A/N: This chapter has humor, I promise, but there are large chunks of it that lean much more towards the purely romantic side of fluffy. I hope you enjoy the conclusion of the Prom/Wedding Trilogy (but not the conclusion of the story; there are still at least thirty more chapters to go).


Chapter Eighteen: Prom Part III


After sneaking out of the movie theatre, Azula walks through the city with Ty Lee. They both debate in their heads if they should hold hands or not and conclude that they should not. It is too much of a risk. Azula stops near the airport and turns to Ty Lee.

"Are we stopping?" Ty Lee asks, cocking her head to the side.

"I have a confession," Azula admits, taking Ty Lee's hands in hers. "I broke you and Haru up."

Ty Lee's eyes widen. "H-how?"

"Messed with you both at his Tuesday Night Party. I had to kill that if I was going to get with you. You must understand."

"I…" Ty Lee blushes. "That's actually really romantic. You wouldn't—you wouldn't do that to just anyone, right?"

"Of course not. I only destroy things if I have to." Pause. "Or if I'm bored."

"So, he wasn't really cheating on me?"

"No."

"I'm glad you told me," says Ty Lee, smiling. "So, what do you want to do tonight? Drive up to a make-out point or something?"

"Well, seeing as we can't drive, I was thinking we could take another form of transportation."

"I think buses are kinda scary this time of night."

"Oh, I was planning on buying last minute tickets to New York. I thought perhaps we would like to spend our prom weekend there." Pause. "I know I am… I am not ever impulsive but I think this is the right occasion to be reckless and insane."

"That's pretty much the most romantic thing I've ever heard."

"I think my credit card should be able to cover our romantic weekend getaway."

Ty Lee leans forward to kiss her. Azula meets her halfway.

Then Ty Lee whispers, "You're not just… playing with me, right? Because you play with people sometimes and I'm afraid."

"I think you just have to come with me and find out."

Ty Lee beams.

[X]

Azula calls Mai from the airport terminal. She finally answers after several rings and Azula breathes a short sigh of relief.

"What?" Mai sleepily demands.

"I need you to be my alibi," Azula says.

"Why? Did you kill someone tonight?"

"I am about to get on a plane to New York. Ty Lee and I are just staying for tomorrow and we'll come home Saturday night. I need you to pretend I am sleeping over at your house."

"Your dad will find out. If you use your credit card, which I assume you will…"

"I will come clean to him as soon as I get home. Do not ruin this for me."

"Fine, whatever, just please leave me alone until tomorrow."

"Are you drunk?"

"No. I'm…" Mai says nothing for some time. "I kind of had sex with your brother."

Azula Shinohai blanches and Ty Lee shoots her a puzzled glance.

"Thank you for the alibi." Azula hastily hangs up.

[X]

Upon arriving in New York, the girls purchase the services of a limousine. They look out of place in their gorgeous prom dresses and flawless hair and make-up, without a single piece of luggage aside from their purses.

Finally, they arrive at Azulon's penthouse apartment. Ty Lee stands in the elevator with Azula after she punches in the code he told her.

"So, your family has this place?"

"We have a number of houses. My grandparents hoard them. But my grandparents are both from New York, and so they have more than one home in this single state. This penthouse is the one they would use after attending events. They once took me to the Queen of Spades opera and I spent the night here in the little-used guest room."

"I bet they've had lots of sex here."

Azula's jaw drops. Ty Lee blushes and averts her eyes in shame.

"If you mention my grandparents doing that one more time I will abandon you in this city."

"I'd find a way," says Ty Lee.

"You would become a stripper."

"That sounds like a kinda fun job, to be honest." Ty Lee shrugs. "If I don't become a trophy wife, that's the one I want."

"You… want to be a stripper?"

"I wanna be a trophy wife but stripping is, well, I'm not super good at school and I don't really have any hobbies other than dancing."

Azula inquires while the elevator continues to rise at a snail's pace, "Why not be a ballerina?"

Ty Lee airily sighs. "Yeah. That was a dream for a long time, but I think I'd only briefly be a ballerina and then become a trophy wife. I bet you'll be like a brain surgeon or rocket scientists."

Azula shrugs. "I could be, but I intend to inherit a corporation or five from my grandfather and become a successful female CEO who will serve as a role model for young girls everywhere."

