Chapter 11: The Dates

"You're late," Zuko reprimanded as Mimi dashed through the door into the tea shop. Without speaking, she grabbed his arm and dragged him outside and down the street.

"Hey! What are you doing? We can't leave now. It's packed in there!"

After several blocks, she stopped behind a crowd of people surrounding one of the bulletin boards that the Fire Nation had set up. As he looked down at her, he noticed for the first time that her face was pale with fright and worry.

He frowned and squeezed her arm reassuringly, before turning to push his way through the crowd. After a moment he could peer over a short woman's head to read the notice.

"You no longer have anything to fear.

The resistance movement that has plagued out city has ended.

The leader of the resistance has been executed.

We are rounding up the other criminals.

There is no need to worry about this threat any longer."

Zuko read through it twice, his blood steadily running colder. He unceremoniously shoved his way back through the mob, then broke out into a run towards the flower shop.

It wasn't true. She couldn't be dead. It wasn't true. It wasn't true. Oh Agni. It wasn't true. She couldn't be dead.

He threw open the door to her shop to see her beautiful smile. She squeaked as he grabbed her and pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

Jin was not having a good day. She had seen the notice on her way to work that morning, and it had worried her. But what worried her more was the fact that every important person in the resistance had immediately stormed into her shop and screamed, "You're alive!"

Honestly, how foolish could they be? First of all, yeah, it would be sad if she died, but it certainly wouldn't end the resistance movement. Secondly, it was pretty obvious that the Dai Li had no clue who the real leader was. She was concerned that they had killed someone else by mistake. Maybe even one of her friends. She wondered if that was true, and if it was then what information did they get out of them before they were killed?

Finally there was the fact that if the Dai Li knew (or suspected) who any of the important members of the resistance were, then all they needed to do at this point is follow them as they rushed through the city, leading the Dai Li straight to her.

Jin had her reproval speech perfected by now. "You really shouldn't have done that, it was really foolish. You shouldn't have come here and you should have been much more discrete. Were you followed? Did anyone see you? Do you know if anyone has gone missing yet?"

She was so irritated, that the flood of relief that covered Lee's face just made her more annoyed. He hugged her so tight that he would surely leave bruises, gasping "Shit, Jin. Shit."

Then he kissed her.

Her anger flared explosively. What was he thinking!?

She kicked him sharply in the shin and bit his lip which was in her mouth. He jerked away, releasing her arms enough for her to shove him.

"Wh-what the hell was that for?" He stared at her in shock, testing his lip with his fingertips.

She barely controlled her snarl. "Can't you see I'm talking to a customer?"

He honestly hadn't noticed he had been so focused on Jin. But sure enough, a startled looking young man stood on the other side of the counter. He shrunk back under Zuko's angry glare.

Jin attempted to force out a polite tone. "I'm sorry. Here's your change." The man took the coins, gave a small, frantic bow and hurried from the shop.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Jin spun on Zuko. "What were you thinking?"

"I thought you were dead! They have a notice posted!"

"I am well aware of the notice. It's clear that they have no idea who the resistance leader is, you idiot."

"Then why would they put up that sign?"

"To lower moral. To send us into a state of confusion. Maybe to send an agent to follow you, and you just led them straight here."

"I did not!"

"Really? Would you even know if you were followed? You were oh so observant just a second ago."

"I thought you were dead!"

"And I'm not!"

At that moment the shop door banged open. Mimi let out a shriek, then flew forward and pulled Jin across the counter into another hug. "Spirits, Jin!"

Jin patted her friend stiffly on the back. "I'm fine."

"We were so worried."

"Yes. I know."

"You didn't bite her!" Zuko accused.

Mimi furrowed her eyebrows and mouthed "bite?" but Jin had already thrown her full attention into her rage at Zuko.

"She didn't interrupt me while I was working."

"You interrupt me while I'm working all the time."

"I do not. I come in to get tea. You're the one who drops whatever you're doing when I come in, because you've got some stupid crush on me."

"What?!"

