Sokka wakes up amid a pile of bodies and realizes they must have moved around in their sleep the night before.
It's weird though, because there are two legs sprawled on top of him, and one underneath, and that doesn't really make any sense at all, because he's pretty sure Katara doesn't have three legs.
He looks to his left and the events of the night before come back to him. He shoves Katara off of Zuko, certain that neither of them want to wake up like that.
Sokka looks at the firebender, who is still asleep in spite of the fact that the sun has already been up for several hours.
He's stopped shivering. His skin is awfully pale, though. As Sokka watches, he shifts in his sleep to press up against Katara's side.
"Stay put."
On Katara's other side, Toph is apparently awake as well. Sokka half sits up so he can see her.
"Is the plan to just stay in bed until he wakes up?"
"Yep."
Sokka considers this. "Okay, but why are you staying?"
Toph huffs, and he's pretty sure that the only reason she doesn't punch him is because there are two sleeping people between them.
"Never mind," he says.
"How'd he get thrown in one of those coolers anyway?" She asks, and he can hear the frown in her voice.
"Huh? Oh, it was all part of our plan to get out." Sokka replies. She sits up and turns her head in his direction, and for all that the girl is blind, she can level a glare with the best of them.
"You planned this?" Sokka's pretty sure the only reason she's not yelling is because she doesn't want to wake up Zuko.
"We planned. Zuko was involved too." Sokka knows he sounds defensive. "He would have said something if he had a problem with it."
Toph doesn't answer, but beside him Zuko shivers, once, before going still.
"He said most firebenders can't bend for a week after going in one of those coolers," she says.
"Oh."
Sokka looks back down at Zuko, not-quite cuddled up against his sister, then back at Toph.
"I didn't think it would be a big deal," he admitted. "Zuko didn't act like it was, so I figured it was fine. That he could handle it."
There's an awkward moment of silence between them. Toph sighs.
"He's not invincible, you know. No matter how much he tries to pretend otherwise."
Toph's voice is uncharacteristically gentle. It's a little unsettling, and it occurs to Sokka that the earthbender has a soft spot for Zuko. He knows better than to say anything, though.
Katara wakes up face-to-face with him, and throws herself backward in horror, bumping into whoever's on her other side.
"Watch it!" Toph hisses behind her.
"Easy, Katara," Sokka sits up just enough that she can see him over the still-sleeping form of the firebender. "Toph thinks we should let him sleep as long as he can."
The events of the previous night come rushing back to her, and Katara feels her face getting red. She looks down at Zuko, still fast asleep between her and her brother. "Right," she says. "I'm not staying in bed till he wakes up. I've got things to do."
"Then move already and quit letting all the warm air out." Toph grumbles.
Katara wriggles out of bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping firebender. Even if she doesn't like Zuko-or trust him-she's not going to wake him up, not after last night. Zuko has been up with the sun every morning since he joined them, so she figures if he's still asleep it must be because he needs it. She also doesn't like how pale he is in the morning light, or the way he lets out a small sigh as both Toph and Sokka scoot in closer on either side of him.
It worries Katara even more when the three of them miss breakfast, because another thing about the firebender is that he never misses a meal, no matter how much she snaps at him-or how angry or sulky or grumpy he is. He just doesn't do it. He never complains, not even when it's Aang's turn to cook, and he's never late.
When Dad asks where Sokka and the other kids are, she shrugs. "Still asleep," she says, and keeps it at that.
"They must be pretty tired," Suki offers, and Katara nods and hopes nobody decides to pry, because she's pretty sure Toph will kill anyone who messes with the firebender right now.
"That's weird." Aang pauses eating and looks up from his meal. "Zuko never misses sunrise meditation. He says it's super important."
Chit Sang nods in agreement. "We firebenders tend to rise with the sun anyway," he says. "The rising sun gives us strength and focus, preparing us for the coming day."
"Maybe he was just tired after a long day." Katara can't believe she's defending him. "He did help Sokka break you out of prison."
She effectively delays Chit-Sang from leaving with the rest of the table by plopping an extra helping of food in his bowl before he can get up. "Aang says firebenders tend to burn more energy than most people."
Not that she's ever offered Zuko extra. Or that he's asked. The realization makes Katara feel more than a little like a jerk.
"He's right," Chit Sang tells her. "Thank you."
She sits down across from him so they have less chance of being overheard.
"I need your advice."
He looks up, surprised. "Wouldn't your father be better for that sort of thing?"
Katara shakes her head. "Not for this." She hesitates, not sure how to start. "Look, it may not even be a big deal, and if so, I'd like to keep it that way. But I don't really have any experience in this area."
Chit Sang now looks slightly apprehensive.
"And Zuko's-touchy." She continues. "Proud. I don't think he meant for anyone to find out."
