This is my first Avatar The Last Airbender fanfiction this chapter was not Beta read and if any are interested in beta reading my work before it's post PM

I would like to thank all my patient reads and hope you enjoy this next chapter and for all those reading please stay safe out there especially with the virus going around because if you don't stay safe how will you be able to read what comes next

Disclaimer I don't own anything related to ATLA

Suki smiled as she approached the tea shop. She and Zuko were finally going out on a real date. Zuko used the money he's earned at the tea shop and bought them both tickets for the theatre. Suki could barely contain her excitement. She had been looking forward to going to see a play with Zuko ever since they entered the city.

Zuko too was anxious for tonight. This being the first official date he's had in years. He wanted to make everything perfect. He had gotten new clothes, got the tickets with the best seating he could afford, and Iroh even offered to do his hair, which he reluctantly accepted. "Tonight has to be perfect," he repeated to himself as Iroh combed and trimmed his hair.

"There, all done," Iroh smiled proudly at his handy work. "You look quite dashing if I say so myself," Iroh said as he removed the towel around Zuko's neck and dusted him off.

"Thanks, Uncle," Zuko said as he rose from his seat, not even bothering to look in the mirror as he rushed to make sure he had everything ready. He pulled the two tickets from the kitchen drawer, stuffing them in his pocket as he grabbed up his money pouch. "Okay, Suki should be here soon. I'm not sure when we will be back, so don't wait up for me," Zuko said as he made sure he had his apartment key.

"Don't worry about me. Just go out and have fun," Iroh encouraged as he patted his nephew's shoulder.

"Thanks," Zuko nodded his head, taking a breath as he tried to calm his nerves. Even though he put on a brave face for his Uncle he was still very nervous. "Tonight has to be perfect, Tonight has to be perfect," Zuko still silently repeated to himself as he stepped out of the kitchen. Once outside Zuko glanced around looking for Suki as he left the tea shop. His eyes darting around as he looked through the crowd for her.

"Li!"

Zuko immediately turned seeing Suki jogging over to him. His eyes were wide and his cheeks flushed red as he saw what she was wearing. Suki wore a tasteful lime green yukata, the fabric dotted with white flowers and cherry blossoms. Her hair was done up in a bun exposing more of her elegant neck, as a simple flower pin held it in place. "Wow, Suki you look amazing," Zuko smiled.

"Thank you, Li," Suki said before pausing for a moment, doing her best to stop herself from laughing. Indeed Zuko looked handsome in his dark tailored suit, but his hair was something else. The way it was combed down and parted down the middle was a bit ridiculous. "You look nice too," she said with a small chuckle as she reached out to ruffle his hair.

Zuko reeled back a bit as she messed with his hair doing his best to comb it back. "My Uncle spent ten minutes doing my hair," he complained a bit causing Suki to giggle.

"Trust me it looks better like this," she said as she looped her arm around his. "So Li where are we going first?" she asked smiling happily up at him.

Zuko smiled back at her as he stopped fixing his hair, trusting her judgment. "Well the show will be starting soon, and after that, I booked reservations for us to have dinner," he explained showing her the two tickets he bought.

"Well I can't wait!" she exclaimed excitedly to finally see a real play, especially with the man she loves. "What are we seeing?" she asks pulling him along as they both head down the street.

"It's called the Two Lovers it's supposed to be a romance I think," he said as he read over the ticket.

"Two Lovers huh. Did someone write a play about us and I didn't know it?" Suki said with a knowing smirk.

"Haha, not that I'm aware of," Zuko said as he walked with Suki. "But it should be interesting regardless," he spoke as they headed to the theatre. And once they arrived, to their surprise, it was packed. A long line spanning from the front door and around the corner.

"Well look on the bright side, with a line like this the play must be good," Suki said being positive as they went to line up. Zuko wasn't as enthusiastic as her about waiting, but he didn't let it bother him.

Once they were inside they quickly found their seat before the lights began to dim. Suki couldn't help but smile happily as the curtains rose, seeing the actors walking out on stage. She had been looking forward to this for months. Zuko was looking forward to the show as well. If for nothing else, he wanted to see how different Earth Kingdom productions compared to the Fire Nation. He was genuinely intrigued seeing many of the props and stage sets were moved around with earth bending. Back home everything was moved around with an intricate system of pulleys and levers. But here they didn't have those constraints, even though the sets were very simplistic and plain.

Even as Zuko sat there watching the show, his gaze would occasionally glance down to Suki. He smiled seeing her on the edge of her seat, she was enthralled by the story of the Two Lovers. Suki watched with teary eyes at the scene being played out.

"Oma why are you crying," the male actor asked, as he caressed the woman's cheek. Her body curled up as she rested in his arms.

