The air waved with passion across the luxurious suite, with the heavily armored hull walls containing even more heat. In such private space, inhibition was in full force, and despite being gentlemanly held by the hand and fully dressed, Raven was cackling like a maniac.
Zuko knelt beside Raven, keeping both her hands held politely in his on the unreasonable expanse of silky sheets. He looked upon her like he could hardly believe she was real as her hands subtly held back, but finally he scowled at her deranged behavior.
She had a big stupid smile on her face that made him instantly forgive whatever dumb thing she was about to do or say, and she saw his silent judgment just before he had to speak.
"This is all so insaaane," she croaked as she rolled to one side and then the other, restricted by manners to not letting go of his hands for an instant.
Nothing remained of her usual haughty tone. He raised an eyebrow, but the scowl remained, and he scandalously tightened his hold on one of her hands.
"Raven—" he barely began.
"But I don't give a grip!" she blurted out, still a wide-eyed lunatic.
She lunged upwards, so suddenly it slipped his grasp, and she met him nose-to-nose as she slithered out from beside him, the fabric of their respectable and chaste attire brazenly brushing, and he tilted back and balanced on one hand, but it at least wiped the scowl off his face. He jerked ever so slightly as she suddenly scrambled to grab at her own still criminally near falling from her shoulder coat, and she tugged it straight to fuss with it in a hurry so she didn't compromise their virtue, but she clearly didn't give a damn about the damage already done.
His face had gone flush, of course, but the unshakeable boy forgot all about it as the folds of her clothes settled back into place, and she was rejuvenated of body and soul by how long his gaze lingered on her pristine decorum.
Raven almost sounded drunk, and she was charged with chastity as she said, "as long as yooou keep your eyes up here, I'm happy to ignore aaaall the nonsense," with a bit too much menacing cheer.
Zuko let his robe settle properly back around him before daring to move, then easily pushed her over onto her back again, then with a deep breath, he largely let himself collapse face first onto the pillow beside her like he respected her personal space. Instantly, Raven wrapped her hands around one of his and held on.
A moment passed as neither moved much, and he simply shut his eyes to listen to her breathing and his own through the heavy quiet.
Finally, he said, "this is really different from the last time…"
She craned her neck up a bit, but his eyes were closed regardless.
"Yeah, uh…" she pondered, unable to tell quite how he felt about it. "If you're worried about doing something too far?" she said with uncharacteristic politeness as she lightly scratched her nails on his scalp. "I really liked all of that… up until you threw me in a freezer."
Zuko lifted up again, peering down at her as he took one of her hands in one of his so casually it was like it was something he accidentally left on the counter. He licked his teeth for a moment, and threaded their fingers together more firmly, to which she perhaps more than modestly pushed back.
"You deserved that," he growled, and gave her a mildly painful squeeze. But his composure broke, and he glanced away as he quietly added, "Didn't mean to let you get that cold."
"I'm not mad!"
There was a pause.
"You're sure?"
Raven took in a deep breath, feeling him retract slightly from her, and wanted anything but Zuko second-guessing himself by the dismay on her face. In that moment she had the wildly incoherent thought that she needed to do something or it would all go wrong.
Her properly covered chest swelled, more than catching up with his too cautious hand, and she puffed out a cinder-filled, blazing hot breath. Right to the face.
"Raven! Agh! What're you-?!" he tried as he winced.
She let out the rest. Not quite fire, but he had to cross a forearm before his eyes and turn away.
"Knock it off!" he bellowed.
"Gulkh!" she sputtered.
Both stared at his hand still clenched around hers. She took one struggling breath as the corner of her mouth twitched in madness. Zuko could see Raven's whole body writhing and warming as she squeezed his hand hard enough to deny later in a moment of sheer, involuntary excitement. Hair over her pale face, guarding her hazel-green eyes that were on their wildest setting, she breathed out a postured and ladylike chrip that the prince could really only take one way.
"You are insane," he said flatly as he pushed her back down against the bed, the pillow that once hid their hands slipping to bop up against the bridge of her nose.
"Yeah—gghk—and?"
"You're bordering on indecent!" he barked, like he was yelling at her, and somehow it was the right choice.
Raven cackled again, although it was broken by how hard she was sighing modestly at the sweltering, wholesome fun.
For no reason either could account later, he pulled her to the side, and she rolled with him. They managed a full three turns on their way to the far side of the stupidly ginormous bed. Raven barely had time to think as he was suddenly clasping his hands around hers and gently guiding them up over her head, at least until she joined in on the same effort.
"Oh, don't let go, Zuko—please!" she gasped once his hands were both busy keeping hold of hers and encouraging her to stay in place while she fluttered her eyes shyly toward him like they'd already started something they'd never live down.
> It only took her a couple of his fingertips lacing together—while expertly steepled around hers—before she realized how long they'd maintained contact, and without a shred of shame, she could feel a slight tremble in his wrists. But it wasn't nerves—it was raw joy to just be spending quality time with her.
The polite and appreciative gaze he dragged out of her as he ran his fingers tips down the backs of her hands drove him all the way to her elbows, over the sleeves, before he respectfully returned his hands to hers. Raven's cheek brushed the pillow beside his, then her forehead tilted submissively towards his like she had to hold onto him for dear life or she'd be flung away. She reveled in the full force of him craning his neck every so slightly to not breathe right on her 'innocent' eyes.
"Rggh!" he grunted, and tapped her forehead. "Maybe… this… will get you… to behave!"
The look on her face was positively delirious as he removed her from the inch of his pillow she'd invaded, until the challenging glint sparked again, despite her blatantly reserved posture.
"Never!" she snapped, the tone harsh, but the hopeless curl of her lips a dead giving her away. "Mmpf!"
