Chapter Text
It’s warm, safe even. Like being in someone’s tight embrace as if they’re trying to protect you from danger… oh how he wishes he could stay in that warm place.
‘What a pity…’ he thought to himself as he looked at the pool of blood mixed with water in his bathtub.
Glancing at his deeply scarred and crimson colored wrist, he felt his consciousness slipping away. A twisted smile made its way to his face as he rested his head against the vertical edge of the bathtub.
‘Maybe this time…’
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BEEP!-BEEP!-BEEP!-BEE—SLAM!
Aaron shot up, slamming his poor alarm clock on his way up. He stared at the TV in front of his bed for a few seconds before calmly glancing at his wrist to find nothing there.
No signs of old healed cuts or even new ones, only his usual clear skin, he rubbed his wrist to make sure there wasn’t anything but he only felt softness. So it was just a dream then. A weird one at that.
Aaron always has unusually realistic vivid dreams, yet this one was a bit too real. He felt the pain on his wrist, the warm water, the wetness… the way his body slowly lost its life.
He turned his head towards his clock, it read 11:30 A.M. Good, he still had a whole hour and a half to get ready.
Not wasting any more time in bed thinking about some dream, Aaron immediately got ready.
Going on his normal daily routine. Making his bed, eating breakfast, brushing his teeth, and taking a quick shower. His hair and body shampoo filled his nostrils with its faint yet lingering sweet vanilla scent. He liked that the smell wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet or cheap like some brands. besides, this brand wasn’t extremely expensive nor was it very cheap, it was the perfect kind for him.
After getting out of the bathroom he glanced at the clock yet again. ‘12:10 P.M’ he walked towards his wardrobe and chose his outfit of the day. Nothing fancy, only clean and softly welcoming: a white, fuzzy, loose sweater tucked from the front into his chocolate-brown trousers, white socks, and shoes, and, to top it all off, he slid into a warm, camel-colored wool coat.
He brushed his layered black hair and put it in a half-up, half-down style, his curtain bangs framing his pretty face perfectly. It’s a simple hairstyle yet it makes him look as nice and friendly as possible since he works at a cozy coffee shop and has to talk with customers.
“…”
This time he didn’t glance at the clock and quickly put his necessary belongings in his messenger bag and slid it on his left shoulder as the bag rested against his right hip and got out of his apartment and locked the door behind him.
——————————-
Making his way towards the coffee shop, Aaron noticed the flyers around the walls. ‘Oh right, a traveling circus came to town two days ago. They sure are quick to advertise their circus. I heard the tickets were a bit expensive…’ He thought to himself.
Suddenly, a large hand landed on his shoulder, as if trying to scare him and get a reaction out of him. Yet he showed none and calmly turned his body towards the mysterious man in a green clown outfit. He had to crane his head up to look at the green clown’s eyes. noticing the man’s grin sharpen for a second before turning playful.
“Not even a flinch~?” The green clown muttered before holding up a flyer towards Aaron’s direction.
“Care to visit the circus? I bet you’ll be surprised ♪ Here, take a flyer!” He offered with an almost sing-song tone, almost shoving the flyer in Aaron’s face.
Aaron only looked at the clown with an uninterested look before he tilted his head slightly to the side and pulled his soft-looking lips upward in a faint smile.
“Thank you, but I already have a ticket.” The green clown’s eyes almost lit up mischievously before he hid it with a smile of his own, it would’ve gone unnoticed lest Aaron wasn’t carefully paying attention to every slight change in the (he supposed he’s a main performer given his special colored clothes instead of the usual pink outfits he saw on the other clowns the past two days.) green performer’s face
“Oh! Wonderful!! You got one? Was it a pink one.” His smile turned almost predatory.
“…No, it was actually green,” Aaron stated casually, the green performer’s smile faltered for a moment before turning into a grin full of sharp teeth.
‘Talk about high quality… this circus is paying thousands for these outfits and masks 100%… honestly they look kinda cute.” Aaron thought to himself
Harlequin was pretty much sure he didn’t give anyone his green ticket since he and his fellow performers arrived in this town. And even if he did he was sure he would remember giving his ticket to a pretty human like this one, yet… looking down at the pretty human’s dark brown eyes, he didn’t sense a lie. Not even the slightest bit.
