first 'I love you'
Azula and Ty Lee lie in bed after an absurdly long day. Sleep does not come easily; it never does. Ty Lee watches Azula in the climbing shadows as the bluish glow of the moon reflects on her pale back. She feels a slight chill on her arms and she wishes she had warmer blankets.
"Why are you staring at me?" Azula asks, without stirring.
"Because I love you," Ty Lee says quietly in the night. Azula looks at her, her eyes slightly narrowed. "Why do you always look at me like I'm lying to you?"
"Maybe you are," Azula replies defensively with a shrug. Ty Lee furrows her brow, unsure what to make of it. "I don't believe that kind of thing at face value."
"Well I mean it and if you don't believe me, your loss," Ty Lee says confidently, taking Azula's hand in hers. Azula smiles faintly at the warm touch beneath their blankets.
"Why do you love me?" Azula asks, no, demands. Ty Lee does not quite know how to respond to that. She has put a lot of thought into why she loves Azula, and she always manages to come up short.
"I don't really have a reason," Ty Lee admits as she shrugs. Azula looks wounded for a split second and it makes Ty Lee's heart ache.
"You have to have a reason. I know why I love you or I wouldn't love you," Azula says coolly and Ty Lee chews on her lower lip. Tonight has just gotten significantly more difficult.
"Alright, fine, why do you love me?" Ty Lee demands and Azula rubs her toes against the soft blankets. Her chin is tilted slightly towards the moon as she seems to be mulling it over. "So you don't know?"
"No... I..." Azula's cheeks flush light pink. "I don't really have the list on me."
"You don't have the list on you?" Ty Lee laughs, unsure what else she is supposed to say to that. Azula shrugs and shakes her head. "So you don't know either."
"Honestly I find it inexplicable," Azula says, sighing and pulling the blankets further over her slim body.
"It really is, isn't it?" Ty Lee is laughing again and Azula does not know why. Their inability to voice why they love each other should be concerning, not funny.
"Maybe we should break up or divorce or..." Azula looks slightly panicked and Ty Lee tries not to laugh even harder.
"Azula, you don't need a list of detailed reasons to love somebody," Ty Lee says, rolling her eyes. But the princess still seems to have no idea. "You're not so good at the spontaneous emotions, are you?"
"I'm not good at any emotions," Azula admits with a soft, delicate sigh. She studies Ty Lee for a moment and the acrobat can tell that she is still trying to think of reasons she loves her.
"I love you because I love you. And because I'm incredibly stupid and masochistic. I never laid out a lists of pros and cons. I just did it," Ty Lee says gleefully, as if such shortsighted behavior is commendable.
"I have no idea what's wrong with you," Azula says, shaking her head. Ty Lee smiles and closes her eyes.
She then slinks across the bed and nestles against Azula like a kitten.
It is pure and utter madness, loving for no reason.
But Azula does.
Ty Lee has wanted Azula to tell her she loved her for what feels like eons. She knew that Azula loved her and that the princess simply refused to say the words. And therefore, Ty Lee figured the only way to get it out of Azula was to trick her.
She sat down beside Azula and crossed her legs. They were back from Ember Island and their relationship was finally kindled. The horrible vacation was over, they had gone on a date together, they had slept together, and now, so help her, Ty Lee was going to hear Azula say, 'I love you' if it killed her.
"Let's talk about things we like," Ty Lee said brightly and Azula stared at her blankly. "Go on. Uh, I'll start."
"Please don't," Azula said coolly and Ty Lee gave a smile in offer of goodwill. But Azula did not budge. "So help me I am not in the mood for your optimism."
"Alright, what do you like, princess?" Ty Lee asked, not willing to give up so easily. Azula picked at her sharp, shining nails. "Please?"
"I like," Azula said before a small, deliberate pause. "Being left alone. Unless you want to make out with me or something."
Ty Lee bit back her snide response and smiled warmly. Okay... making out with Azula did not sound awful.
"I like you," Ty Lee said, attempting to nudge the conversation back into the direction she wanted it to go in.
"I'm well aware," Azula replied coldly and Ty Lee clenched her jaw. She did not know why Azula had to make it so impossible. "You go do whatever things you do. I have more important objectives."
"Azula," Ty Lee whined with her brow knit. Azula paused, clasped her hands on her lap and tilted her head to the side. Ugh. It was the most insulting pretend listening face Ty Lee had ever seen. "Azula, tell me what you like."
"Firebending." Azula got up at that and walked away.
Ty Lee kicked the sofa and then cursed at the pain in her toe. Ugh.
She had to find some other way to trick Azula into admitting she loved her. And as the day faded into night, Ty Lee had a brilliant idea. But she needed help, and so she enlisted Mai and Zuko.
"This is ridiculous and dangerous and stupid. Did I say ridiculous?" Mai sighed, looking even more unenthused than usual, if such a thing were possible.
