Tea, A Bridge, and Bodies-- Days Five, Six, and Seven Part One
Title: Tea, A Bridge, and Bodies
Pairing: Zuko/Sokka
Rating: PG-13 (may change in the future)
Summary: Jet told Zuko he wanted an 'open relationship.' Zuko doesn't think
that's going to work. Although, the man from work might help... ZukoJet,
AN: This story is very much AU… It’s also slash (or yaoi, whichever you prefer). In addition, I’m sure that they’re all OoC… o well. (I wouldn’t recommend this if you like Jet…)
A/N2: Implied non-con warning for Day Five
Disclaimer: I don't own them
Day Five
Jet was fed up with the current situation. Fed up enough that he wanted to hit something. Hard. It angered him that every interaction with Zuko turned out ending badly for him. He wasn’t sure what Zuko wanted out of him, and he missed being blatantly needed by someone. It was all because of that damned dark skinned man. Jet was the only one who was allowed that close to Zuko. Zuko was his, and no one else’s. If Zuko continued to ignore him, and blow him off, then Jet was going to have to do something drastic. And then, and then Zuko would be his, and his alone.
--
He liked kisses. Or, he liked receiving kisses. Especially when they were from Sokka. Zuko sighed. Yes, kisses from Sokka were definitely one of the best events Zuko had ever participated in. Although, if things were to continue this way, Zuko would have to break things off with Jet soon… it didn’t help, though, that Jet was sort of trying to fix things. Zuko frowned. He really didn’t want to think about Jet; thinking about the man down the hall always made things worse.
--
Sokka had decided that they needed to go on another date. Because, he reasoned, another date meant more time together. And more time together was never a bad thing, as far as Sokka was concerned. He smiled. At least one thing in his life was going well.
--
Jet had probably paced a hole into the floor. A large, angry hole. The kitchen would never be the same; it would forever bear the scar of Jet’s anger and frustration. And when the cause of that hole dared to show its head, Jet mentally snarled at it. However, on the outside, he just affixed it with a glare. A ‘you’re-in-trouble-now’ glare. And the cause at least had enough intelligence to flinch, and cautiously call out to him. Jet stalked over, the glare still on its target, and pulled the cause into a forced kiss. The cause, to its credit, did not try and pull away. But, it didn’t actively participate, either. And that increased Jet’s anger. Instead of furthering the kiss, however, Jet settled for gripping the cause’s arm while pulling back from the kiss. The cause looked stunned, which made Jet smile. He liked when he was in control. And having the other person stunned definitely meant control in Jet’s book. With a quicker, yet still possessive kiss, Jet let the cause go, the half-smile, half-smirk still on his face.
--
Zuko. Was. Shocked. Jet was kissing him. But it wasn’t a delightful kiss. It was more like an overly possessive kiss. Which wasn’t unlikely for Jet. It was, however, something that Zuko hadn’t experienced recently. And, some small corner of his mind had missed it. Which frightened Zuko. Because he knew that most of him didn’t miss this, didn’t miss being claimed as someone’s this forcefully. And, the last person he wanted to be claimed by was Jet. Jet, who was pulling back (but not before keeping Zuko there by grabbing onto his arm), and was looking slightly demonic, as far as Zuko was concerned. And then, when Jet left, Zuko was still standing there, half expecting some sort of collar etched with Jet’s name to appear around his neck. That thought jolted Zuko out of his stupor, and had him rushing out of the house.
--
Sokka was getting weird glances from his coworkers. And he was pretty sure that they were talking about him, too. Which probably wasn’t a good thing. Although, it could be. With a smirk, Sokka dismissed that thought, and continued working, ignoring the eyes and voices that partially permeated his thoughts.
--
Jet felt the smirk on his face. It had been there ever since Zuko had left, and Jet decided that now it was a permanent feature on his body, much like his brown hair. It would only be a matter of time, and then the world that he had gotten so used to would return.
--
Zuko could barely meet Sokka’s eyes when he came in that afternoon. And he was sure that his smile didn’t reach his own eyes, even though he so badly wanted it to, even though he knew that Sokka made him happy. It was just that Jet… Jet wouldn’t get out of his head. And that frightened Zuko.
--
Sokka could have sworn that Zuko’s eyes looked haunted. Which bothered him. But, he would let it go… for now. Tomorrow, though, tomorrow would be different. And that reminded him that he needed to formally ask Zuko out on a date. Which he did, cheerfully, hoping that maybe Zuko’s smile would reach his eyes just a fraction more. And, it did. But not enough to make Sokka completely satisfied. He let his curiosity slide, however, when Zuko agreed (rather quickly, Sokka noted), and then quickly kissed his cheek before going over to another customer.
