Chapter Text
What did it take to make a leader?
Was it something you were destined for? Was it something you would have to fight your way to reach? Or maybe it was all based on luck? Most of the war generals of his time would give more simple answers. Wisdom,rank,power,all vague concepts to answer an equally vague question. The others spent years - often decades - trying to find the answer,clawing their way to the position and basking in the prestige that came with leading an army of hundreds.
The boy never really gave the question much thought. Sure the children of his village often played war and even on a smaller scale the friend groups he was a part of as a child always seem to have someone to point them in the right direction. But in those cases, it was just a silly title that didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. No families had been destroyed when the game's leader decided they were too tired or scared to play,and it's not like he was dying to fill the role.
He was a rather sensitive kid surprisingly enough,always clinging to his mother and father until he made his first friend. It took an encouraging push from his mother before he had released her hand and greeted the stranger,the two nearly inseparable by the end of the night. Unlike his new friend, he returned home with a bright smile,talking about their little adventures for hours on end.
His mother listened attentively,occasionally chiming in with a joke that made the town’s other moms cringe. She was sweet but she certainly wasn't conventional if her snappy snark and willingness to join him in the dirt meant anything. His father didn't quite fit the typical mold either,just as gentle and thoughtful as the boy was. He had many years of wisdom to guide him and the turbulent emotions that came with being a child,the man always ready with kind words and a cup of tea. They all were different from the other families,but he loved them all the same.
If only it could have last
The day had started so simply. His father gave his hair an affectionate ruffle before he headed out for school with his mother,the woman sure to pepper his face in kisses until he whined. She chuckled as his face burned from embarrassment,heading to the fruit stand just as she did every day. If he knew this would happen he would have played sick,at least then he would have been around to protect them.
The students had fled the small building in a frenzy,smoke bleeding in through the windows and leaving the room filled with gray clouds. The air had grown unbearably hot,the crackling of flames near deafening as he raced to the village's outskirts. He swore he felt a burst of fire strike his feet,his friend taking the hit to protect him. Tiny soles bled yet he continued to run,hand in hand with the younger boy. It felt like eons before they had escaped into the forest,the boy gasping for air as sweat dripped down his bruised skin.
It took a moment for him to realize how far the survivors had reached,never once hearing the clunky footsteps of his mother or feeling the quick grasp of his father’s hand. Eyes wide he turned,spotting what had turned his home into burning flames.
Men in fire nation garbs sat atop horrible beasts,watching the fear and bloodshed grow with each passing second. One noticed his lack of movement,turning to meet the child's horrified gaze. The boy expected to be burned alive at that moment,tears rolling down his cheeks as their eyes met.
Instead, the man grew a smile.
A slow,wicked smile that reached his cheekbones. The kind of smile that held no regrets,proud of the families he had destroyed and carnage his army had left behind.
It was then he realized the war was far bigger than he could comprehend.
He was only eight,yet now he was truly alone
The next few years were impossible to forget,no matter how hard he tried. Starvation, paranoia, fatigue, survivor's guilt, loneliness, each instance clung to him yet one stuck out the most.
Anger
Anger at himself for being terrified,anger at those men for leaving him to fend for himself,and anger at the fire nation for destroying everything he loved.
It all began to boil into a self-destructive mess,the pot exploding the moment he met the girl he had appropriately nicknamed "Smeller-Bee"
She was fast on her feet,quick enough to nearly escape with the few rations he had left. Yet at the same time her years on the run were beyond obvious,even more so than his own. He wasn't sure what compelled him to ignore the usual response and fight,but looking back he was more than glad he had chosen peace. If he didn't then he might now have not found something else to live for besides his own survival. Now he had someone to protect,someone he wasn't going to lose again to the fire nation.
Afterwards Longshot entered the picture,sharing a tale similar to his own. The trauma left him silent most of the time,his face doing most of the talking if SmellerBee wasn't around to do so. Then came the rest of his gang, Sneers, Pipsqueak, The Duke, and hundreds of other refugees left behind in the wake of the fire nation soldier's brutality. Dark ashes lingered in their shadows yet somehow they all managed to light up whenever he entered the room. Words of admiration, gratefulness, even vulnerability were given his way, the team slowly turning into more than just another group of refugees. Now they were an ever growing family of vigilantes,all looking up to him to lead the way.
