#she’s literally so effortlessly gorgeous it makes me want to crawl up a wall

[blue-bird-kny]

How bout a fluff headcannons sanemi, rengoku, genya, and an uzui with an s/o that's come home from a mission so tired that she doesn't want anything else but to lie down with them and sleep.

Uzui and more Genya all in one request?! Amazing! Thank you for your request, I hope you like it. Enjoy!~Amanda

Warning:Language

(1.7k words)

Sanemi:

Four long, strenuous days you were stuck in the Village in the Northeast. It was the usual situation: a demon was causing havoc for the people that lived in the village and, naturally, you were dispatched to go take care of the situation. However, this stupid demon had you running circles, playing some sick verison of hide-and-seek. You caught him of course, but not before he’d taken the life of at least ten helpless villagers.

As you returned home, your feet felt as heavy as your heart, mourning over the lives you didn't know but couldn't save. “I need a warm bath, a long nap, and lots of food” your wishful thoughts were the only thing keeping your dreary eyes open and sore feet moving.

You reached to open the door of your home, pausing to listen to the commotion that was coming from the other side. A smile came to your face, there was only one person who’d be getting into such trouble on the other side of the door, “and Nemi, I really need him to”.

“I’m back” you called, the loud clattering of pots and pans could be heard from the kitchen. You hurried over only to run straight into the barricade that was your boyfriend's exposed chest. “What’s going on?” you questioned as you tried to peer over his shoulder. “Nothing!” you yelped in surprise as Sanemi diverted your gaze into his neck in some sort of tight hug. You melted, forgetting your original goal immediately.

“Long mission?” Sanemi noticed your weary eyes and slouched posture, how you relied so heavily on his body to keep you standing upright. You could only hum in response, eyes already straining to stay open, maybe all you needed was Sanemi’s comforting warmth. He took that at his que to carry you to bed, you obviously needed the rest. He fondly watched as your body flopped onto the cool sheets, curling into a ball. He turned to leave before a small voice spoke

“If you don’t come cuddle me I’ll kick your ass”.

Sanemi’s smile grew “I’d like to see you try” he crawled under the sheets nevertheless, his arm involuntarily wrapped around your waist. Just as your eyes began to flutter shut, you remember something from earlier. “Nemi what were you doing in the kitchen?”

Pink dusted Sanemi’s cheeks as he looked away bashfully, “Definitely not trying to make dinner for your dumbass”.

Rengoku

It had only been 24 hours since you’d been dispatched to a rather large village just a few hours from the Demon Slayer headquarters, however you were utterly exhausted. For weeks, you’d been swamped with missions near and far with little time to rest in between, “Don’t these damn demons take a vacation? I sure need one”

Your sore limbs continue to run on autopilot as you are lost in your own little world; a world filled with warm sandy beaches or maybe a nice hot spring up in the mountains with an elderly woman (because they are the best) fixing delicious meals, your mouth waters at just the thought.

“Y/N!” a cheerful voice shouted, the sound resonating throughout the forest, bouncing off the trunks of the trees. There, standing in his full fluorescent haired glory, was your amazing boyfriend. You beamed, breaking out into a full sprint with a new found purpose: to be smothered by his two muscular arms. Your bodies clashed in a tight hug “Rengoku!” you cheered as he gracefully spun the two of you in a circle. You smiled gratefully into the crook of his neck as he gently set your feet on the ground.

You missed this, you missed him; the influx of demon activity had put a halt on the time you spent together. You both were barely home, sometimes going days without so much as a letter saying “hey, I’m alive”, which was incredibly nerve-wracking for the both of you in this line of work.

“What are you doing here?”

He smirked, his hands linking just below the small of your back “I was tired of waiting to see your beautiful face! Besides I have a surprise for us!” he looked as giddy as a child who’d just received candy. “What is it?” “I may have pulled a few strings and gotten the next two weeks off for the both of us” your eyes welled with tears, all your exhaustion and stress finally reaching the surface “What...how..?” you stuttered, unable to believe that finally you have time alone with the man you loved.

“The other Hashira may have helped a bit” his thick finger wiped away your joyous tears. He swept you off your feet, literally and figuratively, carrying you bridal style the rest of the way home. “I declare that our first order of business on vacation is sleeping for at least 15 hours, no less!. No training either!” you passed a teasing glace up at Rengoku, whose face slightly wavered.

“I’ll lay with you all you want my sweet, but how about a little training?” you couldn't help but chuckle, oh how you knew him so well.

Uzui

You were desperate to be home, back in the arms of your tall ass, but oh so lovable, boyfriend. To say that you missed Uzui was an understatement, you two hadn’t seen each other in almost three months. Your body itches to feel his long finger caress every inch of your skin as he so often would, admiring every blemish or scar that he finds. He made you feel so loved, so perfect.

“Not much longer till your home”

You groaned in annoyance, all you wanted was to go straight home but no, they demanded you give a full report of your mission the second you get back to HQ. You begrudgingly gave your report, your words left your lips only to be inked onto a scroll of parchment for later review.  You grumpily turned to leave when a boisterous voice called in disbelief from across the yard, “Y/N?!”.

You met in a passionate embrace, Uzui effortlessly lifted your body off the ground for your legs to wrap around his waist. Before you could even utter a word, Uzui was already peppering your face with rushed kisses. “Uzui we’re in public” you warned, this only caused him to smile wider. He caught your chin between his smooth finger, eyes demanding you every ounce of attention, “I’m sorry but my gorgeous girlfriend just got back after years of our separation, excuse me for being a little handsy” you snickered at his exaggeration.

“I missed you, you know” his eyes grew softer as they gazed into yours, his pointer finger tracing your features. “You wouldn’t believe how much I wanted to see you and half the crap I had to deal with. Some of those demons were almost challenging” you complained with a pout. “Don’t look so sad my love! Tonight, you and I are going to have a magnificent feast, filled with all your favorites!” he briskly walked  toward his Estate, your slumped body bouncing with every step looking like a child who missed their nap.

“You must tell me all the fabulous details from your flamboyant adventures!” his excitement was obvious to anyone, he was overjoyed to have you home and safe with him at long last. “First you and I are going to take a flamboyant nap!” your enthusiasm almost matched his, although it was almost impossible. He chuckled low and deep, the husky sound emitting from his throat quietly. He didn’t care if you wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon nestled in bed, so long as he was there with you everything was alright in his book. “Fine, first we nap, then you get full on delicious foods”

Genya  

You searched everywhere for that half-shaved head, slight agitated that he was so difficult to find when you needed his presence the most. You were attempting to surprise him because you weren't supposed to be home for a few more nights, but you quickly and swiftly took care of those demons; you knew Genya became distressed when you went on an individual mission and usually made life hell for anyone he ran into because of it.

You round the corner at full speed, running straight into the hard wall that was someone's chest. “Watch where you’re going you ass...Y/n?” his tone shifted instantly after he realized it was you and not some other idiot. “Surprise?” you looked up into his disbelieving orbs as they stared into yours, unwilling to look away. “Come on aren’t you happy to see me? I was gone for soooo long” you exaggerated,

Almost as if his limbs were being held back by invisible wires, Genya stiffly placed his hand on your head in an attempt of a pat. He looked away, too embarrassed to see your reaction as warmth coated both your cheeks, “Nice job not fucking it up” he almost cringed at his own choice of words but you knew better, what he was really trying to say was “I’m glad you made it back safely”

Your grin reached from ear to ear, both your hands coming to cup his on your head “Aww you're such a softy Genya! I missed you too” you cooed causing his blush to increase by ten fold. “H-hey what the hell are you..” he froze as if the world itself had stopped. Ever so gently, you brought his hand down to your lips, placing a small kiss on his open palm, “I’m really glad  all that fighting was worth it so I could come back to you” you muttered against the palm, your lips lightly brushing against his skin with each syllable you spoke.

“Come on” you tugged his unresponsive body behind yours, “Let's go cuddle in bed, my feet are sore and I really need some rest” you called. The poor boy gulped as registered what you’d said;, not only had you kissed and held his hand, but now you wanted to be in the same bed as Genya, he could only take so much in such a short time. You knew it didn’t really bother him though, he craved your affection just as much as you wanted his. Besides, Genya would do anything to make you happy and comfortable, especially after a mission, even if it meant cuddles.

Main Masterlist

Thank you for your time and patience, ik I haven't been producing a lot of pieces but I hope you enjoy these nonetheless. Just a head’s up, very soon I will be doing another Writing Night to keep ya eyes open!~Amanda

[mycupoffanfiction]

His Second Chance Part 11

Bucky x Reader

His Second Chance Masterlist

Bucky comes back from Wakanda with Steve, ready to begin his recovery from his days as the Winter Soldier, but there’s one thing he doesn’t take into account - you.

Warnings: Protective bois, FLUUUFF, language.

Word count: Approx 3600

Got a bit of a longer part today! Hope you enjoy it! 💗

Masterlist

Bucky builds up the courage to admit something and maybe something else comes with his new found confidence.

Please don’t hesitate to leave suggestions or thoughts! TAG LISTS ARE OPEN! (Permanent list and His Second Chance list)

IF YOUR TAG ISN’T WORKING PLS MESSAGE OR ASK 💖💖

___________________________

Six o’clock. One whole hour. One whole hour for his nerves to get the better of him.

What if she doesn’t like the place you picked?

What if your outfit is underdressed compared to hers?

What if she doesn’t like your hair in a bun?

What if you pull up your sleeves and she doesn’t want to see your arm?

All valid questions, Bucky thought, although if you knew what was going on in his head, you would absolutely disagree. A soft knock at the door stirred Bucky from his thoughts and he padded across the wooden flooring to see who it was. Oh no. The dad duo.

