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Azula and Ty Lee find each other, two years after the war.
Azula has been traveling for about nine months by then; living off a small fortune she’d amassed on her first night out from under Zuko’s lock and key, when she mugged a minor nobleman. It had taken her little to no trouble at all— even with the absence of the sun, her anger towards Zuko and her captivity had coursed through her veins like magma and kept her flames a scorching blue.
That flame was gone now.
Azula wasn’t dimwitted. She was aware that her anger was what fueled her firebending all those years. When she was younger, it had been anger at Zuko and the unfairness of him being firstborn; anger at their mother for loving her less; anger at the rules and restrictions imposed upon her by the palace. When she got older and became more involved in the war, that anger only grew. She had been angry with the entire world then, for not succumbing to what was inevitable anyways; and most of all, she’d been angry with her father and her own desperation to please him. It had been a situation of both power and powerlessness, and it had been what broke Azula after the final Agni Kai. Because it was then that she realized that the war was over, her father usurped by her brother, and Azula was left with no purpose at all. No purpose but despising Zuko, while rotting away in a jail cell. Her first weeks of imprisonment were spent exactly like that: screaming and burning and feeling like she was going to burst out of her skin with madness. But as time passed, Azula calmed down. The realization dawned that this madness did nothing to help her situation. Instead, she started meditating daily and doing breathing exercises, like she had been taught when she was young.
Prison changed Azula. The fourteen year old who had wanted the world and had fought to get it had grown up. She had felt it the night of her escape— though she could still fire bend and scare that poor man to death, her flames felt different. Just like her anger, it had felt fabricated, not genuine, weak. That nobleman hadn’t felt that, of course, and had given Azula enough money to disappear.
Azula hadn’t exactly thought of what she would do once she’d regained her freedom. It had been more the seizing of a rare opportunity than anything planned beforehand. Regardless, her escape meant that Zuko and those other friends of his would come looking, and Azula knew then that she had to leave the Fire Nation and hide for a while.
She traveled to places where no one would ever come looking for her, starting with the Western Air Temple. After that, she traveled through the Fire Nation colonies. The towns she encountered on the way were only for supplies, she never stopped there. The risk of anyone recognizing her, even in the Earth Kingdom, was too high. A couple of months later she arrived in Ba Sing Se, a city where she could hide among thousands of refugees in the lower ring. After having earned her keep in a flower shop for a while under a fake name, Azula left the city and traveled southeast towards the Chameleon Bay, were she found passage towards Gaoling. From there, Azula visited some smaller islands in the south of the Earth Kingdom.
She should have known it was only a matter of time before she would reunite with Ty Lee there. She had known about Ty Lee’s involvement with the Kyoshi Warriors for a while, thanks to the constant stream of letters she’d sent Azula in prison. Apparently, she had gotten close to the warriors during her own time in prison; something Azula knew she herself had been entirely responsible for. Ty Lee wrote about everything. Her new house, the girls, their fighting style, how the stories of Avatar Kyoshi reminded her of Azula and that, despite everything, she missed her. Azula had felt betrayed at first, because how dare her so-called ‘friend’ turn her back on Azula to join a group that had played a significant role in the end of the war— in Azula’s downfall? She had been angry with Ty Lee for a while, calling her a traitor whenever the letters came and cursing the day they had become friends, but eventually the solitude of her prison cell had gotten to her. It was nothing but selfish for Azula to deny the girl to get on with her life. Her sentence was her own, not Ty Lee’s.
***
It rains when the ship arrives at Kyoshi Island. Azula only realizes the name of the island when she arrives in the town itself, where the tall statue of Avatar Kyoshi stands, looking imposing in the pouring rain. Azula freezes as soon as she sees it.
After considering her options, Azula decides to go looking for Ty Lee. The rain is drenching her to the bone and it’s very nearly impossible to set up camp now. Even if she’d still have her firebending, Azula knows that keeping a fire going in this weather would be annoyingly difficult. Besides, camping in the wild as a stranger, on an island filled with warrior women? She’d surely be found out before morning.
