Took a while because I was having a really rough week . . . .
Glass Half Empty
IX
An honest to Agni gasp forces itself past his lips and his back arches away from a pair of hands, but not just any hand, no because these hands are cold and was currently cooling his previously, comfortably warm skin, and frankly, what had the person been doing to get their hands that cold without being a waterbender?! Behind him, he can hear Jet start to laugh at him, or rather his reaction, but it was still him because it was his reaction, and seriously, Zuko should have known that it was the other because who else would do something so ridiculous, and to him of all people?!
Turning on Jet, he slaps his hands away from his general vicinity and takes to glaring at the highly amused looking man who holds his offending appendages in the air oh-so innocently, smirking like he hadn't just chilled Zuko's skin causing koala-goose flesh to prick up all over his arms and the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
"What's the matter with you!?"
The hidden firebender hisses because he's furious, but Jet simply takes his brazen anger with that ridiculous smirk of his like he isn't afraid of Zuko or his unadulterated anger, like he thrives in it and knowing him, he probably does.
Weirdo.
"You were looking a little hot there~."
The Earth Kingdom man even waggles an eyebrow at him and the sight of it has his anger faltering because he's never seen that before and the action looks, odd? But his anger is quick to pick back up and he returns to scowling at Jet and baring his teeth in warning, of course, Jet just laughs like Zuko's anger amuses him . . . this both annoys him and confounds him, normally, most people would back away from the snarling prince when he started to get steamed, not wrap their arm around him and pull him even closer. Actually, now that he allowed himself to think on it, Jet has been acting rather odd ever since he'd appeared at Zuko's window a few nights ago: he's been doing things like brushing up against him, walking so close to him that they may as well be, for all intents and purposes, glued to each other by their shoulders, going out of his way to help people they hardly know, mostly if the task was manual labor but there were times when Jet was able to talk his way through it which only served to remind Zuko of Azula, and was it just Zuko, or was Jet flexing? That can't just be him, could it?
And let's not forget how he seems to pick up random things every now and then to present to Zuko ranging from candies to weapon caring utensils and random knick-knacks that he really has no idea what to do with . . . but when Jet had offered to use his own money to provide for both nephew and uncle, his uncle had shut the idea, an idea which seemed useful to their survival, down so fast that it startled Zuko, he felt he missed something, particularly when the ensuing staring match started between his uncle and Jet. Only for Jet to shrug and back down.
Why would his uncle refuse such an offer?
It wasn't like it would break Jet's coin purse, guy got paid quite a bit.
But at the same time, Zuko had been annoyed because had he seriously been considering taking charity?
It became even weirder when Jet's weird behavior shifted gears and turned towards his uncle, offering him gifts and compliments and the like, like he were trying to butter his uncle up, he knows a kiss-ass when he sees one . . . but for what? What did his uncle have that Jet wanted?
Whatever, but the point still stands, Jet was acting weird.
They hadn't kissed again, and Zuko really can't think about the act or the word because it makes him heat up and he knows with how pale he is that his embarrassment will show, while the kiss had been rather . . . pleasant, he'd been caught off guard and way out of his depth, so now that Zuko is of clear and sound mind, he doesn't let Jet plant one on him and Jet doesn't push, just accepts it and takes to simply draping himself all over him, touching him.
Zuko assumes it's because Jet is now comfortable with him enough after sharing what brought him here because he's heard of friends who do such things, even Ty-Lee had been like that with both Azula and Mai, the innocent pecks stopping once they reached maturity, or so Zuko thinks, he doesn't know as he's been banished since he was thirteen and that just dampens his mood . . . but those kisses had been on the cheek.
Whatever.
Jet watches Li's anger take its course, burning bright at first then turning into a tepid simmer only to boil into annoyance in the end and force the tense man to scowl, and it amazes Jet that he can get all that from simply looking at Li's face. Seriously. The guy wore his feelings and thoughts on his face, in his eyes, and was an absolutely terrible liar . . . and this all endeared him to Jet.
Now only if he could get Mushi's approval to officially chase after his nephew.
Does he need approval and permission?
No, not really.
But this is Li and if his mother-hen of an uncle says it's okay, it'll probably make him feel more at ease knowing that his most important person accepted their relationship, make him comfortable enough that he will allow Jet to do more couple-y things and let Jet dote on him, plus Li seemed pretty traditional when it came to things such as this.
G-H-E
Wincing at the sharp pain digging in to her bicep, Smellerbee fixes her hold on the wooden creates in her arms and is about to continue on her way when she spots Li, and if Li was there that could only mean that Jet wasn't too far behind. As though the mere thought of her friend conjured him, she sees Jet's familiar form emerge from the moving crowds and drapes himself over Li who looks like he's about to have a fit, which is pretty ordinary considering that it was them of all people, but what surprises her is seeing Jet's head dip forward and bury his face into the crook of Li's neck with his hands on Li's waist and Li himself looking annoyed but not at all bothered by Jet's intimate touching and that could only mean one of two things.
