Krusie Festival Date

by TheLastTscheapwhetzar

Kris and Susie go on a date, along with the rest of their friends, to the Hometown Fair. This story is full, fluffy dive into their adventures and misadventures. Kris is male in this fanfic.

Hometown looked positively gorgeous! The small town's streets were decorated with strings of lights and colorful lanterns hangings from poles and trees. Small stalls lined the main roads, manned by the older citizens and visitors from out of town. Even in a town populated by monsters and one sole human, rarely did anyone see this much exotic variety in Hometown.

Parents who weren't looking to make a quick buck off the festivities struggled to coral their children and keep them from disappearing in the crush of bodies and evening's lowering light. Some monsters remained in their normal clothes, while some sported festive face paint, but some decided to be more traditional and wore their yukatas or happi, which sported the emblem of the Angel.

The teens of Alphy's class all came together this year, just as assorted and decorated as everyone else in the crowd. They made their way down from the Holidays' mansion after getting altogether and making sure they had whatever they needed for the night. Wallets bulged with saved allowanced and scrapped together pennies from the street, promising that they would be able to do whatever they wanted tonight. Whether it be games, buying charms or toys or food, going on rides, or bribing a merchant to look the other way, the teens were ready!

"I can't believe you still went with face paint," Monster Kid said in disbelief to Snowy.

The large-faced monster whipped around and countered, "I didn't want everyone asking me tonight where I got my face paint done to only explain to them that I am not wearing any! I hate having those conversations each year. The joke's gotten old."

"We also had to use it before Susie tried drinking it," Catti muttered, staring down at her phone as she walked. She was dressed in her usual goth clothing, the last in the class to be convinced to come along with the group.

"Hey! I was thirsty!" Susie shouted from the rear.

"I have plenty of water. You should have asked," Noelle said sweetly, stealing a glance over her shoulder.

Of the group, only she, Susie, and Kris wore yukatas. Susie had sloppily replaced her usual torn jacket for an old robe and ore it very loosely, revealing her white shirt underneath. Noelle could not help but linger for a moment on Susie's hand, her fingers interlocking with Kris'. Her childhood friend stared off dreamily at the myriad of shops lining the sidewalks, unaware that she watched.

"What I can't believe is that you didn't wear your yukata," Snowy snipped back at his friend. "You have one!"

Monster Kid shrugged in a telling way and replied, "Gee, I wonder why! You got have the body type to pull off wearing one of those!"

"You're absolutely right. Which is why the happi is 115% the best thing to wear to any festival. The math cannot be disproved," Berdly said, pushing up his glasses with his middle feather.

"Eg sez you wer your happy to make yer shulderz luk beeg!" Temmie giggled.

"Hey now! Come on guys! We're going to the annual festival! Now is not the time for arguing but to cut loose and have a great time!" Jockington said energetically.

Susie leaned into Kris and muttered under her breath, "Why does he have to announce the obvious to us?"

"He's just super pumped," Kris replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "You were raving about all the food you wanted to eat earlier."

"Hell yeah! I'm going to clean this place out tonight!"

"Do you even have enough money?" Berdly asked.

"Oh, I have that covered," Susie said, flashing the group a wink. A few of the other monsters blushed a little; Susie had a rare kind of power, one that she thankfully didn't understand nor exploit.

The group rolled along, drawing closer to the downtown area. A couple of large mess tents had been erected to hold the merry makers as they ate. A few rides towered over the tents and colorful stalls, a couple in particular were imposing, looming over the approaching teens like titans egging them on into combat. The sounds of excited speech, popping guns and balloons, cheers, rattling rides, and sizzling grills created a grand cacophony. Aromas of meat, spices, and sweets intermingled to create a scent that could be described as fattening, as if just standing there and taking deep breaths would give you diabetes.

Before they passed under the grand, wooden gate into the festival roper, Jockington leaped ahead and called everyone to a halt. "Alright, everyone, we need a game plan! I know we're all excited to get in there and have a blast, but if we don't know where we're going and when, our radical group is going to be radically broken. We don't want anyone getting lost. Remember that Kris fell into a vat of cotton candy last year!"

"I think I still have some cavities from that," Kris said, picking his teeth.

"Blerg! Yes, let's have no repeats of such untasteful mishaps," Berdly sniffed. "Speaking of tasteful, we should absolutely begin first with the food! I have prepared for this night. I've hardly eaten anything at all today but drank lots of water and had a few slices of bread to expand the stomach. Tonight, I will show how unsmart I am by gorging myself on everything they have here! Not even Susie will beat me!"

The blue jay secretly hoped that he might get some one-on-one time with Susie. Kris, her boyfriend, was always getting in the way. Sure, they might have gone through a lot last year and built an unshakable friendship, but who was to say that he couldn't reach his hero's heart?

He was pleased to hear the dragon exclaim, "Hell yeah! I'm down! You won't beat me by a long shot, Berdly! No amount of preparation can prepare you to take on this iron stomach!"

Kris laughed openly, but Noelle countered by chiming in, "No! We should do the rides first! If we eat everything we want before hopping on those rollercoasters, we're getting to get sick. And I don't know about you guys, but I don't feel like repeating what those kids did in the Dirt Lot."

"Hey, excellent movie reference there," Kris said. He recalled fondly watching those somewhat family appropriate movies back when they were just kids and their families hung out. "Though I think they got sick mostly from chewing tobacco, but your point is taken."

"Damn," Susie grunted. "They should have eaten chalk. That stuff calms your stomach like nothing! Noelle is onto something Berdly."

"But why should we hit the rides now?" Monster Kid protested. "We got here too late, and the lines will already be long. I think it'd be better if we started making rounds through the stalls. Their games are fun! And we can find out where the best food stands are."

The group considered what he said. Monster Kid had made a very good compromise, but it was clear that everyone was of a slightly different opinion. Jockington called everyone to order and said, "Let's have a vote! And you can only vote once! Who wants to go on the rides first, raise your hands!"

Kris and Noelle raised their hands while Jockington lifted his tail. Kris gave Susie a shocked look. "Et tu Susie?"

"Sorry, man, but I'm starving. And the snacks are going to be so good!"

Jockington lowered his tail and said, "All in favor of jumping straight to the grub, raise your hands!"

Berdly, Susie, and Temmie all raised their hands. Kris kept his up.

"Sweet, it's a tie so far. Dude, Kris, you can't vote twice!"

"I'm not."

"Eg also votz for fud," Temmie said.

"Does Egg really get a chance to vote? I mean, they are…" Monster Kid trailed off.

"Hard boiled?" Snowy offered.

"Okay, everyone in favor for the games and stalls, raise your hands!" Jockington concluded.

Snowy raised his hand while Monster Kid jumped up and down frantically. Catti didn't vote at all. It looked like Egg might be the tie breaking vote, but Kris still had his hand up.

"Um, were you listening at all to the rules?" Jockington wondered.

"Kris is… scheming something…" Catti said, typing away on her phone and barely looking up.

Kris motioned for everyone to listen and drew them all together in a circle. "Look, I get that Egg's vote means we're going and eating first but hear me out. Noelle is right that if we eat first, we're going to get sick while getting on the rides. But Monster Kid also makes a point that the lines have already formed and some of them are going to be long! But if we just go to the stall right now, we're going to break off in different directions, making coming here together a moot point. The same if we just start eating, because soon enough the thrill junkies will wander off to do their own thing."

"Guilty as charged," Noelle admitted with a laugh.

"Then what do you propose?" Jockington asked.

Berdly rolled his eyes, grumbling, "I think I preferred Kris when he didn't speak as much."

"There's a way that we can do everything we want and maximize our time together. First, we go to do some rides. We'll split off in groups of three and go for the craziest rides first! We judge how long it will take to get from our saved spot to the ride. If it looks like the line will move fast, two go and get the others. No one will complain if we have a bunch of people suddenly join so long as Susie is with us."

"Ha! That's true!" Susie said, crossing her arms. "Wait, am I getting used as a kind of bouncer?"

"We'll use this system to hit three rides, and then we'll peruse the stalls and shops, getting food and enjoying some of the games and stuff. Let it all settle, and then it should be late enough hat all the little kids have gone home, and we can do the less crazy rides," Kris concluded. "That way, we all get what we want, and we'll spend most of the evening together as we originally planned."

"Wow! That sounds like a great plan," Noelle replied, impressed.

"Of course it is, this is Kris we're talking about," Susie said.

Berdly stared up at the sky. "Was I ever the second smartest kid in our class?"

"Um, dude, what are you talking about?" Monster Kid asked.

"I'm fine… with Kris' plan…" Catti said. "Don't expect… me to run… though."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Catti!" Jockington said. "You're the best one of us when it comes to holding down the fort! It's all those shifts you pull at the diner!"

"Does this mean we should have another vote?" Noelle asked.

"Screw voting! The night isn't getting any younger!" Susie roared. "Come on Kris, you wanted the to do the biggest rides first? We're going straight for the scariest one that will tear your clothes right off!"

She held even tighter to Kris' hand and hauled it into the crowd. Kris flew behind her, dragged like a kite. The other teens yelped and quickly scrambled to make their way after the couple and fight their way to the other big rides. Noelle did her best to keep up with Susie, but the young dragon did not slow down. Luckily, she bowled everyone over like pins, scattering the other lines and clustered of fair goers. Even if she couldn't keep up with Susie, it was easy to follow her trail of destruction.

For her part, Susie was just happy to finally get underway. All of that talking and voting was making her hungry and upset. But as usual, Kris came through with a brilliant idea. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him flapping in the wind, desperately trying to get his feet under him. She couldn't help but laugh at her weak-constitution boyfriend.

Susie finally pulled up at the back of the line for the Sling-o-Nator, easily the scariest ride in the entire fair. Screeching to a halt, she nearly bowled over a small gang of middle school monsters. A few of them were slow to respond, their eyes wide and red. Once they realized that a big dragon was looming over them, they hastily crammed their vapes into their pockets, but Susie didn't care about any of that.

