#i will jump from the ferris wheel at the county fair

[this-doesnt-endd]

Got really horribly sad outta nowhere and like idk if its cause ive just been looking kinda ugly or like cause ive been working a lot or like general vibes but im not having a fun time

[pawnshopbleus]

These Are the Days Chapter Eleven - For Good

Abby Anderson x Fem!Reader High School AU

For the summary, warnings, and more, please visit here.

Author's note: a lot has happened since i last updated. my childhood dog died (Theodore is based on him), I started my first semester of college, I finished my first semester of college, I started watching Arcane (sevika is my wife), i fell in love with wicked, and I turned nineteen. I'm so sorry to keep you all waiting.

Previous Chapter

The last time Abby felt this happy was when her dad took her to the county fair seven years ago. The rush she felt when she saw the bright rainbow lights on the Ferris wheel was the same feeling she got when she looked into your eyes. Your lips, so soft and plump, melted against hers like chocolate on a s'more roasting over the fire. 

She could smell the conditioner that you use right under her nose. The sunlight shined through the small sliver between the curtains, blinding her as she slowly blinked awake. Abby let a small smile grace her lips as she felt your weight beside her. Your couch felt better than her own bed at home. It reeled her in and begged her to stay a little longer, but she couldn’t. There were things that she needed to do today. 

Abby never wanted to be near Owen ever again. He had caused her so much pain and sorrow that she felt like he had irreparably damaged her. Beat her down so that she would stay with him. She had been a doormat for his cheating and abuse for far too long. She should have broken it off for good when he got Mel pregnant, but she was so naive back then. Now, she finally has something good, and she doesn’t want to fuck it up. 

Abby slowly gets off the couch, careful not to wake you, and walks to the door. She looks back at you, admiring how calm you look. Theodore jumps onto the couch and settles in Abby's previous spot. Abby winks at the dog, a silent plea for him to watch over you. Theodore sneezes, and Abby takes that as her answer. He’ll be there for you when Abby isn’t. 

She is going to break up with Owen. 

She scared. He could make the rest of her life in Bellevue - in the entire state of Washington a living hell. She could lose her spot as captain and kiss college goodbye, but it would all be worth it because she gets to be with you. 

She turns onto a street a few blocks away from her house. Abby’s been down this road one time. After securing her spot as cheer captain, Mel threw a party junior year. It was a night filled with dancing, alcohol, beer, and caring for Owen. Abby shudders when she remembers the smell of the place. At least one hundred sweaty teens were stuck inside the first floor of Mel’s home. The windows stayed closed, and no one was allowed outside. Abby’s grateful Ellie became the school’s resident party thrower. A guest bedroom, an outside patio with a pool, fully functional windows, and pre-rolled joints were always at her disposal. 

Abby parks her car and walks to the front door. It’s a Sunday, so most people in the suburbs attend church, but not Mel. The shame of being pregnant and unwed has cost her too much. At first, she boasted about the fact that she was pregnant with Owen’s baby, but when reality set in, she became quiet and timid. She hasn’t been at school for weeks. 

Abby knocks on the door, and footsteps are heard walking to the door. Mel looks through the peephole and sighs. 

“What do you want?” Mel asks. 

“I want to talk.” 

The door swings open, and Mel, dressed in a long nightgown, steps aside, “Do you want to come in?” 

“Nah, I’m good. I’ll make it quick.” Abby bites the inside of her cheek and speaks again, “Why’d you do it? You knew he was with me, and you still did it? You kept his fucking baby, Mel? Why”

Mel sighs and bites her lip. “I don’t know. I was stupid, and I wanted to feel something. Owen made me feel seen. Everyone thinks I’m a lesbian because of my haircut, but I’m not! He made me feel beautiful.” 

“He made you feel beautiful, so you let him get you pregnant?” 

“That’s not-” Mel sighs. “I feel like this is my karma. This is what I get for being the other woman.” 

“It’s not entirely your fault.” Abby puts her hand on Mel’s shoulder. “Good luck, Mel.” Abby gets back into her car and sighs. She laughs at all the sighing she’s done today and starts her car. Knowing what comes next, she’ll need some laughter in her life. 

Abby walks into Owen's house. She never knocks; she never needs to.

Mr. Moore, Owen’s dad, is sitting on the couch in the living room. He is the spitting image of his son. All-American man with blonde hair instead of brown. The beer he holds in his hand is half gone, and the football game on the TV is left unwatched as he snoozes in the loveseat. Owen is in his room as expected. The curtains are drawn, and his room is bathed in darkness. The fact that it’s three pm and he is still asleep doesn’t surprise Abby. 

She pokes his shoulder repeatedly, urging him to wake up. Owen slowly blinks awake, his eyes squinting as he tries to see through the darkness. 

“Who’s there?” his tired voice asks. 

“Me.” “Abby?”

“Yeah,” she says matter of factly. “We need to talk.” 

Owen nods, and his head falls back onto his pillow. “I’m serious, Owen. This is important.” 

Owen nods against the pillow and turns away from Abby. Abby grumbles and crosses her arms. If he wants to act like a child, she’ll treat him like one. That doesn’t mean she’ll be nice, in fact, she feels the spirit of Miss Truchbull posses her. 

“We’re done.” Abby crosses her arms, “for good.”

“Okay,” he says sarcastically.

“I mean it this time, Owen. You better get your shit from my house, or else I’ll burn it. I’ll burn everything you’ve ever given me, from that fake bouquet of flowers to that jersey you signed by Russell Wilson.” 

Owen gets up from his bed as if it had just been set on fire.“What the fuck are you talking about right now?” 

“We’re done, for good! Your stuff will be in a big black trash can outside my house. Get it by tomorrow, or else you’ll never see it again.” 

“We’ve gone through this before, Abby. You’ll just come crawling back to me.” 

Abby shakes her head. “I have something this time that I didn’t have all those other times.” Abby thinks of you: of last night, this morning, last week, last month, and the first time she saw you. 

“What? A lawyer?”

Abby laughs in his face and walks away in utter disbelief at Owen’s stupidity. He’ll soon notice that she’s through with him and his antics.

Abby skips down the stairs of Owen’s house for the last time. She’s dreamt of this moment. Usually, it ends with his house blowing up and her walking away like Heath Ledger in The Dark Night. 

Abby’s head hits the steering wheel, and she jumps a little when the horn honks. She sighs for what feels like the hundredth time today and closes her eyes. She’s done. She’s done with his bullshit, she’s done with feeling sorry for Mel, and she’s done with denying her feelings for you. 

Theodore barks at a car passing by your house, startling you awake. You scan your surroundings for any sign of life and realize that you are home alone. Your phone chimes, and you check it. The brightness is turned all the way up, temporarily blinding you. You squint your eyes and press the notification. 

Abby: Owen and I are done for Good. 

You shut your phone off and pet Theodore’s soft fur. You close your eyes and smile with contentment as your new life in Washington is finally looking up. 

Tag list: @rew1nds @colbyweirdo

Thank you for reading!

Next Chapter

[charlottesbookclub]

easy love (eddie munson x f!reader) 🖤🖤

for my dear @theold-ultraviolence because you deserve a nice day with eddie 🥰🥰

Summary: you and eddie attend the county fair near hawkins

Warnings/Tags: femme!reader (terms like "my lady" are used, but there are no physical descriptors); absolute pure tooth-rotting fluff; I think that's it, but as always, let me know if I've missed anything! ☺️

Words: 2857

Recommended Listening: Easy Love – Parris Mitchell

Helpful Info:

Beholder – a monster from dungeons and dragons that looks like a giant floating eye

Funnel Cake – a sweet fried dessert that is a staple at US fairs (I'm sure they're eaten elsewhere as well, but to me they're very much associated with the fair ☺️)

Author’s Note: eddie isn't a character that I've written a lot for, so I hope this feels in-character for him 🥰💕 I've mostly written this for a dear friend who deserves a little treat (ily irma 🥰🖤), but I hope it can find anyone who might need a fluffy little pick-me-up ☺️🥰 also it is a complete coincidence that the "easy love" lyric video features a ferris wheel – I had never watched the video until I was finding the link to put here after I'd already finished the fic and was prepping the post 🤯🤯 guess it just proves that this was meant to be 😌💖 as always, I hope y'all enjoy! ☺️💕

            The scent hit you the instant you popped open the passenger side door of Eddie’s van and prepared to jump out: dust and sugar and animals and fried food and sweat. A unique combination of smells that heralded your arrival at the county fair. Before you could push yourself off the worn leather seat, Eddie came sprinting around the front of the van.

            “Hold up waitwaitwaitwait,” he ushered you back into your seat. “This is a date, right? I’m supposed to get the door for you.”

            “Oh, I didn’t know I was being courted by such a chivalrous gentleman,” you laughed. “Please, Sir Eddie, continue,” you invited as you pulled the door closed again. The next second, he opened it once more with a dramatic flourish and deep bow.

            “My Lady, your humble suitor awaits the honor of your hand,” Eddie said in a terrible posh accent before offering his hand for you to take. You couldn’t help but laugh at his theatrics as you maneuvered yourself out of the van, using his hand for stability as your feet hit the dusty ground of the lot. He shoved the door closed with a practiced kick, but did not release your hand as the two of you began walking toward the fair entrance.

            “Munson, was this whole thing a ploy so you could hold my hand?” you asked in teasing accusation, holding up your still-linked hands as proof of your claim. Eddie’s deep brown eyes widened in mock surprise as though seeing your intertwined fingers for the first time.

            “You would accuse me – your loyal and devoted knight – of beguiling you?” he gasped in exaggerated shock.

            “Oh I just might,” you giggled, knocking your shoulder against his as he tried to dodge the movement – a difficult endeavor considering that he still refused to let go of your hand. He then pulled himself back toward you, pressing his mouth close to your ear, his dark curls tickling your skin.

            “And you might be correct,” he whispered, an edge of barely-contained laughter in his voice, “but don’t tell anyone else my secret – I have a reputation to maintain, you know.” You nodded with mock seriousness and mimed zipping your lips and throwing away the key. 

            “Your secrets are safe with me—oh look: cows!” you interrupted your own sentence as you passed a small round barn and caught a glimpse of the animals within. Switching direction, you pulled Eddie toward the entrance. 

            It was cooler in the barn, shielded from the sun and with huge box fans blowing from the rafters. The sweet smell of hay and dusty scent of the cows lingered in the air as the two of you made your way down one of the rows of animals. 

            You stopped at the stall of a particularly sweet looking cow, her mostly cream-colored face flecked with brown as she slowly chewed some hay. You reached your free hand out gently and touched the soft patch of fuzz on her forehead. Seeming to like the gesture, she nuzzled her wet nose against your palm, and you giggled. Her expressive, soft, deep brown eyes reminded you of something, and it only took you a second to realize what.

            “Look Eds, you’ve got the same eyes!”

            Eddie rolled his own chocolatey eyes, but stepped closer to the cow nonetheless. He reached out a tentative hand to stroke her head like you had, and when his hand met her fur, he let out a noise of surprise.

            “Oh – it’s really soft!” he exclaimed. Almost as though in response, the cow let out a low moo and pushed her nose against Eddie’s outstretched hand just as she had to yours. He pulled his hand back abruptly, wiping it down the front of his shirt. “Ewww – it’s wet!”

            “The great knight Eddie, laid low by the wet nose of a cow,” you lamented in feigned sorrow, shaking your head mournfully.

            “Hey! How was I supposed to know it would feel like that?” he retorted, unable to keep the light sparkle of a laugh out of his voice. “You’re right though – about the eyes. I thought you were joking, but I take it as a great compliment to share eyes with this noble beast.”

            “Of course I meant it as a compliment, silly” you knocked your shoulder against his again, much more gently this time, “you know I couldn’t resist either of you, looking at me with those sun-warmed melted-chocolate eyes. Practically got me in a trance.”

            “Then you wouldn’t argue if I suggested we go try some games?”

            “I wouldn’t have argued anyway, but now I’m going to need some convincing – show me what those big brown eyes can do.”

            With a great deal of theatricality, Eddie brushed his curls back and bent slightly to make sure he could look up at you properly. He drew his mouth into a little pout and widened his eyes, ribbons of gold and deeper brown visible in the warm sea of his milk chocolate irises, even in the dim light of the barn.

            “Please?” he begged in the most pathetic voice he could manage without breaking into laughter.

            “Of course!” you responded, laughing, and Eddie instantly snapped back to his full height, joining in your giggles. The cow mooed again and rocked her head to the side, almost as though telling you two to get out of the barn and enjoy the rest of the fair.

            “See?” Eddie pointed to the cow, “she thinks so too!” He popped a small salute at the cow as you rolled your eyes and pulled him back out of the barn. From there, he led the way as you wound through gaggles of sticky children, packs of sweaty teens, and pairs of exhausted parents. Your hand was growing incredibly warm in Eddie’s firm grip, but you didn’t mind at all. You were happy to let him guide you through the crowd to whatever game he had his heart set on.

            He finally came to a stop outside one of the many colorful tents that populated the fair. Under this one was a large table, covered from edge to edge in glass bowls, some of which had goldfish in them.

            “You’re not serious?” 

            “On the contrary, I’m the most serious. Other guys are winning their girlfriends weird stuffed bears and lame plastic roses. I want to get you something cool!”

            “Eds, that is so sweet, but you know this game is so rigged, right? One of my friends spent all their tickets on it last year and never got a fish.”

            “Well, lucky for me, I’m different, and I’m going to win my girlfriend a fish,” he huffed with exaggerated bravado and another theatrical bow. You laughed despite yourself and shook your head with bemused affection as you stepped back and watched him exchange a couple tickets for a handful of rings.

            He lined up each throw carefully, holding the little plastic rings lightly in his hand as he flexed his wrist back and forth, preparing for the toss. The first few landed well, but on the exterior bowls that were filled with decorative rocks and crumples of colorful paper. The points could be added up for smaller prizes, but he rejected those, opting to pay a few more tickets for another set of rings. You could see him hitting his stride, these rings landing closer to the center, some even bouncing off the edges of the bowls with real fish in them. With each near-miss you noticed him leaning forward in anticipation and then deflating a little as the ring failed to find its mark. You were about to walk back up to him and pull him gently away, tell him that you really didn’t need a fish; you couldn’t bear to see him disappointed.

            Before you could though, he handed a couple more tickets to the attendant in return for another set of rings. The first couple landed so close that you found yourself holding your breath a little, waiting to see if they would come to rest over a fishbowl. By the time he was down to his last one, you were determined not to let him waste any more tickets, and had begun to move towards him when he released the final ring with a measured flick of his wrist. The little circle of orange plastic sailed through the air and came to a perfect landing around the centermost glass bowl on the table – the one with the biggest fish. You stopped in your tracks, looking on in shock for a moment as the attendant went to remove the ring and transfer the fish to a little plastic bag. You snapped yourself out of your stupor and rushed the last few steps to Eddie, wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug.

            “You actually did it!”

            “Of course I did – I promised you I would, didn’t I?” He struck a heroic pose, but underneath his exaggerated confidence, you could see relief, and perhaps even a little bit of surprise.

            The attendant handed the bag with the fish to Eddie, which he took with the utmost care. He then turned and presented it to you with a flurry of flourishing hand gestures and a series of deep and dramatic bows.

            “My Lady, in your name I have slayed the great Dragon of the Rings, and I present to you its great treasure!”

            “Sir Eddie!” you echoed his theatrics with an elaborate curtsy of your own, “I am honored and flattered by this great gift!” 

            You held out your hands with great seriousness, ready to receive the fish, and his placed the bag carefully into your waiting hands with a final bow. Picking up the top of the bag, you studied the little creature within. It was a shimmery golden-orange with feathery fins that trailed a little in the water and huge, bulging eyes that projected from either side of its head.

            “Hmmmm… now to think of a name for this little guy,” you murmured. Then an idea came to mind:

            “Beholder!” you exclaimed at the exact same moment as Eddie. A beat of surprised silence passed before you both broke into peals of laughter.

            “It’s the eyes, isn’t it?” you wheezed.

            “Yeah – it’s the eyes,” Eddie agreed in gasping breaths between laughs.

            “Shall we take our new son Beholder to see the rest of the fair?” you asked when you had both recovered a bit.

            “After you, my lady,” Eddie gestured for you to lead the way.

            Your first stop was the fun house where Eddie had to guide you through the spinning tunnel painted with black and white spirals since you kept losing your balance. Despite the dizzying swirls that kept causing you to trip, you relished the casual closeness of Eddie behind you, his arms pressed against yours as you held Beholder to your chest, gently directing you through the tunnel. At the end you held Beholder up to the series of distorted mirrors, both of you dying of laughter when the warped surfaces made his buggy eyes even bigger than they already were. 

            Next up was a food cart selling funnel cakes. Your comment that the pile of fried dough resembled guts resulted in you and Eddie pretending to be orcs consuming the entrails of a slain enemy. The little container of raspberry jam that accompanied the funnel cake made this all the more convincing, as it proved to be a sticky but delicious fake blood that Eddie slathered over the fried treat. Beholder watched from his bag on the old wooden picnic table, eyes wide as you both took turns dramatically ripping pieces from the cake with your fingers and dipping them in even more jam.

            Satisfied with your meal of the viscera of your enemy, you both returned to the games, taking turns holding Beholder while the other played. You won a little bear while picking ducks and Eddie got a small plastic sword at the dart toss. You only had a couple tickets left as the sun was beginning to sink toward the horizon and the heat of the day was fading to a more comfortable evening.

            “Wanna spend our last tickets on the ferris wheel?” Eddie asked.

            “Sure! If you don’t think it will make the baby too sick…” you replied with feigned seriousness, stroking Beholder’s bag protectively. You couldn’t keep up the act long though, and both of you devolved into laughter as you made your way toward the large circular structure at the back of the fair.

            When you were both settled in your seat and the creaking metal frame lurched to life, you watched as the little carriage slowly lifted from the loading area and into the air. Glancing over at Eddie, you found him looking anxious, his long fingers fidgeting with the rings on his hands.

            “Hey Eds, you good?”

            “Can I tell you a secret?” he dodged your question, answering with one of his own instead.

            “Of course,” you pressed yourself closer to him on the metal seat. “You can tell me anything.” He smiled a small, nervous smile, turning his eyes back to his hands and letting his dark curls fall over his face.

            “I uh—I practiced at the ring toss for weeks to get it right. Wayne has all these old mugs and uh… well… I would set them out on the table and make little rings out of tinfoil. I think the weight was a little off from the real thing, but…” he looked up at you finally, his big brown eyes rimmed with gold as they caught the glowing light of the setting sun, “I really wanted to get it right for you.”

            You were speechless. A thousand sentences started to form in your mind, all of which screamed I love you I love you I love you. But you couldn’t get any of them out. You opted for wrapping your hands around his, hoping the way your fingers intertwined with his said the words that you weren’t able to force from your mouth. They must have, because he just squeezed your hands like he understood and rested his head on top of yours as you tucked yourself against him.

            “This is… easy, y’know,” he said after a long moment as the carriage continued to climb toward the top of the wheel. He pulled back to look at you as he stumbled over his words: “Like… I thought it might be awkward or like weird or something, or that I wouldn’t feel like myself. But it just feels normal. Or right. Just easy I guess.”

            “Eddie Munson, are you calling me easy?” you clutched at your invisible pearls in mock horror.

            “Nononononono – that’s not what I meant at all I—” you cut off his stammering apology with a gentle finger to his lips.

            “I know, Eds. I was just teasing,” you assured him. “But I feel the same way. It’s just… nice. You’re right – it just feels easy to be with you like this.” You took a deep breath, closing your eyes for a moment before speaking again: “Now can I tell you a secret?”

            “Of course,” he repeated your words from earlier, beaming at you, “you can tell me anything.” You leaned in closely then, your noses almost touching, your quavering voice barely above a whisper.

            “I’d really like to kiss you right now.”

            You were so close you could hear the breath catch in his throat at your words. His heart had to be racing as fast as yours was, but now your blood was rushing in your ears and all you could hear was the sound of your own fevered heartbeat. You closed your eyes then, afraid you might start seeing spots if you kept them open. Leaning in, you sensed him doing the same. You could feel the warmth radiating from his skin. And then his lips were on yours. Soft. Tentative. Warm. Gentle. And so utterly overwhelming in best way possible. You couldn’t focus on anything but the feeling of his skin against yours, your mind a mess of color and sound – fireworks ignited by the touch of his lips against your own.

            Then the whole world lurched, and you snapped back into reality. The carriage had finally made its way to the top of the ferris wheel and had jolted as it reached the highest point. The fairgrounds spread out below you, strings of lights flickering to life as the evening sky faded to a welcoming lavender. The chiming music of the carousel floated up on a slight breeze as you watched the fair light itself up in sparkling bursts of green, blue, yellow, and red. High above the dust and heat and noise, it almost looked like something out of a fairytale.

            “Wow, you can see everything from up here,” you breathed, squeezing Eddie’s hands in yours.

            “Yeah, you really can,” he agreed. But when you turned back, he wasn’t looking at the scene below – his eyes were only for you. Almost without thinking, you pulled him back in to finish the kiss.

[ask-red-and-solomon]

Fair Chaos - Oneshot

Cheers of kaiju and carnival music echoed through the clear autumn skies. The county fair was only set up and operating for only about a week every fall and spring season across the solar system- and this time, it was Zenith's turn to host it.

So, having no other plans, and thinking it would make for a fun day, Red decided to take Usol and Solomon there- with Melissa and Acacius tagging along.

Solomon landed just a few paces away from the arched entrance, Red following shortly behind and holding Usol in his arms. The small monster had made sure to bundle up in a jacket and scarf, guessing that it would be colder later.

"And here we are!" Solomon announced in a grand voice, getting a pair of shades out of his fur, "The county fair...!"

"Oh, I haven't been to one of these in forever!" Melissa smiled as she glided towards the ground, holding Acacius in her arms. Acacius chuckled as he picked leaves out of her jacket hood.

Usol peered up, excitedly waving at her, "Hi, Melissa! Hi Mr. Acacius!"

"Usol! It's nice to see you too!" She landed with a few steps, kneeling to put Acacius on the ground. Red leaned down to let Usol run over to her, to which she picked up and hugged him.

"Are you ready to ride the craziest rides there are?!"

Usol pumped his small fists into the air, "Yeah! And eat all the cotton candy in the woorrld!" They both cheered out and laughed.

Red smiled as he watched them have their fun, before stretching out his wings and legs.

