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After Qiu told Roxanne about their struggles with reconnecting with Golden Grove, she proposed that they'd go to the local amusement park to help Qiu become more comfortable again. Roxy types away at her phone while waiting for her best friend in the middle of all the chaos, unsure of what the two will be in the future. Although, one thing is for certain; she wanted to stay with them and would do anything to make them happy. Snapping out of her thoughts, Roxy adjusts her choker as she types away on her phone.
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"Was the wait worth it?"
Roxanne turns around after hearing a voice, completely stunned at the sight of Qiu in their outfit. They were wearing an off-shoulder sweater over a black sleeveless top with dark denim jeans; Qiu was wearing their usual chokers, but the biggest difference is that their hair was fully down. Roxy notices this and smiles widely, her gaze remained focused on them as she makes her way through the crowd; today was a weekend, hence the number of people.
"Damn, Qiu." Roxy giggles even though she's completely stunned, nodding as she admires them. "Yes, it was. You know I'll always wait for you though." She replies, trying to not get too excited because she won't be able to suppress the urge to squeeze them once she does. Qiu's heart flutters at her reply, and they quickly loop their arm around Roxanne's elbow, wanting to walk arm in arm. "Let's go then! The rollercoaster's right over there." They point excitedly and exclaim, knowing both of them like rollercoasters. Without warning, they tug on her arm and proceed to make their way joyfully to the line.
"Someone's excited." She teases, nudging Qiu as they turn to look at her with a content expression on their face. "Of course I am, I didn't get dressed up all for nothing." They shrug, chuckling as Roxy closes the distance between them to peck their cheek. Qiu smiles wider, savoring the feeling. Roxanne adjusts her position and whispers in Qiu's ear, "You look beautiful, Toffee."
They blush lightly at her actions and words, placing a kiss on her cheek as well to return the favor. "You're quite handsome too, Choco." Qiu grins, and their words cause Roxy to blush. She instantly becomes shy, which wasn't usual for her. "Come on, I'm wearing the girliest outfit I have right now." She states, trying to dodge the compliment but Qiu is persistent. "Doesn't matter at all, you're still quite the looker."
Before Roxy could reply, they're finally next in the line to board the rollercoaster. Reluctantly, Qiu lets go of her arm and walks with her, boarding the ride as they buckle their seatbelts. The staff first check if the seatbelts are secure, pulling down the lap bars before carefully locking the small gate the two entered through.
"I'm so excited." Roxy grins to herself, and she holds onto the lap bar. Soon enough, Qiu follows suit as the ride eventually starts.
The two scream in excitement as the rollercoaster becomes faster, adrenaline pumping through their veins. Seizing the opportunity, Qiu wraps their arms around Roxanne, and she looks at them, a bit confused as to why they're holding on. "What's this for?" She asks, slightly blushing as she holds onto the lap bar for dear life. They just giggle, placing their head on Roxy's shoulder.
"This makes the rollercoaster more fun." Qiu smirks, and Roxanne groans. They were going to be the death of her.
Before Roxy would pass away from the proximity of Qiu and their grip, the ride ends. She lets out a sigh of relief; Roxanne loved rollercoasters, but she felt her heart beat ten times faster than it usually would. The staff tried to hold back a giggle at the sight of Qiu holding onto Roxanne, and they notice this, quickly letting go before Roxy gets off the ride. She holds out a hand for them, and their grin widens. "Thanks." They murmur, walking hand in hand to the next ride.
"Let's go there!" Qiu points to the haunted house in the distance, and she grins, knowing how Qiu liked spooky stuff as much as they refused to say anything about it. The two hurry excitedly to the short line in front of the house, and she squeezes their hand in excitement.
Entering the dark place, Qiu squeezes Roxy's hand in return, trying not to look too fearful. Roxanne wasn't a fan of a dark, but she went into the haunted house for their enjoyment. There was already ambient sounds in there, and she shivers, freezing because of the air conditioning. "You're trembling. Are you scared, Roxanne?" Qiu taunts, and Roxy glares at them, practically piercing through their skull.
