July 17th, 1927 - Cooperstown, North Dakota

Billie wobbled slightly on the platform but managed to steady himself before anyone noticed, namely Salvatore. He listened to the sound of the cheers and applause sweeping around the ring, rising in crescendos of appreciative clapping.

The set had gone well tonight, it had been Billie's first show after his accident a week ago. Elmer had been filling in for him and the routine had had to be altered slightly.

Elmer was definitely built to be a catcher rather than a flyer, but Juan hadn't minded switching up the roles a bit.

Everyone had been really supportive actually, apart from Salvatore.

Billie still couldn't believe that Dean had been quick enough to catch him. He knew though, that if the older boy hadn't been there - Billie would never have performed again, and that was if he had even managed to survive the fall.

Billie remembered when he had first seen Dean, sneaking through the wire fence at the back of the circus.

Normally it was kids trying to sneak in, not nineteen and twenty-one year olds, Billie had been intrigued. Then later, during his performance, he had spotted Dean and Viv again in the front seats, Dean had been staring up at him, his mouth hanging open. It still made Billie smile whenever he thought about it.

Ever since then - Dean had come to all of Billie's shows. At least, Billie was pretty sure it was him. He would see the familiar figure moving about towards the back behind the rest of the audience, eyes always focussed on Billie even when it was Juan that was doing the action.

Perhaps it was just a trick of the light.

Tonight though, Billie couldn't find Dean in the audience. The other boy seemed to have been avoiding him since the incident. Billie could probably guess why.

Dean was a 'towner', an 'outsider'. He hadn't grown up in the circus, he had never worn fox-coloured makeup or had to spend the better part of an evening picking sequins out of his pubic hair.

Dean was for all intents and purposes, normal. He had lived a normal life, well, right up until him and his sister had packed their bags and gone searching for work. But even that wasn't exactly unusual for the time.

And Billie...well, Billie knew what he was, he had always known. He was just grateful he had grown up in the circus where no one really noticed if you enjoyed wearing your makeup a little too much, or if you spent the day breaking in Lola's new heels for her. These little quirks were readily accepted as part of the day to day life of the circus.

If Billie had had to grow up in the real world...he was pretty sure people would have figured something was up soon enough. Billie had seen towners beat each other to death for less.

And Dean was a towner. Billie still flushed horribly thinking about the look on Dean's face when Billie had sucked the older boy's thumb into his mouth. Thank god for the excuse of concussion. Since then, Dean had avoided Billie like the plague and Billie? Billie had let him, suffering in shame alone.

Billie sighed as he clambered his way down from the aerial platform. He really wished Salvatore would install better rigging up there, but there was fat chance of the ringmaster doing anything beneficial for Billie now.

Billie had almost had an anxiety attack the next time Lola had put on a show after his failed act. Salvatore had stood there the whole time she moved around the lions and tigers, holding his thick black whip between his twitching fingers, a smirk playing on his lips every time he pretended to raise it and Billie flinched in fear.

In the end, Salvatore had done nothing and the Cat Show went without a hitch (or a scratch) but Billie knew that the ringmaster was taking sadistic delight in torturing Billie with the threat of hurting his friends.

The worst thing was that Billie knew Salvatore was twisted enough to sabotage his own show.

"Just ignore him," Lola had trilled as she had walked off stage with a smile, but her face was clearly damp with sweat. Billie wondered how long Salvatore was going to lord it over him.

Billie jumped down onto the ground with a thud, the audience weren't looking at him now so there was no need to be particularly graceful.

"Bien hecho!" Juan exclaimed happily, running over to him. "Knew you'd nail it!"

Billie laughed and gave Juan a tight hug back, "Yeah as long as I've always got you as my catcher buddy."

"I dunno," Juan grinned. "I think Dean did a pretty good job of catching you last week."

Billie rolled his eyes. Luckily, Juan was not someone whom he had to hide his true self from.

"He's been asking about you all week," Juan added, nudging Billie's shoulder with a smirk. "He keeps sending Clara to spy on our practices to make sure you're not gonna fall off any more bars."

"Oh is that why she's there?" Billie exclaimed. "It's really off-putting, her snake hisses every time I do a back flip! I think it wants to eat me."

Juan snorted as Anita came walking towards them with a wave.

"That was great boys," she beamed proudly at them both. "Billie you even had my papa chuckling along when you pretended to forget to pick Juan up from the hoops and had to take another swing at it!"

"I think Billie gets more laughs than the clowns," Juan winked.

"I heard that Hernandez!" Frank's angry voice shouted across from where all the clowns were lining up ready to enter the ring, their faces set in resolutely grim expressions. Apart from Melvin, who was grinning like an idiot.

"Where is Raymond anyway?" Juan asked, looking around, "Shouldn't you guys be prepping the horses?"

Anita let out a long put-upon sigh, "He's talking with Lola and Viv."

"Ah," Juan gave a knowing nod.

"Ah what? What is this 'Ahhing' that I know nothing about?" Billie frowned, batting Juan's shoulder, "Buddy have you been withholding important gossip from me?"

Anita rolled her eyes before looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Oh my god," Billie cried before Juan shushed him. "Your papa's trying it on with them isn't he?"

"Billie," Juan hissed pleadingly, "That's not the nicest way of putting it." Juan gestured towards Anita who was looking even more awkward and red in the face.

"Who's the bookie's favourite?" Billie winked, ignoring Juan's frowning expression.

"That's the thing..." Anita moaned, "I'm not all that sure he has to choose..."

"I just love the circus," Billie grinned round at them both as Juan snorted.

"Tell Lola to swing by my bunk tonight," Billie nodded at Anita. "I want to hear all the lurid details!"

