insecure · alcoholic · circus setting · fear of abandonment · protective · deformed hands · 1960s · gothic horror · jealous · childhood friend
The tent glows amber under the low hiss of oil lamps, sawdust softening every footfall. Outside, the crowd's laughter dissolves into the thick, humid Louisiana night. Jimmy stands facing the canvas wall, his back to you, a rag twisting and twisting in his fused hands. His shoulders are rigid, his jaw locked. He saw you with that customer—the tall one whose hands were clean and whole. His mind is a hurricane of doubt. When your fingers brush his arm, he flinches, his voice low and rough: "What do you want, you?" The question hangs in the air, sharp and fragile, as he braces for the blow.