[EDITED]
A/N: This one's a "modern" AU :)
Octavius and Jedediah stood together, gazing at the magnificent colors of the carnival that surrounded them. The vibrant lights danced and flickered, casting a magical glow on the night sky.
Octavius turned to his friend, excitement in his eyes.
"So, where should we go next?" he asked eagerly.
Jedediah, captivated by the carnival before them, seemed lost in its beauty. He tore his gaze away reluctantly to respond.
"I dunno..." Jedediah replied, not fully paying attention to Octavius' question.
Jedediah had heard of carnivals before, of course he had, but he had never been so close to one.
He knew how awesome they appeared to be, but he had never really taken the time to visit one.
Perhaps the reason for that could be that he lacked someone to share the experience with.
But, well, meeting Octavius changed everything.
As the topic was brought up, Octavius was surprised to discover that Jedediah never knew how it's like to be there, so he insisted that they visit one together.
Jedediah was hesitant at first, but he couldn't resist the spark in Octavius' eyes, so he agreed to 'try just one time'.
Finally, the day had arrived, and as they explored the carnival, Jedediah began to reconsider it just being one time.
They had tried some enjoyable rides, nothing too intense, just the ones that brought smiles to their faces.
But, Octavius kept insisting that they should try a specific ride—one that even he had avoided.
"Come on, Jed, you'll love this one!" Octavius assured, pointing and pulling his friend towards the tall roller coaster.
Jedediah looked up at the intimidating structure, and his smile slowly faded.
He didn't like the height and the screams of the people, at all.
"Are you scared?" Octavius teased.
Jedediah glared at Octavius, playfully pretending to take offense.
"Scared? Octavius, what did they put in your coffee today? You don't seem very well, my friend."
Octavius burst into laughter. "My bad!"
The pair purchased their tickets and sat in the front car of the roller coaster.
As they waited for all the people to board, Jedediah impatiently tapped on the restraining bar.
"When will this start already?" Jedediah complained with a sigh. "It's taking too long."
Trying to maintain a neutral face, Jedediah tried to mask his nervousness about the height of the ride.
But as he moved the steel bar, the slight movement terrified him, and he couldn't hold his serious face any longer.
"Octavius! Why-the-hell-is-this-metal-thing-moving?!"
Before Octavius could assure his friend that the bar's movement was normal, the ride began, and they were pulled back in their seats.
Jedediah's mouth let out a mixture of a scream and a screech that Octavius had never heard before.
Octavius couldn't contain his laughter, and he let out a "woohoo!" between laughs.
It wasn't all that fun for Jedediah though.
He gripped the bar tightly, holding on for dear life, while the screams and excitement of the other riders filled the air.
Turning to his friend, Octavius noticed that Jedediah had shut his eyes tightly as he tried to hide from the sight.
The look on his friend's face only brought more laughter from Octavius.
"Octavius, I'm going to kill you!" Jedediah yelled at him.
"Jedediah, the movement is totally normal, there's no need to worry about!"
Octavius, switiching between laughs and screams, couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't brought Jedediah to a carnival sooner.
Among all the places they had planned to visit, the carnival should have been their top choice.
He mentally made a note to himself to visit the carnival more often from now on.
As the roller coaster neared its end, Jedediah let out a sigh of relief—happy that the ride was finally over.
But unluckily for him, it turned out that it wasn't the end.
The roller coaster was going for a second round, and Jedediah was far from happy about it.
Octavius continued to laugh at his friend, tears welling up in his eyes.
The ride didn't seem so painfully long for Jedediah this time, he couldn't even find the time to be scared.
Seemingly much quicker than the first time, the ride came to a quick end.
As the ride stopped, Jedediah just stared into the distance.
And once the safety bars released them, Jedediah stood up, struggling to find his balance.
He had to grab onto something to steady himself, unable to stand on his own.
Octavius chuckled, but when he recieved a glare from Jed, quickly covered his mouth and muttered a sincere apology.
Though Octavius had some difficulty standing as well, they eventually managed to walk off the ride without stumbling.
"I am never going anywhere with you again," Jedediah declared, his voice filled with a mix of terror and amusement.
Octavius laughed at Jed's comment.
"Oh, come on, don't be like that! There's another roller coaster I've been meaning to try today..."
Jedediah shot his friend a terrified glare—he looked like he had just seen a ghost.
Octavius burst into laughter at the sight, and Jed couldn't help but smile in return.
They moved on from the roller coaster and explored several games and attractions at the carnival.
They tried different games.
Jedediah ended up liking the "games of skill" category, which challenged players' aim and precision.
After a while, they stumbled upon a stand that involved knocking down stacked cans.
"Oh, Octavius, let's try this one!" Jedediah said, pulling his friend with him.
Each of them paid for three balls and took turns trying to knock over the cans.
Octavius went first.
He put his best effort into hitting the targets, but only managed to knock over two cans with his final throw.
