I am getting so many good reviews that my Ego is huge. I swear it's like a balloon. And I don't want it to pop ya know. So there's only a few more chapters and I want to thank Kataanglover138 and Alapest for reminding me to keep updating (Alapest for critiquing and reading my story first… sorta like a beta but not quiet) So onwards! :)
Cirque du La Terre
Chapter XXVI.
People busily bustled on the streets of Columbus, Ohio. Some were headed to work, others were taking a walk, and some were not quite sure what they were doing.
One family quickly strutted down the sidewalk. A brunette woman, who was rather small and piggish, held the hand of a small boy no older than ten. He looked around with wide-eyed wonder at the city, not being able to see much due to the roundness of his aunt and his uncle, who walked briskly beside the large woman, balding head glistening in the sun. Suddenly a colorful post caught the boy's eye and he stopped in his tracks.
"Oo, a circus!" the boy exclaimed, running up to a poster hanging on a chain-link fence. He could see a large yellow and red tent positioned a ways away from where he was. The boy's aunt huffed and grabbed at the boy's hand.
"The circus isn't even open yet," she snapped, trying to lead the boy away. "It won't be until the week after next." The boy's face fell. Why so long? He could already taste the cotton candy and hear the music box-like melodies he associated with the mysterious, colorful and exciting circus. He didn't want to wait.
"Can we go see it then?" he asked, attempting to look as pitiful as possible with his big, round blue eyes. His aunt sighed and tugged at his arm again.
"Only if you promise to not make your aunt late for her lunch with her boss. Now come on!" She tugged once more and this time the boy followed, stealing on last glance at the big tent before disappearing into the crowd.
Meanwhile, Longshot decided that learning how to be an aerialist was the worst decision he's ever made in his life.
"No, Longshot! Straighten your arms!" Bee scolded. Longshot's muscles screamed, his body shook and perspiration rolled down his face, neck and chest. It was unbearably hot in the city. Longshot had long since shed his shirt and practiced only in athletic shorts. Bee wore a skin-tight tank top and leggings. She too was covered in sweat.
"I'm trying Bee," Longshot whined from his position about halfway up the silks. Both of his arms were outstretched, clutching onto the silks. He had his toes wound around each side, barely holding on. Bee stared up at him, arms crossed.
"You've got to try a little harder," Bee pushed. "C'mon. Let's take a break and try again later." Longshot sighed with relief. He brought the silks together like he was taught and slowly descended. As his feet touched the ground he stumbled. His limbs felt like jelly.
Bee walked up to the exhausted boy and wound her arm around his waist, helping him to a small metal bench. She planted a kiss on Longshot's forehead before handing him his water bottle.
"Do you think I'll be able to get this down before opening night?" Longshot asked skeptically. "Be honest." Bee sat down beside him and rested her elbows on her legs.
"Honestly, yes. But it's going to be a lot of hard work," Bee said. "But I know you'll get there." Longshot smiled to himself and gulped down the ice cold water. The two teens sat in silence, their labored breathing the only sound in the tent. They still had one more hour of practice to themselves before Bee had to switch off and practice with the other aerialists. Iroh had agreed to do two different aerialist performances- the first would be Bee and Longshot, then Bee and the other aerialists. Bee was a stressed out as it is, but now she was trying to balance two different aerial routines, one of which she had to choreograph herself, and design the costumes that she and Longshot would be wearing. She'd been taking to spending her afternoons with Ursa, the head costume coordinator, trying to find fabrics and designs that would go perfectly with their performance.
"How are the costumes coming along?" Longshot asked Bee, who had zoned out, lost in thought.
"They're going well. We already have yours planned out," Bee said, snapping out of her musings. "It's fairly simple, but effective. We're having a hard time with mine though. I know which costume I want to base it on, but the design is rather strange."
"How so?" Longshot asked. Bee looked at him and gave him a sly smile.
"You're not going to get to see it until the dress rehearsal," she said with a wicked glint in her eyes. Longshot cocked his head and pouted.
"That's hardly fair, don't you think?" he asked, laying his head on Bee's shoulder. Bee resisted the pleasant humming in her stomach at the contact.
"I don't think so. I just want you to be surprised," Bee said, gently nudging Longshot's head with her shoulder. "Now up. We only have fifty minutes left of rehearsal today before we have to turn the tent over to Jet, Azula, and Ty Lee." Longshot groaned and slowly rose from his seat, muscles tensing painfully.
As soon as practice was over, Longshot gave Bee a quick kiss before flopping down on a nearby mat that was currently not being used. The brunette couldn't help but laugh as she watched Longshot go from awake to asleep in less than five seconds.
