My first fanfic in a long time so I might be really rusty. It's my version of how Azula and Ty Lee fell in love and will go from right after The Awakening episode to well past Smoke and Shadow Part III. I'm planning to make it fit into canon 100% up until anything made after Part III.

Lies My Girlfriend Told Me

Chapter One: Party Favor

Ty Lee's lips were glossy that afternoon.

It seemed like it ought to be difficult to do, in Azula's opinion. Matte. Orangish, reddish; Azula would look ridiculous in anything that glittered under the dust, dirt and old buildings that the sunlight illuminated. They were in front of the walls from Ba Sing Se, and they were about to bring them down.

"This is so cool," Ty Lee whispered, too close to Azula.

The princess was not sure what to make of the sensation in her neck and shoulders, but she did not approve of it.

"There are more interesting things," Azula said, shrugging it off like conquering Ba Sing Se was a dull everyday event. Ty Lee thought about it for a second and decided that maybe this type of thing was for Azula.

"Yeah," Ty Lee chimed in. "You'll have tons of opportunities to conquer everything and everywhere. Totally."

Azula looked at Ty Lee, met her gaze and knew that Ty Lee was not lying. She liked glancing at the girl too often. But Ty Lee was disappointed that Azula only gave Ty Lee one look. Ty Lee smiled wider to cover up how that hurt.

"We could go somewhere better to watch." Azula looked around at the crowded semi-celebration with disdain.

She began walking without giving Ty Lee any warning or invitation, and the acrobat ran after her. They escaped the soldiers all around them and walked towards a lookout post a little ways from the wall. There were the Dai Li, and there was Azula's legacy; Ty Lee was more focused on Mai and Zuko and how Ty Lee had loved Azula for forever and they just snapped into a relationship within ten minutes or something.

Ba Sing Se was weird for them. Uncomfortable but comfortable because it was filled with so much longing and desire. Ty Lee wanted Azula, Azula wanted Ty Lee, and both of them believed it was unrequited.

Neither girl could be happier to leave.

They remained on the lookout post for a while, and Ty Lee said a lot while Azula said beautifully clever things that made Ty Lee feel ridiculous. To be honest, Azula was trying to ignore her nerves.

Then, there it was...

The event of a century all due to Azula. It began very slowly, but then it was a spectacle that Sozin or Azulon could never dream of laying eyes on or accomplishing. Azula smirked as she thought about being Fire Lord, being known as better, Sozin and Azulon and Ozai only the people who made her.

Azula was ripped out of her thoughts by glossy lips suddenly hitting hers. The princess nearly jumped backwards before leaning in. It became softer, or maybe just more passionate and neither of them could tell.

Kissing Azula felt like falling from the sky, a thousand feet down onto the ground. That was the only way that Ty Lee could describe it. It was not the controlled falls she made in combat, even against the grinding metal of a drill. No, it felt as if Ty Lee had somehow slipped up while walking a tightrope on her hands and the rope snapped or she could not catch herself in time.

Kissing Ty Lee felt like pure, unadulterated terror. But power and pleasure too.

"What's this?" Ty Lee asked, poking at the scarlet fabric.

"Obviously a dress," Azula responded with an eyeroll.

Ty Lee smiled inexplicably and Azula had no idea what to make of it; the princess never knew with that girl. They just got back from a celebration of Ba Sing Se and Azula was toying with the fringes of her crimson sheets as she tried not to fall asleep.

The victory party was fine; Azula did like her political opportunities. She did, however, escape, and now was hiding in her bedroom with her best friend. Maybe slipping away during the party, particularly with someone, would look suspicious to other people.

Unfortunately, Azula did not think even she was that lucky.

Fortunately, Azula had left out a mess of clothes that every slave and servant had been too occupied with the gala to deal with. Ty Lee, of course, was drawn to the pile of shimmery formalwear leading into the closet like a trail of incredibly fashionable breadcrumbs. Azula did not have to think about what she would rather be doing if she did not want to.

"Azula," Ty Lee whispered brightly, her eyes wide like a begging pet. "Can I see it? It's perfect and amazing and beautiful." And when Azula said nothing to that, Ty Lee added, "Just like you!"

"I don't ever wear it anyway." Azula waved her right hand dismissively and tried to force her eyes open.

It was a flattering dark red with too much silk and slightly frayed embroidery despite being worn only once. Azula could recall the last time she wore it, and it was forever ago at a political event while she was ill and trying to force herself not to burst into several coughing fits. She did not wear clothes again in the first place, however, that dress was not appealing to her.

