Chapter 1:
When Grant awakes, he finds a brunette cuddled up on his chest. Her wavy hair covers her face. By the slow, rhythmic style of her chest going up and down he could tell she was still asleep. His hand rubbed up and down her arm, bare from the tank top she wore to bed.
One hand reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the pack of cigarettes. Careful not to move too much, he removed one then placed it in his mouth. Once his hand was free again, Grant grabbed the lighter. With a quick flick, he lit the cigarette with ease. Skye shifted in her sleep but made no move to awaken.
Grant had started smoking at the age of eleven. Being in the circus, he was surrounded by people smoking and drinking. So when he was offered a cigarette and a beer on his eleventh birthday, he didn't say no. He'd been doing both ever since.
A soft peck was place on his chest, making him look down. Those chocolate orbs stared at him with a hint of a smile in them.
"You're really here," Skye sleepily said, a small grin on her face.
He smiled. "Yeah, I'm here."
"It was awful while you were gone," she said, turning to where she was lying on her back.
"What do you mean?"
"Clint and Natasha left a few months after you. They wanted to start a new life, one that didn't involve all this shit. Once they were gone, Garrett was harder on me. His three favorites had left him, so he pushed us to try and fill your places. It was horrible."
Grant looked at her. "He didn't hurt you did he?"
Skye was quiet for a moment. "Not as bad as he had in the past. It was my fault though, I wasn't trying hard enough."
"Skye, don't make excuses for him. He's a bastard."
"Oh, Grant, why did you come back?" she asked. "You could've been free of all this. Of him."
He took a drag of his cigarette. "I couldn't be free of him. I'd been gone for barely three days when he had me arrested for left. He told the cops all these lies..."
"What happened?"
"I spent most of the last three years in jail. Got out a month ago. Spent the last month searching for this dump." he told her.
"If he had you arrested, why would you come back?"
Grant gave a defeated laugh. "'Cause I'm a dumb ass. You know me, Skye, when I get abused I typically go back to the abuser. I learned my lesson. If I wasn't with him, I was against him."
She grabbed the cigarette from him, taking a drag before handing it back. "I tried to follow you, when you left. My bags were packed and everything. Garrett found out. That night during the show, my wire snapped right as I put a foot on it. Thankfully I hadn't put all of my weight on it, otherwise I would've fallen. I knew what it meant though. It was a warning that I was stuck here forever."
After a few moments of lying there and smoking, the pair got up to get ready for the day. Once they were dressed, they went to the center of the camp. Breakfast was being served. As Grant passed, he received many death glares from the people who had once been his family. He shouldn't have expected a warm welcome back, it was foolish of him to do so, but he just couldn't help having that hope that maybe someone cared for him. The only one who truly seemed to be happy that he had returned was Skye, but that was a different story all together.
Their relationship was complicated and destructive. It always had been. It had all started when she was fifteen and he was seventeen. She'd crawled into his bed once night, trying to prove that she wasn't just good at cleaning off the animals. Skye had begun to sleep with him in order to move up in status. Grant used her as well, to satisfy his needs. Amidst the chaos of it all, there was the rawness of them being together. It was the only time either of them had felt as if someone gave a damn about them. From time to time they had cheated on each other, but at the end of the day they had always found each other.
Once they had gotten their food, they made their way to find a place to sit. As they approached any empty spot, the carnies would move to fill up any open space. Grant was an outsider now, he had to prove that he was still one of them.
"Simmons and Fitz will let us sit with them," Skye said to him.
He nodded, following her towards the couple.
Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz were an odd pair. Fitz was the magician while Simmons was his assistant. They used science tricks to amaze their audience, not real magic. While their show wasn't the most jaw dropping of the acts, it still brought in a good crowd. Outside of performing, they were socially awkward. Most of the time they only spoke to each other.
"It's nice to see you, Grant." Simmons smiled in greeting.
"Yes, nice to see you," Fitz echoed, not looking up from his food.
They took a seat next to the pair, and ate in silence. Simmons filled the void with a one sided conversation about new tricks they were doing in their act. She and Fitz could've had doctorates by now if they hadn't of dropped out of high school to join the circus. They were both brilliant in every since of the word. Instead of pursuing a bright future, they joined the circus for reasons unknown. Everyone figured that Garrett found some sort of dirt on the pair, blackmailing them into joining.
"So what did you do while you were away?" Fitz asked Grant once he had finished his food.
"Traveled for a bit," Grant said in a tone that told not to push the matter.
Fitz nodded, knowing that he would speak in time when he felt like it. They had been close at one point. Grant had viewed Fitz as a younger brother, taking him under his wing when he had first joined. Over the months leading up to his leave, he distanced himself from everyone, including Fitz and Skye.
The practicing began once everyone in the camp had eaten. The first show in this town would begin the day after tomorrow. With Grant now back, they had to shift the schedule of the show to fit him in. It had been a while, but Grant found it easy to go back into the swing of his act.
His act was quite easy. Marksmen ship was something he had always done well. He could throw knives at any distance, as easily as he could shoot a gun. This training had begun when he had been around the age of five. At first it was guns, then as he grew older it moved into daggers and swords. As out of practice he was, he wasn't as rusty as he could have been.
To his surprise, Garrett was quite pleased with the display that Grant had shown him. With Garrett happy, it was going to be an easier transition back. Grant gave his thanks to the ring leader for his review before heading off to find Skye.
He found her in the big top. She was alone as she walked easily back and forth across the high wire. She'd always had a talent in walking across the thin wire. It easily carried her weight. Whenever she was down, he could always find her pacing across it. The height was her happy place in this shitty life.
"I've always felt like an angel up here, like I could fly away at any moment." she said.
"You've always looked like an angel up there," Grant told her.
She smiled at him before climbing down the ladder to meet him. Today she wore a burnt orange leotard that showed an ample amount of cleavage. She had almost out grown the garment, but had no choice but to wear it. Her performing clothes were all slightly small on her now womanly figure. Garrett wouldn't allow her to purchase new ones, saying that there wasn't enough money budgeted for such luxuries.
"How did it go?"
"Better than expected. He was quite pleased that I could perform as well as I did three years ago. A little rusty, but it didn't take long to get back into the swing of it." he grinned.
"I knew you could do it," she smiled.
Goosebumps covered her arms from the chill of the fall weather. Grant ran a his hands up and down her arms, hoping to warm her up. Her skin was cool to the touch. "God, Skye, you're freezing."
"I am?" she questions as if she doesn't feel it.
He gave her a strange look, but didn't ponder about it. Instead he led her to the trailer they shared. Tucking her into bed, he made her a cup of hot tea in hopes to warm her up. As he walked back to the bed he witnessed her snort a white powder. Quickly, she put away the evidence, straightening up when she saw him.
"I thought you had stopped." Grant handed the tea to her.
She looked away. "Things have changed, Grant." And she left it at that.