#honestly I mostly wrote it because of Ty Lee's 'babies can smell fear' line because it's such an image in my head

[peony-pearl]

Azula, Ty Lee and Mai are playing in the courtyard. They don't see the Yu Yan archers on top of the palace, but Azula knows they're there. Uncle enlisted them the day Zion was announced as his heir.

The girls see Fire Lord Azulon and Iroh make their way through the courtyard, they gently nudge a few turtleducks off of the walking path as they return from an outing in the Capitol.

Ty Lee looks at Azula. "Why does your uncle have a sling? Is something wrong with his arm?"

Mai sighs. "His arm isn't even in it."

"Oh," Ty Lee blinks. Azula tries to shrug the subject away.

"It's just Uncle's new baby; anyway I think next we should-"

"THE BABY!! IT'S ZION!!" Ty Lee exclaims. Azula groans, having hoped this wouldn't happen. Ty Lee, however, had hoped to catch a glimpse of the new future Fire Lord - after all, it was exciting to hear that, after generations, they would grow to serve a lady instead of a lord. "Do you think he'd let me see her?"

"Oh please," Azula said. "He'd tell you everything she did today if you let him. And all she does is sleep and whine and burp."

Ty Lee makes a break for the older men, and Mai pats Azula's back in condolences. They watch Ty Lee bow, and Iroh kneels down to let the girl get a glimpse of the crown princess, at which Ty Lee dances in place in excitement.

"Agni, she's so embarrassing," Mai drones.

They watch, exasperated, as Iroh puts the infant into Ty Lee's arms; then...

Then Iroh and Ty Lee nod to each other, and Ty Lee returns to the group, gleefully holding Zion.

"WHAT IS SHE DOING." Azula seethes through gritted teeth.

"Thank you for watching her, Azula! I truly appreciate you!" Iroh calls out to his niece.

Ty Lee rejoins the group and plops back onto the grass, happily talking to the baby before addressing her friends. "He's letting me watch her!"

Azula flopped over onto the ground. Mai looked at the baby as she peered her way as well.

"Red eyes. Cool," Mai said. Azula sat back up; she glared at Zion.

"We have a lot of games left to play so don't make too much noise."

"Azula! Be nice!" Ty Lee admonishes. "Babies are very receptive."

Azula shrugs. "She's my cousin, I'm allowed to talk to her like that. Right, dum-dum?"

Zion blinks; and then she smiles and squeals.

"Aww!" Ty Lee gushed. "She thinks you're funny!"

"I am NOT funny," Azula told Zion as she happily reached for her cousin. "I'm VERY scary!" She then insists, leaping to her feet to tower over Zion with a growling snarl.

But Zion could only respond with a hearty laugh and a gurgling response as she tried to mimic Azula's ferocity.

"Ugh! You're supposed to be scared!" Azula scolded.

Ty Lee shrugged. "It's like I told you, babies are very receptive. If she sensed that you were actually malicious, she would have responded as such."

"Oh really?" Mai asked skeptically.

Ty Lee nodded. "Babies have instincts we'll never know because we forget them! I heard there's still being discoveries made!" She then leaned in to whisper. "Did you know they can smell fear?"

The trio looked to Zion as she contentedly, and very enthusiastically, burbled some spit bubbles.

"... okay." Azula sighed.

Mai's nose wrinkled. "Babies are so gross. I'm never having any."

Azula grinned. "Oh well then I guess you'll never get to marry Zuko~"

"Shut up, Azula!"

"Because when you marry into the royal family you have to have at least one baby to continue the family! So it sounds like you won't get to smooch my dumb brother!"

"Knock it off!" Mai blushed as Azula teased her with kissing noises.

"I wouldn't mind having at least one," Ty Lee said. Azula looked at her in confusion.

"From the way you were going on, I would think you'd want a big family."

Ty Lee's smile softened. "No... I think one or two is enough. I think I could give enough attention to two at least."

Azula could feel the subject turning her way.

"Maybe when Zion becomes Fire Lord she won't make you have kids to marry Zuzu, Mai."

Azula reached forward to squeeze Zion's cheeks, making it appear like she was speaking.

"I decree no one has to have kids to marry my big dummy cousin!"

Mai giggled.

"Why, Fire Lord Zion, you have my everlasting thanks," she said bowing to the infant, who gurgled happily in return. "Because I have to say, I'm not impressed with this whole squealing, drooling thing. You’re kind of gross."

Azula returned to narrating for Zion, squeezing her cheeks: "WHAT?? TO THE PYRE WITH YOU!"

Mai dramatically stood up to run, and Ty Lee and Azula chased her, carefully holding Zion as though she was leading the charge as the lot of them laughed harder than Azula had thought they would.

#atla #Azula #Ty Lee #Mai #atla oc #Zion #I just wanted to do something with the girls and baby Zion #I wasn't sure about the ending but eh lol #it wasn't meant to be deep it's meant to be cute and silly #honestly I mostly wrote it because of Ty Lee's 'babies can smell fear' line because it's such an image in my head #her being very serious as she says this and Zion is blowing spit bubbles and Mai and Azula are like 'ah' #my writing #also I was def giving Priya (Turning Red) vibes to Mai lmao