The smell of fresh oak brought a crispness to the morning air. Justin smiled as he breathed in the scent. It took him back to his teenage years. After such a long time, he was back. Camp Peatree looked like it had hardly changed at all since he’d been there last. It was exciting! Justin felt as if he was 15 all over again!

 

“This yours?” a voice asked, bringing him back into the present.

 

Justin turned and saw a young man with dark curly hair holding his duffle bag out to him from the side of the bus he and several others had been on for the last couple of hours. Tanking the bag from the young man, Justin answered, “That it is. Thanks.”

 

The man smiled and introduced himself, “I’m Ethan Gold. Figure if we’re gonna be camp counsellors here for the next 8 weeks, we oughta know each other, right?”

 

The blond took Ethan’s outstretched hand and shook it. “Smart way of thinking”, he said light heartedly. The men shared a laugh. “I’m Justin. Taylor. Justin Taylor.”

 

Again, the two camp counsellors laughed together. “Well, it is very nice to meet you Justin Taylor.” As Justin politely returned the sentiment, he reflected that this summer was going to be grand. He was determined to make it even more memorable than his summer spent here as a camper.  

 

*****

 

Several metres away, Brian Kinney stepped off his own bus. Unlike some of the others, he had come from the airport. As he lived in New York, there was no way he was going to bus it all the way to the state of Virginia. Which meant that his bus ride hadn’t been very long at all, and was thus quite pleasant. It had been such a long time since Brian had stood on this ground, breathing in this air. He was back to the place that had given him an unforgettable summer all those years ago. Now, for 8 long weeks, he was back. The brunet collected his luggage and headed over to where the safety officers were guiding all the newly arrived adults.

 

Everyone was led to an area with a small stage that Brian instantly recognised. He couldn’t hold back his smile when he recalled the pranks and mishaps that had occurred back when he had been a camper. Some wooden benches faced the stage and Brian took a seat. While he waited for things to get started, Brian took the liberty to look at the other camp counsellors and workers that gathered. That was when he spotted a regrettably familiar blond head. No, he thought to himself, blinking hard. It can’t be. As he continued to stare, Brian was forced to make the awful realisation that it was indeed who he thought it was. It appeared that this would be the second summer he would spend at Camp Peatree with Justin Taylor.

 

The boy was walking with a short guy with dark curls. Brian watched them shuffle across the bench to get a good seat. Just as Justin began to sit down, his eyes moved over to where Brian was and spotted him. A look of surprise registered on the fair face that stilled the man fro a brief moment. He quickly recovered and looked away, taking his spot on the bench. It seemed the blond was just as shook up as Brian was about being back at camp together.  

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2OOO

 

Justin looked around at campgrounds that would be his home for the next 8 weeks. He was nervous to spend that much time away from home and from his friends, but he was too excited to let the nerves get to him. He was sure he’d make plenty of friends and have the time of his life, as his mother had assured him he would. Taking in a deep breath, the gathered his confidence and smiled.

 

The teenager bent down to take his yellow duffle bag into his hand. As he stood up, Justin felt something push the back of his lower legs, making him lose his grounding. With a “Woah!” the boy fell into the dirt, landing right on his bubble butt. “What the?” He looked up and saw two teenagers standing over him, laughing cruelly. “Why the hell did you do that?” he demanded.

 

One of the boys- the less muscular and more lean of the two- gave Justin an innocent look. “I don’t know what you mean”, he said in mock ignorance. This caused the other boy to laugh some more. “We were just standing here, all inconspicuous and what not. You know, as all good boys do.”

 

Justin huffed, unamused. Despite the hazel-eyed brunet jerk’s capacity to be a complete jerk, Justin could not help but admire how very good looking he was. He shook his head to get that thought out of his mind as he reminded himself he was supposed to be mad. “Okay, very funny, buster”, he said in an unimpressed tone.

 

“Glad you think so, cause my pal here and I think it’s hilarious”, the annoying brunet responded quickly. He flashed the seething kid a smirk and walked away, his muscly friend following along behind him.

 

“Need a hand?” another, friendlier voice said. Justin turned his head from the retreating bullies’ forms to see a pretty dark skinned girl holding her hand out to him.

 

Smiling gratefully, Justin took the offered hand and stood up. “Thanks”, he said, brushing some grass and dirt off of his clothes. “It’s good to know there are some good human beings out there.”

 

The sweet girl laughed and responded, “Don’t I know it?! Besides, we gotta look out for each other here at Peatree.”

 

“You’ve been here before?” Justin asked, still brushing grass off of his pants.

 

The girl nodded. “This is my third summer here. My parents love getting me out of the house and I love getting away from them!” Justin laughed and this and the girl stuck her hand out proudly. “I’m Daphne. Daphne Chanders.” Justin took Daphne’s hand and shook it while he smiled at her. “And you are?” she asked.

 

“I’m Justin Taylor”, he told his new friend.

 

“Well, I’m just delighted to meet you, Justin Taylor”, she said matter-of-factly. The bubbly girl looped her arm with Justin’s and started walking him to the camp base. “Don’t you worry about those two jerks. We can get ‘em back”, the girl told him as Justin hurried to keep up with her. One thing was for sure; this girl was a force to be reckoned with! “And we will.”

 

And that was how Justin met his long-time friend Daphne, as well as the hunky but grumpy Drew Boyd, and the handsome asshole that was Brian Kinney… 

 

 

PRESENT

 

Meanwhile, Justin had been completely floored seeing Brian among the other camp counsellors. He felt his heart stop when he locked eyes with the man. He was still just as gorgeous as ever, but surely just as infuriating. The blond tried to pay attention to Ethan’s chit chat, but his mind was too busy whirling. Of all the people in the world, Justin just had to run into his summer camp nemesis. It was like a twisted joke. He could only hope that he would be able to ignore him for most of the summer. They could silently agree to stay out of each other’s way, and all would be peaches and cream where Justin was concerned.

 

Thankfully, the voices of the camp owners interrupted Justin’s disturbed thoughts and Ethan’s snore worthy babbling. “Good morning counsellors!” the man that Justin knew to be Brad Peatree said into the microphone that was set up on the stage. “It is just fine and dandy to see you all here this morning! Sally and I are so excited to welcome you all here to the 50th summer at Camp Peatree!”

 

Everyone present gave this a brief applause. “Yes…”, Sally said with a giant smile on her face. In all his life, Justin had never met any family more discount-WASP American in his life. “This also marks mine and Brad’s 10th summer running the camp!” Another applause, as if it was automated. Justin stifled a chuckle. Across the room, Brian also had to hold back his laughter at how ‘Brady Bunch’ these people were. Lovely people, none-the-less. “Now, let’s get down to business”, Sally said, mock-punching the air in front of her with enthusiasm. “Micah here will give you all a nice tour of the camp site so you all know where to go”. A young man standing to the side of the stage gave everyone a wave. “But before that, we have to go over the ground rules!”

 

It was Brad’s turn to step up again. “So we’re clear; no drugs or alcohol are allowed on camp grounds AT ALL. If you happen to catch any of the campers with either of those things, they are to be confiscated immediately. No technology devices are permitted, except for digital cameras. Counsellors are however encouraged to carry cell phones for safety. No inappropriate behaviour regarding any of the campers. I’m sure I don’t need to explain what I mean by that. No foul language is to be used around the campers. Make sure that all campers feel safe and join in on the day’s activities. Any bullying or mischief is to be dealt with immediately. Absolutely no violence is acceptable. If anyone is harmed, they must be brought to the medic. No one is permitted to leave camp grounds unless it is an emergency, or if the campers are being collected by their guardians. Counsellors are to make sure that their patrol sticks to the schedule.” It sounded like the man said everything in one big breath.

 

“The schedule is as such;”, Sally began, giving Brad time to catch his breath. “Wake up time is 7:30 each morning, unless an activity requires an earlier rise. Breakfast is at 8 o’clock sharp and runs for 40 minutes. If anyone misses breakfast, you’ll go without. Counsellors, it is your responsibility to make sure your campers are all out of their cabins and in the dining hall in the mornings. Any dietary requirements should be on your forms, same as the campers. Each person is required to clear their own plates and maintain a tidy dining space. Throughout the day, you and your campers will have 2 to 4 activities. Lunch is at 12:30 and goes for an hour. Each day, there is at least half an hour of rest time. Counsellors are required to keep track of their campers at all times, as well as the actual time. Don’t want to be missing out on anything! Dinner is at 5:30 and all campers must be in their cabins by 9:30pm.”

 

While Sally took the time to get her breath back, Brad took over again. “Counsellors will have to explain, instruct and supervise the activities. There are 2 to 4 counsellors per group. The younger ones will have more counsellors supervising them. Don’t take your eyes off of your kids for one moment! Some days, we will be brining in special people to run activities such as circus skills or martial arts. One these days, as well as some others, the patrols will combine and work together. We encourage unity among all campers. We have 200 kids coming this year, and 20 in each group. Kids from the age of 8 to 17. That is why we have to make sure the campers all have fun, but in a family-friendly way.”

 

Surprise, surprise, it was Sally’s turn again! “There is specific time set aside for everyone to shower in the evenings, but they are available at any time you or your campers find yourselves free and able. Make sure not to waste any water, though! Nor any food! Your campers will be split into cabins holding 4 to 6 kids each. This means that kids from different patrols can mix more easily. The counsellor cabins are set a little away from the camper’s and you will be sharing with your fellow patrol leader or leaders!” It was hard not to be awake and pumped with the crazy enthusiasm these two were spouting out. “If you see any campers going into any of the out of bounds areas, or out of their cabins past ‘lights out’, simply guide them back to where they’re supposed to be. Now, here is Neil to give us a safety run-down.”

 

A handsome red-head man, who looked about 30 stepped forward. He thanked Sally with a smile and turned to address everyone. “Of course we know not to climb to heights without proper safety equipment”, he said after introducing himself. “If there are any electrical faults, do not try to fix them yourselves. Of course don’t touch fire, hot or sharp objects. We’re all adults, but I am legally required to say all these things to you.” This got a laugh out of the group. Neil looked proud of himself and went on. “If anyone does not know how to swim, do not permit them to go in water deeper than their knees. If anyone passes out, place them into the recovery position and call the medics.” Neil pointed to 4 people standing at the very far back corner of the stage, prompting them all to wave. Justin had seen a couple of them on his bus. Neil gave the group a run-down of what to do in case of a fire, flood, break-in, animal attack, or dangerous situation. He explained where to meet with everyone and to keep the kids safe above all.

 

Next, the medics gave everyone a brief talk about what to do if someone was in any kind of trouble. This included choking, drowning, poisonous bites, animal bites, cuts, falls, unconsciousness, allergic reaction, shock, heat stroke, hypothermia and more. It took a little while, but was all very relevant and necessary.

 

“Now then!” Brad said after thanking all the speakers. “If you all come to the front of the stage, you will find your paperwork. This will give you the names and all necessary information on your campers, your schedule for the week, cabin number and co-counsellors. You will also find a map of the grounds, safety procedures, a list of the rules and any numbers you may need, including mine and Sally’s. You can collect your new schedule every Sunday morning during breakfast.”

 

With that, the counsellors all gathered at the front of the stage to find their paperwork. Justin waited patiently for the group to clear a little before approaching the crowded stage-front. “Bummer”, Ethan said once he’d walked back to him. “We’re not in the same patrol”, he told Justin. “I’ve got some little ones in the Pines patrol.”

 

“Should be fun”, Justin said enthusiastically. Ethan nodded with excitement. Finally, the blond was able to get to the front of the stage and quickly found a folder with his name on it. He eagerly opened it to read his patrol. He had ‘The Rangers’. They were kids of the ages 11 to 14. Awesome, Justin thought. He had cousins that age, so he knew how to relate.

 

Everything appeared to be going well until he heard an all too familiar voice from behind him. “Looks like we’re going to be counsellors together, Sunshine”, the voice said.

 

Justin stopped in his tracks and turned to see the very same Brian Kinney he’d been trying desperately to ignore. The very same Brian Kinney who pranked and bullied him all through the summer they’d spent at Peatree as campers. He looked down at his folder and saw Brian’s name under ‘fellow counsellor’. Uh oh. Swallowing hard, Justin said back, “So it seems.” Brian held Justin’s stare for a couple of seconds as they sized each other up. It was the first thing they’d said to each other in 10 whole years. The first time they’d seen each other since parting ways back in the year 2000. It was the first time he’d heard that nickname Brian had bestowed upon him in what seemed like a life time. Even more shocking; after all this time, Brian was just as breathtaking as he had been 10 years ago.

 

Brian, meanwhile, was having the very same revelation. The man before him was no longer the dorky, infuriating, cute little 15 year old he had known all those years ago. Now, as Brian looked at him and took him in, he saw a man. A man that was drop-dead gorgeous. “I sure hope you don’t snore”, Brian said, breaking the silence. “Because we’re about to be spending a lot of time together.”

 

“Yay”, Justin said with obvious fake enthusiasm. It was no secret that both of the boys felt some trepidation about being counsellors of the same patrol. But even more so at the fact that they had to share a cabin. Sleeping just metres away from each other. For 8 whole weeks.

 

TO BE CONTINUED…  

 

 

-

An hour later, after all the counsellors had been given a grand tour of the entire camp site, Brian and Justin arrived at their cabin. Theirs was the smallest cabin, located the furthest away from all the others. This was not something that either man was fond of. Neither of them liked the idea of having to be mildly isolated from others when they had to be spending so much time together in a small space.

 

Opening the large, yet lighter-than-it-looks cabin door, Justin could not hold back his brief grimace at just how small it truly was. It was bad enough that he had to manage the same patrol with Brian, it was bad enough that he had to share a room with Brian, but sharing a tiny room with Brian was the opposite of ideal. Behind him, Brian was thinking the same thing. It made them too close for comfort.

 

The counsellors walked inside their home for the next 8 weeks of the summer and looked around. Justin looked at the view their back window gave them, while Brian wandered over to the bed on the left side from the door. He picked up a plastic package and opened it up to find some Camp Peatree t-shirts, a cap, a hoodie sweat shirt, a whistle and a fanny pack. Brian chuckled at the last item. “They left us some gifts”, Brian called over his shoulder. “Check it out.”

 

Justin turned and looked at what Brian had in his hands. He walked over to the other bed and picked a matching plastic package up. Giving it a once-over, Justin opened the package and looked at the Camp themed things inside. “Who thought it would be a good idea to throw in a fanny pack?” Justin laughed, holding up the item.

 

“Never know”, Brian said, turning to face his roommate. “Could come in handy.” Justin raised his eyebrows at the man. He was sure Brian would never want to wear or use anything as dorky as that. “You know, for rubbers and whatnot. The important stuff.”

 

Playing along, Justin furrowed his brow seriously and agreed, “The important stuff. Of course.” The men shared a brief smile before they decided that was a little too ‘almost-flirty’ for them. An awkward silence reigned for 6 very long seconds. Taking a deep breath, Justin said, “So look, we both remember how we were the exact opposite of friends when we were campers here, but that was 10 years ago. We’re adults now and we have a responsibility to our campers to work together. Why don’t we call it a truce and cooperate civilly.”

 

Brian looked at Justin for a beat before answering. “We’re not kids anymore”, he said, seeming to agree to Justin’s suggestion. “Let’s put all that crap behind us and…treat each other as colleagues.”

 

Justin stuck out his hand. “Agreed?”

 

Taking Justin’s hand and giving it a camper-style shake, Brian responded, “Agreed”.

 

The boys pulled away from each other and got to unpacking their things into the drawers in their cosy cabin. After a little while, Justin decided he’d had enough of the weird silence permeating the room and attempted to strike up some small talk. “You are the last person I would have expected to come back here as a counsellor”, he said, getting Brian’s attention. “What made you come back?”

 

“A bet”, Brian answered simply as if that explained everything.

 

But Justin wanted to hear more; the full story. “A bet?” he asked, thinking it strange.

 

Brian nodded. “I made a bet with my friends that I could last the full 8 weeks here taking care of a bunch of kids. When I win, I’ll get 50 bucks from each of them.”

 

Justin huffed out a short laugh. “Why am I not surprised?” he asked, amused.

 

“Guess some things never change, huh?” Brian answered. Justin chuckled and shook his head while he placed folded shirts into a drawer by the bed that they wordlessly decided was his. “What about you?”

 

Justin looked up at him, stopping what he was doing to answer. “I always wanted to do it. I’ve been to a couple summer camps over the years, and I always wanted to be a counsellor when I got older.” The blond paused for a moment, stopping himself from adding something else. Instead, he said, “And…something happened last year and…I wanted to come to a place where I could…”

 

“Escape?” Brian offered, engaged in the blond’s answer. There was something mysterious about the usually open boy.

 

“Remember when things were good”, Justin corrected. It was silent again for a couple of beats after that.

 

Brian decided not to push any further, not wanting to piss off his fellow counsellor so soon into their summer. “Okay”, he said, making Justin look at him again. “How about you and I agree to stay out of each other’s way when we’re not leading our patrol?”

 

The blond mulled over Brian’s suggestion briefly before looking him in the eyes and giving him a formal nod. “Sounds like a good idea”, he said. “We never got along anyway.”

 

While Justin turned back to his unpacking, Brian muttered to himself, “No we did not.”   

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer of 2000

 

Daphne giggled as she pulled Justin towards what she told him was the cabin where Brian and Drew were assigned to. She held a small bag in her left hand, tugging on Justin’s arm with her right. “How do you know this is their cabin?” Justin asked, unsure of what they were about to do.

 

Keeping her eyes on the target before her as she walked, the girl answered, “Easy. I looked at the big cork board in the dining hall. Everyone’s patrols and cabins are listed there. Some kind of…safety thing I guess.” Daphne shrugged as they reached their destination. “Okay”, she said, walking up the couple of steps to stand on the front porch of the cabin. “Here we are. You ready?”

 

Justin shrugged, staying on the dirt ground. “Uh…are you sure about this, Daphne? Cause I’m not and-”

 

“Come on”, Daphne insisted, reaching her hand out to her new friend to encourage him to stand beside her. “It’s just a harmless little prank. Didn’t you say you wanted to get back at them for being total jerks for no reason?”

 

“Well, yeah I guess, but-” Justin began.

 

Daphne cut him off promptly, “Justin”, she said with gentle sternness. “It is just some harmless little fun. It’s summer camp! Kids prank each other all the time! We do this, they’ll be peeved and we’ll have a laugh. It’ll be fine, okay?”

 

Thinking for a second to try and find any other reason to back out of the prank, Justin shifted his feet. “Fine”, he agreed.

 

“Yay!” cheered Daphne, clapping her hands excitedly. She waved him over to her. “Come up here.”

 

Justin looked around him first to see if anyone was nearby. Spotting no one, he joined the girl on the small porch. He reached ever to try the door, only to find it was locked. Wondering how on Earth they were going to get in, Justin asked, “How are we gonna…?”

 

“Fear not”, Daphne declared like a superhero, making Justin chuckle. “I happen to be an expert lock pick.” Justin watched her remove 2 bobby pins from her curly hair and manoeuvre them in the keyhole. A few moments later, they both heard a little click sound and Daphne removed the pins. She winked at the blond beside her and opened the door with poised triumph. “Voila! I know, I know, I’m amazing.”

 

The boy beside her laughed and gave his friend a pat on the shoulder. “I’ve gotta say; I’m impressed.”

 

Daphne flipped her curly hair. “Of course you are”, she joked. She reached inside the bag she was carrying and pulled out 4 bottles of honey. Handing Justin two of the bottles, she commented, “If I feel bad about anything, it’d be the waste of honey.”

 

The honey glistened in the light as Justin held one of the bottles up. He shrugged. “It’s going to a worthy cause, wouldn’t you say?”

 

“You’ve changed your tune”, Daphne pointed out with a smile on her face. “I’m glad. It means we can get right down to business.”

 

Justin looked at the floor thoughtfully. “Everywhere, right?”

 

“Everywhere”, Daphne responded with a curt nod.

 

Opening one of the honey bottles, Justin said, “Everywhere it is.” With that, the two sneaky teenagers began pouring sticky honey all over the floor, leaving a big mess. They started at the far end of the cabin, moving back towards the door so they wouldn’t get stuck inside. Giggling as they hatched their evil plan, Daphne and Justin emptied out the entire contents of all four honey bottles. The floor glistened with the golden substance. The pair glanced at each other to wordlessly agree that they were finished. They stepped back to admire their work. “Pretty good, huh?” Justin commented, proud and pleases that he actually went through with it.

 

With a proud nod of her own, Daphne said, “Our work here is done.” Both teenagers exited the cabin, chuckling conspiratorially all the while. Daphne pulled the door closed and skipped down the steps after Justin. “Come on, let’s go hide in the bushes.”

 

“Like a couple of perverts?” Justin asked, a smirk on his face. The smile was replaced with a look of shock when they heard some voices nearby. “Run!” Justin whispered to the curly haired girl beside him. In no time at all, the pair bolted into the nearby shrubbery, hiding behind the plants. “What do we do now?” he whispered to the mastermind of their little prank.

 

“Now, we wait”, she answered. Justin was about to say something else, but Daphne shushed him, hearing footsteps approach, accompanied by some teenage boy voices.  

 

Just when they were settled, they heard the voices get louder. Justin peered through the bushes and saw Brian, Drew and 3 other boys he didn’t know. “Man, I am so beat!” Drew said, stretching his right arm over and across his head. “I can’t wait to hit the hay.” The other boys around him all shared their agreement.

 

Brian opened the door to their cabin in an agonizingly slow manner. Justin and Daphne held their breaths, trying not to laugh. They saw the boy holding the door knob flick on the light while looking back at his friends, making a joke. Daphne excitedly taped Justin’s shoulder as the boys walked into their cabin, too distracted by their joking to take notice of the trap that was waiting for them. “Woah!” Brian’s called. A second later, several big THUMPS were heard, followed by groans and complaints. “Argh, what the fuck?!”

 

Hearing that their plan had obviously been a success, Justin and Daphne laughed, trying their best to be as quiet as they could. Justin laughed so hard that tears came to his eyes and his stomach hurt. “Is this honey?!” Another voice called with disgust. “I fucking hate sticky shit!”

 

“Fucking gross!” Drew complained. “How the fuck did this happen?!”

 

“More like who!” Brian said angrily. “Whoever it was, I’m gonna fricken kill ‘em!”

 

The culprits hiding in the shrubs took that as their cue to skedaddle. “Go, go!” Daphne whisper-shouted. With that, the two naughty teenagers sprinted off as fast as they could, laughing their hearts out.

 

As they got further and further away, they heard Brian’s angry voice call out, “I’m gonna get you!”

 

This only incited more laughter from the running kids. Once they had gotten far enough away for their comfort, Justin gave Daphne a triumphant high five. “We got them good!” he puffed, trying to regain his breath.

 

“Mission accomplished!” Daphne cheered with a grin. “Aren’t you glad I made you do it?”

 

Justin nodded, loving the adrenaline he was feeling. He had never had more fun in his life. Thank you! He said to his mother in his head, grateful that she sent him to Camp Peatree that summer. “You bet”, he answered his friend, smiling at her. Camp had only just begun, and Justin was positive that he would make memories that would last a life time. Hopefully with friends that would last a life time.  

 

 

THE PRESENT

 

Brian watched Justin as he put his last sock in a draw and closed it. He had finished unpacking just a minute earlier and simply waited while Justin got his things settled in. “What ever happened to little Miss Chanders?” Brian asked, remembering the pranks they all used to pull on each other.

 

“Daphne?” Justin clarified turning around to face his roommate. He leaned back on the chest of draws behind him.

 

“The one and only”, Brian responded with a nod. “You know any other Chanders?”

 

Justin tried not to blush in embarrassment, berating himself for saying something so stupid in front of Brian. Deep down, he knew that he was still a little intimidated by the other man in the room. After all this time, it was weird to be alone with him. “No”, he answered with a slight smile. “She’s great. She’s acing Med school.”

 

“Med school, huh? Never pictured that little rascal as a doctor”, Brian commented, not bothering to hide that he was impressed at hearing this news.

 

The blond chuckled, thinking of his cheeky friend. “She’s not just yet. But someday she will be. Says she’s going to run a hospital one day.”

 

“Daphne Chanders being in charge?” Brian pondered. “Now that I can imagine.” After another beat of silence, Brian asked. “So you guys still keep in touch, then?”

 

His current companion nodded. “We never stopped being friends. Couldn’t get rid of her and she couldn’t get rid of me.” Justin told him. “What about you? Ever keep in touch with anyone from camp?”  

 

Brian nodded, thinking that Justin would find what he was about to say both shocking and amusing. “Emmy-Lou Honeycutt moved to Pittsburgh when he was 18 and now he and Drew Boyd are in a pathetic, steamy romance.”

 

Justin laughed and said, “I have actually seen Emmett around, but I had no idea he hooked up with Boyd. You guys friends now or something?”

 

“Kind of”, Brian informed the other man. “My surrogate mother Debbie took him under her wing when he got to town and he’s been part of our fucked up pseudo family ever since. Blake is with my ‘friend’, for lack of a better word, Ted.”

 

Justin nodded, taking all the information in. He eyed Brian curiously. “So how come I’ve never seen you around?” Brian gave him a questioning look. “I mean, we’re from the same town and both hang around Liberty Avenue. I’ve heard people talk abut you, but I’ve never actually seen you at all. Not since camp. Until now.”

 

“Let’s just say I’m allusive”, Brian said with intended mystery.

 

Realising that was all he was going to get out of the man for now; Justin decided to let it slide easy. A knock at their door interrupted the silence. “Hellooo!” an annoyingly friendly voice sang. “It’s time to await the arrival of our campers!”

 

“This is it”, Justin said, moving towards the door. Brian followed him. This was the true start of their second summer spent together…

 

TO BE CONTIUNED…

 

-

Ten minutes later, all the counsellors were gathered at the camp entrance again, awaiting the arrival of their 200 campers. Justin was excited to meet his 20 ‘Rangers’. Beside him, Brian felt the anticipation in hi build. The boys were still very curious about each other, but all of that was momentarily forgotten while they waited for their patrol.

 

Finally, after what had seemed like forever, but what was actually only ten more minutes, the counsellors watched as the buses carrying their campers arrived at the campsite. The buses parked beside each other and opened their doors. A driver hopped out of each bus and opened the large doors on the side of their vehicle. “Welcome, welcome!” Sally called out to the drivers. Some of them cheerfully responded, while others grumpily ignored the sentiment. Brian suspected it had been a harsh trip for the drivers who had arrived grouchy. He chuckled to himself, feeling a little sorry for them.

 

Several kids of all ages jumped out of the buses, eager to collect their luggage. The bus drivers ordered the kids who were crowed around the open side doors to stand aside and wait for all of the bags to be set on the ground first. Some of the kids obviously already knew each other. Brian and Justin watched while some of the campers waved excitedly at each other, or embraced, or linked arms. Other kids looked completely unimpressed to be where they were, which both men thought was humorous. They noticed each other smirking and met eyes. Feeling awkward after a couple of seconds, the fellow counsellors dropped their smiles and looked away from each other.

 

It took a good while, but the kids all managed to get a hold of all of their things from the bus. In the time it took for this to happen, Brian and Justin noticed about 10 kids being dropped off in their own separate cars. Their parents had driven them up themselves and hugged them farewell, almost squishing them to death. At least 2 of these kids had been dropped off by a hired driver. It was very formal and impersonal.

 

Justin was pleased to see several of the campers looking around the camp site curiously. It was clear that most of them were excited to be there. He was not happy, however, to spot some of the kids, mainly the younger ones, look frightened and unsure. He wanted to go and hug them all, assuring them that it would be a fantastic summer, but he wasn’t sure if Sally or Brad would approve of that.

