A/N: AU, OoC, yaoi/slash… Hi, My name is Andrew-Squee, and I have had a very stressful, non-Avatar-filled last two weeks (I blame Forensics and the College of Communication… so, yeah, spoken English).
Disclaimer: I don't own them… yet…
Day Nine
Zuko was going to pretend to be asleep for as long as possible. Once Sokka found out that he was awake, they were probably going to talk about why he had shown up. And he really didn't want to leave the warm confines of the bed sheets to have a conversation about Jet. And that was why, when Sokka finally did get out of bed and head to the kitchen to start breakfast, Zuko laid with his eyes shut, and his breathing shallow, so that Sokka would hopefully believe he was still asleep.
--
Sokka would get around to asking questions later. For now, he just wanted something to eat. Of course, that required him to figure out what exactly he wanted. And, sadly, Zuko wasn't on the menu. Sighing, Sokka dragged himself out of the warmth of the bed, and headed to the cold tile floor of the kitchen to muse further about his breakfast options.
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Jet hated that accursed word-a-day calendar. He enjoyed scowling at its inanimate existence, and he relished in the ability to become so enraged at a piece of inconsequential plastic and paper. And, at least fixating on the calendar didn't increase just how livid he was at Zuko.
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And now the bed was cold. Zuko grumbled about the cruelty that life chose to inflict upon him before rolling up further into the blanket. If leaving hadn't of meant facing questions he preferred buried in the sands of the widest desert, Zuko would have left the comforts of the mattress and joined the warmth-that-was-inexplicably Sokka. As for this particular moment in time, however, avoidance was the path of least resistance (and, of least work). And then, at the thought of work, Zuko remembered that such a thing existed, and he couldn't keep missing it.
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Sokka was bewildered when Zuko rushed into the kitchen and nearly toppled him onto the floor. And then he was confused when Zuko began babbling about work and commitments and being late two days in a row and then Sokka's brain figured out the meaning behind the words, and he then had to figure out how to calm Zuko down and somehow remedy this whole work issue. With a sigh, Sokka decided to postpone breakfast and the conversation about Jet.
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Work, right? That's where Zuko would be. Not that Jet showing up at Zuko's place of business had ended badly for him before at all. Nope, Jet convinced himself, there would be nothing wrong with making an appearance at the teashop.
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Zuko didn't like skipping breakfast. And he didn't enjoy the looks he got from the rest of the staff when he came in late again. Plus, a few of the customers were shaking their heads at him. Adding to all of this was the fact that he had run into the blind girl in the green dress that was now sitting by the door as he had hurried in. Apparently, this wasn't his morning.
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Sokka was surprisingly getting quickly fed up with glaring at people. And he normally enjoyed being slightly surly! And if he heard one more mention of the fact that he kept showing up late, he would probably have to start setting aside the money for a stellar defense attorney.
--
Jet felt like he was the most powerful being on two legs, despite the bruises and the pain from the previous day, as he strolled towards the teashop. And then walking inside the shop empowered him more, as if merely entering the new domain increased his self-assuredness. And then the look on Zuko's face—of shock and, maybe a hint of fear—didn't even seem to phase Jet's confidence. Therefore, he was immensely surprised when, once he got close enough to be able to lean in and touch Zuko, he was slapped—none too gently—and then angrily forced back towards the door. The turn of events against Jet's predetermined plans shanghaied his body into involuntary passivity.
--
Zuko had resisted the urge to yell, and he had resisted the urge to shove Jet into a wall. But the one urge he hadn't been able to quell was the one to slap that impertinent grin off of Jet's face. And then, he had derived satisfaction from herded Jet back to the door. The coup de grace, however, was probably when the blind girl that he had run into stuck her foot out into Jet's path, causing him to trip, and then scramble non-too-gracefully out the door. Zuko could have sworn that he saw her smirking behind the cup…
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Sokka was quitting, that's what he fully intended to tell his supervisor in a moment of identity-confusion (after all, didn't he want the city planner job?) when he had stalked to the office after a particularly frustrating lunch break that was one of a series of particularly frustrating hours in his working day. What he wasn't expected was the supervisor to give him a promotion. A promotion. For his exemplary work the past few months. Sokka was floored. Now he would definitely have to show up on time.
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Jet was staring at the ground while occupying a park bench. He was confused. Where had his plans gone awry? Where? Apparently, things with Zuko were going to require more thought.
--
Zuko had never been happier to close the shop for the night. Now, as long as Jet wasn't home for a few hours, then he could collect a decent amount of his belongings and leave. And, luckily, Jet was out—probably getting drunk, Zuko wryly thought—so he could collect his stuff and evacuate the premises in peace. Hopefully, Sokka wouldn't be too surprised to see that he was back… and a bit more permanently this time.