Pillow Talk
Coming home was no more or less hard than Azula imagined it would be. Mother welcomed her
with open arms, but no one would expect any less from her. Mai and Zuko treated her
cordially, but she could still see resentment in their eyes when she faced them. Iroh was at
least polite to her, offering games of Pai Sho and tea now and then. Everyone else seemed to
regard her with disdain or indifference.
Except for Ty Lee, of course. Even after the betrayal at Boiling Rock, even though the
acrobat was happy in her new role as a Kyoshi Warrior, she remained at Azula's side like a
faithful puppy. Like in the old days.
"Why?" Azula asked one evening as they sat on her bed, Azula in her favorite crimson
dressing gown and Ty Lee in a pink robe. "I thought when you took a stand against me it
meant you were getting smarter."
Ty Lee sighed.
"Look...I was angry then, you were going to let those people die, you tried to hurt Mai,"
she said. "In prison, I thought this was what I needed, to leave you behind and start a new
life. But when I heard about what happened to you I felt awful."
"Big deal, you're not the first person to pity poor crazy Azula," the princess snorted. Ty
Lee shook her head and picked up a comb from the nightstand.
"Anyway, I made a deal with the Kyoshi Warriors! It's a little unorthodox, but they said I
could be an honorary member, and that way I can stay here in the Fire Nation with you and
help you get better!"
Azula almost laughed.
"You really are an idiot. How can you want to help a person who treated you like a slave?
Are you secretly the Avatar's twin sister or something?"
Ty Lee put the comb down and wrapped her arms around Azula.
"Because even when you were an awful person and I hated what you were doing, I loved you."
"L-love?!" Azula sputtered. "Ty Lee, no, you can't love someone like me, that's
called...well, I don't know the name for it, but it's not normal!"
"Since when was I ever normal?"
"...good point." Azula smiled a little. "You really mean that? You...care that much about
me?"
Ty Lee smiled, stroking the other girl's cheek.
"I always have."
Azula blushed, closing her eyes.
"Well, I suppose you could do worse," she said, remembering those empty-headed boys at the
beach. Much worse. She dragged the other girl under the covers with her. "Goodnight, Ty
Lee."
"Sleep well!"
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