Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Duke couldn’t believe it- it’s Zuko!!! The young boy watched as the familiar face walked away from afar, and no matter how hard he yelled, he just wasn’t close enough to grab the teen’s attention.

“That’s him! That’s the guy I was telling you about!” The Duke hollered at Haru and Teo, pointing vigorously at the figure that was slowly fading away.

“The guy who’d tell you all those stories?” Teo asked, following them to the nearest exit so they could see what was going on.

…

When The Duke met Zuko for the first time, he wasn’t “Zuko” but rather ”Li.” He and the other freedom fighters ran into him while seeking refuge in Ba Sing Se, where their leader, Jet, was very motivated to get “Li” to join their group. In the beginning, he was too standoffish and upset at the world to bond with the group. However, the passage of time seemed to help heal both Jet and Zuko in their own ways.

The Duke didn’t completely understand romance or the difference between friends and partners yet, but he understood enough to catch on that Zuko and Jet were more than friends. He acted like his parents did back when they were still alive- glued to each other’s sides during all phases of themselves whether that be bickering, laughing, or consoling one another. He’d also catch a kiss or two before Smellerbee ushered him away from the window, insisting that they needed privacy.

Even if Jet didn’t always verbalize it, he’d always cared for Zuko. Even when he really, really didn’t want to. At first it was the ideas of him being a firebender, then after he found out that he was in fact a firebender after he denied it, then after he found out that his name wasn’t even Li but rather ‘Prince Zuko of The Fire Nation.’

They’ve fought a lot, but something kept pulling them back together. Jet did most of the work on finding him, but Zuko always seemed to welcome him back into his life, time and time again. The Duke thought about his conversation with Zuko’s uncle, who spoke about Zuko’s tendencies to shut his loved ones out in fear that he’ll be rejected if he asks for forgiveness first. Funnily enough, The Duke running off to find Zuko was the reason they got back together the second time. He remembered feeling so relieved when he saw the familiar face of “Mushi” after the two moved away to work in the upper ring of the city. Later that night, Jet and the others had finally found him, and before Jet could pick another fight, The Duke begged Jet to “be friends” with Zuko again. After a long walk, the two teens returned together, hand-in-hand with smiling faces.

The Duke never said it out loud, but he secretly hoped the two could get a home together where he could stay with them. On nights that Zuko stayed over, he’d happily tell stories to the boy before he went to bed. Jet would always lie back and watch them with a relaxed, satisfied look on his face. Much more deeply satisfied than any victory against any firebenders brought him. The Duke hated it when the two insisted on being alone or going off on some adventure without the rest of them, but Smellerbee always assured him that it wasn’t because they didn’t want to spend time with him and that they would play with him again later.

The end had all happened so fast- too fast for such a young boy to ever process by himself. Iroh had shown up at their door saying that Zuko was captured, and Jet readily joined the man on their search. When The Duke insisted on joining, Iroh had an odd, sad look to his face that the boy couldn’t quite understand.

“I think it would be best… if you were to stay back here with someone, little one,” Iroh spoke with a weary voice, unable to look anyone in the eyes.

Before The Duke could protest, he remembered their talk at the Jasmine Dragon. Iroh shared how he lost his son in Ba Sing Se, back when he was a different man. Iroh seemed to hold the same expression as he did when sharing this story, so The Duke assumed that Iroh foresaw something bad coming from this mission.

Without hesitation, Pipsqueak stayed back with The Duke and had eventually decided to get them the hell out of that city the very second the first word of an invasion had spread. With more luck than humanly imaginable, they seemed to escape the walls just before the fire nation soldiers busted through.

“Do you think they’ll be okay?” The Duke asked as he rode on Pipsqueak’s shoulders.

“I’m sure of it, The Duke.” The bigger man gave a fake smile, glad he wasn't completely facing the boy.

…

“Was that really Zuko!? Where’s he going!?!?” The Duke’s questions echoed across the air temple halls as he tried peering over the edge of the flooring.

“You know Zuko!?” Sokka’s jaw dropped along with the others.

The Duke didn’t understand why everyone was so upset. He just wanted to know where Zuko was going and if any of the freedom fighters were there with him. He blocked out most of their interrogating questions with the distraction of finding any sight of him down below, but he eventually gave up.

“The Duke, when did you meet Zuko?” Katara asked gently while kneeling down to his level. She seemed concerned, as if something bad had happened to him without his knowledge.

Despite her expression, The Duke popped up with pride at his recollection of Zuko. “He’s Jet’s partner! He’s the guy who taught me how to read and write and told me all those stories- like the one about the stars!”

No one there seemed to interpret “partner” in the same way that The Duke meant, as he was told that “boyfriends” wasn’t a safe word to use in public; But the classic “partners in crime” interpretation was all they needed in order to understand how much The Duke knew Zuko.

“The Duke, I’m afraid Zuko isn’t who you think he is. He’s been hunting down Aang for the past few months, and did… a lot of evil things.” Sokka explained as he kneeled next to Katara, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“He changed! Jet and Zuko both changed!” The Duke shouted out, wiggling out of Sokka’s grasp.

“Hey, hey! Easy, Buddy! We’re just trying to explain to you that he’s not as safe as he might seem!” Sokka insisted with an anxious look on his face.

The Duke knew Sokka was nice and funny and trustworthy… So how could he say such a thing?! He remembered how they seemed to forgive Jet back when they went to free Appa… why couldn’t they forgive Zuko?

The Duke noticed Toph was gone. He heard her yelling, but he knew she got heated up easily, so overhearing any outbursts of hers wasn’t exactly new to him. Still, he wondered if any of that was related to Zuko.

“Why’d Toph leave?!” He demanded, crossing his arms and turning his back towards everyone there.

“She’s… also upset about us refusing to let Zuko join us,” Katara admitted.

“He was gonna join us!? Which way is he going now!?” The boy turned back faster than an airbender, hands now on his head.

“Duke…” Haru started, but that was enough to get The Duke to explode.

“It’s THE Duke!!! THE!!! T! H! A!” He yelled, storming off down the stairway.

Sokka coughed as he broke the awkward silence, “…Okay, either his name isn’t spelt how I thought it was, or Zuko is a shit spelling teacher.”

…

It was super dark, but The Duke wasn’t afraid of the dark! Even if he really, really wanted a torch right about now. A faint smell of smoke lead westward, so that’s where The Duke followed.

At some point, The Duke heard a girl scream. He knew it was Toph as she continued to call out, and he almost ran away until he heard Zuko’s familiar voice exclaim “WHY AM I SO BAD AT BEING GOOD!?!?”

It took him about five more minutes to locate Zuko’s campsite, and at first, he didn’t even see Zuko until he heard shuffling from the darkest corner of the tent.

“Hello!? I didn’t mean to burn her! I swear!” Zuko shouted with a nasally undertone- had he been crying?

The Duke hurdled towards the tent with open arms, calling out “Zuzu!”

He liked calling Zuko that because he always laughed at Zuko’s reaction when Jet called him that, too. When caught laughing, Zuko would mischievously sneak over to The Duke and tickle him, demanding what was so funny.

“Huh?” Zuko removed his hand from his face, shocked at the sight and sound of the boy.

As he was pelted by a big hug, Zuko snapped out of it and finally hugged the boy back enough to knock the wind out of both of them. As Zuko slowly rocked him side-to-side in the deep embrace, the kid giggled, ignoring that his helmet fell off of his head.

“The Duke… Little buddy… what are you doing here!?” Zuko asked breathlessly, leaning back to scan his face.

The Duke beamed with pride, “I saw you! They said they didn’t want you to join, but I know you’re good! You’re the most good person I know, Zuko!”

Zuko laughed, but not without a look of guilt. “Well, Buddy… I haven’t made great choices lately. I’m trying to change for good and help The Avatar learn firebending… but so far it’s been a disaster.”

“Was that Toph? She was yelling…” The Duke looked out into the dark and finally recognized a pillar emerging from the ground. “Did you two have a fight?” He added.

Zuko closes his eyes, sighing. He remembered when he’d ask Zuko this after he and Jet finished yelling at each other… and to a much more awkward extent after he noticed a few bite marks on his shoulders. Stupid Jet had probably woken up the entire neighborhood with his hour-long laughing fit.

“Yeah. We got in a fight.”

The Duke pouted, looking around for any injuries. He noticed Zuko’s posture was worse than usual, with dust and dirt covering his stomach.

“Your belly’s hurt.” The Duke stated as a fact, looking around for anything to use to help.

Zuko redirected his attention by softly grabbing his shoulder. “It’s okay, bud. It’s not that bad.”

Zuko thought about a similar eruption of earth that stood in front of Jet’s limp body back in Ba Sing Se.

…

“Get out of my face right now before I ruin yours.” Jet hissed, eyes practically red from an indescribable rage pulsating through his entire body.

Zuko was almost touched… he suggested his face wasn’t already ruined.

“Jet… Li- or… Zuko is still the same person. He just has a different past, and we’ve all agreed to put the past behind us” Smellerbee started, but Jet wouldn’t let her finish.

“Bullshit! He’s a liar! He’s from the Fire Nation, he’s a firebender, and he’s the offspring of the very person who’s in charge of this whole war! If it weren’t for his father my parents wouldn’t be ashes right now!” His yelling echoed throughout all of the underground tunnels, probably alerting every Dai Li possible.

“He’s not his father, Jet,” Longshot spoke, causing everyone to turn his way in shock.

He continued after a short pause- “Zuko has done a lot of good for us, including you. I know I didn’t know your parents, but I’d like to think they’d want you to be happy. You and Zuko have both changed each other, and you need each other to make it through these difficult times… You love each other.”

“I loved Li. Li’s not here anymore.” Jet spat with his eyes closed, shifting his weight onto his toes for a moment as if the floor knew he was lying.

The sound of Aang and his friends echoed nearby, and Zuko pulled his mask back on. “Fine, I’ve got new plans anyway.”

Time passed, and on their way out Zuko and Iroh ran into the sight of Jet collapsed on the ground.

However, he wasn’t the only one.

Twenty, no- thirty-something Dai Lee laid across the floor. Some had arrows in their chest, others a dark red pool surrounding where they laid. Both panting, Smellerbee and Longshot leaned on one another as they sat in front of Jet.

“Is he alive!?” Zuko gasped out as he charged toward the trio, almost tripping over a few fallen men.

“...hah..yes…” Jet breathed, grabbing onto his shirt like his life depended on it.

“You’re hurt,” Zuko said plainly, putting a hand over his.

Jet ignored him, eyes dazed. “...You kill that Bison?...-ngh…”

“No. I let him go.” Zuko answered, seeing his uncle talk to Smellerbee and Longshot in his peripheral.

Jet let out a short laugh, then winced at the sharp pain in his stomach. “Hah… you are a little softy… Kitty…”

Zuko gave a sheepish smile at his dumb nickname that Jet gave him a while back, then gently lifted Jet’s shirt to see the damage.

“Yo dude… not in front of your uncle…” Jet said with the most disturbed face Zuko had ever seen on him.

Zuko had laughed for the first time in what seemed like forever, “I’m checking the damages, idiot.”

There was a lot of redness, but it wasn’t purple yet. 'That’s good… so good…' Zuko thought as he recollected the signs of internal bleeding. 'Internal bleeding turns purple almost immediately, bruising turns within in one or two days.' He didn’t see any blood from his nose or mouth either, and he was still conscious.

