Beginnings

A/N:

\- Probending Circuit Round 3 Entry, Firebender, Mo Ce Mongoose Lizards.

\- John-John was a name commonly given to Chinese immigrants in the West, especially after the Goldrush.

\- Semi-AU. Azula gets out of an insane asylum not terribly long after the war is over.

Prompts:

\- Azula (character), Western (setting), "terrific" (word), Spring (season)

\- OTP and NOTP go on a double date.

Words: 1281

* * *

The cherry blossoms bloomed and fell, cascading around the pair walking towards the house. It was a time of new beginnings and growth, and Ty Lee thought of how much Azula had grown over the years. The two had started as friends, but as time went on, grew closer – even when their friendship suffered a few hits, such as her betrayal of the princess, or when Azula was finally sent away to deal with her mental illness, their friendship still remained, sometimes strained, but always intact.

Azula and Ty Lee had been staying at an estate her family owned after the princess was discharged from the hospital a few months earlier. Their relationship was… Well, it was something. There was no grand decoration of love, but somehow they had agreed that being together was the best option for both of them. All that Ty Lee really knew was that the firebender made her unreasonably happy, which was hard to manage for an already bubbly person, and the firebender seemed happier when she was around. The constant scowl would be replaced with a grin when she entered the room, so that had to mean she was something to Azula, right?

The chi-blocker knew the next step in their relationship would make, or break them. Azula had already met and promptly disregarded her parents and siblings, which didn't bother Ty Lee in the slightest, but somehow meeting her friends was a touchier subject. She wasn't embarrassed, but she did know that her friends and the princess had history, some of which had never been reconciled. The acrobat tried to plaster a smile to charm Azula into saying yes, but up until this point, the princess had refused.

"Azula, I want you to meet my friends! Come on, it'll be fun!" Ty Lee never knew when to stop asking for things. Even when Azula declined for days on end, her better half always knew that she secretly had the firebender wrapped around her finger.

The royal took a deep breath before answering, trying not to snap at her girlfriend. She'd been working on being less abrasive since her release from the asylum, and Ty Lee had been there every step of the way. It was the least she owed her, after the chi-blocker had spent countless with the fallen bender, even after all others had given up on her. Ty Lee never gave up on her.

"If I go, will it stop your incessant nagging?" Azula asked, pinching her brow for emphasis. Ty Lee asked so many questions constantly, and it was starting to give her a headache.

"Yes…?" She smiled, knowing she had won.

"Fine… When are we going to meet your water tribe peasant and his Kyoshi fangirl?" Ty Lee squealed in excitement hearing this, and the sound startled the bender… She had forgotten how loud the chi-blocker could get.

"Sokka and Suki! And it's tonight!" Her little circus act smiled, and Azula remembered why she had fallen for the acrobat once again.

* * *

Several hours later, the couple walked into a restaurant. If one could call it that, it looked like a scene out of a western movie. The waiters dressed in jeans, vests, ten gallon hats, and touted fake guns in their belt loops. Ty Lee looked at the memorabilia plastered on the walls in awe and wonderment, while Azula scowled at how tacky the place made itself look with this garbage.

"Let me guess, the water tribe peasant picked this place out…"

Before Ty Lee could answer, a host came to interrupt the pair, "Welcome to Wild John-Johns's C-C-C-Crazy Western Adventure! Home of the best mongoose lizard tails this side of the Laogai!"

_You have got to be kidding me. This is just fucking terrific..._

Over the man's shoulder, Ty Lee spotted a man in blue excitedly waving at the two. Beside him, a woman tried to smile, but it faltered as her eyes fell upon Azula. She chirped up to the host, "That's our friends right there!" Azula cringed at the implication that they were her _friends _too_. _Ty Lee didn't even turn as she said, "thanks," while all but dragging Azula towards the table.

Sokka never liked Azula, even when they had first met, he knew he instantly disliked her. He knew she was unwell the last time they had seen each other, but that didn't stop all the swirling feelings of contempt that the water tribesman felt towards the princess who had systematically torn his life apart years earlier. But he decided, if this was for Ty Lee, he would try to start again.

Suki, on the other hand, despised the fallen princess's very existence, and used all of her willpower not to jump across the table and strangle her former imprisoner… And they hadn't even ordered drinks yet.

Despite how much the pair disliked the firebender, they couldn't dispute the fact that she was simply stunning, nor could they argue how much the chi-blocker adored her, even if they couldn't fully comprehend their relationship.

Sokka extended the olive branch first, "So Azula, I've heard things are going well with you and Ty Lee, how have you been feeling lately?"

Azula tried to be civil, if only for Ty Lee. _I'm going to need a stiff drink to get through this. A buzzard-wasp, on the rocks, should hit the spot… _"I'm doing fine." Ty Lee kicked her under the table, "And, how have you been, water-" She hit harder, "Sokka?"

Sokka lit up at the inquiry, which was a sudden change from the self-centered person he had disliked prior, "I've been great! Suki and I are actually engaged now, and…" She drowned herself in her drink, ignoring what he had to say. It didn't really affect her, but for Ty Lee's sake, she nodded at the appropriate times and tried not to fall asleep.

She didn't do much talking, but spent most of her time drinking and listening to the friends ramble on about things she didn't much care about. Suki kept glaring, which she'd return, but only after taking another sip of her buzzard-wasp. She tried to temporarily alleviate herself from the tasteless decorum and the infuriating western music that played around her. The waiters and waitresses seemed to melt into the scenery, and fortunately she only had to interact with them quickly for another drink, or to politely thank them for her food. The night became foggier and foggier as it went on, but she didn't mind; she was in her own peaceful intoxicated bliss.

* * *

It was time for the pairs to part, and by this time, Azula was fairly inebriated. She knew that the others weren't aware: her poker face was infallible.

The two walked home under the moon, which reflected against the cherry blossoms they had walked through earlier. The firebender took a deep breath, taking in the scent of spring that was surrounding them. Perhaps this was a new beginning, finally being able to put her past behind her and interact with the peasants that Ty Lee was so enamored with. She leaned against the acrobat as she swayed slightly, finally bracing herself against the estate door as the effects of the alcohol fully hit her.

"Zula' that was great! I had so much fun, and Sokka's warming up to you and-" Ty Lee unlocked the door and entered, by then, Azula had lost all inhibitions. She pulled the chi-blocker into a deep kiss that left the two breathless by the time they had finished. The princess pushed her hips into the chi effectively pinning her against the door.

_Boy, is revenge sweet. _She grinned wickedly, and kissed the acrobat once more.


End file.
