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If the average person was asked to describe Joey Drew in one word they might be kind. They may describe him as a dreamer, a visionary, even eccentric. Sammy would describe him as batshit insane. Not only did this man have an entire theme park built centered around their studio’s cartoons but now he was asking favors. He didn’t want to open to a test audience yet, park wasn’t ready for that yet and he didn’t want to waste the electricity needed to run everything. He still wanted that test audience experience though, and that’s where Sammy came in.
“You’ll be paired up with Henry and the two of you will go all around the park! You’ll go on every ride, check every game and see how things are going! Write down the positives and negatives for everything and report back here on Monday!” Joey looked between the two of them. Sammy pinned him with his usual disapproving glare and Henry just looked a bit awkward.
“What the hell makes you think I want to give up my Saturday for this place, let alone some half finished side show in the sticks?” Sammy crossed his arms, his glare at Joey deepening. “Did you even think about what you’d do if one or both of us said no to this ridiculous waste of time?”
Joey’s grip noticeably tightened around the pen he’d been using to write down the list of attractions they had to visit. “Sammy, you know how important this place will be to the studio. How much revenue it will bring in! I need you and Henry both on this!” He pinned Sammy back with a glare of his own. Henry sank further into his chair. Why’d he have to be caught in the middle of all this?
“And why are we specifically so important to this project? Just have the voice actors go and take their dates, I’m sure they’d have an excellent time! Hell, send Wally for all I care.” Sammy sneered, clearly getting more wound up by the second. The more Joey pushed for them to go the more Sammy wanted out of it.
Henry cleared his throat to get their attention. Both looked over to him, Sammy glaring and Joey looking a bit hopeful. Like he could ever convince Sammy Lawrence to do anything. “I think I can see where Joey’s coming from? I should go because I know the characters best and well; you point out negatives better than anyone I’ve ever seen. You also wrote the ride music and it might be a good idea for you to see if it fits. And it might be fun?” If looks could kill, Henry would be on fire.
It took a while but Sammy’s glare lost its fire the longer he looked at the animator. He heaved an annoyed sigh, turning from Henry and back to Joey. “Fine, waste even more of my damn time than you normally do. I’m getting paid overtime for it though or I’m not showing up at all.”
Joey was only too pleased to meet his demands. "You drive a hard bargain but you've got a deal, Samuel!" He reached across the desk to shake the musician's hand, said musician slapped his hand away.
"This is a favor to Henry, not to you. Don't act like it is." He turned to Henry, nodding towards the door. "Let's go, we have plans to make."
Henry quietly followed Sammy out, Joey yelling out details behind them. Their tour of the amusement park was set for the Saturday after, apparently. Sammy sped walk up to the roof, nearly ripping the door off its hinges when he opened it. Henry flinched from the metal slamming on brick.
“God damn prick thinks he can ruin my weekends, only time we ever get a break from this sweatshop.” Sammy leaned against the wall next to the door as he fished out a cigarette and a light. He gestured with the pack at Henry who declined with a shrug. The angry musician got a few puffs in before the shorter man next to him cleared his throat.
“So; how are we going to do this, and you can’t say burn the park down.” Henry’s wry smile was met with one of Sammy’s own.
“Stole the words right out of my mouth, Stein. I’ll pick you up at 7 am sharp and you better be ready the second I get there. I want this little field trip over with as fast as possible.” Henry shook his head at the proposal, earning a quick glare from Sammy. He took a puff and waited for Henry to explain himself.
“I can get myself there. I know the place is upstate but that’s not too far a drive.” That was the wrong thing to say. Sammy quit slouching against the wall, taking a step forward to glare down his nose at Henry. The extra 6 inches Sammy had on him weren’t working in Henry’s favor.
“Last I checked, you drove a Ford. Those things are hunks of junk and if you break down on the way there or back then you’re stuck. I’ll pick you up at 7, it’s no issue.”
“It really is fine-” A thick cloud of smoke interrupted the animator before he could finish. He coughed and hacked like it was grade school again and he had to run the mile. Sammy smirked, leaning down so their foreheads nearly touched.
“I’ll see you at 7, Henry. Bright and early.” His smile was all teeth.