"It's cold." She replies blankly, and a hand touches Qiu's back out of nowhere; it runs their fingers through their spine and they shout. "AH— What the fuck?!" They jolt, quickly grabbing Roxanne's arm as they grip it tightly. Their smile completely disappears, but Roxanne's still remains on her face as she tries to hold her giggles. Unfortunately, she fails and bursts into a laughing fit as she looks at Qiu.
"Damn, Qiu. I thought I was the one who was scared." She replies sarcastically in between giggles, slapping her knee. They huff, but realize that there's no use in denying it. "I was startled, okay?" They chuckle, continuing to navigate through the house with her. Suddenly, one of the actors appear to startle the two, wearing realistic makeup and fake blood. They wore white contacts, making them appear pupil-less. Qiu doesn't get surprised anymore after earlier, but Roxy puts her hands up defensively.
The action causes Qiu to giggle, especially with how serious she looked. "You're such a dork, Rox." They say, and she groans, removing their hand on her arm. "Go alone, Qiu." She feigns anger, and they giggle again. The actor looks done with the two, going back to their hiding after the scare failed. "Geez, sorry." Qiu chuckles, holding onto her arm again as they slowly make it out of the exhibition.
"Since we've been doing everything you've wanted, I think I should have a turn there." Roxy says, her finger pointing to the balloon popping booth. She runs, pulling Qiu along. "Woah, slow down!" They say as Roxanne drags them along, eyes widening as they practically don't have choice. The booth manager welcomes them to the stall, and Roxy offers them a smile.
"Welcome!" He grins and she quickly grabs the fake gun. "Thanks, I wanna play." She smiles and hands over a ticket, but it quickly fades as the booth manager raises an eyebrow at the sudden seriousness. Qiu looks at her and lets go of her arm, not knowing what to expect from her. Roxy holds the gun with two hands, closing one of her eyes as she uses the top of the rear sight as a guide to aim for one of the balloons. She shoots one of them down. Quickly, she uses the remaining bullets to shoot most of the balloons. She winks at them, blowing a kiss.
Qiu's eyes widen but they smile, clapping their hands. "Not bad, Rox." They grin, and the booth manager offers Roxanne a few prizes, smirking at Qiu. "Which one do you want?" She looks at them, wiggling her eyebrows. Qiu quickly grabs a wolf plushie, "I'll be having this one then." They reply, and Roxy nods, thanking the booth manager before leaving. She's a bit curious on why they chose that, and doesn't hesitate to ask about it.
"Why'd you choose the wolf?" Roxanne questions them, raising an eyebrow. Qiu responds casually, shrugging. "It reminded me of you." Those simple words were enough to make her blush, and she giggles airily, looking at them with love in her eyes. She ruffles their hair, and they scoff, finding the gesture incredibly silly. "You're still a dork, Roxy." They tease, but she doesn't care anymore, wrapping her arms around them.
Qiu looks around, spotting a fish pond game in the distance. "I'm good at this, maybe I can win you something too." They grin, and she follows along, letting go of them and grabbing their hand instead as they find the booth. "Good afternoon!" She greets the the couple, and they both smile as Roxy hands her a ticket. "One game please." They proudly proclaim, and the game begins as Roxy reluctantly lets go of their hand, watching the scene from afar.
They weren't lying, Qiu was pretty good at it. They caught more than half of the fish within two minutes, and she claps for them, cheering them on. The booth manager smiles, and Roxy quickly takes the lion plush. "Thank you!" She says at the booth manager, and Qiu nods to wordlessly repeat her statement. "Thank you as well, Toffee." She beams, planting a kiss on their forehead.
Qiu giggles, smiling from ear to ear as they return the kiss on Roxy's cheek. "You're always welcome." They reply, and the rest of the day passes by quickly. More carnival games, more rides, and more exhibitions. The two were sure they explored practically every single one. However, Roxy decided to save the best for last. The blue sky quickly turns into different warm tones, signaling the afternoon becoming the evening.
"Let's kiss there." Roxanne states blankly, pointing to the ferris wheel in the distance. Qiu blinks, not even shocked at the lack of filter of her words. "Alright then." They smirk, holding onto the wolf plush from earlier while eating cotton candy as Roxy holds the rest of their prizes. It was safe to say that they'd probably be banned next time they try to enter because of all the stalls nearly running out of prizes.
