Wow! How did everyone find those eggs so fast?! Am I losing my touch?? ToT Or…does everyone have superpowers?! Maybe you MCs were bitten by radioactive eggs and you gainedeggie-senses?! Guhhhh does that mean I’m the Red Egglin??
Lolol but kidding aside~ Thank you, MCs, for joining my game! *w* I hope everyone had as much fun playing as I did hiding my handsome face in our circus promos! Yikes, I sounded like Zen just then ;;;;
Congratulations to the three winners, @ netherbees, @angelik0wand@megami606sama, whose eyes must be sharper than Vanderwood’s, because he could only find 3 LOLOLOL!
To reward you for your lighting-fast reflexes and eggxtra sharp eyes, you three will receive discounts for the zine! WEEEEEEE!!! You can use the extra money you save to pay for the circus parking~ Beep beep!!!
Hahahaha thank you everyone and look forward to the opening of the MYSTIC MESSENGER CIRCUS(ES)! Do we have more surprises in store? Maybe~ So stay tuned ;)
I had a lot of fun creating these pics to help promote the amazing @mysmecircuszine!! So here’s my selfie with my bae. ❤️
We’re glad you were able to take a photo with our aerial dancer, @zennyshoneybunch, you both look amazing! ^^ He’s been busy with rehearsals and practices lately, but looking at your photo, it seems Zen is shining as brightly as ever despite his hectic schedule! ;) Make sure to have him sign the photo afterwards~
This is a once in a lifetime event, so we at Cirque du Mystique and the Midnight Circus would like you to have a piece of the circus to bring home with you and keep with you always! ✨Everyone is welcome to participate! Tag us so we can share your photos~ ^^
Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, and feast your eyes on a marvelous treat that’ll surely delight your every sense! The Mysme Circus Zine team proudly presents:
HARLEQUIN’S TRICKS
Foolproof, the harlequin’s intentions hide behind painted face and dark clothes. We invite you to take a peek behind the mask, but will you be able to handle it~?
Hey, it’s been a while since I posted my work here… I am very proud to say that this fic featured in the amazing @mysmecircuszine . I’m really happy to have been part of this project, along with so many talented writers and artists.
If you haven’t been able to get a copy of the zine to yourself, I hope you enjoy this piece with the lovely Zen and the beautiful red hair MC. :)
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⭐⭐⭐ A Golden Date ⭐⭐⭐
Zen sets a towel around his neck with a smile and a slightly labored breath. A good practice session is always satisfying, even when he practices by himself.
He looks up, making sure he left everything ready and in place, before heading out.
On his way he checks his phone for messages, but there’s nothing. That means he still has time for himself and a frosty cold beer sounds just like the perfect ending of his busy afternoon. He can almost taste it when he ducks under the small, covert, tent’s side door, almost running into a girl.
She jumps out of the way, her green eyes wide open with surprise.
“Oh, hey there! Is everything okay, little lady? Were you looking for someone?”
“No! I mean, yes…”
She feels embarrassed, maybe even a little star-struck - after all, the man standing right in front of her is the circus main star Zen. And he is even more handsome up close.
The girl’s cheeks turn almost as red as her hair, which Zen finds really cute. He follows her eyes as she looks down to the golden ticket she is clutching close to her heart.
“Oh? You’re the raffle winner?”
He gives her a big smile. She nods.
“The lady with short brown hair told me to wait here.”
“Jaehee? Where did she go?”
He looks around for a moment before checking his phone, but once again there is no message or missed call.
“Why would she leave you here? She was supposed to tell me.”
“She got a call and left in a hurry… I think she was mumbling something about c-hair? Sounded urgent.”
“C-hair? Ugh, I bet Jumin, that jerk, is making her babysit that allergenic hazard he’s so fond of… Man! Like she doesn’t have enough on her plate as it is, you know?”
She doesn’t know, but she nods nevertheless, following him, since he started walking mid-sentence. Soon enough, the frown he wears on his face turns into a happy smile.
“ Anyway, congratulations on your win! What’s your name, little cutie?”
She returns his smile with a shyer one of her own. “It’s MC.”
“MC? Haha even your name is cute.”
He stops, turning to her. “So, MC, are you ready to go on a carnival date with the most handsome guy here in the circus?” He ends his question with a wink and laughs happily when she nods and answers excitedly.
“Yes, absolutely!”
“That’s the right answer! Can you just give me a second to freshen up and put something else on? I gotta look my best for our date~!” He gives her a teasing smile.
