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The form will be open for 10 days, until 18th of December. If we'll have too little submissions, maybe a bit longer. And I wanna hear your suggestions about how much time should we have for completing the gifts.
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A/N: I really liked the request for a summer camp fanfic, so I thought I would give that a go! Just a disclaimer that I haven’t written fanfiction in years, but I am very confident in my writing ability, so I hope you enjoy it! Also, this story is essentially a Summer Camp AU and is not tied to the canon game, as the characters are all about the same ages (except Charlie) instead of there being like a 6-year age gap between Erin and Kate, for instance. In this story, Jamie & Erin are 14 while Kate & Mark are 16. I also may have incorporated some of my headcanons about the characters, as well as some headcanons I’ve seen from other people because I liked them! Oh, I also have included a little easter egg referencing The Quarry if anyone happens to catch it. It’s very subtle but let me know if you find it! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy it! <3
Jamie always hated these things. The stupid orientations on the first day of camp where the adults go over the rules & regulations, give sleeping arrangements, discuss the “itinerary” of activities instead of actually doing said activities, talk about the code of conduct, etc, etc. It was already hard enough for any teenager to sit still for a prolonged period of time and listen attentively while monotone adults droned on and on, let alone a teenager who already has difficulties with attention regulation such as Jamie. As the counselor moved on to talking about how meals would work, Jamie huffed and slouched even lower in her chair.
As she scanned the room, she recognized only 2 familiar faces. One was a man, one of the counselors, who was sitting up at the front with the other counselors, flipping through a stack of papers. Charlie was the director of activities, which Jamie considered a joke since she was pretty sure the man would lose his own head if it wasn’t already screwed on. Actually, Jamie questioned if it was even screwed on tight enough, or possibly even a little too tight. That would explain his constant stress responses to every little hiccup he encounters. The other face Jamie recognized belonged to a boy, another camper whom Jamie knew from both her previous 2 years at camp. He was wearing a well-loved gray hoodie and had his favorite camera strapped around his neck. During their first year at camp together, Jamie and Mark didn’t know each other too well. Jamie was extroverted and liked socializing and getting into trouble with the other kids, whereas Mark was more introverted and preferred keeping to himself and his camera. However, all of the kids that Jamie had hung out with during her first year did not attend camp the following year, leaving Jamie to make new friends. One of the only faces she recognized was Mark’s, so she decided to adopt him as her designated introvert, as many extroverts like to do. Even though they were different, the two of them got along pretty well and Jamie was happy to see that he was back.
Just then, the girl sitting next to Mark leaned over and whispered something to him. She had auburn hair and was wearing a beanie that looked almost as well-loved as Mark’s hoodie. Jamie didn’t recognize her. Was she someone Mark knew from school? Jamie shrugged and resumed slouching in her chair. She bent her head back, looking up at the ceiling, and heaved a sigh. These stupid things always dragged on.
After the orientation finally ended, Jamie quickly found her cabin and was surprised to already find another girl inside. She didn’t notice Jamie come in, she had her back turned towards the door and was rummaging inside her bag.
“Hey,” Jamie gently greeted the girl to get her attention.
“Oh!” The girl spun around, holding something in her hand. She greeted Jamie back with a small wave, “Hi.”
The girl was wearing a yellow t-shirt over a black long-sleeved shirt and a pair of headphones around her neck.
“I’m Jamie,” Jamie stuck her hand out for the girl to shake.
“Erin,” The girl replied as she softly took Jamie’s hand and gave it a gentle shake.
“It’s nice to meet you, Erin.”
“You too,” Erin gave Jamie a soft smile.
Their hands lingered a little longer than normal, still awkwardly and slowly shaking for a good couple of seconds before Jamie chuckled and retracted her hand.
“What were you looking for in your bag? You forget something?”
“Oh, no, I was looking for this,” Erin held up a blue inhaler. “There’s probably a lot of dust and stuff at camp, so I wanted to make sure it was accessible, because the last time I had an attack and didn’t have it on me, it was— well,” She stopped herself short. “I’m sorry, that’s probably too much information, i-it just helps me breathe.”
“You’re good,” Jamie gave a small, amused chuckle. “I don’t mind, I like learning things about people. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t care.”
“Oh, well that’s a relief,” Erin plopped down on her chosen bed as Jamie set her bag on the other bed and started to unpack. “I’m just so used to people getting annoyed with me for sharing too much.”
“Those people are lame,” Jamie said in such a blunt tone that caught Erin off-guard, but in a good way. She wasn’t used to other people immediately having her back in such a confident manner like the one Jamie exudes.
“Yeah,” Erin giggled. “I guess so.”
“Go ahead, say it.”
“Say what?”
“Say, ‘those people are lame.’ It’ll make you feel good, promise.”
“…Will it?”
“As someone who’s been saying it practically my whole life, yes. I guarantee.”
“O-okay… Those people are lame?”
Jamie stopped rummaging in her bag and turned to Erin.
“Mmm, no. Like you mean it.”
“But what if I don’t mean it?”
“Come onn, just say it.”
“Okay, those people are lame…”
“Louder.”
Erin looked around, unsure of herself, as she was a much more quiet and reserved person than Jamie was. It would appear that Jamie had found her designated adopted introvert for the summer.
“I won’t judge you,” Jamie encouraged her. “In fact, I’ll think you’re pretty cool. Go ahead, let it out.”
“Alright… Those people are lame.”
“One more time.”
“Those people are lame!”
Jamie chuckled, “Pretty good, does that feel better?”
“A little,” Erin admitted with a sheepish smile, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Good! Sometimes you gotta let that stuff out instead of letting it bottle up, y’know?” Jamie finished unpacking most of her stuff before she turned back towards Erin. “You wanna go look around?”
Erin looked up at her, “Don’t you still have to finish unpacking?”
“Eh, that stuff can wait, I wanna go see everything. Wanna join me? It’ll be fun!”
Erin, wanting Jamie to continue to think she was cool, shrugged and placed aside the book that she had gotten out.
“Sure, I suppose. Where are we going?”
“Anywhere! I wanna see what kind of activities they have set up.”
Jamie headed for the cabin door and Erin followed after her, inhaler in her pocket and headphones still around her neck.
At another section of the camp, Mark sat on a bench and pointed his camera at a small family of ducks floating in the lake across from him. As one of the ducks popped back up from the water and shook its head, Mark clicked his camera and took a couple of quick photos. After a short succession of shots, he took the camera away from his eye and reviewed them, determining which ones to keep. As he clicked through them, the auburn-haired girl strolled up to him.
“Get anything good?” She asked him.
“Just some trees and ducks,” He turned the camera screen to show her his favorite from the bunch, which was a snap of the duck shaking off the water.
“Looks good! Is that a new camera?”
“My mom got it for me for my birthday. She gave it to me a little early so I could have it at camp.”
“That was sweet. How is your mom?”
“She’s good. She says hi.”
“Ah, well, tell her I say hi back! You know… when you get back home, of course…” She trailed off before letting out a sigh as she sat next to him. Mark chuckled and turned towards her.
“For sure. You all unpacked?” He shut his camera off and put it back in his camera bag.
“Yup! Ah, so, Mark… I—”
“I’m really glad you could come along this summer, Kate. It’s a lot of fun and I’m pretty excited to finally share it with you.”
Kate gave him a soft smile, “Me too, Mark. I’m really happy we get to have a fun summer together. There’s just, um…” Kate looked at her hands, picking at the skin around her fingernails.
“Who knows, maybe if you enjoy it just as much as I do, we can come back next year and be counselors or something.”
“I thought you had to be eighteen to be a counselor.”
“Oh, yeah, you’re probably right. I just assumed that because sixteen was the cutoff for campers, that meant that seventeen was the eligible age for counselors. Although maybe there’s a junior counselor option? I don’t know, it was just a thought.”
Kate gave him another warm smile, “Well, you should definitely look into it, I think that would be really great for you. Maybe you could teach these kids about photography!”
“You think I could?”
“I don’t see why not. You’re a really good photographer, Mark.”
Mark couldn’t help but blush a little. “Thanks, Kate. Maybe you could teach them about journalism or something!”
Kate smiled at him again, although this time it was more of a sad smile. He was so excited and she was so happy to see him thinking about the future, especially since the Mark she’s used to usually just lets life happen. How was she supposed to tell him about her mother’s new job and about how it would take her away from him?
“Mark, I have to tell you about something—”
“Hey, Mark!” Kate was cut off by Jamie, who was waving and walking up to them with Erin at her side.
“Hey, Jamie, good to see you again!” Mark stood up and caught Jamie slightly off-guard with a hug.
“Oh, hey, yeah, you too!” She patted his back before they let go.
Mark, realizing he had to make introductions, awkwardly gestured to Kate, “This is Kate, we go to school together. She’s that friend I told you about last year.” He then turned to Kate and gestured towards Jamie, “Kate, this is Jamie, she was my friend last year at camp.”
Kate stood up and shook Jamie’s hand, “Nice to meet you, Jamie.”
“You too. Mark told me a lot about you last year. In fact, sometimes it seemed like he wouldn’t shut up about you.”
Kate looked at Mark, who opened his mouth to object, clearly blushing. “Really?”
“I— I wouldn’t say I wouldn’t shut up about you, that’s… an over-exaggeration, I just had a lot to say about… school, and… stuff…”
“Uh huh,” Kate smirked before turning back to Jamie. “Well he told me a good bit about you too, he said he had a lot of fun last year.” Kate then turned to Erin, “What’s your name?”
“I’m Erin.” Erin awkwardly lifted her hand, unsure of whether or not she should hold it out for Kate to shake. When Kate extended her own hand, Erin clumsily took it and gave it a small shake. “I’m just… Jamie’s roommate. Or, uh, cabinmate,” she said before she awkwardly folded her arms just so she could have somewhere to put her hands, which she was suddenly overly conscious of.
“I’m taking her around, showing her all of my favorite spots, telling her which places to stay away from, et cetera,” Jamie jumped in, taking the attention and pressure off of Erin.
“Did you show her the waterfall?” Mark asked.
Kate echoed, “Waterfall?”
“There’s this little lake that we all used to go swimming in, and above it there’s this stream that has a mini waterfall flowing into it.”
“I haven’t gotten that far yet,” Jamie answered. “I was actually heading that way now when I saw you guys. You… wanna join us?”
“Sure! Kate, you wanna go?”
Kate hesitated. She knew that she shouldn’t put off what she needed to tell him, but she also knew that she technically had all summer. She figured it was best to not dump it on him right away, so she said, “Sure, that sounds like fun.”
“Alrighty, campers, let’s goo!” Jamie started leading the way, Erin right behind her, and Mark and Kate behind Erin.
