This is the part where I post a log that took forever to finish stfu
To your right, we have a pile of pig's bone marrow that will made into Jello, and to your left, a LOG!
If your minions weren't there then they didn't see it. Or maybe they did. Ninjas can be crafty little creatures.
[WHO IS INVOLVED:] Lord Dweeb of the Dweeb Dynasty, his Dweeibness (aka Zuko) and Ginny, who holds him firmly by the leash which is attached to his balls D8
[WHERE ARE THEY:] a park in London
[WHEN DID THIS GO DOWN:] after this thread business
[WHAT HAPPENS:] They argue and emo but it doesn't result in porn and he's v disappointed. Someone get him a RealDoll or a dildo or something
[WHY THIS INSANITY:] I needed distraction from turning myself into a twelve-year-old boy who macks on older girls stfu :| Which is ALMOST done btw I'm so proud
[AND THE RATING IS:] PG because language is a stupid bitch
Ginny Apparated into the park near her old flat in London, still scrubbing at her eye as she sat down on a nearby bench-- she didn't want to look like she'd been crying when Zuko got there. She couldn't believe the gall of him. At first, she had thought he just hadn't realised what he'd said -- he did have a tendency to say things without thinking about them first -- but then for him to go and say no, he knew exactly what he'd said, and he meant it, too... She was past even being angry, now. She was just hurt.
When he saw her appear, Zuko strode around from where he was brooding behind a tree. He raised a brow at her, the rest of his face expresionless. At first he wasn't sure exactly what to say or do, so he just walked over and dropped a small kiss to her forehead, hoping it was enough.
"Don't," she said softly, pushing at him.
"Oh...Sorry..." His cheeks turned pink for a moment and he looked away, biting his lip.
"I can't believe you said that," she said to the ground.
"So what?" He blinked. "It's the truth, isn't it? If there's one thing I learned it's that you shouldn't deny part of who you are."
"I'm not a goddamned whore!" she screamed, whirling on him.
"Right, 'cause you don't get paid," he replied sarcastically.
"How dare you," she hissed, shooting to her feet, and slapped him with all the force she could muster.
Hardly even fazed, Zuko blinked a few times and touched his hand to his face for a second. He shrugged, smirking, and grabbed her hand fast enough to pin it behind her back. "You're such a good girl. Clearly I'm mistaken."
"Don't," she protested, her eyes filling with tears again. "You keep talking about how much you care about me, and then you pull shite like this?"
"I do care," he replied quietly. "I care enough to acknowledge your flaws and like you regardless. Yeah, I lack tact, but I'm just a person. And so are you."
"I'm not a fucking whore," she said furiously, the tears starting to run down her face. "I don't sleep around, I don't fuck people for money." She shoved at him. The anger was coming back. "Do you see me being unfaithful to my husband?"
"How the fuck should I know? You don't talk to me anymore!" he snapped, glaring at her.
"I'm glad you think so little of me that you need proof that I wouldn't," she said bitterly, ignoring the reprimand, and reached up with one hand to swipe at her eyes.
"You don't exactly have a good track record for it," he reminded her, his tone cold.
"Oh, so we're going back to this again, are we?" she snapped. "How many times do I have to apologise for that? How guilty do I have to feel before you'll leave it the hell alone?"
"Until it stops hurting," he replied bitterly. "Perhaps someone should fuck with you a bit for you to fully comprehend how much it can shatter a person."
"You really think I wanted to hurt you?" she exclaimed disbelievingly. "Zuko, I still wish -- gods, if there had been any way not to hurt you..." She shook her head.
"You can...." He sighed. "I don't know. Just...... Fuck."
A thought occurred to her. "...Are you trying to get back at me or something? For hurting you, by hurting me?" More tears escaped.
"No! I'd never! What makes you think...?" he stuttered. "Look... Just... Fuck.... Stop....crying. Please?" He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. "Stop."
"So then why would you do something that you know hurts me?" Ginny asked, her voice slightly muffled by his chest. She didn't hug him back, but she didn't push him away, either; she just stood there.
"So then I could make it better," Zuko replied softly, his chin resting on top of her head.
"But why'd you say it to begin with?" She sniffled.
"I'm human," was all he could think of to answer with.
"You said, Because that's kind of what you are," she quoted.
"It's true though," he said softly, stroking her shoulder.
