Set: #4
Week 8: Neptune (Intuition, dreams, illusions, spirituality)
Genres: Drama, Romance
Rating: K
Setting: Fire Nation Royal Palace (post-comics)
Neptune
Intuition, dreams, illusions, spirituality
Ty Lee had a secret…
…a secret that was a spirits-damned mess.
"17!" Suki shouted, throwing a stack of parchment onto the floor. "Can you believe it?! He's mentioned her in his last 17 letters!" She flopped onto her mattress and sighed.
This was going to be a long talk, but Ty Lee was used to that at this point. Ever since the end of the war, Ty Lee had been with Suki through all the ups and downs in her relationship with Sokka. Lately, there had been way more downs than ups.
"What am I supposed to make of this?! What is he trying to tell me?!"
It was hard to listen to her. Not because Ty Lee was tired of hearing Suki complain, but because the story was always the same. Sokka didn't make enough time for her. In all fairness, Suki didn't really go out of her way to make time for him either. The long distance was just hard. They both lived independent lives, and for as much as they communicated through letters, they had very little to say.
"I'm not a jealous person, you know I'm not a jealous person, so then why do I feel like I'm competing with Azula of all people! The girl who threw me in the Boiling Rock! I mean, ugh, the level of disrespect!"
Things didn't really start going downhill until Azula joined the United Republic Council. At first, Azula's return had reignited somewhat of a spark between Suki and Sokka, as they got to bond over how insane it was for Zuko to trust her again and put her in a position of power, how they were both extremely wary of her and ready to put her in her place if she ever acted out of line. But as time went on and Sokka got to work more closely with Azula, his attitude about her changed. She went from domineering to brilliant. She went from stern to fun. She went from foe to frenemy to friend.
"What do you think, Ty?" she exhaled, resting her head on Ty Lee's shoulder. "Do you think he has a crush on her or something?" She laughed. "That would be ridiculous, right?"
"I… actually don't think it's that ridiculous."
"What, are you serious?"
"I don't think it's crazy to fall for someone you work with."
Ty Lee had a secret…
"Just think about it. All that time spent together. The shared workplace annoyances, the late nights, the inside jokes…"
…maybe she had said too much. Maybe now Suki would realize the depth of Ty Lee's admiration for her. Maybe she had just ruined everything. Maybe Suki wouldn't even want to be her friend anymore…
Suki was quiet, shifting a little. "Being there for each other time and time again…"
"Yes, exactly."
"Well, when you put it that way, I guess it wouldn't be that crazy after all."
…or maybe, maybe somewhere deep down, Suki felt the same way. A girl could dream.