In Which Jet Is Smarmy
Zuko was not surprised to find Katara with Jet. Nor was he surprised to find the smarmy bastard trying to make a move on her. The two sat on a bench in one of the more secluded areas near the campfire, knees almost touching. Jet leaned a bit closer to her and said something. Judging by the splotches of colour that bloomed on her cheeks, it was probably flirtatious. Zuko repressed a sigh. He really didn't want to have to do this. Still, a deal was a deal.
He took a firmer grip on his uncle and marched over to where the two were sitting, plonking himself into the small space between the teens. Jet was given no choice but to move over or get sat on.
"Lee," Katara said, blinking at his sudden appearance. Her cheeks were still a bit flushed.
"Hey, kid," Jet began, "shouldn't you—"
Zuko flashed a glare at the taller boy. It was a silent demand for Jet to back off. Not that Jet got the message. The smarmy jerk smiled and observed that Katara had a little tiger-dog guard.
"It's cute how protective he is of you," Jet said, pinching Zuko's cheek.
Zuko swatted his hand away. "Touch me again and I'll break your fingers."
"Lee!" Katara glanced at Jet. "I'm so sorry. He doesn't mean it." She nudged Zuko in the back, then hissed for him to apologise.
Zuko raised his chin. "I won't apologise. I don't want this jerk touching me, and you shouldn't let him touch you either."
Katara's face reddened. "I wasn't … why would you even …"
Jet's laughter had them both glancing at him. "Quite the mouthy little tiger-dog guard as well."
Zuko had the urge to say "bite me", but he managed to resist the impulse. Instead, he purposely turned his back on Jet and looked up at Katara with big, golden eyes. "I don't want to be alone in this place. Will you stay with me?"
It was the most embarrassing speech he had ever made. In fact, just speaking the words made his face heat. The problem was that he knew Katara was too infatuated to leave Jet alone just because Zuko said the guy was a jerk. It was time to bring out the big weapons or, in this case, the Vulnerable Child act. He knew she was weak to children. He was banking on her annoying need to mother him now.
Katara blinked and stared at him. Perhaps she was surprised that the boy who always shunned her attention was now requesting her company. He wondered if he had maybe laid it on too thick—spirits knew he wasn't a good liar—but then she made that naaaw noise he oh-so-hated and pulled him into her arms.
"Of course I'll stay with you, Lee."
Zuko fought the heat that stained his cheeks. He was never going to get used to her hugs.
Katara pulled back and made her excuses to Jet, thoughtful enough not to inflict his presence on Zuko any further. Either that or she'd just sensed that "Lee" would only get more antagonistic if they lingered. Jet, for his part, seemed a bit surprised that he had lost to a kid, but he did not push the issue. Even smarmy jerks couldn't hope to get lucky if there was a child tagging along.
"You be nice for Katara," Jet said, flashing a smile at Zuko before he winked at her. "Don't forget that a lady should be treated well."
Zuko resisted the urge to make gagging motions. So much smarm. Katara, of course, sighed in a besotted way and watched Jet retreat with a sappy look in her eyes. It made Zuko want to throw his teapot uncle at her. Really, was she that susceptible to that bastard's charm?
"I don't know what you see in him," Zuko muttered before he could stop himself.
Katara snapped out of her daydream. "Jet is a good person," she informed him in a lofty tone, though her cheeks were pink. "He takes care of all these children and he's fighting to free the town from the Fire Nation."
"He's a smarmy jerk who wants to get up your skirt."
Her blush darkened and she spluttered a bit, but then her eyes narrowed. "What do you know anyway? You're far too young to be thinking about such things!"
Zuko winced. Damn, he had to be careful about what he said around her. The last thing he needed was to give himself away, as he had done with Sokka.
"Uncle likes women," he said with a shrug, hoping she would take the explanation.
It wasn't like it was a lie. His uncle—not to mention the entire crew on his ship—had well and truly sullied any innocence he'd had after he'd been banished from the cloistered palace. Seamen weren't known for their dainty mouths, and the fact the crew were all male hadn't helped. There had been a lot of talk about sex. A lot.
Katara furrowed her brow. "I'm really beginning to wonder about that uncle of yours. I don't think he's been a good example to you."
Zuko got to his feet. "He's not so bad. Honestly, the worst thing is his obsession with tea." He raised the teapot in his hands. "A part of me isn't even surprised this happened."
Which was also true. It was so like Uncle to get turned into a teapot. Or the tea inside. Whatever. The point was that his uncle was no longer human.
Her eyes softened. "You must be worried."