Henry barely heard him. The words didn’t compute. How could they when Sammy was this close to him? He could see himself reflected in those icy blue eyes he loved so much and just like that; mouth machine broke. He didn’t even realize he’d been staring until a ring of smoke hit him in the mouth. His heart stuttered in his chest and he knew damn well it wasn’t because of the pollution in his lungs.
“You should get more sleep. Don’t go staring off into space like that, you’ll worry people.”
Sammy tossed his dead cig off the side of the building, holding the door open for Henry as he got to it. The shorter man prayed that he wasn’t as red in the face as he felt.
“Don’t forget; 7am sharp. I won’t hesitate to drag you out of bed if I have to.”
“ You really are trying to get it over with, huh? Is spending time with me really that bad?” Henry tried for a smirk, begging the red to leave his face. Whether it had or hadn’t Sammy thankfully didn’t comment.
“You aren’t what I’m trying to get away from and you know it.” Sammy rolled his eyes. “Ask any more stupid questions like that and you might get on that black list.”
“Yessir!”
***
Saturday came faster than Henry was ready for. There were so many things that could go wrong and he’d over thought them all. Or worse; something could go right and then he could ruin it somehow. He could trip, he could say the wrong thing, he could offend Sammy somehow, he could-! Henry’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud honk from outside.
‘Guess that was mistake #1’, Henry grimaced to himself as he quickly grabbed his lunch and dashed out the door. It was a minute past 7 and Sammy was already drumming his fingers on the steering wheel in irritation. He jumped in and buckled up as Sammy started pulling out of his driveway. The tension already there was almost palpable.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, almost misplaced my keys!” Henry gave the clearly annoyed musician a sheepish grin. That annoyed drumming of long pale fingers against the steering wheel didn’t stop.
“You’re fine, you just know how I feel about this little field trip,” Sammy huffed. It was clear that he didn’t want to be here but Henry was still happy to be here with him. Who knows; maybe he could even cheer the sour puss up!
“Joey’s insane for sending you of all people to a place that’s supposed to make people happy. It should be pretty clear you’re impervius to that sort of thing.”
Sammy shared a sarcastic smirk with the animator, elbowing him with the arm that wasn’t steering the truck. “It’s a good thing that you know what I’m like at least. If I were partnered with anyone else I might not even come.”
It was a small admission of how close they were but it didn’t matter, Henry could feel his cheeks pinkening up anyway. The rest of their ride was spent in companionable silence, Henry stealing the occasional glance at Sammy when he knew he wouldn’t get caught.
***
Joey wasn’t kidding when he said the park was out of the way a bit. A three hour drive later and they were finally there! And they only had to stop for directions four times. Unfortunately pulling into the parking lot didn’t do much to brighten Sammy’s mood.
“He’s got to be joking. Having an entire theme park built around our stupid cartoons is one thing but having the entire thing done in sepia?! He’s crossing a fucking line.”
“Ouch, you think my creations are stupid?” Henry feigned hurt, hand over his now aching heart. Sammy rolled his eyes and got out, shutting his door a little too hard in response to the animator’s joke. Henry just laughed and got out himself. Most people might get offended but he could appreciate how caustic Sammy was.
They weren’t alone in the parking lot; other cars, trucks and people milling about to get to their stations. The place was going to be fully manned, it seems. A larger gentleman walked out from the commotion to greet them with a big toothy smile and a wide sweep of his arms.
“Welcome to the park, boys! The name’s Bertrum Piedmont and this here’s my park. Mr Drew’s been talking my ear off about making sure you have a good time, despite the assignment.” The man reached into his coat pocket and produced two notebooks and two fountain pens. “Mr Stein, you’re to write every positive aspect you can think of for each attraction and Mr Lawrence will write all the negatives.”
“Oh, I’ll be sure to write down everything I can think of.” Sammy’s face was smiling but his tone sure wasn’t. He ripped the notebook out of Bertrum’s hand, already unscrewing the cap to jot something down. Henry took his items a bit more carefully with an apologetic look for Sammy’s usual callous behavior. Bertrum seemed unamused at best.
“Well; good luck to you both! There are maps strewn about the park. And remember; you have to hit every attraction at least once!” The man gave them a jolly wave that Henry could tell was fake and left before he could get more obviously annoyed. Henry saw why Joey had hired him. Sammy was still furiously scribbling something away on his notepad when Henry spotted a map near the entrance of the park.
