She cried when she said she’d been promised to another man.
Synopsis: Mai and Zuko get back together, Kataras the goat
warnings: forced marriage, cheating(not between Mai and Zuko and does it rlly count if it’s forced marriage :/), angst(?)
a/n: (gonna yap) Thought abt this after finding out the creator of the comics said mai and zuko get together 3 years after I also love the idea of Katara and Mai being good friends and it’s so funny that bc I was thinking abt this and i eventually ended up w the conclusion of them being together and I don’t hate that idea but I also just love a wlw ship and lastly I have a love hate rls with the whole “don’t marry him” trope especially if it’s like on the wedding day bc wtf did you wait so long and also it puts her in a sticky situation (for example belly and Conrad) but on the other hand it’s kinda like she would’ve been in a sticky situation anyway but I made sure to add a little bit of both perspectives bc I do get both sides (this is proofread btw)
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He thought about that day a lot, almost every day actually. He knew it was his fault, the lies, the secrets, they all drove her away. It’d been exactly 3 years since Mai had broken up with him. He could still remember the look on her face, tears swelling in her eyes looking down to avoid eye contact as he stared at her begging her to stay. It didn’t work, he was too late, he’d made his bed and now he had to lie in it.
He walked closer to her “Please Mai don’t do this”
He’d lost count of how many times he said that word
Her eyes finally met his, her hands cupping his face, thumb stroking his scar “Goodbye Zuko”
He’d been lying on his side staring at his wall just thinking about how he could mess up this much, it was almost pathetic.
After much contemplation, he decided he’d write, a letter, another letter. In the past three years, he wrote to her about 300 times, but he never received one back. He had no idea why he was still going, or even what the fuck he was writing about honestly, but he was just holding on to any piece of hope that she’d receive the letter and consider letting him love her again.
But for Mai this was torture. At first the letters came like a title wave. Every day, every week once a month, then every once in a while, and those hurt even more. Every time she thought she was getting better, getting over it, she’d receive another letter, an apology with a declaration of love, a plea for reconciliation. It only hurt so much because she really did still love him but she couldn’t deal with the lies and secrets. She too spent nights staring at the wall, rereading Zuko’s handwritten letters stained with her own tears. She kept every single one hidden underneath a box under her bed along with a gold necklace he’d given her that she never wore anymore.
Mai stared at the silver ring on her finger as she riffled through the hangers of clothes. Lost in thought and barely blinking until she heard her name
She turned over to face the person, eyes immediately widening in pure shock, it was Katara.
“Katara wow hi” Mai responded a little late.
Kataras eyes caught the ring and for some reason, an unexpected wave of embarrassment washed over Mai so she tried to tuck it away behind her back.
“Wow! You’re getting married?!” It was Katara’s turn to be shocked.
Mai responded bringing her hand out from behind her back fidgeting with it almost as if she was trying to hide it still “Yeah..” Her face was getting hot
“Who’s the lucky guy?” Her question came out in a stutter
“His name is Emun he’s umm a son of my parents' friends” Tears started to tickle her eyes, she was incredibly embarrassed.
Mai only chuckled in response
Katara studied the woman’s face “Are you happy?”
At that, her smile dropped, but she laughed again because if she didn’t she would end up crying “I’m getting married in 5 days Katara”
“That’s not what I asked” and she examined her face again, waiting for a reply, but it didn’t come. “Good luck Mai, Congratulations” she said before turning around to leave, and she really did mean it.
“Katara” she paused “I’m sorry”
Katara turned to face her again, she knew what she was talking about, Mai had moved all the way across the nation completely cutting everyone off.
“I understand” she stepped closer, opening her arms embracing Mai.
They stayed like that for a second and Mai let out a breath she’d been holding for 3 years.
She pulled away “We should’ve kept in touch more.”
“We will, and everything’ll turn out exactly how it should I promise”
Zuko stared at the glass sitting in front of him, half empty. He hated how sad he was all the time and how this had plagued him almost every day for the past 3 years.
“Hey” it was Kataras voice
He didn’t answer, just made a noise of acknowledgment and looked at her waiting for her to talk.
She took a deep breath, he already looked beaten down, how was she gonna tell him?
“Ummm” she paused then looked around the room filling her mouth with air then letting it all out “You know Mai is getting married?”
