Dr. Stone Cold's Adventure (18+)(YellowMelon and 3ruri)(Private)

[3ruri]

Despite his boost, Andrew didn't manage to climb up the tree, not even come close to the lowest branch. He agreed that it was better for them to stop and think of a different way. He almost agree with his husband's suggestion or asking for a ladder, but it didn't seem like what they were supposed to do. If it was that easy, they wouldn't have put the kite on top of that tree for them. "i don't think that's how it's supposed to work," he said, dismissing the idea. He looked around the playground for something like a stick or a pole that they could use to poke at the kite, but the park was almost to clean. The people in the neighborhood really took care of the appearance. 

Then Andrew suggested for him to climb the tree with him being the booster. The older male frowned at the brunette, wondering if he hit his head this morning. Was he really serious? It wasn't that Caspian saw him as weak, but, yeah, he didn't think Andrew could hole on to him. One of them could end up injured, worse, both of them might. Not only was he inches above Andrew's height, he was also about twenty five pounds heavier than the younger man. On top of that, Andrew's hands looked much too delicate to hold on to his shoe. "Let's not do anything foolish, alright. We have a long day today." He patted Andrew's shoulder, placating him. 

"There is another way..." Caspian decided they shouldn't waste anymore time. If Andrew refused to his method, then they'd think of something else. Maybe they could look for a rope or something, which definitely would take time, but at least it would get the job done. Taking a deep breath, the professor looked at his husband. "You could sit on my shoulder and try to reach for that kite. My height and yours combined should do the trick," he said, not sounding too hopeful in case Andrew would feel like he couldn't say no even if he wanted to. "It would be quick. I'll crouch down, you climb up, then I stand up. I bet you can already reach the kite by then. The faster we get it done, the sooner we could move on."

He almost didn't want to see how skeptical Andrew would look at that moment. It wasn't like they were being intimate in that position, but Andrew disliked being carried, so in whatever form, he would have disliked it anyway. "I wouldn't mind being the one on your shoulder, but that would be domestic abuse so I think we have to do it my way or we have to think of something else. I could go get Carla to help, but the kid had been used enough by the people of this show, and I hate that." Besides, Carla wouldn't be able to reach it unless she stood on Caspian's shoulders. The superhero had made a mistake by wearing good clothes for the scavanger hunt. If he knew they would need to get down and dirty, he would have worn his university sweater. "So, what do you say?" He prodded Andrew again. 

[YellowMelon]

Andrew became genuinely disappointed when his idea was shot down. Caspian wasn’t even willing to try! He wasn’t confident he could lift him, but, if he did, the kite was theirs. The brunette was ready to argue his point when the professor bounced off another idea, which, again, involved the smaller male being the one to directly grab the object. He wasn’t wholeheartedly against being lifted, but he didn’t jump at the idea either. However, as Caspian mentioned, it would be the quickest way. They were two full-grown men though, and sitting on Caspian’s shoulders, despite him being a superhero, didn’t sit well with Andrew. He was well-aware the professor had the strength to lift him with his arms, but now all of his weight would be bearing down on Caspian, which didn’t sound comfortable. A role reversal was something he would never consider for such a position either, so Caspian didn’t need to worry about that. The idea of using Carla was also off-the-table because she had specifically told them they needed to get it themselves, and she seemed like the type to play by the rules. 

“Crouch down.” His voice cracked in the midst of the demand, as he moved behind Caspian. With his husband squatting, Andrew was able to sit on the older man’s shoulders after first hesitating, needing verbal direction, asking Caspian if he was okay, and apologizing in case the professor was lying and he was hurting him. As soon as Caspian unbent his legs to stand to his full height, Andrew held the other’s hands for dear life. He tried his best not to tense up, but he couldn't help from nervously shaking. The kite, however, was now easily within his reach, if he could let go and grab it. Even with Caspian releasing his grip on him, Andrew didn’t ease up. While mentally coaxing himself and not letting his eyes drift to the ground, the brunette finally reached for the kite between the branches, tearing it in the process when he pulled it toward him. “Got it.” He announced happily and slid himself off of Caspian’s shoulders when they was closer to the ground. 

From tearing the kite, Andrew could see a picture slipped under the wooden frame. He pulled it out and stood closely beside Caspian, holding it out for both of them to see. This had to be their next location. Taken in the morning, like the previous photo, a clear image of a pond was shown along a stone pathway with a wooden bench on the grass between the body of water and path. Andrew wondered why the bench was so far forward. Perhaps it was to feed any ducks that visited, although he couldn’t see any in the photo. In the corner of the picture, at a far distance, a small portion of the playground was captured. Andrew only had eyes on the pond though. “Here it is." He pointed to the outline of a red box, floating at the edge of the water. There was no way it would be in the same position now, within reaching distance. That would be too easy. 

“Roll up your jeans and let’s get going.” He said, seriously, having already deemed that one of them would need to wade into the water and Caspian would be it. Technically, he would get less of his body wet because he had longer legs. Although saying they should go, the brunette remained in his spot, trusting Caspian to once again lead them to the right location. 

[3ruri]

Lifting Andrew wasn't really that hard, but the slighter male was grabbing hard on him, making it a little unbalanced. He moved closer to the tree in case Andrew would like to lean for it for support, but he didn't push further. He'd let his husband move at his own pace rather than pressuring him. At last, Andrew managed to pull it together and grabbed the kite. He didn't even wait for Caspian to crouch fully before jumping down to the ground. Caspian didn't mind; he just didn't want Andrew to hurt himself. That would be a disaster for both of them.

Looking at the picture torn from the kite, Caspian knew right away that it was the nearby pond. He was really regretting his choice of clothes now. "Do you think we have enough time for me to go home and change?" he asked, but already knew that was out of the question. Thankfully his jeans were pretty much worn off. They weren't frayed or anything, but it was a pair of jeans that he wouldn't mind getting a little wet. The shoes could be taken off, so that was a little comfort in the situation. Still, if they could keep themselves from getting into the water, that would be the best. He passed the picture to Andrew again for safekeeping and led the way to the pond with the team of cameramen following them. 

"I never paid much attention to this place," Caspian said as he walked side by side with Andrew as they made their way to the pond in the picture. "I would pass it on my runs, but I didn't take the time to enjoy the scenery." He added. It was nice park and the pond was really an attraction for people to brisk walk in the morning or in late afternoon. Sometimes he'd seen people walk their dogs around the area as well. It wasn't too deep because Caspian could see the bottom of the pond, but if the box in the picture had moved to the centre, they had no other way to retrieve it other than one of them going in. Most likely, it would be Caspian since Andrew had worked on the kite. 

The path around the pond was nicely done with stone pavement. It had some cat tails and waterlily floating around and nearby was a gazebo if anyone wanted to laze around. Caspian saw the red box immediately and pointed to Andrew. Just like he feared, the box had floated to the middle and had stuck between the lily pads. "Looks like it's my turn. Aren't you glad you retrieved the kite just now?" Caspian wasn't excited about getting himself wet, but he bent down, unlaced his ankle boots and socks then folded the hems of his jeans as much as it allowed him. He walked until he reach the edge of the pond then turned around looking at his husband. He took a long pause before finally dipping his feet in the water and cursed under his breath. The water was freezing. He heard some of the cameramen snickered at his unfortunate circumstances. 

"Goof to know you guys are entertained." He mumbled to himself. There were even small fish in the pond that swam away when Caspian created ripples from walking. about twelve steps or so, the box was within reach and the professor picked it up. Not wanting to stay in the water for long, he walked back to the edge of the pond where Andrew was waiting and passed him the object before climbing out. It was surprisingly slippery when Caspian tried to climb out, but he didn't want to ask Andrew to pull him out. He glanced around to see if there was somewhere better to climb out from but it was pretty much the same. The water was so friggin cold and he hated being in there for longer with his bare feet. "Andrew..." he called the younger man. He contemplated whether he should go ahead and ask.

 

[YellowMelon]

When Caspian returned the picture to him, Andrew placed it in his sweatshirt pocket where he also stored the first picture they were given. On their way to the pond, he wondered why Caspian hadn’t stopped to admire the body of water despite having passed it multiple times. Either he wasn’t one to enjoy the little things in life or he just didn’t have time to. Being a superhero and professor were demanding jobs. What if Caspian had to do the show alone? Would he be getting any sleep at all? Andrew hadn’t expected the show’s activities to take up so much of their time. He thought, naively, they would be active during usual work hours, maybe two or three hours overtime, and then be able to unwind for the rest of the day. Turns out they didn’t have a scheduled start time or end time to their workday, and weren’t given breaks either. Well, they didn’t need breaks if they could work at their own pace. 

