the greatest showman ◆ imagines

p.t. barnum ◆ tightrope

having the biggest crush on barnum

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Of course. A hopeless crush on the one and only Phineas Taylor Barnum, the owner of the circus you loved to work at. Why couldn't you just have a crush on one of the boys in the street like a normal girl? But, you couldn't help who you felt for. Especially because the man did have a wife and two kids, you knew it could never be so. Anne and Phillip had found happiness, but when you confided in Anne she told you that love isn't an easy thing to get through. Anne and Phillip got lucky with each other, finally pushing through society and finding love within one another. She said your time would come when you and the person you loved were ready. You knew who the one you loved was, but unfortunately the stars did not align with the two of you as they did with Charity and Barnum. Anne said you could try to "Rewrite the Stars" - a cheesy phrase her and Phillip both used to describe their love - but you knew it was impossible. He had eyes for the girl he'd loved since he was just the tailor's boy. 

"Hey, Barnum." You chirped as you saw him walk into the circus, excited to see him here so early before the show. You thought it would be a good idea to practice before the show, as last time you nearly killed yourself falling off of the tightrope. Barnum knew of the dangers so he gave you a rope to jump onto if you had any troubles.

"Hey (y/n)." He smiled, holding some papers in his hands, obviously to see Phillip about. Phillip came around the corner at the sound of Barnum's voice, a stern/concerned look on his face - that couldn't be good. "Sorry (y/n) I have to talk to Phillip about the circus, I'll see you tonight." He said with a kind nod, walking over to Phillip who had begun walking away so they had their own little corner. Sighing, you began to climb the ladder to the tightrope - you got the normal butterflies as you did, I mean with a minor fear of heights this wasn't a very fitting talent for you to have, but hey you were born with the gift of incredible balance for a reason.

Looking down at Barnum - talking to Phillip and not paying any attention to you - you took your first step onto the tightrope. It'd been a few days since you did this, so naturally you were a little wobbly. Closing your eyes, you focused your eyes on Barnum, smiling as you whispered silently to yourself. "Some people long for a life that is simple and planned, tied with a ribbon. Some people won't sail the sea 'cause they're safer on land, to follow what's written. But I'd follow you to the great unknown, off to a world we call our own." By now, you had both feet on the tightrope and held your arms out carefully for you to balance. "Mountains and valleys, and all that will come in between, desert and ocean. You pulled me in and together we're lost in a dream. Always in motion, so I risk it all just to be with you. And I risk it all for this life we choose." 

You took a deep breath, doing a tiny jump on the tightrope and landing wobbly with your arms sticking out. Before you knew it, it was time for the show, and Barnum was getting everyone ready as you touched up your makeup. "You ready?" He asked you once you'd gotten the rest of your red lipstick on, turning around and blowing out a big breath.

"As I'll ever be." He put a gentle hand on your shoulder along with one of his signature smiles; you returned the smile nervously and made sure everything on your outfit was in place. "Let's do this!" You said, turning to the rest of the group, causing them to raise their fists in the air and charge out of the curtain once the time came.

Taking your signature place high above, you placed both feet on the thin rope and focused on keeping your balance. You kept wobbling, but eventually you got the feeling and began to walk slowly towards the middle. "Hand in my hand, and you promised to never let go." You said to your piece, your voice echoing throughout the tent of the circus."We're walking a tightrope. High in the sky we can see the whole world down below. We're walking a tightrope." You did a small jump and landed on one foot, causing some of the audience to gasp as they feared for your life just as much as you did. "Never sure..." The tightrope began to wobble uncontrollably, and you placed both feet on the rope, attempting to gain your balance. "Will you catch me..." One foot slipped off the tightrope, and you found yourself eying the rope that Barnum put in case you had problems. Barnum noticed but tried to remain calm and move himself under the rope, prepared to catch you. "If I should fall?" Your breath hitched in your throat as your balance completely slipped; without thinking, you jumped off the tightrope in the direction of the rope swinging mindlessly from side to side. Once you slid down a little - and got a nasty rope burn - you clutched yourself to the rope in fear, closing your eyes tight as to not look down. 

A panicked cry escaped from the audience, but Phillip quickly ran to your aid and began to lower the rope slowly; with your sore hands and grip slipping, you swore that you were going to fall off the rope. Giving a little scream, your hands slipped, sending you tumbling towards the ground - thankfully (due to Phillip's lowering) you were only a few feet from the ground. Barnum outstretched his arms and caught you in a sort of bridal sweep style, holding you close as you trembled in his arms. "I've got you... I've got you..." He whispered soothingly into your ear, you just clutched harder onto him as cheers erupted from the crowd, obviously thinking this was all part of the show. "I'm right here... I'm not letting go (y/n), you're okay." 

You pulled away from his chest, looking up at him with teary eyes. His whole demeanor changed, his brow furrowing in sympathy and just hugging you closer to his chest. "Well, it's all an adventure that comes with a breathtaking view..." You whispered, your voice breaking as tears continued to spill from your eyes. He placed you down and just pulled you in for a long hug; you took in the scent of him, the feeling of his embrace, everything about him... it was just perfect. But you knew you could never have him, it was impossible; for now, you'd have this. You decided you were lucky enough to have him in your life, so why not enjoy the small things like this. "Are you okay?" He said, grabbing your shoulders and looking at your eyes for any signs of distress.

"I'm fine... thank you for catching me."

"Anytime." He said, dipping his hat to you, making you smile. "There's that smile." He said, taking his thumbs and wiping away the tears you had staining your cheeks. "Now, how about we get back to the show? On the ground, of course." He assured you, taking your hand and smiling goofily down at you.

"Walking a tightrope..." You whispered to yourself as the cheering died down and everyone got in their assigned places. There were sympathetic looks and lots of questions on whether or not you were okay within the group, but you just smiled and nodded. Honestly, you were fine. You'd fallen multiple times - never like that, but enough to not be too shaken up about it in the end. Taking one last look at Barnum, you got ready to put on your next show as you uttered some final words:

"With you."

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