“Let’s get him out of here before any others arrive,” Iroh said, helping the other two get up.

Zuko nodded, gently hoisting him up with the help of the others. “I’m still so… ngh… I hate you damn ash makers… so much…” Jet gasped as he was led to a safe exit. Smellerbee kept trying to get him to quit, but to Zuko’s relief, his constant griping was a sign that he was still breathing.

That was the longest fight the two had, but neither of them remembered most of the days that passed by. While Iroh tended to his family, the freedom fighters tended to their own. By the time Jet recovered enough to move around with ease, Zuko and his uncle had already gone off and moved into the upper ring of the city. Jet refused to even say the name “Zuko” up until a certain someone had ran off to find him.

Zuko, refreshed and as chipper as ever, was just mixing his fifth experimental lemonade-tea recipe as he hummed an improvised tune. He heard his uncle talking to someone out in the front, but he just assumed it was another customer who stayed after hours. It was only until he heard yelling from a familiar voice that he decided to peer out and see what was going on.

“Li! -I mean, Zuko!” The Duke cheered as he got out of Jet’s arms to into Zuko’s.

Zuko instinctively accepted the embrace, very glad to see the boy again. “Hey, little bit! When did you get here?”

“I was wondering the same thing.” Jet said, giving The Duke ‘the look.’

The Duke blushed and turned away from Jet’s stare, mumbling, “I left around lunchtime but got here like an hour ago, I think.”

“Not. Okay. We spent hours looking around for you, and they’re still out there thinking you’re lost!” Jet shifted his eye’s to Zuko’s “And give me my kid back, you ash maker!” Jet walked up to snatch his youngest member of his group, ignoring The Duke’s protests.

“Don’t call him that, Jet!” The Duke started to wail, finally wiggling out of his arms again to run back into Zuko’s. “Stop being in a fight! I miss you and L- Zuko telling me stories and playing with me! You’re supposed to love each other! Smellerbee told me you did!”

Jet was still as he watched the boy cling to his ex, staining his clothes with tears and snot. Zuko didn’t look up at Jet at all, but only focused all of his attention on The Duke. Jet remembered how he himself had held the boy all throughout the night after they found him stealing their food. He then remembered the face of the man who killed his parents as he watched him cry, and recognized that whatever form of evil that man was… Zuko was not the same.

Jet gave a heavy, somewhat irritated sigh. “Mushi… can you watch him while your nephew and I have a talk outside?”

“It’s actually Iroh, but, yes. He’s a great guest and deserves some more lychee tea!” Iroh agreed with the hopes of cheering The Duke up, refilling the small cup that sat on the edge of one of the tables. To their relief, the crying had stopped almost immediately.

Jet was a bit taken aback at Zuko’s new personality, but he assumed that’s what life in the upper ring did to a person. He gave up after a few minutes of trying for a screaming match, realizing that Zuko was no longer built on rage and aggression. Instead, Zuko got to share more of his past life, and everything the fire nation did to him, as well as his own mistakes he had made. Finally, Zuko had nothing left to hide from Jet.

Jet tried to keep his word and deny any forgiveness to him, but the moonlight had complemented his fair skin too well, his eyes seemed to have a golden glow even in the dark, his smile and laughter were too nice to look away from, they were perfectly hidden away from the public... and...

…

The Duke didn’t budge when Zuko told him to go back to the others so they wouldn't worry. At first, Zuko thought he was just being stubborn, but he had to agree that maybe daylight would be safer to travel through than the night. He just hoped that none of them would find him and seek vengeance for burning Toph’s feet, though at the time, he really felt like he deserved it.

“Zuko?” The Duke yawned, snuggling on top of the teen’s chest as they listened to the cricket-flies chirp.

“Yeah, bud?” Zuko yawned back.

“Where’s Jet, Longshot, and Smellerbee?”

The Duke felt Zuko’s heart pound for a moment, making him look up.

“Well… they’re alive but… I’m afraid they’re in prison.” Zuko gulped, thinking about his lover and his friends being tossed around by Boiling Rock’s guards.

The Duke broke the short silence with a quiet “I think that’s where Pipsqueak is, too… Do you think they’ll be okay?”

“I’m sure of it.” Zuko whispered back.

Chapter Text

Along with Smellerbee and Longshot, Jet had been picking out salvageable pieces of food from the slop they called “stew.” He was glad he had people he already knew at the prison, but hated the fact that his friends had to experience this place too.

Jet had last seen Zuko in the Crystal Catacombs, pouting under the vibrant lime glow of the cave. ’God, he looked so pretty.’ Jet thought. He would’ve kissed him, but he knew better than to do so with an audience. Instead, the last touch he had with Zuko was a quick embrace that was far too short for Jet.

He liked to eavesdrop on the guards in hopes that they’d gossip about the war or even the royal family. He’d lost hope hearing that Aang had died, but perhaps Zuko was still alive. The Dai Lee had already taken Jet away before he could see what his sister did to them, and for a few weeks of hell, he thought Zuko was either dead alongside The Avatar or locked up in a prison much dirtier and lonelier than this one.

The guards didn’t like to talk about the war in their free time, it seemed to exhaust them the same way anyone’s job did. Instead, it was guard drama on who got fired or who annoyed them this time and why. Every once in a while the guards would talk about the royal family, but the most “knowledge” Jet gained was that Princess Azula was seen wearing a new crown, Firelord Ozai favorite dish was komodo chicken, and Ex-General Iroh was “rotting in prison.”

Jet spent an entire week overthinking that last bit of information, worrying about his boyfriend’s uncle, but also wondering why Zuko wasn’t said to be there as well. Was he dead? Was he also imprisoned and they just didn’t mention him? Did he escape? Who all lived after the attack? Was he with them? It wasn’t until Jet overheard one sentence that answered some of his questions, but had also set him off enough to get him thrown into ‘The Cooler.’

“Princess Azula and Prince Zuko are going to Emerald Island on the 21st.” A guard shared with his peers, taking another swig at his drink.

Jet’s friends weren’t close enough to hold him back before he pressed the man against the wall, fist ready to fracture his nose. “WHAT DID THEY DO TO HIM!?” Jet demanded, not getting a chance at another word as he was immediately restrained by the other guards surrounding him.

The guard didn’t even realize who Jet was referring to, nor did he care to as he yelled out “The hell are you talking about kid!? You should’ve been sent to the nuthouse!”

…So, Zuko was alive. Moreover, Zuko was back with his family. Why? Was he planning to work from the inside? Did he cave and go back to his old desires? Was he being forced to be used for any of Ozai’s schemes like a pawn, or a puppet? Was he being hurt? Did he get brainwashed? Was he going to bust him out?

Jet’s mind ran senselessly with these thoughts until he finally decided to just drop it until something new came up. Until then, he did what he did as a child when he coped with losing his parents: 1.) Anytime you need to sleep or feel the panic returning, build a house in your mind. 2.) Fill this house with the people you love and miss 3.) Separate this reality inside your mind from the reality outside your mind, leaving the house as it was when you wake up or calm down.

Jet shivered in the cold, lonely room. This wasn’t the first time he was in ‘The Cooler,’ and it wouldn’t be the last. After a few deep breaths, he closed his eyes and felt his body relax.

Jet found himself back home, walking down the long trail lined with autumn leaves that resembled Zuko’s fire that he’d hold above his palms in the dark of the night. Jet walked up the steps and took his shoes off after entering the unlocked entryway, hearing light familiar voices scattered around the house. His mother was standing in front of the stove with warm steam gently hitting her face. Behind her was his father, sipping on coffee that was too hot for any reasonable man to drink.

“Welcome back, dear,” his mother smiled warmly, accepting the long and exhausted embrace he gave her.

“Don’t forget about your ol’ pops now,” his father added as he came up to get the same hug.

Jet leaned back, not seeing his lover in the resting area where he usually waited for him. Instead, The Duke took his spot as he quietly read a book on the floor with his legs kicking in the air.

“Where’s Zuko?” He wondered out loud.

Jet’s mother hesitated for a moment, as if someone was deciding her response for her. She quickly snapped out of it and confidently answered, “I think he’s outside.”

Nodding while hesitantly walking away from the two, he made his way out onto the deck. There Zuko was, shirt off and legs slowly kicking through the water with his back facing Jet. He must not have noticed Jet was there, because he didn’t look back or welcome Jet with any snarky remarks. Jet watched as sweat slid down his back, mimicking the traces his fingers would do as he held the boy on top of his chest under the covers.

“Paint a picture, it’ll last longer.” Zuko teased, finally turning around at the teen gawking at him.

“Haha,” Jet said blandly before taking off his shirt and sitting behind the glistening back.

He’d dip his legs in the pool too, but Jet just wasn’t hot enough to do so yet. Instead, he grabbed the pair of shoulders in front of him to massage the warm, fair skin. Zuko leaned his head back, moaning under his breath with every deep knead. Jet noticed bite marks from his own teeth and laughed a little at the memory of The Duke pointing it out. He’d never seen Zuko’s face so red with embarrassment before.

Jet leaned in, kissing his neck and nipping at his perfectly intact left ear. “You’re so pretty,” he purred, being sure to breathe out over his ear to get Zuko to arch his back in protest.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Zuko smirked as he looked back at him with an unharmed face.

Jet always the way Zuko’s scar was painted over his face. In fact, it was the reason Jet started to catch feelings in the first place. Zuko displayed the pain Jet felt on the inside, on the outside. Even so, Jet knew how much Zuko hated such a memory. He’d never forget the way his voice trembled at the recollection, and how he’d hide that side of his face when he was feeling vulnerable. And so… in this house where parents were alive and wars were absent… faces were also left unharmed.

“Your time is up,” Zuko whispered.

Jet cocked a brow, “…Huh?”

“Kid! Your time is up! Unless you wanna stay in here…” a man sounded from above, signaling that it was time to go.

…

In the imaginary house Jet built for himself, he heard the door actually knock. Sometimes his subconscious could lead scenarios that he wasn’t expecting, but he’d never had anyone actually knock before. He got up to open the door, but no one was there.

“Get up, sleepyhead,” Zuko whispered, but the Zuko he was with was playing with The Duke on the other side of the house.

“Babe.”

There it was again, sounding just like Zuko, but no movement showed on his lips.

“Did you say something?” Jet called out, but Zuko just looked up and shook his head.

“What? Jet, wake up.”

The sound was right in front of him! What was going on?

Jet’s eyes shot open, making the person kneeling right next to him laugh.

“GAH!” Jet jumped, shooting up with both hands reaching the wall behind him. The boy’s face was so familiar, but his hair was longer and half of his face was…

“ZUKO!” Jet gasped, diving down and collapsing onto the floor with him trapped in his arms.

“SHH! Idiot! Keep your voice down, they don’t know it’s me!” Zuko hissed, then wrapped his arms around Jet in return.

Jet muffled into Zuko’s chest “I missed you, stupid ass…”

Zuko’s right eyebrow raised, “You said you missed my ass?”

“That too,” Jet laughed before pelting kisses all over the boy’s face, arms, chest, hands- anywhere he could before Zuko grabbed his face and pulled him upward into a heated kiss.

“Are you okay?” Zuko leaned back with a look of concern as he examined the cell room. He looked so… guilty.

