The Fairnival - 1. One.

The fucking carnival. Of course, Joaquin called it ‘the fair’ The twerp was from another part of town, though, so hadn't grown up with the same conventions as Nate -- therefore, different names for things (In actuality, Nate wasn't one for synonyms). The fairnival, as Nate so cleverly decided to call it, was packed full of screaming, teeming masses of sticky, bloodthirsty children. Jabar had made a few comparisons with zombies, and nobody disagreed. They weren't the only young adults there without small children. Loads of teens and pre-teens populated the huge fairnival grounds that caused their group of holier than thou fuck ups and druggies to laugh and be inwardly jealous because the little twats still had their parents to pay for things for them. It was a bittersweet reminiscence for the now-adults, thoughts of their childhoods surfacing in their memories, fog clouding minor details and pride changing major aspects -- even if you were twelve, you still had to seem hardcore.

 

Well, everyone except for Joaquin, really. He was the odd one out; the sore thumb of the group, if you will. He was taller than most of them, quite a lot taller, and so very plain looking. Compared to the spikes and metal protruding from the flesh of his companions; their bright colors and alarming accessories; he seemed like the most harmless little sheep among the company of wolves. It was almost comical, seeing a guy like him hanging out with the likes of Nate and his band of merry men (and women) but he was accepted as if he were one of their own. Which, he was. After being integrated into the group, everyone had warmed up to the rather OCD boy and his quirks. They wouldn't say anything against him (Nate would have a fucking fit), nor would they want to. Joaquin was a nice guy. Like, genuinely nice. He might not have always gotten into the illegal activities they participated in, but he never ratted, and was mostly accepting of most everything else that they chose to do.

 

And this was why he was at the fairnival with the group, trotting along after Nate, who was talking animatedly about the time when he had gotten stuck on the Ferris wheel and had mooned the entire fairnival for the length of time he was up there. Jabar seemed to recall this, and they were both laughing. Joaquin smiled -- he liked it when Nate was in a good mood. He was amused, hearing all of these stories about a younger Nate and how the redhead acted; and most of the stories which were recounted, didn't surprise him at all.

 

"...And then I was fuckin' covered -- no, I mean covered -- in cotton candy. And she was like, ‘what the fuck did you do to yourself?’ She wouldn't even take it as a joke. I tried to get her to lick it all off of me, but no, the bitch decided she didn't wanna get a little bit sticky. And I don't want any chick who won't get a little dirty." Nate's explanation soon turned to his ideal girl (more specifically about how she would act in bed), and Joaquin had to shake his head, his smile fading slightly. He, like many of Nate's friends, had heard this description many times. Nobody bothered stopping him from telling them, though; it meant Nate was in a good mood, which didn't really happen enough for the grumpy redhead. So as they approached the ticket counter, Nate's speech remained on the perfect breast size and the pros and cons of flavoured condoms. It was only when Jabar elbowed the shorter boy that he stopped, grunted and looked at his friend in confusion.

 

"What?"

 

"Your tickets. You gonna buy 'em? 'Cuz I'm sure as fuck not gonna."

 

Nate paused for a moment, considering his options.

 

"...Joaquin?"

 

"Yes, Nate?"

 

"...You got any cash on you?"

 

"Y-yes."

 

"Can I have it?"

 

"Uhh. Um. I--"

 

"I'll pay you back, fuckwad. Just give me a twenty. I spent mine on smokes."

 

"Uh, okay... Here."

 

Their exchange over for now, Joaquin handed over the bill, earning himself an earnest... attempt at a grin from Nate. The brunette was used to this grimace, of course; the surly male hardly ever genuinely smiled. Even then, for the most part, it was half a smirk, probably at Joaquin's own expense. He had learned to be happy with what he got from Nate, and to not expect anything spectacular. That way, he tended to be pleasantly surprised on a day when the older boy decided to be nice for once in his life. Which, surprisingly, seemed to happen a lot more often with Joaquin around.

 

Most of his friends noticed it, Paulie in particular. They all agreed that she was the observant one. Nate, being himself, wouldn't notice the slight positive shift in his mannerisms, nor would Joaquin ; he hadn't been around long enough to know what Nate had been like... well, before he showed up. She reckoned Joaquin was one of the best things that had happened to the redhead in recent years, though it would probably take some time for him to come to this conclusion himself. Nate could be pretty slow when it came to emotional things – he tended to avoid them; though the young woman knew now that it was only a matter of time before he realized his feelings. A guy, too! That was one thing that the dreadlock-haired girl hadn't anticipated. She was happy for Nate though, even if he himself hadn't recognized his happiness yet.

 

Nate hadn’t wanted to go to the farnival. It had taken a lot of convincing on Jabar's part, and a small plea from Joaquin to convince him that this was how he wanted to be spending his Saturday afternoon. Now that they were there, Nate grudgingly had to admit that he was enjoying himself, despite his previous negativity towards the activity.

