"She is NOT my girlfriend!" Zuko blurted out without thinking. His fists pounded their table and the waiter stood agast as the entire restaurant fell silent and the other patrons stopped to watch the source of the commotion. Great, Zuko thought, as if this could be any more awkward! Girlfriend? he sulked, he barely knew this girl. The waiter excused himself with a nervous grin and the patrons, disappointed that they wouldn't be treated to a show, went back to their meals.

Jin watched the young man before her, peering over her bowl as she slurped up the spicy noodles within. He turned to look at her, lacing his fingers as he rested this hands on the table. A look of surprise played out over his features, his eyes going wide.

"You have...quite an appetite for a girl," he said nervously, his voice uneven. He fiddled his thumbs awkwardly and Jin's face fell.

"Umm...thanks?" she half said, half asked the young man before her. An uncomfortable silence filled the air between the duo, before Jin continued. "So, Lee, where were you and your uncle living before you came here?" That caused the young man to flinch, he looked down so that his eyes wouldn't meet Jin's. She wondered what that was about before cursing herself. Many of the refugees that she had met in the city didn't want to talk about their old, now lost, lives. Now he probably feels terrible, she thought worriedly. She was about to tell him to forget about it when he spoke up.

"Umm...well," Zuko paused before continuing, "we've been travelling around for a long time." He had to block out the thoughts of his disgraceful pursuit of the Avatar that threatened to bubble up and put him in a bad temper. He didn't want to snap at the girl, it wasn't as if she had known just how humiliating the last few months of his life had been.

"Oh. Why were you travelling so much?" she asked, not wanting to push her luck but curious and hopeful that she could get the young man to open up a bit.

"We were…" Zuko blurted it out without thinking, "uh, part of this travelling circus." He risked meeting Jin's eyes to see that they were bright and her face was a mask of excitement.

"Really? What did you do?" she began, latching onto the thread of conversation, "Wait, lemme guess," she thought for a moment before pointing animatedly at him, "You juggled!"

"Yes, I juggled," Zuko sat back and folded his arms. He hoped that she would drop the subject, now that he had satisfied her curiosity before she reached around the table and gathered up a few items.

"I've always wanted to learn how to juggle," she said expectantly, holding out the small utensils and sauce pots that she had gathered up, offering them to Zuko. "Can you show me something?"

Zuko's heart sank at that. He had never juggled in his life! What kind of stupid lie was that? he chided himself, why didn't he tell her he was a moose/lion tamer? It wasn't as if she could have just plucked one of those out of the air for a demonstration! He could feel himself getting annoyed but one look at Jin's uplifted face and it all melted away. She watched him intently with her big hazel eyes and he found himself reaching out and taking the assorted objects in his hands. Really, how hard could juggling be? he thought nervously, circus people could do it and he was a prince! He grabbed the items in his hands and looked at them skeptically. Hm, he thought, he supposed he should just go for it. He tossed each item into the air one by one with one hand before raising his other hand to grab at them. It was a disaster. He failed to catch a single one and a pot of peanut sauce opened on his head, leaving a clump of the stuff on top of his head and on his forehead.

Zuko felt his cheeks heat up from the embarrassment of his failure but when he looked at Jin, she simply looked back with a patient smile. He was taken aback, all his life he had been criticized for even the smallest of mistakes, for the slightest show of weakness, by his father, by his sister, by the courtiers that had always seemed to be a presence in his life at the palace. But not her. What was her game? he wondered, was she saving her mockery for a more opportune time?

"I haven't practiced for a while," he said, unsure of how to proceed. He reached up and wiped the clumps of peanut sauce from his short, shaggy, black hair and off his forehead.

"It's alright," Jin said, thinking for a moment before continuing, "Hey, I want to show you one of my favorite places in the city."

"Oh," Zuko said as Jin stood up, "Okay." He pulled out some coins from his pocket and placed them on the table for the meal.

"Oh," Jin said with surprise, reaching into her own pocket and pulling out a handful of coins as well, "I asked you out, remember? That means dinner is on me," she smiled broadly at him which only made Zuko feel more awkward. Uncle Iroh had told him that men usually pay for the meal on dates and since Zuko had never been on a date before, he had trusted his uncle's advice. Great! he thought, now he looked like an idiot, a presumptuous idiot.

"Thanks," he mumbled awkwardly, finding it difficult to meet Jin's gaze as he scooped up the coins from the table and put them back in his pocket.

"It's okay," she said, then hesitating a moment before she continued, "you can buy next time?" There was a definite question in her voice and Zuko tensed up. Next time, he thought, yeah right. Like she would want to spend any more time in his miserable company than she had to.

