#fair au

[alhavaradawnstar]

alot of gelebors identity and personality is affected by trauma and how stuck in the past he is because of it. in a setting without his defining conflicts hes probably a lot more outgoing (though i do think he has other... mental problems). fairau vyrthur and gelebor have a statler&waldorf sketch heckling harkon about his wife leaving him

[theprofessionalpromptmaker]

National Make Up Your Own Holiday Day & Spinach Festival Day

Person A likes to help the fairies in their garden hold festivals, by setting up mini stalls and a whole little carnival grounds for their events, even going so far as to create mechanical mini rides for them to play on. One day, their small apartment building neighbor who lives above them, Person B, who only recently moved in, starts leaving out recyclables on Person A’s doorsteps, with a note saying Person A might want to use them to build something. Person A decides to show Person B the fairy festivals from their back porch when one is in full swing, especially since Person B donated some of the materials to build it.

[cipherklive]

Reposted because tags aren't working

This first time Five kissed Kluas was at the fair; he had come to him just after dinner with Reginald and offered nothing other than a hand with a smile and Klaus was helpless to resist. He had teleported them there and they had gorged themselves on sweets and lemonade. They rode each ride at least three times and it was the last time on the ferris wheel, its neon glow reflecting in his eyes, that Five had turned to him and kissed him; he tasted like cottencandy, his lips slightly sticky with the residue sugar, and Klaus melted into him. He still believes it was one of the best kisses of his life. When they got off the ride, no words were said, but they now walked around hand in hand, never letting go of one another. Five had even won him a stuffed penguin with a top hat and bow tie and God he was such a sentimental idiot cause that penguin still sat in the corner of his room in the academy. When they returned back home, they went to Klaus' room, sat on his bed and exchanged kiss after kiss - each one better than the last. After 4am Five left with a kiss on his forehead. The next day he got into an argument with Sir at the dinner table. He was gone... until he was back home.

[bangtansficrec]

Stuffed Drumsticks and Cotton Candy Kisses

ღ Stuffed Drumsticks and Cotton Candy Kisses by parmejeon {T, taekook, 6,8k}

Taehyung is really good at precision-based games and Jeongguk is really good at strength-based games. Together, they amass a terrifying number of prizes before being kicked out of the carnival.

[I'm sorry all of my last recs were taekook, but actually I'm not reallly sorry because there are just so many good stories about them and this is a MUST READ. It'll take up a minimum of your time but it's soft and fluffy and beautiful and I'm jealous of both guk's and taehyung's skills at the carnival because I SUCK at all of the games at a fair. Go read this if you love stuffed plushies as much as tae does, you'll have 0 regrets I promise!!!! Also, go hit me up with asks and submissions (only relevant ones ofc) because I've been feeling kind of lonely on this platform xoxo]

[partyanimal167]

The Fair- Gajevy

It’s weird how used you can get to seeing someone without saying a word to them. The people at your local Starbucks, the bus stop, the pharmacy, all of them have their own story with their own details about life, growing up, and what they’re doing now. Working in an environment where multiple businesses interact is just as intense—you know malls, office buildings…fairs.

Levy sighed as she meandered around the fairgrounds. It was her break, and she needed one. She had returned to the fried dessert stand as a way to make some money while in school. It was fair season, and if she worked hard enough over the next two months, she could save a decent amount to help with her school’s monthly bills. She had another job as a student assistant, but every year the school gave her flexible hours so she could work at the stand. It was a lot to balance between school and work, but there were some benefits.

She continuously walked around looking at the patrons, rigged games, and rides. The fairgrounds were huge which worked out since patrons didn’t feel so crowded. It sucked, however, when one stand ran out of an ingredient and someone from the other stand had to run what felt like a marathon to restock. Levy sighed. She felt that she was always chosen since she was one of the younger employees, but she wasn’t fit. She was usually out of breath going up the stairs since her backpack was larger than her it felt.

She waved to the game stand workers and stopped by one woman’s thrift book blanket. Levy tried her best not to spend her money there. She didn’t venture far. She didn’t want to run late after her break was over. She stopped suddenly when a delicious smell reached her nose. Ah, sweet corn.

Levy moved her head to peek slightly around the corner where a roasted corn stand was located. There, she saw a man who was about her age and went to her university. He had long unruly hair that was pulled back by a yellow bandana that went along with his bright green shirt but contrasted his red eyes and multiple piercings. Levy could feel herself blushing but she blamed it on the heat from the grill. He seemed to do multiple things at once: turning the stalks of corn, maintaining the fire, and passing out cooked corn to the other employees who dealt with the customers. Levy had never said a word to him.

His name was Gajeel Redfox. He was in the same year as her, but after freshman and sophomore year, they never had any classes together, and the ones they did share were large lecture classes that involved no interaction. He was a music composition major with a specialization in string instruments. Levy only knew this much from her office job when his file fell when she decided to surprise her supervisor by cleaning her desk.