 

"What're we gonna do first, then?" The redhead was eager to get going, before the place got too packed. He wasn't a patient person, and waiting in lines was one of his pet peeves. This loathing was probably due to the lines he had to serve at the grocery store where he worked as a cashier, as he hated his job.

 

"I dunno. Wanna do rides first, then games and shit?"

 

Nate stared at Ricky in disbelief-slash-disgust, his lip curling at the mention of the scams that the fairnival liked to call 'games of chance'.

 

"I'm not spending my money on fuckin' games, man. Rip-offs, that's all they are; rides I'll do. You can waste your money all you want."

 

It was probably because Ricky had parents who helped pay his rent, and that Ricky had already attended college and was older and successful, but Nate -- for some reason -- hated Ricky. Like, despised his very existence. He wasn't sure why he continued hanging out with the dick, but perhaps it was because he had a really good tendency to sniff out the best deals for them, and the fact that he knew the right kind of people through college. In any case, they only barely tolerated each other -- Ricky detested Nate equally -- and even then, sometimes they had to be separated.

 

"Whatever, man. Don't get your panties in a wad 'cause you can't manage to throw a ball in a jug."

 

"Hey, asshole, w--"

 

"Oi, Nate! We should go on the ferris wheel!"

 

Luckily, Paulie's quick intervention halted what would doubtlessly have escalated into a fist fight. Nate scowled at Ricky and grudgingly agreed, following the slightly shorter girl (mercifully she had kept the three inch combat boots at home) towards the slowly lengthening line up for the ferris wheel. Joaquin watched them go before turning back to the rest of the group: Jabar, Ricky, and the quieter girl Gwen. He smiled at them all in turn, and waited for one of them to decide what they would do. The brunette was never the type to take the lead.

 

"Hahah! That's a fuckin' merry-go-round!" Jabar had been scanning the parking lot where the fairnival was set up, when he spotted the kiddie ride and pointed, his eyes shining. "That's my favourite ride! I've gone on it ever since I was little." His grin wasn't reflected by Ricky, who stared at him blankly.

 

"How long ago was it since you've gone to the fair, Jabar?"

 

"Shut up, asshole. You're riding it with me." And with that Jabar was off, dragging Ricky, with Joaquin and Gwen bringing up the rear. The pair watched with identical grins as Jabar argued with Ricky, trying to convince him that it was a good idea. They exchanged glances of amusement, before Gwen spoke up.

 

"You wanna ride the merry-go-round with me?" Her almond shaped eyes peered up at the taller boy through her thick bangs, her expression pleasant and friendly. Joaquin was caught off-hand; he hadn't spoken too much to Gwen, though she seemed nice enough. He knew that she had gone out with Nate previously, but that was about it. Nate seemed to get along well enough with her, and the brunette wondered if there was something still between them. His smile faltered at that thought -- he was never sure what to make of him and Nate, but judging by what they did together, alone, compared to what Nate constantly talked about and looked at... Gwen had a better chance than he did. Of course, now was not the time to be thinking about that -- he had frozen for a good twenty seconds, and Gwen was looking at him oddly -- so he snapped out of his train of thought to respond to her request.

 

"Sure." He nodded towards the ride and began walking towards the line up, Gwen falling into step beside him. "Uhh... Any animal you... want to ride on?" He had noticed the multitude of animals that could be chosen, and figured that... Well, girls tended to like animals, so she would probably enjoy picking one out.

 

"Oh! Umm..." Gwen bit her lip, furrowing her brow. "I like the cat. Do you mind riding on the dog?" Joaquin shrugged and shook his head, not really caring one way or the other. "Great!"

                      

Once they were in line behind Jabar and Ricky, the pair chatted quietly until it was their turn to get on the ride. It was a short wait so their conversation was struck short, though neither really minded. After assuring the person on duty by the merry-go-round that yes, they really were intending on riding the kiddie ride, they were permitted to pass, climbing stairs up onto the platform, where they mounted their chosen animals. As soon as the pair was seated, the blonde girl looked over at Joaquin and burst out into giggles. Joaquin gave her a look of confusion, mystified. He had no idea what she was laughing about, though it probably had to do with him.

 

"Your knees are practically down your throat!" She laughed, gripping the ears of her cat as the ride began. The tall man glanced down; sure enough, his knees were up by the handles of the dog, just behind its ears, to which he was now holding tightly. Gwen's were resting comfortably, in comparison, by the neck of her car, and she seemed to be much more suited for the ride.

