Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.
A/N: Warm up for another fic I'm working on, circus!AU.
The first time the circus comes to town, Blaine is six.
One day, Dad came home and announced that he had tickets for them all to go, spinning Mom around the room and kissing her as Blaine and his brother ran around them in circles, cheering. On the drive over, Cooper had even let Blaine play with his gameboy a little, giving him tips on how to become a pokemon master and not being at all bossy. Dad boosted Blaine onto his shoulders so he could see over the crowd of people at the animals and Mom bought him a huge cotton candy to distract Blaine from the fact that he was too small for most of the rides and games.
By the time that it started to get dark out, Blaine was half asleep on Mom's hip, stirring only when she sat him down on a wooden bench. Next to him, Cooper was wriggling in his seat. At twelve years old, he did not think himself too cool to be at the circus and kept leaning over to tell Blaine that the best part was about to come. Blaine usually took everything his older brother said as law, but still pressed himself into his mom's side, tired from the long day and the fact it was past his bedtime.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, an enormous boom shook Blaine awake and, in his hurry to see what was going on, he missed the ringmaster's entrance. It must of been something special, because the rest of his family was cheering as a man in a bright red suit and top hat bowed to the audience. He welcomed them briefly, then stepped aside and let the show begin.
A parade of performances followed: jugglers and clowns and acrobats and even a fire swallower. Blaine watched them all with wide eyes, wanting desperately to ask his parents if these people were superheroes, but each time he got close, something even more amazing would happen. After a magician vanished his assistant and himself out of the main floor, the ringmaster came back, hat pressed to his heart.
"Friends, I'm afraid that it's getting late."
Cooper let out a loud groan and Blaine copied him, causing Mom to turn and shush them both. The ringmaster kept holding the hat to his chest, frowning as he nodded towards them.
"I'll be sad to see you all go and hope you'll miss us just as much," the ringmaster said, "But, please, don't let that keep you from enjoying our final event: The High Flying Eliza!"
The crowd cheered wildly as the spotlight pulled away from the ringmaster and up into the air. On top of an impossibly high platform was a lady wearing what looked like sparkly swimsuit, smiling wide and waving to the crowd. When the applause died down, she turned away from the audience and threw herself into the air.
Blaine couldn't help but scream, because he thought the lady was going to fall and the net below her didn't look that strong and Cooper was hissing for him to shut up just as the lady seemed to stop mid air. As the audience went wild, Dad leaned in and explained that there were bars and ropes for the woman to keep herself up on. This calmed Blaine enough that he could watch the rest of the show without screaming again, but it still made him a little nervous to think of someone falling from so high up.
After the woman had done numerous flips and swings around the bar, she returned to the little platform and waved again. Without coming out, the ringmaster's voice boomed out to the audience, "And for her final trick, The High Flying Eliza will be assisted by our littlest performer: Kurt the Boy Wonder!"
The spotlight on Eliza dimmed a little and another one appeared on the other side of the tent. There was a boy about Blaine's age standing on another platform, looking shy as he waved to the crowd. Blaine heard Mom whisper to Dad about 'children being used', but then the drum roll started and she grabbed Blaine's hand, squeezing it tightly.
The drums were still going when Kurt the Boy Wonder threw himself off the platform, sailing high in the air as the crowd gasped. Blaine buried his face in his mom's side again, afraid to watch the boy fall. A second later, Cooper jumped to his feet and started cheering, making Blaine glance up in time to see The Flying Eliza holding tight to Kurt the Boy Wonder's arms, knees bent over the bar from earlier. They were both grinning at each other as the lights went out on them and the ringmaster came out to say goodbye.
Dad carried him back to the car and Cooper talked the whole way home, but that didn't keep Blaine from falling asleep during the drive back. He didn't wake up until Mom was tucking him into bed, kissing his forehead and asking if he had fun. Yawning hugely, Blaine snuggled into his pillow and confidently told her, "It was the best day ever."