Work Text:
Why the fuck had he agreed to this.
Andrew could feel sweat dripping down his neck. The heat and humidity had been slowly wearing on him all day. Neil was staying close to him as they inched their way forward in the queue, a line of people snaking around them in both directions.
The hum of conversation and laughter was almost too stifling, with the sea of bodies around them often pressing too close. And every few minutes shrill screams, a rush of wind, and a loud groan from the braking mechanism gave sharp reminders of what they were inching towards. All 328 feet of metal and wire rising straight up—all 328 feet of the fucking Drop of Doom.
Again Andrew wondered why the fuck he had agreed to this.
---
Nicky had insisted they all go to the nearest amusement park after Neil mentioned that he’d never been on a roller coaster before. Most of the Foxes had enthusiastically agreed, and after listening to everyone talk about their favorite rides Neil had seemed curious, almost excited about the idea.
Not even a week later Andrew had been roped into this disaster of an outing. He hadn't thought it important to mention, but he’d never been to an amusement park before either, much less ridden a roller coaster. So far, it had been exactly as he expected it would be. Hot, dirty—full of screaming children and sweaty crowds. At least there was an almost constant supply of ice cream being sold around every corner, even if it did cost an exorbitant amount.
At first Neil had seemed cautious around the crowds of people, glancing around himself constantly as if trying to keep an eye on everything at once. But having all his friends—his family—around him, showing him all the attractions and games and taking him on the rides, he had slowly relaxed.
Andrew adamantly refused to go on any ride that left the ground, but he had walked around with Neil and waited while he went on the coasters. And he watched as Neil walked back from each new roller coaster, looking flushed and grinning and more alive with each one. He obviously loved riding the death machines, and he seemed to be gaining more energy as the day went on, even as the others slowly got too hot or tired or sick—or all three.
Andrew hadn’t seen Matt and Dan since they left for the water rides around midday to cool off. Aaron and Katelyn had been suspiciously absent most of the day as well, although he did see them once playing some stupid ball game. Kevin had helped Nicky find shade and water after he had thrown up his dinner maybe an hour ago. And even Allison, who seemed to be almost as much of an adrenaline junkie as Neil, had eventually gone with Renee to get drinks and lounge in the shade, complaining of a headache.
Now it was just the two of them. Neil waited patiently while Andrew got more ice cream, quietly sipping his water. But an energy was running through him, evident in the alertness of his eyes.
“Have you seen the gardens?” he asked, looking at Andrew expectantly. “They’re just over here, come on.” A smirk on his face, he turned and started walking.
Andrew cursed but followed after him, weaving through the crowds of people. Neil was walking too fast, had too much damn enthusiasm, and Andrew had to push past a few people to keep up. He found himself reaching out, grabbing at the base of Neil’s shirt, trying to stay connected. To anchor him to the ground a bit.
Neil instantly looked behind himself, eyes softening when he saw Andrew was there. His pace slowed, and together they moved in and out of the crowd. Neil’s green shirt was damp with sweat but soft in Andrew’s hand. And all at once they were walking through a corridor made of greenery, a tunnel of leaves and vines and roses.
It opened up into a small garden with a pond and fountain at the center. It was fairly secluded compared to the masses of people in the rest of the park, and blessedly quiet. Andrew let go of Neil’s shirt and sat on a moss covered bench.
“It’s nice here.” Neil turned to him. “And I thought your lazy ass might need a break from the heat.”
“Shut up,” Andrew retorted, but Neil just laughed.
The cool, stone felt heavenly against Andrew’s back though, and he wasn’t going to complain about the shade either. With each breath of warm but fresh air Andrew felt more relaxed. The sounds of the park were just a low hum, while the murmur of the fountain came clearly. Summer evening light broken up through the leaves.
They sat in silence for a while, but soon enough Neil started talking about his favorite rides. He seemed content to drone on while Andrew only glared at him in response and continued to eat his ice cream. But Andrew noticed Neil kept glancing at one particular ride, the only one he hadn’t ridden yet since the line had always been too long.
It was also the tallest ride in the park, the free-falling Drop of Doom.
The look of longing in Neil’s eyes was disgusting, but he seemed determined to ignore it and just talk with Andrew. Neil had just asked how much ice cream he’d eaten all day when Andrew couldn’t take it anymore.