“Almost done? I found one of those maps he was talking about,” Henry pointed and Sammy spared it a glance, quickly finishing up whatever he was writing. It was hard to peak from his angle, but Henry saw some pretty foul expletives already decorating the first page.
“Fine fine, let’s see how damn big this place is. This better not take all day.” They made their way over to the map and stared at it for a second. All the attractions were neatly described, drawn and placed, along with the total amount of land the park took up. 160 acres was the number proudly described at the bottom of the brightly colored evil they were staring down. Henry gaped. Sammy screamed.
***
Their trek was slow and arduous. You’d think seeing and going on every ride, attraction and playing every sideshow game in an amusement park would be a fun thing. You really would. But; the burning heat of the Jersey sun and the burning heat of Sammy’s unending rage were beginning to wear on Henry. They were currently taking a break in the shade after going on the tilt a whirl.
“Tell me you’re going to help me to have that thing outlawed.” Even Henry didn’t like it.
“Maybe that can be the one part of the park we burn down. The rest are safe, for now.”
“It had better be. After what it did to your shirt it doesn’t need to be left standing.” Sammy glared off towards the hulking steel monstrosity that ate Henry’s shirt, leaving him in his white undershirt. It was really his own fault for taking his button up off and tying it around his waist. What else did he expect to have happen? Something good? In a place ran and owned by Joey Drew? Fat chance of that.
Just like the outside, the entire inside of the place was colored in that strange sepia tint. Henry’s eyes were still trying to get used to it. He took off his glasses for a minute, setting them in his lap as he leaned further back against the tree they were resting under. This was kinda nice, in a strange way. He took a minute to rest before asking the most important question of the day.
“Think we should have lunch now or later?” Henry turned slightly to see Sammy already looking at him. His vision was blurry without his glasses but he could definitely tell that the blond had been looking at him. “What?”
“I was just thinking about how different you look without your glasses.” Sammy blurted before he had the opportunity to come up with something more clever. Was true though. “It’s different, being able to see your eyes like this.” He leaned forward to get a better look, not realizing the effect he was having on the poor animator.
It was a damn shame he didn’t have his glasses on. Henry would kill to be able to see more than just a pretty blob right now. Damn his infernal broken eyes.
“You could always try my glasses on, then we’d both go blind.” Trying for a joke was Henry’s best and only idea for fighting off his impending blush.
“No thanks; I’m enjoying the view where I’m at for now.”
Well, if that wasn’t something. And Henry didn’t even have his glasses to hide behind this time, not that they’d do much. He didn’t have to spend much time thinking about his dumb red cheeks before Sammy pulled away to laugh at his misery.
“You should see your face!” He leaned back and held his stomach, struggling under the weight of giggles Henry didn’t think possible of the blond. He slipped his glasses back on to see the full sight of Sammy absolutely busting a gut. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“You’re gonna hurt yourself,” it was a weak effort to help though the intent was there. But it was too late. Henry was already starting to giggle as well. Damn his contagious beautiful laughter. They both got taken by the laugh, Sammy laying back against the tree and Henry leaning into him, trying to contain his own fit of cackling. After a few minutes they quieted down into smaller giggles that petered off into just relaxing again.
Henry was right. This was pretty nice. Hadn’t even realized he was still leaning into Sammy’s side until the musician straightened up a bit. His spine gave a good pop that woke Henry up out of his post laugh stupor. He quickly sat up, startling both of them.
“You didn’t have to move, it’s not like I’m going to bite you.”
The words shot straight to Henry’s already thumping heart. He didn’t have to move. Which meant Sammy didn’t mind touching him. Or at least, not enough to get into one of his usual rants. Or he was just tired and Henry was just overthinking as normal.
“We should really get back to it. Ready to get up or should we go snag our lunch from the car?” Henry got up with a spine pop of his own, holding out a hand to help Sammy, despite Henry being smaller and weaker. Sammy took it nonetheless, catching Henry when he almost fell into him.