"They are going to take you away from me!" she cried the woman burying her face in the man's tunic. The whole theatre was silent, watching as she looked up to the man.

"No one is taking me away from anyone," he tried to reassure her, but she continued to cry.

"No, they are going to take you away from me," she repeated. "Please don't go... we can stay here. We can stay in the caves and no one will find us. We can be happy here just the two of us," she pleaded with the man as he shook his head sorrowfully.

"You have no idea how much I want that. You have no idea how much I want to stay in this cave with you, but... My brother is headed to the front lines... I have to protect him," he whispered regretfully.

"Please Shu you can't go," Oma pleaded once more rising from his arms.

"I must! I have a duty to my family to keep them safe," he said as he turned to face her. He too rising to his feet. "If he dies, I couldn't live with myself. Even more, so that it is your people we are going to war with," he explained sadly.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" she asked wide-eyed glaring at him with anger.

Shu shook his head with a heavy sigh. "I meant that, If I was here with you, while your people killed my brother... I might not be able to forgive myself," he tried to explain feeling as if he was betraying his family being with her while they fought.

Oma was heartbroken and screamed teary-eyed at him. "If that is how you feel, then go! Go on leave!" she shouted shoving him back.

"Oma what are you saying?" he asked reaching for her hand, but she quickly smacked it away.

"You already made your decision! Don't make this harder on me than it already is!" Oma exclaimed as she looked away from him. The audience seeing the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Go, go save your brother," she whispered before pulling away and disappearing off stage, leaving Shu to silently stare off as the stage went dark.

"We will be breaking for a short intermission for fifteen minutes, concessions are now open," a stage manager called out as the curtains fell and the lights brightened.

Zuko sighed in relief as he gets a moment to stretch. "Hey Suki, I'm gonna get some snacks is there anything you'd like?" Zuko asked as he turned to her. To his surprise, Suki was wiping the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"Huh, oh yeah sure. Get me anything," she quickly answered not wanting Zuko to catch her as she wiped her face clean.

"Were you, were you crying?" he asked curiously a bit of mischievousness in his tone.

"No of course not! Something just got in my eyes is all," she argued though, a bit light-heartedly. "So you were saying you were going to get us some snacks or something?" she asked trying to change the subject to Zuko's amusement.

"Yeah I'll be right back," Zuko said with a small smirk as he began to slip out of his seat. Zuko did his best to try and squeeze by the other patrons, groaning in annoyance as he maneuvered passed them. He then made his way over to the concession stands. To his displeasure, the line was long and winding almost like the line to get inside the building. Zuko simply took a deep breath, doing his best not to get annoyed. He folded his arms and tapped his foot, he slowly inched closer and closer to the cashier.

"The show will now resume please take your seats," a loud voice echoed from the theatre.

"Damn I'm gonna miss it," Zuko groaned under his breath as the large man in front of him paid for his popcorn. The bucket nearly spilling over as he pushed passed Zuko on his way back to his seat. "Finally," he whispered as he made his way to the counter. "Okay quick what do you have?" he asked the cashier hurriedly, his eyes glancing to them and to the dark theatre behind him.

"Well, we have a few selections. We have popcorn, gummies, Ice cream and-,"

"Ice cream. Two cones any flavor you have please," Zuko said cutting the woman off as he pulled out his pouch to pay. The woman happily took the coin and grabbed up two cones for him. Scooping the ice cream out of the ice-cold bucket before handing them over.

"Thanks," he said in relief as he tried to make it quickly back to his seat. Zuko pushed through the back door and scanned the theatre as he slipped inside. Once again to his annoyance, the theatre was dark. He had to do his best to navigate his way back to his seat. Inching his way up the rows, squeezing his way through the aisle.

"Hey! Move out of the way!"

"You're blocking the stage!"

"Get out of the way!"

"Sorry," Zuko groaned as different voices called as he blocked their view of the show. Suki heard the angered voices and turned to see Zuko making his way over. She smiled and waved to guide him to her position, she was unfazed when people called out annoyed at her too.

Zuko finally squeezed his way over to his seat. "The line was a nightmare," he whispered as he leaned over to her. "I got you some ice cream," he said reaching over to hand her the cone with the frozen dessert.

"Thank you," she smiled brightly as she reached over for it, but as Zuko went to hand it to her the ice cream rolled off the cone. Suki gasped in shock as the frozen treat landed right on her skirt, feeling the cold seep through the fabric.

Zuko looked at her mortified as he spilled the ice cream on her. Meanwhile, the bulky man next to him couldn't help but laugh at the accident while he stuffed his face. "I'm so sorry," he apologized, but Suki quickly shook her head.