When the four of them made it to the waterfall, they laughed and talked about everything they thought of, simply having fun getting to know each other. They splashed around in the water a bit, but Mark was resistant to getting his favorite hoodie wet while Erin was protective of her headphones, not wanting them to get ruined. They hung out for about an hour or so before a counselor came looking for them.
Later that night, after dinner, Kate knocked on Mark’s cabin door just as he was finishing getting unpacked. Because the doors had mesh windows on them, Mark could see Kate standing outside under the glow of the lantern that was mounted on the outside wall.
“Come in, Kate!” Mark called to Kate, and she opened the door to let herself in. Mark was organizing his camera bag for what Kate could only guess was maybe the fiftieth time since they got to camp that day. Mark’s roommate was sitting on his own bed on the farther side of the cabin, listening intently to something on his phone with earbuds in his ears. “Hey,” Mark greeted Kate, “What’s up?”
“Hey, Mark, do you have a minute?”
“Luckily I just finished unpacking, so yeah! Why?”
Kate shrugged, “Wanna go on a walk? It’s really nice out tonight.”
“Sure,” Mark finished crewing a lens on his camera. “Should I bring my camera?”
“I don’t know how good the lighting is here at nighttime.”
Mark looked down at his camera, contemplating what Kate said. “Good point,” he said as he put his camera back in its bag and zipped it shut. “Okay, let’s go!” Mark grabbed his gray hoodie and wrapped it around himself, zipping it up, before following Kate towards the door. Before leaving, Mark turned to his roommate and said, “I’ll be back, man.”
His roommate gave him a small thumbs up as an acknowledgment before Mark followed Kate outside and let the door swing close behind them.
“Where to, m’lady?” Mark asked Kate, putting his hands in his pockets.
“Anywhere, really, I just thought it’d be nice to look at the stars. It’s so much easier to see them here than back in the city.”
Mark followed Kate’s gaze up towards the sky, where he could indeed see more stars than he had ever seen back in Chicago. “Think you can recognize any constellations?”
Kate chuckled, “No, I’m not really familiar with any constellations.”
“You’re not?”
“No, not really. What makes you think I am?” Her tone wasn’t snappy at all, she was genuinely curious as to why he thought that about her.
Mark shrugged, “I dunno, I just thought since you’re into crystals, that you would be into all of that kind of stuff.” Mark gave her a sheepish smile, which Kate returned.
“Nah, not really my thing. I do like astrology and studying the zodiac signs, but I’m not really a constellations girl.”
Mark let out a chuckle and said, “Fair enough.”
The two of them walked in silence a bit longer, appreciating the night sky and the sounds of the crickets around them. They eventually made it to a little hiking trail that led away from the main camp. As they started walking down the trail, Kate looked at Mark, who was still admiring the night sky. Kate smiled to herself. She was going to miss this big dork a lot.
“Mark, I kinda have to tell you something.”
Mark looked back to Kate. “What’s up?”
“Well, firstly, nothing is wrong,” Kate reassured, not realizing how strange of a statement that was to start off with until Mark gave her a weird look.
“O-okay? Is everything ok?”
Kate was suddenly very aware of the cool breeze that was blowing through the trees around them.
“Y-yeah,” Kate let out a shiver. “Everything is f-fine.”
Mark, noticing Kate shivering, immediately unzipped his jacket and, without saying anything, removed it from himself and wrapped it around Kate’s shoulders. She gave him a sweet, grateful look before graciously taking it and putting her arms through the sleeves. What was she ever going to do without this big meatball? Once Kate had the hoodie on, Mark wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him so she could share his body warmth. Kate had always been one of those people who got cold pretty easily, and Mark was always more than happy to warm her up.
“What did you wanna talk about?” He asked.
“S-so,” Kate let out one last shiver before relaxing into his embrace. “You know how I told you my mom was looking for a new job?”
“Yeah, she wanted better pay and a better work environment, right?”
“Right… Yeah, so… She, uh, she found one.”
“Oh yeah? That’s great!” Mark smiled at Kate, who still looked nervous, which seemed strange to Mark considering the good news she just shared. “So how come you don’t seem happy?”
“The job is in Georgia.”
Mark stopped walking and loosened his embrace on Kate.
“What?”
“The job is located in Georgia, which means… We have to move,” Kate gave him a sad look. Mark dropped his arm and turned to face Kate fully.
“You’re moving?” Mark searched Kate’s face, looking for some type of indicator that there was hopefully some good news to balance out the idea of them having to split up. “When?”
“At the end of the summer. When we get back home, I basically have to start packing right away. Our flight is August 28th.”
Mark felt like someone had just jabbed a needle through his chest.
“So…” He started, trying to wrap his head around what he was hearing. “What does this mean, then? For us?”
“It, well… It means we have to break up,” Kate’s voice hitched as she said that. She hated the idea of them having to break up, but she hated the idea of a long-distance relationship just as much. “I’ve never done long-distance before, and to be honest, I don’t think I could handle it. I just think it would be even more painful than just being friends, which I don’t wanna do either, I want to be with you, I just… I don’t have a choice. Not until I’m an adult with my own job and can stand on my own feet.”
“You have a job.”
“I mean a real job, one that pays an actual living wage.”
Mark looked down at the ground, not wanting her to see the pain on his face. Mark was one of those people who hated the feeling of sadness so much that he would rather feel anything else, even if it was anger. To him, it was easier to be angry than it was to be sad. It was like an unhealthy coping mechanism designed to suppress his feelings rather than regulate them.
“Is this why you came to camp with me this year? Because you felt bad that you’ll have to leave me?”
“No, Mark, I wanted us to have a good summer before I have to go! I didn’t want to dump it on you right before we leave, which is also why I thought I should tell you now instead of at the end of summer. That way, I figured we could just focus on having a good time before, y’know…” Kate trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.
“Kate, how am I supposed to have a good time when I know that it’s going to end when we go back home?”
“Because we can make the most of it, you know, knowing that it’s… our last few months together. We can go all out— water balloon fights, hiking, scavenger hunts, swimming, all that stuff!”
“But knowing that you’re going to leave doesn’t make me wanna do that stuff, it makes me just want to reverse time or find a way to keep you here. Or, well— not keep you here, at camp, but I mean— like, keep you in Chicago. With me.”
Kate gave him another sad look, not entirely knowing what to say. It wasn’t her choice to leave him, she very much wanted the opposite, but her mom needed this new job to better make ends meet.
“I’m sorry, Mark, I wish I had a choice. You know how much my mom needs this job.”
Mark sighed, feeling his anger wash away as soon as he looked into her eyes. From just one glance, he could instantly tell just how much this was tearing her apart. That was the thing about Kate’s eyes— they always did the best job at portraying her inner thoughts and feelings, even more so than her words sometimes. That was one reason she often wore sunglasses when she could— they allowed her to be mysterious whenever she was around people she didn’t fully feel comfortable letting in. Mark, however, was not someone she felt the need to keep a guard up around.
“I’m sorry, too,” Mark took Kate’s hands. “You’re right, I know that, and I know you don’t have a choice, I just…” Mark sighed again. “Tell me there’s a chance that it’s not goodbye forever?”
“Oh, definitely not, you know I couldn’t do that,” Kate pulled her right hand free and used it to cup Mark’s face.
Mark looked back down at the ground, feeling slightly overpowered by the emotion glistening in Kate’s eyes, afraid that he would fully break if he were to continue looking into them; but it was too late. A tear started rolling down his cheek, which Kate promptly wiped away upon feeling it reach her fingertips.
“Hey,” Kate said softly. “We still have all summer before we have to worry about it. Let’s have fun, okay? I want you to show me everything you love here, like Jamie was doing with Erin. I want to see all your favorite spots, I want to do your favorite activities, I want to do dumb, reckless teenager stuff before we have to deal with boring, shitty adult stuff. Can we please do that?”
Mark nodded, “Yeah, of course.”
Wanting to ease the tension a little, Kate joked, “Good, because I’m really looking forward to crushing your ass in a water balloon fight.”
Mark chuckled. “You wish,” he said.
“Is that a challenge? Alright, buster, well we’ll just see who crushes who then, won’t we?” Kate gave him a playful kiss, which Mark quickly melted into, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. The two of them deepened the kiss, not wanting to let each other go. They could have stayed like that for hours if it weren’t for their need to break for air. When they finally parted lips, they kept their faces close together and leaned their foreheads together. They held that position for a good minute or so, feeling more connected than they ever had before. Neither of them was sure what they would do without the other, but they both figured they would put that thought off for as long as possible. For now, they just wanted to be present together, keeping company in each other’s warm embrace.
Back at the cabins, Jamie and Erin were chilling in their respective beds. Erin was reading a book, while Jamie played with a baseball, bored out of her mind. She suddenly looked over at Erin, who was still wearing her headphones around her neck.
“I’m bored,” Jamie said, getting Erin’s attention. “Do you wanna do something?”
Erin, sensing that Jamie wanted her full attention, placed a bookmark in her novel. “Like what?” She asked.
Jamie pondered before suggesting, “I kinda wanna go back to that lake. You feel like swimming?”
“Oh, uh, I don’t know. I’m not much of a swimmer.”
“Do you know how?”
“I do, I just… don’t do it very often.”
“Well, why not do it now? Did you pack a swimsuit?”
Erin wasn’t sure why, but she felt herself blushing at the question. Erin wasn’t the most comfortable person in swimming attire, especially not around someone she just met, and especially not around someone as intriguing and alluring as Jamie was.
“I-I, well, I— I mean, I did, but—” Erin stuttered.
“Okay!” Jamie popped off her bed. “Then let’s go!”
“Oh, uh, r-right now?”
“Yes, silly, that’s why I asked if you wanted to do something,” Jamie said in a light-hearted tone to let Erin know she was joking and not actually making fun of her.
“Oh, o-okay, sure!” Always the people-pleaser, Erin put her book aside and got up to get her swimsuit.
Jamie took a quick moment as she observed Erin rummaging through her bag. There was something adorable and charming about Erin’s awkwardness that Jamie couldn’t really explain. Jamie had been aware of her attraction to girls for a while now, but this attraction was especially interesting to Jamie because Erin wasn’t typically her type. She was used to being attracted by the girls who exuded even more confidence than Jamie did, but there was something about Erin’s soft and caring nature that Jamie couldn’t help but be drawn in by. Though Erin likely saw herself as an open book, she was somewhat of a mystery to Jamie, who couldn’t wait to learn more about her.
Once the girls both had their swimsuits on underneath their camp clothes, they started on their way back to the lake. They walked in silence for a few minutes, appreciating the nighttime ambiance, before Jamie noticed that Erin still had her headphones around her neck even though they were going to go swimming.