Under the watchful eyes of Kyoshi, Azula decides against sneaking around and instead asks a merchant if he knows Ty Lee. He smiles when she mentions Ty Lee’s name and gives her the directions to her house. Azula hasn’t worn Fire Nation style clothing since she arrived in the Earth Kingdom, but after her previous encounters with the Kyoshi Warriors it is highly unlikely that they have forgotten her face, so she heads back towards the shore immediately, where the merchant had said the house was.
Azula feels like she is about to head into battle. The rain whips in her face forcefully and the cold is seeping into her wet clothes, but she just feels warm and slightly sweaty as her heart seems to pound its way out of her chest. Thunder rumbles in the dark clouds above and the thought crosses Azula’s mind that, if she were to be struck by lightning right now, she would not particularly care. The way she is feeling in the face of reuniting with one of her closest friends, who betrayed her but still loves her, is foolish. Azula wipes at the wet strands of hair clinging to her forehead and rights her back. Nervousness, anticipation or even fear, they are all emotions unbecoming of a Fire Nation princess. She grits her teeth as the house appears through the trees.
***
A knock on the door shakes Ty Lee from her reverie. Long shifts mean that she falls asleep at the most unusual of times now. While rubbing her eyes, Ty Lee sits upright on her bed. One glance at the downpour and she shudders, pitying whoever is standing outside of her door right now. While the people of Kyoshi Island are used to this kind of storm, Ty Lee still favors the gentler climate of the Fire Nation. She hurries to the door, a promise of a hot fire and a cup of tea already on her lips, when she opens it and falls silent. Standing there, dripping wet and looking like a drowned cat owl, is Azula. Shock washes over Ty Lee, because Azula is supposed to be locked up, she had sent her a letter only a week before. It takes her no more than a moment to recover, because whatever happened between them, the simplest truth in Ty Lee’s life is and will always be that she and Azula are friends; and friends help friends. That’s why she doesn’t hesitate to curl her fingers around Azula’s shoulders and pull her inside, into a hug.
She feels Azula stiffen and pulls back. “What are you doing here?” she asks. Azula looks as overwhelmed with their reunion as Ty Lee feels and doesn’t answer. “It doesn’t matter anyway,” Ty Lee says as she closes the door and pulls Azula further inside the house, leading her to the hearth. “Come on, you need to warm up. You look like the Unagi threw up on you.” Azula frowns at this and looks away.
“As if I would let such a creature,” she answers, and Ty Lee smiles widely. It seems that despite the lack of correspondence from Azula’s side, the princess still hadn’t lost her snark. Ty Lee is torn between getting her friend some tea and staying at her side, because though the girls on Kyoshi Island were nothing but sweet, she’s always felt a stronger connection to Azula. There are a thousand questions running through her mind, like how did you escape? Why did you come here? Why did Zuko say nothing about your escape? Why did you come here, to me? Instead, she stays uncharacteristically silent, choosing to let Azula pick up the conversation. After staring into the fire for a while, Azula speaks. “Do you remember when we took that trip to Ember Island?”
Ty Lee smiles. “Of course. Destroying that poor Chan’s house was the most fun I’d had in a while,” she says. Azula smirks, probably imagining the fiery wreck they left behind, same as Ty Lee.
Azula’s hair has gotten longer and she wears it down now, though Ty Lee isn’t convinced whether that is Azula’s personal choice or just the unintended consequence of not having servants to do it for her, anymore. Regardless, the pitch black hair reaches halfway down her back, and is dripping water all over Ty Lee’s wooden floor.
“I didn’t mean to laugh, you know,” Azula says, never once moving her gaze from the fire. “When we were at the beach, smoothing over our ‘ragged edges’, and Zuko called you a circus freak.” She sighs. “It was cruel.” Ty Lee’s eyes grow wide at the unspoken apology from the princess, for something she hadn’t even thought about in years. It was possibly the kindest thing Azula had ever said to her.
“It was,” Ty Lee answers, “but I understood. We were all mad about something back then. Letting it all out was probably healthy.”
“Still.” Azula looks at her from over her shoulder, and Ty Lee can’t help but stare back. “You were my friend. I should have been more supportive of you.” That makes Ty Lee laugh a little, because really?
