Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Ahh! You made it!” Ty Lee hugged her friend, squeezing with enthusiasm. “I’m so glad!”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Wheezed Azula, her friend.

Keeping her hands on Azula’s shoulders, Ty Lee looked her up and down. “And you even dressed up! Look at you, all sharp in that red turtleneck, and those dark jeans, oh, and your boots! Those Chealseas are so adorable!”

A light blush crept its way onto her friend’s cheeks, Ty Lee kept scanning. “I love your hair down, it’s so pretty and soft.” Confident fingers navigated Azula’s raven locks, meeting no resistance. The blush flared, making Ty Lee’s heart race and her skin prickle with heat.

Azula forced her gaze to the side, “I-Well-I thought it would be appropriate to look nice for you-your party. I mean it is your birthday after all.”

Ty Lee’s sorority, Pi Delta Pi, gave her the entire main room to host her party. She took full advantage, invited everyone she knew within traveling distance of campus. The crowd grew and grew all day, spilling out into the backyard, sides of the building, and across the upstairs balcony. Music, conversation, and empty plastic cups filled every available space. The crowd thrummed to bursting, with only one extroverted girl to blame.

Save for one shining moment. In that one little spot, they were alone in the crowd. A pocket forming around the two, standing paces from the front door, no one interrupted their exchange.

Ty Lee’s grin spread, warm and full. Azula’s flickering eyes darted up from the floor and were caught, softly landing in her gaze.

“So…”

BONK

BONK taptap BONK

The end of a white cane slapped into Ty Lee’s ankle, making her recoil, then patted her all the way up to the side of her hips. Bapping her thrice more along the middle before slamming back onto the hardwood.

“Ah, there you are. Nice party dipshit.” Crowed Toph.

One of the more particular members of the sorority, Toph was known to have a beyond incredible sense of hearing, so despite being blind, she could navigate any crowd with almost supernatural ease. The only reason she kept the cane at all was just so she could, to quote, ‘be as much of a little shit as I like and no one can bitch about it. AND, if they DO, I can wail like they shot my dog and it’s all their problem. Like last week, sweet Christ. There was this one guy who LITERALLY told me to look where I was going when I pegged his foot with ol’ Stabby here. The look on his face. Well, I have no fucking clue what his face was doing, but it sounded HILARIOUS.’

Toph hooked the cane to a belt loop and curled herself around Ty Lee’s arm, the other resting their head on her shoulder. “Show me where the punch bowl is. I’m so frail and helpless.”

“O-oh, okay!” Ty Lee said, allowing herself to be led to the refreshments table.

Toph leaned in, whispering into her ear, “Some guy in front of the chips called me cute. Base voice, rustles a lot, shoes sound like leather. Tell me if he’s hot.”

Ty Lee was only half listening, stealing glances behind her toward a pouting, stationary Azula. “Hah, you really are helpless.”

She jerked, mouthing an ‘owe’ as Toph jabbed her in the ribs, “Eat a dick. Just help me here. He’s funny, but I swear if I get him alone and he has like an extra nose or something I’ll shit in everyone’s shoes.”

A bunch of guys were milling around the snacks, one behind the counter sloshing punch into cups and handing them out as fast as liquid dynamics would allow. Ty Lee scanned, looking for a match.

Van’s, loafers, no. No. Oh hey, Chan made it! Hey, there’s Sokka! Haha! What IS he wearing? He’s such a nerd!

Sokka stood out from the surrounding crowd, wearing a silk vest over silk shirt and parachute pants, with leather sandals. Only he would think that was a good idea. She never got what Suki saw in him, but being funny makes up for a lot she supposed.

Ty Lee cupped her mouth and whispered into Toph’s ear, “I think I found him. Sokka, to the right of the nachos, talking fantasy football with Chan and Ruon-Jian.”

Toph’s face slackened. “Oh, fuck me. Sokka? Suki’s Sokka? Shit. How’s my hair?”

Given how often the little troublemaker mentioned she would like to ‘pound it out’ with those two, Ty Lee had no doubt this was a meeting Toph was looking forward to for a long time.

“Perfect. Ready?”

