A/N: Alright. Finally. We're in the home stretch. Sorry I cheated a little, but this is the last prompt and then it's over. So thank you to everyone who put this story in their favorites and on their alert list, and a special thank you to those who took the time to leave a review. Of course, it's still not too late to drop a line and tell me what you think. But even if you just read it, that still means a lot too. So thank you everyone!

Notes: Canon Universe

Disclaimer: For the last time, no.

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Day 7

Ring

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Aang remembered the first time he had ever visited the Earth Kingdom.

He remembered walking alongside Gyatso, a scared little eight year old boy who had never seen anything other than the Air Temple he had grown up in. Gyatso warned him of all of the strange things he would see: the green clothing, men with hair on their heads, people who ate meat every day, and, of course, the Earthbenders.

It was a simpler time: a time with no war and no stress over the duties of the Avatar. There was only peace and a sense of curiosity running through him at that age. All over him was a culture unknown to him, and all he wanted was to explore every corner of it and let what he was being deprived of fill his mind and curb his curiosity.

The one things Aang recalled from the trip was the small little store he passed by when they were on their way for some lunch. It was a very tiny establishment—probably family owned—with a little display of rings on the front window. The small boy had caught sight of all types of bands from gold to silver. Fitted into each band was a type of jewel. From the scrolls he read in the library, he could identify a few of them…emeralds, jades, diamonds, sapphires, rubies…

It was then that Gyatso came over to him and told him that they were wedding rings.

Growing up in a temple filled with men, he didn't understand the concept of marriage at first. In actual fact, he only ever visited the Western and Eastern Air Temples a couple of times a year. There was no such thing was marriage in their culture, not really. He knew that men and woman often times were companions, but in their culture, the opposite sex rarely saw each other. There certainly wasn't any room for life time commitment to a single person.

But being a young eight year old boy, Aang thought that the idea sounded lovely, of course when he actually managed to fall in love. He asked Gyatso if he could get married one day. Would that be allowed? Would he get to buy one of those rings for a pretty girl one day?

But Gyatso laughed at the boy's enthusiasm. "Silly, boy. This is an Earth Kingdom custom, something that only the people here practice. We have our own customs to learn and worry about." And the subject was left at that.

Aang understood his mentor's words and didn't press on the issue. But the image of all of those wedding rings on display in that Earth Kingdom shop would be something that he would day dream about for years to come

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Toph understood what marriage was at a very young age.

Despite the fact that she was different from everyone else, she was still bred as a young lady of nobility ought to have been bred. Her mother dictated to her all that she must accomplish and all that she must do. She was to be raised to be the perfect wife, the perfect lady, a porcelain doll of immaculate condition. Toph was meant to know how to embroider, how to sew, how to play at least one instrument, how to recite poetry, how to dance, how to speak, how to sit, how to stand, how to smile, and how to curtsey.

Everything that her mother taught her and made her do was meant for the purpose of impressing her husband. And it was something that accepted at the young age of eight years old. Already at such a young age, she was keeping her Earthbending habit a secret, for she knew it wasn't a lady's pastime and it would be improper if her mother found out about it.

"Just think about it, Toph," her mother would whisper to her at night as she brushed through the girl's long hair right before bed. "If you keep up your lessons and do what you're supposed to do, you could wind up with a pretty little ring on your finger one day. You'll be so happy."

The girl had impeccable manners despite what others outside of this house might have thought. So she nodded, and smiled, and agreed with her mother as she was supposed to.

But one night, the curiosity took a hold of her and she couldn't help but whisper a small question to her mother. After all this talk of marriage and spending your life with the person you loved, the girl couldn't help but ask.

"When can I choose him, and where can I find him?" If this ring business was such a big deal, she must have to search hard for this man who would eventually ask for her hand. It was a wonderful thought. Though the girl was slowly escaping to her rebellious side, she would not rid herself of romantic thoughts until she was ten.

"You won't have to do any of that," her mother explained simply. "We already know who you'll marry. All you have to do is impress him when you are old enough. Oh, he's lovely Toph. His name is…and he's tall and loves…and…always…you'll love him…"

Every time this mystery suitor came up, she would drown her mother out. Commitment to someone she didn't know always gave her a sick feeling in her stomach. And soon, the idea of marriage became a disturbing one to her.

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Often, when they talked, they found that their views often clashed. They were opposites in every sense of the word: their gender, their culture, their element, their appearance, their attitude…all of it conflicted. So they supposed it wasn't that strange when they argued about certain topics.

