[Learning not to assume the worst about people is still something that Hikaru is learning so when even he's like damn chill? You know you need to chill.]
or she had work and then plans with gokudera. probably wasn't trying to hide this from you?
but you two have been doing this for ages and she's some girl from the woods who just had a lot thrown on her plate. also from her time you can't exactly be forward when you're in her position.
[But then she asked Gokudera out??? There's a lot he doesn't understand about this situation.
But talking to Gokudera has him concerned about something:]
are you upset at gokudera for aurora asking him out? or aurora for asking him out?
i'm pulling my hair out. you're going to make me go bald. is this what i get for all the bald jokes i made about you?
you haven't told aurora anything and it's been how long? gokudera...well, guy's still an asshole in my book but you didn't tell him you liked aurora. you've never even told him in any world about what the hell happened, did you? back in lunatia?
make shit happen, zuko. nothing's going to happen unless you do something.
i never told him because he's not that person i don't expect him to be that person again he's different. but...... i still like him... as he is now. i realized the night uncle and azula disappeared. he spent the night. but he's with yamamoto. he's ALWAYS with yamamoto. that's his destiny. i can't compete with that. or disrespect that. he was with like six different yamamoto's before they got engaged in that other world, he was with yamamoto in lunatia, if yamamoto were still here, they'd be with each other again here, too, i'm sure....!!! and yamamoto is GREAT. i respect yamamoto. we're so different, but i admired him in Lunatia. i'm certain he was an excellent boyfriend. yamamoto is so kind and levelheaded and lighthearted. he could laugh anything off. yamamoto is such a good person that he could even date AZULA easily!!! he's just naturally kinder than me. she was happier with him. gokudera would be too. i'm not good at this......
my friendship with gokudera is too important to fuck everything up knowing all this after everything was fucked up last time just by one kiss that wasn't even meant for me. it was just practice for yamamoto. i don't want to be a stand-in again...
as to aurora...... i know i should have told her how i felt a long time ago. i couldn't ask her earlier... it's complicated. but i'm ready now.
and i'm going to ask her out tomorrow when we go to tea.
he's not that gokudera but he's still a gokudera. what if you hadn't remembered anything about lunatia?? would you have wanted me to never tell you about our friendship?
you're scared to tell him because of this guy. what if he comes back and gokudera wants to be with him again. i don't like gokudera and i think you could do better but you're not going to listen to me about that so listen to me about this: you two aren't from the same world. if we go home then everything here is over. just enjoy what you got.
and if you don't ask aurora-chan out i'll be pissed.
[ Every word of that hits its mark. Every single word. Zuko's floored... It takes him pause to respond, and it's once again, lackluster, but Hikaru knows Zuko well enough to imagine his face and demeanor and how this resonated... He's a smart guy; he knows exactly what he's doing here, even if Zuko (& Co.) make him want to pull his hair out. ]
[Hikaru knows that Zuko's finally listening because if he wasn't then he would be arguing still. He'd be saying how wrong Hikaru was or how this isn't that easy.
But he's not so Hikaru let's out a breath. He finally got through to him.]
[ Hikaru knows him so well… he knows how to get through to Zuko on nearly an Iroh-level understanding of this troubled, troublesome, troubling young man… A horrifying undersea bubble trap and being roommates on an alien planet for half a year must be pretty profound. He’s lucky to have such a good friend — someone so patient… only in an alternate universe would Hikaru be emphatically called patient, though. The rest of the Host Club would be so proud of him today. ]
[ An hour or less go by and Zuko sends Hikaru three photos, feeling empowered and self-satisfied. Determined. Spiteful. Romantic. And had also been gassed up by the Avatar that he’d made very good moves here that he’s now eager to show off to his other best friend.
Zuko sends three photos:
A handmade envelope of rice paper with Aurora’s name beautifully written in calligraphy in Zuko’s home language, fluently understood by the linguistic magic of Avalon — but artfulness can’t be exactly translated, can it?
An even more elegant, simplistic, sumi e-esque painting of a crane wading in water, staring up at a bright red sun, as the clouds part above it. Like THAT doesn’t mean something, surely… Zuko can be romantic when he wants, see! Albeit at the eleventh hour once things are already messy, unfortunately, but well, here we are. Despite his fury and confusion and anxiety over it all, he’s feeling confident his meaning will be understood. Aang caught the symbolism right away when Zuko showed him, which was extremely validating and encouraging, so Zuko feels certain Aurora will, too.
Both images are stamped with a traditional calligraphy name stamp as a signature: Zuko. Surely nothing can be lost in translation here, can it…?