The two line up just right after the ride ended for the people who were previously there, and Qiu throws the cotton candy stick in a nearby trash can. Roxy scoots closer to them, grinning as they lay their head on her shoulder as they wait for the people in front of them to board the carriages. Eventually, the two do the same as well, sit next to each other and place their plushies in front of them.
As the carriage's entrance is meticulously shut by the staff, they can feel themselves lifting off the ground. The two admire the sunset in the distance through the window behind them, smiling widely. "It's beautiful." Qiu mutters to themselves, and Roxy nods, looking at them lovingly. "It really is." She whispers shakily, but her words were filled with sincerity.
Qiu turns to look at her as they move a little bit closer, Roxy's hand lays on top of theirs as she tilts her head. "Can I fulfill my promise now?" She asks, her expression filled with nothing but longing. They nod, blushing lightly, and she quickly closes the distance between them, gently kissing Qiu's lips as they wrap their arms behind her neck. Roxy wraps her arms around their waist as well, continuing to kiss them softly. Qiu's cheeks and ears reddened, and so did Roxanne's.
Eventually, the sky behind them becomes darker; Roxy hesitates but pulls away, wanting to admire the view with them. "Let's look at the sky one more time." She says, and Qiu nods. However, they shower her with a few more kisses on her face before letting go, eliciting sweet giggles from her. "Woah, Qiu! Stop attacking me!" She shakes her head, but the blush on her cheeks make it obvious she's just kidding.
Both of them look at the window behind them again, and notice a shooting star in the distance. Qiu quickly points it out, beaming in excitement. "Look!" They exclaim before closing their eyes, quickly making a wish. For a while, Roxanne admires their facial features then goes to do the same as them. She feels her heart warm at the sight of Qiu being happy and carefree like they were before, and she wishes this would last forever.
Opening their eyes, the two continue to smile widely as they realize the ride is about to end. They grab their plushies carefully, before waiting until they can get off the ride. The door opens, and they exit the carriage, still holding onto the prizes. The skies get darker and the two realize they must head home. Roxy realizes that her hope for this moment to never end is gone, but the wish she made on the shooting star still could come true.
"Choco, let's head home now." They say, smiling bittersweetly. Roxanne tries not to look disappointed, but Qiu quickly notices, tilting their head. "It's fine, Rox. We can go again soon." They reassure her, waiting for Roxy's mom as they leave the amusement park. Qiu rubs her arm, trying to soothe her. She sighs, looking at them sadly. "No, it's not that. I just wish I'd see you be this happy again."
Qiu's heart beats faster as they hear her words of honesty, continuing to hold onto her arm. "You will, Roxy. Just stay by my side, alright?" They comfort her, and she nods, appreciating the sentiment. "Alright." She responds sweetly, and finally notices her mom's car. The two of them enter the backseat, still arm-in-arm.
"How are you both?" Roxy's mom says, and Qiu replies for the both of them. "Today was fun, ma." They say, and Roxy's eyes widen at the term they used on her mom. She swats their arm, but Qiu and her mom giggle. "Damn it, Qiu." She grits through her teeth, but they don't say anything.
She begins driving, and Qiu looks out the window, initiating conversation with their lover. "What did you wish for earlier, Rox?" They interrogate her, sleepiness taking over their voice. Roxanne clears her throat, replying honestly. "I wished you'd stay by my side, Toffee." She responds, her voice barely above a whisper. Qiu starts to feel drowsy, placing their head on Roxy's shoulder.
"That's funny; I wished for the same, Choco." They chuckle, closing their eyes. She smiles, her heart fluttering as she feels incredibly grateful for them, placing her cheek on top of Qiu's head. "You're the sweetest. I'm glad I met you." Roxanne replies, her eyelids becoming unable to stay open anymore. "I'm glad I met you too, Rox." Qiu shares the same sentiment, slowly starting to fall asleep now.
A long car drive was ahead of the two for the rest of the night, and they hold onto each other; neither of them wanted to let go or let this moment end. It was as sweet as the cotton candy Qiu ate earlier.
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