Seeing that his prediction was right and Caspian would need to enter the water, Andrew watched the professor remove his shoes and socks. “Yes, I am happy.” He confirmed with a smile at the other’s predicament. He was tall. He could surely get to the red box without difficulty. The brunette watched from the edge, behind the cattails outlining the pond, when Caspian began to wade through the water. Andrew was impressed at how picturesque the pond was. He had never seen so many cattails before. And there were fish. Considering all its aesthetic qualities, it was definitely the cleanliness of the water which got Caspian to retrieve the item, since he could see where he was stepping. If the water had been murky and there fish were floating at its surface, dead, the safety of going in would have been put into question before even a pinky toe got wet. 

Being given the box, Andrew held it at a distance to avoid getting his clothes wet and opened the waterproof container, pulling out a red lighter and tossing it into the backpack. The box and ripped kite - which he still carried - were taken away from him by a cameraman. There had been no picture paired with the lighter, unsurprisingly. “We need to find the picture.” He mentioned to Caspian, staring at his husband without questioning why he had called his name. He had missed his husband slipping when trying to get out of the pond because his focus had been on the box, so, now, all he saw was the superhero standing stupidly in the water. He had no idea what he was doing but they were wasting time. He looked down at the cattails, starting to wonder if Caspian saw something that scared him, which was why he wasn’t stepping out of the pond, but he saw nothing. “Well, I’ll see you when you’re done cooling off.” He then turned around and boldly left his companion. Andrew still had a picture to find.

Going to the gazebo because he also wanted to sit down for a bit, a cameraman followed him while two stayed behind with Caspian. As soon as Andrew stepped under the wooden structure, he immediately saw the corner of a paper sticking out from between the planks of the built-in seating. “Yes!” He exclaimed, claiming it. He glanced at the photo, but, again, the location sparked no memories, so he just held it in his hand for Caspian to identify it. Thinking of his husband, was he out of the water yet? Andrew leant against the rail of the gazebo, able to see Caspian clearly, although a smaller version of him because he was further away. 

“Can your camera zoom in?” He stepped closer to the cameraman who showed him the function, pointing it down at the floorboards. “Zoom in on Caspian.” And, now, there were three video cameras pointed in the superhero’s direction. Andrew stood behind one of them, watching him on the display screen. He looked helpless, and, with the day getting hotter, his hair was a little damp. Thankfully, Andrew was under the shade. He watched Caspian for about five minutes, then got bored and took a seat. Ten more minutes passed with Andrew now lying on the planks, and the cameraman reporting nothing had changed. “Ugh. Seriously, what is his problem?” Andrew sounded a bit annoyed, but it soon subsided after five more minutes of him chillaxing.

Twenty-two minutes. That was how much time passed before Andrew was at the pond again. “Are you having fun in your kiddie pool?” He joked, although his voice was monotone. “So, I was thinking,” his green eyes stared straight at Caspian, “If I help you out of this pool, what’s in it for me?” A smirk appeared on his lips. Yes, he was playing with fire. He really hadn’t thought Caspian was stuck until the cameraman outright told him when they were walking back. He hadn't watched him struggle enough to come to that conclusion. “Just kidding. I didn’t know you were stuck until he said you were.” He pointed to the cameraman, putting the blame on him because it was his fault for not telling him sooner. Not that Andrew would have stopped  relaxing under the gazebo if he was told that tidbit. 

Andrew stepped closer to the water’s edge, widening the distance between his legs as he held out a hand to Caspian. “Don’t pull me into the pond.” He warned. Honestly, he didn’t know if he had the strength to help pull his husband out, but all Caspian needed was something stable to hold onto, and then he could do the rest, right? Andrew didn’t know what was causing Caspian’s problem of being unable to get out, so this was only the idea he had. “Oh, by the way, I got the picture!” He mentioned happily, waving it in his other hand.

[3ruri]

Andrew was too fascinated by the items and Caspian was too proud to ask for help. Seriously, he was 6'2", he could jump a freaking fence without problem. The pool was only up to his knees! Which, by the way, had soaked his folded jeans nonetheless. But the edge was slippery thanks to the moss and the bottom, clear as the water were, was pretty much muddy. Whenever he placed his weight on one and lifted the other to climb, it got stuck deeper, making it difficult to climb out. He wondered if Andrew was really taken by the quest or just used it as a way to ignore his predicament when he walked away, heading toward the gazebo.

"Don't you wanna call him back for help?" One of the two cameramen that had stayed with him asked when Andrew was out of hearing range.

"NO. Can't you guys give me a hand instead?" Caspian looked at them. There were two of them, so one could continue filming while the other only needed to give him a little hoist and he would be able to climb out himself. 

"Sorry man, we can't put the equipment down unless there is an emergency. Besides, this is filming material." The other cameraman said, grinning, but it wasn't in a malicious way. They were just doing their job at taking footage of everything that took place in Doctor Stone's life and this was one of it. 

Caspian sighed and put both hands on his hips while looking around the pond thinking of another way out. He wasn't going to wade through the water until the other side just so he could try to climb out and fail again. Although the water was freaking cold, the sun was heating up and he was still wearing a jacket. He was tempted to take off his Belstaff jacket and throw it on the ground while he climb out gracelessly, but thinking how much the damn thing costed him, he decided to think of something else. 

"Come on, man,, your husband is enjoying himself under the gazebo while we're roasted here," one of the cameramen urged him, but again, they weren't said in a condescending way. They were just giving him a little push, unfortunately, nothing that would help him get out of the pond.

Caspian did try to get out of the water again a couple of times, but his attempts were again thwarted by the mossy edge. If only someone could just give him a little hand. He wondered how long he was there until Andrew returned with the other cameraman who had apparently told him that Caspian was stuck. Of course Andrew was going to take advantage of the situation by asking what was he gonna get by helping. Can't it be out of compassionate? "Because we need to get things moving?" Caspian answered. He wasn't going to offer anything else since he had been stuck there for god-knows-how-long. 

Andrew finally offered him his hand, hesitating that the professor who had been stuck in the cold water under the glowing sun would want to prolong it by pulling him into the water. Like he was going to do something that childish. Didn't they have enough fights already? Caspian took Andrew's hand, only to have the other guy waving his other limb excitedly to inform him that he found the clue picture. The older man quickly released him from his grip. "Watch it, Andrew, you're gonna make us both fall into the pond!" He warned him. "Can we keep the excitement until after I'm out of the water. My toes are getting all pruny." He was being whiny, but he didn't care. He was glad Andrew had cut down the work for them and found the clue, but he wanted to get out of the water as soon as possible. "Can you please lend me your hand again and not wave the other around so we could end this without any further incident?" he asked nicely, although his voice was a little stern. He waited for Andrew to give him his hand again and once he got a good grip on it, Caspian placed one leg over the edge and used the leverage to pull the other foot that got stuck in the mud. Free at last.

[YellowMelon]

Andrew dropped his hand when he was scolded. He expected Caspian to be happier to see him now that he was here to help. He could have easily left him behind and continued the scavenger hunt alone. The reason he wanted him was to identify their next location, but he could have done that himself with a stroll around the park. It was likely Caspian would have found a way out of the pond eventually, and he wasn’t in any danger of drowning. He may have tired himself out, but he was tall enough to sit in the water if he needed to. Andrew reached his hand out for a second time when he was asked to. This time, his body was as stiff as a board. “Ew” was his first remark to seeing his husband’s muddy feet. He hadn’t expected the bottom of the pond to be so dangerous, but now he knew why Caspian required assistance. The brunette stepped back while holding the superhero so he wouldn't be at the edge of the pond. “I didn’t think you’d get so dirty.” His eyes targeted the wet jeans. He hadn't expected him to get so wet either. 

