#oh except i guess pat's house hasn't burned down yet either

[scorpiongrassfield]

A Night at the Fall Fair

Alright everyone, I promised a fluffy short side story and uh. It's over 3k which is double the longest scorpion grass chapter soooo... here you go. This story is dedicated to @acertainmoshke, who gave me the idea for it, and helped me find some posts I needed to write it. Thank you Moshke~

Without further ado, here's the story:

"Alright kids, its costume reveal time!" Pat calls from down the hall.

You emerge from the room you chose to change in, as do Pat and Sylv.

Pat is wearing a floor length and rather form fitting black dress with flowy sleeves, a long straight black wig, and a black pendant necklace. Their makeup is also rather dark, their eye shadow in shades of deep gray, and their lipstick pomegranate red. They're holding a bundle of what appear to be rose stems.

"Morticia Addams?" Sylv guesses. He's also stepped into the hall.

"Ding ding ding, right on the money," Pat cheers. "I wanted to do drag, but I'm a little tall to be Gomez." They shrug.

"You're uhhh... That kid from that show, aren't you?" Pat guesses.

Sylv huffs and rolls his eyes.

"Um. He's a ghost, isn't he? His name is... Yukine?" You guess.

"Yeah, that's right," Sylv says with a smile. He seems surprised you got it.

"It looks good. Though I think you're right, blond doesn't quite suit you," Pat says.

Sylv shrugs. "I kinda figured. That's why I went with the wig instead of bleaching it."

The cartoon yellow of Sylv's wig is not quite blond and it is in stark contrast to his usual dark hair.

Also part of his costume are a green jacket with a faux fur rim to the hood, a white shirt, and some blue jeans.

The most striking part of his costume, even more so than the hair, is his eyes.

"Are those... colored contacts?" you ask.

Sylv snorts. "No, I just wished really hard and my eyes turned orange," he says. It's a bit sarcastic, but he's smiling and it lacks bite.

His shoulders hunch up a bit the way they do when he's annoyed. "They were a pain in the ass to get in though," he grumbles.

"I told you that contacts suck," Pat says in a sing song voice.

Sylv sighs in response.

"Anyway," he says with the careful enunciation of someone forcibly changing the subject, "Your costume is really cool too."

"Thank you," you say, returning the smile he gives you.

"You don't know what it's from, do you kid?" Pat says, nudging Sylv with their elbow.

"It's not just a creepier take on a sheet ghost?" He asks, nudging Pat back to get their elbow off his side.

"Nope!" Pat says popping the 'p'. "You wanna do the honors?" They ask, looking to you.

"Well. It's Charlie Brown's sheet ghost from. Um. Is it 'It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown?" you double check, looking at Pat.

"It is! Which is what we will be watching as soon as we get back from the festival, since someone hasn't seen it," they say, looking pointedly at Sylv.

Sylv rolls his eyes at them, but doesn’t say that he doesn’t want to watch the movie. 

“That sounds nice,” you say. 

“Excellent. These plans are now iron clad and inescapable. Now let’s get moving,” they say. 

The drive to the fair doesn’t take long. Pat is behind the wheel. Sylv volunteered to drive home, since he doesn’t drink and Pat claims there is very good hard cider to be had at the fair. 

It’s still a touch light out when your group arrives. This is perfect, because it will be much easier for you to select pumpkins for carving. 

You make a beeline for the pumpkin patch right away. 

“I’ll be over by the craft booths for a while. We’ll meet at the hayride atText if you need something,” Pat calls after you. 

You give them a thumbs up. 

Sylv follows along behind you at a more reasonable pace. 

“You’re that excited for pumpkin carving?” he asks, sounding unconvinced of the worth of it. 

You nod. “Yes. It’s a lot of fun. And it’s very different from a lot of other carving materials. I like it a lot.” 

“Huh. Alright then,” he says with a shrug. 

“Do you… not like pumpkin carving?” you ask. 

