Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

What did it take to make a leader?

  Was it something you were destined for? Was it something you would have to fight your way to reach? Or maybe it was all based on luck? Most of the war generals of his time would give more simple answers. Wisdom,rank,power,all vague concepts to answer an equally vague question. The others spent years - often decades - trying to find the answer,clawing their way to the position and basking in the prestige that came with leading an army of hundreds. 

   The boy never really gave the question much thought. Sure the children of his village often played war and even on a smaller scale the friend groups he was a part of as a child always seem to have someone to point them in the right direction. But in those cases, it was just a silly title that didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. No families had been destroyed when the game's leader decided they were too tired or scared to play,and it's not like he was dying to fill the role. 

   He was a rather sensitive kid surprisingly enough,always clinging to his mother and father until he made his first friend. It took an encouraging push from his mother before he had released her hand and greeted the stranger,the two nearly inseparable by the end of the night. Unlike his new friend, he returned home with a bright smile,talking about their little adventures for hours on end.

   His mother listened attentively,occasionally chiming in with a joke that made the town’s other moms cringe. She was sweet but she certainly wasn't conventional if her snappy snark and willingness to join him in the dirt meant anything. His father didn't quite fit the typical mold   either,just as gentle and thoughtful as the boy was. He had many years of wisdom to guide him and the turbulent emotions that came with being a child,the man always ready with kind words and a cup of tea. They all were different from the other families,but he loved them all the same. 

If only it could have last

   The day had started so simply. His father gave his hair an affectionate ruffle before he headed out for school with his mother,the woman sure to pepper his face in kisses until he whined. She chuckled as his face burned from embarrassment,heading to the fruit stand just as she did every day. If he knew this would happen he would have played sick,at least then he would have been around to protect them. 

   The students had fled the small building in a frenzy,smoke bleeding in through the windows and leaving the room filled with gray clouds. The air had grown unbearably hot,the crackling of flames near deafening as he raced to the village's outskirts. He swore he felt a burst of fire strike his feet,his friend taking the hit to protect him. Tiny soles bled yet he continued to run,hand in hand with the younger boy. It felt like eons before they had escaped into the forest,the boy gasping for air as sweat dripped down his bruised skin. 

     It took a moment for him to realize how far the survivors had reached,never once hearing the clunky footsteps of his mother or feeling the quick grasp of his father’s hand. Eyes wide he turned,spotting what had turned his home into burning flames. 

   Men in fire nation garbs sat atop horrible beasts,watching the fear and bloodshed grow with each passing second. One noticed his lack of movement,turning to meet the child's horrified gaze. The boy expected to be burned alive at that moment,tears rolling down his cheeks as their eyes met.

Instead, the man grew a smile.

     A slow,wicked smile that reached his cheekbones. The kind of smile that held no regrets,proud of the families he had destroyed and carnage his army had left behind. 

It was then he realized the war was far bigger than he could comprehend. 

He was only eight,yet now he was truly alone

   The next few years were impossible to forget,no matter how hard he tried. Starvation, paranoia, fatigue, survivor's guilt, loneliness, each instance clung to him yet one stuck out the most. 

Anger

   Anger at himself for being terrified,anger at those men for leaving him to fend for himself,and anger at the fire nation for destroying everything he loved. 

   It all began to boil into a self-destructive mess,the pot exploding the moment he met the girl he had appropriately nicknamed "Smeller-Bee"

   She was fast on her feet,quick enough to nearly escape with the few rations he had left. Yet at the same time her years on the run were beyond obvious,even more so than his own. He wasn't sure what compelled him to ignore the usual response and fight,but looking back he was more than glad he had chosen peace. If he didn't then he might now have not found something else to live for besides his own survival. Now he had someone to protect,someone he wasn't going to lose again to the fire nation. 

   Afterwards Longshot entered the picture,sharing a tale similar to his own. The trauma left him silent most of the time,his face doing most of the talking if SmellerBee wasn't around to do so. Then came the rest of his gang, Sneers, Pipsqueak, The Duke, and hundreds of other refugees left behind in the wake of the fire nation soldier's brutality. Dark ashes lingered in their shadows yet somehow they all managed to light up whenever he entered the room. Words of admiration, gratefulness, even vulnerability were given his way, the team slowly turning into more than just another group of refugees. Now they were an ever growing family of vigilantes,all looking up to him to lead the way. 

That was what he decided made a true leader,someone that protected their people no matter the cost.

That’s why he had to do this

  The boy stood atop the hill,watching over the dam and the forest below. It had taken months just to get just half the water they needed,the fact biting at his neck. Normally he could be patient when it came to his plans but something about this one made him itch. They were so close to freeing the town yet it wasn’t close enough. Each day of waiting meant another day of fire nation soldiers occupying the Earth Kingdom town, buildings and people drenched in their vile shades of crimson. He had relied on the rainfall to play its part in his mission but the clouds seemed suspiciously dry lately. Not to mention the troops he had seen pass by the area. Their camps seem to be growing closer and closer,the only thing keeping them from catching on being his team’s quick ambushes. But even with his cockiness he knew they couldn’t hold them off forever.

“Jet?” 

   The boy turned to find The Duke a few feet behind him. His traveling clothes had been put on in haste, stolen shoulder armor and knee pad missing.

“Are you okay?” The six-year-old asked. 

“Yeah,just checking up on the dam,” Jet said before turning back to him. “What are you doing up? I thought you went to bed with everyone else”

“I had a bad dream” 

   The other couldn’t help but crack an amused grin. Even if he was one of the best fighters he was still a little kid at the end of the day. “What’d you see?”

“Um…” He scratched the other leg with the heel of his boot,gaze glued to the ground. “I think I saw my parents”

For a brief second Jet’s eyes widened. 

“I don’t remember their faces but I could feel it was them,” He said. “Does that make sense?”

   The boy quickly gathered his composure,putting on the usual understanding face he gave the others. “Yeah,sometimes I have dreams about my parents and village”

   Instead of the expected relief the child anxiously gripped the cloth of his pants. “Did I do something to make them abandon me?”

“Of course not,” He assured him. 

“But what if I did and I don’t remember?” He let his large helmet fall into his face as if to hide from the idea. 

“You were a little kid,what could you have done?” Jet asked,the boy unswayed. He let out a sigh,walking over to rest a comforting hand on his tiny shoulder. “Listen Duke,it doesn’t matter what happened before. Right now you’re here with us and we won’t ever abandon you”

   His expression softened,Jet fixing his helmet so the child could see his kind smile. “ I won’t ever abandon you”

A smile of his own crossed his face,Duke rushing in to give him a tight hug. “Promise?”

Jet returned the embrace. “I promise” 

The boy pulled away before letting out a yawn. “Are you coming back?”

“Yeah,in a few,” He said. “You go ahead of me,you’ve got to be awake when we take out some fire nation swine tomorrow”

   His smile threatened to fall,Duke instead pulling his lips into a straight line. He gave his leader a soft hum before turning back towards the hideout. 

  Jet looked back to the dam,chewing on the wheat stalk in his mouth.  What was worse,losing your entire world in a single second or never having one to mourn? 

For once,the leader who seemed to have all the answers was left stumped.

   Next day’s ambush started off without a hitch,even The Duke in better spirits by the time they took to the trees. All they had to do was wait for the perfect moment to strike.

  Luckily that moment came in the form of a group of three kids unfortunate enough to stumble into the campgrounds.

“ You promise not to hurt us ?” The soldier smirked,entertained by the idea of a mere child being able to take down an entire military unit.

They must have not heard of them

   He collapsed with a hard thud,the girl pointing to him in shock as he prepared his weapons. Looks like they were going to have an audience this time. 

   Jet stepped back and off the branch,the tips of his two hook swords sinking into the bark as he swung himself to the ground. With only his two legs he knocked two more soldiers into the dirt,jumping off their back armor. In a single swoop he had caught another pair by their ankles,taking both in the air with him as he flipped them onto the pile of bodies.

The boy landed flawlessly on his feet,swords in hand and a grin on his face. “Down you go”

   He didn’t take the time to bathe in the glory,tearing down the fool brave - or stupid - enough to rush at him with a quick turn. The rest of the group deployed like bombs, arrows raining from the skies and members dropping onto the soldiers just as quickly.

  From the corner of his eye he spotted a new pair of fighters,the girl from before dragging the men away in a whip of water while her friend let the winds flow from his palms and throw the grown adults as if they were nothing more than cloth dolls.

‘Impressive’

  The second boy - the oldest he assumed - held his boomerang above his blade with a battle cry. Jet took his second of bravery,kicking the other straight into a tree.

His shoulders slumped,dejection on his face. “Hey,he was mine!”

“Gotta be quicker next time,”  He told him frankly before heading to another swarm of soldiers. As funny as it was he couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic for the older days when he could train the newest members personally. It was nice still seeing some childhood innocence survive the many tragedies.

   He took the boy’s next moment with less fondness,nearly losing his head twice on the way. This was a war he had to survive,if not as a fighter then as a strong leader.

  The fight ended in a diminuendo,the remaining soldiers fleeing the scene. Just as cowardly as he expected,but then again he never thought highly of the fire nation to begin with. 

  He looked over the abandoned camp with pride,officially reclaimed in the name of the Freedom Fighters.

“You just took out a whole army almost single handed” The boy in orange and yellow marveled with the same awe every other fighter they rescued had when they first met.

“Army?” The other scoffed,arms crossed. “There were only, like, twenty guys!”

“My name’s Jet,and these are my freedom fighters” He cocked his head to the rest of the fighters with a grin that always managed to charm new members. He introduced each one,the others introducing themselves in turn. Sokka,Katara and Aang,names that were definitely not from around the area,earth kingdom or fire nation. 

   He didn’t know much about the water tribe but he definitely knew about the air nomads - everyone did - or at least what happened to them. He could only imagine each temple going up in scarlet flames,the inferno consuming the lives of thousands until all that was left was bone. 

   The image always made his stomach churn,but his Freedom Fighters couldn’t know that. He was the one who was supposed to stop such devastation from reaching any farther,and now that included Aang. It was a miracle he even survived,there was no way he was going to let such agony track him or his friends. He just had to get them all on board first.

   His group had begun to raid the camp for supplies - typical procedure after a good ambush -  when Katara approached. 

“Umm,thanks for saving us Jet,” She said almost sheepishly,a sharp contrast compared to how effortlessly she had taken down the hoard of soldiers. “We’re lucky you were there”

“I should be thanking you,” Jet replied,genuinely grateful. “We were waiting to ambush those soldiers all morning, we just needed the right distraction, and then you guys stumbled in”

The girl shot her brother a glare,sarcasm in her tone. “We were relying on instincts”

“You’ll get yourself killed doing that”

   He could feel the boy's eye's boring holes into his face,but he wasn’t too phased. He wasn’t new to possible members being far from appreciative,heck, some of the kindest of his team had at one point pointed a blade to his neck. Still,he knew his sort of facade well. Just a thick wall to protect his family,and at some point he’d get him to understand he was safe here with a strong leader at the reins. He always managed to.

“Hey, Jet!”

The boy looked up to find Duke peering up from a barrel half his height. “These barrels are full of blasting jelly”

“That’s a great score,” Jet said,hoping to get a smile out of him. Even if he was focusing on new recruits he wasn’t going to forget what he said the night before. Hopefully the little find would be enough to keep up the child’s morale.

“And these boxes are filled with jelly candy!” Pipsqueak added. 

“Also good,let’s not get those mixed up” It’d be pretty embarrassing for all of this hard work to be undone by some silly little snacks. 

“We’ll take this stuff back to the hideout,” The child said as the others began to pack.

Aang perked up at the mention. “You guys have a hideout?”

It was a relief to see the fire nation hadn’t taken all the happiness from him. “You guys wanna see it?”

“Yes, we wanna see it!” Katara said with a bright smile.

  His expression softened. It had been a while since he had seen other people besides his Freedom Fighters have hope. 

“We’re here”

“Where?” Sokka questioned. “There’s nothing here”

“Hold this” 

 He handed Sokka the tied loop that hung from the treetops,the boy yanked up and into the bushels until all trace of him had disappeared past the bundle of leaves. He tried not to laugh,handing another to Aang.

“I’ll get up on my own” The youngest decided,jumping up and spinning along the wind’s currents to each branch. This kid was going to be an amazing fighter,Jet was sure of it already.

    He kept his gaze to the skies as the rope in his hand lifted him and the girl off the ground and into the endless tower of forest trees. Their trunks reached towards the warm sun,bits of light slipping through their shelter of leaves. Clouds of red and oranges surrounded them,the crisp air gently carrying fallen leaves until they vanished into the bundles of bracts.

   They were effortlessly dropped onto a wooden platform that circled a bole,the boy finding Aang already having discovered their pulley system and decided it more fun to slide along the thick jute. 

“It’s beautiful up here!” Katara marveled.

“It’s beautiful,and more importantly the Fire Nation can’t find us” 

  The zip of another rope was the only thing alerting him of his third in command’s presence,the boy smirking at the near silent landing. Even in moments of calm she managed to be just as sneaky as when they first met,intentional or not. It was almost admirable save for the first few days where the then twelve-year-old nearly knocked the other out of shock. The girl just as quickly pulled his arm behind his back,keeping him pinned to the ground with a sharp knee near the base of his spine. And just as she did then she gave him a cocky half-praise half-tease. “They’d love to find you,wouldn’t they Jet?”

“It’s not gonna happen Smellerbee”

“Why does the Fire Nation want to find you?” Katara asked,following the group along the swing bridge.

“I guess you could say I’ve been causing them a little trouble” The understatement of the century considering all of the ambushes,supply cut-offs, and general chaos they gave all of their troops that Pipsqueak described with pride. “One day we’ll drive the Fire Nation out of here for good and free that town”

“That’s so brave” The girl replied with a smile.

  Her brother managed to escape the human wall that was Pipsqueak,the feeling of annoyed eyes glaring into his face returning. “Yeah,nothing’s braver than a guy in a treehouse”  

  It was so, so much more than that and Katara was sure to let him know he was just in a foul mood. Such ire would usually already have any other person’s eye twitching but Jet knew how to pick out notable parts of these sorts of vents and tune out the unimportant bits. It came with being a leader after all.

“So you all live here?”

“That’s right,Longshot over there? His town got burned down by the Fire Nation” He motioned to his second in command. His usually stoic expression had fallen into something more somber,the boy lowering his head to hide what the shadow of his conical hat couldn’t. Jet nearly paused,catching the slip. He walked a bit looser than usual,swaying farther towards the bridge’s rail than he had before. The jaw he rarely opened was locked tight,his steps unfocused.  Normally he was at the most indifferent to his past being told to new recruits,but something about today seemed…different. 

Strange…

  He brushed the sudden bombardment of questions aside,turning his attention to the younger boy beside him. “And we found The Duke trying to steal our food. I don’t think he ever really had a home”

   A tiny hand gripped his staff tighter,another swiping their knuckles against the older boy’s. The silent request for comfort was met with a quick push from the other boy’s much harder knuckles,another step taken towards the railing. Any closer and he might fall,the fact seemingly less important than keeping his distance from the child.

   Did they get in a fight? One their great leader didn’t notice or find the time to settle before it could burst into an explosion big enough to destroy the closest thing he had to a family?

Or had it already reached a breaking point and he was left to watch everything burn to ashes?

“What about you?”

   His stomach flipped at the new question,Jet covering a flinch from both by planting his feet firmly into the wood. “Fire Nation killed my parents”

  The bitter knot that usually came with the story had unfurled into a limp string,a sickly feeling taking its place. “I was only eight years old…that day changed me forever”

    He kept his eyes on the hundreds of the homes below them,unable to meet hers. It was a story told thousands of times,yet it always managed to knock a crack into his ‘strong leader image’. It was a relatable,painful crack but said with just enough anger to convince new members that his resentment was something admirable. At least that's how he always saw it,normally able to bite back the flurry of emotions that came with the flash of burning memories. 

Today was different

    For the first time in years his voice cracked in front of others,pulse spiking at the embarrassing noise. He quickly shut his mouth,a trembling lip only making his heart pound faster.

 Did anyone notice? 

Did they doubt him as a leader?

Did they think he was pathetic?

