You & I

The Earth Queen: Part 2

Y/N's POV
I woke up to the quiet sound of Iroh's breathing as I laid on his chest.

I felt a smile stretch across my lips as I exhaled, enjoying his warmth and comfort for a while.

When I finally decided to pull myself up, I heard Iroh chuckle, I looked down at him and raised an eyebrow,

"Oh, so you're awake then?"

He pulled me back towards him and hugged me tightly,

"Mhm. Just stay like this a little longer."

I felt my face flush and my heart race as I felt his strong arms wrap around me. After a few moments I melted into the embrace.

Until I met Iroh, I had never felt so secure, so loved, so appreciated. I had never felt so happy.

I murmured,

"Iroh?"

"Mhm?"

"Was there ever anyone else? Before me?"

I felt his hand rub up and down my back,

"No."

I scrunched my eyebrows together in disbelief,

"Really? I find that hard to believe."

"Why's that?"

"Because, well, have you met you? And just look at you!"

I felt his heartbeat accelerate as I said that, he cleared his throat after a moment and responded,

"I was never interested in anyone until I met you, for so long I was only focused on my work and on becoming a general, I'd only actually been a general for a few months when we met."

"Woah, you're joking. I couldn't tell, you seemed like you'd been doing it for years!"

"Then I suppose all that hard work paid off."

"It makes sense actually, you're quite young for a general, aren't you?"

"Yeah, my mother pulled a few strings, but I had to work really hard for it."

I looked up at him and placed my hand on the side of his face, gently brushing his cheek with my thumb.

"You deserve it."

We stayed like that for a while, wrapped in each other's embrace before I sat up and sighed,

"Well, General, we're back to work today."

He groaned as he sat up beside me,

"Alright, after we've had breakfast we can come back here and train a bit before packing up before going to see the Earth Queen."

I huffed,

"I really do not like her."

He placed a kiss on my shoulder before standing up,

"I don't like her either, my love. We just need her to deal with her own kingdom's affairs so we can get back to serving the United Republic."

I sighed,

"I guess I'll grab some clothes, then."