“At least it’s sunny,” he observed, “That way you'll dry quickly.” He moved his hand to Caspian’s shoulder as though he was trying to comfort him despite the superhero not appearing distraught. “Not sure what you’re going to do about the mud though.” Unless Caspian liked the feeling of mud squished between his toes, he didn’t think he would be slipping on his socks and shoes any time soon. If he did, that would be gross. “Anyway,” Andrew changed the topic, lifting the photo he found in the gazebo to meet hazel eyes, “Do you recognize this?” The picture depicted a white stone fountain, void of water, with a blue hose to its right. The hose emerged from the ground and connected to a red hand pump. The fountain appeared to be isolated as there wasn't a tree, landmark, or pathway in sight within the picture. 
 

Spoiler

(My Masterpiece)

 

[3ruri]

Caspian wanted to shake the mud off his leg but that would make him seem like a dog, so no. But that didn't mean he appreciated Andrew's comment. He wasn't angry or anything, just a little annoyed at the mess. "Well, try being in that pond for as long as I was then you'd know how it feels like." Now that he was out, he needed to clean his feet before he could wear his shoes again. He wasn't going to ruin his good shoes. Call him vain, but Caspian always look after his appearances. It wasn't for the show's sake or anything, he preferred to be properly dressed. He wasn't going to be a sloppy professor or a shabby looking person in general, that was why he kept himself properly groomed. 

Looking at the picture, he was relieved that it wasn't too far from where they were. "It's nearby, just down this path," he told Andrew. There might be a water pipe nearby, so he could wash his dirty feet. Caspian tied his shoelaces together and sling his boots over his shoulder. His socks were safely tucked inside so barefooted, he led the way to the water fountain just like he had done when they headed to the pond earlier. He was also thankful that it was along a reflexology stone path, so walking without shoes on were much better than walking on asphalt. He didn't mind the grass, but Caspian didn't want to step on any bugs or worms. He had enough eww factor for one day.  

"Good job on finding the picture, by the way," He said, complimenting the younger male. Even though Andrew left him in the pond, he didn't hold any grudges. He got stuck there due to his own failure. When they arrived at the water fountain, he turned to his husband warily. "I'm a little nervous of what to come." He admitted

[YellowMelon]

Another nearby location. How convenient. Andrew was glad to have Caspian with him because he knew his way around the park so well. Although it was a part of his neighborhood, there was the slight possibility his husband had never visited the recreational area, which would have put them both in a pickle. Fortunately, that wasn't the case, but maybe that was why their locations were so close to one another - to save time if the park had been new territory for the participants. It was still new to Andrew, at least. Since it took Caspian less than a second to identify what was captured in the three pictures they collected thus far, the time consuming portion of their scavenger hunt was retrieval of the items, which Andrew could live with. He would rather move quickly to a new location than search a whole area to find a single destination. The younger man followed the leader along the stone path until they reached the seven and a half feet tall fountain.

“What’s making you nervous?” Andrew genuinely asked while staring at the stone structure. They weren’t dealing with anything alive, and he really hoped that would be the case for the rest of the game they were involved in. “You’re thinking ahead too much.’ And that was that. Sure, Caspian had been stranded, unexpectedly, in a pond, but the brunette didn’t think that event would trigger his nerves, as he hadn’t been in mortal danger. Did he expect the inanimate decoration to attack them, or was he referring to something in the future Andrew wasn’t aware of? Unless Caspian knew something he hadn’t by the production crew or by precognition, which was a power he was sure the superhero lacked, they were in the same boat. 

With the sun rising high in the sky, Andrew thought it was odd for the fountain to be turned off. Although the brunette didn’t know the ins and outs of how the park was managed, everything he had seen before was upkept, so why was the fountain turned-off? Was it nonfunctioning or was it purposefully not running? Andrew stepped closer to the stone decoration so he could have a better look at it and was surprised to see an orange fire starter in the basin. That was easy. He flashed the object at Caspian before storing it in the backpack. Now, to find their next location. Based on their last findings, the picture should be in a spot near the fountain, but not somewhere on the fountain. However, retrieval of the fire starter required no effort on their part, so maybe logic couldn’t be applied here. Well, they had a very small area to search, so might as well search it. 

First, Andrew was simpleminded, believing the photo might be somewhere obvious, like taped to the bright red hand pump. However, after one look at the pump, it was evident that was not the case. Unannounced, the brunette returned to the fountain and stepped into the basin. He peeked into the second tier, but found nothing, so hoisted himself to stand on the second level. The first tier was empty too. Finally, Andrew looked down the center hole of the fountain where water would be pumping out from the internal water pipe, if working. “Oh, I see something!” He notified Caspian. “I think it’s what we need, unless someone just rolled up a piece of paper in there. It’s stuck sideways though, and,” he attempted to reach for it, but could only get two fingers down the tubing, “I can’t reach it.” Even if he could grab it, it was very unlikely he would be able to pull it out. Andrew turned and safely descended the stone structure, now going over to the red pump, while grabbing Caspian by his wrist along the way.

“Pump.” He ordered, looking at the bright red hand pump. “But don’t do it too hard or too fast. I don’t want you to hurt yourself or, worse, break it. We don’t want it squirting everywhere. You don't want us both wet, do you?" He paused. "Well, you're already wet, so I guess it doesn't matter if you get wet again." He stated matter-of-factly. "But I'm dry." 

[3ruri]

There was a childlike quality to Andrew that amazed Caspian. He was so solemn and quiet most of the time, but his actions when they arrived at the non-functional water fountain was amusing. He wasn't that graceful in his moves as he climbed the stone structure, but there was a flexibility to him that made his body looked fluid. Caspian was worried for a second that the structure was not stable enough, but Andrew proved that he wasn't harmful to the public properly so the older man stood back and watched his husband yet again conduct another investigation for their scavenger hunt. The professor wouldn't have thought to check the top of the water fountain like that, but thankfully, he wasn't alone in undertaking the task. He was rather thankful he had a partner. If he was doing the show alone, he imagined how dull it would be.

Caspian frowned when Andrew mentioned the pump. Who used manual pumps these days? Apparently the person who installed the water fountain did. "Are you sure this is going to work?" Caspian looked around and saw the red water pump in question. He moved toward the equipment and inspected it. It didn't seem like a difficult task, but he had never done it before, so he wondered how should he control it so that he won't ruin their next clue. 

Andrew's comments pissed him off slightly. He would love to see his husband a little wet just because he sounded smug about it. It would suck, but he wanted the water to come out splashing. Maybe it also stemmed from his  need to find water fast as the mud from the pond was quickly drying on his feet. They were lucky it was noon and no one wandered in the park in such heat, so the two of them wouldn't look like two idiots. Then again, the three cameramen was there to record every single action. "I'll do the pumping, so you keep an eye on whatever it is you see in there," Caspian suggested. He hoped Andrew was right that the water from the pump would push whatever that was stuck in there out. If it stayed in there, Caspian wasn't going to be the one to pull it out. He had spent more than enough time in the pond, so this time, Andrew will get his chance playing with water.

The superhero normally didn't exert any power when he did daily task, so that was how he proceeded to use the pump. Unfortunately, the pump must have been out of use for a long time, so it didn't budge at first. Like Andrew had warned him, not to overdo it, so steadily, Caspian added a little bit of strength to it. The lever started moving and he repeated a few times until he found a steady rhythm. "Is it working?" he asked, looking at the brunette's way to see if it was going the way they were hoping. "Do you want me to go faster?" He asked.

 

[YellowMelon]

Green eyes darted between his husband pumping and the water fountain, waiting for water to start shooting from somewhere. If from the hand pump, then Caspian was working too hard. If from the water fountain, then he was going at the right pace. However, considering how long the hose and pipe were which carried the water, the fountain wasn’t going to spew right away. He bent down and put an ear near the blue house, hearing it gurgle. Caspian was definitely doing something. “You should go a little faster.” He directed and, not long after his husband did so, he could see the connection between the hand pump and hose start to trickle water. “Keep going faster. I think it’s working.” He said, hopefully, then went to stand in front of the stone fountain, staring. Andrew patiently waited for water to start coming out from the top when a hiss was heard and he turned around to see the pipe-to-hose connection leaking...or more than leaking. It was spurting water from the top of the seal, like a sprinkler. The two cameramen filming Doctor Stone were sprayed with the superhero while Andrew and his cameraman were spared. 

