Terezi gave Karkat's wrist another blood-stopping squeeze. She grinned, sniffing every direction. Everything smelled so amazing! There were so many colours, it made her head spin. What should she try first? There were too many decisions!

She heard the contended shrieks of the scurrying little wrigglers around her. It reminded of her when she was that little, running around and perhaps stealing a treat or two from the booths (it wasn't like her lusus was there to scold her).

It was different now, though. She couldn't see the colours anymore, only smell them. The whole experience was rather peculiar. It was like she had been sent back into the past with her senses all jumbled up. She gripped Karkat harder. It was hard not to get carried away.

"Shit, Terezi, I don't like it here. Everyone is a fucking wart on the face of a hideous beast. They ooze puss and lick it up. Also they are staring at your shirt, not that you can tell."

Terezi frowned a little. She thought it was rather a nice gesture that she had put on his shirt. His sign, his non-colour… It was like she was an undercover cop!

She grinned and gave his wrist another squeeze.

Let them stare. Karkat was right—it wasn't like she could tell either way.

Terezi's nose twitched and she stopped suddenly. A bench! Perfect. If Nubby was going to complain the whole time, she might as well leave him there while she went to set up. She was an awfully patient troll, after all!

"The fuck? You dragged me all the way here to sit on a bench?" he growled.

"Stupid Nubby. You are stupid. Wait here like a good wriggler while I get something." Terezi gave him a rather fierce shove and he fell back onto the chair, grumbling and bitching. "Don't go anywhere."

"Whatever. If you're not back soon, I will just fucking leave you here," he said. Her lips twitched. Silly Nubby! He could never leave her. Not even if he tried.

Terezi felt a tug on her sleeve and blinked sightlessly at him.

"Did you really have to fucking wear my shirt here?" Karkat's voice was almost insecure. She grinned.

"Yes!" Of course. Obviously.

Terezi turned on her heel and walked out into the throes of excited wrigglers. She was grinning so broadly that her face was starting to feel numb. She couldn't help it—after all, she had finally managed to bring Nubby to a carnival with her. She had been planning this for years.

How else could she make him understand?

"Give me a bag of that," she said to a vendor, pointing.

"A bag of what?" the troll grunted back.

"Of that!" she replied, pointing more fiercely.

"I don't know what the hell you're saying, lady. You crazy or something?"

"Of course not! You are rude." She frowned. "I just want a bag of cotton candy."

"Lady, that ain't cotton candy. That's a wreath of stenchblossoms. You got something wrong with your eyes?"

"Yes, I am blind," Terezi replied, tapping her cane against the ground impatiently.

"Oh."

Terezi tensed, irritated. If only she was in a game, she could drive her cane straight through the fool's chest. What a weak troll! Showing pity for something so stupid. Only Nubby was allowed to do that. "Where do they sell cotton candy, if you will not give it to me?"

"Down a few stalls. You want me to take you?"

"No, I can handle myself perfectly well." She stomped away, sniffing for the cotton candy.

Eventually, Terezi made her way to the proper stall and bought a fresh bag of cotton candy. It took everything she had to resist tearing straight into it. No, she had to give some to Nubby. She tapped back over and slumped back on the bench.

"Terezi, what the fuck is that?"

Terezi clawed at the bag. Plastic was stupid. She missed getting cotton candy on huntbeast bones. At least you didn't have to open those. "It's cotton candy! We must start our wonderful time here with a delicious treat! Hehehe." She finally managed to rip it open and pull out a fluffy chunk.

"I am not eating carnival food. I am only here to—"

Without waiting for him to finish, Terezi shoved the candy in his face. Funny, that didn't really feel like his food hole…

"That wasn't my fucking mouth—"

Oh, there it was. Terezi stuffed the spun sugar into his face and he gagged a little. Excited, she pulled out another piece.

"Tere—"

And then she forced it into his face again. That's a good little grub, she thought. Eat all the delicious cotton candy. It was fun playing with Nubby. He was so silly, he hadn't even thought to bite her once! That would have been her first reaction, anyway.

