(Theme Sixty) Swingset
(As Prompted By) DearLemonLima
96 AG...
"There are only two swings," whines Ty Lee, looking forlornly at the playground on Ember Island.
"Well, clearly, I will take one, and you and Mai can battle for the second," Azula says and Ty Lee glares at her while she is not looking.
Mai shrugs, and then bolts to claim the extra swing, leaving Ty Lee in the dust.
"You can always push me, Ty Lee!" Azula calls and Ty Lee has to wrestle herself to not roll her eyes.
98 AG...
On Ember Island, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee are on a playground.
"There are only two swings, you see," Azula explains sweetly yet commandingly as she sits down on one of them. Mai and Ty Lee exchange a glance, narrowing their eyes at each other. "Ty Lee, push me. Mai, you can take the other."
They do not protest, although it is unfair. Mai twists around in circles, a fire pop lodged in her mouth that is likely a severe choking hazard. They have been abandoned in a park on Ember Island, handed candy and surrounded by a few extremely bored soldiers as Mai's mother and father deal with their newborn son.
Ty Lee sets her hands on Azula's back and pushes her once, and then slips into the motion of it. Mai watches with narrowed eyes, noticing the tiny blush on Azula's cheeks when Ty Lee's hands adjust across her back. But any true observation of the relationship is killed by Ty Lee jabbering on about... something or another. Mai is intently focused on slowly devouring her lollipop and twisting the swing around until it hopefully snaps.
This is, Mai thinks, their friendship explained. Two swings. One person guaranteed a seat, the other up for grabs... only she thinks that perhaps Ty Lee would rather be pushing Azula than wrestling Mai for a swing.
Ugh, it's cute and repulsive.
100 AG...
On Ember Island, Azula has spent the entire night tossing and turning, trying to sort out how to confront this issue. She can see the glimpses, the glances, the faces she and Ty Lee make at each other. The cold embers masking the fact that they both are trying to deny an unstoppable force pushing them together.
It is early morning, and Azula is looking for a place to train that is not this repulsive summer home neighborhood. Ty Lee follows her, seeming to be in a good mood. She cried herself to sleep last night and therefore feels very refreshed.
"Okay, I can't do this," Azula sighs, examining Ty Lee closely in the early morning glow. "I don't know who we're kidding."
Ty Lee blinks, pretending not to understand. But of course she understands.
"I don't know what you mean, princess," Ty Lee offers and Azula sighs. "Oh look, swings!"
Azula then finds herself being pushed on a swing before she can fully comprehend the situation. She spins around on it, stunning Ty Lee, and then they are face to face.
"Alright, let me be honest with you. You are a tease, but you're not teasing those boys. You're teasing me."
"... that's not... intentional." Ty Lee's eyes are wide, wider than usual.
"I know." Azula hesitates and Ty Lee swallows.
She does not quite know how to remedy this. A lot of things have been twisted and strange for Azula and Ty Lee, but the moment she punched her way through admirers and ran to Azula... Ty Lee supposes that made her intentions clear.
Maybe she is a tease, but she teases Azula because she just wants her to bite.
"I like you a lot," Azula says and Ty Lee does not know what to make of the abrupt honesty.
"I like you too."
"As more than friends." Azula is surprisingly not... awkward about this moment. She seems to have given it clear thought, and has seized true control over a situation she felt powerless in.
"I like you as more than friends too."
Azula smirks. "As I thought."
Ty Lee leans forward, presses her lips against Azula's fiercely, finally knowing the kiss does mean something, and they promptly topple, screaming, over the side of the swing and onto the gravel and black sand.
132 AG...
On Ember Island, Zuko has invited Toph and her two kids to visit, and somehow Azula, Ty Lee and Azusami got roped into the vacation.
Azula watches Izumi, Azusami and Lin playing on the swings of the palace. She keeps feeling her heart pound when Azusami takes her turn on the rickety set, and Azula would order some servant to fix it if she did not want to ruin her daughter having friends.
Healthy friends, unlike Azula, Mai and Ty Lee. And Azula happens to like Lin's mother, which is an oddity amongst Izumi and Azusami's friends, Fire Nation and non-Fire Nation alike. And the way Azusami blushes and curls her lip slightly at Lin, who is completely oblivious, reminds Azula of she and Ty Lee.
"They're so cute," Ty Lee says, wrapping her arm around Azula and making her jump.
"Don't sneak up on me," Azula snaps, more viciously than she would like to. Having a panic attack in front of the child of Toph would be humiliating on a number of levels, and probably embarrass Azusami in front of her first crush.
Ty Lee kisses Azula's cheek and tries to remedy scaring her. She kind of likes how damaged her wife is, as terrible as that sounds.
The swing snaps and Azula chokes on her tea before managing to swallow it, to great pain in her throat. Azusami hits the ground and her eyes widen, her cheeks turn bright red and Izumi snickers. Lin, whom Azula imagines would be as mocking as Toph would be if such a thing happened to Azula, helps Azusami to her feet and with no small feat of metalbending, repairs the swing that has been broken since Zuko was banished.
They exchange a small smile.
And Ty Lee smirks at Azula, jabs her ribs and nods.
Azula rolls her eyes. "Our daughter will date an earthbender over my dead body."
"Mmm..." Ty Lee just smirks wider.