They seemed to always find each other in the same spaces. If she was in the library, he was fixing a printer. If he was having rehearsal, Levy would quickly skirt in to hand the professor a folder or something. But again, no words have been exchanged.

Levy continued to blush watching him work and sweat. She blamed her friend Juvia for ways. Juvia was actually close friends with Gajeel and encouraged Levy several times to introduce herself to him.

“Juvia has known Gajeel-kun for several years. He’s much nicer than he appears.” The dark bluenette said once during a lunch.

Levy mentally kicked herself for her ridiculously intense shyness and the fact that she was crushing on someone who she had only heard of from others. What if Juvia was wrong? What if he was a complete asshole?

Suddenly, Levy’s stomach growled—reminding herself that her break was for eating not staring. She turned to quietly skirt away like she always did and made her way to a burger stand. The line went by quickly, and she soon got her food. When she turned around to get a seat, she was immediately greeted by red eyes and an odd scowl that she couldn’t tell was aggressive or natural. Then the piercings hit Levy like a ton of bricks. Then her face grew red. Then she wanted to die.

She thought he had ordered food at first, but then she would have noticed someone’s presence near her. She looked up at him waiting for something to happen.

In a gruff voice, he finally spoke. “Hello.”

Levy tried to keep it together. “Hi…” she looked down and saw a paper tray with Mexican street corn. It was definitely from the stand he worked at. This was the closest she had ever been to him. Usually, she might catch him near her stand, but he never went up there. He would hand money to his cousin Wendy for her to order. Levy figured he didn’t have a sweet tooth.

“So um… this is for you…” He continued on though he wasn’t looking at her. His face was red, but Levy was sure it was from the heat. He did work by a raging grill after all. Levy took the food and tried to figure out what to do. She didn’t necessarily want this to end.

“Um, come sit with me. I could use the company.” She smiled brightly, and he quietly followed her to a nearby metal table. “You have half of my burger. I’m sure I won’t finish eating all of the food especially since you brought me corn. Thanks, by the way.” Gajeel mumbled a gruff ‘no problem.’ “So um…I’ve noticed you been working at the fair since I’ve been here.”

Gajeel finally summed up enough courage to keep this conversation going. “Uh yeah, my uncle owns the stand and goes around the country working at different fairs. I help him out when he’s here and during the summer.”

Levy nodded and bit into the corn. She’s pretty sure her eyes rolled to the back of her head. “Oh my god! This is the first time I’ve had this! This is really good!”

Gajeel chuckled and bit into his half of the burger. “Definitely better than this thing.” He continued to eat.

“I’m…happy to officially meet you but…why did you bring me food? Aren’t you working?” Levy blushed and looked off around her—embarrassed by her curiosity.

Gajeel blushed too since he wasn’t really ready to answer the question. He opened his mouth to speak but was loudly interrupted by an approaching figure.

“Oh my god Gajeel! You actually did it!” The two turned to see a pink-haired boy in a matching uniform like Gajeel’s. Gajeel cussed internally, Fuck, why is this happening to me?

“Hi Natsu!” Levy waved enthusiastically.

“You know him?” Gajeel asked surprised.

“Of course! He goes out with my best friend, Lucy.” Levy explained and hugged Natsu once he was close by. “I didn’t know you worked here.”

Natsu grinned. “Oh this is my first year, but I’m usually at another stand on the other side of the fairgrounds. I’m rarely here, but it’s my break.”

Levy nodded. “Oh, ours too!” She gestured to Gajeel. “I didn’t know you two were friends.”

Natsu howled with laughter. “More like friends from birth—Gajeel’s my cousin along with Wendy!”

“Oh wow! I didn’t know that! You wanna join us? I have to leave in a little bit, but I’m sure you two can continue on.” Levy gestured to a space by her and scooted over.

Natsu felt the pierced man’s gaze before he even moved. Natsu was usually clueless about certain things, but he had been teasing Gajeel for a good year about him needing to talk to Levy. Gajeel had Natsu and Juvia on his back the same as Levy with Juvia and Lucy. Natsu wanted to make the moment awkward by shooting obvious hints at Levy…but he knew Lucy would be mad at him, so this time he decided against it. Natsu shook his head. “Nah, there’s an onion bloom stand nearby, and I don’t wanna interrupt your date. Bye!” And with that, Natsu walked off leaving the pair confused and shocked.

Levy wanted to ask him what he could possibly meant. Did Lucy tell him about her crush? Gajeel wanted to punch him in the face. He could not have been more direct than that. The idiot.

Levy noticed the expression Gajeel was sending in the direction Natsu had went. She placed her hand on his and smiled as bright as the colorful fair lights. “Oh ignore him. I wouldn’t mind going on a date with you anyway.”

