Sometimes, she didn't know why she even bothered.

"Come on! You need to smile more!"

Azula slowly attempted one which ended up looking more like a sneer. Her friend Ty Lee failed to stifle a giggle behind her left hand, causing Azula's mood to subsequently sour. "Honestly, Ty Lee. I don't know why you keep telling me that. You never tell that to Mai!"

They both turned to Mai who was standing behind them. Mai merely put her middle finger up to Azula's amusement.

"No need for that, babe," Ty Lee murmured to Mai, suddenly coiling around the other woman like a viper with its prey. Standing behind the taller woman, she rested her chin on Mai's shoulder—which looked funny—and said, "You're very pretty when you smile, Azula, and you know Mai is hopeless with smiles which is perfectly all right."

What unsound reasoning, Azula thought.

"You know me so well," Mai replied, turning around in Ty Lee's hold.

Azula pretended to heave as her two best friends started kissing. She had enough of those dreadful visuals for a lifetime.

Turning back to the party, she observed that most of the guests were people she personally knew, but there were some others she suspected were from other institutions. It was a little expected of course. Who would refuse a party with free-flowing alcohol?

It was the end of college, the end of an era. After this, they were all off into the real world. Azula, Mai and Ty Lee were graduating from Republic City University, one of the best universities in the world. Azula was ecstatic to finally finish, and she couldn't wait to continue her illustrious academic career in law school.

One of the elevators dinged behind them, and unexpectedly, out came her brother Zuko and his friend Sokka, depositing them onto the loud rooftop. They were both dressed fashionably in black and were laughing loudly, pushing and pulling each other.

Azula cleared her throat, ignoring her two best friends who were still making out to the side. "And tell me, what are you doing here?"

"It's your sister!" Sokka pointed out needlessly, gesturing wildly toward her.

Zuko laughed freely, pulling away from Sokka and draping an arm heavily over her shoulders. She staggered a bit under his weight as he leaned against her, and she smelled the scent of alcohol on her brother.

"Hi Zula," Zuko started, smiling dopily at her. Azula had the minuscule urge to smack the smile off his face, just to annoy him. "We heard you were having a party so here we are."

Her nose wrinkled. "Did you get into uncle's tea stacks again?"

Zuko laughed nervously before he pulled Sokka to his other side. The three of them swayed dangerously as a result. "We might have. You know how good they are. Anyway, have fun girls! We'll be over there!" he said, pointing to the bar near the pool. "Oh, and tell me when you want to go home! We'll go with you!" He quickly pulled Sokka away, and Azula stumbled a bit from their momentum.

"I didn't say you were welcome here!" she yelled to their retreating backs.

Sokka only turned around and blew her a kiss before draping his arm snugly over her brother's waist, leading him away.

Huh. That was new.

Azula turned around to find her two best friends missing and wasn't even surprised. It seemed like the honeymoon stage of their relationship had never worn off. It had been three years since they confessed their feelings and got together for Agni's sake.

Deciding to get herself a drink, she followed Zuko and Sokka's steps.

The air was much cooler up here than down below on the streets. That wasn't saying much as it was now summer, but it was still preferable.

Multiple people said hello as she walked past, and she parlayed briefly with them, staying longer with those she knew best whether from academic settings or from her various extracurricular activities.

Sitting on a vacant bar stool, she ordered a mango mocktail, and as she waited, she observed her brother and Sokka taking one of those awful shots one after the other.

"I'm not helping you home later if you continue like that," she told Zuko, drumming her fingers on the marble bar top.

Zuko shook his head and only grinned as he downed another. Azula sneered as some droplets of alcohol slid from the corner of his mouth.

"Live a little Azula," Sokka replied, hand perched comfortably on Zuko's shoulder.

"I guess you both can just stay here at this hotel instead. They would be happy to have two of the most popular bachelors in town."

They both suddenly laughed, making her wonder what was funny from her reply. She shrugged, her focus shifting to the mocktail being placed before her.

Thirty minutes later, the party was in full swing. The crowd had doubled, and there were even people playing and swimming in the pool now. Bodies were dancing with barely any space in between them on the dancefloor. The DJ's set had been amazing thus far which she had predicted; she had been the one to pick him after all.

She now sat on a lounge chair by her lonesome, absentmindedly picking on some fire flakes here and there. Her second mango mocktail was long forgotten, half-empty and disgustingly at room temperature now.

Observing her surroundings, her classmates were dancing and drinking like there was no tomorrow, which in a way, was true. Tomorrow was the start of the rest of their lives for some, but for Azula, it was another day to the start of her working summer before law school. She was interning at this law firm her father patronized.

She spied a drunk Chan running toward the pool, and she hoped to Agni he wouldn't break his neck or slip on the tiles. Tonight was about letting loose and not worrying about anything, especially drunken accidents. The crowd cheered while she exhaled a long breath as he performed a perfect dive. Water splashed her a little, and she sighed. Taking his cue, she might just dip her feet in the pool later.

"Hi Princess," a voice chirped from the lounge chair next to hers. With her hands folded behind her head, Toph Beifong was stretched out over it, seemingly right at home.

"Beifong," she greeted, pleasantly surprised. "I assumed you were not the partying type."

"I'm not—the music at these things is always so fucking loud—but someone's gotta babysit them." She pointed to Katara, Suki and Aang who were standing near the bar by Zuko and Sokka. Azula was always unnerved with how well Toph's other senses compensated for her blindness. Her spatial recognition was scarily accurate. "Aside from Suki, they are all terrible with alcohol."

She grinned a little. "We should just leave all of them here. I just know they will all be drunk by the end of the night."

"That's not a bad idea, Princess."

