Zuko had waited for Jet's respond with baited breath, no longer trying to hide the smoke escaping from his body. His heart stilled, and then beat twice as fast, and his stomach felt like it had fallen out of him onto the cold, earth floor.

Immediately, Jet has a visceral reaction, and pushed himself up off him, a panic set deep within his eyes. His movement were no longer flashy and showy, but nervous and jerky.

Zuko pushed himself up, and all he could think to say was, "I-I'm sorry, Jet."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He cried, backing up further and further away from him.

"Why do you think?" His voice expressed all the exasperation he could gather from within himself. "Everyone would hate me. Even I hate me."

"How could you?"

"I didn't do anything!"

"How could you?" He repeated, growing in volume.

"I didn't do anything but try to be your friend. I should be upset. How could you?"

They stayed a decent distance from each other, and in a moment that almost seemed calm, Jet let out a scream. A scream from somewhere dark, and old inside of him, a scream that took years to build and echoed through each of Zuko's bones. And he let out another one.

Again, and again.

Zuko went to move closer, staggering and then running, but Jet violently backed away.

His hands started to tremble, and his body felt cold with sweat. "I'm sorry" was all he could say, over and over. His face contorted and he wanted to cry, but he began to feel his tears steaming off his face. He apologized until his legs collapsed and he fell to the ground in front of him, but Jet continued to scream and convulse.

These moments felt like they stretched over hours, but within a few minutes, the girl who had come to talk to him at the Jade Dragon found them both. He didn't recognize her at first, but Jet immediately did. He stopped screaming, but started inhaling deeply, the same kind that comes with sobbing.

Zuko had seen this with soldiers and people he'd trained with- a scene or a word would drive them back to a place in the war, and there was no dragging them out of it. They had to relive whatever they were going through. Zuko felt small when it happened, but felt even smaller than before now, knowing he had unintentionally driven someone there.

"What the hell happened?" She asked, unphased.
_

Azula had never liked traveling. In spite of how she presented herself, she had an incredibly sensitive stomach, and traveling by boat made her sick. Traveling to the islands around the kingdom had always made her nauseous, and she never imagined herself willingly doing it as part of her job as queen. It was now an inescapable part of her plan, and even though she'd never thought of it on her own - and seldom liked ideas not of her own design - she had to admit it was pretty impressive.

She really couldn't say no to Ty Lee anyway.

A train was not much better than a boat; a little steadier but able to go much faster.

She put her head in her hands, and pressed hard, trying to numb the pain in her head. "This had better be worth it." She muttered.

"It will be, and you know it."

"If I don't die on my way." Azula stood up. "I need to lay down." She announced. Ty Lee began to get up to follow her, out of instinct, but Azula quickly added, "Alone. For now, at least."

"I'll get you for dinner." Ty Lee had just smiled.

Azula needed more and more alone time recently, needing Ty Lee for brief spurts before needing to see her constantly, and then switching between the two. In the capital, Azula had ways to occupy her mind during the day, and came to Ty Lee as an escape. But now, they spent all day together, doing nothing but traveling. "It gets boring being with you all day," She commented while they were still on the boat. It hadn't hurt as much since she said it, but Azula was always curt. She still insisted on Ty Lee's quarters being beside hers, if not included in her suite when they were traveling.

As Azula got up, she stopped by Lo and Li's cabin on the train. "Have we gotten any mail?" She asked, peaking her head in and only her head past the door.

"Yes,"

"They were delivered by pigeon-hawk earlier this morning." They both responded and Azula was in to get the mail so quickly she couldn't distinguish who was saying what. As the princess walked, her head throbbing dully, she scanned through the letters and parcels.

There were letters for various members of the royal guard from their families, and based on Azula's policy of only having her men focus on task at hand, she'd keep those for them to read later. Or to practice fire bending with; they all basically said the same thing. Ty Lee got a package from the circus, which she received regularly. They contained updates on the various characters Ty Lee had explain to her countless times, and whom Azula never understood Ty Lee's fondness for, and hideous clothes. She'd drop that off later. None of these caught her attention, except a letter to Mai, from her father.

