(Theme Seventy-Three) Twins, Cravings & Nightmares

(As Prompted By) Koka Kola Veins & apermissivemommy & turtleducksymphony


[second trimester]


[twins: month one]

"No, no, watch how scared he gets," Ty Lee says eagerly and Azula cannot help but smirk at the delight scaring little children brings Ty Lee. "Azula, are you watching?"

"I am watching," Azula purrs as Ty Lee reaches for the little boy who is distracted by his new toys.

She picks him up, holding her close to him and Azula cackles at his expression. Oh, Azula did not actually think it would be that funny. Most of the time Azula just pretends to laugh at things Ty Lee points out, if she is in a giving move. But she very genuinely laughs this time.

He is the son of Ty Lee's identical sister. Her parents were some how cursed with producing three sets of twins. Azula thinks they just should have quit after Ty Lee and her sister, but they probably could not have predicted that they would have three sets of twins, barely distinguishable save for minute height differences, and styles of hair. Three sets of identical twins. Azula would die if that happened to her.

"You have the scariest laugh. I love you," Ty Lee comments excitedly as the little boy starts crying hysterically. He is pulled from her arms by her mother and Ty Lee kisses Azula on the lips, bumping into her teeth.

An hour ago, Ty Lee was wailing and complaining and raging. And now she is just so happy and in love. Azula is confused, but she finds she is quite used to her own mind giving her the exact same treatment.

Ty Lee has dragged Azula to a dinner at her mother and father's house, in order to break the news. According to Ty Lee, Azula is supposed to be the thing that Ty Lee quickly points at as soon as she explains that she is pregnant out of wedlock, and then she plans on pointing out that Azula and the royal family were going to support Ty Lee and her child.

What Ty Lee did not account for was her sister being here, with her adorable little son. It is making Ty Lee very excited, very, very excited about her baby, instead of a mixture of concerned and thrilled.

"Why is he so afraid of you?" Azula whispers as soon as the kiss breaks. "What did you do to him?"

"I've never met him before today. But apparently babies get really scared and confused when you show them their parent's identical twin."

"So has she tested it on the other two sets?" Azula inquires as she hears the wailing of the little boy and feels a second of panic about having to endure that in the near future.

"So I've heard. And it works with his cousins too," Ty Lee says cavalierly as she leans in closer to Azula. The princess is fairly certain that she is layering on the dating a princess a little too hard, in order to make her family angry and jealous.

"Cousins?" Azula asks as the thought strikes her. "How many are there?"

"Well, you know that twins usually beget twins and ─"

"What?" Azula exclaims and Ty Lee's parents and sister turn to stare. The princess does not notice, but Ty Lee blushes bright red. "There," and Azula quiets her voice, despite it doing no good with everyone listening in on them, "there might be more than one?"

Ty Lee could not be more embarrassed at this point. She brought Azula to prove that she had the support of the royal family, and a stable romantic relationship. But perhaps Azula's instability is enough to make her a poor choice. Perhaps Ty Lee should have asked Zuko to come.

And now Ty Lee supposes her news has just been inadvertently revealed by Azula's untimely outburst.

"Yes," Ty Lee says quietly, hoping and praying that Azula will not make more of a scene.

"Hm. Perhaps we can name them after the two most famous twins in my family," Azula says silkily, smoothly transitioning back to glibness, to Ty Lee's relief. However, Azula's heart is still pounding. "They had the unfortunate situation of being the eldest children."

"But one of them had to be older?" Ty Lee asks curiously, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes, in my family they would tie a red string around the wrist of the elder one. But the record keepers had written it down wrong, so when it was time to pass on the crown, they got into a dispute about it."

"What happened?"

"They opted to fight to the death in an Agni Kai. But, the funny thing is, they both died in it. Their cousin got the throne." Azula smirks at the story, and when she and Ty Lee look up, they are facing a gathering of onlookers.

"You're pregnant?"

"I knew she was!"

"Whose is it?"

Ty Lee grimaces.

[cravings: month two]

Azula looks at the rainy night ahead of her, with a cloak wrapped tightly around her body. She hates rain, and nighttime, and how it constricts her throat. But, while Azula would love getting an escort, she is very afraid of seeming weak, and therefore has climbed out of a window so that no one will see her.

Curse Zuko and his getting rid of the slaves. This is a task more fit for some serving girl than Azula, Azula who conquered Ba Sing Se, beautiful and clever. Azula who saved the Fire Nation again and again. Azula who survived several near death experiences and somehow pulled through when her brother was told that there was no hope for her ever being a functioning human again.

No...

Now she is Azula who is going out in the middle of the night, probably to be murdered by someone, looking like some kind of peasant, because the palace did not have any of the exact right kind of cinnamon bread.

Azula who made Ty Lee cry and scream at her in a way that would probably have made Sozin himself crumble and sob in fear (while, Azula withstood it most admirably) when Azula just possibly slapped the servant who informed her about it in the face.

This is an unpleasant night.

And, so help her, if anyone finds out that Azula is doing this, she would not be at all surprised if perhaps there were an unexpected electrical storm.

Maybe the palace burns down with everyone in it.

Cinnamon bread.

[nightmares: month three]

Ty Lee wakes up and has to sit up and fumble for lights, kneeing Azula in the gut trying to find the lamp.

"Azula, Azula, turn it on I'm scared!"

The princess has no idea what is happening, but she lights the room. "Are we being attacked?"

"No. I had a horrible nightmare and also every time I go to sleep my baby wakes up," Ty Lee whines hysterically.

Azula tries to control her rage. Ugh, like that horrid therapist told her to do. She has to be responsible if she is going to take this plunge with Ty Lee and survive, but Azula hates dealing with other people's problems. Listening to sobbing just makes her want to punch the crying person, even Ty Lee, who she thinks she might possibly love.

"We can sleep with the lights on. I don't care." Azula returns to her beautiful pillow.

"Don't you want to talk to me about it?" Ty Lee whispers as she clutches her own pillow to her chest, covering the now-noticeable bump on her lower stomach.

"Have I ever discussed dreams with you?" Azula asks sharply and Ty Lee wails louder. "Stop, stop, making that sound before I throttle you." Louder, louder now. "I will not throttle you. What do I have to do to make you stop doing that?"

"Talk to me about my nightmares."

Azula sighs. "Alright."

The sound stops, and Azula supposes sacrificing her dignity tends to be preferable to tipping the very delicate balance of their pregnancy.

Theirs? No, it's Ty Lee's. Ty Lee's mistake. Azula tries to focus her eyes and read Ty Lee's lips, even though she is not paying much attention. Her eyelids are so heavy, and she was having a nightmare of her own...

But it wasn't the usual recurring ones about being buried alive by laughing faces of Mai, Ty Lee, Zuko, mother or father. Nor about dragons bursting from her chest, or herself being trapped in a cage as it slowly fills with water, and she is awake through the entire process of drowning.

It was a nightmare about a child. A nightmare about her taking a bolt of lightning for some little child and...

Oh Agni. Azula thinks she is going to be parent.

To Be Continued...