a burnt child loves the fire.

don't fucking call me hephaestus, man! theo crow. 25. fire-eater.♠♠♠ This is fate: When a man is told at a very young age that he is chaos, he will either spend his entire life trying to prove that he is or that he isn’t. One will end in fire, the...

[firebirdtheo-blog]

{ flashback: forget the horror here ♠ lily }

[firebirdtheo-blog]

invisiblebluelily:

His face was unreadable as he fell silent, only speaking a few words before backing into the quiet of the darkness once more. She flicked her eyes over his face multiple times, looking for something to tell her was hat going on, but there was nothing she could find. So instead, she simply let the silence wash over the both of them. 

It was a fascination thing, silence. Coupled with darkness, it could wrap around a person in ways that felt both suffocating and warm in equal measure, like something meant to comfort and confuse all at once.

Confusion came first when she felt his hand on her back, pressing her forward into him. Her hands came up to his chest, either to push away or pull closer, and while she had yet to decide which it would be, she was quickly leaning towards the latter. Confusion held onto her until just before she could ask what was going on. 

That was when warmth came into the equation, in the form of his lips and her own quickly beating heart. Warmth wrapped around her like his arms, reminding her, this was what she had been wanting, what she hadn’t told anyone. And it was amazing. She couldn’t have pushed him away even if she could convince herself she wanted to.

If kissing Isa was the sharpness, the crackle that bonded ice and fire, kissing Lily Blue was a wisp of smoke. The kind that came from blowing out a candle in the darkness, all of a sudden, a soft whoosh in the night. Its beauty missed if you were in a hurry.

Theo was not in a hurry. 

Like he lost himself in characters and crooks and cons, he lost himself in Lily. She was, after all, her own hiding place, so he thought he would steal it for a while, curling his fingers around her arms, the nape of her neck, the dangling red locks of her hair. He breathed out the pain, lips still tight against hers. He was sloppy and she was soft, but somehow it worked. And for a moment, there was nothing else. Only her. The quiet of her.

He barely broke from the kiss to whisper against the corner of her lips, “This okay?”

Theo didn’t have to wait for an answer. It wasn’t. But then again, neither were they.

[firebirdtheo-blog]

princepractical:

Piero gestured to himself, miming surprise. Me? 

Well, better him than anyone else. Having a volunteer quit the stage suddenly destroyed momentum in any act, to say nothing of an audience rapport. He was not a true plant, not in this moment, but Piero knew most tricks and could respond gamely to just about anything thrown at him. So why not? Goodwill was never completely unwelcome.

So, though technically he was not performing tonight, he found himself mounting a stage anyway. He was decked out in the unassuming shirtsleeves of a typical spectator, albeit one that might find himself at any moment responding to any of the problems that routinely plagued show business. (Piero himself was more unnerved by a perfect show going off without a hitch than a night packed with disasters.) He had hung up his suit jacket to do something–lift a bit of truss, that was right–and had been pulled away before he’d thought to fetch it back. Better that way. He liked that jacket unsinged.

“I’ll play,” Piero said. “I’m not afraid.”

Theo’s smile was sharp - not like that of the bloody beasts who surrounded him nightly. Something less lethal, a predator who only wanted to play with his prey, shove it around the plate a bit. Give it a poke and a prod. He beckoned the man closer, a new but familiar face seen once before through the drunk and bleary goggles of the Prohibition Party. Italy’s import, Theo realized.

He gripped the man’s hand and whisked him towards the flame - two toddlers on a playground doing something they ought not to. He posed him before the audience, specks of red and gold dotting the darkness, set one hand on his shoulder.

“Tell me, then. What’s your name?” Theo grinned, licking at the torch’s sputtering. “And have y’feasted yet tonight?”

[firebirdtheo-blog]

Theo was chagrined to learn that, no, not everyone enjoyed a face full of soot and a suit full of flame - or being barbecue for that matter. So he pouted a bit as the burly businessman leapt away from his torch and down from the stage, yelping and patting away smoke as he went. There had gone his volunteer, but the fire was still burning bright, and the stage was itching to be burned. Theo waved the torch like a wand, the flame atop it casting shadows on his open grin like a jack o’lantern.

“You,” he beckoned to the first shadowy figure offstage. “Y’wanna play with fire?"