--
Jet determined that he wasn’t satisfied with just a kiss. Especially when he had a rather unresponsive partner. But, now Jet needed to come up with something that would, at the very least, provoke a response.
--
Zuko wished that he could have nonverbally expressed his excitement at another date. He had tried, but it hadn’t worked-although, Sokka hadn’t mentioned anything about Zuko’s lack of enthusiasm (he had, however, given Zuko a concerned look), and Zuko was glad he wouldn’t have to talk about that morning… yet…
--
Sokka frowned at his ceiling. He was worried about Zuko. Very worried. But, there wasn’t much he could do about it, now. His ceiling would just have to put up with an ever-deepening frown.
--
Jet had been carefully listening for when Zuko got in. He waited until he heard Zuko’s door quietly click shut before he made his way to Zuko’s room. He had figure out something that would provoke a response for Zuko…
--
Zuko didn’t want to acknowledge that Jet was standing in the doorway, staring at him. All he wanted to do was read. Reading wasn’t so horrible, was it? But, he couldn’t concentrate on the book. No, he was nervous-after that morning, Zuko was scared of what Jet would do. Especially when he had a slightly wicked edge to his glare. And when he was standing, with his arms crossed, in Zuko’s doorway, just looking at him, waiting Zuko to acknowledge his presence. And, Zuko felt that acknowledging Jet’s presence would be a bad thing. A terrible, horrible, awful, dangerous, ghastly thing. And yet, if he just kept standing there, Zuko would acknowledge him eventually; the apprehension would get to him, and his nerves wouldn’t allow him to ignore Jet any longer. So, it was with a sense of dread that Zuko asked Jet if he would like to come in. And, when Jet did, and sat down next to Zuko on the bed, Zuko felt as if this was the worst decision that he had ever made in his life. And when Jet kissed him just below the ear, and then whispered some compliment into his ear, Zuko tensed. He tensed up even more when Jet gently turned his head, a feral glint in his eyes. Zuko’s tension didn’t ease up when Jet kissed him, not as forcefully as that morning, but still possessive. And then, then Jet was straddling him, and then there was no way out of this situation that wouldn’t end up with a supremely furious Jet, and a very hurt Zuko…
--
Jet sighed into Zuko’s hair, his arm wrapped around Zuko’s waist, pulling the other man closer to him. And it only slightly bothered him when he heard Zuko’s quiet tears.
Day Six
Sokka was looking forward to that afternoon, when he would be able to spend time with Zuko, alone. And, hopefully, he would be able to figure out what had happened yesterday to cause Zuko to look so distressed. But, for now, Sokka just wanted to focus on the positive aspects of that day-which really just meant their date.
--
Zuko needed to get away from Jet. He needed to get away, get a shower, and leave. And the quicker he left, the sooner he would get to see Sokka. The thought of Sokka, however, made him feel slightly guilty. Especially since he wanted to be happy about their date (and, he was, just not as happy as he would have been, considering the events of the previous day). And, he didn’t want Sokka worrying about him… too much. A little worrying was always good, though. Zuko smiled. Finally having someone who worried about him would be a nice change. Right now, though, he needed to get away from Jet.
--
Jet knew Zuko was awake. His breathing had quickened, as had his heart rate. Jet smirked into his hair, then pulled Zuko closer to him. Zuko stilled beside Jet, causing Jet to smirk again. Then, suddenly, Zuko elbowed Jet, causing Jet to pull his arm away from Zuko, who jumped out of the bed and scrambled across the room and out the door. Jet snarled at the empty room, but didn’t leave the bed.
--
Sokka hated that the bus was slow, and had to wait at stoplights, and stop signs, and bus stops. Well, Sokka hated when the bus stopped and he wanted to be somewhere quickly. Because, the sooner the bus got to his stop, then the sooner he could be where he wanted to be, and the sooner he could see Zuko. And, right now, he wanted to see Zuko much more than he wanted to be stuck on a bus that insisted on stopping so frequently. Sokka decided that this was a very inconvenient bus.
--
Zuko’s hair was still wet from the shower, a fact that he discovered when it had dripped down onto his shirt as he was waiting in front of the zoo entrance for Sokka. He had come early but, he felt that coming early and having to wait was better than being stuck in a bed with Jet. Really, though, anything that didn’t involve Jet was the better option for now and, probably, for always.
