CW for some racy/suggestive stuff, but there's nothing graphic to worry about.
Chapter 71
Despite Suki having brought up the issue of history potentially repeating itself when Katara faced off against Teo in the final round, the young Water Tribe prodigy never allowed it to dent the confidence she had in her own abilities. Katara had already exorcised her demons of failing at the last hurdle by winning the gold medal the previous year. She was now a proven winner at this level, and Katara knew that she possessed the mental fortitude to handle the pressure of the final round.
As the matches of the final round began, Katara decided to just go all out from the start. She had adopted a more aggressive, almost borderline arrogant style of play, and it had served her very well. Only Yue had tripped her up, but it wasn't because Katara had played poorly. Yue had weathered the initial storm, intelligently created counterplay, and then prevailed in the war of attrition towards the end. Still, Katara thought that it would be a bad idea to change her style towards a more cautious approach for this final game. Katara wanted to trust in what had worked perfectly thus far, and she was certain that if she played to her strengths, Teo would be unable to live with her.
Slowly, ever so slowly with every move, Katara created an advantage and then began to press it home. Teo had prepared well and was putting up a good fight, and it was perhaps his best game of the tournament, but she definitely had the Earth Kingdom boy on the backfoot. Even though Katara was trying to maintain focus and wanted to avoid becoming distracted, so much about the tournament's outcome depended on how Azula and Yue finished their games, so Katara could not resist sneaking the occasional glance at the large display boards. Yue was definitely winning against On Ji and there was little doubt of her securing a victory. Azula seemed to be getting a little stuck against Toph, but it was too early for the alarm bells to start ringing. Even so, Katara could not fend off the thought that if Azula failed to beat Toph, then it really didn't matter how Katara's game with Teo finished because the title would go to Yue regardless.
These thoughts were starting to seriously distract Katara and her offense ground to a halt, giving Teo the opportunity to execute a combination to counter her advance. Because of a couple of unfocused moves, Katara had let all of her hard-earned advantage slip and they were more or less back on even terms. Katara was forced to reboot her plans and begin anew, but this time she made sure to avoid looking at the display boards, just so that she didn't become sidetracked again. Having well and truly knuckled down, Katara steadily began to regain her advantage, keeping her focus tightly on the execution of her plan. There were cheers and applause from the audience at some point, probably aimed at someone winning their game, but Katara refused to let it affect her. She forced herself through all of these distractions, maintaining her focus and it began to pay off. Teo's Orchid which had been terrorizing some of her weaker and more isolated tiles was trapped and forced into an exchange, leaving Teo toothless heading into the endgame. It was all over in less than a dozen moves and Katara emerged victorious, accepting congratulations from the smiling Earth Kingdom boy.
Finally, Katara allowed herself to observe how the other games were unfolding. It didn't come as much of a surprise to her that Yue had won her game against On Ji, while Azula seemed to be struggling to put Toph away. As Katara watched her girlfriend's desperate and heroic struggle against the opponent she had professed to not enjoy playing against, Yue came up to stand next to her, the two Water Tribe girls observing the epic battle, well aware of how much depended on its outcome.
"If Azula doesn't win, the title is yours," Katara said. It was a bit of a pointless comment, since Yue was perfectly aware of the stakes. Katara simply felt too nervous to remain silent.
"I know," Yue nodded. "I want Azula to win, though," she added softly, reaching out and taking Katara's hand. "Without Azula's help, I wouldn't be here, free of Hahn, happy in my new life. I can't imagine ever rooting against her, you know?"
"That's very sweet of you," Katara smiled at her friend. "You've never been this close to a tournament win. I can only imagine how much it would mean to you."
"It would mean a lot, sure," Yue smiled. "But you two are far more important to me than the tournament win."
"Stop it, you're going to make me cry," Katara half-joked. Yue's sincerity was making her heart throb as they continued to watch Azula's game with Toph, the back and forth contest lasting well into the endgame and now looking like they might be heading for a draw. However, Katara noticed that Toph was becoming more and more impatient as the game dragged on. She could understand the frustration of their younger friend. Toph hadn't enjoyed her time at the Pai Sho board this year, she didn't have much to play for and she probably just wanted the tournament to end, and here was Azula, dragging her through a game that had reached its ninetieth move. As Toph went for broke, eager to end the game one way or another, Azula was able to capitalize on Toph's overly aggressive approach and soon enough, it was all over. Katara, Azula and Yue were all tied for the first place with identical records, and now the real fun could begin as the tournament officials made their ruling.
