Avatar's Protector

Chapter 27: Absolutely

*Asami's P.O.V.*

A week has passed since mine and Zuko's first date. But after the date, Zuko has been taking me on multiple dates, different types of dates. Dinner dates, lunch dates, tea dates, sunset dates and any other date you can think of. Now, I am not complaining, I am loving the dates and the attention I'm getting. But every time the date at its most romantic peak, Zuko for some reason starts silently freaking out. He thinks I don't notice, but I do, and I don't understand why. But he soon recovers from his freak out and continues the date as if nothing is freaking him out.

"Uncle..." I spoke as dried tea cups. The retired general looked up the tea pot he was preparing and looked to me with a kind smile. "Is Zuko okay?" I asked as I put the tea cup down after making sure no one could hear us. For a split second, I saw panic in Iroh's eyes, but he quickly recovered and looked to me with an assuring smile. "Of coarse he is my dear!" He said cheerfully and continued making tea. "Why do you ask?" He asked me before petting Kai, who was laying on the counter next to the sink, but far enough so he couldn't get wet.

I couldn't help but frown, because even though it was a split second, I saw the panic. Something is going on, and Iroh knows what it is. Before I could ask him again, Zuko entered the kitchen and spotted me. He smiled brightly and walked over to me. "Hey beautiful..." He whispered in my ear as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. I smiled brightky at his words before turning my head and kissed his cheek before I continued drying the tea cups. "You got any plans tonight?" My hands frozed from their actions when he asked me the question. Another date...

"Depends..." I said as I continued drying the cups. "Is it another date?" I asked with a knowing smirk, making Zuko chuckle before he kissed my cheek while still holding me from behind. "Maybe..." He said softly in my ear, making me giggle as his breath tickled my ear. "Then no, I don't have any plans." I said before turning around to face him and wrapped my arms around his neck and pecked his lips. "I'm all yours tonight." Zuko smiled happily to me and pecked my lips. "Great, because you and I have the apartment for ourselves tonight." He said with an excited smile before pulling away from me and took the tea pot from Iroh, that was now steaming with fresh tea.

I shook my head at him in slight amusement before turning around again and continued drying the cups. As I dried the cups, I noticed Iroh was staring at me with amusement. Without stopping drying the cups, I looked up to him a smile. "What?" I asked with a soft chuckle. "Oh, nothing!" He answered with an amused chuckle before he started making a new pot of tea.

***

After Zuko asked me out for another date night, customers came one after the other into the tea shop, and they really wanted their tea. By the end of the day, I could not feel my feet anymore. I have been running to the one customer to the other, serving their tea. When I wasn't serving tea, I was cleaning tables and then washing dishes. When the shop finally closed, the four of us went back to our department. The second we got home, I headed straight to my room and got dressed into a comfortable grey, backless summer dress, and laid down on my stomach on the bed, exhausted.

"Hey Asami!" Zuko greeted as he entered our shared room. "You ready for our date?" I groaned slightly at his question before turning my slightly up to look at him. "Aren't you tired?" I asked him before laying my head back down on my arms, still laying on my stomach. "We've been serving tea all day... I can't even feel my feet." I mumbled as I closed my eyes for a second. For a moment it was very quiet. I was just to turn around to see if Zuko was still there, when the banished prince suddenly jumped onto me. "Whoa! Zuko! What are you-" I exclaimed in shock before I burst into laughter when Zuko turned me onto my back and started tickling me.

Zuko chuckled as well as he continued tickling me. "No! Haha! No, Zuko, stop!" I exclaimed out, laughing myself into tears, trying to grab his hands to stop him from tickling me, but he kept moving his hands away and tickled me on another spot. "Please stop!" I begged as I continued laughing. "Only if you admit that I am the most fun person to be around with." I laughed out even louder and tried to grab his hands, but he just moved them and tickled me on the really ticklish spot. "NEVER!" I screamed out while laughing so hard, I could almost not breath anymore.