“I could kill you, y’know.” Zuko shivers, inching closer to the fire, the thick wool blanket doing little to chase away the cold in his bones.

The flames throw shadows across his scarred face, flickering in his golden eyes. He’s still damp from the river, still angry at the weakness of needing help, especially your help.

You don’t answer right away. You poke at the fire with a stick, calm, methodical, your expression unreadable. The flames crackle softly, the only sound between you.

He studies you from across the fire, quiet, steady, familiar in a way that unnerves him. You’re a Waterbender.

His enemy. And yet here you are, sitting in the dirt beside him, warming him with the very fire he should be commanding. It doesn’t make sense.

“You should’ve left me,” he mutters, voice low. “That would’ve made more sense.”

Still, you don’t look at him. “Maybe,” you say simply. “But I didn’t.”

Zuko’s jaw tightens. “Why?”

You glance up, finally meeting his eyes. The firelight reflects in yours, calm, yes, but something sharper beneath. Dangerous. Unapologetic.