***The Carnival***

!PART ONE!

Edmund & Lucy

*Warning: Edmund has a dirty mouth

Lucy's POV

We had been walking around the carnival for about an hour. Edmund had his arm wrapped around my waist, making my whole body tingle at the contact. It was around lunch time and I could hear his stomach growling.

"I take it you're hungry?" I joked, making him laugh. It wasn't his usual sarcastic laugh either. It was his 'I'm actually happy and am totally okay with everyone knowing' laugh.

"Find me one thing here that isn't deep fried and I'll be your best friend for life." He told me, squeezing my waist. I laughed, but inside I was thinking 'Can we be more than best friends?'

"I don't know if I can do that, but I did promise I would buy you a corn dog." I told him, making him laugh again.

"To be completely honest, I've never had a corn dog in my life." He told me with a wry smirk. I sent him a shocked look.

"You've never had a corn dog?" My jaw was practically on the ground in surprise, "Like, never ever?" He gave me another smirk.

"Yup, they don't feed deep-fried mystery meat to people with heart conditions." He stated, not sounding bitter or upset.

"Do you think we can make an exception?" I asked, sending my own smirk. He laughed and smiled, giving me my answer. I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the closest corn dog stand, ordering two. He pulled his wallet out, but I put my hand on his, "This one is on me. This is a momentous occasion. I want it to be clear of my part in it." I told him, making him raise his eyebrows.

"You'll change your mind if mom finds out." He told me as I paid for the corn dogs, "You'll want your part to be nearly invisible and nonexistent." I laughed and handed him his.

"I'll take my chances. Do you like ketchup on your hot dogs?" I asked, grabbing a ketchup packet for myself.

"I'm more of a mustard person myself." He told me with a smile, grabbing a packet of mustard and squirting it on his corn dog. He was about to take a bite, when I stopped him, pulling out my phone.

"Wait, we must record this moment for posterity." I turned on the video camera, and began narrating, "Awe… It's Edmund's first corn dog. Smile Edmund!" He just sent me a look that said he wasn't amused, before taking a bite. He started to choke and sputter.

"That thing is hot as hell. Why didn't you warn me?" His voice was horse, and I was having a hard time not laughing. He just looked at me before waving the hand that wasn't holding a corn dog, "Well, laugh already. I know it's killing you." Since I had permission, I cracked up, nearly dropping my phone. Once the corn dogs had obviously cooled down, Edmund took another bite.

"So, what do you think?" I asked with my video camera on him again. He shrugged and tried to answer with his mouth full.

"I like it." He swallowed before continuing, "I'll probably never have another one, but I like it." I went back to narrating the video.

"There you have it Ladies and Gentleman, Edmund Kirke's first corn dog; definitely an event to remember." Before I turned the camera off, I caught Edmund threatening me on tape.

"If you don't delete that video, this will really turn into an event to remember." I just laughed, because I knew it was an empty threat. I put my phone in my pocket and started to eat my lunch.

"Polly's going to kill us." I told him happily, making him look at me strange.

"Are you feeling okay? Have you been spending too much time with Corin and I?" He asked, and I couldn't tell whether he was serious or joking, until he put his hand on my forehead like he was checking for a fever.

"What do you mean?" we both threw out hot dog sticks into the garbage, before he took my hand and we started walking again.

"It sounds like you're looking forward to getting in trouble." He explained, squeezing my hand, "Your parents are going to be ticked off we corrupted you or something." I smacked him on his stomach, making him fold over in mock pain.

"I don't see a lot of my parents actually." I told him, making him look at me, "The reason I come here is because my parents are busy traveling during the summer. I could come and work here," He interrupted me by fake coughing, 'Harass me' making me hit him on the stomach again, "Or I could go to summer school." His face contorted in mock horror.

"Shovel horse crap all summer, or pretending to pay attention to the teacher in summer school." He pretended to weigh the options.

"Well, it's not really summer school, per say." I told him, "It's more of a camp, where they help you get a jump start on what you'll be learning next year." He started to laugh, making me look at him, "What's so funny?" He just shook his head, trying to contain his laughter, "What, tell me!" Finally, he managed to swallow and let go of my hand.

"It's summer school for geeks." He told me, before taking off at a run, making me chase him through the crowded field where the food booths were located.

Edmund's POV

Soon after walking into the carnival, I had moved my arm from her shoulders to rest around her waist. She seemed to lean into the touch, and we just wandered around for a while, taking in the sights until my stomach started to growl, making me turn red.

"I take it you're hungry?" She asked, making me laugh. I tightened my grip on her waist for a moment before complaining.

"Find me one thing here that isn't deep fried and I'll be your best friend for life." She laughed, leaning into me again.

"I don't know if I can do that, but I did promise I would buy you a corn dog." She stated, making me laugh at the Idea of eating unknown meat, wrapped in deep fried bread.

