Chapter Text
They awaken, startled from the restless slumber. The pleasant dream had quickly turned sour, speaking of sour. There's a strange taste in their mouth and their tv is turned off even though they had not turned it off. Staring off to the side _____ realized they had overslept. Their alarm didn't wake them. _____ turns the TV on as they get ready, not actually listening to the news channel that popped up. A man's voice speaks, then a woman’s. They speak to each other about the circus, “time to go. I just need to find my bag.” _____ says to no one in particular.
The news channel starts to talk about a more serious topic, a topic that _____ should listen to, but doesn’t. It's said that a girl had gone missing after an argument with family “where is it.. Where is it??!- I could’ve sworn I tossed my bag around here…” _____ rummaging through their stuff with little luck. Then they feel the softness of a bag at the tip of their fingers. Quickly, so quickly that they almost dropped the potted plant right next to their closet, they grabbed it.
The bag is found so they exclaim “Found it!!” with a big smile on their face, though it really isn't that big. They close their eyes and sigh “time to go” then reopen both eyes and leave. Walking down the hall, they see some of the neighbors. Some wave so _____ gives them waves back to be polite. As soon as they step outside there are flyers all around, some are on the floor, some all over windows, others stabled on boxes, even on the streetlamps.
“Ugh.. flyers everywhere again, are they polluting the whole city with these things?” _____ speaks with an annoyed undertone that some wouldn't notice. “Care to visit the circus? I bet you'll be surprised~ here, take a flyer!” a deep, buttery voice speaks, almost like honey, making _____ think of Pierrot. The human notices that this person was looking at them and offering a flyer to them “Oh- No thanks, I already got a ticket.”
The person in all green playfully speaks “oh! Wonderful!! You got one? Was it a pink one, then?” He starts to follow them, making them groan under their breath from annoyance. They really shouldn't have answered, wait why a pink ticket? Aren't those ones fake, Pierrot said they are… maybe it's because this green clown is trying to give the right ticket. They realize that the strange green clown is still following them so they say “it was red, actually.” to get him to stop following them… It doesn't work as he goes in front of _____ which blocks their path. “A red one??” He says with a surprised, questioning tone, almost like he doesn't believe _____. They look at him annoyed, wanting so badly to ignore him, but deciding not to as that would be rude and this guy is probably with Pierrot. No he is obviously with Pierrot, as he’s obviously with the circus.
So the human instead says “Excuse me, I don't want to be late.” Which makes the clown slide to the side, allowing them to pass him before he starts to follow them again. “A red one, huh? So that Pierrot gave it to you? Interesting!~” The green clown speaks “I’m the Harlequin, dear one. Ah! I’ve got an idea!” He places a hand on their shoulder, shoving a green ticket in front of them. “Hmm.. how about we trade? I give you mine and… you give me that red one.”
_____ moves their shoulder away from him so that his hand slides off. They don't look at him, trying to focus on getting to work and seeing Carol. Speaking with a small annoyed tone, they say “What difference does it make? Why are there different colors?” A blur of red appears next to them “Oh my… speak of the devil” Harlequin says in a whisper. Pierrot snatches the ticket that Harlequin holds, looking up and down at the human to make sure they are safe.
Harlequin sighs. The human raises an eyebrow then tilts their head. Harlequin smirks at Pierrot “Such a shame~ you don't have a voice, huh, Pierrot?~” He chuckles a little “Guess you cant say all those nasty things you’re thinking~ oh just wait till the Jester hears about this, heh!” While this happens the human slowly steps back, waiting till they are the perfect distance away to speed walk to their job.
They arrive a little out of breath, having picked up the pace to a jog. _____ sighs, shaking their head they look up and notice a police officer. They stop their talking, having just told the boss about the keys. Though he heard them and said to place it on the counter. Their mind immediately starts pacing, what could have happened? Is it Carol? Oh no please be okay Carol…
The boss walks over to _____ “Alright, was it a hassle closing the store last night?” They shake their head, looking at him with worry all over their face “N-no, it was fine… what happened?” The stutter in their voice is unusual, but so is the fact that Carol is not here, and a police officer being there. Boss sighs, “well… Carol didn't come home last night. Looks like she ran away.”... what… that's not like Carol at all, she wouldn't just run away… would she?..
“She.. ran away?? I-I mean- she had issues with her family, yeah, but running away like that… that’s.. Weird…” _____ puts a hand on their chin then looks down “She didn't show any signs she’d do something like this…” they speak quietly, tears in their eyes. The human’s boss speaks up once again, making them remember that he is there, so they look up “She must have her reasons. If she shows up here, we're supposed to notify the police. Carol's probably not in a good state of mind… I’m going to start looking for a new employee, so I'll be in the back doing interviews. Once your shift’s over, you can head home. I’ve got the store covered.”