--
Jet didn’t like staring up at Zuko’s ceiling as much as he liked staring up at his own. But, he didn’t want to leave Zuko’s bed yet. To the victor goes the spoils, and Jet felt that his spoil was being able to stay in the bed, even though Zuko was gone. Although, remembering that Zuko was gone angered Jet. Didn’t he understand that Jet was finally paying attention to him? Couldn’t he at least show some gratitude to Jet? With a scoff, Jet jumped off the bed and stormed out of the room. Next time, he would just have to be more forceful.
--
Sokka tried to hide his frown when he noticed that Zuko’s smile still didn’t quite reach his eyes. But, he didn’t think he was very successful in that venture, because Zuko broke eye contact to look at the ground. Trying to cheer Zuko up, Sokka slipped an arm around his waist and kissed his cheek, which caused a blush to appear. Sokka smiled, and then the two of them headed towards the entrance of the zoo.
--
Even though it felt slightly childish, Zuko loved watching the turtleducks in the small pond. He especially liked watching the smaller ones swim around each other, as if they were playing tag. And he liked how Sokka’s arm was still around his waist, and he was leaning on Sokka’s chest, and neither one of them were saying anything and that felt perfectly all right. Of course, Zuko just had to be a moron and ruining the whole thing by opening his mouth and quietly mention what had happened the day before. And when Sokka’s eyes had narrowed and his face had hardened, Zuko felt slightly scared. But, then Sokka’s face softened and he hugged Zuko, and Zuko wasn’t afraid for himself anymore.
--
Jet was pacing again. Pacing and thinking. Lately, things with Zuko weren’t quite going the way he wanted them to. Of course, that just helped him to decide that he needed to strengthen his efforts.
--
They had migrated to the lemurs. A trainer was in the cage, showing off one of them named Momo. It was actually slightly impressive. Although, Sokka would have enjoyed it more if he hadn’t of found out what had happened to Zuko the day before. And he felt kind of bad, holding Zuko as tightly as he was, but he was (irrationally, his head supplied) afraid that something bad would happen to Zuko if Sokka let him go. Zuko, however, didn’t seem to mind.
--
Zuko thought that it was rather strange that Jet holding him close was something scary, yet Sokka holding him close was reassuring. And he was sort of enjoying watching lemurs fly around. Although, they weren’t as impressive as he had heard flying bisons could be. So, when the trainer left the lemur cage, Zuko dragged Sokka over to the bisons (and was pleased to see Sokka smiling and rolling his eyes at him). And, Zuko found, he really was more impressed with the bisons-especially the one that everyone seemed to be calling Appa.
--
After leaving the zoo, they had headed towards the bus stop where they would inevitably have to split up. Sokka didn’t want Zuko to return to Jet. So, as casually as he could, he mentioned that perhaps they should get something to eat. With a shrug, Zuko agreed, and Sokka mentioned that maybe they should get take out and go watch a movie back at his’ place. Zuko raised an eyebrow at him, but agreed to that, too. And, later, after the movie was over, Sokka mentioned that it was rather late, and the buses had stopped, and he did have a spare bedroom, so… maybe Zuko should just spend the night? With a shrug and a half smile, Zuko agreed, and that made Sokka rather happy.
Day Seven
Zuko didn’t mind the spare bed, per se. It was definitely better than sharing one with Jet. But… it wasn’t his, and it seemed big, like a second person should be occupying it (a second person named Sokka his mind added). And he did appreciate the fact that Sokka had let him sleep alone, especially after the night before. Although, he didn’t think that he would have minded if Sokka’s warm body had been next to him all night. With a slight smile on his face, Zuko snuggled back under the covers and fell asleep.
--
Sokka cracked open the door to the guest bedroom to see if Zuko was awake or not. When he saw the gentle rise and fall of Zuko’s chest, Sokka grinned (and, if he would have seen himself in a mirror, he would have chastised himself for looking so… goofy), and then closed the door and headed to the kitchen to see what he could make for breakfast.
--
Jet was furious. Leaving abruptly had been bad, but staying out all-day and then not coming home? That was just unacceptable. And, if Jet was right and Zuko had spent the night at the other guy’s house, then that was just downright whorish.
--
Zuko was awoken by a soft kiss his forehead and a gentle shake. When his eyes opened, they met the blue ones of Sokka. The two of them exchanged a smile before Sokka told him that he had made breakfast. So, after a brief kiss, they headed into the kitchen. Zuko was thrilled-Jet had never made him breakfast, especially not-EGGS! As far as Zuko was concerned, scrambled eggs were the best breakfast food ever invented by mankind. And Sokka had made eggs! The day was starting out quite well for Zuko.