 

As the 200 kids walked up the hill, both Brian and Justin gulped, momentarily feeling intimidated by being around so many kids. The fact that several of these kids were moody teenagers did not help to quell this. Quickly, Brian snapped out of it and shook it off. He nudged Justin’s arm with his elbow, getting the man’s attention. “We’re the ones in charge, remember?” he assured him. Justin gave Brian a small smile in appreciation of the reminder.

 

Sally and Brad used their megaphones to direct the kids up to what was known as ‘Camp Base’; the area with the stage. Once everyone was at Camp Base, Sally and Brad greeted them from the stage. “Welcome to Virginia, campers!” Brad cheered. “My name is Brad.”

 

“And my name is Sally”, his wife beside him chirped.

 

“And this is Camp Peatree!” they said together in a way that Brian thought was incredibly lame. He had to hold back his snort. Justin noticed this and struggled to keep in his own laughter. They both knew they were being incredibly immature, as well as bad role models for their campers.

 

Brad put his arm around Sally and said, “Sally and I have run this place for 10 years now, having taken over from my parents Murph and Dudley. This particular summer is special as it marks the 50th year that Camp Peatree has been running, having been started by my grandparents Janis and Albert Peatree. I’m sure that we’re all going to make this summer just as wonderful as all the others!” Sally encouraged everyone to clap and cheer. Justin and Brian were happy to cooperate, finding it amusing, as well as exciting. 50 years was a long time!

 

The camp owners then spent several minutes going over some of the details of camp. They discussed some of the basic rules, expectations and activity and events that the campers had to look forward to. “Your counsellors will tell you the rest of the rules while they give you a tour of the camp grounds”, Sally told everyone. All the pamphlets and forms that the kids needed and didn’t already have was dispersed. Among these papers was the one that told the campers which patrol they were in. “Counsellors”, she said, gesturing for all of them to come forth. Each counsellor stood in a specific spot, holding up signs with their patrol name on it. “Campers, go find your patrol and line up with your counsellors.” This was messy, with kids pushing past each other and scurrying around everywhere. Finally, Brian and Justin stood with their 20 Rangers, while the other groups were also complete. The other groups were; the Foxes, the Falcons, the Willows, the Rosellas, the Sycamores, the Red Oaks, the Mountaineers, the Pines and the Hawthorns. “Okay, everyone! Time to go off and have some fun!”

 

Everyone cheered and began to veer off in their own direction. The counsellors had been given a specific route on which to take their campers on for their tour, so as not to clash with the other groups. “This way, Rangers!” Justin called, guiding them on their route. “My name is Justin”, he told the pre-teens following him. He nudged Brian in the ribs when he didn’t introduce himself, making their kids laugh.

 

“I’m Brian”, the brunet said, tongue in cheek. “Justin here doesn’t like me very much”, he joked, giving the man a pinch on the arm. Justin lightly smacked the hand away, making the kids laugh again at their counsellor’s antics. Brian turned his head back to the campers and gave them a wink. He was sure that their kids liked them already.

 

The boys took their campers around the campsite according to their designated route, stopping occasionally to tell them about the particular spot they were stopped at. They showed the Rangers the different gardens, fields, halls, cabins, courses, tracks and equipment sheds. All the while, they told the kids what they would be doing at these different spots. This seemed to excite the kids. Brian made sure to crack jokes, while Justin played the nice guy with the kids. Surprising themselves, the men proved to be a pretty good dynamic.

 

Eventually, the counsellors led their campers to their last stop of the tour before they had to return to Camp Base to collect their luggage. Justin breathed in the familiar smell of the lake while Brian took in the sight. He remembered the first time he had visited the lake, the day after the sticky honey prank.       

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer of 2000

 

 

Brian watched Justin as he walked in front of him. He was still fuming after last night. It had taken him and his friends hours to mop up the sticky mess off their floor, which they had been made to do themselves. Then, they had to clean the same mess off of their clothes and bodies. Brian was just glad that his favourite jacket hadn’t been ruined. He was pissed, however, that he had to scrub it to get it clean. The one positive thing about it was that he had a good reason to be back at the assholes that were responsible for the annoying prank. He knew who it was as soon as he realised what had happened. It was obviously the little blondie he had pushed over the other day.

 

There was no way that the geek had done it himself, so Brian was sure that the frizzy haired girl he’d seen him talking to was involved as well. He knew who the girl was. He had met Daphne at Camp the previous year. Daphne had always been a feisty girl, never afraid to take matters into her own hands. She had annoyed Brian and Drew in the past, so he was sure that she was the devil who had put blondie up to the wicked task that had caused him such inconvenience. Daphne was walking up front, just behind their counsellors. The boy was confident that he would enact revenge on the sneaky pair. Being two years older than the pair made him feel superior to them already.

 

Their counsellors led the team to the camp lake. This was the first time they had been there since the rushed tour they’d been given on the first day of camp. Carl Horvath, a cop from Pittsburgh was their male counsellor and Charlotte York*, an art dealer from New York was their female counsellor. “Here we are, gang”, Carl told them. He took off his back pack and placed in on the ground beside him. “We actually have time to hang around this time.”

 

Charlotte nodded enthusiastically as she always did, wearing a bright smile. “Let’s go around to the docks”, she said, leading the patrol in the direction she wanted to go. Carl sighed, as he was ready for a sit down. Still, he picked up his back pack and trudged along, trying not to make his annoyance noticeable. What he didn’t know was that both Brian and Justin took notice of the tired man, trying hard not to laugh out loud.

 

Their more upbeat and spritely counsellor led them around to where the dock was, away from the sand and dirt. They walked along the wood that was raised above the water, following Charlotte. The woman breathed in the air around the lake. “Ah”, she sighed with content. “Isn’t this just lovely?”  The campers humoured her and agreed. A couple kiss-ass kids agreed far too eagerly, where Brian was concerned. He made a mental note to make fun of them for being little sycophants later.

 

The brunet watched Justin’s full bubble butt as he walked in front of him. He unconsciously licked his lips while he watched it jiggle with the boy’s movements. Getting an idea for how to humiliate and trouble the boy, Brian walked closer to him. He got closer and closer until he bumped the boy roughly but stealthily with his shoulder, causing him to fall in. “Whaaa!” Justin shouted as he made the fall into the cold water of the lake. Justin made a hilariously ungraceful ass-over-head fall.

 

“What’s going on?” Charlotte asked, both concerned and unimpressed. She walked to the edge of the jetty-like structure, while everyone else gathered around to watch. All the other campers whispered and giggled to each other.

 

A moment later, Justin broke through the surface of the water, splashing and sputtering about. Brian stood to the side, a triumphant and very amused smirk on his face. Spotting Brian, Justin frowned angrily and said, “You!”

 

“Justin, what are you doing in there?” Charlotte reprimanded the boy. “This isn’t funny, mister.”

 

Justin opened his mouth in shock and offence. It was not his fault! “It was-” he began, trying to explain what had really happened and who was responsible.

 

Charlotte wasn’t having any of it and interrupted the teenager. “I don’t want to hear it, Justin”, she said in a gentle but stern manner. It was as if she were speaking to a naughty child. “There’s no reason for you to be mucking around. Now get out of there before you catch a cold.”

 

Daphne watched her friend in shock and turned her head to see Brian looking all too smug. He met her eyes and gave her an innocent look before evilly winking at her. He mouthed ‘Payback is a bitch’ at her, fully intent on getting revenge on her as well. The girl frowned and shook her head. “Charlotte, it was-” she began, trying to back up her friend, but was stopped by the stepford-like woman.

 

The camp counsellor held up her hand to stop the girl from speaking. “It’s alright, Daphne. Justin knows what he did wrong, don’t you?” Justin huffed, accepting that the woman was not going to believe him. No one had seen a thing. He was glad that Daphne at least believed him, even without either of them having finished their sentences.   

 

Carl stepped forth and reached out to help the boy back onto the dock. “Come on, boy”, he said. Justin took the out-stretched hands and used Carl’s weight to pull himself up out of the water. Once he was back on the dock, Charlotte gave Justin a towel from her back pack and told him to keep himself warm in a disturbingly motherly fashion. Carl helped the boy to his feet and gave him a pat on the back. He gave him a wink and began to walk along with the group as they continued on.

 

Daphne bounced over to her friend and wrapped the towel around him after taking it out of his hands. He gave her a slight smile, still annoyed over what had happened. Their prank from the previous night did not seem like such a good idea now. “Don’t worry”, Daphne whispered to him, eyeing Brian as he did the same. “We’ll get him back again.” Justin looked at her with a reluctant look on his face. “Don’t worry. Clearly, I’m next and I am not letting him get away with messing with me. Or my friends.” Justin couldn’t hold back his smile.

 

Meanwhile, Brian felt a great sense of satisfaction fill him. It had been oh so funny to watch the silly blond topple into the lake and sputter about. Getting told off for it made it all the better. Brian congratulated himself for being so good. Not only did he get revenge on the boy for his prank, but he got away with it. Take that you little twat, he thought as he eyed Justin shivering from under the towel.

 

 

PRESENT

 

Brian bit back his smile, but not before he let out a little huffing sound of laughter. Justin turned to his head to Brian and gave him a knowing look. Apparently Justin was remembering the exact same thing Brian was. He briefly poked his tongue out at the brunet before looking out over the body of water. Brian chuckled quietly and turned his attention to the kids with them. “And this is the grand lake”, he said, opening his arms to display the site to the campers in a game-show girl style.

 

“Obviously”, one of the campers scoffed with a cheeky smirk. Brian raised his eyes and looked at the girl. She was about 13 and looked all too proud of herself for her comment.

 

Sharing a look, Brian and Justin folded their arms and stood their ground. “Didn’t you hear Brad and Sally?” Justin asked the girl. “There’s no room for snarkiness here at Camp Peatree.”

 

The girl looked like she was about to say something else. Instead she blushed and muttered, “Sorry.”

 

“That’s okay”, Brian said. He had to stop himself from saying ‘Sorry is Bullshit’ like he usually did, but he remembered he was in the presence of kids.  The men gave the kids a brief explanation of the history of the lake and relayed the rules that the owners left out. Each person also shared their names.  

 

After that was settled, Justin said, “Okay, Rangers. It’s time to head over to the cabins and get settled in. You’re sharing cabins with some kids not in your patrol, so that should be fun. Now, come on!” Everyone headed over to the cabins, thinking that Justin was a mixture of nice and lame. Justin thought he was lame as well, but he didn’t care. If he was going to be paired with Brian, one of them was going to have to be serious.

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

---

 

-The Rangers gathered at the site of the camp’s big obstacle course. It was the afternoon and the campers had all settled into their cabins. They enjoyed their first meal together at camp in the dining hall. Now, they were about to start their first camp activity. Justin was just as excited as the kids were. For some unexplainable reason, Brian was glad that Justin was so excited.

 

“As we told you before, this obstacle course has been here for 44 years”, Justin said to the kids. “Don’t worry, though. It gets fixed up every couple of years, so it’s perfectly safe.”

A couple of the kids still looked intimidated by the equipment before them. Justin was determined to make sure those kids had a good time. He was never sporty, but he knew that camp activities were a blast when he let himself really enjoy them.

 

It was Brian’s turn to step up. “For safety and legal reasons, we have to lay down some ground rules before we get to it”, he told the campers, who were all adamantly listening. The majority of them were itching to get started already. “No funny business. Meaning; use all the course equipment safely. No showing off or flipping or any of that cra-uh, stuff.” The kids stifled their giggles that Brian had almost sworn in front of them. Justin rolled his eyes, but had to hide his smile. “No cheating. You all have to do the full course to finish. We will find out. If there is anything you can’t handle for medical reasons, let us know. Make sure you don’t do anything you can not or should not be doing. Try your best, but don’t over-exert yourselves. No sabotaging or hurting each other. We are a team. Whoever wins, wins for all of us. And make sure you have fun.”

When Brian was finished listing the rules to their Rangers, he glanced over at Justin, meeting his reminiscent eyes. Hearing the rules out loud once again reminded both of the men of how many they broke when their patrol had taken part in this very obstacle course 10 years earlier.

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer of 2000

 

“Are you all ready?” Carl shouted, revving everyone up to get them excited for the course.

 

The campers cheered, “Yeah!”

 

“You all sure?” he shouted again. He was acting like a sports coach amping up his team before a big game. Even Charlotte was getting into it.

 

“Yeah!” the campers shouted back even louder.

 

Looking satisfied, Carl said in a booming voice, “Well alright then. On your way!”

 

“Wooooo!” the group cheered, waving their arms up and down as they raced up to the beginning of the course. Charlotte, being the fitter of the two counsellors, which Brian found amusing considering Carl was a police officer, ran at the front of the group. Carl waited so he could run at the back. It was mandatory that a counsellor be at each end of the patrol when going on activities like this, in which danger could easily present itself.

 

The course was 1.2 Miles in length; 2 kilometres, making it quite the trek. Charlotte and Carl made sure their campers had a proper warm up and stretch before tackling the course. Along the course was a 10 foot wall with ropes to climb it, tires to jump in, logs to jump over, ropes to climb and several other obstacles that required strength and stamina. Some of the teenagers in Brian and Justin’s group were very athletic and decided to show that quality off. Brian and Drew were among those campers. The duo ran ahead of everyone else, loving the adrenaline the rush vigorous exercise always gave them.

 

Justin, on the other hand, huffed and puffed along with the less sporty teens towards the back of the group. The boy could not deny that physical activity was not his forte. He loved being outdoors, but actually doing something, anything sport-like? That was typically out of the question for Justin. Daphne was a little ahead of him. She had done the course before, and she was on the gymnastics team at her school, which meant that she was quite fit. Justin did not concentrate on the fact that several of the girls in his patrol were ahead of him. Instead, he focused to trying his best. No matter if his best was mediocre. “Come on, Justin!” Daphne cheered, spotting the boy struggle to keep up. “You can do it! Woooo!”

One of the other boys in their group, Blake, found this to be very annoying. “Shut it, will you?” he huffed, struggling to keep his breathing in check. He dragged himself along behind Justin.

 

“Kay then!” Daphne said, clearly offended. She turned around and ran ahead, getting even closer to the front of the group. Justin watched her in awe as she flawlessly climbed over the first wall. He couldn’t help but feel embarrassed that he was not as physically able as many of the other teenagers around him.

 

The rude kid from before seemed to take notice of this. He looked around conspicuously. At some point, Carl had ventured further up the course. Blake was glad for this, as it meant he was free to break some rules. He planned to get Justin involved as well. “Hey”, he said to the blond.

 

“What?” Justin asked. He did not trust this guy after having been a jerk to Daphne for no reason. Plus, he really did not feel like talking while he was trying not to hack up a lung.

 

“I know a shortcut”, Blake told him, biting off his proud and cheeky grin. 

 

Justin frowned and looked at the boy. “How…the hell…do you know…a shortcut?” He huffed between breaths.

 

Blake looked around him again before saying in as hushed a voice as he could manage, “I found it last year. You wanna cut back some of this torture?”

Justin considered for a moment before shaking his head. He internally berated himself for thinking of cheating, even for a second. That was not who he was. Justin was the kind of young man who worked hard to earn everything he got. “No thanks”, he responded, trying to run past the mischievous teen.    

 

It did not work, as Blake caught up to him right away. “Come on. It would…be…so…easy”, the boy puffed. “We…we won’t get…caught…”

 

“And why should I trust you?”  Justin asked, keeping his eyes forward. If this guy did anything, he did not want to be caught up in the crap of it all.

 

“Look”, Blake began. “I only…I only said that to your friend because…It hurts…to breathe…and when it…hurts to breathe…I get impatient.” Justin seemed to believe this. He knew that when he got nervous he could be a little snappy with other people sometimes.  He nodded at the teenager beside him. “I…I cut the track short last time and…I think I could get away with it again…”

“Then why…don’t you…just go on…your own?” Justin asked, trying his very best to keep up. They both had managed to heave themselves over the wall and climb through some of the obstacles. Now they were jumping through some tries that were laid out on the ground.

 

“It…would be more fun…to go with someone…else”, Blake answered him. “Besides…it’s easier to get away with it…in pairs…” He stopped after the tire obstacle and put his hands on his thighs.

 

Justin rolled his eyes and stopped as well. Truthfully, he could use a rest too. He puffed next to Blake and said to him, “I’m not a cheater. I…I don’t feel right about…this.”

 

A voice from up ahead was heard. It called, “I’m killing it! All you losers move your butts!” Justin frowned, recognising the voice to be the one belonging to the infuriating Brian Kinney. Stupid competitive jerk, Justin thought, shaking his head. He thinks he’s better than everyone.

 

Unfortunately for Justin, Blake saw this and immediately understood what it would take to get the blond on his side. With a smirk, he suggested, “Don’t you want to get a leg up on Kinney? He’d never us live it down if we came last.” Blake was quite observant. He knew that Brian and Justin had a feud going on between them.

 

A new kind of determined fire lit in Justin’s eyes. “You know; that shortcut is starting to seem like a good idea.” He shared a conspiratorial smile with Blake and gestured for the boy to lead the way.

 

“Follow me”, Blake said, dashing off into the woods. He led Justin through the trees. Justin could only hope that this was not some trap that would come back to bite him in the ass. Minutes later, the boys heard other voices. “Almost there”, Blake whispered to him.

 

“Where exactly is this taking us?” Justin asked his fellow hooligan.

Blake did not look back to answer, but he did wear a smile. “You’ll see”, he simply told him. Justin was nervous yet excited. He was doing things at camp that he would never do in his real everyday life. Breaking rules and sneaking around. It was scary, but he supposed that such fun would always contain a drop of fear. It only took a few more moments before the boys reached the end of their shortcut. Blake stopped Justin from walking back onto the course with his arm. “We have to wait until no one notices we slipped in”, he whispered to his blond companion. When Blake deemed it was safe, he signalled Justin to move. They both stepped out onto the course again and jogged along as if they had been there the whole time. The shared a mischievous smirk.

 

The campers climbed over another obstacle when Justin saw his nemesis; Brian! Getting an evil but genius idea, Justin quickened his pace to catch up to the boy. Once he was close enough, Justin stuck his leg out under Brian’s feet, causing him to topple over. “Waahh!” Brian yelled as he fell ass-first into a patch of mud. It was not watery, but it was moist enough to get him very dirty. Justin stood by and laughed while Brian fumed from his place on the ground. “That’s it”, he growled, grabbing onto the blond’s legs. Justin’s laughing stopped and he went wide eyed as Brian pulled him down into the mud with him.

 

“Argh!” Justin complained, looking at his mud-stained clothes and skin. Blake chuckled as he jogged a little behind where the boys were.

 

“How do you like it, twerp?” Brian grunted, giving Justin’s shoulder a non-harmful shove. Justin reciprocated this, leading the boys to roll around on the ground, wrestling each other. “Eat dirt!” exclaimed Brian, pushing the boy’s blond head into the mud.

 

“Fuck you!” Grunted Justin, smearing some mud onto his enemy’s face with his hand.

 

While the other nearby campers thought this was hilarious, laughing their butts off, their counsellors did not think it was amusing in the least. “Brian Kinney! Justin Taylor! You boys cut that out right now!” Charlotte yelled, reaching the campers. 

“What on God’s earth is going on?” Carl called, running over to the boys. He pulled the boys apart, with the assistance of another camper, ending the scuffle. “What possessed you two to go at each other like animals?” Carl asked the boys while they got back their regular breathing patterns.

 

Brian glared at Justin and rubbed some dirt off of his face. “That little twat knocked me over”, he spat, his eyes alive with anger and distaste.

 

“Then you pulled me down and pushed my face in the mud!” Justin yelled at the boy. Carl and the other camper, who was known as J.D*, had to hold both boys back as they made moves to go for each other again. This was more difficult for J.D; he was not the strongest camper present.

 

“Whoa, whoa!” Charlotte said, raising her arms. “Cut that out!” she demanded, putting her hands on her hips. “Justin, is Brian telling the truth? Did you push him?”

 

Justin gave Brian a glare and then glanced at Blake, who was innocently standing aside. He gave the boy a wink, inspiring the courage to come clean. Justin looked up at his counsellor and answered, “Yeah. I pushed him.”

 

A low “Ooooo”, was made by the surrounding campers. More campers, who had been further along the course reached the patrol. Charlotte looked disappointed and asked, “Why would you push him, Justin?”

 

The blond boy potted Daphne standing a few metres away from him. She looked at him seriously, as if trying to tell him something. Justin could take this opportunity to call Brian out for pushing him into the lake the previous day. “To get him back for throwing me in the lake”, Justin said, giving Brian a ‘gotcha’ look.

 

Brian shifted and glared at the boy again. “You little”, he muttered.

 

“Brian, is that true?” Charlotte asked, now disappointed in him as well.

 

The older of the teenage enemies huffed and said, “Hell yeah it is.” Some of the other campers laughed, while others gasped in apparent shock. Justin shook his head, but kept his eyes locked with Brian’s. Despite their intense eyes, both boys wore closed-mouthed smiles while they continued to stare.

 

Charlotte sighed and shared a look with Carl. “Get up, both of you”, the woman said. Carl and J.D released their grips on the boys so they could comply. The teenagers rose to their feet, still looking at each other. Carl moved closer to Charlotte and whispered something to her. She nodded as him and turned her attention to the other campers. “Move along, everyone!” she called. “Keep going!”

 

All the other campers picked themselves up again and ran off after their counsellor. Carl looked at Brian and Justin seriously. “You two; walk with me”, he said once everyone had passed them. “You are both going to finish this course dead last”, he told them as they walked with him.

 

“Awe man”, Brian complained. Justin didn’t mind as much. At least now he had an excuse to come last.

 

“And make sure you keep your hands and your words off each other”, Carl added. “I hope you realise that you’re not getting away with this”, he told the teenagers. “Either of you.”   

 

 

PRESENT

 

“Okay”, Brian said, taking Justin out of the past and back into the present. “Everyone clear on the rules?” he asked their energetic campers.

 

The kids all nodded enthusiastically, eager to begin their first camp activity. “Yes!” they answered as a collective.

 

The two camp counsellors shared a look, both equally glad that their campers were ready. Justin and Brian led the 20 Rangers through a full body warm up first. They made sure the kids stretched their arms, legs, knees, necks, shoulders and backs well before allowing them to begin this rigorous course. Knowing from experience how hard it was, the men decided their campers had to be prepared beforehand. Minutes later, Brian said, “Looks like we’re all ready.” The kids cheered and Justin could not hold back his smile. “Let’s get going then!” Brian cheered, charging in front of the campers as they began the course.

 

Justin was the counsellor who would complete the course at the back of the group. He noticed a few kids awkwardly standing by. They clearly did not feel as excited about doing this activity as many of the other kids. Luckily, Justin could easily sympathise with them. “Why don’t you say we take it slow?” he suggested to the 4 campers he stood with. They all looked at him, reluctance on each of their faces. “It doesn’t matter who finishes when. So long as we all give it a go. I can promise you that it is a whole lot more fun if you give it your all. Even if your all isn’t much”, he advised them. By the changing expressions on the kids’ faces, Justin knew he was getting through to them. “Believe me. I know”, he added.

 

Sharing some shy glances with each other first, the kids all turned to their kind camp counsellor and nodded. They all voiced variations of ‘okay’ and ‘let’s do it’, satisfying Justin. He smiled at them and got them started on the course. Along the way, he continued to encourage the kids to keep going, just as Daphne had done for him a decade ago. Since being a camper at Peatree, Justin had become more fit and was able to move along the course with slightly more ease than the first time. It was not a miraculous change, but an improvement none-the-less.

 

Meanwhile, Brian was impressed by the kids that powered through the course, faster than he did. Others were not as athletically inclined, but participated happily with all their might. Brian deemed the course a success if everyone was trying their very best, and having fun while doing it. He knew that he was. As always, Brian loved to get his blood pumping with a good duration of exercise. He was proud of the campers for tackling the obstacle course as best as they all could. He glanced back a few times, watching Justin as he encouraged the less enthusiastic campers. This impressed him, although he was not sure if he should admit it.

 

Much later, Justin led the last of The Rangers through to the end of the course. The other campers who had finished a little earlier cheered these kids on, along with Brian. Both counsellors were impressed with their patrol’s sense of comradeship, after only knowing each other for less than a day. They were sure that they had a great patrol on their hands. Once they were all finished, Brian and Justin gave their campers a couple minutes to rest and regain their breaths. They then led them through a warm down to reduce the change of soreness or muscle aches the next day. All participants indulged in some water and a nice sit down.

 

“Rangers”, Justin said, getting everyone’s attention. He stood beside Brian, looking at all of their campers. “You should all be very proud of yourselves. Each of you gave that your best shot and completed the obstacle course without any mishaps at all! Well done!” The tuckered out kids weakly cheered, inciting a laugh from Brian and Justin. They met eyes and their smiles vanished, suddenly feeling awkward at sharing a laugh with each other.

Brian cleared his throat and announced, “Dinner time! Let’s go, kids.” This time, the campers cheered with more energy and each adolescent rose to their feet. The boys marched their patrol to the great hall, where they all enjoyed a nice pasta dinner. For camp food, it was darn good. Brian and Justin sat next to each other at a table with the other camp counsellors and tried to engage in the conversation that was going on. The brunet felt the tension coming from the blond beside him, and reciprocated the awkward feeling. “So, uh…” he began. His words seemed to startle Justin, who had been busy staring off into space. “Nice job today. You know; with the kids.”

 

Justin felt a warm blush creep up his neck and onto his cheeks. He internally cursed himself for this juvenile response. It still felt odd to be around his old nemesis so closely. “Uh…Yeah”, he stammered. He took a sip of his drink to lubricate his dry throat. “You too.” Brian gave him a simple nod and got back to his food. As did Justin. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, wondering how he was going to get through the nest 8 weeks with Brian Kinney.

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

 

-The next morning, after breakfast and clean up, the Rangers sat in a circle on the grass, a little away from Camp Base. After the fun and difficult activity of the obstacle course the previous day, the patrol was graced with a more relaxed activity in the morning. One that Brian thought was lame, but did not dare show it. Justin had threatened that he would ‘have his balls’ if Brian did engage whole-heartedly in this activity with their patrol. If both of their counsellors did not, how could the campers possibly do so? Brian had no choice but to agree and obey.

 

Justin finished checking that all campers were present and began to tell them what they were going to be doing. “This morning, campers, we are having a ‘get to know you’ session.” A few of the kids looked intrigued, but neither counsellor missed two of their campers rolling their eyes. Justin gave Brian a subtle look that made him refrain from laughing in any way. “We’re going to be spending the next 8 weeks together, which means we’ll need to know a lot about each other”, he informed them. “So, first, we’re going to play a couple of little games. And then we’ll tell each other about ourselves.”

 

He nudged Brian with his elbow, signalling it was his turn to speak. The man cleared his throat and tried hard not to roll his eyes. “The first game is called ‘the name pantomime’. We’ll go around in a circle and say our names, along with an adjective that begins with the same letter as our name.” Justin gestured for Brian to begin. Crap, he thought, but humoured the man anyhow. “Beautiful Brian”, he said, making everyone giggle. It even got a small smile from Justin. “Now you”, he said to the boy sitting beside him.

 

The boy cleared his throat and said, “Sassy Sean.”

 

Again, everyone laughed and the game seemed to be more fun than it had sounded. “Naughty Nina”, the girl beside him said, with a smirk, inspiring more chuckles.

 

“Jazzy Jacqueline”, the next girl said. Justin nodded at her with a smile, as she appeared to be a little shy about speaking in front of everyone.   

 

After a pause, the next boy said, “Macho Masamane*”

 

Each person went along with the game when it was their turn and all appeared to enjoy it, simple as it was. “Deadly Duke.”

 

“Terrific Tyler.”

