Space City by Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves underaged characters. You have been warned.
Two weeks had passed since the end of school and summer had kicked off with the usual heated-up season of Lacrosse. Xavier's team had begun practicing more regularly since the cubs had more free time. Even matches were held more frequently. It was his favorite time of year since he got to do the thing he loved much more often than the school year.
A match was upcoming this weekend against one of the out-of-province rivals, the Cavaliers. His parents had even let him set up a makeshift Lacrosse goal in his backyard so that he could play at home. After all, they wanted nothing more than to support their son's endeavor. Often he went way overboard, staying out way past dark shooting on the goal behind his house.
Xavier hadn't forgotten about his little love affair either. He had been spending just as much time with Pent as he had with his sport. By this point the two cubs were inseparable and both boy's family accepted their close relationship. Of course, they never found out about the more intimate side of things but that was more private than not.
Even publicly they had become much more open than in the past. Xavier no longer hid his relationship with the fox kit. Pent had become an obvious part of his life and any of the chipmunk's other friends who didn't accept it, were simply cut off. As such he had a much smaller circle of friends now and wasn't considered part of the "popular" group anymore.
Pent on the other hand hadn't changed that much. He was just as studious and insular as ever. Sure, he spent time with his boyfriend but very little else about him was different. He still had no other friends and the only other person close to him was his brother, Samaliel. Still, Xavier wouldn't have changed him for anything in the world and if anything the two boys had only grown closer as time went on.
The fox kit had even made himself a regular part of Xavier's love of lacrosse. Though, Pent still loved hockey the Arctic fox made a concerted effort to understand and enjoy the other sport. It was becoming more of a shared enjoyment for both of them now. Pent now showed up to most of Xavier's practice and every single one of his games.
Now that it was Summer and things were warming up, much more open to the public. Seasonal things like the local water park and theme park were now busy with people. Pent had Xavier had already gone to the water park earlier in the year but the constant advertisements about the theme park made it all too enticing to go.
Xavier was at home, alone. He was just tossing the ball into the net with his lacrosse stick. It was repetitive but it had become something of a creature comfort for him. It was no longer difficult for him to make the shot and yet he still did it over and over again. Soon his mother walked out from the kitchen to check on her son as he'd been out there a while.
"Out here again are we, hon?" She crossed her arms looking at him from the kitchen sliding door.
The cub looked over his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm bored. I have nothing else to do. Practice isn't for a few days."
"Why don't you do something fun?" The chipmunk's mother began to slowly approach him.
He groaned and looked over at her. "Like what?"
"Well, why not go to Star City? You know that theme park that just opened up over in Old Town? I heard they have quite a few good attractions."
Xavier's ears perked up at the sound of it. "That sounds cool. Can I invite someone?"
"Sure, I don't see why not. Let's plan for tomorrow. That way you get the full day. I will get you and your friend fast passes so you can go on everything quicker." The woman figured it was a nice treat since he hadn't done anything different since summer vacation started.
The cub nodded and went inside. No longer was he interested in just throwing the ball around on his own. He had always been a social kid and craved some level of interaction. Immediately he sprinted towards his room and got out his phone to call his boyfriend. Xavier waited as the phone rang. It took only two rings before the fox boy answered.
"Hey, Xae. How's it going?" Pent's usual happy tone chirped from the speaker.
The chipmunk smiled as he responded. "It's going good. How about you?"
"It's better now that you called." The fox kit had become much more of a romantic around him these days.
Xavier chuckled. "That's sweet of you. Do you have any plans tomorrow?"
"Nah, I don't. Did you want to do something?" The other boy had a sense of hope in his voice.
The brown-furred cub hummed. "Well, my mother is taking me to the new theme park and I wanted to know if you wanted to go."
"Oh, Space City or whatever? I've heard all about it. I'm totally in." Pent wasn't about to turn down the chance to spend time with the boy he loved.
Xavier's smile grew wider. "Cool. I will see what time my mom wants to pick you up and text you the details. See ya later, love ya."
"Love you too. See ya." The Arctic fox ended the call.
The chipmunk boy couldn't help but feel excited. It hadn't been long since he'd seen Pent but the combination of seeing his boyfriend plus checking out the new theme park was tantalizing. He quickly ran to find his mother to tell her the details. Of course, she already knew who he would invite. She smirked at him the moment she mentioned the fox boy's name.
