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The great jealousy eruption
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We pelted up to the house. Zuko was in front, because he is the faster runner. I may have been enjoying the view more than concentrating on the matter at hand. When we burst into Aang's room he was sitting on his bed and shaking. He must have had a bad nightmare. My first instinct was to go and hug him, but I kept it in check, I was still mad at him and I didn't want to send him the wrong message. I hung back at the doorway. Everyone else was here. Someone else could hug him. Suki was the one who went over to him and gave him a hug.
Toph asked him bluntly if the nightmares were starting again and Aang nodded sadly. Aang wanted to get up a train right then, so he'd be ready for the comet. Oh we've done this before. I remembered how Aang was before the invasion. Aang looked at Zuko and said that they should go work on the swirly firediscs thing they'd been practising earlier. (Zuko had made many grumpy comments over Aang's progress with the swirly firediscs during their practise). Zuko said Right now? with some surprise. I almost forgot that Zuko wasn't with us before the invasion. He didn't know about Aang's tendency to procrastinate and slack off training until just before a big battle. Aang started going on about he was nowhere near mastering firebending and Zuko nodded (he agrees with this statement) and wasn't Zuko all about relentless training/enthusiastic practise (Zuko is). Aang said Zuko was the one who said he should spend every waking moment training (Zuko did) and he was awake now and he didn't want to go back to sleep.
Zuko glanced at me and I looked at him and smiled a little before I shook my head imperceptibly and tried to communicate Don't humour him, just encourage him to sleep with my eyes. He looked back to Aang and said Aang should probably try get some sleep and they could train relentlessly in the morning. Aang looked between us and made a very grumpy face and crossed him arms huffily.
Sokka piped up that he and Aang could try talking it out again and pulled out his wangfire beard from his pocket. (what the hell? Does he carry that around with him, just on the off chance someone wants to talk it out?) Aang made a face at him before saying no thanks. Toph offered her back pounding services and this was also declined politely. I stayed quiet, but felt guilty. Aang was looking at me hopefully, but I would to stop being mad at him before I would offer my yoga services. They hadn't worked previously anyway, so I don't know why he was looking at me like that.
Suki gave him another hug and said that she had an idea, if Aang was having trouble getting to sleep. There was an old kyoshi remedy that the kyoshi warriors drunk before a big battle. It was a tea that ensured a dreamless sleep, so that the warriors could conserve their strength. Aang thought this sounded like a good idea. Suki got up to make it and asked Zuko to help her with the tea. He looked a bit perplexed at this and she clarified that he was the best tea maker. He got up to follow her and gave me one last look before he left.
Regardless of whatever is going on with Aang, I feel like the chance of kissing tonight is gone. Making Kyoshi tea is nowhere near letting off steam. I said that I hoped Suki's tea would help (this was the first time I'd spoken to Aang) and said good night to everybody and went to bed, somewhat frustrated. There didn't seem to be much point in staying awake.
-?-
It was breakfast. Zuko was looking a bit tired, but seemed okay. Toph and Suki and Sokka all seem to have slept okay and hadn't been troubled by a restless night sleep/nightmares after that dreadful ending of that stupid play. Sokka shrugged and said how seriously can you take a play that features a song called I love willies.
Good point.
Toph started humming I love willies under her breath as she peeled a banana, much to the boys' dismay. Sokka was trying to encourage her to sing any other song. Really anything else. Because it was really disturbing him to hear 12-year-old Toph singing about loving willies. Zuko agreed with this statement and said it was a very indecent song. As soon as he said this I thought You idiot! Toph loves indecent things! Now she'll never stop singing it! Indeed Toph shrugged her shoulders and said what? It's catchy and it's stuck in my head and began singing with more gusto. The boys glanced at each other in alarm.
Aang was still asleep. Sokka pointed this out and said it was incredible that Aang had slept in considering how early he got up before the invasion (4 am – every morning. Why oh why?) Wow. I hadn't noticed. Suki's tea must really work. I said I wished we knew about this magic tea earlier. Suki and Zuko gave each other a weird look before Suki fessed up that there was no magical Kyoshi tea. There wasn't? Well how was Aang still sleeping? We were definitely overdue for an Aang freak out.
Suki muttered something that I couldn't quite make out. I asked her to repeat it. She blushed a little with embarrassment and said we kind of, maybe, put a few purple sun poppies in his tea. Purple sun poppies? Meaning the really strong sun poppies that can knock somebody out? Zuko said they hadn't given him enough to knock him out, it was just enough to make sure he slept. Then he looked around sheepishly and said maybe he might have used a pinch too much because he thought Aang would have been up by now. Toph stopped singing and gaped at them both. Sokka said you guys drugged the avatar! Zuko said only a little. Suki shrugged and said that Sokka had told her all about how Aang got before the invasion and she thought a few purple sun poppies were for the best. Zuko knew how to make it properly and voila sleeping Aang. It seemed like the simplest solution to Suki and Zuko. I actually can't argue with this logic. We can't have a repeat of Aang's crazy sleepless behaviour just now. But still. It's just so sneaky. Shouldn't be surprised. They are both stealthy badasses. Suki said, in her defence that it sounded like we'd tried everything previously to get Aang to go to sleep and nothing had worked short of building a koala sheep cloud bed. Because a koala sheep cloud bed wasn't an option for us right now, sun poppy tea was the next best thing.
-?-
After breakfast, Toph started poking Aang with his glider to get him to wake up. Aang did, blearily. And eventually joined us downstairs. Suki asked him how he slept and Aang look a bit surprised and said he'd slept great, he hadn't had any dreams after the Kyoshi Tea. Suki cast a smug look at all of us and said she'd make it for him again tonight. Zuko told Aang to have some breakfast and then join him in the courtyard because it was time for enthusiastic practise. Aang crossed his arms and muttered something in response, but I couldn't make it out.
-?-
I went to go watch the firebending practise (as I do). Shirtless Zuko. Mmmmmmhhh. Suki joined me. She wanted to talk to me. Not observe the shirtlessness. I know this because she was not distracted by the shirtlessness at all and kept trying to engage me in conversation. Sokka was inside reading the books on strategy that I had found in my room. Toph was with him and trying to annoy him. We could hear her singing I love willies, while Sokka periodically told her to Just. Stop. Singing. That. Song. I said Sokka is going about this all wrong. Toph is contrary. You tell her not to do something and she will have increased enthusiasm for it. She probably doesn't even like the I love willies song that much, she just loves the reaction she gets. Suki agreed with me and said the thing to do to get Toph to stop would be to sing it loudly and proudly with her until she is sick of it or we make it uncool with our singing. Whichever happens first. I agree with Suki in theory. But I am not singing I love willies. Ever. Especially not loudly and proudly. Suki tried to convince me, but I refused. It was bad enough with Stageme singing that song. I cannot bring myself to do it. After a while Suki got up to go and test out her theory on Toph and told me to have fun watching the practise (with a sly arch of her eyebrow).
