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It all started on a very ominous Sunday morning.
The very thought of it sends shivers down Azula's spine.
In actuality, Azula liked that morning. It wasn't too sunny; the painful heat emanating from the sun was nowhere to be found and it only emitted rays which blessed her skin with blissful warmth. It also didn't hurt that the breeze was of a beautiful quality. It was one of those moments where the very state of nature affected the way you think, as if it showed you a nostalgic caricature of memories that you never even had in the first place. Days like this made Azula sigh in relaxation.
She and Ty Lee were relaxing under the large Willow tree by the turtleduck pond in the palace's garden. Her head was laying on Ty Lee's lap, who was leaning her back on the tree as she caressed Azula's hair lovingly. Azula had her eyes closed in courtesy of the peace and tranquility that she felt.
Azula still can't believe that Ty Lee was still right there by her side after all those years. She was so lucky, and she knows that. She was so glad that Ty Lee stayed, and she hoped that it would last until eternity. And now, a few years later, some of the Gaang already have families of their own, and the two of them are still going strong. They were family.
She was so lucky that the girl didn't even think twice about giving up on her. Sometimes, she still hated herself. Of course, that ounce of hatred that was so deeply rooted in her won't just vanish in a matter of minutes in surrender to the hugs and kisses and all the support that she has received. It will take a while for her to completely heal.
But that was a conversation for another day, because this time, right in this moment, Azula felt relaxed and happy; two of the many feelings which fill her chest whenever she's close to the acrobat. In a world full of uncertainties, Azula knew that Ty Lee loved her. The girl showed it to her every single day. And if there was one thing Azula would want to shout at the top of her lungs, it would be that she loves Ty Lee with all of her heart.
"'Zula, do you ever feel lonely?"
Azula's eyes quickly snapped open. She sat up in alarm, facing the acrobat. Ever since.. well, everything that happened, she was now hyper-aware of each and every thing that she does in fear of hurting other people's feelings. Especially her girlfriend's.
"Why? Do you feel lonely? Did I- did I do something wrong?" Azula looked at Ty Lee, fear and concern evident in her eyes.
The acrobat chuckled softly and wrapped her arms around Azula's shoulders. She pulled the firebender close to her chest, hugging her.
"No, silly. You didn't do anything wrong." She planted a kiss on Azula's forehead, feeling the girl relax under her touch.
"Then what is it?"
She hesitated to answer. She played with the hair on the nape of Azula's neck in a pathetic attempt to stall, but she shrieked when she felt Azula poke her on the side of her stomach, slapping the girl's hand in response.
"Well, like something is missing. It's not you, of course. You know I love you. Maybe I just... want to take care of someone? I don't know."
"Then you can take care of me." Azula replied with a smirk, laying her hands on Ty Lee's waist as she pulls the girl closer to her body.
"I know you're a big baby, but I can't explain it. Like there's a void in my heart.."
"Hey! I'm not a big baby!" Azula pulled away from the hug, pouting at Ty Lee.
"Yes you are."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Ye-"
"Lee, you know I could this all day, right?"
"Yes, and now I'm regretting it."
Azula laughs. She kisses Ty Lee's nose.
"What do you want, baby? I'll get it for you."
And Ty Lee melts.
Ty Lee melts at Azula's adorable laugh. She melts at the kiss. She melts at her use of the pet name. The whole 'Azula uses pet names' thing is still a secret to everyone but Ty Lee, because Azula swore that if the acrobat tells anyone about it, she would never forgive her. Of course, Ty Lee doesn't believe Azula. She knows that Azula loves her way too much for that. But she still keeps the secret anyway. After all, shy and embarrassed Azula is adorable.
"It's not like that." She pauses and sighs. "Azula, maybe I want a ba-" Then she sees Zuko and Mai, the former carrying a baby Izumi who was holding onto a polar bear puppy as if her life depended on it.
Azula raised one of her eyebrows.
"You want a?"
The acrobat gasped. She shook Azula's shoulders. "A bear! A polar bear! A polar bear puppy!"
The firebender looked at her, mouth agape with no words able to escape her mouth.
"I- wait, are you su-" Then Azula was cut off by Ty Lee shooting up from her spot and running towards the family in the hallway.
Azula sighed as she stood up to follow after her ecstatic girlfriend. "Oh no, this can't be good." She mumbles.
"Azula! Azula! Look!" Ty Lee jumped up and down, pointing to the polar bear puppy in little Izumi's hands.
"Yes, yes, I see what you're pointing to." She grumbles, arriving in front of her friends. "So, that was your major errand for the day, huh?" Azula asks the married couple.
"Yes. Izumi wanted a companion." Zuko replied with a smile.
"Awww! 'Zumi! What's her name?" The acrobat asked the four year old with a smile, leaning down to eye level with Izumi who was close to Zuko's chest.
