitching about things they don't like, and they genuinely have a lot in common (troubled family life, struggling with the idea of who they should be VS who they actually are, don't like it when people try to control them, want a comfortable life where they are free to do whatever they want, and experts at using cool weapons that they're not allowed to kill people with because it's a kid's show).

Also Mai knows how to be understanding, caring and supportive without babying him, something Zuko desperately needs and actively seems to want in his life. And while her "aloof", more detached personality sometimes clashes with his need to shout about every single emotion he feels, it sometimes has the very healthy effect of making him chill a bit (and makes her come out of her shell a bit more).

"What does he like about her as a person?"

Like I said, he likes that she genuinely cares for him, but doesn't put with his bullshit, AND he likes that's just as much as an angsty teen as he is. He literally makes a move on her when she finally had enough with their friend group and yells at everyone, including him, to leave her alone. He looks like a lovesick fool when thinking back to "that gloomy girl that sighs a lot." Boy literally said "You're so beautiful when you hate the world" and was being 1000% sincere.

He likes how bold she can be, how she doesn't put on an act for him and how he doesn't have to put on an act for her, and how she literally risked it all to save him and is willing to be by his side now that he's about to start a new era for their nation even though she didn't fully understand why he changed sides.

Mai is, before anything, her own damn self and won't let anyone dictate her life for her, and Zuko really admires her for it because he can relate to that - which leads us to:

"Does he understand her personal desires and struggles?"

Does Zuko, the banished prince that rebelled against his abusive father, his nation's cruel and violent ways, and even against the father figure that he loved dearly but that wasn't listening when he said he wanted more in life than just a job and a roof over his head, understand what's like to only get conditional affection, be told that he needs to shut up and let himself be bossed around if he wants literally anything in life/not to be harmed, to not be listened to even by well-meaning people that just don't get it, and eventually risking everything to carve his own path in life with people he believes actually vallue and understand him?

I'd say yes.

Maiko at the beach,

mai: gives zero fucks

zuko: gives way too many fucks

Mai truly is for us emotionally repressed girlies like

Her whole character arc is like she’s emotionally repressed and was never allowed to express herself so she puts up all these walls and acts like she doesn’t care about anything and is so closed off.

And then her whole arc culminates with her loudly and proudly declaring the love she feels so deeply for Zuko. she expresses just how deep these emotions go, she is willing to die for him. Because she cares so much. Her emotions, her care, her love are so strong that they overpower her fear. Not just her fear of Azula but her fear of expressing herself, of stepping out of line, of standing for what she believes in. Which at this moment is Zuko- she doesn’t even fully understand what he’s doing, but she knows she trusts him more than anyone else. More than the fire nation propaganda and brainwashing, more than Azula, more than her parents. She knows Zuko has a good heart, she loves him for it, and she trusts it.

And that trust and love empowers her to finally express just how deeply she feels.

I don’t know if I’m articulating this very well but as someone who has always struggled to express myself Mai is just so fucking good and powerful to me.

zuko x mai

they so cutee

Maiko Mems ♥️🥀🗡🖤

Canonical evidence of Mai and Zuko’s unrelenting love for each other

I’ve seen many claim that in Zuko’s flashbacks we see Mai have a crush on Zuko, but that feeling wasn’t shown to be reciprocated, thereby emphasizing that their relationship came out of nowhere and was a late stage addition by the creators. But there are several details that hint otherwise, the most prominent one being that Mai was mentioned in Zuko’s flashbacks, was associated with happy memories with his mother, and was important enough to him to be an integral aspect of his childhood. And also, Zuko blushing back when talking about knocking an apple off of a head, while practicing his knife skills in front of Azula.

And of course when Azula mentions how Zuko and Mai have had childhood crushes on each other in the Going Home Again comic:

Speaking about the Going Home Again comic, Zuko explicitly mentions that “he missed seeing this side of Mai” - in reference to her carefree, outgoing emotions. Zuko’s banishment, Mai’s isolation from those her own age, and her repressive household have caused her to become a shell of what she once was. But she will always fondly remember the times she used to throw mud in Zuko’s face.

Now let’s talk about the Legacy of the Fire Nation book, which is surprisingly cited as “anti-Maiko” “pro Zutara” material as some users on the app. (As a separate aside, Iroh absolutely understands the powerful friendship between Zuko and Katara, and the other Gaang inserts can be interpreted as equally romantic (Was that all you were, or were you something more - something Iroh said about Sokka and Zuko)).

Also keep in mind the author Joshua Prett stated that he wasn’t allowed to introduce any new plot resolutions, which is why Izumi and Mai are mostly omitted save for this one golden piece of information.

I’ve seen many try and use this excerpt as hard evidence that Iroh absolutely detested the idea of mai and zuko. But the thing is, Iroh is explicitly referencing his and Zuko’s journey involving Ba Sing Se and the search for the Avatar, which is why he mentions the desert, Zuko having trouble sleeping, and finally, his relationship with Mai.

Although it’s a small mention, it’s an important one. It shows that throughout his exile, Zuko was thinking about Mai. So much so that he confided in Iroh about it.

Ive seen some try and make the argument that “living through something” means an explicit negative connotation. But let’s objectively analyze this. When Zuko feels something, he feels it deeply. So much so that the people around him are also enveloped in those feelings, like we saw in The Beach. Zuko missing and agonizing over Mai, even when she’s not there, and so much so that Iroh lives through his feelings, shows that she’s always been on his mind. Living through something means vicariously experiencing the other persons thoughts and emotions.

