~ ˚⋆𓇼˚⊹ forever? 𖦹 ⁺｡° ~───ryo hirose x reader
chapter 1
~ synopsis: moving cities can be hard right? new schools, new people. especially if u dont have anyone to talk to; not unless you create great friends from random a summer camp.
~cw:NONE!!! fluff ^^, strangers to lovers, friends to lovers
~wc: 1316 W
~☀︎༄.° a/n <3: first chapter. not proofread. lemme know if u want to be in a taglist ENJOYYY! <3
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The sun was already high when you stepped off the bus and onto the gravel path that led to the campgrounds.
The air smelled like pine and bug spray, and the heat clung to your skin like a second layer of clothes.
Your yellow suitcase thumped against your heel with every step, the ruffle of your keychains on your backpack, and the sound of distant shouting.
Probably counselors hyping up something embarrassing only made you want to turn back.
“Camp Hoshigaki,” the wooden sign read, painted in big, cheerful letters.
Someone had even drawn a smiling sun in the corner. Cute. But nothing about this place felt like it had room for you in it.
You kept your head down as you walked past a small group already playing frisbee on the field.
Everyone looked like they had arrived with someone. A friend. A sibling. A sense of purpose. Your sister was supposed to come with you but she faked an excuse to get out of it.
So now with just your name on a roster and your mom’s voice in your head saying, “It’ll be good for you, sweetie. You’ll make friends. Just give it a chance.”
Easier said than done.
“Yo! You’re in Cabin D, right?” a camp counselor waved you over. She wore a khaki shirt, a neon whistle, and a painfully enthusiastic smile. “We’re doing intros in the main hall. Come on!”
You gave a weak thumbs-up and trudged after her, mentally preparing for whatever horror “intros” meant.
Inside the hall, it was worse than you imagined—rows of plastic chairs, name tags, group chants already in progress.
You dropped your bag near the back and slid into an empty seat, sinking down as low as possible.
That’s when you saw him.
Same light messy hair. Same headphones. Same energy of someone who absolutely did not want to be here.
He sat two rows ahead, drawing something in a notebook while everyone else was pretending to be excited about a team-building game involving balloons.
You wondered if he had signed up voluntarily or got dragged into this like you.
Probably the latter.
No one who looked that disinterested came to summer camp for fun.
“Next up,” the counselor beamed, “we’re doing a partner scavenger hunt! You’ll be randomly assigned someone you haven’t talked to yet—”
You groaned internally. Of course.
As people started moving around, looking for partners, you kept your eyes on your shoes, hoping someone would pick you before the panic fully set in.
And right before you could come up with an excuse to fake a sudden injury—
“Hey.” You looked up, It was him.
Notebook and pencil still in hand.
“Wanna pair up?”, he says with a wide smile
Your brain short-circuited. “Uh… yeah. Sure.”. You smile back
He nodded, like that was settled, and gestured for you to follow him as everyone started moving outside.
No awkward handshake. No “what’s your name again?” Just easy silence.
You walked side by side down the steps and onto the grass, where the counselors were handing out scavenger hunt clue sheets.
He took one without a word and handed it to you.
“My name’s Ryo, by the way,” he said after a beat, still not quite looking at you.
“Y/N,” you replied.
Another nod. “Cool.”
You read the first clue together in silence, then he pointed toward the edge of the woods near the trails. You both started walking.
It wasn’t awkward, exactly. Just quiet. But in a world full of noise and people who tried too hard to fill silences, it was… kind of nice.
You wanted to ask him about his life and how he ended up here, but you hesitated for a second.
He didn’t rush ahead. He didn’t make dumb jokes to “break the ice.”
He just walked next to you, checking the clue every now and then, glancing around like he actually wanted to solve it.
The first stop was a big rock shaped like a bear (apparently), and you had to take a selfie with it. He held up his phone, paused, then handed it to you wordlessly. You took the photo—both of you slightly off-center, awkward but not awful. "Aww, we look cute, should we do a re-do?" you asked.
"yes! we look slightly awkward so yeah. Do a pose, ok?" he replies.
The latter photo looks better. More relaxed.
"This one is better", he grins.
You couldn’t help it. You smiled.
The next clue led you down a hill to the lake, where a plastic duck was hidden behind some reeds.
You found it first, pointing with a triumphant little grin, and Ryo smiled.
“Nice eyes,” he muttered.
You froze. “What?”
“I meant like—your eyes spotted it fast,” he said, a little too quickly. “Not like… never mind.”
You weren’t sure what surprised you more—him actually speaking, or the weird flutter in your chest after he did.
You shook it off, telling yourself it was just the heat. Or maybe dehydration.
Definitely not because of some guy you just met.
The two of you wandered up the slope, heading toward the next landmark listed on the clue sheet.
“Find the tree with three trunks,” it read, followed by some vague riddle about “what grows roots but doesn’t move.”
“I hate riddles,” you muttered.
Ryo chuckled softly, eyes bright but calm. “Yeah, they can be annoying. But I like puzzles, so it’s kind of fun to figure out.”
You glanced at him, surprised by the gentle enthusiasm. “You like puzzles?”
“Depends on my mood,” he shrugged. “Sometimes I want to talk a lot, sometimes I just want to sit and draw or think. Guess I’m an ambivert. Keeps things interesting.”
You smiled, the tension easing out of your shoulders a bit. “Ambivert? me too!”
“i guess we are alike then” he said.
You both scanned the trail ahead and soon spotted the tree—two thick trunks growing close together like old friends leaning on each other.
Ryo pointed at it. “There’s always a story behind trees like these, right?”
“Probably,” you said, folding the clue paper. “Maybe it’s about friendship or something.”
“Yeah. Like two friends who planted a tree together, promising to stick by each other no matter what.”
You nodded slowly. “I like that. It’s kind of comforting.”
Ryo smiled, a little softer this time. “Comfort is underrated.”
As you peeled the clue off the bark, he glanced at you with a curious look.
“So… what brought you here? Besides, you know, probably being dragged by parents.”
You hesitated, then shrugged. “How'd you know that? Anyways, my parents moved for work. New city, new school, new everything.”
“Change sucks,” he said simply. “But it’s also an opportunity, if you can find the right part to hold on to.”
You looked at him, appreciating how genuine he sounded. “Yeah. I guess that’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
He nodded, then grinned. “Well, if you want, I’m good at figuring stuff out. Or at least making the boring parts more fun.”
You laughed quietly. “Thanks, Ryo.”
When you reached the amphitheater, Ryo gave a mock bow. “Lead the way, partner.”
You smiled, feeling lighter than you had in days.
By the time you got to the lake, the sun was dipping low, casting golden light over everything.
Ryo pulled the final clue from under the dock and waved it like a flag.
“Popsicles and prize points,” he said with a grin. “The best part of camp.”
“Blue raspberry or nothing,” you teased.
“Blue raspberry, for sure,” he agreed.
On the walk back, Ryo chatted comfortably—sometimes filling the silence with stories about past camps, sometimes letting quiet moments linger without awkwardness.
It felt natural, easy.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” you told him, smiling.
He bumped your shoulder playfully. “Partners, then. Let’s make this summer one to remember.”
And maybe, just maybe, it already was.
☀︎༄.° a/n <3: creds to @uzmacchiato for the adorableeee banners