"Wellllll, haven't weally named her yettt." She adorably placed her other hand on her chin, humming and thinking. "Mom! Mooom! Can I name her noooww??"
Mai smiles. "Of course, sweetie. Go for it."
"I wanna wamee herrrr...." She paused, still humming. "Chiaa!!!"
"Aww, what a cute name!" Ty Lee says as she pets the polar bear puppy, smile still not leaving her lips.
Izumi grumbles against her father's chest in an attempt to set herself free.
"I wanna pway with aunt Ty Leeee!!"
Mai and Zuko giggle, the latter putting the princess down.
The three left Ty Lee and Izumi in their little bubble, in turn talking to each other.
"How's your morning?" Zuko asks his sister.
"Splendid. Until, of course, this." She says as she points to the two who are giggling way too hard, clearly having fun. Zuko chuckles as Mai plays with one of her smaller knives. "Although, Ty Lee told me earlier that she felt lonely. As if there was this void... I couldn't put my finger on it."
"Ty Lee wants a baby, dumbo." Mai deadpans.
"Hey! Don't call me that!" She retorts. "But... do you really think that she wants one?" Azula's facial expressions soften with a hint of apprehension. She's doing much better now than she used to. She's better at socializing with others and being mindful of their emotions. But she's not quite sure if she can take care of a baby, more so be a good parent.
"Yes." Mai replies without a hint of emotion in her voice.
Azula gulps and her thoughts start to spiral. Anxiety enters her system. What if she becomes the worst parent ever? What if she hurts her child? There are so many what-ifs in Azula's mind as she starts to go over how the development of their child will turn out with a mother like her... But her thoughts were interrupted with a very upbeat Ty Lee latching her arm onto Azula's.
"Azula! Azula! Let's get a polar bear puppy!"
Mai looks up from the spinning knife in her hand then stares at the two.
"Orrrr, she just wants a pet."
Azula sighs. She's not sure if it's in relief or dread.
"Pleaaaassseeee?" Ty Lee pouts at her and musters her best puppy dog eyes.
Azula turns and silently looks at her girlfriend.
"Izumi, help me get your aunt to agree!"
"Yes, aunt 'Zulaaa! You should adwopt a puppyy!! So then, soe then Chia and the pwuppy can pway together! And and aunt Ty Lee will bwe happpwy!" Izumi giggles.
"Please, Azulaaaa?" Ty Lee pleads, much firmer this time. She hopefully looked at Azula with those big adorable gray eyes of hers.
But luckily, Azula was no whipped girlfriend.
Azula was no whipped girlfriend but she still agreed to Ty Lee's request and that's why they're now walking inside a pet shop.
... Finally away from the scorching heat of the Fire Nation Capital.
She just wanted to make Ty Lee happy, after all, she would do anything to keep the acrobat away from feeling the least bit of sadness and pain.
But that's just because she's a good girlfriend, of course.
She's not whipped.
Not at all.
Ty Lee frees her hand from their intertwined fingers, putting them over her own mouth instead as she gasped and melted in awe at the sight of the cute polar bear puppies. Azula pretended not to mourn the loss of contact.
It took an eternity for Ty Lee to choose, mostly because the girl was so indecisive. She wanted to adopt them all, she couldn't choose just one!
But then, at the very last cage, there was a cute polar bear puppy who seemed to be lacking in proper nourishment.
Azula raised her eyebrow as she turns to the owner of the shop who was following and assisting them the whole time.
"What happened to that one?"
"Well, princess, that puppy was taken in barely three days ago. He was left alone in the woods near the Northern Water Tribe. He seems to have been lost by his family. That, or they got killed by hunters. We're still trying our best to nurse him back to health."
As Azula and the owner were talking, Ty Lee was forming some sort of a connection with the puppy. The acrobat found him to be very cute and affectionate. He licked her hands and Ty Lee gasps.
"I want him!" She squeals, pointing at the polar bear puppy who tilted his head.
"Seriously? There's a variety of selection, Lee." Azula replies with a roll of her eyes.
"Awe, but this little puppy reminds me of you!!" The acrobat said as she crouched in front of the pup.
And if Azula just didn't love her so much it ached, she would've beat Ty Lee up right then and there for associating her with a (cute) helpless ball of fur.
"I'm not going to question how and why you formed that conclusion, but no, we are not adopting that puppy."
And that's why a few minutes later, the couple left the pet shop with the polar bear puppy sporting a new collar being hugged by Ty Lee.
Azula is still not whipped.
But she's not gonna lie, the kiss she received from her girlfriend when she finally agreed was worth it.
Azula got to name the puppy. Although she didn't really care, she still appreciated the sentiment given to her by Ty Lee.
"So, what do you want to name him?" Ty Lee asks with a smile, head resting on Azula's shoulder as they relaxed on the sofa. The polar bear puppy was in Ty Lee's arms, receiving head pets and belly rubs.