 

"Oh.. um... Haha..." Joaquin smiled weakly, looking rather put-out. He hadn't realized he looked so awkward on the ride, and was now regretting getting on it in the first place. He didn't want to look stupid in front of Nate's friends, especially his ex girlfriend. Maybe she would tell Nate? Joaquin wouldn't want that! His expression grew from an attempt at mildly amused to rather worried; Gwen glanced over after a few moments and recognized the stricken expression on the gangly man's face.

 

"Joaquin? Are you okay? Are you getting sick?" Joaquin looked up at her in alarm, eyes widening as he realized the reason for her concern, and his mouth gaped open, trying to explain.

 

"I.. Uhm.. Uh." Trying to move his legs so his knees didn't seem so far up, Joaquin searched his mind for a response. Gwen wasn't stupid though, and noted the fidgeting.

 

"You know I was joking about your knees...? Right?"

 

"Ah..! Yeah.. uhm. Yes. I did." His gaze moved away from her stare uneasily, not wanting to look her in the eyes.

 

"... Joaquin?"

 

"Y-yeah?"

 

"I'm sorry." Her brown eyes were earnest as she looked at him and caught his flighty gaze, and he nodded awkwardly, the merry-go-round coming to a stop just at that point. "I didn't mean to offend you, y'know."

 

"I... I know."

 

As they climbed down off the ride and left through the little gate, Joaquin's lips pursed. It had been awhile since someone had apologized for something, especially something as little as that. The brunette had grown used to not getting apologies while rooming with Nate, and had actually found himself apologizing more than he normally would. Gwen seemed sincerely sorry, though, and Joaquin felt a growing need to let her know that he appreciated her genuineness.

 

"Thanks. That was fun." Before she could respond, both their attention was caught by a loud yelling coming from a ways away. Squinting against the sunlight, Joaquin made out the shapes of Nate and Paulie approaching the pair from far away. Glancing behind him, Joaquin discovered that Jabar was in line for a second turn, and Ricky was standing a few paces behind them, looking disgruntled. The smell of cigarette smoke in the air told Joaquin that Ricky had lit up, and soon enough Gwen pulled a cigarette from her own purse and lit it, not before asking Joaquin if he minded.

 

"No, no, sure! Go ahead! I'm used to it... Nate’s practically a chain smoker."

 

Before long Nate and Paulie arrived, and for a few moments they stood, watching Jabar's expressions of delight as he went round and round, being the largest one on the entire ride, accompanied by a few kids. Joaquin felt a slight nudge against his arm, and turned around quickly, startled. He knocked into Nate, of course, who had come to stand beside the taller man.

 

"What the fuck, man. Chill." The statement wasn't spoken with malice... It was actually rather matter of fact, as if he was commenting on the weather or asking for directions. Joaquin resisted apologizing -- he knew how much Nate detested his repeated apologies. "D'you wanna go on a ride? Pick one."

 

The question caught the brunette off-guard. It wasn't often Joaquin got a choice in what they were going to do, and even then, half of the time his choice was altered to suit Nate in some shape or form. So, Joaquin was cautious as he looked around, trying to figure out what ride would be the best to please the irritable redhead. He didn't want a ride that would be considered too wimpy; nor did he want anything too alarming -- he wouldn't be able to handle it.

 

"...What about the scrambler?" He suggested after a few moments of hesitation, weighing the pros and cons in his mind. It didn't go up in the air very far, but it was fast and -- Joaquin assumed -- exhilarating. It sounded like the perfect ride for him and Nate to go on. Nate glanced at the taller boy, following his gaze to the ride in question, before wordlessly beginning to walk towards it. He gave a slight wave to Paulie, who remained behind to wait for Jabar. As they marched along towards the mass of swirling metal, Joaquin spoke up, uncertain.

 

"We're going on... I mean, we're not... in separate cars or anything..? Are we? I mean, 'cause, um..."

 

Greeted by Nate's frozen stare, Joaquin trailed off, scratching at the back of his neck in embarrassment. He wanted to go in the same car as Nate, but wasn't sure whether that was what the redhead wanted to do. The brunette decided he'd just wait until the time came, and then do whatever. He was too stressed out to think about it any more than that.

 

Of course, the line up for the scrambler was a hell of a lot longer than it was for the merry-go-round. All of the stupid teenagers who decided the fairnival was a cool place to hang out had just decided that right now would be a good time to ride the exact same ride. Right now. Just to piss him off, too, he was certain. Looking more surly and angry than ever, Nate elbowed past a group who were a head taller than him and probably a decade younger, Joaquin following behind him with an apologetic smile. Like fuck he was going to wait in line; he had been waiting in line for years longer than any of these kids, and in his mind, they could suck it up. One looked as if he were about to say something to Nate as he passed, but thought better of it when he noticed the expression on the short man's face.

 

"Yeah, that's right.. Move the fuck outta my way." The mutter was barely heard by Joaquin, who merely shook his head. He had gotten used to Nate's abrasive, rude attitude towards strangers, and though it was one of Nate's traits that he... well, he wasn't fond of it, but had yet to change the redhead's attitude.