Ginny was at a complete loss for words. He still didn't get it, did he? She made an odd choking sound as she fought back a sob and stepped away from him.
"...What?... W-What?" He stammered. "Are you okay?"
"How-- you don't--" She stopped, unable to formulate a response. Finally she shook her head, turned, and started to walk away from him.
"Hey.... Wait-" He grabbed her hard by the shoulder and pulled her flush back up against him. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
She didn't look at him. "And maybe, if you appeared to understand at all, I'd forgive you for that." She shrugged out of his grasp.
"And maybe you'd understand the fact that I lo-- ...care about you regardless," he said quietly.
Zuko wasn't fooling her; Ginny knew exactly what he'd been about to say. She sighed and closed her eyes. Sometimes she thought this would be so much easier if he hated her for breaking his heart.
"Can you answer one question for me, Zuko?" she asked finally.
He blinked slowly and looked at her. "What?"
"What is it you think you did that's hurting me so badly?" she asked, turning to face him as she did so that he could see that she'd started crying again.
"I know I insulted you..." Zuko replied, looking down at the ground.
"Mostly I ignore people when they do that," she said, her voice surprisingly steady. "You still haven't answered my question, Zuko."
".....I don't know, okay?" He sighed.
She stared at him for a moment, hurt that he apparently didn't know her well enough to understand. Again she turned and started to walk away.
"Stop," he barked. The tone he used was authoritive. Not one he normally used with her.
She did so, sighing heavily. "I can't keep doing this, Zuko," she said without looking at him.
"Can't keep doing what?" His tone hadn't changed. He was trying hard to control his temper.
"Making myself vulnerable to you like this." She closed her eyes, trying to force herself to stop crying.
"Why not?" he asked, his voice lowering, showing a hint of concern. Biting his lip, he slowly stepped over to her and put his arms around her.
"Because it hurts too much, dammit!" She shrugged away from him. "Do you know what 'whore' means, Zuko? A whore is someone who will sleep with anyone. They don't have emotional attachments, they don't care, because all they want is a cheap fuck." She looked straight at him. She'd started crying again, but she ignored it. "Is that what you think I am?"
"....No..." Zuko replied finally, his voice soft. He glanced to the side. "I don't...."
"So then why'd you say it?" Ginny cried.
"...You wouldn't understand," he told her, turning away. "I'll just go now."
On any other day, she would have stopped him and forced him to explain. Worked things out. But right now, she was hurt and tired and she just wanted to go home and get Light to hold her for a while. "...all right," she said finally, a note of finality in her voice. "Goodbye, Zuko."
Before he walked off he tossed his cellphone towards her over his shoulder. "Keep it. You're the only person I use it for anyway."
That was the last response she'd been expecting from him, and only her Quidditch-honed reflexes kept the phone from shattering on the pavement. She couldn't think of anything to say.
"Obviously, you need things sugar-coated for you. You need a safety bubble. I can't give you that," he spat. "Because I tell it like it is. Have you ever thought that by calling you a whore it helps me keep a mental distance from you? To not want you again? I still love you. It's hard enough not to touch you. If all I seem to do is make you cry then fuck it. I'm done."
Ginny was so surprised that she actually took a step back. She'd sort of known it, all along, but she'd never thought he'd actually come right out and admit that he still loved her. Suspecting it and hearing him say it were two very different things, she was discovering.
"You don't know how much it hurts, do you? You're always the one rejecting, telling people off. But what would you do if someone did that to you? Someone you cared about more than you should? You don't have to work for acceptance. My family rejected me, both of the women I love too. Do you know how much ass I had to kiss, how long I had to walk on eggshells, how fucking hard I had to work, just to earn the trust of a bunch of kids? No. I'm sure if you just walked over and giggled, you'd be welcomed in with open arms. I'm fucking jealous of you." He stopped, his back still to her, fists clenching.
There was a long silence as Ginny tried to formulate a response. "...That isn't something I chose, Zuko," she said finally. "I got very, very lucky. And--" She hesitated, wondering whether this was something she should actually tell him. But she couldn't lose him over this, so after a moment she went on, "I do still care about you, you know. Far more than I should. Do you know how important you are to me? So hearing you call me a whore--" She cut herself off. This had ceased to be just about her pain.
