"Will you two stop making out and come on already?" Karkat yells at the two teens that are still standing at the front door of the Vantas household from the back window of the truck. "Wait I think I forgot sunscreen-" Kankri says hurriedly as he steps forward in an attempt to make his way back into the house for the third time since they walked outside, only to have an arm blocking him from the door.
"Kan, babe, you don't need sunscreen," Cronus tries to tell his boyfriend, stepping in front of him to block his way, "The sun's gonna be settin' by the time we get there anyway, right?"
"Well, I suppose," Kankri says quietly, thinking for a moment and going over the list of essentials in his head once more. "Do we have the picnic blanket?"
"Already packed," the dark haired teen chuckles quietly, bright blue eyes shining as he grins at his boyfriend, "Now, how about you lock up and we can get this show on the road, yeah?" He smiles softly, leaning against the doorframe as he watches the red head carefully make sure that both locks on the door are locked before turning and nodding to confirm that he is ready.
"We aren't getting any younger! Come on!" Karkat shouts again, followed by a string of laughter from Eridan, who sits in the back seat beside him.
Kankri remembers his parents taking him to the local fair when he was younger. He saw it as a place of wonder, only looking at it from the innocent eyes of a child. He remembers the bright lights on the hastily constructed mechanical rides, the loud and cheerful music that seems to ring through the air, the magic of fireworks, and the delicacy that is cotton candy.
Upon Kevin taking him and Karkat to a fair once again a couple of years ago, he now has a different opinion on it. The people were far too rowdy and loud for his liking. The air always smelt of fryer oil, petting zoos, or worse, a mix of them both. By the end of the night there would be garbage and vomit in the most unpredictable of places, and too often is it easy to run into some less than polite people.
So how is it that he finds himself here tonight? Perhaps it is due to the past week of his little brother practically begging to go, or the fact that Cronus and Eridan had apparently never been to a fair before. Regardless, he is here now and plans to make the best of it.
"Karkat, Eridan," Kankri calls out for the two preteens, who have already started hurrying toward the ticket line without a glance back to their brothers. He huffs out in exasperation, pulling his black drawstring backpack on and closing the passenger door of the truck.
"Hey Kan, relax," Cronus urges his boyfriend gently, lazily moving his arm to drape over the shorter teen's shoulders and keep him close. "We're here to have fun, yeah?"
The red headed teen sighs out slowly, relaxing into the warmth of the other man's side as they walk for a moment. "Of course we are, Cronus," he says quickly, not wanting the other to think that he was not going to try. "I am paying for Karkat's ticket though, so he should stay with me for now." He leans into Cronus a bit as he tries to justify his worry, going quiet at the brief kiss that the taller teen presses to his forehead sweetly.
The parking lot for the fairgrounds was crowded. It had taken them about ten minutes of navigating through the muddy lot to find a place to park. It is a bit further away from the entrance to the fair, but none of the boys particularly mind walking. There are plenty of other groups of people making their way in the same direction, so it was not difficult to know where the entrance was.
When they arrive at the front of the fairgrounds, there is a ridiculously long wait for tickets. Crowds of fairgoers corralled into what was supposed to be a line, but is really just a mass of bodies waiting to go to the same place. They all shift excitedly as they listen to the music and roar from the rides beyond the wall separating them from the inside of the fair.
As Cronus guides Kankri into the line to follow their younger brothers, the redhead hears someone calling out to him and turns his head to look for the voice, standing up on his toes to get a better look past the people in the way. When he manages to get a clear view, he sees his best friend standing out of line, apparently waiting for someone.
"Cronus?" Kankri says quickly, "Mind if I go see Porrim for a moment? I can assure you that I will not be gone for long."
"Kan, you don't have to ask me for permission to go hang out with Maryam," Cronus laughs, leaning in to try and plant a kiss on Kankri's lips only for the other to turn his head and rolls his eyes, not without a smile, before ducking down underneath the metal bar of the corral and hurrying over to his friend.
Porrim's pierced lips turn up into a gentle smile as Kankri approaches. "Hello, Kanny," she says softly, taking his hand as he comes closer and leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek, which causes Kankri to tilt his head away slightly in embarrassment.
"Porrim," he says, pushing up a smile, "I was not informed that you would be here this evening. If I had known I would have invited you to come with Cronus, his brother, Karkat, and I." He knew that Cronus probably would not have been too happy about having Porrim tagging along all night, but she was Kankri's best friend.
"Kankri, I wouldn't want to intrude," She says simply, "We should definitely go on a double date at some other time though." Her arms cross over her chest and she rubs quickly at her own arms for warmth against the early winter air. She wears a warm green sweater that drapes loosely over her frame, exposing olive skin, a black bra strap, and some of the dark tattoos that curl gently over her shoulders. Her legs are covered from the cold air by a pair of dark green leggings, a short and flowing black skirt, and a pair of knee-high black military lace-up boots.
"Wait," Kankri says, tilting his head slightly at his friend, "You are on a date?" He glances around the crowd of fair goers, trying to spot Aranea from where he stands. Perhaps she had gone to talk to someone else nearby.
"Yes," the other teen replies, pushing a strand of her wavy dark hair out of her face. "You remember Latula, from middle school? She is in my science class with me. She should be here any moment."
"Latula?" Kankri asks in confusion, seeming as though he is at a loss for words, "Yes, I remember her. What happened to Aranea?" It was fairly common for Porrim to move from one person to the next without much concern, but seeing as how she had been with Aranea since the summer had begun, Kankri had thought that they were happy together.
"She broke up with me," Porrim says quietly, looking to the side and shrugging it off. "I mean," she begins again, "It does not matter all that much. She's much happier with Meenah anyway."
At that, Kankri feels slightly regretful for asking about Aranea. He was glad that Porrim did not seem overly upset over the breakup, but still feels worry for his best friend.
"Don't give me that look, Kanny" she chastises the other teen, "I am alright. I'm here to have fun, alright? You go do the same, okay?"
"Kankri!" The red headed teen turns his head as his younger brother calls out to him, "Get up here, we're almost at the ticket booth!"
Porrim laughs quietly, smiling gently at her best friend as she pulls him into a hug. "Go have fun with your boyfriend," she says, holding onto him for a moment and keeping his head against her shoulder. "If he tries to have sex with you, call me!" she says with a laugh, causing Kankri to pull away quickly.
"Porrim! Cronus and I will be partaking in no such thing this evening!" he puffs out his cheeks before taking a deep breath and continuing, "We have not reached such a stage in our relationship where that would be appropriate, not to mention wanted! And while he and his brother will be spending the night at our house, he will be sleeping downstairs on the couch while I will be-"
"Yeah, yeah," Porrim interrupts, glancing over her shoulder. "I get it Kankri, not tonight. Now go! Go have fun! I'll find you again for the fireworks, alright?" She smiles, reaching down to squeeze his hand gently.
"Kankri!" Karkat calls out again.
Kankri sighs out, squeezing her hand back before telling her goodbye and turning to head back toward where Cronus and the two younger children stand. An arm moves around his shoulder as the line begins to move again and he slowly relaxes into his boyfriend's warmth, moving forward as they approach the ticket stand.
Hey thanks for reading once again! Sorry for not posting last week I'm having a bit of a creative block. But thank you a whole bunch! Please leave a comment! Next weeks chapter will follow Eridan and Karkat some.