“I mean, yeah. It’s not the best situation, but none of that matters anymore. You’re here! …Wait yeah, why are you here? What’s going on?” Jet asked, sitting up before helping the other boy do the same.

Zuko explained what had happened, receiving a few semi-playful swats from his boyfriend as he revealed his recent mistakes. Though for the first time in forever, Jet seemed to not care about the past and only cared about what was going on in the present. Right now Zuko was alive, fighting against Ozai, and most importantly- he was right in front of him. He listened to Zuko’s story patiently as he ran his hands through Zuko’s hair and over every exposed part of Zuko’s skin. ’Damn I missed him,’ he thought.

He did get a little jealous when he started talking about Mai, a girl he thought he had a crush on before he was banished. Though, to Jet’s relief, he admitted to her that he wasn’t into girls. He said she wasn’t the kind of person to share information as dangerous as that, but she was pretty pissed that he led her on. Zuko admitted he had put her through a back-in-forth of pretending to show some interest only to follow up with no interest at all. He wrote a letter telling her goodbye and that he hopes to still be best friends, but he wasn’t able to stick around to she how she’d take it.

What brought Jet’s mood back up was the news that The Duke was okay, and back where Zuko was residing. He looked forward to getting out of this place to go back to listening to The Duke try to read as Zuko helped him through the words he didn’t know. Soon enough, he and his friends would be free.

…

Zuko and Jet got a kick out of fighting. Jet thought it was a bit funny when they first started dating, Zuko suggested they have “safe words” for when it’s gone too far. For sex, sure. But now anytime Zuko hollers out “yellow,” he’s gotta bring it down a notch, and completely drop his weapons at “red.” He’s only done this a few times, mostly when he got too close to his eyes or got a mark he knew his uncle would see. Jet had to admit, it was kinda cute watching Zuko pout at a busted lip in the mirror while Jet whipped up one of his sketches for him in hopes to make up for it. To Zuko’s luck, he had kept some Jet’s sketches on him during his departure of Ba Sing Se. When times got lonely at the palace, he’d stare at the pictures of various birds, autumn trees, and even some sketches of himself working at the tea shop, sleeping, or reading to The Duke. These drawings helped remind Zuko that it was all real.

Another thing that helped both of them remember each other were their scars. They both wore scars from one another. Some from fighting, some from lovemaking. Zuko sobbed all night when the last of his love bites disappeared, but clung to the small nips from hook swords and flashy bite marks on his shoulders. Jet practically worshipped the claw marks on his back, hoping to get some of them outlined as tattoos. It was too much of a shame that we couldn’t see them without a mirror, though. So the faint lines from his swords would just have to do.

However, today they’d be fighting without either of their weapons. Even more importantly, for the first time against Jet, Zuko would use his fire… kind of.

For this fight, they had a big audience. Jet knew Zuko had to firebend at him and ‘for’ him, but he trusted he’d do it in a way that he could dodge it safely. The two got a kick out of it for a while, almost forgetting the point of the plan. With a roaring crowd and too much adrenaline to tell the time, the two didn’t even realize they’d been at it for a few minutes already.

Suki leaned over to Sokka, “Hey, they’re kinda…”

“Yeah” Sokka nodded, clearing his throat loudly to hopefully remind the two of the mission.

Zuko froze for a second, blushing a little at the realization that his friends were waiting for them. He whispered “blue” to Jet as he swung past him, and took the stance that Jet knew to look out for. Jet met his eyes to show that he was ready and lunged forward to cross Zuko’s side. Zuko used one hand to shoot fire in front of him, and the other slightly behind him to make it appear that Jet was firebending too.

“Hey! You two! No firebending!”

Bingo.

…

Sokka didn’t ask how, but the plan was to get Jet in the same cell as Zuko so he could ‘keep him warm.’ It made sense, as the goal was to get those screws out while also not losing any fingers to frostbite. He didn’t know enough about firebenders or whatever that “breath of fire” was supposed to be about, but supposedly the two could stay warm as the time passed.

The two unscrewed as many nuts and bolts as they could, but Jet quickly gave up once his fingers went completely numb.

“Baby…” he shivered, dropping his contribution of metal in the corner to reach out for the firebender.

Zuko turned around to grab the hands calling for him, brought them to his mouth, and gave a gentle huff of fire. The flames weren’t close enough to his flesh to burn him, giving Jet gentle relief.

“Come here,” Zuko insisted as he pulled Jet into his arms, letting his heat transfer to the other’s.

Jet didn’t hold back on pressing his entire weight onto Zuko, trying to take every inch of heat he could get. “F- fuck…” Jet whispered.

Zuko dragged his arms up and down his boyfriend’s back, and every once in a while he’d rub his ears and go up and down his arms. He started giving gentle kisses to his head as Jet stayed buried in the nape of his neck. “Mmm…” Jet hummed before sliding his hands up Zuko’s shirt.

Jet laughed when Zuko yelped like a girl at the cold contact. Just then, Jet had an idea.

“Y-you know what I h-heard?” He asked while trying to resist his teeth chattering as much as possible.

“What’s that?” Zuko hummed, rubbing more circles over Jet’s back.

Jet smirked against Zuko’s skin, “Y-you get warmer if-f-f you’re naked.”

Zuko huffed, “What? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“N-no baby I’m s-serious… when there’s two people you can t-t-transfer heat b-better.” Jet continued, starting to remove his shirt.

“Oh Agni, you’re being ridiculous!” Zuko protested, but seeing Jet’s tanned abs seemed to make him less opposed to the idea. He watched Jet place his shirt on the floor like a rug and sit on it with his pants still on.

Looking up at Zuko’s with his dumb smirk, Jet tugged at Zuko’s pants with one hand and patted his lap with the other. “C-c’mon, Babe. I know y-you miss it.”

“Yeah, I DON’T think this cold is gonna do anyone justice though.” Zuko rolled his eyes, gesturing to their groins.

Jet blinked innocently at Zuko, saying, “Helloooo? Breath of f-fire?” In a sing-songy voice.

Zuko was appalled at the idea, “What!? I’m not gonna breathe on it!”

“I know, genius! B-but you could probably w-warm it up a little b-beforehand, ya know?”

“You are such a pervert.”

“A-and you’re a little h-hard right now.”

Zuko blushed, eyes looking down to see the slight bulge at his hips. He didn’t know what to say, still unsure if it was a good idea or not.

A few seconds passed, and an impatient grunt sounded from the floor- “Dude. I’m f-f-freezing as f-fuck. You c-coming down here or w-what?”

Sokka probably wouldn’t release them for at least an hour, and he was supposed to make sure no guards got to them. Maybe Jet was just trying to get laid, but he also seemed desperate for some warmth and really believed this would help. Zuko groaned, taking his shirt off and placing it in front of Jet’s for more room. “You’re crazy,” he said as Jet gave a smug, victorious look.

Zuko took a deep breath before moving up to straddle Jet’s hips, moving back a bit so Jet could lie down. He let go of some soft fire as he exhaled, moving his hands up and down his boyfriend’s chest. Jet’s hands moved up Zuko’s thighs and tucked down into the seat of his pants, grabbing at the soft flesh as Zuko started grinding against where there’d normally be a bulge. Zuko intended to follow Jet’s suggestion, but only after he warmed it up a little first.

Jet would normally keep his eyes closed and think about his home in the cooler, but everything he’d ever needed was right here in this moment. “This is a r-record for us I t-think,” Jet chuckled.

“This is somehow stranger than the roof of that random shop,” Zuko smiled, recalling their make-up sex.

“Yeah, that was kinda really stupid,” Jet followed with a groan, finally starting to twitch a bit down there.

Zuko leaned down to kiss Jet on the forehead, “You’re kinda really stupid.”

“Pssh- just shut up and blow me!” Jet said with a laugh as he freed his hands to pull his pants down.

Zuko leans in close to Jet’s ear, moaning Jet’s favorite nickname in bed, “Yes, Daddy.”

Zuko wasn’t surprised when this caused Jet to growl and take a fistful of his hair. First, he brought Zuko’s head in front of him. Smashing their lips together. They sucked on each other’s tongues before Jet started nipping at his lips, causing Zuko whine and lean away. “No marks!” he protested, not wanting anything suspicious for the others to analyze later.

Jet shrugged, and tugged at his hair harder as he moved Zuko’s head down to meet his slightly hard cock face-to-face.

It was much more rosy due to the cold, and was struggling to fight the cold against the rush of horniness Jet was feeling.

Zuko clicked his tongue, “Hmm. Still needs some more work.” Turning away to breathe into his hands one more time, he returned and started jerking his boyfriend off slowly as Jet combed through his hair with his fingers. He’d always find this so calming, getting lost in time until his boyfriend would cum down his throat. Zuko leaned down to suck on the head, enjoying the moaning coming from above. Jet always loved being vocal when they had enough privacy to be- and sometimes when they didn’t.

Zuko bobbed his head up and down, letting his cock hit as far as his throat could go. Zuko remembered practicing overcoming his gag reflex, even though Jet insisted it was hot. Even if it was, Zuko was not about to accidentally gag in the alleyway of a busy street or the storage closet of the tea shop. Now that he thought about it… Maybe they weren’t being so careful with their identities after all.

When Jet started squirming enough from under him, Zuko knew it was time to ease up and get him where he really wanted to be. With a bit harder suction on Jet’s head, he let his cock go with a little ‘pop.’ Jet opened his eyes to look at his boyfriend lick his shaft playfully one last time before sitting up, motioning that Jet get up and change positions with him.

“You’ll get more exertion this way. You need to sweat,” Zuko said as he turned around, moving his chest to the floor with his ass up in the air.

Jet gladly moved to find his rightful place behind Zuko, taking his cock into his own hands as he smirked. “Hah, little whore.”

They didn’t have any oil, so Jet leaned down to spit directly onto his boyfriend’s hole, making Zuko whimper. As Jet rubbed in and around the tight opening, he noticed that he could still see the little scar he gave Zuko from the start of their relationship. Jet remembered feeling guilty, though still a bit proud, as he watched Zuko try to hide his limp around the tea shop that entire week.

Zuko always really liked when Jet would thumb at the bottom of the rim, just like he did when he wanted to watch his load slowly seep out of it. Knowing this, Jet always gave extra attention to that edge when loosening him up. Zuko started to go crazy, rocking his hips back while tugging at his own hair. He looked like a bitch in heat, whining and pleading for just a little more attention there.

Though Jet knew that also meant he was ready and desperate. He only worked him up with two fingers so far, so he spat a second time and gave a quick test with a third one, hearing that sweet, soft squenching sound that made both of their cocks twitch. He took his fingers out and used the same hand to pull Zuko’s head back with his hair, growling “Ready for my cock, sweetheart?”

Zuko whined as he tried nodding his head, already dazed from his boyfriend’s fingers. “Yes, Daddy! Please fuck me!” He whimpered, already forgetting that they were in a freezing cooler.

“Good boy,” Jet cooed, letting Zuko’s hair go as he pushed his cock into Zuko’s tight, hot ass.

“Gah, fuck!” Jet hissed, never having had his cock feel such an extreme temperature change before. Zuko was normally much warmer than him, inside and out, but this was much more mesmerizing than any time before.