“Sokka and I lost our mother to the fire nation”  

  The confession pulled him out of his panicked thoughts,each one silencing themselves once he caught a glimpse of her face. Her eyes were downcast, voice even yet still lingering with a quiet sorrow.

Right,this wasn’t about him

“I’m so sorry Katara”

She remained still,neither accepting or denying the apology. 

He let his own gaze drift,finding the rest of his team gone. “What was she like?”

Katara looked up,the other gripping the railing of the rope bridge. “Your mother,what was she like?”

“My mom…” She smiled but there was a bit of sadness in it. “She was the kindest person I’ve ever known. Our home,our family,they meant everything to her”

   A hand ghosted over her mother’s necklace,the girl tracing the emblem engraved in its gem. “I don’t think I would’ve become the person I am without her”

“You must really miss her”

“More than anything” Katara loosened her grip on the rope,catching the boy’s own tightening. She followed his gaze down below,the other freedom fighters left up to their own devices while he was gone. Most were barely older than her dear friend,laughing and playing amongst themselves. They blurred into a mess of colored dots yet somehow the boy managed to catch the few that remained still. His brows were knitted together, chewing on his wheat stalk as if it was the only thing he had to eat in years.

“I’m sure they miss their parents too”

His nose twitched,grip tightening at the second slip. 

“We all do,” He quickly said. “It’s part of helping stop this war”

“What about you?” She asked. 

“I take care of my Freedom Fighters,” Jet replied. “I can’t replace their parents but I make sure everybody has what they need”

“No, I mean…” The other hesitated for a moment. She rest a hand on his forearm,giving him a kind smile. “You’ve got a lot on your shoulders. I think you’re a great leader for caring so much”

A slight smile returned to his face. “Thanks, Katara”

“You should teach Sokka a thing or two,” The girl said. “The only leader-y thing he does is try to boss us around”

“I’m sure he’s just trying his best,” Jet responded. “It took me a while to get everything like this”

“You give him way too much credit”

  He couldn’t help but chuckle at the little remark. With a breath he released the railing,resting that hand on his hip. “We have this big celebration dinner a little after sundown,you guys plan on staying?”

Her eyes seem to sparkle at the proposition. “We’d love to!”

“You sure your leader wouldn’t mind?” Jet jokingly questioned.

Katara scoffed with an amused smirk. “Please,as long as you say there’s meat he’ll be there”

“We ambushed a Fire Nation supply cart yesterday” The boy recalled with pride. “Let’s just say there will be plenty of hippo-ox to go around”

“I’ll go see if he’s done sulking first,” The girl said,taking a step ahead of him. “See you at dinner?”

“Yeah,see you”

  With a happy hum she turned back to the bridge and rushed across to find her brother,Jet waving her off until he was certain both were out of each other's line of sight. He picked the straw of wheat out from his mouth,looking to his right hand. The twists of the bridge’s ropes were practically engraved in his palm,the ends of the poor plant split into six thin strings. 

“Listen Duke,it doesn’t matter what happened before. Right now you’re here with us and we won’t ever abandon you”

   He wasn’t sure whether or not Longshot was truly trying to hide his anger or not. He hid his face - something he only did when he was seconds from snapping his own bow in half - but everything else seemed almost reckless. He thought falling hundreds of feet to his death was preferable to even looking at the child,not to mention how close they all were to a potential recruit. Sure Katara hadn’t noticed the first time but he doubted they would be lucky the next time.

“I won’t ever abandon you”

   He let his marked hand graze over his adam’s apple. Why was that enough to send him spiraling? He was Jet,leader of the Freedom Fighters,he survived worst fights among the group.

  The boy let out a deep sigh to clear his head,continuing along the wood path. They couldn’t be mad at each other forever,with his help and classic leadership skills both problems would be fixed soon enough. And whatever was up with himself…well…he could smooth it out on his own without anyone noticing,he always managed to before anyway.

    The energy that night was incredible,a familiar chaotic satisfaction bouncing off the trees and ringing throughout the entire forest.

  Every member of their team had been gathered in their meeting center,lanterns hung along the branches on stolen strings. Their bright lights illuminated the fruits of their latest attack, a meal fit for a royal army splayed out on a table barely big enough to hold every plate of fresh meat and bowl of steaming stock.  

  Jet sat at the head of the table - just as every leader did - taking the chance to stand with his cup raised. “Today,we struck another blow against the Fire Nation swine”

   His voice pried their attention off the group’s finest dinner in ages,even the scouts atop the tree branches rallying in celebration. 

“I got a special joy from the look on one soldier’s face when The Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild hog monkey” He gave the young boy a grin, the type of grin that could lift even the lowest spirits out of a drowning sea. The Duke beamed in return,jumping up and onto the table. He marched around the roast hippo-ox,arms raised and pumped as he reveled in his friends’ loud cheers.

    He waved the Duke over,the boy’s eyes lighting up. He quickly joined Jet’s side with his helmet in hand. The leader rest a comforting hand on his shoulder before turning back to his team. 

“Now,the Fire Nation thinks they don’t have to worry about a couple of kids hiding in the trees” He feigned an understanding look, preparing to take a sip from his cup. “Maybe they’re right”

    Jet smirked at the almost deafening jeers,giving the youngest a knowing glance before flashing the same one to his fighters. “Or maybe…” 

    His grin fell to a deep scowl,letting the last few droplets of his drink fall to the floor as he tossed it in a dramatic rage. “They are DEAD wrong!”

  Cheers exploded through their hideout,fists raised and whoops breaking through the sizzling of meat and chirping cicadas. It was exhilarating,almost enough to make him slip out of his stoic leader persona and join in. 

Almost,he had an image to keep after all

   With a satisfied smile he stepped off the table,setting himself beside their newest potential recruits.

“Hey Jet,nice speech,” Katara said,knees folded under her and a bowl in hand.

“Thanks,you enjoying the food?” He asked.

“It’s great,it’s been forever since we’ve had anything heavy like this,” She replied. “It feels like we’ve been living off of lychee nuts for the past few weeks”

“Hey,at least we had food,” Sokka rebutted. 

“I’m just glad everyone is enjoying the haul” Jet propped his arm up on his knee,turning back to the rest of his Freedom Fighters. “This should be enough to last all of us a good month”

“I can’t believe all of this came from one cart,” Aang admitted.

“Yeah,” The fact tugged his lips back into a frown. “The Fire Nation is out there taking innocent lives without a second thought and at the end of the day they get to eat like kings”

“It’s horrible,” Katara lamented. 

“Which is why we need people like you on our team,” He said,turning to the two. “I was really impressed with you and Aang,that was some amazing bending I saw out there today” 

“Well,he’s great. He’s the Avatar” The girl grew a slight blush. “I could use more training”

“Avatar” Jet flashed the boy a grin. “ Very nice”

He smiled at the compliment. “Thanks, Jet”

“You know,we don’t have any benders in the Freedom Fighters” 

Sokka sat up a bit straighter,raising a brow. “None at all?”

“Nope,goes to show you what us non-benders can do,” He said,giving Sokka a similar grin.

Blue eyes narrowed,the boy turning away to pick at the loose thread in his sack of fire flakes. 

“Of course,benders are always welcome to join,” The boy guaranteed them. “We need as many people as we can get to help free everyone the Fire Nation’s taken”

“Even firebenders?” Sokka asked,halfway between a jab and a joke.

Jet laughed,the sound making the other flinch. 

“You’re a really funny guy Sokka” He finally said,wiping an eye with his knuckle.

For a brief second his ire faltered.

“Anyway,” Jet turned back to the boy’s sister. “I think I might know a way that you and Aang can help in our struggle”

Sokka stood,catching the annoyance before it could fully slip. “Unfortunately we have to leave tonight”

“Sokka,you’re kidding me!” He watched the boy stomp past his friends,feigning disappointment. “I needed you on an important mission tomorrow”

   The other stopped,thinking the proposition over. He cautiously turned back,keeping his brows furrowed and skepticism intact. “What mission?”

“A special mission” Jet replied,beckoning him to return to his seat. He reluctantly did so, eyes glued to the other’s casual smile. He handed the younger his nearly forgotten bag,Sokka giving each flake a quick inspection.

“Some details would be nice,” He said before taking the palm sized snack sack.

“Just a stake out,it sounds simple but the fire nation is getting closer” Jet’s smile fell into a serious line. “If they find out where we are,everyone here could be dead”

  His blood ran cold at the thought,the younger looking back to the hundreds of people - mostly children - all enjoying the rare bit of gaiety in this nightmarish war. He couldn’t help but picture his home village in their place,only women and children left behind for the sake of stopping the decades of bloodshed. If they weren’t careful they could all end up just like him and his sister the day the fire nation raided their home,the day they killed their…

“Alright” 

“Thanks Sokka,” Jet said,looking back to his new found family. “You’re saving a lot of lives here”

 The other gave him a nod. 

  His gaze wandered back to Duke,remembering just how the momentary hug had nearly knocked the air out of him. He had returned to his helping of roast turkey duck,stopping between bites to relay his victory to the other kids. Longshot had set his pettiness aside for the sake of Smellerbee,the girl the only thing separating the two. She listened with the smile of a proud older sister,her friend only occasionally glancing up from his own plate. 

“Is he your little brother?” Sokka asked.

“Not by birth,” Jet said,a slight grin tugging at his lips. ”It feels like it sometimes though,”

“How old is he?”

“Eight” He answered. “He was a lot clingier when we first found him,he’s really come into his own”

   Sokka’s expression softened,the other leaning back. “He still comes to me whenever something is bothering him though,but it’s fine. Leaders take care of their team”

“But there are actual adults here,” He reminded him. “Why go straight to you?”

“I’m the leader,it's my job,” Jet said simply. “You know what that’s like,right?”

    The boy paused,looking past him and to his sister. She and Aang were off in their own little world,Momo trying to snag the only food the boy could eat out of the pounds of meat in the stolen cart. They weren’t completely wrong about before,not that he’d ever admit it. He could still feel the claws of hunger digging into his stomach,the looming threat of the Fire Nation the only thing taking his mind off their twisting and turning. He couldn’t help but wonder how the boy only a year older than him with even more people under his watch managed to keep them all so hopeful without the slightest bit of doubt on his shoulder.

“Yeah…” 

“He’s been having some bad dreams lately so I’m hoping tomorrow’s mission will cheer him up” The elder added with a wink. “So try not to outshine him too much,okay?”

“Right…” Sokka returned his gaze to The Duke. He wasn’t that much older than the boys he had trained back in his village - or tried to train. It was hard to drill the heaviness of war into the mind of someone who wasn’t able to understand why his parents were so worried over him disappearing to follow a penguin seal for over three hours. He spent years trying to explain the grim reality but it was like talking to doe eyed walls,yet here was a child the same age who seemed to understand it all so perfectly without the empty stare of a burdened soldier. 

     “How did you do it?” Was what he wanted to ask,but he couldn’t bring himself to pry. He didn’t need help,he could handle his own team just fine,Sokka swore to himself. Besides,they’d be gone in a few days,what was the point of getting all sentimental? This was Jet’s little group and he was cocky enough as it was,no need to fuel his ‘ultimate leader’ ego anymore than his sister already had. 

  From the silence Jet could tell the wall had begun to crack. It wasn’t much,but it was a good start. He let his eyes settle on the three he held closest,Longshot a bit less tense compared to earlier. 

   He nearly let out a sigh of relief,catching himself before Sokka could notice. It was a tiring act,trying to relate to people without being too vulnerable but it was a necessary one if they wanted to win this war. 

   Still,at least when Sokka joined the team there would be someone who could somewhat understand. He wasn’t going to be dumping the years of trauma he was certain he had smothered silent to the boy anytime soon,but it would be nice knowing the bits that he allowed to slip wouldn’t be met with pity. Maybe he’d be able to join as his fourth in command,when he was wavering they’d definitely need someone as perceptive as him to fill in for those brief seconds. 

   Tomorrow’s mission was going to be the one to finally set the entire group back into their normal routine,three new recruits included. Then everything would go back to normal,he was sure of it.

Chapter Text

   He was never the type to lose sleep,he couldn’t afford that luxury. That’s what made last night so infuriating. 

   It didn’t make sense,everything was going great right before everyone settled down for a much needed rest. The rift caused by the day-long feud between his friends was starting to close,the more hard-headed of his potential recruits was easing up on his apprehension,and soon enough their plan to free the nearby town would be complete. All the perfect pieces were falling into place,what had caused what he hoped was only some sort of food fueled nightmare.

   The cicadas sang a bit softer that night,the calming song and gentle autumn winds helping lull him to sleep. If he tried hard enough he could pretend it was another normal night back in his old village,the memory of his mother preparing his lunch and clothing for the next day lingering with the vision.

    Only a weight on his cheek managed to pull him out of his slumber,the boy expecting to see The Duke or one of the younger members of his little family looking for comfort from another flashback of life before the Freedom Fighters. His eyes fluttered open,a sight he hadn’t seen in years greeting him instead. 

   There was his mother,time blessing her with a few gray streaks and laugh lines along the corners of her lips. The rest of her dark brown hair was just as messy as his,loose strands falling in front of her eyes and poking out from her attempt at a formal bun. Her smile was just as gentle as her touch,the fond look he hadn’t seen in years fitting her face perfectly. 

He wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or scream.

   The boy’s eyes were wide,heart threatening to break free from his ribcage. His mind begged to run far from the cruel illusion but his legs refused to move. Was this some sort of Fire Nation weapon that came with their ambush? He heard of a gas and poisons powerful enough to cause people to hallucinate but hallucinations couldn’t have such heavy hands or kind eyes. 

   The boy shot up,reeling an arm back to punch the apparition remorseless enough to taunt him with his mother’s face. He tried to follow through,something keeping his arm behind his back. His fist trembled,the part of his brain dedicated to reason ordering him to destroy what could have been anything from a mind contortion to a trained assassin yet…he couldn’t bring himself to. 

  She wasn’t supposed to be here - he knew that already,he based his entire heroic persona on the fact - but actually seeing her again…it didn’t matter if it wasn’t real. Just looking like her was enough.

Jet forced himself to relax,remembering what he had told The Duke the day before. 

‘Just a dream…’

   It wasn’t a complete lie,dreams of that very day and the years before did occasionally come back to torture him but it had been eons since he had one this vivid. It was almost terrifying.

‘No,keep calm’ He just had to ride this one out until he woke up. Then he could go back to hanging onto her death and nothing else. It was too painful to do otherwise. 

   She cupped his cheek,Jet sucking in a breath. Her hand was cold,one of the many quirks that set her apart from the other mothers in the village. Even in the freezing winter her frigid palm was welcoming,the boy trying to keep himself from falling back into bittersweet memories.

“There you are”

   He tried not to flinch. This was his dream,of course he would remember what she sounded like. Still…hearing it out loud again…

The illusion released his hand only to pull him into her arms.

  The familiar smell of peaches and grass after a long storm surrounded him in their warm blanket,Jet freezing in his mother’s embrace. Her hold on him was tight - almost suffocating - just as it had been all those years ago. 

    More and more questions sprouted the longer she held him, all circling back into the only clear thought he could grab. ‘Why?’

Why did this once dreaded dream come back now of all times?

Why was she so different yet almost the exact same as the day he had lost her?

And why was he crumbling in a moment that was sure to stab him in the heart once he awoke?

  Good leaders don’t fall for such dangerous tricks and yet…he found himself slumped into her hug,forehead pressed against her shoulder. “Yeah…”

Guilt pooled in the boy’s stomach,the feeling keeping his arms pinned to his crossed legs. 

“I know that you know better”

Jet couldn’t find the strength to question such a strange sentence,numb to the stinging in his eyes.

“So do the right thing,okay?” The woman tightened her hold on him,trying not to let her voice crack. “Please…”

  He let the lump in his throat sit,tears slipping through glassy eyes. Maybe if he tried hard enough he could disappear into the ashes that drifted through the wind.

Wait…ashes…

Why did it suddenly smell like smoke?

  His lids snapped open. There was no mistake,that had to be smoke. And where there’s smoke there was fire.

   With no thought he grabbed his mother’s wrist,jolting up and out of his bed. He wasn’t going to lose any person in his family to the fire nation,not again.

