#the circus school au has an insane amount of research put into it

[allsassnoclass]

19 & 57 for the 100 ways to say i love you prompt list? whichever pairing you vibe with for it 😊 -💙

okay roll with me here blue heart but let me give you some context for this. michael and luke are part of a youth circus. michael is an acrobat. luke is an aerialist. this is part of a larger universe that has not been written yet but this prompt said muke and i've been thinking too much about youth circuses lately.  there is not a festival for world circus day yet but if there was. whoo boy. it sure would be something.

muke: “Can I hold your hand?” and " There is enough room for both of us.”

The circus festival is huge.

Logically Michael knew that it would be, since it's the first World Circus Day festival and over 100 circus groups signed up, but it's still shocking to get to the festival space and see all of the people and tents.  They've been here for three days already and performed five times, but it's still boggling his mind.

Luke seems equally mystified but a lot more excited, so when he invites Michael to go exploring with him after their morning hand balance routine he accepts eagerly.  They've changed out of costume but haven't wiped off their makeup yet, but Luke is bouncing on his toes and already chattering excitedly about all of the other performances and booths they could hit, so Michael decides to forgo the makeup wipes.  Besides, Luke looks good in glitter, even if circus makeup is ridiculous and big.  Everyone else here is wearing it, so they're not going to stick out or anything.

At least, Michael won't.  Luke draws eyes naturally, especially when he's in the air.  He's the only aerialist that makes Michael want to stop being so scared of heights.

There are dozens of other performances happening simultaneously around the grounds, but Luke bypasses the offers of maps and a program and dives into the crowd instead.  Michael almost loses him immediately in the press of other people, and when he pushes through the bodies and finds Luke again Michael immediately snatches for his hand.  Luke startles, but doesn't pull his hand away, and Michael's stomach swoops like it did the first time he truly gained height on the Russian swing.

"Can I hold your hand?" he asks.  "It's too crowded.  I don't want to get separated."

"Oh," Luke says, face still flushed like it was right after they finished performing.  "Yeah, good idea."

He readjusts their grip, threading their fingers together, then tugs Michael forward again.

They find another performance soon enough, some contortionists from Sweden on a platform twisting around each other.  They watch for a few minutes, but Luke is still bitter that he's not flexible enough to be a contortionist so they move on quickly.  A sword swallower is next, which they watch for longer and with equal parts fascination and disgust.  Danger acts like that aren't taught at their school, and Michael wants to look away but can't find it in himself to.

"How does he do that?" he asks.  He's not sure if he wants to know.

Luke shrugs.  His face is doing something weird, a grimace mixed with curiosity, and they clap enthusiastically when the performer finishes but don't stick around to see what he does next.

Luke takes his hand before they move on.  Michael doesn't let himself read into it, because it's still crowded and Michael really doesn't want to get separated.

There's a Capezio tent, so Luke makes them stop because his are wearing out and he wants to see how much variety is here rather than at their local dance store.  Michael actually should see about ordering another pair before the fall session starts, but his don't have any holes in them yet so it should be fine.  His teeterboard shoes still work and that's all that really matters to him, anyway.

Luke is delighted by the fact that they have more colors than tan, white, and black, but there's not much to see when they're not going to buy anything and they quickly move on.

There's a booth selling cotton candy.  Michael immediately buys some and offers Luke a bite.  He takes some of the fluff and pops it in his mouth, then complains about how his fingers are sticky from just one touch.  For a split second Michael considers doing something ridiculous and gross like offer to lick the sugar off his fingers, but he catches himself and tries not to turn a noticeable shade of red.  Thankfully, Luke is already scouting out their next stop.

The next stop happens to be one of the larger tents on the grounds.  Luke grabs Michael's hand again and beelines for it, stopping short outside and checking his phone for the time, then the schedule for when the next act will be.

"Come on, we're just in time!" he says, pulling Michael into the tent.  He wants to ask what they're just in time for, but the two straps hanging from the ceiling give him a pretty good idea.  At least it's not high wire.  Michael's heart still hasn't recovered from watching Ashton do that without a net, even though he knows that he had a harness.

"I think I see some spots over there," Luke says, pulling him along again.  They pass by other audience members to get to one of the benches near the middle.  The woman near the end scoots over a little when she sees them coming and Luke beams.

"Come on, there's enough room for both of us," he says, plopping down.  He may be right, but barely.  If Michael wants to fully fit on the bench, he has to sit pressed fully against Luke from shoulder to knee.

Luke also hasn't let go of his hand yet, which Michael definitely is still not reading into.  Nope.  No reading happening here.  In fact, Michael is illiterate.

Luke squeezes his hand excitedly when the audience lights dim and the stage lights come up, a voice announcing the performers and country of origin in French, English, and what's probably Russian, given that that's where the performers are from.  Luke watches with rapt attention as two men enter the ring, then the music begins and they start their routine, full of lifts, tricks, and impressive displays of strength.  If Harry and Louis had been a bit stronger, Michael thinks that the duo straps routine from last year's summer show probably would've looked a little like this.  It's impressive, but what's more impressive is the way the stage slight still shimmer off of Luke's makeup and the delighted laugh he gives when the performers do something he hadn't predicted.  He's completely reeled in, smile wide and eyes lighting up like fireworks with each trick.  Watching his reaction is almost better than watching the performance itself, although Michael would never tell him that.  Luke gets offended every time Michael reminds him that aerial acts aren't for everyone.

"Did you see that?" Luke asks excitedly, leaning closer with his eyes fixed on the arena.  He glances at Michael and stops when their faces are about an inch away.

"What?" Michael asks.

Luke's smile shifts into something softer.

"I think they're getting to the finale," he says instead of actually replying.  "You should pay attention."

