Who: Ezra and Archer When: evening, Friday, June 29th Where: the carnival! Status: Complete
Archer had been hearing everyone talking all about the carnival all week long, and it was starting to get annoying. More and more people seemed to be laying out of work too, so he had some reservations about the place. It seemed like such juvenile fun, more suited for kids and parents than himself and Ezra. They definitely weren’t kids, and Archer had never been a huge fan of adrenaline type rides, preferring to stay as in control of himself as possible at all times. Well ... most times.
But Ezra wanted to go, and they’d finally agreed to check it out Friday evening after they were both done with work. If they could get a little drunk and maybe ride the Ferris wheel for the view, Archer supposed it wouldn't be a completely wasted evening. Sometimes he had to cave and do cheesy things with Ezra to keep him happy. This seemed to be one of those times. So after he’d changed into some more comfortable clothes while Ezra got ready, he filled a flask up with scotch and tucked it into his jacket pocket, unsure if he trusted any alcohol from such a place. His own would obviously be superior anyway..
Once they were in the car, he leaned over to steal a quick kiss from his boy before he started up the car. “Were there a lot of people out in your office too?” he asked idly as he backed out of their driveway.
Ezra hadn’t been all that interested in the carnival at the start of the week, but the idea had grown on him, like an itch he couldn’t scratch. The more people talked about it, the more he wanted to see what it was all about. It was sure to be cheesy, but it was something different to do on a Friday night and that alone was exciting. He knew it wasn’t Archer’s thing, but he was glad to see him cave this time. He just hoped he didn’t hate it. If his mood didn’t plummet, then Ezra would make it up to him as soon as they got home. It was a reminder that there was give and take in their relationship and that if Ezra got what he wanted, Archer would be sure to get something in return.
“It was a ghost town,” Ezra chuckled. “Even the ones that were there were kind of checked out. Made it hard to get anything done. I think I spent more time online today than doing any actual work.” There were things he had needed to do, but too many people were out to accomplish them. So he sent out all the emails that needed to be sent and left an hour early. No one had even been around to notice. “They can’t all be at the carnival though. It’s been here all week, and at least half of them have already gone. So who knows.”
It sounded about the same as Archer’s office had been, which had been frustrating. Very few people had picked up their phones when he’d been making calls though, so Archer wasn’t sure what was going on with everyone. “Maybe there’s a virus going around or something,” he muttered. “Even my dad was out, I didn’t hear from him all damn day.” Ezra knew how rare that was, his father often blew up his phone with business needs on weekdays, whether they were in the same office or not that day. His father was also not the type of man who would enjoy a carnival, somehow more dour than Archer was, even without the additional personality disorders his son surely had. “If we get sick at this thing, I’m holding you personally responsible,” he added, shooting Ezra a little smirk.
“I seriously doubt your dad skipped out on work to go to the carnival,” Ezra said with a little smile. In fact, they should probably call the hospital and make sure something hadn’t happened to him. That was a more likely explanation in Ezra’s mind. Archer didn’t seem overly concerned though, so Ezra wasn’t going to make a big deal of it. He was getting his way in going to the carnival and he didn’t want to do anything to derail it. “We’re not going to get sick,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Not unless we ride that thing that spins us round-and-round, which I’d rather not. Not my kind of fun. Maybe when I was ten.” But not now. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about Archer dragging him on something like that. “Is there anything that appeals to you?”
The idea of his father at a carnival was laughable to Archer, so he had to assume his old man was ill. He didn’t care enough to check up on him, he’d just been semi-grateful to have a quieter day than usual. If something went really wrong, he was sure he would hear from his mother about it. Archer was glad that Ezra wasn’t the type who wanted to go on the adrenaline-junkie sorts of rides either, so hopefully they could have a nice enough time doing other things. “I mean, I suppose we’re obligated to go on the Ferris wheel, see the view and all that,” he answered as he drove. “I’m not sure what else they have there ... some rigged games, maybe a funhouse ... I haven’t been to a carnival in years, my memory’s fuzzy. I want some cotton candy at least.”
“I think the Ferris wheel’s a must,” Ezra agreed with a smile. They were never going to get that kind of a view of Point Pleasant any other time, so he’d rather not pass it up. The rest of the rides he could probably take or leave, especially if they were pricey. A game or two might be fun, but he didn’t expect them to win anything. Games at these kinds of places were always rigged, so he was more interested in the actual game play than a prize. “I want a funnel cake,” he said. “I can’t remember the last time I had one. Probably at some kind of fair at the marina, but it’s been forever. We can still come home for dinner, though. Unless you decide you want nachos or a corn dog or something there.”