“Maybe he shouldn’t have gone faster.” He told himself, wide-eyed. Andrew approached his husband from behind, although he no longer needed to worry about getting wet from the sky. After the initial squirt, the water receded, so was now just flowing from the sides. “My turn.” He tried hard not to look directly at Caspian, scared at the expression he was making at him. Once his husband gave him room, Andrew started moving the handle of the hand pump. There wasn't much resistance since the professor had loosened it. He started off slow, monitoring the connector, then sped up. Although he couldn’t pump as fast as his husband, the speed at which the water flowed was irrelevant to him now. He could get the paper unstuck another way if the water couldn’t push it out. In fact, he had already thought of an alternative way, but he was hoping he didn’t have to resort to that. “Now it’s your turn.” He said to Caspian before walking off, as if they had been taking turns to begin with. The tip of the stone fountain now successfully had water trickling out of it. But he couldn’t see the paper. 

“Keep pumping. You’re doing well.” He called out. This time he wasn’t lying. Andrew climbed to stand on the second tier of the fountain like he had done previously. He could see the blurred outline of the paper they wanted, still sideways. It hadn’t budged. The brunette returned to the ground and engaged in a brief conversation with the cameraman who had taken away their kite from earlier. When he was seen at the top of the structure again, he held a wooden dowel. He pushed the long rod down the hole, feeling for the rolled paper. He hit the paper from one side, hard, and it righted itself. Their picture now floated to the top. He grabbed the Ziploc bag which it was contained in, then happily returned to Caspian. Due to the nature of his stunt, where he leaned his upper body against the fountain for support, he had a wet spot on his chest and a streak of water which went down one of sleeves, but he was still largely dry. Caspian had been on his way to being dry, but, looking at him now, he was going to take longer.

He unzipped the bag and unrolled the picture. What he saw was not going to be located in the park. At least not this type of park. “Here.” He handed it to Caspian for him to process where they were going to next. The image depicted of a green roller coaster. The track had hoops, hills, turns, and - most notably - a large drop. On the back of the photo were directions, although Andrew hadn’t turned it over to notice that. "Thanks for your hard work." He mentioned while Caspian looked at the picture. "I shouldn't have told you to pump so fast. In the end, you really did get wet a second time." Andrew just considered himself to be damp. "But this is probably the last time you'll have to pump this thing, so you won't have to worry about being squirted at again." He tapped the wooden dowel he still carried against the hand pump.  

Edited February 10, 2021 by YellowMelon

[3ruri]

His husband sounded like he knew what he was doing, so Caspian, not thinking any better, heed his instructions until he and the cameramen were sprayed with the water that came out from the burst water pipe. Reflexively, he stopped working on the pumped in favor of brushing the water off him. Because of the spray, they only get misted, but still, Caspian didn't appreciate being doused with water while he was trying to get himself dry from being in the pond. He wanted to eviscerate Andrew at that point with his glare, but Andrew wasn't making any eye contact. He was also tempted to throw his husband into the pond of their way way back, but it would take them longer to complete the day's filming if he did that and he was so ready to get things done by now. 

While they were taking turns at the pump, Caspian took off his jacket and pulled his long sleeve up to his elbow. The day was getting warmer and they were doing physical activities, so the jacket would only make him sweaty. Since there was hardly any people around in the park, Caspian laid his jacket on the nearby bend and went back to take over the pumping task from the brunette. His husband went ahead and climbed the fountain again, with a tool that he received from the cameraman. huh, they could help afterall. Caspian hardly said anything when Andrew boss him around. Seemed like he was a little green-eyed monster, not the envious one, but a monster when it came to bossing people around. But regardless, it got the job done and the older male was glad when Andrew called out that the picture was in his possession. 

Andrew told him that he could stop pumping, but the water that flowed in the fountain seemed a little sad, so Caspian put in a little strength - not enough to make the pipe burst like before - and get the water flowing into the structure. It started filling in slowly and finally, the water was flowing out in a steady stream. Satisfied by the current condition of the structure, Caspian walked up to the fountain, holding his boots and sat down at the lowest basin. The water was clean, thankfully, even though the fountain was not in use for who knew how long. The professor asked the cameraman for the red box that was used to keep the lighter from getting wet in the pond and used it to fill it with water and pour it over his muddy feet. It took several times until the dried mud was able to be washed away and Caspian's legs was finally clean. He took out a handkerchief from his back pocket - yes, he had it but hardly ever used it - and dried his cleaned feet. Once they're finally covered, the professor stood up to get his jacket, but didn't put it on. 

Only then did he pay attention to Andrew. He was wet, dirty and sweaty for some time now that it made him uncomfortable. Now that he could at least dress properly, just waiting for the wet patches to dry, he was ready to take the lead again. "That looks like an amusement park," he stated the obvious. Caspian hadn't been to an amusement parks in years since middle school, but he knew there was one about thirty minutes from them. "Don't tell me I need to fix a roller coaster next." Caspian eyed the picture suspiciously. That would be dangerous. Fixing a playground structure was one thing, but a roller coaster that size would drain him out. "Let's head back to the car and get going." As they were walking away, Caspian threw his jacket at Andrew for him to hold. "I need to dry myself under the sun, so hold on to that."

 

[YellowMelon]

Andrew stood at a distance from Caspian, admiring the now working fountain. It hadn’t been a part of their task to fill the structure with water, but he assumed Caspian did it so the decoration, in its full-potential, could be admired by passers-by. That, and it was also evident he wanted to use the liquid for washing. Personally, Andrew hadn’t thought of making use of the fountain apart from getting the picture, so he was glad his husband wasn’t as single-minded as him. Now, while watching the older man dry himself, he wondered if he was being too focused on the scavenger hunt. Caspian was participating, but was he having fun? Did he think such games were childish? With the new concern lingering in his mind, the brunette half-listened to what the older man was saying. Not that he ever said many words, unless he was upset in some way. Of course, that wasn’t a problem. Andrew, himself, could be as reserved or as loquacious as he wanted to be, but if Caspian wasn’t enjoying the scavenger hunt, then maybe he should tone down his own excitement.

“Are you liking the scavenger hunt so far?” He asked as soon as they entered the car. He rested Caspian’s jacket on his lap, looking at the side view of his husband. However, he didn’t give the doctor a chance to respond before answering the question himself. “I don’t think you are, but I wouldn’t be either if I was in your position.” He didn’t think anyone would sign up to being trapped in a pond, although McCain knew that was largely his fault. Even so, a portion of the blame could be put on the production crew because they had agreed to use the pond as a hiding spot. And then there was the hand pump. At least he hadn’t been soaked with water, so Caspian probably wasn’t dwelling on that issue. 

“I didn’t expect us to transfer locations to an amusement park.” It was also surprising to know Caspian was familiar with its location, which he assumed was the case since he hadn’t asked about directions. Had he gone before? “I’ve been to a theme park six…six years ago?” He pondered the number. “Yes, six years ago. I had a friend in college who liked to go so she’d bring me and a couple of her girl friends, then book us a stay at a nearby hotel for the weekend.” Go up Friday, stay overnight for two days, and leave Sunday afternoon. It was a good memory, and they repeated the trip for four years each summer. Two summers they had gone twice, but the second time it was only him and Ava.

“Anyway, I hope we’re not doing anything dangerous.” Andrew wouldn’t mind going on the rides if they had to but he wasn’t one to find pleasure in being lifted to the sky and subsequently dropped. He definitely didn’t want to try to spy for an item while on a ride. “People can say you can never be too old for a theme park…” He eyed Caspian suspiciously as his voice trailed off, not finishing his sentence. Of course, he actually agreed with that sentiment because who was he to judge a harmless passion, but he really couldn't imagine his husband on such a ride at his age, judging by his appearance and general attitude. “I’m glad they chose to do a scavenger hunt on a sunny day,” he changed the topic again, “But it’s also hot and neither of us prepared for this weather well.”

[3ruri]

Caspian was quite surprised that Andrew thought he wasn't having fun. "You're right about the stuck in the pond part, that wasn't very entertaining," Caspian replied as he keyed in their next destination into the GPS app on his phone. "But I had a lot of fun." he added.  "I especially like it when you were doing all the hard work. You look kinda adorable," he said without thinking. Then, Caspian remembered that he wasn't supposed to flirt with his husband anymore and quickly apologized. "Sorry, I mean that in an innocent way. You looked like you were very into it, and for someone who was dragged into this show, you don't mind working a little harder than you need to and I appreciate that."