 “Can we talk for a sec, Buck?” Steve asks. “Uh.” Before Bucky can even answer properly, the two of them scoot around Bucky and let themselves into his room. Well excuse you. “See you’re all ready to go.” Sam smiled, looking Bucky up and down as he closed the door, examining his outfit. “You scrub up good, old man.” He remarked, making Bucky roll his eyes. “You better take care of our girl, Buck, she’s the literal princess of this floor.” Steve got straight to the point. “Yeah, you break her heart, we break you.” Sam poked him harshly in the chest. “Whoa, whoa, where’s this coming from?” Bucky asked. “C’mon, Bucky, you remember the old days.” Steve said as he sat down on the edge of his bed, Sam leaning up against the wall. Bucky would be lying if he said he didn’t feel at least a little upset by that jab. “She can hear you through the wall, y’know that, right?” Bucky quirked a brow.

 You could, in fact, hear all three of them as you got ready. A small smile crept onto your lips when you heard Bucky say that. “So where are you taking her?” Steve asked, ignoring Bucky’s warning like he didn’t believe him. “I ain’t saying that out loud, I know she can hear me.” Bucky refused. You smirked and moved to your computer desk, quickly putting on some loud rock to drown out their voices so you wouldn’t hear.

 Thank you, pretty girl. “Takin’ her to a little place out of the way.” Bucky smiled. “I ain’t tellin’ you the name though, don’t want you two showing up.” He put on his best I’m-not-taking-your-bullshit face, knowing full well that those two punks would do anything to protect you, even if Bucky really did have genuine intentions with you. “Relax, Buck, just wanna look out for her, she’s a sensitive soul.” Steve put his hands up in surrender. “M’not the same Bucky from the forties, Steve.” Bucky reminded him, pacing over to his dresser and rooting about in the drawer. “M’not gonna take her out and then drop her, couldn’t do that.” Bucky couldn’t even fathom doing that to you.

 God the way your sweet face lit up when you saw him, the confidence you had in him, oh it made his heart soar. He didn’t think he’d ever known someone with such trust, such belief in him. He had it bad for you.

Bucky finally found what was looking for and pulled a white box out of the drawer. Opening it up, he pulled out the bottle of new cologne and spritzed it around a little, being careful not to overdo it. “She’s too good to me.” Bucky hadn’t really intended to say that out loud, but the two men looked over at Bucky and waited for him to continue. “She believes in me, puts so much trust in me, don’t think I’ve ever known a gal like that.” Bucky spoke quietly. “She sees past this.” Bucky glanced down at his metal hand. “She isn’t too good for you, pal.” Steve shook his head, getting up to walk over to him. “She’s what you need, just don’t push her away.” Sam cut in. Bucky knew that. He knew he needed you. He wanted you as well, but he couldn’t deny that he needed you.

 “You’ll do jus’ fine, man. But if you hurt her.” Sam made a line across his throat with his finger, eyes bulging before he raised a brow at Bucky. “Sam, bit much, but… Uh, well I guess you get the point.” Steve shrugged. “Good luck pal.” Steve clapped him on the shoulder before walking towards the door, Sam following suit and patting Bucky’s arm before leaving. Talk about confidence boosting.

 “Text us when you get there.” Steve pointed at you. “Mm, no, I’m not doing that.” You shook your head. “Sweetheart.” He frowned, crossing his arms. “Would you lay off? I heard you two getting up in Bucky’s business about our date.” You scoffed, trying to push Steve out of your room. Bucky listened from the other side of the wall, amused by your bluntness with Steve. “I’m just looking out for you!” He protested, letting you push him backwards. “Steve, we’re both adults, this isn’t my first date, nor is it my first date with him and Bucky has been nothing but sweet and gentle with me. You have nothing to worry about.” You say matter-of-factly. Sweet and gentle, she thinks I’m gentle. “It’s sweet that you two want to look out for me, but back off, would ya?” You frown, finally getting Steve out of your room. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have five minutes until my Sergeant arrives and I’m still not ready.” You huff, closing the door and leaving both boys in the corridor. My Sergeant. I’m her Sergeant now. Bucky couldn’t lie, he loved the sound of that, he loved the way it sounded when you said he was yours.

“That didn’t go to plan.” Steve grumbled. “It was a terrible plan.” Sam shook his head.

 You slipped on a jacket over your simple skater dress just as a tentative knock came to your door. Seven o’clock sharp. You opened the door and god; he stole your breath away. Bucky stood, leaning up against your door frame in a dark grey button up shirt, a leather jacket thrown over the top and a pair of very new looking black jeans, they definitely looked like they were his ‘smart’ jeans. Bucky’s chestnut hair was scraped back into a messy low bun, small strands hanging out of the sides and framing his face, a few large chunks of hair that were too short to be tied back were roughly tucked behind his ears.

 Holy- wow. She looks so beautiful, so goddamn pretty. Bucky leans towards you, holding out his hand for you and he craned down to lightly peck your cheek, the gentle tickle and scratch of his facial hair on your cheek was welcome. Kissing her cheek is becoming second nature, good job! Maybe we should try kissing her properly later. “Hey pretty girl.” He murmured in your ear, voice rough and deep, but still so soft. A little tingle crawled up your spine and you weren’t sure if Bucky had meant to be extremely alluring or if that was an accident. You felt a blush creep onto your features as you took in his appearance. Bucky could ask you to do anything right now, and you’d do it without hesitation.

 The early evening sunset, orange and pink hues dusting colour across the clouds. A gentle breeze shifted your hair about, lifting the skirt of your dress a little. Warmth, a comforting grip around your hand, fingers intertwined with yours. A soft crunch below your feet, autumn leaves covering the pathways in an array of reds and yellows. The musty smell of earlier rain and damp foliage tickled your senses.

 Softness against your cheek as you leaned into him, head resting against the side of his shoulder. Leather, spices and woody scents touched your nose. That smell was Bucky. You looked up at him, gazing up at his handsome features as he looked straight ahead.

 Beautiful. The cool weather, the soft breeze, the colourful sky and leaves falling made it feel like a surreal watercolour painting. What if this is just a dream? Bucky discreetly pinches himself with his metal fingers, you’d never seen him do it, but he did it regularly around you, just to be sure. He’d be heartbroken if he woke up and all of this happiness was a figment of his imagination, if you were a figment of his imagination.

 Bucky glanced down at you, absolutely captivated, you didn’t even care that he’d just caught you staring up at him. Gorgeous, how is she so effortlessly pretty? You seemed so carefree, so joyful as you walked beside him, a deep breath sucked in, eyes fluttering shut as you smelled the crisp, autumnal smell of the outdoors.

 “You look real pretty.” Bucky broke the comfortable silence, speaking just above a whisper, voice soft but still gravelly and rough, like brushing velvet backwards. A little hum, the curve of a smile on your lips, the ghost of a shy giggle in your throat. You look up at him, coolth, metal against skin as bionic fingers gently brush your hair away from your face, smoothing over your cheek and lingering for a moment. The serene moment is disrupted when your phone buzzes. You sigh and pull it out of your pocket to see it was a message from Steve.

‘How is it going? He treating you alright?’

Bucky sees the message from over your shoulder, a soft sigh passing through his lips. Why is Steve such a dad all the time? “Sorry.” You apologised, catching Bucky looking at your phone before you tucked it away. All Bucky can do is smile down at you, a sweet, lopsided smile. “Where are we going?” You ask, steering the conversation away before one of you could complain about Steve. “Uh.” Bucky paused, scratching the back of his neck. What if she doesn’t like it? Fuck what if she- Calm down, you know she’ll like it. “It’s a surprise, doll.” Bucky finally answers. Nice, getting much better at keeping cool around her, Barnes.

 You walked for another ten minutes, dipping in and out of conversation. The silence was never uncomfortable, which wasn’t unusual to you both. You’d often sit silently in each other’s presence, mostly just for quiet company and nothing more.

 You eventually reached a little walled garden restaurant, tucked away behind the park on a little side street. Bucky opened up the wrought iron gate for you, letting you enter first and you smiled when you saw the place he’d brought you to. It was a quaint little outdoor restaurant, lined with four stone walls that had foliage creeping up the stones and they wove in and out of the cracks. Strings of large bulb fairy lights were hung across the garden secured to the walls, giving a warm, soft glow to the place. The floor was cobblestone with a few long, old looking rugs that created pathways for people to walk along comfortably. Each table was situated near a small firepit or heat lamp, the air was filled with the wonderful, warm and cosy scent of wood burning, complimented by the delicious smells of food being served. Quiet chatter was accompanied by the gentle roar of fire and the odd pop of wood, soft music played in the background, mostly jazz and classical, keeping the atmosphere calm and serene.

 You and Bucky followed a waiter to your table and Bucky insisted on you sitting on the side closest to the firepit so you could stay warm. Bucky adored the way you looked with the soft, warm glow of the fire against your skin. “This place is beautiful Buck.” You remarked, looking around at your surroundings. A small smile made its way onto Bucky’s lips as he watched you admire the place. Told you she’d like it, Barnes, had no reason to worry. “Picked it myself.” He said softly, keeping his voice low. “I bet the boys were giving you plenty of advice.” You rolled your eyes. Bucky snorted as he relaxed back in his seat. “Well I had the pleasure of being given the talk from Stevie earlier.” You sighed. “You too? Damn I thought they just didn’t trust me with ya.” Bucky chuckled, shaking his head. Over protective goofs. “Mm, treated it like it was my first date, I think Steve and Sam went full co-parent on me.” You giggled. “Better than what I got.” You frowned at that, waiting for Bucky to elaborate. “Got threatened with death if I didn’t treat ya right.” Bucky smirked. That sounded like them. “Of course they did.” You sighed, smiling.