My personal, not so head canon: When Iroh suggests Zuko go on a date with Jin to experience being a normal teenager and shake him from his pessimism, it’s quite in line with canon to interpret this as him wanting to stop pining over Mai. Of course, that doesn’t work mainly because of Zuko’s guilt and hesitation (he will never be a normal teenager, so why the pretense) but also because Zuko isn’t over Mai. I mean we saw how he acted when Mai broke up with him and dated Kei Lo :)

Couple this with the fact that in the uncut script of the Avatar the Last Airbender cartoon, Mai gave Zuko a heart shaped rock for him to hold onto during his banishment. (Cr. Minireklamo)

But perhaps the most amazing part is when Mai is shown to be enjoying tea and pai sho with the rest of the Gaang members. The Gaang is an undeniable, essential part of Zuko’s life. He chose to share that part with the love of his life. And mai, despite being reserved and reluctant to enjoy things most times, is an active participant in this intimate part of Zuko’s life. She’s engaging with his friends. She doesn’t scoff or turn away. Zuko’s friends become her friends. She is so important to Zuko that he chooses to share this happy, comfortable moment with her. They might be from different backgrounds, opposite sides of the war, but they all love Zuko. Also Mai and Aang are besties by the way, and Aang (Zuko’s best friend and most important ally, and the most important part of his redemption and reckoning) canonically describes Mai as Zuko’s soulmate.

“I’m happiest of all for Zuko. He is the new firelord. And it seems he found a real soulmate in Mai. She’s so much prettier now that she smiles.”

Being a fan of Mai and Maiko means you are at a distinct disadvantage - Mai is not one of the main members of the Gaang and therefore has 1/8th of the screen time of everyone else. She’s not subject to the same emotional, groundbreaking journeys that the rest of the Gaang embark on with Zuko. Very little is shown of her childhood and upbringing, so the audience is left to reconcile with what we are given in canon. While the show is limited, the Avatar universe expands a great deal on the budding relationship between two childhood best friends, lovers, and soulmates. It is up to the reader individually to determine how much they want to recognize in their interpretations - but it does not change that in the canonical universe of Avatar the Last Airbender, Mai and Zuko were destined to be together and forever. PS: Seeing as fans of other ships pick up what they want to from these in universe materials as insurmountable evidence for their ship, I want to see more Maiko fans appreciate the nuggets of information we have from them.

The point is, Mai and Zuko were never written by the creators to be a random ship that suddenly popped up in Zuko’s life. We see explicit evidence of their reciprocated crushes in the show itself. We see that Mai was such an integral aspect of Zuko’s happy childhood that she’s mentioned in his fondest and deepest memories. She was introduced to the show outside of her relationship with Azula , in contrast to Ty Lee, who we see only when she joins Azula’s team. Her character was given arguably one of the coldest, rawest lines in the whole show. In universe canonical materials suggest that Mai never stops loving Zuko, Zuko never stops loving Mai, and their breakup was only temporary, given how Bryke themselves said “I wish we could turn the comics into an in between show. We were going to show a mini clip of old Zuko and Mai.”

headcanon: Kiyi and Tom-Tom help Maiko get back together after Smoke and Shadow

(this post doubles as sort of a director's commentary on my latest fic that literally no one asked for, but I thought it would be fun to do! LOL)

So we all know that Mai and Zuko broke up in the comics... but their last panel together in Smoke and Shadow Part 3 is them holding their younger siblings, which we can argue leaves things on a pretty hopeful note

(and if we REALLY want to push the Maiko agenda, dare I say it's a foreshadowing of some sorts?)

Additionally, at Emerald City Comic Con 2017 (timestamp 17:52), Gene Luen Yang implied that the breakup is only temporary.

Anyway, shipping aside, I love this part in Smoke and Shadow where Zuko worries about Tom-Tom losing his innocence after getting kidnapped by the 'Kemurikage'. We also find out that him and Mai babysat Tom-Tom on one of their picnic dates.

Going off of this, I have a headcanon that the abducted kids would occasionally gather at the palace after the Kemurikage incident to essentially have group therapy sessions (an initiative by the Fire Lord, because he's worried that the kids might be traumatized). This is how Tom-Tom and Kiyi became friends.

One day, they heard that Mai and Zuko are 'boyfriend-girlfriend'. Here's how it went down on my fic:

“You know, I heard from Dad who heard from other guards who heard from the kitchen ladies that the Fire Lord and Tom-Tom’s sis are boyfriend-girlfriend.”  Hearing Guri, Constable Sung’s son, join in on the conversation made Tom-Tom hyper-aware that he probably shouldn’t say anything bad about Zuko, especially now after knowing that he’s the Fire Lord.

Between the events of the ATLA finale and The Promise Part 2 (which is where Mai breaks up with Zuko in the throne room), I think it's safe to say that Mai would be at the palace for a considerable amount of time. I think it would be funny if the news of their breakup didn't reach ALL of the palace employees---so Kiyi and Tom-Tom took it upon themselves to have their siblings spend more time together.

Another thing I had so much fun writing is this interaction between Mai and Kiyi:

“We already met before. That night in the graveyard,” Mai stated matter-of-factly, causing Kiyi to whip her head up with stuffed cheeks, noodle broth dribbling down her chin. She felt her previously strained smile give way to something more genuine, imagining her younger self.     Instead of scolding her for poor table manners like what her own mother would have done, Mai took out a handkerchief. And, driven by instinct, she wiped the girl’s face—the movements gentle and unhurried.  