Acacius stared at the Hellbeast for a moment, noticing how his wings cracked. "Hey Red, how're you doing over there?"

He relaxed his wings and stood upright again, "Better than before," He sighed out in relief.

"Do your wings usually crack when you stretch them?"

"I don't think I stretched them properly before I took off. But..." He stopped to stretch one of his legs, "Ugh- There it is. I'm fine now."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm-"

"Hey, Solomon!"

The demon bat turned away from the attraction posters he was looking at, "Yeah?"

"You really don't have to-"

"You gonna help Red with stretching out his legs later, or what?!"

Red roughly shoved Acacius aside, Solomon was already trying not to laugh, "Ignore that! I'm fine!"

Usol and Melissa ran inside the fair, chanting out about how much funnel cake and cotton candy they'd eat. Red perked his head up hearing that there was funnel cake, and rushed after them.

"Oh boy..." Solomon nervously smiled, "Red, wait up! You better not spend the money I gave you already!"

"I'm getting a funnel cake no matter what!"

"Fine, but you can't just eat sweets all afternoon."

Red fully stopped, tilting his head, "Is that a challenge?"

"What?!- I, well... Wait, no-!"

The Hellbeast bolted off faster than before.

"Red, get back here!-"

Acacius snatched the shades from Sol's head as he ran off. Surely he wouldn't mind if he borrowed these just for today?

Chuckling to himself, he followed not too far after the others.

"Alright... which ride should we go on first..." Melissa wondered aloud, looking across each colorful attraction as Usol held her hand, jumping in excitement.

"How about.... that one!"

She turned to Usol, then to the ride he'd pointed at- the grand ferris wheel, towering over everything. Multicolored lights adorned the sides, glowing amidst the clear sky.

A big smile spread across her face, "Ooh, that's a good one! The views at the top are just amazing!" A sudden beeping sound interrupted her thoughts.

Confused, Usol watched her take a small device out of her pocket. "Hold on, just gotta feed this little guy..." She started pressing buttons, not taking her eyes off the tiny screen as she felt Usol tugging at her other hand.

"Hold on, hold on, the ferris wheel isn't going to roll away or anything," She joked. Just then, she heard the magnet that held her prosthetic in place snap.

As soon as she looked down, a small winged Kamacuras bolted off, holding her arm.

"What the- Hey! Get back here!" She rushed after the monster on foot, "You don't just do that, you jerk!"

"Go kick his butt, Melissa!" Usol shouted in encouragement, waving his cotton candy in the air. He turned back to the alligator kaiju who managed the cart, "How much is this again?"

"Two silver coins, kid."

Usol dug around in his pocket, and handed him the money, putting the extra change away. "Thanks for the business, little guy."

"Thank you! I might get some more for Melissa when she comes back..." He mumbled, now focusing on trying to find Red or Solomon. "Shoot... Where'd they go...?"

The small monster paced in place for a moment, looking through the plethora of monsters that walked from one ride to the next. He tried not to panic, but then stopped when he remembered what the Hellbeast talked about earlier.

He turned to the stand owner, "Excuse me, but do you know where I can get a funnel cake?"

The owner looked away from his book, "Oh yeah. I think a stand for that was set up further that way," He pointed past various balloon games and a carousel, "Someone set up shop just a little bit past those rides."

"Thank you!" Usol smiled, before running off into the crowds, waving his cotton candy around like a sword. "Sorry, outta my way! I'm gonna defeat a funnel cake dragon!"

"Go get 'em, kiddo!"

*****

Colorful leaves gathered at Acacius's feet as he leaned back on the wooden bench, the little shade of the nearby tree shielding his eyes from the sun.

He didn't have any plans for the day, he didn't need to. Sitting beneath the open sky and warmth of the sun, feeling the cool breeze of the autumn season... all of that was just enough for him.

He watched as smaller and younger monsters ran about the fair, hopping onto various rides and laughing in joy when they got off- before rushing to another ride or to one of the snack stands.

A soft smile spread across his face, remembering how happy and free he was in his youth. A small group of smaller monsters rushed to one of the spinning cliffhanger rides- the attendant looked exhausted.

"Look buddy, I'm not tellin' you again-"

"Can this thing spin so fast, it can fly you to the moon?"

"What?- No, it can't- are you gonna buy a ticket or-"

"Are you doing okay?"

"Obviously no! Are you getting a ticket or not?!"

"Can you make the ride go super fast?!"

"I'm not allowed to!-"

"Why not? It'd be fun!"

Acacius turned to the attendant, finding that he was in an argument with none other than... Face. He buried his head in his hands for a second, of course the weird floating head was at the fair and asking everyone crazy questions...

Acacius got onto his feet, "Hey Face!"

The odd floating head spun around, facing him upside-down. "Oh, my good ol' buddy! What's you getting up to on this funny night?"

"Just trying to relax and everything... What are you doing?"

Face squinted at the ride attendant for a second, like the monster had stolen something and wouldn't hand the item back.

Right, Face sometimes refused to answer questions that didn't have a yes or no answer. "Face? Are you going to cause trouble all day?"

They quickly turned back to him, "Oh no, no, no! I was just having fun!"

"Are you sure? You look a bit... mad at this guy. You want to go get some snacks with me? I-"

"Oh! Snacks?!" Without any warning, Face bolted past, bouncing off snack stands and rides at blinding speed. "Gotta catch me first Mr. light man!"

Acacius stared for a second, dazed, before running after them, "Face, I swear to God- why are you always like this?!"

Maniacal laughter echoed through the wind as the Golden Light gave chase, always just barely a step behind the tiny blur as it bounced around like a hyperactive pinball.

Monsters ducked, and screamed, and ran as Face crashed into one of the watergun games, only for him to have already moved on by the time Acacius caught up.

"Someone stop them!" He yelled out, just as Face bounced off a snack stand, and was sent flying into another stand, where the two-headed bird that owned it defended themselves with a pan.

Which then sent Face flying into the air.

"Whoa..." Acacius huffed, out of breath, but now relived he could actually catch it now. "Thanks..!"

Quickly, he looked around for any way for Face to safely land- without damaging any attractions or monsters...

Then he spotted a cotton candy machine. He got an idea, it was a crazy idea, but an idea nonetheless.

He ran to the machine, grabbing it by the handle and wheeling off with it, "Sorry, gotta borrow this really quickly!"

Face continued to soar higher into the skies, there was no telling when it'd reach the peak and start diving. Carefully, Acacius kept his eyes on them.

"Come on... Come on..."

He moved the machine around bit by bit, trying to see where exactly it'd land... Face then slowly began to fall, shouting out in glee like it was the most fun he had in forever.

"There!" He quickly flipped a switch on the machine, starting it on the highest setting. Large puffs of candy began to form within the machine as it shuttered and whirred.

"Wwwhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...!"

Acacius smiled to himself, "I got you now..."

The whirring of the machine got louder and louder as it was now overflowing with candy, enough to form a small cloud. The candy cloud grew and grew steadily as Face got closer and closer to the ground.

Nearby monsters stared and gasped at the cloud of candy, but Acacius kept his eyes on Face's location. Then, finally, Face crashed into the cloud and the machine itself, sending Acacius and the machine flying back.

For a moment, neither of them moved, dazed and in shock from the fall's impact. Acacius lifted a shaking hand, and shut off the machine just as Face came floating out of it, spinning wildly.

"Whhooooo boy..! That... that was- uh..." Face stumbled on their words for a minute, then shook themselves. "That was the fun-est thing I've done in a bajillion years!"

Acacius only groaned as he slowly got up, rubbing his chest and arm while Face was too busy laughing. "Ughh, God... Should've worn my armor.... sugar-honey-iced..."

Face stared at him for a second, "You doing okay buddy 'ol pal? Are any of your bones broken?"

"No... No, God I hope not..."

They blinked, then grabbed a tuft of cotton candy, offering it to him."Want some?"

Rubbing his head, Acacius sat up and took the candy. Looking tired as he ate it.

"There we go! Feel better now?"

"I... guess? I don't know... I just wanted to relax and maybe go on a ride or two and-"

Face practically lit up, flying around him in circles, "Oh, a ride! Which one?! Tell me, tell me!"

"Maybe one of the spinning rides? I heard that-"

He was suddenly dragged back up to his feet, "That sounds super fun! Let's go! Ooh, you think we could get the ride cranked all the way up and go super super fast?! C'mon buddy!"

Acacius stared for a second, "Well, uh... I don't..."

Before he knew it, Face was already dragging him to a nearby ride.

*****

Melissa's own heartbeat echoed through her head as she rushed past countless rides and stands. Everything abound her was nothing more than faint blurs as she chased down the small bug monster.

Holding the robotic arm in its pincers, the winged Kamacuras glided just above the ground and near the feet of other monsters, staying out of her sight for as long as possible.

She stopped for a long moment to catch her breath and ground herself again, the weight of just one prosthetic felt odd. Of course the little bugger chose to go into the most crowded section of the fair... First the stalls he'd knocked over to slow her down, and now this.

But she needed to slow down and ground herself to find him. She needed that prosthetic back- Acacius didn't work night and day building it for nothing, after all...

"Where did you go now..."

Slowly, she looked over the entire area. Bells rang, and smaller monsters laughed and ran all around her. So many colorful things surrounded her, it was almost overwhelming.

Yep, now she was sure they lead her here on purpose...

A couple prizes at some of the games caught her eye, she considered playing to get them. But then she shook herself, she shouldn't get distracted. Step by step, she walked through the crowd, unable to see her own boots, let alone the small monster.

It really was the perfect hiding spot for him.

Just out of her sight, the small Kamacuras hopped into a bouncy castle, "Hey! Get back here...!"

They glared at her for a second, then jumped once, then twice, then on the third bounce, they forced all of their weight down.

By the time Melissa had caught up, they spread their wings and used the castle to launch themselves high above, flying over a section of the fair.

The small monster cackled in glee as they took off, "See you never, smurf lady!"

For a moment, Melissa just stared. Then she took a deep breath- in a flash of light, angelic wings materialized behind her.

She slowly rose them above her head, then brought them down with all the force she could muster, darting into the skies.

Eyes darting around, she tried to spot him again. There were some fun attractions, with Acacius and Face in a spinning one... Some strength test games Solomon could beat for sure...

Once she spotted the ferris wheel, she immediately spotted the winged beast. Her prosthetic dangling from its tiny arms.

He looked back to her, too busy taunting her to notice the metal darts soaring nearby- and by the time he had, his wings were already torn and he found himself suddenly falling.

Fear struck Melissa, and without thinking, she dove after him.

"Come on, come on! Just a bit further!" The Kamacuras desperately flapped his wings, but to no avail.

"I've got you!" In an instant, she grabbed ahold on him with her remaining arm, outstretching her wings as she slowed.

He squirmed in her grip, "Let go of me, you stupid-!"

She suddenly dropped him a few feet above the ground, near a blocked off section, where parts of a deconstructed roller coaster surrounded them.

Melissa landed before him, a stern look on her face as he glared at her.

Slowly, she knelt down to his level, "Look, kid... I don't know why you took my arm, or what you could need it for. But I need it back, please?"

"No way! I need this! We can't find any other replacements!"

She gave him a look of confusion, "Replacements? For who?"

"My mom, that's who! Her robot arm broke!" He clutched her prosthetic even tighter, "Me and my sister's been looking everywhere for pieces to fix it! It's the only one we could find around here!"

For a moment, she stopped and thought. Then got an idea.

"What's your name?"

He gave her a suspicious look, "Darrin?"

"If you give me my arm back, Darrin, then I'll get some friends of mine to help you and your mother..." She held out her hand. "Does that sound alright?"

Darrin didn't move for a while, taking a step back. But then handing it back.

"Deal. As long as she's okay..."

Melissa snapped the prosthetic back into place, "Don't worry, I'll make sure she is. I promise."

"You better not break that promise!"

"I won't, I won't!"

"Good!" He looked around for a second, "Um... could you get me outta here?"

"Oh!- Absolutely!" She chuckled a bit, "Sorry about that!"

"I'm the one who stole from you!"

"Hm... fair enough... Want any cotton candy?"

"Uh... sure?"

*****

The Hellbeast grabbed and clawed at the inside of a toppled over funnel cake truck, the owner, trapped inside, holding onto his seat for dear life.

"Five, six... seven... think that's enough..." Red mumbled to himself, then turned to the owner, throwing a small bag of coins at him. "Here's your tip."

He hopped off of the truck, a stack of cakes balanced on one hand. Solomon shook his head, then shouted out, "Hey! Red! Forgetting something?"

Red stopped in his tracks, staring at him blankly for a second. Ah, right, the truck...

"Oh. Sorry. Forgot..." He scurried back to the truck, handing the stack of cakes to Sol, "Hold these."

Solomon gave him a slightly concerned look, "You doing okay, love? You've been forgetting to be nice to others a lot recently..."

The Hellbeast huffed as he lifted the truck up, "I just... get very into what I'm doing... sometimes..." He shoved the truck up onto its wheels, taking a second to check on the owner, who was still scared.

"You okay?" The driver gave him a quivering thumbs up. "I think he's okay..." The Hellbeast walked back to Solomon, splitting one of the cakes in half for his partner to eat and taking the rest of the stack.

Sol stopped for a moment, looking through the fair, "Now where'd Usol go off to-"

"Hi Mr. Solomon!"

Solomon yelped as jolted back for a second, "Oh- oh... heheh... there you are, kiddo..." He knelt down and patted Usol on the head. Red smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

"What'cha up to today? Find any cool rides?"

"I got some cotton candy, and... I got on some other rides, and found that thing!" Usol pointed up at the massive ferris wheel, which was even bigger up close.

Solomon stared up at it, "Huh... Good choice!"

"I wanna go all the way to the top! Melissa said everything looks really cool from there!"

"It does. I've been on one before."

"You have?"

"Yes. Want me to fly you up there?"

Usol began jumping in excitement, "Yeah! Let's go!"

"What? No! You can't just fly on top of the ride!"

"Why not?"

"You have to wait in line like everyone else, silly..."

Both Usol and Red groaned in disappointment. Usol already checked the line, which was packed to Hell and back. It would take hours of waiting just to get on...

But then Red smiled at Usol, he had an idea. He walked over to Solomon, "Hold on, you have something on your face..."

"Huh? Do I?-"

Red suddenly pulled Solomon in for a long kiss, and letting go when he looked flustered and was smiling like an idiot, "Oh- uh..."

"Now!" One second, Red held his face in his hands, and the very next, he scooped up Usol and rocketed into the evening sky with a single beat of his wings, maniacally laughing.

He just stared as the two of them soared high above all else. "Red... you sly bastard...!" He shouted out as he spread his own wings, going after them.

"Victory for us...!" Usol cheered just over Red's laughter, "Wait... I think you dropped the cake you just got..."

Red just shrugged, leaves blowing past him in the breeze, "Eh, doesn't matter. What does, is the ferris wheel!"

"Yeah! We're kings of the fair!- Whoa!-"

Suddenly, Red recoiled back, protectively holding Usol close as a bright light soared up just a few feet before them.

The Hellbeast watched as the firecracker soared higher and and higher, then went off in multicolored sparkles. He faintly heard the monster below, who set it off, yelling at them.

"What was that?"

"A firecracker... must be testing them..."

"Red! Don't fly here!" He turned around, facing Solomon, who now circled around them. "They test the fireworks around this time!"

"That's stupid, it's not dark enough for that yet!"

He was about to respond but looked annoyed for a second, then yelled down to somebody, "I'm working on it, pal!" He sighed, turning to Red again, who bolted past him.

"Catch us if you can...!" He shouted out, laughing to himself over Usol's own cheering. Solomon watched as the Hellbeast weaved between fireworks with ease, like is was a game of some kind.

A mischievous smile spread across his face.

Why not just play along, just for now?

"Alright then... here I... come!" And with that, Solomon rocketed into the air, flipping around and soaring towards them.

Narrowly avoiding the flying fireworks and laughing as sparks surrounded him. Usol and Red began laughing even more now that he was playing along.

"Better watch out, cause player three's joined the game!"

"Look out from behind!" Usol shouted, just as Red dove out of Solomon's way. "Do a barrel roll!"

Red blinked. "A what?"

"A barrel roll! You don't know what that is?"

"Aw c'mon Red! You can do better than that!" Solomon's voice echoed, just as he spun higher into the air.

The Hellbeast only laughed to himself, "Hold on tight!" He called out, soaring higher to join Solomon.

"Barrel roll! Barrel roll! Barrel roll!"

Solomon laughed in absolute glee as he tore through the winds, spinning rapidly as he dove, the sparks only making it more exhilarating.

Usol laughed and cheered once Red tucked his wings in and began to dive, spreading them out as he spun about.

"Barrel roooolllllllll!"

Red only laughed as the kid's cheering got louder, before dying down just as he'd circled the ferris wheel and carefully landed onto one of the pods.

He glanced at Usol, concerned, "Are you alright?"

"Very... dizzy... hehehe..." Just to be safe, he held onto him until his dizziness disappeared.

"Look out below...!"

The pod swung and shook as Solomon landed on his feet, laughing to himself. "Guess who got cotton candy? And some cool shades!" Kneling down, he handed one to Usol as he jumped out of Red's arms.

He gladly handed the other to Red, who quickly took it, before sitting down and Usol following suit.

"Cotton candy!" Usol cheered, waving it in the air, "Thank you!"

Solomon smiled, sitting beside the small monster, "Ah, no problem kiddo!" He patted him on the head.

"You didn't get any for yourself?"

"Nah, but I got a popsicle! That's just as cool!" He flipped the shades over his eyes, sticking the popsicle in his mouth.

Usol only giggled in response, swinging his legs as the ferris wheel slowly lifted them higher into the sky, where the sun had already set.

"Get ready..."

For a second, he was confused. Then Red pointed at the sky. He stopped and stared, waiting.

He saw as stars shone through the parting clouds as they all watched fireworks of all colors tear through the air. Sparks and lights making the fair a greater spectacle than before, enveloping everything in light.

It really was a great day, chaos and all.

[eashmo]

7 minutes in hell, or is it heaven? Part 22

-Please Don't Leave Me-

Warnings: NONE

A/n: very long chapter. i wanted to basically write all of episode 7 from the show because it fantastic material to use but fuck that lol.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Racing out of the mall towards my car, we all heard a motor revving, "Jonathan, please get the car started." I try to sound calm, throwing him the keys, limping around my car, my breath instantly hitches when I realize it's billy in the other car. Cocking and pointing Nancy's gun at him, my hands were shaking.

"Please, baby, don't make me shoot you." I pleaded under my breath.

"No, no, no, the car isn't starting!" Jonathan yells.

Billy suddenly speeds toward us.

"Shit, we got to go!" Lucas shouts from inside the car.

Tears were streaming down my face as I shot nine rounds at him. His headlights were getting brighter in my face, ducking I hear a crash and tires screeching. Looking up, I saw that Steve crashed his car into Billy's, diverting it from hitting me. I saw his car going up in flames.

"BILLY NO!" I scream, trying to run to him, but Nancy was holding me back.

“I got to save him. It's still Billy.” I cried as a roar from the mind flayer cut through the night. Nancy was dragging me into the car as Steve and Robin got in. Jonathan is speeding off.  we have to go back and save El, Mike, and Max.

*Time jump back in the mall*

*Billy pov*

i wrapped my hands around El's throat. squezzing tightly, she gasped for air.

“Seven feet.” she suddenly says.

Immediately, I see light, so many lights flashing, “You told her----the wave was seven feet.” The memory begins to surface - the sea breeze on me, even from so far away. She’d been so proud of me. 

“You ran to her. On the beach,”

“There were seagulls.” The sound of the birds, the sand in my hair, the water on my feet, the endless, endless joy.

“She wore a hat....with a blue ribbon.”

“A long dress…” I remembered it well. “...with a blue and red flower.” 

“Ye– yellow sandals, covered in sand,” 

“She was pretty.” She was.  Closing my eyes, remembering the memories of joy.

 “She was really pretty,” El continued, crying more, my hands loosening around her throat. 

We were both crying together, i couldn't move, nodding, god she was pretty, she was beautiful. “...and you, you were happy.”

I  feel like I'm going to collapse when she also shows me Y/N smiling at me, loving me, seeing her smile whenever I say I love you, seeing her when I wake up next to her, her beauty just like my mother Cora. I have failed my mother, and I have failed the love of my life and my little sister.

El, reached up and put a warm hand on my cheek. She doesn’t want anything. Just to give warmth. I closed my eyes again. 

Memories shatter with a roar. I get to my feet as the creature comes forward. before, I could even think our fists clashed in the air. I scream when a tentacle stabs my side.

"BILLY!" Max screams.

I need to save my friends, my sister, and most importantly, i need to save y/n ,I'm not going to fail you again. My thoughts were cut off when I realized I was being pushed out of the way.

*Y/n pov*

I shoved Billy out of the way of another incoming attack, I didn't have time to register ,that I also needed to move as well until a tentacle punctured the right side of my chest. As nothing but pain filled my body, my mind hadn’t acknowledged the voice that screamed my name as the creature yanked its tentacle  out of me and threw me onto my back. I swore death would soon arrive to take me until what felt like a hand sat on my chest, trying to stop the bleeding. so much blood. i was bleeding out.

An eerie silence takes over the mall, a memory flashed like a movie projector of Billy behind my closed eyes.

*flash back*

Hawkins County fair. The night he accidentally proposed to me. 

“Baby come on!” I shouted as I ran past him with the stuff y/f/a that he won me.

“baby girl, slow down”

“But i want to get on the ferris wheel before the fireworks start” i pouted at him, dragging him along.

shaking his head as He chuckles. we reach the ferris wheel.

" 3 tickets to ride." the operator said. i fished 3 tickets out of Billy's butt pocket and handed them to the ride operator. boarding the ride. we suddenly stopped at the top.

"Why did we stop?" i asked.

"i paid the operator a little extra."

"really!, why?, you know you didn't have to."

"i know, but i'll do anything for you, princess." he chuckles.

"You're such a softy," i giggled as the fireworks started. i slid into his arms, staring up into the sky with awe. what i didn't see is that he stared at me the entire time.

"i can't wait to marry you," he said to himself, but i heard him over the booms. i pretended that i didn't hear him. I gently put my hands on his face.

"You're missing the fireworks." i laughed a little. he grabbed both of my wrists in each hand. we stared at each other as the lights refelct off our eyes.

"Kiss me, Hargrove." i say softly.

"gladly," he says as he intentaly captures my lips with his.

"By the way, me too." was all i said into his lips. feeling him smile against me.

