#csau

It was hot outside.

But not the "Jesus Christ it's way too hot to exist" kind of hot yet, but the kind that's a comfortable warm with a nice cool breeze every now and then. The kind where most couples would play some kind of water games together in their yards or swim together in their pools and just co-exist together happily.

The kind where Vee wasn't shutting herself in the fridge just yet but still inside in a tank top and shorts and refusing to leave the house (leaving Shelly inside with her because the fossil didn't want her to feel abandoned).

The kind of weather Gi would drag her robot wife around in as they looked for the next coolest spot to be together in, and that was what they were doing when-

"Gi! Gi look!"

The two had stopped mid sidewalk, hand in hand, the robot- who was silent and just looking around without a word a second ago- was now pointing up at a sign. "SUMMER FAIR" it read in massive rainbow letters, a sign near their height stating "Children under 6 get in free!" in bold black ones. Both signs hand painted with love. Both toons knowing they'd pass for the free admission age at their size. Gi blinked at the signs, then looked at her wife, who was grinning ear to ear and bouncing in her spot, her simple pastel blue sundress flowing with her excited movements. Gi then looked down at herself, in her light green flannel with a white tank top under it and jean shorts under that too.

They were definitely looking like a weird couple.

They were definitely going to fit in... Probably.

"You want to check this place out? I thought you'd be a bit too shy for such a crowded pla-"

"The games, Gi! They have so many games, it's like an outdoor arcade full of candy and love and joy!" Vivi excitedly cut her off, then paused. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt."

"You are the most precious thing I have ever laid my eyes on, Viv."

"Oh- uhm- haha, thank you, Gi." Vivi very softly replied, getting a soft laugh in return from the gachapon as she gently started leading her to the place she was so excited to see. As they expected, they were let in for free the instant they showed up- but for a completely different reason than they expected. The woman at the ticket booth had actually recognized them both... And now Vivi had a pair of light blue sunglasses on the top of her monitor, which were gifted to her to help her see better despite being completely okay.

They matched her outfit though so she couldn't keep saying no after being reassured she could have them three times in a row.

The first game they checked out together was a pretty simple one, one that didn't require much skill. It was one of those ones where you shot a water gun into a small opening and filled up a balloon. Vivi immediately knew she'd win against the few teenage boys at it, so she strutted over and leaned against the counter, looking at the one running the stand with the confidence of a supermodel at a photo shoot, knowing they'd be the star of the show that day. Gi could never lie, it was odd seeing her like that, but absolutely adorable and beautiful.

"Mind if I join in boys?" She asked with a smile, making the group of three look at her a little funny. One soon shrugged, so the other two nodded. Vivi quickly took a spot, smiling as she wagged her tail. Gi soon was just standing beside her, watching the entire thing unfold casually.

"Already competitive, huh Viv?"

"Always am, I love winning."

"You think you'll win against us? We're like, way older than you. You cannot be more than six." One of the group teased with one of those "I got her good" looks on his face, but Vivi just huffed and flicked her sunglasses down.

She won without even a slight struggle and walked off with her arms crossed, Gi now holding a new blue teddy bear in her arms.

"I told you I'd win." Vivi simply stated with a very sassy flick of her tail, making Gi nod as she let out a squeaky little laugh.

"You'd win anything just to get me something fun, I swear."

"Oh? No, that's just a great bonus my sweet sweet lil blueberry muffin, I do it for the thrills. It's also just part of my programming but that's a lot lamer than "it's actually really funny proving humans wrong" I'd say."

"I see... So Vee did trivia and you did games?" Gi questioned, getting a shake of the head from Vivi. Though before she could explain that they both did game shows, Gi had ran off, just to come back with a little turquoise beaded bracelet she immediately grabbed Vivi's hand for and slipped it onto her wrist.

"I found it near a sink and I washed it for you." Gi stated, making Vivi blink as she looked at it, then at Gi.

"How come?"

"You got me a teddy bear, I thought you'd like something too."

"...You wanna bet I can get you more?" Vivi questioned with a tilt of her head, a very mischievous looking smile slowly growing onto her screen. Gi swallowed hard as her face immediately warmed up intensely, she had never seen Vivi be so... Competitive and playful, and she couldn't deny the fact that she found it extremely adorable and precious. Especially since it wasn't competitive in a game or anything... It was just them competing to see who could get the other the most gifts. It was so selfless and sweet... Gi's heart was racing and she had started toying with the beaded bracelet on her wrist without realizing it.

