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Azula sat outside in the garden of the Fire Nation palace scouring a map of the earth kingdom which she held in one hand. Her other hand was lazily stroking Ty Lee’s head, which lay across her lap.
Ty Lee melted into Azula’s legs as her long fingernails gently scratched her scalp.
Mai was always bewildered about how Ty Lee could tolerate her nails, but in the many years since Azula had decided that sharp dagger-like nails were the most fear inspiring to wear, she’d never hurt Ty Lee with them.
Ty Lee was twirling flowers in her hands, weaving a crown she wanted to bestow upon her princess.
She could feel the way her aura played with Azula’s. The pink and cerulean hues pushed against each other and melted together creating magenta around them. Ty Lee wished she could show Azula how beautiful the colors were, but she resolved to tell her.
“‘Zula,” Ty Lee said, trying to draw the girl above her away from her map.
“I’m busy,” Azula said firmly. She could feel the girl below her shrink a little from the rejection. Frowning Azula shifted her hand to rub Ty Lee’s soft cheeks. “I’m almost done,” she said slowly, “darling.”
She smirked as she felt Ty Lee’s cheeks go pink underneath the pads of her fingers and she also felt the muscles tighten into a large grin as she shifted her hand back to Ty Lee’s hair.
After a few moments she couldn’t pretend to care what was on the map anymore and she snuck a glance down at Ty Lee.
The acrobat was looking up at her smiling. As soon as she realized she’d been caught looking, Azula glanced away but it was too late. Ty Lee swung herself to sitting, right in Azula’s lap, and draped her arms over her shoulders.
Azula deliberately turned her gaze to her map once more but Ty Lee leaned forward and brushed her nose against Azula’s, causing any semblance of thought to leave her mind.
Dropping her paper, Azula gave Ty Lee her full attention.
Ty Lee spent a moment watching their auras glow brightly, fitting together perfectly from every angle.
Azula spent that moment watching Ty Lee’s eyes glow with happiness and joy.
“Our auras want us to kiss,” Ty Lee whispered.
Azula rolled her eyes.
“I bet they do,” she said with a soft smile.
“They do!” Ty Lee insisted. “Just one little kiss.”
“For the auras then,” Azula said, leaning forward. She pressed her lips against Ty Lee’s and a familiar warmth filled her chest.
Leaning further she pushed Ty Lee onto her back in the grass and lay over her, continuing to kiss her.
Ty Lee giggled and the vibrations through her body went into Azula’s. Even with her eyes closed Ty Lee saw magenta fireworks as she pulled the girl on top of her as close as she could.
Suddenly Ty Lee felt a shiver go through her, despite the warmth of the outside weather.
Opening her eyes she first saw Azula, still absorbed in the kissing. Behind her, however, there was a large shadow looming. It was a familiar one that sent a bolt of anger through Ty Lee’s chest.
Quickly she pushed Azula off and sat up, crossing her legs into lotus pose and scooching a few inches away.
Azula looked up at her, hurt and confused, but Ty Lee was busy watching as her and Azula’s auras got ripped apart by a new presence. It was a dark cloud that came between them, resolving Ty Lee’s aura to a muted pink and Azula’s to cold cerulean. The magenta was gone, as was the playfulness and comfort as each aura cowered around their owners.
“What’s wrong?” Azula asked. “Did I-”
“Wipe your mouth,” Ty Lee whispered.
“Wh-”
Azula was cut off again by Ty Lee swiping her saliva off of Azula’s slightly swollen lips with her thumb and leaning back, just before Fire Lord Ozai entered the garden.
“Azula,” he said, his voice booming.
The princess spun around and saw her father, falling into a bow. Ty Lee did the same.
“Rise, girls,” he said, and both of them sat up.
“What brings you to the gardens, father,” Azula said, looking up at her dad.
Ty Lee watched as Azula’s aura darkened and shrank. It was hard to describe the shape other than saying it was a physical embodiment of fear. Ty Lee wished she could take Azula’s hand but it would have been inappropriate.
“I had a question for you, daughter,” Ozai said.
Azula nodded.
“How would you describe your taste in men?” Ozai asked, crossing his arms.
Azula blinked. She had been prepared to answer questions about Earth Kingdom invasions, or Water Tribe politics, or the hunting down of hidden air nomads. Instead, for the first time in her life she was totally unprepared to answer the question.
Indeed, a taste in men had never even crossed her mind because she’d never met one she’d been interested in. Boys were stupid and brutish and smelled bad, nothing at all like the ideal person she’d want to surround herself with.
