A. N. : Usually, I try tp find some element (literal or metaphorical) present in the text for the titles. Here, I half jokingly said it out loud - and realised it fit. So yeah. Zuko might actually need this friend, not another one.

Jet is acting like everything is fine.

Which – it probably is if he thinks so but – it's almost scary how good he is at faking. About as good as Azula, and that thought is even scarier, so Zuko concentrates on the peaches instead.

Jet's smile is as smug as it was on the ferry. His movements as precise, and if his arms are shaking, it's because of the weight of the boxes.

It's as if nothing happened, as if he didn't just spend a few minutes standing there, completely still, with terror in his eyes.

He doesn't look at Lin, though, Zuko notices.

Zuko – Li – plays along with the small talk – he's really bad at it, but Jet doesn't seem to mind and fills the voids in the conversation easily, so it's alright.

It's destabilizing, though.

Jet could have reacted a number of ways – attacking, and for a second Zuko thought he would, or pretending he didn't know Li, and it would have been so much simpler than – whatever he is doing now.

Why put so much effort into being friendly ? Why, when, from his look at the station and during that split second here, it obviously hurts him to know he's standing near a firebender, child or not.

Zuko is really glad Jet doesn't know about him or Uncle.

Jet is talking about Smellerbee and Longshot now, and apparently they found jobs too and – what about Li ?

And Zuko isn't really sure of what he can safely say, so he just mumbles that someone has to watch over Lin. Jet looks perplexed for a second, but then he gets it.

He gets it, damn it, and for the first time Zuko is glad Jet – anyone – knows about the sparks, so he doesn't have to make up some reason as to why he can't just ask his neighbour – he's a terrible liar and he knows it.

Lin moves her hands as if to play with Jet's wheat – and of course she does, it moves every single time Jet opens his mouth, of course she's intrigued, but she can't, Zuko has seen Jet's face when she did it before – so scared, and he hadn't seen Lin, had he – and pushing him near the edge is obviously a bad idea.

Just as Zuko moves to stop Lin, Jet takes the piece of wheat off his mouth – yeah that works too – and plucks it in Lin's mouth – what.

When Zuko said he wanted to find something Lin could chew on, that's not exactly what he had in mind.

But Lin is giggling and Jet looks so satisfied with himself – and so smug Zuko could punch him –

Oh well. So long as nothing is on fire, that's alright, he guesses.

Zuko is done with his shopping and Jet has other deliveries to do and – where does Li live ?

And maybe they could hang out sometimes, with Smellerbee and Longshot too, and Zuko – Li – can take Lin with him, no problem – except Jet tenses when saying that – and yeah it would be nice to see Zuko – Li – again.

He leaves and Zuko can't help but wonder once more why in the world Jet would do something like that. Is he a masochist ? That's probably not it, but Zuko can't see why –

Us outcasts have to stick together.

And it can't – can't – have been honest, Jet can't have meant it, who in their right mind would want to stay with him ?

Except Jet's common sense apparently burned years ago, so – he would.