Beaming up at the monstrosity, she took in the Sling-o-Nator. Two opposing towers leaned away from each other, massive lines trailing down from their pinnacles to meet as a large sphere. It had four seats, two back-to-back. The lines were pulled taut and then the hook holding the sphere in place would be released and the sphere would get slingshot into the evening sky. Terrified screams were music in her ears as the hook ahead released with a clank and the orb was catapulted far above even the Ferris Wheel.

"It's so beautiful," Susie rasped.

"Not as beautiful as you," Kris panted. "Or as dangerous."

"Eh? What was that you said?" she asked, turning around with devilish grin across her snout.

Kris did not miss the mischievous twinkle in her yellow eyes, but he decided to press his luck. "I think you could easily throw me that high. And I definitely wouldn't have a safety line or net. I'd just have to rely on you to catch me."

"It feels like we might have been there before," Susie purred. "Should we practice before getting on the ride?"

"I think that would be a fantastic idea," Kris replied, getting ready to climb into his girlfriend's arms.

The middle schoolers just stood there, starring at them. Their blazed expressions trying to puzzle if this was good flirting or bad flirting. One little monster with octopus tangles for hair blushed as she gazed up at Susie. The teenage dragon certainly had a way of awakening things within people.

Before the couple could go too far with their bad idea, Noelle caught. She was bent over, panting and heaving. "You could try slowing down, Susie!"

"Oh! Sorry Noelle! I was just caught up in the moment, and erm… I didn't want the line to get too much longer before we could save a place! Yeah, that's what I was doing! Totally not losing my head back there!"

Kris and Noelle both laughed in response, though the reindeer wheezed a little. Again, the middle schoolers were unsure of what was transpiring behind them. They missed the fact that the line had moved a few spaces ahead. A few other teenagers quickly shuffled in to fill the gap.

"Woah, woah, hey! I saw that! Get back to the end of the damn line," Susie snarled, thumbing over her shoulder.

"Wha?" one other teen monster replied, trying to sound dumb and confused. Kris at least agreed with the resonance of stupidity coming out of the Doberman-like mouth. "We were already here."

"Like hell you were!" Susie snapped back. "We just got here, and I clearly didn't see you!"

"Then shut up and go get some glasses," another monster, this one like a preying mantis, sneered back at her.

She cracked her knuckles, looking at the four who had cut into line and growled, "When I'm through, you're all going to need prescription glasses to see through your blackeyes!"

"Maybe we shouldn't fight over this. It's just one spot in line," Noelle mumbled.

"Oh, we're so scared," a third teen taunted.

Kris said flatly, "You should be. It's clear you're from out of town, or you wouldn't be making this mistake."

"Look at that! The lizard girl has herself a pet human!" the last monster laughed, pointing. He looked like a lump of seaweed with three eyes. "You should put a muzzle on that thing before it bites someone here and gives them rabies! Wouldn't it be a shame to put your animal down?"

"That human is my boyfriend," Susie said coldly, her body going rigid.

The stoned preteens slunk to the side, giving Susie room to move. The other four teens banded together, turning their backs on the line just as it moved up another step. In the tense moment, a dating couple slid in front of the four boys, stealing their place.

"I think we chose the wrong line," Noelle deadpanned. She tugged on Susie's sleeve. "Come on, just let it go, or we can go and find another ride."

"Nah! I'm staying right here and getting on that Sling-o-Nator!" Susie shrugged off the timid hand and advanced.

Kris gave her tail a playful slap. "Just don't kill them!"

The middle schoolers fumbled for their phones as Susie descended on the line cutters. The Doberman-mouthed kid came first, throwing a wild haymaker. Susie didn't bother blocking or deflecting. She kicked out hard, relying on her height and reach. Her tattered shoe, once hidden under the folds of her yukata, sank deep into the guy's abdomen. He flew backwards and crashed into the third kid.

The preying mantis swiped at her, hissing. Susie hissed back, spitting out a bit of flame. She easily caught his attacks, gripping his elongated, bladed hands right at the critical joint. His eyes opened wide before Susie slammed her skull into them. The stupid teen went limp. Susie casually hoisted him up and deposited him unceremoniously into a nearby dumpster.

Trembling, the seaweed monster backed up, tripping into the couple. "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I didn't mean anything by it! We'll give you your spot back!" he sputtered. "Please, just don't hurt me!"

Susie placed one giant, clawed hand on the top of his slimy head and turned back to Kris. "What should I do with this wimp?"

Kris watched as she leaned into the hold, crushing the last goon under her weight. "I think they've had enough, Susie. We'll let them get into line behind us and it'll all be water under the bridge."

"Still not going for the battle route," Susie surmised with a grin.

"I think we've learned that it's better to make friends with everyone," Kris said with a shrug.

"I don't think Susie is going to see it that way," Noelle whispered to herself.

Noelle was right. Susie smiled devilishly down at her opponent. "Normally, I wouldn't beat up on someone as pathetic as you and your buddies. Kris is right, it's better to make friends."

"Oh, thank y-"

"But you called my boyfriend a rabid human pet," Susie growled, her jaws uncomfortably close to the boy's face. "I can't just let that one slide without doing something."

The seaweed monster squeaked in dismay as Susie too his many layers and used them to wrap up the other two guys still out on the ground. Once they were in a nice package, she casually hung them as a prize behind one of the stall vendors when she wasn't looking.

As Susie returned to the line, the dating couple squealed and ran off. The middle schoolers likewise ushered her, Kris, and Noelle ahead of them. Indeed, it looked as if nearly the entire line had dissipated during the short fight.

"Ha! I knew I chose the right ride!"

Kris looked back the at the struggling dudes, feeling a silent twinge of sympathy for them. Susie had really come far when it came to getting along with everyone. But if anyone landed themselves on her bad side, there was no power in the Light or Dark Worlds that could save them from her wrath.

Turning back to the girl, he said, "It looks like the line is going to move really fast here. Let me text the others and see where they are. You can both go and grab them."

"Sounds good, man," Susie said.

Kris hurriedly typed out a message, hoping that Catti wouldn't be too busy with… With whatever she was always doing on her phone and pick up his message. The next texts went to Berdly and Snowy. It didn't take long for him to get their replies.

"Alright, looks like Berdly is over at the Railcoaster over there," he pointed off to the teetering toward of convoluted tracks snaking around each other. It visibly rattled as the cars barreled down the tracks. "Catti is with Jockington over at the Zipper. Can you both go and make sure that they find their way here? I'll hold our place. I think you've dealt with everyone else pretty well"

He smiled up at Susie, who grinned back. Noelle peeped her assent and said she would go and make sure Berdly made his way over with the others. Susie turned to go off in the opposite direction towards the Zipper. But before she left, she turned on heel and took Kris by the head in one hand and drew him close. He got really close to her chest, brining on a little heat under his collar.

Stooping low and whispering, Susie said, "Hey everything good?"

"I'm fine. Stupid monsters from another stupid town," Kris said, trying to wave it all off. "You'd better hurry so we can keep this super short line!"

"Yeah, you're right. You're not strong enough to fight for it all by yourself." She tussled his hair a little, but before she left, she said one more thing. "And I owe you for earlier."

"Oh, that doesn't sound good," he muttered.

"Look forward to it," she said, kissing him on the forehead and finally dashing off.

Kris kept a weather eye on the gang that Susie had pummeled and tied up. The vendor finally discovered what kind of grizzly gift she had on her hands. Pulling at the strands of seaweed, the boys came loose and tumbled out of sight. The mantis kid in the trashcan rocked back and forth, tipping it over so he could crawl out. He looked the way Kris remembered he and Susie felt after trying drinking booze behind the school.

Oh, that was a horrible night…

Some bad ideas only needed to be lived once to know that they should never be done again!

Kris did not have to wait too long before his friends all returned. They got back just before things started getting too awkward. The middle schoolers from before were still huddled nearby, absolutely in awe of these cooler teens who seemed to rule the entire world. He could only imagine what silly fantasies were brewing in their baked brains.

"I was kind of hoping that we wouldn't be doing this one first," Berdly muttered. "But the line for the Railcoaster was really long."

"And the line for the Zipper was just moving too slow!" Jockington complained.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I can fix that line issue," Susie said, cracking her knuckles once more. "Come on losers! The night's not getting any younger!"

Marching up to the ride's vendor, the teens all pulled out a coin. The rides were pretty cheap to get on here. Kris had heard from his parents how other fairs outside of Hometown usually required a high price upfront to buy a ticket or bracelet that would allow for a limited number of rides. Noelle's mother had figured a special deal with the ride owners: the mayor would pay a lump sum upfront, and then they would charge a small fee per ride. This way they were guaranteed some money and the cheaper fare would encourage more repeated rides on the part of the citizens.

These kinds of economic details and agreements were the kind of stuff that bored Susie to sleep. Kris enjoyed learning about how the town was run, but he enjoyed it far more to be back on good speaking terms with Noelle. Now that the reindeer had opened up to him and the others in their class, she had become a lot more fun to be around. She had so much fascinating knowledge to share, and her presence just made everything much calmer and cooler.

Kris fulfilled his boyfriend duties and paid for Susie's first ride on the Sling-o-Nator. He knew that Susie had saved every penny for the amazing fair foods. Still, his chivalry earned him a punch to the arm.

"Hey! I could have paid for myself!"

He shrugged, hiding his satisfied smirk. "I just happened to pull out too much by mistake."

"Well, save those mistakes for when he stuff our faces later," Susie chided.

Noelle followed them. They just needed a fourth person to join and to everyone's surprise, Cattie surged ahead of Berdly and flipped a coin at the vendor. The bored monster barely registered it. He grumbled about safety regulations as he ordered everyone in their seats. He fitted the harnesses over them and made sure all four friends were locked in place.

Susie took Kris' hand in a vice-like grip. Stammering, she said, "N-N-Not that I-I'm scared of anything, b-b-but I know how much of a baby you are! And you're built like a n-noodle! So! I'm holding onto you so you don't freak out or slip out, got it?!"

He gave her a shaky thumbs up. Truth be told, he was slightly terrified of this, but what he really wanted was any excuse possible to keep holding onto her hand. And it didn't hurt if the thought came from her.

