By early June, summer was in full bloom in Ylisstol.
Cicadas always marked the beginning of summer in Robin's opinion. Even deep downtown, they were incredibly active, giving the city with an omnipresent, loud buzz over the usual hum of traffic. The weather had become hot, hazy and humid, leaving the air feeling thick and stifling most of the time. Robin wasn't a big fan of the humidity, but she liked the thunderstorms that often followed. To her excitement, there were plenty in Ylisse, especially compared to Plegia's usual summer droughts. Summer had also become a bit of an adjustment period for Robin. Since the wedding, she'd been adjusting to her relationship with Stahl.
While sometimes it felt like nothing had really changed between them, other times the whole world felt different. They worked, spent time with their friends and with each other as usual, though obviously with more affection between the two of them. As long as neither worked too early or too late, they spent the night together, too. More often than not, they stayed at Robin's, seeing as Stahl lived with Sully and Sully tended to claim dibs on their place so that she could spend time with Sumia. There had been two or three nights where both Robin and Sumia had ended up staying at Stahl and Sully's, leading to an intense discussion about romance novels and the lack of eggs in the house the next morning.
Robin had also begun noticing small things that Stahl did, his usually subtle actions she'd never really noticed before. He snuck extra sugar into her coffee when she wasn't looking (or at least when he thought she wasn't looking), which explained why it had tasted so much better lately. He'd managed to fix the rattling sound her air conditioner made without her knowing, too. She'd complained about it one night, and the next morning, it had stopped. She likely wouldn't have guessed that it was him, but he'd forgotten to wash the dust off his fingertips before breakfast. He also checked up on her regularly, making sure she didn't skip meals, and if she did, he never failed to bring something for her. Robin never saw it as anything more than slight concern until she realized how much more regularly she was eating.
Robin attributed his silent actions to his meek nature, the fact that he didn't want credit, and was plenty happy just to help.
Robin also figured his meek nature was the reason he'd managed to neglect mentioning his birthday, which, thanks to social media, she was just now finding out was in two days.
With no gift, no real idea of what to get him, and limited time, she'd called Chrom in a bit of a panic.
"Two days? And he didn't say anything?"
"Noooo," Robin despaired. "And now I don't know what to get him. And I have no time."
She buried her head in her pillow and sighed in frustration. They'd just celebrated Chrom's birthday a few weeks prior. Why couldn't Stahl have said anything then? A simple, Oh, yeah, I guess my birthday's coming up, too! would have been more than enough. Robin had always been good at planning, organizing, but now she felt totally lost.
"Maybe he didn't tell us to avoid this exact scenario," Chrom told Robin. "Avoid us getting worked up over it, that is."
Robin groaned. "That's great and all, but he's still my boyfriend, and I'd still like to do something nice."
She loved saying that. Her boyfriend. It had such a nice ring to it.
Chrom was quiet on the other end of the line, considering their options. "We could all surprise him and take him somewhere. Like the theme park," he suggested.
Robin loved the idea. Going to the theme park for the first time? Great! Making the visit extra special because it was her boyfriend's birthday? Even better. "Oh! That sounds good. I don't know if he has the day off, though."
"I could check with Olivia. I bet she could get someone to cover for him, if he doesn't. I know Gaius definitely isn't busy that day, 'cause he was trying to convince me to get wasted with him tomorrow night."
Robin was thrilled now that she had plans falling into place. She still had to sort out a gift, but a surprise outing was a good enough start.
"Thanks, Chrom. You're a real lifesaver."
She could almost hear Chrom's grin. "It's what I do!"
Robin was incredibly grateful that her friends were great at planning with limited time.
While Gaius and Olivia had the day off, Stahl did not. Olivia managed to convince one of their younger coworkers to cover for him by promising that she'd take over three days for the kid some other time, and put a good word in with their manager to ensure he'd get a raise come fall. Olivia told Stahl that there had been a scheduling error, which saved Stahl confusion in wondering why an overenthusiastic sixteen year old was offering to take his shift. With that settled, it wasn't hard to convince Stahl to stay over at Robin's that night.
Robin almost felt bad waking Stahl up in the morning. They'd gone to bed pretty late, having gotten caught up watching some stupid show until almost three. Chrom had warned Robin that they needed to get to the park early to avoid as many lines as they could, which meant he was coming to get them at nine. Of course she hadn't listened.
