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[princeinexile]

Zuko, even with hobbling, could be awfully stealthy. It was, however, harder to sneak around a girlfriend-wife-cohabitation partner who was just as sneaky as you were. This made plotting and practicing difficult so Zuko tried to keep his ninjaing to times he knew Mel was elsewhere. She was out practicing with the boomerang, so he crept up to the armory and checked over Miho's blades -- his preferred way to murder his sister would have been direct, combat without bending -- and then began to go through the various firearms they had.

He wondered if the 'merchant' somewhere might have something for him, but put that thought aside.

One of the guns was checked over. Hunting fair, wouldn't be too hard.

When he realized Mel was no longer outside from the window out, he cursed himeslf, and slipped out, hobbling back toward their room. Wouldn't do to be caught there, really, so ...catching him elsewhere was fine. Really.

Even if he didn't know what to say if caught anywhere, really.

Comments

[slayer_fray]

Well, she's looking for him anyway. Sort of.

No really. That's why she sort of runs into him on the stairs. Because when he wans't in 103 she came up to look for him, and there's not many ways to avoid each other.

"Where've you been?"

What's up there?

[princeinexile]

"Upstairs?" Zuko says. See, this is a smooth way to not answer anything. "Why? What did you need?"

He takes the stairs very slowly; his legs hurt a lot lately. It's his own damn fault, really, but... Still, it keeps him from escaping quickly, right?

[slayer_fray]

"Nothing," she says, glancing past him. "Scept, y'know. You. You've hurt yourself again."

Observant today, isn't she?

[princeinexile]

"Again implies that it ever really stops hurting," Zuko says with a wrinkle of his nose. "It doesn't. It's just worse today, is all."

Hobble, hobble, hobble.

[slayer_fray]

"You've made it worse," she says. It's bland, matter-of-fact, not accusing. "Let me help."

[princeinexile]

Count to ten, Zuko! Count to ten!

One.

Ten.

"I can walk," and-- that's harsher then it should have been. But he stops at the bottom of the stairs and waits, looking down at his feet.

Waiting for a hand.

[slayer_fray]

There it is, of course. She doesn't try and force him to take her help. She just goes to him and slips and arm around him. Swollen belly to waist.

[princeinexile]

"I'd made a lot of progress," Zuko says in a small voice.

And then he fucked it all in a moment of teenage emo. Doesn't he feel stupid.

[slayer_fray]

"I noticed," she says, and she's reaching up to nuzzle his chin. "Was amazing."

She was so proud of the progress he made. Still is, really.

[princeinexile]

But now he's back to where he was three months ago! And this is cause for emo. But he walks back with her, arm around her, head dipped, and skulks back toward the bedroom to find his drugs.

"I'm not going to-- be able to do what I wanted now," he says, chewing the inside of his cheek.

[slayer_fray]

"Doesn't matter."

She was hovering, worried, by the bedm, until her back twinged, she relaised she was being stupid, and now she's sitting on the edge.

"What ever it is, it doesn't matter. Your health does."

[princeinexile]

"Matters to me," Zuko said, swallowing his pills dry. "Might matter to them."

But he goes quiet, and then shucks his shirt again, dropping onto the bed-- his shoes were harder now, getting to them more awkward, but he got out of his boots.

[slayer_fray]

Mel would help, but it's just as awkward for her to reach down to his boots from the bed. But she does, roll and strain and try before giving up, lying across the width of the bed, head about level with his hips.

"Think anything's going to matter to them other than where the next meals coming from for a few months?"

[princeinexile]

Once the boots are off, Zuko shifts back, scooting on the bed, till he's propped against the pillows. The undressing stops here; his legs hurt and getting out of his pants on his own will too.

Still, Mel's words puncture his bubble of woe, and he smirks, just a little. "I suppose you've got a point there. THey'll be pretty settled in eat, sleep, and crap, as Harper'd put it."

[slayer_fray]

With a effort, Mel shuffles around so she can get at his fly, moving gently and slowly.

Baby talk can come before serious talk, right?

"Gotta envy them really. Can't remember when life was that simple."

[princeinexile]

"I can. Before Luten died," Zuko says simply. "Didn't get anymore more simple then that. But that's the joy of being born to luxury."

[slayer_fray]

"Guess so," Mel says, pulling his pants open as far as they can before she even thinks about undressing him. "Though when most of your worrying is how you're gonna eat, I guess that counts, too."

Her fingers edge into the waistband and run lightly along warm skin, as she glances back up at him.

"Who was Luten?"

[princeinexile]

That tickles, and he wriggles a little. Eh-heh! But the question dims him a little.

"Uncle's son. His only son."

The boy Zuko replaced.

[slayer_fray]

"Oh. Right."

She knows enough to fill in there. So she pushes under and lifts him gently to start easing the pants off.

No. Talking. They have to do the talking thing. At least an hour, Sokka said.

"You two got on?"

[princeinexile]

"Yeah," Zuko said, and is quiet. "He died when I was ten. Father took succession then. He was a few years older, but..." he shrugs. "Didn't have any brothers, and Azula and I didn't get on. She had the girls and I had Lu Ten. Sort of."

So, they were as close as each other got to siblings, really.

[slayer_fray]

She knows the story of the succession at least. Mel's strong and gentle as she pushes the pants down, until she has to shift where she's lying, grunting with the effort of moving her pregnant self down the bed again.

"Sort of?"

[princeinexile]

"He was older then me, and crown prince. We had time, but..." Not that much. "We had seperate tutors and classes, and he was being prepared to be a Lord and I wasn't."

He wriggles now, getting legs free with wincing, but then he's sprawled.

Someday, someday, he'll get the idea of underclothes. Today is not that day.

[slayer_fray]

Meh. It's not like Mel's much of a role model there.

She stays where she is after dropping the pants, rolling back onto her back and grimacing at the back pain.

The thing is with this talking thng, is she has nothing to say to stories about being a member of the royal family. It's too alien.

"So what time you had, you spent together?"

[princeinexile]

"With uncle, or mother, yeah," he says. "But he went with uncle when was was off to fight, and... never came home," he says simply.

[slayer_fray]

Mel rolls her head to the side to look at him, reaching towards him with the nearest hand.

"Sorry."