Carnie Love
Six
Damon felt bad that Nikolai kept Willow in her gilded cage, but he could give her a taste of freedom where he could. It wasn’t easy since most places closed by the time he could sneak her out. Luckily they caught an ice cream shop before it closed, and he watched in amusement as she did a little dance in her chair with every bite of the caramel ice cream she had gotten.
“Are you sure you don’t want to get one?” she asked him.
“Nah, it’s too much sugar for me,” he said. “Gives me headaches.”
“You say that, but then you keep taking bites of mine,” she said.
“I took one bite. Hardly made a dent.”
“Oh please,” she giggled. “You had this entire side here.”
She swatted his hand away when he reached out for another spoonful of her ice cream, but she was laughing.
There weren’t many places to go, so they settled on a rooftop after getting the ice cream and just lounged around. It felt like old times, when it was just the two of them against the world. He noticed Willow had gone a little silent, and flicked her nose.
“What’s eating at you?” he asked. “Nerves?”
“Yeah,” she admitted. “I feel guilty about it. I have all these nice things but I don’t want to do my one simple job.”
“It’s not simple,” he said. “I don’t think I’d be able to get on a stage in front of two people, let alone a hundred. You deserve everything you have. That being said, I’m sorry you have to do it against your will. I’d get you out if I could.”
“I know,” Willow said with a soft smile. “Where would you go? If you could go anywhere?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Maybe somewhere quiet.”
“Me too,” she said. “A little farm with sheep and a cow. And simple, non-glittery clothing. And Rigby.”
“Married?” Damon found himself asking. “Kids?”
“I want three,” she grinned. “Two boys and a girl.”
“I can see that,” he chuckled.
“What about you?” she asked. “Are you… you know… seeing anyone?”
“What, like a girl?” he snorted. “No, definitely not.”
“Oh,” she said, blushing slightly. “I don’t know, I guess I haven’t seen you in a while. But I noticed you talking to that new girl a bit. The trapeze artist.”
“Laura?” he asked, raising a brow. “Oh, no it’s nothing like that. I’m building her a new swing and she has a lot of requests when it comes to specifications.”
“Oh.”
He thought Willow looked a little relieved, but he brushed it off.
“I’m a lot to handle anyways,” he said dramatically to lighten to mood. “Most women wouldn’t be able to handle all of this. And I’ve got history.”
“Right,” she said. “Aren’t we kind of close to where you grew up?”
“I grew up in the gutter.”
“You know what I mean.”
He felt a sort of heaviness in his chest. Damon could count on one hand the number of people who knew who he was and his history, and Willow was the only one who knew the true extent of it. She knew that Damon Rein was a shortened version of his real name, Michael Damon Reinhearst. He had always gone by his middle name, so it was easy to drop the first name and change his last name when he left home after his father snapped.
Damon actually came from a somewhat privileged background, with private tutors and piano lessons. His father always had a few screws loose, but everything changed when Damon woke up to screaming, and found his father standing over his mother with a bloody knife. His mother was cold on the floor with 32 stab wounds in her back. After his father was arrested, Damon’s family name was dragged through the mud and the money was gone. With no one to take him in, he ended up on the streets and his life as a gutter rat began.
“Bonsi is a couple days journey away,” he finally said. “It’s a city, but not quite as big as this. I already looked at the carnival route, we’re not going that way. It wouldn’t matter, even if we did. When I left I was what… six? No one would remember me.”
He knew that Willow wanted to ask more questions, but she held off. He did have an eerie feeling being so close to where he was born, though. It was bigger than a bad feeling, but he couldn’t explain why.
As they walked along the street and chatted casually, Damon noticed two night patrolmen turn the corner. He didn’t pay them much attention at first, but one of them pointed out Damon and the other looked alarmed.
“Hey!” the patrolman shouted. “You! Halt!”
“Me?” Damon frowned.
He hardly had a chance to think before he was rushed and shoved into a wall with his hands pinned behind his back. Willow yelped and jumped back with wide eyes. She was frozen in fear. Damon glared at the patrolman as best he could while being squished against the wall.
