Circus Days One Shot Collection

by TheCat1987

Summary:

Three short vignettes of the Buckzo family practicing their skills at the circus.

Notes:

After writing up the first scenario as just dialogue with the boys learning about pie throwing, I wanted to go into it a little more and how the kiddos and grown imps at the circus practice their skills. This is still their way of making a living so I figured why not explore that a little bit?

With the pie story, I guess that for practicing how to get someone in the face with a pie or tossing a pie in your own face, you wanna be able to do it without hurting yourself or someone else. So for practice, they'd use pie tins with shaving cream to get used to the feel of it since I'm pretty sure custard pies or whipped cream would get really sticky really fast so they'd wanna use something a bit easier to clean off with shaving cream. And I had to get that gag where Blitzo would get Cash with the pie but then Fizz would get him back. XD

Barbie I think would be fascinated with her mom's practice on the silks and would wanna do something like that while she's practicing so a ribbon dance would fit well. She prefers acrobatics but she doesn't mind ribbon dancing...even if she'll get tangled in the ribbons sometimes. But Tilla and her bonding with Tilla telling her own clumsy stories when she was younger really helps the two get closer.

And it's been a while since I had something with Dante and Nyx so I wanted to include how they would work on new routines together. Their masochism tango of how they used to not like each other eventually morphing into appreciation and love for each other would fit well for them. And I could see a dance/knife act where they add a bit of danger to their routine. But their passion would be so powerful they would kiss during practice and get caught by their bosses. They don't mind them getting all flirty especially since it was just them that saw them. The kids would just giggle at the sight.

Splatstick

“Alright pipsqueaks the first thing you should know with bein' a clown is splatstick.” Cash told the two tired imp boys.

Tuesdays were reserved for practicing new skills. The mornings were reserved for physical fitness and the afternoons were for more specialized skills. Everyone had their own routines that kept them in shape and ready for anything. Fizz and Blitzo had the skills they liked do to with Fizz enjoying juggling and making balloon animals while Blitzo preferred more physical comedy with pratfalls and balancing acts.

But this was a new one for the kiddos.

“Um…don’t you mean slapstick?” Fizz asked, raising his hand.

“Nope,” Cash corrected. “Splatstick is the art of gettin' hit with anything messy and having it be funny.” He then took out a tin filled with cream. “For example, the classic gag of gettin' hit with a pie.”

Blitzo licked his lips in excitement. “Oh that looks good! Can we eat it?” he begged.

Cash laughed as he bonked his boy on the head. “You don't wanna eat this. This is just shaving cream for practice,” he warned before looking at the smaller boy. “Fizz? You wanna demonstrate?”

“Yes sir.”

Cash let Fizz move next to him as he handed him the pie tin. “Alright ya wanna have a big goofy smile on your face before ya hit your face. Soap and cream are a bitch to get out. Do a big wipe with your arm after the fact and then maybe do a stage slip for extra comedy. Ya got it?”

Fizz nodded as he got into acting mode. It only took a bit before he smacked the pie in his own face, causing Blitzo to crack up. Fizz, who had been performing a bit longer, was able to wipe the excess cream off and did a dramatic slip, plopping right on his butt while still maintaining his clown-like grin. “Like that, sir?”

Cash nodded in approval as he handed the boy a towel. “Good work! Ya got knack for this kiddo.” He grabbed the tin and some shaving cream to spray another healthy dollop in before looking at his son. “Blitzo, you want a go?”

Blitzo carefully stood up, walking past his friend who went to return to his seat. He slowly took the pie tin and looked up at his dad. “So it just goes in the face?”

“Yep. One good splat and it'll get audiences rollin' in the aisles.” Cash told him confidently.

Blitzo looked down at the messy pie before a sneaky smile crossed his face “Okay~”

Cash nodded proudly, utterly oblivious of what was going on in his son’s head. “That's the spirit. Now remember ya gotta be quick. Don't hesitate or–”

*SPLAT*

Fizz let out a gasp as Blitzo rubbed the pie in Cash's face. “Hey he's right! That is funny!” he grinned.

The pie tin slid off Cash’s face, leaving the older ringmaster dumbfounded with shaving cream all over his face and torso. A plop of soapy cream falling on the ground sent both boys in hysterics, laughing at how ridiculous he looked. Cash quickly grabbed a towel before giving his son an annoyed look. “You were supposed to hit your own face, ya dingdong! Not me!”

“Aw come on! That was funny!” Blitzo grinned, wiping a tear from his eye. “Besides, isn’t comedy the funniest when it’s unexpected?”

