Curate, connect, and discover
Characters/Who's who:
Flynn- PT Barnum
Eve- Charity Barnum
Jacob- Phillip Carlyle
Ezekiel- Anne Wheeler
Cassandra- Lettie Lutz (bearded lady)
Jenkins- Constantine (the man with 1000 tattoos)
Nicole- Jenny Lind
Songs:
A million dreams: As kidsFlynn talks to Eve about all the dreams he has about their future. He shows her an abandoned house and they play around in it. Flash forward, Flynn comes to admit his love to her and she's done with finishing school. They get a home together in the city. He continues to talk to her about the future they'll have.
In between that and come alive, he looses his job, buys a museum and ends up turning it into a house of curiosities.
Come Alive: He's encouraging these people to be proud of their oddities. Charles Stratton is the first, followed by Cassandra, the bearded lady and the Lord of Leeds. Then that night during the show, there are a couple more acts. The trapeze artists, Ezekiel and a close friend Alec Hardison (this is foreshadowing for a oneshot I'm gonna write) soar through the air.
The other side: Flynn meets Jacob Stone, a rich man who writes plays and has his fathers inheritance. He offers him a drink and Jacob doesn't refuse. Flynn offers him a job, "take the key and see the other side." Jacob turns him down. "I'm okay with the uptown part I get to play. I don't need to see the other side." Flynn watches him go and stands to follow. "Is this how you spend your days, whiskey, misery, a lifetime of plays? No joy or laughter? I guess I'll lab it up to you~" Jacob joins him on the other side.
In between other side and never enough. He goes with Flynn to the circus and they end up in a boothe and comes fave of face wit a gorgeous, exotic man has he is flying on the trapeze. "Who is he?" "That's Ezekiel Jones, one of many trapeze artists. Though he is the best."
Still dumbstruck, he follows Flynn down the stairs and comes face to face with Ezekiel again. "Ezekiel, Alec, meet Jacob Stone. Hell be joining us from now on."
Ezekiel steps towards him, but Alec is staring him down. "What's your act, Mr. Stone?" His accent has Jacob even more dazed.
"I uh... Don't have an act." "Everyone's got an act."
Jacob manages to get the entire troupe to London to meet the queen. He still has connections even though he lost all his inheritance.
They met Nicole Noone and Flynn is awestruck by her. And maybe she can sing.
Never Enough- Nicole sings her opera about nothing being enough for her. Jacob stands with the troupe because he's come to respect them. During the part where she days take my hand. Share this moment with me, Jacob take Ezekiel's hand but drops it when people look back at them. Ezekiel walks away. (FYI they're back in America)
Before This is Me, Flynn I'd introducing Nicole to Eve. Then he brags to Eve's old family about being successful like her dad said he wouldn't. Then he leaves the troupe in the back hallways.
This is Me- Cassandra lifts everyone's spirits. They go into the room anyways. Then they go past the protesters outside the circus. The whole group going "I'm not scared to be seen, I make no apologies. This is me" At the protestors. Then it's showtime. They're singing. Ezekiel makes eye contact with Jacob in one of the rooms above the seats. "I make no apologies. This is me" And that's stomped into the ground.
Before rewrite the stars, Jacob goes to meet Ezekiel at the playhouse. Ezekiel us trying to refuse the two tickets. Jacob shows up. "I wasn't sure you'd show up if I had asked." They go in and are walking up the stairs, arm in arm. "Jacob?" It's his dad. He insults Ezekiel and caused him to run off. Jacob tells off his dad before going after Ezekiel.
"Who cares what they think?"
"You don't get it." Ezekiel looks ready to cry. "You've never been looked at they way your dad looked at me."
