Half Measure

>”I gotta ask, where exactly are we going?”
“Don't worry, you'll see.”
>”Aw, come on. The suspense is killing me.”
“Trust me, it'll be better if you don't know the surprise beforehand.”
>”If you say so.”
>Lincoln counted out the seconds in his head.
>It wasn't going to be much longer before they arrived at their destination.
>But it was better for Nikki to not know.
>He was going to surprise her, and keep her entertained.
>After hearing from Ronnie Anne that she was going to be in town for a couple of days thanks to her family taking a vacation but getting their flight delayed, he couldn't help but volunteer to keep her from going crazy being stuck in a motel.
>Not when he could show her there were cool things outside of city life.
>And hanging out with Nikki wasn't a bad prospect either.
>She was actually pretty cool.
>Glancing over, he could see her taking in the sight of the vast amount open space that Royal Woods had to offer.
>And based on the couple of farms they just passed up, Lincoln knew it was only a matter of moments before Nikki actually saw what Lincoln was going to take her to.
>Lincoln sat back with a smirk as he was proven right with a gasp from Nikki.
>”Whoa! It's a carnival!”
“Pretty cool, right? A lot of stuff there you won't get in the city.”
>”Look at all those rides!”
“I'll take that as a yes.”
>Nikki seemed entirely glued to the window, taking in the new sight before her.
>It definitely seems that Lincoln's gamble paid off.
>While she seemed to have come down a bit from her high, Lincoln could still see that smile on her face in the reflection from the window.
>It wasn't long before Lori pulled into the lot and let the two of them free to enjoy their carnival excursion.
>As Lincoln shut the door behind him, Lori rolled down the window and turned to the duo outside.

>”Alright, have fun you two. I'll be back by closing time.”
“Thanks for the ride, Lori.”
>”Yeah, really appreciate it.”
>”Any friend of Ronnie Anne is a friend of Bobby's and is therefore a friend of mine.”
>Lincoln waved to his sister as she drove off in Vanzilla, leaving Lincoln and Nikki to their own devices.
>His farewell was promptly interrupted by a playful nudge from the tall girl beside him.
>”So, we gonna head in or not?”
“Of course.”
>”Well let's get going. I wanna see what all the fuss is about.”
“I promise you won't be disappointed.”
>The pair made their way to the admittance booth a small ways off, and secured stamps for themselves.
>Lincoln and Nikki both looked to their hands, wondering what they had gotten.
“Oh cool, I got the balloon. What did you get, Nikki?”
>”Can't really tell. I think it's an upside down clown having an allergic reaction. Wait, no, it's cotton candy.”
“Cotton candy, you say?”
>Hearing that gave Lincoln an idea as he grabbed hold of Nikki's hand and pulled her along.
>”Whoa, where's the fire?”
“Trust me, you're gonna love this.”
>Ceding to Lincoln's words, Nikki shrugged as she was led through the crowd and constant stream of booths.
>When they finally stopped, Nikki and Lincoln came face to face with a large concession booth.
“Can't enjoy a carnival without food. And this is the best booth in the carnival for that, because it has hazelnut cotton candy, locally sourced from neighboring Hazeltucky.”
>”Hazelnut?”
“Trust me, it'll be great.”
>Lincoln got the attention of the vendor and handed him a couple of dollars before watching him spin together the two treats.
>Nikki looked particularly interested as she watched them come together.
>When they were done, Lincoln took each stick and handed the fluffier one to Nikki.
“Trust me, you'll love it.”
>Wary, Nikki eyeballed the golden brown candy floss before giving it a lick.
>Then her eyes lit up.

>”Wow! It's good!”
“Yeah, people go nuts for it.”
>Lincoln and Nikki took a moment to take in just how bad the pun was before breaking out into laughter.
>In his heart, he knew Luan would've approved.
>”God, that was so bad. But this is definitely the best cotton candy I've ever had. And I've never had it come on a stick before, either. Usually it's just in a bag.”
“See, I told you there was something to a carnival that you just couldn't get anywhere else.”
>”What else do these things have?”
“Well, there's rides, but you can go on those anywhere. I have another idea. Come on.”
>Lincoln once again lead the way through the carnival, passing up the many rigged carnival games, excited anklebiters with their parents, and occasional adventurous raccoon.
>At the end of their short walk, there were a couple of enclosure containing small and very fluffy animals.
>Nikki was quite confused.
>”A petting zoo?”
“Not just a petting zoo. It's the petting zoo next to the place where they put on their unicorn show, and I can say we can beat the crowd.”
>”Unicorn?”
“Seriously, it's really cool.”
>Nikki threw her reservations to the wayside as Lincoln guided her slowly past the kids adoring the rabbits and ponies.
>They snuck through a couple of tents while the vendors and performers were busy with their patrons, and managed to get within a stone's throw of the backstage area.
>Munching slowly on their cotton candy, they could see a long line of animals together with their trainers.
>Then out came a bearded trainer holding onto a unicorn with a leash.
>Nikki's jaw dropped as she saw the fantastical sight in front of her.
>”What? That's a unicorn! How?”
“Told you.”
>”No, there's no way. It has to be a prop or something. There's no way that thing is real.”
>In the middle of their conversation, the trainer seemed to stop in his tracks.
>The two of them clasped their free hands over their mouths.
>When the man looked over to them, they knew they were made.

