not from around here | Zuko X OC

| chapter fifty five |

"No! Please! Have mercy!"
"Never! Ahhh!"
The duke threw himself at Saki and tackled her, laughing crazily as Saki screamed in fake pain. She then started to pretend to choke and splutter out words as she dramatically reached an arm out to the sky.

"..Zuko..." She spluttered out. "Avenge me...blehg!" She stuck out her tongue and closed her eyes, pretending to be dead.
"Oh no, don't get me involved in your little game." Said Zuko, shaking his head from where he was sat on a raised stone bench, watching them play.
The Duke pouted and Saki sat up and crossed her legs.

"Please Zuko!" Whined the boy, falling onto his back and tilting his head backwards to look at Zuko with big, shiny, round eyes.
Zuko avoided his gaze and laced his fingers together, twiddling his thumbs awkwardly.
"Yeah, please Zuko!" Saki added, laying in the same position and giving him the same look.

Zuko made the mistake of making eye contact with her and felt a strange feeling pool in his stomach - almost one of guilt.
"Don't give me that look." He murmured, trying to pull his eyes away from her big ones, however he couldn't.

"Fine, but only because you're making me feel guilty." Zuko said to Saki, standing up and then sitting with the other two. They let out shouts of happiness and raised their hands in the air at Zuko's choice to join them (although some may say he didn't have much of a choice).

"Alright, what do you want to play?" Saki asked the Duke as he sat back down.
"Hide and seek!" He yelled, smiling as wide as he could. "I wanna count!" He added, putting his small hands over his eyes.
"One, two..."

"Come on Zuko!" Saki said, jumping up and grabbing his arm to drag him along.
Zuko quickly stood so he wouldn't get dragged across the dirty floor and followed her as she kept hold of his arm.

"We've gotta find somewhere to hide." Saki said, still pulling him along. Zuko didn't mind though, Saki's love language seemed to be touch and so she always liked to be touching Zuko somehow. Whether that was her sat in his lap or just one of each of their fingers intertwined, she didn't mind. Just as long as she was touching him.

Of course, this could just be because she didn't want him to leave again, however he knew that her trust in him was still strong and that it was more likely to be that she loved to be near him because she had always been so touchy. In Ba Sing Se when they had gotten so close, she was just the same. Clinging onto him, pushing him sometimes, sitting so close to him when there was plenty other room on their couch, the list went on.

He snapped back to reality as Saki pulled him behind a pillar. The had moved not too far - probably because Saki didn't want to make the game too hard for the Duke - but far enough that he wouldn't think they made it easy on purpose.
She grinned at him cheekily then peered round the huge pillar. She looked back at Zuko and frowned slightly.

"You look like you've never played a game of hide and seek before. What's with the face?" She asked, poking his cheek with her index finger.
"I have, I'm just...not that good with kids.." He murmured, looking down at the dusty ground.
"Yeah you are! You just have to put yourself out there!" She exclaimed, then clamped a hand over her mouth, realising she was supposed to be quiet.

"I don't want to put myself out there because what if they don't like me?" Zuko said, still not looking up at her.
"What about when we-" She cut herself off, realising her mistake.
"When we what?" Said Zuko, snapping his head up to look at Saki, who was now trying to awkwardly avoid his gaze.

"N-nothing! What are you talking about? I didn't say anything, haha...ha." She laughed nervously, but Zuko obviously saw straight through it.
"What were you going to say? When we have kids?" He asked, the question making her cringe slightly.
"That's what I was going to say, yes..." She admitted, still not looking up.