The amusement park was in the exact opposite way of the university he taught at. He had never stepped a foot there but he heard a lot about it from his students. He would passed them by in the halls and heard about taking their girlfriends or boyfriend on a date or even go there with a group of friends. Amusement parks were not Caspian's idea of fun, but not everyone enjoys digging in the dirt for some colorful stones. Some people collect postcards; Caspian collect minerals. 

He somehow caught Andrew's story about going there with friends - girls. Caspian never asked because it wasn't his business but he was getting curious. "Are you by any chance, like girls too?" The professor threaded carefully. He didn't want to get into uncomfortable topics with the brunette, risking their little truce, but the matter at hand could explain some of their situation. It wasn't to say that it was the reason why Andrew was not interested in pursuing a relationship with the older male, since, Andrew had explained exactly why in their frequent argument. Caspian just thought maybe there were also other contributing factors. "You know what, don't answer that.' He quickly changed his mind. Whether or not that was the reason, it didn't matter because they will go their separate way at the end. 

"It had been cold for the past few days, so yes, today's a little too sunny for my liking." Caspian chose to reply to another topic rather than focus on the previous one. "I'm hoping we don't have to go on the roller coaster though. My height won't make it a comfortable ride for me." When he was younger, it was fine because he fit snugly into the seat, made it feel safer to be strapped in. But now at 6'2", there would be hardly enough room for his legs and he would tower over most people. 

When they finally arrived and found a parking spot, Caspian killed the engine. "I'm leaving the jacket in here. It's too hot out there and I don't want to ruin it in case we have to do weird things again," he said to Andrew. Next time a hero mail comes, Caspian would dress in threadbare jeans and graphic t-shirts with cheesy puns. "You ready for the next challenge?' he asked his now partner-in-crime.

[YellowMelon]

There were several things Caspian said that caught the brunette off guard. One of them was being called "kinda adorable," which he was unbothered by, and the other was being asked if he liked girls. Although he didn't see a correlation between the question and his story since he mentioned girl friends, not girlfriends; he would have answered Caspian if he hadn’t dismissed his own inquiry. As his husband, he believed it was Caspian's right to know his sexuality, and he had nothing to hide in that regard. Truthfully, he was also curious to know specifics about  the older man. They were both gay, that was certain, but there was also a wider spectrum of sexuality than just being homosexual because they were okay with marrying another man.

“What do you mean ‘weird things’?” Andrew asked, shocked, when Caspian stopped the SUV. He hadn’t thought they were doing anything weird. Unconventional, yes, but nothing too strange that was unexplainable. Given that “weird” was in the eyes of the beholder, he didn’t take offense, but he would have preferred a more endearing term. Something that didn't make him think Caspian thought he looked weird while he had been watching him. He couldn’t be adorable if he was doing weird things, even if his husband used both adjectives. With the superhero asking if he was ready, Andrew unbuckled his seatbelt and gently threw the other’s jacket in the middle row seating. “Yes, but hold on for a second.” He tilted his body to Caspian, reaching over the gear shift to rest a hand on his thigh. The simple action, as nonsexual as it was meant to be, was zoomed in on by the cameraman whose video camera now peaked between the front seats. “You,” the brunette slightly turned his head to look at the lens without removing his touch, “can wait for us outside, okay?” He said sweetly in a non-questioning manner. The cameraman obliged with a grin on his face.

“First of all, if you’re going to call me adorable, then drop the ‘kinda.’” He mentioned in a half-serious, half-joking manner. While he preferred for there to be a lack of compliments, Caspian told him yesterday to just say “thank you,” so he would try to do so. However, if he was going to practice the thank-you response, he didn’t want half-assed compliments. He was either fully adorable or he wasn’t. He wouldn’t accept an in between even with an explanation. “Secondly, I don’t like girls.” He answered the earlier dismissed question. “I did go out with four during my early teens, but that went nowhere.” He thought the girls he dated were cute and he wanted to be nice. That was it. He did think that maybe one day he would come to like one of his girlfriends if they stayed together long enough, but he brushed off her breakup as easily as he did with the other three. It wasn’t until high school where he started to date boys and then in college where he had more long-term relationships. Long-term being they lasted more than six months. He didn't timeline his dating history to Caspian though because he hadn't asked. 

“Now we can get out.” He stepped outside of the vehicle and met with his husband on the opposite site. “Are you gay?” He asked plainly, assuming Caspian knew what he really meant by that question. While they were having their brief moment of privacy, the cameraman who had rode with them was now returning with a crowd of not just the production crew behind them. Samantha was at the front with a microphone and a huge smile on her face. She had been waiting for them at the entrance to the park, ready to give them their next objective, but they were a bit too slow so decided to met them in the parking lot. 

"Congratulations on getting here!" The host exclaimed. "That must mean you have three items in your possession." Unless they found the pictures first and bypassed the hidden objects, everything should be going as planned. "Let me see your most recent photo." She held out her hand, then the brunette gave it to her. "This," the blonde turned the cameras, "is what they'll be doing next. It’s a rollercoaster.” She returned the photo to Andrew before ushering the two men to follow her. “Come on, you’ll have fun. And you have quite the audience already.” Indeed, there was a crowd of men, women, and children surrounding them. Not everyone there was familiar with the superhero, but cameras tended to attract people. Scattered amongst the live audience were also people who had been keeping up with the news and media promotions of Doctor Stone’s Adventures and they were sporting the show's online merchandise. 

[3ruri]

"I told you to forget about it," Caspian mumbled as the cameraman left them alone inside the car. He knew it was his fault for asking, but he didn't want to hear the answer anymore. But Andrew was adamant on replying him, so he sat there and listened. He used 'kinda' a lot because he didn't know how Andrew would react to it. The other guy dislike compliments, so if he took 'adorable' as something offensive, the 'kinda' might soften the blow a little, or so Caspian thought. But he guessed Andrew had a point and he shouldn't be half-assed when it came to giving praises. He was always sincere, but in the future, it would be full blast. Even though he disliked thinking about his husband going out with other people, it was relieve to find out that Andrew and himself shared the same sexual orientation. That that it meant anything, but he felt better nonetheless.

When they left the car, Caspian was a bit confused when the younger man asked whether he was gay. He knew he never confirmed nor deny to the public, but Caspian had said so at least twice that he was exclusively into men in the past couple of days. Apparently, Andrew really wasn't interested to know if he didn't catch it. "I've been gay since I know what attraction is," he replied. Unlike Andrew, Caspian never dated any girls. He had never had a crush on any member of the opposite sex. Unlike his brother, Cameron, who is bisexual, Caspian is plainly gay. There was no question about it. So now they had the issue out of the way, it was time to focus on the crowd of people that Samantha had brought with her. If it wasn't so hot, he would have shivered already.

Whatever Samantha said didn't really register in Caspian's head because he was mobbed by the gathered crowd, especially by those who were wearing Dr. Stone's print t-shirt. There were all excited to see him, touch him, and shook hands with him. Some even wanted to take a selfie and Caspian obliged as much as he could for the sake of the show's publicity. The superhero rarely stayed around for fans when he was on duty, which was shy people dubbed him as stone cold, but at the moment he was doing the show, not rescuing anybody, so he bent his rules a little. 

According to Samantha, the couple - Caspian and Andrew - were required to ride on the roller coaster and they will be presented with the next clue at the exit gate. The older male was thankful it wasn't some nutty task, but like he feared, the roller coaster wasn't something comfortable for a man his size. He and Andrew were seated in front, while a group of fans that Samantha had brought with her, the ones wearing the show's t-shirt filled the rest of the available seat and waiting for the ride to start. "Is 6'2" too tall?" He suddenly asked the brunette sitting next to him. Caspian was unbothered by his size or height, and he liked his body, but sometimes he wondered if everyone else thought tall people were a nuisance, because the leg room on the ride was killing him. "Cameron is almost 6'1" and I knew other people who are tall. So why can't they make a bigger space so I can stretch my legs better?"

[YellowMelon]

With the crowd surrounding them, Andrew had two options: he could escape from the center and leave Caspian with his adoring fans or stay by his husband’s side. In a similar situation where he had taken the first course of action to avoid crowding by the Vijays, Caspian had not been amused. He wondered if this scenario would provoke a different reaction if he chose to be a bystander again. The superhero, like last time, handled the touching and photo taking well, so Andrew knew if he left him alone he would be fine. He still, very much, felt like an accessory to Doctor Stone, and he was content with that. In the end, the brunette remained close to his husband. Extremely close. Although the production crew was trying their best to keep the crowd at a distance, the number of people multiplied once they were beyond the entrance gates, and it shocked the younger man. Touching Caspian in some way was comforting.