--
Sokka was a little surprised at the enthusiasm Zuko had when he headed over to the table and started to consume, no, shovel, the eggs down. Apparently, Sokka mused, Zuko liked eggs. Chuckling to himself, Sokka joined Zuko at the table, and began to eat his own breakfast.
--
Jet was fed up with waiting for Zuko to come home. Pretty soon, it would have been a whole day since Jet had seen Zuko. With a growl, Jet decided that it was time to hunt down where his no-good boyfriend was.
--
So, maybe somehow ending up in Sokka’s lap so that he could be fed some of the oh-so-delicious eggs in between kisses wasn’t the best idea ever, what, with a jealous and angry Jet still very much existing. But, it was definitely fun, and much more preferable, as far as Zuko was concerned, than sitting across from Sokka. And he probably should have been concerned about several little things, like the fact that he hadn’t seen Jet in awhile, or the fact that he should probably be taking things slower. However, right now, eggs and kisses and smiles were all that mattered to Zuko.
--
Sokka decided that he was going to make eggs as often as possible if this was the reaction he got from Zuko. Lots and lots of eggs.
--
Jet hated phone books. He hated phone books and phone booths and people who used them for far too long. And he hated that he couldn’t quite remember what that guy’s last name was, but he knew he had an uncommon first name. What did it start with? An X or an L or a-there it was! And he didn’t even have to transfer buses-how fortunate for Jet. With a wicked smile, Jet headed to the bus stop.
--
Reluctantly, Zuko had mentioned that he should head home. At the mention of “home,” though, Sokka’s face quickly hardened. And, as tempting as it was to stay right where he was, Zuko knew that, the longer he waited, the angrier Jet would be, and the angrier Jet was, the less he really cared about anyone else. So, despite Sokka’s bountiful attempts to get him to stay (although he did agree to be escorted to the front door), Zuko headed back to what would most likely be one very enraged Jet.
--
Perhaps, Sokka thought, he should have cooked more eggs. Or offered his bed instead of the guest bed. Or come up with an alternate location. Or anything that wasn’t Zuko going home. However, all of his suggestions were politely rebuffed. So, with a resigned sigh, Sokka started the too-short journey to drop Zuko off at “home.”
--
Jet couldn’t believe how lucky he had gotten-Zuko was waiting at the bus stop across the street! Of course, the other guy was there, too, but Jet didn’t see why that would be a problem. After all, Zuko would listen to him when he gave an order, right? And telling Zuko to come home with him alone was definitely an order.
--
Zuko didn’t actually spot Jet until after Sokka had tensed up beside him. And after he did see Jet, all he wanted to do was disappear. Quickly. Because Jet looked like a defanged Dracula, with his slightly demonic smile and an evil glare to his eyes. And a very annoyed Jet coupled with an overprotective Sokka would not be a pleasant experience for Zuko. Even though he didn’t want to be anywhere near Jet, that didn’t mean he wanted to see the guy pulverized onto the cement. Then he would feel bad, because a pulverized Jet would be his fault. At least, that was assuming a furious Jet wouldn’t outmaneuver an equally angered Sokka. If Jet did something to Sokka, then… Zuko cringed. There was no way a confrontation between them would end well.
--
Oh, he was going to get it. That little cocky son-of-a-bitch would be eating the earthworms for breakfast. And Sokka would make sure of that, one way or the other.
--
Jet noticed the way the other man was staring at him. And he noticed the way Zuko was avoiding his eyes. He smirked. He didn’t want anything to do with tall, dark and handsome, he was just going to take Zuko and leave, and that was all there was to it. So, he was taken aback when the guy stepped in front of him, blocking his path to Zuko. But, he just snarled and tried to shove past the guy. When that didn’t work, Jet stepped back and took a defensive stance. He growled at the guy to get out of his way, but all that earned him was a stiff shake of the head. Well, this was almost as unacceptable as Zuko not returning home. This guy was going down.
--
Zuko wanted to hide. He wanted to run away and hide, and not know these two. Because, this was all his fault. Jet coming out to the bus stop, Sokka being so mad, Jet being so mad, Jet rushing forward at Sok-wait… Zuko wanted to get away even more now, as Jet ran towards Sokka, looking as if he was going to head butt him, and then Sokka suddenly elbowing Jet in the side of the face, knocking him off balance. Zuko cringed. This would not turn out well at all.