 You both ordered your food and drinks, mostly engaging in casual conversation while you ate. You laughed at a few of Bucky’s awkward jokes and he seemed amused and intrigued by your stories of your times with Steve and Sam before Bucky came home. You were absolutely absorbed by how confident Bucky became when he talked about the forties. You started to notice that Bucky’s confidence wavered a lot, but he was overall doing good and keeping his cool, as far as you could see.

 Tell her, you know you want to tell her. “I heard you, y’know.” Bucky smiled, relaxing back in his chair. Can’t get out of it now, Barnes. You tilted your head slightly, waiting for him to elaborate. “Callin’ me your Sergeant.” Bucky blushed when he said those words, nervous you might recoil that he’d accidentally overheard that. You looked down at your plate, smiling widely and blushing with embarrassment. “Sorry.” You let your hair fall into your face, blocking him from seeing your features. Oh shit, no, didn’t mean to make you embarrassed. Pretty girl, I liked it, please don’t hide. Quick, save it Barnes! Metal fingers curled under your chin, gently raising your head to meet his eyes. Bucky gave you a lopsided smile. “I liked it, doll.” He spoke softly, letting go of your chin, making you smile shyly up at him. What was happening? Bucky seemed so much more confident than usual, not that you were complaining, you loved it.

 “You know, when I was in Wakanda and when I first arrived here, I thought you and Steve were together.” Bucky smiled fondly, remembering the way Steve practically gushed about you. “Was only when I asked him that it all clicked into place, said you were a little sister to him.” Bucky huffed out a little chuckle. “I love Steve, but not that way.” You smiled, speaking quietly like you were afraid your voice would fail you. You felt unreasonably nervous, especially after Bucky saying he’d overheard you earlier. “Funny, he said a similar thing about you.”

 “I thought you didn’t like me when you first arrived.” You admitted, almost blurting it out, voice still small and shy. Why’d you have to open your damn mouth, she’s all shy around you now! Oh but it’s cute though. “Really?” Bucky asked, knowing full well why, he knew he wasn’t exactly the most approachable person, especially back then. “M’sorry if I ever made you uncomfortable, I know I stared a lot when I got here.” Bucky leant forwards on the table, pushing his now empty plate away from him. “It was hard not to.” He then blurted out, making you giggle into your hand. Dammit, you were so smooth before Barnes. “Well it’s just that- you- you’re so pretty and um.” Okay, stop. “So pretty.” He paused, sighing at himself. Stop. Please. “And you’ve been nothin’ but sweet.” A smart, sweet, pretty girl who called me her Sergeant. “Bucky.” You step in, smiling widely at him, cheeks flushed bright red. “It’s okay, it never really bothered me.” You reassured him.

 “Why did you gravitate to me though? I’m, well-.” Bucky cut himself off, looking down at his figure, at his arm. “I’m not exactly approachable.” You frowned and reached across the table for his hands, cold metal in one and warm flesh in the other. Taking in a deep breath, you paused for a moment, collecting your confidence together to say what you needed to say. “Bucky, I knew you just wanted to be accepted, to come back to society and live again. I saw the way you looked at me and the others, like you couldn’t have the same as us. I wanted you to feel like you could, like you could live again.” You realised it sounded like you might be pitying him and were quick to clear your throat and fill the gap in conversation. “And then I realised that under your exterior was someone who just wanted to be loved, and I…” You paused, looking Bucky in the eyes as you watched a dusting of pink wash over his cheeks and nose. “Fell for you.” You managed to get out, immediately looking away.

 She… Excuse me, what? Did I hear that correctly? Bucky was absolutely stunned, floored even. Someone, who he considered the sweetest, smartest, prettiest girl he’d ever met just told him that she fell for him and he couldn’t believe his ears. He was utterly speechless, a small stutter making it’s way out of his throat before he snapped his mouth shut. Is this real? This can’t be real. Bucky tried to catch your line of sight and you looked up at him wide eyed. I think I’m melting; she’s melting me. Okay, say something because you’re leaving it too long.

 “Uh.” That’s not what I had in mind, try again. “Um.” What are you doing? Try harder, use your goddamn words Barnes, where’d the confidence go? “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way or anyt-.” You began but Bucky cut you off. “No, no, god I do, I- I’m nervous.” He squeezed his eyes shut. You’re nervous? Seriously? Sure just admit dumb stuff to her, she just spilled her heart out and all you can say is that you’re nervous. You looked a little confused, admittedly taken aback by the mixed signals you were getting from Bucky.

 Tell her, say it, say it, say it! “I’m in love with you.” He spoke just above a whisper and you couldn’t help the look of surprise on your features. To Bucky’s relief, your surprise turned into a wide grin, cheeks bright red as you looked at him bashfully. Bucky Barnes was in love with you. “I’m in love with you too.” You giggle out, ecstatic he’d told you something you considered so intimate, something you honestly hadn’t expected to hear so soon, but that you were fine with not hearing for a while. Your heart was beating hard in your chest and you were sure Bucky could hear it with his enhanced senses, that he could hear your stomach doing flips and how your heart was soaring.

 Yes! You did it, oh she looks so happy. You made her happy, Barnes. All I want to do is kiss her. Can I? I’m not sure I can. Kissing you was the only thing on Bucky’s mind on the way home. On your walk back through the park under the bright moon and the city lights. It was the only thing he could think of when you looked up at him in the silent moments, or when you leaned against him. Things felt different, in a good way, his feelings were out there and you’d reciprocated them, your relationship felt more open and it seemed like it would be easier to navigate.

 He knew it was bad, you were talking and he wasn’t paying attention to anything you were saying. He just couldn’t concentrate while he sat so close to you on the park bench, both of you reluctant to go back to the tower just yet. “Bucky?” You finally realised he hadn’t been listening. Shit, she’s noticed, uh, what was she saying? Should I just… Um, oh why is this so complicated?

 “Sorry, doll, it’s just- can I kiss you?” Bucky surprised himself. He was slightly amused when you gasped in reaction, you’d absolutely not expected that so soon, not that you minded. You nodded, a trying to control the big smile spreading across your lips. Oh my god, holy shit. No, okay, don’t think, just do.

 Bucky’s metal hand came up to gently brush you cheek and cup the side of your face, mostly resting just below your jaw. His flesh hand rested on your thigh and he leaned in, trying so hard to drown out the voices in his head. You slowly leaned into him, eyelids dropping the closer your got to him. You felt him pause for a moment in front of you and you let him, giving him a moment to compose himself. Small puffs of hot breath sent shivers through you as Bucky paused. He swallowed thickly before easing towards you, lips gently brushing against one another. You let him take the lead, letting him take his time and set the pace. You stayed like that for a few seconds, lips barely touching, until Bucky dipped a little closer, his lips pressing gently against yours. It was slow and shy with little movement, but it felt so right. You moved against his lips, hands resting on his chest as you hummed. Bucky let a low gruff sound rumble through his chest, like a growl almost until he kissed you more deeply, capturing your lips in a delicious, slow dance.

 Eventually you parted. Bucky kept his gaze on you as his metal hand found the nape of your neck, cradling your head.

Bucky was ecstatic, pride swelled in his chest, he’d just kissed you, told you he’d loved you and kissed you and for once the voices in his head were quiet.

He couldn’t wait to kiss you again.

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Permanent Tag List:

@shygirl-00 @swanlakemikey @scuzmunkie@paintballkid711@lovelylilia @mapreza1 @love-bucky-3000 @cals-cigarette@scarlett-berserker @2407zzz@mercurybarnes@mywinterwolf@geeksareunique @fairislesheets @wendaiii@mochibarnes

His Second Chance Tag List:

@socialheartbreak @whatsupbucky @yesno18 @just-a-littlebit-of-everything @crystallstaircase @megantje123 @fantua @lady-x-red@buckys-islandgirl @chipilerendi@butteryoptimisticpeanut@blondecity @dark-night-sky-99 @marvel-ous-bucky@rand0mfangurlstuff @tfandtws @vxidnik @books-baritones-bucky@bluerorjhan @calwitch @hello-keeley @vrgelivvvv@steve-harrington-said-gay-rights @swiftlymoniquesblog @viperslunatic @carol-twinklefists-danvers @stitchers-in-stitches @hungry-pasta

[theofficialcunt]

Simplicité - Chapter 7

The next few days went by smoothly, the salon was fully booked and Adore was still getting used to her new role as Bianca’s assistant, as well as balancing her new love life on top of that. Conversation with Bianca outside of work had become scarce, even more so than before. Most nights, Adore would find herself locked in her room talking to Farrah, or better yet locked in Farrah’s room.

It was cool having a roommate like Bianca. It had been Adore’s first time living with someone other than a family member and so far she was digging it. The freedom to come and go as she pleased was exhilarating, and she wouldn’t trade that for the world.

Life for her was good.

For Bianca on the other hand…

“Sorry pussyface, I can’t tonight. I got a date.” Courtney drawled over the phone, wiggling her eyebrows promiscuously into the iPhone camera. Bianca sighed to herself as she slumped back down on her bed, making sure to hold a fake smile for the Facetime camera.

“Another date? Isn’t that the fourth one this week?” Bianca asked, bitterness lacing her voice as she unhooked her bra with one hand.

“Yep! Being single rules!” Courtney exclaimed. “Hey I gotta go, I’ll see you tomorrow B.”

And with a click she was gone.

Here Bianca was, alone on a goddamn Friday night, in the middle of Chicago. Not one of her friends was unoccupied. Was there something wrong with her? When did she become the reject of the group?

She was a bit annoyed with Adore; ever since her and Farrah became exclusive her work performance had plateaued and her growth had come to a screeching halt. She desperately needed to get her shit together, at least enough for the Modern Salon interview next week.

It’s not that she was bad at her job, the girl just needed to watch her words. Bianca would cringe everytime Adore would screech “Oh party!” or say things like “Sweet man,” “Chillax bro,” and her personal favorite “We’re totes excited to see you! Byeeeee.”

