The Steadfast Tin Soldier

"Sergeant Brian Haner, tin soldier" Brian saluted, giving Zacky his own smile. 

Zacky smiled and lowered his hidden leg, which was tucked underneath the skirt of the dirndl. Brian's hope shattered as he saw the two black pointe shoes on the feet of the ballerina, his gaze flickering to the stump of his left leg

Zacky's own green eyes followed Brian's, but he didn't turn away and run. He did quite the opposite. He moved closer and smiled. 

"Ah... Jimmy told me about you... he told Johnny and I about the one-legged soldier" Zacky smiled, nodding over at a wooden puppet with caramel eyes and blonde hair sitting on the lap of a tin soldier with blue eyes and a loving smile. 

"Oh..." Brian mumbled before looking up and down Zacky's figure

"You're very beautiful Zacky..." Brian smiled, causing the paper ballerina to blush and giggle. 

Brian plucked a red rose from the garden and presented it to Zacky, the smaller male smiling and taking the flower before pinning it at his waist. 

"What a gentleman" Zacky smiled, stroking the smooth tin of Brian's face with his fingers. 

Brian's own hand brushed the black hair that slightly covered the piercing green of Zacky's eyes. It was love at first sight, the both of them never wanted this intimate moment to end

~

Suddenly, Brian was wrenched away from Zacky by a giant hand, the hand of Trinculo the jester-in-a-box. Trinculo had spied the two from a small crack in his box and was furious, no one stole his Zacky from him. No one

"Hey!" Brian yelled, furious at Trinculo for taking him away. 

Trinculo laughed wickedly as he grabbed a glass on the table and trapped the paper ballerina inside it. 

"Brian!" Zacky cried out, banging his fists on the glass. 

Trinculo hopped over to the window and opened it, the raging wind whipping his jester hat around. 

"This will teach you to steal my ballerina!" Trinculo spat as he threw Brian out of the window and into the storm. 

"No!" Zacky sobbed as he saw the soldier out of the window and into the storm. 

"Now... it is our moment" Trinculo smirked as he hopped closer to Zacky

~

Brian screamed as he felt himself falling through the air, gasping as he landed in water and swept into the sewage

'I'm gonna die' Brian thought, holding his breath as he spiralled in the water. He saw a dark object above him and thanked the Lord as he saw it was a small toy boat. He hoisted himself up and clung on for dear life as the water churned and caused the boat to rock violently. The light at the end of the sewer was growing brighter, and before he knew it, Brian and the boat plummeted into the blue ocean. His eyes widening as he saw the open mouth of a fish swallowed him whole

~

Zacky stared out into the storm in despair, curled up against the glass. His tin soldier was lost in the human world alone, wet, cold and miserable. Trinculo observed Zacky, frowning in anger as he saw the paper ballerina is still in love with that tin solider and not him. He went back inside his box and closed his eyes, falling asleep

Zacky glared at the wooden box that Trinculo was sleeping in, sighing as he looked away. A sharp knock on the glass startled him, Zacky lifted his eyes to meet with Johnny's caramel eyes. Johnny pointed at the box of tin soldiers, Trinculo's box, a toy trampoline and the fireplace in the room. Zacky understood immediately and grinned, cheering as Johnny, with the help of the other tin soldiers, lifted the glass and freed him before going back to their areas and falling asleep.

Zacky sighed as he saw Jimmy and Johnny kissing, exchanging sweet words before Jimmy hopped back into the toy box and Johnny hung himself on his perch. The paper ballerina briefly saw an image of himself and the one-legged soldier before standing on one leg in his paper garden and falling asleep

~

Imogen wandered through the market street with a smile on her face, walking home from the morning shopping. Suddenly the smell of fish drew her into the fisherman's stall, who was shouting out his daily catch. She didn't know why, but she just had to buy the large herring that stared at her glassily

She smiled at the fisherman and pointed at the herring, who wrapped it up in brown paper and handed it to her. Imogen soon made plans on what to do with the fish, to feed her children Hans and Alexandra

When she reached home she immediately placed the shopping in the right places, but as she grabbed the herring something fell from it's mouth. To her amazement it was a small tin soldier, one that only had a leg

'How peculiar, it looks just like the one in Hans' set' Imogen thought as she entered the playroom and returned the tin soldier to it's place

~

The clock chimed midnight and all the toys came to life once again. Trinculo hopped over to Zacky, presenting a plastic rose to the ballerina. Zacky scowled at Trinculo and tried to run away, but the jester was quick and grabbed the hem of Zacky's skirt. "Let go you pervert!" Zacky shouted as Trinculo lifted his skirt higher

Suddenly, a ball was thrown at Trinculo, making him let Zacky free and turn himself to face the thrower. To his fury, it was the tin soldier that he threw out the window. 

"YOU!!! I THREW YOU OUT THE WINDOW!!" Trinculo snarled as he lunged at Brian, who crouched down to avoid being hit. 

But he wasn't fast enough and was knocked off the table with Trinculo. The two hit the trampoline and flew through the air, Trinculo screaming in agony as his wooden box hit the fireplace and caught fire. Brian gasping as the bright red flames grew closer to him, but he stopped mid-flight and was brought back. Confused, he looked down and saw his fellow soldiers had created a ladder for him

Slowly they pulled him back o the table and the toys cheered, because Trinculo was a nasty toy that bullied everyone. Brian smiled all around him, but then his eyes landed on his green-eyed ballerina.  Brian hopped forward with a smile on his face, taking Zacky's hands and kissing the delicate fingers.

"I was so worried..." Zacky whimpered, his eyes tearing up as he traced the cheek of his soldier. 

"Don't be... I'm right here with you.. where I belong love" Brian smiled, wrapping his arms around Zacky's waist and pulling him in for a passionate kiss

~

"Wow! That was a great story Daddy!" Nathaniel Haner smiled, hugging his dad goodnight. 

Brian smiled as he kissed his son on the forehead. 

"Ok Natey, now lights out. Goodnight baby...." Brian pulled himself on his wheelchair and pushed himself to his room. 

"Again with that story?" Zacky Haner chuckled as he got in bed, snuggling under the covers. 

"Well it's how we met wasn't it? I spied on a little ballerino and fell in love" Brian chuckled, tucking his wheelchair next to his bedside and getting in bed. 

"I love you... no matter what" Zacky cupped his husband's cheek, stroking the high cheekbone. 

"I love you too... my little ballerino" Brian kissed the fingers before puling his husband into a deep kiss