Pride Goeth [Milliways]

[princeinexile]

His place was still clean; mostly because he had barely been here since she had seen him last. The dogs followed thme up, happily padded over to the pile of blankets, and dropped down into them once Zuko had reached a kitchen chair and sat down

Comments

[allican_do]

It doesn't matter - she wouldn't ask him to tell her where it hurts. Katara hands rise and water flows, brushing the back of his neck. It takes a moment for the energy to travel the path of his qi, but Katara sucks in a soft breath and immediately puts her hands to his throat.

The pain is always somewhere new, somehow sharper to Zuko, but it is constant. Katara isn't used to this sort of torture and even while she works, sorting out the kinks and breaks and tears in his body, she winces from second-hand contact.

Still... her hands glow.

[princeinexile]

He works quickly-- the abatement is -- not total, but it's sort of like a drug haze. The pain is there, it simply doesn't bother him right this second. So the rice is cleared as efficiently as Zuko can manage.

Still a tidy eater, he dines quietly and drinks down water. Thankfully the food is simple enough that his often-hungry belly won't reject the sudden influx it's been missing.

"You can stop now," he says quietly.

[allican_do]

Katara isn't strong enough for this. While that's not surprising, not from that first touch with it weeks ago, it is frustrating. She makes a noise when he speaks, something upset but-- no, she can't fix this, she can barely abate it.

Her hands linger on his skin, fingertips brushing against his throat, but Katara leans back with a sigh. Without bothering to look at him first, she glances over at the bowl, then the clock.

That was awfully fast.

"I'll get you more," she says quietly, before standing and taking his bowl. He'll eat his fill tonight, and every other night he lets her help.

[princeinexile]

"No," he says with sudden vehemence. "You -- you don't feed the hungry to much, too quick. The stomach goes sour. They lose it all."

He doesn't want her mopping up his messes agian.

[allican_do]

"I barely gave you a cup of rice - I know you can take more than that." Her steps didn't even pause and she's already scooping more into the bowl, pushing the door to the fridge closed with her foot. "I'm already here and I'm not going to try and make you sick, so just-- don't fight me on this."

Not that fighting would stop her from trying anyway.

[princeinexile]

"Can we not push it?" Zuko says, too tired to make it forceful. "I don't want--" To be a filthy, weak mess covered in my own sick, dammit. "I don't want to test that limit, yet."

[allican_do]

Those quiet steps stop, but not because she's reached the table. Katara's still several feet away, but now she's staring at the back of Zuko's head, brows up.

Zuko's never been too tired to be forceful. Not with her.

"...all right," is little more than a quiet murmur and the bowl clatters as Katara sets it back in the fridge. "But-- a little more water, okay? And then I'll go, I promise."

[princeinexile]

Zuko -- relents, nodding quietly. Water good. Water simple.... Water might still make him puke, but maybe she'll go by then and he can just doze in the bathtub or something.

"Alright," He says quietly, and waits.

[allican_do]

She attends him with no thought of pride involved. The glass is filled and handed to him and Katara slips back into her chair and draws water between her hands again.

"Okay," Katara says quietly, lifting the water and letting it curl around his throat. Another soft sound is made, but she swallows most of it back, eyes closing as she feels a fraction of his pain for him.

[princeinexile]

It slithers around his body-- when it's there in his throat, it can stop him from drinking.But her hands on there, making it less potent, so it moves downward, settling in the stomach and threatening to sour his hard-won food.

Zuko twitches once, but takes slow swallows of water, and let's Katara do as she must.

[allican_do]

It flutters through the water, down her fingertips, and Katara feels the ghost of his pain. It's there in her throat, then down in her stomach, and her hands follow that same line on his body. Her eyes have closed and she's leaned forward. How close she is to the person she's trying to heal only matters to a certain degree - touching him with her fingertips isn't much worse than putting her palms flat against his skin.

It lets her lean forward, though, and with the tightness at her belly coiling into a ball, putting a little pressure there isn't a bad idea at all.

[princeinexile]

The glass is shortly empty, and it is on the table with a hollow clink a moment later.

"It's alright. I'm finished."

You can stop now, and let his pain be his again.

[allican_do]

In any other situation, Katara would be arguing to keep going, to try and fix it for good. However, while Katara does like to insist she's indestructible, there are occasions where she knows she's--

Well, not beat. But she does lean back as soon as he's spoken, breathing deeply as her back hits the chair.

She's just going to sit there for a minute, all right? After she's gestured to push the water back into its glass.

[princeinexile]

Yeah. You do that, Katara. Zuko's going to get up-- the pain moves again, this time to his back, which has him bent over the sink a moment later holding himself up for support while he collects himself. But--

--then he's straight backed, stiff and still.

"Do you need to rest?"

[allican_do]

She was resting. But now Katara's watching Zuko move, stiffen and hold himself over the sink. This is another feeling she isn't used to and certainly doesn't like.

"...No, I'm fine."

Thirty seconds of the pain he's felt for months and she's breathless. It's more than unacceptable - it's just wrong.

[princeinexile]

He stoics better then she ever will.

"Are you sure?"