He turns his gaze back to the performers, hand flexing in Michael's grip.  Michael looks back at the ring where the performers are holding each other up in the air.  He still finds himself in tune with Luke's reactions more than the performance, noticing every sharp intake of breath and relaxed exhale when a trick lands.

When the performance ends, Luke finally detaches their hands to clap.  Michael tries not to mourn the loss.

"Do you want to keep watching these guys?" Luke asks, leaning close to be heard over the cheering.  "I think they have a few more routines, but acrobats from the Chinese State Circus are going to perform at the East Tent soon.  I only really wanted to see the straps routine, anyway."

"Do you have the whole festival memorized?" Michael asks.

"Just the things I thought you'd want to see," Luke says.  "Also, Lena is here, so Ashton wants all of us to see her German wheel routine and say hi, so we're going to do that in the afternoon."

"Oh," Michael says, still stuck on the fact that Luke specifically looked up the things he thought Michael would like.

"Come on," Luke says, nudging him towards the entrance.  "Let's go see the Chinese State Circus."

Once they get outside, Luke takes his hand again.

They pass by a trapeze set up on the way to the East Tent, and Michael's stomach swoops when he looks up and sees the performers so high above them.  Luke just continues pulling them forward, though, and Michael thinks that his feelings about heights are no match for the acrobatics his stomach does when Luke glances back and smiles at him.

[jean-does-not-have-a-horseface]

Dark Knight {Levi x Reader}

I had this crazy idea about a Levi mafia au that's also Batman au... I'm not insane bear with me

"Sometimes, I wonder" Levi's voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke in your ear, while your head laid comfortably on top of his bicep, hair sprawled everywhere around you.

"Yes, love?"

"How can you be so perfect at it?" He scuffed, pinching his nose in anxiety. He didn't care for what he was about to utter , he knew that if you loved him you wouldn't give a damn about being exposed alas your reaction was what he feared the most. Your soft giggles filled his ears, pumping guilt through his veins alongside his blood. If he had it his way he would never even think of ruining such a beautiful moment but the though of you not entirely belonging to him only sickening him more and more by each passing second.

"How can you get into my bed, climb on top of me and make me feel like I'm alive in your arms? Doesn't guilt eat you from inside when you lay next to me and you hear me proclaiming my love to you, or are you just a monster?"

Levi shut his eyes in utter refusal to witness your face at the moment. His heart throbbed so loudly inside his chest that he couldn't hear anything but his pulse. Your voice echoed in the distance as you spoke in question to what he was saying but he chose to ignore it. He chose to ignore that you were adamant on playing your little game after he had just outed you of it.

"How long have you known?" You spoke in shame. His hand never moved from under your head yet you seeked to crawl under the sheets and close your eyes in defeat. There was no turning back from this point now, Levi could end you here and now, you knew about the gun in his nightstand and the one strapped under his bed, they were just two movements away from his reach, which meant that even if you had enough time to dodge him, you couldn't avoid the bullet he would plant into your head.

"Don't know. When was the last time you met up with Dick fucking Grayson?" His mouth dripped of poison at the mention of the name. He didn't know why he hated the man more, was it because he grew up in the arms of the richest man in Gotham, was it because he was a cop that was always in his business or was it because he had seen you clinging onto him with a flirtatious aura, speaking so casually as if you had known him for years.

A little detailed mob research on his name was all it took for Levi to have a folder with his name on it. It was a big stack, filled with pictures of him in the circus, the crime scene of his parents murder by Zucco, and an extraordinary amount of clews that linked him to self mantled vigilante going under the name Nightwing. After digging a little deeper he found your name linked to him as well, in an old middle school post in the pits of social media and while your civilian form should mean nothing significant to Nightwing, he found a video of a female superhero working alongside him. Levi was sharp enough to grasp and analyse each movement, each step that she made and he knew it was you. His heart ached at the realisation.

"I knew Batman was sick but to send you to seduce me, and you agreeing."

"I wasn't meant to seduce you-"

"Then what? You figured I'd look nice in your collection? You seem to have a type; black hair, light eyes, one minute you're crying over Dick Grayson and then you're with his brother?" Your shocked expression only acted as confirmation to him and you knew, but how could he have figured all those things on his own? Your mind was so puzzled, so numb over the profanities Levi was throwing at you so calmly, as if he was putting you to sleep on a regular day.

Having had enough, Levi finally yanked his arm away from under your neck with force. He hadn't chosen to be this heartbroken, but he had chosen to fall in love with a fake version of you and now he couldn't let go. In the back of his head he wondered if he could trust you to stay with him, if he should offer you a deal to show him your true self. He was so helplessly in love with you that he would do anything you wanted him to, but it had to be different and he had to be strong and strict with himself in the matter.

Signaling for the chip device under the skin in your arm you caught Levi's eye. New waves of agony rushed through him at the sight. Everything he has said to you was on podcast for your lunatic team of vigilantes to hear. He felt exposed, alone, foreign in his own skin.

"I was trying to make Gotham better in the only way I knew how, you know my fucking men are only trying to provide for their families and what's Batman doing? Beating them up?"

You stayed silent as you felt shame overpower you. You had caused this to him, you had made him feel conflicted and afraid when you knew he wasn't the monster people said he would be. You hated that you had seen that side of his that no one else had when you didn't even deserve it. Regret flooded your mind for never stating that you loved him back when you could because now you had broken him. And he had been so kind and patient with you still.

He stood on his feet, walking away from you to find comfort in his own clothes. That disgusted, bored gaze of his burned holes in your skull in a way no bullet ever could and you hated that it was intentional. There was no turning point for you and him and in that moment you both knew.

"Next time you see me, we're not on the same side anymore."

This is very very rushed and I'm sorry it's not that well written I needed to get it out of my system, idk if I should turn this into a (well written) series or not