Zuko

A Very Good Bad Play

The play was awful. Not only was the acting overdone and effects corny, the content itself was agonizing. They sat way up high in the back, but Zuko felt like there was a spotlight focused on them. Only Toph seemed to be enjoying the production and the 6 foot, 200 hundred pound muscle man that was playing her.

Then, it got worse. Zuko sat completely still in the darkness, watching a recreation of one of the worst experiences of his life, played for laughs on stage. Some ridiculous actor, who didn't know a thing about what Zuko had experienced, made loud, boastful claims in a bad recreation of the crystal caves, while a big-breasted Katara swooned. Even worse, he was seated between Aang and Katara. When the actor playing Katara told the world that she saw the Avatar are nothing more than a little brother, the real Avatar's head whipped around to look at her, at them. Actor Zuko and actor Katara kissed. It was a long-drawn out affair with lots of stomach-turning noises. It was nothing like the furtive brush of skin that maybe didn't even count as a kiss at all? The seconds stretched on and Zuko considered revealing their presence to the theater, just to make it stop.

At intermission, Aang and Katara disappeared while Sokka and Suki went to go find the actors. Zuko was left with Toph.

"So…" the little girl started. "Enjoying the play?"

"No."

Toph nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. So, uh, how much would you say is, umm, accurate?"

"None of this is accurate!" Zuko yelled. "This entire play is ridiculous!"

Toph merely laughed and Zuko was reminded of a line from the play, something about protesting too much. He crossed his arms and scowled at the ground until the third act started. Zuko sat in the dark, inches from Katara. The play dropped into the background, while the space on Zuko's left side seemed to fill with electricity. Could she feel it too? Was she sweating and thinking about the air between their bodies? Was she comparing it to the last time they were this close, the last time they were alone in the dark?

She put a hand on the bench between them. What did that mean? Did it mean anything? Zuko forced himself to stare straight ahead, but all of his attention was on her hand. Slowly, he unfolded his own hands in his lap and placed his right hand on the bench. They weren't touching, but Zuko could feel the connection anyways. Infinitesimally small movement by infinitesimally small movement, their hands moved closer and closer. By the end of the play, their pinkies were lined up. Zuko could tell this was the last scene, the last moment of darkness and the last moment of crazy tension between them. He slipped his pinky over hers.

Katara curled her pinky finger, as if to hug his.

Then the lights came up, the actors bowed, the audience cheered, and they left the best terrible play Zuko had ever seen.