Stahl was too tired to question anything Robin said. Half-asleep, he managed to get himself dressed and followed Robin out of her apartment to Chrom's car. He definitely woke up once outside, though, with the sudden noise of confetti poppers and four people shouting 'Happy birthday!' at the top of their lungs.
(Or maybe it was Gaius' outfit: a muscle tee that showed off his incredibly lanky body, khaki shorts, socks with little kittens on them and sports sandals that were all the rage in Ylisstol. Not what most people would typically choose as a fashion statement, but the shorts had big pockets for candy storage, a must in all his outfits.)
Stahl's eyes went wide, his face showing his clear bewilderment. The few people walking past them on the street looked just as confused.
"I..." he started, only to break into a shy smile. "How did you guys find out?"
"Facebook," Gaius answered.
"Oh. Right. Should've guessed."
Robin pinched Stahl's cheek gently. "You should have told us."
He gave a small shrug. "I didn't want you guys to worry about it."
"Too bad!" Chrom exclaimed, throwing the door to the passenger seat open. "We did anyways. Everyone in, cause we're heading out."
"Wait, where are we going?" Stahl asked, perplexed.
Olivia grinned and clasped her hands together. "Dragon Kingdom! It'll be great!"
He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it quickly.
Robin ushered him into the backseat and sat with him. Olivia took shotgun before Gaius could, forcing the ginger bitterly accept defeat in the backseat. Robin was sandwiched between Gaius and Stahl, which would have been a bit more pleasant if Gaius didn't have incredibly bony shoulders, as she was now finding out. She prayed the park wasn't too far. There was only so much poking she could take before she bruised.
Before they got onto the highway, Chrom stopped at a drive-thru to pick up coffee and breakfast before either Stahl or Robin could complain.
"I didn't really get you a gift, but I'll pay for your pass and cover breakfast," Chrom told Stahl as the man tried to give him money for his order.
"Thanks!" Stahl said enthusiastically. The thought of free food had perked him up significantly. Olivia went next, digging a carefully wrapped package out of her bag.
"Robin and I made fig cakes, but I'm not letting anyone touch them till after lunch," Olivia informed him. She then passed the wrapped gift to Stahl, who excitedly opened it. "It's not much, but Robin said it was your favorite color."
A green sweater Robin had helped Olivia pick out the day before, after they'd made the cakes. The day had been pretty busy for the two of them, meeting at ten in the morning for shopping, baking, and getting everything ro fall in place. They'd only said goodbye to each other at about seven, when Stahl got to Robin's.
His eyes lit up at the sight of the sweater.
"Oh, it's great! Thank you!" Stahl beamed. "I'd put it on if it wasn't ninety degrees out."
Olivia went a pleased shade of pink and smiled.
"Alright, my turn," Gaius said. He dug deep into his pockets, his shoulders poking deep into Robin's. He pulled out a handful of candies and a gift card... to the shop they worked at. Stahl was grateful nonetheless.
"I'll give you mine later," Robin told Stahl after he'd thanked Gaius. "Sorry. Also, I'll cover lunch."
"No, don't worry about it! It's fine, really," Stahl insisted. He put an arm around Robin's shoulders and pulled her close.
Before Robin could protest, Gaius cut in. "Heh, later, huh?"
He reached over Robin to nudge Stahl. Robin had grown a bit impervious to Gaius' teasing, but Stahl was still a ready victim. He went bright red, timid at the thought, while Robin gave Gaius a dead, disappointed stare.
"Don't be weird, Gaius," she told him. He answered with an impish grin. Olivia twisted around as best as she could to smack him. Robin was glad Olivia had her back, and she was sure Stahl was more than grateful, too.
Gaius had grown better at dodging their friend, somehow managing to slink behind her line of fire, even in a tiny space. His usual comments had forced him to get used to Olivia's quickfire hits.
Chrom sighed and exchanged a look with Robin in the rearview mirror. She gave him her best 'well, what can you do?'. The two could try to act exasperated all the wanted, but truthfully, they did kind of love it.
The car ride was a good hour, but everyone was too distracted to find it long or boring. Chrom played weird Valmese pop, his genre of choice, while Gaius complained. Stahl, Robin and Olivia ignored their bickering, keeping a conversation going between the three of themselves instead. Olivia had brought her camera, planning to use it to record the day. It also helped stop Gaius and Chrom's arguing, as Gaius felt the need to pose any time the lens got close to him.