Anita groaned and threw her hands up in the air before grabbing Juan and dragging him away. Billie was about to call out after them when he was distracted by Dean leading the wolves into the waiting area.

"Hey Dean!"

"Hello Billie," Dean didn't even look up, but kept his eyes firmly on the wolf in front of him as he crouched down to inspect her paw.

"Do you want to help me get ready for my next act?" Billie blurted before he could think better of it.

Dean's eyebrows raised quizzically as he finally looked up at Billie. "How would I do that?" he asked with a bemused smile.

"I need someone to help me limber up, hold me while I stretch. Normally Juan or Lola do it but they're both a little preoccupied at the moment," Billie shuffled with a small, awkward smile.

"You want me to hold you...while you stretch?" Dean even included a pause to make the whole thing sound acutely more odd.

Billie felt his face heat up, "Yeah, well otherwise I'm more likely to pull something or give myself an injury. I mean it's no big deal I can just go ask Elmer - he's always happy to help with it."

"I'll do it," Dean said quickly, slapping his hands together to brush off all the wolf fur and standing up to face Billie. "Just tell me what to do."

"O..okay, nifty, thanks! I, er, I'll just go get changed into my contortionist costume and I'll be back okay?" Billie grinned.

Dean nodded as Billie beamed at him before running off to find his green leotard.

Billie returned to find Dean sat with his back against a rope cart and couldn't help but preen at the way the other boy's eyes tracked down Billie's tightly clad form.

"I'm always surprised that you're strong enough to do those trapeze tricks," Dean said flatly as Billie's heart fell. That must have been why the other boy had been staring at him so intensely.

Billie blushed before attempting a grin, "Yeah well the lighter I am - the easier it is! You wouldn't find Walter being able to do a catch and flip!" Billie exclaimed. "All those muscles would get in the way." He laughed awkwardly as Dean stared at him expressionlessly.

"Anyway - shall we?" Billie swallowed nervously.

Billie led the way through the side tent towards a quieter area behind the horses' hay bales, glancing behind him a few times to check that Dean was still following.

"I er, normally just start with a few leg stretches on my own but then when I get to the more complicated ones, if you could just make sure I don't topple over or something, that'd be great." Billie nodded as Dean took a step back, his arms crossed over his chest.

Billie took a deep breath before starting his warm-up exercises. His muscles were already heated and lax from his trapeze performance earlier so all he really need to do now was make sure he was feeling flexible enough to wriggle through and into whatever hoops and chests Salvatore threw at him.

Given the particularly vindictive mood the ringmaster was in at the moment, it would probably be a matchbox.

"Okay I'm going to do a handstand and then I'll sort of lean back into it, if you could just grab my legs..."

Billie placed his palms on the grass and swung up into the pose. He bit down on his slight gasp of surprise at the feeling of rough hands sliding up his legs and gripping his thighs.

"Yeah..just like that," Billie swallowed before arching his neck back and stretching his arms as much as he could.

"Just hold me steady," Billie elongated his legs as he felt them resting on Dean's broad shoulders. He realised with a stab of embarrassment that he was gracing the other boy with a close up and personal view of his crotch right now.

Billie also simultaneously realised how catastrophically bad this idea might turn out to be, given the exposing nature of his leotard and his dick's apparent disregard for correct stretching etiquette.

"That's enough of that!" Billie laughed loudly as he attempted to scramble back down, unfortunately his left foot was still hooked around Dean's neck and had the unintended effect of dragging them both into a sprawled heap on the floor.

"Shit! Sorry!" Billie spluttered as he tried to worm his way out from underneath Dean who gave a suffering sigh and propped himself up on his elbows, glaring at Billie.

"I must have overbalanced," Billie explained, chewing nervously on his lip as Dean stood up and brushed himself off before extending a helping hand to Billie.

Billie felt the calluses across Dean's palm - sure signs of circus work and the grating pull of tent ropes.

Dean stood staring expectantly at Billie for a moment. "Well?" he asked suddenly. "Aren't you going to continue stretching?"

"Um yeah, of course!" Billie murmured, running his hands through his hair, "Sorry - I'm not normally this bad - you can ask Juan!"

"It's fine Billie," Dean replied, sounding vaguely amused. Billie couldn't help but feel that the other boy was trying to bite down a smile. At least it was a better reaction than him storming off, which Billie had half expected him to do.

Billie finished off his stretches with Dean helping him. Quite frankly he had just wanted to spend some time with Dean alone, maybe confirm why the other boy was avoiding him but this definitely had the added bonus of getting Dean's hands all over him, sliding across the slippery fabric of his costume.

At one point, Dean slipped slightly, their foreheads butting gently together. Billie giggled as Dean drew back with a smudged patch of green face paint on his skin.

"Hold on - you've just turned part snake," Billie grinned as he licked his fingers before reaching forwards to rub at Dean's forehead. The other boy frowned as Billie managed to remove the last of the make-up.

"Er...sorry, I probably should have just gone and gotten some water," Billie winced as he hastily withdrew his fingers.

"It's fine Billie," Dean sighed, although he looked pretty pained about it. "Are we done here?"

"Yeah, sure. Thank you for helping Dean," Billie said bashfully, hanging his head in shame as Dean gave a curt nod before walking away back to the wolves.

"Hey Melvin - how you feeling tonight?" Billie called out as he made his way across the side tent.

"Good...why?" Melvin eyed Billie suspiciously. Maybe he still hadn't forgiven him for the whole custard pie replacement incident of the previous month. Who knew lion dung was so hard to get out of clown costumes?

"Nah, just wondering," Billie replied, shaking his head. "Because if you need someone to cover you for 'Sad Clown' tonight - I'm your guy."