it's been HELL not having you here i've been missing you so bad and you don't seem to CARE did i make a MISTAKE cause i'm trying to deal with the pain i don't understand this, is this how it ends ? i will try to understand FATHER, father, tell me where are you now? it's been HELL not having you last thing i heard, you were fed up, you're skipping town with no note telling where when i go to sleep at night, you're not THERE !
“Not unless it’s supposed to make a stinkbomb…” Making a face at the noxious smell the ‘potion’ was suddenly giving off, Ruby couldn’t help feeling betrayed by it. It had looked so pretty, and the marshmallow smell so promising, how had it gone wrong so fast? “Wait, did someone say I was good at it??”
Really, the only reason she’d signed up for the stupid class in the first place was to get her dad and advisor to stop saying things like ‘well-rounded.’
HIS EYEBROW COCKED up in amusement , the burnt skin along his left eye warping in conjunction . “ well , we’re classmates , aren’t we ? ” zuko smirked . ruby’s natural talent hadn’t gone unnoticed by the twenty-one year old , which was why he was more than grateful that they had been partnered up for the day . “ look , i’m just taking this class because it was better than leaf speak . just a basic subject so i could graduate . so , you might be better than i am . ”
bloom gasped just slightly at his words. “oh im a girl. so because im a girl and this is a pot i should what!? just know what im doing?” she was making assumptions but it was the stress of messing up that was getting to her. “it’s not like im used to any of this.” she said in a calmer tone. she shook her head and pointed to the spoon. “here… just please, start mixing as i add this, okay? maybe we can fix it and not start over. and for your information, im not as smart as i look”
“ I DIDN’T MEAN it like that ! ” zuko raised his arms in defense , desperately trying to amend the situation . while he wasn’t well acquainted with the redhead , he had heard from the grapevine that her abilities were more or less similar to his . perhaps it would make her a formidable ally . the twenty-one year old obediently took the wooden spoon from her grasp and began to stir the contents of the pot . “ you seem to be holding up well from what i’ve seen , ” he pointed out before he realized he probably sounded like a stalker . “ not that i watch you . i just mean that we’re classmates , so i see your performance , and ... i’m just gonna go keep mixing this . ” his golden eyes shifted back to the cauldron , a blush creeping on his cheeks .
in her defense, she thought the class was a silly, pop-culture-ish type of course, like the ‘arguing with judge judy’ course she’s heard of at uc berkeley. but like everything post-birthday bash, rachel finds that her college has a whole other side of ‘magic’ - as her grandmother called the umbrella term for it. she blinked, hands already trying to wave away any more of the smoke. “i scored a five on a.p. chemistry and i thought it would apply to this but it’s very obvious that it’s not.”
BEING HOMESCHOOLED UP until his enrollment at nycom , zuko was unfamiliar with the typical american academic grading system . “ chemistry , ” he repeated with a nod . the extent to his knowledge in the sciences were limited to herbology and potioncraft -- stuff like that weren’t so relevant to being a future political figure , so his father never bothered to actually let zuko learn . “ so , what now ? do we just ... give up ? ”
chelsea waved a hand in front of her face as the smoke reached her nose , wrinkling it against the stench . ‘ uhm , no ! i thought you were supposed to be good at this ! i’ve already repeated this once ... ‘ potions just weren’t her thing but it was a pre-req and she needed to pass it . just once !
‘ maybe ... maybe if we add the ground ogre toenails ? ‘ her head shot up as she bit her lip . no . maybe that was a bad idea . didn’t she read something about mixing that type of organic form with whatever they were brewing
“ it’s your second take ... how could you be worse than me ? ” his amber eyes widened in disbelief as he desperately fanned the smoke away from the cauldron . the last thing he needed was the pot getting caught on fire due to his abilities .
zuko frowned as she mentioned something about toenails , but at the same time , he was preoccupied with the feeling of shame he’d feel from his father if he didn’t pass the class . leaning over in the most inconspicuous way possible , he whispered , “ d’you think the prof would notice if we had the textbook opened underneath the desk ? ”
the smell was sticky sweet to a foul burn in seconds and it caused bloom to scrunch up her nose and coil away from the container with her hands over her nose. “ugh!” she gasped out. “no it’s supposed to smell like cinnamon!” bloom looked over her notes trying to see what she did wrong but only glared up at him. “me good at this! and why would you think that? what about you?” she asked with a heavy sigh. “maybe if we add more of this?” obviously bloom had no idea what she was doing.