"Alright, don't lose your breakfast," the ride operator droned, clearly already done with the night.

Kris heard Noelle's excited breath, quickly trying to get her lungs and fears under control. He laughed to himself, She's such a thrill junky.

"I'll let you go in 3…"

TWANG!

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO COUNT DOWN TO ONE!" Susie screamed as they flew up to the colored sky above.

Kris felt himself going lightheaded. His vision was spinning. Noelle's own scream was choked out. The incredible velocity and the wall of air that they tore through muted their senses and abilities. However, for a brief second, the ball slowed down. They hovered high in the sky, looking out last sliver of golden sun peeking over the never-ending horizon of trees. The dimming light through blue and purple shadows across the earth as tinges or orange, pink, purple, and gold flecked the puffy clouds dotting the sky.

It was gorgeous. It was serene. Unable to scream, he squeezed Susie's hand, thinking that there was nothing more perfect than this moment. High above the world, looking at one of nature's crowning beauties, side-by-side with his girlfriend.

The sudden plummet ripped all that lovey-dovey crap right out of his mind. They careened back towards the earth, their voices suddenly finding their way back up throats and through their teeth. Screaming they got dangerously close to the ground before snapping back into the sky. They didn't fly as high as before, but instead they rubber-band-snapped between the earth and darkening sky until they came to shaky stop, suspended between the two towers.

"Oh, why does it taste… like cat food in my mouth?" Catti moaned.

"Is that what you had for breakfast?" Noelle asked, quivering much as the ball they were in.

"No, it was yesterday's lunch… Oh, I'm gonna hurl…"

Susie was flushed pink and stuttered, "D-Don't you dare say a word! All the screeching came from you punks."

Kris nodded in reply. Or was that his neck relearning how work properly?

The four disembarked, their knees nearly giving way. They shuffled aside so the others could get on, all of them pale. Temmie waited for the others to ride. She would go with Egg. Noelle surprised no one by volunteering to go again and got back in line with her classmate.

Kris and Susie leaned on a nearby stall, earning them angry glares from the vendor who was upset that they were playing the stupid magnetic fish game she had set up. They both took deep breath, calming down their heartrates and innards. Their interlocked hands continued to crush each other.

"Wow! I can now cross that one off the bucket list," Susie wheezed.

After a pause, Kris asked, "Would you go again?"

TWANG!

The ball rocketed upwards once again, carrying their screaming friends. Both he and Susie followed its trajectory, chuckling at the spectacle. The teen dragon slid closer to Kris, leaning against him and answered softly, "I think I would do it again… With the right person."

Kris couldn't help but blush. He still wasn't entirely used to her unexpectedly sweet moments. The rough edges to her character were largely what attracted him to Susie in the first place. Their hands found each other once again, fingers softly intertwining.

Coughing into her free hand, Susie said, "Well, I think my stomach has calmed enough. Let's meet up with the others and figure out where we should go next."

"The Railcoaster sounds very nostalgic," Kris replied.

"Yeah… That's probably why Berdly chose it. He'd better not get on his high horse, er, I mean, high car? Hell, whatever, I just don't want to hear more monologuing!"

It took a bit for everyone in their group to collect themselves and make sure they didn't hurl. Luckily, the scariest ride was done, so it was on to the high octane, adrenaline-inducing fun! The gang headed for the Railcoaster, doggedly followed by the blazed munchkins. And true to Berdly's earlier warning, the line was long. Susie got straight to work clearing up that problem.

She started by first looming over another group of young outsiders. Unlike the previous group trying to hide their vaping, these kids were passing a bottle in a paper bag between them. Huddled in a tight circle to ensure that no one easily caught what they were doing, they didn't realize Susie was there until it was too late.

Her stomach churned from the old memories of getting drunk after school and the recent memories of screaming her guts out. The sight made her sick, adding to the anger in her growl. "Hey! Pipsqueaks! Are you sure you're old enough to drink that garbage?"

The kids jumped, fumbling with their bottle and sloshing beer all over themselves. They gaped up at her as she leaned in further, grinning. "If you really want to be rebels, you need to think beyond this stupid stuff. Eat chalk! Here, I even have a piece left over. Now, you can take this put that bottle in the trash, or I go and find Officer Undyne and have her throw you in the slammer for a week!"

On cue, a raging voice boomed over the entire fair. "IF ANYONE DOES ANYTHING AGAINST THE LAW, I WILL TIE THEM INTO A BALL AND BOUNCE THEM ALL THE WAY INTO MY JAIL CELL!"

"Please Officer, stop curling my stand!"

The damage was done. The kids got the message and scattered. That was one cluster down. The sounds of Undyne's antics provided the perfect ambiance for Susie as she sauntered up to the next group. The tall dragon in her sloppily tied yukata was a demon, a harbinger of festival horrors, coming to eat them. More kids and teens fled the line until Susie arrived behind a small cluster of adults.

Ha! This is going to be easy! Susie thought.

She held up her hand to Kris and gave him a very meaningful look. It was clear that he needed to give her some space and take the others with him. He hurriedly shooed the others back, trying to draw their attention away from Susie. She silently thanked her boyfriend for picking up on the cue so quickly. When the time came for her payback, she would be kinder to him.

Taking a deep breath, Susie swallowed the air and waited a brief moment. The nastiness in her bile-swilled gut swept, allowing her to cleanse herself with a single, rancid fart. The resulting poot didn't need long to take effect. The adults behind her began gagging and moving, bumping up against the others further in the line. Mean words broke out and clashing groups quickly devolved into desperation, grumpiness, and nastiness.

Susie hurriedly wove her friends forward. The teens surged ahead, and with Susie at the lead, they cut through the milling chaos. In rapid succession, Susie has threatened, cheated, and beaten her way through more than half the line. The moment someone asked if she should even be there in progression, she wheeled on them and thundered, "YES! THIS IS OUR SPOT! YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT, PAL?"

And that was that.

Susie and Kris finally got their places at the front of the of the lead, rickety car. She grumbled to him, "It would be better to be in the back. You get a far better kick in the last car."

"You want to go through that again?" he asked.

"Rollercoasters don't turn your guts into a washing machine, they just make you feel like a bull is bucking the teeth right out of your skull!" She grinned to herself, dwelling on the bizarre sensation.

"I prefer this," Kris said, pointing to their seats. He helped Susie get into her spot, not that she needed it, really. "The rush from being up front is great, and you don't have to worry about stuff from someone else flying into your face."

"Only bugs," Susie muttered, lightly blushing as Kris helped her in.

"Yummmm, protein!"

Susie gave him a light punch but grinned all the same. Settling side by side, the restraints came down, clacking and rattling as they went. Kris leaned in a little and licked the bar.

"Ew. Why would you do that?" Susie asked.

"To get a taste, obviously," he answered.

"What does it taste like?"

"Lockjaw."

She snorted and gave the metal a lick. "Tastes more like stale blooooooooooood!"

The rollercoaster took off, firing like a bullet down the track. All the cars shook like rattlesnake tails. Kris and Susie tried to grab each other hands again, but it was hard with them both bobbing like jackhammers. The front car flew off the rails as the they came to the first drop. Everyone screamed in pure fright as the coaster plummeted straight down, barely taking hold of the track once again. With their hands ripped up into the air, Kris and Susie finally managed to latch hold of each other.

Zip!

The cars took a violent turn to the right, giving the whole gang whiplash. They scarcely had a chance to orient themselves before they shot up again, only to dip and fly through a loop-di-loop. Kris wondered how they didn't fall out into open space.

"B-B-B-B-Berdly! What the h-h-h-hell d-d-d-did you g-g-get us onto?" Susie yelled.

"I-I-I-I th-th-thought it was g-going to b-b-b-be more g-graceful than this!" the blue jay screamed from the back.

"A-A-All in f-f-f-favor of n-n-n-never letting B-B-Berdly choose a r-r-r-rollercoaster again, r-raise your-!"

"Jockinton, now is not the t-t-t-time!" Catti shouted angrily.

It would have been a hard vote to tally anyway. The rollercoaster slid down a steep slope, forcing them all to throw their hands up into the air again. They then took a sharp left, spiraled up, to only rocket back down, then whipped to the right, and performed a double loop-di-loop. The entire structure shook so violently that it was a miracle that nuts and bolts were not shooting and ricocheting in all directions. Susie believed that gorilla glue held the death trap together.

When the coaster came to its abrupt stop, everyone was given another unhealthy dose of whiplash. Everyone in the group was so shocked and shaken, they couldn't move off their seats. The ride operator came with a large crowbar and pried them all out with a small pop, liberating them one by one. Stiff as boards, the teens waddled away. The blazed preteens gazed on with horror as they witnessed their immediate futures and were locked in.

Look like we lost some other cling-ons, Susie thought, watching them go. What about the next ride? How is that one going to be worse than these two?

The Zipper ended up being surprisingly normal. Word must have spread like wildfire. The moment anyone saw Susie approach, they scattered, clearing the line. The sun hadn't even set by the time the friends all climbed into their capsules, two per cage. Kris and Susie readily climbed in together.

"This is, uh… Rather intimate," Susie muttered.

"And the other rides weren't?" Kris laughed.

"Look, this box just has a little cage window! You can hardly see a damn thing looking out, and I bet that no one can see into here!"

"Does that mean you want to make out on this ride?" Kris goaded.

Susie flushed but growled, "Don't tempt me Dreemurr."

Her own words did not stop her from grabbing him, ruffling up his already loose kimono. She yanked him up to her height and kissed him right on the lips. Kris moved to reciprocate the kiss but then the cage moved. The Zipper hauled its cages along the track like a slow chainsaw. The couple were thrown against the door with a crunch.

"Ouch!" they said together. Kris and Susie scrambled to hold themselves in place as their cage began spinning.

"This is why you shouldn't tempt me, Kris!"

"I'll keep that in mind!"

