Got a few chapters of this posted on Archive of Our Own, and tylercollinsxx I gotta say thank you so much for the review ~ it really kick-started me into thinking up chapter 22 of Walking Disaster so hopefully that will be up sometime soon ~ ! I was going to say something else to go along with this, but I forgot – I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

Eyes trained heavily upon the trio talking happily amongst themselves, Jet surreptitiously maneuvers Aang's glider closer and closer until he's able to puncture the paper-thin fabric, the incision is hardly noticeable unless one were to look long and hard at the relic, but long enough to create a few issues for the airbender if he took to the skies. Snatching the recently bought map, he stuffs it within his shirt and smoothes his clothes out. Grabbing the leather situated to his scabbard, he throws the strap over his head and fixes the sheath momentarily before jumping from the bison's saddle, landing with expert silence behind Katara:

"My hometown isn't too far from here," he begins, keeping the right amount of despondence in his voice, "Can we - ?"

"Of course we can." Katara assures gently, she's looking up at him, "I promised you that we would make time, and I keep my promises, Jet."

"We could go now ~ !" Aang beams as he jumps to his feet, he falters a second later, "Wait, where's - ?" not a second later, they hear the shrieks of the lemur. "Hang on buddy!" Aang shouts, "I'm coming!"

Aang takes off for the direction he heard his pet's wails leaving the rest to catch up, Sokka gesturing for the others to follow, without protest or hesitation, Jet allows himself to follow and be led by the crock of a warrior – staring at the oranges and reds of the forest, the brunette gives himself a moment of respite and retreats into his mind. According to the map, they were only a handful of miles away from the rendezvous point which meant he only had to trudge on for a few more hours before he was able to finally breathe, to stand in his rightful place at the Prince's side.

The Prince seems to have taken extra precautions to keep you loyal.

Prince Zuko would never sell himself if that's what you're getting at, Zhao.

I bet you get off on the scraps of attention he tosses your way, like a starved tiger-dillo.

"Jet?"

Visibly startling from his inner battle with the Zhao-like voice in his head, he swivels his attention to the worried waterbender currently looking at him, a kind of clear-cut concern in her wide, blue eyes.

"What?"

"Are you – okay?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well," Katara fiddles with her fingers, "Ever since we escaped Prince Zuko, you've been – spacing out a lot."

"Have I?" Jet blinks, he casts his gaze to the backs of Aang and Sokka, "I – haven't really noticed."

"Listen Jet," Katara places a gentle hand upon his arm, the tawny boy stops alongside the girl, "I – I'm really sorry I got caught by Zuko, and those stupid pirates. I should have known Zuko would catch up to us sooner or later. I put all of our lives in danger for some stupid scroll that we never got back. I was selfish. And I told you never had to - ,"

A startled squeak escapes Katara's lips as Jet's own smooth over hers, her heart hammers in her chest and she wants to pull from the unexpected action, but the way that his lips press and soothe hers makes her melt. Closing her eyes, she allows and trusts Jet enough to lead. Cupping her jaw gingerly with one hand, Jet uses the other to tangle their fingers together – back when they were about to kiss before, he'd intentionally let go of the map in some desperate attempt to save his first kiss for someone special. This is an odd thing to worry about when you're someone like him. Not that Katara isn't special, in fact, she's a really amazing person and Jet could definitely see himself settling down with someone like her, someone who could calm his demons, who could talk him down, but he already has someone – only if he wasn't so hung up on the fair-skinned Prince. The very same one he'd given his kiss to instead, and subsequently stealing said royal's first kiss in the process.

Although the Prince would never look at him the way Katara does – he won't go starry-eyed, he won't crack a fluttery smile whenever Jet is near, and he won't look at him like he was something worth paying attention to. Zuko, despite being banished, was still a Prince of the Fire Nation and therefore expected to follow rules and traditions, there was no place for Jet's kind of love, and if that was so, and he knew it was, why was he still holding out?

I'm a glutton for punishment.

Removing himself tenderly from Katara's personal space, Jet has to applaud himself as he doesn't run like he wants to, instead, he rests his forehead against hers and closes his eyes, refusing to acknowledge the lodging of his heart:

"You don't need to apologize about anything, it was an honest mistake." he starts, "But we should get going before Sokka gets suspicious and comes looking for us."

"Yeah," she murmurs breathless, voice dazed and reverent, "You're right."

"I'll give you some time to yourself."'