 

Now at the front of the line, behind a family of four, Nate halted his progress and folded his arms across his chest, turning to make sure the twitchy boy was still with him. He eyed the sweater the boy was wearing, the brown a customary color for him, before his eyes rose to Joaquin's face. His own expression softened to mildly irritated, though he glanced over at the spinning ride before he spoke.

 

"Having fun?" The gruff voice of the shorter man wasn't anything new, nor the disinterested tone. Nevertheless, he actually seemed vaguely interested in Joaquin, which wasn't something to frown upon.

 

"Um, yeah. Actually. I went on the merry-go-round with Gwen.. She's really nice."

 

It had been awhile since Nate had thought about Gwen. Well, obviously, she was at the fairnival with them, and someone had invited her along, and at some point he had greeted the blonde... But he had never expected Joaquin to have some sort of an interest in her. Of course, only Nate would assume that if you were to ride the merry-go-round with someone, that you were interested in them (Jabar and Ricky? Together? Hah!). Though, the redhead didn't want to show what he thought about this, so he merely grunted as a reply. Luckily, Joaquin didn't take this as a sign to go ahead and continue talking -- which it hadn't been. However, the shorter man's mind was still running rampant with thoughts of Gwen... and Joaquin.

 

He hadn't realized it until just now, but he didn't overly like the thought of them together... interested in each other. It wasn't like she knew Joaquin at all, really. Nate knew Joaquin better than any of the people there... and for her to move in on the brunette when... well, it wasn't like Nate was interested in Joaquin, but it wasn't like they weren't ‘involved’ in something... It sort of pissed Nate off. More than the stupid kids in line, and stupid Ricky being with them. And the fact that Gwen was Nate's ex, and now she was interested in Nate's... Joaquin? Whatever Joaquin was. It didn't feel right to the redhead, and he made a mental note to try to keep an eye on them.

 

Of course, Nate was never very good at hiding his emotions -- many found that he was like an open book; you could tell what kind of mood he was in just by looking at his face and body language. So, with his eyes dark and his fists clenched, Nate didn't look like a very happy camper. Joaquin, in his own little world, gazing around at the spinning rides didn't notice until the ride stopped and the line began to move. However, not wanting to risk some sort of death threat from the older man, his mouth remained tightly closed, lips pressed together in slight concern. Of course he was worried that it was something he’d said, but how willing was he to ask Nate about it? Not very.

 

Luckily, the moment passed and the pair was ushered through the gate, their tickets taken from them in exchange for a minute and a half's worth of fun! Joaquin followed a half step behind the surly man, who was making a beeline towards the nearest car. Convenience was a big thing for Nate.

 

"Do you wanna get on the inside?" Nate asked, pausing before he got into the car. He had no preference, of course, and apparently neither did Joaquin, so Nate clambered in first, followed by the taller boy. This of course greatly relieved him after his earlier dilemma, and he was back to being content, for the most part, and terrified for his life, for the other. There was more than enough room for the pair, and they sat with a few inches between them; neither wanting things to get weird between them. What neither realized was that during a spinning ride, the riders tended to get squished together, meaning there was no such thing as personal space on this ride.

 

Once they were locked into place, the metal 'seatbelt' fixed tightly, and the door of the car closed, Nate relaxed. He was only half excited for the ride, though he didn't regret asking Joaquin to ride with him. Despite the way he acted for the majority of the time, Nate was rather fond of the quirky guy. He didn't have to put up any sort of mask when the other was around, didn't have to always play the tough guy. He figured it would be good to get a ride in with the brunette early on, while the others were distracted. Nate wasn't planning on going off with one person for the entire afternoon, so best to get it over with, and then focus on the group rides later.

 

They waited in silence for another minute or so, while the worker went around and made sure nobody would fly out of the ride and die. It was a comfortable silence, of course. Joaquin was used to Nate's moments of not wanting to talk, and Nate was accustomed to Joaquin's unwillingness to start a conversation unless absolutely necessary. They worked well together. Though, when the ride began, they were silent for other reasons: remember, the momentum and the spinning and the personal space thing? Well, as soon as the ride began, Nate's form began inching towards Joaquin, who was now squished against the side of the car. The speed was, like Joaquin had expected, exhilarating. But what was uncalled for was their new proximity. Of course, Nate wouldn't relax and simply lean into Joaquin; he had to fight against it, probably for his manhood and or dignity, hands gripping the metal bar keeping them on the ride, pushing with his boot-clad feet to keep those few inches between himself and Joaquin. His hair, down and long, streamed out behind him, and periodically annoyed him.

