Just wanted to let you know that the pov in this story switches around quite a bit, so, the order of the narration is "Mai's pov, third-person, Mai, third-person, Ty Lee, third-person, Mai, third-person, Ty Lee". Hmm, yeah.
Avatar (c) Bryan + Mike
Ty Lee sighed and rolled over in her makeshift bed. From across the room, I could hear her sigh again. I ignored her and continued staring at the crumbling ceiling.
"Mai?" I heard her whisper. "Are you asleep?"
"Yes," I told her.
I listened to her climb out of her bed and felt her sit at the bottom of mine. I was used to this. She liked to spend half the night talking; usually about superficial things. But tonight she asked if I ever felt lonely.
"Why?"
She shifted. "I don't know. You just seem sad sometimes. I wanted to know if-"
"What?" I said.
"If you miss Zuko," she blurted out.
.
"How much did you like Zuko?"
Mai stopped walking and faced her friend. "What do you mean?"
Ty Lee stretched her arms behind her back and stared at the stone path.
"Well, you always had a crush on him and we're going to see him again soon, so, I was just wondering how you still felt about him."
Mai continued walking, smiling to herself.
"I'm not sure," she mumbled.
.
I could see the outline of her face. It was round and muted in the dark. I looked at where her eyes should have been and told her:
"No, not anymore."
I don't think she believed me. I didn't really believe it myself. But I had said it, so it must of at least been partially true.
Ty Lee moved, grabbing my hand. "Ohh Mai," she gasped, squeezing my fingers between hers.
I didn't move. I let her pet my hand. It was comforting, in a weird way. Had it been anyone but her, I would have felt compelled to push them away. But, she only meant it to consolidate me. So I let her.
"I'm so sorry," she cried, laying down next to me.
"I know," I told her.
.
"I'm glad Zuko decided to stay with us. To join Azula," Ty Lee confided in her closest friend.
Mai just grunted.
"And I know you are too."
She poked Mai's shoulder, laughing.
"Stop it," Mai said, annoyed.
Ty Lee collapsed in the grass, watching the clouds. Humming to herself.
"How great is it that you like Azula's brother?"
"How convenient," Mai said.
They looked at each other and smiled.
.
I looked at her face, surrounded by her thick black hair. She seemed unhappy. I realized that I was still holding her hand. I held it to my mouth, kissing her knuckles. I meant to help her, to reassure her that it would be alright. But I also did it because it felt nice. Because her skin was so smooth and because I wanted to be greedy.
Before I knew it, I was kissing her cheek, her forehead, her lips. I kissed her and she let me. Not that it was our first time, but I still couldn't understand why she was letting me. Why she was still allowing it. Why she'd let me do it the first time. Why she was kissing me back. I decided to see why.
We stopped, breathing, and I whispered. I was hopeful she'd comprehend what I intended when I said her name and asked her. She acted surprised.
"Really?" She asked me in her deep voice.
I put my hand against her face and told her yes.
"Really?" She asked me, again. As if she couldn't believe what I was saying. As if she didn't trust I would actually do it.
I only smiled and nodded this time, slowly lifting up the bottom of my shirt.
.
"This must be especially hard on you," Ty Lee told her.
Mai was silent. Ty Lee put her hand on Mai's shoulder. Mai was strong and refused to cry now that Zuko had left. Now that he had betrayed his own family, his own country. Her.
"I guess," she spat.
Ty Lee frowned and studied Mai's face. Mai didn't want to look at anything but the ground. Ty Lee sobbed. She pressed her forehead against Mai's. She pressed her lips against Mai's. And Mai said nothing.
.
I wasn't sure what to do. I wasn't sure how to react. I'm never sure. I just let her do it. I just watched her take off her clothes. It was dark, but I could still see her naked skin. It was something I'd never seen before. She was appealing.
She smiled and pressed her chin against her chest.
"Can I take off your shirt?" She asked.
I agreed. And she did. And then she tore at fabric and cloth until we were both naked. Then we laid there, unsure what to do next.
She put a hand on my chest and looked at me.
I quietly touched her hips. They were so soft. I didn't want to let go.
She laughed and held my hands, kissing them. I never told her, but I always appreciated hearing her laughter. It made me want to smile.
.
When it was over and the comet had passed and their (former) best friend was dead, they stood and said their goodbyes. The fire nation kingdom was a wreck and someone had to stay and clean it up.
"I think I'm going to go with them. With the Avatar."
Mai just nodded.
Ty Lee twisted her own hair around her fingers. "Maybe I'll find another circus along the way. Somewhere I'll fit in."
"I'm staying here," Mai said. Perfectly monotone.
Ty Lee frowned. "With Zuko."
Mai frowned. "Yes. With Zuko."
The two girls shared a quick hug before Ty Lee ran away.
"I hope you find what you're looking for," Mai yelled after her.
"You too."
.
It felt nice. It felt like the way I had dreamed it would. With her. When she put her face to my stomach and held her hands on my hips. When she let me touch her gently and kiss her all over. How she let herself be vulnerable for once. How I didn't want it to end.
And once she fell asleep, I stayed close to her. I wrapped my arms around her waist, hoping to understand her. Hoping to somehow absorb what she was thinking and what she was feeling.
When we woke up, though. I didn't know what she would say. Was he still on her mind?
When I looked at her, there was only silence. She couldn't answer my questions. I wanted to hold her and brush her hair with my fingers. I wanted to tell her how beautiful I thought she was.
Instead I stared at her and she stared back.