Unfortunately for her, she had not been able to properly talk to her about it. Every chance she got, Adore would be rushing out the door with that loud, annoyingly whiney airheaded blonde on a smoke break.

Adore wasn’t the only one who had been neglecting her job lately. Courtney had been dragging herself into the salon with makeup from the day before. When she had tried to call her out on it, she said she was trying the new effortlessly chic look, which reportedly consisted of smudging her cat eyeliner in a way to make a “soft” smoky eye. Add the remnants of a nude liquid lipstick, a smudged brow, and glitter halfway down your cheeks and you have this Fall’s It Look according to Courtney.

Do these girls realize who she is? She has literally done everything they have, except for one, she freshened up her makeup before her shift if she was out all night, and two, knew how to do her damn job.

She shook her head and began to scroll through instagram, where she found two nearly identical pictures in her feed.

courtneyact: Oh my gosh! Ran into farrahrized and adoredelano at Roscoes. #girlsnightout

farrahrized: Date night with my baby adoredelano and my “twin” courtneyact

Adore was sandwiched in the middle of the two blondes, golden arms linked with hers as they all posed sexily for the camera. Farrah’s long platinum hair was straightened, she was dressed in metallic silver booty shorts with a rhinestone bra. Her abs shone gold from the flash (of course this bitch put highlighter there), while Courtney’s jaw was slack, blonde curls cascading around her face. She was in a short black dress, with dark red lips and a weirdly shaped headpiece. Adore was the most simple but most striking of them all, wearing a Nirvana t shirt and black ripped jeans.

Bianca clicked on Adore’s instagram and hit follow, her breath hitching in her throat as she saw the picture she posted.

adoredelano: Well I’m one lucky bitch courtneyact farrahrized

Her arms were around Courtney and Farrah’s waists, as their lips were pressed to her cheeks. Adore was smiling with her mouth wide open in the photo, almost as if she were caught mid laugh. Her head was tilted back and Farrah’s hand appeared to be touching her crotch, while Courtney’s hand rested on her right tit.

Bianca was jolted into a pure rage, her stomach feeling ill from the pure envy seeping through her veins as she fixated on the image. Without thinking, she typed out a quick comment and hit send on the photo.

thebiancadelrio: you call that lucky?

She didn’t even care if it was rude. Sure, maybe it was pure coincidence that they had all run into each other but maybe it wasn’t. They didn’t have to stay together at the bar.

The more she thought about them out having fun without her, the more angry she felt.

courtneyact: Sorry babe. Blondes have more fun. ;)

Bianca rolled her eyes. She didn’t need her false pity. It was too little too late for that anyway.

———————————

Adore softly unlocked the front door to her apartment, tip toeing in as she eyed the large clock on the wall. 1:30 AM. Ugh, she had work in 7 hours and was most definitely not looking forward to it.

As she softly padded into the house, she noticed that the lights were still on. As she turned her head towards the kitchen, she jumped back startled at Bianca’s brown eyes that were fixated on her.

“What the fuck?!” Adore exclaimed.

“I know, I look like that girl gremlin they poured water on without makeup on. Thanks for the confirmation.” Bianca retorted dryly.

“No man, It’s not that.” Adore started. “I just didn’t expect you to be up.”

“Someone has to make sure that you’re okay to actually come into work tomorrow.” Bianca smirked, raising a brow before gesturing to her tea pot. “Tea?”

“Sure.”

Bianca grabbed another mug, pouring the contents into it before sliding it over to Adore. Adore smiled, letting the sweetness slip down her throat as she studied Bianca’s features. This was the first time she had seen her with no makeup on, and she was gorgeous without it. Her natural eyebrows were more of a golden neutral brown color, instead of the dramatically drawn on dark brown ones she was used to. Her skin was smooth and reminded her of deep caramel, dewy as if she had just moisturized her face with 6 different creams. She could appreciate her dimples a lot more without the layers and layers of creams and powders, and idly wondered why she opted for so much makeup on a daily basis.

“You know, you’re like super pretty without makeup.” Adore murmured.

Bianca raised an eyebrow tiredly, for once not really wanting to challenge the girl.

“Thanks.” Bianca whispered softly.

“I’m serious. You’re a natural beauty.” Adore said, locking eyes with her. She drained the rest of her tea, setting the mug down on the counter. “Thanks for the tea. I’m gonna go get some sleep.”

As Bianca watched her go to her room, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was the alcohol talking or if Adore really thought she was pretty without makeup.

———————————

The next morning, Courtney stumbled into the salon with a false eyelash falling off of her eyelid, flyaways dancing around her roots, and dressed in one of her famous backup outfits.

Enough is enough, Bianca thought, annoyed, as she watched Courtney set her purse down at her station. She sat in her salon chair and put her face in her hands, clearly tired and not at all ready for the day ahead.

“Hi!” Bianca exclaimed, raising her voice so loud that it echoed throughout the lobby. “How’s my precious Court doing? Are you all set for work today? You’re fully booked!”

“Jesus, can you take it down a notch?” Courtney moaned, rubbing her temples.

“Why, whatever do you mean?” Bianca asked, tilting her head. “Is something the matter?”

“Hey Courm! How are you feeling? Damn dude you sure pounded those jello shots back last night-“ Adore stopped as she realized Bianca was standing right there. “Oh hey B. Sorry, Starbucks was out of Everything Bagels so I went to like 5 different ones to get you yours. I didn’t mean to be late to my shift, but I didn’t think you’d mind since I rode with you here anyway.”

“Oh it’s quite alright, just come into work whenever you’d like! Who cares if you have to drive to 5 different Starbucks and waste our time. Adore, you could have just gotten me a yogurt parfait.” Bianca seethed before turning to Courtney. “ But it’s okay! Wear your backup outfits, pass off last night’s makeup as a smoky eye look, I don’t care. But honey, at least glue your fucking false eyelash back on.” Bianca handed a stunned Courtney her eyelash glue before spinning on her heel towards the office.

“Fuck.” Courtney mumbled.

“What crawled up her ass this morning?” Adore muttered.

“A late assistant and a half drunk hair stylist.” Bianca barked from the stairwell.

——————

“Courtney!” Farrah drawled, giving her an air kiss before sitting down next to her in the stylist room. “What happened to you last night? Who was that girl you were with?” Courtney had just finished up her third haircut of the day and was currently on a 30 min break.

“Oh my god, so I took this girl home last night, and-“

“Wait wait, I wanna hear!” Adore said as she ran up the stairs from the basement. “That red headed girl you were with looked hot! Did you fuck her?”

As Adore pounded up the stairs obnoxiously, Bianca rolled her eyes as she typed an email to a client. Since when have Adore and Courtney been BFF’s? She didn’t hire an assistant to be sitting in her office by herself. She hit send on the email, before grabbing her phone and sending a text to Bob.

Bianca: Wanna get drinks tonight?

“So, I ended up taking her home and you won’t believe what happened. She fell ASLEEP!” Courtney groaned.

“No!!!” Farrah gasped, fake crying as she shook her head.

“It gets worse guys.” Courtney whined, looking between the two girls.

“Oh god.” Bianca muttered as she listened in from the office.

“She fell asleep - in the middle of sex!” Courtney screamed. “But that was okay, her cute friend Ivy explained to me that that usually happens when she gets excited.”

“Wait bitch, you took more than one girl home?” Adore asked. “That’s a baller move.”

“Why of course! And thank god I did, because Ivy was kind enough to sleep with me while her friend was passed out.” Courtney said batting her eyelashes.

“OH MY GOD!” Farrah shrieked as Adore’s laugh rang throughout the salon.

“What? I’m a classy lady, so I insisted that we let her join in once she woke up. I feel bad, I had Ivy screaming so loud I think she ended up waking the poor girl up…Anyway, at least it all worked out in my favor in the end.” Courtney shrugged.

“That’s fucking badass!” Adore cackled.

As the girls laughed together on the second floor, Bianca’s phone rang with a text.

Bob: Sorry bitch, got plans already. Soon!

Bianca frowned, sitting back in her chair as she began to feel a sinking feeling hit her stomach. Adore was fitting in great with the other girls (and Bob), which was great - fantastic even. But she couldn’t help but feel lonely as she heard them laugh and gossip upstairs, not even paying her any mind.

She watched the clock tick down, slowly watching as their lunches all trickled away before she barked Adore’s name to beckon her back downstairs.

“Yeah, B?” Adore called as she skipped down the steps.

“Can you get me lunch from EP?” Bianca asked, not making eye contact. “Cuban sandwich and if they don’t have it just get me the Chicken and Wild Rice soup.”

“Sure! Anything else?”

“Nope that’s all.” Bianca said, realizing at the last second that she was sending her into Farrah’s ex flings restaurant. Whoops.

“Okay, be back soon.” Adore said, quite cheerfully to Bianca’s surprise.

That could only mean one thing.

———————

“You didn’t tell her?” Bianca glared at Farrah as she mixed toner into a small color bowl.

“I-I didn’t know how to tell her!” Farrah protested. “It’s not like we were official. She won’t come out of the damn closet.”

“So let me get this straight, Eureka wouldn’t come out of the closet so you didn’t consider you guys to be an item?”

“It was a mutual understanding.” Farrah clipped.

Bianca was utterly disgusted. First of all, you don’t keep past relations from someone you’re dating. Especially if they work just down the street and have multiple opportunities a day to get in touch with them! The only reason people hid exes from their current partners was to still have them as an option in case things don’t work out.

“Mutual or not, Adore has the right to know especially since we work almost right fucking next to her!” Bianca snapped. “If you really respected Adore you would tell her.”

The tension was growing thick between the two of them. Maybe part of it was jealousy, but the other part of it was that Bianca cared about Adore and didn’t want to see her get hurt.