As soon as they were seated on the roller coaster and locked in by the over-the-shoulder harness, Andrew did not appear as happy or excited as he had been before. “‘Is 6’2” too tall’?” He repeated the question direction to him, not understanding it. Personally, he didn’t have a problem with Caspian’s height. Then again, he never judged people on how tall or short they were, so if his husband wanted judgement on that feature he wasn’t the right person to go to. However, the follow-up commentary clarified what he really meant.  "The ride will be over in less than five minutes, so they probably don't think of comfortability." He attempted to explain. He never thought of being comfortable at an amusement park, but Caspian made a good point. "Maybe a smaller space will allow them to fit more seats?" Well, that didn't entirely make sense since they could just lengthen the car. 

When the train started moving, Andrew stopped postulating reasons to explain Caspian’s small leg space, and wore a poker face. The only indication of his nervousness was his typical leg bounce, and the fact he was grabbing the sides of his harness as they slowly went up the lift hill. Despite this being the slowest part of the ride and, arguably, the most unexciting, Andrew disliked the growing anticipation that came with it, knowing what was about to come. He had gone on roller coasters before, many times, but he wasn’t a fanatic. A ride with just hills was as exciting to him as one with a windy track. When their cart stopped at the top of the hill, one thought was running through Andrew’s head: don’t swallow a bug. And that was why he didn’t scream on any fast moving moving rides, no matter how much he wanted to. “I’m not going to swallow a bug. I’m not going to swallow bug.” He whispered under his breath. Then the ride dropped.

Three consecutive loops, a sharp curve, another lift hill, a vertical spiral, and two hills. The ride slowed down after going over smaller bumps, then returned to rest at its starting point. Once the harnesses automatically unlocked and lifted, Andrew let out a sigh, attempting to fix his hair. "That was fun." He said in a monotone voice. It had been an interesting track.  After leaving their seats and returning to the production crew, Andrew put the bag he left behind over his shoulders again. Hair stylists were also approaching them - one for him and one for Caspian - to help neaten their appearance. Despite the assistance, Andrew automatically went over to his husband to help his stylist. Well, more-so, take over. He nicely asked to borrow her hair brush, then gently used it on the raven hair. "Do you like having your hair brushed?" He genuinely asked.  He wasn't a stylist himself, but he liked brushing other people's hair or combing through it, especially if it was well-taken care of. 

[3ruri]

Caspian didn't really have the time to mull over Andrew's responses or worry about the leg space. He stretched his legs as far as he could and held on as the roller coaster started moving. He heard mumbling from beside him and wondered if Andrew was having a bad time. He wanted to reach over and grab his husband's hand to offer some kind of support, but the drop was too abrupt that Caspian reflexively grabbed onto the harness. Andrew didn't make much sound after that the same could be said about him. Their supporters on the other hand sounded like they were having fun behind them, screaming and shouting the whole length of the ride. At least someone was having fun.

"You okay?" Caspian asked when he heard Andrew mumbled again. But soon enough they were joined by the crew members and the stylist pulled them to the side. Surprisingly Andrew took over brushing his hair and the stylist just let him. One camera was rolling to get behind the scenes footage, so he guessed it didn't matter whether it was on screen or behind the screen, they would be using any scenes to their advantage. Since there was no place to sit, Caspian lowered himself so Andrew could reach him better. "I don't mind if it was you," he gave a true answer. The first they they were shooting the wedding scene, Caspian almost hurt some of the people who tried to wrestle him into the tuxedo. As much as he didn't like wearing it, he hated having those people touching him more. He won't let them put make up on him as well. If he looked pale on screen, so be it. The show is about his life as a superhero anyway, not about his skin care routine. "Do you think I should cut my hair shorter?" He asked suddenly. Since Andrew was brushing his wind-blown hair, it sounded like the right thing to ask. Caspian's hair was a bit on the longer side, but it wasn't enough to be called shaggy. He had thick black hair, and he used a little bit of hair product to keep them in place. Not much that it made them stiff and waxy, but just the right amount to keep them from poking his eyes. 

While they were taking their time, Samantha approached them and handed the clue for their next task. "You two were chasing after each other that you forgot this," she said, handing over the picture of the place they needed to go next. "The guy at the gate was waiting to hand it over but the two of you just took off."

"Your stylists were fussing over us, besides you did just fine giving it to us, there isn't a problem in the end, is there?" Caspian shrugged. Samantha didn't look please, but the professor wasn't going to redo the take for a small issue. "So, what is it that we have to do next?" he asked without looking at the picture, feeling content in his current position as Andrew worked on his hair.

"Well, take a look at it and get moving. We have something big planned for the end." With that piece of information, Samantha left. Caspian looked at his husband, feeling slightly alarmed. Although Caspian do admire the host for thinking about the concept of the shows, her plans sometimes were a little extreme. 

"I hope she wasn't going to use children again," he shared his concern with the brunette who was still brushing his hair. Caspian felt a little like a horse that Andrew was brushing after a ride. The amusement park had so many children around and Caspian saw some of them wearing the show's merchandise. He wasn't looking forward to get them involved in the show unless it was for a good cause. When the older man turned the picture around, there was a shooting game booth printed on it. He showed it to Andrew and said, "I guess we're going shooting."

 

[YellowMelon]

Be it that Caspian was trying to be flirty to impress his fans or genuinely meant what he said, Andrew appreciated the sentiment. It made him feel special. The brunette briefly stopped his hand movement when the professor mentioned cutting his hair or floated the possibility of it by his question. "No, I like it the way it is." He wouldn't have minded if it was a little longer, but he didn't want it shorter. However, it would really be up to Caspian to make that decision if he was seriously considering a haircut. Andrew returned to brushing the locks when Samantha approached them. Like Caspian, he didn't see what the problem was by not receiving the picture directly from the roller coaster operator, but if the production crew wanted the show to go a certain way then next time they would have to remember to linger before leaving. "Oh, something big?" Andrew questioned with a hint of excitement in his voice after the host disappeared. Based on the history of their past activities though, that "something big" may only be good for the show.

"I don't think she will." Andrew offered his thoughts on the matter. "What could be big and involve children?" He passed off his brush to the nearby stylish and finished grooming Caspian by combing his fingers through the black hair, ensuring there were no tangles. "Unless it’s a baby shower or a child’s birthday party we’re attending, I think you'll be okay for the rest of the day." He let out a chuckle at the thought of it. That seemed like an event for another day, but not when they were at an amusement park. "Shooting?" Andrew glanced at the picture the superhero showed him. “This show is making us do too much work.” He complained under his breath so only his companion could hear him. How skilled did Samantha think they were? First, they had to bake, then they had to be models, and now they were supposed to be talented at shooting. Maybe Caspian was, but certainly not him. 

“Give me a few more seconds and we can get going.” The brunette noted, tucking loose strands of hair behind Caspian’s ears. "Perfect." He briefly admired his work before they headed to the shooting booth. Samantha was already at the stand, waiting to give direction. Given the set-up of the booth, it was evident of how they would be playing the game. There were three pyramids of ten tins cans and two toy guns tethered by a rope to the booth counter. One gun was between the first and second pyramid while the second gun was between the second and third pyramid. Instead of shooting foam or plastic bullets, the gun shot golf ball-sized balls. The game owner directed Andrew and Caspian where to stand as if it wasn't obvious, with the booth made for only two players, that each of them should be positioned in front of a toy gun.

"Here's your goal," Samantha began, "Shoot down ten cans in total. It doesn't matter how many each of you shoot. You only need to take down ten as a couple." She paused to make sure both of the men understand. It was a simple game. "You may begin." She said loudly so the crowd could hear. 

A simple game. Not really when the rope tied to the toy guns was a foot in length and the shelf the tin cans were on was at a higher level. The shelf wasn't so high to make the game impossible, but players were forced to angle their gun upward if they wanted to hit cans beyond the bottom row. All they really had to do was aim, shoot, and hope for the best. At least that was what Andrew thought. Was there a strategy to winning this game? They weren't required to shoot down all the tin cans. Only ten. That shouldn't be too difficult, unless the game was rigged in some way. Only the game booth owner knew the tin cans weren't completely empty. They could be hit, the balls would come out full force, but one shot wouldn't be enough to knock down even the top can. 