-?-
Aang has been...well... incredibly rude to Zuko all morning. He was rude during their warm up, rude during firebending practise, he was rude when they took a break, he was rude when they ran through all the forms again. Like really rude, especially for Aang. He just keeps making these little comments. Zuko is getting more and more annoyed with him but so far he hasn't retaliated/exploded with grumpiness/frustration and has only made a few snappy comments back at Aang. But we are getting close to exploding levels. I can tell from the way Zuko is clenching his fists and taking deep breaths and almost visibly counting to ten.
When they took another break, I made them watermelon juice. When I handed Zuko his glass our fingertips touched and I smiled at him. I asked (really quietly) if he wanted Toph to take over and start earthbending with Aang. And I glanced over at Aang who had finished his juice and was doing fire squats and glancing at us while we talked with some disgruntlement.
At that moment the sound of Toph and Suki loudly singing came from inside. They were trying to hit a high note together. Toph doesn't have the greatest singing voice, but what she lacked in skill she made up for in enthusiasm. Suki has a lovely singing voice and I never thought I would wish her to just stop singing. But I was trying to have a whispered conversation with Zuko and that was immensely hard with willies, willies, I luuuuuuuuuuuurrrvvee WILLAAAAYES going on in the background. Zuko glanced in horror at the direction of the singing and said it sounded like Toph was busy at the moment and he was okay. He was just going to ignore it (Aang's behaviour) as best he could. We were pretending nothing happened after all. And on the bright side Aang was bending with much more aggression, so that was a good thing. I said it wasn't like him to try and find the bright side and he said well I have been hanging out with this optimist a lot and we smiled at each other. At that moment Aang called out break time is over lazy bones at Zuko. This is normally Zuko's line. Zuko rolled his eyes and took a deep breath and went back to training Aang.
-?-
I'd come in to start making lunch and was greeted by the site of Suki, mandolin in hand, belting out the second verse of I love willies. Toph was looking in sidelong at her and Sokka had the most unusual expression on his face. He came to 'help me' in the kitchen. By help me he actually meant pick at the food and taste-test things and eat snacks. He started munching on a sandwich of sokka's secret sauce and left over chicken (ewww- this has got to be the most revolting combination ever). He said didn't know if he should be weirded out or turned on by the willy-loving shenaningans in the living room. But maybe... he was little more turned on than weirded out. Oh gross. Too much information Sokka. I diced, sokka munched and Suki sang a few more times until Toph declared that she was over I love willies and didn't want to hear it again. Suki had made it uncool.
Suki wins at life.
-?-
Things all came to ahead a lunch. I knew an explosion was coming. Still, it was a relatively minor act of rudeness that set it off. Zuko asked someone to pass the fireflakes (we put out a huge bowl of them for him and Sokka to sprinkle happily on everything for most meals). Aang looked disdainfully at the bowl in front of him and said Why don't you just take it! Just like you take everything else! Zuko made a frustrated noise and clenched his fists and said that's it, under his breath. He got up abruptly and walked over to Aang and picked Aang up by his robes and said we're having a talk and carried him outside to the courtyard. There was an awkward moment where Sokka, Suki, Toph and I, just sort of paused at looked at each other. This lasted approximately two seconds. Then we all got up and followed them quickly. I am among like-minded friends. We are all keen eavesdroppers after all and there was about to be drama! We sat around the door to the courtyard where we could hear them but they couldn't see us.
Zuko was shouting really loudly that whatever Aang had to say, he should just come out and say it because they did not have time to be fighting with each other. They had to get ready to fight the fatherlord and... Aang interrupted Zuko's speech with a shout of his own. He shouted She was mine first! I saw her first! And she was mine first. There was a moments pause. I knew they were talking about me. I'm not that dense. In fact I think all my fellow eavesdroppers knew they were talking about me. They all turned to look at me at least.
I felt a surge of irritation. Aang still didn't get it. He couldn't just claim me. Zuko fired back that Aang couldn't think about people like that and said Aang couldn't just say she's mine and have it happen. Aang stopped shouting and instead said (quite crossly) Why not! I'm the avatar! Roku said I should be able to get any girl I want! And I want Katara. Well none of us could even pretend they weren't talking about me any more.
Oh this was awful.
I almost didn't want to hear where this argument was going, I felt so awkward. But I was glued, horrified to my place. It was like a canoe crash, I knew I shouldn't listen, but I couldn't help myself. Zuko said something sarcastic re: Roku living more than 100 years ago and things were different now. Aang said oh and you know how things are now? Zuko said he did and launched into an almost exact replica of my boundaries and respect speech. You can't just claim a girl and you have to respect a girls boundaries and respect her as a person etc. Aang interrupted and said I'm not listening to this from you. Katara said you were the worst person in the world to give out advice. Okay, I did say that. But I said it months ago and my opinion of Zuko has changed dramatically since then. Would Aang trot out that old chestnut every time Zuko said something he didn't want to hear. Zuko reiterated that Aang had to understand that he couldn't just have me. Aang fired back Please, that's rich coming from you. You'll take her, first chance you get!
There was a stunned silence (for two seconds) in which nothing was said. Then Aang declared that he didn't want Zuko as his firebending teacher any more. And then very much lot was said. Quite irately. Aang declared Zuko couldn't teach him unless he could say that I belong to Aang. Zuko refused and said I belonged to myself and Aang was being ridiculously unfair. Aang had to learn firebending whether he liked it or not. And Aang had no idea how much Zuko had given up to come and teach him, Aang was being an insufferable brat, etc. Aang said he didn't want to learn firebending from the jerk who chased us all across the world and he should have never accepted Zuko as his firebending teacher back in the Western Air Temple and the only reason Zuko was with us now was because of Aang! Aang had allowed him to join us and now Zuko was ruining everything. Zuko was flabbergasted and said ME! I'm the one who's ruining everything? I'm not the one who's gone crazy over some stupid play. You're the one who...He never got to finish his sentence because at that moment Aang fired a powerful Airblast at him and he sailed backwards. Aang jumped on the roof and presumably ran away. I know this because Zuko got up and dusted himself off and chased after Aang for a bit shouting Aang get back here!
Well that was eventful.