Jin could keep a lot pent up inside. She could laugh off most things and chalk up the rest to learning experiences. She was used to living her life in a friendly state of denial. But she was having a hard time lately - what with the University closing, her mother being taken in the dead of night, her father becoming even more violent, her boss disappearing and leaving her to care for a bunch of orchids and a small business, and the resistance's complete lack of tact and efficiency. She had had quite enough of everything. She wasn't going to put up with it anymore, and she was going to start by putting an end to Lee's shit.

"Come off it. It's so obvious."

"What's obvious?"

"You like me but you're too much of a coward to do anything about it."

"I… I … do not!"

"Then why'd you kiss me just now?"

"I thought you were dead!"

"Mimi didn't kiss me!"

"Damn it, Jin!"

"I'm sick of it. One minute you kiss me and the next you run away. I'm not going to wait around and pine after you, because – as you so tactfully put it - I'm not your girlfriend. Stop stringing me along!"

"You said you weren't interested and we should be friends."

"I said you weren't interested - which we both know was a lie - to make you feel more comfortable. You like me. I like you. What is the problem?"

"It's complicated!"

"Oh, right. I forgot. Tell me, what's so complicated? Is it brewing tea? Is that so hard? Is it that a rich benefactor gave you a house and a job in the upper ring and you uncle loves you and cares for you? Real tragic." He glared at her and she met it with just as much passion, possibly more.

"Or maybe it's that you're a fire bender and you want to keep it a big fat secret." Mimi gasped. "Because let me tell you, I don't give a flying-rat's ass. Whatever terrible past you have, it doesn't excuse the way you've been acting."

Zuko's face had turned stony and the silence that crashed down on them was so rife with tension that had she not been absolutely furious, she might have been afraid. When he finally spoke his voice came out so bereft of emotion that it was slightly frightening as well. "How long have you known?"

"Since the beginning."

"How?"

"I'm not an idiot." They glared at each other.

"What is it you want from me?"

"I want you to make a choice. Be here in Ba Sing Se where people care about you, or back in the Fire Nation. Pick one. You can't have it both ways."

"I can't go back."

"The choice is simple then, isn't it?"

He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. Mimi had both hands clasped over her mouth. Her wide eyes darted back and forth between Jin and Zuko.

"I don't even really want you to choose. It looks to me like you made your choice a long time ago. You're in the resistance, for crying out loud. What I really want is for you to accept it. Admit it. Embrace it."

"It's not that easy."

"Yes. It is."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, and then stared into her eyes. They were so clear. It was as if she knew exactly what she wanted, exactly what she was doing, exactly how she felt. He wanted that.

He wanted her.

He growled. "Go out with me after work tonight."

She nodded curtly, still frowning.

"If I kiss you now are you going to kick me or slap me or something?"

She just glared at him, biting back some scathing comment about how she wasn't going to make any promises and how he didn't say anything about punching. He returned the glare and took two steps forward to take hold of her face with both hands.

It was not the same innocent kiss they had shared by the fountain a lifetime ago, nor was it the instinctive kiss of a few minutes previously. It was full of all the passion and affection and adoration that they felt for each other and had kept bottled up inside. It was full of anger and truth, forgiveness and longing. Clutching the front of his shirt, she pulled him closer, deeper, further down this path. He could feel himself slipping, falling.

They released each other enough to attempt to control their breathing. He rested his forehead against hers and admired her flushed lips and closed eyes.

"Is there anything you need me to do now?" His voice was soft and significantly calmer, even if it was slightly breathless.

"Go to headquarters and tell everyone to calm down. Find out if anyone died. Send Smellerbee out tonight to do some graffiti and get the word out that we're still kicking. Tell her that I'm pissed and if she puts a single toe out of line I will hunt her down."

He kissed her forehead and left without another word.

Mimi was oddly quiet that afternoon. She had the decency not to say anything, although she did refuse to brew any more tea, saying "Lee can do it" with an evil smirk.

He called it blackmail.

She called it economical. Why should she exert any effort when he could do it way quicker?

"If you really don't want to brew the tea, it's ok. It's just that I might let a certain piece of information slip."

"You wouldn't."

"Oh I would." Her eyes glittered. "I want to see Mushi's face when he finds out about your date." She then made kissing noises at him until he grabbed her teapot and produced a blaze of flame that scotched the decorated ceramic. In his anger, the fire was much too hot for proper tea brewing, but Mimi seemed satisfied. She shut up, smiled, and took her pot back into the main room.