Archer wrinkled his nose at the thought of eating dinner at a carnival. He would indulge in some sugary stuff, but trusting a place like this to properly cook meat or have any cheese that wasn’t made of plastic was a bridge too far. “Doubtful, but we’ll see,” he said. “Maybe we can swing by Dino’s or something on our way back, pick up a pizza.” Archer wasn’t above junk food, he just wanted it to come from a reputable source. As he turned the car into the carnival’s makeshift parking lot, he let out a low whistle at how packed it was. “Jesus, I think the whole town’s here,” he muttered as he started circling for a spot. That was what they got for waiting until Friday night to check it out, he supposed. It took a few minutes, but Archer finally slipped into a parking place as another car left, then moved to get out.
Ezra was far more interested in the sweets at the carnival than any actual food, so he was fine going with Dino’s afterwards. It was good, familiar, and they’d probably have leftovers, which meant cooking one less meal tomorrow. It was also far less likely to make him sick, so it was a win-win. His eyes widened as they pulled into the parking lot, amazed at how many people were already there. For a local carnival, it was packed, as if everyone had come out tonight, despite already visiting earlier in the week. That couldn’t be the case, but the crowds were still intense, and the parking a pain, so he was glad they were able to find a spot when they had. The last thing he wanted was for Archer to get frustrated trying to park and decide to leave. “I guess we’re all itching for something different to do,” he said as they climbed out of the car. He’d been wanting to see the carnival all week, but had been able to pass it up. Now that they’d arrived, a nervous sort of energy started to take hold of him, pulling him in. Its draw was undeniable, even if he couldn’t understand why. “It’s like something out of a movie.”
Archer didn’t love crowds, all of that accidental physical contact and breathing each other’s air usually turned his stomach, but he found himself kind of looking forward to this as they approached the front of the carnival. It wasn’t the same kind of excitement he would’ve been buzzing with if he’d been a kid, but he was definitely feeling that same pull to go inside. A quick fantasy flashed through Archer’s mind of grabbing one of the sheep people milling around and dragging them to a secluded corner to kill ... who would even notice the screams in this sort of environment? Especially with such a crowd? But it would be too risky with Ezra there, so Archer told himself no. There would be other crowds, other opportunities. As they paid for their tickets and walked inside, Archer’s eyes were roaming the area, trying to take in everything at once. “What would you like to do first?” he asked Ezra, reaching to take his hand. Ezra always seemed to like PDAs.
There was so much going on that it was kind of overwhelming, but it didn’t deter Ezra the way it normally might. His eyes scanned the booths and rides, trying to narrow down his interests, but it was the sound of a bell that caught his attention. He squeezed Archer’s hand and pulled him towards the game, an amused smile forming on his lips as he watched a teenage boy attempt it and fail. He’d seen this sort of strength test before, either in a cartoon or a movie, but he’d never seen one in person. It looked just like he expected—a tower with a bell at the top, a lever at the bottom. The object was to hit the lever hard enough to send the puck up to the top, ringing the bell, and the carnie operating it called in men and boys to test their strength. “Wanna try?” he asked Archer, giving him a little nudge.
It was such a ridiculous thing to be drawn to, it made Archer genuinely laugh, which felt pretty good. “Really?” he asked Ezra, still grinning as he arched an incredulous eyebrow. He supposed he could show off some strength for Ezra’s benefit, maybe win him one of the cheap prizes that lined the little booth next to the tower. Archer lifted their joined hands to kiss Ezra’s knuckles, then released him with a wink. He walked up to the carnie and after a brief chat, a heavy mallet was put into his hands. Archer was briefly extremely tempted to just lift and bring it down hard into the man’s skull. It wouldn’t ring any bells or earn any prizes, but it would be so fucking satisfying. He reminded himself again that wasn’t in his best interests, and carried the mallet to the little tower, glancing over at Ezra with a smirk.