>Both of them were prepared to run, but the man put his finger to his lips as he slowly walked towards them with the unicorn.
>Lincoln and Nikki couldn't believe their luck.
>Right there, a real life unicorn was walking towards them.
>The man stopped a few feet in front of them, and got down on one knee.
>He still towered over them.
>”Hello, little ones. You are sneaking peak at stars of the show, yes?”
“Uh, yeah. I said there was a unicorn show, and she didn't believe me, so we had to come check it out. Sorry for sneaking back here.”
>”Oh, you have done nothing wrong. Kids are always the curious, no? Arvid remembers being young. And so does old girl here. And it seems she wants to meet you.”
>The two slowly step out of their hiding spot and reach their hands out to the unicorn in question.
>Out of curiosity, Nikki ventured a touch on the horn and covers her mouth once more after finding it to be real.
>”It's a real life unicorn!”
>”Yes! She was just a normal goat when she was born, but we saw she was special when she grew a single horn. Pan has trained hard ever since to be greatest unicorn in the world.”
>Surprisingly, Nikki found her hand being licked by the unicorn in question.
>Her heart melted instantly.
>”Haha, she loves hazelnut. It is her favorite flavor. You have good taste in cotton candy.”
>A little longer was spent fawning over the unique goat before the man stood up and gently pulled her to his side.
>”It was nice meeting you, but there is a show to do, so we must prepare.”
“No problem. Thanks so much for showing her to us up-close.”
>”Think nothing of it. Arvid is glad to help young lovers have great time.”
“Well we really apprecia-what?”
>”Have a great night, you two.”
>As the man walked off, Lincoln could hear the giggling of the tall blonde girl beside him.
>Lincoln's face instantly went red in embarrassment.
>”Well that wasn't something I was expecting to hear today. Where to next, 'lover'?”

>In an attempt to save face, Lincoln bit off a bit more of his cotton candy as he tried to laugh it off.
“Uh, we should go on a ride. They're always a good way to kill time.”
>”Which ride?”
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhh, Ferris wheel?”
>”Actually, that sounds pretty good. I haven't been on one in forever. Plus, it's pretty romantic.”
>Nikki's giggling was a sure sign Lincoln wasn't going to be hearing the end of it for a while.
>The two of them walked back into the crowd, Nikki giving a couple of glances Lincoln's way every so often.
>Upon a little more thought, Lincoln realized he'd almost certainly get roasted for it even further once Ronnie Anne caught wind of it.
>His unicorn gamble seemed to have backfired spectacularly.
>As he saw the line in front of the Ferris wheel, he realized once again he had backed the wrong horse.
>”Damn, that's a really long line.”
>Nikki wasn't wrong.
>That line was indeed long.
>It would probably be about a half hour or so before they actually got onto it.
>Which certainly meant Lincoln would be stuck with Nikki alone in a conversation to pass the time for that long.
>Desperate to not be raked any further over the coals than he already was, Lincoln needed to hatch a plan, and hatch one quickly.
>Then he saw his out.
>A vendor walking around with an assortment of treats.
>Selling them to people in line for rides.
>Rides they wouldn't be on for a while, and thus would need food while they waited.
>Food they would then proceed to toss once they hit a roller-coaster, thus needing to buy more later on.
>An effective and brutal business ploy to be sure, and one that Lincoln could exploit.

