I'm following the storyline as close as I can, but with a Jet twist ~ I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

"Ugh – even after eleven showers, I still feel that disgusting slime!" Jet says as a way of greeting his grumpy sovereign, "Hey, I did get all of it didn't I?"

The Prince turns his head, Jet being on his left, and eyes the other; Jet can't help but puff up a little underneath his gaze, "Yeah."

"Great ~ !" Jet beams, facing the horizon, "So, when are we getting to this port of yours?"

"Soon."

"How soon?" the taller teen asks, "I feel like this tin can's gonna fall apart any second now."

"We'll get there."

"Ooh ~ someone's a little angry." Jet teases, elbowing the Prince, "What's the problem now my Princely Pain in the Ass? Is it that time of the month again?"

"Shut up!" Zuko finally snaps, his eyes are livid – they remind him of the time the Prince had slapped him, it certainly feels like it, "The Avatar is alive and has escaped me! I don't have time for you or your antics right now, Lion-Heart!"

Watching the grim-faced Prince stare out across the vast oceanic horizon, Jet glares at the waves washing up against the hull of the ship. The other teen was going to lock himself back up within his own world as he'd done many times before when his hope of finding the Avatar had worn thin. As Zuko's friend – only friend really – he was going to make sure the volcanic Prince wouldn't hide from them (him specifically) or neglect his own well-being. He understood what it was like to be driven near the edge by a single minded purpose. Mentally preparing himself, he grabs Zuko's arm and spins the Prince until he's facing him, Zuko looks equally surprised and angry, Jet can feel the eyes of the crew watching them in silent tension for no one dared to touch the moody teenager in such a manner unless they wanted an earful or a fireball to the face:

"I've stayed at your side for years, through thick and thin. And I've allowed myself to overlook certain attitude problems because I care about you, but that does not mean you can talk to me like I'm one of your servants." Jet snarls quietly, he's close enough he can feel the heat radiating off the Prince, "I'm your friend and as your friend I'm looking out for you whether you like it or not. We're equals in this and I'm not going to let you push me away. Got it."

Zuko remains silent, eyes wide in shock before he huffs and looks away, "Fine," he growls irritably but Jet can see something soft in his eyes, he thinks he's going to make the biggest mistake of his life until Zuko speaks again, "Whatever you say, Lion-Heart."

"Prince Zuko!" the helmsman calls out, Jet pulls away with a rush as the spell is broken, Zuko only looks up at the sound of his name not realizing how close his first kiss was about to be stolen by his self-proclaimed friend, "We're nearing the harbor!"

"Finally." Zuko mutters, he walks away from Jet, "I'll fetch Uncle Iroh."

"You do that." Jet grumbles, he leans against the railing of the ship, ears picking up on the sound of footsteps approaching him, too heavy to be Zuko's, he sighs, "If you have any problems, you can tell Prince Zuko yourself. I'm tired of playing the go-between."

"It isn't that," Jet realizes the man is one of Zuko's firebenders, "It's about what you did," Jet arches a brow, "Not many would be brave enough to go against or dare touch the Prince unless they wanted to be thrown overboard, or worse, condemned to cleaning duty."

Jet snickers, "Yeah, well what can I say ~ I'm a glutton for punishment."

The man chuckles, "It would appear so."

The Earth Kingdom teen pulls his hood and secures his facemask when he spots the two Princes exiting the ship's towers, he fixes the article of clothing so it obscures the view of his eyes, he stands idly by as both Zuko and Iroh stop at the front of the ship, he spots some of the men nodding their approval of his recent rebellion against the Prince – it's no secret upon the ship that he was the only one to really go after the angry Prince when he was raging and come out virtually unharmed. Some small hopeful part of Jet liked to think that Zuko held some kind of soft spot for him, as in, more than friends. The hissing of the walkway's release captures his attention, double checking to make sure he had his hidden daggers within the sleeves of his cloth bracers, he follows the two firebenders off the damaged ship. Trailing behind Zuko, Jet can't help but stare at the way Zuko's armor hugs his slim abdomen – twirling the wheat stem he'd swiped from the kitchen within his mouth, he finds his thoughts taking a shameful turn for the worst – his poncho wasn't long enough to hide his crotch region as he felt the familiar tingling of an erection begin to start, until he hears someone speak:

"Captain Zhao."