It was ridiculous, but that was kind of the point, and the fact that it got Archer to smile proved that it was the right move. Ezra would have been horrified if he’d had even an inkling of what was going on in Archer’s head, but there were no outside signs to queue him in. The mask Archer wore was familiar, and the kisses and winks the sort of charm that had pulled him in in the first place. He knew there wasn’t much excitement in their daily lives, but he hoped this added something new, a diversion from the norm. Archer’s smirk made Ezra think it successful, and he grinned back at him, eager to see what Archer could do. “Heavy?” he asked, briefly wondering about the game’s success rate. The teen he’d seen playing hadn’t been able to ring the bell, but he’d heard it earlier, so it couldn’t be completely rigged. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Archer didn’t often have the impulse to physically show off for Ezra. It was pretty well established that Ezra found him attractive, and Archer always thought grunting, sweaty displays of masculinity were gauche and gross. But it felt kind of fun at the moment to be egged on into some display of strength. Archer pursed his lips and shook his head to say the mallet wasn’t heavy even though it was. Still, he’d gotten stronger as of late, so it felt good in his hands as he got into position and lifted it. Archer aimed and then brought it down onto the target pad with a grunt. He could feel the success before he heard the ding of the bell, and Archer let the mallet fall to the ground as he pumped his arms over his head in victory. Grinning, he turned to Ezra to drink in his reaction. “Pick your prize, babe.”
Ezra might not need Archer to show off, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t enjoy it. There was something about being with a man that was strong and powerful that Ezra enjoyed, a little thrill that went through him as Archer lifted the mallet. Then in the split second that Archer lifted the mallet, before it hit the target, Ezra realized this had the potential to ruin their night. If Archer failed to ring the bell, he’d likely be sore about it. It would spoil his mood and in turn spoil the evening. Ezra held his breath, then released it with a laugh as the bell rang out, his moment of panic all for nothing. He grinned and clapped for Archer, obviously impressed, but also relieved that he hadn’t royally fucked things up with his suggestion. “You want me to pick?” he smiled, giving the prizes a quick scan. None of it was anything he wanted or needed, but he pointed to one that caught his eye—a blue and orange snake stuffed animal. “How about that one?”
He’d never been some muscle-bound gym-bro type, but Archer was getting stronger, now that he had a good reason to. He couldn’t share his real motivations for exercising more with Ezra, but that was okay. He could think it was vanity or a quarter-life crisis or just for health or whatever, Archer didn’t care. As long as he never found out the truth. “Of course you pick, that’s the boyfriendly thing to do,” he said, amused as he turned to the carnie and motioned toward the snake. “You heard the man.” Archer flashed the guy a grin as he offered the mallet back, expecting some sort of reaction -- an indulgent chuckle, or some flavor of disgust at two men obviously together -- but there was nothing in the man’s eyes. Just blankness as he took the mallet and turned to pull the snake down. With a vague frown, Archer took the prize and went back to Ezra’s side. “Here you go,” he murmured. “Your psychedelic snake.”
It was a little weird that the guy running the game said nothing at all, not even words of congratulations, but Ezra would rather silence than something rude. His attention was on Archer, who seemed proud enough of his accomplishment that Ezra relaxed, glad all it had amounted to was a bit of fun. He’d noticed Archer putting on a bit more muscle lately and, even if he didn’t know why, it was nice to see it in action. “Thanks, babe,” he smiled, taking the snake and draping it around his neck. “You made that look easy.” And even if he hadn’t, Ezra would have said so anyways. “What do you wanna do next? Any of the rides?” He could maybe go for the Ferris wheel, but none of the ones that spun people around appealed to him. This was supposed to be a date, so he’d rather not puke on it.
Ezra looked ridiculous with that thing around him like a scarf, but Archer couldn’t be annoyed by it at the moment. He didn’t consider slamming a mallet down hard to be much of an actual accomplishment, but he did love to win, and the dumb snake was like a little trophy and a sign of ownership around Ezra’s neck. At least it was in Archer’s head, anyway, and that was the only reality that mattered to him. “It was easy,” he said with a playful scoff as he took Ezra’s hand. As they strolled away from the game, he pursed his lips in thought. “I feel like the Ferris wheel should be the finale ... I don’t really feel like getting whiplash and nauseous on anything ...” He let out a bark of a laugh as he spotted something interesting, and nudged Ezra with his elbow. “Shall we get our fortunes read?” he asked with a crooked grin.
“I’m not into any of the spinny rides, so we’re good there,” Ezra said, glad they agreed on that point. There was nothing fun about getting dizzy and potentially puking in his experience. Maybe he would have liked it when he was younger, but not now. The Ferris wheel would be fun though, especially once the sun had fully set and they could see all the lights over their little town. There was something vaguely romantic about it that appealed to Ezra. It would be a perfect ending to their little date. He raised a brow at the suggestion of getting their fortunes read, but didn’t object. “Sure, why not,” he smiled. “We can laugh later about how wrong it is. How much could they really guess?” He’d heard about how these things usually worked. They made vague predictions that could apply to almost anything. It was up to him to make the connection.