Ty Lee pushed her way into the conversation, reciprocating the chorus of well wishes, passing Toph off to Sokka like a baby koala at the zoo. Toph leaned into the act, fast to transition into verbal jabs and edgy jokes with the flamboyantly dressed man as she coiled around his arm, appearing to act as blind as she possibly could.

The other two men caught the hint and floated away with the birthday girl, asking her if she followed football at all, showering her with statistics before she could answer either way.

Ty Lee did her best to act attentive, while paying no attention at all. She used the two burley jocks as a kind of ice breaker to navigate the thickening crowd. Waving to random clusters, hugging acquaintances, and rushing over to well-wishers she was able to guide the flexing pair around the room.

At some point in between, Azula had moved away from the entrance hall and was now nowhere to be seen. Ty Lee ducked under biceps and rolled past displayed abs as the boys slowly caught on she was not as engaged as they hoped.

Right when she spotted Azula by the punch bowl she had JUST left, Chan and Ruon-Jian managed to corner her by the crook of the stairs next to a couple of girls from Tri Lambda. Ty Lee did everything she could to politely disengage, but the questions were coming rapid fire and escape short of a heel to the shins seemed impossible.

“What do you think our team’s chances are this year?”

“I like your shoes, where you get ‘em?”

“My brother has a boathouse near New York, you like swimming?”

“Have you tried this? I think it’s scotch.”

“I just finished cutting, check it out. You can feel the individual ropes in the bicep.”   

The last one wasn’t a question, but it was said like one.

Ty Lee did her best, answering past a tight-lipped smile and squinting eyes, “They seem good, the store, I swim every morning, it’s fu-, no, but thank you, oh yeah wooow, they wiggle. No, yes, yes, no, oh no, no thank you, that’s sweet but I really-, ah, hehe no, ah, no, uh huh.”

Right about when she was going to try her chances at tearing through the drywall, one of her besties came to the rescue.

Suki tapped an ice-cold glass against each of the men’s arms, making them jump. “Hey Chan, Hey R.J. Either of you seen Jin?”

“Huh? Oh, hey Sook, yeah she was upstairs, I think.” Answered Chan.

“Great, I made these for her, can you pass them off for me? Thaaaanks!” Suki grinned, firmly pushing a drink into each of their hands.

Grabbing Ty Lee by the wrist, Suki dragged her out of the corner while the jocks were processing the request. Hauling her straight toward the snack table. OMG Suki I could kiss you!

Not that she would, anymore. Their history was best left history. But the feeling was there.

Suki stopped on the edge of the growing dance floor. Well, the center of the main room closest to the snack table, where a bunch of the partyers decided to group up and start dancing.

The floor where dancing was taking place.

Which is what defines any dance floor if you think about it. Unless it was explicitly written on the surface not to dance there.

Then it would be the civil disobedience floor.

Anyway…

The music was pumping, starting into yet another of Ty Lee’s favorite songs. She whipped around, trying to spot the ONE woman she wanted to talk to since the beginning. After a frantic scan and a few hops and weaves to look through the crowd, she spotted Azula leaning against a far wall, red drink cup in hand. They made eye contact. Her gaze was hot and angry. Like a freshly injured patch of skin, right before the bruise rises.

Ty Lee sighed, tipping her head in what she hoped was a clear nonverbal apology. Azula looked away, pushing out her lower lip.

Why does she have to be so darn cute!

“So, have you asked Azula out yet?”

Ty Lee’s hands flexed into fists. “NO! I’ve been trying!”

“You sure? Cuz’ it looked to me like you were hitting it off with a couple choice bits of the football squad back there. You know, if you ever wanted to switch teams I could introdu-”

“GOD no! They were just being dumb. You know how men are. They think ‘No’ means ‘Yes’ and ‘Get Lost’ means ‘Take me. I’m yours.’”

“AH! I love that film!” Suki squeaked.

“Me too!”

The two devolved into giggles.

“I watched that with Sokka like two weekends ago. Speaking of which…” Suki grabbed Ty Lee’s arm and leaned in conspiratorially. “I noticed he was talking with Toph earlier. How, umm, how do you think he’s doing?”

Ty Lee shot her friend a wry smile, “HE was doing fine, unlike me.”

