isleofavalon | Holiday Bash!!

Entry tags:

Holiday Bash!!

🧙 WHO: Ochako Uraraka (

floatsaway) + CR (and their +1s)
⚔️️ WHAT: HOLIDAY/BIRTHDAY PARTY YEAAHHH
🕒 WHEN: Now, I guess. :U
🗺️ WHERE: At her CASTLE.
⚠️ WARNINGS: ~~Venti stop trying to get Ochako TURNT~~ None, probably...other than Bakugou's potty mouth. :(

[It's been a hell of a year, or close enough to it, for Ochako and her many friends here. From the varying trials and tribulations of general quests, to the more perilous missions between kingdoms, to new beginnings and changing tides...it's all a path forward on the long road of life. Despite the difficulties, Ochako's been able to reflect on this past year and finally find herself a bit - a new title and a new, but still somewhat the same, purpose in this world. Something given, something earned (even if she doesn't really see it that way, yet), but still very much hers.

Lady Uraraka (hrrgh...it'll never feel normal, yikes) is throwing a bit of a holiday celebration at her small castle to celebrate the coming and going of a full year. Not only that, but also Christmas prior, and even her birthday as well! All friends she knows, and anyone those friends care to invite, are welcome!! They'll be guided to a decently sized ballroom where several tables have been set up for people to relax and eat, and a separate table for gift giving and gift receiving as well!

What, you thought you'd come to this celebration and leave empty-handed? Pshaw.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The joke... goes over Zuko's head. Sometimes, he gets puns; sometimes, he doesn't. It gets zero reaction, sorry, Gokudera. ]

Yeah. He was a jerk. Pompous. The son of some— I dunno, Admiral, General, someone. It was their vacation home, anyway. No harm done. Everyone got out. ...Cuz we trashed it first. Then we set the house on fire outside.

[ The light derision in his voice, like burning down someone's home was nothing, just shows in these strange flashes exactly how much time he'd spent recently living with Azula, loving Azula, how off-kilter it's made his perspective at times. To him, he's making light chit-chat. Talking about burning some guy's house down. ]

Edited 2022-01-04 22:59 (UTC)

[Good thing it doesn’t, because he’s not proud of it.]

That sounds wild. Even if you meet a jerk here though, best this place doesn’t get set on fire. I like a lot of the people here, and that would put the Tenth in danger.

[Which for obvious reasons, he can’t allow. It would put Aurora in danger, too, and she’d probably dump them both.]

Huh? Hah! Oh, no, no. Of course not. This is different.

[ The sheer suggestion actually draws a real laugh out of Zuko, by Zuko-standards of laughter. How absurd. Azula's not even here. He can't imagine doing something like that without Azula. They did burn a house down here together, for a quest...! ...And it was fun... He's not proud of that, either, and it takes until this moment to realize that, uh, maybe that shouldn't be fun or funny ever. The awkwardness suddenly breaks his grin, but it stays frozen on his face as he realizes "wait, that was horrible" behind his smile. ]

Eheh... Uh— Mai broke up with me that night, before all that happened. She and Ty Lee and Azula all had a terrible time. I watched Ty Lee knock a whole crowd of guys unconscious at once because they wouldn't stop flirting with her. It was, uh— a bad party... for us... Th-This is different. Ahem.

[ Like that justifies any of it...? Oh, man. No. That's rough, buddy. ]

Definitely.

[Very different. Gokudera won’t share the bad thing he and Azula did for a quest. It made them gold, but he’s not interested in that kind of thing. It had been an attempt to cheer her up, and he hopes at the time it took her mind off whatever had been bothering her.]

Yeah… there isn’t a group of flirtatious guys to beat up. I think maybe… one or two jerks who may deserve to lose some teeth. I’d like to watch a fight… it’s been a while. Maybe we could train some time.

[Gokudera just wants the adrenaline of a fight, and… he bets real hard training between him and Zuko could be fun.]

[ Oof, that dissolves a lot of awkwardness, yikes... Zuko wraps an arm around Gokudera's waist, keeping his cup in his left hand, shooting him a soft smile. ]

Yeah. I'd like that. We should.

[The pink on Gokudera’s cheeks returns when Zuko’s arm is around his waist. He lifts his own drink to his mouth and glances at the other boy’s smile before adverting his gaze, face growing warmer.]

I can make fire now… that the collar is off…

[He sets his drink down and uses his now free hand to hold his palm up, where a bit of fire dances just above it.]

