A/N: Haha! I can't say the beginning is my idea. This came from watching Definitely, Maybe (GREAT movie. You should watch it if you haven't) and also partially because of something my best friend (RandomWarning) said to me. Review, please!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

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Inflection

He was never really good at these things. With his many titles, none of them included 'romantic' or—or 'suave'.

"Will you, um..." he shook his head, trying to get his dry throat to spill the beans, "marry me?"

The boy's shoulders relaxed a great deal after the words fell from his tongue, echoing slightly in the back of his mind. He put this idea on the back burner for so long, it felt like the question didn't exist anymore. They were never getting married. But, once it was out, it was definitely out.

Toph Bei Fong parted her lips in the most dumbfounded way possible. She expected this, eventually, but he was being ridiculous.

"Will you, um, marry me?" she said, her eyes icily burning through his, darkening like black coal. "No." She crossed her arms. "What do you mean, 'Will you, um, marry me?' What does that even mean? And why should I marry you, anyway? You don't look happy about our marriage. You don't sound happy." She glared at him. "I mean, why do you want to marry me? Other than the fact that out of our friends, we're the only ones who haven't tied the knot yet. We're the only ones who haven't made an advance in our relationship."

"Oh, spirits. Are you kidding me? Shut up. Just... ugh." Sokka slapped his forehead and pressed the palm of his hand against the skin there, exhaling deeply. "Look—I want to marry you because you are the only woman in the world who can keep me on my feet. When I look at you, I know that you're the first person I want to look at in the morning and the only one I want to kiss goodnight. When I first held these hands"—he grabbed them as he spoke, gazing at her—"I couldn't imagine not being able to hold them. And most importantly, when you... when you love someone, as much as I love you—getting married is the only thing left to do." The water tribe boy paused, licking his lips. "So will you, Toph Bei Fong... um... marry me?"

Toph swallowed, aghast. However, she smiled sweetly, then pulled her hand away.

"Tell me you love me, again," she demanded, blushing slightly.

"I love you, Toph."

A refined silence entered the air as they looked at each other. The expression on Sokka's face was anxious, but patient. He was through being civil, and if she was going to taunt him any longer, he was picking her up and forcing her to marry him.

"I'll have to think about it," she finally stated, closing her eyes. Sokka growled through clenched teeth, then sighed ever so softly. Before he knew it, however, she jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his torso. She kissed him deeply and briefly, finishing her thought with, "Of course I will, Sokka."

"That was fast," he laughed, relieved the tension was done with. It took a lot for him to drain the little romance he had in him for the day, and he wasn't sure he could take much more of it. Unfortunately for him, his second nature kicked in and he pressed his lips on hers, adjusting her body with a little jump and placing his hands on the bender's thighs.

She smirked into his kiss.

She was getting married. To Sokka. The boy she started crushing on when she was twelve years of age.

That was so long ago. So, so long ago.

Luckily, there was so, so much more time to spend with him and in ten years, she knew for a fact she would remember this day more than any other.

Sokka, will you, um, get the door? Will you, um, do the dishes? Will you, um, make the bed?

Sokka... will you, um... love me? Forever?