“I initially had an elaborate thing planned but I was vetoed so I decided to go simple.” Kloh explained as he finished parking.
He turned to Dex and smiled.
“I hope you like carnivals.”
Dex couldn’t help but to smile back at him.
“I love carnivals.”
“Great. Stay there for a sec.”
Kloh rushed out of the car and over to Dex’s side of the car. A small laugh greeted him as he opened the door for Dex. Dex grinned and got out of the car.
“Thank you.”
“Of course.” Kloh bowed, making Dex laugh even more.
Kloh closed the door and made sure the door was locked. Then he turned to Dex and held out his hand. Dex looked at the hand, at Kloh, then back at the hand. He bit his lips nervously but still reached out and placed his hand in Kloh’s. Kloh let out a breath as he firmly grasped Dex’s warm, calloused hand. He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. For a moment he thought Dex wouldn’t take his hand. Fortunately he didn’t panic and sntach his hand back. Once he was settled he flashed Dex a happy grin and tugged him towards the entrance. Dex shyly followed him, his heart beating just as erratically as Kloh was. He couldn’t remember a time where he held someone’s hand. Not including his family and Wesley. On the very few dates he’d been on he didn’t feel the way he felt at the moment. He stole several glances at Kloh causing his heart to race faster. Kloh looked back and smiled at him.
“It’s the last day of the carnival till their winter series begins. I heard they’ll have fireworks. It’s supposed to be really pretty.” Kloh told him as they got to the entrance.
The sounds of bells, people, music and joy filled the air around them. Bright sparkly colorful lights decorated the entrance. It was a huge archway with the words ‘Welcome to Utopia’ at the top. Kloh pulled out the tickets he had purchased beforehand. The girl at the ticket booth smiled at them as they stopped in front.
“Welcome to Utopia. How can I help you?.” She said in a very energetic voice.
“Hello. I have tickets for the two of us.” Kloh replied and handed over the tickets.
“Here on a date?” She asked as she looked between the two.
“Yes.” Kloh squeezed Dex’s hand.
Dex ducked shyly and gave a little nod. She grinned wider as she took in the image of the two. She could clearly tell that it was the first date just by the reactions. She leaned forward and whispered to Kloh, who seemed to be the one who was leading this date.
“If you go on the ferris wheel right before 9, you can see the fireworks better. It’s very romantic. Tell the operator Maya sent you. He’ll make sure you stop at the top.”
Kloh listened carefully then nodded. Maya winked at him as she finished stamping their tickets.
“Thank you.” Kloh said gratefully as he took the two tickets.
“Of course. Enjoy!” She waved them in.
When Kloh turned back, she flashed two thumbs up at Kloh. She mouthed the words ‘Good Luck’ at him. Kloh grinned and nodded back at her. They went through the little turnstile and entered Utopia.
At first glance, you could see many people happily walking around. Couples, families, groups of friends. Directly in front of them was a merry ground. The colorful unicorns and seats with the loud music playing brought forward a wave of nostalgia for anyone who saw it. Surrounding were a variety of game booths filled with plushie prizes. All were traditional carnival games. The water shooting game, the punching bag, the whack a mole. Many booths were filled with people, some winning, some losing, some just spectating. Further in, behind the merry go round were more games, food stalls and the Ferris Wheel.
“What do you want to do first?” Kloh turned to Dex excitedly.
Dex was momentarily caught up by the pure unabashed excitement on Kloh’s face. The feeling was infectious. The nerves in Dex settled and he also grew excited as he looked around. He actually did love carnivals. They were filled with fun memories and always made him happy.
“The line for the merry-go-round is a bit long. Let’s play some games first.” Dex replied.
Kloh agreed. Hand in hand they walked around, looking for a game with not too many people. They got deeper into Utopia and the crowd reduced a bit. They spotted several booths with only a couple of people.
“STEP RIGHT UP AND SHOW OFF! WANNA IMPRESS YOUR DATE, THIS GAME IS FOR YOU! BEAUTY, BRAWNS, AND BRAINS, DO YOU HAVE ALL THREE? COME FIND OUT!” A tall man with a megaphone called out.
Intrigued, Dex and Kloh walked up. ‘The Relay’ was written in bright red tacky letters across the headboard of the booth. Several plushies of different cartoons filled the sides. Three sections were set up at the front. Each had a large screen in front of the seats. Behind the sections was a large screen that seemed to be connected to the three smaller screens.
“Welcome, welcome. Will you two be the lucky third couple to join our relay?” The tall man joyfully asked as he put the microphone down.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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In the first section was a boy and girl. With the way they were sweetly clinging to each other anyone could tell they were a couple. The boy was tall with dark hair and a sickly sweet smile as he looked down at the shorter strawberry blonde girl. The boy was whispering something that made the girl squeal, yes squeal, and slap his shoulder. The second couple was a more reserved male couple. The two were roughly the same height. One had on frameless glasses and was scanning the booth with inquisitive eyes. The other was bald, in a cute way that worked though. They whispered to each other as they read over the game instructions. They looked less like a couple and more like two friends. Kloh didn’t really pay that much attention to others, only glancing over them enough to see who he was up against. Dex, on the other hand, was reviewing the rules of the game.
