A/N: I've been up for 39 hours. 38 of those hours, I haven't been writing. I'm wondering what I'm doing with my life...

"Daddy…" the three year old tugged on Blaine's pants, looking up at him with wide blue eyes. "I want to be that guy."

Blaine looked up to where Jasper was pointing – a young man was standing inside a lion's cage, his arms around its neck, slouched against him. Blaine frowned.

"You want to be an animal trainer?" Blaine asked, stooping down to his level.

Jasper nodded earnestly. "Just the lions. Jasper likes the lions."

"Don't talk like that baby." Kurt corrected him gently, jiggling their five year old girl in his arms. "I like the lions. Don't use your name when you're talking about yourself."

Jasper pouted as Kurt moved on, and Blaine picked him up with a grin. "Don't worry little man." Blaine said softly. "Daddy likes the lions too."

Jasper's face lit up and he beamed as Blaine took him closer to the cage. He peered in, glancing up at the tamer.

"I want to be like you." Jasper told him, and the kid nodded.

"It's a pretty cool job." He said, patting the lion affectionately. "This here is Timothy."

Jasper grinned at the lion, waving slightly. "Hey Timothy."

Blaine grinned up at the kid, thanking him, before taking Jasper back to where Kurt was purchasing the tickets.

"Okay, we have ten minutes before we have to go sit down, so what do you two want to do?" Kurt asked Jasper and Christine.

"I want cotton candy." Christine said decidedly.

"I want to go see the lions again." Jasper whispered, much quieter than his sister.

Kurt and Blaine grinned at each other.

"Here's your two tickets." Kurt told him quietly. "I'll take Christine, and meet you and Jasper at our seats?"

Blaine nodded, walking through the masses of people back to the lions' cage – Jasper still on his hip.

"Where do lions live, daddy?" Jasper asked, and Blaine bit his lip.

"Well, they live in Africa…but they're found other places too." Blaine could only remember 'The Lion King' – where the hell did other lions live?

"Jasper wants to be a lion guy."

Blaine grinned. "You want to be in the circus?"

Jasper nodded, and suddenly the lights blinked on and off.

"We have to go find our seats now buddy – we'll come see the lions again later."

Jasper nodded eagerly, clinging to Blaine as they made their way to the seats. Blaine handed their tickets over, before joining Kurt and Christine.

"Jasper's going to join the circus." Blaine said with a small smile. "Aren't you, JJ?"

The little boy nodded earnestly at Kurt, and he laughed. "We'd miss you an awful lot while you travelled."

Jasper shrugged. "I'd visit, all the time."

"You can't just join the circus." Christine said.

"Why not?" Jasper asked indignantly.

"You probably have to go to a special circus school or something…"

Jasper looked up at Kurt and Blaine for confirmation.

"Well…" Kurt said softly, but Blaine took over.

"You wouldn't have to go to a circus school, but you'd definitely have to be taught how to be a professional lion tamer before you could work with the lions. Just like the acrobats would have to go to gymnastics to learn first."

"But how would you join them? If you were a prof-fes-sional?" Christine asked.

"It's easy. You audition." Blaine said wisely.

Kurt glanced over at Blaine as the lights dimmed, an eyebrow raised with a question behind it.

"As a kid, I wanted to run away and join the circus." Blaine shrugged with a grin.

Kurt chuckled, shaking his head.

They sat quietly as the show started, Christine and Jasper sitting in an awed silence, watching each performance with wide eyes.

Jasper paid special attention to the lions, gasping when they did their tricks, and almost squealing when the tamers put their own fists between the lions' teeth. Blaine grinned over with him, fondly watching his son fall in love with the circus.

^.^

"So, did you like it?"

"It was amazing!" Christine cried, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Amazing!" Jasper echoed. "Can we go see the lions again?"

Kurt laughed, turning to Christine. "Do you want to see the lions?"

She shook her head. "Can we talk to the acrobats?"

Kurt and Blaine glanced at each other before grinning and nodding.

"Meet back at the car in twenty minutes?"

"Deal."

Blaine took Jasper's hand, leading him to the giant cages, where they were leading the lions in.

The tamer that was handling Timothy spotted them and grinned with a wave.

"Hey again." He said, touching between Timothy's front legs with a riding crop.

Immediately the lion sat on its haunches, waiting for further instruction. The tamer grinned, chucking a piece of meat as a reward.

Jasper watched with wide eyes, and Blaine grinned.

"So they're completely tame?" Blaine asked conversationally.

The tamer nodded. "Definitely. I'd trust Timothy to walk through this entire crowd and barely pay attention to the people. They're good like that." He patted the lion's nose, before smiling slightly. "Want to touch him?"

Blaine looked slightly hesitant, but Jasper was nodding so vigorously that he couldn't really say no.

"Listen to his handler, JJ. Do what he says." Blaine said softly, lifting Jasper up so he was eye-level with a lion.

"Alright, you can touch his face, but be gentle." The boy said, and Jasper nodded seriously, reaching out and stroking down Timothy's nose.

The lion locked eyes with Jasper, following the movements with his eyes, but didn't move. Blaine was scared – he could only imagine what those teeth could do to Jasper's arm, but he trusted the tamer, who was watching carefully.

Finally, Jasper pulled away and beamed at Blaine. "Daddy, he's so soft!"

Blaine laughed, setting Jasper down.

"Jasper wants to work in the circus!" he exclaimed, and the tamer grinned.

"You're a little bit too little, JJ." Blaine said softly, ruffling his hair.

"Actually." The tamer grinned. "We have a workshop on, for kids about his age. Three to nine year olds tomorrow morning. They get to learn the basics of working in the circus."

Blaine looked down at Jasper, who had his mouth open in a silent gasp.

"Daddy, please, please can I do it?"

^.^

"This is so exciting." Blaine whispered, shuffling along to his seat.

Kurt laughed, grinning over at Christine, who shook her head. Thirteen years later, and Blaine was still the same lovable puppy.

Finally the lights dimmed, and the first act was introduced.

Jasper emerged into the centre ring on the back of a lion, his grin as wide as his face for his first debut in the circus. He slowly stood, as the lion continued to race around the ring.

Kurt and Blaine watched in stunned silence – their sixteen year old boy who wanted to join the circus as a three year old had finally made his own dream came true. It was a strange sight.

He expertly jumped – spinning, flipping and landing amongst a group of clowns. The lion let out a deafening roar, and the clowns stumbled and fell.

By the end of the show, Blaine and Kurt were breathless – gasping and laughing and crying out with joy – almost as much as Jasper was the first time he went to the circus.

They met him outside the tent, where he was feeding the lions.

"Jasper! Jasper that was fantastic!" Kurt gushed, pulling him into a hug.

Jasper laughed, shaking his head. "It felt fantastic."

Blaine grinned, shaking his head and turning to see a little girl, staring at Jasper with a look of adoration. Blaine nudged his son, tilting his head toward the girl. Jasper smiled, heading over to her and crouching down.

"Hi." He grinned, and she smiled at him shyly. "I'm Jasper…do you like the lions?"

She nodded. "I want to be just like you."