"I'd like to go to ballet school, honestly. Here in New York," Ty Lee says, smiling to herself. "Did you ever think about doing that? Or maybe going into acting or something like that. You're a great actress and with your family's connections you could be a movie star."

Azula kisses Ty Lee. The warm feeling that floods Ty Lee makes her stop gushing over Azula's endless opportunities. At last, the door opens and Azula steps inside, Ty Lee right behind her.

The classical red and gold rococo style of the apartment seems out of place in a very fresh and new building. Ty Lee pays that little mind, because Azula looks more and more beautiful with every light she turns on.

For a moment, Ty Lee wonders if she is dreaming. Azula whisking her away to New York to spend their prom night and Saturday going on the dates they missed out on. They have a lot of lost time to make up for, after all.

Azula lights the false fireplace and sits down on the antique sofa. Ty Lee slips out of her bright pink heels and sits down beside her lifelong crush.

"It's kinda cliché," Ty Lee says with a smile. "I was in love with the girl next door forever."

"That is cliché, and awfully sad. Did you ever spy on me through my window?" Azula asks and Ty Lee's blush answers the question for her. "That is adorable. I appreciate being properly admired."

"Does this night mean anything?" Ty Lee asks, gazing into the fire.

"That remains to be seen," replies Azula. "I am not sure if we should be so suddenly and passionately declaring true love for each other. But you are my friend—and that is a rare honor to have—and I think I will enjoy this vacation."

"June," croaks out Ty Lee, her heart leaping into her throat. "You abandoned her."

"She is nothing to me," purrs Azula. "Perhaps she made me realize what I desire but aside from that I never could see us lasting more than a few months. I spent the entire night with you instead of her anyway. She ought to expect it."

"That's good to know," Ty Lee says, flashing another smile. She thinks she might never stop smiling after this prom night.

Ty Lee feels afraid to make the first move and suffer Azula's wrath, or worse, lose her attention. Azula would not know how to begin; she never learned to flirt or how to figure out the appropriate time to kiss.

Finally, Ty Lee decides to be daring. With a racing heart, she presses her lips against Azula's.

They do not go any further than extremely intense making out, but neither girl minds.

Side by side, exhausted from the wild night, they fall asleep crushed together on the sofa.

[X]

In the morning, Azula and Ty Lee smooth out and freshen up their prom dresses and borrow two pairs of Ilah's shoes that at least roughly match. They do their make-up from what they packed in their purses for the dance. Finally, they purchase their coffee and walk to the several blocks consumed by high end designer stores.

Azula walks with Ty Lee into the Prada store first.

"Can I help you?" asks a young woman with bright blonde hair and cat-eye glasses. "We don't like loiterers."

"Do you not even recognize me?" Azula snarls, thrilling Ty Lee. "I am Azula Shinohai. I am not here to loiter. I spontaneously took my prom date from Los Angeles to New York and we need clothing for our date today."

"Oh—my mistake Miss Shinohai—I can help you both." The woman grins now, bowing her head, perhaps subconsciously.

She leads Azula and Ty Lee up the stairs. The lovely clothes line the walls on the top floor, and near the dressing rooms rest plush seating for parents or spouses.

The woman asks, "What are you two planning for your date?"

"First, we will go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, then we will go to Rockefeller Center for lunch, and lastly we will go to my favorite monument in Central Park," Azula purrs, making Ty Lee's heart melt. "And it is her first time in the city so I want it to be perfect."

Ty Lee sets her hand over her heart. "You're the most amazing person in the whole entire universe, Azula."

"I know it," Azula replies, smirking.

"You two are certainly in love," gushes the woman.

Ty Lee says, "We were bitten by cupid!"

Azula cocks an eyebrow.

She primly corrects, "Arrows. Cupid shoots people with arrows."

"Are you sure?" Ty Lee furrows her brow, deep in thought over this petty comment. "I thought people get bitten by Cupid, like, y'know, vampire rules."

"No. Cupid does not operate by vampire rules," Azula says, and then she strides over to a red sundress. She runs her hand over it, then watches as Ty Lee begins grabbing everything she can get her hands on.

Azula tries on two outfits and settles for a rose sundress with a slimming black cardigan, soft black tights and cherry red heels. Then, she walks out of her dressing room and sits down in the 'husband chairs' to wait for her Ty Lee.