“Nikki, you want to see something else pretty amazing about carnivals? Excuse me, two jumbo dogs over here please!”
>Lincoln's barking quickly got the attention of the vendor, happy to make the trade and produce two large corndogs about the size of his forearm.
>Nikki's eyes went wide as she did a double-take at the massive food.
>Lincoln simply smiled as he procured their in-line meal and a couple of ketchup packets.
>He firmly grasped the paper on Nikki's, intent not to drop it.
>”I can't believe the size of it. It's thicker than my wrist!”
“Trust me, it's a lot more manageable than you think it is.”
>”I don't know, Lincoln. I don't think I can fit that into my mouth.”
“Not without a little ketchup you won't!”
>Lincoln gently handed Nikki her food, waiting to see her take her first bite.
>That hope was soured as she opened the packet of ketchup towards herself, and managed to splatter its contents all over her sweatshirt.
>Lincoln just could not win.
>”Aw, that sucks. Oh well.”
>In a shocking turn of events, Nikki casually scooped the ketchup onto her corndog.
>Nikki then passed her food to Lincoln once again as she took her sweatshirt off.
>Her gaze quickly turned to Lincoln once she saw him staring.
>Lincoln, not wanting to give her the wrong idea, put forth the first thing to come to his mind.
“I've never seen a girl do that before.”
>”Eh, you stain enough of these and you learn to deal with it.”
>After finishing her thought, she quickly turned her sweatshirt inside out and set it around her waist.
>”There, all better.”
>She then took back her corndog and attempted to get a decent bite.
>All she managed was a small nibble.
>”Man, this is tough.”
“Hey, it's better than how I did the first time. A chipped tooth and these don't mix very well.”
>”I've been wondering about that. What did you do to yourself?”
>Lincoln looked to the line.
>Didn't seem to be moving anytime soon.
“I think we've got enough time for that story.”

“And that's how I ended up with this thing.”
>”Wow. That's pretty crazy.”
“Yeah. At least I'm lucky it was just a chip. I can't imagine having lost an actual tooth. That would be the worst.”
>Upon finishing his sentence, Lincoln just realized the implication of his statement to the girl missing a tooth next to him.
“W-wait, I didn't-”
>Nikki gave him a chuckle for his concern.
>That act lifted the tension in his chest fast.
>”It's okay, Lincoln. I know you didn't mean anything by it. Besides, I did lose it in a pretty stupid way.”
“Really?”
>”Yeah. I wasn't paying attention and walked into the park next to my place without realizing they put up skatestoppers. So I go about my usual business, grinding on the fountain when I go flying off of my board. I wasn't too happy to see that one of my usual hangouts ends up messing up my clothes and chipping my board. Especially when I kicked up my board to leave and find somewhere else to go. That was a bad idea, because it just went straight up in my face. Next thing I know, I'm holding my mouth and feeling a tooth rattling up around a lot of blood. Not my proudest moment. But, it was a learning experience. I just can't remember if it was a baby tooth or not.”
“That must have hurt.”
>”I was sore all over for a couple of days after.”
>”Next!”
>Nikki and Lincoln looked to see that they had finally maid it to the front of the line, with an impatient operator looking their way.
“I guess my story was longer than I thought.”
>”Hey, at least it killed some time.”
>The pair shuffle their way into the waiting spot.
>Thankfully, they seem to be the last ones as the cage starts to ascend.
>Looking over the darkening sky, Lincoln couldn't help but breathe a sigh of contentment.
>It may have turned bumpy, but his plan worked out for the best.
>Right up until the ride stopped and the lights went out.
“Dang it!”

>”Looks like something's wrong with the power.”
“Just my luck.”
>Concerned, Nikki turned to Lincoln with a hand on his shoulder.
>”What's the matter, Linc?”
>Finally giving into the day that decided to wear him down, Lincoln let his frown become apparent as he turned to face Nikki.
“Well, almost everything has been going wrong today. I was just so set on showing you a great time here and it seems like everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. I just...wanted to do something nice for you.”
>”Is that it?”
“Yeah. Sorry I couldn't make today great.”
>”What are you talking about, Lincoln? Today's been a lot of fun.”
“Really?”
>Lincoln's sad expression slowly faded as Nikki's gentle smile reassured him.
>”Yeah! I got to do so much cool stuff today. I had the best cotton candy ever, got to see an actual unicorn, and I had a jumbo corndog. I only thought they came in regular and mini sizes. I really have been enjoying the day with you.”
>Lincoln's smile and optimism were restored with that small speech from Nikki, and the two sat happily in the scene as they gazed out to the rest of the festivities.
>”And I gotta say, this view isn't bad. It actually is...kinda romantic.”
“Aw, come on. Do I really have to hear that again.”
>”I don't know, I think it fits.”
>From behind him, a hand snaked up his side as Nikki pulled him in close.
>She promptly stole a kiss from the confused boy, turning him scarlet once again.
>”Still sorta taste like hazelnut.”
>Lincoln didn't quite know what to do with this new onslaught of emotions.
>Especially as another of Nikki's hands found its way to his zipper.
“N-Nikki!”
>”It's fine, Lincoln. We're so high up, no one will see us. Plus...”
>Her second hand quickly came into the fray, her deftly freeing his hardening shaft.
>”I think you deserve a reward for all your hard work.”

