#100: "We've had a good ride."
Prompted By: electric gurrl
"We are going to jail forever," Azula softly replies.
Ty Lee does not think that answer is good enough.
"No," Ty Lee says, and Azula's eyes flash. Ty Lee does not talk back. "We can take them."
Azula turns to face Ty Lee, and Ty Lee turns to face Azula. They exchange a glance, a smile and a smirk, and launch into battle.
Ty Lee takes on four soldiers at once and leaves them helpless on the floor. Azula burns two and they collapse, screaming from the pain. She disables two more and then turns to her brother as Ty Lee wipes out another five.
Zuko punches fire at his sister and she blocks it. He throws several more strikes and stumbles when she grabs his wrist. A smirk flickers on her lips. Ty Lee lays waste to the rest of his small army.
Azula moves to kill him but reconsiders. She throws him down and runs out of the door, grabbing Ty Lee's hand on her way.
[X]
"Where do we hide?" Ty Lee asks breathlessly.
Azula glances around Caldera. She shrugs.
"I have no idea," she admits.
"But you always have a plan!" Ty Lee whines, tears blossoming in her eyes.
"Stop panicking. Remember that old shed where we used to hang out as children?" Azula asks, starting to run towards the woods that house it.
"Where we used to make out as teenagers?" Ty Lee adds.
"That did not need to be said," Azula hisses, tugging on Ty Lee and dragging her further.
It is the dead of the night and they keep to the shadows.
They will be runaways until the end.
[X]
Azula lies down on the floor of the shed. Neither girl is going to sleep tonight.
"Will they find us?" Ty Lee whispers, nestling herself beside the princess. Azula has no need for the extra heat in the sweltering summer, but she allows it. "Will they find us?"
"If you keep talking so loudly," Azula whispers. She knows very well that no one can hear them, but she is not in the mood for conversation.
Ty Lee closes her eyes and keeps silent for the rest of the night.
[X]
Ty Lee and Azula wake up to the sound of people combing the woods, searching for them.
"We have to leave," Azula whispers, standing up and peering out of the only window. The dirt on it makes it nearly impossible to see, but she knows very well that there are people waiting out there.
"I guess." Ty Lee stares at the door.
"So..." Azula cannot find the words to say. It is not quite a first, but she never did get used to it.
"You have a really daring escape planned?" Ty Lee whispers as she looks out at the treacherous world. Zuko will probably stop at nothing now. "Oh, come on, you always do."
Azula has learned in her life that nothing is built to last. So, she just has to focus on the good times instead of the bad, and has to make sure that nothing goes horribly wrong. Even though things just did. Will she tell anyone about that positive outlook? Never.
"I don't," Azula whispers as she lies down her arms. "They're not going to kill us. But... I'm not sure, okay? I never got to..." Azula looks severely pained by this realization. "I never got to say some things and I bet I'm going to regret them later. I… I can't believe I'm saying this and if you tell anyone I will cut your throat open and pull your tongue out through it but… thank you for following me on this ridiculous adventure that couldn't end well. It won't end well, Ty Lee. I know you want to be babied, but we're either on the run forever or…"
Ty Lee blushes bright pink and smiles faintly, even if the final words in that small speech are so frightening.
Maybe deciding to elope and go on a crime spree was not the best idea they ever had. Maybe they will be caught in minutes and will be put on trial, and Azula is going to be locked up tighter than she ever was before.
Maybe they will make it and find happily ever after somewhere remote and beautiful.
But she... Ty Lee might not see Azula ever again, and that's scary.
"Thank you. Azula, thank you for trying. Thank you for making me feel like I was never ordinary. Nobody ever made me feel special, but you did," Ty Lee says and she suddenly realizes how hard she is crying. No, no, those tears are not allowed.
Azula's lip curls up in a snarl at the display of emotion. It feels wrong to be so open like this.
