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Ryunosuke regretted every single one of the life decisions that had brought him to this situation.
He had been hearing about the fair for weeks. Every Londoner he knew seemed to be looking forward to it. A few days ago he had visited it for the first time, with Iris and Sholmes. They had spent a pleasant afternoon among the stalls, the food, the games.
One night, while the three of them were having dinner, Barok had suggested to spend an evening together at the fair. He looked quite shy when he said it, with excitement in his eyes. It was still hard to believe that Barok would behave like that towards them.
How could he say no?
“Of course! It could make up for the Great Exhibition we didn't get to enjoy.”
So they went to the fair. And it had all seemed like a good idea. When Kazuma took his arm and they walked through London, following the direction of the fair’s orange lights. When they found Barok waiting for them at the entrance. When the music played and the fun surrounded them.
They walked around, looking at the stalls and games, feeling the atmosphere. And Ryunosuke was having a good time, pointing out every little thing to his boyfriends.
And then they had seen the Ferris wheel. Well, the Ferris wheel could be seen from anywhere in the fair. But when they found themselves at its base, its lights shining on them, that was when Barok suggested it.
“Would you like to take a ride on the Ferris wheel together?”
“You're such a romantic, my dear" Kazuma had replied, laughing. Ryunosuke wasn't laughing. He felt his heart start to race in panic.
He looked at the Ferris wheel. He saw how fast it was moving, how high it was rising, and swallowed. He watched as Barok and Kazuma were already moving towards the queue, muttering something about the intimacy of those cabins, up there where no one could see them.
He wondered if the two of them could take the ride alone. Surely they would enjoy it more, and he could wait for them at the ground. He tried, standing aside while they queued. But when they reached the end of the line, he had to intervene.
“I'm sorry, sir, you have to be four in the cabin.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Have you seen the queue? We can't leave half of the cabin empty. Come in with the next people in line.”
Barok pursed his lips, and disappointment showed on his face. Tacking the ride with two strangers spoiled the whole plan. The moment of intimacy at the fair they'd been looking for.
So Ryunosuke had to took a step forward.
“There are three of us, actually," he said, standing up straight. “So... is that enough for the trip?”
Finally, the worker let them pass. And Ryunosuke stepped inside the cabin, and felt it tremble. And despite the joy and gratitude on his boyfriends' faces, he regretted all his decisions.
So there he was. Sitting on the seat of the Ferris wheel, his hands gripping the railings until his knuckles turned white. Barok was already looking through the window, even before they begun to ascend.
“It has been a long time since I had taken a ride on the Ferris wheel” he commented. Kazuma, however, was looking at the attorney.
“Ryunosuke? Its everything alright?”
He was going to reply with a "Don't worry," but he didn't had a chance to speak. The Ferris wheel began to move, and some sound of panic must have escaped his lips. Kazuma was already sitting next to him. Barok, who had not been paying attention to them, turned to him immediately.
In an instant, they were at his side. Ryunosuke felt Kazuma's hand taking his, Barok's caress on his back. And the Ferris wheel continued to rise.
"Not a friend of heights, darling?"
Ryunosuke shook his head weakly. He felt Kazuma's caress on his arm.
“It's alright. We are here with you.”
“Close your eyes," whispered Barok. “You don't have to look any further. You can think of this as a cabin for the three of us, and nothing more.”
He tried to listen to him. He closed his eyes. He tried to take a deep breath, to calm his racing heart. He tried to focus on nothing but the affection of his boyfriends, sitting next to him.
For a moment, it worked. For a moment he thought he could handle the ride.
But then, they got too high, and the wind blew too strong for a second. The cabin trembled, and he was breathless.
He didn't even have the urge to hold on to anything. All he could do was embrace himself in panic.
Barok stared helplessly at him, not knowing what to do. Kazuma kindly moved closer to him, holding him in his arms.
“Don't worry," he whispered. “It's just the wind. Nothing more.”
The movement of the Ferris wheel slowed. Kazuma held him closer, resting his head on his chest, while stroking his hair.
