#ichas circus au

[insane-control-room]

circus gays :) made in collaboration with @ichaisme <3 lov uuu

[insane-control-room]

Pen

ink demonth day 8

WARNINGS: one swear at the end

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49229461

length: short (1k)

gift for @ichaisme

Years ago, Joey gifted Henry a pen. It goes missing, but he gets it back. It comes back... different.

Henry clicked his pen repeatedly, not to annoy anyone- Joey’s specially made pen for him, along with custom engravings, has a special dual spring mechanism to make the nib’s protrusion and retraction more silent than a gust of wind. He was, quite frankly, just a bit more stressed than usual, but that minor stress found its way out through the rapid fire clicks of his pen. 

Yet training needed to be done, and so the pen had to be put away, and his stress would have to be exerted through physical exercise and ability. 

He did not notice that it was missing until his stress built back up three days later. 

Then the mild panic kicked in- he knew that there was no way it had gotten off the train, as the corridors in between each car had special anomalous properties keeping it all within the system. Though when he checked the bin any fallen object would have ended up in, he came up with absolutely nothing- which was not assuring in the slightest. He took to asking around, though he was largely disappointed by responses. The only one that remotely put him at ease was Johan, who had told him not to worry about it, that Johan would find it. 

With that guarantee in place, he was not happy, but he was certainly reassured. Whenever Johan made a promise, he fulfilled it, and that was that.

Henry sighed and leaned against Joey.

“Any luck?” his love asked, and he was forced to shake his head and mumble what Johan had told him. Joey nodded, brow furrowed slightly, and snaked his fingers between Henry’s and gave him a little squeeze. “Well, I’m sure Jo will find it then. He is really good at picking up… lost objects, so to speak. So… I guess you’re in the clear for now, then.”

“I don’t understand how I lost it in the first place,” Henry grumbled, rubbing his face. “But… it’s fine. You’re right. I should relax now, but… that pen means a lot to me.”

A beat of silence.

“You mean a lot to me.”

Joey turned to look at Henry, who was intently examining his features. He felt a blush trickling into his face, his face that Henry cupped and gently tugged towards himself. Joey melted before their kiss, and then melted again as they met in the middle, leaning against the larger of the two. Henry’s free hand gently made itself a grounding force on Joey’s side, and they simply breathed each other’s air for a long, tranquil moment. Henry could at last feel himself calming down. 

“It’s not about the pen itself, you know,” Henry murmured as they pulled apart. Joey, smiling softly, with a touch of bewilderment and self wonder in his eye, whispered back, “I know.” 

He kissed him once again. 

Finally at ease, Henry tried to put the pen out of his thoughts, but his mind kept being drawn to the day he had received it from Joey, how prideful yet nervous his partner had been, what it meant to them, to finally have a studio of their own- and then clinging desperately to that pen when it all turned to ash and dust. For that pen was a sign of his and Joey’s success, a binding catalytic element that had been solidly there for him, even when he had to replace mechanisms and ink, the casing remained the same, and it was… assuring. 

Henry opened the door to their bedroom, and saw a bright glint of gold on his bed. 

Of course, Johan would not be content to return the pen just as it was. Henry’s smile crawled onto his face as he beheld the gorgeous restoration that the craftsman had put it through. The wear and tear was not eliminated, no, but it was carefully worked so that points of comfort and use became even more beautiful, etched carefully and with swirls and dotted lines. Henry sighed with contentment, smiling at the pen happily. Yes, it was a fantastic pen. 

It took a few months, but Henry found he no longer had to replace the ink in the pen, nor did the nib ever wear. It was fascinating for him to realize that change, and he could not help but grin with wonder at the change, telling Joey about it to the man’s amazement. It was a fantastic shift. 

It did little to prepare him for the other anomalous property that had been added to his pen. 

Sitting and simmering with rage at a group of touchy individuals who refused to take their hands off of Joey, Henry only wanted to sit and draw to quell his angered thoughts. 

Instead, he was staring now with surprise at the stiletto that had come out of his pen’s head. Trying to process what this newfound tool was, he pressed it to the paper and found it cut through like a hot knife through warm butter- swift and with supernatural ease. He gawked at it, feeling a slight smile twitching onto his lips even through his shock. He clicked the pen again, and hey presto, it was back to being an ordinary writing utensil. 

Johan. Johan, Johan. What on earth did you do?

Henry quickly went to go find the circus manager, knowing that he had to have been behind the pen’s new attributes. After all, no one else had touched it aside from whoever had taken the pen, and he knew that no one in their vicinity besides Johan had such aptitude when it came to switching the ordinary into the extraordinary. 

He found the young man playing guitar again, and waited patiently for him to finish his song before confronting him on the change. 

Johan blushed and smiled nervously, tilting his head.

“Do you like it?” he asked. Henry stared at him before smiling slightly, and replied, “you know, I do.” 

Atabulus, looking at his nails in the corner, remarked; “Told you. Bitches love knives.” 

[insane-control-room]

well im used to that, but i could get used to this

an animatic for @ichaisme <3 i love you

[insane-control-room]

hehehehehe circus gays @ichaisme <3

[insane-control-room]

swamp show

Henry's not so sure about an upcoming act.