  He stumbled out of his room, immediately hit with the cold winds of the autumn night. His vision was too blurred to make out anything besides the vague outlines,the boy letting out an annoyed ‘tsk’. He didn’t need his vision,he assured himself,he knew the entire layout like the back of his hand. 

   Jet stomped against the wood,the sound of the swaying bridge making its way back to his ears. He followed the sound,the rising grays slowly reaching for them both. He had to find his co-leaders before the blaze could spread,if they couldn’t save their home at least they could save everyone e-

    A blast of smoke rushed towards them,toxins slithering past his throat and piercing his lungs. Harsh roughs ripped through his throat,what remained clutching his eyes and smearing his vision into a blurry mess of reds and black. 

   Every thought was erased from his mind,the boy left stumbling and gasping for air. His heel cracked through a board,hands grabbing him by the leg and yanking him towards the thousand yard drop.

   A weight tugging on his arm briefly pulled him back,Jet instinctively reaching for his hooked swords. All he grabbed was the fabric of his tunic,pulse skyrocketing.

This was it

He was going to die

His mom was going to die

Everyone was going to die

All because he let his guard down

He tightened his grip on the woman,jaw locked to keep her from hearing his scream. 

   What felt like a blade brushed past his cheek, something catching him by the waist. An arm wrapped around his torso,the winds around him seeming to slow into a gentle breeze. Before he could fully grasp the situation he was set back on something hard,wet fabric pressed against his eyes.

It took a moment until the hazy colors dispersed,a familiar face appearing in his vision. 

“What were you doing out there?!”

  Smellerbee waited for an answer,the boy falling silent. She let out a sigh,helping him sit before returning to wash out the rest of the ash. 

For once Jet let her, gaze drifting back to his hands. Even her cold was gone.

Another pair of footsteps approached,the boy able to make out their owner’s step pattern.

   Longshot set down a bowl of water,handing a cup to his friend. Jet barely gave it a glance,the other placing it by his side instead.

“Alright,can you see now?”

“Yeah…thanks”

    The girl gave him a nod of acknowledgment. There was an uncomfortable silence,one that made her stomach churn,before she turned to Longshot. His brows were knitted together,not in confusion but not in anger either,lips pulled into a tight line. She gulped back her own uncertainty,taking a seat by Jet’s side. “So…you gonna tell me what you were doing running blind in the middle of the night?”

“I smelled smoke” Jet gripped the cloth of his pants. “They’re getting closer,I know it” 

“What are you talking about?” 

   His brows furrowed at the question. “I’m talking about the fire nation,the soldiers were going to set the forest on fire”

“Jet,that’s just what we were going to tell the avatar and water tribe girl” Smellerbee reminded him,equally confused. 

“No! I know there was smoke,it almost blinded me!”

“There was probably something in the food we got from the ambush” She rationed before standing. “We should check on the other guys,they might be seeing things too”

  He grabbed her by the wrist. “You can’t just say it was all a hallucination,you were the one wiping the ash out of my eyes!”

Her lips parted to rebuttal,the girl freezing once she looked past his shoulder and to their friend. 

“Who was with you before?”

   Jet turned,Longshot staring straight into his eyes. “You were running as if you were holding someone. Who was it?”

“She…I…” He released his friend,the girl letting her arm fall to her side. 

They both waited,their supposed leader unable to face either of them. “I thought I saw my mom”

  From the corner of his eye he caught the girl’s worried look,Jet quickly turning back to them. “That part was just a dream,but I know that smoke and fire were real!”

“I believe you”

His sneer faltered.

   The other rest a hand on Smellerbee’s shoulder,the girl reluctantly breaking her silence. “The Duke kept having nightmares so I was trying to teach him how to put out fires and it got out of hand”

“That’s it?”

She nodded.

Jet let out a deep sigh. “Just say that next time”

Her eyes widened at such a calm - if not tired - reaction.

“Try to control the flames,” The boy said firmly. “If this place goes down there’s no guarantee we can get everyone out in time” 

“Right…sorry”

“It’s fine,” He assured her. “Do you want my help or can you guys handle it?”

“We’ll take care of it,” Longshot said for her. “You take care of yourself, whatever’s happening in your head is not healthy”

  It took a few seconds for his concern to fully sink in,the boy putting on an amused grin. “I think that’s the longest sentence you’ve said in a while”

He gave him a slow nod.

“I’ll head back to bed,” Jet said,turning back towards the bridge. He stopped for a moment,looking back to give them a genuinely warm smile. “And tell the Duke if he wants to talk I’m not that far”

  Before they could respond he was already off and determined to pretend the last hour never happened. Usually the denial would be enough to ease him back to sleep,but not that night.

  He barely managed to wipe the sleep from his eyes,resorting to dunking his head in a full barrel of water. The chill was enough to wake him up but he still couldn’t shake off the lingering unease. Thankfully he was able to play it off as a leader dedicated to being on high alert,the illusion able to stick until he and the other freedom fighters had picked their waiting spots in the branches. But he couldn’t let anyone else notice,especially on a day with so much on the line.

  The boy dug his fingers into the tree’s bark,the sharp feeling of wood scratching against his skin keeping him on edge. He took a deep breath,forcing his heart back into a barely manageable hum. Hands cupped around his lips he whistled a familiar bird call,Longshot returning the signal.

   Jet glanced to the child beside him,eyes focused solely on the path below. A mix of relief and pride filled him,the rush stopped once he heard the swish of a blade.

  He looked up to find Sokka stabbing the trunk with his jaw blade,the noise making his pulse spike. “What are you doing?”

“Shh,it amplifies vibrations”

His brows raised,the feeling returning with a smirk. “Good trick” 

Sokka put his ear to the blade’s hand,listening intently. “Nothing yet”

  He glanced back at the Duke,his shoulders suddenly slumping. He had been excited for the mission a week ago,maybe he was just tired from yesterday’s ordeal.

“Wait! Someone’s approaching!”

“How many?”

“I think there’s just one”

Jet gave another bird call before looking back to the boy. “Good work Sokka. Ready your weapon”

He turned his attention back to the ground,readying his own. “Duke,follow my lead”

  He waited for a hum of acknowledgement,Sokka cutting the child off. “Wait! False alarm,he’s just an old man”

   This kid had so much to learn about being a Freedom Fighter,but he’d get the hang of it soon enough,Jet was sure of it.

  With that he leaped off,landing on his feet with a heavy thud. Usually he wouldn’t be so reckless but he had a demonstration to put on for all of them. 

“What are you doing in our woods,you leech?”

  The man couldn’t be any younger than sixty,the cane with the fire nation’s flame ingrained in the handle the only thing supporting him. He had to lift his head up to meet the boy’s eyes,a wrinkled hand pressed against his weak heart. “Please sir,I’m just a traveler”

   Jet hooked the end of his cane with his sword,flicking his wrist and sending it miles away. The man turned to flee,running straight into Pipsqueak. The sudden stop sent him to the ground,The Duke jumping off his friend’s shoulders and landing above his back. He kept his staff pressed on the knuckles of his trembling hand,Jet taking the first towards him with a scowl. 

“Do you like destroying towns?” He questioned. “Do you like destroying families? Do you?!”

The fire nation citizen groaned,his free hand covering his head. “Please let me go,have mercy”

  He stomped dangerously close to his face,leaning down so he could get their message clearly. “Does the Fire Nation let people go?! Does the Fire Nation have mercy?!”

  He reeled his leg back, something grabbing his foot and holding him back. He turned,finding Sokka glaring at him with the deepest sneer he had ever seen from the boy. “Jet, he's just an old man!”

“He’s Fire Nation!” Jet spat before turning back to his co-leader. “Search him!”

“But he’s not hurting anyone!”

“Have you forgotten that the Fire Nation killed your mother?!” He stepped closer,the other unflinching. "Have you forgotten what they did to all our homes,our families?!”

   He threw an arm back,motioning straight to the youngest of them all. “They took everything from us,remember why you fight!”

Sokka shoved Jet back hard. “You’re burning him! How is that any better?!”

Burning? What the Hell was he talking about?

  His question was answered by a shout,the boy turning to find Smellerbee on the ground. Fire nation coins spilled out of a cloth bag,the Duke standing with a fist raised. His eyes were wide,shaky pants escaping him. It was barely noticeable but he could see wisps of gray rising from the tips of the old man’s sleeve.

“Look! He firebended at them!” Jet jabbed a finger against the other’s chest. “This is why we have to take them out the minute we see them,so no one else gets hurt!”

“How can you say that after doing this?!” 

“It’s what has to be done” He gripped Sokka’s shoulder,pushing him out of the way. “Now let’s get outta h-”

A rough hand grabbed him by the wrist,fingers twisting into the fabric of his gloves.

“This is wrong,” Sokka said firmly. “Forget about any of us joining your little group,I’m taking Aang and Katara and we’re leaving”

For a brief second a flame flared in his chest,anger rising high enough to make his brow twitch.  

No,he could still control this.

   Jet took a quick breath,pulling his arm out of the other’s grip. “Sokka,think about this. You and I both know the demands of war. This isn’t just about us-”

“No,don’t talk about me,my home or my mother, or anyone else’s family!” A flash of red tossed aside any rational thought,the boy tightening his grip on his blade. “What if any of your ‘freedom fighters’ family was fire nation?! Would you beat them up too?!”

“I wouldn’t have taken them in the first place,the fire nation doesn’t need protection-”

“What if one of them was fire nation?!”

  The entire group fell silent,the words taking the sun’s warmth with it. The other’s waited for an apology yet Sokka kept his stern look. 

“You said no one in the fire nation gets spared,right? Would all of that stuff about protecting each other as a family still matter?”

He didn’t answer

Sokka shook his head,turning back to The Duke. 

    The child glanced back at the man,gulping before slowly stepping aside. He held out a hand,the fire nation citizen hesitating for a moment before taking it. He shakily stood,breath hitching once he caught sight of the girl back on her feet. Duke gave his arm a gentle pat of reassurance,grabbing his fallen cane before handing it to him.

   His lips parted to say something - anything - to thank him,yet he couldn’t find the nerve to. The old man instead gave him a nod,turning back to the path he had taken. There was a moment of reluctance,Pipsqueak slowly moving out of his way. Another nod,the man letting his aching legs carry him until all that was left of him were faint footprints. 

    The four watched until he disappeared,Smellerbee the first to force herself back into the uneasy quiet. She crouched down to pick up the fallen coins,a sudden thump nearly making her flinch. Another person joined her side,Longshot grabbing the bag and holding it open for her. They filled the bag in silence,the girl tying it tight before standing. 

    She handed it to Jet,the boy swiping it out of her hands. His expression was impossible to read with his head hung low,a sight that nearly sent a chill down her spine.

  Longshot stepped past her,lifting The Duke’s helmet out of his face. He pointed towards their hideout,the child nodding before taking his hand. This time he accepted it,the boy giving it an almost terrifyingly tight squeeze. The elder returned it more gently before motioning for the others to follow. 

Pipsqueak and Smellerbee did so,Sokka letting out a sigh before lagging behind them.

“Not you”

The boy continued,ignoring Jet.

“Sokka,I really liked you,” He admitted. “I thought I finally had someone that understood what it was like to have the world on your shoulders”

His ire threatened to fall,the image of the old man on the floor recollecting it.

“I was going to let you in on something big,something that was going to free the entire village from the fire nation” He tightened his grip on his swords. “I thought you of all people would want to see that”

His lips parted to say the obvious. ‘Not like this’

“I guess I was wrong”

Katara was so much better at this sort of forgiveness speech. Still…maybe it was worth a try.

   He looked over his shoulder,Jet towering above him. He slammed his elbow straight into the back of his head,a scream silenced once he hit the ground. 

  Dead eyes stared at the unconscious boy. He reached to grab him by the back of his shirt,stopping himself halfway. Instead he crouched down,lifting him up by his waist and tossing him over his shoulder. It was less humiliating.

  He began the long walk back home,entire body numb. He wasn’t sure where he was going to leave him,he just knew he didn’t want to see or hear whatever had shattered his spirit ever again.

The rest of the day was excruciating.

  He had to fight to slip back into his charismatic leader person,each smirk and encouraging word nails on a chalkboard. Was it possible to detest your own voice or kindness? Well,it was feigned kindness,so maybe that played a part in it. 

  He put someone in charge of dinner that night,he wasn’t sure who truthfully with how loud the voices in his head were. By the time night had rolled around he had forgotten what lie he told Katara and Aang to explain the boy’s disappearance. Something about a solo mission? Or was it blowing off steam? Honestly,he didn’t care to remember,he just needed to hang onto them for one last day. After that…

  Well,he did want everything to go back to normal after the stakeout. He knew that was the day he had begun to dig his own grave. Now all he could do was lie in it. 

  Jet stood atop the hill overlooking the dam. Barrels and boxes were being lined up along the wall,the boy having stopped counting them long ago. It looked like a decently sized tower,so it should be enough…

   He rubbed the arm that was sore from carrying Sokka. What was with him? He spent so long planning this,it felt like his entire life had been building up to this moment so why did everything feel so hollow?

A leader wasn’t supposed to feel like this.

  From the distance he spotted Longshot carrying a few barrels of blasting jelly,two of the younger children helping with squares barely big enough to start a campfire. Even so he gave one an affectionate shoulder pat,lips in a straight line. He always looked stoic,maybe it didn’t have to do with… that . 

  He set both of his blades on the ground - proof that he meant no harm -  and began the long path down the hill to the dam. He could still fix this,he had to.

What else did he have if he couldn’t?

Jet shook the thought aside. 

   The forest seemed oddly quiet,not even the hoot of a newly awoken owl there to keep fatigue from dragging him into the bushes. His head was pounding from how many times he physically shook it to stay awake,a part of him wondering if something actually had been planted in the ambush’s big dinner. But what would the fire nation get out of self sabotage? They wouldn’t try to kill one of their own…right?

‘Would you?’

He froze,listening for the voice again.

Silence.

  Okay,once this was all over he was going to sleep for at least half a day. Longshot and Smellerbee could handle the team on their own for a few hours,they had proved so long before he had so many people under his wing.

‘They wouldn’t need you’

He tensed,looking around for the cursed voice’s owner.

Nothing

“SHOW YOURSELF!” He reached for his swords,grabbing only the cloth of his shirt.

Damn it

  It didn’t matter,those voices were all just in his head. Just a cruel trick from the fire nation,he didn’t actually think such self deprecating thoughts…did he?

  No,he was a good leader. Whatever had been going on was just a bump in the road,he could fix it. Everything would go back to normal,it had to-

‘Or you’d be a failure of a leader’

He squeezed his aching arm,wincing at the shock of pain. “Shut up” 

‘A failure of a friend’

“Be quiet…”

‘A failure of a brother’

“Shut up”

‘A failure of a son’

   His eyes snapped open,the boy finally catching a clear voice. With a scream he swung his arm,freezing once he got a good look at who stood before him.

  There was Smellerbee,all color drained from her face. Her grit teeth clashed against wide eyes,sweat slipping past her headband and dripping down her forehead.

“Oh…Bee…it’s just you”

She slowly nodded,keeping her stance wide.

An annoyed look crossed his face. “I don’t bite anymore” 

Jet waited for a chuckle,the girl keeping her lips in a tight line. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked. “Is this about earlier with the old man?”

  Her nose twitched,the boy letting out a sigh. “Look,I’m sorry. I let Sokka’s words get in my head but everything’s fine now”

“What did you do to him?”

“I left him in the waiting ditch”

She let her shoulders slack a bit. “You didn’t kill him?”

“No,we don’t kill innocent people” He reminded her.

“What about the people in the town?”

“That’s the price of ridding this area of the fire nation”

Smellerbee tensed,keeping her eyes on him. 

“Your stance is getting sloppy,” Jet said with an amused grin,about playfully knock at her ankle to prove his point. 

   The girl kicked his raised leg out from under him,forcing the boy to the ground. Without hesitation she dropped to her knees,one on his tailbone while she grabbed his arms and pinned them to his back.

   He gasped,the fall beating the air out of him. It took a few moments for the situation to fully sink in,the boy looking over his shoulder to find his friend pressing all her weight onto him. “What’s wrong with you?!”

“I can’t let you go any further”

“Why not?!” 

Smellerbee was silent.

“Did something happen to the others?” He sneered at her quiet. “You know if anything happens you come straight to me!”

