Welcome to the circus

"Oh no." Kim patted her pocket with a devilish smirk playing on her lips. "It seems like I can't find my wallet." She comically emptied the pockets of her jacket and held her keys and leftover receipts from the convenient store in her palms. "Oh no. How am I supposed to pay for my ticket?"

Maka rolled her eyes at her friend. Even though she'd convinced Maka to come to the circus and watch the show with her, Maka should've foreseen that Kim would pull a trick like this when she offered to pay for her ticket and popcorn.

She sighed as she fished up her wallet from her leather jacket. The ticket booth was nearing them with only a family of three separating them. "I'll cover it. But this time you better pay me back."

"Don't worry about the money." Kim playfully elbowed Maka. "I promise you'll get another ticket and popcorn the next time."

She wasn't that thrilled going to a circus when she could be home and seated in her couch with her sweatpants and her cat Blair lying in her lap and a book in her hand. The days were spent at Death City University, the nights belonged to her to relax and read an exciting book. Her everyday life was hectic, going to a wild circus wasn't her idea of relaxing.

"Can you remind me why I had to come with you?" The family in front of them went up to the now available ticket booth and the father of the family engaged with a conversation with the cashier. "You always visit the circus when they're in town. Why did you have to bring me with you now?"

"Why? Is it so wrong of me to ask a stressed friend to the circus to relax and witness some cool acts?"

She raised her eyebrow at Kim's blatant bullshit.

Soon a smirk grew on her bubble-gum pink lips. "Okay I lied. Jacqueline started to get bothered by Ox coming with me. So I thought, geez, do I know someone who miserably sitting at home and wastes her life? Oh yeah. Maka could come with me."

The father in front of them thanked the cashier and grabbed his tickets. The cashier handed a program to each and every one of them. "Geez, thanks."

They headed up to the ticket booth. The― white haired cashier's eyes settled on her friend and immediately a large grin grew on his face. "Looks like Jackie's little Kimmy arrived earlier than usual."

Maka wasn't surprised the cashier recognized Kim. Her girlfriend Jacqueline was in the show. They'd been together for approximately… two years? Every time the circus came into town, Kim would go just to see her beloved girlfriend do what she loved. The circus was a part of Kim's life because Jacqueline was.

"Yeah, time pessimist here." She pointed her thumb at Maka.

The cashier's red eyes darted to her. Perfectly deep red eyes she'd never witnessed before stared into her very soul. A shiver ran through her spine under his red eyes. She'd never seen an albino before, and it was quite unsettling how strong and vibrant his eyes impacted on her. They were daring and yet he didn't challenge her, and they were unnerving and intriguing. He was… interesting with his appearance.

His eyes returned to Kim. "What happened to the guy?"

"Ox started to get the wrong idea and Jacqueline didn't like it." She rested her arms on the counter.

The guy snorted. "I don't blame her. I would also get the wrong idea if I caught my girlfriend with her ex's arm around her shoulders when I performed."

Kim rolled her eyes. "It was years since we were together. We're just friends."

"Keep it that way." The guy sighed as he ducked under the register only to return up with two red tickets in his hand. "Row five, seat 57 and 58 like usual." He slapped the tickets on the counter. "That'll be 100 bucks."

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped to the floor. "100 dollars?! What kind of circus is this?"

The cashier cocked his eyebrow and blatantly stared at her as if she had leftover food on her forehead. "You know, circus artists need money to survive too."

She smiled sheepishly. Judging from the neutral facial with the tiny crest in-between his eyebrows, she hadn't made a good first impression on the cashier. She unzipped her wallet and retrieved her debit card. Awkwardly he retrieved the card reader. In strained silence she punched in her code and the purchase was finished a few seconds later.

"Enjoy the show." The cashier said unamused and handed a program to Kim. But none to her. Quickly she hurried passed the ticket booth while Kim grabbed the tickets. She lowered her head as she rushed inside of the typical yellow and red circus tent.

"You're unbelievable." Kim snickered and ran after her. "You pissed off Eater with your firsts words. You didn't even greet him or anything, the first words that came out of your mouth and the guy already despises you."

She rolled her eyes as Kim threw her arm around her shoulders. "He can hate on me as much as he wants. He doesn't know me. And quite frankly, I don't want to get to know him. He seemed incredibly boring and I bet he makes a lot of sarcastic jokes judging from that stone face he was rocking."

"He does use a lot of sarcasm, but believe it or not, he's a nice guy once you look passed his whines and sarcasm. I bet if you flirted with him instead of insulting him, he would've given us the tickets."

She rolled her eyes into the back of her skull. Great. More guys who only care about dipping their sausage in the mustard. A guy who only cared about getting it on with women and hitting and quitting wasn't exactly the kind of guys she would surround herself with. She was in the front seat in her father's life and she personally witnessed what the fuckboy lifestyle could lead you to.

