"Swallow it."

"No."

"You'll feel better if you doooo."

"I am not swallowing that vile, rancid goo. Get it out of my face before I break yours."

"Mehmehmehmehmeh, I'mma break your face, Jet, mehmehmeh," Jet mimicked childishly, making a scrunched face to imitate Zuko's angry countenance. This only added to his frustration. "Swallow it, or I'm feeding it to you via your nostril."

Zuko leered at the spoon Jet was holding up for him, lip curling in disgust. Floating in the spoon's concave dip was some black, tarry substance that he swore he saw move. It gave an ominous bubble; he clenched his lips together. Zuko had come down with something due to a teashop customer they had the previous week who came in coughing and hacking all over the place. He had sneezed on the coins he gave Zuko to pay for his tea, which eventually made the coin receiver ill as well. Iroh had put him on forced bed rest until he sweated the sickness out, until another customer, an elderly lady, had suggested her mother's home remedy for illness. A cure-all, she said. Would knock the virus right out of him, she said. Of course Iroh had believed her and promptly bought a whole jar of the odious goop. Since Iroh still had the shop to run, he put Jet on 'feed Zuko the nasty-ass medicine, even if you have to hogtie him and pry his mouth open with a crowbar' duty.

And that's where they were now. Needless to say, Jet was seriously considering the hogtying method.

"I. Will. Destroy. You," Zuko ground out from between fearfully clenched teeth.

"Yeah, uh huh, you'll destroy me," Jet said skeptically. "All wrapped up cuddly in your blankets and herbal tea within arm's reach. I'm so afraid." Jet knew (as did Zuko) that his stubborn-ass lover was weakened by the virus and wouldn't be doing any fighting. In fact, it was difficult for Zuko to walk much distance without falling over from dizziness. It was pathetically adorable.

"Heeeeeere comes the sky bison! Psh-oooooooh!" Jet baby-talked, flying the spoon toward Zuko like one would with a small child. Zuko was less than amused. "Better open your mouth so he can land safely and not have to take a crash landing up your nose!"

"Stoppit, Jet, or I'll— MMPH."

"Ah-hahaha!" Jet crowed, the spoon unceremoniously shoved into the other's mouth. To make sure Zuko didn't pull away, Jet used his other hand to hold his head in place. "I win. Now swallow."

Oh, if Zuko could shoot fire from his eyes, Jet would be a fried Freedom Fighter on a stick right now.

Jet eased the spoon out of the other's mouth slowly, curving it up slightly towards the end so he got every last repugnant drop. Zuko's mouth was tightly closed, his lips clamped together so tightly it made a white line. His amber eyes shot daggers at Jet as he tried not to taste the ohgodew substance on his tongue.

"Swa-llow," Jet pronounced slowly with a wicked smirk. Yeah, he felt bad that Zuko had to eat this crap, but it was still fun to make him angry.

Finally, after a deep breath and one more fiery, bloody death threat, Zuko pinched his eyes shut and gulped the nasty stuff down. His lip curled and his eyes watered at the taste as it slowly slid down his throat, and he swore he could feel it bubbling, taunting him as it slugged its way down his throat, slow as molasses.

"That's a good boy," Jet crooned, patting Zuko on the head like a dog. An angry dog. An angry dog that bit. "Ow!"

"Burn in hell."

Jet kissed his cheek. "I love you, too."