There was a small pause.
"Yeah … I don't even know what's going on with Uncle—whether he's aware of us, whether he's okay. All I can do is hope that the Avatar will find a way to fix him."
Katara squeezed his shoulder. "Don't worry. Aang will find a way."
Zuko nodded.
She smiled and stood up. "Come on. Let's move closer to the fire. I bet you'll feel better after being near your element. I know I always do when I'm near water."
"Actually, I'd rather not." He cast a wary glance at the Freedom Fighters, who were gathered around the main area, all eating and laughing. "These people seem to really hate firebenders. I'm not confident with my control either." His cheeks warmed. "I might end up influencing the flames by accident."
The confession was hard for him to make, but his firebending had felt out of whack ever since he'd shrunk. He wasn't sure if it was because he was still getting used to his smaller frame or if the curse had messed with something. Either way, he didn't want to risk exposing himself in a hideout full of Fire Nation haters.
Katara made a sympathetic sound. "No wonder you didn't want to be alone. I'm sorry, I should have realised sooner."
His instinct was to wave off her coddling, but he couldn't do that this time. Tonight, he had to use every arsenal at his tiny disposal to keep her away from Jet. Ugh, he really hated that smarmy jerk.
"How about we go back to the hut then?" she suggested. "It's getting late anyway."
Zuko agreed to this plan. It wasn't like he had any desire to spend more time with the Freedom Fighters. Unfortunately, The Duke seemed to take their leaving as a sign to bar their path.
"Where're you going, Lee?" The Duke asked. "Come hang with me."
"No," Zuko said shortly.
"But—"
"What part of 'no' don't you understand? Just leave me alone."
The Duke let out an exaggerated huff. "You're always so grumpy."
"He is, isn't he?" Katara said, smothering a laugh. "But you really shouldn't bother him right now. Lee is a lot younger than you. He gets tired easily and he's been walking all day. It's best if he gets an early night."
Zuko willed the warmth in his cheeks to vanish. On the one hand, she had just come up with a good excuse for why he could not "hang" with The Duke. On the other, she had also reduced him to feeling like a baby. The Duke seemed to agree, because he patted Zuko's head and said he supposed tiny boys did need bedtimes.
"I don't have a bedtime," The Duke declared as if it was a great achievement.
"Yay for you," Zuko muttered.
His sarcasm passed over the helmeted boy. It did not miss Katara.
"Be nice," she warned under her breath.
Zuko repressed a sigh.
"Well, I guess I had better let you go to bed then," The Duke said, biting back a pout. "You'll play with me tomorrow, right?"
Zuko's only response was a glare. The Duke seemed to take this as a yes because he grinned and said he'd see Zuko tomorrow. Both Zuko and Katara watched the boy run off to join the group where Jet and Pipsqueak were seated.
"The Duke seems to like you," Katara observed.
Zuko rolled his eyes. "He just likes having someone to lord over. That brat has probably never had someone younger than him around."
She didn't respond. That unnerved him enough to make him glance up at her. The expression on her face was hardly reassuring. There were creases on her brow and her lips were twisted into a frown.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing." She shook her head. "You just come out with the oddest things sometimes. Are you sure you're really a kid?"
The tone of her question suggested she was making a joke, but it had Zuko break out in a cold sweat. It seemed he was worse than he'd thought at keeping up his kiddie act. No surprise, since he wasn't a good liar or actor. Not like Azula.
"Let's just go back to the hut," Zuko muttered.
Before that smarmy jerk decides to come back, he added silently.
Katara had no fault with this suggestion and so the two headed back up the ramps to their designated hut. She helped him get ready for bed, even though he told her he could do it himself, and then rummaged in her pack. Zuko settled down on his blankets, not really paying attention to much until he heard the soft thwack of fabric hitting the ground. He glanced up at Katara. His eyes widened when he realised she had removed her tunic and was now tugging off her undershirt and leggings.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
Squeaked was probably a better word. His voice had never sounded so high. The white wrappings covering her body still exposed a lot of skin.
"My clothes need to be washed," she explained, as if it was obvious.
"That doesn't mean you should get undressed in front of me!"
"Why not? It's not like I'm naked." She frowned down at her wrappings. "Though I'd really like to wash these as well."
Zuko got an image in his mind of her without the wrappings. He made a frustrated sound and averted his face. His very pink face. "Stupid waterbender, just put something on!"
She laughed and said she was about to do that. Seconds passed. She still had not got dressed.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I just remembered that Aang washed our supplies down the river yesterday," she explained with a sigh. "My other outfit was mixed up in that as well."
