There's a plot in here somewhere, I promise! Getting there slowly but surely.

Red Cheeks

It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need your money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the price tag

She was just coming out of a class when he found her at Republic City University. Two books and a notebook in her arms as she pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. It's getting longer. She was talking to a boy who was eagerly telling her about some kind of assignment in another class. A group of women surrounded her as well. Little Huo is pretty popular.

Iroh just stood back for a moment and watched. Huo laughed along with the girls and blushed when the boy in the group took her books from her to hold as they walked. She looked...happy. Comfortable. In her element. And yet still, she looked out of place to him. She belonged next to him, on a ship. Practicing Firebending. Singing to children as they sat around her in a circle in a little dilapidated town.

He shook his head and sighed. Iroh was feeling a little left out of her life when she wasn't working with him, which was ridiculous as he hadn't felt that way about Hamin. He had always wanted Hamin to leave him alone or stop nagging—with Huo, he wanted her to be near him for every milestone she accomplished...even just making friends in class.

One of the girls pointed to him, making Huo turn to look. Her smile materialized into a professional smirk. She cleared her face and it made him hurt a little. He wanted her to be able to let loose and laugh with him, not just with her friends when he wasn't around.

"General," she said as she got closer. She took her books back from the boy and Iroh may or may not have stared the poor boy down. "What can I do for you?"

The girls around Huo could barely hold their excitement. They were whispering to each other and batting their eyelashes at him. He smiled politely and nodded at each one in turn. Then, he only had eyes for his adviser. "Just needed to speak with you." When she raised an eyebrow, he raised one back. "Alone?"

Her friends scattered and Huo released a breath Iroh hadn't realized she'd been holding. "They're exhausting. Thank you."

Iroh raised an eyebrow again and motioned for her to walk with him. "You don't like your friends?"

"I do," she said softly, sighing. "It's just...Kiru takes my books like I'm some helpless waif and holds open doors for me and pulls out my chair, Misa and Kasumi can only ever talk about hair, and the other girls are so shallow...I just can't believe that people my age only have friends like that. I miss Genji and Kojo and Li. I miss the ship sometimes."

Iroh was speechless. She looked like she was having so much fun... He somehow was able to clear his throat and say, "Well, you grew up in different circumstances. They don't know what's outside their subdivisions, let alone on the other side of the city or Agni forbid across the ocean. They didn't serve and they haven't had to work anywhere near as hard as you."

"Right," she said, obviously uncomfortable. She tried to change the subject. "Anyway, what was it that you wanted, sir?"

He pulled the two slips of paper out from under his jacket hand handed them to her. She was confused as she read them out loud. "Your mission is simple—take a night off. Take one of your friends and go see a Probending match."

Huo's eyes widened and she looked like she was going to cry. "Sir, I...I can't accept this, it's too much!"

It hadn't been much at all. He didn't understand why she wouldn't take it. "Huo, this is my gift to you. You're overworked and deserve a night off. And that's an order."

Tears were in her eyes. She stopped and sat down at one of the may benches around the university. "I...sir, I really can't take this from you. I already owe you so much. Something like this..."

"Is a gift from me. You're going or I'll..." He tried to think of something to punish her but wasn't able to think of anything to take away. She lived with very few personal belongings and didn't do anything that she ever wanted to do—it was the reason he was doing this for her! "I can't think of anything right now. But you're going. Even I need to take a break every so often."

She was quiet for a moment, reading over the pieces of paper again and again. Finally, she looked up at him with the biggest, most pleading eyes he'd ever seen. "Iroh, I...thank you."

If he'd known it would mean so much, he would have pretended it wasn't from him and that it was gifted to them. He could tell that she didn't like taking gifts from him or anyone, for that matter. He knew that their suite made her uncomfortable (they didn't have to pay) and that any time they got in for free anywhere because of who he was she hated it. "Of course, Huo." I care about you.

"You're coming, right?" Those big eyes were looking up at him like she was his ship's boy again and the boy was asking for two extra hours of practice.

"I told you, Huo, it's for you and one of your friends."

"But I don't want to go with one of them," she said with a scrunched up nose. "They all think I'm some spoiled rich kid. I've tried to tell them differently. I don't think they can understand anything outside their...what did you call it? Their subdivisions. So anyway, I don't want to go with one of them. I want to go with you."

He found that he couldn't say no to those eyes.

III

"You got us box seats?" she asked with a crinkled nose. "But we can't see anything from up here! We're so far away!" She leaned over the edge of the box and looked out onto the quick-filling arena. Everyone was there to see the Fire Ferrets take on the Blooming Badgermoles. "We need to sit down there, where the action is!"

Iroh peered over the edge, watching the normal people fill into their seats, packed together like rabaroos in a zoo with not enough space to hold them. What's wrong with a box seat? "I paid good money for these seats."

Huo instantly looked stricken. Iroh hadn't meant to scold her (he'd only said it as an off-handed comment) but she took it that way. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to sound ungrateful." She bowed her head in shame and Iroh's heart broke just a little. "Thank you so much for these seats, General Iroh. You don't know how much just being here means to me."

His heart never stood a chance. He found that, the longer he was with her, the less he could deny her. All she ever asked for was for the little things in life—a piece of cake, a sip of tea, a bleacher seat at a Probending match rather than their box seat. Every little thing delighted her and she treated every present like it was worth millions of yuans. He sighed. "Fine. Let's go."