“Hey, what gives?!” he snapped. “I haven’t done shit-“
“Shut up, Reinhearst,” the patrolman growled.
Damon felt his blood turn to ice. How did they know his real last name? He got in trouble sometimes, but he really hadn’t done anything in Elgion yet.
“Alan, wait,” the second patrolman said. “This one is too young.”
They lifted a lantern to get a better look at Damon’s face, and he shot them an icy glare. The patrolman grunted and let go of Damon.
“False alarm,” he said. “You match the description for a recently escaped convict.”
The other yanked up Damon’s sleeve, then huffed when he saw there was nothing there.
“No snake tattoo, either,” he said.
Damon yanked his arm back as Willow ran to cling to him. He felt like he was about to throw up. Escaped convict. Snake tattoo.
“Who are you looking for?” he asked warily.
“Royce Reinhearst,” the patrolman said. “Murderer and madman. You two better hurry home before we arrest you for loitering.”
Damon put an arm around Willow and ushered her away. He was quiet for a while, but he knew she could feel his tension.
“Damon?” she whimpered. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said firmly. “It’s not like he’s looking for me. Come on, let’s get you back.”
“But-“
“Listen, no one can know about this,” he told her. “I’m still Damon Rein, no relation. We came from the same orphanage and that’s the end of the story. Like we always tell people. No one can know the truth. Especially Nikolai. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said softly. “Damon, you look rattled. Do you want to stay in my room tonight? Like old times.”
“You know I can’t,” he sighed. “If Nikolai sees me leaving your room in the morning, he’s going to make you suffer for it. I can’t do that to you.”
“We can sneak you out before he comes,” Willow said. “I’ll wake you up. Damon, I’m just worried about you. You know how you get about your father.”
“I don’t have a father,” he reminded her. “Okay. I’ll stay tonight. But you better kick me out before Nikolai comes, or you won’t be hearing the end of it.”
“As long as you let me take care of you for once, I can handle it,” she promised.
This made Damon crack a smile, and he flicked her nose playfully. He didn’t like making her worry and he would put a brave face on and pretend he was okay most of the time, but he knew she could see through it. This time, especially. He was definitely rattled. Suddenly he understood why he felt so strange about being so close to home. He’d just have to hope they’d finish up in Elgion before anything too bad happened.
“Are you sure you don’t want to get one?” she asked him.
“Nah, it’s too much sugar for me,” he said. “Gives me headaches.”
“You say that, but then you keep taking bites of mine,” she said.
“I took one bite. Hardly made a dent.”
“Oh please,” she giggled. “You had this entire side here.”
She swatted his hand away when he reached out for another spoonful of her ice cream, but she was laughing.
There weren’t many places to go, so they settled on a rooftop after getting the ice cream and just lounged around. It felt like old times, when it was just the two of them against the world. He noticed Willow had gone a little silent, and flicked her nose.
“What’s eating at you?” he asked. “Nerves?”
“Yeah,” she admitted. “I feel guilty about it. I have all these nice things but I don’t want to do my one simple job.”
“It’s not simple,” he said. “I don’t think I’d be able to get on a stage in front of two people, let alone a hundred. You deserve everything you have. That being said, I’m sorry you have to do it against your will. I’d get you out if I could.”
“I know,” Willow said with a soft smile. “Where would you go? If you could go anywhere?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Maybe somewhere quiet.”
“Me too,” she said. “A little farm with sheep and a cow. And simple, non-glittery clothing. And Rigby.”
“Married?” Damon found himself asking. “Kids?”
“I want three,” she grinned. “Two boys and a girl.”
“I can see that,” he chuckled.
“What about you?” she asked. “Are you… you know… seeing anyone?”
“What, like a girl?” he snorted. “No, definitely not.”
“Oh,” she said, blushing slightly. “I don’t know, I guess I haven’t seen you in a while. But I noticed you talking to that new girl a bit. The trapeze artist.”
“Laura?” he asked, raising a brow. “Oh, no it’s nothing like that. I’m building her a new swing and she has a lot of requests when it comes to specifications.”
“Oh.”
He thought Willow looked a little relieved, but he brushed it off.
