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The smell of cotton candy and popcorn filtered through their nostrils as they walked through the entrance of the state fair, families and couples walked around the many games and food stands around them.
"I brought Claire to one of these when she was a kid," Chris said as he eyed every corner of the place with curiosity. "She saw a clown, cried and we went back home."
"Then she became the most badass person I've ever met." Ethan added, making Chris roll his eyes playfully.
They walked aimlessly for a while, checking everything out and making sure to have a list of things to do. Their first attraction was called The Splasher, Ethan only chose it because he had many sexual jokes to tell Chris about it while they waited in line.
Throughout the afternoon they went on many rides, even to the horror house which Ethan hated, holding onto Chris the entire time they were inside. Chris didn't mind it at all, he even held the younger man close to him.
"The Baker house was better than that." Ethan whispered as they got out of the attraction, Chris grumbled at the words since he didn't feel ready to joke about all of that.
"Let's go eat something." Chris said as he tried to escape the entire comedy routine Ethan had probably prepared about the Baker house.
–
"Alright, you make me look bad." Ethan pointed out as they sat on a table to enjoy their food.
Chris was carrying sweet corn in his hand alongside a bottle of water, the brunette looked down at Ethan, who had funnel cake and a hotdog on his plate.
"How so?" Chris smiled smugly, which gained him a kick from Ethan underneath the table.
"You'd look hot with a dad bod." The blonde spoke in between bites, something that annoyed Chris incredibly and Ethan knew it. Of course he knew.
"Maybe someday, Ethan."
–
Ethan stood in front of the famous game of pop a balloon, get a dumb prize eyeing the many stuffed animals hanging from the stand.
"Get me that one." He pointed towards a snail stuffed animal that was in the back of the stand, quite an odd choice but Chris wasn't gonna question it.
"Let me teach you something." The brunette's cockiness would be his downfall someday, that's what Ethan had always said and that day had finally arrived.
Chris paid to have a go and the BB gun was handed to him by the tired teenager that lacked enthusiasm or any sort of life inside their eyes.
The first bb went nowhere, Chris couldn't even see it as he shot it. Ethan stood back, saying no words but Chris knew he was silently making so many snarky remarks.
Then he shot again, and again and again. Nothing happened, the balloons were left untouched, unharmed. Chris found himself panicking on the inside, he had been out of work for a few weeks as a vacation plan, was he already losing his magic?
Eventually, he lost his turn and his mouth was open, eyes filled with confusion and competitiveness. People were standing behind him clearly waiting for their turn but that wouldn't happen anytime soon.
"Chris I think we sh–" Ethan didn't even finish his sentence because Chris was already pulling another bill out of his pocket and handing it to the teen.
"I'll go another round."
And so he did, the teen on the stand just shrugged it off and the game started again.
The same happened twice and Chris was losing his mind over it. It couldn't be that he had forgotten how to do his job, it wasn't even his job, those were stupid balloons, not ugly looking bioweapons.
So he kept going and some of the tried he popped some of the balloons but not as many as he would've liked to.
He could feel Ethan's annoyance flowing on the wind and the people that were once waiting had left, cursing him under their breaths.
The snail sat on the back of the stand, looking and judging him with a stupid friendly smile and goofy eyes. Chris wanted to shoot him so bad.
"Jesus Christ, move out the way."
His thoughts were scared away by an annoyed Ethan, who pushed him to the side and slapped a few bills on the wood board and took the gun away from Chris's hands.
"You're a real pain in the ass sometimes, Redfield." The blonde said and quickly got in position, hands firmly gripping the fake gun and eyes focused on his targets.
The first balloon popped, then a second, then many more popped as Ethan shot at them with grace and ease. Something Chris had never seen him do, the younger man was often scared whenever he held a gun in his hand.
But this wasn't a gun, not a real one at least. Chris knew he looked so calm because he couldn't cause any harm and nobody could cause any harm to him right now.
While he was lost in the moment Ethan had popped all the balloons and was choosing the prize, one that wasn't his initial pick. Chris watched him pick a wolf plush instead and apologizing to the teen for the Captain's behavior earlier.
When Ethan turned around he laughed nervously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I don't know." Chris said as he smiled back, he didn't even realize that he had been staring so hard.
"You look at me like you're in love with me, gross." Ethan mocked him with no ill intention at all but Chris was, in fact, deeply in love with him.
"Who's that for?" Chris asked.
"I don't know, who's the asshole who gave himself the codename Alpha and wolf themed names to his teammates?" The blonde cocked an eyebrow, his dimples were carving deep in his face as he smiled widely.
"Alright, insulting."
Ethan barked out a laugh, handing the wolf plush to Chris who grabbed it and squeezed it between his hands. The fake fur was soft, a mixture of white and grey dyeing it, Chris could imagine Ethan holding onto it while he was gone on missions around the world.
They intertwined their hands as they walked out of the fair towards their car, Ethan looked so peaceful, so not tormented and Chris couldn't help but stare at him like he was the guy who invented turtlenecks.
"I am in love with you." Chris said, sincerity in his voice and love in his eyes.
"I know," Ethan kissed his cheek softly. "I'm in love with you too."