The nearer they got to the park, the giddier Robin grew. Chrom compared her to a child, keenly pointing out the rides she could spot from the car. She wasn't even sure Plegia had such a cool place; she was more than allowed to be excited about it.
The parking lot was blessedly quiet, which helped further her excitement; less people meant smaller lines.
"We have to get on all the big, scary shit first," Gaius told everyone. They were standing beside the car, gathering their things. Olivia was doing her best to force the ginger to put sunscreen on, concerned that his pale skin would crisp up like cheap bacon.
"Won't that be a bit much, this early?" Stahl asked. His voice had a slight edges, which Robin guessed was nerves. Olivia gave up on Gaius and passed the sunscreen to her. She rubbed it onto her bare shoulders, a rare sight, but necessary given the heat.
"Better now than later," Chrom said. "It'll be busier after lunch, and the lines will be way longer."
"I guess," Stahl replied, but he didn't look convinced, or any less concerned.
"You'll be fine," Robin told him. She dabbed sunscreen onto his cheeks and kissed his nose. "I'll be right beside you."
That did the trick to calm him down. He loosed a breath and relaxed his shoulders.
Gaius stuck his tongue out at them. "Ugh, don't do that. Be cute and stuff."
"A bit upset Libra couldn't come?" Chrom teased. Gaius side-eyed him and pouted, giving them a clear answer. Chrom's car only fit five, so unfortunately Libra had gotten left behind, much to Gaius' disappointment.
"It's Stahl's birthday," Olivia reminded Gaius. "They get a free pass."
Robin gave Gaius a shit-eating grin and put an arm around Stahl's waist. He happily leaned into her touch.
Gaius groaned and begrudgingly began making his way to the ticket stand, his sandals flopping loudly with each step. The others grabbed their bags and followed after him.
The park had just opened, and the lines for tickets were minuscule, making things easy and fast. Once inside the park, Olivia sought out a map, and the group gathered around to consult it. The park was split into five main areas, all keeping with an overall fantasy theme. The entrance to the park, where they currently were, had a couple fountains and well-tended flower gardens that were well guarded by five bright, multicolored statues of dragons. Each dragon had a different domain, a section of the park. Following the blue footprints on the ground led to the waterpark, the black ones to the roller coasters, the green ones to the kids area, the yellow ones to the slower rides, like the carousel, and the pink ones to anything that didn't fall under the above categories. The park was also filled with restaurants, souvenir shops, and to Gaius' excitement, plenty of candy shops.
Gaius and Chrom led everyone down the path of the black dragon, taking them to an enormous ride with a purple and black steel track. It boasted being the largest in Ylisse, which was promising. Up close, it was even harder for Robin to hide her awe. Of course she'd seen roller coasters in movies and from a distance before, but up close they just looked that much cooler, giant marvels of architecture and multicolored steel. There was definitely something to be said about humans and their ideas of fun.
Awed as she was, Robin's anxiety began eating away at her, a gnarled claw in the pit of her stomach that made her break out into a cold sweat. Being up close showed just how high the ride was. Maybe it being her first wasn't a particularly great idea. She fought off the growing anxiety by noting how excited Chrom and Gaius looked, and thinking how much her dad would have hated something like this. Her resentment of her father was a stronger feeling than the want to back out, which allowed her to go through with it.
Chrom and Gaius chose to sit at the very front of the car, both betting that the other would chicken out or cry. Stahl and Robin took the very back, with Olivia and a stranger right in front of them.
"You're not scared?" Stahl asked Robin, fastening his belt. He looked a little pale.
"I think I'll be okay," Robin replied. "Think being the keyword here. How about you?"
Stahl nodded and grabbed her hand, squeezing tight. He was gnawing on his bottom lip, suggesting he was probably more nervous than he was letting on. Olivia twisted around as much as the straps would allow it so that she could join the conversation.
"It's fun! A bit scary, but I think you'll like it," Olivia told Robin. "Though considering you're going on Ylisse's tallest as your first ride, it might be more scary than fun."
Robin shrugged, and an attendant came to tighten her belt and the security bar.
"Gotta start somewhere. Plus, after this, no others can freak me out, right?" Robin responded.
Olivia opened her mouth to speak, but the intercom came to life, forcing her to turn around. The attendant gave the brisk, usual warning of keeping limbs in the car, and it was off.