After Katara and Yue had both hugged Azula and congratulated her on the win, the threesome was left standing on the stage and waiting as the tournament officials convened nearby, most of them looking nervous and confused. The few remaining spectators also seemed puzzled, not sure for whom to applaud. It was probably fortunate that the crowds had dwindled this year as the tournament progressed. With the Earth Kingdom hopefuls unable to match the Fire Nation and Water Tribe prodigies, the partisan crowd of Omashu had lost all interest in the tournament. There had been several scathing articles in the local newspaper, criticizing the performance of the Earth Kingdom representatives, and being particularly nasty towards Toph and Teo. Katara was really mad at the reporter who had written the article, feeling that the criticism was very unfair and undeserved, especially because it hadn't been Toph or Teo who had made overly optimistic promises to their fans. It had been the same reporter who had built Toph and Teo up as tournament favorites, and now when they had tied for fifth place behind Kori Morishita, they were getting smeared in the papers. It was just so very maddening for Katara to see.
Eventually, one of the tournament officials made his way over to Katara and her friends. "I'm sorry for making you wait, young ladies, but we have encountered some complications," the middle-aged man with somewhat wild and bushy beard said. Katara didn't know his name, but she knew that he was a nephew of the famous Bumi Dhawan. "We have been going over the tournament rules again and again, but because of your identical records, none of the criteria to rank you is applicable."
"And what does that mean?" Azula asked in a firm voice.
"Well, it means that we can propose solutions on how to solve the situation, but because they would be outside of the previously agreed upon tournament rules, all three of you would have to sign a written agreement that you accept the proposed solution," Bumi's nephew replied.
"But what is this solution?" Yue asked the question that was on the lips of all of them.
"Well, we propose a round robin of speed Pai Sho to determine the winner," the man replied.
Katara frowned at that. She was clearly the worst at speed Pai Sho among the three of them, while Azula was by far the best at the speed game. This really didn't feel fair to Katara, but then again, if Azula and Yue both agreed to this idea, then Katara didn't want to be the one to rock the boat and disagree. She didn't have to voice her objection, however, because Azula spoke up first. "Speed Pai Sho might work to decide some of the minor rankings, but using it to decide the title?" she said, frowning. "I feel like that would taint the title for whoever won it this way. It just doesn't seem right," Azula shook her head.
"I agree with Azula, if we wanted to win the speed Pai Sho title, then we would enter a speed Pai Sho tournament," Yue also expressed her disagreement. "It would completely ruin the prestige of the U21 title." Katara was overcome with intense feelings of adoration for both girls. It was clear that they were aware that Katara stood no chance in speed Pai Sho, and yet they didn't want to prevail against her in this way.
"Uh, okay," Bumi's nephew sighed, looking a little deflated. "In that case, I'm not sure you're going to like our next suggestion any better." The three girls stared at him intently. "Umm, it's… drawing lots."
"You can't be serious," Azula huffed.
"Yeah, that's a no from me," Yue crossed arms on her chest.
"That's even worse than the speed Pai Sho idea," Katara shook her head.
"I had a feeling you were going to say that," the tournament official sighed. "Alright, we have one final offer. It's kind of unprecedented, but… there's nothing in the rules against us declaring all three of you joint winners."
"Is that really an option?" Katara gasped.
"Well, sure," Bumi's nephew shrugged. "There's just one snag. We don't actually have three gold medals to hand out, so we'd have to come up with some alternative solution. But I'm sure we can figure out something and then hold a smaller victory ceremony at the after-party."
"Alright, I've decided that I'm completely fine with this," Yue spoke up first.
"Yes, this works for me too," Azula agreed without much thinking.
"I think this is a wonderful compromise," Katara beamed happily. "So, where do we sign?"
The conclusion of her first U21 tournament left Azula reflecting upon how much she had changed over the past year and a half. Before escaping her father's clutches, it would have never even occurred to her that she could accept a solution where she would share her victory with someone else. Ozai would have given her a particularly severe trashing if she had agreed to a solution such as this. Still, following a slightly low-key victory ceremony in the most famous night club of Omashu, Azula was perfectly happy with the arrangement they had agreed to. After all, Katara and Yue were the worthiest co-winners she could think of.
