Chapter Text
Jet was about to start a new life in Ba Sing Se, along with his two most loyal Freedom Fighters. He regretted how he made his obsession with the Fire Nation take over him in the past, he was going to be better, for them, the ones that stuck by his side when no one else did, and he assured them they would “go straight” from now on… but Jet was never straight to begin with.
He spotted him the same day they boarded the boat, a boy, probably the same age as him, really handsome, with pale skin and dark short hair, but the most characteristic thing for him was the burn scar that covered almost half of his face.
He looked serious, to say the least, he seemed like he was actually angry all the time, looking around the ferry with a silent fury that just created a mysterious aura around him that kept Jet staring from afar. He was afraid he might’ve found a new obsession to start this new life.
It was getting late, and his friends eyed Jet with suspicion, fearing that he might’ve wanted to start trouble with someone, Smellerbe tried to follow his line of vision, and finally asked “What are you looking at?”
Jet reacted as if he had been shaken off a trance and shrugged, “Nothing, just the landscape,” his response made Smellerbee and Longshot look at each other skeptically, but before they could even say anything, their leader was already walking away saying he was going for a walk.
Being in a boat felt weird… to say the least, it took him too long to get used to the constant rocking of the floor beneath him, but he was luckier than poor Smellerbee, who kept throwing up over the board for the first hours.
He really meant to just explore around the deck, some habits stick, so he was trying to memorize the whole place, hiding places and possible escape routes, the way he used to do back in the forest, it wasn’t his intention to peek into the captain’s chambers.
What he saw made his stomach grumble. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until he saw the steam coming off a soup pot, the rows of pastries and juicy meat.
It was just ridiculous to prepare so much food for such a little crew, it wasn’t fair, just looking around he could see the hunger in all the refugees, children, elderly, sick people, and whole families that probably traveled much longer than him to get to the capital.
They were all being fed their scraps of rotten food, he knew he couldn’t just stand there and allow such injustice, and even if they wanted to stay out of trouble, he was sure he could convince his Fighters to join him on at least one last mission.
By early in the morning, he already had a plan laid out, and an excuse to finally approach a certain someone.
-
Jet was leaning against a pole nonchalantly, observing his target; he watched him complain about the horrible food, this was his chance.
“I’m tired of living like this,” he heard him say before Jet put on his grin and invited himself confidently to the conversation, “aren’t we all?”
He took a couple of steps towards him and made sure to introduce himself and his friends, but the boy didn’t pay them much attention, just a glance and a curtsy “hello.” That was alright, Jet didn’t really expect this to be easy.
He explained the injustice he had witnessed, but even the old man he followed around, probably his father, seemed to be more interested. Jet tried to ignore the way his mouth hung open and started to drool. He still went to the point undaunted, “You want to help us liberate some food?”
The boy didn’t look away from the rotten porridge he was holding and neither lifted his usual scowl, Jet thought he may be actually considering it, and then finally, he saw him throw the bowl to the ocean dramatically, before turning to him with determination and say “I’m in.” Jet couldn’t suppress his smirk, this was going to be fun.
…
The sun was starting to set when Zuko met Jet and his ragtag team in the storage room they agreed on earlier that day.
He thought Jet was weird since the moment he approached him, he didn’t fully trust the guy with mismatched armor and a piece of grass in his mouth, but as soon as he started to present their plan, he could understand why the two kids followed his orders, he spoke with a passion and confidence Zuko had only seen in some Fire Nation military leaders and made him think what they would do mattered, and maybe it did.
But he also couldn’t help to notice he looked at him in an odd way, he really couldn’t explain it, it wasn’t pity, like when people in the Earth Kingdom noticed his scar, and neither disgust, it was almost like he found him interesting, but not in a bad way. It honestly made him feel a bit uneasy and prevented meeting his gaze, but it was difficult when he kept trying to make eye contact with him.
Zuko felt more relaxed once the action started, he had to admit the Freedom Fighters were capable, he especially admired their stealth skills, they got to the kitchen’s storing area without being heard. Jet broke the door open with his tiger hook swords and for a moment Zuko thought of how cool it would be to spar with another dual wielder someday.
Everything went according to plan, he and Jet took enough food for everyone and threw their full bags over their shoulders. As they were done, he made the mistake of looking in Jet’s direction, who smiled at him from across the room. Zuko could feel his face get hotter but didn’t have time to process what that meant since the little girl warned them that a guard was coming.
