YOU ARE A BUSY MAN NOW.. fortunately for you zuko, your wife is always here for you.
after your wedding, the workload came crashing down on the firelord, not to mention being a father on the side really takes the energy out of him. thankfully, his loving wife was always there to ease the pain for him. NOTES: FIRST PART more jinshi themed yearning, its still sweet! maybe tad bit suggestive bc zuko is nat missing his opportunities! the events after the wedding scene happen after the events in the movie!, i gave their daughter a name btw. (in one of the scenes where reader was humming, she was humming this!)
PAIRING: FIRELORD!ZUKO X EARTH BENDER!READER WORD COUNT: 3.9K
The palace has been the busiest it has been in years. Months of preparation, planning, and even more came down when the date got closer to your wedding. To you, it felt surreal, even when you showed Katara the dress. But what reminded you it was all real were the tiny footsteps echoing through the halls.
You did your best to ease Zuko's stress, as, unfortunately for him, even though his big day was coming soon, he still had a nation to take care of. You checked up on him on nights he didn't return to bed, took some paperwork to split the workload for him, and even kept Mei from crashing his meetings.
Every time you both even have something as small as a simple glance, the more you want to just pull him away from everything and go back to when you both could do anything without a care in the world. But then again, those days weren't the best for you both either way.
Yet finally, the day came. Everyone was buzzing, smiles and glee covered the nation. The morning you woke, the sun kissed your face. You were back in your old room, the same bed that felt memories. Fun ones. A smile appeared as your mind went back, but soon the knocking on your door cut it short.
Your head turned in that direction, and before you could reply, the door burst open, revealing Katara and Toph accompanied by two maids. Their smiles and smirks told you everything you needed to know. And to be in the hands of two of your close friends for your special day, you could get past that.
In your head, it was all a blur, all the getting ready, the anticipation, and expectations were too much to stay present in your mind. Seated in your dress, you waited until the guards and maids were busy to pay attention to you, and made your grand escape, that is, to get some fresh air before it was your time.
Leaving the stuffy room took the weight off your chest. You really needed it. Your eyes took the pleasure in enjoying the decorated halls, taking in the scenery before it's gone. Your fingers grabbed your skirt, giving you the ability to walk with ease as you began your stroll. It was enjoyable until you heard a small commotion.
"Papa hair look stupid.." A tiny voice said. You knew the voice, of course, but the language wasn't appropriate. You shook your head, wondering where she learned that word, but a small smirk formed when you thought about yourself as the culprit.
"Don't say that, Mei. But you are right.. How did mama do this?" Your soon-to-be husband asked. You slowly approached the door, hand resting on the frame as you debated whether you should open it or not.
"Mama girl." Mei followed up.
"Hm."
You heard a sigh and a few shuffling. He muttered something that you couldn't quite catch, but what you did hear was the footsteps coming closer towards the door.
"Wait!" Your hand stayed on the door, causing Zuko to halt in his tracks.
"Dear? Why are you here?"
"I wanted some time to myself. Why aren't the maids there to help you?" You asked.
Silence followed until a soft mutter was heard.
"They were caught up with you, but I guess not anymore.."
Well, whatever blame you might receive, you'll take it.
"Do you want me to help you?" You brought up.
"Won't that defeat the purpose of holding out from seeing each other until the ceremony?" He asked, concern laced in his voice.
You forgot how strict he was for sticking to tradition. He doesn't want anything to go wrong on this day.
"But-"
"Just call the maids."
"No."
"Dear.."
You pushed open the door, and what you saw caused a laugh to escape your lips. Zuko was covering his eyes.
"I'm already here, I'll just do it." You stated, turning his frame and guiding him to where he was seated.
A sigh left Zuko's lips. No matter what it may be, that stubborn side will never leave you. It's part of your charm.
Your eyes made it onto your daughter as she stared at you with wide eyes and mouth ajar in surprise. You placed your finger on your lips, shushing her from ruining his wanted surprise.
Your attention went back on him, picking up the forgotten brush and doing your magic. Your daughter stood beside, on her toes, admiring your work, and when she heard the soft humming escaping from you, she followed.
Your fingers flowed through his hair, followed by every brush. You stared at him through the mirror in front of you all. His eyes were still closed, but this time his hands rested on the chair arm. You did his normal look, but it felt different, maybe because today is a change in life.
When he felt your fingers leave his hair, he slowly opened his eyes, but you covered them.
"Wait until I leave, unless you want to ruin your surprise."
