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Zuko walked into the school library because he knew Azula and Ty Lee were there and he was looking for his girlfriend. There was rarely a time when the three were apart, unless Mai was with Zuko or Azula and Ty Lee were engaging in activities Zuko would rather not think about.
He found the three of them at a two person table in the back. Mai and Azula were sitting across from each other with their laptops open, doing work. Ty Lee was sitting across Azula’s lap, playing with the fingers on one of her hands.
She was entwining their fingers and pulling them apart over and over again, and Azula did not seem to notice, or care.
Zuko wondered to himself, not for the first time, how his sister could put up with the acrobat. Azula was the type of person who had fired gardeners for being too loud and cooks for making dishes that smelled wrong. She was a very particular person who liked things to be perfect, for her.
Therefore, Zuko (and most other people) found it very strange to see her relationship with her girlfriend, which by all accounts required a high degree of the patience Azula was famous for lacking.
She could be patient when she needed to, especially when there was an endgame. However, the daily annoyance of Ty Lee’s hyperactive disposition, by all accounts, should have been something Azula could not handle.
“Hey,” he said as he walked over.
Ty Lee had switched from pulling on Azula’s fingers to whispering intensely in her ear. Azula was nodding along periodically. Her now free arm was wrapped loosely around her girlfriend’s back.
“Hello Zuzu,” Azula greeted him, without looking up.
“Hi,” Mai sighed.
“You don’t sound happy to see me,” Zuko joked.
“I’m ecstatic, can’t you tell,” she deadpanned, causing Ty Lee to giggle.
“Do you want to hang out after school,” Zuko asked.
“I was going to be at your house anyway, so I guess,” Mai shrugged.
At that moment the library monitor walked over.
“There are too many people at this table,” she said.
Zuko waited to see how Azula would respond to Ty Lee being kicked out but all three girls and the monitor were looking at him.
“You need to find a seat somewhere else, Zuzu. Standing there is a fire hazard,” Azula remarked.
“And sitting like that isn’t,” he asked, gesturing towards Azula and Ty Lee.
The acrobat flung her arms around her neck and Azula kissed her cheek, unbothered. Then she went back to her work.
“Mind your own business,” the library monitor told Zuko.
“What?!”
“Zuko just text me, I’ll see you later,” Mai sighed.
Zuko walked away from the table confused but he did catch the library monitor winking at Ty Lee.
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Later at lunch, Zuko arrived at their usual spot to find Azula and Mai doing work and Ty Lee walking around on her hands. Typical.
“You paid off the library lady,” he accused, causing Ty Lee to flip back onto her feet and go to sit next to Azula. Without losing concentration on what she was doing, Azula lifted her arm and Ty Lee slid underneath to hug her side.
“I did no such thing,” Azula said, without looking up.
“You had three people at a two person table, two of you were in one chair, and she didn’t say anything.”
“You might find this hard to believe but Ms. Kya finds us extremely cute,” Azula replied.
“Cute?”
“Yes. We seem to remind her of the relationship she wanted to have with her wife when they were in school but they never got to have because they got together when they were older.”
“No one has ever described you as ‘extremely cute,’” Zuko scoffed.
“Hey,” Ty Lee said. “I think that ‘Zula is extremely cute,” she said.
Zuko made a retching sound, Mai snorted, and Azula blushed and looked up from her work at Ty Lee.
Ty Lee raised an eyebrow at her. “Well, aren’t you going to say it back?”
Azula blushed more and looked down.
“You’recutetoo,” she said really fast.
“Thank you ‘Zula,” Ty Lee said, kissing her.
“Get a room,” Mai deadpanned, and they both ignored her and continued to kiss.
“Why don’t we ever make out in the hallways,” Zuko said to his girlfriend. Mai rolled her eyes.
“Suddenly the mood is ruined,” Azula said, pulling away from Ty Lee.
“There was never a mood to begin with because it's the middle of the school day, in public,” Mai commented.
Azula shrugged and returned to her work. Ty Lee watched her type, occasionally making comments.
“So Mai, what do you want to do after school,” Zuko asked.
“Do you want to come with me to the mall? I have to get some knives sharpened. We can do other things too,” she suggested.
“Where do they sharpen knives at the mall?”
“In the store that sells hockey equipment and sharpens skates. Mai’s dad is friends with the owner,” Ty Lee supplied.
“Interesting. Why not,” Zuko replied. “I need to buy some new shirts anyway.”
“Good thing that Mai will be there then,” Azula commented. “Otherwise you have the absolute worst taste in clothes.”
