Imagine being Zuko’s best friend and having a crush on Ty lee
When Zuko invited you on holiday with him, Azula and her friends you were equally excited and nervous. Zuko of course knew about your crush and did this on purpose. He was a great friend like that.
You’d had a fondness for Ty lee for as long as you could remember. Ty lee had always been nice to you and she was your favourite person in the whole city (after Zuko of course) and a refreshing change from the usual fire nation negativity. Zuko claimed Ty lee clearly liked you too but you weren’t sure. She was kind to everyone so surely the fact she was also kind to you didn’t mean anything? Zuko had offered to speak to Mai to set the two of you up but the thought of getting rejected scared you too much to even consider it and so you swore Zuko to secrecy. You were hoping that Ty lee would somehow telepathically realise you liked her and do all the hard work but that was, unsurprisingly, yet to happen. So you weren’t hopeful you and Ty lee would end up together any time soon but maybe some time away from the fire nation with her might make it clear if she really did like you and so you went into the holiday optimistically.
Zuko uncharacteristically matched your optimism and gave you a small pep talk about finally *getting your girl*. Zuko’s words ringing in your ears you stared off to the boat looking for the shore, excited for your holiday to start. Azula and Ty lee chatted not far away when Azula got bored and wandered off. Ty lee spotted you and started to walk towards you when Azula yelled her name. Ty lee sighed rolling her eyes and you smiled at her. She grinned back and with a wink followed the princess. Your heart began beating rapidly and you blushed vividly. Maybe Zuko was right?
You arrived on Ember Islands and after being given a tour of the villa set off for the beach. You arrived onto a packed sandy shore and looked around overwhelmed as all your friends began splitting up. You weren’t as confident as Ty lee or Azula so you paused wondering what to do. Zuko and Mai disappeared together and you didn’t want to follow, you’d third wheeled them enough times. However you also didn’t want to follow Azula, she hated you because you were Zuko’s friend and barely tolerated your presence. So that left Ty lee...you stared after her wondering if you should just go after her when she turned around and spotted you. “Hey you coming?” Ty lee called and you blushed “who me...yeah, what else would I be doing...” you rushed after her and Ty lee smiled. “I’m really glad you came y/n, it’ll be nice to spend some more time with you”. You nodded looking away “yeah i’m glad you’re here too!”. Ty lee nodded and went to say something when a guy appeared in front of her. “Hey need some help unpacking?” he asked. You frowned at the way he stared at Ty lee but she just grinned “sure”. You smirked as he struggled to hold the bag Ty lee so easily carried the whole way here and fell to the floor. The boy unpacked the things but still stood there staring. You frowned as Ty lee just sat down as if she didn’t have this man leering at her and you supposed this happened to her so much she was used to it. Ty lee looked up at you and frowned “hey aren’t you gonna sit?”. You paused “erm sure I was just wondering if he was staying?”. Ty lee nodded “well if he’s going to do things for us I don’t see why not”. You didn’t agree but supposed at least it was only one intruder...then another appeared. “Hey I got you this shell” a second male grinned and Ty lee smiled “thanks it’s so pretty!”. You sighed as this one also lingered and began fanning Ty lee. “So” Ty lee smiled turning to you apparently still unbothered by the men staring at her “how’s your fire bending training coming along”. It’s going well” you nodded “my trainer says that I...” you paused as another guy appeared beside Ty lee. The second you stopped talking he grinned at Ty lee “hey can I fan you too?”. Ty lee nodded “sure!”. You sighed as two more guys made their way over and Ty lee noticed “what’s wrong?”. You shook your head at how oblivious she was and shrugged “nothing I just think I need to cool off, i’m gonna go for a swim”. You started off down the beach with no location in mind apart from away from Ty lee’s fan club. You knew Ty lee was way out of your league and that she could have virtually anyone in the fire nation but moments like this really made it apparent how slim your chance with her was. You passed Zuko with some ice creams and he stopped catching sight of you. “Hey, I saw you were sat with Ty lee” he grinned before he saw your face. “I was” you agreed before gesturing to where she sat surrounded by guys who had happily taken your spot. Zuko frowned “who even are they?”. “No idea but I couldn’t sit there with an army of boys just staring at her, it’s sickening. She wears something comfortable that she looks good in and they all lose their minds”. Zuko nodded sympathetically “have you told Ty lee you don’t like them there?”