Ginny Apparated into the throne room of the palace, dressed more formally this time in a high-necked black sleeveless dress robe. The sword was strapped to her waist again. Ignoring the several shocked Dai Li agents, she strode across the room, holstering her wand. "Hallo, love," she said, sweeping up the steps to the throne.
"Hello," Zuko grinned, waving the four very startled Dai Li agents off for they had decided she was a threat and were about to try to cuff her. Since he was splayed across the chair he had to swing his legs around and plant them on the floor in order to get up. Unfortunately, he seemed to do this too quickly upon the excitement of seeing her and stumbled. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath, cursing the boots he wore -- they seemed to have two inch platform heels, having been rejected by Azula for being a few sizes too large. After regaining his composure he strode down to her and pulled her into a hug.
She wrapped her arms around him and titled her face up, kissing him softly. "Mmm. Missed you," she said, smiling at him.
"Missed you more," he replied, kissing softly along her jawline. "Wanna go see it?"
"What? Oh! Yes please. You've made me very curious." She grinned.
Smiling, he took her by the hand and lead her down the corridor. The boy practically tripped over his own feet because of how quickly he wanted to get there. Finally he brought her to two large stained glass doors and pushed them open, revealing a magnificent balcony that overlooked a majority of the city. Ba Sing Se itself looked absolutely splendid, every last street was lit up in the night, and even the rural areas were well lit by the full moon's light. It had a tranquil feel to it. Almost...peaceful. "Isn't it amazing?"
"Ohhh," she gasped, leaning against Zuko and tucking her arm through his. "Oh, Zuko, it's beautiful." It was, too -- they didn't have anything like this in her world, and it was really an extraordinary sight.
"I've never seen anything this pretty in such a long time," he sighed, slowly leading her to the very edge so he could look over the banister. "As 'bright' as home was it had this sort of 'dark' aura that kept it from looking...quite like this." Zuko went silent for a moment, still gazing at the scenery before him, taking his time to take in the majesty of it all. "They're so blissfully unaware too. It's fascinating." A small smile tugged at his lips then. "And I did this," he told her with a soft chuckle. "I managed to bring peace to a city full of chaos...at least for now. No idea how long it will last." There was a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I'm just amazed by it all, you know?"
She looked seriously up at him. "Well. You did a good job, then, love. You can't fix everything, but at least you helped."
"I try," he nodded and looked at her. "Really don't want to be like my father...or Azula... Rather be mediocre with happy people, than be all-powerful but put everyone through misery."
She smiled. "I've told you this before, love, and I'll say it again -- you're a good man, and you'll be a great ruler." She reached up and tucked his hair behind his ear so she could see his face. "I don't think you have anything to worry about."
"I'm glad you have so much faith in me," he beamed and lightly rested his hands on her hips. "I love you so much."
"I love you too," she replied, leaning forward to tuck herself up against his chest.
"Mmm," he murmured softly, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Making contented sounds he kissed the top of her head. There was a moment where he just relaxed, breathing deeply, savoring the moment of just holding her before he spoke again. "So you want me to teach you how to use that sword, yes?"
She leaned back, eyes lighting up. "Ooh! Yes! I've been resisting the temptation to take it out and wave it madly around for ages now..."
"When would you like to do this?" he asked with a smile. "It'd be better when there's more light to see by. I could take you to the gardens out back, plenty of room there."
"Tomorrow?" she asked hopefully. "I could stay here tonight..."
"That would be nice," his voice dropped to just above a whisper. He then captured her lips in a chaste kiss.
She hummed happily and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. "...Have you heard from your father yet?" she asked when they parted, remembering that he'd sent him a letter.
"No, not yet," Zuko sighed and rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes for a moment. "Not that it really matters."
"No," she agreed. "It doesn't." She nudged at his nose with hers. "And hey. You've always got me."
"Yes," he huffed against her lips. "Which is many times better."
"Many," she agreed with a grin. "So what d'you do around here for fun?" she asked after a moment.
"Crossword puzzles," he chuckled. "Oh, and when I get really bored I order the Dai Li around and make them do pointless thing. Like arranging flowers, running useless errands throughout the city, and the like." There was a brief pause before he spoke again. "And lately I've been on a hunt of a sort..." His voice lowered as if making a confession.
"For what?" she said, curious.
"Not what--who," he shook his head. "Since spotting her--erm--Mai I've been trying to find her again. This place is just so big it's proving to be near impossible. Not to mention I also probably have terrible timing." He made a small frustrated grunt then sighed. "Not that it's my concern right now, though."
Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Oh. Her. What d'you want to find her for?"
"Just curious is all," he shrugged. "Besides, she could be spying for Azula. So I want to snuff it out before anything bad happens."
"Oh. All right." She moved her arms down to wrap tightly around his waist. "Mmmm... let's find something to do."
"Like what?" he asked, gently trailing his hands up along her spine, nuzzling against her neck as he did so.
"I don't know." She grinned mischieviously at him. "You're the one who lives here."
"Already told you," he chuckled. "There's nothing really to do here at night."
"This is a huge city, there's got to be something," she disagreed.
"Hm," he pondered for a moment. "I could take you to this nice fountain I know of."
"Okay," she agreed, smiling. "Where is it?"
"Not too far from here," he pointed in a vague direction. "Near where Uncle and I used to live. It was Jin who showed it to me. I think you'd like it." Zuko then took her by the hand and led her to his sleeping quarters. "Just let me find something more suitable to wear."
"All right," she said, following him agreeably to his rooms. "What sort of thing are you going to change into? Because I'll feel awfully silly in my dress robes if you look all casual."
"That reminds me," he then disappeared into his closet and returned quickly with a bundle. "This is for you. The Dai Li uniform Azula used to masquerade in. I think it'll fit. It'd be better if you don't stand out too much... I just pulled the place from chaos." He then flashed her a smirk before tugging the metal crown from his hair and the tie along with it. As his hair fell around his shoulders he then fumbled around in his closet some more for something to change into.
"Ha, ha," she said dryly, taking the clothing from him. "And besides which I'm pretty much doomed to stand out in a crowd, given my hair." Nevertheless, she shook out the uniform and started working her way out of the dress robes.
"Hah," he chuckled as he pulled his top over his head after kicking of fthe obnoxious boots and then started fumbling with his pants. No use trying to cover anything up because it wasn't like she hadn't seen anything before. He then took a moment to ponder between two different shirts. Black and red, or green and gold? "It's dark enough out your hair won't be as noticeable..." There was a hint of worry at his voice because the Dai Li still considered her threatening, despite how many times he had to assure them she wasn't.
She giggled at him from somewhere inside the skirt of her robes. "It isn't as though I mind, anyway," she said as she finally got the thing off and tossed it across the bed. "I quite like my hair. How does this thing work?" she asked, poking at the uniform.
"There's pants and a shirt, which I'm sure you know how to put on, the tunic goes over it and then you just tie the sash around," he explained as he slipped into a pair of dark pants. "It's a lot simpler than it looks." After saying that he put on the black and red shirt he chose and tightened it around himself then dug through a pile of stuff for his arm guards and boots.
"Oh. All right." She dressed quickly and then climbed up onto the bed, sitting cross-legged as she watched Zuko dig through his things. "You know, everything would be much easier to find if you put it away where it belonged," she said with a grin.
"Spent a couple years on a ship with a bunch of sailers, d'you really expect me to be neat as a pin?" he rolled his eyes then made a gleeful noise when he found what he was looking for. Upon plopping himself on the floor he slipped on the leather arm guards with ease and only had minor difficulty with his boots. Fortunately, these were flat and manly, unlike the ridiculous heeled things he had on before. When he was sure everything was in order he stood up and went over to her so he could plant a light kiss on her lips.
"Mmm," she hummed, kissing him back. "Show me where we're going, my love." She offered him a hand to help her up off the bed.
"Alright," he gladly took her by the hand and showed her to the front walk outside of the palace. "It's a little too far by foot, but there are these trains of a sort, that seem to get around by Earthbending. Mind trying that or would you prefer walking?"
"Ooh, can we?" she said, lighting up. Months after meeting Zuko, bending still fascinated her, and she couldn't begin to fathom how a train would be moved by earthbending.
"Sure," Zuko nodded, taking her down the rather long sidewalk. "I believe there's a station nearby if I'm not mistaken.... Ah there it is!" He then pointed to a large sign that showed where it was.
"...Yeah, you're going to have to do all the sign-reading, love, the only language I can read is English," she said, patting his arm.