"I had assumed they were not the partying type."

"Wrong! They actually like parties, especially Aang. In a few days, Twinkletoes' going on a trip to the Earth Kingdom to help children's charities or something like that. Suki will be training with the Republic City Lions soon, and Sugar Queen is counting down the days to her dream medical school. There's a lot to celebrate."

Azula hummed, eyes flitting toward the pool once again. "What about you, Beifong? What's next for you? I'm sure your parents would want you in law enforcement or governance."

Toph stuck her tongue out. "Ugh, don't remind me. I still have the whole summer to figure things out before shit happens."

"As always, your language is exemplary," she deadpanned. "I wish you luck. Parents are rather hard to please."

Toph nodded. "If they disown me, can I go work for you?" she asked seriously to Azula's amusement.

"Why not? I'll need someone to entertain me surely."

Toph fist-bumped her arm, saying, "So you like me!"

"Let's just say you're more tolerable than most."

"I'm flattered."

"Maybe you can be my driver."

"Haha, very funny." Toph sent a middle finger her way which she ignored.

"Or my receptionist. I'll have you dress in those skirts you detest so much."

"You're so funny, Princess."

They talked more after that, easily shifting into a handful of topics. Toph had always been the one she got along most among Sokka's group of friends. They were both athletes and big sports fans which had led to a fair share of debates. They also both wielded sarcasm like a sword and effortlessly found funny things even though their humor styles were completely opposite of the other. Let's just say Toph's humor was more vulgar than hers most of the time.

An indeterminable amount of time later after Toph left, Ty Lee and Mai finally joined her, occupying one lounge chair as Ty Lee sat on Mai's lap. Mai's arms automatically went around Ty Lee's small waist like a magnet, and Ty Lee was also sporting a hickey under her jaw that was poorly concealed with make-up.

"You're disgusting," she told them flatly.

"You're just jealous," Mai replied, eyeing her from over Ty Lee's shoulder.

Azula rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, Azula, we'll find you someone you can be cute and make out with," Ty Lee sweetly offered.

Azula had never heard of a more absurd idea.

"I'd give money to watch that," Mai commented.

"Not a chance in seven lifetimes," Azula grimaced, shaking her head at her friend.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Not what I meant, you dolt."

"That's what you get when you don't employ clarity in your words."

"Ooooooh! What about tonight? There are loads of people here. Surely someone here is your type!" Ty Lee clapped, cutting off any further bickering. "What about her?" She pointed to June who was sporting her signature long locks and perched on her shoulder was the pet lizard that she brought everywhere.

Azula groaned quietly. "I'm not answering that."

"It's just a question, Azula. Nothing's gonna happen. We know you don't know how to ask someone out," Mai replied nonchalantly.

Azula absolutely knew that Mai was goading her—it's what her friend did best after all—and she knew she should ignore her, but it was hard.

"Don't listen to her. Come on Azula. Give me something to work with!" Ty Lee smiled encouragingly at her, and Azula knew she would relent.

"June's hot, but the lizard thing is too weird," she muttered. Ty Lee giggled, nodding her head, while Mai voiced out her agreement.

"What about Suki?" Mai suggested, tilting her head to the side.

Azula's eyebrows rose. "What? She's with Sokka, are you blind?"

Mai and Ty Lee abruptly laughed while sharing a glance.

"For someone so smart, you're so blind. Are you sure you're going to law school?"

"That doesn't even make sense. What do you mean? What is it?"

A small smirk made its way to Mai's face. "Nothing."

Azula wanted to press further, but Ty Lee squealed, grabbing her forearm in the process. To Azula's horror, she pointed to Katara. "What about Katara? You two would actually be perfect now that I think about it."

No, no, no. Katara was Azula's competition in a lot of things, and they barely talked to each other even though Zuko and Sokka were two peas in a pod. "You're forgetting that Katara probably hates and/or dislikes me, and I, her. She's just so... annoying."

Ty Lee giggled. "Tension makes for an excellent relationship. Just think about all the sex you'll be having." As if reading her mind, Mai kissed Ty Lee's cheek.

Azula childishly pulled a face. "No. No imagining sex of any kind with Katara."

"Please tell me I just didn't hear Azula saying something about sex with my sister," Sokka groaned after having come up quietly behind the trio.

"You like Katara?" Zuko slurred, sending her an incredulous look.

"I don't! We were talking in hypothetical terms. It won't happen, and I don't want to have sex with Katara." Azula's gaze absentmindedly landed on the said woman who was talking with Toph on the other side of the pool.

"Good. No more talking about Katara," Sokka chirped, regaining his previous giddy mood. He signaled to a server passing by. "Where are your drinks ladies? You can't have this kind of conversation without drinks."

"We just got here," Ty Lee explained. "We were trying to pick out a potential date for Azula."

"Good luck with that." Zuko giggled. "Azula's the pickiest person I know."

Azula subtly sneaked her hand into the crook of her brother's elbow and squeezed. His small squeal was enough payback for now. "Just remember I'm bringing you home later."

"A correction if I may, it is your driver that is bringing us all home," Sokka said, earning a bright laugh from Zuko before they smiled at each other.

Azula shook her head. She really didn't get them.

The server appeared again, this time holding a tray of five drinks. "I'm not drinking tonight," Azula announced, sniffling at the strong smell of alcohol coming from the glasses.

"You don't ever drink, Azula," Ty Lee replied, taking the glasses closest to her.

"I think you should drink tonight," Mai said, taking the glass Ty Lee offered her. "We're now done with college, thank fuck."

"No."

"I think you deserve at least one drink," Zuko said, already taking a sip of his. "You study and work too much. It's the end of college for you; you deserve to celebrate a little."