Ty Lee glowed and Azula closed her eyes; Ty Lee then walked further into Azula's poorly dusted closet and removed it from the hanger. She flinched when she heard a tiny tearing sound and her heart started to pound, but then she looked up to see that she had just ripped the hanger itself. Thank the spirits.

"Can I try it on? It's so pretty." Ty Lee stared and stared. Azula noticed but refused to pay it any attention.

"You can have it. I don't care," Azula said, sighing.

Ty Lee was thrilled and Azula sunk further into her mattress.

"I hope it looks good on me," Ty Lee declared and Azula considered complimenting Ty Lee before deciding against it.

The Fire Princess had to be an Ice Princess if she wanted to continue her game of... seduction or something else that was pretending to be attempting to make herself feel better about her unrequited... lust. Not feelings, not a crush. Lust. That was manageable.

Ty Lee interrupted again by saying, "Princess, maybe could you...?"

"Are you stuck in it already?" Azula snickers.

"Will you tie the back of the dress?" Ty Lee asked, and the way she was hopping on one foot while muttering obscenities under her breath was a sight so pathetic Azula can't refuse.

It was not as if Azula had never seen her friend change or try on clothes or loan her anything before. However, it could not feel natural anymore after what happened at the party earlier. Ty Lee had said nothing about it, and Azula was both grateful for that and bitter about it. Ty Lee should have been begging for a moment of Azula's attention as she always had been.

Ty Lee took that kiss and she now seemed as if it had never happened. Or as if it were routine.

"Ouch!" Ty Lee yelped as Azula certainly grabbed her too hard. Her fingernails had pinched the skin around Ty Lee's ribs, and the acrobat pretended it was an accident. "The ties got tangled." Ty Lee tried to point at them, but it just made her nearly fall on her face.

"I cannot imagine how you could have done this to yourself within five minutes," Azula remarked, wearing a mocking smirk that made Ty Lee's tummy hurt. "Don't move while I help you. I would call Mai if she weren't probably off with my brother..."

Azula tugged on the strings and now Ty Lee was reasonably concerned.

"Yeah, they're so awful! Love should only be for pretty people who everybody wants to watch ki..." Ty Lee swallowed, the dress tightened too hard for a horrifying split second, but then Azula loosened it and twirled Ty Lee out of that knotted lock around herself.

Ty Lee withheld jokes about chastity belts, due to Azula's reaction to what Ty Lee thought she was supposed to do. How was Ty Lee to know that Azula did not want to elevate the flirting when Azula literally never stopped making blatant advancements and those bedroom eyes, and on that lookout post she was staring at Ty Lee's lips so hard.

Maybe Ty Lee's lipstick was a weird color. Or maybe Azula was just lost in thought.

No, Azula felt the opposite. She could not get the taste of that lipstick out of her mouth, which was not the alarming part; Azula never wanted to lose that taste.

Ty Lee turned silently as Azula helped her through the final ties. Azula hesitated for a moment, but quickly got her wits about her again and tugged the dress down over the curves of her friend's hips and breasts. Which Azula simply noticed because she was a teenager who preferred girls but would absolutely not let one get in the way of her clear road to the throne.

Azula's fingertips lingered against Ty Lee's hip bones and Ty Lee almost kissed her again before remembering what happened before. These moments felt so right but Ty Lee knew that for some reason they were wrong. Unrequited. Unrequited adolescent love was not uncommon ever, and Ty Lee had fallen for many, many boys, and many, many more boys had fallen for her.

Except Princess Azula was too good for Ty Lee, and... Azula remembered herself, removed her hands and walked back to her inviting bed.

"I get why you're upsetish," Ty Lee stammered as she gazed at the princess. "I'm sorry that I thought..." Ty Lee shook her head fast and hard. "I'm sorry because I know that you're too good for me and I shouldn't have flattered myself like that."

Azula had never expected 'I shouldn't have flattered myself' to come out of Ty Lee's mouth, and so the rest faded into the background, undigested.

"I am not upset. I don't know what you're talking about."

"About the kiss."

"About the what?" Azula asked, her lip curling to the left. Forced. Ty Lee could swear it was forced but the acrobat still tugged at the itchy metal bracelet that she had worn to the party. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Right, yeah." Ty Lee wondered why Azula was not leaving or ordering her out or taking any action to end this mortifying situation. Ty Lee had never felt so naked before, but then she realized that she was actually naked.