"Sorry," he shrugged and casually brought her to the ticket counter. Biting his lip, he dug into his pocket for money. A few silver pieces should cover it. Without an exchange of words he handed the old woman his money and got two tickets in exchange. The money itself was stolen... Well sort of. It was what whatever Azula left behind, and it was Earth Kingdom money, so he could only assume she jacked it from somewhere. It was funny in a way, after the lecture his uncle had given him, even now he had to resort to using stolen goods. "The next one looks like it'll be departing soon."
"Okay." She tucked her arm back through his and snuggled up against his side. "Just let me know when it's time to go..."
Smiling at her, he helped her board the car and sat them both down on one of the stone benches. Across from them was a rather creepy looking fat guy with a face that screamed BADURH. "This is why I don't go out at night..." he whispered.
*Note by BADURH I mean THIS GUY! LOL WTF*
"Be nice, love," she said, without any real venom, and leaned comfortably against him.
"Comfortable?" he asked, obviously amused, as he kissed her softly on the cheek.
"Yes," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.
He was about to say something really witty and seductive but thought better of it. Public place and all. Smirking as if very satisifed with his own musings, he laid his arm across her shoulders and sighed. A few moments passed before the sounds of people behind the train and it lurched sharply. "I think...we're moving...."
"Ooh," Ginny said, sitting up straighter. "How's it work, then?"
"Behind the train there are a couple of Earthbenders, and I think they basically shift the rock a bunch of times to get it to move as they push it forward along the track." he tried to explain, even though he wasn't so sure himself. "They don't really have much in the way of technology."
"That's rather amazing," she said, fascinated. "I sort of wish I could bend something."
"You can do similar with your magic, can't you?" he asked.
"Mhm, sort of. Not near with such power as you can," she said.
"But you can do so much more than anyone here could ever dream of," he told her, turning his head to look at her.
She shrugged. "I'm not really that grand a witch, I'm just good with hexes and jinxes."
"You're really impressive," he insisted. "All I can do is burn things. No options, no nothing. Just make fire and Oooo look at how pretty that building is when it's burning to the ground." Zuko had to lower his voice so no one else would hear. "Katara can heal... Aang can fly...you could make people turn purple with green spots. Never ceases to amaze me."
"Oh, love." She rested her chin on his shoulder and smiled at him. "You amaze me," she said softly.
A blush spread across his cheeks upon hearing her say that. "...D--Don't see how....." His Royal Dweebness strikes again.
"I know you don't believe me when I say it, but really, you're an incredible person, you know," she told him, her voice still low.
"Not as incredible as you," he whispered, brushing a featherlight kiss against her cheek. The car slowed to a stop then. "This is it," he said, standing up and offering her his hand.
She smiled, taking his hand. "You're sweet," she said, letting him lead her out of the car.
"This way I think," he told her when they left the station and went down an empty yet rather well lit road. Soon they reached familiar territory, they were near where his old apartment was and the restaurant he had gone to with Jin. "This feels...a bit strange," he confessed with a sigh.
"Why's that?" she asked, not really paying attention -- she was looking around in fascination.
"...It's complicated," he replied after a moment, getting the sense that they were getting closer. He could still recall not too long ago, the feel of Jin's hand tightly around his wrist as she led him clumsily through the city. Even though he hardly knew her.... Didn't feel much of anything... There was something there. If there hadn't he wouldn't have kissed her back, right? No, that didn't matter now. It was many, many months ago. Things had changed.
"Mhm," she agreed, still not actually listening as she threaded her fingers through his, eyes flicking along the rooftops. She'd never been anywhere that looked like this city did.
His heart started to pound faster, harder, breathing coming in soft pants, and he wasn't sure why. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and smiled briefly, amused by how fascinated she was with everything. To him, this was everyday. The buildings and streets all looked the same. He'd almost forgotten that cities weren't made like this where she was from. Another corner to turn and then....there it was. Again, almost like a flash of deja vu, it wasn't lit. Whoever was in charge of its upkeep must've decided to abandon it long ago. Only this time.... He didn't have to hide. "Watch this."
She looked up at him. "Hmm? Oh..." An excited smile spread across her face. "I'm watching."
Zuko took a deep breath, not much of an act of perparation as it was just to get his heart to slow down. When he felt centered enough he waved his hand and all of the lower lights lit up at once, as if being washed over by a wave of light. For the others he lit them one by one, using a single hand to aim and light them. His movements were precise yet graceful, almost as if it were a dance of some sort. "There," he said when the last light was lit and he stepped back to admire his work.
Ginny's eyes went wide. "Oh..." she gasped, at a loss for words. She forgot most of the time how powerful he was, so his rare demonstrations were thrilling.