Ty Lee sensed Azula’s confusion as well as Ozai’s agitation and decided to act.
“Azula’s always gone for prestige over facial features in men,” she supplied.
Ozai and Azula both turned their attention to her.
“Is that so?” He asked.
“Yeah!” Ty Lee said, turning on her best excited voice, and shifting to her knees so she could make the big arm gestures people expected from her. “It’s always about the sons of high ranking generals and important politicians, although we have had a few discussions about physical stature. I’m a large proponent of someone that can lift you up and twirl you around,” she said.
“Like a princess,” Ozai commented.
“Exactly!” Ty Lee said, clasping her hands and batting her eyes dreamily as though picturing a man who would swing her around, although her true thoughts were far from that.
“Well,” Ozai said slowly. “It is a good thing my daughter is not as stupid as you are.”
Ty Lee didn’t say anything and neither did Azula.
“Marriages are arranged to strengthen a dynasty,” Ozai said. “I’m glad to know my daughter holds those ideals.”
Azula nodded.
“However, next time, circus freak, you should know your place and let Azula talk for herself.”
Ty Lee noticed a flare of anger in Azula’s aura when her father called Ty Lee the name that he always did. She nodded solemnly.
“I’m sorry Princess,” she said quietly, dropping her head. “I was just too excited.”
Ozai huffed and turned around, pacing away.
As soon as he left, Azula turned to Ty Lee and frowned.
“What’s wrong, my princess?” Ty Lee asked, crawling forward.
Azula lifted her knees and tucked them into her chest, preventing Ty Lee from reentering her lap as she narrowed her eyes at the girl next to her.
“Don’t just stare,” Ty Lee pleaded, taking Azula’s hand. “What did I do wrong?”
“You have a lot to say about my taste in men,” Azula said after a beat.
“I made that up,” Ty Lee replied quickly. “I don’t know anything about your taste in men.”
“Then why did you speak for me?” Azula asked.
Ty Lee thought for a moment. She was afraid to say that she knew Azula wouldn’t have spoken for herself. She’d known for a while Azula wasn’t interested in men, but she wasn’t sure if Azula knew that yet.
They’d always been close friends, and the first time Ty Lee had kissed Azula on the lips instead of the cheek or hand had seemed so natural.
On some level Ty Lee was sure Azula knew they were more than just friends but it wasn’t anything that they’d ever talked about.
“Don’t just stare,” Azula said, mockingly.
“I just answered whatever I thought could get your father to return inside as fast as possible so we can go back to what we were doing before,” Ty Lee said with a big smile.
Azula took in her warm eyes and genuine happiness and looked half convinced.
“My aura misses your aura,” Ty Lee said, leaning forward. “They’re sad when they don’t get to play together.”
Azula rolled her eyes and put her legs down, allowing Ty Lee to sit on top of her again.
“No more kissing for a little bit,” Azula said. “I need to memorize this map.”
Ty Lee nodded solemnly and cuddled into the elite firebender’s warm chest. She sensed their aura’s melding again and could feel Azula’s residual agitation dissipate.
Another instance of protecting her princess passed without Azula noticing she even needed protection.
Ty Lee sighed and picked up one of Azula’s long bangs, beginning to twirl it into a braid.
Azula was a brilliant tactician but her ability to read and understand social situations was weak. Their lives in the palace seemed to be a long intricate dance where Ty Lee tried her best to keep Azula happy and safe.
She wanted the princess to be able to plot war in peace, safe from her prying father and other similar individuals.
Azula put her arm around Ty Lee and pulled her close, kissing her head.
Ty Lee selfishly hoped and prayed the princess never learned her affection towards her “friend” would be seen as out of the ordinary by anyone other than the two of them.
She prayed harder that Azula would wizen up and ask her to be her girlfriend, but the antiquated laws against same sex relationships would turn that into a much trickier problem.
“What are we going to do later,” Ty Lee asked, fixing the end of Azula’s newly pleated braid with a piece of grass.
“What do our aura’s want to do,” Azula asked, without looking up.
Ty Lee watched the magenta swirl around the girls.
“They’re happy as long as we’re together,” she answered.
“Well I guess that solves that,” Azula said. “Wouldn’t want to upset the spiritual energy.”
“One day you’ll get to see them,” Ty Lee said.
Azula turned to look at her and couldn’t resist pressing her lips against Ty Lee’s.
“I hope so,” she said with a soft smile.