#Tom-Tom

[king-bumis-armpit]

Separation Anxiety

Written for Maiko Week 2024 - Separation

Summary: Mai takes Izumi to her family’s reunion, and Zuko stays home. It's a horrible time for both of them.

Author’s Note: I really thought I was going to stick to the prompt this time, but then the first part sort of got away from me. And I really had to hold back because my inner Kataang was about to unleash. I was about to write a whole mini-fic about them inside of this one, but I exercised restraint. I did not however exercise restraint on my thoughts about Mai’s upbringing. As a result, this is way longer than I intended. Oh well… I hope you enjoy! :)

TW: Anxiety about being parents and misogyny from Mai’s family members. I made Michi kind of awful. But there’s a happy ending, I promise!

WC: 4,276

Zuko took a deep breath and stared at his large empty bed. It had been a long while since he had to sleep alone. He sat down slowly, as if the bed might vanish at the last second before he made contact. He leaned back and tried to get comfortable, but he ended up tossing and turning until his memories overtook him.

— — 

When he and Mai were newlyweds, they agreed never to spend more than a week apart at a time. Sometimes the obligations of royalty made this vow difficult to keep, but they had managed. In fact, Zuko had been in Yu Dao when Mai found out that she was pregnant. They had been trying for some time, so Mai was ecstatic when she told him. 

Her excitement was contagious, but anxiety quickly infected him as well. He couldn’t stop thinking about what could have happened to her while he was away. What if she had fallen ill? Or what if an Ozai loyalist cell re-emerged and attacked her? Thankfully, most of the organized movements had died down after Azula had willingly turned herself in. But that was another consideration, what if Azula tried to get revenge on Mai while he was gone? He knew that Mai was more than capable of protecting herself, and normally that was enough to allay his fears, but the new worry for their child fractured his restraint. 

Zuko doubled Mai’s guard and silently promised himself to stay by her side for the rest of her pregnancy. He knew that his actions would probably annoy his wife, but surprisingly she was not the first to complain.

“Zuko, she’s pregnant, not helpless,” his mother chided him. She had cornered him in one of the hallways about a week after his return from Yu Dao. “There are always going to be circumstances beyond your control, but Mai is fully competent to go about her daily life without a small army. You need to give her space to breathe. Give your baby space to grow.”

Zuko relented and recalled the extra guards he had assigned, but then he added a pair of covert guards to keep watch without being stifling. For her part, Mai found the incident somewhat amusing. 

As they ate dinner together, she commented on the change: “Yesterday, I had a whole coterie. Today all I get are a few extra shadows.”

Zuko sighed. “Mom told me I was being overbearing. But I’m worried about you. What if something happens? You’re my whole world Mai.”

Mai turned red. “I’m impressed that anything you say can still make me blush after you impregnated me, but here we are.” Zuko chuckled, and Mai continued, “Normally I wouldn’t be cool with extra guards out of nowhere. I’m your wife and your equal, so I would like to be included in the conversation the next time you think about changing up my security detail.” 

She gave him a pointed look, and Zuko took her hand. “I’m sorry. I should have asked you first. We can ditch the elite guards if you want.

Mai’s eyes softened and she brought his hand to her cheek. “No, it’s okay. I’m not angry this time, I just want you to talk to me about things like this in the future.” She kissed his palm and set their hands on the table.

Zuko smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I didn’t want to upset you. I’ve never seen you so happy. And I’m happy too! I’m just…”

“Zuko, I’m scared too. I really want this baby to come out healthy. I’ve been carrying this list of foods I can’t have anymore, and I read it at least five times before I eat anything,” she admitted sheepishly. Mai produced said scroll from one of her dart holsters of all places. Zuko felt himself fall even more in love. The whole thing was just so Mai.

After that conversation, the pair discussed their concerns much more openly. In the worst moments, they both feared that they would take on the worst qualities of their parents. Zuko started to feel phantom pains in his scar that hadn’t plagued him since he was a teenager. They made pact after pact to hold each other accountable and to love the baby no matter what and to keep them safe. 

But even talking about their fears in the open helped to lift the burden. The anxiety didn’t dissipate, but it became easier to bear. Zuko loved talking to Mai’s bump when she began to show. Mai teased him for being silly, but he knew she secretly loved it. They redecorated the palace nursery to be less austere and more inviting. And Aang and Katara often visited with their son Bumi. 

When Mai went into labor, Katara helped her through the whole process until Princess Izumi had safely arrived. Aang was on babysitting duty. Not for Bumi, who Aang considered to be his full time sidekick, but for Zuko, who could only watch his wife’s agony for so long until he needed a dad to dad pep talk. 

Thankfully, Zuko managed to collect himself in time to meet his baby girl in her first moments. Mai had suggested the name Izumi, and Zuko immediately knew that it was right when he saw her tiny red face. She captivated his heart from her first breath and– after a brief embrace from Mai– Zuko was the first person to truly hold her. When the nurses took her for her health check, Zuko almost refused. Looking at her perfect little face, he realized that he could never become his father. He swore to himself on that day to always be by her side when she needed him.