_____ nods slowly “...oh.. Sure..” They feel like crying knowing they might never see Carol again, and the fact that Boss is acting like it's not much is making them feel worse… sure Carol never liked them like that.. But she still told them how she needed the job, and she was very responsible.. She isn't the type to just leave… Even if she was stressed at home, she said that she liked the job, that she wasn't ready to leave this place… How is the Boss acting like it's nothing… They assume it’s because he wasn't that close to Carol, or maybe it's because he has to act professional.. But… Carol…
They shake their head and sigh… Trying to get rid of the feeling in their chest, they focus on work. After a few minutes the little bell on the door rings, so the human with all their might, puts a smile onto their face and turns around to greet the person “Good morning! Ah! It's you again! Want something to drink, Pierrot?” He glances at the menu briefly, nods, then points at a milkshake.
The human looks at the order he picked “A milkshake?” _____ says, confused. "Isn't it a bit cold for that? Haha..” They try to keep the smile on their face from looking awkward, but it doesn't work. “Well.. alright then! Have a seat and I’ll bring it to your table.” The red clown nods slowly, staring at them for a moment longer than they would have liked before walking away from the counter.
As _____ makes the milkshake for the red clown, the Boss walks up to them and whispers “_____, did he buy anything?” They nod while making the drink “yea, a milkshake.” Boss sighs “Okay, good. I don't want those guys hanging around here without buying anything. Let him know we don't allow flyering inside.” _____ looks up at Boss “Got it!” Then he walks away and they finish the drink.
_____ turns around. Right in front of them is Pierrot leaning close. “W-whoa- you scared me! I thought you sat at a table or something…” The milkshake that they hold almost drops from how surprised they got, though they saved it. Holding the milkshake close, Pierrot grabs their arm then makes a gesture to get even closer. Reluctantly, they allow it “What is it..?” He whispers “Is he… being mean to you?... my dear?..” Feeling his breath on their ear, they want to move away but his hold on their arm tightens “H-huh?- M-My boss?.. Haha, no no! He was just giving me some reminders. Hes actually pretty nice.” and maybe not as caring as they would hope… he didn't seem to care much that Carol is gone…. Pierrot doesn't have to know that though.
This is starting to get really uncomfortable for _____, and weird. Him crouching and whispering in their ear, letting them feel his breath, the tight hold he has on them.. it is because he cant be seen speaking.. It's still weird. “Will you… come tonight?” wait what? To where?... OH!- “To the circus? Sure, I’ll be there to watch.” His grip on _____’s arm loosens a little as he smiles a bit more, his pupils disappearing for a second, almost like a blink.”That makes me happy, _____” They move back a little, thinking he’s done talking, but he just follows then says “Will you promise to use my ticket tonight, my dear?”
The human nods “Sure, I promise” Then _____ looks down at his gloves, the claws surprisingly sharp, sort of like a needle, but still holding them delicately even with how tight he holds, almost like he’s scared he may hurt them. He watches them stare at his gloves before he lets go and makes a silly face, even though he sorta hides it with his hand in front of his face. The human shakes their head “What's with the tickets, anyway?” But as soon as the question is asked, the bell from the door is heard and a little kid says “Mommy look! A clown!” Which makes Pierrot place a finger to his lip.
They tilt their head, hand goes to their hip, milkshake fully forgotten as it melts, “Lucky you, huh” they say while looking towards the mother and child. “It’s true, darling. He’s quite big, isn't he? But this circus isn't for children, It’ll give you nightmares.” The mother tells the child, holding the hand of the little one while trying to keep him from running to the red clown. The child complains so the lady ends up leaving without ordering, seeming to be talking outside the little shop.
A different lady enters with a scowl on her face. Her presence makes it seem like she holds herself to a high degree. As she quickly walks over to _____, she snaps her fingers a few times as if to get their attention, even though it is already on the lady. “Excuse me, I don't have all day! Can't you see me standing at the counter? Bring me my coffee, no sugar. Lazy one” The woman says in a snarky tone, making _____ remember they have work to do.
They look down at the already mostly melted milkshake and sigh “Well, I need to get back to work. Just a second, ma’am” The human places the milkshake to the side, deciding that they'll take it home; it would be a waste not to! Plus free milkshake. They quickly remake it, as they do not want to test the patience of this lady… that's a lie.. they really do, but the boss would not approve.
_____ hands the slightly sloppy milkshake they made to the red clown. It would have been better if they didn't rush, but they really don't want to argue with this lady. That's bad for business. “Uh, here you go…” The human realizes they never actually got Pierrot’s gender. They’ve been calling Pierrot a he in their mind but some people are sensitive with their gender and may yell if the person miss genders them, still, they end up saying “sir? Your milkshake.”
The woman sighs and checks her watch dramatically. It’s obvious she’s saying to hurry up, in a quite rude manner. So _____ says in the best fake polite voice they could do, making sure it’s an obvious fake voice “Yours is coming right up! Ma’am” Pierrot taps the counter, reminding the one working that he’s there. He places some money onto their hand, along with a small chocolate bar that _____ knows they won't eat as they don't eat random candy from strangers, or restaurants, only food from home. _____ still smiles at the kind gesture. Playing along, they do a small bow “Oh, is this a ‘tip’ for me? Thanks!”
