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The circus was plunged into strange silence as the final song of the act faded out into a dull ring. The final performance of the day was about to come to an end, highly awaited by the actors and actresses who had already finished their gigs. With a loud, rowdy round of applause reverberating through the tent booming all around them, the troupe made their way onto the stage. Charlie untangled herself from the silk ropes that stringed between different acrobatic equipment fastened to the ceiling and slowly, gracefully, descended to the ground. Carefully, as to not lose her balance, she bowed towards the audience as well, putting a final dot on the act. She barely managed to blow a kiss towards the front row of fans as the curtains closed in on the stage.
Earlier during her performance, an unnecessary misstep caused a rope to wrap around her leg too tightly, cutting off all blood circulation flowing towards the limb… But the show had to go on - there was no time for panic. Charlie ignored the numbness in her leg in favour of a risky stunt, which did earn her a lot of gasps and whistles, but such negligence also caused her to fall to the ground the moment they were out of the crowd's sight. She didn’t make it backstage, where her father awaited her arrival, which worried him greatly… Soon enough, he was already looming over her, having been called over by the other troupe members.
“What’s the matter, ma petite étincelle?” He picked her up from the harsh wooden floor of the stage, cradling her in his gentle arms. Charlie just groaned in response. She wasn’t his little girl anymore, yet he doesn’t seem to understand that. But she doesn’t have the strength to remind him anymore. In fact, it’s kind of adorable when it’s not infuriating.
“Je suis fatiguée…” She found it hard to find the right words to express herself in English, so she reverted to their mother tongue, French. The pain in her leg was getting worse by the minute. “Je suis vraiment désolée-”
“Tu n'as pas besoin de t'excuser.” Sirius kissed her forehead and carried her back to the room they share, paying no mind to the strange glares they got. “Do you need anything? Water? Painkillers?” He cooed as he set her down on the soft mattress of her bed. He carefully tucked her in with a warm blanket, which she immediately tried to writhe out of, muttering something about dirtying the covers with her work uniform.
“Je voudrais… du Thé…” Charlie muttered, stubbornly trying to move the injured limb. “Père-”
“Shh…” He grabbed her knee and twisted the leg into a strange angle. It was uncomfortable at first, but it helped the blood flow greatly. “It’s alright. Focus on resting. You did great today, ma petite étincelle.”
Sirius kissed her forehead, despite the grumble of disagreement that followed, once again. Who’s there to stop him? That’s right. No one. Not even Charlie, because, as far as he’s concerned, she actually likes the affection. Even when she’s buzzing with energy, blabbering away about their next show, fully capable of stopping his spiel before he starts fussing over her, she doesn’t. She may pretend to be offended or throw a fit that she’s not his little girl anymore, but it’s all in good faith. He missed her presence when they were away, truly, he did. Everything, every rumour, every snarl, every mocking glance as he walked away from what he loved most… Everything that happened back when he was a performer at Starr park still haunts him. That cursed, wicked day that signaled the coming of a disaster… Oh how he despises the date it falls on…
The guilt eats him alive to this day. He had to leave: They forced his hand. And along with the park, he left Charlie behind. Not his proudest moment. In fact, he deserves the “World's worst dad” award for that… Because that’s when she needed him the most. When the chaos broke out. When everyone was at each other's throats, pointing accusations and guns. And he was nowhere to be seen. It was a devastating blow to both his and her mental health. But what matters most is that he’s back, ready to make up for lost time. He looked at her worn out silhouette one last time before he left for the kitchenette they shared with the rest of the troupe. Sirius hummed quietly as he brewed her a cup of her favourite tea. Two tablespoons of honey and a squeeze of lemon, exactly to her liking. Soon enough, it was ready to be served. He set the mug of piping hot liquid down on her bedside table and dragged over a small stool to sit on while she recovered.
“Mmm… Merci.” She smiled at him. The scent of her favorite brew wafted through the air and woke her up nearly instantly as soon as it hit her nose. Charlie sat up to take a careful sip.