Someone brushes past you, and you move more to the side of the makeshift aisle of the pumpkin patch. Sylv follows suit. 

“I’ve never tried it. But I’m uh, not to fond of the idea of getting the guts out. I hear they’re slimy and I’m not too keen on sticking my hands into slimy things,” he explains, arms crossed defensively. 

“Ah. That makes sense. Well. You don’t have to if you don’t want. But if I cleaned out the insides for you, maybe it would be more enjoyable?” you offer. 

His mouth twists to the side a bit the way it does when he’s weighing the pros and cons of a thing. “Hm… I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try,” he says with a shrug. 

“Oh. Okay then. I’ll pick out a pumpkin for you too, then,” you say with a smile. 

You think you see him smile back before you turn your attention back to pumpkin seeking. 

You walk up and down each row, making a mental note of potential good pumpkins as you go. Sylv follows you like a shadow, silently observing you. 

It takes quite some time to find truly good pumpkins, light dying in the sky by the time you select three. The pumpkins are a little hard to hold, what with your costume getting in the way of your arms a bit. 

“Want me to carry one?” Sylv offers, hands hovering close to the pumpkin nestled in the crook of your right arm. 

“Um. Sure. Here,” you say, juggling the pumpkins around in your arms so he can take the one he picked out for him. “That one is for you.” 

“Oh. Thanks,” he says, taking the pumpkin. 

The two of you return to the car to deposit the pumpkins in the trunk. 

“So, now what?” Sylv asks, casually leaning against the car. You still can’t get used to the way blond hair looks on him. 

“Well. We have an hour until the hayride. Want to go play some of the games?” you say, pointing over to the tents and booths that house the fair games. 

“Sure, sounds like fun,” he agrees. 

This time he leads the way. It’s much more crowded by the games, you almost lose him a few times. 

The games are all pretty typical for a fun fair. There’s ring toss, gold fish cup, duck pond… but there are a few that have been reskinned for the season, like the bean bag toss has players throwing bags at a vampire rather than a clown. 

You and Sylv work your way through the games, knowing full well that most if not all of them are rigged. 

Sylv somehow manages to be consistently better at games involving luck than you, which is alright because you’re better at the ones that require throwing skill. It all evens out. 

You manage to knock over the full stack of milk bottles at one booth, which nets you a Big Prize. 

You don’t really have any need for a unicorn plush that’s almost as tall as you are. 

You offer it to Sylv.

“That’s sweet, but I don’t really want it either,” he says with an amused grin. 

The two of you make meaningful eye contact. 

“Foist it onto Pat?” you ask, matching his grin.

He nods decisively, “Yep.” 

Pat will never be able to turn down a gift from the two of you, no matter how impractical. 

You manage to find Pat after texting them. They’re over at the picnic tables enjoying a drink and a snack. 

“Oh no,” Pat says as they see you approach. 

“What?” Sylv says, with a shit eating grin. 

“You know what,” Pat says, giving you both a stern look. They seem to be trying hard not to laugh. 

“We won this for you,” you say, offering the oversized plush with your sweetest smile. 

Pat loses their battle and huffs a laugh. “Uh huh. I’m sure you worked very hard to get it for me, and definitely didn’t get it accidentally and then not know what to do with it,” they say, arms crossed. 

“We would never,” Sylv says, faux-scandalized. 

“Uh huh. I’m so convinced,” Pat says dryly. They stand up from the table. 

“Alright, you two watch my stuff while I go take our new friend to the car,” they say, taking the unicorn from you. 

“Will do,” Sylv agrees. 

The two of you sit down next to each other, with Sylv taking Pat’s seat. 

“This is fun,” Sylv says, smiling softly. 

You nod in agreement. 

The two of you sit in companionable silence for a while, enjoying the cool autumn air and the lovely smells of the food and drink all around you. 

Pat returns with a tray. 

“Snack time,” they declare. 

Sylv frowns. 

