Chapter Text
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Katara knew they were going to do something stupid.
She just hadn't estimated how far on the stupidity scale they actually landed on.
By the time she and Suki had arrived to the room where it happened, the idiots were a crumpled mess on the floor, snoring away, bent into positions that promised pain in places anatomy textbooks forgot to mention.
Well, this was…. something.
Aang had himself stretched to the limit his body would allow him.
He looked like a starfish in yellow and orange with blue arrows.
His arms were spread out on either side of him, and his shawl set haphazardly over his face.
Zuko looked less Fire Nation royalty and more Fire Nation hooligan.
His black hair had become disheveled and loose, and his robes, which had been perfect last night, were now rumpled, dirty, and stenched with something that smelled like tequila. Or cactus juice.
And the fact one of Aang's feet was on Zuko's face didn't help any of his remaining dignity. If he had any left after whatever catastrophe they must have done the previous night, that is.
Sokka had his thumb in his mouth and he unconsciously sucked on it.
He wasn't much better. His clothes were stained, though somehow still intact. Considering the company he'd kept, that was a miracle.
Suki knelt down and pried Sokka's hand away from his mouth, and the man didn't even shift.
Katara can just feel the upcoming hangover for these three.
Wait.
Four of them went out last night.
Why's there only three idiots here?
"Where's—"
Katara looked around, and before her panic could rise, she found the younger girl.
Sitting on one chair just in front of the three knocked out boys, Toph was slowly sipping something that is definitely tea.
And unlike the three disasters (not three musketeers, far from it) who were out cold on the floor, Toph was wide awake.
Last night, Toph had been the most excited to get drunk, despite Katara reminding her she was still only sixteen.
"We're going to have fun drunk. Because spirits forbid we'd do anything sober."
Yet here she sat, sober, drinking tea with her hair down while everyone else was unconscious.
Which brings two questions into light.
Why is Aang the one passed out?
And why is Toph not intoxicated at all?
Suki seemed to have the same conclusion and questions as she shared a pensive look with Katara.
Toph hadn't seemed to have heard or sensed them, or she did and just didn't care.
But at any rate, she looked deep in thought. And they aren't nice thoughts.
"Toph?"
The earthbender shook her head and blinked.
Her head turned to Katara's general direction. It took her seconds, then her face broke into a faint lopsided grin.
"Morning, Sugar Queen. Suki."
She set down the tea she had been drinking and leaned forward with her head in her hands.
"I'd say it's nice to see you—"
Suki stood up and gestured to the three snoring boys, one of which was the Avatar and the other the leader of the Fire Nation.
"Toph, how bad was the wine for Zuko to look like this?"
She removed Aang's foot from entering Zuko's open mouth, and the Airbender didn't even shift in his sleep.
"And how are you the one sober? How did you get Aang to even taste booze?"
Toph waved her hand in a lazy manner.
"I'm just as surprised as you are with the issue of Twinkletoes actually agreeing with us in the first place."
"On a serious note," Katara stepped in front of Toph.
"Toph, what happened last night to have these three this wasted?"
"And how are you not drunk?" Suki added in an incredulous tone.
Toph only looked around, figuratively.
"A.... lot happened."
"A lot?" Katara had one raised eyebrow.
Toph nodded, although her eyes dropped downwards, like 'a lot' doesn't fully cover it.
Suki and Katara shared a worried look.
And it was in that moment when the boys finally decided to leave the realm of sleep and back to the land of the living.
"Ugh, my head hurts." Aang curled into himself, hands pressing hard on either side of his head.
"Why is the room blue— Katara? Hi Sweetie."
Katara only crossed her arms and looked at him with something adjacent to disappointment. Aang dropped his wobbly smile and groaned.
Zuko had also begun to open his eyes and seemed to have regretted that action the second he did so.
"I don't know why," he drawled out, his voice thick with sleep.
"But I feel like I've done something I don't want to remember."
Toph only hummed and rest her head on the table beside her.
"What'd you mean by that, Sparky?"
A sliver of amusement crept up in her voice.
"Does it make you feel.... I don't know, honorable or something?"
Zuko rubbed his face.
"I really, really hope I didn't do something beyond stupid."
Finally he sat up, slowly, and grabbed at his hair.
"Why does my head feel like I slammed it into the wall?"
"You..... don't remember?" Toph sounded near confused, like she can't believe they can't recall whatever stupid thing they've done about ten hours ago.
Toph leaned in more into one hand, while the other reached over to tuck some of her free hair behind her ear, and Katara saw her face more clearly.
She looked exhausted.
Like she didn't sleep a wink last night.
She blinked owlishly, and her arm shook from holding up her head, but she still kept a sideways smirk.
Suki placed her hands on her hips and looked down on Zuko.
"I did not become your personal bodyguard only for you to become blackout wasted, Fire Lord Zuko."
Zuko only flinched at the tone.
"Why's everything so loud?"
Came Sokka's muffled voice from where he was now face planted on the floor.
He stretched himself and groaned.
"Why does my body feel like a mixture of bad decisions and cactus juice?"
He held up his hand close to his eyes.
"And why's my hand all squiggly?"
Katara went over to where her imbecile of a brother was and grabbed his hand to inspect it.
There were some scars and scratches on his palm, like he spent the night on all fours instead of walking like a normal human being.
Okay, that's it.
She turned around to face Toph again, more firm now.
"No more beating around the bush, Beifong. You don't even do that."
Toph only blew her fringe from her eyes.
"You really want to know?"
"We all do."
Suki hauled both Aang and Zuko up and pinched their forearms to wake them.
Sokka rubbed his face slowly.
"Yeah, I'd prefer if I knew what I did last night."
Toph raised an eyebrow, then returned to her sideways smirk.
"Sure you would."
"I actually will."
"Oh really?"
Suki got between the two.
"Toph, just spill it already so we can start reprimanding these three idiots on whatever they've been doing last night."
Toph stayed silent for moments, then leaned more into her hand.
"Fine. It started on when I was supposed to be the one getting drunk."