Carnie Love

Despite her protests, Willow fell asleep pretty quickly once Damon and Rigby were with her. Her shows had been doing so well in the city that Nikolai had seemed almost manic about the success lately, though he was more inclined than usual to be snappish and agitated if he felt she’d made a mistake in practice. Him being gone for a few days was such a relief she’d almost cried when he told her he was leaving.

She slept all night and well into the next morning with Rigby curled up in a little ball wedged between her and Damon. She was finally woken up when the puppy started licking her face.

“Mmph, Rigby,” she complained, lifting her face out of his reach.

“I guess he’s ready for breakfast,” Damon remarked, looking amused as he rescued her from the eager puppy kisses. Willow’s stomach cramped with hunger pains and she winced.

“I wouldn’t mind breakfast myself,” she admitted. “I’ve barely eaten for the last few days with the schedule Nikolai’s had me on.”

Damon’s jaw clenched slightly. “No wonder you fainted on stage,” he grumbled.

“I’ll ring for something,” Willow said, smothering a yawn and brushing her messy hair out of her face. Damon cracked a small smile and reached over to gently brush a smudge of glitter off her cheek.

“I should’ve washed all that off before I went to bed,” she said. “Look at the pillows. And Rigby.”

The puppy had some sparkles in the fur on his face from snuggling with her. She smiled slyly and then nuzzled her face against Damon’s so he had glitter too.

“Willow,” he laughed, trying to fend her off and use his sleeve to get rid of the glitter. She giggled and caught his face in her hands to kiss him. Then she climbed out of bed and splashed water on her face and fixed her hair. She was tying a robe on over her nightgown when there was a knock at the door. The room service guy gave her a slightly weird look with how much food she’d asked for but she just gave him a sunny smile and took the tray.

She fed some sausage to Rigby and Damon watched with amusement as she practically inhaled a blueberry muffin.

“I need to get back to the carnival, just for a little while,” he said. “I don’t want anyone telling Nikolai that I was nowhere to be found while he was gone. But I promise, I’ll be back for you this evening.”

“For dancing,” Willow said, smiling.

“For dancing,” he agreed. “In the meantime just relax and get some more rest.”

He stood up and handed her another muffin, leaning down to brush a kiss on her forehead. Willow was so used to practicing that she didn’t know what to do with herself when she had a few hours of down time. She found herself rifling through her closet looking for a dress that was pretty but not as ostentatious as her performance dresses. Justine occasionally made her a more casual dress with leftover or discarded fabrics from the flashy show gowns.

Normally Willow didn’t put much thought into what she wore, she was just relieved to wear something comfortable and less conspicuous. But if she was going to properly go out with Damon, she felt like putting a little thought into it tonight. She dug through every dress she had with her, finally pulling out a soft pale green one that had gotten shoved to the back. It had tiny pearl buttons on the bodice and she decided it would have to do.

She put the other dresses away and then sat fussing with her hair for another hour, considering whether to pin it up instead of just tying part of it back when Damon came climbing back in through her window. She suddenly felt a little nervous again and tried not to fuss with the dress as she stood up.

“Um. I’m ready,” she said, when he just looked at her for a moment.

“Right. So you’re feeling better?” he asked as he helped her out the window.

“Just being free from Nikolai for a few days is enough to make me feel better,” Willow said dryly, blushing as Damon lifted her off the trellis. “Getting to sleep for more than four hours helped, too.”

“I’m sorry he puts you through so much,” Damon muttered. “I feel like he does it because of me.”

Willow shook her head, grabbing his hand as they walked. “It’s not your fault,” she said quietly. “He does it because he knows I care about you and he hates that. He thinks that since he made me a star I should be devoted and adoring.”

Willow rolled her eyes and Damon smirked, squeezing her hand lightly.

“Well, for the record, he didn't make you a star,” he said. “You always sparkled all on your own and he just hopes he can exploit it.”

Willow blushed fiercely, trying not to smile too hard. Damon led her into a little pub where a live band was animatedly playing fiddles and a lot of people were clearly already tipsy as they danced around the packed room.

“I remember I used to peek in the windows of places like this,” Willow remarked. “The dancing looked like so much fun, but you had only just started teaching me some dances when Nikolai noticed me.”

“Well now we can see what you remember from my lessons,” Damon said slyly, grabbing her hand and yanking her into the crowd of dancers. Willow squeaked in surprise, wrinkling her nose as she playfully swatted his arm. He grinned at her and she laughed and clung to him as he spun her around. After a few songs she stumbled and got swept up in the crowd of dancers, so she maneuvered over to the bar to catch her breath and hold still until Damon found her. She was fanning her flushed face when a man sidled up next to her.

“Evening, Red,” he said conversationally. Willow shot him a wary look.

“You look familiar,” the man continued. “Aren’t you the little doll who sings for the carnival? What are you doing standing over here all alone?”

“I’m not alone. I’m here with someone,” Willow informed him.

“That scruffy looking guy I saw you dancing with?” he chuckled. “Seems to me a pretty bird like you could do better.”

Willow was ordinarily too shy to say much to anyone, but she felt anger bubble up in her chest and she straightened up.

“Better?” she asked. “Like who, some creep at a pub who smells like he bathed in cheap beer?”

The man’s expression turned annoyed and he looked about ready to say something else, but he quickly snapped his mouth shut and went slightly pale. Willow felt someone come up behind her and knew it was Damon.

“Evening,” he said cheerfully to the man, resting a hand on her waist. “Having a nice chat, are we?”

The man just mumbled something and beat a hasty retreat from the bar. Damon chuckled slightly, sitting down next to her in the vacated seat.

“I’m proud of you, Squeaky,” he said. “I heard you stand up to that guy.”

“He called you scruffy,” Willow pouted.

“I am scruffy.”

“Well then I like scruffy.”

Damon laughed again, taking her hand and pulling her into a little booth in the corner where she could catch her breath without being disturbed. He brushed his thumb across her knuckles.

“You should tell people off more often, it suits you,” he said. “You’ve come a long way since we were kids. Remember how for the first three years we knew each other you refused to talk to people? You’d whisper things to me and I’d relay the message.”

Willow grimaced and laughed awkwardly. “I don’t know how you put up with me all these years,” she admitted. “I must be such a burden for you.”

“Are you kidding?” He tugged gently on a loose curl of her hair. “What would I do without your squeaking and your sparkle? Besides, you saved me too, remember? When I got the flu and you kept stealing me blankets and medicine because you were small enough to fit through keyholes?”

Willow made a face but then she smiled.

“You ready to dance some more, or did you want to leave?” Damon asked.

“We can dance some more. I think I’m getting the hang of it.”

He started to scoot out of the booth to lead her back into the fray but she caught his arm and pulled him into a quick kiss while they were still tucked in the shadows.

“Okay,” she said, cheeks pink. “Now we can get back to dancing.”