Had a few requests to continue on this site, so I will :) Have some extra time here lately so I'll be trying to transfer chapters over from other site. Hope you all enjoy :) love - lao-tzu
Jet was in a state of mild panic, to say the least. His heart thrummed in his chest, his head swishing from side to side in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the group he now suspected was here. His gang. They had to be here. They had to be.
A rendezvous with Sokka and Zuko would have to wait, as much as he knew Zuko would give him grief for it later. He was never one for patience. His usual charm was slipping, replaced with urgency – evident in the fast pace in which his feet clanked atop the metal grates of the prison's many platforms. His eyes scanned for any amount of evidence, anything at all. He thought he saw another guard eye him in suspicion, but perhaps that was just his paranoia pushing in the way. He sat it aside. His eyebrows furrowed, and he focused.
Cell after cell passed. Stranger after stranger sat behind the metal slots he peered inside when no one was looking. Each cell left a deeper pit in his stomach. Each one another waste of his time. Another dent in his dwindling cautiousness he was trying to withhold.
That's when his feet stopped for him, his eyes having to catch up to his body's reaction. Two guards were transporting a man across the walkway. He was curiously naked looking without his usual blue garb and straw hat, replaced with thin red prison cloth, his arms shackled behind his back. But there was no question who it was. Jet knew that stoic ease anywhere he saw it.
Longshot.
It took everything inside of him not to burst across and free him immediately, but all that would ensure would be him getting thrown in beside him. He had to think this through. He had to be smart. He had to get everyone out. He had to get home to Tikka.
Jet waited for the guards to escort Longshot into his cell. He mentally noted to himself which number it was before entering into the guard lounge. A gullible guard with a set of keys. The two things simultaneously shouldn't be that hard to come across.
By the spirits, he'd done it. Who knew guards just left their keys laying around while they stuffed their faces? Well, then again, why wouldn't they? It's not like maximum security prisons got infiltrated all that often. Jet smirked as he exited the lounge, the keys gripped tight in his fist that was shoved into his pocket. This was the kind of good luck he could get used to. He almost wanted to whistle a happy tune, but everyone knew joy wasn't allowed in prison, so he kept it to himself.
But of course, for no other reason than of course, his luck didn't last long. Two guards across the walkway were escorting someone else into a cell this time. Someone with shortish, shaggy black hair and a scar on his face. Because of course he leaves Zuko alone for an hour and he'd already gotten arrested.
Jet sighed and pressed his face into his hands. Well, guess a rendezvous was required at that point.
When no one was looking, he slipped the metal slot of the door open and called inside.
"Zuko?"
"Jet?"
With no further prompt, Jet nimbly slipped inside the tiny cell; the sight of Zuko in a red prison jumpsuit only making the situation feel even more pressing. Now, it was up to him and Sokka, of all people, to rescue not one, not two, but at least three people from a maximum-security prison. And he didn't even know where one of the rescues in question even was.
"My gang is here," left Jet's lips before he could even think, his arms out to his sides and his ears ringing. He needed to think, but his thoughts were muddied with a mix of anticipation and terror. His gang was here. His gang thought he was dead. The sudden realization left a pit the size of the Marianas Trench in his stomach.
Something on Zuko's face shifted, softened even, at Jet's apparent panic. He didn't like to think he was easy to read, but right now, it didn't even matter. Zuko took a step forward and laid one of his hands on Jet's shoulders, which was only slightly trembling.
"Calm down, okay?"
Calm down? How on Earth was he supposed to do that?
"They think I'm dead," Jet said, "I was dead, Zuko."
And that made Zuko visibly wince, for reasons Jet couldn't quite understand at the moment.
"You're not," Zuko said, probably for lack of anything better to say. "We'll get them out, too. They'll be happy to see you."
Of all the things Jet considered his gang would be if he ever saw them again, he doubted it would be happy. Angry, distant, or even resentful maybe, but he took the comforting words for what they were.
