Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the musical The Music Man by Meredith Willson.

Author's Note: Ty Lee strikes me as the kind of person who'd have a lot of crushes, so this story was born. And in case you weren't aware, this is from the movie version, but I like it better than the original "My White Knight."

Being in Love

Being in love used to be my favorite dream, oh yes.
I've been in love more than anybody else has, I'd guess.

My first love heroically ran the streetcar;
I tingled at every 'clang-clang.'

Ty Lee was finding herself with a lot of time on her hands these days. Mai was exceedingly bored, but that was normal. Azula was always off managing the Dai Li or some such thing. Now that Ba Sing Se was under Fire Nation control, there wasn't much for an acrobat to do. She didn't even have the bear to play with anymore.

So Ty Lee found herself reviewing her life. Not being a terribly deep person, she thought about the crushes she'd had over the years. The first one she could recall was her parents' driver. She would ask him to take her out even when she had nowhere to go. She enjoyed observing his profile as they traveled.

Next, I fell for the principal,
But oh, that teacher who sang
'In the Gloaming.'

When Ty Lee got a little older, there was that dashing lieutenant from the army. He'd mysteriously been shipped off to the Earth Kingdom after somebody blabbed that she liked him. Not long after that, Ty Lee herself was sent off to the academy.

If her parents thought that the academy would keep Ty Lee out of this kind of trouble, though, they were dead wrong. She happened to find Mai's weapons instructor very attractive. Fortunately for her family, she also found him too intimidating to approach.

Knee deep in love, what a lovely dream, and yet, somehow,
Knee deep in love's only half of what I'm longing for now.
I still love my being in love with someone,
But tell me, why couldn't there be
Somebody being in love with me?

Finally, it had been her infatuation with a trapeze artist that convinced Ty Lee to run off and join the circus. Once there, her interest faded away, especially after catching him with the beast tamer…another man! That was certainly an eye-opener.

Still, Ty Lee enjoyed the circus life and decided to stay. At least, until Azula had come and drafted her for a new mission. Now, Ty Lee was a little older and wiser, and she couldn't help but wonder…had anyone ever had a crush on her?

All I want is a plain man.
All I want is a modest man.
A quiet man, a gentle man,
A straightforward and honest man
To sit with me in a cottage somewhere
In the state of Iowa.

Ty Lee regarded herself critically in a mirror. She was certainly pretty; there was no doubt about that. She was also flexible, cheerful, and of a noble family. Maybe she wasn't very bright, but men usually preferred that, didn't they? So what was wrong with her?

Ty Lee's thoughts turned to a certain cute young man she had recently met, the current object of her affection. Just thinking of the way his pale blue eyes contrasted with his exotically dark skin, she got butterflies in her stomach. Of course, they were on opposite sides of the war, but it didn't necessarily always have to be that way. Trying to look at things objectively, she knew that, as a friend of the Avatar, it wasn't likely he would change to her side. What if she switched sides instead?

And I would like him to be
More interested in me than he is in himself,
And more interested in us than in me.
And if occasionally he'd ponder
What makes Shakespeare and Beethoven great,
Him I could love 'til I die.
Him I could love 'til I die.

Leave Azula? The thought was both frightening and exciting. Ty Lee was scared of Azula, to be sure, and with good reason. On the other hand, if she had the protection of the Avatar and his friends, there would be less to be concerned about. She could help them, too; she knew it. Unless Azula had succeeded in killing the Avatar. Ty Lee bit her lip nervously. That would definitely be a problem for her.

Ty Lee didn't really have anyone to talk to about these things. Azula had never demonstrated interest in boys beyond what use they could be to her, and Mai only ever had eyes for one boy. As far as Ty Lee knew, that interest persisted to this day. Ty Lee's desires these days were simple. She just wanted an ordinary man who would like her for who she was. Was that so much to ask?

Being in love, what a lovely dream, and yet, somehow,
Being in love's only half of what I'm longing for now.
And so then, tonight I'll be in there dreaming
And hoping that someday there'll be – just once!
Somebody being in love with me.

Sighing, Ty Lee decided that she couldn't take the chance of trying to join the Avatar's companions right now. She would have to bide her time until she found out exactly what was going on.

Besides, this crush might fade just like all the others. Maybe as soon as tomorrow, someone would come along who seemed attracted to her, and she could shift her affections accordingly. She would just have to wait a little longer. Pasting a bright smile across her face, she left her room, wondering what today might bring her.

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Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129, Avatarwolf, Strix Moonwing, MormonMaiden, libowiekitty, Snows Of Yester-Year, and honorary member SnakeEyes16.

Author's Note: I do feel a little sorry for Ty Lee, and there's a lot of her past life we don't know about, so this was fun to write. It's really my first character study of her.

Review responses:

frozenheat: Yeah, the alerts being down is what I'm chalking up my lack of reviews on the last chapter to. Glad you liked it, though.

Kimbalynn616: I'm glad you liked my idea for the last song. The alerts were down for about five days, but I hope you got notified about this one.

TTAvatarfan: Yes, it was during Serpent's Pass, and yes, I mentioned that in the author's note.

Snows Of Yester-Year: Yes, you're in the club now! Just add the Boomeraang Squad line to anything new you post.