Rehab

Ty Lee does not know when she is going to learn.

She doesn't think she ever will, actually. She doesn't know if there is any way for her to figure this out in the first place. She just knows that it is beyond important for Azula to get better when she gets worse, and so Ty Lee takes full responsibility for whatever will come of that.

"How are you feeling today?" Ty Lee asks quietly, and then adds, "Good or bad?"

Good or bad? is how they start every single morning, and sometimes other times of day. Azula needs to be asked that. No matter the answer, Ty Lee keeps going with the rehabilitation.

Much of it is sexual rehabilitation, because it is what Azula responds to best, and Ty Lee likes it. It is easier to pretend that this is not a Sisyphean task if she is in bed with Azula, who makes her feel so good she literally screams ceaselessly.

Ty Lee is what Azula needs in her life.

Ty Lee is all Azula needs in her life.

Ty Lee loves that feeling of being needed and special and Azula holds it over her head whenever the princess needs to exploit her.

Ty Lee enjoys being exploited, or so she tries to tell herself.

Wine

Dry lightning cracks across the sky and Ty Lee is half-drunk and half-asleep on the sofa.

Ty Lee needs to tune out of reality, because playing pretend while playing house is getting too difficult. Azula is so unstable, more and more. Ty Lee knows that Azula loves her beyond belief.

No one has ever loved anybody like this.

Azula just shows it in the only way she knows; she never had a healthy relationship to look at in her life. Ty Lee understands that. The jealousy is so sweet and flattering and sexy. Azula's threat to kill anyone who looked at Ty Lee too long, and to kill anyone Ty Lee looked at too long is the type of romance that people criticize only because they don't believe in true love. Or see how having true love in your life means that there are prices to pay.

The bottle of wine Ty Lee drank the entirety of glass by glass is meant as a pain killer.

Because the burns on her collarbones are part of the price to pay for true love everlasting.

Denial

"Ty Lee, listen to me," Mai says and there is more conviction in her tone than Ty Lee has ever heard before. "You are going to leave her. That's what you have to do because if you don't, you will end up dead. It's not even a question now."

Mai seems concerned and that makes Ty Lee's stomach do backflips. It must be bad in Mai's eyes if she is willing to expend that much emotion, but Ty Lee has a thousand reasons why Mai is wrong.

"I'm not even supposed to be here. I should be with her, because she doesn't treat me like I'm totally helpless!" Ty Lee snaps. "Azula needs me; she doesn't think I'm some weak little dumb schoolgirl who doesn't understand that love requires sacrifice!"

"She loves controlling you," Mai whispers and Ty Lee snarls a wordless shout of rage.

"You are so jealous. You are jealous because you don't have anybody, even Zuko, and I have a perfect romance!"

Mai sighs. It's futile.

Ty Lee's time is running out and Mai does not know how to save her.