[firebirdtheo-blog]

{ flashback: forget the horror here ♠ lily }

[firebirdtheo-blog]

invisiblebluelily:

“Are you okay?” she asked again, unsure of what else to say. He didn’t seem drunk or anything but he certainly didn’t seem like himself, like something was most definitely wrong. However, his assurance that he was fine left her in a hard space. She knew how infuriating it was when people continued to press an issue after she said it was fine, but he certainly didn’t seem alright in the slightest. The only thing she could do was nod and realize how close they were.

She leaned forward when he ducked his head, wondering if this was what it was, if he was going to tell her what was happening with him, but instead it was about her. A small smile pulled slightly at her lips and she shook her head at him. The darkness seemed to urge her to want to be more quiet, even if there was no one around to hear them. “Well, I’m not exactly invisible right now,” she told him, a small attempt to lighten the heavy feeling between them, his shakiness and her caution.

“No,” Theo breathed, as plainly as someone would point out a cliff as they were already tumbling off of it. “You’re not.” What Lily was saying was true. He could see her, and she could see him. Always had, always would. The boy who smiled at blood and bones; the girl who played with fire even when it singed. They were not each other’s endings, nor marked chapters. They weren’t even in each other’s books.

But they were excellent readers all the same. 

And it was like demons had curled out from the shadows of the stage to give him a shove in the back when he slid his hand between her shoulder blades and bowed her up against his chest. For a moment, it felt like fire to feather. ( Theo hoped the taste of him was something similar to an apology. )

Head tilted down, he inhaled her like a cigarette and then pressed his lips to hers. 

[firebirdtheo-blog]

rosexylouris:

Winter circus - Isa was definitely in her element, Rose thought to herself, half-exasperated and half-excited on behalf of her friend. Her - maybe not so much. Winter was fun and flirty - dates spent in the snow, hands clasped in pockets, but then she always ended up soggy, cold, and miserable afterwards - suffice to say, she wasn’t a big fan of winter. “Hey you!” Rose called over to the first figure she saw, beckoning with her hand. “Yeah, you. Come here,” she said, still waving her hand frantically and nodding.

“Tada! Look,” she beamed, waving at the hoop behind her, supposedly made to look like it had been frosted over, although it could be said that a fifth grader could have done a better job. “Isn’t it great?” She continued. Surveying her hoop critically, she slumped. “Don’t give me your honest opinion. It sucks,” she bemoaned, draping herself over the hoop dramatically. “I’m a fraud! I’m done for.”

Theo’s smile was as smug as it was knowing, lips turned up at one side as he staggered over to Rose and her little hoop, a trick of the light - or flame - already up his sleeve. He feigned inspecting it with her, scratching the faux flakes of snow, cupping his chin, then throwing his head back in a maniacal fit of laughter that was more for the audience’s benefit than hers.

“Dunno, Rose, looks like it needs a little heat,” Theo announced before raising his palm to his lips and blowing synthetic blue flame across the hoop in her hands, setting it alight with cold fire, giving the illusion of frosted ring of fire. “What d’you think?”

[firebirdtheo-blog]

priscillakiing:

     Alcohol was never a factor in how much fun she had during parties or events, so she mostly avoided the substance all together to watch as others suffered from its effects. This was one of those instances where the statement came to light in the form of Theo, who by the looks of it was trying to drown himself in it than actually enjoy it. The likelihood that he would even be able to recall their night together of stealing and laughter was slim, but she had made an unspoken promise to see him through the night in one piece.

     As vomit now covered the floor, she rolled her eyes at the boy beneath her with a refusal to help him to his feet as vomit was an area where a firm line was drawn for her. Instead, she made her way through the broken glass and champagne drenched floor to grab a slightly dry towel from behind the unoccupied bar, tossing it into Theo’s lap when she returned to him. “Clean-up — We are not through playing as there are plenty of things left up for grabs as we make our escape.”

“Right, right,” Theo hiccuped, swiping the towel over his hair and face, the emerging expression one of sheepish amusement, eternally ready for a new flame even after being doused. He stumbled a bit as he tossed the rag and a cigarette Priscilla’s way. “Fuckin’ right. Y’got a getaway car for us, Queen of the Night? Or do I gotta play Man with a Plan?”

[firebirdtheo-blog]

calebtheicarus:

It’s not the first time Theo has ended up back at Caleb’s after a night on the town. Sometimes, the three of them - Theo, Caleb and Simon - will all just come back to whichever apartment is closest and fall asleep on any surface that’s available, whether it be the sofa, the floor, or all in the same bed. 

This morning though, it’s clear that Caleb might have made a mistake. He could sleep in another few hours, if not for the sound of the mumbling drunk, and then… what follows.