"Sokka's dad isn't here," Zuko added as Jet tried to calm his breath, "But his girlfriend – or something, is. We can all figure this out together."
"What happened to you?" Jet said, finally realizing that he hadn't even thought to ask how Zuko ended up in a cell.
"Cover blown," Zuko answered, then looked down to his tattered prison outfit. He unconsciously lifted his hand to his scraped chin, which Jet didn't fail to take notice of. "Sokka's fine though. We'll just have to work together. Find a place where we can all talk."
"They hurt you?" Jet asked without thinking much about it. It would occur to him later, just how comfortable he had grown lifting his hand to Zuko's face, or spilling his unease to him, or his subconscious want to comfort him too, all without thinking much about it. He rubbed his thumb down the line of the scrape, which probably made Zuko blush, he realized, but it was much too dim to tell.
"I'm fine," Zuko said, then reached his hand to cup it over Jet's, lowering it down to their sides once more. "Do you know where your gang is?"
"Longshot's in a cell," Jet answered, feeling a little more at ease with Zuko's guidance, "I don't know where Smellerbee is."
"Talk to him and figure out where she is," Zuko answered, and Jet nodded. "Find a place where we can all meet, and we'll figure it all out. Okay?"
"Okay," Jet answered, feeling his heartbeat return to somewhat normal; thankful that, at least sometimes, Zuko could be more level headed than him.
"Be careful," Zuko said, for the second time that day, and meant it just as much as the first.
"I should be saying that to you," Jet answered, then smirked, and Zuko scoffed.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said, though, in agreement.
"I know I am," Jet said, then wrapped his hands to Zuko's waist, which felt tense under his hands, the thin red prison cloth not doing as much to hide him as his other clothing. Zuko turned his head, probably blushing again, but ultimately didn't pull away. "Sokka's not here," Jet added.
That brought the edge of Zuko's lips into a small smile, though, and his body shifted onto the weight of one foot. "Yeah," was all he said in response, which was permission enough for Jet. He pressed his lips to his and parted them briefly, not nearly for long enough, and withdrew hesitantly.
"I'll be back soon," Jet said when his eyes flittered open, his lips still within the distance of a breath, feeling a little more confident, more at ease than he was before. How Zuko, hotheaded Zuko, could always have this calming effect on him, he wasn't sure. But he liked it. Counted on it, he realized. That even in a cell, Zuko could make him feel unconfined.
The tight knot in Jet's throat had returned rather quickly on the way to Longshot's cell, and for a few moments, not long enough for anyone to notice though, he stood awkwardly outside the cold, metal door. Normally, how he'd make an entrance was easy to him, but now, he wasn't even sure what to do with his hands. He settled on forming them into sweaty fists at his sides and tried to keep his chin tall in the air.
The metal door slid open, and Longshot shifted on the bed inside, looking ready to defend, but cautious to do so. Jet tried to say something along the lines of hey or long time no see or something else that was casually inappropriate, but nothing seemed to really be able to pull out of his mouth, the words just hovering there, like the awkward placement of his hands at his sides. Longshot looked to him curiously, waiting on the guard that had just entered his cell to say something.
"Uh," wasn't what he had meant to say, but it was good enough for the time being. Instead of words, he lifted his hands to his helmet and slid it off, holding it at his side. Longshot would get the point. He always did.
Longshot's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looked at him, the realization washing over his features quickly.
He made a small, choked noise at the back of his throat, like he was going to say something out of pure shock, but knowing Longshot, he didn't. Instead, he sat upright on the bed, his brows still furrowed as he stood. He walked the distance slowly, as still calculating what was happening, and looked Jet's body up and down.