It was one thing Jet had actually liked about firebending- warmer nights as well as easy lights for all of his post-sex blunts. He’d haul Zuko on top of him practically like a blanket when the air was too cold, and constantly startle the boy by burrowing his chilly hands into his clothes when he least expected it. Now everything was freezing- except for his cock.

Jet didn’t hesitate to pick up the pace to get his heart rate up. Though it was totally erotic and thrilling, Jet wanted to prioritize being less… frozen.

…

Sokka waited for a second, trying to decide whether the muffling groans were from a fight that he needed to break up or… ‘no, there was no way’ he thought. It was too faint to bring any attention due to the second door standing in the way, but every so often, a louder yelp would sound through to make Sokka worry about any other guards walking by. To their luck, no one seemed to pass at the wrong time.

…

Enough time had passed, and the sounds had come to an end about half an hour ago. Sokka gave two taps on the door before hesitantly sliding it open. To Sokka’s relief, the two boys were clothed.

Zuko and Jet lay huddled in each other’s arms, with Jet’s hands being warmed by Zuko’s breathing. Jet seemed uncomfortable and very focused on keeping warm, while Zuko seemed completely absent-minded until he looked up and saw Sokka.

Sokka cleared his throat, “I can take you back to your cells if you’ve learned your lessen,” he spoke loudly, in case anyone else heard.

“We have” Zuko said victoriously as he revealed the pile of screws.

Chapter Text

Sokka knew it wasn’t any of his business, but Zuko was his new buddy. He held himself back from asking as they flew back to the air temple, letting the others shower and rest. Once their first long, awkward pause happened, Sokka decided to just see what all he’d reveal.

“So!… you and Jet seem to be great pals!” He had a big, awkward smile that poorly hid his nervousness.

Zuko looked away for a second and smiled as he watched the clouds move by. He gave a quiet chuckle, followed by a short “Yeah.”

Sokka remembered how Piandao talked about his late partner, using the words “he” when recalling their memories. Sokka hadn’t ever heard of two men being in love before that, as Sokka lived in one village his whole life before he and Katara met Aang… Perhaps this was just some rare reality. When he brought it up to Aang, he just shrugged and talked about how the monks were taught to welcome people of any kind of love they experienced with others, so as long as they weren’t harmful.

“You don’t have to answer this, but…” Sokka started, examining Zuko’s body as it tensed up. “I mean I’d be totally cool with it if you were or weren’t, but…” Sokka continued, throwing his hands up defensively.

Zuko looked over to face the water tribe boy, not afraid to look him in the eyes. He could tell Sokka was being sincere and wasn’t trying to bully him, so maybe he was just curious. Zuko wasn’t sure, because he’d never had guy friends before Jet. Did they normally talk about their love lives with their friends? Was this just considered ‘small talk’?

Zuko knew Jet didn’t care about others knowing, and Jet still *mostly* respected Zuko’s wishes to keep their relationship hidden from the public. While Jet grew up around a bunch of orphans who were mostly comprised of fellow ‘sexually inverted’ people of different variations, he didn’t have to hide from anyone and didn’t even think twice about whether his attraction to Zuko was “normal” or not. Zuko, on the other hand, may have already been a fugitive who’d lost his title as prince, but he still didn’t want to run into trouble with his reputation in Ba Sing Se, either.

He remembered the day he finally spoke to his uncle about it all…

…

“That girl seemed nice. Why did you not want to go on a date with her?” Iroh asked the exhausted teen lounging on their emerald-green couch while stirring their dinner.

Zuko sighed, covering his eyes with the back of his hand. He didn’t even know if his uncle knew what this whole situation with Jet even was… it would probably sound totally crazy if he were to say it out loud either way. Iroh was undoubtedly Zuko’s biggest supporter and a very non-judgmental man, but this must cross the line, right?

“I dunno,” he mumbled. That’s it. That’s the best he had.

Iroh gave a soft sigh as he removed the pot from the flame and set the lid aside to help it cool. He walked across the room the sat on the remaining part of the couch, suggesting that they were about to have a talk. ’Great, now he’s gonna tell me that I need to find a girl to marry or something because 'there’s vitality in love' or some crap like that,’ Zuko thought.

“My nephew… I know you’ve been going through so much change in your life. Being a teenager is already confusing as is-“ He started, pretending not to notice the sudden red hue slapped across Zuko’s face.

'No wait, this sounds way worse!' Zuko’s mind hollered out like prey caught up in a trap.

“But I want you to know that anything you’re feeling right now is normal. Not very common, but normal.” When Iroh finished his sentence, he tried to let Zuko figure out just what he was talking about.

“What are you referring to, Uncle?” Zuko asked, glad this wasn’t exactly “the talk.”

“I’m not a fool, Zuko. I see what you and that Jet boy share… And it’s okay.”

Zuko’s head shot up, unsure of what to even begin with. Denial? Anger? Maybe a mix of both? 'How could Uncle know anything about how he was feeling!?' “I don’t know what you’re going on about!!” Zuko yelled, going with a mix of the two.

Iroh kept calm like he usually did, not ready to let Zuko have his space just yet. “Zuko, you don’t have to share anything with me, but I just want you to know that I will always love and support you, as well as the people you love and support… though I must warn you, not everyone will be so welcoming. Ba Sing Se is a bit more progressive than the smaller villages we’ve traveled through, but there will always be some people who don’t understand and will replace their confusion with hatred. Especially here, where there are a lot of refugees who come from smaller villages with not too many different examples of love. Don’t let this hatred get to you and your own view of yourself, but be weary that they may use this to jeopardize you.”

Zuko felt too tired to argue, thinking about how he spent most of his days daydreaming about Jet and the kiss they shared. Jet didn’t understand all the fuss and confusion, but Zuko needed to understand it better before making any further decisions.

They spent a few moments in silence, but Iroh didn’t budge because he knew Zuko wanted to say something.

“…What would Mom think about it?”

Huh. Iroh was not expecting that.

Dumbfounded, Iroh answered, “Well… I’m not sure. I know she loved you and would want what’s best for you and your happiness.”

Iroh was a bit surprised and relieved that he was concerned for his missing mother’s opinion rather than his father’s, but perhaps he needed more reassurance that the people who loved him really did support him-even when they weren’t there physically.

“What’s it called?” Zuko whispered, as if he were afraid the word would be punishable by crime if overheard.

“Hmm. I actually don’t know if there is one! I have an old friend who used to have a male partner, and he once called it ‘sexual inversion,’ but it seemed more like an idea than an official term.” Iroh explained, ignoring Zuko’s cringe at the word “sexual.”

Zuko thought some more, then asked, “Did Dad love Mom?”

Iroh sighed, closing his eyes to recall the tragedy in which his mother was pulled into. Iroh knew that Zuko knew they didn’t love each other, but what other example of marriage did he have? That is, aside from the very short marriage of Iroh and his aunt. “Well… I don’t think they’d be the best example of love.”

Zuko nodded with a curt hum, hesitating for a bit before his next question. “What about you and Aunt Izumi?”

“Hmm…” Iroh started, slowly painting his face with guilt. They, like most royals, had an arranged marriage. She became pregnant with Lu Ten soon after, but passed during his birth. They were lucky to even save Lu Ten, as the nurses and medics had to cut him free from her through the stomach. Iroh wishes his son hadn’t been welcomed into and escorted out of life covered in blood, but that was the unfortunate truth of the matter. “Well, my nephew… I hadn’t gotten to know her as much as I would have liked to. I did love her, but her time came just under a year after I had known her. I do hold a lot of guilt, no matter the inevitability of the situation. But remember that we are no longer living under the palace rules, and that you are allowed to find love yourself instead of someone being given to you. This is a very, very good thing that you mustn't take for granted.”

“I wish I could’ve met her,” Zuko said with a sad smile. Iroh loved seeing him smile, even when it was over such heartbreaking topics.

Iroh smiled back, “She would have undoubtedly loved you, Zuko. She admired brave, passionate souls. She also has a love for animals and literature like you do.” It had been three years since Zuko had read a novel, but Iroh knew that passions could never disappear- they could only be buried. He also hadn’t been able to own a good pet in awhile, but Zuko really hated saying goodbye to that ostrich horse as it was the closest thing he had to a pet in a very long time. Iroh could’ve sworn that he even heard Zuko mutter the name “Reiko” or something alike during his farewells. He used to have a few pets as a child but, well, then Azula got older and Zuko learned that it was best for any pets to live far, far away from their home.>

“Perhaps you and Jet should go to the Ba Sing Se Zoo together! Or better, volunteer at the animal shelter down the street!” Iroh beamed, never giving up on hope that his nephew might return the enthusiasm one day.

Zuko rolled his eyes, but with much less sourness than he usually did. Come to think of it, he and Jet only really hung out while causing mischief around the city or when Jet would play the ‘harass Zuko for eight hours while he works instead of getting a job’ game.

“Seriously, Uncle… What do I do now?” Zuko whispered helplessly.

Just before getting up from the couch to go back to their dinner, Iroh whispered back, “His light’s on, go talk to him.”

…

Jet opened the door to his apartment in a heartbeat, making the bizarrely scented smoke punch Zuko in the face.

“Jeez, what the hell is that!?” Zuko coughed and covered his nose and mouth with his entire hand in disgust.

Jet laughed, tugging at the slightly shorter boy’s sleeve to motion him into the room. “Oh, just some herbs. Want some?” He gave a big, dopey smile as he turned the rolled-up paper around inches from Zuko’s lips.

“Uhm, no thanks.” Zuko blushed, walking past him.

Jet shrugged, “Your loss.”

Zuko looked around nervously, starting to blush in the awkward silence. Jet thought he was so cute when he was uncomfortable, like the clumsy baby deer-rabbits he’d run into in the woods. It’s like he almost had to hold himself back from crouching down to him while offering a handful of wild berries.

Zuko came in and just stood silently, avoiding eye contact as much as possible.

“What?” Jet asked, wondering what Zuko was waiting for. The boy was so odd… he was too… polite. I mean, Jet knew he was a total dick and doesn’t hold back from saying what he thinks, but something was built into him that made him not act like a typical commoner. It’s the way he’d use his spoon as if it were the most fragile thing in the world, sneeze into a dumb little cloth with his hands perfectly pointed around his nose, or how he’d eye the other refugees as if they were emitting a deadly poison. He also couldn’t get over the fact that he used the word “trepidation” unironically on the ship once. Who the hell says that? Rich snobs, that’s who.

Zuko did what he always did when feeling attacked for his social… trepidations. He stood up straight with his hands behind his back while looking away, head slightly tilted upward and eyes lowered. If there were a mat on the floor, he’d probably choose to sit stiffly on that, but his floors were barren. Zuko nodded towards the lousy bed- “May I sit?”

Jet coughed a loud, almost embarrassing laugh. Luckily for Jet, he didn’t get embarrassed nearly as easily as Zuko did. “Why yes, you may, good sir. Might I fetch the maid for refreshments?” He mocked with an exaggerated notion of the undressed mattress on the floor.

“Maids aren’t the ones getting refreshments, those are attendants,” Zuko corrected with a scowl, sitting on the bed with the same stiffness.

“Aha, so my theory is correct!”

“I’m done talking about this, I am not a firebender.”

“No, you dummy! You were a rich kid!”

Zuko blinked, not sure what to say at first. He had no clue risks of admitting that he was, but he also hadn’t enjoyed luxury food service or hot towels in a very long time.

