The Fire That Learned to Heal

though maybe she was getting too ahead of herself. the kiss was a reward ... their feelings remain unspoken though ariel's never been one to keep her heart a mystery. but it has been more guarded for the past five years of living on land.

as she watched him call druk, ariel got excited. it was also a unique way to call a dragon, thinking he must have very good hearing if he can hear zuko's whistle all the way from wherever he was.

she was about to ask, or rather comment ── but her words falter when she saw him lean in again. her heart beat faster, ears hot and perking and she thought he would kiss her again; but he didn't. instead he kissed her neck, light and sweet, and the action itself was even more startling. it made her gasp, blushing a little deeper now as her whole body seemed to react to him, twitching under his touch.

His lips still hovered close to her skin, his warm breath grazing the spot where he had kissed her. She was so receptive… every little touch touched her deeply… and she admitted it so honestly and without hesitation…

He found it incredibly sweet, but instead of continuing, he moved away from her neck to return to her lips, not wanting to force her too much.

"Everything okay? Didn't you like the kiss there?" He asked curiously, but also a little worried that he had gone too far.

" I'm so glad you asked. " He pulls back and takes a scroll out of his robe with lots of options for them to do today. " First! I'm hungry, so we should visit a little village north of here and participate in their bao battle. They apparently have lots of vegetarian options. So YUMMMM! "

A normal day with Aang… just two friends eating too much and flying through the sky on bison like they did as kids.

He tries to keep a serious expression, but a small smile appears when he hears the mention of vegetarian bao. "I haven't had a bao in a while… And I'm not going to lose this race." He smirks, his competitive streak instantly igniting at the thought of Druk versus Appa.

She eyed him up as he tried to talk himself out of the situation, she grinned a bit enjoying his struggle.

There were a few thing about his job that felt boring an tedious. She could understand why he thought she might be bored. 

Mai grinned a little at him.

“Well it will a good way of of spending time together before out date tomorrow.” 

A flash of playful embarrassment crossed his usually composed face before he broke into a faint smile. "Right," he said, trying to regain some dignity. "So… let's go to our first meeting together."

He took her hand again and intertwined their fingers, ready to lead her toward the council room. "Now we have long hours ahead of us… boring discussions about border trade routes…"

So many years he'd spent alone. And the closest thing he'd had to her had been their photo.

He remained silent for a long moment, simply staring at her with his golden, shining eyes, filled with overwhelming love and relief.

He couldn't resist the temptation to hold her in a tight embrace and kissed her passionately right there, on the path to the palace, in the moonlight.

When the kiss ended, he suddenly lifted her into his arms. He wanted to take her to his room himself… to their room.

Since the cat-owl looked nervous, she kept her distance and leaves her hand on Zuko's knee for it to come and sniff when it wanted. She gasps at how hauntingly beautiful they are and talks in a small quiet voice. " For me? Oh... sweet thing. I'm going to love you with all my heart I promise and its okay if you don't trust me now. We'll get there. " Her eyes get watery as she looks at them and then up at her husband.

The little cat-owl remained curled up beside him for a moment longer… then, slowly… it lifted its head. Big eyes stared at Mai, calm and curious. Then it sniffed the air and did a little hop towards her.

Finally, the creature leaped gently into the space between them and sat down. It let out a little mrrp sound (a feline chirp mixed with an owl's cooing) and leaned forward slightly to be petted. The creature seemed to have accepted her as its owner.

she almost smiled in that insolent way of hers, wondering if it wasn't obvious that claiming her as his was all she wanted in this moment.

but instead she pushed him further, encouraged this side of him with the coy tilt of her head. grazing her nose across his jaw as she stared up, batting her wide dolled up gaze.

She was challenging him…. on purpose! Playing with flames… and enjoying every single moment.

Zuko didn’t answer verbally this time. Instead, he kissed her lips again, passionately, deeply, hungrily. A kiss neither delicate nor sweet, but full of repressed emotions: jealousy, desire… a love too great to be defined in words. His hands slid through her hair as he tilted her head just right to kiss her more deeply…

And when they finally broke apart to catch their breath, barely, their breaths mingling in the small space between them…

He pressed his forehead against hers and growled softly, "No. You can't talk to him anymore."

Once Katara had been confused over what her feelings were for Aang and Zuko both. She hadn’t known how to decide until Aang had made the step first and she and Zuko had never become a them kind of thing. Was that something that should be considered now? Mind out of the gutter, Katara! For some reason, that voice at the back of her mind sounded like her brothers teasing tones.

“The meditation garden, oh!” Katara paused as they stood in the double doorway. She could have stared at the stained glass alone, but outside those double doors was a quiet, but peaceful looking garden filled plants she had never seen before, which said something after all of the traveling the group had done.

