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Toshiro tapped his foot against the ground, trying not to gaze at his phone every two seconds. Laios said he was on his way, with an unsettling amount of emojis to show how excited he was. The only thing Toshiro sent back was a simple smiley face.
Play it cool, play it cool, play it cool. Kabru's words of advice lingered in his head. He was at the carnival an hour early. Crowds of people were gathered here, traversing the park.
He was suddenly nervous that a passerby would think he was getting stood up.
"Toshiro!"
Looking up, Toshiro locked eyes with his boyfriend walking up to him - dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans. It's nothing extraordinary yet it still made Toshiro's heart jump that he made it all this way just to see him. It still didn't feel real. Toshiro smiled, standing up, and Laios spread his arms to immediately welcome him into a warm embrace.
His cypress scented cologne wafted through Toshiro's nostrils, wrapping his arms around Laios.
"Hi." He said, unable to contain his racing heart.
"Hey," Laios was just as bashful when he pulled away, smiling down at Toshiro. "Your hair's down," he said, touching a strand of Toshiro's hair, dark silk slipping between his fingers. "You look... really, really pretty." He breathed out, a tint of pinks in his cheeks as he admired Toshiro's outfit. He'd also have to thank Kabru for that, later.
Feeling his own cheeks grow hot, Toshiro smiled. "Thank you, Laios."
Laios' smile grew wider, taking Toshiro's hand in his.
"C'mon! Let's go! I'm dying to try out all the rides!"
"Excuse me?" Toshiro asked as Laios pulled him further into the park. "Did you just say all the rides?"
Laios was laughing, but Toshiro wasn't. When he said he was going to take Toshiro on every ride, he meant it. The nausea settling at the pit of Toshiro's stomach intensified by the time they got off the spinning ride.
"Please," he begged, holding onto Laios' arm. "Can we sit down somewhere?"
"Oh, you okay?" Laios' hand was on Toshiro's back, eyebrows narrowing in concern. "Sorry, we can stop going on any more rides if you want."
"No, it's fine..." Toshiro said as they sat down on one of the benches. "I'd prefer we just avoid the intense ones, is all."
"Are you sure?" For him to be so attentive and considerate like this made Toshiro's heart melt, and out of guilt, he didn't want to cut their time short. He liked Laios' company, he just had a weak stomach when it came to roller coaster rides.
"Yes." Toshiro nodded with a smile.
Laios let out a sigh of relief, grinning. "You hungry? I could get us something to eat."
"Sure."
"What do you want?"
"Um, just get anything." Toshiro didn't have a strong preference for carnival food. As long as he ate something, that was fine. He was a little hungry anyway. Laios wasted no time, telling him to wait so he could go and get them carnival food.
Toshiro tried funnel cake for the first time; it wasn't so bad. While it wasn't a favorite, it was worth seeing Laios devour an entire plate in one sitting, wiping the sugar on the corner of his lips with a napkin, only for Laios to pull him close and pepper his face with surprise kisses.
He kissed Toshiro on the lips. Toshiro tasted the sweetness, pushing Laios' face away, cheeks heating up in embarrassment.
"I've already had enough sugar."
"Really, because I need an overdose."
Toshiro snorted uncontrollably at what sounded like Laios' attempt at flirting. "What on earth is that supposed to mean?"
"You smell and taste really sweet." Laios said, like it was the easiest thing to say in the world. Toshiro averted his gaze, facepalming.
"Laios..."
Laios chuckled, taking Toshiro's hand. "Wanna check out the prize games with me?" Just like that, they were back to normal. Maybe Toshiro shouldn't be so afraid that things would be different between them. Aside from the flirting and Laios' tendencies to engage in lots of PDA, it was as if nothing had really changed at all. It made him more comfortable when they approached the prize games.
These silly games weren't really Toshiro's thing, but he didn't mind watching Laios play and cheering him on. He won, and when the employee behind the counter asked what kind of prize he would like Laios looked at Toshiro suddenly.
"Which one of those plushies you want, babe?"
The word babe caught Toshiro off-guard, then he snapped out of his daze.
"Oh, it's okay-"
"Please? Can I get you something? I really want to!"
"Laios..."
"Please!"
"You two are so adorable," the woman behind the counter commented with a fond smile. With scarlet cheeks, Toshiro sighed. He scanned over the display of prizes, plush toys sitting on a shelf. His eyes landed on a particular beetle.
Laios' eyes followed to where he was staring.
"He wants that one," he said, pointing at the horrendous beetle sitting on the middle shelf.
They left, with Toshiro holding the giant beetle to his chest. In exchange, he bought Laios a giant stick of cotton candy. They end up sharing bites out of it throughout the night, exchanging shy smiles with each other.
The last ride of the night was the ferris wheel. A ride much more suitable to Toshiro's tastes. Laios' was pointing out the window the whole time, on a tangent about something Toshiro couldn't really remember, since he was hyperfocused on their knees and arms touching, spending the ride within close proximity.
Not wanting to call it a night, they wandered the fair for some time, not really going on any rides, just enjoying each other's company. Laios goaded Toshiro into taking pictures, as they were so caught up in the fun it had slipped his mind. Laios had also taken pictures of Toshiro as they ate more carnival food, covering his face because he thought he was the opposite of photogenic, but Laios would beg to differ.
Toshiro took the bus while Laios drove, so he drove Toshiro back to his dorm later.
They're recounting all the memorable parts of their time at the fair, Laios talking animatedly and making Toshiro laugh, stopping at his door. Thankfully, Kabru would be spending the night with Mithrun, so neither of them had to worry about their moment together being interrupted.
Their laughter faded into loud silence. Toshiro holding onto his rhino beetle and staring down at his feet, and Laios looking anywhere but at Toshiro.
"Um," he was the first to speak. "Did you... did you have fun tonight?"
Toshiro nodded.
"Me too," Laios grinned. "Would you... like to do this again sometime?"
"Yes," Toshiro replied. "I'd love to."
Laios played it cool at first, then he pumped his fist in the air, shouting "yes!" making Toshiro giggle.
"And Marcille and Falin were telling me that fairs wouldn't be a good idea."
"Well... they're not wrong, but," Toshiro met Laios' gaze, walking up to him and pecking him on the lips, a surge of confidence that surprised him - and Laios as well. "I had a nice time with you anyway."
Laios blinked rapidly, spluttering, cheeks beet red. Toshiro couldn't help but laugh behind his palm.
"Y-You can't do that! Toshiro! That's not fair! You're just so cute!" Laios whined, ruffling his hands in his hair, flustered by the gesture. "I wasn't ready!"
Toshiro waited patiently for him to calm down, looking at Laios. "Are you ready now?" He asked, a little coy, as it was nice to have the upper hand in this scenario.
Laios exhaled, something more intense hidden beneath his eyes that made a shiver course through Toshiro's spine.
He stepped closer, and his hands found Toshiro's cheeks, tucking his hair behind his ears. Golden eyes flickered down to Toshiro's lips.
"Mhm," Laios nodded, leaning in. "Can I kiss you again, Toshiro? Because fuck, I really want to. So badly."
Toshiro responded by using one hand to yank the string of Laios' sweatshirt, bringing his head down to slot their lips together firmly, giving Laios the opportunity to do more than just kiss - but make out right outside Toshiro's dorm for maybe an hour or two, the taste of cotton candy still on Laios' lips