Gajeel stared blankly, and for a second, Levy thought she might have gone to far. He gazed at the sky about him and placed his hand on his head. “I mean…I wouldn’t either you know…if you’d stop stalking me gihi.”

Levy gasped and hit him on his arm. “Now that I think about it, you do eat the desserts Wendy buys. You use her, so you don’t talk to me.”

Gajeel couldn’t argue with that. “Well…whatever. I’ll take you somewhere I guess.”

Levy giggled. “Okay, and say hi to me when you see me.”

“Alright, alright shrimp. I accept your terms.” Gajeel snickered. “So will you go on a date with me or not.”

“It’s a deal, Gajeel.”

~~~

I went to the fair a couple days ago and this kinda hit me. I like this little AU idea. Message me if you like it. Thanks for reading!

[starkgazings-blog]

(That’s) Fair / stuckony (pt.1/?)

“Rhodey no !”

“Sorry Tones, as you can see there’s no place for me. And I know how much you like this attraction.” Rhodey is smirking, Tony sees it, and his eyes are full of mischief. He’s done this on purpose. Then Rhodey turns his head around to face Steve and Bucky who were already sitting and told them “please let him hold your arms, he’s just a little baby that gets scared very easily.”

Tony’s whole face turned red. He whined pitifully. “Rhodey… I thought I was your best friend.”

Rhodey only smiled wider. “Nah you’re a baby. You’re not my best friend. I’m more like your babysitter.”

Steve and Bucky were following the discussion with interest, not minding to at least and be subtle about it. It was funny, and Tony was cute.

They were at a fair, and Rhodey decided to bring Tony here because “you need to get out more you dumb fuck you can’t spend your whole life in this dorm it doesn’t even smell good in here” (his words, not Tony’s). It was innocent enough, until then. Tony realises that it’s probably schemed. He doesn’t actually know how Rhodey would have known that his crush was going to the fair as well but he still believes that it’s been planned. After all, the innocent smile on Rhodey’s face is far from being genuine.

“You can forget about your date with Pepper,” Tony said angrily but to be honest he only looked like a small angry kitten. Rhodey couldn’t help squishing his cheeks after that.

“Sorry about that, he’s actually really sweet,” Rhodey says with a super big grin. Tony mutters, “yeah, usually sweet when not in this situation.”

“Oh would you like at that ! The attraction is gonna begin. I’ll see you after this, Tones. Have fun you three.”

“No !” Too late, the fucker is long gone.

Besides him, Steve and Bucky are grinning. More like sweet and fond grinning.

“I’m probably gonna regret this and go hide out of embarrassment but I’m like really scared right now and I hate this and I can please hold on your arm. I swear I’m gonna kill James after this.”

Steve spoke first. “It’s okay. Here come between us.”

If Tony was red, then he is a fucking tomato and his voice is super small when he speaks.

“Okay. My name’s Tony.”

“Tony Stark, right ?” Bucky speaks for the first time. “We’ve heard about you. Nice to finally meet you. I’m Bucky and the loser here is Steve, my boyfriend.”

Tony didn’t know they were together. It’s okay thouh, he can get over it. Locked up in his room, probably but he will get over it eventually. For the moment being, at least he could get what he could before sulking. He still couldn’t believe he was sitting with two super good-looking boys. And one of them is his crush.

“Nice to meet you too.” Tony’s voice couldn’t get any higher than this and both Steve and Bucky are not ashamed to say that they find it cute. Very cute actually.

Between Steve and Bucky, Tony looked absolutely small and they low key love it. Okay, high key.

They slowly began ascending in the air and Tony pointedly didn’t look out.

“I’m sorry if I throw up on you guys.”

Tony wanted to die. What a way to talk to your crushes. If only the floor could swallow him up.

To make things worse, they both laugh.

“Don’t worry, with us there, nothing is gonna happen to you.” Bucky said but it didn’t really help Tony. He felt like they were mocking him.

“Stooop,” he moaned. “This is not funny okay, being 15 years old kid and still scared of things like this is already embarrassing as it is.”

“We’re not making fun, I swear. It’s actually cute.”

“No it’s not.” Tony said, before violently closing his eyes and gripping both Bucky’s and Steve’s arms. In the back of his mind, he can’t help thinking “wow, they’re so muscular”. But it was quickly forgotten as the ride stopped, meaning that they were soon dropping.

It’s cute and funny, and Steve and Bucky forget even about the ride. Tony was far more interesting.

When the ride descended, Tony cried. Steve chuckled. Bucky used the moment to envelop Tony. Bastard, thinks Steve.

But to be honest, he is happy to see that he is as interested as he in Tony. The ride is both long and quick.

They enjoyed it (because there was Tony but that wasn’t even a secret anymore).

Tony didn’t end vomiting and he looked completely proud of himself at that. Bucky’s and Steve’s arms are bruised but they are smitten. A little bruise never hurt anyone. Rhodey was nowhere to be seen and Tony looked completely devastated.

The two taller boys shared an uneasy look between them. They didn’t want to leave Tony (alone or ever). But, they didn’t want to take advantage of the situation (Tony being left alone by his friend).

Bucky spoke first. “So, would you like to stay with us until you have to go home ?” He purposefully left out the part where Rhodey went without him.

