"What happened to you?"

Zuko was sitting in the living room, and Nolan had just enteted, his clothed partially wet and covered in grass stains.

"Well, I defintley didn't get into a wrestling match with Tavi." Nolan responded. Tavi was one of his best friends who had been over to hang out.

"Riight." Zuko said. "And how exactly did your clothes get wet from your not wrestling match with Tavi?"

"Well it turned out the grass had just been watered a little while ago."

"Niice. Well, why don't you go take off your clothes and shower before dinner."

"But I don't need to shower!"

"Nolan you haven't showered in two days and now you're all dirty from rolling in the grass. Go shower."

"Fine." Nolan groaned and headed down the hallway.

Zuko shook his head and remembered a time when Nolan was younger and also didn't want to shower...

"Izumi! Nolan! Both of you get over here now!"

That was the voice of Zuko's wife. Zuko had just turned in for the night, only to walk into the living room to find her shouting at the two crying toddlers that were running around the living room, evidentally trying to get away from her.

"They're refusing to take a bath." His wife said to him, sounding out of energy.

"Hey!" Zuko's voice resignated through the room, addressing his children. "Didn't I tell both of you earlier that you need to listen to your mom?" He did. In fact his wife had brought them into the throne room earlier, specifically to inform him that they had been misbehaving. His kids now stood frozen in the living room after hearing him shout. Nolan had popped his head up from behind the couch, where he must have gone go hide from his bath.

"Do you think running away from your mom and not listening makes things easy for her when she is trying to take care of you and give you a bath?"

"No." Nolan responded.

"But we don't want a bath!" Izumi exclaimed

"Well that may be, but you both need one, Izumi."

"No we don't!" Nolan said

"Yeah you do. Come here." Zuko began walking towards his son.

"I don't want a bath!!!" Nolan began to scream and sat down to the floor in protest.

"I think maybe they need a time out." Zuko's wife said, looking at their children.

"No!" Izumi and Nolan screamed, and went running down the hallway.

"That's it!" Zuko went running after them. He caught up to both of them and pulled them up into his arms. He carried them into the kitchen and sat them down in a chair. Luckily, since they were only three years old, they both fit in the same chair, allowing him to crouch behind the chair and wrap one of his arms around both of his children to keep them there, since they were both trying to escape.

"You're both in time out for three minutes!" Three minutes? That's an appropiate amount of time for toddlers right? Zuko thought to himself, not wanting to keep them there too long, but also now wanting to let them off too easy.

Zuko continued holding the struggling toddlers in place with his arm, being careful not to squeeze too tightly, so as not to hurt them. He looked at his two children, though they were misbehaving, they were adorable and he loved them dearly.

"You're not going to be able to escape." Zuko said, matter of factly, to his daughter. His son had given up trying to resist a few moments before.

"Mmhh!" Izumi sighed loudly, relaxing her body and falling into the chair, though with a noticeable pout on her face.

Zuko let up on his arm's grip, but kept it loosely around them until the three minutes were up. He was glad they had calmed down, other wise he may have had to keep them their longer.

"Now are you both going to coporate for your bath?" Zuko asked them when the three minutes were up.

"Yes." They both said

"Ok. Come on." Zuko stood up, releasing his arm and allowing the toddlers to move from the chair. He walked them into the bedroom where his wife was.

"How about I give Nolan a bath and you give Izumi one?" Zuko asked her.

"That would be good." She replied

"Alright Nolan, looks like you're coming with me." Zuko said, picking up his son. Upon being picked up, Nolan embraced his dad by wrapping his arms around Zuko's neck.

Zuko's wife came over to the entrance way where he was standing.

"Thank you." She whispered and planted a kiss on his cheeck.

"Sure thing." He replied.

Izumi was staring up at her parents attentivley, watching their interaction.

"Alright, let's go take a bath." Izumi's mom gently grabbed Izumi's hand, walking her down the hallway to her own bathroom.

Zuko headed down the hallway after them, still holding Nolan, who unlike 15 minutes ago, was somehow now calm and coroperative. He kissed the top of his son's head.

"I love you, Nolan."

"I love you to, Dad."