By the time she got to her sleeping quarters - a suit generally used by the king to have room for his close family, but upon Azula's request, the only person with access was Ty Lee - she had already opened the seal with her fingernails and sat down on her bedside to begin reading it.

"My Dearest Daughter,

Your mother, Tom-Tom and I all miss you terribly. We wish you, the princess, and the rest of your friends a safe and healthy journey."

"Could you get more boring?" Azula said to herself aloud, her head hurting more with her malcontent. She contemplated burning it out of sheer annoyance but noticed her name further down.

Past the section of useless information about some child, she read:

"Commander Zhao is still concerned about Azula acceding to the throne. He fears she has not properly grieved for the death of her father, and the simultaneous loss of her brother. She is not in the emotional state to handle such responsibility, and perhaps might not be for years. She is still only fourteen years old, and has much maturing to do. In order for the nations to accept a woman as their leader, she should at least be of age. As her godfather, he fears for her mental state of mind first and foremost, and has prioritized locating Zuko before appointing anyone to the throne-"

Azula stopped reading and balled up the letter, throwing it into the corner. Her neck felt as tense as her head. She looked out her window to gage the time, but the sun rose and set at different times further north, and it only confused her more. Originally, she wanted to see if she had time to take a bath before dinner, but even if there wasn't enough time, everyone would still wait for her.

She stepped into the adjoining room with the claw-footed tub and called for a solider to fetch enough water to fill up the tub.

"Shall I have it heated for you, your highness?"

"No, it's never warm enough when it gets back here. I'll warm it myself." She sneered.

She sat at her vanity while he went to gather her water, taking down her hair and examining her face. Her face was slender like her fathers, but not as long as his yet. She always looked more like him, which many girls would hate; being compared to their father was something Mai hated, but Azula cherished. If she inherited a single drop of blood from her mother, it was too much. She refused to wear makeup. Ty Lee enjoyed it, though she didn't need it, and Mai both enjoyed and most days did truly need it, but Azula felt like it was a waste of her time. For her coronation, she would color her lips a deep red and that would be the only time. Maybe if she got married, but she'd have to be queen and makes some executive changes before she would marry.

Three men carried large ceramic pots of water, knocked, entered and poured the water into the tub. They offered to heat it again, and Azula again refused.

Once they left, Azula locked the door, and undressed. She put her hair up in a tight bun, scrunching her face up at the ache in her head, and resolved that she needed to cut her hair soon. It was getting to be too long to pull up with ease, and she never wore it down. Her father always wore his in a high topknot, and she insisted on continuing the tradition. Zuko had taken to wearing his down, and cut too short to pull up, which Azula had told him made him look like he should be working in manure than in a palace, multiple times.

She examined herself while she brought the heat from her belly down her legs into the soles of her feet. Her legs were long, but not nearly long enough. She was no more than 155 centimeters, and next to her father, she barely was able to see his shoulders. She willed her legs to grow longer, her face to look older, and her arms to swell more where there should be muscle.

As she stepped in the tub, the heat from her feet rose up quickly until the water steamed lightly. She sat down and soaked until her skin was tinged a light pink. She had told Ty Lee this as best as she could express it, but heat brought her a strange sense of comfort. A temperature that other people would instinctively shy away from made Azula feel at home and safe. As a child, she'd mastered the boring art of body temperature control, spreading the fire deep in her belly to her hands, feet, throat and even up to her skull, waves of heat gently lapping at the ache there. She often felt cold and was able to warm herself, and found this most useful. In using more and more, she grew more comfortable with making herself hotter, and hotter, a feverish temperature that would make other people cringe was Azula's comfort point. She'd even managed to stop herself from sweating.

