{{A/N: First of all, I'd like to thank HyruleEmblem for your request! I'm sorry for the wait!
So, basically in this, you're an outspoken firebender who enjoys teasing your superior, who, (duh) is Iroh. Typically, he shrugs it off, but it does frequently lead to you embarrassing him in front of his troops. In his defense, he's never entirely certain if you're serious when you complement him. So, she decides to turn the tides, making fun of you for once. See how that unfolds below!
Oh, and just for references sake, this takes place during the time when Kuvira took over the Earth Kingdom and planned to attack Republic City. Iroh's troops are preparing and training, but the whole vibe herein will remain pretty upbeat! It's been a while since I've seen LOK, so bear with me if there are some inconsistencies with the overall plotline of the show itself.}}
[[Lines indicate time skips, as always!]]
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You smiled to yourself as you stuck your head out of the tent. Soft golden fabric parted in the gentle breeze swirling through the camp around you, carrying with it the scent of jasmine and saltwater. The sun was warm, inviting and mellow, and you noticed more than one soldier relaxing around you.
For a unit gearing up to face an invasion, you guys sure were taking it easy. You were actually kind of bored. Fortunately, you had ways of entertaining yourself. Your grin broadened as you started out, down the same manmade path twisting its way to the center of camp. You snickered, nodding a few times to the other firebenders in your squad as you passed by. One offered a lazy salute, the frothy amber liquid in a halfway raised chalice lightly spilling over the sides. He was really taking it easy. You shook your head, rolling your eyes as you continued onwards.
"Hey!" You stopped as someone addressed you directly. "{Y/N}."
"Yes?" You spun back around, searching for a face to put to the low voice which called you. "Oh. Déshì. What do you want?"
"You're not going to pick on the General again, are you?"
"Pssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." You scoffed. "No! I wouldn't-"
"{Y/N}." The higher ranking officer folded his arms, glancing sternly in your direction. "Don't do it again. He acts like he doesn't care, but he's not as immature as you are. You need to act your age. It's not very honorable to make all the jokes you do about his appearance. I bet it actually does bother him."
"Oh." You tilted your head to the side. "Does the General know how to take a compliment? All the jokes I make are about how hot I think he is."
"Do you know what sexual harassment is?"
"I'm a woman and he is my superior." You laughed. "How could I possibly be guilty of that sort of thing?"
"I didn't accuse you of it. I just don't think you know what it entails."
"Oh." You smirked. "Trust me, pure, sweet, honorable Déshì. I know what it entails. Now, get your puffed up, superior tail out of my way. I want to go talk to the General." You pushed past him, flagrantly defying your rank, undermining the authority of someone who was only halfheartedly trying to stop you.
The truth was, everyone kind of enjoyed your jokes. They were a company of men, after all.
He was exactly where you expected him to be. You pulled your hair down, tugging a maroon string out of your pragmatic updo, shaking out the {h/c} strands, inhaling as the aroma of {favorite perfume} filled your nose. Good. You were intoxicating. Irresistibility was a must in the art of seduction. Not seeing you at first, the General remained hunched over what looked like a small tower of papers, scanning over maps and charts, clearly lost in plotting the best course of action for the oncoming attacks from the great and powerful pretender, Kuvira. Several of the highest ranking officers in your ranks stood around the largest tent in haphazardly errected encampment, conversing pleasantly amongst themselves. They'd hear you. You didn't care. You did this all the time.
"Hey there, your Majesty." You tried to make your voice as sultry as possible. "What'chya up to, handsome?" You leaned against a corner post, sliding your hand up the wood as your hair fell over your face. Only one other man turned to admire you, before quickly turning back to his conversation partner. The attention of the man you were trying to capture remained strongly affixed on his military documents. He didn't reply. You sighed and stepped forward. "Geeeeeneraaaaaaallllll," you placed a hand beside his, covering up the left corner of the map underneath him, before flicking away one of the little plastic ships used for reference. He exhaled, irritated already. He cocked his head to the side and glanced up at you. His arms rested on the hard, wooden surface.
"What do you want, {Y/N}?" You pursed your lips. "I'm extremely busy."
"Same thing as always." You raised your eyebrows repeatedly. "A hot night with my boss." You raised a hand, as a small blue flame filled your palm. "Eh?"
"Hilarious." He stood up, crossing the center of the pavilion, wiping his hands on a scratchy white towel.
