A. N. : A short chapter of quiet nothing. Now, two things from me. First, I now have an AO3 account under the username Yumi_Take. I will crosspost my main stories there, including Viper-lizard. The crossposting is underway but will take some time to be up to date - though if you want to experience my stuff on AO3, that is now possible. Second, a big security flaw was recently found on ffn, resulting in spam reviews, profiles changed without user agreement, and in some cases the change of buffer email adresses (one step removed from changing passwords...). While it is now being adressed by the staff (25.10.18), I would recommend avoiding to look at user profiles for now, as this is how the worm was spread. Or if you do, you should log out before doing so. (For more info, see r/FanFiction and the FictionPress twitter.) (I'll keep you updated in two weeks.)

Zuko is bored.

All of them are lying on the ground, Toph is picking her toes for what, the third time today ? The Avatar is next to her, talking with Katara – she didn't want to train him after that, probably to avoid bending herself.

Zuko won't train the Avatar during the day yet, only on mornings or evenings, at least until they've gone through all the basic forms and the Avatar learns focus. And Lin is happily crawling around Appa, and there's no way Zuko will disturb her so the Avatar can babysit a crying child.

As for Jet, he is trying to disappear in Appa's shadow – it's not even that hot, really now – and –

Is he – picking at his eyebrows ? Shouldn't he do that in front of a mirror ? Otherwise they risk looking like – oh. Oh.

How did Zuko never notice ? Or maybe there was just never a reason to notice – until recently, they didn't spend that much time together, just short moments with sometimes days between them. Even after they made up back on the ship, they mostly spent their time planning, with Chief Hakoda, Bato, and Sokka. Quiet moments of nothing were basically nonexistent.

Quiet moments of nothing are the enemy. They let Zuko's thoughts run wild with considerations of how he could fuck up this time around, or what the world will take from him next. But he didn't think Jet –

No, wait. There was one moment. In Ba Sing Se. Not exactly nothing, and definitely not quiet, but normal – they don't do normal, do they, not even serving tea. That was the moment. After the short-lived panic of learning everything about waiting tables, Zuko had time to think. And at the end of the day Jet's eyes had been a perfect mirror of his own.

But the eyebrows – tea tray. Can't do much when you're holding hot water.

Jet noticed Zuko's stare, and from his face it's clear he didn't want anyone to see him, but his hands don't stop. Does Jet not want them to – no, that doesn't make sense. But hands don't just act on their own like that – don't think of this morning, don't think of how wrong that was –

Zuko doesn't like seeing Jet lose control of his actions, whatever they are. It reminds him too much of what could go wrong – and spirits, Jet drowned an entire village – but he doesn't know how to stop him when it comes to such a small thing.

Obviously, telling him to stop wouldn't do a thing. The best thing Zuko can think of would be to keep him busy, but sparring is out of the question now, and Zuko doesn't have any other idea. Whether to help Jet, or to do anything at all, really.

He is so bored. Why does nobody know what to do – oh right, Sokka is the schedule guy on top of being the plan guy. He must be having fun, learning from Master Piandao while the rest of them slowly loses it.

If Katara tries to make a joke again, Zuko will break something.

Toph is still picking her toes. Lin has settled on Appa's tail. Jet soon won't have any eyebrow left.

Zuko is bored.