Chapter Text
“I refuse to spend another night sleeping in a tank or camping in the woods,” Azula announced. “I need a bed and a pillow and a shower.”
“Yes, princess,” Ty Lee nodded, agreeing enthusiastically. “A bed sounds really nice!”
Mai sighed and crossed her arms, looking around her.
“I don’t see any beds,” she deadpanned, seeing nothing but trees and their mongoose lizards around them.
Azula rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
“I mean we need to keep going to the next town. We can’t stop here,” she said.
Mai pulled a map out of the pocket of her robe and unrolled it, holding it up for Azula.
“We are a two hour ride from anywhere with a bed,” she said, trying her hardest to leave all emotions out of her words and just present facts. “It’s already the middle of the night. We’re better off setting up camp now and leaving early in the morning so we can eat a meal in a real town.”
“The schedule will be thrown off,” Azula said, facing Mai and staring at her, daring her to continue talking back to her.
“We don’t know where the Avatar is anyway,” Mai said, seemingly unfazed by Azula’s growing hostility.
“Perhaps if we rode into town we’d find people who know,” Azula said, her tone sharp.
“At three in the morning?” Mai sighed.
Ty Lee watched the interaction between Azula and Mai carefully, each exchange making her more anxious. Mai almost never argued with Azula, unless she was really tired and got cranky. Now seemed to be one of those rare times.
“I’m not staying here,” Azula said again.
Mai opened her mouth to respond but Ty Lee jumped between them, grabbing Azula’s wrist. Both girls glared at her and Azula tugged to try to snatch her hand away, but Ty Lee held tightly.
“Why don’t we go to the town,” Ty Lee suggested nervously. “And Mai can join us in the morning?”
Azula stopped pulling her hand and just looked at Ty Lee.
“And just leave Mai?” Azula asked. “Alone?”
Ty Lee briefly smiled internally at Azula’s obvious care for her friend. She had all the entitlement of Fire Nation royalty, but had the loyalty and honor of Fire Nation royalty as well. She would never abandon Mai in the woods, which meant there was no easy resolution to the standoff as Ty Lee had hoped.
Both Azula and Ty Lee turned to Mai to see how she would respond.
Before Mai could say anything there was a loud rumbling as Lo and Li finally caught up to the girls in their war machine.
“I’ll stay with them,” Mai said, pointing back at the old women as they crawled out of the tank. “We will go towards the town in the morning and by the time we get there you will be rested and showered and will have questioned every single person about the Avatar.”
Azula nodded sharply and turned to Ty Lee, shifting her hand so she could be the one that was holding onto the acrobat.
“Ty, let’s go,” she commanded, dragging the girl towards a mongoose lizard.
Azula hopped onto hers and looked expectantly at Ty Lee.
“Come on then,” she said, annoyedly as Ty Lee just looked at her.
“Should I pack mine?” Ty Lee asked.
“It’s faster if we just take the same one,” Azula said. “Mine’s all ready to go.”
Ty Lee swallowed and nodded, hopping into the small saddle behind Azula. Her legs slid forward to bracket Azula’s hips and she tapped her thighs rhythmically with her hands, unsure of where to put her arms as Mai, Lo and Li watched them.
Azula grabbed the reins and the lizard took off, jerking Ty Lee forward so that she was forced to wrap her arms around Azula’s torso.
They flew through the woods and for a long time they sat in silence as they based blurs of trees and bushes.
The night air was cool and Azula was warm, so Ty Lee hugged her tighter. Under her hands she felt Azula’s heart rate quicken as she placed a gentle kiss to the back of her neck, smiling against the soft skin.
“Do you think Mai, Lo and Li know about us?” Ty Lee asked.
“What?” Azula shouted back towards her, as the wind in their ears made it hard to hear.
“I’m excited to have a night alone with you,” Ty Lee said quietly, directly into Azula’s ear. “We haven’t had one since Omashu.”
Azula nodded, smirking at the memory of her reunion with Ty Lee at the circus. There had originally been some tension, then after the chaotic performance and dinner the girls had mutually confessed their feelings to each other late that night. Feelings that, at least for Azula, had been there as long as she could remember. She was fairly confident that Ty Lee felt the same way.
It had taken a long time for Azula to figure out what her feelings meant, of course, but she had approached it logically. Throughout the course of Ty Lee’s time in the circus, Azula had felt something, and she eliminated all the things that it could have been.
In the end she had decided that the magnitude of the emotion could only have been intense hatred or intense yearning, and after the fear she felt watching Ty Lee perform over a flaming net, hatred had been the last option finally struck from the list.
Turning her head half way, Azula pressed her lips softly against Ty Lee’s before turning back around, leaving the girl shocked and blushing and the rare initiation of affection.
They rode swiftly and without stops as Azula followed the path carefully. After about an hour Ty Lee could feel the princesses' posture faltering. Every few minutes she’d slump a little and then straighten up.
“Are you tired,” Ty Lee asked into her ear.
Azula shook her head dismissively.
Ty Lee sighed and slid her hands down Azula’s torso, sliding one underneath Azula’s armor causing the girl to jolt.
“What are you doing?” Azula snapped.
“Why don’t you stop and switch with me so I can steer and you can rest,” Ty Lee suggested, pleased to have gotten Azula’s full attention.
“It’s fine,” Azula said, through gritted teeth.
“C’mon,” Ty Lee said. “Let me take over for a while. You’ve been doing all the work.”
Azula thought for a moment and nodded, stopping the mongoose lizard and sliding off. Ty Lee scooted forward and grabbed the reins. Azula got back on behind her and slotted herself against Ty Lee’s back.
“Don’t go falling asleep on me and falling off,” Ty Lee joked as she steered the lizard back onto the path.
“Keep your eyes on the route,” Azula said, her tone missing all of its typical malice.
Ty Lee took one of Azula’s hands in her own and kissed the knuckles gently before placing it on her stomach.
“Hold on tight, ‘Zula.”