-?-
Zuko stormed back into the courtyard, fists flaming and he made and indecipherable frustrated noise and let off a few fireballs in quick succession. And yelled, presumably at Aang's retreating form how can the last great hope for peace be so frustrating and annoying! He looked up, noticed us all crowded round the door and dropped his fireballs and looked sheepish. We looked sheepish. And it was one big old sheepish festival. He said did you guys listening in for all that? But he looked directly at me when he asked this. Sokka piped up with not all of it per se, but Toph elbowed him and said yeah, we heard it all. Zuko sighed and wandered over.
Suki asked if we should go off and look for Aang. But Sokka thought we let him be for a little bit and he'd sort himself out. The play last night had obviously put him in a funny mood and we'd just have to give him some time to get over it. Zuko muttered that this was ridiculous and Sozin's comet wasn't that far away and we were just wasting time while Aang has a tantrum. And Sokka's schedule said they were meant to be firebending all afternoon. Sokka clapped him on the shoulder and said I'd definitely give it a bit of time on the firebending front champ and he'd be happy to let the schedule slide in this instance. We all gaped at Sokka. Sokka loves the schedule and is often speaking out in its defence, I never thought I'd see him abandon it. Toph declared that she agreed with Zuko and someone should snap Aang out of his tantrum because this was just ridiculous. She volunteered to find him using her Toph wiles and knock some sense into him.
-?-
Toph left to find Aang and Sokka and Suki went finish their lunch and it was just me and Zuko in the courtyard. He was rubbing his neck with his hand nervously. He looked at me and said sorry. I know you didn't want me to say anything, but it was turning into a schmozzle anyway. I wasn't mad at Zuko, I was kind of glad he'd said some of it.
This is weird but I have avoided outright confrontation with Aang for so long that I don't even know if I can fight with him properly and tell him what I really think. I can fight with almost anybody else, but I feel like Aang really is my responsibility somehow. He looks up to me so much and no matter how mad I am at him, I just can't bring my self to completely just shout at him and tell him how I really feel. I have snapped at him maybe five times the whole time I've known him. I've never really shouted at him the way I've shouted at Sokka and Zuko and Toph and my Dad. I don't know if I could give the boundaries and respect speech to Aang's face, because I know he's make that face like a kicked puppy and I would just feel like the worst person ever. So in a weird way, even though it was an ugly fight, I'm glad Zuko said what he said. I shrugged and said it was okay, perhaps a schmozzle was always unavoidable. I smiled at him and said Thanks for trying to talk some sense into him anyway. And we walked back into the house together to have lunch.
-?-
After lunch Sokka cajoled Zuko into sparring with him. They haven't sparred in a few days and Sokka thought Zuko was too tense after his argument with Aang. I don't know if it was Zuko's giant frown or his clenched fists or his grinding teeth, that gave it away, but Sokka diagnosed him with too much stress. Apparently whacking each other with swords is good stress relief and will help in getting over arguments and grumpiness if you are a boy. I do not pretend to understand.
Suki and I went off to watch them for a bit. Mmmmmhhhhhh.
-?-
I got up to get myself a juice and while I was in the kitchen I observed some of Toph and Aang's session. Toph had found him and dragged him back and made him train. I hoped Toph with her blunt and crazy Toph wisdom could smack some sense into Aang.
Toph and Aang were earthbending in the courtyard. Loudly and forcefully. Toph was begrudgingly congratulating Aang. Rocks were smashing with more alacrity than I have ever seen previously from Aang. When Aang had exhausted himself and was panting for breath, Toph made them take a break and they sat in the shade under the kitchen window. Toph came into the kitchen to get them drinks and noticed me. She put her finger to her lips and motioned for me to be quiet. She got two juices and took one out to Aang.
I heard Toph say, You did really well today. You're finally earth bending more stubbornly. Aang said he was imagining the rocks were Zuko's face and that made it easier. Toph sighed a big long put-upon sigh and cut right to the chase and said you can't blame Zuko for Katara not loving you the way you want her to, twinkletoes. It's not his fault. Aang made a huffy noise and said it had to be someone's fault. There was a small pause and then Toph said with surprising gentleness no it doesn't. it's nobody's fault. These things just happen. You can love someone that way and they might not love you back the way you want them too. It doesn't mean you can't be friends. Katara does love you, I know it, but it's as a friend Aang. You have to content yourself with loving her as a friend. Aang sighed sadly and said Toph didn't understand what he was feeling and it wasn't that easy to just stop loving someone. Toph made a huffy noise and punched him in the arm and said Aang would have to find a way to do it and pull himself together, because he was worrying all of us with the way he was acting. He was the avatar, he was meant to keep the peace and how could he do that if he kept fighting with all of us.
There was a few moments silence and Aang asked what Toph thought he should do because he just felt so sad. Toph said give me a gold piece and I'll tell you. Aang didn't have a gold piece. She said fine, give me your glider for the week and I'll tell you. Aang asked why she needed and she said just because I want it. Aang handed it over. Toph said find some other way to feel. Aang got most grumpy and said that was useless advice and he couldn't believe he'd given her his glider for such stupid advice. Toph pointed out that now he was pissed off, not sad, so it was working already. There was a pause and then Aang said, huh? I guess so.
They sat together in silence and then Toph said, okay, next step. Stop thinking you own Katara. No girl likes that Aang especially, not a girl like Katara. Toph tutted and then added in her usual sardonic voice And seriously, you call her ma'am sometimes. No self respecting girl will ever do the squelchy with a guy who calls her ma'am. Aang asked what the squelchy was. Toph said it was like kissing, with a straight face. Aang asked if he stopped calling me ma'am, would I want to kiss him. From the sounds of it, Toph bopped him over the head with his glider (rather forcefully) and said No, you doofus! Aang rubbed his head and said ow softly. Toph had one more suggestion, but she warned that Aang wasn't going to like it. Aang said he hadn't liked any of her other suggestions either and Toph made a nonchalant noise and I imagine she shrugged her shoulders quite emphatically. She said her final suggestion was that Aang apologise to Zuko because he'd been a right berk to him at lunch. Aang got a bit cranky at this suggestion and Toph said he was doing well at finding other ways to feel. Aang said he wanted his staff back and Toph said he could collect it from her at the end of the week. Aang stormed off again.
Toph wandered into the kitchen, Aang's glider in hand and looked smug and satisfied with herself. She said you can thank me any time Sugarqueen. I was a bit confused by Toph's smug attitude. As far as I can tell, she had only hurt Aang's feelings and made Aang cross. A cross Aang would not be apologising to Zuko any time soon. A cross Aang was a pain in the arse to live with and would be bitchy with us all. A cross Aang was not a good outcome for someone who wanted to diffuse the situation. Toph said I worried too much about hurting Aang's feelings and someone had to show him some tough love. She said trust me, he'll think on my wisdom and be better for it. She held up the glider and said plus I got this for a week so at least if he tries to run away again, he can't get too far.