You saw his face soften and a smile form.
"Now you care about surprise?"
.
.
.
After you left your family and calmed the scared maids, the ceremony finally came. As confident as a person you are, the nerves hit a bit. When you finally walked out, you locked eye contact with him. Not to be cheesy, but you saw him already, yes, but seeing him in this environment, waiting for you, slowed everything down for you.
And you're sure the same thing happened to him.
It was truly a special day.
That special day, the special moment, always stayed fresh, even after a few years. The painting on the wall will always remind you if you ever forget.
But right now, your mind was on your daughter. She was five years old now, and finally she can bend! It's exciting, yes, but as an earther bender, teaching a fire bender how to control her powers was a disaster in the making.
A sigh left your lips as you threw water on the burning chair. Unfortunately for you, Aang summoned Zuko at the same time Mei unlocked her powers, and it had to be firebending..
The differences in both bending are their mindset. Firebenders can struggle with their flame when their emotions are high. Earthbenders, it isn't about emotions but being firm, strong, and unbreakable.
One thing you can help with here is her emotions, but it's quite hard when she wants to learn her bending. She's impatient.
You placed the bucket down and made your way towards your daughter, but with her in the middle of her tantrum, with a yell, fire left her palms and was directed at you, but with quick movements, you moved the bucket to block the flames from hitting your face. You still thank Toph for teaching you metal-bending.
A gasp left her lips as she saw what she did, but her beat her to it first.
"You need to calm down. Throwing tantrums and crying won't teach you how to fire bend. You almost harmed me, it's okay." You said, firmly.
She curled up in a ball on the floor, but opened up when she felt your fingers on her shoulder. Her eyes looked up and stared back at you, tears threatening to fall.
"Cmon, get up, Mei." You softly said, pulling her up to her knees, but her arms wrapped around your leg, face stuffed in your dress.
Before you could do anything, your attention was then grabbed by the opening of the door. You looked and saw your husband, catching you by surprise.
"You're back already?" You asked out loud, but the scent of burning wood and his scared daughter caught his attention instead.
"What happened here?" He asked, walking more into the room.
Your eyes cast down to your daughter as fear crept into her, her grip tightening on your dress. Your palm rested on her head, and you looked up at your husband as his eyes widened a bit.
A sigh left his lips, and he walked up, slowly ripping her away from you. She avoided eye contact with Zuko, too ashamed of her actions. But Zuko wasn't going to blame her for anything.
He stooped to her level, forcing her to look at him, and gave her a small smile.
"I've done the same when I first got my powers, no need to be ashamed, Mei." He softly told her.
Her eyes lit up a bit by his words, watching him as he stood up and offered her his hand. She looked at you with glee before accepting it, sticking close to her father.
Zuko looked back at you, waiting for you to join them both. You nodded, joining them and walking out of the room together.
"Papa, how was your trip?" Mei asked, beating you to it.
Zuko looked down at the girl before answering.
"It was.. eventful to say the least." He muttered, a sigh following behind.
You gave him a look, one that was secretly asking what went wrong, but the one he gave you told you that it was a discussion for later. It made a small hum leave your lips.
"Mama and I had lots of fun here; the evil chamberlain did not like it," Mei explained, mostly to herself as she began to ramble nonstop, all the way towards her room.
She stopped when she noticed her familiar doors, and a frown appeared.
"Papa, you came home and are already locking me away?!" She complained, staring up at him with a glare.
"I will be back after I discuss things with your mother."
"Yeah, in the morning..." She muttered before disappearing into her room, closing the door behind her.
Zuko shared a look with her before muttering something about her attitude as she grew older, causing you to softly laugh under your breath.
Your hand found his as you both strolled along the halls, enjoying each other's silence. That is, until you spoke up.
"Why did Aang summon you?" You asked.
He didn't answer right away; instead, he dragged you out to a nearby balcony, the moonlight shining down on both of you.
Your eyes looked up, staring at the stars that twinkled back at you. Your husband's hand left yours, but you felt as he moved behind you, both palms resting on your shoulders.
He explained everything that had happened, the staff, the airbender, everything. The news of that horrible event, laced in his soft voice, broke you out of your trance, as worry and upset filled your face.
"All of that happened? Are you okay?" You asked, hands roaming his face and body. He took your hands in his, removing them and holding them in his.
"Do I look hurt?" He asked, locking eye contact with you.
You stared at him for a bit, eyebrows creased before a sigh left your lips.
"No.. But I don't like the idea of you in danger when I'm not there." You softly muttered.