*end of flash back*

Opening my eyes to see blue eyes staring back into mine “B-baby are you back?” I whispered  out as everything came back to me, I nearly sat up, but he held onto me, which prevented me from moving much. He, too, was severely injured, taking a blow to the side of his torso. He held onto me as if his life depended on it. 

“I'm back, princess. i'm so sorry that i hurt you.”

He nuzzles his face into my neck. “B-billy i have something to tell you?” my voice trembled, sounding afraid. “You..” I was coughing up blood. “.. you are going to be a dad.” I try to hold his face as he looks at me with shocked wide eyes.

“I'm going to be a dad?” he sobs.

“Yes sweetheart, If its a boy i want to name him Mikey, but if its a girl i want to name her Cora, after your mother'' I say weakly, please god don't let me die, don't let my body give up now. 

Billy let out a loud sob, pressing my face against his chest. He placed a hand over my stomach, “Why? Why did you jump in the w-way?!” 

“I-” It took me a couple of breaths, and it hurt, “I couldn’t lose you again.

"I'm cold..” My voice cracks, 

“Hold on, baby girl, help is on their way, Max! Please help me “ he shouts through tears. 

“You can't leave me yet, don't go where I can't follow.”This was the last thing I heard before everything went numb. and i go limp in his arms.

Previous Chapter

Part 23 final

Masterlist

2023

taglist: @goth-cowgirl-03

[siempre-bucky]

how about going to an amusement park and sharing a kiss in the alley with hangman? 😊

Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader

Summary: Jake is always cool, calm, and collected but not when he's stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel.

wc: 798

A/N: Happy TGM day! I hope you all get to watch it from the comfort of your own homes today! I hope you enjoy some soft uncle Jake!!

Clang—crack—boom. 

“Get me off this thing!” 

Panic was written all over the aviator’s face, his hands firmly pressed on the metal of the hanging box in the sky, his heels dug into the metal floor. All you could do was stare with wide eyes and parted lips from the seat across from him, your head slightly cocked to the side. His niece and nephew tucked into your sides with the same bewildered expression. 

“Y/N, I swear to God if they don’t get us off this thing,” Jake warned through jagged breaths. He whispered small affirmations to himself and slid over to the side, his fearful green eyes looking out of the gated window, the bright lights of the county fair seemed so small from up here. He always imagined his death in 2 ways, when he’s older than dirt on his ranch or in his plane—dying from being stuck at the top of the Ferris wheel was never a thought until now. He whipped his head away from the window and closed his eyes.

“They’re trying to fix it, baby,” you reassured him, trying to fight back a giggle. “They’ll have the Ferris wheel back up and working in no time, ok?” You gave him your best smile and pulled the twins closer to you. You’d never seen him so scared of a fair ride before, it was adorable. He looked up at the ceiling and tried to take deeper breaths, his face was red from holding the air inside his lungs. 

“Is he ok?” Wendy whispered from your side, her face scrunched with embarrassment for her uncle. 

“He’s fine, sweet pea,” you said, running your fingers through her blonde hair. 

Tommy on the other hand wasn’t as subtle as his sister, he jumped up off the seat and rushed to the side, and caused the car to rock side to side. “Jesus Christ, Tommy!” Jake yelped, jolting a mile sigh. He grabbed the 8 year old and sat him down on the seat firmly with a small ‘humph�� escaping the boy’s lips. 

“Mommy said not to say that,” Wendy grimaced. 

Jake huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “LeAnn will forgive me, Wendy,” he groaned with annoyance in his tone as he leaned forward, putting his head in his hands. You patted the girl's shoulder and moved her off you so you could get on your knees in front of him. 

“Jake,” you whispered warmly, snaking your hands under his and lifting his head. The poor man looked white as snow from being up this high. “I need you to breathe.” 

“I am,” he exhaled. 

“Good, sweetheart. You’ve been up much higher and in more dangerous situations, we’re at the county fair. Nothing’s gonna happen to us.” Your sweet voice calmed him while your thumbs stroked his cheekbones. 

“Ok, ok,” he agreed, “I’m sorry.” 

You shook your head and stood up to take a seat at his side, pulling him into your arms. “Don’t be,” you giggled. 

Not long after, the Ferris wheel began to move, bringing Jake to the sweet sweet ground. “I never thought I’d see you again,” he grinned as he looked at the dark asphalt that was illuminated by the vibrant lights. You held his hand while Wendy and Tommy ran up to their mom to tell her all about Jake’s freak-out at the top. Their little giggles and pointing made Jake grimace.

“That’s the screamin’ I heard!” LeAnn cackled, nearly doubling over with laughter. “Oh, Jakey. Yer never gonna live that one down, wait till I tell mama.” She took her kids by the hand and led them away, leaving you and Jake by yourselves. 

You looked up at his strong features, the color still drained from his face. “Need a moment, big guy?” you asked playfully, patting his back. 

“Yeah,” he rasped out before leading you into an alleyway. 

He pressed his back against the wall and took in a deep breath, the smell of hay and fried food was oddly soothing. You leaned up against the other side with your arms crossed, a slight smile on your face as you watched him calm down. 

“I‘m sorry, Darlin’, I don’t know what came over me,” his voice was calmer as he apologized, his hand reaching for you. Nodding, you took it and allowed him to wrap you up in his strong arms. 

“It was a little funny, I’ll admit. I will be telling this story when I'm super drunk at the Hard Deck,” you told him, playfully jabbing him with your finger. He formed a toothy grin that always made you weak in the knees and put his strong hands on your hips. 

“You wouldn’t dare,” he teased, leaning in. 

“Oh, I would, Lieutenant,” you retorted before kissing him.

[lokislastlove]

Fair Game (SoftDark Frank Castle x Reader)

Summary: Date night to the county fair with your boyfriend Frank!

Warnings: Dubcon, Jealousy, humping, bit of Daddy kink, degradation, humiliation.

Notes: I’m sure this has been done before but it was stuck in my head so I just had to get it out. 🤍 ~3k

The pink spun sugar dissolves on your tongue and leaves your fingers sticky as you lean against your boyfriends warm muscular shoulder. Your feet swing freely as you sit on the metal barrier surrounding the Ferris wheel. Frank curls his arm around your waist, distracting you with a kiss on the neck as he snatches a piece of your cotton candy.

“Hey! Get your own,” you pout, tugging it away from him.

He laughs and shoves it in his mouth, “sharing is caring, darlin’.”

Billy appears and sidles up next to you, taking the entire stick from your outstretched arm. “So true, brother.”

“Hey!” You exclaim, swatting at Billy as you hop off your perch and try to take it back.

You don’t notice the way he smirks as you stretch across his body, your chest pressing against his as he leans back to hold it just out of reach. You don’t notice… but Frank certainly does. Scowling, Frank watches Billy continue to tease you, your face scrunched in frustration as you jump and grab for the treat. 

“That’s enough, Billy,” Frank chides, swiping it easily and giving it to you before pulling your hips back against his.

Billy’s eyes meet Franks, recognizing the unspoken challenge and nodding away his defeat. “Sorry, sweetheart… couldn’t help myself.”

You narrow your eyes teasingly and laugh it off, happy to have your snack back. Billy is always playful, flirty but in a non-threatening way, and you consider it a good thing. It means he likes you or at least approves of you, right?

Your last boyfriend’s best friend hated you, he had called you ‘vapid’ and, although you didn’t know what it meant in the moment, it didn’t take a genius to understand it wasn’t a compliment. It wasn’t long after that the relationship ended.

With Frank things feel different. He treats you like a princess, gets you anything you could ever want and is fiercely defensive of you. He makes you feel safe and loved. Sure he can get a little heated at times but most of it seems to stem from his checkered past, nothing a bit of loving reassurance can’t fix. And Billy has been nothing but sweet since you met him. So no red flags yet.

“Come on, darlin’. We’re up!” Frank turns you, urging you forward as he hands off your tickets and you jump into a free seat.

Frank slides in, his body warming you as he throws his arm across your shoulders. You cuddle into his side as the ride lifts you off the ground and into the cool night air. Billy takes the chair behind you. He swings and howls obnoxiously at the passing girls below. You laugh at his antics while Frank shakes his head, a faint smirk on his lips.

When the ride ends and you gather at the exit, Frank frowns at the buzz coming from his jacket pocket. His frown turn sour as he answers the phone and releases his hold on your hip. With a kiss to your forehead he mutters, “I’ll be right back. Billy keep an eye on her.”

Billy nods as you watch Frank disappear into the crowd holding the phone to his ear. You look up at Billy, “what was that about?”

Billy just shrugs and nudges you with his elbow, “so whatcha wanna do until he gets back?”

“I don’t know,” you answer. “Feel like I’ve ridden all the good ones.” Billy snorts out a laugh and you look up at him curiously, “what?”

“Nothing, sweetheart.”

Your attention is drawn by the sound of a loud pop and a girl squealing excitedly as an array of lights flash in white and red.

“Winner, winner! We have a big winner here!”

The man behind the booth pulls down a giant stuffed bear and hands it off to a young man who then gifts it to the bouncing blond at his side. The stuffed animal is over half her size and a vibrant shade of blue. She giggles with glee as she hugs it tightly against her chest and beams at her boyfriend.

“Aw, that’s the cutest! I’ve always wanted to win one of the big ones,” you smile as you watch the couple walk off together.

“Well, that settles it then,” Billy says, taking your hand and dragging you down the row of game booths.

“Billy! What are you doing?”

He scans the hanging displays of prizes until he stops suddenly and you run into his back with a soft “oof”.

He points up at a giant pink rabbit and smirks at you over his shoulder, “that one.”

You admire the oversized bunny, it’s soft with a surprisingly sweet expression compared to some of the other prizes and holding a shiny orange carrot in its paws. You can’t help the smile the brightens your face, it’s perfect, just the one you would choose. Billy quickly steps up to the counter, handing over his money to the attendant in exchange for a set of five white balls.

“Blue targets are worth 10 points, green 15, and red get ya 25,” the man recites quickly, juggling a couple spare balls as he waits for Billy to throw.

“How much do I need to get that one?” Billy points at the pink rabbit. “Eh doesn’t matter, all red should do it right?”

The man smirks at Billy’s arrogance but nods in confirmation. You bite your lip as you wait and watch. Billy twists the ball in his hand, feeling the weight of it as he eyes his target. He winds his arm back and throws, nailing the swinging red target toward the back on his first shot.

“Not bad,” the attendant praises and Billy preens confidently.

He takes the second ball, and chucks it at the red target just as it pops up from it hiding spot. The third strike seems even easier than the previous two and by the fourth throw you’re tense with excitement and anticipation. He hasn’t missed a single one yet and he’s starting to draw a small crowd of kids eager to see if he’ll make a perfect game.

He takes a deep breath as he picks up the last ball and you, unthinkingly, squeeze his arm in excitement as you praise him, encouraging him to keep going.

“You’re doing amazing, Billy! You got this, just one more!”

He looks over at you with a cocky twinkle in his dark eyes before scanning the crowd behind you in amusement. He smirks as he turns his attention back to the small bouncing red target that remains and his eyes narrow in focus. You release his arm and he winds up, holding it as he waits for the perfect time to strike. Someone hushes the chattering crowd and everyone collectively holds their breath as he releases the ball.

The rubber sphere flies free from his fingers like a bullet, a perfect spin straight at the target, but this one doesn’t hit the center. It clips the edge enough to make the target wobble for a moment and the small crowd gasps before it finally topples over and everyone burst into applause.

“Winner winner! We have a big winner, here!”

A few teens rush forward, eager to try their luck next and you quickly get out of the way as Billy collects his prize. You grin from ear to ear, fidgeting out of nervous excitement as you try to control the urge to grab it from him.

You can’t believe he just did that for you. Billy shakes the man’s hand and turns to greet you with a lopsided smile.

“For you, sweetheart,” he holds it out to you and you pull it to your chest, squeezing the plushy tightly.

“Oh my gosh, thank you Billy!”

You smile at each other, Billy blushing slightly at your genuine delight until a couple from the audience walks by, “nice one, man.”

“Yeah, definitely a keeper,” the girlfriend adds as she subtly checks Billy out with an approving wink.

Your face heats and you stutter, “oh – uh – no… I…”

But they are gone before you can deny their assumption. Billy laughs at your flustered expression until his grin falls to a tight smile and he clears his throat.

“We have to go,” Franks gruff voice at your back startles you.

“Frank!” You squeak and turn around holding the giant rabbit for him to see. “Look what Billy won for me!”

“Cute,” he says shortly. “Time to go.”

“Aw, but what about the fireworks?” You pout.

“Hey if you have business to take care of I can stay with her,” Billy offers and hope bubbles in your stomach.

Frank grabs your arm and pulls you close, “oh, I have business alright. Come on, darlin’.”

His grip is tight, pinching your skin harshly. You gasp and try to pull your arm free but he’s so much stronger than you. You look back at Billy who gives you a two fingered salute before he is swallowed by the sea of faces.

“Frank, slow down,” you whine, nearly tripping over your own feet as he leads you through the crowd.

Strangers scurry out of the way as they see him. Those who don’t are roughly shoved to the side as he storms past the rides and food stands all the way out to his truck.

“What happened?” You ask as you rub his finger marks from your skin. “You seem upset.”

He yanks open the passenger door and spins back to face you, “oh, do I? Surprised you even remembered who you came here with, princess.”

“What do you –“

Frank doesn’t let you finish, he pulls the bunny out of your grip and shoves you into the car. You sit with a huff as you watch him slam your door and sneer at the stuffed animal. He rounds the front of the car and tosses the rabbit at you before getting in himself. You wiggle the bulky thing between your legs and hug it’s head sadly as you drive away from the bright twinkling lights of the fair.

Frank may be temperamental but, usually, you can see it coming. This time you didn’t and its making you nervous.

He doesn’t speak the whole drive and you are too anxious to make conversation. The longer you sit there the more you feel like you did something wrong. His knuckles pale as he grips the steering wheel, body leaning forward stiffly as he scowls at the dark road.

“Frank,” your voice quakes.

“Hush,” he barks. “Almost home.”

You swallow your apology and stare down at the rabbit, twisting the soft ear in your hands as he pulls into his driveway. You prepare for a tense silence but when the engine cuts Frank is instantly out of his seat and marching around to collect you.

With one fist around your wrist and another around the neck of the rabbit, Frank kicks the front door closed and points you up the stairs. You shake as you quickly kick off your shoes and run up the stairs. It’s not even his expression or sharp demands that scare you, it’s an indescribable energy radiating from him. He’s angry, but it’s more than that and you don’t know how else to deal with it other than just do as he says.

He herds you to the bedroom and shuts the door behind him, “undress.”

Your mouth hangs open at the spite in his tone, he’s never talked to you like this, especially not in the bedroom. You cross your arms and face him with a stern look, “I don’t like how you’re talking to me.”

He moves so fast that your knees hit the edge of the bed and you fall back onto the mattress with a gasp. He scoffs and smirks down at you.

“You’re mine,” his fingers tickles your neck before gently wrapping around your throat. “And I’ll talk to you how I damn well please.”

“Frank,” you wheeze, “you’re scaring me.”

He leans down, his nose brushing against yours, “good. Now, be a good girl and undress like Daddy told you.”

He releases you and takes a step back, arms crossed over his chest, veins bulging as his muscles flex. You let out a shaky breath as you nervously grip the hem of your flirty sundress and lift your ass enough to tug it free. He nods for you to continue and you unclasp the bra, dropping it to the pile on the floor. You wiggle out of the underwear and sit quietly with your eyes on on his knees as you wait for your next instruction.

“Good, so listening isn’t the problem … I guess you just need to be reminded of who you belong to… sweetheart.”

The disdain for Billy’s nickname has your eyes snapping to his, “I never –“

“Ah - ah,” Frank interrupts, taking a menacing step toward you, “I didn’t say you could talk.”

You bite your lip, partially out of frustration but also to fight the whimper trying to escape at his harsh tone. His anger washes over you and makes you quiver, the fear warming you in places you never expected. Your hips swivel slightly as your core tingles, and he watches you with a victorious glimmer in his eye.

“Up,” he snaps his fingers as he trades places with you.

He makes a show of placing his hand on his thighs and parting his knees wide as he ogles you with a lustful gaze. It sends a shiver down your spine in anticipation of what he’s going to make you do.

You eye the bulge between his legs and lick your lips. He smirks and takes your wrist, pulling you down toward him. You giggle, thinking he’s about to pull you in for a passionate kiss until you find yourself laying face down across his lap.

He holds you down forcefully when you exclaim in alarm, “shut up and sit still. You’ll take your punishment without complaint and maybe I’ll let you make it up to me.”

“Frank, plea-“

Smack.

The sound startles you before the sting of his hand on your skin. It prickles sharply, like hundreds of needles until it fades into a hot burn.

“One,” he growls as you twist against his hold.

Smack.

“Two.”

This time he grabs at your scalding flesh, nails digging into your ass as he hums at the jiggle. He uses both hands to grope your cheeks, squeezing and tugging them apart. You hear him spit and the cool trickle of saliva runs down your slit to join the arousal gathering between your thighs.

His fingers trail down between your cheeks, pausing to press against your tight asshole until you clench and he chuckles darkly. His exploration continues lower until he brushes over the slick dripping from your entrance.

“Is this for me… or for him?”

You look over your shoulder at him with wide eyes, “Frank, I…” You take a sharp breath, stunned by the genuine hurt in his eyes beneath that furious furrowed brow. You can’t believe he is actually jealous of Billy.

Smack.

“You didn’t answer me.”

“You! You! It’s for you!” You shriek, a tear wetting the comforter as you press your face into the bed.

“I’m not so sure.”

You sniffle and try to look back at him, “I swear, Frank. I don’t have those feelings for Billy. It’s only you.”

He scoffs, “but you knew exactly who I was talking about without me even having to say his name.”

His jaw ticks and he shakes his head in disappointment. Your shock stills your tongue, how do you argue out of that one? I mean it’s obvious, Billy was the only man there. And yet… you risk digging yourself deeper if you say the wrong thing. Unfortunately, you have a tendency to do just that.

“Frank, it’s just a dumb bunny. It means nothing.”

You clutch the sheets fearfully at the way his face hardens, the sardonic smirk falling to a tight lipped frown. Your breath picks up when his grip on your ass tightens.

“Just a dumb bunny…” he echoes lowly.

You let out a startled yelp as he stands and lets you fall, your hip thudding painfully against the hard wood floor. You groan and hiss when he fists your hair and pulls you to your feet. His free hand wraps around your throat as he turns you to face the bed, the buttons of his shirt cold against your naked back.

“You see that dumb bunny right there?” He asks, pointing your face at the carnival prize taking up the center of the large bed.

He shakes you and the pain along your scalp has you whining out, “yes.”

His lips brush against your ear as he breaths you in and speaks into your neck, “fuck it.”

“What?”

He tugs harshly on your hair as he chokes you as he talks. “I want you to climb onto the bed, stick it between your legs and hump until you’re as brainless and dumb as that bunny your new boyfriend won for you.”

He releases you and pushes you forward onto the bed. You let out a dry sob as you climb up and lift a leg over the stuffed animal until the rabbit rest comfortably between your thighs. The soft fur is warm against the chill in the air and the soft spongy tip of the carrot pokes enticingly at your slit.

Its humiliating to think about getting off in front of him, but even more so having to use… this. You aren’t even sure if you can get yourself to move, let alone orgasm.

“Go on,” Frank growls as he pulls over the stool from your vanity and sits, legs open wide and arms crossed. “Ride it like you wanted to ride Billy when you were eye-fucking him in the middle of the fair.”

“I wasn’t-“

“Hey!” He yells and you flinch. “No talking unless I say so.”

You whimper and drop your eyes to the lumpy mass beneath you. You roll your hips experimentally and the carrots smooth texture glides easily along your wet slit. You do it again, and again, building up your pace as you set an easy rhythm. The soft fur tickles along your sensitive thighs, a surprisingly pleasant sensation that makes you grind a little harder onto the carrot.

“That’s it darlin’,” Frank encourages you. “Hump like the little slut you are.”

You whine at the insult but keep moving, your clit warming from the friction as it rubs deliciously along the toy.

“I guess I should have known better than to let you around my friends without being bred properly before hand.”

A moan crawls from your throat and your hands cling to the bulky rabbit staring lifelessly up at the ceiling.

“Next time I’ll make sure you’re full of me first. Filled to the brim with my seed so they can smell it dripping down your legs.”

You bite your lip as your lashes flutter and you stare at him through heavy-lidded eyes. Feeding off his filthy words.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Want everyone to know what a naughty little slut you are for me?” He smirks as his hands slowly drift up his thighs.

You pant as you curl your hips along the carrot and furry paws. Your soft moans come out in whispers as you focus on your task, your climax building despite your initial reticence.

“Look at you. So pathetic. Getting all worked up like a bitch in heat… letting another man fawn over you and give you gifts,” he tuts. “Pretending you could ever be anything but mine.”

You shake your head, eyes shut tight in your fight not to argue. You know he’s goading you now, and it’s working… in more ways than one. The angrier he makes you the harder you grind against the toy and the more desperate you get.

“But you are mine. Isn’t that right, darlin?”

You nod rapidly as your clit pulses, “yes! Yes, Daddy! Yes!”

“Good girl,” he says, smirking at the way you sigh at his praise. “Are you ready for me to use you like you just used that stuffy between your legs?”

“Yes! Please, Daddy! I need you to fuck me, please!” You have no control over your voice, crying out for him to help ease the pain of this endless torture.

Humping makes you desperate and sensitive but it’s not enough to make you cum, no matter how hard you want to. You squeeze your tits together, fondling them in hopes that the extra stimulation might get you there but it does nothing but make you more needy and fuzzy.

You close your eyes as you rock back and forth at a furious pace until the rabbit is torn from beneath you. The sudden motion throws you off balance and you fall on your back. Frank is quick to tug you to the edge of the bed and pin you down with a hand around your throat.

“Looks like I have a dumb bunny toy of my own,” he chuckles before shoving himself inside of you.

Your back arches and you whine at how good he feels as he unleashes his fury on your sensitive cunt. Your eyes roll as you cum in less than a minute, but he doesn’t stop. He forces several more orgasms from you before finally filling your hole.

“I’m going to fill you everyday if that’s what it takes to remind you who you belong to.”