“Bianca enough.” Courtney hissed. “This is Farrah’s relationship, not yours. Stop trying to get into her business.”

Bianca shot daggers at Courtney with her eyes before she turned her attention back to Farrah, making sure to keep intense eye contact with her. She learned a long time ago that her eyes were her deadliest weapon.

“She deserves to know, Farrah.” Bianca spat, before going back downstairs to her office. Leaving a confused Farrah alone in the shampoo area, with a bowl of color and a bigger mess than she anticipated.

——————

“Hi, can I get the cuban, a blueberry/lemon scone, a raspberry salad and a grilled cheese to go?” Adore asked as she approached the cash register.

“That sounds like Bianca’s order-“ Eureka stopped in her tracks as she turned around and faced the raven haired beauty. Her heart sank as she noticed she was even more beautiful up close. Her lips were plump and full, a cherry red color from the lip balm she had put on. Heavily lined blue eyes were a striking contrast against the long black hair framing her face. The mystery girl’s skin was smooth and to top it all off she had impeccable bone structure. She stared up at her slightly in awe, so mesmerized by how pretty she was.

But then she remembered she was supposed to hate her. She entered in the order on the cash register seriously, trying not to make anymore eye contact.

“It is! I guess you know her order pretty well by now huh?” Adore laughed.

“Yeah. Anything else?” Eureka asked coldly, grabbing a paper bag quickly.

Adore’s smile faded as she shifted uncomfortably. Did she say something wrong?

“No that’s it.” Adore mumbled.

“$30.65.”

Adore raised an eyebrow before handing over the company credit card. Eureka slid it, handing her the receipt before going back to the kitchen to get her food.

“Hey what’s your name again?” Adore asked when she came back.

“Eureka.”

Adore felt her blood go cold as she realized that this was the girl that Farrah used to flirt with to get free food. She wondered if that was all that they did. By the glare on her round face, she was assuming that there was something that she didn’t know.

[heytherejones]

mornings

literally no plot. ----- The morning was the epitome of soft and slow. Sunshine cast through her curtains, tinting the room with a blush pink hue. The window was cracked slightly, letting the thick heat of the room escape and cooling their flushed skin. She lay curled beneath his weight in his ratty t-shirt, hole at the hem with socks bunched at her ankles and nothing else. He lay above her, nothing but boxers hugging his waist. His eyes were closed, soft snores and quiet exhales filling her ears. His skin is warm, hot almost, pressed against her bare and pale icy skin. He's beautiful, always, but especially like this. When he's sleeping, eyes closed and lashes long, lips in a small pout, she notices how gorgeous he looks, tranquil. Her fingers twist delicately in the curl falling down his forehead, pulling back and letting it spring into place. He stirs, but doesn't wake, arms tightening around her waist, pressing his cheek into the exposed skin of her stomach. She'd love to let him sleep, to keep watching him for hours, but she's been up since dawn, a certain ache between her legs keeping her desperate and wanting. She pulls tightly on his bare arm, deciding she was going to be selfish enough to wake him. His head lifts, blue eyes peering up to her sleepily. More turned on than she feels bad for waking him, she tugs his arm again, insisting he move further up the bed and closer to her. He scoots up, pressing his cheek to her chest now as she curls her fingers through his hair. He looks up into her green eyes. He leans up, her eyes fluttering closed as he kisses her softly, sleepily. Granted, she should be tired too. He'd kept her up all night, rocking in and out of her till almost 3am, till her legs were sore, and they still are. When he pulls back she leans in again, without a word he pulls back away shifting himself lower again, back to his previous position. He's closer now to where she wants him, lips lazily trailing across her soft skin. She sighs, watching as he presses his lips on the inside of her thigh already littered purple and blue. Slowly, her legs are pushed apart, his tongue running between her legs, tip of his nose pressed to her clit. He's only half awake, the slow movements of his tongue driving her up the wall. His tongue curls inside of her and she tastes so sweet, like strawberries and cream. He'll never get enough. Her hand presses firmly to the mattress, the other tangled in his messy raven hair. A soft cry of his name leaves her lips, panting as his lips wrap around her clit, kissing ever so slightly. Her hips push upward against him, his arms wrapped around her thighs, fingers pressing into her bruised skin as he continues, still slow, still sleepy. She's an eager mess, cries and whines filling his ears as his tongue curled inside of her again. His eyes blink slowly, drowsily as he looks up at her through his lashes, tongue still coaxing between her thighs. God, he was so god damn beautiful. She comes, all over his tongue and without a doubt his tongue keeps moving, salvaging every last drop of desperation between her legs. Sensitive, she fists his hair and pushes him back slightly, soft pants leaving her lips, breathing jagged. He looks up at her, satisfied and licking his lips, eyes still hooded in his tired state. He grins at her, resting his head on her stomach. Watching the way her eyes flutter and her chest rises and falls, he loses the control within himself, ducking his head between her legs again. She gasps sharply, her thighs quivering as his tongue begins to move. "Juggie, I can't-" She whimpers softly, his lips holding back a sly grin. "Yes, you can." He quips back, terribly smug as he looks to her, lazily moving his tongue. She's too sensitive, it's all too much with the way he's looking at her. She pushes back on his shoulder, trying to shimmy her way up the bed, back slamming against the headboard, but still he desperately clings onto her, arms wrapped around her thighs. "Juggie, please." His nose brushes against her clit, his lips opening in slow pants. "Not until you come again." He holds her close, keeping her hips grounded as they try to lift against his face. Sweat gathers on her forehead, her fingers fisting the pillow, desperate to keep quiet. She curses, making him grown between her legs. Lips open in a silent scream, she comes again, more intensely this time, eyes locked with his. She pushes his head back quickly, panting and breathless. He rolls back on the bed, once again satisfied. Crawling back up to her, lips covered in her desire he kisses her, moaning into her mouth. The sound brings the ache back between her legs even just moments after coming underneath his tongue. Softly, he nips the skin of her jaw. Her hands press to his shoulders, pushing him over and sliding her legs over him. Her hair falls effortlessly around her face, green eyes sparkling with mischief as she rolls her hips forward. "You're so sexy." A groan vibrates through his throat, his hands running along her hips under his t-shirt she looks so good in. She blushes, fingers brushing the underside of her nose, a nervous habit. Quickly breaking her anxious demeanor, she snaps the band of his boxers, tugging desperately. "I want you, Jug." She bites her lip playfully, hips shifting comfortably on top of his. "Yeah?" His thumbs press into her hips, roughly rubbing over the skin. "How do you want me?" He presses harder, lips dragging slowly over her throat. "Hard, Juggie." His face nuzzling into her neck, she looks down, pulling his boxers back slightly and reaching past the material, hand wrapped around him. "Yeah?" He chokes out as she squeezes softly, hand moving up and down lazily. "And fast too." She nods, inching further up his lap. "Well I gotta give you what you want, don't I?" He shudders, skin covered in goosebumps. Growing wetter at the sound of his tired, morning voice she drops herself on top of him, eyes between her legs as she slips him inside of her. "Mhm hmm-" She sucks in a breath, shrieking followed by laughter as he flips her over, pressing her into the bed with a small smile on his lips. Her legs lift to wrap around his waist, the laughter dying on her lips as his hips push forward. She cries out as he shows no mercy, fucking her hard till she sees black, till her mouth can only open in soundless screams. He's definitely awake now, groaning as she lifts her hips upward, before he pushes them back down, grounding her hips. "ohmygod-" Her words mesh together, his thumb pressed to her clit, her stomach tightening. His sweaty forehead pressed into the crook of her neck, gasping against her skin as her hips still managed to shift upward under his hold. Her arms wrap around his neck, tight. He continues to rock his hips forward, so hard that he'd pushed her further up the bed, her head knocking into the headboard. "Jug-" She chokes out, laughter in her voice replaced with a breathy moan. "Shit, sorry." He grins, his hand now placed between her head and the headboard, his knuckles crushing against the hard wood, each thrust of his hips pushing her head back. His other hands dips under his t-shirt, fingertips running along her spine and arched back before resting on her hip, pulling her forward and harder against him. "I'm gonna come, Juggie." Her lip is between her teeth, green eyes peering into his, icy and blue. She cries against the skin of his bruised up throat, nails pressing into his also bruised shoulders. Her teeth scraped against his throat, leaving another one of her many purple teeth shaped marks. His thumb slides over her clit again, rubbing harshly in circles and she comes for the third time tonight. He lets go seconds after she does, pulsing inside of her, filling her up like she always asks him to. She almost screams, his other handing having to slide over her mouth, not wanting to wake her family this summer morning. He kisses her languidly, tiredly, to silence her as he pulls out of her, her face scrunching together. She winces at the empty feeling. Traces of the both of them are practically spilling out between her legs, ruining her perfectly pink sheets, but it wouldn't be the first time she'd have to wash them after a morning like this and she wasn't complaining. "I love when you fuck me hard like that. Do it again Juggie." Her voice is below a whisper against his skin, soft and sultry. He groans, tired, but he had a little bit of stamina left and he was planning on using it right here, right now and on her. Once was never enough, god, they could just fuck each other for hours and never be tired of each other. "What are you doing to me?" Another groan passes his lips. Moaning, he pushes into her again, skin of her hips incredibly soft and she was deliciously wet between her legs. His hips drop once he's completely sheathed inside of her. Her hips push up faster than he can manage, almost passing out, gasping at the sounds that leave her mouth, the way she smiles after the filth leaves her lips. "Fuck, yes." She cries, green eyes wide. Sensitive, she's already coming again, moaning as he follows after her, pulsing inside of her and filling her up for the second time. He collapses on top of her, lips pressed to her forehead before whispering against her sweaty skin. "You're going to fucking kill me."

