Author's Note: So, did everyone watch the Thanksgiving Day Macy's Parade? I did! I must say, I was a bit surprised to see the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have Fallout Boy sing on their float…and I didn't see Master Splinter -_- Oh well. I know he's getting old, so it must be hard for him to get around. I suppose I should stop talking about them now, since this isn't a crossover fanfic. I don't want their reptilian little hands on my story! …Anyways, on the subject of things that are actually relevant to this story, I know that the last chapter was pretty short, so I'll try to make this one a bit longer. Comments/suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!"
Zuko's eyes snapped open, and he fell off of the couch and onto the floor. He looked up to see Pipsqueak hovering above him, with a huge grin on his face. He burst out laughing, and his deep voice seemed to vibrate the ground. Zuko groaned and threw his arm over his face, sighing heavily. Clanging footsteps alerted him that someone was coming down the stairs, and peeking out from under his arm, he could see Jet descending towards them. Jet raised his eyebrows when he saw Zuko laying on the floor.
"What happened here?" he asked with a smirk.
Zuko pointed at Pipsqueak. "Ask him."
Jet looked over at Pipsqueak, waiting for an explanation.
"I've taken the liberty of being his alarm clock," Pipsqueak told him proudly, before he strolled into the bedroom he shared with Sneers and The Duke.
With a roll of his eyes, Jet shuffled away to get something to eat from the mini fridge. Zuko's stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't had anything to eat for a while.
"What do you have for breakfast around here, anyways?" Zuko questioned, slowly rising to his feet. He raised his muscular arms above his head and stretched, his mouth opening in a large yawn.
"Whatever you want," Jet called from the fridge. He had pulled out an apple, and he took a large bite, crunching on the juicy fruit.
Zuko strolled over to the food shelf, looking at his options. There was a variety of foods; chips, crackers, cookies, fruit snacks, and more. Unsatisfied with the food the shelf had to offer for breakfast, he moved on to the fridge. Inside, a bowl of fresh-looking strawberries caught his eye, and he nearly drooled at the sight of them. Taking the bowl out, he closed the fridge and sat down at the table in the same spot he had last night. As he dug into the delicious fruit, Jet sat down at the head of the table, opposite the side that Longshot had been sitting in last night.
"Everyone in the gang has a spot they usually sit at during meals," Jet informed Zuko. He pointed to the chair Zuko was sitting in. "That's The Duke's spot. You can use it for the moment, though; he usually wakes up an hour later than the rest of us do. Sometime later today we'll bring you in a chair from the storage closet to use at the table."
Zuko nodded in understanding. "Is everyone else still asleep?"
Jet nodded. "Most of us sleep in on Sundays. Most," he emphasized, looking over toward the door Pipsqueak had disappeared through.
Zuko smirked. "So…do you always sit there?" he asked, gesturing toward the chair that Jet sat in.
The boy nodded. "Longshot and I sit at the heads of the table."
"I get the feeling that you're in charge around here," Zuko told him, lifting an eyebrow.
"That would be correct. Longshot is second in command, so to speak," he replied.
Zuko finished his strawberries and sat back in his chair. "What determines the rank?"
Jet thought about this for a moment. "There really aren't any ranks in this gang, other than me and Longshot. Although the missions you get depend on your experience."
"Missions?" Zuko asked, curious.
"Yeah. Every month, Longshot and I create a list of things that we need to acquire. We assign a few items to each member of the gang, and it's their job to find those items, and steal them. The members with more experience get the harder, more risky assignments, and the members that haven't had as much practice get easier missions," Jet enlightened Zuko. "Make sense?"
Zuko nodded. "Clever system. But what happens if someone isn't able to get all the items assigned to them in the month?"
Jet shrugged. "Nothing, really. It's punishment enough to know that you let your team down, you know?"
"Yeah," Zuko murmured. He got up from the table and walked over to the bin of dirty dishes next to the food shelf.
"What are the assignments for this month?" Zuko asked Jet as he placed his empty bowl inside the bin.
Jet pointed to the entrance to the warehouse. "We keep the list right over there, so everyone can check in if they forget what their assignment is."
Zuko looked over toward the doorway, and saw a piece of paper tacked to the wall. As he strode over to get a better look, he could see the paper was divided into six separate sections, one for each of the members of the gang. Under each name was a list of items. The Duke only had two items, whereas everyone else had at least four. Next to each item there was a checkbox; some were crossed off, and some were empty. Zuko assumed those were to mark which items had been acquired, and which items had not.
"So…for items that aren't necessities, like the Xbox, do you still assign them to someone? Or do you just get lucky and stumble across it randomly?" Zuko asked Jet.
"Each member gets to pick one item of their own to steal each month, in addition to the ones Longshot and I assign to them. We call someone's chosen item their 'catch', which I believe I heard Sneers mention last night. I also heard him mention that the Xbox was his catch." Jet snorted and smiled. "He's proud of that one."
Zuko grinned. "I could tell."
Jet looked at Zuko for a moment, before he asked, "You want to see the best part about this place?"
Zuko blinked, caught off guard. "Sure."
"Follow me," Jet instructed as he rose from his chair. Zuko walked behind him as they both made their way over to the front door. Once out in the fresh air, Jet turned left and walked around towards the back of the warehouse. He came to a stop and pointed to a ladder leading up to the roof.
"Climb up," he told Zuko with a smile.
Curious, Zuko grabbed the railings and climbed up the ladder. Once he reached the top, a strong wind gusted and blew his black hair. He heard Jet climb up behind him, and the boy clapped Zuko on the shoulder.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Jet asked him. They both leaned on the railing that lined the edge of the building.
"Yeah," Zuko agreed. From up here, it seemed as if he could see miles and miles. He turned in a slow circle, and he could see a large forest behind the warehouse. I never even knew that forest was there, he realized. There was something about being up here that made him feel peaceful. Maybe it was the quiet, which was so hard to find in the city.
"Wait 'till you see it at night," Jet said dreamily. "It'll take your breath away."
"I bet," Zuko breathed, gazing out at the scene.
The two sat in silence for a while, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the rooftop. Zuko felt like he was on top of the world; like all his worries and troubles couldn't reach him from where he stood.
Jet looked at Zuko, before he spoke quietly. "You know…as soon as I saw your scar, I knew exactly who you were."
Puzzled, Zuko looked over at him.
"You're an outcast, like me," Jet murmured, and he looked back out at the view.
Zuko was quiet for a long time before he answered. "I've always had friends. I've always had a place to live. But…I've never felt like I fit in. Everyone saw me and thought I was happy, because that's how I acted. I put on a mask. But every time I look in the mirror and see my scar, I'm reminded of how different I am."
Jet nodded his head, and it was like some unspoken understanding passed between them. "Us outcasts have to stick together," he murmured. "We have to watch each other's backs. Because no one else will."