Chapter Text
Today is a calm and warm wednesday. Vinnie Dakota is walking down to where his office usually is. His friend Cavendish is waiting for his arrival, and Vinnie himself has the widest smile on his face.
“We’re goin’ to the park, we’re goin’ to the park, and then we’re gonna scream like animaaaaals.”
On his left hand, he has some purple colored tickets with white sparkles coming out from them.
As he keeps strolling through the sidewalk, he thinks of the many things he will do with the Brit.
Oh boy, I just can’t wait to give the news to Cav. It’s gonna be so fun! We’re gonna eat some food, maybe we can listen to some tunes while we get there, get on every single thing that the park is gonna have… We could even get Dennis a new brother! Or a sister!
As he imagines and dreams of the various things he could do, his stride gets even more involved, with him pulling off some 70’s disco inspired moves while he keeps walking by.
A few minutes pass and he finally reaches the door for their office. He opens the door and makes an almost celebratory greeting.
“Guess who’s baaaaaaaack.”
Cavendish does not raise his head from the laptop he’s working on (kindly provided by Milo as the pair don’t count with their own), a cup of tea resting on one side and an open book on the other, presumably checking information online about some kind of topic. His eyes seem to read an entire line before Cavendish decides to talk, finally acknowledging his partner’s presence.
“Let me guess,” he replies dryly, though a hint of amusement slips on his voice. “A big, loud, colorful distraction.” his gaze remains on the screen.
Dakota smirks with a hint of snarkiness. “Yeah, and I’m pretty sure I found a thin, stuffy, up tight and green scarecrow on the computer.” He takes a seat and lets his bottom rest. “How has your day been Cav? Have you been doing anythin’ on the computer?”
The comments to his appearance makes the Brit’s moustache bristle with an offended huff, but he ignores them. “I’m reading about amusement park safety and the history of dangerous rides,” he explains, eyeing Dakota briefly. “If we have the intention to visit such a location with recreational purposes, I want to be sure we don’t end in any death trap. I don’t play with my safety, Dakota, and neither yours.”
Mostly yours , Cavendish thinks to himself, but omits that part. He knows Dakota doesn’t take care of himself and even struggles with all kinds of self-destructive behavior, which puts him in all sorts of danger far too often for Balthazar’s taste. Even though it’s rarely a great danger, Cavendish feels responsible for his friend and has made it his mission to care about Dakota, who obviously is unaware of the multiple dangers present in an amusement park.
Dakota does seem to consider Cavendish’s words and thinks of the possibility of an accident, but doesn’t quite think it’s the truth.. “Oh come on Cav, those places are super, super safe. They were tested thousands of times to make sure nobody would get hurt! Even with your bad luck and stuff, from the times you have… Died…” He stops himself.
“I… Um…” He awkwardly stumbles with his words. “I… I don’t think you would die from that stuff again… I… I would make sure… And… Y’know…”
He silences in shame, not knowing what else to say, and rubs the back of his head, with his eyes glancing to the opposite side.
Cavendish coughs awkwardly, and stands on his feet with the excuse to take the cup to the sink. He doesn’t like to remember he’s supposed to be dead. He doesn’t like to remember he had such bad luck he had died in the most silly ways possible. He doesn’t like to remember it’s his fault there’s an island full of Dakotas that sacrificed everything just for him to be a failure one day more.
He doesn’t like to remember Dakota has suffered so much in the name of their friendship.
“I beg to differ. Last time we were on one, there was a fire flying pig,” Cavendish deflects his feelings focusing on the chiding. It would make them good. Dakota will have to be reminded several times about the rules before really remembering them, Cavendish knew that by experience. “In any case, we’re not taking any kind of food or detachable accessories into any ride. No shoes that can fall, no hats without some kind of safety measure and absolutely nothing remotely sharp on ourselves. You will thank me when we get out of the amusement park unharmed.”
It seemed to work, as Dakota was reminded of why he was so happy a few minutes earlier. “Yeah, I mean, we would just use our casual clothes, nothing too out fancy or anythin’. Maybe you could get a strap for your hat or somethin’” He almost trailed off again. “But that’s not the point. I wanted to show ya why I was so happy.”
He shows his hand holding the two purple tickets. “Ta-da! I got us two tickets for an amusement park!” He celebrated. “But that’s not all, it ain’t an amusement park from here.” He grinned with expectation. He couldn’t wait to see what his partner would say when he told him where he got the tickets from.
“Mmh? I thought our plans were in Lard World?” Cavendish seems a little hesitant. He doesn’t like the plans changing abruptly, but he supposes if Dakota is so happy, it has to be a good reason for it. “What do you mean, that it’s not an amusement park ‘from here’? Are we perhaps making a trip outside the city?”
“It’s an amusement park… From the future!” The brunette says excitedly. “If I remember, it’s like a spiritual successor to Lard World, they have so much more interesting stuff! And we never visited an amusement park from our future. It’s gonna be great Cav!”
“You know, it’s not technically accurate to say ‘the future’ when that’s our original time,” Cavendish points out, but smiles regardless. “Albeit I’m certainly interested. Where did you get the tickets?”