After a rocky beginning, the two settled in for a fun ride. After all the jerking, flying, rattling, and falling, a slow, somewhat spinning ride was like a battle set to easy mode. Towards the end, the two rocked their cage to make it twirl faster, laughing as they went. When the ride finally stopped and the operator helped them out, the two held onto each other, trying to not fall down. They laughed as they made their way to the waiting area to meet up with the others.

"Now dat we are all kweezie, time to et!" Temmie announced, stumbling off towards the nearest food stall.

"Hell yeah! Food!" Susie said, fishing out her wallet.

The gang's cohesion began breaking up here, just as Kris had predicted it would. The friends all went looking for the snacks that sounded the tastiest to them. Their eyes and feet also began wandering over to other attractions and games crowding the festival.

Kris followed Susie over to a kitchen frying up some funnel cakes. Susie greedily ordered hers, topped with loads of whipped cream, strawberries and blueberries, chocolate syrup, with enough powdered sugar to give an elephant a heart attack. Her tail wagged eagerly as she waited for her dessert. Chuckling to himself, Kris entered a neighboring stall to order some heavier food.

The wonderful scents of various meats grilling greeted him as he ducked under the divide and entered. A monster with numerous arms held down the fort, grilling, turning, flipping, and prepping all kinds of delicious dishes. Kris checked his wallet to make his calculations. How to do everything he wanted to do and blast through all his cash before the night was done? Susie's appetite was legendary, and she would end up relying on him for some assistance.

I was probably a fool for promising to help eat as much as she could get here, he thought ruefully. He got the vendor's attention and ordered, "I'd like to get two plates of Karaage, six skewers of Yakitori, and four of your Ikayaki. Oh, and two bowls of Yakisoba please!"

The monster turned to him, looking him up and down. "I appreciate a stick wantin' ter put some meat on 'em bones, but I hate ter say that it'll only make yeh explode. Ha!"

"Oh, I'm not going to eat all of it," Kris laughed. "I'm sharing."

The vendor looked him up and down. "You don' look like a harem pertagonist. Did sum of 'em kids pressure yeh into buyin'?"

"No, it's for me and my girlfriend."

"Ah, yeh knocked 'er up. I understand. Two Yakisoba and the works comin' yer way!"

Kris flushed crimson at the monster's words but didn't say anything. How could he explain himself out of that horrible assumption and not make it sound like Susie was the greediest glutton on the face of the earth! She might have held second place, but that was not flattering. He finally mumbled a thanks and let the chef get back to work.

He ducked back out and found himself face to face with Susie. The massive plate of funnel cake had a chunk torn out of it. Most of the cake was eaten too, but it was clear that her gusto had caused her to just take a bite of the whole thing! Bits of whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and crumbs dirtied her snout. However, she wasn't taking any notice. Instead, she was almost running him through with a fork. A plastic fork ladened with funnel cake.

Unable to look him directly in the eye, Susie muttered, "I figured you'd like some. I'm always eating Ralsie's cakes before you get a chance, so… Want any?" Kris nodded, and she began blushing as she said, "Then open up, or it's getting all over your clothes!"

Kris opened his lips and received a wonderful mouthful of funnel cake with all the toppings. He managed to say, "Fanks!"

"Don't mention it. I, uh… Got a little carried away. Plus, it takes better when shared."

"It does?"

"It's what your mom always says! Are you going to not believe her?" Susie shot back.

"Nope," Kris said quickly. "This would just be the first time we've shared something like this."

Susie carefully scooped up some more cake onto her fork and shoveled it into her mouth. She grinned. "Your mom was right; it does taste better!"

"I should have also gotten a bite beforehand for comparison purposes."

"Oh, shut up and have another," she replied, this time more forcefully feeding him.

Ring!

"Yer order's up!"

"Be right back," Kris told her as he ducked once more into the stall. The vendor waited for him with numerous disposable baskets. Kris hurriedly paid and left a tip, good manners momentarily winning out over embarrassment.

"Woah dude! You got all of that for us!" Susie exclaimed.

"Sure, but we'd better watch out. I think Monster Kid might try to pilfer some."

"If that no-arms tries it, I'll knock him right into the next festival!" Susie threatened.

It was difficult finding a table. Thankfully, Catti had volunteered previously to stake out a spot. She plopped herself down at the end of one bench and had slowly taken up more space until the family occupying the table left. Anyone else who dared draw too close was met with her murderous stare. As everyone gathered around, the others took notice of the mighty meaty meal Kris and Susie were sharing.

"Are you sure you have enough?" Snowy asked.

"I'm not sure it'll be enough," Kris admitted.

"Shut up!" Susie snapped at them.

Noelle came with her own small basket, steam rising from it. "Hey everyone! I found this amazing vendor who was grilling the biggest cobs of corn I've ever seen!"

Temmie held up some goodies. "Got butter and spizees!"

"I always bring my own salt," Berdly said smugly, pulling out a traveler container of salt. "Imported from the fabled salt mines far beyond the mountains! It not only blesses the food with amazing savor, but it wards off all kinds of evil!"

"You believe in that stuff?" Jockington asked.

"Ah, Jockington, my good friend, after what we loved through last year, I am ready to believe all kinds of superordinary phenomenon!"

"Well, then pass some of that good stuff over, bro! Corn on the cob is best when salted!"

"Already got ya," Berdly promised, lightly dusting a cob before handing it off to the snake.

Kris carefully buttered his and Susie's before adding a pinch of salt. Susie was already ravenously tearing through the Yakitori. He quickly swapped out a spit of Karaage with the cob of corn; he wanted to enjoy at least some of the meat before Susie devoured it all. But just as he did that, Susie surprised him again by sliding off a bit of the chicken for him to eat.

Noticing that others were already watching them, he swallowed his pride and took a bite from the end of her stick. It was perfect. Susie smiled back at him before ripping off the rest of the chicken in a single bite. The other teens all sighed and shook their heads, the cute moment snuffed out in its infancy.

Monster Kid arrived last, bearing a tray of candied apples on top of his head. "Hey guys! I found this stall with amazing deals for snacks! I thought we could all try a challenge with these!"

"Oh, a challenge? I may be more normal and dumb than I once was, but I still won't back down from a contest of honor and skill," Berdly declared proudly.

"Even after all this time, I'm still not sure how much I like the newer Berdly," Susie whispered to Kris.

Her boyfriend replied, "It is largely your fault, though. You're the one who gave him the pep talk."

"And everyone should know to not take advice from me," she said, slurping her noodles.

Monster Kid managed to place the tray on the table and declared the challenge. "They say that it's impossible to sexily eat a candy apple! Well, with nine of us here, I think we can easily put that claim to the test. Whoever manages to eat their candied apple in a sexy way, I'll pay for their first game tonight!"

"Hell, that's an offer," Susie grunted. "Free food and a chance to get one game paid for. Count me in."

Eyes sparkling, Noelle excitedly said, "Ooo! Count me in, too."

"My honor demands that I accept your challenge," Berdly answered reluctantly.

Kris decided to give it a go, which prompted everyone but Catti to give it a try. Jockington had to coax her to go last to eat her apple. Susie went first, mostly just wanting to continue eating. It did occur to her in the split second before she began how utterly ridiculous she was about to look, but her lips were already working.

Susie began half kissing, half sucking on her candied apple. Everyone watched in fascinated horror as she slurped up the caramel, biting into the apple, leaving grizzly puncture wounds. A few of the teens glanced at Kris. He made out with this beast? He risked that kind of danger?

Noelle had a strange, hopeless look about her. One that only one other person really picked up on. Susie finally though, To hell with it! And she chomped down on the apple, finishing it off in two bites.

"Was that better than drinking the apple flavored shampoo?" Kris asked.

She slugged him so hard he nearly went flying. "I tried imagining it was you, halfway through. But then I remembered how much that damn shampoo you use makes me want to snack on you. So, I just finished it off. Be glad it wasn't you!"

The other teens began feeling flustered at her words. Did she even realize what she just said? To break the awkwardness settling over them, Jockington announced that he was next. He curled his body around the apple, cuddling it lovingly before swallowing the whole thing.

"And that's how you do sexy!" he declared, bobbing to tune only he could hear.

Catti smirked behind her phone, loving his performance. Monster Kid on the other hand was clearly having second thoughts about issuing this challenge to his friends. The rest of the group shared glances to see who would go next.

Berdly stood up on the table, striking a new dramatic pose, and said, "Those were both horrible sorry Susan, you definitely tried, but I will be the one to succeed! You see, I have paid attention to the great love gurus and have learned at their feet!"

"What? Your parents left on the adult channel last night?" Snowy chuckled.

"Silence with that filth!" Berdly snapped, looking down at the other monster. "Now observe!"

"HEY! Standing on public tables without washing your feet is against the law!" Undyne appeared right behind the blue jay, causing him to squawk. "Do I need to lock you up, or can I let you off with a warning?"

The poor teen completely lost his sense of balance and toppled down to the ground. Undyne easily caught him before he crashed and even caught his candied apple, too. Hefting Berdly in one hand, she asked the gang, "What are you all doing? I thought I'd catch you guys cutting ahead in lines."

Kris did his best to not glance back at Susie and explained, "Oh no, officer, we've been eating our dinner."

"Looks like you bought for six, kid."

"And we were just having a contest," he continued, ignoring her comment. He held up his candied apple. "We wanted to see if anyone could eat their candy apple in a sexy way."

Undyne blinked, caught off guard. "Eat candied apples… sexily? I think I'd prefer catching you all doing drugs or something like that."

Temmie popped up from behind her apple, already chewing into it. "Luk! I et my apple smexy! Da key iz to nuzzle it as you et it out."

Noelle gave her friend a sidelong look and mumbled, "Did you really mean to say it like that?"

Undyne held up Berdly's apple as she tucked him safely under her other arm. He protested loudly, saying she needed a warrant, but she ignored him as firmly as Kris had towards her rude comment. She inspected it closely before laughing.

"Ha! You kids are so ridiculous! You're all doing it WRONG! If you want to eat a candied apple sexy-like, you have to show it how much you care! Like this!" She dropped Berdly and held up the dessert. She socked it hard, sending the apple flying towards the Railcoaster. "HA! Got it!"

