Odin steered through the masses until he came upon a semi-secluded area, Ava trailing behind him. The two stood in silence as Odin tried to steady his breathing. Ava could tell he was embarrassed by his sisters.
"I'm s-sorry you had to h-hear th-that," he mumbled.
"Hear what?" Ava replied. Odin looked up to see her smiling softly and felt his own lips curl into a smile. Odin extended his hand to Ava and she took it even though she could feel her ears and cheeks burning brightly.
They wandered throughout the fair until Ava spotted a stand filled with stuffed animals and pulled Odin over to it. It was a shooting game and Ava just had to try her hand at it. Odin shadowed her as she tried and failed to knock over all of the bottles. Just as she was turning to walk away, Odin placed a hand on her shoulder.
"L-let me try."
Odin had never really enjoyed silly games such as this one but something about that defeated look on Ava's face convinced him that he absolutely had to get her that stuffed animal. Attempt number one was close but not close enough with all but three bottles remaining. He faintly heard Ava say something about how it wasn't really that important but he just held up his hand. He was going to win, damnit.
Two more tries and a triumphant Odin pointed out a red and purple fox that was just barely smaller than Ava. Her face lit up and she her grin was ear to ear as Odin handed her the toy. She clutched it tightly in one arm and wrapped the other around Odin's waist.
"Thank you," she said though her voice was muffled by his jacket. Odin was stunned for a moment before he awkwardly returned the gesture.
Ava and Odin stopped at a few other stalls as they meandered about, finally beginning to allow themselves to relax in the other's presence. Ava just had to have cotton candy in both pink and blue and Odin bought himself a box of popcorn, insisting that he didn't care for sweets.
"Oh, come on! Who doesn't like cotton candy?" Ava said, still trying to get her date to eat some of the candy.
"I d-don't. It's j-just flavored sugar," he insisted with a shrug. At last, they had come to a stop at the ferris wheel. "Do you w-want to ride this?" he asked her.
"Can we, please?" Ava looked so excited as Odin handed the worker two tickets. They were soon ushered onto the giant wheel, the stuffed fox sitting between the two. Ava fiddled with her necklace as she tried to come up with something to say.
"So, did your sisters like the flowers?" she asked tentatively. Odin shifted in his seat, probably remember the fiasco from earlier that day.
"I th-think. Meryl did at l-least. Raven and Cr-Crow are picky b-but I like to think they at least ap-p-preciated the thought." Ava sat, thinking carefully about what she was about to say.
"Well, um, I'm glad you bought them flowers. At least flowers my Ruby's, that is, because," she stopped to take a breath, "I got to meet you." She worried she may have said that last bit a little too quickly or that it was just dumb to say at all when Odin was quiet.
"I'm gl-glad I got to meet you t-too," he said softly. She looked over to him and watched as he stared out over the fair. His pale features stood stark against his dark clothes and hair. She hadn't realized he turned to look at her until they made eye contact. She instantly looked the other way as they began their descent from the ride.
Once they were off, Odin texted his sisters that it was time to go. As they walked to his car, Ava realized just how cold the breeze was. After the second time Odin saw her pull her shrug tighter around herself, he slipped his jacket over her shoulders. She smiled up at him in thank, pushing her arms through the sleeves.
By the time they reached the car, Odin's sisters were already there waiting. The huffed impatiently as Odin unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for Ava. Once everyone was buckled in, Odin pulled out of the parking lot.
It didn't take long to get to Ava's home but all three of the sisters were passed out in the backseat, sprawled across each other in ways that didn't look even remotely comfortable. Ava grabbed her fluffy fox and Odin walked her to the door.
"Thank you, Odin. This was nice," she smiled at him. It took standing on her tip toes but Ava managed to lay a kiss on Odin's cheek before she left him standing alone on the porch with, "Come by the shop sometime." Once she closed the door, Odin let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Unbeknownst to him, she was doing the same.