“It’s all bullshit,” Archer agreed, amused by the idea. It felt especially delightful because of all the dark secrets he had that no one would ever guess. He wasn’t even sure he believed in real psychics at all, and he felt like he knew for sure that any of the ones working at a carnival like this would be a total fraud. He slung his arm around Ezra’s shoulders and gave him a squeeze before they walked into the tent boasting Your Future Revealed!
The woman sitting at the small table didn’t look quite like Archer had pictured -- she was lacking the beads and turban and crystal ball. Her dyed black hair was pulled back into a bun and she wore heavy eye makeup, but the rest of her looked relatively normal. She eyed them as they entered and nodded to the two wooden chairs on the other side of her table, inviting them to sit. “Welcome, I am Madame Zena, Oracle of the Ancients,” she said with a small smile.
Ezra was also expecting a far more dramatic setup—incense, tarot cards, maybe even a crystal ball. And definitely a costume of sorts. He wasn’t sure if the lack of theatrics made it more realistic or less, but he was unimpressed so far. Still, he was curious what this woman would read off them. He had nothing to hide, no secrets outside the fact that he’d helped hide his ex-boyfriend's body… which he supposed was a pretty big secret. They should probably avoid asking questions about their past, just in case. “Hi,” he said, taking one of the seats across from the woman. “I’m Ezra. This is Archer.”
The woman nodded as though she already knew their names, though Archer was sure that was complete horseshit. He wasn’t very impressed either -- so much of this carnival seemed to be about the aesthetic, and this woman did not really fit into it so far. Madame Zena eyed them both, and brought a velvet-wrapped lump out from under the table. She opened it up to reveal a deck of large cards, which she proceeded to start slowly shuffling. “Welcome, lovers,” she said with a hint of amusement in her tone. “What answers do you seek? Glimpses into the future, or revelations about the past?”
Not even trying to hide his smirk, Archer glanced over at Ezra. He didn’t think this woman knew her ass from a hole in the ground, so he wasn’t really worried about revelations from the past, but the future was always more interesting than where they’d already been, so he was more inclined to ask about that. “Give us our future,” he said to the woman, amused as she began to lay out a pattern with the tarot cards.
Ezra knew next to nothing about tarot cards except that they were open to interpretation. They weren’t going to get specifics out of this woman, but he wasn’t expecting a genuine fortune to begin with, so that was fine. He realized after the fact that a glimpse into the past would have been easier to verify, but the future seemed more interesting at the time. If by some shock the woman turned out to be the real thing, he’d rather not talk about the death he’d helped cover up. “Future,” he agreed, glimpsing at Archer. “Anything we should know?”
“Let us see what the spirits reveal,” Madame Zena said with a dramatic wave of her fingers. Archer just barely resisted rolling his eyes. He watched as she laid out a spread of cards on the table that looked to him like utter nonsense. There were a few cards in there that seemed bad from their illustrations, but Archer knew that anybody could read anything they wanted into all of this mess. He was darkly amused as the woman frowned and leaned over to study the cards more closely, one bejeweled hand hovering over the table as she ‘read’ them. When she looked up at Ezra and Archer again, her drawn-on brows were knitted together. “I see much darkness in your future,” she murmured, eyeing them in a way Archer didn’t like much. “Many things will come to light, and they will bring strife.”
Ezra knew absolutely nothing about tarot, but there were some cards that stood out as negative even to him. The Devil and Death were obvious, but the Ten of Swords was worrisome as well. Ezra tried not to read anything into them, remembering that they were just cards and that they lived in Point Pleasant of all places. Darkness in their future wouldn’t be a shock. It wouldn’t even be a guess. It was pretty much a given. Yet he found himself wondering what the other cards were and how they’d ended up with these out of all the others. “What kind of things?” he asked, glancing at Archer and raising a brow, then looking back to the woman. “Strife… between us? Or someone else?” There was no third party, but Ezra still liked that option better.
“Strife in all arenas,” the Madame said, her gaze lingering on Archer.
He stared back at her almost defiantly, fully believing this was just part of her act and there was no way the cards in front of her could say anything real. It was all just randomness and cold-reading and skill with manipulating people, but he refused to be manipulated. This woman couldn’t know about the trail of bodies he’d left in his wake, couldn’t know about the dead boyfriend or the family in Bangor or any of it. “Can you be a little more specific?” he asked, his tone laced with dark amusement. “Strife is part of the whole human experience, right?”
Madame Zena’s gaze ticked to Ezra, as if she were sizing him up, and she directed her next words at him. “Things are not as they seem,” she told him. “There is still time for you, before you become complicit. Protect yourself.”
