firelord zuko and his sweet wife ;((
dark red sheets swallowed you and your husbandâs body as you slept together. his arms gently encircled your waist, his face pressed into the crook of your neck as per usual. zuko loved having you close like thisâjust beneath his fingertips. you were soft enough to squeeze and hug and kiss, grounding him even as he slept. your presence allowed him a peaceful rest, your warm body against his own a sensation he stated he couldnât live without.
he was so quiet when he was in bed with you, sleeping through the night like a baby. at least, thatâs what you had thought.
the small jerk of his fingers against your stomach was enough to make you shift, the tips of his fingers tickling you through your night clothes. he was probably just shifting around as well, getting comfortable.
but then his lips pressed themselves directly against your shoulder, his grip around you suddenly growing tighter.
âzukoâŚâ you whined, voice laced with sleep and discomfort. zuko wasnât one to act erratic as he slept, generally silent and stillâŚbut now it seemed a flip had switched.
âsorry..âm sorry. stop..â he whispered against your skin, but heâŚhe didnât seem as if he was talking to you. more like toâŚhimself? someone else? his mumbled apologies woke you up, but before you even had a chance to turn around, to look at himâyou heard him choke out a sob. it was so suddenâso unusual you couldnât force yourself to move. zuko? crying? it wasnât something you could proudly say you saw oftenâor ever.
âdonât g-go, iâm sorry.â he cried, slow tears rolling down his cheeks and gradually soaking your top. you stilled in pure shock for a moment, blinking as if time had stopped.
he buried his face completely into your neck at the sound of your voice, letting his tears fall without resistance. he gripped onto you for dear life, the heat radiating from his palms out of emotion warming your skin.
you let him cry for a while after the realization set, allowing him quiet time without interruptions to justâŚget it all out. something you knew deep down he needed.
after a few minutes his breathing finally slowed, his tears subsiding as he held you in his arms. âiâm..iâm sorry.â this time he was talking to you, kissing your neck in apology.
he finally let you turn around to look at him, his cheeks all blotchy and pink from his own body heat, eyes red from crying. he looked soâŚvulnerable. never in your life had you seen him like this. a bit broken but still so desperate for your touch.
you cupped his cheek, wiping away a stray tear just below his eye. âwhat happened..?â
he let himself melt into your palm before shamefully replying, eyes fluttering shut to avoid the look heâd thought youâd give him.
â..itâs embarrassing.â
âzuko, itâs meâŚwhatâs wrong?â you murmured, gently pressing a kiss to his scar. he physically winced as if it hurt, knowing the pain had long faded, but something in the moment made him extra sensitive.
âit was just a nightmare..they happen sometimes, but they arenât this bad. not like today.â
âoh, my baby..â you sighed, immediately pulling him in towards your chest. you buried your hands into his hair and he breathed a sigh of relief, his own hands pressing into your back to bring you impossibly closer in response.
âi didnât mean to wake you this timeââ
âwhy? why didnât you tell me before?â you kissed his head, slowly stroking his scalp with your nails.
âi didnât want to be a burden.â he confessed, running his fingers up and down your spine to soothe himselfâand you. âi know how i amâŚi ..i couldnât do that to you.â
your poor baby. your precious husband couldnât even get himself to open up to you about something that effected him so much. it was heartbreaking.
âyou can speak to me about anything. always. i love you.â you started, pulling away slightly to look him in the eye. âi didnât write my own vows for you to take them as a joke yâknow?â
he finally smiledâeven if it was just a tiny quirk of his lipsâyou made it happen. âno..you didnât.â
âmhm..â you hummed, leaning in ever so slowly before pressing your lips against his own. he moved his mouth back almost instantly, letting out a small noise of defeat when you pulled away.
âwe have to get back to bed, zuko. you wonât get up on time tomorrow..â you chuckled, tucking a sliver of hair behind his ear. he looked so beautiful, so peaceful now.
âyouâre right, i wonâtâŚbut thatâs what my dear wife is for.â
illiâs notez; first time writing for atla donât bully me âšď¸âšď¸âšď¸âšď¸âšď¸ i havenât seen the new movie yet either but these leaks made me sooo excited eheheh :333 zuko is literally younger meâs bf and with this fandom revive i had to get tonwritin ;(( im so hypednfornall the new fics other writes r making too omgogmgogm ok let me stop