For a moment her grip on his wrists faltered.

“Bee…I tell you and Longshot everything. I’d take an arrow for you guys,why won’t you trust me?”

“That’s a lie”

He furrowed his brows,wincing once she tightened her grip on him.

“All that stuff Sokka said about killing any of us if we were fire nation,you didn’t deny it” 

“Why would I have to?” He questioned, baffled. “No fire nation would try to join a bunch of refugees on the opposite side of the war without having something planned”

“You don’t know that!”

  Her words echoed throughout the forest,owls letting out terrified hoots before flying off. The girl sniffled,trying to keep her voice even. “What if there was no plan? What if they were just scared of dying like everyone else and didn’t want to be alone?”

  She gulped back the lump in her throat,shame hunching her back to hide from the hundred of imagined vengeful stares. “Jet…don’t tell me this in your stupid leader character. Would you or would you not kill anyone here if they were fire nation?”

“...get off me”

“I can’t” 

“Bee. Get. Off.” 

“I can’t” 

“I don’t want to fight you,” 

Silence.

   He let out a deep sigh. “Bee,you’re my co-leader and best friend. I’m not going to tell the team any of this happened and if they find out I’m going to deny it,okay?”

   Smellerbee let her shoulders slump,reluctantly releasing him. “Things aren’t going to be the same after this”

“Sure they will” Jet got to his feet,looking at his wrists. Even under gloves he could tell the bruises weren’t going to go away any time soon. “At least I know not to get on your bad side now”

“Jet…” Smellerbee hesitated,watching him check himself for injuries. He sure knew how to play smart in front of the others,but sometimes he was so…dense was too nice of a word. It was almost infuriating. 

“Jet,I’m leaving”

He paused. “What?”

“I said I’m leaving,” She repeated. “This is wrong, we were wrong and some part of you knows it too”

   The boy furrowed his brows. “What are you talking about? We’ve been planning this for months,I thought you were-”

“Don’t act dumb!” The girl snapped. “You’ve been acting differently ever since we were halfway through filling the dam! You were about to cry when that water tribe girl asked about your mom,you ran out in the middle of what could’ve been a forest fire just because you wanted to save a dream version of her and you keep bringing up all this leader crap!”

   Her hands balled into fists,chest tightening with each word. “I wanted to think we were helping people but you don’t even know what you want!”

  A scowl tugged at the girl’s lips,tears welling in the corners of her eyes. “I may not know if any of this was worth it,but I’m not going to hurt people just because I don’t want to feel like a failure. If you really are a leader you’d do the same”

   Smellerbee waited for a reaction - any sort of sign that her words had gotten through to her once friend. From his wide eyes alone she could tell his mind was a complete blank,the anger in her heart only burning brighter.

  The girl sniffled,wiping an eye with the back of her hand. With a shaky breath she turned,the only thing keeping her vision from falling into a rage fueled red being her globby waterfall of tears. This entire time it had all been for nothing. Their friendship,their family,his silence was enough to show where he lied. Now all she had was herself,her bag of supplies that wouldn’t last long,and the precious child she had sworn to protect. So long as she was around,The Duke wouldn’t even have to think about their stupid leader ever again.

“Bee,wait!”

A hand reached for her,Smellerbee tossing it aside.

“It’s not too late to change your mind”

His voice cracked,the girl able to imagine his charismatic smile slipping. 

“Look,I just…I don’t know what’s going on with me either but I can fix it”

God did she hate to hear the desperation creep into his usually stoic voice.

“About the fire nation thing,I wouldn’t kill any of you guys! You’re my friends,I would never hurt you!”

But she hated the thought of going back even more.

A trembling hand grabbed her shoulder,the owner about to pull her close.

  It was then something inside her cracked,something she hadn’t felt since the day she had seen her family turn to ash. 

   She turned on her heel,hand curled into an open claw. With a shout she pushed it forward, a burst of gold exploding out from her palm. 

   The heat shot through the night’s winds,latching onto a dry branch. A hungry flame began to bite at the bark,the fire inching along the tree trunk until it reached the leaves. One by one the bits of green began to twist and curl until they were left charred,the blaze grasping onto the surrounding trees and consuming them whole. 

  Smellerbee watched the growing chaos,her heart dropping to her stomach. Memories began to flood back in drowning waves,horrible memories that grabbed her by the neck and dragged her deeper and deeper into the depths that would have destroyed the town only a few miles away. 

   The snap of a twig brought her back to reality,the girl turning to find The Duke standing with his fists raised. Blue plumes danced between her own gold embers, eyes widening at the power held in such small hands. 

‘Amazing…’

    Suffocating fumes slipped in through her sharp breath of awe,an even sharper pain striking her throat. She covered her mouth,attempts to keep out the talons of smoke from tearing at her lungs proved futile. With each passing second her legs grew weaker until they eventually gave out,the bright colors that circled the three slowly fading into a jet black.

  The sound of footsteps brushed past her,the girl reaching to grab its owner's ankle. Her fingers could barely hang on,something new slipping into her grip. A hand,maybe? It was too rough to be The Duke’s,so who…

Ah…it didn’t matter anymore,did it? 

It never did.

Chapter Text

He hated the quiet

  It seemed strange considering how few words he let pass his lips,but he never believed he could say anything that his actions wouldn’t say better. Unfortunately,he didn’t know too many people who thought the same. 

   He could take shouts loud enough to destroy eardrums,at least then he could clearly tell what everyone in the room was thinking. But silence left him with too much uncertainty, the feeling always managing to twist a knot in his stomach. Maybe that’s why right now he felt so close to vomiting,not that anyone else around him could tell.

The air of calm the hut usually had been long drained,leaving a suffocating smoke in its place.

   He chided himself for the phrasing,but it’s not as if there was any better way to describe it. Out of the four he was the least burdened by so many layers of clothing but even he had managed to sweat through the fabric. He debated on whether or not to untie the ribbon that kept his hat in place,but that would mean showing off more of his face than he had to. If there was any time to shrink into whatever he had in hopes to disappear it was definitely now.

   Longshot rest a finger over his friend’s neck,shoulders relaxing once he felt a pulse. He reached for the bowl by his side,pulling out the headband that had been soaking in it for a few minutes. Careful hands wrung out as much excess water as possible,the boy carefully placing it on her forehead. It wasn’t much but it was better than nothing.

   A tug on his arm nearly made him jump,the boy hiding it but pressing his knee into the floor. He turned,finding The Duke behind him. His hold on his staff had loosened,the older boy gently taking his smaller hand and tightening his grip for him. They couldn’t be too careful,the look in his eyes getting the message across.

  The child parted his lips to speak,a creak outside turning all of them into a squeak. A spark flickered through his palm,leaving a smear of ash on the closest thing to a weapon he had.

Well,a weapon he could control at least.

   Longshot flinched at the sudden heat. A teardrop slipped through his fingers,the boy forcing his pulse to slow with a deep breath. This…it was going to take a while to get used to,that he knew.

Regrettably,they couldn’t afford to take that time,not when a certain someone waited outside.

  Longshot finally looked to The Duke,the child shaking with warm tears running down his cheeks. His expression softened,the other giving his messy hair an affectionate ruffle. It’s not like he could do anything else for now.

   He looked around for the helmet far too big for him,spotting it hastily shoved under the bed. Careful to avoid making any metal clangs he set it on his head,reaching to push his small satchel under his cloak and behind his back. He cringed at the clinking of coins,eyes darting to the front door.

Nothing 

   He slowly stood,pointing to the space hidden behind the tree trunk that sprouted through the floors. The child nodded in understanding,Longshot looking to the curved dagger stabbed deep into the bark. With a grunt he pulled it out of the wood,inspecting the blade. Deadly in the right hands,something his friend knew well,not to mention the secret vial for poisons and other liquids.

  He twisted the loop on its handle,pulling out the small vial. To think at some point he considered the plan to frame an innocent man ingenious…

It made him sick

  He brushed the bitter thoughts aside,setting the poison back inside and shutting the compartment tight. The boy turned on his heel,stopping once he heard the start of a sob.

 The Duke had forgone the hiding place in favor of standing over his friend,trying to muffle his cries in the thin sheets that covered her limp body. A thump against his shoulder made him glance up,her weapon dangling inches from his face. Longshot held it out for him,giving him a nod. The child gulped,hesitantly taking the dagger in his small hands.

It was still warm from her own.

  Longshot pressed a finger to his lips,the child gulping before turning back to the girl and hiding his face in her arm.

   The eldest stared at the sheets that covered the usually open entrance,a shadow managing to slip into the room. No point in dragging this out any longer,and worst case scenario…

He wasn’t sure,and he hoped he wouldn’t have to find out.

   With one last breath Longshot pushed the cloth aside,stepping out into the night. It was almost a relief to free himself from the stifling room, the cold air taking his fatigue in its winds.

Another creek pulled him back to the hideout’s front, Jet leaning against the wood wall.

If only it had taken his dread with it.

  Longshot watched his leader, focused on the other’s face. Usually attentive eyes were glazed over,the reed he chewed on to calm his nerves nearly destroyed by gnashing teeth. His jaw was locked yet every limb seemed to hang loosely off their joints,even his arms half-heartedly crossed. 

  In his weakest moments the boy managed to remain composed - only breaking character when it was just the three of them. Even then he was at least able to hang onto one solid emotion. Seeing him now with so many contrasts,all of them unbecoming of the Jet they had known since childhood, it looked so unnerving.

“Stop staring at me like that”

He let his stare hold for a few more seconds,Jet tightening his grip on his arms.

“You’re acting childish,” Longshot said.

“Childish?” The other scoffed. “Childish is being so obvious about your pettiness around new recruits”

He waited for the boy to rebuke his point. 

“You’re right”

His eyes widened,Jet raising his head to look past the shadow of his hat. 

“I shouldn’t have let my own feelings get in the way of helping refugees like us”

It took a moment before he broke through his own disbelief. “So…how long did you know?”

“A while”

“And why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because they didn’t want me to”

His ire spiked. “Why not?”

“You talk about how we’re going to destroy anyone from the fire nation to keep everyone else safe,” Longshot reminded him. “I know you keep good on your word” 

“Well they’re the exception,” Jet quickly said. “They don’t dedicate their lives to killing people and their families”

Longshot narrowed his eyes. “Do you really think that’s how all of them are?”

“You’re one to talk” The other muttered. “You’ve known The Duke for years and the minute he says he’s fire nation you decide he might as well have the plague”

“I said you were right about that” His friend repeated just as calmly as he did the first time.

  Somehow the simple sentence was enough to make his stomach churn. It would be easy to say it was just another betrayal of his own body but thinking back to…well,everything - as stubborn as he was - he couldn’t deny the truth any longer. 

“So,ever since…that,I’ve been doing some thinking”

Longshot raised a brow.

“I’m going to be honest,I was pretty surprised to learn that…” He hesitated, as if the words were glass on his tongue. “That our friends are firebenders”

“And fire nation”

“Let me finish” Jet snapped in a whisper-shout. He caught the other’s lip threaten to tug into a scowl,the boy taking another calming breath before evening his voice. “I should be thanking you guys,really”

Longshot furrowed his brows.

“A few nights ago,The Duke came to me because he had a nightmare” From the corner of his eye he could see his friend’s finger twitch. “That’s the day he found out,isn’t it?”

  Longshot tried to read his expression. Everything about it seemed softer in a strange way. Even his voice seemed more gentle,not in the same way he comforted the younger members of their group but more like how things were before he found this stupid leader facade to cling onto.

Against his better judgment,he nodded.

“And the night I smelled the fire,that was them right?”

Another slow nod.

Jet chuckled. “That’s just like Bee,she could get a spirit to believe anything”

“She said not to call her Bee”

  The boy nearly asked why,quickly catching himself. He was in no position to question either of them right now,or ever again really. “Right…sorry”

  There was a moment of quiet,Longshot keeping his gaze locked on him. He had every right not to trust him,his silence at the water tribe boy’s question was enough of a reason,yet at the same time he couldn’t sincerely say he hated him. This was his friend,the boy that gave him a new family and life once his old one burned to the ground. With him and his friend, there was a new reason to live besides being too afraid to die. 

“We gave him a home and a family”

Longshot tried not to tense. It was almost scary how close he was to his own thoughts.

“I thought that since everyone looked up to me as a leader he’d trust me,even if I said the craziest thing on earth” His smile slowly fell. “I guess I thought that about everyone…”

The other lifted a hand to offer a comforting shoulder pat,stopping himself halfway.

“We’ve been friends for years,I barely remember trusting anyone as much as I trust you guys” Jet sniffled,throat squeezing a crack in his voice. “If I never found out would you all have still left?”

  Longshot wavered. There was that look he only saw once on the boy,the first day he dreamt of his mother after they met. His lip trembled no matter how deeply his teeth sunk into it,eyes tinted red from the tears that threatened to roll down his cheeks. Even after so many years that sorrowful look stayed the same.

He let out a sigh. “I wouldn’t have”

“Why?”

“The people here need me” 

   It took a few seconds for the sentiment to fully sink in,the boy growing a strained smile. “Spoken like a true leader”

His friend answered with a flat hum.

  Jet forced out a chuckle,dragging it out as he waited - prayed - that his friend would help fill the growing tension that threatened to push them further apart.

Longshot took one quick glance at him before turning away.

His throat began to tighten on its own,false laughter turning into stuttering breaths.

"Things aren’t going to be the same after this”

  Her words echoed in his mind, ripping through any coherent thought that wasn’t pure self-loathing. 

'I know that you know better,so do the right thing,okay?'

  His mother’s words followed close behind,the feeling of her first embrace in years breaking through his already fragile dam. 

He failed everyone.

    Longshot listened to the sound that always managed to make his own eyes sting,trying to ignore the guilt that dug deep into his neck. With a hard gulp he turned his gaze towards the hut,catching the reason why he let the feeling tear into his skin. The shadows inside had fallen still,the child’s stifled cries died down. It honestly mystified him how he still managed to trust him after his own metaphorical explosion,the elder refusing to let the dust settle on his own accord. 

   It took an hour of fighting with Smellerbee to set him straight,his entire world shattered at the new realization. Everything he had grown up believing,everything that gave him a straightforward path to follow in a world of uncertainty,it was all a lie. A lie he had been willing to fight for until he saw the fear of the youngest of their little family overpower what was left of his innocence. 

   He was only third in command but he knew what had to be done. Even if he had to rip and fight his way through his leader - no - friend's stubbornness,he'd find a way to change his heart and-

“Longshot,I want you to take over”

His eyes widened,the boy turning faster than he could think. 

“I made the Freedom Fighters to save people,to help them feel safe after they lost everything to the fire nation. But knowing my own friends thought staying here would mean they’d be killed…” Jet shrunk into his shoulders in hopes that it would hide the wet trails his tears left behind “Are we really any better than the soldiers who took everything from us?”

Longshot didn’t bother to answer. They both knew at this point

"What are you going to do now?"

  Jet let his gaze wander back to the hand that once held his mother’s. “I want to be someone better, someone that deserves you guys,but I can’t do that here”

“So you’re leaving with the Avatar?” The other asked.

“If they accept me,”

“They have plenty of reasons not to,” Longshot bluntly reminded him.

“I know…but I still have to try” 

   Jet took his infamous reed out of his mouth, the last bit of his rebellious persona. Brows knit he tossed it to the wind,watching it drift off into nothingness.

   With that he pushed himself off the wall,walking past his friend and to the door of his once home. The old sheet remained untouched for hours,a hand reaching to awaken the two that lay inside.

He stopped once he noticed his fingers tremble. Maybe he still had time to…

No

He wasn’t going to hold anyone back anymore

Jet took a deep breath,slowly parting the thin cloth.

   The fire in the single lantern lighting the room had gone cold,swaying from the pitched roof. Two of the wood boards that made up the back wall had been torn off their nails,hastily tossed to the ground with the blanket stained with face paint and water.

Longshot stood behind him,taking in the chaotic scene.

‘'They left sooner than I thought'

All that remained of the two was a red strip of cloth,its center tinged with ash.

  Jet crouched down,carefully taking the cloth in his hand. All he could do was stare,the only part of his friend left barely bigger than his palm.

“Are you okay?”

The boy was silent,fingers curling into a fist.