"Dang it!" Octavius exclaimed in disappointment, stepping away to claim his prize.
He was offered a box of gum packs.
Octavius randomly picked one and turned his attention to Jedediah's turn.
Jedediah took aim, throwing the first ball but missing the cans entirely.
Determined, he picked up the second ball and hit three cans this time.
He slowly got the hang of it.
With the last ball, he kicked over four more cans, a "yas!" escaping him, alongside with cheers from Octavius.
The game attendant presented Jedediah with various prizes to choose from.
After some thought, Jed settled on a medium-sized turtle plush.
He couldn't quite explain what drew him to it, but he found it sort of ... cute.
As the employee placed the turtle plush on the table for him, Jed took it, and he and Octavius walked away from the stand.
"Jedediah, that was so cool! Look at what they gave me. I'm sure they were just mocking me with this," Octavius said with a chuckle, holding up his small gum pack. "Anyway, do you want some?"
Jedediah glanced at the gum in Octavius' hand and without a second thought, lifted his turtle plush and extended it to his friend.
Octavius watched him with a confused expression.
"It's yours, take it," Jedediah said. "And let's go."
Octavius held onto the plush, his eyes fixed on it.
Jedediah turned away, feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment.
"Come on now, Oct! Where should we go next?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
A grin spread across Octavius' face as he held onto the turtle plush tightly, knowing he was going to keep it with him forever.
They proceeded to another game area, leaving behind their earlier awkward moment.
After some further exploration, Octavius spotted a photo booth.
"Jedediah! Look at that, a photo booth! I haven't seen one in years!" he exclaimed, grabbing Jedediah's arm and pulling him towards it before he could react.
Jedediah couldn't help but feel his heart pounding in his chest as he followed Octavius into the photo booth.
It was a small, cozy space.
A red curtain covered the dimly lit booth, the scent of nostalgia filled the air.
"Come on, let's sit down," Octavius said, inserting coins to start the photo session.
His excitement was contagious, and Jedediah found himself grinning in anticipation.
He tapped a few options on the screen and sat down with Jedediah, their legs pressed together.
"Like this?"
As the countdown appeared on the screen, Jedediah's mind raced with ideas for good poses.
Octavius nudged him playfully, urging him to come up with something fun.
The first click of the camera took them by surprise, and they found themselves awkwardly smiling, unsure of how to pose naturally.
Octavius let out a laugh, breaking the tension, and Jedediah joined in, feeling the warmth of their bond.
With each countdown, they became more creative.
They flashed peace signs in the second photo, their fingers held up high.
In the third, they attempted to do funny expressions, scrunching their noses and sticking out their tongues.
By the time the fourth picture approached, their nerves had settled, and they felt more comfortable with each other.
The familiar countdown appeared, and this time, Jedediah knew he couldn't hold back any longer.
He clicked his tongue, and pulled Octavius closer.
As their arms wrapped around each other, their embrace felt both odd and right.
Their smiles grew wider, and as the camera flashed, they squinted their blinded eyes inbetween laughs.
For the sixth photo, Octavius stuck out his tongue, and Jedediah's fingers found their way behind Octavius' head, forming bunny ears.
The camera captured the moment, much to Octavius' dismay.
"Hey! How dare you?" Octavius said, pretending to be offended.
As the final countdown began, the air in the booth seemed to fill with anticipation.
Their eyes locked, and they were unable to look anywhere else.
They weren't sure what to do anymore, all their ideas were used up, they just continued to maintain eye contact.
The two found themselves slowly leaning in to each other, time slowed down.
Their hearts beat in sync, the intensity of the moment was almost overwhelming.
As their lips brushed, it was clear:
Now or never.
They finally met, and it felt like the whole world faded in the background.
The camera clicked, capturing their first kiss, but they were lost in their own private universe.
It was just them.
Just Jedediah and Octavius.
Jedediah placed his hands on Octavius' cheeks, his touch gentle yet filled with longing.
Octavius pulled Jedediah closer, his arms wrapping around his waist.
Their lips moved passionately, each kiss deeper than the last.
They leaned back against the booth's wall, Octavius shivered at the cold surface against his back.
Jedediah's free hand braced against the wall, finding stability in it.
They slowly moved together, their heads tilting from side to side.
The softness of their lips against each other, the way their breaths felt hot on their skin — Was this just a dream?
When they finally broke the kiss, they found themselves breathless and overwhelmed by the sudden outcome of the day.
As their eyes met, they were both questioning if it really isn't just a simple dream. It sure as hell felt like one.
The sound of the printed photos landing in the tray brought them back to reality, and they laughed, their foreheads pressed together.
"Dang, that was something else," Jedediah breathed out.
Octavius chuckled softly, his heart still racing.
"I feel like I'm floating on clouds right now."
Jedediah couldn't resist teasing him, "so, that coffee of yours did have something odd in it."
Octavius rolled his eyes, playfully slapping Jedediah's arm.
"Oh, shut up."