He's glad he sticks with it in the end.

a lil gift fic for @ichaisme's wonderful circus au that lives in my head :3 i love these silly gays

warnings: none

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44340085

Honestly, Henry’s first impression of the act was… unfavorable. Not that he had anything against Johan or his scripts, but….

“Do I really have to… do that with him- on stage?” he weakly protested. Johan looked at him over his clipboard, raising an eyebrow at the question. Wolf flushed rapidly at the almost amused look in the other’s eye. Johan replied; “It’s not like he’s n-not your partner.”

“I mean- yes, he is,” Wolf stammered, blushing harder. “It’s just… a different idea entirely. To have such an act in front of a crowd. There’s no problem with the script.” 

“Okay,” Johan slowly nodded. “The s-script is the act. So you’ll do the act.”

“Sometimes you’re just as much of a micromanager as your parents,” Wolf complained, not meaning it in the slightest. Johan rolled his eyes, kissing Wolf’s cheek gently. “Okay, maybe not as much. But still… I’m not sure about this.”

“Are you s-sure it’s not the story that bothers you?” Johan questioned, setting aside his clipboard. Henry hesitated at the gentle prod. “I won’t get o-offended if you say that it is.”

“No, it’s…” Henry closed his eyes for a moment, trying to go over the script in his head. Since they were going to be in upper Canada, Johan suggested a low Floridian tone for the show. Joey was to be a siren while Henry was to take his regular wolfish act; but it was to be a sort of swamp theme. Joey’s character’s goal would be to get Wolf into the mire, entrench him and then devour him, but Wolf would outwit him by using a heavy log to hide atop. Henry swallowed, looking at Johan. “Maybe it is the script a little bit….”

“What about it?” Johan tilted his head, sitting down and picking up his clipboard to jot down Henry’s concerns onto it. “Which part?”

“The second half,” Henry replied, flushing deeply. “You know.” 

Johan nodded- he, as the writer, did in fact know. Wolf was referring to the fact that Joey’s siren would approach the log and drag it under, not knowing that his true prey was atop it. Then Wolf was to pounce onto Joey and naturally overpower him with the element of surprise. 

The thought of Joey thrashing under him scared him, in so many ways, even if it was just an act.

Johan thought on it for a moment.

“Practice it three times,” he decided, “And if y-you still are uncomfortable, we’ll change the act so Joey gets you. Agreed?”

“Alright,” Henry reluctantly nodded. He rolled out his shoulders, exhaling. “Sounds like a plan.”

Henry’s discomfort with the act faded within the three practices. He had to admit, it was fun to catch Joey by surprise even when he was expecting it. Seeing the delight and playful ‘struggle’ made Wolf smile with his sharp teeth, adoring the way that Joey would blush at the sight. They did not practice the entire scene, just the hardest parts of balancing on the log and flipping through the water, and Johan would also do tech checks with the anomalous items that were to add flair to their act. 

The night of the act, Henry felt entirely relaxed and almost excited to perform it, a stark contrast to his initial feelings. Sure, there were the usual pre-act jitters, but aside from those, no other concerns. 

Getting on stage with Joey always was another world in and of itself. Even after days and weeks of frequent practice, Joey always managed to make their performances an entirely different realm. With Sammy’s music accompanying them, and Joey’s bright smile goading him, lumbering through the water after the siren calls felt almost too natural. The wolfbound part of him leaned heavily to soak in the water and let Joey take him, and it made the act feel all the more authentic. The applause at his balancing act almost brought him out of the moment, but then he caught scent of Joey again and honed in on that. 

The splashing felt good on his fur, the thrashing felt good to the rush of adrenaline skyrocketing through his system, Joey’s smile made his heart smile as well. Wolf ‘fought’ to rise out of the water, strong arms clamped around his catch, his Joey. Joey squirmed for a moment before Wolf pulled him in for the act’s close, a long moment of looking into each other’s eyes before a kiss; holding him above the surface of the dark waters that dripped off of them. Fog billowed around them as they sank below the ground, the thundering applause meaning nothing to Henry’s furry, wet ears. Joey hummed into their kiss, glad that they were able to continue out of sight from the rest of the show. 

Wolf smiled, pushing Joey gently against an anomalous tree prop, just as he had in the show during their fight, and kissed him deeper, slower, content. 

He was glad that Johan insisted that they do the show the way he had written it; as after all, he had fun and it was a better show for it. 

“Do you think anyone would notice if we skip out on the meet and greet?” Joey asked breathlessly, face red and with what he hoped was a flirtatious smile- though to Henry, it was silly and sweet. He kissed him again regardless, and replied; “You know the crowds would probably get a close idea to the right one if we do.” 

“And so what?” Joey prompted, and Henry had nothing to say to that, only ran his padded hand down Joey’s scaled side and pushed him back into the waters. 

==

“Good show last night, boys,” Acon commented over his coffee the next morning. Atabulus was curled up beside him, and gave a mild hum of agreement. There was a light, humorous glint in Acon’s eye. “However, there was one minor thing you, Wolf, might want a grip on.” 

“What?” Henry asked, eyes narrowed. “What thing?” 

“Your tail was wagging.”