[loopy-atla-fanfic]

Samsara - Chapter 2

Rating: T

Characters: Mai, Zuko, Ty Lee, Azula

Story Warnings: Ableism, Suicidal Thoughts

Chapter Warnings: Brief suicidal thoughts

Written for Maiko Week 2017

EPOCH 2

"Come on, Mai. It's time to embrace the day! Hey, that rhymed."

Oh, no. Not again.

Mai sat up to find Ty Lee already having lifted one of her feet onto the far end of the mattress, no doubt in preparation for the daily (so to speak) act of bounce-based terrorism. Mai quickly crawled over and grabbed her friend by the shoulders. "Today is the Day of Black Sun, isn't it?"

Ty Lee nodded. "You must be excited. That's the fastest I've ever seen you wake up before noon."

Ashes.

Ashes.

Dragon-pooped, First Flame flickering ashes!

It wasn't prophetic dreams. It wasn't weird subconscious collating of information.

Mai was trapped in the Day of Black Sun.

Great. How had she gone and gotten herself cursed?

(She was also greatly disappointed that curses were real. What next? Auras, the Kemurikage, and Tonyan the Gift-Flinger?)

With a sigh, Mai let go of Ty Lee and got out of bed. She took a step towards her clothes-

-and then stopped. What was she doing? Was she really going to go through it all again? What would be the point? She should be finding a way to end this curse! The whole plan for the invasion would happen without her. She'd just be stuck somewhere all day while Zuko-

Zuko.

Hmmmmm.

Mai began to make plans. (This took a moment of thought, because she was so out of practice.) Just how much of this day she was stuck with, and how much of this day she could change? She felt a smile twist her lips as she used the skills that made her such a dangerous warrior: she identified a target, plotted an intercept, and set about cutting through the troubles of life with grace and efficiency. If the metaphorical cutting went well, she might not have to do any literal cutting. She turned to Ty Lee. "Forty-seven minutes to Azula's dawn briefing, right?" She didn't wait for a response before grabbing her clothes and ducking into the bathroom.

Exactly forty-six minutes later, Mai and Ty Lee arrived to hear Azula once again proclaim, "Ah, girls, right on time."

Instead of complaining about the early hour, the impoliteness of invading rebels, or the possibility that Azula's mental problems were the result of royal inbreeding, Mai just bowed her head and waited.

Seeming quite pleased to be alive on a day when resistance would be ruthlessly crushed beneath her heel, Azula turned to her big ol' map on its fancy stand and pointed to a bright red mark near the center of the Caldera. " Now, you and Ty Lee will take command of 'Operation: Springback' here in the Capital Temple. You will be my coiled spring, hiding within the temple, and attack only when rebel forces enter the grounds in significant number. The Earth King's original plan called out our temple as a possible fallback point, but if they try, they will once again find that I have cut off their every chance to survive. Are you clear on your mission?" Mai bowed her head again. "Yes, princess."

"Excellent! Be sure to stop by the Royal Kitchens before you go, and get something to eat from the buffet. The rations being distributed to the soldiers are rather plain."

Well, the briefing had gone about as well as it could have, in Mai's opinion. She had even been invited to the buffet without having to seem dangerously unstable.

It was unfortunate that she was feeling too nervous to have anything more than a cup of tea and a biscuit.

Mai’s stomach continued to twist as she and Ty Lee started out to the temple, and she waited until the front gate came into view before she said, "Oops, I just realized I forgot my lucky razor disc. I need to go back home and get it."

Ty Lee frowned. "Since when do you have a lucky anything? I gave you lucky seashell years ago but you thr-"

"Since now. You head into the temple and get set up. The commanding officer is Corporal Lee, and he's very eager to impress today." Before any further objections could be aired, Mai turned and sprinted back down the lane towards her house. She once again eschewed the front doors and climbed up to her bedroom window, but this time, as she stood on the divan, she found the foot of her bed mercifully free of heart-breaking 'Dear Mai' letters.

Good. She was on time.

She hopped down off the divan, and crouched behind it. She had no intention of catching up to Ty Lee at all today, but that didn't mean she was giving up on the idea of springing an ambush. She just wasn't going to be ambushing any rebels.

Instead, she'd be ambushing a stupid ex-boyfriend. Or soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend. Or soon-to-be-ex-who-she-could-hopefully-convince-not-to-be-an-ex-boyfriend? Zuko technically still her boyfriend, on account not having left the note yet today, right? And if she stopped him here, and this was the last repetition, could his breaking up with her be said to happen?

Well, Mai had discovered a path to madness, if she ever wanted to take it: just think about how time worked in a cursed loop, and goodbye sanity.

Turning her away from that path for now, a little voice in the back of her head, near where most of her gorgeous shining hair was tied, asked why exactly she expected this to be the last time?

Simple, the front of Mai's mind answered. Once we stop Zuko from leaving, we'll get a Fire Sage to do a purification ritual, or whatever, and then time will go back to flowing normally with our boyfriend safely in place. No problem.

Oh, the back corner of Mai's mind replied. Well, if you have it all figured out, then by all means, go ahead and-

Footsteps sounded somewhere in the house.

Mai tensed.

The steps grew closer, grew louder.

They were right outside the room.

They were in the room.

Then Zuko said, "I'm sorry, Mai."

And she sprang up from behind the divan. "Sorry for what?"

Zuko startled, whipping his head around to stare at her with wide eyes. (Well, one wide eye and one permanently squinting eye.) "What are you- were you hiding behind- why were you- what?"

Mai snorted. "Eloquent as always. What are you sorry for?"

Zuko remained frozen for another moment, and then seemed to deflate. All tension left his body, and his gaze fell to the floor at the same pace as the rolled paper that he let fall from his hands. "I'm sorry for everything."

Well, that was a pretty good start. He had everything to be sorry for. "You're leaving."

He nodded. "I thought you'd be out getting ready for the invasion."

"I was. But I-" Knew what was going to happen? Had come home twice now to find a stupid note and was getting thoroughly sick of it? "-had a feeling about you."

Zuko shrugged. "Well, at least I can say goodbye in person."

"Then why bother with a note at all?" Mai stepped out from behind the divan, keeping her pace slow as she drifted to put herself between Zuko and the door. "I slept over in the palace. You could have caught me any time this morning."

Zuko finally looked up at her. "I couldn’t decide my course. I was already dressed for battle in my armor when I finally made my choice. Trying to catch you would have risked getting caught by Azula. And I thought you might stab me."

"Fair point. Well, you're caught, now. Is there anything you want to say?"

Zuko inhaled, and in doing so seemed to draw in strength once again. His back went straight and a little of that Royal Grace that Azula so effortlessly displayed came into his limbs. Mai had never seen him stand like that, and she had to stop herself being distracted by the sight as he said, "I have to stop him. My father. I can't let him destroy the world."

Meh. Of course he would lead with talking about boring politics. "Really? You're standing in my bedroom with a break-up letter, and you want to talk about destroying the world? What about me? Don't you have anything to say about- about us?"

Zuko scowled. "But this isn't about you! This is about the Fire Nation, about-"

"Junk I don't care about!" Mai crossed her arms over her chest. "Who cares if your father is going to destroy the Earth Kingdom? That means the Fire Nation wins, and we can stop worrying about anything but ourselves! Yeah, it's a shame people have to die or whatever, but that's what happens in a war. This will probably save Fire Nation lives."

Zuko blinked at her. "That- that isn't winning! Think about all those people who will be hurt- people who just want to work their farms or clean up their neighborhoods or- or- or just live. There's no honor in making them suffer! We'd be destroying our nation if we let it happen! I'd be destroying myself."

"Oh, Zuko." Mai put all of her effort into trying to smile, but she wasn't sure if it was working. Nevertheless, she kept trying, and peered out at Zuko from beneath her fringe of hair in that way that usually made him squirm. "Yes, we have to do hard things to win a war, and part of what I like about you is that you actually managed to get to adulthood and still feel things for other people. It's different. And cute. You can be sad about it if you need to. Good thing I know how to cheer you up." She stepped up to him, reaching out around his shoulders, and pulled him close.

Then she leaned forward and kissed him.

She put all of her strength, all of her heat, all of herself into that kiss, into showing Zuko was he would be throwing away if he continued with his ridiculous plan. She felt his arms slide up her sides, felt his strong but gentle hands clasp her body-

-and then he pulled her away. "I can't ignore this anymore," he said. His voice was quiet and his eyes were wet. "I'm sorry. But even if I stayed, I wouldn't be able to give you the love you deserve. It would die with the Earth Kingdom. With the Avatar."

What? Why would his love die with people other than her?

He stepped back and let go of her. "Goodbye, Mai."

He moved to walk around her-

-and Mai pulled a needle from her sleeve. If he wasn't going to stay by choice, then pinning him to the wall was certainly a solution. She'd apologize later, perhaps while wearing that shoulder-baring dress he liked so much-

But as she moved to throw, Zuko pivoted and threw himself towards the divan. Even as Mai was lining up her next shot, Zuko rolled behind the furniture, cutting him off from view.

How dare he expect her to attack him!

Just because she was going to do it didn't mean he should distrust her like that!

Mai moved to see around the divan, planning to nail Zuko to the floor if needed, but there was another blur of motion and then Zuko was dashing towards the window and jumping-

-Mai threw her needle and then a backup razor disc-

-Zuko went sailing out of the window head-first as her blades sank into the window frame right next to him-

-and then he was gone.

Mai stood there for a moment, unable to believe he was really that stupid (Why not, given everything else?), but then she heard the sound of Firebending, and rushed over to the window to find him landing safely in the street with the last flickers of flames dying in the air to mark his path. He ran towards the palace, but then skidded to a halt.

He turned and looked back up at her.

Mai met his gaze.

Then he turned and started running away from the palace, down a street that would take him away from the expected path of the invaders. He was lost to sight.

Come to think of it, there were echoes in the air that might have been the sounds of warfare down at the harbor. The invasion must have just started.

