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Toph realizes one very, very important thing when she finally peels herself awake. For one, her head hurts. She feels vaguely sick, and can’t remember why. Like she might actually throw up if she turns her head the wrong way, probably half from sleeping on her stomach. Also, her check is pressed into the dirt. Dirt is nice and soft and smells amazing, no matter what Katara might say.
But mostly, she notices the crushing pressure on her back that most definitely is not rocks, because it’s not sharp, but it’s heavy. Not rock heavy, Toph can hold rocks but something really, really warm and soft is draped over her back and squashing her.
Also, breathing is just about impossible. She knows; she’s trying. Really seriously trying.
She tries to talk, but air just poofs out like an actual airbender yanked it right out of her lungs.
Toph slaps a still movable hand onto the dirt, feeling the… thing draped over her.
Which is not a thing, or an animal as would be perfectly sane.
Nope, it’s… Katara.
Who is actually sprawled over her back, and right beside her is Suki, slumped against Katara in a position that couldn’t possibly be comfortable, but at least she isn’t sleeping with her head hanging to plaster into the dirt. Wouldn’t that make you dizzy?
Toph smacks enough rock up to lift the two idiot girls off of her, and gasps for air, wriggling away from their crazy patch. Suki is yelping and Katara is up with a shriek. “What was that for?!”
“You were sleeping on me!” Toph snaps, wiggling away and sitting up.
And very, very happy to get to breathe nice, full deep breaths. She has never appreciated Aang more, and will actually die before telling him he wins their five-year-long ‘which element is best’ argument. Because it is obviously Earth, but she has a whole new appreciation for air.
Also, her head hurts.
“You hit me with a rock!” Katara squawks.
“Sorry.” Suki sounds sheepish as she sits back and scoots away. “I don’t even remember what happened.”
“Somebody untied my braid.” Katara sounds grumpy, recollecting herself and pawing for her hair.
“Uhh…” Suki shuffles. “Is this your hair band?”
“Why are you holding Katara’s hair band?” Toph asks, perplexed.
“Why do I have a vague recollection of getting my hair pulled?” Katara asks, confused, “Were we drinking?”
Toph’s memory hastily supplies a look what I found! from last night, and huffs. “Yes, we were drinking.” Which sounded pretty fun, as long as no one ever, ever goes to sleep on her again. “So hey, Katara, was I comfortable?”
“What’s not comfortable is that I still can’t feel my leg,” Katara whines.
“I’m going to find Sokka,” Suki decides, picking herself up, and definitely the one at fault.
***
His arm is… sore. Aang’s shoulder is actually really, really sore. Actually, his neck is sore, his back is sore, and… uh, his head hurts. Mostly, his head hurts. He peels his eyes open painstakingly slowly, wincing at the bright sunlight and trying to remember why, exactly, the light sends a sharp stab of pain scraping inside his skull. Owww.
He tries to move.
Someone’s leaning against his shoulder, and they move. Dark red and mostly just red and long black hair moves just out of the corner of his vision. Zuko.
Zuko fell asleep on his shoulder. Which is weird. But sweet. Really, really sweet. “Sorry,” he squeaks, because he’s pretty sure he just woke up Zuko. Who really, really never sleeps well.
“Suki?” Sokka’s voice mumbles blearily, and Aang blinks down in absolute bewilderment at where Sokka is sprawled in his lap, halfway across his lap actually, and Aang had – apparently – just draped an arm over his chest and fallen asleep just like that like it were the most natural thing in the world.
Zuko moves. Scoots away, murmurs a quiet “hi, Aang”, then moves some more and flops backwards into the grass swearing monkeyfeathers, and Aang is ridiculously happy he finally learned to use that instead of the… other words.
“Ohhh!” Sokka’s all awake now, too. “Aang – Hi, Aang!”
“Hi, Sokka,” Aang says back, blinking at him sideways, and really, really trying to remember how that happened. His back hurts, and he ends up flopping over backwards in the grass right next to Zuko, who had the best idea in the world, except the light makes his eyes hurt, and he is suddenly so jealous of Toph.
“Owww,” Sokka whines, “My baaaaack! Maybe Katara can heal it for me. But she probably won’t.”
Yep. “I’m pretty sure that’s something you have to sit through, Sokka,” Aang tells him with no small amount of sympathy, rolls his head to the side and does a full double-take of Zuko.
Who also has an arm flung over his face to block out the sun.
“Um, Zuko? What happened to your hair?”
Which is… braided. Very, painstakingly neatly braided and tied off with what looks like one of Katara’s hairbands. And it actually looks kind of nice.
The now-Fire-Lord blinks, grabs his hair one-handed and brings the braid up over his face. “Uh.” Zuko sits up twice as fast. Aang takes that as his cue to bolt upright, even if his back hurts.
“How are either of you moving so fast?” Sokka whines, nearly face first on the ground now and propped up by his elbows. And on second thought, he also has a braid. Which isn’t tied, but somehow stayed in mostly all the way through sleeping.
The cloth spread sloppily out in front of them and there are – okay.
Right, they were drinking.
“You braided my hair?” Zuko side-eyes Aang incredulously.
“I don’t remember!” he protests, but that’s the only thing that sort of makes sense.
“Aang doesn’t have any,” Sokka starts as he reaches for the back of his own head, and then starts screaming.
Aang’s head hurts.
***
“Did you know Aang could braid hair?” Sokka asks.
“Yes,” Katara answers, “Actually, I taught him.”
“Did you know I make a very comfortable pillow?” Toph chirps.
“Greaaaat.” Sokka loops an arm around her. “Next time we drink, I’m camping with you.”
“You actually were,” Zuko says to Aang, “Not bad for a pillow.”
“Thanks,” he chirps, smiling brightly.
“How about,” Suki interrupts loudly, “No more drinking?”