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henry-hart · 6 years

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Henry Danger Carnival/Fair Fic: Part 4

Dedicated to: @sunbeameyes @up-the-tube @youngbloodthekilljoy @ramune-ray @kiwikwami @writing-excuses

A/N: Okay, this part stumped be. I'm not completely satisfied with it, but I'm loving part 5 (hopefully that makes up for it). Enjoy! :)))

part 1, part 2, part 3

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The sunny afternoon was slowly turning into a cool evening by the time Charlotte and Piper left laser tag. They had played for over an hour, and though they were victorious, it was time for a change. Even winning lost its appeal after awhile.

The beautiful weather had maintained while they were in the laser tag building, so they decided on a walk around the fair grounds to enjoy it.

They rode some of the rides they came upon that looked interesting: a go-kart track (Piper was perfectly civil; there was no hitting, no crashing, and no one got a nose bleed. It was almost as if Jasper were to blame for before, she thought.), a pirate ship pendulum ride, a tilt-a-whirl, the tornado, and one of those music express rides where loud music is played while a miniature rollercoaster goes around a small track at high speed. Piper didn't make the minimum height for the more extreme rides, and she was denied access on some without the accompaniment of an adult or parent. Charlotte wasn't going to ride without her, so after being rejected for the drop tower, the two of them decided to make their way back to the boys.

On their way, the girls found a booth for souvenirs. Piper, remembering the money in her pocket Henry had graciously given her, bought a matching set of baseball caps for herself and Henry with the words "Swellview Fair '18" on them. A press of a small button on the underside of the brim of the hat made the words light up like a neon sign. Piper thought they were pretty cool--compared to the usual tacky merchandise--and they had the novelty of being specific to this year's fair. It was a tradition between the two Hart siblings to buy a memento from the fair with the year on it every time they went. She also grabbed a large bag of cotton candy which she and Charlotte ate together in Henry's name.

Charlotte decided upon a snow globe with a tiny replica of the fair's ferris wheel inside it and a small bucket keychain that read "I had buckets of fun at the fair" for Jasper. It was dorky, but she knew it would make him happy. After Charlotte paid, the girls headed back for the game booths where they had left the boys, but they found Ray and Schwoz walking around before they ever reached the booths--at least they suspected it was Schwoz.

Schwoz was holding a teddy bear that was bigger than he, so when walked with it in front of him, it looked like the bear was walking; Schwoz completely disappeared behind the dark brown fur. A few kids nearby moved away and closer to their parents in fear of the life-size teddy bear.

"Where's Henry and Jasper?" Charlotte asked once Ray and the teddy bear met up with them.

"I think they went to the paddle boats or something." Ray shrugged and nodded his head towards the bear. "I was just about to take this one around so he could ride a few rides."

Piper squinted her eyes at Schwoz. "What's with the bear?"

Schwoz' head peeked around from behind the stuffed animal. "It's not mine. I'm holding it for Jasper."

"How are you gonna ride on anything carrying a bear that's bigger than you?" She criticized.

Schwoz held the bear away from him, considering Piper's words. "You're right." He concluded. "Here," he thrust the giant teddy into Piper's arms.

"What, no I don't want--" she was cut off my a mouthful of the stuffed animal's fur. Piper and Schwoz were about the same height, so the teddy dwarfed her as well. She didn't know why, where, or how Jasper had obtained this obnoxiously large bear, but she did know that she didn't want to be stuck carrying it around all night. She looked over to Charlotte, her eyebrows raised and her bottom lip stuck out. Charlotte sighed and held her arms out for the bear. "Thank you," Piper said before turning back to Ray and Schwoz. "You're taking me with you."

Ray raised his eyebrows in shock. "Excuse me?"

"I said you're taking me with you."

"No, I got that part." Ray snapped and crossed his arms. "I'm just a little unclear on where you got the impression that you could order me around."

Piper shrugged. "I order everyone around. It's kinda my thing."

"Yeah, I'm getting that." Ray narrowed his eyes at the little girl, remembering how he hadn't wanted her to come before. "Look, Paper--"

"It's Piper." She corrected, glaring at Ray.

He waved her off. "Whatever. The point is you may be able to tell other people what to do, but that's not going to work on me." He leaned back, an arrogant smirk on his face.

