A/N: You guys are honestly the sweetest, thank you SO much for all your kind words, really made my day. This chapter is a bit sombre, but thought it was great to get some insight from the other characters. Hope you enjoy.
Zuko's POV:
I lean against my red car with crossed arms as I wait impatiently for Azula to show up. 'If she could listen to me for once, then we wouldn't be in this mess. Or rather I wouldn't be in this mess! Father is going to kill me for this.' I think angrily as I tap my fingers frantically against my bicep. I look up at the sound of crunching gravel to find my sister strutting towards me with a proud smirk on her face.
"Why hello brother, still waiting for me I see." Azula voices smugly. I push myself off the car door to glare at her.
"What did he say?" I ask, getting straight to the point. The girl doesn't answer for several moments as she checks her fingernails in boredom.
"The same as he always says. You know the chancellor is too much of a child to actually do anything to upset father." The firebender states offhandedly. I grit my teeth at her and drop my arms to my sides.
"That doesn't mean he'll stop informing our father! And I'm the one who always gets all the heat for your behaviour!" I growl out, finally earning the girl's attention as she looks up unamused.
"Maybe if you were man enough to actually stand up to him, then he wouldn't treat you like that." My sister retorts sharply. I clench my hands into fists.
"I took your advice before and look at the lovely gift he gave me for it." I recall sarcastically while pointing at the red angry scar that covers most of my left face. Azula rolls her eyes at me.
"Stop being so dramatic. Without that scar you'd still be picked on by those kids back at school. You should be thanking me for helping you gain some good rep." The firebender reminds lightly. I scrunch my nose up in disgust.
"Good rep?! Bullying people isn't good rep. It's wrong." I defend hotly and watch as the student crosses her arms over her chest.
"And yet here you are helping me anyway." Azula points out mildly. I turn my head away from her in frustration.
"It's not like you give me much of a choice. Either I help you and get told off by father for getting caught or I don't help and I get locked in the cooler." I mutter bitterly, but the girl doesn't seem to care as she walks to the driver's side.
"That's your own fault for not helping me get away with it. You're the only one that's losing Zuzu. Shame, I would've expected that with your business degree you'd be getting ready to take over Firelord Industries and actually succeed in something for once. If I were the heir to the company I'd…" I round on the girl so fast with flashing ember irises that she pauses in mid-sentence.
"Well you're not! And you never will be. When I inherit the company, all of father's underhanded tactics will be the first thing I'm throwing away." I shout. Azula's eyes narrows briefly before she releases a high-pitched chuckle.
"Now if you used that same fire when standing up to him, then maybe he wouldn't push you around so much." My sister expresses with a smirk. I squint at her through irked eyes before shaking my head, ignoring the way that my messy black hair flicks from side to side at the action.
"Easy for you to say, you're his favourite." I grumble with a pained pang in my chest.
"And you're mother's" She retorts simply. I look up just in time to catch the melancholy on her face before it vanishes into neutral.
"Mother has been…gone for a long time. For all we know she could be dead." I mutter under my breath.
"Perhaps for the better, she made you too soft." My sister mumbles distastefully. I jerk my head back up at those words, the fire back in my golden orbs.
"Say what you like, but things were better when she was around. Firstly, you were less of a jerk." I counter firmly, eliciting another harsh chuckle from the student.
"I personally like myself better this way. At least I'll never be hurt ever again." Azula expresses, her voice taking on an edge. "Now, are you done? I'd like to get out of here after today's embarrassment. It's a shame that the chancellor refuses to expel that airbender. His people are all a bunch of drop-outs, he should just do the same." The firebender snarls out. I quirk an amused eyebrow at her.
"You're jealous that you're not the only prodigy at this highly esteemed university." I taunt while finger quoting the words 'highly esteemed'. However, my joke isn't taken lightly as Azula glowers at me.
"Will you just get in the car so I can drive us home? I'm sure father is just itching to talk to you after today's drama." The firebender sneers and my heart drops at the reminder. I clench my jaws tightly and shake my head.
