a/n I would first like to apologize for the lateness. This is ridiculously late and I'm very sorry! I became extremely busy with work and was unable to write. I really would like to establish a 7-10 day update (like I previously said… because that worked out this time… ), so if you can just bear with me.
Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/ or is now following this story! The response has been phenomenal and continues to be motivation for me to write. I have some pretty exciting plans for this story, so I'm eager to hear what you think about future chapters (and this one of course).

Disclaimer: I do not own AtLA, but I'd like to

~Chapter 3~

-Katara-

Overall, her fellow staffers looked like a great crew. Earlier she had entertained the idea of sitting next to Zuko during the intros, but in the end she thought, it'd be too awkward. Thankfully, Jet had wasted no time in inviting her to sit next to him. As he stood and introduced himself to everyone, she took in his physique. He was tall, about a head taller than she was. He also had a lean build, dark unruly hair, and a crooked smile. She glanced over at Zuko in time to see him scowl. She didn't have long to wonder why, before Jet took his seat back beside her.
"Now that we've all been introduced, how about we take a tour of the camp?" Iroh suggested and everybody got up, following his lead.
"So I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other this summer," Jet said with a grin as they headed out of the lodge.
"I guess so," she replied coyly.
"Well, I can't say I'm disappointed," he said with a wink right before Iroh started talking.
"Over here is the boys' bathroom," Iroh said, gesturing to the first building on their right. "And on the other side," he gestured to their left, "is the girls' bathroom." Iroh continued walking down the path, "Following the bathrooms are the cabins for the counselors and then the cabins for the campers. The counselor cabins can sleep six and the campers' cabins can sleep eight each. Oh, and just so we're clear," he stopped walking to face them, "The boys sleep on this side and the girls sleep on that side. Neither camper nor staffer will be exempt from this rule. Understood?" Everyone nodded and Iroh seemed pleased.

The group followed Iroh down to the lakeside and on a new path along the lake's shore.
"This path leads to the docks, canoe shed, swimming area, and so forth." He explained. Sure enough, the path opened up into a large sandy beach. Two sections of the lake were roped off for swimming. A deep end and a shallow end she assumed. "We do have a wood burning sauna; however, for safety reasons a counselor has to be in there at all times with campers." Iroh said as he pointed to a small building set off the beach and in the trees. "Zuko?"
"Uh-huh?" Zuko replied, surprisingly close to her. She was so busy absorbing the scenery and listening to Iroh, she hadn't realized he was right behind her.
"Do you remember how to work the sauna?"
"Yes Uncle," Zuko confirmed.
"Good! I'll have you run that then," Iroh smiled before turning back around and following the path into the trees. "This trail loops around behind the main lodge. Along the way, we'll see a few outbuildings where we'll have the basket weaving and the arts and crafts. Outdoor survival will be, naturally, taught outside." He chuckled at himself and led the way.

From the back of the procession, she looked around at the camp and at the other staffers. Zuko walked in front of her now while Ty chattered on. Katara watched as he nodded occasionally, but mainly walked straight ahead. She could faintly hear Sokka animatedly talking to the girl he had been sitting next to. Suki maybe? Whoever she was, Katara caught glimpses of her smiling at whatever Sokka was saying. Katara could only catch a few words, something about last year and sneak attacks.
"So," Jet said to her. As soon as he spoke, she noticed Zuko stiffen. "That's your brother right?" Jet asked, nodding towards Sokka.
"Yeah," she confirmed, "What about you?" she asked, "Have any siblings?" Jet smiled ruefully.
"Nope," he answered, "My parents died before they could have any more kids." Katara's eyes widened in horror.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, Jet! I-" Before she could apologize further he interrupted.
"It's okay Katara. You didn't know," he shrugged, "How could you?" She still felt like shit. A part of her felt obligated to tell him about her parents, but the group had stopped and Iroh started talking.
"This trail here leads up to the more mountainous part of the camp. We won't be hiking up there today, but you'll have the chance before the campers come. Once during camp, we'll take the campers up there so they can sleep in real tents. There's also some rock face up there that is perfect for climbing." Ty cringed slightly and Iroh must have noticed for he quickly added, "Don't worry if you've never belayed someone before, it's one of the skills you'll learn this week. It's a little past noon right now. Perhaps you'd all like to swing by the lodge to grab your stuff and settle in?" There was a murmured agreement and Iroh smiled. "Onward then. We'll take the shortcut."

