Luhan really wasn’t sure what was worse: that that Jongdae had tricked him into taking Minseok out to some ing mild o, or that Minseok literally fell asleep in the middle of the god damn thing after he had gotten over the awkwardness of it all. Like okay, sure, it gave Luhan a chance to watch Minseok’s unreasonably cute sleeping face without judgment, but how the was he supposed to woo the other man off his feet when he literally didn’t give two s?

            “Well that was fun,” Minseok chirped as they stepped out of the theater.

            “You’re just saying that ‘cos you got to nap,” Luhan grumbled, resisting the urge to kick the nearby rock on the ground and pout.

            “Hey, you alright?” Minseok’s voice was suddenly quieter, concern leaking into his voice in a way that had Luhan flushing. , he’d never been the best at hiding his emotions, but now was not the time to get all mopey, for ’s sake!

            “Y…yeah, I’m fine—woah, what the ?”

            One moment, Luhan was walking peacefully down the street, towards the parking lot a block away from the theater where they had parked. The next, he and Minseok were being bear-hugged by a shroud of a person. At least, he assumed it was a person, and not just an amorphous blob a head taller in him cloaked in all leather.

            “Welcome, you little lovebirds!” a nasally male voice drawled, and it took Luhan an extra moment to realize that it was coming from their captor. Squirming out of the hold, he was met with a tall, beaming man with light blond hair and concerningly prominent eye bags. “It’s your lucky day.”

            “And why’s that, exactly?” Minseok asked hesitantly, looking like he was ready to make a run for it at any moment.

            “Beeeeecaaaaaause,” god, Luhan was already getting tired of this guy’s voice, “you two are just in time for the grand opening of—drum roll please… Kanto’s soon-to-be best indoor carnival: EXO’planet! And we have a special deal going—entrance is completely free for cute little couples like yourselves.” The words were accompanied by a greasy wink that nearly had Luhan shuddering.

            “Wait, we’re not a—” he tried to explain, but the man was having none of it, ushering them inside quicker than they could even realize. , for as flamboyant as he was, this dude was strong, and he was fast.

            “Don’t be shy, darlings, and step right in!” With that, they were basically being shoved through double doors into the building, but not before the man spoke up once more. “And if you ever need anything, just call for Tao!”

            And that was that.

            “Well then,” Minseok started, and his tone sounded as perplexed as Luhan felt. “I guess we might as well have fun while we’re here.”

            “What?!” Luhan snapped his head over to face Minseok, mouth agape. “Are you serious?”

            “Why not? I mean, I’m pretty well-rested from that nap, so I’m up for staying out late a bit and checking it out.”

            “And you’re not even slightly suspicious of this? We just got thrown into this place—which, for the record, has like no use in this tiny town—by some shady dude who sounds like a drag queen and could probably beat both of us up.”

            “You worry too much.” Minseok paired his words with a grin as he walked over to the nearby stall. “C’mon, how about this? Let’s play one of these games, and whoever wins gets to choose whether we stay or go. Deal?”    

            “…Deal.”

            Reluctantly, Luhan hobbled over to the stall, giving a small uncomfortable smile in greeting to the employee manning it and trying not to laugh at the over-the-top, clown-inspired outfit the man was wearing. He watched absently as Minseok requested one round for each of them, eventually turning his attention away to the game itself. It was a classic game of throw-and-knock-over, with some plastic Pokéballs for balls and some plastic Pikachu toys for bottles. Five balls were set up for each of them, neatly aligned in a straight line. All around the stall were plushies, candies, and all sorts of other things you’d usually see as rewards for carnival games.

            “Whoever knocks over the most, wins?” Minseok clarified, and Luhan nodded in agreement. He was still skeptical of this place, but there was no way in hell his competitive spirit was letting him lose this.

            …Or not.

            “Congratulations! You’ve knocked over five Pikachus, so you win this large stuffed one!” the carnival employee chirped with definitely-fake enthusiasm.

            “Jesus Christ that thing’s like half as tall as me,” Minseok swore in awe, but Luhan was still hung up on the knocked over pins in front of them. 