 

“Sexy Sam.” This got a hooting laugh from everyone before Justin had to settle them.

 

“Amazing Alexa.”

 

“Magical Moira.”

 

“Tranquil Troian**.”

 

“Lovable Lane.”

 

“Funny Felix”, another boy said with a cheeky wink.

 

“Graceful Geeta.”

 

“Majestic Marcus.”

 

“Striking Sasha.” The blonde girl made a fabulous pose that made everyone laugh and cheer.

 

“Mysterious Marijana.”

 

“Joking Jesepee.”

 

“Hilarious Hawnai.”

 

“Sensational Sorou.”

 

“Young Yu-Jin.”

 

The circle finally got back around to Justin. Everyone looked at him expectantly while he took a brief moment to think. “Jolly Justin”, he said. The patrol cheered, as that was the end of this silly, but fun game. “Alrighty”, he said after everyone had quietened down. “Now we are going to play 2 truths an a lie. We each have to say two things that a true about us and one thing that’s a lie. Then, the group has to guess which one is the lie. I’ll go first”, Justin told the group. He thought for a couple of seconds before saying, “I have been to France. I have 18 cousins. I love to paint. Now, you all have to try and guess which one of those things is a lie.”

 

The campers, as well as Brian thought about it. They asked Justin to repeat the three things so they could figure it out. Brian guessed that the painting one was true, as he knew the man was art obsessed. He had no idea about the other two, however. Yu-Jin proved herself to be a very smart girl and said, “The one about the cousins is the lie.” All looked to her. “You have more or less, but not 18.”

 

Justin paused while everyone looked at him, again with great anticipation and expectance. “Correct!” he announced, causing everyone to cheer. The people that were near Yu-Jin patted her on the back and congratulated her deductive skills. “That was great”, Justin told her, making her smile. “Now it’s your turn.” They went around the circle to play the game, this time going clockwise instead of anticlockwise as before. The patrol had fun coming up with their truths and lies and trying to guess which were false. Along the way, some of the kids took the liberty to explain their truths and lies after it had been revealed which was which. Justin and Brian were glad that their campers were so engaged.   

 

Finally, after several minutes, it was Brian’s turn. Like Justin and all the others, he thought about what he was going to say before he said it. “I swear a lot”, he said first, making all who were around him chuckle. Justin shook his head, but chuckled as well. “I’m great at maths. And my parents and I are very close.”

 

Justin knew right away what the lie was. He remembered Brian speaking about his troubles with his parents when they were campers. Despite knowing the answer, he did not speak, letting their campers figure it out together. This was not only a way to get to know each other better, but it was a team building exercise in a way too. Brian turned his head and looked at Justin. The look he gave him made it clear that he was very aware Justin knew the answer, and that he understood Justin was refraining from speaking up for the group. Eventually, Sean guessed, “You seem really smart, so I’d say the last one is the lie.”

 

Brian paused for effect as Justin had done before admitting with enthusiasm, “That’s right!” The patrol cheered and clapped together. “Game over”, he said after the cheering and chattering died down.

 

“Now we’re all going to share some things about ourselves”, Justin said, shifting his position on the ground. His butt was starting to feel sore. “My name is Justin Taylor. I’m 25 years old. I’m from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. I work as a graphic designer and artist and I live with my best friend Daphne.” The last point made Brian raise his eyebrows. Justin had left that bit of information out when he asked him if he still saw Daphne Chanders. “When I was 15, I was a camper here at Camp Peatree and I was in a patrol with Brian.” This made all the kids ‘ooo’ with interest. They asked him if the counsellors were friends and Justin chuckled. “Let’s just say we loved to prank each other”, he told them, making the campers all giggle and Brian smile. “I have a younger sister who is annoying as anything, but means the world to me. I am allergic to basically everything and I love food. Which means I also love to cook. Unfortunately I’m pretty messy, though. Whether I’m cooking or just living.” The kids laughed again, liking their counsellors even more. Justin loved this aspect of the ‘getting to know you’ session, but felt weird about talking about himself around Brian. “Who wants to go next?” he asked.

 

Brian surprised Justin by speaking up. “I’ll go”, he said, briefly meeting Justin’s eyes. “My name’s Brian Kinney. I’m 27 years young.” This detail made the patrol laugh as they listened intently. “That means I was 17 when I was a camper here. I used to be a bit of a rebel back then.” Again, he met Justin’s eyes and felt a small smile play on his lips. “I’m from Pittsburgh, but I moved to New York two years ago. I work as an Advertising Executive for a company in Manhattan. My friends are more like a family to me than my real family. I love working out, old movies and alcohol.” He gave his last point a thought before adding, “That being said, don’t drink until you’re legal, kids.” The campers laughed at this, again improving their like for this counsellor. He too felt weird about sharing things about himself around his old nemesis. It would be like if Batman was sharing things about his life to the Joker.    

 

 

One by one, each Ranger shared some information about themselves. They shared their full names, their ages, their home towns, their ethnicities, their family life, their hobbies, their ambitions, why they came to Camp Peatree and more. Many of them had been sent to camp Peatree because their relatives had gone when they were younger. Each person listened intently to every person as they spoke, making the boys proud of their good campers. Sean was 14 and from Pittsburgh, like the camp counsellors. He shared that he liked boys and everyone was impressed at his bravery for sharing this fact about himself. Nina was 13, from Virginia and loved all things mystic. Jacqueline was 12, from West Virginia and loved to sing. Masamane was 13, of Japanese heritage and lived in Seattle. Duke was 13 from Brooklyn, New York and love sports. Tyler was 14 from Iowa, and had 5 siblings. Sam was 14 from Miami California and was a child model. Alexa was 12, lived in Florida and loved everything about water. An artist herself, 11 year old Moira was from Virginia. Also from Pittsburgh was Troian, who was 13 and loved to read. Lane lived in Virginia, like many of the campers, had gay parents and was 12 years of age. The ‘funny boy’ Felix lived in Florida, was obsessed with magic and was 13. Geeta was 11 and was from a traditional Indian family in Virginia. Marcus was 12, a technological genius and lived in Illinois. Sasha also lived in Pittsburgh and was very popular at 12 years of age. Like Brian, 11 year old Marijana lived in Manhattan, New York. She wanted to be an actress. 13 year old Jesepee was a talented male ballerina from Virginia. Hawnai lived in Hawaii, impressing everyone. The 12 year old wanted to be a professional mermaid like her mother. Sorou was 14 from Virginia and loved to cook like Justin. Lastly, but certainly not least, was Yu-Jin. The girl was 12, lived in Chicago and was a champion at everything she did.

 

By the end of the activity, Brian and Justin were glad that they all now knew things about each other. They were sure that their kids would get along well. Even if they did have a few sassy jokesters. By the time they were finished, it was time for lunch and the counsellors led their Rangers to the great hall to eat.

 

*****

 

In the afternoon, after lunch was done, The Rangers walked down to the river. They were all glad to be told that their afternoon activity was canoeing on the lake. Like the previous afternoon, Brian and Justin led their kids through a warm up. It was not as thorough as the one from the day before, as this activity would not be as strenuous, but they made sure to focus well on the arms and shoulders. The counsellors unlocked the watershed and had their campers carry out 8 canoes and the appropriate number of oars. Life jackets were also brought out.

 

The camp counsellors had to go over some safety rules and regulations. They told their kids to paddle together, go at a steady pace, avoid hitting other canoes or anything else, be smart with their oars, stay seated, not to tip the canoe purposely and what to do if they fell out of their canoes. Each camper was required to wear a safety jacket while on the water, and all complied with minimal grumbling. Once this was all out of the way, the kids were sorted into canoes, 3 people in each and 2 in the last two canoes. They all pushed the canoes into the water and hopped in. A few of the campers seemed to be naturals, getting the hang of it instantly. It took most of the other campers a little while to get used to rowing together.  

 

Moira and Geeta were afraid to go canoeing, so Brian agreed to go with them in their canoe. While they were on the water, he spoke soothing and encouraging words to the two youngest in their group. “See? It’s not so hard”, he told the girls as they rowed together. “You’re both doing great.”  He sat at the front, leading them.

 

Metres away, Justin shared a canoe with Lane and Alexa, two other campers who told him they were not as confident about rowing on their own as the others. Justin was proud of them, as they did not show any marks of fear, and tried their hardest. Indeed, they were not as able as most of the other campers, but they were still ahead of Brian’s canoe. He heard Brian’s kind words to the girls in his water vessel. It was a side to Brian that Justin had not witnessed before. A side that he admired. He looked back at Brian from his spot in the middle of his canoe and let himself give the man an impressed smile when they met eyes. Brian returned the smile with one of his own and a nod.

 

This was a very different Brian Kinney to the one he’d been on the lake with as teenagers…

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

The Waterloo patrol enjoyed a nice afternoon of canoeing on Camp Peatree’s famous lake. The campers rotated between rowing in pleasant quiet, and laughing and teasing each other playfully. It was an ordinary afternoon. Brian was intent to change that. He still was yet to get back at the blond in the canoe closest to his for pushing him into the mud a few days earlier. They had both gotten into trouble for that, but Brian was determined to pay the boy back. Their little game of back and fourth was actually quite entertaining for Brian, as well as for his friends.

 

Justin was sharing a canoe with Daphne and a flamboyant 16 year old boy named Emmett. All the better, Brian and his canoe mate had decided. He was grateful to share his canoe with Drew, who was in on his plans to get back at Justin. The fact that Daphne was with the target was icing on the cake. Both boys were happy to cause her any drop of trouble whenever the moment called. The Emmett kid was collateral damage, but neither Brian nor Drew felt bad about that. The boys shared a sneaky look before paddling closer to Justin’s canoe. When the blond spotted them, it was too late! The older boys used their oars and combined arm strength the tip the canoe just enough to cause gravity to flip it over.

 

“What in the-” Daphne called as she fell into the water.

 

Emmett and Justin both went with a more simple, “Gahhhh!”

 

A loud splash was made by the three bodies entering the lake, getting the attention of the other campers and their counsellors. Carl sighed, “Now what?” he muttered to himself, seeing Charlotte getting angry in the constipated way she did.

 

The three campers who had been tipped over broke through the surface of the water, spitting. “Shit!” Daphne hissed. “Shit, it’s cold!”

 

“I’ll say! It’s damn freezing!” Emmett shivered.

 

All Justin could think of was his extreme dislike for Brian Kinney. Maybe he even hated the boy. He wasn’t sure; he had never hated anyone before. Drew was a close second behind Brian for Justin’s list of ‘biggest assholes in the world’. He directed a glare at Brian as the brunet laughed his butt off with Drew. “I am so going to kill you”, Justin hissed at him.

 

Brian raised his brows and kept his smile in place. “I’d like to see you try, Taylor”, he challenged in a light-hearted voice. He was having far too much fun to be truly threatening. Justin took that as an incentive to go for the teen and he jumped up, grabbing onto the side of Brian and Drew’s canoe. This caused it to rock, almost tipped.

 

“Whoa. Steady there, boy”, Drew teased, speaking to Justin as if her were a horse.

 

“Cut that out!” Carl called, his canoe getting closer and closer to the scene. Charlotte looked less than ready to yell at these boys again, so Carl took complete charge this time. “You two again”, he said, looking from Brian to Justin. He also saw Drew sitting behind Brian. “And you”, he shook his head as he spoke. “Always the ones causing trouble. Kinney, Boyd, row back to shore and sit out fro the rest of the afternoon.”

 

The boys would have complained, but they had already known they wouldn’t get away with this if they went through with it. Besides, it was worth it. Justin let go of the canoe and sank back into the cold water. Giving Justin another smirk, Brian began to paddle back to shore, Drew following along.

 

“Are you three alright?” Carl asked the campers who were still shivering in the water. They all nodded and answered the man with variations of ‘yep’. The counsellor guided Justin, Daphne and Emmett through tipping their canoe back over. He told them that they could return to shore for a while to warm up a little bit if they liked, and were welcome to rejoin the rest of the patrol on the lake at anytime. “You’d be best to stay out of trouble from here on out”, he advised Justin. The campers thanked Carl and paddled back to shore, drying themselves with towels.

 

The two boys that were behind their tip considered teasing them even further when on land, but decided against it. Better that their punishment be over and done that afternoon than extended, as it had been for both Brian and Justin after the obstacle course fiasco. Instead, they chose to joke amongst themselves and ‘ignore’ the other three campers nearby.

 

Several minutes later, Daphne loudly announced that she and her friends were returning to the lake in their canoe, making sure that Brian and Drew heard. Justin smirked at her cheekiness and the trio were back on the lake in no time, having fun. Justin sneezed, “Achoo!” Uh oh, he thought, believing he may be getting a cold. One thing was for sure; Brian and Drew were not going to get away with what they had pulled that day…

 

  

 

PRESENT

 

Almost 2 hours later, the Rangers rowed back to shore, packed up all the canoes and equipment and were on their way back to the dining hall for dinner. Everyone was in a hurry as their stomachs were growling. Including Justin’s. A detail that made Brian chuckle to himself.

 

Like the previous evening, Brian and Justin sat at the table with the other camp counsellors. The adults spent the evening comparing stories, laughing and joking. It was a nice way to end a good day. Justin thought that perhaps the next 8 weeks would be easier than he had first thought.

 

TO BE CONTINUED… 

 

Morning sunlight seeped through the windows of Brian and Justin’s cabin. Brian stirred and rolled over, but Justin did not react to the warmth or light at all. A frown formed on Brian’s face when he heard what sounded like footsteps approaching their cabin. It grew deeper when he thought he heard a knock at their door. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. Another knock sounded, causing Justin to hum sleepily and roll onto his back. Brian reluctantly opened his eyes and sat up. Another knock. This time, Justin sat up while Brian got out of his bed. “What’s going on?” Justin murmured.

 

“Justin?” a voice called. It sounded like Marcus. “Brian? There’s a problem out here.”

 

Brian rubbed his eyes and shuffled over to the door, trying his best to wake up. He yawned and ran a hand through his hair before opening the door. Sure enough, Marcus was standing there, with Lane standing beside him. “Morning gentlemen”, Brian greeted, squinting at them. The sun shone directly at the cabin door and into Brian’s eyes. “What brings you two to our door?”

 

“Someone pulled a gross prank on our cabin”, Marcus told him. By this time, Justin had risen from his bed and creeped towards the door. He stood behind Brian to hear the conversation. “Some people are freaking out. We need help cleaning it all up.

 

The brunet nodded and told the boys he’d go help them. “Let me just put on my shoes”, he said. When he turned around, he ran straight into Justin. “Oof!” he huffed, almost toppling over. The two campers at their doorstep snickered at the scene. To them it was hilarious, but to their counsellors; it was unbelievably awkward.

 

“Wha-uh…sorry”, Justin stammered, embarrassed. Brian hadn’t noticed him standing behind him and that was just as mortifying as actually colliding with him. Especially since it had happened right in front of two of their campers. Those boys were definitely going to tell the others what they saw happen.

 

Brian shook his head and laughed it off as he always did when faced with an embarrassing situation. “I’ve just gotta watch where I’m going”, he told the blushing blond. Both men went to put on their shoes. They returned to the door and shut it behind them. “Lead the way”, Brian told Marcus and Lane. The boys took their camp counsellors to the scene of the crime.

 

Reaching the cabin that housed Marcus, Lane and 3 boys from other patrols, Brian pushed open the door. He and Justin were shocked to see countless little green and yellow crickets jumping all around the room. They also spotted two campers in the room, itching their arms and running around trying to catch the insects. “Holy shi-uh, heck!” Brian said, biting back a smirk.

 

Justin turned to the boys that had come to collect them for help and asked, “What happened?”

 

Lane answered his counsellor, “We woke up and felt things crawling and jumping on us. When we pulled back our covers, there were crickets everywhere! Everyone was yelling and it was so gross! Jackson thinks Mick and his friends from The Foxes patrol did it.”

 

“So this is a case of ol’ fashioned summer camp pranking”, Brian said, a light of amusement in his eyes.

 

Justin gave Brian a stern look, actually succeeding in hiding his slight amusement at the act. It was a gross prank. Very inconsiderate, annoying and even mean, too. Yet it reminded both counsellors of their time as campers, meaning that to them it was quiet funny. However, they were the adults here; the men in charge who were supposed to be role models to the campers on site. This meant that they were not allowed to show the kids that they thought the prank was funny. They had to take it very seriously. “Where is ‘Jackson’ right now?” he asked the boys.

 

The two 12 year olds pointed over to a nearby cabin, where they could see a rather tall boy yelling at another, beefy boy. Sharing a look, Brian nodded at Justin to signal he would stay there while the blond sorted out the argument. He reached the arguing preteens and saw another counsellor, Aria Montgomery* approaching the scene as well. “I know it was you, you ass wipe!” Jackson shouted in what Justin surmised was ‘Mick’s’ face. He was unfamiliar with either boy, but knew that as a camp counsellor, it was his responsibility to calm them down.

 

“Oh yeah?” Mick responded, sticking his chest out. “Prove it, then, turd!” he challenged, arching up.

 

“Hey, now”, Justin said loudly, getting the camper’s attention. The other boys from Mick’s cabin were standing around, watching the argument intently. “Cut all this shouting and name calling out. Let’s be grown up about this and actually talk about what’s going on.”

 

By this time, Aria had moved to stand beside Justin, putting her hands on her hips to appear stern and serious. Justin new that the young woman was very gentle and kind in reality, and thus appreciated her support. “Tell us what’s happened”, she said to the boys.

 

Jackson pointed at Mick in an accusatory manner and declared, “This DOOFUS planted crickets in my cabinmates’ beds! They’re everywhere!”

 

“Crickets?” Aria questioned, looking at Justin.

 

The blond nodded at her. “It’s true”, he told her. He pointed over at Jackson’s cabin, where Brian was helping the boys clean out the jumping critters. “Over there. Brian’s helping them deal with it.”

 

Aria turned back to the campers in front of her and said, “That’s incredibly inconsiderate. Not to mention, a pain in the butt. Why did you do it?” Aria asked Mick seriously. “I know you couldn’t have done it alone. So why?”

 

Mick huffed and crossed his arms. “We…we thought it would be funny”, he muttered, looking at the ground. “That’s all! What’s the big deal?”

 

“The big deal is that Jackson and his friends don’t find it very funny. What do you think?” Aria asked the boy, getting him to think about his actions. Justin admired the girl. He could see himself remaining friends with her after camp was over.  

 

Mick looked at Jackson, who was frowning at him, then at his cabin, where he could see the commotion going on. “I guess not”, he responded.

 

“So, do you have anything to say?” Aria asked. She stepped closer and looked at the other campers in Mick’s cabin. “Any of you that were involved in the prank. What do you have to say?”

 

The boys all shifted their feet, feeling ashamed. Each boy muttered variations of “Sorry”.

 

Justin and Aria gave each other a nod and turned to Jackson. “That okay with you, Jackson?” Justin asked him. The boy fidgeted about for a moment before nodding his head in affirmation. “All of you better come over and help get rid of those creepy crawlies.” The boys all followed the two camp counsellors to Jackson’s cabin.

 

“What are they doing here?” One boy asked angrily.

 

Aria raised her hand to hush the boy and told him, “They’ve apologised for their prank and have come to help clean up.”

 

“Let’s get to it, then”, Brian said.

 

A while later, the cabin was cricket-free and clean. Because they all worked together, the job was completed much sooner. “There”, Aria said. “All back to normal.” She looked at the culprits and said to them, “This- working together- is the Peatree way. Not purposely getting on each other’s nerves.”

 

A few of the boys looked completely disinterested and unimpressed. “What Miss Montgomery is trying to say”, Brian jumped in before the kids got themselves into even more trouble. “Is that if you tick people off, it only brings trouble. You might think that sounds fun, but no one likes real trouble. Take it from someone who knows. Straighten up. Behave. You’ll have a better reputation that way.”

 

This, the boys all seemed to take it well. Brian was quite obviously a ‘cool guy’. He was the kind of person that boys and teenagers looked up to. Justin looked at the man curiously. Yes, he was pretty cool. But he also appeared to actually be a good person. He surprised Justin with things he did and said each day they were there, making himself an enigma to the man. Justin was not sure how to regard his co-counsellor. All three counsellors led the boys over to the great hall. They were all 10 minutes late for breakfast, getting curious looks from the other campers and counsellors. Aria, Brian and Justin agreed to take the boys to speak to their own counsellors after breakfast.

 

The situation brought Brian and Justin back to a similar prank Justin and Daphne had pulled on Brian and Drew. They got a kick out of pranking their enemies in their own cabins. The prank they pulled was in fact much more ‘icky’ than the one that was pulled off this morning.

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

“This is going to get them good”, Justin said in a low voice to his accomplice. “Teach ‘em for dumping us in the damn lake.”

 

Daphne chuckled and regarded her friend with a raised brow. “What a change of thinking”, she commented light-heartedly. “Who are you and what have you done with my hesitant wittle Justin?” the girl joked.

 

The blond scoffed and feigned a look of offence. “What ever do you mean?” he said in a big dramatic voice, still trying to keep as quiet as he could. “I am just me and that’s that.”

 

The friends shared a quiet laugh together, enjoying each other’s company. “Okay, we got enough?” Daphne asked Justin.

 

Justin looked into their large tote bags and nodded. “Looks right”, he answered. He pulled a face. “This is really gross.”

 

Daphne shrugged. “Hey, it was your idea. You said you wanted to get them back. This will definitely get them back.” She thought for a second before adding, “Because it is really gross.”

 

“Think they’ll be alright?” Justin asked.

 

“Probably”, Daphne said. She saw the slightly green look on her friend’s face and added, “It’ll be fine, Jus. Come on. Before those idiots wake up!”

 

The sneaky campers creeped out side the cabin that they knew belonged to Brian, Drew and their other bonehead friends. Daphne used her hair-pin trick on the lock to open the door. She carefully pushed it open so as to stay quiet and signalled for Justin to follow her inside. Trying not to laugh, or to gag, both teenagers opened their tote bags and let the toads they had caught out. The toads happily hopped around the room and Brian began to stir in his sleep. Daphne frantically gestured to Justin with her hand that they needed to leave the cabin immediately. Their prank was taken into affect sooner than anticipated. Satisfied that both bags were emptied, Justin quickly toed out of the cabin, closely followed by his curly haired friend. She pulled the door closed carefully and the pair jumped when they heard a creaking sound coming from inside. They dove into the nearby bushes, narrowly making their ‘escape’. Both teenagers held their breaths, thinking it to be too quiet. Just when Justin was about to say something, a loud “AHHHHH!” came out from the cabin.

 

This sound was followed by another voice shouting, “WHAT THE FUCK!?”

 

A more sleepy, confused voice asked, “What’s going on?” After a beat of silence, the same voice screamed, “Ahhh!”

 

“Fucken’ toads!” Another voice yelled, clearly shocked and disgusted.

 

Justin and Daphne laughed so hard, while still staying virtually silent, making their stomachs hurt. This was exactly the reaction they had been aiming for. It was even funnier than the honey prank. In fact, both kids were certain that they had never pulled a more brilliant prank, and would have a hard time matching it. Justin held his aching stomach while he laughed on the ground. Daphne wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes. This was just too good.

 

“How the fuck did they get in here?!” An angry and slightly scared voice called. It cracked a little, causing even more silent laughter from Justin and Daphne. The boy was obviously trying to hide his fear, but failing miserably. “Uh, I think I’m gonna be sick.”

 

A voice that was distinctly Brian Kinney yelled, “Not how. Who! Just like before! I am going to KILL those twats!”

 

The rage in his voice was enough to make Daphne and Justin scramble to their feet and run off, getting as far away as they could. Breathing hard, Daphne asked, “Do you…do you think we should’ve done that? I mean…it was so…fucking funny…but you heard…what Brian…said…he’s going to get us back.”

 

“Probably…good, too”, Justin puffed, his hands on his hips. “It was…so…worth it, though”, he said after allowing himself a couple more seconds of panting.

 

Daphne smiled and laughed aloud. “Those screams were girlier than any sound I’ve ever made!”

 

Justin laughed along with his mischievous friend. “I wish I could’ve seen their faces! Especially Brian’s!” He was positive that Brian would get his evil revenge. This time, however, Justin vowed that they would be so ready for it.         

 

 

PRESENT

 

“What do you mean?” Justin asked his co-counsellor incredulously. “You think we should just let those kids get away with it?!”

 

Brian shrugged, finishing off his coffee. He looked at the bottom of the empty mug with disappointment. If only he had a self-refilling mug. If only the camp supplied more coffee than what they did in the mornings. Bringing himself back to his conversation with Justin, he said, “It was stupid, mindless fun. We gave them a talking to and I think they learned their lesson.”

 

Justin shook his head and ran a hand through his blond hair. “It’s camp policy, Brian”, he told him. “A ‘talking to’ isn’t enough to make those kids quit picking on the others.”

 

“I guess we’d know all about that, huh?” Brian said. Justin met his eyes and they shared a reminiscent and slightly amused look. Justin rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway.

 

A while later, Brian and Justin took their campers to do some archery. The pranksters from the morning, which included their very own Sam, had been banned from the morning’s activities. Justin still had Sam following the patrol along. Most of the Rangers were nothing short of terrible at archery, but Troian, Yu-Jin, Masamane and Alexa were superstars at the sport. The usually timid Alexa enjoyed being able to show off, her skills being the best of all. Some of the other kids gave her bitter looks, but remained friendly on the outside. Among all the silly chaos of the morning, The Rangers all managed to have fun. All except for Sam, of course.

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

- “Morning, campers!” Justin chirped to his patrol. It was a brand new day and Justin was determined to keep it catastrophe-free. The trouble-maker, Sam, was refreshed and promised to be good from then on. “I think you’re all gonna really like today’s activities”, he told them with genuine enthusiasm. It was apparent to the campers which of their counsellors was the cooler one.

 

Finishing yet another yawn, Brian stepped forward. Only being allowed to have two coffees at breakfast really was becoming a problem. If anything would destroy him, Brian was sure it would be that. “We’ve got some typical old fashioned camping activities. So be at ease, troops”, he said to the kids, adding a joke to the end as usual. The kids all chuckled in response, of course.

 

Justin wouldn’t admit it, but he was starting to like Brian’s jokes and wise-cracks. With a slight smile, he said, “We’re gonna be working with rope, pegs and mallets, so we need to run you through some safety.” The kids all shifted on their feet, prepared to listen to the safety rules. They had been warned by Sally at introduction that failing to adhere to any rules could be very bad for them. “Mostly; use your common sense. Don’t tie the ropes around yourselves or others, don’t poke anyone with the pegs, work together patiently with the tents and-” Several kids gasped in delight upon hearing the word ‘tents’. Justin and Brian smiled at their campers’ enthusiasm. “Yes, we will be putting up tents today”, Justin confirmed cheerfully. “Which means working with mallets. So be smart with them. Holding them exactly how we show you, and do not hit anyone, or drop the mallet. We’ll get to more of that when it’s time to pitch the tents.”

 

The kids shared high fives and excited smiles. It was wonderful to see their campers so eager for the day, once again. “Here we go”, Brian said, indicating that they were ready to begin their activities for the day. Each person, including Brian and Justin, was given three small ropes. The two counsellors stood in front of their kids, who gathered around with their ropes. “These will probably come in handy for something”, Brian commented, eliciting a laugh from the group. Together, they learned how to tie over 20 different types of knots including a wreath knot, an overhand knot, the half hitch knot, the fisherman’s eye knot and several more. Some of the kids got stuck and very confused along the way, but eventually everyone was on track as a result of working patiently together. Brian and Justin were pleased and proud that not one of their campers purposely mucked up or caused trouble that morning. They supposed it may have had something to do with the shenanigans of the previous day. Whatever the reason, both counsellors were grateful.