With that as his parting words, Jet follows after the direction Aang and Sokka had disappeared to – finding both boys, he sidles quietly up to Sokka's left and watches the Avatar lower a trap which seemed to hold the missing lemur. Feeling eyes on him, he sends a quick glance in the Water Tribe boy's direction before returning to watching Aang, if there was something Sokka needed to say, then he best come out and say it, Jet was too exhausted to play these games.

"Done kissing on my sister?"

"You won't have to worry about me anymore."

Sokka narrows his eyes, "And what, I'm supposed to believe you?"

Jet finally turns his gaze to Sokka, Aang helping two other animals, "Sokka, it hurts that you still don't trust me."

The ponytailed boy rolls his eyes exaggeratedly before moving to help Aang open the trap, the way Jet had used won't instead of any other word nibbling at his suspicious mind. Katara finally makes an appearance, sending a small smile in his direction, it's pure and adoring, Jet forces himself to offer one in return despite the souring of his stomach – he would hear the voices of the village people, most were screaming and others were mockeries of their daily lives before the fire, they lit a fire deep in his gut that cried to be doused and he swore that day that he would kill every last ash-maker he met if only to silence them. But Zuko, precious naïve Zuko had tamed the fires, the voices no longer an issue, and it seemed fitting that the Fire Prince, a firebender, calmed the temper of the flames, for the first time since the death of his village, he was thinking clearly, he was free from both the sickening fire and the voices – to lose Zuko was akin to losing his grip on reality and he was afraid of the possibility, of what he would become.

He may have lost his world to a fire, but it gave him back a new one filled with endless possibilities.

Bumping into Aang snaps him out of his mindless thinking, looking past the stalled airbender, he spots an entire patrol of Fire Nation soldiers gawking at them, their eyes startling with realization – they know who he is. A soldier with a black eye-patch approaches the group, his eyes trained specifically on Jet. The man opens his mouth to address him, and for a split second Jet thinks of nothing but the fear of failing Zuko when he flicks his wrist upward. Everything falls silent, all eyes now trained upon the dead man with a single, well-taken care of, dagger jutting out of the man's forehead, his visible eye rolled back. Soon, Jet feels all eyes fall on him, their weight heavy and only increasing the odd heat beginning to churn within the pit of his gut.

It would be so easy to give in he thinks.

"Jet - !" Sokka is the first to splutter, "What the – what in Spirits' name was that!?"

There's a heat at the back of his throat now, "I can't - ."

The soldiers finally jump into action and soon it's a fight for survival – he doesn't relish the feeling, his mind too focused on the unexplainable heat in his gut. There were mornings where Jet thought for a few horrifying seconds that he was on fire, that he was on fire and despite dunking himself into ice-cold water, submerging himself into the chilling liquid, taking in mouthfuls in hopes of dousing the fires within. They would not go out. Snuffing the final survivor, Jet stares listlessly at his weapons, he notes that there's blood, Fire Nation blood, but they no longer quell the fires.

He's lost.

A hand grabs his shoulder and spins him around until he's face to face with Sokka, the younger boy looking up at him with utter disdain written in his eyes – Jet doesn't flinch, never has in wake of someone's ire. Except Zuko, pretty Zuko.

"What was that?!" Sokka shouts, "We could have run! We didn't have to kill them!"

The forest reminds him of the one surrounding his home, but the colors are too fire-like in relation with reds and oranges and yellows, too bright, too vivid – he's back on the day his home goes up in flames, he's watching the fires catch and spread, he's watching people run in abject terror. There's a voice at the back of his head:

Run.

Why?

Run.

"Why!?" Jet explodes, the silence he gets in return forces him to realize that he'd just yelled, staring at their shocked expressions, Jet doesn't realize that his eyes are cloudy and unfocused, that he's curled in on himself, "I'm tired."

"Jet - ?" Katara reaches out to him.

He doesn't mean to flinch, but he does, he steps away from the trio shaking his head vigorously, "Just – leave me alone."

oOo

Giving the black cat-owl a gentle scratch behind the ear, Zuko ignores the bewildered looks his men send him once they see his kind action towards the animal, gingerly shooing the animal into flight, he watches it soar past the branches with a single red silk ribbon tied to its leg – he was missing his other half, an important part of himself that he didn't know he even had, it makes him itchy and on edge. Exposed. Turning to the small group, he notices the way they collectively tense, he does his best to force down the harsh words threatening to spill out. According to his Uncle, his temper has been getting a big unbearable as of late, instead, he lets out a small huff of fire and grates his words:

"Get back to work."