“…So?” was all he could come up with.

Jet joined him on the mattress, but leaned back to with his arm behind his back and… shoes on the bed. “So nothing. I won’t press.” He puffed another cloud into the air, looking at him like he was an erotic piece of artwork hanging in front of him. Zuko always blushed bright red when he did that, but never knew it himself.

To Iroh’s relief Zuko never started an interest in drinking or smoking. Not that he had much access on the ship anyways, but when there was a few bottles supplied he let the grown ups have it all to themselves. However, Jet did look awfully relaxed and if Zuko was going to talk more about their feelings for each other, he’d prefer to have whatever those ‘herbs’ were as a bit of a cushion. “How do you do that? Like… smoke.” ‘Did that sound as stupid as I think it did?’ Zuko wondered.

Jet pushed himself upright and got close to Zuko’s face. “Watch and follow,” he said in a slower, deeper voice, making Zuko’s stomach feel a bit weird. His eyes dropped downward to the boy’s lips as he breathed in the smoke. Before he could watch his chest lower back down, he was blinded by a quick puff of smoke hitting his face.

“Gah! Dude!” Zuko lunged over to shield his face into the mattress as he coughed at the weird smoke up his nose. He heard Jet cackle behind him like a madman, falling back into the mattress too and slapping a hand on Zuko’s back. “Fuck you!” he said with a strained voice.

There was a split second where Jet worried that the smoke would have given him flashbacks of being burnt, but Zuko was much more pissed than anxious. Maybe the odd twist of fragrances made it different enough for him.

“Ready?” Jet said as if nothing had happened, not removing his hand until Zuko sat back up with him.

Zuko wanted to do what Jet did to him as revenge, but when he sucked in the air…..

A series of dry, strained hacking sounded probably far enough to make his uncle hear.

Jet looked at him like he was a helpless baby that crashed into the ground just from standing. His lip pouted as his eyes filled with fake pity for the inexperienced smoker. As he put a hand on his back with a few pats and rubs -as if that could help anything- he leaned closer to take the blunt out of his hand “Dawww, baby’s first smoke?”

“I really hate you.”

“Do you?”

“Absolutely.”

Jet was about to make a joke about how he knew he really wasn’t a firebender now, but he knew he’d get way too pissy and probably storm off. Instead, he went back to his new insult. “They must not have taught you how to smoke at your fancy rich-boy school, huh?”

Zuko rolled his eyes, then looked away while mumbling something.

“Huh?” Jet asked, leaning closer. Usually, it was Zuko asking him this since Jet always forgot to sit on his right side, instead, when he wanted to babble to him for a while. Though, to Zuko’s relief, he was easier to phase out when he did this.

“I was homeschooled,” Zuko repeated, making a few things about Zuko make more sense now.

“Oh, that’s cool,” Jet said, taking another puff. “By the way, you’re supposed to inhale and exhale, not suck it into your mouth.”

“Yeah? Well, you’re not supposed to be smoking at all!” Zuko quipped.

“Ya got me there, Kitty.” That idiot always called him that when he was being too snippy, and it really pissed Zuko off in all the right ways.

Jet scooted closer to Zuko playfully, pressing his leg against his. “Hey,” he said as if they hadn’t been around each other this whole time.

Zuko’s nose flares with a look of confusion plastered to his face, “Hello?”

“Did you do some thinking like you said you would?” Jet asked softly, actually using a serious tone this time. Zuko secretly loved this voice of his because it reminded him of when his mom would find him crying or when his uncle promised that everything would be okay.

Zuko dropped the attitude and let his face soften as well. “Switch sides with me,” he asked as he got up to move Jet to his right side so he could give all of his focus on the conversation. Jet instinctively obliged and shifted over as Zuko walked around him, letting the boy go back to sitting so close that their thighs pressed up against each other. Jet would have loved to poke fun at that if it wouldn’t have such a risk of costing him that conversation.

“I talked about it with my uncle, actually. I mean, I just talked about the idea of it all to him.” Zuko started, and Jet listened very patiently. He could talk Zuko’s ear off for centuries, but he could also listen very well when he needed to. Zuko continued, “I guess I never really knew it was a thing, because I didn’t see much… like… romance-related things growing up.” Jet held himself back from laughing at his word usage, hiding it with an understanding smile and head nod.

“Like I said, I was homeschooled. The only people who were around my age were my sister and her two friends. My parents didn’t actually love each other either. Shit- I mean, I’m not saying we love each other, I just mean-“

“I get it,” Jet said in a flat yet promising tone. ‘Li’s embarrassment was so cute but so painful to watch sometimes…’ he thought.

“So, anyways… yeah. The most I was exposed to was in plays I’d see on vacations or in novels that I’d hide.”

“You had to hide your books? Jeez, what was in em?” Jet laughed, giving him a pretend judgmental eye.

“Huh? Oh, no, my dad just didn’t want me using my time up like that. I needed to focus on fi-“ don’t say firebending “-nding out math equations and write perfectly and know everything about history.” Saved.

“Your dad sounded like a hardass,” Jet frowned, not being able to relate as much since his parents gave him all the freedom he could ever ask for as a kid. He was one of the few kids who were allowed to play in the forest all by themselves before the age of ten, and being in that forest instead of home was the reason why he was still alive today.

“Yeah, he really is.”

“Is?”

“Oh- I mean yeah, is. He’s still alive, he just isn’t in my life anymore.”

“Walked out on you, huh?”

“No-actually, he kinda kicked me out of… the house. So uh, my uncle took me in.” Zuko looked away, hoping Jet understood that he wasn’t being dishonest but instead uncomfortable with the memories.

“How old were you?”

“Thirteen.”

“Where was your mom?”

“She disappeared when I was eight.”

“Where’s your sister?”

“With my dad.”

“Why did she stay?”

“He only wanted me out.”

“Why?”

“Could you stop!?” Zuko hollered out, voice shaking a little from anxiety and bad memories. Jet was so used to people immediately revealing every little bad thing that had happened to them to him. Zuko, on the other hand, was so hidden but seemed so interesting and complex. Jet couldn’t help but be so drawn in by this torturous grip his mysteriousness had on him. He had already told Zuko about every little event that occurred in his life, but now he’s just finding out crucial information about Zuko a month into knowing him.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry to be mean.” Jet put a hand on top of Zuko’s, expecting him to snatch it away.

The hand stayed still.

“Let me just tell you all that I can, but you can’t ask any questions, okay?” Zuko offered, looking anywhere except towards Jet at the uncomfortable yet exciting feel of Jet’s hand resting on top of his.

“Okay,” Jet mouthed.

“I loved my mom, I hate my sister, and she hates me, and I don’t think I love my dad, but I really want him to love me, but I think he doesn’t, and that’s been the biggest hell of my life. I don’t know why I want him to be proud of me so much, especially after all that he’s done. He said my sister was born lucky, and I was lucky to be born. I remember our family being kinda happy when I was younger, but then again, I was told that my mom had to beg for me to stay alive.“

“Dude, how did he not get any law enforcement involved? -Shit, sorry. Pretend I didn’t ask that-“ Jet covered his mouth with his unoccupied hand.

But Zuko didn’t mind too much, “The law doesn’t really apply to him.”

Jet looked so lost and almost offended, “Huh?”

“It’s a rich people thing,” Zuko *somewhat* fibbed. This answer seemed to satisfy Jet enough.

He continued his spiel, “He barely ever talked to me and expected me to be perfect, but I’m just an idiot and can’t keep up with his expectations, while my sister is a prodigy at everything. It’s even worse because she’s two years younger than I am.”

Zuko ignored Jet’s soft “You’re not an idiot” as he continued to talk.

“My mom went missing the night my grandfather died. I don’t know what happened, and I don’t think I ever will- but my dad knows. Once she was gone, the only person I had was my uncle. I had an older cousin who was like an older brother to me, but he died. He died here, actually. After that, my uncle came home and wasn’t the same, but he’d always been a bit of a goofy old man. Still, nothing was the same after that. My mom couldn’t protect me from my sister or my dad, so they could get away with so much more. My dad… got promoted and his job… well, I don’t know. More money means power and fewer consequences. It’s complicated. Anyways… when I was thirteen, my dad let me join his… business meeting. I talked when I wasn’t supposed to, and he kicked me out because he was ashamed of me or whatever. My uncle tagged along. My dad said he’d maybe let me back if I…” Shit, think! “brought him back the painted lady.”

“From that old folks' tale?”

“Yup.”

“Aw man, fuck this guy.”

“Yeah- So it was a fool’s mission or whatever, but I guess I believed him because I was a kid or something. I don’t know. My uncle and I have been traveling around looking for a place to stay, and here we are. We got into some trouble a few times from just trying to survive, so that’s why we’re in Ba Sing Se- we’re safe here. That’s it.”

Jet looked a little disappointed, as if he was waiting for something. 'Jet looked so cute when he pouted- like a wolf-fox pup.' Zuko thought against his will.

“You want to ask a question, don’t you?”

“I don’t want to pry…”

“I got this scar from a firebender. We ran into a bunch.”

“What did he look like?”

“He… huh? I don’t know, just some firebender. They ‘all look the same,’ am I right?” Zuko tried to joke, but Jet seemed set on the question.

Jet ignored the joke that he would have normally loved to join in on, and stared wide-eyed at the wall instead as he pictured the traumatic memory. “I remember my guy so vividly. He had these gold hoop earrings, a red feather on top of this ponytail that was bound with white long beads, gold bands around his mustache… he rode a komodo rhino, too. I mean a lot of them do, but they weren’t armored like the others.”

“Colonel Mongke,” Zuko whispered, as if his subconscious took the wheel.

Jet shot his head up fast enough to pop a blood vessel, “Is that him!? How do you know him!? What!?”

Zuko panicked for a moment, wishing he had never said anything in the first place. He then nodded slowly, diving into the lies.

“Yes… he… he burned me!” ’Whoops.’

Jet’s eyes started watering, making Zuko’s stomach ache with guilt. Of course, the teen started bawling and clinging to Zuko for both Zuko’s comfort and his own. “I can’t believe it!! The same man who killed my parents hurt you like that!!!”

Zuko felt like shit for lying about such a thing, but decided to go into the lie with all the acting he had. He thought about his father and the real event, feeling his eyes sting. Yep, here it comes.

Zuko broke out into an ugly sob, hugging Jet in return. Zuko did this with Iroh a few times when his eye was still bandaged and they were far from the crew, but this was a little nicer because he and Jet’s bodies were enveloped and he was crying with him.

“It hurt so bad!” Zuko cried out like a dumb five-year-old recalling a playground mishap, and Jet just hugged him harder while pulling them back to lie on the mattress. Zuko didn’t care anymore about the morality of this situation, at least at the moment.

“I wanna kill him!” Jet cried out angrily, almost crushing Zuko with his grasp. “Where is he?! We can find him and we can kill him!” He snarled. Zuko didn’t know if he actually wanted him to answer right now, so instead, he just cried as if he couldn’t physically talk just yet.

“I’m gonna hunt him down! No matter what it takes!” ’Ah, so that’s what I sound like,’ Zuko noted.

The two took some more time to cry it out before having to put out the small accidental fire started by the dropped blunt. Zuko had even apologized for a split second, followed by Jet restarting his crying while exclaiming that Zuko apologized for something that wasn’t even his fault “because your father taught you that, didn’t he!?”

