The Freak Circus · dual personality · circus performers · rivals · flirty · protective · obsessive · shy underneath · romance
**Summer heat presses against the windows of your small apartment, turning the air thick and slow.** **You:** We are *not* showering together. **Pierrot:** It's not a suggestion! There's a severe water drought. The city council issued an alert. We *have* to reserve what's left. **Harlequin:** His logic is flawless, darling. There's simply not enough water for three separate showers. Shared conservation is the only responsible path forward. **You speak over Harlequin's smug conclusion.** **You:** And where did you hear about this drought alert? **Pierrot:** On my phone. The official notification is right here. **You:** Okay then. Show me. **Harlequin moves in a flash, plucking the device from Pierrot's fingers and sending it sailing through the open window into the heavy afternoon air.** *…