“We’ve got some nonalcoholic hot cider for you,” Pat says, placing a tall styrofoam cup in front of Sylv. 

“And… I wasn’t sure if you wanted a cold hard cider or not, Theo, so I got both. I’ll drink whichever one you don’t want,” they say, gesturing to the two remaining cups on the tray. 

“I’ll take the hard cider,” you say after thinking it over. 

Pat nods. “Nice, they’re pretty good. Though the other kind is also pretty good. Can’t beat fall-fresh cider.” They hand you your drink. You have to take the first layer of your costume off to drink it. 

Underneath you’re wearing a yellow shirt with a black stripe and black pants. 

The cider is pretty good. Crisp and tart, and it feels warm going down. 

“And we’ve also got some mini-cakes to share. Pumpkin spice and caramel apple flavored,” Pat says, setting down the tray and sitting across from you. “Feel free to dig in.” 

You take an apple cake. It’s very moist, and a little sticky to the touch, but pretty tasty. 

Pat stares down Sylv until he takes a bite of a cake too, this one pumpkin spice. 

You aren’t entirely sure what the story behind the cold war over Sylv’s eating habit is. You think it might be rude to ask, so you don’t pry. 

Once Pat is satisfied that Sylv is eating, they dig in as well. They tell you all about how they found a really cool stall selling hand-woven baskets and ended up befriending the person who makes them, and also that they bought too much apple butter so the two of you will have to help them eat it. 

In turn, Sylv tells them about how pumpkin picking and playing games went. You’re content to watch the two of them speak for the time being. 

Ciders drunk and cakes eaten, your group cleans up and gets ready to go on the hayride. Sylv keeps his styrofoam cup with him, having not finished his cider. 

The line for the hayride is a little long, since there are only so many people that can fit on one cart, even if they do have two carts in rotation.

Once your group is at the front of the line, it turns out that there are only two seats left. The next several groups behind you are groups of four or five. 

“Alright, why don’t you two go on this one, and I’ll hop on the next one?” Pat offers. 

You frown. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, it’s all good. Maybe I’ll make some new friends,” they say with a smile. 

You don’t doubt it. They could make friends with just about anyone they set their mind to befriending. 

“Come on then. We’re holding up the ride,” Sylv says, not unkindly. 

You follow him up onto the cart. The two of you sit close together, as the ride is a bit crowded. 

Before the ride starts, Sylv whispers. “Do you want some of my cider? It’s still warm.” He holds out the cup. 

“Oh. Um. Sure, I’ll try it,” you say, taking it from him. You try not to think any silly thoughts about all this. 

It’s a very nice cider, well-spiced and not too sweet. You notice that the cup is still mostly full. “Do you not like it?” 

Sylv shrugs. “It’s fine.” He doesn’t seem to want to talk about it anymore. 

You hand the cup back as the ride starts to move. 

The first jump scare does indeed scare you. The sound you make is a little too shrill to not be embarrassing. You can’t help but fold in on yourself a little bit. 

Sylv leans in a little closer to you and starts telling you all about the history of scare rides in a hushed voice. 

You’re more than happy to listen. You always like listening to him talk, but when he’s explaining something he’s passionate about he really lights up in a way that is terribly endearing to you. 

He talks the whole way through the ride. You think this is probably more enjoyable than it would be if he were silent. 

He helps you step down off of the cart once it’s over. 

After everyone gets off the ride, one last scare actor jumps out at you, some sort of evil bloody scarecrow. 

You yelp and grab onto Sylv reflexively. 

He manages not to spill his drink. He looks pretty amused, but it doesn’t seem like he’s laughing at you. 

“Sorry,” you say as you let go. 

He makes a ‘don’t worry about it’ gesture. “It’s fine.” 

The two of you wait for Pat’s ride to be done with in companionable silence. 

Pat also yelps when the final scare happens, which makes you feel a little better about it all. 

Sylv is stifling a laugh this time. 

You suspect it’s more about how Pat’s outfit has straw bits stuck all in it. There’s even some in their hair. 