"You like it?" he asked softly, looking at her as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in close.
"'Pretty' doesn't do it justice," she murmured, looking around her as she leaned against his chest.
"I was hoping you'd like it," he smiled as he tilted her chin up to kiss her.
Where was that light coming from? Jin wondered as she was about to head home when something odd caught her eye. It looked like it was coming from...The Firelight Fountain! But it was never lit anymore! It hadn't been lit since.... She hadn't thought about him in a while now....but after seeing the distant glow she couldn't help but wonder. Could it be? She dashed down the street and rounded the corner, nearly tripping as she did so. Her pacing slowed when the fountain came in sight until she was almost tiptoeing. Two people...A man and a woman....and the fountain. The man's voice sounded familiar even though it was barely audible...It was. She was about to call to him when she saw him kiss her. What?
As he kissed her he couldn't help an odd feeling he was getting. This scene was all too familiar. It happened before, even though the situation was slightly different. Suddenly a shiver ran down his spine when he felt as if he was being watched. As if something had hit him he pulled away from the kiss to look over his shoulder and saw....her.
"What's wrong, love?" Ginny asked, frowning, as he pulled away -- he looked... upset?
"Lee..." Jin said softly when she saw him turn and stepped forward, seeing more of his face in the light. Yes, it was definitely him. Her mind fixated on the specific target, completely blocking out everything around her, including the other woman. "What are... What are you doing here?" Her voice was low and light.
"...Jin," Zuko wanted to back away but couldn't. The pounding returned to his chest once more, faster and harder than ever. He had to will his face not to redden, to not let the nervous sweat bead on his face even though it desperately wanted to. He wanted to run, oh how he did, just like the night so long ago. This was time was different, he couldn't. His feet were planted to the ground, body stiff and frozen. He looked at Ginny before glancing back to Jin.
"Zuko, what--" Ginny spun around, jumping when she saw Jin. "Who..."
Jin couldn't help the flames of jealousy that tickled at her insides. How dare he bring another woman to their place. Sure it had only been one date, but she had hoped that even still she had made some sort of impression on him. Since then she had considered this place to be even more sacred than she used to, secretly hoping that she would see him again. But not like this... No. Not with him wrapped around another girl, acting like that wonderful memory never even happened. Rather than tense up and act upon her instincts, she had chosen to give the impression of being soft, as if the scene didn't faze her in the slightest. "I see you remembered where it is," Jin tried to force a smile even though it was hard, placing a gentle hand on his arm.
Zuko's heart pounded so hard he thought it was going to burst. A lump formed in his throat that was incredibly difficult to force down. The feel of her soft hand on him sent chills throughout his body. Feelings of guilt, shame, and fear. As if acting of its own free will his other hand grabbed Ginny's wrist possessively, hoping that small gesture would give the other girl some sort of message. "Mm," was all he could think to reply with.
Finally deciding to give said other woman her attention, Jin turned her head. "I'm Jin..." Her eyes narrowed for a moment.
"Ginevra," she said sharply, deliberately giving the girl her full name; 'Ginny' was what her friends called her. This girl clearly had some kind of history with her firebender and therefore Ginny was going to be wary of her. "And how do you know Zuko?" she asked, leaning possessively against him.
Jin tried to think of something bitter to retort with but couldn't. All she could stammer out was a "Huh?" and turned to look at Zuko.
It took Zuko a long moment before he could bring himself to speak. "Jin... W--When we went out... I had to make up my name...." There was an even longer pause as he took a deep breath. "I'm not the person you think I am..."
"You're a firebender, right?" Jin had to try not to snort. "You're not that hard to figure out. How else could've it magically lit. I thought by not saying anything you'd get the message that I didn't care...." Jin then tugged at his sleeve. "I don't understand... Why you had to hide.... Why you had to lie... You lost it to me... Said so yourself. Was that a lie too?"
"No," again, he had to try not to redden. "Just.... My indentity...." A long, breathy sigh. "Look, things change... I'm not... It's complicated." He then cast Ginny a pleading look.
Her only response was to raise an eyebrow at him. She certainly had no clue what was going on, or what this Jin girl was talking about, and she wasn't going to give Zuko any help with it, either. He could talk his own way out of this one.