"Did you get something on your hand?" You laughed. "What were you doing in here all by yourself, General?"
"Strategizing." He tossed it to the floor. Though, instead of quickly hitting the swirled patterns of the rug, it aerodynamically filtered down, lightly landing near your foot. You bent over and picked it up.
"Oh damn!" You threw it back down after balling it up, and it did the trick. A soft thud accompanied the sound of you groaning in agitation. "There's black stuff all over this! What gives?"
"It's ink." Iroh noted. "I was writing before you knocked over my model."
"Did I mess up your maps?"
"No." He smiled, looking down. You narrowed your eyes. He kept doing it. He looked you up and down several times. His eyes scanned every inch of you. You didn't dislike it, but you were surprised. He generally didn't jest back. It was a one-way thing. It went on too long. Finally, you interjected.
"What?! Iroh! What are you looking at?"
"You." His smile broadened, as a faint pink hue dusted your cheeks. You didn't notice, but he did. He stepped forward, still largely cryptic in his intentions. "How much did your outfit cost?"
"A good ammount. I hate the uniforms in the United Forces. The white pants are so easily stained."
"Hm. Interesting." He placed his thumb and forefinger on his chin, acting increasingly like a curious tutor trying to teach a bemused student, or a scientist observing a confused and startled subject. "And I suppose darker fabrics are more difficult to begrime?"
"What do you-" you glanced down. "Aw DAMN IT!" You swore. "These were not cheap!" He actually laughed at you. You glared at him.
"Hey." He placed a hand on your shoulder. "You did this to yourself." He turned around, nodding in the direction of another captain. "Isamu can help you get that out." You almost growled at his last remark. "Too bad you're not a waterbender, huh?"
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You made up your mind that would be the first and last time you'd fail in your attempts at brilliantly playing Iroh in front of his troops. You'd been doing it for years. It was usually so funny! You were a genius, and you got away with everything! You upped the stakes after that.
In the following days, he started to get visibly annoyed with your ambitions. At every opportunity, every chance you got, you made some joke about his appearance, wisecracked about how pretty he was, or uttered some crass remark about his skills as a maaan. Ironically, you actually got away with a lot more. There was a reason for that, you'd come to find out.
In all your efforts, you never truly acknowledged you were doing all this because you wanted him to like you as much as you liked him. You learned romance from soldiers. All you knew how to do was mess around. Grace and civility seemed a distant dream. Iroh wasn't like that, though.
"He's more of a lady than I am!" You sneered, crossing your legs as you placed your fingertips against the top of a hunk of meat curled around the skewer in your hand. "I can't stand it!" A thin red flame began to bake the food to your liking.
"That smells good, {Y/N}." A feminine voice replied. "You always were a good cook."
"Save it, {If you have a sister, you can use her name here. If not, then use a friend's, or whatever one comes to mind! xD}." You bit down on the simmering snack after blowing out the last bit of flame still clinging to the outermost layer. "Focus on what matters."
"You venting?" You rolled your eyes. "Come on, Sis." She smiled. "Why don't you just give up on harrassing the General?"
"It's not harrasment!" You spat back.
"It definitley is!" Another voice called out. "It is most definitley harrasment!"
"Shut up, Déshì!" You chomped down harder on your dinner. "Mind your business!"
"{Y/N}." Your focus returned to your family. "We joined this organization to be soldiers. You need to take this seriously. There's an invasion coming!"
"Fine." You tossed the stick from your kabob down. "I'll train harder tomorrow."
"We all will." {S/N} smiled. "Don't worry about making a scene, okay? I don't even know why it's so important to you to be the center of attention all the time."
You snorted, standing with her to head to bed as the darkness of the night sky offset the bright glow of a full moon. You had training tomorrow, and you turned back, glancing over your shoulder to witness the throngs of waterbenders head towards their practice grounds.
You kept thinking back to those same words.
"Too bad you're not a waterbender, huh?"
You'd never get over them.
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"Ready? And shoot!"
"I've got it! I've got it!"
"No, Keitaro! Move!" You pushed your way in front of him. "I want to-" you winced. "Ow!"
"That's not fair." You rubbed your shoulder, looking upwards as the shadow of your opponent loomed over you. "That was my target."
A whistle blew. You sighed and headed back to the sidelines, preparing to watch the rest of the training from the bench.