Pairing: Zuko/Sokka
Rating: PG-13 (may change in the future)
Summary: Jet told Zuko he wanted an 'open relationship.' Zuko doesn't think
that's going to work. Although, the man from work might help... ZukoJet,
AN: This story is very much AU… It’s also slash (or yaoi, whichever you prefer). In addition, I’m sure that they’re all OoC… o well. (I wouldn’t recommend this if you like Jet…)
A/N2: Implied non-con warning for Day Five
Disclaimer: I don't own them
Day Five
Jet was fed up with the current situation. Fed up enough that he wanted to hit something. Hard. It angered him that every interaction with Zuko turned out ending badly for him. He wasn’t sure what Zuko wanted out of him, and he missed being blatantly needed by someone. It was all because of that damned dark skinned man. Jet was the only one who was allowed that close to Zuko. Zuko was his, and no one else’s. If Zuko continued to ignore him, and blow him off, then Jet was going to have to do something drastic. And then, and then Zuko would be his, and his alone.
--
He liked kisses. Or, he liked receiving kisses. Especially when they were from Sokka. Zuko sighed. Yes, kisses from Sokka were definitely one of the best events Zuko had ever participated in. Although, if things were to continue this way, Zuko would have to break things off with Jet soon… it didn’t help, though, that Jet was sort of trying to fix things. Zuko frowned. He really didn’t want to think about Jet; thinking about the man down the hall always made things worse.
--
Sokka had decided that they needed to go on another date. Because, he reasoned, another date meant more time together. And more time together was never a bad thing, as far as Sokka was concerned. He smiled. At least one thing in his life was going well.
--
Jet had probably paced a hole into the floor. A large, angry hole. The kitchen would never be the same; it would forever bear the scar of Jet’s anger and frustration. And when the cause of that hole dared to show its head, Jet mentally snarled at it. However, on the outside, he just affixed it with a glare. A ‘you’re-in-trouble-now’ glare. And the cause at least had enough intelligence to flinch, and cautiously call out to him. Jet stalked over, the glare still on its target, and pulled the cause into a forced kiss. The cause, to its credit, did not try and pull away. But, it didn’t actively participate, either. And that increased Jet’s anger. Instead of furthering the kiss, however, Jet settled for gripping the cause’s arm while pulling back from the kiss. The cause looked stunned, which made Jet smile. He liked when he was in control. And having the other person stunned definitely meant control in Jet’s book. With a quicker, yet still possessive kiss, Jet let the cause go, the half-smile, half-smirk still on his face.
--
Zuko. Was. Shocked. Jet was kissing him. But it wasn’t a delightful kiss. It was more like an overly possessive kiss. Which wasn’t unlikely for Jet. It was, however, something that Zuko hadn’t experienced recently. And, some small corner of his mind had missed it. Which frightened Zuko. Because he knew that most of him didn’t miss this, didn’t miss being claimed as someone’s this forcefully. And, the last person he wanted to be claimed by was Jet. Jet, who was pulling back (but not before keeping Zuko there by grabbing onto his arm), and was looking slightly demonic, as far as Zuko was concerned. And then, when Jet left, Zuko was still standing there, half expecting some sort of collar etched with Jet’s name to appear around his neck. That thought jolted Zuko out of his stupor, and had him rushing out of the house.
--
Sokka was getting weird glances from his coworkers. And he was pretty sure that they were talking about him, too. Which probably wasn’t a good thing. Although, it could be. With a smirk, Sokka dismissed that thought, and continued working, ignoring the eyes and voices that partially permeated his thoughts.
--
Jet felt the smirk on his face. It had been there ever since Zuko had left, and Jet decided that now it was a permanent feature on his body, much like his brown hair. It would only be a matter of time, and then the world that he had gotten so used to would return.
--
Zuko could barely meet Sokka’s eyes when he came in that afternoon. And he was sure that his smile didn’t reach his own eyes, even though he so badly wanted it to, even though he knew that Sokka made him happy. It was just that Jet… Jet wouldn’t get out of his head. And that frightened Zuko.
--
Sokka could have sworn that Zuko’s eyes looked haunted. Which bothered him. But, he would let it go… for now. Tomorrow, though, tomorrow would be different. And that reminded him that he needed to formally ask Zuko out on a date. Which he did, cheerfully, hoping that maybe Zuko’s smile would reach his eyes just a fraction more. And, it did. But not enough to make Sokka completely satisfied. He let his curiosity slide, however, when Zuko agreed (rather quickly, Sokka noted), and then quickly kissed his cheek before going over to another customer.