— — 

Zuko gave up on trying to sleep and began to pace in his room. Without Mai, his bed was too cold and too big. Michi, his mother in-law, had insisted that she and Izumi attend her family reunion. Zuko had been invited, but his advisors had already scheduled the large annual conference of the provincial governors for the same weekend. He didn’t want to sabotage Mai’s opportunity to see her family, but he had desperately wanted her to stay.

And little Izumi was only four. Would she be sad when he wasn’t there to wake up with her at sunrise as he had been for the past four years? Since his job and his nature as fire-bender necessitated early mornings, when Izzy was a baby they decided that Mai would be in charge of bed time and night-time feedings and Zuko would take over in the wee hours of the morning. This arrangement worked surprisingly well, and continued long after Izzy started eating solid food. Zuko loved that he always had a few hours with his daughter. In the early days, he had a crib installed in his office so he could get a start on the his work after she fell back asleep. Now she was big enough to run through his forms with him. Zuko didn’t want to put any pressure on her to be bender or not, so he would alternate between Firebending forms and other martial arts. Would she practice them without him? She didn’t have any of them committed to memory but she would often try to show off to Mai with gusto. He smiled at the thought.

But he quickly frowned again, knowing he wouldn’t be there to see. “Ugh!” he grabbed his hair and berated himself: “Don’t be such a coward! You’ve slept on the road with nothing but a stolen ostrich horse. You can handle two nights with them.”

He walked over to Mai’s vanity and sat. He picked up a book that she recently finished reading and thumbed through the pages. Then, he picked up her jar of perfume and sprayed it experimentally. He inhaled her signature scent and sighed. 

Truthfully, he was worried about her well-being away from him too. He wasn’t arrogant enough to assume that she couldn’t go-on without his presence for a few measly days, but he knew how her mother and grandparents could be. Even when she was little, he recalled how Michi would nitpick at her posture or her expression or her word choice. He was ashamed that it took him so long to realize just how conditional her parental affection was. 

In retrospect, it made sense why she loved her uncle just as much as he loved his. When he first met the Warden of the Boiling Rock, he didn’t quite see the appeal. The man was terrifying and brutish and he had a nasty power-complex. But it all fit into place when he saw them together at the wedding. Michi had been chiding Mai for getting her wedding slippers dusty during their first dance, and Zuko was about to ask her to leave. He couldn’t believe that she chose that moment to undercut her daughter, but the Warden stepped in. “Oh knock it off! This is her palace, not a prison yard. How about you go get a drink while I dance with my niece.” And just like that, Mai’s super traditional and stuck-up uncle led her in the camelephant strut. They were both a bit clumsy, especially Mai since her robes were constantly in the way, but their rare and radiant smiles made the moment perfect.

Aunt Mura was another advocate for Mai, but her support was more quiet and diplomatic. A hand on the shoulder here, and words of encouragement there. Mura was so much more gentle and less acerbic than Michi, that it was easy to forget that she had been raised with the same unfair expectations. She approached her sister with more empathy than Zuko was willing to extend.

Zuko hoped that the pair of them would keep Michi in line. Unfortunately, from his limited contact he knew that Mai’s grandparents might also pose a problem. He had a sudden and unpleasant vision of Mai’s grandmother and Michi making comments about Izumi’s behavior. He gritted his teeth. He knew Mai wouldn’t stand for it, but it set him on edge. 

Mai had really come into her own as a Fire Lady. She was always very calm in a crisis, but she spoke passionately about the issues that moved her. She would let her excitement show when her projects came to fruition. She learned how to be vulnerable in order to build trust with their citizens.

His biggest fear was that she would return, and, after their separation, some of that precious progress would be undone. And that Izumi’s light would shine a little dimmer in turn.

He stood from the vanity and shook his head, as if he could dislodge the poisonous thoughts. Normally when something caused him to worry, he would talk about it with his wife. Now he was at a loss. Maybe a nice walk in the cool night air would clear his mind. He could visit Druk in the stables. He muttered to himself as he made his way, “She’s an adult. She doesn’t need you breathing down her neck.” 

— — 

Mai was on the verge of tears. She needed Zuko desperately. 

They had left early that morning in an airship for the Southern region of the Fire Nation where her grandparents lived, and Mai was cautiously optimistic. Since she woke up so early, Izzy slept for the two hours of travel time to the house. It was a lovely opportunity to talk to Tom-Tom, who– at the age of 17– was often busy with school these days.

But everything changed when they landed. Her grandparents greeted her formally, but more warmly than they ever had. And she soon discovered why: this was her first visit to their hometown as the Fire Lady. When she entered their home, she was dismayed to find a throne and a receiving line! Thankfully, Tom-Tom offered to watch Izumi and get her some food, while Mai was forced to meet the Mayor and all of her grandparents' friends. After an hour of accepting well-wishes, backhanded compliments, and personal requests, he uncle arrived. He walked up to her confidently and insisted that she and Izumi take tea with him and Mura. Apparently being the Warden of the Boiling Rock gave him the authority to terminate her indentured servitude.