Piper wanted to kick Ray in the shins, but she instead made a conscious effort to control herself, knowing anger and violence weren't going to help her. Her JAM sessions had taught her much about self-control (she also didn't need two angry outbursts in one day). She took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm not tall enough for some of the rides either, and Henry's not old enough to look like he could be my dad."

Ray scoffed. "Neither am I." He smiled uneasily, shifting from foot to foot. Charlotte, Schwoz and Piper all gave him unimpressed looks. He pretended not to notice. "Me? A dad? Psh. As if I look like old enough to be someone's dad." His face turned serious. "I'm not old."

"God, Ray, will you just take her with you? It won't kill you." Charlotte snapped, fed up with Ray's ego and with holding the ridiculous bear. She didn't see how she had to be stuck with it. It wasn't even hers.

Ray wanted to comment that it just might kill him to spend time with Henry's bratty little sister, but he thought better of it. He exhaled loudly. "Fine. Let's go, vertically challenged."

He briskly walked away, not waiting for Piper and Schwoz, who had to powerwalk to keep up with Ray's long strides.

Charlotte shook her head, and she and Jasper's bear headed in the direction of the paddle boats.

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"Do you think we're doing it wrong?" Jasper asked.

Henry rubbed a hand back and forth across his forehead; he was frustrated and dizzy from spinning. "We've been going in circles for about 15 minutes now." Henry snapped. "I think it's safe to say we're doing it wrong."

They had been on the paddle boats for a little over fifteen minutes, but they spent all that time with their swan boat going around and around in a circle; they couldn't seem to peddle in synchronization, but it was more than that. One of the propellers on their boat wasn't working, and seeing how both of them were frustrated, they weren't actively trying to work out a solution. They just got increasingly more agitated and nauseous.

Jasper turned away in a pout, thinking Henry's tone was unnecessary. Jasper was just as uncomfortable as Henry was. There was no need to get snappy with him.

Henry noticed and closed his eyes, regretting his outburst. It wasn't fair to blame Jasper for what was going on. He kept his eyes closed as he spoke, finding that it helped combat the nausea. "I'm sorry, man. I'm just tired of being in this stupid thing."

Jasper nodded, understanding. Now that they both were calmed down, an idea occurred to him. "Then why don't we just stop?"

Henry's entire body froze, and then he face palmed himself so hard that a smack sounded across the lake. The obviousness of Jasper's statement hit him hard. He couldn't believe that he and Jasper had spent so much time spinning when they could've just stopped. He felt like an idiot because, almost as soon as they stopped their peddling, the boat ceased its spinning.

"Wow," Henry muttered bitterly. He leaned forward and put his head against the neck of the swan to help stop everything from going in circles.

Jasper looked around the lake and noticed that no other boats were in the water. He nudged Henry's arm. "Hey."

Henry didn't pick his head up. "Hmm?"

"I think the ride's over. No one else is in the water."

Henry looked up to see that Jasper was right. There weren't any other swan boats around. This was just great. Now, they were stranded with no one there to help them. Peddling themselves to the exit wasn't an option unless they wanted to make a whirlpool.

Jasper bit his bottom lip nervously. "What do we do?"

Henry shook his head, not sure himself. They were in the middle of the lake--a lake he didn't even know the park had--and they had no paddles and they were alone. Neither of them felt like getting out and swimming. All they had was a giant swan with only one working propeller. The only upside to their predicament was that they were in it together. Henry was glad he wasn't alone and that Jasper was with him.

"I guess we float here until someone eventually finds us." Henry concluded. He gestured across the lake. "At least the view is nice."

And it was. The lake was in the center of the park, so they had a panoramic view of the fair. The sun was starting to drop from the sky, and clouds had formed for the first time that day. The lights from the rides reflected on the water, and the two found themselves not minding as much that they were stranded in the lake. Jasper looked over to Henry and smiled, thinking that the view was very nice indeed.

It was calm around them. The noise from the fair was a pleasant ambience in the background. The water was still, and their swan boat slowly bobbed up in down in a rhythmic motion. It was just the two of them, nothing and no one else.

"Hey!" Someone called.

The two boys jumped, startled by the interruption. Henry twisted around to see one of the people who was operating the paddle boats coming towards them on a jet ski.