Rewrite the stars: Jacob talks about rewriting the stars. Ezekiel and him are meant to be. "You're my destiny." He's trying to keep Ezekiel down at his level as they talk, but he keeps going up into the air in the trapeze. Ezekiel talks about how it's not easy. How they can't be together. "No one can rewrite the stars." They both begin to do the trapeze together, but at the end, they're nearing a kiss and Ezekiel pulls away. "You know I want you, but we're bound to break and my hands are tied. "
Before tightrope: Jacob is trying to talk sense into Flynn about staying and not going on tour with Nicole. He's not listening. He never listens. Flynn is staying goodbye before climbing into a carriage with Nicole to go on tour.
Tightrope- Eve sings about everything she's ever done, she's done it to be with Flynn. "Life's an adventure with a breath taking view. Walking a tightrope with you."
Before from now on, Flynn almost kisses Nicole, then he does and reporters catch pictures of it. There's a fire when Flynn gets back. Jacob is helping the troupe out, but realizes Ezekiel isn't with them and runs back into the burning building. Ezekiel comes back out another way. Everyone is frozen in place. Flynn goes running into the building and Eve screams for him to come back. The building collapses. Then, Flynn emerges from the fire, dragging Jacob with him. He's badly burnt and wheezing.
Ezekiel sits with him in the hospital.
Eve finds out about the kiss and their marriage is ruined.
From now on: The troupe finds Flynn in a bar. "If you've come to get paid, it won't happen." "Mr Carson," Cassandra says. "You've brought happiness into our lives... What more could we want?"
They sing about how they'll be a family from now on. Flynn goes to make things right with Eve.
Before the greatest show, Jacob wakes up and Ezekiel finally kisses him. "You're here."
Flynn makes up with Eve. It was hard for her, but she truly loved him.
Flynn comes back from the bank. They won't loan him anymore. Jacob laughs. "You being who you are, I asked for my pay weekly. I put it aside."
"I can't take your money, Jacob." Flynn now tries to be humble. Ezekiel sees through it.
"Why now are you being humble, Mr. Carson?"
They talk about it, but they won't be able to get another building.
"I can get us some land by the docks. All we need is a tent."
They greatest show: They sing about how it's the greatest show. First it'd Flynn as the ringmaster, but half way through, he turns it over to Jacob. He runs into the ring. "This is the greatest show!"
Flynn runs home to be with Eve.
That's it. That's my au.
Ezekiel always got dysphoric when he was on his period. He only got his period when he forgot his hormone treatment. Which he forgot to do a lot.
It wasn’t like it was his fault he forgot to take his testosterone. He was a forgetful guy. But also he had Jacob to remind him. But Jacob had been busy and now Ezekiel was in this predicament.
He laid in his bed miserably, curled up as it felt like his stomach was stabbing itself. He felt like his hold body was under attack by some unknown force.
There was a knock on the door, then Jacob revealed himself with a heating pad and some painkillers, but also the greasy food Ezekiel loved to eat whenever he was unfortunate enough to fall under the crimson tides.
“Hey, baby,” Jacob said softly. “How’re you feeling?”
“Like my stomach is stabbing itself,” Ezekiel bit back a bit more venomously than he meant, but Jacob seemed unphased.
That’ll happen when you grow up with seven little sisters. Each one was a demon on her time of the month Jacob had told Ezekiel around the time they started dating and Ezekiel had his first one while they were together.
“Right, sorry, Hun,” he said, sitting on the bed and setting down the survival essentials. “I got you some pain killers and a heating pad. But also a cheeseburger for when you’re hungry.”
“I’m not hungry,” Ezekiel said, though the smell of the burger -and probably fries- smelt amazing and made his stomach growl.
“You sure about that?” Jacob asked, smiling in ammusment.
“I already feel fat and that fat-causer isn’t going to help,” Ezekiel muttered bitterly.
“Awe, sweetheart, it’s just bloating. It’s natural for what you’re going through,” Jacob said, shaking the bag as an offering.
Ezekiel was quiet for a moment before he sat up and snatched the bag, rummaging through it with mock abandon. After a moment, he pulled the burger out and tore into it, mumbling a thank you.