“That’s not true! Tell her it’s not true,” Zuko prodded Mai.
“It’s kind of true,” she confessed with a shrug. “The only clothing you wear in public are items that were chosen under supervision or gifted to you.”
Zuko huffed.
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After school, Azula sat in her convertible and scrolled through her phone while she waited for her friends. Mai and Zuko walked out together and came over to Azula’s car.
“Can we get a ride to the mall,” Mai asked.
“If you got a license your dad would get you a car you know,” Azula said.
“You say that every time,” Mai replied, already getting in the back.
“How are you going to get back,” Azula asked.
“I guess we can Uber. It’s just annoying to call an Uber to the school on a Friday.”
Azula shrugged.
“I call shotgun,” Zuko yelled.
Mai and Azula both looked at him and he quietly got in the back next to Mai.
“Nice try Zuko. Maybe one of these days,” Mai said in her usual tone.
“Always worth a try,” Zuko murmured.
Ty Lee came out of the school with a gaggle of friends but quickly ran over when she saw Azula, Mai and Zuko in the car.
She hopped into the passenger seat and pulled Azula in for a kiss.
“I missed you,” she whispered.
“It’s been a long three hours,” Azula said, with a smirk.
“Can we get a move on,” Mai asked. “We need to get to the mall before all the hockey rat kids come to sharpen their skates.”
“Are we going to stay at the mall, ‘Zula?”
“I wasn’t planning on it. I have to get some work done,” Azula replied, starting up the car.
“On a weekend,” Ty Lee pouted. “Fridays are for having fun!”
Azula chuckled and pulled out of the school parking lot, resting her hand lightly on Ty Lee’s leg.
“Why don’t you come over and present some other options for what we could do tonight,” she said.
“Okay!” Ty Lee said excitedly and immediately moved on to trying to connect her phone to the AUX.
“Can we please not listen to Hayley Kiyoko again,” Zuko asked as Ty Lee put on her playlist.
“Alright, let’s have a vote,” Azula said.
“But ‘Zula,” Ty Lee started to protest but was cut off by a brief squeeze of her leg.
“Mai what do you want to listen to?”
“My Chemical Romance.”
“Noted. Zuko what do you want to listen to?”
“Can you play my playlist?”
“Noted. Ty Lee what do you want to listen to?”
“Hayley Kiyoko!”
“And I want to listen to Hayley Kiyoko. Seems like 2-1-1.”
Ty Lee smiled and turned up the music as Azula peeled down the road to the mall.
Azula smiled internally at her girlfriend’s pure joy. Azula would kill to preserve that smile.
Ty Lee sang along to the music the entire 20 minute drive to the mall. In the end she got Mai and Azula to join in, leaving Zuko to count down the exits on the highway alone.
When Azula pulled into a parking spot Mai and Zuko hopped out and waved before Zuko dragged Mai into the mall as quickly as he could.
“Do you need anything,” Azula asked when she was alone with Ty Lee.
“I thought you didn’t want to go to the mall,” Ty Lee said, confused.
“I don’t want to browse but if you want anything specific we can go in.”
“How come you’re always offering to do things for me,” Ty Lee asked.
Azula raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“You let me play whatever music I want and you always let me sit shotgun and you offered to go into the mall even though I know you don’t like it.”
“I do all of these things because you’re my girlfriend and I lo-. I would do anything for you.”
Ty Lee mentally put aside the fact that Azula almost said that she loved her for reinvestigation.
“We could do things you like, too. Like studying or listening to music you want.”
“I’m happy when you’re happy Ty,” Azula said. “So we’re not going in?”
Ty Lee shook her head and Azula started up the car. As she backed out of the spot she put her hand behind Ty Lee’s seat and when she brought it back to Ty Lee’s leg she dragged it slowly down her body.
Chills went through the acrobat's body and her center throbbed as Azula’s fingers gently brushed her thigh.
“We should both do things for each other in a relationship,” Ty Lee said.
“You’ve done more things for me than I could ever repay. You keep me sane,” Azula said nonchalantly as if it were a hyperbole and not a genuine concern.
Using her car’s built in Siri, Azula turned on Ty Lee’s playlist and began singing along causing her girlfriend to join in.
Azula sighed internally, relieved. She was grateful for how easy it was to get her girlfriend off of difficult topics.
When Azula pulled into her driveway she grabbed her bag and she grabbed Ty Lee’s hand and went inside and up to her room.