Meanwhile, here's my favorite exchange between Zuko and Tom-Tom:

“Do you like my sister, Mister Fire Lord?”  The question took him by great surprise, the fact that Tom-Tom still refused to drop his title never even registered. But despite the unprompted nature of the question, it was one that he could give an answer to at any time of day—and at any stage of his life. “I like your sister very much,” he declared, staring straight into Tom-Tom’s eyes. It was a truth that he has stood by since he was twelve, deeply rooted in the fiber of his being. It was an innate warmth that he believed he would carry forever—one that beats in tandem with his inner fire.  

Near the end of the fic, Mai and Zuko also have a conversation about Azula, and how their messed-up nation didn't give her a normal childhood, while Kiyi and Tom-Tom happily chase glow moths in the background:

“Do you ever look at Kiyi and wonder whether Azula would have been as happy if this country wasn't so messed up?” Mai asked, her gaze curious.  “Every day,” he replied, and generations of siblings being pitted against each other flashed through his mind. “That's why I'm doing my best to give her a normal childhood—with a country that hopefully isn't as messed up.”  “I’m glad that kids today can at least have that much.” She looked at Kiyi and Tom-Tom who were laughing as they continued to chase glow moths, then turned to Zuko with a smirk. “Era of love and peace and all.”

If you've read my rambling all the way to the end, thank you! Here's the link to the fic if you wanna read (please give it some love)

Mai mentioning that she never liked the old ladies’ shell aesthetic in their summer house, Zuko apparently not paying attention as he randomly gave her a shell, and she thinking it’s a stupid gift is stuff of comedy, but of course zutara shippers insisting that’s Mai being a bad girlfriend, and not Zuko being a dense boyfriend.

bachelor - maiko week '24 day 1

prompt: wedding

Zuko and his friends had had no specific expectations for the former’s bachelor party, but they certainly hadn’t expected this.

The party was in full swing, with his friends from all over the world attending, but Zuko was frankly very over it. He had originally wanted this to be a smaller, more private affair. With him being the firelord and everything, he felt like got his fair share of extravagant parties with too many attendees.

Not that this was in any way comparable to the luxurious galas he hosted and attended, of course. There was far too much… debauchery here for that.

But I digress.

‘This’ being Zuko drunkenly and incessantly complaining about ‘missing Mai’ and ‘being over this bachelor party thing’. His argument was that he hadn’t been a bachelor since the age of, like, fifteen, so this was essentially completely unnecessary. He’d much rather have stayed in with his beautiful fiancee tonight to prepare himself (mostly mentally, honestly) for their wedding, but, knowing him, he would have just spent those last few hours stressing over nonsensical things, so Mai had insisted on him throwing a bachelor party.

Of course, he said yes to her. To exactly no one’s surprise.

Presently, he could be found slumped in a chair doing something that can only be described as sulking. You know, with the hunched shoulders and the pouted lips and all. He’d miraculously extricated himself from a crowd of party-goers he vaguely knew—he assumed they were probably friends of a distant relative thrice removed, or something—and escaped back to his best friends, Sokka and Aang, secluded in a little corner away from everyone else. He knew he’d regret making Sokka in charge of the invitations. He didn’t even know half of these people!

“I miss her,” he complained again for what seemed like the millionth time, speech slurred from the liquor he’d consumed. “I wonder what she’s doing right now.” He was positive he looked very un-Firelord like, but he couldn’t really find it in him to care at all, unfortunately.

“I’m always shocked at how much of a lightweight he is,” Sokka murmured to Aang, amused at their friend’s antics, and drained the last of his fireball whiskey. “How much longer do you think he’s gonna last before blacking out?”

Aang laughed good-naturedly over his glass of soda, “No idea.” He grinned. “Won’t be much of a question of how long he’s lasting if this keeps up, though, if he ditches his party. He’s clearly ready to get back to Mai.”

Sokka snorted, “Don’t act like you weren’t the same way back when… honestly just everyday, actually.”

Aang laughed again, but this time with a dopey lovesick grin. Him and Katara had gotten married a few months back, and since then, he’d proudly carried the title of Katara’s Husband. In fact he’d taken to introducing himself as such, much to people’s confusion, because why in hell would the Avatar not introduce himself as exactly that?

He shrugged. “Guilty as charged!”

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

“Mai!”

Finally, finally, the party had ended.

Don’t get him wrong, Zuko really had enjoyed himself, being surrounded by the closest people to him (and their plus-two’s) (blame Sokka), all gathered to celebrate him. But frankly? Enough was enough. His social battery was thoroughly drained, and he was very ready to fall into his comfortable bed. Preferably in the arms of his wife-to-be.

“Hi, darling.” She smiled when she saw him, supported by Sokka and Aang. She rolled her eyes affectionately. Clearly, he’d overestimated his limits and had too much to drink. As usual.

He shook them off and walked towards her, engulfing her in a hug as soon as he was close enough.

“I missed you,” he breathed, kissing the top of her head repeatedly and swaying side to side with her against him, his strong arms kind of just resting on her shoulders and around her head, holding her close to his chest. Although he wasn’t necessarily stingy with his affections, inebriated Zuko was much more brazen. Much to her satisfaction.

He briefly loosened his hold on her to tilt her head up. She had to crane her neck much more to look at him now. Over the past few years, he’d grown taller and just… bigger. In many ways. Although he wasn’t bulky by any means, since his style in bending and martial arts favoured a leaner build to aid in the fast, precise movements, he’d certainly filled out over the years.

He cupped her cheeks, almost squeezing her face, and stared at her with an adorably awestruck expression. She stared back, one eyebrow arched in a mix of amusement and confusion.

His eyes roamed over her pale face. Everything about her was beautiful. From the rows of dark, long lashes that rimmed her slanted golden eyes, to her pointed nose and pink tinted lips.

