A Most Grotesque Display (jobros x fem!reader circus au)

5- dry hands

yasuho pov: 

blinding lights stung my eyes as i was pulled into one of the largest tents i've ever seen, colored with cherry and cloud toned stripes. the place reeked of something magical, something welcoming, and my knees grew weak. this place, though ive only been here for a mere moment, felt like home.

(y/n) once more caught my attention by tugging at the hand she held, knocking me out of my child-like wonder, and leading me across the wooden floor. "let's see if okuyasu is here so he can stitch together an outfit for you, yeah? what would you like?"

high platforms towered above me with metal legs and wooden tops, the looming feeling that they may very well fall onto me beginning to give me a fright. a pair of swing like structures, attached to a ceiling beam, rocked back and forth in the wind. what are those for, i wonder?

"ah, who might this be?" a voice laughed, catching my wide-eyed stare. a man of dark skin and long, well-cared for hair came into view, body hugged by a colorful orange and yellow leotard. he looked strange, to be completely fair, but i have no right to judge. if (y/n) is truly willing to let me reside with her, then this person may soon become a friend of mine.

(y/n) turned to face him, and just as if she were looking at a store window full of treats, she grinned. "avdol, darling! where have you been?"

"here and there, just exploring this town you dropped us by." he laughed, subtly trying to hide a growing blush on his face with his hand. were these two a couple? "that aside, who is this?"

"this is yasuho hirose, she'll be joining our circus as of today."

"her origins?"

"grievestown, like the rest of us."

the man i had found to be named 'avdol' froze up, his face dropping to a less than pleasant expression. "grievestown, did i hear that correctly?"

(y/n) didn't seem too fazed, even going so far as to hide my body behind hers. no, i thought, perhaps they weren't a couple. 

"(y/n), you know bucciarati will be pissed to know that you went there without someone with you. what if someone recognized you? what if they told the nameless that we were here?"

"let him be pissed, then. i guarantee you that no one knew who i was, and that no one likely cared. the point of the matter is that i couldn't leave this girl there to rot."

i could feel the tension rise between the two, my own anxiety beginning to spike as the magician slowly raised her voice. nothing, there was nothing i could do but stand behind her and tremble with anticipation, my arms coming to close around hers in search of comfort.

the coolness of her jacket, the cold sensation surrounding her, it was somehow as comforting as any fireplace. maybe im not supposed to find the comfort in this winter-cast person, and maybe the feeling of skin-biting frost is supposed to ward me off-- but she was, at one point, exactly as i am now, so perhaps this is why i feel at ease by her side.

without warning, a tender arm looped around my body after slipping from my grasp, forcing me against (y/n)s being. "...then i'll keep her under my care, as i planned originally. if bucciaratis asks, tell him i found her in salineshire."

"didn't he say that you could go to grievestown?"

"we both know he wasn't serious."

avdol's eyebrows knitted together, his lips pursed. "right. still, what role would she fill? we dont have many options."

"she'll be acting as my assistant, of course."

"she can't just do only that, y'know."

"why not?"

"because we all put in triple the effort you expect of this girl. if you think she is worthy of being only an assistant and nothing more, make her bucciaratis helper as well."

this seemed to anger (y/n) greatly, a frown pulling at her lips. "avdol, that is not going to happen. if you so badly want her to have a second job, i'll have her do tightrope. sound like a plan?"

"tightrope?" i repeated, sounding like a broken record. "what's that?"

i can already tell there will be plenty i have to learn if i dont even know what that is, seeing how surprised the two looked from my cluelessness. maybe, it was a good thing i asked that question, because immediately, all of the hostility between the two went away in a flash, and they were back to smiling and conversing like normal friends.

"you know i didn't really mean it when i said to make her bruno's assistant, yeah?" avdol mumbled, shoulders slumping as he stared into the magician.

(y/n) jumped over and gave the man a forgiving hug, letting go of me in the process. "of course i know you didn't mean it, avdol! you'd never say something like that!"

watching the way his face ignited into flames before shakily returning the embrace, it all only confused me more-- were these two a thing, or not?

i turned my attention elsewhere, letting the pair have their moment as i once more found myself enamored by this strange tent. i wonder what kind of fun i'll have in this wonderous place.

the sound of rustling caught my attention, and when i turned to face the source, i saw someone climb through the tents entrance just as i had minutes ago.

a man, about as tall as (y/n), came into view in an all-white suit, a luxurious white coat sitting on his shoulders with authority. aqua eyes scanned the tent in search of something, short black hair veiling his peach-toned face like a curtain. he was handsome, by no doubt, and certainly had a nice body to match, but even with all of that, i felt no sort of attraction to such a person.

if anything, he seemed like a snob, or someone too full of themselves to make room for others in their heart.

"(y/n)... who is this?" the stranger murmured, gesturing to me and my unsightly appearance.

"yasuho hirose. she'll be apart of our circus from here on out."

"and where did she come from?"

"salineshire."

the man folded his arms, nose scrunching as he scowled at my friend. "i know you're lying."

"congrats, you get a gold star for that one, sherlock." (y/n) snapped, moving away from avdol.

.

.

.

"...that girl came from grievestown, didn't she?"

next chapter: to be discovered by those you loathe