Quickly, their archer fired an arrow from the lower deck, with a rope attached to it, allowing the three of them to escape sliding down it, and he pulled it away before the guard could notice. It was weird, but Zuko had to admit it was the most fun he’d had in a while.
Once they made sure they were safe, they immediately started distributing the goods across the whole ferry, Zuko tried to ignore the fact that Jet seemed insistent on working on the same side of the boat that he did, but then, when they were almost done, he tried to start a conversation.
“Hey, I don’t think you told me your name,” he said, Zuko didn’t want to look back in his direction, he knew he had that cocky grin plastered on his face.
“My name’s Li,” he replied plainly, it still didn’t feel right to introduce himself like that.
“Li,” Jet repeated like he was trying to test out the most fucking common name in the Kingdom, it definitely sounded way better when he said it though.
Then Zuko didn’t even hear when Jet got right next to him, he tried not to flinch when he was approached by his left side, he was still ashamed to recognize that his eyesight never got better.
Jet placed a hand over his shoulder, it was such a simple gesture, but he couldn’t help but be taken off by the contact, “you did well tonight, we make a really good team,” he continued, Zuko finally allowed himself to look back at him, his expression was genuine and he noticed his smile made him look good, well it suited him.
He suddenly felt at a loss for words, he didn’t know if it was the compliment, or that face, maybe both, but Jet probably noticed that he wasn’t going to say anything back, so he proceeded to take the few remaining plates from Zuko’s hands, who tried to ignore the way their fingers grazed each other for an instant.
“Shot and Bee should be done by now, why don’t you go and join your father? I’ll just hand out these to the rest of the refugees.” For a moment he frowned in confusion at the mention of his father, but then proceeded to feel stupid when he realized who he meant, but he still felt the need to clarify, trying to not sound on edge.
“Uncle. He’s my uncle,” he wasn’t sure if he achieved it, but Jet replied in a casual tone “oh, my bad.”
For some reason Zuko was still hesitant to leave and stood there for a second, feeling a bit dumb.
“Yeah, you go eat up, don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” Jet said while giving him a light pat on the back, how could Zuko argue with that?
…
A moment after finishing the mission, Jet found Li and his uncle sitting with his friends. He approached them and tried to start a conversation.
He found that the old man was as hopeful for a new life in the city as he was, but Li didn’t talk that much, and didn’t make much eye contact with him either, but he understood, he was a stranger to him.
Jet still couldn’t brush off the way he blushed when he smiled at him in the darkness, he started to think that he might have a chance, he knew he still had that charm in him.
It still felt weird, somehow. Back in the woods, flirting with the outsiders meant he wanted something from them, in the last couple of years it became a common practice for him to persuade people into stealing from Gaipan for him, as much as he hated that damn town, sometimes they needed things they couldn’t borrow from the ashmakers’ provisions, and then, of course, was Katara… he meant it when he told Li’s uncle he regretted some things.
But Li was different, Jet realized he didn’t need anything from him, yes, he was useful on the mission, but he was confident he and his gang could’ve been successful on their own. It still surprised him that the boy had no problem keeping up with them, he could make a good Freedom Fighter.
It didn’t pass much time before the old man went off to sleep, as well as his friends, leaving the two of them alone, they were both just finishing their dinner, and Li looked a bit awkward, but he didn’t go away, that was a good sign.
“So, tell me Li, what do you like to do for fun?” Jet asked, leaning slightly towards him, but he just kept looking down at his bowl and fidgeting with his chopsticks, “nothing,” he replied bluntly.
“Come on, there’s gotta be something you enjoy doing, no?” Jet tried to push, wearing a cheeky grin on his face.
“Why do you care?” Now, that was straight-up rude, but Jet just crossed his arms, finding it amusing.
“Just making conversation since we’re stuck in this ferry together, you don’t have to be so defensive”, that probably made it, because, still not taking his gaze from his food (that at this point was probably just a couple of noodles left to fiddle with), Li sighed and answered.
“I like to practice with my swords sometimes,” Jet remembered the dual dao he carried with him while taking the food, he would love to see him in actual action with them, he leaned towards him a bit more, and smirked.
“Oh really? That's pretty cool, I’m quite the swordsman myself. Maybe someday you can show me what you can do with those blades.”