Kris saw a figure on the rollercoaster suddenly go limp and slump. You know, that's probably for the best. That ride was awful!

"Okay Asgore's kid, you! Kris!" Undyne waved her hand in front of his face. "It's your shot now. If there's anyone among these degenerates who can top that, it'll be you!"

"Um, she didn't even eat the apple," Noelle said quietly.

"Probably… For the best," Catti muttered.

"Who are you calling a degenerate?" Berdly wheezed into the grass.

"Yeah, Kris! Let's see what magic you've got," Susie said, slapping him hard across the back as she helped herself to some of his Karaage.

Kris sighed but held up his candied apple. He turned it slowly, trying to get the caramel contours to catch the light just right. He finally found an angle where it looked like Susie's face. Like if she had just been stung by hundreds of bees. Well, it would do!

He held out the candied apple, gave it a wink and said, pointing at it, "Even in the worst lighting, you still look like a knockout." He dove for the bite, but his teeth got stuck in the caramel and began choking. Susie thumped him hard once again. The problem was that the apple was still glued to his teeth and lips.

Undyne laughed so hard she nearly collapsed. She caught herself on the table and bashed it with her fist, cracking it in half. Monster Kid shook his head while Snowy quickly devoured his apple before he got put on the spot.

"Who's the one causing a public scene and ruining public property now?" Berdly grumbled.

"I'm wearing proper footwear!" Undyne said, showing of her boots. You're the one going around in bare feet! Oh, sorry Kris, but I have to go! I see some middle schoolers who look like they've been hitting the wrong juice. Time to scare them straight!"

The cop dashed away, launching herself with the fury of a falling meteor at the kids from earlier. Susie shook her head and muttered, "Where was she when those guys tried to jump you?"

"Number one," Kris said, plucking at her funnel cake. "They were just insulting me. And two, we both know you enjoyed beating them up."

"Ha, I did," Susie replied with a smirk.

"I chose a really horrible game, didn't I?" Monster Kid said, munching on his candied apple.

"Eh… We've proven… That no one can eat… a candied apple… sexily," Catti said, typing away.

"Oh… That's a shame. I was hoping for my turn." Noelle was looking away from the group, her cheeks flushed with fluster. She lightly licked her candied apple, sucking up the delicious caramel before taking the tiniest nibble of the apple itself. The way her hair caught the light from the stalls, the way her yukata exposed her neck, and how the antlers cast the perfect shadow across her face were perfect. The picture was sublime.

Everyone's jaws dropped, but she didn't notice for even a second. One by one, the teens turned away and buried themselves in food before Noelle could snap out of her thoughts.

"Well, what are we going to do about this table?" Noelle asked.

"Here. We'll use the caramel from Kris' apple. Works better than glue!" She finally managed to wrench it out of his mouth and surprisingly didn't tear out any of his teeth. Using a claw, she cut away some strips and used them to reseal the table. "See? Good as new!"

"And we should probably scatter before anyone finds out if it works or not," Snowy said.

"Agreed," the others chorused.

With that, they scattered back into the rest of the stalls, Susie hurriedly scarfing down the leftover. Kris led her deep into the fair, looking for something else fun to do. Now that they had eaten, and with the crowds at peak attendance, riding the anymore rollercoasters would consist of either annoyingly long waits in lines (though Susie had proved that with her around that probably wouldn't be a big deal) or their stomachs would turn into nauseous puke blenders.

Kris stopped at a random game stall, one where challengers threw balls at pyramids of cups and other knickknacks. If you could knock them over, you won a prize. Super simple in theory, but these contests always had a twist. Those pyramids probably didn't topple over as easily as they first appeared.

That was where Susie came in.

"Five balls please," Kris said, sliding over the coins.

"Going for the big prize, I see," the vendor responded, quickly pocketing Kris' money.

"Nah, we're just looking to have some fun. Isn't that right Susie?"

The teenage dragon looked up from brushing the crumbs off her yukata, getting her clothes even dirtier. "Uh… Yeah. That's what we're here for!" She grinned back at the stall owner, who leered back. He thought he'd found two wonderful marks.

Kris passed Susie all five balls. "Here you go."

"What? You paid for them! You should throw them! Don't involve me in your kiddie games!"

"You know I'm too weak to do them on my own."

Susie's grin grew into a wide, alligator smile. "Ha! Gotcha! Don't want you embarrassing yourself in public!"

She put the balls in her pockets as she got behind Kris. Susie took her boyfriend gently by the hands. She pressed up entirely against his back, speaking and guiding him through the motions of planting their feet, shifting their weight, using their hips, releasing the ball at the right time. The vendor watched them practice, amused but growing a little impatient.

"Are you going to throw your balls or do you two need a room?" he asked.

"I think we've got it," Susie finally announced. "Alright Kris, here's your first ball. Remember, we do this together."

The vendor gestured to a pyramid of glass bottles. "Here is your first target."

Moving as one, Kris and Susie shifted their weight back, whipped their arms forward, stepped forward, and launched the ball with the force of a rocket. With Susie's assistance, Kris' aim was true; the ball smashed into the glass tower. The pyramid exploded and the bottles ricocheted around inside the stall. The vendor yelped and dove out of sight.

Pumping both their fists, Susie bellowed, "Hell yeah! Take that you weak, pathetic glass bottles! You will never be a match for our TEAMWORK!"

Kris didn't cheer. He was enjoying the feel of Susie's toros pressed up against his neck and back. The vendor was not pleased at all. The monster rose slowly from behind the desk, his horns trembling and his eyes red with fury. Despite that, he spoke with an eerily even tone.

"Well done. You still have four balls. Let's graduate to another set up." His expression melted into a greasy grin as he pointed to a colorful block tower.

I'm willing to bet the rest of the money in my wallet that all those pieces are glued together, Kris thought wryly.

If Susie had a similar thought, she was undeterred. "Okay, Kris! Wind up for another toss!"

Once again, they acted as one, going through the motions to perfectly launch the small rubber ball right at the new target. The ball crashed into the blocks with such tremendous force that a few cracked. The entire pyramid lifted off the off the pedestal, breaking cleanly into several chunks, many of the pieces stubbornly clinging together.

I should have put my money on that bet, Kris laughed to himself.

"Kris! Duck!"

"What?" one monster quacked as she waddled past. "You don't have to be rude!"

Whizz!

The rubber ball had shot right back at them. Since the pyramid was not set up to fall apart properly, it caused the projectile to launch backwards with all the force the couple had put into it. Susie had thankfully been paying attention and ragged him down before it smashed square center of his face.

They watched the dark dot speed away and hit a perfect bullseye at a dunking stall. An elderly, winged sphinx wearing a fez got dunked, splashing water over the rest of his eclectic family. The crowds cheered, Susie laughed and ruffled Kris' hair, but their vendor seethed.

"You still have three balls. Three more chances to knock down more towers and earn an even better prize."

Susie finally took notice of what was available to them. A few of the stuffed animals were nearly as tall as she was. A winking tanuki doll caught her attention. Her yellow eyes grew big, envisioning herself finally winning such a grand prize. Kris ignored the vengeful owner as he took in the moment. Until recently, Susie had been so poor that she hadn't even been able to afford to feed herself properly half the time. A lot had changed this past year, and finally having a chance to play and enjoy herself at the fair was fully dawning on her. Winning that tanuki would be a dream come true.

Unfortunately, their opponent had different plans for them. He again motioned for them to follow him to the far side of his stall, towards a final pyramid. It was a brilliantly constructed wooden card tower, built to an astounding height and with exquisite detail. It was like the Eiffel Tower from Las Vegas!

"Are you sure you want us throwing a ball at that?" Susie asked. "It would be a shame to destroy something that obviously took you hours to make."

"Unlike a regular tower of cards, you'll find this one tricky to bring down," the vendor said cryptically, a dark note creeping into his voice. "If you can knock it down, you'll win big!"

"Kris, we've got this," Susie said, getting back into position.

Kris for his part tried to spy what the trick was, but nothing was coming to him. There was no way that the vendor would be this confident with simple glue. He might as well call it quits with Susie around, but that tone in his voice…

Susie once more led Kris through the motion and together they hurled the ball! It smacked into the precariously laid tower, spun in place, and then launched right back at them. Both teens hit the deck once again as the ball smashed back into the target behind them. The elderly sphinx, who was trying to get out of the tank, fell back in. His wet wings wouldn't get him out.

"Shit… What was that?" Susie muttered.

The vendor grinned wickedly. "Want to try it again."

"You bet your ass I will!" Susie said angrily. "Get up Kris, we're trying again!"

Once more, they acted as one, launching that fourth rubber ball with deadly, powerful precision. It collided with the tower and ruptured. Nothing. The vendor didn't bother hiding his laughter. He got them to waste two balls and was getting his revenge.

Susie let go of Kris and grumbled, "Sorry Kris, but I am going to do this one myself. I don't want to hurt you by going all out."

Kris wondered if Susie might have been watching a little too much of Alphy's bootlegged anime, but he relented and let her do this on her own. By stepping to the side, he gained a new perspective on the situation. He noticed a brief, golden flash on one of the cards. He repositioned himself as Susie stretched, getting ready. There were more flashes of gold, but now he realized it was brass. Those were screwheads catching the fair's light!

The bastard's screwed all the pieces together! And he probably bolted the whole thing to the table, too! It's impressive but he is trying to cheat Susie out of her prize… He called over to her, "Aim for the table!"

The vendor jumped a little as she snarled, "What?"

"Aim for the table," Kris repeated. "Break it."

Susie shrugged. "Okay Kris, I trust you. And here! We! GO!"

In a blur of purple and white, Susie pitched her final rubber ball. There was a short second before the pop of a mini sonic boom. A blast of wind and dust hit Kris in the face as the table under the tower erupted in a hail of splinters. The card tower was blasted into the air and went through the stall's roof. The vendor glanced wide-eyed at Susie, his breath catching in his throat. His red pupils rolled to view the back of his head and he collapsed out of sight.

Susie smirked. "Easy. Now this is mine!"