“Is something the matter?” she asked, her words slightly muffled from his hold on her face. “You’re staring.”

His face broke into a boyish, lopsided grin, and his voice took on a playful lilt. “And you’re beautiful.”

Her cheeks pinked, and before she could think of a response, he leaned down and captured her lips in a loud, smoochy kind of kiss.

And then another. And another. And another.

“Gorgeous,” he said against her lips between kisses. “Incredible.” Another kiss. “Brilliant.” A kiss. “Devastatingly beautiful.” Kiss. “I can’t get enough of you.” Kiss. “I can’t believe you’re mine.” Kiss. “I can’t believe I get to spend the rest of my life with you.” Kiss. “I love you.” Kiss. “I love—”

“Okay, okay!” She pushed him away from her, her face burning. She was positive her skin was the colour of her robes. Clearly, inebriated Zuko was also very dramatic. “You can’t just say these things,” she murmured, averting her eyes in embarrassment. Her heart was beating entirely too fast for comfort—he really needed to stop making her feel these embarrassingly mushy, sappy, and entirely too positive emotions. At least not in public.

She was suddenly all too aware of Aang and Sokka’s presence. Great.

She groaned, putting her face in her hands. He laughed, pulling her into him again. “God, for how deadly you are, you really are adorable.”

She melted into him. She supposed she could really see herself marrying this guy.

miss you terribly - maiko week '24 day 2

prompt - separation. in which zuko (accidentally) sends mai a bunch of letters while traveling. still pathetically in love.

Spending time away from Mai was hard. That was, Zuko thought, a universal truth.

Needless to say, Zuko hated spending time away from her, but, much to his dismay, with him being the newly appointed Firelord (with a mission of uniting the four nations and bringing peace, no less), he had a lot of political affairs to take care of, which included far too much traveling and time away from his darling. So, to combat the pure, unfathomable agony that was having to sleep in a bed all lonely and alone and in his lonesome—he deserved massive compensation and many pats on the back for surviving these trying times, truly— he’d taken to writing letters.

At first, he had started writing them as a way to fill his time and cope with the boredom of traveling alone, and he would just keep them in a small pocket in his luggage— that is, he was too shy to send them to her. He knew that, rationally, it shouldn’t have been a big deal. It was normal to send letters to your significant other when you were away, dammit! But he still couldn’t let go of that small part of him that was afraid she would, worst case scenario, think it was weird and corny, or, best case scenario, wouldn’t care much for the notion altogether.

He knew that that, too, was completely irrational. Irrational to an embarrassing extent, even.

Mai loved and accepted him. She’d shown that time and time again. She’d supported him and stood by him through the worst times of his life. Times when, he thought, he absolutely did not deserve that unconditional love from her. He still thought he didn’t deserve that, sometimes. So thinking she would judge him for writing letters was just plain stupid honestly, but for now, he was satisfied keeping them hidden.

“Firelord Zuko,” his personal assistant called out, interrupting his train of thought. He sighed and put away the piece of parchment he’d just finished signing off; it was another letter. The fourth or fifth one this week, if he had to guess. Not that he was setting aside time daily to write them or anything. Or that he’d started that ritual months ago, and by now had probably accumulated over a thousand letters. Totally not that whatsoever. Absolutely not.

“Come in.”

“Sir, you are required in the meeting hall.”

He held back the urge to snort. Yeah, sure, require him in the meeting hall, why don’t you?

He shoved the letter among a small stack of papers on his desk, official documents he’d have to send out and such. It was frustrating when fellow nation leaders treated him like a child. Sure, he was only eighteen, but it seemed that everyone conveniently forgot that he practically saved the world with the Avatar.

“I will be right with you,” he replied tightly, effectively dismissing his assistant.

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

Mai was in her chambers when she got a knock on the door, and Ty Lee, who was hanging out with her that day and had stepped out momentarily to retrieve a package that had just arrived in the mail, told her that something had arrived for her.

A stack of letters.

“From Zuko?” she asked, repeating what her friend had just said in confusion.

“Yup!” Ty Lee grinned and tossed the large stack of envelopes onto her friend’s bed. “Boyfie’s clearly been missing you then.”

Mai smiled, huffing out an amused breath. She’d wondered if he’d ever get the courage to send her those letters.

She’d stumbled upon some letters a while back, when Zuko had asked her to retrieve something from his room, and she ended up accidentally looking through the wrong set of drawers. She didn’t read them of course, though she’d noticed they were all addressed to her and dated over something like seven months’ time, out of respect for him.

So it was safe to say she was at least a little happy that he’d sent her some. Mai excitedly grabbed the letters, unable to hold back the giddy grin on her face. She had really missed him. “I’m so glad,” she said truthfully, counting the envelopes in her hand.

“Oh, my God, this must be, like, a letter for everyday he’s been gone,” Ty Lee said in amazement, having been counting along with her friend. “See? I told you you had nothing to worry about!”

Mai smiled, blush rising on her cheeks. Ty Lee was referring to a concern Mai had brought up to her earlier. She was talking about how it kind of upset her when Zuko would go on trips without her and they’d have to go so long without any form of contact. She knew he enjoyed writing letters, and that to him, it wasn’t just one of those things he did out of necessity. He appreciated the intimacy of exchanging handwritten letters, said there was something special about getting to see the little ink splotches, the differences in penmanship, the scratched out words and phrases when someone has a change of mind, the misspelled words, even the different type of paper everyone used said so much about them.

“So then why doesn’t he send me any?” she’d complained to Ty Lee, burying her face in her pillow, frustrated.