Azula rather appreciated the ingenuity with which the tournament organizers had solved the problem of the lacking gold medals. There was clearly no time to make two new gold medals on the spot, so instead, they had arranged for the original gold medal to be artistically split into three pieces. Azula loved how these three pieces fit together so perfectly, like one of those broken heart pendants. They had absolutely loved holding their individual pieces of the gold medal so that it appeared to be put back together as they all stood on the top spot of the podium for a quick photo shoot for the newspapers.
Once the tournament officials and the press had cleared out, the party truly got underway. Azula had managed to put down the names of Suki and Jet on the guest list, ensuring that they were allowed to stay. Azula and her friends by this point all felt like they could trust Suki to remain discreet, even if she was a reporter. Besides, it was comforting to have someone like Suki and Jet, older and on friendly terms with them, around just in case they happened to get a bit too drunk. That said they definitely did not intend to get as shitfaced as two years ago in the Fire Fountain City. That year, Azula had wanted to drink as much as she could, all in order to forget about Ozai creeping on her. Now, Azula wanted to drink only as much as to enhance the fun, but she definitely wanted to remain sober enough to recall all of her experiences.
Azula had wanted Suki and Jet in attendance also because Chan and Ruon-Jian were at the after-party. Certainly, they were acting like whipped dogs around her and Katara, but Azula still didn't trust them one bit. However, it was with some curiosity that Azula had observed Chan and Ruon only staying for a little bit after the victory ceremony, never touching a single drink and then quietly leaving the nightclub. It almost seemed as if those two idiots were aware that their presence was making her and Katara deeply uncomfortable. Azula was actually surprised that those two were capable of such level of awareness. It wasn't going to get them an official forgiveness from her, but Azula was pleased that they at least were showing signs of potential redemption. It meant that perhaps she didn't have to watch her guard and feel so anxious around those two idiots in the future.
The two remaining Fire Nation youths, On Ji Takeda and Kei Lo, seemed to be getting to know each other very well. On Ji was making the most of her steady boyfriend Shoji Nomura not attending, as he was competing in the U18 finals. On Ji and Kei Lo spent the entire evening either dancing or sucking on each other's faces in the darkest corner of the nightclub. That bitch Joo Dee had a little posse of her own, a girl and two boys Azula didn't recognize. At one point, Azula had caught Joo Dee pointing towards their table and making kissy faces as she was telling something to her friends. Azula didn't have to be a genius to guess that the bitch was once again outing her. Azula had managed to catch Joo Dee's stare a while later, making a subtle throat slashing gesture. Joo Dee had looked deeply unnerved and appeared to be holding her tongue after that.
Toph had decided to sit with Teo, Kori Morishita and Kori's new boyfriend. Kori was a rather strange girl as far as Azula was concerned. She had yet to see Kori attending two subsequent events with the same boyfriend. Azula knew that some girls and boys enjoyed playing fast and loose like that, and she was certain that she could pull it off if she wanted to, but why the hell would she want something like that when she had Katara?
And speaking of Katara, Azula thought that she looked particularly radiant this evening. With Yue's help, she had managed to talk Katara into wearing a proper miniskirt, making this an even rarer and more treasured occasion. Azula and Yue had also gone with minis, just to make Katara feel more comfortable. Azula was normally not one for dancing, usually only agreeing to indulge Katara. But now, with Katara – and Yue – both dressed up so sexily, Azula almost didn't want to leave the dance floor. It was only when Katara started to whine about sore feet that they had agreed to take a break and returned to their table and half-finished Margaritas.
As they were catching their breaths while sipping the cocktails, Toph came up to their table and sat down with them. "Hey, so I was thinking of calling it an early night," the younger girl told them. She looked a little subdued, which Azula thought was very unusual for Toph. "I have to catch the early plane back to Gaoling, and all that."
"I'm sorry you're not having fun, Toph," Katara said, looking sad.