"Hey, it's me," Jet said, the nervousness evident in the way his voice cracked on the "it's". Longshot didn't judge him for it though, only smiled one of his rare, beautiful smiles, which melted Jet to his very core. He was happy to see him, and that hit Jet where it hurt. He felt the tears prickle in his eyes, the lump forming in his throat that of joy instead of unease, as Longshot threw his arms around him. Jet wrapped his arms around him too, the familiar embrace of a long-lost friend dissipating the strain that had enveloped his muscles.
"I missed you," Jet said, and Longshot nodded in agreement on his shoulder.
Longshot was never one for physical contact for very long, and pulled away to look him in the face.
"Where's Bee?" Jet asked, and Longshot's face stiffened. That made Jet's heart drop to his feet. "She's hurt?" Longshot nodded, but not urgently. Hurt, but would be okay. "She's here?" Another nod.
Jet sighed and rubbed his palm across his face. "Infirmary, I assume?" Another nod.
"I'm sorry," Jet said, and Longshot shook his head. This was their doing, not his. "I'm gonna' get you out. Don't worry," Jet said, disregarding his comforting non-words.
Longshot nodded, then smiled a little less sadly this time, more one of confidence. Jet smirked at the hint of mischief, one that strangers wouldn't be able to notice.
"Meet me by the stairs when they let you out. I'm gonna' find Bee."
The infirmary wasn't too hard to find, with a little inconspicuous asking around. A little harder to get into though, the few nurses they had not nearly as lenient to strange faces as the regular guards. But if there was one thing Jet was good at, it was getting into places where he wasn't supposed to be. A few doors slipped past and a couple nurses nimbly avoided, he was well on the way inside. The room Smellerbee was in wasn't hard to find, the bars on these doors much easier to see into than the small metal slots of the general population. A few cells of injured ruffians later, and he'd found her.
A little to his dismay and a little to his comfort, she was rolled on her side facing the wall. Asleep or not, he wasn't sure. She didn't look all that injured, at least from the waist up that was uncovered by the white blanket, which made him feel at ease. He watched her chest rise and fall for a moment before realizing he was standing very visibly in the hallway. A shuffle of the keys in his pocket later, and he slipped inside.
"What do you fucks want now?" she snapped without rolling over to look.
Jet smirked a little despite himself. She hadn't changed a bit. But he knew, Longshot was the easy one of the two. At least Smellerbee's anger was as amusing as it was comforting, at least, when it wasn't directed at him. But he knew, it would be in just a moment. Because casually inappropriate Jet had returned, fueled by his previous encounter.
"Oh, you know," he said as he stepped towards the bed, then mentally prepared his cheek for the slap he was about to receive. "Heard there was a pretty cute new prisoner, and I thought I'd check her out."
Smellerbee went still, her breath catching in her throat. She knew that voice anywhere, but it couldn't be… Rolling on her back slowly, she gasped at the sight of the ghost standing in her room, leaning casually on one leg with his helmet on his hip. Smiling like there'd been no time passed between them at all. Like he hadn't died right in front of her.
"Jet?" she said, barely an audible squeak. She swallowed, hard, and tried again. "Jet?"
"That's my name," Jet said, then smiled toothily as Smellerbee's face went milky pale, the red lines on her cheeks standing bright red on top of it. Oh, she might pass out… Shit, she might actually pass out. "Hey, take a breath, why don't ya?" he said, waving his hands.
"Jet?" she said again, and forced air into her lungs with a long inhale. Jet stepped towards her and looked down.
"You're not real," she said, mostly to herself, furrowing her brows and giving a fake, painful, exasperated chuckle. "This is a dream. They must have drugged me." She sat up with a wince and pressed her face into her hands, shaking her head gently to make this all go away. What kind of torture was this?
"I'm real," Jet assured lowly, no ounce of playfulness left, then reached his hand out so she could touch it. "See? Feel."
Smellerbee looked up from between her fingers, eyeing the palm that was outstretched before her. She looked for a moment, then lifted a shaking hand to run her fingers down it, gasping when her fingers actually met something tangible – and she withdrew her hand as if she'd touched hot coals.