"Do we have a time limit?" Andrew questioned the host.

"No. You won't suffer any penalties for this game." 

[3ruri]

Caspian relished in Andrew's little touches. He wasn't going to stop him if he wanted to be a little touchy-feely. To Andrew it might not mean anything other than him just helping Caspian with his hair, and so should the older man. He prefer to entrust the brunette with his hair rather than leaving it to a stylist, although with Andrew's penchant for teasing, he might be bald when he woke up the next day, who knew. It wasn't so hard to maintain his hair. He went for a trim once a month and that was that. He preferred using organic products rather than those containing chemicals, so his hair wasn't damaged. Dark hairs were thicker than lighter ones, so Caspian had always had a nest of thick hair. 

Once his husband was satisfied with the way he looked, they moved to the next location indicated by the picture. Samantha was there explaining the next task but just as Caspian guessed, there was nothing special to it rather than shooting down all the cans. He concluded that it was Samantha's plan to attract younger group of girls to watch the show by watching this gimmick. Young girls, even those in his seminar thought guys who would win a carnival game was cool, especially if they won something like a big teddy-bear to bring home. Thankfully this was a joint-task with Andrew, so either way, it would be appealing to a group of younger girls, no doubt about it. "The last time I went shooting, I killed a bunch of guys over a loot," said Caspian nonchalantly as he picked up the toy gun. He turned to Andrew to watch his face and grinned. "Playing Call of Duty with Cameron when he got his new game consoles. He sucked at puzzles so he thought he'd beat me in actions games, but big brother always take the lead." The wink that came his comment was a little flirty, but he didn't think Andrew would mind. 

As expected, carnival games were always rigged, but obviously there were ways to defeat it somehow. Caspian shot once to test his theory and it seemed like working, so he stopped Andrew to talk about the strategy. "I don't know whether the ones on the bottom were nailed on the surface or not, but we only have to knock down ten. So this is what we'll do. Ignore the ones at the bottom. Aim for the second line. A few hits and the whole row ill fall, the top will go as well. Which means we'll have more than enough to complete the challenge." As someone who studied stones - minerals, it was basic knowledge to him that even water could change the surface of a rock. That applied to their situation as well. The cans might budge little by little, but once they hit it with constant force, it will fall down eventually. 

"Here we go," Caspian picked up his toy gun once again and started hitting the second line of the pyramid with three cans. From afar, it looked like they didn't budge, but Caspian noticed a little shake so he continued shooting the same area. On his fourth ball, the third row from the bottom with two cans shook and Caspian took the chance and quickly fired another shot which sent the upper two rows tumbling down, at the same time shaking the row below them. "That's three." The 'we need seven more' is left unsaid."

[YellowMelon]

Because Doctor Stone was a superhero whom children admired, he hadn't considered the possibility of Caspian partaking in nefarious activity, like killing and looting. An expression of shock washed over McCain's face until his husband revealed he was referring to a video game. Andrew assumed he made the reveal dramatic so he could brag about his upper hand in said game against Cameron. He really wasn't the type to laugh at such jokes, but he was relieved to know it had only been an attempt at humor. Now, he could focus on their task at hand without having to worry if Caspian was secretly the show’s antagonist. The advice given to him next by the experienced player was straightforward and logical. It was a better strategy than what Andrew planned and, watching Caspian already shoot down three cans, seemed easy enough. 

Andrew aimed for the second line as Caspian directed. Although his aim was initially off, he managed to knock down the top two rows on his eighth shot. Now they only had four more cans to go. With one of the three pyramids untouched, Andrew took the opportunity to knock down its top can using three balls before pausing. Three left. Since Samantha didn’t require them to each shoot down a certain number of tin cans, that meant either of them could stop when they wanted to and leave the rest to their partner, so that’s what the younger man decided to do. It’s not that he didn’t enjoy playing the game, but he thought Caspian could show off again since he had bragged about his skill earlier. In total, Andrew had used eleven balls and the gun had been packed with twelve. He emptied the last ball by shooting it at Caspian’s shoulder. Fortunately, it had actually hit his shoulder and not his face. 

“Hey, the sign says no hitting other players!” The booth owner yelled from behind him, causing Andrew to slightly jump. Sure enough, on the wall of the booth, behind the shelf of tin cans, was a poster with the rules, all written in capital letters. First rule: 1. DON’T SHOOT OTHER PLAYERS. Well, Samantha also said they would suffer no penalties, so the most the owner could do was call him out. Andrew rested the plastic gun on the counter, then stepped in front of his husband and forced Caspian to put his left arm around his shoulders as he hugged the older man by wrapping both of his arms around his waist. To their audience, it was meant to look like a lovey-dovey gesture, but Andrew was pushing himself against the superhero, and, if he didn’t want them to topple over, Caspian had to keep himself firm on the ground. 

“I shot four cans with eleven balls.” He told his husband plainly, in case he hadn’t witnessed the act. “You should knock down the three we have left with less balls.” He looked at the toy gun Caspian held, which had six left. “Since you’re a pro against your brother in the shooting game you mentioned, this should be easy, right?” He smiled at the taller individual whilst still pushing against him. “If you can’t do that, then I’ll have to punish you.” He said firmly. Yes, the brunette was aware they weren't competing, but why not make the carnival game a little more interesting?

[3ruri]

Caspian raised a brow at Andrew's challenge. He was being all friendly with his husband which is not a bad thing, but a little out of character. It didn't take much for Caspian to take Andrew's weight as he leaned against the taller man, but it made it a little difficult for him to use both hands to shoot the target. "I'm going to shoot three cans in five balls or less," Caspian was sure of his deductions. "Pick a toy and I'll win it for you," he grinned and nodded his head at the booth keeper. Andrew said he needed a reason to give him a present, so since the booth keeper was being a little noisy about Andrew breaking the booth rule, Caspian thought he'd win something as a payback. 

Holding the toy gun with one hand was a little difficult and Caspian's first shot was slightly amiss. Still, the can at the second row jarred a little, just not as much. Caspian knew he could just aim at the two cans above the second row, but there was a chance that he could miss that as well, so he decided to aim big. His second shot was much better and one of the cans in that were in threes moved backward. he aimed another shot at the same spot and another and the one next to it. The continuous impact did the job as the cans in the top two rows fell down a well as one more from the one below, making their total eleven. There were cheering from the crowd around them as they completed the task. Caspian signaled the booth keeper over and he handed them a mess tin wrapped in a plastic. This was the next item from the game. Before the guy could leave, Caspian stopped him. "We got eleven cans, don't we get a prize?" he asked.

"The normal rule says you have to knock all then cans from the same pyramid. This don't count," says the other man.

"Look buddy," Caspian leaned forward and whispered at the guy. "I've been knocking your cans over and over and the bottom row didn't budge one bit. I bet if it isn't nailed down, there's something heavy inside that made it non-moving. Although I don't like the way you conduct your business, I know this is the age-old trick and I'm not gonna call you out in the middle of shooting a television show. I have two more balls and if I knock those two that left, can we call it a deal?" 

Reluctantly, the booth keeper agreed. Better to loose one prize than having the mob of people around storming down his booth and demanding for a refund. Caspian took another aim at the two cans that was left from the second row that had already budged from his earlier shots, so as he predicted, the two balls he had left each knocked the cans off. He turned to Andrew and smiled, "Take your pick."

 

[YellowMelon]

If Andrew had thought about it, he should have foresaw Caspian winning the challenge he gave him. Previously, his husband had shot down three cans using six balls whereas he had to use eight balls to perform the same move. Still, the brunette was surprised that the professor could shoot one-handed and have extra balls to spare after winning them their next item. Andrew placed the mess tin in their bag while he listened to Caspian bicker with the booth owner. Although he remained silent on the issue, he didn’t understand why the normal rules would apply to them now when they hadn’t been told to adhere to them before. Maybe that was something they were supposed to assume since Caspian wanted to win him a prize unrelated to the reality show. Truth be told, Andrew didn’t want a carnival prize. He was content with playing the game and watching his partner play without winning anything. The brunette remained attached to the older man as he shot at the tin cans again using his last two balls. It was an impressive feat, but the crowd was more excited than Andrew.