Mai was the type to bottle her feelings, and she wasn’t really much for having heart-to-hearts. Of course, she was always willing to lend a listening ear to her friends, and was very empathetic and caring, contrary to what people might think, but she rarely talked about her own feelings. She’d always been that way, never really knew how to articulate her feelings well, and felt weird doing it, too, so at some point she’d just stopped trying altogether.

So for her to be telling Ty Lee about this right now really spoke to how hurt she must’ve been feeling, even if she wanted to play it off as some casual thought that had occurred to her.

Ty Lee had told her that she was probably just overthinking it and that there was nothing to worry about, but she’d felt incredibly for her friend.

“Well, I’ll leave you to read those.” Ty Lee winked at Mai, grinning. “I need to head back now anyway.”

Mai frowned, not wanting her friend to leave so soon, but Ty Lee insisted that she really did need to go, so Mai begrudgingly walked her out. Once back in her room, though, Mai shut the door and jumped onto her bed, grabbing for the letters again.

She gingerly opened the first one and started reading.

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

Mai,

How are you, my love?

I trust that everything is well over at the Fire Nation, mostly because no one has sent me any concerning correspondences, but more than that, I trust you wholeheartedly. More importantly, though, I hope you’re doing well.

I, for one, am not.

I miss you terribly. This trip so far has been unbearable, and I wish very badly that you were here. At least then these meetings wouldn’t be as utterly boring. Did you know that they wish to impose sanctions on cabbage selling here? I thought it was quite the odd thing to take issue with, at first, but apparently there is a ‘bigger picture’ or something.

Anyway, today is our half-anniversary. And I know you don’t get the concept of half-anniversaries, because ‘why celebrate prematurely?’—yes, I am still salty about that— but I still think it is worth celebrating. I think love is always worth celebrating, especially ours. This is why I thought of sending over a gift anyway, but I was afraid it would get lost on the way.

Regardless, happy half-anniversary. I love you and I miss you and I cannot wait to get home so I can look at your pretty face.

Yours always,

Zuko

˗ ♡ ˗

Mai,

Did you know that some turtleducks can live up to thousands of years? I learnt that from a particularly riveting trivia book I found in our library, years ago. It was back when we had broken up, that one time. I was so miserable I filled my time with reading through the palace’s collection of books. Some were admittedly a lot more entertaining than others, but I ended up amassing a lot of random facts about wholly unrelated topics, so I wouldn’t say it was a complete waste.

For example, did you know that kissing someone you love prolongs your lifetime exponentially? As in, the more kisses the better.

Okay, I totally just made that up as an excuse to get more kisses, but you believed it for a second there, didn’t you? It sounds believable enough, if you ask me. (And hey, better safe than sorry, right?)

There’s really no purpose for this letter, if I’m completely honest. There’s nothing for me to report on, and there’s nothing specific on my mind I want to share with you or anything, but I believe there is something to be said about the beauty in the mundane; something about being able to appreciate the ordinary things with the people you love most. Something about those meaningless conversations where the sound of a lover’s voice matters more than what they’re actually saying. Something about listening for the sake of listening. Loving for the sake of loving. Ceaselessly and unconditionally.

I don’t think I could ever tire of hearing you talk.

Yours always,

Zuko

˗ ♡ ˗

Mai,

I suspect this will be a shorter letter, because I really only have one thing to tell you. I don’t think I say it enough, and even though I don’t presently plan on showing you these letters, I think I’d like to say it anyway.

Thank you.

Thank you for being there. Thank you for staying. Thank you for not giving up on me even when you had every right to. Thank you for loving me, even when I don’t deserve it. Thank you for allowing me to love you. Thank you for accepting my love. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for showing me time and time again that I don’t need to constantly try so hard around you, but still unintentionally pushing me to be my best regardless. Thank you for putting me in my place when I’m an asshole. Thank you for calling me out on my shortcomings, but always being impossibly loving about it. Thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for laughing at my jokes. Thank you for staying up to talk on those nights I can’t sleep. Thank you for soothing my worries away when they get too suffocating. Thank you for listening. Thank you for talking.

I could go on, but I probably don’t have enough paper on me right now, so I’ll settle for saying this: Thank you for existing. You’re my favourite person, by a long shot. I love you. I’m glad you exist.

Yours always,

Zuko

˗ ♡ ˗

Mai,

What do you think about marriage?

I know we’ve talked about this before, but it always seemed like a faraway possibility. We were so young then, but now, we’re, well… older..?

God, I suck at this.

What I’m trying to say is: Are you still open to the idea of marrying me?

This is not me proposing, of course, but it has admittedly been on my mind a lot lately. To clarify, I know we’re in it for the long haul. I am absolutely and utterly and hopelessly devoted to you, marriage or not. I don’t care about titles, for I don’t think any official title could add to or take away from the brilliance of our love. I am yours as long as you will have me.

But sometimes I worry I am depriving you of something you might long for. So, please, answer me this. Would you do me the honour of marrying me, someday? It could be extravagant, full of big, fancy fruit tarts or whatever it is you may desire, or it could be a private affair with just us. Whatever it is, I am at your service. That is, of course, only if you want to. I don’t think I need an official document to prove what I feel for you (though I think it may be beneficial for you on a political front, too, with me being Firelord and all?), but if it is something you desire, I would be more than happy to oblige.

This letter is weird, and I suppose this is me saying that I want so desperately to marry you. I love loving you, and I want to be able to do it until my last breath, if you’ll allow me. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’m glad you exist. I am forever and always—

Yours,

Zuko

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

And so the letters went on. They varied in length and content. Some had her laughing and blushing, while others had her heart aching.