"It's not like I care, but I'm thinking Yasu."
"Calm?" Ty Lee looks at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes."
The acrobat smiled and kissed Azula on the cheek, not speaking further but knowing why her girlfriend chose that name.
The first few days, Azula was speculative of the puppy. She doesn't really get along with him, but she noticed how he received more and more attention from Ty Lee.
When they cuddled, Yasu was there.
When they kissed, Yasu would bark at them.
When Azula enters the room, Yasu would bite her trousers.
It was evident that Azula despised the dog.
One time, in the early morning while the couple were sleeping, Azula was woken up by kisses.
And it was not the kisses she liked.
"What in Agni-" She grumbles, ultimately waking Ty Lee up whose head was laying on her chest.
The acrobat looked at her girlfriend in concern, but noticed that Yasu was licking her face. This caused her to burst in a fit of giggles.
"Azula! He likes you!"
"Well I don't like him!"
Ty Lee giggles, grabbing the puppy and cuddling it. "Who's the cutest little baby? Yasu! Thank you for waking us up."
"Indeed. I am truly grateful." Azula replied with a roll of her eyes.
Whether Azula liked it or not, Yasu has become a major part of their life. So much so that Ty Lee brought him in their daily afternoon strolls around the palace. When they sat under the Willow tree, Ty Lee was cuddling Yasu instead of Azula. The firebender looked at the puppy in spite, and Ty Lee grinned.
"Aw, 'Zula what's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong."
"Are you jealous of Yasu?" The acrobat asked with a giggle.
"No."
"I can tell when you're jealous, you know."
Silence.
That's true.
Azula sighs.
"Whatever."
Ty Lee puts Yasu down next to her and opened her arms, motioning for Azula to hug her.
"Come here."
"No."
"You know you want to!" Ty Lee said in a singsong manner.
Azula groans and turns her back from her girlfriend. "No."
The acrobat then moves closer to Azula, hugging her from behind instead. She plants a kiss on the girl's cheek.
"Don't be jealous! I love you!"
"I know."
"Now kiss me."
And Azula is an obedient girl.
She turns around in her girlfriend's embrace, holds Ty Lee's cheek, and kisses her.
This is the kind of kisses she likes.
There was a time when Ty Lee went out to hang out with Suki. Azula was left in their Royal house with Yasu.
Azula despised it.
Aside from feeding the puppy food and water, Azula paid no other attention to him. But at one point, Yasu moved closer to Azula and tried to snuggle her on the couch. Azula was hesitant to do so, but she tried petting the puppy's head. As he moved his head closer to her hand and closed his eyes, Azula was almost smiling. Then, she tried to give him belly rubs. Yasu's reaction was so much cuter.
Azula thought Yasu was adorable.
But of course, no one else should know that.
After that moment, Azula no longer despised Yasu. She respected him. She didn't promise to love him as much as Ty Lee does, but she promises not to hate him. Azula found herself playing with the puppy more often, and realized that his companionship was fascinating. Beyond Azula's knowledge, Ty Lee caught on to this, and she was finally happy that her two favorite people (albeit the other is a dog) in the world are bonding with each other.
As time went on, Azula was no longer making an effort to hide her adoration towards Yasu. It looks like she's in the midst of accepting him as family.
That night, on their bed, Yasu was sleeping on Azula's stomach as she was petting him. Ty Lee, on the other hand was laying next to her, her arm hugging Azula close.
"'Zula, would you like to have babies?"
This question took the firebender off guard, making her stop petting Yasu for a moment.
"Do you want to?" She asked, facing her girlfriend.
"Yes. But I'm hesitant about what you feel about it."
"I think... I do. But there's this fear in me, Ty Lee. That I would be the same as my father. Or my mother."
Ty Lee's facial expression softens, kissing Azula's cheek, putting back a stray strand of hair behind Azula's ear.
"You don't have to worry about that. I'm sure you will be a million times better than them! Besides, you won't do it alone. I'm here."
Azula smiles at her. "I know."
"That's good." The acrobat mumbles, feeling sleep take over her.
"Well, if you so want a baby I guess I have to marry you." Azula smirks.
Ty Lee yawns. "Was that your proposal?"
"No. My proposal will be extravagant, Ty Lee."
"Mmkay. I'll look forward to it, then." The acrobat replies, nuzzling Azula's neck.
"Good night, my love." Azula said with a peck on Ty Lee's lips.
"Good night, 'Zula."
And truthfully, Azula could not wait to create a family with Ty Lee. Although Azula thinks that this, right here, a sleepy Yasu and Ty Lee by her side, was already a family.
A perfect one.
And since this was already so perfect, Azula can't help but be excited about their future.
It was the first time that Azula looked forward into a future full of hope and light.
Because with Ty Lee by her side, there is no more apprehension.
No more anger.
No more tears.
No more fears.
Just love.