Title: Little Red String
Rating: R
Genre: Romance/Adventure
Warnings: Psychological abuse, almost-rape, physical abuse, Azula (she's scary enough that she needs a warning), sexual situations and activities (homo- and heterosexual), almost-rape, explicit language (mostly from Jet and Zuko), POV switches (when in Jet's POV, Iroh and Zuko will be Lee and Mushi during the bits leading up to what would canonically be season 3, then Iroh and Zuko from then on; when in Zuko's POV, Iroh and Zuko's will be Iroh/Uncle and Zuko)
Pairing(s): JetZuko, implied ZukoMai, hints of Kataang
Summary: When you meet someone, an invisible red string is tied around your pinky fingers that links you together. The thicker the string is between people, the stronger their bond is.
Sometimes, you find allies in the strangest of places. Like Zuko - he found Jet and the Freedom Fighters on a boat to Ba Sing Se. But Zuko didn't expect Jet to be as charismatic as he was. So he left behind everything to start over with Jet and begin anew in Ba Sing Se. But some parts of his past are harder to let go of, or won't let go. Like his crazy sister. And the fact that he's Fire Nation, which Jet doesn't actually know. Will Zuko's life catch up with him? Can Jet and Zuko stand against the evils of the Fire Nation and still be together?
Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any part of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Chapter I
Ba Sing Se. The biggest city in the Earth Kingdom, and its capital. A perfect place for refugees from the war against the Fire Nation. Which Zuko and Iroh now were, if the wanted posters that Azula distributed were any indication. Funny - one could become a war refugee when one was supposed to be the enemy. Ha.
Overall, Zuko was not particularly excited to be going to Ba Sing Se in the first place, but he and his uncle had pretty much run out of options. They couldn't go back to the Fire Nation, empty-handed and loser-esque as they were. After all, his "loving" father Ozai had blamed Uncle for Zuko's mistakes at the North Pole and wanted them both brought home for capture, and probably execution after that. So they - or rather, Uncle - had decided that it would be best to lie low in Ba Sing Se and masquerade as refugees for a while (hopefully until the Avatar made his presence known, or something along those lines). Besides, ever since they had cut their topknots off and ditched the typical Fire Nation armor and corresponding outfits, they didn't really look like their people any more. Zuko's paleness was still kind of an issue, but they combated it by saying that he was sick often as a child and never really got very good coloring as a result. Which was advantageous for blending in with their surroundings and hiding from his sister and her friends, who were, no doubt, still hunting for them at this moment.
But back to the matter at hand: Zuko was not excited to be going to Ba Sing Se. He didn't particularly want to hide away from the world, especially in a place where he couldn't use Firebending on a frequent basis (his hot temper - no pun intended, because Zuko was not particularly fond of puns in the first place - usually manifested itself in flames erupting from his hands or his mouth in frustration). And Uncle was implying that they would have to get jobs in the city. Neither of them knew how to do anything work-related! The most Uncle could do was work at a tea shop! Oh, Agni, that was probably what they were going to end up doing anyway. Yes, Zuko was definitely not excited to be going to the city.
Then again, it would be an improvement over being on this stinking boat. He missed his warship, with his nice, cozy bed and fireplace and personal chef. Said chef would have provided him with much better food than the stuff he had just sipped and then promptly spat out in disgust. "I'm sick of eating rotten food, sleeping in the dirt," Zuko said. "I'm tired of living like this." He leaned over the rail despondently, seriously contemplating jumping over the edge and drowning himself. Then Azula would definitely not be able to find him.
"Aren't we all?" replied a voice. Zuko looked over his shoulder at a boy, roughly his age, chewing on a piece of what appeared to be prairie grass and sporting a lopsided grin. He was followed by two other figures in various states of haphazardly composed armored dress. "My name's Jet," the boy introduced himself, "and these are my Freedom Fighters, Smellerbee and Longshot." When called, Smellerbee said hello, and Longshot nodded. Zuko said hello back, not looking at them.
Jet came closer to Zuko and Iroh. "What are your names?"
"I'm Mushi," Uncle said, returning to their Earth Kingdom aliases, "and this is my nephew, Lee."
"It's a pleasure," Jet said. "So, here's the deal: I hear the captain of this ship's eating like a king, while us refugees have to feed off his scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"
Uncle asked, "What sort of 'king' is he eating like?"
Jet replied, "The fat, happy kind." Iroh drooled and gaped a little at that admission. The boy then turned to Zuko. "So, you want to help us 'liberate' some food?"
Zuko looked down at his bowl of whatever-it-was (he didn't really care what it actually was, it looked disgusting and borderline inedible, mostly because of the unpleasant shade of green that it was and the mysterious floating things in the bowl which looked unlike vegetable, fruit, or meat), and then launched it over the rail into the lake. He turned to the teens and said, "I'm in."
Jet grinned even wider at that response. "Good. We'll meet you up here at about an hour after sunset. Be ready." Zuko nodded in response, and the three Freedom Fighters wandered away.
"Getting caught up in this a little bit quick, aren't you, nephew?" Iroh asked once they were gone.
"Do you want to starve, Uncle?" Zuko countered.
"No, I'm just saying that you only just met them and you're already recruited for a mission. Bit quick if you ask me."
"Well, I'm not asking you. I'm doing this because I'm tired of eating like a slave and I bet you are too, so you can stop badgering me about this!"
Iroh held up his hands in surrender. "All right, all right! I'm just saying that you should be careful. Those boys definitely aren't Fire Nation."
"Your point being…?" Zuko raised his eyebrow quizzically.
"Be careful that something doesn't slip out while you're 'liberating' your food, if you know what I mean." The former general made some hand movements that looked like fire blasts.
"Nothing is going to slip out. I'll control myself, I promise," Zuko replied. "I'll be sure to get you some roast duck if I can find it."
Iroh grinned at his nephew. "Now that's more like it! And some tea, if you can! You know how I love tea."
"Of course, Uncle," Zuko said. He then took off to prowl around the ship, hoping to find a way to the kitchens and to see how many guards were surrounding the kitchens.
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