The Girl and the Fire Lord

15 Need to Be Alone - Zuko's POV

When I got back to my room, I let the tears I'd been holding back run down my cheeks. I hated how much I saw him in myself. My bitterness still lingered, despite my uncle's efforts to train it out of me. I'd come so far, but I still had so far to go. I looked around the dark room, and lit the torches on my walls. They illuminated the huge space, cluttered with a large corner desk, a living space with couches and bookshelves, three dressers and a closet for my wide array of outfits, and my table stacked with papers. Piles of budgets, military plans, history lessons, fire academy revisions, and more filled the table, but there was a small stack of letters that I knew would lift my mood. I took a seat in my tall, red cushioned chair and thumbed through the letters. 

The first few were from Katara, full of big plans for her academy. She wanted to teach young girls waterbending and healing, and her plans were organized and full of passion.

The next were from Sokka, containing detailed information about his newest inventions and ideas. He was so smart and so funny at the same time. I'd never met someone who had quite so much of both qualities. 

Then there were the letters from Mai. She still had a piece of my heart, and I'd always be grateful for her. Her and Ty Lee were such a good pair, and she'd gotten almost as good with a fan as she was with her knives. 

"What are you looking at, hot stuff?" I jumped, and looked up from the stack of memories. Hiromi stood in front of my desk in a very small dress that showed her full shape. I felt that fire well up inside of me, and I wanted to go to her. I really did need the sleep though. I had to be up in just a few hours, and if I was being honest with myself, I needed time alone to process my earlier outburst. 

"These are just some letters from friends."

"Which friends?" 

"Um, Sokka, Katara, you know, the whole lot." I said, smiling and standing up. She moved towards me, almost gliding across the floor. She was very graceful, but her grace was paired with a sultry slyness, not a delicate sweetness. It was unusual. 

"That's nice. Do you want me to stay the night tonight?" She asked, curving her mouth into a suggestive half smile. I didn't know how to tell her I needed alone time without bringing up the outburst. I really didn't want to do that.

"I do have to wake up early..." I said, hoping she would understand. She took a step closer, wrapping her right hand around my neck and using her left hand to pull me inches from her face. 

"I don't mind. We still have a few hours until then." She reached up and let her lips sink into mine, guiding my face to hers with her hand. I let myself fall into it for too long.

"Hiromi, you look absolutely beautiful, and I'm happy to see you - very happy! please don't get me wrong - but I need to get some sleep."

"We don't have to do anything! I'll just lay with you." She said, and I took a deep breath and nodded. "Oh I am so glad. Okay, well I'll just crawl in with you and you can still get a good night of sleep." She added.

She glided back over to my bed and crawled under the covers. Had she been waiting there all night? When did she get here? Did I want her to have 24 hour access to my private bedroom?

I walked to the giant bed and pulled out my golden head piece, letting my long hair fall into my eyes. She laughed.

"I forget how long your hair is, Zuko." She said, and I brushed it out of my face. It covered my eyes if I didn't make an effort to keep it out of the way. I got under the covers, and she laughed yet again.

"Are you going to sleep in your full clothes? You're going to be sweating buckets!" She said, tugging at the belt of my robe. She untied it, slipped off my top layer, and then began working on the next. When she took off my shirt, she placed a hand on my chest, letting it fall down my body, feeling over each ab muscle and landing on the waistband of my pants. I felt my fire burn hotter, and I resisted the urge to reach forward and pull her into me - and then me into her.

Her hand toyed with the band and then slipped inside, nearly landing where no girl had ever touched. I put my hand on her wrist.

"I thought you said we wouldn't do anything tonight?" I asked, taking slow, deep breaths to cool myself down. She pulled her hand back to my chest and leaned into me.

"You're right, I just can't resist you! You're the hottest and most genuine man I've ever been with." She said, resting her head on my chest. 

"Well, we've never been together..." I said. The guard's conversation popped back up into my mind and insecurity set in. How many of the guards had she seen in less clothing than this? They did drills and exercises constantly - they had to be in better shape than me. I reached for my shirt and slipped it over my head, covering my torso. 

"Oh, I know we haven't. I really just mean you're the best man I've ever had any sort of... whatever this is... with." Her smile felt real, and I could tell she did care about me a lot. 

"Thank you." I said stupidly, and I shut my eyes, trying to block out the embarrassment. I should have returned the compliment. She probably thought I was rude now.

"Are you overthinking?" She asked. I met her eyes, and she stared up at me with her eyebrows cinched. "You are. Stop that. I like you, I'm here with you, and I'm cool to just cuddle all night if that's all you want." 

"Thank you, I know. I'd like that, yeah." I responded. It was silent for a few seconds and I started to drift off to sleep.

"If you do want to do more than cuddle though, I'm so down for that too." She said, and I opened my eyes and pursed my lips. She was very pushy. "Okay, okay - heard. I'm going to go to sleep now, so get your rest." She said, and in just moments I was fast asleep.