“Absolutely,” Oliver answered with a firm nod.
Aberlour put his head back and laughed boisterously. Finally catching his breath, he shook his head and knocked his shoulder into Oli’s.
“All you have to do is ask and I’ll buy the fucking booth,” Aberlour said, voice low and husky.
“Ah, a harem of plush toys, every Marine’s dream,” Oliver replied with a dramatic sigh. He’d swung around and was walking backwards. Not really a very smart move, since it was so crowded, but it gave Aberlour the perfect reason to clasp a hand over his arm and steer him straight. It was crazy how much he craved touching Oli all the time.
“You’d be good at it, too,” Oliver said, looking like a dream as he smiled up at Aberlour, walking backwards like the world had no consequences and living was easy.
“What’s that?”
“Being a carnival booth owner. You’d be good at it,” Oliver clarified with a solid nod.
“Why’s that?” Abe asked, more to humour Oli than anything else.
“’Cause you’re cocky as hell. You’d show everyone up, and never miss. It would be like your walking wet dream. Justyou and something to shoot, day in and day out.” It sounded disarmingly simple when Oliver put it like that.
“You’re ridiculous, Darling,” Abe said, shaking his head.
“Hey, you’re the dumb one who said he’d buy it for me,” Oliver shrugged, his smile now wider than ever. He swung around facing forward again, and sauntered over to the others, jumping onto JD’s shoulder without any warning. The taller man complained, his mouth full of corndog, as he knocked Oli sideways in retaliation.
They rode the dragon roller coaster, Carlos puked, while Marcus, Oliver, and JD laughed. Ghost offered him a handful of napkins to clean up his face, and Aberlour just shook his head.
They rode the Ferris Wheel, and Abe pretended not to notice when Oliver snaked his arms around his waist. They said nothing about it. They simply sat, alone in their little enclosed cabin, watching the carnival lights as the sun faded.
They ate more deep-fried Oreos. Someone bought churros. Carlos puked once more. JD never stopped eating. Ghost grinned as he carried around his stuffed bear and had to work hard to keep it clean and white. Marcus dragged them to a puppet show, and all of them nearly passed out on the teacup ride. By the time they wobbled back to the parking lot, drained from a day spent puking and eating too much while walking around the carnival in the hot sun, Oliver was walking next to Abe again, their elbows brushing, their steps naturally falling into synch.
“I fucking love this team,” he whispered and grinned.
“Idiots, the lot of ‘em,” Abe said, because he agreed.
“Idiots you’d die for,” Oliver responded, knowing exactly how Aberlour felt about each of them.
“Any day,” Abe agreed.
“You’re a sentimental fucker, you know that?” Oliver asked, turning around to start walking backwards again as he spoke.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t feel the same.”
Aberlour did his best to hide his smile, but he hooked an arm around Oliver’s neck, spinning him around so they were both facing forward, and he leaned his head against Oli’s.
“You’ll take that secret to the grave, right, Darling?”
Oli chuckled, and although Aberlour couldn’t see his face, he knew there was an eye roll to go along with it.
“Fucking Dumber,” he muttered. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Aberlour tightened his hold on Oli for a second, taking a deep breath, feeling overwhelmed by the other man’s familiar scent, before pushing him away like they’d been roughhousing.
“Go wrangle your kids. JD’s not allowed to sit in front,” he said, because that topic was safe.
“Yes, dear,” Oliver said because he meant every word.
On the car ride back, JD announced his intentions to propose to his girlfriend before he shipped out. Then, he told them about their role in the whole affair, and when Oli’s eyes met his from the passenger seat, they were shining with an emotion Aberlour didn’t dare name.
Chapter 10
March 2013
