It was a long week.

Not that much actually happened – time just seemed to move at a sluggish crawl for Zuko.

Business at the shop wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. He and Jet served tea, cleaned tables, and did their best not to get yelled at by the owner. The customers were demanding, but not overly so, and Iroh was obnoxiously cheerful like always. And, as had become routine over the past several days, Katara came in for lunch and stayed for a few hours every day – which was incredibly aggravating, since Jet was too distracted to work, and Zuko was too worried about getting maimed to come out of hiding, resulting in unsatisfied costumers, an angry shop owner, and meagre paycheques.

Fear of becoming unemployed (or dead) wasn’t the only problem with the waterbender’s visits. More and more often, Zuko found himself peeking out to watch her and Jet, remembering and recognizing all the wonderful things his friend would gush about when she wasn’t there. He found himself wanting to stop hiding, to be able to have easy, friendly, nonviolent conversations with her, without having to speak through a mask or a mutual friend.

He wanted to be in Jet’s place.

Which, really, was absurd. She was a peasant, he was royalty; she was water, he was fire; yin and yang, night and day, sun and moon, push and pull, inhale and exhale. They were opposites (enemies) in every sense of the word, and that would never change. Clearly, his mind was suffering greatly from his lifestyle as a poor refugee.

To make matters worse, there was another girl who had been visiting the shop quite often – alone. Very seldom did anyone come in by themselves. Most people were there with friends or family or were very social with the usual regulars.

But this girl as always alone, she never talked, never even looked him in the eye.

Obviously, she was suspicious of him.

After Katara finally left and Jet finally shut up about her, Zuko headed over to where the girl sat in the corner. While he took her order, she offered him a subtle smile, which he took as her way of saying ‘I know what you are’. Her cheeks were an odd shade of red, but he assumed that was make-up – the girls in Ba Sing Se tended to wear a lot.

“Uncle, we have a problem,” he hissed as he approached the elderly man after finishing with the girl’s order. “One of the customers is on to us. Don’t look now, but there’s a girl over there at the corner table. She knows we’re Fire Nation.”

The old man looked over, a smile beginning to tug at his lips when he saw the person his nephew indicated. Despite the pair’s argument several days prior, he remained in good humour while around the exile.

“Didn’t I say don’t look?”

Obediently turning away, he said, “You’re right, Zuko. I’ve seen that girl in here quite a lot. Seems to me she’s got quite the little crush on you.”

“What?”

“Thanks for the tea.”

Suddenly, the subject of their conversation was behind him, smiling and holding out the money to pay for her drink. The former prince took it, avoiding eye-contact and turning his back to her while he deposited the coins in the cashbox.

“What’s your name?” she asked curiously, deceivingly innocent.

“My name’s Li,” he said, facing her again and trying his hardest to behave like a normal, unsuspicious refugee; a difficult task when his mind was reeling with a million different scenarios. “My uncle and I just moved here.”

“Hi, Li. My name’s Jin. Thank-you, and...” she hesitated, glancing away for a brief second, then regaining here nerve and continuing. “Well, I was wondering if you’d like to go out sometime.”

“He’d love to!” Iroh jumped in, clamping a hand on his nephew’s shoulder and beaming with a smile brighter than any sun. Obviously, he was overjoyed that Zuko had finally found himself a ‘nice lady-friend.’

“Great! I’ll meet you in front of the shop at sundown.”

The teen could only stare as she walked away, unsure if he should be angry or pleased with the arrangement.

Sauntering over to his slightly stunned friend, Jet smirked and nodded approvingly. “Nice, very nice.”

“What?” Zuko asked, finally snapping out of his thoughts. “That girl. She’s hot – I’d probably jealous if I didn’t already have Katara.”

A flare of something the scarred boy couldn’t quite name but definitely didn’t like clouded his mind. Part of him toyed with the idea of breaking Jet’s nose while the rest tried comparing the unidentified emotion to what he often felt when Azula outshone him.