"It's alright, it's just ice cream," she shrugged as she brushed it off her skirt, letting it roll onto the floor. "Glad you made it back in time. The battle scene is coming up next," Suki said excitedly, though her excitement was met with a choir of shushes from the audience around them. "Sorry," Suki squeaked apologetically as she leaned back in her seat.

Zuko too leaned back. He could feel the angered glares at both of them for their interruptions. Zuko ended up giving her his other ice cream cone as an apology. Although she wanted to argue not taking it, she feared talking more would earn them both more angered words from the crowd. Suki gratefully ate the ice cream as their eyes were fixated on the stage.

As the show continued they were both surprised by the battle that unfolded on stage. From the death of Shu on the battlefield, stone arrows being bent to rain down on him, to Oma nearly destroying the stage with blasts and pillars of earth shooting out of the ground. It truly became a spectacle by the end till the curtain drop.

Suki wiped her eyes at the solemn conclusion. Even if the end was sad, the story itself was beautiful, a love that literally moved mountains. Zuko too was surprised by how emotional the play was going to be, but he did enjoy himself.

After a brief applause, the lights returned to normal and the audience began to rise from their seats. Zuko and Suki both lingered letting the people around them leave, giving them both a moment alone. "So what do you think? How was it?" Zuko asked as he leaned against Suki's seat as she turned to face him.

"Hehe, well depends are plays usually this rowdy?" she asked as she smoothed out her dress, taking a moment to relax.

"Not usually," Zuko answered with a shrug. "Although I haven't been to a play in years. On the other hand, this is the Earth Kingdom so maybe it's different than back home."

"Fair enough. Either way, it was fun I liked it," Suki smiled in response as she rose from her seat and she straightened out her back. "Ughhh though I could use better seating, it was like sitting on a rock for an hour," Suki complained.

"That's 'cause you were," Zuko explained pointing to their seats, even though they had cushions, the seats were all stone blocks with armrests.

"Well, that definitely explains it haha. Still, this was nice," Suki smiled. "Now come on let's go to dinner, you must be starving," she giggled as she poked his belly.

They both soon left and headed off for dinner. The sun completely disappearing behind the walls that towered over the city. Even though the city was overcast in shadow, neither Zuko nor Suki felt unsafe. They walked hand and hand down the dimly lit streets without a worry. "You know after thinking about it, those two really are like us," Suki said casually as they walk.

"Who now?" Zuko asks not sure if he was listening to her or not.

"The two in the play, Oma and Shu," Suki clarified as she glanced up at him. "Two lovers separated by war, a chance encounter, a love that couldn't be broken even in death," she said dreamily.

"Yeah until he was killed and she spent the rest of her life alone... Personally, I hope the comparisons end at the first part," Zuko aptly pointed out causing Suki to chuckle in agreement.

"Haha yeah agree with you there, but still," Suki shrugged as she glanced around the empty street, noticing a stone bench off to the side. She then with a mischievous grin, strode away from him and twirled in the street. "Oh Shu, my heart aches for you, but we can not be together," Suki said posing dramatically with her hand over her head.

"Ummm, Suki what are you doing?" Zuko questioned as he looked to her.

"Come on you know the lines play along," she whispered down at him before returning to her pose her face looking up into the sky. "Oh Shu, my heart aches for you, but we can not be together," she repeated the line once more hopping up on a bench, but Zuko doesn't continue his supposed part.

"And why would I do that?" Zuko asked with an arched brow.

"Because it's fun," Suki said like she was stating the obvious. "Oh unless, they don't have fun where you come from," she teased. "You probably never had fun in your entire life."

Zuko growled offended, arms crossed over his chest. "I've had fun before."

"Then prove it princey," Suki challenged with a smug smirk.

Zuko groaned rolling his eyes, but he would not back away from a challenge. "If your... If your heart aches for me. Then why deny it? Why deny what your heart needs?" Zuko recited the line as best as he could remember.

Suki couldn't help the smile that rose to her lips as he played along. "Because what my heart needs is wrong... The love I have for you is wrong," she said wrapping her arms around her. "You and your people are at war with my own... What we did together is treason," she said the line. Then suddenly she became startled as she felt Zuko's arms wrapped around her waist. Her whole body being spun around to face him.

"Was it treason when we danced under the stars? Was it treason when we swam beneath the waterfalls? Was it treason... when we shared our kiss within the shadow of the mountain?" Zuko asked as he held Suki's body close.

Suki felt her face turn red, flushed at how close they were. She feeling Zuko's strong hand on her lower back keeping her from falling over as her legs turned to jello. She gulped nervously trying to remember her next line, biting her lip as she stared up at his firey eyes. "Ye... yes it was... it was treason," she whispered her breath hitching in her throat.