"Mai is the only one who was there. Who really understands. And she even rejected me. I didn't tell the Avatar, because he just knows. He's been through more than anyone, even you or I, could possibly ever know or comprehend." Zuko turned around to face her, still keeping his distance. "Now you see why I don't let myself get attached to people. It only leads to disaster. Just look at what happened to Uncle!" He finally was able to lower his voice so the whole city wouldn't hear. "Keeping an emotional distance from you is the only way I can deal. If that means making you mad all the time, well, I'd rather have you be mad and still talking to me, then to reject me completely because I can't erase my feelings."
"You haven't always kept an emotional distance from me," Ginny pointed out softly.
"I realized that I have to now," he replied. "It's what keeps me from doing stupid, ridiculous things."
"Like calling me a whore," Ginny persisted. She still wasn't ready to give that one up yet.
"By calling you that, it gives me reason to feel you're undesirable. Status thing, remember?" Zuko said, lowering his gaze.
"I wish that made it hurt any less."
"Besides there are much stupider things I could do."
"Still not helping, Zuko."
"Hey, since we're finally expressing ourselves, let's go all out." He smirked. "There's got to be some things you always wanted to do or say to me. Well, go ahead. I won't think different of you for it."
Her mouth opened and closed a few times. She knew there were, but damned if she could think of any of them after he'd put her on the spot like that. "I... I don't..."
"It's alright," he held his hands up. "I'm not going to hurt you."
She gave him a withering look.
"You should fell comfortable, you know, talking to me...."
"I do," she said, surprised.
"Then why can't you tell me what you really think?" he asked.
"What are you looking for me to say to you?" she asked him.
"Something blatantly honest. For some reason, I get this feeling you're always holding back." he told her.
Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. "Fine. You want to play the honesty game? You go first."
"Fine," he replied flatly. "Close your eyes."
She did so, frowning. "What are you going to do?"
"Like I said, I'm not going to hurt you," he told her with a small smile, standing closer to her.
"You're making me nervous," she commented.
"You don't trust me?" He frowned. "That hurts."
" 'Course I trust you," she replied without even thinking about it. "You're still making me nervous."
"Just close your eyes," he whispered.
"They are closed!"
Chuckling softly, he cupped her face with one hand and gave her soft kiss on the cheek. "See? The world didn't end. You're not on fire."
Ginny opened one eye and squinted at him. "And here I thought you were going to do something really impressive."
"Anything 'more impressive' might result in my permanent end," Zuko replied with a smirk.
"Oh. Right." She flushed.
"Unless of course you don't 'kiss and tell' as Mai used to tell Ty Lee when she was getting pestered." He was still smirking at her. "We're just friends. I've no intention of stealing you away."
"Zuko honestly."
He was silent for a minute, glancing away. His cheeks briefly flushed pink before he bit his lip. "...This place is kind of depressing."
Ginny heaved a sigh and rubbed a hand over her face. "Zuko. Do you at least understand why you hurt me so much?"
"I do," He nodded slowly. "...I'm sorry."
"Why d'you think it hurt me?" She'd already told him exactly why, but she wanted to make certain he'd been paying attention.
"...Because you care about me," Zuko replied, his cheeks turning pink again.
"And?"
"And I know you better than that..." he told her.
"And?" she persisted. She was still waiting for him to admit that he knew it wasn't true.
"....And..." His voice softened. "I know it's not true..." He glanced away again, sighing softly, before he looked her in the eye. "...There's something I should tell you..."
She blinked at him, startled by the sudden change in topic. "What?"
"When the Avat-... Aang....led the first Invasion.... He failed. Hard. During that time I cornered my father and pretty much told him I was leaving and that I was severing all ties with the family. ...He then baited me with the truth about my mother...and tried to kill me. ...We're going to go back there...soon...because time is running out...and going back there is practically a death sentence. I never told this to anyone...but I don't think I'll make it back alive... I'm just not skilled enough... It was just a fluke...." His voice was low yet serious. As he was talking he took her hand in his. "And well.... You're more to me than a friend. If things had been different..." He trailed off, lowering his gaze.
Some of this, Ginny had known already. But the last part... She stared in disbelief, her hand hanging loose in his grip. He couldn't just run off and get himself killed. "What, if things had been different?" she asked, not altogether certain she wanted to know.