. You shook your head “no of course not! She clearly likes them so it’d just be awkward”. Zuko frowned not agreeing with your reasons for staying silent but he shrugged “well you can join me and Mai if you want? Honestly it might help to have someone else there, i’m not doing so well either”. “Thanks but I think having me there will just make it even more awkward. I’m gonna go for a swim and then hopefully the guys will be gone”. Zuko nodded “okay, you know where I am if you need me” and he disappeared. You enjoyed your swim and felt a lot better about this whole situation. Zuko was right, why didn’t you just tell Ty lee you wanted the guys to leave so you could be alone? You were friends, surely she’d understand why you didn’t want a large group of people you didn’t even know joining you. You made a beeline for Ty lee when Azula called her away to play volleyball. You sat with her stuff to guard it and watched as Ty lee dominated and the others destroyed the competition. You laughed when Ty lee actually jumped on the net and she apparently heard you. She shot you a smile and you blushed in response when suddenly a member of her fan club began cheering her name. Ty lee shot them a smile too and you sighed...the volleyball was suddenly less interesting. You tried watching the rest of the game but those boys cheered every time Ty lee so much as approached the ball so frustrated you just stared at the sand willing it to be over. Finally it ended and you saw some guys approach the group. You watched as they talked to Ty lee and frowned as you saw Zuko square up to them before Azula stopped him. Once the conversation was done they all headed in your direction and you frowned “what was that about?”. “We got invited to a party!” Ty lee said happily and you frowned. Zuko laughed “that was my response”. Relief filled you, if Zuko didn’t want to go too then maybe everyone else would stay back too. But no, Mai decided she wanted to go so Zuko folded. “Traitor” you shot at him walking back to the villa together and he sighed “i’m sorry but I really need to try more with Mai and I think this could be a good opportunity to...” Zuko started when you laughed cutting him off “it’s fine Zuko! Mai’s far too good for you to let her get away so I totally get it”. You smirked to let him know you were only teasing and he laughed relaxing “thanks...who knows maybe we’ll enjoy it!”. You shot Zuko a look and he laughed “I know, I know, but there’s a first time for everything and the girls we like are going...that’s gotta be appealing right?”. You blushed vividly and Zuko smirked widely.
Hours later you stepped into the party threshold and immediately began to panic. Your breathing increased and the social anxiety you always felt hit you. It was less severe than it used to be but it still made socialising difficult. Zuko knew this and glanced at you “you okay?” he whispered and you nodded breathing deeply “i’m fine, the worst part is always walking in”. He nodded and you smiled “go, i’ll come get you if I need to leave”. Zuko nodded “okay” and headed after Mai. You took another deep breath and looked around the room. Ty lee and Azula had headed for the drinks so you followed them.
Azula grabbed herself a drink and walked away. Ty lee frowned and poured a drink for herself and one for you too. You accepted it thanking her and she smiled back at you. “So the beach didn’t exactly go as planned...” Ty lee started and you frowned “as planned?”. “Yeah we wanted to spend time together right? I see you a lot in the Fire Nation but we’re always with Zuko and Azula so it can feel like a warzone sometimes”. You chuckled “you’re right. Like we’re enemy troops”. Ty lee laughed “something like that...so how are you enjoying the Ember Islands?”. You shrugged trying to keep your face passive “it’s...good” you replied and Ty lee smiled “you hate it”. “I didn’t say that” you rushed to explain and Ty lee just smiled wider “no but your face did”. You winced “I don’t hate it I just wish we had more...privacy?”. Ty lee frowned “in what way?”. You went to explain when you felt a presence behind you. “Hi Ty lee!” a boy you didn’t even recognise cried. “Hi” Ty lee smiled back “do i know you?”. The boy was unperturbed. “Yeah I was the boy that threw you the ball when it went out of bounds”. “Ow, yeah...” Ty lee nodded “thanks for that”. The boy was still grinning “no problem!”. Silence settled and you were going to ask him to leave when two more appeared. “Hi Ty lee! You were so good today”. You sighed and glanced around the room to see more men eyeing Ty lee. It made you so angry and upset, you had to get out of here before you set the whole place on fire. You turned around and sharply headed for the door. Just as you reached it you heard Ty lee call your name. “Y/n! Wait, where are you going?”. “Home” you replied and Ty lee frowned “but why? I thought we were going to spend time together”. “I don’t class us and ten other guys as quality bonding time” you replied coldly your temper getting the better of you. Ty lee looked hurt and you were about to apologise when you heard a loud crash. You turned to see Zuko destroy a vase by throwing a guy away from Mai. They got into a huge argument and you gaped as Mai dumped him. Zuko stormed away, passing you as he left the house and you saw the hurt in his eyes. After he left the party was still stunned but it didn’t take long for your best friend instinct to kick in. “I have to go after him” you told Ty lee and she nodded “yeah I should probably comfort Mai”. Silence hung in the air and you wanted to explain what you said earlier but didn’t know how. Worried you’d make it even worse you just sighed “I’ll see you later” and left.