 

After a nice lunch, the Rangers gathered together again in the same spot they had been at earlier. Brian and Justin led them to the equipment shed where they collected the items they’d need for the afternoon. Carrying the tents, mallets and pegs was an activity full of anticipation for each camper. They could not wait to put up the traditional tents. “What we’re going to be pitching today is called a bell tent. It looks similar to a tepee, but is more modern. That being said, the tents we are pitching are almost 40 years old.”  

 

The kids all gasped in surprised amazement after Justin told them this interesting fact. “That means we’re gonna have to be really careful with them”, Brian told their campers, finishing what Justin would have said. With each day, they grew to be even more of a team. It was oddly nice for both of them. The counsellors rehashed the rules and safety guidelines they would have to adhere to for this very ‘campy’ activity. “Pitching a bell tent is trickier than your standard dome tent”, Brian said once that necessity was out of the way.

 

Justin nodded and added, “They take several people to put up and full cooperation, participation and communication. We have to work together. There are 5 tents, which means you’ll be putting them up in groups of 4. Each tent will be put up one at a time for safety reasons. Brian and I will be guiding you all along the way.”

 

Eager to begin, the kids all nodded in understanding. Justin found it rather sweet. “Who’s ready to start?” Brian asked the campers, intending on building their enthusiasm even further.

 

The Rangers all responded with “Me!” or “I am!” With a smile, the blond and brunet announced that they had begun. The kids were quickly sorted into five groups of four. Thankfully, no one complained, as they were all too preoccupied with their eagerness to be bothered about the groupings. That, and each kid appeared to be getting along.

 

The first group to put up the tent together while everyone watched closely, was the group containing Sean, Nina, Masamane and Duke. “This’ll put my old boy scout skills to the test”, Brian joked. Justin did not mention that he had also been a boy scout when he was younger. The campers listened closely to their camp counsellors while they instructed them on how to pitch a bell tent. It was hard work, as the men had promised them, but when everyone worked together well, the task was done well. Together, the campers fit the canvas onto the centre poll once the necessary points were pegged down. They then carefully lifted the poll up, making sure to dig it into the ground a little. With their counsellor’s help, they pulled the sides of the tent out and pegged each guide rope down. It took several minutes and a bit of fiddling, but each camper had fun.

 

Finally, once the first bell tent was up and standing well, everyone stood back to view and admire the job well done. “You guys did an awesome job”, Justin told them, which Brian reiterated to them in his own words. Seeing the first tent up brought the counsellors a memory of the first time they put up a tent at Camp Peatree…

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

Emmett Honeycutt wiped the slight sweat from his brow. He put his hands on his hips and huffed out a tired sigh. “It’s soooo hot!” he complained, fanning himself with one hand in a manner that was very drama-queen esque. Drew quietly snickered at the boy. 

 

Trying to pretend that the sweltering heat wasn’t affecting her just as much, Charlotte turned to Emmett and said, “Well, that’s what Summer Camp is all about.”

 

“Dying of heatstroke?” Emmet mused, eliciting a few chuckles from his fellow campers around him.

 

Charlotte gave him a serious look and told the group, “Look, I know it’s hot, but we’ve got to get this done this afternoon or we won’t get another chance. You don’t want to miss out on this exciting camp activity do you?”

 

The campers did not respond to their camp counsellor in a definite sentence. Instead, they all muttered things to each other, weighing up their possibilities. Charlotte did her best not to roll her eyes and simply shook her head instead. She was in no mood for the teenager’s crap that hot afternoon.

 

All the while, Brian, Justin, Curtis* and Tracy were pitching a standard 4 metre bell tent. This was the last of the tents to be pitched in the group. Their counsellors had told them that the order had been random, but considering their track record, neither Brian, nor Justin believed that. So they had waited ‘patiently’ in the hot air while the other 4 tents were successfully pitched. The activity did not go without any chaos, however. It wouldn’t be the Waterloo patrol if it had. All of this meant that the rest of the campers were now impatient and uninterested, not paying attention to what the current tent-pitchers were doing. They had no desire to watch them, despite the fact that they had watched them.

 

Several minutes of fidgeting about later, the final group stepped back to observe their finished work. “Great”, Carl said as enthusiastically as he could manage. The truth was, everyone was just as hot and over being outside as each other. He turned to the group and said, “Now, we have to take them down.” Each camper let out a pained groan and Carl added, “It won’t take as long to take them down as it did to put them up. But we also have to pack everything away and that will take longer than the unpacking did.”

 

The campers huffed and groaned again. “You can stand around whining about it, or you can get to it”, Charlotte told them. “The sooner you get to it, the sooner we can get inside.” That was incentive enough to get the teenagers off their butts and working. The tents went down in the order they went up in and the campers worked as promptly as they could so they could rush back inside where the fans were.

 

Finally, when they got to the last tent; Brian, Justin’s, Curtis’ and Tracy’s, something very particular went wrong. Tracy was the first to step inside the tent. A small ‘poof’ sound was heard, followed by Tracy yelping, “Yuuuuck!” The girl hurried out of the tent coughing and gagging, followed by Justin.  

 

“What’s going on?” Carl asked the teenagers.

 

Justin coughed again and answered the man, “Some…some jackass put something disgusting in there!” He pointed to the tent, which had a small amount of smoke coming from it.

 

Carl rushed over to the opening of the tent and stuck his head in. When he pulled back, his face had a sour expression. “A stink bomb”, he heaved. Most of the campers burst out laughing.

 

Charlotte, however, did not find it funny, unsurprisingly. “Everybody, get here”, she demanded. Each camper gulped as they did what they were told. “I am only going to ask this once. Who. Did. This?” Painful silence reigned for what seemed like a thousand years. Charlotte did not back down and gave all the campers a serious stare. “If no one comes forward, we’ll just have to penalise everyone”, she said. “I’m waiting.”

 

Silence prevailed for a couple more seconds before the camper named Turk** spat out, “Okay, it was me!” Everyone looked at the prankster with amused looks on their faces. “But J.D helped! So did Max***!”

 

“What?!” exclaimed J.D.

 

“Dude!” Max, a sassy girl complained.

 

Turk shrugged guiltily and said, “Sorry. All for one and one for all, right?”

 

This appeared to satisfy their cranky camp counsellors. Carl and Charlotte shared a nod before Charlotte gestured for the three culprits to follow her. “Come with me you three.”

 

The campers trudged on after her. Max called back to the rest of the patrol in a melodramatic manner, “If I don’t come back…tell my mother…she sucks!” Everyone laughed at the sarcastic girl’s comment.

 

Carl shook his head and let out a sigh. “What are we gonna do with you kids?” he said, more to himself than to everyone else. “Okay, I guess we’re going to have to let this air out for a while”, he said after taking another moment to himself. Brian looked over to Justin, who was still recovering from the assault on his nose. When Justin met his eye, both boys looked away.       

 

 

PRESENT

 

It took a decent amount of time for all the tents to be pitched correctly and safely. With Brian and Justin’s supervision, the afternoon’s activity went well. Both men wondered what they had done to deserve such a good group. Especially considering all the trouble they had cause when they were campers themselves. Only one minor problem had arisen; Moira hit her thumb with a mallet, but Brian helped her get some ice on it and rested her. “You should all be very proud of what a terrific job you did”, Justin told the patrol.

 

Brian gave Moira, who was still holding a frozen pea pack to her hand, a wink. She returned the look with an amused and slightly shy smile. “The Boy Scouts would be proud”, he said. Right on cue, the entire group had a chuckle at this.

 

“They would”, Justin responded with a smirk. “And now we have to pack it all away!” exclaimed Justin.

 

The kids all sighed, but got to the task at hand without any real complaining. They were lucky to have a nice day, unlike the humid disaster when Brian and Justin had to pitch tents 10 years earlier. The group was free to have their break once all the equipment was taken down and packed away back in the shed. The boys walked their patrol back towards the cabins. “Did everyone have fun?” Justin asked them.

 

All the campers answered “Yeah!” causing both of their counsellors to smile.

 

“Fabulous”, Brian said while they walked.

 

At dinner, a while later, all of the camp counsellors enjoyed talking about their days. Brian and Justin sat next to each other again and Ethan Gold sat right across from them. The curly haired man spent the evening flirting with Justin in a way that Brian found revolting. “We were in this beautiful spot where the sunlight hit us just right. It would’ve made your hair look like gold”, he said to the man with a smile ghosting his lips.

 

To Brian’s great discontent, Justin chuckled in response in a way that people laughed when they were flirting. Brian wondered why the blond was hanging on this chump’s every word. He was a total twat. Aria, who was sitting on the other side of Brian gave him a little nudge. “You alright?” she asked him when he looked at her.

 

Brian gave the pleasant girl a nod and finished his drink. He would do anything for a glass of scotch. “I’m perfect”, he answered her. And he was; he was Brian Fucking Kinney, after all. Brian Fucking Kinney without any Jim Beam, sex and not enough coffee. Perfect…

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

- Brian woke before Justin as usual and took some time to simply sit and breathe. He watched his roommate for a short while as he slept. The sun hit him in a way that made his hair look…golden. Just as Ethan had suggested it would at the previous evening’s dinner. His blond eyelashes looked like little golden flecks. Brian almost wanted to reach out and touch them. Almost. Instead, he stood up and went outside for a quick morning smoke. Of all the things he was being deprived of, he was eternally grateful that he didn’t have to give up cigarettes for the duration of the camp. It hadn’t even been a full week and Brian was already missing his usual exploit of alcohol, coffee, illicit drugs, dancing and sex. Sure, he could do without the drugs and alcohol. He wasn’t actually addicted to either of those things. But he did miss being able to use them to his heart’s content in the real world. Just knowing that if he wanted to, he could. Going four whole days without a fuck, not even a lousy one, was plain wrong. He now understood how evil his friends really were. They knew it would be difficult for him to be without his favourite things in life.

 

While Brian got lost in all his thought on this, Justin came outside to stand next to him. He also had a cigarette in his mouth. “I really should quit these”, he said, pulling Brian from his thoughts.

 

The Brunet looked at him and asked jokingly, “Why? You sick or something, Sunshine?”

 

Justin huffed a soft laugh and shook his head. The motion made his golden hair shimmer even more. Brian would never admit how breathtaking the sight was. “No, I’m not sick”, he responded, poking his tongue out at Brian. The man would have liked to have touched that as well. “I just can’t really afford it. Spending a gross amount on a bad habit doesn’t make a lot of sense anyway.”

 

It was Brian’s turn to huff a laugh. “Is that Justin Taylor’s morning dose of wisdom.”

 

“Sure”, the blond said with a shrug. “It’s about time to be heading over to breakfast”, he told the man beside him as he took one last puff before putting out the cigarette. Brian nodded and followed the man back in their cabin after putting out his own cigarette.

 

Right on 9 o’clock, The Rangers gathered in their designated spot for their morning activities. “You worked amazingly together yesterday”, Justin told the group again. He had told them the same thing nearly a hundred times; he was just so pleased with them. Brian found it quite hilarious. “Luckily for you, we have some more really fun activities today.”

 

This made the kids sit up taller, eager to be told what they were doing. “We’re all going to be making mandalas”, Brian told them when he noticed Justin looking at him expectantly.

 

“What’s that?” Tyler asked, voicing what most of the other kids were thinking. It was clear by their expressions that they had no idea what they were in for.

 

Justin noticed Yu-Jin shift and realised that she knew the answer to that. Wanting to celebrate her intelligence and encourage her to speak up, Justin said, “Yu-Jin. Why don’t you tell us what a mandala is?” The girl seemed reluctant before Justin said to her with surprising gentleness, “Go on.”

 

Yu-Jin cleared her throat and began to explain. “A mandala is a spiritual symbol in Hindu that represents the universe. People make artwork mandalas. They’re shaped like circles.”

 

Everyone nodded, understanding that simple, yet completely explanatory answer. “That’s right. Great job, Yu-Jin”, Justin said. The girl gave him a shy and proud smile. “So. We are going to be making some beautiful mandalas that symbolise the universe.” Again, the kids all nodded. Some of them looked really excited already, others looked unimpressed and others still looked unsure. Justin pulled a drawing out of his back pack and held it up to show the campers. “This is a mandala I drew yesterday when we had our break.” This impressed everyone around, including Brian. Justin was obviously a talented artist. The mandala he drew feathered curves that looked like lace and feathers. It was beautiful. “It’s about how pleasant the wind is. Because the wind was in my face when I did it.”

 

This made the kids chuckle. Justin was glad to be the one making them laugh for once. Usually, it was Brian, Mister Cool that he was. “Well, it’s our mission to make one of those”, Brian said, gesturing to Justin’s picture. Everyone was handed paper, a clipboard and coloured markers.

 

“Remember to make it mean something”, Justin reminded the campers.

 

“And to make it circular”, Brian added.

 

“You can use whatever colours and patterns you want”, Justin quickly added, ignoring Brian’s silliness. The kids got to it and Justin asked his co-counsellor, “What about you, huh? Aren’t you going to make one?”

 

Brian shrugged and bit back a laugh. “I’ll leave the artsy stuff to you, Sunshine.”

 

Justin tried to get Brian to participate the entire time the campers made their own mandalas. When everyone was done, they all showed the group their mandala and explained what theirs represented. A few of the campers were very talented and very in to the activity. Of course, there were some others that weren’t as keen on it and made it into a bit of a joke. Justin lightly reprimanded them, but understood that art, even if it was simple, wasn’t meant for everyone. “Well, guys, I hope you had fun doing that because we’re all going to make another one!”

 

The less enthusiastic kids groaned. “Don’t worry”, Brian said to them. “It’ll be over soon.” This ws of course followed by giggles from the preteens.

 

“This one is going to be a lot more fun, I promise you”, Justin said.

 

“Yeah, this time we’re doing group mandalas”, Brian told them.

 

“We’ll split the patrol in half and use materials and items that we find in nature to create great big mandalas on the ground”, Justin explained. This gained the interest of at least one of the less eager campers. The boys split the patrol into two smaller groups and took the lead of one each. “Good luck”, Justin told the other group before getting a start with his group. Everyone ran around, gathering different kinds of sticks, bark, flowers, leaves and moss to create their mandala with.

 

After a while, both groups were done and gathered in their midpoint. “Alright, let’s see what we got”, Brian said, leading the other group over to his group’s work. It was a rather large mandala with blue flowers down the centre axis. “Feast your eyes”, he told everyone.

 

Alexa took it upon herself to explain their work. “It represents the lake at Peatree. How it’s really pretty.” Everyone was impressed with the group’s effort.

 

Brian gestured to Justin. “Lead the way”, he said. Justin did just that and led everybody over to his group’s mandala. It was not quite as large as Brian’s group’s, but it was certainly more colourful. It was decorated with countless flowers and moss.

 

The other campers gasped in amazement. “Wow”, they all said.

 

“Nina, tell us what our mandala means”, Justin said to the camper closest to him.

 

“It’s a symbol of the beauty in nature. How the earth grows wonders.”

 

Again, the other campers expressed their astonishment with a “Wow.”

 

Brian nodded, his arms folded. One hand was at his chin. The pose made him look like a snobby art critic. “Not bad. Not bad at all”, he said, making everyone chuckle and snicker.

 

“I’m really happy with how this turned out”, Justin said to everyone. “Thanks for giving it a try.”

 

*****

 

The afternoon came and The Rangers were out in the sports field after lunch. “Since we did a pretty docile activity in the morning, this afternoon we’re going to get moving”, Brian told the patrol.  This was good news to the Rangers. All of the kids, even the less athletically skilled ones were itching to move about. “As you can probably guess, since we’re at the sports field, we are going to playing a sport. And what we’re playing is…soccer!” 

 

“Yeah!” exclaimed Marcus, his fist rasing into the air in triumph.

 

“That’s right, gold old fashioned soccer”, Justin said. The counsellors quickly explained the rules to their campers and led them through a full body warm up. By the time the warm up was complete, they were all buzzing with anticipation.

 

Brian sorted them into teams and gave each camper a position. He and Justin would be the referees. Everyone got into position and Brian gave them the signal to begin. They were off like rockets! The game was on! Both teams gave each other some light-hearted smack talk. “We’re gonna make you eat dirt”, Sam said to the other team.

 

“Not if we make you eat your words”, Troian said back to him. It was all fun and games between them. The game was a very fun one, but still competitive. It was a ranked game of soccer after all. Each camper tried their hardest to participate to their full potential, and the game ended 3-1, with Troian’s team living up to their smack talk.

 

Her team celebrated by cheering and giving each other high fives and hugs. “Woooohoooo!” Brian and Justin laughed at this display, as well as the smack that was given as the two teams shook hands. “You may have won this time, but keep your eyes open. We’ll come back to get you one day”, Sam told them, making everyone laugh.

 

The silly banter was reminiscent of the soccer game Brian and Justin’s Waterloo patrol had played in the summer of 2000…  

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

“10 seconds left!” Charlotte called, excitement in her voice. It had been a fun and vigorous game of soccer, leaving all the campers drenched in sweat. They were grateful that it was not as hot as it had been the day they pitched tents.

 

It was Justin’s ball. He was nervous as he was not the sporty type. All things considering, he wasn’t bad at soccer. He charged toward their goal, his team backing him. “I’m open!” Logan*, a lanky boy shouted. Justin made the kick of his life to pass the ball over to his team mate. It was a happy success and the rest of them team cheered them on.

 

The other team, the team Brian was on, worked as hard as they could. It was not over yet. The score at on 1-1; neck and neck. If they could intercept Logan, the game would be tied instead of lost. “Come on!’ Curtis shouted, charging for the ball. He was not quick enough, which is saying something, as the boy was an excellent runner.

 

Logan got the ball from Justin’s kick and made a swift kick of his own that went right into his goal. Elliot**, the girl who was the goalie at this end was not quick enough to stop the flying object. She dove over and hit the ground as the ball hit the net. “YEAAAAAH!” Logan’s team yelled.

 

Carl blew the horn to signal the end of the game and called out “That’s game!”

 

“Ah crap”, Max said, reacting to losing.

 

The winning team all gathered around Logan and cheered together. “Woohoo! We did it! Yeah! Go Logan!” they sang and chanted.

 

“They’re still nerds”, Brian joked to his team.

 

The losing campers had a good laugh at this and huddled together. “Just because we lost the game doesn’t make us losers”, Carla**, a short Hispanic girl said to the team.

 

“Yeah, we still kicked ass out there”, Elliot said, her voice a little wonky.

 

Her team looked at her and noticed her wobbling. “Are you okay there?” Brian asked the clumsy girl.

 

Elliot gave them a shaky thumbs up. “I’m rad”, she answered, although it was clear that she had not yet recovered form her giant fall.  

 

The team high-fived each other for their effort and began chattering away as they shook hands with the winning team. When Brian came to shake Justin’s hand, they hesitated for a split second. Brian then stuck his hand out and Justin accepted it with a smirk. His eyes were shining with what looked to be mischief as they shook hands. He loved the fact that he beat Brian at something. “Nice work out there Sunshine”, Brian said to the boy.

 

Justin scrunched up his face, keeping his smile in place. “Sunshine?” he asked his nemesis.

 

Brian shrugged. “Because you’re always such a delight”, he teased.

 

The blond chuckled and rolled his eyes. Realising that he was still holding Brian’s hand, Justin quickly moved back. Both boys felt awkward about that. And the fact that it took them several seconds to notice. “So, uh…good game”, Justin said to his fellow camper. Brian nodded before walking away to talk to his friends. Justin watched Brian as he left him, taking notice of how nice his butt and legs looked in his soccer shorts. He reflected that when the boy wasn’t being a total pain, he was actually alright. What he didn’t know was that Brian was thinking exactly the same thing…

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

 

- The following morning, after a good night’s rest, The Rangers gathered near where the most and tallest trees on site were. Everyone had been granted a small sleep in since it was Saturday. It was a nice hot day, perfect weather for shorts. Justin was glad; after all these years, Brian still looked good in shorts. There was no way he would ever admit that to anyone. He would deny his unwanted physical attraction to the man to the death.

 

Brian and Justin had explained to their patrol that they were doing a traditional camp activity called crate staking. It was something that Scouts and Guides typically did on their camps. The activity involved stacking as many crates on top of each other as the team could manage while one person on a harness would stand on top of them. More and more crates were added until the camper on top felt they could not go any higher. It could be a little scary, but overall, it was a lot of fun. The harness was attached to a tree and handled by one of the counsellors.

 

Naturally, some of the kids were afraid during this morning activity. Moira was very reluctant to go very high at all. The entire patrol was very supportive of each camper who was scared, especially Moira, which encouraged these kids to go through with the activity. They proved themselves to be quite brave, after all.

 

When every camper had had their turn climbing the stacked crates, they all worked together to pack all the equipment used back where it belonged. Then Brian and Justin brought their kids around to tell them about what was going to happen tomorrow. “As you’re all aware, tomorrow is our first Sunday here at Camp”, Brian began.

 

“Well, Sundays are special here”, Justin pitched in.

 

Brian nodded. “They are. Every Sunday, the entire camp comes together for the weekly Sunday Peatree Games.” A soft murmur spread amongst the kids, who were already intrigued by this aspect of camp.

 

“We split our patrol into little teams and compete with the other patrols in different field games”, Justin explained, giving the kids a better idea of what they would be doing each Sunday.

 

“What kind of games?” Hawnai asked, eagerness on her face and in her voice.

 

Justin smiled at the girl and nodded at Brian to answer her. “Some track and field sports like races, relays, shot put, javelin, long jump, hurdles, high jump. Then there are also plenty of novelty games like sack races, three-legged races, egg tossing, water balloon tosses and a couple more.”

 

The kids all wore smiles on their faces in various sizes. “Sounds fun”, commented Sasha. The other campers around her nodded in agreement.

 

“Yeah, sounds cool”, Felix agreed.

 

“It is cool”, Justin responded to the kids. “I know you’ll all have a lot of fun.”

 

With a cheeky look on his face, Felix asked, “Would you say a ‘butt-load’ of fun?”

 

The two counsellor’s shared an amused look and decided not to fall into the kid’s joke. Instead, both men looked thoughtful for a moment before Brian answered, “You know what? That sounds about right. You’ll have a butt-load of fun, campers.”

 

An eruption of giggles was the result of this comment. Felix still looked pleased with himself. Lane and Yu-Jin looked a little nervous, which did not go unnoticed by their counsellors. “What ever happens, though, we all need to remember that we are on the same team. And teams support each other”, Justin said, aiming his encouragement at the two hesitant kids he did not wish to single out in front of the entire patrol. He decided he would have a quiet word with them later on.

 

“After lunch, all the patrols are going to be doing something really fun together that I think you’ll all enjoy”, Brian said, bringing their kids back to today. “Sally and Brad think it would be a good idea for you all to get to know each other better. And to make sure there’s nothing but friendliness and fairness tomorrow.”

 

All the kids nodded and were led to the dining hall for another nice lunch together. They already knew many of the other campers as they shared cabins with kids who were in other patrols. Meals were also a great opportunity to meet others. Never-the-less, the camp owners and counsellors all agreed that the whole camp would benefit from doing activities together. It would be complicated by the age differences. The campers ranged from 8 to 17. But Sally and Brad were sure that no real nastiness would occur. 

 

*****

 

The afternoon came and all the counsellors had gathered their patrols nearby the lake, on top of a hill. Sally and Brad were waiting for everyone. “Welcome campers, welcome!” Brad greeted with the big smile you could always count to be on his face. “We are thrilled you’re all here on this beautiful summer afternoon.”

 

Wearing a big smile of her own, Sally said, “And a beautiful afternoon it is, Brad.” Brian and Justin looked at each other sideways, smirking at how generic and lame the camp leaders were. “I’m sure by now that your counsellors would have told you about our Sunday Peatree Games tomorrow. We host them over on the field every Sunday and they are a whole lot of fun!”

 

“Absolutely!” exclaimed Brad. Brian and Justin shared another look. “What we want to do this afternoon is promote friendliness and a sense of togetherness. So, we are going to have a camp picnic!” This sounded good to all the campers and soft chatter spread through them. Brad and Sally were happy about that. Brad held up his hand for some silence. He continued, “After the picnic, we’re going to use this hill to make a DIY waterslide!”

 

Again, the kids liked this idea and let out a joint cheer. “Have fun campers!”

 

The counsellors and other staff had been tasked with bringing the food and music for this picnic over. Some energetic music was played and the kids all got stuck into the food, despite the fact that lunch had not been all that long ago. The counsellors all found this funny. “Kids will be kids”, Phil*, counsellor of the Mountaineers patrol said. No one could disagree.

 

There were salads, ice creams, fruits, sandwiches and cookies to enjoy. A while into the afternoon, the counsellors and older campers helped to create a makeshift water slide using a couple large tarps and watering hoses. The slide went down the large hill everyone was gathered at and ended at the lake. Every person that went down the slide would get dunked into the cool lake afterwards, adding to the fun. A couple of the youngest campest were afraid, and so one of the oldest campers agreed to slide down with them. It was a heart warming display of kindness that Brad and Sally had been aiming for. “Now, that is Camp Peatree spirit!” Brad commented, happy with how the afternoon was going.

 

Tyler gave everyone a laugh when he charged for the water slide, saying “Watch out for me suckers!!!” He went down the slide yelling out with glee and hit the lake water with a big splash. When he broke through the lake surface, he swam in slightly so he could stand up properly and gave a grand bow. His patrol all cheered and applauded the mischievous boy, prompting other patrols and their counsellors to do the same.

 

It was a successful afternoon of fun and ‘camp spirit’. “Things are going really well”, Justin said to Brian as they stood side by side.

 

Brian looked over at his co-counsellor, then back to Tyler, who was being pat on the back by several laughing campers, who were just as dripping wet as he was. “I think so”, he agreed.  It was comfortably silent for a moment before Brian said, “We were never as connected as this as a whole camp when we here.”

 

Justin pondered over this for a short while. “No”, he agreed softly. His voice held a reminiscent tone to it. “But we did still have a lot of fun.”

 

The brunet beside him looked at him with a glint in his eye before both men said together, “A butt-load.” They shared a laugh and for the first time, things were completely un-weird between the pair. They actually felt comfortable with each other. “We’ve got some good kids on our hands”, Brian said once the laughter had subsided.

 

There was a light heartedness in the air that infected everyone around. Justin nodded, watching some of his campers running around laughing with campers from other patrols. “We really do”, he agreed.

 

“You think anyone will come back next year?” Brian asked, alternating between watching the campers and glancing at Justin.

 

“It’s early days yet”, Justin said. “But our campers all seem to really like it here. I’d bet on it.”

 

Brian nodded, thinking back on the 6 days The Rangers had spent together already. “You know, you’re pretty good with them. The kids, I mean”, he said.

 

Justin smiled and responded, “I’ve had a lot of practice with my own relatives.” Another comfortable moment of silence went by and Justin added, “You are too.” Brian raised his eyebrows at him in question. “With the kids.” Brian looked away and huffed a sarcastic laugh. “You are”, Justin insisted. “You act all tough, but I’ve seen someone else this week. Someone different from the asshole seventeen year old I used to know.”

 

“I’ll give you that”, Brian remarked and the men shared a hearty laugh together.     