Tea was a brief affair. However she re-entered the gaggle of distant relatives and vaguely important people with her uncle on her arm, and Tom-Tom again stepped in to watch Izumi as she played with the other children. Mai loved her little brother to bits, but this experience made her appreciate him all the more. She was thirteen when he was born, so she felt fiercely protective of him when he was little. And he was thirteen when Izzy was born, and she could see him return all of that love and shower it on her. The thought made her emotional. 

Dinner came late, well past Izumi’s normal bedtime, but it was a blessedly private affair. Her grandparents; her mother, aunt, and uncle; and herself, Tom-Tom, and Izumi. Oh, and the Mayor, but he spent a significant portion of the night wooing Aunt Mura so he was easy enough to tune out. Uncle showed Izzy magic tricks with his napkin, and Mai smiled. She had nearly forgotten how he used to do the same for her. He would have been a good father if he hadn’t chosen such a demanding profession. She regretted that she had only seen him a handful of times since her wedding.

Mai’s grandparents kept her in conversation. To her surprise, they praised Zuko and his reforms highly. At first she was pleased, but then her mood began to sour. 

“I don’t know how you pulled a match like that. You were always so sullen as a girl,” her grandfather remarked.

Mai felt her mother’s keen stare and tried to laugh it off. “Well… he always said he liked how I hated the world.”

Her grandfather frowned and she worried she misspoke, but her grandmother interjected, “Oh happiness is overrated. True contentment comes with status. You did well to act in a manner pleasing to him.”

Mai felt her stomach turn. She never acted differently for Zuko. He challenged her preconceived notions sometimes and helped her see different points of view, but she didn’t blindly follow him like an animal. Was that how she appeared? Izumi wasn’t hearing this was she? She looked at her daughter, but, no, Uncle was telling her a story about a prison riot. Somehow, that was probably a healthier message for her impressionable child.

Michi joined the conversation, “Oh mother, it’s all thanks to you! I took your advice and got her into the palace early. Her friendship with Princess Azula was most beneficial. She was the natural choice to be Zuko’s consort.”

Mai felt suddenly nauseous. Her friendship with Azula was strained in a lot of ways, but it was built on a genuine foundation. They had both loved sparring as girls, along with Ty Lee of course. They would sneak from the stuffy functions her mother dragged her to. Michi couldn’t take credit for any of that, and she certainly couldn't take credit for her love with Zuko.

Mai gripped the edge of the table, prepared to tell her off. “Actually!” she began confidently, and all of the eyes in the room turned toward her. Apparently her Uncle had finished his story and Mura had politely rebuffed the Mayor. But it was the full and undivided attention of her grandparents that got to her. She remembered why silence and falsity were her friends. Mai quickly thought of an excuse for her outburst. “Zuko wanted me to tell you how sorry he is that he couldn’t make it. He sends his love.” 

“Darling, told us that before.” her grandmother replied. “He is the Fire Lord, you should not expect him to attend your family affairs.”

Mai wilted. “Of course, grandmother. But he asked me to tell you, so I wanted to relay his words.”

Her grandfather smiled, “Yes, a good wife echoes her husband.” 

Mai snuck another look at Izumi, praying that she was not listening. Luck seemed to be on her side, as the little princess was absorbed and– covered in– the noodles on her plate. 

Mai got them out of there as quickly as she deemed socially acceptable  and washed the noodles off of her little girl.. She cursed herself for her cowardice. She was the Fire Lady! She could have left whenever she damn well pleased, but she turned into a child the second she entered that house. 

To make matters worse, as soon as she and Izumi entered their chambers the little girl began having a meltdown.

It started innocently enough: “Where’s dada?”

Mai pursed her lips. She had tried explaining to Izumi before they left that daddy couldn’t come with them this time, but the thought was unimaginable to her. They had always traveled as a family, and she had never had to sleep without a goodnight kiss from daddy before Mai began the bedtime routine.

Mai tried again to explain, “I’m sorry turtleduck, but he’s not here right now. He had to stay at the palace and run the country. We’ll see him in two more sleeps.”

Izumi teared up. “Not here?”

Mai held her, “No. He’s not here, but he’s safe and so are we. You’ll see him soon.”

Then the wailing began in earnest and it did not stop for what felt like hours but was probably minutes. Mai tried to be soothing, but firm. For better or worse, she couldn’t capitulate to her daughter’s request this time. No airships or secure transports were running at this hour. And Zuko would probably spontaneously combust if she rented an animal and attempted the overnight journey alone. 

Mai felt the tears prick in her eyes too. Since her parents were so strict, she had no gauge for how to react to this situation. Was she being too indulgent by letting her daughter cry? How could she stop it? What could she say to make her happy again? All at once, the floodgates of self-loathing had opened. She was the co-ruler of a country, why did she let her grandparents walk all over her in front of her daughter? And how could she foist Izumi on to her baby brother all day? It was his family reunion too. 

She needed Zuko. He would calm Izzy down. Spirits, he would calm her down. 

There was a knock at the door. Shit! Their rooms were in the farthest part of the manor to give the Fire Lady privacy, but someone had obviously overheard and complained. There would be rumors all over the town about how bad of a parent she was. Or it was her guards checking in. The poor guys probably wanted to make sure she was okay. She tucked Izumi behind her, and palmed a knife– just to be safe– and opened the door.