Tags: @darkficsyouneveraskedfor @caffiend-queen @queenoftheworldisdead @emberenchanted @buttercupfangirl @needleandhammer @thiskindahotkindamusic @lokiswildheartcantbebroken @jaspearl31 @queenyanna111 @phildunphyisadilf @threeminutesoflife

[pjmsneverland]

Bright Light Nights

In which you go to the county fair with your best friend

warnings: fluff, suggestive dialogue, smut. 

category: Best friend!Taehyung best friends to lovers

The bright lights of the park catch your eyes while your sneakers hit the pavement in firm thuds as you search the perimeter for your best friend that you had not seen in four years due to the both of you moving to pursue different paths in different universities. That did not stop the two of you from catching up with one another through text and video chat although it did not bring the same feeling of that warmth radiated off of him when he was near you. No matter the people you met while you were away from him you always found yourself comparing them to him.

You are full on panting when you stop in the middle of a walkway when van clad feet step in front of yours and you look up habitually to apologize for blocking the stranger's way around but wavy strands that lay on the man’s tanned skin reveal his identity all too quickly and before you know it you are throwing yourself into Taehyung’s arms.

“Tae! Holy shit I was looking everywhere for you.” You pull away for a moment to look up at his features that form the most familiar smile you will ever know.

“Holy shit your hair.” He says through a laugh.

“Oh yeah I got it done today.”

“It’s so good on you.”

You are silent for a moment before you tug on his arm to walk him over to a line for the ferris wheel.

“How long since you’ve been on one of these huh?”

“A long while. You not afraid of heights anymore?” He smirks down at you, as you roll your eyes.

“We’re not twelve anymore, Tae.” You quip.

The line moves quickly and Taehyung’s hands are helping you onto the ride before he hoists himself on next to you. He wastes no time before his fingers intertwine with yours which has you looking at him questioningly; not that he needs a reason to hold your hand but it’s comedic to poke at his affectionate gesture.

“I still like holding your hand on rides, even if we aren’t twelve, honey.”

Your heart feels like it jumps at his words but you shake it off with a nonchalant laugh, bringing both of your hands on to your lap. He laughs back at you as the ride begins to move slowly and you feel like you are about to somehow fall off to your death.  A gasp falls from your lips before you can stop it and you are nearly sliding out of your seat when Taehyung’s stray hand finds your waist with a firm hold you didn't know you craved until now. Your eyes are on the placement of his hand before you meet his with your still bewildered expression. You always knew he was a handsome boy; even when you were kids you would tell him how he would grow to resemble a prince and would surely find the prettiest princess and here you were proven correct as you stared at him, mouth agape. His dark hair, chiseled jaw and perfectly sloped nose. God, little you knew what she was talking about.

“You with me?”

You nod slowly, “Yeah. I guess I’m still scared after all.”

He laughs at your faltering lie.

“That’s what I’m here for. Now, tell me. Anything new you wanna fill me in on?”

He’s successful in sparking the conversational streak in you as you fill him in your family drama, leaving none of it out because there’s no need to with him. He knew most of the drama that weighed you down and how you acted like you didn’t care when it really meant the world to you, but he was happy that you were able to detach yourself from the environment through your achievements you worked yourself to the bone for. You truly inspired him to be his best self. He thinks you perfectly encapsulate the true meaning of what it means to be beautiful in every sense of the word. The only word he could use to describe how he felt when he looked at you was wonder since he never grew tired of interacting with you. Maybe the universe made the two of you go separate paths because it knew you would find each other again.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” You squeal, playfully shoving him. His head shakes at your words that bring him back to.

“You just look different is all.” His voice comes out huskier than he wants it to, making him break eye contact for a second.

“In a bad way or?” You pout.

“No, of course not you look beautiful, honey.”

You squint at him incredulously.

“Mmhm. I want cotton candy, come.” You tug him off of the ride as it comes to a stop at your convenience. He complies, following you to a booth that sells exactly what you want as you let go of his hand to retrieve a few dollar bills from your purse. He frowns deeply, grabbing the bills from your hand quickly.

“Hey!” You protest, reaching for the money that he puts above his head.

“Tae please-” You peer at him with wide eyes as you implore shamelessly.

Your chest is pressed against his abdomen when he brings his hand down as you try to reach for the bills but he denies you once again before his hand that holds your money in it slides down your back languidly, placing the bills into your back pocket.

“You’ll get your candy, baby.”

He swiftly pulls his wallet out  after pulling away from you, takes out a few bills, asking the clerk for what you want while slipping in an order of fries for himself. The clerk hands him the items and the two of you find a bench to sit on. You pick at your confectionery while he eats his fries and you become too aware of the clenching of his jaw.

“You’ve gotten awfully affectionate.” You comment as your head lays on his shoulder.

“I’ve always been this way. I think you just noticed now.”

You giggle with a mouthful of cotton candy, deciding to switch gears.

“How’s school?” You inquire, peering up at him as he turns his head to look at you.

He attended a photography program for two years and left to Paris for an assignment he got accepted to; occasionally sending you photos of the eiffel tower as you sent back how jealous you were that he was given the opportunity to visit a place of such beautiful architecture but it is bound to happen when you possess the talent Tae did.

“It’s good-busy- but good.”

You nod.

As the time runs and you convince the boy to go on many rides with you before he’s leading you over to his car to show you something as your impatience has you begging for him to tell you what it is. You climb into the passenger like he instructs you to; watching him climb in the driver's seat before rummaging his fingers through the bag he pulled from the backseat. Your eyes catch sight of a polaroid camera that he uses to take a picture of you laughing. The device prints the photo out immediately and Taehyung’s quick hand takes it, shaking it vigorously before laying it on the dash to develop.

“My professor told me in art appreciation class that ‘we must stop waiting for the right moment to capture our subject’ and ‘there’s no better time than when they’re unaware that they are being captured’,”

You scoff, gently taking the camera from his large hands finding the button and tugging him towards you so your cheeks press together. Giggles come from Taehyung and you are quick to tease him about it with surprised eyes.

“Was that a giggle?” You exclaim.

“You make me laugh and I’ve had a lot of sugar so-”

Your eyes on him are what makes him pause mid-sentence. Silently staring back at you with ambiguity for what feels like an eternity and two seconds all at once. Smiling back at him sweetly you clear your throat to break the comfortable silence.

“The stars are so bright tonight.” Slowly gazing at the sky now through the tinted windows of his truck. He follows your line of sight.

“And that’s where this comes in.” Taehyung’s finger presses a button that makes the top slide open making you gasp in wonder before you pat his arm in excitement.

“Holy shit-come watch with me.”

Taehyung is complying with your request and pulling you up so you’re standing in front of him with your neck craned towards nature’s ceiling while your best friend’s chest is pressed to your back. Arms wrap around you firmly, catching you off guard but you don’t dare acknowledge it when this will all be gone in a flash and he’ll be driving off back to his grandiose life that he’s cultivated for himself and you’ll be running off to yours.

“I’ve missed this.” He says slowly, resting his chin gently atop your head.

“What do you mean?”

He tries to calculate his words before he utters them.

“I miss being able to touch you,” His fingers intertwine with yours while you felt the beat of your heart pick up in your chest.

“I’ve missed that too.”  You whisper through the quiet parking lot.

Soon you are sitting back inside with the top closed. Unable to remember how you ended up in your best friend’s lap with your head resting on his chest as you allow the thumping of his heart to lull you to a nearly lethargic state. The stroking of his hand on your arm doesn’t help your case either.

“Do you think we’d still be friends if we went to the same school?”

You weren’t a huge fanatic of the hypotheticals but you saw good reason in his question. The distance surely did make your soft spot grow for him but you hated how far apart the two of you were after growing up and immaturely planning out your lives together as the line between platonic and romantic gradually faded.

“I don’t like to think about how things would be if they were different because you know I believe that I am where I should be and so are you.” You look up at him, feeling his breath on your face.

Nodding at your words and silently agreeing, he’s met with the sight of your soft eyes peering at him. You prop yourself up on his arm and gesture to one of the polaroids laid out on his dash.

“Now, I’m definitely going home with this one.”

Taehyung scoffs, taking the photo from your hand that shows the two of your faces squished together; the smiles you managed to construct shining through successfully.

“My camera, my photos.” He’s playfully pouting to get a reaction out of you and you are quick to fall for it. Hours speed by while you talk about everything and nothing while alternating between wanting the top open or closed. Silence overcomes the atmosphere again and you look up to check if he’s fallen asleep since the slow rise and fall of his chest gave it away. His eyes are glued shut; dark lashes ghosting above his cheeks while his pink lips are lazily pouted. Your index finger goes to lay upon the supple skin and before you can register your act his eyes fall open slowly but you can’t find it in you to care as you still let your finger land on the supple skin before he gets the chance to glide his tongue against it.

“Hi.”

His eyes are dark and sleepy but you can’t fight the thought that your lips should be on his right now. No matter how soon he’s set to leave and go back to school to all his french hookups; you had him right now and it was only right you savored the remaining moments you had left with him. You inch towards him until your lips touch, letting your eyes flutter shut as you feel his once tensed body relax against you. It’s a sweet kiss, immature in the way that neither of you try to get hasty in your motions. You feel like you’re back in high school again with the way your stomach feels like it’s floating. Pulling away from him slowly, you gaze at him trying to gauge his emotions but his face is hardened and stoic as you immediately feel sorry for not asking first.

“I’m sorry. Oh my god I’m so fucking sorry.”

You  go to climb off of him and sit in the furthest corner to give him his personal space when he keeps his arms wrapped tightly around you.

“Hey, no it’s okay-”

You pause your movements.

“I was too scared to kiss you so I'm glad you helped me out.” He grins, covering your cheek with his hand as he goes to pull your face closer to his again into a more heated kiss than the timid one you initiated. It’s everything and nothing as you open your mouth to allow his tongue entrance and you wish it was possible for you to inject him into your veins because you love this feeling way too much and you have craved it for too fucking long. The heat from his touch travels between your legs as you reposition yourself to straddle him without leaving his lips astray in fear that if you stop he might just disappear and you’ll be left with no proof that he was ever here.

“You don’t know how much I’ve wanted this.” He pants between kisses as his hands trail down to your waist while your fingers fiddle with the hem of his shirt before tugging it off of him with the help of him raising his arms.

“I want you too.” You utter shakily, gliding your acrylics on his bare, tanned skin to which he groans giving you what you need to grind your clothed heat against his jean clad length.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.” He moans, kissing at your neck to trail his way down to your collarbone.

His hands are all over you and you nearly hyperventilate at the sensation of him on you. He’s barely touched you and you’re ready to submit to whatever he commands. He pulls off your shirt swiftly before palming your breasts through the black lace of your bra to stare at you in awe.

“I- I promise this doesn’t change anything- you’re still my best friend.” He pants while pulling down your bra and sucking at your pert nipples while you are gasping and trying not to scream from how good he’s making you feel.

“Is it bad if it does?” You exhale out as your bottom lip grazes against his lip in a lazy kiss. Your jeans are tugged down onto the floor somewhere as the lights from the festivities outside the windows illuminate his sharp features and it nearly makes tears sting your eyes because this won’t be enough for you. It’ll soon be a distant memory when you get home tomorrow and you can’t allow yourself to be selfish enough to ask him to drop everything for you; little and familiar you. Your eager and wandering hands grab his bare length and begin to pump at a comfortable pace that has him biting at your shoulder.

“Fuck. Right there.”

His words edge you on and you pull away to spit on your palm before palming at his veiny shaft.

“Want your mouth.” Taehyung groans.

Your jaw goes slack at his words and the pace of your hand slows as you look up at him when he pushes the hair out of your face before nibbling at the swole of your bottom lip.

“Will you let me fuck your pretty mouth baby?”

His thumb rests against your plush lips as his large hand holds your cheek when he instructs you to open your mouth and you oblige, wrapping your lips around his thumb to hollow your cheeks all while keeping your eyes on him. Positioning yourself between his legs you poke out the tip of your tongue to tease at his slit to which he mutters profanities encouraging you to continue as you wrap your lips around his length and began bobbing your head while your hand caresses the inches that you can’t fit in your mouth. His hips rut involuntarily and you gag as his tip touches the back of your throat; eyes forming tears but you allow your jaw to go slack so he can use your mouth the way he wants.

“Oh fuck you’re a masterpiece.”

He thrusts a few more times before pulling you off and gripping either side of your face with his large hand to meet your lips in a sloppy kiss. Still tasting the remnants of his precum on your lips he’s careless as he becomes eager to feel all of you. He’s guiding you to straddle him and before you know it you are flipped on to your back feeling the fabric of the seat against your skin. Taehyung’s thumb rubs at your clit before his lips come in contact with it and you are throwing your head back in pure bliss as whines and praises fall from your lips.  His tongue slithers against you at an overwhelming pace as your thighs tremble and you place your fingers in your mouth to muffle your embarrassing moans when his mouth strays from your center.

“None of that shit. Lemme hear you, baby.”

His free hand moves your fingers from your mouth before he intertwines his fingers with yours before focusing on eating your pussy again while this time you have nothing to drown out your cries.

“Please-please-right there. Fuck!”

The windows fog as your breathing becomes shallow and your body convulses from the ministrations of Taehyung’s mouth that finally lets up when you shudder against him and gently push his head from your heat.

“Tired already?” He teases, wiping your essence off his lips smugly while you struggle to make your vision focus.

“Fuck you.” You blubber out coherently to your surprise.

His lips kiss trails up your neck as you let your nails graze on his back to which he responds with a throaty growl before his lips crash onto yours again as he lets his length rub against your bundle of nerves, making you let out a whimper that you attempted to suppress. Taehyung pulls away to look into your eyes.

“Is this okay?” His voice sends a shiver down your spine and without thinking you press a kiss to his chin.

“Yes. Please fuck me.”

It takes little effort for him to enter you since you are practically dripping with arousal. Your body welcomes him as he starts to deliver slow tantalizing thrusts that have you whining his name. His hands grip at your thighs, further widening your legs allowing him to thrust into you deeper than before. Your lips form a straight line as you try to keep your sounds low as your body betrays you as your breathing comes out shallow.

“Right there p-please.” You whimper, letting your head fall back as his thrusts become rough and sharp making the vehicle rock as your mouth falls open instinctively. His fingertips are gripping onto the meat of your thighs as leverage for him to fuck into you. His name falls from your lips like a prayer when one of his hands leaves your thigh to cradle the back of your head to get your face closer to his all while his lethal thrusts never falter.

“You let anyone else fuck you like this baby?” He asks raspily and you let a moan slip from your throat since your ability to speak is long gone when he’s making you feel this good. His other hand that isn’t cradling your head goes towards your centre as he pulls out suddenly as you whimper at the empty feeling of not having his thickness buried inside of you. His hand comes in contact with your clit before he lifts it and meets the sensitive spot with a smack. You utter a ‘ow’ with a slight moan when he starts fucking you again.

“Answer me.” It takes you a second to remember what he’s talking about as you manage to mewl out your words.

“N-no one.”

You had no time to do any of that with all the work you had to tend to since your friends always tease you about being so uptight because you rarely got laid and perhaps they were onto something.

Taehyung’s forehead glistens with perspiration as he continues his torture on your body and you feel the warmth rising in your tummy as you clench around him eliciting a groan from him. His knuckles are white with the way he’s gripping onto your thigh all while keeping the hand that holds your head up in a gentle hold.

“Tae- I’m gonna.”

“Cum for me, pretty baby.”

Your body convulses and your vision goes white as the feeling of pure euphoria washes over you. You fall limp as Taehyung’s thrusts slow down.

“Hey. You with me?”

His hands cradle your cheeks now as you tiredly nod, giggling at how he has you exhausted after just one round. His arms wrap around you as he flips onto his back making you now straddle him. You squeal at the sudden change to which he laughs meeting your lips in a sweet peck, completely differing from the things you’re letting him do to you right now. The fact that the moment was fleeting when he held you like this; like he was promising forever. A whimper falls from your lips as his hips snap against yours and the tip of his length brushes the deepest part of you. His name falls from your lips like a prayer he brings you to another mind-numbing orgasm and his hips don’t falter as you squeal out in pleasure mixed with overstimulation.

“Fuck-Almost there baby. Where do you want it?” He growls out in his euphoric state as you push against his chest and grind on him as his eyes fall shut and his head falls back. You’re quick to kiss at his glistening skin, lightly gnawing at his skin to leave marks you hope he’ll admire in the morning. Letting your lips brush his ear you almost whisper three words you’ll regret but you’re smart enough to hold back.

“Feel good, daddy?” You giggle as Taehyung chuckles beneath you.

“You did not just call me that.”

“And what if I did?”

His lips meet yours for a moment you swear you would have missed if you blinked. He’s giving you so much while also giving you so little. Gently pulling out of you he reaches for his console where he pulls out wet wipes and begins  wiping at your swollen folds before cleaning himself off and pulling his shirt on while you begin getting dressed along with him. It’s quiet in the foggy car for a good minute when he turns to you.

“Do you wanna go back to mine?”

You nod and he pulls out of the driveway to begin driving down a familiar street that you know is in the nicer part of town since you’re near the beach.

“I’ll have your car dropped off by tomorrow.”

You sheepishly thank him and you don’t know why you suddenly feel so strange around him but you figure it has something to do with the line you two crossed tonight. The apartment is cozy as he opens the door for you to walk through the threshold past him. There’s a couch and a kitchen with a flat-screen hung on the wall.

“Used to house-sit for these folks in high school so they let me stay the week for a fraction of what it usually costs to rent.” He explains.

“Where are they now?”

“Vacation in Greece- C’mon.” Taking your hand, he walks you up the stairs to the master bedroom that has a shower with jets on the wall that allows water to shoot from various angles accompanied by the black granite and elegant lighting.

“Tae-what-” You can’t believe what you’re seeing and his presence is already overwhelming enough. His hand grabs yours, pulling you into him so your face is merely an inch from his.

“What are we doing?” You whisper, searching his wild eyes for the answer.

“Having fun. Like old times.” He replies softly, allowing his lips to graze your plump ones.

The waves in your hair are less exaggerated than before but he finds beauty in the sheen your skin has from what happened in the backseat of his car. He regretted nothing more but waiting until he made a life elsewhere without you in the picture and now that he had this moment he would relish it till there was nothing left. Pressing a kiss of confirmation to your lips he pulls you past the threshold of the bathroom and pulls his shirt off swiftly.

“Pee while I wash up.”

Your eyes watch him incredulously.

“What? It’s good for you since-”

Your cackle cuts him off as you shove him. “Stop talking please. I’ll pee after you get in.” A smirk decorates his features while he pushes the button to turn on the shower. The boy completely strips himself of clothing as you squeal and cover your eyes sheepishly. The hot temperature causes the pane to fog as he enters and you stand stationed by the sink as you watch the glass door intently.

“Don’t look.” You exclaim when you notice his form about to turn.

“I can’t even if I wanted to, there's water shooting into my eyes right now!” He says animatedly while you carry on with your business. You strip from your clothes and find a white robe in one of the many closets in the room when you hear your best friend shout for you.

“I’m here. Did you fix the shower?” You smile.

“Yeah. Come shower with me.”

You remain silent. Thinking about the proposal momentarily and when you open your mouth to respond, Taehyung's head is already peeking from behind the glass door, hair dripping onto the floor, eyes low and fixed on you. Your form inches towards him as he pulls a string of the robe to leave it open as you shrug it off and step into the hot shower immediately turning to face the spout and drench your face in the hot water. Taehyung’s presence is far from forgotten as you try your best to carry out your actions under his piercing gaze. Plush lips meet the skin of your neck making you tilt your head to make it easier for him.

“Turn around.” His deep voice commands and you follow suit but for some reason your gaze stays on the tiles of the floor; scared to meet his eyes and ensure that you didn’t dream all of this up in your head. A hand grabs your chin to tilt your doe eyes into his line of sight and suddenly you forget where your fear stemmed from. This wasn’t a random hookup with someone you had no type of connection with but it was Taehyung. The Taehyung who always showed up to your parties when no one did, the one who encouraged you to leave the small town you grew up in despite what others thought. He had yet to disappoint you in any way; it’s like it is against his nature to cause you any harm. Why would he start now? His arm reaches behind you slowly and you realize a rag is in his hands before he begins cleaning you off all while keeping a comforting eye contact with you when you giggle at the scenario. You allow him to wash the rest of your body before you two step out and cover yourselves in the white robes in the closet. He pulls you to the bed looking at you intently as your eyes find him.

“Come here.” He beckons you over to sit on his lap. You slowly respond to his command by straddling him with your hands awkwardly folded in your lap. Taehyung's hands find yours and place them on his tanned chest.

“You gettin shy with me now?”

You grin, “No. Just didn’t know if you wanted my hands on you.”

“I always want your hands on me.”

Your right hand goes to his face and your thumb caresses his cheek tenderly. It’s still slightly flushed from the steaming shower but soft on your skin. He gives in to your touch, kissing the palm of your hand as you smile back at him.

“I think I'm in love with you.” He says softly in fear of scaring you away.

Your stomach feels like you have reached the top of a rollercoaster and you are watching as you are about to fall to your doom. What you feel for Taehyung is scary and you never had the strength to face it but you always knew you needed him more than you wanted him.

“I wish I was as brave as you. I have bitten my tongue and held back so many thoughts of you; thoughts of us.”

A wave of newfound emotion arises in you as your eyes become glossy.

“I love you too.”

[xnchxntmxnt]

Could you write a Kuroo x reader (male or gn, i don't mind) fanfic? They're going on a date to this festival and kuroo tries to win as much as he can for his s/o. If you want to though, you don't have to.

Panda Bear

Kuroo Tetsurou X GN!Reader

Yessss yes yes yes yes I love this idea. It’s so sweet & I love kuroo in the first place so uh yes. Also this gives me an excuse to write about a fair like yes of course?? The aesthetic of a county fair is impeccable and yes I love this a lot thank you I feel bad because its a little short, but the pure fluff is everything :)

reblogs are appreciated

gn, high school reader

fluff

“(Y/N)! (Y/N), over here!”

“Kuroo, slow down!”

“Speed up, you’re too slow!”

You laughed as your boyfriend dragged you around the fair. He was like a kid in a candy store—running from ride to game to food stand and laughing all the way. It was your idea to go to the fair that came into town, but you had no idea how much he’d enjoy himself.

You guys hit almost every ride already, but he was intent on doing everything again. He let slip the night before when you were up talking that he was planning on taking you here for a surprise date, but it was close enough time that he wasn’t terribly upset with himself that he spilled the beans. He seemed to have forgotten about it, however, because you hadn’t seen him stop smiling yet that day.