"You had no choice, and if you weren't here, who knows what would've happened with Mei when she got her bending?" Zuko reassured.
The sound of that caused a groan to leave your lips. He's right, unfortunately.
You turned, back facing him as you stared off into the nation. It left Zuko with his thoughts for a bit. With Mei's bending being his element, it's his duty to help her control it.
He wants her to learn it the healthy way, not one driven by anger and emotion. Not the way he learned his. He doesn't want his daughter to go through what he did, not to be like his father.
The boop on his nose broke him from his thoughts as your finger and warm smile were in his sight.
"Let's head to bed now."
.
.
.
Zuko is the firelord, the nation's true hope. The one who brought it up from the horrors it was once locked down in. You were his wife, the one who helped him in the dark and light. With that, you both stabilized each other, balanced the load so no one would fall or break down.
But you felt that ever since you told him about your daughter's bending, he took the workload all for himself. To be fair, you don't fire bend, but you can help her with patience, and not rely on her emotions, as that's something familiar to you.
You always catch a glimpse of him either working on the nation's problem or working with Mei, never on a break. Not even a single thought of calling you in for help.
He doesn't dislike your stubborn side; he complains a bit. But if you complain, why cause it to come out?
It has been the 5th morning since he found out, and the 5th morning you have woken up with no husband beside you. It indeed ticked you off a bit.
So, you took it upon yourself to solve.
As you rose from your bed, you got ready. You didn't wait for any maids to assist; you were, before, a woman without a high reputation. You greeted the guards, but one thing they noticed they hadn't before was that the stoned, stern look on your face had returned after so long.
They shared a look with each other, then back at your back as you walked away.
"What did you think he did this time?"
"Ion know.."
.
Your heels echoed through the halls as you headed straight to the training room. You knew he would be in there, as you have yet to hear your daughter's loud outbursts, as usual.
As you opened the door, you saw them both training, a few burned training dummies here and there. To be honest, you found it heart-warming, but the sickly sleep-driven look on your husband's face reminded you why you were here.
Your eyes scanned the room, locating a few metal items, and you decided to use them. You used the bucket, placing it over your daughter's head with ease, and the other to knock your husband upside the head.
A gasp left her lips while a pained ow left his.
"Why is it dark?" Mei asked, looking around before placing her hand on the bucket, making a small oh to leave her.
Zuko looked at the door, hand holding the back of his head as he stared at you with a confused look. He recognised your expression and sighed.
"What's wrong now?" He asked, pulling the bucket off Mei's head.
"You're wrong." You simply stated, palm placed over the other as you glared at him.
"I am?"
You walked up to them, patting Mei's head, a smile on your face, but dropped it as you looked at your husband.
"Training every day is good for her, yes, but at least take care of yourself." You started.
He wanted to have a say, but you beat him to it.
"Not to mention, the heaps of work you do, when are you ever going to take a break?" You asked sternly.
"And don't say you don't need one." You added, cutting him off again.
Finally, he sighed and rubbed his face.
"She needs to learn the correct way to control her fire."
"Yeah, we know. But what about you? If you know you have work to get done, get someone else to teach her, or even skip training for a day."
He shook his head, about to speak, but again.. You beat him to it.
"No? Okay then." You ended, walking out of the room, leaving his mouth ajar and no room for words.
Mei looked up at her father, then at her mother, who had already left the room.
"Papa did an uh oh."
He looked down at his daughter while she looked up at him, covering her mouth.
"You're in trouble.." She muttered in a sing-song way.
"Yeah, I get that." He replied, leaving to catch up with you. He couldn't find you; he looked all over the palace for you, but found nothing.
That is, until a guard told him to head out to the aircraft. Horror filled his mind at the thought of you doing something so bizarre, running out in haste to catch up with you.
But as he made it out, metal wrapped around him, causing him to fall to the ground with a groan, leaving his lips.
"What the..?"
He grew quieter when he saw a pair of feet in his line of sight. When he looked up, he saw you with a perfect smile on your lips.
"You're finally here, love! Time for a vacation." You stated, picking him up with ease, which ultimately scared him a bit, but he remembered what kind of bender you are.
Too bad you hide your frame in the layers of clothing you wear every day. A lot would be shocked.
"Dear, what are we doing? Where are we even going?"
"That's not for you to know, only for me. You don't want to listen, but I'll always get my way. I am always right."
A sigh left his lips as you both entered the aircraft, you placing him on the floor with a soft hump, leaving your lips, then turning to face all the buttons and switches.