And Zuko was gone. Again. Sort of.

Mai's first instinct was to run after him. He had a head start, but she was quicker in a straight dash, so maybe if she guessed right about his path she could-

Wait.

Why bother?

Why not just try again tomorrow?

After all, there was no tomorrow today. Why would there be a tomorrow, tomorrow?

So Mai packed herself a lunch, went back up to that little isolated spot on the caldera's rim- the one with so many memories of Zuko- and spent the rest of the day watching the war. This time, she got there early enough to see the harbor gate fall to the invaders, and then she sarcastically cheered them on as they rushed to get into the city before the eclipse started. She even spotted what looked like the Avatar's Waterbender helping a wounded warrior hobble his way up the side of the volcano. Mai waved at them, but they didn't notice her.

The most amusing part was when the eclipse ended, and Azula's airships rose up, and the invaders all ran like little lemurs scattering before a komodo rhino. Sadly, it was fairly boring after that, nothing to see but prisoners being arrested and dragged away while the clean-up crews began wondering how to deal with the giant boulders left lying around by impolite Earthbender soldiers.

She started to drift off.

At one point, Mai might have heard something like Ty Lee calling her name. Ty Lee sounded very upset. Maybe she thought Mai had died during the invasion. That was kind of funny. Mai gave a little giggle as sleep began to fully overtake her, but before she lost consciousness, she mumbled, "See you tomorrow."

"Come on, Mai. It's time to embrace the day! Hey, that rhymed."

Mai's eyes snapped open, and she got out of bed with a smile.

She knew exactly what to do.

Exchange some early morning banter with Ty Lee, politely breeze through Azula's redundant briefing, beg off going to the temple so that she could double back to her house, wait behind the divan for Zuko, spring up and point at him when he said-

"I'm sorry, Mai."

"You should be!" She didn't wait for him to get over his surprise before she continued, "This isn't the way! If destroying the Earth Kingdom is such a problem for you, then let's work on it! It's not going to happen today!" Something about her own phrasing amused her, and she let out a small laugh. "By that logic, it might not happen at all."

Zuko stared at her.

Mai shook her head and focused again on the problem at hand. "My point is that making yourself into a traitor and wanted criminal isn't going to accomplish anything! Stay here. With me. We can talk to Azula, or your father, and find some other way to win the war."

Zuko finally moved, slumping (again) and shaking his head. "How can you be smart enough to know I'd come here, and still believe that Azula or Father will listen to me? They don't want another way to win the war. That's why I have to leave. The Fire Nation is rotting from the very top, and only by siding with the Avatar can I start to heal everything. I plan to free my uncle, and-"

"That old gasbag?!"

"He should be Fire Lord! Not my father!"

Mai didn't quite know what to say to that. She wasn't very practiced at discussing whether or not the absolute ruler of her nation should be the absolute ruler of her nation. That was the kind of thing that could put Azula in a remarkably bad mood, and Mai had a talent for judging when to stop just short of that line.

That, at least, gave her an idea of how to respond. "Zuko, you're going to get yourself killed."

He didn't seem especially put out by the idea. "I have to live my life with honor, wherever it takes me."

"That's all it is with you." Mai began walking, this time angling to put herself close enough to both the door and the windows so that she'd have a clear angle no matter which he tried to escape through. "It's always about 'me.' Don't you think other people might care if you die?"

Zuko blinked. "Not many, no." Something must have occurred to him, because his eyes went wide, and then he looked at her with the true light of fire in his face. "But if you care that much, then come with me! We can free Uncle, and then help the Avatar save the Earth Kingdom."

Betray her nation?! Betray Azula?! Risk a prolonged, painful death, probably involving hot coals, and almost certainly involving one of those pointy, multi-pronged metal devices with terrifyingly mysterious purposes?!

Mai considered the point rationally. Considered the abstract idea of Zuko getting himself killed with his idiocy.

"No," she said.

Zuko closed his eyes and lowered his head.

Mai had to admit that she felt kind of rotten.

Then Zuko threw his arms out and sent a wave of flaming expending across her bedroom. She reflexively dodged behind the divan, pulling some of her throwing razors from her sleeves, and by the time she realized that she'd been tricked, Zuko was already out the window.

Ash.

Well, if he wanted to play dirty, then she could, too.

Zuko stepped into her bedroom, and came to an abrupt halt when he saw her.

-saw her lying on her bed, in that off-the-shoulder dress he liked so much, with the skirt much shortened since he had seen it last.

Mai brushed her loose hair from her eyes, smiled, and said, "Hello, lover."

Zuko stared.

He stared some more.

He put the rolled paper on the floor in the doorway, and then turned and ran.

Mai decided to be offended.

This time, Mai just sat at the foot of her bed (fully dressed), staring at the floor. She didn't care if he saw her. She was tired of this.

He stopped short again when he saw her, but this time, he came into the room. "Mai? What are you doing here?"

She didn't bother meeting his gaze. "Zuko, why aren't I enough? Haven't I tried? Don't I make you happy? What about the rest of the world makes it more important than me?"

He was silent for a long moment. Then he came over and sat on the bed next to her. He put his arm around her, and her every instinct was to lean against him and take comfort in his warmth, but she was also mad at him and so made herself resist.

He said, "I've seen the world, and it's not just this big thing that's somewhere else. It's everywhere. It's right here. It's every person out there who's living and working and trying to be happy. I- I don't think I can be happy until they are, too."

Mai snorted. "Then you'll never be happy."

She thought that was a witty point, but he nodded with no surprise or hesitation. "I know."

She shook her head. "I don't think I'm capable of self-sacrifice. Not for other people. Not even- I think- for you."

"But you-"

"Being a supportive girlfriend doesn't count. That was small stuff. You're talking about giving up your life if you have to." She turned and looked him straight in the eyes. "Do you really think I'm capable of giving everything up for someone else? Think about it. Tell me the truth."

His scarred gaze searched hers. Was he simply examining her face, looking at the mask she had turned herself into for some sign of the heart he wanted her to have? Or was he trying to look past the mask, through her dull eyes to the spirit energies within her body, tasting her shadows?

He leaned back. "I guess not."

He stood and walked away.

This time, Mai didn't try to stop him.

"Come on, Mai. It's time to embrace the day! Hey, that rhymed."

Mai sighed and sat up. She wasn't feeling up for another go at Zuko. What more could she say to him? It wasn't just that she had failed to convince him not to try to save the world; she was becoming convinced that she simply didn't have the skill, worldview, or wisdom to talk him down. She, herself, was inadequate to the task. She might have an infinite number of chances, but she had lost the struggle a long time ago.

Well, nothing said she couldn't take a break. Maybe there was something else she could look into?

And then it came to her. "Tell Azula that I'm sick." She grabbed her clothes and headed for the bathroom. "I'm going to see a healer. Give my regards to Colonel Lee and the rest."

Ty Lee's head tilted. "Who?"

Of course, the city's healers had been evacuated with the rest of the citizenry, but there were combat medics aplenty, and Mai was able to find a woman on her way to the harbor who was willing to give her a check-up.

Sadly, finding a female medic who believed in curses was a bit harder. "You say you're suffering from what? Uh, my lady?"

Mai resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm reliving the same day over and over. Every day I wake up and it's the Day of Black Sun. I can tell you exactly how the battle will play out, minute by minute, to prove myself."

"Well, uh, I guess it can't hurt to have you write it all down."

So Mai did.

Several hours, multiple skirmishes, two armies, and one eclipse later, the same medic was scratching her hair. "It's the craziest thing, but I guess you're right. Do you, uh, know how you got cursed?"

Mai shrugged. "I'm a bit free with my blasphemies, but that hasn't been a problem up to now."

"Well, I can do a quick check-up, but you might be better off with a sage."

After a session of poking, prodding, and saying, "Ahhhh," more times than had to be strictly necessary, the healer brought Mai to temple, where the sages had just returned. They listened to her story with obvious disdain, showed a bit more interest when the medic vouched that something had given Mai some kind of prophetic insight, and then got positively giddy when they were given permission to do whatever tests they needed to determine the nature of the curse.

(Although, Mai limited the amount of poking, prodding, and "Ahhh"-ing that would be conducted. The sages were all men, after all.)

By the time Azula dropped by in a fume to ask if Mai knew anything about Zuko running away to marry the Avatar, it had been unquestionably established that the most revered Fire Sages in the Homeland were all nincompoops. They had no idea what kind of curse she might have, or how to undo it. They had never even heard of a curse that trapped a person in an endless loop of a single day.

"You're a hypochondriac and Zuko is a traitor," Azula snarled on the way back to the palace. "I can't rely on anyone!"

Mai thought about that. "And if I had come to you before he had left? Told you what he was planning?"

Azula's head turned slowly, and her gaze was entirely reptilian. "Then today would have played out very differently."

Huh. You don't say.

"Zuko's planning on running away and joining the Avatar."

Azula froze halfway through her turn to the big map on its fancy stand, her finger already extending to point to the temple. She blinked exactly once and then said, "What?"

Mai shrugged. "I thought you'd want to know that before you began your briefing."

Azula stared at her.

Ty Lee leaned forward. "Did I miss something? I don't even think Zuko is up yet. Or is this why you got in so late last night?"

Azula's eyes narrowed. "Zuko admitted a desire to commit treason, and you decided to sleep on it?"

Mai sighed. "Never mind. Bad joke."

"Zuko's planning on running away and joining the Avatar."

Azula froze in the middle of directing her Dai Li goons on where to hide, her finger already extending up to the cave-chamber's rafters. Of course, the princess couldn’t just set a trap for any invaders who managed to find their way to the secret bunker underneath the palace; she had to organize the trap for maximum drama.

Azula’s attention, however, was no longer on her trap. "What?"