  Longshot joined his side,his friend standing before he could offer any sort of comfort. Jet tucked it into the collar of his tunic before looking back to his friend. “Take care of them for me”

The other gave him a nod of affirmation.

“And take care of yourself…please”

  The last word came out almost like a beg,the lump in his throat keeping him from reaching his trained charming cadence. 

Longshot gave him another nod,the shadow of his hat covering his reddening eyes.

  Jet stepped back outside,leaving the warmth of his once home. For a brief second he swore he heard a sniffle not of his own,fighting back the urge to turn and hold the other close. As cruel as it felt,he knew if he did he wouldn’t come back out.

  The boy kept his attention on the rustling of leaves,looking around for one of the drop ropes. He had one last loose end to tie up,all he could do was hope that the other was still awake and willing to listen. 

Truthfully,he doubted he would. Still,he had to try.

Chapter Text

He was going to kill him

Well,not literally, but it seemed so, so tempting right now.

   Sokka awoke deep in a ditch,arms and legs tied behind his back. He spent the first few seconds panicking,the walls too high for any normal person to climb on their own. He had to have been tossed down there,the rip in his shirt sleeve and splitting headache enough proof. The next were spent wondering who exactly would be crazy enough to do so,a face he had quickly grown to detest flashing in his mind.

Jet

  The last thing he remembered was going against his better judgment,immediately met with the boy slamming his elbow into his skull. They locked gazes before it could make impact,time seeming to slow to a crawl. It was a short moment,barely a second,yet he would never forget the look in his eyes. The same look he had only seen on wild animals right before it sunk its teeth deep into the neck of its prey. A look that was far from human.

As much as he hated to admit it,it still sent a shiver down his spine.

   But he didn’t have time to focus on that,right now he was too busy trying to figure out how to untie the rope keeping him down like a boar hawk. The other was smart enough to strip him of his jaw blade and other weapons so that option was out. Slim fingers had been poking and prodding at the tight knot,and it didn’t feel like it was coming undone anytime soon. For someone so immature and cocky he was surprisingly diligent with the little details. Not that he meant to praise him,he had enough from his group of bandits to feed his ego for decades. And to think that Katara had fallen for this jerk. When he got out of wherever he had been abandoned he was going to have plenty of nasty things to say to him.

   The sound of footsteps made him freeze. They were too heavy to be Jet’s,too frantic for someone who bragged about mastering the element of surprise. But they were in the middle of nowhere,who else could it be?

   The footsteps came to a sudden stop,their owner desperately trying to catch their breath. Dirt clods rolled off the ditch’s edge and onto his back,Sokka slowly letting his body fall limp. It was humiliating,but the chance of someone coming to kill an already dead corpse were low. 

“Sokka?”

He was barely able to make out his name in the hushed whisper,the boy keeping still. 

“Sokka it’s me”

Nothing.

  There was a moment of silence before Jet let out a sigh. He removed his swords from his back,jabbing one into the ditch’s side. Hand gripping the hilt he slid down the steep walls,landing light on his feet. He rushed to Sokka’s side before crouching down and slicing the ropes in half. “Sokka,wake up”

   The boy lay limp,Jet nearly letting out an annoyed ‘tch’.  “I know you’re playing dead,I’ve seen enough bodies to tell the difference”

Wait that sounded bad

“No,not like that” He quickly said. “I’ve never killed anyone and I don’t want to anymore”

Blue eyes shot open,Sokka nearly snapping his neck to face him. “Anymore?!”

“Wait,just let me explain-!”

  Sokka jolted to his feet,preparing to throw a fist. A sudden pain struck his ankles,making him stumble back with a hiss. 

“Good thing I got to you in time” Jet mused. “Any longer and your circulation might’ve been cut off entirely”

Sokka shot him a glare. “Yeah,I wonder how that would’ve happened”

“Listen,Sokka-”

“I knew it,I knew you had something messed up planned” He shook the pain off his wrist,jabbing a finger into the other’s chest. “You lied to Aang and Katara about the forest fire”

His eyes widened. “How did-”

“Smellerbee told me before she ran away,” Sokka said. “She told me everything Jet,about the dam,about the valley,and about knowing you’d kill her and The Duke for being fire nation”

“I would never kill either of them!” 

“You almost killed that old man and he was an innocent civilian!” The other reminded him. “You built this whole group on getting rid of the fire nation,I think she’d have a lot of reasons to think you’d kill her”

“But I-” Jet trailed off before letting out another sigh. “You’re right”

Sokka’s sneer faltered.

“I made the Freedom Fighters so people like us who lost everything wouldn’t be alone,but I wasn’t ready to lead anyone” He admitted. “I let my own anger turn my family into something twisted, and I’m going to put all of that behind me” 

The other furrowed his brows. “What are you saying?”

“You saved my life Sokka. You, Smellerbee and Katara made me realize this isn’t the person I want to be any more” He grew a determined grin. “That’s why I want to join your group,not as a leader but as someone who’s ready to start over”

Sokka’s eye twitched. “Are you serious?”

His smile fell. “Huh?”

“How do you expect me to just forgive you after all of that ?”

“I know it’s hard to believe,but-”

The boy held up a hand to silence him. “The answer’s no and it's going to stay no”

  He reached for the rope that once bound him,giving both ends a good tug. Not ideal but sturdy enough. With that, he took one and tied it into a tight loop. 

“What are you doing?”

“Getting myself out of here” Sokka stepped back,reeling his arm before twirling the loop over his head. With a grunt he released it,pulling back to see if anything had snagged. 

“Inventive” Jet noted.

“Don’t try to flatter me,because it’s not going to work” The rope fell back into the pit, the boy making another attempt. “You may have everyone else charmed but I’m not falling for it twice”

“There’s nothing to fall for!” Jet insisted. “I called off the plan,I’m being genuine!”

  Sokka turned to him,ire dripping in his words. “Well it’s kind of hard to trust someone who smooth talked your friends and LEFT YOU A DITCH” 

“Hey,I could’ve done a lot worse!”

“You’re really not helping your case” 

  The other curled his fingers into fists,letting frustration pitch his voice up an octave. “You don’t have to forgive me,just give me a chance!”

“I said no!” Sokka snapped. “If you really want to fix yourself I suggest you stop trying to charm your way out of everything and leave everyone alone”

“Sokka,I-”

He stopped once he caught his sharp glower,breath hitching. It looked exactly like hers…

   The other shook his head,returning to what was starting to feel like a fruitless escape attempt. If he wasn’t so annoyed with Jet’s begging he would’ve focused more on the desperation hidden under his anger. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t noticed the red tint in his eyes,it was almost impossible to with how wide they had grown with each rejection. Not to mention the voice crack,it was far too childish for the same Jet that managed to woo his sister and an entire team of refugees into his bidding. 

It was almost unnerving,not that he’d ever admit it. He wasn’t going to give that jerk another chance to-

“I did,okay!”

Sokka paused.

“I cut ties with everyone,even if I was lying to you I wouldn’t be able to go back” Jet shouted,freezing once his eyes began to sting. He grit his teeth in an attempt to stop his shaky breaths, Sokka’s silence forcing him to let them pass. “I…I didn’t want to hold them back. They all trusted me but it wasn’t fair for me to tell anyone how to understand themselves. I don’t even understand myself anymore…” 

  He nearly choked on his still beating heart,the boy lowering his head to hide from his own shame. “I just…I want you to understand me. I want to change”

Sokka kept his hold on the rope,unable to face him. “Jet,d-”

  A floating leaf cut him off,the two watching it flutter to the ground. Sokka slowly reached for it,its end tinged with ash.

“What…?” 

  Rockets of red and gold rushed toward the sky in long streaks,erupting into fiery billows that bled into tumbling clouds of gray. The shock waves shot deep into the earth,sending the entire valley into violent convulsions.

  The two were knocked to their feet,tumbling until they hit the dirt walls. Jet was the first to attempt to sit,thrown back to the ground by a stab to his shoulder. 

Sokka jolted up. “What happened?!”

“Something exploded” His eyes shot open,a horrible realization hitting him. “The village”

“I thought you said you called off the plan!”

“I did!” Jet stood,hooked sword in hand. Longshot wouldn’t go through it,would he? After everything that was said,after everything he told his lifelong friend,he wouldn’t go through with something so cruel and Jet knew that.

   Without a second thought he jabbed his weapons into the wall,using both to climb up and to the pit’s edge. With a grunt he lifted himself up,freezing once he reached the surface.

“What’s going on?!” Sokka shouted from below.

“It’s not the dam…” 

  The other furrowed his brows,the sight taking all the color from Jet’s face as he turned back to him. “The Fire Nation…they’re burning down the village”

For the first time since they first invaded his home,the name made the boy’s blood cold.

   Jet gulped back his terror,holding his hand out for Sokka The boy quickly took it,Jet lifting them both back onto high ground. “You go get Katara and Aang,I’m going to the village and getting everyone out” 

“How are you going to do that?” Sokka questioned as the other freed his swords. “There’s going be tons of fire nation soldiers there, you’re going to get yourself killed”

  For a moment the once leader was left stumped,staring out past the hillside and to the town doused in scorching red. He tightened his grip on his weapon’s handles,already preparing for the impossible mad dash. “I’ll figure something out”

   A hand grabbed him by the forearm,the boy turning to meet Sokka’s stern look. “I’m not letting you go there by yourself”

“If you don’t trust me then fine but there are people living there Sokka,mothers and fathers and children” Jet shot him an equally firm look. “If you don’t let me go they’re all going to die”

The other paused before releasing him. “I’m coming with you”

  He parted his lips to shout,to push away any possible sign of weakness just as he always did. With a quick breath he stopped himself,handing one of his swords to the boy. “You’ll need this”

With a bit of hesitation he took it. “Don’t you need both of them?”

“I’ll manage” 

  Sokka stared at the blade,then to Jet. He was good at lying,that was for sure,but it wasn’t like they had any options left.

  Jet took off,the other’s surprised shout blocked out by his own racing thoughts. He had made plans on even shorter notice back when he was leading his old team. He could come up with something,he had to. But they were made by the Jet who had a set mission in life,a goal that each choice would lead to no matter how simple they seemed. 

Surprise ambush? Scare off the soldiers to scare the fire nation

New recruit? Take them in so they could help stop fire nation

  Everything led back to the team stopping the fire nation at all costs,an ‘us versus them’ philosophy that left him blind to the murky grays he now had to recklessly wade through. 

  It had been years since he last asked for his father’s spirit’s wisdom,he could only hope that somehow the dead man would magically grace him with any sort of way to save so many lives.

  A scream broke through his prayers. It was as if their owner’s vocal chords had been scraped with hot metal, starting at the stomach and raking through their throat into a noise too guttural to be simple terror.

In a split second he was thrown back to his own village,the flame’s heat threatening to consume him alive.

“JET!”

   A sudden hand yanked him out of the memory,his village fading to the pillar of a storefront collapsing from the heat. His own quivering digits clutched his chest, pulse too fast for him to feel anywhere but his churning stomach.

“Jet,you okay?”

The concerned voice made him jerk,Jet quickly wiping the sweat off his brow. “I’m fine” 

“So what’s the plan?” He asked.

“You grab everyone in the village and get them out,” Jet said. “I’ll hold the fire nation off”

   He dashed off before the other could interject,taking his half of the village. Hundreds of people filled the streets,some with family by their side while others desperately tried to carry the last bits of their homes on their backs. The only thing louder than their screams were the crackling of raging flames,each one a ravenous beast that swallowed whatever bit of their innocent lives lay in their path.

  Jet stepped back, inner child left to watch the bloodshed all those years ago begging to flee one last time. 

  A tug on his leg made him look down,Jet finding a little girl clinging to him. Fading embers clung to the ends of her kimono,tear trails covered by ash.

 His eyes widened,a hand immediately bringing her close to avoid being trampled in the crowd. He looked around,finding one of the few buildings left mostly untouched. The boy carefully maneuvered them through and under the roof before getting to his knees. “Do you know where your mom is?” 

“I don’t know!” She sobbed,hands trying to wipe away each falling tear. “T-There was a man with a komodo rhino,a-and he had a rope and-and-”

Jet froze. It couldn’t be,not after all this time.

  A hissing filled air behind them,Jet turning to find a masked man sitting atop one of the dreaded creatures. He tossed something towards them,his blood running cold once the weapon became clear.

  He grabbed the child,shielding her as he tossed himself out of the way. The tube hit the wall, exploding on impact. They rolled until he hit the building’s window frame,the corner jabbing straight into his shoulder.

  The boy hesitantly looked up,his vision blurred from the fall. All he could make out was a figure approaching,instinctively reaching for his sword.

“Minako!”

    He stopped as what turned out to be a woman rushed towards them,tears rolling down her cheeks as her child jumped out of his arms.

“Mommy!”

   The woman caught her, hold on the child almost inhumanly tight. Jet wiped at his own eyes,trying to find whoever had thrown the bomb their way. That silhouette,it was too familiar to be another nameless soldier.

A sudden warmth engulfed his wrist,his breath hitching at the rough grab.

“Hurry!” The woman pulled him up,a shock of pain piercing his collarbone and raking his arm until every muscle throbbed.

  Jet bit back an agonized shout, taking a sharp breath before pointing back into the crowd. “Get to the gates, there’s a hill by the forest. Tell everyone to wait there,I’ll take care of this”

“Will you be there?” The child asked with panic.

  Another hiss made his heart jump to his throat,the boy reaching for his sword and barely managing to knock the bomb back into the sky before it exploded.

“GO!” He shouted,the woman giving him a reluctant nod before running off and into the crowd.

  Jet reached for his arm,feeling at the shoulder bone. Nothing dislocated as far as he could tell,the boy letting out a sigh of relief. 

“Get him up!”

   He looked up,finding the voice directed at someone in the swarm of people. A komodo rhino managed to crawl onto a crumbling roof,its owner standing on the tiles with a bow in hand. He pulled the string back,three flaming arrows locked onto a group of teenagers trying to carry an injured man to the gates.

   He pushed through his own wound,forcing his way through the ocean of bodies and to the building. With a grunt he latched his sword’s hook into the roof’s corner,reaching for the second.

  All he felt at his side was his own armor,teeth gritting. How long had he relied on dual wielding was all he could wonder as he struggled to pull himself up. 

  The archer narrowed his eyes,the look all too familiar after spending his life with a fellow marksman. Jet reeled his arm back,swinging it back to grab him by the waist. 

   Metal slicing through the air made the other turn,Jet’s breath hitching. Before he could dwell on his own recklessness the other turned his bow to him,releasing the string.

A blur of silver knocked them to the ground,bouncing off the wood and straight to the roof’s end. 

Jet followed the path back to its owner,Sokka grabbing the weapon.

“I told you,you were going to get yourself killed!” Sokka yelled.

  For a second Jet stood dumbfounded,the clacking of the man settling more arrows yanking him back. With a shout he swiped at him,a sliver of red left on his arm behind as he stumbled back and to the ground.

“What are you doing here?!” Jet questioned,sliding back until he was by the boy’s side. “I told you to get everyone out of the village!”

“I couldn’t leave you here,you’re seriously out of it,” Sokka said. 

“That doesn’t matter!” The other snapped. “I’ve dealt with the fire nation before-”

“Yeah,so have I,” He reminded him. “And I know the minute they see any weakness they’ll aim straight for it. Right now you’re a walking target”

“So what? You want me to just give up on these people?!”

“No,I’m saying you have to let me lead this time”

  Jet opened his mouth to lash out again, the memory of his dear friend’s sneer shutting his lips. He took a deep breath before returning his gaze to Sokka. “So what’s the plan?”

“The smoke’s impossible to miss now so Katara and Aang are probably on their way” He began. “Until then we get out as many people as we can,no fighting unless they attack you first. Can you handle that?”

“I think I can manage” 

“Good,now t-” 

  An arrow lodged into the wall,nearly taking the skin of Jet’s nose with it. Sokka jumped back with a cry,Jet the first to stand and hold out a hand. “Don’t just throw the sword around,use it like it’s a part of you”

“R-Right” Sokka took it,quickly collecting himself. “See you on the other side?”

  The other gave him a nod,Sokka turning and taking to the streets. Jet turned his attention back to the ocean of bodies,eyes jumping between each one. A scream made him flinch,the same scream that had sent him spiraling what felt like seconds ago.

