When the opening act had finished Jonghyun was already gaping, as were all the other people in the audience. A woman and a man had danced a breathtakingly beautiful routine. Their clothes had seemed to float as if they were made of air and the couple had moved with such grace that it had Jonghyun wondering if they were even human. Halfway into the performance he realised they were telling a story. And not just any story, but the story of how the night and stars and people came to life, how love and hatred so closely followed each other in a dance that had been going since the first human walked on earth.

And the storytelling continued after that.

The animal tamer came out on stage next and started his own dance with the animals. But he wasn’t making them do silly tricks, like one would expect of a circus. Instead he showed the audience their true nature. He danced between big cats and small bunnies, jumping over wolves and ducking under elephants. And, to everyone’s astonishment, the animals joined him. As if the animal trainer talked to them, sang to them, and had them follow him in a twisting, turning play. It took Jonghyun a moment to realise that this was the story of life, and how it lived on in every creature, taking on different shapes and sizes but still the same.

The stage fell dark again as the animals and man finished their show only to light up in all the colours of the rainbow, illuminating a set of trampolines in different sizes and heights. A group of girls with clothes matching the colourful lighting jumped cheerfully from one to the other, twisting and turning in impossible spirals. It had Jonghyun gripping his seat a few times, certain they would collide, but they never did. Instead they passed each other by just a hair’s width. The hairs on his arms rose as they jumped higher and higher, movements wilder, all while still keeping effortless and happy smiles. Watching them, his heart grew lighter and happiness bubbled inside him. As he glanced around he was sure everyone in the audience felt the same, because they were all moving to the upbeat music, wide smiles gracing their faces and eyes glued to the young women on the trampolines. And that’s when it hit Jonghyun. Their performance was supposed to tell the story of joy; the happiness of friends and fun.

Just as he realised it the lights changed and the trampolines were gone so fast Jonghyun was sure magic had been used. This time a man clad in black linen stood in the middle of the scene, illuminated only by the flames in his hand. Jonghyun’s eyes widened in horrified amazement, unable to understand how he could hold the fire with his bare hands so calmly. Then other fires began lighting up, scattered around the stage, all held by an equally calm man. Jonghyun’s jaw dropped as they entered what looked like a fight, the fire the only source of light in the otherwise dark space as it flew from one man to the other in an intense battle for dominance.

“Courage,” he heard someone whisper behind him.

He quickly glanced back at the person, not wanting to miss anything, and as he his gaze fell on the flying fire again, he knew they had been right. The story was about courage, about doing what you thought was impossible with confidence and challenging others to do it as well. It struck him that everyone watching understood the stories the circus wanted to tell, just as he could see each and every story unfold before his eyes. He fleetingly wondered how that was even possible but forgot about it as the men finished with their flames, sending off small fireworks that took on forms he had never seen before.

By now, Jonghyun was sitting on the edge of his seat, eager for the next performance to start. His eyes travelled along the empty stage and he frowned as nothing appeared. Then he gasped, along with the crowd, when a young boy sailed through the air so high up that Jonghyun could see him clearly. That was when he noticed the large amount of trapezes hanging from the ceiling in different heights and angles. Jonghyun swallowed nervously as he watched the brown haired, white clad boy gracefully jump from one stick to the other, smiling brightly and moving fluidly to the music playing. After a few seconds he was joined by a tall, dark haired man, also wearing white clothes, and they started a dance of meeting on one trapeze only to jump away to another, performing impossible tricks on their own and together, all in beat to the music. Jonghyun gripped his seat tightly, chewing on his lip but mesmerised by their performance all the same. He couldn’t help but be nervous, as he could see absolutely no safety net or line. It dawned on him that that was just the way it was supposed to be because these two young boys told the story of freedom, of touching the sky and playing on the wings of the wind. It made Jonghyun feel free as a bird himself and a stupid grin spread across his face, as it did on every person in the audience.

The boys finished their performance and everything went dark again. The audience mumbled quietly about the amazing performances they had seen so far, the anticipation for the next one heavy around them.

A soft melody filled the air and everyone hushed down, looking around excitedly for the next performer to take their breath away. There were a few confused words here and there as the music grew stronger and everything was still black. But they all waited patiently, hoping the reward would be as amazing as they expected.

The music turned quiet again until it eventually stopped, but Jonghyun’s already high anticipation rose. The blood rushed in his ears and his heart was beating as if it was in its last moments of being able to show what it was worth.

A whirring sound pierced through the air from above and they all looked up in surprise. The roof of the building was slowly opening to reveal the night sky and the moon right above their heads. A murmur went through the room and Jonghyun's stomach twisted.