Jet couldn’t ignore the way Li looked away, showing his scarred side, where the blush growing in his cheeks would be imperceptible, while he shrugged “Sure.” It was really easy to make him flustered apparently, but his demeanor still seemed very tense, did this guy ever chill the fuck out? Perhaps Jet could help.
…
“Are you always this on edge?” Zuko heard Jet ask out of nowhere, what made him think that? they barely interacted, and before he could even formulate an answer he was speaking up again, did this guy ever shut the fuck up?
“Hey, I got an idea, I know just what you need,” he stood up, placing his empty dishes away, and then he offered Zuko his hand, “Come with me.”
What? he was sure he froze for a moment, but what was he even supposed to do? take his hand and let himself be dragged away to who-knows-where to do who-knows-what? But then again he looked up, and got caught on those almond dark brown eyes, the most common of colors, but they were so deep… and why were his eyelashes so long?!
He sighed and took his calloused hand, standing up. Jet’s slender fingers felt cold in the chilly ocean night, and he gave Zuko a satisfied smirk before he started guiding him somewhere through the deck, their hands never separating from each other, in their way, Jet used his free hand to borrow a green crystal lamp that was hanging in a nearby wooden pole.
Zuko was wondering how the fuck he got himself into this situation before they came to a stop in front of a door he recognized as the storehouse where they discussed their mission earlier that day.
He was feeling a bit nervous as they went inside and Jet closed the door behind him, but how could he doubt this guy’s intentions when he kept smiling at him like that? It was only then that Jet let go of his hand, and Zuko refused to feel disappointed.
He watched as the other boy scrambled through one of the many wooden boxes in the room, when he finally found what he was looking for, he turned to show it proudly to him with a sly grin. In his hands was an unopened glass bottle filled with a yellow liquid, Zuko could read it was labeled as plum wine.
“When did you even get that?” Zuko asked him, baffled because he didn’t see Jet grab it during their little holdup.
“I got my tricks,” Jet said carelessly, “so what do you say?” He set the lamp over another couple of boxes that were one on top of another, and picked out two cups from the first container, “wanna share?” he offered while carefully pouring the liquor in one cup.
“Okay,” Zuko heard himself say. Agni, he wished he was as good with words as his uncle, or Azula, or literally anyone else in the world. He didn’t even understand why he was so nervous, he had drunk before, maybe it was more about the setting.
Jet handed him the filled cup, in response he nodded and muttered a “thanks.” He saw the other boy serve himself, still using the stacked boxes as a provisional table, then he and plopped down on the floor, so Zuko mirrored him.
The space somehow seemed more spacious in the evening, now all the stock made him feel cramped and Jet was closer than he was used to being with people, but he didn’t mind too much.
“So, what are you planning to do once you get to the city?” Jet kept trying to chat with him, and something told him he wouldn’t take an ‘I don’t know’ as an answer.
“My uncle got us a job through a friend he has in the restaurant district” is what he replied, Jet nodded while he plucked out the wheatgrass from his mouth and took the first sip of his drink.
“That’s great, a thing to start with. Are you excited about it?” he asked then, Zuko couldn’t be less excited about living in Ba Sing Se, but it wasn’t like he had any option.
“Not really, It was my uncle’s idea to live there, and I think he’s too excited about it,” he complained before drinking a bit, the wine tasted good, really fruity, a mix between sweet and tart, and it wasn’t that strong, “he kept singing that stupid song about the pretty girls from Ba Sing Se, all the way from the desert!” he continued, still a bit angry at the memory, not even the threat of dehydration made Iroh stop that time.
But to his surprise the other started laughing, it wasn’t supposed to be a joke, he was ranting, but whatever. “Oh, that sounds like hell,” Jet said as he regained composure, and started drinking as well, that stupid smile still on his face. “But Way to Ba Sing Se is a classic, don’t disrespect it,” Zuko didn’t care, he never was a music fanatic, so he said nothing and made sure to roll his eyes at him.
“Where were you and your uncle living before coming here?” is what Jet asked, probably as another attempt to fill in the silence.
He knew this was the kind of thing his uncle wanted him to do, “normal teenage stuff” he called it, but he was apparently very bad at it.
“Umm… we’ve been traveling around for a long time,” he wasn’t lying, but he just hoped he wouldn’t demand him to elaborate-
“Why?” ah there it was.
Zuko felt trapped but didn’t want to go away either. “Is this an interrogation or something?” he asked, more hostile than intended, but he couldn’t just tell him the truth, something told him that all these refugees wouldn’t be fond of Fire Nationals.