"Would you come over here?" Azula asked and Ty Lee stepped backwards.

Azula had never inquired so politely; Ty Lee got orders and they got her hot. Yeah, tonight was getting scary and Ty Lee definitely should have just stayed at the party and listen to old men hit on her.

"Yeah, of course, princess. Whatever you want I want to get you," Ty Lee said honestly and she walked to the bed without considering grabbing her clothes.

Princess Azula was kind of amused at how focused she was on Ty Lee's bra instead of her actual self. It was ridiculously well-made, fashionable and flattering for someone who... "So, I imagine you have people who see your bra?"

Ty Lee's expression eased some of Azula's fears. Azula was still in control. Azula was still in control. It could not turn into one of those relationships her father warned her about as long as she stayed in control.

"No. Not really. I just like pretty underwear because it makes me confident," Ty Lee said and again, she was not lying. Not lying, just stupid, Azula noted with relief. "You probably get to shop alone, though. My mom is always so..."

Ty Lee lay down before suddenly regretting that. Would Azula interpret it as another unwelcome advance?

"I..." Azula looked as uncertain as Ty Lee for a moment. "My father has picked out my clothes since I was a child."

Ty Lee did not mean to laugh, but Azula laughed faintly along with her. As they lay there in silence, they could hear the party halfway across the palace. It was too loud, too obnoxious and Azula had absolutely zero energy to deal with that.

"That's ─ no, I'm not making fun of you ─ it's just imagining Fire Lord Ozai picking out your clothes is, well, treason, but still funny!" Ty Lee looked giddy and Azula envied her.

A sensation struck Azula that made her wonder if it were desire to share in Ty Lee's lack of worries, or if it were desire to fulfill what had been clawing at her like a caged beast since that one kiss.

"It's unfortunate you don't want my dress," Azula dared to say. She averted her eyes to drift at the ceiling, as if those shadows were much more interesting than her half naked sole fantasy beside her. "You did miss out on party favors."

Ty Lee giggled before realizing Azula might be serious. "Those are for little kids. I don't care that I missed them. I don't need any bribes to do whatever you s..."

The way Azula inhaled made Ty Lee feel uncomfortable. She was not doing this, she was not lying next to this girl and doing anything that would make her screw up like she did during their kiss.

"Whatever I what?" Azula whispered and Ty Lee felt for a moment like perhaps she was in one of those dreams, but she could hear the party and feel Azula's breath and the blankets beneath her.

If it was a dream, she did not want to wake up.

Azula was worth more than anything in the entire world. And right now Azula was looking at Ty Lee, noticing her. Noticing her and Ty Lee knew that was likely because of the kiss but...

"I would do anything for you ever," Ty Lee said confidently and Azula tried to hide her small smirk. "Like maybe give you a party favor..."

Ty Lee was sitting up. Azula began planning for this situation before they tried to ram that drill into Ba Sing Se, and she expected to be suave, smooth and prodigious at seducing women like she was with all things. But no, Azula had every clever word in her mind, but she could not get them out of her mouth.

Azula knew she should say something, be the better person, be the Fire Lord she was meant to eventually be. But then Ty Lee, of course, took off her bra.

Azula's head spun but it must have been a very quick reaction because she sat up on her knees. "We should go check on... Zuko..." That was definitely the most pathetic thing Azula had ever said in her entire life.

"Could I persuade you to do that later?" Ty Lee whispered and Azula could not think very well.

"Possibly. Make me an offer." Azula sounded enough like herself that she could pretend to be confident in this situation.

"Okay." Ty Lee was laughing somewhat nervously, which was not the sexiest thing Azula imagined, but Ty Lee reached her hands around behind the princess and fumbled a bit before she succeeded at removing her lovely red silk party dress.

They were lying down. No, Azula was pulling her down and she should not have been doing that. But she stopped thinking about the Fire Nation the moment they were laying on Azula's bed, lips too close, breast to breast, the same uncertainty about if their feelings were mutual invading them both.

Azula dug her nails into Ty Lee's back when she started to remember herself again. Azula did not want to that, not at all. Because she was perfect and deserved such perfection as this.

Ty Lee's fingers slid down, giving Azula goosebumps as they trailed across her skin and moved to remove the rest of Azula's clothes.

The princess could not play into her desires and make excuses anymore.

She pushed Ty Lee away, and they laid down beside each other in silence.

There was not anything they could say.