 

The pair continued to chat and laugh for the rest of the afternoon, feeling odd about how ‘not odd’ it was. Never did Justin Taylor imagine that he would get along with Brian Kinney; the boy who had infuriated him constantly all through his year 2000 summer. Yet, both men were glad that they could in fact get along. It would make this camp experience just that little bit more bearable. Much unlike their interactions of the past. Justin found that Brian was actually a very funny, intelligent and even charming man. He had seen that he was not as gruff and hard edged as he used to try and portray himself. Brian discovered that Justin was incredibly insightful and had a pleasant gentleness to him despite his strong-will. One thing they had in common was that they both put their all in to everything they did. That was enough to evoke some respect for one another. Justin only hoped that they could maintain this friendliness…

 

*****

 

Hours past and day turned into night. The afternoon was fantastic, much to Sally and Brad’s joy. Brian and Justin had finally retired to their cabin for the night after a great day. It had taken Brian about half a second to conk out, but Justin was still wide awake. He turned on his side and viewed his cabin-mate as he slept soundly metres away from him. It was dark, but Justin could still partially make out Brian’s face. He was a very beautiful man, Justin observed. This was not the first time he had seen the brunet sleeping…

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

It had been a couple days since Brian’s last prank on Justin. He’d put itching powder in the boy’s underwear! Justin scratched his reddened crotch all day after that, causing all of the other campers to smirk and laugh at him. This only instilled in Justin’s mind even more firmly that Brian Kinney was a first class jerk.

 

Daphne had been feeling under the weather over the last two days, so Justin decided to get some simple revenge on the boy by himself. He was going with something much less elaborate, but just as evil. Enacting a prank without Daphne was going to be more tricky than usual, but Justin didn’t want to bother his friend if she was feeling crappy. Instead, he snuck over to Brian’s cabin in the night alone with a spray can of shaving cream. He tried not to chuckle maniacally as he tip toed over to the cabin. Thankfully, Daphne had showed him how the hair pin lock trick worked, so Justin could get the door open himself.

 

He crept in the cabin as quietly and carefully as he could and stood still for a moment once he was inside to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Deciding that he was fine after 15 seconds of stillness, the boy located Brian’s bed and approached the slumbering asshole. He stopped and looked at the brunet as he softly snored. The sound was feint and quiet cute. Not that Justin ever would say that aloud. It was bad enough to say it in his head. What was worse was that he noticed how beautifully a sleeping Brian Kinney was. There was something gentler about this Brian. Gone was his big bravado and stubborn arrogance. All that could be seen was a beautiful young man taken by his dreams. Justin admired the sight for a little too long.

 

Snapping himself out of his momentary trance, Justin got back to the evil task he set out to do. He took the shaving cream and poured on both of Brian’s hands, which were resting above the covers. He made sure to spray a good amount before he left. Justin decided not to stick around to hear the result of this prank, as he could barely keep his eyes open. But the effect came sooner than he’d thought. As he walked away, he heard Brian almost-shout, “Argh, what the fuck! Taylor!”

 

Brian had rolled over after Justin left and brought his hands to his face in his half asleep state. This caused him to slap the massive dollops of shaving cream right onto his face. Some got in his mouth, leaving a strange lingering taste. He sat up and spat the cream out, waking two of his cabin mates. The others were woken when Brian called out his curses to the evil Justin Taylor.

 

Justin smacked his hand over his mouth to keep his laughter as quiet as possible as he ran back to his cabin. He was an evil genius. It was time that Kinney understood he wasn’t going to let him push him around without any consequences.

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

-

It was Sunday! And that meant that it was the first ever day of The Sunday Peatree Games for the summer of 2010! The people at Camp Peatree were all summoned by a trumpet to rise and shine bright and early. The counsellors of The Rangers agreed that the trumpet was an unnecessary touch. The entire camp had to bring out and set up all the needed equipment for the day before they could begin. There was quite a lot of chaos, with kids running around everywhere, carrying and moving all sorts of things here and there. By the time it was done, many people; campers and counsellors, were already puffed out. Brad and Sally saw to that. They gave everyone a couple minutes to rest and then led the entire camp through a group warm up. In true Brad and Sally fashion, the warm up was overtly enthusiastic, providing some unintended but welcomed comic relief to the morning. “Hope everyone’s excited! Because things are about to heat up! We are gonna be hot, hot, hot! Hotter than a burnt out muffler.” Brad said. Brian had to bite back his laughter at the unintended innuendo. He wasn’t the only one. He noticed several other counsellors struggling not to choke out any laughter of their own. They were all very mature. All grown ups are mature.  

 

The summer heat was just beginning to set in for the morning and it was sure to get hotter from there. Sweat had already been shed. When the warm up was finished, the camp owners announced which events would be held where and when. “Have a terrific day, campers!” exclaimed Sally with a cheer. She Brad had explained that there would be a score board and that each patrol would gain points when their campers did well in an event. Some special awards would be given out at the end of the day.  

 

Afterwards, Brian and Justin gathered their Rangers for a group huddle and pep talk. “Who’s ready for today?” Justin asked their kids.

 

Their campers nodded at them, beaming despite the work out they’d already been subjected to. “Me!”

 

“Great!” Justin responded, genuinely excited for his campers. “And even if you’re nervous”, he gave Lane and Yu-Jin a wink before continuing, “You are all going to be amazing today.”

 

Brian nodded, his arms crossed over in a coach like style. “Remember, it’s not about whether or not you win. It’s about doing your best. Do it for fun. Do it for the team. And maybe try to win if you can.” The end remark was said in a slightly higher pitch and spoken faster than the rest of the speech. It made all the campers around him laugh. Justin smiled with them.

 

“That’s right”, the blond said, sounding very determined in a joking manner. “Work as a team. Even if your event is a solo one.”

 

“Now you Rangers are gonna get out there and you are gonna kick some a-uh, butt!” Brian yelled encouragingly. He was still getting the hang of toning down his language.

 

He managed to vamp up the kids, because they all seemed to be even more excited to take part in the massive day ahead of them. They all exchanged high-fives, hugs and well wishes and then headed over to where they were supposed to be. The first event of the day was the younger kids doing a potato sack race! It was hilarious to see the kids partake in this silly activity very seriously determined to win. A little girl won the first race and several more of these races followed. When the Rangers participated in this activity, Sam won the race he was in, Tyler came third in his, and Sean came second in his. The whole patrol was very proud of their efforts. The older campers were funny to watch; some of them made no attempt to hide the fact that they thought this was stupid, while others laughed jovially the whole way.

 

A series of events were held, in which the Rangers did their very best. Hawnai came second in high jump and third in long jump. The group, along with Brian and Justin cheered her on as she did them proud. Lane fell over when doing hurdles, but got right up, took a bow and continued on. “Woo! That’s it, Lane!” Justin cheered. He ended up coming dead last, of course, but was still pat on the back and congratulated for his perseverance.

 

The three-legged race turned out to be a debacle. Several kids toppled over each other, some got hurt and others argued. “Maybe Brad and Sally will cross that one off the list”, Emily*, counsellor of the Falcons remarked. The other counsellors with her agreed.

 

Some of the kids sat out for a while to calm down, or to recover from knee gashes and grass-burn. Jacqueline was among one of these kids. Brian impressed Justin by having a nice little chat with her to make sure she was alright. As the days went on, he was showing more and more of his kind side that Justin had pleasantly discovered. “You’re big and tough, okay?” he said to the girl. “Remember that for me, will ya?” Jacqueline giggled and nodded, making Justin smile.  

 

By the time the water balloon toss came around, it was a great relief to all involved. Justin was one of the counsellors in charge of this activity. Many balloons were dropped and others were purposely broken. The cool water was delightful to the heated kids. People laughed all the while, including Justin, who was having just as much fun watching them. It was hard to determine a winner in this activity in any of the age ranges, so instead, points were awarded to which ever pairs held out the longest.

 

Brian led the campers when doing shot put, alongside Stockwell, Carrie** and Martha***, three other counsellors. The adults got along in a comical way considering they were all so different. Duke ended up doing extremely well in this activity. “I am the MAN!” he cheered when he saw his results. The counsellors shook their heads and had a laugh at this.

 

The leader board was constantly updated as kids from different patrols got more and more points. Troian and Sasha gained The Rangers some points with their Javelin skills, surprising the other campers. Those girls were fierce! “Way to go!” Brian and Justin cheered to them. The girls were very proud of themselves.

 

After hours of fun and strenuous activities, it was finally time for the relays. The patrols were sorted into smaller teams of four based on age. The youngest group of Rangers came last in their relay. They were clearly disappointed, making Justin feel for them. The other teams that were made up of the Rangers did better; one came fourth, another came third. The oldest team in the Rangers; made up of Sean, Tyler, Sam and Sorou, came first in their relay race. Next, the winning teams all had to verse each other. It was a massive event that stretched around the entire field. The rest of the Rangers waited anxiously for the race to begin while their racing team prepared. The race stared and they were off! Tyler sprinted for his life while his patrols cheered him on. “You can do it!” the shouted. “Woohoo!” He made it to Sam in record time, who took no time at all running to Sean. “Yeah! Goooo boys!” Sean proved himself to be quite a good runner as he made his way to the last member of their team. Sorou was the best sprinter of them all and dashed at an impressive speed. Some of the older kids were gaining on him, but the boy did not let this stop him. He continued to charge towards the finish line, his sight set on victory. “Gooo Sorou! You’re our man!”

 

Brian and Justin stood close, their shoulders touching. They both held their breath as they watched their camper go. He was so very close. “Come on, kid”, Brian said, engrossed in the event before him. Sorou crossed the finish line just a millisecond before the kid behind him did, claiming victory for the Rangers’ team. “YEAH!” the patrol cheered. Everyone jumped up and down in celebration. As soon as the boy had won, Brian pulled Justin into his arms and delivered a big victorious smooch to his lips. He kept his arm around the shorter man’s shoulders once he’d pulled his mouth away, while Justin stood there, stunned and speechless for a moment. Brian Kinney had Justin kissed him. Of course he knew it meant nothing, but that didn’t make it any less weird. It made his head feel kind of funny. Remembering where he was and what was going on, Justin began to laugh with glee. His campers had done so well that day. He was more proud of them than he could say.

 

“Well, what a race that was”, Brad said over the intercom that had been set up in the morning. “Congratulations to all the runners, and especially to our winners! That’s the way to sow camp spirit!” Of course Brad would find a way to turn a victory lame.   

 

The four boys who had just raced shared celebratory hugs and went back to the rest of their patrol. They were greeted with hugs, high-fives and even a few kisses to the cheek. “You guys did awesome!” they were told. The boys were beaming. Sasha and Marijana gave them all the water they so desperately craved after their enormous race. Their counsellors jogged over to them and gave each boy a hug or pat on the shoulder. “Well done!” exclaimed Justin. “You’re all amazing!”  

 

Brian nodded with a proud smile of his own. “You men killed it out there”, he told them. Each of the young teens appreciated the praise they were given. “You did the Rangers proud.”

 

“Aww”, the girls cooed and the patrol came in for a group huddle.

 

*****

 

An hour and a half later, the camp gathered back on the field. They were given some time to rest before they had to pack away all the equipment. Everyone was tired and hot, but Sally had told them that the faster they do it, the sooner it would be over. She did make some good points. Some medals were sitting on a table that had been set up next to the camp owners. They used a megaphone in place of a microphone. “That was a very fun and eventful day, if I do say so myself”, Brad said over the megaphone. It squeaked, making everyone shudder. “Sorry about that, folks”, he said into it again, making it squeak again. The man fiddled with the thing for several seconds while everyone watched and waited. “Testing, testing”, he said into the device. It was clear this time and Brad and his wife smiled in relief. “There we are.”

 

He gave Sally the megaphone to speak into. “Well done to everyone! Whether you placed or not, that doesn’t matter! What matters is that you showed camp spirit!”

 

“That’s right, Sally”, Brad said, taking back the megaphone. “But, we do have some prizes for those who did place!” It took a while to hand out awards to all the kids who had come first and the different events. Other awards, like best team supporter and such were given as well. Whenever a Ranger received anything, the patrol cheered them on enthusiastically. “And now, it’s time to announce the overall winners of the day!” exclaimed Brad. “Coming in third place with their total score; The Mountaineers!” Cheers and congratulations were given when the counsellors received this award. “In second place; The Rangers!” Brian and Justin happily rose and accepted the award while their patrol cheered loudly. “And in first place, having accumulated the most points of the day; The Roselleas!”

 

“WOOOO!” The patrol cheered. It was one of the older patrols with the 15-17 year olds. Their counsellors, Perry*** and Caroline**** accepted the award proudly.

 

“Well done campers!” exclaimed Sally. “You should all be very proud of yourselves. Now it’s time to enjoy some swimming down at the lake!”

 

The entire camp liked the sound of that and raced down to the lake together. The cool water was heaven to them after such a full on day.

 

Watching the campers jump and dive in the lake reminded Brian of more times spent there when he was a camper…

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

Justin laughed as he splashed about in the lake. It was a hot afternoon and the campers had been granted some free time. He, Emmett and Blake had decided to head down to the lake for a dip. Emmett dared his two friends to go in nude like him and they rose to the challenge. As long as nobody else was around, it would be fine. Surely…

 

Brian and some of his friends had had the same idea of going for an afternoon swim. They made their way down to the lake, looking forward to a nice cool dip. Brian held up his hand to halt his friends when he heard laughter. “Wait a sec”, he said quietly. “You hear that?”

 

“Somebody else is here”, Jared*****, another boy from his cabin, said. “So what? This is summer camp, we can still go in if we want.”

 

“Listen”, Brian insisted.

 

The boys were silent and listened closely to the other campers they could hear. “Stop that!” a voice said.

 

“Make me!” another voice laughed.

 

His eyes widening, Drew said, “Sounds like people we know.”

 

Brian nodded, a mischievous smirk growing on his face. “Taylor and Honeycutt.” The other boys nodded, getting what Brian had in mind. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” Brian asked them.

 

“I think so”, Drew responded. The boys snuck closer to the lake and spied the three other boys playing in the water. The older kids looked around for some way that they could mess with these punks. Spotting their clothes on a nearby rock, Drew pointed to it. “Pst! Look!” he said to his friends.

 

Brian and Jared were happy about this discovery. “I bet they’re naked in there”, Jared said, an evil idea bubbling in his mind. The same idea was in his friend’s heads as well.

 

Still, the very thought of a naked Justin Taylor caused a warmth to spread in Brian’s lower regions. This was a fact that pissed him off. He was determined to hide it from his friends. “Come on”, he said to them. The teenagers walked over as quietly as they could to the clothes and picked them all up. Brian cleared his throat so as to get the attention of the swimming campers, who he now knew were stark naked. The boys looked up at the older ones, startled. “Missing something?” Brian asked them smugly, holding up Justin’s white underwear.

 

“Shit!” said Blake, covered his junk with his hands.

 

With three identical smirks, Brian, Drew and Jared began to run away with the boys’ clothes. “Come and get ‘em!” Brian called over his shoulder.

 

“Hey!” Emmett angrily called. “You get back here!” He ran out of the lake and towards where the bullies had run off to.

 

“Emmett! What are you doing?” Justin shouted. “We’re naked!”

 

“Exactly!” the taller boy called back. “And we’re gonna stay that way until we get our clothes back. “Now are you comin’ or not?”

 

Justin thought for a second. He did not want to go out there naked, but he didn’t feel right about letting Emmett be around all by himself. He huffed and got out of the water with great reluctance. The blond had never been more embarrassed in his life. “Let’s get those idiots”, he said to Emmett. His friend gave him a smile and Blake got out to stand with them. The boys shared a ‘here goes nothing’ smile and chased after the jerks who had stolen their clothes. “Come back here, assholes!” Justin yelled as he ran. He tried to cover himself as best he could, which was not very well. He could hear the boys laughing their heads off and charged toward the sound. There was no way he was going to let them get away with this one.

 

 

PRESENT

 

As Brian and Justin watched their campers swim about in the lake, they smiled, enjoying how much fun they were having. It was a wonderful sight. “You know, this reminds me of a time when some jackass stole my clothes”, Justin said out of nowhere.

 

Brian laughed as he was just thinking of the same thing. “Really?’  he mock asked in a light hearted manner. “I wonder what kind of person would do that?” Justin gave him a playful glare and the men shared a laugh together. “Boy, we pulled some really good ones on each other, didn’t we?”

 

Justin laughed, picturing the many pranks they played. “We certainly did, Kinney. We certainly did.”

 

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

 

-Monday came around in no time at all. As Sunday was a big day for everyone, the camp was granted a little sleep in. For this, everyone was grateful. Without this extra time, Justin’s dreams would not have ventured to his co-counsellor. He dreamt of their bodies entwined blissfully. He didn’t realise that he was smiling in his sleep. And drooling. Brian did. He woke before Justin and watched the boy’s face in amusement for a while before rising for his morning smoke. The man wished he knew what the slumbering blond was dreaming about. He would have liked to of known what it was that put that smile on Justin’s face. When Justin finally woke up, he bore a blush to his cheeks.  

 

It was a very placid morning for The Rangers. Brian and Justin taught the kids some basic Morse code. The campers appreciated the non-strenuous activity and enjoyed taking it easy together. They also enjoyed creating words, phrases and sentences out of what they’d learned. Felix cheekily spelt out ‘Kiss my butt’, giving everyone a laugh. 

 

In the afternoon, the boys gave their campers some free time to themselves. The campers spent this time snoozing, or mucking about together. They were given this time due to the activity the boy’s had set out for them in the evening. The Rangers took part in an early dinner and gathered back together afterwards. “We waited til the evening to do our second activity of the day because we can only do it in the dark”, Brian said. The campers all leaned in even closer with interested anticipation. “We’re going to be building fires.” 

 

“Cool!” the campers cooed after pleasant gasps. 

 

“First, we have to talk to you all about fire safety”, Justin told them. “So listen up, Rangers!” Smiles on their faces, the campers leaned even closer to their counsellors. “First things first, you never touch a fire or burning embers. I figure you’re all smart enough to know that.” The kids chuckled when their counsellor gave them a wink. “Second, we need to keep a water bucket nearby at all times. That’s important so we can put it out quickly if we need to. You can also put a fire out by smothering it with a blanket or cloth, but that carries the risk of setting fire to the material. Absolutely no use of flammable liquids or other items will be used. We have to clear the area around before lighting the fire, making sure there are no extra twigs, sticks or grass nearby. We should keep a three metre distance from anything that could be a hazard. Don’t light the fire unless it’s stable. But mainly; don’t light the fire until Brian and I tell you to.”

 

Brian stepped up to take over the rest of the safety explanation. “The most important thing is to never leave your fire unattended. Before we go to bed tonight, we all have to make sure that our fires are completely burnt out. We’ll have to come back tomorrow to clear away the debris. And kids; don’t pull anything stupid and throw things into the fire.”  

 

All the kids nodded and voiced their understanding and acceptance of what their counsellors told them. “We have to look after each other”, Justin said. “If anything catches alight, use the water. If that fails, Brian and I will stomp it out. No one try and play the hero, alright?” More nods. Justin continued, “Campfires aren’t like house fires, so you don’t need to “drop, roll and go, go, go”. Just…well, run.” The kids huffed out a laugh in response. Brian and Justin wanted their campers to understand the seriousness of working with a campfire, but still wanted it to be a fun affair. They did not want anyone to be afraid. “But don’t worry, Rangers”, he said to them with a gentle smile. 

 

“Nothing bad is going to happen. To any of you. We’re gonna do this right and we’ll all be safe”, Brian said, finishing Justin’s thought. Their campers made it clear that they understood and the patrol was free to begin building their fires. “So everyone gets a chance to help with the fire, you’re going to be building them in groups of five.” The camp counsellors allowed their campers to sort themselves into these groups as they did it quite quickly. Once they were sorted, Brian began explaining what they needed to do. “Okay, kids. We’re gonna need to gather some dry wood, different sized sticks and punk, which is dry grass. The drier the stuff you find, the better. If it’s wet, it won’t burn and if it’s too fresh that increases the risk of the fire getting out of hand. Go team! Go!” 

 

The excited campers didn’t have to be told twice. They scattered off in search of the things they would need for their campfires. It took several minutes for everyone to return. When they did, each kid was carrying a bundle of dry items. Brian raised his eyebrows, impressed. Justin chuckled, “Eager are we?” This was met with nods from all the kids, causing Justin to laugh again. “Great work, Rangers. We’re off to a good start already.” Justin had collected and placed all of the water buckets and other safety apparatus items they might need while Brian watched the campers. The groups of five were then given spots to build their fires on. They were far enough away from each other so that it was safe, but still close enough that their counsellors could keep an eye on them all without difficulty. Brian and Justin walked around the area as they instructed their patrol on what to do so that they could see everyone and their fires in progress. “To make a campfire, it has to be built up. The best way to do this is to build it in a square shape. None of your firs are going to be incredibly big, so this will be easier.” 

 

“Start with the biggest sticks and as you work your way up, use the smaller ones”, Brian explained. “To build the square, lay the sticks over each other in the shape. You kind of need to weave some of the sticks in.”

 

“As you build your fire, add some punk in the middle of it. You don’t need to go overboard, but make sure you have a decent amount in there”, Justin told the campers as he walked around. Everyone seemed to be doing well. They were working in their teams and following the instructions as they were given. It turned out to be easier than the patrol had anticipated. “Add in some smaller left over sticks once you’ve built up your square.” 

 

“Remember; don’t make it too big and don’t overflow it”, said Brian. 

 

The men visited each group to inspect their campfires. They made a few minor fixes to each one and told them they could light it when it was deemed correct. One by one, each fire built by the Rangers was lit. “Ooo”, some of the kids said. “Cool!” They seemed mesmerised by the flames.

 

Brian and Justin shared a look that was a mixture of amusement and pride. Their campers had done so well and the boys were glad that they were now enjoying their creations. “Well done, guys!” exclaimed Justin. “Look at how well you’ve done!” 

 

“To celebrate and enjoy your fires to the full extent…” Brian began. He pulled some cookies, marshmallows and melting chocolate out of a bag he’d carried there earlier. “You’re all going to make smores!” Brian had to stop himself from shuddering at the thought of all the calories. Justin noticed this in how the man tensed his jaw and came close to laughing at him. Brian may intend to stay away from the traditional campfire treat, but Justin definitely planned to indulge. 

 

The campers liked the sound of this and voiced their joy. “Yeah!” 

 

“Alright!”

 

“Yum!” 

 

Justin chuckled and took the bags from Brian before he threw them out of his hands. He handed out the necessary number of supplies to the campers and took some fro himself. He offered Brian some just to piss him off. The brunet was stubborn and shook his head at the offer. Justin shrugged and said, “Okay, but you’ll be missing out on a camp tradition.” 

 

“I think I’ll be fine”, Brian remarked back. “My heart isn’t broken by the fact.” 

 

The blond raised his brows as he feigned surprise. “You have a heart?” 

 

Brian smirked and pretended to be offended. “Why, yes and you’ve just bruised him.” He put his hand on his chest and faked a wince.

 

Justin laughed, enjoying the night. It had gotten dark as the kids built their fires and had had to turn on some lanterns before the fires were lit. Justin made sure the kids knew how to make smores and made one himself, cooking it over Hawnai’s group fire. The kids laughed and chattered away for a while before Justin noticed Marijanna sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest. She had a sad look on her face, making Justin’s heart drop. As secretly as he could, Justin moved over to the girl and whispered, “Are you alright?” She nodded, but Justin was not at all convinced. “Would you like to talk about it more privately?” Thankfully, Marijanna looked up at him and nodded. Justin was glad for the fact. He led the girl a little away from the group and found a log they could sit on. “What’s going on?” he asked her with a gentleness in his voice that made her feel safe enough to talk.    

 

“I…” she began. Trying to decide what she should say. “It’s stupid”, she shook her head. 

 

Justin shook his head and tried to convince this camper otherwise. “If you’re upset about it then it is definitely not stupid, Marijanna. Has something happened?” 

 

“No.” The girl shook her head. She thought silently for a second and said, “I’m just…I really miss my dad. And my sister.” 

 

This was enough to make Justin understand what the problem was and he was glad that it was nothing majorly serious. “You’re homesick”, he said rather than asked. Marijanna nodded slowly, her face falling again. Justin gave the girl’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. “That’s okay. It’s normal to miss the people you love when you’re away from them”, he told her as a few tears fell from her eyes. “I can see if you can give them a call later if you’d like?” he suggested. 

 

“You can do that?” Marijanna asked, sitting up straighter. 

 

Justin shrugged, “I can ask Sally and see what she says. I think she’ll say yes”, he told her. 

 

This put a hopeful smile on the girl’s face. “Yeah”, she said in a small voice. She smiled shyly then and said, “I’d really like that.” 

 

Justin smiled tenderly. “We’ll see about it tomorrow, then.” 

 

“Thank you.” 

 

“It’s no trouble at all”, Justin said. “You know if anything is bothering you, you can always come to someone about it. Whether it’s me, or Brian, or another counsellor or another camper. Just make sure that you don’t keep it to yourself, okay?” 

 

Marijanna nodded and wiped away the last of her tears. Just a few metres away from them, Brian watched the scene. He couldn’t make out everything that was said due to the myriad of sounds around him, but he heard the best of it. It was a sweet scene, as much as Brian hated to think of anything as ‘sweet’. Despite that, he saw Justin as quite sweet. When he wanted to be. But this was not the first time he’d seen the boy he so nice to someone who was upset…

 

________________________________________

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

Brian power walked away from the great hall. His movements quickly turned into a full sprint as his desire to be far away from everything and everyone increased. He finally stopped when he reached his favourite large tree to sit on. He had found it in the first week he was at Peatree and mentally claimed the spot as his own special place. For when he ever needed an escape. Brian was not sure that he would need an escape over the summer that was supposed to be the escape. Today, he found that he did. 

 

A phone call home had resulted in his rush of emotions. The boy had received a cryptic letter from his sister and decided to phone home from one of the camp’s main phones in the great hall. For once he had followed the rules and got permission first. But his folks had yelled at him like they always did. His sister was not home and his mother was not interested in speaking to her son. His father was drunk as usual and spat the crap he always did when Brian was home. They didn’t miss him at all. In fact, the old folks had acted like they were glad he was absent. Brian didn’t know what he’d been expecting. He was mad at himself for feeling pain over the call. That did not stop the hurt. 

 

The hurt was enough to make Brian clutch his chest, where his aching heart was. He struggled against himself for several seconds before the tears came. He could not possible stop himself from crying. “Fuck!” he cried out, hating his weakness. Deep down, Brian knew that sadness was not a weakness. But it was what his father had always told him. When he ‘wouldn’t listen’, the man would show him. He hate the man that had fathered him. But he was never a real father to him. Brian considered the people that called himself his parents to be the asshole that impregnated the witch who gave birth to him. The saying that you can’t choose your family was bullshit to Brian, because he had chosen his. His was with his friends the Novotony’s. Not the Kinneys. That did not stop the hurt. 

 

He cried alone for a while before he heard some rustling, signalling that he was no longer alone. The heartbroken boy tried to wipe at his eyes, but it was too late. The person in his presence had already seen him. He turned his head and saw the last person he wanted to see him like this; Justin fricken Taylor. “Oh. I-uh…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” 

 

Still wiping at his reddened eyes, Brian looked away. He didn’t know why he bothered; the boy had clearly seen him crying. “What, Taylor?” he demanded, trying to make his sad voice sound as mean and scary as possible. It didn’t work very well. “You gonna make fun of me now? ‘Poor Brian, the pathetic, dickless pussy’.”  When Justin did not respond right away, he asked bitterly, “Well?” 

 

“No”, the blond answered simply. There was something in his voice that Brian had never heard before. It was almost…kind. “I’m not going to do that.” 

 

Brian huffed and crossed his arms. “Why not? You hate me, don’t you?” 

 

“I don’t kick people when they’re down”, Justin responded, much faster than his first answer to Brian’s vulnerable grumblings. “No matter who they are.” 

 

Brian looked back at the boy curiously. He was hesitant to believe him but the look in Justin’s eyes were genuine. Not a trace of sarcasm or disdain was there. This was not at all what Brian had expected when he first noticed who had discovered him. It was odd. How could someone possibly be nice to someone they despised? Especially when the perfect opportunity to tear them down was presented. It seemed there was more to this Justin than Brian realised. He let out a breath and Justin saw the look of acceptance on his face. Brian looked away again. 