Now he just looks confused.
"Exactly how bad are the coolers at the prison?" she asks. "Zuko told Toph that most firebenders can't bend for a week after spending a day in there."
"That's true," Chit Sang confirms, then something seems to click. "What happened?" He starts to stand, nearly knocking his chair over in his haste, and Katara reaches out.
She can't actually pull him back down into his seat, she's not near strong enough, but he sits back down anyway.
"He's okay. I think." She assures him, or tries. "He was shivering last night, but we kind of piled around him and he stopped, and fell asleep, and he said that he was okay, just cold and tired. Toph figured it would be better to let him sleep in this morning, if he wasn't already up, and she and Sokka are with him, but I've never had to deal with a cold firebender before."
Chit Sang looks thoughtful. "I was surprised he was able to face off against his sister so soon after leaving the cooler, to be honest."
"He told Toph he overdid it."
"He might have. It happens more often with younger students who don't know their limits, but it is possible for a firebender to use up more of their energy than they should. Since firebending comes from within, using energy drawn from the chi, overdoing it can have a negative effect on the body, especially if it's already stressed, for example, from spending a day in freezing temperatures."
He offers her an apologetic smile. "Not that you asked for a lecture. The point is, the cooler would have put a strain on both his bending and his body. Even if he was using the 'breath of fire' technique to keep warm, firebending still takes energy. More so in the cold. And then to face his sister, not holding anything back in his fight with her, that's even more energy he's using."
"I'm guessing food and sleep aren't readily available while you're locked up in one of those things either." Katara puts in grimly. "But will he be okay? Is there anything he needs? He said he was fine, but..." she trails off.
"I'll check on him when he wakes up." Chit Sang offers. "But you said you got him warm, and that he stopped shivering." Katara nods. "Then you're doing all the right things. He needs sleep, and food, and to stay warm. I would hope that the banished prince would be smart enough to ask for help if he needs it, but I'll still check on him." He pauses. "I'm assuming you want to keep this quiet, if you can."
"Toph doesn't think he'd like everyone knowing." Katara admits. "She can be pretty persuasive.
Chit Sang laughs. "I'll bet." His expression sombers, and when he looks at her, there's something in his eyes she can't quite identify. "It's very kind of you, to look out for him like this."
And Katara hates that, because she hates Zuko-or wants to hate him. She certainly doesn't trust him. But she's not a monster, after all, and he did just help rescue her dad from a Fire Nation prison.
So she shrugs, and stands, and takes Chit Sang's empty bowl along with her own. "Aang needs a teacher," she says, before heading inside to start on the breakfast dishes.
Toph hears Zuko move beside her, hears his heart speed up (it's much better than it was last night, though still a little slow. For him, anyway), and feels him tense.
"Morning, Sparky." And his pulse settles just a little. She's still not picking up much heat from his body, but at least he also doesn't feel like a block of ice next to her.
He doesn't answer. He's looking around, she can feel him moving through the vibrations in the earth, but he doesn't say anything yet.
"Feeling any better?" Sokka asks, and he flinches. Sokka doesn't comment-assuming he even noticed. "We were a little worried last night."
"I'm fine." Sparky sounds almost angry, but Toph's figured out by now that it's just because he's uncomfortable. A second later he adds, "Thank you," in a slightly less surly tone.
"Anytime," Sokka says, serious. "You helped me save my dad. And Suki."
Sparky sighs. He stands, and though there's something just a little bit sluggish in the action, he's worlds better than he was the night before.
Sokka and Toph scramble to their feet as well.
"I'm hungry." Sokka announces. "Do you think Katara saved us anything?"
"It's probably cold by now." Toph grumbles.
"But Zuko can reheat it, right?" And then Sokka flinches. "I mean, unless-you can still firebend, right?"
"I probably shouldn't try for a day or two." Zuko admits, and while his tone is casual, his heart is starting to race a little bit. "I overdid it fighting with Azula. I didn't really have a choice, but..." he trails off.
"You saved our butts." Sokka points out. "Thanks."
Katara sees them coming and decides to go ahead and start lunch. The food she set aside earlier is cold by now, and while she could reheat it, cooking a whole new meal for everybody isn't going to be that much more work, and then she doesn't have to do both.
Out of the corner of her eye she watches as Chit Sang intercepts the group. He talks to the group for a minute, and then Sokka nods and starts walking again, headed for Katara. Toph refuses to go anywhere.
The two firebenders talk for a moment longer, and then Chit Sang lays a hand on Zuko's shoulder. She can see the way he tenses from here-Zuko is not a fan of physical contact-but he doesn't pull away, and after a moment Chit Sang lets him go, and they go their separate ways.
"How is he?" Katara asks as her brother joins her.
