Chapter Text
You, and Grace have been wandering around the farmer’s market for about an hour now, inspecting the different wares, and products people have out for sale. It turns out the farmer’s market is more akin to a fall festival, just with a larger amount of stalls that have fresh fruits, and vegetables among other things. The day is absolutely lovely, the sun is shining, and there’s hardly a cloud in the sky, but it’s chilly. Your weather app had predicted it to be warmer, and you had accounted for the sun to help bite back the autumn frost, which meant you had elected to leave any heavier duty hoodies, or jackets at home. While you do regret your decision, the joy in Ryland’s eyes is too pure to end your spontaneous not-date sooner than normal. However, he was also kind enough to sweeten the deal with freshly made apple cider from a vendor, and several fun facts about the things you see together.
The cup in your hand helps bite back the cold, though you have to tell yourself to savor it in small sips, rather than downing the whole thing in one gulp. Grace is having the time of his life, finding all the little treats, and trinkets that he can add into the fun chaos of his classroom. Once more you’re reminded of the simple pleasure of spending time with him, and how domestic it feels to be out shopping together like this. A fleeting image of spending your retirement like this passes through your head. A flash of pumpkin carving with grandkids, haggling about the price of antique goods, and holding hands is all it takes to make that want for a sweater to go away. You can pass off your blush as something from the cold, though.
You’re currently standing in a stained glass booth, comparing a few pieces, and deciding on what would look best in your kitchen window. Your place can always have a bit more color, in your opinion. You’ve just finished your purchase, and are tucking it in one of your other bags, when Grace gets your attention.
“They have a bunch of carnival games!” He wears his signature grin that makes your heart race, takes your hand, and pulls you in the direction of the games. It turns out Grace is right, as down the street is a whole carnival section, filled with food, games, and even a few rides, including a giant ferris wheel that looks over a part of Pacific. “Apparently they decided to push back a carnival due to weather, and combine it all together. What are the chances?”
That’s right, you heard about a local carnival being scheduled for last Saturday, but with the rain it makes sense that they had to move it. “Well, what are we waiting for?” A similar grin forms on your lips as you look at him, and the two of you hurry down the street to the nearest stall. Neither of you noticed that Ryland never let go of your hand, and that you held on just a bit tighter when you first got a glimpse at the ferris wheel.
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It’s early afternoon now, and you’ve stopped for lunch at one of the food trucks that line the street in between carnie games, and rides. Grace is sitting across from you, explaining the physics of one of the rides that both of you have a view of. A lot of it doesn’t make sense, but he’s so enthusiastic, and good enough at explaining things that you can get a small grasp on it.
“Think of it like swirling a marble in a cup.” Grace goes over it with you again, just as patient as ever, considering you’ve never really needed to know how these things work before. He’s always willing to spread the love of science, especially with those he… cares for. “When you move the cup fast enough, there’s enough force to push the marble up onto the side. It’s the same concept with the Gravitron.” You nod your head, listening through small handfuls of caramel corn, trying your best to follow along to his explanation. You could honestly just sit here, and listen to Grace speak the whole time.
“So… the force of the spinning is what keeps the riders in place, even as the angle of the ride changes?” Grace nods eagerly, and his hand tightens around yours for a minute, as they rest on the picnic table. He had rejoined them the moment you both were finished with your main lunches, and you happily obliged. The more you hang around Grace, the more you realize how touch starved he really is, always bumping knees, or shoulders brushing when you’re with him. Not that you mind, of course.
“Exactly. The ride spins at around 24 revolutions a minute, creating as much as 3 Gs of force.” When physics makes sense, it really is an interesting thing to learn, and Grace is just a really good teacher. He looks back to the ride, and to the blurred outside being spun so fast people can go just about perpendicular to the ground without being strapped in. “The ride has a top so they won’t fly out, unlike the marble, though.”
There’s a bit of a lull in conversation, and you quietly take the chance to make a move. Ryland is already holding your hand, and you’re going to be walking around more, so it makes sense. Slowly, giving him time to let go, you interlace your fingers with his. His hand is warm, a welcome contrast to your chilly fingertips. Neither of you speak yet, but your eyes meet his gentle, blue ones. His ears turn red. “Centrifuge is actually how butter was made during the civil war… that‘s a Fun.. Fun fact.”
You hum thoughtfully, and chuckle softly at the way Grace turns his head to hide in his other palm. You turn back to the ride, and watch the crowd wrapping around it. The line of people aren’t deterred by the screams coming from the ride, but you’d like to keep the lunch you just paid 20 dollars for. “Sounds like you want to go on the ride.” Grace’s smile drops just a little, and he gets a green cast over his face. You’d never make the man who gets sick from elevators on a crazy fast ride, but it’s fun to tease him about it.
“I–Well–Uh…” Grace scratches his head softly, and fidgets with his glasses, trying to find a way to decline going on the ride, without upsetting you. He’d really go on the ride, and spend the next ten minutes after puking his brains out if you wanted. “We– We can go if you… want?”
You soften immediately upon hearing Grace’s response. He’d really do that if you wanted to go on it? You squeeze his hand, and place yours overtop it to help console the lack of color in his cheeks. “I’m just messing around. I won’t make you go.” He turns a little more in your direction, avoiding a view of the Gravitron all together, and the green fades a little. “You’d really put yourself through that for me?”