For their first date, he took Jin to get noodles at a Middle Ring restaurant that one of the old men from the tea shop recommended. It turned out to not be very good: tasteless and expensive. Zuko was embarrassed, but Jin laughed and scarfed it down anyway. After that, he brought her to one of the three story tenements near her apartment. He helped her climb to the roof and from there they sat and watched the sun set. She really needed this. Even though Zuko was nervous and overly careful not to induce her wrath again, being around him made her feel calm. It made her feel safe. She hadn't really felt that way in a while. She leaned her head against his shoulder and they talked of how typical an evening they had had, and how much they had thoroughly enjoyed it. They snuck home after curfew and he kissed her fleetingly before vanishing into the night.

For their second date, they sat in the park, where they usually spared. They lay on the grass near a small man-made creek and found shapes in the clouds.

"That one's a rabbit-frog."

"There's a cup of tea."

"How is that tea?"

"Look at it. See, there's the cup and that's the steam."

"You're crazy. What's that one?"

"More tea."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. It's spilled."

"I think it looks like a flower."

"Well, you have flowers on the brain."

"Whatever, Tea Brain."

Their frivolous discussions took her mind away from her problems. She wondered if she was using him as a means of escapism. No, "using" was too harsh a word.

They went out drinking and dancing with Yun and her friends for their third date. Yun looked disgusted at the sight of them, or perhaps she just smelled something foul. Jin let him get to second base as he walked her home. They hid in the shadow of one of the arches supporting the abandoned train tracks as she left a pink mark on the side of his neck and he held her so her knees wouldn't give out.

Their fourth date was to a rebellion meeting. They had successfully intercepted a Fire Nation supply ship, which was full of weapons. So now the resistance was well armed. They had also made contact with the Water Tribe fleet and were able to send them notices of Fire Navy movements and battle plans, which they got from their interception of messenger hawks, their sources in the government, and Longshot's fantastic spy network. Jin didn't think this counted as a date because it was work, they didn't really go anywhere, and they couldn't laugh and talk about whatever they wanted. Zuko thought it counted because they made out afterwards.

Their fifth date (by Zuko's count) was to a book store. She spent far too long looking through everything, while he complained about how much he hated shopping and how slow she was being. Just to spite him, she took her time looking at books she wasn't even interested in. She thought it was pretty obvious that his heart wasn't really into being grumpy. He kept watching her with a little grin that never really went away. She made him carry her purchases and then buy her some deep fried banana slices from a street vendor.

Before Ba Sing Se was conquered, Mushi would stay out late playing pai sho. Since the regime change, he and his friends had taken to spending the night at wherever it was they held their games so that they wouldn't break curfew. Zuko imagined that they all fell asleep around the table no later than midnight.

Old people.

Their sixth date was on such a night when his uncle was gone. He reclined on the sofa in their living room and ran his hand through her hair while she lay against his chest. In the silent house, they finally brought up the subject of fire bending.

"How did you know?"

She shrugged. "You look Fire Nation – all pale and everything. And you fire bent at the firelight fountain if you don't remember."

"You knew that?"

"Yes. What? Did you think I thought you had a batch of magic fairies that lit those lamps? Plus you didn't respond to your name for a really long time. And you know an awful lot about Fire Nation procedure, and shockingly little about Earth Kingdom customs. And that traveling circus story - give me a break."

"And you didn't say anything?"

"No. I figured that there are probably people in the Fire Nation who are trying to get away from the tyranny. And it's not like everyone in the Fire Nation can be bad. You're a nice guy and you're cute."

"Shit, Jin."

"What?"

"Just… nothing." He stroked her hair some more and stared up at the ceiling. "I … I can explain."

She smirked at him. "Oh? I was under the impression that you couldn't."

"Ugg. You wouldn't listen anyway."

"That was a fantastic explanation."

