Streetlights
AN: This is one of my first few fanfictions so be kind :p
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.
Streetlights
Zuko wrapped his arms and legs tightly around his bedpost with absolutely no intention of letting it go. He held on as hard as he could but the other boys pull on the back of his shirt was strong and his collar made breathing very restricting. With any luck the fabric would give before he did.
"Leave me alone Jet, let go!" he shouted, or at least tried to quite breathlessly.
"No. We are going outside, come on." Jet growled, pulling even harder. He heard his victim whimper a little but he didn't let it bother him. Zuko glared at Jet and spoke as forcefully as he could which, in his condition, wasn't very menacing.
"No. Never. Nothing ever good comes out of leaving your house!" he barked and Zuko meant it, he would hold on to the bedpost even if it cost him his life. But after several more minutes of the pulling and bitching, his body gave out and he cursed it for not living up to the impossible standards of his mind. He was then, against his bickering will, dragged out into the wretched sunlight for some 'fresh air'. "I hate you," he mumbled.
"And you never let me forget it either." Jet joked as he slapped Zuko on the back, nearly toppling the still-weak-from-their-earlier-tussle boy over. "You could use some sun anyway pasty." The tanned boy guided Zuko around town for a walk, past some small houses, small compared to Zuko' at least and through the more common areas. Ice cream shops, hair salons, little boutiques and many small restaurants lined the streets. They'd stop occasionally to passionately observe sweets, then realise neither of them had even brought any money for their little 'outing'? Idle chitchat past the time, a time that wasn't totally as horrid as Zuko anticipated but not exactly stellar either. It was just calm and relaxing and even a little... nice. They were on their way home when Jet suddenly pulled his friend by the elbow into a quiet park.
"You're kidding me right?" he asked, "Jet, I don't think I should have to tell you that we aren't kids."
"We're still sort of kids!" Jet laughed, "You and me use to come here all the time, remember?" Zuko couldn't help but note the key word 'use to' but decided to keep it to himself, thinking it better not to trample all over his nostalgia. He watched his friend run over a short bridge, kick the tire swing then climb the jungle gym before being oh-so-gloriously summoned. "Hey princess, why don't you get off your high horse and join me?" Zuko snarled at the insult then started for the wooden castle. His confidence wavered a little at the shaking old wood he climbed, even after eight years it hadn't become any sturdier. Although, the years were definitely not kind to it but he couldn't stand there and let Jet make a fool of him like that. In no time he was up at Jet's side, leaning against the questionable wood railing, just like when they were younger. Jet chuckled slightly, Zuko's stubbornness never failing him. "Let's slide"
"What? No, I'm not-" but before he could finish Zuko was yanked down in front of the little tunnel that overlooked the slide. Jet sat behind him placing his legs on either side of him and wrapping his arms around Zuko's middle, causing him to fumble on his words "W-what're you doing?"
"Just be kid for a second, okay? We use to go down like this all the time." he responded to all of Zuko's panicked questions. Zuko rolled his eyes.
"God you're shamless." he mumbled under his breath.
"Well excuse me, miss." Jet paused to meet Zuko's eyes for a second before giving them both a push start. The slide wasn't overly long or amazing but for a moment it was exhilarating. For just a second, Jet was right, and they were both kids again. But that carefree feeling soon hit the ground hard when they did. Zuko lay on his stomach groaning, under the weight of his friend. He pushed him off and turned over to his back in great pain.
"Ughh... Jet that was a stupid idea." the younger of the two grumbled but was not left to rest for long. Before he could figure out how to breath again, Jet lurched him to his feet and pulled him back towards the jungle gym.
"Again!" he enthused while jerking Zuko with him. The pale boy was set free when Jet needed both hands to climb the ladder.
"You're kidding?" he managed through heavy breaths. To his dismay, the older boy was not kidding. He was as serious as a teenager playing in a park could be. After several more quick, painful slides, Zuko began to relax a little more. Jet fingers on his stomach stopped making him twitch, the falls didn't hurt as much and the endless 'Agains' were no longer met with dreaded sighs. Maybe revelling in childhood isn't so bad after all. But they soon began to run out of stamina and it's not like they could live in the past forever, right?
They sat under the little tunnel, across from each other, knees pulled up, feet against it's opposite wall. Its small size really was an obstacle, but they managed. The light of the sun started dimming as it began to set and the whole town became a little quieter.
"Hey." Zuko almost whispered at the boy across from him.
"Hey." he replied coolly, a few seconds of silence trailing after. Zuko hadn't exactly had any follow up but turns out he didn't need one. "Do you ever miss... being a kid?" Zuko paused, unsure of how serious Jet was.
"I thought you said we still were." he responded with a slight smirk, half serious/half light hearted. Jet looked at him a little confused and unsure of where he was going with this.
"No I mean like a real kid, like when we really did play at parks." Zuko gave Jet a quizzical look, "and we... rode bikes, ate too much sugary crap and stole Mr. Jeong Jeong's robe from the bathhouse."
"Are you saying you wanna go publicly strip that old man of his clothes again?" Zuko laughed, ah good times. Jet looked up and laughed with him, but the solemnity was not missed for long. The distant look in Jet's eyes returned and Zuko was unable to understand exactly what it was Jet was feeling, even after having known him his whole life. Even after seventeen years, his close friend was still sometimes a mystery.
"Things were just... They weren't so complicated." he sighed frustrated.
"Complicated?" Zuko asked. Jet tried his hardest not to look at his childhood friend, fearing the things he'd feel if he did, but it was difficult. The sun was setting now, and it's beautiful pink and golden glow touched something even more stunning. Zuko was incredible in this light, the pink softening his serious face and yet his golden eyes burned against the gold of the sun. Striking. In one smooth move, Jet placed his hand behind Zuko's neck and pulled him in for a kiss. His kiss was soft but at the same time, much like the boy, it was also striking. After a few long seconds he pulled away and his hand once again took place by his side.
"Oh. Complicated." Zuko sighed both out of relief and frustration. Finally. Something they had both felt for a long time but never acknowledged, finally out. Jet was right; this was very complicated. An intense silence followed, what could they say really? After a long, blissful stillness, the sun had begun to completely disappear and the darkness began to invade. "We should go home, Jet, it's getting dark." It seemed as though Jet hadn't heard him as he continued to watch the almost immersed sun, holding on to the last few rays.
"Why can't we just stay kids forever?" he asked quietly, eyes still grasping for something that was all ready gone over the horizon. If only he could somehow make the sun come back for just a little longer. But that was impossible. The town was still now and not a sound could be heard. No sound but the flicker of a street lamp as it turned on just beside the park. Zuko looked at Jet intently, the light of the lamp making his face visible once again.
"Because if we did, we'd never find ourselves."