That was what he decided made a true leader,someone that protected their people no matter the cost.
That’s why he had to do this
The boy stood atop the hill,watching over the dam and the forest below. It had taken months just to get just half the water they needed,the fact biting at his neck. Normally he could be patient when it came to his plans but something about this one made him itch. They were so close to freeing the town yet it wasn’t close enough. Each day of waiting meant another day of fire nation soldiers occupying the Earth Kingdom town, buildings and people drenched in their vile shades of crimson. He had relied on the rainfall to play its part in his mission but the clouds seemed suspiciously dry lately. Not to mention the troops he had seen pass by the area. Their camps seem to be growing closer and closer,the only thing keeping them from catching on being his team’s quick ambushes. But even with his cockiness he knew they couldn’t hold them off forever.
“Jet?”
The boy turned to find The Duke a few feet behind him. His traveling clothes had been put on in haste, stolen shoulder armor and knee pad missing.
“Are you okay?” The six-year-old asked.
“Yeah,just checking up on the dam,” Jet said before turning back to him. “What are you doing up? I thought you went to bed with everyone else”
“I had a bad dream”
The other couldn’t help but crack an amused grin. Even if he was one of the best fighters he was still a little kid at the end of the day. “What’d you see?”
“Um…” He scratched the other leg with the heel of his boot,gaze glued to the ground. “I think I saw my parents”
For a brief second Jet’s eyes widened.
“I don’t remember their faces but I could feel it was them,” He said. “Does that make sense?”
The boy quickly gathered his composure,putting on the usual understanding face he gave the others. “Yeah,sometimes I have dreams about my parents and village”
Instead of the expected relief the child anxiously gripped the cloth of his pants. “Did I do something to make them abandon me?”
“Of course not,” He assured him.
“But what if I did and I don’t remember?” He let his large helmet fall into his face as if to hide from the idea.
“You were a little kid,what could you have done?” Jet asked,the boy unswayed. He let out a sigh,walking over to rest a comforting hand on his tiny shoulder. “Listen Duke,it doesn’t matter what happened before. Right now you’re here with us and we won’t ever abandon you”
His expression softened,Jet fixing his helmet so the child could see his kind smile. “ I won’t ever abandon you”
A smile of his own crossed his face,Duke rushing in to give him a tight hug. “Promise?”
Jet returned the embrace. “I promise”
The boy pulled away before letting out a yawn. “Are you coming back?”
“Yeah,in a few,” He said. “You go ahead of me,you’ve got to be awake when we take out some fire nation swine tomorrow”
His smile threatened to fall,Duke instead pulling his lips into a straight line. He gave his leader a soft hum before turning back towards the hideout.
Jet looked back to the dam,chewing on the wheat stalk in his mouth. What was worse,losing your entire world in a single second or never having one to mourn?
For once,the leader who seemed to have all the answers was left stumped.
Next day’s ambush started off without a hitch,even The Duke in better spirits by the time they took to the trees. All they had to do was wait for the perfect moment to strike.
Luckily that moment came in the form of a group of three kids unfortunate enough to stumble into the campgrounds.
“ You promise not to hurt us ?” The soldier smirked,entertained by the idea of a mere child being able to take down an entire military unit.
They must have not heard of them
He collapsed with a hard thud,the girl pointing to him in shock as he prepared his weapons. Looks like they were going to have an audience this time.
Jet stepped back and off the branch,the tips of his two hook swords sinking into the bark as he swung himself to the ground. With only his two legs he knocked two more soldiers into the dirt,jumping off their back armor. In a single swoop he had caught another pair by their ankles,taking both in the air with him as he flipped them onto the pile of bodies.
The boy landed flawlessly on his feet,swords in hand and a grin on his face. “Down you go”
He didn’t take the time to bathe in the glory,tearing down the fool brave - or stupid - enough to rush at him with a quick turn. The rest of the group deployed like bombs, arrows raining from the skies and members dropping onto the soldiers just as quickly.