“Hey, can I ask you about something?” Jamie asked.
“Sure.”
“What are those headphones for? The ones you’re always wearing?”
“Oh,” Erin blushed as she looked down at said headphones, not even realizing she was still wearing them. “I guess I just get so used to having them on me, sometimes I forget to take them off when I don’t need them.”
“Have you ever fallen asleep with them on?”
“No…” Erin chuckled before a realization hit her. “Wait, yes…”
Now Jamie chuckled. “Yes?”
“Yeah, I forgot that one time I— well, it’s kind of embarrassing…” Erin trailed off.
“You can tell me,” Jamie reassured, “I won’t judge you. Trust me, I’ve heard plenty of crazy stuff from plenty of people, nothing really fazes me anymore.” Jamie and Erin both chuckled.
“Well, sometimes I use them for noise canceling. You know, to drone out overwhelming noise?”
“Yeah, lots of people like noise-canceling headphones.”
“Right, and, well… One night I heard… some people arguing and it just got to be a little too much for me, so I put them on and curled up in my bed, trying to ignore it, and I… eventually just fell asleep,” Erin let out a sheepish chuckle, not sure if she was sounding dumb or crazy or both.
“Ah, I’m sorry those people were arguing so much,” Jamie frowned.
“It’s okay, I’m used to it.”
From Erin’s demeanor and tone of voice, Jamie could sense that the arguing wasn’t just annoying neighbors, but likely possibly coming from somewhere within the same house that she had been in. Not wanting her to feel uncomfortable, Jamie changed the subject.
“So, what do you wanna do when you grow up?”
“Me? Oh, I don’t know…” Erin pondered the question before replying, “Well, I like doing sound editing.”
“What does that entail?”
“Sound editing? Well, it’s kind of like how movie editors choose certain sound effects for their scene, or how they’ll balance their channels so that the music doesn’t overpower the dialogue or vice versa. I’ve been doing it for a little while by making edits and things, but I’m just getting into doing it for shows. This past year, I helped with the sound design for a show that the theatre department put on at my school. It was really fun, and they said they’re always in need of more tech people, because, y’know, most kids want to do acting, so I said that sounded great, and…” Erin suddenly realized she was probably rambling. Feeling self-conscious, she quickly finished her thought, “Anyway, yeah, sound design! I like it,” she let out another sheepish chuckle.
“That sounds like a lot of fun,” Jamie smiled at her genuinely, allowing Erin to relax the tension she hadn’t realized she was holding. “I’m glad you’ve already found something you’re so passionate about, not everybody has something like that.”
“What about you?”
“Nah, not really. I kinda like art but I have no idea what I’d do with it, you know?”
“Well,” Erin started, “I think the thing about art, is you can do anything you want with it, really. What kind of art do you like?”
“I dunno… I like colors.”
“Have you thought about technical theatre at all? Maybe you could do lighting design. They use colors all the time, depending on the mood and atmosphere of the scene.”
“I hadn’t really thought about that, no. Maybe I’ll look into it,” Jamie smiled at Erin, who returned the smile.
When they finally reached the lake, Jamie stood up on a rock that looked much too slippery to Erin.
“Careful, Jamie!”
Jamie chuckled, “I’m fine, don’t worry.” She looked at Erin, who looked even more captivating under the moonlight shining through the trees. “You know, you’re cute when you worry about my well-being like that.”
“I just don’t want you to—” Erin cut herself off, realizing what Jamie had just said. “Wait, cute?”
“Yeah, that’s what I said,” Jamie said, not backing down from her very true observation regarding Erin’s adorableness.
Erin’s cheeks suddenly felt very hot. “I— I don’t—” Erin stuttered, hoping that it was too dark for Jamie to see just how red her face had turned. “I don’t know what you’re—” Unsure of what to do with her body, Erin awkwardly shifted her feet, accidentally stepping on one of the wet rocks. “Oh!”
Erin suddenly slipped and stumbled forwards, into Jamie’s readied arms.
“Whoa! You okay there?” Jamie chuckled as she helped Erin get reoriented on her feet.
“Oh, y-yeah, thanks…” Erin started blushing even more, which she hadn’t even thought was possible. “Can I ask you something now?”
“Of course,” Jamie replied as she sat down on one of the drier rocks. Erin slowly followed suit, making sure to check that the rock was dry before sitting on it. When she was seated, she let out a small huff.
“How are you so…” Erin trailed, searching for the right word.
“Awesome?”
“Cool. I mean, like— chill.”
“You mean how am I so confident?”
“Y-yeah, I— guess that’s the word I was looking for.” Erin smiled sheepishly.
Jamie shrugged, “I don’t know, I guess I just learned how to fake it really well.”
“You mean, you… don’t actually feel confident?”
“Well, no, I do— but I didn’t always. I guess my dad kinda helped me with that. He’s an actor, so I guess it kind of runs in the family… even though I’m adopted,” Jamie cocked an eyebrow, realizing how silly it sounded for her to have inherited something from someone she wasn’t biologically related to. It was the first time that day that Erin had noticed Jamie double-guessing something she said, which made her seem a lot more relatable than she originally did.
Erin smiled at her. “That still makes sense, though, if he taught you.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Jamie returned the smile.
They both made direct eye contact for the first time that day and instantly found themselves looking into each other’s eyes for longer than anticipated. Neither of them could quite place their finger on just what exactly was so intriguing to them about the other person, but they were both experiencing the same butterflies and racing heartbeat. They weren’t sure what gravitational force was at play when they found themselves slowly leaning in, suddenly much closer to each other.
Jamie broke the silence, “Am I crazy, or do you feel something too?”
“I-I don’t know, I mean… I feel— something, I just— it’s new to me,” Erin admitted, having little to no experience with crushes or the like.
Jamie smiled at her. “It’s new to everyone at some point. I can help show you if you want,” Jamie said, not wanting Erin to feel pressured.
Erin blushed again. The idea sounded so daunting to Erin, but in a completely amazing and incredibly tempting way. She had never received this type of attention before and she wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Not knowing how to respond, Erin simply nodded.
“Okay, only if you’re sure though,” Jamie reassured.
“Y-yeah, sure, I’m sure,” Erin stuttered, causing Jamie to emit a small chuckle.
Jamie looked back into Erin’s eyes, ensuring that she was good, before finally closing the gap and tenderly touching her lips to Erin’s. Erin quickly leaned into it, giving Jamie the greenlight to deepen the kiss on her end as well. Her hands swiftly moved to Erin’s face, placing each palm on a — still very red — cheek. Erin placed her hands on Jamie’s upper arms, not completely sure about what to do with them. The two of them both leaned into the kiss more, but Erin must have leaned in a little too far because she suddenly slipped off the rock she was sitting on and plopped onto the ground, breaking the kiss and catching Jamie off-guard.
“Oof,” Erin grunted as she dropped to the ground.
“Oh, are you okay?” Jamie asked with a hint of amusement in her tone.
“Ugh, yeah… I should have figured that would happen to me,” Erin said, chuckling at her own misfortune. Jamie joined in her giggling, slipping off of her rock and joining Erin on the ground.
“Maybe we can try again later, when we’re in a drier environment,” Jamie suggested.
Erin perked back up. “Y-yeah, that would be— great. Maybe there’ll be fewer rocks, too,” she joked, and the two of them giggled some more.
“Well,” Jamie said, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the night sky, “Maybe for now, we can just admire the stars and listen to the crickets.”
“Yeah, that sounds good,” Erin smiled as she joined Jamie in looking at the sky. “It’s so beautiful here. You can’t see the stars anywhere near this well back in the city.”
Jamie looked at her. “What city are you from?”
“Chicago.”
“Dude, no way, that’s where I’m from too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! We should definitely keep in touch after camp is over. If you want to, of course.”
Erin giggled, “Yeah, I think I’d love to.”
The two of them smiled at each other, both even more excited for the summer they were about to have than they originally were. After a moment, they turned their gazes back to the clear night sky.
Jamie pointed up at something she saw. “Is that a shooting star?”
Erin looked at where she was pointing and squinted before giggling. “No, I think that’s just a plane.”
“Oh,” Jamie said, disappointed, as she put her hand back down on the ground behind her. “Can’t believe I was just about to make a wish on a plane,” Jamie joked, earning an even heartier giggle from Erin, which of course made Jamie smile.
The two of them sat in quiet for a moment before Erin asked, “So, uh… Were we going to go swimming? I mean, like, did you still want to?”
‘Yeah, for sure, I mean… if you want to,” Jamie looked at Erin, who returned the gaze.
Erin shrugged, “I dunno, I mean… I’m pretty good just looking at the stars, but I don’t know about you.”
Jamie smiled. “I’m good with that too.”
Erin smiled back at her. “Cool,” she said before catching Jamie’s eye.
They both leaned in and shared another gentle kiss before pulling back, Erin feeling her cheeks get flushed once again. After a moment, they both gazed back up at the twinkling stars and sat there for a good while, simply enjoying each other’s company and the atmosphere around them.
A gift from @cloudycaffeinatedcryptid to @bazwillendinflames!!!!
Text under the cut
04:02 | AUGUST 20
There’s nowhere she can run. She’s too terrified to even try. Her friends are gone – dead and scattered amongst the campgrounds, most likely – and now it’s her turn, and she can’t even face her death with dignity because she’s so fucking scared. Sobbing, pressing back into the corner like it’ll save her as the werewolf creeps closer, slowly. Tauntingly. Drool drips from between its jagged fangs, and she can see her fear reflected in its hateful crimson eyes as it lunges; claws tearing into her and she screams–
“No!” Kaitlyn bolts upright in the bed, gasping for air like she’s been underwater for too long; her heart rate skyrockets as shapes define themselves in the dark, but when the features of her bedroom begin to register in her mind, she forces herself to breathe.
Doubling over, she buries her fingers in her damp hair. Sweat has gathered along her spine, on her chest, her thighs… She’ll have to shower in the morning and wash the sheets again. Fuck. She just did the laundry.
“Fuck,” she mumbles aloud, dragging a hand down her face. “Every fucking year…” Glancing at the empty spot in bed beside her, her throat tightens.
It’s not just her.
The floor is cold against her bare feet, and she slips on a sweatshirt that definitely isn’t hers as she pads quietly out of the bedroom. Dodging the spots that creak is second nature, a deeply-ingrained instinct to make as little noise as possible. She knows where to go, this is almost routine by now, but she makes a stop by the door just to double-check that it’s still locked. When she sees that it is, her chest loosens the slightest bit, and she heads for the office.