It could take a thousand years. A million of them. Azula begins to ponder genuinely just leaving Ty Lee stranded in New York.

"How about I just buy you all of those?" Azula says, unable to take it anymore after the ten longest minutes of her life.

Ty Lee smiles, claps her hands and jumps up and down.

Azula turns to the saleswoman. "We also will need luggage bags."

[X]

Not long after the shopping trip, at the Met, Azula studies white Roman statues in a cavernous room. Ty Lee tries to find whatever is enjoyable about quiet, boring places like these.

"Azula!" squeals Ty Lee. "That special exhibit! That special exhibit!"

"Hush," orders Azula. "What exhibit?"

"It's called Schiaparelli and Prada and it looks amazing." Ty Lee bats her eyelashes at Azula. The Shinohai girl relents, since she finds that topic interesting too.

They walk through the dark room with a conversation between two fashion icons playing on repeat, weaving between glass cases that display artifacts of fashion.

In a dark corner, Azula kisses Ty Lee. She narrowly misses but manages to graze against Ty Lee's lips. And Ty Lee kisses her back fiercely.

"This is really fun," Ty Lee says, a smile spreading across her face.

"I guess it is," Azula admits.

Once they emerge from the darkness, Ty Lee stands face to face with a painting.

"I don't know who would like this painting. It's so hideous."

"It's not a painting; it's your reflection."

Ty Lee gasps. Azula rolls her eyes.

"Do you really not think I'm pretty?" Ty Lee thinks she might cry.

"It was a joke. Relax," Azula purrs. "I would show you know interest platonic or romantic if I thought you were ugly."

"Are you-are you sure I'm pretty?"

"Yes."

They move to the next exhibit before Ty Lee wraps her arms around herself.

"Are you—are you sure I'm pretty."

"Ugh. You are the prettiest princess in the galaxy. Do you feel any better?"

"Yeah." Ty Lee smiles.

Azula sighs.

A few paintings away, Ty Lee finally finds one she sort of likes.

"I always wanted to do a wheelie on a horse."

"A… wheelie on a horse?" Azula cocks an eyebrow.

"Yep." Ty Lee beams with her eyes closed.

Azula does not even bother.

[X]

After a quick lunch break, the girls stride through Central Park. Ty Lee's feet hurt and she wants to curl up under a tree with the squirrels and go to sleep, but she also does not want to miss a second of her time with Azula. It could go away by morning. Their relationship always has been incredibly finnicky.

They do not even make it to the Alice in Wonderland monument when three tattooed Japanese men show up. Azula stands her ground; Ty Lee hides behind her date.

Calmly, Azula states, "I will literally rip out your spine if you try anything."

"Relax. We aren't going to kill you. Your father sent us."

"You are lucky," Azula purrs. "Because you would die trying to kill me." Then it hits her. "My—my father? But he does not—he could not know that I am here. I had an alibi, damn it. Why is Mai such a useless excuse for a person?"

She fumes while Ty Lee continues to cower.

One of the yakuza demands with his burly arms crossed, "Are you ready to go home?"

Azula sighs. "I suppose I have no choice."

Ty Lee struggles to breathe.


Chapter Eighteen: Wedding Part III


On their way to the Voodoo Lounge, Katara trips on her new shoes and falls, barely managing to catch herself. Mai stands idly by, examining her fingernails, and Azula smirks as Katara gazes at the ground in shock.

Azula comments loudly enough for her to hear, "Oh my God! Is the sidewalk okay?"

Once Katara stands, she glowers. Even in the darkness beneath the neon lights, Azula sees the rage in her cobalt eyes. Nothing is more satisfying than that.

Katara snaps, already more irate than she has been in ages, "I am pregnant."

Azula hums to herself and then snidely remarks, "It was not a fat joke. However, it would have been a good fat joke."

And Katara rolls her eyes. "I mean that I am pregnant and a fall could be devastating."

"And I mean that I literally could not care less." Azula picks up the pace again.

They finally arrive at the Tropicana and instantly are allowed into the Voodoo Lounge. Dim lighting and a dedicated theme to skeletons true to the title await the four women. Once they end up on the roof, Azula gets a drink and slinks off to the corner.