"Oh jeez, uh, I don't-"

"You do deserve them babyyyy~" Vivi softly cut her off with a gentle touch of her finger to Gi's lips, making the gachapon look away. Oh why did her wife have to be so damn cute?!

"I... I can't even argue..." Gi mumbled, soon squeezing her teddy bear just a little closer to herself as she looked back at Vivi, who was back to being posed like the usually overly polite toon she was. The one Gi swore she didn't deserve yet somehow always had with her... The one staring back at her with her innocent green eyes and gentle smile on her screen.

"Ready to game on then? I promise, I'll behave and follow the rules."

"Could... I kiss you first..?" Gi softly asked, looking away immediately afterwards like she was overly shy. Vivi blinked at her, taking a mental note at how their behaviors seemed to switch as she very carefully took Gi's face into her hands, making the gachapon light right up as she looked at her.

"You can always kiss me, okay?"

"Okay... And... You can kiss me whenever too, Viv, I just... Never saw you so confident I... I think my brain malfunctioned from how absolutely amazing you are."

"Pfft, Gi you are not a robot you absolute goob." Vivi stated with a laugh, though she immediately went in and gave her a quick kiss, her mic tail wagging a mile a minute as she kissed the girl. Gi immediately was clinging to her beloved robot as she kissed back, shaking from the pure joy she felt from it, even if this was nowhere near their first kiss. Or even their hundredth, maybe thousandth kiss? They tended to be way too affectionate to each other for their own good, though that didn't matter right now. Or ever to be honest. What mattered was that there was now a bet to see who could end up with the most gifts from the other, though Gi couldn't honestly focus on that right now.

Or focus on it at all...

She kept finding herself pausing behind Vivi, admiring the overly competitive robot every single time she'd find a new game to play. Whether it was just an average game of basketball to some weird game Gi couldn't even try to understand- it was always so beautiful seeing Vivi genuinely so focused. So excited, so full of life as she had every intent of winning every single game she played, her tail wagging a mile a minute the entire time she proved everyone who doubted her even slightly wrong. Sure Gi did find more little knick knacks laying around and she did clean them up for Vivi whenever she'd remember to, but...

She genuinely couldn't stop focusing on the center of her world.

That usually shy little green robot who was currently cheering after she won yet another plush for her favorite person in the world. The one who did the cutest little happy dance whenever she got something she swore up and down Gi would absolutely love and cherish till the end of time, the one laughing at the faces she always got after she proved her skills and showed off to the crowds that seemed to always form around her now that she was caught being a toon in a world full of humans.

The one who had no idea that her wife didn't want any of the plushies or the other prizes she had started gathering- but instead just wanted to admire her as she finally found her place to thrive in a world she's been so scared to exist in as herself for so long.

That was until Gi actually was caught admiring her, though Vivi didn't even seem to care as she just gave her a wink before making the winning shot in the tank dunk game they were at now, landing a perfect bullseye after messing with the poor soaking wet woman in there and missing on purpose with the first two balls she got. She of course apologized to her afterwards, but was reassured it was just part of the game- so Vivi instead turned her attention back to Gi with a teasing smile.

"You haven't been doing anything but watch, haven't you?"

"Uhhhhh-"

"Maybe you can short circuit like a robot, I remember you did the same thing at Gardenview. Secretly a robot huh? Huhhhh?" Vivi warmly teased as she poked Gi's nose, getting a snort in reply before the gachapon sneezed. Gi then shook her head, looking up at Vivi again with a sniff as she rubbed her nose a little.

"You know I would've told you if I was one, Viv. I just... I never saw you so... Confident and happy with yourself in so long, I think I just... I kinda forgot about the whole bet because I just loved admiring you being so happy and proud of yourself. I know its probably just your program and I get it, but it's really nice to just, see you be- you!" Gi explained quietly as she nervously fidgeted with the sleeves of her flannel jacket, being a complete blushing disaster and acting a little shy about it. Vivi just silently watched her as she adjusted the new tote bag she got for... Everything... Then she glanced away from Gi before looking back at her.

"There is no way Im that beautiful, Gi."

"Haha uhm..."