Mai shrugged. "I was at the temple when I figured out some references he made during our last conversation. I just thought you'd want to know before he can get away."

Azula was still for only a moment longer. Then she snapped a hand signal to the Dai Li, nodded at Mai in a clear 'you better follow me if you know what's good for you and here's a hint: getting killed by me would not be good for you' signal, and stalked out of the chamber. The princess led the way up out of the underground bunker to emerge through the secret passage into the palace itself.

They caught Zuko just was he was emerging from his bedroom, the break-up note rolled and tied in his hand.

He dropped it when the first attack came.

At a motion from Azula, the Dai Li shot their weird rock-gloves at Zuko, pinning him to the nearest wall by his wrists and ankles in a move that reminded Mai uncomfortably of her own style. Why was Zuko so good at dodging her needles, but he got hit so easily by this?

She stood apart from the proceedings, allowing this to remain between the royal siblings (and their personal subcontractors). She watched as Zuko struggled and Azula stepped forward to pick up the dropped note. The princess unfurled and read it silently, then tossed it over her shoulder to Mai.

Mai didn't bother reading it. She already knew what it said, and didn't want to get mad all over again. Azula was already bringing more than her share of madness (both kinds!) to this situation already.

"So ungrateful," Azula hissed to Zuko. "After everything I've done for you, you're just going to throw this life away and embrace an existence of failure?"

Zuko turned his gaze to Mai, but she kept her face free of expression in a clear 'Who, me? I just work here!' statement. Zuko looked back to Azula. "You've done nothing for me that hasn't also benefitted yourself. I'm finally just doing what's right."

"Of course you are." Azula turned to Mai and smiled. "Thank you for reporting this to me. I'll be sure that my father knows you deserve all the credit. It's good to know that you understand your true loyalties."

Mai was starting to think that applying Azula's specific skills to the problem of Zuko might not have been the best choice. Certainly, that seemed to be the idea behind Zuko's heart-wrenching expression of hurt, and it was making a compelling argument.

Well, he had betrayed her first. At least now he wouldn't be running off to become a doomed fugitive.

He was still staring at her when the Royal Crimson Guard arrived and wrapped him in chains to be led away.

Mai took advantage of the following commotion (Azula made a grand pronouncement out of, "Bring him to my father. The Fire Lord will have the final say about his fate, and I need to get into position in case our invaders make it this far.") to slink away. She ducked into Zuko's bedroom and went over to the windows. This high up in the palace's tower, she could see the whole Caldera settlement. It was still and empty now, but the distant echoes of warfare had started. The invaders must have landed at the harbor.

Maybe she could just hide out here for the rest of the day. Certainly, no one would be using Zuko's bedroom for a while. It was some time before the rebels would crest the volcano's rim and put on a show, so she explored all that Zuko had left behind, at least in terms of physical possessions and not all those pesky emotional sensations that had her stomaching clenching.

Of course, Mai was already familiar with Zuko's room, but she soon turned up something new. An inked portrait of his mother, the Princess Ursa, had been propped up on a shelf at the foot of his bed. It was the first image of the woman that Mai had seen since her mysterious disappearance. The unspoken word was that speaking word of Princess Ursa would result in a lot more than just harsh words, both spoken and unspoken, and so the matter had been ignored for years by all and sundry. Mai herself had no personal feelings about Zuko and Azula's mother, nor much interaction with her beyond the time Mai upchucked after eating an ant-worm on a dare by Azula and Ursa had helped clean her up.

Zuko's picture contained much more grace and serenity than Mai remembered, but perhaps that was just because she usually saw Ursa only when caught between Zuko and Azula.

Still, the picture wasn't that interesting. Mai wound up dozing on Zuko's bed until she was startled awake by the sound of someone- perhaps a young boy- shouting from the lower floors of the palace. She sneaked over to close and lock the room's door, but made note that the palace had been infiltrated just before the true invasion was supposed to begin.

And, judging by the youth of the voice, perhaps it was the Avatar himself. And here Zuko was trying to run away to join the kid.

Except Zuko wasn't getting away this time.

When the fighting finally reached the Caldera, with the eclipse starting above everyone's heads, Mai found that she had a new perspective on the action. Previously, she had been behind the invader's push, watching from the volcano rim like a neutral observer. Now, the invaders were pushing towards her, and she had to admit it was a bit more intimidating from this angle.

Mai saw the Home Guard soldiers move to oppose the invaders, and either get cut down or quickly captured for their trouble. She was a lot closer to the action, this time, and didn't find it quite so amusing.

She thought she spotted one person- wearing the hat of one of the army's runners- jogging down a lane just east of the garden park where she, Ty Lee, and Azula had frequently played as children. The runner seemed to be on a good route that would circumvent the fighting, but on the complete other side of the park, one of the fighting Earthbenders pulled a large rock from the street and shot it at an attacking swordsman. The rock missed its target, but flew more than fast enough to cross the park.

And then the rock and the runner worked together to illustrate a rather extreme, fatal example of bad luck.

The runner was crushed with a suddenness that might have been funny, if Mai was in a mood to laugh.

It turned out that she wasn't.

In fact, she herself felt like she had a big rock on top of her.

So she simply watched as the rebels surrounded the palace to wait for a victory that wouldn't come.

Then the eclipse passed, the Avatar returned to his army on his (armored!) sky bison, and the whole group decided to take their toys and go home if the Fire Nation wasn't going to fight fairly.

Soon enough, Mai was alone again.

The sun was setting when Azula found her.

"Ah, here you are," the princess said as she stepped into the bedroom. "I would be disappointed that you didn't return to handle Operation Springback, but it turned out that the invaders bypassed the temple completely, and you've already done a great service to our nation today."

Mai would have expected more gloating, more honey, in Azula's voice, but the princess was being surprisingly monotone. Nor was there any smile, not even the hint of an evil smirk, on her face.

Mai felt the urge to vomit and hadn't even eaten any ant-worms. "What happened to Zuko?"

Azula blinked once. Twice. There was no expression on her face; it was like she was using at as a mask, just like Mai did. "Why, I had him brought to Father, of course! It's not like I could hide such an act of treason."

Mai stepped forward. "Where is Zuko now?"

Azula giggled without smiling, a high-pitched sound as sharp as broken glass. "Where do you think? The one thing Father will not tolerate is disobedience. That's why he scarred poor Zuzu! Father told him to get up and fight and Zuzu just cried!"

"Azula." Mai mentally counted every single blade strapped to her body. "Tell me what happened to Zuko. Now."

"Watch your tone." There was no strength in Azula's voice. "It's up to us, now. We need to be strong. We need to be united. Father's going to be giving us his full attention."

"Azula-"

"Zuzu is dead!" Azula's screech echoed off the walls. Her face finally had some expression on it, but whether it was born of anger or joy or fear was impossible to tell. "He's dead and it's just us, now! Behave, or I'll send you to join him!"

Oh.

Oh, no.

This-

Mai didn't mean to-

This wasn't-

Fine. So much for this idea. "I see. Thank you for telling me."

Azula let out a ragged breath and nodded. "Okay."

Mai nodded back. "Okay."

Then she threw a razor disc into Azula's throat.

She had aimed for flesh before- she had tried to throw blades at the faces of both the Avatar and his pet Waterbender back in Omashu- but had never actually hit it before. Perhaps it was the short range, this time, or perhaps Azula wasn't quite on her game.

Maybe- just maybe- Azula had known it was coming, and wanted it.

Or it could be that Mai just wanted this hit to land more than any other she had thrown before.

Whatever had led up to it, the princess was crumbled on the floor now in a growing pool of her own blood, and any last words she might have had were lost in all the bubbling.

Mai's stomach clenched. She'd seen blood and death before, but had never smelled it, nor seen it on a familiar face.

Her hands were shaking.

She'd killed.

Not that it counted, of course. Tomorrow, it would be the Day of Black Sun again, and Zuko and Azula would both be alive and well.

But Mai couldn't think of a better way to end this day.

She didn't have to wait long for the guards, and they played their part admirably, charging her with spears as soon as they saw the scene. One might have accused them of jumping to conclusions on entirely circumstantial evidence, but then, she was standing over the bloody body of their princess, while holding what could be called a threatening display of sharp objects.

Mai's shaking hands didn't make her last stand last very long, and within seconds she had another new experience: the feel of metal spearheads punching into her flesh and tearing her innards. There was no experience that could have prepared Mai for the feeling of having her life leak out through ragged holes in her torso. So this was what it felt like to be Zuko- to be Azula- to die-

Wait.

This wouldn't end the cycle of days, would it?

"Come on, Mai. It's time to embrace the day! Hey, that rhymed."

Huh.

So even being killed wouldn't stop it.

A little part of her had expected that. After all, that would be too easy. Did the same go for death by her own hand?

That felt like too much work to explore, right now.

So she didn't move. Even when Ty Lee started bouncing on the far end of the bed, she remained lying underneath the covers. Even when Ty Lee crawled over and started shaking her, she let herself flop in her friend's grip, and fell back down to the mattress when released.

At some point, she began crying silently.

Ty Lee left. Then Ty Lee returned with Azula. More words and attempts to get her out of bed followed. More of her tears moistened the sheets.

Eventually, a guard was called to bundle her up in the bedding and cart her away. She was carried out of the palace, out into the daylight, and then into some underground space.

Eventually she was dumped on the floor of a large room filled with people, where the light was dim and the air was a humid funk. Somewhere nearby, a woman was screeching about how she couldn't stay here, that the ceiling was coming down on her, that she was being crushed by all the people, and she had to get out get out GET OUT.

Mai agreed, but remained on the floor, crying silently to herself.

There was no getting out of some prisons.

The day passed.

As did another.

And another.

And another.

TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW

Eventually, even complete despair becomes boring, and if there's anything Mai absolutely could not tolerate, it was boredom.