Tony blushed once again, (for what seemed the nth time this hour alone). “Really ?” He asked, looking at both of them. “You must be on a date, I don’t wanna intrude.”

“Believe me when I say this, but you won’t intrude anything.” Steve says with a big smile.

“Yup, Stevie is right. Besides, we would love to have you stay with us. If that doesn’t bother of course.”

Tony didn’t know what to say. On a hand, he wants to accept, but on the other, he doesn’t want to spend time looking at his crush, Bucky with his boyfriend, doing stuff boyfriends usually do. He doesn’t know if he will be able to survive it.

The smaller man scratched his foot against the floor. Bucky and Steve were anxious, afraid to have scared him by being too straightforward.

On the other side, Tony wonders if he should just confess to Bucky and thus explaining to them why he can’t stay, and hopefully not disappointing them (or not making them hate him, that would be too awful).

“Sorry—” “I—” they all speak in the same time and Tony his head bashfully behind two hands. “Sorry,” he says again, “go on.”

Steve shook his head, “No you first.”

Tony scratches the behind of his ear, their tip red.

“I would love to stay with you but I-kinda-have-a-crush-on-Bucky. And I-don’t-know-if-I-can-survive-crashing-my-crush’s-date. It’s already hard knowing that he has a boyfriend.”

Tony speaks too quickly and the older boys weren’t sure they got everything.

“You have a crush on Bucky ?” Steve asks again, dumbfounded.

“Yes! Please don’t kill me I will never try to steal him away from him, I swear! It’s not even a real crush you know,” Tony chuckles nervously, hands risen in sign of peace. “It’s just I see him sometimes and I’m like, woah that dude is so beautiful. But now I know he has a boyfriend and I’m like woah his boyfriend can crush me with his pinky— sorry I’m rambling, aren’t I? Sorry about that, I always do that when I’m nervous.”

“Wow, to be honest, I’m honestly flattered that you crush on me. You’re really cute.”

“Your boyfriend is right next to you!” Hisses Tony, trying to be subtle but failing considerably. “What are you doing?!”

Steve laughed.

“Oh sweetheart, I find you very cute too. And don’t worry, I won’t crush you. Well maybe have a crush on you but that’s about it.”

Tony looked so lost it was adorable. They took pity and Bucky eventually said, “To make things clear, Steve and I like you. And are interested in you. That’s why we asked you if you wanted to come with us.”

“Woah, I don’t know what to say. I didn’t even know it was possible ?” Tony says hesitantly.

“Possible to love two persons ?” Bucky advances helpfully.

“No— well yes, that too but mostly I didn’t even know my crush could get reciprocated. Let alone have another super good-looking boy interested in me. Rhodey is gonna be so thrilled when I tell him about this.”

Steve frowns. “What do you mean ? You are super cute, and beautiful.”

Tony shrugs. “Yeah well, most of the time, people at my campus either want a quick fuck or are interested in my money. Never because of something else, you know ?”

“Okay I have a lot of questions.” Steve says again, still frowning. “And we can’t stay here standing for too long. How about we go to a coffee ?”

Bucky shrugged, and Tony answered sure.

Except when they’re sitting around a table, Steve is at loss for words. Bucky speaks instead.

“So since when did you have a crush on me ?”

[henry-hart]

Henry Danger Carnival/Fair Fic: Part 4

Dedicated to: @sunbeameyes @up-the-tube @youngbloodthekilljoy @ramune-ray @kiwikwami @writing-excuses

A/N: Okay, this part stumped be. I'm not completely satisfied with it, but I'm loving part 5 (hopefully that makes up for it). Enjoy! :)))

part 1, part 2, part 3

----------

The sunny afternoon was slowly turning into a cool evening by the time Charlotte and Piper left laser tag. They had played for over an hour, and though they were victorious, it was time for a change. Even winning lost its appeal after awhile. 

The beautiful weather had maintained while they were in the laser tag building, so they decided on a walk around the fair grounds to enjoy it. 

They rode some of the rides they came upon that looked interesting: a go-kart track (Piper was perfectly civil; there was no hitting, no crashing, and no one got a nose bleed. It was almost as if Jasper were to blame for before, she thought.), a pirate ship pendulum ride, a tilt-a-whirl, the tornado, and one of those music express rides where loud music is played while a miniature rollercoaster goes around a small track at high speed. Piper didn't make the minimum height for the more extreme rides, and she was denied access on some without the accompaniment of an adult or parent. Charlotte wasn't going to ride without her, so after being rejected for the drop tower, the two of them decided to make their way back to the boys. 

On their way, the girls found a booth for souvenirs. Piper, remembering the money in her pocket Henry had graciously given her, bought a matching set of baseball caps for herself and Henry with the words "Swellview Fair '18" on them. A press of a small button on the underside of the brim of the hat made the words light up like a neon sign. Piper thought they were pretty cool--compared to the usual tacky merchandise--and they had the novelty of being specific to this year's fair. It was a tradition between the two Hart siblings to buy a memento from the fair with the year on it every time they went. She also grabbed a large bag of cotton candy which she and Charlotte ate together in Henry's name.

