Only If For a Night(MxM)

Before

The two of them sat in Agni house like they did most nights that weren't filled with club meetings or study sessions.

Jet sat on the modern white sofa, surveillance feed playing on the computer on his lap. Zuko was sprawled out on the coffee table like a cat with no sense of boundaries. It was sort of cute, but because it was cute, it suddenly became something that Jet didn't like very much.

He was clacking away at his computer a million miles a second, and Jet wished he didn't care about the teenager enough to have to tell him this personally.

"I've been called back to active duty," Jet hadn't meant to blurt it out, he had fully intended on telling Zuko slowly and nicely, there was no need for there to be more confusion than there already was.

The gentle, placid look that he had had on his face melted away along with all the blood.

"What?"

"My captain called me this morning. He said that I am being called back to Iraq next week and that I needed to tie up all my loose ends before I go because I'll be there for a while."

Zuko reeled as he tried to find the parts of him that were calm and composed in these situations. But Jet could see through the cracks, all the parts that hadn't been covered up yet, the bare and the empty. They were panicking, pale white with fear, just like the rest of him.

"Do you know when you're coming back?"

"No, I don't. He said maybe in April or maybe next year. It all depends on what we do. I was really good at what I did, and they want me to do it again."

It was an unspoken rule that Zuko didn't ask what Jet did.

"Do you want to go?"

"I have to go back, it's my duty, I signed up for this a long time ago,"

"That's not what I asked. I asked if you want to go."

"No. I don't want to go back. "

"Can't you say no? Can't you stay?"

"I can, yes."

Zuko looked at him steadily in the eyes for the first time in the whole discussion. He wasn't crying, his eyes as dry as his voice, his left eye squinted shrewdly at Jet. His long piano fingers didn't tremble as he crossed his arms over his chest; he was stable and level as always. Jet sort of wished he was showing more emotion than this, but he knew better than to expect that.

"But you won't say no, will you." It wasn't a question, because he already knew the answer.

"No, I won't."

"Okay." He licked his lips "When are you leaving?"

"I'm flying out Friday night, so two days."

"Okay."

"DeMarco is going to fill in for me while I'm gone."

"DeMarco is an idiot."

"Yes, he is."

"You're going to leave me with an idiot for an indefinite amount of time?" Zuko's crossed arms started to look less defensive and more like he was hugging himself.

"You're smart enough to make up for it, you'll be fine," He didn't know who he was reassuring at this point, himself or the kid.

"Is this because of the other day when we argued, and I told you to leave and not come back?" He whispered, eyes unfocused on the New York Skyline from the window. During the day, it was significantly less impressive.