diff --git a/cmd/w6c/cgen.c b/cmd/w6c/cgen.c
index c9a74c03..b9a4923c 100644
--- a/cmd/w6c/cgen.c
+++ b/cmd/w6c/cgen.c
@@ -11319,15 +11319,16 @@ cgexpr(Cg *c, Node *n, Local *locals)
 					    areg(D_X0));
 					break;
 				}
-				/* str IS []u8 — load (ptr, len, cap) into
-				 * (AX, BX, CX), the canonical slice-header ABI,
-				 * so chains like `t.1.len` propagate through the
-				 * slice-rhs convention (#1/Phase 3 collapse).
-				 * UNLIKE the field arms there is no slice-element
-				 * sibling here, so the triple is hand-authored;
-				 * base is BP (frame) or CX (global base — CX is
-				 * written LAST so it survives the +0/+8 reads). */
-				if (fu && fu->kind == TY_STR) {
+				/* str IS []u8, and a slice is the same 24B
+				 * {ptr,len,cap} header — load all three words into
+				 * (AX, BX, CX), the canonical slice-header ABI, so
+				 * chains like `t.1.len` propagate through the
+				 * slice-rhs convention (#1/Phase 3 collapse). #28:
+				 * pre-fix the gate was str-only, so a SLICE tuple
+				 * element fell to the fldloadop tail (one ptr word;
+				 * len/cap stale). base is BP (frame) or CX (global
+				 * base — CX written LAST so it survives the +0/+8). */
+				if (fu && (fu->kind == TY_STR || fu->kind == TY_SLICE)) {
 					ins2(c, A_MOVQ,
 					    amem(base_reg, base_disp + foff + 0),
 					    areg(D_AX));
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
index cd1c0d7c..d84a8bdf 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
@@ -26646,7 +26646,14 @@ fn cgdot(c: *cgen, n: *node) void = {
 						};
 						if (tp != nil) {
 							let tpt: *node = tp.lhs;
-							if (isstrtype(c, tpt)) {
+							// str IS []u8, and a slice is the same 24B
+							// {ptr,len,cap} header — load all three words
+							// into (AX, BX, CX). #28: pre-fix the gate was
+							// str-only, so a SLICE tuple element fell to
+							// the scalar tail below (one ptr word; len/cap
+							// took stale registers). base is BP (frame),
+							// so the triple order has no clobber risk.
+							if (isstrtype(c, tpt) || isslicetype(c, tpt)) {
 								emitline("\tMOVQ\t");
 								emitoff((lc.off + foff + 0): i64);
 								emitline("(BP), AX\n");
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenexpr.ww b/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenexpr.ww
index 0c445f9a..1d9970d3 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenexpr.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/wcc/cgenexpr.ww
@@ -3495,7 +3495,14 @@ fn cgdot(c: *cgen, n: *node) void = {
 						};
 						if (tp != nil) {
 							let tpt: *node = tp.lhs;
-							if (isstrtype(c, tpt)) {
+							// str IS []u8, and a slice is the same 24B
+							// {ptr,len,cap} header — load all three words
+							// into (AX, BX, CX). #28: pre-fix the gate was
+							// str-only, so a SLICE tuple element fell to
+							// the scalar tail below (one ptr word; len/cap
+							// took stale registers). base is BP (frame),
+							// so the triple order has no clobber risk.
+							if (isstrtype(c, tpt) || isslicetype(c, tpt)) {
 								emitline("\tMOVQ\t");
 								emitoff((lc.off + foff + 0): i64);
 								emitline("(BP), AX\n");
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
index e8cefe0b..459e3a6a 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
@@ -26646,7 +26646,14 @@ fn cgdot(c: *cgen, n: *node) void = {
 						};
 						if (tp != nil) {
 							let tpt: *node = tp.lhs;
-							if (isstrtype(c, tpt)) {
+							// str IS []u8, and a slice is the same 24B
+							// {ptr,len,cap} header — load all three words
+							// into (AX, BX, CX). #28: pre-fix the gate was
+							// str-only, so a SLICE tuple element fell to
+							// the scalar tail below (one ptr word; len/cap
+							// took stale registers). base is BP (frame),
+							// so the triple order has no clobber risk.
+							if (isstrtype(c, tpt) || isslicetype(c, tpt)) {
 								emitline("\tMOVQ\t");
 								emitoff((lc.off + foff + 0): i64);
 								emitline("(BP), AX\n");
diff --git a/test/wcc/949_f6_header_run.c b/test/wcc/949_f6_header_run.c
index 4b7bb01d..975ed4d6 100644
--- a/test/wcc/949_f6_header_run.c
+++ b/test/wcc/949_f6_header_run.c
@@ -100,6 +100,45 @@ static const struct row rows[] = {
 	  "	let v: []u8 = s: []u8;\n"
 	  "	return v.cap: i32;\n"
 	  "};\n", 4, K_RUN, NULL },
+	/* #28 (#263 both-stages): tuple slice-element read `t.0` over a
+	 * ([]u8, i64). A clobber() call between the tuple build and the
+	 * read leaves junk in BX/CX; pre-fix the str-only arm fell to the
+	 * scalar tail (ptr word only), so ys.len read stale BX. Reads len
+	 * == 5 (distinct from any stale value) → 0. */
+	{ "tuple_slice_elem",
+	  "package main;\n"
+	  "fn clobber() i64 = {\n"
+	  "	let a: i64 = 111;\n"
+	  "	let b: i64 = 222;\n"
+	  "	return a + b;\n"
+	  "};\n"
+	  "export fn main() i32 = {\n"
+	  "	let xs: []u8 = [1u8, 2u8, 3u8, 4u8, 5u8];\n"
+	  "	let t: ([]u8, i64) = (xs, 7);\n"
+	  "	let junk: i64 = clobber();\n"
+	  "	let ys: []u8 = t.0;\n"
+	  "	if (ys.len == 5) { return 0; };\n"
+	  "	return 1;\n"
+	  "};\n", 0, K_RUN, NULL },
+	/* #28 sibling: the slice element sits at tuple position 1 (foff != 0:
+	 * an i64 occupies slot 0, the []u8 header starts at +8). Exercises the
+	 * widened arm's offset arithmetic, which the position-0 row leaves
+	 * untested. Same clobber()-between-build-and-read trigger; len == 6. */
+	{ "tuple_slice_elem_pos1",
+	  "package main;\n"
+	  "fn clobber() i64 = {\n"
+	  "	let a: i64 = 111;\n"
+	  "	let b: i64 = 222;\n"
+	  "	return a + b;\n"
+	  "};\n"
+	  "export fn main() i32 = {\n"
+	  "	let xs: []u8 = [1u8, 2u8, 3u8, 4u8, 5u8, 6u8];\n"
+	  "	let t: (i64, []u8) = (9, xs);\n"
+	  "	let junk: i64 = clobber();\n"
+	  "	let ys: []u8 = t.1;\n"
+	  "	if (ys.len == 6) { return 0; };\n"
+	  "	return 1;\n"
+	  "};\n", 0, K_RUN, NULL },
 };
 
 static int