Trying not to freak out, Jin took a deep breath. "I don't understand..." A pause, she crossed her arms. "It's going to be complicated with you isn't it?" She turned around and started to walk off. "You know what? Fine. Let me know when you want to admit the truth.... You know where I live. I know I gave your nice uncle my address!" So they wouldn't see her cry she sped off back towards her home. It was bad enough when she finally decided to use her coupon neither he or his uncle wasn't there--they had moved on to another shop. But now...this? It was simply unbearable at the moment.
"Jin! Wait--" Zuko tried to stop her but fell silent, watching her speed down the street. Sighing softly, he looked at Ginny with a worried expression. "I'm sorry..."
She folded her arms and stared at him. "Explain to me what just happened, please."
"...That was Jin..." he told her, his voice low from still trying to calm down. "I went on a date with her a long time ago... I also erm-- Well, that doesn't matter now.... Does it?"
"Not as such, no," she agreed. "But clearly something else happened, or she wouldn't have been near so upset."
"I--I--," Zuko stammered, trying to figure out how to word it. "I slept with her, okay? Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away. It's history, don't care anymore." He too folded his arms and looked away, pouting.
"...I see," she said quietly after a moment. She judiciously decided not to bring up the fact that he had obviously deliberately hidden this from her; they had enough trust issues as it was. "I always sort of thought... I was..." her voice trailed off. She wasn't sure what to think, really.
"I'm sorry..." he whispered, pulling her into a hug. "Thought I told you... When we were first talking..."
"Not that I recall," she replied sharply, keeping her arms stubbornly folded. "...Did she mean anything to you?" she asked, knowing as she said it that it was an unfair question without a good answer.
"It wasn't much," he confessed. "Really. Actually it was pretty terrible....." His voice lowered to barely a mumble. "Got embarrassed and ran away...." He nuzzled against her neck. "You mean so much more."
She felt herself starting to cave and resisted. "Poor girl," she whispered, looking off in the direction she had run.
"I love you...." he whispered, kissing her softly near her ear. "I'm sorry."
"It's not me you should be apologising to," she said, giving in and letting her arms fall to wrap around his waist as she leaned against him.
"There's nothing to say really..." he sighed, holding her tightly. "It's not like I ever promised her anything."
"That's supposed to make me feel better?" she asked dryly. She was starting to pity the other girl; clearly she cared far more about Zuko than he ever had about her.
"I didn't know her," he tried to explain. "And I wasn't in a position to know her... It was complicated... Still is."
"Uh-huh," she said, not totally believing him, but she decided to let the subject drop for the time being. The last thing she wanted was to start another fight with him. "Tell me you love me," she said abruptly and looked up at him, realising as she said it that she actually was a bit jealous of the girl -- she'd sort of liked the idea of being his first.
"I love you... More than anything...." he told her, leaning in to brush his lips lightly against hers.
She kissed him back forcefully, needing suddenly the reassurance of the physical contact. Whatever that girl had meant to him, whatever he still meant to her, Zuko was hers now and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to make sure he knew it. Some part of her realised she was being ridiculous, but she didn't care.
He murmured softly as he kissed her even harder, slipping his tongue into her mouth as he sat on the edge of the fountain and pulled her onto his lap.
She sighed happily and relaxed against him, lifting a hand to tangle it in his hair. "Mmm... love you," she murmured as she pulled away to catch her breath.
"Love you more," he trailed soft kisses along her jawline. "You don't have to worry about things... I'm yours... All yours."
"Good," she said, tucking herself closer to him as she closed her eyes and rested her cheek against his shoulder.
"You tired?" he asked quietly, running his hand lightly up and down her back.
She shrugged. "Not really," she said, opening her eyes to look sideways up at him. "I just like being with you."
"I love being with you too," he smiled, hugging her tightly. "You're the first person I've ever felt this way about... You know that?"
She beamed at him. "Really?"
"Yeah," Zuko nodded and kissed the top of her head. "Before I never really had much time to meet people... Let alone go out with anybody..... So...." His voice trailed off and he rested his chin on top of her head.
She closed her eyes again and wrapped her arms around him. "You're such a sweetheart."
"You give me too much credit," he sighed, relaxing a bit. Unfortunately, he relaxed a little too much thus slipping and falling back into the fountain. "I'm cursed I swear!"
Ginny, who was still sitting on him, yelped as he fell back, landing heavily on top of him. "Oh love I'm sorry--" she said, scrambling off of him. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," he said, pushing himself back up so he was sitting on the stone edge of the fountain again. Frowning, he took a deep breath and all the water just steamed off him, leaving him as dry as he was before. "See?.... Are you okay?"