"I want Azula to proclaim her undying love for me!" Ty Lee screeched and Zuko flinched. "The only way it will happen is if I pretend to be kidnapped!"
"Maybe you could just ask her if she loves you," Zuko suggested and Mai and Ty Lee both laughed. "I wasn't joking. Straightforward is always better."
"Not with Azula!" Ty Lee snapped viciously and he shut his mouth. He did not want to poke this sleeping dragon. "Okay, we all know what we're doing?"
"Yes," Mai sighed before they both looked at Zuko. He paused for a moment before nodding.
Zuko was well aware that this was a terrible idea, but he supposed he had no choice but to play along. And play along he did.
"And, Mai, don't let Zuko talk," Ty Lee said sharply, pointing an accusatory finger at Mai. Mai nodded once and turned to her boyfriend. He nodded in agreement; he had no desire to be involved in this in the first place.
Azula was training in the courtyard when Mai and Zuko found her. Mai suddenly was in very passionate character, to Zuko's utter shock, and she grabbed Azula by the arm, nearly burning to death in the process.
"What? What is so important that you─"
"We need to rescue Ty Lee," Mai said in a convincing panic. Zuko wondered if he could trust her at this point; her lying skills were impressive.
"From what? She can't save herself?" was Azula's response and Zuko tried not to cringe. "Did you go to the police?"
"Yes, and apparently it's not a missing person case unless they've been gone for two days," Mai said, shaking Azula viciously. "Come on. Be a hero. Be her hero. Rescue her from the kidnappers. Sexy, sexy."
"She's not really kidnapped, is she?" Azula asked, crossing her arms.
"No," Mai said and Zuko decided he could trust her again. "But you should pretend rescue her."
"This is ridiculous. We're adults and she wants to play some elaborate game of pretend?" Azula looked haughty, furious and disgusted. Zuko figured this was not going to go very well. "Why would she stage a kidnapping anyway?"
"To get your attention," Mai said and Azula took a deep breath.
"Well, I am flattered. Such an absurd gesture, I mean, I might as well," Azula replied, turning up a palm. Mai nodded.
And so Azula rushed to Ty Lee's rescue. And found her tied to a chair, which was impressive. Azula tried not to sigh or roll her eyes, and with a single blue flame, liberated the bonds.
"So, where are the kidnappers so I can kill them in bloody revenge?" Azula purred, cocking an eyebrow. Ty Lee grimaced.
"Were you afraid I'd die and you'd lose me forever?" Ty Lee asked, ignoring the question altogether.
"Not really," Azula said, smirking. Ty Lee frowned, looking genuinely wounded. Azula kissed her on the lips. "I do approve of elaborate ruses and tricks to get people to do what you want, but I'm still not saying it."
"How did you know? Mai told you!"
"I found it a little hard to believe that you were taken down by kidnappers. I've seen you in combat," Azula said and Ty Lee kicked the ground. "Better luck next time." Another kiss that Ty Lee tried to resist but could not help but return.
Ty Lee continued trying to entrap Azula, and continued failing. It was evident that the princess had her outsmarted, and it took up until the night before the Invasion. Everything was tense within the palace, and Ty Lee was lingering in Azula's room, the princess having kept her to keep her mind off of the next day.
"I'm kind of scared," Ty Lee said and Azula squinted at each other. She had been distracting Azula with vapid and dull conversation for an hour, and then she suddenly looked so dark.
"Why? We're ten steps ahead of them. And no one has succeeded at invading the Fire Nation, even with powerful armies, which, they don't have," Azula said softly, taking Ty Lee's hand in hers and playing with her fingers gently. "It's going to be fun, if anything."
"No, I'm scared of what's going to happen when the war is over," Ty Lee said and Azula's eyes flickered. She did not think Ty Lee was capable of thinking that far ahead.
"You mean after the comet? Because the war is pretty much over. Nothing in the Earth Kingdom is unconquered. Ba Sing Se is ours," Azula said, trying to divert away from what she knew Ty Lee was leading into.
"Are you playing with me?" Ty Lee whispered and Azula hated the shift in conversation. She liked her acrobat bubbly and impenetrably positive, as sickening as those qualities could be.
"I..." Azula did not know what to say. She took Ty Lee's hand in hers, examining it. She set it on her breast for a moment and Ty Lee pulled her hand away. Azula's hand twitched to slap her but she restrained herself. "I want to be with you, okay? I do. Are you satisfied?"
"No. Tell me you love me or tell me you'd be lying if you said so," Ty Lee said viciously and Azula had no idea she had pushed her to such a breaking point. It seemed like a fun little game, the romance, the sex... Azula did not imagine it could cause such... torment.
"I love you," Azula said with purpose. "And I'm not lying."
Ty Lee smiled faintly.
Well, if Azula died tomorrow during the Invasion, she would have one less loose end.
That was something to console herself with. And something else was lips against her bare skin and fingers moving up her body and swirling along the insides of her thighs.
A/N: next (and last) first - 'first steps'