-?-
it was later in the afternoon. Toph and Zuko were in the hammock near the kitchen and Zuko was reading her Love Amongst the Dragons again while I cooked and listened (because I am good at multitasking). Zuko still skipped the naughty bits and at this rate they'd be finished Love Amongst the Dragons in record speed. Sokka and Suki were down at the beach going for an afternoon swim. Aang came back, just before dinner. Just to prove Toph was freakishly, flukishly, incredibly right. She will be smugetty smug about her wisdom after this. She will make her smug face at me.
He walked over to the hammock. I eavesdropped, as I do. At first Toph and Zuko didn't notice him. Zuko was concentrating on reading and Toph didn't have her feet on the ground. Aang cleared his throat and they looked up. Aang looked down at the ground and said that he and Toph had been talking. And then he mumbled a bit, crossed his arms, sighed, looked off, uncrossed his arms, and kicked the ground a little before finally saying I think I might owe you an apology. Seeing you and Katara in that play just made me so mad at you.
There was a pause.
Zuko said apology accepted. He gave Aang a quizzical look and said Aang, you do know that play wasn't real at all, don't you? Aang scoffed and said of course he did, but he said it a little uncertainly and raise his voice at the end like he was asking a question. Toph piped up that of course it wasn't real. It wasn't like Aang was actually a woman. Zuko pointed out that they called Momo a flying rabbit monkey – how factual did Aang think it was? Aang brightened a little and said So none of the play, none of that stuff about Katara and all those guys was real? Zuko made a frustrated noise and said Aang, you know Katara, you know she's not that sort of girl.
Aang brightened considerably and looked like the fact that I am not a floozy had only just occurred to him. nah, I guess not. So you two never...Zuko sighed with a lot of frustration and said no, nothing's happened between me and Katara. Toph looked incredulous and rolled over and said with some surprise wow, you're really not lying.
At that point I called them for dinner.
-?-
Aang was much more cheerful over dinner. He apologised to everyone for being out of sorts this morning and just said that the play had put him in a bad mood. But now he knew it was all fake and was feeling better. There was talk about the various factual inaccuracies in the play and much hilarity was had by all. Aang seemed to be getting back to his normal jolly self and this is good thing. When Zuko asked for someone to pass the fireflakes again, Aang got up, and quick as lightening, he snatched the bowl from Sokka's grasp and brought them over to Zuko with a casual here ya go. Zuko gave him a look and drawled out thaaaaanks? really slowly. I think this is Aang's way of trying to make it up to Zuko for being a complete dickhead to him at lunch.
Eventually the conversation turned to the ridiculousness of my many boyfriends in the play. Much fun was made and me and Zuko's expense over our stage-counterparts' floozy ways. Sokka found stageZuko's tendency for threesomes hilarious. Toph is absolutely convinced I had a secret thing with Haru and no amount of denials on my part can shift this perception. Suki started laughing over some of my more outrageous lovers. The pirate was Suki's favourite. She did a very bad impersonation ofhim and said Gaarr Katarrrra, ye be my pirate queen. Toph's favourite was the entire terra team (stageme floozed onto all of them). Sokka still thought that, hands down, Stageme's most uproarious romantic adventure was with Zuko's Uncle. Zuko piped up in his Uncle's defence. And he and Sokka started gesturing at each other across the dinner table. Aang chuckled and said I still can't believe the writer paired you up with Zuko. I mean you guys can hardly stand each other.
In response to this comment I said something ridiculous and wrong and stupid. I don't even know why. It is a complete lie, but I just opened my mouth and blah-it came out. I think I said it because I wanted to keep the mood light hearted and not make dinner awkward. If I didn't confirm what Aang said, dinner would have become the most awkward meal of the day (and this was after a very awkward lunch). Aang was back to acting like his old self and I need Aang to act like his old self so I can play let's pretend this never happened tomorrow.
Something in the surprised way Toph said you're really not lying to Zuko when he declared nothing was happening between us was niggling me. It was like she actually expected that we'd been shagging non-stop. There were so many layers of assumption in Suki's arched eyebrow this morning when she said have fun watching the fire bending practice. There are so many layers of assumption in everything Sokka says in regards to Zuko and me. I am sick of everybody's assumptions and glances and wry subtle comments and teasing. It makes me feel embarrassed and awkward. And so I think it was a combination of all these factors that lead me to say:
Yeah, Zuko and I? How ridiculous! I'd rather kiss the Unagi than Zuko! Why mouth, why did you say this? Why?There was a bit of hilarity from the others. Zuko shot me a very puzzled and slightly hurt look. But then he schooled his expression and said well you're not really my type either.
Oh really?
Welly well well then! I know he wanted to kiss me last night. I could tell! He was just as keen for it as I was! And now I'm not his type? Well bollocks to that! Unless...did he want to kiss me last night? I mean we didn't talk about it. It just nearly happened. I only know of two other girls that Zuko has kissed and one of them is bloody Gloomy Hairbuns and the other is Perky Ponytail. I am not like either of those girls. Maybe I really am not his type. I looked at him and he looked away and blushed. The others were chuckling and Toph was making very amused looks at the two of us. She shook her head slightly, but said nothing. I thought I should say something else, to move us all on from this little awkward moment, so I clarified again, for Aang's sake, that all that stuff in the play, with all those different guys, was completely made up.
Sokka cleared his throat and said not all of it was completely made up. You did get it on with Jet. According to Sokka I was all like oh Jet, you're so manly, oh Jet your so great. He said this teasingly. Sometimes, before we got to Ba Sing Se, Sokka would to tease me about Jet and my poor taste in guys and would state that he wanted veto power for any boy I fancied. There were arguments and shenanigans. But Sokka hasn't teased me about Jet since we left him under Lake Laogai. I protested. The way Sokka said get it on made it sound like Jet and I had done the squelchy, when we'd really just had a night of heavy petting and making out. I pointed out that me and Jet had just kissed and Sokka was being a berk. The little fires in the wall sconces burned a little brighter. Sokka shrugged and said that we might have just kissed that night, but Jet was planning on much more with me after he blew up the dam. And this was why I needed Sokka to veto my boyfriends.
There has been an argument.
The usual argument that ensues between me and Sokka when he announces his intentions to interfere in my love life. Toph and Aang have both heard it before. This argument ended differently to how it normally does (It normally ends with me ranting about sexism and storming off.) Sokka said he hadn't told me this before because he didn't want to upset me, but when Jet took him into the forest, he'd apparently said Sokka, you moron, I'm going to blow this dam and then I'm going to knobble your sister and there's nothing you can do about it. And for this, Jet would forever be in Sokka's bad books.
