Barney's POV:
These past few days have been a blast. Hanging out with Fred n' stuff. Betty isn't mad, Wilma let me sleep over- and I got my first experience with a guy- with Fred.
Let's hope our wives don't find that out, though.
We've only been "official" for a day but Fred's already so protective of me.
I don't want him getting himself into trouble- but it's damn nice of him to tell off that mean lil' monkey.
He-he
"We're getting near to the turn, Barn."
"Close your eyes- I want it to be a surprise..!"
Fred says, making me perk up
This is fun, he's making me guess.
"Okie, Freddie!" I agree to cover my eyes
...
"Oh- and can I call you Freddie ? In a ...non-joking way?"
Figured I should ask so he doesn't get embarrassed if I address him that way in public.
"Of course! But... I still haven't come up with a cute nickname for you- yet."
"Don't worry 'bout it, it'll come to ya. No need to be stressin' over it." I assure him
"Can I open my eyes yet?"
"Not quite yet... almost there."
He squeezes my hand, affectionately
A few minutes pass before Fred gives me permission to look
"Here we are, Barney!"
"I remember you tellin' me about how ya miss when we used to hang out here... and since it's been a good while- I thought we'd have some nostalgic fun."
I uncover my eyes and take in the sights and smells that bring me back to childhood
"The carnival!?" I gleefully call out
"Aww... thank-ya Fred!"
"Heh-heh- you're welcome, buddy." He rubs my back before climbing up out of the car.
"Now let's get to it!" He motions for me to come with him.
We walk towards the entrance- the scent of fresh funnel cake fills my lungs. Approaching the ticket booth, Fred pulls out his wallet and hands forth the payment for two all-day wristbands.
"Arm please." The ticket man instructs, I comply.
A bright purple wristband is fastened around my arm, then Fred's-
I flash back to being a kid when Fred, Betty, Wilma, and myself pooled our money together to get us all into the carnival.
My heart feels warm.
Being prompted by the ticket man, we pass through the metal gates into the wonderland of games, rides, gift shops, snacks, and all the heavenly sights, smells, and experiences.
"Whadda'ya wanna do first, Barney boy?" Fred asks, grinning with joy and silently reminiscing happy memories
"How 'bout we play some games? I remember you were quite the skilled player-"
I suggest
I recall of a time where a carnie at the shooting game refused to give Fred his prize. Then Fred just jumped onto the counter, snatched the prize, and we ran!
He won fair and square but the guy was salty... I guess some people have no appreciation for skill.
Looking to my left, I'm presented with that very same game from the memory.
"Fred! Look!"
He smiles and laughs
"Heh-heh, you remember that day?"
Screams of thrill and bells from games echo through the air
"Do I? We had a great time back then."
"Yeah... you wanna see if I've still got it?" Heasks, still feeling confident
"Let's give it a try." I agree
...
We step up to the counter
"You up for a challenge, big guy?" The carnie asks
"As a matter of fact- I am." Fred glares smugly at him
"Alrighty then."
"The rules are simple- you have 12 rounds in the pebble shooter, and with those rounds you must knock down TEN bottles."
Fred nods and I step back as the carnie passes the gun to him
"You can't afford to miss, you've only got 2 extra shots to throw away-" He chortles
"Don't try and intimidate me, sir. You are looking at Fred Flintstone, champion of this carnival- and don't you forget it!"
"Show 'em, Fred."
I encourage him
The carnie looks at Fred, then directs his gaze towards me.
"That dwarf is right- less talk, more shootin'
" he says.
Oww- again with the "dwarf"
He's got a problem with that?
...
Fred aims down the sights and blasts a bottle- then another, and another! The guy watches and bites his nails.
A few more bottles burst into piles of broken glass
"Three more and I've proved you wrong! Then maybe you'll regret calling my right-hand man a "dwarf."
He grins menacingly as he stares down the barrel at the final bottles.
...
As he fires the last few shots, the carnie calls out
"Okay, okay! Showoff."
"What prize do you want?"
He asks, pointing at the rows of prizes pinned to the wall
"Whadda'ya wanna pick, Barn?" Fred looks at me and I scan the wall to find something neat
"How 'bout some more jumpin' beans, Fred?" I suggest
"Good idea- I'll have those, thanks." He tells the carnie, pointing to the beans.