 

Joaquin, of course, was stuck where he was. He didn't mind Nate close to him -- Nate was fighting a losing battle -- but was more preoccupied with the sight of other passengers speeding towards him, before their direction was reversed. Each time he saw another approaching car, he clenched his eyes shut, waiting for the sickening sound of their car smashing into the other at a high velocity... And each time it never happened. He was comforted slightly by Nate's loud curses; obviously the redhead was doing just as well with the incoming cars as he was. After a while, though, he got used to the ride; the speed wasn't so bad now, and the rhythm of the ride was familiar. When this happened, Joaquin looked over at his companion, a wide grin on his face. It was a rush, that was certain, and he was enjoying himself. What kept his smile there was the fact that Nate had given up on keeping himself away from Joaquin, and was comfortably pressed into the taller man’s side. Vaguely, he wished Nate did that when they weren't forced together by the physics of spinning objects. Ho hum.

 

“This isn’t too bad,” The redhead commented as the ride progressed, looking like he might actually be enjoying himself, as instead of his customary grimace, he wore an almost smile.

 

“It’s not. I like it.” The younger boy agreed with Nate’s declaration, his smile still bright on his face even when the ride began to slow to a stop. It had been fun. Neither could figure how to get the metal bar undone, however, so they waited patiently in Joaquin’s case and impatiently in Nate’s for the carnie to come and let them out. All the while they were waiting, Nate remained in the same position that he had been in, though he didn’t realize just how close he was to Joaquin until they were free from their constraints and he had to scoot over the entire length of the car to get out.

 

“That wasn’t long. Fuckin’ fairnival scam.” Nate’s comment did nothing to disguise his content expression, and he even went so far as to clap Joaquin on the back to show his good humour. It was lucky, of course, that the clumsy boy wasn’t walking at that point; he only just regained his balance from the unanticipated whack when standing still. Despite his nearly falling over, the younger man’s composure was regained rather quickly and he walked alongside Nate on the way back to the merry-go-round without further incident.

 

Judging by the lack of Jabar when they finally reached the kiddie ride they had previously departed from, it seemed that Nate’s best guy friend had gone for yet another ride on the merry-go-round. The shorter man rolled his eyes of course, and Joaquin didn’t really react… He wasn’t sure how to, with some of these situations. Gwen laughed though, and the brunette glanced over at her to find she was looking in his direction. Both glanced away nervously, Joaquin not sure what to make of her looking at him. He had had girls ask him out before just because he seemed nice, or when he was younger because they thought he was cute. He tended to know absolutely nothing about girls, however, and had no sweet clue as to whether Gwen was remotely interested in him, or was just being friendly.

 

Luckily, a distraction made itself present in the form of Jabar returning – finally – and they all decided to go off and try some more rides. Most of them were two person rides, so Jabar and Paulie obviously got paired up. Nate and Joaquin, though tempted, didn’t pair up every time… Once Nate was even stuck with Ricky, and Joaquin with Gwen! However, Nate was more concerned about the taller boy going on a ride alone with Gwen than the fact that he himself had to deal with Ricky. Of course, the bearded, bespectacled guy had no problem with this – he preferred Nate where he could ignore him easily. Nate was too busy being distracted by trying to catch a glimpse of his… of Joaquin and Gwen to give Ricky any sort of acknowledgement. It was only when Ricky made a comment about Joaquin being his boyfriend that Nate turned around and gave him a firm punch in the jaw. Luckily the ride was just coming to a stop and the guys operating the ride got between them before anything huge really happened.

 

“It was lucky you guys didn’t get us kicked out. Fucking men and their testosterone.” Paulie was grumbling about the pair as they all walked towards the booths that were set up a ways away from the rides. There were food booths, cotton candy and nachos, pop corn and corn dogs; and then farther down were the games, the ones Nate despised.

 

“Really, guys. How did you manage to get in a fight in the middle of a ride?” The question caused Nate to freeze for a moment, staring at Jabar with an expression that said, ‘don’t you dare fucking ask me that shit’. But, of course, the question still remained, and somebody was going to answer it. And better it be him than Ricky.

 

“He’s an asshole and said something about Joaquin.” The response was simple, of course, and more than likely everyone would be on his side in this case – nobody disliked the tall boy.

 

“What? What the fuck did he say?” Jabar was casting shocked glances from Nate to Ricky, then to Joaquin who looked rather stricken and almost sick. Nate joined him in looking at Joaquin, then raised his pierced brow at his friend. “Right. Oh. Yeah.”

 

“He was just being an asshole, is all. It was nothing.” Nate tried to dismiss it as nothing, having hoped that Joaquin hadn’t heard what he said. “Really. Don’t mind him, he needs to get more hugs.”

 

Ricky, of course, was silent, arms folded. He liked Joaquin as much as the next guy, and was inwardly seething that Nate had turned what he said against him in this way. Since when was he the fucking bad guy? He’d get Nate back for this, most definitely.