Meanwhile, Iroh was positively ecstatic with the situation, grinning from ear-to-ear and saying things like, “Oh, I’ll have to do your hair! And find you some nice clothes! Your first date and I’m here to celebrate it – see? Ba Sing Se isn’t so bad!”

Even the customers felt the need to congratulate him. ‘Does no one mind their own business in this city?’

XxXx

A few hours later, Zuko and his uncle were heading back to the teashop to wait for Jin, the sun just beginning to sink below the horizon. On their way, a few people sent them curious stares, others snickering not-so-subtly (why was beyond the prince).

Finally, Zuko was stepping into the shop and out of the public’s prying eyes - only to discover Jet sitting alone at one of the empty tables, an unsuppressed bark of laughter escaping him when he saw his friend.

“What the hell did you do to your hair?” he asked, getting out of his chair and approaching the other teen.

Scowling, Zuko jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Iroh. “My uncle’s the one who did it.”

Chuckling, Jet reached out and re-fluffed his friend’s slicked-back hair. “Nice try, Mushi, but I think this’ll only get him laughed at.”

Iroh shrugged, still smiling. His nephew swatted the Freedom Fighter’s hand away, scowl deepening. Before he could say anything, however, Jet had glanced out the window, grinned, and began ushering him toward the door, saying, “Alright, get out there and make us proud. Act aloof, but not bored; don’t tell her to shut up, no matter how stupid whatever she’s talking about is; and try not to act like a complete bumbling dork. I know it’s in your nature, but...”

Deciding to ignore the last comment, Zuko slapped at his friend’s shoving hands. “How many girls have you dated?”

“Tons,” he smirked, not a hint of modesty in the expression. “They can’t seem to keep their hands off me.”

The other snorted, rolling his eyes, and Jet took the brief, off-guard moment to give him one final push and send him stumbling out the door, miraculously not falling flat on his face.

A giggle caught his attention as he recovered. Turning, he saw Jin approach with a smile on her face. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. My uncle and friend are a little too enthusiastic,” he said, glaring at the shop’s closed door.

Another giggle, then she was linking her arm with his and leading him away, saying, “Come on, I know a great restaurant.”

XxXx

The ‘great restaurant’ featured outdoor tables, the usual bland Earth Kingdom food (had these people never heard of spices?), and a waiter who had the gall to not only assume Jin was the firebender’s girlfriend, but call her such while asking if they wanted dessert.

“She is not my girlfriend!” he yelled angrily, perhaps (definitely) a bit too loudly.

Sending the retreating waiter a quick glare, Zuko focused his attention back on Jin – only to see her noisily slurping up a mouthful of noodles. The lack of proper manners and etiquette reminded him just where he was, that he was no longer a prince in a palace, surrounded by nobles and royalty and people who had to live up to high standards.

Shoving the thought aside, he tried to think of something to say. “You have... quite an appetite for a girl.”

It didn’t take him long to realize to the stupidity of his comment, and he soon turned his gaze to the table, twiddling his thumbs.

“Um... Thanks?” Jin faltered, clearly put off by the statement. Quickly recovering, she asked “So, Li, where were you and your uncle living before you came here?”

“Uh... well, we’ve been travelling around for a long time.”

Her expression brightened as she leaned in slightly, prying, “Oh? Why were you travelling so much?”

“We were, uh...” Zuko paused, searching for a believable response. Not wanting to seem suspicious by hesitating, he blurted out the first response that came to mind. “.. Part of this travelling circus.”

Circus? Mentally kicking himself for such a stupid explanation, he prayed Jin wouldn’t ask too much about it – how was he supposed to discuss something he knew nothing about?

“Really? What did you do – wait. Let me guess,” she babbled excitedly, tapping her chin in thought. Seconds later she pointed at him, smile broadening as she said “You juggled.”

The firebender crossed his arms, staring at her with an impossibly serious expression. “Yes. I juggled.”

“I’ve always wanted to learn how to juggle! Can you show me something?” she asked eagerly, holding out several objects.