Unexpectedly, as if he could hear her thoughts, Li's eyes seem to fall on her, they stare at one another from across the way before he whaps Jet on the head and gestures towards her, his mouth moving like he's talking. When she sees Jet look at her, she tries not to let the hurt show when she sees that he doesn't seem all that thrilled to see her standing there, but Li seems to snap at Jet because soon Jet is pouting in a way she knows is an act and removing his arms from around Li, which means Li was pushing for them to talk, and if it was what Li wanted, then Jet was going to do it. And while she knows you shouldn't look a gift ostrich-horse in the mouth, it still felt like a slap.
And there he was, walking towards her with his hands resting lazily on his hips and slouched in his usual mannerisms.
"Smellerbee." he says the second they're five feet apart.
"Jet." she looks past Jet and sees Li watching them, "I see you're with Li."
Jet shrugging brings her attention back to him, "In more ways than one."
If Jet were insinuating what she thinks he is coupled with how Li didn't seem all that put off by Jet's mouth being anywhere near his scent glands then that could only mean they were now a couple, that Li's claws were officially hooked into Jet's heart, and it annoys her, it really does because she feels like this is a mistake that will hurt Jet in the long run and she doesn't want that because he's already been through so much, but knowing the person that Jet is, he won't back off until it all blows up in his face, and when it does, the least she can do is be there for him before and when it does. Her and Longshot.
"Congratulations." she sees the way Jet arches a questioning brow, looking sardonic like he doesn't quite believe her, "I never thought Li would go out with you since he doesn't seem the type to like anyone touching him."
She watches Jet's head loll, like he wishes he were anywhere but here, like he wishes she were someone else, "Yeah." but his attention returns to her soon enough, "How are you and Longshot?"
"Good." she pauses, "As good as can be." she sighs, "I mean, we miss you, but that's expected." Jet just grunts. "Listen, Jet, I . . . I'm sorry for what I said, I was just, we hardly saw you anymore and I was afraid that you were leaving us behind, and, you're all that we got."
"That's not true, you have each other."
"But it's not the same and you know it, you're like our . . . ," brother, caretaker, Alpha. " . . . you're our leader, without you we're just . . . living."
Neither of them says a thing after that, choosing to stand in silence for the longest minute of their lives until Jet finally sighs and reaches out, pulling her in to an awkward hug because she's still holding those stupid crates.
"I'm . . . yeah. Okay."
And he still can't apologize and mean it to save his life, but she knows what he means so she lets herself melt into his warm embrace, and it's like coming home after a long day: warm, safe, comforting. But then she smells it, Li's scent, but there's now something different about it, something subtle that calls to her to do something, she pulls away from Jet and looks into his eyes, for the most part he looks surprised but quickly schools it back into his usual mask. She opens and closes her mouth several times, almost half expecting Jet to say something smart, until she can form a proper sentence that won't somehow set Jet off.
"Li is . . . Li's an Omega?"
The muscles in Jet's jaw ticks which means she's hit the nail on the head, and while a part of her would like to blame Jet's dogged interest in Li on this newfound fact, that isn't the case and she knows it, Jet was never one to care for ranks so long as the person was useful to him and his plans . . . and she doesn't want to fight with Jet anymore.
Speaking of which, looking past him, she sees Li is still standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and scowling at whoever strays too close to him, he was all harsh stares and harsher words, hard planes and sharp lines, not like any of the Omegas she'd seen in those scrolls the others liked to pass amongst each other or the Omegas she'd seen hang around the brothel, she returns to looking back at Jet.
"He looks and acts nothing like an Omega."
Jet just gets this weird look on his face that she's never seen him wear before as he says, "I know."
And it hits Smellerbee with the force rivaling an earthbender shooting a rock at her chest because Jet likes Li, he actually likes Li, she would say love but she can't quite bring herself to as Jet and love have absolutely no business belonging in the same sentence, at least like this, because Jet was arrogant, he won't admit when he's in the wrong, he won't apologize, he won't be shamed, he was charming, he can weave pretty lies and convince you that you're the only one, make you feel like you're the only one, like you're important, he was manipulative, he tells you what you want to hear to tie you to him, to bind you to him until there's need of you and when he's done, he'll still tell you what you want to hear even as he digs his knife in your back, he had trust issues the size of the great divide and was everything that wasn't soft and squishy unless it was an act, but Li, Li who was the total opposite of Jet, with the exception of the trust issues, turned him into this and that was something. Something that not even Katara could do. Sure Jet could pretend he was in love, but this . . . ?
"I think Longshot and I would like to get to know Li better." Jet looks at her, shocked, "I mean, it looks like he's going to be a part of your life whether we like it or not and well . . . how about dinner?"