For a second, she thought her brain was deceiving her into seeing what she wanted to see.

“DADA!” Izumi screamed happily.

She ran around Mai and jumped into his arms. “Hello turtleduck.” He laughed and kissed her head as he made his way into the room. “I hope I’m not intruding on girl time.” He smiled at Mai.

She took a deep breath to try to compose herself and smiled back at her husband. “Of course, not. Our princess was just demanding your presence.” 

“Oh!” Zuko seemed genuinely surprised. “Well then, I’m glad I arrived just in time.” He tucked Izumi into her bed, across the room from Mai’s– and now Zuko’s– larger one. She must have been exhausted from her early travels, because, as soon as she knew that both of her parents were in the room, she fell asleep. Mai marveled at her instant calm.

Zuko stroked her hair a few times and then turned his attention to his wife. He walked over to her and delicately pulled her into an embrace. “I’m such a loser,” he whispered, face buried in her neck, and it felt so out-of-the-blue that she nearly snorted.

“What on earth are you talking about? I need more information to know if I disagree,” she retorted.

“Hey!” he protested quietly, and pinched her arm, but she could feel his smile on her skin. His breath tickled as he spoke: “I couldn’t handle one night away from you both. Let alone two.”

Mai caressed his cheek, and guided his face so they were looking into each other's eyes. “Then I must be a loser too because I was about to cry before you got here. Izumi was sobbing because she missed you so much and my family–” she stopped abruptly.

Zuko took hold of her hands and she could feel the fire in his eyes. “What did they say?”

Mai slumped her shoulders and allowed herself to lean against him. “It’s not important.” That dreaded touch of apathy colored her voice, but then, but a glimmer of broke through. “It’s really not important because you’re here now.”

Zuko wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately. He finally pulled away, “At least give me a list of names.”

Mai chuckled quietly, she didn’t want to wake their daughter. “The usual suspects.”

That told Zuko all he needed to know. The pair went about their nightly routines, before climbing into bed. Zuko longed to kiss her more, and fill her with reassurance, but he was prevented by the presence of their daughter. He settled for wrapping his arms tightly around Mai and burying his face in her hair.

But suddenly she broke away and sat up. Zuko pouted up at her.

“Wait! Wait a minute! How did you get here?” she looked at him in awe. 

He smiled cheekily. “You know I’ve been practicing flying with Druk.”

Mai crossed her arms. “You did not fly him all the way here from the Caldera! His previous flights were twenty minutes at most. My poor baby is probably exhausted.”

Zuko laughed. Druk may have been bonded to him by the sacred fire, but the dragon was bonded to Mai by something else. The two were so protective of each other that it was almost comical. 

“Oh don’t worry,” Zuko reassured her, and pulled her back into his arms. “Your big old baby loved it, and your family’s servants gave him the best room in their stables.”

Mai huffed. “Okay, but if he’s sore tomorrow, then I’m using you as a pin cushion.”

“It would be my greatest honor.”

Mai rolled her eyes, but she snuggled in closer.

— — 

The next day, Mai checked on Druk first thing. To her own surprise, she was the first member of her immediate family awake. She left Zuko a note. (Her notes always began, “I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’m leaving,” even if she was just taking the five-minute trip to her favorite fire flakes stand. It had become an inside joke between them.) 

Druk truly was in a great mood. Mai’s family ordered the finest cuts from the butcher as a special treat. If there was one thing she could count on her grandparents to do, it was suck up to royalty.

She stopped by the kitchens and put in a special request, and then she made her way to the airship service. By the time she arrived back at the house, breakfast had begun. She slowly took her seat, allowing her mother's glare to linger.

“Young lady,” he grandfather began. “It is bad form to arrive late to a meal. “Especially when royalty is present.”

Mai pretended to be chastened. “Oh, I’m so sorry grandfather. But I wanted to put on a surprise for my dearest husband.” She strongly emphasized the word. “As you and Grandmother were saying, such a visitation to my family is quite beneath him actually.” Zuko whipped his head to his in-laws. Mai could tell he was seething, but this was her moment to reclaim power. She knew he would follow her lead, and so she continued, “As such, I thought it would be a lovely surprise if we all took a trip to the nearby southern beaches.”

Mai’s grandmother scoffed. “Those aren’t nearby. You’d have to take an airship to get there.”

Mai nodded, “Yes and I chartered one. Unfortunately, it’s quite small. They only had ten open seats.”

Mai’s mother tried to cut the tension. “Oh well… That’s still enough for all of us, and we can even bring the Mayor. Perhaps the day can be salvaged, but you really should have asked your grandparents before doing this.” 

Michi didn’t want to look bad in front of her parents, and Mai almost regretted what she was about to do. She replied: “You’re not taking into account the guards. We’ll need four to be safe I would say. I’m so very sorry. I assumed that grandfather and grandmother would be too weary to travel so far, so I didn’t list them on the tickets. And Uncle and Auntie have so few opportunities to see Izumi. I hope you understand, Mother.”

Michi flushed red, but she wouldn’t dare have a dramatic and drawn out argument with Mai so publicly. The Warden chuckled to himself, “Now this is an escape plan I can get behind.”

