{~Avatar~} One Shots and Preferences

{Zuko} Good Morning

A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait! I got so overwhelmed with ideas after my Sokka one shot that I kind of got side-tracked writing. Luckily, though, I managed to whip up this quick and incredibly fluffy Zuko drabble to make up for the lack of updates! I'm currently working on two other Zuko fics at the moment, both much, much longer than this one, so there's something to look forward to! I'll update as soon as I can.

This takes after the events of ATLA, where Zuko is the Fire Lord and happily married to the reader.

Warning: this is unedited, short and a bit rushed, so there may be a few mistakes here and there. I hope y'all still enjoy!

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The only thing warmer than the sunlight that fell on your face as the sun rose was the man lying beside you. He was fast asleep, still as a statue. You'd probably be convinced that he was a statue if it weren't for the steady rise and fall of his chest and the sound of his breathing.

This was your favorite part of life in the palace, really. Any other hour of the day, he would have to be the Fire Lord, settling disputes and making decisions, spending every waking moment making sure everything was under control. But here, early in the morning, just after sunrise, when the only person paying attention to him at all was you, he was just Zuko. The same Zuko that fed the turtle-ducks with you every afternoon. The same Zuko that had grown to trust you to the point where he no longer slept on the scarred half of his face in your bed. The same Zuko that had been through so much, yet had still managed to overcome all of the odds set against him. That was the Zuko you loved. That was the Zuko you had fallen for all of those years ago.

And that Zuko was beautiful.

Your hand found itself on the side of his face, gently running your thumb over his scar. The skin of the scar was rough and course, yet it had softened more and more over the years, quite like Zuko himself. His breathing hardly faltered when you touched it now. You can remember a time many years ago where it'd take everything in his willpower not to flinch when you tried to touch his scar. You couldn't emphasize enough how much this growth made your heart soar everytime you noticed it.

Soon, your train of thought was broken by a raspy chuckle, one you recognized immediately as that of your husband's.
"What are you doing?" Zuko teased. You smiled, leaning in closer and snuggling up to his frame.

"Nothing. Just admiring the most handsome man in the world," you giggled. He laughed softly, his voice still groggy from sleep, and pulled you close to him.

"Good morning to you, too."

Zuko's eyes never left you. When he wasn't simply gazing into your eyes, he was admiring some part of your sleepy figure. You were doing the same, unable to get over just how beautiful the man in front of you was.

"How long have you been up?" he asked.

"About ten minutes, maybe. The sun rose before I woke up."

He closed his eyes, sighing happily. "I don't think I have anything coming up anytime soon."
You grinned, resting your forehead against his. "Great, because I really don't want to have to wait all day to get some alone time with you."

He hummed. "Same here. I think we both deserve a moment to ourselves."

"You, more than me, Fire Lord Zuko."

You kissed his forehead gently, the hand that was resting on his face going up to run your fingers through his hair. It wasn't too bad, albeit a bit tangled from sleep, but still soft and clean. And lengthy.

"Your hair has gotten so long," you whispered, brushing it gently with your fingers.

"Jealous?" he smirked, resting his face in the crook of your neck. You laughed.

"No, but I do like it. You've always had great hair."

He hummed, kissing your neck gently.

"If you keep combing it like that, I'm going to fall asleep again."

You yawned, closing your eyes as you continued to play with his hair.

"I wouldn't mind that too bad, actually."

"If I sleep in, the court might."

You sighed with a smile, rolling your eyes internally.

"You're the Fire Lord, darling. I'm sure they won't be too harsh about it."

He mumbled something into your neck, clearly already falling asleep again. You chuckled, kissing the top of his head.

"I'll take the blame for it if you get in trouble."

With that, you found yourself drifting off into sleep, the warmth of your husband and the comfort of your bed finally taking you over.