“Here, let me show you.” The human spoke once more, voice eerily calm and soft as if he actually did have his green ticket and was going to show him.
Aaron slowly slid his hands inside his chocolate brown trousers on each side, and when he grabbed something on his left hand, he pulled out both limps and held out his closed left hand to the green performer who then tilted his head, making the bells on his hat ring softly as he shifted his focus from his eyes to the hand held up high.
When he opened his hand, the green performer’s eyes widened slightly… there was… nothing?
“Just kidding~” he stuck the tip of his tongue and made a slight playful expression as if saying ‘oopsies looks like I didn’t have a ticket all along!‘ before morphing back to his soft small smile.
He took the flyer that the green performer held out to him earlier and thanked him politely, not before recommending the coffee shop he works in if the green performer has a break and would like a sweet treat or simply a cup of coffee. Saying something about ‘from an employee to another employee!’
If they were advertising their circus then why not advertise the coffee shop he works in?
He turned around and continued his walk to work, looking at the hour on his phone. 12:45 P.M only fifteen minutes before his shift starts.
He felt eyes following him until he turned a corner.
————————
On his way, he met his coworker carol who greeted him and walked side by side next to each other until they reached the coffee shop. Holding open the door for Carol, she walked inside cheerfully before relaxing slowly at how much warmer the inside of the shop was compared to the outside.
Their boss greeted them and then the three of them began preparing for the day. Aaron took off his coat and put his apron on; the same went for Carol.
Everything was like usual, people came and took their orders for takeout or sat on one of the comfy seats while chatting with each other. But this time the chatter was almost all about the newly arrived circus, how it’s ‘scary’ ‘interesting’ ‘fun’. He paid no mind to it as the rush hour was finally over, leaving only about two customers, one was tabbing away on their computer and the other was relaxing on their phone while eating a cheesecake.
The bell rang and Carol was quick to welcome whoever came. “Welcome in, sir!” She put on her best customer service smile and walked towards the man wearing a neat blue suit, his hair slicked back in one clean motion.
He sat and looked at the dark-skinned woman with a smile on his face, which didn’t reach his eyes at all. “Thank you! I would like a strong, hot coffee.”
“Coming right up.” Carol turned around and went to the coffee machine, not before Aaron stopped her as soon as she was going to hand the man his order.
“Carol, my dear. Let me handle this. I’m sure you felt it but the man is kind of giving the creeps. You go and take a break.” Aaron explained in a voice not above a whisper with a small smile on his face, making Carol’s back face the man so he wouldn't read her expressions while he handled his own face with no problems as if he was only chatting normally with her.
Carol nodded before handing the hot coffee to Aaron who took it gladly, she whispered a thanks to him and went to the ‘employee only’ door to start her well-deserved break.
The man in a blue suit's smile was gone for only a second as he stared at them silently before putting on his usual act to lure people into the circus with the captivating pink ticket.
Aaron walked up to the man and carefully placed the still steaming coffee “Be careful, sir. It’s still hot. And also I deeply apologize for my coworker's sudden absence, her break had just started and I reminded her.” Aaron explained calmly, hands clasped together in front of him as he bowed slightly in an apologetic manner.
“Ah. It’s fine, dear. I don’t mind.” The man said in an understanding tone. “If I were in her place, I would deeply appreciate such kindness from a coworker.”
“Huhum… thank you, sir.” Aaron chuckled lightly at the man’s unexpected words.
The nan simply nodded before he finally started “Do you like the circus?”
'There it is… so that’s what he wanted to ask her? Good thing I took over.' Aaron only smiled briefly before tilting his head slightly to the side, hand coming to his face to scratch his cheek, thinking for a bit.
“Hm… I have never visited a circus before so I’m not sure. I would say, maybe? I do like the aesthetics and the colors.”
The man’s smile widened a bit as he took this as an opportunity “Oh, that’s perfect timing!-“ he fished out a ticket from his pocket, a pink one. “- here, take this. Go on, check it out, and then try telling me it didn’t give you chills.”
Aaron stared at the pink ticket for a few seconds before taking it from the man’s hands, fingers lightly brushing against his own.