“Azula,” she tells her friend, “you were always supportive of me. Even though it was probably subconsciously. You were actually the reason I joined the circus in the first place, now that I think about it.” Azula looks at her with slightly wide eyes and Ty Lee can’t help but smile at the expression on her friend’s face. “Hold on, let me make you some tea first. I’ll tell you about that later.”
When both girls had a hot cup of tea in their hands, Ty Lee continued where she had left off. “Do you remember what you said to me, after our first day in the Royal Fire Academy for Girls?” Azula shakes her head, quietly. “I remember laying on my bed, crying my eyes out into my pillow, when suddenly the princess of the Fire Nation entered my room,” Ty Lee says with a smile as she looks down at the cup, clutched between her hands. “You told me that we were supposed to be roommates and that I would have to stop crying, since crying was for weaklings. And then you said: ‘forget whoever it is that you’re crying over. I’m going to be your friend, and I won’t tolerate it.’ Even with six sisters, that was the first time in my life I didn’t feel alone.” Ty Lee’s chest feels warm at the memory. “After that, you told me numerous times not to care what anyone thought about me. You taught me that destiny is not something that happens to you, but that it’s something you can forge yourself. That’s why I ran away to the circus, eventually.” Ty Lee falls silent, lost in thought as all the memories from their time at the Academy resurface.
“I remember,” Azula’s voice suddenly cuts through the crackling of the fire. “That first night, but that entire first year, too. People treated me like a god, all trying to get in my good graces.” She frowns. “It was pathetic. You and Mai were the only ones who didn’t care about who my father was, but about how well I could throw a knife or do a handstand, instead.”
Ty Lee smirks. “Right, handstands. That reminds me of those times you used to push me whenever I was better at something than you.” She looks over to find Azula sporting a half-smile, herself.
“Well, of course I couldn’t let myself be outdone by a lowly acrobat,” she drawls. “I had a reputation to uphold, after all.” Ty Lee almost answers that nostalgic sentiment with a memory of her own, but hearing Azula speak about reputation suddenly serves as a harsh reminder of the princess’ current one. The entire Earth Kingdom had heard about Azula’s decent into madness and her subsequent imprisonment. Ty Lee had been worried about her friend, especially when it became apparent that her letters would continue to go unanswered. But here she is, pale and beautiful, sitting regal on Ty Lee’s wooden chair and looking healthy, if a little skinnier than Ty Lee remembers. If Azula notices Ty Lee’s sudden silence, she doesn’t question it. Instead, she seems content with sipping her tea and letting Ty Lee’s eyes roam over her.
“So, I don’t know if you knew, but I had such a big crush on you.” Ty Lee doesn’t know what possesses her to speak those words, words she has kept to herself for years, in this moment. Maybe it’s the realization that Azula has changed, something which has been quietly confirmed to her from the moment Azula set foot into her house, and apologized. Maybe it’s her newfound confidence, which she had found here, on Kyoshi Island. Maybe, most likely, it’s sitting in front of a warm fire with the person she feels closest to, the soothing scent of jasmine tea and words of nostalgia comforting her senses, making her let her guard down. But most definitely, it’s the recognition that Azula doesn’t scare her anymore. For all the confusion her feelings had caused her when they were fourteen, they were straightforward now, and Ty Lee feels the distinct need to be nothing but completely honest with Azula.
“Are you serious?” Azula asks, looking at her like this could be a very elaborate joke, as if Ty Lee would do something so spiteful. Ty Lee supposes it’s not that strange to think like that, when Azula has never shied away from hurtful actions like that herself, before.
“Yeah. I’ve had a crush on you since we left the academy, you seriously never noticed?” Ty Lee says, not at all shy about admitting it. A slight blush appears on Azula’s cheeks and she avoids Ty Lee’s gaze as she answers.
“I did... I suppose I did notice. But I always assumed your affection for me stemmed from either fear, or admiration for the crown, as it did with everyone else.” Azula frowns and Ty Lee shifts a little closer to her. “It certainly never crossed my mind that it could be serious.”
“Well,” Ty Lee starts, looking outside where the pouring rain had transformed in a light drizzle, “all that never meant much to me. What I’ve always admired you for is your strength, you know? And not just in firebending, but in everything you do.” Azula huffs when her bending is mentioned.
“Then your admiration is a thing of the past, like my bending,” she mutters bitterly. “My fire has completely disappeared.”