“Of course! Even though you look handsome no matter what you wear, I’m sure.”
Her words, along with her lovely flushed cheeks, hit straight through his heart, making him feel even more excited to spend some time with her.
“Woah, you just made my heart jump there, MC! Hahaha you think so? You really have good taste!” He gestures dramatically towards himself. “Alas, this tight outfit may look great on my Greek-like body, but it doesn’t leave much room for storage.” He laughs, showing her the phone he’s holding in his hand. Obviously, the outfits made for both his practices and the show don’t come with hidden pockets. Although that wasn’t such a bad idea… should he present the idea for Silverspoon’s consideration? He would probably just be giving Jaehee more work to do, though. That jerk.
He shakes his head to get rid of his thoughts - the last thing he needs is to be thinking of Jumin Han when he’s in such better company - and points at a wooden seat, happily situated in front of a pretty little flower bed.
“MC, you can wait here while I change. Don’t worry, I won’t be long. I’d never leave a cute girl waiting!"
Zen jogs the short distance to his own personal tent that works as his dressing room. He stays true to his promise and, in the speed of light, washes himself and puts on clean clothes: a cream sweater, jeans, white sneakers and a pink cap.
He smiles at the mirror, happy with his reflection. Even though he barely knows MC, it feels like a real date. He makes a mental note to ask MC for a selfie. Yoosung rolled his eyes when the contest was mentioned, but he’ll be green with envy once he sees how cute the winner is.
He’s almost out when he remembers the little corsage he got for the event. He grabs it from between the cans of beer in the mini-fridge before jogging out of the tent. Presenting her the corsage with a flourished movement, Zen extends his hand and clears his throat.
"May I have your hand, my princess?” He can see how her eyes grow in surprise at first, before a little smirk lifts her pretty little lips up. She tries to sound serious, but it’s impossible to miss the laughter in her voice.
“Shouldn’t we at least have a meal together first?"
It’s his turn to be confused with her words, although it only takes a second for him to understand their meaning. "Oh, because it almost sounded like a proposal, right? Hahaha woah you’re fast.”
In a theatrical way, he kneels down and opens up his arms. Realizing what he’s doing, MC adopts a dramatic pose herself, which makes it more difficult for Zen to stay in character. It’s like they’re both actors in a theater, playing a strange version of Cinderella.
Keeping his laughter in, he looks at her longingly and changes his voice and tone.
“M'lady, I have scouted this entire kingdom, looking for the owner of this corsage, for she is the true owner of my heart!”
Over-dramatically, MC presses the back of her hand to her forehead, extending the other one in Zen’s direction. “You have finally found me, my Prince!”
He carefully puts the corsage on her wrist and is about to say another silly made-up line, but her face and pose are too much to take and he just bursts out laughing. She could very well be the worst actress he has ever seen, but definitely also the cutest.
Oh man, he loved to play around like that, pretending he was an actor instead of a circus performer, and to have her responding to his lines was just too perfect, how could he resist?
“There, looks perfect. But you know what? I don’t want to be a prince, I shall be your knight in shining armor instead, so I can protect you from all the danger we may encounter in our way.”
“Why, you expect me to be in danger, my knight?” MC takes the arm he gently gives her, and looks attentively as he leans in, in a conspirative way.
“Certainly! A beautiful princess such as yourself is always in danger of… falling in love with a handsome and courageous knight.”
Unable to keep the flirtatious smirk in his face, Zen laughs heartily, enjoying the sweet sound of her own laughter.
“See? You need to be careful, MC. All men are wolves, y'know?”
Their arms intertwined, they move to the carnival grounds, where all the rides, food stalls and guests are. There’s music, laughter and the ride’s operators’ cries, enticing the guests with the usual worn-out phrases.
The first ride they try is the Carousel, of course.
“Your carriage awaits, my princess.”
Zen bows, waiting for her to go in first, but she grabs his hand and pulls him along. With big smiles and slightly tainted cheeks, they choose a couple of side-by-side horses. They chat all through the ride - MC is so easy to talk to - and too soon the carousel stops again.
They start looking for the next ride to go, when the sweet aroma coming from the different food stalls fill the air around them. Popcorn, cotton candy, candy apple - MC can’t prevent herself from looking at the tasty treats available, and Zen had to be blind not to notice it.
“How about we get something to eat, MC? Do you like fish shaped bread?”
“Yes, I love it!”
“Yeah? Me too! Haha we have so much in common! Come, I know the best place here to get them.”
