#101: Lion and Lamb
Prompted By: Neon Dandelion
On the gorgeous beach, at midnight on the day after a party that confused Azula and Ty Lee beyond belief, Zuko edges closer to Mai on the sand. Ty Lee keeps silently giggling as she watches from her perch halfway down a sand dune. Her second best friend is completely oblivious to her boyfriend awkwardly attempting to initiate cuddling.
Prince Zuko quickly speaks when Mai looks at him, stopping moving.
"I was thinking about hiking to get away from all of the supervision. There are a bunch of trails on the inside of the island by the volcanoes."
"That is a brilliant idea," enthusiastically says Azula.
Zuko hastily says, "Okay, now I've changed my mind. You've never liked one of my ideas before."
"No, no," replies his sister, "it's just that about twelve people die on those trails every year and it would be so easy for a genuine accident to happen to my dear, beloved brother who I would never want to harm if anyone asks."
Zuko begins, "You wouldn't—you would. You would kill me on one of those trails."
Azula wickedly smirks. "No, a wild animal or steep drop would kill you on one of those trails."
"Don't worry, Zuko," Mai says, "I'll protect you from Azula."
"I'll protect you from wild animals," Zuko says, now confidently wrapping his arm around Mai.
Azula glares. "Well, then I will protect Ty Lee from even bigger wild animals than you could ever protect Mai from."
Ty Lee grins and glows.
She at first just loves that the conversation involves her now, but she soon realizes that the warmth flooring her veins is love.
The most dangerous person she has ever met wants to protect her.
(Or is obscenely competitive and wants to top her brother's comment.)
[X]
Nine years after that late night on the beach, Azula sits with Ty Lee on her bed in the palace. She does not know how to offer condolences or comforts about Ty Lee's rather dangerous ex-fiancé being released from an Earth Kingdom prison.
"People are very afraid of me. You have absolutely nothing to fear," Azula purrs. She grazes her lips against Ty Lee's cheek but does not kiss her. It is always best to only tease and tantalize to keep Ty Lee starry-eyed.
Yet, Azula does mean it when she says she will protect Ty Lee. She does not feel jealous as she so often does. She feels territorial and that emotion leads to far more drastic actions.
"Just tell Zuko to get him sent back to jail."
"If you wanted that, you should never have moved to Ba Sing Se."
"Well, I was running from you then and you're not allowed in Ba Sing Se for super obvious reasons."
"You should be banned from Ba Sing Se too," snaps Azula. "You are just as guilty as me when it comes to the little meaningless three-month occupation they keep whining about after so many years. Honestly, they should be over it by now."
Ty Lee smiles. "I still think conquering a whole civilization is really sexy. And it's even sexier that you're going to protect me."
"I can kill him for you," purrs Azula, caressing the side of Ty Lee's face. "I would deeply enjoy killing the man you gushed about loving for years. He should know that people do not steal from me… or hurt you, I guess."
Ty Lee finds the jealousy extremely hot. She leans in and whispers in Azula's ear, "You should do it. It'd be the best way to protect me, right?"
Azula claims her with a kiss, biting down on her lower lip.
[X]
"Sometimes," Azula whispers, lying down beside Ty Lee for the fourth night in a row, "I kiss your neck and this bloody image floods my head."
"What bloody image?"
"Ripping out your throat with my teeth." Azula deeply sighs. "But I never do it. I think I would find it almost impossible to do that."
"Aw," Ty Lee says, edging closer to Azula until she can feel her heat under the blankets. "You don't want me to die."
"So?"
"That's what love is. Love is not wanting to rip someone's throat out with your teeth."
"Perhaps," Azula dares to admit.
After that, Ty Lee falls asleep with a smile on her lips.
Azula lies awake listening to her breathing and thinking about the panicky thoughts that it would kill her if the rise and fall ever stopped.
[X]
Ty Lee hears the news before Azula even returns home.
The princess climbs through the window, of course, because she is not supposed to go anywhere but here. She never had trouble with that rule since she never wanted to be elsewhere. This is the only exception.
"I took care of him for you," Azula says, closing the window and leaning against the glass. Her smug smirk makes Ty Lee's heart flutter. She bursts into tears and Azula's eyes flash with anger.
"W-w-was it gruesome?" Ty Lee ekes out, as if aghast. "Did it hurt him really bad?"
Azula snarls, "You still love him. You still love him and I cannot believe I said I would—"
"N-n-no; that's not w-w-why I'm crying," Ty Lee ekes out. "It's just the sweetest thing anybody has ever done for me. Painfully killing the man who hurt me is like the most romantic thing in the entire world."
Ty Lee jumps up from bed and wraps her arms around Azula in a tight embrace.
She kisses Azula so swiftly and fiercely that the princess gets a mouthful of teeth.
[X]
In front of a fire sage, a bowl of flame in front of them, draped in red silk and surrounded by people that Azula hates but will tolerate for a few hours, Azula makes a sole promise in the vows.
"… and I will protect you from any harm."
It is what one person must say in a Fire Nation wedding. The ritual and tradition is the only reason Azula says it, but that is the moment Ty Lee starts crying.
"You really promise?" Ty Lee whispers, disrupting the very important royal affair by whispering to her wife.
"I am required to say that line. If you ever betray me again, I will absolutely break this fake promise," Azula replies sharply.
Ty Lee cannot stop the happy tears.
[X]
"I do not go in water," Azula sharply says as Ty Lee tempts her to wade out in the waves.
They have their honeymoon on Ember Island. Azula has hardly touched water unless absolutely necessary since her life ended at the hands of her brother's awful waterbender slut girlfriend and, while she might do a number of things to reward Ty Lee's loyalty to her, she will not go swimming.
Ty Lee makes the sacrifice like a good underling and lies down beside Azula on the cold black sand.
"Gimme a minute," Ty Lee says and she easily balances herself upside down on her hands. She squints, slides down again onto her knees, and then crawls closer to Azula.
"What are you doing?" Azula demands, cocking an eyebrow.
"You're the prettiest person in the world from every angle," Ty Lee says, caught in a daydream.
"Well, thank you for stating the obvious, Ty Lee," Azula purrs, then she whispers hastily, "Ithinkyou'reprettytoo."
Ty Lee smiles. Azula shimmers in the moonlight almost as much as she does in the sunlight.
"I was thinking about going hiking and getting a little lost tomorrow," Ty Lee says. "Do you promise to protect me from any wild animals or steep falls?"
Azula is confused for a flicker of a second before she remembers that moment long, long ago.
"Of course I will," Azula says, kissing Ty Lee on the nape of her neck. "Remember? I hate the idea of someone or something tearing out your throat."
Ty Lee smiles.
That's what love is.
So Azula has basically said 'I love you' and Ty Lee could not be happier.
She kisses Azula and feels the smile her wife tries to hide.