“What?” Ty Lee exclaims, shocked. The blue flames had been a part of Azula for longer than Ty Lee had even known the princess, to think that she could not conjure them up now, without the slightest effort like she used to, was unbelievable. “How is that even possible?”
Azula stays mute for some time and Ty Lee is ready to drop the subject, when she finally speaks. “It’s not that I can’t bend anymore, necessarily. It’s that my inner flame has fiddled out. It used to be fed by my anger.” A deep sigh escapes the princess. “But I’m not angry anymore. If anything, I’m tired.”
Ty Lee takes her friend’s hands in her own. She can’t imagine what it’s like, to lose something so integral to her identity. She hopes that the touch provides some form of comfort for her friend. Despite losing her fire, Azula’s skin is still as pleasantly warm as Ty Lee remembers it. “Well, it is late. Let’s sleep,” she says, before the implications of those words fully catch up to her and her face grows warm. “I mean—! You can take my bed, I’ll sleep on the floor.” Azula looks at her with a gaze Ty Lee can’t decipher.
“That’s alright, Ty Lee,” she says, “it’s your bed. We can share.” Azula stands up and enters Ty Lee’s bedroom, but it takes Ty Lee herself a second to follow. This is yet another definitive sign that Azula has changed in the last two years. The Azula that had conquered Ba Sing Se wouldn’t have thought twice about taking her bed; she’d have thought it her right as princess of the Fire Nation. The thought of sharing would have been preposterous to her. This Azula reminded her of the one she knew when they had first met, before Ty Lee had left everything behind to join the circus and Azula had grown rigid and unyielding in the war.
A small, content smile settles on Ty Lee’s face as she follows Azula to her room. This feels like old times, when she and Azula shared not only a room, but stories and secrets too; and the only thing Ty Lee was afraid of was her arithmetic class in the morning.
***
Azula stays with Ty Lee indefinitely after that night. She has nowhere else to be, nowhere else she wants to be, and it is no exaggeration that Ty Lee is the person she likes best, out of everybody else in the world. Besides, Ty Lee seems to revel in her reappearance in her life. Everything Azula used to read in letters delivered to her dirty cell, she now gets to hear at a table, while eating dinner with her best friend.
Ty Lee tells her about the old man Benji, who Azula learns is the merchant who helped her find Ty Lee, and his daughter, who wanted to join the Kyoshi Warriors. Apparently, she’d taken the girl under her wing and had been teaching her some chi blocking, too. She tells Azula about the fire lilies she’d found on the north side of the island, just days away from blooming. She recounts the story of how Avatar Kyoshi took down a shark squid using only one hand. She tells her about swimming with the Elephant Koi, doing acrobatics with the little village kids, playing pranks on the other Kyoshi Warriors with her best friend among them, a girl called Hikari. Azula tells herself that the hurt that shoots through her chest at Ty Lee mentioning a friend that isn’t her is just a figment of her imagination.
After their first dinner together like this, Azula imagines herself growing tired with the constant stream of stories, but it never happens. If anything, the stories provide Azula with some sorely needed entertainment, since the risk of being seen by the other warriors confines Azula to the house. She does go outside occasionally, but never long and never far.
Most of her time outside is spent training. Despite losing her bending, Azula still feels a need to maintain her form and strength. She kicks trees until her shins bleed, punches the bark until her knuckles are littered with splinters. Ty Lee never asks about the wounds or tells her to be less hard on herself. Instead, she binds Azula’s hands and tells her about Benji’s daughter’s advancements in chi blocking.
As they fall into an easy domestic rhythm, Azula starts to notice the slight differences about Ty Lee that have developed in the two years they have spent apart. For one, Ty Lee has gained height on her. Azula used to be the tall one; a fact that she didn’t necessarily take pride in, but which had pleased her nonetheless. Now, she has to look up slightly in order to meet Ty Lee’s eyes. Another is that Ty Lee acts a lot more grown-up now. No more walking on her hands and doing cartwheels or somersaults just because she can, no more childlike obliviousness. Instead, Ty Lee makes her dinner and leaves to train and patrol, which makes Azula feel a little like a child. It’s like their roles are reversed completely.