  He forced himself to take another deep breath,looking back to find its source. It was near impossible to spot in dust and smoke,a flailing cane managing to break through the clouds. Jet jumped straight into the chaos,following the sound until he reached the group of teenagers who narrowly avoided death. 

   A girl who couldn’t be any older than twelve attempted to hide the man,her friends struggling to lift the eldest of the group off the ground.

“I’ve got i-”

The girl pulled out a dented dagger, blade pointed towards him. “Don’t try anything-”

“I won’t,” The boy said. “My name’s Jet,I’m here to help”

  From the corner of her eye she caught the old man falling limp. He tried desperately to see past his falling eyelids,both her friends close to tears. The girl gulped before setting her weapon back in her pocket,spreading her arms out and keeping her stance firm. 

  The remaining two gave him room,Jet grabbing the other’s arm and pulling him up. With a grunt he carefully maneuvered him onto his back,trying to ignore his own growing ache. “Hold onto me and stay close,”

  They all nodded,the youngest reluctantly grabbing the cloth of his shirt with one hand and taking hold of her friends with the other.

   A sudden ring nearly stopped him,Jet looking to find a man reeling his arm back and releasing the end of a metal chain towards the home only a few inches away. The youngest pulled her dagger out,blade raised as she raced to block the weights at its end.

   Jet grabbed her by the collar,pulling her back to his side. Glass shards burst from the frame,scattering along the path.

“What was that for?!” She yelled. “I had him!”

“No,you didn’t” 

  She yanked herself out of his grasp. “That was Sun’s house! Who says they won’t come back and try to kill us?! They’re not going to give up until they take everything,we have to fight!”

   He looked back to the man,heavy hands pulling the chain back and dragging it through the sea of fear. He returned to scouting the area,waiting for the next person who slipped free.

“We have to lay low,” Jet insisted. “They’re going after stragglers and buildings,if we blend in with the crowd we can make it out alive”

“Chio,listen to him,please” Her friend practically begged. 

“Yeah,look at grandpa” The boy held his dangling hand,the occasional tap of his finger against his knuckle the only proof that he was still alive. 

  For a moment her rage faltered,Chio quickly shaking her doubt off. “I’m sick of being helpless,I’m staying here until all those fire nation bastards are gone!”

“Stop it!”

   Jet narrowed his eyes. He had heard - no - said it all before but actually hearing it out loud,he wasn’t sure whether to pity her or let the growing rage in his heart fester.

“These aren’t people you can take on your own. If you stay here you’re going to die” He paused when he caught her lip tremble,the boy letting his voice fall into a natural soft tone. “Revenge won’t fix any of this,trust me”

  Chio could only stare,tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. She froze once she felt them fall,the girl quickly wiping them away before grasping the cloth of his shirt. “Right…”

“Okay,we’re going in. If you see someone alone grab them and don’t let go” Jet instructed,the other two nodding. 

   With a deep inhale he rushed back into the crowd. He stopped counting the number of limbs that knocked into his face and chest,mind too focused on keeping track of each hand that held onto him for dear life. He couldn’t match a face to every pair but judging by the growing weight that threatened to topple him over he could tell there were far more than the group he started with.

  Children and an infant left behind in the wreckage,teens shielding them and grasping those who stumbled,even a few adults slipped in and managed to fight off the growing flames and flying weaponry all to protect the young survivors.

How foolish he felt for thinking he could manage all of this on his own. 

  There had to be at least fifty people by the time they reached the gates. Parents began to reunite with their children and loved ones,those who came alone tending to those who were injured along the way. 

“Is everyone still with us?” Jet asked.

“Yeah,we’re going to meet the rest of the village on the hill,” Chio said,helping the now thankfully awake grandfather onto Sun’s back. 

“Alright,I’m going to go back to find my friends” Jet caught her anxious look,resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I’ll see you guys soon”

Her lips lifted into a slight smile,the girl giving him a confident nod. 

  Jet let out a sigh of relief,about to turn to face the raging fires. It was a brief moment,barely a second yet he managed to meet the gaze of the old man who he had carried the entire path.

   The near death had aged him three years, engraved fire nation flame in his cane singed with its wood. The robe dirtied by the harsh shove to the ground days ago was covered in soot,the same lips that begged for mercy slowly parting.

  Hundreds of possible apologies he barely had time to fully form were wiped clean,the two only able to stare as Chio let the parents and children of the group pass. From the look in the other’s eyes he could tell one question lingered,the answer their first meeting had given him now uncertain.

   Metal scraping against metal managed to break the thickening tension,Jet reaching for the sword on his hip as he turned to face whoever halted their own torment of the town just long enough to destroy the last bit of hope the innocents caught in this war had left.

   A man in fire nation garbs sat atop the same horrible beast that had carried the archer who threatened to take his life. He watched each look of relief twist into wide eyes and jaws that dropped far enough to let out ear piercing screams. One person caught his attention,the only one who stood frozen amongst the frantic crowd. 

  There was little behind his eyes, spirit torn from his body and leaving a barely responsive husk behind. The only thing he could feel were the hot tears that fought to fall once their gazes met,the single voice that managed to survive expecting to be burned alive.

Instead, the man grew a smile.

     A slow,wicked smile that reached his cheekbones. The kind of smile that prided itself in the families he had destroyed and carnage his rogue group left behind,the same smile that he gave the eight-year-old as a sadistic parting gift before leaving him to die.

  The man reeled his arm back, a scorching ball of pure fire bursting from his fist and shooting towards the civilians. Jet’s world fell silent,mind only able to grasp onto the rumbling of the growing inferno.

This was it

He was going to die

Everyone was going to die

His grip on his sword tightened.

No,it wasn’t going to end,not like this. 

   He raised the near needle thin blade,racing towards the flame. With a throat clawing cry he struck through the hellish heat,splitting the flames away from the crowd and back into the sky. The man’s smile faltered,sinking into a sneer as he prepared another blast. Jet landed on the beast’s horns,releasing his sword. He launched himself forth,grabbing the other’s hands and forcing them into closed fists. The man’s eyes widened,Jet only tightening his grip as the blast ignited in his palms and pushed them back in an explosion of swirling golds and reds. 

    His limp body barreled towards the gates like a bag full of rocks,each hit against his head dragging him in and out of consciousness. 

    It took warm water droplets on his face to pull him back to reality,tired lids opening and dropping him into a still spinning world. He clung onto the vague silhouettes above him,some taking the chance reluctantly to escape on their own. The remainder watched in horror,only one face pushing through the blur.

  A smaller hand held onto his shoulder,the boy able to feel Chio’s violent shaking through a single one. 

He gave her a soft smile,ignoring the stream of tears that washed the soot off his face. 

“I’ll be fine” Jet assured her,voice strained. “Get them somewhere safe”

Chio sniffled,gulping back a sob before giving him a shaky nod.

  The boy shut his eyes,listening to the sound of footsteps fade until he was left surrounded by only the crackle of dying flames. Usually such a sound would send him spiraling but it was strangely comforting now. Almost like the lamps his mother would light during the cold winters back in his village.

‘What would she think of me now?’

   He knew his father would try to connect it to some sort of spirit encounter he supposedly had in his younger years,that story somehow leading to a lesson if he didn’t get distracted by his son’s insistence on another tall tale. Which one would this connect to,he couldn’t help but wonder.

  Jet chuckled at the random fondness he felt for the moments that were supposed to be lectures,laughter turning into a sputtering cough. Only a few days ago he had wanted to drown the village and everyone in it,for what? To “free” the valley? Minako,her mother,Chio,the old man,all those people that helped him get everyone to safety,they’d all be dead.

“I’m so…so stupid” 

  Well,at least it was over now. Sokka would help the remaining villagers back to the hill,Aang and Katara would put out the fires and if they were lucky maybe they could rebuild the town. Longshot would bring the Freedom Fighters back to what it had started as,what it should have stayed as. Smellerbee and the Duke…it wouldn’t be right for him to decide their fates,he told himself,even if it was just an imagined one. All he could hope was that they’d be happy.

A soft voice called,Jet finally accepting wherever the spirits would take him.

  The voice called again,a bit louder this time. Two more joined,their words becoming clearer with what sounded like approaching footsteps.

“JET!”

“Is he breathing?!”

“Don’t crowd him!”

Those voices…they sounded familiar

“Jet,can you hear me?”

He couldn’t find the strength to speak,twitching a finger instead.

   A weight landed on his torso,a pair of hands if he was guessing right. They slowly lifted,cool water taking their place. The gentle waves washed through his boiling blood, fingers pulling apart the clouds of smoke that had threatened to crush his lungs. He took a soft breath,the heaviness in his limbs leaving with it. 

   He slowly opened his eyes to find Katara kneeling above him,the water swirling between her palms and over his heart. The boy couldn’t help but smile in an odd mix of astonishment and relief.

“Thank you, Katara”

   Her blue eyes brightened at his voice,the girl smiling through grateful tears. It didn’t matter how strangled it sounded,he was alive and that’s all that mattered.

Sokka sat by her side,watching the glow flow through her hands. “How bad is it?”

“There’s no internal bleeding,which is good,” She said. “But his shoulder almost dislocated-”

“WHAT?!”

“I’ll just put it back in place,I’ve done it before” Jet assured them.

  The girl nearly dropped the healing water in her shock. “Jet,that’s dangerous! You could’ve damaged it even more”

The boy turned his gaze away from her. “Yeah…I know”

“Well it’s not like there’s much of a choice now” Sokka moved to sit by the fallen boy’s head. “Katara,can you keep that healing water over his shoulder?”

“Yes,let’s try to keep this as painless as possible” She slowly raised her hands,Jet letting out a pained hiss. Her repose fell as she guided the bubbles over the bone,the boy grinding his teeth to keep silent. “Try to relax your muscles”

“Wait…” Jet turned,looking past her. “My sword”

Aang followed his gaze,the blade tossed somewhere in the wreckage. “I’ll get it”

   He stood,quickly turning once Sokka reached to help the other sit up. He tried not to wince at the stifled groan,hoping the sound of his boots against the burnt ground would block out any more pained noises. He always hated those sounds no matter who they came from,but for some reason hearing them from Jet felt so…wrong. 

   He seemed so indestructible when they first met,able to take down an entire army with nothing but his swords and quick wits. The rest of the Freedom Fighters were a great help but it was Jet who took charge and led them through battle. Yet here he was now,alone and seconds away from death.

   Aang spotted the bit of silver under a pile of rubble,the boy knocking a few chipped bricks aside to pull it free. His finger brushed against its tip,tensing at the heat that stretched along the blade. Only one thing could cause this. He would’ve been amazed by his bravery if it weren’t for the aftermath.

   He jolted at a loud crack, Sokka finally releasing the breath he had been holding for the past few minutes. “Does it feel like it's back in place?”

“I think so” Jet reached to feel the bone,eyes squeezing shut once his fingers hit the cold metal of his shoulder pad. 

Aang grew wide eyed. “Jet,your hands”

   He forced one open,a discolored sliver passing through his middle and ring finger. The boy lifted his other,both covered in strips and splotches of red that rippled along his skin.

Jet could only stare at the fresh wounds,the pain refusing to fully register.

  Katara gulped,trying to ignore the hairs on her neck shooting up. For a split second she felt her own palm scorch,the girl instinctively reaching to rub the faded marks. 

Sokka let his stern expression fall,the sight painfully familiar. “What happened…?”

  The boy paused,still trying to process those last few seconds. “I…I saw the man who burnt down my village,he firebended at the people trying to escape. I couldn’t let them get hurt,so I grabbed him”

Sokka’s blood ran cold,horror quickly replaced by a boiling rage. “YOU DID WHAT?!”

“I had to!” He insisted. “If I didn't, those people would have been killed”

   Katara snapped out of her own horror,tears welling in the corners of her eyes. “ You could’ve been killed!”

“I’ve dealt with a lot worst-”

“Yeah,with your little group” Sokka shook his head. “I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone,if we didn’t show up you would’ve suffocated or gotten burnt or worse!”

Jet looked to Aang for any sort of help. He was the avatar,of all people he had to understand-

  Trembling hands gripped the heated sword,any sort of color drained from his face. His lips were pressed into a tight line,chest rising and falling with each pant his racing heart begged to let pass. 

That face…it looked just like his…

   Jet let out a sigh. “I know I was reckless but I wasn’t going to turn my back on people who needed me. I don’t regret stepping in but…” He let his expression soften. “I regret making you worry about me”

  The three were silent,Aang only holding out the boy's hooked sword. He took it, fingers nearly curling once the raw skin met the heated blade. He could still feel the soft cloth his friend had pressed against his eyes that night,the memory pulling his lips into a deeper frown. Was this what she felt every time she had to clean up after his occasional failures?

  A finger tapped his knuckle,Jet nodding with an absent mind before releasing the weapon he had held since childhood. Katara took both hands,the boy letting the healing water cup them both. 

“Where was everyone else?” She asked,not even bothering to hide the anger that slipped into her tone.

“They’re okay,” He assured her. 

   She knew she should’ve been relieved,they were his friends and any sort of death would be horrible. Even with the reassurance a flame began to flicker in her heart,face warming the longer she let it burn. “Then why weren’t they here helping you?!” 

“We’re not together anymore”

Katara paused,terrified tear droplets landing in the bubbles that connected them. “What?”

“But you guys are Freedom Fighters,you’re all family” Aang’s brows were furrowed,genuinely baffled. “Did something happen?”

Sokka felt his stomach flip,gaze jumping to Jet.  

“I stepped away,” He said,unable to face any of them. “I’m not fit to lead anyone right now,honestly I don’t think I ever will be”

“That’s not true,” Katara insisted. “I’ve only known you for a few days but I know that you’re a kind,brave person. You give your family enough hope to stay strong even after everything they’ve been through,if I was a freedom fighter I know I wouldn’t want anyone else to lead”

Was it possible for such kind words to make someone want to vomit?

   Her brother managed to catch him shift his weight onto his other leg, adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. He hesitated for a moment before dumping his remaining sword by his hip. “You know I almost stabbed myself with this thing?”

Jet raised a brow. “Haven’t you fought with your jaw dagger before?”

“Well yeah,but that’s totally different,” He replied. “That’s made for hunting,skinning,and the occasional clean shave”

The other barely held back a chuckle. “You shave?”

Sokka crossed his arms. “Hey,I’m working on a nice beard here” 

Katara rolled her eyes. “Please,you’ve been ‘working’ on that beard since you were ten”

“It’s gonna happen!” He tapped his bare chin. “Give it a few more weeks,you’ll see”

“Don’t get your hopes up too high,” Jet said. “My dad was fifty eight and he still hadn’t grown a beard”

The other froze. “Wait,you’re serious?”

“Dead serious” Jet swore. “I know I’m not getting mine,”

  Devastation took over the boy’s every feature,Aang giving his shoulder a comforting pat. “It’s okay Sokka,we can be beardless together”

The boy groaned at the idea. “I’m not going to die with a baby face”

Katara smirked at her brother. “Don’t worry,I heard some girls like the youthful look”

“Don’t jinx it!”

Jet cracked a grin,corners lifting until he let a loud laugh speckled with snorts shake him.

“Wait,you snort when you laugh?” Aang asked with an amused smile. 

  He wiped his eye against his shoulder,letting himself fall back into chuckles. “Yeah? I thought you knew”

“You’ve never laughed that hard”

“How did you think I laughed?”

“Kind of like…” The boy crossed his arms,cocking his head back with pursed lips as if he was chewing on the other’s infamous wheat stalk. “HA! Now that’s funny”

“No,it's more like-” Sokka tucked his thumbs into his belt,leaning back further. “My name’s Jet,I’m too cool to laugh so I just go ‘heh’ all the time”

His sister raised a brow. “What’s ‘heh’?”

“You know,’heh’,” He explained. “It’s the ant fly of the laugh kingdom”

Jet couldn’t help but fall into another fit,more snorts following. 

The other let out a grumble. “You know,I liked you better when you were an aloof jerk” 

  It took a while before his laughter subsided into a smile,bringing one onto the girl's now flushed face. Jet took one final breath,a weight lifted off his shoulders. “I haven’t laughed like that in a while”

“It’s cute” Katara nearly let slip,blush brightening once she caught herself. “it's fine,”

She let him pull his hands out of hers,the light fading as he set them on his lap. 