“Thank you, sir.” He flashed a light grin before making his way to the back door that leads to a dark alley only lit by the afternoon’s faint light and a flickering lamp, signaling that the sun would set in about an hour or so. Leaving his boss to handle the few customers that came into the shop.
“…” He stared at the pink ticket in his hand, remembering the green performer’s words about a pink ticket and how his smile sharpened at the mention of it as if looking forward to seeing it in someone’s hands.
His usual small and soft smile disappeared before he pulled something out of his pocket, he raised his hand up and a click echoed lightly through the empty alley safe for the dumpster several feet away.
He watched as the beautiful pink color of the ticket got swallowed by the flames of the lighter he held up close, letting go of the ticket when the flames got dangerously close to his fingers.
What was left of the ticket now was just dust, as if it never existed.
A few minutes passed before Aaron made his way back inside, Carol was still in the employees' room probably chilling on the couch with her phone glued to her hand.
He walked up to his boss behind the counter who looked like he desperately needed a break too, sitting on one of the available chairs for employees with his elbow on the counter and his hand rubbing his temples “Boss?” He started slowly, the owner of the coffee shop glanced at Aaron with a tired gaze. ‘Seems like he woke up too early today.’ Aaron noted in his mind.
“You can take an hour break, i’ve got the shop covered for you.” He smiled gently, this time a genuine smile, not the one he wears for pretend games. If his boss wasn’t so tired he could swear he saw a halo and white angel wings behind Aaron’s back. The pretty face and the loose white fuzzy sweater weren’t helping with his imagination.
‘Is this what they call an angel coming down from heaven to earth?…’ Nathaniel -the owner of the shop- wondered.
Nathaniel almost laughed at the thought before getting up and patting Aaron’s shoulder “Thanks, Aaron. I really needed that.” Aaron only nodded and muttered a ‘you’re welcome.’ And Nathaniel made his way to the employees-only door and collapsed on the couch beside Carol who glanced at him, worry evident in her face.
The door closed behind the tattooed man and Aaron glanced back at the cafe, noting that only the man in a blue suit was there, everyone else had left the coffee shop. Still sipping on his half-full coffee cup and what seemed to be a bland croissant that he ordered from his boss when Aaron was burning the pink ticket outside.
The man was looking at him and smiled politely and Aaron returned the same smile.
DINGG-
The sound of the familiar bell on the door brought both of their attention to the arrival of the new guest ‘Ah! The green germ!… the green performer.’ He corrected himself internally.
“Oh! So this is where you work?”
The green clown said in an amused tone, like he finally found a playground he could play in.
“Good afternoon, do you want something for here or for takeout?”
“Hm… i’d take an iced coffee for here.” The performer stated, when Aaron turned around to make his order, he finally glanced at the cozy-looking shop before landing on a familiar figure staring at him with an eerie grin on his face.
Harlequin looked a bit shocked to see Bil, but quickly realized what he was doing here and nodded his head in the direction of the busy barista, whose back was facing both of the men, the green performer silently asking if he managed to give the other man a pink ticket. And when he received a silent nod he couldn’t help the cruel grin spreading across his face-Mask?.
He leans over the counter, watching the pretty barista make his coffee. Oh, he was going to have So much fun with him! Maybe he would finally get a fool of his own? Or maybe try to convince jester or bil -Ticket Taker- to take him as a fool of their own since he isn’t interested in making anyone his fool. It’s not fun that way.
The idea of devouring the pretty man was tempting as well, he could imagine how tender his flesh would feel between his teeth. He can’t wait!
“Here you go, sir.” Aaron placed the iced coffee on the counter in front of Harlequin, who then took the needed amount of money and placed it in the shorter man’s delicate-looking hand. He almost wants to grab the pretty man’s small hand and feel it, not in a creepy way though. He excused.
Harlequin just grinned and put his hand on his chest while his other one raised his cape in an almost dramatic manner. “No need to call me sir now! I am the harlequin! Dear barista.”
Aaron only chuckled softly at the dramatic introduction. “Haha! Harlequin then? I’m Aaron, one of the two baristas who work here.” He introduced himself in a more friendlier manner.
