Only If For a Night(MxM)

Sunlight

Each day you'd rise with me, Know that I would gladly be The Icarus to your certainty, Oh my sunlight, sunlight, sunlight, Strap the wing to me, Deathtrap clad happily, With wax melted, I'd meet the sea, Under sunlight, sunlight, sunlight

"I thought you said you don't know how to make Japanese food," Zuko grumbled, nudging Jet with his shoulder.

"I don't, I just know how not to burn food when I'm cooking it," he murmured, bumping shoulders in response.

Zuko gnawed on the inside of his cheek as he surveyed the counters full of food they had spent the whole day making. Bowls of noodles, pans of bubbling soups, and rice wrapped in nori.

"Do you think he'll like it?"

Jet looked at all the food. The noodles were a bit wonky, and the rice wraps were crooked, and he was pretty sure he added too much green onion to the soup, but it didn't really matter.

"You made it for him; he'll love it."

"I might just order in, and we'll eat that instead," Zuko lunged for his phone on the table, but Jet intercepted. He really liked the way his arms fit neatly around his waist and how his mouth fit just right on the junction of his neck and shoulder.

"Iroh will absolutely adore all the effort we've put into the food, trust me,"

Zuko leaned back into the touch without hesitation, craning his head for Jet to finish kissing the side of his neck.

"You're sure?"

"Positive," he whispered against the ivory skin, grinning at the goosebumps that raced after his breath.

"If Uncle were forty years younger, you'd have some competition," Jet sighed playfully, stacking Tupperware on top of each other in the refrigerator. They had sent Iroh home with his fair share of the food, after he had hugged and kissed them thirty times each, telling them to come to visit his new tea shop when it opened.

Zuko snorted. "The fact that you're calling him 'Uncle' sort of negates your want of dating him,"

"You don't know what I'm into,"

Zuko wrinkled his perfect nose. "Yuck."

"Yuck indeed,"

Jet closed the door to the shiny new fridge and turned to face Zuko, who was leaning against the counter, looking impossibly delicious with his l o n g legs crossed and teacup raised to his lips. He wondered if it was normal to feel love physically as if his heart was expanding and pressing on the insides of his ribcage, threatening to tear him to pieces with the force of the emotion. He sort of liked it, the way it pounded and sang through his body, triumphantly announcing the happiness that ran unbounded through his being.

As he opened his mouth to attempt articulating his feelings in a way that was utterly negligent of grace, Zuko beat him to the punch.

"So now that there isn't a stalker anymore, are you staying at Gideon Security?"

"...No." He faltered. "I put my two weeks in the second his trial date was scheduled."

Zuko nodded, pale fingers tapping on the teacup quickly as he thought.

"And your plans? For when you're done?"

"I'll help my ma with the restaurant, help look after my family, I guess,"

Zuko kept nodding.

"It's just, I was thinking that well," he glanced at Jet as he tried to string his sentence together. "It'd be weird for you to move back in with your mom, you're too old for that, and she's too young," he stumbled through his words and Jet's heart slammed itself against his chest, taking inspiration from Muhammad Ali and giving his vascular health a run for its money.

"I mean, the dogs are here, and I'm here, and I know we haven't really talked about labels are anything because we both agreed they're stupid and everything, but at the same time, we're something, and I just thought now would be a good time to ask, and-"

"Zuko," Jet interrupted, wondering if he could stand to listen to more of his babbling.

"Yeah?" he sucked in a big breath after all his incessant talking.

"You don't have to justify it. Just ask me."

"Do you want to stay here? With me?"

"Move in?"

"Yes. Officially."

"And I won't have to sleep on the couch?" he couldn't help but tease, and Zuko rolled his eyes.

"No."

"You're sure about this? It isn't too much for you?" Jet didn't crowd Zuko's space, just leaned on the counter opposite of him, taking in the cut of his jaw and the ridge of his brow, the way his scar made him all the more astounding.

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's tough to find someone that knows how to take your tea, you know,"

Jet laughed, a sudden noise that made Zuko smile into his cup.

"You're impossible," he breathed, marveling at the man in front of him.

"You like it," Zuko teased.

"You're right; I love it."

Zuko stilled, bonfire eyes landing on Jet.

"Is that a yes? You'll move in?"

"Yes. I'm not going anywhere," he replied, needing to swallow down the joy from his chest, his heart was pumping out too much of it.

"Promise?" Zuko whispered.

"I promise."

Zuko grinned at him from the brim of his mug, and Jet smiled back, and he knew that there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for that smile, even though it was a little broken and a little charred, it was still sunlight unfiltered.

And every part of Jet loved the warmth.

Notes:

How EVIL would I be to throw a 'mpreg' during the very last chapter? Keep the heart palpitations down, I'm not, but imagine the sadism required for that. I'm hysterically laughing at the thought of it.
This is the final chapter, there will be no more of these two wonderful lads. It hurts my heart to finish this story, I loved writing it so much, but for those that have been with me since the beginning in April, we both know that's it's been a struggle to get these last few chapters out, so it was time. Still doesn't hurt any less though. There's a good chance that there will be a bonus chapter in the future with the canon chapter that I had mentioned a while back, but don't expect it any time soon. I want that shit to be grade A quality to make up for everything this fic lacked.
I'm unsure if I will dabble in this fandom again, but this will not be my last fic.
Thank you, everyone. It's been an absolute dream writing this for you.