"Like I would ever. This is the last time I come with you to the circus and meet your circus friends."

"But they're really nice. How many friends do you have― your colleagues aren't included!" Kim spoke before Maka had a chance to utter a single word. "I'm the only one you hang out with. And I was the only one you hung with in college. You could use more friends."

"And of course I need friends from the circus. We have nothing in common! I'm a professor at a prestigious university and I teach psychology to students and specialists. They are― are― circus artists with weird talents!"

"I would take back your words if I were you." Kim shoved her playfully. "Because you will meet them after the show."

Maka groaned. Bye bye, reading before bed. Now she had to stay after the show to be able to drive her home. She knew Kim had something up her sleeves when she asked for a ride to the circus. She had planned everything out before she convinced her to come to the circus.

She was one sly woman. She might be adorable with her short pink hair and flush lips, but she was made of greed for money and a wall of protection for those she didn't trust. Beneath all the sarcasm and bossy attitude, there was a fragile girl in fear of being rejected. It had taken some time to become Kim's friend and it was a long road full of attempts at bullying her into staying away, threats and thirst for her money, but somehow, they managed to become friends.

"Geez, it's very thoughtful of you to bring me to meet your friends, but I think I'll pass." They pushed passed families with parents holding popcorn bags and children waving lollipops in the air happily. "Blair misses me and needs me."

"Come on, you work all the time, you prepare experiments, lecture to specialists and students. You need more friends in your life." She caught sight of an arrow to the right with their seat numbers. Both of them maneuverer passed excited children waving sticky cotton candy and lollipops and they found the mouth to the massive circus tent.

"I'm already fine. I don't need any more people. I have you, right?"

"And you know I'm quite busy with Jacqueline and my nursing job." They entered the circus tent and her eyes widened at the sight of the large scene in front of her. The spotlights lit up the beige sand on the empty stage floor. The ceiling stretched high in the air and benches with stools rose as they neared the tent's walls.

With a clouded mind she faithfully followed Kim who led the way toward their seats. They climbed the stairs and silently they sat down on red plastic seats. She knew Kim had something up her sleeves when she asked her to the circus, but maybe she had something on her mind than simply her company.

"Kim. What did you mean?"

She sighed and leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms behind her head. "I should've figured I gave you too big of a clue." She hocked her ankle over the other. "I was going to tell you it after the show, but now's as good as ever." Maka noticed her biceps flexing. "Jacqueline and I are discussing kids. We've come to agree we're going to adopt a baby and we are currently doing all the paperwork."

Her chin hit the floor and her eyes widened to the size of the circus tent. "What?" She whispered in disbelief. "But― but― you are only twenty-seven!"

"What? You're expecting me to have kids in my forties?" She snorted. "Jacqueline and I have stable jobs. We live in the same apartment and we've discussed about our future for quite some time now."

"But don't you two want to be married first?"

Kim giggled nervously as she retrieved her hand from her pocket. A simple golden ring shone up the tent with its presence alone.

"Y-you― you're getting married?!"

She nodded. "Yeah. We're planning to go to court in a few weeks and sign the papers. We want to keep it small. Jackie will bring one person and so will I to be our witness. And I want you to come."

Her mouth opened and closed, attempting to find words. But just as smoke, every time she seemed to form cohesive words, it disappeared. "W-what?"

She rolled her eyes. "I think you know where I'm going with this. When Jackie and I are married and we've taken our child home, we won't be the same."

Her eyes lowered down to the wooden stair case they found themselves seated on.

It was exactly like she said. When she got married… she would be alone. Kim would be busy with their child and her wife-to-be. They wouldn't casually got to the bar every other weekend. Kim wouldn't drag her out to Deathbucks for a coffee (which she always had to pay for). She would suddenly be very… lonely. Kim always said she was a loner, but meeting her friend around once every weekend was enough. Not meeting her at all or maybe once every other month… it would be quite lonesome.

"Congratulation to your engagement." Her nails dug into her denim fabric. "I'm very happy for you and Jacqueline."

Kim unwrapped her arms and rested them on her lap where her golden ring was awfully attention-grabbing. "I know it comes to quite a shock. I've talked about you to Jackie and my friends and we've a friend named Tsubaki who'd love to meet you."

"So that's why you want me to stay? So this Tsubaki can meet me?"

"Pretty much."

The spotlights suddenly turned off and the parents hushed for their children to quiet down. Music erupted from the speakers and the beat rushed faster than a train. Spotlights with every colour danced over the audience and blinded her eyes for a split-second. The music and the sound suddenly came to a sudden halt and darkness devoured the stage. Instantly it lit up and for the first time, someone was on the stage.

"Welcome to the Ceased Circus!" A tall man all dressed in a black suit with large golden buttons stood in the epicentre of the spotlight. "I want to remind everybody flashes on cameras or other distracting devices are prohibited and those who do will immediately be escorted out of the tent." A big grin on the man's face grew. "I wish all of you a happy experience with us!"

