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The sky was dark; only lit up by the neon fluorescence of the amusement park rides. Riddle and Ruggie had reached their last ride for the night: the ferris wheel.
Earlier that day, Riddle informed Ruggie of his lack of childhood wonder, and Ruggie had dropped everything to show the housewarden all of the staple rides at the park. They had no idea where their dorm members were, or if their groups were even looking for them, but Ruggie could care less. With the help of his mischievous magic, he was able to watch Riddle experience every ride for the first time, and seeing him smile like a kid on Christmas made it all worth while.
As they stepped into the ferris wheel seats, they were locked in, and the ride slowly started to move. Unfortunately for them, all good things must come to an end, but at least they would end it on a high note.
Riddle smiled excitedly as he watched their cart move. He sighed, content with the twinkling stars and rainbow lights.
“This…may just be the best day…that I have ever had.”
“Mmm.”
“I mean, I can’t believe we rode every single rollercoaster! Some more than once!”
“Mmm.”
“Like the one that went completely vertical? Or the one where it was a straight drop? That one was so scary!” Ruggie laughed.
“I know. You almost peed yourself!” Riddle frowned as Ruggie snickered.
“Hey, I told you that in earnest!”
“I know I know.” He cleared his throat to stop his laughing. “Go on.” Riddle’s frown peaked into a smile.
“…well, what was the one? Wasn’t it one of the fastest rollercoasters in the world?”
“Yeah! It had, like, a whole minute of air time!”
“That one was wild! I can’t believe we managed to ride that one twice!”
“Thanks to yours truly.” Ruggie snickered some more, and Riddle’s disapproving look came back.
“I still think it was wrong of you to steal those premium passes.” Ruggie shrugged in response.
“Oh whatever. They were grown adults wearing ‘my family this’ shirts with mouse ears for every section of the park. They’ve totally been here before, and can afford to lose their ultra premium whatever passes.” He then brought his hand up to his mouth, smirking. “Besides, if they were so special, they should have kept them more secure. Shehehe~!”
“Whatever the reason, stealing is against the rules!”
“So is serving ice cream on cherry pie in some states, but people still do it! Shehehe~!” Riddle crossed his arms, annoyed with the other, but Ruggie simply leaned on his hand as he stared back at him.
“What about the carousel? Did you like that?” At the mention of the carousel, Riddle’s face lit up, making Ruggie smile.
“Oh, the carousel!” Riddle said, enamored. “I had always read about them in books, they have such a marvelous history, you know? But riding one was absolutely magical! And the artistry! Oh, it was so beautiful! And the music was lovely! It was something I’ve never experienced before!”
“Mmm.”
“Oh, and then there was that arcade! Where you introduced me to a game! What was it?”
“Skee-ball.”
“SKEE-BALL!” Riddle shouted. “Oh, you were so good at that game! And then there was the one where we crashed into each other?”
“Bumper cars.”
“BUMPER CARS!” He clapped his hands together. “That one was really fun! Really dangerous, but there was a thrill!”
“Mmm.”
“Oh, oh! And then there was the haunted house, and those dark rides where it was like a train but there was a whole other scene inside, and then that water gun game that I won! I won that hyena plushie that I gave to you, remember?”
“Oh, I remember.” Ruggie humored the other. “It’s still in my backpack.”
“And that claw machine that I ALSO WON!”
“I know. I still have the plushie for that too.”
“I actually want that one. Don’t steal it from me!”
“I’m not going to steal it!”
“Oh, and then there was the drop tower, and that boat ride, and the swings that swung round and round, and then we ate that cotton candy and the funnel cake and then and then-“ He trailed off as their seat reach the very top of the wheel, showcasing the view of the entire park. Riddle looked out to it in wonder, and he sighed with a wide smile as the words left him.
“It was all just so…magical.”
“…Mmm.” Riddle’s eyes glistened as he looked at the view that the ferris wheel had to offer, but Ruggie’s eyes were focused on someone more beautiful than the horizon.
After a few minutes, Riddle caught sight of Ruggie staring at him, and turned away awkwardly.
“W-why are you staring at me?” Ruggie blinked back to reality at the question.