She doesn’t mask her entrance here – she’s never needed to – and the soft glow of the desk lamp lures her close like a moth to flame. The soft, rapid-fire clacking of keys is familiar, as is the smell of lavish vanilla body lotion. Draping herself across her girlfriend’s back, she hums at the kiss that gets pressed to her cheek.
“Did I wake you?” Emma murmurs apologetically, pulling her hands away from her laptop.
The smell of vanilla is stronger when she’s close like this – easily overpowering any phantom scents of wet dog and spilled blood and gunpowder – and Kaitlyn breathes in deeply as if she hasn’t already committed it to memory. “No,” she mutters into Emma’s neck. “Just one of those nights.”
Sighing, Emma reaches up to rest a soft hand against Kaitlyn’s face. “Yeah,” she admits. “Me too. Figured I should catch up on some emails.”
“Anything interesting?”
She huffs a laugh. “If you like marketing emails and coupons for soaps that will make you break out.”
Leaning even further into the blonde to read the text onscreen, Kaitlyn points out– “Ooh, but that one smells like spiced cider.”
“Who’d have thought?” Emma sniffs faux-haughtily. “Kaitlyn Ka – a basic bitch.”
Kaitlyn gently digs her fingertips into her girlfriend’s side, and she jerks with a soft yelp. Once they both settle, she watches the blonde fire off a quick and professional response to something work-related. For a moment, they just exist together in peace and silence – far away from the camp of nightmares and curses that they’d left in their past. Three years since Hackett’s Quarry, since the werewolves, since the worst night of their lives…
Sometimes she still can’t believe she’s alive. That any of them are. But here – surrounded by warmth and safety and the smell of coconut – she can feel her heart beating in time to Emma’s, she can almost pretend that summer never even happened.
Eyes slipping shut, she questions– “Is your bag packed?”
“Has been since April,” Emma replies, ever-prepared, “and you do not get to pack the car.”
Kaitlyn snorts into her neck. That’s one particular skill of hers that she never quite figured out. Not that it matters. Emma loves arranging things to her perfect vision; she’d arranged pretty much every room in their apartment, down to color-coordinating their towels – not that Kaitlyn minds. (Besides, she suspects it soothes Emma to have complete control over her environment, and really, who is she to deny that comfort?)
Still– “I get first dibs on the shower, then.” She presses a kiss to the slope of the blonde’s jaw and reluctantly draws away. The hot water and coconut body wash is calling to her, and she’ll feel better about the drive ahead once she’s fully refreshed.
Just a few more hours.
~ ~ ~
07:12 | AUGUST 20
Ryan’s not having a very good morning.
He hadn’t gotten much sleep last night (he never does, this time of year), he’d forgotten to plug his phone in last night so it’s dead and charging, which means he can’t throw in his earbuds to decompress, and he can’t find his glasses for the life of him. He’d get up and do another lap of the apartment to search for them, but Schrödinger’s purring away on his lap right now, and is probably the only reason he hasn’t completely melted down. Admittedly, he’d scoffed at Dylan’s cheeky– “He can tell when I’m sad!” –when they’d first moved in together, but it’s harder to deny now that he’s met the cat himself.
As if privy to his innermost thoughts, Schrödinger glances up at him with a soft ‘mrrp’, and Ryan tries to remain strong as he scratches along the feline’s spine, knowing he can’t. He never even considered himself a cat person – this is pathetic.
Finally – mercifully – the bathroom door swings open. Steam leaks out, built up from the shower, and Dylan runs his hand through his damp hair as he steps out. As soon as he spots them, he grins and shuffles over to the couch to gently throw himself down next to them.
“How are my two favorite boys doing?” He coos, gingerly running his stump along his cat’s back and reaching up to pinch Ryan’s earlobe.
Ryan grunts, but allows the kiss that follows. “I’d better be at the top of that list,” he says, only half-joking, and Dylan laughs. Slightly soothed by the sound, he admits– “I’d be doing better if I could find my glasses.”
For a moment, Dylan squints at him. Then, lips pressed tightly together to repress an obvious smile, he reaches up and pulls Ryan’s glasses from the top of his head, down to his face, and everything sharpens into focus. Ryan blinks. Once, twice. Dylan’s control cracks and the corners of his lips twitch upward.
“I love you,” he chirps.
“I am going to cease to exist,” Ryan responds, letting his head fall back onto the sofa.
Laughing all the while, like the obnoxious traitor he is, Dylan bounces off the couch and toward the kitchen, nimbly dodging their packed bags on his way. Ryan watches him go, cradling fondness beneath a thin layer of annoyance that he’s sure his socially-attuned boyfriend is able to see right through. For as much as Dylan seems oblivious to, he always seems to pick up on the important things – like whenever Ryan isn’t sleeping much.
Then again, he thinks, as he listens to Dylan’s feet tap out an increasingly sporadic rhythm on the kitchen tiles like he can’t keep himself still, it’s probably not just him.
Resigning himself to the day ahead, he gives Schrödinger one last scratch behind the ear, and the cat slinks off of his lap as he slowly stands. His side gives a protest; usually the ache is a background twinge – minor enough that it’s easy to filter out – but it always acts up this time of year. He grimaces (but it used to be worse) and sucks in through his teeth, straightening up. What doesn’t kill you, will make you stronger, he snarks to himself, unable to repress the bitter coil of betrayal deep in his gut. It’s gotten easier to stomach as the years pass – that his pseudo-mentor and two of his friends had lied to them, put them all in danger, killed people – but it still never feels good.
“Quit it,” Ryan says when he spots Dylan scratching at his wrist upon entering the kitchen.
Pulling a face, Dylan complains– “It itches.” –but complies. He turns back to the fridge and wrinkles his nose at the contents. “Do you want something to eat before we go?”
“Depends what you’re offering – butter, week-old pasta, or two raw eggs?” Ryan peers over his shoulder, standing on his toes to rest his chin on it.
“Hey– Don’t overlook this half a’ yogurt.” Dylan pulls the offending object from one of the shelves and dangles it tantalizingly in front of them both. “It’s raspberry.”
Ryan plucks it from his loose grasp and tosses it into the trash. “We need to go grocery shopping when we get back,” he admits reluctantly, knowing his boyfriend isn’t any more thrilled about the prospect.
He’s right – Dylan lets out a melodramatic groan and shuts the fridge door. “But we’re going to have leftovers,” he whines, leaning backward until Ryan’s forced to hold his weight.
“I’m going to drop you,” he threatens, even though both of them know he’s lying. “And you can’t bank on leftovers – those people have monster appetites.”
Twisting in Ryan’s hold so he can lean against the counter, Dylan props his arms over his shoulders and grins. “You’re excited,” he teases. “You can barely wait.”
With an exaggerated eye roll, Ryan pushes away, heading back toward the living room to hide the twitch of his lips. “Get ready to go, or we’ll get stuck in traffic.”
Dylan’s laughter follows him through the apartment, and Ryan’s chest doesn’t feel as tight.
Just a few more hours.
~ ~ ~
09:26 | AUGUST 20
Absently nodding along to the upbeat song Max has playing on their speaker, Laura neatly sweeps in lines across the kitchen floor, grimacing at the pile of crumbs she’s accumulating. Come to think of it – she doesn’t think she’s gotten around to sweeping the past couple days; she’s been pulling overtime as their other vet tech is out on maternity leave, and everyone wants their appointments out of the way before the holidays begin to roll around. Her sore fingers flex around the broom handle as she straightens up her miniature mound, and she can’t help but smile down at the mosaic of colorful band-aids meticulously placed over the worst of her animal-inflicted wounds. A myriad of thin scratches and bites (small and identifiable enough to not send her heart rate skyrocketing, thank god) decorate from her fingertips to her elbows, and even though she’d long since gone numb to the minor pain her choice of career was destined to bring, she never stops Max from plastering the goofy little band-aids to her arms once they were clean.
“You’re staring at that pile pretty hard.” His voice pulls her from her thoughts, and his smile is tinged with thinly-veiled concern. “Something on your mind, hon?”
“Just thinking,” she tells him lightly, leaning on the broom. Which isn’t a lie – her mind is rarely quiet, between her desperate need to plan ahead of everything in her life and her constant analytical thought process, so she's always thinking something – but she knows that’s not exactly what he’s asking.
Still, he plays along. “Pretty deep stuff, obviously.”
“Obviously.” She can’t bite back her grin, hiding it as she pulls the dustpan close and sweeps up the mess.
Drying a plate, Max peers curiously at her for a moment, and she watches the gears turn in his head until he bites. “Anything you care to share with your charming, handsome knight in shining armor?”
“When does he get here?” Laura teases, unable to repress a bubble of laughter at the exaggerated pout on his face. “Oh, don’t get grumpy.” She dumps the pile into the trash and sets it all aside, coming close to tilt his chin down so she can plant a kiss on his forehead. “You know you’re the only important boy in my life.”
His eyebrows raise, and he matches her grin, setting down the dish towel in his hands to wrap his arms around her waist. “Ah, ah,” he chides, nodding toward their turtle’s tank. “Now, what about Sir Arnold over there?”
“Right,” she agrees, draping her arms over his shoulders. “So, you’re the second most important boy in my life.”
“Hey.”
The song switches while they giggle together like teenage lovers all over again, and as a soft ballad fills the kitchen, they slowly spin together – the two of them in their own little world. Her head slots perfectly under his chin like it was meant to be there all along, and she can hear his heart beat with stunning, relieving clarity. Three years later and she still feels the pull in her chest whenever they’re apart, the itch under her skin to be near him, the anxiety to make sure he’s safe at all times… She’s better now, than she was, at managing it, but when they’re tucked together like this in their own pocket of peace, it’s hard to imagine they’re meant to separate at all.
“I love you,” she murmurs against him. “That’s what I was thinking about.”
His embrace tightens – not restrictive, but comfortable. “I love you too, Laura.” A pause. “We aren’t going to have enough silverware unless I finish drying these dishes, though.”
“They’re beasts, they’ll eat with their hands,” she retorts, but pulls away regardless. They still have a few things to get ready before later today, and her vacuum lines are always straighter than his. “Speaking of hands…” She catches his and holds them to her face. “Please use those magic fingers to make cheesecake.”
“You’re not going to be able to eat six pieces – we’ll have guests,” he teases.
She hums. “Make two.”
Laughing, he lands another kiss on her forehead, and she feels warm in the life they’ve made for themselves.
Just a few more hours.
~ ~ ~
12:38 | AUGUST 20
“I hate being late,” Abi mutters as she knocks, balancing a tray with one arm and reaching down to anxiously straighten her belt with the other. “I told you to get your stuff ready earlier, or you wouldn’t be able to find something, didn’t I?”
Huffing, Nick appears next to her with their bags in hand. “Barely late,” he assures, “and I hardly think I can take full blame for this one.” He jabs a thumb over his shoulder, and a perfectly-timed yelp has them both looking back.
