There was so much he wanted to say in response to their answer, so much that he wished he knew just how to say. But he didn’t know how, so he stayed silent. He couldn’t imagine Jet breaking anything unless it was just in some clumsy accident but from the way they said it, he didn’t think that was the case. In fact, everything they said seemed to have deeper meaning than just cars or simple items. He wanted to tell them that they had to have been good at fixing things because Zuko felt like they were fixing him. Zuko was still a little broken, he thought he always would be, but he didn’t feel as broken around Jet. Moments like this, simple dates and conversations that held much more weight to them than one would think if they were simply listening in, they made things right. They made him happy and he wondered if he continued to spend time with Jet, that maybe one day his thoughts wouldn’t be a scattered mess of old memories.
Zuko gave a small nod and forced himself to look impassive, it was something that hurt to think about, as most things from that time period did, but he didn’t want Jet thinking that they had upset him. “Yes. I dated a girl named Mai when I was younger, but it was a confusing time for me. I don’t know if either of us truly ever loved each other, she was a friend from childhood and at first, the relationship was nice. But I was absent, both physically and emotionally, and I’m not sure she ever cared much for me or how I felt. She didn’t like people, I think she just hated me less than most. Our families were close, it made sense at the time but when things started to get complicated with the war, we broke it off.” Zuko didn’t blame her for it and he didn’t dislike her either, he cared about her, just not in the way he did for Jet. He worried he was oversharing, it was personal and Jet had asked a simple question, not to hear a drawn out story. It was one of the things Mai always told him to stop doing when they spoke. “I’ve never really thought about kids, I guess I’m not opposed to having them one day, I just wouldn’t want to ruin them.” He didn’t know why he was being so honest, why he was allowing for himself to be so vulnerable and open but Jet tended to make him feel completely comfortable with telling them everything. They almost made him want to tell them everything.
Zuko decided to follow the trend that Jet’s questions were starting to follow and he blurted out the question before he could stop himself, “Have you ever thought about settling down, getting married?” He wasn’t trying to imply that he wanted to get married, but Jet seemed like the type to avoid commitment and Zuko wanted to know if that was really the case, “And…how many people did you date before me?” He got the feeling Jet had probably been with others before and he couldn’t help but be curious of how many.
Zuko did this thing with his face, hardly recognisable (if one wasn't staring directly at him with an embarrassing amount of intensity), which was that he carefully blanked out all expressions when he was, presumably experiencing an emotion he didn't want to show on his face, thus showing that he didn't want to show it. Jet only noticed because, as mentioned, he was focusing on Zuko without a singular moment taken to consider how looking so intensely interested in what Zuko said might make the other uncomfortable, or feel some sort of nervous. That, and he figured that Zuko was likely going to be nervous if Jet looked as much as wanted or if he didn't, so he might as well get his fill of the pretty boy. Jet's eyebrows immediately went up at Zuko's choice of question, though not for the reason that Jet knew everyone immediately assumed about him. He had always wanted to be like his parents, to be safe and secure and in love, but he didn't quite know how to say that. Things like that always made him stumble over his words uncharacteristically, and he had to think before speaking now just not to stutter.
"I'm going to answer out of order," Jet prefaced, because one question was much easier than the first. "How many people have I dated? None. How many people have I been with, now that's an entirely different question. I need you to not... look too much into this, or to take it upon yourself as if it's a reflection of your own character, but... I don't know how many people I've been with. You're the first person that I've done the dates and the dances and the hand holding with, the first person I've ever let myself be... soft for, I guess. That's just how it is," Jet stopped, looking down at the table not with shame, but with a kind of strange guilt that he knew he shouldn't have. He should never feel guilty about things that happened before he even met Zuko, but some part of him does, and it would not silence itself. He pushed it out of his mind. "As for marriage? It's... it's nearly all I ever wanted, when I was a kid. I wanted to be just like my parents, with the love and the hugging and being all affectionate and stuff. When I got older, it got harder to want that stuff, because everything was so complicated but... I think that's still what I want."
Jet cleared his throat. "That was heavy, shit. Sorry, this is a light hearted game, I swear. Um... questions. If you could learn anything all at once, what would it be? And," Jet paused to think of another question, carefully considering himself as he thought of a question. There were many things he wanted to know about his pretty boy, but he wanted to learn everything organically, freely given, so he kept the most important questions safely to himself. "Do you have a favorite flower?" he asked, thinking of his mother's flower garden with a soft smile.