“I think I have another hour in me yet.” With one more round of spine cracks for both of them they finally, reluctantly, left the shade
***
The clearly rigged games were probably the worst thing about this place. The huge looming Bendy smiles all over the place added to the creep factor, along with the sepia EVERYTHING. Henry was really getting sick of only seeing one color everywhere. And he couldn’t even write anything negative. To add to the awful experience, Sammy was just about done with the place in a way that was more than just complaints and chain smoking.
“Ow!” The poor game attendant squeaked after being hit full force by a game toss ring. Sammy snickered at his ‘poor aim’. He only had a quarter of a pack left and that wasn’t nearly enough left to deal with this place. Henry didn’t find it all that funny. He gently grabbed Sammy by the hand, pulling him a few steps away from the game stand and its hurt attendant.
“Hey, are you ready for a break?”
“If you think we should take one then it’s fine by me.” Sammy didn’t look him in the eyes this time but Henry didn’t think to question it. He just wanted to get them away from the poor worker so he could take his own break. Didn’t think about it so much that he forgot to let go of Sammy’s hand.
Said musician was in a bit of a pickle. Was Henry holding his hand on purpose? Had he just forgotten that he’d done this? Was it a distraction? Was he thinking about how perfectly their hands fit together despite the size difference? These thoughts and many more plagued him until they got back to his truck and Henry let go. He’d never felt so cold in the dead of summer before.
“How’s about we eat in the truck bed? We parked in the shade and it’s nice to get away from Bendy hell.” Henry was already reaching into the back to get an old work blanket Sammy kept in case of emergencies. Beats sitting on straight metal.
“Forgive me for saying I’ve had my fill of the dancing devil darling for today. I know you made him and all but he can wear on you after a while.” He took the blanket from Henry and went to put it in the truck bed while Henry grabbed their lunches.
“No offense taken. I get a little tired of him too after a long day’s work of looking at nothing but him.” It was a sad truth. He loved his job and loved bringing Bendy to life but sometimes it was a drag. It wasn’t all bad of course. He had a great career, a few awards, great coworkers, time with Sammy. Sure it could be a drag but it was all he could ask for.
They climbed into the back of the truck and Henry passed out their sacks. He’d packed them both a few things that he hoped Sammy would like. The man didn’t really eat so he wasn’t sure what his tastes were, aside from human suffering. He didn’t complain at least.
“Thank you for this. I think it’s the first meal I’ve had all week.” Henry balked a bit at that. The first meal he’d had all week? On a Saturday?
“Surprised you haven’t passed out yet. Here, get some sugar in your system.” Henry passed Sammy a Pepsi he’d been saving for them. Wasn’t the fanciest thing but he was sure to save his last two for this occasion. Sammy smacked his on the side of the truck to get it open. Top popped off with no issue and he took a sip.
“Overtime wasn’t enough. We should have demanded a month off or our own private islands in exchange for wasting a whole day here.” Sammy leaned his head back against the side of the truck, closing his eyes and taking a long drink while Henry let out a chuckle.
“You think Joey would share a private island with anyone? Even his wife? He’d probably build another Bendyland on it to ‘maximize profit’”. They both shared a look for that one. It was as good as fact.
“At least we’re given a lunch this time, right?” Henry shrugged, trying to look cool and do the ‘smack the bottle on the side of the car and effortlessly have the bottle cap come off’ thing that Sammy had done. It didn’t go quite according to plan.
“Fuck!” He yelled, nearly throwing himself out of the truck in an effort to get away from the sticky soda spray. Sammy managed to dodge but he hadn’t. Henry was soaked in both Pepsi and shame. At least Sammy had the good sense to laugh at him.
“Christ, Henry!” It was all he managed to get out in between laughs and gulps of air. Henry sighed, looking down at his shirt. It was toast and he didn’t have another since the tiltawhirl ate his button up and no one wears a damn jacket in summer. Call him self conscious but he didn’t exactly want Sammy of all people to see him shirtless. Might lose what little respect or interest he had in him.
“Sorry about your truck Sam, I’ll clean it up.” He hopped out, leaving a still laughing Sammy. It was a bit weird that it didn’t hurt that Sammy was laughing at him. Sure, he was embarrassed but it’d be much worse with anyone else. Best not think about that. He was still reaching for the water bottles behind the driver’s seat when he heard the thump of boots hitting the ground behind him. When he crawled out of the truck Sammy was already there with an apologetic look and his handkerchief.
