A/N: Wheeeeee! Upload Time! Seriously, one week is too much for me to wait. And I'm the writer. Not good.
Anyway, there's a tiny speculation of plot my dear readers in this chapter, as well as... Kurt's POV! Haaaaa, betcha didn't really expect that, huh?
Okay, after my stupidity outbursts, I have to say that last episode of Glee was super cute and surprisingly good. Loved it. And let's not forget, brothers and sisters of the Klaine community, that it's only another 11 days until the make-out... In a steamy car... And the duet... I need a moment. Read while I'm passing out because of feelings. Enjoy while I suffer.
Chapter Six – Walking The Tightrope Between Wrong And Right
Blaine woke up even earlier than usual the next morning, and he was an early riser to begin with; the sun hadn't risen yet, so he just snuggled even more in his blanket. A small smile started forming on his full lips. He loved these little moments, simple things that warmed his heart more than riches ever could. He opened up one eye, taking in his surroundings. A light rose light illuminated the inside of the tent, creating shadows that devoured most of the trinkets around the room. Canarino was sleeping, hiding his little head behind his feathers of his neck, looking like a little fluffy ball.
Blaine chuckled with his thought, then opened up both his eyes and craned his neck to peek out of the tent. The snow was still covering the ground, reflecting the early sunbeams. Blaine sighed, knowing he was not going to get any sleep any time soon, so he rose and put his uniform on, ready to go for one final rehearsal.
Kurt was hiding as best as he possibly could. Not behind walls, mind you, but behind ordinary – very well, not so ordinary, he did have an exceptionally good taste in fashion – clothes and a far-away look in his blue eyes. He checked his pocket-watch one last time, making sure that the time was right, then he fixed his tie and walked into the big tent.
He felt a little guilty that he was spying on the New Directions, but Sue was adamant that he did, and he liked his life quite a bit to let her kill him slowly and painfully, as she would.
He gazed around, looking for a place to sit. A group of small children ran past him, laughing and shouting. A smile crinkled the corners of his eyes, affection tugging in his heart. This had always been one of his favorite things about working in a circus, the honest smiles on the little children's faces. He remembered the times he went with his mother and father to the circus when he was a child, and the smile faded away.
He sat down, trying not to think about Burt Hummel. He had left his father sick with prostate cancer, and that was the one thing that haunted his sleep at nights. He buried his face in his hands, wanting, needing to forget about his past that wouldn't leave him be, even if he put it behind him.
He felt a light tug on his sleeve and looked down, his eyes falling on a little girl with auburn braids on each side of her head. "Don't be sad, Mister; here, have a tissue" she said in a high-pitched voice, handing him a handkerchief.
Kurt's heart was ready to bust out of his chest. "Thank you very much, Miss…?"
"Elizabeth", the little girl answered, and brought her teddy bear even closer to her.
The lump that was forming in Kurt's throat was suffocating him. "I'll be right back, miss Elizabeth" he whispered and run outside, to the fresh air and the sheer cold. Tears had already started flowing, tracing tracks that were running down his face. He looked up at the night sky, taking a shaky breath to calm himself down, and he closed his eyes firmly.
"I miss you", he whispered in the dark of the night, looked at the full moon one last time and went back to the tent.
Young Elizabeth had returned to her parents, but she saw him and waved at him. He waved back, smiling politely at her parents. He sat down, feeling better than before, and waited for the show to start.
The acts revolving around fire are perhaps the most dangerous inside a fabric tent, but none in the company was worried, because the Puckermans were the best fire benders there were. Jake had most of the innovative ideas that kept the audience on edge, gasping throughout the numbers and gaping at the end, but Noah was truly controlling the flames. He touched them, carried them around, breathed them in and spat them, tamed them like the wild beast they were. Not Blaine, not anyone else knew how the tricks were seen through, for while the brothers were very social and talkative, this was the one topic they held dead silence.
Blaine stared, wide-eyed, at how the brothers were synchronized perfectly to the second, spinning the alight sticks around so fast, only a blur was visible where their hands should be. They lowered and lowered the sticks, when suddenly a ring of fire roared around them, eliciting a great gasp for the audience and Blaine alike. The initial shock was over, however, and Blaine's trust in the boys was restored. "Another genius idea of Jake's", he mumbled, not sure if he admired the teen for his creative mind or hated him for the many times he almost had a heart-attack.