            “How the hell did you manage to get five outta five?” Luhan exclaimed as they walked away from the stall, still be the meager two he had knocked down himself.

            “I think the question here is how the did you not?” Minseok shot back. Luhan would have said something snarky in return, but he may or may not have been distracted by how cute Minseok looked hugging the massive Pikachu plush as they walked. “Isn’t throwing your balls at things supposed to be your specialty as a trainer?”

            “You know, I don’t know what’s more horrifying: you beating me or you actually making an innuendo.”

            “I’m just surprised you didn’t ask for a rematch, hones—ooh, look over there!” Suddenly, Luhan was being dragged to the side, hobbling along with an excited Minseok. He was barely able to keep up as the other pulled them towards some other stall.

            God, this was going to be a long night.

----

            Nearly two hours, ten prizes, and three trips to the carnival’s gift shop to pick up bags later, and Luhan practically screamed in relief when Minseok finally suggested they take a break.

            “Let me die right now,” he moaned as he basically fell onto the bench. Minseok raised an eyebrow at the gesture, setting down his Pikachu plush as he arranged the plastic bags in their arms to sit beside it before sitting down himself.

            “It’s not even 11, and you’re this exhausted—who’s the old man now?” he snarked, and Luhan glared at him lazily.

            “Excuse you, you’re not the one who has to lug around this massive cast with you everywhere you go.” He shook his leg slightly to emphasize his point, garnering an eyeroll from the other.

            “No, but I was the one who suggested bringing a foldable wheelchair, if you’ll remember. ‘Sides, they have ones you can borrow at the gift shop, and you refused those too.”

            “Wheelchairs are for ers,” Luhan grumbled lamely, having no other response, and only pouting when Minseok snorted at the response.

            “Ah, but I’m really glad we came out tonight.” The sudden statement surprised him, and he snapped his head to see the other male staring dazedly out into space, a smile on his face. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to actually go out and play around for a bit with someone.”

            “You don’t go out with Yixing or Jongdae?” Minseok shook his head, still smiling but with an almost regretful look in his eyes.

            “Yixing's not one for going out too much—he’s more of a stay at home and lounge around person. Jongdae…” He paused. “Jongdae and I go out sometimes, but it isn’t really the same. It’s more like taking him out and watching over him to make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble.”

            Luhan refrained from mentioning that Jongdae was pretty much an adult at this point, not a toddler to look over, and instead just nodded in understanding. Jongdae really could be like a little kid sometimes, especially when he was running around filming poachers (no, Luhan still wasn't over that). But more than that, if he was being honest with himself, he couldn’t begin to imagine the stress Minseok must have been facing, with all the responsibilities he had and the burden he carried. When would he even have time to mess around like this, when he was busy running an entire ranch and keeping an entire community of people happy and healthy? Probably seldom, if ever. Yet, he was a regular 23-year-old guy just like Luhan, who probably yearned for some adventure and fun sometimes. It couldn’t be easy to do all he did and to act as mature as he was, especially from a young age, constantly without break. 

            Yet, whenever he had a break or, once in a blue moon, a day off, he would spend the time in his room or some other quiet part of the community alone and undisturbed. Luhan had always assumed that was just because of his personality; Minseok was a quiet, reserved person by nature, so it would make sense that he would want to spend his free time relaxing and enjoying his alone time. But thinking about if in retrospect, Luhan couldn't help but wonder if, during any of those times, Minseok was longing for, yearning for something more. For a crazy adventure, or even just a silly night out like this going all over the place and messing about just for the sake of doing so. Not worrying about bothering other people, or concerned with everyone else's health and happiness. Acting and playing around without any reason: instead, just going out for the sake of going out. Did Minseok even get moments like those anymore, or did all of his time blend into a single blur of responsibilities and occasional quiet? Was Luhan really the first chance he'd had to really just act his age in Arceus knows how long? He'd taken for granted how much he got to do and see without a care in the world for responsibilities while he was out on his travels for his training. That type of exploration and fun wasn't something everyone just had normally, and honestly put, it was something Minseok had only rarely, if at all.