"You told Chit Sang?" Sokka's voice is almost accusing.
"I don't know anything about treating firebenders for cold-related issues." She retorts. "I mentioned that he didn't want to make a big deal about it, but he was shivering last night. Have you ever seen a firebender shiver before?"
Sokka's shoulders slump. "No."
Toph and Zuko join them then. Zuko hesitates for a moment before holding his hands out to the fire as if to warm them.
"Should I be concerned about that?" Katara asks, and Toph scowls, but Zuko only shakes his head. He doesn't volunteer anything more, and she doesn't ask for an explanation.
She doesn't want to be friends.
"Let me know if there's anything you need," she says. She's not completely heartless after all, though the fact that he looks surprised by her offer makes her feel a little guilty. "Lunch should be ready soon."
She puts extra in his bowl. Refills it when he works through it fairly quickly. When she goes to get seconds for her brother and asks if he wants another helping, he blushes and looks away.
"That's okay," he says, uncomfortable, and Chit Sang looks up from his own meal, concerned.
Rather than cause a scene or explain herself Katara simply serves him another helping. She tells herself it's because the firebender is still looking a little too pale, and still moving just a little too slowly, as if he's still tired even after sleeping in this morning, and not because she feels guilty for not noticing before that he's never once asked for seconds, even though Sokka regularly does, and even Aang has done the same more often than he hasn't since he started his firebending training in earnest.
Zuko finishes a third helping easily. He excuses himself before she can consider foisting more food off on him, though, heading inside and taking his dirty dishes with him.
He's waiting for her when she heads inside, and she realizes it is, in fact, his turn to help with the dishes, but he's also fidgeting, and that's not really something the firebender does.
"You okay?" she asks, and he looks away.
"I can't, um-I really shouldn't try bending for a couple days." He sounds frustrated. "Sorry."
It takes her a minute to realize he's talking about the water. "We'll just do it the old-fashioned way," she says.
It takes longer this way, but it gives her a chance to look Zuko over without being obvious about it. He's still pale, still tired. But he's not shivering, and he no longer looks-or sounds-like he's courting hypothermia.
"So you can't firebend, or if you do it will take you longer to recover?" she asks.
"I can if I have to." His voice is quiet. It often is, these days. The softness in his voice is in direct contrast to when he was chasing them. "But it will take more energy than it should. Chit Sang offered to work with Aang until I feel up to it. He said it might be good for Aang to experience different teaching styles."
It sounds like an excuse, a way not to let Aang or anyone else know that he isn't well.
"Is that a thing?" she asks. "Do firebending teachers do that?"
Zuko shrugs. "Some teachers are more aggressive than others. My uncle was always patient, never yelled. I used to think it was a weakness." He shrugs again.
Zuko tends to bark at Aang more than anything else. He's not a particularly patient teacher, Katara's noticed.
"Aang responds better if you aren't being mean to him." She doesn't think she meant it to be an accusation.
"I'm not," Zuko says. "But I don't know how to be gentle, especially on days when he approaches his training with all the focus and dedication of a wombat-squirrel."
It takes everything Katara has not to laugh.
"He's just a kid," she reminds him.
"He's the Avatar, for all that he's twelve years old. And we're running out of time. My father won't care how young he is."
Katara knows he's right. About this, at least. "He's doing his best."
"But he isn't. He's constantly trying to put off training. Constantly begging to finish early. Constantly rushing through forms just to be done with them. He's talented, but he lacks discipline."
"And you're trying to cram an entire lifetime of training into a few months." Katara points out. "That has to be stressful. Cut him some slack now and then."
"I do."
Katara rolls her eyes. "Can you honestly say you were focused and dedicated and disciplined at that age? That you wouldn't rather have been playing than studying?"
Zuko frowns. "I wanted to make my father proud," he admits, and Katara flinches at the reminder of who he is. At the reminder that she can't trust him, no matter how much he says he's changed. He notes her reaction and scowls.
His temper flares, and he shoves his hands back into the basin of water, feeling around for anything left that still needs to be washed. It's more life than he's shown since he got up.
"I wanted to make him proud," he snarls. "Then, I just wanted to find the Avatar. Now I just want to make sure that my father doesn't kill him, when they eventually face off. So no, playing hasn't really been a priority for a long time."
She wants to be angry, but she, too, is afraid that when it comes down to it and Aang has to face Ozai, that none of what they've done will be enough.
"He still needs to be able to play. To rest. If the stress gets to be too much, or he's too tired and run down to fight properly, then what good is all that training?"
He doesn't have an answer.
Author's Note: This was meant to be a one-shot, but here we are. Not sure where it's heading, but it doesn't seem to be over just yet. Please review?
Avatar: The Last Airbender does not belong to me.