To celebrate Matthew finally being able to walk around without feeling immense pain, Alfred explained that he was going to bring Matthew out somewhere special: an amusement park.
As was expected, the doctors didn't exactly find this a grand idea for a healing patient. Even the name of the park, 'All the Thrills', didn't appear promising on any form. However, Alfred was quite persuasive in his argument: Matthew should get some kind of bright excitement, something fun to look forward to, and it wasn't like the American was going to drag the poor boy on every roller coaster and any ride that could break his neck. It was more for the sights and sounds, as well as the food. Besides, there were quite a few rides Matthew could enjoy, such as the ferris wheel and the merry-go-round. Slow, easy rides that they could go on together, and Alfred would play the role of his guide (Well, he said 'hero', but Matthew knew what he meant) that would help him along.
Tentatively, there was a passing flag to the trip. Gilbert warned the Canadian about getting too carried away though, and that the hospital was releasing him within a few days. If he got an injury, he threatened, Matthew would have to deal with it on his own.
Sooner than later, the suspense of a trip outside the bland hospital walls was over, and the duo were happily driving along in Alfred's car. The carefree air of singing to stupid songs and playing the little games such as 'I spy' seemed to hold them over for the trip, as well as the occasional small talk. It was like Matthew hadn't been hospitalized at all, and they were merely going for a regular outing together.
A regular outing as brothers? As lovers? Nope, that didn't matter. Matthew was going to start anew, just as he promised himself. That meant allowing his true, genuine, present feelings for Alfred F. Jones to shine through instead of the flimsy memories he lost.
When they finally drove up to the lot and found a cramped parking spot, Alfred was the first to jump out of the car, hopping over to Matthew's side soon after to help him out of the vehicle. Maybe it was his injuries, but the Canadian felt incredibly cold through this simple, windy weather, which was somewhat ironic considering Matthew used to be the one who would crack jokes at the American for bundling up too tight. Yet, Alfred was in a mere leather jacket and jeans, while Matthew was tied up in a toque, gloves, and a light scarf. Even then, the breeze blowing the wrong way could easily send a shiver up the male's back. Maybe he was just used to hospital climate. It was a shame, really.
Either way, that didn't stop Matthew from moseying along with his ambiguous partner to the entrance. Alfred volunteered to pay for the tickets, leaving the Canadian to wait on a nearby bench while he dashed off, claiming it would be faster that way and Matthew could enjoy his time sightseeing for a bit.
All this free movement for Matthew was something though. As the male realized, he wasn't exactly as injured as he thought. Once he actually started walking around, he got the hang of his limits soon enough. The real only downside was that Matthew still felt quite numb in a number of areas, which lead to some awkward positions of sitting and standing, as well as the sensation of touch to come out in weird places. He thought that poking sensation of his leg one time was just Kumajirou's nose. Nope. It was a spider. The nurse still teased him about that.
Sooner than later, Alfred came dashing back to the Canadian, waving around the bright ticket stubs in his hands. Poor Matthew, who had been staring blankly at the flashy 'All the Thrills' sign at the entrance, didn't even notice his return until he felt the rough jerk on his arm. "I got 'em, Matt! Let's go in! Come on, come on!"
The Canadian winced, but one look at the bright expression of Alfred made his smile perk back up. This was it. He was going back to his true life, and this was the first step.
"What ride are we going on first?" The colours were blending into unimaginable shapes around them. As Matthew was tugged inside, he was enraptured by the way it seemed to envelope him inside. The twists and turns of the paint, the loud noises, the shouting, the laughing, the smells, the sights... Donuts were wafting in the air, signs were flashing neon advertisements despite being in the brightened sun, the children were dashing around in joyful mixtures of balloons and tacky hats...
Compared to the blankness of a hospital room, this was like Disneyland. Matthew's gaze was enchanted, strung around the mere view of everything. Alfred, however, was a bit more impatient.