Going up the first slope took a long time, during which anxiety and anticipation built up in Robin's stomach. She could hear Chrom and Gaius chiding each other all the way in the front. She was too scared to open her mouth and talk to Stahl, and by the looks of it, he was feeling the same way. By the time they reached the top, her grip on the safety bar was so strong, her knuckles had gone white. It was too hard to focus on how high up they'd gotten for the brief second they were there, and suddenly all Robin could feel was her heart in her throat, the wind whipping her face and whizzing past her ears.
She loved the feeling, plummeting towards the Earth, but safely. A far safer version of the nightmare she'd been having since she was a child, and much more pleasant.
The ride was shorter than she'd expected, over in under two minutes, but she was exhilarated nonetheless. Stahl's perpetual cowlicks were worse than usual, and Gaius had tears in his eyes from the wind when they got off.
"Pretty great, huh, Robin?" Gaius asked, putting an arm over his friend's shoulders. His voice was hoarse from screaming.
"Really great!" Robin exclaimed. She felt like a kid, overeager and a bit overwhelmed. She turned to grin at Stahl, only to find him looking green and rather ill.
"Whoa, you alright?" Chrom asked him, noting his change.
"Uuuhh..." Stahl started, but was cut off by a sudden spasm. His eyes widened and he ran for the nearest trash can as quick as he could.
And then promptly threw up his breakfast.
Oh, no.
Olivia and Chrom rapidly looked through their bags for water bottles or anything to help out, and Gaius ran off before his breakfast left him, too. Robin stayed beside Stahl, one hand reassuringly smoothing his hair back. After a few minutes, he raised his head and inhaled deeply. Olivia passed him her water bottle and he gratefully drank. Chrom looked concerned, and Gaius stood ten feet away making gagging noises.
"Are you feeling better?" Robin asked. She rubbed his back with one hand, something Tharja used to do when she was sick that she found calmed her down immensely.
"Yeah, I'll be fine... um... I kind of have a weak stomach," Stahl explained awkwardly. He continued taking deep breaths and large sips of water.
"You? A weak stomach?" Gaius asked. He was still a cautious six-feet away.
"A bit funny, I know, cause I eat so much," Stahl replied. Though patient, he was obviously growing tired of hearing the same thing time and time again. "Anti-nausea pills and ginger are kind of my best friends."
"So we took the guy with motion sickness and a weak stomach to a theme park. For his birthday," Chrom groaned. "Great."
"Yeah. I can't really... ride anything more. I get sick on pretty much anything that isn't a car. I figured I'd test myself on that ride, but it was definitely too much, too soon."
Stahl gave an apologetic look, more directed at Robin than anyone else. Unless he wanted to spend the day in the park's washrooms or beside its many trashcans, he would pretty much be stuck doing nothing. Robin's stomach sank, disappointment flooding through her.
Oh, no.
"Oh, Stahl, I'm sorry!" Olivia cried.
Robin put her face in her hands. "We've just singlehandedly ruined your birthday by taking you somewhere you can't even enjoy."
"No, no, it's fine!" Stahl said quickly, defending Chrom and Robin's poor choice of a birthday venue. "There's lots of cool places to eat here and we could try to win prizes at the games! And... I could sit with the bags! So that nothing gets stolen!"
His tone surprisingly enthusiastic despite everything. He was doing his best to cheer Robin up, to make the best of a not-so-great situation.
It was hard for her not to despair; she'd let her own excitement get the best of her, neglecting the fact that maybe Stahl didn't like theme parks that much. While she knew that usually he wouldn't have minded, they'd surprised him, which had given him no chance to prepare beforehand, and he'd probably left his anti-nausea pills at home. On top of that, it was his birthday; the spotlight was on him, and he was supposed to genuinely enjoy whatever was happening.
"What about kiddie rides?" Gaius offered, helpful for once. "They're not that bad."
Gaius' suggestion was thoughtful, especially considering who it was from, but Robin knew both herself, Stahl and Olivia would have been way too mortified to go through with it. Before the three of them could shoot him down, Chrom spoke up.
"Might be a bit weird for a bunch of twentysomethings to be on those rides without kids," Chrom observed. "Though that's my opinion."
Olivia, Stahl and Robin all nodded in agreement, and Gaius gave them a dejected look and a shrug.
"Is there anything you know for sure won't make you sick?" Olivia asked.
