Once Upon a Time…
There were two greatest circus performers in the world.
One was an escapologist by the name of Zuko. He could escape from any lock ever made.
The second was his husband. An acrobat names Sokka. He was so skilled, it seemed as if he could fly.
Together, they performed some of the most incredible feats anyone has ever seen. People would come from miles around not just to see their skill, but also to see their love for each other. Which, despite the hate they got, was so deep that it was said that cats would purr as they passed them, and dogs would weep with joy.
They moved into a beautiful old house on the edge of town, and in the evenings, they would walk and take the air. And each night, the children of the town would wait in anticipation, hoping for a glimpse of the blue scarf that Sokka always wore. For then, they knew they had only to cry, "Tricks! Tricks!" and the great performers would instantly oblige, with the most spectacular show, just for them.
But, although they loved each other and excelled in their fields, they were sad. For they did not have a child.
"You know if I could bear a child, I would," Sokka said, lying across his husband as he played with his hair. It felt nice. Zuko knew just where to put his hands. The other had often joked that he was part cat. If being part cat included pats, he would gladly do so.
"I know," Zuko said fondly, pressing a kiss against his hair, "We just have to wait for the paperwork to come through. Then we'll be one step closer to having a child in our house. Time will be on our side soon."
But time is the one thing no one is master of, and as time passed, and they grew quite old, but still, they had no child. At night, they did the best to fill the silence of their big, empty house by themselves. They would invite friends and family over, but they got busy once they had families of their own. So, they sat together, trying not to imagine how beautiful it would be if it was filled with the sounds of a child playing.
Their sadness overwhelmed them and drew them on to ever more dangerous feats. Their work soon became the only place they could pretend everything was okay. And so, it was, they decided to perform the most dangerous feat ever known to man.
"It is called," said Zuko, announcing the event to the world's press. They hung off his words with bated breath, "The Burning Man Hurling Through the Air with Dynamite in His Hair Over Sharks and Spiky Objects Caught by the Man Locked in the Cage. It is the most dangerous feat ever known to man!"
"It is our destiny," Sokka teased his husband, hip-checking him.
"You'll never let that go, will you?" Zuko asked, acting upset to play along with his goofy husband.
"Never!"
And so, the great day arrived!
It was like the entire world had gathered to see, 'The burning man, hurling through the air, with dynamite in his hair, over sharks and spiky objects, caught by the man locked in the cage'! Everything was arranged by...the escapologist's father - a frightening man who used to be an Olympic-class hammer thrower, and who loved nothing better than to scare the children of the town! People whispered that in his dark and brooding heart, he resented his son, for his success in a job he had never approved and his love.
Suddenly, out came the escapologist, dressed as usual in his tights and spangly costume. Still, there was no sign of the Acrobat and no glimpse at all his blue scarf. And instead of the usual fanfare, there was silence, as he solemnly strode into the ring.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! The burning man, hurling through the air, with dynamite in his hair, over sharks and spiky objects, caught by the man locked in the cage, has been...cancelled!"
The audience gasped so loud, that a passing aeroplane caught it on its instrumentation, and reported it as an atmospheric phenomenon!
"For…. We have finally been accepted as foster parents!" Zuko said, "We have our first meeting tomorrow,"
Absolute silence. You could have heard a fly burp. Then suddenly, the audience jumped to its feet, and roared in appreciation!
The great feat was instantly forgotten, and the applause went on for nearly an hour.
Forgotten by everyone, except that is...the escapologist's father. When all had quietened down, he stepped forward and produced a contract.
"A contract you have signed to perform this feat and perform this feat you shall! I have paid for the posters, the publicity, the catering, the toilet facilities! If I give the crowd their money back, where is my profit? A contract is a contract, is a contract! My hands are tied! The burning man, hurling through the air, with dynamite in his hair, over sharks and spiky objects, caught by the man locked in the cage, will be performed and performed this day or...off to prison you both shall go!"
Zuko pleaded with the man, but he was silenced with a glare. The man had never been the best father, and it was showing now.
"I cannot indorse giving away my money for nothing. You knew when you decided to become an… escapologist," He spat out the word, "That money might not come easy, and I have always told you I would never pay a single cent to help you out. You've done this to yourself,"
"Don't talk to him that way," Sokka snapped, always protective of his husband, "We don't need your money. We'll do it anyway,"
"But love-" Zuko was cut short by Sokka.
"We can do it. I believe in us,"
Slowly, very slowly, the Acrobat wound his blue scarf around his husband's neck.
"For luck, my love," he said, kissing Zuko with the gentlest of kisses, "Smile, we have done this a thousand times."
Then suddenly, Sokka hugged him with the biggest hug in the world, so hard, that he felt he was going to hug all the air out of him.
And so, they prepared themselves for the most dangerous feat that had ever been performed. Zuko had to escape from the cage, lean out, catch his husband with one hand, grab a fire extinguisher with the other to put out the flames on his specially designed outfit within 12 seconds, before they reached the dynamite, and blew his lover's head off.
The trick started well, or. It did for Sokka. The moment the specially designed out was set alight, the Acrobat swung into the air. The crowd held their breath as he hurled over the sharks and spiky objects.
1..
2..
They watched as the flames crept up the outfit.
3...
4..
Zuko began to reach out his arms towards the cage with some difficulty. Somehow, his lock was slicked with oil which made everything harder.
5..
6..
Suddenly the padlocks pinged open, and the huge chains fell away.
7..
8..
The door flung open, and the escapologist reached out his arms to catch his husband.
9..
10..
11!
And he grabs his hand, and suddenly, the flames are covered in foam, before they can both be blown to pieces.
Maybe it was the thought of their child. Maybe it was nerves. But the escapologist used just a touch too much foam, and the oil that coated his hands made it worse, and suddenly their hands became slippery, and Sokka fell.
"Sokka!" Zuko cried. The audience watched in horrified silence as the acrobatic fell into the flames. The sprinkler system soon went off, dousing the stage in water. Cheerful sirens went off with happy music, which really did not fit the scene. Zuko noticed none of that as he made his way to his fallen husband.
Distantly, he heard calls for a healer.
It was his fault Sokka fell. He had to try and fix it somehow.
He knelt beside his lover, patting out any residual flames, trying to be as careful as he could in case there were any broken bones.
"Zuko," Sokka's voice was faint, yet Zuko could still hear it over the pounding of his heart.
"Yes?"
"Your father… is a dick,"
Despite the ugly situation, Zuko could help but laugh. Even in immense about of pain, it was still the same man he fell in love with.