“I’ll just pick you.” He said with a sigh, not bothering to look at the wall of prizes he could choose from. Most of the prize options were stuffed animals anyway, and they would be of no interest to him. Andrew slightly squeezed Caspian harder around the waist and leaned his body more against the other, as though he was adamant in wanting to push him down. Of course, that wasn’t the case. It was a nonverbal gesture of appreciation with Andrew pleased that his husband enjoyed the game. Already, Caspian appeared happier here than when they were at the neighborhood park. Andrew could only guess why that may be, but he assumed it was because nothing unpredictable had happened to him yet. Well, the roller coaster ride was a surprise but it hadn’t gotten the superhero wet. Another reason could be that Caspian actually reveled in the attention from his fans. Perhaps, he liked showing off when he wasn’t Doctor Stone. Whatever the reason, Andrew wanted to keep Caspian in a happy mood, and the man had yet to push away his physical affection, if his actions could be called affectionate.

“Okay, you two lovebirds,” Samantha snapped her fingers to draw everyone’s attention on her, “Let’s get going.” She motioned for the crew and crowd to follow her. Next up was the merry-go-round. Once at the ride, the host made the surprise announcement: “Who wants to ride with Doctor Stone?” Eyes scanned the crowd for an appropriately aged child before picking a 12-year-old girl. “You can sit here,” Samantha led the preteen to a chariot with a narrow seating, “Come here, Doctor Stone!” She called over to the superhero while the production crew allowed other young members of the crowd to fill the ride. Instead of the traditional wooden horses, the merry-go-round had a variety of zoo animals. Andrew, personally, chose an alligator that was positioned behind the chariot his husband was supposed to sit on. At the level the alligator was, Andrew could sit on the reptile while keeping his feet on the ground, which was temporary until the ride would start to move. 

[3ruri]

Caspian but a little bot of his strength to support Andrew’s weight. He wondered why the younger guy was sticking to him like Gorilla Glue, but it wasn’t unwelcomed. “I still want to get something for us,” he said adamantly. Maybe he was in a winning mode, so he wanted the prize from the booth regardless. It wasn’t showing off ; he just wanted to enjoy the moment.

Samantha came and told them it was time to move to the merry go round. Andrew said he didn’t want anything from the booth, but Caspian spotted a big bunny plush with an eye patch and it reminded him of Andrew when he was grumpy. He pointed quickly for the booth keeper to get it for him before he rushed to the next ride.

Samantha had involved a child – again – much to Caspian’s distaste, but he was willing to go along with it as long as she wasn’t going to manipulate the kid for the show. He took a seat next to his young fan but turned around to see Andrew taking a separate seat. “Why are you sitting so far away?” Caspian asked loud enough for his husband to hear. But the ride was filled with kids and the alarm indicated that it was going to start moving. Caspian turned back to the front as they started going around like the name suggested, except, he wasn’t feeling that merry.

[YellowMelon]

Andrew raised an eyebrow at his husband’s odd question. It was odd because he was as close to the superhero as he could get without sitting with him, which the carriage wouldn’t have allowed. The bench was so narrow that, if he were to join Caspian and the younger fan, he would have to sit on them or have the girl sit on him, and then be pressed tightly against Caspian. Neither of those positions were appealing, and he didn’t think Caspian would appreciate the overcrowding either. If Doctor Stone had been seated with a toddler, he wouldn’t have minded holding the child, but a preteen wasn’t as cute. As the carousel rotated, and his alligator went up and down on its pole, Andrew felt silly. Two adult men on a merry-go-round filled with much younger riders probably looked foolish. After going through one rotation, Andrew hopped off his alligator, approached the back of the carriage, and held onto the wooden structure.

“Have you gone on a carousel before?” He asked the preteen as he placed a hand on Caspian’s shoulder. 

“No,” the girl replied nervously, avoiding eye contact with both men as she stared at her feet, “I haven’t.”

“Well, as you can probably tell, I haven’t been on one in a long time.” He emphasized the “long,” causing the fan to look at him to personally gauge his age. “But it’s more fun when you’re on a mount that moves.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, that’s the whole point of riding on a merry-go-round. So, let’s move you.” Andrew didn’t mean to sound demanding, but his tone of voice wasn't making a suggestion. He wouldn’t have forcefully moved the girl if she didn’t want to switch seats., but, hopefully, he made a convincing argument for her to consider it. 

“If I move, won’t Doctor Stone be lonely?”

“Nope.” He was quick to reply, knowing he would take her place. Despite being a fan, it seemed like the preteen hadn’t caught up on the news of the superhero taking on a husband, or she didn’t care. “He’ll be fine.”

“Ok." With Andrew's help, the young girl was transferred from the carriage to the alligator he had been on prior. She was already having a much better time on the moving mount. 

Before sitting next to Caspian, the brunette eyed the small available spacing. His previous prediction had been correct and they would certainly be squished together unless he sat sideways so he could rest his legs over his husband. Alternatively, he could sit directly on his lap, but he wasn't sure if the superhero would appreciate that. Andrew stepped onto the platform and positioned himself directly in front of Caspian as though he would do the latter, but, instead, directed the man to move closer to one side so he could take the other. He then swung his legs across the older man's lap and, consequently, had them hanging over the side of the carriage. It was still a tight squeeze on the bench, and he could have better positioned himself to not invade Caspian’s personal space, but it worked. A carousel ride only lasted for about two to three minutes anyway, but, for filming purposes, Samantha would keep them going until she was satisfied. 

“Should I be excited that I get to sit with Doctor Stone on a merry-go-round?” Andrew jokingly questioned, staring at the raven-haired man. He wondered what the appeal was in having a fan ride with the superhero, especially since being stuck with a stranger on a ride which went in circles didn’t sound like much fun for both parties involved. It would have looked better if the preteen was more excited, although a problem might have arisen with Caspian if she had been drooling over him. Now, instead of a preteen, he got his husband. “Or did Doctor Stone like taking a break from his spouse?” While the second question was asked in a more curious manner, Andrew didn't mean harm by it. 

[3ruri]

For the second round, Andrew made the girl find another ride and he took a sit with Caspian. It was proven to be difficult with two men with considerably long legs since the ride was made for smaller people, but they made do with it. Once Andrew settled down, Caspian passed the pirate bunny that he got from the booth and handed it to his husband to hold. "That bunny makes me think of you," he said and grinned. he wondered how Andrew was going to interpret that but it was fine since he had no malice behind the comment. He half-expected his spouse to give it away to some kid later, though, since he had mentioned he didn't want any. 

"I don't know why Samantha chose this ride, but it's not bad meeting with my younger fans. I don't think I'm the best role model for them, but I could be worse." he admitted. Some kids wanted to be a pop singer or actor, but Caspian, despite of being a superhero, was an academician, so if kids chose to look up to him, that wouldn't be so bad. Not that he was encouraging them. Being respected and being idolized are two different things and he preferred the former rather than the later. "I prefer you sticking to me like before. It was hot, as in, the weather and you being that close, but I don't want to lose you in the crowd." He admitted. It wasn't like it was difficult to locate Andrew, but he didn't want to be on his own in this little Adventure. Come to think of it, Caspian noticed that he was having fun doing all the tasks with Andrew around. The thought of doing it alone was so tedious.

Once the ride was over, Samantha called them to gather in front of the Merry Go Round. "It's picture time!" Samantha called and all the kids that took the ride with them gathered around Caspian and Andrew. The superhero quickly put his arms around his husband's waist, not wanting him to run away as the kids crowded them to make it into the photo. "On the count of three, say 'Doctor Stone's Adventure'!" Samantha instructed them.

"Dr. Stone's Adventure!"

The photographer took a few shots and Samantha told them they're good to go. Once the little mobs cleared, the blonde host approached the couple and handed them their next clue. It was another game booth with colorful balloons. "I will explain the rules at the booth. In the meantime, you can take a break and have some refreshments. Make up will get to you before we start again. Be there in fifteen minutes." The woman instructed them. 

Caspian was thankful that they could take a break. He could use some water. "Do you see any vending machines or food stalls around?" he asked Andrew. There were always people around him so the older male didn't get to see what stalls there are around the area. They hadn't had lunch too so maybe a little snack and some drinks would help energize them a little under the heat and so many people milling around. Caspian was not so used to spending such long time with too many people surrounding him.