"Ride's over. What're you two doing out here?" The worker demanded. He looked from the still boat to the lights on the water and back to the boys with one eyebrow quirked.

The two blushed and slightly moved away from each other.

"We're just good friends." Japser protested, his heart racing.

Henry nodded. "Our boat is broken." He explained.

The worked didn't look convinced, but he rode over to them to verify their story. When he found that Henry was telling the truth and the boat really was broken, he attached a cable from his jet ski to their boat and pulled them after him to the exit. The people in line waiting to get on the boats watched in amusement as Jasper and Henry were towed in. The boys were embarassed by all of the onlookers and avoided making eye contact with any of them.

There was one person holding a giant teddy bear near the exit they did make eye contact with, and she erupted into a fit of giggles.

"What did you two do?" Charlotte asked through her laughter.

"Nothing," Jasper blurted defensively. He grabbed his bear from her with a little more force than was necessary. Charlotte eyed him for a moment, wondering why the hostility, but Jasper ignored her.

"We had a problem with our boat." Henry sighed.

Charlotte looked around them at the swan boats. "You were riding in a swan?" Her tone implied many things.

"We didn't choose the boat, okay?" Henry retorted sharply. "They're all swans."

Charlotte wasn't done teasing. "You know what other ride has swan boats," she trailed off, letting the statement linger.

Henry didn't let it linger for long. "Let's go do something, yeah?" He nodded his head vigorously and pulled her and Jasper by their arms after him.

Charlotte continued chuckling, and Jasper held his teddy bear--a gift from Henry--a little tighter, still avoiding Charlotte's eyes.

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"I can't believe I'm stuck with you." Piper grumbled.

Ray gave a sardonic laugh. "Believe me, kid, I'm not happy about it either."

The two of them were in line for the bungee jump, and seeing how it was a two person ride, they were forced to ride together.

There was a problem of having three people on a two person ride, but that was quickly resolved without Piper or Ray or Schwoz having to do anything. A group of three guys in front of them had turned around to ask Schwoz if he would ride with their odd man out. Schwoz was elated that he had been chosen over Piper and Ray--especially Ray--so he jumped at the offer.

Now, much to the dismay of them both, Piper and Ray were to ride together. Piper, though she didn't like Schwoz, still preferred him over the egotistical and insufferable Ray, and Ray, who also wasn't overly fond of Schwoz, imagined he'd prefer to ride with him over the bratty and annoying Piper. Neither was happy with the situation, but neither of them could do anything about it. Everyone else in line behind them was partnered up already.

Schwoz turned around, grinning from ear to ear, to give the pair a thumbs up. They both childishly stuck a tongue out at the little man, and realizing they had acted the same way, crossed their arms and turned away from each other with a scowl.

As they turned, two teenage boys attempted to take this as their opportunity to jump their place in line. They stepped in front of Piper and Ray, who were next in line for the ride, and feigned that they had been there the whole time. Ray noticed anyway (it was incredibly obvious considering the fact that Ray and Piper were next in line one second and then two people were in front of them the next, but Ray suspected that these boys weren't too bright) and was about to say something when Piper beat him to the chase.

All the anger she had repressed since being with Ray had reached its boiling point, and she erupted. With a earsplitting screech, Piper went after the two, fists balled, ready to pummel the first thing they came in contact with. The boys were too shocked to react as the small girl came flying at them, but Ray, who had been watching and waiting to see how it played out, wrapped an arm around Piper's waist and yanked her up into the air and away from the terrified boys. She still tried to break free, snarling and snapping in the direction of the teenagers, but Ray's hold was solid. The two boys looked from the rabid girl to Ray and then to each other before deciding that the ride wasn't worth the risk of being so close to someone so crazy. They held their hands up in surrender and briskly walked away, trying to maintain a relatively fast speed while also trying to make it seem like they weren't scared and retreating.

When the boys were a safe distance away, Ray released Piper.

He slowly backed away from her, arms held out as a sign of peace. He couldn't believe what he just saw. In a split second, Piper had transformed from a relatively normal kid into a snarling animal. Ray was sure that if he had let her go after them, she would've bit those boys. When he was certain Piper wasn't going to attack him, he spoke.