"No."

Sokka merely pushed a glass toward her.

Azula glanced around at the expectant faces before her. Sadly, she was only human thus subject to peer pressure. She mentally counted to ten, thinking it over.

Fine, maybe one drink—it wouldn't hurt.

Sighing, she took the glass to their loud cheers. "I'll have you all know this is a terrible idea, and I'm only drinking one glass because I don't have to go to the gym tomorrow."

They said their cheers then Azula sniffed at the drink—it was fruity. The taste was a little too sweet for her, but she took another sip anyway when they cheered her on.

Something was beeping.

That was her first thought as she came to her senses. Groaning, she gingerly got on all fours from the prone position she had assumed on her bed. She slowly swung her head side to side, wincing at the cracking she heard. Her head was pounding rather incessantly, making her groan again.

Abruptly, she covered her mouth with her hand, clutching at her abdomen. She ran to her en-suite bathroom then kneeled without a care in the world in front of the water closet and hurled.

It was disgusting, and she vowed to bring hell onto each person that egged her on to drink last night. The aftertaste of regurgitation was still present in her mouth which she quickly washed out with a swish of water.

How many drinks did I have?

She couldn't remember.

She dragged her feet back to the bed. There was a pill and a glass of water on the bedside table—probably Zuko's doing—which she downed in a second. This was why she hated drinking. Embarrassingly, she was a lightweight which was expected since she rarely drank.

Grabbing her phone and reclining on her pillows, she scrolled through her messages, taking note that it was near noon. Fortunately, her parents weren't home, and she could just shower and get some food a little later.

Ty Lee (9:00): hope you feel better! call me later :)

Mai (9:17): You were so funny last light. Next time we're going drinking again.

Sokka (9:45): Funny how the tables have turned since we were the ones to bring you home :D

Zuko (10:06): NO DRINKING FOR YOU EVER AGAIN

Zuko (10:08): NOT EVEN WHEN YOU GRADUATE LAW SCHOOL

She scrolled through her phone, realizing she had several missed calls from them through the night. There was also a voice message from Toph telling her 'good luck'. For what, Azula didn't know and didn't care.

Her bed was calling to her especially since it had been a while since she last slept in.

She shoved her phone to the side, lying face down once again on the soft pillow. Her headache was, fortunately, abiding so now she could go back to sleep.

Buzz!

She groaned, and she reached for her phone, expecting another text from one of them. She squinted at it, realizing it came from an unknown number.

Unknown number (11:24): Just checking on you. So see you later at Lee Kwong's? I'll be there by 3:30.

What?

Frowning, Azula immediately speed-dialed Mai's number, sitting up once again.

"Mai," she greeted once she picked up. "Are you messing with me?"

"Right now? No. Hi Azula, hello to you too, it's so good to hear from you," Mai replied sarcastically. Azula could hear the unmistakable voice of Ty Lee inquiring about her in the background. "What do you mean?"

"Nevermind. What happened last night?"

"What do you wanna know?"

"Everything." She could trust Mai to be direct.

"The server kept bringing us drinks as directed by Sokka, and everyone kept drinking including you. Turns out you still can't tolerate your alcohol."

"That's why I said it was a bad idea," hissed Azula. "Did I do anything… unlike me?"

"You were hanging out with Toph a lot."

She frowned. "That doesn't sound so bad."

Her phone buzzed again. A new message came through from the same phone number.

Unknown number (11:29): Are you still asleep?

"—still there?" Mai said, getting Azula's attention.

"Are you sure I didn't do anything dumb?"

"You did make a fool of yourself," Mai replied without hesitation, a smirk in her voice. "You were so loud, and you were going on and on about your parents and the pool—"

"I think that's enough—I'll talk to you later. Tell Ty I said hello!" With that, she ended the call, cutting off Mai's protests.

She dialed Toph's number twice, but unfortunately, it kept going to voicemail. She rubbed her forehead frustratedly with her fingers, trying to keep calm.

Who was this person? Whoever the person behind this unknown number knew her and was expecting her at Lee Kwong's. But, why?

Well, time to find out.

Azula (11:38): I just woke up, unfortunately. And Lee Kwong's?

Unknown Number (11:40): You said I could pick the place remember?

Azula (11:41): Right, I did say that. All right, see you later.

Unknown Number (11:43): I'm a little excited for this date, I gotta admit, but only because I love the green tea latte at Kwong's.

Azula spluttered.

This had to be a joke.

No way in seven hells.

There was no way.

She frowned at her phone, rereading the text again. She exited her messages and opened it again, half-wondering if this was all real. Maybe she was still drunk.

Unfortunately, the messages were still there from the same number, with the same time stamps and the date today. A sudden urge to throw her phone at the wall came over her.

What?

She let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh. This was just surreal. There had to be a mistake. She had a date, and she couldn't remember with whom? The headache that almost abided was back now, and she let out a squeal of frustration.

She hit reply on her phone, but she stilled, unsure of what to say. She reread the texts, trying to figure out who it could be. There were a few texts prior to their current exchange where they talked about getting home safely. It all sounded disgustingly sweet.

Azula came to an old conclusion. She was never drinking again. Nope. Never. Her brother was right. No drinking for her ever again.

Was this a prank? It was unlikely. Mai and Ty Lee were probably still at Mai's, doing Agni knows what. Toph was likely asleep. That left Zuko and Sokka.

A knock sounded on her door so she hurriedly sent 'see you' to her date then pulled the door open wide, surprising Zuko with the force she used.

"Good morning?" Zuko said tentatively. Her face must have been showing something for he followed up with: "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She felt her cheek twitch. "Are you going somewhere today?"