“Do they still hurt?” She asked.

He curled his hands into a fist,unfurling his fingers after a few seconds. “They feel a lot better now”

“That’s good” She opened the bag set on her hip,drawing the water back inside. “Your skin’s too damaged completely heal…I’m sorry”

“It’s okay,” He told her. “The fact that you were able to heal anything at all is amazing,I’ve never seen anyone with that ability”

“It’s a waterbender thing,” Sokka said for her before getting to his feet. “Can you stand?”

“I think I can manage” 

  The other held out a hand for him,Jet taking it with a bit of a stumble. Sokka barely managed to catch him in time,Jet giving him a grateful smile. “Thanks,”

“Don’t think about it too much, pretty boy” Without hesitation he set his arm around his shoulders,letting Jet lean onto the only foot that didn’t ache. “How are you so tall?”

The other shrugged. “So did you get your group out in time?”

“Yeah,some of the fire nation soldiers helped me round up any stragglers” He replied. 

“So you didn’t need my sword?”  Jet asked.

“Hey,I used it plenty of times!” Sokka implored. “This crazy guy on a komodo rhino threw a bomb at me and I knocked it back at him”

“You hit him?”

“Yup,right in his stupid metal mask”

The other grew a proud grin. “Nice,”

“And that guy with arrows that almost got you killed?” He lifted his own shoulder. “I got him right here with the spear at the tip”

“Wow,you’re pretty quick on your feet” 

The boy smirked at the bit of praise. “Yeah,I get that a lot”

“So are we heading back to the hideout?” Aang asked,picking up the boy’s fallen weapons and handing them to him once more. 

Jet thought for a moment before taking them. “No,I was actually planning to leave the valley”

“Why would you want to leave?” Katara questioned as he set his weapons back in their holster. “Even if you’re not leading the Freedom Fighters anymore,this is your home”

  He looked up and past the village rooftops,blooming bundles of warm scarlets and oranges breaking through the pink alpenglow. Somehow in all of the destruction they managed to survive,the gentle winds plucking the weaker leaves off their branches and guiding them to the earth underneath. It was so peaceful from afar,the worry in his chest carried off by the light breeze and into the sunset. “It was,but they need it more than me” 

   Aang followed his gaze,trying to catch a glimpse of the rowdy children who welcomed them with open arms. “Do you think they’ll be okay?”

“I know they will,” Jet said with a soft smile. “I left them in good hands”

“Well,I hope whoever you picked knows how to handle all those kids you collected” Sokka turned,careful to keep from spraining the single limb the boy had that wasn’t damaged. “Anyway,let’s get back to Appa. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover-”

“What about the villagers?” The boy asked. “I promised I’d check on them before I left”

“Then we can make a quick stop there,” Aang said. 

   Katara fixed her satchel off her back and to her hip. “Good idea, I know there are plenty of people that need healing”

“Guys-”

    The boy cut himself off once the three made it very clear they had no intent on going anywhere else,already preparing for the short trip. He wasn’t sure what else he expected from his sister,she was no pushover but she always did have a habit of dropping everything to help people who needed it. And Aang was the avatar,it was his job to bring peace and balance to the world. The real outlier in all of this was Jet,his eyes focused on the boy’s…well… everything .

    He was either oblivious to or ignoring the droplets of sweat that rolled down his brow. They soaked up the bits of ash that clung to his neck and face,the sight making Sokka cringe. He just knew he’d be swatting the mess off his own skin,repulsed by the imagined texture yet Jet paid it no mind. His mind was focused solely on the villagers,the feeling of his own nail absent mindlessly scratching the raw skin of his palm bringing him back to reality.

“Yeah,you probably shouldn’t mess with that for a while,” Sokka said,hoping the expected snark from the boy would drown out any new revelations. 

“Probably…”

Probably? That’s it?

“You sound really out of it,” Sokka remarked.

  Jet took a deep breath,keeping his eyes on the hill. “I thought I was over it but seeing this just brought a lot of memories back”

“It?”

“My village”

  The other tried not to flinch,Jet finally turning to him. “I’m sorry about everything I did earlier. I shouldn’t have dumped all of that on you,especially after-”

“Knocking me unconscious and leaving me in a ditch?”

“Yeah,” He scratched his cheek. “That wasn’t my proudest moment”

  Sokka watched the nervous habit slip past the other’s level headed persona,brows furrowing. He quickly shifted his attention back to the forest’s treetops before the other could notice. “It’d be pretty sad if it was”

“Yeah…”

   Sokka hesitated for a moment,making sure the others were out of earshot. “So you’re really not going back?”

“I’m sure” 

“You’re going to be by yourself” The boy reminded him. “You know that right?”

“I do”

“And you’re totally okay with that?”

  His lips parted to give a confident ‘yes’,stopping once he caught sight of the forest he once called home. Wherever he ended up,would it be just as beautiful?

“...I’ll manage”

Sokka watched the other falter before letting his own gaze fall to the other’s scarred hand. 

“I think that’s everything,” Katara said,prying the two out of their thoughts. 

“It’s pretty far so let’s take Appa,” Aang replied. 

“Are you sure he’s going to be okay with me?” Jet questioned.

“I know Appa’s going to love you,he loves everyone” The younger swore.

“Maybe a little too much,” Sokka said,Jet furrowing his brows.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t worry about it” He replied,turning them both.

“Alright,I trust you”

The boy nearly froze,his sister and Aang walking to the gates the only thing stopping him. 

“Are you serious?” He asked,words slipping out faster than he could think them through.

“Yeah,why wouldn’t I?” Jet questioned. 

  Sokka gave him a baffled look. It hadn’t even been a full week and the boy managed to show at least three different sides of himself. He was way too confusing for his own good.

Chapter Text

“Be careful” 

“I will,don’t worry”

Jet swung a leg over the bison’s saddle,sliding down its tail and to the ground with little effort. 

“So,how was your first bison ride?” Aang asked. 

“It’s a lot slower than what I’m used to,” The other admitted.

“Trust me,Appa can go a lot faster when he wants to” The younger assured him,the bison letting out a grumble in agreement.

“I’d like to see that,” Jet said with an amused grin.

“Hey,you there”

  The sound of metal plates of armor clanking against each other with each heavy footstep nearly made the boy flinch,remembering the voice’s owner clear as day. It was hard not to when he had sent the man face first into a pile of mud,he and his little team running off and into the forest with their last bit of rations for the month.

   Aang caught the sudden scrunch of the boy’s nose,connecting the dots as the soldier approached. A quick hand pulled out his glider,the other dragging Jet behind him. With a tap the thin wings unfurled,the boy holding onto their hinges.

   The man’s lips were pulled into a tight line,eyes stuck between the stare of a stern father and a vexed glare. “You don’t look like you came from the village”

“Oh,we’re just…travelers?” 

  Jet almost slapped his forehead at the avatar’s poor excuse of a cover story. Sure he was technically telling the truth,but he doubted that would matter to someone whose ruler most likely had a hefty bounty already on his head.

   The man remained unconvinced - as expected - the boy’s shadow grabbing his attention. “What’s your friend hiding over there?”

“Oh,it’s nothing important” Aang lied,spreading his arms out further to hide as much of the boy as he could. 

  The soldier raised a brow,Katara stepping in between them. “We were helping the villagers escape but he ended up getting caught in the middle of a blast”

His eyes widened,guilt sinking its teeth through his armor. “I’m sorry,I shouldn’t have pried”

“It’s fine” The girl rest a hand over her bag of water. “I know some of the villagers were hurt too-”

Before she could finish he gave her a nod. “Of course,I’ll lead you to the injured”

She stood,stunned for a moment before looking to the others. “I’ll be back,”

   With that she followed the soldier into the bustling crowd,Aang waiting until they were out of sight before letting out a heavy sigh. “That was too close”

"What was that for?" Jet questioned,pushing the fan out of his face. 

"Smellerbee said that the fire nation would like to get their hands on you" The boy reminded him. "Now that you're out of the forest it'll be harder to hide from them"

"I'm not going to start trouble anymore,and if anything happens I can fight them off" Jet insisted 

"If you really want to start over you should probably lay low for a while," Sokka said. "I doubt those guys on the rhinos are going to stay quiet after seeing you take down their leader"

"You should be careful then too," Jet replied. "You fought off a few of their guys,they'll be looking for both of us"

Annoyance crept onto the other's face. "Great,we have more of the fire nation to worry about" 

"As long as we don't stick out too much we should be fine," The youngest said,folding his glider's flaps back into their slots.

"Yeah,I'm sure no one will notice the avatar and a giant bison with an arrow on its head"

  Jet looked to the boy’s bison,only now fully realizing the animal’s full size. He wondered how he never really saw it in the few days the three spent in his old hideout,but that was the beautiful thing about the forest. It was a sanctuary,the only place out of the fire nation’s watchful eyes. Sure there were the occasional trespasser but they could never reach the safety of his old home that lay past the tree tops only he and his friends knew of.

   He already had a bad reputation with the soldiers in a relatively small village,something he took pride in before. Suddenly the danger that came with his team’s victories began to dawn on him. ‘I’ll have to be more careful from now on…’ 

“JET!”

    His eyes widened at the voice,its owner slamming into his side. She nearly sent them both to the ground,Jet thankfully managing to fix his stance in time. “Chio?”

   Her suffocating hold on him tightened - if that was humanly possible - clinging to the boy like a child to their mother. She hid her face in his torso,hoping the cloth of his shirt would muffle the crack in her voice. “I thought you died”

“I’m alright” He assured her. “It’ll take a lot more than that to kill me”

“Don’t even joke about that!” She demanded,tears in her eyes. “You’re crazy! You just - just jumped in without even thinking!”

“Yeah…I’m sorry” 

  She paused at his quick acceptance,freezing once she noticed the two other pairs of eyes staring at her. Chio sniffled,quickly wiping her face with her singed sleeve. She took a deep breath,straightening her back and crossing her arms. “So…did you get to see his face?”

  He raised a brow,the girl tilting her head towards the gates. “The face of the man on the rhino,I bet he wasn’t expecting one of us to do something that crazy”

“I did see a bit of it,” Jet said,her eyes lighting up with intrigue. “He looked surprised at first but once he knew I wasn’t letting go he got really angry”

“You mean ‘ruined your newest pair of clothes’ angry or’ got in trouble with your mom’ angry?”

“Mom angry”

   Chio chuckled,a snort slipping through her laugh. “Wow,and all his friends saw too. I bet they hate you right now”

  He couldn’t help but grin at the smug look on such a childish face. “Yeah,they might have my face on a wanted poster soon”

“When I see it I’m going to keep it” 

“Hey,what about my wanted poster?” Sokka questioned

Chio looked him over. “Who are you?” 

“Wha- “ He angrily set his hands on his hips. “I - I helped save your village too!” 

   The girl copied him,looking to the sky with a long hum before shrugging. “I don’t remember seeing you,but thanks”

   His face burned at the snippy quip,the boy turning back to Jet. “Can you tell her there was more than one person risking their butt out there?”

“He is right,” The boy responded. “Without Sokka, half of the villagers wouldn’t be here”

Chio let out a ‘hmph’,crossing her arms. “Alright,I’ll be sure to look out for yours, socks”

The boy grumbled behind grit teeth.

“Chio,c’mon,be nice,” Jet said. “He’s a good guy”

“Well…if you say he is,then I’ll try” She looked over her shoulder,mumbling the latter half. “Maybe”

The familiar stubbornness pulled his lips into an amused grin. “Thanks”

Sokka let out a huff,looking back to Aang. “He’s such a dad”

“It’s kind of weird,but in a good way” The younger mused,Sokka giving him a baffled look. “Back in the hideout,it kind of reminded me of the monks”

   The idea was almost enough to knock him to the ground. “They reminded you of the Monks? The same people that raided fire nation campsites after knocking out their soldiers reminded you of the monks?”

“Well, not that part” He clarified. “We didn’t really have moms or dads,we had guardians to look over all of us. It didn’t matter if we weren’t born from the same person,we were all siblings and we were always there for each other”

  Sokka let his skepticism fall for a moment,turning back to Jet. The younger girl stood now with two children around her age by his side - probably her friends judging by how closely they stuck together.  Her thumbs were tucked into the belt of her tunic,torso leaned back and head cocked to her left. 

“It wasn’t a big deal, I just did what you’d do,” She said,trying her best to mimic the elder’s bad boy image. “And I knew you’d come back,you’re too cool for those cowards to kill”

“Really?” Sun questioned,throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Jin said you were crying pretty hard once everyone was settled”

   Her face warmed,the other laughing at the bright red that covered her face. “I had ash in my eyes! And I knew he was coming back!”

  Jin tapped her forearm,the girl’s embarrassment wavering. They gave it a comforting squeeze,Chio letting out a huff. “Fine…maybe I was a little worried. But I was still helping calm everyone down”

“Thanks for worrying,” Jet said. “I can tell all of you really care about your home and each other” 

“Well yeah,we’ve been together since we were toddlers,” Chio said before looking to her friends. “And we’re going to stay together,right?”

Jin nodded,Sun doing the same. “Even when we’re old and wrinkly like grandpa”

   Jet’s brows had lifted out of the seemingly permanent ‘cool guy’ arch,the smirk that once crowned him as the flawless,cocky leader dropped into a soft smile. The sort of smile he saw only on his mother in the slower bits of his childhood,when she’d brush his hair out of his eyes or eat peaches together underneath the twinkling night stars.

  He rest a hand on Sun and Jin’s shoulders. “Whatever happens,don’t let this war tear you apart or turn you into someone you never wanted to be”

Their eyes widened,such words filling them with a hopeful sparkle.

“You’re good kids,so do the right thing,okay?” 

They all nodded,Jet pulling back only to give the girl’s hair an affectionate ruffle. 

“Sun!”

  The voice of a woman called, its owner stepping out of the crowd with a young girl in her arms and wife by her side.

Sun’s eyes lit up. “Moms! Minako!” 

  With a bright smile he rushed off to them,the older of the two catching him with a tearful yet relieved smile of her own.

“Jin!”

   A young man followed close behind,Jin letting his stoic look break into a choked sob that shook his frame. He ran off and into his father’s arms,the embrace nearly sending them to the ground.

  Chio watched on,the girl left in a rare silence as her friends reunited with their families. Her eyes drifted back to the crowd,pulse quickening with each second they remained in their little circle of reconciliation and kindred warmth. 

   The girl reached to anxiously scratch her neck,a blotch of red peeking through her collar and climbing along her spine. She flinched once her fingers touched the raw flesh,reminded of the moment it latched onto her skin all to protect the one person who she had left.

“Hey…I know I’m going to remember,so…so wherever you go,promise you won’t forget me”

“I won't,” He swore to her. “I promise”

It was enough to pull her lips into a slight smile. 

“Chio!”

  The girl gasped at the voice,spotting the old man they had carried through the fires of Hell giving her a wave.

“Grandpa!” Chio prepared to make a mad dash to his side,stopping herself. She looked up and over her shoulder,Jet giving her a nod of approval. For a moment the girl paused, taking in the boy’s soft smile and kind eyes for the final time.

   With a quick breath she gave him a tight hug,her hold almost enough to knock the air from his lungs. Jet stood stunned for a brief second,slowly returning the embrace.

  The child clung to him for what felt like centuries,only releasing him once she felt tears brim in her eyes. For once she let them fall,giving him one last grin of her own before hurrying to her grandfather’s side. 

   A warmth kept the corners of his mouth upturned, smile falling once the two met each other's gaze. The uneasy silence at the gates threatened to return, the man’s slow nod cutting the tension before it could build. Jet’s mind blanked for a second,the boy quickly pulling himself together and giving one back. 

   With that all three children were back with their families,Sun tackling Chio in a hug while Jin struggled to keep any chortles from slipping out past his lips. It was going to be a bumpy road,but for once he could say with certainty that the kids were going to be alright.

   Jet turned back to find Sokka with a toddler clinging to his leg. She was speaking a mile a minute,the elder trying his best to sneak back to Aang and their bison without sending her into tears. Jet chuckled his new found snort-laugh before shaking his head.