"What the holy hell was that?" He cried, breathing heavily from the effort to contain Piper's animalistic rage. Piper straightened her shirt out and combed through her hair, and she took deep breath before smirking at Ray. Ray watched her, not understanding at first, but then it clicked. He pointed from Piper to the boys disappearing in the distance. "You did that on purpose." He guessed though he knew he was right.

Piper nodded, a smug smile on her lips. "Yep."

Ray was absolutely bewildered. "So that was all an act?" He gasped. "All the rage and the foaming of the mouth--that was fake?"

Piper started to nod, but then she shook her head. "Yes and no. The anger was real." She looked at him pointedly. Ray understood what she was getting at.

He had to admit he was impressed. He still thought Piper was irritating, but she had just proved she could be incredibly handy, given the right situation. Piper had scared even Ray; he was starting to understand why she got her way. Maybe he had had the wrong idea trying to push Piper away. Maybe it was in both their best interests that they stick together.

"Not bad kid," Ray commended with an appreciative nod. Piper gave a deep bow. "I think you and I will find each other quite useful." He smiled wickedly, already devising a ruse that included a sad little girl, fake crying, and getting to jump to the front of the line for the next ride.

Piper raised a challenging eyebrow, already thinking up a few schemes of her own.

They gave each other a curt nod of mutual understanding before turning to watch Schwoz and his riding buddy on the bungee jump ride.

No one else dared cut Ray and Piper in line.

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The sun had only a few minutes left in the sky when Henry, Jasper, and Charlotte found a spot near the lake to sit. None of them said anything; they all just sat together, enjoying the each other's company and the sunset.

And what a beautiful sunset it was.

No longer was the sky blue and clear. Instead, thin clouds saturated by the setting sun in shades of red and orange streaked across the sky. It was quite the sight--and a fitting farewell to the sun as the fair said hello to the night.

The Swellview Fair was candy apples and giggling children and sunlight on your shoulders in the daytime, but at night, it was a different world entirely. It was a world of neon lights and chilly night breezes and the view from the top of the ferris wheel. It was magic--the kind of magic that requires stopping all other activities to take it in.

And that's what the trio was doing.

They had realized that they hadn't done anything just the three of them all day, so it seemed fitting to take this moment to stop and just be there, together.

As Henry sat between his two best friends, looking up at the quickly darkening sky, he couldn't remember a time he was happier. All day, he had been able to have fun and be himself with the people he loves. No crime fighting. No Kid Danger.

He hadn't realized how badly he needed a day like today.

Often times, things are going too fast in the life of a superhero--well, a superhero's sidekick--to process everything that's happening. Henry found himself donning the Kid Danger persona well into the late hours of the night only to wake up early and go to school as Henry without a seconds thought. He just did the superhero sidekick gig and didn't let himself stop to think about how taxing it was on him physically and emotionally.

He didn't like to think about it because, when he did take the time to let his mind catch up, he found it was exhausting--not to mention stressful. He had been fighting criminals when most of his friends had been fighting acne. He was doing what police officers spend years training for at only thirteen. It wasn't something he thought about while he was caught up in the moment with the mask on and his adrenaline pumping, but he was terrified most of the time. Who was he to stop a thief or a evil genius? He was just a teenager. Sure, he could move incredibly fast and had been trained to fight, but that didn't change the fact that, under the mask, he was a kid.

He loved being Kid Danger. Really, he did. He loved helping people and stopping the bad guys, but sometimes it was too much. He couldn't be Kid Danger all the time. He needed this day to just be a teenager.

Henry leaned back on his palms and crossed his ankles. He couldn't even feel the pain from his nose anymore. All Henry felt was a strong sense of calm, and that meant everything to this particular seventeen year old boy.

He closed his eyes and breathed in a deep breath, taking in the world around him, savoring the moment.

Jasper absentmindedly twirled the ends of the bow that was around his bear's neck as he watched the people moving all around them. The magic of the carnival hit him hardest. He felt like the world was playing before him in slow motion. Everything he heard was muted and thick, like sounds are in dreams. That was it all was for him: a dream.

He'd never been to anything like the fair. His parents were a bit strict and unorthodox with what they did and did not allow, and public events like fairs were among the things they did not allow. He hadn't felt too bad about it; he couldn't be angry missing something he knew nothing about, but even now that he had seen first hand the world he was denied, he still wasn't upset. He was too happy to be upset. Right now, in the moment, seated next to Henry and Charlotte as the night took on a slight chill, Jasper was happy.