--
Jet determined that he wasn’t satisfied with just a kiss. Especially when he had a rather unresponsive partner. But, now Jet needed to come up with something that would, at the very least, provoke a response.
--
Zuko wished that he could have nonverbally expressed his excitement at another date. He had tried, but it hadn’t worked-although, Sokka hadn’t mentioned anything about Zuko’s lack of enthusiasm (he had, however, given Zuko a concerned look), and Zuko was glad he wouldn’t have to talk about that morning… yet…
--
Sokka frowned at his ceiling. He was worried about Zuko. Very worried. But, there wasn’t much he could do about it, now. His ceiling would just have to put up with an ever-deepening frown.
--
Jet had been carefully listening for when Zuko got in. He waited until he heard Zuko’s door quietly click shut before he made his way to Zuko’s room. He had figure out something that would provoke a response for Zuko…
--
Zuko didn’t want to acknowledge that Jet was standing in the doorway, staring at him. All he wanted to do was read. Reading wasn’t so horrible, was it? But, he couldn’t concentrate on the book. No, he was nervous-after that morning, Zuko was scared of what Jet would do. Especially when he had a slightly wicked edge to his glare. And when he was standing, with his arms crossed, in Zuko’s doorway, just looking at him, waiting Zuko to acknowledge his presence. And, Zuko felt that acknowledging Jet’s presence would be a bad thing. A terrible, horrible, awful, dangerous, ghastly thing. And yet, if he just kept standing there, Zuko would acknowledge him eventually; the apprehension would get to him, and his nerves wouldn’t allow him to ignore Jet any longer. So, it was with a sense of dread that Zuko asked Jet if he would like to come in. And, when Jet did, and sat down next to Zuko on the bed, Zuko felt as if this was the worst decision that he had ever made in his life. And when Jet kissed him just below the ear, and then whispered some compliment into his ear, Zuko tensed. He tensed up even more when Jet gently turned his head, a feral glint in his eyes. Zuko’s tension didn’t ease up when Jet kissed him, not as forcefully as that morning, but still possessive. And then, then Jet was straddling him, and then there was no way out of this situation that wouldn’t end up with a supremely furious Jet, and a very hurt Zuko…
--
Jet sighed into Zuko’s hair, his arm wrapped around Zuko’s waist, pulling the other man closer to him. And it only slightly bothered him when he heard Zuko’s quiet tears.
Day Six
Sokka was looking forward to that afternoon, when he would be able to spend time with Zuko, alone. And, hopefully, he would be able to figure out what had happened yesterday to cause Zuko to look so distressed. But, for now, Sokka just wanted to focus on the positive aspects of that day-which really just meant their date.
--
Zuko needed to get away from Jet. He needed to get away, get a shower, and leave. And the quicker he left, the sooner he would get to see Sokka. The thought of Sokka, however, made him feel slightly guilty. Especially since he wanted to be happy about their date (and, he was, just not as happy as he would have been, considering the events of the previous day). And, he didn’t want Sokka worrying about him… too much. A little worrying was always good, though. Zuko smiled. Finally having someone who worried about him would be a nice change. Right now, though, he needed to get away from Jet.
--
Jet knew Zuko was awake. His breathing had quickened, as had his heart rate. Jet smirked into his hair, then pulled Zuko closer to him. Zuko stilled beside Jet, causing Jet to smirk again. Then, suddenly, Zuko elbowed Jet, causing Jet to pull his arm away from Zuko, who jumped out of the bed and scrambled across the room and out the door. Jet snarled at the empty room, but didn’t leave the bed.
--
Sokka hated that the bus was slow, and had to wait at stoplights, and stop signs, and bus stops. Well, Sokka hated when the bus stopped and he wanted to be somewhere quickly. Because, the sooner the bus got to his stop, then the sooner he could be where he wanted to be, and the sooner he could see Zuko. And, right now, he wanted to see Zuko much more than he wanted to be stuck on a bus that insisted on stopping so frequently. Sokka decided that this was a very inconvenient bus.
--
Zuko’s hair was still wet from the shower, a fact that he discovered when it had dripped down onto his shirt as he was waiting in front of the zoo entrance for Sokka. He had come early but, he felt that coming early and having to wait was better than being stuck in a bed with Jet. Really, though, anything that didn’t involve Jet was the better option for now and, probably, for always.