But the moment Katara tucked the fire lily behind his ear, he froze. Not because of discomfort (he would never have felt it), but for the opposite. His heart skipped a beat so violently he thought it might break his ribs.

No one had ever done anything like this for him. Not since… well, even Mai had never done it to him.

He stood still as she stood on tiptoe, the scent of the blooming flowers mingling with his, and when she pulled away with that sweet smile… he couldn't look away fast enough to hide how much she'd affected him, blushing furiously.

His golden eyes widened slightly before settling on the flower that was now brushing his dark hair.

“You…” He swallowed hard, words suddenly failing him completely in her presence… after that sweet, tender gesture.

Come on! You can't just stand there like an idiot. He had to do something for her… but what? If he had let his emotions show… and his affection for her, he would have leaned down and kissed her on the lips… but he hadn't… well, not yet. For respect maybe? Now he was so confused… what should he do to avoid ruining that moment?

“What to do first…” She caressed his cheek. They had a number of options. Tasting the berries, talking, drawing, the picnic, stargaze, and…swimming.

Her face flushed at the idea. It wasn’t that she had any issue swimming. She was a strong swimmer, but she usually swam alone.

No, it was that she… normally got ogled when she swam with people around.

She had her swimsuit with her, but did Zuko? It would be weird if only one of them was swimming?

Did Zuko like swimming?

The picnic was ready: fruit skewers, honey cakes wrapped in leaves. He took a skewer and offered it first to Hana with a smile. "Shall we eat something?" he suggested softly.

Then he glanced at the river: clear water, so inviting for swimming… and then he thought carefully. He could swim, but not with the grace of a waterbender… but he was good. Did she want to swim? Or was it a bad idea?

If she wanted to swim later, why not? The thought of seeing her in a bathing suit intrigued him… and even made him blush.

Katara smiled quietly to herself, wondering if anyone else had noticed. Zuko, who they usually expected hot headedness and anger— was surprisingly soft when he wanted to be. Anyone else might have teased him over it, but Katara enjoyed that there were moments that he wasn't angry, that they could exist like they'd been friends for a longer time than they had been.

"The rice is ready, are the vegetables?" She carried the pot of rice over to him, setting it down and cracking the lid. It wasn't a grand dinner, but it was simple and filling and between the leftover spices they had...well it smelled delicious.

He carefully transferred them to a bowl next to the steaming pot of rice. The aroma was rich and warm, mixed with the spices they had saved from their last supply run. It smelled very good.

When Katara said it was nice to have someone to share this moment with… he hesitated again, because honestly… no one had ever said something so simple yet meaningful about his presence. It was… new.

yuka's smile fell, though not into sadness or anything like that. no, her lips simply relaxed, parted ever so slightly as her brows lifted in a questioning expression. " i... i believe so... " she answered slowly. something about the way he said it led her to believe there may have been some duties that were glossed over or left out. or, simply, perhaps she had heard everything there is to know... but she doubted herself. (as usual.)

a small, yet distracted (she was still worrying whether she had misunderstood her duties) smile tugged at the corners of her lips. " oh, thank you, my lord. i promise i'll alert someone a bit lower in the ranks than yourself, first. it wouldn't do much good to burden you with my complaints. you already have so much on your plate... if i can have someone else help me, i'd like to do that, just so you can have one less thing to worry about. "

her lips settled into a little pout subconsciously, then. she was still hung up on the 'duties' thing. maybe it was best to say something, to make sure...?

" about my duties, i was told that i would mainly be working as your personal healer. your health and wellbeing would take priority over anything or anyone else, including myself. " she paused, her eyes slowly lifting to look up at the sky, as if the instructions she'd been given were written in the clouds. " uhm... it was heavily implied that i am to help heal more critically injured staff, as well, but that for the most part, the medics would take care of the smaller stuff. "

she crossed one arm under her bust, elbow of the opposite arm resting on it so she could place her hand gently on her cheek, index finger tapping as she tried to remember more. " as i understood it, 'your health and wellbeing' didn't only extend to physical ailments and illnesses. it encompasses your mental health, too, your sleep, your diet, if needed, and your stress levels. specifically, i was told i was to help reduce your stress as best as possible. "

she clasped her hands in front of her chest with a soft clap, smiling brightly. " which, i guess since you're taking time amongst nature, you're already doing good things for your stress levels! "

And she wasn't wrong. It was exactly what he needed in a personal healer: someone who could take care of not just wounds or illnesses, but also the burden of governing an entire nation… the sleepless nights, the stress-induced headaches…

He nodded slowly. "No… you didn’t miss anything," he confirmed in a low voice.