The men startle and scramble to do as they're told – the Fire Prince turns back to the surrounding forest and takes to staring, lost in thought, he finds that he doesn't care if they catch the Avatar today or tomorrow. He misses his friend.

oOo

Staring at the black cat-owl that had landed directly in his path after he's failed to acknowledge it for 5 minutes straight, the first few minutes due to him being in his own world and the last few just because he wasn't sure he should, he spots the red ribbon on its leg along with what appeared to be a note. Brows drawing together, he kneels before the creature and holds his hand out until the animal walks closer. Pulling on the tie, he watches the red ribbon fall from the bird's leg and pool at its feet. Taking the note and the ribbon, he waves the animal away. Standing upright, he unrolls the parchment and reads what is written – he pauses and rereads the letter:

Rendezvous.

Short and straight to the point. There was nothing about the Avatar, nothing saying that he was ready, nothing of the sort. Clenching the note and ribbon in his hand, he lets out a steady sigh – he may not be able to dote on Zuko the way he would like, but he obviously meant something to the Prince.

Whipped.

I know.

The bushes to his left begin to rustle and shake, the familiar grumbling of Sokka complaining accompanying them, Jet fights the renewed smirk, things couldn't be more perfect – Sokka emerges from the bushes with a victorious breath, but the expression quickly leaves the boy's face as he spots Jet staring at him, soon, an ashamed look slips over his features.

"Jet? What are - ?" he shakes his head and takes a sheepish step closer, "Listen, about me blowing up at you with the soldiers, it was unfair. And as much as it pains me to admit it, Katara's right. I don't know what you went through, and probably never will. After all, I came from some small village in the south, and sure, my village was attacked by the Fire Nation too, but not to the extent that yours was. I mean, you lost both parents and everyone else." Sokka falters, rubbing the back of his head he shyly hands Jet his dagger, "What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry – sorry for all the attitude I've been given you, and the distrust, you've done nothing to earn it, but I mean you were kinda hitting on my little sister, and you know, as her big brother, I'm supposed to protect her, and you were this stranger who had her weak in the knees, so - ,"

"Its fine, Sokka, I get it," Jet offers a tired grin as he takes the dagger, "I really do, and, I'm sorry too."

"Sorry for what?"

"You're sister's a pretty little thing." the Earth Kingdom teen pulls out the broadswords, he studies them for a moment, "But Prince Zuko really needs the Avatar." Sokka doesn't have time to question Jet as two blades swipe at his neck, the Water Tribe boy barely managing to duck under the razor sharp blades, he quickly scrambles backwards as Jet straightens himself out once more, "I only hope you know that it's nothing personal, I'm sure you would have been a decent warrior – given a decade or so."

"What are - !?" Sokka notes the dark glint in Jet's eyes, his stance eerily familiar – Sokka stares up his own spear to glare heatedly at the cloaked man looming before him, he can't see much of the man's features, but he can see those eyes of his. Dark, malicious, and glinting with a child-like excitement. Sokka gasps, "You're Lion-Heart?!"

Jet blinks owlishly, like he wasn't really expecting Sokka to say such a thing, they stare at one another with Sokka's heart beating loud in both his ears and chest and Jet deep in rumination. It's only when the grin slips back into place that Sokka realizes that he probably should have used Jet's moment of silence to make a run for it – he watches the older teen lean forward until they're face to face with barely an inch between their noses, and with the other guy so close, Sokka doesn't see Jet toying with the dagger.

"Sokka, I told you to avoid Lion-Heart at all costs. I know you hate me, but to ignore my advice?" the blood-lusting teen buries the dagger into the other's thigh, Sokka opens his mouth to let out a cry of pain but a hand covers his mouth, severely muffling the sound, "You wouldn't stand a chance in hell against him, you're just a subpar warrior at best and I think it's high time you take a break. Don't you think?" he twists the blade which earns another aborted cry, "Oh, and no need to worry about Aang and Katara, they can do just fine without you holding them back." Sokka glares at him through tears, eyes glassy and full of rage, "Did I hit a nerve ~ ?"

"Lion-Heart, sir!"

Jet growls, eyes snapping to three or four soldiers now standing to his right, "Just give me a second."

"But Sir, P – Prince Zuko ordered that none of them are to be killed."

Sneering, Jet relinquishes his original plans and pulls the blade from Water Tribe's leg, he wipes the blooded blade on Sokka's cheek, getting an even meaner glare at the disrespect, "Fine."

Twirling the dagger expertly, he slams the blunt end of the weapon against the side of Sokka's skull, the soldiers watch in horror as the boy falls over. The man who'd spoken against him flinches as Lion-Heart shoves past him, a warning look in the murderous young man's eyes, the solider then moves to the kid's side and checks his pulse. It was still beating strong. The three others look to one another before one finally speaks:

"Why did you do that?"

