Capable byPoisonBones

Prompts: I incorporated a bit of bending in, working it into the storyline and plot

Word count (not counting authors notes) 2,544 words

Iroh II's boots thudded against the metal floor harshly, making loud echoes on the walls. The noise drowned out the smaller, lighter footsteps of the assistant, who rushed beside him, taking down his orders sloppily as he jogged to keep up with the general's long strides.

"I want that entire area patrolled for a week. The squad is to dismantle the found explosives and identify the toxins. I want a full report by Monday morning on my desk in fine print, and call up the physician to the conference room."

The assistant nodded furiously, "Yes sir, right away sir."

The assistant turned and ran down the hallway, either from eagerness to supply the needed individuals with the information he'd just received, or to get away from General Iroh's tizzy fit, they would never know.

Iroh burst through the doors of the conference room. He gestured to the several soldiers that mingled about the room and pointed at the door, "Leave."

They all gathered up their things, saluted him, and left the room. He pushed the door firmly closed and turned his attention to the back table. A woman sat at the table. She was clad in a ruffled red blouse and a black high waisted pencil skirt; her strapped heels had been removed from her feet and placed beneath her chair, behind her crossed ankles. Her black hair had been pulled up into a neat chignon with two dark curls hanging on either side of her face. The curls drooped forward as the woman leaned forward, cradling a cup of tea in her hands.

Iroh's angry resolve disappeared and he went for her. She looked up as he approached her, and forced a small smile onto her face.

"Asami, are you alright?" Iroh's tone was light as he touched her arm and furrowed his brows.

Asami Sato gave the general a warm look, "Yeah, I'm okay. They didn't hurt me."

Iroh pulled out the chair across from her and sat down, taking one of her hands in his own, turning it over and touching the scratches along her knuckles. He held it softly, resting his fingers along hers, and looked up at her.

"You're sure you're alright?"

"Well," Asami set the cup down in front of her and took a deep breath, her gaze focused on the cheap, aluminum table, "A bit shaken up I guess." She chuckled lightly and looked up at him, "Silly isn't it? All
I've been through over these years with Korra and Mako and Bolin, yet I'm still sitting here shaking like a leaf."

Iroh rubbed her hand gently, "It's to be expected," He looked down at his hands and then back up at her, "I want the physician to take a look at you."

Asami shook her head and drew her hand away from the tea cup and into her lap, "That's not necessary."

Iroh's eyes narrowed, "I've already sent for him. Just a check over."

Asami removed her hand from Iroh's grasp, raising her head to face him squarely with a fierce expression, "Then call him off. I said I was fine, they didn't hurt me."

"I know you weren't hurt, but it would make me feel a lot better if-!"

"I said no!" Asami exclaimed loudly. She stood, sending her chair skidding back a few inches with a sharp skree! "I'm fine, Iroh. They didn't do anything to me."

"Anything?" Iroh questioned, standing as well. Asami was forced to look up in order to match eyes with the height difference, "Asami, they kidnapped you, locked you in a room filled with toxic explosives, and threatened to blow you and half the city up unless Kuvira was released from custody. Call me wrong, but simply pulling you off that stage was a form of assault."

"I wasn't physically injured!"

Iroh grabbed Asami's hand and held it up wordlessly. Asami scowled. A cluster of bloody scratches lined her knuckles, and a thin bruise encircled her wrist, where she had been bound by a piece of nylon rope. Asami did not have to look to know that the other hand had matching marks.

She snatched her hand away, "They aren't bad, and they don't even hurt."

Iroh narrowed his eyes further, "If you are not injured then you won't protest against a simply check up."

"I don't need a check up!" Asami shouted, rising on her toes and into his face, "I said I was fine!"

"Asami-!"

"No, Iroh." Asami bent down and plucked her heels up from beneath the chair. She turned and started for the door, "I'm going home. Goodnight."

Iroh grit his teeth. When Asami had her fingers on the door handle he whipped around to face her.

"Will you at least let someone walk you home?" He asked. He didn't mean to make his tone bite so much, but he was frustrated.

Asami retracted her hand from the door and threw both of them up in the air, "Oh you want me guarded now? I can take care of myself you know."