He had your fingers intertwined with his, although you felt more like you were keeping an excited puppy on a leash rather than holding your boyfriend’s hand. You were happy he was having fun, though. Just seeing him smile made your heart flutter.

He headed back towards the games again, however--earlier, he hadn’t done so well, but there was a panda stuffed animal you pointed out was cute. He was stubborn about getting it for you. He insisted that before you leave, you’d have that three-foot-tall panda bear and he would win it for you. And his name would be Bear, just because he thought it was cute.

And after spending way too much money and time on the one game, Kuroo finally won. He started cheering and jumping for joy like a child would, excitedly pointing at the bear in the corner. The lady working the station, probably not much older than the two of you, laughed at his excitement as she handed it to him. Not teasing, of course, but in a supportive way.

Kuroo spun around several times with Bear in his arms before turning back to you. “Look at him, babe, isn’t he adorable?” he exclaimed, handing him to you. “He’s our baby now, I hope you know that.”

You laugh, tucking Bear under your arm. With your free hand, you took him and led him off to go on the Ferris wheel. “Yeah, I know. Our love child is a stuffed panda.”

“Exactly!”

The two of you brought Bear along on the Ferris Wheel ride, sitting together while you put Bear on your lap. It was a long, not-so-eventful but still fun day, but the two of you were tired by now.

Kuroo had one arm around you, with you laying your head on his chest. It was comfortable--you could hear his heart beating behind your ear, and he was warm to curl up against. “Someone getting sleepy on me?” he teased quietly, kissing the top of your head. “Gimme a couple more minutes, love, we’ll be down soon. I’ll carry you back to the car if you need.”

You only hum in reply, feeling your eyelids get heavier. He was so comfortable, and things around you just seemed to fade away. Like the only thing that mattered in the world was the two of you.

And Bear. Because you both loved that thing more than life itself.

[themuseic]

Only Fools (Chapter 8)

(Art Credit: @clumsycopy)

Fic Summary: Sent to Boone County, West Virginia on an assignment, you find yourself engulfed your work. How could you possibly find time for anything else? Even if “anything else” includes the tall, kind, and handsome bartender from down the road?

Word Count: 2.8k

Read Chapter 7 here.

Read here on AO3.

Warnings: Fluff, obscene amounts of fluff. Alcohol mention, but no explicit consumption. 

Author’s Note: Okay, I really do think I’m back now. If that isn’t the case, apologies in advance. If it is the case, hi! I’m excited to catch up on things! Also, this chapter has references to a song that was also used by @aloneandsleepless​ in her one-shot Elvis. If you haven’t read that yet, PLEASE do. It’s so beautifully written and well worth the read. As always, thank you for reading, love you all. 

It had been the talk of the town all week. All month really. 

You knew that towns had traditions, and you had just brushed it off as such. But when you brought up the winter festival to Clyde, the sheer excitement on his face let you know that the celebration at the diner was far from just an ordinary Saturday night on the town. It was the spirit of the holidays in Boone County, the hotly anticipated to-do. “People come from all over,” Clyde explained in between mouthfuls of burnt bacon, from where he sat across from you at the trailer table. “Even come down from Charlotte, if you can believe that.”

You whistled. “Sounds like quite the party. And it’s this week?”

“Yup, on Friday,” Clyde nodded. “I’m gonna be closing the bar that night to go. I don’t think I’d get too many customers that night anyway.” He shuffled his feet along the linoleum floor. “Actually darlin’, I’ve been meaning to ask you…” Suddenly, Clyde clammed up, almost afraid to get his next words out.

“Yes, Clyde? You know you can ask me anything.” His hesitation almost made you nervous. Though he tended to be a quieter soul, rarely did words fail him when the two of you were alone. He exhaled and steeled himself for his query. “Well, I was wonderin’ if you’d like to be my date.” You stopped. You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that blanketed the trailer. Realization of what he had asked hit you all at once, and you broke into hearty guffaws. A smile so big it nearly hurt you plastered itself across your face. At that reaction, Clyde visibly relaxed, a smile dancing at the corners of his lips. 

“Clyde, we have quite literally been sleeping together for two months now.” He blushed a deep red and his lower lip pushed forward into the smallest pout. “Well, I didn’t want to assume, and I know we’re sleeping together but…” You shushed him by placing your finger onto the center of his plump lips. “Clyde, I think it’s cute. Of course I’ll be your date.” You closed the distance between you, flung your arms around his neck, and pulled him into a soft kiss. Clyde smiled against you and returned the kiss with vigor, his lips parting slightly as he pushed his face into yours. He pulled back with a smack, and his forehead came to rest on your own. A swift smack landed on your ass and you yelped. “C’mon darlin’, let’s get this cleaned up so we can go get that trail cam footage,” Clyde muttered as he squeezed you softly. 

~~~

The town was blanketed in a plush layer of crisp white snow. It lay in piles on rooftops and cars, on street corners and it lined the pathways that people swathed in layers of coats and scarves meandered down. It was everything you expected from a small town holiday, but it was far from gauche. It was crystal clear why the Logan family was so eager to attend.

With little care to watch the ground you walked on, you misstepped and yelped as your foot hit a patch of ice that threatened to slide your legs apart into a swift split. “Woah there!” Clyde jumped, hooking his arm under your armpit to keep you upright. You laughed at yourself as you held onto his thick arm to catch your footing. “Can’t seem to keep myself standing huh?” you joked, peering up at him. He chuckled, with an almost imperceptible eye roll. “You’re gonna get yourself in trouble one day from not watchin’ your surroundings, darlin’,” he tsk’ed, prompting you to stick your tongue out at him. Clyde shook his head with a small smile, and helped you right yourself. 

You stepped forward without letting go of his arm, and he squeezed your elbow into the crook of his arm to acknowledge your clutch on him. You could feel your face warm and you dropped your gaze to smile at the ground. 

~~~

The diner was warm and packed full of people. Clyde shielded you from the patrons as you pushed your way to the counter, eager to nab a winter drink to warm your insides. Once situated at the bar, he called out your order to a worker that seemed overjoyed to see Clyde. You laughed. “You know just about everyone in this town, huh Clyde?” He shrugged, passing you a steaming mug. “Comes with havin’ one of the only bars in the area,” he winked, and raised your mug to his lips.

Clyde stood behind you at the bar while you sipped your drink, acting as a human wall to halt people from trampling your feet, with his hand resting on your waist. He pointed out all the people that he knew and provided a small anecdote for each one, almost as if he was providing his own personal, albeit abbreviated, history of Boone County. You could listen to him talk forever, his honeyed words soothing to your ears over the cacophony of the diner.

“Hey gal!” you heard a voice call from across the diner, breaking you from your unwavering gaze at Clyde. You turned to see Mellie bounding towards you, Jimmy, Sylvia, and Joe close behind her. Jimmy was carrying a young blonde girl on his shoulder, and you assumed it was Clyde’s niece. Cynthia? Samantha?

“Hey lil’ Sadie!” Clyde called from over your shoulder. Sadie! That was it, you chided yourself mentally. Mellie rushed up to you and flung her arms around your neck and pulled you into a crushing hug. “Hey Mel,” you and Clyde responded in unison, your voice airy as Mellie squeezed your breath from your chest. With your head tucked onto her shoulder as you returned her embrace, you looked back to acknowledge the rest with a smile and their respective name. “And you must be Miss Sadie, huh?” you inquired as you pulled away from Mellie and turned to the young girl, who looked remarkably like her father, with her nose and ears tipped red with the cold. 

“Yes ma’am!” she crowed, her hands dug into Jimmy’s short hairs. You noticed her hands clench on his hair and she dipped her head to glance at him for just a moment, a devious smile across her face. “And are you Uncle Clyde’s girlfriend?” Clyde choked behind you, and you glanced behind yourself to look up at him. He was pale white and glaring straight at Jimmy, who was desperately trying to insist he had nothing to do with his daughter’s question, however unconvincing his protests were. 

You didn’t blame him. Two months of living together, and you and Clyde had yet to define your relationship. You didn’t really mind it. You knew that putting it off would dull the sting of your eventual departure. But how could you even begin to explain that to a child? Oh no, not his girlfriend, just the girl he sleeps with, the girl he takes out, the girl he fucks. The girl who can’t commit. That wouldn’t do. So instead, you motioned for Sadie to jump off of her father’s shoulders, bent down to her height, took her hands in your own, and said, “Well yes, I am Clyde’s girlfriend.”

The stifled gasps of Mellie and Sylvia were almost silent to your ears as you glanced back at Clyde. He was still white as a sheet, but his eyes flicked from Jimmy’s to yours, and the hint of a smile began to break through his blank expression. You straightened to your full height and turned to face him, chewing your cheek. “That is, if that’s what you want,” you whispered, searching his face for a hint of how he might feel. 

Clyde’s next words were more a soft breath than a whisper. “Yes darlin’. I’d like that very much.” You beamed, and he slunk his arm around your waist, pulling you flush to his body and into a kiss so deep your heart just about stopped in your chest. 

You melted into his touch and sighed, your hands threading through his thick hair. His family, his friends, and the strangers that surrounded you melted from your consciousness, and not even the hoots and hollers of Clyde’s family drowned out the sound of your heartbeat thumping in your chest. It was perfect. 

A small clearing of a throat reminded you that you were, in fact, in public, and you hastily broke from Clyde, opting to rest the side of your face on his chest instead. Jimmy shook his head, chuckling at the scene before him. “Congrats you two lovebirds, glad y’all finally decided to make this thing official,” he whistled, lifting Sadie up in one swift motion to set her perched back upon his shoulder. Mellie reached out to squeeze your arm tenderly. You laughed. “Took us long enough, I guess.” Clyde hummed and squeezed you tight, his cheek resting on your head. 

“Welp,” Jimmy continued. “I promised Sadie here we’d go on the Ferris Wheel so we could see the stars. Y’all care to join us?” Clyde peered down his angular nose to look at you cross-eyed and raised his eyebrows. “What’dya say?” You grinned. “We’d love to.”

~~~

It was a joy to run around the festival with the Logan clan. Acting as your personal tour guide, Sadie babbled to you about her favorite things at the fair. She grabbed your hand to pull your attention to whatever she deemed worthy of pointing out. Sadie bragged how she was the reigning champ of the ring toss, and how she wasn’t tall enough to go on the Scrambler yet, but the moment she could she was going to ride it the whole festival, which was easy to believe given her tenacity and spunk. Mellie passed you a never-ending stream of warm winter drinks - ”Spiked if you’d like,” she’d wink - and Jimmy, Sylvia, and Joe were cracking jokes nonstop. But what really made the night perfect was Clyde. 

Your sweet Clyde. He held your hand in his mitt of a hand, squeezing it randomly, pulling you in for kisses both short and sweet, and long and deep. You were sure you would get dirty looks from the festival attendants after you nearly devoured each other on the Ferris Wheel, but you really couldn’t care less. Clyde teased you and you teased him back, keeping up a line of banter that was so easy. At one point in the night, the two of you found yourselves separated from the rest of the Logan clan, cozied up by yourselves in a booth. You both warmed your hands with a cup of hot chocolate cradled in your grasp. 

“You having’ fun?” Clyde murmured into your ear, his arm slung around your shoulder. You nodded into him and tucked yourself up into the nook of his shoulder. Clyde’s arm outstretched to grasp his mug and lifted it to his lips to take a huge swig. You palmed the warm beverage in your hand, feeling the warmth radiate through your body from where you held it, and where Clyde was pressed to your side. 

You gazed up at Clyde, your hands and heart warmed and full. Clyde smiled at you, his eyes falling softly to trace the features of your face. For how often he pouted, you had yet to see one flit across his face all night. Something flashed in his eyes, and before you knew it, Clyde’s finger was dipped into the mound of whipped cream atop his beverage and he snapped it up to your face to dollop it right on the end of your nose. “Hey!” you exclaimed, pushing away from his chest just a hair as a laugh bubbled up your throat. “You’re a menace,” you laughed, as you made no move to wipe the cream from your nose. 

Clyde snickered and you swatted at his arm, pulling a yelp that feigned offense from him. “What’s that for now? You look cute as hell with a lil’ nose decoration,” he shrugged as he squeezed your shoulder and jabbed your side with the metal tines of his prosthetic. You smiled at each other, your eyes hazy with bliss. Suddenly, his profile was illuminated and you could see a bright flash out of the corner of your eye. With squinted eyes, you turned to the source. 

A beaming Sadie, clutching a disposable camera in her small hands, sat across from the two of you in the booth. It seemed that not even the squeak of the vinyl as she had climbed into the booth was enough to pull your attention from the trance you were drifting through, and you both jumped at her arrival. 

“Scared the living daylight out of me,” Clyde sighed, his hand coming up to clutch at his heart with drama. 

“Sorry Uncle Clyde, but I couldn’t help it,” she whined, “You two looked so cute and cozy!” You scrunched your nose up and wiggled the tip. “How can I be cozy with this cream stuck on me?” Clyde laughed a low chuckle from deep in his chest that made him rumble against you. He leaned in and bumped his nose with yours. When he pulled away, a dot of whipped cream was left at the very end of his nose. He grinned. 

“Oh my gosh. This is such a good shot!” Sadie squealed. “Get close! Let me take another photo!” 

Clyde’s arm tightened around you and pulled you closer into his side. You were mid laugh when the second burst of light broke across your vision and the click of a camera made it feel as though time had halted. 

You knew that your time in Boone County was temporary. But you knew you would live with that memory forever. 

~~~

The lightest flecks of white tumbled through the air, catching on the light of the street lamps and stringed bulbs that were hung throughout the parking lot that acted as the festival's main drag. Most of the attendees had begun their individual treks home or had moved into the warm haven of the diner. Large fishbowl windows gave you view into the crowded establishment through clear, unfogged stretches of glass. The cheers and merry yells of toasts and memories being made rang out over the empty courtyard, ringing free until they were absorbed by the snow. 

Instead of being pressed up against the townsfolk or against the windows as your feet stumbled across the toes of others, you and Clyde were leaned against a tree across the courtyard of the festival. You gazed skyward, watching the small flakes of snow swirl through the sky. Music lilted through the air and fell lightly on your ears. A familiar chord rang through the air and  grabbed your attention. You felt a nudge on your side. You looked up to meet Clyde’s crinkled eyes as he gazed down at you. “Want to dance darlin’?” he murmured as he trailed his fingers up and down your arm. 

“Yes please Clyde.” He beamed back at you and took your hand in his as he pushed his back off of the tree. Snow crunched underfoot as you wandered to the dance floor. It was a small area of interlocked wooden panels, slightly obscured by a thin sheet of snow. Clyde offered his hand up to you in a grandiose gesture. A small laugh bubbled up in your chest as you slipped your hand into his, and he pulled you tight to his chest and began to sway.

Clyde’s voice rumbled against your face where it was pressed against his chest as he asked, “So whatcha think, sweetheart? Think Boone County can throw a good lil’ winter party?”

You nodded immediately. “Absolutely. This is so beautiful Clyde,” you sighed with content. A voice crooned over the speakers and the lyrics rang out over the courtyard. 

“Wise men say…”

“You look so perfect, you know that?” Clyde crooned, raising his hand to brush the side of your face with the tips of his fingers.

“... only fools rush in…”

“So do you, Clyde.”

“But I can’t help…”

It was warm in his arms. Secure. You felt as if you were in another plane of existence. Tucked in his arms, you were hidden from the world. Safe. 

“Falling in love with you.”

Clyde spun sharply with you in his arms, swiftly grabbing your attention. He looked down his long lashes at you, gazing deeply into your eyes with his intense amber gaze. “Sweetheart, I…” he cleared his throat, and lifted his hand to palm the side of your face again. He ran his thumb over your cheekbone. “I just want… You don’t have to say it back. But… I want to tell you…” he sucked in a sharp breath. 

“I love you.”

Your breath halted in your chest. Your stomach swooped. No one had made such an admission to you in… well, you weren’t sure just how long. Before you had a chance to admit that you were speechless, Clyde pulled you into a mind bending kiss. You melted into him. It wouldn’t matter what you said. You were his and he was yours. The snow fell silently around you, and the two of you swayed together quietly.

~~~

Have a winter drink! Thank you to my Irish friends (love y'all!) for direction on the recipe <3 my favorite suggestion was "Coffee+Whisky, add in other shite as it pleases ya". ~~~ My lil’ take on an Irish Coffee:

As much hot coffee as you'd like. As much whisky as you'd like. Brown Sugar to taste. Fresh whipped cream to top off. (HIGHLY recommend whipping your cream. My favorite way to do it is 1 c. heavy whipping cream, 1 c. sugar, and a splash of vanilla extract, whipped to peaks. Don't overmix though, don't make sweet butter!)

Combine the coffee, whisky, and sugar. Stir, and top with whipped cream. A dash of cinnamon over top never hurt anyone either!

~~~

Taglist: @mind-p0llution @thedivinemissm @clydesducktape @finn-ray-nal-beads @ladygrey03 @desiraypark @1800-fight-me @aloneandsleepless​ @hopeamarsu​ (Comment or message me to be added or removed!)

[feliix]

ferris wheel ↠ kim seungmin

↠ Seungmin x Reader

↠ genre: fluff, some angst, established relationship

↠ rating: g ↠ word count: 1.7k

↠ warnings: none!

↠ requested by @jinned​

Autumn has always been your favorite season. Not only were you born in the fall, but it's also the time of year when you met your boyfriend, Seungmin. Funny enough, it just so happens that he was born in the fall as well. 

So each autumn season you dedicate it to spending as much time with each other as possible, which isn't very hard with all the things to do. Last weekend was apple picking, next is a pumpkin carving, and this weekend you’re attending the county fair. 

With smells of kettle corn and cotton candy filling the air, your stomach is already beginning to growl with hunger. It's nearly impossible not to want to eat everything in sight here – especially when there are rows upon rows of options. 

But you couldn't eat just yet, not until you’ve gone on the ferris wheel, at least. That was the one ride that always made you feel queasy. The height of the ride and unsteady mechanics of the ride has always been worrisome to you, but it's Seungmin’s favorite, and you know that he won’t let you leave without taking at least one ride. 

“Are you ready?”

He’s nearly jumping up and down with excitement, shaking the candy apple he carries in one hand while holding yours in the other. It’s sweet; even though your hand has never been clammier in your entire life and you know Seungmin’s doing his best to ignore that. If he acknowledges your nervous demeanor it’ll only make it worse. Talking about your feelings only amplifies them sometimes it seems.

“Ready as I can be,” you say, forcing a smile onto our face soon after. Fake it until you make it, especially when you’re about to ride the tallest ride in the park, and no, you’re not talking about Seungmin this time.

The ride operator soon gets down from his podium to open the gate, letting you and Seungmin through. The rusty metal under your feet creaks with every step you take, only worsening your fears. But as Seungmin looks back at you with a child-like grin on his face your worries fade away. You can put up with 10 minutes of being scared of heights for that smile any day.

As much as you’d like to snuggle up next to your boyfriend on the ride that's the worst possible idea you can think of right now. The instability of the cart is clear as soon as your footsteps onto it. The noticeable wobble and unsteady movement catches you off guard, luckily Seungmin is there behind you to steady your frame. 

His hand quickly snakes around your body to take hold of your waist, standing your body up straight right away. Slowly, you crane your head around to look at him, holding in a laugh at your nervous demeanor. At least one of you could find the situation humorous.

“I’ve got you, don’t worry,” the smile on his face is reassuring. A deep breath fills your chest, doing your best to bring down your nerves and just live in the moment. His hand swiftly slides into yours, guiding you to sit on one of the thin leather cushions before sitting down on the one across from you.

“There's not even a seat belt on this thing?”

Your voice is panicked as your fingers search the seat for the coveted seat belt and buckle combination. Nothing to be found, unfortunately. 

“Relax,” he reassures, “it's just a ferris wheel. See? They’re coming to shut the door now.”

And he was right, the worker was making their way over to you to shut and close the latch to your cart before sending you off. “Have a fantastic ride!” 

What a sweet guy, you wonder if he knows how terrified you are of this janky metal contraption right now. But before you could ponder on the subject too much you’re already on your journey to the top of the ferris wheel. To your own demise, you were the last people seated, which means there is no time to chicken out as each group of people got into their respective cart. The second you were theoretically strapped in it was already time to go.

“Can you hold my hand?” You say shyly, voice meek and quiet. He’s soon to answer you with a smile, reaching for your hand across the small space between you. His large hand engulfs yours, lacing each of his fingers between your digits and giving you a quick squeeze of reassurance. 

The ride is rising at a slow speed; it's taking forever to approach the top of the arc. You’re unsure what would be better though – going fast but getting it over with sooner or going slow and not being worried about flying off the ride. 

Your head is tilted downwards, eyes focusing on your feet as the cart you’re in reaches the top of the ride. There’s no way you could look outwards, if you could see how high up you are right now you might pass out.

It's quite easy to tell that Seungmin is enjoying himself. The way that he's slightly swaying your arm back and forth is a dead giveaway for it. His feet are tapping with anticipation as he gets the best view the fair has to offer; getting to look out and see all the stands, the wandering people, and the glowing neon lights just make his heart beat a little bit quicker. But he can’t help but notice your solemn demeanor from just a foot before him. 

“You doing okay?” His eyes are full of concern, but the gentle smile spread on his face says differently. 

“Good! Yeah, I’m good,” you lie, unable to ruin this moment for him and cause him to worry until he gets off the ride. This is the one thing he’s been looking forward to all day, who are you to ruin that for him?

“You don’t look–”

“Riders! We’re experiencing some maintenance issues on the ride. Please remain calm and in your seats until we’re able to carry on.”

The boom of the speakers caused you to flinch, only shaking more once you hear the operator's voice. 

The better half of your judgment tells you to remain calm, stay in your seat and the ride will be up and running in no time. But the terrified half is already making you pick up your head from its fallen position and look out over the side of the card.

“Seungmin,” your voice is monotone, filled with worry. You want to scream, and it’s taking every last drop of self-control in you to not fall to the ground in a panic but Seungmin is quick to take both of your hands in his.

“Baby it's okay,” his voice is calm, exaggerating each of his syllables and talking slowly, “it will be back on track in no time.”

“Seungmin you know I hate being this high up.”

Before you’re able to stop it tears are already welling in your eyes. You slam them shut in attempts to stop it, wanting to rip your hands from his grasp and cover your eyes but his touch is the only thing that’s keeping you sane right now.