"Probably not. Sokka's still feeling the drinks. He slept again." He crossed his arms. "How are you feeling? We're having lunch soon."

"Frankly, Zuko, I can't remember anything from last night. It's not even a blur to me; my mind's just blank. I also have a headache, and I just vomited. So, I'm not feeling fine."

He laughed. "So you can't remember anything?"

"I just told you that, didn't I?" she grumbled.

"You jumped into the pool! With all your clothes on!" he exclaimed, hands waving in the air.

"Fuck, did I? Agni, I can't remember anything," she grouched before her eyes widened. "Who changed my clothes? It wasn't you, was it?"

His mouth skewed to the side. "Fuck no! I think Mai and Ty Lee did that back at the hotel."

"You think?!"

"Or it was Toph. No, no, it was Mai and Ty. You had extra clothes in Mai's car."

"Oh thank the dragon."

They were quiet with Azula trying to remember anything before her brother laughed once again. "You and Suki wrestled in the pool!"

She facepalmed. "We did? How pedestrian. Did I win at least?"

"No one won. You just stopped wrestling when Toph got you to fix up in the restroom."

Toph?

No way. What if Toph was her date?! If she was, and Toph was just using another number, drunk Azula had the questionable taste in dates.

"By any chance, did I mention anything about Toph?"

"No? Why?"

She smiled sweetly at him. "No reason."

He pursed his lip. "Okay if you say so. Come on, let's have lunch."

Zuko led the way while Azula texted Mai, hoping to get a call in after lunch.

She couldn't believe she was doing this. Why was she doing this? Was she insane?

Apparently, since I just randomly ask people out for dates when I'm drunk. Or, someone asked me out and I actually said yes.

Agni, she really didn't know how it all went down. She hoped it wasn't mortifying, and she hoped her date was at least a woman.

The shock had slowly worn off since lunch, and now she sat—completely sober—in her booth at Lee Kwong's, drumming her fingers onto the table, waiting for her mystery date.

"Azula!" Ty Lee whispered loudly. She waved her fingers at her with Mai rolling her eyes just behind her.

Azula motioned for them to hide, and they comically slouched in their booth as if it was the most effective disguise. Even though Azula could take care of herself, they were there to serve as backup for safety and also gossip.

The electronic clock at the end of the room was bright red, making it very visible. It was past their designated meeting time, and so she further questioned her drunken choice in dates, ticking off a point from her date according to her mental dating checklist.

This had better be worth at least her time getting ready.

Truthfully, she didn't know where her drunk self had gotten the confidence to ask someone out or, why her drunk self thought it was a great opportunity to agree to a date—if indeed this all wasn't an elaborate plan to prank her.

Romance had never been her strong suit. Woefully, she was below average in that department, and she had never really bothered with relationships, especially with how much studies and university life had occupied her time.

And so there she sat, feeling a mix of anticipation and dread.

She signaled for a server, hoping to busy herself with a drink before her date arrived. The server gestured for her to wait, smiling apologetically as she went to another booth first.

When a shadow fell over Azula, she didn't think anything about it and looked up, ready to order a latte. Her words died in her throat as she stared, confused, at the person standing there.

"Hi," Katara simply said before sliding into the seat across her. Azula could see Ty Lee and Mai's shocked faces behind Katara's shoulder.

Surely it couldn't be Katara. What was she doing here?

"Are you—what are you—"

"Sorry I'm late. I had to wait for Sokka at home because he didn't have his house keys. We're wary of just leaving keys behind. Zuko drove him!"

Every word that came out of Katara's mouth didn't seem to register in Azula's mind.

What was she doing here?

Katara's eyebrows drew together at her continued speechlessness. "What's wrong? Do you not like it here?" She shook her head. "I wanted to order a green tea latte—they have the best ones in the city—but if you really want to go somewhere else then that's fine, I guess."

The words 'green tea latte' had never been more important as confirmation.

She was vaguely aware that Ty Lee was almost out of the other booth, straining to hear, while Mai's usual neutral face looked positively gleeful now. That was all it took to convince Azula that this was all real.

Impossibly, this was all real.

The anticipation and dread in her stomach morphed into the desire to be sick, but she refrained. She cleared her throat, finally realizing that she really was on a date with Katara, her sometimes competition and/or enemy. "Hi."

Katara raised a brow. "Hi?"

There was one thing she was certain of—she was not gonna be a terrible date especially to someone she didn't like. What if Katara went around saying bad things about her? She couldn't have Katara saying she was atrocious at this. Mai would never let her live this down, and Ty Lee would pity her forever. Her ears reddened at the thought of Zuko and Sokka finding out about this. Or even Toph.

"Are you okay?" Katara asked pointedly.

Azula flashed her a smile. "I am. Excuse me. I just need to go to the ladies' room."

Katara sighed. "Fine." Then she glared. "You better not ditch me."

It was ironic that they didn't trust each other even though they were on a date. Maybe they had more in common than she first thought. "I wouldn't dream of it. Sit tight. Get ready to order." She stood up, spotting Mai and Ty Lee's retreating backs.

"This is hilarious," Mai said, grinning as she stood in the middle of the restroom.

Azula glared at her, going to the sink to wash her hands. Ty Lee was pacing the width of the bathroom, face twisted in concentration.

"Azula? Why are you on a date with Katara? How did this even happen?" Ty Lee asked, bouncing on her heels with each step.

"Yes, Azula, do tell us," Mai requested, obviously still amused.

Azula closed the tap off. "I would tell you if I knew." She turned to face them. "All I know is I became inebriated last night, and now I'm on a date with Katara. I know I went with Toph to the restroom last night though."