Charlotte decided upon a snow globe with a tiny replica of the fair's ferris wheel inside it and a small bucket keychain that read "I had buckets of fun at the fair" for Jasper. It was dorky, but she knew it would make him happy. After Charlotte paid, the girls headed back for the game booths where they had left the boys, but they found Ray and Schwoz walking around before they ever reached the booths--at least they suspected it was Schwoz. 

Schwoz was holding a teddy bear that was bigger than he, so when walked with it in front of him, it looked like the bear was walking; Schwoz completely disappeared behind the dark brown fur. A few kids nearby moved away and closer to their parents in fear of the life-size teddy bear.

"Where's Henry and Jasper?" Charlotte asked once Ray and the teddy bear met up with them. 

"I think they went to the paddle boats or something." Ray shrugged and nodded his head towards the bear. "I was just about to take this one around so he could ride a few rides."

Piper squinted her eyes at Schwoz. "What's with the bear?"

Schwoz' head peeked around from behind the stuffed animal. "It's not mine. I'm holding it for Jasper." 

"How are you gonna ride on anything carrying a bear that's bigger than you?" She criticized.

Schwoz held the bear away from him, considering Piper's words. "You're right." He concluded. "Here," he thrust the giant teddy into Piper's arms. 

"What, no I don't want--" she was cut off my a mouthful of the stuffed animal's fur. Piper and Schwoz were about the same height, so the teddy dwarfed her as well. She didn't know why, where, or how Jasper had obtained this obnoxiously large bear, but she did know that she didn't want to be stuck carrying it around all night. She looked over to Charlotte, her eyebrows raised and her bottom lip stuck out. Charlotte sighed and held her arms out for the bear. "Thank you," Piper said before turning back to Ray and Schwoz. "You're taking me with you."

Ray raised his eyebrows in shock. "Excuse me?" 

"I said you're taking me with you."

"No, I got that part." Ray snapped and crossed his arms. "I'm just a little unclear on where you got the impression that you could order me around." 

Piper shrugged. "I order everyone around. It's kinda my thing."

"Yeah, I'm getting that." Ray narrowed his eyes at the little girl, remembering how he hadn't wanted her to come before. "Look, Paper--"

"It's Piper." She corrected, glaring at Ray.

He waved her off. "Whatever. The point is you may be able to tell other people what to do, but that's not going to work on me." He leaned back, an arrogant smirk on his face. 

Piper wanted to kick Ray in the shins, but she instead made a conscious effort to control herself, knowing anger and violence weren't going to help her. Her JAM sessions had taught her much about self-control (she also didn't need two angry outbursts in one day). She took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm not tall enough for some of the rides either, and Henry's not old enough to look like he could be my dad." 

Ray scoffed. "Neither am I." He smiled uneasily, shifting from foot to foot. Charlotte, Schwoz and Piper all gave him unimpressed looks. He pretended not to notice. "Me? A dad? Psh. As if I look like old enough to be someone's dad." His face turned serious. "I'm not old."

"God, Ray, will you just take her with you? It won't kill you." Charlotte snapped, fed up with Ray's ego and with holding the ridiculous bear. She didn't see how she had to be stuck with it. It wasn't even hers.

Ray wanted to comment that it just might kill him to spend time with Henry's bratty little sister, but he thought better of it. He exhaled loudly. "Fine. Let's go, vertically challenged."

He briskly walked away, not waiting for Piper and Schwoz, who had to powerwalk to keep up with Ray's long strides. 

Charlotte shook her head, and she and Jasper's bear headed in the direction of the paddle boats. 

----------

"Do you think we're doing it wrong?" Jasper asked.

Henry rubbed a hand back and forth across his forehead; he was frustrated and dizzy from spinning. "We've been going in circles for about 15 minutes now." Henry snapped. "I think it's safe to say we're doing it wrong."

They had been on the paddle boats for a little over fifteen minutes, but they spent all that time with their swan boat going around and around in a circle; they couldn't seem to peddle in synchronization, but it was more than that. One of the propellers on their boat wasn't working, and seeing how both of them were frustrated, they weren't actively trying to work out a solution. They just got increasingly more agitated and nauseous.

Jasper turned away in a pout, thinking Henry's tone was unnecessary. Jasper was just as uncomfortable as Henry was. There was no need to get snappy with him.

Henry noticed and closed his eyes, regretting his outburst. It wasn't fair to blame Jasper for what was going on. He kept his eyes closed as he spoke, finding that it helped combat the nausea. "I'm sorry, man. I'm just tired of being in this stupid thing."

Jasper nodded, understanding. Now that they both were calmed down, an idea occurred to him. "Then why don't we just stop?"

Henry's entire body froze, and then he face palmed himself so hard that a smack sounded across the lake. The obviousness of Jasper's statement hit him hard. He couldn't believe that he and Jasper had spent so much time spinning when they could've just stopped. He felt like an idiot because, almost as soon as they stopped their peddling, the boat ceased its spinning.

