Secret Love 2

Scars


*A/N: look to the description to summary and basics and part 1! *


Once Zuko blasted the metal bars to ashes Jet jumped through and they both took off running, a little clumsily at first for the Freedom Fighter. His mind was swirling and that blaze dancing above Zuko's skin was replaying itself over and over behind his eyes. He never thought it to be beautiful and mesmerizing before; he never even thought he would ever think that. But after that kiss that ignited its own fire in his heart everything changed in an instant. His stomach was a tangled mess and it felt like it was connected to the banished Fire Prince, tugging when he got too far away as they were sliding past corners. Jet knew ever since they had raided the captain's food bunker on the ferry together that there was something different about the scarred teen that he liked. Maybe it was his non-dominating confidence or the gallant way he carried himself as he walked with those lean legs. He didn't care what it was that made him attracted to someone. What he did care about was the fact that he was attracted to someone of a race that he despised.

He almost missed the turn that Zuko had made through a door being too caught up in the nonsense messing with his subconscious. The rather silent air was disrupted with their gentle panting and the rustling of clothes caused by their anxious shifting. Jet, not knowing what else to do, stared at the tiny droplet of sweat just beginning to form larger enough to slide down Zuko's neck a fraction of an inch. He felt his own heart racing and his shoulders get sticky underneath his homemade armor. It was stuffy so far underground and being forced into a small room crowded together pressed up against one another doesn't help the heat factor, either. Jet was about to get out of there, being too caught up in everything to function normally, Zuko yanked him back and kept his hand cupped over Jet's mouth as he held him against his chest. Jet's eyes darted around and was about to flip when Zuko whispered very quietly in his ear;
"There's someone coming." Jet nodded and they both held their breath as they saw the Earth Kingdom soldier walk by.

The firebender let go and was out the door again, leaving Jet behind to catch up again. He was getting annoyed by the Prince's hide-and-run tactic for always being one step behind. He was never used to portraying the role as a follower, always being the one to lead the group and be controller of his life and actions. At the moment he felt as if it wasn't himself that was acting this way, but like he was blank and just letting his instincts take over. And that's what he did. He let Zuko guide him the right way out, since he did get in so shouldn't he know how to get out? They sprinted up the large staircase to the opening of the secret passage in Lake Laogai after a close call with another one of the Dai Li. Once they got to the top Jet pushed on the ceiling with more force each time, even trying to kick it.

"What are you doing?!" Zuko hissed between gritted teeth. "Someone's going to hear you!"
"It won't open!" Jet shot back, coming down a few steps to let Zuko have a few shots at it. Zuko turned back at him with worry in his eyes.
"We're going to have to wait for someone to come and then make it out hopefully without them catching us," he told Jet as he checked for cracks in the stone. Jet shook his head and stuttered, using his hands as he talked.
"W-well can't you just blast the thing out and we can go?" he said, looking over his shoulder with paranoia. Zuko flicked his hood off (that somehow managed to stay on his head) and wiped the salty water collecting above his eyebrows.
"I don't know," Zuko claimed, for the first time actually showing signs of insecurity which concerned Jet a little bit. "There's water right above us and this is a lot of earth to be breaking though…"
"What other solution do we have? We can't just stay down here the rest of our lives!" Jet whisper-shouted angrily at the other male. Zuko rolled his eyes with irritation and told him to step back.

He summed up all his power and with a deep intake of breath kicked the rock with a fire rocket that held enough heat to melt metal. Jet was terrified, loathsome, and in awe of the firebender instantaneously as soon as that initial spark was lit at the base of his heel. A red and orange glow reflected off of his face and he squinted from the high temperature, looking down below him at least one hundred feet to the green crystals that were even showing signs of the flame flickering off their luminescent qualities. His heart jolted and despite the fire he went cold.
"I see one!" Jet exclaimed, making Zuko stop and look back. He was right. It was only a matter of seconds before they were captured and sent to death for sure. Jet climbed the stairs again, being as silent as he could, and started to claw at the charred ground, seeing significant cracks in the hard earth. Zuko followed his example, ignoring how tired he was becoming from this emotional rollercoaster ride he couldn't get off of. His throat was tightening for some reason, thinking that could possibly never see daylight again, and if he were to never return to his uncle Iroh how crushed the old man would be.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jet noticed how distraught the scarred teen was and scraped the back of his mind for ideas. Suddenly he rammed his spiked shoulder pad up into the weakest spot and a few larger chunks of the stone fell and tumbled to the level floor below. They both looked each other and smiled weakly with a spark of hope. Zuko took his turn and rammed the forming hole with the heel of his palm, refusing to recognize how badly it hurt. Something strange happened. Cool water trickled down their faces and arms. The drips gradually became a steady stream as they continued to chip away at the gravel with their nails and anything they had access to. It only took one more large blow to make a waterfall pour out of the top of the internal cave. They heard shouts from Dai Li, ceasing the feeling of accomplishment in a skidding halt. Zuko jerked his head to the side, signaling Jet to go first. He took sharp breath and pushed his head through the falling liquid. He succeeded in swimming to the surface when Zuko helped by pushing his feet up from beneath him.