--
Jet didn’t like staring up at Zuko’s ceiling as much as he liked staring up at his own. But, he didn’t want to leave Zuko’s bed yet. To the victor goes the spoils, and Jet felt that his spoil was being able to stay in the bed, even though Zuko was gone. Although, remembering that Zuko was gone angered Jet. Didn’t he understand that Jet was finally paying attention to him? Couldn’t he at least show some gratitude to Jet? With a scoff, Jet jumped off the bed and stormed out of the room. Next time, he would just have to be more forceful.
--
Sokka tried to hide his frown when he noticed that Zuko’s smile still didn’t quite reach his eyes. But, he didn’t think he was very successful in that venture, because Zuko broke eye contact to look at the ground. Trying to cheer Zuko up, Sokka slipped an arm around his waist and kissed his cheek, which caused a blush to appear. Sokka smiled, and then the two of them headed towards the entrance of the zoo.
--
Even though it felt slightly childish, Zuko loved watching the turtleducks in the small pond. He especially liked watching the smaller ones swim around each other, as if they were playing tag. And he liked how Sokka’s arm was still around his waist, and he was leaning on Sokka’s chest, and neither one of them were saying anything and that felt perfectly all right. Of course, Zuko just had to be a moron and ruining the whole thing by opening his mouth and quietly mention what had happened the day before. And when Sokka’s eyes had narrowed and his face had hardened, Zuko felt slightly scared. But, then Sokka’s face softened and he hugged Zuko, and Zuko wasn’t afraid for himself anymore.
--
Jet was pacing again. Pacing and thinking. Lately, things with Zuko weren’t quite going the way he wanted them to. Of course, that just helped him to decide that he needed to strengthen his efforts.
--
They had migrated to the lemurs. A trainer was in the cage, showing off one of them named Momo. It was actually slightly impressive. Although, Sokka would have enjoyed it more if he hadn’t of found out what had happened to Zuko the day before. And he felt kind of bad, holding Zuko as tightly as he was, but he was (irrationally, his head supplied) afraid that something bad would happen to Zuko if Sokka let him go. Zuko, however, didn’t seem to mind.
--
Zuko thought that it was rather strange that Jet holding him close was something scary, yet Sokka holding him close was reassuring. And he was sort of enjoying watching lemurs fly around. Although, they weren’t as impressive as he had heard flying bisons could be. So, when the trainer left the lemur cage, Zuko dragged Sokka over to the bisons (and was pleased to see Sokka smiling and rolling his eyes at him). And, Zuko found, he really was more impressed with the bisons-especially the one that everyone seemed to be calling Appa.
--
After leaving the zoo, they had headed towards the bus stop where they would inevitably have to split up. Sokka didn’t want Zuko to return to Jet. So, as casually as he could, he mentioned that perhaps they should get something to eat. With a shrug, Zuko agreed, and Sokka mentioned that maybe they should get take out and go watch a movie back at his’ place. Zuko raised an eyebrow at him, but agreed to that, too. And, later, after the movie was over, Sokka mentioned that it was rather late, and the buses had stopped, and he did have a spare bedroom, so… maybe Zuko should just spend the night? With a shrug and a half smile, Zuko agreed, and that made Sokka rather happy.
Day Seven
Zuko didn’t mind the spare bed, per se. It was definitely better than sharing one with Jet. But… it wasn’t his, and it seemed big, like a second person should be occupying it (a second person named Sokka his mind added). And he did appreciate the fact that Sokka had let him sleep alone, especially after the night before. Although, he didn’t think that he would have minded if Sokka’s warm body had been next to him all night. With a slight smile on his face, Zuko snuggled back under the covers and fell asleep.
--
Sokka cracked open the door to the guest bedroom to see if Zuko was awake or not. When he saw the gentle rise and fall of Zuko’s chest, Sokka grinned (and, if he would have seen himself in a mirror, he would have chastised himself for looking so… goofy), and then closed the door and headed to the kitchen to see what he could make for breakfast.
--
Jet was furious. Leaving abruptly had been bad, but staying out all-day and then not coming home? That was just unacceptable. And, if Jet was right and Zuko had spent the night at the other guy’s house, then that was just downright whorish.
--
Zuko was awoken by a soft kiss his forehead and a gentle shake. When his eyes opened, they met the blue ones of Sokka. The two of them exchanged a smile before Sokka told him that he had made breakfast. So, after a brief kiss, they headed into the kitchen. Zuko was thrilled-Jet had never made him breakfast, especially not-EGGS! As far as Zuko was concerned, scrambled eggs were the best breakfast food ever invented by mankind. And Sokka had made eggs! The day was starting out quite well for Zuko.