"Hey, Bee," greeted Jet as he entered the tent, followed by Ty Lee and Azula. "How was practice with Longshot?" Bee just looked from Jet to the slumbering figure behind her, hands on her hips. Jet chuckled as Ty Lee turned to Azula and quietly asked "Is he dead?" Bee just shook her head and stretched her arms, ready for another go at the silks.
"Are you sure you want to jump right into this after practicing all morning?" Jet asked with a concerned look. "I mean, you can take a break if you want to." Bee shook her head and rubbed chalk onto her hands.
"I'll relax later. Besides, we need to get this done," she said. Jet just shrugged and motioned for Ty Lee and Azula to join them.
"So, how's Longshot doing with routine?" Jet asked, his eyes moving to look at the still figure again. The boy looked utterly exhausted.
"He's struggling," Bee said honestly. "But I know he can do it." Jet put a hand on Bee's arm.
"Is this an objective point of view, or is it just love talking?" Jet asked. Bee whipped her head around and opened her mouth.
"Now, who said anything about-"
"I know you care about him, Bee," Jet said. "But don't let your feelings for him blind you to the point of putting him in danger. You of all people know what can happen when something goes wrong." Bee looked down at her feet, emotions battling each other. Was she just blinded by her feelings? Was she putting Longshot in danger? But Bee remembered the determination that shown in Longshot's eyes, how he always gave his all at everything he did. No, Bee wasn't blinded, not at all.
"Objectively, he can do it," Bee said with conviction. "He works hard. I know he can." Jet could feel emotion roll off of Bee in waves. He removed his hand from Bee's arm like he had been burned.
"Alright," Jet said, stepping one of the silks hanging from the ceiling. "Then let's get going, shall we?"
Longshot kept his eyes shut tight, afraid that they'd notice that he wasn't asleep anymore. He couldn't help the smile the tugged at the corners of his lips though. He felt his heart flutter and swell in his chest as he heard Bee speak- defending him. How did he ever get to lucky to find someone like her? Longshot moved his shoulder a fraction of an inch, hissing softly at the soreness. He decided that it would be a nice time for a nap, so without another thought, Longshot let his dreams overtake him.
Something nudged at Longshot's shoulder and the first thing he was aware of was something warm wrapped around his waist and pressed into his back. He groaned and fluttered his eyes open.
"Wake up sleepy head," Bee said in little more than a whisper, her breath tickling Longshot's ear. The raven-haired boy shivered and turned to face Bee, nearly nose to nose with her. They looked into each other's' eyes and pressed their lips together. They both tasted of salt.
"How was practice?" Longshot asked, wrapping his arm around Bee's waist. Bee rolled her eyes.
"It was okay- a little hard to concentrate with your snoring." Longshot felt his cheeks burn and Bee rubbed their noses together in an Eskimo kiss.
"I'm just teasing. You were quiet the whole time," Bee amended. Longshot chuckled and closed his eyes for a moment, furrowing his brow.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"Almost four," Bee said. "Would you like to go back to the hotel? The clowns are getting ready to practice." Bee wrinkled her nose in a way that made Longshot's stomach flip.
"Yeah, let's go." Bee grabbed hold of Longshot's hand and hoisted the boy up as she rose to her feet. Bee took one whiff of the two of them and grimaced.
"We smell," he said. Longshot sniffed. They didn't just smell- they reeked. Ew.
"Definitely time for a shower then," Longshot said. They walked out of the big top hand in hand, heading towards the tent they hoped Suki would be in. Bee had remembered that she had mentioned something about the fortune teller's tent earlier that day. Sure enough, she was sitting at the table inside, laying out tarot cards.
"Can you read them?" Bee asked, looking down at the cards. She never understood them, but it was an interesting concept.
"Not really," Suki said with a laugh. "I was just looking at them. I like the pictures- they're beautiful." Longshot smiled fondly at her before remembered that he was covered in stinky sweat.
"Can you take us to the hotel? We reek," he said, making a face. Suki looked them over and wrinkled her nose.
"Alright, just let me get my bag." The two teens followed her out of the tent, passing by the big top. They heard strange noises coming from within it, but they knew better than to meddle in anything involving the clowns. Longshot was still recovering from the last experience. As they waited patiently for Suki to grab her purse from another tent they saw a rather distressed Iroh stride quickly past them, phone practically glued to his ear.