He moved his bear behind him and laid back, using the stuffed animal as a pillow. He let the distant sound of the carnival and all its wonders lull him into a state of calm.

Charlotte looked upon the faces of her friends and noted their small, content smiles. She gave a smile of her own, understanding the peace and happiness they were feeling for she felt it too. She was sure everyone who stopped to look at the now dark, star-filled sky felt it.

She was pleased with herself for planning this trip to the fair. She knew everyone could use a break from work--especially Henry. Henry didn't show it or talk about it, but Charlotte knew that he was stretched thin with juggling being Kid Danger and school and his responsibilities to his family--not to mention the normal hassles that come with being a teenage boy. Who wouldn't be? Making it through the teenage years is hard enough as is, but add to that a secret superhero identity? Henry had his plate full.

It wasn't obvious that he was struggling with the many facets of his life though; Henry maintained an overall positive and kind persona and didn't gripe or complain to anyone. He was a good guy, through and through, and that was what prompted Charlotte to find some way to give Henry time to relax. She felt that he deserved a break, a chance to be a normal kid, for a day. He had done a lot for the town of Swellview, asking nothing in return, and it was time Swellview did something for him.

Planning a group trip to the fair was Charlotte's solution, and it had obviously been a good one. Apart from Ray's candy apple incident--and Henry's unfortunate nose injury--the day had passed without a hitch.

She looked around at the lake and the fair and the people and nodded her head. Yes, it had been a great one.

She leaned back on her forearms and checked this day off as a success.

Henry sat up then, breaking the tranquil atmosphere around them. "I just remembered." He said, turning to Jasper. "You owe me a ride on the ferris wheel."

Jasper was startled by Henry's suddenness, but he blushed when he remembered what Henry was talking about. "Yeah, I guess I do." He smiled sheepishly.

Henry winked at him and looked to Charlotte. "You wanna come with us?"

Jasper's smile faltered a little when Henry suggested making the duo a trio, but he perked back up when Charlotte turned Henry down.

"I think I'm gonna hang out here for a little while." She patted the empty grass around her. "You know, enjoy the fact that no one's fighting or puking or annoying me in general."

Henry laughed, understanding her desire to be alone. He reached for Jasper's bear and plopped it on top of Charlotte. "You can watch over the bear, then."

Charlotte held back a retort (she had carried the bear around for quite awhile before she found Henry and Jasper at the paddle boats, and she wasn't exactly fond of it.) and let the boys walk away. She picked the bear up and looked it in the eyes. "You can stay as long as you don't annoy me. Otherwise, you're going in the lake." When the stuffed animal didn't reply--obviously--Charlotte patted its head. "You and I are gonna get along just fine."

She used the bear as a pillow like Jasper had and closed her eyes.

Yes, this trip was a great idea.

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A/N Part 2: Okaaaayyyyy, so this took me five-ever to finish, and I apologize for that. I had a good rhythm going. I was having fun writing and developing this fic, but true to the nature of the universe, life decided to slap me in the face. I had to deal with a lot of crap this past week, so my writing took a backseat to everything else. I decided to turn to writing to help though and voila. I'm still not completely happy with this bit. It just didn't come to me as naturally as the others did. But, I digress. Please enjoy and sorry for taking so long! xoxoxo (also there's only one part left after this. Sad, I know, but it's my favorite part, so there's that!)

#i'm really trying to like this bit #but there's just something about it #I think I've been staring at it for too long #lol #enjoy #henry danger #henry danger fanfic #fanfic #carnival au #fair au #henry hart #piper hart #jasper dunlop #charlotte bolton #ray manchester #schwoz schwartz #mine #em writes

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forsythe-pendleton-jones-iv-blog · 7 years

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Atomic Man -Stalker!Jughead AU

A/N; hey guys! I’ve been having this one itch at me for a while and finally decided to post it. If you want on the tag list just ask and if you have any requests, my ask is currently open!