“Pffft, you have nothing to worry about. Try to enjoy yourself! This is YOUR party after all. She isn’t going anywhere.”

“Lies! You have no idea how skittish that woman is!” Ty Lee stomped her foot, braid jiggling in sympathy.

Suki crushed her in a bear hug, pulling back and squeezing Ty Lee’s hand. “You got this, I’m gonna go limber up, if my man’s doing half as well as you say he is, I have a busy night ahead of me playing seeing eye dog.”

“You ASSHOLE!” smacking her friend’s back before disengaging.

Suki shot back heart hands as she dissolved into the dancing throng, mouthing ‘love you.’

She was alone on the dance floor, popping at the seams, and Azula had once again disappeared.

The next song began to play, another one of her favorites. Either someone pillaged her Spotify or this was the luckiest DJ ever.

Sick of playing cat and mouse with the shy woman, she surrendered to the moment and danced with the crowd. Ty Lee was sure she didn’t know how to dance, but she knew how to release energy through flailing, and how to keep to the rhythm. Until the day somebody pulled her to the side and asked if she was ok, that is how she would do it.

And she had a LOT to dance out right now.

After a few songs, a familiar face began to dance with her, doing a snaky improve trot of her own. Ty Lee’s ex Ru Shi was wearing some 90’s chic number, chains and buttoned straps flapping along with her movements.

“THIS PLAYLIST IS AMAZING!”

“I KNOW!”

The two were right next to each other, they held no animosity, but the music was really loud.

“THE DJ HAS AMAZING TASTE!” belted Ty Lee

Ru Shi vigorously shook her head no. “IT’S A LIST, HE’S PLAYING A LIST.”

“WHAT?”

“HE WAS HIRED TO PLAY A LIST.” Answered Ru Shi, saying something entirely different, which is always infuriating when you didn’t catch what they said the first time.

“OH MY GOD, SO SOMEONE DID STEAL MY SPOTIFY!”

Ru Shi integrated a stomping motion in with her head shake this time. “NO, THE LADY WHO HIRED HIM GAVE HIM A LIST. A LIIIISSSST!”

“WHO?” *twirl twirl*

“YOUR NEW GIRLFRIEND! DUMMY!”

Ty Lee shook her head no, not wanting to scream that she was single in the middle of a party.

Ru Shi figured it out, “AZULA DUMBASS!”

“I DON’T THINK THAT’S HER LAST NAME.”

They split into a fit of laughter, gravitating toward the snack table.

“So, Azula hired the DJ?”

“Yeah, I thought you knew. So, if you’re not dating, when are you gonna ask her out? She seems cool. I mean, not as cool as me, but everyone makes mistakes.” Ru Shi grinned.

Ty Lee batted her shoulder, “Shut it, I’ve been TRYING but people keep pulling me away.”

“Ah, so then that was you trying to prognosticate her position? Is that why it barely resembled dancing?”

“God, now I remember why I broke up with you.” Ty Lee rolled her eyes, cramming a handful of tortilla crumbs into her mouth.

“Was that after I sent the breakup letter, or after I moved out my stuff?”

Ty Lee mumbled a “You’re impossible.” Strutting to the kitchen, she could hear a faint ‘good luck’ as she departed.

Given this wasn’t a culinary school party, the kitchen was near empty. Those are absolute ragers though, full of amazing new foods, with invitations handed out based on skill. This instead was a birthday party, with no skill check and invitations handed out based on who they knew.

Less exclusive, less fattening.

Ty Lee opened the fridge and crammed her upper body against the cold wall of air inside, trying to cool off. She gagged and slammed the door shut again as the stench of spoiled foods hit her. She tried the freezer, blessedly empty except for a massive formation of ice with a squished tub of chocolate chip mint Dryers stuck in it. Ty Lee opened the top, the ice cream had a huge bristle of ice crystals growing out of it and a spoon stuck in a low point.

Grabbing the spoon, she cracked a ‘spoonful’ of the ex-ice cream out and caught herself short of putting the loaded spoon in her mouth.

She had no idea where that spoon had been.

This was grossly unhygienic.

Congratulating herself on her prudence, she upturned the spoon and let the creamed ice chunk land in her palm, eating it from her hand instead.