Zuko looked at his wife with a newfound admiration. He knew there would come a time when they were separated again, but he did not want to dwell on it. In this moment, they were together. And they were stronger because of it.

[thena0315]

I can see Kiyi and Tom-Tom becoming friends after the events of Smoke and Shadow

The two trying to convince their older siblings for playdates with them there. When really they trying to get their big brother & big sister back together and get married so they can be one big family.

(Which is my headcanon of a happy place where eventually the two have Izumi)

[warrior-cat-pride]

30 day pride month challenge: day 4, polysexual

tom-tom, antpelt, adderkit

willowpelt, woodsong, cloudberry

needleclaw, reedshine, oakheart

prompts are here

[skuffypaw]

Randomly picked warriors

[wilcze-kudly]

Avatar's cutest kid tournament

Round 2.4

[atla-confessions]

It's so adorable when Mai carries around Tom-Tom in her arms. She hates a lot of things in the world but she sure loves her little brother.

X

[stus-warrior-designs]

Diversity win! The Tom bullying you is trans!

[swan2swan]

Spent some time coloring while I watched today’s episode of live-action Avatar...

Wound up doing two subversive takes in a row, I guess (I forgot that I did Momo last year), but the tradition lives on, regardless. The family was blessed with a new niece last week, so I had babies on the brain.

The hand is a reminder of why I always put the oven mitts on, but I decided cute little Fire Nation shoes would be appropriate here.

[comment-exchange]

305. The Price of Getting Attached (By Any Means)

Title: The Price of Getting Attached

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47729677

Platform: AO3

Creator: GreyGullHaven

Work Type: fanfic

Fandom: By Any Means

Rating: Gen

Pairing: Jack Quinn/Thomas Tomkins 

Word count:1859

Warnings: angst, relationships

Number of comments: 0

Completion Status: completed

Short summary/description: After a late night meeting with the team, TomTom finally asks the question he’s been wanting to ask Jack for some time now. Done based on the prompt: TomTom wants to know why Jack doesn’t want him out in the field

[bellatrixobsessed1]

The Girl In The Net (Part 4)

Had Mai known that she wouldn’t just be sitting in to make sure that Tom-Tom made it to and from his portrait session safely, she wouldn’t have volunteered to attend. Of course, that is why her mother hadn’t told her that there would be other errands to run. “Your father and I are very busy, we need help preparing for our trip to Omashu.” The woman had said. “We cannot afford to disappoint the Fire Lord.”

If anyone could afford to disappoint the Fire Lord, it would be them. She imagines that, as such an esteemed family, they would be allotted a certain amount of screw ups before they would truly start to feel the worser ramifications. 

But her mother disagrees and so she had been sent off with a list of things to buy and luggage to pack, all the while she had to manage Tom-Tom and catch up to him when he decided to go on one of his ‘she isn’t looking’ escapades. 

Of course his most recent one involved a trip to the beach to find the mermaid. A respectable gesture and effort, she must admit, but he had gone to the wrong beach and Mai had to remind him that they were on the very opposite side of the city. She very pointedly added in that he had wasted the little bit of free time that they would have had to get to the correct beach once all of the errands were through. 

And so she had to carry the boy, squirming and crying, home. 

For it, Tom-Tom is an an absolutely foul mood today. He is all pouts and folded arms and he hasn’t uttered a chipper giggle. This is only exasperated by him finding no trace of his mermaid friend. “She said she’d be here!” He shouts, only slightly less ear-grating than the seagulls. 

And there are plenty of those circling over head–each of them is being particularly aggravating today. The sun too is a punishing force, blisteringly hot, more than usual. Mai’s cheeks are already flushed with heat and she thinks that she is getting lightheaded. 

“Yeah.” She manages to mutter. “She said that she would be here yesterday. We didn’t show because someone decided to take several detours…”

At this Tom-Tom gives one of his awful squealing wails. Mai grits her teeth and plugs her ears. “Okay, you can stop that now.” 

She knows that he won’t and, in the blazing summer heat she begins to wonder if he truly couldn’t stop crying and screaming; it might be in the very nature of Tom-Tom to scream and wail until things went his way.

If only she were so bold.

.oOo.

Azula’s lodgings consist of a makeshift wooden crate full of water, which might have once acted as a place to store other fish until they were ready to be cooked. They may as well leave her flopping around on the deck–either which way she doesn’t have room to move about. 

She supposes that, at least this way, her tail won’t dry out. 

She has always been rather morbidly curious about that; what would happen if she just let it dry out? Would it die and she’d lose the ability to use it forever, would it rejuvenate once submerged once again? At what point would her tail become unsalvageable? 

She had tested this theory one day perhaps a year or so back. 

And she had chickened out. 

It was an all around uncomfortable experience to let her tail simmer under the sun; indeed it had gone dry. Her scales started getting tight and itchy. She had stuck it out a little bit longer and then it had started to burn. It was quite comparable to going without water for a while and feeling the moisture of her throat and then her tongue evaporate. Mild discomfort turned severe and she tossed herself back into the waves.

The relief was almost immediate.

