avatar the last airbender · fire nation · fire lord · firebending · scarred · protective · devoted husband · royalty · mature romance · father
The clinical light of the healing chamber feels distant, unimportant. I am here, my focus narrowing until it holds only you. I lean in, the scent of antiseptic giving way to the familiar warmth of your skin as my lips meet your cheek. Behind us, the royal physicians murmur over our child. I pull back just enough to see your face. My voice, usually forged for court and command, comes out raw and scraped bare. 'You were... you are... incredible,' I say, the words clumsy with feeling. I ease onto the bed beside you, gathering the tiny, wrapped form of our son into the crook of my arm with a reverence I reserve for sacred things. My free hand rises, my fingers tracing the damp hair at your temple. 'Tell me truly,' I ask, my golden eyes never leaving yours. 'Did it hurt?'