"Hands off the Harlequin"
.....
Read on:
Ao3
Wattpad
__
Genre:Hurt/comfort, angst, horror, found family, slight humor
Warnings:Bullying, harassment, implied violence, fear/paranoia, and horror themes.
Word count:~3k
After a close call while promoting the circus in town, Harlequin becomes shaken by the possibility of exposing both himself and the rest of the troupe. Though he tries to brush it off and continue acting like his usual flamboyant self, the rest of the circus quickly notices something is wrong.
Authors note: So happy to get back into writing fanfic. This is my first oneshot in literal ages, so Im a bit rusty. This is part of a series of fanfic requests that I have open on ao3. Enjoy.
The morning started like any other.
Everyone was up early, already beginning their daily tasks before the sun had fully risen. Pierrot had been awake for quite some time now, standing in the kitchen trailer preparing breakfast for the group. The smell of food drifted through the quiet circus grounds while he worked in silence, focused entirely on what he was doing.
Doctor had stopped by earlier to bring him the meat supply for the week, and now he was back in his own tent cleaning and organizing his tools for the day ahead. Harlequin, unsurprisingly, was the last one to wake up.
Not late, never late — just not nearly as early as everyone else.
Still half asleep, bells jingling softly with each step, he wandered over toward Doctor’s tent and peeked his head inside without warning.
“Good morning, Doctor~”
Doctor barely looked up from his supplies.
“Ah, you’re awake. Good morning.”
Harlequin simply grinned at his reply. He always found it amusing to watch the Doctor work. So early and already getting his supplied nice and clean
His attention quickly shifted toward one of the shiny surgical tools laid neatly across the table. He picked it up curiously.
“Ooh, this one’s sharp. What does this do?”
Doctor immediately snatched it from his hands.
“I’ve told you not to touch my equipment.”
“My hands aren’t even dirty.”
“They are always dirty.”
Harlequin placed a hand over his chest in mock offense.
He leaned over the table again, poking at another object before Doctor shoved his hand away for a second time.
“Can I borrow this one?”
“No.”
“This one?”
“No.”
“What about—”
“No.”
“Aww. Poo.”
Doctor sighed deeply, already seeming exhausted at the green one's antics. It wasnt even 8am, yet and Harlequin was already looking for trouble.
“And before you ask, no, you cannot use any of my tools on Pierrot again.”
Harlequin burst into laughter.
“Oh, cmon, I've only done that once!”
“One time was enough.”
“…You are no fun at all.”
“I’ll see you at breakfast,” Doctor replied dryly.
Defeated, Harlequin shuffled away.
On his way to breakfast, he stopped by Jester’s tent to wish him good morning, only to find it empty. That could only mean one thing.
With absolutely no hesitation, he made his way toward Ticket Taker’s blue tent instead. Sure enough, both Jester and Ticket Taker sat inside surrounded by an overwhelming amount of paperwork spread across the table. It wasn’t unusual to see them together this early. They worked harder than anyone else to keep the circus running smoothly. Harlequin really admired that though he would never say it out loud, of course.
He entered dramatically anyway, arms spread wide.
“Greetings, little monsters~”
He said, a bit mocking as he stole the purple creature's line from his act.
Jester looked up first, unimpressed.
Ticket Taker barely acknowledged him at all.
“Working hard already?” Harlequin continued. “You haven’t even had your morning coffee yet. You’ll get headaches and have to bother the Doctor again.”
“I’m assuming you haven’t started your chores yet,” Jester replied calmly.
“My dear Jester, I’ve heard it’s very unhealthy to work on an empty stomach.”
“Uh-huh, right. As long as everything is finished before opening.”
Harlequin grinned proudly.
“When have I ever failed you my Bilheteiro?”
Ticket Taker glanced up from the papers.
“Twice.”
“Yes, well, those were years ago. Im a changed man”
Jester sighed.
“Is breakfast ready yet?”
“It certainly smells like it.” Harlequin straightened himself dramatically. “I shall go investigate. See you both at breakfast~”
The two simply watched him leave.