She wonders if that would hold true if she had let her tail dry up entirely. 

She is quite worried that she will find out soon of these pirates grow tired of her. Would they really fry up a fish that is half-human? For now, they ignore her entirely. Including her demands for food. “You will give me food or I will set this ship on fire!” She declares again. 

Which is a spectacular idea! She can set the ship ablaze and as they scramble to put it out she can make her escape. 

Rather she could have had they not bound her arms behind her back and completely submerged. She supposes that she could wiggle around and angle herself in such away that she could produce fire. But she would be shooting blind. Perhaps that would be all the better? She could cause untold amounts of chaos that way. But it would be horribly uncomfortable if she did it wrong and she imagines that they would leave her contorted in whichever manner she had managed to get herself stuck.

Even if she did successfully start a small blaze and freed herself from this silly crate, she imagines that they could pretty quickly put it out and even more swiftly put her back in her place. 

No, she can’t act yet. 

She needs more time to assess and to plan.

.oOo.

“Did you hear?” Remarks one of the deckhands. 

“Hear what?” Asks the woman with the frizzy hair. 

“One of those sailors said that he came by a pirate ship.”

“A pirate ship!” Tom-Tom exclaims, suddenly perfectly perky. Mai hushes him.

“Apparently.” The deckhand continues, “he caught a glimpse of something strange.”

The woman hums as she hoists a crate out of her way. “And what strange thing did he see? Those sailors are always seeing something or another.”

“Well this one said that those pirates had a mermaid! He didn’t get a good look because…”

“Well there’s your answer.” She chuckles. “He didn’t get a good look.” 

“A mermaid, Mai!” Tom-Tom exclaims. “They said that the pirates have a mermaid! Do you think that it’s her?”

“I’ve only ever seen one mermaid.” Mai replies. And, based upon what little she knows of said mermaid, she wouldn’t put it past her to end up on a pirate ship.

Tom-Tom’s eyes glitter with glee.

She doesn’t have the heart to tell him that any business with pirates is usually nasty business and that his mermaid friend is probably in some degree of trouble. 

“We have to find the pirates!” Tom-Tom hollars. “And we gotta find the mermaid.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Tom-Tom. We can’t just leave mom and dad. We’re going to Omashu.”

.oOo.

There is no ‘hello’, no ‘how was your day?’ But there was a curt and stiff, “why is Tom-Tom all covered in sand?”

“We were at the beach.”

“Spirits! Why were you at the beach?” Her mother asks as if she had taken Tom-Tom to one of those raunchy taverns on the rickety side of Caldera City. 

“Just to…”

“Find a mermaid!” Tom-Tom fills in.

“Collect shells.” Mai says through gritted teeth. 

“Mermaids? Honestly, Mai.” The woman pinches the bridge of her nose. “You are really going to fill your brother’s head with flights of fantasy and nonsense.”

“He’s a kid, why shouldn’t he have an imagination?” Mai grumbles. 

“Because he is going to take over as governor of Omashu.” Her father fills in. “And we can’t have him spouting nonsense about creatures that don’t exist.”

“He’ll grow out of it.” Mai rolls her eyes.

“I will not because I saw one!” Tom-Tom stomps his foot and Mai cringes. He is digging the both of them deeper and if she snaps at him and makes him cry…

She sighs, better to just let him prattle. 

Better to just pretend to listen to her mother’s raving rant.

“You’re a lady, Mai! A high society, lady, we can’t have you running around the beach like a commoner…” and here it is again. The same old spiel with some slightly altered details. “You’ll embarrass us! What if the Fire Lord hears about this?”

What if the Fire Lord hears about this? What if he hears about that? 

The Fire Lord hardly pays attention to them outside of their duties. He hasn’t heard a thing yet but every perceived misadventure is followed by one of mother’s perceived blemishes to her once immaculate reputation.

It seems that each time the lecture gets longer and longer. 

Maybe it is that the woman has finally crossed her on a day where she has been agitated past her limit. Maybe this was steadily building. But suddenly questing to find a socially inept mermaid would be a good way to pass time, to break away from the painful monotony of her life. At any rate she is tired of being used and neglected.

And so Mai decides that she is going to run away.

[myjetpack]

my latest cartoon for New Scientist.

[king-bumis-armpit]

The Promise of Dessert

Written for Maiko Week 2024 – Parents

Summary: Zuko and Mai talk about having kids for the first time. Such a serious conversation can only be had with a plate of fruit tarts. Guest starring: chef Tom-Tom.

Author’s Note: This is very contradictory to the fic I posted yesterday, lol! They exist in separate timelines. Maybe OOC. Mai and Zuko have a very open and honest conversation. In my head this takes place before the Promise comics and very near the end of the show, but Tom-Tom is slightly aged up. But it could also take place after they get back together. Dealer’s choice ;) 

Also, thank you to everyone who commented on any of my posts! I had never really written fanfic and published it before this week and you have all been so nice and encouraging. I’m out of pre-written posts and this might be the last thing I put up this week <3

TW: Very brief mention of infertility and a difficult pregnancy. It’s mostly fluff.