"You died," she breathed, trying to make sense of it all. "I grieved you.."
"I did," he agreed, "And I know. I'm so sorry, Bee."
"Am I dead?"
Jet chuckled sadly at that. "No, the Fire Nation could never take us. Remember?"
"Then how?"
"Katara and a little magic water, I guess. I'm not sure how it all worked, if I'm honest."
The tears prickled at her eyes, finally and painfully, the words getting lost in her throat. "You're alive…"
He smiled bitter sweetly, then sat at the edge of the bed. She was still looking at him like she was looking through him, but at least she was trying to hold the tears back. He didn't think he could handle it if she'd let them flow.
She took a deep breath, then reached her hand to touch his cheek. He let her and smiled at her, which in hindsight, was probably a bad idea. It wasn't seconds later that her hand reared back, and slapped him, hard, hard enough to turn his head to the side. Damn… he thought he might have gotten out of it.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she scolded, her voice cracking, the tear finally rolling down her cheek. "How could you be so fucking stupid?"
Jet ran his tongue along his cheek, surprised to find that he didn't taste blood. He couldn't even be mad. If anyone deserved to slap him, it was his gang. Looking to the floor, he felt every ounce of guilt hit him all at once.
"I'm sorry," he said again, then swallowed, pressing his eyes shut. "I'm trying to be better. I have gotten better… for real this time."
He was glad that Smellerbee pulled him into a hug, he really was. But the tears that drenched the cloth on his shoulder nearly broke him. Not wanting to let it show, though, he wrapped his arms around her tight and let her cry her silent cry.
"I'm gonna' get you out," he said, and she nodded barely enough for him to feel. "I promise, but for now, I have to go."
"I missed you," she croaked in response.
"I missed you too," he said, then reluctantly withdrew. "I have so much to tell you. I have a baby now."
Her eyebrow perked. "…What?"
"I'll tell you all about it later," he said, to which she frowned. "Give you something to look forward to," he added, to which she smiled despite herself.
"Just find us a way out, dumbass," she murmured.
The buzzer rang, and the cells doors to the general population opened. Sokka and Jet waited patiently near the staircase for the crew to arrive. Slowly but surely, the area was filled with prisoners and chit chat. One by one, everyone that was supposed to meet up did. Jet smirked to himself as Zuko chatted too casually with Suki about burning down her village as they mopped, and Longshot kept to himself in the corner, listening intently and eyes darting between everyone. The only one he recognized besides Jet was Sokka, and even that was just barely. And... was that Li? What had Jet been up to this whole time? Who were these other strange faces?
Jet listened to Sokka, the planning man, do his planning. Something about using a cooler as a boat and what not. He probably should have been listening more intently, but he wasn't used to doing the listening and not the ordering.
He didn't even really notice when another prisoner, Chit Sang apparently, decided he wanted to be in on it. Sighing at the interruption but not thinking much of it, he kicked himself away from the wall to pay more attention. He kept to himself mostly, letting everyone else figure everything out. It wasn't until they suggested Zuko be the one to get stuck in the cooler, that he genuinely started to pay attention.
He wanted to protest, he really did, but he didn't. Eyeing Zuko from across the group, he could tell that Zuko was dead set on it. He had to trust that he could take care of himself, that he wasn't helpless, as much as he wasn't comfortable with him being shoved into a literal freezer.
Longshot took notice of the glances, but ultimately said nothing, as always.
"I can take you back to your cell if you've learned your lesson," Sokka said, opening the door to the cooler and looking down at the surprisingly not shivering Zuko.
"Yes, I have ... completely," Zuko answered with a smirk, holding out a shirt full of nuts and bolts.
"I got Suki, Longshot, and Chit Sang out of their cells a few minutes ago. Jet's gonna' get… whatever her name is, out of the infirmary. They'll be waiting for us at the shore," Sokka informed as the sound of a door opening a chit chat sounded in the distance.