Apparently, all she had now was her sleeping bag, fur parka, and a few belongings. He told her to wear the parka then, but she complained that she'd die of heat in that. Zuko made another frustrated sound and snatched his shirt up from the bed.
"Here," he said, not looking at her while holding the bunched fabric in her direction. "Wear that for now."
The shirt wasn't probably any cleaner than her own clothes, but at least it would cover her body until she'd washed what she had been wearing.
Katara took the shirt from his hand. "Thanks."
Zuko grunted in acknowledgement. He heard the sound of rustling cloth but, to his horror, all he saw was the white wrappings she had been wearing fall to the ground out of the corner of his eye. The temptation to turn and look was almost too much to bear. Flustered, he shifted so that he was facing the wall more. This would have been a great plan had he not also just noticed her shadow. The candlelight gave shape to her body in a black outline: the soft swell of her breasts, curved hips, and—
He buried his face into his knees. The words "Do not look" were a chant in his mind. Eventually, there was a light tap on his shoulder. He raised his head and saw that Katara was wearing his undershirt. The sight of her in his clothes caused an odd reaction in him. He couldn't even explain the feeling. All he could do was stare. The hem of the shirt stopped at her knees, which was a relief. It was a bit gaping at the front, though, slipping down to bare one brown shoulder. His mouth went dry.
"I'm going to wash these, okay?" she said, holding up her dirty clothes.
"Wait."
He grabbed her wrist. There was no way he could let her wander around like that, not with Smarmy lurking. As if summoned, Jet knocked on the hut and popped his head inside the door, still with that stupid straw sticking out of his mouth.
"Jet!" Katara exclaimed. She blushed and clutched her clothes more tightly to her chest.
Jet's gaze roamed over her in appreciation before fixing on her face. "The Duke says you're planning to have an early night."
She confirmed that this was the case.
"That's too bad. There's some really nice hot springs near here." Smarmy flashed a smile. "I was hoping to show you them."
"Hot springs?" Katara repeated, perking up.
Zuko could guess what she was thinking. The chance to be clean and bathe in hot water was probably hard to come by if you weren't a firebender.
"That does sound nice," she said a bit wistfully.
Jet's smile widened. "I could show you them now."
Zuko opened his mouth to refuse, except Katara had already accepted before he could get a word in. He gave her a pointed look as if to remind her that this was the jerk who wanted to get up her skirt. She raised her chin in response as if to retort that was just his opinion and she believed Jet was a wonderful person.
Ugh. Girls.
"I'm coming too," Zuko said, getting to his feet and standing protectively in front of her.
Jet looked a bit disappointed that the kid wanted to tag along again, but he managed to plaster a smarmy smile on his face. "Suit yourself."
They left the hut together and followed Jet down the trees and through the forest until they came to a small opening in the rock that would have been hidden completely had one not known what to look for. Jet explained that they would have to crawl inside to find the hot spring. He went first, and Katara and Zuko followed. The first thing Zuko noted was the muggy air. It was so much like home that he was hit with a wave of nostalgia. Katara, on the other hand, was more caught up with the glowing crystal-like rocks that lit up the cave.
"Wow," she said. "It's beautiful."
Jet's mouth curved into a grin. "I thought you'd like it."
"I love it!" she assured him.
Zuko once again resisted the urge to make gagging motions.
"Thanks for showing us this place," she continued, smiling brightly. "It's been so long since I've had a proper bath." She glanced around the cave. "So, uh, where is the girls' section?"
Zuko folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah, Jet. Where's the girls' section?"
"There isn't one," Jet said with a shrug.
"But—"
"We usually just all bathe together. Girls, boys. It's not like it's a big deal." He shrugged again. "It's just skin, right?"
Katara's cheeks dusted with pink. It was obvious she felt otherwise, but Jet's tone and words made it sound as if she'd be acting like a silly prude if she complained. Zuko narrowed his eyes. Oh, this guy was so smooth.
"Maybe that's fine for you," Zuko said flatly, "but Katara isn't used to that arrangement." He glanced up at her. "Jet and I will wait outside."
He walked forward and glared pointedly at Jet. The teen bowed out with grace and said that of course he'd allow her to bathe alone if that was what she preferred. The last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable.
"Thanks, Jet," she said, ducking her head to hide her blush.
Jet placed his hand on her shoulder—a little too long, Zuko thought—and then the two boys crawled back through the cave opening to begin their wait. Zuko let out a breath and sat on the ground, elbows propped on his knees and his chin resting on his palm. Jet leaned against the cave next to him, still chewing on that damned piece of straw. The silence was awkward.
