The carnival was buzzing with laughter, flashing lights, and the scent of sugary treats. Gru had taken the girls for a fun night out, and somehow, Noah Jutila had been roped into tagging along—mostly thanks to Agnes and Edith, who had their own mischievous plans. "Noah, Noah!" Agnes tugged at his sleeve excitedly. "You should go on the Tunnel of Love with Margo!" Noah's face immediately turned bright red. "W-what?!" He nearly choked on his soda, looking between Margo and the ride in question.

Margo crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. "Nice try, Agnes." "Oh, come on," Edith smirked. "You two are *totally* meant for this ride." Margo shot them an unimpressed look, but Noah was too busy trying to keep himself from combusting. Before he could protest, Agnes and Edith snatched their tickets, switched them out, and practically shoved Margo and Noah toward the ride.

The ride operator, a bored teenager chewing gum, barely glanced at them before ushering them into the little swan-shaped boat. The moment they sat down, the boat began to drift forward, taking them into the dark, glowing tunnel. Noah immediately slapped his hands over his face. **Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.** His heart was pounding so fast he was sure Margo could hear it. "Seriously, Noah? You're acting like you're about to explode." "I might," he muttered, voice muffled behind his hands.

The ride was everything you’d expect—a slow-moving boat under pink-hued lights, soft music playing, and animatronic cherubs popping out from behind fake rose bushes. Suddenly, the boat jerked, and a loud click echoed through the tunnel. The walls opened up, revealing a hidden section of the ride that no other boats seemed to be entering. Instead of the usual glowing hearts and pink lights, they were now floating through a tunnel filled with softly glowing lanterns. Tiny petals rained down from above, and the water beneath them shimmered like stars. "Whoa… this is *way* cooler than the normal ride."

Then, a tiny projector screen descended from the ceiling, and a familiar, heavily-accented voice rang out: **“MARGO! I HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING YOUR SPECIAL RIDE! IT HAS BEEN… HOW YOU SAY… CUSTOMIZED! BY YOUR FAVORITE SUPER-VILLAIN-TURNED-SOFT-DAD! YOU’RE WELCOME!”** Margo groaned, putting a hand over her face. "Wait. Gru did this?" Before Margo could answer, the projector clicked again, showing live footage of Gru waving at the camera, standing outside the ride with Edith and Agnes laughing in the background.

Noah practically collapsed in his seat, hiding his face again. "Yeah, welcome to my life." The boat continued drifting through the enchanted tunnel, filled with glowing fairy lights, holographic fireworks, and soft, dreamy music. "I, uh… I guess your dad *really* wanted this to be special." "Yeah, that sounds like him." For a moment, there was silence between them—comfortable, warm. Margo glanced at him and smirked. "You can uncover your face now—I don’t bite."

The boat slowly reached the end of the ride, drifting toward the exit where Gru, Edith, and Agnes were waiting. Just before stepping off, Margo did something that made Noah’s brain short-circuit all over again—she briefly linked her arm with his, just for a second, before pulling away casually. "Thanks for surviving that with me," she teased, giving him a small grin. Noah, too stunned to respond, could only nod, his face turning bright red again. As they walked away, Agnes whispered to Edith, "Told you it would work." Edith smirked. "Oh yeah. He’s *so* in love." Gru, arms crossed, nodded in approval. **“Mission accomplished.”** Noah, completely unaware of their scheming, just kept blushing, his heart still racing from the most magical and embarrassing ride of his life.