ZUKO WATCHED AS his partner scrambled all over her notes ,· shifting a few steps away from her to move out of her way .· she may have been a few centimeters shorter than him ,· but he didn’t like the way she glared at him . “ i don’t know ! ” he exclaimed . “ aren’t girls usually good at this stuff ? ” great . now he sounded sexist. “ i mean - you look smart ? and you clearly pay attention in class -- not that i don’t , but ...· ” zuko was too busy rambling to notice that the redhead was about to put in a very suspicious looking herb into their cauldron.
A SLIVER OF smoke emanated from the copper cauldron , filling the air with a stickly marshmallow scent that slowly dissipated to a foul stench . the twenty-one year old scrunched up his nose in disgust as he eyed the suspicious silver liquid swirling in the pot . “ i don’t think we’re doing this right , ” zuko pointed out , his amber eyes shifting to his partner for the day . god . why did he have to take intro to poitioncraft again ? “ well . aren’t you supposed to be good at this ? ”
FLAMEO HOTMEN ! i’m gonna drop this here before i have to go be an adult and do responsibilities lol hi , i’m kirsten ! i’m 23 & go by the pronouns she /her . i’ve been around since 2013 so there’s a chance that we’ve rped together ? anyway pls love my bby zuko a lot and feel free to hmu if you’d like to plot something (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ
ZUKO CHOI . 21 . COMBAT MAGIC . HE/HIM .
BIO
the mortal world knows zuko as the black sheep of the esteemed choi family and firstborn son of senator ozai choi. but to the students of the new york conservatory of magic, he is the awkward wallflower whose temper is as hot as the flames that he can produce.
nobody quite knows how zuko received the scar that runs from his left eyebrow to his cheek; rumor has it that it was from the tragic fire that took his mother's life. unbeknownst to many, ursa choi didn't pass away from arson, and senator ozai actually has a short fuse — especially when it came to his only son.
he learned to live in the shadow of his younger sister, the all-around golden child, azula. though he has accepted that his own gifts would fall short to hers, it doesn't stop him from trying to win over ozai's approval. even at nycom, his one-sided competition against his sister has become well known among he student body. to zuko, it's him against the world.
the decision to study combat magic stemmed from the feeling of responsibility, rather than his personal vocation. to follow in his father's footsteps as a prominent member of mortal and magical politics, he had to be able to live up to the family name. zuko consistently worked hard to be a top student, yet doesn't see his true purpose in using magic for offense. these feelings cause great turmoil in his inner self.
while zuko can be impatient and domineering at times, when he eventually lets his guard down, people are surprised to see that he's a man of unwavering loyalty and honor, who's willing to help out anyone in need.
HEADCANONS
a descendant of the prominent choi dynasty in korea, zuko comes from a line of powerful elemental magicians that specialize in fire & lightning. his paternal grandfather immigrated to america as a way to expand their network and ultimately, their power.
despite his uncle being a leading innovator of lightning magic in the east, zuko finds great difficulty in wielding lightning magic. however, he has mastered the technique of lightning redirection — a technique that his own uncle invented.
much to his schoolmates' surprise, zuko is well versed in magizoology. this is mostly due to his fondness for animals.
zuko lacked a model for healthy relationships growing up, therefore he doesn't seem to process friendships or romantic feelings logically. he tends to refer to acquaintances as buddy because he mimics the way people speak to their pets.
although he won't admit it out loud, zuko has strong opinions about musicals and theater. people only pick this up during conversations with him.
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