“Wha- how the hell do neither of you have any hay on you?” Pat complains. “That’s just unfair,” they say, crossing their arms and frowning. 

“Maybe the fabric of your gown is just more prone to snagging?” you offer. 

Pat sighs. “That’s probably it. And you two jokers have short hair, too…” 

You shrug. 

“Anyway. That was fun, did you have fun?” Pat asks. 

You nod. 

“Yeah, it was a decent ride. The people doing the makeup and costumes here are talented,” Sylv says. 

Pat agrees. 

“Alright. Next up is to drink more hot cider. It’s getting pretty chilly out. Are you two warm enough?” Pat asks. 

Sylv shrugs. He has the advantage of having a coat built into his costume. 

You’re currently wearing the sheet ghost portion of your costume as a sort of cloak, which is doing alright to keep you warm, for now. You tell Pat as much. 

“Right. Well, you two go have fun then. If you split up, we’ll meet back at the car at say… 10:30 if we don’t all see each other again before then, alright?” They say. 

“Sounds good,” Sylv agrees. 

You nod. 

Pat waves as they head back to the food area. 

“Do you want to split up?” Sylv asks? 

You shrug. “I don’t mind staying together if you don’t.” 

“Let’s stick together then,” Sylv decides with a smile.

The two of you wander around. You’ve already seen most of what there is to see. You find the craft booths, which are interesting. There are a lot of talented craftspeople and artists around. You end up buying some little flowers carved from wood. One each for Pat, Sylv, and yourself. You pocket them to give later. 

After that, it seems like you might be done for the night. 

“Is there anything else here to d-Corn Maze!” Sylv says, cutting himself off in excitement. 

You find yourself being half-dragged along behind him, as he’s grabbed you by the hand. 

“Ah, you like corn mazes?” you ask as the two of you enter. Sylv slows his pace once you’re ensconced in the endless walls of grain. 

“I’ve never been in one before. Always wanted to try it though,” he says. He finally lets go of your hand. 

“Oh, I see. Well. Hopefully it will be fun. 

You let Sylv dictate which turns to make, since he seemed so excited about it. 

He gets utterly and completely lost. 

You have a fairly good grasp of where you are in the maze. You’ve always had a good sense of direction, and the little lanterns scattered about are in different shapes and colors, making for good landmarks. 

“Theo,” Sylv says, plaintive, “We’re going to die in here. We’re going to die and then haunt this place as ghosts forever because we’re never getting out.” 

You can’t help but smile. You’re pretty sure he’s being overdramatic for fun.

“Well, then it will be a much more authentic haunted corn maze, won’t it?” you say with a shrug. 

“I can’t believe you want us to die here,” he complains. 

Sylv’s phone rings. 

“Yeah?” he answers the phone in his normal tone of voice. “The corn maze. What? No. We’re totally not lost… Oh, is it that late? Uh. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. See you,” he says. 

“So Pat’s going to come find us. We’re supposed to say put,” he says with a sheepish smile. 

“Ah. Then I guess we will stay here,” you say, smiling back. 

“Help me finish this before they get here?J” Sylv asks, offering the cider to you again. You accept it and take a sip. It’s cold now, but still pretty tasty. 

After you take a few sips, you give it back. “You have to drink some too,” you say. 

His shoulders slump. “Okay,” he says, like he’s accepting a burdensome task. 

The two of you do manage to finish the drink before Pat finds you, though it doesn’t take long for them to arrive. 

“Oh good, you two haven’t died and decided to haunt the maze,” Pat observes. 

“We came pretty close,” Sylv says with a laugh. 

You nod in agreement. 

“Right. Time to get out of here. If we take too long, we’re not going to have time for our movie before I fall asleep,” Pat says. 

“Oh no, we wouldn’t want that,” Sylv says, sarcastic. His smile is genuine though, so you think he might just be giving Pat shit for fun. 