But the bag was suddenly wrenched from her hands and she felt around with her hands, confused.

"Stop feeding me."

Oh! Nubby had the bag, of course. She frowned, suspicious. Was he trying to hoard the sweet all to himself?

"But Nubby, it's delicious! I am having fun!"

"I bet you are, you damn sadist."

Terezi sidled over to him and subtly reached for the bag. He moved. Damn!

"Nubby, I want to eat it, too, you know."

Karkat wouldn't let go. He really was hogging it all! What a douchebag. She would obviously have to punish him for this. Stupid Nubby. She flipped her canekind around and began whacking him about the head with it.

"Shit, where in your empty pan did you decide this was going to be the best course of action?" The thwacking sounds changed slightly and Terezi wondered if he had thrown up his arms as a shield.

"You're hogging the cotton candy," she argued, proceeding to poke him in the forehead with the pointy end of the cane.

"Fuckdammit," he muttered. Terezi's nose twitched, but she continued smacking him.

He thrust the bag at her and she took it. "Take the gogdamn shitass candy! Gog, I keep forgetting you're blind."

Happily, Terezi began to shovel clouds of cotton candy into her mouth. She was tense, though, ready for him to try and take it back—"try" being the key word. She wasn't going to be defeated again so easily.

But it wasn't fair to eat all the candy. Not when she had brought Karkat to the carnival for a reason. "Nubby," she said, holding out a chunk.

"Whatever, Terezi. Whatever." The piece disappeared and she assumed he had eaten it.

Terezi stayed still for a few minutes, "watching" the crowds of wrigglers as they passed. What was the next thing she should show Nubby? There were too many attractions to choose from!

That was when the idea came. She snatched up his wrist and pulled him from the bench.

"It smells so good!" she said, dragging him past stalls. "Like chocolate and candy and ranch and spicy!"

"That's stupid," Karkat mumbled.

"It is so delicious!" she continued, undeterred. "The candy apples are especially ripe!" She gave his wrist a squeeze.

Her nose caught wind of a particularly inviting sign. "Nubby, let's go feed some animals! I'm sure some of them don't bite, so don't worry you stupid tiny pan about it!" Terezi had always loved feeding the animals—especially when she knew she could win easily in a fight. She was the dragon and they were to cower before her. Terezi grinned. It made her feel powerful.

"Why would I want to feed some fucking asswipe lice covered wriggler animals?" Karkat bitched. Terezi knew it was all an act. Then again, she could trick him into doing just about anything, really. He was just that hopeless.

She leaned against the fence and sniffed around, pointing out all the various fanged creatures. It took her a moment to realize Karkat wasn't beside her. Had Nubby run off on her without saying anything? That was a dirty trick!

But then Karkat was there again and he was holding something that smelled very meaty. "Nubby, thanks!" Terezi hopped the fence and reached back over, groping at the air for a piece of meatdeer snack. He groaned and pressed one into her hand. "Just wait, leader! I will show you how to tame a vicious meatdeer."

Meatdeer were disgustingly docile, but she wasn't sure that Karkat actually knew that. She grinned, holding out the treat to a nearby meatdeer. It trotted over, sniffing at her hesitantly, then mowed it down.

"Karkat, c'mon! Don't be such a douche," she called back, stroking the meatdeer's naked neck.

"I am not a douche. I am so fucking awesome that meatdeer flee at my very scent."

Terezi frowned. Stupid Nubby. Was he still worrying? Meatdeer didn't even have fangs! Well, big ones, at any rate.

"Nubby, you are stupid," she said, walking back to the fence.

"Terezi, you are a smelly bitch."

Terezi grinned and stretched her arms over the fence, grasping his bony shoulders. Nubby was small, right? She could probably easily drag him over. Yes, it would be simple.

And that is exactly what she did.

"Terezi, you asshole!"

"Hehehe. Feed them with me!" She knew it would be harder for him to argue now that he had joined her on this side of the pen. She pushed a piece of meat into his hand and he waited.

The meatdeer walked back, nosing at Karkat's hand. How adorkable! The gangly beast liked him. It gobbled up the food and Terezi patted its wrinkles.