She concluded that these letters were probably sent mistakenly, but she realised she didn’t really mind. He was bound to have noticed this by now, so it was only a matter of time before he sent some indication of that. Either in the form of another letter, or just him coming home and them having a conversation about this.

It would probably be the latter, though, if she was honest.

Unless… A thought occurred to her.

She was going to write a letter of her own.

She let out a quiet giggle, he was so not gonna see this coming.

Pulling out a piece of her really special letter paper (the kind she only saved for really special occasions), she sighed, her mind already constructing and reconstructing the letter she was going to write. When she began writing, she realised why Zuko liked exchanging letters so much. It was much more special than she’d anticipated.

Maybe—hopefully—they’d make this a habit. She really loved this boy, didn’t she?

----

@/kvohru on twt & ao3!

absolutely ravishing - maiko week ’24 day 3/4

prompts - jealousy / parents

inspired by this tweet by kvohru 'maiko headcanon zuko puts baby izumi's hair into mai's buns anytime he pisses mai as a way of silly apology/getting her to soften up & talk to him WALK WITΗ ΜΕ' in which maiko go to a party and mai feels left out. baby izumi is the cutest. zuko is a good father. amongst other things lol.

It was a lovely, sunny morning, and Mai was pissed off.

Normally, this wouldn’t have been anything out of the ordinary—after all, she was famously ‘angry at the world’, but this was different. Today, Mai was pissed at the Firelord.

Also known as her husband.

He was, admittedly, unsure as to what he’d done to warrant her annoyance today, but he didn’t want to risk upsetting her further by asking. God, no. He’d rather pluck every hair off his body than have Mai think he was an inattentive, dismissive, careless husband who didn’t care about his gorgeous, beautiful wife! He was better than that, thank you very much. So he did the next best thing and tried to rack his brain, thinking over his actions over these past few hours.

Okay, he thought, pulling out a teapot from the cupboard. This mood started at, like, 8 pm last night? He put on some water to boil, falling into that familiar rhythm of making tea.

Because he was the Firelord, he rarely had the chance to do things for himself, and while that was an insane privilege he frankly enjoyed, it was nice to take a break from everything and just be with his family, away from the hubbub of the palace.

Hence this vacation at Ember Island.

The moment he realised he had a few off-days in his calendar, he decided to plan for him and his wife to go on vacation.

He let the teapot boil and started on breakfast. Rice for the rice porridge, what remained of the dumplings and steamed buns they’d bought, and whatever else he could find. Oh, and eggs and chopped fruit for baby Izumi.

He smiled at the thought of their pudgy little 9 month old. She was just starting to speak, though that mostly came in the form of incoherent babbling with the occasional Mama. Yeah, she called them both Mama.

And yes, Zuko was a teensy bit sulky about that, but I digress.

Just as he was about to put his hair up and start on breakfast, he heard that distinct baby voice he was just thinking about. He glanced at the clock— yup, 7.30 a.m., on the dot. Izumi was awake.

Right now, it was usually a race with time. He had a very short window of time before Izumi’s good-tempered giggles would turn into wailing screams, and he was determined not to wake Mai up any earlier than she needed to be.

She was on vacation and she deserved to rest.

Also, she was mad at him. So. He really didn't need to make it worse for himself.

“I’m coming, darling,” he called out in a whisper when he was close enough, crossing the distance in long strides. At the sight of that little girl in her crib, all chubby limbs and big golden eyes, he smiled and reached to grab her. “Hi, baby,” he whispered, nuzzling into that space between her cheek and shoulder and kissing her. “D’you sleep well?”

She made an incoherent baby noise and happily grabbed a strand of his long hair, which was, positively, one of her favourite pastimes, it seemed. He winced, regretting not putting it up earlier. “Let’s get you changed,” he said, trying to untangle her fingers from his hair— that is, trying to undo that vice-like grip babies seemed to have. I mean, at least that meant her fine-motor skills were good? Pincer grip, and all, right?

She didn’t let go. He sighed.

“Sweetheart, you need to let go so I can get you out of this nasty diaper.”

She didn’t budge.

“Don’t you wanna change so we can surprise Mama with breakfast? We won’t have time if you keep this up.” Just as he had begun to suspect that reasoning with a nine month old was a lost cause, she actually let go.

“Mama!”

“Oh, of course that’s what gets you to let go!” He clicked his tongue.

She giggled again, and, instead of grabbing his hair, she valiantly took to doing her other favourite pastime. Which was just, like, smacking him on the face repeatedly.

Think like, someone clapping their hands, but instead it’s just his face between her hands.

Since he was almost always on morning duty, this was more or less how every morning went.

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

Finally, after much trials and tribulations (i.e. Zuko violently getting his hair pulled and cheeks pinched), Izumi was changed into an adorable onesie and strapped into her high chair in the kitchen.

Oh, also, the water had completely evaporated in the time it took them to do all that, so he needed to refill the teapot. “What would Uncle think if he sees this,” he grumbled, opening the window to let the steam out.

Now that that was all over with, he was again plagued with the fact that Mai was mad at him, and he didn't know why! So, being the mature Firelord he was, he decided to take that issue to council.

“Your mom is mad at me,” he said to Izumi, quickly tying his long hair back and away from his face, in a loose bun at the bottom of his head, and rolling up his sleeves.

Izumi babbled excitedly and kicked her feet at the reference of her mother. “Mama!”

“Yup, that’s the one,” Zuko agreed, chuckling. He pulled out a bamboo steamer and started preparing the dumplings and steamed buns, planning on letting them steam while he washed and cooked the rice. “Anyway, as I was saying, Mama is mad at me, but I don’t know why. I tried asking her last night, of course, but she said she was ‘fine’, which is, obviously, a blatant lie.”

