Love, Centre Ring

Part 5


As per Reagan’s request, Troy found himself allocated to duties in the animal enclosure for the rest of allotted time in this town. It wasn’t as if he really minded anymore, although he had to tolerate a fair bit of good-natured ribbing from the other performers about it. The usual comments were that he had drawn the short straw or what had he done to the Master to deserve this continued punishment. He waved it all aside, simply saying it was no worse than many other jobs. From his perspective now, this suited him only too well.

Of course, he still had a hard time convincing others it wasn’t that bad when he was seen returning covered in mud or worse, pieces of straw sticking in his hair or out of his clothes, rotten fruit lending him an aroma all his own. Even his brothers had a few choice words to say at times at the state of the current affairs.

“Geez, Troy!” Ranford said after one matinee performance. “Hurry up and get in the Master’s good graces so you can get a different job. I don’t think I can stomach having the smell of putrid fruit and gods knows what else hanging in my face for much longer!”

“Hey, I always shower before shows!” Troy said indignantly.

“But the stink is ground into your skin! What do you do? Roll in the stuff?”

Troy grimaced. “Never intentionally.”

Ranford grinned at him. “If ever there was a case of beauty and the beast that would have to be them, right?”

Troy looked at his brother out of the corner of his eye. “What do you mean?”

“Aren’t you the brave knight trying to rescue the damsel from the beast’s clutches?”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Troy blustered, his cheeks growing hot. He lifted his towel to wipe at his face, trying to hide the flush behind the cloth.

“No need to be coy,” Ranford said with another chuckle. “It’s not like no one else thinks Aaron is pretty good-looking. It’s not because he lacks looks that no-one’s hit on him.”

“Hit on him?” Troy paused in his ablutions. “You mean others are interested in him?”

Ranford grinned broadly. “Sure they are, and for some time too. The only thing that’s kept them at bay is that big watch dog he has.” He slapped Troy’s back as he headed for the tent exit. “If you can tame the beast, the beauty will be all yours!” He looked back at his brother with a wink. “That’s got to be worth it, right?”

“Except the beast isn’t the only problem. This ‘damsel’ is just as liable to cut your throat as well!” Troy muttered under his breath as he followed more slowly after Ranford.

He only felt a little embarrassed that Ranford had guessed his attentions towards Aaron and was relieved he hadn’t seemed bothered by it. He hoped the rest of his family would be just as understanding when the time came, though that could a long time coming.

He sighed as he headed for the trailer. He’d have to buy some stronger body wash to see if he could get rid of the smell. He gave a cautious sniff at his arm. Did he really smell that bad? He sighed heavily again. There wasn’t any option though. If he wanted to spend time with Aaron he had to take the good with the bad.

He arrived at the animal enclosure a short time after, fresh from his shower, immediately collecting brooms and rakes to begin. He knew what had to be done on a regular basis so he didn’t need to wait to be told. Aaron wasn’t there when he’d arrived but came in when he was already close to finishing. He called out a greeting to which Aaron responded but neither paused in their tasks.

When Troy finally finished and looked up, he saw Aaron hunched over a pedestal stand, wrench by his side, hands grasping the lever which would release the locking mechanism; beads of sweat on Aaron’s face and bulging arm muscles evidence of the exertion he was putting in.

“I’ll give you a hand with that,” Troy said, after watching Aaron struggling for a few moments. Leaning over, he wrapped his hands around the lever also, covering Aaron’s. He half expected Aaron to pull away at the contact but he made no move to do so. They heaved together, grunting almost in unison.

“Damn thing,” Aaron muttered under his breath. He leant inwards, taking a firmer grip and heaved again. Troy also threw his weight to the effort and felt the mechanism move a fraction under his grip.

“Again!” Aaron demanded, obviously noticing the shift as well.

Troy tightened his grip, pressing up closer against Aaron’s back. They heaved again and suddenly the lever gave way, sending the two of them falling backwards, Aaron landing on top of Troy.

He only had a brief moment to appreciate the close contact before Aaron was up and back, peering closely, to check the machine parts now moving freely.

“Watch it,” Troy said. “Your hair’s gonna get caught, you idiot.”

He reached out and gathered the long strands up, pulling them back from Aaron’s face, tugging one of the leather ties from his wrist to wrap it tightly around the hank he was holding and tying it securely.

“There,” he said with a grin. “I’d hate to see you end up bald!”

“Thanks,” Aaron responded, looking a little flushed. “I’m going to get some more lube for this. You don’t have to hang around anymore today.”

“Okay,” Troy said, standing and brushing his knees down. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Aaron replied, turning back to the machinery, clearly indicating the conversation was finished.