Then something in him changed, and he looked at her with a serious yet kind expression: "I appreciate your understanding, but don't forget to take care of yourself too. If you don't feel like working one day, you can take a day or two off."

while she was turned away from him, she nibbled her bottom lip, closing her eyes for a moment. she needed to compose herself. just because she was unused to the male form, especially in such top condition as his was, didn't mean she could lose herself, become utterly unprofessional. shame curled in her belly as she thought about how brazenly she had been acting the past few minutes, and she took a soft, deep breath, making a silent vow to herself that she would try harder. be better.

she opened her eyes again, nodding once at his words, though her brows ticked up, intrigued. " you don't have a favorite fragrance? " she asked, clarifying. " not for yourself, or not at all? there's no fragrance that brings to mind a good memory, or makes your mind ease a little? " she plucked up an oil that was labeled 'bergamot,' figuring it would be light enough that it wouldn't offend his senses, and it would suit him well. she chuckled softly. " well that's counter-intuitive, isn't it? too many perfumes all clashing... we won't do that today, " she commented, turning around with the bottle cradled in her tan hands.

her breath hitched at the sight of his muscular back, but she shook her head gently, warding away any inappropriate thoughts. this was her boss, she reminded herself. sure, they were friendly with each other, but it didn't mean anything, right? he was just a kind person, trying to be cordial and respectful with all his palace staff.

she stepped closer until her hips met the edge of the table, then uncorking the bottle to let some of the oil pour lightly onto the palm of her free hand. " we're trying one called bergamot today. i hope it's to your liking, ...my lord. " the title came a little delayed, as if an afterthought. it was, in a way. her mind decided to tack it on last-minute, a small reminder to herself to be professional.

she set down the bottle on a spot on the table that had enough room to keep it from being in a precarious position, pressing the cork back into the mouth of it. then, she rubbed the oil between her hands to warm it up, the slick sound echoing in the quiet room. ...too quiet, for yuka's liking. especially considering the wet squelching sounded far too obscene. she sighed lightly before taking a quick breath, beginning to sing under her breath to fill the silence.

He hadn’t been touched like that in years. His last healer had been an elderly man who worked silently, methodically… without the gentleness a woman can offer.

Her voice… was light and melodious… warm, reassuring… it calmed the agitation that always hovered in his eyes.

When she asked him how he felt, he exhaled slowly, a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and closed his eyes again. "…Yes," he murmured against the table after a moment of too much silence. "It's… really beautiful… and it smells good too."

His shoulders were tense, not only from physical tension, but also from emotional weight. But her fingers pressed on those knots so gently that something inside him began to unclench…

What was she thinking or saying? She can't remember; she's too busy looking at his tongue and his lips, making her body squirm excitedly but she focuses on his words instead and nods with a light laugh. " That's a good idea and we should prepare for them to visit when they do. I'm sure it won't be long after the fact. "

The sweetness of the mango mixed with that light spice… delicious. But not as delicious as seeing her hand it to him like that, with so much love.

He chewed slowly, watching her pout because everyone was away. It was true… they had friends scattered around the world. It wasn't easy keep them close.

But he nodded at her words because yes… it would be wonderful to see them all together again soon, especially with good news like this.

"Maybe we should invite them here," he suggested suddenly. "To celebrate when you're further along in your pregnancy… or even earlier." He smiled sweetly. "A family reunion."

Instead, he let out a low sigh, a sound halfway between annoyance and affection. “Yeah… I can get it." He crossed his arms, looking at his friend with a smirk.

He was getting exhausted again, and spending time with him, or even just having him around, always made him relax. An escape from routine and stress.

"druk ? yes of course !" she hadn't noticed, but if he meant ride a dragon ... how could ariel refuse ?

before they could leave, however, she slipped her arms around his neck. pushed her feet up and kissed him again as she pressed her whole body against his. just one more. she was needy for contact and the taste of his lips now. and again .. darting her tongue across to lick at his lower lip for a last playful remark.

A tender kiss with a lick on his lower lip in a playfully way… Oh Agni, that sent an electric current straight through him.

He made a soft sound against her lips, a mixture of surprise and pure pleasure… before instinctively responding with equal fervor, pulling her closer by the waist as their lips met again in another deep embrace under the falling cherry blossoms.

It didn't matter if anyone was watching them. Forget status. At that moment… he only wanted her. Her warmth… her scent…

But eventually, reluctantly, he pulled away when she pulled away first. Her radiant smile made his cheeks flush… his heart was pounding, but he loved all of this… too much.

With a wink, he put two fingers in his mouth to et out a low but deep whistle, which was used to call Druk from afar without attracting attention elsewhere.

Now there was nothing left for them to do but wait patiently, enjoying each other's company once again.