always home | l. glanton x m!reader
tags | fluff, luke glanton x male reader, circus worker, undefined relationship, established relationship words | 2.1k request? | by anon summary | an evening with luke between cities
notes | send in requests! i'm trying to show a sort of different side of luke. he's not very fluffy in general, but i think in a more stable environment he could've been esp since that's what anon requested. also, trying a new layout, with the photos. thoughts? reblog if you liked it!
gravel crunched below your feet as you wandered through the narrow alleys of the circus set-up. the sound mixed with the distant hum of generators and the metallic screech of tent poles being dismantled somewhere nearby. you’d been with the circus long enough to know every crooked pathway between the trailers and tents by memory alone. different cities, but the same layout each time.
it was home, no matter how strange or temporary. home until the sunrise. home until the trucks were loaded up, and the whole thing disappeared down the highway and towards the next city.
most of the tents were already halfway gone. the string lights always came down first, leaving everything dim and shadowy once the sun disappeared. then the tarps, and finally the metal framework holding it all up. within a few hours, there would be no memory of this place besides for a few forgotten flyers and a flattened grass field.
performers and crew wandered around in loose groups now that the night’s shows were over. some lingered near the near-empty food trucks, while others packed equipment away between conversations. a few kids still hung around too, sticky fingers clutching cotton candy while they shyly asked performers for autographs.
others from the circus were already peeling off into town, finding someone willing to keep them company for their last night in town.
“coming down to calvy’s?” lydia asked you as she walked by, carrying a folded tarp over one shoulder.
you glanced over at her. she’d been a trapeze artist, until a bad fall had shattered her ankle a few years back. nowadays, she helped out with set up, takedown, and advertising. everyone who worked behind the scenes of the circus, like yourself, had a more fluid set of responsibilities when it came to the job.
“don’t know about tonight, lyd,” you shrugged. “luke doesn’t really come out to party on the travel nights, you know that.”
“then make him,” she shot back immediately, turning to walk backwards so she could keep speaking. “seriously. he never says no to you.”
you laughed under your breath, “that’s not true.”
“oh, please,” lydia rolled her eyes. “come on. everyone’s going.”
you raised your hands in surrender. “i’ll try.”
“attaboy!”
you shared a fondly exasperated sigh with one of the chainsaw juggling clowns—taylor or tyler, you always had trouble telling the twins apart—as he walked past with someone hanging off of each arm and a shit eating grin just visible through the makeup. you snorted under your breath at the expression, barely refraining from rolling your eyes.
the clown makeup was apparently a turn on to at least somebody, no matter what city the circus stopped in.
you continued on your way, weaving between workers dismantling equipment while drills whined somewhere far behind. metal clanged against metal in uneven bursts as poles hit the ground. the air smelled like a mix of gasoline, cigarette smoke, and sweat.
eventually, you reached the biggest tent left standing. the pride and joy of the circus.
every event at the circus had its own set of admirers, of course. the chainsaw juggling clowns from before, the trapeze artists, the magicians—every single performer. but the one event that drew the most fans, no matter what city you stopped in, was without a doubt, ‘handsome luke and the heartthrobs’.
the metal globe races always packed the tent with people shoulder-to-shoulder. they loved watching the motorcycles tearing it up in the cage, all while luke grinned like he didn’t have a single survival instinct in his body.
and honestly, he knew exactly what he was doing with every charming interaction.
you stopped a few feet away from the tent entrance, but your gaze found luke immediately. he stood outside, surrounded by a small cluster of kids, leaning lazily against the railing while signing wrinkled flyers and ticket stubs and fairy notebooks. his white t-shirt clung to his upper body, slightly damp in the aftermath of his show. the tattoos on his arms rippled with every movement.
a lit cigarette rested between his lips, mostly forgotten as he focused on writing his name.
he looked unfairly good all the time. especially after a show. all flushed skin and messy hair and adrenaline lingering between each breath. he looked like he belonged under the stage lights.
you lingered for a moment, before walking toward him. his eyes lifted automatically, finding you through the small crowd immediately. The second he recognized you, something softened in his face.
“alright, i gotta go,” luke told the kids as he straightened up. “have a good night guys. and, uh, myles, quit bothering sophia.”
the little group burst into laughter while luke ruffled the boy’s hair. he tossed his cigarette down and crushed it beneath his boot on his way over to you.
“hey,” he murmured once he stopped in front of you.
this close, he smelled mostly like smoke and rubber, with an underlying scent of your cologne—he must’ve stolen that in the morning before leaving the motel. the thought made you smile to yourself.
“hi,” you responded just as quiet. “got any plans tonight?”
luke laughed shortly, before schooling his expression as best as he could. the corners of his lips tipped up into a smile anyways. “dunno yet. why?”
“calvy’s?”
he groaned immediately, which only made you laugh.
“oh come on,” you reached forwards to nudge his shoulder.
“lydia put you up to this, huh?
“maybe.”
luke rubbed a hand down his face. “everything’s moving to the next city tonight. i like to leave with the circus, you know that.”
“you’ll survive if you leave a few hours later.” you bumped his foot with your own. you tried again. “we’ll leave early if you hate it. promise.”
he looked at you for a long moment before sighing dramatically. “yeah, alright. fine.”
you grinned triumphantly as you laced your fingers with his own and pulled him away. “knew you loved me.”
“didn’t say all that,” he murmured, even as the smile gave him away.