Edited 2022-01-04 23:59 (UTC)

[ The little display spreads a smile across Zuko's face, eyes fixed on the dancing flame for a moment. Without taking his arm from around Gokudera's waist, he sets his cup of water aside on the table, then clasps his hand against Gokudera's, conjuring the smallest gust of wind from his own as he does to extinguish the flame. He laces their fingers together and gives an affectionate squeeze, before turning his eyes back on the bomber's face, smile still stuck in place. ]

Good.

[ Th-That's it?!

No spiel about methodical training or firebending or magic or swordsmanship or school or questions about his training regimen or even an attempt to make any concrete plans or anything?! Simply— "good." And holding hands. With his arm still wrapped around his waist. Smiling. In public!

Dating Zuko is a whole different disposition than being just friends with Zuko, so far... It will continue to be surprising — and surprisingly affectionate, without inhibition. And with at least three times as many smiles as ever before...! ]

[Gokudera looks on as his flame is extinguished with momentary dismay, and at first wants to just make the fire bigger, but then there’s a palm in his own.

Oh.

Well, that’s nice.

More than ‘good,’ but he knows Zuko is more about doing, than saying, and holding hands was a big part of their confessions to each other. He’s glowing pinker by the minute. This is very public, and he’s still avoiding eye contact as much as possible, but can see that smile from his peripheral. There’s happiness in his own eyes, has been for a good while, actually… likely since they walked into the castle.

He’s chewing his lips together now though, looking a bit nervous or excited, or just… fidgety, but it’s hard to do when Zuko is actively holding him with so many people around.]

Zuko… what if someone sees? That’s… okay?

[Why wouldn’t it be?]

[ And that's exactly his response. ]

Why wouldn't it be?

[ His fond smile turns more amused, watching Gokudera's conflicted reaction, but telling that he's not exactly objecting, or else he'd have shaken his hand off. So he just maintains his contact, smirking at him, paying no mind to the partygoers he'd been staring at so fixedly just moments before. He does at least elaborate, though, bringing some parity between them: ]

I'm not a prince here. And it's not illegal here.

[ But the issue is not with the public display of affection in itself. His interpretation is of a different focus. His mind jumps to judgment, reputation, which he has no need to be concerned for here like he would at home, so it's a bit of an ingrained reaction, that's for sure. The actual hand-holding, waist-holding, obvious physical intimacy in public in front of friends and strangers, regardless who it's with — that's not a problem for Zuko, evidently. Like that's not even the question. ]

Cause I… uh…

[Right. IT ISN’T ILLEGAL. Zuko is not a prince, or an Elite, and Gokudera isn’t a mongrel.

He looks over at his amused boyfriend, then lifts their joined hands to kiss the back of Zuko’s before muttering.]

Shut up.

[Gokudera is pouting, keeping Zuko’s hands to his lips and then frowning.]

The Tenth doesn’t even know yet.

[And he nips at Zuko’s hand. Grrr take that amusement and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.]

Edited 2022-01-05 02:23 (UTC)

[ The kiss keeps the smile on his face, but the nip at the back of his hand makes him snort a puff of a laugh. He's sympathetic, at least, but makes no move to break contact even as he offers to. ]

We don't have to if you don't want to...

[He’s grumbling, grumpy, but not sincerely, still speaking against Zuko’s hand.]

Didn’t tell you to stop, just to shut up… the Tenth is gonna figure it out… he’s more observant than he looks.

[Gokudera bites a little harder this time, just to be a jerk, going for the meaty outside of the other boy’s hand. Grrrr now it’s actually just kind of fun and looks silly.

They’re an odd couple, or maybe Gokudera is just odd. Whatever. To anyone that would stare: mind your business. Go away you’re not seeing anything!]

[ Zuko just scoffs again at the biting and shakes his head, amused. He raises his arm from Gokudera's waist just to pat him on the back all buddy-buddy-like. ]

As you please.

[ He lets his hand rest on Gokudera's shoulder loosely after that, looking much friendlier, though he knows he's just teasing Gokudera like this. He'll wait for Gokudera to release his hand first, though. ]

[Gokudera stops with the biting once that hand moves to pat, and he looks a bit stunned. That’s… still touching and a lot less intimidate. He’s not going to say anything, though.

The pout of his lips stays.]

We should get some food or something…

[Hopefully it works rather smoothly, but Gokudera moves away from those hands and his boyfriend, but before it’s out of range, he’s taking that hand that had been patting him and it is now going to be held. He’s a lot more shy about public displays of affection, so is bound to look like he’s leading Zuko around as if he were going to wander off and get lost.]

[ He nods and just lets himself be led. He, for once, can read the subtext here, and is happy when Gokudera takes his hand again, even if he feels the need to be coy about it. Zuko's just glad to be touching him in any way practically all the time now.