Still, she was glad he was embracing his relationship so openly now. It was nice to see her son have a relationship work out. It was nothing like the ones he had in the past and she wasn't about to put in and change it. Besides….he was old enough to make his own decisions. Softly she nodded at him, sharing with him the time they would go to pick up Pent.
The rest of the night was pretty slow for Xavier. He told Pent what time they would pick him up. But other than that he didn't do much other than take a shower before spending time looking at the computer and planning out his day at the park. It took him a while to figure out a game plan but he figured Pent would like it just as much as he did. It was the most low-key day he'd had in a while.
The next morning came before long with the chipmunk cub rising out of bed without his alarm waking him up. Xavier's mind had pent up so much excitement and anticipation that he got up much earlier than he normally would on a day off from school. Quickly the cub rose out of bed, changing out his pajamas without delay. By the time his mother came to check on him, the rodent was already dressed and just about ready to go.
"Someone sure is excited. Looks like you're chomping at the bit to go, huh?" The boy's mother couldn't help but smirk at him.
Xavier's tail flitted behind him. "Yeah, I can't wait to go."
"Who did you end up inviting?" She smiled as she already knew the answer but wanted to ask anyway.
The cub's face lit up. "Pent."
"That was nice of you. I'm sure you two will have fun today. Go on and eat breakfast. I made it for you. I will call his foster mom to let her know we're picking him up soon." By this point, the chipmunk's mother knew the other boy's phone number by heart.
The cub nodded and smiled before padding out of his room and towards the kitchen. When Xavier turned around the corner of the opening leading into it, he found a small plate of pancakes waiting for him. It had been a while since he had pancakes and the smell of maple syrup was evident as it had spread through the room. He couldn't help but lick his lips as he headed over towards it.
The chipmunk boy sat down and peeled the orange and bit into it. The citrus was both bitter and sweet as it appeared not to have been quite ripe yet. Xavier gobbled down the rest of the meal in no time. He was in no time to dabble around and lose any of the time they would have in the park. The cub made sure to clean up after himself as he didn't want to upset his parents, especially since they were doing something nice for he and his boyfriend.
After he was done, he headed over towards the living room. His father was already waiting for him. The boy was expecting his mother to be taking him but it didn't matter to him who was doing it.
"Ready, champ?" The older male asked his son.
Xavier nodded as he went over to the door to put his shoes on. "Yup."
The boy's father handed the boy a bottle of sun tan lotion. "Here, put this on in the car. Your boyfriend can use some too if he needs it."
The cub smiled and followed his father out to the front of the home. The two of them walked to one of the family's cars. Xavier buckled himself into the back seat, already anticipating the other boy to join him there. His father chuckled at the boy and started the car up. Heading out of the driveway and into the streets down the block where they lived.
It took them the usual amount of time to get to the fox boy's house. Xavier's father had been there enough now that he knew the way by heart, just like his son did. When they arrived, the chipmunk boy wasted no time in exploding out of the car to go get his boyfriend. The cub's father watched as the boy skipped happily towards the front door of Pent's apartment.
It didn't take long for the fox kit to come to the door. Pent couldn't help but smile at Xavier upon seeing the other boy. The smaller cub leaned forward and hugged his boyfriend affectionately before letting go.
"Come on, Pent. Ready to go to Space City?" The chipmunk's tail flitted happily behind him.
The bigger boy nodded happily. "Yup, totally."
The arctic fox followed his boyfriend over to the car and they filed into the back seat together. The chipmunk's father waved at the other boy as he approached.
"Good morning, Pent." The older male locked the doors once the cubs were inside.
The white-furred boy looked over at him. "Hello, Mr. Noyer. Thank you for letting me come."
"Of course. I wouldn't deny you guys time together." The father started the car again before long.
Xavier reached over to hold his boyfriend's hand. Of course, Pent was all too willing to indulge him. The two of them chatted about the park with Xavier sharing the details of the day he'd planned out. The fox was willing to do whatever the other cub wanted. After all, he wanted to share in everything Xavier did and Pent was just as much of a thrill seeker as the other boy was.
