Chapter 13

   The two had done all of the carnival attractions by the time the sun begins to set, turning the horizon a bright burning shade of orange that bleeds into beautiful reds and purples across the canvas of expansive sky.

  The two sit side by side, gazing around as the lights of the carnival began to glow more brightly and magically against the darkening world. Jack happily munches on his street taco while Mark steals a sip from the soda Jack holds clasped between the two. Mark had just finished munchin on his funnel cake, leaving his fingers covered in powdered sugar. Jack glances over, watching Mark initially reach to wipe his hands on his pants, only to hesitate and rethink, reaching instead for his chest but quickly rethinking that choice too, glancing around him for a better option.

"Got a napkin?" Mark questions with a shy giggle after noticing Jack watching."Just lick it." Jack chuckles himself, taking another bite of his food, finishing it off.

"Oh, that seems hygenic." Mark notes sarcastically, jokingly reaching out to wipe his fingers on Jack's shoulders, smirking as Jack yanks away.

"How is it not?" Jack chuckles, gathering his trash while eyeing Mark suspiciously.

"I didnt wash my hands!" Mark states matter of factly as he reaches toward Jack's thigh now, giggling as Jack tugs away from that as well.

"You ate it with unwashed hands then, just lick yout fingers clean!" Jack points out, shrugging away once again as Mark makes another half assed reach for his side.

"Well I didnt think about that!" Mark teases as he readjusts himself to make another grab at Jack, who suddenly leaps up, trash in hand with a defensive warning in the form of a lighthearted giggle.

"Quit it!"

  Mark grins evily, standing and approaching Jack with his powdered hand ourstretched like a zombie.

"You scarred of a little white stain, Jack?" Mark teases, watching Jack's face twist uncomfortably as he backs away.

"No more afraid of it than you are!" Jack remarks, watching Mark advance toward him with that sly smile.

"Good one!" Mark points out with a lunge at him, watching as Jack expertly slides away.

"Haha! missed me, missed me now you gotta kiss me!" Jack teases in a singsong voice.

"Good idea, come here!" Mark replies, chasing after Jack as he turns and rushes in the opposite direction.

"Cant keep up?" Jack throws the taunt over his shoulder as he weaves about the brightly lit carnival lanes. Mark chuckles feeling much like a child as he chases Jack through the maze of tents and small carnival rides.

  Maybe Mark had given him too much of a head start, because once he rounds the corner Jack had bolted down, he has no clue where Jack's gone next. Slowing to a stop, Mark glances around, and catches his breath, assessing the possible places Jack might've gone to. He strolls down the lane curiously, glancing around at the closed off game and activity tents, and lazily inspecting the spaces between them. Looking forward, it seems he'd found himself at a dead end, with the large empty 'Festivals Stage' blocking the path, playing music from one of the unattended speakers, seemingly the only noise around save for the soft waves crashing at the Halland Beach just beyond the tents to his right. His eyes scan his surroundings for movement, finding no one, much to his confusion. Where could he have gone? He thinks to himself as he spins himself about in the center of the walkway, unaware of Jack who'd previously tried to sneak up behind him.

"Boo!" "Shit!"

   Both call out simultaneously, falling into giggles a moment later.

"You scared the shit outta me." Mark chuckles, taking the opprotunity to step closer to Jack as he giggles distractedly.

"You got me too. I didnt expect you to turn around." Jack admits, his eyes now examining the world around him for seemingly the first time.

"Looks like this place is clearing out." He notes aloud, letting Mark slide against him and wrap an arm around his waist, covertly whiping away whatever was left of the powdered sugar with a secretive smirk.

"Yeah, I suppose its getting late." Mark says, pulling Jack along side him as he strolls aimlessly toward the stage. A moment passes of the two of them simply listening to the soft music and sounds of the waves crashing now just barely in view from their spot in front of the stage. Mark opens his mouth to break the silence, but cuts himself off when Jack slides away from him, stepping up to the edge of the stage, leaning forward as if to hear the music better.

"Oh! i love this song!" He exclaims, stepping back to take Mark's hand and drag him closer to the stage, releasing his hand to hoist himself up onto the stage.

"What're you doing?" Mark chuckles, looking up at Jack as he now stands upright at the edge of the stage with his hand extended toward Mark.