Cash let out a groan before he saw something behind his son. Fizz gave him a shush gesture before he snuck the shaving cream can over to him and started to quietly spray the tin full. Seeing what he had in mind, Cash let out a chuckle before he gave his boy a smirk. “Gotta admit kiddo. Ya really got me there,” Cash joked.

Blitzo’s eyes brightened, his tail swishing happily as he looked up at his dad excitedly. “You mean it? I did good?” he asked, practically bouncing on his hooves.

Cash nodded, a devious glint in his eye. “Yeah the element of surprise is good in comedy, squirt,” he went on before he gave him a shrug. “But ya forgot one thing when it comes to pranks.”

“What’s that?” Blitzo wondered.

“Revenge.”

Before Blitzo could ask what he meant, he felt a tap on his shoulder. The young imp turned around and saw a flash of Fizz’s big smile before–

*SPLAT*

He was hit right in the face with a pie.

“Blaugh! Gross!” Blitzo groaned, spitting out the soapy substance that got in this mouth. He was wiping the cream off his face as Cash and Fizz laughed at their glorious trick. He should’ve seen that coming!

“Oh that was good, Fizzy-boy!” Cash grinned.

“Thank you, sir!” Fizz smiled proudly before giving his friend a sympathetic smile. “Sorry buddy. I couldn’t resist.”

Blitzo spat out one last glob of shaving cream before giving his dad a flat look. “Well now I get why you don’t use whipped cream for practice. This is easier to clean off.” he conceded.

“I’ve been around the block enough to pick up a few tricks.” Cash told him.

[END]

 

Ribbon Dancing

Barbie saw her mom setting up with silks as she walked into the tent. “Hi mama!” she waved.

Tilla looked over to her daughter before giving her a smile. “Hi Barbie. Perfect timing. Can you turn on the music for me, please?” she requested, gesturing to the boombox on the bench.

The young girl nodded as she pressed the button, letting music fill the tent. Barbie sat on the bench as she saw her mother work her way up the silks. She was so impressed at being able to do flips like that, almost effortlessly. Barbie would go up high for her acrobatic stunts but never that high. It was like she was dancing in the air, unaware of the world beneath her.

Or maybe she was a mermaid princess gliding through water. With the way her hair flew as she twirled and flipped and bent her body, she’d believe it.

Looking around, Barbie saw a ribbon left behind from one of the ribbon dancers as a thought crossed her mind.

‘I wanna dance too…’ Barbie thought as she took the ribbon and went to the middle of the ring. She waited for the right moment before she started to twirl the ribbon around. Seeing it flutter around her made the young girl giggle. She started to run and skip around, letting the ribbon dance behind her.

 

Tilla watched from above, happy Barbie was having fun. Seeing someone perform would give someone the bug to try for themselves and she was glad she was trying something new. Barbie was a great acrobat already so it was good she was trying something different. The taller imp couldn’t help but giggle as she saw her daughter spin and jump along with each step.

Though she felt a worried knot hit her stomach when she saw the ends of the ribbon tangle around her legs and she was about to pull. “Barbie! Watch out–!”

*FWUMP*

“Ow…” Barbie groaned, falling face first on the ground.

Tilla immediately climbed down from her silks and ran to her daughter’s side. “Honey! Are you okay?” she fretted, sitting her girl up.

“Y-Yeah…I’m okay…” Barbie nodded, letting her mom untangle the ribbon from her legs. “Sorry about that.”

“I’m just relieved you’re okay.” Tilla sighed in relief. Seeing the pouty look on her daughter’s face, Tilla placed a hand on her shoulder. “You know, I wasn’t very good at silks when I first started.”

“Really?” the small girl blinked in surprise. “But you’re so good at it.”

“That came with a lot of practice,” she reasoned, smiling in embarrassment. “Plus a lot of goof ups on my part. Once when I was trying to do a particularly involved routine, I ended up getting wrapped up like a mummy.”

“Were you okay?” she gasped.

“Oh I got out fine but it took a lot of time to work through it. Another time, when I probably should’ve been resting because I was feeling sick, I went up there but the minute I looked down…” she trailed off.

“You tossed your cookies?” Barbie guessed.

“Bingo,” Tilla nodded. “Hell, once when I was starting out, I pulled too hard on the silks and they came down while I was on the ground and fell all over me.” She then finished untangling the ribbon as she helped wrap it up for now. “I’d get discouraged too, wondering if this was right for me. But you know what I did?”

“What?” she asked, blinking as she felt her nose get booped.

