Cruel
Mai goes to school with Azula.
Ty Lee wishes it were easier to hate somebody. Mai does not deserve the ire of Ty Lee at all. It would be cruel to hate her for no reason other than being Azula's friend, because Mai is kind of Ty Lee's friend too.
Mai is as nice to Ty Lee as she was to other people. That is not very much, since Mai is an extremely cold person. They have hugged once or twice even though Mai hates hugging.
Ty Lee always wanted friends, and she still does. She wants a thousand of them because they make her feel special, wanted and normal.
So, it hurts that Mai and Azula go to school to be around other people and bond with each other.
She wishes she did not hate that so much.
Falling
Ty Lee never thought it was possible to fall asleep in someone's arms. Sitting down on the floor, beneath the sun pouring through the window. Ty Lee has her back on the wall and Azula's back against her. Princess Azula falls asleep on her shoulder.
That, Ty Lee can hardly believe.
She is just a slave. The princess cannot possibly trust her so deeply when she is just a toy. Maybe she is a comforting doll to a growing young woman.
Will Azula outgrow her?
Will Azula begin falling out of fascination?
Ty Lee has never been so scared of something in her life.
Lightning
Azula's father tries to teach her to bend lightning.
She is so tired. He has not let her sleep or sit down or take a moment away.
"You need to be focused," growls Ozai and Azula nods.
"But…" she whispers, "I don't think I can be focused when I'm so tired. Please let me just rest and I'll do much better."
Ozai glares at her and she feels infinitesimally tiny and weak. She meets his eyes and then looks away. Her father's eyes speak for themselves; she is not going to be allowed off of her feet until she is successful.
Azula does not manage on her first two sleepless days.
He releases her.
She sits beside her slave girl. Ty Lee rubs her shoulders, as if that will let her sleep or rest. She needs to succeed. Ozai will despise her if she does not.
"I believe you can do anything. You're amazing," Ty Lee whispers in Azula's ear. "You're so amazing."
Azula does not answer.
Romance
"Your slave girl is very beautiful," Ozai says and Azula cocks her head to the side. She does not understand the comment. "I can see something between you two and I certainly don't blame you. I would."
Azula sits down, even though she is training and he usually does not let her rest until they are done. She has to be his flawless weapon at all costs, including the loss of her childhood.
"She's not even a friend. She's a living doll," Azula says, clasping her hands on her lap. "I would not think of her in a romantic way ever."
"That's a lie, even if you believe it," replies Ozai. "I don't want you involved in some romance when you have more important things to do. Stay away from her unless you want me to get rid of her, or, worse, give her to someone else."
Azula nods.
"I was never planning on getting close," she says.
He again does not believe her, even if she believes herself.
Storm
It happens during a storm. Caldera is notorious for them in summer.
Ty Lee sits with Azula in their often shared bed. She always has trouble sleeping during storms. They make her tense for one reason or another.
"I am not tired," Azula says, sitting up beside Ty Lee. "And I assume you are afraid of lightning."
"Not… not a lot. Just a little," Ty Lee says, nodding hard and fast.
Azula sits back and watches Ty Lee twitch nervously. She lies there calmly for a few moments before she decides to do something stupid and impulsive.
She kisses Ty Lee.
Ty Lee is completely unprepared for it. You would think that after all of the hours of being with Azula—growing up beside her, watching her talk, laugh, frown, smirk—she would know all there was to know about her owner's lips. But Ty Lee never could have imagined how warm they feel pressed against hers. Azula feels like fire and tastes like perfect. Perfect never was a taste to Ty Lee before this moment, but now it certainly is. She thought after watching Azula bend for so long, she would know every motion of her hands, but she does not know this one.
Azula presses them into Ty Lee's back, and they kiss each other harder.
They break free. They do not have sex or make-out or look each other in the eye.
They both just pretend to go to sleep.
Dreams
In the morning, Ty Lee thinks she has just woken from a dream. She remembers a kiss that could never happen in reality. Ty Lee has wanted Azula for so very long. She cannot even remember when she first fell in love with the princess.
If it is real, she thinks her reality might be more beautiful and strange than her dreams.
Azula wakes up and kisses her again.
Yes. This is what dreams are made of.
Observant
Ty Lee watches Azula every day. She watches her every move and her every breath. While she has always done it, her gaze has changed. When they were young, she was just fascinated by how Azula glowed like the sun, as if she was woven from starlight and her blood was composed of sunbeams.
Now, Ty Lee does not see those poetic visions anymore.
She sees the heave of the princess's chest. She sees the way her teeth touch her lips when she focuses on her training. She sees the motion of her legs with every step she takes.
Ty Lee observes what she should not.
She has no clue that Azula is watching her too, and seeing the exact same things.