"What do you mean I'm not having fun, why would you say that?" Toph barked at Katara. Azula narrowed her eyes at Toph. The Earth Kingdom girl let out a heavy sigh. "Ugh, fine. Look, I was just really taken aback by the way you three dominated the rest of the pack, okay? I was caught by surprise and I never recovered from that, and now those stupid reporters are writing all sorts of stupid crap about me and Teo. Of course, I'm upset!"
"We are really angry about some of those articles, Toph," Yue nodded in sympathy. "They are seriously gross and unfair."
"Why didn't you come and practice with us?" Azula asked. "We did offer, remember?"
"Yeah, you did, but it's not like I could have caught up with you in the middle of the tournament, you got where you are now over the course of many months," Toph shrugged.
"Fair," Azula nodded, acknowledging that Toph had made a good point.
"We still would have loved you spending more time with us, Toph," Katara sighed. "I missed you this year. I feel like we barely spent any time together, and I was really looking forward to that."
Toph looked a little guilty at that. "Yeah, umm, I had… reasons," she said more than a little uncomfortably. "I'll make up for it, okay? I plan to enroll in the BSSU in the fall, so I'll be next doors to you in Ba Sing Se."
"Oh, in that case we are definitely practicing together a lot," Yue insisted, Toph nodding at that.
"Hey, I have an idea," Katara exclaimed, giving Azula a puppy eyed stare. Azula sighed inwardly, already knowing that Katara was going to ask her something she didn't like and she still wouldn't be able to deny her. "We have that one spare downstairs bedroom that's standing unused. How about we let it out to Toph so that she doesn't have to stay at the dorms?"
"I suppose, but would Toph even want a dingy little bedroom?" Azula wondered.
"Not really," Toph replied. "My father has already scoped out a private Upper Ring apartment for me, so I think I'll be alright. If you want to let out that room, try offering it to Twinkletoes. He's also looking at the BSSU, so he'll probably end up moving to Ba Sing Se as well."
"I suppose that could be doable," Azula shrugged. She wasn't particularly excited about letting Aang stay at the estate, but then again, he was harmless. Besides, he was the sort of kind-hearted sap that they could probably manipulate into doing most of the errands, which seemed like a major upside to Azula. Yes, this idea definitely had potential.
"Speaking of Aang, did you hear that he won the U18 title again?" Toph asked. "Yeah, I'm kind of regretting this premature switch to U21's now. I probably should have just stayed within my own bracket. I could have stolen Aang's gold medal from him, I just know it. Oh well, despite the results not going my way, I still had some good times here," Toph finished. Azula noticed that she kept glancing over at Teo as she spoke.
"That's the most important thing, Toph," Katara smiled. "I'm glad that you still had at least a bit of fun."
"I sure did," Toph smiled. She got up from the table, nodding at them. "Well, I'm off, bitches. Maybe I'll see you in the summer, still not sure about the camp. But I'm definitely coming over to live next doors to you in the fall."
"See you later, Toph," Azula waved at her as they said their farewells and Toph left the nightclub soon afterwards. To nobody's surprise, Teo discreetly left a few minutes later.
"It's going to be fun hanging out with Toph in Ba Sing Se," Yue remarked a while later, having finished her Margarita.
"Yes, I love how everyone we know and care about seems to be gravitating towards Ba Sing Se," Katara chuckled. "It's really becoming something of a home base for us, isn't it?"
"Well, it does have the International House of Lesbians, so I can see the attraction," Azula remarked, making both Yue and Katara giggle drunkenly.
Yue was going to reply something, but then she noticed someone else walking up to their table. "Uh-oh," she remarked as Ghashiun al-Alawi wandered up to them, looking a little unsteady on his feet.
"Ladies," Ghashiun slurred. Every time he opened his mouth, a small puff of cigarette smoke seemed to emerge, making the girls wince and struggle not to cough. "Would anyone like to dance with me? What about you, Katara?" he asked.
"Sorry, but I'm taken," Katara said, pointing at Azula.
"Okay, so…" Ghashiun was struggling to do base arithmetic. "But that means you're free… right, Yue? Come on, let's dance, babe."
Yue was about to offer a scathing retort at the drunk Earth Kingdom youth, but Katara cut in first. "She can't, she's taken too," Katara said possessively, taking Yue's right hand.
"Exactly," Azula nodded, grabbing Yue's left hand. "She's with us, so bugger off." Yue looked thrilled and her face was slightly flushed from being defended so passionately. Azula could not imagine acting in any other way, though. Yue had been through some terrible experiences and Azula couldn't help but feel very protective of the other girl.