It took them about an hour to reach the entrance of Space City. An archway leading into it was designed to look like a star streaking across the sky with a small lit-up light at the end of it. The park's name was emblazoned in the same font used by the Canadian Space Agency. The Space Agency had gone as far as to financially support the place as a way to foster interest in the subject.
They headed under the archway where Xavier's father had to get the tickets scanned for access. He was given two and didn't bother with parking since he wasn't planning to stay. Xavier finally put on the sun tan lotion before handing it over to his boyfriend who did the same thing. Anthro's didn't always have a problem with sun burns but it was better to be safe than sorry.
After the tickets were purchased, The chipmunk's father took them further inside before dropping them off at the front of the park. There were all sorts of people walking around with a large line filtering out of a pavilion that had a sign showing it was for season pass holders. He handed them each one of the wristbands for the fast pass.
"You boys have fun. Xavier….here is $50 to pay for food and drinks. It should be enough to get you through the day for both of you. I will pick you two back up around 5. Sound good?" The man said before waiting for his son's response.
The brown-furred boy nodded as he took the money. "Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks, Dad."
Xavier tugged on Pent to follow him. The two of them walked together towards the entrance of the place. In front of them, a large launch pad had been retrofitted into a welcome area. Overtop of it was a banner showing various space mission badges, both real and fictional that were somewhat recognizable to those in the subject area. Of course, Pent couldn't help but gawk as he took in all the different memorabilia that had been posted around it.
"Look, Xae. It's the mission insignia for the Orion missions." The fox kit pointed at it, wondering if his boyfriend remembered it from the Imax visit.
The chipmunk looked over to where the other cub was pointing. "Oh yeah. The little Greek symbol…"
"It's named after a Greek hunter in the old tradition." Pent went on his usual bit of explaining things that weren't always necessary.
Xavier chuckled a bit as he ruffled the other cub's head fur. "Come on, Pent. I bet there is even more stuff for us to look at inside.
The chipmunk cub was all too aware of his boyfriend's fascination with the cosmos. It certainly wasn't something that he was super familiar with. Though Xavier knew more about it now than he ever did before meeting the other cub. They made their way to the entrance of the place. At the small digital turnstile, a park representative stood checking tickets for entrance.
Both boys showed their tickets as they made their way past the much taller fur. The distraught teen didn't pay them much attention as they were disinterested in the job. Xavier led Pent to the other side where they were once again greeted by the sun peering through the open awning ceiling. Some fans scanned back and forth making the area cooler than it would have been otherwise.
"So where to first, Xae?" Pent knew his boyfriend had planned their day out from their discussion on the car ride over.
The chipmunk gave the other boy a toothy grin. "I was thinking we could start with the roller coaster, the Cosmic Screamer. You game to start big?"
"Oh, yeah. Totally. I love roller coasters." The fox boy's smile grew wider on his face.
Xavier and Pent walked down the breezeway that led away from the entrance. The breezeway had a makeshift star map painted into it. It soon led into a tunnel that fed them through onto a conveyor belt that pushed through to the other side. A brightly colored metallic sign greeted them with emboldened letters that read "Welcome to the future."
They had arrived in one of the themed sections of the park. On either side of them, the buildings had been affixed to glowing rocket boosters that were supposed to show they were floating. Of course, the structures weren't hovering above the ground. It was all for show. The employees in charge of the area were all wearing tightly woven clothing with flared collars over their necks.
Some plastic cars had been fashioned in a style similar to the one of the retro cartoon "The Jetsons". It was something both of the cubs had seen before but weren't entirely familiar with. As they walked past them, some of the employees greeted them just as they did every other patron. The chipmunk and fox cubs came into the area where some of the rides were.
In front of them stood the Cosmic Screamer. A tall steel coaster that was one of the star attractions of the place. It was an open cabin-style train with seats that hung the patron's feet below it. The entrance to it was a small railed line leading up to a breezeway that fed into an area that provided the visitors some entertainment while they waited for their turn.
Inside the waiting room, Xavier and Pent were surrounded by all sorts of faux gadgets that had been used as decorations to sell that it was a rocket launchpad. The screen of the control room from inside Chapman Space Center was on screen. Of course, it wasn't live. Instead, the feed played a repeated recording of a launch that had been simulated just for the park.
The line fed through several rails that kept people mostly in a single file. On either side of them were some flashy buttons with screens that read various prompts. All of it was designed to look more high-tech than it was. The buttons were pushable and if one pressed it, there would be an error prompt that followed soon after warning the patron with bright red flashing lines.
