SOLDIERS
Azula and Ty Lee had tea in the courtyard as they supervised Anka and Izumi playing soldiers.
Ty Lee smiled nonstop at the cute little girls and the company of her wife. Azula watched her as she sipped her tea, holding back a pleased smirk. She did not want to appear weak, especially in front of her daughter.
"Do you remember when we used to play like that?" asked Ty Lee after a long sip of her oolong tea.
Azula shrugged one shoulder. "I suppose." Azula frowned, making Ty Lee's heart raced. She hoped she had not said something wrong. "I mostly remember us actually being soldiers."
Ty Lee leaned back and basked in the sunlight for a moment before swallowing her nerves and straightening up.
"A lot of those days were good times, even though I know I'm really not supposed to say that."
"You can say it to me. Those were my glory days, after all." Azula stared rather bitterly into her tea, but then looked up at her daughter playing happily and a faint smile flickered across her face. "But if I said I wasn't fine with it turning out this way, I would be lying."
"Really?" asked Ty Lee with wide eyes and an exceptionally stunned expression.
"Yes. But don't you dare tell anyone."
"I wouldn't. I'm happy too. I look at Anka when she plays and I think about how much I was in love with you when we were kids. I was too scared to ever say it, but I would've taken any kind of happily ever after with you."
"Well, the positive thing I find about a happily ever after is the after part. We still have a long time together."
Ty Lee beamed.
Azula changed the subject to something colder and more clinical.
But every time they glanced at their daughter to check on her, they thought about the long history together that led them to this point.