’Agni, how could watching a guy sob be so attractive and so unnerving at the same time?’

“Weren’t we talking about something before this?” Jet asked, voice still very stuffy. It’s true, they were originally talking about Zuko’s lack of exposure to love, especially between two men.

“Oh, hah- my parents. My parents didn’t love each other, and my dumb novels that I had to hide and all that.” Zuko laughed with an equally stuffy voice. He really wanted to blow his nose, but there were no tissues around and ’Oh, Agni- is Jet blowing his nose into the tea towel that was on the floor!? That is rancid and disgusting!’ He hated how much he was attracted to this yucky, dirty, unbearable Earth Kingdom refuge.

“Oh yeah! So you pretty much didn’t know it was a thing? I guess I’ve known from being around a few freedom fighters who rebelled against society’s fancy rules. Smellerbee was actually born with guy parts, and that Sneers guy I was talking about was born with girl parts. But they didn’t let people decide what to do with themselves. We were free to be whoever in that forest. Most of us are too young for relationships, but I dunno, I think I care more about the person than their stuff. Though I gotta admit, girls are pretty and all, but guys…”

Zuko blushed, trying to take in everything being said. Jet gave him a seductive look, then looked the other way. ’Such a tease.’

“Have you ever… been with a guy before?”

“Like sex?” Jet cocked an eyebrow with a humorous smirk.

“Huh? No! I mean, maybe? I mean, like, how do you know?”

Jet shrugged, organizing his thoughts. “Well if I’m gonna be honest… you’re the first guy I’m actually into-into. But I still know how to do guys.”

“Do guys?” Zuko cocked a brow.

The side of Jet's mouth twitched into a subtle, malicious smirk. “Yeah, like sex.”

Zuko's eye's went wide, “How is that even possible!?”

Jet hollered out a hefty laugh, finding a new straw to carry in his mouth after dropping the first one. “You’re too cute. It’s like with girls, but just in the back.”

“…The ‘back?’” Oh. “What!! That’s crazy! Wouldn’t that hurt!?”

Jet shrugged, “A little at first, just like how girls feel. It’s supposed to feel good.”

Honestly, Zuko didn’t know much about sex as most teens did. He was homeschooled, and only learned about sex vaguely during one of his health lessons. His mother wasn’t around for ‘the talk’ and the only times he spoke to about it after that were a few very short, very uncomfortable, conversations with his uncle. He tried to get himself off when he got hard in the privacy of his own room back at the ship, but he could never succeed when thinking about girls. He didn’t see a lot of girls for the past few years, and they just didn’t seem to catch his attention like that.

“You look confused,” Jet pointed out.

Embarrassed, Zuko looked away in shame and just shrugged his shoulders. Of course, Jet just had to say it. “You’re a virgin, aren’t ya?”

Zuko backhanded the invasive teen from the self-conscious huddle he had around himself. “So!?” That was all he could say, being both angry and ashamed at the perfectly acceptable ‘flaw.’

“What about touching yourself?” Jet smirked in a dark, seductive voice. This made Zuko whip his head back in surprise, his face painted red.

Zuko looked in front of himself to avoid eye contact, “No, I don’t do that.”

“Never?”

“Tried to.”

“No luck?”

“No.”

“.....Want some help?”

All the blood ran from his face, and his stomach twisted in knots. He thought maybe Jet needed to be put in the nuthouse or something for his crazy ideas- but, Agni, his dick really liked the sound of that offer. To Zuko’s unknown fortune, Jet watched the tent slowly rise from Zuko’s pants as he bit his lip.

“Hello? Earth to Li?” He whispered with that evil little erotic voice as he moved close enough to practically breathe down his neck.

“I don’t know…” Zuko whispered, looking back at the window behind them. Jet seemed to notice his concern and got up to hang a dirty towel in front of the window and secured it by jamming two small kitchen knives on each edge.

“Better?” Jet grinned, jumping back down to the floor to kneel in front of Li. He cautiously moved his hands up and down the sides of Li’s thighs, making him twitch even more. “So you can get it up, but you can’t get anything out…” Jet said as if he were making some scientific note. Zuko’s nose flared, “Ugh, don’t say it like that!” Jet chuckled at how embarrassed and uneasy Zuko was before getting bold and reaching back behind him to grab at his ass. Zuko just kept still, crossing his ears and looking up at the ceiling. Jet watched carefully at his expression as he stopped and got up, seeing a very hidden look of disappointment in his face.

Jet grabbed the handful of pillows that fell on the floor or sat in one corner of the room and threw them into the nook of the bed before lounging back on them. He patted his thighs with a smirk, “Sit on my lap.”

Zuko didn’t budge, “No way.”

“Fine,” Jet shrugged, putting his arms behind his back and closing his eyes.

Without reopening them, Jet felt a hesitant shift on the bed, followed by a weight wobbling at his sides before very gently resting on his thighs. Zuko sat far enough to not be on Jet’s own erection, but too close to be sitting, -well, more like subtly hovering- over Jet’s knees. Jet opened on eye playfully, smiling at his success. “Atta boy,” He purred.

Jet gently led Zuko’s hands to rest on his shoulders, going back to rubbing his thighs up and down before stroking his cock through the fabric. Zuko didn’t say a word, but only slipped out a few whimpers here and there- he couldn’t seem to have the courage to speak. Jet kept going, undoing the top of his pants, and softly whispered, “Lift, honey.” Zuko behaved very well for Jet, lifting his hips for a moment so Jet could slide them down a little.

Before he sat back down, Jet grabbed the back of his thighs to usher him closer with a chuckle. “It’s okay, sit on it. It’s not gonna break.”

Zuko did huff in protest, but still kept quiet. Though Jet thought his nervousness was cute, he wanted him to be relaxed enough so he could cum. Zuko didn’t grind on Jet just yet, but now that his dick was out Jet could hopefully get him motivated to do so.

A few slow strokes in, Jet couldn’t believe it- Zuko leaned in and wrapped himself around his shoulders as he grinded against Jet with the same pace. “You’re a natural,” Jet praised. This praise made Zuko cling to his shoulders and grind a little harder.

“So cute…” Jet also slipped out involuntarily. Zuko grunted, but didn’t stop the movement in his hips.

“Maybe more?” Zuko mumbled next to his ear. Jet hummed, picking up the pace as per request. Zuko’s whimpers got louder and more desperate as he clung even tighter.

“Good boy,” Jet cooed, using his other hand to move up and down his side. This got an especially loud whine from him, telling Jet that Zuko seemed to have a praise kink. “Yeah? You like being called a good boy?” He started to tease.

There it was again- that heart-melting whimper. Jet could've sworn he even felt him nod next to his head and give a quiet “yeah” in between his moans. “What about slut? You like being called a little slut? Hm, You little dirty whore?” He pried.

Zuko didn’t like it- he loved it. It actually started to hurt Jet a bit from how much he grinded his ass against Jet’s bulge from hearing it. “Jet…?” he whined, biting a bit into his shoulder. “I feel it- it’s…Oh! Shit! Fuck! Fuck!”

“That’s it, let it out-“ Jet grabbed Zuko’s ass hard enough to hurt, taunting “Does Li need to cum? Hmm?”

Zuko felt like he was about to cry, grabbing onto Jet’s hair for dear life as his body started to shake. He didn’t mean to, but he let out a startled cry loud enough to probably alert the whole apartment complex. Spilling out onto Jet’s clothes for the first time ever, he rode out his orgasm with the most bliss and satisfaction that he had ever felt. Fully resting down onto Jet’s chest, he tried to catch his breath. Though his first time was rather short, it would be well-ingrained into both of their minds forever.

They laid in silence with heavy breaths as Jet’s hands bent up and down from his hair to his lower back, gently groping his ass every once and awhile.

“Zuko?” Jet whispered.

“Mhm?” Zuko hummed.

“I think you like boys.”

“Worse. I think I like you.”

…

“Jet and I are like you and Suki,” Zuko explained plainly, trying to let his fake nonchalance turn into a reality. Zuko thanked Agni for sitting him on Zuko’s right, keeping his blushed cheek hidden from Sokka’s view.

Sokka nodded with a subtle “Hmm!” as he thought of what to say to such news. ‘Just say what you would if it were a girl.’ “How long have you known each other like that?”

“I guess it’s been maybe four months now. We met in early spring on the same refugee ship headed for Ba Sing Se. He liked my scar.” Zuko laughed as if that was the most ridiculous idea ever.

This made Sokka feel awkward, as if he was put in a place to have to deny that his scar looked bad. Part of his knew Zuko wasn’t just seeking reassurance or fishing for compliments, but he still didn’t want to not say anything. “I like your scar, too!” ‘Uh-oh, that sounded weird in this context,’ “I mean, not like Jet does, but like in a… non…attraction… really-cool-war-painty way?” ‘I should have stuck with silence,’ Sokka thought.

“It is what it is,” Zuko shrugged. Neither of them liked the silence that followed, so Zuko decided to keep going with his story of him and Jet. “He actually didn’t know I was a firebender for like, a month or two. He also thought my name was Li.”

Sokka jumped up in his seat a little as if an old connection just made its way through his head, “Oh, yeah! I was wondering how he’d be so buddy-buddy with you! That guy hates firebenders! Er- well- I guess not anymore, huh?”

“Oh, no. He totally still hates firebenders. He just has two exceptions.” Zuko smiled, then looked a little sad for a moment.

“Two?” Sokka wondered.

“My uncle and I. My uncle accepted him like he was a part of the family… I even got Jet to call him ‘Uncle,’ too. I think it was good for him, since he lost his parents at such a young age. It was sweet, Uncle would teach Jet how to do things like fold laundry, sew buttons, bake fire cakes… sometimes I’d get a little jealous but then I realized I didn’t have to do all of that if they did it for me.” Zuko laughed while he leaned back and stared longingly out the window.

Sokka recalled his talk with Zuko and his uncle before, knowing that he was still very much hurt about their separation. His uncle meant the whole world to him, and while Sokka’s dad was back, Zuko’s ‘dad’ wasn’t. Now that he had gotten to know Zuko, he really pitied the boy. He still didn’t understand why Zuko ever wanted to go back to Ozai after all that had happened to him, but he was also learning that as people experience life differently, they’ll think and react differently, too. “Welp, when you reunite, maybe he can teach Jet how to make tea, because you buddy, are a lost cause.”

Zuko gave the most genuine and carefree laugh Sokka had ever heard from him, before kicking Sokka’s seat over for revenge.

Chapter Text

It was hard for Katara to wrap her head around the idea that she was still living in her village less than a year ago.

So much had happened, and she had somehow gotten used to the ground no longer being white nor crunching with every step. She traveled all across the world and gained a surplus of skills- including skills she wished she hadn’t gained at all. She became stronger and wiser and much more confident than the girl she was back in her small, isolated village. However, there was a terrible price that came with traveling the world at the age she was…

Boys.

Even before she left the village, Katara was no fool- She knew her worth wasn’t aligned with her relationship status. Though, lest we forget, this was a bit easier to remember back where the oldest boy -who wasn’t her brother- was less than half of her age. Now, here she was, sitting in a circle around a fire with four boys she had a crush on at least some point in her life.