"How can you say that?" the twelve year old Avatar scolded. "You're so lucky to live in a nation where you can share your life like that. It must be amazing."

"Marriage is a prison," the blind girl countered. "It isn't there for happiness, it's there for status. Very few people I know get married for love. It's a conspiracy meant to instill misery into the lives of innocent people."

The boy was confused. "How is spending your life with the person you love a conspiracy?"

"Because no one knows what love is," Toph muttered to herself, thinking back to that noble boy saddened at the news of her disappearance no doubt. "It's so easy to like a person and think that you love them. But once you get married and you're forced to spill your heart out…you might not like what you see. Then the whole ordeal was a waste."

"You're reiterating a worst case scenario," Aang told her firmly. "What happens if you've known this person for years? Their secrets are your secrets, their life is also your life, and everything you do can't be done without that person by your side. You know that if you were to part, there would be a hole in your life that you wouldn't be able to fill. Then the act makes sense. More than that, it's almost like it's second nature to consider marriage. It can be a beautiful thing, you know."

He was underexposed to the idea, and all he knew was what he observed, read, and heard about it. All of the fanciful things and beautiful stories.

She was overexposed to the idea. She hated the idea, because she heard the sad stories of the woman who were unhappy with the husbands they were forced to take.

It was an idea that they would never see eye to eye on. He would forever wish for it. She would forever scorn it.

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"When will you let me put a ring here?"

He brushed the thin finger next to her pinky on her left hand. He was silently measuring the length all the way around, deciding which size would suit her better.

He heard her laugh softly. "When will you stop asking me the same question every day?"

He neither smiled nor frowned. He was pensive. "When you decide to answer it."

He started rubbing his thumb in circles over the skin of her finger. She relaxed at the act and knew how he stared at that simple patch of skin, and she knew what he was envisioning. She knew that her lack of an answer made him sad, but the idea of having that bauble on her finger scared her.

"Why is it so important to you?" she asked honestly. "What if it goes wrong? Then what will we do?"

He paused for a moment and said nothing, still tracing circles on her skin. It wasn't as if she didn't care for him. No, that definitely wasn't it. Even something as simple as this—sitting in a bed together with her back against his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her with no one around to disturb them—it filled her with a warmth that she had never experienced with anyone else. And she knew that it wasn't worth losing. She would never want to part with it. It was far too important to her to let go. She needed it. But there was always that memory of her mother's friend crying about the curse that ring on her finger brought upon her.

It wasn't that she thought Aang would bring her misfortune…it was just that small chance that maybe things wouldn't turn out the way they should.

"Do you want to know why it's so important?" he whispered in her ear softly. "Because I want that to be a permanent reminder for me, for you, and for anyone else, that you managed to find a happiness that is so special and rare, it can only be found with one other person. It's unique, and often times it makes someone's life glow with a new purpose that wasn't there before."

She couldn't fathom a response. But she did feel water collect in the corners of her eyes at his words. "I know that nothing will go wrong," he continued. "I know that sometimes it is forced upon people for the wrong reasons. But something can only go wrong if one of us denies that there is something between us that we can't live without out. But that won't happen, because I know that it's here. I'll go in front of the world and swear that I can't let you go. I never will, I can promise you that."

Always the sweet talker, she mused. He always knew what to say. But there was such sincerity in his voice, and she knew from years ago that he was an honest person and would never say something like that for thrill or for the sake of spewing pretty words. His were raw and real, and she could feel them permeating every fiber of her body. "All of that…in a little ring, huh?" She heard him laugh and she joined in with him.

"I guess it can't be so bad then, right? If you want it so bad, then I guess I can agree to it."

She felt him smile against her shoulder and mutter words into her skin. "Then we're going to have to make it official, right?"

He turned her chin towards him so that her face was right on front of his. She placed her hand over his heart, a habit that she had gained over the years, since the desire to hear this heart thrum was too great to ignore. She leaned forward slightly until their foreheads touched and their exhales mingled.

"Toph…will you marry me?"

It felt like he was enveloping her then. She could feel him everywhere, inside and out. It was then that she knew this was something that couldn't be found anywhere else. She could keep looking, but she would only find it right here, just like he would only find it right here. She answered with ease.

"Of course."

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A/N: Ah! So much fluff! But I thought that I should end on a note such as that. Again, thank you all for reading. Please let me know what you think, and I'd appreciate it. Hoped you all had a nice Taang Week (even though it was over three days ago, haha). Love you all, and thank you!