A monotone “Hey” almost made Ty Lee jump out of her skin, thunking her scalp against the rugged freezer interior and knocking the half-eaten dairy out of her hand and onto the floor.

“God dammit! Owe!”

Ty Lee ducked back, rubbing her scalp. Mai sat smirking faintly on the floor next to her, dressed in multiple layers of black, leaning against the dish washer, face illuminated by her smartphone.

“Oh hey, you made it!” Ty Lee rushed over to the sink and washed the sticky gunk off her hands. She nabbed a wad of paper towels, shoving a few under her armpits and patting down her hands and forehead. “Thought you weren’t coming.”

“Yeah. Changed my mind. I like drama more than I hate crowds it seems.” Mai didn’t look up from her phone.

“You, um, feeling like being a wallflower today? You’ve been doing a pretty good job at hiding.”

“Someone’s gotta do it.”

Ty Lee leaned up against the sink, letting one leg float. “You doin’ okay?”

Mai didn’t answer, but Ty could feel her phone buzz in time with Mai’s button presses as the gothic woman scrolled through videos. “Eh.”

“That good huh?”

“Steller.” Mai croaked.

“I’m sure he’ll change his mind eventually.”

“Not the first time, won’t be the last.”

“Guess you two have been on again, off again since high school.”

“Three times now.” Mai shuffled up the side of the washer to lean against the counter, her thick rings clanking against the faux marble.

Ty Lee slinked over and gave her buddy a side hug.

Mai leaned into it, “Katara’s a stupid name. It sounds like a disease.”

“Hehe, I’m sure doctor Mai will fix him right up before too long.” Ty Lee offered.

Mai smiled, thin but genuine.

“So, you and Azula are fighting?”

“What? No? What gave you that idea?”

Not breaking the hug, Mai started scrolling through her phone again. “She was pretty upset when she came through here.”

“Oh! You saw her? Where did she go?”

“Probably her sulking spot.”

Ty Lee quirked an eyebrow, “She has a sulking spot? Like Eeyore?”

Mai shrugged again, “Eh, it may be a normal spot, but she goes there a lot and likes to look sulky.”

“She is so dramatic, just like her brother.” Ty Lee giggled.

Mai chuffed, practically a guffaw for her.

“Soooo, you wouldn’t happen to know how to get to the sulking place from here, would you?”

“Maybe.” *scroll, scroll*

“Any chance you would like to tell me?”

“I might be convinced.” *scroll, scroll, click*

Her phone buzzed again twice. Okay, progress.

“Well?”

“The park next to the dorms, the one with the red trees. Beer makes her throw up.” Mai finally divulged.

“I don’t think she drank any though, I only saw punch.” Making air quotes with her fingers while saying ‘punch.’

“No, I mean don’t try to give her beer, you stalker. I assume you are trying to ask her out.”

“I’ve been trying to this whole party since she got here! But everybody kept taking me away.”

Mai pulled out of the hug, leaning against the washer. “Well yeah, your ploy was to get her out of the house by throwing a party for yourself, so duh everyone wants to talk to you.”

“You make it sound weird. It’s not weird to have a birthday party!”

“It is when you invite everyone as a cover to ask out one girl. Get out of here already you nerd.”

Ty Lee gave her another side hug, “Thanks Mai, you’re the best.”

“I know. Now shoo.”

Gripping the fridge door with determination, Ty Lee took a huge breath, held it, and flung it open. She could feel the cold, oily air brush past her bar arms as she snatched two ciders and slammed the door shut, once again trapping the miasma.

If this works out, I guess that will make Mai and me sisters-in-law. I think she’ll like that.

Ty Lee slipped out the back door and skipped away from the Pi Delta Pi dorms, making sure to get far out of the crowd’s eye shot before hooking toward the nearest park.

There were at least three ‘parks’ around campus, but she felt she had a good idea which one Mai was referencing.

She hoped.

The spring air was still nice and warm, held aloft by the cooling brickwork of the campus, but that would only go so far, and Ty Lee didn’t want to try to pull off a seduction while shivering.

I hope she’s not TOO pouty. Maybe I can lead in with a joke. The ciders will help, glad I brought those. Maybe, play it cool, like crack open the ciders within ear shot.