"Wet. But yes." She made a face, reaching inside her sleeve for her wand. Muttering a spell, she tapped it against her sleeve and steamed briefly. "Much better."
"Aw," he pouted. "I was enjoying the view of that...." Smirking, he tugged her back down onto his lap and nipped at her neck.
She giggled and batted playfully at him. "I bet you were, too."
Grinning, he ran his hands down along her sides and rested them on her hips. "Need any more proof of how much I love you?" His voice was almost a low purr as he breathed softly against her ear.
She giggled at him some more and dropped a kiss on the end of his nose. "Mmm. No."
"I'll show you anyway," he whispered, leaning in to capture her lips in a rough, passionate kiss. One of his hands migrated farther up, to cradle the back of her head as he kissed her, fingers threaded in her hair.
She inhaled sharply and arched her back against him, kissing him hard. "Mmh-- Zuko--" she muttered against his lips.
Pulling back to catch his breath, he then rested his forehead against hers and panted against her lips. "You want to head back and perhaps have a drink or two?"
"Sounds like a good plan," she said, one corner of her mouth lifting in a half-smirk.
BACK AT THE BATCAVE- AKA The Bedroom That Is Made Of Absolute Win- Zuko sat down on his bed and pulled her down on top of him. "I'm still sorry...about before....." He said after a moment of silence.
"It's all right," she said softly, nuzzling his neck. "It's not your fault..."
"It kind of is," he sighed, raking his fingers up and down her back. "You shouldn't have to be put through that sort of thing."
"No." She pressed a kiss against the curve of his shoulder. "You couldn't have known she would be there."
"Shouldn't have given her a reason to be mad..." he frowned. "It's different with you because I don't have to hide anything. Before though..."
"Zuko." She lifted her head and frowned at him, cupping his face with her hands. "It's not your fault, all right? You're acting as though you want me to blame you."
"Perhaps you should?" he glanced away.
She sighed and forced him to look at her. "You have to quit blaming yourself for everything, love," she said quietly.
"But things are my fault," he replied in asmall whine of a sort. "I don't like forcing things upon other people..."
Her expression turned from concerned to exasperated. "Stop being ridiculous," she said, and titled her head up to kiss him gently.
"M'not being ridiculous," he mumbled against her lips, clutching onto the fabric of her tunic.
"Yes you are," she replied, and, exerting some force, pushed him over onto his back and sat on his hips. "What am I going to have to do to get you to stop?"
"I 'unno," he half-shrugged. Most of his attention had begun drifting to certain other parts of his body due to where she had positioned herself.
"Because..." she leaned over, letting her still-damp hair fall over her shoulders. "I have a few ideas, but I'm open to suggestions..." She trailed her fingers along his collarbone as she spoke.
Brain? What brain? Blood stopped flowing there the moment she touched him. "Um... Uh...." And there goes the coherency too!
She smirked. "That's what I thought," she breathed, sliding a hand under his shirt as she leaned down to kiss him.
He groaned softly into the kiss, eagerly slipping his tongue into her mouth. His hands slid around from her back to grope her breasts through the several layers of clothing.
She nipped at his lower lip, digging her nails into his chest. "You can do better than that," she murmured against his lips before kissing him again.
"Mm--" he moaned into the kiss, tugging at the sash around her waist loose and then slipped her tunic up a bit so he could pull at her pants.
She tugged at his shirt until she was able to work it out from under him and off, skimming her hands across his bare chest as she pressed herself closer to him.
He fell back for a moment, panting heavily and peered up at her. Grumbling incoherently, he tried tugging and fumbling with her clothes, frustrated at how complicated they were to remove in this position. "You're going to have to sit up or something."
She pouted, but did as he asked, uncurling herself catlike from his chest to sit on his legs, watching him through heavily-lidded eyes. "And now what?" she asked.
"Hn... Take it off..." he gave her tunic a gentle tug to show what he was talking about. "I can handle the rest."
"And you not even drunk," she said, amused, but stripped the tunic off over her head and tossed it over the side of the bed. "Better?" she asked, smirking at him.
"Much," he replied, sitting up and leaning on one elbow slightly as he pushed her shirt and bra up and took one of her breasts in his mouth.
She sucked in a startled breath, one hand flying up to tangle in his hair and the other dropping to his leg to brace herself.
