Written for Multiamory March but I can't finish things on time ahahaha. @polyamships
Also partly inspired by the fourth prompt on this prompt list by @innocentimouto
Summary: Jet doesn't remember much about being human
Title: Once We Were Mortal
In the spirit world, night turns to day turns to night again with barely a hint to the passage of time. The trees flower and lose their leaves in the same day, and flowers last through several moon cycles before fading. How the spirits track the changing seasons, Jet has no idea. His only clue to when it is is Yue.
Yue is ethereally beautiful, seeming too graceful and delicate to ever have existed on the mortal plane. Every day, for reasons he doesn't know, she talks to him. Often, they'll spend what must be hours telling stories of their time in the world next to theirs, reminding each other of where they come from. Their humanity. Yue has more stories than he, tales collected while watching over the world each night. Some days they wander as they talk, finding new paths across the spirit world. But they always come back to the same spot under the same towering tree.
Sometimes, while Yue is gone on her journey across the sky, Jet almost forgets he's been mortal. The spirit world should be strange enough to make him remember, but no matter where he goes it feels familiar. Only when Yue reappears, her cry of "Jet!" echoing through the forest, do the clouds forming around his memory dissipate.
One night, as Yue prepares to leave, she hesitates. "I– I'm going to visit Katara tonight."
Jet waits, raising an eyebrow. The name feels familiar, but he can't quite place why. It seems important to Yue, though, so it matters to him too.
"Do you want to come with me?" Yue says.
Jet nods. Clearly she needs support and encouragement to go see this Katara, but is unwilling to directly ask for it. He'll help her in whatever way she needs.
They don't enter the mortal world immediately. For a while, they sail through the sky on Yue's stately ship. Jet doesn't bother peering over the side like she does– he simply watches her, entranced, and helps when she asks him to.
Before they leave, Yue warns him, "It takes energy to go down there. It takes more to be fully there and tangible, and I haven't done that much. I've never taken someone with me before, either. After we get back… I might need you to help me finish the journey."
Jet nods. "Of course, princess."
Yue sighs in relief. "Thank you." She finishes setting the course, plucking three hairs from her head and using them to tie the wheel in place, then steps back and holds out her hands. Jet puts his hands in hers, not sure what he should be doing, what he should be ready for.
Yue grips his hands tightly, and the world turns dark. Air rushes past them, tugging at Jet's hair. He looks at Yue. Her eyes are squeezed shut and her brow is furrowed in concentration. The only light comes from her, her faint, constant glow making it just possible to see how her hair whips in the wind.
Hair drifts into Jet's face, only some of it his. He brushes it aside, searching for Yue's eyes with his own. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I– I don't know." Yue takes a shuddering breath. "It's never happened that way before."
Jet frowns. "Are you hurt?"
"No, no," Yue says, swaying slightly on her feet. "I'm just tired."
Jet puts an arm around her, letting her lean into him. Her hair tickles his chin.
"I just need a minute and then we can go the rest of the way," Yue mumbles into his chest.
"Take all the time you need, princess."
A few minutes later they continue, Jet supporting Yue from behind. As they near the ground, she takes his hands in hers and lowers them to her sides. A blue-clad figure is on the grass below them, steadily getting closer.
The air shivers around them, rearranging as they shift into the mortal plane. The figure looks up, hesitating a moment before standing. So this is the person Yue wanted to visit. Jet scans the stranger, most likely a girl based on her appearance. She's Water Tribe, like Yue. Her dark hair is partly braided, including two tiny braids forming loops at the sides of her face. Her clothing is trimmed with white fur that reflects Yue's glow, and her blue eyes shine in the low light.
"Hello, Katara," Yue says as their feet touch down.
The stranger smiles at her. "Hello, Yue. How have you been?"
"I've been well," Yue says. "I brought someone with me this time."
"Who-" she starts, only to cut herself off with a strangled noise when Yue steps aside. "Jet!"
The girl– young woman, really– rushes forward and flings her arms around him. Jet stiffens, then realizes– this is Katara. Why didn't he recognize her sooner? Why couldn't he remember her name? He returns the embrace, pulling her closer and burying his face in her soft hair. The height difference between them isn't as large anymore– she's grown while he's been gone.
Jet holds Katara close as she sobs into his shoulder. Tears run down his cheeks into her hair, but he keeps his crying quiet, letting her cry herself out without interruption.
Yue approaches them, glowing softly. She puts her arms around them, one of her hands resting feather-light on Jet's back. After a moment, Katara shifts to bring Yue into the embrace. Her arms are solid and warm around them, reminding them what it is to be human.