“Nah, just curious, I just want to get to know you, is that a crime?”
It wasn’t, but why?, Ba Sing Se was the fucking biggest city in the world, they probably wouldn’t have to see each other ever again once they disembarked, but he still tried to make up something in the spot.
“Well, we were uhh… part of this traveling circus,” he hoped the other would buy it, and that any expression he was probably making didn’t give him away.
Jet raised an eyebrow as he was attentive listening and finishing his cup, “Li, I’ll be honest with you,” he said, placing it down, “you can’t lie to save your life,” he continued, not suspicious of him, but rather finding it funny.
“Why did you ask me if you won’t even believe what I say?” Zuko felt irritated even if he knew he could’ve done a better job, but his uncle could’ve helped him make up a story instead of singing too.
“It’s alright, It’s hard to talk about the past, I get it, I don’t like it either.” There was a bit of a sadder tone in his last sentence, Zuko knew how much his Nation had hurt all the people in this boat, and in the whole Kingdom. Everything would be easier if they just surrendered, the war would be finally over then.
“But we can leave it all behind once we get to the city.” Zuko wished he could feel as hopeful as him.
“You sound like my uncle” he muttered.
“Well, he’s a very wise man,” the other boy replied with a smirk, he was so full of himself.
Zuko kept insisting on not moving his gaze up from his drink, but couldn’t shake off the way Jet kept his eyes on him.
“Why do you keep looking at me like that?” he demanded, making sure to sound like he was annoyed by it.
“What do you mean?” Jet asked, with an expression that told him that he knew exactly what he meant.
“You know what I’m talking about, don’t act stupid” he accused, trying not to raise his voice too much, most people on deck were probably already asleep.
“Well, what can I say? You’re nice to look at.”
Zuko could feel heat take over his face, this guy just made him feel more confused every time. He used to have good care for his appearance back home, it was a key part of being royalty, even though not many people had the opportunity to see him. But now… he didn’t know if he was allowed to call himself handsome, or whatever this boy found him, his father had made sure of that.
“Don’t patronize me Jet,” he snapped because there was no other explanation to his words.
“Not patronizing, I swear,” he retorted in a defensive tone, lifting his hands in surrender, “just stating facts,” he assured him. Zuko huffed, looking away from him, not knowing what to do with himself. He tried to shake off the fluttering feeling in his stomach, and it was hard to maintain a stoic expression.
“You get flustered too easily,” Jet said with an amused grin. Zuko snapped his head back towards him, glaring at him, but he was sure he flushed even harder, did he bring him here just to make fun of him?,
“I do not,” the prince said stubbornly through gritted teeth, “you just caught me off guard, that’s all.” He didn’t care if Jet thought he was lying, he could think whatever he wanted, he took another sip of wine.
Jet just chuckled at him, that bastard. He just felt the urge to run away and hide from him in embarrassment. But he wouldn’t, he was too prideful.
Slamming down his cup, he looked up at him, (because of course he also had to tower over him, not by much, but it was evident even when the other boy was sitting all slouched), still scowling, but without his permission, his eyes darted for a second to his lips, and… stayed there, for a brief moment, before obviously Jet caught him.
“What are you thinking about, Li?,” he teased, his smirk turning more devilish as he leaned towards him, invading his personal space to the point he could feel his breath on his face, Jet was clearly enjoying this. Zuko felt stupid for feeling this nervous “I…”
“You know… I could give it to you… if that’s what you want,” Jet suggested, tilting his head and getting closer to reach out his hand and cup Zuko's unblemished cheek with it gently.
His heart was hammering inside his chest as he did so, his touch on his skin sending a shiver down his spine. Suddenly the world around them seemed to disappear, and all he could focus on was the boy in front of him and his stupidly charming smile.
His mouth opened, but no words came out. He swallowed, trying to gather his thoughts, but their proximity made it hard to think straight. His mind was a swirl of emotions, and he couldn’t quite tell if it was excitement or fear.
He didn’t even know when his head decided to nod, but Zuko’s eyes widened in surprise as he felt Jet’s lips on his own. He froze up, unsure of what to do. But after a moment, he found himself slowly relaxing, closing his eyes, letting the strange but not unwelcome sensation take over as Jet held him closer, wrapping his arm around his waist.