The green performer, apparently named Harlequin like one of the characters in commedia dell'arte. Only hummed in satisfaction at the cute chuckle Aaron made at his performance, wanting to hear more, be it a scream a laugh, or a moan-
“So I’m guessing there should be a Columbine and a Pierrot, right? Maybe even… hm I can’t seem to remember anymore characters. I didn’t exactly read anything about the act. I just saw the names one day and they were stuck in my mind.” He explained, brows furrowing slightly as he tries to remember any more names before Harlequin interrupted his thoughts.
“There is a Pierrot but unfortunately there isn’t a Columbine. But, there’s a doctor.” He watched as Aaron nodded at the information.
He was doing this part because it was fun seeing Aaron look a bit curious while also indirectly encouraging him to go to the circus with the pink ticket that was given to him.‘Oh poor Aaron… he doesn’t know he’s walking directly towards the monster’s mouth.’Harlequin laughed sadistically in his mind.
An idea popped up in his head as he did a quick hand trick and a green ticket appeared magically between his fingers, he could feel Bil’s eyes glare daggers at the back of his head at the sudden appearance of the green ticket. But he didn’t care, he wanted to have a bit of fun with this cute Aaron guy.
“I heard from this gentleman behind me that he gave you a pink ticket, yes?” Aaron glanced at the green ticket, the man in a blue suit, and then up at the man towering over him, he nodded.
“You should use my ticket first tonight! I’m almost sure you will find yourself returning to the circus tomorrow. You can then use the pink ticket.” He’ll get scolded by Ticket Taker once they’re back at the circus but it will be worth it~
Aaron only smiled lightly, yet not reaching his eyes. Giving him an almost peculiar look on his rather soft features. He gently took the green ticket and stepped back once. His eyes were void of anything that would make a person human, emotions. To Harlequin, it felt like trying to read a book that’s chained and locked away from the eyes of the others. He couldn’t tell what the human was thinking about
“My… Thank you so much, Harlequin… but unfortunately for you, I had accidentally burned the pink ticket.” His smile widened slightly as Harlequin’s grin faltered almost completely. The same goes for the man in the blue suit at the sudden change of atmosphere.
“Like…-“ He took out the same lighter and pressed “-this.” Flames quickly devoured the green ticket as he dropped it to the ground beneath him, with the ticket halfway burned he stepped on it to stop the fire and the possible activation of the smoke detector.
He glanced at Harlequin’s face, grin completely wiped off his face and the performer’s eyes widened at some point.
Aaron took a light step closer to the green performer and raised his right hand towards his hair; his fingers ran through dark curls before tightening his grip and yanking his head down to his eye level.
He brought his face closer to the Harlequin’s supposed location of his ear underneath the green hat and spoke in an eerie yet gentle tone.
“I suggest that you and your friend over there stop trying to give me your tickets, not me, and not my other coworker or my boss.” He glanced at the man in a blue suit, making sure he heard what he had said to Harlequin.
He let go of the dark curls and lightly eased the pain from the sudden pull by petting the spot a few times before stepping back from the man who was still hunched over the counter.
He made his way towards a nearby shelf and took out the small manual broom, the green performer was already standing straight and silently staring at Aaron who was taking the dust of the half-burned ticket off the floor that had cooled down enough to not burn anything it touched, he got up and walked to the trash bin and threw the remains.
Harlequin stared daggers at the back of his head, as well as Bil, who tensed up slightly at the sudden mention of him. Both thought about how he knew about them even working together, they made sure to stay as silent and oblivious to the other’s existence as possible. Not even glancing at each other unless the barista wasn’t looking at them.
Did the human know more? Did he know what they did to those who received a pink ticket? Does he know about the fools? Does he know about the black tent? … Does he know they’re monste-.
“Please, do not make my words affect you much! You can still come here if you were craving a good coffee or a sweet treat during breaks or before work! We open at 1:00 P.M and close at 9:00 P.M.”
He suddenly spoke up, breaking the two off of their questions. He doesn’t seem to have a clue that they’re monsters, nor about everything they had asked themselves about.
And Aaron genuinely thought that they were just performers who go to clueless people and give them free tickets to visit the circus and experience the wonders and just as they said… they’ll be back for more and more and spend a lot of money on tickets which will certainly be a problem for people who barely make a living.