"Right," he said, more nervous than he intended, "next time." He offered her a weak smile which got a reaction from her in the form of a warm smile back. Then she did something that really surprised him. She reached over the table and took one of his hands in hers, leading him to his feet. Zuko gulped. Her fingers were small and delicate but her skin was tough and her grip was firmer than he would have thought. She must work with her hands, Zuko thought through the haze that was filling his head. He hand never held hands with a girl before but he had always assumed that they were supposed to have soft skin, dainty and delicate like the women courtiers he had met when he was a boy at the Fire Nation Palace. He felt a warm feeling in his chest and it was suddenly very hot despite the cool night air of Ba Sing Se. Was he sweating? he thought with shock, what kind of Fire Nation Prince sweats in the heat?

"So, you…" he began, his voice uneven, "must work with you hands." Jin's face fell instantly and Zuko felt a lump forming in his throat as she looked away dejectedly.

"My mother is a seamstress," Jin said self-consciously, pulling her hand away from Zuko's, "and I work with her...sorry."

Zuko felt his heart drop down into his stomach. Why had he said that? he thought angrily, of course that's just what every girl wants to hear! Nice mannish hands you have there! his voice spoke up in his head. Oh thank you Lee! Jin's voice answered. He felt his face get even hotter and he knew he was blushing.

"No, I mean," he stammered out awkwardly, not really knowing what to say to make things better, "you have nice hands. They're strong." Jin looked up at him, unsure of where he was going with this. At least she was looking again, Zuko thought with relief. "I like them. Well, that one. Cause it's the only one I've held." She raised an eyebrow at that. "I mean, of yours. But I'm sure your other hand is nice too." He finished through gritted teeth, practically spitting out the whole awkward speech in one breath.

"It's okay," she said finally, her mouth settling into a knowing grin. She held out her hand to the young man before her and he took it. "Now come on, the place isn't far!" She turned and led him out into the dark street.

They walked down a deserted street, Jin leading Zuko by the hand and talking the whole way.

"I'm so excited for you to see the Firelight Fountain," she said breathlessly. Zuko barely heard her. His entire attention was focused on her hand in his. He noticed he was breathing shallowly but he chalked it up to the fast pace that they were walking. He felt a tenuous connection to this girl through her hand in his and he felt something confusing and exciting and unfamiliar in his chest. What was happening to him? he wondered as she led him into an open area, at the center of which was a large fountain surrounded by a circle of candle posts. The candles were all dark.

"I can't believe it!" Jin stopped and Zuko nearly bumped into her. The disappointment in her voice made Zuko feel terrible. "They aren't lit," her voice sounded defeated and he realised that it was the first negative tone he had ever heard in her voice. He didn't like it one bit. He turned to look at Jin and then to the darkened fountain. He had an idea. It wasn't a smart idea or a good idea but he just couldn't stand to see her like this.

"Close your eyes, and don't peak," he said firmly and Jin nodded before closing her eyes and covering them with her hands. Zuko took a few steps forward, bringing his hands together and closing his own eyes. He breathed deeply, feeling the air around him and bringing out the ever-present fire that was always waiting to be unleashed. He opened his eyes and with precision, he ignited each of the unlit candles with tiny spits of fire launched from his first two fingers. He exhaled and he felt the energy in the air around him crackle out, returning to wait for a firebender to coax it into being once more. Zuko stood up straight and turned back to Jin.

"Okay, now you can look," he told her and she opened her eyes, letting her hands fall to her sides with wonder at the sight of all the candles lit up.

"Oh, wow," she looked at Zuko with amazement and it made him feel uncomfortable. She took a few steps forward so that she was standing right in front of him. "What happened? How did they light? What did you do?" she could barely contain her excitement and Zuko had to admit the scene did look very nice. He found himself glad that she had shared it with him, since it was obviously very special to her. He smiled at her in response and she didn't inquire any further. He turned to look at the fountain.

Jin brushed her hand through her hair nervously, and with a smile, reached out and took both his hands in hers. They felt good to hold and so warm. He seemed to radiate heat and she had noticed it every time he had served her tea, oblivious to her obvious crush on him. She had noticed when she ran a hand through his hair in front of the Pao Family Teahouse and when they had walked side by side to the restaurant for dinner. She noticed it especially when she had reached out and taken his hand in hers. Her rough, mannish hand, she thought sulkily, remembering his comment. He turned back to face her when she took up his hands and he looked right at her. She looked into his golden eyes and she could see he was conflicted about something. She had noticed that too, since the very first time she had laid eyes on him. That was the first thing she had noticed, not the deep red scar that marred half of his handsome face, or his long, pointed nose, or his high cheekbones and sharp, chiseled jaw. It was his eyes. They had seemed sad and confused but also sharp and intelligent. And there was something else in there, inside his head, kindness.

