Fireflies

Oneshot

The only highlight of being an Ambassador to the Fire Nation in the summer for Katara was the ethereal, glowing creatures that emerged at night to light up the humid evenings. Zuko called them 'fireflies' and they enchanted Katara. A few minutes after the sun had sunk into the hazy west, they'd emerge, shimmering like miniatures stars, with Katara out among them. Laughing quietly all the while, she chased, caught, and released one insect after another. One evening, however, none appeared. Katara was hopelessly confused. It was the middle of the summer! They should be everywhere! Disappointed, she aimlessly wandered the small, dark garden, making a pretense of just waking but all the while searching frantically for any sign of the bug's characteristic light. Sighing and giving up, Katara plopped on a large bridge over an even larger pond dejectedly. Where were they? A slight rustling of grass caused her to look up. Zuko and Iroh, in their entire royal Fire Nation splendor, came trudging across the lawn, lugging a large iron crate with Iroh complaining loudly.

" Why did you have to pick the one entirely made of iron? There were so many others made of much lighter materials." Zuko grunted and rolled his eyes as he replied grumpily,

" Because then the surprise would be ruined and all our hard work would be for nothing." Iroh continued as if he hadn't heard.

" But no, you had to choose the largest, heaviest, most iron crate they had!" Zuko snorted derisively.

" Maybe if you spent less time sitting around eating and drinking your confounded tea, and exercising every day, this wouldn't be as difficult." After a moment of groaning and heave breathing as they set the container down, Iroh retorted,

" You aren't supposed to be in shape at my age! I'm retired! I should be playing with my grandchildren for exercise, not lugging around giant iron boxes!" Katara almost snorted out loud at this, and bit her lip to keep the giggles in. But Zuko had heard her anyway, and came sneaking around a large willow tree separating the bridge from a clearing where he and Iroh had set down the box. Unaware, Katara sniffed a little and sighed with merriment as Iroh continued to mutter to himself about the "uppity Fire Lord" whom he potty-trained. This last statement really struck Katara as hilarious, but before she could contain her laughter it was cut short by two hands covering her eyes conspiratorially.

" Guess who," a deep, rough voice whispered mischievously in her ear, the warm breathe from his mouth tickling her neck seductively.

" Hmmmm...let me think….oh, the Fire Lord!" Zuko moved his hands from her eyes and wrapped them around her waist instead.

" You know me too well," he lamented, pulling her back against his strong chest.

" Or," she offered, " you've tried that trick one too many times." His chuckle was low and warm, and Katara could feel it reverberating in his abdomen.

" Well, I think I have a new trick that might spark your interest, and," he added meaningfully, " cheer you up." Puzzled, Katara stared at his back as he pulled her along eagerly. How did he know she missed the fireflies? Well, she thought, I only spend all my summer evenings out here chasing them. However, her thoughts were interrupted as Zuko stopped in front of the large metal box.

" What's in there?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. Zuko smiled, his face glowing with anticipation.

" I thought you'd never ask." He opened it triumphantly and out flew literally thousands of the small shimmering creatures Zuko liked to call fireflies.

A/N: OMG! HOW SWEET! Sorry, valley girl moment. On a more serious note, yes, more OOCnes since it's fluffiness's bestest enemy.