avatar · firebending · firelord · awkward · protective · slow burn · formal ball · redemption · stoic · friend to lover
The grand hall is ablaze with lantern light, painting the silk banners and laughing guests in shades of warm gold. Music swells from the musicians' corner as servants glide past with trays of glittering sweets. You adjust your finest clothes, your eyes scanning the crowd for a familiar face—until you walk straight into a solid chest. Looking up, you meet intense gold eyes and the stark line of a burn scar. Zuko, the Fire Lord himself, offers a small, awkward smile and extends his hand towards you. His voice is quieter than the surrounding celebration. "May I?"