The two shook their heads as the other ran off to find Pierrot. They weren’t annoyed with Harlequin exactly. Used to him was perhaps a better description. Loud, dramatic, distracting — but ultimately harmless.
Mostly.
Still, both silently hoped Pierrot was in a decent mood today. The last thing anyone wanted before coffee was another argument between those two.
The circus grounds were still quiet as Harlequin hopped along toward the kitchen trailer. No humans yet. No crowds, no traffic, no distant sirens. Just the soft morning air and the occasional rustling of tents in the breeze.
He liked mornings like this. Peaceful. Still. A complete opposite from the chaos their days usually became. He wondered briefly when their next vacation would be. Maybe he’d ask Jester later.
The scent of breakfast grew stronger as he approached the trailer. The smell of the delicious meat that was just waiting to get devoured… and it smelled like Pierrot had time for some baking this morning. What a pleasant surprise. Harlequin poked his head inside immediately, ready to provoke the red one.
“Pierrot~ My favorite cook~”
Pierrot didn’t even turn around.
“You’re blocking the doorway.”
“What a lovely way to greet me.”
“What do you want?”
Harlequin leaned against the doorway dramatically.
“I came to admire your culinary talents, obviously.”
“You came because you smelled food.”
“…That too.”
Pierrot finally turned toward him with narrowed eyes.
“And don’t touch anything.”
Harlequin immediately reached toward a pan.
Pierrot smacked his hand away with terrifying speed.
“Ow!”
“You were literally just told not to touch anything.”
“I think you enjoy being mean to me.”
“Mmph.” He sighed, rolling his eyes.
Harlequin laughed loudly while rubbing his hand. The rest of the crew arrived soon after, right on schedule.
By 7:30 sharp everyone had taken their usual places around the table. Ticket Taker’s strictness had long since forced punctuality into all of them.
Jester helped Pierrot bring out the food while Harlequin set the plates down dramatically like he was performing on stage.
Breakfast passed peacefully enough, and as they finished eating, Jester reviewed the plan for the day, which included what acts would be performed that day, who would be on at what time, and what areas should be covered for promotion. Jester and Pierrot would cover the busier side of the city for promotions, while Harlequin handled another area alone this time.
Harlequin didn’t mind. If anything, he was confident he could attract just as many people by himself. Once the meeting wrapped up, everyone split off toward their duties. Harlequin grabbed a large stack of flyers before heading into town.
“I’ll see you back here at five,” Jester reminded him. “No later.”
“Of course,” Harlequin replied smoothly.
Pierrot shot him a skeptical glance.
Harlequin ignored it completely.
The city was still waking up when he started putting flyers up along windows, street posts, and walls. The usual.
“Hear ye, hear ye~” he called dramatically to passing strangers. “Come witness the greatest spectacle this miserable city has ever seen!”
Some people laughed.
Some ignored him entirely.
Others stared.
He handed out as many flyers as he possibly could, charming and wooing whoever he had the chance to. The day proceeded as per usual, where his witty little comments got him the attention of some people, but of course, the skeptical conspiracy theorists were always there to try to rain on his parade. They would throw things at him and yell. These people were just… haters. People with nothing better to do than bully these poor, innocent little clowns on the street just trying to make a living.
Oh, what monsters these people could be.
Harlequin approached another small group with the same exaggerated grin plastered across his face, twirling a flyer between gloved fingers. He approached another small group with the same exaggerated grin plastered across his face, twirling a flyer between gloved fingers.
“Step right up, ladies and gentlemen~ Tonight only, the greatest show you’ll ever—”
One of them snorted loudly.
“Oh my God, look at this freak.”
Harlequin laughed lightly. Tough audience today it seemed.
“Ohoho, what a warm welcome. You flatter me.”
Another stepped closer.
“No seriously, what even are you supposed to be?”
“I am the Harlequin, dear.”
“An ugly one.”
The group burst into laughter.
Harlequin smiled through it easily enough. He was used to insults… Mostly. They had had multiple rough encounters with all sorts of people, but he usually handled everything just fine. Maybe he did even better than Pierrot. He was usually witty yet fast enough to turn the tables and get himself out of trouble before things got too messy. It didn't change hat these type of people often got on his nerves, trying to make his job harder for no reason. Surely they wouldn't like it if he did the same to them.