An awkward silence had come between Jet and her. Everyone else seemed content enough chatting, but she wasn't sure what to say to him next. He had revealed a rather deep part of himself. Should she reciprocate? Should she let it go? In the end, he made the choice.
"I've always loved the water," he said, thankfully stopping the awkwardness. She hadn't really noticed they had a view of the lake from the trail. It was truly beautiful.
"Me too," she agreed, "I was-" Iroh interrupted.
"I just wanted to point out the trail to the little amphitheater. That's where we'll hold campfires and some other activities." He informed them, "Anyways, carry on." She had to smile. Iroh was just so lovable. There was no other way to describe him. He was the uncle everybody seemed to want.
"Anyways…" Jet said, "What were you about to say?"
"Oh, just that I was practically raised on the water." She paused, deciding how much more to say, "We uh… We used to go sailing all the time when I was a kid."
"Really?" he asked, smiling.
"Yeah, either that or we'd go canoeing or fishing. Sokka likes to think he's a good fisherman, but I was the one to catch Big Nick."
"Big Nick?" Jet repeated with a laugh. She then launched into the story of Big Nick. The famous fish that lived in the lake they used to frequent. It was a funny story. One of the last happy memories she had of her family.

Before she knew it, they were walking back into the main lodge. She was telling him the story how she once caused Sokka's "watch tower" to collapse on him, when Ty bounced over.
"Ready to set up our cabin?" she asked, carrying a pink duffel bag and backpack.
"Uh sure," Katara replied, picking up her things, "I'll talk to you later Jet."
"Yeah, see ya," he smiled and swung his one bag over his shoulder. With a tug to her elbow, Ty reclaimed Katara's attention.
"Come on," Ty smiled and started skipping for the door, "Suki just headed down. You guys can choose first, they're all the same to me."
"Cool, thanks," Katara replied.
"Last year there were four of us, so I shared my bunk with this one girl. But since there are three of us and three bunks, we each get our own bunk, which is awesome, not that I would mind sharing again! I'm just so happy to be back!" Katara smiled. Ty's joy was contagious.
"I'm looking forward to working here," Katara replied, "This place is amazing!"
"It totally is!" Ty agreed, "This first week will be so much fun getting to know everyone!" Ty continued to talk as they walked out the door, heading down to their new summer home.

-Zuko-

It was going to be a long summer. When he first saw Katara (after getting over his initial shock), he was sure the summer would be exciting and maybe even fun; however, it seemed like Jet had other plans. If Jet thinks he can just cut in and- wait what the fuck am I saying? Zuko shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Was he… jealous? Impossible. He just saw Katara again for the first time in ten years not to mention he had just gotten out of a relationship. It wasn't like he had any "claim" to Katara nor did he think such a thing was right. If she wanted to hang out with Jet…good for her… Deep down he knew he was just lying to himself.

He let out a frustrated groan from his corner.
"Having troubles with the bedding?" Jet asked from another bunk. Oh, fuck off. Zuko wanted to reply, but instead he just grunted. He honestly didn't care about some stupid mattress cover. He once tried to suggest that staffers just use a sleeping bag like the campers, but his uncle had turned down the idea. Something about how a proper night's sleep is deserved after a proper day's work or a peaceful day starts with peaceful sleep or something. Right now, he wasn't feeling too peaceful because the stupid sheets weren't cooperating (it'd probably help if he had actually been paying attention…). Eventually he got them on.