"Okay?" Jet seems to have lost his footing and she can't blame him, "I'll see you around then."
He can try to sound confident as he says that, but she can hear the question in his voice, and really, she would be too if she were in his shoes.
"Same to you."
Watching Jet return to him, he says, "Well?"
Zuko is surprised when Jet wraps his arms around him and presses a kiss to his hair, "Thanks."
It should tell him how comfortable he's getting with Jet if he doesn't so much as flinch anymore when he's touched, especially when he receives a dinner invitation and doesn't think much on it when he agrees.
G-H-E
Humming the tune of Four Seasons, Four Loves and smiling when he hears some of the customers hum along with him, the door to the teashop opens to reveal his nephew returning from his lunch break, and alone by the looks of it, Iroh wonders where Jet could have disappeared to and hopes the young Alpha isn't getting into any kind of trouble.
"Li." he smiles as Zuko passes by, he wipes his hands on his apron and follows after his nephew, "How was lunch?"
"Fine." Zuko grumbles as he throws his apron on and haphazardly ties the strings.
"That's wonderful to hear, and where is Jet~?"
"Who cares?"
"You must as he happens to be your friend." Iroh watches Zuko tense like he's going to tell him that Jet is not his friend, before going on about his business, "I hope he's not getting himself into trouble, he seems the sort to search it out."
"Uncle." Zuko stresses through gritted teeth, "I don't care what Jet is doing."
Iroh smiles even though Zuko can't see, "Even after you've shared a bed with him~?"
This gets the desired effect for Zuko splutters and drops a teacup back into the soapy water, water from the small sink splashing everywhere and soaking his nephew's sleeves, there also happened to be red creeping up his nephew's neck and to his ears. Chuckling into his sleeve, he finds that it never fails to amuse how easily embarrassed his nephew was.
"Don't make it sound like something it isn't!"
Now he's taking out his annoyance out by scrubbing the poor teacups like he's trying to break them and that just won't do, his nephew really needed to learn to use a gentler touch. Reaching in to his robe, he pulls out a nondescript paper sack, the sound catching his nephew's attention; he holds it out for his nephew to take.
"I managed to get my hands on some suppressants." as soon as Zuko takes the pack and hides it, Iroh decides that now is as good a time as any to investigate the reason for his nephew's scent becoming stronger, "It seems your heat is approaching faster than usual, perhaps it is because we are now eating three square meals a day."
Zuko frowns, looking at him like he's crazy, "My . . . it isn't due for another two weeks."
"Oh?" Iroh tilts his head, studying his nephew, "Then I wonder what it is that is making your scent stronger."
And Zuko's eyes widen like he can't quite believe that, he even raises his hands like he's about to cover the scent glands on the crook of his neck but stops because he hates touching them, and now he's looking sick to his stomach and it makes Iroh's heart break.
"My . . . ?" he looks distressed, even looks around before shrinking in on himself.
"Go." Iroh guides Zuko towards the teashop's back door, "I will tell Pao that you are not feeling well."
Zuko nods, rips the apron off and all but sprints out of the room . . . his nephew's heat is usually what drives his scent to become stronger and that isn't what is happening otherwise Zuko would have locked himself up in his room, or would have stolen suppressants earlier, that or he was activating his scent glands which hasn't happened in a long, long time because of his nephew's shame in what his scent told everyone, plus his nephew hated touching those particular areas on his body which is the only way to kick start his scent glands back into working.
Sighing, he opens the door and decides to air out the area before anyone can smell the distress in the air.
The workday seems to go about as slow as it pleases, which may have to do with him being anxious to get back to his nephew and see if he was well after the earlier debacle. A pretty girl who happens to be quite a regular customer smiles and waves at him as he leaves, he returning the kind gesture, the girl happened to have her eye on his nephew and that made him smile, despite what his nephew may think of himself, he was quite the charmer . . . opening the door, he sees his nephew sitting at the window with a towel wrapped around his shoulders, his hair still damp, the areas where the scent glands were located scrubbed red, Iroh tries not to let his concern show as he softly closes the door behind him.
"Nephew," Zuko looks up; he's got his usual frown, "I happened to bring home some leftover tea. Want some?"
This makes Zuko's mouth twitch downward, he turns away, "I don't want tea."
Iroh smiles gently as he approaches the table and sets the spare kettle upon the surface; at least his nephew was feeling better, if his dour demeanor was back. Going towards the cupboards, he pulls out a cup for himself.
"Are you still going to have dinner with your friends?"
He watches Zuko tense like before, most likely going to tell him that they aren't his friends and that makes Iroh smile, allowing him to continue looking for the perfect cup.
"Yeah."
"Do tell Jet and his friends that I said hello." he blows into the cup and returns to the table, "And that they're always welcomed here, it would be nice to spend time with people who like a good cup of tea."
"I'm not doing that."
Iroh chuckles.
Lifting weights really helps me.
