Author's note: AU. One shot. They're several years older than their ALTA ages, and I really have no idea where Aang and Sokka are. (T for suggestions and innuendos)
I do not own Avatar, The Last Airbender, or ale.
The uproarious laughter emanated from the mess tent. He reached to open the tent, stopping only when he heard voices straining to be heard over the merriment.
"You must be joking," a voice said, before dutifully adding "ma'am".
"So you're saying you've never slept with a man?" added another.
"Maybe she likes women? Have you ever slept with a woman?"
If there was any reply, the renewed laughter muffled it.
Curious, he moved the flap aside, slipping inside the tent with a quietness that belied his status. Inside, he found a mildly amused general sitting amongst her men as they volleyed increasingly impertinent questions and mugs of cheap ale around the tent. This was the first time that he'd seen her so casually dressed, strands of wavy brown hair curling around slim shoulders instead of being wrangled into a severe bun. He spent a brief, distracted moment appreciating the chestnut curls in the firelight. She shrugged, a patient maternal smile on her lips as she clasped a nearly empty cup in her hands.
"I haven't had the time to spare."
Some of the older men nodded sagely; the yearly escalation of the war meant the army had been honed into a state of well-oiled efficiency, and efficiency left little opportunities to visit loved ones or to start a family. The younger soldiers not yet jaded by experience, were less convinced.
"If you sleep with Yun Li, you won't have to worry about it taking too much time!"
"At least she'd sleep with me, Ren, she wouldn't even consider you!" called, presumably, Yun Li.
"Charming, but I'm not interested in little boys," was her casual reply. It was a practiced, easy reply. One she'd clearly used many times before.
The whistles and thumps of wooden mugs on the tables were renewed, and the she had to raise her voice to teasingly declare, "we've all earned one night of carousing, and I'm not wasting it by fueling your sad little fantasies."
He frowned from the dark corner of the tent, watching with a mix of admiration for the rapport between these men and their leader, and a healthy dose of irritation at the increasingly inappropriate line of comments. He supposed it was a product of a lifetime of dealing with genuflecting servants and sycophantic nobles.
"Is this the way for soldiers address a superior officer?"
The tent went deathly quiet as the man stalked out from the shadows to tower in front of their general. "And you, General. Is this how you maintain discipline in your ranks?"
The – much shorter, he noted – general stood up, swaying slightly and frowning at him. He felt, rather than heard the collective gasp from the onlookers, eyes darting between the two figures.
"My men know when it's time to follow orders, and they do it without question. They also know when it's okay to enjoy a little harmless teasing. If morale can be boosted at my expense, I'll take it. If our humor was insulting to your delicate sensibilities, then please accept my humblest apologies."
He opened his mouth to reply when she interrupted him, clearly on a roll and fueled by ale. "And forgive my impertinence, sir, but I could handle myself before you showed up, and I don't need your assistance now."
He couldn't remember ever being cut off in his life. Later, he would blame his next action on the surreal quality of the whole situation. Swooping in close to her ear, he stage whispered,
"From what it sounds like, you have been handling yourself for too many years. Sounds like you could use a few lessons in something new. I'll be in my tent, when you're ready."
Finished with a purr, he pulled away, and strode outside. He was inordinately pleased by her furious blush and wide blue eyes and chose to ignore the sudden rush in his chest as he considered his general in an intriguing new light.
Inside the tent, the men's laughter reached a new octave as they watched their Fire Lord saunter out of the tent, leaving their otherwise unflappable general speechless, blushing, and noticeably breathless.
She was too engrossed in watching those molten gold eyes, to notice.
I have no idea where this AU one shot came from, and I have no idea what's put them in this situation. I do think that she'll take him up on that offer though.