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Day 6: Truth

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Canon Universe

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"Okay. Aang. You need to stop doing that."

But Aang couldn't help it. He had been fidgeting during the entire ride here and was constantly adjusting his robes, making sure that they weren't stained or wrinkled. This was extremely important, and he couldn't help but feel like he was going to screw this up for Toph somehow. Aang didn't function well under stress if the Day of Black Sun invasion wasn't enough of an indicator. He was about ready to panic and bolt.

"Toph…I really don't know about this."

Toph turned to Aang and sighed. "If you don't calm down, you're gonna have a heart attack. Your palpitations are giving me a headache."

"I'm sorry," Aang groaned. "But…I can't do this. I'm gonna mess this up. And then we're going to have to run away again! And then they'll really hate me!"

Toph couldn't help but laugh at Aang's antics. Figures that the powerful and almighty Avatar would get scared and freak out over this. The poor thing couldn't calm down if there was a custard tart promised for his efforts. "Twinkles, it's just meeting my parents."

"Yeah. Your parents who think I kidnapped you for close to three years! Oh Spirits, they're going chew me up and spit me out, we so shouldn't have come here!"

"Okay, Aang," Toph said seriously, snapping her fingers and grabbing his shoulder to steady him. "Focus. First of all, they don't think you kidnapped me for three years. I've been writing to them, and I've explained everything to them. Besides, it's not like we're a secret. We're famous, and we're dating. We're practically under the scrutiny of everyone this side of the Earth Kingdom. This is just a formality. They want to meet you."

Aang sighed and let his shoulders slump. Talk about moment of truth. Them wanting to meet him could either ensure his surrogate adoption or his immediate execution. Of course he was going to be nervous about it. "You don't realize how ominous that sounds."

"You're the one making it sound ominous," Toph said with a scowl. "Look, I know things have been…itchy with them…"

"Yeah," Aang agreed sarcastically. "How could I forget them kicking me out of their house, sending kidnappers after you to cart you back in a metal cage—"

"For the last time Twinkle Toes," Toph said exasperatedly. "I cleared all that up! What is this all about?"

"This is a lot of pressure," Aang regarded her honestly. "You're not just Toph. You're Toph Bei Fong! Earth Kingdom heiress and Gaoling royalty. I mean, you've probably had a bunch of rich noble guys lined up to marry and court you since you were born, but instead you've just got me! A nomad with no home, no name, no family, no riches…I've got nothing to give you to impress them! I might as well be some homeless person you picked off the street."

The whole tirade hung in the air for a while, and Aang realized that he hadn't actually voiced these insecurities to Toph…ever. They had never come up. Being with Toph away from the stresses of her family and her noble obligations was like breathing. But standing in the garden of the Bei Fong Estate again made him think of all the things that he really wanted to forget about this relationship.

Toph remained silent and was digging the heels of her thin shoes that she was forced to wear for her parents into the dirt for lack of something else to do to fill up the awkward silence. "How long have you been thinking this?"

Aang waved off her question and shrugged his shoulders. "It's nothing. I'm being stupid."

"You're definitely being stupid, but this also is definitely not nothing," Toph frowned. "Do you seriously think you're not good enough for me?"

"No," Aang quickly amended. "It's not that…I just want to make a good impression on them. I want to keep you and be with you. I don't have the advantage of being in your social circle. So by that logic, I need to be amazing. And…I don't know how to do that for you."

He didn't know what to call Toph's impression. It was a mixture of confusion, disappointment, empathy, and frustration. Figures. She was always hard to read. But some compassion must have slipped through because she reached up and traced her fingers along the planes of his face before she found the smooth lines of his jaw. She laid her hand there and started rubbing her fingertips against his cheekbones. The gesture calmed him and he placed his larger hand over hers, grateful for the gesture of comfort.

Of course it was short lived before Toph reached up with her other hand and flicked Aang on the forehead, making him wince in pain and glare back at her. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Twinkle Toes, let me tell you something," Toph began. "All of this," Toph gestured around her to the lavish gardens, the towering estate, and the obvious wealth she was bred in, "I left it for you and my freedom. This all means nothing to me! I don't care about money or status or having someone with a title court me. Besides, give a guy a title and he thinks he's king of the world. No freaking thank you," Toph grimaced.

Aang nodded with a smile. "Yeah. You'd hate that."

"Exactly," Toph grinned back. "Look. You don't need to be anything more than what you are. I like you for everything you have, and despite the things you don't. And that's the truth." She stopped and looked up at him with a smirk. "Please don't make me pull out that mushy stuff again. It's exhausting."

That made Aang laugh heartily and he wrapped his arms around Toph's waist, suddenly overcome with the love that he felt for the girl on front of him. "Yeah, I agree. That would be weird. I mean, you? Romantic? Please…"

Toph punched him on the shoulder. "Oh shut up."

The slight sting in his shoulder didn't mean anything to him as he spun her around and faced them both towards the door. "So…your parents, huh?"

"Yup," Toph agreed with a weary sigh that showed she was just as anxious about this meeting as Aang was. "Just as a hint…my mother loves Earth Kingdom plays. So mention them. And my father likes talking politics, and always sides with the Earth King. So please talk it up."

Aang nodded. "That is helpful."

Toph rolled her eyes with a smile and patted Aang comfortingly on the arm. "Don't worry. They're gonna love you. I mean, you managed to charm me. My parents can't be nearly that difficult."