The kiss was gentle, tentative, and vaguely tasted like wine, it felt… good, so he kissed back just as eagerly, following the other boy’s cue. His hand went up to grip the other boy’s shirt, his fingers clutching at the fabric in an attempt to steady himself.
It probably had been less than a minute before Jet pulled away, Zuko didn’t know, his concept of time had stopped working a while ago. When he opened his eyes, he must’ve looked shell-shocked, and he was sure his pale skin now matched the red of his scar.
In the last few years, he hadn’t had that much time to think about romance. But sometimes, in the loneliness of his cabin, when it was hard to fall asleep, he tried to imagine how it would be to kiss someone, to hold a girl close to him, maybe when he got to go back home and reunited with a childhood friend… but he definitely didn’t imagine this.
Illuminated by the lamp’s dim light, Zuko could see Jet wore a satisfied grin, he didn’t move his hands from their place, that was okay, he didn’t want him to.
“See, it wasn’t so bad, wasn’t it?” he asked, his thumb gently stroking the prince’s cheek.
“You look adorable like this” he heard him say, and how dare he?! Zuko was pretty sure he could take him down in a fight with his eyes closed, he would’ve liked to see if he still found him adorable then. “Don’t call me that! Don’t you ever shut up?!”
That just earned him a chuckle from the other boy. “Make me,” he said teasingly, and Zuko knew a challenge when he saw one. He never backed up from a challenge.
Without giving himself time to think better of it, he grabbed the collar of Jet's shirt and pulled him close, his lips meeting the other boy’s once more in a rough, almost angry kiss, messier than the first one. He heard him softly gasp as he did so, it felt great to finally have the upper hand. He tried to replicate what Jet did before, hoping that his lack of experience wouldn’t show.
He panicked a bit when he felt his inner flame acting up as Jet slid his tongue inside his mouth, the heat growing stronger in his stomach, fighting to be released, was that supposed to happen?! it made no sense, his fire was supposed to be fueled by anger, not by… any of his current feelings.
“You learn fast, pretty boy,” he said as Zuko pulled away abruptly to gasp for air and keep the restraint on his bending.
He would’ve complained about the pet name, but he knew it had no use, “what makes you think that I’ve never done this?!” he spat, Jet was right, but Zuko took offense anyways, not loosening his grip on his tunic, even though the praise felt better than he would ever admit.
“No reason,” Jet answered, smiling in a way that made him think he found his anger amusing.
He hated feeling like he was losing control of the situation, but he couldn’t seem to stop whatever was happening between them. The way Jet moved, the way he said those things that got under his skin, it was maddening.
He continued to gently trace his fingers along the prince’s jawline and down to his neck, watching his reaction carefully. His smile widened as he noticed the way he involuntarily shivered under his touch.
Zuko had to put a stop to this before he could lose control over his own body and probably scorch the fabric of Jet’s collar. This was ridiculous, he had trained his whole life, he had better control than this.
Jet was just starting to play with the back of his newly grown buzzcut while leaning his lips into his neck, when Zuko took his hand and pulled it away. He saw as the other boy moved back and frowned in confusion.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, clearly puzzled as he examined his face.
“I have to get back with my uncle…” Zuko mumbled, looking away from him, and finally letting go of the fabric of his tunic, which now was a wrinkly mess.
“If he wakes and I’m not there he might get worried,” he continued, it was probably evident that he was making excuses, he knew damn well that his uncle wouldn’t care to open his eyes until his fire bender physiology forced him to at dawn, but Jet still reluctantly lifted his hand from his waist, and scooted back a bit, giving him back enough of his personal space to stand up, Zuko didn’t know how he let him get so close in the first place.
"Hmm, I guess that’s reasonable…" he muttered, seeming slightly disappointed as he looked down for a moment before meeting the prince’s eyes again. "I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow then?"
Zuko felt a pang of guilt in his chest as he nodded silently and stood up, trying to keep his expression neutral. Despite how annoying Jet could be, he had enjoyed spending time with him. But he was relieved that he had listened to him and that apparently he wouldn’t have to give any explanations. He couldn't tell the other boy that he was scared of his own emotions, and the way his inner fire was reacting to him.
He walked towards the door away from Jet without looking back, even though his body still longed for closeness. But he hesitated before getting out, a moment of sudden lucidity hit him, he had just kissed a boy. He spoke again, just loud enough for the other to hear him, “You’re… you’re not going to tell anyone about this, right?
