Love Wins

by David C. Dawson

  “It is a bit more like standing on the face of the sun than anticipated,” Rhys agreed. Then he leaned in close, whispering. “Do you want to go? No one would care.”

  Aaron shook his head. “I’m having fun.”

  “We’ve only been on the Jack Rabbit. Isn’t it time to go on a bigger and better coaster?” Corrine asked, taking Aaron’s order from the girl at the Potato Patch for him. Kevin picked up his and hers, following her to a table.

  “And you suggest this just as we’re about to eat?” Rhys snagged napkins and his own order.

  “What? You want to wait an hour?” Bryn asked.

  “That’s for going swimming,” Bran added.

  Rhys wrinkled his nose at his identical twins, who were pretending to be his brothers. Corrine and Kevin weren’t in on the fact Bryn and Bran were Tylwyth Teg and centuries old. The magic they used to appear human retained their resemblance to Rhys. Aaron wondered if Bryn and Bran ever chose to use that magic to appear different from one another. Truthfully, it was easier for Aaron in some ways to think of them as brothers instead of sons. He didn’t begrudge Rhys his family—the opposite, really. He had even become accustomed to the odd relationship he found himself in with the prince of the Teg and the whole magical side of Rhys’s life. It was harder to wrap his mind around the fact that Pittsburgh hadn’t even existed when Rhys was born. Even the twins were slightly older than the city, and when he thought about it, it freaked him out.

  “It goes for crazy rides too,” Rhys insisted, squirming on the hard bench.

  Aaron rolled his eyes, still stunned by Rhys’s lack of adrenaline seeking. “We’re riding something more than the Whip and the merry-go-round,” he said, tracking his french fry through the generous helping of gravy on them. Was there any better way to eat fries other than with brown gravy? He didn’t think so, though Rhys’s malt-vinegar-smothered ones were a close second.

  Rhys sighed, snagging one of Aaron’s fries. “The twins set me up, didn’t they?”

  “Not us. Aaron was the one,” Bryn said.

  “Who texted us,” Bran finished. “He wants to hear you.”

  “Scream like a child.”

  “Do they do this all the time?” Kevin looked from one twin to the other.

  “Always. There’s only one brain between them,” Rhys grumbled, giving them a death glare. They made an obscene gesture in unison. Aaron snickered. “You texted them so you’d have something to laugh about, didn’t you?” Rhys nudged Aaron.

  “Yes, naturally.”

  “I’ll forgive you for that. Keeping your spirits up is what this is all about.”

  “And the twins make me laugh.”

  “I’ll leave you to contemplate why.” Rhys filched another of Aaron’s fries, so Aaron took one of Rhys’s vinegar-permeated ones. The coaster next to the Potato Patch roared along, clacking on its metal track. Much of the crowd looked up involuntarily at it. Aaron wondered how long the line would be for that one. The park was unsurprisingly packed.

  “But you are feeling good, aren’t you?” Corrine asked, as if afraid of the answer.

  Aaron nodded. “Not perfect, but I’m okay. I’m very glad to spend this day with all of you, if that’s not maudlin.”

  “Borderline,” Corrine replied. “But that’s okay. So, where to after lunch?”

  “Somewhere mild unless you plan on wearing this after its return visit.” Rhys stabbed a fry at her.

  “Gross. Okay, Log Jammer or something like that.” Corrine eyed him. “I’d say Noah’s Ark, but Aaron probably won’t like that.”

  “My balance isn’t the best on a good day. That place has always freaked me out.” Aaron had loved the walk through the attraction with its shaking floors and spinning walls, but his injured leg and skewed balance would make traversing it slow now.

  “And once lunch settles, we’ll do the Racer, because we need to do that and work our way up to the Black Widow and the Exterminator, unless pretty boy chickens out.” Corrine popped the last of her fries into her mouth. “Maybe we should take him on the Kangaroo with the rest of the kids.”

  Rhys glared. “I’m not chickening out!”

  The twins snickered, and Aaron assumed that meant they were siding with Corrine. He appreciated Rhys trying to enjoy the park, even if he couldn’t quite grasp how someone with so much magic could possibly fear riding a roller coaster.

  “I know you won’t,” Aaron reassured him.

  They finished up lunch and headed across the hilly park to the Log Jammer. Bryn and Bran pulled Aaron aside as they joined the long line.

