My gift to Madness-and-Corona

It was two weeks before the Day of Black Sun, and Mai sat on her house's porch while Ty Lee sat amongst the hideous flowers Mai never liked but her mother insisted on tending to.

"What are you doing?" Mai asked, staring at the weird open wooden box of childish craft supplies.

"I'm trying to make friendship bracelets for us."

"You're going to make a friendship bracelet for Azula?"

"I think she'll like it. I know she's scary and brilliant and everything and above little bracelets but everybody likes presents, even conqueror princesses."

"I actually didn't mean that."

"What did you mean then? Are you jealous?"

"No. I meant that a friendship bracelet would be a weird thing to give her," said Mai, her like of inflection making it incredibly difficult to judge whether or not she was mocking Ty Lee or not. But then she saw a flicker in those amber eyes and knew it was serious.

Ty Lee pouted. She secretly hated when Mai cared about things. "She doesn't know how I feel about her. Don't tell me to tell her! I'm planning to do it after the war and stuff."

"After the Hundred Year War. What if it lasts another hundred?"

Ty Lee hastily accused, "You have no faith in the Fire Nation."

Mai shrugged. "I have no faith in anything."

"I made cute bracelets. You shouldn't complain, okay?" Ty Lee furrowed her brow.

"I'm not supposed to tell you this. Azula told me not to tell you this."

"Then don't tell me it. Crossing Azula is the dumbest thing ever. I'd even rather cross her dad. She's scarier."

"I'm losing my patience. She's all confused about how into you she is. She's had a crush on you since we were kids but just won't admit it even to herself. Make the move and make my life easier. I'm so done listening to you both complaining about wanting to screw each other."

"Don't make it sound so… tawdry." Ty Lee blushed pinker than her shirt. "I love her. I don't want to screw her."

Mai rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, you've never thought about tossing her on a bed and ripping her clothes off?"

Ty Lee blushed even deeper red. "Other way around."

Mai almost laughed at the gleam in Ty Lee's rotund eyes. "Ew."

"Okay. I've got a cute friendship bracelet for you, and one for Azula, and one for Zuko!" Ty Lee held them up with a broad smile on her face.

Ty Lee forced the adorable red and black beaded and woven bracelet onto Mai's limp hand. Her second best friend sighed but allowed the action.

Mai held up her hand and poked the bracelet, examining it lackadaisically. "At least it isn't as ugly of a color as Zuko's."

"I'm sure he likes orange," insisted Ty Lee, mildly hurt.

"No one likes orange," comments Mai in utter disgust.

"I like orange! It's so happy. It's like a sunrise or a sunset or something." Ty Lee smiled softly at the very thought of the evening and morning skies.

Ty Lee tossed Zuko's bracelet onto Mai's lap. "Can you give this to him at your next private sleepover party?"

Mai had to hold back a laugh that almost overcame her.

Ty Lee slid on her own bracelet, hues of pink and red. She then picked up Azula's, the prettiest of all of them, with the golden beads on it too. One was engraved with the tree of life, another with a flame, and the final one with a fire lily. The rest of the beads were the prettiest blood red Ty Lee could find. And the string that wove those pretty beads together was a gorgeous, deep, dark, rich scarlet.

Azula could have all the nicest things she desired; she was a princess.

Ty Lee had no need to make the bracelet so gorgeous, but she did. She did because she loved Azula, not because of a crown. Never because of a crown.

Rapt, Ty Lee examined how the beads glowed and shimmered in the late afternoon sunlight.

A few minutes later, the sound of light footsteps crunching on gravel snapped her out of her reverie. She smiled brightly when she saw the princess finally arriving, two hours late. But no one would comment on that, even Mai.

"I made friendship bracelets!" chirped Ty Lee, unable to wait. "Here's yours, princess."

Ty Lee leapt up and handed it to Azula. The princess examined it for an agonizingly long while.

"This is surprisingly nice," said Princess Azula. She extended her wrist and handed the friendship bracelet back to Ty Lee. "Put it on me."

Ty Lee slowly reached forward and slid the bracelet onto Azula's wrist.

When their skin brushed together they both felt such a mutual fever.

But it ended, and neither said a word.

Azula held the bracelet up to the sunlight and Ty Lee felt her heart race.

But she lowered her hand, and neither said a word.