"Do you regret me making you a criminal? Do you regret meeting me?" Zuko asked his cheeks too becoming flushed but he dared not pull away.

"Never," Suki uttered as her arms rested on his shoulders leaning further into the embrace before pulling away. "But what if this is a mistake? What if our love is the end to us both," she continued in her overdramatic tone, leaning her body against a lamp post as she left Zuko's grasp.

Zuko lept from the bench landing in front of her as he took her hand. "Then let our last days be as glorious as our firsts," he whispered taking her hand, resting it against his chest. She biting her lip as she felt his beating heart through his chest, rhythmically beating against her palm. "Let each heartbeat be our favorite heartbeat, let each kiss be our favorite kiss, and let each moment we are together, be our favorite moment together," Zuko said making Suki shiver.

"You did memorize the lines," she whispered smugly making Zuko roll his eyes in response. "Then prove it... prove that each moment will be my favorite moment, that each kiss is my favorite, and each heartbeat will be my very favorite heartbeat," she asked as she pressed into his embrace once more.

"Then I shall," Zuko said as he closed in the distance. But just as they were about to kiss, a few onlookers began to woo and whistle at their little display. What started as a joke between the star-crossed lovers became a street performance.

"Well that was... fun," she breathed heavily as she pulled away from Zuko she seeing a look of embarrassment on his face. As the crowd chattered for them to continue they both now red in the face as they stepped away from the onlookers.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... I didn't want to...," Zuko stuttered he feeling he went too far that she had to pull away from him.

Suki instead just laughed at his awkwardness. "Hehe it's fine, in truth I got carried away myself," she admitted as she took hold of his arm once more. "And hey if you ever go too far with me I'll tell you... or I will beat you up whichever comes first," she said trying to ease the tension.

"Oh, really you beat me up?"

Just as the words left Zuko's mouth, Suki swept his legs out from under him. Zuko fell backward but just before his head could hit the ground Suki caught hold of his wrist, stopping his descent. "Was that ever into question?" Suki grinned down at him as she helped pull him back to his feet.

"Course not," Zuko said simply returning the small smile as he brushed himself off.

"Good now let's go for dinner I'm starving," Suki smiled as she and Zuko marched off to the restaurant.

Once they were seated and placed their orders they had a relatively normal evening. Something that was a pleasant change. To everyone around them, they were just a normal Earth kingdom couple. They weren't trained warriors, they weren't banished royalty, not a thief or soldier. They were normal. And being normal even for one night was what they both wanted and deserved.

When dinner was finished Zuko did the honorable thing and walked Suki home. They both linked arm and arm as the cool night air made Suki huddle close to feel Zuko's warmth. Once they reached her place they stopped near the door. "So I guess this is where we part," she says smiling up at Zuko.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Zuko muttered awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hey, I got something for you."

"You got something for me?" Zuko asked confused as she nodded her head.

"Yeah a small thing, nothing big just something I've been meaning to give you," she says as she glances around to where she hid her special gift. "Now close your eyes and no peeking," she ordered as she walked off to the side.

"Okay... but I... I didn't get you anything," Zuko said doing as she asked clenching his eyes tight as he heard her rustling through some bushes.

"Don't worry about it, it was a spur of the moment thing," Suki said as she retrieved the cloth bundle from under the stairs. "I just felt that after everything you deserved a little something," Suki said as she returned to Zuko holding the bundle behind her back.

"You didn't have to... you've already given me so much and... I," just as Zuko began to speak Suki took his hand and placed the bundle in them, letting him feel her special gift. He opened his eyes and found he was holding a simple short bow with a small quiver of arrows.

"Surprise. I figured if we were to go hunting again you'd need your own bow," she said as she placed a hand over his, as he held the grip of the bow. She watched as he silently examined the weapon. His eyes tracing over the red-painted bamboo, with the black leather strapping for the grip. "I can't have you always borrowing one of mine," she continued with a coy smile. "So what do you think?" she asked finally.

"It's... beautiful," he said with a soft smile as he lifted his gaze to meet hers. "Thank you... I don't deserve it."

Suki then leaned in and placed a small soft kiss on his lips. "Of course you do," she whispered as she pulled slowly away. "Goodnight Zuko," she whispered his name as she turned to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow for lunch," she smiled as she left the young fire bender in a daze.

"Goodnight Suki," Zuko said as he watched her disappear into the house, leaving him at her porch. Even though she was gone the smile that graced his lips remained. Even as he turned to leave heading for home he smiled. He was happy, happier than he's been in a long time, and savored the moment as much as he could.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think and again stay and stay well