Troy stood and quietly left, knowing there was no point in arguing or complaining although he would have liked to have spent a little longer there. He had become accustomed to Aaron’s ways by now and no longer took umbrage at what most people would consider rude behavior. He had come to realize it was often just Aaron’s way of dealing with situations he simply didn’t know how to react to. He didn’t mind. He would give it as much time as it took to make Aaron see he could trust Troy, though sometimes he wondered if he was really getting through at all.

However, the next day Troy took heart once more when he noticed the band Aaron wore in his hair was the same one he had given him the day before.

“Glad it was of use,” he said with a smile, giving the end of Aaron’s ponytail a light tug.

Aaron flicked his head away, his hair sliding from Troy’s light grip but he didn’t step further away from Troy, instead remaining at his side.

“I forgot to take it out last night. That’s all,” Aaron mumbled, shoulders hunching a little.

“Hey, that’s fine. Saved you having to find another, didn’t it?”

“Do you want it back?” Aaron began to reach up for it but Troy reached out and halted the raised hand.

“Keep it,” he said, smiling. “If you lose it, I’ll give you another.” He held up one hand and jiggled the bands around his wrist. “I’ve got plenty for you!”

“I don’t need any hand-outs,” Aaron replied a little testily.

“Think of it as a gift,” Troy answered, still smiling. “I can’t exactly give you flowers.”

“Flowers?” Aaron eyed him, one brow raised suspiciously. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

“Only for you,” Troy said softly. He touched Aaron’s cheek lightly, removing his hand just as swiftly. “Remember that.”

He turned and began to walk away, grabbing a broom on his way and dropping it into the wheelbarrow. “Come on, slacker,” he called back over his shoulder to Aaron, smiling. “The work’s not going to get done on its own!”


Three days later, Troy hurried across the compound heading for the main Big Top where he had been directed that day, eagerness increasing his pace. Every day was now like this. It was beginning to feel like an addiction – that he had to see Aaron at least once each day. His shower after practice had been nothing more than a quick sluice and he’d been fast enough to get in before any of his brothers so he hadn’t had to wait for his turn.

“Hey, Troy!” a voice called out and he looked across to his left to see the trampoline artists at practice. “What’s the rush? Where’s the fire?”

He waved the remark aside, not even slowing.

Laughter followed him. “Don’t get buried in the elephant shit!”

Man, he thought, does it really seem like that is all there is to it? Shoveling shit? He shook his head as he ducked through the side flap and into the darkened interior of the Big Top tent. He allowed his eyes to adjust from the bright sunlight outside and soon could see clearly the flurry of activity before him around the centre ring. As he made his way forward, he could see some of the safety fencing being lifted into place, people swarming around it.

“What’s going on?” he asked as he approached Reagan.

“Ah, Troy, glad you made it,” Reagan said. “Could you and Aaron work on that section together?” He pointed to the next portions of fencing lying on the ground waiting to be erected.

“Sure, but what are we doing?” Troy queried again.

“Oh, sorry,” Reagan focused back on Troy. He smiled a little sheepishly. “Sorry,” he repeated. “Things are a little hectic at the moment as you can see. Garry thought the fencing was unstable in the forward section during the big cats’ performance last night so we’re checking the joins and welds on the whole thing. We’ve found a couple of points that looked a little weak so I’ve sent them off to be reinforced.” He ran his fingers through his hair in a harried gesture to which Troy sympathized. Reagan would be feeling the pressure as he was responsible for all the animal acts from the small performing dogs and Shetland ponies to the big cats, bears and elephants. “I’ll feel happier once it’s all checked and cleared.”

“No problem,” Troy replied immediately. This was a serious matter. The security fencing was there for the protection of both the audience and the animals during a performance and had to be in perfect condition. It wasn’t in place for the entire show but was carefully positioned unobtrusively around the ring so it could be swiftly maneuvered into place when the more sensitive animal performances began. If something were to fail in the worst case scenario it could be catastrophic for all concerned. No wonder there were more people in here than usual. Looking around, Troy could see that there were quite a number of performers present as everyone recognized this as being of vital importance, and Reagan had managed to bring in most of the ground crews as well.

He walked over to where Reagan had indicated and stopped by the fencing resting flat on the ground, reaching down to pick up a set of gloves already laying there and slipping them on. He flexed his fingers, waiting until it was time for this fence portion to be lifted.

“Don’t get too close or you might get caught with the swing on the first lift,” Aaron said as he arrived opposite Troy.

Troy took a step backwards, noticing that Aaron had already positioned himself further away. Sure enough, a warning call went out and the section of fencing began to be hoisted vertical by crane. Aaron braced it lightly with gloved hands, not trying to hold it but simply ensuring that no excessive swing could turn it into a deadly pendulum. One of the ground crew continued to give directions through hand signals to the hoist operator and soon the section was suspended in the proper position.