Then he saw it. And the rest of the audience must have too because a collective gasp went through the building.

Two small platforms had risen up above their heads, even above the opening, and there was a thin wire leading from one to the other. A murmur went through the audience once again as they all looked up at a figure standing on one of the platforms. Even though Jonghyun was sitting quite high he had to squint for a moment to see the person better. Another murmur of wonder passed through the dome and some even stood up to take a closer look.

It was a young man. A strange, slender and, even standing still, graceful young man. But it wasn’t this pale, porcelain-white skin that made him strange or that he had to be the most beautiful person the world had ever seen, with his blonde hair and red lips. No, the strangest thing about him was that he was glowing softly. It was as if the moonlight reflected off his skin and made him shine as he moved forward to start his performance, having as little safety as the pair before him had had. As he started moving the same soft melody from before began to play. Still, Jonghyun could practically hear everyone hold their breaths as the young man danced. His movements were so smooth and fluid he looked like a celestial being descended to earth.

Jonghyun was even more mesmerised than he had been before. The line dancer seemed to be defying gravity every time he made a jump and he moved with such graceful fierceness it took his breath away. Seemingly unaware of the world below, he continued to dance and jump, getting wilder and wilder until Jonghyun was sure he was going to fall. Just as he thought that the moment finally came the young man made a final leap and landed safely on the platform he had started on.

It took a moment for the them all to wake up from the trance they had been put in by the line dancer, but when they did the applause was so loud it physically hurt Jonghyun’s ears. It didn’t matter. Jonghyun was rooted to his seat in a daze, barely registering what was going on around him. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to and as he watched the young man climb down again a weird lump of mixed emotions gathered in his throat. The line dancer had just told him, and everyone else, the story of the moon and all the galaxies beyond, the places no one has ever seen and the untouched beauty of them.

When it was all over, he had to take a moment to just sit and calm his galloping heart. He didn’t even notice as the audience started to thin out around him.

That night Jonghyun couldn’t sleep. He kept tossing and turning, trying to ignore the strange pull in his chest as image upon image of the performances replayed behind his eyelids. What preoccupied his thoughts most, however, was the line dancer. His expression had been so serene yet fiery and a desire to meet him, or just even seeing him perform again, welled up inside Jonghyun. Never before had anyone had such an impact on him and, quite frankly, Jonghyun was scared stiff with what not only the line dancer, but the entire circus had done to him. It was as if he had taken a shot of a very potent drug and now he couldn’t stop thinking about it, craving another shot. Something about them had spoken to him in a weird way, had invaded his mind with small whispers of needing him. He hoped that he was the only one who felt that way, because if the entire audience was in the same state as him, this town was sure to be doomed.

He finally fell asleep around eight in the morning but his mind wouldn’t let him rest. It continued to bombard him with images of mostly the line dancer, but also of all the other performers, urging him to return.

And so, he did.

He dragged himself up in the early evening, trying to ignore the feeling of needing to go back to the circus while making some food for himself. When the begging in his mind grew too unbearable he gave in with a grumble and put on some decent clothes before heading out. Maybe he could trick himself into thinking he would return to the Dome if he just took a walk. If nothing else, he could at least try to clear his mind from the muddled state Cirque Fantasia had put it in.

He walked aimlessly through town – or he tried to, but he knew his feet were subconsciously taking him towards the shore and the bridge leading to the Dome. He managed to distract himself somewhat by stopping and talking to a few people he knew, but all too soon he found himself at the beginning of the road to what was now the home of Cirque Fantasia.

After a moment of hesitation, he slowly stepped onto the bridge, steps halting and unsure as he crossed. He was unsure if he was allowed to be there when there wasn’t a show on for the night. But there was no one around and nothing stopping him, so he squared his shoulders and picked up his pace. The pull was still present in his chest, almost dragging him to stand in front of the glass doors. He peered into the dark entrance hall, squinting to see better. The waves crashed against the cliff and the seagulls circling above the water, looking for fish, gave shrill laughs. He watched the hair in his reflection get ruffled by the wind and met his own wide eyes, raising his eyebrows at himself.

“Well, this is productive,” he mumbled and looked to the side, a small smile pulling at his lips as his eyes fell upon the light of the setting sun playing on the waves. Since he was already this far out, he decided to make his way around back to see the sun properly and enjoy the last warm rays before the horizon tucked it away. It was a calming place and he wanted to stay for a little while.