He cut up some fruit on a plate for Izumi to hold her off while everything else was ready. He had approximately twenty minutes until Mai got up, which he figured would be enough.

“I can’t really recall doing anything to upset her last night, and I don’t even know when she got upset, you know? She was fine and then she suddenly wasn’t!” He finished washing the rice and transferred it over to a pot to cook. Drying his hands, he continued, “But” —he turned to Izumi seriously, crouching down to her eye level— “of course, me not remembering or knowing why Mai is upset does not mean that I am not at fault!” He cupped Izumi’s cheeks, interrupting her mid-chew. She grinned happily at him with her whopping six (!) teeth. (New development, by the way). He continued, determined to set a good example for his daughter, “Even if I don’t understand why Mama’s upset — even if she has told me, and I still don't get it — she still deserves an apology, because at the end of the day, I upset her, and that’s all that matters. Understood, Firelord Izumi?” He playfully pinched her little nose (which was identical to her mother’s), and she giggled, reaching for him with fruit-sticky hands.

“Anyway…” and so he continued, thinking out loud with his daughter and trying to puzzle out the reason for his darling wife’s anger at him, all while making breakfast for their family of three.

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

“Mai, come on, we'll be late!” Zuko called out, fastening his red robes around his waist.

“Well I don't know what to wear!” she called back from her place in the closet, frustrated.

“It doesn't matter! You look—”

“—And I love you, but you telling me that ‘I look beautiful in everything’ does not help!”

Zuko sighed. He'd dressed himself and Izumi in the time it took for his darling wife to… affectionately, make a mess of their closet and complain about having nothing to wear.

Placing Izumi in her little chair, he said with an affectionate roll of the eyes, “Yeah, yeah, I'm coming.”

“Is this good?” Mai asked, bashfully, when Zuko rapped his knuckles on the closet door and walked in, leaning against the doorframe.

He breathed out. She looked beautiful.

She was wearing a long, pretty, dark red dress that hugged her curves and flared out at the bottom. It had a row of buttons that sloped from the neckline down to her side, and dainty golden embroidery that matched her eyes and the gold and red fan earrings she wore. Her hair was in the usual hairstyle she'd adopted in her adult years— half of it in an elegant bun at the back of her head towards her nape, and the rest in two strands over her shoulders and down over her chest.

He noticed she put two beautiful gold pins through the bun.

“Do you like it?” she asked again, and he had an inclination her rosy cheeks weren't just due to an excess of powder blush. She adjusted it over her hips. “Is it too tight? It doesn't fit the same since” —she bit the inside of her cheek, averting her eyes and smoothing the fabric over her stomach— “Izumi.”

Zuko moved closer, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her against him. Her hands went to his chest automatically, a familiar affection built over years of being together. “You look,” he rasped, hoisting her up by her waist and wrapping his arms around her middle, “absolutely ravishing.”

He craned his neck and caught her bottom lip between his teeth, kissing and gently tugging back. She wrapped her legs tighter around her and grinned despite herself, cupping his cheeks and looking down at him. One thing she enjoyed about being carried was the limited height she gained over Zuko.

She leaned down and kissed him again, their lips interlocking in an easy embrace. “Are you sure? You're not just saying that to get me to hurry up?” He could still hear a hint of unsurety in her low, raspy voice.

“Positive,” he responded in kind, slanting his lips over hers, “but if you don't want to go…” his hand slipped down her back to her ass.

She rolled her eyes without any heat, picking up on his very obvious implication. “Alright, horndog. Hands off.” She hopped down and adjusted her dress before looking up at him through her lashes and, teasingly, parroting back, “We'll be late.”

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

The sight Mai was met with when she walked downstairs was, she thought, a sight she could never get bored of. It was such a quintessential picture of domesticity she, at one point in her life, could've never imagined would've been hers.

Her husband in the kitchen making breakfast while their daughter sat beside him, babbling incoherently the way babies did.

“Really?! And what after that?” he asked animatedly, humouring said daughter while still focused on the plate he was assembling. Mai exhaled softly, leaning against the doorframe and just watching.

Watching her husband’s overly focused face as he diligently placed the fresh steamed buns onto a plate using chopsticks, a furrow in his dark brows and his hair tied back, all the while nodding along with Izumi’s story (which was, of course, all adorable gibberish).

And Izumi, who was sitting in a high chair and shoving eggs into her mouth using her entire fist, no doubt making a mess around her. What struck her though was Izumi’s hair, which was in two little buns at the sides of her head, and the front was smoothed over her head in a silly imitation of a fringe.

Mai bit back a smile.

This was obviously Zuko’s attempt at recreating Mai’s infamous hairstyle on their daughter. Which was a regular occurrence.

“Mai!” Zuko had finally noticed her.

Even after all these years of being together, and a whole child together, he still had a way of lighting up so genuinely every time he saw her. And no, this is not a firebending pun.

The way his eyes widened in an almost child-like excitement and his immediate awestruck kind of smile that made him resemble his sixteen year old self were almost enough for her to forget the fact that she was upset with him. Almost.

He set down the food, which was all ready now, and wiped his hands before walking up to her. “Sleep well?” he asked gently, tilting her chin up to kiss her. His touch was feather-light, so she could tell he was hesitant. Clearly, he hadn’t nor was he pretending to have forgotten about her mood, so. One point for him.

She let him kiss her, and she kissed back, because over their years of being together, one of the things she realised was that dealing with conflict did not mean that they had to rescind their love from each other— and especially for them two, whose primary language was physical touch.

