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

Chapter 45

Chapter 45

After a good night's rest and a relaxing morning, Zuko and Izara were working together to finish off the last of his paperwork. He was using her as a second set of eyes and it was making everything so much easier. Although he had wanted her to relax while she was here and not do any work, it seemed like she was enjoying the chance to assist him.

Considering they had officially started dating now, if things went the way he hoped, then Izara may end up ruling alongside him. It would likely be good practice for the future. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself, but he couldn't help it. He was just so damn happy to finally be able to look at her, touch her and kiss her whenever he felt like it, which was practically every second.

When they finished one batch and piled it to one side, Izara tied a string around it to keep it together for their return journey. She had a thoughtful expression, and he waited for her to say what was on her mind, but she kept quiet.

"What's on your mind?" He prompted and watched as she turned around with slightly widened eyes.

"Uhh, nothing really." She brushed him off but he wouldn't have that.

"Go on. Tell me." He leaned back in the chair, showing that he was giving her his full attention.

"Well, I was just thinking that clearly, the Supremacists took advantage of the lowered security in the Capital port, which I know you don't want to change. Maybe it would be smart to make an elite unit to counter this kind of thing. An anti-infiltration unit?" She mused aloud with her arms crossed over her chest.

"You would lead it, right?" He asked as if it was obvious, expecting a reaction from her, which he got.

"What?! I can't do that." Izara exclaimed, and Zuko bit back with a laugh.

"Tell me who else is more qualified than you." He questioned bluntly and watched the expression on her face change as she considered her answer.

"Daichi. Luan. Kazan." She suggested.

"Daichi barely speaks, so he would struggle. Luan has a young child and values his time at home, and Kazan hasn't had the practical experience with infiltration or exfiltration you've had." Zuko countered without hesitation.

"But I'm not capable of being an inspirational military leader." Izara retorted with a shrug.

"You don't have to be. You could hand-pick a small team to train personally. They could be your eyes and ears across the Capital. Across the Fire Nation." His mind was racing with ideas, and his mouth barely kept up.

"I don't want to manage a spy network. I just want to keep you safe." She said with a concerned frown, which slowed his thoughts.

"You're sweet." He reached over and grasped her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it in appreciation. "Just a small team for the Palace, then."

"Maybe. I'll think about it." Izara said shyly.

"Choose your team." He replied while he lay down, putting his head in her lap and looking up at her.

"I'll think about it." She repeated, narrowing her eyes at him, but there was a hint of a smirk on her face.

Zuko smiled and closed his eyes, taking a few slow breaths as he enjoyed Izara's presence. She ran her fingers through his hair, carefully avoiding a few small knots in the lengths. This was exactly what he wanted to do while they were here, but he hadn't expected anything since Izara had already turned him down before. Now that he could finally be openly affectionate with her, he planned to take full advantage of it whenever he got the chance.