Rewrite the Stars - Reader x William Brandt
Rating: General Audiences
Pairing: Reader x William Brandt
Requested By: @fairytalesforever
Request: A Phillip Carlyle and Anne Wheeler Dynamic AU with William Brandt.
When you met him, his eyes stood out to you first. A blue you hadnât ever seen before looking back at you with curiousity in the place of superiority. To be fair, you were hanging by your legs from a trapeze at the time so curiousity was only natural.
But it didnât go away. He was a rich boy who wanted to know more. He made you laugh, actually listened when you talked, and, though it hurt you to admit it, he made your heart flutter and cheeks flush. The circus girl was falling for the rich boy. And it only got tragically worse before it got better.
Watching Ilsa Faust perform was a privilege, no matter which seat you were in. All the same, you appreciated Will joining you in the seats Ethan had shoved you and the rest of the circus âfreaksâ into for the performance. The music was emotional, a song of a love too great to be contained and you found your eyes becoming teary at the passion behind it. Reaching up one hand to wipe under your eyes, you froze, feeling the other being taken loosely by Will, whoâd stood next to you. Slowly, allowing yourself to believe you werenât imagining it, you relaxed your hand, even holding back a little.
Then he glanced at those around you - the older people with gold plated binoculars, proper people - and quickly let go. You tried not to be too dissapointed.
You worked harder during rehearsals from then on. If you werenât good enough for William Brandt, you would damn well be good enough for you. And for those who came to watch you every night.
You hadnât spoken to Will for a while when Ethan offered you tickets to the theatre. He told you to have a good night off, that youâd been working hard. You hadnât realised he was such an advocate for the you and Will relationship movement. But there Will was, in a nice suit, waiting for you when you got to the theatre.
Smiling, accepting his apology, you took his arm and let him lead you inside.
âIâm glad you decided to join me.â He smiled and you let yourself return it, the first warm blooms of happiness in a while starting up in your chest again.
âMe too.â You answered, squeezing your head around his arm a little tighter. âI really am.â
âWilliam?â You good mood was shattered upon the sound of the old womanâs voice. She was rich, going by her clothing, and had the same eyes as Will, though hers were cold and cruel, and became detesting when she looked at you. At her side was her husband, Willâs father.
âWhat are you doing here? With the help?â The man asked.
âCome home to us.â The woman attempted sympathy but her eyes spoke the truth. She craved control over her son, and she couldnât get it whilst he was far away from her.
Willâs hesitating sealed your decision. He hadnât changed all that much after all. Turning, releasing his arm, you ran from him. Back to practicing again and again until it was perfect. You couldnât afford further mistakes. Of any kind.
He found you, of course he did, and insisted he was here for you - that he wanted to be with you. He even went as far as to tell you he loved you. You returned the love, you couldnât not do so. Heâd caught your heart quite off guard.
But you couldnât be. You were famous around here as one of the circus acts and it simply wouldnât do for a rich boy and a freak to step out together. You wanted to stay, to kiss him, hold him tighter, but you couldnât - not if you wanted to preserve your sanity. So you left him.
The fire was unexpected. Yet there it roared as you crossed the corner to the street, the roof of the circus building aflame. Taking a few seconds of shock to process, you soon ran, shoving to the front of the gathered crowd.
âWill?!â You found yourself calling in a panicked tone, finding Ethan and Benji at the front of the crowd, watching the place with distraught features. âWhereâs Will?â You asked them, fighting desperately the urge to sit and rock back and forth in worry and panic.
Ethan looked from you to the building, set determination on his face. And then he ran towards it, disappearing in the flames. You did collapse then, to your knees on the ground, unable to breathe until you saw them both again.
Will was damaged, smoke in his lungs and bones broken from a fallen beam. And you sat at his bedside till he woke. And when he did wake, you kissed him, finally allowed yourself to kiss him and tell him you loved him. You cried when he croaked that he loved you back.
Musical Couple Prompts if you want one