            Suddenly, he didn’t feel so tired anymore.

            “Hey,” he started, determination running through him. “Let's try that.” He pointed his finger forward, and Minseok followed his gaze and raised his eyebrows at what he saw.  

            “A high striker?” Minseok asked, seemingly both incredulous and curious at the same time. Luhan nodded enthusiastically, already moving to stand up.

            “I’m gonna play.”

            “Luhan wha—”

            “Oh, an interested contender, ey?” the woman running the game said, everything about her from her voice to her stance taunting any coming challengers. “Step right up, kiddo—that is, if you think you’re not too crippled for it.” Luhan fumed at the condescending look down at his cast, and roughly grabbed the mallet from the woman. “No need to get angry, honey, it’s just a gam—oh, is this your sweetheart?”

            “Luhan what the hell? I thought you said you were tired?” Minseok questioned, slightly panting from rushing to grab all of their belongings before running over to him.

            “I’m gonna get the jackpot for you,” he responded, steadfast as he eyed down the high striker.

            “Why—?”

            “You ain’t got all day, sweetcheeks!” the carnie cooed, and Luhan just nodded silently.

Taking a deep breath, he let his fingers run up and down the wood of the mallet until he found the perfect grip. Placing his right hand towards the head of the hammer and his left hand behind it, he stepped back and out with his right leg and settled in the strongest stance he could manage with his injured leg. Straightening his back, he lifted the mallet up above his head, gathering his composure before slamming down with all his might.

            “Ooooh, you almost made it past Meager Magikarp.” The carnie was practically cackling as she spoke, and Luhan wasn’t sure if the red he was seeing was from the anger he felt towards her, or the embarrassment he felt towards himself. “Better luck next time, honey~”           

            “Once more!” he demanded, and the woman just shrugged and gestured for him to go ahead.

            “You really don't need to do this, you know." Minseok pitched in, but he was ignored. Sighing, he tried again. “Lu if you’re serious about this then at leas—”

            “I got this Min, don’t worry.”

            “Oo-la-la, they even have petnames, how cute!” Luhan ignored the shrill tutting, and focused his eyes on the pad below. If he just hit harder… “Well, well, you reached Fearsome Fearow! A little character growth for the sake of your man, I see.”

            “You should really listen to m—”

            “Again,” Luhan just huffed and ignored Minseok, and again he went. And again, and again, and again. Fearsome Fearow, Fearsome Fearow, Meager Magikarp, Mighty Machamp. Fearsome Fearow, Rampaging Rhydon. Meager Magikarp, Meager Magikarp. Hey, he almost hit Dynamite Dragonite there—, another Meager Magikarp. What was probably twenty tries later, and Luhan was practically seconds from collapsing out of sheer exhaustion. God ing damn it all to the Distortion World and back, why couldn’t he get it?

            “Would you mind if I tried, miss?” Suddenly Minseok’s voice was ading his senses, and he didn’t try to hide his glower as the mallet was being taken from his hands by the very man he was trying to impress.

            “Go right ahead, sonny, though I don’t know if you’ll have any more luck than loverboy over here.”

            “I’ll try my best.” Luhan looked up just in time to catch the sheepish grin Minseok gave before he was slamming the mallet down with what he knew to be only half of the man’s actual strength. How did he know Minseok's actual strength? Well, he didn't spend all that time watching the man do fieldwork for nothing. That being said, he could only watch in a mix of awe and horror as the marker went up, and up, and up.

            A bell rang, and—

            “C…Congratulations, you’ve hit Madman Mew!” the carnie stammered out, nearly falling over her own high heels as she stumbled to the prize corner. “You’ve wo—”

            “How the did you do that?” Luhan interrupted, barely trying to stop his jaw from falling open. Minseok just shrugged cheekily, and Luhan wasn’t sure whether he wanted to slap him or kiss him because of it. Probably both, the voice in his mind echoed. Both is good. 

