Coffees in hand, Kurt and Blaine crossed the street to the empty lot where the carnival was set up. The sky was overcast and occasionally drizzling, with a nip in the air. Kurt snuggled into his scarf against the chill, grateful for once that his Dalton blazer was made of heavy wool.

“I'm guessing you don't want to go on any rides?” Blaine asked, lifting his eyebrows hopefully before sipping his coffee.

Kurt smiled, charmed as always by the expressiveness of his face. “It's a little cold, don't you think? Maybe we can go on one later, after we finish our coffee. But first, shopping?” Kurt bounced on the balls of his feet, dipping in the direction of the vendors.

“I'll hold you to that,” Blaine said, tucking his chin and attempting a stern look, but failing because he was smiling back broadly at Kurt. “But yes, shopping. Christmas is right around the corner, after all.” He took Kurt's hand and they walked together into the rows of booths.

“Oh, hey, look.... fifteen kinds of dip,” Blaine said, dunking a pretzel stick into a sample tub of black pepper french onion dip mix. “Wanna try some? Maybe spring vegetable? Or 'lick the sun' hot pepper melange?” He grabbed three more pretzel sticks as he spoke, eyeing the different flavors.

“I'm good on dip, thanks,” Kurt said flatly, looking at spice rubs while he waited for Blaine to finish snacking. They moved on to a booth with hats hanging on every surface, adorned with hat pins and fascinators.

Kurt picked up a gray feathered clip and held it up to his cheek, admiring the effect in mirror hanging on the corner of the booth. “I like how this brings out the color of my eyes, but I don't want to clip anything in my hair, so maybe adding it onto a hat or converting it into a broach... Blaine, what do you think?” Kurt turned to his friend, bursting into a fit of giggles once he spotted the hazel-eyed boy.

Blaine was standing in front of another mirror with a hat in each hand and a fedora perched on his head. “What do you think?” He asked, thrusting out his chin and peering at Kurt under the brim of the hat with a sparkle in his eyes.

“It's... it's something. I'm not quite sure it's you, but it's definitely something.” Kurt laughed, reaching forward to lift the hat from Blaine's head, then fluffed his hair where it had been slightly crushed by the fedora. A thrill ran up his spine as his fingers grazed Blaine's temple, and suddenly he felt very warm despite the chilly November day.

They made eye contact and quickly looked away, Kurt settling on another nearby hat. “Try this one, instead,” he said, stepping back and perching it on Blaine's head. “There, that suits you better, I think.”

Blaine looked in the mirror and nodded his approval. “I'll take it,” he said, handing a few bills to the booth attendant. “Are you getting anything?” he asked Kurt.

“No, I'm on a hat diet. This fascinator is interesting, but I'll come back if I want it.” Kurt smiled and set the item down, quelling the butterflies in his stomach.

They moved on to a booth of hand-painted silk scarves and this time, despite also being on a scarf diet, Kurt couldn't help but select one, especially after Blaine paid him a glowing compliment regarding how it flattered his complexion.

The next booth didn't seem to have a theme, cluttered with all kinds of trinkets and novelties, from accessories to decorative items to candy. Kurt lingered over the sugary treats, while Blaine fiddled with a selection of gag gifts. “I still need to find a Christmas present for Wes... Oooh, a hamburger phone!” he exclaimed.

“I just need something to get the coffee aftertaste out of my mouth. I ran out of gum,” Kurt said, picking up a lollipop.

Blaine looked over and chuckled. “Well, THAT one will certainly do the trick.”

Kurt looked down at the lollipop, and immediately blushed to the roots of his hair. The candy in his hand wasn't just a lollipop, it was a bright red lollipop shaped like an erect phallus, complete with two balls. Kurt froze in place, unable to think of a coherent response.

The booth owner leaned forward and pointed at the sucker. “It's cherry flavored, you know. I think you should get it.” She winked at him lasciviously, then looked pointedly at Blaine.