Xavier and Pent continued through the line as they waited. As they got closer they could hear the roller coaster train coming and going. The thing was rather loud, especially since the initial launch of it had been set to go off with the sound of a rocket boost. The speakers from the various feeds instructed passengers on safety protocol and the countdown sounded over and over as they got ever closer to the ride.
Once they arrived at the loading area, they could see the coaster train. The top of it had been fashioned to look like a futuristic version of a space shuttle with the same black and white color splashes on the bottom of it. Xavier motioned for Pent to follow him to the front row. It had an additional line that they had to wait in but neither of them minded. After all, they believed the front row would be more enjoyable than any of the others.
It took a few moments more before it was finally their turn. The chipmunk and fox boys made their wait to the far side of the front row. Each row had four seats so they were sat on board with 2 other furs. The two cubs fastened the harness overtop of them and then proceeded to buckle themselves in to secure it to the bottom of their seat. Then they waited as the ride's staff checked each row for additional security.
After everything was checked, the floor beneath them dropped. The fur manning the intercom began counting down.
"10…9…8…7…6…All Systems Go…5…4…3…2…1…0."
The moment the speaker sounded zero the coaster cart shot off into the distance. Speeding up the first hill that took it ever higher above the parks ground. The climb lasted mere moments before curling into a drop that spun them around in a circle and left them hanging upside down for several seconds. The drop led into a curve that fed them back upward through a dark cavern that made things more difficult to see.
When they came out of it, they found themselves catapulted through a veil of stars that splashed them as they went through it. The dark area shot lit-up specs on the wall as they went light speed through the warp area. Spiraling back and forth the cart did not ever seem to keep a singular position for long. After a few moments, they were fed back out into the open.
Now much closer to the ground, the train rotated back and forth, hitting tight curves that sent the patrons smashing against the sides of it one way or the other. Soon the train began to slow down. The two boys could see themselves getting ever closer towards the end of the ride. The whole thing had been exhilarating but it felt like it had lasted a mere moment.
The coaster cart pushed into the loading area once again. Once it stopped, the harnesses popped up so they could unfasten the seat belts to release them. Both Xavier and Pent looked at each other. The big smiles on their faces showed they equally enjoyed the experience. The chipmunk got up first and offered his boyfriend a helping hand to stand back up.
After they had unloaded, the cubs made their way back out of the ride. The exit out of it was nowhere near as flashy as the entrance. Just some rocks that had been carved to resemble the inside of an asteroid. At the end of it, they viewed the picture that had been taken during the ride. Neither boy looked scared in it so they simply smiled and moved on from the area.
Xavier and Pent continued past the exit to the area just outside the coaster. Around the coaster were several other rides. A smaller round-a-bout with rockets spun about with smaller cubs seeming to enjoy themselves on it. The chipmunk and fox weren't very interested in it and looked to the area opposite of it where a tower drop ride was situated.
The chipmunk boy wasn't the biggest fan of drop rides but he wasn't about to skip it either. The brown-furred cub tugged on his boyfriend to follow him and they proceeded to the "Falling Star." Xavier and Pent followed under the entrance to the ride. It was nowhere near as ornate as the coaster was. A singular line filtered through an area that had a plastic awning over it.
Pent looked around and noticed the only decorations were some plastic stars hanging from the rafters and a few mobiles that rotated with some of the most recognizable planets on them and their moons. Of course, Pent knew most of them by name and he couldn't help but gawk at the ones that weren't accurate.
"Look Xavier…Jupiter only has 8 moons." The fox chuckled at it, thinking it was a foolhardy error.
The smaller boy smirked at him. "How many moons is it supposed to have?"
"Jupiter has 95 moons that we know of." Pent smiled at the other boy, glad that he was taking some interest in it.
The rodent's mouth dropped a bit. "95? That's a lot."
"Yeah, Saturn has even more. It has 146." The fox chirped a bit.
Xavier ruffled his boyfriend's head fur. "You're such a nerd. You know that?"
"Xae…" Pent frowned a bit at the comment.
The smaller boy put his arm around the other cub. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I like that you're nerdy."
"Oh, okay. Thanks." The arctic fox perked up a bit more.
