Hello, my lovelies! For those of you who don't know, I am a Rose Garden shipper. It wasn't by choice, mind you. I was shanghaied! I had every intention of not shipping this ship, but then Oscar and Ruby met and they were cute and I have a weakness for cute shit and… Yeah. I'll defend these awkward dorks with my life now.

Tumblr is doing a Rose Garden Week, so I'll be posting seven oneshots over the course of this week, each one with a different prompt. I hope you guys like tooth-rotting cuteness!

Enjoy!

"Is this your first time?"

"Uh, yeah…"

"There's nothing to be scared of, you know."

"I know… It's just…"

"We can do something else, if you want."

"N-No. I'm fine! I just need a minute." Oscar took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, they were filled with determination. "Okay. Let's get in line." He tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach as he followed Ruby under the shadow of the Ferris Wheel.

When Ruby had invited him to go with her to the county fair, he had been ecstatic. He had met her at the beginning of the previous school year, when he moved into the district and ended up in the same lunch period as her. She and her best friend Penny had latched onto him immediately, probably recognizing a tendency toward social awkwardness that they also shared. Quickly, he came to the conclusion that they were the most amazing people in the school.

The realization that his friendship with Ruby had turned into a crush hit him during the second semester, when the two had noticed some junior students harassing a stray dog while walking home. Oscar only managed to take one step toward them before a red blur nearly knocked him off his feet. Ruby sped past him, picking up a large branch, and proceeded to beat the two older boys senseless.

Oscar had seen to the dog, calling animal control and scratching the poor creature's ears until help arrived. After everything was over and they knew the dog would be fine, he had turned to look at Ruby. Her face had been battered, her hands skinned, and she wore a bright, satisfied smile. Nothing had ever looked so beautiful.

And here he was, blowing his chance at impressing her by getting scared of a stupid carnival ride.

The have safety regulations, he reasoned as the line moved forward and he tried not to crumple his tickets in his nervousness. The odds of dying on this thing are really low. His traitorous mind brought up a recent news story about several people dying on a roller coaster that broke midway during the ride. That's a rickety cart moving at a million miles an hour! This is a wheel that goes in a circle. Totally different.

Ruby glanced at Oscar out of the corner of her eye. He looks really nervous. Maybe we shouldn't… But he said he wants to try this. He'll probably feel embarrassed if I keep pointing out how nervous he is. Ugh, this is hard. Maybe if I pretend I'm feeling lightheaded, that'll work without hurting his pride.

Of course, just as Ruby came up with this brilliant plan, they reached the front of the line and the man was holding out his hand for their tickets. There was no turning back now.

They sat down in the cart, which rocked a little as they moved into position. Oscar immediately froze, his pupils becoming pinpricks as the slight creak of metal hit his ears. "Why is it moving?" he muttered, pressing himself against he back of the seat as the bar was brought down.

"It needs to be able to move as the wheel turns," Ruby explained. "Otherwise, we'd just get dumped out a quarter of the way up." She winced when this caused Oscar's face to turn a distinct shade of green.

"R-R-Right. That makes s-sense." It was all Oscar could do to not scrunch his eyes shut as the wheel started moving, taking their creaky, shaky cart upwards and backwards. His hands were at his sides, pressing against the seat. You are literally the lamest thing ever. You are going to die acting lame in front of the most gorgeous girl in school.

Something warm covered his hand, and his mind went utterly blank for a split second. He blinked once. Twice. Was that…? He looked down, his heart pounding even harder when he saw Ruby's hand resting on top of his. He looked back up at her face and was utterly floored by the gentle smile he saw there.

"See?" she said. "Nothing to be scared of." Should I have done that? This won't make things weird, right? She let out a small sigh of relief when she felt Oscar slowly flip his hand over so their palms were touching, and carefully threaded their fingers together.

A hesitant smile started to replace the look of sheer terror that had decorated Oscar's face moments ago. "Yeah, it's not so- EEP!" He stiffened, letting out a yelp when the Ferris Wheel suddenly stopped, causing the cart to swing back and forth. His legs started shaking, and he was convinced that his knees would never be the same again if he got off this alive.

"Hey, it's okay!" Ruby scooted closer, so that their shoulders were touching, and squeezed his hand comfortingly. His palm was already extremely sweaty, but she didn't let go. "It's okay. They're just stopping to let some people on the next cart. Once everyone's on, it'll be a smooth ride."

"Ah. Right." Oscar swallowed loudly. "That's okay, then." He glanced at Ruby, forcing a shaky grin. "Sorry. You probably think I'm a complete wuss."

"Of course, I don't!" Ruby assured him. "It takes guts to do something you're scared to do. You didn't have to, you know."