Stahl thought for a minute. "The Ferris wheel and carousel. Both are too slow to upset my stomach."
Robin felt a slow rush of relief wash over her. She was thankful that he could enjoy at least one thing.
"Alright, perfect. We'll find those, then. Gaius, take us to whatever's closest," Robin ordered.
Gaius checked his map and did what he was told, leading them down the yellow dragon's path towards the Ferris wheel.
The small group was delighted to find that once again, there was no line. The attendant on duty, a careless-looking teenager with a sunburn, stopped them before they could get into the cabin.
"Sorry, four people only. One of you won't be able to go in this one."
A bit unintentionally, Robin immediately looked at Gaius. He stared back at her blankly.
"Here, you guys take this one, and we'll take the next," Chrom said, ushering Stahl and Robin forward. He gave his friends an encouraging thumbs up.
The attendant had a dead-eyed look while he told them to keep their limbs in the ride. And an extra dead look when he reminded them this was a public, family place.
The wheel began its slow ascent upwards, the cabin rocking back and forth just barely.
"This is nice," Stahl said. He was holding Robin against him, an arm around her waist.
"Yeah," she agreed. Roller coasters were cool, but they didn't allow much cuddling.
Robin peered out the window, curious to see if the others had gotten on the ride yet. It only took a split second for her to realize this was a mistake. They were only maybe three meters off the ground, but already the ground below looked too far. She didn't like how high up they were, nor how close the lake was. The unmistakable cold dread of her acrophobia was setting in, a weird rush from her feet to her stomach. She clenched her fist tightly and bit her tongue, fully planning to grin and bear it for Stahl's sake.
"Sully would be jealous if she knew I was here. She's a daredevil like Chrom, and loves testing out all the big rides," Stahl informed Robin. "She came here a thousand times in the summer, when we were in high school."
"Mm," Robin answered, unable to muster much more.
Stahl continued talking about Sully for a moment, noting that at least nothing here could break his ribs. That he knew of. Robin hated that she couldn't focus on his words.
The wheel traveled up another few meters, then stopped. They only were about halfway up. Robin's palms got sweaty and her heart rate increased.
"What's wrong? You're shaking," Stahl said.
She'd forgotten Stahl was with her for a second, too consumed in her panic.
"You know how I'm afraid of heights sometimes?" Robin asked.
"Yeah?"
"This is one of those times."
"Oh, no," Stahl said. He looked about as panicked as Robin felt. "Try closing your eyes."
She did exactly that, squeezing her eyes shut. Stahl continued holding her, but moved so that he could hold one of her hands. He traced slow circles over her hand with his thumb, grounding her back to reality, trying to keep her calm. The fact that the wheel was moving again didn't help much, though.
"We should talk about something. It'll take your mind off of it."
Robin said the first thing that came to her mind. "I'm really sorry about how today is going. You can't really enjoy anything, and the one thing you can have fun on, you're stuck with me about to have a panic attack."
"Don't worry about it," Stahl said reassuringly, but Robin wasn't finished.
"I was selfish when we chose where to go today, and I only really thought about what I wanted to do. I'm so sorry," Robin told him. Her panic had her voicing her thoughts, loudly and rapidly.
Stahl was baffled. "What? Oh, Robin, no... no it's fine, really."
The cabin shook, and Robin yelped.
He pulled her closer to him, resting her head on his chest. Hearing his heartbeat helped soothe Robin, somehow, pulling her own down from its quicker, anxious beats.
"I didn't even tell you it was my birthday, because I didn't want you to worry about it. But you did anyways," Stahl said. "Even if I'm not a big fan of theme parks, I'm still glad we came here, cause I'm with you. My other option for today was to work, and I think the alternative is much better. Seeing you happy is a pretty great time in itself, anyways."
Robin's heart thumped painfully in her chest, a combination of anxiety and love. Her face was heated, and she was hyper-aware of his heartbeat and the circles he was still tracing over her hand. While she wouldn't be able to shake the fear until she was off the wheel, she was feeling better, enough to open her eyes.
"I'm so lucky I get to be with you. You're really too good, you know?" she told him, and she really, really meant it.
"I can try, but I feel way luckier," he replied, his voice full of adoration. "I think the gods broke the mold when they made you."