“You shouldn’t be sorry; I should be for laughing. I can help clean up, it is my truck after all.” He took a water bottle from Henry and hopped back in the truck bed to see what he could do while the animator dealt with his own mess. Not like there was much he could do.
Henry peeled the sticky tshirt off of himself, tossing it out somewhere into the woods. Let the raccoons or something have it since it wouldn’t be of use to him anymore. The rest of the water went into washing the damn syrup bullshit off of his chest, neck and face. Well this was perfect, wasn’t it? If the boiling Jersey sun didn’t fry him the embarrassment of having to walk around shirtless next to Sammy all day sure would. He was damn tempted to throw himself into the woods along with his ruined shirt. Pride or dignity weren’t something the animator had a lot of but he’d certainly be lying if he said he didn’t want to be more comfortable in his body right about now.
Sammy came back to a now shirtless Henry but surprisingly didn’t laugh. “Here, you’ll burn if you don’t take this.” The words were not enough warning. That mere prelude in no way prepared Henry for being the luckiest man alive.
Sammy unbuttoned his white button up, sliding his suspender straps off to get the shirt all the way off of him. It left him in a white tank top that was, while being better than nothing, not going to protect him from the sun all too much. He didn’t seem to care about that though.
“I know this isn’t your size or anything but put it on.” He passed the shirt to Henry who murmured out a small ‘thank you’. It was almost a surreal experience, getting to put on that shirt that reeked of smoke and pine needles. It was three sizes to big but he didn’t care. It was perfect and he’d be hard pressed to give it back. With the buttons all put in place, he turned to look at Sammy. Never knew he had freckles on his shoulders that looked like constellations he’d give anything to trace even once.
“You really didn’t have to do this much for me but I really appreciate it, Sammy. Sorry again for having to take the shirt off your back and getting your truck all messed up.”
“I think you took the brunt of that mistake so it’s fine. That looks uncomfortable, let me fix it.” Sammy pulled his hair out of his usual ponytail. It was a simple action but Henry could only stare. Damn his infernal eyes and Sammy himself for being so beautiful. It was all he could do to hold himself together, especially with that scent of cigarettes and forest reminding him of whose shirt was covering him right then.
Sammy knelt down next to Henry, those extra inches he had being a burden this time, and grabbed the hem of his shirt. The extra fabric got collected and bunched up, Sammy using his hair tie to hold it together. He then flipped the ball of bunched up fabric in so that it wouldn’t be noticeable but would have to press against Henry. The rest was tucked into a now tomato faced Henry’s pants. The shirt wasn’t close to fitting but this was much better than before at least. The musician stood again, closer this time, to get a look at his work. It’d have to do for the rest of their time here at Bendy hell.
“Thanks, Sam.” was all an absolutely burning Henry could say. Things like this only happened in his dream’s dreams, let alone anything close to reality. It was nice, to be cared about like this. It wasn't something he'd had before.
“At least now we’ll get sunburnt to a crisp together. Another thing to blame Joey for. And don’t mention it,” he gave Henry a smile and brought out another cigarette. “Let’s just eat as we walk. Pretty clear this place doesn’t want us to have a break any time soon with how it keeps ruining our clothes. Far be it from us to try and have an enjoyable day, in any respect.” A long drag on his cig punctuated Sammy’s disgust for the place. Henry wasn’t too far off from Sammy in his opinion of the place
“Yeah, sooner we get back the sooner we can give Joey an earful about how much he owes us for this ‘little field trip’.” Air quotes were added for the title Sammy kept giving their outing. The musician shook his head, but couldn’t hide the little smile that Henry helped make.
“If even you agree to help me bite Joey’s head off then this place really must be a hell.” With a final puff Sammy put his cancer stick out on his truck and nodded towards the mass of machines they had yet to rate. Henry followed a few steps behind, eyes elsewhere than the work ahead of them. How could he be expected to look anywhere else when Sammy was in front of him?
***
They only had a handful of attractions left at this point. So far Henry had half a book full of positives and Sammy had two full, working on the third of negatives. It’d been a busy day. Sun was starting to go down and it was starting to get a little chilly out. If Henry was starting to shiver in his borrowed button up, he could only imagine how Sammy was fairing. Still, he didn’t complain about that at least.