"You did, in fact," Ty Lee said, eyes widening. "That's one of the few times you weren't with us"—she sent Mai a wink—"so maybe that's where you saw Katara?"

"You asked her on a date in a public restroom?" Mai snickered. "That's actually really bad; that's more terrible than what Zuko would do."

"Why do you think I asked her out? Maybe she asked me out!"

Mai raised her brows at her. "Katara? Asking you out? Unlikely. She hates you."

"Agni, apparently not," Azula muttered. It was a mystery Katara even agreed to this. She glanced at her watch, guessing enough time had passed. "If this goes poorly, and there's a high probability of that, we are forgetting about all of this and never speaking of it ever again."

She left with her friend's giggles ringing in her ears and all but slammed the door on her way out.

Azula let Katara order their food—a few sandwiches, cookies to share and two green tea lattes.

Mai and Ty Lee were settled in a booth much farther this time which eased her nerves. She settled her palms on her lap, willing herself to relax.

This was just Katara, someone she has known—and detested at times—for quite a while now. Maybe it was the idea of this being a date that stoked her nerves.

They made small talk while they waited for the food; they talked about the party last night and the weather to Azula's private horror. It was painful—she was usually much better at small talk than this.

Thankfully, the food and drinks were ready soon enough, saving her further embarrassment which she garnered from Katara's beguiled smiles.

Azula glanced at the server. "Actually, can we get those to go instead? We're not planning on staying." The server frowned, his shoulders tensing.

Katara narrowed her eyes. "We aren't?"

"We aren't." Azula smoothly and subtly pulled out cash from her wallet and placed it onto the server's tray—it was double the total amount of the items they ordered. The server immediately was more cooperative and went away, presumably to take care of their order. "It's a beautiful day. Why don't we eat at the park?"

In truth, Azula was hoping to get a walk in to calm her nerves. Lee Kwong's was fine but sitting here in view of her friends while her knee kept bouncing underneath the table wasn't the best situation.

She let Katara ruminate over it for a few minutes, but one look at the sky outside, and Katara was nodding, carefully observing her. Azula did her best to look relaxed.

The server came back with their paper bags then they were on their way with Azula seeing Mai and Ty Lee giving them curious looks. She promised herself to text them right after, hoping they didn't get the wrong idea about her and Katara leaving so soon.

Finding the perfect spot in Avatar Korra Park was harder than Azula had anticipated. Her usual spot with her friends was sadly taken, the one right in front of the large lake where you can ride the boats and had the best view. She had volunteered to bribe the people from the spot, but Katara had vehemently shot the idea down, staring at her strangely.

Oh well, she was only doing her best to make this date enjoyable.

Katara was leading the way with Azula following a step behind, wondering why she was the one carrying all the bags after she had paid for everything too.

Her musing was cut short when Katara cleared her throat, presenting her a gorgeous view of blue sea, yachts and ships. "This is my spot."

"This will do," Azula commented, causing Katara to roll her eyes and chuckle. "What?"

"You're just, so… you." Katara proceeded to sit at the edge of the dock with Azula following suit. "Nevermind."

Ignoring the description, Azula wordlessly passed a cup to Katara who murmured her thanks before taking a sip. "This is so good," Katara moaned.

Rather obscenely in Azula's opinion. The latte couldn't be that good—

"Oh," Azula said, immediately taking another sip of her own cup. "This is actually delicious."

"Told you so!"

They spent the next minutes just sipping their lattes, and Azula was reluctant to admit that the silence wasn't that uncomfortable. The walk here did her good. "I don't think I've ever sat with you in silence this long."

Katara laughed. "It's a miracle, isn't it? We're usually sniping at each other."

"Too true. You're a very competitive person."

"So are you. It's one thing we have in common."

"No, I don't think so. I may be a tad competitive but not as much as you."

Katara's eyes glittered in the light. "You're kidding, right? You're the most competitive person I know. Remember when you decked me in field hockey that one time?"

"In my defense, I didn't know it was you at first."

"Right."

"And I was only doing my best to stop you from scoring. I didn't treat you any differently from the others."

"Well you did stop me from scoring, and I never went back for the second try-outs. My ribs hurt for two weeks."

"I guess I'm sorry about that." At Katara's look, she amended her statement, "All right, I am sorry about that. That's a shame. You would have done well playing with us I think."

"I'm good with water polo, thanks."

"Speaking of, I saw your last game"—at Katara's surprised glance, she laughed—"Zuko and Sokka dragged me to it. You were excellent."

Katara smiled warmly at her, privately surprising Azula. She had never been on the other end of Katara's smiles; they seemed much better than her usual scowl or glare. And the conversation wasn't bad—it was better than she had expected.

"Too bad I won't be playing anymore. I could have invited you to one of my events."

"Because of medical school? Before you ask, Toph told me about it." Azula tore a piece of her sandwich before popping it into her mouth as she waited for an answer.

"Yes," Katara replied, forlorn. "It's supposedly very difficult to maintain extra-curricular activities in medical school."

"What do you want to specialize in?"

Katara smiled a little. "Neurology."

"Interesting. Good luck with that," Azula said genuinely, sneaking a glance at Katara who started on her own sandwich. "I could never be a doctor."

"Why not? You're clearly smart enough." Katara had raised a brow.

Azula laughed. "Doctors deal with people and people's emotions. I am ill-equipped to handle that. I mean, as it is, Zuko and I can barely handle our parents." She clamped her mouth after, feeling like she had said too much.

"Do you want to talk about them?" Katara asked her curiously.

Azula vehemently shook her head. "It'll bore you."

Katara gave her a significant look, obviously gauging if she was being genuine. She was—she didn't really want to talk about her parents and all the drama that came with them.