Robin's anxiety wasn't totally gone, but her heart (and legs) had melted into a pool of mush, enough to distract her from how afraid she'd been moments before. She reached over to his opposite side and gently cupped his face with one hand. She let her lips graze his jawline, placing feather-light kisses along her trail. She watched his eyes flutter shut, and he let out the quietest moan, still caring for propriety in a mostly private place. She couldn't help but giggle. At least it was keeping her fear at bay.
Out of the corner of her eye, however, she spotted all-to-familiar red hair that forced her to stop her ministrations.
Their cabin was stopped at the very top, which allowed for whatever was inside the two alongside it to be easily visible. Directly across from where Robin was facing was Gaius, his face pressed against the glass pane of his cabin while he made stupid faces.
Once again, Robin went to wishing the ride was over.
Even though their morning had been somewhat disastrous, the day fortunately improved from there.
Seeing as Stahl's options were quite limited, the group rode the carousel six times, until the attendant kicked them off. They ate lunch at one of the greasy fast food places, then tucked in to the fig cakes Robin and Olivia had made the day before. Olivia also made sure to snap a few shots every few minutes, be it Chrom posing in front of the steel dragons, Stahl and Robin caught up in a conversation, or Gaius suspiciously eyeing the candy shops or terrifying draconic mascots.
The heat grew steadily throughout the morning, and by the afternoon, the sun was blistering hot and the humidity was stifling. Everyone smelled like sweat and sunscreen, and even holding hands was too much contact. A bright side to the heat was that the park began offering free refills on just about every drink, a lifesaver when the water bottles were bone-dry, and the fountains lukewarm.
Stahl insisted that everyone still enjoy the rides without him, and continued reminding everyone that he was glad to watch the bags. Even if they did feel bad, the others weren't too opposed to the idea.
On route to one of Olivia's favorite rides, Gaius stopped dead in his tracks.
"I need to win that," he informed everyone. He was pointing at one of the carnival games, or more specifically the prizes. The one he had his eye on was a four foot tall, very cheaply made monstrosity. It was just barely recognizable as a knockoff of a character from a kid's cartoon, some superhero dog or something. Its eyes were sewn on crooked, and its fur was a weird fabric Robin was sure was incredibly scratchy.
It was so horrible that it was beautiful. Robin understood why Gaius had to have it.
"Most of these games are rigged," Chrom told the ginger, who was already on his way towards the game.
"Don't care. Need that dog," he replied. The girl behind the counter, was doing her best to attract customers, excitedly shouting out to anyone who passed by. Someone like her was perfect for her job, her contagious excitement working wonders to draw people in.
"Hiya! Looking to try your luck?" she called, her voice sugar-sweet. She had long, blond hair streaked with green that she'd tied up into a ponytail, and some of the most interesting violet eyes Robin had ever seen. She also looked quite young, not much older than maybe twelve. Robin couldn't help but question Ylisse's child labor laws.
"Oh, hell yes," Gaius told the girl. She grinned the kind of grin that took over her whole face, crinkling her eyes and showing all her teeth, the kind of smile that made it seem like the only emotion she could experience was joy.
"Three dollars per play. Your duck, over here-" she gestured to the wall behind her, which had ducks jutting out over a track embedded into the wall, "has to reach the finish line. You shoot water on the target here to move it. If you can do it, you get a small prize. If you do it in forty-five seconds, you get a medium prize. Thirty seconds or less and you can have that dog you've been eyeing."
Gaius handed the girl three dollars and cracked his knuckles. She looked looked at his entourage.
"Anyone else gonna give it a go?"
Olivia, who'd been checking out an adorable pink bunny, sat beside Gaius and passed the woman some cash. Stahl dug through his pockets for a second and joined them, too.
"Alrighty! I think you all heard the rules. I'll get this timer started in three. Everyone ready?"
The girl pressed a button, and the timer buzzed, startling Robin.
Gaius, Olivia, and Stahl shot as quickly as they could. After ten seconds, Stahl's duck was in the lead. After twenty, Olivia's had gained the advantage. At twenty eight, Stahl's had regained the lead and hit the finish line.
"Oh, wow! You're really, really good! You get a big prize!" the girl announced. Robin high-fived Stahl for his victory.
Olivia and Gaius kept going. Just before the timer finished, Olivia hit the line, winning herself a prize, too. Gaius finished dead last, still far behind Olivia's duck, and even farther behind the finish line. He wailed.
"I'm trying again. I've gotta," Gaius said. He fished another few dollars out of his pocket.