 

Meanwhile, Justin was experiencing something odd within as well. He was now seeing a side to the biggest jerk he’d ever met that he did not know existed. Brian Kinney had a vulnerable side. In a weird way, it was heartbreakingly beautiful. Justin hated that only Brian could make crying look elegant. What was even odder was that Justin found himself feeling for the boy. By nature, he was a kind person, but Justin never imagined he would feel for his number one nemesis. He saw that Brian was struggling with accepting that he was not going to treat him like shit and was glad when the brunet finally did (accept that he was there with him.) He could see that the last thing the boy needed was ridicule. What he really needed was some kind of support. Justin couldn’t believe he was about to offer his. “You know, whatever’s happened, you just need to remember one thing; tomorrow’s a new day.” He could tell Brian was listening and went on, “It’s okay to let yourself be sad right now, just as long as you make sure you pick yourself up. Life goes on. And so will you. Because no matter what has happened today, you are still ‘Brian Fucking Kinney’. And you’ll still be him tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that. That’s all you need to remember, and you’ll survive.” 

 

Brian did not say anything in response, but it was clear that he took everything in. Truthfully, Brian was glad to not be alone. And for the words. They were encouraging, comforting, and kind. Words he did not expect would be spoken to him from the Taylor boy. Strangely, his presence was reassuring. The boys stayed together in silence for quite a while until Justin quietly left Brian. The brunet turned and watched the kind boy walk away. The strangest thing of all…he did not want him to go.

 

________________________________________

 

PRESENT

 

Marijanna was happy enough to return to the rest of the group after her chat with Justin. The man was glad to cheer her up. In true lesbionic fashion, Brian felt his heart warm.  

 

“Hey, let’s tell ghost stories”, Masamane suggested. 

 

“Yeah! I’ve got a good one”, Sasha said with great enthusiasm. The entire patrol sat in such as way that they could all hear each other’s spooky tales. Justin came to sit next to Brian as Sasha begun telling her story. “A long time ago, on the road to Texas…” Brian and Justin met each other’s eyes and held the look for longer than they usually did. Neither man had ever wanted to kiss someone more than they did each other right in that moment. Despite the intense attraction they felt to each other in the campfire heat, both men refrained from making any such move. 

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

“Good morning, campers!” exclaimed Adam*, one of the counsellors of The Foxes patrol. “It’s great to see you all here bright an early! We’re gonna have an awesome day together!” It had been two days since Brian and Justin showed their Rangers how to build campfires and they were combined with the Foxes for the day’s activities. Brad and Sally believed that combining patrols would help bring them even closer together .Brian wasn’t sure just how close those two wanted the camper to become; they seemed to be promoting it at every possible chance.   

 

One of Adam’s male campers snorted and called out, “Lame!”  

 

Adam tried not to look hurt, though Brian, Justin and Carrie, his co-counsellor, saw his true feelings in his eyes. The three adults shared amused sideways looks between them. At heart, Adam was a big, girly man-child. He shrugged the camper’s remark off and said, “Thank you, Tommy. That’s a great way to start the morning.” The man collected himself again. “Today, our two patrols have combined to learn some first aid together.” 

 

The Rangers were impressed by this and reacted enthusiastically. The Foxes, on the other hand, rolled their eyes and snickered like typical moody kids of their age. Some of them looked to be good and honest like the Rangers, while many of the others appeared more interested in starting trouble and looking cool than being a part of a group. Justin recognised two campers that had played a part in pranking Lane and Marcus’ cabin the previous week. “You’re going to learn about different types of bandages and injuries, as well as CPR and what to do in emergency situations”, Justin told them. 

 

“Now, this is very serious stuff, kids”, Carrie said in a stern ‘mom’ voice. “That mean’s no messin’ around. No hurting each other and no wrecking the equipment. Got that?” The campers were smart enough to that this woman was all business. Clearly The Foxes had previously figured that out and knew that they had to respect this counsellor. Adam, on the other hand, was all too easy. All the kids nodded, satisfying the feisty woman. In some ways, she reminded Justin of Daphne. “Good.”

 

Brian was the only counsellor who hadn’t yet said anything; something that did not go by unnoticed by any of the campers. They all looked to him expectantly. Brian looked back. Finding the odd moment amusing, he said simply said, “Shall we?” gesturing at the boxes of equipment they’d brought out earlier. 

 

That was all the campers needed to get started. On their counsellor’s instructions, they carried the things that were inside the boxes closer to them. Adam started them off with the recovery position and how to check someone who was unconscious. “The first thing you need to know when you see someone unconscious is a little thing called DRSABCD.”

 

“What is this? Kindergarten?” Loud mouth Tommy called. “We all know the alphabet.” 

 

All Carrie had to do was give the boy a look and he backed down. “Thanks, Carrie”, Adam said with a sheepish smile. Carrie shook her head, a little smile of her own playing on her face. “Is there anyone here who knows what DRSABCD stands for?” 

 

The kids stared at him blankly for some seconds before Troian said, “Danger, Response, Send for help, Airway, Breathing, CPR and Defibrillation.” Everyone stared at her in silent surprise. Shrugging, the brunet said, “I’ve been a girl scout since I was 5.” 

 

“Oh, me too”, Adam said without thinking. This gave the campers and the counsellors a bit of a chuckle before the man realised what he’d just implied. “A boy scout, I mean. Not a…girl scout.” Adam laughed off what he said and went on, “Well, anyway, that’s great! And yes, that’s exactly what DRSABCD stands! Now we’re all going to learn what it all means. First is ‘Danger’. You might not know why the person is unconscious, so you need to check around the scene for any potential dangers such as snakes, broken glass, burning embers, puddles, electricity and many more things. You need you make sure that it is safe for yourself before you approach the person in need. Because you’re no help to them if you get hurt too.” This made sense to all the kids, who were listening as best as they could. “If there are other people doing nothing but crowding around, you need to call out for them to step aside. Can you all demonstrate that? Stand up and shout it out.” 

 

The campers complied by getting up and calling variations of “Out of the way!”  Some kids couldn’t help laughing while they were doing this. When Adam was satisfied, he got the campers to sit once more. 

 

“Next is ‘response’. You need to check if the person knows you’re there by calling to them, asking them questions, squeezing their hands. See their response. Usually if they speak back to you, you can go ahead and put them in the recovery position, which I’ll show to you in a little while. If the situation seems serious, you ‘Send for help’. Call 911 and get help right away. Does anyone know what you do if there is more than one person there to help?” 

 

“One person can call 911 while the other one checks the unconscious person”, a kid from the Foxes said. 

 

Adam was pleased by this. “Yes! That’s good thinking, Shelby.” The girl looked proud and another boy from that patrol muttered that she was a suck up. Carrie called the boy over to sit with her, out of the physical activity involved. He immediately obeyed, impressing Brian and Justin. It was clear to see who wore the pants in this patrol. “Now to get back to the unconscious person. After calling for help, you need to check their ‘Airway’. This part is a little gross, guys, but completely necessary. You’ll need to open the person’s mouth and look to see if anything is stuck in there. If there is, you tilt their head slightly and use your index and middle finger to remove whatever it is, out.” 

 

Several campers scrunched up their faces at the thought. “Um, Gross! No way would I do that”, a girl scoffed. 

 

Carrie was utterly unimpressed by this comment. “If that was your father choking on something, would you just let him die?” she asked the girl. The redhead shook her head, her arms crossed over her chest in a sassy show of being a total diva. It looked like this was usual. Brian and Justin’s eyes met and they shared a shrug. It was interesting to see this group’s different dynamic. They were a little more like Brian and Justin’s patrol was when they were campers. Although Justin remembered them being slightly less horrible than these kids in front of them. 

 

With a nervous chuckle, Adam continued, “Once the airway has been cleared, you need to check their ‘Breathing’. An effective way to do this is to put your face near their mouth, pointing down their body. If you do that, you can feel their breath on your face and see their chest rising and falling. If they are breathing, you roll them over into the recovery position I mentioned earlier, so they can rest. If they aren’t breathing, you need to move on to performing ‘CPR’. Brian will show you all how to do that later. If after CPR, the person still isn’t responsive, you move on to the ‘Defibrillator.’ Carrie will talk to you about this in a little while. And that, kids, is DRSABCD.” A few questions and silly remarks later, Adam was able to move on and show the kids the recovery position. The campers got into pairs and did the actions with each other. 

 

A little while later, Brian was ready to teach the campers CPR. The kids were put into smaller groups so they could share a mannequin to practice on. “So kids, CPR stands for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. It involves using your hands and sometimes your mouth to revive a person when they’ve stopped breathing. Before you begin, you need to make sure the person is flat on their back. Because you’re in groups, you’ll need to take turns doing all of what I’m about to show you.” The campers all prepared to become heroes. “This here is Gary”, Brian said, holding up his mannequin. The kids laughed and Brian dropped the mannequin on the floor. “Oh shi-uh, no! Gary passed out!” he said, prompting more laughter. The brunet bent down next to the mannequin and did all of the things Adam had explained to the kids so they could see it ‘in action’. When he got up to the CPR step, he told the kids to follow along carefully. “CPR involves thirty chest compressions and two breaths. You don’t have to do the breaths if you don’t want to; just the compressions, but to get the full effect, the breaths will definitely come in handy. To do the compressions you need to place the heel of your hand in the middle of the person’s chest and place your other hand over it, linking your fingers. Then, using everything you’ve got, press down firmly.” Brian demonstrated by doing several compressions and got the campers to have a go on their own mannequins. The campers counted thirty compressions and swapped over so other people in their groups could try. Brian then taught them how to do the breaths. After they had the different parts nailed down, Brian got the campers to put it all together. “You do this at about 5 repeats in two minutes until an ambulance gets there with the paramedics”, he told them. “Great!” he said several minutes later. Using plush-bodied baby dolls, Brian then taught the campers how to perform CPR on a baby or small child. It was a gentler version. He taught them the importance of doing this right when it came to a small body.    

 

After lunch, the female counsellor of the Foxes patrol then taught the campers about the use of An automated external defibrillator. They had a fake AED for Carrie to teach the campers with. “These are usually in many public buildings like clubs and what not”, she told them. “They deliver an electric shock to cancel out what is called arrhythmia; an irregular heartbeat. It tries to re-establish a normal heart beat. Now kids, you don’t bother taking out their earrings or their keys outta their pockets or anything before you use this. If they have any metal on them, they’ll suffer a minor burn from the machine. But, hey, it’s worth it if it means the difference between life and death, right?” The campers felt obliged to agree. Carrie used the fake defibrillator accordingly, following the instructions with it to teach the kids all about it. To many of the campers’ disappointment, they were not permitted to have a go with it themselves. 

 

Each of the counsellors taught the kids what to do in case of burns, poisoning, bites, electrocution, hypothermia, heat stroke, choking, fractured or broken bones, cuts and gashes, bleeding, head injuries, internal injuries, crushing and falls. The kids were all very involved, however, there were a few troublemakers who had to sit out and watch. Carrie, with Justin’s help, scolded them for their shenanigans. Justin was the counsellor who showed the campers how to tie different bandages and what they were for. He taught them how to make a splint, a simple wrap, a sling and several more. He was in the middle of teaching them how to make a tourniquet. “What makes this different from the other methods of bandaging is that you make it as tight as possible. It is for compression, after all.” During the bandaging, the campers were again required to work in pairs, applying the bandages to each other. It brought Justin back to the time his summer camp patrol was taught about first aid…

 

________________________________________

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

The Waterloos had been putting bandages on each other for around an hour. It was a nice summer afternoon. The breeze was blowing softly over the campsite, giving the Waterloos a pleasant atmosphere. They had spent the day laughing together, not taking it quite as seriously as they should have. They still listened and took everything they were taught in. Carl and Charlotte saw this and were not as frustrated as they would have been otherwise. Working in pairs that had been assigned to them by Charlotte herself, the campers administered the bandages they were being taught by the counsellors. Surprise, surprise; Brian and Justin had been paired together. Make sure to apply just the right amount of pressure, campers”, Charlotte said.  

 

Brian was sure their evil counsellor had done this on purpose. He would have said it was karma if he believed in that. It would have been payback for him laughing at a fourteen year old he’d seen fall over at breakfast. Whatever it was, Brian was stuck with Justin Taylor, of all people. He felt rather weird about being so close to the boy. It was only one day after he’d found him crying by the trees. Brian could not get the sound of Justin’s voice as he spoke kind words out of his mind. Currently, he was wrapping a bandage around Justin’s left upper arm. Every time their eyes met, they looked away from each other.

 

Truthfully, Justin was feeling just as embarrassed as Brian. He too felt weird about being around him after their encounter the previous day. He had seen the boy in one of his most intimate and personal states. He had witnessed Brian Kinney crying. And in his own way, he had been there for him. Justin had no idea how Brian would act around him afterwards, but he seemed to be avoiding him. Justin was conflicted over that. One part of him was glad that he could get a break from Brian’s tricks and teasing, but another part of him was actually concerned for the boy. He didn’t know hoe serious whatever had gotten him so upset was. But there was no way he would ever tell anyone what he’d witnessed. He was sure that Brian would kill him if he did. 

 

Despite the awkwardness, it was not as unbearable as it could be. Being this close to Justin, Brian could smell his sweet scented locks. It was the kind of smell he’d like to breathe in forever. This close, he could see each fleck of colour in the boy’s blue eyes. Well, when they actually looked at each other.  

 

Every time Brian’s fingers touched Justin’s arm, his porcelain skin tingled. It felt like fire and ice at once. Nobody’s touch had ever made him feel like that. Brian’s voice broke Justin away from his confusing wonderment, “Tell me if it’s too tight”, he said. 

 

Justin looked up and met hazel eyes. For the first time that day, they held the look. Giving the other boy a shy smile, Justin responded, “It feels fine.” Brian rolled his lips under and nodded before getting back to work. Justin could see he was trying to hold back a smile of his own and relaxed. 

 

Tying off the end of the bandage, Brian said, “There. Not bad, huh?” 

 

Observing Brian’s work, Justin answered, “Not bad at all, Kinney.” The teenagers shared a slight smile and Justin felt his cheeks grow a little hot. It wasn’t bad at all…

 

________________________________________

 

PRESENT

 

A full day of first aid learning went by and no one came out of it without learning something. Each of the counsellors had been certified to teach the things they did; it was one of the requirements before coming to camp. Each counsellor felt proud of themselves and each other. 

 

Brian stood by and watched his campers pack away the equipment that had been used. Adam’s campers were still giving him a hard time. It was kind of funny, but Brian couldn’t help but feel for the poor idiot. “They did great today”, a familiar melodic voice said. 

 

Brian turned to see Justin walking towards him. “They did”, he agreed. 

 

Justin reached Brian’s side and stood with him. “Even when they’re with some jerks, they’re still really good kids”, he said. 

 

Huffing a laugh, Brian said, “Don’t let those kids hear you say that, Sunshine. Or Carrie for that matter. She rips into them, but I don’t doubt she’d defend them just as viciously.”

 

Justin laughed and said, “You’re probably right. I guess they’re not that bad, anyway.”

 

“No worse than our patrol was”, Brian remarked. The two counsellors shared an inside smile as they remembered old times. It wasn’t bad at all.

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

 

-Once again the Rangers had been combined with another patrol; the Roselleas. They were one of the oldest patrols with kids from 15 to 17 years of age. Justin hoped that all the kids could manage to get along despite the age differences. He was very aware of how high and mighty some kids could get just because they were older than someone else. 

 

This time, the patrols were combined to save time and money. Just a couple of days after having learned first aid, the campers were being taught another impressive skill; karate. Camp Peatree had hired two senseis to come in to teach the campers the martial art. They were only there for a certain amount of days, so the Rangers and the Roselleas had to learn together. The counsellors were invited to join in and accepted. Justin had a yellow belt, Brian and Perry had a blue belt, and Caroline had a black belt. Justin had gotten his yellow belt in high school, while the others had been learning and training for years. The pleased senseis, with whom the counsellors shared breakfast with, had invited Caroline to help teach the kids. She happily accepted. Brian and Justin were pleased, slightly amused and a little intimidated to be working along side another strong woman. Perry Cox, they quickly learned, was no pushover like Adam. 

 

The campers were dressed in appropriate workout gear. The senseis wore traditional white karate clothing to teach them. “Welcome, campers”, the male sensei said. He was a very buff Romanian man with a heavy accent. “My name is Bogdan.” 

 

He gestured to the female sensei who stepped forward to introduce herself. “Good morning everybody. My name is Mayu.” She was a rather tall, slender Japanese woman with a sweet voice. “Today, you are going to be our students and we will be your senseis. Your counsellors are your ‘senpais’, as each of them are at a higher level in karate than…at least most of you. Is there anyone who has done karate before?” 

 

Several kids from the Roselleas answered that they had, while a couple Rangers said they had as well. Most of the kids who had done it before had moved on beyond the first level and had a coloured belt. Mayu instructed that everyone else was to address these kids as senpai as well. These kids were positioned on the outer corners of the group, who were all told to stand in rows. They were outside, on the smoothest grass on site. “You are out students; ‘karateka.’ To each other, you are ‘doshi’”, Bogdan told everyone. “We are using the Japanese terms in karate”, he said. “But first, we need to warm up.” The man led everyone through a thorough full body warm up that focused on working the neck, shoulders, upper arms, wrists, thighs, hips, knees, hamstrings and ankles. They stretched and moved to prepare their bodies for a day of working out. 

 

After the solo work, the male sensei got the campers to pair up and help each other stretch their legs on each other’s shoulders. Brian offered to be Justin’s partner for this and he accepted. Strangely, he found himself wanting to show off his flexibility to Brian when he helped him stretch his legs. More touching and more closeness was what both men were secretly craving. “My, what bendable legs you’ve got there, Sunshine”, Brian said to the blond in a hushed voice. Justin chuckled in response, hoping to God he wouldn’t get a hard on with Brian’s hands on his legs. They were so very close to his crotch. Yet, not quite close enough. 

 

“Okay, everyone”, Mayu called, getting there attention. They had been granted a short break to drink some water after the rather strenuous workout. Mayu and Bogdan decided they were now ready to begin. “When we say ‘shugo’, you are all to gather together in your lines.” Everyone did as they had been commanded and waited for further instructions. “‘Seisan-dachi’ means forward stance. Like this.” The female sensei demonstrated and the students followed. 

 

“To begin, we bow to each other”, Bogdan said. He moved, demonstrating what he wanted the students to do. “Musubi-dachi”, he said, moving his legs from being together, to being apart, slightly bent at the knees.  “Seiza”, he then said, moving to kneel on the ground, sitting back on his heels. Everyone followed. He showed them how to bow and then instructed them with the commands, “Sensei ni rei”. Everyone bowed by putted their hands on the ground and lowering their bodies. They kept their eyes forward always; for the sake of enemies. “Senpai ni rei.” All of the level one campers bowed, while the senseis and senpais sat still, their hands on their thighs. “Otagai ni rei.” Once again the level one campers bowed, this one meant for each other. With each bow, they all said, “Oss.” 

 

The senseis got their students to rise again. “The first thing you know to learn about fighting is the common stance” Mayu said. Bogdan moved into the stance she was referring to. “Your legs need to be shoulder length apart. For hidari zenkutsu-dashi, move your left leg directly backwards, just enough so that you bend your front knee. Keep the back leg straight. Do not have your legs directly behind each other or you will fall.” 

 

“Hidari is ‘left’. When your right leg is behind you, you are in ‘migi zenkutsu-dashi’. When you stand like this, your opponent cannot trip you. You are strong”, Bogdan explained. “For the arms”, the Romanian man went on to demonstrate the fighting position for arms and his students followed along. The senseis taught the campers how to move forward and backward in this stance, as well as how to ‘mawatte’; turn around. They spent a while doing these movements as a synchronised group until Mayu and Bogdan decided it was a good time to move on. 

 

They gave everyone a few minutes of rest before continuing on. “A kick in karate is called ‘geri’. Mae-geri”, Bogdan demonstrated the technique flawlessly, “is the front kick. Push up and forward”, he said. The group practiced this move until they were told to do it with a step. Each time the senseis called, “Step!” the group would do a mae-geri kick, and then return to the zenkutsu-dashi stance. They moved forward with this kick until the senseis commanded them to turn and move the other way. After doing four rounds of this, they were told to stop. 

 

Everyone was puffing and smiling, enjoying the experience of the day. Brian looked over to Justin and met his eyes. They shared a slight smile. The last time they did karate together, it had gone so differently…

 

________________________________________

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

“Rei!...Ichi!...!...Ni!...San!...Yame (stop).” One of the sensei’s, Kaname, called out to the campers, instructing them. She counted their step kicks as they moved. The waterloos had been combined with another patrol, The Firebirds, to learn some karate. It was the first year that the camp had introduced this activity, bringing in actual karate senseis to teach them. These patrols were the third group to participate. 

 

All the campers and even the counsellors were enjoying themselves. Surprisingly, Charlotte seemed to love it. It looked like all of her kicks and punches were directed at someone she pictured in her head. “Probably an old boyfriend”, Carl guessed jokingly when she wasn’t listening. Lord help him if she was. 

 

Their senseis were two professionals who took their jobs quite seriously. Martial art was after all, an art. The first was an out-spoken young woman named Kaname, and the second was a man who looked like he could be a soldier; Sousuke. Their dynamic was rather hilarious. Sousuke was emotionless and reckless, and Kaname dealt with him by yelling at him and occasionally hitting him on the head. Everyone could tell that the pair had known each other for some time…and that they were completely into each other, but hadn’t admitted it yet. “Fighters, shugo!” Sousuke called. 

 

This prompted the group to gather together again in their rows, ready to be taught more. They had already learned the front kick and ‘mawashi-geri’; the roundhouse kick. They were now ready to learn ‘yoko-geri’; the side kick. The students got into position and took in what their senseis taught them. After learning the technique, the group moved forward, using yoko-geri, as a collective to Sousuke’s counts. They used ‘kiai’, a spirit call as they made each kick. It was a strong ‘Ha!’ sound, coming from the core; the inner fire, as Kaname had called it. It made each person there feel powerful…and really, really badass. 

 

Brian loved doing things like this. He already a yellow belt; he’d taken up karate lessons earlier in the year. He decided he needed to learn to fight if he was ever going to be able to face his father. So, he begun learning to fight in several different styles; kick boxing, street and of course, karate. Each time he id any of those things, he pictured kicking his father so hard that he’d go flying. Brian had never actually done anything like that, however. He wasn’t sure if he would ever get the guts. Never-the-less, he liked knowing that he could fight the man back if he had to. 

 

The activity was an all day one, continuing after lunch. Brian made sure to situate himself directly behind one Justin Taylor. He liked being able to see the blond the whole time. When they turned, he liked knowing that Justin could see him. That meant that Justin knew Brian was close to him. Brian knew he was being pathetic, but decided to push all of those thoughts away and just focus on enjoying the day…and the view. Justin was very cute doing karate. He was trying his very best, like he always did. He’s really kind of…sweet, he thought. Realising how very lesbionic he sounded, Brian shook his head and reprimanded himself. Fuck, what the hell are you thinking, you pussy?! It was then that Brian realised he hadn’t pranked the infuriating and definitely not sweet boy in front of him. Brian smirked, an evil idea bubbling in his head. 

 

In between one of their kicks, meaning the two seconds they had to spare, Brian swiftly reached in front of him and pulled blondie’s pants down. The shorts fell to the ground, revealing the boy’s tighty-whities. Justin gasped audibly and crouched down to pick his shorts back up immediately. Most of the other campers were laughing, but the few decent people around were most certainly not. “What the hell, Brian?!” Justin yelled, facing the brunet after he’d put his pants back on properly. 

 

“What’s going on?” Kaname asked, annoyed. “What is all this silly commotion going on, disrupting our class?” She approached the two boys, one who wore a smirk and another who glared. 

 

Sousuke followed along behind his co-instructor, managing to make no sound at all while he did so. “It appears this young man pulled the pants of this young man off from his waist”, he said. This scared the shit out of Kaname, who had been totally unaware that he was behind her. She jumped and Sousuke went on in his monotone voice, “Though, I’m not sure why? What victory could such a thing accomplish? A tripping method, perhaps?” 

 

Kaname’s face turned red with annoyance and she delivered a swift whack to the back of Sousuke’s head. “I told you not to sneak up on me like that!” he shouted. It was difficult not to laugh at this. 

 

Carl and Charlotte made eye contact and walk over to where the senseis and their biggest troublemakers were. Of course they would be the ones to cause trouble. “My guess is that Brian here was trying to embarrass Justin”, Carl said, crossing his arms in the way that only a cop does. 

 

Sousuke looked thoughtful as a frown appeared on his face. “Embarrass him? What service would humiliating a fellow comrade be in battle?” 

 

Rolling her eyes, Kaname said, “We’re not in battle you idiot. And sometimes that’s what kids do. They bully each other.” Sousuke still looked confused and thoughtful over this. It seemed the man did not understand society all that well. Another thing that was hard not to find amusing. 

 

“That’s right”, Carl said, nodding his head. “These two have made a habit out of causing trouble, haven’t you, boys?” 

 

Justin’s burning cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red. “I wasn’t starting any trouble this time”, he said seriously, looking at Brian as he spoke. 

 

“It’s true”, Daphne said, moving to stand beside her friend. He gave the girl a small appreciative smile. “Justin was minding his own business.” 

 

“And now we are wasting time”, Kaname said in an annoyed tone. 

 

Carl nodded at the impatient woman in agreement and said, “Okay, kid. Come on.” He gestured for Brian to follow him and he did so without another word. He gave Justin a wink as he passed him, confusing the boy even further. “Hope it was worth it, Brian”, Carl said to him as they walked to sit out. Oddly enough, Brian thought that it was. He’d gotten a better view of some very nice…assets.                 

 

________________________________________

 

PRESENT

 

The day went extremely well, with everyone behaving, participating and getting along. It was pure wonderment to both Brian and Justin. They would have thought that getting the endorphins up would lead to some kids mucking around, but everyone was relatively well behaved. It was a great and a pure success. They had learned a couple more kicks, three punches, several blocks and different manoeuvre moves. All involved had fun and Bogdan and Mayu were the ones to thanked everyone for the day.  

 

By the time they were all sitting in the dining hall for dinner, they were all talking animatedly about their days. As usual, Brian and Justin sat with the rest of the counsellors, who were pretty good people, as both men had come to realise. Brian had had his doubts, but they all seemed to be fairly decent. All except for one…Ethan Gold. Justin seemed to like him, so he couldn’t really be that bad. But that was exactly why Brian did not like him. Not at all. 

 

“And so I said ‘just put your back into it’!” exclaimed Carol*, finishing off her supposedly hilarious story. Most of the people at the table laughed, while others just smiled politely. 

 

“I could think of a whole lot of other things you could ‘put your back into’”, Ethan joked, making everyone giggle and chuckle at the innuendo. He curly haired man looked at Justin and gave him a wink. Justin smiled back which Brian did not like. He just finished his drink and looked away. 

 

Justin noticed this and nudged Brian with his shoulder. He didn’t want his co-counsellor to be having a bad time. They had actually become friends over the 12 days they’d spent at camp. Brian looked at him and raised his eyebrows. Justin didn’t say anything, he just gave the man a friendly smile. Brian tried to resist the urge to smile back but it was a lost battle. Everything seemed to be with Justin.

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

 

Saturday was a quiet relaxed day after the big week the Rangers’ had had at camp. The morning had been spent playing several infuriating rounds of ‘the stick game’. It involved 6 people having a long stick rest on their fingers and lowering it to the ground as a group. Each person’s fingers hand to be on the stick at all times, but just touching, no holding. It sounded much, much simpler than it actually was. Nervous energy has a way of making this game difficult. The groups shifted and interchanged with each round. Eventually, some groups had gotten the stick to the ground.