“You asshole,” he grumbles, sitting up with a sudden burst of energy as he rushed to find something to clean with. “Those floors are mahogany.” 

“Consider this,” Theo grumbled, twisting away from the mess he gestured to with a flourish, “a new accent. Gift from moi.” Theo swayed this way and that before settling on a nearby stool and peering over at Caleb.

“Why don’tcha whip me up a hangover remedy and tell me what the fuck happened last night?”

[firebirdtheo-blog]

{ flashback: forget the horror here ♠ lily }

[firebirdtheo-blog]

invisiblebluelily:

She stilled when she felt Theo’s hand slide from her shoulder to her neck before deftly securing the button back in its hole she dropped her arms, knowing it would not stay for long, but glad that it was back at least temporarily. What she not been expecting, however was for his hand to stay where it was, his fingertips sending light shivers down her spine as the sneaked across the back of her neck, fiddling with her hair and brushing it out of the way before tapping on the button, sitting snugly in its place— for now. His hand had a pleasant weight to it, a warmth which brought goosebumps to the surface of her skin.

Maybe I’m hiding.

She studied him as he stepped up to her level, which in reality brought him a few inches higher than her. His smile lacked its usual mischievous quality and his furrowed brow only served to increase her concern. Lily drew her eyebrows together, a small crease forming between them, and tipped her head slightly to the side, not wanting to dislodge his hand from her neck. “Theo?” Her voice dropped to the same level of softness that his had, no more than a whisper. She did not need volume to emphasize the tone of unease in her voice at his well being. 

“Yeah,” Theo breathed, trailing off, then repeating it more as a question this time, “Yeah?”

Their proximity was confusing his emotions, so fresh off his hurt and rage that everything he saw was blinding red, beginning at her mane and ending where his flesh brushed hers. The void where he was missing that genuine concern and empathy was too thick, and Lily was falling straight into it like Alice to a deranged, fiery rabbit hole.

“Y’know I’m peachy. Always am,” Theo faked, forcing another smile and spreading his fingers to cup her shoulder, jostling her in a motion that only sought to bring her closer. It was awkward but comfortable, all of his actions masquerading as something else. But want always won over will. Take this because you were robbed of everything else. He ducked his head a bit as if he were about to tell her a secret, squinting his eyes like he could barely see straight. “I see you, invisible girl.”

[firebirdtheo-blog]

brooklynstorm:

There was nothing Brooklyn loved more like cirque parties, but there was something that he hated much more than he loved them, and that was mention of his father, his ancestors, his family’s legacy. He’d left once the mystery man had arrived, though that didn’t mean he’d stopped drinking. No, the only reason he wasn’t as hungover as the kid on the floor was because he’d already started drinking again. 

“Am I supposed to be up to date on the shit you get yourself into, Theo?” An impossible task, when he’s got the shit he gets himself into to deal with. “My best bet is you left the party sometime this morning to either get home or get more alcohol and didn’t make it. But hey, that’s speaking from personal experience, not my knowledge of you.” Didn’t know much about the pyro, didn’t know much about any of the circus’s acts because he didn’t make any effort to. Been there, done that, enough times that the smell of vomit doesn’t even phase him.

Brooklyn huffed out the suggestion, but Theo couldn’t quite make it fit in his memory. A flash of Isa’s hair, Lily’s laughter, Priscilla’s sharp nails, Caleb’s forced accent. When he was done puking, he shoved up from the ground, staggering a bit before staring at the mess with a look that resembled a yikes on his face, as if he wasn’t the one who’d just done it.

“You’re not,” Theo proclaimed, swaying on his feet a moment. “I am, as they say, a man of mystery. Speaking of...” He trailed off, finally finding purchase in one of the trick pockets of his jacket, proffering a beaten pack of cigarettes and offering one to Brooklyn. “Where’s Fowler Senior? Figure you’d be celebrating the big surprise.”

[firebirdtheo-blog]

{ flashback: forget the horror here ♠ lily }

[firebirdtheo-blog]

invisiblebluelily:

Preparing for shows was, as Lily saw it, an easy way to spend more time out of the house. When she was in what she had taken to calling her ‘cave’ she felt like she was actually at home. There were bits of her strewn all about, half eaten sleeves of saltines, boxes of tea bags and empty coffee mugs, both ceramic and paper. There was a chair tucked away in the corner, an old antique one of a rather ugly orange color that was sometimes used in acts but was other times just sitting there. Underneath it, there were stacks of books, a few stacked nicely, but others merely toppled over one another, their covers so worn that the only way to know what the book was, was by opening the front cover and beginning to read. 