He nods his head; the bells on his outfit jingle a little and he walks past the woman while giving her a small glare, barely noticeable if you weren't paying attention. _____ still noticed this, as they wanted to see him take the mask off and drink the milkshake. They start her drink while wondering about him. They had seen him a lot recently, since yesterday. It’s kinda creepy to them, his looks don’t help his case either. His height, the mask that can seemingly change shape; as he had a frown when they first met; but now mostly has a smile, and the strange behavior he does… It’s all a little creepy..
The one working finishes the drink “Sorry for the wait.” They say while handing the drink to the woman who has been waiting, albeit very impatiently. “Uuuhg… This coffee’s as awful as the service! I’m never coming back to this dump” _____ almost sighs in relief, but quickly stops themself “I’m so sorry…” They say without hiding the sarcastic tone they have, though the woman doesn't seem to have noticed, leaving without another word.
The human smiles when the lady is out the door and gone, the mother and child also had disappeared from the window at some point. They’re kinda glad that the interaction was so short; rude customers are like a different breed of stupid (not all of them are stupid though..). A lot of them will stay for as long as they possibly can to berate everyone, though not always… Some are just mean, some are just wrong. Well, at least they got a chocolate that they are going to melt for fun.
A bell rings. In walks a green clown “Oh! So this is where you work, dear one?” Hearing the voice makes ____ visibly deflate, seemingly annoyed while looking at him. They put on a cheerful attitude, sorta, its a very obvious fake one but they still did “Good afternoon! Want something to drink?” Harlequin chuckles, putting his hand in front of his mouth and tilting his head “of course!” he lowers his hand onto the counter and leans in a bit “I’ll take an iced coffee.”
_____ rolls their eyes, speaking in an annoyed tone “I’ll get it ready” as he leans in even more. This time he is watching as the human makes the coffee. “Soooo…. Are you finally gonna accept my ticket?” He makes shapes on the counter using his long claw-like fingers, “No. I already have one, and I promised I'd use it.” “You sure? It’d be so much more fun if you used mine~” his hand partly covers his mouth “Why?” Then it turns to just one finger up in a shush manner “That’s a secret~” _____ blinks, then groans; grabbing their head with the hand that is not holding the iced coffee.
They drop their hand, giving the coffee to the one in all green “Here’s your iced coffee.” He takes the coffee but places it onto the counter “Alright, alright. In that case… A little something for you. I’d love for you to wear it. Here, let me put it on.” He leans down, grabs their collar, and puts a pin on. This action makes the human notice his height. He is quite tall, yes, but he isn't as tall as the other clown; the red one they met not too long ago but still longer than this green one.
A hum escapes their throat as they hear his clawed glove tap the pin, which makes a clicking sound. He chuckles a little under his breath, its low, its quiet, its short. He speaks in such a low whisper that _____ barely caught what he said next “I’m going to take you from him” The human isn't sure if they heard this correctly so they say “...Excuse me?..” “You’ll see~” He finally steps away; they have their space back.
_____ coughs a little “Anyway, here’s the payment.” He hands over some cash, then he bows down, one arm on his chest while the other is back. “See you tonight, dear one. Make sure you don’t miss my show, alright?” They blush a little at the bow, not expecting him to do that, so they stumble on their words “H-hey!” As soon as he left they shake their head, trying to get their mind off of those two clowns.
But as they work their mind wanders back to the pin, so they put their hand onto it to feel the texture and shape, unable to actually look at it. The pin is in a heart shape, seeming to match the hearts on his outfit. The color is most likely green as his color scheme is mostly green. The texture is smooth just like most pins.
Then they think of what he had said, or what they think he said ‘I’m going to take you from him‘... What could that mean? Is this some sort of game those two are having? Is _____ the prize? Or are they a pawn? Orrr? Just what could this mean? They groan and grab their head, making one of the customers look at them with a judging face. The one working ignores that person, too focused on their thoughts.
Maybe they are teasing? Or could they be trying to pull _____ into something? Ohh so many questions with no answers… Suddenly the boss appears behind them speaking, which startles the worker out of their head “Your shift’s just about over. I’ll keep the shop open for another hour.” He shakes his head “Until we hire someone new. I’ll have to cut back the hours a bit.” They nod “Got it!” Noticing a big scratch on his arm, they quickly get closer to look at it. Exclaiming in worry “What happened to your arm?”
He looks down at his arm “This? Oh, something scratched me out back. Pretty sure it was a huge cat or something.” The worker hums, saying a quick “Be careful” before taking a bandage out of their bag and handing it over “Here, I've got a bandage.” the boss grabs it with gratitude “Thanks! Good thing you carry this kind of stuff around.” They scratch behind their neck, a little embarrassed “Well… I'm kinda clumsy, to be honest. So I always keep one with me.” He walks over to a sink, grabs a cloth, wets it, then starts cleaning the wound “That makes sense, haha!”
They shake their head, deciding it's time to go “Anyway, I gotta go, don’t wanna be late. I’m heading to the circus tonight.” He nods, placing the cloth to the side then putting the bandage on “Sounds fun. Tell me how it was later, maybe I'll check it out sometime.” They place the apron onto the hook with their name on top of it “Sure! See you later!” They decide to just stay in the clothes they have on now, thinking that going to change might make them late.