 

Justin was beyond thrilled to be leading their campers through an art lesson in the afternoon. The blond was so glad that he’d remembered to bring a couple of his sketch books with him. He knew he wouldn’t be able to survive anywhere without his art. It was his entire life. That was why he was incredibly pleased to be sharing it with his campers. These kids had come to mean a lot to the artist, and he knew he would certainly never forget any of them. Sharing the most important aspect of his identity with them, with anyone, was very special. 

 

He’d chosen a particularly picturesque spot and had the kids try their hand at painting the landscape nearby the lake. Even before seeing anything on paper, Justin had managed to find a seemingly ordinary spot that was actually very beautiful. It marvelled Brian as to how he could do such a thing. He admired the man’s passion. It also turned him on an embarrassing amount. 

 

“This might sound lame, kids, but it’s not about how exact your painting is. It’s about how you see what’s on the page. What you make of it”, Justin said as the campers painted. He appreciated that they all tried their best even though several of the kids were not at all artsy. The discomfort of those campers was apparent, but they all could clearly see how important this was to their blond counsellor, so they all participated anyway. 

 

Brian was mesmerised by the look on Justin’s face and the sound of his voice. He worked on his own canvas with more love than Brian had ever seen. Brian, meanwhile, settled with being a supervisor. He was not into doing things he wasn’t the best at, even to this day. It was an old narcissistic thing that had stuck with him from his bratty teenage years. He just hated to lose. Which was why he was yet to make a move on his co-counsellor. He had decided a couple days ago that he wanted the man. He had no idea that anything like this would happen when he came back to Camp Peatree. Never could he of imagined that he’d end up actually desiring Justin Taylor…for real, this time. But he did. He was done ignoring and pushing away the dirty thoughts he’d had for years. Brian was a man now, a studly, successful, confident man. When he wanted something he made sure that he got it. But he was not going to go for Justin until he knew the timing was perfect. He knew it wouldn’t work if it was just a one-time fuck between them. Besides, that wasn’t what he wanted. Brian didn’t really know exactly what it was he wanted, but he did know that he wanted to taste Justin’s lips and skin. To feel his body under him. To breath every part of him in. He was determined to make that happen, one way or another before the summer’s end. 

 

*****

 

Hours later, the campers and their counsellors had packed up and returned to their cabins to have some time to themselves before dinner. Several of the campers had shown the rest of the patrol their paintings when they were done. Everyone was enthusiastic and impressed. Justin had never been more proud. His campers’ hard work touched his heart. 

 

Now, he and Brian were sitting in their cabin, having a nice long chat. They really had become friends. Strange, but so very pleasant. “What got you into art in the beginning?” Brian asked as they spoke about themselves. 

 

“My mom says I always had ‘the artist’s eye’, whatever the fuck that means”, Justin laughed. “I would trace shapes and lines on things with my dingers when I was little. Mom stuck some crayons in my hands and I’ve been drawing ever since.” Brian listened intently as Justin’s voice became more and more animated. Speaking about his deepest passion always made him this way. “I remember painting the flowers in her garden. I got better and better at it until I was winning competitions and awards. All my spare time was filled with drawing and painting. Nothing in the world makes me feel like creating something”, he admitted. “When I create, I’m doing something good, something beautiful. Art moves people. I like doing that for others.” Justin seemed to get lost in his thoughts for a short moment. In Brian’s eyes, that was very cute. Much like the 15 year old he used to know…

 

---

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

The rain fell softly over the ground of Camp Peatree. It made the air cool after a sweltering day. The smell of pine and grass was heavy in the air, as it always was when it rained. The droplets were few and barely audible. Perfect weather for relaxing. The Waterloos had been granted free time in the late afternoon. Justin decided to take some time to himself to sketch. He found that he hadn’t been doing too much lately. Perhaps that was why he felt so tense. He sat under the shelter of a gazebo, his favourite sketchbook in hand. The blond stared over the shrubbery and flowers before him. He was busy sketching the sight, reminding him of his childhood. It was serene, beautiful. He sighed with great contentment. 

 

Unbeknownst to him, someone else had ventured to the gazebo. Brian got sick of his friends acting like dopes in their cabin, so he took a walk around the grounds. He made his way over to the gazebo, standing in the sprinkling rain and spotted Justin. Brian was not sure what to do. He could call out to the boy or he could walk away, but Brian was not sure whether either choice was right. He walked closer to the gazebo, taking care to be as quiet as possible. When he got the view he sought, he stood still. Justin was sketching something in his book. Brian couldn’t se what it was, but he could see the look on the boy’s face. The blond looked so beautifully entranced. As if he were under some kind of spell, or witnessing a miracle. Right then and there, Brian was sure that that was what he was seeing; a pure, beauteous miracle. He had never spied anything more enchanting than the sight of Justin Taylor sketching away to his heart’s content. Fuck. Though he could have viewed this sight for all of time, but it was that very feeling that deterred him. Suddenly, Brian decided he had been there for too long, seen too much. It was time for him to return, to walk away. Glancing the boy once more, Brian turned around and did just that… 

 

---

 

PRESENT

 

“Uh, I’m sorry”, Justin laughed, shaking his head. He brought himself from his thoughts back to the now, prompting Brian to do the same. “I must’ve gotten distracted.” He turned face away from his companion in embarrassment. 

 

Brian smirked, liking this a great deal. “You got ‘swept away’”, he said. “So what? That’s the mark of true passion.” 

 

Justin responded by giving Brian a smile. He stood; they had been sitting on their beds while they spoke. “I’m really fucken thirsty”, he said, as he walked over to where he had placed his water bottle. Brian watched the blond’s movements. He leant against a chest of drawers, sipping his water and looking at Brian. Brian looked back. A smile appeared on Justin’s face, turning into a small chuckle. “You know, I used to have kind of a crush on you”, he said, his chuckle growing into a laugh. “I could barely admit it to myself ‘cause I was supposed to hate you, you know?” He laughed some more and Brian rose to his feet, giving off a laugh of his own. “But deep down I thought you were smokin’ hot. How pathetic is that?” 

 

Shaking his head, Brian stepped closer to Justin. The blond moved away from the drawers and closer to Brian, keeping his eyes on his. Brian huffed out a laugh and said, “I was in exactly the same boat. I thought you were hot.”

 

“You had a crush on me too?” Justin asked with another chuckle. 

 

Brian couldn’t help but laugh as well. “I don’t do crushes…but I guess I did back then.”

 

“Imagine that”, Justin remarked, his smile nearly blinding Brian. “Two rivals who wanted each other all along.” The pair shared a genuine laugh together, finding the whole situation to be very funny. 

 

“You thought I was, what was it? ‘Smokin’ hot’?” asked Brian, stepping closer to the blond again. Justin laughed in response and looked away, amused by Brian’s continuation of the subject. “I can’t help but wonder…what about now?” The brunet held his arms out and turned all the way around until he was facing Justin again, so he could get a good look at him. “I’ve been told the years have been good to me. So, as a man who once thought Brian Kinney was hot…what do you think?” 

 

Justin took a step closer to the man and lifted his right hand to his chin. He frowned and walked around Brian, as if giving him a serious inspection. Brian played along, standing perfectly still. Satisfied with his assessment, Justin moved to stand in front of Brian again, this time with a slight smile on his face. “I must say, Kinney, you are just as smokin’ as ever”, he said in the most serious play-voice he could manage. “The years have been good to you indeed.” The men laughed at their game and Brian took the liberty to step even closer to the man in his company. “What about you, huh? I am still ‘hot’?” Justin asked him.

 

Brian looked Justin up and down before taking another step towards him. They were now so close they were almost touching. “Hotter than ever”, Brian answered in a low, husky voice. He leaned in, keeping eye contact with the other man so as to be sure this was what Justin wanted too. Seeing the same want he had inside him, Brian kissed Justin’s lips with full force. Their arms came around each other quickly and they were making out as if their lives depended on it. Brian pulled Justin’s body flush against him, not breaking the kiss. This made Justin gasp into Brian’s mouth, which allowed him to slip his tongue inside. Their tongues duelled for dominance, losing and winning all at once as Brian pulled Justin back with him. He swung them around and pushed Justin against the wall, deepening the kiss. Justin moaned, Brian swallowing the sound.

 

The need for air finally became of more importance and the kiss ended with a resounding ‘smack’ sound. Both men panted, looking at each other’s eyes and lips. They smirked at each other and met for another crazy kiss. Brian pressed against Justin and each could feel the other’s growing hardness. Moving the kiss to Justin’s neck, Brian reached for the man’s bulge and gave it a sensual squeeze. “Ohh”, Justin half moaned, half sighed. It was such a delicious feeling. Both men had been feeling sex starved; two men who were usually very sexually active had gone without any kind of fucking for two weeks. This was heaven. 

 

Continuing his assault on Justin’s neck, Brian opened the man’s pants and slid his hand inside. Justin let out another moan when Brian took hold of his dick and gave it a squeezed. The brunet kissed Justin’s lips again while he began to jerk the treasure in his hand. It was an impressive size for what one would expect of a man of Justin’s build. Brian nuzzled Justin’s smooth neck and slowly knelt on the ground in front of him. He touched Justin’s torso as he moved. Justin’s purred his appreciation and pleasure all the while. Their eyes met after Brian had taken Justin’s cock out of his pants. The lust Brian saw in the blue eyes above him was consuming. He got to work right away and deep throated Justin with the expertise that made him a legend on Liberty Avenue. “OHH! Brian, fuck!” Justin moaned. Brian chuckled, the sound vibrating onto Justin’s dick. He proceeded to give Justin the blowjob of his life while the younger man moaned and cursed. The blond threaded the fingers of one hand in Brian’s hair, while the other hand braced himself against the wall. It didn’t take long for Brian to make Justin cum in his mouth. “OHH! OH! OHHH!” 

 

As soon as Brian had released Justin’s dick, the shorter man pulled the taller one up to his feet. Justin took no time in devouring Brian’s mouth in gratitude of what he’d just received. It was unbelievable. He had just received a blowjob, definitely the best one he’d ever had, from his old teenage tormentor. And now they were making out. Justin would have laughed at himself, but he was far too busy enjoying the moment. As was a still rock hard Brian. Desiring to thank the man for his given pleasure, Justin gripping Brian’s shoulders and flipped them, pushing Brian against the wall. The action broke their kiss and the men laughed before rejoin their mouths and tongues. Their kiss continued as Justin undid Brian’s pants and grabbed onto his large dick. Brian broke their kissing to moan, prompting Justin to jerk the impressive organ as he licked and sucked the man’s neck. He continued doing that until Brian could not endure another second. “Justin”, he grunted. “Now!” Justin didn’t have to be told twice. He lowered himself to his knees and freed Brian’s dick from his pants. He licked his lips at the sight. Brian caressed Justin’s face and he looked up at him, meeting his gaze. They shared another smile before Justin returned his focus to the beautiful cock in front of him. He licked all the way from Brian’s balls to his tip, making Brian draw out a loud gasp. Justin smiled again and took the whole length into his mouth. He quickly adjusted himself and got sucking, licking, massaging and kissing Brian’s manhood. Brian rested his head on the wall, his mouth open and his eyes closed in bliss. “Uhhh”, he moaned, gripping onto Justin’s hair. It was just as soft as it looked. As with Justin, it did not take long for Brian to get off. With a throaty, “OHH!” Brian came deep in Justin’s throat. 

 

The blond released Brian’s cock from his mouth with a plop and gave it one last chaste kiss. He looked up and Brian while caressing the sides on his legs. Brian finally opened his eyes after a couple more seconds and smiled down at Justin. He pulled the man up  to him. They slowly moved their heads closer together and resumed their kissing, hands all over each other. Brian was far from done with the man in his arms. He gripped Justin’s hips and moved them off the wall. He backed them to the closest bed, which was his, intent on giving the blond even more pleasure. Justin went along with these movements, happy to go wherever Brian wanted to take him. It was hotter in that cabin than it had been at camp all summer. 

 

Just when Brian was about to lower Justin to the bed, an enthusiastic knock on the door interrupted them. Brian pulled away from Justin’s kiss, startled and annoyed. He moved to kiss Justin again, intent on ignoring whoever the fuck dared to disrupt their plans, but a familiar voice sand through. “Yoohoo!” Carol sang. “Briaaan! Justiiin! Is anybody hooome? It’s time for dinner!” The woman’s voice had never been more annoying to Brian than right in that cock blocking moment. 

 

“We can just skip it?” Brian whispered, still holding onto Justin tightly. 

 

Justin shook his head regretfully. He whispered back, “I promised Carol and Phil I’d talk to them tonight. They need help with something.” Justin let go of Brian, making him do the same. Brian sighed, disappointed and both men started to straighten themselves up. “Besides, didn’t Hawnai and Nina want to speak to you about something?” 

 

Remembering his promised plans for dinner, Brian rubbed his eyes. “Yeah.” He let out another sigh. “I forgot.” 

 

“Helloooo!” Carol sang in again. 

 

Justin laughed quietly at Brian’s sour expression and called back, “We’ll be right there, Carol.” 

 

“Great!” It sounded like the woman hopped down the stairs, implying that she intended on meeting him there. 

 

When it seemed she was gone, Brian looked over at Justin and they laughed loudly at their predicament. They had finally done the unbelievable, but were now prevented from going into even further bliss. The blowjobs had been well worth it, though. The counsellors tucked themselves away, straightened their shirts and smoothed their hair. “Good to go?” Justin asked. Brian nodded and the two men made their way to dinner. Brian knew he would not be able to relax the whole night. His desire for his blond cabin mate had only grown, now that he knew how very responsive and talented the man was. His touch, his smell, his taste. The sounds that were coming from him. Brian wanted to relish it all again and again. He swore that they would continue what they had started. He didn’t think he could handle it if he had to wait too long…

 

TO BE CONTINUED…               

 

 

-By Monday, Brian remained unsuccessful in having sex with Justin. He spent the whole dinner distracted, his eyes always searching for Justin. After speaking to the kids, he got into a conversation with some of his fellow counsellors Perry, Duncan and Robert. To his utter anguish, the conversation lasted way longer than it should have and Brian noticed that Justin had disappeared already. Finally, he was free to return to his cabin, where he would hopefully find a horny Justin waiting for him, but when he stepped inside he remembered why his aunt always said ‘hope breeds eternal misery’*. To Brian’s dismay, the blond was sleeping soundly when he got back, snoring ever so slightly. It was so cute that Brian made the difficult decision to let him be. He would have loved to have woken him up and picked up where they left off, but somehow he didn’t think Justin would have appreciated being brought out from his slumber. 

 

All Sunday had been filled with constant tasks, frustrating Brian to the core. Justin sensed this and assured the man that they could finish what they’d started when the got the chance. They only problem was; they hadn’t gotten the chance! Brian wanted to fuck Justin more than he had ever wanted to do anything in quite a while. It was an intense need he had that filled his entire being. The kind of need that did not have the patience to wait. And yet he still had to. They’d had no time in the morning either, and had to proceed with Monday’s activities without having touched each other at all. The only solace he found was in Justin’s promise that they would continue. It meant that Justin definitely wanted to have sex with him as well. That was a good place to start. Brian figured he’d just have to endure until that time…came. ;)

 

They were taking their kids on a hike that morning, walking a fairly great distance to enjoy being in the wilderness. Brian hoped the sweet summer air and the scent of dewy morning pine would help get his mind off of Justin; a considerably hard task when the man was walking just metres ahead of him. I am so fucked, Brian thought. He walked along behind the campers, while Justin led them from the front. He was glad to have at east that much separation.

 

“Here it is”, Justin announced once they’d reached their destination. It was a particularly pleasant spot on top of a hill. The campers were just glad to get a rest. Puffing and panting, they took off their backpacks and enjoyed their refreshing water. Giving them some time to rest, Justin and Brian got out the worksheets they’d been given. They then handed the sheets out to all the kids.

 

“While we’re up here”, Brian said as he walked around, “We’re gonna try some bird watching. That’s why w told you to bring your binoculars with you.”

 

The kids inspected the sheets that were handed to them. “The worksheets, as you’ll see, are information grids. They have the names and pictures of different kinds of birds you can find around here. Use your binoculars to spot these birds and mark how many you find. You can also write in some information about the birds you see, like their size, colour, the sound they make, the way they fly or anything else you can think of.”

 

Spotting the already bored looks on several of their campers’ faces, Brian added, “You don’t need to feel pressured by the worksheet. Just take it easy, okay kids?” This seemed to reassure the kids well enough. They got out their binoculars that had been listed on their packing check lists and got to bird watching. Or at least they pretended to. Neither Justin nor Brian could be sure who was really doing it or not. Lucky for their campers; they did not mind at all. The counsellors stood around while their campers did…what ever it was they were doing. They did not stand together. Being that close to each other and not be able to ravish each other would be far too much to have to endure. Instead, they stood by themselves and looked around the area.

 

One agonising moment passed after another until Justin called the campers back for their next activity on the hike. They were giving their campers as easy a day as they could, considering the previous day had been another round of the Peatree Sunday Games. Once again, The Rangers performed very well. This of course meant that the campers were tired and sore like they had been the week prior. Besides the hike, that they took at a rather slow pace, the activities of Monday were quite temperate. “It seems you’re all pretty tense today”, Justin said when the campers were all gathered in front of him.  “So now, we are all going to meditate.” Most of the campers liked the sound of this; they would have some time to really relax. So what if they napped instead of meditated? Justin talked the campers through releasing their bodies before they laid on the ground, ready to meditate. He spoke in a soothing voice that was anything but to Brian. It had never been more difficult for him to stop a boner. He had to think of ice cold water, his naked grandmother and dead puppies…anything that would keep his dick from getting hot and hard. “I want you all to pick a colour”, Justin said. “This is the colour of your energy. What makes you; you. With each deep breath, this colour; your energy, grows stronger and spreads. Let your energy spread out through the trees, across the whole camp, out into the world.”

 

By this point, several campers had already allowed sleep to claim them in lieu of listening to Justin’s energy talk. Others did listen and envisioned exactly what Justin was saying. Felix and Tyler were not at all interested in taking part in this meditation. In their minds; nothing was more lame or pointless. While their fellow campers relaxed, these two boys began flicking each other. The flicking turned to quick whacks and giggling followed. Brian opened his eyes and spotted these kids. Justin had been gracious enough to ignore them for a while, but could not refrain from speaking to them any longer. “Boys”, Justin warned.

 

Brian sat up, eager for a reason to be away from Justin’s lyrical voice. “Justin”, he said, making his co-counsellor look at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll take it from here.” Justin nodded at him gratefully and got back to guiding the campers who were still listening through this much needed meditation. Brian pointed to the two troublemakers and gestured with his fingers for them to come to him. “You two. Come on.” Brian stood and the two campers who had been summoned did the same.

 

“What ever he says, we do not give in to authoritay”, Tyler whispered to Felix, unthinking that Brian could hear them very well. They walked metres away from the rest of the patrol before Brian stopped them. He looked at the boys, not saying a word. They braced themselves, expecting to be told off, but Brian did no such thing. He simply stared them down, raising one eyebrow. After several seconds of this discomfort, Felix and Tyler snapped, giving in to ‘authoritay’. “Alright, alright, I’m sorry”, Felix said.

 

Brian smirked, remarking, “That was easy. Good.” He turned his attentions to Tyler. “What about you, then?”

 

Despite his previous rebellious resolve, Tyler caved as well. “I’m sorry too.”

 

“Good”, Brian said, nodding. “Now that that’s sorted, you can both go sit on opposite sides of Justin.” The boys groaned, realising that they were doomed to listen to the insufferable ‘hippy talk’ they had hoped to be spared from. “You will not say a word and you will love every minute of it. Won’t you?”

 

“Yes”, both boys muttered unenthusiastically. Brian gestured with his hand for them to run along and do as they were told. And they did just that…without too much grumbling.

 

Brian walked back to where the patrol was and stood by, watching them. He crossed his arms and leant his shoulder on the tree beside him as he listened to Justin’s voice. It made him think of what Justin’s voice sounded like when he moaned and when he called out Brian’s name. The brunet yearned to hear that again. This. Is. Torture, he thought.

 

As Justin led his campers through meditation he had to stop himself from laughing a couple times. He could not help but remember the time his own patrol had meditated in a similar spot years earlier. It was a meditation he had not taken part in…

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

“And now you breeeeeathe”, Charlotte cooed, guiding her campers through the world’s most drawn out meditation session ever.

 

Most of the patrol were having a very difficult time trying to hold in their laughter at her ridiculousness. Carl knew he shouldn’t encourage them, but he was in exactly the same boat. The woman had some kind of deluded idea that she was a meditation genius. She was not. Brian struggled not to laugh when she cooed out, “Let the earth fiiiiiiill your soul!” The struggle became too much for him and he coughed to cover up the sound of his amusement. This, unfortunately led to more laughter, from Brian and just about everyone else around. Charlotte stopped and looked at her campers with disappointment and annoyance. “What? Is there something funny about replenishing your spirit?”

 

“Charlotte, everything is funny about…’replenishing your spirit’”, Max responded bluntly.

 

The female counsellor crossed her arms and sank down in defeat. “Well then….”

 

Carl got up and walked over to the woman. “Come on, Charlotte. Cut us all some slack.” He moved to sit next to her as she sulked. “It’s just…does this have to be so…”

 

“So what? Lame? Boring? Silly?” Charlotte demanded.

 

Carl chuckled light heartedly and nodded. “Yeah.”

 

Charlotte threw her arms up in the air. “Well, I don’t know what else to do. This is the only way I know how to meditate. I thought it would be soothing. Obviously it doesn’t work on everyone…”

 

“Hey, when those kids get back with all our ice creams, I think we’ll be feeling much better”, Carl assured her. The counsellors had sent Justin, Emmet, Blake and Daphne away to obtain some ice creams for the group from the freezer in the main hall. It was another steaming hot day and no one was sweat free. “Speaking of them…where in the world are they?” the man wondered.

 

In perfect timing, the four missing campers jumped out from behind the trees, yelling, “Ahhhhhhh!” They each had water guns in their hands and ‘fired’ them at their patrol. Blake and Emmett held two water pistols, while Justin and Daphne had one larger water gun each. The patrol were shocked as planned and all squealed in response to being soaked by the four misfits.

 

Ordinarily, Charlotte and Carl would have told the teenagers off for pulling such a trick, but today they decided to let it slide. Everyone was hot and bored. This was just what they needed to cool down and cheer up. “There you are!” exclaimed Carl.

 

When the water guns were all out of ‘ammo’, the pranksters tosses them on the ground, laughing with the rest of the patrol. They then reached into the pouches they had tied around their waists. “Who wants ice cream???” Daphne called, holding up some cold treats in her hand.

 

The patrol were all so relieved and grateful in that moment. They all responded enthusiastically and lined up to get an ice cream from the four campers who had been sent to retrieve them. “I feel like Santa Claus”, Blake laughed.

 

“We’re better than that”, Justin said, his smile wide. His heart almost stopped when he handed an ice cream to Brian. Their fingers brushed against each other and both boys savoured the touch.

 

Emmett and Daphne noticed the boys’ reactions to the exchange and shared a conspiratorial look. “Yeah. A whole lot better”, Emmett said, watching Brian as he looked at Justin. Something told Justin’s friends that he and Brian didn’t had each other as much as they thought.

 

 

PRESENT

 

Time went by and finally Brian was alone with Justin in their cabin again. This is my chance, Brian thought, eyeing Justin hungrily as he pat his face down with a wash cloth. He was going to give the blond the greatest pleasure he’d ever experience, and it would be tonight!

 

Brian inched over to where Justin was standing. Sensing a presence behind him, Justin turned around to look at his cabin mate. He gave him a lovely sunshine smile. “Pleasant day, wasn’t it?” he commented. He knew exactly what Brian wanted, but he wasn’t going to let him have him so easily. He figured he’d have fun ‘dangling the goods’ for a while. Brian would be putty in his hands if he had anything to say about it. 

 

“Oh, I don’t know if I’d say that”, Brian responded, moving in even closer.

 

Justin licked his lips, noticing how Brian watched the action with hunger in his eyes. “And why would that be?” Justin hand a hand through his hair slowly and leant his head over to the side, exposing is neck to Brian. “Something on your mind?”

 

Brian smirked, knowing full well what Justin was up to. “You could say that.” He placed a hand on Justin’s right hip. “But I’d rather have what was on my mind on me.” With that, he pulled Justin to him and latched onto the smooth neck in front of him. He kissed, licked and sucked the neck, making Justin moan softly, his mouth still closed. That just wouldn’t do. Brian found that he liked Justin’s mouth much better when it was open. He squeezed Justin’s ass with both hands, making the man moan open mouthed this time. “That’s it”, Brian murmured.

 

Justin sighed, horny as hell and pulled Brian’s head down to kiss his lips. He controlled the kiss, giving just the right amount of tongue. Just as Brian was about to begin to pull Justin’s shirt over his head, there was a knock at the door, shattering all of Brian and Justin’s plans. They parted they mouths, Brian grunting and Justin sighing with great annoyance. “Yes?” Justin called.

 

Brad’s voice came through the walls. “Good afternoon counsellors!” he said with his typical enthusiastic flair. “Sally and I would just love to have a talk with all our counsellors before dinner.” Brian sighed and released Justin from his arms. “Don’t worry”, Brad’s voice called in. “No body’s in trouble. We’d just like to have a nice old chat to everyone!”

 

“Thanks Brad”, Justin called back. “We’re on our way.” He looked at Brian, who ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Well, I guess that kicks our plans out of the way.”

 

“Again”, Brian said, laughing bitterly. Was this some kind of test? A punishment? Brian wondered when he’d be delivered from this painful frustration. It was just wrong to expect Brian Kinney to go without sex for two whole weeks. Especially when the object of his desire was Justin Taylor.

 

“Don’t worry”, Justin tried to assure him. “We’ll continue this eventually.” He gave Brian an apologetic smile and turned to leave the cabin. Brian followed him out. Justin was, in actuality, just as burning to be with Brian as he was with him. But there was no way he could tell Brian that. Old habits he guessed.

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

 

-The meeting had turned out to be nothing much at all. Brad and Sally simply wanted to ask the counsellors about how they had been going with their patrols over the first two weeks at camp. They were urged to give any suggestions for improvement and to voice any issues at all. The camp owners also wanted to hear about the campers’ experiences; something that Brian thought they should just ask the campers! The fact that the meeting was a complete waste of time in Brian’s eyes made him all the more frustrated. He and Justin had been interrupted for no good reason at all. Brian thought he might start believing in karma. 

 

By Wednesday night, the boys were still yet to be granted some much desired alone time. Tuesday had been a painfully busy day of water polo, meaning that Brian returned to their cabin in the night only to find Justin fast asleep once again. The disappointment would have been hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic…tragic to Brian, at least. He hated feeling this pathetic. Perhaps it was time to give up soon…

 

The day was a fun filled day of planting and fencing. They planted berry bushes, flowers and other plants in the most rural area on the camp site. Other patrols had already planted some things in the days before them, so Brian and Justin’s campers added to the collection that they hoped would grow to be very beautiful. In the afternoon, the Rangers said ‘en guard’ and duelled with their sabres. They all felt like they were the musketeers or Inigo Montoya from ‘The Princess Bride’*. The campers laughed and fought all afternoon. 

