A. N. : The Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees in Hong Kong are a pair of banyans that people make wishes to on the Lunar New Year, in the hopes that these wishes will come true. One thing I find interesting is that banyans are sacred trees and positive symbols in quite a few places, and yet they're also called "strangler fig" due to the fact that they need a host tree to grow around, sometimes resulting in the death of the host. It's a fun dichotomy.

No one really wants to talk anymore.

The moment passed when they all opened their mouth at the same time, and while Toph may have saved the group some awkwardness, she is done, and now things aren't much better.

Jet does want to apologize, of course. He fucked up, badly, and maybe Zuko will never forgive him – there's no way this wasn't the last straw, not when Jet had already lost his trust before, already hurt him time and time again – but he deserves an apology.

It's the least Jet can do.

Might be the most he can do, too, because he can't guarantee it won't happen again. Spirits, he's so messed up.

So, he has to apologize. Wants to. And he doubts anyone will leave him alone with Zuko anytime soon – he wouldn't leave himself alone with Zuko yet either – so it will have to be public. And bringing this up will probably set off Sokka again – we don't have the time to deal with your bullshit right now, he'd said before departure, but Jet very much heard the untold later.

Thing is, Jet might be a total mess, but he isn't stupid. Nearly killing a friend is incredibly bad for group cohesion, and exactly the kind of thing he'd kick a kid out for, if they didn't find a way to resolve the conflict – usually the solution didn't take too long to come, the kids listened to Jet, and there was a reason they were in the Freedom Fighters in the first place, and not in some village. They did their best, because they didn't want to be alone.

Jet doesn't want to be alone.

But he also knows what will happen – he'll get cued, Zuko won't defend him this time, and then the best case scenario is that they'll wait until after the rescue mission to kick him out, since he's actually good at fighting and they'll need every advantage they can get to make this work, and maybe he can regain some trust in that time.

Worst case scenario, Jet is left alone in the middle of fuckall nowhere on the Fire Nation main island. That thought scares him more than anything. He – he doesn't know what he'll do if that happens.

He needs to apologize. Has to. And then – then –

Jet breathes.

I'm sorry, he croaks – huh, that's weird, where did his voice go ? He needs it right now, needs his words and singing, charming tone, determination and assurance, to even hope at getting what he wants – what he's not going to get no matter what.

Forgiveness won't come to him this time, he already accepted it. He's not getting Zuko back, just like he isn't getting his parents back, just like he's not, never, getting his Freedom Fighters – his kids – back, no matter how much he wants to, no matter what he does – and two of these are his own fault, aren't they ?

It's hopeless. He is hopeless. All he has left as he meets Zuko's eyes is raw honesty and it hurts, it hurts just as much as when he discovered Zuko was a firebender, what feels like years ago.

He is so sorry.