+A Place of Our Own+
Azula and Ty Lee stand inside of their new home. It is a two-minute walk from the palace, but it does make Azula feel less like her brother's ward and makes Ty Lee feel more like a married woman. The old but beautiful home is barren, but it will not be for long.
It smells like must and dust, with a hint of the summer air wafting in. Despite the hot day, the inside is cool against the princesses' skin. Azula absentmindedly rubs her thumb in circles on the side of Ty Lee's wrist as they gaze out over the balcony at the fire fountain below.
"Princess," Ty Lee says, asking the question she has been working up the courage for all day. "Can… I… can… I want my stuffed animals to move in with us."
Azula laughs coldly. "No."
Ty Lee's lip trembles and her eyes swell with glistening tears. She pleads in her cutest voice, "B-but princess, I love you."
Azula is not swayed. "I do not see why that matters."
"Don't you love me?" Ty Lee gently grabs Azula by the front of the shirt and gazes at her with pleading kitten eyes.
Azula frowns. "One stuffed animal may move in with us."
Ty Lee decides to push her luck. No one ever said she was smart.
"T-two?" Ty Lee bats her eyelashes. Azula scowls but then sighs, making a grand show of it to prove she is a generous goddess.
"Two stuffed animals may move in with us but if a third sneaks in I will burn it."
Ty Lee excitedly kisses her on the lips.
On their first night, they do not bother having anyone unwrap the boxes. Workers will come and do that in the morning while Azula and Ty Lee have breakfast and lounge on their new patio with attached fire fountain.
Now, they kneel on the floor with their dinner, noodles cooked over a fire as if they were camping. It reminds them a bit of when they were young. They smell the smoke, taste the terrible food and gaze into each other's eyes.
Azula touches Ty Lee first.
"When did we become bold?" Azula ponders, pulling away before she finishes the caress.
"You were always the boldest and most incredible person in the whole world," says Ty Lee.
"I mean romantically. Trust me, I was not romantically bold in the past since I never cared enough to learn about it," Azula purrs. Ty Lee starts to giggle. "What?"
"I tried to teach you," she squeaks. Her tone smooths and softens when she adds on, "I wanted to pretend we were really flirting with each other."
Azula thinks about her reply. She decides that no one else is around and that she can afford to be honest with Ty Lee from time to time.
"Me too," Azula says. She kisses Ty Lee deeply, reveling in the sensation of her soft lips.
Her skin is soft too and Azula runs her fingertips over it, leaving goosebumps in her wake.
They dive into each other on that cold stone floor in their barren new home.