A. N. : Understanding something gives people the illusion of control and can help with a lot of fears. On a whole other note, I am currently on holiday away from home, so updates might not be quite as regular as usual.

Zuko doesn't know what to do.

After that first evening, he went out with the Freedom Fighters a few more times. He's come to await them with impatience – it is fun to be with them, even if all they do is eat and talk and walk through the city like they own the streets. It's fun and Zuko loves listening to their stories, feels comfortable with them – he's even starting to understand Longshot's small quirks, his slight smiles, the way his brows raise when Jet says something stupid.

He likes them.

And that's the problem, really. Because Zuko is getting attached, attached to this life, attached to these people, as if he can afford it, as if the situation with Lin wasn't already confusing enough.

He's beginning to feel happier here than he did back home, and that's not how it's supposed to be, he should hate this city, he should be thinking about capturing the Avatar, about getting his honor back, not – not having fun with orphans and caring lovingly for a war baby.

Said baby is on the ground near the table, chewing a piece of leather Zuko got from Smellerbee – where she found it, now that's a really good question.

Someone is knocking on the door.

Jet has his usual grin plastered on his face, and the ever present stupid wheat in his mouth. And it's way too early in the afternoon for him to be free, what on earth is he doing here ?

And Jet laughs, and his boss got in trouble with the Dai Li and got arrested, so he has nothing to do and how about Zuko – Li – comes to town with him to do whatever they feel like doing and – Lin giggles and rolls on her back.

And Jet freezes and he didn't forget about her, did he, and he awkwardly looks to the side, as is wishing he could just disappear.

Zuko says he can't leave Lin on her own, and it's so obvious why is he even – Jet won't leave because he's not the type to back off in front of anything, even when he definitely wants to, and Zuko tries to think up something, and excuse, so that Jet won't have to stay here because of his stupid pride, so that Lin won't be in danger –

Jet swallows. Closes his eyes. Opens them. Exhales. He asks if Zuko – Li – has a bucket of water, and his smile is so weak – so far from his usual smirk.

Zuko stills for a second, before getting it.

They sit around the table, Zuko next to Lin, and Jet so close to the basin he's almost in it.

A bit of small talk, Jet explains the whole thing with his boss and damn are the Dai Li effective no wonder everyone's scared of them thank the spirits they're on the good side of the war –

Zuko gets up to make some tea.

And he knows he's far from being as good a brewer as Uncle, but Jet makes such a face after taking a sip that it's kind of humiliating. Jet probably notices his frown, because he drinks some more and adds that he's had much worse in the past, like the time a squirrel-frog put its eggs in his stock of water and he didn't realize until after it was in his mouth.

Zuko isn't sure he's supposed to feel comforted by that, but he feels more curious about Jet's story. He hasn't heard all that much about Jet's past, just that he somehow took care of Longshot and Smellerbee.

Jet leans backwards. Closes his eyes. And he starts telling.

He tells about how he took refuge in the forest after his village burned down. How he survived the first months through sheer luck alone. How he slowly learned important skills. How he almost starved a few times anyway.

How he found his first kid, whose parents had been killed for revolting. How he eventually got a bunch of orphans following him, trusting him to help them survive. How Longshot only learned how to talk after he joined them because his mother never opened her mouth again after what had happened to her. How he met Smellerbee, who had run away from her drunkard father because she didn't want to end up like her mother. How she started wearing war paint so the youngest kids would stop asking about her battered face. How one day he found a giant covered in burns holding a little kid. How they never figured out if they were related of if Pipsqueak had just grabbed the first child he saw before running away.

How it didn't matter anyway, because they were all a big family.

How they all counted on him and how he let them down.

How he forgot there were children on both sides.

He doesn't give more details about that last part, but Zuko can imagine what he means – the memory of the station is still vivid in his mind.

And it's horrifying. But what's even worse is – Song and Li and Lin and Jet and all these kids, there's so many and yet Jet can name all of them, and this is the war, this is how it's fought, this is the greatness of the Fire Nation and if father knew –

He wouldn't care.

And shit he wants to cry and to say how sorry he is for everything his people did – still do and he thinks of Kyoshi island and he did that too – but he can't, because Jet doesn't know, can't know, because Zuko can't die yet.

Jet doesn't say anything, doesn't ask anything either when he sees Zuko's face contort into a pained expression. Lin makes a noise and he almost jumps into the bucket.

Zuko looks at Lin, at Jet, at the basin. And it makes so much sense, that Jet would be afraid of fire, or at least of benders, and Zuko wishes he were able to help, to help set this one thing right, but he can't erase those memories, doesn't want to because they are what makes up Jet, so he does the only thing he can think of – he takes Lin in his arms and explains.

He explains that Lin is a baby and therefore can only make sparks. That the sparks happen when she is angry, frustrated, extremely happy, or sometimes when she sneeze – Jet raises his eyebrows at that. That, really, nothing will happen so long as there isn't anything flammable near her and, yes, wheat is flammable. She can't make a big fire if someone watches over her and doesn't fuck up.

Lin is like a candle. A very small flame that you can't leave alone.

And Jet looks at her – really looks at her – for the first time since the station. He still looks a bit tense, but not ready to kill something.

He smiles sadly, and nods.

And maybe Zuko can help fix something, for once.