“Hey there sweet sugar cakes.” Ty Lee crooned at the air in a mock baritone.

Naw, too cheesy. Plus, she’d roll her eyes sooooo far in the back of her head they’d fall out the other side. Ugh, why didn’t I just ask her out instead of waiting for the party.

Ty Lee skipped with a bit more force, clinking the bottles with each landing.

Oh, that’s right, because that’s what I wanted for my birthday. Should have guessed it wouldn’t be so easy.

The bottles scraped alarmingly. Ty Lee stopped to make sure she hadn’t cracked them.

“I need to calm down. It’s not that serious.”

She continued to the assumed-to-be-correct park with a more sober stroll.

There are plenty of signs she likes me. I’ll just be myself. It’s worked out for me so far. Easy peasy.

A faint little voice in the back of her mind whispered back, “That’s how all your failed relationships started. oooOOoooOOoo.”

“Okay, I draw the line at ghost noises. I got this.”

Ty Lee said,

to the open air.

“Anyway, Azula’s different.”

The oldest square on campus was full of trees purchased from all over the world. Oaks and maples, pines and saplings of all kinds, all artfully arranged around a massive crisscross of ancient, paved pathways. Ty Lee loved this part of the campus, it was like strolling through history. Or running through history when you’re late for class.

An apt analogy, architecturally.

In one of the corners of the square, in the shadow of the chemistry building, was a grove of Japanese maples, planted after the last world war. Their bark was thick from years of students carving their names into the trunks, and even more years of restoration, the canopy wide and sprawling, filling the air in the spaces between each tree. They were a vibrant red, their leaves having come in less than a week ago.

The light from the surrounding lamps were dim and filtered, so it was difficult to see. Ty Lee squinted anyway, stopping herself short of calling out, not wanting to ruin the ‘cool approach’ if Azula was indeed there.

She accidentally scanned over where her target was sitting a few times before she realized it was the dramatic woman and not some statue.

Right in the middle, on a circular stone bench which surrounded a replanted cherry blossom tree, still as stone, sat Azula. She was contemplative, elbows on knees, staring deep into the aging rock in front of her. Oh, she’s in THAT kind of mood.

Ty Lee blew out her cheeks. Okay, I’ve turned that frown upside down before. Easy.

Ty Lee approached, trying to keep her footfalls muted.

How to do this. Maybe a simple ‘hi,’ or just ‘hey, found you,’ or ‘you ok?” No, not that, it sets the wrong tone. ‘You look cute when you sulk.’ Ugh, I’ll just take a breath and let it come naturally, I’m not a planner.

So, she did. She walked right up to Azula, stopping a couple feet from the other’s still unmoving form.

“Care for a drink?” she wheezed, choking down the urge to cough violently as she inhaled some spit.

Azula did not move.

“Oookay then, mind if I sit with you?”

*nothing*

“Say nothing if it’s ok.”

After a moment filled with rustling leaves and distant traffic, Ty Lee sat down.

“It got too noisy, thought I’d come out and see how you’re doing.”

Azula shrugged.

“Nice weather we’re having, huh? Springtime is SO lovely!”

“It’s ok.” Azula said with the same monotone Mai used.

Progress!

Ty lee placed one of the bottles on the ground between them, then with the open hand, balled it into a fist on her knee. Bracing her thumb, she then flicked the cider against her nail, flipping the cap off with an explosive hiss and held the bottle out for Azula with a hopeful grin.

Ignored, Azula reached down and grabbed the bottle from the pavement. With a jerking twist of her other hand, yanked off the cap with an even louder. *POP* *hiss*

Alright showoff.

Despite her best-efforts Ty Lee felt the warmth rise in her cheeks.

“I’m not Toph you know.”

Ty Lee blinked, “I…know?”

Azula continued, without looking up, “I don’t know what you want from me, I’m not your type,” she used the cider to punctuate her words, sloshing the liquid inside out and onto the ground. “People are stupid, especially in parties like this, just find some other mark for your games. Plenty of drunks in the world.”

The fire was intense in her eyes, there was no mistaking the meaning in those words.

Why does she have to be so HOT when she’s jealous!

“What are you talking about? What games?”