But they knew better that any slip-up probably wouldn’t go unnoticed by him. They hadn’t seen it nor felt it as he glanced over his shoulder quietly to look at the two having a silent conversation. Even now, Bil isn’t sure if the human was putting on a poker face or really was clueless about their business.
Harlequin just sighed and put on his performative sly grin as he grabbed his iced coffee from the counter and made his way near Aaron who began cleaning up the table of the man in a blue suit.
“How smart you are, pequeno barista~”
He stood near, and the barista only glanced at him before moving away, finally cleaning the table of the man in blue who then again looked well composed. “Indeed” he replied.
“Thank you! Would you like to order anything else?” Aaron asked, before Harlequin could get another word, Bill stood up and apologized politely and calmly for any disturbance they made for the barista and practically dragged Harlequin out of the coffee shop who protested for a bit but quieted down knowing he had a show near, almost the same time the circus opens. His show being the first for the evening.
————————
More customers came in the next three hours, like usual. Some getting takeouts and some dining in. Aaron stared at the clock, ‘7:54 P.M… just an hour and my shift will end.’ After rush hour, the coffee shop was running a bit slow.
It was near closing time, Carol had already left an hour ago since she only works part-time unlike Aaron who works full-time. Only three customers were inside, a young couple probably on their date and a man looking like he was in his 50s. He felt the old man staring intensely at him while he waited at the counter for him to pick an order.
“Hey there, pretty thing.” The old man finally spoke up. “I would like an iced coffee.” He started normally and Aaron replied quickly “alright, i’ll prepare it now”.
“Y’know, you’re really hot, how come I never saw you before?” Aaron’s customer service smile tightened as he turned towards the old man, feigning flattery while the coffee was being prepared by the machine.
“Thank you, sir.” The old man began pressing further, almost going to physical touch as he reached out but changed his mind and pulled his hand away instead. Aaron heard the back door opening and his boss re-entering the shop after a brief smoke break.
Aaron dismissed the old man and walked up to his boss, he whispered the words ‘he ordered an iced coffee, also it’s a creep again.’ to Nathaniel who then looked at the old man and took it as a signal to handle over things. And keeping a close eye on the old man that kept staring at Aaron who sat further from behind counter on one of the chairs while Nathaniel blocked his view and handed the man his coffee, who then left with a grumble about how the bearded man ruined his ‘fun time’.
It wasn’t exactly uncommon that men like him come to the shop only to flirt with the baristas or just any pretty customer. Though both Carol and Aaron only mutter the word ‘creep’ to their boss and he handles everything since his big frame and tattoos look threatening enough to make them back down and leave the shop quickly.
When the old man left, Aaron thanked his boss for the save and continued his work. Serving new customers, cleaned the counter and tables, and finally closing up the shop after the customers left. His boss left a bit earlier as something suddenly came up, leaving Aaron alone to only take out the trash and mop the floor. He didn’t mind, really. He likes doing tasks alone as it helps him relax and busy his mind.
He continued mopping the floor as he had taken out the trash a few minutes ago. he was focused on a stubborn spot- the lights suddenly went off, making him flinch in surprise. “Another power outage?…” he muttered under his breath, feeling a bit uneasy but brushing it off as he placed the mop in its place and made his way to the breaker, opened the panel, and reset it.
“…” The lights won’t turn on, weird? He sees that the other buildings have their lights on. Maybe a rat had bitten off some wires or the shop needs a new generator since the backup power isn’t working either.
He couldn’t see clearly but the faint light from outside was helping him to at least make out the lines of the tables and chairs. ‘I’ll just tell Nathaniel that the power isn’t working. Maybe I’ll get a break for a day or two as he works on the issue?’ He thought to himself. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before locking his eyes with green ones that were on the far dark corner.
“…” he was quiet for a few seconds before speaking up “..Harlequin, right?” His tone was casual like it was an everyday thing and blinked a few times, trying to make out the performer’s silhouette yet he couldn’t. He blinked again and the green eyes were gone.