"Now you're just… messing with me," Ghashiun hiccupped. He looked like he was about to throw up.
Suddenly, Jet was there, putting an arm around the other guy's shoulder and firmly but insistently leading him away. "Come on, buddy, you're going to lay down for a bit," he said, ignoring the struggles of the drunken boy, trying to free himself.
"Someone always has to get too drunk during these parties," Katara rolled her eyes.
Azula almost did a double take, wondering if Katara had forgotten her own experiences from two years ago, or whether she was merely being sarcastic. Sarcasm really wasn't Katara's thing, though. "Anyway, do we want more drinks?" Azula asked instead.
"I don't think so," Yue shook her head. "In fact, this seems like a good time to call it a night."
"I agree," Katara nodded. "But we don't have to stop completely. How about we just continue with a little party back in my room?" she asked, looking excited.
"That sounds like something you two would enjoy more without me," Yue laughed.
"I don't think Katara meant it like that, Yue. We want you," Azula insisted.
"Yes, we want you to come and hang out with us," Katara added. Her words made Azula realize that what she had said could have been interpreted in more ways than one and she found herself blushing hotly. It didn't seem as if Katara or Yue had noticed, though.
"Well, I won't say no to that offer," Yue smiled as they got up to leave. "Let's move on to the real after-party!"
Despite Azula and Katara insisting that they wanted Yue to join them in Katara's room, Yue wasn't blind to the obvious fact that both Azula and Katara were definitely in the making out mood. They kept stealing kisses all the time since they had returned to the hotel, barely able to keep their hands off from each other. Yue was perched at the foot of the bed, more and more starting to feel a bit like the third wheel.
"Come on, you guys," Yue finally exclaimed in light frustration when Katara and Azula began kissing again. "You so clearly want to be left alone. I'm going back to my own room."
"Please don't," Katara begged. "We'll stop, we promise."
"But I don't want you to stop," Yue sighed. "I want you two idiots to have an amazing night of fun, okay?"
Azula and Katara exchanged glances at that. Azula reached for the medal around her neck, then linking it with Katara's. The third part was missing, creating a sizeable gap. "See, it doesn't seem right," Azula said. "We're all winners tonight, Yue. It doesn't feel right to tell you to leave, okay? I think you should stay with us tonight."
"Yes, I agree," Katara said, pointing at their two pieces of the gold medal. "See, we're incomplete without you, Yue."
"Are you, uh… trying to tell me something here?" Yue asked. She was suddenly feeling extremely lightheaded, experiencing hot flashes all over her body.
"I mean…" Azula blushed darkly. "Maybe we are?"
"Look, the three of us have a special bond, and not just because of the medal," Katara said. "And I want to respect the fact that Yue's in a relationship with Ty Lee, but I'm just saying that I think I would be comfortable with taking things a step further. Maybe it's the drink making me bold, but uh… I've kind of thought about it before," she admitted with an adorably shy and drunken giggle.
"Uh, you have?" Azula looked at her girlfriend, appearing surprised.
"Oh, come on, like you haven't, what with all the hugging and touching we do," Katara rolled her eyes.
Azula blushed red like a beet. "Okay, so I have," she also admitted. "But, umm… I guess it's up to Yue, and to Ty Lee."
Yue's heart was thundering in her chest, racing like a herd of wild horses. She had sworn to herself to be rational about things like these, but how could she remain rational when such an offer was being made? Then again… she had to consider all those mistakes she had made in the past. She didn't want to make another one. That realization immediately cooled her intense ardor. "Guys, I'm really flattered, but I am not going to hurt Ty Lee over this," she said firmly.
"But obviously, Yue," Katara smiled at her. "That's why Zula and I mentioned Ty. We're not doing this without her permission."
"Yeah, we might be a bit tipsy, but we're no longer stupid and inconsiderate seventeen year olds," Azula nodded. "I would never want to hurt Ty Lee either. But I think there's a fair chance that she'll be okay with it." Azula then pointed at the nearby phone. "Well, go on, give her a call," she urged.
"That just seems a bit too weird to me, calling your girlfriend in the middle of the night to ask her if you can fool around with your two besties," Yue rolled her eyes.
