Chapter Text
He missed.
His head felt the heaviest it’s ever been, while also the lightest. He only saw red. He heard a muffled laughter through high-pitched ringing. Before he knew it, his vision blurred to a pitch black, and the world was silent.
And then a booming thunder clap jolted him awake.
Zuko sat up as slowly as he could. He held his hands in front of his face, and even though he could barely make them out in the darkness, he knew he was shaking. With a deep breath, he got out of bed and crossed the room, stopping to look out the window. He gripped the curtain as though he were a frightened child holding on to his mother’s dress. Each time he tried to concentrate on his breathing, the vision returned and he lost his train of thought.
A gentle creak gave away that the door had been opened, and after some hushed requests to the guards just outside, it was closed and Mai was at her husband’s side.
“Same as last time?” she asked in a whisper.
He nodded feebly.
“I’m right here when you’re ready.”
Minutes ticked by. The guard came in holding a tray with a teapot and two cups, and the second he was dismissed, Zuko collapsed into his wife’s arms, sobbing. She held him tightly, running her hands through his hair and whispering the usual ‘it’s okay’ and ‘I’m here, darling’ until eventually his breath steadied and he pulled away.
They walked over to the sitting area by the hearth, and Mai poured them each a cup of tea while Zuko sat down, huddled into himself.
“I never thought of the possibility until after it happened,” he said bluntly as he accepted the cup. “What’s even worse,” he added after a sip, “is that it wasn’t the first time it happened. Several times in my life, my father tried to kill me.”
Mai just sat and listened. While Zuko having nightmares of dying on the Day of Black Sun was something she had grown used to, he normally didn’t talk about them, aside from describing the manner in which he died. But this was the fourth time in a row he’d dreamed of dying by lightning strike at the hands of his father, and clearly it was getting to him.
“Maybe you should see a healer,” she suggested.
“What for?”
“To look at your chi. Something’s blocked, and it’s causing you to relive a fear that you’ve made amends with nearly twenty years ago.”
Zuko pondered that for a moment. After a long sip of tea, he put his cup on the table and sighed.
“Maybe you’re right. Couldn’t hurt, I suppose,” he said, standing up and stretching.
“Of course I’m right,” Mai said, moving towards the bed and leaning against the frame. “Now come here before the rest of the world wakes up.”
With a grin, Zuko embraced his wife, and they happily took some time to themselves before another busy day.