His body ran cold, his eyes widened, his stomach turned, and he could barely feel his hands. He couldn’t speak, what was there to say? Every bit of hope was crushed with this one sentence, he was finished, there was no going back the love of his life was gone.
“I think you should talk to her, like actually go and talk to her” Katara suggested
“And say what? She won’t wanna talk to me, I think she hates me now honestly”
“She doesn’t have to, but if you want even a sliver of a chance that’s a risk you need to be willing to take, either that or she gets trapped in a loveless marriage and you spend your whole life wondering what you could’ve done differently. I’m telling you right now what you need to do, you messed up once don’t do it twice.” Katara knew that was a little harsh but it didn’t matter he needed to hear it for his and Mai’s sake.
After some…research, courtesy of being the FireLord, he was making his commute trying to get to her as quickly as possible, scripting all the things he wanted to say the past 3 years.
By the time he had gotten there, the sun had begun to set, and it was raining…great.
His heart was pumping out of his chest as he raised his hand to knock on the door, and then he heard a thump, as something fell. He whipped his head around.
“Zuko?” Her eyes widened and immediately watered and her mouth opened slightly.
He said her name too but so quietly it was a whisper, almost like he didn’t believe she was real.
She was frozen with her rising and falling hard, but when he got about 4 feet away she stopped him “You need to leave”
He kept walking but slower now “Mai please just listen to me” he raised his hands slightly
“Please” he said again his voice slightly cracking as he got a really good look at her, she looked just as, if not, even more painfully beautiful than the day she left him.
He could see how heavily she was breathing now that he got up close.
She began “What are you doing here”
“I came to apologize” he answered almost before she could finish her sentence
“You did that” Her arms were crossed like a shield.
“And I’m still in love with you, I meant everything I said in those letters, I regret everything I did everything I didn’t tell you” he was rambling, his throat burned his voice cracked, his eyes were watering “Please” That was the only word that could come to mind
He ran his hand down her arm and grabbed hers, holding it up to look at the ring, he chuckled softly, Mai hated silver.
“I don’t know what you want me to say Zuko”
She tilted her head up as he got dangerously close to her face “Say that you don’t love me anymore, and that you love him and you never wanna see me again” he looked deep in her eyes then at her lips.
Her heart was racing, she started to shake her head, full on crying now “Of course I still love you” She paused “You’re so fucking selfish” She hit his chest “Why now after three years” She hit him again “I’m getting married in 2 days” Her voice was cracking as she repeatedly struck his chest.
He tried to stop her by grabbing her hands and pulling her into his chest.
It didn’t work “Leave”, she said sternly and shoved him away one more time, she looked him in the eye again with so much pain and love before walking inside her house.
He didn’t watch her leave he couldn’t do it, not again.
It was two days later and Mai was standing in front of the floor-length mirror, her hair up and pinned back in a bun, a long veil pinned to it. Her dress was white, with a train that flared out at the bottom band had straps that fell off the shoulder. She didn’t even recognize the woman who was staring back at her numbly. Her thoughts repeated in her head over and over ‘I can’t do this’ ‘I have to do this ‘I can’t do this’ ‘I have to do th-‘ there was a knock at the door
“Come in” she took a deep breath trying to pull herself together.
She kept her eyes on the mirror until she heard the door shut again then turned around. She froze.
“Mai” he let out her name like a pray, she looked perfect, he’d always imagined her in a wedding dress but never for anyone else, and that’s what hurt the most.
When her eyes met his she lost it, letting out a sob, she dropped to her knees clutching her chest.
He immediately rushed to her side dropping too to hold her.
“I don’t wanna do this” she continued sobbing.
He pulled her closer to her chest “I know”
Mai pulled back to look up at him their faces closer than she anticipated.
“You don’t have to” he cut off his own sentence by closing the space between that.
The kiss was filled with passion, their lips moving in perfect harmony. He cupped her face a little harsher deepening the kiss, he’d been craving this for the last 3 years.
He pulled away, looking in her eyes, “I love you Mai”
She looked at him too but took a second to respond, “I love you too Zuko” It wasn’t because she didn’t believe it, she just felt lost “Fuck, what am I gonna do”
“I’m gonna figure this out I promise” he promised pulling her back into his chest.
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