First there was Aang, who she knew she shouldn’t have a relationship with until peace was brought back into the world. The weight of the world was on his shoulders, and she didn’t want to cost everything just by a mere distraction of a relationship. What she didn’t know was when exactly her infatuation with the fun-loving boy became a crush, but she knew now that she loved him. If it wasn’t romantic love, at least there would be some form of ‘found-family’ love until the day they’d die. One couldn’t let go of a bond they’d made in such a long journey like this.

Haru, her second crush, hadn’t joined them on their journeys until now. She wished Haru could have joined earlier to teach Aang earthbending, but they all knew that his mission was to take back his home while they went to the Northern Water Tribe. Even so, she’d fall asleep to the idea of him joining and perhaps becoming her boyfriend someday along the way. Yet time passed, and so did the excitement alongside the dreams.

Jet. Her third crush and her first romantic heartbreak. She didn’t know exactly what it was that made her fall for him... Perhaps it was his charisma, or his hair, or the way he’d give her attention that she hadn’t gotten before. Was it all an act? Back in that forest, was he toying with her for his own entertainment like a tiger seal played with its prey before attempting to eat it? That’s what Katara felt like when she looked at them. Prey watching it’s predators live peacefully side-by-side, knowing that she would have been just a fun hunt to them if she hadn’t escaped out of their sharp teeth quick enough.

That leaves Zuko, who she’d heavily argue over if what they had was even a crush. They had a moment of connection underground in Ba Sing Se, but perhaps it was just her being too close with the boy’s face under the crystal lighting. She remembered pitying him. Relating to him. Forgiving him.

It made sense, Jet and Zuko. The people close enough to them in their lives, like Iroh and the Freedom Fighters, knew that it was their traumas and passions that established their love and loyalty. Katara also somewhat agreed that they were tragically fit for each other, but instead for the reasons that two were both angry with the world and themselves, had been apathetic to the innocent, and used her vulnerabilities against her for their own ambitions.

Katara thought it was quite humorous at first. She found it hard to believe that Jet, someone who was willing to end the life of an innocent elderly man solely due to him being Fire Nation, would end up with their prince-banished or not. The two tried to tell their stories to better explain everything but Katara would always block them out- there was no point in believing in anything that could just be attempts to distract her from the truth.

“I know now that there’s a difference between firebenders, and the Fire Nation.” Jet would say.

When she spied on the two gently holding each other as they watched the sun set, she knew confidently that Jet had changed like he said he did. As for Zuko, well, perhaps he was toying with his prey just like Jet toyed with her.

She hated the way Jet looked at him. It made the deepest pit in her stomach twist with anger and disgust. How could anyone look like that towards such a traitor? A monster? How could he look at someone who was from a place he despised so deeply, but he never looked at her the same? …How could Jet into gold eyes like that when hers were blue?

Katara couldn’t breathe when she watched Jet gaze at Zuko in his sleep. She tried pretending that she was sleeping like the rest of them, but she saw how Jet sat up in the middle of the night, softly brushing a finger over Zuko’s snowy skin, too different from hers.

When she’d catch a glimpse of them kissing as she passed their room in the halls, he watched the way Jet would grab handfuls of his raven hair- Hair much shorter and darker than hers.

When Sokka would tease her for stalking the two from a distance, she’d deny it. She’d deny it even as she actively kept her eyes on the two as she spoke of the denial, watching Jet carrying Zuko on his back or even hold Zuko as they used ropes to swing from level-to-level. She was so much shorter than him, how was it possible for Jet to hold Zuko closer than he held her?

When Jet stared at the ripples of the fountain, Katara knew he was really just looking at the reflection of the sun’s fire. Did he prefer the sun over the moon? Would he thrive in the heat more than he would the snow?

Katara didn’t get it. Zuko was the opposite of her in every single aspect. Their elements, their hair, their eyes, their height, their skin, their personalities, and even their genders. Did Jet ever like her, or was he just holding out for the opposite?

She knew she should have gotten over it like she thought she had days after they’d even left Jet. He was a monster, until he was an exception for the means to find Appa. Then she thought he was dead, only to find him in under Ba Sing Se. She should have known from there, but she didn’t even think about it until now.

’Jet was there, and I didn’t even think to ask about that.’ She thought.

She remembered being taken by both surprise and relief, but perhaps the trauma of that night painted over it. He was with Aang and Iroh. Did Katara think he went with Aang, not the latter? Or that perhaps Jet wasn’t actually alive and she had just dreamt it? No, he was there and he clung to Zuko with desperation. Yes!- He was taken by the Dai Lee when Azula arrived.

Katara had known that the two knew each other this whole time, yet somehow forgotten.

She wondered if Jet was there when she saw Zuko and Iroh at the tea shop. Why didn’t he visit her? Why didn’t he let them all know that he was alive? Was that when Zuko coaxed him into being on his side, making him a pawn in some big plan to work from the inside to take Aang down just before he could save the world? All of these questions made her dizzy and too distracted. This really started to show in her training with Aang.

They worked the water back and forth as an easy warm up, listening to the cricket-mice chirp in silence. Aang noticed Katara looked frustrated, especially when she heard laughter coming from the lit room in the distance. Per usual, Zuko and Jet were reading to The Duke before putting him to bed.

“We should pick a new spot.” Katara muttered, not taking her eyes off of the lights.

Aang watched her expressions nervously, “Well, this is the closest water source there is…”

“-Then we move the water elsewhere and bring it back when we’re done.” Katara ordered, taking the entirety of the fountains water and hauling it above her until she found a good spot much further from the laughing teens. Aang was concerned with how dedicated she was on separating herself from them, watching her strain to awkwardly keep the large pool of water above her head.

Though, Aang knew that separation wasn’t always what she wanted. He watched her go from spying on them from a distance, to pretending to be busy with something close by, to stalling by their room. She told Aang time and time again that she didn’t trust Zuko and was trying to make sure Jet was safe, but Aang wasn’t that naïve. Aang would’ve been jealous and maybe even slightly hostile with either of the two teens if he’d thought it she had a chance with either of them, but Aang was incapable of this due to the fact that they were taken by each other. Moreover, it seems they were ‘uniformed lovers,’ a term the monks taught Aang when discussing the different forms of love.

Aang was born into a temple of monastic traditions, believing he’d never have children of his own before realizing the chance of extinction of airbenders was dependent of him. Even so, he still knew there was a chance of him raising another monk in his adult years before he even knew he was the Avatar, much like how Gyatso did with him. Aang knew that even if the other cultures commonly had mother-father families, parenthood was detached from gender and more-so driven by love.

Aang thought of how Toph’s parents were traditional, but unaccepting of who she was.

He thought of people who lost a parent due to imprisonment or death.

Then, he thought of the freedom fighters, who lost both parents while they were still kids.

Lastly, he thought of Iroh, who essentially adopted Zuko after his mother disappeared and biological father mutilated his face.

Aang knew that when Iroh and Zuko reunited, he’d be so happy to see Zuko care for The Duke just like he imagined Iroh did for Zuko. Of course, The Duke was much less difficult to handle than Zuko was, but it was very hard for Aang to imagine that the Zuko comforting a knee-scrapped child was the same Zuko who attempted to kidnap him time and time again. Aang was happy for both of them as a couple and as two individuals who decided to better themselves and shed the evils that grew from their childhood traumas.

…

Jet was so happy to be with *most* of his family again. He knew they needed to figure out how to find Iroh again, but until then, it would only be Jet’s arms that Zuko would run to after his meltdowns or nightmares.

It seems as if they’d take turns each night.

One night The Duke would shake one of them awake with watery eyes, asking to lay with them or even go for a short walk. Any time he’d choose to wake up Jet instead, Zuko would instinctively wake up too and join in on their cuddle session.

The next night would be Jet, who never woke up screaming but rather gasping for air like Zuko did. Again, Zuko having some magical extra sense, would wake up and ignore Jet’s usher for him to go back to sleep. If quiet kissing and cuddling didn’t work, the two would walk to the “secret spot” they’d found in the depths of the temples and distract themselves by other means until they were too exhausted enough to stay awake.

Then comes Zuko, who would wake up yelling out in desperation for his life to be spared. He always felt so guilty for waking everyone else up, especially after Katara would insist that he was sabatoging everyone’s sleep on purpose.

’Katara.’ Jet thought.

After hearing all that Zuko had done, he didn’t want to say Katara was out of her mind for hating him. He wished she’d forgive him, but knew he couldn’t and shouldn’t try and convince her outside of her own terms. All he could do was comfort Zuko when it would make her upset, and keep a fair distance from her.

Though, that was beginning to become difficult.

Jet felt like it was becoming a game of “Where’s Katara,” as he could always find her watching them if he looked hard enough. While they went on walks, had private picnics, practiced writing letters in the sand with The Duke… it was starting to get out of hand.

…

Today, Katara finally crossed the line.

The two teens browsed books and scrolls in an old library, trying to find something appropriate for them to read to The Duke.

“What about… ‘The Founders of Existentialism’?” Zuko laughed, holding up the maroon book that almost looked whitish-grey considering all the dust it was covered in.

Jet chuckled as he brushed off another book cover, “I don’t even know how to spell that word.”

“T. h. e.” Zuko smirked.

“S.h.u.t. U.p.” Jet quipped back.

Zuko flung a tiny book at him like a frisbee, throwing his fists up into the air when it hit Jet’s chest. “Score!” He called out.

“Always asking for trouble… you should really read up on this book here,” Jet held up a book that read in large print: “The Dangers of Violence.”

“Oh yeah? I’m the one with a bunch of bite marks on my back!” Zuko put his hands on his hips, pretending to be offended.

“Care for some more?” Jet said in the voice.

Zuko walked around non-challantly as he kept his hands behind his back, eyes mischievously scattering around the room. As both of them got closer to the table, sudden loud rumbles echoed all the way up to the ceiling as dozens of books were pushed off in one large sweep.

“Ohhh you’re in trouble, mister. Don’t you know this is a library? You’re supposed to be quiet.” Jet threatened, turning Zuko around and pushing him into the table as is he was being arrested.

Zuko whimpered and fought the grip Jet had on him, but noticed a quick moment of Jet stalling and loosening his grip. Before Zuko could ask what was wrong, he got back into it and started kissing his and nipping at the back of his neck.

Normally, he’d shed Zuko’s clothes off for him by now. Yet he was still fully clothed, not moving on from doing the same things over and over again. Jet was one to tease, but not this early on.

“…Please?” Zuko whined anyway, thinking that was what Jet was waiting on.

Jet only grabbed his hair in return, other hand just holding his waist steady. Zuko couldn’t see Jet’s face, but he knew something was holding him back from going further. When Zuko started to feel Jet’s erection go soft again, he looked back at the boy. Jet wasn’t one to lose an erection, so something odd was indeed going on.

Zuko was going to turn around to try and suck him off with the intentions of getting him going again, but Jet wouldn’t let him move. As they both went silent, Jet let out a loud huff.

“…Do you need help with something, Katara?!” Jet called out to the windows above as he stood up straight, looking behind him. His hands were pushing Zuko down, but not for long as Zuko literally pushed the table forward with his weight to break free.

“What the hell!?” Zuko exclaimed as he anxiously searched for the girl Jet claimed to see. “Where is…” Zuko whispered, not seeing her hide against the wall of the window after being caught. Still, Zuko trusted that she was there. Not just because Jet was overly aware of his surroundings, but also because Katara had been getting more and more progressive on watching the two.