Zen guides her around the numerous food stalls, to where his favorite vendor is. The man knows him well, so he gives them the most golden brown and generously filled pieces of fish shaped bread he could possibly make.
As they walk away Zen whispers. “This vendor is great, but you know, he’s only the second best fish shaped bread vendor I know. The absolute best is close to my old place. I’ll take you there sometime.”
She nods in response and a little smile plays on her lips as she blows on the steaming bread, and only then does he realize he had basically asked her on a second date. Not that he minds. Actually, now that he’s aware of it he’s happy that his mouth works faster than his brain sometimes. He almost wants to kiss himself for such a brilliant idea, but instead he smiles and blows on his own bread.
They walk in comfortable silence, strolling and watching the other visitors and the different games they’re playing. It would be fun to play one of those games and win MC a stuffed animal, but he’s not very good at shooting things. That’s more of Vanderwood’s idea of fun. Still, he looks around trying to find a good game he could win when his eyes land on the High Striker. He knows he can reach the top, he is strong enough, it doesn’t take much skill and he’s done it before, mostly on a manly dispute with Vanderwood.
“MC, how awesome would I be if I won a stuffed toy for you?”
“Pretty awesome!”
“Right? Am I the perfect date or what?”
Excited to be able to show off a little, Zen all but jogs his way there. The operator is calling out to the guests walking by, trying to get someone to try the attraction.
“Who are the men out of the boys? Come and test your strength, if you dare.”
He looks at Zen, and even though he knows him well enough, he acts like he’s just another guest. “Are you looking to offer the young lady a pretty prize? Step right up!”
Truth be told, whenever Zen played around, trying to get the puck to go all the way up the tower and ring the bell, it would spike the other customers’ attention and a very nice line would form behind him, to the operator’s contentment. So the man was always happy to see Zen going over.
“MC, choose any prize you like. I’ll win it for you.”
The way the afternoon sun kisses up her long red hair as she looks over the toys makes his heart race a little faster. The view is mesmerizing and Zen wishes he was as good with a camera as V. MC points at a big white wolf with red eyes that kind of looks like Zen, bringing him out of his daze. He laughs excitedly, and grabs the hammer the man hands him. With no surprise, he strikes the lever with the necessary force to make the bell ring and MC happily receives her prize.
“That was amazing, Zen! You got it the first time without so much as a warm up.”
Zen laughs, but feels bad about deceiving her so he admits it wasn’t his first try. She just shrugs and hugs her toy.
“Well, you do work here, so I thought as much. Doesn’t make it any less impressive, though.”
His heart swells up with both pride and something else entirely different. Could this girl be any more perfect? How lucky was he? Despite it all, he must have done something good in his life for a girl like her to win the raffle.
Now with a new companion, and a renewed purpose to make this the best date in the history of dates, they continue their search for fun rides to go.
They try the house of mirrors, where even in strange sizes and shapes Zen would still look handsome. The roller-coaster in which, despite not being that scary, Zen made sure MC could hold his hand for safety. And also the bumper cars, chasing each other as fast as it allowed them to.
Next stop was the ferris-wheel, of course, since no date could be considered complete without a romantic ride on the ferris-wheel. When they arrived, though, the ride was closed and a big ‘Under Maintenance’ sign was hanging in front of the ticket office. Due to a malfunction the ride would only be operational by the next day.
“Man, this is the worst luck! How am I supposed to give you a proper date without a ride on the ferris-wheel?”
The girl squeezes his arm, softly. “Zen, it’s okay! I already had the best date of my life, thanks to you. It was so much more than I had imagined and you even won me a souvenir!"
She shakes the toy in her hand, giving him another little squeeze with the other, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "You did a perfect job as my knight in shining armor, sir! I will never forget this…"
Her words have the exact effect they should: Zen got his happy disposition back. He laughs and leans into her. "It was the best date of my life too, because you were in it~. Haha, alright, but you know what? I have a better idea on how to end our date. Cm'on, babe.” He grabs her hand and walks her back to the main circus tent, where they first met.
“Ta-da! You didn’t really think I’d end the day like that, right? Not this knight.” Through the secret passage, he leads her inside, where the setting sun was giving the empty space a very intimate and romantic vibe.
He shows her how everything works and how he usually practices. With her consent, he takes her up the ladder that leads to the small platform, where the trapeze is conveniently hooked to. They could see everything from up there and even though it could be a little scary, MC looked comfortable enough.
“Babe, do you want to try it?”
She is unsure at first, afraid she won’t be strong enough, but after he explains everything, her curiosity wins.