June remarks, "It's your bachelorette party. Aren't you supposed to be having fun?"

"I am not a huge fan of parties."

"We met at one." June smirks so arrogantly. Azula just shrugs, not dignifying that with a response. Of course, she recalls that dated darkroom.

"I think Mai might be bored," coldly states Azula before she leans over the edge of the roof and gazes out at the bright, bold, brilliant Las Vegas strip. June walks away.

After a few minutes, Katara finds Azula. It does not thrill her, to say the least.

"Mai and June get along well," Katara comments, standing just shy of the edge.

Azula casually looks up at her. "We will not. I would advise you to not even try."

Katara shakes her head. "I would rather die than get along with you. No, I just mean that maybe people are wrong to worry about you with your ex."

"She wouldn't cheat on my father," passionately says Azula. "She and Ty Lee are loyal to a fault. I mean, I would not say they have never spit in my eye but they always come crawling back. They're loyal to other people too. Zuko or Ty Lee's Italian Stallion strip-club-owning ex-fiancé. That Angel girl Ty Lee adores and her tacky trailer trash family."

"You have such a lovely opinion of your fiancée."

"I can look down on where she came from but be grateful she ended up in the right place."

"So, Mai and your dad? Wouldn't you want them to break up?"

"No. I think it is disgusting that he is married to my childhood best friend, but I also know that he never had a girlfriend for more than two days and none of them made him very happy. She's the first one who ever did. My mom certainly didn't."

"Was the time Ty Lee spit in your eye the time she left you for Zuko?"

"He told you about that? I always saw him as too much of a coward."

"No. Your mother told me about it."

"I honestly thought she assumed he hung the moon." Azula reaches into her purse for a cigarette, rules be damned. No Shinohai needs to follow a single regulation.

"So, was that the time?"

"Yeah. Imagine being at the point where you get institutionalized and then you finally come home and find your girlfriend making out with your brother. It is incredibly unpleasant. But, like I said, the girl couldn't survive without me."

"If one could harness your sense of entitlement, they could power the Eastern Seaboard."

With a glint in her golden eyes, Azula demands, "Should I care?"

Katara sighs and examines the pungent cigarette smoke. "For the health of my baby and my own sanity, I think I'm going to go meet up with Mai and June."

Azula waves and smirks as Katara walks away.

[X]

In the morning, Ty Lee takes Bunny into her room while Azula prepares in another.

"Little flower girl, wake up," Ty Lee chirps, but Bunny just scowls and curls up to go back to sleep. "I need you to get dressed cute! Come on."

Angel, the maid of honor, comes to Ty Lee's rescue. "I brought pixie sticks," she says, handing one to Bunny. Suddenly, the little girl is wide awake. "Saw the trick on Toddlers and Tiaras! It's like coffee for kids."

"Awesome," Ty Lee says, returning to her own clothes. She slides on the white slip and the lace white garter and she hungrily eyes her incredible white shoes with the roses on them.

Angel and Candy help her into the wedding gown. Ty Lee runs her hand across it and smiles wider than she ever has in her life. She slides into her shoes and picks up the bouquet made of lilac, lisianthus, sweet pea, lavender and copious cool water roses. It makes a bouquet that flawlessly fits her color scheme, and when she holds it, tears blossom in her eyes.

"Is something wrong, Ty?" Angel asks, looking worried.

"No," Ty Lee says, tenderly wiping under her eyes. "I'm just so happy. I dreamed about marrying her for like my whole life, and now it's happening."

Angel hugs Ty Lee and returns to decorating Bunny.

Candy, the make-up artist, holds up her huge bag of chosen beauty products.

"Take a seat, love," Candy orders and Ty Lee obeys.

Meanwhile, Mai helps Azula with her lovely gown. It makes her look like a wicked queen, even if it is a pure, innocent white. The mock crown she wears simply completes the look of royalty.

Mai groans as Azula snaps at her about not properly preparing the vanity table. "I'm the Best Man. Does the Best Man usually have these duties?"

"In lesbian weddings, presumably," purrs Azula.

"Remind me never to be in another wedding party," Mai grumbles as she starts on Azula's raven hair, weaving the gold ribbon into it.

Azula gazes into the mirror and admires her reflection.