“Hey it's okay,” his thumb begins rubbing small circles on the back of your hand, “it’s just you and me here, no one else. Just focus on me.” 

Sniffles are taken in through your nose as you slowly nod your head, trying your best to keep the tears back and just relax. 

“Remember that first time that we rode the ferris wheel here?” 

Slowly, your eyes open to look at him, nodding your head in response. Your cheeks are tear-stained now, mascara barely smudged under your eyes; thankfully it’s too dark out now for anyone to notice it. 

“I remember you tried to act so tough,” a small chuckle slips past his lips, enough to make you smile just a bit. The sound of his laugh has always been enough to put a smile on your face. “But I was actually terrified.”

Unsure if you heard him correctly, your head snaps up to meet his eyes, furrowing your brow in his direction as you silently beg him to continue. 

“I used to be so scared of heights, but I had this grand idea that you see in those cheesy lifetime movies where–”

“You kiss at the top of the ferris wheel.” 

Your voices play in unison, smiling at the end as you realize where he was going with this.

“That was our first kiss,” you blush as your lip catches between your teeth, doing your best to try and contain the wide grin begging to spread across your face.

“I wanted to be romantic.” He says matter-of-factly. He’s right though. It was romantic, and you’re unsure how you forgot that your first kiss was right on top of this very ferris wheel until now.

“It's the reason I love ferris wheels so much, Y/N. It reminds me of the first time we kissed.”

Heat rises to your cheeks as you squeeze Seungmin’s hands in yours, keen with the thought of this memory.

“I never knew that,” you smile.

You had not even realized that the nervous energy you’ve been harboring has slowly drifted away. Focusing on Seungmin and being in the moment consumed your mind, relishing upon the first time you sat atop of this ferris wheel. It seems like such a long time ago.

Instinctively you move in closer, your eyes closing lightly as you lean into him. His soft, plush lips soon meet yours in a gentle kiss, moving his mouth against yours slowly. Through it your hands remain in his, stroking soft circles along with his thumbs. 

As you pull away your eyes meet Seungmin’s– and for a second you feel like you’re back in the moment of your first time here. Seeing the light fill his eyes and sparkle under the moonlight makes your heart twist with happiness. But a high pitched squeak from the speaker ruins your moment, pulling you back to the present where you were trapped in the cart of a ferris wheel.

“Thank you for being such patient riders! The ride will resume shortly!”

The voice over the speakers is less startling this time around. In an instant, the ride clicks and your cart begins to move downwards to lead you to safety. 

‘Ferris Wheel’ is copyright 2020 @chaangbin​, all rights reserved. Please do not repost on any platform or translate without permission.

[litwitlady]

Cosmic Clowns, Part Six

The following Monday Alex is back in the office and things are much quieter. Liz and Maria have returned, but they are both so busy catching up on client emails that Alex doesn’t hear a peep from either of them.

He misses Michael.

Misses the way he’d wink hello. Or the incessant pounding of his hammer. The way he made Liz and Maria laugh so easily. The way a fresh, perfectly poured cup of coffee always appeared on his desk each morning.

So, Alex takes a lunch. For the first time in weeks. He ignores Liz’s knowing giggles as he walks past her desk. Ignores the way she gleefully shouts, ‘Tell Mikey we said hello!’

The noon sky is bright and crystal clear. As Alex rounds the corner of the Crashdown, he spots Michael up a ladder. He’s in nothing but a black tank top, arms flexing as he stretches across to paint the store’s wood paneling. Alex decides to watch a while – enjoying the view. It’s something he realizes he gets to do now – ogle his maybe one day boyfriend without a hint of fear or shame.

‘Would you mind handing me the roller?’ Michael winks down at him, pointing at the small roller resting against an unopened paint can.

Alex blushes, but reaches up to pass the roller to him. Michael lets his fingertips accidentally tiptoe lightly across Alex’s wrist before grabbing the roller and returning to his task, smiling smugly to himself.

Just that slight contact sends Alex’s head spinning, toes curling. He undoes the top button on his dress shirt and swallows. ‘How’s the new gig going?’

‘Can’t complain. Arturo’s a pretty cool boss. Although, not as hot as the last one. Less distracting, though.’ He finishes coating all the wood he can reach and climbs down to reset the ladder. He shifts into Alex’s space suddenly. Pauses. Licks his bottom lip. ‘Can I kiss you hello? On the cheek?’

Alex inhales sharply and nods. Michael presses his palm into Alex’s right cheek and his lips into the other, lingering there for so long Alex’s knees start to feel like putty.

‘So, this must be the famous Alex Manes.’

Alex jumps back at the sound of his name. A tall, lithe blonde has joined them, sunglasses perched on top of her head and arms crossed over her chest. ‘I’m Isobel – the sister. Don’t know if you remember me from high school or not.’

She extends her hand and Alex shakes it, switching into business mode. ‘You were hard to miss.’

Michael chuckles and Isobel grins, shoving her brother playfully. ‘I’ll take that as a compliment. Have you asked him yet, Michael?’

‘Asked me what?’ Alex takes a couple of steps back, needing the space. He hadn’t been prepared to meet or be reintroduced to any of Michael’s family so soon.

‘Oh, ah, we were thinking about going to the Chavez County fair tomorrow night. Thought you might like to go. Isobel is taking Maria.’ Isobel smiles fondly at the mention of Maria, eyes going a bit dreamy.

Michael bumps Alex with this shoulder. ‘You, me, and the top of the Ferris wheel seems like a pretty good night. Yeah?’

Alex looks back and forth between the siblings, both of them grinning at him and expecting him to say yes. So, he does. ‘I’d love to.’

‘Yay!’ Isobel claps her hands and leans over to kiss Michael on the cheek. ‘I’m off to a charity luncheon, but I’ll see you tonight. Nice seeing you again, Alex. Looking forward to tomorrow.’ With a wave and a wink, she’s gone.

‘Wow, she’s –‘

‘Intense. I know. But I love her. And she’s been through a lot.’ His eyes darken briefly, and Alex recalls the mysterious death of her husband, Noah Bracken, a couple of years back. ‘You got kind of bombarded there. So, if you don’t want to go to the fair just let me know.’

‘I do want to go. Really. I need to make sure my neighbor can dog-sit, though. So, I’ll call you later tonight to confirm.’ Michael smiles at him and nods. And Alex wants to kiss him. On the mouth this time. But some rope around his heart keeps tugging at him – keeping him from reaching out for the things that he wants. And so, he gestures towards the diner instead. ‘I better go get lunch before my hour’s up. Liz and Maria will send out a search party if I’m late.’

‘Okay. I’m glad you crawled out of that dank, dark office for once. You look good with the sun on your skin.’ He takes two steps closer to Alex, hovering an inch from his mouth. ‘Tomorrow night I want to kiss you properly. You can choose the time and place – on top of the Ferris wheel, secretly in a dark corner of the funhouse, wide open in the middle of the fairway. Anywhere. So, while you’re figuring out your dog-sitting situation, maybe give that some thought, too.’

Alex can feel the blood rush across his cheeks as his face heats up. Michael pretends not to notice the effect he has and rebuttons Alex’s top button. He places his palms just over the top of Alex’s chest, eyes asking for permission. Alex feels himself nod, swaying towards Michael’s hands. The touch is gentle and slow, smoothing out the wrinkles in Alex’s shirt. But Michael lets his thumbs brush firmly against Alex’s nipples once and then twice, loving the tiny little exhale of breath Alex can’t hide.

And then Michael is gone. Half-way up the ladder before Alex even realizes. He stands there lost in a daze before realizing how silly he must look. Shaking his head, he waves goodbye to Michael and dips inside the Crashdown to order lunch. Flashes of carnival lights dancing in his eyes.

--

When he gets home, Alex heads straight for Natalie’s house. They exchange polite small talk and she agrees to watch Trix the next night. So later that night, he sits on his sofa, Trix’s head in his lap, and pulls out his phone. Dials Michael’s number.

‘Hey, sailor.’ His sounds sleepy.

Alex snorts. ‘I’m no sailor. Did I wake you up?’

‘Yeah, but I’m not complaining. Get a dog-sitter?’ He yawns into the speaker, humming in contentment and Alex wants nothing more than to drive to Michael’s house and crawl into bed beside him.

‘Yes. So, you can pick me up directly from work if you want. Maybe get dinner first – just the two of us?’ He holds his breath waiting for Michael’s answer.

‘Alexander Manes, are you asking me on a date?’

‘A do-over, actually. After I ruined our last dinner.’ He takes a deep breath and musters all the courage he possesses. ‘And I’d like you to kiss me goodnight. At my front door.’

He can hear the smile in Michael’s voice. ‘Delayed gratification. I like it. But you didn’t ruin our dinner. I loved our dinner.’

‘Well, I still think I can do better. So. I’ll see you tomorrow night.’ Alex can’t keep the grin out of his voice either. Or the butterflies out of his stomach.

‘Sweet dreams, Alex.’ They hang up the phone and neither one gets a wink of sleep that night.

[vivilove-jonsa]

For the Jonsa Dialogue Prompts: “Just let me have like, three seconds to pretend everything is okay before we go back in there.”

Thank you @mynameisnoneya1991 for the prompt!  This one took a spooky turn on me which I figured you might not mind despite our mutual feelings regarding mannequins 😱🎃

**

Sansa tugs her cardigan closer and flips her ponytail, trying to pretend she’s perfectly cool being here in Baelish’s House of Wax Wonders.  Honestly, this is giving her the creeps but she doesn’t want to admit it.  They’d laugh at her if she did.  It’s just a wax museum.  Yes, the displays are frightful.  It’s nearly Halloween and she expected that.  But do they have to be so life like?  

That’s the point, silly.

But why do some of them feel like they’re almost alive?  Almost like their sightless eyes are following her?

“Are you scared, kitten?”

She jumps but it’s just Jon and she can see the concerned look in his eyes.  He’s not going to laugh regardless of her answer.  

She feels his hand brush against hers and she can’t help smiling.  Her boyfriend is the dreamiest.  Pouty lips and sad dark eyes, black curls slicked back with his leather jacket’s collar popped, he’s every girl’s teenage dream, she thinks.

Oh, some girls would rather have a soc for a boyfriend.  Sansa had thought she was the same once upon a time.  But Jon Snow’s a greaser from the wrong side of the tracks.  He’s also the sweetest boy she could ever hope to know at heart.  He’s devoted to his friends and helps his single mother make ends meet with his job down at Hobb’s Diner after school.  Her parents had not been very pleased when they’d started dating…until they’d got to know him.  

“No, I’m not scared,” she squeaks.  

He doesn’t believe her and keeps holding her hand.  He looks around at where Pyp’s pretending the Bride of Frankenstein’s about to get him, making the others howl with laughter.  It’s hard fitting in with Jon’s friends sometimes.  They’re nice to her but she knows they view her as an outsider the same way Jeyne and Robb and Theon probably view them.    

“You’re mine, and we belong together

Yes, we belong together, for eternity…”

She sighs hearing the strains of the Ritchie Valens’ ballad coming from the next room.  She’d rather be alone with Jon than at this museum tonight, maybe at the drive-in or listening to the radio in his car.

“How about we leave these losers to Dracula and see what’s in there instead?”  He can read her like a book.  

“Okay,” she giggles before they duck out the door without even being noticed.  

What a relief.  It’s nothing scary in here.  It’s actually a modern display of just regular people at a county fair much like the one Wintertown has every autumn.  It really does resemble it.  Maybe Jon will take her to it next weekend if she suggests it.

At the center, there’s a Ferris Wheel and Sansa’s surprised they went to the trouble to put one inside the building.  Wax figure teens are riding it, their expressions reflecting laughter or terror depending on how well they’re enjoying the ride.  

Nearby, there’s a carousel where wax figure kids are eating candied apples as they ride their horses for eternity.  

There’s a carney game beside that with a boy throwing a pitch to win a prize for his girl.  She can tell the ball’s on target and the girl’s going to get her pink teddy bear.  It makes her happy to see.  

The green grass underfoot is artificial but it almost smells like real popcorn in here.  

There’s even a small stage off to the side for performances like their own fair has every night when it’s in town.  That’s where the music’s coming from.  There’s a speaker hooked up behind the wax figure band.  

“You’re mine, your lips belong to me

Yes, they belong to me, for eternity…”

She’s smiling now, more at ease.  The figures are still creepy if you look too closely but the more every day setting doesn’t bother her so much as the Chamber of Horrors did.

“Look, it’s our turn for a spin, kitten,” Jon says with a devilish wink before pulling her into the lowest car on the Ferris Wheel which sits empty.  

He just wants to make out, she knows.  That’s okay. She loves the way it feels when he’s holding her close and kissing her the way he does.  They’ve been going steady for five months now.  She thinks she’s almost ready to go all the way although she’s not told him yet.  

“Hello, there,” a voice says behind them just as Jon’s leaning in for his kiss.  “My, aren’t you two a perfect pair.”

Sansa nearly jumps out of her skin but remembers her manners as opposed to Jon.  He looks ready to punch the man.  

“Hello.  I’m sorry.  We were just…looking around.”

“It’s fine,” the man assures them.  He’s older, maybe almost her parents age with some grey around his temples.  His smile is friendly but it doesn’t seem to touch his grey-green eyes.  “This is my museum and I love for children to come and have a look at my creations.”

“You’re Mr. Baelish? The man who’s made all this?” Jon asks.

“Yes, that’s me.  And you two fit in very well with my little carnival display, I must say.  You’re like a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, aren’t you?  But with a happier ending, let’s hope.”

It’s sort of odd the way he says it as he rubs his hands together.  Sansa thinks she’d like to get out of the ride’s seat and rejoin their friends.  Jon must feel the same although she doubts he’s scared.  He never acts like anything scares him.

“Well, we’d better head on, mister, so…” Jon begins to say.  

“Oh, no.  You’re not leaving yet, I hope.  I’d love for you to stay.  Your girl is a beauty and her hair is such a pretty red.  I don’t think I’ve got a redhead that can compare in this whole place, miss.  And I need a greaser for the Elvis set I’m working on but maybe you like it here better? All you kids love Elvis these days and I want to keep you kids happy.  Won’t you please come and see?  I’d love to get an opinion on it.”

Mr. Baelish, the wax sculptor, comes closer and something’s very wrong.  He’s pulling something out of his pocket.  Sansa’s heart is pounding.  She wants to scream and run away.  He’s going to kill them.  He’s going to make them part of his exhibit.  He’s…

“Sansa?!  Sansa, wake up!”  

She’s being shaken roughly awake and her eyes flutter open.  She sees Jon’s anxious face hovering above her.  No leather jacket or slicked back hair.  His curls are wild and unruly and he’s just wearing a black sweater.  

“What…”

“You were having a nightmare or something, sweet girl.  I think you fell asleep on the ride over here.”

She blinks and rubs her eyes.  This is not the 1950s and no strange little man from the wax museum is threatening them. She’s in the backseat of Robb’s SUV. They’d all been out for drinks earlier and Theon had suggested something spooky tonight.  

“God, what a freaky dream.”

Jon nods and cups her cheek although he doesn’t know what she dreamt.  He’s just understanding that way.  “Are you alright?  Theon bought the tickets but we don’t have to go inside if you don’t feel like it.”

“No, it’s fine.  I’m sure that…”  She trails off as she sees the sign above:  Baelish’s House of Wax Wonders.  

She wants to tell Jon they shouldn’t go in but all their friends are waiting.  She remembers hearing something about the original owner being convicted of murder decades ago.  He was later executed, she thinks.  Robb and Theon have been jazzed about seeing the old wax museum for weeks now that it’s reopened.  It was probably just their talk over dinner that had prompted the dream…but part of her has to know.

She walks through the doors with her friends, her hand linked with Jon’s.  It’s horror stuff mostly, more modern than anything they’d have seen in the 50s.  It’s dumb but the life like figures still manage to make her uncomfortable.  

Doesn’t matter.  That was just a dream earlier.  

But then, she hears music.

“You’re mine and we belong together

Yes, we belong together, for eternity…”

Her skin is covered in goose flesh in an instant and that tingling sensation racing up to her spine.

“Sansa?  You look like you just saw a ghost,” Jon says, staring at her concernedly.  

“I…”  She stares back at him.  How can she tell him of her fear?  They’d never believe it.  “Just let me have like 3 seconds to pretend everything is okay before we go back in there.”

“Back in there?  What are you talking about?  We’ve never been here, sweet girl.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” she murmurs.

Her brother and their friends are following them this time and they don’t get it.  They don’t feel that chill from the tinny sound of Ritchie Valens crooning away over a set of antiquated speakers.  She wonders if they can smell the popcorn as they laugh at the wax figure children still eating their candied apples.  

And all of them look right past the redhaired girl with a ponytail in her cardigan being kissed by the greaser with dark, inky curls on the bottom most seat of the Ferris Wheel.  

They don’t know why Sansa screams and then faints over wax figures at a pretend carnival in Baelish’s House of Wax Wonders.  

They don’t get it. They never will.

[threnodygrimblood]

The Family that Shouldn’t Be

Summary: With Muriel and Eustace dead, Courage finds himself all alone at the farmhouse. Fortunately or unfortunately for Courage, the villains he faced in the past begins to make themselves at home at the farmhouse, bringing with them much fun and mayhem the small pink dog can handle.

Rated T for just in case

I feel like I went off-topic at the start of this chapter before bringing the Clutching Foot in. . .maybe? Either way, I hope it isn’t too confusing for my readers. Also, I will, on occasion, call Big Toe as the Clutching Foot since it's one of the other names he's called. I can't wait to start on the next chapter with the Black Puddle Queen.

All Courage the Cowardly Dog character belongs to John Dilworth

The Clutching Foot Who Brought Terror

֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍֍

Courage clutched the flyer tightly in his paws as he gathered the. . .well, courage, to ask Katz if they could go to the County Fair. It was always a Bagge tradition to go even if Eustace didn't enjoy it. Plus, Courage hadn't seen Scarecrow in a while, and it would be nice to see a familiar face. Swallowing hard, Courage crept over Katz.

"Katz?" Courage said. Katz looked away from his book to look at Courage. "The County Fair is happening right now, and I was wondering if we can go."

Courage waited for Katz to say speak, but before the feline could, Cajun seemingly popped in from out of nowhere, startling the dog. "The County Fair? It sounds like fun! I'll go with ya, Pup."

Courage supposed he could go with Cajun if Katz didn't want to go. Before Courage could say anything, Katz spoke up, "I have nothing better to do, so I will accompany you to the County Fair."

"Nah, it's okay, pussy cat. You seemed so enthralled with your book that Pup and I can go by ourselves." Cajun insisted.

"That's the thing about books. You can put them aside and come back to them another time. You would know this if you read a book other than a cookbook." Katz countered as he closed his book and set it on the table.

Courage could feel the tension in the air, and he was curious to know why Katz and Cajun couldn't get along. He was sure it was more than clashing personalities.

"I want to bring along Le Quack and Weremole," Katz stated as he got up from his chair.

"Why?" Cajun inquired.

"I don't trust to leave Le Quack alone at the farmhouse, and I don't want Weremole to eat someone he shouldn't," Katz answered.

It wasn't hard finding Weremole and Le Quack. Weremole was, of course, was outside in what Cajun had dubbed Weremole's den. Weremole didn't have anything better to do, or so he said. Courage was sure that Weremole didn't have any rabbits to eat and no doubt wanted to eat someone, and Le Quack was down in the basement working on a new scheme. Le Quack was reluctant to come along but really didn't have a choice in the matter. Much like he didn't have a choice in where to sit.

When Courage opened the truck door, Le Quack hopped in and got settled, but Katz insisted, quite forcefully, that Courage sat in front, leaving Le Quack to sit in the back with Weremole. As soon they arrived at the fair and Katz parked the truck, Courage jumped out after Cajun, who was laughing at the fluffy state Le Quack turned out from riding in the back.

Courage spotted Scarecrow getting ready to operate the hayride, he turned to Katz and said, "I'll be right back." and walked over to Scarecrow.

Scarecrow looked up, saw a familiar face, and smiled. "Ah, Courage! It's been a while." He looked over to the truck and frowned. "Were are Muriel and her husband?"

Courage's ears drooped. "They died. . . months ago." Courage answered

Scarecrow's expression changed to one of sadness. "I'm sorry to hear that. How are you coping with their passing?" Scarecrow asked.

"I got some friends living with me and helping me out." Courage explained.

Scarecrow looked back at the villains and frowned. "They don't look. . . trustworthy," he said.

Courage smiled awkwardly. Scarecrow wasn't far from the truth. "Well, I trust them with my life." unlike in the past.

Scarecrow still wasn't sure, but if Courage and Muriel were willing to give him a second chance after what he had done to the Bagges, then he would trust the dog's judgment. Scarecrow smiled and said, "Well, I trust what you're doing. Don' be a stranger if you need anything at all. I also hope you have fun at the fair."

"Thanks, Scarecrow." Courage said, waved goodbye, and joined Katz and the others again.

"Who's that?" Cajun asked.

"That's Scarecrow. We met him in the cornfield last year. He was sad because he wasn't scary enough, so he believed becoming bad was the way to become scary. He tried to protect Muriel from Eustace and me. He locked down the house, set up traps, turned the basement into a panic room, and locked Muriel in there." Courage explained.

They looked over at Scarecrow, driving the hayride. "He don't look big and tough now," Cajun commented.

"After I rescued Muriel, I tried driving us away, but he chased us into a cornfield. Crows weren't afraid of him, so I got other crows to attack him. Muriel and I forgave him for meaning well and got him a job here." Courage finished.

"You are too nice, doggy." Le Quack told Courage as he walked past him.

"Ain't a bad thing," Cajun said as he followed after the duck.

Katz glanced down at Courage and inquired, "What do you want to do first?"

That was an easy answer. The first thing Courage wanted to do was ride the carousel. It was by his definition safer than the other rides, he did enjoy the Ferris wheel, but even the thought of him stopping at the top and the bar meant to keep him locked in breaking off and falling to his death usually left him with a death grip on the bar. So here was Courage, riding on the carousel giddy with laughter as the ride went round and round.

After the ride finished, Cajun had managed to convince Courage to ride the roller coaster with him lucky for Courage; it wasn't one of those tall coasters with a lot of loops. It still made the dog queasy after the ride ended. After wandering around with the villains looking at food and games, Cajun stopped at the dart booth. They watched the fox miss the balloons.

"You are, how you say? Bad at this." chuckled Le Quack.

"What a gyp! I hit that one balloon, and it didn't pop!" Cajun growled.