“Well, y-yeah. You’re my friend, of course I would.” He still looks queasy, but less so now that his mind is drawn away from the thought of spinning on that horrid ride. You, however, are starting to feel a little queasy yourself. Friend. You had expected him to refer to you as a friend, but a pit formed in your stomach the moment he spoke it. Something about the word doesn’t sit right with you. Friend.
Nevertheless, you squeeze Grace’s hand again, and smile at him lightly to hide the sinking feeling. “And as your friend,” You have a sudden disdain for that word. You try not to grimace as you say it. The last thing you want is him thinking you don’t want to be friends, when it might be the opposite. “I’d never make you ride that thing.”
“Oh, thank God.” Grace drops his head onto the table, and you can’t help but wince from the motion. He’s lucky his glasses are parked on top of his head, and not on his face. They’d break in an instant, and he’d probably get a bruise on his nose. You drop your second hand from his, and bite your cheek a little in thought. Friend.
“Let’s play some games instead?” You suggest, wanting a distraction from the way the word lingers in the forefront of your mind. Plus, you know that’s secretly why he dragged you over to the carnival side of the festival, instead of just doing some produce shopping. Even if the games are rigged, that doesn’t mean they’re any less fun.
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
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The sun is finally setting, and the cold is now coming to get you. It was manageable enough when it was light out, and walking around with Grace’s warmth certainly helps, but there’s no escaping it now. You clutch the astronaut bear plush closer to your chest, grateful for the little bit of heat bouncing off its fur, and back into your skin. During your exploration of this fair, you had come across the stuffed animal, and had absolutely fallen in love as she hung above you. The game she had been won from was one of those knock down the bottle games, but centered around aliens, and space. You had tried your best, but your aim was just not enough to knock down enough aliens to win one of the large prizes.
Grace, ever the gentleman, and determined to make you smile, paid for another round. After a few missed shots, he managed to knock down a few of the alien-shaped bottles in just the right place to send the whole tower crashing down. It was honestly an impressive feat for someone as soft as he is, and you only melted further when he proudly presented you with the astronaut.
You hold the bear closer, affectionately named her Artemis for the space missions, and tuck her helmet under your chin for warmth. Grace, still holding your hand, looks ahead for anything interesting you two might have missed on your not-date. You, however, are completely zoned out, in an attempt to disassociate from the cool evening air, and don’t notice how Grace looks back at you to see you shivering.
You’re petting Artemis’s fur absentmindedly, not really paying much attention to him, when he lets go of your hand. The lack of warmth catches your attention instantly, and your stomach drops again. Why had he let go? Have you done something wrong? You go to turn to Grace, a small frown on your lips, when a warmth envelops you.
You look down to see the familiar fox baring its teeth at you. A comforting weight rests on your shoulders as Ryland wraps the sweater around you. As much as you’re embarrassed to admit it, you instantly sink into the wool knit, sighing just barely as it begins to ebb away at the cold.
“Grace…” You turn to him, a blush on your cheeks from the gesture, even if it’s coming from a purely platonic place. “Are you sure? You’ll be cold.”
“Don’t even worry about it. I’m just fine.” You immediately notice the goosebumps on Grace’s arms, and the way he shivers in only a rainbow tie-dye science pun shirt, and baggy jeans. Still, he continues to wave you off until you give in. He even holds Artemis as you slide your arms into the sleeves of the jacket, and zip it up. “Now was that so hard?” You get a sense of deja vu, and the memory of you giving up your umbrella makes you shake your head a little at the irony. You suppose it’s a similar situation, so you may as well accept it.
“Thank you. It’s sweet to give up your jacket.” You take back Artemis, and link your fingers with Grace again, squeezing his hand softly as another thank you for sacrificing his warmth to keep you cozy.
“Any time…?” Grace looks sheepish from the blush on his cheeks, and it’s only amplified by the slight magnification from the lenses of his glasses. He clears his throat, ears a pinkish hue, and looks towards the end of the street. “I was thinking, do we do the ferris wheel?”
You look up from adjusting the sweater curiously. He’s willing to go up that high? You’ve gathered from his distaste in certain rides, and his overall motion sickness, that Grace is afraid of heights. Like majorly, afraid of heights. “Are you sure? We don’t have to if it’ll upset your stomach.” A mental image of Grace hunching over a trash can, vomiting, while you rub his back soothingly makes you grimace. A similar look on his face tells you he imagined the same thing.
“It’s alright. You looked like you wanted to go up, anyways.” Grace’s fingers curl around yours, and you know he’s certain on going up. He’s stubborn about a lot of things, especially when it comes to you, and making you happy. “And if we go now, we’ll get up in time to really see the sunset.”
“Fine, but if you change your mind, you know there’s no getting off.” The downsides of many rides, but Grace is willing to endure for your sake.
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The view of the sunset from the top of the ferris wheel is incredible, to say the least. The two of you are squished together in the little cart, facing the view of the light bouncing off the ocean waves in the distance. Artemis is to your right, still clutched in your arm, so she doesn’t slip and fall. Neither you, nor Grace say anything much once you get to the top, both soaking in the warm glow, but there’s something a little different about this. It isn’t like being in your car, or sitting next to each other in faculty meetings, it’s something… More.
Ryland’s arm slowly wraps around your shoulders.
Your head comes to rest on his in return.
And it’s warm at the top.
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