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Title: adage
Fandom: Avatar
Characters: Mai/Zuko, Azula
Rating: PG
Word Count: 519
Spoiler Warning: Spoilers for The Boiling Rock
Summary: There is an old Fire Nation adage - the nail that sticks up is quickly hammered down. Mai thinks of it often, as a reminder to keep her mind busy.
Mai does not watch him leave.
It is dawn, and she stares at her wall imagining that she can see the boat setting off from the harbor into the gray mist of the unknown, none brave enough to mark its passage. She imagines that she can see the ship’s disgraced passenger, face forever destroyed in a flash of fire and melting flesh that nobody will ever speak of but those who witnessed will always remember.
She wishes she were brave enough to watch him go.
There is an old Fire Nation adage – the nail that sticks up is quickly hammered down. Mai thinks of it often, as a reminder to keep her mind busy.
She may be young, but she is a sensible girl, and sensible girls do not think about disgraced princes. Every memory and regret is packed away behind a blank face and a cool stare, only allowing herself a vague, bored dissatisfaction. Anything else will incur consequence.
Mai tells herself that if only he had listened and known his place, if only he had kept himself in check, he would be here now, and things would be better. She wishes, wistfully and without any real substance, that he could forget his pride and make his amends, and things would be better.
She knows that she is lying to herself.
She does not dare to hope. That, too, is dangerous.
At dinner that night, her mother gives her a strange, curious stare, but Mai keeps her face carefully blank. She has her mother’s wellbeing and her father’s and uncle’s career to think of, and she will not imperil those with dangerous hopes.
She is just another nail, and unlike him, she dares not stick up.
Mai’s eyes lock onto the moving gondola, as it nears its destination, and she imagines that she can see a pair of gold eyes and a long shock of dark hair.
At least this time, she can watch him leave.
This is suicide, and she knows it. Azula is already stepping off of the second gondola, Ty Lee close behind, confusion and anger – cold, cruel, uncontrolled anger – shining clearly through her eyes.
“Leave us alone,” she demands, and she is obeyed. Her eyes lock on Mai. “I never expected this from you.”
Mai looks up at her princess and her friend.
“The thing I don’t understand is why. Why would you do it? You know the consequences.”
Mai knows them all too well. All her life, she has lived with them.
She is done living a life of fear and consequence and lies.
“I guess you just don’t know people as well as you think you do,” Mai says, and there is a bitter taste of triumph at finally speaking out, at living unafraid. “You miscalculated. I love Zuko more than I fear you.”
The anger overtakes Azula, and she readies her attack.
“No, you miscalculated! You should have feared me more!”
Mai raises her blade.
She is no longer just another nail. This time, she dares to stick up.
Title: journey
Fandom: Avatar
Characters: Mai/Zuko
Rating: PG
Word Count: 454
Spoiler Warning: Spoilers for the end of the finale
Summary: Zuko is leaving again. Mai is unahppy.
Notes: This was to be the beginning scene of my fic-never-to-be that detailed Zuko's search for Ursa. But Bryke are already doing that, so I shall leave it in their capable hands, and just give you the scene.
Zuko packed – all of the practicalities of a long journey, things like extra sandals, and blankets for when the ostrich-horses chafed (one never knew what might come in handy, and his voyage could not be completed on foot alone.) The journey itself should be straightforward, now that he had the time to devote to it. His father had told him everything he wanted to know.
Still, without the luxury of sky-bison travel, he needed to be prepared. He would have liked the have the ease of zipping over the land, instead of spending tedious time going around the Earth Kingdom. But Appa went where Aang went and Zuko could not ask the Avatar to take this journey with him.
This was something he had to do alone.
He was so absorbed in his packing, that he didn’t notice that the door was standing open until a moment later when he looked up, perplexed by the draft. The young Fire Lord let out a rather unbecoming yelp, and fell flat on his butt in surprise.
The dark-haired young lady, dressed in somber silks, repressed a smile. Zuko grinned at her appearance.
“Mai,” he said, a little bit uneasily. “What are you doing here?”
Mai simply arched an eyebrow at his packing. “Going somewhere?” she asked. Despite her non-committal tone, Zuko knew that she was Not Happy with him.
“I… uhh…” Zuko groped for words. “I was just… uhh… checking some… stuff.”
Mai gave him a stern look, and Zuko looked away, ashamed that he had lied to her.
“I need to go somewhere,” he said somberly.
“What did I tell you when I took you back?” Mai demanded menacingly, and Zuko gulped at the way she punctuated her words. “Never break up with me again.”
“What? I… I didn’t mean-“
Mai’s stern look softened. “And that means you aren’t leaving me behind again, either,” she said. “Honestly, Zuko.”
Zuko wavered between refusal – he had planned to take this journey alone – and gratitude – that she would want to accompany him.
“It’s going to be a long journey,” he conceded.
Mai smiled. “I know,” she said.
Briskly, Zuko turned back to packing. He would need to double his supplies, if Mai was to come along. The dark-haired girl knelt beside him, and her hand brushed his as she packed a coil of rope. For a moment, their hands lingered – just barely touching.
“We’ll find your mother,” she said, and the way she said it – in her calm, assured voice, that never spoke of frivolous things – comforted him beyond what he could say.
He smiled.
Although he hadn’t told her what it was he was searching for, he didn’t need to ask how she knew. She just did.
- Mood:
cheerful
Comments
The second fic is great, too, because in my imaginations of Zuko's journey to find his mother, Mai always refuses to let him leave her behind.
And I really hope Zuko brings Mai with him to find his mother. I don't think she's going to stand for being left behind again.
And I'm glad you liked the fics!
I was tearing up. Seriously, ugh, this is amazing.
Damn, I was writing a fic, and part of it is so similar to your first story... but yours is a million times better than what I could have done >_> No fairrrrrrrr.
But in all seriousness: I don't want you to see my fic when it's done and think I've copied you! I'm already half-way done writing anyway, so.
Seriously.
Uhh, great minds think alike? And TBR was so much epic win, there needs to be more fic about it?
I am so glad that you liked it, though!
OBVIOUSLY. Yeah it's just that that moment was so groundbreaking for Mai, I couldn't not include, you know?
The fic is for the
Uhh, no I am not. I found out about it too late.
-epic sigh-
I will watch avidly as fic appears, and give love all over the place.
In the second, I love how much the characters say without speaking. The relationship between Mai and Zuko really is largely wordless, and you captured that well.
I love how Mai and Zuko's relationship is told as much by gestures and looks as by words. It was what made me fall in love with the relationship in the first place (well, that and the oodles of emo love). So I am so glad that you like this, and find it satisfactory!