Eager to please her, he tried different things with his mouth, licking, sucking, nibbling, and the like. Not really having much experience really he had to figure out on his own what it was that she liked. The hand that wasn't keeping himself propped up gripped at her side, nails clawing at her skin.
She moaned and let her head roll back, fingernails digging into his scalp. "Z--Zuko," she stuttered, unable to get the word out properly.
He lowered his mouth to her stomach and licked back up. Face reddening, he peered up at her in a way that seemed as though his eyes asked 'Am I doing okay?'.
She smiled and bent her head to kiss him reassuringly. She certainly wasn't objecting to anything he was doing.
With a bit more confidence, he tugged her shirt off and undid her bra. Licking his lips, he pondered for a moment before sinking his teeth into her shoulder, making a low growling sound as he did so.
She shivered, making a pleased whimpering sound as one of her hands dropped to start working at the fastenings of his pants.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered, kissing softly along her collarbone. His hand lowered to grab her hip.
"Zuko..." she whispered, wondering somewhere in the back of her mind how such a simple statement from him could turn her to mush.
He smiled at her but then frowned for a moment when he saw that where he had bit her was starting to form a bruise. "M'sorry...."
"Hush," she said, having no idea what he was talking about. She tilted her head to kiss him again as she finally got his pants undone.
He kissed her back as he wriggled out of his pants as much as he could.
Smirking to herself, she shoved him over onto his back, tugging his pants the rest of the way off and dropping them over the side of the bed. She crawled up him, nipping at his stomach and chest until she could lie flush against him, kissing him hard.
"Oooh yes," he moaned, kissing her back fiercely. As he did so he raked his nails down her back, arching his hips against her.
She purred happily and bit at his lip, grinding her hips against his and shivering again as his nails skimmed along her spine.
Growling, he tore off whatever else she had left on and bit her neck hard. After a while of grinding and nibbling, his low growls turned to pleading whimpers as he writhed wantonly below her.
Feeling rather absurdly pleased with herself, she dug her nails into his sides and kissed him hard, content to let him lead. "Mine," she breathed against his lips.
"Mine," he growled, flipping her over onto her back as he entered her. Then there ws like....rough passionate sex or something. Unless there wasn't, and all of that would've been done for nothing. We'll just say they scored and were happy. Too bad they didn't have any nachos.
Later, Ginny lay snuggled against his side, wrapped in a blanket she had retrieved from the end of the bed. "I love you," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.
"Love you more." he replied, running his hand down along her side, and flashed her a smile.
"Mmm." She smiled back at him. "You're really something else, Zuko," she said quietly, resting her chin against his chest and looking up at him.
"That's a compliment, yes?" he smirked, stroking her hair.
"Yes," she said, amused. "How many people d'you think could've had the sort of childhood you did and still become such a wonderful person, hmm?"
"M'not good," he shook his head. "You just get special treatment."
"You are, she protested, snuggling closer to him.
"Mmm...You're just trying to boost my ego," he pouted.
She shook her head. "It's true. Maybe you don't believe me, but it is."
"No use arguing with you, my dear," he sighed, smiling all the same. The hand on her pulled her even closer to him.
"...I love it when you smile," she said after a moment.
"You give me a reason to," He kissed the top of her head.
"I'm glad I do," she said, tucking her head under his chin. "You're worth the effort."
"Have I ever told you I think you're the most amazing person ever?" he asked her.
She flushed slightly. "I'm not."
"Yes you are," he nodded. "Don't deny it."
"How d'you figure?" she asked, genuinely curious.
"You love me," he told her. "Despite how much of an ass I am. And you're the only person I trust enough to..."
"To what?" she asked, lifting her head to look at him.
"Be like this with," he made a vague gesture. "M'not exactly a wordly, mastered person."
She gave him a slightly wobbly smile. "See, you are so a sweetheart," she whispered.
"Stop flattering me," he pouted. "I don't deserve it."
"You do," she insisted. "If for no other reason than you love me."
"I love you so much it hurts," he whispered, holding her tightly.
Her expression went wobbly again, and she responded by leaning up and kissing him softly.
He kissed her back, lightly trailing his hands down her spine.
"Love you," she murmured, breaking the kiss and smiling at him.
"Love you too," he nodded, smiling back at her and blinked sleepily.
She laid her head back down on his chest, tugging the blanket out from underneath her to tuck one side of it around Zuko. "G'night, my love," she said.
"Night," he replied in a soft whisper, already mostly asleep, and snuggled against her before finally just letting himself drift off.