HL Fic Library 🎪 Circus/Carnival Fics
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🎪 Coax the Cold by MediaWhore / @mediawhorefics {M, 86k}
England, 1897.
English Professor Louis Tomlinson’s passion for the occult has been a source of mockery and derision for most of his life. When he hears whispers of a travelling freak show newly established in London claiming the existence of a monstrous sea hybrid, half-man, half-fish, Louis sees it as his ticket to credibility amongst his peers. The summer he spends undercover working on the show, however, gives him much more than that.
🎪 here comes the sun (little darling) by you_explode / @nobodymoves {E, 46k}
Louis and Liam are a trapeze act who’ve just joined Syco Circus. Despite his best efforts, Louis immediately falls head over heels for Harry, one of the jugglers with a penchant for glittery pink leotards. But Louis’s had issues before with intra-circus dating, so he’s trying his best to ignore his feelings. Which is why he’s not at all bothered by Harry flirting with everyone but him.
featuring lots of pining, lots of ot5 friendship, runaway boys reconnecting with their families, Harry and Louis becoming co-dependent best friends until they figure out they’re in love with each other, Liam fancying Zayn who’s already dating Perrie, and a Beatles-themed circus.
🎪 Breaking Free by @snowy38 {E, 43k}
“Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Ricardo Jose Diablo,” he beamed. “This is Louis Tomlinson, our resident lion-tamer,” he added.
Harry glanced again at the other young man.
“Harry,” he put forth his hand only for a simple case of manners. “Harry Styles...”
“What a great name, kid!” Ricardo grinned, squeezing his shoulder. “Now tell me something? Have you ever wanted to run away to the circus?”
🎪 Train Tracks and Porcelain by @jaerie {E, 41k}
At the first hint of light, Louis was slowly brought back to consciousness by the growing swell of activity around him. It started in the distance with loud clanks and clatters and rose with the hollers of men and thudding of boots against the solid earth. He listened as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes and tried to place any sounds he was familiar with. It took him too long to remember that he wasn’t back in his rented room. The energy was what floated to him next, a buzz that made him peek through the leaves to see what was going on.
The next moments happened in the strange slow motion of dawn. Shadows were forming into people and things and, there in the middle of it, Louis watched the humongous head of an elephant emerge from a box car right in front of his eyes.
Or a Water For Elephants inspired AU
🎪 My Other Half Was You by @lululawrence {NR, 35k}
Louis turned the corner to head to Niall and Lewis’ music shop, and slammed right into someone.
“Shit,” Louis gasped, gripping the person’s shoulders in an attempt to remain standing. “God, I’m so sorry!”
“No, I’m sorry,” the man said. “Uh, you steady?”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry again.” Louis blinked a few times and then took a step back. It was only then that he finally glanced up to the man’s eyes. They were a clear, bright green, and curly brown hair fell onto his forehead.
“I should probably…” The man trailed off, motioning towards the antique shop behind Louis.
“Right, sorry,” Louis apologized again, stepping aside.
“It’s alright. Have a good day.”
“You too,” Louis replied as the man disappeared around the corner.
By the age of 30, Louis' entire life trajectory had changed from what he'd thought it would be. He moved back to the town he grew up in and did his best to pull himself and his life back together again.
Four years, seven months, and sixteen days after the day that changed everything, Louis turns a corner and literally runs into the man who just might change it all again.
🎪 Madame Viola's Circus (series) by sweetly_disposed {M, 28k}
"Tell you what, why don't you come by sometime, when there's no practise on? I'll teach you how to fly."
Or, Harry, Zayn, Liam and Niall are trapeze artists, and Louis has a love for the circus.
🎪 responsible forever for what you have tamed by leighbot {M, 26k}
He deals with a sassy, 500 pound liger every day, but Harry Styles might be his downfall. The thought doesn’t scare him as much as he thought it would.
Or, the one where Harry runs away to escape his past and Louis has nowhere else to go to have a future.
Circus Fic.
