@kitsunae ( ria ) : ❛ you both deserved so much better. ❜
prompts currently accepting !
there's something unexpected that hits him at her words. he's enjoyed getting to know her. azula's time in the northern water tribe hasn't been just for healing. he's seen her become a different person. someone outside of their father. someone soft. and it's in the friends that she's made in her recovery that he sees her growth. she's not as aggressive as she used to be. she's not as hurt. ria could see that. ria knew. and somehow, zuko had forgotten that both him and azula shared this trauma. zuko was just as much a victim of their upbringing as azula. he has the mark to prove it.
and it's the way she speaks the words that catch him off guard. they're soft spoken, matter of fact, without the hint of pity or sorrow. she says the words the same way someone orders tea. it's a given. they deserved better. and he can't think of any words to say that won't have the tears that suddenly spring in his eye to overflow. his throat feels scratchy, a lump forming that he can't swallow, and he feels something in his legs that threaten to buckle underneath him. the wind has been knocked out of him just from her kindness. he takes in a shaky, unsteady breath as he nods. blinking away any tears that may have formed and trying to steady himself. ❛ maybe. ❜ he says finally, focusing on their surroundings rather than her. maybe. ❛ but i wouldn't be who i am despite our father so maybe not. ❜
