"I feel like the wind-down sometimes," he mumbled, looking down at the dogs with interest gleaming in his eyes. "But, I mean, I can't ask for much more, y'know? I go out there to lift a couple of people an' then I get paid. Even if kids like t' kick my shins to make sure I ain't just a fella on stilts."
"I hate children, God. Especially when they come and try to touch my animals. Or ask about my clothes." A dog leapt up onto Alex, tail wagging violently. "Oh! God, I'm sorry."
"Don't worry 'bout it," Alex said, waving off his apology. "I actually like dogs."
He reached one of his massive hands down and gently scratched the top of the dogs head. He was careful not to be too rough, knowing that it could hurt the dog.
"Six months an' they listen to you that well?" he asked, looking over to Romeo with an impressed look.
"They do. They're quick learners, but a little bit of food never hurt anybody when it comes to training." Romeo looked especially proud of himself. "Benvolio over here is the only with the most issues. Mercutio? Easy to train. Just like that, a trick is learned." Romeo snapped his fingers, inadvertently getting the dogs' attention.
"I had a pup when I was younger," he said, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Damn thing never listen to a word I said. Listened t' Daddy, though. He's say 'sit,' an' you'd think the little thing had weights strapped to its rear."
“Same with me, big guy. Didn’t stop me though, and now I’ve got a whole act just working with animals. The life, no?” Romeo laughed, staking the dogs’ long leashes down. He dropped to a crouch, voice crooning. “Now I know why they didn’t listen to me. I’ve never been the exact ‘alpha’ type. Father? He was.”
"Daddy always thought I was too damn big. Had Lil' Man's Syndr'm, my momma called it," Alex said, crouching as well to pat the dog again. Even crouching, he stood taller over most of the other members of the circus. "He liked t' yell an' stuff. Pro'ly why the dogs were scared of 'im. I was jus' too nice."
Benvolio strutted up to Alex, forcing his head underneath his hand. Romeo didn’t seem to notice. “Is that why you joined us here? Your father? If you don’t mind saying, of course. I’m just curious.”
"Yeah, actually, it was," he admitted, sliding his hand to the side of the dogs face and scratching under his ears. "Momma died a few years back, so I ain't had a reason to stay. Why did you start doin' this?"
Romeo went quiet for a moment. "Ah. Well, I guess you could say my family and I had a few… differences." He laughed slightly, suddenly looking a bit nervous. "I write sometimes. Just to my siblings. But postage is expensive and I can't always afford it, so I don't often get the chance."
Alex extended his other arm to cup the dog's face, the tattoo on his hand plainly visible. "I don' got no reason to write. Doubt he could even read, to be honest. Never saw him pick up a single book in m' life."
"That's sad. Reading is such a good escape." Romeo shook his head. "But, to your point earlier about dogs.. It's much more effective if you're kind and gentle to them than to be aggressive and violent. That must be why they like you so much. They're good judges of character, these beasties."
He didn't really know how to respond, so he just continued to pet the dog in silence.
"Stupid freaks!" someone shouted from across the make-shift trailer park, making Alex flinch slightly. Screaming was not something he enjoyed.
“Motherf- real original! Fuck you, asshole!” Romeo barked back, standing up.
"Ay, fuck you!" the guy called, turning the corner and heading towards the two. "Who the fuck do you thi-"
The man was cut off by Alex turning his head to the sound of the shouting. The guy was much larger than Romeo, with muscled arms and a thick, tensed neck. He probably wasn't used to people being bigger than him, but there wasn't a man in the world bigger than Alex.
Romeo gripped onto the two dogs’ leashes, who were suddenly at arms by the commotion. “Fucking cunt. I don’t go into your hours wand start insulting your family, so don’t do it to mine.” Romeo snarled, taking a step forward. He was a fighter at heart, even if he wasn’t in body.
The dogs just put the icing on the cake. With a small "Yip!", he turned his heel and ran off in the other direction as fast as he could. Which wasn't very.
"Pleasant fellow, don't you think?" Alex asked, watching the man leave with a confused expression.
“I want to slit his fucking throat, Alex.” Romeo hisses through bared teeth, looking behind him. He huffed, plopping back to the ground and holding his dogs close.
“I’m so fucking tired of it all. The fucking harassment, the insults, all of it. I’m just tired.”
"I've gotten used to it," he admitted, leaning against the dog cages. The metal bars were strong enough to hold his bulk, which pleased him. "All my life I've been the outlier. Now I jus' get paid for it."
"But doesn't it ever make you angry? Call me emotional, but people like him just make me want to- I don't know- augh. Christ, Alex, you're so calm it's frustrating sometimes." Romeo laughed, flopping onto his back.
"Las' time I got angry, I broke a couch," he admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "An' y'all people are so tiny I'm afraid of killin' ya if I swing a punch."
"Good point." He ran his fingers through his hair, still lying on his back. "I know I should be practicing my routines now, but I really don't want to have to deal with the fucken' monkeys. They're a pain in the ass. You know?" Romeo glanced at Alex, pointing to another wagon-cage. "The ankle-biters, if you will."
"I never got close to the monkeys before," he said, pushing off of the dog cage again. "Boss wanted me to one time, but I said no. Didn' want then to go crazy 'n bite me."
"Sebastian can be a raging asshole when he's in a bad mood, but Cesario is nice enough. Want to see them? They've got to come out anyway." Romeo sat up, ready to stand and get the monkeys' leashes. "This act isn't perfect just yet, so a little more practice before tonight shouldn't hurt."
"Um…yeah, I guess," he said with a shrug. "I ain't gotta get dressed for a while now, so it wouldn't hurt."
"Give me a moment. Mind staking the dogs back up?" He held out the leashes, but soon retracted them. "Actually, no, it's fine. They'll be okay." He tired the dogs to the bars of the wagon instead of staking them, walking off to the next wagon. The rattle of bars could be heard from where Alex stood, although it didn't feel aggressive or angry.
"Good morning, you two." Romeo clipped on their leads, both monkeys now either perched on his shoulder or in his arms.