But he is glad for the suggestion of food, too, though, as he follows along. ]

Let's find something with meat.

[ He is extremely fond of Aurora and has found all the food she's made for him delicious and is very grateful to the girl for her cooking lessons and earnest, compassionate reasoning for not eating animals... respects that in her, respected that in Aang...

...but that ain't him. In the Fire Nation, even the meat ate meat. With hippocows and komodo rhinos and pig-chickens and lots of seafood, meat was an almost nonnegotiable staple of the island nation's cuisine. He can go without it, has gone without it, has erred on the vegetarian side lately since moving in with Aang and since dating Aurora, but... man, if it's here, well-made by someone else who actually knows how to cook meat, he wants it. Sokka was the only one who played hard for this team with Zuko, and he's been gone from this world for quite a while now. Unable to properly cook for himself still, Zuko's been effectively left just about meatless ever since. ]

[Gokudera’s mood seems to relax the closer they get to the food and he’s looking over everything, not even entirely certain what he should get. There’s… a lot of options, and some vegetarian, because of course there would be. He even asked it be done for Aurora’s sake.

He’s a fan of seafood, but wouldn’t say no to some steak, or whatever this world’s version of it is. Gokudera’s eaten pills for food, used to do that a lot, actually, when he was too poor to afford actual food. He’s got some healthy weight to him, but compared to Zuko, he’s scrawny, gently curved, but mostly just lithe.

There are many contributing factors, but he’s getting better. He’s healthier now than he’s been in a long while.]

Have you ever had shabu shabu or fried chicken?

[Maybe he could get a plate of one and then they could enjoy the other together? Now that he thinks about it, Gokudera can’t remember the last time he had fried chicken.]

Fried chicken, yes. We ate that in the Fire Nation. Shabu shabu, no. I don't know what that is.

[ There's certainly a lot to look over, and Zuko's loath to let go of Gokudera's hand to get a plate, so he just stalls, staring at the whole spread, trying to gauge his options. ]

Ah, let’s grab some just in case, then. Grab a plate?

[With your unoccupied hand, Zuko.]

Shabu-shabu is… like a hot broth, and you can put different meats and vegetables to cook, and the broth adds to the flavor, and so you can basically just… cook it there at the table. It’s very savory, and fits the season well.

[Gokudera wonders how much Japanese his boyfriend knows.]

Do you know why it’s called shabu-shabu?

[ Zuko rolls his eyes slightly, but in good humor. ]

You know I don't.

If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked you!

[Gokudera doesn’t appreciate the attitude, so Zuko’s getting a legitimate pout and grumble.

He moves to the table and drops the other teen’s hand so he can take a seat. If Zuko tries to reclaim it, there’s probably a way to do so.]

[ The reaction draws half a smirk on Zuko's face, as he follows suit. He rests his hand on Gokudera's shoulder as he moves by to take his own seat, intentional but unnecessary little contact like this now becoming commonplace when it was not before. He makes eye contact as he gets comfortable across from him. ]

So what does it mean?

[Gokudera is going to be huffy for a little bit longer, and it seems to fade when the physical contact stops.]

You’ll figure it out. Listen.

[With a set of chopsticks, Gokudera picks up a thin slice of meat and dunks it into the broth, swishing it about and watching it as the pot hisses and bubbles, the heat cooking the meat before Gokudera puts it on a plate and slides it across the table to Zuko.]

Get it?

[ Zuko shoots him a bewildered look, watching the meat being dipped. He's not listening to it... ]

No...?

You should. It’s an onomatopoeia.

[That is the most boring explanation, ever. Gokudera was going to be all cute about it, too, but his mood is a little soured by Zuko being so dry.

Gokudera grabs some vegetables and does the same thing he’d done with the meat. He even stirs a little, so there’s more hissing at the start of the noise.]

Are you hungry?

[With his free hand, Gokudera motions to the meat he’d passed to Zuko.]

[ Zuko's completely out of tune with the fact that Gokudera's mood is soured or the fact that he's being dry. He's having a fine time. Welcome to your new life of interpreting Zuko's moods, Gokudera. He pays closer attention to the noise, and nods. He gets it. No real reaction either way, though. He follows Gokudera's lead, though, picking up some meat and vegetables bit by bit to dip in the broth and pile onto his plate. He takes his first bite, but nods once more at Gokudera's question. ]

Yes. Very.

[ The thing is, Zuko shows his comfort around the people close to him in different ways at different times... He feels comfortable to be dry and curt and feel like all is fine if he's not putting forth that concentrated social effort. Having a moment aside on their own to eat at this party is a breath of fresh air for him in those regards. He's not at all in a bad mood. Just... an indiscernible one. ]

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