(Fluff, fluff and more fluff. Zuko's hopelessly in love)
Zuko was a morning person. By the time the sunlight had filtered through the windows, illuminating the foot of his bed softly, right where his sheets would wrinkle, he’d already be getting ready. He’d gotten used to this particular part of his routine.
He revelled in routine. After years in unrest and constant stress, this felt like a reward. Not a single soul awake in the palace but the night guards and himself. Zuko could hear himself think in the shower, feel the warmth seep into the crevices of his tired bones. He could get dressed without the rush of a meeting, the cool silky fibers meeting his flushed skin.
He wished he got to share it with you.
You tried, you really did. In the earlier days of marriage, you got up with him, sliding into his routine with much difficulty. He didn’t fight off sleep every time he opened his eyes, nor did he nod off in his showers, not like you.
Not when he got to hear the sound of your shower running. Or when he would reach from behind you to help you with your regal dress, pretending to fumble for a few moments so you could loll your head back onto his shoulder. He was being greedy. Stealing your exhaustion for his own benefits.
It worked for a while. You’d grab a tea or coffee from the staff, staring blankly at the meeting debrief papers while it worked its magic. By the next meeting you’d be an active participant.
But… it took a toll on you.
You offered less nuanced takes on political matters. Agreed to fewer activities with Zuko. Stopped arguing with boundary-crossing admirals. Yes, you were awake. Of course you were, he was particular about optimal sleeping lengths. That wasn’t the issue. It was your biology that was.
You were a waterbender, you rose with the moon. This was the cardinal rule of the elements.
He knew that. He knew it all too well.
Thus he resolved to stop, relishing in the feeling of your sleepy head on his chest that night, your arm lazily thrown over his waist.
He’d find other ways to extend his time with his precious wife.
And so the next morning, Zuko neglected waking you up. Loneliness had never been this suffocating. The shower too hot. His robes too heavy. His hair a mess, and the crown crooked. He pouted like a kid, golden eyes catching your less than elegant sleeping form on the bed. A sigh escaped before he could push it down. If he stayed in that orange tinted room a second longer, he’d end up in your arms.
The image of you sleeping haunted him until you joined him. He dwelled on every single detail, down to the shape of your fingers against the space he once was in. Zuko could probably paint it from memory.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?” you asked, taking your usual seat.
Your husband set down a cup of coffee in front of you, in the pretty mug Iroh gifted you as part of a set, back when you were newlyweds. “You looked peaceful,”
“I’d give up peace if it meant watching your routine,” you pushed a loose strand of his hair out of his face, taking a sip with your other hand.
“Oh believe that leaving you there killed me. But you needed the sleep,”
“I can make my own decisions Zuzu,”
A deadpan expression cut through his previously tender eyes, drawing a giggle from your chest. “Sorry, baby,” you kissed his frowning lips into a reluctant smile.
The shift in your energy was noticeable. But, it caused a sense of ambivalence in Zuko, on one end he was ecstatic to have you back to your witty self, and on the other he mourned the early light of privacy with his wife.
He staggered back in returning to the room that evening, entering just in time to see you getting into bed. You looked cozy bathed in the moonlight, it brought out your features, softening your complexion. Dragging his feet to the bathroom to wash up and change, the firelord couldn’t help the bitter feeling inside. He wanted you so desperately to get up with him the following morning. He wanted it so bad he wanted to claw off his skin.
But not bad enough to tell you.
So he settled in bed next to you, peering over to find you reading a book. He scooted a few paces closer, pulling you into his chest. You rested your head back on his bare shoulder.
“You smell nice… is that my lotion?”
He hummed, “Mine ran out,”
“Not true,” you turned your head up, “I restocked it,”
He pursed his lips, “It just smells better. I like the cooler water tribe scent,” he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.
“You can’t deceive me with your cuteness, you klepto.”
You captured his lips in a kiss, a quick one, then back to your book. His cheek squished against your head, watching you annotate the different sentences in the lines with a pen.
A comforting silence pulsed between you two, only interrupted by the sound of his breathing.
“Why’re you still up baby?”
“I miss you when I’m sleeping,”
“I’m still gonna be right here- have you been getting nightmares again?”
“No,” he blushed a little, kissing your temple.
You tilted your head up, smiling when he kissed your neck. “Zuko go to bed, you're sleepy.”
He glared at you behind slowly blinking eyes, “I’m the firelord, I think I can decide my own sleep schedule.”
“Well, who controls the firelord if not his lady? It’s past your usual time zuzu, you won’t have energy for meetings.” you ran your hand down his forearm, interlacing your fingers together. “Is this you staying up because you feel bad having made me wake up early?”
“Maybe,”
“Idiot,” you pressed your lips to the underside of his jaw. He licked his lips, skull dropping back against the headboard. “Zuko,”
“You have a lot of work tomorrow,”
“Since when were you so responsible? It’s like you want me to leave,” he joked dryly.
You gave him a scolding look, pinching his bicep. “You’re so dramatic.”
He flinched, a petulant expression on his face. Zuko retracted his arm from behind you, laying down facing the wall.
You watched his little performance with your eyebrows raised, unimpressed by his theatrics.
“I have to sleep. Busy day tomorrow. Firelord things,”
“I’m not, I’m being responsible,”
You leaned down, kissing the shell of his ear. “Quit being a baby. M’only looking out for you,”
He shivered, huffing in return. You scooted closer, feeling the warmth of his toned back against you. Tracing some of his scars softly, eyes back on your book. Zuko let out a content sigh. He glanced at you over his shoulder, just staring up.
“What’re you being so pretty for?” you poked his nose.
He took your hand, kissing the inside of your wrist. “Maybe I should just take the day off tomorrow,” he thought out loud.
You patted your thigh, and he happily obliged, resting his tired head there. “I mean, you’re gonna be tired regardless. It’s well past your bedtime,” you pushed the soft black hairs out of his face.
“Bedtime,” he mumbled sleepily, a sarcastic inflection in his tone.
You smiled, “Isn’t that what it is?” you hummed, picking up where you bookmarked, your other hand scratching his scalp.
He yawned, “S’called… optimal sleeping,”
It didn’t take very long before he dozed off, breath evening out. He looked sweet like this, asleep in your lap. You could barely bring yourself to shift your positions, but when you did, he easily cuddled up to your side.
So, perhaps he’s lost his mornings with you. And despite how desperately he wished to share them with you, he’d settle for your lazy mornings and prolonged nights, even if it meant his eyebags growing heavy in meetings.
Truth be told, there’s nothing he wouldn’t lose for you.
AN: I have so many freaking fics in my docs but I keep abandoning them ugghhhhh send help