He cautiously made his way around, glancing over his shoulder a few times to be sure no one would come and chase him away. When he reached the back where the sun was shining full on he stopped dead in his tracks. A silhouette of a young man stood on top of the railing, looking out over the waves. Jonghyun’s heart jumped into his throat and he broke into a cold sweat broke as he recognised the line dancer. Just as he did, it also dawned on him that the line dancer looked as if he were about to jump into the unforgiving sea. His body was bent way too far out to not tempt fate.

“Don’t do it!” Jonghyun yelled in panic before he could stop himself. He was not about to watch someone jump to their death, especially not the beautiful line dancer.

It might have been a stupid thing to do because the young man flinched but, strangely and to Jonghyun's great relief, didn’t lose his balance. Instead he easily the thin railing to look at him with big, round eyes.

“Don’t do what?” he asked, a confused frown forming on his forehead.

Jonghyun blinked a few times, trying to gather his thoughts. The line dancer was so much prettier up close.

“Weren’t– weren’t you about to jump?” he asked sheepishly.

The line dancer eyed him incredulously for a moment before he burst out in laughter, clutching his stomach, looking thoroughly amused. Again, Jonghyun worried that he would fall, but he looked as steady as if he were standing on solid ground.

“No, I was just watching the sunset on the waves,” he explained with a warm smile. “But thanks for worrying.”

“Oh… yeah...”

Blushing, Jonghyun scratched his neck and looked away. The line dancer jumped down from the railing with unearthly grace and walked up to him, studying him curiously with an amused glint to his eyes. Jonghyun found it harder to breathe the closer he came and his brain was wiped clean of any rational thought. He could see every perfection and imperfection on his face. His amber eyes were lined with long, black eyelashes, there was a scar in his left eyebrow, and a lovely rosy tint, likely caused by the sun, coloured his cheeks.

“I–I…” Jonghyun stammered and cleared his throat. “I saw your performance yesterday.”

The line dancer’s smile grew, his eyes sparkling prettily and his cheeks dimpling.

“You did?”

“Y-yeah.” Jonghyun nodded, unable to do much else besides stare at the young man dumbly and attempt to form coherent sentences. “You were amazing. You jumped around so high above the ground. It was so graceful.” He wished he could stop talking, but his mouth refused to obey and went on blabbering without bothering to filter anything. “Yeah, so amazing and beautiful. You’re beautiful.”

The line dancer burst out in hearty laughter again as Jonghyun’s voice died out and his cheeks reddened. Had he just said that?

“U-um, I’m gonna go… die in a hole somewhere. Yeah…”

He turned away, cheeks burning. He only managed to take one step before cool, slender fingers closed around his wrist and pulled him back. Heart in his throat, he spun back around, wide-eyed, to the still giggling line dancer. Jonghyun gawked at him and he graced him with a wide, toothy smile.

“I’m Kibum,” he said. “Though, most people know me by my stage name Key.”

Jonghyun couldn’t stop staring at him, mouth ajar. Tilting his head, Kibum looked at him expectantly, expression still highly amused. Jonghyun couldn’t quite figure out what it was he wanted. Thankfully, Kibum decided to help his empty brain.

“And you are…?”

“O-oh, um…” For a moment, he completely blanked out on his own name. He cleared his throat. “Uh… Jonghyun.”

Embarrassment like nothing before washed over him and he wished the ground would open and swallow him. Kibum just continued to smile at him, looking endeared, which was more than he could hope for. He opened his mouth to say something else when a small tingling sound cut him off. Jonghyun couldn’t place where it came from but Kibum glanced over his shoulder, back to the Dome.

“It was nice meeting you, Jonghyun,” he said, squeezing his wrist lightly before letting go. There was a disappointed pull at his lips and the same feeling filled Jonghyun. Then hope sparkled in Kibum’s eyes. “I have to go back now but… see you around?”

“Definitely.”

His face burned yet again, but Kibum only let out a small, tinkling laugh and waved before he gracefully sprinted back to the building. Jonghyun watched him go, jolting a little as Kibum turned around right before opening the door to give him a last smile and wave. He returned the the wave sheepishly and Kibum was gone.

Jonghyun might or might not just have gotten a part of his heart stolen by a beautiful, blonde line dancer called Kibum.

A/N: Jonghyun is irrational -.- He doesn't know what he's doing...

This chapter kind of explains why the circus is called Cirque Fantasia, but if you still aren't entirely sure it will be explained in a later chapter ^_^ And can anyone guess who all the performers were? Except for Key that is xP

Also, I was a bit out of it while writing this because I had broken my ankle and had painkillers but I hope it makes some sense at least... I'm really clumsy on my feet :/ haha

And I'm not going to name the chapters this time because I lack the imagination for it >_<

So, I hope you enjoyed and I love all of you! :D

Bye~!<3