"You can if you wanted too, you know," Katara replied, now taking a cookie from a bag. "This is really good."

Azula frowned at her, not understanding what she meant.

Katara shook her head. "I was talking about our previous conversation. I think you would make a great doctor."

Azula was thankful for the old topic. "Trust me. The world and I are better off with me studying law. It's what I like. How about you? Why do you want to be a doctor anyway?"

For the first time since they sat down, Katara looked away. "My mother died when I was young—it was a ruptured brain aneurysm. I can still clearly remember that day. I just got home from school. She was complaining of a severe headache that afternoon. When we arrived at the hospital, she was gone."

"I'm sorry. I knew from Sokka and Zuko, but I didn't know how it happened. It must have been very hard."

"I was so young then, but I had Sokka and our dad. It wasn't easy, but we got through each day. Still, I think of her every day, and the pain is now a dull reminder."

"I could only imagine how painful it must be."

"Hope that it stays that way for a long time."

Having never met any of her grandparents, she didn't really have any close encounter with death. Both of her parents and her uncle were all healthy and alive.

Azula was quiet after that, content on the stillness and silence. Interestingly, she sincerely hoped Katara felt the same.

Katara was looking at the sea somberly, and Azula found she didn't like it. Azula took a cookie, broke it into two and offered one half to Katara who uncharacteristically took it shyly. "For what's it worth, I think you will make a brilliant neurologist. Your mother would be proud. I'm just guessing obviously, but parents usually are."

"Like yours?"

Azula breathed out heavily. "At times."

Katara looked at her for a beat longer than necessary then nodded. "Thank you. I think you'll make an amazing lawyer as well—scary but brilliant."

Azula was perplexed and amused. "What have you heard about me?"

"Just that you've reduced a few guys to tears in your debates. Suki and Toph have mentioned that a few times. So I assume you'll continue making men cry in law school."

Azula grinned, pleased that Katara knew of her debate skills. "That's the plan." She lifted her latte in the air, saying, "To us and our"—Azula cringed at what could be deemed as a presumptuous word choice—"the future."

Katara knocked her cup gently against Azula's, briefly echoing her words. "You know, you're not a bad date so far."

Oh.

Azula had completely forgotten this was a date—ever since they had gotten to the park, it seemed she had loosened up enough to just enjoy the afternoon sun, the water and the—confoundingly—pleasant company.

"I hope I'm not that horrible a date for you to be spacing out on me like that."

That snapped her out her thoughts, and she blushed, ignoring the teasing and Katara's giggle, choosing instead to strike a new conversation with her date.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Azula asked later as Katara stepped onto the sizable turtleduck-themed boat. It bobbled in the water as it supported the other woman's weight.

This was a terrible idea in Azula's own opinion, but she didn't dare say that out loud and merely alluded to it to keep the pleasant atmosphere.

Katara gazed at her, holding out one hand. "Are you scared?"

Azula scoffed. "Of course not, but we don't know how sturdy these things are. If this boat sinks, I can swim, but my clothes won't survive."

Katara rolled her eyes, smiling. Azula didn't understand what was so amusing. Her clothes were very important to her and also very expensive. She would never hear the end of it from her mother.

Reaching her hand further, Katara said, "Come on. I promise—this boat won't sink."

Sighing, Azula accepted the outstretched hand momentarily then quickly retracted her own when she was safely in the boat. She hopped in place, causing Katara to yelp and glare at her from her place when the boat moved. Azula grinned. "Just making sure it won't sink."

The boat was quick work after that. The pedal mechanism wasn't hard at all, and they floated lazily over the lake, taking turns to steer the metal helm and keeping away from the other boats.

Katara was now steering, and Azula took the time to admire her companion out of the corner of her eye. Her facial expression was arranged into serious concentration, and her movement was fluid as her fingers flexed over the helm. The line of her neck was wonderfully exposed as she tilted her head, eyes to the front of the boat.

There was something pretty about it all.

"Why are you staring at me?" Katara whispered, eyes glancing at Azula.

It seemed her stealth was sorely lacking; Azula privately chided herself. "I was not. I was just wondering if I can have my turn to steer."

"Liar."

Azula gasped theatrically. "Slander! That's a wild accusation."

Katara giggled. "You're a nerd."

"—that's going to law school."

"Still, a nerd. A cute one, too." Katara's cheeks reddened.

What in the seven hells was happening?

What the fuck.

"My turn!" Azula grabbed the helm, hastily steering to the right so her own flushing face wouldn't be too obvious in the sun.

Azula reached for the door, but Katara beat her to it, stepping out easily of Azula's car in the evening light. On the drive over to Katara's house, Azula had let Katara play songs from her phone. As she had expected, she and Katara had different tastes in music, but Azula had enjoyed the way the other woman sang the songs under her breath and clearly had all the songs memorized—it was a change from her own self as she only had a handful of songs in the back of her brain.

This date was actually… nice.

"You don't have to walk me to the door," Katara teased, lightly tapping the inside of Azula's right wrist.

Azula shook her head, hoping she wasn't blushing at the simple touch. "It's nothing."

Her heart started beating heavily in her chest. Anticipation set in her gut, even though she was unsure why. She was not expecting a kiss, an invitation or anything like that. They had a really nice afternoon, but they were also rivals, almost enemies. So what if they had one good afternoon? That really didn't mean anything. Maybe this was the one fluke in all of their interactions.

"I'm home," Katara commented to which Azula nodded, biting back a sarcastic reply.

They were quiet again, and this time, it was heavy with something different.

"I had a really nice time, Katara," Azula started, hesitant about what to say. "I didn't expect to have fun with you today."

