fluff. short, sweet, contains your daily dose of essential vitamins and minerals. title is from the famous Air Supply song ("Making Love Out Of Nothing At All"), if you're old enough to remember it. if not, there's always Wikipedia. got a couple of projects in-work, now if only I could actually sit down and write them aaaaaaargh.

out of nothing at all

***

Ty Lee knows Azula loves to talk.

Ty Lee knows Azula loves to talk, and thus also knows that it's time to worry about Azula when Azula stops talking.

Here's the formula: some sort of monosyllabic sound, followed by a) a flippant rely, or the more commonly used answer, b) "nothing."

When it's nothing, it's usually something.

Ty Lee has heard that 'nothing' from Azula's mouth in every tone possible. "Nothing" said sickly-sweet, when Azula was trying to persuade her that she wasn't hiding something -- which Ty Lee knew off the bat was a lie, because it was accompanied by a look of mischief that would have put her younger self to shame. "Nothing" that was a low mutter, accompanied by Azula shifting her eyes: that was usually when she was upset or down about something, and often Ty Lee had to follow that up with a particularly spectacular backrub to drag it out of the other girl. "Nothing" in a growl with a curl of her upper lip, and that was the one Ty Lee bristled at -- that was when Azula was mad and spoiling for a fight, and more often than not ended up with the two girls rolling around on the ground, both cursing and sweating, and then Azula's fingers somehow ended up in Ty Lee and there was more cursing and sweating. "Nothing" that was quiet and almost-meek -- that is, the closest Azula could ever get to being meek -- with Azula peering over at Ty Lee tentatively; this was the tone used when Azula knew she'd messed up... and then Ty Lee felt lips on the back of her neck, and smooth fingers sliding down the front of her pants, and a warm hand finding something that was infinitely warmer.

"Nothing" when Azula was angry, "nothing" when Azula was sad. "Nothing" when she was moody, "nothing" when she was apologizing, "nothing" when she was hurt -- and Azula would be damned before she'd ever admit she was hurt. Ty Lee can recall the time she'd seen Azula limping around when the Princess thought Ty Lee wasn't looking, only to straighten up and grunt at her when Ty Lee asked what was wrong. "Nothing."

Ty Lee waited for an hour while the healer patched up the raw burns on Azula's leg; she'd been hobbling around with second-degree burns for a week.

Ty Lee knows Azula has her pride, and she lets the other girl keep it. She doesn't ask if Azula is hurt unless the Princess is close to death or dismemberment. She doesn't ask about Azula's leg or the physical pain the girl had to be going through.

She doesn't ask about Ozai and his curious training methods, either.

What Ty Lee does ask though, is infinitely more revealing. It's after they've returned from the healer's residence and Azula had whined and grumbled and pouted until Ty Lee coaxed her into bed. Ty Lee is tucked before Azula now, curled in front of the other girl's body. Azula's knees are pressed into the backs of her legs, Azula's stomach is warm against the small of her back. One of Azula's arms is wrapped loosely around Ty Lee's waist, her fingers playing along the edges of the acrobat's ribs.

Ty Lee asks if she can bring Azula anything. "Nothing."

In this case, nothing means something. Ty Lee brings some painkillers and a glass of water, then slides back into bed.

A bit later, Ty Lee's fingers find Azula's. They interlock, and Ty Lee squeezes the other girl's hand lightly.

"What do I mean to you?"

Ty Lee has never asked Azula this question before. She can feel Azula shift behind her, knows the other girl's eyes are darting left and right like they usually do when Azula is truly, utterly startled, or truly, utterly uncomfortable. Or both. Azula grunts and tucks herself a bit tighter behind Ty Lee, her head lowering as she snaps out the answer. This time, the tone is gruff, annoyed.

"Nothing."

Ty Lee smiles and pulls Azula's arm a bit tighter around her side.

In this case, nothing means everything.