You and Zuko were both in terrible moods so you didn’t comfort each other well. You just weren’t in the right headspace to think logically and when the others joined you it just got even worse. Ty lee seemed her happy self and you were relieved she didn’t seem upset anymore. She tried lightening the mood and that made Zuko furious for some reason. He began yelling at her and you held back your temper before he went too far. “Circus freak!” Zuko spat and Azula laughed. “Zuko leave her alone” you glared but Ty lee spoke up herself. She explained why she joined the circus and finished confidently “circus freak is a compliment”. You smiled proud of her when Mai chuckled “I guess that’s why you need ten boyfriends then”. Mai and Ty lee began arguing and then Zuko joined in too. You stared at them all exasperated. Ty lee apparently shared your sentiment. “Chill out guys! All this negative energy is totally bad for your skin, you’ll break out”. “Bad skin!” Zuko began to yell and you sighed “stop being dramatic Zuko she didn’t mean it that way”. “I’m being dramatic?” Zuko cried “Y/n you’re so dramatic you scare yourself out of every situation where you’re not certain of the outcome. You let fear rule your life, even over stupid things like telling your crush you like them!”. You glared back “I’m too cautious! I wonder why? We’ve been at war for a hundred years and we’re right in the centre of it! People and lives are mercilessly sacrificed for the greater good and we have no say in the matter. Not to mention my best friend was banished when he was 13 for no other reason than he spoke out of turn! Wonder why I’m cautious? Because we live in a fucking nation of trauma and terror!”. When you finished, you stared at the ground shaking and Azula laughed “you’re pathetic”. Zuko glared and went to defend you when Ty lee grabbed your hand “no she’s not. We’ve all lost people and feared we’d be next...we’re all scared if we admit it or not”. Everyone went quiet contemplating what Ty lee said and you squeezed her hand “thanks”. “No problem” she smiled “but the good thing is we’re all in this together. We can protect and look out for one another. You’re not alone”. You nodded and looked straight at Zuko “that goes for all of us”. Zuko rolled his eyes but a hint of a smile appeared on his face “I know”.