“Huh?”
“Why are you staring at me?”
“What? I’m not staring!”
“You were!”
“Wha-I-uh-“ Ruggie stuttered, scratching his head with a nervous flush. “I…sorry.”
“…it’s okay.”
“I mean, did you-“ The two turned to each other so fast that it caught the other off guard. Ruggie bit back what he was saying and cleared his throat. “…did you have fun?” At the question, Riddle gave Ruggie the sweetest smile that the boy had ever seen.
“So much fun.” He answered honestly. The two went quiet for a bit before Riddle spoke.
“…Ruggie?” Ruggie turned to look him in the eyes. A small blush crept on the redhead’s face. “Thank you. You know, for dragging me along today. I don’t think I would’ve had as much fun with anyone else.” Ruggie’s eyes went wide at the confession, before giving him a toothy grin.
“Heh, of course!” He exclaimed. “If anyone’s going to show you how to have a good time, it’s going to be me!”
“Heh heh, right.” The two laughed at each other before falling into a comfortable silence. They stared out across the vast colors of the park, shimmering with all its multicolored rides.
As they stared, Ruggie was surprised to feel a weight suddenly on his shoulder. He turned to see Riddle’s head there, his face smiling with a calm happiness. Although Ruggie was surprised at first, he soon smiled back as he too put his head on top of the other. They stayed like that even as the ferris wheel started making its way back down.
All good things must come to an end.
…
“There you are! We’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Leona scolded Ruggie, followed by Riddle. The two had wandered off, after all, and the rest of their school mates were searching everywhere for them, not being able to leave otherwise.
“Honestly, where were you two? We’ve been waiting for hours!” Vil critiqued with a frown. Ruggie snickered nervously.
“Hehe, sorry! We got a little sidetracked!”
“Typical excuse.” Leona groaned. “Seriously, you, of all people, were keeping me of going home. I had enough on my plate as it was.”
“A little responsibility is not going to kill you-“
“Do not run off again.”
“Yeah yeah.” Ruggie shrugged off. “Alright, so….we all here?” All of the house wardens did a headcount to make sure they had all of their members, each of them giving confirmation for each dorm.
“Looks like we’re all here.” Jamil confirmed, even doing a double count to be extra sure. “Let’s make our way back to the busses: we’re on a schedule.” With an order for everyone to stick together, the students started walking towards the exit, ready to go back to NRC.
Ruggie sighed as he watched everyone walking away. He wished the day hadn’t ended. He didn’t even really know why, but he wanted to spend more time with the teapot tyrant, and he knew that once they got back to school that they were going to go back to home things were before. He didn’t want that.
As he started walking, someone suddenly grabbed the back of his shirt, chocking him. He was forcefully dragged behind a nearby concession stand, and pushed against the wall.
“Hey! What gi-Riddle?!!” He was shocked to see the boy in front of him. More shocked to see the serious expression on his face. And was he…sweating?
“Look, I know we’re leaving and that we already got in trouble with the others, but I’m about to do something that is probably against some sort of rule, but my mind will not let me go until I get this off of my chest!”
“Riddle, you’re scaring me-“ Cutting off his sentence, Riddle grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close. He smashed his lips against the others, Ruggie’s eyes going so wide that they hurt from the strain. Riddle was shaking; either from nerves or from him standing on his tip toes.
When Riddle let go, Ruggie didn’t let him get very far. He brought him back in for another kiss, a proper one this time. With one hand on his waist and the other on his neck, the two kissed each other gently, resolving any previous feelings that had built up from the day they spent together.
“Where did they go now?!” They heard someone angrily say. The two stopped abruptly, not wanting to get caught by the others.
“We need to go.” Riddle ordered, his follow the rules instinct kicking in. Ruggie groaned, still not wanting to leave. Riddle noticed Ruggie’s disappointment and promptly cleared his throat.
“We can continue….another time.” He said with a flushed face. Ruggie’s eyes widened before he smiled.
“If you say so, shehehe~!” The two were then found by Leona and, after a proper scolding, were forced to follow everyone else.
All good things must come to an end, but at least there were promises of a next time.