“I got to save up a bit when we were workin’ for P.I.G and paid for them in the future. Funny enough they still allowed me to pay with dollars, even outdated ones like the ones here, since I thought it could be fun to go and have a good time after that whole… Hildegard fiasco and all.” Dakota shyly smiled, remembering how he felt seeing Cavendish lying on the floor, helpless and begging for help with his eyes.
“And like I said, we never went to an amusement park in our time before! We were just workin’, and workin’ and never had the chance to do that, y’know?”
“You… saved money for us to visit a park together?” Cavendish quirks an eyebrow. He sounds more judgmental than he intended to, and for that the Brit chastises himself mentally. The gesture was genuinely touching. “That’s very thoughtful of you, Dakota. I would indeed like to get over that… unfortunate episode.”
Cavendish’s fingers curl nervously on the cup he never left properly on the sink, a cold shiver has gone past his spine at the memory: that was an experience he would rather ignore. Of course, it’s not as easy as just deciding to do so, but a day at the amusement park with his best friend sounds delightful indeed; and at the moment there’s no one else Cavendish would rather be with instead.
Dakota had not only saved him physically: he literally stopped him from making a mistake that would cost Cavendish his soul. He could only be grateful for it.
Even if it was against his better judgement, and knowing it could make matters worse, Dakota couldn’t get rid of a single thought, lingering on his mind that he had to let out,
“I know I saw you there… Tied up with tears and all but… How…” He hesitated, but his stubbornness did not let him stop his speech. “How bad was it…? Just what did she do to you Cavendish…? Dakota let out with signs of concern and unease.
Cavendish’s body stiffens and his face contours oddly, a nerve was obviously hit. He remembers the realization of his mistake as the woman he had loved tied him. He remembered the fear of being put down forcefully with gas. He remembers the humiliation of being fed and the nausea of being treated like a child. He remembers the panic of being silenced and left alone.
Alone in the dark, without being able to speak, without being able to move. Scared, remorseful and helpless .
Helpless.
His pale fingers tighten around the cup, pressure so strong it makes a tiny crunching sound. Cavendish’s eyes are wide open, but he’s clearly not seeing anything in front of him anymore, glassy mirrors of a broken part. His breath has become shorter and more erratic, and though he intends to answer (he really does), all he manages is a painful whimper. Too much, too soon. He’s just not ready to accept it happened at all yet.
The sound on Cavendish’s head is rising, loud and burning, as he simply stays idle, body frozen and expression panicked. He’s about to crumble down.
Holy cow is what crosses the brunette’s mind. He really shouldn’t have asked him at all. Now he has to find a way to defuse the situation or the whole day might be ruined, or even worse, Cavendish himself to be ruined.
“H-hey! Cav!” He says to his friend. Dakota gets closer to him, but not enough to be overbearing. He has to be very careful about what he is going to do. He knows his words are going to be useless for the most part, so he thinks of something that only he can do.
Feelings. “Cavendish. Look at me.” He whispers softly, just enough to try and catch Cavendish’s attention as he makes something he has never done before in front of Balthazar:
He took his sunglasses off, fully revealing his brown pupils. He makes a comforting and tame smile. “Everything is gonna be alright Cav, I’m here. It's okay.”
Cavendish blinks. And blinks. And blinks. Finally, after several seconds of staring, he seems to process the image and he squeals softly. The reaction is quick after that: the Brit puts a hand on his mouth and gasps briefly before pointing to the glasses and then staring at Dakota again. His eyes are wide, and there’s still fear on them, but they are also more focused and curiosity has taken over. His voice sounds strangely breathless when Cavendish attempts to speak.
“Your glasses…!” Another tiny gasp, the hand in his mouth lowers until just a couple of fingers are brushing his lips. “I have never seen your eyes before…”
It’s true, and Cavendish momentarily forgets he’s having an attack to focus on his partner. He leans over slightly just to see them closer, until he realizes how socially awkward he’s being. The Brit closes his eyes and jerks back a little aggressively, he doesn’t want to make Dakota uncomfortable, and even less to prove how affected he’s by the memory still! Dakota is going to worry so much…!
“You should put them on,” Cavendish's tone is sharp, but he’s not angry, only feeling very defensive. It’s easier to process than fear. “The light might hurt them, which I’m not allowing in my watch.” his heart rate is still high, but he manages to sound confident enough.
The brunette shakes his head, still with that soft smile, trying to show as much compassion as he can. He rests his hand very slowly and delicately on Cavendish’s shoulder, and begins to speak again.
“Don’t worry about me Cav, today we are gonna have a good time at the amusement park, we are gonna forget about all of our troubles for once. I know all of that stuff that happened with you ain’t gonna vanish like a magic trick, but I am sure we can at least try to solve it, together. She can’t harm you no more, and I’m here with you. It’s gonna be a good day. Okay?” He lets his heart do the job of conveying how he feels. The honesty and friendship that emanates from his eyes is undying, something that he wanted to show Cavendish, for him to remember whenever he feels in despair and stress. That he can count on Dakota, even if he’s not there with him.