“There are three games in total. Each person in the couple will take turns playing. Like a relay. The first game is a simple color maze. Connect the colors without overlapping. Only a true beauty can differentiate colors so well. The second game is a balance game. Simply balance the weights. Brawn is all about strength. And the last one is a riddle game. Answer the set of riddles to prove your brains. First couple to finish all three games wins. First two games must be played by one person. The last can be played by both. Everyone understand?”
Everyone replied to him with several different agreements.
“Wanna go first?” Kloh asked Dex.
Dex nodded and sat in front of the screen. Besides him the girl and the bald guy sat down. The three screens lit up and changed. The larger screen also lit up, showing what was happening on the three individual screens. Plus there was a stopwatch at the bottom of each screen.
“Let’s play the relay game!” Cam pressed the huge green ready button behind his booth.
Each screen changed into a 9 by 9 grid with several colors placed in different places. The goal was to connect the same colors without overlapping. The game was fairly simple but with so many different colors on the screen, Kloh was already confused. Dex was relaxed as he steadily started joining colors. He played puzzle games like this all the time. The girl in the first section was also calm as she connected colors. The bald guy in the middle was a bit flustered but still played quietly.
Dex’s nose scrunched up in that cute way it did when he was focused. Kloh had stopped looking at the game and instead focused his attention on Dex. The omega was nice to look at. The tired look that he had when Kloh had picked up from his class was gone. Instead there was a focused energetic look that made Kloh smile.
“Done!” Dex called out as he stood.
Kloh turned to the screen and saw a maze of colors that formed a weird abstract looking art piece. All the colors were connected well. After a moment a bright green check mark filled the screen.
“Looks like couple number 3 is first to pass the game one. Onto the next game for them. Couple 1 and 2 are not that far behind though.” Cam commented.
Kloh quickly sat down as the screen changed. A balance beam appeared. There were several weights with different numbers and units of measurement above it. A quick glance of the rules explained that he needed to place the weights on the balance beam till the beam was equal on both ends. Honestly it seemed more like a math game but Kloh wasn’t too worried. After all, it was just a carnival game. Plus he may not be particularly great at math but he was great at guessing.
Dex stood to his side, silently calculating and converting the weights in his head. Kloh started dragging random weights to each side. He could hear Dex murmuring different numbers beside him. He leaned slightly back to listen.
“If we convert everything to the same unit of measurement, the math is easier. Kilograms to grams. 24 kg is the same as 24000 grams.” The numbers flew through Dex’s mind as he unconsciously spoke aloud.
Kloh immediately changed tactics while silently praising Dex’s intelligence. He quickly started adding up numbers.
“Couple 2 takes the lead as they quickly finish game two. Couple 3 has lost their lead. Couple 1 seems to be stuck on game two as well.”
Kloh could distantly hear the boy from section 1 cursing.
“What the fuck does this have to do with strength? It’s all math. What a fraud.” He scolded the game as he tried to balance out the weights.
“You got this babe.” The girl cheered him on.
“Of course I do. I’m not an idiot.”
“Of course not babe. You’re literally the smartest guy ever.”
Kloh rolled his eyes. Dex laughed and patted Kloh’s shoulder.
“You got this babe.” He playfully whispered.
“Thanks babe.” Kloh grinned as he placed the last weight.
The screen glowed as the bright green check mark appeared.
“And couple 3 catches up. It seems the battle for the win will be between couples 2 and 3. Who can win it?”
As the third game loaded, Kloh pulled Dex down unintentionally placing the man on his lap. For a second Dex froze but pushed away the shock as the first riddle popped onto the screen. Kloh’s hands held onto Dex’s waist as he leaned forward to read the riddle. He hadn’t even realized what he had done as he focused on the screen.
Riddle One
What can you catch, but not throw?
“Easy.” Dex mumbled as he typed in the answer.
Answer: A cold
Correct
Riddle Two
What has one eye but can’t see?
“One eye. One eye?” Dex muttered to himself.
“A needle!” Kloh spoke up.
He remembered when his granddad used to teach him how to sew that he’d called the little hole on the needle an eye. Dex typed it in.
Answer: A needle
Correct
“Yes!” Dex held out his hand and Kloh slapped it.
The third riddle came up.
What can fill a room but takes up no space?
“Nothing can completely fill a room. Tsk.” Baldy complained to his companion.
“Try oxygen or atoms.” Glasses replied.
“WINNER! WINNER!”
They paused and looked up. The big screen was flashing with green letters. The word ‘LOSER’ filled their screen as the riddle game disappeared. To their left the boy was cursing the screen as the girl tried to talk him down. With a peak they saw an identical screen to theirs in front of the couple. To their right, however, was a bright screen with showy fireworks and the word ‘WINNER’.