"I would..... Heh," he gave her a small, pained smile and shook his head. "It's nothing. You're a lot happier now and I'm glad. It's just..." Zuko took a moment to think this bit through. He didn't want to come off as judgmental or anything. "You saw how...you know... he reacted to Aiden at first...and well... The truth is... I hate him because his personality is well...a lot like my father's, I'll leave it at that." His gaze shifted to the side and he bit his lip. "When I go... I won't just fight for the cause...or for Mai and mine... I'll fight for you and Aiden too." He paused for a moment. "And well... Azula might use you as a trap.... So take care of yourself?"
Ginny decided to let his commentary about her husband go for the time being. She just looked at him for a minute, gnawing on her lip. Finally she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "If you get yourself killed I will never ever forgive you," she told him.
"Not my choice, babe," he laughed, hugging her back. "But I'll try my best not to."
"I mean it," she said fiercely. "I am not losing you."
"As long as the war's over and things are fine, that's all that really matters," he told her. "...And if I do make it back... Mai and I'll probably get back together. We've been keeping in contact lately." He flashed her a smile.
"I just want you to be happy. And not dead." She glared at him for emphasis.
"All right," Zuko patted her on the shoulder. "I promise that I'll try not to die."
"No." Ginny shook her head. "Promise you won't." She knew how much he hated breaking promises, and if that was what it took to get him to come back alive...
He blinked a few times. "...Fine. I promise."
"Promise, Zuko."
"I promise, I won't die..." He dropped a kiss on her forehead.
"Good. I'm not going to lose you," she repeated.
"You won't. But you gotta loosen up, okay? It's no fun if we're constantly mad at each other," he said with a smirk. "It's more fun if, you know, there's make-up sex to look forward to or something. Without it it's just annoying."
"Zuko."
"I'm not arguing with you anymore," he folded his arms across his chest and pouted.
She heaved a sigh, amused despite herself. "No, you aren't."
"Good." He nodded. " 'Cause now I need food. You've no idea how hard it is to get a decent meal at a run-down old temple. And Maru won't let me raid his kitchen anymore."
"Shocking," Ginny drawled.
"Feed me." He pouted.
She rolled her eyes. "Oh all right. Come on. There's a good restaurant near here."
"Thank you." He smiled like a kid in a candy shop with a hundred dollars in their pocket.
lol abrupt ending ftw
In other news, Edo just ate a beet that she thought was a potato chip and will go cry in a corner and vomit for the rest of the week.
If your minions weren't there then they didn't see it. Or maybe they did. Ninjas can be crafty little creatures.
[WHO IS INVOLVED:] Lord Dweeb of the Dweeb Dynasty, his Dweeibness (aka Zuko) and Ginny, who holds him firmly by the leash which is attached to his balls D8
[WHERE ARE THEY:] a park in London
[WHEN DID THIS GO DOWN:] after this thread business
[WHAT HAPPENS:] They argue and emo but it doesn't result in porn and he's v disappointed. Someone get him a RealDoll or a dildo or something
[WHY THIS INSANITY:] I needed distraction from turning myself into a twelve-year-old boy who macks on older girls stfu :| Which is ALMOST done btw I'm so proud
[AND THE RATING IS:] PG because language is a stupid bitch
Ginny Apparated into the park near her old flat in London, still scrubbing at her eye as she sat down on a nearby bench-- she didn't want to look like she'd been crying when Zuko got there. She couldn't believe the gall of him. At first, she had thought he just hadn't realised what he'd said -- he did have a tendency to say things without thinking about them first -- but then for him to go and say no, he knew exactly what he'd said, and he meant it, too... She was past even being angry, now. She was just hurt.
When he saw her appear, Zuko strode around from where he was brooding behind a tree. He raised a brow at her, the rest of his face expresionless. At first he wasn't sure exactly what to say or do, so he just walked over and dropped a small kiss to her forehead, hoping it was enough.
"Don't," she said softly, pushing at him.
"Oh...Sorry..." His cheeks turned pink for a moment and he looked away, biting his lip.
"I can't believe you said that," she said to the ground.
"So what?" He blinked. "It's the truth, isn't it? If there's one thing I learned it's that you shouldn't deny part of who you are."
"I'm not a goddamned whore!" she screamed, whirling on him.
"Right, 'cause you don't get paid," he replied sarcastically.
"How dare you," she hissed, shooting to her feet, and slapped him with all the force she could muster.
Hardly even fazed, Zuko blinked a few times and touched his hand to his face for a second. He shrugged, smirking, and grabbed her hand fast enough to pin it behind her back. "You're such a good girl. Clearly I'm mistaken."