When she and Zuko had been friends, or at least confidants in childhood, he would speak to her about how his anxiety would sit in his stomach. The image of this ball of discomfort, a black thick lump inside, first gave her the idea to use her prodigal talent to heat her body to break it up. She'd suggested it to him, but his skills couldn't compare, then or now, to her own. She began when she'd see her parents fight, and she couldn't go and hit her mother herself, she'd start to break up that nervousness with her own body heat.

When her mind raced, and most people would feel anxious or nervous, Azula simply made herself hotter. She watched the water start to evaporate in warm streams lifting up out of the tub.

Ty Lee had said it didn't make sense, but she had stopped pulling back when Azula burnt her. She never meant to, but she certainly never took steps to stop it. She was just doing what she'd done to herself for years, and wasn't going to stop. If Ty Lee wanted her to stop, she'd ask.

She liked her baths hot and long, and by the time Azula had to heat up the water a third time, her locked door opened.

Ty Lee was the only one with a key.

"I figured you were here." Only when the door was open, did Azula notice how much steam had accumulated in the room. It was like stepping into a sauna for Ty Lee.

Azula didn't say anything, and sighed. Ty Lee immediately understood.

"What's wrong?" She asked, walking up to the tub through the steam.

"I'm too young." Azula said. "And my head hurts."

"Too young for what?"

"People think I'm too young to be queen."

"Who told you that?"

Azula said nothing.

"There's nothing you can do about how old you are." She said, kneeling by the bathtub and putting her hand on her damp back. The skin there was hot, but Ty Lee had gotten used to it and said nothing.

"I know that, but no one's going to want a child for a queen."

"You're not a child though. You're just-"

"I'm fourteen. No one wants a fourteen-year-old making laws, and giving commands. I'm more a bossy little sister than a queen."

Ty Lee said nothing, knowing there was more Azula meant to say.

"I wish there were a war, or a tragedy or something to show that I'm a leader. Right now, I just look like a child. Zuko's a joke, but these old kingdoms have old ideas. These old men control everything and between an old man like them, or a young man they can make like them, I don't stand a chance. People would rather have Zhao ruling because they know he can fight and he can command."

"If you say that, people will believe it." Anyone else saying that would be been burnt up on the spot, but Azula allowed her to go on. "If you show them the same confidence and power you show me, Zhao and Zuko won't even be competition. In the Earth Kingdom, Zhao is hated. Mai's dad even told her."

Ty Lee took a moment to pause and stood herself up firmly on her knees, asserting her position even further. "We're not here to make friends in the Royal Court, even though you still have people loyal to you there. You're here to get the Earth Kingdom, which hates Zhao and hates men who look like soldiers who killed families here. Even if Zhao has himself appointed, if you can make allies in the Earth Kingdom, they could overthrow him. You could lead them in it."

"I don't want to lead these filthy idiots. I just want to be queen!" Azula screamed, and pressed two clenched fists into the ceramic walls of the tub, sending cracks down either side. Steaming under the water, Azula only had her head and ears peeking out at Ty Lee. The cracks only went down about half way, but water was still leaking out of the tub. Ty Lee continued to kneel down, not caring or knowing if she was getting wet.

"You can't just be appointed, though. We already know that. We have to use strategy and manipulate people. And you love strategy. It's more your style than war anyway. It's cleaner and more sophisticated."

Perhaps she was being childish, but it was exhausting traveling, and she hadn't even met the people of the Earth Kingdom. She didn't know Earth Kingdom people, or what they liked, or what they wanted from a ruler. They probably wanted to be their own separate body, and Azula would refuse and they'd hate her the same way they hated her father. "I won't let them be their own country, so there's no point."

Ty Lee was good at making connections Azula had made in her head, and never bothering to explain to anyone else, or she was getting better at pretending at least. "They don't need to be their own country. They can't be really. they don't have the resources to provide for themselves."

"At least not after the war."

"Absolutely, I had never even thought of that." Flattery worked with Azula, even though the princess had never mastered that art herself. "So, they want to hear that you can help them provide for themselves, not have them be entirely self-sufficient."