“I’m fine!” Jacob waves them off, hobbling over with his own bag. “I’m fine– Just dropped it a little, I’m good.”
“You’re a klutz,” Nick tells him.
He pushes Nick’s head away. “And you’re a bitch. Abs, whatever he’s blaming me for now, it’s a lie and all his fault.”
Before Abi can respond with anything past an amused scoff, the door swings open, and an embarrassingly giddy sense of excitement wells up inside her when she sees who’s on the other side.
“Finally!” Emma beams, lunging forward with her arms flung out and stopping short of knocking the tray clean out of Abi’s hands, which she very much appreciates. “Boys, why is this gorgeous slice of goddess carrying anything?”
“You know, it’s funny,” Jacob says as he graciously takes the tray so she can wrap Abi in a tight hug that she equally returns. “We offered, and I believe her exact words were… what were they, Nicky?”
In the same tone, Nick feeds into it. “Uh, I believe they were, ‘I can carry my own tray, thank you’, Jacob. Does that sound right?”
Finally releasing her stranglehold on Abi, but leaving the faintest imprint of something floral-scented on her top, Emma turns to them with a fond grin and reaches out to ruffle their hair. “Good to know you two goobers will never grow up.”
“Hey!” Someone calls from deeper inside the house. “Will you get your asses in here?”
Laughing, Emma leads them all inside, directing them where to put their bags and shoes as if she owns the place, but they’ve all long since gotten used to her habit of micromanaging and take it with poorly-suppressed smiles. Abi knows it hasn’t been that long – they were on a video call last week, for god’s sake – but it’s undeniable that the blonde’s personality radiates a brilliant warmth that burns brighter in person. Abi catches her eye again and flushes, a bit humiliated to be caught staring, but Emma just pulls her in for another hug.
“Is it stupid to say I’ve missed you when we just talked on the phone?”
Abi giggles despite herself. “I was just thinking the same thing”
“And who said you could hog these three?”
With a scoff, Emma lets go to stick her tongue out at Kaitlyn. “I’m not hogging. I’m just the one they missed the most, so I’m doing everyone a favor by getting it out of the way now.”
“She never changes,” Jacob says brightly, and Kaitlyn socks him lightly in the chest before dragging him down enough to hug him. Emma gives Abi’s arm one last squeeze before allowing her the freedom to move so she can thoroughly harass the boys with Kaitlyn. Biting down on her grin as one of them lets out a protest, she rounds the corner, and – by luck – nearly runs right into Ryan.
“Abi,” he greets, clearly relieved, and reaches out to bump her fist. “It’s good to see you. Nice new ink,” he compliments, nodding toward the intricate design that creeps up from under her collar.
Proud, she pulls her collar aside a bit to show more of the tattoo. “I designed this one myself!”
“Aha, very nice.”
“You’ll design my next tattoo, right, Abi?” Dylan asks mischievously as he comes up behind Ryan. “I want a full render of Ryan’s face on the left side of my ass.”
“You’re not getting that,” Ryan deadpans as Abi laughs hard enough to make her tear up.
Dylan pouts. “Buzzkill.” Reaching out for her with his good hand, he tells her– “I hope you’re hungry, because there is a feast.”
Gratefully, she presses to his side and feels the stress melting off of her like ice under the sun as she allows herself to bask in the joy of being close to these people again. “I can’t wait,” she says, and she means it honestly, because one year seems to last forever between every time they meet.
“That’s good to hear,” Laura chimes in, leaning on the doorway to the kitchen with a self-satisfied quirk to her lips and flour smudged in a suspiciously thumbprint-shaped mark on her cheek. “Because we are ready to eat.” A chorus of cheers rises to meet her words, and she rolls her eyes but fully smiles.
For a moment, Abi lets herself absorb the surrounding chatter without hearing it, relaxing under the blanket of safety that always seems to expand over her in this company. That summer – the summer she never thinks about but will always remember – had been the worst, most terrifying night of her life. Of all their lives. She’s not of the mindset that suffering builds character (her skin rolls whenever she sees a cheerful ‘what doesn’t kill you, will make you stronger!’ printed out on some innocent piece of decor or t-shirt) but she thinks that if anything good had come from the nightmare at Hackett’s Quarry, it at least drove them into a tightly-knit group, endlessly comfortable in each other's presence. Sure, school and life has been keeping them mostly separated, but she likes to think they’re all drifting back together – one way or another.
“Abi.” A light touch to her arm draws her attention, and she meets Kaitlyn’s curious half-smile with one of her own. “You ready?”
She nods. “You have no idea.”
The wait is finally over.
~ ~ ~
01:21 | AUGUST 20
“Wait, wait–” Kaitlyn snorts into her drink, nearly spilling it. “You participated in a drag show?”
Jacob shrugs casually, taking another swing of beer that doesn’t do anything to hide the red growing on his face. “Well– Y’know… It was for charity! Most of the guys on the football team did it,” he defends, grimacing when she demands photos but sliding his phone to her regardless. “I fuckin’ killed it, I’d just like to add.”
She punches in his password, sure he hasn’t changed it and smug that she’s right, and releases a breathless shriek of delight at the picture she finds in the gallery of Jacob amongst a line of buff dudes in full drag. “This is amazing.” Tilting the phone so Emma can see, she meets his eyes and says, very seriously– “You fucking killed it.”
“I know.”
“Abi, these are amazing,” Laura compliments, grabbing another falafel from the tray. “There’s no way this is your first time making them.”
Flushing a bit under the praise, Abi lifts a shoulder. “Ah… kind of? Nick’s been teaching me some vegetarian recipes, and I’ve helped him make this before, so…”
Nick jumps in– “Don’t listen to her – she whipped this batch up herself like a pro. Barely any teaching required.”
“Nick,” Abi chides, pink-faced, waving him off.
“Jesus Christ– Do you two ever get tired of being adorable?” Dylan calls, pushed away from the table by a full foot with Laura and Max’s monster of a cat – “Her name is Creature. Yes, Max thinks he’s hilarious.” – sprawled over his lap. Nick flips him the bird and he huffs. “I was talking to Abi and the cat.”
“Oh, you’re real clever, jackass.”
Beside Laura, Max sighs. “I missed this,” he says, and it somehow doesn’t sound sarcastic. “I don’t know if once a year is enough anymore.”
“No promises that I can handle the smell of Jacob’s ass more than once a year,” Emma comments, blatantly ignoring the ‘shut up, Emma’ she gets, and preening when Kaitlyn breaks into cackles. “But I might be able to swing something.”
Ryan stifles a huff of laughter with another forkful of food, swallowing before he adds nonchalantly– “Just be thankful you’re sitting on that side of the table.”
As the people around him dissolve into peals of mirth, Jacob whips his head toward Ryan, dramatically betrayed. Ryan ignores the stare, but the corners of his lips twitch as Dylan and Nick go in on Jacob good-naturedly.
“No, really, I mean it,” Max goes on as they quiet, slowly standing and resting a hand on the back of Laura's chair. “We should plan something for sooner. How about…” He glances down as Laura hides a conspiratory smile behind a drink of her wine. “ Oh, what do you think, Laura - maybe mid-April?”
Emma's the first to catch on, or maybe just the first to spot the ring on Laura's left ring finger, and her eyes light up. “Are you serious?”
“We’re serious,” he answers, proud, and she leaps fully out of her seat with a delighted squeal that Abi echoes.
Leaning close – with Laura’s permission – Kaitlyn pulls her hands up to study the small, dark gems set beside the diamond, and her eyebrows shoot up. “Are those bloodstones?”
“My idea.” She shrugs, free hand finding Max’s and squeezing lightly. “Seemed… right.”
With an approving nod, Kaitlyn releases her and Nick props his elbows on the table. “So… how’d you pop the question?”
Red blossoms on Max’s face, and he rubs the back of his neck. “Well, it– it was kind of a joint effort.” He grins. “She finally gave me the green light a few months ago, so she knew it was coming.”
“Laura!” Emma cries, scandalized, and Laura snorts.
“I would’ve made him wait longer,” she admits, tugging on their conjoined hands so he shifts closer. “But… things change. Plans change, and a few months ago, I realized that this was one I didn’t want to change.”
Jacob squints at Max curiously. “So you’ve– you were just sitting on a proposal for months?”
As Laura presses a kiss to his knuckles, Max looks every bit of the lovestruck fiancé.“I've known that this is the woman I wanted to marry since high school,” he says with utmost conviction. “I would've waited forever for her to be ready.”
Half the table erupts into false retching noises as the other half coos their support. Ryan, dead in the center, rolls his eyes but can't force his smile down, and Dylan aggressively shakes his shoulder in excitement.
Max laughs a bit. “Yeah, yeah.” He rolls his shoulders, settling back into his seat without releasing his fiancée’s grip. “It doesn’t exactly help with all the prep, though. So far my sisters are helping Laura, and neither of them wear makeup and love messing with me, so…”
Placing one hand on the table like a plea, Laura says– “Emma, Abi, Kaitlyn, will you please join my bridal party and save me from looking ridiculous on my wedding day?”
“Oh my god,” Abi breathes, and Emma howls her delight, throwing her arms around Kaitlyn.
“Does this mean I get to do your makeup?” Dylan asks Max gleefully, and Max flicks a piece of corn at him.
“Keep it up and you’ll get yourself uninvited,” he jokes, and Dylan’s grin only widens, leaning contentedly against Ryan. Emma reaches over to swat at him, chiding him to stop being a nuisance, and he sticks his tongue out in return.
The conversation continues, and the house feels alive with the warmth and jubilation they share. Hackett’s Quarry was long gone, in the past; it was far away, and yet it drives them ever closer together – a family forged of bloodied survival and unbreakable bonds under the light of a full moon. Maybe not the most conventional, but it was working for them.
A gift from @bazwillendinflames to @insertlovelyperson
Text under the cut
Dylan had never been a morning person until camp, where he had found a new routine: getting up early for morning announcements, sitting in the radio hut with watery coffee. His first impression of his new workplace had been low, the room was rundown and dusty, the roof creaked and groaned under the elements, which still took him by surprise every time. But he had fixed up the hut over the summer. Most importantly, it was the only place where Dylan could be alone to unwind.
Dylan hadn’t been expecting how much energy it took to reimagine yourself as someone funny, charismatic and, he could only hope, cool. He had come to camp with a plan to use his last summer before college for a trial run of the new Dylan.
Dylan had been hoping for a little fun, just like when he had come to Hackett’s Quarry as a kid. But he hadn’t expected to make so many new friends, even if it felt a little hollow with them liking the new Dylan.