She unhooked a winking tanuki and marched off triumphantly. Taking Kris by the hand, they made their way once again along the lines of stalls, shops, and outside kitchens. To reward Susie for her awesome work in winning her own stuffed tanuki, Kris got them both some cotton candy and fresh pies. One was apple pie and the other was blueberry.

The couple happily snacked and talked as they continued on their way. After the excitement at the ball toss, and feeling the effects of all the food, Kris and Susie found it more enjoyable to just people watch. They came across Monster Kid trying to prove himself at a strength test, swinging a hammer to ring a bell. They found Alphys gushing over the memorabilia for sale at an anime stall. Their poor teacher was sweating over whether or not she should compete for a life-size replica of a fishy man with red hair wielding a trident and rocking some very revealing spandex.

"That looks way too familiar," Susie mumbled as they walked past.

There was so much food to try out, but even Susie had her limits, though they kept buying little handfuls of candy whenever they pass a sweets stall. They also saw Jockington playing chubby bunnies with Noelle and Catti as they stuffed the snake's maw full of fluffy marshmallows shaped like koalas. A little ways off, Temmie and Egg got their faces painted.

The sun had entirely set by that point. Some people were filtering back among the rows of stalls, weary but happy after their adventures with the rides. Susie spied Kris gazing expectantly back at the rickety death traps. He definitely wanted to return, but there was still some time before their stomachs settled and the immediate threat of puking during a ride was done. Though, given how much they were snacking, that might not happen.

He suddenly pointed over to a stall where the original name was scratched out. It had a very chaotic air about it, covered in images of far-off lands and sporting all kinds of odd wares. There were even games there to be played for prizes. And who should be manning the oddest stall at the fair but Sans himself.

Susie grinned wickedly and said, "Alright Kris, I've got an idea. I still need to pay you back for that present you got me in Cyber City."

"That was a year ago!"

"I know! And Like I promised you, I won't be outdone! I'm gonna steal the coolest thing he has for a prize. Let's go!"

The two strode hand-in-hand up to Sans. The short, smirking skeleton man winked their way as they came close. Waving a friendly hand, he said, "Sacrificing steamy scenes off camera just to spend time at my humble stall, I am honored!"

"Steamy scenes off camera? Is Papyrus making a movie of us again?" Susie asked.

"Nah, he's trying to escape the dog vendors just down the row."

As if on cue, San's brother's voice could be heard piercing the festival's general din. "Nyah! Come back with that!"

"Worf! Worf!"

"Um, shouldn't you do something about that?" Susie asked.

"And leave my stall all alone? Someone could come a steal something," he said, one eyes glowing faintly blue as he said that.

Susie suppressed a shiver and replied, "Are you still the only one managing your shop? You have to hire someone else at some time! You can't be everything all at once! What about your brother?"

"I don't have to be everything when I can be everywhere," Sans replied with a shrug. Kris chuckled a little at that. "That got you to laugh? That wasn't even a good joke! But just you wait, I'm getting warmed up."

"Didn't you already do that befriending my mom?" Kris asked.

"Gee, you kids are really derailing the mood."

Susie interjected, "If you aren't going to save Papyrus, then maybe you could tell us a little bit about your stall here. What game do you have?"

"Here? I have a few, but I think you'll be interested in a game of chance and strategy! Senbonbiki!"

"I don't think that's a game of strategy," Susie deadpanned. "Besides, I'm not for those games that require you to think too much."

Sans shook his head and said, "There is strategy to it! You have to keep an eye on the chords and lines and puzzle which ones lead to the prize you want. But even if you don't have the eye or mind for it, you can just have fun pulling on random strings and seeing what you get. But I don't see why you should be complaining anyway. That's a nice tanuki you have there. No doubt you smashed your way through to get it?" he added with a wink.

She hugged her stuffed animal close and nodded. "Yeah, it was fun to win this one. Though the vendor was a real asshat."

"How embarrassing. I can't imagine what I would look like wearing my ass on my head. Oh wait…" He rapped his skull with his knuckles and then his butt, eliciting the same hollow sounds. "Never mind. They're about the same."

"You really do need a warmup, don't you?" Susie asked.

He winked, saying, "Just let me find Kris' mom and everything will be back to normal in a jiffy."

"Yeah, we're moving on from this," Kris replied, stepping up to the chords. He gave the slightest of nods to Susie as he walked past her.

"I'm going to put this over to the side so I can use both of my hands," Susie said, shaking her tanuki. "I don't want you pulling any funny stuff again!"

"There's nothing funny about knocking a funny bone, except to watch the other person's reaction. Don't you agree, Kris?"

Kris strode up the Senbonbiki setup and began examining the strange and ropes. He started speaking very loudly. "I can just pull on whichever string I want?"

"Sure! But you only get one try and then you'll have to leave while I rearrange things. I don't want to make it too easy for you to get the best prize!"

"And what is the best prize?"

"No reason to shout! I might be a skeleton, but I can still go deaf," Sans laughed. "But I guess the best prize is a matter of perspective. The most expensive I have here is a gold watch, which is just nicely polished brass, but it's still beautiful."

"Isn't that being a little too honest?" Kris asked.

"I have an honest business to run!"

"So, the watch is the best?"

"It could be, but I think you're after something else," Sans said with a wink. The simple gesture sent a shiver up Kris' spine.

Susie had just managed to break in through the back of San's stall. She was sneaking in an exaggerated, cartoonish way, but was making very little noise. She carefully opened a number of cardboard boxes, searching their contents for the perfect gift to steal for him.

San continued explaining, "Someone who is lost would really like that compass. Though I guess if they found their way here, they shouldn't be all that lost. And no one plans on getting lost."

"Which is why you want the compass!"

"Yes, you could. But I think you're done with excursions into the woods for a little while." Sans left it at that and continued, pointing to an anime cat plush. "Some people are big fans of silly trinkets like these, but they value them. Someone with a sweet tooth would want the mochi tied right here. And pirates definitely want to get their hands on that bag of gold coins."

"They're plastic."

"Hey, shhhhh! Don't lose me potential customers!" Sans said with a wicked grin. "By the way, where is your girlfriend? Sure she isn't cheating on you with that tanuki? It looks like quite the catch."

The silly shop owner turned to get something, prompting Kris to yelp, "I've made my decision! Here!" He slapped some coins onto the counter.

Susie blanched and jumped through the backdoor, hauling a small box with her. She hadn't been able to find an individual item to pilfer, but Sans was too close. And there was something to his words, like he knew they were up to something. However, he just continued to smile and accepted Kris' payment, politely handing back the change.

"Alright, select your rope and hopefully you'll get what you want!"

Kris tried taking multiple ropes in one hand, earning a sharp rap on the hand from the skeleton. Projecting a sheepish grin to hide the more victorious one just under the surface at helping Susie escape, Kris finally took one rope and yanked hard. A box of candy hearts dangled in the air in front of him.

"Chocolate to share with your sweetheart. And some of these are strawberry filled, too," Sans said knowingly.

That's convenient, Kris thought, amazed. He turned to Susie as she came around the corner and said, "Look what I've won: more sweets!"

"Dude! You know we're going to scarf all those down tonight, right?" She covertly tried to hide her stolen prize behind the tanuki.

"I would offer Susie a turn at the game, but I think she's already got enough on her hands," San said with a wink. "You two go on and enjoy the rest of the festival. Just don't get too crazy after the fireworks."

The two teens shared a glance, their necks growing a little hot. Turning together they were about to melt back into the crowd when Sans called out to them, "Just remember that fair is in fairytale!"

"Uh… That wasn't funny," Susie called back.

"Maybe not to you now, but who knows about the other you? At another time?" Sans gave them one more wink and vanished into his stall.

"Even after a year, I still don't get him," Susie muttered.

"Try having him around your house on the weekends!"

"That's rough, buddy."

Kris shrugged. "He can be funny, when you're in the mood."

They walked a little further before Susie suddenly scoffed. "Ha! Funny bone!"

Once they were well out of sight of San's venue, they huddled in space between stalls and broke open the box of chocolates. As they ate, Susie hunt ger Tanuki on bad nail jutting out of the wood. She then inspected her catch in the dim light.

"Alright, let's look at what I stole for ya. Time to finally pay you back and settle the score."

Kris did his best to hide his amusement. There was no reason whatsoever for Susie to have done this. There was no debt or score to be settled, but his girlfriend still wanted to show that she had enough grit to be the bad girl. Well, he guessed that could be a reason even though it all went back to their second excursion to the Dark World together.

While he allowed his thoughts to drift briefly down memory lane, Susie just stared at the item in her claws. "Ah… That was not expected."

"What? What did you swipe?"

Thoroughly nonplused, Susie held up a stuffed doll. It was a blue character wearing armor and sporting a sword with a shield. The doll's messy hair grew long and into its face, exactly like Kris'. In fact, the whole doll looked exactly like-

"Kris, what the hell is Sans doing with something like this? Wait, this came out of a box! Do you think he has a bunch of plush copies of you that he's giving out as prizes?"

"I don't think they will do very well," Kris laughed, just as confused as she was. "Who would want a plush of me?"

Susie held the doll closer at his words, but she didn't say anything. Kris smirked and held out his hand. He motioned for her to hand it over, which got her to bark back, "Forget it! Get your own doll!"

"Psh! I think it's a fair trade. I did give you that doll of you."

"Maybe my doll is getting lonely and needs a friend," Susie muttered, getting really embarrassed.

"Alright. Then I'll take your tanuki instead."

"Correction, you get to hold it for the rest of the night," Susie said.

Kris knew better than to argue with her. It was all in good fun anyway. She had proven herself and was walking away with something unexpected. Sans' words came back to him with eerie clarity. He shook his head to dismiss the implications. That skeleton had said a lot of things and winked an uncomfortable amount, too. Did that mean-?

"Susie! Oh, Kris. I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

Both teens turned to face Noelle, who stood there, silhouetted by the carnival lights. She had just finished her own stick of cotton candy and appeared to be alone.

"Oh, hi there Noelle. Looks like the gang really broke apart," Susie observed.

