Escaping With The Enemy (Jet/Sokka/Zuko) (M/M/M) (Aged-Up)

6. Confliction

Sokka

After what felt like the worst nap I'd ever taken, I liked my lips, opening my eyes, adjusting my sight on the flickering campfire. My limbs were sore, and my lungs made a wheezing sound, indicating the water I had almost drowned in earlier was still affecting me.

My mind was still a buzz from what had just happened, but I'm glad I had no recollection of intaking all that water.

I could hear Jet and Zuko's voice, seemingly in some sort of tense conversation. My ears picked up almost immediately.

"I don't understand why you think I'd just follow your orders." Zuko spoke in an annoyed tone. I opted to wait to sit up and alert them that I could hear... part of me wanting to be nosey.

"Who said I was ordering you around? I just don't think the avatar should waste efforts rescuing people - especially someone like you - just for them to turn out to be irresponsibly idiotic." Jet sneered back at him, "or are you just that selfishly dimwitted?"

"I don't want to argue, Jet." Zuko breathed out, sounding rather exhausted.

"Of course not." Jet spat bitterly back at him, "So don't."

"I... ugh." Zuko groaned in frustration, shuffling around by the sounds of it.

I decided it would be best to sit up now and let them know I was awake... hoping it would alleviate the tension they'd built up.

"Sokka... how are you feeling?" Jet sounded relieved at me waking up, so I looked over at him, realising we were still in our undergarments.

My eyes trailed along his and Zuko's bare chests. We all looked bruised, scratched, and scarred... some older wounds on each of us, some from the recent run-in with the Wolfbat.

Zuko's seemed to hold a lot more aged scars, but nothing was nearly as obvious as the one on his face. I grimaced, feeling somewhat awful that I even thought that, given it must be a very traumatic story.

"I, uh, I'm feeling fine."

"I'm sorry neither of us found you sooner." Zuko cleared his throat, "You were pretty much almost... uh-"

Jet shot him a look, then turned back to me with a bit of guilt, "I guess that makes two of us bad swimmers..."

I sighed, "I'm not bad at swimming. I used to dive in the ice waters at the north pole for fish..." I shrugged, a little curious on how Jet would have made it out of the water, "I blacked out either before I hit the water or after. I can't even remember landing there." I hummed, rubbing my head to see if there might be any bumps. Nope.

"Oh." Jet blushed, a little embarrassed as he looked down, "Right. Must just be me."

"You really can't swim?" I asked, chuckling slightly, "But you're so..."

"What?" Jet snapped, "Independent? Well, not all of us have time to take a dip in a pool when we feel like it-"

"Jet, I wasn't meaning-" I started to feel bad, I didn't mean to make fun of him, I was just a little surprised, "-Wait, how did you get out without..." I slowly looked to Zuko, "Oh, you saved him?"

"Yeah, yeah, he saved me. Shut up. I have already thanked him." Jet growled, standing up in frustration.

"Then why are you so mad?" Zuko asked, "I mean... you're still mad at me."

"You saved me. You didn't change anything else." Jet spat at him, "Still the same evil, lying, filthy Ashmaker you were yesterday." Jet ranted, maybe a little bit too much frustration built up.