"What ride do you wanna go on first, bro?" he asked, trying to tug the male deeper inside. He seemed to have gotten a map from where he got the tickets, since he pulled that out of his coat, opened it up and waved the colourful surface full of cartoonish drawings of the rides in front of the Canadian's face. "There's the ferris wheel, the merry-go-round, the haunted house, the carnival games..."
"What do you want to go on?" However, as the Canadian glanced up, he noticed Alfred stubbornly shaking his head.
"Nope! Mattie, today is your present! You choose, mmkay?" With the wide smile the American flashed, Matthew was almost caught for a minute. Compared to the slightly selfish and childish attitudes Alfred could be known for, this was actually a sweet gesture. However, this idea in itself only made the Canadian wondered how long something like this would go for before he snapped.
Also, Matthew kind of had no idea what he really wanted to ride on anyway. "I don't care where we go..." His gaze turned downcast, scanning over the sheet of paper with intrigue. There were a lot of nice-looking rides, but for the one the Canadian was dying to get on? There wasn't exactly one he had his heart set on; not that he could have actually been allowed on, anyway.
"Then choose something! Anything!"
Matthew frowned, but attempted to look a bit closer, at the ride descriptions, giving a thoughtful hum. He really, honestly, didn't care. He was open to most things, and he really didn't want to bore Alfred either and give them both a bad time. On the other hand, Alfred was like a child at heart, he would probably love all the rides. "What's the most recommended? I mean, of our options."
Alfred hummed in return, his eyes glazing over the map as well with a look of consideration. Unlike Matthew, who seemed to be focusing on the ride description, the American went straight for the looks and chose the ride that appeared to take up the most room on the map: the merry-go-round. "Something simple, but not too fancy, ride-wise. Plus, it's like, right there."
Sure enough, the merry-go-round was a display that went practically right in the middle of the park. Yes, the duo needed to pass through a few daredevil rides, but the walk wasn't to the entire other side of the park. When the two were finally in front of the majesty of the carousel, they gave it a longing stare, before meeting gazes with each other. Their grins raised, and soon, they were rushing into the line like they had shrunk back to being children again. Sure, at certain appearances, the object was tacky as anything; however, there was a certain bright art to it that just seemed to catch their eyes. In fact, there was even a particular horse Matthew had his eyes on: one that seemed as white and pure as the fur on Kumajirou. Of course it was decorated in the glittering golds and silvers of rhinestones across its saddle and mane, but it was still a nice beauty compared to some of the others, which were also coloured in weird shades of blue and an ugly green.
On the other hand, Alfred's attention appeared to be focused elsewhere on the ride, probably at the horse that he would enjoy to hop up on. Though, as soon as the door opened to allow the rest of them to saddle up on, the American's attention immediately returned to the other blonde. "Which one do you want?"
Matthew made note to look around at the other options, before tentatively choosing off the one he found interesting. Alfred followed the Canadian loyally, and when they got to the horse, he gripped the other's waist, pulled him up, and made sure he was stabilized to balance on the fake pony.
"You alright there, dude?"
Matthew snickered. "Perfectly fine, Al. Go get a horse before they run out."
The ride was simple, at best. The horses went around, moved up and down, there was the simplistic, mechanic melody of carnival tunes... Matthew's eyes flitted around for a moment, glancing around at the carnival surrounding them for a while, but really, it wasn't the greatest thing in the world. None of these rides probably were, especially with the Canadian's handicap. However, it was genuinely nice, and the worried looks he got from Alfred were a boost in the ride as well. Constantly, the male found himself waving his hand in dismissal of any form of danger. It was sweet. Alfred really did care about him, despite 'not seeing him' quite a number of times.
As they got off, they instantly talked about the next ride, and rushed off to continue their day.