Ezra knew it was all for show, but there was still something eerie about her words and they sunk beneath his skin, luring out a sense of worry. There was no way she knew about Blake, but he’d never been able to shake the feeling that they’d made the wrong choice in hiding the body. He knew the repercussions would have been severe, and would be even worse now, and that kept him from speaking up, but the guilt remained. It probably always would. He’d come to accept that, hoping that it would fade in time. Now it flared up brightly, her final words stirring up fear, even when he should laugh them off. “From what?”
Archer’s blood suddenly ran icy and hot at the same time, his temper flaring. Who did this bitch think she was? He knew it was all probably bullshit, some cold-read instinct she was following, but her warning to Ezra still hit too close to home. His hands fisted in his lap and he had to physically resist the urge to lunge across the table to grab her hair and slam her face down into her stupid cards. Archer didn’t have a weapon on him, but he gladly would’ve plunged a knife into the woman if he did, and he was sure that rage showed in his eyes when she looked at him again.
“... the cards will say no more,” Zena said, looking at Ezra again. “But there is darkness around you ... around you both. You would do well to be cautious.”
Archer snorted and rolled his eyes. “And you charge how much for this shit?” he muttered, glancing over at Ezra to try and read his expression.
Ezra was entranced by the woman’s words, unable to believe them, but unable to ignore them. They lived in too weird a world for him to completely blow them off. Could he be in danger? Most certainly. But from what? Fear coiled deep within him and he was ready to press for more when Archer spoke up, breaking the spell. “Arch,” Ezra muttered, not wanting to offend the woman. It wasn’t an uplifting fortune, but it was interesting, even if it was a farce. If they’d come in and she’d promised them sunshine and butterflies, it would have seemed ridiculous. “Thank you for...the reading,” he said with a little frown. “How much do we owe you?”
“We don’t owe her a fucking dime, she didn’t even say anything,” Archer snapped, his defensiveness rising. It was ridiculous to feel that way about some fat bitch fraud at a carnival, but he felt seen and exposed in a way he didn’t like. He knew this would embarrass Ezra, always so concerned with social order, but he didn’t give a shit as he stood up abruptly and moved for the tent flap to leave. Let “Madame Zena” try to do anything about it.
The woman sat very still as Archer stormed out, then refocused on Ezra. There were so many things she could tell him, dark and terrible things that would upend his life, but it wasn’t her place to interfere so strongly. People had to stitch together their own fate, no matter how horrible the tapestry might be at the end. “Ten dollars,” she told Ezra calmly. “Discounted for customer dissatisfaction.”
Nothing frustrated Ezra more than a huge flip in Archer’s mood and his lips pressed together into a thin line as he stomped out. He made no attempt to stop him, as it would not only be futile, but would likely turn Archer’s focus to him. Instead he turned back to the woman with a sigh, more embarrassed about Archer’s behavior than upset about her reading at that point. “My apologies,” he said, and handed her a twenty. She shouldn’t be short changed just because Archer was throwing a temper tantrum. As unsettling as her message had been, she was just doing her job.
Leaving the woman behind, Ezra hurried after Archer, grabbing his arm as he caught up with him. “Hey, it’s just an act,” he reminded him. “She could say that to everyone in Point Pleasant and it’d probably be true.”
Archer knew somewhere in his mind that Ezra would end up paying the fraudulent woman anyway, but it wasn’t his cash so he decided not to give a shit about that. He hadn’t stalked very far away from the tent, just a yard or so before he stopped to wait and stew. Ezra didn’t take long to emerge, which was good. Archer would have had to go back in and fetch him if he’d stayed to listen to more of that horseshit, and he would’ve made Ezra regret it. But then he was there and talking sense, and not looking at Archer with suspicion or anything. Something tight in his stomach unclenched a bit. If Ezra wasn’t jumping to all sorts of conclusions, maybe they were still safe. “Well it’s a stupid act,” Archer grumbled, but he took Ezra’s hand in his to convey that his ire wasn’t directed toward his boyfriend. “I’m sorry I suggested it.”
“Just forget about it,” Ezra said, slipping his hand into Archer’s. “Let’s go grab a beer and ride the Ferris wheel. I don’t want this to spoil our evening.” It was supposed to be fun, but it got a little too dark in Ezra’s opinion, even if it was real. Except it couldn’t be. After what Archer had been through, he knew there were probably people out there that could see the future, but he doubted they were touring the country, spouting off fortunes at a campy carnival. And if they were, why not give him something real to go off? She’d done a thorough job of creating a sense of unease in him, but Ezra knew he should forget about it. Like he’d told Archer, it was just an act, right?