He hummed soft words. He hardly stopped to think about what he was saying, it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was talking to Ryunosuke. So he could feel the vibration of his chest, the beating of his heart, the caress of his hands. Feel all of that, instead of the movement that caused him so much panic.
“Better?” he asked, after a few moments. His boyfriend made a weak sound, a yes.
He placed a soft kiss on his hair. Ryunosuke took a deep breath, and tried to put himself together, to speak.
“I'm sorry," was the first thing he could say. “So… sorry, I'm... I'm ruining the ride...”
“Please don’t say that. It's my fault, I shouldn't have suggested it. If I had known...”
It was the voice of Barok, who had only been able to look at him full of worry as Kazuma comforted him. Too afraid to do anything, to even move, believing it would only make it worse.
“It's nobody's fault," said Kazuma, soothingly. “Let's not talk about it now.”
Barok took off his cape, and put it over Ryunosuke's shoulders. Ryunosuke wrapped himself in it while Kazuma rubbed his back.
“Where would you like to go after this?” he asked calmly. Ryunosuke tried to keep the conversation going.
“To... to play some game, perhaps. Like the one with the stuffed animals.”
“Sounds good. I'm sure Barok or me can win you a stuffed animal as a gift.”
Ryunosuke giggled softly.
“I would like that.”
“There's a candy stall next to it" said Barok, looking out of the window, where he could see the entire fair. “Would you like to visit it, too? Moments like this become easier with a bit of sugar.”
“Yes... that sounds good, too.”
The Ferris wheel reached its highest point, and began to move down. That made the ride a little easier, or at least that's how Ryunosuke felt.
“You can... enjoy the view, and stuff” he said. “I'll be fine. I just have to keep my eyes shut," then he added, quietly: Don't stop enjoying this because of me...”
Then he felt Barok's hand on his cheek, caressing his skin tenderly.
“Darling," he said, "Do you know why I wanted to take a ride here with you? It's not for the experience of riding the Ferris wheel, or enjoying the view... No, all I wanted was to be with you two. In this cabin, in a place in the middle of the fair where no one else could see us.”
Suddenly, Ryunosuke was kissed on his left cheek by Barok. And, at the same time, Kazuma kissed his right cheek. It was so sudden that he found himself blushing, unable to respond, with butterflies running through his body as the Ferris wheel continued to spin.
The little kisses didn't stop. Not while they were in the air. They made Ryunosuke blush more and more, and inside his chest he could feel nothing but love.
***
His legs were shaking when he finally got off the Ferris wheel. But, with a moment enjoying the fair and a bag of candy, he soon felt better.
They did everything he wanted, and then went to the shooting game. It consisted of hitting three different targets, and depending on how close to the centre you hit, you would win a higher prize.
The first one to play was Barok. He missed the first target, and hit the next two on the edge. He did not win any prizes.
“I thought a man like you would know how to handle a gun," said Kazuma as he picked it up himself.
“I have never been particularly fond of firearms," was his reply.
Kazuma shot. He missed two targets. When he put the gun down, he gave Barok a sharp look that seemed to say "Not a word".
Finally, Ryunosuke stepped forward, taking the gun in his hands.
“I'm going to try.”
One shot. And he hit the first target, right in the middle. Barok and Kazuma were surprised, not as much as the owner of the stand. A surprise that only grew as he fired at the following targets.
When he turned to his boyfriends, Ryunosuke had a cheerful smile on his face.
He came out of the stall carrying a huge stuffed animal in his arms. "It's bigger than Iris," Ryunosuke had commented as he picked it up.
Barok was looking at him as they walked. “I didn't know you had such a skill in shooting," he said to Ryunosuke. “Is it some kind of hobby?”
“Oh, no, not at all" he replied, "but I used to do archery in Japan.”
“I... I don't see how these two activities can be related.”
“Did it made you get good aim, perhaps?” said Kazuma.
It didn’t make any sense. Barok sighed, and looked at them with a little smile.
“I don't think you will ever cease to amaze me.”