"If you could take care of yourself you wouldn't have been kidnapped!" Iroh snapped.

"So you're saying I'm not capable of defending myself?" Asami asked furiously. Her eyes, usually so kind and warm, were seething, pooling with anger.

"Asami, that's not what I-!" Iroh didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Asami marched across the floor and smacked him.

Iroh instinctively raised a hand to his cheek, staring down at Asami dumbly. Asami glared at him menacingly.

"I am perfectly capable of defending myself from harmful situations. I don't need a doctor and I most definitely do not need a bodyguard."

Asami left with a huff. Iroh snapped his mouth shut. With a frustrated growl, he left out the back door and stepped into the cool night air. He rested his elbows on the railing and looked out over the bay of Republic City.

Why did she have to be so stubborn? He just wanted her to be checked over and walked home; he didn't think it was too much to ask for.

Though, he supposed, implying that she was incapable of self defense was rather rude. And ignorant. And uncalled for. He dropped his head into his hands and sighed. He was stupid, so very stupid. He had been raised better than this. He should have asked her if she wanted to be checked over, he should have merely asked if she wanted walked home, even offered himself as an escort.

That was it.

Iroh turned and went inside, stopping at his quarters only long enough to change his shirt and grab a heavier coat, stuffing his wallet in the front pocket. It was chilly tonight, and he would be out for a small amount of time. Better safe than sorry, he guessed.

Asami sat down on the front steps of the dock, pulling on her shoes and doing up the clasps. She was already regretting wearing heels. Her driver had long since gone off duty, after all it was well after midnight. She would have to walk home in only her skirt and blouse, having lost her coat amongst the chaos of the evening. With a sigh, she wrapped her arms around herself and began the long trek home.

She couldn't believe Iroh had called her incapable. She scowled just thinking about the general. He was being dumb. She just couldn't believe him! Saying she needed a doctor and a bodyguard. As if she didn't already have enough trouble with the paparazzi following her everywhere, blubbering questions and theories. And a doctor, now that was even worse. She wished he would have asked before calling the physician, instead of just assuming that she was hurt, and saying that she wouldn't have protested unless she was harmed.

Though he wasn't entirely wrong.

Asami reached won and gently grazed her hand over her ribs, wincing slightly. They had given her a good kick in the stomach when they had thrown her in the bomb room. She rolled her eyes; Iroh would have flipped if he knew. He probably would've ordered the attackers execution. She supposed he hadn't been in the wrong, he was just worried about her, but that didn't mean he hadn't insulted her.

She jumped up the steps of the mansion and unlocked the door with her keys. Locking the door behind her, she dropped the house keys into the bowl on the side table. She went upstairs and took a quick shower, washing off her makeup and changing into her nightgown and robe. She was brushing her hair at her vanity when the doorbell rang. Grumbling, she dropped her brush into the drawer, in no mood for visitors. She gave a sideways glance at her clock. It read two A.M. She stood with a huff as the doorbell was rung again.

"Alright, alright I'm coming." She muttered. Swinging the door open, it revealed none other than Iroh, red nosed and shivering, with a bag in each hand.

He looked at Asami and swallowed, "May I come in?"

"Do you even have to ask? Jeez yes, get in here before you freeze." Asami reached in and pulled him in by his arm. She closed the door behind him took the bags from his hands. Iroh shivered and slipped off his coat, hanging it on the rack and taking the bags back from Asami.

Asami crossed her arms, seeing the general standing before her, "What do you want?"

"I want to apologize," He held up the bags, "I spent an hour searching for an open place. Its cheap food, but I figured it better than nothing.

Asami nodded ever so slightly, "Fine." She poked a finger at him, "But not because I want your apology. Just because I don't want you out in that cold."

She pointedly locked the door and led him to the kitchen. He had purchased a box of fish and chips and a bottle of wine, probably from a taxi stand. Asami popped the bottle while Iroh put a portion of the food on a plate, leaving the other half in the box. They sat down across from one another at Asami's mahogany dining table.