"But thank you, I did honestly notice a lot sooner I just, really liked the fact that you were always right there and you... Always missed when I would glance at you for more confidence. You're cute when you're shy too, I always noticed that you avoided looking at everyone whenever you'd be caught staring at me. You're a sweetheart, you know that?" Vivi softly informed her, making Gi giggle as she just nodded.

"You don't ever let me forget that, Viv-"

"Because you are and everyone who ever says otherwise is a big fat liar." Vivi stubbornly stated with her arms crossed, making Gi just burst out laughing at the sight of her being so stubborn about something when she's usually very easy to persuade. Though the two soon turned and looked at the same thing together, and since it was starting to get a little dark and they knew the boys would be coming around to find them soon, they knew they had to ride it.

So, hand in hand, the two walked off to the main attraction of the place, the one thing they knew they could enjoy together while they stayed side by side.

The ferris wheel.

It wasn't a big one by any means, it was pretty average for the size of the fair around it, but it still was pretty interesting to the two. However, on the way there, they found out they could have some free cotton candy from a shop that was closing down for the night.

So they were now also eating free cotton candy.

Nice.

Maybe it did pay to be a town celebrity... Maybe. The two didn't know it was just offered to them because they were toons and very well known around the town, they just knew they were together and eating cotton candy, and honestly that was what mattered to them.

Just being able to exist together was the best prize they both won that night, especially when they got to sit in the same cart on the wheel together- and ended up being in one of the carts that stopped near the top, letting them both admire the view together as they cuddled into each other. They didn't say a thing, they didn't have to, they just kept one arm around the other as they held hands, just silently enjoying the experience together. Enjoying the smell of the cotton candy they just had, the warmth of the other's presence beside them, the view they had overlooking the pretty large town they called their home.

Neither once looked at the abandoned Gardenview building... Nor look at the park surrounding it...

They just looked at the city lights, the cars that drove around on the streets below them, at the small specs of humans walking on the sidewalks or around the fairgrounds underneath them now.

Vivi huddled just a little closer to her girlfriend, who just squeezed her closer to herself in reply.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Gi."

Those were the only words spoken on that ride from the two. None other would fit better in that moment, the moment when they both realized that they were never going to be stuck in the endless loops they were born into ever again. The moment when they realized they had so much more to explore than they'd ever imagine down there, the moment they realized their pasts and the reasons why they were made didn't matter anymore.

The two were oddly silent on the walk home from the fair as well, hand in hand, side by side. They knew the realizations they both had were a little too much right now, that the fact that they really did have the whole world out there to actually explore and not just their usual hideaways now. That the town was theirs to explore, that no twisteds or no humans would ever force them to be seperate again. That everything really was okay... And it was okay to let go of the trauma they both secretly held onto and be themselves, whatever that looked like in that moment. Vivi soon sighed as she adjusted the tote bag, making Gi look at her.

What mattered was the fact that they had each other, and nothing could ever pull them apart ever again.

"You okay?"

"Just... Thinking about a lot."

"Oh, same. I think we both learned a lot about each other today..." Gi replied with a casual little shrug, making Vivi nod as she smiled and looked over at her.

"I think I learned something else, too." She replied, stopping in her place on the sidewalk for a moment. Gi just silently stood beside her, watching as Vivi just looked at the sky, watching the robot gather her thoughts as her green eyes focused on the sunset colored sky.

"You make me feel complete, Gi. You make me feel like... Me... I remember that day, the one we met, the way you never once even thought of me as just... Version Two. You immediately saw... Me... Even when I didn't understand me myself. You knew I'd be able to become myself, to be happy, to... Not, be just, Version Two. I won't ever understand that... I won't ever understand a lot of things, but I think I finally made peace with that tonight. I won't ever understand what you see in me... But I won't ever leave your side. I truly do love you, and I'm happy we get to be by each other's side in this timeline. You're my world and I cherish you." Vivi quietly spoke, often squeezing Gi's hand as she got so sentimental about what she talked about, but didn't dare try to stop any emotions from showing. Not the tears that fell from being so vulnerable and open, not the shivers that started when she let herself finally process everything- nothing. Gi just stood at her side, her eyes huge and also a bit watery, but she soon let out a little weak laugh anyways.

"I was so scared you were about to propose-"

"Oh goodness, pfft- no Gi, no I would've started sobbing-"

"I would've said yes."

