Ch 6

                                    

                                          
Sokka POV 
It's early the next morning and I'm back in the tea shop, looking for Zuko. It's Saturday so I don't have to be at school. Zuko isn't here. I guess he doesn't work at 7 in the morning. I wouldn't be surprised if he was still asleep. I know I like sleeping in real late after a long week of school. 
"Excuse me," I say politely to the kind looking old fellow standing behind the register. "I'm looking for the waiter who was here yesterday and I was wondering if you might be able to tell me where he lives?" 
"Zuko?" he asks to clarify and I nod. "Why do you need to know?" 
"I know him from school, and I want to apologize for causing a scene in here yesterday. I should probably apologize to you, too. I'm not banned from your shop, right?" 
"Why would I ban you?" he chuckles. "I'm more than willing to forgive and I just assumed that you weren't having a very good day. Zuko is my nephew, and he lives with me, but he isn't home. I believe that he is with his friend. The boy you argued with yesterday." 
"What? Why is he with that douche?" 
"There are many things I don't understand about my nephew, and his choice of friends I understand least of all. Do you need the boy's address?" 
"I know where he lives. Thanks, Mr....?" 
"My name is Iroh." He holds out a hand. 
"Sokka." I shake his hand. "I'm really sorry for the scene I caused yesterday."
"All is forgiven," he assures warmly. What a nice guy. 
I go out to my car and drive to Jet's house. 
"What, Sokka?" He opens the door after I knock for four minutes. He's shirtless; I might have woken him up. It's pretty early. "What do you want?" 
"Can I come in?" 
Jet moves aside and gives me room to step into the house. There's a shirt on the couch. He picks it up and puts it on. 
"You can sit down or something." 
He gestures toward the couch and I sit down. 
"So what do you want?" he repeats as he lights a cigarette, taking a seat on the couch across from me. Smoking. A nasty habit. Smoking in the house. Even worse. 
I already knew he smoked, but I don't want to, like, actually experience it. 
"I'm sorry about yesterday." I'm not actually sorry, but I guess it's better to not get kicked off the football team. "I just got pissed because of the way you were talking about Zuko. Y'know, like he was an object. Is he here? I want to apologize to him, too. His uncle said he might be here."
"Yeah, he's here. He's asleep, though." He nods toward the ceiling, implying that Zuko is upstairs. 
"He doesn't mind that?" I judgmentally nod at the cigarette in his hand.  
"Nope." 
"Does your dad?" 
"No. He's not even here. He's at some stupid Pai Sho group meeting or something. Just like all the rest of the dads in this town." 
"Why is Zuko here?"
"Sex," he says casually. 
If I had water, I'd spit it out. 
"What?!" I screech. I was definitely not expecting that, and if I knew he was going to say that, I wouldn't have asked. 
"Shut the hell up, you're gonna wake him-"
"Too late," Zuko says from the stairs. "I'm up." 
He's only kind of shirtless- and by that, I mean he is in the process of putting a shirt on- and I can see his entire scar. It travels down the side of his neck, half way down his shoulder, and down his chest. I try- and fail miserably- not to stare. 
"You said you two aren't together!" 
"Pretty sure I said we aren't friends." He continues descending the stairs. "It's also none of your business." 
"Why?" I ask, practically whining. 
"Why what?" He sits down next to Jet, who pulls Zuko's head down into his lap and starts running his fingers through Zuko's hair. Ew. No thank you. No one wants to see that. 
"Why Jet? He's a scumbag! He doesn't deserve you; you're too innocent for him!" 
"What would you know about it?" Zuko scoffs. 
"He wasn't so innocent last night," mutters Jet as he takes a drag from his cigarette. 
Zuko's nose scrunched in disgust as he takes the cigarette from Jet's mouth and flicks it into a nearby ashtray. Apparently he does mind. Which backs up my idea that Jet is an asshole and a scumbag and doesn't deserve Zuko. 
"You said you wanted to apologize to Zuko?" Jet reminds me.
"Right. I'm sorry I caused such a scene in the tea shop yesterday, Zuko. And that I poured tea on your boyfriend."
"It's fine." 
"I'm not actually sorry I did that," I admit. In fact, I think I would have liked to just punch him. I'm old fashioned like that. "I think he deserved it and I still think he doesn't deserve you." 
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous," Jet smirks. "But you insist that you're 100% straight. Maybe you're overcompensating." 
He reaches for the pack of cigarettes on the table, but Zuko grabs it quickly and tosses it across the room. 
"You know I hate that," Zuko says softly. 
"I know. I'm sorry." 
 I begin to grow more uncomfortable with sitting here while they talk about something personal, so I stand and announce that I'm leaving. 
"I'll walk you out," Jet offers, though it's less of an offer and more of a command. 
"Listen," he snarls as soon as we're outside, "I don't know what you think you're doing, but you better fucking stop." 
"What are you talking about?" 
"You need to stop trying to convince Zuko that he's too good for me. He needs me. If you somehow manage to succeed in whatever the hell you're doing, the minute we break up, he's gonna fucking die." 
"Is that a threat?" 
"The only reason that the 'popular' kids and the bullies haven't torn that boy apart is because I told them not to. It's a symbiotic relationship. He loves me unconditionally and I protect him."
"So... you're using him for sex?" 
"No! You're completely misinterpreting everything I'm saying! I actually love him and I want to protect him and if it were my decision, he'd never leave my side so no one could ever hurt him again." 
"That is not healthy. This is toxic as hell!"
"Don't be concerned. Just stay away from him. You heard him: it's none of your business."
Jet goes back inside, slamming the door in my face, and I go out to my car. I consider calling the police, but I'm not sure whether or not Jet is actually committing a crime. 

(This one actually didn't undergo a whole lot of editing, so if the style feels off it's because I kept most of the original chapter. Personally, I think it merges with the rest of it pretty well, but I might be biased.)