"Someone's coming!" Zuko whispered, pulling Sokka into the cell and peering out the crack.
"Yeah, new arrivals coming in at dawn," a male guard said.
"Anybody interesting?" another asked.
"Nah, just the usual. Some robbers, a couple traitors, some war prisoners, though I did hear there might be a pirate… and something called a Freedom Fighter, whatever that is."
"No fooling!"
"War prisoners? Your father… and a Freedom Fighter? I thought they were all here!" Zuko exclaimed.
"No," Sokka said, then rubbed his chin in thought. "There were a couple at the invasion. The Duke got away but the other one, the big guy, got captured with the rest."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I didn't think about it, okay!" Sokka defended, "There were a lot of people there."
"We gotta' tell Jet," Zuko said.
Jet waited with the impatient group of prisoners at the shore, his foot tapping against the black rock. It was difficult, but not impossible, to carry Smellerbee out of the infirmary and out of the prison. He breathed a sigh of relief once they'd made it out.
The sound of a low rumbling from the cooler being rolled down the hill filled the air, and suddenly, everyone was here.
Chit Sang rolled his eyes. "Took you guys long enough."
Zuko approached Jet, who look determined to get out of there, and Zuko almost didn't want to tell him. But he'd never be able to live with himself if he didn't. They were just so close…
"Jet, I have something to tell you," he said, and Jet furrowed his brows in curiosity. "Another Freedom Fighter might be on the way."
"What?" Smellerbee and Jet said simultaneously. "How?"
"The big guy got captured at the invasion. We overheard some guards saying there were war prisoners and a Freedom Fighter coming in at dawn," Sokka said as he approached.
"Pip," Jet breathed. "Wait, you knew he was at the invasion too and you didn't say anything?!"
"Like I told Zuko," Sokka defended, "There were a lot of people there, okay!"
"Jet," Smellerbee interrupted. "We can't leave him behind."
"No," Jet agreed as he turned to Smellerbee and Longshot. "You guys go, I'll stay behind for Pipsqueak."
"We can't leave you either," Smellerbee protested, then Longshot laid his hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to look to him.
"Longshot, can you carry her?" Jet asked, and Longshot nodded.
"No!" Smellerbee protested again. "We just found you again and –"
"Bee," Longshot murmured, interrupting her. "He's our leader. We have to trust him." He nodded to Jet, who looked prideful and dumbfounded all in one. Jet could always count on Longshot.
"I'll be fine Bee," Jet said, then smiled as reassuringly as he could. "You guys get to safety. You're injured, you need the easy way out."
"Damn you, Jet," Smellerbee said, then hugged him tight. "Be careful, okay?"
"You got it," Jet said.
"You go. You've been here long enough," Sokka said to Suki.
"I'm not leaving without you Sokka," she argued.
"I'm staying too," Zuko said, catching Jet's gaze. Jet didn't particularly like that, but there wasn't much he could do besides nod. Zuko wasn't in his gang, he couldn't order him around.
"If we're all done cuddling," Chit Sang said, "Let's roll."
The four staying gave their last farewells and waited for the gondola to creep across the wires. Jet's foot tapped in impatience, Zuko waiting behind him, Suki holding Sokka's hand as his eyes glued to the immovable object.
That's when a hair-raising alarm rang through the prison. The four's hearts sank, and they all looked to one another.
"The plan failed. They're caught!" Sokka said solemnly. "Look! The gondola's moving. This is it. If they're not there, we've risked everything for nothing."
Jet swallowed the lump in his throat, waiting for the damned gondola to fucking get there already. Shit, shit, shit.
The gondola's doors opened, and one by one, the prisoners exited. Not him… not him… not him, fucking not him.
Then, when all hope was lost, second to last before Hakoda, came Pipsqueak. The Not-So-Gentle Giant. The Gang... was back.