When Jet heard the question, he let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. "Of course, I’m not going to tell anyone... unless you want me to?” he said in a slightly teasing tone, but when he saw whatever face Zuko made, he quickly added, "I'm kidding. It’s just between us, I promise,"he said with a reassuring smile.
Zuko nodded awkwardly and whispered “Good night Jet,” feeling that even though he really wanted to, leaving without saying a word would be kind of rude.
“Night Li,” he said back, Zuko wondered if it hurt to smile that much all the time. He sighed as he closed the door behind him, and he was sure he heard the other boy sigh as well through the wood separating them.
He quietly made his way back to the place on the deck his uncle had chosen to sleep, he held onto the railing, exhaling the heat that formed inside his gut into the salty air, carefully, so he wouldn’t cast actual flame, he felt it escape through his fingers to the wood too. How would he manage to hide his bending in Ba Sing Se?
He ran a hand through his hair, feeling the buzzed, soft strands, trying to process what had just happened. He had let Jet kiss him, well he didn’t really let him, that sounded too passive, he just… didn’t actively do anything to stop him. And not only that, but he kissed him back and enjoyed it.
He was a prince, for Agni’s sake. He shouldn’t be getting so flustered by a pretty face and cheap flattery, especially from a boy. What would his father think? He looked down at a snoring Iroh, what would he think? Did it even matter? It's not like he would get himself in this kind of situation again… right?
He flopped down on his sleeping mat and closed his eyes, trying to block out the memories and the racing thoughts in his mind. But he knew he wasn’t going to get any sleep that night.
…
Zuko was watching through the morning’s fog, the city’s walls getting nearer every time, when Jet approached him carefully, he hadn’t even said anything yet, but he already felt so nervous, so he was glad the other boy kept a respectable distance.
“You know, as soon as I saw your scar, I knew exactly who you were,” he said, which made Zuko immediately tense, he felt really confused, if he did, why would he do all those things last night? Was that just a way to get to control him? But then relief filled him as he spoke up again.
“You're an outcast, like me. And us outcasts have to stick together.” Together… What was his point? Zuko already knew his mark made it seem like he was one of them, a victim of the colonizers, that it was something he didn’t deserve. But this guy was willing to stick with him just because of that? He didn’t know anything about him, he even knew he tried to lie about his place of origin before.
“We have to watch each other's backs. Because no one else will.” That was true, he had his uncle back with him, but he knew how it felt to roam the world alone. He always thought he didn’t need it, but now, it wouldn’t hurt to have a friend. But did it have to be him? He was pretty sure friends didn’t kiss on storeroom floors. Besides, everything would be based on a lie.
“I've realized lately that being on your own isn't always the best path.” Is what he said, not looking away from the landscape, he feared that if he dared to look at the boy at his side, he would not be able to look away.
They just stood there for a moment, looking at the future laid out in front of them, Zuko could feel the tension in the air, and Jet was the one who broke the silence, he had never heard him so hesitant though.
“Li… about last night I-“ he started, but he was cut off by the voice of one of the deckhands yelling a message to all the refugees, and they both turned to him. “Attention passengers! We have arrived in Ba Sing Se, make sure to collect all your personal belongings before leaving the ship. We are about to disembark.”
The sound of people getting up and gathering things filled the ferry. Zuko felt relieved by the interruption, he didn't think he was ready to face last night’s events. He saw Iroh come to meet him from the other side of the deck. “Nephew! Oh, here you are, hurry up and help me with our stuff,” he said as if they had much stuff aside from their filthy sleeping mats.
Zuko sighed and turned to the other boy “Sorry, I have to go,” it wasn't a goodbye, he knew it wouldn't be the last time he would deal with Jet, he nodded, “Yeah, same here, better gather up with my fighters.” He saw the other boy walk away as he joined his uncle.
-
“I’m glad you’re making friends, nephew, it will do you good to have someone in the city,” he heard him say as they finished rolling up their mats. “He’s not my friend,” Zuko retorted, walking away toward the hatchway, he had enough of this ferry.
…
Jet was finally at the train station, he could see Li buy his tickets from afar. Trying to ignore the judging glances Smellerbee threw at him. “I think Li would make a good Freedom Fighter. He's just trying to find his way in the world, like us.” he proposed to his friends.
“You don’t know anything about him, Jet.” She had a point except for “I know he didn't get that scar from a waterbender,” which just gained him an eye roll from her.