He unhooks the harness from its spot. “Here, put this on. If you fall it’ll make sure you’ll go slowly onto the safety net down below. But don’t worry, I’ll catch you for sure!"
There’s usually no safety net during the shows, and definitely no harness, but sometimes, for practice, they were used.
After leaving everything ready for her, Zen goes to the other platform. He skilfully begins to swing in his trapeze. It’s quite the sight to be seen. He positions himself and gives MC the signal to start. She holds on to her trapeze and jumps from the platform, swinging in the air. Just like Zen explained, she gains momentum with her legs and soon she’s ready for the jump.
"OK MC, when I say 'go’ you let go and extend your arms to me… One… Two… Three… GO!
Obediently, she lets go of the trapeze. It’s all done in a second, but to them it feels like they’re doing it in slow motion. Zen holds out his hands and immediately catches her. She looks up at him, both wearing the biggest smiles ever.
"I did it!!!”
“I told you I’d catch you! And you were great, babe!”
They sway in the air for a moment longer, looking at each other. The mood is romantic, but unfortunately Zen’s nose starts to itch.
Something’s off.
His smile fades and he looks down to the ground, searching for the silhouette he knows all too well. Suddenly, he sees it: a fluffy white thing running fast as lightning from one point of the stage to the other.
That was no rat!
The itch in his nose only intensifies, and he can barely hear MC ask if he is okay before the unstoppable need to sneeze builds up strongly. He tries to hold it in but it’s impossible, so he just lets go of MC’s hands. She falls safely on the safety net and, after letting out a row of sneezes, so does Zen.
“MC, are you okay?"
She doesn’t answer, but her soft giggles are all he needs to relax. He grabs the hem of the safety net and rolls out. Immediately, he walks over to MC.
That damn fur ball, walking around wherever it wants, destroying his date…
He extends his hands to her and helps her down, slowly lowering her until her feet touch the ground. Her beautiful green eyes shine brightly, almost lightning up the entire, dimly-lit room. In a matter of seconds his thoughts about Elizabeth the 3rd dissipate, giving way to other, much sweeter ones.
Her hair is a mess, and he carefully brushes it between his fingers. “I’m sorry for letting you fall, babe… but you know, I think I’ve fallen myself…”
The smile she offers him should be illegal, only because it’s almost too beautiful to bear. “How about we do this again tomorrow? A real date this time. After all, we gotta go take a ride on that ferris-wheel.”
They start heading out to the entrance. Soon, the Midnight Show was going to start and the staff would be busy preparing everything. “Can we also eat candy apples tomorrow? Did you know, in some countries they call it the love apple.
“The love apple? I like that! But you must be careful not to fall into a deep sleep after eating it. Or instead of being my Cinderella with the fitting corsage, you’ll turn into Snow White.”
She giggles and answers in the same singing voice he has been using.
“Well, if that happens you’ll have to give me a true love’s kiss~” Zen chuckles, but shakes his head. “Babe, you shouldn’t say those things to me, I’m a man too you know? I told you already, all men are wolves. You’re lucky I’m trying so hard to be a gentleman, but if you go on telling that stuff, it’ll be hard for me to keep the beas-”
Too caught up in his speech, Zen never realizes as she stops in front of him, grabs the collar of his sweater and pulls him down, just enough for her lips to meet his. His eyes grow as big as dinner plates and his entire body ignites, turning his cheeks ablaze.
“B-babe!”
“Sorry, I’m no gentleman. Life is too short, if I like someone it’s better to let him know. And I… I really really like you, Zen.”
He’s speechless for a moment, before his surprised expression turns into an exhilarated one. He embraces her close, her small frame fitting perfectly in his arms, and hides his blushing face in her hair.
“Oh, man… what am I gonna do with you? I can’t win.” He laughs happily. “You know what? I have one last performance before I’m free, it’s the midnight show, what do you say you stay and watch it and then we can spend a little more time together?”
MC looks up, still enclosed in his arms, listening to him.
“The prize didn’t include the show, but you can stay as my guest… I don’t want to let you go just yet haha. You can watch me and cheer me on, and I can blow you a kiss from the stage and then we can go and gaze at the stars. I know just the perfect place… What do you think?”
“Sounds perfect!”
Hands intertwined, they leave the tent together, to the cool twilight. Both feeling excited for the second part of the date, as well as - maybe - the rest of their lives together.
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That’s it! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have enjoyed it. <3
If you want to read more, here’s my masterlist. And I won’t say no to a cup of ko-fi, if you feel like sharing one. ;)
