Tyzula Shorts

Shut Up and Drive

Azula lets Ty Lee drive her car

..................

'Wait, what!?'

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and Mai, Azula, and Ty Lee were all reclining on the expensive furniture in Azula's garden.

'I can't drive?', Ty Lee said again in an slightly more uncertain voice.

'What do you mean you can't drive?', Azula repeated in disbelief.

'I don't think there is a way to make that sentence any simpler', Mai drawled, lifting her hand to keep the sun from her eyes.

Ty Lee just laughed and pushed her heart shaped sunglasses onto her head.

'We've been dating for almost three years and I have never once driven us anywhere, didn't you think that was a little weird?'

'Not really' Azula shrugged, 'I just assumed you liked me driving us everywhere. Or that my car was nicer.'

Ty Lee just laughed and leant over to give her girlfriend a soft kiss on the cheek.

'You should really learn to drive, Ty. It's an important life skill.'

'Well my parents weren't about to pay for seven loads of driving lessons and car insurance', Ty Lee sighed.

'I can teach you', Azula suggested.

Mai and Ty Lee exchanged an unreadable look before bursting into fits of laughter. Azula's nose twitched irritably.

'And why is that so funny?', she demanded, her eyes darting between her two best friends.

'Azula', Mai started, finally regaining her composure, 'you think that speed limits are suggestions and stop signs are optional. You are the last person who should be giving driving lessons.'

'Well obviously she would need a proper instructor to tell her about the... legal side of it', Azula admitted, waving her hand. 'But I can show her how to use the gears and stuff.'

'Wait, really?', Ty Lee asked excitedly. 'You would let me drive your car?'

'Not on the roads, of course, but you could drive it around the estate for a bit if you like.'

'Now this, I've got to see', Mai smirked.

..............

'Okay, put your hands at 2 o'clock and 10 o'clock', Azula instructed.

Ty Lee frowned and checked her watch. In the back seat of Azula's light blue convertible, Mai was already struggling to repress her laughter.

'On the steering wheel, Ty', Azula sighed, reaching over to adjust her girlfriend's hands. Ty Lee fidgeted excitedly in the driver's seat.

'Okay, now what!', she beamed. 'Oh! Can I put on some music?'

'Let's just focus on starting the car for now', Azula chuckled.

As Ty Lee fumbled with the ignition, Azula began to have second thoughts about letting her drive her extremely expensive car. Seeing her girlfriend so excited though, she pushed her concerns to the back of her mind.

'Gas, break, clutch', Azula listed quickly, pointing to each of the pedals under her girlfriend's feet.

Ty Lee tentatively pressed her foot on the accelerator, smiling a little bit too mischievously for Azula's liking as the engine revved.

'On the dash, you've got the speedometer and the rev counter', Azula continued.

'What's that one?', Ty Lee asked, reaching up to scroll through options on the touchscreen heads up display.

'That's for the heated seats', Azula said irritably swatting Ty Lee's hand away.

'Easy, Azula', Mai chuckled.

Azula took a deep breathe and fought the urge to roll her eyes.

'Last of all, this is the gear stick. This is first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and reverse.'

Ty Lee watched with a perplexed expression on her face as Azula demonstrated each of the gears.

'Got it?'

'Umm...? Yes?'

'Are you asking her or telling her?', Mai smirked.

'Telling!', Ty Lee pouted.

Azula shot Mai a warning glance in the rearview mirror. Mai just raised her eyebrows ever so slightly in response.

'Alright then, press down on the clutch, shift into gear, bit of gas, release clutch and we're away. Easy peasy.'

'Easy peasy...', Ty Lee repeated, struggling to mask the nervousness in her voice.

In the back seat, Mai's expression suddenly dropped from one of amusement to concern.

'Wait, Azula, you're not actually going to let her-'

Before she had a chance to finish that thought, Ty Lee had crunched into first gear and the car lurched forward.

'Agni, Ty, change up!', Azula cried, grimacing as the pitch of the engine spiked. 'Second gear, Ty! NOW!'

'I'm trying!' Ty Lee cried, grappling with the gear stick as the engine revved uncontrollably. She stamped on the pedals and the car took another unsteady leap forward, building speed.

'Okay, now third', Azula instructed, 'And don't forget to-'

'STEER!', Mai cried.

Ty Lee hastily spun the wheel, narrowly avoiding a collision with one of the large stone planters that lined Azula's driveway.

'Okay Ty, maybe this was a bad idea, just ease up on the gas', Azula stammered nervously as the car continued to gain speed.

'I'm trying, I'm trying!' Ty Lee sobbed.

In a bout of panic, she stamped on the break pedal with both feet. All three girls were thrown forward against their seatbelts as the car slammed to a halt.

'Agni, Ty are you okay?' Azula asked, quickly turning in her seat to assess her girlfriend.

'Oh gee, thanks for the concern', Mai grumbled behind her.

In the driver's seat, Ty Lee was on the verge of tears.

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!', she cried, 'Why didn't you guys tell me driving was so stressful?!'

'Ty, it's alright', Azula chuckled, reaching to stroke her girlfriend's arm reassuringly.

'No, Zula, it's not! I could have killed us all!'

Her eyes widened in confusion as Azula gave a sharp laugh next to her.

'Ty, you barely broke 15mph.'

'What? No! It felt so much faster!'

In the backseat, Mai just shrugged.

'It always seems that way when you first start driving.'

Ty Lee looked between her girlfriend and her best friend with growing embarrassment.

'You know, on second thoughts, maybe for now we could just stick to you driving, Zula...?'