They continued walking through the waiting area until it was their turn. The loading area of the drop ride was closed in, unlike that coaster. They could hear the elevator pushing the platform up and down as they got closer to it. The thing hissed and huffed air with each rise and drop of the area where the furs were sitting. Once it was their turn they were ushered through a door into the area where the lift was.
The lift was broken up into four sides with each side sitting 8 passengers. Just as the coaster had, each of the seats was secured with a harness and seat belt to secure the riders. A ride attendant watched as the patrons got into the seats and tightened the bars over the top of them. Once everyone was on board, each of the seats was checked to make sure they were safe.
After everything was good to go, the attendants removed themselves from the launch area. The roof overtop of them began to peel off as they could feel the sun began to peer down on them from overhead. The steel shutter soon settled and there was a moment of silence. Then all at once the lift shot upward, spiking itself towards the top of the tower in mere seconds.
Both Xavier and Pent felt their stomachs drop. The ride stopped at the top of the tower, allowing them to look below for a few seconds. It left them hanging…and unexpecting. Only moments later it dropped down back to the ground below stopping just before it entered back into the now open enclosure. Just before reaching the bottom, it once again shot upward but this time did not stop at the top.
The drop tower continued much the same motions up and down the shaft of its middle. Each time the drops became less intense with the intervals between them becoming shorter. At its final stop, it waited a few moments before slowly easing itself back into the waiting area and parking back inside. The shoulder bars popped up just as before once the ride was idle again.
The chipmunk and fox got out of their seats, filing out the back door that led out of the ride's exit. A small hallway led them back out into the open where they found themselves back in the park complex.
"Where too next?" Pent asked the smaller boy to see what he had in mind.
Xavier nodded. "Come on, let's go to the Galactic Gateway. It has more intense rides than this area. There are a lot of cubby rides here other than the coaster and tower."
"Alright Sounds fun. Let's go." The fox smiled at the sound of some more intense rides.
The rodent and vulpine cubs joined hands once again and began walking together along the sidewalk. They passed by a large parade area, which was empty since nothing was running at the moment. Some stores lined both sides of the street with a few stores in between to entice patrons to buy merchandise or souvenirs to commemorate their visit.
Neither of them was that interested in stopping at the shops. Besides they didn't have much money other than what was given to them by Xavier's parents. They continued to the galactic gateway which was a short distance from where the shops were. A large makeshift space station model sat in front of them as they entered it, opening as they approached.
Inside it was much cooler as it was a closed-in area. The inside were corridors that circled a perimeter that led towards the center. Every so often they approached another door that hissed open as it sensed their presence. Various sensors placed all around them made the decorations on the wall interact with them. Some cables and cords strung throughout making it look higher tech than it might have otherwise.
Walking past a few of the automatic doors, they soon found themselves at an exit where an exhaust-type vent fed back into another open area. Outside the area had been redesigned to look like it was a travel hub. Several fake spaceships were docked at the metallic docks that led into them. One of them led into a virtual reality ride but neither of the two cubs was interested in that.
Soon they arrived at the next noticeable ride. A large water ride filtered into a slide near the back of the park. A sign overtop it read "The Milky Way". The rodent cub led his boyfriend back to it and looked over at him once they were near the front of it.
"Ready to get a little wet?" The smaller boy said with a smirk on his face.
The fox kit's tail wagged behind him. "Definitely."
They once again started to walk forward. They could hear the water rushing through the plastic tubing that encapsulated whatever the ride carrier was. Occasionally some people screamed as some of them could not deal with the intensity of it. Eventually, they came up to the portion of it where they were stopped by a line of furs waiting for their turn.
The sides of the walls were decorated to look like the Milky Way itself. Several speckled lights brightly shone on it with some of them arranged in a fashion to resemble the barred spiral galaxy. Pent couldn't help but take a look at it and pointed near the center of it.
"Look it's Sagittarius A." The fox kit rounded his finger along the reddish core of the galaxy.
The smaller cub looked at it, not recognizing what his friend was pointing at. "What's that?"
"A supermassive black hole at the Galactic Center of the Milky Way." The white-furred boy smiled at his simple description of it.
Xavier smiled at his boyfriend, glad he was being himself. "That's cool."