"Don't," she protested, her eyes filling with tears again. "You keep talking about how much you care about me, and then you pull shite like this?"
"I do care," he replied quietly. "I care enough to acknowledge your flaws and like you regardless. Yeah, I lack tact, but I'm just a person. And so are you."
"I'm not a fucking whore," she said furiously, the tears starting to run down her face. "I don't sleep around, I don't fuck people for money." She shoved at him. The anger was coming back. "Do you see me being unfaithful to my husband?"
"How the fuck should I know? You don't talk to me anymore!" he snapped, glaring at her.
"I'm glad you think so little of me that you need proof that I wouldn't," she said bitterly, ignoring the reprimand, and reached up with one hand to swipe at her eyes.
"You don't exactly have a good track record for it," he reminded her, his tone cold.
"Oh, so we're going back to this again, are we?" she snapped. "How many times do I have to apologise for that? How guilty do I have to feel before you'll leave it the hell alone?"
"Until it stops hurting," he replied bitterly. "Perhaps someone should fuck with you a bit for you to fully comprehend how much it can shatter a person."
"You really think I wanted to hurt you?" she exclaimed disbelievingly. "Zuko, I still wish -- gods, if there had been any way not to hurt you..." She shook her head.
"You can...." He sighed. "I don't know. Just...... Fuck."
A thought occurred to her. "...Are you trying to get back at me or something? For hurting you, by hurting me?" More tears escaped.
"No! I'd never! What makes you think...?" he stuttered. "Look... Just... Fuck.... Stop....crying. Please?" He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. "Stop."
"So then why would you do something that you know hurts me?" Ginny asked, her voice slightly muffled by his chest. She didn't hug him back, but she didn't push him away, either; she just stood there.
"So then I could make it better," Zuko replied softly, his chin resting on top of her head.
"But why'd you say it to begin with?" She sniffled.
"I'm human," was all he could think of to answer with.
"You said, Because that's kind of what you are," she quoted.
"It's true though," he said softly, stroking her shoulder.
Ginny was at a complete loss for words. He still didn't get it, did he? She made an odd choking sound as she fought back a sob and stepped away from him.
"...What?... W-What?" He stammered. "Are you okay?"
"How-- you don't--" She stopped, unable to formulate a response. Finally she shook her head, turned, and started to walk away from him.
"Hey.... Wait-" He grabbed her hard by the shoulder and pulled her flush back up against him. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
She didn't look at him. "And maybe, if you appeared to understand at all, I'd forgive you for that." She shrugged out of his grasp.
"And maybe you'd understand the fact that I lo-- ...care about you regardless," he said quietly.
Zuko wasn't fooling her; Ginny knew exactly what he'd been about to say. She sighed and closed her eyes. Sometimes she thought this would be so much easier if he hated her for breaking his heart.
"Can you answer one question for me, Zuko?" she asked finally.
He blinked slowly and looked at her. "What?"
"What is it you think you did that's hurting me so badly?" she asked, turning to face him as she did so that he could see that she'd started crying again.
"I know I insulted you..." Zuko replied, looking down at the ground.
"Mostly I ignore people when they do that," she said, her voice surprisingly steady. "You still haven't answered my question, Zuko."
".....I don't know, okay?" He sighed.
She stared at him for a moment, hurt that he apparently didn't know her well enough to understand. Again she turned and started to walk away.
"Stop," he barked. The tone he used was authoritive. Not one he normally used with her.
She did so, sighing heavily. "I can't keep doing this, Zuko," she said without looking at him.
"Can't keep doing what?" His tone hadn't changed. He was trying hard to control his temper.
"Making myself vulnerable to you like this." She closed her eyes, trying to force herself to stop crying.
"Why not?" he asked, his voice lowering, showing a hint of concern. Biting his lip, he slowly stepped over to her and put his arms around her.
"Because it hurts too much, dammit!" She shrugged away from him. "Do you know what 'whore' means, Zuko? A whore is someone who will sleep with anyone. They don't have emotional attachments, they don't care, because all they want is a cheap fuck." She looked straight at him. She'd started crying again, but she ignored it. "Is that what you think I am?"
"....No..." Zuko replied finally, his voice soft. He glanced to the side. "I don't...."
"So then why'd you say it?" Ginny cried.