“We have some downtime before we have to set out for our next show.” He reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I was hoping to take you to that restaurant you’ve been talking about ever since we came to this city.”
“We can afford to go?” She immediately perked up, starry eyed. “Gladly.”
Sirius watched her finish the tea and skip off to the changing room. He met her at the tent entrance, already dressed for the occasion himself. His heart melted, just a little, as she waved the troupe goodbye with a soft “A demain!”. She can be really cunning sometimes, a heartless thief towards the circus visitors, but a sweetheart towards their friends. Can he blame her, really? Not only is he a shady character himself as well, but also… The streets taught her all she knows about crime. His chest twists uncomfortably at the thought. Alas… There’s nothing he can do about the past now. It will remain unchangeable forever. What’s the best course of action right now is focusing on the present and, if he so desires, the future, since both can still be somewhat molded to his liking. He can still make it right… It’s a very pleasant night, not too stuffy, not too cold… There’s a light, warm breeze in the air, the sky is devoid of any clouds that could signal upcoming rain, the stars shine brightly, accompanied by a full moon… They entered the restaurants, and were seated by a very nice waitress.
“Messieurs dames, bonjour. Vous désirez?” After they were left alone, to read the menu and sit with their choices for a brief moment of contemplation, the cheerful waitress appeared again. She set down a basket of fresh bread on their table, along with butter and what looked like olive oil in a small, glass vial.
“Une soupe à l'oignon et une eau gazeuse, s'il vous plaît.” Sirius looked up at her with a polite smile before turning his attention back to his daughter, who was still staring mindlessly into his own menu..
“Je voudrais… une quiche, s'il vous plaît.” She finally replied after a few seconds of awkward silence passed. “Et une bouteille de vin.”
Wine? No, that’s not right. Sirius still remembers Charlie's first steps. Her first… Everything. He remembers everything. Where did his precious girl go? His little sparkle… Right. Just when did he start calling her that? This nickname he’s grown so fond of… That particular memory is a sweet one. Just thinking about it plants a smile on his face. It was so, so long ago… Charlie has just started middle school, he was still a great star back then, able to provide for both of them. Life was so easy, so lenient towards them… Some girl in her class was in the acrobatics class, offered by the school, and placed a seed of passion in her tiny heart by just simply… Talking about it. After the day came to an end, Charlie rushed towards him, begging him to enroll her as well. Ah… Her first ever performance. Sirius still has that photo framed somewhere. That smile on her face, the pure love she had for the spot so visible in her eyes. Oh how he wishes to hold her like he did that night just one more time.
“Wine?!” He choked out right after the waitress disappeared off into the busy kitchen beside them. “You’re only-”
“Vingt-deux ans.” Charlie cut him off. “Je ne suis plus ton petite étincelle…” She reminded him with a giggle.
“Tu vas toujours l'être…!” Sirius whined back at her. He reached out to take her hand, paying an abnormal amount of attention to it. Those slender fingers, neatly cut and well-groomed nails… She used to be so little. And yet, a grown woman is sitting in front of him now. He has to accept that sooner or later… No, he probably never will. “Ma fille…” At that loving loving word, she simply nuzzled his hand to her cheek, just like she used to when she was still a child. He would have died a happy man if something were to happen to him at that moment.
The dinner passed in relative silence. They talked about the good old times, reminiscing about the past, omitting the topic of the years they spent apart. Sirius has to admit - the wine was a good choice, despite his earlier outrage at the mere thought of buying it. It paired beautifully with both of their dishes, and wasn’t even as expensive as he thought. A little pricey, still, but nothing more than that. They took a longer route back to the circus to enjoy the night a little longer… It would be a waste not to. For a city that never sleeps, the metropolis seemed weirdly quiet. Most of the shops have closed around 8, only a few remain open, and yet they’re still so lifeless. Finally, they reached their tent, entering through the back quietly so as to not awaken their troupe. It was a pretty chaotic evening, but one filled to the brim with excitement nonetheless. One can only hope that more of them await them in the future.