WC: 2,177

Mai shivered in the evening air. Where was your fire bending boyfriend when you needed him? She was walking home after spending the day with Ty Lee, and she felt completely drained.

It was fun and all, but truthfully Mai had been ready to leave much earlier than Ty Lee allowed. She loved her friend, but the acrobat was a bit much sometimes. They were hanging out with the other Kyoshi Warriors– many of whom Mai had also come to like– but they were not a quiet bunch. Mai had stayed up late last night visiting Zuko at the palace and she desperately needed a rest. 

She had tried to leave at dinner time, but Suki guilted her into eating with them. And afterwards, Ty Lee insisted that Mai test her Pai Sho skills against Misaki, who was the best on Kyoshi Island apparently. Then, for some very important reason unfathomable to Mai, Kaori, another one of the girls, urgently needed to learn how to put her hair into symmetrical buns. That lesson took quite a long time, so when they finished Mai was sure that she was free. But alas! Hiro– or maybe Hina (Mai was still learning everyone’s name)– wanted knife throwing tips. By the time Mai was able to go, the sun was going down. 

She yawned and stretched before entering her home. On the floor was a piece of paper. Mai thought it was odd, but she had half a mind to ignore it before she realized it bore her name. Raising an eyebrow, she picked it up, but all it said was, “Go to kitchen.” The handwriting looked like Zuko’s. She pursed her lips. That man and his notes.

Still, she was slightly more awake than before and she complied with the request. She pushed open the door and, sure enough, there he was. Zuko stood in his casual robes and apron of all things. He didn’t notice her at first because he was talking to Tom-Tom, who sat on the counter, also in an apron and covered in flour. Tom-Tom laughed at whatever Zuko was saying, and Zuko ruffled his hair affectionately. 

Mai felt her heart do an odd sort of somersault. The scene was so domestic… She could almost imagine their future. There was no banishment anymore, or war, or pain. Just the people she loved.

Tom-Tom spotted her first. “Mai!” He jumped down and ran to hug her. She patted his head affectionately, as he gazed up at her. “Zuko and I made fruit tarts for you! Just don’t look in the trash. We messed up a lot of times. But this batch is perfect!” 

Her little brother took her hand, and guided her to the kitchen table. It was much smaller than the one in their formal dining room, but it felt more intimate. Mai cast her eyes to Zuko, who was watching her with a sappy grin. “Welcome home,” he said, and she felt her cheeks flush.

“Thank you,” she replied, before turning her attention to the tarts. Some of them were burnt on the outside, and a few were a bit lacking in the titular fruit. Mai suspected that the boys had been overconfident on their first go and wasted supplies. But, to her, they were the most exquisite desserts she had ever received. “These look delicious! I didn’t know you two had it in you.” She gave Tom-Tom a peck on the forehead. “Thank you so much, I can’t wait to try one.”

Tom-Tom beamed up at her proudly. “You should try…” he furrowed his brow in concentration and examined the fruits of his labor intently. “This one.” He pointed to the one that had the most fruit and the least charring. 

Mai picked it up gratefully and took a bite. “It’s so good! You could be quite the chef one day.”

Zuko had been watching her affectionately, but he pouted at that. “Hey! What about me?”

She laughed and walked over to kiss his cheek. “You too, of course. But I would rather you keep our Nation running.” He smirked and wrapped her in a quick embrace.

Then, he pulled out a chair from the table for her, and the three of them sat. Zuko and Tom-Tom also ate a fruit tart each, but Mai could tell that they had been sampling their wares before her arrival. 

Michi appeared to take Tom-Tom to bed, and she gave Mai a cheerful look on her way out. Mai didn’t know how to feel about it. She assumed her mother wouldn’t be so at ease with her daughter’s boyfriend being over so late if he wasn’t royalty. 

Zuko seemed to sense he was losing her to her thoughts, and he cleared his throat. “Your little brother’s a good kid. At first I was worried about spending so much time with him… I’m not really used to children. I thought maybe he would cry or need your mom or something.”

Mai chuckled. “He’s five now, Zuko. He still gets upset sometimes, but he’s not in diapers. What even inspired your joint mission?”

Pink dusted Zuko’s cheeks and he gazed very intently at the table before them. “I was thinking about all of the things that I knew made you happy. Both Tom-Tom and fruit tarts were on the list.” 

“Were you making this list for a particular reason?” she asked.

The smile left his eyes, and he turned his gaze back to her. He grasped her hands tightly in his own. “I was thinking about all of the things you do for me. I couldn’t stop thinking about… when we were at the Boiling Rock…” he swallowed hard. “You risked your life for me, and I left you there.” His voice was heavy with regret.

“Oh Zuko,” Mai brought her hand to his cheek. “You don’t always have to be the hero. Let me save you sometimes. It’s my honor,” she teased.

Zuko smiled again, but it was smaller than before. He always carried too much guilt. “Either way, I wanted to thank you. You are– in the most literal sense– my hero. I wanted to make you your favorite foods, but I decided to start with fruit tarts. And I figured that if I enlisted Tom-Tom’s help, we could bond a little. I intend on being in your lives for a very long time.”