Jin found herself leaning forward, wrapped up in the moment. She tilted her head up towards his but before she could reach him he snatched one of his hands free and pulled out something, a voucher, that he held between them.

"I've brought you something," Zuko spat out nervously, he gulped. What was she doing? he wondered, getting so close to him like that? She wasn't going to...no, he assured himself but he felt his heart racing in his chest and his knees became weak, threatening to topple him over. Jin looked at him with surprise and, just for a moment, hurt played over her pretty features. "It's a coupon for a free cup of tea," Zuko explained hastily.

"Lee, this is so sweet," she said, taking the coupon in her now-free hand. Zuko let go of her and took a few steps back.

"Don't thank me," he said, self-conscious, "it was my uncle's idea. He thinks you're our most valuable customer."

"Your uncle is a good teacher," Jin said, closing the distance between them. He turned to face her. "I have something for you too. Now it's your turn to close your eyes," she looked at him and her smile was nervous. Zuko swallowed, breathing out slowly, before closing his eyes. Jin leaned forward purposefully, he head tilting up slightly to reach his. Now or never, she reassured herself. Then she kissed him.

Her lips touched his gently, probingly, and she felt him let out a short breath through his nose. What was she doing? she thought with dismay, and began to pull back. Then he kissed her back.

He leaned in and their lips met again. Zuko's head felt light and he breathed deeply through his nose, enjoying the lightly perfumed scent of her. Then he pulled back. He couldn't breathe. Their kiss had lasted only a moment. Zuko took a step back, getting some space between them. His heart was pounding in his chest. What was he doing? he thought angrily, dating some Earth Kingdom peasant? He was the prince of the Fire Nation and it should be his sole purpose in life to hunt down the Avatar and capture him! He didn't have time for this, for her. He felt a lump form in his gut that threatened to drop him to the ground with the weight of it.

"What's wrong?" Jin looked up at Zuko, her eyes full of hurt and worry. Zuko couldn't stand to see her like that so he averted his eyes from hers, looking down.

"It's complicated. I have to go," he managed to say weakly. He didn't dare risking another look at her, instead he turned and left.

Jin stood there alone for a minute. She was shocked at what had happened but she wasn't entirely surprised. Maybe he had lost someone close to him during the war, maybe he wasn't ready for any intimacy, she thought dejectedly to herself, she rushed things with him and now he was gone.

No, she thought to herself with determination, she would just have to go back and try again. She would have to ease him into it but she wasn't going to give up so easily. She was in love.

To be continued...

Disclaimer:

Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Mike and Bryan and Nickelodeon and whoever else. This is a work of fanfiction that I wrote because I love the world they created and I wanted to hang out in it for just a little longer.

Author's Notes:

Hi everyone! I'm back with my second fic, this time it's Jinko rather than Tokka. I was originally planning on doing a sequel to my Tokka fic but then I was actually really unsure that I could do the story justice and after a week of struggling with the ideas for how to move the story forward I decided to do a fresh story instead. I will go back to that Tokka fic, just after my writer's block clears up.

So this story is going to be about Zuko and Jin and Iroh in Ba Sing Se and it will go A.U. in terms of what happens later with Azula. Just a warning. I wanted to examine Zuko's intimacy issues, since it's something that I felt the canon never really dealt with in terms of how it would affect his romantic relationships. Also I really liked Jin and I wanted to explore her as a character as well. She was determined and persistent and I just don't think she would have let a little set back like one awkward date ruin her pursuit of Lee, the adorkable tea server!

If it isn't too much trouble, would you please leave feedback about what you liked/didn't like about the story? What do you want to see more of? What angle of the story do you find particularly interesting that I should focus on exploring? I read and respond to every single review I get and I take them all into account when I write my story. My story, like the Avatar world, belong as much to you as they do to me so please help me shape my story the way you want. After all, writing is about the reader and what you get out of it far more than it's about what I put into it :) as the expression goes, I'm not writing for myself.

Updates:

So I wrote all 63k words of my last fic (¾ the length of an average paperback novel) including edits and rewrites in 8 days rather than studying for my exams. That meant I was working 10-12 hours a day, everyday, for over a week. While I love it and I would do it again if I could, I'm working some pretty mean hours a fair distance from home this summer (student jobs, am I right?) and that means I will have a lot less time to write this fic. Instead I'm planning to have shorter chapters, like this one, and release twice a week (wednesday and saturday maybe?). Sorry about that.