            “I was trying to tell you,” he started in explanation as the carnie shakily handed him a massive boxed Mew figurine. “It’s not about strength. You have to aim for the center of the pad, otherwise the force just goes outward and not to the marker.” Luhan just continued to stare at him, mouth agape, and Minseok just rolled his eyes and shook his head at him, shoving the Mew figurine and their other bags towards him so he could hold onto his massive plushie. “Didn’t you ever play carnival games when you were younger?”

            Luhan snapped out of his daze as Minseok started walking away, and he frantically hobbled his way over to follow along. His face was flushing red as he suddenly became aware of just how many people had been watching them in interest. Or, rather, were watching him in interest, only to see him fail and be one-upped by the very person he was trying to impress and win for. Damn it. Keeping his eyes fixated on the ground, he shoved his free hand into his pocket, letting the bags rest in the junction between his arm and hip. He most certainly wasn’t pouting or huffing, of course. Luhan never pouted, even if he was upset. Pouting was for children, and he was no child, thank you very much. 

            “I’m a city person, alright? Leave me alone,” he muttered eventually, and Minseok made a small noise of curiosity at that.

            “Really? How’d you get to start training Rapidash, then? Not really a city-friendly Pokémon.”

            “I met her while I was travelling. I tried to catch her and she kicked me in the face,” he deadpanned, ignoring Minseok’s howl of laughter. “That apparently damaged her hoof though, so she made me fix it for her, and then just never left.”

            “Y'know, now I wanna know what your first time riding her was like,” Minseok chirped, and Luhan groaned, dropping his head down so far it felt like he was burying his face in his chest.

            “Gyrados swallow me whole; this entire night has been a disaster,” he grumbled to himself, only looking up as Minseok spoke up.

            “Really? I don’t know about you, but this is the best date I’ve ever been on.”

            “You're just saying tha—"

            Wait a second…

            “Did you just say d…date?” Luhan asked, voice small as though he didn’t want to hear an answer. Minseok, on the other hand, just titled his head in confusion.

            “Yeah? Isn’t that what this is?” When Luhan didn’t respond, he continued. “I mean, we hung out at a movie, played some games, bought some snacks. I even won a gift for you, and that’s like, the most date-like thing ever, right?”

            “I mean I gue—wait, what do you mean, for me? The figurine’s yours!”

            “What? No, I got it for you.”

            “I was supposed to win it for you.”

            “And you didn’t, so I won for you instead.”

            “That’s literally not how anything works.”

            “Yes, it is; now shut up and accept your gift.”

            “No, it’s—”

            “Yes, it is.”

            “Kim Minseok  I swear to—”

            “It’s yours.”

            “I’m gonna give it to Jongdae.”

            “I’m gonna superglue it to the headboard in your room.” Luhan tried to ignore the fluttering sensation he felt in his stomach at those words. Your room. Instead, he just swallowed heavily, shaking his head slightly before turning to make eye contact with the other. He hadn’t even noticed how they’d both stop walking to simply just stare at each other.      

            “Minseok—”

            “Stop thinking so much.” Minseok’s voice was suddenly soft, his eyes gentle in a way Luhan only saw rarely from him. It was as though he was paralyzed in the moment, unable to move, to flinch, to look away even as Minseok’s arm slowly wound together with his free one. In his pocket, his fist clenched, and yet he couldn’t find it in himself to even try to pull the arm away. “Okay?”

            “…Okay.”

            “Good,” Minseok said with a smile. “Let’s just relax and have fun, okay? And if you want, we can talk about things later. But for now, let’s just have a nice night away, just to ourselves.” Luhan nodded slowly and , was it just him or was Minseok getting closer? He totally was holy — “Oh, look, they have Poké-Pops!”

            Luhan stayed silent as he was dragged off, vaguely noting how Minseok’s hold tightened as they moved.

hi i'm emi and i like making my readers and myself suffer
lol for real tho y'all thought minseok was clueless but he's a cheeky lil for a reason
(aka he's still dense but let's be real lovesick lu is the most obvious ing thing)
idk how carnivals work tho so this is probs all wrong but i liked the idea of it for the story so oh well

also lol yes i included tao and yes kris is coming too EXOM UNITE (yes im emo bout the yixing comeback thing rn ok)