not from around here | Zuko X OC

| chapter thirty five |

Saki walked out of the bedroom her and Zuko shared, rubbing her aching forehead with her index fingers and thumbs.

Zuko was already sat at the small table, drinking tea and talking to Iroh.
"Morning Sak-oh..." He started, trailing off when he saw Saki's pale and disheveled face.

"Don't." Was all she said as she sat next to him, sniffling. She knew she looked like a mess, however she was choosing to ignore it.
"You don't look too good, Saki." Said Iroh, peering over at her.

"Yeah, are you sick?" Asked Zuko.
"No, I'm fined." She told them both.
"You just put a d on the end of the word "fine", so you're not fine." Said Zuko.

Saki sniffed again, the sharp intake of breath causing her to break into a coughing fit.
"I'm okay, don't worry."

"You should go back to bed." Suggested uncle. "I'll make you some tea and you can rest today, don't worry about work, me and Zuko can handle it." Iroh told her comfortingly.

"No, you dom't neeb to, I cand still work." She said, trying and failing to not let her words be altered by her blocked nose.
"Just go back to bed." Said Zuko, sighing and trying to shoo her back to her feet and back to the bedroom.

She glared at the two of them. She felt like they were ganging up on her at this point. She didn't even think she was that ill.

As if to prove her own point wrong, a sudden pain in her stomach made her almost double over in pain.
Oh great, just what she needed.

Zuko seemed to notice and sighed.
"Just go to bed already." He said again, trying to drag her to their room.

Saki could feel something rising in her throat and burning. As well as coughing, sneezing, being bunged up and riding the crimson wave, she was now also about to throw up.
Lovely.

She pushed down whatever wanted to come up and sighed.
"I'll go to bed." She mumbled, standing.
"But I am fined. Damn it! Fined. Find. Finnned." She continued muttering as she walked back into the bedroom, trying to talk normally.

Still muttering to herself, she climbed under the blankets and propped some pillows against the wall so she could comfortably sit up.

She could hear voices outside and she was sure that Zuko was complaining and whining about something, she just couldn't pick up on what.

"I know, I'll be there later."
The door creaked open and Zuko walked in, finishing whatever he was saying to Iroh.
He turned to face Saki as he walked to where she was sat up.

"What's going on? Where's uncle?" Saki asked, looking up at Zuko as he walked in.

"He's gone down to open the shop. He told me to give you this."He said, throwing something that looked like a stuffed toy at Saki, but turned out to be a warm pouch. She quickly caught it and a grin spread across her face.
It was a "Zuko world" hot water bottle.

"Thank you!" She said, lifting her shirt slightly and shoving it up, before pulling her shirt back down to keep the hot thing in place.

"I'm going to work, if you need anything then tell me." He said, standing and turning to go to the door.

"How will I tell you?" Saki asked, cocking her head at him and making him stop in his tracks.