Scars and Ashes (Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic)

After

"It might not be a good idea," Zuko said, reaching out for the retreating girl. Then, he sighed, flopping back into the snow. "The others might not be happy with that."

His eyes blinked once, then looked at his hand, the fingers open like the claws of a bird of prey, frowning. Then—

"She knows I'm a bender?" He sighed, his arm flopping back down to the ground as he looked at the icy ceiling of the cave, frowning as he did so. "She knows that I'm a bender, and she's fine with that."

He closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath, letting his tense body relax, focusing instead of keeping the hot water bottle warm with his bending by shifting around his heat and the water bottle, allowing the sensation to ebb and flow back.

"Zuko! There you are!"

"Hello, uncle," Zuko muttered, keeping his eyes closed. "Girls don't like it when you wax philosophically at them."

"I believe you're mistaken regarding..." Iroh took a deep breath, stepping forward. "That is neither here nor there."

"That is right."

"Aunt Hama?" Zuko rolled onto his side, sitting up. "You came as well?"

"For one thing, Mushi's been quite frantic about you, boy."

"You can just call me Iroh, you know?"

"You do realize the cave's been compromised, you fool?" Hama snapped at his uncle, resulting in the corner of Zuko's mouth twisting slightly, enjoying how Hama kept his uncle in control, yet—

"She knows I brought the girl here." Zuko sighed.

"You don't know what?"

"Oh?" Hama said firmly. "There's definitely been a waterbender here, old man."

"Nonsense," Iroh sighed.

"No. The shape of the cave is sifted slightly from what it was because someone unleashed uncontrolled bending in the area." Hama said firmly. "What if they find out he's able to bend? What if..."

Zuko opened his mouth. "That's a lot of what ifs," Iroh said. "I'm sure Zuko can quite keep that secret himself."

"But I wasn't," Zuko thought. "I wasn't able to prevent her from finding out I'm able to bend, let alone what my face looks like. Which means—"

"And even if this person, this girl, did find out he can bend..."

"And how do you know it's a girl?" ama said.

"Because Zuko just waxed about how girls don't like their prospective love interests waxing philosophy, though I am quite sure this is not the case."

"And you think the cave hasn't been compromised?"

"The two do not correlate, dear Hama," Iroh said, one of the indicators the two elders in Zuko's life were preparing to disagree with each other majorly, or more importantly...

"I am not thawing you out if Aunt Hama gets pissed at you and freezes you somewhere."

"And even if it were true he'd brought a girl here," Iroh cleared his throat. "The girl has seen his face, so moving Zuko's training is pointless."

And then—

"More importantly, my dear Hama..."

"Oh, really? You're really going to make her mad, Uncle Iroh?"

"Haven't you noticed?"

"What?"

"That our dear Zuko's taken an interest in a girl!"