Window To Your Soul - A General Iroh II Fanfic [Avatar: TLAB-LoK WA 2017]

Chapter 2

That night, you toss and turn in your bed.  Thoughts of that mysterious young man you ran in circles in your head. You only saw his eyes and yet, the question remains; why are you so drawn to him.  Why are you up so late thinking about someone  who you've never had a full conversation with.  You shuffle around beneath the blankets, trying to get into a more comfortable position. You close your eyes, hoping to get those golden eyes out of you head.  Eventually, you sink into unconsciousness and don't awaken until the next day. 

That morning, you wake up more or less refreshed, despite the hours of restlessness  you went through during the night.  After a light breakfast, you change out of you pyjamas, and change into a brown pair of trousers, a red top and dark brown boots. After a second thought, you tie a dark red waterproof jacket around your waist, in case it got cold. Fire nation weather - like fire itself - is very unpredictable and changes instantaneously. Before ducking out the door,  you grab your untouched sketchbook, the page still turned to your latest drawing. 

You walk the streets on high alert, watching for any glimpses of the guy you met the day before. When you reach the pier, you are relieved that there is no soul present... But you are also a little disappointed that he didn't show up. Trying to shake off any unwelcome feelings you have for that mysterious man, you sit down on the edge of the pier and unravel  the binding holding together your pencil case. After some debate, you pick out a dark lead pencil, and flip to a new page in your sketchbook. You sit, and look to the horizon, waiting for inspiration to strike... But it doesn't come. You just sit there staring into the vast blue of the sea. There was nothing of interest. Not a cloud in the sky, not even a ship in the distance. You lazily lean forward and close your eyes, hoping to picture something  worth drawing. But all that floats into your head  are those eyes. Those sparkling amber--

"Hi again." A voice says from behind you. 

"Aaargh!" You scream, and drop your pencil through the cracks of the old pier, and into the azure water below you. 

''Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to make you jump." You look behind you only to find out who the voice belongs to. Sure enough, sparkling amber eyes stare back down at you. Their expression, a mix between surprise and remorse. 

"It's fine. I'm alright." You say, stunned. 

"Are you sure, I can buy you another pencil,"

You laugh at his request "I'm fine, really. It was just one pencil. "

He rips of the piece of cloth that was covering his face. Beneath the cloth covering, he is more perfect, than you could have ever thought. His jawline is perfectly chiselled, and in his cheeks, the faint markings of dimples are visible. 

You want to ask why he covers his face, but you resolve to respect his boundaries. Despite our previous meetings, he still is a stranger to you. 

"I hope so," He smiles at you and sits down beside you. "I keep running into you but I don't even know your name," he looks at you expectantly. 

"Oh," you say, breaking out of your trance, "It's y/n... What's yours?"

"My name?" You notice a  flicker of bewilderment in his eyes, "It's... Fuzen. " he says slowly. As quickly as it came, the expression left his visage. 

The mood getting quite awkward, you try to change the subject. "I haven't seen you around here before." You say. 

Stupid. There are thousands of people in Sao Zin city I haven't seen before. It's a freaking city, dammit, not a small village. You mentally kick yourself for that comment. 

Thankfully Fuzen doesn't seem to notice. "Yeah, I'm just visiting."

"From where?" You ask. 

"Far." He answers simply. 

Ugh, why did I ask him that; I literally just met him. Spirits, he probably think I'm a nosy weirdo. 

"Listen, I know the Sao Zin festival is going to be tomorrow, and I don't know anyone who's going... Will I see you there?"

"Uhh.. Well, I mean... I wasn't...uh, sure... Okay." Stop talking. 

"Great!" He flashes you a blinding smile. "I wasn't planning on going but.."

You raise your eyebrows, awaiting an end to that sentence, but it doesn't come. 

"I'd better get going." He says as he stands up, "See you tomorrow?"he asks. 

You absentmindedly nod as he uses his cloth to conceal his face once more, and watch him leave the pier. 

....

Did... Did he just ask me out?