"But...but sir—"

"No, you want to be down where the action is? Then let's go."

She stared at him for a little while, her eyes curious. "I, ah..." Blush filled her cheeks and she coughed. He wondered momentarily what that was about before she came up and took his tie off. "No offense, sir, but if we're gonna go down there, you're gonna have to dress down."

He looked at what she was wearing—a simple red tunic that brought out her eyes; it flowed around her wide hips but was belted around her skinny middle. Below that was a pair of rather tight black leggings that showed off her muscular calves and thighs. On the bottom were a pair of ankle boots made of a simple cotton. It looked dressed up while at the same time could pass for normal clothing.

He, on the other hand, was dressed in his normal clothing. A nice suit tailored by his own seamstress. It was mostly maroon with gold trim and his pants were black as midnight. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

She came close again after lying his tie on the back of one of the chairs. "Dressed like this down there, you'd get stared at or mugged or worse. You look like a dandy...no offense."

He huffed as she unbuttoned his jacket. He tried not to think about the fact that she was undressing him. "None taken, I think."

Next, his student worked on his black button-up. He flushed a little but looked over her head as she prattled on about why he would stick out like a sore thumb. She smelled clean—not like most of the women he passed who could choke a man half a room away with their perfumes. Her hair was down, for a change, brushing against her shoulders and curling out at the ends because of it.

"Usually it's a good thing, but, if anyone knows better than me, it's that it's best to blend in." He glared at her but she just pulled off his button-up and left him in his black undershirt, black pants (complete with belt), and his military boots. She looked up with her big doe eyes and just stared at him for a moment.

"Good enough?" he asked wryly, done with being made over.

"Almost." She reached up and started mussing his hair. She was so short, though, so he bent down and let her work her magic. She was right, after all. She was the epitome of "blending in." "There. Now you're just a man going to the Probending match."

"Alright, you're correct. This time. Just one problem. Where are we going to sit?" He pointed out to the arena where it seemed like every seat was taken.

Her smile worried him slightly.

HHH

Iroh pouted next to me. "I can't believe you gave that man my box seat."

"Hey, he gave us his seats and this box of Fire Flakes. It's a win-win." I turned to smile at Iroh and my breath caught in my throat a little. His hair was mussed and there was a light glint in his eyes that I hadn't seen in a long time. That, mixed with the form-fitting black t-shirt he was wearing made me never want to look away. His arms bulged out of them like they owned the entire place—which he could, I mused thoughtfully. He had enough money that he could probably buy Republic City.

And yet, there he was, fitting in. Well, kind of. He looked awkward as he tensely walked in front of people's seats to reach ours, which was in the middle of the row but right on the middle line of the ring. People were roughhousing, throwing food at one another, and the way he held himself showed that he was uncomfortable.

"Sorry, pardon me," he said to a man who stared at him like he had three heads. I wanted to facepalm but just sighed and followed after his careful steps. He was a big man, yes, but he was acting like he was going to step on a squeaky children's toy and the baby had just been put to bed.

When we got to our seats and got settled down, I said, "Relax. You aren't a general out here, you're a normal person. Do you want some reporters to catch wind? No? Well, then, eat some Fire Flakes and loosen up."

Teaching Iroh to blend in had almost made me forget where we were. When the announcer's voice echoed throughout the stadium, though, I couldn't help the girlish squeal that came out of my throat. "Ahh, I'm at a Probending match!"

Iroh's eyes held amusement as he watched me. I couldn't think to control myself as the announcer's voice reverberated in my ear and throughout the stadium. As the teams came from either side and faced off against each other.

I felt like I was going to pass out from excitement!

III

"That was so amazing!" Iroh could see Huo's excitement even still as they walked into their apartment later that evening. "Mako was—and the Avatar! I saw the Avatar Probend! And Bolin..." Iroh looked over to see a slightly dazed expression on his protege's face. Her cheeks were lightly flushed and she was smiling in a goofy way that he'd never seen.

He felt something coil inside him as she started talking about Bolin and his bending. Bolin this, Bolin that. "He was alright," he said in an off-handed tone, dusting off the sleeve of his top. He was still wearing his "normal" clothes—Huo had put his nicer pieces in the small drawstring she carried behind her back.

Huo smiled up at him, pure joy in her tan eyes. He'd seen this look before—when he'd given her the job of "adviser". Her eyes crinkled and her cheeks rounded and pinked in a comely way. "Iroh, that was one of the most amazing experiences of my life." They'd just gotten to their door but she stopped in the middle of the hallway, bowing to him. She bowed in the most respectful way possible and held it for over the proper time. "Thank you, sir."

He could feel his cheeks redden. He wasn't quite sure from what. It could have been that, to him, it hadn't felt like much at all. Why do I take for granted everything I have? It could have been her respectful tone showed less of their friendship and more of their work relationship and that upset him. He didn't really know. But, when she looked up and saw his face, she just smiled softly and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. His arms awkwardly held the air around her waist as a reflex.

"Thank you," she said quietly as she gave him a kiss on the cheek and let go of him. Sweet. Innocent. Like Huo. She waltzed into their suite, never looking back at the dazed General behind her.