From the corner of his eye he spotted a new pair of fighters,the girl from before dragging the men away in a whip of water while her friend let the winds flow from his palms and throw the grown adults as if they were nothing more than cloth dolls.
‘Impressive’
The second boy - the oldest he assumed - held his boomerang above his blade with a battle cry. Jet took his second of bravery,kicking the other straight into a tree.
His shoulders slumped,dejection on his face. “Hey,he was mine!”
“Gotta be quicker next time,” He told him frankly before heading to another swarm of soldiers. As funny as it was he couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic for the older days when he could train the newest members personally. It was nice still seeing some childhood innocence survive the many tragedies.
He took the boy’s next moment with less fondness,nearly losing his head twice on the way. This was a war he had to survive,if not as a fighter then as a strong leader.
The fight ended in a diminuendo,the remaining soldiers fleeing the scene. Just as cowardly as he expected,but then again he never thought highly of the fire nation to begin with.
He looked over the abandoned camp with pride,officially reclaimed in the name of the Freedom Fighters.
“You just took out a whole army almost single handed” The boy in orange and yellow marveled with the same awe every other fighter they rescued had when they first met.
“Army?” The other scoffed,arms crossed. “There were only, like, twenty guys!”
“My name’s Jet,and these are my freedom fighters” He cocked his head to the rest of the fighters with a grin that always managed to charm new members. He introduced each one,the others introducing themselves in turn. Sokka,Katara and Aang,names that were definitely not from around the area,earth kingdom or fire nation.
He didn’t know much about the water tribe but he definitely knew about the air nomads - everyone did - or at least what happened to them. He could only imagine each temple going up in scarlet flames,the inferno consuming the lives of thousands until all that was left was bone.
The image always made his stomach churn,but his Freedom Fighters couldn’t know that. He was the one who was supposed to stop such devastation from reaching any farther,and now that included Aang. It was a miracle he even survived,there was no way he was going to let such agony track him or his friends. He just had to get them all on board first.
His group had begun to raid the camp for supplies - typical procedure after a good ambush - when Katara approached.
“Umm,thanks for saving us Jet,” She said almost sheepishly,a sharp contrast compared to how effortlessly she had taken down the hoard of soldiers. “We’re lucky you were there”
“I should be thanking you,” Jet replied,genuinely grateful. “We were waiting to ambush those soldiers all morning, we just needed the right distraction, and then you guys stumbled in”
The girl shot her brother a glare,sarcasm in her tone. “We were relying on instincts”
“You’ll get yourself killed doing that”
He could feel the boy's eye's boring holes into his face,but he wasn’t too phased. He wasn’t new to possible members being far from appreciative,heck, some of the kindest of his team had at one point pointed a blade to his neck. Still,he knew his sort of facade well. Just a thick wall to protect his family,and at some point he’d get him to understand he was safe here with a strong leader at the reins. He always managed to.
“Hey, Jet!”
The boy looked up to find Duke peering up from a barrel half his height. “These barrels are full of blasting jelly”
“That’s a great score,” Jet said,hoping to get a smile out of him. Even if he was focusing on new recruits he wasn’t going to forget what he said the night before. Hopefully the little find would be enough to keep up the child’s morale.
“And these boxes are filled with jelly candy!” Pipsqueak added.
“Also good,let’s not get those mixed up” It’d be pretty embarrassing for all of this hard work to be undone by some silly little snacks.
“We’ll take this stuff back to the hideout,” The child said as the others began to pack.
Aang perked up at the mention. “You guys have a hideout?”
It was a relief to see the fire nation hadn’t taken all the happiness from him. “You guys wanna see it?”
“Yes, we wanna see it!” Katara said with a bright smile.
His expression softened. It had been a while since he had seen other people besides his Freedom Fighters have hope.
“We’re here”
“Where?” Sokka questioned. “There’s nothing here”
“Hold this”
He handed Sokka the tied loop that hung from the treetops,the boy yanked up and into the bushels until all trace of him had disappeared past the bundle of leaves. He tried not to laugh,handing another to Aang.