By the time he got all his bedding on the lower bunk, Jet had already cleared out. Faintly Zuko could hear a girl laughing. Was it Katara? He didn't know and he definitely didn't care. There were footsteps up onto the small cabin porch and Zuko turned to see Sokka approach.
"Hey," Sokka said with a nod.
"Hey," Zuko replied. They didn't say anything else for a moment. Sokka dumped his things on the floor by the last bunk, the one next to the door.
"So…uh… What's new?" Sokka asked as he started to unzip his duffel bag. Zuko shrugged. So much had changed.
"Not much," he finally replied.
"How's your sister doing?"
"She's good, working at a self-defense school over the summer."
"Little 'Zula?" Sokka asked with a surprised grin. Zuko chuckled. He had almost forgotten her little nick name.
"Yeah," he agreed, "Don't tell her I said so, but she's quite the badass." Sokka laughed.
"I won't," he smiled, "How'd she get into that anyways?" The humor drained from Zuko instantly. It wasn't something he liked to think about. Sokka picked up on the change in mood. "Never mind," he quickly said, "so Iroh is your uncle? I bet that was pretty great." A small smile stretched onto Zuko's face. "Seriously, though, the guy is hilarious. I don't understand about half of his metaphors or whatever, but he's so great."
"You're right, that's very true," Zuko nodded, smiling in earnest now. Uncle had always been a great example when Zuko was growing up. Uncle was much more or a fatherly figure than Zuko's own dad had been. "So…" Zuko continued, distracting himself from thoughts of his father, "Did you work the same positions last year?"
"Yeah, it worked out really well for me last year. I really enjoy creating stuff with the kiddos."
"Nice,"
"You like to work with the kiddos too I hear. Iroh talked a lot about you." Sokka explained.
"Really? I'm sorry about that man."
"No, it's cool. Most of the stories were pretty funny, mainly little stories of your time at camp both as a kid and just two years ago." What stories could Uncle have possibly told them? He shuddered at the thought.
"Do I even want to know?" he asked. God I hope he didn't tell them about the skinny-dipping incident…
"Uh…probably not," Sokka grinned and turned back to his sheets.

Zuko chucked his duffel bag and backpack up onto the top bunk. When he needed his clothes or something he'd just crawl up and get them. He turned to look at the other corner of the room where Jet had set up. He had also chosen to sleep on the bottom bunk. A large black blanket hung down from the top bunk to curtain the bottom. Why? Zuko didn't know. In the other front corner, Sokka was just finishing laying out his blankets. All the bunks were set the long side against the wall, which made making the beds a little tricky. Tucked into the fourth and farthest corner of the room was a square wooden table with six chairs on the available two sides. The campers didn't have this table. Instead, they had an extra bunk.

How many summers had he slept in this cabin? Three? This would be his…fourth? Sounded right. The place didn't feel as homey as it once had. His eyes drifted back to Jet's bunk for a moment before he tore his gaze away. Whatever. He thought. He just had to work with the guy for the next 3 weeks. Simple, he thought sarcastically.
"I guess everyone else is up at the main lodge," Sokka said, tossing his bags up on the top bunk like Zuko had.
"Yeah I guess so," Zuko replied, "It must be almost 1pm? Lunch is probably almost ready."
"Food?!" Sokka exclaimed, "Let's go!" They were out the door in moments.

-Katara-

After getting her bunk set up, she helped Suki arrange the tables in the main lodge (Ty needed a little more time settling in). Together, they pushed two of the square tables together and set out the benches all around.
"There," Suki smiled, "now we don't have to share benches this time."
"What about Iroh?" Katara asked, noticing there wasn't room for him then.
"He's going to be in the kitchen most of the time." Suki replied, "He's probably already eaten."
"Ah, I see. Did you help make this lunch?"
"Nope," Suki shook her head, "I'll probably go over the menu with Iroh tonight or something so I can start cooking tomorrow. Luckily, this camp isn't as big as the last camp I worked at; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to keep up. Well, at least, not without an assistant."
"Ah! So how'd you find out about this place?"
"My parents own a cabin on this lake," Suki explained, "I used to come to Lake Unagi as a kid."
"Very nice. I just heard about it from Sokka and I can't remember how he found this place…" It seemed like a hell of a coincidence that this was the camp Zuko's Uncle ran.
"Well," Suki smiled, "I'm glad you're here."
"Aww, thank you," Katara replied, genuinely touched, "I'm glad to be here too." Being there was much better than being at home brooding about her father. This summer may have been just what she needed.

