𝙄𝙉 𝙀𝙓𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀 ⤁ prince zuko

sixteen | jin from the teashop

Zuko stepped out in looser fitting pants than before, paired with a nice green dress shirt and shoes.

He cleans up nice. Very nice, actually.

"Oh, Prince Zuko!" Iroh gushed from behind Mari. "You look so handsome." he said, starting to tear up.

Zuko rolled his eyes at his emotional Uncle. "I feel like an idiot."

"You look like one too." Mari smiled jokingly, getting up and walking towards him, pushing his shoulder's back slightly. "Stop slouching."

Mari continued to adjust his outfit while Zuko stood still, watching her.

He noticed the way she bit the inside of her cheek when she was adjusting his collar. And how she constantly moved strands of hair out of her petite face as if they were disrupting her focus. He noticed the way her eyes softened and her smile widened at the final result.

She backed away slightly, proudly. The movement causing Zuko to break out of the trance.

"You look good." She said softly with a smile. He didn't say anything, the two just stared at each other for a little while, before Mari cleared her throat and looked away, a soft blush spreading at her cheeks. "Uh- I promised Iroh he could do your hair. Sorry." She said shyly.

Zuko turned his attention to his Uncle, with a giant goofy grin on his face, who had a basket filled with combs and different size brushed.

It took Iroh ten minuted just to comb and gel down Zuko's poor head. By the time he was finished, Zuko was wearing a very out dated gelled down middle part and a scowl, matching the disaster on his head.

Mari looked outside the window and noticed the sun was no longer in the sky and it began to grow dark. "Zuko, you're late." She called.

Iroh and Zuko emerged from the bathroom and Mari again, had to stop herself from laughing at the hairstyle.

"Good luck." she smiled opening the apartment door.

Zuko nodded before walking out, Iroh trying to follow behind, in which Mari pulled him back into the doorway.

"This is Zuko's date, not yours." She said with a laugh.

Iroh sighed "He's so grown now."

Mari nodded and she looked to see Zuko walk to the tea shop to meet Jin.

Mari took a deep breath in, a weird feeling tickling at her side. She was happy Zuko finally possibly had a reason not to hate the world every day, but she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit jealous. And she couldn't put her finger on why.

---

"He should be back by now!" Iroh said by the windowsill. Zuko had only been gone for 3 hours, Mari didn't expect him to come home so soon. Iroh on the other hand was dying to know what was happening. He'd been waiting by the window since he left.

"Iroh, why don't you take a break. Come have some tea." She pleaded, trying to persuade the old man to relax a bit.

"Later, Mari." He paused. "Actually, would you mind pouring me a cup."

Mari shook her head with a smile before pouring him a cup of hot tea and sitting back on the couch.

They heard the front door open and Iroh immediately pulled his head out from the windowsill and pretending to groom the plants hanging from it.

"How was your night, Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked, as if he had not been waiting for his arrival for three hours.

The boy only ignored him, walked into his room, and slammed the doors shut. Signaling it most likely didn't go as well as he planned. This thought made Mari guiltily pleased, although she tried not to show it, she sat up more on the couch a small smile forming on her face.

"Must've not gone too well." She said, trying to sound sympathetic.

The door to Zuko's room opened once more slightly, revealing the side of his face. "It was nice." He murmured softly, before closing it again.

Mari's shoulder's and mood dropped immediately.