"To be completely honest, I've never had a corn dog in my life." I said with a smile, apparently shocking her. Her jaw had fallen open and she couldn't seem to fathom the idea.

"You've never had a corn dog?" She asked, making me raise my eyebrows, "Like, never ever?" I gave her a mischievous smile.

"Yup, they don't feed deep-fried mystery meat to people with heart conditions." I told her. I wasn't sad about it. You can't miss what you've never had. She sent me a smirk, which made me a little nervous.

"Do you think we can make an exception?" I smiled, letting out a laugh. Apparently that was a yes, because she grabbed my hand and pulled me to a food stand and ordered two corn dogs. I reached into my pocket to pay for the deep-fried food that was being shoved down my throat. Lucy stopped me when I tried to pay, making me raise my eyebrows, and "This one is on me." She said it in voice that said that she was going to pay, so I should just agree and get on with it, "This is a momentous occasion. I want it to be clear of my part in it." I looked at her, doubting her sanity.

"You'll change your mind if mom finds out." She won't want any part of it, "You'll want your part to be nearly invisible and nonexistent." She laughed as she handed me a corn dog, putting ketchup on hers, while I squirted mustard on mine. I held it up to take a bite, but Lucy stopped me and pulled her phone out.

"Wait, we must record this moment for posterity." Can't I just eat the damn corn dog? She began narrating the video, while I glared at her. "Awe… It's Edmund's first corn dog. Smile Edmund!" I didn't smile, instead just took a bite, before starting to choke on the hot dog.

"That thing is hot as hell. Why didn't you warn me?" I was trying to catch my breath, and Lucy seemed to be holding back laughter. I just waved my free hand, still trying to breathe properly, "Well, laugh already. I know it's killing you." As soon as she had approval, she bent over in hysterics. I waited for her to be done, before taking another bite. Her phone was pointed at me again.

"So, what do you think?" She asked, making me shrug.

"I like it." I swallowed before finishing, "I'll probably never have another one, but I like it." Lucy's voice turned back to that of a bad TV narrator.

"There you have it Ladies and Gentleman, Edmund Kirke's first corn dog; definitely an event to remember." I glared at her.

"If you don't delete that video, this will really turn into an event to remember." She just laughed and put her phone into her pocket, before starting on her own snack. She turned to me smiling.

"Polly's going to kill us." She said, making me put a hand on her forehead, like I was checking her temperature.

"Are you feeling okay? Have you been spending too much time with Corin and I?" I joked, as we threw our hot dog sticks into the garbage, before walking away from the picnic table, hand and hand. I squeezed her hand, before answering.

"It sounds like you're looking forward to getting in trouble. Your parents are going to be ticked off we corrupted you or something." I joked, making her smack me on the stomach. I doubled over in fake pain.
"I don't see a lot of my parents actually." Her voice was even and her face neutral. She wasn't upset, just stating a fact. "The reason I come here is because my parents are busy traveling during the summer. I could come and work here," She seemed to be getting a little upset so I decided to joke with her by fake coughing 'Harass me'. Instead of making her laugh, she whacked me on the stomach, but she was smiling, so she couldn't be too mad, "Or I could go to summer school." I gave her a look of fake shock, before waving my hands, as if I was comparing two things on a scale.

"Shovel horse crap all summer, or pretending to pay attention to the teacher in summer school." She looked at me, biting her lower lip.

"Well, it's not really summer school, per say." She said, grabbing my hand again, "It's more of a camp, where they help you get a jump start on what you'll be learning next year." I when she told me this, I couldn't help but laugh, "What's so funny?" I was trying to contain myself, but could only shake my head in response, "What, Tell Me!" She sounded frustrated, and I managed to swallow down another peal of laughter at her annoyance. I pulled my hand from hers, preparing to run.

"It's summer school for geeks." I said, before running away through the crowds, hearing her call my name, trying to get me to stop.

Lucy's POV

By the time I had caught Edmund and pinned him to the ground, he was begging for mercy, but I doubt he was actually scared. We walked around for a few more hours until the heat had become stifling, making me wish I had worn sandals instead of my tennis shoes. Edmund had actually unbuttoned his shirt and was letting it hang open, revealing his white undershirt. He had sweat dripping down his neck, and now looked like some kind of beach model. I wasn't even close to done ogling him, when he started talking, making me frown.

"I have to go meet Mom's church friends." He groused, "She wants to show me off." He looked even unhappier at that thought, which wasn't that unbelievable. Edmund, being a very private person, obviously wouldn't want to be showed off to the church ladies.

"Err… that sounds like, Fun?" I said warily, watching his shoulders slump. He looked at me, the hint of a wry smirk on his face.