"Just get up here with me!" Jack orders with a wide grin. Mark smiles in return, taking Jack's hand and hauling himself on the stage as well, taking in the veiw of the beach on the side of the stage, so beautifully illuminated by the moon and stage lights. He imagines that during the outdoor concerts held here, the audience would get an amazing veiw from that beach. Jack smiles wildly, striding across the stage to the speaker, spinning the dial slightly, adjusting the music slightly so that Mark hears it much clearer. Jack nods approvingly before slowly starting to dance goofily at the bizzare, old sounding song.

"Cause the walls start shakingThe earth was quakingMy mind was achingAnd we were making it and you,Shook me all night longYeah you shook me all night long" Mark giggles, watching Jack's silly movements as he sings along to the words almost flawlessly.

"What're you doin just standing there?" Jack interrupts his own singing to shuffle his way across the stage to take hold of Marks hands, pulling him into the upbeat movements as well.

"I dont know how to dance!" Mark blushes, trying to move his feet in time with Jack's

"Does it look like I know how?" Jack chuckles, his playful eyes sparking motivation in Mark as he too begins to rock his body this way and that.

"Thats it!" Jack encourages, smiling brightly as he watches Mark move more freely than before, bouncing his head to the guitar that had taken over the song at some point. Mark giggles uncertainly as he bounces from foot to foot, doing some incomprehesible shit with his hands to make it seem like he understood what to do with them. And the two bounced and shuffled about the stage until the song abrubtly closes out, to Jacks slight disappointment.

"Awe." He pouts slightly despite his breathlessness, turning his head to the speaker as if curious what would play next. A few soft voices began to harmonize, soft oohs to a gentle tone, one that was clearly much more calm and slow than the previous one, one much more intimate. An almost echoy voice begins to sing, a song neither recognized, but one that seems to fill the charged energized air with its gentle melody.

"I am not the only travler, Who has not repaid his debt. I've been searching for a trail to follow again, Take me back to the night we met. And that I cant tell myself, What the hell im supposed to do. And that I cant tell myself Not to ride along with you. I had all, and then most of you, some, and now none of you..."

  Mark swallows back some of his previous breathlessness, reaching out to take Jack by the shoulder and drag him back toward him, spinning him so they face one another as his hands find their place on Jack's waist, as Jack's had instinctually placed his on Mark's chest to steady himself from the abrupt movement that slows into a soft sway. Jack swallows, but once his timing is right, he falls into step, allowing Mark to lead him in the slow dance, his hands sliding up to Mark's shoulders, but his elbows remaining bent to keep Mark close.

"Now you're shy?" Mark seems to tease, drawing Jacks eyes away from their feet.

"No," Jack says, surprisingly firm as Mark continues to lead them in a pattern across the stage.

"I just-" Jack is cut off by a clumsy step taken out of sync, causing him to huff slightly.

"Dont want to step on your feet." Jack blushes slightly as his eyes once again find his shoes, somehow magically keeping them more steady if he watches them. Mark chuckles, pulling Jack into a tighter embrace, slowing his pace slightly.

"Then dont step on them." Mark teases, placing a curled finger under Jack's chin to redirect his eyes.

"I cant help it. I'm clumsy." Jack notes, trying his best to match Mark's movements. A smile crawls across Mark's face as he leans in to whisper into Jack's ear, his voice barely audible over the soft song.

"Worth it." His cheek rests on the side of Jack's head as Mark's arms slide all the way around Jack's center, causing him to melt further into Mark's chest,  but effectively pinning his arms between them. In place of hugging back, Jack grips too handfuls of Mark's shirt to hold him in place, closing his eyes as the two stilled their movements to fully enjoy the embrace.

"Hey!" An unfamiliar voice barks out from behind Mark, causing Mark to jump with a start, breaking away from Jack abruptly, and spinning back toward the voice.

"You arent supposed to be up there." A man in a security shirt informs them, tapping his flashlight against his thigh impatiently.

"Sorry!" Jack calls out after a beat, glancing at Mark confirmingly before striding back toward the edge of the stage to jump off, hearing Mark just on his heels.

"Carnival's shuttin down. Get goin." The man orders tersely before spinning away.

"Fags."