"Wow," Henry muttered bitterly. He leaned forward and put his head against the neck of the swan to help stop everything from going in circles.

Jasper looked around the lake and noticed that no other boats were in the water. He nudged Henry's arm. "Hey."

Henry didn't pick his head up. "Hmm?"

"I think the ride's over. No one else is in the water."

Henry looked up to see that Jasper was right. There weren't any other swan boats around. This was just great. Now, they were stranded with no one there to help them. Peddling themselves to the exit wasn't an option unless they wanted to make a whirlpool.

Jasper bit his bottom lip nervously. "What do we do?"

Henry shook his head, not sure himself. They were in the middle of the lake--a lake he didn't even know the park had--and they had no paddles and they were alone. Neither of them felt like getting out and swimming. All they had was a giant swan with only one working propeller. The only upside to their predicament was that they were in it together. Henry was glad he wasn't alone and that Jasper was with him.

"I guess we float here until someone eventually finds us." Henry concluded. He gestured across the lake. "At least the view is nice."

And it was. The lake was in the center of the park, so they had a panoramic view of the fair. The sun was starting to drop from the sky, and clouds had formed for the first time that day. The lights from the rides reflected on the water, and the two found themselves not minding as much that they were stranded in the lake. Jasper looked over to Henry and smiled, thinking that the view was very nice indeed.

It was calm around them. The noise from the fair was a pleasant ambience in the background. The water was still, and their swan boat slowly bobbed up in down in a rhythmic motion. It was just the two of them, nothing and no one else.

"Hey!" Someone called.

The two boys jumped, startled by the interruption. Henry twisted around to see one of the people who was operating the paddle boats coming towards them on a jet ski.

"Ride's over. What're you two doing out here?" The worker demanded. He looked from the still boat to the lights on the water and back to the boys with one eyebrow quirked.

The two blushed and slightly moved away from each other.

"We're just good friends." Japser protested, his heart racing.

Henry nodded. "Our boat is broken." He explained.

The worked didn't look convinced, but he rode over to them to verify their story. When he found that Henry was telling the truth and the boat really was broken, he attached a cable from his jet ski to their boat and pulled them after him to the exit. The people in line waiting to get on the boats watched in amusement as Jasper and Henry were towed in. The boys were embarassed by all of the onlookers and avoided making eye contact with any of them.

There was one person holding a giant teddy bear near the exit they did make eye contact with, and she erupted into a fit of giggles.

"What did you two do?" Charlotte asked through her laughter.

"Nothing," Jasper blurted defensively. He grabbed his bear from her with a little more force than was necessary. Charlotte eyed him for a moment, wondering why the hostility, but Jasper ignored her.

"We had a problem with our boat." Henry sighed.

Charlotte looked around them at the swan boats. "You were riding in a swan?" Her tone implied many things.

"We didn't choose the boat, okay?" Henry retorted sharply. "They're all swans."

Charlotte wasn't done teasing. "You know what other ride has swan boats," she trailed off, letting the statement linger.

Henry didn't let it linger for long. "Let's go do something, yeah?" He nodded his head vigorously and pulled her and Jasper by their arms after him.

Charlotte continued chuckling, and Jasper held his teddy bear--a gift from Henry--a little tighter, still avoiding Charlotte's eyes.

---------

"I can't believe I'm stuck with you." Piper grumbled.

Ray gave a sardonic laugh. "Believe me, kid, I'm not happy about it either."

The two of them were in line for the bungee jump, and seeing how it was a two person ride, they were forced to ride together.

There was a problem of having three people on a two person ride, but that was quickly resolved without Piper or Ray or Schwoz having to do anything. A group of three guys in front of them had turned around to ask Schwoz if he would ride with their odd man out. Schwoz was elated that he had been chosen over Piper and Ray--especially Ray--so he jumped at the offer.

Now, much to the dismay of them both, Piper and Ray were to ride together. Piper, though she didn't like Schwoz, still preferred him over the egotistical and insufferable Ray, and Ray, who also wasn't overly fond of Schwoz, imagined he'd prefer to ride with him over the bratty and annoying Piper. Neither was happy with the situation, but neither of them could do anything about it. Everyone else in line behind them was partnered up already.

Schwoz turned around, grinning from ear to ear, to give the pair a thumbs up. They both childishly stuck a tongue out at the little man, and realizing they had acted the same way, crossed their arms and turned away from each other with a scowl.