The carnie hands them over, then Fred passes the container to me
"Thanks!"
"Aww, you're welcome, Barney." He smiles as we walk away
...
...
"What next?" I ask him for ideas- with so many things around, it's hard to choose.
I pull out my jumping beans and hold out my hand
"Hehehe- look, Fred!"
"Aren't they cute?"
Looking over at me, Fred answers.
"Yeah... but wait-"
He pauses
"What am I waitin' for?"
"Oh... nothing, Barn."
"...It's only that they're small, cute, and real special- just like you are."
"-and only with luck you can get 'em."
I stop walking and hug him tight
"Oh Fred."
He can turn almost anything into a pick-up line- and that was a pretty clever one in my opinion.
He really feels that way?
"Barney the little bean... heh-heh. You like it?"
His idea for a nickname makes me feel warm inside, and I think I'm blushing a little.
"Yeah, Fred. I do like it."
Grabbing his hand, I pull him behind a food truck to love on him in private.
He scoops me up in his strong arms, meeting me in a suave kiss on the lips.
I squirm playfully and he tightens his grip
"You really are a jumpin' bean." He giggles
"Let's go ride some rides"
...
"I'm wit'chu."
...
We both examine our surroundings to see what kind of cool rides await us.
"How about the tilt-a-whirl?"
Fred asks for my approval
"For old times' sake- let's do it."
...
He tugs my arm and we continue walking towards the attractions
"Look, Barn! The line's short- let's jump in before others get the same idea."
...
"Again, I'm wit'chu. Hehehe." My voice proves my gleeful mood
With that, we get in line at the gate. After a minute or so, the operator brings the ride to a screeching halt. The enthusiastic mule who grants it power, turns towards the man and says
"I'm not complaining- what a fun way to make a living.. and I get a workout, too!"
...
"In you go" he gives us a good shove towards an open seat
"Together or separate?" He adds
Fred and I look at each other.
"Er... together." He tells the operator before hoisting me into the seat, then proceeding to climb aboard, himself.
"You take the inside- that way my fat bee-hind won't squish ya. Heh-heh."
(For those who haven't ridden a Tilt-a-Whirl, the person on the outside takes the bulk of the gravitational pull, having everyone else in the seat's weight (maximum of 3 people) combine in pressure against the person on the outside, usually resulting in them being pressed against the outside wall of the seat. The operator usually instructs that the biggest, or heaviest, of the group takes that seat- that way there's a lesser chance of someone getting hurt.
For more information and/or photos of the ride itself, Google offers everything, all you need is one search.)
"I wouldn't mind that, Fred." I joke
"I'll wait until we're somewhere safer to squeeze ya the right way.." He assures me, again- implying that he wants to give me another tight hug.
...
"Just like when we were kids, eh Barn?"
He reaches for my hand
"...but better." I finish his sentence
"You're right, we should'a been closer all along. But the only issue was... well, I didn't know how to get closer."
"-not an easy topic to approach... thanks for breaking the ice, Barney."
"He-he... don't mention it."
...
The operator makes a lap around the ride, tugging on everyone's seat belts to ensure that they're tight and safe. Finally, he makes it to ours- giving a firm pull on the belt, bringing us even closer together.
"You boys okay?" He asks
"Couldn't be better!" I reply, enjoying the heat of being pressed against Fred's side.
"All-righty- hold on... um... tightly." The operator tries to make a rhyme, overly annunciating his first word.
Fred and I muster up our most believable fake laughs
"Have fun now."
He says, then proceeds to walk towards the mule and speak to him in a whisper.
"Okay, Jeremy- start runnin' "
"Affirmative, sir."
The ride begins to move, gradually picking up in pace. Riders' cheers emanate from the other seats
I clutch Fred's hand in anticipation. The nostalgia kills me- I flash back once again to childhood when all four of us tried to cram into one of these seats. We'd ride it and then get right back into line for another go-round.
Despite the girls not being here, Fred's company brings me the same happiness.
Even though they'd probably have fun too, they can't see me snuggle up to Fred... and that's what I enjoy doing.