Another adds, "If Lion-Heart finds out that you were lying - ,"

"He won't if none of you tell him." the man tending to Sokka stresses, "Besides, Lion-Heart won't question Prince Zuko, and were we really supposed to watch Lion-Heart torture some poor kid?"

A soldier murmurs, "Better him than us."

"Just help me!"

"I can't believe Prince Zuko wants to bring that maniac back on board."

"It isn't like he's been any better."

"Yeah, but at least he hasn't tried to kill us yet."

"So long as Lion-Heart has his master in his sights, he won't do anything to any of us."

oOo

Nearing the edge of the Fire Nation campsite, Jet is surprised to see the dead bodies gone, it seems that the others had done some cleaning. Taking a step out into the open, he spots Katara sitting upon a log, her back facing him and fiddling with something in her lap. Eyes scanning the area almost cautiously, he draws closer to the Water Tribe girl – she startles when she feels his hand touch her shoulder, but she smiles at him with a puppy-like adoration once she realizes just who it is, she hops to her feet, a warm smile in place:

"There you are, Jet ~ ." her eyes peer past him shortly before returning to him, "Where's Sokka?"

"Sokka?" Jet blinks innocently, "I thought he was here with you guys, come to think of it, where's Aang?"

"Well, you guys were taking a while to come back and he became worried, so he went to find you guys." Katara frowns thoughtfully, could this be any easier? "And well, Sokka had gone to find you, he wanted to apologize for what getting mad at you for earlier."

"You talked to him, didn't you."

She blushes, "Is it that obvious?"

"Sokka doesn't seem like the type to apologize on his own." Jet leans forward, about to press a kiss to Katara's lips when he spots a pinkish object in her hand, he pulls back to finally look at the thing, "What's that?"

"Oh ~ !" she presents the object to Jet, "I made this for you ~ I hope you like it."

Taking the hat, he's able to inspect it for a few fleeting seconds before it goes up in flames, he lets out a genuinely surprised shout and jumps away from the ruined gift. Both he and Katara looking up to see the source of the sudden fire glaring them down with a row of soldiers behind him, a smoking fist falling back to his side. The second Katara recognizes the source, she instantly pulls out a stream of water from her water-skin and slips into a defensive stance, it falters minutely when more soldiers step out from behind the numerous trees surrounding them as well as the tents.

"How did you find us?!"

"I had some help." is all Zuko deigns to say, an unsettling look in his glare, "Now where is the Avatar?"

"I'm not telling you." Katara frowns, "So why don't you leave?"

"I'm not leaving unless someone comes with me." Zuko snarls, eyes flitting to Jet, "Well?"

"Leave him alone!" Katara snaps, standing in front of Jet despite the latter towering over her height, "Haven't the Fire Nation tortured him enough already!?"

Zuko's eyes flash, "It's either him or the Avatar!"

"I can't let you have either!"

"Wait!" Jet shouts as Zuko's fists become engulfed in crackling fire, "Don't hurt her! I'll go with you!"

"Jet," Katara stresses, looking up at Jet, "Don't - ,"

The surrounding fires burn brighter when Zuko growls, "Drop the act and get over here, Lion-Heart!"

Jet's mouth drops open in shock, he had not expected Zuko to snap so suddenly, but he offers a leer nonetheless and sidesteps the stunned waterbender to take his place at Zuko's side – he notes, with a hint of pride, that the Fire Prince's body realizes immediately once he settles in at the firebender's left. The Prince gestures for some men to come forward, one holding Jet's clothing, another holding his boots, and the final holding Jet's beloved shuang-gou.

Katara seems to snap out of it, "Jet - ? You – You're working with Zuko!?"

"Afraid so, Snowflake ~ ." Jet grins as he hands the map to Zuko before stripping himself of his shirt and sash in one fluid move, "But for what it's worth, I really did mean it when I told you that you were an amazing person. Pretty too."

Zuko's fire devours the map greedily, the suddenness of the action surprising the already tense soldiers and Jet as well, but he doesn't let it falter his movements as he continues ridding himself of the unbearably itchy clothes – apparently, Katara sends a tendril of water at them for a wall of fire springs forth, providing a barrier for them.

"What are you waiting for!?" Zuko snarls at the others who weren't holding Jet's gear, "Get her!"