“When you’re done, you can take some pain killers and I can help you take your shot, then you can take a shower, or you can shower and then I can help you with your shot,” Jacob suggested, kicking his boots off and moving to wrap his arms around Ezekiel.
“Don’t touch me. I’m fine. I don’t want to be touched,” Ezekiel snapped, moving away from Jacob.
“Alright, that’s fine. I’m sorry,” he raised his hands in surrender.
“How do you love me still when I talk to you so rudely?” The Australian asked, looking over at Jacob with curiosity. But also a bit of confusion.
“Because I know I’m overstepping and I know I’m being overbearing,” the southerner admitted. “And I apologize for that. I know any other time, you’d return my affections, but right now, you have a right to be snappish and I accept that. I still love you because that’s a part of who you are. Do you understand that?”
Ezekiel was still for a moment as he paused eating. “I- uh... I think so...”
He resumed eating, murmuring to himself about being stupid and that Jacob would always love him.
“Alright darlin’,” Jacob said. “When you’re finished, you tell me what you want to do. Shot then shower, or shower then shot.”
Ezekiel shoved the wrapper into the bag and munched on a couple fries.
“I want to shower,” Ezekiel said. “I feel dirty and gross and I just need to shower.”
Jacob nodded. “Alright. I’ll get you some clothes and a warm towel and some products from CVS. You like the ones with wings, right?”
Ezekiel nodded. “I think I still have some from last time.”
“Alright, well, just let me know if you need anything, okay?” Jacob asked.
He nodded again before getting up and wandering towards the bathroom to shower. He grabbed a towel on his way and locked the door behind him.
Jacob gathered clothes for Ezekiel and waited for him.
“You can come in now.” He heard the door unlock.
Jacob stepped in and handed Ezekiel the clothes. He noticed how Ezekiel avoided eye-contact with Jacob; and with himself. He didn’t look at himself as he got dressed. he looked away as he changed his pad.
“You want your shot now?” Jacob asked.
Ezekiel nodded and pulled his pants down a bit so it’s be easier for Jacob to administer the shot. He sat on the toilet as Jacob readied the needle.
Jacob stuck him quickly, then applied a small band-aid to it.
“Do you want to cuddle?” Jake asked softly, reacing for one of Ezekiel’s hands.
The Australian nodded, rubbing his eyes a bit and taking Jacob’s hand. “Yes please.”
Ezekiel laid with his back against Jacob’s torso. The other had his arms wrapped around his body with his warm hands pressed against his lower abdominals.
They were both asleep and comfortable. It wasn’t their ideal way to spend a day, but they wouldn’t have changed anything for the world.
There are little things everyone does. These are the things you pick up on your significant other.
Jacob notices a lot about Ezekiel. His small habits. His big ones. His kinda small ones. Jacob loves these things about Ezekiel. He finds them cute.
His favorite is all the places Ezekiel has to hide throughout the Library. Slowly, Jacob had been introduced to each of them. Jacob felt honored. Ezekiel was slowly opening up to him and being in a relationship.
Jacob knew there was one place that Ezekiel wasn’t showing him, and he respected that. His boyfriend was private. When he wanted to show him, he’d be there to support him.
Another thing that Jacob loved about Ezekiel was the way he carried himself. He carried himself with so much confidence and respect. He really admired that.
Jacob himself could never carry himself like that; he’s never been able to. He’s carried himself highly, but not with confidence or respect.
Ezekiel loved many things about Jacob. Ezekiel loved everything about Jacob, actually.
He loved his singing. He loved his hair. His weird American accent. There was nothing that he hated about Jacob.
Well, maybe there was one little thing he hated. He hated the way he could spew out poetry and talk about it like it was his job. Yeah, sure it was his job. His job was to be smart, but Ezekiel hated that he would do it in the middle of thier dates.
But secretly he liked it.
Little things make the world go round. Just a little at a time. Because they’re little.