“You want to ride that tall fucking one.”
Neil stopped, surprised. “What?”
“The Drop of Doom. You want to ride it.”
“Well, yeah. But I think everyone wants to leave soon, and the line’s probably really—”
Andrew stopped him there. “I’ll ride it with you.”
A pause, then, “What? Andrew, wait—”
But Andrew had already started walking, confident Neil would follow.
---
Now they were stuck in this god awful line for the Drop of Doom. Andrew wasn’t sure how long they’d been waiting, each moment apparent and clear in his mind. They were over halfway through, and every minute brought them closer to the end, and the inevitable free fall. The line was moving too slowly and too quickly all at the same time.
Andrew wasn’t quite sure why he had agreed to go on this ride with Neil. Maybe because Neil wouldn’t have gone by himself, not when he thought it would hold up everyone else. Andrew could admit that he was curious. Why was everyone determined to strap themselves into these death traps and fly through the air?
He definitely hadn’t been watching Neil riding with their friends and felt isolated watching from the sidelines. He hadn’t seen Neil laughing and almost running to each ride and felt a desire to be a part of it with him. Certainly not.
But as they inched closer to the end of the line, Andrew could feel anxiety rising through his chest. This endless waiting was putting his nerves on edge. He was already sweating from the heat, but his hands were starting to feel clammy as well.
A while back Neil had felt his growing apprehension and started talking to distract him. It did help some, when he was able focus on Neil’s neutral voice and often sardonic comments. Andrew realized he had been listening without really hearing for a while, but something brought him back.
“...and Allison showed us how to sneak back into the front of the line of the The Titan without being noticed. We rode it three times before one of the workers started getting suspicious.”
There was a smile in his voice.
“Nicky was starting to feel a little nauseous by then though, and we didn’t want to risk getting actually kicked out of the park.”
Andrew looked over at Neil as they continued moving up in the line. Neil was looking back at him. Looking carefully at him, and Andrew wasn’t sure what he was looking for.
“You don’t have to do this,” Neil said then. “You’ve already waited in line with me, I don’t mind riding by myself.”
He paused, then added, “You can always say no.”
They walked forward some more, and Andrew took one shuddering breath. And gave a short nod.
He knew that he didn’t have to do this. Up until he was strapped into the seat, he could decide not to ride. He could just keep walking right to the exit, and he knew Neil really wouldn’t care what he decided either way. It was a tempting thought.
Andrew looked back towards the roller coaster and saw that they were almost to the end of the line. He didn’t know how it had happened so quickly, but it was almost their turn. And Andrew knew his decision.
“I didn’t wait in this line for nothing, I’m going to get something out of it.”
Neil just nodded, accepting that easily, and a few minutes later they were being directed toward their seats.
They sat in the seats, pulled their harnesses down, and fastened the safety belts. Everything happened quickly—the safety checks were done, they were cleared to go, and abruptly they were rising off the ground.
As Andrew watched the ground get smaller, he felt his breaths getting shorter. His nails were digging into his skin as he gripped the bars in front of him. Higher and higher they rose, and Andrew couldn’t keep looking down, so he closed his eyes tight and tried to focus on breathing. Each moment crawled by, and each breath was sticking in his lungs, and then—
“Andrew, look at the mountains!”
Andrew’s eyes shot open, but he wasn’t looking outward. He was looking at Neil. There was a breeze pushing loose curls over his forehead, and the grin on his face was almost too bright to look at. That fucking flush was covering his tanned, scarred cheeks, and blue eyes were alive as they looked at the world below them. Andrew almost forgot he was hundreds of feet in the air.
Neil was beautiful.
Neil glanced over at him, still smiling, and said, “We can see so far, the whole park, the whole city!”
And Andrew dared to look out. Looking down brought his anxiety rushing back, but if he just focused on the horizon it wasn’t as bad. The city sprawled ahead of them, the smaller park rides looked like toys from this distance. And the mountains were reaching up to meet the sky, where the clouds were turning various shades of orange and pink. The sun would be setting soon.
Andrew realized too late that they had stopped, which meant that—
Fuck. His heart leapt up to his throat, and the ground was rushing back towards them. Shit, it was horrible and exhilarating. And fuck if he ever did this again. But through the rush of the wind, he could hear Neil give a whoop—and then laughter.