A/N: A short and sweet one.
Toph takes a short break from mommy duty to sit by the window and enjoy the breeze. She keeps an earthbending "eye" on her baby Lin being fussed over by her friend Katara who had come over for dinner. Katara's own child Tenzin, her youngest and barely older than Lin, was sitting next to his mother. Having just learnt to move about on his own, Tenzin was a precious toddling tyke intent on learning all about the world around him. And right now, Tenzin's current object of interest was the small baby in his mother's lap. Katara kisses Lin's forehead and Toph can't help her smile when little Tenzin copies his mother and presses his small lips to Lin's forehead too.
Toph is so preoccupied with the scene playing out with the children that she doesn't notice when her husband has finished washing the dishes until he's already come over to sit next to her.
"Hey, helmet head," Toph whispers as she slips a hand around the Duke's arm.
Her face flushes red as he kisses her on the temple. It's been almost a year since they got married, but she still feels so affected by him. She feels his smile and his warm breath on the side of her face when he finally responds to her greeting.
"Hey yourself, love."
Toph grins at his cheekiness. After a quick wave at Katara, the Duke lets Toph lay her head on his shoulder and they stay that way for a while in comfortable silence.
"Did you know friendships can last more than one lifetime?" Toph suddenly asks her husband.
The Duke has been watching little Tenzin stroking his baby daughter's head, Katara making sure he didn't hurt her. A moment passes before he answers his wife.
"I did, love," he says as he kisses the back of Toph's hand. "But did you also know that love can last forever?"
Toph had been talking about the children, but now the Duke was talking about the two of them. She tilts her head towards him, pretending to think very hard about his question. The Duke chuckles at his wife attempt to mock him for what she called his "cheesiness". Before Toph can let out a witty remark, he claims her lips with his own. Toph forgets the words she meant to say and the world around them.
The Duke kisses her tenderly. He puts his promise of forever into the kiss and Toph returns the unspoken oath with just as much love. Only with him was she able to reveal the softness in her character that she kept protected under a brazen attitude. Only with him did she feel truly safe enough to let her guard down. The Duke cradles Toph's head almost reverently as he thinks, this is Toph, his wife, his love. His.