As they turned, two teenage boys attempted to take this as their opportunity to jump their place in line. They stepped in front of Piper and Ray, who were next in line for the ride, and feigned that they had been there the whole time. Ray noticed anyway (it was incredibly obvious considering the fact that Ray and Piper were next in line one second and then two people were in front of them the next, but Ray suspected that these boys weren't too bright) and was about to say something when Piper beat him to the chase.

All the anger she had repressed since being with Ray had reached its boiling point, and she erupted. With a earsplitting screech, Piper went after the two, fists balled, ready to pummel the first thing they came in contact with. The boys were too shocked to react as the small girl came flying at them, but Ray, who had been watching and waiting to see how it played out, wrapped an arm around Piper's waist and yanked her up into the air and away from the terrified boys. She still tried to break free, snarling and snapping in the direction of the teenagers, but Ray's hold was solid. The two boys looked from the rabid girl to Ray and then to each other before deciding that the ride wasn't worth the risk of being so close to someone so crazy. They held their hands up in surrender and briskly walked away, trying to maintain a relatively fast speed while also trying to make it seem like they weren't scared and retreating.

When the boys were a safe distance away, Ray released Piper.

He slowly backed away from her, arms held out as a sign of peace. He couldn't believe what he just saw. In a split second, Piper had transformed from a relatively normal kid into a snarling animal. Ray was sure that if he had let her go after them, she would've bit those boys. When he was certain Piper wasn't going to attack him, he spoke.

"What the holy hell was that?" He cried, breathing heavily from the effort to contain Piper's animalistic rage. Piper straightened her shirt out and combed through her hair, and she took deep breath before smirking at Ray. Ray watched her, not understanding at first, but then it clicked. He pointed from Piper to the boys disappearing in the distance. "You did that on purpose." He guessed though he knew he was right.

Piper nodded, a smug smile on her lips. "Yep."

Ray was absolutely bewildered. "So that was all an act?" He gasped. "All the rage and the foaming of the mouth--that was fake?"

Piper started to nod, but then she shook her head. "Yes and no. The anger was real." She looked at him pointedly. Ray understood what she was getting at.

He had to admit he was impressed. He still thought Piper was irritating, but she had just proved she could be incredibly handy, given the right situation. Piper had scared even Ray; he was starting to understand why she got her way. Maybe he had had the wrong idea trying to push Piper away. Maybe it was in both their best interests that they stick together.

"Not bad kid," Ray commended with an appreciative nod. Piper gave a deep bow. "I think you and I will find each other quite useful." He smiled wickedly, already devising a ruse that included a sad little girl, fake crying, and getting to jump to the front of the line for the next ride.

Piper raised a challenging eyebrow, already thinking up a few schemes of her own.

They gave each other a curt nod of mutual understanding before turning to watch Schwoz and his riding buddy on the bungee jump ride.

No one else dared cut Ray and Piper in line.

---------

The sun had only a few minutes left in the sky when Henry, Jasper, and Charlotte found a spot near the lake to sit. None of them said anything; they all just sat together, enjoying the each other's company and the sunset.

And what a beautiful sunset it was.

No longer was the sky blue and clear. Instead, thin clouds saturated by the setting sun in shades of red and orange streaked across the sky. It was quite the sight--and a fitting farewell to the sun as the fair said hello to the night.

The Swellview Fair was candy apples and giggling children and sunlight on your shoulders in the daytime, but at night, it was a different world entirely. It was a world of neon lights and chilly night breezes and the view from the top of the ferris wheel. It was magic--the kind of magic that requires stopping all other activities to take it in.

And that's what the trio was doing.

They had realized that they hadn't done anything just the three of them all day, so it seemed fitting to take this moment to stop and just be there, together.

As Henry sat between his two best friends, looking up at the quickly darkening sky, he couldn't remember a time he was happier. All day, he had been able to have fun and be himself with the people he loves. No crime fighting. No Kid Danger.

He hadn't realized how badly he needed a day like today. 

Often times, things are going too fast in the life of a superhero--well, a superhero's sidekick--to process everything that's happening. Henry found himself donning the Kid Danger persona well into the late hours of the night only to wake up early and go to school as Henry without a seconds thought. He just did the superhero sidekick gig and didn't let himself stop to think about how taxing it was on him physically and emotionally.

He didn't like to think about it because, when he did take the time to let his mind catch up, he found it was exhausting--not to mention stressful. He had been fighting criminals when most of his friends had been fighting acne. He was doing what police officers spend years training for at only thirteen. It wasn't something he thought about while he was caught up in the moment with the mask on and his adrenaline pumping, but he was terrified most of the time. Who was he to stop a thief or a evil genius? He was just a teenager. Sure, he could move incredibly fast and had been trained to fight, but that didn't change the fact that, under the mask, he was a kid.