Blaine came over and plucked the lollipop from Kurt's hands, setting it back in the display. “No, that's not really Kurt's thing. It's a little wild for him,” he said to the vendor.

Kurt frowned, picking up the lollipop again. “I'll have you know, cherry is my favorite flavor!” he said. “I can be wild,” he muttered, almost to himself, as he tore the wrapper from the candy.

Blaine's eyebrows lifted high on his forehead in response. “Okay, then, my treat,” he replied, handing two dollars to the woman.

They walked on to the next booth, Kurt holding the lollipop out in front of his face and simply staring at it. Blaine watched his hesitation with a grin, then spun around to face Kurt, walking backwards and observing his distress. “Well, aren't you going to lick it?” he teased.

“I'm getting to it,” Kurt protested. “It's just so...”

“It's a cock. A cock made of candy. Do you want me to get it started for you?” Blaine joked, stepping forward and sticking out his tongue, pretending to dive down on the sucker while hovering a few inches away from it.

Kurt's breath hitched in his chest in an involuntary response to the nearness of Blaine's mouth, trying not to stare. “No!” he yelped. He bit back his nerves and captured the sucker in his mouth, sucking firmly before pulling the candy back out slowly. His tongue darted out to capture the sticky remnants from around the edges of his mouth. “Yum, cherry,” he said firmly.

Blaine chuckled and turned back around. “That's better, you just needed a little incentive,” he said. “How about that ride you promised me?”

Kurt blushed. “Wh... what?” he stammered, the tip of the sucker resting on his bottom lip.

“You said we could ride one ride,” Blaine reiterated, “I want to go on the ferris wheel. Come on!” He rested a hand on Kurt's waist and guided him towards the ride.

They settled into the gondola and waited for the ride to begin, Blaine resting his arm across the back of the seat and Kurt leaning forward to look at his lollipop. He stretched his tongue to lap at it tentatively, first tasting the tip, then switching to long licks over the balls and up the shaft. Blaine shifted in the seat next to him as he watched Kurt eat his candy.

The wheel started to turn, and Kurt settled back into the seat. The gondola swung, and Blaine's arm tightened around his shoulders. Kurt watched as the gondola rose, and the city was splayed out before them. He sucked absently on the lollipop as he looked, thrusting it in and out of his mouth, relishing the taste of cherry on his tongue.

Blaine took a deep breath and stared straight ahead as the wheel stopped, leaving them swinging in the air.

“Are you okay, Blaine?” Kurt asked, pulling the sucker from his mouth with an audible pop.

“Yes, I'm fine,” Blaine replied evenly, taking a deep breath and avoiding eye contact. “I'm just a little distracted, sorry.”

“Why?” Kurt asked, eyeing Blaine skeptically. When Blaine glanced over, Kurt tapped the tip of the sucker against his lips, then licked at the red substance that had been smeared from the touch.

Blaine licked his own lips subconsciously as he watched. “I'm, um... cold?”

“Oh, now you're cold?” Kurt giggled, dragging his teeth lightly along the shaft of the lollipop. “I thought that you were the tough guy. It's okay, we can leave after this.”

When they were safely on the ground, Kurt stuck the candy into his mouth and held it there, freeing his arms to link with Blaine's. But as they reached the exit, Kurt pulled back, turning towards the vendors again, sucking on the lollipop thoughtfully.

“Did you want to go back?” Blaine asked, clasping his freed hands in front of him.

“Actually, I do... you wait here, okay?” Kurt said, his eyes sparkling. He darted off, leaving Blaine at the exit, sighing in relief and shaking his head to regain his composure. By the time Kurt returned, Blaine was much more relaxed, and he saw to his relief that the lollipop was almost finished.

“Did you get the fascinator you wanted?” Blaine asked, smiling at his friend.

“Oh, no, it was already sold,” Kurt replied.

“Then what's in the bag?” Blaine asked, gnawing on his lower lip.

“Oh, right... just some candy. For later,” Kurt replied, tucking the bulging bag of suckers behind him.