“We have to ride a damn ferris wheel?” They both looked at the towering thing in front of them, art of Bendy and Alice adorning the front of it. Guess it was supposed to be romantic, then. Henry could feel something buzz under his skin but couldn’t quite put a name to it. Nerves? Apprehension? A slight fear Sammy would throw him off the thing at the top if he said something stupid?
“Only makes sense that Joey’d add some couples stuff. You know him and his ‘maximum profits.’” Henry rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop that buzzing feeling. The closer they were getting to the wheel, the stronger it felt. Kinda wondered if Sammy could feel it too. The attendant let them on, giving them a brief rundown on the safety rules and finally locking them in the open air booth.
They rose slowly and in silence, Sammy closer to the horizon and Henry closer to the park itself. They stared at the sunset together, finally able to rest in some semblance of peace. It was one of the most breathtaking Henry had ever seen, all pink and orange blending out into the deep blue of early night the longer it stretched. And all of it framed Sammy like the angel he was. If only he had more than the camera in his head to capture that beauty forever.
Just as quiet as he had been since getting on the ride, Sammy pulled Henry against his side, arm around the smaller man’s shoulders. It had no prompting, no request to be met, no expectation to fill. The muttering of ‘you’re probably cold’ was the only explanation given, even though it didn’t have to be. Henry slowly leaned into the touch, not quite sure if he was welcome in the musician’s space even though he’d been invited. It was what he’d wanted for who know how many sleepless nights, yet when he finally got here, presented with the literal perfect opportunity, he hesitated.
He took a deep breath and put his own arm awkwardly around Sammy’s waist. He was probably cold too, right? When he looked up to see if he’d made the wrong judgment call, he was thankfully met with the same sight as before; Sammy peacefully looking out over the sunset. Maybe this was..okay?
“You feel like you’re about to snap in half.” Sammy gave Henry a small squeeze, reminding him once again just how not dreaming he was. “If you’re uncomfortable you can just say so.”
“Nah, it’s just the cold.” They both knew he was lying but that was fine. Neither commented on it and when Henry relaxed, his head ending up on Sammy’s shoulder, the other smiled. His arm around Henry kept him close, his hand resting on the animator’s arm playing its half of a tune that Henry knew he’d recognize if only he could hear it too. They stayed like that, staring at the sunset, arms around the other until they got close to the ground again.
The operator thanked them and they got off without a word, hands linked at Sammy’s insistence. Not that he’d ever have to ask to hold Henry’s hand. When they finally stopped walking he gave Henry’s hand a small squeeze that warmed him all the way down to his toes, the look on the blond’s face being the closest to happy Henry’d ever seen it.
“Still cold?” He took a step closer, his hand in Henry’s pulling him in too.
“Don’t think I could be like this. You’re practically a space heater.” They shared another laugh that only served to amplify the warmth between them. If he wasn’t smarter Henry’d reach up and kiss the bastard right here and now. But, there were still people around and they had a job to finish.
“Ready to finally get this over with and get out of here?” He asked, pulling out his list to check what else they’d yet to visit. Sammy hummed, leaning in to see the list for himself. His head came to rest on Henry’s temple, making the list almost impossible to read from brain fog. Thankfully they only had one ride left; the tunnel of love.
***
This ride was one of the few that gave both men the chills in a way that wasn’t from the cold. The decorations were tacky, tons of art of Bendy kissing a blushing Alice helped to make it a little less ominous but that water; that water was pure night. They took a minute to stare at the river of pitch black liquid nervously.
“The hell’s up with the water?” Sammy asked, leaning forward a bit to poke the surface with his boot. It came back dripping tar, the substance clearly thicker than water. They’d filled the river with ink. Was there no gimmick Joey wouldn’t use if it meant drawing a crowd?
“Not only is it not water, but it’s deep too!,” the ride operator helpfully chirped. “Mr Drew specified that he wanted the water deep so folks wouldn’t go hoppin out. Wants them to have the full experience.” That was Joey for you; dreams at the cost of a potential lawsuit.
“This is good a time to mention as any that I can’t swim. What if the fucking cart tips? You think I can save myself and Henry? Honestly; what in hell was Joey thinking?! He could kill someone! Even if you could swim, who the hell could make it through this thick shit?” Sammy continued to rant as Henry looked down the tunnel. If he squinted he could maybe see a pinprick of light at the end. If someone got stuck in the middle or fell out there it practically would be a death sentence.
