"No.. stop!" Zuko bolted from his bed with a scream, clutching his blankets under him as he trembled. Sweat rolling down his face and back while he stared at the blank wall in front of him, shaking as he felt frozen.

He panted softly as if he was holding his breath before, forcing himself to move was harder, pulling his knees up and resting his chin on top, his arms hanging around his ankles.

"Fuck," he rasped still shaking. His limbs felt like stone when he tried to move.

Gold eyes peered out of the window to see if the moon was still out. It was high in the sky.

"Fucking hell," Zuko grunted rolling back over to sleep. Pulling the blankets high to his nose with a shiver, listening to everything around him, people outside that dared to walk at night, animals, but it was still to quiet.

He didn't know if he could go to sleep again.

—

Hai walked through her tea shop with a soft hum while her cane tapped against the hard wood floors. She went to unlock the door as she turned the sign around to open, she opened the door due to the day being warmer already.

She noticed a being against her shop outside and squinted to recognize the body.

"How long have you been waiting?" Hai raised a brow seeing Zuko sitting against the wall.

"Since the sun came up, I couldn't sleep," Zuko rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"That was stupid, you better not slack off today," she put a piece of wood under the door to keep it open.

"No ma'am, I won't," Zuko mumbled standing up and followed her inside.

Hai pitied the child seeing how exhausted he seemed, she tsked and went to put the water over a small fire.

"Come sit, I'll make you some tea, give you some energy," hai patted a table for him to sit at. It was a slow morning.

"Are you going to tell me why you couldn't sleep? I need my workers well rested," she scoffed getting a tea cup out for him as they waited for the water to boil.

"No," Zuko grunted.

"Was it home?" She asked in a softer tone this time.

"No, it was nothing," he glared.

"Bah you can bullshit me all you want but I can see a little boy that's getting bad dreams," hai rolled her eyes and Zuko scowled.

"So what? It doesn't matter," he snapped a little, maybe cause he didn't sleep much last night.

"It does," she sang smirking.

"I don't want to talk about it," Zuko repeated in a harsh tone.

"Then drink your tea and give the customers a smile kid, you'll get forehead wrinkles before your eighteen with that scowl," hai poured the tea and hobbled over to set it in front of the teen.

"I didn't have no children just to get a grumpy teenager that I'm stuck with, so buck up kiddo and loose the glare," she poked him frowning, Zuko glared scooting away from her reach.

He didn't say anything and sipped the tea, hai went back upstairs to leave him in his thoughts and his tea. Zuko groaned a little rubbing his head, he was so sick of the nightmares. It was one thing just to be restless and unable to sleep but when memories of his past suffocate him in his sleep makes it worse.

"Here," hai dropped two bean buns on the table for him.

"You look like a skeleton, your haunting this shop with your ghostly aura," she grunted.

-

Jet watched Zuko for days, he saw him working with an old woman that seemed to nag at the teen constantly and order him around, he waited to see Zuko snap and fire bend at her, or when he went for walks in the middle of the night, but it shocked him when he saw he was aquatinted with Katara.

When Jet saw Katara recognize 'Lee' and greeted him like they were friends, it made him feel sick and worried for the girl. Was she safe to be around a dangerous criminal. Fire bender or not lee was still a criminal to the fire nation.

He had to keep his distance from them but watched the two talk while Katara looked angry about something but it wasn't with the other boy. He responded as if he knew what she was talking about. Jet wanted to get in their way and confront lee on the spot so Katara knew exactly what the monster was. She would understand.

But lee walked her back home that night, she must've lived farther away cause eventually Jet lost them. But he wanted the evidence. He needed to see the scarred teen fire bend.

Jet waited outside watching the tea shop lee was working at, he stared intensely waiting for the kid to slip up. He will eventually.

"Jet we need to talk," smellerbee found him with long shot following behind.

"What? Oh great it's you guys," Jet was snapped out of his thoughts finally.

"I could use some help with surveillance here," he said like it was obvious.

"We've been talking and we think your becoming obsessed with this, it's not healthy," they said with a heavy sigh.

"Oh really? You both think this?" Jet looked over at long shot. He set his hand on smeller bees shoulder to confirm.

"We came here to make a fresh start, what I know about lee is he did too, we all just want a bit of peace but it's you, you won't let this go," she tried to reason.

"There is no proof Lee is a fire bender," smeller bee urged.

"We'll maybe if you helped me-" "Jet You gotta stop this," she didn't even let him finish.

"Maybe you've forgotten why we need to start over? This guy is the reason we lost so many people we loved, why we lost our home, fire benders like him," Jet pointed at the shop as smeller bee and long shot kept their eyes down in sorrow for how the wars impacted them.

"If you don't want to help me I'll get the evidence on my own, he's alone in a city with no where to run, he'll slip, he just might need a shove," he snapped at them and stormed off directly to the tea shop. Neither of his friends bothered to stop him from confronting the other teen.

—

"Lee dear I need help with getting some herbs off the top shelf," hai called as Zuko was cleaning off a table and looked at the counter. Hai was trying to stand on a crate but he walked over before she could.