Both of them smiled peacefully he pulled her hands tighter, holding on and tugging her around in a way that kept them separated but familiar. Again she caught his bright golden-yellow gaze, and it was impossible as always to tell the difference between reservation and stubborn protocol on his face—just the way she liked it.
Raven's pinky kept brushing his palm, like she needed permission. He grabbed her wrist and yanked it back into a proper distance, sick of her risking valuable dignity, and she didn't delay for a second before interlacing their fingers properly with faces at least a foot apart, instantly struck by ecstasy after getting away with more than he needed to allow.
"Thanks!"
She awkwardly blinked at him.
He paused for just a moment. "You're… welcome?" he tried, and eased his grip.
Her expression shifted to one of mild disgust. She was circling her eyes in a roundabout roll, and it was certainly a good time, but he wasn't quite picking up the same brazen disregard for etiquette.
"Oh, squeeze… did I ruin it?" she verged on pouting. "Thanks… ugh, nice one, Raven!" she muttered to herself as she snagged an extra pillow and put it over her own face. "Rrrrgggghh!" she had to insist.
"Uh… your behavior is unfit for your station," he replied, but the corner of his mouth was twitching like maybe it was worth it to see her be that much of a doofus.
"Don't look at me!"
"I can't. There's a pillow on your face."
"Mrghghrgh."
Zuko took a long breath, and just reached all the way down to her wrists, snaking his fingers under her forearms while making damn sure to keep it above the elbow. He gave Raven a good, firm caress to hopefully get all the weird out of her, and didn't bat an eye when her sleeve tugged back to expose an extra scandalous inch of skin. Finally, he rolled over a bit, pulling her with him, and she lost the protection of the pillow entirely, so resorted to curling up beside him and burying her face against the sheets.
"Why was this easier when you were trying to kill me?" he wondered, not seeming really bothered.
Just when she managed to get worried he was upset, he let out a downright uncharacteristically mirthful chuckle.
She finally lifted up her chin, catching just a grazing angle of his eyes from her odd position, and breathed out a sigh.
"We're squeezin' weirdos, Zuko," she stated like there was nothing else for it. "We have to just accept it."
They sat up so suddenly that Arzaya definitely heard the bed creak, and he rolled his shoulders briefly before deciding his neck hurt like that and he let himself collapse back down to stare at the absurdly expensive Air Nomad drapery all over the ceiling. She could still feel her pulse racing slightly, and he too was in no way out of steam, but they were definitely having a moment.
"Geniuses think alike?" he tried.
"And so do we!" she failed to say without laughing.
"Shut up."
They laid there together, and she couldn't stop mildly squirming and rubbing her face on the sheet beside him as he held her his hand over hers like he was crazy enough to think she'd behave that time.
Out of nowhere, he declared, "I really don't give a damn that your crazy people forced me—forced us, sorry—to get married, you know."
"Hmm?"
"I mean… I'm just not mad about it," he said a bit quietly, clicked his teeth together, and made sure to keep both hands as busy as possible squeezing her cute fingers and pulling her closer to feel every bit of her palms.
"Ahhh… mmm! Zukooo, don't stop… that…" she croaked as she rubbed her face on the sheet again in compulsory affection.
He noticed he'd been absently fidgeting with their joined hands largely as a side effect, so he gave it a real go again, threading his fingers through hers and pushing deep into the mattress. Something about it was striking and intense, giving him a perfect rush of warmth from how fiercely she tried to subtly slide herself an inch too close to him. He at once had the drive to flip her back over like she weighed no more than the pillows, keeping her from embarrassing herself.
As she pulled smoothly closer to him without a hint of shame, his fingers parted, ready to respectfully lace again, and he just stared down at her as she gazed back, like she'd get in trouble if she blinked.
"I chose you," he began, as firmly as the next squeeze of his hands on hers.
She wasn't sure where he was going, but she was all about it, and downright bit her lower lip as she rolled her body slightly closer to him and let out a soft moan that set him even more alight. The barest flicker of light, the lick of flame escaped through his open mouth, bathing her in heat for an instant.
"A long time ago, Raven," he groaned, shuddering slightly and she reveled in the way his grip briefly went weak.
"Hmm?" was all she could manage, so high in pitch it couldn't be voluntary.
"I don't care about all the crap," he almost sneered, and insisted, "I chose you, and I'm not changing my—nngh!—mind."
"Yeeeah…?" she airily breathed out, lost in how close she was to having a really wonderful time, and he was not calming her down. "Me… neither!"
His fingers suddenly found her forearms again, tugging brazenly on her sleeves as she tingled there and then all over, and her whole arm jerked in response when she felt him pull a bit closer to her with a faint rustle of the sheets.
"Losing my mind!" she announced, like she wouldn't dare not report to him. "Zu-ah! Mmm! Zuko! I'm losing my mind! Oh… squeeze!"
It was clear to him she very much liked being slightly improper, and perhaps when he was too. She could barely think as the feeling left her weak and helpless in his grasp, and for a moment there was only the gentlemanly look in his golden yellow eyes like there was nothing in the world he wanted more than for her to not quite behave like a proper lady.
"Ah! Me too!" he smiled.
Not even for a second did the thought cross her mind to pull away. She buried herself against the sheets so close she could feel his lingering warmth, still coming down from her own high, and wiggled and gyrated and ground her wrist on his as she again couldn't get enough of how permissive he was. His elbows tucked closer to hers, too loose as both of them caught their breath, and then he strengthened again to circle his grip around her wrists so she couldn't budge an inch closer.
When it was all over, Raven found herself sunken into the sheets and utterly without scandal. There was just him, and her closed eyes, and his breathing, and the low hum of the mighty warship around them. Everything was about to get horrible and crazy and dangerous, but for a few more hours they could keep making it all worth it.