InsaneJournal

If you didn’t love her what?
Who: Azula and Dick
What: Dick comforts Azula
When: A few days ago, before Break the Pony
Where: Near the hospital
Status: Complete
Rating: PG-13



Azula had worked through much of her rage and her tears alone, in the bathroom. Then she'd stole her way outside to get some air and to think. She didn't want to admit it, but Iroh was right. They couldn't just go in and destroy everything, as much as she wanted to.

She'd never felt so helpless. She couldn't do anything for Ty Lee, she couldn't even get revenge.

Dick had noticed something in the paper about an Olympian getting hurt, and he knew, of course, who Ty Lee was in relation to Azula and that Jubilee had very probably still been at the Gala when he’d left. He thought that he remembered seeing her making fireworks, so...that left one other person who meant a lot to Azula. Which meant giving her a call.

“Hey.” He said, when she picked up. “I saw something in the news...Is everything okay? Want me to head to where you are?”

She's answered without thinking about it, and then there was Dick's voice. She blinked, and felt momentarily like a real bitch - she hadn't talked to him much lately. Despite that, the admission came easily, "Everything is not okay. I'd like that. Just watch your back, this wasn't an accident.."

“Shit.” Dick’s answer was fairly eloquent at that last point, that was for sure. It was just...what else was there to say. “On my way then.” He assured her. “Where’m I heading, then?” And he’d be careful. He was pretty sure he knew how to manage that.

She told him which hospital, then hung up and folded her arms, waiting outside. She wasn't sure that Iroh would be able to convince Ty Lee's parents to let her see her, but even so, it would probably be several hours before the girl would wake up. She started to pace, restlessly.

Dick arrived and went to park, then spotted Azula and hurried up to her, and extended his arms in case she’d accept a hug. He wasn’t completely sure the firey woman would go for it, but given the moment and what had happened, he was gonna try at least.

“Hey.” he said. “First off. I’m so sorry.”

She didn't accept the hug, though she gave him a tired, weary look, "Be worried about your own back, first. They'll use the people we care about against us."

It was a genuine admission she cared about people outside of her circle. Dick and Rarity, primarily, but it was still better than the closed in circle she normally operated in.

Then her voice cracked, "She looked so broken."

“I don’t think they’d be all that interested in me. I mean, it’s already proven that we’re not anything to each other, right?” He sounded hopeful, but the truth was, he had no idea how bad this could get, and didn’t want to find out. He had an imagination of it, and that was bad enough. “But that’s not what matters right now, anyway. And it’s not going to stop me when somebody needs me.”

Then he nodded, and sighed. “It sucks that there are people like this out there. “ And that they were starting to come out now of all times. First the earlier Fire Nation bits, then Bruce’s parents, and now this. “It isn’t right.”

"I hope that is all," Azula replied. Still, she was worried. He was a friend and in Ozai's twisted mind that was enough to make him a target. She gave in and slipped her arms around him, a far cry from the confident dominatrix who'd taken his virginity and left him tied and naked with his secretary. She wondered if he was still seeing tha woman.

"It isn't right, and the worse part is my role in all of it."

Nothing had come of that really, other than they couldn’t quite look at each other still. It was awkward on the level that very few things were, including losing said virginity. Since then, Dick had started to relax a little more, well, since the caffeine incident and its aftermath at least, but some things were still a little too crazy to actually think about dealing with it.

For now, he was hugging Azula gently, and trying to be a help to her, as much as possible. “Ugh. I hate that there are people who can make this happen and who have you set up as the person who’ll feel responsible. I’m sorry.”

"I'm not a good person, Dick." She lifted her head to look him in the eyes. "Not here, and especially not where I dream." She pulled away, making fire dance around her hands, "Ty Lee could be dying because of me. You and Rarity could be in danger. Because I was too proud and short sighted to see what my family really is."

Why was it that so many of the people having the dreams weren’t good people in the worlds that they came from? It was interesting on one hand, depressing on the other. And then he paused, watching the fire for a long moment. He recalled the punch incident at the gala, and the girl with the fireworks, but hadn’t actually seen Azula doing this before.

“Oh wow.” He finally came up with, nodding at the fire. “I can see where using that would...potentially be a sign of bad things.” he said at last. “And you may not be a good person there but...I think you’re on your way here now. I know that doesn’t help right now, but...I’m not going to just step away either. I do that, and they’ve won. Doesn’t seem right to let the bastards win.”


The fire, which burned with blue heat, cast an azure glow on them and their surrounding. Azula thought of the man in the car, who'd hit Ty Lee, of the agony he'd probably been in when she'd set the vehicle aflame. She thought of the men she'd injured, and probably killed, who'd taken Mai and those other girls to be prostitutes.

Do good people kill people, even if they're bad people? Do bad people feel ill when they think about it?

She'd do it again. In a heartbeat.

"If I didn't love Ty Lee, I think..." She started to say, then cut herself off. Azula felt so vulnerable and weak. She hated that feeling.

Sometimes they do, Dick would have said. He’d have argued for that being the idea of justice. As much as he played things by the rules, and the book, there were some things where he would take a different stance. Right now, for example, he was hoping, as far fetched as it seemed, that the ‘Batman’ he’d vaguely heard referenced once would find a way to give Bruce’s parents that justice.

He’d do that sort of thing, probably, if he had those abilities. He could see himself slipping into it at least.

“If you didn’t love her what?” Dick asked her quietly. “Don’t say you’d do anything to hurt yourself. I mean...well, you can talk about it with me, but I hope that isn’t it. No one would deserve that.”

"I think we might be more than friends," Azula replied. It was difficult to admit that to anyone, "You are a good influence. A good man."

On second thought, she would probably ruin him, somehow. Twist him and...yet she hadn't managed to twist Ty Lee, had she.

Dick smiled at that part. “Well, I try.” he told her. “But you’ve actually been good for me too. And I don’t mean the sex thing either, though that was amazing. More like...I’m a little less afraid to say what’s on my mind now. And a little less worried about what people think. So I think that we’re maybe even on that front.”

"I gave you confidence." She ran a hand through her hair, "Of course I did."

Seeming to relax, she leaned back against him and closed her eyes. For several moments she remained silent like that, before she shifted and said, "I should get back. In case they let me see her. Uncle is still trying to get that."

“Ouch, her parents freaking?” Dick frowned at that. “I’m sorry. And I hope that works out. It...people shouldn’t be kept from the people they love.” It was one thing that he really hoped would end up changing for her. There was a part of his brain that pointed out that maybe if they got married, that wouldn’t be a thing, but he knew a lot about why he couldn’t say it.

"They never accepted her before," Azula hissed. "Not when she wanted to be a gymnast. They disowned her when we came out on television. Not until she won did they care, and now they try to deny us seeing each other, after this!"

“So another thing to throw in her face and use against her. “ Dick shook his head. “I kind of hate these people on principle. Who DOES that?” okay it was rhetorical, considering Azula’s situation too, but...still...

Azula smiled, the expression more tired than angry, "Her parents, my father. Thank you, Dick."

She leaned up and kissed him on the mouth, "Watch your back, at all times."

Dick smiled into the kiss. “I’ll do that. You stay safe too.” He hoped she would. The last thing any of them needed was Azula being hurt, that was for sure. For now though, at least she wasn’t, he told himself, and that was something. Hopefully it’d stay that way.