As soon as Sokka said this, the fire sconces went crazy and leapt up really high and set the curtains on fire. Zuko swore and leapt up and calmed the flames and put out the curtains. There are now huge giant scorch marks above every little sconce. Zuko looked a little embarrassed. Probably because everyone was staring at him. He shrugged and said he just didn't like to hear about dudes who treated ladies like that and he really hated the word knobble. It sounded so tasteless. There was an awkward pause, which Sokka broke. He said see Katara, Zuko gets it. Jet was tasteless. This is why you need me to pick your boyfriends for you! Sokka and I argued about his right to have a say in my boyfriend for the rest of dinner.
-?-
Did Jet really say that about me? I know he'd had a few girls before me. That night in the tree house, he did try for a little more than heavy petting, but I said no. I had only just met him and didn't know him very well and I didn't feel emotionally ready for that. Jet said he'd understood that and he didn't mind waiting. Was that just a line? It could have been. Jet was very smooth after all. Charming people can be untrustworthy I reckon. It just takes a lot longer to realise. I think that when you are with a handsome boy in takes on average twice as long to realise they are a berk than it would with an average looking guy. Jet was very handsome.
I hadn't just liked his looks though. But I will admit that was a pretty big factor. He was the first boy I felt really crazy infatuated with. He was gorgeous. He had charisma. He was a great leader. He took care of all those kids. I liked that the most. He was the second boy I'd ever met and spent time with, who wasn't my brother or a 12-year-old-monk. Of course I fancied him. He'd been sweet that night, and I'd like to think what he said to Sokka was just stupid male posturing.
Jet was militant and traumatised and he hated the firenation with such a blind passion and it led him to do absolutely dreadful things. But at his core, I don't think he was a bad guy. He definitely didn't deserve to go out like he did. I was so mad at him for so long, but thinking about it now, in hindsight. There could have been worse guys to be my first kiss. I certainly learned a lot from my experience with Jet.
Mostly I think the experience was a good one. I learned the wisdom to my Gran Gran's words. Gran Gran would always say that when it came to boys, I should trust what they do and not what they say. Talk is easy, but it's when you watch what a boy actually does that you see what he's really like. I think I might have been a little naïve before Jet. I couldn't imagine someone being duplicitous enough for there to be a big disparity between what they said and what they did. We are all pretty straightforward people in the south pole after all, and I was used to people like that. If I say something, I will do it. But Jet said the most lovely things and then did the most horrible things. If I've learned anything from that, it is to be a bit more careful about who I bestow my infatuation on in future.
I also learned what I like, romance-wise. I'm not going to lie, a fair bit of messing about went on that night. And even though Jet had heaps of girls before (or so he said), there were some things he obviously didn't know about women. If there had been the time and the opportunity and I had the inclination to kiss him again, I would have had to sit Jet down and give him at least two pointers.
Thing number one : that throaty flap thing at the back of everybody's mouth. It must have a purpose. And I don't think that purpose is to be a goal. Jet should not try to get his tongue all the way back there because that was a little gross and physically impossible. I enjoyed a bit of tongue-kissing but as soon as he shoved it all the way back there, I almost gagged. Not good.
Thing number two: Okay, so I let him touch my boobs. We didn't go any farther than boob groping and he had such enthusiasm for them. And he was the first boy I'd ever kissed and he was gorgeous and I was blinded by his manpretty. That's how I explain the events of that night to myself. But though Jet had lots of enthusiasm for breast, he had yet to learn one very crucial thing. Nipples can be a lot of fun, but they do not, nor will they ever, revolve. That's a no on revolving, there Jet. Honestly, it felt like he was trying to twist them off at one point. This was also not good.
But still, I'd had a nice time and Jet had been very sweet about everything. I believed him when he said he wouldn't mind waiting for me. It had been a lovely evening and though everything that happened the next day was horrible and dreadful and I cried myself to sleep the next night, I still can't quite bring myself to hate Jet. I hate what he did, but I can't hate him.
-?-
Zuko and I were doing the dishes and he was a grumpy-pants. I can just tell when he's grumpy even when he is really trying to pretend he's not. He was trying now. He even said angry? Me? I'm not angry. Why would you think I'm angry? when I asked him about his crankiness. I pointed behind him to where one of the wall sconces was burning out of control again. Zuko said damn it and waved his hand at the fire and it got back under control. Then he fessed up to being a bit cranky. Well obviously. I can see that. I asked him why and he paused for a long time and then said just ...you and Jet... and then he made a very disgruntled face.
What?
What is with the face?
I said shrugged and said he was charming and handsome and, he was the first boy I'd ever spent a lot of time with who wasn't my brother or twelve years old and bald, and Zuko should stop making that face! Right now! Anyway, how could he even make that face? He didn't even know Jet and for all he knew Jet was actually a nice guy. Zuko said that he did know Jet and Jet was a friggin jerk. I was a bit surprised by this actually and asked him how he had ever met Jet. Zuko turned back to drying and said (mostly to the dish in his hands) that they had been on the same refugee ferry to Ba Sing Se. Within an hour of meeting him, Jet had told Zuko all and sundry North Pole jokes and that told Zuko all he needed to know about Jet. What's a north pole joke? Zuko made a strange, almost angry face and said they were really unpleasant. I nagged and eventually he told me one. What do you call 1000 firenation soldiers at the bottom of the north sea – a good start. Oh. That did sound like a Jet thing to say. I could see why Zuko thought ill of him. Still there was more to Jet than that and I said that he was a bit of jerk, but he wasn't all bad. I got the grumpy Face.
I tried to explain myself. I wasn't saying he was all good, but he wasn't all bad either. He was militant and blinded by hatred, yes. But he did his best to take care of a large group of orphans and that wasn't easy. Why was I even explaining myself to Zuko? He was one to judge! He went out with friggin Gloomy Hairbuns and what was the point of her? She was just a big blob of meh! What happened with Jet happened ages ago and I didn't have to justify myself to Zuko.