"...You wouldn't understand," he told her, turning away. "I'll just go now."
On any other day, she would have stopped him and forced him to explain. Worked things out. But right now, she was hurt and tired and she just wanted to go home and get Light to hold her for a while. "...all right," she said finally, a note of finality in her voice. "Goodbye, Zuko."
Before he walked off he tossed his cellphone towards her over his shoulder. "Keep it. You're the only person I use it for anyway."
That was the last response she'd been expecting from him, and only her Quidditch-honed reflexes kept the phone from shattering on the pavement. She couldn't think of anything to say.
"Obviously, you need things sugar-coated for you. You need a safety bubble. I can't give you that," he spat. "Because I tell it like it is. Have you ever thought that by calling you a whore it helps me keep a mental distance from you? To not want you again? I still love you. It's hard enough not to touch you. If all I seem to do is make you cry then fuck it. I'm done."
Ginny was so surprised that she actually took a step back. She'd sort of known it, all along, but she'd never thought he'd actually come right out and admit that he still loved her. Suspecting it and hearing him say it were two very different things, she was discovering.
"You don't know how much it hurts, do you? You're always the one rejecting, telling people off. But what would you do if someone did that to you? Someone you cared about more than you should? You don't have to work for acceptance. My family rejected me, both of the women I love too. Do you know how much ass I had to kiss, how long I had to walk on eggshells, how fucking hard I had to work, just to earn the trust of a bunch of kids? No. I'm sure if you just walked over and giggled, you'd be welcomed in with open arms. I'm fucking jealous of you." He stopped, his back still to her, fists clenching.
There was a long silence as Ginny tried to formulate a response. "...That isn't something I chose, Zuko," she said finally. "I got very, very lucky. And--" She hesitated, wondering whether this was something she should actually tell him. But she couldn't lose him over this, so after a moment she went on, "I do still care about you, you know. Far more than I should. Do you know how important you are to me? So hearing you call me a whore--" She cut herself off. This had ceased to be just about her pain.
"Mai is the only one who was there. Who really understands. And she even rejected me. I didn't tell the Avatar, because he just knows. He's been through more than anyone, even you or I, could possibly ever know or comprehend." Zuko turned around to face her, still keeping his distance. "Now you see why I don't let myself get attached to people. It only leads to disaster. Just look at what happened to Uncle!" He finally was able to lower his voice so the whole city wouldn't hear. "Keeping an emotional distance from you is the only way I can deal. If that means making you mad all the time, well, I'd rather have you be mad and still talking to me, then to reject me completely because I can't erase my feelings."
"You haven't always kept an emotional distance from me," Ginny pointed out softly.
"I realized that I have to now," he replied. "It's what keeps me from doing stupid, ridiculous things."
"Like calling me a whore," Ginny persisted. She still wasn't ready to give that one up yet.
"By calling you that, it gives me reason to feel you're undesirable. Status thing, remember?" Zuko said, lowering his gaze.
"I wish that made it hurt any less."
"Besides there are much stupider things I could do."
"Still not helping, Zuko."
"Hey, since we're finally expressing ourselves, let's go all out." He smirked. "There's got to be some things you always wanted to do or say to me. Well, go ahead. I won't think different of you for it."
Her mouth opened and closed a few times. She knew there were, but damned if she could think of any of them after he'd put her on the spot like that. "I... I don't..."
"It's alright," he held his hands up. "I'm not going to hurt you."
She gave him a withering look.
"You should fell comfortable, you know, talking to me...."
"I do," she said, surprised.
"Then why can't you tell me what you really think?" he asked.
"What are you looking for me to say to you?" she asked him.
"Something blatantly honest. For some reason, I get this feeling you're always holding back." he told her.
Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. "Fine. You want to play the honesty game? You go first."
"Fine," he replied flatly. "Close your eyes."
She did so, frowning. "What are you going to do?"
"Like I said, I'm not going to hurt you," he told her with a small smile, standing closer to her.
"You're making me nervous," she commented.
"You don't trust me?" He frowned. "That hurts."
" 'Course I trust you," she replied without even thinking about it. "You're still making me nervous."
"Just close your eyes," he whispered.
"They are closed!"
Chuckling softly, he cupped her face with one hand and gave her soft kiss on the cheek. "See? The world didn't end. You're not on fire."
Ginny opened one eye and squinted at him. "And here I thought you were going to do something really impressive."
