"What part of you hurts?" Ty Lee asked, cracking her knuckles.

She would soothe the princess's aches and pains if it killed her. That was what love was, or so she thought. Ty Lee did not care what anybody else thought, except for the one person in front of her who had more aches and pains from her training than body parts Ty Lee knew existed.

"Nothing," Azula said before grimacing and rubbing her neck, then her back, then her ribs. "A few places."

"You are training so hard. I'm super impressed," Ty Lee replied, hoping that would be consolation. Or maybe she was hoping that it would protect her if she said something stupid. "I'm so good at those chi-flow things. You could lie down and I could help you if that's what you want."

Azula looked at her for a long while. Ty Lee could hear her heart beating and she wondered if Azula could hear it too. If she did, the princess looked pleased about it.

"I will," Azula said and Ty Lee smiled.

The princess lied down on her bed and looked up at Ty Lee. Quickly, the acrobat got herself together and knelt on the mattress at Azula's side.

"Okay, just show me where it hurts," Ty Lee said, smiling. She felt panic surging through her. Okay, maybe she really wanted an excuse to touch Azula, and she was hoping that the princess would not notice.

Azula tapped on finger on her leg and Ty Lee set her hand there. The bare skin was a bit distracting, but Ty Lee handled herself. Okay, that curling of toes was a bit horrifying for Ty Lee to see, but at least she was successful.

Azula tapped her finger on her rib and Ty Lee hoped she did not notice the deep breath. Very close to certain parts of her anatomy. Very close. Too close for comfort.

Ty Lee did, trying to stay near the lower ribs, and trying to affect her back too. It worked. Clearly, because the sound Azula made was horrifying for the both of them. Probably, at least. Hopefully, at least.

Azula tapped her shoulder. Ty Lee did her magic.

Azula tapped her neck. Ty Lee. . . hesitated, just for a flicker of a moment. Slowly, Ty Lee brushed her hands against there. The pause, the moan, all of it was scary. Ty Lee reacted spontaneously by. . . kissing Azula's neck. Wonderful.

"Oh, is that part of this?" asked the princess. Ty Lee could not tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Y-y-yes," Ty Lee said nervously.

"Then. . ." Azula tapped her finger on her lips. It was easily the most successful flirtation Ty Lee could imagine Azula performing.

Ty Lee kissed her lips after taking a deep breath. When Azula kissed her back, she thought she would suffocate.

They broke free from each other. Ty Lee sat there, feeling stupid and crazy and Azula sat up on her knees too. They were eye to eye and Ty Lee forgot to look away like a good servant. For once, Azula did not care about it. She kissed Ty Lee again and very swiftly reached for her clothes.

The two girls fumbled with each other a bit. It was all very frightening and new and they kept making mistake. It probably would have been easier to undress themselves, but they could not stop now, could they?

Ty Lee took deep breaths, already sweating without exerting more effort than undressing the princess. Azula met Ty Lee's gaze again.

And Ty Lee said, "I don't really know how to do this," and she pretended she was a total virgin. She had done some things with boys. . . Not girls though! So it was not a lie.

And Azula said, "I do," and she pretended she was not a total virgin.

Ty Lee could not describe Azula's body as anything but luscious and warm, naked—and Ty Lee was for some reason trying not to look too much, as if they were not both doing this—and Azula lay so very still, allowing Ty Lee to reach forward with her hands and pretend to be rubbing hurt parts but really exploring the female form for the very first time.

Ty Lee's mouth found her neck—where she was most sore—and she wanted to elicit that sound again. She succeeded. Her mouth found her ears, her earlobes, a very tender place behind them that made Ty Lee concerned she would get shoved off of the bed.

Gaining more confidence, Ty Lee caressed Azula's breast with her hand, her reddish nipple tightening as she dared—panicking all the same—to pass over it with her finger. Then her tongue. She thought she would regret the tongue thing, but she really didn't, because Azula moaned and that was scary in a good way.

Ty Lee let those instincts take over—the ones that knew what to do with gorgeous boys. This girl was an awful lot prettier than any of them. She was breathtaking, and they were just hot.

Ty Lee's fingers found her arm, so muscled but delicate at the same time, and followed its smooth length to the inside of her elbow. Ty Lee began to kiss there but changed her mind.

She did kiss Azula's shoulder, exactly where she was sore from training. Out of impulse and desire, her tongue found its way slowly down and around the inviting curves of her waist, stopping briefly at another sore spot Ty Lee found in her massage. She moved anxiously and desperately from one hipbone to the other, across her smooth stomach.

"Just do it, will you?" Azula said, and Ty Lee thought maybe the princess had done this a thousand times before.

That made Ty Lee's blood boil. She wanted Azula to be for her and only for her for forever and ever.

So she did.