It wasn't too long before the rest of the staffers began filing into the main lodge.
"MEAT!" Sokka hollered when he caught the smell of barbeque pork coming from the kitchen. Everyone laughed, Iroh's booming laugh loudest of all. The kitchen was along the back wall of the lodge with a large counter and some partial walls separating them. Already spread out on the counter were plates, buns, veggies, chips, and a few pitchers of water.
"Well," Iroh said as he sat a large pot on a heater pad, "With that, lunch is ready!"

At least Sokka had the grace not to sprint to the counter. He took a more leisurely jaunt, but was still first in line (not that anyone tried to stand in his way). Katara became third in line, behind Ty.
"Hey," someone said behind her and she turned to see Jet. She hadn't seen him since they split off to arrange their cabins.
"Hey," she smiled back.
"What one did you pick?" he asked.
"Huh?"
"Which bunk in the cabin," he clarified as he reached past her to grab two plates. He handed her one.
"Oh thank you," she replied as she accepted the plastic beige, "I took the top bunk in the far corner." She set her plate down to pull open a bun.
"Nice, that's the one Zuko picked."
"Really?" She didn't know why this surprised her. She glanced behind her to the end of the short line where Zuko stood.
"Yep," Jet confirmed before leaning in conspiratorially, "He's a really cheery fellow." She laughed once in spite of herself, but followed it with a playful smack to Jet's chest. She could feel his skinny, yet firm body briefly underneath his shirt. She diverted her attention back to filling her plate before she could say or do something stupid.

After she finished making her plate, she took a seat at the table along one of the long sides. Sokka was digging into his sandwich at the end seat closest to the kitchen. Figures, she thought with a small headshake. Her brother was a goofball, but of course, he was her goofball.

Ty snagged the seat on Katara's other side and with Suki beside Sokka that left Zuko sitting across from her. She caught him glancing up at her once and smiled back. Immediately he looked away and the tips of his ears turned pink. She frowned slightly. But soon Jet was leading the conversation and she focused on him and the other staffers.

Jet first started talking about himself, but then moved on to why he decided to work on the waterfront.
"What about you?" Jet asked suddenly, pointing a finger towards Zuko, "Always teach survival?" She saw Zuko's jaw tighten slightly before he spoke.
"Sort of," he replied cryptically. When everyone kept looking at him, he sighed and continued, "When my Uncle first started this camp I did all kinds of odd jobs. Sure, I was only like 13, but still. I started doing survival a few years ago. The last time I was here I did survival and I helped out a lot on the waterfront actually."
"Really?" Jet asked, "Well," he pressed on, "What made you choose survival in the first place?" Zuko blanched, but Jet didn't seem to notice and continued to stare expectantly at Zuko. She could tell Zuko was uncomfortable.
"Jet…" she started to say, but Zuko spoke and interrupted her.
"No it's fine." He quickly said before taking a deep breath, "I chose survival because I like to know that I can survive on my own." Jet seemed pleased that he got a response.
"Neat." He replied before turning the conversation towards Sokka who magically got everyone else laughing.

Katara wasn't really paying attention to who was talking anymore; instead, she kept glancing at Zuko. He seemed on edge ever since Jet's interrogating. She wanted to talk to him, but there hadn't been a good time when they wouldn't be overheard. She just wanted a few moments alone with her former best friend. She always used to be able to tell him anything and vice versa. At the time, he seemed like the only one who understood her and listened. But had too much time past? She didn't need them to be best buddies like they had been; even though it'd be nice, she would settle for just being friends to some degree. She hoped he wanted that too.

a/n I hoped you liked the update! Mainly I'm trying to flesh out the characters in this stage. I hope you think it's going okay so far. I'd greatly appreciate a review and thank you so much for reading!