Work Text:
The grip on your hand was extremely tight, and only getting tighter the further you walked. Lined at either side of you both were tents with bright lights and strings of smaller ones, people offering plates of food and sweets, as well as opportunities to play different games for little to large prizes. Buzzing behind the tents were large machines, flashing lights and the sounds of laughter filling the air.
The man next to you seemed to be in awe of his surrounds, his head turning almost as if on a swivel.
“Enjoying your first carnival, V?” you questioned softly, giving his hand a slight tug to bring his attention back to you.
He looked directly at you, his pale cheeks slightly tinted as he realized he was staring off too much. “It’s…breathtaking, I must admit. Never have I seen so many lights and bright colors everywhere.”
To you, the breathtaking sight was him. He had long abandoned his vest coat for a v-cut white shirt, and a black blazer. He hid his tattoos in the long sleeves, for fear of people being alarmed by seeing them; though you always emphasized you enjoyed seeing them, and to forget what others’ thought. He also wore a pair of snug black jeans and boots, making him look as if he were a model walking by your side.
You couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride being the one at his arm.
“Look here, (Y/N),” he called to you, this time bringing you back to attention.
He brought you to a booth, where a game of darts had been set up. Pointing towards the top, where several of the prizes were lined. A set of stuffed animals had caught his eye; they were plush black cats.
“Doesn’t that look similar to Shadow,” he remarked on a chuckle. You nodded, giving his arm an excited shake. “It does! Oh it’s so cute!”
The man running said booth gave you both a once over, having heard you, and offered out the set of darts to V. “Wanna try winning something for your lady friend there? Get all three darts in the center and get a prize!”
V looked at you as if for confirmation, and you smiled warmly, nodding. “Give it a try, V. Show him what you got,” you added on a whisper to him, and his face broke into a smirk.
He confidently took the darts from the man, standing in the marked spot as he leveled his hand, eyeing down the dart to aim right at the center. One right after the other, he threw them, making a loud ‘thwack’ sound as each dart point hit the bullseye.
The few on-lookers behind you both applauded, while the booth runner just looked at the bullseye in awe. You could feel the pride radiating off of V as he asked for the cat plush, and you had to hide your laugh behind your hand at the man’s expression never changing.
As you walked away from the booth, you cuddled the plush in one arm as you held onto V’s arm with the other. He gave another chuckle, making you look up towards his face.
“I think I took far too much advantage of that poor man,” he remarked, and you shook your head, despite your own laugh.
“Nah, most of those games tend to be rigged, honestly. You just showed him how good you are,” you emphasized with a wink. He just smirked at you again, making your stomach flip.
You tried your hand at a few more games, winning little trinkets and toys, plus this silly matching necklace set that you shared with V. You emphasized that he didn’t need to wear it if he didn’t wish to, since it was a comically giant heart pendant that matched the one you wore; but he shushed you and put it around his neck.
“It came from you, so it is important to me,” he remarked, and you couldn’t help the giant smile that broke out across your lips.
It took a little bit of convincing to get him to join you on some of the carnival rides, considering most of them looked monstrously high and went so fast they seemed to blur. Granted he had seen his share of hell and back, so these should be considered nothing for him; but they still unnerved him a bit.
“Just one, pleeease?” you begged, tugging his arm towards the line for the roller coaster. His mouth formed a thin line as he looked up to the swirling track, hearing the screams from the people as they zipped by. His nerves were getting the better of him as he felt his stomach leap; but the pleading look on your face…
“Fine, (Y/N). But just this once.”
He was full of immediate regret the moment the holding bar was clicked into place. Your arms were wrapped around the Shadow plush (yes, that is what you both decided to name it), as his hands gripped the bar, while the cart lurched forward. It went up a hill at an agonizingly slow pace, and he could feel the sheer panic rising in his chest. He looked towards you, taking in your excited expression; how could you be so absolutely calm?
The cart came to a stop, a sound of steam releasing coming from its wheels, and for a moment, he could see the entirety of the carnival. He didn’t have the chance to marvel at it, however, when the cart shot off like a rocket down the opposite side of the hill, eliciting a scream from him he never thought he was capable of making.
His grip was white knuckled on the bar, as his vision was blurred from the cart lurching side to side with every turn, but he was able to register your laughter and screams of delight coming from beside him. He looked towards you, seeing your hair whip in the wind, your eyes open to take in the sight around you, your smile so wide and bright.
This gave him a strange sense of calm despite the chaos from the ride, and he smiled along with you, his scream having melded into laughter with your own.
When the ride came to a stop, you both stumbled off laughing so hard you had to pause and catch your breath. He looked at you, taking in your disheveled hair, your teary eyes from laughing so hard, all of you; god did he love you.
Once finally calmed a bit from the ride, you set out in search of the carnival food; all different experiences for this man. He discovered he had a bigger sweet tooth, falling in love with the funnel cake and crepes you gave him to try. He wasn’t one to eat very much, so buying one of anything you both wanted to try was perfect for you.
When the night was coming to a close, you found one of the rides you truly wanted to go on with him; the ferris wheel. Every night, right before the carnival would end, they would set off fireworks, and you wanted him to be on the ride with you once they did.
It was as if fate was on your side for this.
He climb into the carriage with you, enjoying the soft swinging of the cart compared to the roller coaster, and being able to have you cuddled against his side made it even better. You were both enjoying the quiet, when the sudden popping in the sky startled him.
For a moment, you could see the panic on his face as he looked around; but you grabbed his arm for reassurance, point towards the fireworks lighting up the sky.
The look of awe on his face made your heart melt, as you watched the colors flash in his jade eyes. You were taken from you admiration of him, however, when his eyes suddenly locked with yours. A genuine smile spread across his face, as he leaned in to press a soft kiss to your lips.
“Thank you, for bringing me here, (Y/N),” he spoke softly against your lips, before kissing you once more.
You could still hear the fireworks going off above you, but the only ones you could concentrate on, were the ones flying between you and the poet you came to love.