"Don't do that, you'll fall, you barely can go up the stairs," Zuko huffed grabbing the herbs with ease and went to go help a customer.

"Your aunt is sure lucky you're a tall lad," a few officers smiled at the twos interactions as they enjoyed a quiet cup of tea.

"You wouldn't believe how fat of a baby the kid was, couldn't have been from my side of the family," hai cackled as Zuko glared back at her.

"Can I please get a refill when you get the chance kiddo?" One of the officers asked kindly.

"Yes sir," Zuko nodded softly.

Zuko went back to hai to get the tea pot but pushed a jar closer to her as she struggled to reach. She sent him a look unamused as Zuko played innocent.

Suddenly the door was kicked open catching everyone off guard.

"I'm tired of waiting, that guy is a fire bender!" Jet stormed in and pointed at Zuko with hate.

No one reacted.

"Definitely not my side of the family," hai joked and the officers burst out laughing at her.

"Son I think your confused with my nephew, he's no fire bender, kids not even an earth bender," hai cooed a little poking Zuko next to her. 

He looked at Jet with a glare but also covered it with confusion. How did he figure it out?

"Trust me, if my boy was a bender of any sort it would be good for the business, very handy," she continued trying to calm the other boy down.

"Gosh the amount of times I lost my spark rocks, a fire bender would've been handy," she smiled humming and elbowed Zuko to laugh at her joke. He didn't laugh but that was normal to them all.

"It's not funny! This isn't a joke! I know he's a fire bender, hes hiding here from the fire nation!" Jet pulled out his hooked blades and pointed one.

"We're all hiding from the fire nation?" One of the officers pointed out.

"I'm telling you! He's a fire bender!" Jet yelled.

"Drop your swords boy, nice and easy," the officers started to take action.

"You'll have to defend yourself, then everyone will know," Jet started to walk towards Zuko and hai. "Go ahead, show them what you can do,"

The officer was about to take out his swords but Zuko grabbed them and ripped them out of the seal.

"You want a show? I'll give you a show," Zuko split the blades into two in both hands.

"Lee! You don't have to do this," hai stomped her foot down.

Zuko was itching to finally have a reason to fight.

He kicked a table over and sent it flying towards Jet but he easily dodged over it and got within arms distance from Zuko before their blades collided. No one dared got in the way of the two swordsmen, Zuko knew how to hold his own and didn't need any help.

Zuko jumped back before was hit on a table hit Jet swung to slice the table in half. But the pale teen leaped high and had the advantage to kick Jet back.

Hai gathered customers away from the fight as the officers stood in the front while they watched the teenagers battle with their swords.

Only for Zuko to crash through the door and rolled back to his feet before jet tried to strike.

"You must be tired of using swords, go ahead and fire bend at me," Jet smirked confidently as Zuko pushed him off, he didn't bother with banter. If he didn't bend then Jet just looked like a lunatic. Hai had an alibi.

"How would Katara feel about finding out what you really are? You know she hates fire benders more than I do," he smiled more as he connected his hooks and swung them so the radius was longer, Zuko backing up to not get hit.

"Who?" Zuko made a face.

"The pretty little water bender, only girl in blue in this city!" Jet barked and tried to kick Zuko in the head.

"A water bender? You gotta be crazy, I've never met a water bender," Zuko scoffed shaking his head as everyone from inside went to follow the fight outside.

"You're lying!" Jet yelled in rage.

"and you need help," Zuko smirked swinging his swords, cutting the straw that was hanging out of his mouth.

Jet watched it fall with wide eyes before flipping back on higher land.

"Did you all see that?! The fire nation is trying to silence me!" Jet called around for people's attention so eyes where on Zuko.

"It'll never happen," he snarled before jumping back after Zuko.

"Those boys are going to owe me a new door," hai's eye twitched in irritation as she was sick of the fight now.

"Drop your weapons," new voices commanded as Jet slipped away before he was hit by zukos blade.

"This guys a fire bender! He's fire nation!" Jet pointed at Zuko to get arrested by the dai lee.

"The boy is confused, my nephew is a simple refugee like all of us," hai walked to Zuko and put herself in front of the boy.

"The young man wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my boy, speaking nonsense," she spat angrily.

"It's true sir, we saw the whole thing," the officers backed them up as Zuko stayed silent.

"Come with us son," the dai lee approached Jet.

Jet tried to swing but the earth benders easily maneuvered his hands behind his back and made Jet drop his weapon. Zuko took a step forward knowing the dai lee were bad, but hai set her cane in front to stop him. She shook her head as they watched Jet be taken away while screaming more nonsense.

"He's a fire bender! He's a monster!" Jet screamed and the door of the carriage was shut.

People started to clear out from the scene and Zuko handed the officers the swords back and apologized.

"Bah, the mess, I can't believe you got thrown out and busted my damn door," hai grunted hobbling back.

"Hai I'm sorry-" "I don't wanna hear it, not till tomorrow, tonight we clean," she put her hand up and Zuko nodded quietly following her back to the tea shop. Feeling sick for what may happen to Jet now.