Credit to @thekillingquill for seriously helping move this along! Promise the next parts gonna be moving along much quicker :)

Words: 903 THIS IS NOT PROOFREAD AND A PROLOGUE. (As this is formatted on mobile I can’t currently add a read more, but I will at a later date)

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It started as a complete accident. He was documenting the discovery of Jason Blossom’s body for his novel and she ended up in the background of one of the pictures. Facing away from the river, in the arms of her mother, her teeth gritted and tears frozen to her cheeks as he immortalized the moment when everything changed. The moment they would look back on and notice the intricacies of Jughead Jones the III and Elizabeth Greenwood.

He found his eyes were constantly drawn to her in that picture. Like a pendulum swinging back in forth, he found no matter what he did he always returned to it. He didn’t understand. First, his hands would begin to jitter, bones filling with a molten excitement he had never experienced before. Then, the itch started.

It was insatiable, gnawing at his bones and slowly weaving its way through his veins, hooking its way into his mind, his being. It started innocently looking in his old yearbooks, trying to put a name to the face. Never before had he seen a face quite like it before. Long, blonde hair framing it in an indescribable sense, features too perfect to exist in this marred world.

His freshman yearbook was a bust, but he found her in the eighth grade yearbook. At 15, it was younger than he would’ve liked, but it would do. He kept it in his wallet, obsessively looking at her class photo, admiring how the lights reflected her eyes and the tiny smile she held upon her features. The class photo was devoid of colour, but he had studied his picture enough to know the exact blonde shade of her hair and the precise hue of her eyes.

His heart pounded in his chest as he traced a finger over her face. Even the idea of touching the photo made him nervous. She was perfection, she was his muse. He couldn’t bare to see her beauty marred by a fingerprint. She was untouchable.

Then, he started to put sticky notes on each page of the yearbook where a picture of her appeared. One where she was at badminton practice. One in her home economics class.

He looked through his seventh grade yearbook and did the same, noting the differences a year makes upon her soft features.

He carried his camera all summer telling himself it was for the book, but the truth of it was that he was hoping to see her again. Hung around his neck like a personal noose, his mind was filled with nothing but the fated day when they would meet. Would it be in Pop’s? With the neon lights illuminating her form in a idyllic photograph? Or would it take place by Sweetwater River, sunlight floating through the trees, helping him in his quest to capture a clearer image of her? He imagined that by July her skin would be sun kissed and her hair would be lighter.

On the first day of school he debated leaving his camera at the drive-in where he lived. He had always known he was often targeted in the halls. He had visions of Reggie Mantle smacking the camera out of his hands. Calling him out, expose him as being too busy writing his manifestos to get laid, but the possibility of seeing her overrode his logic.

Halfway through the day he spotted her down the hall from his locker. She had a soft smile on her face as she stood on the tips of her toes, reaching into the depths of the top shelf for something. One of her friends was gesturing wildly as they relayed a story.

It was a moment he captured for eternity in his first of many candid photos of her that year. Perhaps, had he been looking where he was going, he could’ve avoided what happened next.

“Watch it, Wednesday Addams.” Reggie’s sardonic voice ripped its way through his ears, a harsh shove destroying his view of the girl. His camera jostled roughly against his chest and the wall. Rage clouded over his mind, quietly taking in every fibre of his being.

Before he could respond, a soft, melodic voice wrapped around him.

“Piss off, Reggie.” She stood in front of him, bright eyes framed with dark lashes and that blonde hair that cascaded perfectly. A small smile was held upon her features.

That smile changed everything. It could build towers, crush empires. It was a quiet secret shared between two lovers in the early morning. It was the soft breeze, telling you everything would be alright. Hidden within the curvature of her lips lay a darkness, a slight twisting of the mind. Try as she might to hide it with her baby pink lip gloss and bright coloured dress, he knew. Blonde hair in waves to her hips swayed around her body as a shield. He saw the way she interacted with people, a slight hesitation used to distract from her reality. He spent every waking moment thinking about her words. They lingered in his mind and sew themselves into his soul.

And when everything came crashing down around him, that’s when he knew. He would spend the rest of his life with her, or die trying.

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Tags; @thatsadbreakfastclub @tinytephrite @thekillingquill

#jughead jones iii #jughead jones fanfiction #riverdalde #Betty Cooper #Archie andrews #Veronica lodge #Kevin Keller #reggie mantle #dark!jughead #stalker #Riverdale fanfiction #fanfiction #jughead jones #jughead jones x reader #kind of

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