As soon as she had finished running through her act, she was below the stage again, trying to reach behind her to fix the button at the very back of her neck where it continued to come undone. Every time she managed to find the button, she lost the other side of it and when she found that, the button slipped from her fingers in a twisted game of hide and seek where she couldn’t actually see anything. Taking a step up onto the platform which would normally lead in a spiral up and around to the audience, Lily felt a figure bump against her, causing her to lose the grip of both the button and the hole. 

Tutting slightly, she began her search again, turning her head when she felt a hand come up on her shoulder. With a half smile, Lily shook her head. “I’m not hiding from anyone,” she told him. “I was practicing but this stupid button won’t stop coming undone….” she trailed off, turning her head slightly to look at him more directly. Even in the dark she could sense the lack of fire in him. “Are you okay?” she asked abruptly, shocked out of her smile.

Theo absorbed the environment slowly, then all at once, delicate and tinged with darkness, just like the girl. As Lily fiddled with herself the way she always did, Theo cracked a broken smile. He slid the hand on her shoulder up to the nape of her neck with ease, thumb popping the button into its hole with a craftsman’s grace, securing it but lingering. In the darkness was where Lily always shone, a creature of shadows much like himself. On other days, he related to her, sought her out for companionship. But now, that shine looked like one of his stolen things, that destructive habit wanting to up the ante. He furrowed his brow as his fingers spread across the slope of her neck, the tips of them brushing a few strands of undone hair. His feet carried him onto the platform with her.

“Voila,” he murmured, tapping at the button for show, avoiding the look of concern on her features. It was unfair, this game his was playing - What are you doing here, Theo? - this heart he had in his trickster’s hands - Why on earth would I want you here? - when he knew deep down in the caverns of his bizarre being that Lily’s wide eyes came from more than just that of a friend of a “friend’s.” But it didn’t feel like conning when he whispered, “Maybe I’m hiding.”

[firebirdtheo-blog]

{ flashback: forget the horror here ♠ lily }

@invisiblebluelily​

It came in waves, hot flashes of red, fits of manic need to upheave and show the world his teeth, baring and beautiful. It began with the cardboard box and concrete of his birth and ended with Isa’s cold smile, her unwillingness to call him her own, even when they were secluded in the canopy of their secrets - heart to heart, lie to lie. They were fresh off a fight, that ever nostalgic brand of UNWANTED confusing his focus and forcing him to act out. The look on her face, the callousness of her words, it had hurtled him home. Not to the manor, but to the circus, where even as he walked, he could feel the abandonment in his bones where the fire used to rage.

He waltzed through a maze of dress hems and silver mechanisms, trap pulleys and powder, Cirque rife with preparations. He pocketed gems and bills as he went with the blind sloppiness of a con artist not as seasoned as he. Throwing himself into the path of chaos, asking even that to love him back. Theo’s eyes were red, his smile was pasted, and his hands were shaking when he found himself in the underground of the underground, shoving right into a figure in the dark. She was fixing her dress and stepping onto a platform. He saw her as he always did, in flashes of red and familiarity.

Theo grounded himself with a hand on her shoulder, delivery coming up sloppy and sad when he whispered, “Lil? Hiding from me, are ya?”

[firebirdtheo-blog]

There’s nothing like Prohibition to reveal how much you should have kept your inhibitions, a thought that kept rolling around in Theo’s head as he shifted half-consciously on the rough ground, patting himself down for a cigarette and a lighter. When his eyes finally opened, bleary and red, there was confetti stuck to places there shouldn’t have been, red suit from the party still on and stained by the whole bar menu.

“Motherfucker,” Theo laughed ( then grimaced at the reverberation of the noise ), peering at the figure hovering over him. “How’d I get here?”

He raised a finger before they could respond, rolling the other way. “Hold that thought,” he ordered before retching all over the floor.

[firebirdtheo-blog]

LITERALLY ALL OF THEM 😈😈😈

I hate you.

Send me ☺ for a loving/affectionate text

[ text ] i think i would even give up the fire

[ text ] you know

[ text ] for you

Send me  ♣ for a drunk text

[ text ] when ur done being elsa

[ text ] im in your suite wearing your ice princess dress for ya

[ text ] let it golet it goooo

Send me ♥ for a sexual/naughty text

[ text ] i can’t believe u don’t have an ice cube kink

[ text ] or not yet anyway ;)

Send me !! for a threatening text

[ text ] don’t make me tell everyone what you like to call me in bed at show and tell ;)

Send me ☼ for a morning text

[ text ] hey sunshine

[ text ] ac’s broken at the mcmanor. wanna come cool me down?