“Light can completely fill every corner of a room without taking up space.” Dex explained to Kloh as he smiled happily at the screen.
The minute he saw the question, he instantly typed in the answer. How could he not know the answer. Kloh hugged him from behind. He patted Kloh’s arms happily and looked up Cam who had made his way over to them.
“CONGRATULATIONS!” He practically shouted at them.
Kloh laughed and Dex grinned at him. They stood as the couples next to them started to leave.
“Thanks.”
“As our winners, you can choose anything from the stall to take home.” Cam spoke with a flourish and waved towards all the plushies.
“You choose.” Dex nudged Kloh.
“Me? But you solved the last one. You should choose.” Kloh looked up at him.
“I want you to choose. I’m very indecisive.” Dex smiled at him.
Kloh wanted to argue but stopped as he spotted a really cute plushie. It was a chibi version of a scientist holding a test tube. He instantly wanted it. He pointed to it. He’d win Dex one later, he told himself.
“I want that one.” He told Cam, who quickly retrieved the plush.
Dex’s eyes went wide when he saw it then a little blush appeared. He could tell why Kloh had chosen it. He rubbed his nose. Kloh grinned as he took the plushie and thanked Cam. Then he turned to Dex and hugged the plush.
“I’ll name him Dexter.” He said with a teasing smile.
Dex could only blush and turn away. Kloh laughed and took his hand again as they went off to play other games.
~~~
“Maya sent me.” Kloh whispered to the ferris wheel operator when he and Dex got to the front of the line.
The skinny girl who was running the ride stopped for a second and looked at him. Her eyes flash when he mentioned Maya then she slowly smiled. She looked between him and Dex then nodded as if conforming something.
“Got it. This way. Go to Box number 9.” She directed them and winked at Kloh.
Dex noticed and looked at Kloh. Kloh only smiled and tugged him along. They got into the box and sat down. The plushie Dexter was put to the left of Kloh and Dec sat on his right. The door closed and the operator spoke overhead, reminding them to stay seated while the ride was in motion. Then it started moving.
“How’s it been so far? The date.” Kloh asked as he played with Dex’s fingers.
“It’s been fun. I haven’t had time to relax in awhile so this was great.” Dex replied as he relaxed into the seat, looking out at the carnival as they got higher and higher.
“I’m glad you’re having fun. It wasn’t what I originally planned but as long as you’re having fun I’m satisfied.” Kloh happily said as he enjoyed the view.
He truly was satisfied. He hadn’t seen Dex this carefree in all the time they’d known each other. The man was smiling and laughing and having fun. That’s all Kloh could really ask for. Him being happy made Kloh happy.
“Thanks for bringing me.” Dex squeezed Kloh’s hand and turned to look at him.
“Of course. Anything for you.” Kloh smiled sweetly and lifted Dex’s hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the back of it.
Dex smiled back at him. The box shuddered lightly as it stopped at the top. They both looked at the view. They could see the bright lights of the carnival beneath them. But also the skyline of the city and starry sky. The speakers crackled as the operators voice came over the speaker.
“The fireworks are beginning. Due to safety reasons we’ll be stationary until they are over. Enjoy!” The girl’s voice filled the box.
Kloh sent a silent thanks to Maya and the girl. Dex’s eyes sparkled as the first set of fireworks filled the night sky. Kloh scooted closer to him, his head leaned over and rested on Dex’s shoulder. Silently they watched the fireworks display. Many designs filled the air. Hearts, birds, flowers.
“Kloh?” Dex called nervously as the fireworks continued.
“Yeah?” Kloh responded.
“Do you wanna be my boyfriend?” He blurted out, then held his breath.
The hand holding Dex’s hand tightened as his heart picked up. An incredible amount of joy filled his heart and a dazzling smile filled his face.
“Of course I do. Do you want to be mine?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Then today is Day 1.”
Kloh tilted his head up and pressed a kiss to Dex’s cheek. Dex blushed and hummed in agreement. If he had looked closely he would be able to see the matching blush going across Kloh’s face. But he was too shy to look at Kloh at the moment. Instead he held the alpha’s hand and they both silently watched the remainder of the firework show with full hearts. Kloh lifted Dex’s hand and pressed several kisses against it. He was deliriously happy. He had planned on asking Dex but surprisingly Dex asked him first. And that just filled his heart.
He had a boyfriend. He smiled to himself. Dex was his boyfriend. He could finally call him his.
~~~
Author’s Note
Disclaimer: the next chapter was written three weeks ago after a random bout of inspiration. Everything has been leading here. Hehehehehehehehehe. Can’t wait to share it with y’all.
Cuuuuuute.
This chapter was very relaxing! Thank you.
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
Thank you for the meal 😊
Sweet chapter, but you got me nervous for the next chapter.
What a romantic date 💕
I wanna have one too 🙈
Nice one, Maya!
Ok but why am I low key sad that the answer to the third riddle wasn’t “silence”? I got everything else right T-T