Despite these changes, Azula finds that some things are still the same. Ty Lee still giggles when she gossips about the other Kyoshi Warriors, like she used to do when the gossip was about their fellow classmates. She is still prone to hugging, especially when she leaves Azula to do her duties as a Kyoshi Warrior. Their unusual back-and-forth dynamic is still somewhat there, too. Two years ago, the way it worked was that when Azula would ask for something, Ty Lee would give it to her. If she refused, Azula would threaten and Ty Lee would give it to her anyway. Now, instead of manipulating, threatening and hurting, Azula does something nice. She cleans the house, or sneaks away to the market and gets Ty Lee books on superficial romances. Things Ty Lee will like.
Azula feels that this is the way it was always supposed to be. She doesn’t feel anger anymore; only contentment and even happiness, at times. She feels calm in the way she imagines Zuko has felt ever since she lost to him.
Weeks pass and Azula can feel herself continuously growing closer to Ty Lee. They still sleep together, like they had done that first night. Azula makes Ty Lee tea and sweets when she gets a cold. Ty Lee plays Pai Sho with Azula when she catches it, too. The idea that victory heals more quickly than any medicine is one thing from her old life Azula has not yet abandoned. Little by little, Azula starts to forget that she was ever a princess, born to rule, destined for greatness. There is only herself, Ty Lee, and their tiny house on the shore.
***
Ty Lee is feeling really happy. It might have something to do with the sun, breaking through the clouds and warming her all the way from the crown of her head to her toes, or the flowers and trees that are all starting to bloom now that summer is around the corner. Ty Lee smiles. Spring on the island is nice, but the reason for her current state of mind has to be Azula. This morning, before she left to train, Azula had made them breakfast. It was nothing out of the ordinary, really. They had talked a little about the news of Zuko’s politics back home, a little about Ty Lee’s training and a lot about how silly the latest book Azula had bought for her is.
Her relationship with Azula is easy and nice, but despite all the mending they had done since Azula returned, Ty Lee feels like there’s something missing. Sometimes, at night, the urge to curl herself around Azula’s back almost overtakes her and she has to force herself to lie still on her back, completely unmoving. Ty Lee knows what this is. The way she had felt when they were fourteen was an infatuation. This is something much stronger.
The sharp scent of Azula’s traditional Fire Nation cooking greets her when Ty Lee approaches the house and she smiles.
“I love it when it’s your turn to make dinner,” she says as she enters the kitchen. Azula turns around from the grill and greets her with an easy smile.
“Who would’ve thought a princess could become so proficient in the art of cooking,” she jokes. Ty Lee grins. She puts down the bag that contains her uniform and sits down at the table, leaning her chin on her hands, content to just look at Azula for a while.
Sometimes, in moments like these, Ty Lee thinks about how much things have changed, how much Azula has changed. It always brings a smile to her face because she’s so proud of her friend, but also because she gets this Azula all to herself and it feels like she’s the luckiest girl in all the four nations. Ty Lee, being in a good mood all day, decides to share that thought with Azula.
“I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” she says with a satisfied grin.
“And why is that?” Azula casually asks as she keeps her eyes on the food.
“Because I have you, of course!” Ty Lee says. “Living with a princess who cooks me Fire Nation food, makes me tea, brings me books I love… And who can still kick my butt if needed.” Azula looks at her from over her shoulder. There is something in her eyes that Ty Lee can’t really place.
“You’re right,” she answers, turning back to the food with a smirk. “Perhaps I do a little too much for you.” Ty Lee rolls her eyes and stands up, rapidly moving across the room to hug Azula from behind. Instead of flinching like she used to do in the first few weeks, Azula simply relaxes into Ty Lee’s hold now.
“Noooo,” Ty Lee murmurs into Azula’s shoulder, “you do just enough. Promise. Please don’t stop bringing me books. You always pick the good ones.”
“I bring you the most sappy love stories I can find. That’s not what I would consider ‘good’ literature.”
“No need to act like that around me, Azula. I know you love a good romance.” Ty Lee releases her hold on Azula and goes back to sit at the table. “I remember from school. You always kept that copy of the story of Oma and Shu under your pillow.” Azula places the komodo chicken from the grill on a plate and carries it with the rest of the food over to the table, before sitting down next to Ty Lee.