“I can go alone if you want? I can swim and I don’t want to make you feel unsafe,” Henry offered in a vain attempt to help soothe Sammy’s rage. It had little effect.
“You honestly think I’m going to let you get on that deathtrap alone?! Fine, whatever, let’s just get this over with. The sooner we do it the sooner I get to tear Joey a new one for making us.” He grabbed Henry by the wrist, dragging the smaller man into the waiting boat. Just like with the ferris wheel the attendant lowered the safety bar and gave them the speech. And like that, they were off.
If it looked dark from the outside, the inside was no better. Neither could see as much as an inch in front of their faces. The drain and grugle of the ink below them served as a soundtrack for their slow descent into the dark. Henry could feel how tight Sammy was gripping the safety bar, his palms making a little squeak against the metal.
“It’ll only be a few minutes of this, an hour speeding back home, and then an entire night of throttling that idiot for sending us on this stupid outing.” Henry wasn’t sure how else to calm the musician. Seemed to help a bit, a shaky exhale being heard next to him.
“He’ll be lucky if I don’t flay him after this. I hate water rides and I hate not being able to fucking see.” At this point Henry didn’t think he’d stop Sammy if he really did try and kill Joey. This was more stress than he’d ever seen the poor man under. So far at least.
They were a quarter way down the track when a loud bang and crash was heard from behind them. Both of their heads whipped back to see what the commotion was when another sensation caught their attention. The boat was tipping, slowly leaning, toward Henry’s side.
“Fuck fuck, Sammy! Lean back it’ll recenter the cart!” Another crash came from right behind them, the boat leaning even further down. Henry felt the cold chill of liquid on the back of his neck before Sammy grabbed him by the collar, dragging him up and onto his lap. He sat as close to the middle as he could, Henry straddling his lap on top of him. It was the only way he could think of to recenter their balance. The bright side was that the boat wasn’t about to drown them anymore. The not so bright side was that they were stuck here like this.
“Are you okay? Didn’t swallow any ink?” Henry felt one of Sammy’s hands brush against his cheek, feeling over him for any injuries. His stupid heart stuttered in his heaving chest. Physically he was fine but this was quite the position to find himself in.
“I’m good, did you hit anything while the boat was moving?” He rested his hands on Sammy’s shoulders. He could feel under the thin tank top that they were tight, ready to try and save them from Joey’s death trap at a seconds notice.
“M’ fine. Leave it to Joey to almost kill us on the last damn ride we go on.” He let out another shaky breath, careful not to literally rock the boat. At least he could lean back some, keeping his hands on Henry's waist. Helped to have somewhere to put them and he knew they had to keep centered or drown.
Henry let out a similar shaky breath. This was closer than he’d ever been to anyone in his life. He had always been what you’d call a wallflower at social stuff. Had only danced with a girl in high school once. And dates? Forget about it, hadn’t been on a single one. He could feel Sammy’s breath against his face, his hands against his back. If they didn't die here he'd have to privately thank God for the opportunity.
"How long do you think we'll be stuck in here for?" Sammy asked, hands running up and down Henry's sides to keep himself calm. He felt like static. Had to keep moving to get his nerves to calm down. Nerves that might as well be live wires. But any small move could mean the boat tipping off its track so this was the best he could do. Henry himself relaxed into the touch. It helped him finally take a breath deeper than a small gasp.
"An hour, maybe more. When they eventually drag us out of here you should go first. I can swim and you can't so if one of us is going to get stuck on a sinking boat it should be me." They wouldn't have to think about the possibility for long. The ride clicked back to life with a monstrous groan behind them, the clicks and pops of gears sending the boat forward. They could feel it rock on the track but it was moving. At the sudden jolt Sammy pulled Henry closer to keep him from tilting or falling out of the boat. It was a knee jerk reaction but that wasn't what interested him.
Henry slapped a hand over his mouth but it was too late. There was no covering up the little moan that slipped out when his hips were hitched higher up on Sammy's. The breathy little sound was the utter death of his pride. He could tell Sammy had heard it by the way his muscles tightened underneath his hands.