  “If he screams on the scary rides,” Bran said.

  “Be sure to buy those pictures they sell you of the ride,” Bryn finished.

  Aaron snorted. “Evil.”

  He didn’t promise to do so, but he’d consider it. It wouldn’t be right to mercilessly torment Rhys, after all. He might tease the man he loved, but Aaron didn’t want to embarrass him. He slid back into place next to Rhys, who gave him a curious look.

  “What evil are they planning now?”

  “Taking bets on how loud you’ll scream on the coasters,” Aaron half lied. The twins had said that earlier on. He shut his eyes against the heat of the sun as it tore at the crowds. As much as he liked riding, Aaron had no patience for lines, and after being in the Middle East, he had lost all taste for being hot.

  “Sounds like them.” Rhys stroked Aaron’s back. “You look flushed. You okay?”

  “I’m beginning to think if I keep hearing that I’m going to scream.” Aaron smiled faintly to take the sting out of the words. “I don’t like the heat.”

  “Yes, I know. At least the line’s moving pretty quickly,” Rhys replied.

  Aaron nodded and tried to put on a happier face. He didn’t want them to think their attempt to bolster his spirits was failing miserably, because it wasn’t. He was having fun, and Rhys was right, the line was moving. There were trees around the ride to give it that “forest” look to fit in with its theme, but they didn’t cast nearly enough shade on the ride’s line. It didn’t take long before they were at the head of the line, thankfully.

  Aaron climbed in the front of the Log Jammer car, unable to keep a puddle on the seat from leaking into his shorts. Rhys got into the hollowed-out “log” behind him and wrapped his arms around Aaron’s waist. He brushed a light kiss against Aaron’s sweating neck.

  “Mmm, salty.”

  “Now I see why Bryn and Bran didn’t want to share your log.” Corrine tugged Rhys’s braid gently as she slid in behind him. “But you are nice to hug,” she added as she slid her arms around him.

  “Hey! I’m right here,” Kevin protested, hopping in behind her.

  “You’re cuddly too,” Corrine said.

  “Damn straight,” Kevin replied, and Aaron snorted. “I heard that.”

  Aaron waved at him and then at Bryn and Bran, who walked by to get in the log behind them.

  Their log started with a jerk, making Aaron beam. This was the first “big boy” ride his mother had ever let him go on, once he was tall enough. It was a relatively simple attraction, but for him it brought pure joy every time he rode it. The higher they were hauled up the hill, the broader his smile grew. He had played along with coming to Kennywood to appease everyone who only had his best interests in mind. He hadn’t really expected his spirits to lift, but this might have been the best idea. It was hard to forget the gloom in his head, but splashing down the hill with Rhys’s hands on his waist was a brightness to slay the dark.

  Once the ride ended, Rhys whined, “I sat in a puddle. I’m soaked through to my boxers.”

  “No one wants to know about your gutchies,” Corrine laughed. “But since we’re already wet, it’s a perfect time to go on the Pittsburg Plunge.”

  Aaron agreed, and they did. It was the best ride for a group because they all could go in one raft. Rhys kept a wary eye on the end of the ride as it deluged those standing in the splash zone. As their raft bumped along on
the flat, and knowing the big plunge was coming soon, Aaron looped his arm around Rhys, pulling him in for a kiss.

  “Really, you two!” Bryn bellowed from the row behind them.

  “Cool off,” Bran added.

  “He’s going to any second,” Corrine yelled.

  “Huh?” Rhys asked.

  “Hang on,” Aaron said, and Rhys yelped as the raft tipped over the edge, rocketing down the hill. They all disappeared into a plume of water, drenching them.

  Afterward, as they planned their next stop, the high from the ride plunged faster than the water coaster when Aaron heard a teen say “That’s gross” while looking right at him. He then gave his buddies a smug look.

  “Little fucker,” Rhys hissed, taking a step forward.

  Aaron caught his arm. “Leave it. You too, Corrine.” He pointed his stump at her.

  Her face darkened. “Should kick his balls into orbit.”

  “It’s okay,” Aaron whispered.

  “No, it isn’t.” Rhys slid an arm around him. It was then that Aaron noticed Bryn and Bran were gone.

