"You're not all that, you know!"
"Actually, yeah. I just saved your butt from those guards, so I kind of am. You can thank me and kiss my wounds better later."
"Jet, you insufferable—what wounds."
"Ah, you do care."
Katara huffed, glaring at the boy who'd wormed his way back into her life and then refused to leave. They were crouched on the roof of a prominent Fire Nation Lord, watching as soldiers ran around searching for the "Avatar's Heart and Left Leg."
She grimaced as she thought of that, and Jet smirked. "Hey, at least you got named after an indispensable organ. People have lived without their legs."
Katara ignored this, trying instead to figure out how he managed to read her mind all the time. Ever since Ba Sing Se, where he'd helped them escape the Dai Lee—
XXXXXXXXXX
Flashback:
They were running out of the city, onto Appa's back, and then away, the ground turning smaller by the second. Katara stared at the boy—man?—at her side, her heart still pounding at the memory of him lying on the ground like the dead.
He had almost died, and if she'd been a second too slow—he would have been beyond her grasp. But Katara had managed to bring him back, and then he'd insisted on joining their group. Sokka could use a sparring partner, they could use someone experienced with sneaking around the Fire Nation, and—she had to admit, she still sort of liked him.
But that really didn't mean anything. After all, he wasn't her other half, or anything. He probably couldn't even tell what she was thinking!
XXXXXXXXXX
"I can totally tell what you're thinking." Jet's amused voice made Katara jump, and he grabbed her around the waist, bringing her close as she stumbled dangerously near to the edge of the roof. "Careful there."
Katara ignored the fact that they were so close she could feel his body heat, and pulled away. "I would have managed. And what was I thinking?"
"You were remembering Ba Sing Se." Jet sat back on his legs, watching her as she stretched out the kinks in her back. "You get this preoccupied, half-wistful look in your eyes and your mouth twitches, just a little, like you're tasting something sweet and bitter at the same time."
Katara glanced at him, startled. "And now," Jet continued easily, "You're wondering how I know so much about you." He shrugged. "You intrigue me, Katara. You mystify me, baffle me—and you really turn me on." He dodged as a stream of water shot towards him. "Hey, that was a compliment!"
Katara was blushing furiously, and her second water whip didn't miss. Jet shot her a reproachful look as he tried in vain to wring the water out of his clothes. "We're still hiding, you know, and I'll have to stay here in these wet, cold clothes until those idiots down there get tired and leave. Unless—" he grinned mischievously and grabbed her arm, pulling her in and rubbing his wet clothes all over her body.
Katara pulled away, quirked an eyebrow, and gave a wave of her hands, dispelling the water from her body. Jet grinned. "Hey, I got some of it off, didn't I?"
They sat in silence for awhile after that, and somehow Katara found herself leaning into Jet's shoulder with his arms around her. He was warm, despite the wetness of his clothes, and Katara closed her eyes, starting to drift off. The guards' yelling turned into a low hum, and her last coherent thought was: "I'm really glad I'm up here with you."
Jet chuckled, gazing at the sleeping water-bender, who hadn't even realized she'd been talking aloud. "I'm really glad I'm with you too."