He moved to hand one of them a flyer when suddenly somebody slapped it right out of his hand.
The paper scattered onto the sidewalk.
“Aww, did the clown work hard on these?”
Another one shoved him lightly by the shoulder.
“Do a trick.”
Harlequin stumbled back half a step before recovering smoothly.
“My, my. So demanding.”
“Dance for us!”
The group laughed again.
One of them grabbed at the bells hanging from his costume, yanking hard enough to jerk Harlequin forward unexpectedly.
“Hey—”
Another hand suddenly grabbed the edge of his hat.
Everything stopped.
Harlequin reacted instantly this time, violently jerking away from them with genuine panic flashing across his face for a split second.
The movement startled even the group.
“Whoa, relax!”
His breathing hitched.
No.
No no no.
His hands immediately flew to his hat, desperately making sure it was still secure.
Someone laughed nervously.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
Harlequin forced a grin back onto his face, though it looked strained now. He couldn't let these assholes get to him now, could he? He didn't want to give them the idea they had any power over him, they were just a bunch of useless human slag after all.
“Handsy bunch, aren’t you?”
Two of them shoved him at once, harder this time.
“Maybe take the stupid hat off then.”
Harlequin nearly lost his balance, catching himself against a nearby wall.
The bells on his costume jingled loudly in the silence that followed.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then one of them scoffed.
“Dude’s actually freaking out.”
Another grabbed a fistful of Harlequin’s sleeve, tugging him forward roughly.
“What are you hiding under there, huh?”
Harlequin finally snapped their hand away with surprising force.
“Don’t touch me.”
The words came out sharper than intended.
Wrong.
Too hostile.
The mood shifted instantly.
“Ohhh, scary clown.” They mocked.
Before Harlequin could react, something struck him hard across the cheek.
Not enough to seriously injure him. Enough to sting. Enough to make his head jerk sideways.
The group laughed again.
And Harlequin….
Harlequin just froze.
Not because of the hit.
Because for one horrifying second, he thought they were going to pull the hat off.
He could barely hear the laughter anymore over the pounding in his chest.
If they had managed to take it—
If someone had seen—
The circus.
The others.
He could have ruined everything because he wasn’t careful enough.
“Crazy freak,” one of them muttered before the group finally wandered off laughing amongst themselves.
Harlequin stayed completely still long after they disappeared. One gloved hand slowly rose to his cheek. The other remained firmly gripping the edge of his hat.
Everything was fine.
Everything was still fine.
…Right?
Harlequin remained frozen for several moments after they left.
Then he straightened himself.
Everything was fine.
He still had work to do.
And so he continued….But something about him had changed. He felt watched now. Every glance suddenly felt dangerous. Every laugh felt directed at him. It was bothersome and annoying, and it was getting on his nerves that he couldn't stop letting a little incident get in his head.
It had been too close.
He could’ve ruined everything.
Stop.
No.
It wasn’t important.
He took a breath.
Everything was fine. Nobody could outsmart Harlequin. He was smarter than that. Faster than that.
Still, his usual energy slowly faded throughout the day. His movements became more careful. Quieter. Even handing out flyers felt awkward now, forced. Regardless, he could fail on Jester, he had all these papers to put up. Hours passed, and he managed to get rid of nearly the whole stack of papers, and frankly, he was pretty proud of that. Pierrot would never be able to be this level of efficient, he knew that for sure.
By the time dusk settled over the city, Harlequin was exhausted. Not physically, but just… tired.
He returned to the circus right at five, like promised.
The others had just gotten back as well.
“Back on time?” Ticket Taker asked suspiciously.
“See? I can be reliable.”
But the joke lacked its usual energy.
Pierrot noticed immediately.
So did Ticket Taker.
Jester noticed most of all.
Harlequin greeted them all normally enough, but something about him felt distant now. Spaced out.
Too quiet.
There was a strange feeling sitting heavily in his chest. A lingering sting. He felt ridiculous for letting something so small bother him this much, yet the fear still clung stubbornly to the back of his mind.