>The slow tracing of Nikki's fingers along Lincoln's member worked its magic as he sprung to near full-mast.
>Nikki began to smirk as she came closer to his crotch.
>”And here I thought you only bought two jumbo dogs.”
>As Lincoln fumbled to try for something to say, his mind derailed with Nikki firmly planting a small kiss on his delicate head before subsuming it within her open mouth.
>Lincoln's sense fled as he felt the upper half of his shaft being gently massaged by Nikki's warm tongue.
>She fumbled slightly as she hit her palate against Lincoln, but he couldn't register her mistake amidst the other issues that were on his mind.
>Namely how Lincoln had gotten to this point with Nikki.
>Just moments before, he was worried about his lackluster job at keeping one of Ronnie Anne's new friends entertained.
>Then he had moved straight to getting oral sex for the first time straight after.
>Everything he'd thought went out the window long before, but that certainly cemented it.
>Yet as he continued to receive Nikki's efforts, Lincoln could feel that familiar sensation from his own exploration of his maturing body.
>The climax of the bout of public debauchery came with Lincoln's own, feeling his seed slowly beginning to pool around him while Nikki slowly withdrew her tongue from his slowly softening pecker.
>It took Nikki by surprise as she struggled to keep it all in her mouth before swallowing it down.
>Her breath drew short as she looked up at Lincoln once more.
>”Sorry if I wasn't that good. I've never really done that before.”
>Lincoln didn't have the presence of mind to respond.
>Soon, the lights came back on and the Ferris wheel began to move.
>”Oh. Looks like it's back.”
>Lincoln looked down to Nikki once more, her putting away his bits for him.
>”I figure it's best to take care of this before someone sees.

>After the Ferris wheel, Lincoln seemed to only go through the motions.
>Sure, he was having fun, but he couldn't quite get what happened out of his mind.
>It made the rest of the brief time they had together quite a blur.
>He wasn't even sure where the pink elephant she was carrying had come from.
>What he was sure of, was that he still didn't know what to actually do now that he was so lost.
>Sure, it was stuff Nikki liked, but he was just following along.
>He wasn't actually doing something for her.
>That was the true heart of the matter.
>Sadly, he wasn't sure what he could do.
>Especially after how she had treated him back at the-
>Lincoln paused for a moment as he ruminated on the thought in his mind.
>Would it really be such a simple thing?
>He pondered that question until he found an answer.
>Which came rather suddenly as he grabbed onto Nikki's free arm and ducked behind the nearest set of porta-potties.
>With how few people were around at the current time, it would be the best spot.
>”There another fire or something?”
“Nikki, I have something to ask you.”
>”Uh, sure. Shoot, dude.”
“Do you mind if I...I do something special for you?”
>”Something special?”
“Y-you know, like you did at the-”
>”Wait, what?!”
“I just feel bad. Nothing I did for you was as great as that. I feel that it's only fair.”
>Nikki's blushing was quite thorough in that moment.
>She was definitely glad that it was dark enough that Lincoln couldn't see.
>”Well, if that's how you really feel how can I say no?”
>Even in the dim light, Nikki could see Lincoln's happy face.
>Which quite quickly made its way to her.
>Lincoln wasted no time in snatching a kiss of his own from Nikki.
>But it seemed far more passionate to her than when she did it for him.