Oscar shrugged. "I mean…you really wanted to go on, so I thought…" Idiot! Now she's gonna feel guilty and think she dragged you on here!

Ruby squeezed his hand again. "Yeah, but I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. I could've ridden with Yang." She winced as the Ferris Wheel stopped again, causing Oscar's back to stiffen further. "Why don't you choose the next ride? I'll go on whatever you want."

"Okay," Oscar agreed. He was able to relax for a few minutes after that, as the Ferris Wheel didn't make any more sudden stops. Of course, he had to go through it all again when people started getting off the ride. Still, the warm press of Ruby's shoulder against his and the comforting feeling of her hand made it all worth it. If he had been slightly less petrified, he might have tried putting his arm around Ruby.

Then again, maybe not. The thought alone was enough to make his heart race in a way that felt dangerous to his health.

When they got off, Oscar's legs were trembling, and it took him a minute to get his bearings. It was then that he realized that he was still holding Ruby's hand. And that his palm was sweating like crazy. "Omigosh, I'm sorry!" He quickly jumped away, wiping his hand on his jeans. "I didn't notice!" Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"It's fine!" Ruby assured him. "I didn't notice either."

"Right. Okay." Way to freak out, idiot! "So, wanna check out the other rides?" he asked, attempting to salvage what remained of his dignity.

"Sure!" Ruby chirped. She honestly wanted to reach for his hand again, but decided against it for now.

They walked by the merry-go-round, and Oscar paused, admiring the painted horses and letting out an exclamation when he saw other animals, such as a gray wolf and a grizzly bear. "This is really well-made."

Ruby nodded in agreement, staring at the nearest horse, which was an Appaloosa with Nez Perce symbols engraved on the saddle, and feathers decorating the bridle. "I love merry-go-rounds," she admitted. "Even though no one else my age seems to. I still like naming the animal I get and pretending I'm in a race. If my horse is higher than the person next to me, I win." Her cheeks flushed, and she suddenly wondered if she should have revealed that much. When she turned to look at Oscar, however, she was stunned to see him grinning that adorable, crooked grin he always got whenever he was genuinely excited about something.

"I'm so glad I'm not the only one who still does that!" he exclaimed, letting out a laugh. "Want to go on?"

"Yeah! Dibs on the wolf!"

Oscar ended up choosing a black horse that was tossing its head upward and holding its hooves in a mid-leap position. It was, of course, right next to Ruby's wolf.

The carousel started, and the nostalgic, familiar music began playing. The young teens grinned easily, sneaking glances at each other throughout the ride. Oscar noticed a golden ring hanging from a hook, and saw several kids making grabs for it. He held back, wanting to give them a chance. However, when the ride started slowing down, he took the initiative to stand up and snatch it just as they passed by one last time. In the moments before the ride ended, he and Ruby waited to see which of their steeds would be higher. Ruby let out a cheer when her wolf became static in the highest position.

"I win!" she declared, climbing down and grinning at Oscar. "Good job getting the ring!"

"Thanks." Oscar gave the ring to the ticketmaster, who offered him a plush from a selection of small beanie animals that resembled some of the animals on the carousel. He chose a plush of the gray wolf and offered it to Ruby with a shy smile.

Ruby gladly accepted the stuffed wolf, hugging it to her chest and thanking Oscar profusely. She could feel her cheeks heating up. Okay, that's totally something a guy does if he likes you. It's in basically every movie I've seen that has a fair!

They ended up spending the rest of their tickets at the carousel, then hurried to find a good spot for the evening's fireworks. They sat in the grass, Ruby holding the stuffed wolf in her lap. After a moment's hesitation, she scooted close to him, so that their shoulders touched the way they did on the Ferris Wheel.

Oscar sucked in a shaky breath. Okay, he thought. You're on the ground. You can do this. He glanced down, looking at Ruby's hands, which were folded in her lap around the wolf plush. His blood went thin as he reached over, brushing his fingers against her knuckle.

Immediately, Ruby slipped her hand into his, her smile growing wider and a giggle threatening to rise in her throat. She wove their fingers together and allowed her head to rest on Oscar's shoulder.

Oscar's head was ringing so much, he almost didn't notice the first few fireworks. And, honestly, he barely paid attention to them. He was far more invested in watching the way the lights from above continuously changed the color of their joined hands.

PRECIOUS, AWKWARD BABIES! Ahem… Today's prompt was "First," so I decided to go with Oscar going on his first Ferris Wheel ride. Tomorrow's prompt will be "Flowers," so stay tuned!

If you like what you see and want to join an awesome fan community while earning sweet rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.

Peace out!