Pat nudges Sylv’s shoulder with their own in a friendly manner, but doesn’t say anything else about it. 

Pat leads the way out of the maze pretty quickly. You were right in thinking you knew the way out. 

Once you’re out of the maze, you notice that Sylv is no longer walking next to you. 

“Sylv?” you call out. You turn back into the maze. You hope he didn’t get separated and then lost again. 

“Boo!” Sylv shouts, jumping out from around a corner. 

You startle, not expecting it at all. 

“Hey,” you say in a complaining tone, crossing your arms.

“That’s for not helping me get un-lost,” he says with a big grin. 

Well. It’s hard to stay mad at him when he smiles like that. 

“I suppose that’s fair,” you agree. 

Sylv laughs goodnaturedly at your easy acceptance. 

“Come on, let’s catch up with Pat before it’s past their bedtime,” he says. 

The two of you hurry back to the car. 

Pat is leaning against the back passenger side door, smoking a cigarette. 

“Pat,” Sylv says. 

Pat shrugs, but stubs out their cigarette in the dirt. “You two were taking a while. Just wanted to pass the time. 

Sylv gives them a look, but doesn’t comment further. Another war between them, though this one is slightly less cold. 

Sylv gets into the driver’s seat, and Pat into the back, leaving shotgun free for you. 

“Did we all have fun?” Pat asks. 

“I’d say so. We got you a pumpkin to carve,” Sylv says. 

“And a giant unicorn plush. A night full of presents,” Pat replies. 

“I also got some flowers,” you add. You turn to hand Pat theirs. 

“Huh. Thanks,” Pat says, accepting it. “Y’know… When I pulled the nine of pentacles this morning, this wasn’t the sort of windfall I was expecting. Not gonna complain though,” they say, a smile apparent in their voice. 

“Glad you’re happy with it,” Sylv says. Then, after a beat, he asks: “Did you have fun, Theo? I know I kind of dragged you around for a lot of it.” He sounds slightly apologetic. 

“I did. This was a very lovely outing, and hanging out with you was nice. Thank you,” you say, genuine. 

Sylv’s shoulders hunch up a bit, but he doesn’t sound annoyed when he says: “Don’t mention it.” 

The rest of the drive is peacefully quiet. 

Once back home, everyone changes out of their costumes and into more comfortable clothes. 

Your costume is the fastest to remove, so you end up getting back to the living room first. 

By the time you’ve found Pat’s dvd copy of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” your friends have both made their way out of their respective bedrooms. 

“Perfect, thanks Theo,” Pat says as they settle down into their favorite chair. 

Sylv sits down on the loveseat and echoes, “Yeah, thanks.” 

Once you’ve got the movie playing, you sit down next to Sylv. 

It’s a cute movie, and you’re happy to watch it again. 

Though this showing is supposed to be for Sylv’s benefit, and he falls asleep about halfway through. He slumps sideways, his head coming to rest on your shoulder. You don’t mind much. 

Once the movie is over, Pat looks away from the screen to the couch. 

They chuckle when they see Sylv. 

“This is a strict no sleeping on the couch household. You have a bed, go get in it,” they say in a slightly raised voice. 

Sylv stirs and shoots them a dirty look from barely cracked eyes. You notice that Sylv still has the colored contacts in. 

“Sorry,” Sylv says when he realizes he’s laying on you. He sits up. 

“It’s alright,” you say, rubbing at the back of your neck. 

“Goodnight. See you tomorrow,” Pat calls as they head to their bedroom. 

“G’night,” Sylv calls back. 

“Good night,” you echo. 

Sylv stands up and stretches. “Right. Time for bed,” he says, and starts towards his room. 

“Don’t forget to take your contacts out,” you call after him. 

He swears. “Ugh, thanks Theo,” he grumbles. You suspect he’s more upset about having to take them out than the reminder. 

You head to bed yourself. Drifting to sleep, you think you had a pretty nice time tonight. You hope your dreams will be just as sweet.