The thought filled Mai with a pleasant sort of warmth. She was getting drowsy again, but she didn’t want to go to sleep anymore. “When I saw you two together, I have to admit it made me really happy. Three of us sitting here together might be my best memory in this house.”

Zuko nodded in agreement. “It felt like we were a family.”

Mai wasn’t sure she was ready for this conversation. She deflected, “We already are a family.”

His brow furrowed. “Yes, but I meant… it almost felt like we were parents.”

Mai hummed noncommittally, but it was too late. Zuko latched onto the notion.

After a few minutes of silence, he added in a small voice. “Would you ever want to have kids? With me?”

Mai thought that she did, but should she say it? What if she changed her mind later? “Well, we’ll have to. Won’t we? For the sake of the bloodline?”

Zuko flinched. “I was actually thinking about this– oh! Uh. Not in a weird way.” He turned as red as the strawberries on the table before them. “I mean… my advisors may have mentioned it. They don’t like that Azula is my only other young relative. But I was thinking, if you don’t want kids, we could choose a different royal family. Or maybe form a new type of government all together.”

Mai’s jaw nearly dropped. “Wouldn’t it be easier to find another woman?”

“Another woman?” Zuko sounded painfully confused. 

“You know, women. About half of the population?”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “I get the picture, but why should I find another one?”

Mai crossed her arms. In truth, he was being very sweet, but he was on the verge of promising something too big. “It would be a whole lot easier to marry someone else than construct a new government. Are you stupid?”

“That is not an option.” Uh oh, Zuko was using his grouchy voice. In particular, the voice he typically reserved for people who insulted her. Ironic. He seemed to realize how intense his tone was. “I mean unless you don’t want to marry me! Or be with me… Um… But if you do, want to be with me, like at all, I would strongly prefer that option.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, clearly frustrated by his inability to speak his mind.

Mai looked at him incredulously. “Of course I want to be with you. We were just talking about how I almost died for you.”

Zuko’s eye twitched. “Then why doesn’t that settle it?! I don’t care how many advisors or Ozai loyalists or reactionaries I have to knock down. If you don’t want kids, then we won’t have kids. Look at my family’s history! It’s probably time we put someone else in charge. My lineage or bloodline or whatever means nothing to me! I want a family with you, even that means just the two of us.”

Mai knew she was just being obstinate now, but wanted to poke him one last time. “And why am I so special? You can’t make a promise like this without really thinking it through.” she deadpanned. 

Zuko was practically smoking at this point. “Mai, I have thought about it! It’s because I love you! Because you understand me like no one else in the world. Because I’m pretty sure I need you to survive. During my banishment, I would think about you and sometimes I would worry that we would reunite, but it would all be wrong. You wouldn’t like me anymore, or we wouldn’t have that same innate understanding of each other from when we were kids. But, we did.” He was looking at her like she was a miracle. “We both changed so much, but you still get me. You listen to my stupid outbursts and you manage to make sense of them. You keep me in line when I’m being unreasonable. I only feel this safe with you and Uncle. I need you.” 

He was starting to tear up, and Mai realized that she felt safe with him too. He was her safe harbor in the world around them. She actually had thought about having kids with Zuko. She always vaguely wanted to. Now that he had given her the option, she knew for sure. This man would do anything for her comfort, including put his own desires aside. She could trust him with her future.

“I want one. Or maybe two,” she blurted out.

“What? Fruit tarts?” Zuko asked, caught completely unawares. 

“No– I mean maybe– but that’s obviously not what I meant, you big idiot.”

“Oh!” A grin split Zuko’s face from ear-to-ear. “Hold on, why did you make me say all that stuff about our other options? I thought you were about to dump me. That was terrifying.”

“Well, I wasn’t entirely sure. I liked the idea of having kids, but Mom had a really rough go of it with Tom-Tom. It took her years to get pregnant again and it was not an easy time. And, if I changed my mind or we couldn’t, I didn’t want to give you that hope and take it away.” 

Zuko wrapped an arm around her. “You are always free to change your mind. I will never take that choice away. And if you can’t get pregnant, then we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. But no new women, please.”

Mai laughed. “Deal. Honestly, hearing you say all that sappy stuff…” Zuko frowned, wondering how she would finish that thought. “It made me feel safe too. I think… I feel safe enough to see our future.” And then a thought occurred to her, “Our distant future. Right?”

Zuko laughed and nodded fervently. “Yes, let’s try to reach a more manageable level of assassination attempts before we start planning in earnest.”

Mai tried to reply, but a yawn escaped instead. Zuko looked at her sympathetically. “I’m sorry to keep you up so late. I thought Tom-Tom and I would learn faster. I told Ty Lee to keep you busy until I sent her a message.” That explains a lot, Mai thought. They stored the extra tarts for the next day, and Zuko walked Mai to her room. They shared an almost uncharacteristically chaste kiss before parting ways. They had been very vulnerable with each other, and they needed some time apart to recover. 

But the promise of such a bright future, however distant, buoyed Zuko’s step on his short walk home. One day, they might be parents. And their family would be full of love, hope, and fruit tarts.

[thena0315]

Zuko and Mai being good older siblings....

.....while things with Azula still needs improvement

[heartiella]

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