"That sounds good." Azula nodded resolutely. "And I'll say I'll lower taxes. They love hearing that." A wave of cool, one that Azula would normally burn up before it began, came over her - a wave rushing over the burnt ashes after a eruption. Ty Lee was the only person that could do that to her, before she boiled herself in a tub. Azula said nothing but stood and grabbed Ty Lee's hand to stand with her. She watched the steam come off Ty Lee's pale skin, and Ty Lee embraced her damp frame. In her arms, Azula felt her temperature cool and the uneasiness she felt after reading that letter rise up into the air with the steam. She let her head sink between Ty Lee's neck and shoulder.

"They're waiting for us to start eating." Ty Lee said, shaking her damp pant legs.

"I knew they would." Azula said, putting on a bathrobe and walking with Ty Lee out of their suite and into the dining car.

Azula smiled as she entered the car and observed who all was there. "Oh, June, you made it. How lovely."
_

It took Jet three hours to calm down. Smellerbee and Zuko had sat with him for the first hour before he calmed down enough for Zuko to pick him up and carry him back to his room in the heart of the Crystal Catacombs. He had stopped screaming and sobbed quietly but was shaking violently the whole time. Smellerbee told him to say nothing, and so for the three hours, they were silent, looking at each other and nodding and shaking heads for yeses and nos. When they arrived back at Jet's place, Zuko placed him on his cot on the floor, and covered him with a blanket, before making tea for him and Smellerbee.

They drank outside.

"I knew you were a fire bender." She started.

"How?"

"You're from the Fire Nation," She drank her tea and said matter-of-factly. "Most people who are fire benders are from the Fire Nation."

"Yeah, but not everyone from the Fire Nation is a bender."

"Fire benders have a spark in their eyes. I'm from the Fire Nation myself. I'm one of five kids, and the only one without the spark."

"I'm sorry." Zuko said. "Originally, they didn't think I was a fire bender, and my father wanted to have me killed."

"You should tell Jet that." She said, smiling. "He loves a tragic backstory."

"I never meant to-"

"It's not your fault. It'd be immature to blame you for this. You can't control being born a bender, as much as you can't control what happened to Jet. He's just sensitive still. He has these flashbacks sometimes, and we can't shake him out of it."

"I don't blame him."

She looked up at him, with large, thoughtful eyes, wondering if she should tell him something, or just hold her breathe and drink more tea.

"I feel terrible," Zuko confessed. "I think Jet's really-" He searched for the word. "Really-"

"He likes you too."

"He what?"

Smellerbee didn't say anything, so Zuko continued, after an awkward moment. "I know what happened to him and I feel terrible to have brought those feelings back."

"He told you?" Smellerbee asked, putting down the tea.

"Yeah, why?"

"Just stay out here." She shook her head and said, as she stepped in through the tapestry over the opening. Taken aback, Zuko followed her instructions and continued to drink his tea, and vaguely hoped Uncle wasn't waiting for him.

Smellerbee sat by Jet on the bed. Originally she thought he was asleep, but he jumped a little when she sat down.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, for now."

"You told him?"

"What?"

"You told him about your family?"

He rolled over and looked at her. His eyes were deep back in his head, but he was about as himself as he was going to get. "Yeah, it just happened Smellerbee."

"It took you years to tell us that story."

"It gets easier with time." He rolled over, hoping to ignore her and maybe fall into a sleep that would make him forget the embarrassing episode.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Jet." She exhaled. "Why do you have to take everything so fast?"

"It isn't like that. It had just happened when I met you guys and it's easier to talk about now."

"I'm sure it is." She rolled him back over, surprisingly strong for her size. "You told him-"

"I know what I told him. He's different."

"How do you know that?"

"I just feel it, Smellerbee. Can I have that?"