"No you can't set the ferris wheel by the tigers!" he growled angrily into the phone. "You know we can't do that! And for the last time I am not going to parade my circus around like a bunch of freak shows. They are performers- I'm not going to have this argument again." Bee looked inquisitively at Longshot, who just shook his head.
"Iroh always argues with the carnival owner," Longshot said quietly as Iroh began to pace in front of them, face becoming redder and redder with each turn of direction. "They get along fine when they actually get here." Bee nodded and her heart leapt at the thought. She was excited for the carnival, mostly because carnivals mean rides, and rides mean Ferris wheels. Bee always wanted to be kissed atop a Ferris wheel, and it seemed like for the first time she would get her wish.
"Okay guys, let's get going!" Suki declared as she emerged from the tent. The two took one last look at the enraged Iroh before quickly dashing to Suki's truck, eager for a shower.
"Ah, so much better," Longshot breathed once he stepped out of the bathroom, clad in a soft green t-shirt and khaki shorts. Gone was the uncomfortable stickiness of sweat and his skin felt cool in the air. He walked to the door leading outside and stepped onto the balcony, quickly trotting to the room next door. He and Bee decided that since Bee's roommates would be gone until dusk, having decided to explore the city, that Longshot would join Bee to watch some TV and relax after the morning's grueling practice.
Longshot rapped his knuckles on the green door. There was a shuffling sound before the click of a handle and Bee standing in the now open door, dressed abnormally down from her usual outfits. HShe wore only skinny jeans and a fitted blue neon shirt. Bee smiled and stepped aside, allowing Longshot to come in. Longshot immediately flopped down on the bed closest to the bathroom, knowing this one to be Bee's. Bee laughed and laid down beside him, immediately snuggling up the tall boy.
"This is nice," Longshot commented, winding his arms around Bee, pulling her close to his chest. Bee hummed her agreement and rested her forehead on Longshot's collarbone. Longshot inhaled the scent of Bee's newly washed hair, still wet and pushed out of Bee's face. Bee ensnared herself in Longshot's body warmth, scooting closer and closer to him.
"You know, I had a plan," Bee admitted, face still buried in Longshot's chest. "But I'm too tired to follow through." Longshot buried his nose in Bee's hair.
"Oh, really?" Bee blushed.
"Yeah, I mean, we'd have some alone time so…" Bee trailed off. Longshot blinked and ran his fingers down Bee's spine.
"Eh, too tired to make out. I get it." Bee smiled to herself and craned her neck to plant a kiss on Longshot's neck. "I'm impressed that our teenage hormones are overcome by such a simple thing as being tired."
"It's extraordinary," Bee agreed. "We should market it to the world- then maybe we'd stop having to many teenage pregnancies." They both chuckled and Bee pulled away to scoot herself up the bed until she was eye to eye with Longshot. She pressed her lips to Longshot's in a soft kiss, just marveling at the feel of Longshot's lips touching her. Longshot ran his hand up from Bee's back to side of her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb before moving it back down again to rest on Bee neck. He could feel the girl's pulse under his hand, wild and thrumming. Longshot pressed his lips a little bit harder on Bee's, testing the waters.
Bee inhaled sharply through her nose, nervously moving her arm to rest on Longshot's shoulder. Longshot smiled against Bee's lips and nibbled at Bee's lower lip, sucking on it gently. Bee made a sound akin to a desperate puppy and her eyes shut, hand moving to Longshot's hair.
Longshot ran his tongue along Bee's lips. Bee opened them and moaned quietly as Longshot's tongue explored her mouth, running along teeth, her own tongue, anything it could reach. Bee's grip on Longshot's hair tightened and Longshot moaned into Bee's mouth, pressing his body closer to Bee's.
Bee gently removed her mouth from Longshot's, looking into warm black eyes. Longshot's eyes gazed into her soul and she shivered, body buzzing in sensation. Longshot felt the same way, wanting nothing more than to kiss Bee forever. Longshot looked into Bee's eyes before moving his lips up Bee's jaw in a ghosting trail, barely touching the porcelain flesh. Bee's breath hitched as Longshot trailed his lips down her neck and lapped at the spot just above Bee's collarbone, licking it before gently blowing on it.
"Longshot…" Bee whispered, shivering. Longshot then began to suck on Bee's neck, making the girl below him wiggle as sensation shot through his body. Longshot's heart thumped hard against his ribcage as he urged Bee to lie on her back, guiding her with his hands. Bee gulped and moved until her back was flat against the mattress, Longshot staring down at her from above. Bee reached up and placed her hand on Longshot's neck to pull him down for another kiss.
"So much for being tired," Bee muttered before smashing Longshot's lips against her.