"Did you like that?"
"I- what- no- it just kinda hurt-"
"You don't have to be embarrassed. I didn't dislike it."
"So you almost liked it?"
"I would under better circumstances."
Henry would call the little flip his heart did in his chest pathetic under most circumstances. A result of over thinking at best and a misunderstanding at worst. But how could he misunderstand something clear as that? He did his best to keep himself centered over Sammy's lap, taking a shaky hand to cup his cheek. That buzzing under his skin was back. His whole life he'd been a coward when it came to his wants but this was fine? Sammy made it seem like it was fine to want. He screwed his eyes closed and jumped off the cliff.
"Can I kiss you?"
Silence. He was met with complete silence. Every millisecond added to the animator's sense of dread. His heart was pounding in his ears, the sound almost deafening until it ebbed to a crack. Guess this was just another of today's mistakes. He tried to push himself further away, an attempt to retreat and lick his wounds, when Sammy stopped him. He slowly pulled Henry forward, sitting up all he could without sending them to their deaths, and closed the distance.
It was sweet, small and full of a long unspoken admiration. One that said Sammy hadn't taken care of Henry all day out of obligation or manners. He thought back to work, all the times when Sammy would pester him to take breaks, eat something, come outside while he smoked so they could both get some fresh air. Those times weren't just being a good Samaritan or coworker. Maybe Sammy had wanted this just as badly as he had. Wanted him just as badly.
"I didn't know you felt this way too," Henry rested his forehead against Sammy's, the blond slowly trailing his hands up the animator's sides. He shivered against the touch but didn’t try to lean out of it.
"I didn't know you to be the type to make first moves. The answer’s a yes, by the way.”
“A yes to what?”
“When you ask for another kiss. Oh, and my dance card isn’t full unless you’d like to change that.”
Confidence like that on another person might seem arrogant, and it did on Sammy too, but it seemed to fit him better. It was one of the many things about the awful man that Henry loved. He let out a low chuckle and took that kiss that he totally was going to ask for, his hands finding their way into Sammy’s hair. For locks that were almost always tied up and subjected to cigarette smoke they were soft. And they gave Henry a bit of an idea.
He moved his fingers across Sammy’s scalp, the man under him humming in curiosity against his mouth as he did, until he reached the back of his head. He grabbed the hair right at Sammy’s crown and gave it a light tug, earning himself a small moan close to the likes of which he’d been forced to let out earlier. He had his revenge; at a small cost.
“He gets his first kiss and thinks he’s hot stuff, huh?” Sammy growled low, next to his ear. “Dare you to do it again.”
He could. He could do it again. And really; after an invitation like that how could he not? His fingers tightened their grip on Sammy’s hair a fraction, his ears straining to hear the musician’s breath hitch over the gurgling ink- only to find himself in a reverse uno. Sammy had him by the belt loops, tugging him closer into the most ravenous kiss of his life. Their teeth clicked a bit but Sammy didn’t seem to mind. He’d swallowed up the beautiful little whine his new boyfriend made and that was good enough for him.
The light at the end of the tunnel was starting to come into view, though they hadn’t been paying it much mind. Not until they heard the ride attendant’s yelling.
“Are you both okay?!” He held a long pipe out to them, Henry grabbing it and jumping out first since he was on top followed by Sammy.
“Fine, we’re fine. Just forget you ever saw anything or you’re going into that river of torment along with fucking Joey.” Henry didn’t get to add anything, Sammy already dragging him to the exit, ready to get the hell out of here. Took them a while to get to the car, start it up and pull out of the lot.
“You know; all things considered, that wasn’t a horrible first date.”
“You call that a good first date? That was hardly a date, We could beat a Joey Drew experience any day of the week.” Sammy sneered at the road ahead, practically spitting out their boss’s name.
“That mean you’re asking me out again?” He was hopeful. Henry hadn’t hoped for many things in his life but he really hoped for this. Sammy kept his eyes on the road, left hand on the steering wheel and right hand reaching over for Henry’s. He took it.
“I’ll ask if you say yes,” he gave the animator’s hand a squeeze.
“My dance card wasn’t full yet anyway.”
They shared a quick grin and an even faster kiss. The rest could wait til after they got back to the office and obliterated Joey.