He loved hanging out with them, laughing at Nick’s offbeat sense of humour, poking fun at Jacob’s earnestness and pretending not to be intimidated by Kaitlyn’s effortless coolness. Even the counsellors he was less close to were becoming his friends. Abi’s shyness was fading as the weeks went on and he was starting to like Emma’s dramatic flair.
Then there was Ryan, who Dylan put in his own special category. Whilst the rest of them had become close, Ryan remained reclusive. It only made Dylan more drawn to him. He had made an effort to talk to Ryan as much as he could without coming off as obsessed (Kaitlyn’s words, complete with a knowing smirk) but the other counsellor still remained a mystery.
Although sometimes… sometimes Ryan would laugh at one of Dylan’s jokes, or add a dry comment. He was good with the kids, helping them through homesickness. It was an unexpected sweet side to him, and it only made Dylan pine harder.
Kaitlyn made fun of him for it, even if she agreed Ryan was hot.
“Good luck,” she had said with a snort, “I’ve been hitting on him the last two summers and he never flirts back.”
Dylan had grinned at her. “Maybe he’s more into guys.”
“I think he’s bi,” Kaitlyn had said, wiggling her eyebrows, “so it’s fair game.”
She had been joking, but it had sparked a hope in Dylan that he couldn’t ignore. His crush snowballed.
So did Kaitlyn’s teasing, which was why Dylan was glad to be alone when he read their chore rota. His and Ryan’s names were printed together under ‘general maintenance.’ An otherwise boring chore was suddenly all he could think about.
Daydreams of exactly how it would go distracted him all morning. Dylan’s main job was the radio hut but Mr H didn’t think that kept him busy enough, so he usually found a stack of admin to do on the desk. He’d learnt the camp was running out of money, two counsellors never
showed up and that Jacob’s middle name was Archibald. But none of his usual tasks kept his mind off Ryan, so Dylan announced lunch ten minutes early and headed to the hall.
It was empty for once, probably because he was early, only Nick banging around the kitchen. Dylan poked his head in. “Hey.”
Nick didn’t look up from the giant pot of mac and cheese he was stirring. “You good man? You’re never on time.”
“Lies,” Dylan replied, even if it was true. He leaned against the counter. “Hey, want to guess Jacob’s middle name?”
“Kind of busy,” Nick replied.
Dylan spent the rest of lunch distracted, a little embarrassed at how his attention kept drifting to Ryan at the other end of the table. He tapped his fingers on the table, full of restless energy.
Kaitlyn put her hand on top of his. “You good?”
“I’m fine,” Dylan replied.
“What’s up?” Kaitlyn pushed, clearly seeing through him.
“Nothing.”
Despite his best efforts to be casual, his eyes darted to Ryan once again. This time Kaitlyn noticed.
“You’re down bad,” she teased.
“Shut up.”
That only made Kaitlyn grin more, which didn’t disappear for the rest of lunch. She shot him a wink as they parted ways for the afternoon. Dylan made a point of ignoring her, although he did fuss with his hair once her back was turned.
Ryan was talking to Mr H’s kids, although they sulked away once he approached. They practically made Ryan look as extroverted as Emma. Dylan figured they must be homeschooled.
“Those guys never let you get a word in, huh?” Dylan joked.
Ryan shrugged. “You have to get to know them.”
Given that they had just bolted at the sight of him, Dylan wasn’t so sure. But if they were Ryan’s friends, it was probably best not to push it. He didn’t want to piss Ryan off.
“So, I have to go make a couple of quick announcements and then I’m all yours.”
Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Are you now?”
Dylan hoped his face wasn’t too red. “If you’re lucky,” he replied.
It was better to double down on the accidental flirting than to shy away from it like the old Dylan would have. The old Dylan went to prom alone.
“Can I come with?” Ryan asked.
“I’ll give you the grand tour,” Dylan said, savouring the brief quirk of a smile he got in return.
Ryan followed him out, hands tucked in his pockets. “It’s cool the radio hut is open again. It was fun as a kid.”
“You were a camper here too?” Dylan asked.
He wondered if Ryan had put together the dorky kid from cabin four to him. But he didn’t remember seeing Ryan either, and the camp used to be busier, so maybe their paths had simply never crossed. Dylan was oddly disappointed at the idea of it.
He shook his head. “Not officially but Chris is a family friend and my Mom was always… too busy to take care of me over breaks.”
“You must really like it here to keep coming back.”
“Yeah. There’s good memories here, no matter how much pot washing I did to earn my keep,” Ryan said.
They had reached the radio hut but Dylan considered looping around camp again to keep the conversation going. It was the first time Ryan had opened up to him. But Dylan didn’t get so lucky - they reached the door and Ryan stopped, looking at him expectantly. Dylan opened the door and they stepped inside.
Ryan started poking at the shelves. “I guess all the vinyls are Chris’?”
“He thought I might want some of his music,” Dylan explored. “But I think he just wanted to keep his shit here. It was basically a storage shed when I moved in.”
“Not a Billy Joel guy?” Ryan asked.
“That’s dad music,” Dylan replied.
Ryan didn’t reply, back to browsing. Dylan left him to it as he flicked through the loose papers on the desk for the announcements. The paper was under the schedule and Dylan felt his face heat up. He hoped Ryan hadn’t noticed how he had underlined their names like a middle schooler.
Dylan reached for the speaker. “Good afternoon campers. This afternoon cabins one, three and five will be doing some drama exercises with the lovely Emma, so brush off your acting skills. That leaves cabins two and four in the care of Kaitlyn and Jacob for some archery sessions. Remember to point it away from you. Chef Nicholas will have dinner ready at six, so save your appetites!”
Dylan put down the speakerphone and swirled in his chair to find Ryan watching him.
“Enjoy the show?”
“You’re a real poet,” Ryan replied dryly. “Ready? The drains won’t clean themselves.”
Dylan pulled a face. “That’s what maintenance is? That sucks.”
“I’ll get you some gloves.”
He got out his chair. “Hey, there’s no one I’d rather clean drains with.”
Ryan rolled his eyes but Dylan hadn’t been kidding. Kaitlyn was right - he was down bad.
“So, did you do a lot of this as a kid? Or was it all just dishwashing?”
“Just dishes,” Ryan said after a moment of consideration, “Chris let me do the activities too. He was good to us.”
“Us?”
“My sister used to come too. But Sarah’s fourteen now so she thinks she’s too cool for summer camp.” There was a fondness in his voice that Dylan hadn’t seen from Ryan all summer. “Little sisters.”
“I won’t know. I’m an only child.”
“That tracks,” Ryan said.
Dylan wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not. He’d ask Kaitlyn later, he trusted her opinion.
“What’s she like?” Dylan asked. “A mini Ryan?”
“She’s in her Hot Topic and video games phase.”
“So, yes?” Dylan teased.
Ryan laughed and he wanted to play the sound on loop. “Hey, rude.”
“Nothing wrong with it. I like your style.”
Ryan looked down at his outfit - all black under a faded flannel shirt with the arms cut off. It was an effortlessly cool look that served as a reminder Dylan was trying too hard. He’d stocked up on band shirts and ripped jeans but never quiet felt confident in them. At least he was a good actor.
“Thanks.” Ryan looked away, almost shy. The idea made Dylan smile to himself. “Anyway, we’ve got a job to do.”
“Lucky us,” Dylan grumbled, pulling on gloves.
It turned out that cleaning drains was not as romantic as he’d hoped. Even with Ryan’s company, scraping wet leaves from a gutter was not his idea of fun. Nor did it provide much opportunity for conversation. Ryan had retreated back into himself, pulling headphones from somewhere.
Still Dylan was content. He had gotten Ryan to open up a little. He made him laugh. It was a good first step. Maybe they could be friends - there was still half the summer left.
It was a beautiful evening outside. Erin was nervous as she walked to her mother's house. Jamie walked beside her, looking just as excited.
Are you sure you want to do this? Jamie asked quietly.
I know we've been together for a while, but it's very important for me to introduce you to my mom," Erin replied as the two of them approached the front door.
Well, then let's not keep her waiting," Jamie said, taking a deep breath and knocking on the door.
A few seconds passed, and they heard footsteps approaching the door. Erin grabbed Jamie's hand and squeezed it tightly, ready to face whatever came next.
The door opened and her mother stood on the threshold.
Erin cleared her throat and looked into her mother's eyes.
Mom, I'd like you to meet someone," Erin said, pointing at Jamie.
Her mother looked directly at Jamie and smiled. Hi! You must be Jamie, right? - She asked her.
Nice to meet you too, Jamie. I've heard so much about you from my daughter," Erin's mother replied.
Erin was relieved to see how well Jamie was handling the situation. Everything seemed to be going according to plan.
May we come in, Mrs. Keenan? Jamie asked politely.
Of course, please come in," Erin's mother said before stepping aside to let the couple into the house.
Inside, Erin's mother led them both into the living room, where there was a comfortable-looking sofa in front of a large TV.
Please have a seat," Erin's mother said, offering Jamie a seat.
Thank you, ma'am," Jamie said before sitting down on the couch.
Erin's mother smiled. Can I get one of you something to drink? "What is it?" she asked politely.
No, thanks. I'm fine," Jamie replied politely.
I'm fine too," Erin added just to be sure.
Very good then," Erin's mother said before sitting down on the chair opposite the sofa.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Erin broke the silence.
Well, Mom, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about for a long time. That's the reason I invited Jamie today.
Oh? And what is it, dear?" Erin's mother replied with a smile.
Fine... Jamie and I..." Erin said, pausing and taking a deep breath. We're dating. I know you probably already knew, but we've been together for a while, and we thought now would be a good time to introduce you both," Erin continued.
Erin's mother nodded her head understandingly and kept her smile.
Wow, that's great news! Actually, I've suspected something for a long time, but I never wanted to talk about it. Congratulations to you two," Erin's mother said in an optimistic tone.
A sense of relief swept over Erin when she realized that her mother had accepted their relationship.
Thank you, Mom. I really appreciate your support," Erin said, looking at her mother with a bright smile.
Of course, Erin. You always know that I support you in everything you decide to do," Erin's mother said before turning her attention to Jamie.
Well, then it's really nice to meet you. I've already heard a lot of good things about you and I hope that we can get to know each other better," Jamie said, looking at Erin's mother.
As the two of them continued to talk, Erin's mother began to ask Jamie a few questions about herself, such as where she was from, what she liked to do and how she and Erin met. Jamie politely and thoughtfully answered all of Erin's mother's questions, and they seemed to get along well.
Over time, they both became more comfortable talking to each other, and Erin couldn't help but smile at the way her mother and her friend got along so well.