"Actually, I think it's half past six in the morning in Ba Sing Se, so Ty Lee is probably already up and doing her morning exercises," Azula pointed out. "Of course, if you're too shy to ask, I can do it for you," she said, making a move to climb out of the bed.
"Damn it, no, I'll do it myself," Yue exclaimed, hastily beating Azula to the phone. She dialed the number of the International House of Lesbians with trembling fingers. As she waited for the call to be answered, Yue desperately hoped that she wasn't yet again making another stupid decision just because she was getting carried away and was thinking with her below the waist parts instead of her brain. However, asking Ty for permission seemed like a rational decision to make. Now she just had to figure out how to work up to actually asking Ty Lee for said permission, and hearing her girlfriend's chirpy voice at the other end of the line made Yue realize that it wasn't going to be the easiest of tasks.
"Hi, babe," Yue spoke up nervously.
"Yue?" Ty Lee sounded very surprised to hear her voice. "What are you doing calling me at this hour? Isn't it the middle of night in Omashu? Why aren't you celebrating your big win?"
"Oh, we are, we just got back from the nightclub and now we're having a little after-after-party in Katara's room," Yue explained.
"Alright, so get back to having fun! You didn't have to call me!" Ty Lee giggled.
"Well, I kind of did," Yue said slowly. She was becoming more and more worried about this, despite how fiercely tempted she was. "There's uh, something I need to ask you, Ty."
"Alright," Ty Lee said. "Sounds serious, but I hope you're not thinking of proposing over the phone and while you're so tipsy."
"What? I wasn't thinking of doing that… at least not in the near future." Yue said. "Anyway, what I wanted to ask was-" she froze, suddenly getting cold feet. "You know what, it was a terrible idea, forget about it," she said, ignoring the way Azula and Katara both gave her exasperated stares.
"Oh, come on, you can't say that and then leave me hanging, I'll go stir crazy wondering what it might have been!" Ty Lee exclaimed in frustration. "Besides, I can't imagine anything so horrible that you couldn't ask me about. You know I'm not one to judge."
"Like you wouldn't think badly of me even if I told you that I've been thinking about fooling around with Azula and Katara," Yue blurted out quickly.
"Okay…" Ty Lee gasped at the other end of the line. She then giggled a little nervously. "Okay, umm, I didn't expect that."
"It's alright, Ty, I won't do it," Yue said, letting out a breath of relief. She was grateful to her girlfriend for this much needed reality check. She had almost made a really dumb mistake, yet again.
"I'm not saying you shouldn't do it," Ty Lee said. Yue felt her eyes going wide in astonishment. "I think I'd be alright with it. It's just some drunken fun, right?"
"Are… are you serious?" Yue managed, shaking with disbelief.
"Yeah, I mean, I feel like you deserve a reward for winning the tournament, and it sounds like you really want this, so… think of it as a gift from me," Ty Lee chuckled. "Although, I think it would be only fair if I placed some conditions on my permission."
"C-conditions?" Yue was still struggling to remember how to speak.
"Yeah," Ty Lee sounded amused. "Okay, I can't think of anything specific from the top of my head, but how about we make it an unspecified favor of my choice, to be repaid later? Oh, and also, Yue… just to make it clear, even though I'm sure you already knew this goes without saying. I'm fine with it, but it's just this one time, okay? I'm not saying that it's okay for you to turn it into a regular thing."
"Yes, that goes without saying," Yue replied.
"Okay, in that case… why are we still talking?" Ty Lee giggled. "Go and have your fun, all three of you have earned it with your gold medals and prize money. I'll see you when you get back home."
"Okay… and thanks, Ty-" Yue began, but Ty Lee had already disconnected the call. Yue rose from her seat and made her way back to the bed. She sat down, still feeling like in a surreal trance.
"Well?" Azula asked. She and Katara both looked adorably excited and impatient. Some buttons on their shirts had already come undone. The slightly messy and disheveled sight of them both filled Yue with heady and powerful feelings of desire.
"Ty said it was okay for one night…" she managed. Azula and Katara immediately reacted, reaching out and grabbing her by the arms, pulling Yue down with them into a hot and messy three-way tangle of bodies. Yue had thought that the after-party from two years ago had been insane. This year in Omashu was about to become even wilder.