 

“Come on … why don’t we get some nachos?” Gwen was talking to Joaquin, as she had led him over to the side to get him away from the confrontation. “Or a burger or something… I’m a vegetarian, though, so I’m going to get nachos.” The pair moved off slowly, before anyone really realized they were gone. Nobody thought much of it – Nate was too busy being pissed at Ricky and getting him in trouble with Jabar and Paulie, and neither of the others really cared that much. They all moved off towards the burger stand, while Joaquin and Gwen waited across the way.

 

“Joaquin, you wanna burger? I can just get ketchup on it even though that’s a waste and such a pussy thing to get on a burger, but—“ Nate probably would have continued talking had he not realized that the person he was speaking to was nowhere in sight.

 

Nowhere in sight until he turned around, of course.

 

The redhead’s eyebrows shot up at that point, when he saw Gwen and Joaquin, a ways off, his hand in hers.

 

“What in the fucking fuck?” His mouth was drawn into an ‘o’, eyebrows furrowed dangerously. “What the hell?!” His repetition managed to spur him into motion, boots clunking on the asphalt loudly, elbowing kids out of his way in order to get to the pair as quickly as possible – he was pretty pissed.

 

“… And well, I’d really like to go out sometime. Y’know, just the two of us. You’re sweet, and I really like you.”

 

Nate caught the last few words that came out of Gwen’s mouth, and it was at that point he went pretty much ape shit insane. His normally grumpy nature transformed into an angry, shouting rage, words blending in with each other as he tried to show his fury without actually hitting the girl, knowing that there were people watching him while he yelled, yelled that she had no fucking business asking Joaquin out, the little slut, and that he wasn’t interested. His jealousy was raging in the pit of his stomach, and it burned long and strong. It was when people began tugging at his arms to get him to calm down that he snapped out of it, but before he could manage to properly take a breath and show that he had regained control, he felt a freezing cold, rather wet substance coat his face, his hair and his shirt.

 

“Sonova --” The contents of Ricky’s drink was now all over his face, plastering his bang to his forehead. Nate stood there, looking shocked and slightly ashamed, eyes wide in confusion. “You fucking asshole.”

 

“Dude. You were seriously about to punch her. Or him.” Jabar gestured towards a disgusted looking Gwen and a terrified Joaquin, his own expression one of concern and an almost parental disappointment. “What the fuck got into you?”

 

Of course, Nate couldn’t reply. Not when he himself didn’t understand what was going on with him, why he had lost it so very suddenly, and at what? Gwen asking Joaquin out? Well, of-fucking-course, because Joaquin was his!

 

“Gwen, I… Listen, I’m sorry. I really like you too… I just… um. I kinda… Well…” Joaquin had slightly recovered, and was attempting to give the blonde girl an explanation as to why she was being turned down. He couldn’t find it in himself to flat-out tell her that he was gay, and he really didn’t want to hurt her feelings, especially with what Nate had just done. “It’s just that I don’t… Y’know… like people like… You? No, no no no, that came out all wrong… People of your type…? No, not that either…” Her rather dubious stare, eyebrow slightly quirked, was making the brunette stammer with hesitation. He was loud enough to be heard over Nate yelling at Ricky for soaking him with his full cup of pop, but not so much that it would catch much attention.

 

“Does this have anything to do with Nate?” She demanded, her voice almost hard now instead of the soft, nice tone he had associated her with.

 

“No! Not at what he said, not at all! But… Actually, yeah… I guess. I kinda don’t like… well, girls.” His eyes, which were wandering down somewhere around her feet, shot up to glance at her bewildered expression. Paulie, however, had overheard the entire conversation and was on her way over to save Joaquin from more awkward explanations.

 

“Gwen, sweetie, Joa-joa here isn’t as straight and manly as he appears. Joaquin, lemmee talk to her. You go get Nate cleaned up. God knows he won’t be able to do it by himself. He’s like an infant.” She grabbed the shorter girl’s arm without another word and the pair were off, apparently to discuss Joaquin’s sexuality. He assumed that Jabar had told Paulie, otherwise… How the hell would she know? He wasn’t entirely sure, though.

 

Mystified and slightly automated in his actions, Joaquin paced over to where Nate was standing, stopping in front of the outraged man before taking a hold of his wrist.

 

“We are going to go get you cleaned up now. Come on.” The command was firm; there was no arguing with Joaquin at this point. Nate, now just as mystified as Joaquin had been in the previous few seconds, followed the other boy, dripping onto the ground below him, glancing behind him to quite happily give Ricky the finger.

 

“Fucking asshole…”

 

Joaquin, of course, ignored him, and was actually just getting his mind around the absolute flip out that Nate had just had at both him and Gwen, for something that he had only just vaguely overheard. The brunette was confused but also a little bit flattered; he had stood up for whatever was between them… And since Gwen was apparently interested in the taller of the two, she wasn’t interested in Nate, which was certainly a plus for Joaquin!