Le Quack continued chuckling at Cajun's misfortune, and Courage was sure he heard Katz chuckle softly too. Moving on, Courage stopped at the booth with the fishes. He did enjoy getting a fish and always gotten one every time he came to the fair.

Before Courage could hand over money to booth operator, Cajun spoke up, "You're gonna get a fish? Ain't ya worried about pussy cat here eatin' it in the middle of the night?"

Katz glared at Cajun, and Courage knew that the feline was planning to cause the fox harm. As the booth operator handed Courage the ping pong balls, he knew what he had to do to defuse the situation. Courage threw the balls haphazardly at the fishbowls until they were all thrown.

"Bad luck, Pup." Cajun sympathized.

"At least he didn't get ripped off as you did," Katz said with a smirk.

"Oh, haha, go ahead and laugh at my pain." Cajun sniffed then picked Courage up. "Pup and I are gonna drown our sorrow in sweets."

"But. But. . ." Courage began protesting, not wanting to leave Katz, Le Quack, and Weremole behind.

"It'll be fine, Pup. They'll follow us. At least Katz will not want to see me get ya into trouble." Cajun reassured Courage.

Courage resigned to his current fate and looked over his shoulder to see the others were indeed following after them. Cajun set Courage down near the funnel cake stand and ordered one for himself,

"What about you, Pup? Do ya want a funnel cake?" Cajun asked. Courage had his eyes set on the cotton candy stand nearby. Seeing this, Cajun paid for his funnel cake and bought a cotton candy for Courage. Le Quack bought a donut for himself, they sat on a bench and watched Weremole sniff the ground before rushing towards the cornfield. They watched the stalks rustle and heard a squeal followed by a snarl.

"Guess Weremole found himself lunch," Cajun observed.

Courage bit into the cotton candy and perceived that Katz wasn't with them.

"Where's Katz?" Courage asked Le Quack.

"No idea." Le Quack retorted.

Courage's brows furrowed as he puzzled over where Katz has gone to. Could he have gotten bored or tired and went back to the truck? It was a possibility. Courage finished his cotton candy and was licking the remnants off the paper cone when Katz came strolling over to the group. Courage glimpsed something in Katz's paw.

The feline stopped in front of Courage, and holding the object out to him said, "Here."

Courage eyed the item in Katz's paws and saw it was a small goldfish plushie. Katz cleared his throat and stated, "I suspect you wanted to get one of those goldfishes greatly, and I'm sure you would want one to feed and watch, but this is the only solution I could think of where you won't have to suffer heartbreak when it does. And you can cuddle with it when you're asleep. . ."

"Where did ya get it?" Cajun asked.

"At the ring toss booth. It wasn't hard landing them onto the pegs." Katz said with a shrug.

Courage focused his attention more on Katz's face than the exchanging happening between him and Cajun. Courage was sure that Katz was abashed about getting the plushie for him. But why did Katz have to be abashed about doing something kind for him? Courage couldn't figure Katz out. He seemed to switch between being aloof to being kindhearted towards him but still act cold towards the other villains.

Not wanting to be rude and appreciating the gesture, Courage said to Katz, "Than you, Katz."

Katz almost smiled, but it never made it on his face because of Cajun. "So now that you won Pup a prize, does that make ya both boyfriends?" he inquired.

The animosity in the air was very heavy, and Le Quack hurried away from the fox. Katz tossed the goldfish at Courage. He fumbled with it until he was able to catch it. Katz, in the meantime, stomped over to Cajun his paw shot out and gripped the fox's throat. A strangled sound wheezed its way out his mouth as he clawed at Katz's tight grip. Katz ignored Cajun as he dragged the fox over to the high striker game, he slammed Cajun against the long narrow frame and the fox clutched his throat as he coughed and wheezed as Katz slowly sauntered away.

"What is your problem?! Can't ya take a joke?!" barked Cajun.

Katz ignored Cajun as he grabbed the hammer out of the startled high striker operator's hand and swung it down onto the lever. The puck shot up, taking Cajun with it, and his head slammed against the bell at the top. Courage had followed after Katz and gasped aloud when he witnessed what he did to Cajun and hurried over to where the fox fell.

"Cajun? Are you okay?" he asked, and Cajun answered back with a pained groan. Courage turned his attention to Katz and said, "That wasn't very nice, Katz. Why do you always have to be so mean to Cajun?"

Katz stared at Courage, scoffed, and handed the hammer back to the operator. Courage sighed as Katz walked off, sure he was heading for the truck. What had started as a nice day ended in misery as Courage and Le Quack helped the injured Cajun back to the truck with Weremole trailing behind. Katz was already sitting in the truck sulking. After the rest of the party got into the truck, they were heading back home.

The running engine was the only sound rending the air. Having recovered a little from Katz did to him, Cajun stared out the window.

"Thanks for the head injury," Cajun growled.

"If you can string together words into a sentence, you're fine." Katz retorted.

Courage was getting anxious and hoped Cajun didn't say anything to push Katz more. When the farmhouse came into sight, Courage noticed that Katz was slowly the truck to a halt far from the house. Peering up at Katz, Courage saw the cat's eyes narrowed as he seemingly glared at the farmhouse. Stretching as high as his tiny legs could stretch, Courage glanced over the dashboard, and his eyes widened at the giant hole where the front door once was.

"Why does it look like someone blew the door in?" Cajun asked.

"Do we have a robber in the house?" Le Quack inquired, looking through the window.

Courage let out a gasp. The table holding Muriel and Eustace's ashes. Did it get ruined from the possible explosion?

"Oh no." he whimpered.

Courage scampered over Cajun's lap, worked the door open, jumped out, and hurried towards the house, the villains' calls to wait or to come back falling on deaf ears. Heart pounding, Courage rushed over to the table, ignoring the debris on the floor. Courage climbed onto the chair set near the table, and after checking the contents on the table heaved out a sigh. Other than a few shards of wood and one picture frame knocked over and the rest seemingly out of place, nothing was really disturbed.

"Courage!" Katz snapped, resulting in the dog turning in Katz's direction. Katz walked over to Courage and said, "Please don't go rushing off into danger like that!"

"Why? I've done it plenty of times." Courage reminded him.

Katz was about to reply, but a noise in the kitchen halted it. The villains headed for the kitchen, and Courage followed after them. Katz opened the door; they entered and stopped short, and Courage looked around Katz's legs, and his jaw dropped. Big Toe and the other four toes looked up from the meal on the floor.

Katz, of course, saw a mess on what was once a clean floor and the refrigerator door wide open. He could about feel his eye twitch.

The Clutching Foot looked up at them all, and Big Toe asked, "What?" followed by a chorus of "Yeah, what?"

Surprisingly it was Cajun that spoke up in anger. "What? What?! Your eating what I was planning on making for dinner! And you left the fridge door wide open! Your gonna spoil everything inside!" Cajun slammed the door shut. He opened the freezer door and fished for the ice cube tray and headed over to the counter. Courage walked around the Clutching Foot to help Cajun.

"What are you doing here, Big Toe?" Le Quack asked.

"We needed to do lay low, see?" Big Toe answered, followed by, "Yeah, lay low."

"Lay low from what?" Cajun asked as he placed the ice pack on top of his head.

"We did a heist, see? And this is the only place we could think of to hide out, see?" Big Toe answered. The Clutching Foot stomped over to bag near the table and grabbing the end of the pack with his teeth, tipped out the contents inside. Gemstones of various sizes and values and three statues of different height tumbled on the floor. Le Quack plucked one of the gems off the floor and examined it closely.

Cajun whistled. "That's a lot of rocks."

Courage picked up one of the statues and inquired, "What are you going to do with them?"

"Sell 'em, see?" Big Toe answered.

"Well, I hope you plan on cleaning this mess you so graciously made and fix the gaping hole out front." Katz hissed.

"Me and the boys can lick the floor clean, see? But we gonna need some help with the wall, see?" Big Toe informed the cat.

One of Katz's eyes twitched at 'lick the floor clean.' He heaved out a sigh, pivot, and walked out of the kitchen. Everyone watched the cat go, but it was Courage who went after Katz.

"Katz? Where are you going?" He interrogated as he followed Katz out of the giant hole.

"Away from here before I do something I may regret," Katz answered back.

"When will you be back?" Courage questioned further.

He received no answer as Katz slammed the truck door shut and drove off. Courage whined softly. All he wanted was a lovely day at the County Fair with Katz, but when that didn't happen, he hoped Katz's mood would improve when they got home, but no such luck. With a sigh, Courage looked at the destroyed wall and knew at least one way to make Katz feel better.

Katz returned quite late that night. Driving didn't settle his anger, especially since Di Lung almost drove into him. And Di Lung shouting, "Watch where you're goin', ya fool!" as he drove off in the opposite direction had Katz digging his claws into the steering wheel. Katz headed to the one place where he could, at the very least, feel better, his motel where his spiders still reside.

Being with his spiders did give Katz a little peace of mind, and he had come across someone vandalizing his once precious motel. . .and well, no one is going to miss one human. Katz certainly won't. After seeing his spiders, Katz went to his new club, Klub Katz. He quite liked the name that he decided to use it again since the last time he used it was on an island that very few people came across. Now Katz was home, and all he wanted to do was sleep. Katz was pleased to see the hole fixed, and a new door put up as he walked into the living room. The only one Katz could see still awake at this hour was Cajun. The fox sat in the rocking chair, looking bored as he flipped through the channels.

Katz took a step towards the stairs when Cajun spoke up, "There's a plate in the oven for ya if ya haven't eaten yet."

"I'm stunned that you saved me some dinner," Katz replied.

Cajun scoffed. "I wouldn't not after what ya did to me, and even if I were 'kind' enough to do so, I would do something get my vengeance on ya. But Pup insisted we saved dinner for ya and made sure I didn't over spice it."

That was considerate of Courage. Katz glanced around the room and commented, "I see the Clutching Foot cleaned up the house."

"Nah, the only thing the Clutching Foot did was lick the kitchen floor clean." Katz made a disgusted face. "But, Pup mopped the kitchen floor, swept the floor in here, tidied up, and fixed the wall."

The anger in Katz began rising again. "You made Courage clean up all by himself?" Katz asked slowly.

"I ain't that heartless. At least to Pup, I ain't anymore. And since Pup's short, I helped fix the parts he couldn't reach and help put in the door." Cajun told the feline.

Lucky for the fox, Katz doesn't have to wring his neck. "Why are you up? You're usually asleep by this time?" Katz inquired, trying to be a little bit civil to the fox.

"The Clutching Foot decided to become roommates with me in the basement, and all five toes snores. Loudly." Cajun explained. "I may curl up on the couch and sleep there later. You're so lucky to sleep in a bed with Pup, who probably don't snore."

"Indeed." Katz agreed. "But he does have nightmares and will on occasion wake screaming from terror."

"Still better than constant loud snorin'." Cajun shot back.

Katz gave Cajun a rare smile and headed for the kitchen. Katz heated his dinner, ate alone, then washed and dried the dishes, putting them away, and headed for the stairs. He quietly entered the room and got into bed and looked over at Courage. Katz was sure he felt his heart skip a beat when he spotted the fish plushie he got for Courage cradled in his arms. A red paw reached out to touch the sleeping dog but drew back. Katz laid down and fell asleep.

The next morning was pretty average, save for the new addition, or addition in the farmhouse. Once Courage was awake and had gone down to the kitchen for breakfast, Cajun asked if he could help make breakfast seeing how there are now five more mouths to feed. Courage was more than happy to help. The whole tome, Courage could feel Katz leering at them, and not only did it make him uncomfortable, but he wasn't sure what they did to deserve it.

Breakfast went along fine and without any disastrous result. Around lunchtime was a different matter. It came to Courage's attention that Katz was reading the same newspaper, which, in his countless hours of observation, knew he was still feeling moody. Hoping that making the cat another cup of tea would cheer him up, Courage headed for the kitchen. Once he stepped inside, he spotted Cajun at the sink, and something was. . .off. The fox had his back to Courage, and he could hear Cajun slowly run a knife sharpener over a blade.

Courage fidget in his spot, not wanting to get close to Cajun to use the stove. He jumped when Cajun spoke. "Ah, Courage. I'm glad you're here."

Cajun's voice sent chills down Courage's spine, and after swallowing the lump that formed in his throat, he asked, "A-are you getting ready to make lunch?" Courage didn't have a clue as to why Cajun was making him so nervous.

The sound of the knife sharpener stopped abruptly, "Why yes, Courage." cooed Cajun as he set the sharpener down on the counter then spun around. "And you're to be the main course!"

Cajun laughed a malicious laugh as he held up the now sharpen gleaming meat cleaver. Courage made a good impression of a fluff ball as he screamed and ran out of the kitchen swiftly, leaving the door swinging in his wake. Courage rushed over to Katz as the cat peeked over his newspaper.

"Dear boy, what has gotten you into a state of terror now?" he inquired.

Courage hopped in place as he tried to explain through his babble about what transpired in the kitchen. As Courage finished his tale, Cajun walked biting into a carrot.

"What's all the screamin' about?" he asked. Courage belted out another scream and ran out the front door. "Was it somethin' I said?" Cajun asked.

Katz didn't answer. Instead, he got out of his chair and strode over to Cajun as he rolled the newspaper up. He proceeded to whack the fox on the head with the paper. Cajun yelped and tried to defend himself with the carrot.

"What did I do this time?!" demanded Cajun.

"Courage informed me that you were going to cook him for lunch." hissed Katz.

"What?! What insanity is this?" Cajun wondered.

"Are you going to deny it?" Katz interrogated.

"Of course, I am! First off, none of my recipes call for a dog of any kind, seein' how they are a distant relative of mine, it feels a bit like cannibalism to me. And second, I was out in the garden harvestin' some of the crops for lunch." Cajun defended and held up the carrot as evidence. "So either Pup is lyin', or there's two of me, and the second one is a lot more murderous than me."

"I hope you have a doppelganger because I would have to hurt you very badly if you tried to hurt Courage in any way." Katz threatened.

"Story of my life," Cajun grumbled and took another bite out of the carrot.

Courage was trying his best to hide, but it was pretty tough when he couldn't stop shaking, which in turn caused the bucket to rattle. He couldn't understand the villains. Courage thought they were no longer trying to kill him. But after the thing with Cajun in the kitchen, he soon had Weremole to contend with, the feral creature chased him around the house, his teeth gnashing until Courage took refuge in the barn.

And as Courage tried to catch his breath from all that running, Le Quack showed up, lit a bomb he had, thrown it in, and locked the doors on Courage.

Courage fumbled around for the bomb, quite glad that not only was light coming from the loft door, but the lit wick on the bomb helped him find it and put it out before it exploded. Lunch was tense for him as he sat very close to Katz, hoping the cat didn't mind, which he didn't seem to as he didn't say anything to it or tried to push the dog away. That seemed to lure Courage into a false sense of relaxation. Courage decided to take a bath after lunch to help calm himself further. He presumed Katz didn't like him sitting close to him. The cat had entered the bathroom, and when Courage asked him what he was doing there, Katz proceeded to grab the dog by the top of his head and attempted to drown him in the tub.

Courage thrashed about until he was successful in getting out of Katz's grip. He gasped for air, and as Katz reached for him again, Courage whimpered as he scrambled out of the tub. His wet paws made it difficult for Courage to open the door, but Katz approaching gave him the incentive, and he tore the door open and ran out. Tears pricked Courage's eyes as he wondered why now after the villains have been living with him, they decided to try and kill him. He thought they changed after he saved them countless times, and they rescued him once.

Villains will never change; it seemed. Determine not to stay around when the Clutching Foot decides it's his turn to go after him; Courage peeked from his hiding place and seeing no one in sight took haste running from the farm with no destination in mind. The dog ran until he was close to collapsing, being out in the burning sun until he spotted a familiar object approaching quickly. When Courage arrived, panting and sweating, he found himself at Shirley's wagon. He hesitated to climb the step and seeing if Shirley was home. Would she attack him as the villains have?

Courage didn't have time to ponder further, the door open and Shirley appeared.

"Ah, Courage. It's been a long time since we last met. Come in and have some tea with me." Shirley offered.

Not only was Courage parched, but he couldn't say no to the gypsy without the possibility of incurring her wrath. He hopped onto the step and walking into her wagon, which felt a lot cooler than outside. Courage sat at the table as Shirley prepared the tea and set the cups down.

"Thank you." Courage said, taking the drink and gulping it down.

"You're welcome," Shirley replied and took a sip from hers. "How are your Muriel and the stupid one doing?"

Courage with a sigh set the glass down and told the gypsy in detail about their passing months ago.

Shirley listened to Courage's story and feeling commiserating for the pink dog said, "I'm sorry for your loss, Courage. If you ever wish to communicate with your Muriel or the stupid one, don't hesitate to seek me out. I'll charge you a small sum for it."

Courage smiled and felt a little calm. "Thank you, Shirley," he replied.

Shirley nodded in response then asked a question that made Courage tense up, "Have you been living all alone?"

Courage shook his head. He explained that some villains he encountered in his past came to live with him for one reason or another. How the months that followed, they never once tried to harm him and how they ever saved him from a water creature that was similar to the Black Puddle Queen, but all that seemed to have changed today.

"I just don't understand." Courage whined. "We were living happily, then all of a sudden, they tried to kill me today." Katz's trying to drown him hurt Courage the most.

Shirley was ready to come up with some curses to help Courage out, but first, she needed more details before she could start. "Has anything changed recently?" she inquired.

"Well, the Clutching Foot arrived yesterday. He wanted a place to lay low because he had just robbed a place and stolen a couple of gemstones and three golden statues." Courage answered.

Shirley seemed to perk at the mention of the three statues. She got up from the table and rummaged around the contents in her trunk. Once she found what she was looking for, Shirley brought it over to the table.

"These statues, Did one of them look like this?" she questioned as she set the worn paper on the table.

Courage scanned the drawing and gasped. It looked exactly like one of the statues that the Clutching Foot had stolen.

"Yes, one of the statues look like that." Courage answered.

"Well, the good news is that none of your new questionable friends were trying to kill you," Shirley explained.

It was like a terrible weight on Courage lifted only for a new one to settle on the dog.

"What's the bad news?" he asked because there is always bad news.

"The bad news is that your friends are possibly in danger," Shirley told him.

"What?" Courage squeaked.

"A spirit lives in the statue. The spirit strives on terror and will take on the form or something or someone the person is afraid of." Shirley explained.

"Except for the Clutching Foot, I've been living with the villains for months. It doesn't explain why it took the forms of Katz, Cajun, Le Quack, and Weremole." Courage stated.

"Maybe you're still afraid of them subconsciously." Shirley offered.

It could be. Courage has seen Katz angry plenty of times and seen him take it out on Cajun most of those times.

"Why would the villains be in danger? There's nothing they're afraid of." Courage said.

"Anyone would be afraid of being eaten," Shirley answered.

Courage almost spilled his tea. "What?" he whispered.

"This spirit eats those it terrorizes. Which was lucky for you when you ran away." Shirley said.

"Oh, no." Courage whined. He needed to go back and save his frie- no his family. He finished the tea and quickly said, "Thank you for the tea, Shirley." he hesitated and added, "How much do I owe you for the information?"

"Free of charge just this once," Shirley answered.

"Thank you again." Courage replied. He said his goodbyes to Shirley and took off back home, hoping all the way that he's not too late to save them.

Courage didn't notice the distance it took to get home being a fretting state the whole way. It felt quiet when he got home; the door squeaked open much too loud when he pushed it open. Courage's heart thudded hard as he walked into the house, and out of habit, Courage called out, "Katz? Cajun?"

He wasn't surprised when he didn't get a reply. Courage spotted the basement door slightly ajar, and with the knowledge that the villains were in danger, he made his way down the stairs. Halfway down, Courage heard an unfamiliar voice speak, "Hmmm, who to cook first? Not the giant foot, it'll be last. Hmmm, maybe the fox."

"Whoa, whoa. I already been cooked once. I have no desire to be cooked again." Cajun stated.

"And it's that fear of being cooked again is what will make you a delicious appetizer." the evil spirit tittered.

Courage hurried down the rest of the stairs, almost losing his footing twice and once in the basement found the villains tied up except for Weremole, who seemed to be locked in a chest. The chest shook around, and Courage could hear Weremole growling and hissing from inside. A cauldron similar to the one the villains chained Muriel over sat in the middle of the room, and a lovely woman carrying Cajun over her head strolled over to the cauldron.

"Can't we just order you some take out instead?" Cajun offered.

"Cajun fox stew sounds better." the spirit stated.

With a cry, Courage rushed over just as the spirit tossed the screaming fox into the cauldron. Courage leaped and tackled Cajun before he hit the bubbling liquid, and Courage skidded across the ground hard.

"Oh, Pup. I'm so thrilled to see you." Cajun said with a tiny frighten whimper.

"I'm amazed you came back." the spirit said.

"I couldn't let you eat the villains." Courage stated.

The spirit winced slightly at that. "Even after four of your friends tried to kill you?" the spirit inquired.

"I know now that it was you who took on the forms of Cajun, Katz, Le Quack, and Weremole and tried to kill and possibly eat me." Courage said.

"I told ya I wasn't tryin' to cook Pup!" Cajun hollered at Katz.

"Now is not the time for that." Katz hissed back.

"Such bravery. How I loathe it." sneered the spirit. "Luckily, your friends have their little fears that are keeping me from returning into my prison. Did you know the giant foot is afraid of you, dog? It fears you will lick it as you did once before. We already know one of the fox's fears, but the cat's fear is the juiciest I've ever tasted. Would you like to know what it is?"

Courage watched as Katz seemed to freeze at the spirit's words. "No, I don't care what Katz is afraid of. All I care about is saving them from you." Courage told the spirit.

"Even though you still fear them?" the spirit asked with a grin.

"What?" Cajun asked.

Courage could hear the hurt in Cajun's tone, and looking at the other villains staring back at him could see the pain in their eyes.

"You are still afraid even though we done nothing to you the whole time we've been here?" Le Quack asked.

Seeing the smug look on the spirit's face and knowing he had no way out of it, Courage confessed, "How can I not? You are all villains, you all done something terrible in one or another to Muriel or Eustace or both or me, and it's hard to forget when someone or something incurs Katz's wrath." a determined look crossed Courage's face as he stared into the spirit's eyes. "But the spirit refused to mention that I'm afraid of other things and other villains I encountered in the past, it just chose to take on your forms because it was convenient."

"You mean something like these?" the spirit asked. With a wave of its arm, the windmill vandals, the dummies, and the other creatures they encountered recently showed up.