   He began the long walk down the hill,beginning to plan his next move. The dam would have long been cleared of any explosives by now thanks to Longshot,but he couldn’t bring himself to take that path. The idea flashed an image of the children’s limp bodies floating through the river,the hairs on the back of his neck shooting up.

   The gully was his safest best,even if the vents were a bit more active lately. He could take a few blasts of hot air,hell,after everything that happened in the village he was sure he could handle anything.

   He reached to scratch at his palm,fingers curling once he remembered the bits of red that slithered along them.

‘Well…almost anything’

   A sudden burst of air brushed by him,what he expected to be an autumn breeze nearly sending him down the rocky slope. Heels dug into the ground he shielded his face,a low grumble making him look past his arms. 

  The three’s bison flew a few feet above him, landing by his side with a thud heavy enough to shake the ground.

“Jet,where are you going?” Katara asked,leaning over the saddle’s arm.

“I’m leaving the valley,” He responded. “Without the Freedom Fighters,I’m not completely sure who I am. If I want to learn I can’t stay here”

“Do you know where you’re going to go?”

“No…not really,” He reluctantly admitted. “But don’t worry,I’ll figure something out”

  The girl looked him over. Her eyes jumped straight to his shoulder,falling to his burnt hands before returning to his face. He gave her a comforting smile,the bags pinching under his eyes betraying his usual confidence.

“You could come with us”

Jet and Katara looked to her brother with wide eyes. “Really?”

   Sokka bit back the urge to snark at their question asked in unison. “It's not like you have anywhere to go,might as well”

”That’s a great idea!” Aang beamed. “You’re a great sword fighter,and you know how to work with people. You could be our face man!”

“Shouldn’t the avatar be the face man?” Jet questioned. “Smooth talking doesn’t exactly bring peace and balance to the world”

“It could help”

“We’ll figure out what you do later,it’s going to get dark soon” Sokka sat up from his place on the bison,leaning over and holding an arm out for him. Jet stared at his hand for a second,then to the boy. There was a hint of the same stubbornness on his face when they first met but behind it was something else. Sternness obviously,but something a bit more welcoming.

He gladly took Sokka’s hand,the boy lifting him up and onto the saddle. 

“You’re pretty strong,” Jet said.

“Yeah,it comes with all the adventures” He took his sleeping bag and set it by his side,making room for the other. “You know,fighting the fire nation and all”

“Looks like your training will be easy then”

His brows raised. “I’m sorry,training?”

“For sword fighting” Jet clarified. “You know how to fight with your jaw blade. If you give me some time I can find a way to incorporate that-” 

“Hang on,who said anything about me learning how to use a sword?” Sokka questioned. “I’m good with what I have now”

“I know,but it's good to be prepared in case you’re out of your element,” Jet said,patting the shoulder one of his swords was strapped to. “You never used my sword but you still managed to fend off men that had bombs and lit arrows”

“I just found a different way to use it”

“Exactly,a good fighter knows how to improvise with what they find” The boy’s proud grin caught him off guard. “I see a lot of potential in you Sokka,I always have”

Sokka could only give him a blank stare,the words refusing to register.

   A sudden chirr stopped any possible response,its source landing on his head. What turned out to be an animal hunched over to better examine his face,a pair of green eyes peering into his own. “Who is this?”

“That’s Momo,” Katara said with an exasperated sigh. She held out an arm for the lemur. “Come on Momo,he’s not a lychee tree”

    He ignored her,striped tail flicking behind as he tilted his head. After a thorough inspection the lemur hopped off the boy and onto his arm,giving him a shallow bow. 

“He wants you to pet him,” Aang said.

“Alright…” He reached for the creature,scratching behind the pair of ears that took up about half its body. The touch was rewarded with a content chirp,Momo nuzzling into his palm. Jet nearly let out a relieved breath,Aang’s confused look cutting it short.

“Didn’t you ever have a pet?”

“When I was little,but that was years ago,” Jet replied. “The only time we’ve ever dealt with animals after that was for ea…ti..”

The boy trailed off,not entirely sure whether or not the creature would understand the concept of death.

“You can say eating,” Sokka said. “When I first met Momo he was going to be my dinner. But we’re cool now,aren’t we Momo?”

    Momo let out a chirrup in agreement before pulling away from the gentle hand,setting his sights on the other’s arm. He quickly climbed along the limb,claiming his shoulder as a new resting spot.

“Looks like he likes you,” Aang noticed. 

“I’m glad he does,” Jet said,cheek immediately met with an affectionate lick from Momo.

   Katara let her arm fall back to her side,the sight pulling her lips into a blushy smile. In a single day she managed to see three different sides of the boy,each one strung together by his charming grin. Whether the corners were lifted by his seemingly natural suavity or a genuine laugh that broke through the copacetic energy that guided his team,she couldn’t help but feel a sort of comfort at his loosening mask.

A loud cough pierced the warmth in her heart,the girl turning to find Sokka with his arms crossed.

   Her smile fell into an annoyed glower,already knowing what was coming next. “Don’t be like that,you’re the one that suggested he should come”

“Only because I knew one of you would ask” He insisted. “Besides,the guy’s reckless. If I don’t keep an eye on him he’s going to get caught up in something”

“Please,what could he possibly get up to?”

“I don’t know!” Sokka shouted,arms thrown up in exasperation. “My instincts are just telling me that if we leave him he’s going to get hurt and I’m not letting that happen”

Oh

Now she understood

Her grin returned as a knowing smirk. “You care about him”

“Wha-” The boy scoffed.“No,why would I? He can handle himself just fine”

“But what about your instincts?” She questioned.

“Hey,my instincts and my brain are two totally different things!”

   Her smug look only stabbing his growing headache further into a migraine. “Oh don’t pretend you don’t want him here”

“I never said that,” She replied. “But my instincts aren’t telling me to watch him like an otter swan”

Her face burned at the idea. “Oh yeah well…well…he needs it,okay?!”

  She sat unbothered by his blush,looking past him and to Jet. Mom had begun to poke and prod through his belongings,the airbender’s laugh keeping him from tearing the lemur off him. 

“Okay,come on Momo. We’ve gotta start flying if we want to get out before dark” Aang managed to say through chuckles, picking the animal up by his sides.

Momo let out a defiant chatter,tugging at Jet’s tunic until a slip of red cloth fell from his tiny paws.

  A cold rushed through the boy’s blood, scarred hands grabbing the only remnant of his once best friend and pulling it to his side. He held the fabric tight between his fingers,knuckles whitening from his grip.

“Jet?”

   He flinched at his name said with such worry. It took a moment for him to realize the pounding in his ears was from his own heart,the organ threatening to break free from his bruised rib cage.

“I’m fine…” He kept his eyes on the cloth,reluctantly loosening his hold. “This is the last thing I have from the Freedom Fighters, of my family, I can’t afford to lose it”

“I understand” The clack of her fingers against the jewel sewn into her necklace made him look up. “Before the fire nation raided our village my mother gave me this necklace”

  For a moment she pinched its curve,her voice falling with her sullen gaze. “It’s all I have left of her,I don’t know what I would do if I ever lost it”

  Her words were enough to unfurl the coil in his chest,the boy letting his eyes drop from her own memento and to the scarlet in his hand. He hesitated before lifting it to his neck,wrapping the thin fabric around twice. He attempted to tie the second half,nose scrunching with each clumsy misstep. 

“Do you need help?” Katara asked.

   Instinctively he parted his lips to deny the kind offer,the feeling of his friend’s ribbon limp against his fingers changing his usual habit. “Yeah,”

  The girl moved to sit by his side,replacing his hands with her own. It took mere seconds for her to set it in a loose knot closer to his shoulder,the ends coming down a bit below his chest.

“Is this okay?” She asked. “It’s pretty long but if I tie it any tighter it could choke you”

“It’s great,” He said with a smile. “If I tied it myself I’d look like a freshly caught boar”

“And it looks pretty Momo proof” Aang noted before turning his attention back to the lemur. “But you gotta be nice,Jet’s a part of the team now too”

Part of the team,huh…

   He unconsciously gave the loop of his new bow a light tug. It felt so strange to hear out loud considering the past few days - Hell - considering his entire life up until now. 

“Did you bring anything with you? ” Sokka asked. 

“No,just my swords”

The boy let out a groan. “Man,you’re in worst shape than I thought”

“He doesn’t mean that,” Katara said,shooting her brother a quick glare.

“It’s fine,” Jet thought back to the moment he stepped on the burning village roof,his reflexive attack stopped by one single flaw. If it weren’t for Sokka he may as well have been dead. “I have to work on my own sparring, not to mention actually living outside of the forest”

“Have you ever been to the North Pole before?” Aang asked. “It’s gonna be pretty cold if you’re not prepared”

“I’ve survived winters here,I think I can handle it,” He said.

Sokka cracked a grin at the remark. He wouldn’t last a day.

“So,if we’re going to the North Pole how long are we going to be flying?” Jet asked. 

“A while,that’s how we travel a lot of the time” The youngest answered. 

“Just hope you don’t get air-slash-sea sick easily,”

   Katara swatted her brother’s arm, scolding going straight over the head of their newest member’s head. They were going to be over the ocean for days, weeks ,months even. For some reason the idea stirred something in his stomach,the boy leaning back against the cantle in hopes to settle the feeling before they took off.

“Don’t worry,it’s just as safe as your first time,just a little higher” Aang turned back,grabbing the reins tied around the bison’s horns. “Now hold tight!”

    A sudden shake nearly tossed the closest thing he had to a meal back up to his throat,Appa’s low roar the only warning the boy was given before finding himself being lifted up and into the darkening skies.

  Jet dug his heels into the seat’s wood to keep from falling,crossing his arms to hide a flinch. This was going to take a while to get used to,something he hadn’t been able to say in a long time. 

Well,he did like a challenge…most of the time.

   Katara watched him struggle to let himself fall into a relaxed position,the boy refusing to look anywhere but straight ahead. Even then his eyes were glazed over,as if he was more focused on trying to ignore the gentle sways of what was sure to be a long ride across the sea. 

“Are you okay?” 

  He blinked,keeping his eyes shut a bit longer than necessary before looking to her. “I’ve never been this high before”

“What about your hideout?”

“This feels different,” Jet admitted. “The forest is so big and there are hundreds of platforms and bridges. Even if I’m on the zipline there’s always somewhere to stop but out here…”

   He trailed off,listening to the sounds of the sea. For his entire life he had been surrounded by noise. The elder’s gossip and children’s laughter that spread throughout his old village,the voices of people from almost every nation huddled by the dinner’s fire clamoring for his attention,even the soft chirps from the summer crickets. There was always something there to keep him grounded,to assure him that he was in the real world,but out here…

“There’s nothing”

   Katara paused,looking past him and to the ocean. An endless blue that seemed to stretch on for miles,disappearing past the horizon yet always waiting for them when they returned to the skies. “All my life I’ve lived by the ocean,but it never felt like there was nothing there”

Jet furrowed his brows.

“Just listen”

   The boy reluctantly shut his eyes,waiting. It was barely noticeable,but he swore he could hear a faint whisper. Its words were unclear - maybe they weren’t even words at all - but it was still there. They guided him further down and to the deep waters, letting him settle above the surface. The waves were calm,crests rolling along each other before dipping into their troughs in a soft flow. 

   Jet let the breath he had been holding finally escape,taking the tension in his shoulders with it. His elbows hit the seat’s wood,hands slipping out of the crooks of his arms and resting loosely over his chest. 

“My mother always said that no matter where you go,even if it doesn’t seem like it, there will always be life”

   The boy let out a hum,opening his eyes. The clouds within them had cleared,a rare - genuine - peaceful look taking their place.

“And if it helps,you have us now”

  The gentle voice was enough to pull his lips into a slight smile,Jet turning his head to look at her. “It does,thanks”

   Katara returned the smile,a light blush warming her face from the autumn cold. “You should get some rest,it’s going to be a while before we find anywhere to land”

“I think I’m okay with that”

She tried not to chuckle,heading towards the pommel and Aang’s side.

Sokka waited until they were out of earshot,shifting his gaze to Jet. “Hey”

“Hey”

  The boy hesitated,glancing up at his sister before turning his attention to the other. “Um…so…about earlier…”

“Yeah?”

“What you said about seeing potential in me,did you actually mean it?”

“Of course I do,” Jet replied. “You tried to protect your team and stood up for what was right,even when no one believed you. That’s what makes a good leader”

Sokka thought his words over,pulling his legs to his chest. 

“If it wasn’t for you I don’t think I would be here right now,” The boy said.

“You mean as a good guy,on the team,or…?”

“Alive?” Jet finished for him. “Honestly,all of those”

Sokka rest his chin on his knees. “You talk like you’re going to die soon”

“Sorry”

  The other let out a sigh. “When we met I just thought you were some stuck-up jerk who thought he was better than everyone but now you’re just…” He waved a hand over Jet’s face. “This guy”

“This guy?”

“You know,someone who’s…” He struggled to come up with a word that matched the complicated feelings swirling in his mind. “Nice?”

“You think I’m nice?”

“A lot nicer than when we met,” Sokka said. “I don’t know if I want to be around that guy,he did throw me in a ditch and try to blow up a dam”

Jet let his eyes fall to his scarred hands. “Yeah…I wouldn’t want to be around him either” 

   Sokka followed his gaze,the clashing of deep red against tan making his stomach lurch. “You’re crazy,you know that right?”

Jet gave him a nod. 

The boy looked back to the sky,the ocean sounds calming the feeling into an uncertain lull.

“So this is what you guys see every night?”

“When we’re not being chased,yeah”

“It’s beautiful”

   He glanced back at Jet. The moonlight illuminated the sharpness carved in his face,a stark contrast to the softness in his smile. In the pitch black skies his eyes stood out like stars,brows lifted into the same curve that only gave to the children with his hopeful words.

“Hey,I’m not going to tell them”

Jet turned his head to him. “About?”

“Everything” Sokka replied. 

The other was silent,not entirely sure what to say.

“Seeing you beg to come with us,I thought you were just faking it to get me to feel bad for you but once I saw how far you were willing to go to protect those people…” He could still remember the moment they found him,body limp and left to choke in the clouds of smoke. Even hours after it still managed to send a chill down his spine. “No one would go that far if they didn’t mean it”

   Sokka shifted his gaze to his sister and their friend,both stuck in their own little world. “Whether or not you tell them and when is up to you. But whatever you pick, I’ve got your back”

Jet gave him a warm smile. “Thanks, Sokka”

“Yeah,just…don’t tell Katara I got all soft like this,” The other said. “If she knows she was right she’ll never let me hear the end of it”

Jet sat up. “Right about what?”

   His face began to warm,suddenly remembering her knowing smirk. Sokka quickly set his gaze to the world in front of them,trying to ignore the creeping blush on his face. “Don’t worry about it”

Jet held back a chuckle,the other’s face only brightening. “Alright,I trust you”

  Sokka let out a flustered grumble,sprawling out one leg to prop an arm onto. The weight of his nearly forgotten sleeping bag caught his attention,a new thought hitting him. “Are you going to sleep?”

“I might”

“Then here” The boy picked it off the saddle’s side and set it by his hip. “This thing is pure wood,you’re going to hurt something else if you don’t sleep on something”

“What about you?” Jet questioned.

“I’m going to stay up a little longer,” Sokka tilted his head towards Aang and Katara. “Someone has to keep an eye on them”

An amused smile crossed the other’s face. “Okay,don’t stay up too late” 

   Sokka gave him a nod. Jet pulled the bag close,setting it as he would his pillow back home before laying back down. It was surprisingly soft,easing the tinge of discomfort that had been tugging at the base of his neck and near his shoulder. Strange as it sounded,somehow this felt much more comfortable than the now empty bed he had left behind. 

    He let his tired eyes wander to his side,past Sokka and to the night sky. Stars freckled the deep blue,the light of the moon so much closer than he could ever imagine.

   The sight brought the familiar taste of peaches to his tongue, the memory of those special moments nibbling what was left over from the hours his mother spent at her beloved fruit stand returning like a soft breeze. For once there was no bittersweet tang afterwards,the three kind enough to take him in filling the empty space left behind.

  With a yawn he let his lids fall,listening to the ocean's soft midnight song. Tomorrow he’d wake up to a new life,one that didn’t have a set plan he could lead,and for the first time he could say he was excited for it.