"Yeah. They're all over the place," Noelle giggled. "But I bet that once we start going back on some of the rides, the rest will all come together. You'll probably message them, won't you Kris?"

"Yeah. I'll just wait for Monster Kid to ring the bell. He's trying his best."

"Yes, he is," Noelle laughed. "Well, um, Kris? If it's okay, can I borrow Susie? We had agreed…"

Susie blinked for a moment and then shouted, "Oh shit! I nearly forgot! Yeah, we were going to ride the Ferris Wheel together!"

"Just like old times," Kris said. "Okay. Just hand me your tanuki and I'll keep an eye on it."

"Sure thing," Susie said, unhooking it and practically smothering her boyfriend with it. "Come on Noelle! I'm ready to help move that line along!"

True to her words, it wasn't long before Susie and Noelle both had their spot on the large, lighted wheel. Now that it was dark, the view might not have been quite as impressive as before, but the carnival's lights and bustling crowds would certainly make the viewing fun. Kris held onto the tanuki and munched on some of the chocolates while he waited for Susie and their mutual friend to return.

Susie had readily agreed to join Noelle on the Ferris Wheel, as it was a chance to relive a special moment between them. Learning about the Dark World and how real their adventures there were, Noelle was once very embarrassed about the way she had opened up to Susie about herself. However, it was a sweet memory for Susie. That first Ferris Wheel ride had been a chance to get to know someone who had shown her kindness and respect long before anyone else had. The chance to make a new friend other than Kris in the Lightner World was a thrill and an experience she hadn't thought possible.

When Noelle invited her for one ride, there was no way Susie was going to say no. Plus, it was a nice chance to chat without any of the others butting in. Even though she loved Kris, it was nice to get a break and have some girl time. Hell, when had she ever expected to have girl time with anyone?

As the Ferris Wheel made its slow round, Susie asked Noelle, "How's the night been for you? Having fun?"

"Oh yes!" Noelle said eagerly. "That Sling-o-Nator was so much fun! I thought we could die, and that was a thrill!"

"You and your adrenaline rush," Susie muttered with a wry grin. "With Catti onboard, we should have called it a Cat-a-pult!"

Noelle laughed really hard, getting Susie to awkwardly add that it wasn't that funny of a joke. The reindeer girl kept laughing but looked out over the darkness beyond them and said, "You're way funnier than you think, Susie. You need to give yourself more credit."

"Well, maybe. I'd just rather be badass and cool."

"You can be those things and funny, too," Noelle pointed out.

"I guess you're right. Typical of the smartest girl in our class."

"No need to rub it in," the other girl replied, obviously pleased with the compliment. She turned back to Susie and saw the Darkner Kris plush in her hands. Mellowing a bit, she asked, "How are things going between you?"

Susie looked down at the doll and beamed. "They're going very well. Back in the day I didn't think I could be this happy and at ease. I didn't I deserved it. But Kris has been there for me even when I didn't want him to be. It was kind of annoying at first but knowing that his heart was in the right place, that he wanted to be my friend, made it all better.

"And yeah… We've just kept growing closer every day. There would have been a time when I didn't want to hold hands with anyone, let alone be seen by others while holding hands with some loser. But then he became my loser… My dork and my nerd. Ah, you were just asking how we're doing. You didn't ask for the mushy details."

Noelle covered her expression and replied, "I am very happy for you Susie. Your tail was wagging up a storm just talking about Kris. I'm glad he's been so good to you. He's really matured."

"Maybe he's not as mature as you might think," Susie laughed.

"Well, as my dad always said, "Keep the people close to you who make you the happiest. Make them happy, and every day is an adventure."

"Ain't that the truth!"

A comfortable silence settled between them. Where this conversation might have at one point fallen into an awkward stage, the two girls had grown a lot in a year. Noelle had learned to accept that not everything could be like in her good dreams. Thankfully, she was having more and more of them now. One day she would learn how to make them her own sweet reality.

Their conversation eventually picked up again and they chatted about how school was going on for them both. Noelle revealed that her mom was chilling out more and more each day. Susie had found some exquisite moss to sample. They laughed at how Alphys was struggling to write an obvious love letter to Officer Undyne, and they speculated about who Temmie had a crush on.

When their ride finally came to an end, neither of them had spent too much time looking down at the wonderland below. They disembarked, Susie stuffing her plush Kris into her loose yukata, its small head rubbing against her chest. Kris gave her a bemused look but held up his cellphone and announced, "I let everyone know that the rides are back on! We're headed to the haunted house next!"

Hand-in-hand, Susie embarked on the rest of the night. Starting out in the haunted house, the teens had to climb three stories through an exterior section. Open to the elements, any passerby could gaze on the silly haunts, moving floors, traps, and silly pictures next to twisted mirrors that all the guests had to navigate to get to the top. Once there, you could choose to slide down to the bottom or enter the haunted house and take the rollercoaster to the end. While parents ushered their kids down the slide, Kris and Susie led the way inside.

Inside, the carts only allowed two people to sit next to each other. Once in their seats, the couple were dropped into a dark hallway where banshees and mummies burst out suddenly, screaming and roaring. Once out of the hallway, the ride went through a black-lit graveyard before entering a dining hall where the animatronic revelers engaged in live cannibalism. The ride then swung through two doors to enter a dungeon full of ghouls before the cart passed through a heavy wall of fog.

Throughout all of this, Kris and Susie snuggled up close to each other, laughing the silly frights. In the graveyard, they both stole kisses from each other. Susie privately wondered what it would be like if the ride broke down in there. What would she and Kris get up to in the dark?

But at the end of the ride, they found themselves sliding through a long apartment hallway with flickering lights. At the far end was a mirror. The cart stopped at the mirror and waited for a moment.

"Think they're gonna have some ghost girl come through the glass?" Susie asked.

"I don't think, I know. Look," Kris said, pointing as the ghost girl appeared in the mirror.

"HA! Such an old trick. Then the lights will go off and when they come back on she'll be right in front of us."

"Or right behind you," the ghost rasped, touching their shoulders.

Susie jumped. "WHAT!?"

The cart sped away, giving them whiplash, running fast away from the ghost before throwing them back outside and in the crowds waiting to get into the haunted house.

"Ouch… Hell of a finale…" Susie muttered, helping Kris back to his feet. They padded each other off, getting rid of the dirt and grime.

After the others arrived, Noelle and Catti both looking flustered and hair-raised, the gang marched off to another ride. This one was Aladdin's Magic Flying Shower Rug. The enlarged rug was outfitted with two rows of seats and was attached to a massive arm. It would swing them around in a large circle without tumble the rider. Definitely one of the tamer rides.

"I don't get why Aladdin would want a flying shower rug," Susie said.

"He was poor and didn't have a towel. It was a good way to dry off," Kris said.

"Leaves you a little exposed," Susie said, flushing a little.

Again, holding hands, their goodies left below, they flew on the magic shower rug ride. The whole gang held up their hands, screaming and cheering as the ride brought them down after flying so high. The controlled fall was so much fun! As they arced high. Kris and Susie pointed out stuff to each other.

"Hey look! There's your dad! Looks like his stall is busy!" Susie shouted.

Kris nodded and pointed. "See that UFO saucer ride? We should do that one next!"

"And look! That's San's stall. Wait, is he waaaaaaaaving!?" she screamed as the ride plummeted once more.

Everyone agreed afterward that while Aladdin's Rug was not the most exciting ride, it had been a ton of fun. Kris and Susie quickly convinced the others to make their way to the UFO. The lines weren't too long at this point. Families were huddling together to enjoy some food and snacks before the firework display brought the festival night to an end.

The UFO ride was a wacky one. It did not have any seats and no safety harnesses but for a singular thin piece of rope that the bored ride operator strapped in front of them. They were all told to hold onto the handrails at their sides. Kris and Susie shared a nervous glance before the operator disembarked and began the coaster. The UFO began spinning, quickly gaining tremendous speed.

"ARG! I can't blink!" Susie protested; they were getting whipped around so fast.

Once the UFO reached its peak speed, it rose up and tilted to the side. The kids all screamed as they found themselves flying above the others. The coaster's centrifugal force kept them all in place, safely throwing them in a circle and dizzying the lot of them. When the ride was over, it took everyone a moment to regain their balance before walking off.

"Blerg… I don't think my food settled enough yet for something like this," Berdly complained.

"Are you kidding me, blue jay!" Susie shouted, holding onto Kris to remain steady. She was steadily crushing her boyfriend. "That ride got me all fired up! Let's try that one over there!"

Set off to the far corner of the fairgrounds was a new ride that wasn't getting as much attention as the others. Most people first went to the rides they knew the best and everyone had their favorites. Only the adventurous went directly for the newest ride, and now that it was so late, the lines were again not so long. Susie and Kris again led the way, quickly gaining spots on this new coaster.

This ride reminded Kris of the Hammer, except its seats were clearly meant to rotate. Furthermore, the axis on which the ride swung also rotated. The ride operator, the first one to look truly excited all night long, gave them a toothy grin and explained that the ride's design was meant to make sure that each patron did not experience the same rotation during the ride, though they were fixed in place.

Intrigued, the gang again deposited their winnings and leftovers and climbed aboard. Berdly was determined to not lose face in front of Susie, no matter what his stomach was telling him. Noelle was excited for a ride that would bring something unexpected. Jockington was his usual excited self and was even the first to jump on.

The straps lowered mechanically over the teens, locking them into place. The operator gave them the thumbs up and pressed the big, green button on his panel. The ride roared to life and immediately they were swung high into the air. Kris felt Susie's hand hastily latch hold of his. Their fingers interlocked and together they embraced the new adventure.

With three simultaneous directions of movement, with the seats spinning, the arm swinging, and the arm itself rotating, the operator was correct; they were thrown in new directions with every rotation. Susie and Kris yelled with excitement as they first saw a night full of stars, and then they were thrown to hang upside down, gazing upon the carnival. Next, they flew over the darkened forest. Then they sped to again look at Sans' shop and Susie could have sworn that he waved to them both.