"Its Commander now." hums the aforementioned man, Jet narrows his eyes at the suspicious man, "And General Iroh, great hero of our Nation."

"Retired General now." Iroh states cordially, "And congratulations on the promotion."

"Of course and thank you," Zhao counters, his eyes finally land on Jet, "Ah, and this must be Lion-Heart. My, it has been quite a while since we last met."

"Sure has," Jet frowns, "Ever since your top-knot had mysteriously been cut off if I remember right. I see its grown back."

"It has." Zhao replies in ill-disguised disdain, he looks to the Princes, "The Fire Lord's brother, son, and son's pet are always welcomed at my harbor. What brings you here?"

Jet bears his teeth, Iroh steps forth, he gestures towards their ship, "Our ship is being repaired."

"I see," Zhao rumbles, "That's quite a bit of damage."

"Yes," Zuko starts in a little too quickly, "You won't believe what happened. Uncle. Tell Commander Zhao what happened."

"O-oh right, I will do that." Iroh fumbles, Jet wants to smack himself, "It was incredible," the elder firebender begins before leaning towards his nephew, "What? Did we crash or something?"

"Yes." Zuko emphasizes,

Jet decides to save the two and steps in, "We came across a rather large sea serpent while we were traveling in the arctic seas, we managed to take it down but not before the ship had sustained some damage."

"I believe I was asking the Princes," Zhao narrows his eyes, "Not their bodyguard."

"And I believe you aren't a part of the royal family." Jet growls threateningly, "No one would care if I were to - ,"

"Lion-Heart!" Iroh snaps, Jet growls heatedly but his eyes never leave Zhao's, "That is enough!"

"I believe a member of the royal family has given you and order, Lion-Heart." Zhao begins mockingly, "You mustn't play favorites amongst your charges, that is, unless, Prince Zuko has been more generous in showing his gratitude."

The seventeen year old charges past the two sovereigns, a dagger in hand and pressed firmly against the Commander's throat, "You're sick."

"Am I?" Zhao smirks, "It wouldn't be too far a stretch. You two were always glued to each other's side – it truly is a shame you hadn't taken to the Princess, the Fire Nation would have been unstoppable. Instead, you're loyalty has you stuck wandering the world in search of some myth that no longer exists."

"That's enough!" Zuko shouts, Jet tries not to flinch but Zhao picks up on it, "I am the Prince and I will not be insulted in such a manner, Commander!"

"I apologize, Prince Zuko, I merely lost myself." Zhao's eyes are still trained on Jet a second longer before they flit to Zuko, "Allow me to make up for my rudeness by offering a drink."

Zuko growls, "Sorry, but we have to go."

Jet sheathes his dagger and is ready to follow when he hears Iroh speak, "Prince Zuko. You must be the bigger man and show Commander Zhao your respect." Iroh's voice lowers, "All three of us would be honored to join you." Jet watches the two men walk away, he feels a muscle spasm, "Do you have ginseng tea by any chance?"

Following the two men angrily, he can hear Zuko's frustrated growl behind them and the telltale sound of fire being summoned.

oOo

"And by year's end, the Earth Kingdom Capital will be under our rule." some time during their war talk, Jet had gravitated towards the weapon's rack, doing his best to behave after receiving a lecture from Iroh, "The Fire Lord will finally claim victory in this war."

"If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then his is a fool."