Smellerbee couldn't say anything, so she just inhaled through her nose. She'd said all she could, and decided it was time for her to leave. "This is the last time I'm going to say anything about it. But I have one question."

"Of course you do."

"Do you really want him to fight?"

Jet thought for a second. "I thought I did. It was just a way to talk to him at first, but he's tough. He could handle it."

Smellerbee sighed. "I'm leaving."

"Send him in."

"I can't stand you." Smellerbee left and looked down to find Zuko still sitting on the ground, drinking his tea. "His royal assfuck wants you."

Zuko wasn't sure how to answer, so he said, "Uh, thanks. Don't forget your tea's still here."

"I'll be fine without it."

Zuko didn't pursue, and went inside. At first, he just stood in the doorway, unsure of where to go.

"Hey," Jet said.

"Hey."

"You can come inside."

"I am inside."

"Like, over here, I mean."

Zuko walked by his cot, and sat on the floor, his back facing Jet in shame. No one had ever really taught Zuko how to talk about something like this, and even conversations with Uncle never went too deep, for fear one of them would be hurt. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay."

"No, let me finish please."

Jet didn't say anything, but rolled over on his side to face Zuko's back.

"I should have known how sensitive you'd still be to fire bending, and I swear I was being really careful to hide it. I never wanted to be a soldier, or do what they did to people, and that's why I left. I never meant to have you find out, because I really don't want to be a fire bender. Not anymore."

Jet looked down at his cot, taking in the words he said. "You can come sit by me."

"I am sitting by you."

"Like, on the bed."

Zuko turned around, trying to hide that his face was flushing. "I- uh,"

"I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, but the floor's cold, and,"

"No, I will, it's just…" Zuko shook his head, and Jet moved his body over to make room for Zuko's. His cot was small, and barely able to fit them both. Zuko sat down, not quite ready to lay down, but his leg touched Jet's arm.

"You don't have to fight if you want. I know you'd be good at it."

"I don't want to accidentally fire bend." Zuko admitted. In the hours waiting for Jet to calm down, Zuko had considered Jet's offer and decided it would probably be a good idea to keep his fighting skills sharp. If the Fire Nation ever came looking for him, he'd need to be able to fight them off, and this would give him experience that working in a teashop wouldn't. Plus, he could always use more money. "I don't want people to hate me."

"We could give you a fake name."

He thought for a second. "Could I wear a mask?"

"Yeah, I don't see why not."

"I have a blue mask from my sword master. I could wear that."

"I mean, blue is probably the least likely color for a fire bender."

Zuko looked back at him, "I'll do it then."
_

Azula sat across from June, crossed her legs under the table and folded her hands. Around the exclusive dinner table were Mai, Lo, Li, and June at the other end, with an empty seat for Ty Lee and Azula. "I know I said it before, but I'm truly glad you were able to make it."

"You didn't really leave me much for a choice." The bounty hunter sneered. She was sitting with her arms on the back of the chair casually but Azula could feel how angry she was. Azula had heard she was the best bounty hunter in the kingdom, as coincidently the most difficult to locate. When Azula heard how she tracked her targets, with some large fox-rodent type animal, she sent her soldiers to search for that. Once that beast of hers was caught, June followed blindly and quickly.

"I apologize for any inconvenience caused to you, but I'm very, very interested in your services." She began, as a plate was set in front of her. She looked down and frowned. "What is this?"

"It's an earth kingdom vegetable and meat stew." Said Lo.

"Very healthy, and very hearty." Finished Li.

The frown didn't leave Azula's face, but she continued. "June, I am not only incredibly interested in your services but would be able to pay you quite handsomely."

"Lots of people can pay me quite handsomely."

Azula exhaled, careful not to let out any steam or smoke just yet. "I'm the daughter of the Fire Lord, June. I can kill anyone would pay you more money and even you'd never be able to find them."

June disposition didn't change, but she asked, "What do you need me for?"

"My dear brother," Azula began. She wasn't eating the stew but just picking the meat out, and eating that.