He loved being Kid Danger. Really, he did. He loved helping people and stopping the bad guys, but sometimes it was too much. He couldn't be Kid Danger all the time. He needed this day to just be a teenager.

Henry leaned back on his palms and crossed his ankles. He couldn't even feel the pain from his nose anymore. All Henry felt was a strong sense of calm, and that meant everything to this particular seventeen year old boy.

He closed his eyes and breathed in a deep breath, taking in the world around him, savoring the moment.

Jasper absentmindedly twirled the ends of the bow that was around his bear's neck as he watched the people moving all around them. The magic of the carnival hit him hardest. He felt like the world was playing before him in slow motion. Everything he heard was muted and thick, like sounds are in dreams. That was it all was for him: a dream.

He'd never been to anything like the fair. His parents were a bit strict and unorthodox with what they did and did not allow, and public events like fairs were among the things they did not allow. He hadn't felt too bad about it; he couldn't be angry missing something he knew nothing about, but even now that he had seen first hand the world he was denied, he still wasn't upset. He was too happy to be upset. Right now, in the moment, seated next to Henry and Charlotte as the night took on a slight chill, Jasper was happy.

He moved his bear behind him and laid back, using the stuffed animal as a pillow. He let the distant sound of the carnival and all its wonders lull him into a state of calm.

Charlotte looked upon the faces of her friends and noted their small, content smiles. She gave a smile of her own, understanding the peace and happiness they were feeling for she felt it too. She was sure everyone who stopped to look at the now dark, star-filled sky felt it.

She was pleased with herself for planning this trip to the fair. She knew everyone could use a break from work--especially Henry. Henry didn't show it or talk about it, but Charlotte knew that he was stretched thin with juggling being Kid Danger and school and his responsibilities to his family--not to mention the normal hassles that come with being a teenage boy. Who wouldn't be? Making it through the teenage years is hard enough as is, but add to that a secret superhero identity? Henry had his plate full.

It wasn't obvious that he was struggling with the many facets of his life though; Henry maintained an overall positive and kind persona and didn't gripe or complain to anyone. He was a good guy, through and through, and that was what prompted Charlotte to find some way to give Henry time to relax. She felt that he deserved a break, a chance to be a normal kid, for a day. He had done a lot for the town of Swellview, asking nothing in return, and it was time Swellview did something for him.

Planning a group trip to the fair was Charlotte's solution, and it had obviously been a good one. Apart from Ray's candy apple incident--and Henry's unfortunate nose injury--the day had passed without a hitch.

She looked around at the lake and the fair and the people and nodded her head. Yes, it had been a great one.

She leaned back on her forearms and checked this day off as a success.

Henry sat up then, breaking the tranquil atmosphere around them. "I just remembered." He said, turning to Jasper. "You owe me a ride on the ferris wheel."

Jasper was startled by Henry's suddenness, but he blushed when he remembered what Henry was talking about. "Yeah, I guess I do." He smiled sheepishly.

Henry winked at him and looked to Charlotte. "You wanna come with us?"

Jasper's smile faltered a little when Henry suggested making the duo a trio, but he perked back up when Charlotte turned Henry down.

"I think I'm gonna hang out here for a little while." She patted the empty grass around her. "You know, enjoy the fact that no one's fighting or puking or annoying me in general."

Henry laughed, understanding her desire to be alone. He reached for Jasper's bear and plopped it on top of Charlotte. "You can watch over the bear, then."

Charlotte held back a retort (she had carried the bear around for quite awhile before she found Henry and Jasper at the paddle boats, and she wasn't exactly fond of it.) and let the boys walk away. She picked the bear up and looked it in the eyes. "You can stay as long as you don't annoy me. Otherwise, you're going in the lake." When the stuffed animal didn't reply--obviously--Charlotte patted its head. "You and I are gonna get along just fine."

She used the bear as a pillow like Jasper had and closed her eyes.

Yes, this trip was a great idea.

----------

A/N Part 2: Okaaaayyyyy, so this took me five-ever to finish, and I apologize for that. I had a good rhythm going. I was having fun writing and developing this fic, but true to the nature of the universe, life decided to slap me in the face. I had to deal with a lot of crap this past week, so my writing took a backseat to everything else. I decided to turn to writing to help though and voila. I'm still not completely happy with this bit. It just didn't come to me as naturally as the others did. But, I digress. Please enjoy and sorry for taking so long! xoxoxo (also there's only one part left after this. Sad, I know, but it's my favorite part, so there's that!)