A surge of pride shoots through Jet as he expertly stops the twirl of the spear he was playing with, the feeling is short lived when he sees Zhao sit beside Zuko, "Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue. So," Jet's grip on the wooden pole tightens when he sees the older man lean closer to the Prince, "How is your search for the Avatar going?"

Gritting his teeth, Jet uses the wooden end of his spear to knock over the weapons rack, the same one Iroh was currently browsing.

CRASH.

All eyes in the room, minus Zuko's, fall on Iroh as he slowly steps away, "Eh – my fault, entirely."

Zhao meets Jet's glare, a knowing look in his eyes, Zuko finally speaks, "We haven't found him yet."

"Did you really expect to?" Zhao snorts, turning from his glaring contest with Jet, "The Avatar died a hundred years ago, along with the rest of the airbenders." Zuko's expression changes minutely, Zhao seems to pick up on it, "Unless you've found some evidence that says otherwise."

"No." Zuko stresses, turning away from the man's imploring gaze, "Nothing."

"Prince Zuko, the Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war. If you have an ounce of loyalty left, you'll tell me what you know."

"And if you had an ounce of loyalty," Jet starts irritably, "You wouldn't be questioning your Prince."

"Lion-Heart." Iroh warns, taking the spear from his hold.

"I don't know anything other than what we've all heard." Zuko growls, glaring momentarily at Jet and Iroh before meeting Zhao's eyes, "It's like you said, the Avatar probably died a long time ago." he stands and Jet feels a weight lift off his shoulders, "Come on Uncle, Lion-Heart, we're going."

They start for the door when a soldier slips through and the guards block the way with their spears, on high alert, the wild teen grabs his shuang gou and stands at ready, his eyes switching from guard to guard then to the man that had just entered.

"Commander Zhao, we've interrogated the crew as you've instructed," Jet growls as he hears the man's words, "They confirmed that Prince Zuko had the Avatar in custody but let him escape."

"Now, remind me again," Zhao hums, he draws near but Jet stays put, weapons crossed warningly, the man relents but he's smirking, "How exactly was your ship damaged, Prince Zuko?"

After delivering a couple bruises, a few broken noses, and a split lip later, Jet's held securely in place as Zuko's forced to recount the tale, which in Jet's opinion, needs a little more work:

"So a twelve year old boy bested you and your firebenders," Zhao frowns, "You even have Lion-Heart here at your disposal. You're more pathetic than I thought."

"I underestimated him once!" Zuko hisses, "But it won't happen again!"

"No it will not!" Zhao snaps, "Because you won't have a second chance."

"Commander Zhao," Zuko begins, "I've been hunting the Avatar for two years and - !"

"And failed!" Zhao sweeps his arm outward, a trail of fire following, "Capturing the Avatar is far too important a task to leave in the hands of a teenager. He's mine now." Zuko shouts as he lunges at the older man only to be stopped short, "Keep them here."

The trio watches the Commander make his exit, once the tent flap shuts, Zuko kicks over the small table that held the cups and the tea, Jet is released and all is silent until Iroh raises his cup and speaks:

"More tea please."

oOo

"All I'm saying is I could kill these guys and we'd be outta here quicker." the guards tense noticeably and Jet throws in a sinister grin, "It's been a while since I'd killed last."

Zuko scoffs, "I doubt it'd be faster since they already heard what you're planning to do."

Iroh sighs, "I truly worry about you two sometimes."

The guards remove their spears from blocking the entrance just as Zhao steps in, Jet perks up, "Hey look ~ the Commander has finally decided to grace us with his presence!"

Zhao narrows his eyes but he otherwise ignores Jet, "My search party is ready, once I'm out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship and you will be free to go."

"Why?" Zuko spits, "Are you worried I'm going to try and stop you?"

"Of you?" Zhao laughs, "No, my only real challenge is Lion-Heart here but you have him whipped like a well-trained tiger-dillo."

"I'll show you - !"

"Don't underestimate me Zhao!" Zuko interrupts Jet's outburst, glaring the older man down, "I will capture the Avatar before you!"