Cavendish tilts his head. He seems to relax a little, and he opens his eyes slowly, timid gaze towards his partner. It always makes his chest feel nice when Dakota shows how much he cares about him (to think these days that there was a time Cavendish thought he didn’t almost feel like a crime).
“Maybe we can pick up some pizza or a snack before we go there. We got plenty of time, and the tickets are useable for the rest of the year, so we got a lot of time to think about this.
But… I did want to go with ya today, and you might need it today more than ever. I promise ya, it’s gonna be fun Cav. Whatddaya say?” He asks gently and with a natural sense of tranquility.
Deep inside, he is concerned for Cavendish’s mental health, but he knows he cannot show that now, and the thought of spending the whole day with his friend while also remembering the good times they had on their ditch day, puts his mind at ease to handle the situation better.
The idea seems appealing to Cavendish, even with the noise and the crowds they will surely encounter. He wants to let out some of the pent-up anxiety trapped inside him, and what a better way to do it than having a day without worries alongside his partner? Dakota is also so clearly pumped with the idea that Cavendish has simply no heart to tell him no.
“Alright then. We shall go soon, to enjoy the entire day,” he smiles softly. “We can stop for pizza too, I’ll allow it.”
“Yay!” Dakota shouts excitedly. “Let’s get goin’ then! I’ll drive and everything!” With his joy flowing through every single inch of his body, he exits the door and is already down below and beside their newly acquired time vehicle.
“Careful, Dakota…” Cavendish’s chiding doesn’t reach Dakota’s ears, as he had left the room in a hurry. The Brit sights and smiles slightly, what is he going to do with his overly-excitable and loud partner?
Contrary to Dakota, he takes his time to leave. Cavendish puts away the laptop and the book he was using to their proper places, checks everything is turned off, grooms himself on the mirror and even dedicates quite a bit of time to carefully craft and prepare a bag for the trip. He knows Dakota is going to be pouty about him taking so long, but Cavendish prides himself on doing things right .
By the time he leaves the office and makes sure the door it’s properly locked and leaving with a packed messenger bag hanging on his shoulder, several minutes have passed. Still, Cavendish doesn’t hurry his walk towards the vehicle, mentally checking if he’s forgetting something.
“Caaaavv, Come on!” Dakota says, beginning to be completely impatient. “You took like fifteen minutes to get down here! You really shouldn’t have taken so long.” He slightly complained and crossed his arms, he did appreciate Cavendish taking as much time as he needed, but fifteen minutes just to get down from the apartment to the parking lot? To Dakota, that was just way too long.
“I needed to prepare myself,” Cavendish huffs as he enters the passenger’s seat in the car. “If you have any complaint, I suppose I would have to keep the snacks I packed for myself instead.” it’s a little childish, but he enjoys the banter, and there’s no better way to tease his partner than food. “Now, shall we?”
“Wait, you brought snacks?” The brunette asked. “I didn’t know you were bringing those! It all makes sense now!” With his voice humming with excitement, he gets on the driving seat and turns on the car. “Okay, first we should grab us some pizza, as I am definitely hungry, then we could use the snacks for the ride, as the park is a bit far.” Dakota tells Cavendish as he thinks of what route to take.
“Hmmm… Do I want to save time…? Or do I want to go for the more dramatic and scenery-filled route?”
In a twist of irony, now the pair are stuck in the car, with Dakota being indecisive on where to go, spending valuable minutes of the day thinking of something so mundane and easy to figure out.
“Dakota, we’re literally time travelers, you don’t need to ‘save’ time,” Cavendish raises an eyebrow. “You rarely concern yourself with these matters. It’s not that I dislike seeing you so excited, but I’m not sure if we should have our hopes particularly high…” he looks away, sounding a little sadder. “I’m not… a great company for enjoying such a place.”
“What!?” Dakota shouts. “What are ya talkin’ about Cav!” He looks at his partner with a frown full of confusion. “No matter what place it is, I always have a good time with you. That is why I even invited you to go in the first place! You are just a great guy to have around, and my life would be so boring without you. I have high hopes because I trust that we can make it work just like we did in our ditch day. I know you can have fun, and I wanna have fun with you.” He smiles tenderly and rests his hand on Cavendish’s shoulder.
The Brit smiles softly, but says nothing.
“Now come on, don’t put such a long face, I promise ya it’s gonna be a good time, and if it isn’t, I swear that I will take care of cleaning duties for an entire month.”
“That I would like to see,” Cavendish is relieved, and can’t really help the giggle that rolls out of him. “We should hurry up. Even with the pizza, I don’t think I can keep the snacks safe from you for long.”
Cavendish puts on his seatbelt and straightens in place, the bag on his lap, looking out the windows. He’s aware he’s being a little snappy today, but he cannot control his emotions entirely well of the recent, and it’s easier to just deflect on banter and sharp comments. Thinking about the amusement park is giving him anxiety, and Cavendish just doesn’t want to deal with that right now. He wants to have a good time, and he wants Dakota to have a good time.
It's the least he can do after his partner had, once again, saved his life.