"You're a suspicious little thing, huh?" Jet said. "I noticed you're not this protective of Katara when she's around the other boys."
Zuko rolled his eyes. "That's because it's obvious what you want from her."
Jet laughed and removed the straw from his mouth. "You really are an interesting kid."
Silence.
"Katara mentioned that your uncle was cursed and that's how you ended up travelling with the Avatar. It's the teapot, right? You're always carrying it around with you, though I notice you don't have it with you now."
Zuko's jaw clenched. Damn that bigmouth. What was she doing telling people, let alone Jet, about his circumstances?
"You're a tough kid," Jet continued. "Not many other boys your age would be able to handle the situation as well as you are."
Because I'm sixteen, you jerk.
"That so," Zuko said dryly.
More silence.
"You know," Jet said, slipping back into his usual charming tones, "I'm really not going to do anything bad to Katara. You don't have to be so suspicious of me."
Zuko exhaled. "Look, I don't care what you say or how smarmily you can smile. I'm not stupid. I know exactly what kind of guy you are, and I'm not letting you near Katara."
Impatience flickered in Jet's eyes. "Listen, Lee—"
"Hey, guys!"
Both boys turned to see Aang waving at them. Pipsqueak was in the lead with The Duke on his shoulders, while Sokka and another Freedom Fighter followed behind. Sneers?
"Why are you just standing outside?" Pipsqueak asked.
"Katara is bathing right now," Jet replied.
"Ooh." Pipsqueak went red. "You're right. We'd better wait then."
Zuko bit back a triumphant smile. So much for the "it's just skin" theory. He'd known that Jet had been trying to be sneaky.
The boys gathered around the cave opening and started chatting together, though Zuko chose to opt out of the conversation. Truthfully, he just wanted this night to be over. Sokka seized the chance to pull him aside.
"How's guard duty going?" Sokka asked. "Has that jerk tried anything?"
Zuko's mouth thinned into an unimpressed line. "You so owe me."
A wince. "That bad, huh?"
"Your sister is an idiot. It's like she wants to get taken advantage of."
"Lucky she has you to keep an eye on her then." Sokka clapped him on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work, Lee."
Irritation welled within Zuko. Too bad for him that Sokka had already walked back to join the group. No doubt Sokka wanted to avoid being tag-teamed and forced to take over guard duties. Zuko had been close to demanding as much.
Katara eventually emerged from the cave, dressed back in her usual—and, Zuko assumed, clean—Water Tribe outfit. His shirt was folded and draped over his arm. "I thought I heard voices," she said. "Sorry I made you all wait."
The boys assured her it was no problem, though Jet also offered to walk her back.
"I thought you wanted to bathe as well," she said innocently.
Zuko repressed a snort. Jet recovered from the trap and said that he'd come back to bathe later; however, she shook her head and said she was happy to wait. She had promised to stay with Lee.
"Is that so?" Sokka said, eyes glittering as if he'd just got some great teasing fodder. It didn't help that Zuko had gone bright pink.
"Let's just get this over with," Zuko said gruffly.
He shoved Sokka in the back of his legs, forcing the boy towards the cave entrance. All the others followed, leaving Katara to wait outside. Zuko rushed through washing. The Duke kept pestering him, and he didn't want to give Jet another opening. It wasn't long before he was dressed again, making his goodbyes to the others, and joining Katara at the cave entrance.
"That was quick," she observed.
"Hot springs aren't really relaxing when The Duke tries to wrestle with you," Zuko said frankly.
Katara smothered a giggle. "Come on then. Let's head back. I remember the way."
Zuko nodded and walked side-by-side with her through the forest.
"Hey, Lee," she said after a moment.
"Mm?"
"Thanks for earlier." Spots of colour formed on her cheeks. "You, uh, may have been onto something with Jet."
"I told you he was a jerk."
"Yeah, yeah." She fluffed his ponytail. "Don't get cocky, brat."
Zuko glowered at her. He was getting really tired of people touching his hair, head and just person in general. Then he caught sight of her expression and the snappy words got stuck in his throat. She was smiling at him—brightly, warmly. His stomach fluttered. Damn, she looked kind of cute.
He cleared his throat and looked the other way. He was beginning to feel that being around the waterbender was dangerous for his sanity. Tomorrow really couldn't come too soon.
I wasn't planning to include hot springs or a "changing clothes" scene, but what the heck. They're a staple trope for this plot.