Azula woke up the following morning with strands of hair stuck in her mouth. She hastily spat out the hair, only then realizing that her face was pressed against an entire cascade of wonderfully soft and flowing white hair. For the briefest of moments, Azula was overcome by panic, but it didn't last long. Unlike after the party in the Fire Fountain City when she had very little recollection of what had happened, Azula remembered literally every moment from the night before, and those memories served to awaken her in an instant, her entire body becoming flush with heat.
Yue stirred next to her, awakened by the way Azula had involuntarily shifted her body. The white-haired girl turned to face her, a smile blossoming on her lips. Azula was still wondering how she was supposed to handle this after what had happened throughout the night, but Yue removed all of Azula's doubts by leaning in and kissing her. Azula found herself returning the kiss in full measure.
"So," the expression on Yue's face was extremely teasing as they separated. "How did you enjoy being the spicy Fire Nation filling in a delicious Water Tribe sandwich?" she asked with a giggle.
Azula groaned. She definitely didn't need the kind of mental images that question whipped up in her vivid imagination. Still, she decided to play it cool and try to embarrass Yue in return. "Oh, I had plenty of fun," Azula smirked. "Besides, I finally got the answer regarding something I had been wondering about you for a while."
"Oh, you have to tell me what the question and the answer were," Yue insisted, looking curious.
Azula leaned closer to whisper in Yue's ear. "The question that intrigued me was… does the carpet match the drapes?" she said with a wicked grin on her face. "And it turns out that they don't match."
Yue gasped in shock, shoving Azula away. The Fire Nation girl rolled onto her back, bumping hard against Katara's side and rousing her girlfriend from her sleep. "What-" Katara looked adorably confused as she reared her head, trying to comprehend what was going on. Azula and Yue both immediately pounced on her. Soon enough, they were once again kissing indiscriminately.
At some point, Yue began to pull away. "Okay, I think that's enough, I feel like I'm really starting to stretch Ty Lee's permission here," she said. "It was supposed to be one night, after all."
"Well, morning is kind of attached to the night, like an extension, right?" Azula tried. "I think you're fine."
"Yes, it would be rude if you just got up and left," Katara nodded in agreement. "This seems fair."
"You two are crazy," Yue chuckled. "All the same, it's probably better to avoid any further temptations. I want you to know that I really enjoyed being with you. You two took such wonderful care of me," she leaned in and kissed Azula first, then repeating the same with Katara. After that, she slipped out of the bed and began to dress, leaving Azula cuddling up to her girlfriend. "Okay, I'll see you two later. Remember that we still have to pack our bags and catch the plane!"
"We still have hours, Yue," Azula grumbled. She hated the reminder about having to return to Ba Sing Se. Azula already knew that the whole tournament in Omashu would go down as one of the most enjoyable experiences in her life, probably second best only to those first few months as Katara's official girlfriend.
"I had so much fun," Katara sighed contently after Yue had left, leaning in to press her lips against Azula's shoulder in a highly distracting manner. She then settled in more comfortably against Azula's side. "But I will probably worry a little if this wasn't, you know… a mistake."
"Why would it be a mistake?" Azula asked. She felt confused. Katara had just said she'd had fun, hadn't she?
"Well, feelings and relationships are complicated," Katara said. "I just hope that nobody gets hurt because of this indiscretion. Or that nobody ends up with the wrong assumptions."
Azula still wasn't entirely sure what Katara meant by that, but she wanted to reassure her girlfriend. She leaned in and tenderly pressed her lips against the top of Katara's head. "I love you, Katara, and I only ever want to be with you," she whispered. "And I think Yue and Ty Lee both know where they stand in their relationships with us. But if you have any doubts, I think you should follow your own advice, Kat. Talk to all of us about whatever concerns you. I think you'll find out that you're worrying over nothing."
"That was… surprisingly reassuring," Katara looked up at Azula, her blue eyes shining with emotion. "I love you so much, Zula," she whispered, leaning in and letting their lips meet. If not for Yue shouting at them afterwards, they would have totally missed their plane.
Next chapter: Okay, I have heard your complaints. This is becoming way too fluffy and naughty. Let's get back to angst, right? So, let's check in with the peanut gallery during the summer to see what's new in their lives.