“I’ll get up on my own” The youngest decided,jumping up and spinning along the wind’s currents to each branch. This kid was going to be an amazing fighter,Jet was sure of it already.
He kept his gaze to the skies as the rope in his hand lifted him and the girl off the ground and into the endless tower of forest trees. Their trunks reached towards the warm sun,bits of light slipping through their shelter of leaves. Clouds of red and oranges surrounded them,the crisp air gently carrying fallen leaves until they vanished into the bundles of bracts.
They were effortlessly dropped onto a wooden platform that circled a bole,the boy finding Aang already having discovered their pulley system and decided it more fun to slide along the thick jute.
“It’s beautiful up here!” Katara marveled.
“It’s beautiful,and more importantly the Fire Nation can’t find us”
The zip of another rope was the only thing alerting him of his third in command’s presence,the boy smirking at the near silent landing. Even in moments of calm she managed to be just as sneaky as when they first met,intentional or not. It was almost admirable save for the first few days where the then twelve-year-old nearly knocked the other out of shock. The girl just as quickly pulled his arm behind his back,keeping him pinned to the ground with a sharp knee near the base of his spine. And just as she did then she gave him a cocky half-praise half-tease. “They’d love to find you,wouldn’t they Jet?”
“It’s not gonna happen Smellerbee”
“Why does the Fire Nation want to find you?” Katara asked,following the group along the swing bridge.
“I guess you could say I’ve been causing them a little trouble” The understatement of the century considering all of the ambushes,supply cut-offs, and general chaos they gave all of their troops that Pipsqueak described with pride. “One day we’ll drive the Fire Nation out of here for good and free that town”
“That’s so brave” The girl replied with a smile.
Her brother managed to escape the human wall that was Pipsqueak,the feeling of annoyed eyes glaring into his face returning. “Yeah,nothing’s braver than a guy in a treehouse”
It was so, so much more than that and Katara was sure to let him know he was just in a foul mood. Such ire would usually already have any other person’s eye twitching but Jet knew how to pick out notable parts of these sorts of vents and tune out the unimportant bits. It came with being a leader after all.
“So you all live here?”
“That’s right,Longshot over there? His town got burned down by the Fire Nation” He motioned to his second in command. His usually stoic expression had fallen into something more somber,the boy lowering his head to hide what the shadow of his conical hat couldn’t. Jet nearly paused,catching the slip. He walked a bit looser than usual,swaying farther towards the bridge’s rail than he had before. The jaw he rarely opened was locked tight,his steps unfocused. Normally he was at the most indifferent to his past being told to new recruits,but something about today seemed…different.
Strange…
He brushed the sudden bombardment of questions aside,turning his attention to the younger boy beside him. “And we found The Duke trying to steal our food. I don’t think he ever really had a home”
A tiny hand gripped his staff tighter,another swiping their knuckles against the older boy’s. The silent request for comfort was met with a quick push from the other boy’s much harder knuckles,another step taken towards the railing. Any closer and he might fall,the fact seemingly less important than keeping his distance from the child.
Did they get in a fight? One their great leader didn’t notice or find the time to settle before it could burst into an explosion big enough to destroy the closest thing he had to a family?
Or had it already reached a breaking point and he was left to watch everything burn to ashes?
“What about you?”
His stomach flipped at the new question,Jet covering a flinch from both by planting his feet firmly into the wood. “Fire Nation killed my parents”
The bitter knot that usually came with the story had unfurled into a limp string,a sickly feeling taking its place. “I was only eight years old…that day changed me forever”
He kept his eyes on the hundreds of the homes below them,unable to meet hers. It was a story told thousands of times,yet it always managed to knock a crack into his ‘strong leader image’. It was a relatable,painful crack but said with just enough anger to convince new members that his resentment was something admirable. At least that's how he always saw it,normally able to bite back the flurry of emotions that came with the flash of burning memories.
Today was different
For the first time in years his voice cracked in front of others,pulse spiking at the embarrassing noise. He quickly shut his mouth,a trembling lip only making his heart pound faster.
Did anyone notice?