Troy reached out and began trying to maneuver the locking clamps into place, struggling with the metal.

“Hey, don’t do it like that!” Aaron commanded. He reached around and grasped Troy’s hand, positioning his fingers carefully away from the possibility of being crushed between the steel. “’Put them there or you’ll lose them.”

Troy could feel the strength in Aaron’s grip. Sometimes Aaron seemed so frail, his pale features and slim build deceptive. However, Aaron was anything but weak, and not just physically, either. He had a fierce stubbornness of character and great determination, all of which Troy admired. What pleased him even more was that Aaron seemed to be more comfortable now in coming into physical contact with him. Slowly he’d been allowing the familiarity build between them instead of deliberately avoiding it. Troy took that as a good sign.

Aaron let his hands go and returned to the other side to hold the fencing steady and Troy returned his attention to the task at hand, finally having the clamps firmly secured without mishap. They both then stood back as the next section was erected in the same manner by the people beside them.

“Thanks for the assistance,” Troy said to Aaron as they moved further down the line.

“Just be careful,” Aaron said.

“Don’t worry,” Troy waggled his gloved fingers before him, grinning. “All present and accounted for.”

“Just make certain you can still say that at the end,” Aaron retorted, reaching down and threading the lifting chain around the fence section.

Troy hunkered down next to him to help. “I didn’t know you cared.”

Aaron flicked a glance at him then stood and moved to his position for the lift as Troy moved opposite once again. “You’re dreaming.”

Troy chuckled. “You have no idea,” he said.

“What?” Aaron called over the clattering of the fencing being hoisted.

“Nothing!” Troy responded as they returned to work. He couldn’t, however, remove the smile on his face as he watched Aaron. Things were definitely looking up.


Although, if he thought things were improving in his relationship with Aaron, he couldn’t exactly say the same for his biggest impediment, Jubal. The elephant continued to take great delight in harassing Troy at every opportunity and he’d become so used to being the butt of the beast’s temper if he drew too close that he hardly batted an eye over it now. Generally, he managed to avoid the problem by staying out of Jubal’s way but it wasn’t always possible and sometimes he did let his guard down. Whenever he did so, he could guarantee that Jubal would take clear advantage of that and this last time was no exception.

“You’re a mess,” Aaron said, shaking his head.

“And whose fault is that?” Troy complained, trying to brush himself down.

“You know if you tease him he’ll retaliate,” Aaron reached out and began to pull straw from Troy’s hair.

“I didn’t do anything!” Troy defended himself.

“Eating an apple in front of him isn’t teasing?” Aaron questioned. “When you know he’s waiting for lunch also?”

“Hey, I was hungry! I can’t be responsible for feeding that bottomless pit as well!”

“Well, I suppose you should be grateful that this is all he decided to do to you,” Aaron stated, still helping brush straw from Troy. “This is taking too long. Take your shirt off,” he instructed.

Troy did as he was told, turning and standing still as Aaron continued to brush his back down, ensuring all the straw was removed from his hair and even plucking pieces out that had made their way into the waistband of his jeans.

He suppressed a shudder that threatened to run through his body, trying to keep his mind off the light touch of Aaron’s hands on his skin. Aaron now moved to stand in front, hands gliding over Troy’s chest, removing the last of the straw dust clinging there. Troy’s hands clenched into fists tightly to prevent himself from reaching out to touch Aaron’s naked torso before him.

A stray strand of straw protruded from Aaron’s hair lying loose over one shoulder. Troy watched it sway with Aaron’s movements and then could resist no longer. He reached out slowly and plucked it away, his fingers lingering on flesh, feeling the wing tip of Aaron’s collar bone.

Aaron stilled, his actions ceasing.

Troy’s hand remained there longer than necessary for such an act but he couldn’t make himself hurry, even though he knew he couldn’t stay like that forever. Slowly he drew his hand back, holding up the straw he’d removed.

“You picked up some too,” he said quietly, locking gazes with Aaron.

They stood there for a handful of heartbeats, Aaron’s hands still resting on Troy’s chest. He knew that Aaron would be able to feel the rapid pounding of his heart but he couldn’t control that. He wondered if the other would say anything.

Aaron abruptly stepped back, putting distance between them.

“Thanks,” he said almost breathlessly, one hand rising to tug at his hair, a habitual motion that Troy had noticed he did when uneasy. “We’d better finish loading these crates,” and he turned away to return to the task they’d been involved in prior to Jubal’s interference.

Troy shook his shirt out, plucking a few stray pieces of straw from its folds and then put it back on before following Aaron, giving Jubal a wide berth so as not to repeat what had just occurred.