He growled. She was going to drive him up a wall someday. "Look, I didn't tell you at first because I didn't want my uncle and me to be thrown in prison or killed or sent back to the Fire Nation … and then imprisoned and killed… Then I didn't tell you because I was afraid that you would hate me. You wouldn't talk to me again. You wouldn't want to see me anymore." He hazarded a glance down at her, but her face was unreadable so he cleared his throat and continued. "And then I stopped being afraid of that and I was afraid that I couldn't tell you anymore because too much time had passed. I was scared to tell you that I'd deceived you. I've lied to you every day. I was afraid to hurt you."

"You mean you were afraid I'd be mad."

"Yeah, that too."

She pressed her cheek deeper into his chest.

"What's your real name?"

"Does it matter? You told me to pick my past or my present, and I picked to be here, and here I'm Lee."

"So you're going to keep more secrets from me."

He sighed. "They're not important. That's not who I am anymore."

She nodded slightly. She didn't like the resigned tone he used as if he regretted his decision. But she guessed that that was to be expected considering it was kind of a big deal for him. She also wasn't sure that she liked being left out like this. But she knew that getting him to open up was a slow, torturous process. When it became important, he would tell her. It wasn't ideal, but for the time being it would have to do.

"Will you fire bend for me?"

"What?"

"I've never seen it before."

"You've seen it loads of times."

"But not from you."

He sat and thought for a moment about what he could show her and then smiled.

"I actually… figured out a trick for you."

"For me?"

"Yeah… even though I never thought you'd see it."

Her face lit up.

He stood and made sure that all the windows were covered and there was enough room around him, then raised his hands and took several breaths. Three balls of flame appeared in his hands and he began to juggle them. Jin laughed. The fire moved slower than a juggle ball would, as though they were controlled completely by his will rather than gravity. He soon created two more balls and began to juggle all five in precise patterns. The fire sped up as he threw one over his shoulder only to catch it perfectly in his other hand a moment later. He seamlessly moved four balls to one hand and moved the fifth in a ring around his body, then a spiral around his leg. Jin sat hypnotized. When the fire ball reached his foot he kicked it and caught it in his free hand. Every ball fell still, and then was extinguished with a flip of his hands.

She burst into applause as he bowed theatrically. He wasn't expecting her to jump him, but a moment later he found himself pressed against the wall with Jin kissing him passionately.

Jin was no delicate flower. She was no chaste virgin. Although Zuko had experience in these matters, his touch was hesitant, as if he would break her or offended her. But her confidence was infectious and - with the encouragement of her hands against his bare chest – he became more assertive.

She murmured against his ear, her breath warm and fast.

"Lee."

It was the single most amazing sound he had ever heard.

She snuggled drowsily against his side, her hair in complete disarray, and a fine layer of sweat covering her skin. He lazily traced the curve of her neck. "Agni," he breathed.

She laughed softly, just a shaking of her shoulder. "Agni."

"Hmm?"

"Nothing," she murmured.

Lee was smirking at her as she bustled around the kitchen.

"What?"

"You've never cooked for me before. It's kind of nice."

"Wait to say that until you've tried it. I'm not a very good cook."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"Hmm." She turned back to the stove top, where she poked at a sizzling pajyong.

Lee looked up as his uncle entered the house. The man was unsurprised to see Jin there.

"Good morning, Mushi."

"Hello, Jin dear."

"How much did you win last night?"

"The money is not what's important. It's the learning experience that truly matters."

"Lost a lot then."

"I'm afraid so."

"Sit down. Breakfast is almost ready."

Mushi eagerly took a seat next to his nephew as Jin loaded two plates with pajyong. The old man took an excited bite, gagged, and said "Oh, it's good!" in a strained voice. As soon as Jin's back was turned, he tipped most of the contents of his plate into his napkin. After a hesitant bite, Lee followed his uncle's example.

Jin turned around to find both men with suspiciously clean plates, giving her identical overly innocent grins.

Her shoulders slumped slightly. "You hate it."

"Don't be silly!"

"Look, I cleaned my plate already. Can I have seconds?"

"Oh yes. Me too."

"You two are terrible."

"You know," Mushi began, pointing his chopsticks at her to emphasize his point, "It is the moments when we fall short that our true characters are most visible. It is in those times when we are most human, and when we are reminded of our great accomplishments. We are loved for our small deficits." Her shoulders sagged further.

Lee stood up and offered her his chair. "Sit down. I'll make something."