🎪 The Ones Who Entertain by LiveLaughLoveLarry / @loveislarryislove {T, 18k}
The prompt I based this on was: "Louis, Niall, and Liam are three friends looking for a summer job before they head off to university. Their extraneous efforts and lack of motivation lead them to a world famous traveling carnival staying in town for 3 months. Louis works in a shitty game booth, Liam cleans up the elephant poop, and Niall is supposed to be working the ticket booth but honestly he just does whatever the fuck he wants. All is well until they meet Harry (a palm reading, dream analyzing, plant whisperer) and Zayn (“the hot bloke in the genie costume that does shows with the elephants”). Fortune telling, cleaning up elephant shit, and romance ensues." Honestly, that pretty much sums it up.
“Hi guys,” Curly said. “I’m-”“Hanzi the All-Knowing,” Niall said.“Harry,” Curly said.“Hot,” Louis said. There was a momentary pause, and everyone looked at him. Oops.
🎪 The Future Is Now by jacaranda_bloom / @jacaranda-bloom {E, 16k}
Louis has a great life, really, he does. He studies hard, has great friends, a boring but decent job at the carnival, and of course, he has Harry, the best flatmate anyone could ask for. All that’s missing is someone to love. But when a strange new fortune-telling machine appears at the carnival, Louis’ life takes an unexpected turn. Could this be his chance to finally find love and will it be where he least expects it?
Or the five times Louis follows the fortunes to seek out his true love, and the one time he realises that what he's been searching for might've been right in front of him the whole time.
🎪 Don't Like The Backseat by sailingonstars / @anchorsship {G, 14k}
The one where its the year 3019 and Louis runs away to join a circus in which Harry is a trapeze artist.
🎪 you've got a smile that takes me to another planet by aceofdiamonds {M, 13k}
harry is too cool for circuses. louis is a fortune teller who knows literally everything. obviously, they're meant to be.
🎪 what if we rewrite the stars? by orphan_account {T, 12k}
Louis doesn't even know the man’s name, just knows that he wants to — needs to know him, touch him, be with him forever and ever until they grow old and get matching gravestones behind the church on 8th Street—
He needs to calm down, is what he needs.
It’s his first day working with PT Barnum and it’s already changed his life.
Or a Greatest Showman/Rewrite The Stars AU.
🎪 It's A Never-Ending Helter-Skelter by runaway_train / @runaway-train-works {T, 8k}
Harry coughs again, confused. There’s a good chance he’s going about this questioning thing in completely the wrong order. He looks at his surroundings. He’s on a beach. A very beautiful but very empty beach. There’s nothing but white sand in either direction until it curves around and disappears into the luscious green of the tropical forest behind them. “Where am I?” he asks. For some unknown reason that Harry would never be able to articulate, he instantly trusts Niall.
Niall scratches at his cheek. “Uh… Well you see, that’s a bit more complicated. What’s the last thing you remember?”
Or
The one where Harry winds up on a desert island with a bunch of circus performers and it might just be the best thing that's ever happened to him.
🎪 Never Be Ready by @afirethatcannotdie {NR, 7k}
“Remember the documentary film program in Los Angeles? The one that I got waitlisted for? They called me this morning and said that a spot opened up and they offered it to me.”
“That’s great!” Louis says, and he means it. “When do you come back?”
He and Harry have spent every summer of their lives together. Surely Harry won’t ruin that perfect record.
“The middle of August,” Harry says, clearly thrilled at the prospect of spending ten weeks in California, and Louis’ heart sinks to his stomach like a stone in the sea.
A high school AU where a summer without Harry makes Louis realize that he wants to be a little bit more than best friends.
🎪 Young And Sweet by lilliandherself / @vogueharrystan {E, 5k}
Louis sees his ex at the carnival and thinks that he must be the solution to his problem.
🎪 the skyline looks brighter tonight by bravefortheboys {G, 3k}
Louis thinks this whole 'soul mate' thing is just a bit too cliche for him. Then he meets Harry.
(or where they're all at a carnival and a tarot card reader (who may just be a figment of his imagination) tells Louis that he's going to meet his soul mate)
