A/N: I was originally going to go with Ty Lee letting her crush on Azula slip and "romance ensues" but I actually thought that established Tyzula might fit well here and I've done a lot of Ty Lee crush. So, the prompt was "Ty Lee tells a secret about Azula to Mai, Mai tells Azula and afterwards, to Ty Lee's pleasant surprise, Tyzula ensues." I tried to stick to that.


(Theme Thirty-Two) Loose Lips

(as prompted by) HeavenBesideYou13

Ty Lee never could keep secrets.

"I feel kind of wanted when I'm in the Fire Nation. I mean, people want me everywhere, all the time. But you people need me," Ty Lee says to Mai, doing her dishes for her as they were stacked to disgusting proportions. Mai needs a maid who comes more than two times a week.

"I need you to clean my house? It's actually kind of insulting that you clean everything when you come over," Mai sighs, thumbing through a magazine casually. Ty Lee rolls her eyes and forces a smile. "Alright, so say I need you for friendship or something; what do other people need?"

"Well, Azula needs me to keep her from going crazy."

"Little late on that one, Ty."

"Again. She also needs me because everybody needs love. And also no one else is ever going to marry her if I don't."

Mai makes a guffawing sound. Ty Lee cringes at her words.

"Not that she's undesirable. But, other people just find her intimidating," Ty Lee says, scratching her forehead. Not going well at all. "I mean, lots of people masturbate thinking about her but no one is actually going to hit on her, you know?"

Mai can't contain herself this time. She looks about to cry. Ty Lee has never seen her laugh so hard, which, incidentally, isn't very hard.

"And Zuko needs me to be with Azula for a variety of reasons. I think he just sees me as a chi blocking tool or something," Ty Lee continues with a sigh.

"Zuko, Zuko... it's pathetic. You are the best kind of babysitter for Azula, though, because you're sleeping with her. Also, you're not that suspicious. Most people think you're too dumb to actually, well, be threatening," Mai says, cocking an eyebrow. "Have you had to chi block her since you two started dating?"

Ty Lee takes a deep breath. Her neck tenses as she wrestles with her tongue. Mai leans forward expectantly with bated breath. She clearly is holding a secret that will not be contained for long. Ty Lee makes a grimacing expression like she is about to bludgeon her own mother but then suddenly exhales.

"Well, she has a sleepwalking problem," Ty Lee says shrilly and Mai shrugs. "And when you try to wake her, she's combative."

"My cousin is a combative sleepwalker too. Whenever we went over to their house my mom would tell me not to wake her if she was sleepwalking and to stay very still. She ate in her sleep too," Mai says calmly, very intrigued.

"I think you underestimate Azula's combative sleepwalking. She firebends in her sleep. Zuko discovered it in a very painful way. He warned me about it the first time I slept over, actually," Ty Lee says, knitting her eyebrows together. Mai is less concerned. "If she just stopped having such bad nightmares she would probably stop..."

"So you had to chi block her while she was sleepwalking?" Mai asks and Ty Lee purses her lips. Yes. "That's hilarious."

"Don't tell her I told you, Mai. She'd probably be really embarrassed," Ty Lee says, shelving the final dish. "I'm serious. I shouldn't have told you."

But Ty Lee's warning is unheeded. Mai and Azula are by the pier, Mai throwing rocks in the water for no reason. Azula watches her, chewing on her lower lip and not saying anything. Their outings tend to be unusual like this, and more than once have ended in arson.

The pier smells of ocean and oil, and the splashing of the rocks that Mai hurls has a vague rhythm to it. Azula is quite transfixed by it, paying more attention to that than their casual conversation. They are surrounded by royal guard, who are meant to protect those around Azula, not Azula herself. The guards look undeniably uncomfortable, almost as much as she does when she is with her girlfriend, and, believe her, long distance makes for quite passionate reunions.

"Why are you throwing rocks into the water?" Azula finally asks as Mai finishes her boring story. Mai simply throws another, walking closer to the edge of the pier.

"Because there's a sign over there that says it's not allowed, but when I'm with you I don't have to follow the signs," Mai explains and Azula slowly shakes her head. "So, Ty Lee told me you have a sleepwalking problem."

Azula's expression steels.

"She did?" Her eyes are burning with a ferocity that makes Mai recoil slightly and drop the rock she was about to throw. "That's very personal. What else does she tell you about us?"

"Ugh. Just calm down. It's not like she told a tabloid. Although, if people knew it would be a really good legal defense if you were to kill everyone who stood in your way of being Fire Lord."

Mai throws another rock in the water.

Azula grits her teeth.

"I mean, they basically have to make you Fire Lord if you usurped the throne in your sleep."

Mai throws another rock. Azula holds up two hands to push Mai into the pier and decides against it.

Ty Lee never could keep secrets. That night, Azula slinks back to the palace and finds Ty Lee in the midst of a conversation with Zuko. He is smiling faintly and Azula feels a knot of metallic jealous in her gut. The mild flirtation involved in Ty Lee and Zuko's conversations make Azula want to do things that would get her sent to prison without a second thought.

Azula slips into the scene, interrupting Ty Lee mid-sentence with a kiss. Zuko rolls his eyes but Azula does not see. She lures Ty Lee away halfway through their conversation and neither protests, because neither wants to provoke Azula.

"Why did you tell Mai that I sleepwalk?" Azula asks in a faux sweet tone and Ty Lee bites down on her lip. Ugh, of course Mai would tell. Of course. Ty Lee does not trust Mai or Azula as far as she can throw them.

"It just kind of, uh, slipped out," Ty Lee squeaks and Azula narrows her eyes. They slip into an abandoned living room in this empty palace and Azula waits for more. Ty Lee supposes she expects an apology. "I'm sorry. I am really bad at keeping secrets. If it makes you feel better, I told all of Mai's secrets to you when we were kids."

Azula suppresses a smirk. "Why don't you make it up to me?"

Ty Lee pauses for a moment, and presses her lips against Azula's, fumbling with her clothes.

Frantic, hurried tumble of desperation and sexual longing.

"Maybe," gasps Ty Lee as they are digging into each other like teenagers instead of moderately responsibly adults, "I should tell Mai your secrets more often."

"Don't push your luck." Kiss.