"It's time to get up, sweetie."
The rasp of the curtains being drawn preceded the light from the sunrise, bright and intrusive. It was the obnoxious reversal of a nighttime thunderstorm and Katara had no idea how Aang could sound so cheerful about it. With a groan of protest, she tugged the blanket over her head. For good measure, she rolled onto her stomach, burying her face in her pillow.
The house they all shared was quiet, though experience told her Suki was probably doing calisthenics in the yard, which meant Toph would not be able to sleep for much longer. Anyone else still in bed was not able to stay there for long, either once she started stomping around.
The bed creaked as Aang climbed onto it. He straddled her thighs, stretching the blanket taut across her.
"Ten more minutes," she mumbled without opening her eyes.
"You said that ten minutes ago," he replied, running his fingers down her spine and back up again. When she did not reply, he sat back, trapping her legs under his weight. He pulled the blanket down slowly, exposing her head, then her shoulders.
"No," she whined, doing her best to sound pathetic. She pushed her face further into the pillow, shoving her arms beneath it to secure it.
"I made tea," he offered. Seeing this was not enticing her at all he added, "I even made it the way you like it: so strong it's barely drinkable."
"Mmph."
"I've been meaning to ask, what about it carries the energetic quality? Is it the tea itself? Or does the alertness come from arguing with Sokka about the healing benefits of that much ginger? Sometimes I think you put so much in it just to have an excuse to pick a fight with him."
"I do get nostalgic for our childhood," she agreed. "But I'm still not getting up."
He bent to drop a kiss on her bare shoulder.
"You know," he murmured against her skin, "Whatever precious jewel there is in the heavenly worlds, there is nothing comparable to one who is awakened."
The low suggestiveness in his voice was unexpected, considering the context, and it sent a warm tingle through her.
"What guru said that?" she mumbled, seeing through him immediately.
"Gautama," he replied.
"Wasn't he talking about enlightenment or something?" she asked. He sat up and drew in a breath, eyes drifting toward the ceiling.
"Well," he sighed, the word stretched out as he considered his answer, "this wisdom is so ancient, who knows what he really meant."
"Mm hmm," she replied, unconvinced.
"The height of bliss is redeemed awakening," he added.
She finally cracked a smile, opening her eyes just enough to peer up at him from her periphery.
"Still Gautama," he said in response to her unspoken question.
She closed her eyes again, "Was he from the Southern Temple or the Northern?"
Aang frowned, let his hands rest on his thighs.
"Well, there's some debate because - "
The moment Katara felt him let go of the blanket, she tugged it away from him and whipped it over her head again.
"You know, I only ever see this level of deviousness from you in bed," he observed. She could hear the smile in his voice and hid her own in her pillow.
"It's going to take more than Air Nomad proverbs to convince me to get up right now," she said, her voice muffled.
"Okay," he began slowly, "I didn't want to worry you, but there is a dark spirit in the bed."
"Oh really," she drawled, her tone heavy with sleepy disinterest.
"Would I lie to you about this?" he asked, doing his best to sound wounded. "I'm telling you, there's - " There was a sudden dig through the covers just above her hip, where he knew she was ticklish. Her shriek of surprised laughter cut him off.
Before she could regain her grip on the blanket, he yanked it up on his side of the bed and crawled underneath with her. Still sprawled on her stomach, she turned her head to look at him as he stretched out beside her.
"He's called the Loafing Spirit," his voice was hushed and urgent. "He's very small and looks kind of like a cross between a wolfbat and a loaf of bread. He has a lot of tiny, sharp teeth. Very insidious, very sneaky."
She laughed, "Well it's a good thing my boyfriend the Avatar is here to fight him off."
"No, it's too late! He senses laziness!" He pinched her backside, eliciting an indignant gasp. She threw the blanket back and shifted onto her side to face him, mouth hanging open. His shocked expression mirrored hers.
"I tried to warn you!" he defended. A grin spread across his face. "He bites."
She wrinkled her nose, eyes narrowed in a playful threat. The corners of her mouth quirked up, betraying her.
"Explain why he's biting my butt, specifically, since you know so much about spirits."
"I'm told that is where the best meat is." His fingers brushed the top of her bare thigh and she smirked. She slid her arm across his waist and scooted closer.
"I might not be the Avatar, but I know a thing or two about banishing laziness. And I happen to know a very effective way to do it without getting out of bed."
Aang wet his lips, running his hand up her side. Her lips brushed his.
"Ten more minutes," she whispered. He arched an eyebrow.
"Twenty," he replied.