[X]

Ty Lee barely can breathe when she gazes out at her dream wedding. The staff set the seating up like pews—for this wedding is regarded as the grandest Brimstone event in history—and beautiful white and lavender satin speckled with glistening white lights are draped over the sides of every white bench. Lavender hued cool water roses adorn the pure white arch at the end of the long aisle. The guests all look magnificent in their designer clothes and elaborate accessories, but Ty Lee knows she and Azula are the most beautiful people in this whole place.

The chandeliers above burn dimly with real candles, and the petals lining the edges of the aisle add the perfect accent. Finally, Ty Lee notices the smell of lavender, overpoweringly calming and serene. She sees behind the arch one of the signature Brimstone Resort fire fountains.

When the piano rendition of "The House of the Rising Sun" begins to play, the whole procession needs to be involved, with Bunny eagerly adding more petals to the mix. Ty Lee takes her first step in her gorgeous heels, gliding down the aisle like a princess. She allows herself to look at Azula once she enters the room. Her heart flutters at the sight of the woman in the ornate, luxurious dress and beautiful hair woven with gold strands that match the eyes Ty Lee cannot quite see yet. Once she reaches her, she sees those gilded irises and her heart pounds.

Lightly, underneath the ceremony, the piano version of the old rock song still plays.

Ty Lee does note that the priest overseeing the ceremony when neither Azula nor Ty Lee have any religion in their lives and the grandparents seated in the front row and the song Azulon chose for them and knows much of this is for Azula's inheritance. But, Ty Lee does not care, because she has dreamt of this day for a thousand years.

Neither woman pays much attention to the words in the ceremony. They just know they need to say their parts.

"I, Azula Shinohai," says one of the brides, making it sound so sleek and smooth, "take you, Ty Lee Inchiki to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and bad, in sickness and in health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life."

Ty Lee cannot speak for a moment. Her breath catches in her throat.

"I, Ty Lee Inchiki," she says as loudly as she can manage, "take you, Azula Shinohai, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and bad, in sickness and in health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life."

The priest begins, "You have declared your consent before…" and Azula and Ty Lee do not hear the rest as Azula and Ty Lee become lost in each other's eyes.

They kiss and Ty Lee thinks it is the best of her life. Azula would not rank it so high, but she calls it close to perfect.

And "The House of the Rising Sun" plays on and on.

[X]

At the reception, Katara first notices the purple cake pops surrounding the wedding cake like guards of a fortress. Then she sees the white chocolate strawberries drizzled with lavender colored frosting. The rest of the food does not matter much to her, and she casts aside her nurse's official opinion of sugary snacks because she is pregnant and that needs to be a valid excuse for something.

Zuko follows his wife and eyes the towering wedding cake. It has a topper that matches the bouquet to the last detail and a stack of several layered tiers. Smooth white frosting mimics satin wrapping around the cake and bright purple frosting covers the rest, with the minute detail of little flowers and swirls. More matches to the bouquet adorn breaks in the silky white portions.

Most people notice the brides, who glow like embers—or perhaps like the sky on a sunny day. The tables in the Brimstone restaurant—closed for the event—have centerpieces of candles with glass enclosures holding in branches of lavender.

Ilah sips a lavender lemonade mojito and takes her seat at the table with the brides. She notes that only she, Azulon, Ozai and Mai have their placards here. Mai snags herself a lavender martini and sits down across from her mother-in-law.

"Who's the blind girl?" Mai asks.

"The what?" Ilah demands, glancing around.

"The one with that effeminate boy. She's tiny but I honestly think she could bench press him."

Ilah finally finds the objects of Mai's attention. Two teenagers; a girl with sunglasses and a cane and a boy holding onto her arm like she is the center of gravity instead of the Earth's.

Ty Lee grabs onto Mai's shoulders. Disappointingly, it does not make her jump.

She explains, "That's my cousin Aang and his girlfriend Toph."

"Oh," Mai says, deciding she no longer cares.

Azula stops greeting her drooling guests and grabs Ty Lee by the wrist.

She commands, "It is going to be a long night. You are my designated shield from people I do not want to talk to, which is everyone in attendance."

"I'm happy to accept your job offer."

Ty Lee beams. Azula cannot hide her blush.

The reception is better than they imagined.