“I kept getting back up.” Tilla smiled, handing her the ribbon. “I would take breaks too to figure out what I needed to do or just recharge. That’s okay too.”

Barbie took the ribbon, giving her mom a grin. “Well I wanna sit for a bit…but I might try again later.” she told her, giving her mom a hug.

“That’s my girl,” she smiled, kissing her head as she helped her to the benches. “I’m gonna grab some water. You want some?”

“Yes please.”

Tilla left to go to the snack bar real quick, leaving Barbie to rest. Barbie looked up at where her mama once was dancing up high before she glanced to her usual platform. She remembered once being scared of falling even with the nets when she was first starting out but she had to push through to get past that block. The day she remembered her first twirl and dismount was so good. Blitzo and Fizz were gushing at how cool she looked and her mom and dad squeezed her in a big hug with how proud they were of her.

“I’ll get there with this.” she whispered, holding the ribbon in her hand.

[END]

 

Dance of the Blades

Dante and Nyx were standing in the center ring, tango music building as they gazed at each other. This was a new routine they had been wanting to try for some time where their act was a mix of a thrill and more of a dance that told a story. They have been partners and a couple for some time so they’ve been wanting to try something new.

Dante began first, revealing his knives with each step. Boldness and confidence allowed him to express the ego he felt about his own skills, allowing the blade to shoot behind him. He had never been challenged before which made him cocky.

Then Nyx came into the picture.

Her moves were more calculated, each turn and step was meant to knock him back on his feet. She was a dancer once before trying out circus performing and it clearly showed. Being able to hide her potential was her greatest strength, thinking she was helpless only to be knocked on their asses. She saw how confident he was and as much as she wanted to impress him at the time, she also wanted to bruise that ego a bit.

Her knives shined under the stage lights as she stared right into her partner’s eyes. With a dash it was almost like she was ready to gut him then and there. But as quick as she was, he grabbed her hand with an almost playful smirk. She grinned up at him, pulling out another knife as their dance/knife duel began.

Each step matched with a clink of metal, their moves completely in sync. From how they challenged each other brought frustration when they first started working together. Thinking they were better than the other. Hidden beneath the rivalry was a secret desire to prove to themselves they couldn’t beat…but also wanting to impress the other.

Seeing someone that understood their passion.

The art of a skill others may call weird or just a hobby.

As much as Dante didn’t want to confess to it, he was so happy that he found someone that loved knife-work like he did. He would’ve felt awkward just throwing knives at another demon thinking they’d crap themselves. But he knew now not only Nyx could take their routines in stride but she’d match him with each throw of the knife.

In their rivalry, what was once petty grudges and snark eventually turned to mutual respect. The moves that were once fierce, trying to knock each other down melded seamlessly into a dance that allowed both to shine. The day they worked together to save the twins saw the cracks from what was once a childish grudge form into the start of a genuine friendship and eventual love.

“You know, you always did impress me,” she whispered, letting her words linger as he fought off her knife from nicking his face.

“Oh? Is that why you constantly tease me?” He asked, a blade grazing against her cheek as he walked her back before they circled each other, never facing away from each other.

“Only because you make it fun,” she grinned.

The music hit a strong crescendo, each step and clash of blades began to increase in their speed. It was almost a whirlwind of synchronized movements. A battle masking a dance with two demons that trusted they wouldn’t actually hurt each other. The end of the music left them both panting before wrapping their arms around each other, kissing each other in the heat of the moment. There was something about the music, choreography, and blade work that really made their passion soar.

Dante separated first, caressing her cheek. “You were incredible…”

“So were you…” Nyx smiled.

The two were brought out of their lovey-dovey moment by a wolfwhistle from the entrance of the tent. They turned to see Cash and Tilla, Cash giving them a smirk as he teasingly waved at them while Tilla covered her mouth with a blush.

“Whoo! Get a room!” Cash called with a laugh.

“W-We were practicing!” Dante stammered, both imps standing up with dark red faces.

“He’s right. We just finished our new routine,” Nyx nodded, looking sheepishly up at the taller imp woman. “How’d it look?”

“You did a great job,” Tilla told them proudly. “I love how you both can combine dance and knife-throwing into a unique act. You wanna take a break?”

“Yep! A break sounds good!” Dante nodded, quickly walking past the coy smiles of his bosses with Nyx following behind him. They were done for the day anyway and needed to cool off as it were. The routine was something they had been working on for some time so they were relieved their bosses approved it.

But they might tone down the flirting just a tad during actual shows.

[END]

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 172 of Blitz/Stolas Happier Childhood Memories