--
Sokka was a little surprised at the enthusiasm Zuko had when he headed over to the table and started to consume, no, shovel, the eggs down. Apparently, Sokka mused, Zuko liked eggs. Chuckling to himself, Sokka joined Zuko at the table, and began to eat his own breakfast.
--
Jet was fed up with waiting for Zuko to come home. Pretty soon, it would have been a whole day since Jet had seen Zuko. With a growl, Jet decided that it was time to hunt down where his no-good boyfriend was.
--
So, maybe somehow ending up in Sokka’s lap so that he could be fed some of the oh-so-delicious eggs in between kisses wasn’t the best idea ever, what, with a jealous and angry Jet still very much existing. But, it was definitely fun, and much more preferable, as far as Zuko was concerned, than sitting across from Sokka. And he probably should have been concerned about several little things, like the fact that he hadn’t seen Jet in awhile, or the fact that he should probably be taking things slower. However, right now, eggs and kisses and smiles were all that mattered to Zuko.
--
Sokka decided that he was going to make eggs as often as possible if this was the reaction he got from Zuko. Lots and lots of eggs.
--
Jet hated phone books. He hated phone books and phone booths and people who used them for far too long. And he hated that he couldn’t quite remember what that guy’s last name was, but he knew he had an uncommon first name. What did it start with? An X or an L or a-there it was! And he didn’t even have to transfer buses-how fortunate for Jet. With a wicked smile, Jet headed to the bus stop.
--
Reluctantly, Zuko had mentioned that he should head home. At the mention of “home,” though, Sokka’s face quickly hardened. And, as tempting as it was to stay right where he was, Zuko knew that, the longer he waited, the angrier Jet would be, and the angrier Jet was, the less he really cared about anyone else. So, despite Sokka’s bountiful attempts to get him to stay (although he did agree to be escorted to the front door), Zuko headed back to what would most likely be one very enraged Jet.
--
Perhaps, Sokka thought, he should have cooked more eggs. Or offered his bed instead of the guest bed. Or come up with an alternate location. Or anything that wasn’t Zuko going home. However, all of his suggestions were politely rebuffed. So, with a resigned sigh, Sokka started the too-short journey to drop Zuko off at “home.”
--
Jet couldn’t believe how lucky he had gotten-Zuko was waiting at the bus stop across the street! Of course, the other guy was there, too, but Jet didn’t see why that would be a problem. After all, Zuko would listen to him when he gave an order, right? And telling Zuko to come home with him alone was definitely an order.
--
Zuko didn’t actually spot Jet until after Sokka had tensed up beside him. And after he did see Jet, all he wanted to do was disappear. Quickly. Because Jet looked like a defanged Dracula, with his slightly demonic smile and an evil glare to his eyes. And a very annoyed Jet coupled with an overprotective Sokka would not be a pleasant experience for Zuko. Even though he didn’t want to be anywhere near Jet, that didn’t mean he wanted to see the guy pulverized onto the cement. Then he would feel bad, because a pulverized Jet would be his fault. At least, that was assuming a furious Jet wouldn’t outmaneuver an equally angered Sokka. If Jet did something to Sokka, then… Zuko cringed. There was no way a confrontation between them would end well.
--
Oh, he was going to get it. That little cocky son-of-a-bitch would be eating the earthworms for breakfast. And Sokka would make sure of that, one way or the other.
--
Jet noticed the way the other man was staring at him. And he noticed the way Zuko was avoiding his eyes. He smirked. He didn’t want anything to do with tall, dark and handsome, he was just going to take Zuko and leave, and that was all there was to it. So, he was taken aback when the guy stepped in front of him, blocking his path to Zuko. But, he just snarled and tried to shove past the guy. When that didn’t work, Jet stepped back and took a defensive stance. He growled at the guy to get out of his way, but all that earned him was a stiff shake of the head. Well, this was almost as unacceptable as Zuko not returning home. This guy was going down.
--
Zuko wanted to hide. He wanted to run away and hide, and not know these two. Because, this was all his fault. Jet coming out to the bus stop, Sokka being so mad, Jet being so mad, Jet rushing forward at Sok-wait… Zuko wanted to get away even more now, as Jet ran towards Sokka, looking as if he was going to head butt him, and then Sokka suddenly elbowing Jet in the side of the face, knocking him off balance. Zuko cringed. This would not turn out well at all.