"Azula, please eat with some manners." Li started.

"Act like you're the daughter of the Fire Lord." Lo continued.

"Why? It's not like anyone I have to impress is here." She retorted, grabbing a strip of meat with her fingers and eating it like she did as a child. "Now, if I may continue with June. My dear brother has gone scouting for us in the Earth Kingdom and has gone missing. We believe he's with some extreme revolutionaries and is in danger. I need you to find him for me. He may not be willing, but understand that my brother needs to come back to me."

"Sounds too political."

"I wouldn't be paying you to have a political opinion, just to find my brother. I'll pay you 50,000 now, a down payment if you will. And whatever else you want to charge me upon his return." Azula said matter of factly, stopping chewing her food to ask, "Do we have a deal?"

"I want 100,000, if this is as dangerous as you say."

"I'll pay you 50,000 now, and that when you bring back Zuko."

"I need it now."

"I need my brother."

"I thought money wasn't a problem for you."

"June, dear." Azula began, taking a piece of meat out from her stew and bringing as much heat as she could bring to her hands, and then narrowing it down to her thin fingers. "The only problem here is you." The meat, even soaked in broth, immediately caught on fire and began to burn in Azula's fingers. The princess didn't so much as blink. "Now that I've shared such information with you, my only options are to employ you, or kill you."

The car began to smell like burning flesh, but Azula let the meat and the tips of her fingers burn.

June's posture didn't change, but Azula noticed her brow and her painted black lips beginning to twitch in synch with each other, and she was starting to sweat. Perfect, she thought.

"Now, either you take my 50,000 and find my brother, or I burn you right here and scatter your ashes in the Si Wong desert and leave your shirshu to find whatever bits of you it can."

June didn't say anything, but nodded.

"Delightful," Azula said, pressing her fingers together to extinguish the flame and let the burnt meat ashes fall to the ground. "You'll be accompanied by my most loyal soldiers, and even be given a room on the train. Your shirshu will have to remain outside though. Don't worry. We have a cage for it."

June sneered.

"It's a nice cage though!" Ty Lee added.

"And you can begin your search whenever you'd like." Azula finished. "If you happen to want to return to the train, or wherever we're staying, you can join us as well."

"I'd like to start tomorrow." June said, standing up. "What does your brother look like?"

"How the hell do you not know what the Fire Nation prince looks like?" Azula asked, aggravated she'd not know.

Mai said, "He's taller than Azula, but with the same hair color and eyes. He's got a scar on his face, and probably has cut his hair or done something to disguise himself. But he can't get rid of the scar."

Azula said nothing but stared at Mai for a moment, trying to look as disgusted as possible. "I'll pay you once I'm done with dinner," Azula said to June, turning to something that was less repulsive and smiled without her teeth. "It's been a pleasure working with you, June." She dismissed her from the table with her hand. "I'll have one of my men show you to your cabin."

"I need something that belonged to the prince."

"What do you mean?" Azula narrowed her eyes, just wanting to finish her dinner, and go to bed.

"To track his scent."

"I have something," Mai announced, looking at June to avoid Azula's stare. "I'll bring it to your cabin after dinner as well."

"Thanks," June said, and exited the dining cart. The soldier at the door offered her his hand, which she quickly walked away from and stormed out.

"She didn't seem happy." Lo or Li commented. Azula didn't notice which one.

"What the hell do you have of my brother's?"

"I have a letter he wrote me from when he was training with his sword master."

"I'm sure that smells like you by now with all the time you've read it." Azula laughed.

Mai said nothing.

"Sorry to dismantle your precious shrine to my miscreant brother, but we have more important things to do."

"I thought you were brilliant and tactical, Azula." Ty Lee announced. "She had no other choice but to do what you asked."

"And soon, neither will the rest of the Earth Kingdom. Or my brother." Azula smiled, with her teeth this time.