  Both Jack and Mark stop in their tracks. Neither were certain they'd heard the word correctly, what with the music still playing, and the sound of crashing waves, but both had heard it. It didnt seem the man tried to cover the slur behind a mutter either, it was said just as clearly as the order to leave...

  Jack's heart fell into his shoes and Mark's leapt into his throat. Of course both had worried about the way others would precieve all of this... But neither had prepared themselves to handle this kind of verbal attack head on. Of course there will be people who hate what they're doing, and there will be people who are vocal about said hate, but encountering it is something much different than either had anticipated.

"Excuse me!?" Another voice booms, louder even than the man's, causing him to also stop in his tracks.

"What did you just say?" An older woman steps into veiw now, a young man on her heels

"Mom, let it go-" The teen tries, resting a hand on the woman's shoulder before she shrugs it away.

"No! What did you say to them?" The woman hollers, only inches from the security guards face now.

  Jack swallows tensly watching the scene, not really wanting to continue this uncomfortable moment. Mark stiffens slightly, but watches curiously as the security man flounders for a response, but nothing leaves his lips.

"You apologise to them or I will make your job a waking nightmare!" The woman threatens, seemingly all too serious for the guard to ignore. The guard spins back to the two men, his face red and body language damp.

"I'm sorry." He murmurs embarressedly.

  Mark cant find the words to forgive the man, because he isnt sure that he does. Jack chokes on the attempt to say 'its ok' when he realises it truely isnt ok. So instead he forces a jagged nod in return, his eyes finding the laces of his shoes.

The woman nods at the situation, pointing an accusitory finger at the guard.

"I'll see you in my office before you clock out. Now get out of my sight." She spits watching the guard scurry away, giving a glance to her son at her side before making her way toward Mark and Jack.

"I'm so sorry for that. That behavior is not tolerated at this event. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" The woman's voice had become so sweet and kind that it almost melts away the knots in Jack's stomach and Mark's throat.

"Thank you." Mark squeaks, his knuckles rolling as he attempts to work away the clamy cold his hands had developed.

"No need to thank me. The situation should have never happened." She says, her eyes sorrowful as she scans the two. Jack is surprised when he finds himself shuffling closer to Mark for comfort, his eyes still immobile from their position on the ground. Mark wraps his arm around Jack without a second thought, grateful that he didnt opt to shuffle away instead.

"In any case, we really appreciate it." Jack says, surprisingly steady. The woman smiles slightly, extending her hand outward.

"My name is Constance, I run this carnival, every year, for 30 years." She introduces herself politely as the two shake her hand, introducing themselves quietly as well.

"This is my son, Jeremy." The teen seemed to slink up behind her unseen, as he steps more into veiw of the two, his demeanor shy.

"Hi..." He greets quietly. Jack and Mark nod acknowledgingly. The moment falls silent for a brief moment before the woman abruptly steps forward and pulls both men into each of her arms.

"Dont let ignorance dampen your spirits, boys." She whispers warmly between the two, giving them a tight squeeze before releasing the two with a plesant smile.

"Never mute yourselves for others." Her eyes glide across all three of the men before her, holding especially long on her son, who places a comforting hand on his mother's shoulder comfortingly. She places her hand over top of his, anshakey smile on her lips.

"All love is valid. I wish I'd been told that sooner..." She punctuates her advice with a teary nod that seems as though it came from experience.

  Jack swallows to himself, unable to verbally squeak out the soft thank you that his lips form. But Mark remains solid, his mind elsewhere as his posture dampens further, his mind colliding a million different ways as tears form in his own eyes. Constance stiffens herself, pushing a bit of her hair up into its curls as she once again becomes the stern boss the boys had previously witnessed her as.

"Now I hope both of you have a wonderful evening, but unfortunarely, I have an employee to correct." She gives a tight smile to both before spinning away from them, marching with purpose in the same direction the security guard had scurried. Jeremy smiles shyly at the two before following on his mothers heels.

  Jack glances at the man at his side but recieves no look in return as Mark spins away from the moment, taking hold of Jack's wrist and tugging him along with his eyes pinned to the ground as if moving on autopilot. Jack falls into step beside him, his fingers pushing their way between Mark's as both head toward the front gate wordlessly.