"Anything 'more impressive' might result in my permanent end," Zuko replied with a smirk.
"Oh. Right." She flushed.
"Unless of course you don't 'kiss and tell' as Mai used to tell Ty Lee when she was getting pestered." He was still smirking at her. "We're just friends. I've no intention of stealing you away."
"Zuko honestly."
He was silent for a minute, glancing away. His cheeks briefly flushed pink before he bit his lip. "...This place is kind of depressing."
Ginny heaved a sigh and rubbed a hand over her face. "Zuko. Do you at least understand why you hurt me so much?"
"I do," He nodded slowly. "...I'm sorry."
"Why d'you think it hurt me?" She'd already told him exactly why, but she wanted to make certain he'd been paying attention.
"...Because you care about me," Zuko replied, his cheeks turning pink again.
"And?"
"And I know you better than that..." he told her.
"And?" she persisted. She was still waiting for him to admit that he knew it wasn't true.
"....And..." His voice softened. "I know it's not true..." He glanced away again, sighing softly, before he looked her in the eye. "...There's something I should tell you..."
She blinked at him, startled by the sudden change in topic. "What?"
"When the Avat-... Aang....led the first Invasion.... He failed. Hard. During that time I cornered my father and pretty much told him I was leaving and that I was severing all ties with the family. ...He then baited me with the truth about my mother...and tried to kill me. ...We're going to go back there...soon...because time is running out...and going back there is practically a death sentence. I never told this to anyone...but I don't think I'll make it back alive... I'm just not skilled enough... It was just a fluke...." His voice was low yet serious. As he was talking he took her hand in his. "And well.... You're more to me than a friend. If things had been different..." He trailed off, lowering his gaze.
Some of this, Ginny had known already. But the last part... She stared in disbelief, her hand hanging loose in his grip. He couldn't just run off and get himself killed. "What, if things had been different?" she asked, not altogether certain she wanted to know.
"I would..... Heh," he gave her a small, pained smile and shook his head. "It's nothing. You're a lot happier now and I'm glad. It's just..." Zuko took a moment to think this bit through. He didn't want to come off as judgmental or anything. "You saw how...you know... he reacted to Aiden at first...and well... The truth is... I hate him because his personality is well...a lot like my father's, I'll leave it at that." His gaze shifted to the side and he bit his lip. "When I go... I won't just fight for the cause...or for Mai and mine... I'll fight for you and Aiden too." He paused for a moment. "And well... Azula might use you as a trap.... So take care of yourself?"
Ginny decided to let his commentary about her husband go for the time being. She just looked at him for a minute, gnawing on her lip. Finally she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "If you get yourself killed I will never ever forgive you," she told him.
"Not my choice, babe," he laughed, hugging her back. "But I'll try my best not to."
"I mean it," she said fiercely. "I am not losing you."
"As long as the war's over and things are fine, that's all that really matters," he told her. "...And if I do make it back... Mai and I'll probably get back together. We've been keeping in contact lately." He flashed her a smile.
"I just want you to be happy. And not dead." She glared at him for emphasis.
"All right," Zuko patted her on the shoulder. "I promise that I'll try not to die."
"No." Ginny shook her head. "Promise you won't." She knew how much he hated breaking promises, and if that was what it took to get him to come back alive...
He blinked a few times. "...Fine. I promise."
"Promise, Zuko."
"I promise, I won't die..." He dropped a kiss on her forehead.
"Good. I'm not going to lose you," she repeated.
"You won't. But you gotta loosen up, okay? It's no fun if we're constantly mad at each other," he said with a smirk. "It's more fun if, you know, there's make-up sex to look forward to or something. Without it it's just annoying."
"Zuko."
"I'm not arguing with you anymore," he folded his arms across his chest and pouted.
She heaved a sigh, amused despite herself. "No, you aren't."
"Good." He nodded. " 'Cause now I need food. You've no idea how hard it is to get a decent meal at a run-down old temple. And Maru won't let me raid his kitchen anymore."
"Shocking," Ginny drawled.
"Feed me." He pouted.
She rolled her eyes. "Oh all right. Come on. There's a good restaurant near here."
"Thank you." He smiled like a kid in a candy shop with a hundred dollars in their pocket.
lol abrupt ending ftw
In other news, Edo just ate a beet that she thought was a potato chip and will go cry in a corner and vomit for the rest of the week.