  Seeing him looking around, Kevin pointed backward. Aaron spotted the twins with the pack of teens, who’d gone white-faced and hunched together. They turned, running away, and Bryn and Bran returned, smiling. Aaron wondered if magic had been involved but decided he didn’t want to know.

  “They’ve learned.”

  “The error of their ways.”

  “You didn’t have to,” Aaron replied, defeat washing over him.

  “They needed.”

  “Better manners.”

  “Thanks,” Aaron mumbled, barely conscious of Rhys’s touch as he took Aaron’s only hand.

  “Do you want to go home, Aaron?” Corrine asked, and Rhys echoed it with a little squeeze.

  He straightened a bit, then squared his shoulders. “No. I’m not going to be bullied by some ignorant brat. I just need a minute.”

  “We need to dry off before we can go on some of the rides anyhow,” Kevin said. “Let’s find someplace to sit in the sun.”

  They found some benches. Rhys bought himself and Aaron a Golden Nugget ice cream cone. Aaron shared the square, chocolate-dipped, double-barreled cone with Rhys in silence, letting his friends’ conversation wash over him. He remembered Rhys talking about how the Golden Nugget was the last of the old dance pavilions that would have been popular in the thirties. Aaron wondered if Rhys had been there dancing then, or if Rhys had been somewhere else in the world. He was never sure how much he should ask about Rhys’s vast past.

  He let Rhys crunch up the last of the cone, having lost his appetite between the kids’ venom and a sudden intense itchiness in his hand. Aaron rubbed his bad arm, wincing.

  “Is it bothering you?” Rhys asked softly.

  “It’s itchy. My damn hand is itching.” Aaron stared down at the stump. “Every time it happens, I can’t get my head wrapped around it. Why is it itchy when it’s not even there? Stupid phantom pains. I just have to take my mind off it.” Aaron knew it was easier said than done, but he refused to take pills for this. He would deal with the pains and itchiness as they came, in his own way.

  “I think we’re dried enough.” Rhys pushed a lock of hair back into his braid. “It’s time to go on the Exterminator.”

  Aaron glanced up, surprised. “You didn’t want to go on that ride.”

  “Chicken,” Bryn muttered.

  “Size of Big Bird,” Bran added.

  “Shut it, you two. You want to ride the Exterminator, Aaron, so we’re riding it,” Rhys said.

  “You don’t have to, Rhys, not if it’s going to make you uncomfortable.”

  “I’ll be fine. Those assholes stole your smile. I’m going to get it back for you.” Rhys rubbed Aaron’s shoulder.

  Aaron’s eyes stung. “You’re the best.”

  “Of course I am.” Rhys beamed, buffing his nails on his chest.

  “Way to ruin the moment,” Corrine snorted.

  “That’s his way.” Aaron stole a kiss from Rhys, who tasted like vanilla ice cream and chocolate dip.

  They meandered through the crowded park to get in line for the dark roller coaster, the Exterminator, ending up behind a couple whose deodorant had failed them. Aaron ignored it as he tried to ignore the pain in his nonexistent hand. Those thoughtless teens had stirred up too much of his body image anxieties. He almost felt like a comedy mask covering up tragedy’s visage. Those kids had hit too close to his heart.

  Searching for something to distract him, Aaron people watched. Both Rhys and Kevin kept peering around, trying to see into the building the dark coaster disappeared through. He half expected Rhys to change his mind every time the screams echoed out of the ride. When they reached the platform, Aaron saw another teen eying his truncated arm while keeping his own arm looped territorially around his girlfriend, as if Aaron might be a threat.

  “You know when they tell you to keep your arms inside the ride?” Aaron raised the arm. “They really mean it.” He smirked as the boy’s eyes flew open wide.

  “You just scarred him for life,” Rhys whispered.

  “Teach him to stare,” Aaron replied as the train pulled up. “Last chance to bail.”

  “No one would let me live it down if I cut and run now.” Rhys frowned, eyeing the emergency exit as if he was considering it.

  “True.”

  They boarded, and Rhys tucked his braid down the back of his shirt. As the safety bars clanked into place—and Rhys balled his fists, breathing hard—Aaron remembered the twins wanted him to get a souvenir photo if Rhys was screaming. But his lover was being so sweet, Aaron couldn’t do that. He reached over and locked fingers with Rhys.

  “I’m going to find it hard to hold on for dear life like this,” Rhys said, gripping his other hand on the safety bar.