We shouldn't have to pretend to use the bathroom just to kiss right inside the door. Not fun.
That being only one of the many reasons I'm glad he brought me here. Such a great place- and a great guy.
The ride's gravity pulls me against Fred, it's maximum speed brings quite the tug.
He fights against the strong resistance to put his arm around me.
I lay my head on his shoulder and remain that way for the rest of the ride.
...
As it finally comes to a stop, I continue to cuddle Fred.
The operator comes by to unbuckle us
"Heyy- I'd have never guessed you two were lovebirds... I'm not judgin'...you two look mighty cute together."
Fred looks at me, I look at him- we're both flushed
"Thank you, sir."
"I'm Fred, this is my right-hand man, Barney."
He introduces us to the operator, whom proves himself to be a nice guy.
"I'm Kev."
"Why don't you two go get some souvenir photos taken? There's a photo booth down the row-" He suggests, smiling kindly at us
"I got some taken with my wife, we proudly display them on our mantle at home."
"-aaand before you ask, that was before I worked here.. I'm not paid any extra to promote our services. This is straight from the heart, my friends-"
...
"Hey- that's actually a really good idea!" I accept his suggestion, Fred nods along
"Hop to it then! You won't regret it." He gives us one more shove, this time being out the gate.
"Stop by and show 'em to me when you're done!"
"Don't worry, we won't forget." Fred smiles at him
"Wow- total contrary to the monkey, eh Freddie."
"Heh-heh- definitely."
"Still got your beans? I know I have my bean."
He says, putting his arm back around me.
"Got 'em right here."
I brush my hair away from my eyes and nuzzle into his side
"Photos now or..."
"Yeah. That operator seemed real excited for us to show him."
"Then maybe we can play some mini golf!"
...
"Deal!"
We grip each other's hand, both out of affection and to prevent us from gettin' separated by the large crowd of carnival-goers
The photo booth comes into view.
Only a small line forms by the door, but adjacent to it is a room full of stuff that people can put on for their photos.
Usually places like this just offer hats and shades- but here? It's more than that. It looks like you can dress up as just about anything, buying is optional.
If you don't want to take it with you, it seems that you can just put it back.
Though, a large sign is posted in the shop, saying
You break it- You buy it!
But they don't need to worry- we're not breaking anything.
We step into the room
"Wanna get matching hats?" I ask Fred
"Sounds cute, let's do it." He grins in an adorable way- his dimples slightly showing.
Finding ball caps that almost perfectly match his tie, I put one on my head and pass one to him.
He immediately puts it on and we look in the shop's mirror
"Barney... they're perfect!" He tells me, followed by us both nodding in approval.
"Just to be goofy I'll put on a different tie, that way they'll never guess how we picked this color.. heh-heh."
...
Looking at the rack of ties, there's so many to pick from.
All kinds of patterns, color combinations, and styles.
I see a pretty purple satin tie and I already love it.
-Fred would look sexy in that color.
"How 'bout purple?" I suggest
He tries it on, then he steps in front of the mirror once again
"You like it?"
...
...
"I love it, Fred."
"Now all I need is a black shirt to make the colors stand out-" Fred says
"Plenty of those here" I tell him as I look around the room
"Sleeveless would look amazing on you. You ain't got arms like that just to hide 'em."
I tease, an admission of how I think they're an attractive part of him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now that he's got his new shirt on, we step in line for photos.
-not like anything was wrong with what he was wearing... it's just that this isn't any normal day.. it's our special day.
He's hot either way.
Oh no- here I go being a fanboy again-
Oh well.
Our turn finally comes and we step into the photo booth
We take a few funny ones, a sassy one, a serious one, and one where I kiss him on the cheek.
I'll hide that one really well, though.
Betty would have so many questions if she saw it.
Then again- maybe not. But I won't take any chances on it.
"Copies for each of you?" The supervisor asks
"Yes, sir." Fred gives an affirmative nod.
"Here's your pho-"
The supervisor stops to look at the stack of Polarocks, he then rolls his eyes and hands them over.
"Ha-have a nice day.." He tells us as we walk away
"You too!" I wave goodbye.
Now for some mini golf.