Did they doubt him as a leader?
Did they think he was pathetic?
“Sokka and I lost our mother to the fire nation”
The confession pulled him out of his panicked thoughts,each one silencing themselves once he caught a glimpse of her face. Her eyes were downcast, voice even yet still lingering with a quiet sorrow.
Right,this wasn’t about him
“I’m so sorry Katara”
She remained still,neither accepting or denying the apology.
He let his own gaze drift,finding the rest of his team gone. “What was she like?”
Katara looked up,the other gripping the railing of the rope bridge. “Your mother,what was she like?”
“My mom…” She smiled but there was a bit of sadness in it. “She was the kindest person I’ve ever known. Our home,our family,they meant everything to her”
A hand ghosted over her mother’s necklace,the girl tracing the emblem engraved in its gem. “I don’t think I would’ve become the person I am without her”
“You must really miss her”
“More than anything” Katara loosened her grip on the rope,catching the boy’s own tightening. She followed his gaze down below,the other freedom fighters left up to their own devices while he was gone. Most were barely older than her dear friend,laughing and playing amongst themselves. They blurred into a mess of colored dots yet somehow the boy managed to catch the few that remained still. His brows were knitted together, chewing on his wheat stalk as if it was the only thing he had to eat in years.
“I’m sure they miss their parents too”
His nose twitched,grip tightening at the second slip.
“We all do,” He quickly said. “It’s part of helping stop this war”
“What about you?” She asked.
“I take care of my Freedom Fighters,” Jet replied. “I can’t replace their parents but I make sure everybody has what they need”
“No, I mean…” The other hesitated for a moment. She rest a hand on his forearm,giving him a kind smile. “You’ve got a lot on your shoulders. I think you’re a great leader for caring so much”
A slight smile returned to his face. “Thanks, Katara”
“You should teach Sokka a thing or two,” The girl said. “The only leader-y thing he does is try to boss us around”
“I’m sure he’s just trying his best,” Jet responded. “It took me a while to get everything like this”
“You give him way too much credit”
He couldn’t help but chuckle at the little remark. With a breath he released the railing,resting that hand on his hip. “We have this big celebration dinner a little after sundown,you guys plan on staying?”
Her eyes seem to sparkle at the proposition. “We’d love to!”
“You sure your leader wouldn’t mind?” Jet jokingly questioned.
Katara scoffed with an amused smirk. “Please,as long as you say there’s meat he’ll be there”
“We ambushed a Fire Nation supply cart yesterday” The boy recalled with pride. “Let’s just say there will be plenty of hippo-ox to go around”
“I’ll go see if he’s done sulking first,” The girl said,taking a step ahead of him. “See you at dinner?”
“Yeah,see you”
With a happy hum she turned back to the bridge and rushed across to find her brother,Jet waving her off until he was certain both were out of each other's line of sight. He picked the straw of wheat out from his mouth,looking to his right hand. The twists of the bridge’s ropes were practically engraved in his palm,the ends of the poor plant split into six thin strings.
“Listen Duke,it doesn’t matter what happened before. Right now you’re here with us and we won’t ever abandon you”
He wasn’t sure whether or not Longshot was truly trying to hide his anger or not. He hid his face - something he only did when he was seconds from snapping his own bow in half - but everything else seemed almost reckless. He thought falling hundreds of feet to his death was preferable to even looking at the child,not to mention how close they all were to a potential recruit. Sure Katara hadn’t noticed the first time but he doubted they would be lucky the next time.
“I won’t ever abandon you”
He let his marked hand graze over his adam’s apple. Why was that enough to send him spiraling? He was Jet,leader of the Freedom Fighters,he survived worst fights among the group.
The boy let out a deep sigh to clear his head,continuing along the wood path. They couldn’t be mad at each other forever,with his help and classic leadership skills both problems would be fixed soon enough. And whatever was up with himself…well…he could smooth it out on his own without anyone noticing,he always managed to before anyway.
The energy that night was incredible,a familiar chaotic satisfaction bouncing off the trees and ringing throughout the entire forest.