Jessica didn't know whether to cry or laugh at this situation. She, Josh and Mike were the only ones from their team who were supposed to celebrate the New Year alone, but the girl couldn't let that happen. Her parents went to visit relatives, her older brother Hank went to celebrate with his girlfriend, and her younger brother Jacob with friends. The Washington family stopped celebrating Christmas after Hannah and Beth disappeared (Jess burst into tears when she found out about it, she was very ashamed and she told Mike about it, they spent the whole evening hugging and crying). The former president managed to get sick, and Damian and Luther had a holiday shift, so despite his illness, he was also invited.
Jess broke up with Mike after the incident in February and initially stopped all communication with him. The same thing happened to Josh after his rescue. But after a while, the girl went to a therapist and gradually began to return to society, her friends helped her with these, and especially Mike, but what surprised her more was Josh, who helped her on an equal footing with Munro. This led to the formation of their unexpected friendly trio. And so to this situation.
The girl looked at Josh, and Washington was just looking at her too. The guy was as surprised as she was and seemed to be on the verge too. Josh looked at Mike, and Mike was the first to break the silence. Michael fell back laughing, hugging his stomach until a sore throat stopped his laughter with a coughing fit. Jess and Josh joined him next, the first one still started crying, but they were happy. The reason for the laughter was a simple exchange of gifts, now there were four cages and two carriers in front of the teenagers. There were two rats in one of the cages-a gift for Josh from Jess, beautiful rats that looked something like Beth and Hannah, and they were named after them. By chance, in response to this, Josh gives the girl a hamster, Mr. Potato, and Mike gives a black and white guinea pig, Lila. And before that, Mike received from Jess a black and white rabbit, which Riley named Lala. The situation was not taken advantage of by the younger Munro, who decided to give his friends a sphinx kitten and a Husky puppy. Washington got the kitten with the ironic name Fluff, and Jerry's puppy fell into Jessica's hands.
"Jesus hot sauce Christmas cake, this is fucking unbelievable!" Mike shouted, coughing, trying to calm the attack. "You two conspired, otherwise, judging by Lily and Lala, you chose together!"
"No!" protested Jess, wiping away tears, the girl somehow took a breath and said: "I thought you and Josh were lonely, you both live alone, besides Chris said that you, Josh, love rats. And Sam said about you that you love all animals!" The girl only had enough for that, and then she laughed again.
"Cochise. Betrayed. Me! I'm not alone!" Josh speaks with pauses, and after Mike falls back, tears of laughter appear in his eyes and from how these gifts touched him to the depths of his soul. Especially the two rats with the names of his dead sisters.
"Hey, just because I live alone doesn't mean I'm lonely!" Mike was able to say calmly, calming down after a long cough. Exhaling, the guy smiled at his friends. To which they could not help but respond with a smile. Straightening his hair, he continued: "I originally planned to donate animals. Ashley advised me to give you a cat, because you are somewhat similar to these animals, and Emily told the truth about you, Miss Riley, she told me that you have wanted a puppy since childhood."
"I didn't plan on it. Matt offered to give Mike some kind of rodent, I thought it was funny, and already there I saw a hamster for Jess."
There was silence again. Until there was a puppy barking, followed by a meow. The trio knew what they were going to do in the near future.
***
It was three o'clock in the morning when they went to bed. It was decided to sleep all together because of this, Josh settled in the middle, and Mike and Jess lay down around him, Fluff and Jerry curled up in one common ball at the feet. What was happening now seemed amazing to Josh, no, they had arranged such overnight stays before, but now it seemed like something had changed.
"Share it," Jess's voice distracted him from his thoughts. The guy didn't want to upset her and pulled a smile because of this, saying:
"I haven't celebrated Christmas for a long time, I forgot how exhausting it is."
The girl sighed, but smiled a little, shaking her head negatively. He had forgotten how perceptive she had become after the incident, although maybe she had been like that before.
"I didn't think that after..." Joshua didn't know what to call what happened, the truth hurt his heart. "...After I lost the status of an older brother, I thought that I would no longer celebrate holidays," he smiled bitterly.
Jessica didn't know what to say to that, so she laced her fingers with his, holding his hand tightly and not looking away. Mike, who seemed to be asleep before, suddenly but slowly turned to them, looked at both of them, and then put his palm on top of their hands. A hand where two fingers were missing. And then he said confidently:
"You cannot lose this status, if you love them and they love you, then you will always be an older brother. And I'm sure they love you even there," Mike smiled and added, "Besides, you now have three younger brothers and four sisters. Well, or at least two younger "relatives"."
"Do you understand, big brother?" Riley joined in with a grin.
Josh felt like he was going to cry. These words struck him to the depths of his soul, warming him in the chest area. And then he realized that something had let go, that Josh couldn't forgive himself for the last two years, just left after a few words.
"Well, well... Then you're in trouble, little ones!" Washington said laughing, hugging those shoulders and shaking them, amid general laughter. While...
Sneeze
"Thank you very much, Michael!"
***
Squeak
“what?..." Jessica raised her head without opening her eyes. Somehow gathering herself, she opened her eyes a little, not fully waking up, her sleepy mind could only realize the time "5 a.m... Josh, turn off your alarm clock." Closing her eyes, the girl began to push Josh.
"Where is he?..." the guy mumbled without waking up, followed by Mike's dissatisfied mumbling.
"Jooosh, the alarm has been turned off!..." Jess did not calm down and began to push harder until it began to reach Mike. He sat down on it, trying to figure out what was going on.
A gift from @legenspeople to @axo-fucking-lotls!!!
Text under the cut
Hey guys!
I know, it feels like a ‘déjà vu’, but this time, it’s a genuine request to be reunited after so long. We’re all wary of Josh, but none of you would doubt your old friend Chris! (I know I had my fair share of pranks, but come on…) So, to reunite after more than a year (!!!) I decided to plan a weekend at the beach! I rent a beach house (with Josh money, I have not become rich since the last time you guys saw me) so we can take advantage of the big waves and the sun!
We hope to see all of you there!
Chris and Josh
----
Sam had received the email of their next reunion while she was in Peru. After the events at the Washington’s mountains, she had decided to leave America to travel around the globe. Australia, Laos, South Africa, Egypt, Greece… she had bought an airplane ticket as soon as the police released them, and she had not been home since – except for a few stopovers to avoid losing her citizenship. After the events, she would have done anything to be far from the mountains and her traumatized friend group – the only news she had gotten from them was through the few phone calls she had shared with Chris during the year.
She had met many different people, saw many nice cities, but also slept in the most disgusting or surprising places to avoid wasting money on an overpriced hotel room or apartment. She never stayed for longer than one season to work in a touristic shop or to rent skiing equipment, depending on whether it was the cold or hot season.
Sam stopped traveling five months ago in Peru. She was starting to feel exhausted, plus she felt great there. She had two roommates who rapidly became close friends and a job she enjoyed most of the time. She was constantly wondering when she would come back to the United States, and the email had been the sign she had been waiting for.
It had hurt to leave her new friends, but Sam knew she needed to come back eventually. And when she had stepped out of the airplane, she felt better than she had for a long time. She thought that she would feel like a stranger in her own country, but she had been wrong.
Sam was currently on the bus, which was driving toward the address Chris had given to all of them. She was relieved when she saw that the place was not as secluded as the Washington lodge had been – it was still a private beach, but a small town was next door if they needed it.
The bus arrived at the stop, and she got out of it, along with a few other people. They all went a different way from hers. They all walked toward the middle of the town while she went away from it.
It was a nice walk to the beach house. Once she arrived, she was surprised at how big it was. She knew it was Josh’s parents who were paying, but after they blew up their ski lodge, she had expected them to be more reluctant to pay something big.
Sam was about to knock on the door when she saw the paper Chris put in the window.
“To anyone showing up late, we are at the beach!”
Sam searched for a minute the way to the beach and found it behind the house. The young woman started advancing toward her destination, but she was soon stopped by a familiar voice behind her.
“Sam! You made it!”
Sam turned around to face Jess who was running toward her. They jumped into each other’s arms in a long hug. Jess smiled.
“I’m so glad you could come! It would have felt incomplete without you… oh! What do you think of my new swimsuit?”
She stepped away from the hug and gave Sam a spin to show her friend her swimsuit. Sam was glad that Jess was comfortable enough in her body to show her skin again. The first summer after the event, according to what Chris told her, Jess had refused to do anything because she was embarrassed of the scars she had from that terrible night. It had taken a long time for her to not feel insecure about the marks.
She was happy now. It made Sam’s heart feel lighter.
“So? What do you think? Pretty cute, right?”
Sam, who had not paid attention to her clothes, took a quick look at her in the light purple bathing suit before nodding.
“Fits you well.”
“Aw, thank you! Now come on, we need to join the others.”
Jess grabbed her friend’s hand and pulled her in the direction of the beach. They quickly felt the sand underneath their feet and saw their group further ahead. As soon as she saw them, Ashley waved.
“Hey Sam, it’s nice to see you.”
“It’s nice to see you too.”
Chris got out of the water and ran toward them wearing a wetsuit. Before he could get too close, Sam stopped him.
“You are not getting a hug while you are completely wet.”
Chris pouted.
“What! But I thought you missed me!”
“Hardly. Also, what’s with the wetsuit?”
“Tried to catch some waves.”
“Really?”
“Yep, and it was a complete disaster.” Said Emily. “I have it on videos if you want to see.”
Matt laughed as he recalled the show he got to see earlier. Sam felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see Mike.
“Hey, Mickey! What’s good?”
He showed the bucket filled with ice and beer in his hands. He put it on the ground and grabbed two, passing one to Sam.
“Nothing is better than a beer under the sun.”
Sam took the offered alcohol. She looked over Mike’s shoulder to see Josh, who stood there, awkwardly. When he saw that she took notice of him, he approached slowly. His eyes were jumping from a spot to another.
“Hey, Sam… listen, I’m sorry about what happened last time. I goofed up big time, ha ha… hum, so yeah, just wanted to say that.”
The scars all over his face were healing well. Chris had said Josh had been distant and exhausted when they managed to get him out of the mine. He had looked completely out of himself, scaring Chris and the others, but she knew that, since then, he got the medical and psychological help he needed, and now he looked like their old friend again. She was thankful that Chris had kept her updated on his progress.
Of course, she had been angry at him for the prank, but she was one of the first to forgive him. Sam knew he did not mean to harm them, and that he had a rough time after Hannah and Beth’s death. It still felt good to hear Josh say it.
Sam opened her arms. Josh hesitated before hugging her tightly. He buried his face in her shoulder, and she could feel him tremble.
“It’s all alright. Let’s just have fun now. And Mike brought beer, so let’s get wasted.”
