Amethyst
A/N: Ugh. This prompt gave me a ton of trouble. I hope it turned out okay. :/ Thank you to those of you who reviewed last chapter!
Edit: Site's been rather wonky today. Sorry for the multiple uploads if you got it.
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Snowflake
It was a cold autumn day in Republic City. She had worn her thinnest winter jacket on accident and the cold air brought a natural flush to her cheeks and nose. It was six months after the official fall of Amon, and the city was having a small celebration for the progress made towards recovery and equality among its people. It was a special day for everyone, but especially special to her. For that day, Asami Sato fell in love with General Iroh of the United Forces.
Just the week before, he had invited her to come with him to the celebration. They had bumped into each other on the streets in downtown Republic City (she was starting to laugh at how often that seemed to happen) and he had ignored the cat calls of the men he was with when he approached her. She had smiled (like she always did when he was around) and agreed to meet him at the entrance to the park where it was being held. The smile he had given her was enough to make her heart jump and she pleasantly met the wave he gave her as he left with his men.
She knew something was up when she started getting weird looks from the workers at the factory. They were used to her by now and joked that she had been 'weirdly happy tinkering with the automatic hubcap bolter' and she just rolled her eyes at them. But she couldn't deny that they were right. She found herself daydreaming during work lately, thinking about the nice nights she had spent casually speaking with the General. Perhaps the tabloids weren't completely off base with their accusations about her.
She spent more time picking out what she was going to wear than she had for the last half a year, but still misjudged how cold the day was going to be. She drove her motorbike to the park, shivering the whole way. She arrived a little early from the time she agreed to with the General, but the celebration was already underway. The scent of sugary foods and buttered popcorn permeated the air; people laughed joyfully and danced to music playing from a pair of large radios set up in the north part of the park. She could hear the distant sound of somebody speaking on the stage at the far side of the park and the distant cheer of the crowd for something that he said. She stood beside a street lamp, rubbing her cold fingers together in an attempt to warm them up.
After a few moments of waiting, she glanced at her watch, debating if she had enough time to run home and get her thicker jacket. When she looked up again, Iroh had spotted her and gave her a short wave as he walked over. He wasn't dressed in his military uniform that day, instead opting for a simple button down black coat and casual but comfortable pants. He had a grey cap upon his head that gave him a boyish look when paired with the smile that crossed his face as he approached her. She returned his smile as he stood before her.
He noticed immediately that she was cold and held out his hands in offering. She hesitated a moment before carefully placing her hands in his. He folded his fingers around her smaller ones and brought them to his lips. Warm air blew over her frozen fingers and she smiled at the way her fingers tingled. They started for the celebration after that, and she had to hide the smile that wouldn't stop pulling at her lips when he kept a warm hand wrapped around hers.
They attended Tenzin's speech and cheered with the crowd when Korra was mentioned. They explored the stands set up around the park and shared a bag of honey-roasted chestnuts as they walked the parameter of the frozen lake. She had laughed when he pulled her into a quick-paced Fire Nation dance when they passed the large radios and couldn't bring herself to look away from the way his golden eyes would light up at the sound of her voice. They stayed even after it began to snow, tiny snowflakes catching like ornaments in the darkness of their hair.
It was when they sat upon a bench and he leaned down to tell her a story about turtle-ducks that she felt it: a warm feeling that blossomed in her chest and seemed to ebb and flow with the dynamics of his voice. She felt it as she watched him from the corner of her eye, and when she felt the rough pad of his thumb gently brush over the soft skin of her knuckles. She felt it in the air between them and when his knee would accidentally brush against hers. She felt it, but it wasn't until that moment that she truly noticed it.
She listened to his story, and caught his eyes when he glanced at her. Her heart gave a slight jump and she watched as a soft, slow smile pulled his lips up as he spoke. The warm feeling swelled within her, and nearly left her breathless. It was that cold autumn day, on that bench next to the frozen pond, that Asami Sato fell in love with the General of the United Forces.
And, boy, was she in trouble.
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A/N: Short one today, guys. I hope you liked it. Please review?