The quiet streets of the Earth Kingdom town were bathed in the soft glow of lanterns, their flickering light casting long shadows on the cobblestone roads. Zuko walked beside her, his hands shoved deep into his pockets as his thoughts churned like an untamed flame. What was he even doing? This wasn’t his life. He wasn’t some normal guy on a date, laughing and talking about nothing important. He was the banished prince of the Fire Nation, scarred in more ways than one, hiding in plain sight. And yet… here he was.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She seemed so calm, so at ease, like she didn’t care about all the chaos that clung to him like smoke.

The evening had passed in a blur. They’d walked, talked about little things—her favorite tea, his (admittedly poor) attempts at enjoying it—and now they’d stopped near a quiet garden tucked away from the main street. The air was cool, the scent of blooming flowers mingling with the faint trace of fire from the nearby lanterns.

And that’s when it happened.

She turned to him, her expression warm and open, and before he could react, her hands were on his face. They were gentle, soft against his scarred skin, and her touch made his heart lurch in a way that was both terrifying and… something else. She leaned in, her lips brushing against his in a kiss that was as light as a whisper.

Zuko froze. His first instinct was to pull back, to put space between them, to tell her she didn’t know what she was doing. He wasn’t good at this. He didn’t do this. But her touch was so steady, her kiss so soft.

So... Weirdly good.

His face burned—no, it blazed. He could feel the heat rising from his neck to his ears, his entire face probably redder than the flames he bent. He wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or something else entirely, but his fingers were tingling, a familiar warmth flickering at his fingertips. He clenched his fists at his sides, trying to suppress it. The last thing he needed was to accidentally set something on fire.