They continued to wait as the line worked its way forward. Eventually, they made their way to the front of it, where they could see the boat that had been refashioned to look like a small rocket. Each of the lines of seats was bright red with the tip of its end flared out, looking much like the tail of a booster. On the side of it, some decals were affixed showing its model number and the CSA emblem.
This time the cubs did not bother to wait for the front line. Neither of them thought it would be much different than any of the other rows. They filed into the middle row and didn't have to share seats this time since the width of the ride wasn't very large. The water sloshed around the small rocket as the other patrons worked their way into the rocket.
Before long the little rocket pushed off as it was pulled down the track and out of the docking station. Moments later the chain began to pull it up a hill as they pushed into a tunnel. Darkness soon surrounded them as the tail end of the rocket entered into it. The little boat came to a stop near the top of it, speckles of flickering light sparkled around them.
The lights spun into a circle, rotating in front of them in a cascading flash of different shades of whites, yellows, oranges, and reds. The rocket lurched forward as it catapulted down its first big drop sending them down into a pit of complete darkness. Air rushed past them as the lights that decorated the walls soared past them.
Mere seconds passed before they crashed into the water below. Plumes of water erupted around them as they found themselves soaked. The rocket lurched forward, taking them around another corner and continuing at a slower pace down another alley. An intercom around them began to spew out a pre-recorded message as if it were coming from ground control.
"We have you in our tractor beam. Prepare for onboarding."
The rocket picked up pace immediately as another track took it up another hill. Still, they could not see and the only illumination was the constant filter of lights around them. Once again they dropped a second time, spiraling in a loop until they crashed into another bay of water. The ride slowed down and tracked forward as they could see the light of the exit in front of them.
The boat soon came to a stop back at the loading bay. Xavier and Pent got out of. Both their fur and their clothes were soaking wet as it dripped from their bodies when they exited. Even their shoes were sloshing with the stuff, making a squeaking noise as they put the weight of their body against it. The two cubs joined hands once again as they exited the ride.
The chipmunk and fox arrived back outside. The heat of the sun warmed against their now wet fur.
"Come on Pent, there are a lot more rides in this area to try out." Xavier said with a big grin on his face.
Just around the corner was another water ride. The outside of which showed a metallic sign that read "The Big Dipper." Xavier couldn't help but chuckle at yet another corny ride name. He continued to lead Pent over towards it as metal railings led towards the inside of its waiting area. Inside they found themselves surrounded by much more science fiction type of decorations.
On one end of the ride waiting area were a few statues of fake Aliens that resembled the ones found in various popular film and television specials. Everything from Star Trek to Men in Black was featured and neither boy recognized most of them. It looked more like a glorified movie set than anything that was supposed to be space-themed.
They waited in line a bit as it was a shorter wait than the other rides they had done so far. At the front of the line, they could see a larger raft being fit in with people who were getting inside of it. It had a much larger capacity than the one they just came from. It wasn't long before they were ushered into the ride. They had to sit with another group since they wouldn't just allow them to go alone.
Each of the furs on board had to buckle themselves in. Xavier and Pent found the floor of the raft to already be wet from the previous trip but that didn't matter much to them. Once everyone was on board, the raft soon got underway. It was a much slower start than the last ride. It lurched along with only the power of the current once it left the docking bay.
Out on the mainstream where it floated along freely, it ricocheted from one side to the other. The raft was rubber so it easily bounced against the walls. As they drifted down the river they found themselves in a sea of stars. The shorelines of the ride were fashioned in a way to make it look like they were among the stars. It was very similar to the design of the previous ride.
Suddenly they went under a large waterfall that cascaded a flood of water over them. The raft quickly filled with water with some of it filtering out through the built-in buoyancy devices. Both Xavier and Pent were splashed with their bodies being even more soaked with water than before. Coming out of it from the other side they were greeted by a spectacle of falling stars.
Xavier reached over to grab his boyfriend's hand. The two squeezed each other tightly as it reminded them of one of the earliest times they had spent together. Only moments later they were soon squirted by a gun that was being stationed by another cub who was taking great joy in squirting the people on board the raft. The fox and chipmunk stuck their tongue out at the younger girl, who promptly pushed water back towards their face.
The raft continued forward as it spun, spiraling in circles down a slide that shot them down to the lower part of the ride. It settled down into a much more relaxed state where it just coasted around. Pent couldn't help but relax into the other boy. The other patrons on board the raft smiled at the two close boys who were much more than friends.