"I'm glad you think so, because you're coming with me." He told me, grabbing my hand and guiding me toward the ticket booth. I was speechless the whole time he was dragging me, and by the time we reached the table, with the cluster of little old ladies sitting at it. Polly was right in the middle. She spotted Edmund before anyone else and sent him a glare. I didn't know what she meant, but Edmund did, apparently, because he let go of my hand to start buttoning his shirt back up. Once it was closed again, Edmund pasted a fake smile on his face, before doing the death march over to Polly.

"Edmund, there you are." She stood up. I tried not to laugh. It was so obvious that none of the tittering old ladies had seen the exchange between Edmund and Polly. I squeezed his hand, in a warning to be good. He squeezed back, which I took as 'I'll try'.

"Hey mom." He said, while being pulled into Polly's arms. Our hands were pulled apart, and Polly wrapped her arm around Edmund's shoulder.

"Ladies, this is Edmund." Every woman started talking at once, reminding me of a gaggle of chickens at a petting zoo. Edmund gave a smile, this one not as forced. One very round lady, who had very large buck teeth and shaggy brown hair, bumbled over and reached up to pinch Edmund's cheek. (Just by looking I could see he was not okay with that.)

"I'm Mrs. Beaverman. Polly talks about you all the time." She said, looking Edmund up and down, as if she were examining him, "You're much taller than she said, and quite a bit handsomer." Edmund flushed scarlet, making me giggle at him and Polly ruffle his hair.

"Well, we don't want him to get a big head, do we Lu?" She asked me, and I just giggled again, making him turn redder. It was a slow process, but all of the church ladies came up told Edmund how handsome, how smart, how sharply dressed, how well he did on the track team Edmund was on the track team?, or how much Polly had underestimated him. By the end, He was squirming under Polly's firm grip on him, and was bright red. It was getting dark out, so Edmund finally saw his escape when a muscular woman with a horse face was done giving her once over of him.

"Hey mom, I was wondering if you had a spare blanket. Lucy and I want to go watch the fireworks." She grabbed a knit blanket, handing it to him, before pulling Edmund down to her level, whispering something into his ear. He gave her a gentle smile, before kissing her on the cheek.

"You two enjoy yourselves." She pointed a finger at Edmund with a stern look, "Edmund Kirke, you remember what I told you." He sighed, but nodded anyway. We walked away, toward a large open field that had been set aside for people who wanted to watch the fireworks.

"What did she tell you?" I asked, as Edmund pulled his blue shirt off, tying it around his waist. Now, in just his white undershirt that was semi-see through, he looked the hottest I'd ever seen him.

"When she lectured Corin and I before we left, she warned us to keep our hands to ourselves." He said with a snort of laughter, "She almost completely directed it at Corin." I laughed with him. Corin and Marjorie were going on their first date and they'd already sampled each other's tonsils.

"Sounds about right." I told him, "I didn't know you ran track. Apparently, if your fan section is right, you're pretty good." He nodded.

"I started running in the spring." It was left unspoken as to why I didn't know. We weren't talking, "I won a couple titles in the 100 meter dash."

"That's great. I caught and beat up a track star today." I told him, making him laugh.

"I'm not really a 'Star'. I can just run really fast." He said bashfully, looking at his feet. He laid out the blanket, underneath a large tree where we still had a great view of the fireworks, and sat down, leaving room for me to sit beside him. Eventually, we both lay down, my head on his chest, his arm wrapped around my stomach. When the fireworks started his body tensed, and I thought he was going to pull away. Instead he sat up and looked at me with dark eyes. He barely got out the frustrated words, "Fuck it," before leaning down and kissing me harshly. He was running his hands up and down my sides, practically demanding entrance into my mouth. I granted it without any hesitance, grabbing the back of his neck with one hand, the other running up and down his chest, feeling his muscles through the thin shirt. I was more than a little mad when breathing became necessary. He pulled back far enough to look into my eyes, his were darker than normal, and filled with the desire I felt. I knew I didn't have to worry. This was Edmund. Instead of returning to my lips, he started to press light kisses on my neck, much gentler than before. I slid my hands up under his shirt, running my hands across his stomach. One of his hands had moved to the back of my neck, the other still on roaming my side. I pulled him up to kiss him gently, before he pulled back and rolled off me. Neither of us could get out any words, but we did realize we missed the fireworks.

Edmund's POV

Lucy had tackled me to the ground, and I pretended to be terrified, pleading for forgiveness. When she let me up, I grabbed her hand and we just kept walking and talking. I unbuttoned my shirt, leaving it open, the heat making me sweat. For the first time since Mom and dad took me to the beach, I wished for a pair of sandals. Lucy looked like she was as uncomfortable as me. I reminded her that our lives were about to suck a little more.

"I have to go meet Mom's church friends. She wants to show me off." My voice was somewhere between a pout and a whine, but I really don't like meeting new people.