"Good meatdeer," she muttered. "I'll spare you." She stepped back, sniffing around. What should they do next?

Her nose caught scent of a pricklebeast. She loved pricklebeasts! She dragged Karkat over to it. Together, they cornered it. She reached down and patted its tiny face contentedly.

"I wonder how pointy these actually are," she said absently. "I know they are prickly but maybe it is an act? The coolkid told me that there are animals like this on Earth, but they only look dangerous."

"Don't trust that asshole," Karkat replied.

She touched the pricklebeast's back and flinched. She surveyed the cut with muted interest. It smelled like gummy frogs. "Apparently the answer is 'yes'," she said, sucking it carefully.

"I warned you," he grumbled. But Terezi had stopped paying attention and was now making her way to a different part of the carnival.

Together, they played through all of the different offered games. Terezi fancied herself quite a good shot, so she was rather confused when the shop owners dove under their desks, or when they told her she hadn't hit anything. It was rather disheartening. Karkat allowed himself to be persuaded to play, however, and it sounded like he had better aim (much to her frustration). He could at least hit the targets.

"Here, Terezi. You can have this piece of fuck."

Terezi gulped down her piece of cotton candy. "You won me something, Nubby? How sweet!"

"No, Terezi, I did not fucking win it for you. I was forced to take it from that pan demented clerk after playing your idiotic wriggler vomit games."

She snatched up the candy apple crab and crushed it to her chest. She grinned. "I will dub him Sir Candy McGrump." She was naming it after Karkat, of course. She secretly named everything candy apple after him.

"Enjoy," he grumbled. Terezi stretched out her hand and pinched his cheek roughly.

"I will, Nubby! Don't worry." She turned her attention back to the squishy crab, squeezing its pincers and chuckling.

"Hey, asshole. Sit."

Terezi sniffed for the bench, shrugged and nodded. She sat down, making the plushie dance in her lap. It was adorkable. "Sit with me, Nubby."

"Give me a minute. Just don't move your ass."

Terezi looked up as he left. Was he running away again? Stupid Nubby. She would find him, no matter what it took. She made the crab dance some more. She wondered if Karkat could dance. Probably not.

The crunching of gravel alerted Terezi to Karkat's return. She turned her head to him.

"Nubby, did you—" she began, surprised.

"Have a fucking candy apple."

Terezi sat Sir Candy McGrump beside her in a very dignified pile, then took the apple. She chomped down. It was everything she remembered and more. Perfectly delicious.

"Try it, Nubby!" she said as he sat beside her. She was sniffing very intently, waiting for his reaction. She wished expressions were easier to smell. She heard him crunch the apple and waited.

"Hehehe. You like it?"

"Fuck off. Shut up. Crawl into a hole and rot there, and then I will use your flesh to feed the meatdeer."

He hadn't said 'no'! "So, yes."

Karkat didn't say anything. He just kept crunch at the apple. Terezi finished her own off in record time. She had wanted to savour it, but it was difficult. She picked up Sir Candy McGrump again, flipping its claws up and down, up and down.

"Hey, Nubby!" Terezi grinned.

"Yeah?" he barked.

"Are carnivals still for wrigglers and assholes?" She gave the crab's eyes a squeeze. She wondered if they were buttons. Waiting for his response, she turned back to him.

"Yeah, they still fucking are. Nothing has changed. If anything, coming today just proved my point. Congratulations, Terezi. You succeeded in proving I am smart today."

"Stupid." She focussed on the crab again. At least it wasn't a raging douchebag.

She heard a rustling beside her. She felt softness press against her forehead. She narrowed her eyes.

"Nubby, you're being awfully nice." It was unusual. She squeezed Sir Candy McGrump harder. She could feel the stitches loosening and quickly dropped it.

"Don't get used to it. I must have gotten fucking sick from being around these idiots all day."

"Hehehe."

She felt his hand connect with hers, fingers wrapping around hers. Nubby was being strange. This was strange.

But then…

Terezi was strange, too.