You closed your eyes, tilting your head upwards as the heat of the sun shined down upon you. All of a sudden, it felt colder. You groaned. "Keitaro. Move it." You heard the noise of more people arriving. Training wasn't over yet. What was happening? It sounded like the whole brigade was coming onto the field. You peeked out of one eye, and at once, both widened.
"I'm sick of you making a joke of my role here." You attempted to get up, but you were held down. Two hands fell on your shoulders.
"Let me go, Iroh!" You kicked your feet. "I wanna finish training!"
"Okay." He smiled. "Train with me."
"What?" You couldn't move as you laughed. He held you down too tightly. "Right here? In front of everyone?"
He nodded. "If it'll make you take this seriously, then let's do it."
"What, an Agni Kai?" You rolled your eyes. You still had control of those.
"Why not?" He smiled before continuing. "A friendly one, though."
"Do those even exist?" You struggled to break free. He loosened his grip before repeating himself.
"Why not?"
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"Do we really have to do this?" You planted your feet firmly on the ground, raising your hands in front of you. "I'm sorry about what I said!"
"No you're not." A few people cheered at his response. "You've never taken me seriously."
"Yes I have!" You shook your head. "I respect you so so much!"
"Liar." He rolled his eyes, positioning himself in the same stance as you, except he crossed his arms. "Now. I have no intention of actually hurting you. So, when we actually start fighting, be aware-" He leaned forward. "I'm pulling my punches." He actually whispered in your ear.
You stayed in place, as his hand brushed the small of your back. "Iroh..."
He stepped back, nodding to the woman seated behind you. "Call it."
After a few seconds (that felt far longer) you dodged an actual attack from someone you -admittedly- didn't ever really take seriously. In turn, you spiraled back around, casting your own counterattack. It didn't work. Your feet fell out from under you, and within moments, you were completely beaten. Everyone laughed, and you raised a hand to your face as you felt the presence of lukewarm water. Only two moves had been used in that embarrassingly short fight, and none of them involved anything but fire. The clear winner in the mock-battle knelt down, once more whispering in your ear. "Are you crying?"
"No!" You thought he was going to repeat those same words that haunted you so much already, but only to you. He was still a decent person. He wouldn't alert everyone to the fact you were tearing up. Instead, he got to his feet, tugging you up with him. "What are you-"
It seemed odd, out-of-chatacter, and if nothing else, poorly timed. You couldn't think before it happened, but he embraced you, pulling you into his arms, and to you and everyone else's shock, he quickly, but painfully evidently kissed you. Then, he let you go, paced away extremely quickly, and left you and everyone else completely bewildered.
One man's comment broke the silence that followed.
"So...he won?"
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Lightning split the sky over and over again as you reminded yourself to stay focused on your breathing. Your hair fell in your face as you raised your hands above you, trying desperatley to get over the embarrassment of the previous afternoon. It was so bad! That was terrible! You'd never be able to joke around again! Now, you'd become a total joke!
The worst part about it was how bad you felt for him. Iroh sure didn't do himself any favours in his actions either.
What did he even do that for?
You'd gone far enough away from everyone else to practice your bending uninterrupted. Gazing up at the heavens, you watched as a slightly less full moon than the previous night filled the inky blackness around softly twinkling stars. You swore again; the blackness reminded you of something else: the genesis of your problems. You looked down, noticing you were wearing the same outfit as before. The rich, expensive black pants complimented the lighter red of your shirt. You sighed, letting your arms fall, before turning back around. Most of your anger dissipated, but some lingered. You closed your eyes, preparing to head back to your current domicile, to get some much needed shut-eye, when a voice, deeper than that of Déshì's, called out to you.
"Iroh!" You cleared your throat, lowering your own voice as it had shot up a couple octaves too high. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk to you." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "I wanted to explain myself."
"Okay." You pointed to a nearby bench, one left behind before the relocation of the training grounds. "We can sit there." He nodded and followed, sitting down beside you. After a few tense minutes, you interrupted the awkward silence between you, uncrossing your legs and turning halfway around to face him. "Iroh. Why did you kiss me?"
"I never knew if you were serious when you said all those things to me." He didn't answer directly. "I was confused. I am confused."
"Confused about what?" You let out a little laugh. "I don't follow."
"{Y/N}." He exhaled. "You've always treated me in such an improper fashion. I never did anything about it because I thought it was harmless, but apparently, I misread the situation."