It would pass eventually.
Surely.
Night soon settled over the circus grounds, and the gates finally opened. He hadn't even taken the time to go bother the Doctor some more before they had to get to work, he didn't go toy with Pierrot either. He was… awfully behaved.
Guests poured inside while Ticket Taker stood at the entrance, punching tickets and guiding people toward the various attractions.
Harlequin remained near his tent, preparing for his performance when suddenly—
Laughter.
Familiar laughter.
His stomach dropped immediately.
The same group from earlier entered through the gates.
“Oh my God,” one of them laughed. “It’s the freak clown again.”
Another pointed directly at him.
“Yo, finally taking off your funny little hat?”
Harlequin froze.
The smile on his face disappeared completely for the first time all day.
Jester noticed immediately.
“Harlequin?”
He didn’t answer.
One of the group members laughed again.
“What’s wrong? Gonna freak out again?” One of them took several steps towards the green one before being stopped suddenly.
Jester stepped forward instantly, blocking their view of Harlequin with his large, tall frame.
"Please, I'll ask you to keep your hands off the Harlequin."
Harlequin spoke then, before things could escalate.
“It’s no big deal, these… guests are just acting foolishly and spitting nonsense, pay no matter.”
But it clearly wasn’t true.
Ticket Taker narrowed his eyes.
“Care to explain, Harlequin? It seems like this isn't your first encounter with this lovely bunch.”
Harlequin hesitated.
That alone was enough to worry all of them.
“Tsk, it was nothing! They just…they grabbed my hat.” His voice dropped much lower, barely mumbling out his confession.
Silence.
Jester’s expression darkened immediately.
Pierrot looked furious.
Doctor, who had just arrived moments earlier, went strangely still.
“They what?” Ticket Taker snapped.
“It’s fine,” Harlequin said quickly. “Nothing happened.”
“But something could have,” Jester replied quietly.
Harlequin looked away.
That was answer enough.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
None of them got loud.
None of them seemed angry.
And that was far worse than the group could've possibly imagined.
Quiet.
The group of humans finally seemed to notice something was wrong.
Jester suddenly smiled pleasantly.
“Well,” he hummed softly, “since you’ve all taken such an interest in our Harlequin… perhaps you’d enjoy a special attraction.”
The humans exchanged excited looks. They weren't too sure if they should be confused, scared, or excited, but they couldn't pass up the chance of getting to see a special tent.
“Oh sick, seriously?”
Ticket Taker stepped aside politely, gesturing toward the large pink tent deeper within the circus grounds.
“Right this way.”
Doctor adjusted his gloves calmly. Harlequin stayed where he was, half frozen in shock.
“You don’t have to come,” Jester told him softly.
For once, Harlequin didn’t argue, just nodded as he watched the group laughing as they walked closer to their own demise. He'd be lying if he didn't admit it was satisfying to see the oblivious ignorance on their face. And it was even better knowing that tomorrow morning they could become his breakfast.
The group followed eagerly, laughing amongst themselves as the pink tent flap closed behind them.
The green one shuffled back into his tent, sitting on the ground for what only felt like a few minutes. He spaced out, staring at the green, colorful tarp that surrounded him. Everything felt still and quiet once again, up until the Doctor broke the silence as he entered the tent
Doctor leaned against the large pillar right at the center, carefully removing his gloves.
“You should rest some more before your performance,” he said gently.
Pierrot shoved a warm drink into Harlequin’s hands with visible irritation.
“Idiot,” he muttered. “You should’ve told us earlier.”
"Now Pierrot-" Jester interrupted.
"Harlequin and I will have a serious discussion on the matter later. This isn't the moment to do so."
Harlequin stared at them silently for a moment, nodding to Jester.
Despite the lingering fear clawing at his chest… he smiled a bit.
Small at first, but that grin on his face grew wider.
The room stayed quiet, a comfortable silence that really made Harlequin feel a bit more in control of himself. He hated being vulnerable, but despite this, he knew that the crew would always have his back.
They were his family. His pack.
And they would never let anything hurt him.