Azula spun, blasting Ty Lee with rage. “Really!? Those football players? You were coordinating with Suki! And Ru Shi! Your ‘ex’! Christ! Why does everyone try to lie to me?!”

Ty Lee tsked, better understanding the situation. Ever since elementary school, and probably before then, Azula showed a bad habit of being way too observant and far too antisocial for her own good. Stewing over some perceived slight that was proven wrong the second she aired it to Ty Lee. Which thankfully she did. But this one, woo. Paranoid!

Ty Lee was about to shoot back how absurd Azula sounded when she unfocused, sinking into her seat. A feeling struck her. Like when you look all over the house for your phone, only to find you have been holding it the entire time.

Come to think of it…

They have been close for ages. Super close. They would have sleepovers, cuddle while watching movies on the couch, practically spend whatever free time they could together. Heck, they’ve been through hell and back. TWICE! Azula was always there for her during her worst break ups, or whatever else upset Ty Lee. She returned the favor during some of Azula’s harder moments in life too. The only pairs she could think of closer than that were making out before class every day.

Azula was reading their chemistry just fine. It was Ty Lee who was coasting past the obvious. She understood now how the first teens to die in horror films felt. It was so easy to see, how did she miss it?

WAIT, how long had Azula actually liked her, like, liked liked her? OH MY GOD, I think I friend zoned her! Ty Lee thought back, substituting the assumed stoic, intellectual air for what someone with a base level social skill would take as being flirty. She was always so comfortable with Azula, and Azula with her. All the ingredients were there, and all it would take was a little nudge. How many partners have I had? And she just TOOK it! I would have slapped me three girlfriends ago. Such patience.

Right there, in the palm of her hand. The entire time.

Time to backtrack.

“Oh, Azula.”

“WHAT?”

“I was only using the football players to help push through the crowd so I could find you and Suki’s head is far too full of her boyfriend and Toph to coordinate anything other than her stretch routine.”

The glare didn’t ease, but at least she uncoiled a little.

“Ru Shi was invited because EVERYONE was invited. It’s been over a year since we dated, plus I’m not seeing anyone right now. You wanna know who else isn’t dating anyone? Poor Mai. She was so sad. At a party!” She did her best pout, though next to Azula it was like a pond trying to mimic the moon.

Deflated, Azula sipped at the bottom half of her cider.

More progress!

Azula gulped hard, “My brother is a pretty big dummy. I don’t get why he is even with that Phi Lota Mu girl. She’s such a goody two shoes. Mom likes her a lot. So, BIG red flag.”

Ty Lee giggled, “Your mom also likes Mai, remember.”

Azula jabbed a finger at Ty Lee, sloshing cider, “That’s different! We grew up together, she earned that. It’s not so much a like, as a respect. My mom respects Mai enough not to act a fool around her.”

“And what do you think of the new Mrs. Zuzu?” She inquired, trying to get Azula to spill the tea along with her cider.

Azula grimaced through an aggressive sip, “I told you, she’s an intolerable goody two shoes, mothers him worse than mom does. It’s gross! I give her two weeks before she catches on that he’ll ask her to do that forever if she keeps on babying him. I think she might be into that though, so I don’t know.”

Scooching a little closer, Ty Lee bounced her knees, drinking with a happy hum as Azula’s frustrations unraveled.

“What kind of name is Katara anyway? They run out of vowels at the hospital or something? It sounds like an appetizer at an Asian restaurant. ‘Hello, I’d like the Katara to start, thank you.’ Apparently it means ‘wanting hope’ in Japanese and I will tell you, I only know that because Mom won’t stop bringing it up every time there is a dead moment, which there is LOADS of. God, dad can’t get back from Germany fast enough.”

*big BIG sippy*

Ty Lee loved it. You couldn’t buy bonding like this. She just nursed her cider, nodding along the more Azula relaxed. There’s that girl I know.

Like a kindergartener at a pool party, Ty Lee leapt in, “I know right?! Katara sounds like a disease.”

“That’s what Mai said! Oh my god.” Azula laughed, sounding like a queen from a story book. Her hair tousled and bounced with each peel. Ty Lee was entranced.