"I still don't-" He leaned forward, placing a hand on your knee. "What are you..." your voice was high again. He stopped before he got too close.
"I think I like you, {Y/N}."
"Oh, really?" You raised an eyebrow. "That's surprising. People usually kiss their enemies."
"Being sarcastic won't help." He remained in place. His hand didn't move. "I want to ask you." He seemed to be holding his breath. "Do you like me?"
"Duh." You rolled your eyes. "That's why I hit on you literally every day!" You scooted forward. "I pretty much waved that flag all around this camp." You moved your face as close as you possibly could to his. He, naturally, leaned back. "Iroh. I'm sorry I acted so immature, but I-"
He stopped you from talking. Your kiss before was quick, rushed, but this time, time itself seemed to slow down. It was confusing, to say the least, but you loved it. He was so proud and strong, so dignified and mature, but at the same time, he seemed younger, wilder and ultimatley, subject to the same adolecent emotions anyone is when they're out of their element. You really did like him, and never ever did you expect him to do what he did, or honestly, for him to like you back at all.
You broke away, smiling, your hand knotted in his hair.
"Ow." He jerked his head away. You released him.
"What a way to end such an experience." You laughed. "I'm sorry, Iroh..." you avoided eye contact; for once, chagrin was all you felt. "You're my superior."
He took your hand. "You've always treated me as an equal." You looked back up at him. "Don't change that now." He smiled, and you did the same.
"People are going to tear us up." You all but whined.
"No." He got to his feet, your hand still in his. "They're going to tear you up. I'm still their commander. They won't ever speak of what happned again."
You knew he was right.
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"Wait so they were actually jealous?" You laughed, turning around to admire the pagrentry of the steel ships behind you. Finally, backup had arrived. The units Iroh called for had been deployed. "But it was so embarrasing!"
"It didn't look that bad from the outside, {Y/N}." Your sister noted, also happily observing yet the third relocation of the training grounds. It was by far the nicest location. "A lot of women like him."
"Oh, come on." You stepped forward, raising your hands, one fist slightly above the other. "Iroh-"
"What?" You turned to your left, only to see the same pair of amber eyes you'd grown so fond of curl up at the edges. "What about me?" The the men beside him rolled theirs. "We are supposed to be training. Focus on the fight."
"Why do we have to wear these?" You'd get your chance to ask. You hated the stupid white pants you'd been forced into wearing yet again. "We're not heading into real battle yet!"
"Shino." Another woman interrupted. "Look."
"Is that snow?" You turned around, addressing the second man to Iroh's right. "Now?"
"Huh." Your sister mused. "I guess we'll have to adjust the rules this round. Water's gonna have the upper hand again."
"Nah." You smirked as your attention met Iroh's. "In a real fight, we'd have to deal with whatever disadvantages come our way." He began to roll his eyes before you could get the first few words of your next jab out.
"Hey! General." You laughed. "Too bad you're not a waterbender, huh?"
A hand slapped the back of your head. You weren't able to identify its owner as someone else called the start of the scrimmage. The various masters on the opposing side, hailing from across the world, from Republic City, the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, some even from the Foggy Swamp knew as well as you did that this was all for practice, and you wouldn't lose anything from pulling your punches. Still, war was coming, and sooner than any of you expected at that.
For once, you were completley serious as you matched your moves with those of your teammates. Iroh definitley wasn't holding back anymore.
"Focus on the fight."
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{{A/N: Wooooooooo okay so hopefully that was cute! I know this one was reallllly long, too! I wanted and still want to give equal attention to each request I've gotten so I didn't try to cut down as much as I might have in the past. I had a relatively difficult time finding a way to tie this all together, so I pray it was done so here in a satisfactory fashion. Thanks once more to HyruleEmblem for your interest! Let me know if there's ever anything else I can do for you! I really hope you liked this!
I've got one more of these left! I'll have it up soon!
Much love,
- Britt}}
P.S.
I always try to incorporate the image at the start of my chapters into the story somehow. Since the gif at the top is from Book One, I tried to make it work at the end there! So, that's a fun fact! I know sometimes the pictures at the heads of some of the sections in other works seem random or unconnected but I assure you, there's always a reason I pick the ones I do!
Alright! I just thought I'd throw that little tidbit in there.
Thanks again for reading!