His initial reaction had been to refuse – he did not juggle, and trying to convince anyone otherwise would be ridiculous. But then he met her gaze, hopeful and excited, and some annoying part of his mind decided he should give it a try – maybe he would actually have a knack for it.

Five seconds later after he had failed miserably at juggling and gotten some sort of food splattered all over himself in the process, Zuko decided it had been a terrible, awful idea.

Grabbing his napkin, he wiped off his face and said, “I haven’t practiced for a while.”

“It’s alright,” Jin assured him, then abruptly steered the conversation in another direction. “Hey, I want you to see one of my favourite places in the city.”

XxXx

The Earth Kingdom girl led him through the twisting streets, telling him of the beautiful fire lit fountain. In the back of his mind, Zuko wondered if it was the same one he and Katara met at – for some reason, he didn’t like the idea of going there with Jin.

But when they reached the plaza, the only light was from the glowing moon.

“I don’t believe it! They aren’t lit.”

Glancing over at her, he saw the girl’s disappointed expression. This was something she had been dying to show him, her favourite place that she wanted to share with him despite his horrible conversation skills and juggling and... well, everything. And with a few well aimed shots, he could erase her sadness and enjoy a view he, too, was quite fond of.

“Close your eyes,” he ordered, stepping forward. “Don’t peek.”

Making sure she obeyed, he placed both hands together in a beginning stance, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. They snapped open again, and he began shooting tiny bursts of flames in all directions, his arms moving in quick, sharp motions. The wicks of the candles flickered to life, bathing the whole area in dim, orange light.

“Okay... Now you can look.”

Lowering her hands from her eyes, Jin gasped at the sight. “Oh, wow! What happened? How did they light? What did you...?”

Both smiled, looking at each other, then glancing away. Zuko silently marvelled at her cluelessness – how did she not figure out he was a firebender? Did he ever really need to worry about such a thing?

Her fingers laced with his, squeezing his hand gently. Facing her, he noticed her smiling, leaning in closer, eyes closed...

“I brought you something. It’s a coupon for a free cup of tea,” he blurted, abruptly halting her movement and whipping out a coupon, holding it in front of his mouth. For reasons he was unsure of, he didn’t want her to kiss him – somehow it didn’t seem right, like he was betraying someone or something if he did so.

Still managing to smile despite his interruption, Jin took the coupon from his hand. “Li, this is so sweet.”

“Don’t thank me.,” he said, stepping away and scratching at the back of his head. “It was my uncle’s idea. He thinks you’re our most valuable customer.”

Stepping closer, she reclosed the distance between them. “Your uncle is a good teacher.” She placed a hand on his cheek, forcing him to face her. “I have something for you, too. Now it’s your turn to close your eyes.”

He knew exactly what she wanted to do – it was pretty obvious. Still, he wasn’t sure how to refuse, not wanting to upset or offend her (he had done enough of that for one night). So, after a moment’s hesitation, he obediently closed his eyes, bracing himself for what he knew would come.

The kiss was very gentle and brief, a light press of her lips. It sent his mind reeling in an unwanted direction, one he had been fighting to avoid for days. When he leaned forward again to return the kiss, he wasn’t thinking of a pretty Earth Kingdom peasant who had tolerated his unusual behaviour and lack of social skills – he was imagining a fierce waterbender who had frozen him in a globe of ice and would probably do much more painful things if need be, someone with blue eyes and dark skin and an exotic sort of beauty he had never witnessed living in the Fire Nation, someone he could never have without hurting a lot of other people in the process.

Snapping back to reality, he pulled away, jumping back several steps.

“What’s wrong?”

Turning away, he forced himself to stop wishing Jin was someone else. “It’s complicated.”

Then he ran, just like he had from the object of his thoughts several days before.

Author's Notes: Sorry if this si riddled with typos or feels like too much of a repeat of last chapter. xP I had to hurry to finish it, since I'll be busy with housework this weekend. Hopefully you guys enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own 'Avatar' or any of its characters.