They talked for ages, far after the ciders emptied. They gossiped about friends and family, about politics and philosophy, about science and life. Azula was fearless in her topic choice, asserting opinions and facts, taking stances and giving world views with no visible concern on how they would be received. Bouncing around with the merest transition.

She would wait with bright attention to hear what Ty Lee thought of each. Appearing interested in her response, in a way those football players only hoped they could emulate. Listening to understand, not to parry and drive harder into their original goal.

Azula was Azula and it was clear she meant to give no apologies for any of it.

They touched on loads of normally forbidden topics. The kind of stuff you casually bring up with your closest friends and deny with your whole heart to strangers. All save for the most forbidden and obvious of them all.

She left that in the closet.

Her friend was attractive, smokin’ hot even, on some level she always thought that. And right now, in that moment, Ty Lee never wanted anyone so much in her life.

It was clear that a line was crossed tonight. They were both aware of each other’s true feelings. If Ty Lee left it up to Azula, it would take decades to get anywhere.

So, she tossed some gasoline on it.

Resting a hand on Azula’s thigh, she struck the flint HARD.

Azula was rolling into some fun fact about Jupiter, when the sudden touch yanked an abrupt silence from the other girl. Azula looked down, pursed her lips, then quickly looked away attempting to hide the color rising in her cheeks. It was the most bashful Ty Lee had seen her friend.

Let’s take a peak in her closet.

“Hey, so…” Azula squeaked.

“Yeah?”

“When you said you weren’t seeing anyone.”

“Mmm hmmm?”

“Did you mean you were casually seeing someone – fooling around – like not serious…or that, um?”

Ty Lee chuckled, “No silly, like I’m single. Single, single. Super single. Of all the people, you should know what’s going on in my life.”

She could see Azula’s pink cheeks turn an even brighter red. “Yeah, but I thought. You are so social! I don’t know where you are ALL the time…I don’t know.”

Leaning in and nudging with her shoulder, Ty Lee drove on, “Are you seeing anyone?”

Azula smirked, looking Ty Lee right in the eyes, “Depends on how this conversation goes.”

They were almost on top of each other, so the sudden shift in tone came in extra hot.

The hair on Ty Lee’s neck prickled and a flush of heat bludgeoned it’s way to the surface of her skin. OH WOW! Where was this all along?

Azula seemed to realize she was accidentally smooth for a second there and blushed fiercely, pulling back. “I mean, umm. I…never.” She cleared her throat, “I’m not seeing any…anyone either.”

No! I got you! You can’t go back now!

The thigh hand remained uncontested, Ty Lee used the other to play with the ends of Azula’s hair, letting the twist of her body bring their faces even closer. Azula did not stop her, fully paralyzed.

“How do you think this conversation is going?” Said Ty Lee, with her best smolder. It couldn’t be laid on any thicker. Well, it could. But that would likely come with jail time.

Azula’s eyes unfocused, darting around Ty Lee’s face. Her mouth worked, but no sound came out other than the spare squeak. 

“Pretty good, yeah?” Ty Lee purred.

Azula’s quivering breath barely got out a “Yeah.”

“I think it’s going great.” Ty Lee encouraged, twirling one of Azula’s bangs. Applying the lightest pressure, she drew in the unresisting girl.

“You…do?”

“Mmmm Mmmmmm.” She cooed, grazing the top of Azula’s ear.

A curious person by nature, she had always wanted to know what those luscious lips felt like on hers. This was her chance to find out, so she took it.

Slow and soft, she pressed her lips to Azula’s. At first resting them there, giving the gravity of the moment a chance to pull them tight.

The tether proved strong. Fierce and magnetic.  

Eventually, she managed to pull back enough to gauge her friend…no wait, this was going well-girlfriend’s reaction. Never in her entire life had she seen Azula this vulnerable. Vulnerable in the most loving way possible. It was adorable, it was HOT. Ty Lee’s mind raced with adjectives. Cute, sweet, precious! Gah, you are so, I can’t! Juicy? Imma kiss those lips forever.

Not that there needed to be any further persuasion, but the glow behind those honey-amber eyes lured Ty Lee back in anyway. For a second, a third, a fourth, and a lifetime of kisses, fueled by their veiled love left bare.