Jet and Zuko didn't say anything for a long while after they came to their agreement, saying where and when the fights would be. The talk was very professional but then it had ended abruptly. Neither of them wanted to say anything, but neither of them wanted the other to leave, either.

"I'm glad you agreed," Jet finally announced. "I was hoping I'd be able to work with you."

"Why's that?" Zuko asked, still sitting up on his cot.

"Because I know you'll do well. And it'd be weird to go to the tea shop every time I'd want to see you."

Zuko was glad he was facing away. He felt a hot flush creep over his cheeks. He'd never been this way with anyone before, even Mai when she'd openly said things to him. This was different. It was guessing, and while it was confusing, Zuko found himself excited.

"Do you wanna just stay here tonight?"

"What do you mean?" Zuko turned around, looking confused.

"Well, needless to say, I'm pretty exhausted and I don't want to walk you home."

"My uncle will worry."

"Your family's been in the military. They've dealt with worse. He should be okay."

Zuko liked to imagine Uncle had waited patiently by the door for him, but frowned visibly at the thought of him asleep on the couch with tea spilt all over him. In his heart, he knew Uncle had probably made the effort, but was definitely asleep right now.

"Where would I sleep?"

"Here?"

"Where here?"

Jet just looked at him, and patted the cot with his palm.

"There's no room here." Zuko felt the heat that usually settled in the pit of his belly slowly descend lower, between his legs, and simultaneously higher, to his face.

"Yeah, I know it's small," Jet trailed off, looking towards the earthen wall.

"Not that that's bad or anything!" Zuko shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that."

"No, I know you didn't." Jet shook his head. "I can sleep pretty close up against the wall if you need that."

"No, I should be fine." Zuko said, resolutely.

There was a long pause before Jet asked, "so do you wanna lay down?"

Zuko nodded, and laid down his arms pressing tightly against Jet's. They were about the same height, if anything Zuko a little bit taller, but just barely. Zuko turned his head and immediately turned back flustered when he met Jet's eyes.

"Are you okay?" Jet asked.

"No, I should be asking you that." Zuko shook his head. He felt a million different thoughts scattering across his mind, long enough to feel them but not long enough to comprehend them. All he knew was he could hear Jet's breath, and now feel the oxygen flow through his arms, and it was making his brain short circuit.

"Yeah, I should apologize for that."

"Why would you apologize?"

Jet turned over, so there was more room for Zuko on his cot, and so he faced him fully. "You never meant to make me freak out like that, I know. And me doing it made you feel like you'd done something wrong. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I never wanted you to know what I really was."

"I don't want to be a person you have to hide part of yourself from. That's not what being a Freedom Fighter is about."

"Do you still consider yourself a Freedom Fighter?" Zuko began to felt nervous, and like his scar was heating up.

"You never aren't. Li, a Freedom Fighter is a person who is always truthful to themselves and fights for what's right. If you're a fire bender, and you're doing what's right, you have to be true to yourself. I don't want you to have to lie to me."

Zuko looked up at the ceiling, feeling misty eyed for a reason he couldn't name. "Yeah, me either."

"You're the first person I've felt this close to in a long time," Jet admitted, and against every fiber in his body telling him no, Zuko turned to face him. Moving his body so his back faced the far earthen wall at the other end of the room, and his heated scar onto the cloth over the cot, he faced Jet fully.

The room was lit by a candle, and dimly he saw Jet, eyes partially hidden by his hair and reddened from before, skin tinged a light pink, possibly still from earlier and possibly from his confession from earlier, and damp lips parted, and still lightly stained with blood from their fight, breathing through his mouth.

Zuko briefly forgot to breathe and then inhaled sharply to make up for it. "Yeah, me too Jet."

Jet smiled, his damp mouth shining lightly in the light of the candle. He brought his hand up to Zuko's hair and pulled their faces closer together. His lips tasted salty from sweaty and metallic from the blood, and not having felt anything more comforting in his life, Zuko pressed his lips back against Jet's.