The girl ignored him for a second, getting prizes for Olivia and Stahl. Olivia nabbed the pink bunny, and Stahl took a massive bear that nearly equaled Robin in height. The girl started the timer, and Gaius started his attempt towards victory for the second time. Fifteen seconds passed quickly, and things were already looking down. His persistence was clear on his face, however; he wasn't going to stop until he won the stupid dog toy.
"Well," the girl at the counter said. "Looks like you might be here a while! Might as well make some friends. I'm Nowi! Nice to meet you."
True to Nowi's prediction, they ended up spending quite a while at her booth. Gaius really wouldn't leave until he won the dog, spending as much money as it required.
Robin and Olivia chatted with Nowi while they waited. They were a bit shocked to find out she was older than fifteen, and even more shocked to find out she was almost three years older than them. She was an unbelievably cheery girl, and her sunny, eager disposition made her easy and fun to talk to. Olivia also took the chance to take a couple photos, even including Nowi in a few.
After fifteen minutes, close to fifty dollars, and a multitude of small stuffed animals, Gaius finally "won" his prize. Nowi had taken pity on him around his ninth turn, and after his fifteenth, freely gave him the ugly dog he loved so much. It was now a bit of a double-edged blade, though; he had the toy, but he was also now stuck carrying it around, along with the six other small prizes he'd won. The regret in his eyes was clearly visible.
Robin almost felt bad saying goodbye to Nowi, but the day was wearing on, and Olivia still wanted to get on her favorite ride: a drop tower. A bit cautious after the Ferris wheel, Robin decided to sit it out with Stahl. She'd been able to go on just about all the coasters so far, but anything that rose slowly and too high, she'd avoided.
They found a bench in the shade, and Robin gladly collapsed onto it with all the prizes and bags.
"Doing alright?" Stahl asked, falling beside her.
"Kinda wanna shower, but otherwise I'm having a great day," Robin told him. "You?"
"Tired," Stahl admitted. "More so than I should be considering I've been sitting pretty much all day."
He rested his head on Robin's shoulder, proving his point. She rubbed his neck with one hand and before letting it travel to his hair, tousling it. He sighed contentedly.
"A good birthday, though?"
Robin didn't have to see his face to know he was smiling. "The best."
She sighed in relief. Earlier in the day, she really thought she'd completely screwed it up. He may not have expected anything, but she had still wanted him to have a good day. He deserved that much, for everything he'd done for her so far.
"The bear's for you, by the way," Stahl told Robin, jerking his head towards the toy. They'd propped it up beside Robin, taking up a spot on the bench like a human.
"It's your birthday," Robin reminded him.
"All the cheesy couples do it. I'm always happy to get you a gift."
Robin kissed his forehead, the most accessible spot due to their current positions.
"I still have to give you yours."
"Hm?"
"Your birthday gift. It's not super exciting, though, I warn you."
She wasn't lying; it was a pretty simple gift. She'd gotten him a few recipe books, a cheap turntable and vinyls of a band he mentioned that he and Sully had gone to see a few weeks ago. She knew that even if he hated it, he'd still say he loved it, though, which despite everything, was a reassuring thought.
Stahl chuckled, and Robin could feel the rumble against her.
"That's fine. I already told you I'm glad just being with you."
Robin shook her head, though she was smiling bashfully. They were indeed a cheesy couple.
She looked over at Stahl and noticed that his cheeks were dusted with a light blush (or maybe sunburn). His eyes were closed and he was smiling lazily, unperturbed by any of the sounds or screams around them. The sight was enough to put Robin at peace, too, and enough for her to forget that they weren't the only two people in the world.
Maybe it hadn't been a perfect day, like she had hoped it would be, but it came pretty damn close.
a/n:
story time! i'm the opposite of robin, in that my dad literally won't stop taking me to theme parks. he keeps taking me and my brother to canada's wonderland for my birthday even though i've told him that the rides give me headaches. also my brother hates my dad. that doesn't help the family bonding and overall Great Birthday Experience. anyways! i've been trying to incorporate supports/canon as much as possible. i hope it's working out. also this chapter felt a bit all over the place for a while, but overall, i'm really happy with how it turned out. i hope you are too.
WitchhPrincess: i'm glad! i was pretty worried no one else liked the idea, heh. thanks for leaving regular comments, by the way! i love reading them!