Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Do you think we could go through it again?” Caitlin asked as they exited the haunted corn maze. It wasn’t all that scary, seeing as it was pirate themed and meant for children, but it was fun getting lost in it as the sun started to set.

“We could always ask!” Chris replied as he wiped stray pieces of corn stalks off of his Sharks sweatshirt. 

Cait gave him a smile and a peck on his cheek. “Let’s wait until it’s completely dark. That’ll make it more fun!”

“That’s fine with me.” They were visiting a local farm hosting a Halloweekends event right before the holiday. When they arrived, they took a hayride from the parking lot to the back area, where they had to go through a corn maze to reach the rest of the offerings. 

Cait grabbed his hand and led him towards the craft and activities area. “C’mon, let’s see what else they have!” 

He dutifully followed his girlfriend, keeping their hands interlocked as they navigated around other groups along the path. At the first white tent, they stopped and peered through a vinyl window. A techno beat was blasting, but it appeared completely dark. That is, until someone apparently turned around on stage. Suddenly, there were five glow stick people dancing. He gave Cait’s hand a squeeze. “Do you want to go in and see the show?”

She shook her head. “I think it would be too loud. I didn’t bring any earplugs. It’s cool to watch them though.” They stood side by side and watched the performance for a few more minutes before heading back down the path.

The next big tent was filled with families and various farm animals. “I want to see the goats!” Cait insisted as soon as she saw the animals. They weaved their way around the sheep, donkeys, and mini horses, who were by and far the most popular animal with the kids, towards the billy goats. She knelt in front of their enclosure, and right away, a grey and white goat came right up to her. Chris pulled out his phone and took a few photos as his girlfriend scratched underneath the goat’s chin and petted the top of its head.

“Chris! Look at how much he loves me!”

“He’s trying to eat a button off of your coat.”

“That’s how he shows affection. Are you sure we can’t smuggle him out underneath your hoodie?”

“I don’t think your teammates in the volleyball house would appreciate an animal that is known to eat anything.”

Cait pouted (and boy did she look cute when she did) but nodded in agreement. “I suppose you’re right.” She stood up and brushed off the hay that clung to her jeans. “This is only goodbye for now,” she insisted, patting the goat on the head. Leaning in closer, she whispered, “I promise I’ll come back for you later.”

Turning towards Chris, she pointed ahead of them. “OMG, they have bunnies!”

They headed towards the rabbit enclosure. Chris always had a soft spot for them, as he had a pet rabbit named Wally when he was a child. He fondly remembered following him as he hopped across the backyard and petting him between his jet black ears. 

The rabbits in the enclosure were done with human interaction for the day. The whole group of them were huddled together in a single mass far enough away from where any fingers could potentially reach them. That didn’t stop him from half-heartedly trying to get one of them to come over to him. However, he gave up after a few minutes and settled for posing in front of them for a few photos, which Cait enthusiastically took.

After sanitizing their hands, they left the animals for the next tent, which appeared to be family oriented. There were tons of booths set up inside, and each had some different activity. Some, like the leaf rubbing station, were free while others, such as the pumpkin decorating and face paint, cost money. They walked around the tent hand and hand, waiting for something to catch their eye, but nothing did. Well, Cait did want to get her face painted, but the line was long and the clown creating balloon animals next door who kept on popping the materials made her realize it wasn’t worth the wait. Chris made a mental note to text Lardo and see if she would be willing to paint his girlfriend’s face the next time she visited Samwell. 

And so, they moved onto the next tent, which was the food court. There were tables lining the entire inside. “Do you want anything to eat?” Chris asked as they passed the entrance

“Maybe some fries? I’d rather have something warm to drink, like hot chocolate or hot apple cider.” She replied as they rounded the path towards the back, where various food trucks were located. 

There was a food truck selling fries, along with burgers and corn dogs. Another one sold pizza. A third was a coffee shop, and they had a few specials written on the chalkboard on the side of their truck. The final one was some sort of sweet shop. In addition to them, two tents were set up. One was from the farm and had fresh apple cider along with the last of the squash harvest. Chris knew if Bitty were here he’d be buying a whole tote full. The other tent smelled heavenly, as they were making fresh kettle corn. 

“Oh wow! I haven’t had kettle corn in years,” he said as the worker began to furiously stir the kernels he poured into the pot. 

“Do you want some? You don’t have braces anymore.”

He shook his head. “Nah, I was never a big fan of popcorn, even before I got braces. Unless you want some. Then I don’t mind.”

“I prefer savory popcorn over sweet.” She let out a small chuckle. “If this were fresh cheddar popcorn, I would already be eating a bag of it.”

They walked away from the small tents and back towards the collection of food trucks. “So, do you know what you want?” Chris asked as they approached the lines.