Every member of their team had been gathered in their meeting center,lanterns hung along the branches on stolen strings. Their bright lights illuminated the fruits of their latest attack, a meal fit for a royal army splayed out on a table barely big enough to hold every plate of fresh meat and bowl of steaming stock.
Jet sat at the head of the table - just as every leader did - taking the chance to stand with his cup raised. “Today,we struck another blow against the Fire Nation swine”
His voice pried their attention off the group’s finest dinner in ages,even the scouts atop the tree branches rallying in celebration.
“I got a special joy from the look on one soldier’s face when The Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild hog monkey” He gave the young boy a grin, the type of grin that could lift even the lowest spirits out of a drowning sea. The Duke beamed in return,jumping up and onto the table. He marched around the roast hippo-ox,arms raised and pumped as he reveled in his friends’ loud cheers.
He waved the Duke over,the boy’s eyes lighting up. He quickly joined Jet’s side with his helmet in hand. The leader rest a comforting hand on his shoulder before turning back to his team.
“Now,the Fire Nation thinks they don’t have to worry about a couple of kids hiding in the trees” He feigned an understanding look, preparing to take a sip from his cup. “Maybe they’re right”
Jet smirked at the almost deafening jeers,giving the youngest a knowing glance before flashing the same one to his fighters. “Or maybe…”
His grin fell to a deep scowl,letting the last few droplets of his drink fall to the floor as he tossed it in a dramatic rage. “They are DEAD wrong!”
Cheers exploded through their hideout,fists raised and whoops breaking through the sizzling of meat and chirping cicadas. It was exhilarating,almost enough to make him slip out of his stoic leader persona and join in.
Almost,he had an image to keep after all
With a satisfied smile he stepped off the table,setting himself beside their newest potential recruits.
“Hey Jet,nice speech,” Katara said,knees folded under her and a bowl in hand.
“Thanks,you enjoying the food?” He asked.
“It’s great,it’s been forever since we’ve had anything heavy like this,” She replied. “It feels like we’ve been living off of lychee nuts for the past few weeks”
“Hey,at least we had food,” Sokka rebutted.
“I’m just glad everyone is enjoying the haul” Jet propped his arm up on his knee,turning back to the rest of his Freedom Fighters. “This should be enough to last all of us a good month”
“I can’t believe all of this came from one cart,” Aang admitted.
“Yeah,” The fact tugged his lips back into a frown. “The Fire Nation is out there taking innocent lives without a second thought and at the end of the day they get to eat like kings”
“It’s horrible,” Katara lamented.
“Which is why we need people like you on our team,” He said,turning to the two. “I was really impressed with you and Aang,that was some amazing bending I saw out there today”
“Well,he’s great. He’s the Avatar” The girl grew a slight blush. “I could use more training”
“Avatar” Jet flashed the boy a grin. “ Very nice”
He smiled at the compliment. “Thanks, Jet”
“You know,we don’t have any benders in the Freedom Fighters”
Sokka sat up a bit straighter,raising a brow. “None at all?”
“Nope,goes to show you what us non-benders can do,” He said,giving Sokka a similar grin.
Blue eyes narrowed,the boy turning away to pick at the loose thread in his sack of fire flakes.
“Of course,benders are always welcome to join,” The boy guaranteed them. “We need as many people as we can get to help free everyone the Fire Nation’s taken”
“Even firebenders?” Sokka asked,halfway between a jab and a joke.
Jet laughed,the sound making the other flinch.
“You’re a really funny guy Sokka” He finally said,wiping an eye with his knuckle.
For a brief second his ire faltered.
“Anyway,” Jet turned back to the boy’s sister. “I think I might know a way that you and Aang can help in our struggle”
Sokka stood,catching the annoyance before it could fully slip. “Unfortunately we have to leave tonight”
“Sokka,you’re kidding me!” He watched the boy stomp past his friends,feigning disappointment. “I needed you on an important mission tomorrow”
The other stopped,thinking the proposition over. He cautiously turned back,keeping his brows furrowed and skepticism intact. “What mission?”