>Lincoln could tell from the way she seemed to fall under his sway.
>Though he didn't quite know exactly how to proceed from there.
>He'd kissed a few girls, and on one strange occasion Lynn, but never got involved in anything beyond that.
>The poor boy was lost as to what to do beyond his initial surprise attack.
>It seemed that Nikki wasn't too blind to this fact as she took one of his hands and slowly guided it up her torso to her bra.
>She briefly broke their kiss, tugging lightly at his tongue before breaking their oral bond.
>As she struggled to catch her breath from their heated tryst, she set herself beside his cheek with her own, her lips hanging onto every exhale as she began to whisper.
>”Massage my breasts, Lincoln. A-and my nipples. Like in a circle.”
>With her shirt bunched upon his wrist, Lincoln took to her instruction to add her undergarment to the pile as he grabbed at the soft mound underneath.
>Nikki pressed herself into Lincoln's neck, marking him with a hickey to keep herself from letting out a loud moan.
>As she took Lincoln's other hand and guided it down her pants and past her panties, she knew she didn't want to be stopped.
>It felt so good to her.
>Lincoln shared in her sentiment as he again followed her lead in rubbing her moistening slit with his fingers.
>From how her breathing rose and fell with every motion they joined together in, he could tell he was getting better at responding to her desires.
>Yet he still needed to do something to prove he could make her enjoy herself on his own.
>For that, he briefly stole back the initiative as he broke away from her to place his hands on her hips and slowly slid down her jeans.
>Nikki knew just where Lincoln wanted to go.
>She was happy to oblige as she lowered her pants even further before turning herself to brace on the nearby plastic box.

>Lincoln stared in a mix of apprehension and desire as her pink panties and toned rump invited him in.
>With a slight tremble, he peeled them slowly until the most important thing he would ever touch that day was revealed.
>Nikki was shaking, the anticipation wracking her as badly as Lincoln's doubt was doing to him.
>Unwilling to keep her waiting any further, Lincoln ventured a small kiss as she had done to him.
>A stifled sigh from his recipient told him he was on the right track.
>Gaining a firm hold on her hips, he pulled himself further into her as he let his tongue explore Nikki's womanhood.
>While Lincoln wasn't an expert at his duties by any measure, he was sure he could perform well enough.
>He had a basic idea from a combination of Lori's trashy romance novels, the Internet, and traumatically overhearing his parents from the family bathroom on occasion.
>It was just like the kiss he had given her before, yet gentler.
>Nikki's quivering legs and pants had been the proof Lincoln needed to know he was servicing her sex quite well.
>In the middle of his performance, he felt Nikki push back into him as he felt her body go stiff.
>The soft squeals of pleasure in front of him and how her knees seemed ready to buckle gave Lincoln every indication that he finished the job he set out to do.
>”L-Lincoln, could you do me one more favor?”
“Favor?”
>”Do you think I could try your jumbo dog again?”
>It took a moment for what Nikki said to pierce the veil of Lincoln's fogged head.
>But with how tight his pants had become during the activity, he wasn't quite sure he could refuse.
>He slowly undid his own jeans as he moved his hips closer to Nikki's.
>”Please be gentle, I haven't done this before.”
>His blood slowly filled his porksword again as he rubbed himself along the slickness of his partner's waiting sheath.
>As he got closer to his full potential, he slowly prodded at the hole he'd passed along.

>Yet as he prepared to push himself in, a light began to shine near them.
>”Hey, what's going on back there?”
>The two of them lost their momentum quickly as they heard the gruff voice of the man holding the flashlight.
>”Oh crap. Run!”
>Nikki quickly began to redress, dropping her elephant in the process.
>Lincoln's job was by far easier, and so he finished first.
>As he noticed the light getting closer, he quickly picked up Nikki's stuffed animal and then Nikki herself.
>She yelped in surprise at how easily the boy lifted her up, and then covered her mouth to not draw anymore attention.
>Lincoln carried them both until they had made it back to the lot.
>Once they were safely out of the danger zone, Lincoln collapsed to his knees.
>Nikki slowly climbed off of him, and dusted herself off before finally fixing her zipper.
>Lincoln then held out her plushie, which she accepted readily.
>”Damn. You're pretty intense, Lincoln.”
>Lincoln weakly offered her a thumbs-up before passing out.
>Nikki caught him before he completed his fall and chipped his teeth further.
>He certainly looked peaceful for someone who just put himself through the ringer.
>As she picked him up, a pair of headlights came her way.
>The van it belonged to slowly pulled up beside her, revealing a familiar face.
>”Whoa, what happened to him?”
>”Eh, he just pushed himself really hard. Passed right out the moment we sat down.”
>”Yeah, that sounds like Lincoln. Hop in, I'll give you a ride back.”
>Nikki carefully maneuvered the unconscious boy into the van, and then into his seatbelt.
>She promptly followed the same routine for herself, and felt her body relax once again as she sunk into the seat.
>”So, did you guys have fun?”
>As Lincoln's limp body slowly tipped over to Nikki, she couldn't help but smile as she took him under her arm.
>”Yeah. We did.”