Burning Souls - Book 2 // Zuko

Chapter 15

Zuko lay on his back with his hands folded behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling of his room. Once they got their new apartment, Zuko no longer needed to sleep with his uncle, falling asleep to the old man's snores. Shira slept across the hall from him and Iroh down the hall nearer to the kitchen.

The room was so quiet that Zuko wondered if he was meant to be asleep already, but he found it impossible to fall asleep. He was then snapped out of his silent thoughts by a knock at the door. He turned on his side to consider the door.

"Come in."
The door cracked a bit to reveal a head of blond hair and a pair of pale blue eyes.

"Shira," Zuko said, sitting up instantly. "What's wrong?"

"I couldn't sleep," The girl said sheepishly, stepping into the room more to reveal that she wore a simple white shirt and her pants. Her hair was down and slightly ruffled from trying to sleep but there was no sign of sleep in her eyes.

Zuko smiled, noticing the way that she averted her eyes meant that she was embarrassed. Honestly, Zuko found it adorable that she came to him when she couldn't sleep, revealing her reliance on him.

Zuko got to his feet, forgetting that he wasn't wearing a shirt and only his pants before crossing the room to the girl. He gently took her hand in his and closed the bedroom door before leading her over to the bed.

"Don't worry about it. I couldn't sleep either."
Zuko sat down on the bed and Shira sat down next to him. The boy then leant back on the pillows, partially propped up before he held out an arm to her.

"Come here," he urged gently.

Shira complied, laying down next to Zuko on her side so that her cheek lay on the edge of his bare shoulder and her hand on his chest. Zuko wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close against his natural heat and closed his eyes peacefully.

He froze when he felt a pair of cold fingers touching his warm bare chest. He glanced down to see that Shira had absent mindedly begun to trace her fingers across his bare chest, not realizing the affect she had of him.

"Shira," Zuko breathed, mentally punching himself for the husky sound that his voice gave off. "Do you have to do that?"

Shira's fingers froze on his chest before she propped herself up enough to get a good look at Zuko. The boy's eyes were open but lidded, the amber color in his eyes having darkened to an almost brown color. His face was flushed and his breathing heavy. She could feel the normal warmth his body radiated intensify to the point where it felt like he was burning up.

The girl felt her cheeks heat up, realizing what she had just done, and she was about to climb out of the bed when two hands caught her wrists and pulled her back. The pull had just the right amount of energy to pull her onto her back, so her head was against the pillows, Zuko now hovering over her.

The boy's chest was heaving, and Shira could see sweat begin to form on his forehead and chest... but she knew that it wasn't from exertion.

"You need to leave," the boy whispered.

Shira's eyes widened in confusion, "What?"

Before she could get an answer, Zuko's head flopped down and he pressed his nose against her neck, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine, "You need to leave before I do something."

Shira knew that if she had been blushing before, she was probably as red as a tomato. One of Zuko's hands that had been holding up his weight on either side of her head traveled down to touch her waist, his hot fingers feeling up and down her side, but she could feel the heat even through her shirt.