“A special mission” Jet replied,beckoning him to return to his seat. He reluctantly did so, eyes glued to the other’s casual smile. He handed the younger his nearly forgotten bag,Sokka giving each flake a quick inspection.
“Some details would be nice,” He said before taking the palm sized snack sack.
“Just a stake out,it sounds simple but the fire nation is getting closer” Jet’s smile fell into a serious line. “If they find out where we are,everyone here could be dead”
His blood ran cold at the thought,the younger looking back to the hundreds of people - mostly children - all enjoying the rare bit of gaiety in this nightmarish war. He couldn’t help but picture his home village in their place,only women and children left behind for the sake of stopping the decades of bloodshed. If they weren’t careful they could all end up just like him and his sister the day the fire nation raided their home,the day they killed their…
“Alright”
“Thanks Sokka,” Jet said,looking back to his new found family. “You’re saving a lot of lives here”
The other gave him a nod.
His gaze wandered back to Duke,remembering just how the momentary hug had nearly knocked the air out of him. He had returned to his helping of roast turkey duck,stopping between bites to relay his victory to the other kids. Longshot had set his pettiness aside for the sake of Smellerbee,the girl the only thing separating the two. She listened with the smile of a proud older sister,her friend only occasionally glancing up from his own plate.
“Is he your little brother?” Sokka asked.
“Not by birth,” Jet said,a slight grin tugging at his lips. ”It feels like it sometimes though,”
“How old is he?”
“Eight” He answered. “He was a lot clingier when we first found him,he’s really come into his own”
Sokka’s expression softened,the other leaning back. “He still comes to me whenever something is bothering him though,but it’s fine. Leaders take care of their team”
“But there are actual adults here,” He reminded him. “Why go straight to you?”
“I’m the leader,it's my job,” Jet said simply. “You know what that’s like,right?”
The boy paused,looking past him and to his sister. She and Aang were off in their own little world,Momo trying to snag the only food the boy could eat out of the pounds of meat in the stolen cart. They weren’t completely wrong about before,not that he’d ever admit it. He could still feel the claws of hunger digging into his stomach,the looming threat of the Fire Nation the only thing taking his mind off their twisting and turning. He couldn’t help but wonder how the boy only a year older than him with even more people under his watch managed to keep them all so hopeful without the slightest bit of doubt on his shoulder.
“Yeah…”
“He’s been having some bad dreams lately so I’m hoping tomorrow’s mission will cheer him up” The elder added with a wink. “So try not to outshine him too much,okay?”
“Right…” Sokka returned his gaze to The Duke. He wasn’t that much older than the boys he had trained back in his village - or tried to train. It was hard to drill the heaviness of war into the mind of someone who wasn’t able to understand why his parents were so worried over him disappearing to follow a penguin seal for over three hours. He spent years trying to explain the grim reality but it was like talking to doe eyed walls,yet here was a child the same age who seemed to understand it all so perfectly without the empty stare of a burdened soldier.
“How did you do it?” Was what he wanted to ask,but he couldn’t bring himself to pry. He didn’t need help,he could handle his own team just fine,Sokka swore to himself. Besides,they’d be gone in a few days,what was the point of getting all sentimental? This was Jet’s little group and he was cocky enough as it was,no need to fuel his ‘ultimate leader’ ego anymore than his sister already had.
From the silence Jet could tell the wall had begun to crack. It wasn’t much,but it was a good start. He let his eyes settle on the three he held closest,Longshot a bit less tense compared to earlier.
He nearly let out a sigh of relief,catching himself before Sokka could notice. It was a tiring act,trying to relate to people without being too vulnerable but it was a necessary one if they wanted to win this war.
Still,at least when Sokka joined the team there would be someone who could somewhat understand. He wasn’t going to be dumping the years of trauma he was certain he had smothered silent to the boy anytime soon,but it would be nice knowing the bits that he allowed to slip wouldn’t be met with pity. Maybe he’d be able to join as his fourth in command,when he was wavering they’d definitely need someone as perceptive as him to fill in for those brief seconds.
Tomorrow’s mission was going to be the one to finally set the entire group back into their normal routine,three new recruits included. Then everything would go back to normal,he was sure of it.