The group cheered behind her, and she could hear the bottles opening. Josh snorted. He let go of her, his eyes slightly red.
“Yeah! Let’s get this party started!”
Sam enjoyed the sun while lying on the beach and sipping her beer. She talked with Emily – who showed her the comic show that was Chris trying to surf – while observing her friends.
Matt and Jess were making a sandcastle, chatting like two architects on a mission. They had thought of bringing shovels and buckets and were making good use of them. Their castle was enormous, yet simple. It was funny seeing them put buckets of sand over buckets of sand. Every time their bodies were obviously tensing from the possibility of it destroying the entire structure of their work.
Although Chris had given up on surfing, he and Josh were in the water, trying their best to jump over the waves as they crashed their way. They were laughing loudly. Ashley was cheering them on with the bare minimum of enthusiasm each time one of the boys were turning to her to ask her to watch them. Sitting next to her, Mike was booing them while drinking his beer.
Sam realized how much she had missed them. One year had been too much, and now after almost two years without even being anywhere close to any of them – or anything she felt close to – she realized how hard it had been. It had felt good to distance herself from everything, but she was glad to be back.
When it was starting to be too cold to stay in bathing suits, the group went to the lake house to change. When they were in better clothes, Sam proposed to hike around the beach. It did not take long to convince Emily to agree, and soon they were all outside again.
Matt and Emily were walking in the front, swaying their hands in between them. Behind them, Jess was taking pictures of the sunset and showing them to Ashley. Mike and Josh were talking and laughing loudly in the back, which often made Emily snap and tell them to shut up. They kept talking like she never said anything, which made Chris laugh.
“They’re lucky Matt won’t let go of her hand, or else she would have jumped at their throat.” He said into Sam's ear.
She snickered at the thought.
In front of them, Ashley turned her head to them. She sent a shy wave and smiled toward Chris before looking in front of her again. Chris responded in the same way with the same awkward shyness.
“So, maybe I missed something, but I thought you two were officially a thing now?”
“Oh, well…”
Josh wrapped his arms around both of them.
“They are ‘taking it slow’.”
“Oh, I see.”
Chris scoffed. “Hey, it’s not a bad thing!”
Josh raised his hands in surrender. “You do what you do bro.”
“You two go at your own pace.” Said Sam with a gentle punch at Chris’ shoulder. “I’m happy for you.”
“And what about you?” Added Josh with a smirk. “Met anyone interesting on your trip?”
“I met a lot of interesting people on my trip. But, if you mean ‘did you meet a romantic partner’, which you definitely do, the answer is: no.”
“Ah! I’m also still single, by the way.”
“Like if she would have guessed otherwise.” Said Mike, joining the conversation.
Sam and Chris both snorted. Josh and Mike started arguing, and Sam tuned them out while Chris rolled his eyes with a laugh.
The rest of the walk was peaceful – if Sam ignored the boys who were still talking. They had been outside long enough to see the sunset. The bright colours reflecting on the water were beautiful. Jess insisted on a group photo to capture the moment. Everyone gathered around Jess and said ‘cheese’ before the ‘click’ of the camera.
Chris, Josh, and Ashley were eager to see the picture. Sam waited until they looked before looking at it herself.
Jessica was smiling in the foreground, holding her phone slightly tilted so everyone could fit in the picture. Right behind her, there was Mike, smiling over her shoulder, and Emily with her arm intertwined with hers. Sam and Ashley were on the right of the trio. The two girls were smiling, obviously trying to hold back a laugh and an eye roll at the three boys behind them. Chris, Matt, and Josh were in the middle of a jump when the photo was taken. Their mouths were open in a scream, and they had thrown their arms in the air to make it as goofy as it could.
Sam snorted before giving the phone back to Jess.
“I knew it was too much to ask for a serious picture.”
They walked back to the lodge when Josh told them he brought a few board games to pick from. Chris and Jess were trying to guess which one he brought, but he refused to tell them if they guessed right or wrong.
Once they were back inside, Josh ran to his room to reappear with a miming game. They were all excited to play and made two teams. On one side, Ashley, Chris, Mike and Josh, and on the other, Sam, Matt, Jess and Emily.
It all started well. Chris started by miming a wolf, a mermaid and then a firefighter. He was great, even though he made Ashley and Josh laugh too hard by exaggerating every one of his moves. They lost precious time since Mike kept telling them to be serious if they wanted to win instead of guessing on his own. Emily managed to make her group guess natation, a lion, a fish, and a photographer. She gained applause from her allies and boos from her enemies, which both delighted her.
It soon turned out to be a nightmare when it was Ashley’s turn to mime. She had made a movement with her hand to begin the impression and, without thinking twice, Josh screamed "ERECTION” which left his two partners laughing while Ashley was just awkwardly frozen in the middle of the living room.
Josh kept guessing different things related to sex, making Chris hyperventilate from how hard he was laughing. Mike tried to keep his mind in the game, but he snapped at the sixth time Josh made a guess. They ended up arguing, forgetting the purpose of the game. It’s not like it mattered, because Ashley had stopped trying to mime anything, sitting on the couch with her face hidden in her hands.
When their time was over, they all turned to Ashley, who weakly said:
“It was an elephant, guys…”
This sad revelation made Sam and her group laugh at the others' misery.
Matt’s turn went as normal as it could have, although he wasn’t good at this. He took too long to choose how to mime, and only managed to make his team win one point. After him, Mike barely read his paper before making an impression. Unlike Matt though, it was impossible to guess what he was miming. After this turn of useless guessing, he gave up his miming and said it had been an impression of a lumberjack. His group exploded with confusion, pointing out that nothing in his movements had resembled a lumberjack.
Mike's poor performance did one thing good for his team; when Jess went next, she kept laughing every time she looked at him from the corner of her eyes. She still managed to make her team guess an actor and a moving van.
Josh’s performance, without surprising anyone, was filled with unnecessary sexual innuendos. His team still succeeded in guessing the action of moping and a police officer.
Sam’s impressions went without trouble. She had picked up what they could agree were the easy ones: eating, dancing, a giraffe, and a queen. Josh and Mike were insisting that it was cheating, but when Emily proposed they took away the last points, they were disappointed to know they still lost by two points.
To celebrate their victory, Matt brought back shooters that they drank while cheering their amazing performance.
The rest of the night was spent listening to music and talking. Sam had taken the time to catch up with the others and she told them some of her traveling stories.
Jess and Mike went to their room around one A.M., and Matt and Emily were soon to leave too. Chris and Ashley were slow dancing to a waltz Josh had put on for them. Sam was sitting on the couch, trying not to laugh at Josh who started twerking next to the unaware couple.
“I missed you guys.” Said Sam, too drunk to contain the thought that kept coming back since she first saw Jess in the morning.
“We missed you too.” Said Ashley, smiling sweetly at her.
“Aww… bring it in!”
Before she could process it, Josh was effectively crushing her in a hug after practically falling on the couch.
“Yeah! Group hug!”
Ashley and Chris joined them, and although she could barely breathe, Sam felt great with her friends around her. The alcohol made her drowsy and she was almost sure that Ashley was going to fall asleep too if they stayed in this position a minute longer.
“We should go to bed.”
“It’s not even late...”
“Shush, Josh, I’m with Sam on this one.” Said Ashley, not doing anything to move from the couch.
Chris was the first one to get up. He pulled on Josh’s hand to get him up. Josh made some hissing cat sounds in protestation, but Chris still managed to get him on his feet. Sam helped Ashley to get up and they walked toward the empty rooms upstairs.
“So, where is your next destination?” She asked. “The Ivory Coast? Brazil? Japan?”
Sam took a second to think. She shrugged. “I don’t know. I might stay here for a little while.”
Ashley managed to look up and smile through her tiredness. “That’s nice. If you’re looking for a place to stay, I have a spare room in my apartment. I live close to Josh and Chris, and the others come often visit us.”
A crash rang behind the two women. They turned to see their two friends sprawled on the floor, laughing and blaming each other for their fall. Sam and Ashley shared a look.
“I understand if you don’t want to see them regularly.” Said Ashley with an exasperated look.
Salim ran his fingers along the box. It was wrapped with neat precision; he wondered if that was a product of Jason's military training. The paper itself was red with subtle gold highlights. It looked classy, almost too beautiful to be destroyed by Salim tearing into it. He looked up to meet Jason's gaze and caught the little smile playing on the American's lips. Salim's heart warmed—he loved the way Jason looked when he smiled—and returned the look.
“I didn't get you anything,” he admitted. “I don't really celebrate Christmas, so I didn't think of it.”
“I know, it's fine,” Jason assured him. “It's somethin' for both of us, anyway. You'll like it,” he promised.
Something for both of them? Now Salim was intrigued. He nudged his finger under the tape and carefully slid it across to guide off the wrapping. Jason let out a snort and rolled his eyes.
“It's not a fuckin' bomb that might go off, Salim. Tear into it!”
“I want to keep the wrapping,” he argued. He shot Jason an amused look. “I think you're more eager for this to be opened than I am.” He did try removing the paper a little quicker now.
Once the wrapping was removed, Salim lifted the lid off the box. At first glance he might have confused the item for a normal holiday sweater, were it not for the real-looking Christmas lights. He took it out and saw another sweater underneath it. This one had a Christmas tree printed on it, complete with little presents and ornaments. Salim ran his fingers over the material. The tree was made from green tinsel, he was fairly sure.
“Jason...” He knew he should try to say something nice, but he couldn't manage it. “These are hideous.”
“Yep.” Jason looked pleased with himself.
“You gave me a hideous sweater on purpose?” Salim gaped.
“The term is ugly sweater, Salim.” The smile on Jason's face was growing, and there was a glimmer in his eyes Salim recognized. Jason was being playful and, just like the first time he did it back in those catacombs, the joke had initially gone over Salim's head. “Try yours on,” Jason encouraged. “I wanna see if the lights work.”
Salim was a little curious about that himself. He pulled on the sweater and felt around for a switch. He found it and his sweater lit up with yellow, green, red, and blue. It was so utterly ridiculous Salim couldn't help laughing.
“I knew you'd like it,” Jason boasted. He tugged his on and added, “How do I look?”
“Very silly, hayati,” Salim answered with a quick kiss to Jason's lips. He was cautious about pressing too close: the heat from his lights might catch Jason's sweater on fire. Jason gave his collar a little tug and kissed him back.
“I like laughing with you,” Jason confessed softly. “I like when we do fun, dumb shit.”
“So do I,” Salim agreed. “It's a perfect gift.” Jason looked pleased with himself. Salim decided to risk the fire hazard and wrapped his arms around the younger man. “We should take pictures later,” he suggested, “and send them to everyone.”
“I already got a camera ready,” Jason assured him.