Zuko and Mai made up and Ty lee seemed to have forgiven you which was great but you still wanted to apologise. So as everyone headed to the house you called Ty lee back. “I want to apologise for how I spoke to you earlier. I was frustrated and I took it out on you which was wrong. You’re the last person I’d want to yell at you were just the closest person”. Ty lee smiled sadly “it’s okay I know you didn’t mean it like that. I get that you struggle with social situations so figured it was just the stress from that causing it”. You paused and took a breath “actually” when you heard voices. You turned to see a group of boys further down the beach. “Hey it’s Ty lee!” you heard one of them cry and groaned as gasps followed. Soon the same fan club from earlier appeared and Ty lee frowned seeing the expression on your face. “Don’t worry i’ll get rid of them” she promised and you smiled at her gratefully. You watched as Ty lee very politely told them she wanted to be left alone but the boys didn’t seem to understand. “Okay we’ll just stand over here until you’re done” the lead one smiled and Ty lee frowned “well actually we’re not sure how long we’ll be so...”. “That’s okay we don’t mind waiting! Take as long as you want”. Ty lee sighed and you saw even her endless patience wavering. Annoyed and developing a taste for standing up for yourself you marched over to the group. “Look she doesn’t want you around right now, so go” you said loudly. The men all glared at you “that’s not true, she said she likes us!”. “Yeah well guess what, that doesn’t give you the right to harass or follow her! She doesn’t want you around right now, she doesn’t want you waiting for her and if you don’t get off this beach in 10 seconds I’ll start throwing flames” you glared fire dancing across your fingertips. “So...who’s first?” you asked smiling “one, two, three” you began counting. All at once the boys began running and scrambled over one another to get off the beach. You nodded as the last one disappeared and felt your anger disappear. “Uh-hum” Ty lee coughed and you froze, eyes widening, as you realised you’d just done all of that in front of her. Even if she had liked you she probably now thought you were extremely overprotective like Zuko or had violence issues like Azula. You turned to face Ty lee your head hung low and prepared yourself for an awkward conversation. “So” Ty lee started “that was...interesting”. You sighed and decided to just come clean “i’m sorry, I know that probably came across as really creepy but I just got really sick of all those guys following you around. It infuriated me to see them swarm you like that without any encouragement from you and the way they stared at you... I just felt it was really disrespectful and creepy. Also I...this holiday I really wanted to spend more time with you but they wouldn’t give you a moment’s peace. I feel like they ruined my chance to get to know you better and that sucks because I was really looking forward to it. And I know I have no claim to you either but I...” you started but Ty lee cut you off. “You really felt that way? You wanted to spend time with me?”. You looked up and saw Ty lee looked pleased so nodded “yes, I’ve always had a soft spot for you, your positive attitude and kind heart are such great qualities but I feel like i’ve ruined it”. “Not at all!” Ty lee cried “I wanted to spend time with you today and the time we did spend together was great! I’m sorry I didn’t tell those boys to leave us alone but for what it’s worth you looked really great doing it yourself”. You froze as Ty lee smiled at you alluringly “I did?”. Ty lee nodded gently fiddling with your hair “very good. You were so confident and dominant...it was very hot”. You gulped and felt the heat rise to your cheeks. “I...I...I’m glad you liked it” you finally managed and Ty lee smiled at your blush taking your hand. “Plus the holiday’s not over yet. We still have pleanty more time to get to know one another, if you want to of course” Ty lee teased. “Totally!” you replied instantly and Ty smiled “perfect” and kissed your cheek softly. You babbled in reponse and she laughed softly “I can see I’ve been a bit too full-on for one night, shall we carry this on tomorrow?”. You nodded and Ty lee led you back to the villa, her hand in yours. When you reached the house Ty lee pushed the door open and stopped outside your room “how about we get breakfast together tomorrow morning and then go for a walk?”. You nodded “that sounds great”. “It’s a date!” Ty lee cried and you blushed but smiled “I like the sound of that a lot”. Ty lee smiled at your comment “me too, it took us a while but we’re on the right track now”. “Thank god” you breathed and Ty Lee laughed “so I’ll see you tomorrow” and with a lingering glance she disappeared into her room.
You collapsed into your own room to find Zuko already trying to sleep. “There you are! Where have you been?” he cried and you chuckled “with Ty lee”. Zuko froze and he took in your body language “wait y/n...what happened? Did you finally tell her you liked her?” he asked scrambling out of bed. You blushed “Kind of...we’ve got a date tomorrow morning”. Zuko made a high pitched noise you’d never heard him omit before and seized you in an aggressive hug “y/n that’s amazing! I’m so happy for you!”. You smiled and patted Zuko “that’s very nice and all but please put me down”. “Ow sorry” Zuko said placing you on the floor gently “I am really proud of you though, I knew Ty lee would like you, you’re going to be so happy together”. You blushed “stop, it’s only one date!”. Zuko shook his head “I know but I’ve got a good feeling about this”. You told him he was being silly but you had a huge smile on your face and you felt the happiest you’d ever been. So you decided to believe in the best for once and be positive. You had a date with the girl of your dream in the morning, life was good.
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I loved the beach episode but always felt odd about the way the men all treated Ty lee, like my girl had to punch them all just to be left alone? Very creepy behaviour.
