fic: taking the stars (prologue)
Title: Taking the Stars
Pairings: Kurt/Sebastian, eventual Kurt/Blaine
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 418
Warnings: infidelity, domestic abuse, animal abuse, schizophrenia, paranoia, multiple character deaths
Summary: The year is 1931 and Blaine Anderson has just landed himself a job as the vet for the Dalton Brothers’ Most Spectacular Show on Earth, when he meets the beautiful equestrian star, Kurt - who just so happens to be married to Sebastian Smythe, the charming and twisted animal trainer. The three of them form a close, but barely-raveled bond when they take on the task of training the great, dumb elephant, Pavarotti. A Water for Elephants AU.
Everything is finally quiet.
No screams, no shouts, no cries, no disaster march. There's no stomping of feet or rumbling sounds of distressed animals. There's only the straggled moan of an injured performer, worker, or animal inured in the stampede.
I'm utterly exhausted, and Kurt's already fallen asleep in my arms, wrapped firmly in the blanket I stole from the car just two ahead of us. His skin is hot, his forehead beaded with sweat. I know we have to get out of here soon, get him to a doctor, but he's in no condition to go anywhere right now.
I reach out, brushing the stray hairs from his forehead. He's still wearing his headpiece, along with his leotard and tights, but I won't wake him now. He can survive in something less comfortable tonight. However, I do push my fingers carefully underneath the headpiece, pulling it off gently. I toss it aside, stroking his hair a few times. He rolls over, taking a deep, rattling breath in his sleep. He curls up tighter into me and I let out a sigh, holding him close. His stretches his head back a little, and I frown at the marks on his neck.
He'll be okay. I just have to keep telling myself that. He'll be fine.
I tear my gaze away from Kurt's face and look out through the crack in the car's door - look out at the destruction - the trampled tents, the knocked-over booths, and the broken chairs. A few bodies lay out in the grass, bloody and mangled. A few stray animals walk around, not knowing what to do.
I know Kurt and I still have a lot to deal with.
We have to get him to a doctor first and foremost, but we also have to decide where we go from here, what we do with Pavarotti. I know other circuses will be arriving bright and early by tomorrow morning, taking everything from what's left of Dalton. The police will be asking questions - there's been more than five dead off our party in the past week. Someone will want explanations of the redlighting, of the stampede, of the bodies inside the big top.
We've got a world of trouble ahead of us, but for now, Kurt and I need sleep. We need our rest.
And so I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and snuggle close against Kurt.
We'll deal with whatever comes in the morning together, but for now, we'll escape in our dreams.
.
part 1
Pairings: Kurt/Sebastian, eventual Kurt/Blaine
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 418
Warnings: infidelity, domestic abuse, animal abuse, schizophrenia, paranoia, multiple character deaths
Summary: The year is 1931 and Blaine Anderson has just landed himself a job as the vet for the Dalton Brothers’ Most Spectacular Show on Earth, when he meets the beautiful equestrian star, Kurt - who just so happens to be married to Sebastian Smythe, the charming and twisted animal trainer. The three of them form a close, but barely-raveled bond when they take on the task of training the great, dumb elephant, Pavarotti. A Water for Elephants AU.
Everything is finally quiet.
No screams, no shouts, no cries, no disaster march. There's no stomping of feet or rumbling sounds of distressed animals. There's only the straggled moan of an injured performer, worker, or animal inured in the stampede.
I'm utterly exhausted, and Kurt's already fallen asleep in my arms, wrapped firmly in the blanket I stole from the car just two ahead of us. His skin is hot, his forehead beaded with sweat. I know we have to get out of here soon, get him to a doctor, but he's in no condition to go anywhere right now.
I reach out, brushing the stray hairs from his forehead. He's still wearing his headpiece, along with his leotard and tights, but I won't wake him now. He can survive in something less comfortable tonight. However, I do push my fingers carefully underneath the headpiece, pulling it off gently. I toss it aside, stroking his hair a few times. He rolls over, taking a deep, rattling breath in his sleep. He curls up tighter into me and I let out a sigh, holding him close. His stretches his head back a little, and I frown at the marks on his neck.
He'll be okay. I just have to keep telling myself that. He'll be fine.
I tear my gaze away from Kurt's face and look out through the crack in the car's door - look out at the destruction - the trampled tents, the knocked-over booths, and the broken chairs. A few bodies lay out in the grass, bloody and mangled. A few stray animals walk around, not knowing what to do.
I know Kurt and I still have a lot to deal with.
We have to get him to a doctor first and foremost, but we also have to decide where we go from here, what we do with Pavarotti. I know other circuses will be arriving bright and early by tomorrow morning, taking everything from what's left of Dalton. The police will be asking questions - there's been more than five dead off our party in the past week. Someone will want explanations of the redlighting, of the stampede, of the bodies inside the big top.
We've got a world of trouble ahead of us, but for now, Kurt and I need sleep. We need our rest.
And so I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and snuggle close against Kurt.
We'll deal with whatever comes in the morning together, but for now, we'll escape in our dreams.
.
part 1