"Perhaps we should kiss, before we surrender. I feel that it would be the socially appropriate action," Azula says softly as she extends a hand to Ty Lee. The acrobat swallows her sobs and grabs Azula's hand with a deep breath, inhaling her sharp, rosy perfume. They kiss hard, passionately, digging into each other.
Azula gently pulls away after it must end. All things must end, even when they feel eternal.
"You're not going to betray me, are you?" Azula insists softly as the shouting outside becomes louder, and the ground slightly shakes.
"I couldn't do that. I'm in way too deep by now," Ty Lee replies as her serious expression spreads into a grin.
Azula cocks an eyebrow. "Well, I appreciate your loyalty."
Ty Lee hears the sarcasm but ignores it. She likes to pretend Azula is being serious when she is mocking her wife.
"We're fucked up and totally blow it all the time," Ty Lee says. "But I think that it would be super boring if our relationship didn't require any work. Like just imagine how dull it would be if we were like, so easy! Like all we had to do is kiss and then boom, perfect dates and babies. The fuck ups and wild extremes and unpredictability is the fun part."
Azula does not want to talk at first. There are so many scenarios in her mind, so many words that could fit. And she is not certain which would have the best outcome. So she just replies honestly.
"You really seem to like insane people and dangerous situations." Azula shrugs. It works for her, and that is what matters.
"No, I just like my life to not be boring and ordinary. And you're the person who doesn't make me feel boring and ordinary." Ty Lee stops crying, finally.
"You're not either of those things, or else I wouldn't waste my time on you. You always do entertain me, even if Mai keeps stealing our thunder." Azula cackles. "Or, everyone's poor eyes were destroyed by walking in on us."
"They weren't destroyed." Ty Lee laughs through her tears. "We are so hot."
"I have utterly enjoyed it when you have attempted to coerce me with your baby animal eyes and little pout." More sarcasm, more Ty Lee pretending that Azula really is being sweet and flattering.
Ty Lee rolls her eyes. "Uh-huh, yeah right. Attempted. I own you, silly."
"Your bad metaphors."
"Your worse flirting."
More shaking. "Once this cools off, we're going to have kids. I'm so done with you wanting to steal Izumi. I think you'd be a good mom."
Azula opens her mouth to snap a retort before realizing that right now is not the best time.
"Two little girls, okay? And they will be paradoxically perfect children. They will be so perfect that there will be no equal to them but each other." Azula demands fiercely and Ty Lee nods, because she would take anything as long as it is with her. Any future, no matter how petty, or how extravagant. Anything, as long as she is with Princess Azula, linked to her side.
They look to the door, to the outside world that does not have enough hiding places to keep them safe. For the first time in her life, Azula has no idea what will happen next. Ty Lee knows that scares the princess even if she never admits her fears, no matter how much Ty Lee consoles her and is the only one alive who sees the person in Azula instead of a broken teacup of a monster.
"So, let's go out and leave awkward making out in tents, and, hm, eloping behind. And let's..." Azula is not sure, because Azula thinks she might spend the rest of her life in a cage.
"Let's get ready for two daughters who are gonna be really hard to handle, and a lot of bickering like real married couples, and then the old and grey." Okay, now they are most certainly out of time and need to get out of Caldera quickly.
Azula's heart pounds and her neck throbs. Ty Lee grabs her hand and Azula wants to pull away, but she simply cannot.
"We've had a good ride," Ty Lee says with a small smile.
And Azula can only reply, "The best."
They walk out into the blinding sunlight, with no clue what is to come next; they just know that they are going to brave it together, and that is absolutely good enough for them.
Tabula Rasa
A/N: I don't know how to close this. I cannot say thank you enough for reading this far. This story captures two years of my life, all I've gone through, all I've been, all the crazy prompts that awesome people gave me. This has been the most fun story I have ever written.
I promised one-hundred drabbles/oneshots. I'm marking the story complete, but it's not over. I'm going to keep posting oneshots and I'm taking prompts. I started another O/S collection and I'm going to start with the prompts I received for that one, since I'm cancelling it.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the show.
Plus, I hope you enjoy the many encores to come.