“Well, they were star-crossed lovers,” Azula says. “And their romance resulted in the creation of one of the greatest cities in the Earth Kingdom. That’s not something the prince of Bear Island ever managed.”
“You read that one?” Ty Lee asks, genuinely surprised. Azula’s cheeks redden ever so slightly.
“It does get a little boring when you are out hiking with the fan girls all day.” Ty Lee grins and scoots a little closer to Azula, nudging their shoulders together.
“I ought to ask Suki for a vacation,” Ty Lee says. “I am away a lot. We could take the opportunity to spend some quality time together. Maybe we could visit one of the poles!”
“You wouldn’t like it,” Azula answers. “It doesn’t ever get warm there. We should visit the Western Air Temple instead. I spent some time hiding out there when I first escaped from prison. It’s abandoned, but in near perfect state.” Ty Lee smiles at the thought of herself and Azula, just them, far away from the rest of the world. She sighs and sags against Azula.
“That would be nice. Just you and me.”
“Just you and me,” Azula repeats. They continue eating in silence, still sitting so close to each other that their thighs touch, and whenever Ty Lee gets a little too enthusiastic about the food Azula made their shoulders bump into each other. Ty Lee is never this clumsy around anyone else and she knows what is causing it. The problem is that she has no idea what to do about it.
***
A month later, summer has finally descended upon Kyoshi Island. Children and adults alike are enjoying the sun and the heat that it brings, splashing around in the bay. Azula’s new past time has become meditating in the sun, occasionally taking a moment to open her eyes and observe the islanders in their natural habitat. The sun is relentless and it reminds Azula of home, as well as supplying her with a kind of raw energy she cannot help but associate with her lost bending. It’s making her restless.
The vacation she and Ty Lee had discussed has become a reality, and they are set to leave for the Western Air Temple in two days. Azula is glad; she needs to be away from Kyoshi Island. Spending days cooped up inside is not doing any good for either of them. She knows that Ty Lee needs this, too. Following daily routines has never been her strong suit. It’s part of why she ran away to the circus, Azula knows.
When Ty Lee comes home from her last patrol, Azula has their things ready for their trip. They leave on the first boat to the mainland in the morning, in order to not draw too much attention to themselves. From there, they find passage on another ship that takes them to Republic City in the world’s newest nation, the United Republic. Azula knows it’s a risk, with how often they’d get news of the Avatar or even the Fire Lord investing time and efforts into the new city and state. Azula has never been the type of person to let any of that stop her, though; and neither is Ty Lee. They stay in the city for one night, in a dusty hotel near the harbor, before buying two ostrich horses with some of the money Ty Lee saved up and continuing onwards to the Western Air Temple. After riding for the entire second day, they pass a farmer’s cottage where Azula asks the man to take care of their animals, giving him enough money to last him at least a month. They travel the last hour or so by foot.
It’s almost nightfall when Azula and Ty Lee finally reach the temple. It’s getting dark and the moonlight is obstructed by clouds when they stand at the edge of a cliff, looking down into the fog, into the seemingly nothingness. Azula is tying a rope around a lonely moon peach tree, pulling at it slightly, testing how it holds her weight, when Ty Lee speaks.
“Are you sure this is where we are supposed to go down?” She says, while peering over the edge curiously. “I can’t see anything through this fog.”
“This is one of the better hidden Air Temples,” Azula answers. “The fog, the cliff, it’s all by design. It’s no coincidence that Zuko, the Avatar and myself all had the sense to hide out here, at some point.”
“Right,” Ty Lee says, not appearing convinced. “Well, as long as you go first. You know, because you’ve been here before.” Azula rolls her eyes.
“Of course, Ty Lee.”
The temple is unchanged. After Ty Lee is done gaping at the ancient Air Nomad statues, carvings and murals, as well as the upside-down buildings that stretch as far as the eye can see through the mist, they put their bags and supplies in one of the old sleeping quarters.
“Everything here is so beautiful, I can’t wait to go exploring tomorrow!” Ty Lee says excitedly, once they get a fire going. She’s still admiring the fountain from where they are sitting together in the twilight. There is a slight breeze, but it’s warmer here than it was on Kyoshi Island and Azula basks in it. She’s missed the heat.