Katara tilted her head, frowning. "You were expecting for this date to fail?"

Well, that was the wrong thing to say. "Well, that came out wrong. It's just that we have never really talked aside from competing in college. And I have to confess, I don't remember asking you out. At all. I just pieced it together through the texts. I have no memory of last night after I started drinking—see, I was drunk. Truthfully, I don't understand why you agreed to this date, Katara." She was rambling, how terrible.

Katara was now staring at her incredulously.

Azula was about to explain herself further when Katara started laughing—belly-aching, sonorous laughter.

"What—"

"I know, Azula. I know."

"Then why—what. I don't get it."

"You were so very clearly drunk when you asked me out in the restroom last night"—Azula groaned at the confirmation of her little theory—"and you were slurring your speech which you never do, and you were acting so chipper then you were so serious. It was the extremes, I knew right then. And, you also told me you were drunk."

Azula groaned at herself.

Katara grabbed her hand, leading her to a couple of porch chairs. Azula ignored how soft Katara's skin was, letting herself be pulled forward. There were more pressing matters.

"But why did you say yes? I was drunk, and I asked you in the restroom of all places. I don't even remember any of it! We don't like each other!"

"I said yes because we agreed on something. You might not remember it, but you would owe me a favor for this."

Her cheeks burned. "Oh." Was that disappointment she was feeling? It couldn't be. Was she disappointed this was all for nothing? Absolutely not. "That makes sense. Since we are being truthful, I only hoped this date would go well so you wouldn't say anything terrible about me."

Katara looked at her curiously then, a little pitying too, and Azula immediately disliked the look, hated being the cause of it. "You were a wonderful date."

Azula reddened, shaking her head. "Only because I wanted this to go well."

"It doesn't matter why; you were wonderful." Katara smiled and added, "If you want to know, I said yes because mainly I was curious, and you were honest with me which I actually appreciated. You were actually very endearing when you asked me out so I thought 'why not?'."

Azula wrinkled her nose at being called 'endearing', causing Katara to giggle. "I still wanted this date to go well for selfish reasons."

"You did, but I also agreed for my own selfish gain as well."

"But why did I ask you out?" Azula stood up, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter. This is it then. Thank you. I won't, uh, forget this"—she winced at her dodgy words—"and text me anytime for that favor." She was uncomfortable as she loitered in front of Katara, wanting to get a step to her car. Truthfully, she had a great time with Katara but after learning this was all because of a favor—okay, it was surprisingly disappointing.

Katara was looking at her carefully. "I had a wonderful time too, Azula. I didn't expect to do so, but I did."

If Azula had more confidence with women, this would be the time she would ask Katara for a real date, but she didn't so she merely laughed. "If I were in your shoes, I would have said no, even with the favor. You deserve better than being asked in a restroom." It was the truth. Azula reared back on her heels, hoping that hadn't been too much, too soft, too awkward.

Katara tilted her head. "I agree that I deserve better, so how about this? You can make it up to me by going on a second date with me, one with no favors or schemes."

That considerably brightened Azula though she tried to smother the reaction. "But why?"

"I had fun with you today which was completely unexpected. So why not a second date?"

"Are you sure that you want to go on a date with me?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm asking you."

"But what about—how did I ask you to—"

Wow.

Message definitely received.

Katara had stood up, held her face in place and kissed her. It took a second for Azula to respond, surprised as she was. Katara's lips were soft, pliant and warm. Azula had kissed only a handful of people in her life, but this new experience already trumped them all.

Katara's breaths came in little pants across the top of her lips, sending tingles everywhere. Her senses were all the more heightened when Katara grabbed the back of her neck, drawing her in for a deeper kiss. The gentle scrape of fingers on Azula's neck was bliss.

Azula felt her eyes roll back behind her eyelids as she tasted a wet tongue, tasting Katara for the first time. Katara tasted sweet like a mixture of mints and green tea lattes—Azula definitely liked it.

And Katara's smell was all around her. It was lavender, one of her favorites.

A few moments later, Katara pulled back, causing Azula to come out of her daze and clumsily fall forward a bit. Katara had darted back in for another, short kiss, and their noses bumped against each other's causing Katara to laugh. Azula smiled.

"Yes to a second date then." She basked in their proximity before Katara gave her a tight hug. She was a little taller than Katara, and that's when she saw Sokka behind one of the glass windows before he disappeared.

"Sister!" Sokka yelled as he wrenched open the door. "And Azula! What a novel and scary combination you two make."

Katara finally pulled away and started yelling at her brother. She quickly said farewell, kissing Azula one last time on the cheek as Sokka made retching noises. She pushed her brother to the door. "Call me!"

The door closed behind them.

Azula sighed, smiling at the odd turn of events today, but she was unexpectedly happy about it.

The door opened again. It was Katara.

"If you want to know how you asked me out, I'm sure Toph can tell you everything." Laughing, she closed the door with a wink. Then it opened again. "I'm still cashing in on that favor sometime in the future!" It closed again.

Well, fuck, Azula thought to herself, still smiling.

Her next order of business was getting details from Toph and hopefully bribing her into never talking or thinking about what had happened ever again.

The door opened again, and this time it was Sokka who was smiling ear-to-ear. "Tui and La, your father is gonna be pissed that there will now be two brown, Water Tribe people in your family! And probably many more after that!" With that, he slammed the door shut.

What. The. Fuck.

"If we're somehow in the little boy's pee-pee room, I'm gonna tell people this is your fault," Toph muttered. She helped Azula to the restroom, tolerating the taller woman's rants in her right ear and the wet clothes against her own dry ones. Azula was going on about the voting system in Republic City and how it could be improved, a topic Toph had totally zero interest in.