 

They marched in silence towards the wash rooms, which happened to be inside the small store / restaurant located nearby. It wasn’t one of those stall bathrooms either; rather, a smaller singular room with a lock on the door. Both men piled into the rather tiny room, Nate locking the door behind them. Joaquin had already started pulling out paper towel from the dispenser, and, wetting it from the tap, began to wipe at the redhead’s face. The pair remained in silence for a number of minutes; Joaquin taking measured wipes to get the sticky substance off of the other man’s skin, working steadily from his head to his neck.

 

“Calmed down yet?” The question was meant to be conversational, since the other did seem to have quieted down after the big confrontation with Gwen.

 

“Hm.” The grunt he was greeted with wasn’t particularly expressive, and Joaquin pursed his lips in disapproval.

 

“I turned her down, you know.”

 

“I know.”

 

The conversation ceased then, while Joaquin busied himself with cleaning Nate off, and while Nate in turn tried to figure out what to say to Joaquin – how the fuck was he going to explain himself after that? And the redhead knew that Joaquin was going to be looking for some sort of answer, though he wouldn’t say anything. Nate could just tell, with the occasional glances, lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed, that the brunette was trying to piece together some sort of conclusion just as much as he himself was.

 

Minutes dragged by and the silence grew more and more awkward; Joaquin had pretty much finished mopping up the sticky soda from Nate’s exposed skin as best he could, and Nate shrugged out of his tattered tee and bleach-stained (courtesy of his laundry skills) vest. The wife beater underneath was dry and unharmed. Joaquin had resisted speaking, but now he found himself needing to say something, to question, to get some sort of answer. He found himself staring at Nate’s stomach as he inhaled, willing words to come out easily, but before he managed the first syllable, Nate was… What was Nate doing?

 

The redhead had crossed the few feet between them and was closer than he really needed to be, his expression oddly anxious for such a self-assured guy.

 

“Listen, Joaquin, I—” Nate paused and wet his lips, swallowing, his eyes shifting and only landing on the brunette’s gaze for fleeting moments. Was Joaquin seeing this clearly? This nervous, alternate Nate was really standing before him?

 

“I… Fuck, I can’t say this. This is bullshit.” And with that graceless speech, he grabbed Joaquin by the collar, pulled him down to his height and mashed their mouths together, finding no alternative way to express like how much of a dick he felt, and how sorry he was.

 

Joaquin, for all the world a fraidy-cat, had grown accustomed to this type of out of the blue advances from Nate and managed to stand his ground, only letting out the ghost of a gasp. He was expecting the contact to be brief and was greatly surprised and pleased when it continued, lingering as Nate pressed into the younger man, forcing him back a step against the wall. The taller boy was even more surprised when the redhead deepened the embrace, his offered open-mouthed kiss accepted by an astonished Joaquin, who found himself responding (to the kiss, at least) with enthusiasm.

 

The intensity of the encounter (probably brought on by pent-up anger at Ricky), was soon obvious with the boldly wandering hands of the shorter man, running skilfully down Joaquin’s sides after having released his collar. His fingers moved to slide under the hem of Joaquin’s shirt and down the back of his jeans for a two-handed ass grope, making him twitch involuntarily.

 

Joaquin, who had pretty much been along for the ride until this point, was warming up to what was going on and managed to get his arms around Nate too, though he was trailing his hands more meekly up and down the redhead’s back, more focused on the tongue in his mouth than anything else. All of this because some girl had asked him out? The possibilities were endless and dizzying, and the brunette had to halt them before they spiralled as far as marriage and children – who said he even wanted kids anyway?! The only thing that really stopped his thoughts cold was the feel of Nate’s fingers, clumsy as they were, prying at the button of his jeans.

 

Wait, what? Holy crap holy crap, was Nate quick to get to the point, and as the obstacle in the form of the button was overcome and his zipper was tugged down hastily, Joaquin could only get out a weak protest – they were in a public washroom for goodness sakes; and what about public indecency; and this was going on his permanent record; and what was Nate thinking; and—

 

“Ahh…” It felt good. Really good. Joaquin could feel the grin on Nate’s lips as he sighed at the contact, Nate’s hand in his boxers eliciting memories of previous such experiences – none so public, but all pretty much as sudden as this one had been. The casual, almost lazy way that Nate’s hand beat him off was nearly embarrassing for Joaquin, because it got him hot and hard and, well, he didn’t like the amount of control the other boy had over him. He was so easy, and yet, here he was, hips rolling into Nate’s fist, jeans slipping around his thighs in a men’s washroom. The thought was goddamn hot, though he’d never admit it in a million years.