When they got to her room Ty Lee started to unzip her backpack and take out her homework.
“What are you doing,” Azula asked.
“You wanted to study so I’ll study too,” she said.
“You don’t like to study unless it’s the day before a test and you’re cramming,” Azula said, crossing her arms.
“And you don’t like Hayley Kiyoko,” Ty Lee said, in an agitated tone.
Azula was taken aback. Gently, she took the papers out of Ty Lee’s bag and set them on the floor before pulling the acrobat to her bed.
“Azula what are you doing,” Ty Lee asked.
“We need to talk,” Azula said sitting down on the bed. Ty Lee sat across from her. Azula kept a hold on Ty Lee’s hands.
They sat in silence for a moment. Then Ty Lee spoke.
“It bothers me when you defer to me completely. You think I don’t notice but I do.”
“I just want to see you smile, that’s why I do it.”
“I would smile even if we were listening to classical music or if we were studying in a library on a Friday afternoon.”
“But I don’t want those things. Not really. I just like to spend time with you. When I have strong opinions I voice them.”
“Like what,” Ty Lee challenged.
“You forget yourself Ty. I’m still Azula. I like my bed made a certain way and a specific laundry detergent and when I’m getting my nails done I only pay if they’re satisfactory. Because ”
“A bad job doesn’t deserve good money,” Ty Lee finished.
“Exactly,” Azula said. She cupped Ty Lee’s chin with one hand and tentatively pulled it forward. Ty Lee complied and crawled forward to kiss Azula.
One kiss turned into another and soon Ty Lee was in Azula’s lap and they were making out.
Ty Lee pushed Azula onto her back and slipped her hand underneath her shirt.
“Wait,” Azula gasped out as Ty Lee unclipped her bra.
Ty Lee immediately pulled her hand back and rolled off onto her side so that they were facing each other horizontally.
“What’s wrong? What happened? Are you okay,” she asked, worriedly.
“I’m okay,” Azula said with a smile, and Ty Lee let out a breath. “I just think we were talking and it’s better to finish that conversation instead of having sex and pushing it back down.”
“Aw ‘Zula that’s so mature,” Ty Lee said. Azula rolled her eyes.
“You were saying that I never said what I wanted.”
“Yeah,” Ty Lee said. “Well obviously the things you said are important and true but I meant in our relationship. If you had to pick something that wasn’t ‘whatever I want’ what would we do.”
Azula thought for a moment.
“I like when we get dressed up and go to fancy restaurants. I like to drive around together. Working out together is fun. And, I like it when we watch movies or TV shows together,” she said, brushing Ty Lee’s face. “I like having sex with you,” she added, causing Ty Lee to giggle.
“Well, it is really good sex,” Ty Lee said. Azula smiled.
“I also like when we just lay together sometimes, even if it's not super productive.”
“Thank you for telling me,” Ty Lee said, kissing Azula’s forehead. “Let’s do one of those things now then.”
“Okay,” Azula whispered.
“Well it’s kind of early for dinner,” Ty Lee said, looking at the time. “We can drive around though. Or watch TV.”
Azula put her arm around Ty Lee and pulled her closer to her.
“Or we could just cuddle,” Ty Lee said, nuzzling into Azula. Azula just stroked Ty Lee’s hair in response.
For a long time they just lay there and enjoyed one another’s company.
“Hey ‘Zula,” Ty Lee said, breaking the silence.
Azula hummed to indicate she was listening.
“Earlier, at the mall, were you about to say that you loved me,” Ty Lee said.
“It’s not obvious?” Azula asked.
“You’ve never said that you loved me,” Ty Lee said quietly.
“We’ve been together almost three years.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“I do,” Azula said.
“You do what,” Ty Lee probed.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you too,” Ty Lee replied, her voice breaking.
“What’s wrong,” Azula said, looking down to see Ty Lee’s eyes filled with tears.
“I’m just really happy,” Ty Lee said.
“If I knew it would make you this happy I would have said it a long time ago,” Azula said.
“Said what,” Ty Lee asked innocently. Azula smirked.
“That I love you.” Tears started to roll down Ty Lee’s face.
Azula leaned forward and pressed gentle, chaste kisses to each tear.
“I love you, I love you, I love you,” she said with every kiss.
Ty Lee pulled her into a tight hug.
Azula ran her hand along Ty Lee’s body and down to her butt, causing a shiver to run through the acrobat.
“So wanna have sex now,” Azula whispered into her ear. Ty Lee’s eyes widened and she nodded, maybe a little too excitedly.