#06: Childhood Sweethearts
Prompted By: A Kingdom of Isolation
Azula stole Ty Lee's heart and she stole her eyeliner.
The make-up goes mysteriously missing and Ty Lee pretends she has no idea where it went. Her mother told her she was too young for make-up anyway. She wore it to school and suddenly everybody noticed her even more than usual, so, of course, it would go missing like the pink bow and the nail polish. Anything out of the ordinary or spectacular would disappear from Ty Lee's life. Except for one very unique, very spectacular human person.
"If you make me ask him out for you, you will not be pleased with the results," Mai sighs, her elbow propped on the table and her chin resting in her pallid hand. "Do you look at me and think, people person?"
"Well, I'm not going to do it," Ty Lee replies to Mai, her hands shaking. She squints at the object of her childhood affections: the son of one of their teachers, older, training for the military.
They are eleven. The age of first crushes and missing eyeliner.
"Okay, Ty Lee, if he says yes he is some kind of terrifying pervert. He's sixteen or something," Mai continue, as if reading off of a numbered list. Ty Lee groans and kicks the floor, her uniform shoes making a scuffing sound on the cold stone.
"I only like two people and I have the best chance of dating him," Ty Lee whines, looking on the verge of tears.
Pause. Mai raises an eyebrow. "You didn't tell me you liked two people."
"It's none of your business anyway, Mai," Ty Lee says sharply, frowning.
Mai sighs. It is way too early for this. Azula isn't even here yet.
"Just tell me. I told you I liked Zuko... to the result of endless ridicule..." Mai rolls her eyes and toys with her incredibly boring textbook.
Ty Lee exhales slowly. "Alright. I'll tell you who I like, but you have to promise not to tell ever."
"I know, I know, standard rules of who you like. Just go on," Mai says, already bored.
"It's a little weird," Ty Lee begins and Mai sighs. Like pulling teeth with this girl. "It's a girl." Suddenly, Mai is much more interested. Then terrified; so help her, if Ty Lee likes her she might have to run away. "And she─"
"Tell me what you two are talking about," says a domineering voice from behind them and Ty Lee jumps about two feet in shock. "Go on."
"Boys and make-up and, hi, good morning, princess, I was just waiting for you to get here," stammers Ty Lee, her eyes rotund and hopeful.
Mai smirks.
Oh. And Ty Lee is in love with Azula. Which is... kind of disturbing. Also cute. Mostly creepy. Mai doesn't really know what to make of it.
"Mai, what were you two talking about?" Azula asks and Ty Lee looks like she is about to vomit.
She likes Azula bad.
"I wasn't paying enough attention to her to tell you, princess," Mai says hesitantly and Azula catches her winking at Ty Lee.
Azula sits down between her two best friends, sighing regally, and drops her textbook on Mai's hand... accidentally.
"If you say so," Azula says as Mai rubs her hand, wincing.
Ty Lee is bright red. Mai grits her teeth.
You owe me, Mai's eyes say.