 

Nate, of course, was hardly thinking at all while he groped, and barely considered what he was doing when his hand found its way into Joaquin’s pants. However, now that he was there and he saw what a mess he had made out of Joaquin, he knew he had somehow led the situation to a good place. He was, of course, grinning, though the kiss did make it quite difficult. His grin came out of the reactions from his friend and how he was responding and obviously eager. The fact that he hadn’t freaked out about it being a public facility impressed Nate somewhat, and he congratulated himself for rubbing off on the normally well-behaved, do-gooder young man.

 

All thoughts of their location were dropped abruptly from his mind, however, at the sound of approaching footsteps, the jiggling of the locked handle and a knock at the door. Joaquin froze, eyes wide open, hands going for his jeans instantly, while Nate remained unfazed and continued working the younger boy, pausing only to spit in his hand for a little extra lubricant.

 

“Nate…” The hiss of Joaquin’s voice was weak, the makeshift lubricant making him melt ever so slightly. “They’ll hear…” Another knock on the door urged Joaquin to grab Nate’s wrist, halting him.

 

“Occupied!” Without pausing to consider, Nate called out to the person on the other side of the door. “It’s gonna be a while, too, those corndogs just don’t sit well with me.”

 

“Nate…” The whispered groan was Joaquin’s way of telling him just how much he wanted this to stop, but at the same time the adventure, the danger of being caught had sped up his pulse. His grip on Nate was already weakening, allowing the redhead to continue, pressing Joaquin once more into the wall with another unexpected, open-mouthed kiss. Nate couldn’t be happier with how this was turning out, and he sped up his movements, focusing first on pleasuring Joaquin and second on keeping the younger boy silent – though, he didn’t think he’d need to worry about that. Joaquin was probably half terrified of someone hearing him.

 

With another handful of spit, Nate found that Joaquin was once again thrusting, and his breaths were coming in shorter gasps, meaning primarily that Nate had full control of the situation again. He ignored the thought of people outside, letting go of the brunette boy’s erection to smooth fingers over Joaquin’s balls and his thighs, biting down on his bottom lip. His breath was hot as his hand returned to previous actions and Joaquin was like putty, his face tinged with pink, making low, desperate sounding noises in the back of his throat that made Nate speed up, feeling the heat himself and knowing that – fuck! He wouldn’t be able to take care of it until he got home. He could feel Joaquin’s pace quicken and managed to keep up, grunting himself, with the kiss, before pausing to reach blindly for some paper towel, some tissue, anything to keep Joaquin clean. And when Joaquin, with a silent moan, finally reached his peak, Nate managed to get the paper towel under him with his other hand where the cum all luckily ended up, none on either him or the taller boy.

 

Red-faced and breathing hard, Joaquin, his eyes shut, slumped against the wall of the bathroom. Nate, a pleasant grin on his lips, disposed of the paper towel in the toilet, flushing before eyeing Joaquin, who still hadn’t bothered pulling his pants back on.

 

“We good?” The redhead’s question seemed pretty ludicrous after what had just occurred, but Joaquin managed to nod weakly, a shaky smile coming over his features. He would be able to talk soon, but as for right now, his tongue was tied.

 

“Good. C’mon, then, before some fuckin’ poor sap pisses himself.”

 

With the reminder that there were people waiting for the restroom, Joaquin quickly yanked up his underwear and jeans, buckling the button and zipping up with a hasty speed. He was ready by the time Nate had finished washing his hands. “Play it cool,” The redhead advised as he grabbed his sticky shirt from where it had ended up on the floor, nudging past to dry his hands before heading to the door. He unlocked it and letting himself out, Joaquin following directly behind him. The shock, which had seemed so distant to Nate before, now took him as he saw that it was Ricky who had been waiting for the washroom. Ricky smiled that knowing smile, and as he stared first Nate then Joaquin up and down, the Nate was rendered speechless. Joaquin, of course, hadn’t clued in, noticing Ricky when he passed wordlessly to get into the restroom, and gaped at Nate.

 

“…Fuuuuuck…”

 

The syllable was a groan, and he hung his head, hand rubbing at his temples while Joaquin stared back and forth between the closed bathroom door and Nate, a bewildered expression on his face.

 

“You mean he… Was outside… All along?” Of course Joaquin understood what such a situation implied, but he didn’t understand to what level it was bound to go. He couldn’t. He didn’t know Ricky well enough.

 

“… God fucking damnit.”

 

Nate was never going to hear the end of it.

 

---------------------------------------------------------

 

Thank you for reading!

I hope you enjoyed. This is a one shot, but the story of the main couple, Nate and Joaquin, may be written later.

Special thanks to Nephylim, who edited and gave some great suggestions. (: It's greatly appreciated!

Check out http://www.gayauthors.org/forums/topic/32336-the-fairnival/ if you want to leave any comments, or feel free to review!