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In the time that it had taken me to find Lance, he'd changed out of the suit and into his training attire- a soft, dipping tank top tucked into high-waisted velvet shorts that slid dangerously high up on his thighs.

He was sitting in the bleachers of the empty circus ring, wrapping bandages around his palms and wrists for support. I jogged over to him, breathing hard, and fought to speak eloquently as I regained my breath.

"Lance," I tried, attempting to meet his eyes. He didn't say anything but his face was one of bruised pride and sadness. "They're small-minded people," I tried to explain. He still didn't reply so I hesitantly reached out for his hand, but he pulled away, finally looking up to me as he finished wrapping the gauze.

I tried a different approach. "Why do you care what they say?"

Lance gave in and shook his head. "It's not just them." He paused and his cobalt eyes pierced mine. "You've never had someone look at you the way your parents looked at me." He looked down at his palms and frowned. "The way everyone would look at... us."

He promptly got up and walked over to the closest pillar where he began undoing the rope he used for aerial stunts. As a final attempt, I spoke softly, walking to him.

"I know that you feel the same way I do, Lance. You keep on looking for ways to deny it or for us to stop trying but that's the last thing I want to do. I want to keep trying for whatever this could be. "

Lance still wouldn't look at me and instead moved onto another section of rope. I followed behind him with tenacity.

"I'm not trying to be persistent, but Lance, who's to say we can't be together? I don't care, I really don't."

Still ignoring me, he hopped into the sand ring, towing the rope behind him. It was attached at its other end to the ceiling, but I couldn't see where it led. 

I caught Lance by the waist and a smile slipped over his lips for a brief second as he turned to face me. I put my palm to his cheek, trying to reassure him, trying to get my point across without him walking away from me. 

"I know that you see what we have, but you keep telling me that we can't be together for this or that reason. What if... What if we rewrite the stars? What if we just ignore all of that and be happy together?" I kept my eyes on him, pulling him back to me gently when he tried to pull away, stubborn as ever. 

There was a flicker of emotion that got past the barrier of hurt in his eyes for a moment, but then he looked to the ground and pushed my chest, tugging hard on the rope he held and flying up into the rafters.

I looked around the ceiling blindly, searching for him, but it was as if he'd disappeared completely. Suddenly, I heard his voice. 

"You think it's easy? You think I don't want to run to you?"

There, floating down from the ceiling in a single beam of light, he hung suspended in a hoop, long, toned legs cycling as if running in the air. He slowly sank down, and, when he landed, I walked to him, pleading to him with my eyes. Forgive me, please. Give us a chance. 

Lance tried not to meet my eyes as he spoke, brows furrowed in determined stubbornness. "I know you're wondering why I keep pushing you away like this, even though we're able to be just us, together, alone in here. But, when we go outside, you're going to wake up and see that it's hopeless trying to make something work between us. We're just not meant for each other."

Suddenly, he flipped up and through the hoop, his legs wrapped around the top of its rim, our faces level but his upside down. The hoop began rising again and this time I held on, trying desperately to hold on to him, to any hope he had. 

But my hands were sweaty and I fell away from him, his sigh echoing out through the room. He disappeared into the darkness of the rafters again, and again, I searched for him. Just because I was here didn't mean that he wasn't going to stop practicing his aerial stunts, I guess. 

"And no one can 'rewrite the stars', Keith, that's not how it works." I found the source of his voice, but he was already cutting down through the air in front of me, slicing across the ring, holding onto a rope that dangled from the ceiling, his elegant body twisting as he soared around the ring. 

Gritting my teeth, I intentionally stood in front of his path as he swung back through the air again, the impact as he hit me sending both of us to the sandy floor. He sat up, not-so-conveniently straddling my torso as I lay on my back, a hard look in his eyes as he held onto the rope. 

"As much as we wish it were, it's not up to you and it's not up to me," Lance muttered sourly. Looking down at me, a flash of soft emotion broke through his facade and he paused to stroke my cheek with one hand before yanking on the rope and flying up again.

I picked myself up quickly, expecting him to disappear again, but he was suspended in the air by the rope, practicing the stunts he performed for the crowd, the cord wrapped around him like a snake. With the loop wrapped around his waist, he did a move I'd heard him refer to as a 'wheel-down' and, on reflex, I caught him on his way down the rope, steadying him on his feet as he eyed me with a curious expression. 

We were standing closer than I thought he'd let me, but I wasn't complaining. Lance caught his breath, his chest rising and falling with the exertion of the exercises, but in an instant, he was off again. With a tug on the rope, he prepared himself to launch back up into the rafters, but I held on too, my breath damn near leaving my body with the force of the launch. 

Lance looked at me with wide eyes and immediately circled his legs around me to hold us closer together. I guess I found it endearing that he was concerned for my safety because I figured that that was the time to tell him, "I just want to be with you."

He looked directly into my eyes, my arm aching as we hung there, suspended. "I know." And then, he let go of the rope. I struggled to catch him, and our hands met, but I soon realized that his intention was only to get me back down to the ground as he pulled me down with him. "That's dangerous," he whispered when I was back on the ground. 

"Please, Lance-"

"It's impossible, Keith. We could never last."

"It's not impossible," I grabbed his hand and he let me, his other hand still gripping the rope. 

"I want to believe that."

"Then believe it."

Lance turned away but I saw the corner of his smile. With a running start and before I could stop him, he was off yet again. Out of sight for only a second before I spotted him- big, swirling circles up in the air above me, holding onto the cord with only one hand, the other outstretched towards me. 

Like he wanted me to join him. 

An invitation. 

I looked around desperately for a way up into the rafters and spotted a ladder that led up into the second level, where the balcony was. 

Lance called out to me, a reckless smile on his face, "How do we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine?"

I climbed the ladder as fast as I could and probably looked like a moron doing so, but Lance just kept at his circles. I stood on the railing of the balcony and counted down under my breath. 

3...

2...

1...

And then, I did probably the dumbest thing I've ever done. I jumped. Lance, hanging by the rope, was directly below me as I'd timed and, arms outstretched, I'd managed to grab hold on the rope (and Lance). 

And suddenly, we were swinging through the open air together, my arms encircled around him, my breath coming quick as I gripped the rope. Lance threw his head back and laughed, like liquid gold pouring from his lungs. I bathed in the glory of the sound, relishing in his presence. This was what I wanted. 

"You are the one I was meant to find, and nothing anyone says or does can change that, Lance," I told him and his eyes lit up. Finally, I'd gotten through to him. Finally, we had a chance. 

After another rotation, our circles became slower and slower until we were able to step onto the sand together, landing (surprisingly) on our feet. I kept on hand on the rope, but my other was still on Lance's waist, pulling us closer and closer still. 

He leaned his forehead against mine and sighed. "You know I want you- it's not a secret that I can hide." I nodded. I felt the same way. 

He met my eyes, but there was something wrong. "But I can't have you." What? He pushed my hand from his waist. "We're bound to break, Keith. My hands are tied." 

Lance stepped away from me, then, with one last glance cast my way, left the ring and walked out of the theater. 

...

okay yall quick note

i just wanted to apologize if this chap is complete shit- its hard to write such a dynamic scene thats such a beautiful and moving part of the musical as if its real life every-day kind of stuff yknow? its just really hard to capture the movement and the dancing in the scene so im sorry if its not quite up to parr <33 thank u for being patient with me, i hope youre enjoying so far!! -cal