For the most part, the day went by without a hitch. A risk of the swinging ship did send Matthew in a bit of pain, which was their cue for a lunch break, and then Alfred got sick on eating too many of the disgustingly fatty donuts that were being sold. After that, one of the rides broke down and was put for being unavailable, so the day began to end sooner than had been planned. At least the weather remained sunny, and the rides that the duo rode on actually were made to be rather enjoyable, with the two messing around quite a lot of the time.
However, after a few rides, Matthew noticed Alfred's gaze flickering off somewhere else entirely. He recognized the look the male had instantly: the look of longing. It was a look of latching onto something beautiful, like when window shopping and something specific catches onto a straying gaze. However, when Matthew followed the other's gaze, he found it connecting to none other than the roller coaster that everybody raved about in the reviews of this place, the 'Rocky Roller'. It was the top-seller, apparently, and for good reason: It looked fantastic. Despite being a wooden roller coaster, it had enough views and turns that it definitely appeared worth the wait in the line.
Matthew almost chuckled at how predictable the American was.
"Do you want to go on that ride?" he finally asked, snapping the other male out of one of his trances. However, after he was tugged away from the daydream, he shook his head.
"You can't go on," he replied simply.
"You can go on it if you want, by yourself," Matthew offered again, giving a shrug. "I can stay here."
"No, I wanna be with you. This place is open tons of other days!"
"But we're already here."
"Yeah, but that wouldn't be fair, y'know?"
"I really don't mind."
"Dude, chill! I wanna stay with you!"
"What if I force you to go on?"
"What? Why?"
Matthew stopped in his tracks, then placed a hand on his hip and waved his finger at the other male, obviously playing up his act. "Alfred F. Jones, you're going to go on that roller coaster and you're going to like it!"
Alfred paused, but eventually burst out laughing at the view. "What are you, my mom?"
"Maybe."
"I'm not getting on it, bro."
"Now, mister!"
"Dude, seriously! I'm totally fine missing it!"
"It's my day for being sick so long, so I get to choose. And I choose for you to go on that coaster so I can see your stupid face when you get off!"
"I'm not getting on!" Alfred shouted back, giving a huff afterwards. "Besides, it won't be stupid! I'll look heroic like always!"
"It will look stupid, Alfred, trust me."
"It will not!"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"I bet you twenty bucks you'll look stupid."
"You're on! Just watch me!"
With that, the male dashed into the line, shouting something about being an awesome hero. Matthew smirked in triumph.
That was how to deceive a gullible American.
The longest part of the ride was the wait for the line, but even that seemed amusing to the Canadian as he watched Alfred gaze in amusement towards the roller coaster. Watching him ride took no more than three minutes total, and the picture that came up from the in-ride camera of Alfred was only decent. It wasn't heroic, nor lame, though there was still bound to be an argument over it either way. Matthew took a picture of the image with his phone, then moved off to wait for Alfred's return to where they separated ways.
After the American walked out, the two glanced up and stared at each other for a moment. Alfred's bright eyes met with the quiet gems of Matthew's, and they locked for a short moment before they both burst out into a fit of howling laughter.
Alfred eventually tugged the Canadian into a tight hug, snuggling up against him the moment he got a chance. The crowd around them must have looked to the two like they were drunk. "Dude, you're the best. Have I ever told you that?"
That settled it.
"You are too, Al," Matthew replied, before his excited gaze turned elsewhere. "Come on! Let's try and get another go at the swinging ship before the park closes!"
"Hell yeah!"
No matter how special this was, no matter how much Matthew held this moment to his heart, no matter how much he enjoyed every second of his time, Alfred was a friend. A close friend, a best friend, a sibling, it didn't matter. Matthew loved Alfred, but as someone who would be there through thick and thin, someone who would look towards the light and drown out the dark, someone who would get into stupid fights with him, and tell him he was being a jerk when he was and siding with him when someone else was being a jerk to him. Someone who would be different than him, but still compliment him and give the two of them things to talk about. A friend. A close, special friend.
With that, Matthew held no fear in locking arms with Alfred, and dragging him along to the next collection of rides for the night.