“I happen to know of a giant Pai Sho table in one of the buildings we passed on the way here,” Azula remarks, not really focusing on anything other than Ty Lee’s reaction: which, as she predicted, is jumping up and wearing that grin Azula knows spells trouble.
“That’s great! Azula, this place is so amazing,” she says. Azula smiles and leans back on her hands.
“Tell me again when you see the echo chamber.”
***
“We should have come here ages ago,” Ty Lee sighs. The sun is rising on their third morning at the temple. Apart from the waterfall rushing down, it’s serenely quiet.
“I have to admit, this stuffy place is much more bearable with adequate company,” Azula murmurs into her cup of tea. Ty Lee gives her a look.
“Adequate?” Azula just narrows her eyes at her in reply and Ty Lee smirks.
The past two days have been spent exploring the temple, something Azula apparently hadn’t really bothered to do her first time around. They’ve found all sorts of places, ranging from the ancient bison stables to abandoned kitchens with large stone ovens, and a gigantic hall of statues. Some of the halls are lined with depictions of Air Nomads practicing techniques, others contain depictions of what used to be everyday life at the temple. Ty Lee had traced the ancient drawings carefully, the ink rough below her fingertips, her touch featherlight as to keep them intact. Azula had been trailing behind most of the time, letting Ty Lee set their course through the buildings. She had feigned disinterest except for when she thought Ty Lee wasn’t looking, and apart from when they found a library on the second day, too. They had brought some of the books they’d found back with them that evening and Ty Lee had already known then that their next morning would be spent reading and doing absolutely nothing. So far, she’s right.
“So, did you figure out which one you want to read, yet?” She asks Azula, while petting the stack that’s sitting next to them.
“Not yet,” Azula answers, setting down her tea and picking up the first one on the pile. “But I want to read all of them. Perhaps we can even take some back with us.” She places the book back after reading the cover and smirks at Ty Lee. “That way I won’t have to be entertained with sickly sweet romances any longer.”
“Azula, I thought we agreed on this,” Ty Lee says, dramatically leaning over to fold her arms around Azula, hugging her close and pressing her nose in the other girl’s neck. “You’re a big softie.” Immediately, she feels Azula straighten her back, almost imperceptibly so. Ty Lee pulls back to observe Azula’s face, which has been pulled back into a serious frown.
“I am the princess of the Fire Nation, the strongest fire bender of my generation, the rightful ruler of the Fire Nation and her colonies… And you call me a ‘softie’?” Azula directs her gaze to Ty Lee, who gulps. Azula’s golden eyes are burning with that same passion that had ended up nearly consuming her, and it’s almost frightening to see.
The moment is shattered when Azula grins and decides to retaliate by turning on Ty Lee and tickling her sides mercilessly. Ty Lee is on her back now, laughing so hard she’s crying and she’s actually really ticklish, so she wastes no time in pushing Azula back before rolling backwards, jumping up and running away.
Azula, of course, chases her. They run carelessly through the halls they had so carefully inspected only a day before, entering rooms that lead to other rooms and climbing up and jumping off the multiple cloves that are carved into the side of the cliff. At one point, Ty Lee’s lead on Azula has become substantial enough that she takes the opportunity to climb up and hide behind the head of one of the gigantic Air Nomad statues that litter the temple. Just as she reaches the head and ducks behind it, Azula reaches the place. Ty Lee doesn’t think she’s been seen after she hears Azula walk around for a while, when suddenly a voice whispers in her ear.
“Found you.” Ty Lee sighs as she sags against the cool stone, looking over her shoulder to find Azula crouched there, looking smug.
“Okay, you win,” Ty Lee says. “Would you like a prize, all powerful princess Azula?” Azula looks at her with an expression Ty Lee can’t quite decipher before she answers.
“Yes. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to collect.” Azula grins at her again and jumps down from the statue. Ty Lee quickly follows and together they walk back through the ancient halls.
That evening, an hour or so before sunset, Ty Lee is keeping busy stirring a pot. It’s a soup made with some leftover mushrooms, vegetables and meat, but it smells nice enough. She doesn’t look up when Azula sits down next to her.