"To be honest, I have no clue how to fly this."
"Huh?" He looked up at your back, as he almost witnessed you about to press any random buttons, fear began to take over.
"Hey wait-"
"I'm kidding." You muttered, turning it on with ease, and fell into a trance.
He then figured it out. You were doing all this as payback, and honestly, he's where he wants to be.
It was no surprise in Zuko's eyes when Ember Island appeared in his view. At this point, you had already removed the metal around him, and he stuck right next to you for the whole ride. He knew that he had no say in turning back around; he didn't even ask how long you both would be there.
When the aircraft finally touched the ground, he guided you out, but you didn't come here for a vacation; you came here to give him the vacation. So before your feet, it's the last step; you stopped in your tracks, confusing your husband.
"What's wrong?" He asked, tilting his head and looking up at you.
"I can deal with myself. We're here to give YOU a vacation." You clarified. You placed a finger on his lips, then dragged him towards the beach house.
He stole a few glances, a small frown rested on his face, yet still let you guide him to wherever you want to. When he looked back in front, he saw the same house he had always seen every summer growing up.
"We should bring Mei here someday." He muttered.
"Mmm, we should." You answered back.
Fortunately, you have both been here frequently when you want to get away from everything, so things like clothes and other necessities are already dealt with.
You walked up beside him, soft face and warm smile. He looked down at you, a small sigh leaving him. Your smile grew even wider.
When you both finally made it into the house, you guided him into the room. You sat down, wanting him to follow, but already, exhaustion hit him, and Zuko found comfort in lying in your lap. The feel of your thighs reminded him of pillows, even if you are a bit firm.
Your fingers made it into his hair, taking out his bun and letting it all flow down. When he felt the looseness, he looked up, peeking through the bangs, and right at you. You guided your hands down his face, resting on his cheek, squishing it a bit before caressing it. Soon after, it fell down to his chin, perking it up, forcing him to look up at you.
He wrapped his arms around your waist, knees on the floor, and eyes locked up at you. The more you played with his hair, the more sleep hit him, and slowly, he drifted away, cheek resting on you and head deep into your lap.
.
.
.
When he woke up, it was already nighttime. He was alone on the bed, but he felt lighter, Lighter as in less clothing, not completely naked. The sounds of the water hitting the shores made him look outside, and then he finally understood why.
There you stood, in your beachwear, in the sand, enjoying the breeze. He came off the bed, already missing your touch and in need of more. You left him in his beachwear, already ahead of time. When you heard footsteps crunching in the sand, you looked behind and saw your husband, hair flowing in the breeze, kissed by the moonlight, looking back at you.
You stood up from your position, waiting for him to arrive. It wasn't the first time Zuko saw you in less clothing. In fact, you saw yourself, with none but anyway, every time he did, in fact, see you, without the millions of layers of clothing, all he does is stare in awe.
You may not go on the adventures you both did with the gang; in fact, you are a mother, taking care of your child. So when he sees you still in shape, after many events, you may not be built like him, but your muscles are still noticeable, soft, but seen. He's mainly just lost for words.
His trance broke when he saw you walking up to him.
"Are you still in there?" You asked. He blinked at you for a bit before resting his face between your neck and shoulder. His arms found home on your waist yet again, but this time, dragging you both down as his knees buckled.
A soft oof left you as your arm braced the fall a bit, and the other in his hair. You pulled it a bit for him to look at you. When you looked at him, it was as if you were looking at a puppy, the way he gave you those eyes.
You don't know when you both got up, but you found yourself in the water, it was cold, freezing even, but that didn't stop either of you, especially Zuko, with the way he wrapped his arms around you, frame overtowering yours. His wet hair stuck to his face, back, and chest. You felt his hand slightly squeezing your waist as the other squeezed your hips. His face was buried in your hair, not long though, as it fell down to your neck, leaving small nips and pecks.
You, arms gripping his larger ones as your back rests against his abs. Your head tilted, giving him more access as your eyes closed, eyebrows furrowed, and cheeks warmed from the sudden affection.
You felt him guide you both down, the water rising, and so did his hands. For a bit, you opened your eyes, you saw the stars, the moon, both reflecting in the waters. But soon, with the tug of your hair followed by a strong arm tilting your head, you saw the eyes of a yearning, hungry husband, finally getting what he had forbidden himself from getting.
So when you felt him pushing his weight onto you, you closed your eyes and accepted it. Maybe he will thank you for this surprise vacation.