So when Zuko said he couldn't understand what I saw in Jet, I fired back that I didn't understand what he saw in bloody Gloomy Hairbuns, but I didn't give him a hard time about her! He sighed in frustration and said she wasn't even that gloomy. I said Oh please! She is a sucking black hole of fun! Zuko said she was just a bit grumpy and then I got rather sarcastic and said Oh now I understand. You're grumpy, she's grumpy. It's a match made in disgruntled paradise. Zuko huffed grumpily and said Well at least Mai never flooded a town full of innocent people. I fired back that Jet would never abandon a child the way Mai was so willing to just give up her baby brother. She just handed him over to us, she didn't give two craps about him. What kind of person does that? Zuko stroppily said that for all her faults, Mai had never attacked his Uncle. What does that even mean? Does she get a cookie for the incredible feat of not attacking someone? I retaliated by saying that she attacked us plenty of times. But then I thought for a second. Did Jet attack Zuko's uncle? No wonder Zuko hated him. I held up my hands in a placating gesture and asked him what he meant by Jet attacking his Uncle. What happened?
Zuko had put away the last plate and he crossed him arms and said It's a long story and I'm not going to tell you because you are being impossible right now. I crossed my arms and said that he was more impossible. He said I was double impossible. I said you are impossible – infinity – no returns! I win.
Just at that moment, Toph walked into the kitchen and strode between us. She got herself a glass of water and went to walk back out. She paused between us. We were standing across from each other, crossing our arms grumpily. She shook her head with some amusement and said you two are both idiots and walked back out.
-?-
I declared I was going to bed after that and stomped off. Bloody Zuko. His grumpiness is contagious. Now I am grumpy!
-?-
What the hell did he ever see in Gloomy Hairbuns? Really now?
-?-
Are girls like Gloomy Hairbuns his type? Is that what he meant by I'm not his type? I am nothing like Gloomy Hairbuns after all.
-?-
Well fine! He's not my type either. I can't believe I wanted to kiss him last night!
-?-
Gah! I am going to stop thinking about his and go to sleep.
-?-
I just had a nightmare. Zuko was in it. And he died like in the play and I couldn't do anything and it was awful. I can't get back to sleep now.
-?-
I have had a major stalky relapse.
It was an accident.
I couldn't get back to sleep. It really was a bad dream. I don't want to write about it, but it left me feeling a little shaky. I was still a bit cross at Zuko, but I was worried about him too. I don't know what possessed me, but I just had the sudden thought that if I got up and just peeked at him to make sure he was still alive, I would feel better and could go back to sleep.
Yes I am crazy. I know this. Zuko is making me crazy.
But I got up and I crept over to his room. He was sleeping. I walked silently over to him and held my hand in front of his nose. He was breathing. Good.
Of course he was breathing. It was just a stupid dream!
I should have left then, but I did not. I just sort of... loitered. I loitered and stood there and watched him sleep. He looks very peaceful when he sleeps, which is such a contrast to how he is when he is awake. I realised as I stood there, that I was being a bit creepy. If I stood there any longer and just watched him sleep, I would officially be a really creepy stalker.
I decided then, that the most sensible thing to do would be to bugger off and pretend I hadn't had this particular lapse into creepy stalkerdom. Unfortunately the universe obviously hates be me. At the very moment I turned to go, the floor board under my right foot let out a little creak. Boo! Zuko was awake and on his feet in a flash and made a little startled noise when he realised someone was in his room. His fists lit up, but he lowered them when he saw me.
He said Katara? With a great deal of surprise. I said yes it's me, though this was a bit redundant now. Oh bollocks, this was awkward. He titled his head and looked at me quizzically and asked what are you doing here? My brain went blank, it was blanker than the desert. Blanker than an empty page, blanker than some really blank thing. I could not think of a single excuse. My brain was just empty of words. Then suddenly I blurted out I came to apologise.
Nice save.
But as soon as I said it I knew it was true. I'd feel better if we weren't grumpy with each other. I think it was our argument in the kitchen, just before bed, that had unsettled me so much. I don't even know what our fight in the kitchen had been about, but I know that I don't like feeling cross at him. I don't like him being cross at me. We shouldn't be fighting with each other in the middle of a war. What happens if we have a fight and then we get ambushed by fire nation troops and we all die a fiery grisly death. I don't want my last words to him to be spoken in anger. He said I'm sorry too. I'm more sorry than you'll ever know. There was something in the way he said that that bothered me. This was more than a regular sorry. I asked him what was going on with him and he confessed quietly that he thought what happened to Jet was his fault. What? How? He said was a long story. I said Tell me over tea? a little hopefully and he agreed.
-?-
I was sitting on the counter next to the stove while Zuko made tea in silence. Not a grumpy silence, he just looked like he was collecting his thoughts. He handed me a cup of fragrant jasmine and leaned on the counter next to me. He said do you remember when I was telling Toph about that crazy guy who stalked me back in Ba Sing Se. I did. I had been eavesdropping. Zuko said he knew that. He said that Jet was the crazy guy who stalked him. Okay, me and Jet didn't have a whole lot in common, but I never thought one of activities we would both partake in would be stalking Zuko. The world is a weird place.
Zuko explained that Jet was obsessed with him and his Uncle and thought they were firebenders. I pointed out that they were firebenders. Zuko made a sardonic face at me. He said they weren't firebenders in Ba Sing Se. They were pretending to be simple refugees and neither of them had bent is weeks (not being able to bend really drove Zuko to distraction.) Jet just followed them everywhere and kept stealing their spark rocks etc and trying to catch them out. Then one day Jet had burst into the teashop and threatened his Uncle with his hook swords. (Zuko was very sarcastic about the hook swords. Apparently they're not even proper swords). Jet said that his Uncle would have to use firebending to defend himself and came towards him. Zuko wasn't having a bar of that. He stepped in front of his Uncle and there were some lower ring guards in the tea shop and so Zuko stole their swords and then he and Jet just went at it.
I know I should have been concentrating on the story, but just at that point I was struck by the mental image of Zuko and Jet – in a sword fight. Both them doing that thing they do with their swords. Mmmmmmhhhh. Where they both all sweaty and possibly shirtless? That would have been sexy as hell. The only that could make this mental image better would be if Zuko had been in the prison outfit. No wait... Both of them in the prison outfit. Double Mmmmmhhhh.
Focus Katara!
Zuko was explaining about how their fight spilled onto the street and many stalls were smashed and there was much drama and messing about with swords. Until the Dai Li came. The Dai Li terrified the lower ring. It was common for people to disappear in the lower ring. You'd never see the men again, but apparently, sometimes people would see women who had disappeared months before. These women wouldn't know their own name or their own children or anything. They would introduce themselves as Joo Dee and you'd never get a straight answer out of them, if you asked them what had happened. Nobody knew what the Dai Li did to people, except that it was bad. Really bad.
You didn't mess with the Dai Li.
Jet, like an idiot, refused to co-operate and attacked one of the Dai Li agents and then they arrested him and took him away and Zuko hadn't seen him again. And now he knew that Jet might have died in that Dai Li head quarters and he felt guilty.