It was hard to open the door and nudge a drunk Azula into the restroom, but somehow Toph managed albeit slowly—Azula might have also hit her head on the doorpost, but Toph wasn't sure, being blind and all.

This all would have been much easier if Mai and Ty Lee had not disappeared on them. Again.

"Stay," Toph instructed her friend, leaning her against one of the cubicle stalls. She had no doubt that sober Azula would hate touching something so dirty.

Swaying a little, Azula murmured, "Fine."

Toph grabbed some napkins, hastily wiping Azula's messy face which was received with protests. She had no doubt her friend's makeup and hair were a mess—she did jump into the pool and wrestled Suki, after all. Azula groaned, trying to push Toph's hands away.

"It was only a dare, Azula. You actually didn't have to do the dare."

"No, no! I showed them. I really showed them. I can do anything!"

Toph snorted, throwing the used napkins away. "Yes, you definitely can."

"Ty Lee said—she also said—Mai wants me to get a date. She said I can't get one!"

"So get one."

"It's not easy!" she slurred. "I don't like anyone!"

"Then don't ask anyone out."

"NO! Mai will be insufferable. She'll win!"

Toph sighed. "Which brings me to my first point—get a date."

"I can't—it's—women!"

A raucous laugh escaped Toph's mouth at her friend's drunken antics and plain ridiculousness. Drunk Azula was hilarious. An incredible idea came to Toph then. "How about this—whoever comes in through that door next will be the one you'll ask out on a date."

Azula was quiet, and Toph didn't know if her friend finally fell asleep or something. "Azula?"

Azula hummed, "Toph, I think that's a brill—brill—good idea. We'll do that."

Toph grinned at this, fist-bumping Azula's shoulder. "Now, let's get you cleaned up."

This time, Azula leaned on the door as Toph got more napkins. Toph sighed at her only option. Maybe she could request towels from the hotel instead—on Azula's credit of course.

Someone pushed the restroom door open, causing Azula to stumble. Toph and Azula yelled as most of Azula's weight fell on her, but in a moment, it was gone.

"Who's there?" Toph called out.

"It's me Toph, Katara."

Katara. Katara?

Toph started laughing again, clutching her stomach. This was too good. Toph did not know what she did to deserve this, to be a witness to this, but she mentally thanked the badgermoles.

Azula blinked at the person holding her by her elbows. "Katara?"

Katara looked at her strangely. "Yes, it's me."

Azula squinted at her, looking between her and Toph. "Toph, it's Katara."

"Yes, Azula, we have established that."

"But it's Katara." Azula tried gesturing with her hands which didn't do much as they were firmly in Katara's hold, preventing her from falling.

"What's going on?" Katara asked, now sounding thoroughly confused.

Toph couldn't help her snickers even if she tried. "Just pretend I'm not here."

"What?"

Azula cleared her throat and moved around as if trying to straighten herself up.

Katara scoffed. "Stop moving! You'll fall!"

The rustling stopped before Azula said, "I need a… date."

Katara asked, bewildered, "You… need a date?"

"Yes!"

"I don't know what this has to do with me."

"I'm asking you," she said in a small voice which Toph had thought was not possible from Azula. Azula cleared her throat again. "Uh, if that wasn't clear, I'm asking you on a date!"

Katara let out a sharp laugh. "No way."

Toph could feel the awkwardness from Azula as she said, "Are you saying no?"

"Why are you asking me out on a date anyway? You don't like me. And Zuko and Sokka—"

"—maybe I've been harboring a crush on you for years. You would not know."

Katara scoffed. "I don't believe you."

"Fine! If I tell you the truth, will you go out on a date with me then?"

"How is that even a fair trade? Your logic doesn't make sense."

Toph stood to the side, continuing to listen to the two of them bicker with interest. She didn't know what, but there was something happening.

"I am drunk so my brain might be add—addled at the moment, but okay, will you consider it if I tell you the truth?"

Katara eventually agreed, resulting to Azula explaining the whole stupid thing with Mai and Ty Lee and the drunken dares and Toph trying to help and asking the next person who came into the restroom and her honor and pride being at stake.

In Toph's opinion, Azula's honor and pride were long gone by the time she finished her explanation, and, interestingly, Azula sounded subdued throughout her little rant.

"How much have you drank?" Katara asked.

"A lot!" Toph butted in, effectively reminding them that they weren't alone.

"So you want to go on a date with me to basically own Mai?"

Toph laughed at how petty it sounded from Katara—Sugar Queen really had that snide tone perfected.

Azula gave her affirmation to the question unashamedly, seemingly having accepted her fate. "What do you think?"

"What's in it for me?"

Azula fell silent, probably trying to think through her hazy thoughts. "Uh, free food wherever you want? Or whatever activity you want to do? You get to help me fuck up Mai's life for a few days? I'll owe you a favor for the rest of my life?"

It was quiet as they waited for an answer, and Toph sensed that Azula was weirdly tense as they did so.

But then.

"All right. One date"—Toph cheered, thinking she was a genius for this plan—"as long as that favor includes anything and everything."

Azula sighed heavily. "Acceptable terms. Should we shake on it?" There was some rustling again as she tried to hold out her hand.

Katara let out a sound signaling she was trying not to laugh. She patted Azula's hand. "It's okay."

Toph came to them, wrapping her arms around both. "Ah, young love stemming from business arrangements. What a great end to the night. This would make a great speech at your wedding."

"Toph!" they snapped back simultaneously.

A/N: I almost totally forgot about Femslash February so I promised to myself that I would write one before the month ends XD

Taking this leap day to rewrite and reread Azutara was worth it haha. As always, reviews are very much appreciated!