"Prince Zuko," Iroh stands, "That's enough."

"You can't compete with me. I have hundreds of warships under my command, and you, you're just a banished Prince; no home, no allies. Your own father doesn't even want you."

"You're wrong!" Zuko snaps, "Once I capture the Avatar, my father will welcome me home with honor and restore my rightful place on the throne."

"If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now, Avatar or not." Jet knows how this will go down, "In his eyes you are a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation."

"That's not true!"

Then Zhao said something none, not even Jet, dared say to Zuko's face, "You have the scar to prove it."

The guttural growl that escapes the Prince awakened something in Jet, something carnal, "Maybe you'd like one to match!"

"Is that a challenge?"

"An Agni Kai." Zuko growls, "At sunset."

"Very well." Zhao straightens up, "It's a shame your father won't be here to see me humiliate you." he turns, "I suppose you're Uncle and friend will have to do. And please, keep your pet in line."

Jet watches as Zhao and his guards exit the tent, he turns to Zuko but Iroh speaks up:

"Prince Zuko, you remember the last time you dueled a master?"

"I will never forget."

"Hey," Jet sidles up beside Zuko, "I'm sure you'll beat him."

oOo

They're allowed to ready and talk with Zuko before they're led to an open rectangular building where Zhao awaits their arrival, Jet watches as the two kneel in a familiar fashion to Zuko's original Agni Kai, Iroh gives the teen one last piece of advice while Jet gives him a simple thumbs up.

"I refuse to let him win." Zuko growls as he turns, the cloth falling from his shoulders.

Both participants are facing one another, both in firebending stances, but its Zuko who makes the first move, each burst of fire he sends at his opponent is blocked almost too easily in an almost showy fashion:

Iroh shouts beside him, "Basics Zuko! Break his root!"

After this is said, Zhao begins firing back, each blast stronger than Zuko's own, pushing the Prince back a step, Jet feels a familiar coldness creep over him as the final blast knocks the Prince flat on his back, Jet panics, his entire body is tense.

"Fire-Bird!" he steps forward, hand on the hilt of his sword but he's stopped by Iroh.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he watches as Zhao shoots a burst of fire at Zuko, he hears his friend gasp – time slows as it had when it had been Ozai firing the shot – at the last second he pushes himself up and swings his legs outward, successfully surprising Zhao. Jet can't help but grin. Now on his feet, he sends wave after wave of fire at the man's feet forcing him to step back, the final wave pushes the man back. Zuko stands before Zhao in a firebending stance:

"Do it!" Zhao shouts.

A burst of flame erupts from Zuko's fist, at first, Jet thinks the Prince may have burned Zhao, but as Zuko straightens up, he sees the smoldering blackened spot beside the man's head. As the two share words, both Jet and Iroh near Zuko in time, for Zhao tries to hit Zuko as his back is turned. Both teenagers watch as Iroh shoves the defeated firebender back, Jet's hand subconsciously holding Zuko's arm as he tries to rush at the other:

"So this is how the Great Commander Zhao acts in defeat. Disgraceful." Iroh frowns, "Even in exile, my Nephew is more honorable than you. Thanks again for the tea, it was delicious."

As they're exiting the arena, Jet still can't bring himself to stray too far from Zuko who finally speaks, "Did you really mean that Uncle?"

"Of course." Iroh hums, "I told you ginseng was my favorite."

"Hey!" Jet huffs, "I was the first to tell you that you had more honor than anyone else!"

Zuko only rolls his eyes, "You're the first to say anything."

"And what is this Fire-Bird business?" Iroh teases, Zuko looks horrified.

"It's Zuko's nickname," Jet blinks innocently, "I thought you knew."

The look Zuko gives him lets him know he's going to get so much flak because of that, Iroh only hums knowingly:

"It is a pretty cute nickname ~ ."

Goodness gracious – please read, review, tell me how I did.