“I’m a lot to handle anyways,” he said dramatically to lighten to mood. “Most women wouldn’t be able to handle all of this. And I’ve got history.”
“Right,” she said. “Aren’t we kind of close to where you grew up?”
“I grew up in the gutter.”
“You know what I mean.”
He felt a sort of heaviness in his chest. Damon could count on one hand the number of people who knew who he was and his history, and Willow was the only one who knew the true extent of it. She knew that Damon Rein was a shortened version of his real name, Michael Damon Reinhearst. He had always gone by his middle name, so it was easy to drop the first name and change his last name when he left home after his father snapped.
Damon actually came from a somewhat privileged background, with private tutors and piano lessons. His father always had a few screws loose, but everything changed when Damon woke up to screaming, and found his father standing over his mother with a bloody knife. His mother was cold on the floor with 32 stab wounds in her back. After his father was arrested, Damon’s family name was dragged through the mud and the money was gone. With no one to take him in, he ended up on the streets and his life as a gutter rat began.
“Bonsi is a couple days journey away,” he finally said. “It’s a city, but not quite as big as this. I already looked at the carnival route, we’re not going that way. It wouldn’t matter, even if we did. When I left I was what… six? No one would remember me.”
He knew that Willow wanted to ask more questions, but she held off. He did have an eerie feeling being so close to where he was born, though. It was bigger than a bad feeling, but he couldn’t explain why.
As they walked along the street and chatted casually, Damon noticed two night patrolmen turn the corner. He didn’t pay them much attention at first, but one of them pointed out Damon and the other looked alarmed.
“Hey!” the patrolman shouted. “You! Halt!”
“Me?” Damon frowned.
He hardly had a chance to think before he was rushed and shoved into a wall with his hands pinned behind his back. Willow yelped and jumped back with wide eyes. She was frozen in fear. Damon glared at the patrolman as best he could while being squished against the wall.
“Hey, what gives?!” he snapped. “I haven’t done shit-“
“Shut up, Reinhearst,” the patrolman growled.
Damon felt his blood turn to ice. How did they know his real last name? He got in trouble sometimes, but he really hadn’t done anything in Elgion yet.
“Alan, wait,” the second patrolman said. “This one is too young.”
They lifted a lantern to get a better look at Damon’s face, and he shot them an icy glare. The patrolman grunted and let go of Damon.
“False alarm,” he said. “You match the description for a recently escaped convict.”
The other yanked up Damon’s sleeve, then huffed when he saw there was nothing there.
“No snake tattoo, either,” he said.
Damon yanked his arm back as Willow ran to cling to him. He felt like he was about to throw up. Escaped convict. Snake tattoo.
“Who are you looking for?” he asked warily.
“Royce Reinhearst,” the patrolman said. “Murderer and madman. You two better hurry home before we arrest you for loitering.”
Damon put an arm around Willow and ushered her away. He was quiet for a while, but he knew she could feel his tension.
“Damon?” she whimpered. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said firmly. “It’s not like he’s looking for me. Come on, let’s get you back.”
“But-“
“Listen, no one can know about this,” he told her. “I’m still Damon Rein, no relation. We came from the same orphanage and that’s the end of the story. Like we always tell people. No one can know the truth. Especially Nikolai. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said softly. “Damon, you look rattled. Do you want to stay in my room tonight? Like old times.”
“You know I can’t,” he sighed. “If Nikolai sees me leaving your room in the morning, he’s going to make you suffer for it. I can’t do that to you.”
“We can sneak you out before he comes,” Willow said. “I’ll wake you up. Damon, I’m just worried about you. You know how you get about your father.”
“I don’t have a father,” he reminded her. “Okay. I’ll stay tonight. But you better kick me out before Nikolai comes, or you won’t be hearing the end of it.”
“As long as you let me take care of you for once, I can handle it,” she promised.
This made Damon crack a smile, and he flicked her nose playfully. He didn’t like making her worry and he would put a brave face on and pretend he was okay most of the time, but he knew she could see through it. This time, especially. He was definitely rattled. Suddenly he understood why he felt so strange about being so close to home. He’d just have to hope they’d finish up in Elgion before anything too bad happened.