Where There Is Smoke, There Is Fire [Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic]

Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Izara lifted her head, but her eyelids were heavy. She'd been dozing off with her book in her hands and staring blankly at the pages but not reading it.

"You should go and get some sleep," Zuko said, his smooth voice coming from her left.

He'd been doing some paperwork from the couch across from her. He smiled fondly at her, his eyes soft, but there was a hint of worry in their golden depths. Izara knew he was right, and watched him put his paperwork down and hold his hand out for her. She accepted it with a bashful smile.

They got to their feet, and Zuko slowly led her upstairs. They'd had dinner earlier, but Izara couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. He ushered her into her bedroom until she sat on the edge of the bed. Zuko looked around nervously before he leaned down and kissed her cheek briefly, which made her blush. As he approached the door, Izara wanted to ask him to stay with her again but was too nervous to say it outright. She'd slept so well when they'd shared the bed before; his presence put her at ease and made her feel safe.

"Don't stay up too late." She said instead.

He turned to look at her, smiling happily, and leaned against the door frame, crossing his muscular arms over his chest.

"Don't you worry about me. Just get some rest. Call out if you need anything." The low light from the hallway showed the slight smile on his face, with the rest of him in shadow.

When he disappeared, she heard him descending the stairs and figured he was returning to his paperwork. After quickly changing into her pyjamas and hopping into bed, she did her best to relax on the mattress. She closed her eyes and controlled her breathing, keeping it rhythmic.

It didn't take long for her to doze off for a few minutes, but the sound of the wooden stairs creaking drew her back to reality. She frowned but didn't open her eyes until she felt a presence in the doorway. Cracking her eyes open, she saw Zuko's head poking around the corner from the low light in the hallway. Chuckling out loud, his silhouette moved as he heard her laughter. His head dropped, and she heard him laugh softly.

"I thought you would have fallen right to sleep." He said just loud enough for her to hear.

"I heard you coming up the stairs." She answered.

"Yeah, I wasn't as quiet as I'd hoped. Sorry." Zuko's arm moved to the back of his head.

"It's okay. Were you checking on me or going to bed?" Izara asked, and she saw his head tilt as he considered his answer.

"Uhhh, both?" His tone was particularly uncertain.

"I'm okay. Thank you." Izara's smile was evident in her tone.

"I'll, uhh, go to bed then," he replied but didn't move from his spot.

Something in his tone tugged in her mind. It wasn't something she could identify, but he seemed somehow reluctant to move, so she waited a moment. Her mouth moved faster than her mind, though.

"Do you want to stay here?" She blurted out before she could catch herself.

She could see Zuko's form straighten and stay very still. He was either barely breathing or not breathing at all, and he didn't shift at all for a few seconds. Izara wanted to bury her head under the blankets out of embarrassment at her stupid question until he finally spoke.

"Uh, my bed is bigger?" His voice was cautious but held restrained excitement.

"Good point," she said, lifting herself up with her arms behind her. Since they'd talked earlier, she felt braver about being more forward with Zuko now.