justprompts: Spring carnival
http://i40.tinypic.com/90pw5v.jpg
It was, sometimes, very easy to get Reid, at nine, to cheer up. And that was, from a dead-point blank expression and closed up posture to downright bouncing.
Actually, to enough bouncing to get his friends wondering what mischief he'd be getting up to, next. When he was like that, there was usually something. (Then again, there often was when he wasn't like that, too. Oh well. It was Reid.) It was still much preferable to leaving him miserable and hurried along by his mom, back home or to whatever thing she was of a mind to bring him with herself. (He tended to run babysitters away like a proverbial hellion. Of course. And there was a bit of time yet before he'd be allowed to stay anywhere all on his own. Or, well, before his parents would be allowed to leave him anywhere all on his own.)
Anyway, it was very easy to cheer him up from the kind of slump the prospect of going back home funked him into. Which was what Tyler expected to happen - and that's why his eyes were almost twinkling with delight - when he said loud enough for everybody to hear, "mom? Can Reid come with us?"
Blue eyes looked at him quickly, attentively. "Come where with you?"
"Well. We did promise Tyler to take him to the spring fair... Would it be alright with you, Meredith?"
Reid's eyes had widened, gleaming, and he had managed to bounce twice on the balls of his feet before his mother's eyes turned to him and he stilled into what his friends knew as Reid-trying-to-look-good position. It worked surprisingly often. Nobody was sure if his mom bought it just now, but she turned back to Tyler's mom. "Are you sure you want to?"
"Oh, it won't be a problem."
She'd get her hug when Meredith drove away; her son would get his very own quiet "thanks, Ty," right after, and pale slender fingers holding his. During the car ride, dragging him off running around the fair grounds. Both boys were still light enough to not even be any danger to the beds of spring flowers between the walks and behind stalls. Or campers.
Since they were careful enough not to get hurt - or get anybody else hurt, just, on occasion, somewhat uncomfortable - Tyler's mom didn't put a short leash on them; it was perfect.
Of course, they got to the Ferris Wheel, eventually. Not even saving it for the last, it was suddenly just there, and they kind of looked at each other and started towards getting tickets without actually asking and answering.
"Excuse me, ma'am. How many rotations do we get?"
"Three full ones, kid. Run along, there's a booth stopping for you two right there. And enjoy the ride!"
"Thanks!"
There was a note to Reid's voice which prompted the person who knew him best - a.k.a., Tyler - that he really planned on it. Even if not, precisely, how.
A third of the way up, after the blond had peeked down to make sure nobody who knew them was actually watching, Tyler wished that he still didn't know.
"... Reid. Get back down here! Now!"
"Oh, come on, Ty. It's perfectly steady, don't you see?"
"It doesn't feel steady! It is shaking aaaalll over the place!" The booth, that was. Since Reid had stood up and then started scrambling towards the roof of the thing. "One's not supposed to be up there!"
"Don't worry. I'm not gonna fall!"
"... don't even saythat!"
"... it's just that," and then the wheel stopped, with both of them almost at the very top. Probably for somebody to get in or out, but it sent the booth swinging even more.
"Reid!"
"I'm fine! And yup, the view is even more awesome!"
"Reeeeid! Come back down here before we're down again or somebody sees otherwise and they make us get down right now!"
"We have two more rounds to go!"
"Not if they see you up there, we don't!"
"Fiiiine."
And down he was, not that much later, sitting on the bench across from him, his hair tousled and his cheeks flushed and his grin face-splitting.
A moment later, he narrowed his eyes, looking at his friend.
"Uh-oh. No."
"Ty..."
"No, Reid. I'm not climbing up there!"
He did manage to draw the line at attempting to hide on the roof of the booth and 'hitch' a few more rides in secret...
It was, sometimes, very easy to get Reid, at nine, to cheer up. And that was, from a dead-point blank expression and closed up posture to downright bouncing.
Actually, to enough bouncing to get his friends wondering what mischief he'd be getting up to, next. When he was like that, there was usually something. (Then again, there often was when he wasn't like that, too. Oh well. It was Reid.) It was still much preferable to leaving him miserable and hurried along by his mom, back home or to whatever thing she was of a mind to bring him with herself. (He tended to run babysitters away like a proverbial hellion. Of course. And there was a bit of time yet before he'd be allowed to stay anywhere all on his own. Or, well, before his parents would be allowed to leave him anywhere all on his own.)
Anyway, it was very easy to cheer him up from the kind of slump the prospect of going back home funked him into. Which was what Tyler expected to happen - and that's why his eyes were almost twinkling with delight - when he said loud enough for everybody to hear, "mom? Can Reid come with us?"
Blue eyes looked at him quickly, attentively. "Come where with you?"
"Well. We did promise Tyler to take him to the spring fair... Would it be alright with you, Meredith?"
Reid's eyes had widened, gleaming, and he had managed to bounce twice on the balls of his feet before his mother's eyes turned to him and he stilled into what his friends knew as Reid-trying-to-look-good position. It worked surprisingly often. Nobody was sure if his mom bought it just now, but she turned back to Tyler's mom. "Are you sure you want to?"
"Oh, it won't be a problem."
She'd get her hug when Meredith drove away; her son would get his very own quiet "thanks, Ty," right after, and pale slender fingers holding his. During the car ride, dragging him off running around the fair grounds. Both boys were still light enough to not even be any danger to the beds of spring flowers between the walks and behind stalls. Or campers.
Since they were careful enough not to get hurt - or get anybody else hurt, just, on occasion, somewhat uncomfortable - Tyler's mom didn't put a short leash on them; it was perfect.
Of course, they got to the Ferris Wheel, eventually. Not even saving it for the last, it was suddenly just there, and they kind of looked at each other and started towards getting tickets without actually asking and answering.
"Excuse me, ma'am. How many rotations do we get?"
"Three full ones, kid. Run along, there's a booth stopping for you two right there. And enjoy the ride!"
"Thanks!"
There was a note to Reid's voice which prompted the person who knew him best - a.k.a., Tyler - that he really planned on it. Even if not, precisely, how.
A third of the way up, after the blond had peeked down to make sure nobody who knew them was actually watching, Tyler wished that he still didn't know.
"... Reid. Get back down here! Now!"
"Oh, come on, Ty. It's perfectly steady, don't you see?"
"It doesn't feel steady! It is shaking aaaalll over the place!" The booth, that was. Since Reid had stood up and then started scrambling towards the roof of the thing. "One's not supposed to be up there!"
"Don't worry. I'm not gonna fall!"
"... don't even saythat!"
"... it's just that," and then the wheel stopped, with both of them almost at the very top. Probably for somebody to get in or out, but it sent the booth swinging even more.
"Reid!"
"I'm fine! And yup, the view is even more awesome!"
"Reeeeid! Come back down here before we're down again or somebody sees otherwise and they make us get down right now!"
"We have two more rounds to go!"
"Not if they see you up there, we don't!"
"Fiiiine."
And down he was, not that much later, sitting on the bench across from him, his hair tousled and his cheeks flushed and his grin face-splitting.
A moment later, he narrowed his eyes, looking at his friend.
"Uh-oh. No."
"Ty..."
"No, Reid. I'm not climbing up there!"
He did manage to draw the line at attempting to hide on the roof of the booth and 'hitch' a few more rides in secret...