Huh… was he imagining things? Meh, he couldn’t care less. He made his way to the employees room, careful not to trip on something. He slid into his coat and grabbed his belongings, he turned on the flashlight while holding up his phone he looked at the shop again and then left through the back door, closing all the doors and windows with him. Once outside he turned off the flashlight and walked out of the dark alley.
He texted his boss about the sudden outage of the power and that maybe some rats had bitten off the wires again. His boss replied shortly after that he’ll handle it before texting in the group chat that included him, Nathaniel, and Carol. Informing that there won’t be work for the next two days.
‘Nice! Hope I sleep 16 hours today.’ He chuckled to himself.
Looking at the hour, it was twenty past nine(9:20 p.m to my fellow people whose English isn’t their first language♡).
‘Feels like someone is following me. tsk, they must have plenty of free time to be following someone.’ He turned his head only to find nothing at all ‘Guess I’ll be paying a visit to the police station if they keep following me.’ He smoothly changed his usual route from his apartment to the police station, which is 15 minutes away on foot, the streets were quiet and empty save for the cats fighting in some alley.
A few minutes passed before he felt that whoever was following him stopped as they realized he was heading towards the police station. ‘I can’t tell if it’s that green guy or his other colleague in blue, maybe it’s that creepy old man? Knowing that these circus guys only arrived recently and might not know the area very well. But… who knows?’ His train of thought was interrupted when he saw a tall silhouette in the middle of the street and a car heading towards them at an alarming speed.
He didn’t know what got over him as he quickly ran towards the person and grabbed their forearm with his hands, pulling them out of the way of the speeding car that passed by and almost hit them both. Damn these drunken drivers.
He breathed a sigh of relief before looking up at the tall person and was met with shining violet eyes. He got a tiny bit dizzy when he locked eye contact but shook it off, thinking it was the adrenaline wearing off him.
“Are you okay, sir?” He asked calmly, voice low with a bit of worry so as not to scare away the person/man. Maybe he attempted to suicide? How horrible…
But looking at the man’s outfit he was a bit taken aback, it was clear that he was from the circus… that’s weird? Why would a performer attempt suicide in the middle of the street in a foreign town? Maybe he wasn’t attempting at all and didn’t see the car while he was busy with something?
He noticed that he didn’t let go of the man’s forearm and immediately withdrew his hands and took a respectable distance from the purple performer. “O-oh! I apologize sir, the last thing you would want is someone grabbing you when a car was gonna crush you a few seconds ago.”
The man was silent for a few seconds, his eyes losing their violet shine before putting his arms behind his back and smiling down at Aaron. “It is fine, i should be the one apologizing for standing in the middle of the street. I would like to thank you for going out of your way to help me, sir.” The purple performer then stretched his arm towards Aaron, on his palm rested a black ticket.
Aaron stared at the ticket and took half a step back, his hands raised toward his chest as they shook from side to side lightly. “Ah! no no no. No need for that, i’m just glad you’re okay. But please be careful, people in this city don’t know how to drive for god’s sake.”
“…If you say so. Though I must go now.” The purple performer spoke up once again and excused himself before leaving, heading towards what seemed to be the way to the circus on the outskirts of the town.
Aaron stared at the retreating form of the purple performer before resuming his way to his apartment. ‘Geez… today was a lot.’
———————————
Finally in the comfort of his humble apartment, Aaron took off his white shoes and hung his bag and coat on the hanger.
Walking deeper into the apartment, he took out black shorts that reach just above his knees and a white t-shirt with a skull design on the back. He placed them neatly on his bed before making his way to the bathroom, taking off his clothes on the way and placing them in the basket, mentally noting that he’ll be doing the laundry tomorrow morning since there isn’t work
After taking a quick warm shower, he dried his body and hair. Satisfied by that, he wore new black underwear and exited the bathroom, making a beeline to his bed and wearing his new clothes and basically collapsing onto his bed, almost giggling and kicking his feet as his muscles relaxed and the coolness of the bed cooling down his warm skin from the earlier shower.
He crawled towards his pillow and lay down properly with the blanket tucking in his body. Today was really long, weird, unusual yet exciting at some moments.
Staying up for a while on his phone, he looked at the clock on his nightstand as it read ‘2:37 A.M’ in bold red light.
Aaron turned off his phone and placed it on the nightstand beside his clock. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.