Courage shook at the sight of them but kept his resolve as he continued. "They scare me, but they are are a lot less terrifying than the thought of losing my family to them."

A stun silence filled the basement. "Family? What family?" Le Quack wondered.

"You mean us?" Cajun asked.

"Yes. I never hesitated to save my loved ones from danger, and none of you are the exception. And I decided we were a family after you rescued from that creature." Courage admitted.

"Oh, Pup. I'd hug ya if I could." Cajun said, his tail wagging.

"Such a strange hodgepodge family this is." Le Quack stated.

"What about us?" Big Toe spoke up.

"As long as you don't try to take any of the others hostage to force me to do a heist or any other terrible thing to me, then you can be part of the family." Courage told him.

The previous villains disappeared as the spirit wailed. Courage and the villains turned towards the spirit as it doubled over, taking on the forms of four of them.

"That's unnerving," Cajun commented.

"You wretched little dog! Those positive emotions are like poison to me." the spirit hissed.

"No matter how many times someone or something comes and puts my family in danger, I will continue to face those things to save them." Courage promised.

"We'll do the same for you." Le Quack said.

"Yeah." Big Toe and the other four toes agreed.

The spirit let out a shriek and disappeared. Courage put the fire out the fire under the cauldron first then using his teeth gnawed through the ropes on Cajun since he was closer. Cajun let Weremole out of the chest as Courage freed the others.

"Now then, do you have any idea where that spirit came from?" Katz asked Courage.

"One of the gold statues is its prison." Courage answered.

Everyone turned towards the Clutching Foot. "How were we suppose to know, see?" Big Toe said.

"Yeah, how were we suppose to know?" the other four toes agreed.

"Well, take it back where you got it from," Cajun suggested.

"We can't see? They'll know it's us, see?" Big Toe said, followed by four, "Yeah."

"I'll take it back." Le Quack offered.

"Ain't ya worried about being arrested?" Cajun inquired.

"No prison can hold Le Quack." the duck stated.

"Make it quick," Katz said.

The Clutching Foot and Le Quack went back upstairs first to gather the stolen goods, and Cajun said to Courage, "I'm gonna make ya dumplings for dinner tonight."

"Yay." Courage cheered as his tail wagged.

Courage and Weremole were the next to go upstairs, and once they were gone, Cajun turned to Katz.

"So pussy cat, what are ya afraid of?" Cajun asked Katz.

Katz's ears flattened against his head as he narrowed his eyes at the fox. "Why should I tell you?" he questioned back.

"Fair's fair since you know my fears," Cajun stated.

"And I won't hesitate to light a fire under the cauldron again and make cajun fox stew." Katz countered.

Cajun held his paws up in defeat. "Okay, I get it. I won't ask again."

Cajun left, and after making sure he was all alone, Katz whispered, "What I fear is losing Courage to that fox."

[chokememrstark]

A Day Off // Winterspider

Words: ~ 2,4k

Summary: Peter watches a fun game between Tony, Steve and Bucky escalate and doesn't really like where this is going. When he notices Bucky looks more and more tired, he decides to step in and be part of the game too - but unlike Tony and Steve, he wants Bucky to have fun and enjoy a day off.

Warnings: background stucky and winteriron (non-explicit though), winter soldier!bucky, fluff, fairs

Note: It's important to note that Bucky and Winter basically switch in this story randomly - there is no real indicator, one morning he will wake up as Bucky, the next as Winter. This story involves Winter and Peter.

[Read on AO3]

Peter enjoys that Bucky lives at the compound now, it always means his visits become more fun. There are some things that are a bit difficult at first, for example that Bucky isn’t always Bucky, but Peter gets used to that pretty quickly. He can easily spot if he deals with Bucky or with Winter, who is far more quiet and reticent and at times very grumpy, but Peter doesn’t mind. When he deals with Winter he talks less and is more serious, when he deals with Bucky there is more joking around and laughing. He likes both though and both still go to the training area with him for his usual training sessions, the only difference is that with Winter, Peter has to actually be careful because he’s not holding back as much as Bucky does.

When the joke with the magnets starts, everyone is rather amused at first, even Peter. One day, Tony accidentally stuck a magnet to Bucky’s metal arm, which ended in a game where they all tried to stick as many magnets as possible on his arm without Bucky noticing. Bucky doesn’t mind, he actually finds it very funny how they try to sneak behind him and doesn’t try to stop them.

Then, one day, there’s just a single magnet on Bucky’s arm, one that says “Property of Steve”. Both Tony and Peter, who is over at the time, are confused, until Steve just drags Bucky off with him. This marks the beginning of a new game, one which Peter watches without participating, not quite sure what to make of it.

Over the next couple of weeks, Steve and Tony pretty much trip over their own feet to stick their name onto Bucky’s arm first every day, which ends up with the one succeeding “owning” him for that day. Bucky doesn’t seem to mind - and surprisingly, Winter doesn’t either - but Peter notices that, over the weeks, Bucky seems more and more tired. Peter knows the relationship between the three is a bit complicated and that they both have something going on with Bucky, so the owning game kind of makes sense, he guesses, but he doesn’t really like it. At all.

So, one day when Peter stays over the weekend, he sneaks out of his room early and into Bucky’s, putting his own magnet onto his arm. An hour later everyone else gets up and both Tony and Steve want to “claim” Bucky, only to realize there already is a claim on him. A magnet that says: ‘Property of Peter, hands off!’. Tony and Steve share a confused look, both dropping their magnets, when Peter walks over to them.

“Guess he’s mine for the day,” he says with a smile and drags Bucky away, only that it’s not Bucky today. Coincidence or not, Peter managed to claim Winter for the day, but he doesn’t mind.

“What did you do?” Winter asks when Peter leads him through the common area and towards the elevator, not quite understanding what is going on.

“I decided to play the game too,” Peter shrugs, taking Winter’s metal hand to keep pulling him forward. “We will spend the day together today, I promise you’ll like it.”

Winter, who is used to be dragged off to the bedroom after a claim has been made on him for the day instead of the elevator, just keeps looking confused.

“Don’t you want to stay?”

“Nope,” Peter smiles and presses the lobby button once they are in the elevator. “We’ll go out today, I have a surprise for you. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Peter’s surprise turns out to be a trip to Coney Island. They catch several glances on the subway and trams they use, but while Winter is mostly silent and confused about the whole ordeal, Peter not once loses his smile, holding onto him to make sure they aren’t getting separated. When they arrive, however, Winter finally breaks his silence.

“What are we doing here?” he asks, looking slightly uncomfortable with the amount of people around them.

“Tony and Steve keep tiring you out,” Peter says seriously and looks up at him. “I just want you to have some fun for a day, you know? I’ve been here with my aunt a few years ago, it’s really great and there are so many things to do.” And before Winter can complain, Peter starts dragging him along.

They simply walk around for a while, looking at the attractions around them, until Peter spots one of the roller coasters, literally starting to pull on Winter’s arm.

“We have to go on that one!” he says excitedly, pretty much jumping up and down next to the other. “It’s so much fun and so fast!”

Winter looks up, reads the sign which says ‘Coney Island Cyclone’ and frowns.

“Are you sure about this?” he wants to know and Peter nods eagerly. It’s barely five minutes before they stand in line, Winter rather stiff and unsure about what’s going to happen and Peter excited like a child on Christmas. In a way, this is kind of the same for him.

Once they are seated - somehow they managed to get the front seats, of course next to each other - Peter grins from ear to ear. “Last time I was too short for this, I’m so excited to finally ride it!” he exclaims and laughs. As the ride starts, he clings to Winter with one arm and has the other steady himself.

There is a lot of screaming from Peter’s side when they finally go down and much less from Winter, who is simply pressed into his seat and stares at the track in front of them, but it’s obvious that Peter enjoys it very much. It doesn’t take long before Winter relaxes at least a little bit and when the ride is over, he looks at Peter as if to ask what he thinks. The boy beams at him with pure joy.

“That. Was. Fucking. Awesome!” he states and laughs happily, his cheeks slightly pink from screaming and the adrenaline going through his system. After they leave, he hooks up with Winter’s metal arm again, who doesn’t try to pull away this time. It’s as if he accepted that Peter feels safer this way in the crowded place and that’s kind of nice, actually.

As they walk through the place a bit more, Peter suddenly gets curious and looks up at him. “You had county fairs back in the 40s too, right?” he asks. “Did you ever went to one?”

Winter has to think about that for a while before he nods. “A few times, but they were smaller. Not so many people. And not so loud.”

“What kind of attractions did you have back then?”

“Mostly lucky wheels or freak shows,” Winter says and shrugs. “Usually you would take out a girl to them and eat bad hot dogs or try to fight against the strong guy to impress her.”

“The strong guy?” Peter asks curious and tilts his head.

“There was always one place with a ring and some guy who was very strong and some pretty girl asking people to ‘try your luck against Samson’ or similar things. And if you went there with your date, saying no was out of question because she would have thought you were weak. So the boys went into the ring, got their ass handed to them and left to be comforted by them.”

“That sounds pretty dumb,” Peter chuckles and shakes his head. “Glad we won’t have to do that today.”

“Me too,” Winter says and for a moment it looks like he will laugh, but he doesn’t. Peter shrugs and looks around to find a place to eat something.

“They got pizza here, do you want some?”

“If you are hungry, we can eat.”

So, they end up at a place that sells pizza, sitting in the sun while they eat and still, Peter smiles like it’s the best day of his life. He talks about other things they have here, like the big ferris wheel and the auto skooter and the ice skating area. He also mentions several booths where people can win prizes for things like tossing balls or shooting, which actually makes Winter turn his head.

“Shooting?”

“Oh yes,” Peter grins and nods. “They have a booth near the end, you get a number of shots and the more you hit, the bigger the prize you get. I never manage to get more than 50 points, though.”

“Do you want to try it again?” Winter asks and Peter’s grin broadens even more.

“I’d love to!” he says excited. “I’m sure you’d be so good at it, you’d probably get all the points!”

There is something like a smile on Winter’s face for a split second before he nods and finishes his pizza. “We can go there if you want to,” he agrees, making Peter almost jump up with joy.

Once they are both done, they head towards the booth Peter mentioned. On the way, Peter gets them both some ice cream, accompanied with the words ‘It’s hot and we should stay cool, right?’. Winter just nods and takes the offered treat, allowing Peter to hook back up with his arm so they can continue. At this point, he barely registers the looks they get anymore or reacts to them. He is more calm and far less nervous than he was when they arrived, which ultimately reflects on Peter, who seems to be in a rather peaceful mood himself.

They spot the booth shortly before they finished their ice cream and decide to stand back and watch a few others try their luck at first, with Peter explaining the whole thing.

“Not every target gives the same points, you have to go for the moving ones, okay?” He says and smiles up at Winter. “The birds give 100 points each, the ducks give 80. Most people go for the ones that don’t move, but they only give 10 to 20 points.”

“What do you get when you hit the highest targets?” Winter asks and Peter chuckles.

“One of those, for example,” he grins and points at the huge stuffed bears hanging from a wall of the booth. “They are 1000 points each, but barely anyone gets that much. The birds are really fast…”

Winter nods, but doesn’t answer. Instead, he watches someone start a new game, his eyes glued onto the targets. Peter observes him closely and notices the way Winter shifts, as if he’s preparing himself. He figures that’s exactly what’s happening.

Five minutes later, Winter finally nods. “I will try.”

They approach the booth once everyone else is done and Winter takes the rifle, barely listening to the man who gives him instructions. Finally, the signal sounds that starts a new round and Peter watches in awe how Winter aims and shoots. Every single shot hits one of the fast moving birds, all ten of them giving him full points. Peter’s eyes are wide and sparkling by the time he’s done.

“That was so cool!” he exclaims and suddenly hugs Winter tight. “You’re awesome!”

The man running the booth looks baffled when Winter puts the rifle back down and turns to him. He clearly didn’t expect someone to be as good as he was.

“W-Wow, that’s… that’s a rare one,” the man says and gulps. “So, for 1000 points you can pick anything you want.”

“A bear,” Winter immediately says and points towards the displayed ones. The man looks defeated when he walks over and cuts one of them off its hook, handing it to him.

“Congrats,” he says, but he doesn’t sound like he’s happy about giving this away.

Winter takes the bear and turns to Peter, handing it to him. “For you,” he says.”

Peter’s face lights up. “Are you serious?” he asks, taking the bear completely stunned. It’s almost as big as Peter is himself.

“You said you never got one,” Winter says quietly and Peter suddenly hugs the bear.

“I didn’t! Thank you so much!” The boy is absolutely delighted and holds the bear as tight as he possibly can. “I love it and I’ll take good care of it, I promise!”

Winter nods, his apparent nervousness fading away. They leave, this time without Peter holding onto him because he needs both arms for the huge bear he carries.

The rest of their visit is similarly amusing, even though Winter refuses to go on the second roller coaster ride with Peter. Instead, he watches over the bear, watching Peter enjoy his ride. Afterwards, they get some candy and eventually get onto the auto skooter too, but this time Peter asks one of the employees to watch over the bear because he really wants Winter to come with him.

When they get back to the compound, it’s late in the afternoon and Peter looks the happiest he’s ever been, still holding onto his bear Winter got for him and smiling brightly.

“Did you enjoy your day off?” he asks once they are back in the common room and finally sit down again.

“It was very nice, thank you for this,” Winter answers, watching Peter - who totally uses the bear as a pillow and sits on its lap at the other side of the couch.

“I had a lot of fun today,” Peter smiles happily. “And if you ever want to go again, I’m going to win a bear for you too.”

At this, Winter’s lips suddenly jerk and he actually smiles at the boy. “I would like that, yes.”

Peter’s eyes sparkle so much when he throws himself forward and hugs Winter again, tight and long. “I can’t wait!” he laughs and kisses Winter’s cheek. “But you have to show me how to aim like you do first.”

“I will happily do that,” Winter says, almost softly, and pats Peter’s back carefully.

The rest of the day they spend talking before Peter has to go back home, of course taking the bear with him. After this, he makes a decision to make sure he can take the other out from time to time, so they can have some fun together. He really likes WInter - and Bucky - and even though it’s hard to tell whether Winter actually enjoyed it or not, he knows the smile he gave him was genuine. And that really gives him some hope.

[snarkysarcasm]

Can you write something about Gail and Holly going to a county fair or meeting at the fair or something? I dunno. Just seemed like a cute idea I'm too depressed to write.

Gail was bored.  

It wasn’t that she didn’t love fairs.  She did.  She loved the corn dogs and the cotton candy, the corn on the cob, and kettlecorn.  She loved fried oreos, and funnel cake, and being able to eat everything to her heart’s content.  She enjoyed kicking other people’s asses at the games and wasn’t satisfied until she had been on every ride.  

But for the first time in 26 years she was bored.  She blamed it on the company.  When she originally agreed to go with the rest of the rookies to the fair that year Traci was supposed to bring Leo.  But Leo had gone home that day with a fever so the young detective was on Mom duty.  Chris had already gone back to Timmons for Denise and Christian.  Oliver was spending the day with his girls.  

Which left Gail with Dov, Chloe, Andy, and Nick.  

Watching Chloe hang all over Dov and Nick and Andy pretend like they weren’t sleeping together was beyond painful.  It was both cruel and unusual.  She was only about 15 minutes into the night and she was already thinking of excuses that could get her out of staying.  She was also trying to figure out a ride home.  She thought about throwing herself from the top of the ferris wheel.  Supposedly that was frowned upon.  

Just when Gail was about to give up all hope and step in front of a lemonade vendor to put her out of her misery she heard a familiar voice not far from the ring toss.

“Rach, this was your idea.  I knew Lisa would bail on us but you were the one who suggested going to the fair.  Yeah, I know, I know.  Give Ben a kiss for me.”

It was like an answer to her prayers when Gail saw her favorite bespectled brunette.   

“Hey lunchbox.”

Gail wasn’t sure why her stomach flipped at the way Holly’s face lit up after she hung up her phone and saw her.  She wasn’t used to people being that happy to see her.  And it didn’t hurt that Holly had a nice smile, a really nice smile, that Gail was pretty fond of receiving.  

Since that first day at the morgue, the two had been hanging out fairly regularly.  Holly had even convinced her to go to the batting cages and Gail had taken Holly as her plus one to Frank and Noelle’s wedding.  Sure, they had shared a brief kiss in the coat closet that Gail had been replaying in her head on a semi-regular basis and which may have been the biggest contributing factor as to why Gail hadn’t invited Holly to the fair with her pack of losers but now that Gail saw her, she realized that was a really stupid reason to suffer alone.

“Hey, I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Yeah, Princess Price and Girl Guide McNally came up with this plan for tonight.”

“Where are the other officers?”

“And you’re ditching them?”

“Obviously.  I originally only came for Leo, Traci’s son, but since those two couldn’t be here I was about to eat a tomato just to get a ride out of here.”

“Well, since Rachel and Lisa both bailed on me, how about I give you a ride home instead of an ambulance to the hospital.”

“I suppose that could work.  But you know since we’re here, we could probably spend at least a little time doing fair-y stuff.”

“That sounds like a bad gay joke.”

“I’m going to ignore your judgmental tone and introduce you to the way awesome people enjoy the fair.”

“Lead the way.”

---

“I thought you don’t do sports?”  Holly asked as they stared down the milk jugs across from them.

Gail gave the softball in her hand a couple of tosses.  “I don’t.  I want you to win me that shark.”

The blonde pointed to the great white hanging above their heads.

“I thought you were the almighty gamer.”

“Like you said I don’t do sports and this is the only booth with a shark.  Come on, Nerd, I know you can do it.”

Holly struggled not to melt under the puppy dog eyes her friend was giving her.  When Rachel had suggested going to the fair that night, she had only agreed to get her mind off kissing Gail.  But after her other friends (predictably) bailed and the blonde had shown up, Holly had spent the entire struggling not to get swept up in the excitement.  Gail Peck in a county fair was like a kid at Christmas.  The normally enigmatic blonde had happily dragged her from one ride to the next, waxed poetically about the merits of each snack booth, and had already won multiple stuffed animals that she had randomly handed out to kids throughout the fairgrounds.  If Holly’s crush wasn’t already overwhelming it was now at epic proportions.

So if Gail wanted a shark, then Holly was damn sure going to win it for her.  

“Is this because I’m a lesbian that you’re assuming I can throw a softball?” Holly loosened up her arm.

“No my assumption that you own an inordinate amount of backpacks and fleeces is because you’re a lesbian.  My knowledge of your throwing abilities comes from you being the star pitcher of your softball team.”

“And here I thought you didn’t listen when I talk.”  Holly enjoyed the blush the hit pale cheeks in under the obnoxiously bright lights.

It took her 4 tries and a whopping ten dollars but Holly knocked over those rigged cartons.  After the teenager manning the booth retrieved the coveted shark, Holly looked around at the various kids begging their parents for more money.

“So who is going to receive the shark?”

Gail was already had the shark tucked tightly under her arm.

“I think this one I might keep.”

Holly knew she shouldn’t read into it.  That her friend was probably just a huge shark fan.  But Holly couldn’t help wondering if it had anything to do with her winning it.  She wasn’t brave enough to ask.

“Alright, we’ve done every ride in the fair, eaten my weight in fried food, and won your shark.  Is there anything else we need to do?”

“The ferris wheel.” Gail said decisively, already heading in the direction of the long line.

But Holly froze in her tracks.  “Ummm...how about we skip one ride?”

“What? No.  We have to do it.  What’s a fair trip without the ferris wheel?”

“A safe one.” Holly muttered to herself.

“Oh don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights.”

Holly swatted at the hand that was poking at her.  “I’m not afraid of heights.  I’m afraid of rusty, swinging seats that get stuck 200 feet in the air.”

“Please, Lunchbox, we have to do it.”

Holly hated that pout and the influence it had on her.  She prayed to the gods that

---

Holly was full of surprises.  It wasn’t just the fear of heights but the fact that she would face that fear just because Gail asked her to.  It was kind of like the shark.  

Gail had won prizes throughout the night.  Seemingly randomly handing them off to whichever kid was nearby and not throwing a tantrum.  It wasn’t random.  Gail usually spotted the kid who was quietly standing there while their sibling(s) got all of their parents’ attention, or the ones who parents had clearly spent all their cash just getting into the fair and a wristband for their kid to enjoy.  So as nonchalantly as she could, she made sure that those kids got to bring something home from the fair.

Except for the shark.  

As soon as Gail spotted the great white hanging above a game that she knew Holly could win, she decided that she wanted it.  The fact that Holly actually won it for her meant that this one was coming home with her.  Call her selfish (everyone does) but she kind of wanted something to remember how awesome her night had been.

It wasn’t until they were being locked into the swinging cart and Holly’s knuckles actually turned white as they gripped the handle bar that Gail finally stopped her teasing.

“Hey, Nerd, if it’s really that bad.  We can get off now.”

“What? No. I’m good.  Totally good.”

“Your eyes are closed and we haven’t even started moving.”

“Well you know my vision isn’t good anyway so really what’s the point of having them open.”

Holly let out a small shriek that Gail struggled not to laugh at when the ride suddenly came to life.

The death grip from the bar was suddenly on her arm.

“Hey, Hol.  It’s okay.  The ride isn’t going to be that bad.”

“Yep.” Holly managed to get out through clenched teeth.  

“Come on, Hols, it’s no fun if you don’t at least try to enjoy the view.”

A shot rang out and Holly jumped as the first firework lit the sky.  

“Now you’re missing the fireworks.”

Gail watched in amazement as Holly slowly opened first one then both eyes.  

“See it’s not that bad.”

“Nope, not bad.  Just very very high and very very old.  Did you know that the original Ferris Wheel, is also referred to as the Chicago Wheel?  And that it was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. in 1893. It was 80.4 metres tall and was the tallest attraction at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.”

Gail couldn’t help it.  She couldn’t look away from Holly’s rambling lips as the colors of the sky played across her tan skin.  She couldn’t stop herself from cutting off Holly’s ramble with a kiss.  It wasn’t brief like the coat closet but it wasn’t as long as Gail would’ve liked before she realized what she had done.  

“Sorry you just had to stop talking.”

“I won’t say another word.” Holly promised, already leaning in.

Gail kissed her again, slower and more tentatively than the first.  And her lips didn’t leave Holly’s until they were back on the ground.  Finally stepping off the ride, Gail gathered her shark and took Holly’s hand, ready to make good on that ride home.  

Yeah, she really loved fairs.