“A hot chocolate and some fries.” Cait stopped and stared at the long lines. “It might be quicker if we split up.”

“I can get us hot chocolates if you want to get fries.”

“Great! And whoever makes it to the food tent first should text where they’re sitting so the other one can find them.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Chris leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on his girlfriend’s lips. “I’ll see you soon.” They split off to their separate lines.  

The line for Java Joe’s moved quicker than he expected it to, based on the amount of customers. He had barely caught up with the SMH group chat when it was his turn to order. Chris tucked his phone into his hoodie pocket before stepping up to the counter. “Hi, can I please have two medium hot chocolates with whipped cream?”

“Yes, you can. Is that all?” the cashier asked.

“Yep, it is!”

“Can I have a name for the order?”

“Chris.”

“Your total is $8.00.” 

He pulled out his wallet and handed her a $10 bill. “You can keep the change.”

“Thanks!” she said as she placed the extra $2.00 into the tip jar. “Your order will be ready right over there.” She pointed towards the front of the truck where there was a small window and a couple of people milling about.

Chris joined the group over there and waited a few minutes for his name to be called. When it was, he sent off a text he composed to Cait. Heading towards the food tent now. And made his way over to the tent full of tables. 

With a drink in each hand, he was unable to check for any updates on his girlfriend’s end until he found a table. He didn’t feel his phone buzz in his pocket, but he did immediately pull it out once he was seated. There were still no new messages. He quickly sent her another update. Sitting on left of where you come in. Three rows down, two tables in. He played a few levels of Candy Crush while he waited.

He looked up when he heard a thunk on the table. Cait was taking a seat across from him, holding a cup of crinkle cut fries in her hands. And on the table was a caramel apple. “What’s this?” he asked, gesturing at the apple.

“A caramel apple,” she replied after she swallowed the fry she was chewing. “Your comment about the kettle corn made me realize you’ve probably haven’t had one of these,” she nodded at the fruit in between them, “in years. I thought I would remedy that by sharing it with you.”

“Aww, you didn’t have to, sweetie.”

“But I wanted to, especially since I don’t plan on sharing my fries with you.”

Chris let out a gasp. “Not even one?”

She pondered for a moment. “Maybe… in exchange for some hot cocoa.”

He immediately handed one of the drinks over to her, and she paid him with two whole fries.

“Is the hot chocolate any good?”

“I don’t know. I was waiting for you before trying it.” He picked up his own cup and took a sip. The richness of the chocolate was almost overpowering, and it reminded him of when Bitty made hot chocolate in the crock pot last year. “I think it’s good. What about you?”

“It definitely beats good old Swiss Miss,” Cait said in agreement. 

“Can I have another fry? I want to do an experiment.”

“What do you want to do?” she asked as she handed him another fry.

“You know how good fries taste in a Frosty because the sweetness of the chocolate contrasts with the saltiness of the fries? Well, I want to see if the same is true with fries and hot chocolate.” He gently pried the lid off of this hot chocolate cup, and set it on the stack of napkins Cait brought with her to the table. He then dipped the fry into the hot chocolate, swirling it around for a few seconds before pulling it out and popping it in his mouth. The flavor contrast was there, but the fry was way too soggy. 

He said as much to his girlfriend. “I think the temperature has something to do with it, as the fry was very mushy.”

She gave him a pat on the arm. “That’s okay. At least we now know. We thank your taste buds for their sacrifice in the pursuit of knowledge.”

“Can I have another fry? As a palette cleanser?”

Cait wordlessly held the cup out to him, and he pulled one out at random. After swallowing it, he declared, “I’m going to try the caramel apple.” He grabbed the stick and dragged it near him. He undid the twist tie and removed the cellophane wrapping. He picked it up and studied it. “Are they usually this big?” He thought it was half the size of his face.

“Homemade ones, not really. Ones from fancy places like this, most definitely.”

Chris picked it up and took a bite. The sweetness of the caramel immediately helped counteract the inherent sourness of the granny smith apple. He set the apple back down as he chewed, and he noticed how there were a few strands of caramel, as if it didn’t want to let go. He enjoyed the apple, but it was gone too soon. The caramel, despite being less of it, lingered in his mouth, the sweetness leaving a tacky coating over his teeth, his tongue, and even his lips. He went in for another bite to try and refresh his mouth, and the process repeated itself.

“Is it how you remembered as a child?” Cait asked, grin on her lips.

“It tastes much sweeter than I remember. Here, have a bite.” He handed the apple to her.

“That’s because it’s trying to compete with you.” She took a bite.

“And who’s sweeter?”

Cait gave him a brilliant smile. “You, of course.”