Send me ?? for a strange/vague text

[ text ] knock knock

[ text ] ???

[ text ] fine

[ text ] isa: who’s there?

[ text ] icy

[ text ] icy who?

[ text ] icy u + me at marea tonight at 7. wear the necklace i jacked for u.

Send me ► for a text not meant for you

[ text ] i guess i’m worried that if i try to be the guy she can see herself with

[ text ] she still won’t be able to see herself with me

Send me ↕ for a scared/worried text

[ text ] just...don’t say that this is over.

[firebirdtheo-blog]

the straw about to burn, the straw on fire. here you are on the tv, saying watch me, just watch me.

[firebirdtheo-blog]

☺♣??►

Send me ☺ for a loving/affectionate text

[ text ] ok but what i’m sayin is that if it was btwn saving u and this bottle of rum

[ text ] i guess we’re taking a shot before we both die

[ text ] ok this is really good rum though

[ text ] orly? i killed us both??? that counts for somethin

Send me  ♣ for a drunk text

[ text ] can u use watever broom u rode in on to clean the puke off the 2nd arena?

[ text ] not saying it was me

Send me ?? for a strange/vague text

[ text ] i mean we’re kinda fucked if something goes wrong in our lives

[ text ] its not like we can run away and join the circus

[ text ] bc…we already have

Send me ► for a text not meant for you

[ text ] yeah man, i always wanted a sister

[ text ] JOKES. how annoying would that be???

[firebirdtheo-blog]

iceprincessisa:

Isa’s hand came up to rest on his shoulder as Theo leant in. With her… beau drunk and relatively unstable, it steadied her in her modern sling backs. But her hand resting there had come so commonplace that it didn’t even recoil in case Theo realised that she was touching him – or worse someone else realised. He’d grown so close that if Isa turned her head slightly she could have kissed the corner of his mouth.

But she didn’t.

“You’re wrong so often I didn’t realise you still needed validation on it.” Isa muttered slyly, her lips also playing close to his ear. Considering the number of possible onlookers, Isa wished she could have pushed him and walked away, ignored his smarmy comments, but her body gave her away. His breath had left a blanket of warmth across her shoulder, and instinctively Isa shrugged before she could stop herself.

Isa looked up at him, brows raised and waiting. Such regular compliments had dried up a bit after the flowers and gifts, but Isa still expected them. And tonight she looked really good. An observer would tell her that that’s what happens when you keep shutting them down, but no one dared say that to her face. “You need glasses,” She quipped with a resigned sigh,before tugging on his hand (still linked with her’s) when she turned, leading him along (for the past year or so), “At least buy me a refill, Theo.”

Theo shot her a lopsided grin, gaze fixed on their intertwined fingers before dragging up to her face again. “I’ll buy you a drink if it’ll buy me some time, princess.” He spun her around again, her presence always turning him into even more of a boy than he naturally was, though the grace he mustered up despite his inebriation salvaged him.

He began to lead her to one of the main stage’s typical bars, then thought better of it, steering her with one hand dancing across the skin of her shoulder blades like a pianist trying to raise gooseflesh for notes. They arrived at one of the speakeasy-style champagne rooms where they were offered more booze and Theo downed another flute to accompany his other empty glass.

“Do I?” He grinned at her, raising them to his eyes like spectacles. “Vision’s twenty-twenty.” More sincere now, voice dropping low. “You look perfect.”

[firebirdtheo-blog]

♣☺►↕

Send me  ♣ for a drunk text

[ text ] im on houston st sitting in a puddle with bird shit in my hair ok

[ text ] and its just like

[ text: not sent ] i was going to tell you to call isa but i kno u would come

[ text ] when did evrything get so fucked up?/

Send me ☺ for a loving/affectionate text

[ text ] saw this skeleton head that lasted the halloween sale into christmas, lil!

[ text ] made me think of u, spooky girl

[ text ] ur the only one i kno who would take this as a compliment

Send me ► for a text not meant for you

[ text ] so why dont u shed the icy exterior & come on over, is?

[ text ] srry

Send me ↕ for a scared/worried text

[ text ] i don’t know what this is but that doesnt change the fact that its something

[ text ] i want u to be ok. if ur not ok, i’m not ok

[ text ] lil?

[ text ] i’m coming over