Jet gasped for air as he scrambled to the surface of the lake, quickly finding that his new partner in crime wasn't up yet. He watched the water get sucked into the middle of the lake, and somehow landed on the right side of the secret passage where the extra walkway of stone lay higher than the actual pond bed. The time waiting for Zuko to pop his head up was drawn out and almost agonizing. Jet didn't want to leave with the thought that he had been the only one to make it out okay. But on the other hand he didn't want to not escape himself, as selfish as that may seem. His inner turmoil was just about to get to be too much when a familiarly pale hand splashed around. Jet instantly swam over and grabbed it, startled by the electric way it sent pulses through his entire body. He pulled with the majority of his strength, the rest being used to stay afloat. He was never so happy to see a firebender's face before than when Zuko's face was revealed from the shimmering lake. His black hair was sticking to his skin in a way that made his amber eyes pop and compliment the milky quality of his complexion. Jet was left staring wide-eyed and frozen, trying to force his thoughts away into a dark chamber where they were never to be found again.

"Come on!" Zuko yelled at him out of the blue, dragging him through the water. "They're coming, they're not happy and they're faster than us." The two young men held a breaststroke until the shoreline where they treaded the beach as hurriedly as they could. They wanted to shed of their dripping and heavy clothes but they both held significance in their articles for they were representations of where they came from and who they were inside. They pressed on anyhow, adrenaline coursing through them at the speed of light. The pair was an unexpected one and even running side by side anyone could see the obvious similarities and differences between them. However on the inside and with their past they weren't so different after all. It truly would take a very skilled people-person to see or a being who was spiritually connected with the unknown and forbidden world of emotions greater than the universe to see the destiny and bond the two have. They couldn't even tell themselves without the trust and vulnerability they needed to express. The only glimpse they had gotten was when Zuko had so boldly kissed him without the fear of his own feelings.

It was so late in the night that the moon was setting and the earliest signs of morning were coming into play. Cave-hoppers were chirping in the distance and Dragon Flies were airing out their wings for the day to come. It was chilly and all Zuko wanted to do was get to this apartment and strip and curl up under the covers and hope that everything was a dream. That wasn't going to happen, he unfortunately knew.
"Climb up those boxes and get to the roofs!" Zuko informed Jet as they were about to pass a closed market. He did as he was told and hopped from crate to crate, from ledge to ledge and eventually onto the shingles of an unlucky home residence. Zuko did the same and was at his side, leading the way once again down the path he took to go to Lake Laogai to rescue the Freedom Fighter. In the back of his mind, this was just as Zuko had hoped to accomplish— apologize (more or less), get the guy, escape, and return to safety. It wasn't totally as planned but nonetheless somewhat of a fulfillment. He should be happy, he should be excited, and he should be ready to think about what he would do with this person now that he took such a big risk. Right? Isn't that what's supposed to happen? A fairytale ending for a deserving hopeless romantic who just happened to get love struck?

Why couldn't Jet just let the silence be?

"Why me?" he started to grumble to himself as they slowed down, realizing that the earthbenders they were trying to shake off were not behind them. "Why couldn't it have been anyone else other than me?" Zuko shot him a look but he either ignored him or didn't see. "A kiss with anyone else. Why me?" His whines and self-pity were really getting on Zuko's bad side. And what really got him fired up and annoyed was the fact that he could tell that his statements weren't entirely true.
"I really don't know why you, okay?!" Zuko snapped as they came to a walk on a flat building. Jet blinked a few times at him, a little embarrassment showing on his face. "I don't want to feel this way, and I'd figured I'd give it a chance and save your life. Could you just stop complaining about it and enjoy it like I know you want to?" he finished honestly, giving an all-telling look that he knew everything that Jet was thinking. Why couldn't he just let it go like himself and take a risk? Let the spirits take apart what they put together if they want to, but at least relish the time as you have it!