POFF!

Smoke erupted and swallowed the man. The light of the spotlights seeped through the smoke and the man was replaced with a shorter male. Crazy blue hair stood in every direction and arms were crossed over a bare chest with dark blue body pain swirling up his torso and his arms. A large grin stretched on his face and exposed pale slightly crooked teeth.

"YAHO!" He waved his arm and another smoke barrier appeared and the man disappeared. The smoke cleared and in his place stood a large double door closet with skulls on each door. Silence lay heavy in the circus tent as the double doors slowly creaked open. Suspense drew the children closer to the edge in their seats.

Music poured out of the speakers and feet stepped down on the sand. One pair, two pair, three pair, more feet stumped down on the sand, person after person flooded out of the tiny closet dressed in light, exposing spandex show costumes to the sound of the audience applauding.

"That's Tsubaki." Kim pointed toward a woman in tight leggings with glitter and a dark blue corset standing beside the crazy blue-haired man. She couldn't help but notice her large bust that would burst the tight corset in any second. They were at a circus! Children were present! "And the guy standing beside her is her boyfriend Black*Star. He's a magician and she's his assistant."

Slowly she nodded as she applauded. Hopefully the vulgare clothes wouldn't upset the children too much.

"That's Patty and Kid. Kid's a knife-thrower and a juggler. Patty does multiple things, but basically she's a clown."

Her eyes found the pair waving toward the crowd in revealing spandex suits with sequins. She recognized the brunette with her beautiful see-through skirt and leotard as the woman on Kim's phone. If she remembered correctly… she was a fire dancer?

Her mouth dropped down to the floor and beyond when the last pair stepped out of the closet. There stood a beautiful woman in a white full-body spandex with red sequin sewed into the costume. Next to her stood the white-haired man with the curious red eyes. She didn't think he was in the show― she thought―

"Is he in the show?" She leaned toward Kim to overpower applauds and the racing music.

"Yeah. He's a trapeze artist and his partner is Liz, the woman beside him."

She found herself staring as the entertainer went around in a circle and clapping their hands. Her eyes stayed set on the large smirk on the white-haired man's face. In the ticket booth, he'd appeared to be bored and despised his job, but on stage, his eyes sparkled. Or it might've just been the spotlights.

The show started. Patty and Kid entertained the kids with knife juggling, then Jacqueline and her partner Kilik did some outstanding fire dancing and fire breathing. Both of them looked absolutely stunning. Kim found himself seated at the edge of her seat with a large smirk of… desire on her face. When their act ended, Jacqueline's gaze moved to them and waved quickly toward her. Kim threw a kiss at her which she caught with a large grin.

The show continued. Circus artist after circus artist performed. Black*Star and Tsubaki performed some cool illusions and magic tricks, at the end of the show, Tsubaki smiled gently toward Maka.

It wasn't until the white-haired man sprang onto the stage, jumped on a trampoline and soared through the air like he was a bird. He grabbed a trapeze in the air and it swung from the force. Skilfully and rapidly he hooked his legs around the bar and when it swung back, Liz appeared and hoped on the trampoline. She flew and grabbed his hands.

Her breath caught in her throat. They were ten yards up in the air and it didn't appear either of them was wearing any safety lines. They swung through the air and balanced on the tiny bar and swung from one trapeze to another. The white-haired man held the woman upside-down close to him as if he was Romeo and she was his Juliette and he didn't dare to let her go. Their performance brought feelings out of her and the beautiful classic string music remind her of the tragic story of Romeo and Juliette. Their moments dynamic and yet fragile. Their interaction powerful and cautious. It was as if they left each other, it would rip their hearts out of their chests and if they were together, it would pain both of them.

Liz glided down his body and down his arms, and their hands held each other's wrists as they soared through the air. The sting music faded at the spotlight dimed down.

Applauds erupted and she clapped her hands as loudly as she could. Her palms stung but she didn't care. The performance was beautiful. More entertaining than she imagined it being. Every act was unique and entertaining in its own way. When she arrived, she thought it would be childish and boring, but it wasn't. There were skilful stunts and amazing performance. She regretted questioning the price because it was worth every penny of it.

The circus artists pooled out from the red silk doorway and they bowed low toward the audience to the sound of applauds. She found herself standing with the others and clapped her sore hands. Jacqueline bowed deeply toward them and triumph smiled toward her fiancée.

Maka found herself smiling with joy as she stared toward the white-haired man. He seemed so… happy. Pleased with himself. She couldn't understand why he wouldn't be. He performed beautifully with Liz. Her breath hitched when his red eyes locked with hers. His smile was replaced with a large grin. "I told you so" she could read in his eyes.

She rolled her eyes at him. The show was remarkable, but she wouldn't tell him that.