“Ty Lee, I wanted to ask you something,” Azula says stiffly, not unlike the way she spoke when they hadn’t seen each other for two years. Ty Lee looks up from the soup.
“Sure,” she answers, “what’s on your mind?” Azula shifts her weight and doesn’t meet Ty Lee’s eyes, so Ty Lee abandons her cooking for a moment to focus all of her attention on the princess.
“I need you to be completely honest with me,” Azula says, “because I’m not going to ask you this again. So, don’t lie.”
“Of course not,” Ty Lee answers. She’s a bit lost as to what exactly Azula is so serious about, all of a sudden. Azula takes a deep breath, as if to prepare herself for what’s coming next.
“You told me once that you used to have a crush on me. I was curious… To see if that was still the case,” Azula says, almost solemnly. She still doesn’t meet Ty Lee’s gaze.
“Well, if you want me to be honest with you, I’ll tell you,” Ty Lee says. She can already feel her cheeks burning up. This was going to become very awkward, very fast; but when has she ever been able to refuse a request from Azula? Ty Lee takes a deep breath and releases it, readying herself for whatever comes after this. “Do I still have a crush on you? Uh…” Ty Lee swallows once, but it doesn’t help the lump in her throat. “…I do, actually. Ever since you moved in with me.”
That’s it. She has spoken the words and there is no way back. Not wanting to see the disapproval or pity that is undoubtedly on Azula’s face, Ty Lee immediately turns back to the pot, directing all of her attention to stirring the soup.
“Okay,” she hears Azula say. “In that case, I’m ready to receive my price.”
“Huh?” Ty Lee answers as she turns back, unshed tears resting in the corners of her eyes. What did all of this have to do with their chase this morning? Before she can think to ask, Azula leans forward and presses their lips together.
Oh.
Ty Lee wastes no time and kisses Azula back fervently. Her hand comes up to cup Azula’s face, to keep her close, and she feels Azula’s arm curl around her back. Another hand comes to rest on her thigh and Ty Lee can feel her face flushing red once again.
The kiss is amazing and soft and Ty Lee never wants it to end. Azula is warm, pressed up against her and their lips move together in a way that almost feels familiar, like it is the endpoint of a road they’d started on years ago. When they finally break apart, neither of the girls move away. Ty Lee smiles as she looks into Azula’s eyes, that seem to shine in the light of the setting sun. Quickly, Ty Lee steals another kiss from the princess before she goes back to stirring the pot.
Neither of them say anything for a while as they eat their dinner, pressed up against each other. The temple is still as quiet and serene as it was that morning, but Ty Lee feels like the entire world has changed. Something has shifted and it finally feels like everything is how it’s supposed to be, now. When she looks over to Azula, who is slouched against Ty Lee’s side and is looking more relaxed than Ty Lee has ever seen her, she knows it’s true for the princess, too.
“Is it bad that I never want to go back to Kyoshi now?” Ty Lee says, shattering the serenity of the evening, because just now the thought crossed her mind and she is already feeling guilty about it.
“Not at all,” Azula answers. “Just because you’ve taught them chi blocking and walked around their little island a couple of times doesn’t mean you’re indebted to them.” Ty Lee smiles, because that’s simply such an Azula thing to say.
“I should write to Suki, though,” Ty Lee muses. “Give her a reason for why I’m not coming back, make it so she doesn’t come looking.” She meets Azula’s gaze and smirks. “Last thing I want is for her to interrupt when she catches us kissing.” Ty Lee pecks Azula on the lips, as to support her reasoning. “She might faint on the spot.”
“She can interfere and faint all she wants,” Azula murmurs against Ty Lee’s lips, “I’m not letting that stop me.” Ty Lee giggles and before she knows it, they’re kissing again.
At this rate, they’ll probably never leave the temple. Ty Lee doesn’t particularly care about that when she has all she needs right here: a bed, food, a library filled with books, a kettle and a giant Pai Sho board for when either of them gets sick and more importantly, she has Azula, now. The crush Ty Lee had harbored when they were fourteen would never have worked out, Ty Lee knows. They were both too preoccupied with the war, their destiny and their future to live in the moment. All that has changed, though. Azula is better now and Ty Lee is, too, and there is no longer anything left in the world that is capable of separating them.