"Err… that sounds like, Fun?" She asked, making me smile.

"I'm glad you think so, because you're coming with me." I grabbed her hand, dragging her all the way across the carnival. No way was I facing the gossiping old ladies alone. When we got there, Mom spotted me, sending me a look that said, 'Button up and smile', so I did. When I was done, I started to walk slowly over to the gaggle of old women.

"Edmund, there you are." Mom said, pretending that she hadn't just instructed me to behave. Lucy squeeze my hand, so I squeezed back. Mom came up and reached up to wrap her arm around my shoulders, making me lose my grip on Lucy's hand.

"Hey mom." I told her with a screwed on smile. She turned to all the other ladies.

"Ladies, this is Edmund." I smiled when they all started talking at once, until a short lady with brown hair and a round face came over and pinched my face. I had to fight the urge to scowl.

"I'm Mrs. Beaverman." I couldn't help but think the name fit, due to the large buck teeth poking out of her mouth. She started to study me, making me nervous. "Polly talks about you all the time. You're much taller than she said, and quite a bit handsomer." I couldn't help but blush at this, making Lucy giggle. Mom ran her hands through my hair.

"Well we don't want him to get a big head, do we Lu?" Mom stated, making Lucy giggle and me turn flush deeper. Just as I knew they would, all the gossip hounds came and talked about how much they had heard, how well I did in track, and how nice I looked. Polly kept her arm around me, making sure I wouldn't run away under all of the praise. After all of them had had their chance at me, I turned to mom, hoping she'd let me escape.

"Hey mom, I was wondering if you had a spare blanket. Lucy and I want to go watch the fireworks." She smiled at me, before throwing me one of the blankets that she had made. She pulled me down to her level, so she could whisper in my ear.

"Thank you Edmund. I know you hated that." I gave her a smile, before kissing her on the cheek. She sent me a glare, pointing a finger at us. "You two enjoy yourselves. Edmund Kirke, you remember what I told you." I rolled my eyes at her, but nodded, letting her know I would try to remember. As soon as we were out of view, I unbuttoned my blue shirt, tying it around my waist and just wearing the thin undershirt.

"What did she tell you?" Lucy asked, making me laugh.

"When she lectured Corin and I before we left, she warned us to keep our hands to ourselves. She almost completely directed it at Corin." I said, making her laugh too.

"Sounds about right. I didn't know you ran track." She asked, and I blushed, "Apparently, if your fan section is right, you're pretty good." I looked at feet.

"I started running in the spring." You don't know because we weren't together. "I won a couple titles in the 100 meter dash." I told her, still looking at my feet. I always got embarrassed when people talked about me being good. I just never saw it that way.

"That's great." She giggled, "I caught and beat up a track star today." I laughed with her, but blushed again.

"I'm not really a 'Star. I can just run really fast." I distracted myself from all of the attention by laying out the blanket and sitting down, letting her sit beside me. After a few minutes, I lay back, holding my arm out so she could put her head down on my chest. She felt warm and perfect. All my thoughts revolved around our kiss from yesterday. I know if I kiss her right now, she'll respond. The question is 'Will I be able to stop?' I felt my body get tense and I sat up and looked down at her. She looked confused, and I just muttered out, "Fuck it," before pressing my lips to hers. I ran my tongue over her bottom lip, practically making her open her mouth. She didn't fight me, instead grabbed my neck so I couldn't pull away, even if I wanted to. I started to run my hands up and down her body, trying my best not to touch anything that would get me in trouble later. Her hand was running up my chest and I couldn't help but wish the shirt wasn't there. After a few minutes, breathing became a necessity, so I pulled away. I looked into her eyes, searching for any sign of regret or hesitance. There wasn't any, only a raw desire that I was very familiar with. I leaned down and kissed her neck, inhaling the smell that I had missed so much. Her hands were under my shirt, tracing my muscles, and I moved one of my hands to the side of her neck, and my other still on her sides. She pulled me up for a gentle kiss. I rolled off, realizing if I didn't stop, I don't think I would. We were silent, but the only sounds were people packing up their blankets. I guess we missed the fireworks.

Lucy's POV

"So he kissed you?" Marjorie asked, practically bouncing on her bed, "Just like that?" I blushed but nodded, then shook my head.

"This wasn't a kiss. This was a bloody make-out session." I told her, "I mean, it lasted all through the fireworks."

"Was it as great as you remember?" She asked, lying back on her bed. I giggled.

"You know that saying, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.'?" She sent me a duh look, "Their right."

"Well, Little Miss Lucy!" She said in mock shock. I blushed, and changed the subject.

"What about you, how was your day?" She blushed herself.

"Well…"

A/N: CLIFF HANGER! *insert evil laugh* So how many people are happy I FINALLY put up the carnival? I know I'm bloody happy!