The fire-acts were finished, and the audience clapped and cheered with all their might. Kurt joined them, surprised at how well-executed the act were. The clowns were very funny as well, and Kurt found himself laughing numerous time with the tall man's shenanigans and the pranks that an Asian boy and a blonde guy played at him.
Three girls showed up next, one blonde, the other Asian, and the last one a brunette with pale blue eyes, all of them strikingly beautiful. They captivated the crowd with their acts of contortion and rhythmic gymnastics, manipulating the silver hoops and silk ribbons with a rare grace. When they bowed and exited the stage, Kurt looked at his program and read the last act was like "nothing he had ever seen, a magical combination of acrobatics that is sure to captivate his heart and imagination". Although he had enjoyed the show so far, he did find the preview a little pompous. Then he remembered the boy he had met when they visited New Directions, Blaine. He unconsciously smiled at the memory, like he did every time he thought of the curly-haired boy. He was a very peculiar character, that's for sure; he was bright and lively, yet at the same time he was a dapper young man. He was so easy to like, although Kurt had started to like him in a more intimate way than he should, and that's why he always tried to shake the boy from his mind.
This time it was proving really hard, for as he had just managed to return his focus on the show, Blaine's silhouette appeared on the tightrope. The young man's physique was perfect for acrobatics, Kurt noticed, lean but strong and fine-toned. Maybe he wasn't cut for aerial acts, especially not silks, but Kurt could still see the reason why every young lady in the audience was ogling him.
Oh, he could certainly see why.
'Focus, Kurt' he snapped at himself. Blaine was a very handsome man indeed, but he shouldn't let his feelings get ahead. He was positively sure that Blaine was... ordinary in these terms, so he should spare these thoughts while he still could. Too bad that he hadn't done so.
The lights turned down, and the spotlight was fixed on Blaine. Kurt tuned down every other thought in his head and focused on the act. Blaine took a hesitant step forward, seemingly unsure if he should continue. He took another two steps forward, his speed growing, and at some point he started running.
The lights were luminescent now, and Kurt could see the elaborate pattern in which the tightropes were arranged. He was mildly impressed, all but waiting to see how would Blaine ascend the sloping ropes, and how he would descend others, all the more while not falling face-first to the ground. When the boy started performing somersaults and jumping from one rope to another, Kurt was constantly on edge for any misstep that would cause him his fall.
When he made it to the highest rope, still in one piece, he looked around, slowly getting a bow from the satchel on his back. A sound was heard, so Blaine snapped his head to the right, aiming his arrow directly at it.
The bow made a light thump when it fell onto the ground, for Blaine was awestruck by an eerie-looking girl sitting on a trapeze. She was already swinging and when she caught sight of him, she leaned her head on the rope and smiled at him.
She stood up gracefully on the trapeze, always looking at Blaine, who was seemingly captivated by her beauty – Kurt rolled his eyes; yes, the girl was pretty, but not an exceptional beauty, although he was not one to judge - and then she fell, hanging only by her feet on the trapeze, and stretched her hands towards Blaine. He took them and then they were floating on air, their only grasp the girl's feet. When Blaine let go of her hands, Kurt – along with the audience – let a gasp of shock escape him, but then he calmed down when Blaine grasped an until then invisible trapeze.
Kurt marveled at the coordination between the pair, although he hadn't grasped the concept of the story thus far. It was obvious that Blaine and the girl were romantically involved – and with that thought, something stung inside him – but other than that, he couldn't understand why Blaine carried a bow with him or why the girl looked so eerie. He could feel it on the edge of his tongue, but he couldn't quite mouth it yet.
That moment, the girl stood on the trapeze and twirled with grace in thin air, landing safely on Blaine's lap who secured an arm around her. She stroked his hair and then leaned more and more back, until she was heading straight to the ground.
She came back and cradled Blaine's face, and Kurt's unease – he refused to call it jealousy – was growing more and more, until another figure appeared on the scene.
Continued A/N: Okay, I'm better - sort of - now. Also, yeah, a small cliffhanger... sorry, but it would be ENORMOUS had I not cut it here; and while I have no problem with this, I understand that for some readers it might get tiresome. So, review fellas, if only just to say how and why I get to your nerves! Klisses and hugs 💋