A third and final picture is attached, a beautiful flower arrangement of amaryllises and complimentary others. Definitely not made by Zuko — but he did say he’d planned on ordering her flowers. It’s obvious the arrangement is sitting outside a cottage door on a doorstep, the envelope bearing Aurora’s name attached to it. He’s just left it at her door as a surprise. Some type of grand romantic gesture. Is it romantic or is it cowardly…? Who can say. But it’s definitely intentional. Mindful. And definitely taking action at long last. ]
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or she had work and then plans with gokudera. probably wasn't trying to hide this from you?
but you two have been doing this for ages and she's some girl from the woods who just had a lot thrown on her plate. also from her time you can't exactly be forward when you're in her position.
[But then she asked Gokudera out??? There's a lot he doesn't understand about this situation.
But talking to Gokudera has him concerned about something:]
are you upset at gokudera for aurora asking him out? or aurora for asking him out?
[The last question can be taken a lot of ways.]
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[ He's thick, Hikaru, you know that. He needs it spelled out. ]
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[FINE. HE'LL SAY IT!]
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[ That didn't answer the question... ]
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you still like gokudera and you like aurora. you're mad that she asked him out because it means neither of them are going out with you.
1/2
2/2
now what
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you haven't told aurora anything and it's been how long? gokudera...well, guy's still an asshole in my book but you didn't tell him you liked aurora. you've never even told him in any world about what the hell happened, did you? back in lunatia?
make shit happen, zuko. nothing's going to happen unless you do something.
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i don't expect him to be that person again
he's different. but...... i still like him... as he is now.
i realized the night uncle and azula disappeared. he spent the night.
but he's with yamamoto.
he's ALWAYS with yamamoto. that's his destiny. i can't compete with that. or disrespect that.
he was with like six different yamamoto's before they got engaged in that other world, he was with yamamoto in lunatia, if yamamoto were still here, they'd be with each other again here, too, i'm sure....!!!
and yamamoto is GREAT. i respect yamamoto. we're so different, but i admired him in Lunatia. i'm certain he was an excellent boyfriend. yamamoto is so kind and levelheaded and lighthearted. he could laugh anything off. yamamoto is such a good person that he could even date AZULA easily!!! he's just naturally kinder than me. she was happier with him. gokudera would be too.
i'm not good at this......
my friendship with gokudera is too important to fuck everything up knowing all this after everything was fucked up last time just by one kiss that wasn't even meant for me. it was just practice for yamamoto. i don't want to be a stand-in again...
as to aurora......
i know i should have told her how i felt a long time ago.
i couldn't ask her earlier...
it's complicated.
but i'm ready now.
and i'm going to ask her out tomorrow when we go to tea.
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you're scared to tell him because of this guy. what if he comes back and gokudera wants to be with him again. i don't like gokudera and i think you could do better but you're not going to listen to me about that so listen to me about this: you two aren't from the same world. if we go home then everything here is over. just enjoy what you got.
and if you don't ask aurora-chan out i'll be pissed.
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okay
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But he's not so Hikaru let's out a breath. He finally got through to him.]
finally.
1/2
[ Hikaru knows him so well… he knows how to get through to Zuko on nearly an Iroh-level understanding of this troubled, troublesome, troubling young man… A horrifying undersea bubble trap and being roommates on an alien planet for half a year must be pretty profound. He’s lucky to have such a good friend — someone so patient… only in an alternate universe would Hikaru be emphatically called patient, though. The rest of the Host Club would be so proud of him today. ]
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Zuko sends three photos:
A handmade envelope of rice paper with Aurora’s name beautifully written in calligraphy in Zuko’s home language, fluently understood by the linguistic magic of Avalon — but artfulness can’t be exactly translated, can it?
An even more elegant, simplistic, sumi e-esque painting of a crane wading in water, staring up at a bright red sun, as the clouds part above it. Like THAT doesn’t mean something, surely… Zuko can be romantic when he wants, see! Albeit at the eleventh hour once things are already messy, unfortunately, but well, here we are. Despite his fury and confusion and anxiety over it all, he’s feeling confident his meaning will be understood. Aang caught the symbolism right away when Zuko showed him, which was extremely validating and encouraging, so Zuko feels certain Aurora will, too.
Both images are stamped with a traditional calligraphy name stamp as a signature: Zuko. Surely nothing can be lost in translation here, can it…?
A third and final picture is attached, a beautiful flower arrangement of amaryllises and complimentary others. Definitely not made by Zuko — but he did say he’d planned on ordering her flowers. It’s obvious the arrangement is sitting outside a cottage door on a doorstep, the envelope bearing Aurora’s name attached to it. He’s just left it at her door as a surprise. Some type of grand romantic gesture. Is it romantic or is it cowardly…? Who can say. But it’s definitely intentional. Mindful. And definitely taking action at long last. ]
so? what do you think?
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but you did good. very romantic.
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i know a lady who owns a flower shop
think aurora will understand...?