The air is suddenly still as Minhyuk willed the flaps of the tent shut. The walls were a swirl of color now, red mixed with black and – when Yukwon flits in his thoughts- gold. Yukwon watched in confusion as the walls change colors, bathing them in switching lights. “Hyung, you’re scared me,” Yukwon said softly. “Tell me. Tell me what you meant.”

But Minhyuk couldn’t because telling Yukwon about his feelings for him might make it real (as if it wasn’t real enough already) and Minhyuk didn’t want the circus crumbling down because of him. Instead, Minhyuk conjured a black rose from thin air and stepped forward, pressing the rose to Yukwon’s lips. “This is as much as i can give you,” Minhyuk whispered sadly and stepped back.

“Hyung, don’t you dare pull that on me!” Yukwon snapped as he felt the signature change in the air but he was too late. For Minhyuk had disappeared.

Minhyuk reappears an hour later in Yukwon’s acrobatic tent as the younger is minutes into his performance. He involuntarily smiles as he watches the lithe boy execute a series of flips in the air, twisting against gravity far longer than was scientifically possible. But he did it anyway, with Minhyuk’s help. Everything in this circus had Minhyuk’s help. Minhyuk stays there for the whole performance, watching Yukwon’s every move, worried that the boy would collapse after just having recovered. He was so engrossed in the performance that he failed to notice Taeil and Jaehyo had occupied the two seats next to him.

“Don’t you have work to do?” Minhyuk addressed them curtly.

“Thought we’d join you for a while,” Taeil said casually and shot a glare at Jaehyo who was busy trying to catch Yukwon’s attention.

They stayed silent for a while, embasking in the glow of the performance. They were the only ones who stayed seated while the crowd filed out, eager to explore the rest of the magical circus. Yukwon shot a glare in their general direction before slipping off his mask and putting on a white jacket and exiting the tent.

“He’s angry,” Taeil murmured.

Jaehyo snorted, “A baby could have figured as much.”

The walls of the tent turned a sober gray; the air suddenly thick with remorse a person could taste with his tongue. Jaehyo wrinkled his nose, “Doesn’t taste so good.”

“So are you going to tell him?” Taeil coaxed.

“What good would it do to tell him? We can’t- I can’t do it. The Circus would collapse, you, our family could get hurt, I can’t risk that,” Minhyuk choked, his emotions getting the better of him. He hardly showed his emotions to anyone. The man behind the bejewelled mask only showed his eyes and he always controlled his expressions during his performances, as he had learned when he was little.

“We could do it, you know,” Jaehyo hopped off his chair and stretched onto the cushion-covered seat on the platform below, “I’m sure one of us can think of something. With a bit of study and effort, Taeil and I can take care of the magic part.”

Minhyuk shook his head, “It has to come from my line and you know it.”

The magic that bound the circus together was Minhyuk’s responsibility and his alone. Taeil provided the aesthetics and Jaehyo provided the ambience. Every smell, taste, fabric and even the shade of the lights were decided by the two of them, carefully planned out and assessed, aimed at providing the patrons with the most amazing Circus experience they could offer.

“It’s time, we heard about your fight. He has to understand at least, why. He’s confused and scared and he probably feels the same way. It’s time, Minhyuk,” Taeil said softly, tugging at Jaehyo’s black jacket. They both tugged on their masks, Taeil’s a soft black velvet which accentuated his eyes, Jaehyo’s a sleek white one that fit perfectly, covering half his face without support.

“Go,” Jaehyo winked and Minhyuk smiled, tugging on his own mask and appearing back in Yukwon’s tent.

The moment the air stopped moving from his appearance, Yukwon’s fist landed on his face. Minhyuk flinched but didn’t move, merely accepting the blow he knew he deserved.

-

A/N: I've had this saved since 2014 but never had the confidence to post it!. writing is getting harder and harder nowdays. I know I owe all of you an apology but I recently lost myself and I'm still healing. I hope to return a better writer, person, friend. Thank you :)