The ride soon ended as the raft pulled back into the docking station. The fox boy got up and helped the rodent do the same. They continued out of the exit and skipped through the lines of railing that led back out of it. Back in the open, they were greeted by the sun which was now directly gazing overtop of them.
"You wanna grab some lunch? I'm getting hungry." Xavier suggested.
Pent nodded and the two trotted off towards the nearest restaurant. Since the place was a theme park, there were more than enough of them around. Right across from the raft ride was a pizza place. Xavier led into it and the both of them ordered their food. After the chipmunk paid, they picked one of the free tables near the back of it, and their food was delivered.
As always, Xavier and Pent sat together and enjoyed their meal as they plowed through it. The chipmunk reached over to clean his boyfriend's snout which had gotten some of the cheese stuck on his snout. The fox smirked at him and leaned against him again. The two of them remained there, cooling off a bit since the room had some fans filtering air through it.
When they were done, they waited a bit for their food to digest. Xavier got up first and offered his boyfriend help. The fox playfully tugged him down and hugged him tightly. The two cubs were soon out of the restaurant, making their way back out to the Galactic Gateway. There was one more ride the chipmunk boy wanted to do before they went to the other side of the park.
"Want to do the bungee swing ride?" The smaller cub offered his friend his idea.
The fox nodded as he wanted to do anything that his boyfriend did. Xavier grabbed the other boy's paw before they were on their way again. They headed to the furthest side from the raft ride where they saw a larger open area. A large set of poles with a singular pivot at the center of it. From the pivot swung a bungee cable attached to a swing.
No one seemed to be on it at the moment so Xavier couldn't help but pick up pace. It was the only time all day they didn't have to wait. They filed to the front of it where an attendant sat in front of a storage cage with some harnesses. She looked at the two boys as she wasn't expecting cubs to visit her station.
"Yes, boys?" She didn't think they would want to ride it.
The smaller boy looked at her. "We would like to ride the swing please."
"Oh, certainly. It's $10 per person." The tall egret woman said holding her feathered hand out for payment.
Xavier reached into his pocket and pulled out what was left of the money he'd been given. He frowned upon counting it.
"Never mind, I only have $13." The chipmunk started walking away thinking that was the end of the conversation.
The woman thought about it for a moment before calling them back. "Wait. I don't mind giving you guys the cub discount. Usually, it's for kids with their parents but I could make a pass for you."
"Oh, cool. Thanks. How much is that?" The brown-furred cub's face lit up again.
The woman chirped back with a high-pitched tone. "$12 for both of you."
"Cool, thanks. Count us in." Xavier reached into his pocket and handed over the cash.
The bird collected it and then stashed it in the register before taking them over to the storage cage. She measured each of them before handing them both similar-sized harnesses. Once they put them on, the woman made sure they were secure in them by running her fingers along each of the straps. After they were all set she took them over to the platform where the bungee cable lay.
Each of the cubs was attached to the cable with a security hook. They were instructed to ease off their feet so that both of them were hanging their idly. The woman got off the platform once they were all set to go. It wasn't long before the platform dropped and the bungee cable began being pulled ever so slowly upward. Both of the cubs looked at each other as they were being taken it.
Xavier and Pent soon found themselves at the column that was attached to their hook to give them a little time to look at their surroundings. The woman below them soon began a countdown as it was now only moments away before their drop. Both of them looked around at the theme park around them. It looked much smaller from where they were.
"5…4…3…2…1…0"
The hook released and they plummeted towards the ground. Their stomachs twisted with the initial drop from the top. The swing pushed forward as it passed by the ground and then in the opposite direction as motion pushed them forward. It continued back in the opposite direction as the swing became less forceful. Each of the swings after that became less and less intense until the thing came to a complete stop at the bottom of it a few minutes later.
They were helped down by the egret after the platform was raised back up to them. Xavier and Pent got out of the harnesses and thanked the lady for letting them ride. She smiled at the two, glad she had made their day better. The two cubs made their way off the ride once they had handed the harnesses back for re-securing.
Xavier figured at this point they'd spent enough time in the Galactic Gateway. There were only two more sections in the park but only one he was interested in showing his boyfriend.