  “Try not to break my fingers. They’re the only ones I have.” Aaron laughed, and Rhys harrumphed at him.

  Rhys’s fingers closed convulsively as the ride started. The car was barely moving when Rhys screwed his eyes shut tight. At the top of the first hill, Aaron raised his arm, dragging Rhys’s arm with him. As the coaster plunged, Rhys pulled free, clamping his hands on the safety bar.

  He shrieked as Aaron whooped. The royal prince of fairies sure can scream like a little girl, Aaron thought, almost feeling bad for Rhys. The ride ended all too quickly, and Rhys staggered out onto the platform before extending a hand to help Aaron out of the car. “That was terrifying.”

  “The word you’re looking for is fun,” Aaron countered.

  “Crazy person. I’m in love with a crazy person,” Rhys panted.

  “Again, wrong word choice. You mean thrill seeker.”

  “No, I mean crazy,” Rhys said, trooping down the path out of the ride.

  Aaron stopped, looking up at the monitor, and spotted the snap of him and Rhys, who had opened his eyes at that point, wide like an anime hero, his mouth stretched in a shriek.

  Rhys nudged him. “The brats want you to buy that pic, don’t they?”

  “Yes, but I decided it wouldn’t be nice after you went on the Exterminator for my sake.”

  Rhys pointed up. “Look at you smiling in that picture like you won the lottery.”

  “I kind of did when I got you.” Aaron smiled at Rhys, who blushed.

  “Buy the picture. It is pretty hysterical,” Rhys said.

  “Okay, if you want.”

  They bought the picture. They stayed in the park until dark, hitting all the coasters. Rhys screamed on every one of them. On the way out, Corrine pulled them all to a stop at the Cotton Candy Wagon near the tunnel entrance.

  “It’s not a trip to Kennywood without cotton candy,” she said.

  “Couldn’t agree more,” Aaron replied.

  “Get a couple bags for home,” Rhys said.

  “Why do I get the idea you’ll be eating it off a different sort of stick when you get home tonight?” Corrine wiggled her hips.

  “Oh my God, Corrine! I
can’t believe you.” Aaron flushed.

  “I do. Bet she has the same thing planned for Kevin,” Rhys said, and she waggled her eyebrows.

  “I don’t know you people.” Aaron shook his head, and they laughed.

  Before they could leave the park, Corrine corralled them all into the Kandy Kaleidoscope for pricey sweets. Aaron carried the fresh candy on the stick while Rhys carried the bags filled with cotton candy and a slab of fudge. Rhys fed bits of candy to Aaron as they walked to the cars.

  “Thanks, everyone, for today,” Aaron said, his lips sticky with pink goo. “It made a big difference. I’m lucky to have you.”

  “And we’re happy to help,” Corrine said.

  “We are,” Bryn and Bran said in unison.

  “Because we care,” Rhys added.

  “I know, and it makes all the difference.”

  AFTER KENNYWOOD, Rhys watched Aaron’s mood slide. The next two days were topped by a bad PTSD episode after the fireworks for the Pirates’ win, followed by a screaming night terror. The next day Aaron hadn’t wanted to do much but had consented at least to staying at Rhys’s home instead of his own cramped apartment.

  After a day of binge watching Harry Potter mixed with original Star Trek and Fullmetal Alchemist and lounging on the couch, Aaron said he felt up to going out because he needed the distraction. Rhys put his own plan into action, one that had met with Corrine’s approval when she asked after it.

  Rhys had stealthily packed an overnight bag for them and sneaked it into the car. As far as Aaron knew, his night was ending soon, after a good meal and some nice music on the Gateway Clipper. He and Rhys stood side by side on the deck, watching Pittsburgh’s lights slip past them. The wind ruffled their hair, and Rhys had to admit it felt pretty peaceful.

  “Pittsburgh is pretty at night,” Aaron said. “I’m glad we did this.”

  “Me too. And there’s one more thing I have on the menu tonight,” Rhys said, and Aaron turned to him, eyebrows cocked up.

  “Oh?”

  “You’ll see. It’s a surprise.”

  “You have me curious.”

  “Good.”

  They fell back to watching the scenery, Aaron still quieter than normal. Rhys didn’t push him, understanding Aaron needed his peace. Once they disembarked and were back in the car, Aaron gave Rhys a look when he realized they were heading somewhere other than home.