Jet didn't say anything after that, really reflecting on what his companion had said. Enjoy it. Like he knows he wants to. Well… does he want to? Jet knew from the very beginning letting someone else come into his life as significantly as he was going to allow was already a big enough jeopardy, but with that weren't emotions already added into that mix automatically? You can't get close to someone without feeling. The thing now was when, where, how, and for ow long were they going to try to keep up with all this and try to grow? In a way it didn't matter, but the fact of not knowing what was coming ahead was pretty scary for the rebel who loved to plan and figure in advance. He wanted to sit down and take a breather. Everything was going too fast. So he stopped and he stared at the red bricks of the houses across the street. Zuko went on pretty far before he realized that there wasn't another set of footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Jet hugging himself with the wind gently tousling his drying hair. He tilted his head in confusion and called as he walked towards him;
"Hey, what's up?"

Jet looked up and studied him, not saying anything.
"Look, I'm sorry for being so snippy but it's true," Zuko swallowed. This time he was getting a direct answer. "If you want to come to my place and figure it out from there— come with me. If you're too scared to—stay here and I won't bother you ever again. But then you can tell yourself that this meant nothing and you didn't anything when I kissed you." He didn't give Jet a chance to think before he was jumping to another building, seeing his own just a few more spaces away. This was the moment of truth for Jet. Go or stay? Take a risk or hide? Those were the trying questions buzzing in his head. He closed his eyes tightly and the first thing he saw was Zuko leaning against the railing of the ferry to Ba Sing Se, to here. It was decided. He made his feet move and let the tug in his stomach yank him to Zuko quicker than he would have with anybody else. Zuko checked over his shoulder to find the boy trailing behind at an even pace a few feet back, smiling to himself.

As they made it to Zuko's apartment, he realized that the window was still open but other than that everything appeared to be just as he left it so he knew Iroh hadn't came up and found out he was gone. He slipped through first and held out his hand for Jet to hang onto as a gesture of courtesy, similar to what he had done with Jin at the water fountain a while back when he first came here. The first thing the Prince did was remove his own robe, shaking his damp hair. He felt Jet's eyes on him and a pump of nervous excitement rushed though him. He knew he had a nice looking body and had no problem showing it. He peeled the simple vest from his chest and left himself exposed with his bare back facing the tanned teen. As he began to lay out the wet clothes he heard Jet's fabrics slosh and cling together slowly. He turned around and found Jet watching, not even being fazed by the body-induced trance Zuko's muscles put on him. It boosted his confidence as he let him continue looking as he helped him take off the tricky armor, unwrapped the latch that held it on tightly. There were shin guards, shoulder pads and chest and back guards lying in a pile by Zuko's things. Now the only thing that was left was a thin layer of cotton and fur mix blocking them from having that skin on skin contact.

They locked eyes as Jet pulled his shirt over his head and exposed the golden and scar-littered skin. Jet switched between Zuko's burning eyes and felt what was to be described as an inner firebender. Though, instead of actual flames being propelled by his skin it was pure heat. Their heartbeats meshed together as Zuko slid both his hands up over Jet's collar bone and around his shoulders, pulling him tightly against him. It was a feeling of safety being so close to someone else, and fighting the unwanted feelings stirring up in their hearts they pushed it away and closed their eyes to be lost in their own world as their lips met for a second time, timidly, relieved. They didn't need words to let the other know exactly what to do. The kiss was slow and deliberate, deep and passionate; a tangled mess of tongues and tastes and a tight but airy feeling in the pit of their stomachs. Jet's spine tingled as Zuko roamed his sides with his nimble fingers, and he found himself whimpering in guilty pleasure. It made Zuko crazy, tilting his head and teasingly running his fingernails over the rebel's hips. Jet couldn't take it anymore. He pulled away breathlessly and flustered, pushing the other boy away. Zuko was confused for about a second until Jet backed into the bed and laid himself down with his legs lightly parted, inviting Zuko to lie right between them.

He slid himself all along Jet's body, rubbing their stomachs and chests and thighs together in friction happy movements. Jet's eyes rolled back into his head in which he threw back, getting his fingers trapped into Zuko's tangled hair. He left kisses all along Jet's neck and chest, biting occasionally to get that heavenly moan to be ripped from his throat. He locked their mouths once more, sliding their tongues together along with their lips. That night they were lost in their pleasures for hours until the day began to rise into its beginning moments; not caring what was happening in the morning or even a second into the future. What they had felt so good and in a way very, very right. The fullness in their hearts proved that, and their flames burned brighter than the sun moving as one, igniting more energy in the two them than they had ever had standing alone. Their electricity was not to be mistaken. It was real and it was right and it was meant to be.