“didn’t have to.”
a few hours later, calvy’s was loud enough to make your head spin.
most of the circus had shown up at some point. performers crowded around tables littered with empty glasses, while music rattled through the walls loud enough to feel in your chest. somebody had dragged people onto the tiny dance floor near the jukebox, and now half the room swayed drunkenly beneath the string of coloured lights.
the air smelled like cheap beer and old wood, but you were drunk just enough not to care.
“sorry taylor,” you murmured after you accidentally elbowed one of the clown twins while squeezing through the crowd.
“it’s tyler,” he corrected you.
you lifted your drink apologetically, “close enough.”
he laughed and waved you off with an easy grin.
you finally reached the bar a second later, and a moment after that, spotted luke sitting alone on one of the stools.
he’d abandoned his jacket somewhere, leaving him in his faded white tank top that exposed the tattoos crawling over his arms and shoulders, and the muscles rippling beneath them. his short blond hair was messy from him running his hands through it all night, and his cheeks were slightly flushed from alcohol.
he looked warm and comfortable. your chest tightened at the sight, a stupid little flutter.
“hey,” you grinned, leaning sideways against the bar. you spoke slowly to avoid slurring your words, “what’s a pretty thing like you doing all alone tonight?”
luke snorted, tipping back the rest of his glass before setting it down. his eyes dragged slowly over you, amused and fond all at once.
“came here with somebody,” he responded just as slowly. “then he ditched me to do some shots with the magicians.”
you gasped quietly. “well, that’s just rude. now, i’d never abandon a pretty boy like you for something as shallow as tequila,” you responded, a hand over your heart in your best attempt to be earnest.
he grinned at you as he tilted his head, a fond twinkle in his eyes. if a year ago, you’d known that luke would one day publicly look at you like this, you wouldn’t have believed it. now, you’re not sure how you could’ve imagined anything else.
“dance with me?” you held out your hand. “i’ll make it up to you.”
luke eyed your outstretched hand, before slipping his into yours. his palms were rough with callouses from years of working around engines, warm despite the cool rings resting on his fingers.
“alright,” he said you pulled him up. “do your worst.”
the two of you stumbled onto the dance floor, laughing quietly under your breath. eventually, the two of you settled near one of the darker edges of the room.
string lights glowed softly overhead, casting warm amber light across luke’s face. shadows settled along the sharp lines of his jaw and cheekbones. his blond hair fell messily along his forehead, damp with sweat.
you sighed as the two of you swayed slowly, hands caressing each other lazily with a kind of familiarity that only really came from all the time you’d spent together.
“you look unfairly pretty in this light,” you murmured quietly, almost afraid to speak any louder.
luke huffed a laugh, his nose brushing lightly against yours. “yeah? you’re not exactly hard to look at either.”
warmth spread low in your chest, a fondness that you would’ve never thought was possible. you leaned forward to press a lazy kiss against the hinge of his jaw.
“you wanna get out of here?” you asked softly against his ear.
luke shivered, bumping his forehead against yours. “yeah, let’s go.”
the night air was cold against your skin, even more so after the heat from inside the bar. it served as a shock, almost sobering you up. your arm automatically slipped around luke’s shoulders as the two of you started down the sidewalk, towards the motel.
at the look he gave you, you merely shrugged innocently. “what? i’m just making sure you don’t freeze to death.”
luke laughed quietly, brushing back his blond hair with his free hand. “such a gentleman.”
“i try.”
he leaned closer anyways, so you took it as a win.
the streets were mostly empty now, washed gold beneath flickering streetlights. your shoulders bumped together every few steps, hips and legs brushing as you continued your way down.
everything felt soft around the edges from alcohol and exhaustion. but beside you, luke felt steady.
by the time you reached the motel, both of you had gone mostly quiet. tiredness settled heavy in your limbs while you dug through your pockets searching for the room key.
behind you, luke rested his chin against your shoulder while staring absentmindedly up at the sky.
you could feel the warmth of his breath against your neck, smell the whiskey still lingering faintly on it. his hands slid beneath the hem of your shirt lazily, rough fingertips brushing warm skin.
“moon’s pretty tonight,” he mumbled.
you glanced up briefly before looking back at him.
his hair glowed pale beneath the motel lights. sleepy blue eyes blinked back at you slowly, soft around the edges in a way luke only ever got when he was tired.
you smiled a little helplessly.
“yeah,” you agreed quietly. “still think you’re prettier, though.”
luke snorted, ducking his head with a laugh as you finally for the door unlocked. inside, the motel room looked exactly as shitty as ever. dim yellow lighting, faded wallpaper, and the air conditioner that rattled like it was on its last breath.
it’d be your last night here, at least for another year.
luke kicked his boots off haphazardly near the door, before peeling his shirt off. he tossed it aside, a trail of clothes following his journey to the bed. your own clothes joined his, and then you climbed in beside him a second later. the mattress creaked loudly at the added weight.
“i’m surprised this thing hasn’t broken yet,” you murmured, laying on your side so that you could face luke. he lay on his back, head turned to face you.
“if we didn’t break it last night, it’s probably never going to break,” luke responded with a smirk as you chuckled. luke drowned it out by pressing a sleepy kiss against your lips.
“fair point,” you conceded without argument as the two of you curled up against each other.
outside, the sound of trucks and other motel patrons was still loud. but in here, you were in a world of your own. with your arms around each other, you were both home.