Once Jet's dressed in his usual clothing, he sets his favorite weapons on either side of his hips, as the men disperse, he sees the crew tying Katara to a fairly sturdy tree trunk using chains. For a second, her eyes meet his, but that's all the time it takes for Jet to see the hurt and betrayal in her large blue eyes – he would feel bad if he hadn't felt the brush of Zuko's hand against his or the weight of Zuko's body leaning against his, or the warm breath that ghosts past his ear as Zuko whispers:

"Come with me."

Jet swallows, "Lead the way."

They're soon out of sight and hearing range – oh Spirits! He's done something to finally piss Zuko off enough to kill him! He needs to do something, he won't be a koala-lamb to the slaughter! Fire! Whatever! The Earth Kingdom teen is snapped out of his panic induced thoughts with Zuko's shoving him viciously against a tree trunk, the bark digs uncomfortably through his clothes, but before Jet can let out a hiss of distress, a warm mouth presses against his, fingers bunching the front of his cloak. Eyes popping open, he goes cross-eyed as he attempts to get a glance at the Prince.

Oh.

Melting between Zuko and the tree, Jet snakes his arms around Zuko's lower back and pulls him closer. A gasp escapes the firebender. Slipping his tongue inside he feels the heat surrounding Zuko's body grow stronger, but when a shy tongue rubs against his, he loses track of everything beyond their mouths. Mind clouded with lust, Jet grabs the Prince's ponytail and gives a vicious tug, holding Zuko's head back, this earns an angry hiss but Jet attaches his mouth to the skin below Zuko's jaw and begins nipping. Suckling at the smooth skin and licking at the pinpricks left by his teeth, Zuko shivers and melts, body growing hotter – neither want to depart, but once a shaky fire escapes the Prince's lips, the fire licking at Jet's hair but not catching, they finally pull away. Both panting and, in Jet's case, hard.

Zuko touches his lips softly before a deep red sears his cheek, "I – that was a replacement for that sloppy kiss you gave me before."

Jet licks his lips, he can still taste the smoky flavor from Zuko's own lips, "Okay."

When they return to the campsite, everything is still intact and the men are milling about, eyes trained on the forest surrounding them – Zuko walks past the men as they stand at attention, the Prince gives them a flippant wave and they continue keeping watch. Jet continues following Zuko around like a lovesick jackal-kit, at least he does until Zuko finally realizes that he has no intention of leaving his side anytime soon, so with a flustered snap to do something more productive than trailing after him, Jet huffs before deciding to pester Katara, the girl only glaring at him in way of a greeting:

"You really are pretty," Jet hums conversationally, "Hopefully you'll find someone who looks at you the way you looked at me."

Katara blushes fiercely before snapping her glare to the ground, "I never looked at you in any kind of way."

"Oh please," Jet drawls, he leans until his breath caresses her ear, she shivers involuntarily, "Lying doesn't suit you, Katara."

Her blush intensifies, she swings her attention back to Jet, "I thought you hated the Fire Nation."

"Oh I do," Jet rests his back against the tree, arms crossed over his chest, he scans the area for any traces of a certain bald-headed monk, "I have no love for the Fire Nation, but for the Prince," his eyes fall upon Zuko who seems to be snarling something to a soldier, "I'll risk it all."

Katara looks mildly confused before frowning, "So everything you told us was a lie?"

"Not all of it. Everything I said about my life was true up until the becoming a slave part. No, I killed a soldier, got sentenced to execution, got bailed out by the Dragon of the West, met Prince Zuko, and started training to become a guard for the royal family. This is where the Lion-heart tale comes into play."

"But if you hate the Fire Nation, why don't you hate Zuko?" Katara scrutinizes, "He's the Prince of the Fire Nation."

"So he is – but I was alone in a place I knew nothing about, he made it bearable."

The waterbender opens her mouth to bite out a retort only to stop when she sees a soldier come running into the camp, even Jet watches, keeping his eyes on the man as he runs up to Zuko and relays something to the Prince. The royal listens to the man before his eyes meet Jet's, he gestures for the Earth Kingdom teen to make his way over. Like a well-trained animal, Jet leaves Katara's side without so much as a good-bye or a glance.

"The Avatar was seen coming this way." Zuko starts, placing a cloth in Jet's hand, a faint blush beginning to appear as soon as their fingers brush against one another, "I hope you're ready."

"'course I am." Jet grins, heart fluttering as he toys with the thick, red cloth, "Although you might wanna hide."

I always update once I get 5 or more reviews for a chapter, just so you know ~ part 2 of this chapter may go up sooner though since I was originally going to post it all within this part, but that seemed a little lengthy so – yeah.

Please feel free to alert me to any mistakes I could have possibly made ~ .