I said I didn't quite see how this was Zuko's fault. Zuko said that he should have just let the guards handle it, but he was just so furious at somebody threatening his Uncle, and at not being able to bend and at their crappy situation and he didn't think. He just grabbed the nearest weapons and went at it. Zuko thought it was his fault that the fight got so out of hand and spilled into the street. Zuko shrugged and looked away and said If your boyfriend is dead, it's because of me and I'm sorry.
Zuko is just a magnet for guilt. He manages to find a way to feel guilty about absolutely everything that ever happened, ever. The guilty dance was starting! I put down my cup and corrected him and said that Jet wasn't my boyfriend. He nodded, but didn't say anything. He still looked sad. I rubbed his shoulder and said softly Not everything that has gone wrong is somehow your fault.
Zuko shrugged and said, maybe, but it's definitely my fault that Jet got arrested by the Dai Li. He paused and then added, I didn't like the guy, but I didn't want that to happen to him either. Well now he was just being ridiculous. From the sounds of it, Jet attacked them. I don't think Zuko is lying about this. It sounds like something Jet would have done. If he suspected they were firebenders, I can well imagine him not leaving them alone. I'm sure if it hadn't been Zuko and his Uncle, Jet would have found some other enemy to obsess over and probably would've ended up getting himself arrested either way. Jet was the sort of person who would always find himself enemies. He saw firebenders where there were friends and firenation strong holds where there was only a harmless little village. Maybe Zuko could have let the guards handle Jet that night, but what about the night after that. I don't think it would have made a difference in the end.
I hopped down and stood in front of Zuko and reach up and put my hands on his shoulders. (He is getting tall now. I hadn't noticed till right now. I only just come up to where his chin is.) He let me. He still looked sad and guilty and I don't like it when he looks like that. I like it when he's happy. I said listen to me, Jet wasn't my boyfriend, but I did know him. And I know that you can't blame yourself for what happened to him. He made his own choices and those choices led him to Lake Laogai. I'm not saying he deserved it, but it's definitely not your fault.
He looked up asked me quietly if I really thought that. I did. He asked me if I was mad at him. Of course I wasn't. I don't like being mad at him really. He smiled shyly at me and said he didn't like being mad at me either. I said he should avoid it in future then.
And we smiled at each other then.
I felt the oddest sensation in my stomach. More than good indigestion. It was like the bottom just dropped out of my stomach. I know what it felt like. It was like that feeling when Aang made us ride in the mail system at Omashu. That feeling, just as our cart crested a hill and started to plummet down. This feeling feels just like that. It's exhilarating and terrifying. But there was nothing really to be scared of. It was just me and Zuko, alone in the kitchen.
What could be so exhilarating and terrifying about that?
-?-
0o0o0o0o00o0o0
Authors notes: once again, horrendously long and rambly.
Lovely wonderful readers, you've reached the end of the great jealousy eruption. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed it. In this chapter the green eyed monster visits several members of the Gaang and there are shenanigans. Huge thank you to all my wonderful reviewers! You guys are wonderful and lovely and just awesome! Because many of you found the I love willies song funny, I have brought it back by popular demand. Toph sings it, mostly to get attention and annoy the others, especially Zuko and Sokka. Toph is like their little sister and neither of them what to hear her sassy twelve year old self singing about how much she likes willies. I actually think that this is how Toph gets over the various ill feelings the play would have stirred in her. I think she would have been a spot bothered by the ending, but instead of having a big freak out or a mope she seeks attention. And she gets a lot of it!
I think Sokka and Suki would have been able to shake of the play the best and take comfort in each other, so they are not as bothered by its ridiculousness or its ending. Aang on the other hand, has a nightmare. A bad one. Aang is prone to nightmares, poor thing. I have recently re-watched nightmares and daydreams and I thought it would have been a bit odd if Aang didn't have a similar freak out leading up to Sozin's Comet. Aang's procrastination induced invasion freakout is exactly how I feel before exams. I stay awake and just study and try to make up for slacking off during the year – so I really feel Aang in that ep.
I thought it would be natural for Aang to start having nightmares again after the play. However, this time the Gaang have Suki and Zuko with them. Stealthy badasses the two of them. At one point Sokka would have told Suki about the gang's adventures and told her about Aang's sleeplessness and nightmares before the invasion. Suki thinks up the most practical solution. Just knock him out with something to make him sleep. She enlists the help of Zuko and they make him a purple sun poppy tea and ta da Aang sleeps. Getting a good night's sleep does not help Aang's mood in the morning.
I don't have Katara and Aang interact a whole bunch during this chapter. Originally I thought about the two of them having a chat about the awkward scene. But just nothing came. I actually think this is because I really can't picture the two of them having a mature conversation about it. Katara is a major avoider when it comes to Aang and his crush and all that entails and Aang is a bit passive aggressive and so the whole thing is just going to be weird and awkward for a bit until the two of them can get to place where they can play let's pretend it didn't happen.
So Aang had lots of feelings about Katara, but he doesn't talk to Katara about them. Instead he takes his disappointed hopes and jealousy out on Zuko. I think it is telling that Aang only storms out at the Zuko/Katara scene during the EIP. I think he has seen many little moments between them and does consider Zuko a rival for her affections. So Aang would have sniped at Zuko all day until Zuko exploded. Zuko is trying to be patient and just ignore it, but the guy's got a temper and he is not afraid of confrontation the same way that Aang is. Zuko's not really passive aggressive when he's pissed off, I think he's much more on the aggressive aggressive side of the fence. At lunch he just snaps. I think, in all honesty, Zuko would be more comfortable confronting Aang's jealousy head on and hashing it out and clearing the air and then getting over it.
So they have a fight. About Katara. And it gets heated. They are coming from different places, Aang still wants Katara, but he still doesn't quite get it. The way Aang sees it, he did Zuko a big, giant, wonderful favour when he accepted him as his firebending teacher, and now Zuko is stealing his girl. Zuko on the other hand, relays Katara's respect and boundaries speech (he was really listening) and tries to get Aang to understand that Katara is not his, just because he met her first. And then Aang says the avatar equivalent of 'you're fired!' and there are shenanigans.
I think all of the Gaang were aware of Aang's feelings, even before Aang has shouted them in a courtyard. But I think if anyone could talk some sense into him, it would be Toph. I think Toph knows what it is like to have an unrequited crush on somebody, she is crushing on Sokka after all. But Toph understands that Sokka doesn't feel that way about her. He loves her, but it is as a friend or a little sister. Toph has made peace with this. She is trying to help Aang make peace with his relationship with Katara, using her brand of Toph Tough love. She knows Katara is listening, and she also knows that the two of them are not going to be able to have a conversation about this, so she tries to smooth the situation over as best she can. The only real action she requires of Aang (her first two suggestions involve him thinking about/processing his feelings) is that he apologise to Zuko. She's looking out for her bro. She is also wily enough to get the glider and limit Aang's options of running away for the next week. Because Toph is a mad genuis.