Jet looked back at Zuko, putting a hand on his shoulder with a pitiful look. “You stay here while I talk to her, Babe.” He insisted, voice calming and low again.

Zuko nodded, knowing he probably wouldn’t be good for joining in on this chat. ’Katara isn’t really fond on me talking at to her at all.’ Zuko thought.

Jet gave him a quick kiss and a reassuming smile, “Nice kitty. We’ll finish later.”

Zuko rolled his eyes at the name, but smiled back anyways. “I’ll be here. Reading up on… Confucianism?” he said, holding up one of the fallen books.

“Good luck,” Jet waved as he started to leave.

“You too,” Zuko said back, finding a comfy spot in one of the corners.

“I’m gonna need it,” Jet grimaced.

…

Jet finally made his way up the stairs where the library’s highest windows met. Thankfully Katara was still there, but her face was bright red and shoulders tense. She knew she’d have to face him about this one way or another, so why not now?

“I wasn’t trying to watch you two like that.” Katara started the conversation, refusing to turn towards him.

Jet huffed, “Yeah? I gave you a pretty long time to leave.”

Katara crossed her arms, moving her hands up and down her forearms to comfort herself. “I know- I know. It’s bad and I wanted to look away but I don’t know what my problem is.”

“I don’t know what your problem is either, Katara. I mean, at first you were just being rude- and don’t… get me wrong. I know it’s not my place to tell you to forgive people and I’ve got my own problems with that- but that’s not even the big deal right now. The big deal is that now you’re not just offending my boyfriend every time you’re around him, but now you’re just creeping on our privacy. Why?”

Face still hidden, Katara grimaced at the word “boyfriend” in place of Zuko’s name. She hated that she was caught, and hated that she felt like she was acting like a pervert- That wasn’t at all what she was doing. Katara had become so obsessed with her confusion on Jet and his choices to the point in which she felt like she had to investigate anything and everything to make sense of it. She knew it was wrong, so why did she?

“I don’t know,” Katara sniffled, trying not to cry.

Jet decided to sit down on a nearby boulder, arms crossed. “That’s it? You don’t know? So you just absentmindedly walked ten minutes away from the others and sat outside the library for an hour doing nothing, and continuing to stay there after they were clearly about to do something very private and personal?”

“No- I-“ Katara finally looked back at him, hands out and defenseless. Jet didn’t look angry, but instead stressed and completely bewildered. “I just guess I got really curious. It was wrong, and I’m so sorry, Jet.”

“Curious?” Jet repeated, thinking about it. “Oh,” he continued, giving an uncomfortable laugh while looking away, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Oh! I mean no, not like that! Er- well- I mean, like…” Katara tripped over her words, trying her best to save herself. She didn’t mean she was curious like that. despite being in a small village, she still knew how it worked between two guys. Now she had to decide if she wanted to go with that, being safe but awkward, or a closer truth, making things a lot more complicated.

Jet leaned over to gaze into the open windows until he found Zuko, already curled up and napping with the big book facedown onto the floor. Jet hummed, letting himself get distracted for a moment so Katara could get herself together and properly fess-up.

“You know, I could’ve just explained it to you, If you just asked,” Jet said, calm and collected.

“No…” Katara sighed, “No that’s not why, actually.”

She sat down on the grass a few feet away from him, fiddling with a few pieces. She moved the blades up and down by their water, easing her nerves a bit.

“Talk to me, Katara,” Jet said lowly, making her blush. As her mind went wild, all she could think of was ‘why did he have to be so cute?’

“Jet… I know we were never really a thing, and so much time had passed… and you have Zuko now too…” she started, unable to look him directly in the eyes but knew from her peripherals that he was looking at hers with a tilted head and laid back posture. ‘How could someone be so chalant in a discussion like this!?’

“Basically, I think I’m just a bit jealous and it made me a little crazy. Okay, today was actually really crazy but- you know what I mean.”

“I don’t, actually,” Jet sat up a little, crossing his arms. “Jealous of what?”

Katara started getting confused as well, “Because you and I had a thing back when I first met you.”

“We did?” Jet blinked.

‘Ouch, that one hurt a lot.’

“I mean- I thought we did. I just thought…” Katara thought about him helping her up into the trees, and touching her cheek as he tried to coax her into siding with him. What was that, then?

“Katara, I’ve been told that I’m a flirt. Trust me, Zuko’s jabbed me a few times for being ‘too friendly’ towards his customers back in Ba Sing Ce…” Jet started trying to relax his posture again, unfolding his arms and leaning back into the boulder with his palms. “I don’t know how the guys treated you back where you’re from, but I didn’t mean to lead you on or anything. Nothing happened between us and if it did I’d say something about it first.”

Jet remembered how Zuko reacted at his confession, body frozen like someone had casted a spell. He still let Jet kiss him before going home, letting him think about it with a bit more to ponder on.

Katara tried to process what he had just told her, but everything flew past her mind and went straight to her tear ducts.

Jet reached out a comforting hand, “Aw, hey! Don’t cry!” But Katara stayed still, so Jet got up to move to her and put a comforting arm over her shoulders. “I’m so sorry I didn’t know…”

“How could you not know!? The way you…” Katara held herself back from mentioning the way he cradled her face. Not only did it seem embarrassing to say out loud after being rejected, but also because she started to remember that it was probably just a desperate way to convince her to not sabotage his attack on the village.

Jet had also tried to think back on that whole situation, then signed as he cringed at his past self. “You’re right. Now that I’m thinking about it, I did kinda use you like that when I knew I was busted. I was a dick back then and I think I thought you were vulnerable enough to fall for that…”

“Well I’m not.” Katara snapped with a shaky voice, snapping out from under his arm.

“Uh, hello? I know that Miss I’-Freeze-People-to-Trees’…. ‘And-Walls’.” Jet laughed, trying her playfully push her over like he did when he made Zuko upset with him. This didn’t work on Katara though, as she just slapped his arm away again before curling up on herself.

“Yikes. Hey, I’m sorry! I honestly didn’t know you’d still be caught up on that!” Jet defending himself, hating that he was being seen as the bad guy. Though he had changed, he still had much to work on as his ego was still fragile- Jet didn’t like when his goodness was questioned.

They sat there for a moment in silence, apart from Katara’s light crying. Jet didn’t want to leave, but he was at a loss for what to do now. He thought back to how Zuko said Mai had reacted, as well as when he met her again at the Boiling Rock. Just like right now, his sexuality wasn’t the problem but rather his actions that led another person on.

“I’m sorry for spying on you guys,” Katara mumbled into herself before wiping her face.

Jet gave her a sad smile, standing up and offering her a hand.

“No worries, Katara. I’m sorry for giving you that impression. You’re great and all, and don’t get me wrong, you’re really pretty… but I’m kinda into something different.” He chuckled as he pulled her up and patted her back.

“Psh- I know. Way different,” she laughed, but not maliciously.

Jet laughed with her, then put his hand out for a truce. “Friends?”

Katara gave him a firm handshake back to seal the truce, “Friends.”

…

Though Katara snapped out of the spying-craze she was in, she was still a bit hurt for some reason. She didn’t know why, but the emotions of it all never seemed to fully wash away.

Suki seemed to notice this.

Suki was good at reading people, and saw herself in Katara back when she was a bit younger. Though Katara was already fourteen, she was still learning how boys work for the first time.

“Hey!” Suki called out to Katara as she watched the stars on the balcony by herself.

“Oh, hey Suki!” Katara called back. She loved being able to have another girl -well, one who didn’t pick food out of her teeth with hands covered in dirt- on the team. She was like a big sister to her, and she hoped someday she’d be a sister by law, too.

“Have you been a little down lately?” She asked as she sat next to Katara.

Katara sighed, “Yeah, but it’s just dumb stuff. It doesn’t matter anymore either because we sorted it out.”

“Does this ‘dumb stuff’ have to do with Jet?’”

“Huh!? They didn’t tell anyone, right!?” Katara panicked, startling the girl next to her.

“Tell us what?” Suki asked, taken aback.

Katara went bright red, but was also relieved that -supposedly- no one knew that she tried to creep on Zuko and Jet. He’d promised her that he’d convince Zuko not to tell anyone, and she knew Zuko was constantly avoiding rocking the boat with her, so she had hope that this would forever be their little secret.

Katara shrugged, “Nothing.”

“Did they say something to you?“ Suki pried, hoping Katara would open up.

“Well, kinda. Jet did. We had a little talk and I don’t know… long story short I thought he used to like me so seeing him with someone else made me jealous and turns out he never liked me at all.” Katara huffed, laying down to look at the stars without straining her neck.

“Yep, boys will do that to you. Sometimes even the ones who don’t even like girls,” Suki laid with her. She remembered one of her old crushes who she swore liked her back. It was until he asked for her advice on asking another boy out that she knew it could never be. What made it harder was that the boy he’d asked out didn’t respond well to it, so they stayed by each other’s sides as friends, silently hurting about love they couldn’t have.

“Boys suck,” Katara groaned.

“They sure do!” Suki laughed.

Katara brought her voice down to a weak whisper, “It’s like with every guy I run into, I fall for them and just get hurt.”

As Suki turned to watch her as she stargazed with hopeless eyes, she decided to give Katara her little speech she’d practiced before joining her. “Teenagers tend to fall in love too fast- especially when you’re not from a city where there’s plenty of fish in the sea. When I was a bit younger, I remember getting a crush on any remotely cute boy who spoke to me. It’s exciting, but easy to fall into a situation you either can’t get out of or got out of much faster than you wanted,” Katara finally turned to look back at her as she continued to speak, “We need to look for deeper qualities in a person. We need to look for someone who feels like home, and someone who respects and appreciates us for our differences. Sometimes you’ll even met ‘Mr. Perfect,’ but he just won’t like you back.” Katara frowned, making Suki attempt to provide all the reassurance she could. “That is, there’s nothing wrong with you. They just aren’t into you, just like how I’m sure you’ve met boys our age who you just dont like in a romantic way, either.”

Katara nodded her head and she thought of Teo and Longshot, two teens who she only saw in a platonic way.

“You gotta let em go, just like how you’d want boys to let you go if you didn’t like them back. It’s hard for both sides, no matter what.” Suki added to her lecture, now waiting for Katara to speak her mind.

“Thanks, Suki. It’s been hard having to deal with this while also trying to save the world. One minute you’re fighting for your life, and the next you’re crying over a boy.” Katara laughed, then gave a big yawn.

“I’m right there with ya,” Suki yawned back.

They both decided to go back to the others around the fire, letting Zuko pass around his uncle’s favorite type of tea: ginseng. To her relief, both of the two lovebirds acted completely normal, as if she never peeped on them in the first place. After Suki told a story about a funny story about a mishap in her village, The Duke demanded that Jet and Zuko show off the odd books they found. The two teens obliged, needing to go together to handle the heavy piles of literature.

As Jet stood up, he bent down to ruffle his helmetless head of hair. “Sure thing, little guy. You guys are gonna get a crack at these!”

Before they walked out into the hallways, Jet paused to turn back. “Oh hey, Katara! You sure you don’t wanna come with us and watch?” He teased, only to get a smack on the arm from Zuko and a slap in the face by some bended ginseng tea.