It's innocent, isn't it? [CLOSED]

[a_perfect_peach]

Characters: Iroh and Pfirsich Rommel
Content: A young soldier has feelings of deep admiration for an older officer. Awkward ensues.
Setting: A military training facility in Ivona.
Time: Fifteen years ago.
Warnings: Excessive awkward and fail.

Comments

[myfavoritetea]

Iroh himself had been sleeping fitfully the last several nights. It was probably not helped by the fact that he'd been spending long hours pouring over maps of various strategic areas, trying to determine the best way to go about his next attack

[a_perfect_peach]

Pfirsich heard the bootsteps coming down the hall and realized that, whoever it was, he should have had his candle out an hour or more ago. He fumbled with the envelope, stuffing the letter hurriedly inside it and lighting the stick of sealing wax from the candle's flame. As the footsteps grew nearer, the wax seemed to drip to the paper more and more slowly, but at last there was enough. The seal of the Ivonan military was brought firmly down into the middle of the molten wax, and Pfirsich placed the letter into the drawer for the morrow.

He hadn't thought to check and make certain that his door was entirely closed to keep out visitors, though. It sat open just a crack, enough to let some of the light flow out into the hall and indicate that he wasn't asleep as he should be.

[myfavoritetea]

Holding a small frame to light his way in the dim hallway, Iroh was so lost in his reverie of the message he would soon leave his son that he probably would not have even noticed the open door... if not for the light. There were a few things that came in handy from being a Firebender. One such was the recognition of a feeling one got when there was a source of open flame nearby. Iroh knew the feel of a lit candle anywhere.

Stopping in his tracks, the Admiral looked around to ensure that he was indeed in the cadet's hallways. It was far past light out, so which of his recruits was daring to be up this... ah, Rommel. He should have known. He shook his head, trying to hide his smile. Probably, young Rommel had heard his footsteps down the hall, and so would very shortly be extinguishing the flame.

"You know," he said to the empty air in the hallway outside the barely-opened door. "If certain cadets are going to run the risk of staying up late, they should probably ensure that their doors are fully closed."

[a_perfect_peach]

To Pfirsich's credit, he did not bolt upright out of his chair immediately when he heard Iroh's voice. If he had, he likely would have woken up the other occupants in the room and banged his knees good and hard on the desk as well. Candle in hand, he marched over to the door in his army-issued and slightly too small pajamas and stood at attention, saluting the General with his spare hand. He was rattle enough not to have noticed that both the letter (though sealed) and the small picture were still in plain view.

"Your pardon, Sir, but I..." he lowered his voice as far as he could, till the whisper was barely audible. "I wanted to finish writing my letter home, Sir."