They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, the only sound consisting of their chewing and the refilling of wine glasses. When they were finished with their food, they threw away the trash, and Asami sat at the countertop as Iroh washed her plate and silverware for her.

Iroh dried her plate and set it aside. He put the washcloth in the sink and looked down sheepishly, "Look, Asami, about earlier…"

"Save it." Asami said quickly, sipping out of her wine glass, "I'm not mad."

Iroh's brow furrowed, "You're not?"

"Nope." She said. She looked at him and offered a small smile of reassurance.

"Well, regardless." Iroh rubbed the back of his neck, "I owe you an apology."

"I should have asked you if you wanted to be checked over by the physician. And I shouldn't have asked you to be walked home by an official, it was an insult to your abilities and I'm sorry."

Asami set down her glass and pushed herself off the counter, "I know." She stepped forward a little and rested a hand on his cheek, "I'm sorry too. I over reacted and I shouldn't have smacked you."

Iroh raised his eyebrows, "Really? I thought I deserved it."

Asami laughed. Iroh chuckled too, and brought her hand down from his cheek, "Am I forgiven?"

She smiled, "Yeah, you're forgiven."

They ended up cuddling on her luxurious bed, music softly playing from the radio. They had finished the wine that Iroh had brought, so Asami had pulled a dusty bottle from the cellar. It was half finished, and Iroh relished in the soft buzzing behind his forehead. He hadn't been this relaxed since he'd visited his mother in the summer, he took care to enjoy it, General of the United Forces wasn't exactly the most calming job and he rarely ever got a moment to himself. Luckily, most of the men were on leave for the winter, visiting their families for the holidays.

Iroh buried his nose in Asami's hair and took a deep breath. He hummed. He knew that smell from somewhere…

"Is that..?"He smelled her hair again, "Is that Rosemary?"

Asami giggled, "Yeah, I took a shower just before you got here. It's my favorite. You know it?"

"Yeah," He laid his head back on her pillow, "My mom washes with it. She always smells like rosemary."

Asami giggled again, but it didn't last, and she looked up at Iroh curiously, "Iroh, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot?"

"Why were you so upset earlier?"

Iroh frowned down at her. His brows furrowed together, "Asami, you were kidnapped, I was worried."

She shook her head, "No, not then. When they told you that the room was full of explosives, you looked really upset. It can't be the first time you've handled bombs, what was wrong?"

Iroh slowly sank into the pillow with a sigh, "Just… brought back some bad memories is all."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Iroh sighed again, before speaking quietly, "My dad was killed in a bombing."

Asami pulled herself away from Iroh's chest and looked at him with wide eyes, "What? How?"

"Enemy fire bender." He said, "Infiltrated our forces and got into the bomb squad. Dad was the explosives engineer. He designed everything, if it blew up, my dad was behind it. He was the target. The fire bender got him alone one night, backed him into a corner, beat information out of him and sent it back to their base with a hawk. And then…"

Iroh swallowed thickly.

"… Boom."

Asami sat silently. She covered her mouth with her hand, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. Iroh flexed his fingers, small flames appearing at the tips, following the movements of his hands.

"We got the news a week later," He twisted his hand to the left slightly, the fire followed it dumbly, flickering at the sudden movement, "I wouldn't bend for months." He said. His voice was small, "Mom tried to make me, tried bribing me. I was hurt, knowing that something I possessed, something I controlled, had been used to murder my own father."

Iroh closed his fist, extinguishing the flame, and looked at Asami, "It nearly destroyed me." He caressed her cheek, "I don't know what I would've done if you went the same way."

Asami sniffed, wiping at her tears, "I'm sorry." She blubbered, "If I had known- I shouldn't have yelled at you, I should've known that you had a reason-!"

"Shh," Iroh wiped her cheek with his thumb, "It's fine, and didn't we already go over this?"

He pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her, "It was a long time ago, it doesn't matter now."

Asami sniffed again, wiping at her face furiously, "I'm glad I didn't get exploded."

Iroh laughed, "I'm glad too."

Asami looked up at him. Pushing herself up, she covered his mouth with hers, kissing him gently.

"I love you." She whispered.

Iroh smiled and kissed her back, "I love you too."