Also, if you were wondering, the squelchy is Toph's word for sex. Aang doesn't know this (he's not up on his slang for sex after all.) also Toph doesn't believe Katara's protestations about Haru. Katara did give him a litle peck, so technically she is lying when she says nothing happened and this is what Toph is picking up on.
Aang would have stormed off, because things really aren't going his way today, but during his storm off he would have seen the wisdom in Toph's words. He's not a bad kid and he realises he has been a bit of a berk to Zuko. So he swallows his pride and comes back and apologises. I think Zuko wouldn't want to hold a grudge, especially so close to the comet, so he forgives Aang pretty readily. Zuko tells Aang that there is nothing going on between him and Katara and Aang brightens up a bit and gets back to his more cheery self. Aang thinks that even though Katara's not with him, she's not with Zuko either, so he still has a teensy shot.
I also think someone needed to very emphatically states to Aang that the play was not real. I still don't know why Aang thinks it is real, but anyway. This cheers Aang up and everyone can joke over dinner about how ridiculous the play was and they tease Katara and Zuko slightly about their many fictional lovers. Until Aang ruins it all but pointing out the unlikelyness of Zuko and Katara getting together (this is mostly to reassure himself). This really puts Katara on the spot and she has a spot of word vomit and says she doesn't want to kiss Zuko. Alas! Don't hate me dear readers! Sorry!
So Katara declares that she would rather kiss the unagi that Zuko. Zuko would have had a confused moment and thought to himself – did I just imagine that last night? Oh bollocks! I did! I am a sad fantasist! I read the situation all wrong and I fail at girls forever! His pride's taken a hit, so he declares that Katara's not his type either and she has a moment of disbelief (followed by paranoid jealousy for gloomy hairbuns later). And it's all a big old misunderstanding. Now both of them are a bit unsure of the other's feelings.
Sokka brings up Jet. I think Katara definitely would have gotten a bit of teasing from Sokka re: Jet. He does want veto power over Katara boyfriends. I think this is an older brother thing. I think this stems from his protective older brother-ness. The Jet incident left a bad taste in Sokka's mouth. Sokka really doesn't like that guy. Katara would have been infatuated with him and this would have made Sokka worry about her taste in menfolk. Sokka thinks Katara just needs a little help in pick out acceptable candidates for her boyfriends. Katara disagrees. They have had a few arguments regarding this. Also there are no prizes for guess who Sokka would vote for to be Katara's boyfriend, if he got a vote, but you will get much love and a high five from me for guessing right.
This little argument also let me display some of Zuko's accidental jealousy bending. Bless his cotton socks.
It also let me segue into Katara's feelings about Jet. I haven't really clarified them until now. Ooh note, I do think she and Jet got a little grabby hands and made out a whole bunch, but I don't think it went any further than just heavy petting. They are there, in Jet's treehouse, for two nights and after the first night Katara is very fluffy about Jet and has made him a hat etc and doesn't disagree with Sokka when he calls Jet her boyfriend. I think Jet has his own little cabin in that tree house and he and Katara went there and had a canoodle. Jet is a smoothy, I think he's had a few girls previously (however not as many as he claims he has). I do think he is still prone to inexpert teenage fumbling. So Katara's first canoodle is not a runaway success or a trainwreck, it is somewhere in the middle. She has thoughts regarding this. If the opportunity had ever come up, she would have been a back-seat-maker-outer. She would have offered her bossy constructive criticism, with the best of intentions.
I think now that some time is passed, Katara is a bit more charitable about Jet. When she thinks of him, she tries to remember the good stuff about him. She thinks there is a good possibility that Jet is dead and she doesn't want to think ill of the dead. However I also think that Katara has moved on from Jet, so he doesn't inspire the same impassioned rage in her. I think, on balance, Jet was a good learning experience for Katara. He taught her (accidentally) that often it is the really smooth guys you have to watch out for. She learned that there is wisdom in her grandmothers (actually, these are my grandmother's words of advice to me). Always trust what they do, not what they say. But at the same time, I think Jet did genuinely like her and I think that Katara is getting to a place where she can remember him fondly despite his many many faults.
So Katara is a little defensive about Jet when Zuko is having his moment of jealousy in the kitchen. Oh Zuko buddy, you're a terrible liar. You can't do that angry? Who? Me? thing, especially around an open flame. Zuko didn't like Jet before, but oh boy does he hate him now. Zuko is a fair bit jealous, but he tries to keep it under wraps until Katara starts pestering him about 'why are you so angry?' I think he had a poor opinion of Jet to begin with, but what Sokka said would have only re-inforced this. He can't believe Katara would have made out with someone like Jet, but would still prefer the unagi to him.
Katara has also been rather jealous about Gloomy Hairbuns for a while now and this little argument in the kitchen allowed the perfect moment for that to come out in the open. They are both a bit jealous of the other's previous partner and make many derogatory comments about them. This has revealed that Mai gave away Tom Tom (Zuko did not know this, and it will be relevant later). And that Jet attacked Zuko's uncle. They have an impossible off (which Katara wins). Toph is just a little amused by the whole thing at this stage. She can tell they were both lying through their teeth when they said they didn't fancy each other at dinner. She thinks they are just being idiots who are overcomplicating things for themselves.
Katara goes to bed grumpy, as you do after a fight. But then she has a nightmare and she has a giant stalky relapse. I think that neither Zuko or Katara like being angry with each other and as soon as she has her bad dream, she just wants to check on him. And then she loiters like a creeper and gives him a bit of a fright. But never fear lovely readers, even if they fight, I'm not going to leave our dynamic duo mad at each other for too long.
They talk out! As they do.
I think Zuko, had gone to bed thinking stupid Jet, with his stupid swords and his stupid jet-ness, but the more he thought about it, the guiltier he would have felt. Especially as there is a good possibility that Jet is dead. It was because Jet was fighting with him that he got arrested in the first place after all and so Zuko blames himself. That's how Zuko rolls. Katara reassures him. That's how she rolls.
Katara also has a shallow moment when Zuko tells her what happened and she pictures the two of them fighting (in prison outfits). But can you blame her?
Next chapter, the Gaang will deal with some belated fallout from the Seige of North. The older kids make a decision regarding Aang.
Til then lovely readers...