"You go on ahead without me, I'm going to burn off some steam." I mutter and move away from the car.
"You know that will only make him madder." Azula's voice makes me pause, but I shake my head and continue walking without a backward glance.
"The less time I spend with him the better." I grit out as I stuff my hands into my trouser pockets.
"Zuko." I ignore the call of my name and continue moving further away, until I feel a heavy hand landing on my shoulder. I turn my head to glance behind me to be met with Azula's serious expression.
"What? I'm not in the mood to be shouted out thank you very much. I'll slip in after midnight when he's out on a business trip." I voice stubbornly.
"And leave me alone with him until then? No thank you." My sister states dangerously.
"He won't hurt you; we both know that." I point out with a touch of envy.
"True, but that doesn't mean I want to spend my afternoon and evening hearing him screeching and swearing." The firebender reminds, but I shrug her hand off my shoulder.
"Tough. I've had it with him and if you don't care that I'll be in trouble, then I don't care if your poor ears are going to hurt for a few hours." I jeer unsympathetically.
"Darn it Zuko! I have an exam tomorrow and I have to get 100% or else." Azula voices angrily and I can't help but curl my lips upwards in satisfaction.
"You should've thought of that before you went and picked a fight today." I say in amusement, for once pleased that I'm not the only one with bad luck.
"Listen, what about I diffuse father's fire just for today?" My sister suggests. I raise an eyebrow at her and cross my arms.
"What, as in sweet talk him with how well you're doing in your assignments so that he forgets he's meant to be angry at me?" I query for clarification and observe as she nods her head in confirmation.
"Exactly." She murmurs.
"And continue to make me look bad? I'll pass." I opt to say instead and watch as fire erupts from her nostrils.
"Fine. What do you want?" She grits out and I can tell that it pains her to ask. I smirk.
"No more fights." I request automatically and the girl looks at me as if I've gone mad.
"For 2 days." She offers. I stare at her in disbelief.
"A year." I suggest.
"A week." She proposes. I grit my teeth.
"6 months is my final offer." I warn sternly and watch as she heaves a sigh.
"1 month is my last offer Zuzu. Remember a bad grade doesn't just affect me." Azula reminds as she gazes at me directly. I feel my jaw throbbing as I recall the last time she got less than 100%, we both had to file all those papers in his office without a break. I grumble incoherently.
"Fine. 1 month and you get him off my back tonight, then you have a deal." I begrudgingly compromise. The firebender's lips twitch into a half smile.
"Perhaps you will make a good business heir after all." She comments casually, but coming from her that means a lot. I cross my arms.
"Have to earn that seat somehow, don't I?" I joke as we walk back to our car.
"Careful there, you wouldn't want me to take it from you." My sister teases lightly while I roll my eyes at her.
"You're combined honours of criminal psychology and business isn't as useful as a full business degree." I retort as I open the car door and slide into the seat. I wait for her to get into her own seat before switching on the music.
"Careful brother, two degrees are better than one." Azula mutters lowly. I snort and press my skull against the headrest.
"Guess we'll see." I say and for the rest of the ride home we enter a welcomed silence. Both of us in our own heads and when I find us arriving home, I can't help the twisting in my gut as I catch sight of that long black hair at the window. 'Here we go again.' I think glumly before removing my seatbelt and getting out of the car.
A/N: I feel like Zuko just had to be the heir of something and that works pretty well in the business world. And Azula doing criminal psychology was actually suggested by Pyrenees which I thought was genius considering she's great at manipulating people and knows how to influence people. But she also does business too since it's a family run thing.
And they have an abusive father…that's always depressing heh. I was going to write him in, but thought this was depressing enough, maybe another time XD Basically I aim to keep building on these characters backgrounds which I hope you'll enjoy. I actually sat down and wrote this in one sitting today so I hope it's ok? I had a week of placements so less lectures which meant I had time to write this today. Not sure when the next update will be, but see you when I see you. And hope you're all keeping well.
19/1/21