"I need to find a ring then." Vivi stated with the most intensely genuine tone one could ever imagine coming from her, making Gi burst out laughing as she leaned in close to her future wife.

"I don't need a perfect ring." Gi reminded her softly, making Vivi look at her, then shake her head as the two soon started their journey back home together again.

"You do... You need the perfect ring because you're the perfect toon for me. I love you too much for mediocrity."

"Pfft, alright. Oh and Viv..?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Could... We do something before we go to bed?" Gi asked softly, getting just a simple nod from Vivi. She knew that if it was anything, it would be very simple and easy to end off the day with. Gi just nodded back, smiling as she whispered a soft thank you to her. Vivi just giggled and whispered a "no problem" in reply, the two soon going right back to their silent walk home afterwards. Though now, they were even closer together than they used to be, Gi's head resting against Vivi's arm as they walked in unison.

They didn't even say hi to anyone when they got home, quite frankly, they were too tired to have their usual small talk whenever they'd get home from their usual adventures, even if Shelly and Vee were surprisingly there too. Well- not as surprising when Vivi noticed the completely unconscious Shanon on the couch, snoring into a pillow as Sam just stroked her hair gently, like this was just a normal Tuesday.

Because it was just a normal day for them, just not Tuesday. It's Saturday when I post this. Kudos to you if you read this on a Tuesday.

The two just silently went to their room, Gi turning on the lights when Vivi opened the door, the two being quite surprised by what they had walked into though. Gigi was fast asleep on their bed, Gi's pillow tight in her arms and tucked slightly under her head, her body covered up by Vivi's blanket, a plush of Vee was resting on her side as well. Her ichor hand was resting on a plush of Shelly they swore they didn't have, and she honestly just looked as snug as could be. Gi looked at her mom, then at her girlfriend, then back at her mom.

"Uhm... Wanna... Do that thing tomorrow instead?"

"I don't even know what you were planning, Gi."

"Oh... Right... I'll tell you tomorrow then, let mama sleep." Gi whispered back as she slowly left Vivi's side, just getting a simple nod from Vivi as she set down the bag of gifts for Gi down beside the bed and stretched. The two just silently got ready for bed together, wearing matching pajama sets just because they could and never once batting an eye to any sounds Gigi made in her sleep behind them. They were used to this, used to getting ready for bed while their mom got her sleep behind them, though they both were definitely questioning where the two plushies came from since they didn't ever take any from the gift shop for her whenever they'd go down there to visit their other friends.

That didn't matter too much though.

The two simply left Gigi to sleep on their bed, turning the lights back off for her and closing the door gently behind themselves, and soon just joined in whatever chaos awaited them in the living room.

Except it wasn't actually that chaotic... Vee was loafed on Sam's lap and fast asleep, Shelly just eating some popcorn as she sat alone in the pillow fort she made for her and Vee (who had obviously been lured away by something later), Sprout and Cosmo both were probably in their own room right now because they weren't there. Vivi just decided to silently sit on the side of Sam that Shanon wasn't on and just started gently petting her older sisters head, while Gi went and curled right up against Shelly, who just pulled her close subconsciously mid crunching on popcorn.

"Why are you guys even here..?" Gi sleepily questioned the fossil when she gained enough brainpower to do so, which made Shelly glance at her, then back at the tv.

"Mom needed a break, so I suggested she come over here and let Sam take care of things for her today. I would've stayed home with Vee but she insisted we join mom, so we ended up here too. I just turned on some dinosaur documentaries because I got bored and Sam didn't mind..." Shelly casually explained as she rubbed Gi's arm, getting a slow nod from the gachapon as she closed her eyes and let out a massive yawn.

"Hey Shells?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you teach me how to get married in the oat milk aisle sometime..?" Gi murmured, making the fossil blink. Shelly just turned back to the gachapon and stared at her funny, though Gi was already fast asleep on her shoulder, having absolutely no idea that she just asked that. So Shelly just let herself laugh a little at such a question as she shook her head, letting Gi sleep against her as much as she wanted.

"Sleep well Gi, and please don't ever actually get married in the oat milk aisle, goodness." She murmured with a little laugh, though she soon quieted back down and just silently went right back to watching whatever she found interesting on the TV that night.

Even though she did absolutely keep randomly giggling at such a question... She didn't know how iconic their running joke was, and probably never will.