A. N. : Sorry for the wait, I just... had to take a break from this fic. But I'm back, the fic is back, everyone is back, for better of worst. In French, the marygold flower is called souci, which is also the word for worry. Thought you'd like to know where the chapter title comes from.
Zuko is worried.
Jet disappeared and they all split up to find him, but then the Avatar disappeared too and they only realized that when they all met up at the cave. Or well, not all, and that's kind of the problem here.
Spirits, this day couldn't go any worse. At least they can be sure the Avatar wasn't caught, because otherwise there would've been some sort of announcement and probably one or two explosions, so there's that.
Scratch that – this day could go worse and Zuko very much wishes it doesn't.
Where did these two go, for fuck's sake –
Oh look, there comes Jet, playing with some sort of glass bead – where did he even find that – like all is right in the world and he didn't just vanish in the Fire Nation for a whole fucking day.
Where did he go, what did he do there, and how many people died – is what Zuko would be asking if Jet didn't greet him with the correct name.
And damn, it shouldn't be such a shock to be called by his actual name, but Jet has barely bothered calling him anything but Li this whole time and Zuko – Zuko doesn't know if the sudden change is a good or a bad thing.
He hopes it's a good thing, but this is Jet and this is a reminder of Zuko being Fire Nation, so really he can't be too optimistic here.
The fact that Jet is looking extremely calm doesn't help. He is quiet, which he never is, which he shouldn't be, and that's – scary.
But then Zuko notices the way Jet's hand clenches and unclenches on the bead, not playing like he thought before, but – nervous ? – and the way Jet looks at the ground – and that's wrong, Jet always looks straight forward with assurance, like Azula, and looking down is weak weak, stop looking at your feet Zuzu –
Something happened.
Zuko looks at Katara. She was freaking out before, when they realized Jet was gone, and now she is frowning and biting her lips at how something is obviously wrong. Zuko still doesn't know what sort of history she has with Jet, but he remembers the way she shouted at him back in Ba Sing Se, and how Jet told him about going too far in his fight and – crazed eyes and a hand on his face, and hands on his throat suffocating him, and wheat on fire – and really, he thinks if someone can understand how worried he is, it's Katara.
Please let no one be dead.
Lin stirs in her sleep, as if bothered by the change too – ah, Zuko crossed his arms out of habit and sort of smothered her, sorry Lin, please don't wake up – and Sokka opens his mouth to say something –
But Toph says she feels Twinkle Toes coming and suddenly nothing else seems to matter to the others. Well, at least he's alive.
Jet looks confused, and Zuko really doesn't feel like explaining this one to him, especially since he is at the root of it all.
He also refuses to acknowledge any sort of responsibility he might possibly bear in the enrollment of the Avatar into school – he isn't the one who chose the clothes, just because he didn't point out they were a school uniform doesn't make it his fault. No way.
It is even less his fault the Avatar wants to go back tomorrow, and seriously, what the fuck is wrong with this kid, what kind of moron wants to go to school – Azula did, but Azula had Mai and Ty Lee and wasn't sneered at by the teachers.
Honestly, gifted kids are so lucky.
More importantly though, they have a plan to follow and are kind of running on a tight schedule, so they can simply not afford – why is Jet agreeing with the Avatar ?
Why is Jet, Fire Nation hating Jet, obviously upset Jet, agreeing – wanting – to stay in the same town for longer than strictly necessary, and how bad has this day actually gone without anyone noticing until it was too late ?
Bullshit arguments of the Avatar aside – Zuko already knows what the Fire Lord looks like, thank you very much, now can someone put this portrait away and never take it out ever again please –
Avatar arguments aside, Jet is making some pretty good points – worrying, has he rehearsed that – such as how Zuko has been out of the loop since his exile – Katara makes a face at that – and if they're going to pretend they are Fire Nation, they might as well get some intel on the current state of things. There are some things all people know, even in the colonies, after all.
Toph agrees with a whatever, and the Avatar makes a gesture as if to say see, I'm not alone in this – but really, Jet making sense is more worrying than the Avatar not making any. And judging by their expressions, Sokka and Katara agree.
But fighting against the idea is useless, not when the Avatar says it's been so long since he felt like a normal kid, can't he just have this, just one more day please –
Katara softens, and there go Zuko's hopes of keeping Jet as far away as possible from trouble.
Not like they were big in the first place.