When the ride ended, the teens were even more dizzy than before. Berdly stumbled and barely managed to make it to a trash can, kneeling before the tin gods in shame as he gave them his embarrassing offering.

"Whew! Let's do that again," Susie laughed, lying on the ground to try and calm her senses.

"That ride had me all in knots!" Jockington said, and sure enough he was tied in three different knots.

"How… Did this happen?" Cattie wondered, helping her friend get unstuck.

"I think Berdly isn't up to another ride," Noelle chuckled, trying to straighten out her own hair which had gone all poofy during the wild ride. "It's no fair that Kris doesn't look shaken at all."

"It's hard to look shaken when you always look unkempt," Kris said, holding his queasy stomach.

Snowy laughed. "Ha! It would be more impressive if the ride made Kris look more kempt and handsome!"

"He's handsome enough," Susie growled from the ground.

Berdly coughed and moaned, "Carrots… Why is it always carrots?... I didn't even eat any carrots…"

"Eg haz speshul mint for ya," Temmie said, walking over. "It will make yu feelz way better!"

It was at that moment than the fair's loudspeakers blared to life, announcing, "The fireworks will begin in ten minutes! Please take your positions and get ready for the show!"

This announcement electrified the teenagers lightning coursing through their bodies. They leaped up and began looing around crazily. It was as if the floodgates had been thrown open. Families and couples began spilling into the grounds around the church and in the woods to designated lookout sites. Others began climbing on top of the sturdier stalls to get a better vantage. Ride operators announced that they would shutting off soon and people in the far back of some lines melted gloomily into the rest of the crowd.

"W-We gotta hurry if we want good spots," Noelle sputtered.

"Thankfully, we're close enough to the fair's outskirts that we shouldn't have a problem if we move now," Berdly said, supported by Temmie.

"Then what are we waiting for? Follow me!" Jockington declared zipping off to claim a spot.

"Come!" Susie whispered, taking Kris once more by the hand. And just like before she hauled him so fast that he flew out behind her like a kite. In all of the excitement, only Noelle really caught a glimpse of the couple disappearing into the chaos. She gave them a half wave goodbye before following the others.

"Let's drop by your dad's stall first," Susie said, barreling through the fair goers. Her yukata had almost come entirely undone. Kris was trying his best to hold his own yukata in place. "We'll drop off some of the stuff there so we don't have to worry about."

Sure enough, Asogre was there, happily showing off his wide variety of flowers when Susie dropped by, hurling her tanuki and small Kris doll at him. "Please hold onto these for us, Asgore! Thanks! Bye!"

"Byyyyeeeee!" Kris called as he continued to be carried along.

Asgore had to untangle himself from the prizes, careful to not tear them with his horns or get them too dirty. "Uh, does your mother know about this?" he called after them, but they were already gone.

The roads soon cleared as Susie led Kris northward. Everyone was moving south and closer to the fireworks, but the two of them had hatched a fun plan. It was great hanging out with everyone else and all, but they did want some alone time for the evening. Based on his memory, Kris knew that the fireworks would be high enough and too far away that they would be perfectly visible from the beach.

Susie scouted out the area beforehand and found a secluded spot that still offered them the best vantage point. Kris knew that some couples backtracked to the beach to enjoy the show and little bit of snogging. Catty had tried it out once with his older brother Asriel. He had trailed them and watched the whole awkward scene go down. Catty had tried to kiss him, he misunderstood what was going on, which made her try to play off her advance as a joke and shove him… Directly into the water.

Tonight would hopefully have no such-

"Wooooah!" Kris shouted as Susie suddenly hurled him sky high.

Laughing, she caught him in both her arms, grinning wickedly. "That was pay back for your cheek earlier!"

"Which time? There were lots of opportunities to tease you tonight," Kris said.

"Want me to throw you again?" Kris shook his head, causing her to laugh again. "Well, you were sweet, multiple times. Thanks for letting me keep the doll."

Kris seized the moment and gave a quick peck on the cheek. Susie became a little flustered and set him down stiffly.

"So, where did you find?"

"This way," she said, taking him again by the hand, though this time her touch was far gentler.

Susie pushed through the brush and quickly led them to a spot between the trees. It was right up against the water, the ground a few feet above the water line. Soft waves lapped against the mud and grass, creating a calm ambiance. There was a fresh log laying across the grass that gave them a wonderful backrest. When they settled down, they had a clear view through the curtain of trees to the water and the beaming town fair beyond.

"This is a really good spot," Kris said.

"We won't really know until the fireworks start," Susie replied. "I don't have a watch on me. When do you think they'll-?"

The first few golden balls shot up into the dark sky, exploding in blossoms of red, gold, and blue. Dazzling sparkles floated slowly down to the crowds below, fizzling out. A couple more fireworks streaked after their detonated brethren, bursting into bubbles of green and white. Her question answered, Susie snuggled in closer to Kris.

The first few faint pops and crackles from the fireworks finally floated over them, a soundtrack that was out of sync with the show before them. More fireworks filled the air, creating a wonderful sight of mixed colors and sparks. Soon, other fireworks shot off waterfalls of sparks, or blew up into glowing rings, while a few actually formed distinct shapes and faces.

"Remember when they fired off fireworks of you, me, and Ralsie? I bet he'd like to watch this," Susie said.

"We'll definitely go there tomorrow and enjoy a second round of festival fun," Kris assured her.

"Part of me wants to bring the others, but I think it'd be fun to just hang with our friends there," Susie mused. "What do you think?"

"Would you like to get Berdly sick again?"

"HA! That boastful bird can't hold his fun," Susie laughed loudly.

"Those were some crazy rides," Kris pointed out.

"Maybe, but they'll be nothing compared to whatever Ralsie can whip up! I can already feel myself vomiting! Ha! Well… It's not that funny, unless I have a barf bag decorated like your face!"

"Ugh… That sounds so unappealing," he muttered.

"What says intimacy more than throwing up in your boyfriend's face?"

"Is that a third base or homerun level of relationship progression?"

"I'd say at least a third date."

"Damn, then I know what I will be doing tomorrow night," Kris said with a wry grin.

Susie slugged him lightly and said, "Nah, your face is too cute to use for a barf bag. Which is why I'll have Ralsie make some for us."

"And when is Ralsie going to find time to make all of these?" Kris asked.

"I'll drop by in the morning and tell him," Susie said with a wink.

They settled in again, watching the fireworks. The shot up in far greater frequency, the tempo picking up as larger and greater fireworks exploded across the sky. The stars were drowned out in the blasts of light and twinkling sparks.

"You know, I think I'm hungry again," Susie muttered.

"I knew I should have bought more meat," Kris said with a chuckle.

"Hmm, I was thinking dessert."

"If we ran back, not all the stalls will have closed up shop."

"Can't. All that running and those rides too all the strength out of my legs."

"I don't believe you."

"Just try picking me up and you'll find out!"

"After the show," Kris assured her.

"Ha, weakling," she said with a wink and squeezing his hand. "But seriously though, those rides were a lot of fun. I thought that UFO was going to throw me into open air. It was kind of freaky."

"That last ride was freaky! I got completely turned around! I'm surprised you could run straight."

"I'm surprised more of them didn't lose their dinners and lunch," Susie said with a grimace.

Kris shook his head. "We really hit the big rides hard this year."

"Think we should let up next time?"

"No. We come earlier next year, and we hit all the rides!"

Susie nodded emphatically. "Hell yeah! Without a doubt, we'll make it happen!"

"We could do the haunted house ride twice," Kris said with a wink of his own.

"We could do that right now," Susie said, turning to fully face Kris. "And like I said, I was thinking about some more dessert."

Kris feigned misunderstanding and said, "I don't have anymore chocolate or candy on me."

"But you still smell like apples." Susie pulled Kris closer.

He didn't resist. Kris stretched himself up and kissed Susie on the lips. They ha stolen a few kisses while at the carnival, but those had been in public or with the risk of being discovered. Here, secluded in the trees, Kris and Susie had no such inhibitions. Susie cupped her hand around the back of Kris' head, pulling him in even more.

Dating for a year had already given the couple plenty of experience. Susie could easily bite Kris' tongue off if she wasn't careful, and Kris just had to put up with be smaller than her, but they had overcome these obstacles to making out. They frenched as Kris massaged Susie's snout, and she ruffled his hair while scratching his back.

No awkward words or conversation passed their locked lips. Kris' yukata was coming undone, but kissing Susie meant there was little he could do about that. The smell of the fair's greasy and overly sweet foods lingers on their hands and faces, along with the musk of a good sweat drummed up from heart-racing rides. All smells, sensations, and memories that made their kissing all the sweeter and more passionate.

Though their eyes were closed, the finale drew their attention. The sky light up almost as if it was noon day. All kinds of color fire and explosions tore up the blackness, all sense of tempo and artistry thrown aside for the overwhelming spectacle. Kris and Susie broke apart, enjoying the gorgeous sight. Still, their stomachs swooped as if they were back on one of the rollercoasters.

The last firework exploded in a bright halo over the fair and the show came to its end, a storm of smoke and sparks washing over the distant stalls and rides. The rolling thunder boomed over the water for a few seconds after the lights died. As the last thunderclap pealed away, the night's darkness returned absolutely.

"That was awesome," Susie said softly.

"Yeah, you were," Kris teased.

She squeezed his hand once again and said, "Thanks for an incredible night. This year's fair was everything I hoped it would be."

"Thank you, Susie," Kris answered. "Even though we went with friends, there's no one else I wanted to share this night with more."

"Smooth talker," she said with a smirk, which was slowly illuminated by the returning night's stars.

"You started it."

"And I'll end it," Susie said, shifting to loom over Kris.

Their lips miraculously found each other again in the dark, getting right back to where they left off. They would have a little more time before their folks or any of their friends unduly wondered where they were. Susie settled onto Kris' lap.

The tanuki would have made this a little more comfortable, she thought, though she ultimately dismissed the idea. There was no reason to ruin a perfectly good prize that she won fair and square.

Claws, hands, and lips fumbled about in the dark, but they were done before the main crowds left main street and before anyone but Noelle knew what had happened.