A. N. : I never really liked Jet, but that (admittedly very short) time when he and Zuko were friends was nice. Two very broken kids are bound to get each other. Also I have absolutely no idea where this story is going to head from now on.

Being on a boat again feels good.

Zuko has always liked the sea, and even after three years stuck on a ship, he still doesn't tire if it. He loves its scent, the sound of the waves hitting the ferry, the droplets of salty water brought against his skin by the wind.

There's a wave stronger than the others and some of the water actually goes up to where he stands. The kid giggles happily and holds its hands toward the sea, as if trying to catch the water. Zuko has become better at tying the cloth, but he still keeps a close eye on the wriggling child against his chest, just in case.

There have been a few more sparks thrown around after that first time and, much as he hates to think about it, Zuko has to stay careful in order to avoid random fires. Uncle already had to cut his beard shorter after tickling the kid a bit too much.

Zuko can actually remember the first time he showed signs of being able to firebend. He was five and already a disappointment to his father.

It hurts to think about it, so Zuko switches his attention to Uncle, just in time to see him pull a ridiculous hat out of nowhere and – does he really not understand the difference between tourists and refugees ? They aren't there by choice, Zuko sure as hell didn't choose to hide his whole identity, didn't choose to hide his fire, even when it still makes him wake up at dawn, even when he burns internally from keeping the fire in. And when the kid is of age, he won't even be able to teach it control because that's firebending too.

Wait. No. When the kid is of age, Zuko will have captured the Avatar and will be home and –

And if father learns of the child, learns of his – no, not his, where did that come from – firebending Earth kid, he will call it dishonorable, will loathe the idea of fire and earth and will –

And Zuko doesn't want to think about this and holds the child close, as if to protect it from the idea. But really, he wants to shield himself from the thought that father would without a doubt –

Uncle hands him a bowl of food and the distraction is welcome but – there's no way he's eating that. And there's absolutely no way he feeding – poisoning – the kid that. He's pretty sure even the sea-birds wouldn't want it, and they eat rotten fish.

So when the guy – Jet – asks him if he wants to liberate some food, Zuko doesn't hesitate before dipping the bowl's contents into the sea – he feels sorry for the fish – and handing the baby to Uncle.

And it feels good, being in the darkness of the night, on guard for whoever could see him – then again, he's not alone this time and he isn't really sure what to think of that fact. But Jet seems to know what he's doing, Smellerbee is as silent as he is and Longshot is watching their backs as if he could see in the dark. And Zuko is anything but safe right now, but knowing someone not Uncle will catch him if he falls makes him believe for a second he could be.

And when, after distributing the food to everyone, they all sit together to eat, he's alright with that.

He crushes some rice with a spoon to feed the child – thanks the spirits, it's actually old enough to eat things other than milk – while the others do some small talk. Jet notes the baby doesn't look anything like Zuko – Li – and Zuko has never known how to lie, so he tells the truth about the desert and the bandits and the not-a-viper-lizard-child.

Zuko goes back to feeding the kid and Jet asks how they named it. Uncle called it Lin but Zuko – Zuko never uses the name, because if it has a name it's alive and if it's alive it can die, like Uncle almost did, it can disappear, like mother did, it can betray him, like Azula – and Azula always lies, there's no way father would ask her to –

Except he would.

Jet offers to take the child and feed it so Zuko – Li – can finish his food while it's still warm. And everyone else is done eating while his bowl is still more than half full, so Zuko hands the baby to Jet – who looks really happy and starts talking about how he didn't know The Duke when he was this young, but both are playful and very much alike.

Zuko wonders who The Duke is. Hopes the child won't sneeze on Jet.

It doesn't. Decides to play with the piece of wheat in Jet's mouth – the same as The Duke, are you sure you're not family ? Jet laughs and looks at the baby, grinning. His smile freezes and he looks pained and so sad and Zuko doesn't understand why, until he realizes –

Jet is looking at the kid's face.

He's looking at its eyes.

And then he looks up, at Zuko, at the scar, at his gold eyes, and he has the same pained expression, and Zuko knows what he's thinking, he knows and he wants to scream, scream that his parents were married – did mother ever really like that man – that he was wanted – but not like Azula, never like Azula – that he loves his fire – the kid always laughs at the sparks.

All he can do is stare at his bowl while Uncle runs after Smellerbee to apologize for whatever he did and doesn't notice that something – everything – is wrong, that Zuko needs help and want to run away and why does everything blow up in his face –

Jet goes back to feeding the child and Uncle comes back and Zuko still hurts –

And when at night he stands in the mist and tries to forget everything, Jet walks up behind him and says that he knows – he doesn't – that they're both outcasts – he's right and it hurts – they're the same – Zuko gets what he means and he wants to cry – they should watch each other's back – memories of liberating food and feeling safe come to mind, and Zuko doesn't know what to do –

Jet ends by offering to help with the baby.

There's no way Zuko can refuse that, so he doesn't say anything. He just hopes the waves will take everything away.