"Come on, let's go to the Visions of the Past." The chipmunk offered his hand to his boyfriend who gladly took it again.
The chipmunk and fox cubs began walking again, making their way through the breezeway that they came from. They split in the opposite direction down a different door which led towards the area they wanted to go to. Once they exited from it, they were fed into another area.
Xavier and Pent found themselves in an open street with much more antiquated architecture. Buildings and aesthetics were designed to look like they were from the 50s and 60s. A few empty shells of cars sat about with some plastic dummies inside of them representing the drivers who once drove them. Each of them was without a face as this was supposed to be a vision.
Inside one of the buildings was an old television showing off the launch of Sputnik. It was recreated to the exact moment that the satellite went into orbit. There were various propaganda posters affixed to both sides of the street, representing the various missions from both the Soviet as well as the American side of things.
Another roller coaster sat in front of them but there was a virtual reality ride that Xavier thought his boyfriend would like.
"Come on Pent…I have a surprise." The chipmunk said, getting excited about it.
He tugged Pent over towards the far side of the area where a closed-in gate showed a circular disk-style shuttle that resembled what people of the 60s thought alien spacecraft would look like. On the outside of it, some fake gibberish had been inscribed to designate the thing was supposed to be of extraterrestrial design. There was a small metallic set of stairs leading up to it.
The chipmunk and fox headed into it, going through the narrow hallways as some poorly filtered air conditioning made it sound more otherworldly. The lights were bright green with similar striping rimmed throughout the corridors inside of it. They were soon greeted by a man who had dressed up in a dark black latex costume, fit with a form-fitting neon green head and hands.
The "Alien" led them to a small pod that popped out into a small pod that bubbled out from the ship itself. They were sat down in two leatherette seats with a large screen in front of them. Xavier and Pent buckled in as the door behind them shut with a quick whiff of wind.
"A long time ago….in a Galaxy Far Away." The usual Star Wars spiel centered on the screen with Neil deGrasse Tyson's voice narrating it.
A documentary soon followed of the space race, covering every mission that both the Americans and Soviets conducted during the height of the era. The smaller cub looked over at his boyfriend's face which instantly lit up upon hearing one of his favorite Scientists. Of course, the cub knew all the information that was presented.
"This is neat, Xae." The fox said without taking his eyes off the screen.
The whole presentation lasted about 10 minutes with all of the major highlights covered. Footage from each of them showed some of the more pinnacle events and even featured a cameo of the more recent space launches. The show was dumbed down so even people who didn't know the subject understood it. When they were done the bigger boy's tail was wagging behind him happily. Xavier knew that Pent would like this, even if he wasn't into it himself.
They proceeded back out to the park. Pent's face was lit up. It was clear he enjoyed the documentary, even if it was below his level. Xavier was happy he went through with it, especially because of how he'd treated documentaries in the past. The chipmunk knew he had to try harder to relate to his boyfriend, just as Pent did with him. The fox and chipmunk continued around that area of the park.
Soon after they would go on the roller coaster. It was a wooden one that was much older than the other one in the park. It had been repurposed to fit the theme of the park and had been branded as the "Lightspeed Lift". Of course, both cubs went on it but it was nowhere near as exciting as the other one in the park. Still, the more jaunted and responsive cart made the experience just as enjoyable.
The remainder of the day they would ride some of the rides over again and even go on some of the stuff they didn't plan to. At the end of it all, Xavier tugged Pent to the go-kart track where they relived an old pastime. Of course, the chipmunk was more than up to the challenge and was able to beat his boyfriend with time to spare. The fox kit was happy the day had ended on a good note and wasn't a sour sport about it.
By the day's end, they were exhausted. The clouds in the sky had made the day cooler than it otherwise would have been. All the walking they did plus the beating down of the sun made them tired. When they were picked up by Xavier's father, they were ready to kick back and relax. Xavier plopped himself on the other boy's shoulder and let his eyes close. Pent ruffled his boyfriend's fur and put his arm around him enjoying the moment of closeness.
The chipmunk's father was glad he had taken them. It was clear both of them had enjoyed themselves. The big smiles on their face were evident of that. He took Pent home before the two boys shared their last hug and kiss for the night. Promising to see each other soon, already hoping that day would come sooner rather than later. It would be a day they would not ever forget.