“I slept pretty well,” she replied, her raspy voice full of that polite disinterest most people were used to hearing from her. To someone else, maybe, this wouldn't have been any cause for concern or anything out of the ordinary, but Zuko was immediately alarmed.

He could always tell.

So she's still upset. That was fine. He hadn't really expected otherwise. In fact, this was good for him, because there was no chance she could dismiss his questions about it now and say that ‘Oh, it's nothing, don't worry about it’.

They sat down to eat, and after a moment of awkward silence that made him feel like a seventeen year old in an argument with his girlfriend (also Mai) again, he broke.

“What did I do?” he blurted out. It wasn't an accusatory or patronising or deliberately obtuse question in any way. He sounded painfully earnest. “I know I did something to upset you, but I just… don't know what it is. I'm sorry. I tried to think, but I still don't know. I love you. Please tell me.”

If any of his friends could see him right now, the high and mighty Firelord, practically (unintentionally) giving his wife puppy eyes, they'd probably say he was pathetically in love.

And they'd be right.

Mai sighed and put her chopsticks down.

Another thing she'd realised over the years was that, as corny as it sounded, communication really was key. There was no use going in circles and beating around the bush and waiting for the other person to figure it out. Sometimes—most times—you just needed to have the conversation and move on.

Butttttt that doesn't mean that she didn't enjoy making him sweat sometimes. Most times.

“Last night,” she supplied. “At the party.”

“Yeah, I figured,” he responded without missing a beat, spooning a bit of dumpling into Izumi's mouth. “Good, huh?” He grinned when she got all excited and signed more. He directed his attention back at Mai, “Sorry. Keep going, baby.”

She feigned frustration, turning her face away from him while stroking Izumi’s hair, playing with the tiny buns. The feeling of the soft sprouts of hair between her fingers almost made her crack a smile. She knew it was Zuko's way of softening her up, but she didn't crack, wanting to make him sweat a little longer.

She shrugged nonchalantly, saying, “Your little… girlfriend was there last night. You didn't tell me she'd be there.”

He blinked. “Jin?!”

Mai scoffed. “Still on a first name basis, huh?” She shook her head in bewilderment, muttering, “You'd think the Firelord would have some respect for his wif—”

“Darling,” he breathed, interrupting her, in so much theatrical disbelief she almost laughed. He was so dramatic. He left his chair and immediately went to kneel in front of her, taking her hand in his.

Out of everything he could've guessed, it never would've been this. Mai was never jealous—not of his old girlfriends (just the one), that is. And of course, he wasn't faulting her for that or anything, but it was just… unexpected.

They'd met Jin the previous night unexpectedly at the party, and having already been well acquainted years ago (and having gone to Jin's wedding and having invited her to theirs, and having had Jin visit them on numerous occasions, the most recent being Izumi's birth), he'd safely assumed that speaking to Jin was fine. Right?

I mean, come on, Jin and Mai were closer than Jin and Zuko ever had been! They'd gone on one date, for God's sake!

But he wouldn't dare discredit Mai's feelings, no matter what.

“Did I say something specific that upset you? Or was it just the fact that I was having a conversation with her to begin with?” he asked, stroking her cold knuckles with his thumb, the contrast between their body temperature making him want to just scoop her up and take her to their bed to warm her up. In any means necessary.

Again, his question was nothing more than earnest.

“I… don't know,” Mai answered honestly, because even though she thought she didn't really care, she realised that she really was a little hurt, still. She had, of course, had time to think about it the previous night in the shower, and she'd come to the conclusion that while, yes, she was a little hurt at him barely paying any attention to her the whole night, busy both with Jin and everyone else who kept flanking him for a chance to speak with the Firelord, it was mostly the hormones speaking and after taking a little time to cool down, she understood that her feeling left out didn't mean that he was intentionally leaving her out. “I guess I just felt a bit jealous. And left out.”

“Mai…”

She squirmed. Even after all these years, she still felt that vague discomfort in the pit of her stomach when vocalising her feelings.

She rushed to say, “I know it's nothing and that you love me and that you're the Firelord and it's your duty to—”

“I am your husband before I am the Firelord,” he fiercely interrupted and pulled her down to join him on the floor. The gentleness of his touch contrasted the tone of his voice, both determined and desperate. “I am yours before I am anyone else's. My duty is to you, first and foremost, and I was wrong to neglect you in a party I brought you to. We came here to relax— to enjoy time away from all that Firelord bullshit, but I still found away to sink back into that role.”

“Zuko,” she said quietly with a hint of a smile, leaning into him and looping her arms around his neck, “it really isn't that big of a deal.” She kissed him sweetly once, his arms instantly going around her and pulling her closer against him. “I was just hormonal.” Then with an adorably teasing smirk that Zuko wanted to kiss off her face, she jested, “You can stop with the melodrama now.”

He huffed a laugh and spoke sincerely against her lips, “Still. I don't care if it was ‘the hormones’. I still upset you, and I'm sorry.”

“It wasn't a big deal,” she insisted, but deep down, she was really glad he cared so sincerely for her feelings.

“Don't care. I'm still sorry.”

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the smile and the rumble of laughter in her chest. “Fine, you drama queen.” She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. “I forgive you.”

He ran his tongue across her bottom lip, one side of his lips tugging up in a smirk. “So soon?” he murmured against her, slipping his fingers in her long silky hair. “I was ready to make it up to you.”

Before the kiss could escalate any further—their daughter was right there, hello?—Mai pushed Zuko away, laughing. “Are you in heat?” she asked, giggling.

He gave her a lopsided grin. “For you? Always.”

She shook her head with laughter and pulled him up to stand. They made a good couple.