“Besides, I thought we were going straight now.” He knew she only meant the best for them, he wanted to get all the murder and hate behind them as much as she did, but that didn't mean they would have to stop fighting. As long as the war was going there would be something to fight for, something they could do, even between the walls of the Impenetrable City.
“We are, and the new Freedom Fighters could use a guy like Lee. What do you think, Longshot?” He was aware that most people wouldn't understand it, but the archer’s silence sometimes spoke more than actual words.
He knew that he backed up Smellerbee in her desire for a peaceful life, but also wanted to keep helping people like they did with all the refugees, maybe they could figure out how to make their new life accomplish both things.
“I can respect that,” Jet told him, taking the piece of grass out of his mouth. He would try to listen to his friends, they both still saw him as their leader, but the new Freedom Fighters would be a team, not a superior and his followers.
“Are you sure this is not because you like this Li guy?” Smellerbee accused with a mischievous grin. “What? I don’t know what you're talking about!” He knew he wouldn't convince them, they knew him too well, but it didn't hurt to try.
“Oh yeah? So where were you last night?” She questioned, raising an eyebrow. “Fine, you got me, stop the interrogation” he heard them giggle at that, these brats, “but my point is, we can keep doing feats like this, we won’t even have to worry about firebenders anymore, just helping people. Something tells me there will be plenty of opportunities to do that.”
Smellerbee sighed “Let’s worry about settling first okay? We can’t help other people if we don't have anything to eat or a roof above our heads,” Longshot nodded in agreement, Jet didn't know what he would do without them, he was so proud. He wouldn't disappoint them again. “Glad we’re on the same page,” is what he said, a genuine smile on his face.
“It’s still weird that your idea of flirting is inviting people to our gang” Smellerbee added.
…
Zuko still didn't like the idea of living with another name among the enemy’s populace, but all he could do now was sit there, arms crossed, waiting for their train while his uncle complained about cold tea.
“Hey, can I talk to you for a second?” Oh shit. Jet motioned for Zuko to follow him, he sighed and reluctantly rose from his seat, he got anxious as the two of them walked several feet from Iroh’s spot.
“Last night, I know you said you had to go with your uncle, but was there anything I did that-”
“No.” Zuko retorted quickly, not even letting him finish, his face already heating up. To his surprise, even Jet seemed to blush a bit as he looked away, as much as his tan skin allowed it to be visible. “Oh, okay… good to know.”
“Actually I came to ask you another thing” Jet quickly added, more serious after forcing himself to regain composure.
“You and I have a much better chance of making it in the city if we stick together. You want to join the Freedom Fighters?”
Zuko couldn't even allow himself to consider the offer, he knew why they were refugees, they wouldn't be happy to have a fire bender in their group. He didn't like the idea of having to constantly lie, he couldn't get attached to anyone, and something told him this undercover thing wouldn't last long.
“Thanks, but I don't think you want me in your gang.”
He was considering just walking away, his response was pretty much final, wasn't it? He took his first step, but then a hand around his wrist stopped him, he looked up, slightly bewildered.
“Come on, we made a great team looting that captain's food. Think of all the good we could do for these refugees.”
“I…” He didn't know what to do. Helping out felt good, it felt good to actually do something about his situation, it felt good to be with someone his age and not fighting against him. He sighed, he probably would regret this, but being with Jet felt good. Maybe he could try to hold on to these things as long as he could. It’s not like anyone cared about what Earth Kingdom citizen ‘Li’ did.
“Okay, but I still have to work at- whatever place my uncle got us jobs at, and I can’t get in trouble with the government.” He finally said, which just made the other boy grin widely. What did he just get himself into?
“Great, I promise you won’t regret it! And don't worry, you won’t get in trouble as long as you don't get caught.” Well, Zuko guessed that was true. Jet’s gentle grip on his wrist didn't loosen until he heard the rumbling of the train getting to the station.
“Well, guess I’ll see you in the city,” He said, but Zuko didn't even know where he was going to stay himself, and just the Lower Ring was ridiculously huge.
“How are you even going to find me?” he exteriorized his concern to Jet, who smirked at him. “Trust me, I will.”
“That's definitely not creepy” Zuko deadpanned, and the other boy just chuckled while he walked away and went back to his friends.
Zuko joined his uncle, and he would’ve lectured him about using his fire bending to heat his tea in public, but he was busy watching as Jet boarded another train cart, but not before grabbing some hay from the floor and sticking it into his mouth. Was this guy really his first kiss?