 

In the evening, the Rangers combined with the Falcon patrol and the Willow patrol for a dance party in the main hall. All of the tables that were usually set up in the hall had been stored away fro the night so that they campers could enjoy an old fashion disco together. There were fairy lights and old hits to dance to. Some juice, cookies and sandwiches were brought out for the attendees to enjoy. This group was the first to have an evening dance party. Brad and Sally stopped by for a while to check the night out and to see if it was a good idea. All of the campers’ joy displayed that it was. Considering they used to have dance parties at Camp Peatree up until the year 2001, the patrol counsellors were not quite sure why Sally and Brad felt the need to assess.  

 

Brian was standing with Jess**, the female counsellor of the Willow patrol, discussing something interesting but completely unimportant. The brunet had to admit that he quite liked this woman. She was cynical and feisty in a subtle way; he supposed that was because she was English. Somehow English people always managed to find some way to make anything seem classy. That was what Brian had always found. Jess kind of reminded him of himself, and it was not hard to tell that Brian liked himself a lot. Hence, he took a liking to Jess. While he stood with her, he watched Justin laughing with Emily, the counsellor of the Falcon patrol…the one that wasn’t Carol. Justin threw his head back while he laughed, making his neck appear longer and so very delectable. In fact, all of him looked particularly scrumptious that night. Justin was wearing a deep ocean blue button up shirt and some neat black jeans. He was the vision of perfection in Brian’s horny and blue-ballsy eyes. 

 

Meanwhile, Justin was having the exact same thoughts about Brian. The brunet was wearing a nice maroon button up, paired with immaculate black dress pants. Justin was positive that all of the items on Brian’s body were from designer labels. Instead of finding that pretentious and uptight as he previously did, Justin actually thought it was…cute. It was something that was so identifiably Brian. Justin was amazed at how he his feelings towards the man had just about completely changed in such a short amount of time. Before, he wouldn’t have gone near Brian if someone paid him, but now he wanted nothing more than to be close to him. Provided they wouldn’t be cursed with anymore unwanted distractions or interruptions. 

 

“Ohhh, this is my faaaavourite song!” Carol cheered from her place on the dance floor. The moment the music started, Carol was on the floor poppin’ and lockin’ the night away. Everyone thought it was funny, but the campers all loved it as well. She was having just as much fun as they were. “Yo, DJ!” she called. “Crank it up!” 

 

The song was ‘Canned heat’ by Jamiroquai, a groovy tune from 1999 that played at every party back when Brian and Justin were teenagers. The boys had a particular memory connected to this song. From opposite sides of the hall, they locked eyes and gave each other a knowing look. Justin smiled his Sunshine light, infecting Brian and giving him no choice but to smile back…

 

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

Disco lights lit the main hall with pink, blue, green and yellow colours. The music was pumping loudly, making everything vibrate. Carl would rather be out on his brother’s fishing boat with him, but it was not to be. Completely disinterested in the tunes the kids were listening to these days, the man sat on a chair nearby the snacks table. The campers got Charlotte to stop shying away and dance. She turned out to be quite that dancer. She may have been a lousy meditation instructor, but man, could she dance!

 

The Waterloos combined with two other patrols for the night’s dance party; The Riverbeds and The Bluebells. Their camp runners Murph and Dudley were clever by combining three patrols with kids of the same ages. This meant that they had a lot more fun. They were free to be a vulgar and ‘hoe-ish’ as they pleased…well, only as far as their counsellors would allow them.

 

The campers were busy dancing to TLC’s ‘No Scrub’ when a challenge was made. “Man, my crew could jam right over you”, a kid who thought he was tougher than he really was from the Bluebell patrol said. 

 

Max laughed in the boy’s face and responded, “Please, if you mean raspberry jam.”

 

“Yeah, the Waterloos could dance with their eyes closed and still be cooler than you lot”, Will Hartley***, a handsome Australian boy added. 

 

The ‘tough’ boy stepped closer to the pair, a smirk on his face. “Wanna put your money where your mouth is?” Max and Will laughed but didn’t say anything. Several other campers only started to listen in after this line. “Up for the challenge?” 

 

“Ooooo”, the other campers in his patrol teased.

 

The Waterloo campers that had heard the conversation; which was most of them, shared looks among them. They wore the same smirk, enjoying the idea of a challenge. 

 

“Never thought I’d say this, but; we challenge you to a dance off”, Max said, rolling her eyes at her words. 

 

The tough guy grinned again and looked over at the campers from the other patrol. “You guys in too?” 

 

“You bet”, a pretty redhead girl replied. 

 

“May the best crew win”, Mr. tough guy said. 

 

The patrols broke off into themselves and sorted out 2 dance groups. Justin returned from the bathroom while this was being done. “Hey”, he said as he approached his patrol, a confused and curious frown on his face. “What’s going on…?” 

 

“We’re having a dance off!” Emmett explained with great excitement. 

 

“Seriously?” Justin laughed. Daphne assured Justin that they really were going to commit the biggest teen dance cliché of all time. His smile faded a little when he noticed that the group he had been placed in was the same group as Brian. He had noticed how gorgeous the older teen looked that evening in his slick black clothing. He reminded Justin of the legendary super stud James Deen. Brian had also noticed Justin, who was wearing a nice white polo shirt paired with sapphire blue jeans. Justin looked to him like an angel. 

 

The patrols took some time to practice and discuss a few moves. They decided that most of what they did would be improvised. Despite some of the campers feeling nervous about the challenge, they were all excited, enjoying the jovial atmosphere. When the patrols were ready to begin, the tough guy called them all over. “Yo, campers! It’s time. The rules are: there are no rules. Waterloo and Riverbed group one; you’re up. Good luck.” 

 

The counsellors had agreed to be the judges of each round, promising to be as unbiased as they possibly could. They thought the idea was fun and harmless, so agreed to let their campers have their dance off. The Riverbanks team one went first, beginning tentatively. When the other campers cheered them on, they all moved more confidently. The Waterloos team one danced back. They impressed everyone with some impromptu cartwheels. This ended up winning them that round. The second round was between the Riverbeds team two and the Bluebells team one. Both teams laughed and danced, the Riverbeds being declared the winners of that round. Eventually, it was the round between the Bluebells team two; featuring the tough guy, and the Waterloos team two; Brian and Justin’s team. The waterloos did well, grooving to ‘Canned heat’. They did all kinds of dance moves. Curtis, Max and Leda were all trained hip-hop dancers, so they threw in a view impressive moves. It wasn’t until the other team begun to dance that they realised they were fucked. The Bluebells were good. Amazingly good. Not only did they dance well together, but one kids did a back flip. That certainly trumped cartwheels, and the Bluebells team was declared the winners of that round. The losing teams happily conceded defeat and they were on to the final round between the Waterloos one, the Riverbanks two and the Bluebells two. Everyone held their breaths before each team started to dance. The teams took turns dancing like a dance battle. It was a hard fight, fought with much fun and jest, that resulted in a…Riverbank win! The Bluebells were sure they had it until the red head girl from the Riverbanks did a cartwheel, into a handspring, into the splits, making everyone cheer loudly. It amazed everyone so much that the Bluebells accepted their defeat graciously. 

 

When the dance off was over, the campers all congratulated each other, laughing. “I guess you guys aint so bad, after all”, Mr. tough guy said to the Waterloos, mostly speaking to Max and Will. They reciprocated the sentiment before he added, “Still not a slick as the Bluebells.” With a wink, he walked away with swagger. 

 

Everyone continued to have fun on the dance floor until they could dance no more. Brian couldn’t help but think that Justin’s laugh was more appealing to listen to than the music playing from the stereo. Justin thought that Brian’s face lit up the room better than the disco lights. Not that they would ever allow themselves to actually acknowledge those thoughts. Never…

 

 

 

PRESENT

 

A sexy Latin song begun to play and all the campers stopped moving, not knowing how they should react. Sean and Nina gave each other conspiratorial looks and went over to their two counsellors, who were still standing on the opposite side of the room from each other. “Hey, you two should dance”, Sean suggested to Brian, gesturing to Justin. 

 

Nina said the same thing to Justin across the room. The counsellors’ eyes met and Justin felt a little shy all of a sudden. Brian however, was up for the challenge. He always was, whatever it may be. “I don’t know”, Justin said while Brian stared at him with a raised eyebrow. 

 

Both campers pulled their counsellors onto the dance floor. “Come on”, Nina urged in a light-hearted manner. 

 

“Go on, dance together!” Sean said to both counsellors, loud enough that just about everyone could hear. 

 

When they all caught on to what was going on, they all encouraged the boys. “Yeah! Dance! Dance! Dance!” Even the other counsellors joined in on this chant.  

 

Brian and Justin looked at each other and shrugged, deciding to go along with it. They placed their hands on each other in Latin dance style and began to move to the music. Together, they did a rather sexy dance with swaying hips and a few twirls in there, making the campers and counsellors in the room cheer. Both men had obviously taken dance lessons before. While they moved, they kept their eyes on each other, holding each other close. Brian could smell Justin’s hair. Justin could feel Brian’s comforting breath on his face. They smiled at each other as they danced, giving their spectators a show. It wasn’t just fun. It. Was. Hot. Justin was surprised they didn’t catch alight right there on the floor. He felt the heat through Brian’s pants, signalling that he was just as aroused as Justin was in that moment. Latin dances were meant to get heated. By Brian’s account, they were doing ballroom dancers proud. 

 

*****

 

The cabin door was swung open and Brian and Justin stumbled in, locked in a passionate kiss. Open mouthed, tongue and all. The men made out, moaning and murmuring already. Brian reached over and pulled the cabin door shut. He then began to unbutton Justin’s blue shirt, prompting Justin to do the same with his shirt. Their fingers raced to open one shirt faster than the other. There was no point; whoever lost would still win…or rather; get lucky. When all the buttons of both shirts were undone, the men broke their kiss. Justin looked up into Brian’s eyes. He stepped forward and ran his hands over Brian’s torso. Beginning at the stomach, he slowly made his way up to Brian’s chest. He looked back into Brian’s eyes when his hands got there and he pushed Brian’s expensive shirt off his shoulders. The both exhaled together as the shit fell to the ground and Justin looked at Brian’s body again. 

 

Brian slid his hands up Justin’s body until they sat on the man’s shoulders, under his shirt. He then pushed it off his soon-to-be lover, glad when it was finally off. He stepped closer again and kissed Justin’s neck, making him quietly moan with his eyes closed. Not being able to stand it any longer, Justin grabbed Brian’s face and brought it to his, recapturing his lips. They wrapped their arms around each other and explored with fingers on bare skin. After a good while of that, Brian pulled Justin back towards his bed. When he felt the end of the bed hit the back of his legs, he turned them around, so that Justin’s legs were on the edge on the bed. He did this so he could easily lower to man to it. Brian smiled down at Justin, who kicked off his shoes from his lying down position. The Brunet toed his own shoes off and got on top of Justin. He nudged his nose with Justin’s making the blond give him one of his Sunshine smiles. That earned him a deep kiss that turned into full body rubbing. 

 

When they were lightly panting, Brian lifted his upper body off of Justin and reached down to unzip his pants. The men shuffled and shifted around to get the rest of their hindering clothes off until they were gloriously naked. And glorious it was. The cabin mates admired each other’s bodies with their eyes, hands and mouths. They raked their eyes over the other’s body while running their hands all over each other. Brian pushed Justin back down on his back and pressed his body against him. Justin looked up at him in awe while they continued to rub their bodies together. The blond put his hands on Brian’s ass, grounding him in to him. That got a loud moan out of Brian, pleasing Justin. They laughed before kissing again. Brian broke the kiss and whispered right in Justin’s ear, “Roll over.” 

 

His heart suddenly beating faster, Justin happily did as he was told. He flinched when Brian started kissing down his back, giggling at the ticklish sensation. Brian chuckled in response as he made his way down Justin’s body. He paused when he reached Justin’s bubble butt. After all this time of admiring this part of Justin’s anatomy, Brian could hardly believe he could finally see Justin’s bare ass…and touch it…among other things. Be took both plump cheeks into his hands and kneaded them, making Justin sigh with pleasure. Brian chuckled again and traced the thumb of his right hand from the top of Justin’s crack, all the way over his hole and down to the back of his balls. “Ohhhhh”, Justin moaned appreciatively. Encouraged, Brian took both cheeks in his hands again and spread them apart. Justin inhaled in anticipation. Without hesitation, Brian swooped down and gave Justin the best rim job he’d had in his entire sexual history. Brian loved making Justin squirm and moan while he tasted him. “Uhhhh, that feels good”, Justin babbled. “Ohh. OHHH!” 

 

Brian granted Justin with several minutes of this immeasurable pleasure before he moved his head up to kiss the man’s ass cheeks, making Justin smile. Brian kissed and licked Justin’s back as he moved back up his hot body. When he reached Justin’s neck, he had fun sucking on it. This again made Justin start giggling. This wasn’t just incredibly hot; it was really fun as well. Brian didn’t usually have the giggling kind of fun during a sexual encounter, but he liked it already. He placed his knees on either side of Justin’s body and grabbed his shoulders. Before Justin could ask what he was doing, Brian flipped the man over onto his back. It happened so fast, it made Justin laugh again. A smile on his face, Brian leaned down to kiss Justin’s tasty lips again. Justin wrapped his arms around him as they made out. After a while, he broke the kiss and said, “Fuck me, Brian.” 

 

“You want me inside you?”, Brian asked sexily, a smirk on his face. 

 

Justin smirked back and nodded. He licked his lips, making Brian move down to lick his tongue. “I want you inside me.” 

 

Brian didn’t have to be told twice. He quickly produced a condom and some lube and prepared both himself and Justin. He knew it was a good idea to pack condoms and lube. Michael had told him he wouldn’t need to items, but Brian knew an essential when he saw one. When Brian finally had he sheathed cock lined up at Justin’s entrance, he asked, “You ready?” 

 

“Oh yeah”, Justin nodded. He placed a hand on Brian’s upper arm and said, “But if anyone knock this time, we are not answering it.” 

 

This was the best idea Brian thought Justin had ever had. Besides deciding to have sex with him. “Sounds like a plan”, he agreed. 

 

“Fuck me”, Justin half-whispered, turning Brian on even more, if it was possible at that point. He pushed all the way inside Justin, making both of them moan. Once he was in, he paused to look at Justin, who wrapped his legs around Brian’s waist. Brian leant down to take Justin’s lips with his. He begun moving in and out, Justin meeting his thrusts while they kissed and moaned. The sex continued to get hotter and hotter until Brian thought he wanted to be deeper. He shifted and grabbed Justin’s legs. The blond was smart; he unhooked his legs from Brian’s waist so that the brunet could place them on his shoulders. This gave him a new angle, allowing him to be further inside Justin’s tight, wet warmth. “Ohhhh, Brian! Brian, yes! Oh!” Justin moaned, his voice getting louder with each sound. It was bizarre; here Justin was having incredible sex with his old nemesis, calling out his name. No matter how strange it was; it was ten times hotter. That was all that mattered. Especially when Brian started hitting Justin’s prostate. “Oh fuck!” 

 

Meanwhile, Brian marvelled at how responsive and attentive Justin was. He let Brian do whatever he wanted with him, and touched Brian however he wanted. He was the best kind of lover, with non-stop kissing and touching. Brian believed that Justin’s ass was the tightest, hottest one he’d ever pleasured or received pleasure from. It was as if Justin’s ass was made for Brian’s cock. The way Justin was pulling Brian into him told the brunet that Justin thought exactly the same thing. “Oh fuck! Justin!” After all the time he’d spent fantasising about this exact moment, Brian was finally having sex with Justin Taylor; the incredibly kind, gifted, passionate and strong man he’d gotten to know during their two weeks as counsellors. It was not just any old sex, it was some of the best sex Brian had ever had. The fact that he hadn’t fucked at all in two weeks may have been a contributing factor, but Brian fervently believed it was due to their compatibility in bed. He had finally met a sexual partner who could really keep up with him. They both held off their orgasms for as long as they could so as to prolong their pleasurable experience together. 

 

One of Justin’s legs fell from Brian’s shoulder as the man pounded into him. Their sighs, panting and moans grew. Brian knew that neither of them could hold off their orgasms any longer and he took Justin’s cock in his hand. He pumped it in time with his own thrusts, bringing Justin to pure bliss in time with himself. They came calling each other’s names and holding each other tightly. “Fuck!” they both exclaimed, collapsing to the bed together. Justin stroke Brian’s back as he caught his breath from his place on top of him. After a short while, Brian lifted his upper body and smiled down at an already smiling Justin. He gently pulled out of Justin, got rid of the condom and wiped both of their stomachs. Leaning back over Justin, Brian gave him a soft and brief kiss. He moved to lay beside Justin, who shuffled over to give him more room. The bed was only a king single, so there was enough room for both of them, but not much. 

 

They both turned on their sides and shared a laugh. “That was great”, Justin said. 

 

“Aaamazing”, Brian agreed, leaning in to give Justin another kiss. 

 

“And disruption free”, Justin remarked, making Brian huff a laugh. 

 

They lied together in comfortable silence for a few moments before Brian said, “You have no idea how much I wanted to do that. It was so fucking hot.”  

 

Justin laughed, pleased and a little embarrassed. He decided he was going to be bold. “Oh yeah? And just how long have you wanted to fuck me, Brian Kinney?” he asked, flirting with his new lover. 

 

Brian moved chuckled and moved closer to the blond. He nuzzled his neck before kissing it. “Well, I would say days”, he said between kisses. Justin loved Brian’s attentions to his neck and Brian knew it. “But it’s actually more like years.” 

 

Raising his eyebrows, Justin asked, “Years?” Brian nodded, continuing his assault on Justin’s neck. “As in…as far back as 10 years?” 

 

Again Brian nodded, chuckling through his kissing. “Mmmhmm. I used to fantasize about it.” ~Kiss, kiss, kiss~Brian couldn’t get enough of Justin. His touch. His taste. The sounds he made. All of it made the blond irresistible to Brian. He decided he wasn’t going to analyse those thoughts and just enjoy the moment instead. 

 

Justin chuckled, stoking Brian’s back and arms. “Did you now? What were these fantasies like?” 

 

Brian moved his kisses from Justin’s neck to his shoulder, then back up across his jaw to his lips. Justin liked this very much. His dick was already hard again, which was a tell-tale sign that what Brian did to him drove him crazy. Brian broke the kiss and looked at Justin with a grin. “I would always touch you”, he said, caressing Justin’s body, making him draw out a deep sigh. “And kiss you.” He demonstrated by giving the man another hot kiss. “And play with this.” He took Justin’s dick in his hand, pulling a pleasured gasp from him. Brian chuckled while he moved his hand. “But why would I tell you what I fantasised about when it would be much more fun to show you?” 

 

The blond reciprocated a smile and they started round two. This one was even hotter than their first time together. They’d had heart racing, sweat breaking sex three times, plus some hand jobs and blow jobs in between before they finally collapsed on the bed, ready to call it a night. “Oh”, Justin puffed. “That…was definitely not what I was expecting when I came back to Peatree.” 

 

“I can’t say I actually thought I’d ever run into you again” Brian said with a laugh, still panting. “But I’m glad that we did more than just run into each other. 

 

Another laugh from Justin and he turned his head to look at his bed mate. “Never thought I’d say this, but…so am I.” He gave the brunet beside him a smile and said, “Thanks for tonight, Brian.” 

 

Brian looked at Justin’s face and returned his smile. He bumped his shoulder with Justin’s. The younger man understood that this was Brian’s affectionate way of saying ‘you’re welcome. You too.’ He was more than willing to accept the gesture and allowed himself to be swept away by sleep. Brian followed soon after, tuckered out. Perhaps he had met his match in Justin. Was it possible? 

 

TO BE CONTINUED…             

 

 

 

-

Justin woke with Brian’s breath in his face. He opened his eyes to see the man lying close to him, still slumbering peacefully. Justin smiled as he recalled the steamy events of the previous evening. After all this time of anticipation, he and Brian had finally had sex. Amazing sex at that. Justin couldn’t help but feel happy about this, and that Brian was still with him now. He brought his hand up, hesitated for a moment, then used it to brush some hair off of Brian’s forehead. This pulled Brian from his sleeping state. A smile appeared on his face and he slowly stretched out his body. Smiling, Justin moved his face close to Brian’s and gave his lips a gentle morning kiss. “Morning”, Justin whispered. 

 

Stretching again, Brian rolled onto his back, opened his eyes and saw the blond hovering over him. “Morning, Sunshine”, he said with a husky morning voice. Justin ran his fingers through Brian’s hair while the man tried to wake himself up. “As nice as lazing around, with you playing with my hair is, we’ve probably gotta get going soon”, Brian said, enjoying Justin’s hands on him. He took the liberty to place a hand on Justin’s smooth, plump butt. Justin seemed to like it; he smiled brightly at Brian as he stroked his ass cheeks. “Even though I can think of a million other things I’d rather do today. 

 

“A million, huh?” Justin asked playfully. “Like what?” 

 

Brian put his other hand on the back of Justin’s neck and pulled his head down closer to him so he could speak directly into his ear. He licked the edge of the cute shell-like ear before moving his mouth so that his lips were gently brushing against the ear. Justin giggled quietly, the mixture of cool air on that freshly licked spot and Brian’s breath, tickling his skin. “I’d rim your ass to get you crazy.” 

 

“Oh yeah?” Justin’s breathing began to quicken as the heat built in his lower regions. Brian kept smoothing his right hand over Justin’s butt and moved his other hand down to Justin’s hardening dick. Justin inhaled sharply. 

 

“Mmm hmm”, Brian responded, nodding against Justin’s head. He took the blond’s cock n his hand and started to stroke it. 

 

Justin sighed contentedly and closed his eyes. “Then what?” he asked, licking his lips.     

 

Brian licked Justin’s ear again and said, “When you’re all nice and wet, I’d fuck you all day. I’d fuck you so deep and so slow that you’d never want to stop. Then I’d fuck you so hard you’d pass out with my cock still inside you.” 

 

The blond he was pleasuring with his dirty words and talented hands bit his lip as he moaned. “Really?” His voice was breathless. Instead of answering with words, Brian quickened the pace of his hand on Justin’s dick, making the younger man moan and shiver. “Brian”, the blond whispered. He reached down and took Brian’s own hard cock into his hands. Brian made an appreciative sound as Justin pumped it in time with Brian’s strokes, Together, they were brought to bliss, breathing and moaning in each other’s faces. Justin collapsed half on top of Brian, catching his breath. Several seconds went by of the pair doing nothing but breathing together. Justin couldn’t believe what was happening. Here he was, coming down after receiving a hotter than hot hand job from Brian Kinney. What made it all the more surreal and all the more sexy was Brian’s dirty talk. Just thinking about the way Brian’s voice sounded when he formed those words turned Justin on. “Time is it?” Justin mumbled, remembering that they were about to get up before their morning playtime. 

 

He felt Brian move as he reached for his phone. He felt Brian’s muscles tighten up suddenly. “Shit!” Justin fell off of Brian when he man sat up abruptly. 

 

“What?” the blond asked, Brian’s mere tone making him start to panic. 

 

“We’re late to breakfast”, Brian told him, swinging around to lower his feet to the ground. He meant it when he said he’d rather spend a day in bed with Justin. His co-counsellor had proven to be a highly compatible lover. But even the great Liberty Avenue stud knew how to put his priorities in order.

 

His bed partner sprung up and immediately begun getting dressed. “Shit!” Shit was right. They weren’t going to be able to explain their tardiness in any way that wasn’t pathetic, but they figured they’d make something up. In no time at all, both men were fully dressed. They made sure to smooth their hair and used deodorant so they didn’t smell like sex. Shrugging at each other, Brian and Justin hurriedly made their way over to the main hall. 

 

They did get a few funny looks and questioned about their lateness. Brian smirked and said that their alarms didn’t go off. He was a good liar. Justin blushed and apologised to the other counsellors for being late. He felt frazzled and embarrassed for a bit before he felt Brian’s hand squeeze his knee under the table. It was a reassuring touch that managed to calm the blond down. He gave Brian a discreet smile of appreciation that was returned with a small, single nod. 

 

*****

 

“Well, guys, as your may have guessed, this morning we’re going to be bmx riding”, Brian told their campers. The kids celebrated by letting out some cheers, making both Brian and Justin smile. That certainly got them excited. Bike riding usually did with kids. 

 

The patrol collected their bmx bikes, helmets and padding from the shed nearby the bike track. It was only the summer after Brian and Justin had been campers at Peatree that the site created a track specifically for bike riding. It was just their luck that they missed out then. This was one of the reasons the blond and brunet were glad that they’d decided to return to the summer camp. They got to experience opportunities they hadn’t ten years ago. The counsellors often found themselves having as much fun as the campers. 

 

While all the others were excitedly grabbing their bikes, Brian noticed the lovely Nina standing by awkwardly. It looked like she did not know what to do. Approaching her, he said, “Hey there, Nina. Anything wrong?” 

 

She blushed, obviously feeling embarrassed over something. The girl was typically very open, so Brian felt confident that she would confide what had got her acting so out of the ordinary. “This is so embarrassing”, she started honestly. “I never actually learned how to ride a bike.” 

 

“No?” Brian asked without any judgement. 

 

Nina shook her head. “My folks never taught me”, she admitted. “I realised it was kinda embarrassing that I didn’t know how to ride a bike when I was 11 and tried to learn. But my balance was awful and then I was too scared to try again.”   

 

“That’s okay”, Brian said in a surprisingly kind voice. He very rarely used this voice. It was so rare that each time he spoke with it, it came as a shock to him. “Believe it or not, I know plenty of people who can’t ride bikes.” 

 

“It sucks”, Nina sighed. “Almost everyone knows how to ride a bike. I always miss out on so much fun.” 

 

Brian nodding, understanding full well what that felt like; missing out on fun. He may have been popular and cool at summer camp, but at school he was not. The big straight jocks didn’t like fags so much. Wanting to help his camper, Brian suggested, “I think we might have some scooters. The non-motorised kind. We can find one if you want?” 

 

A smile grew on Nina’s face. She had been given hope of joining in on the fun for once. “That would be awesome.” The pair searched for a short while and triumphantly found a scooter that Nina could ride in place of a bmx bike. She happily thanked her handsome counsellor and was on her way with the others.  

 

Justin had watched this entire exchange and felt his heart fluttering. Something about seeing Brian acting so kind made him melt. It was in these moments where his true inner goodness came through in place of his ‘No excuses, no apologies, no regrets’ attitude. Brian met his eye and gave him a wink. Justin shook his head with a smile. 

 

The counsellors gave their campers a set of rules and safety precautions to follow. Together, the patrol stretched their arms and legs to prepare for the exciting morning of pumping some adrenaline. After all was said and done, the patrol, including the counsellors, zoomed off on their bikes…and scooters. As expected, there were a couple show off kids who were actually quite skilled. Felix and Tyler impressed everyone with some hops, grinds and stalls. They could balance on their front tires and jump with their bikes. As long as the boys were keeping themselves safe, Brian and Justin were okay with their showing off. No one made fun of Nina for riding something else and she ended up enjoying herself very well. The morning was packed with fun. 

 

This turned out to be a lucky thing as the afternoon activity was much more passive. The two counsellors were sure that not everyone would enjoy it, but they knew that others would. They just hoped the kids who did like this more quiet activity would sway the ones who did not. The Rangers were led into the main hall with The Sycamores patrol were they were told they would spend the afternoon playing chess and card games. As expected, some kids did not like the idea of this. It was far to quiet for them. They would just have to make do. Justin happened to like chess. He was very good at it. So good, in fact, that he had entered and won ranked matches in high school. He was thrilled to be able to play his favourite board-type game. 

 

There were a few troublemakers who had to be scolded more than once, but other than that, it was a fairly relaxing afternoon. The campers had to use their noggins to solve their games of chess and cards. Several campers luckily found it fascinating enough to behave completely.

 

After beating one of the counsellors for the Sycamores; Dusty, in a chess match, Justin went over to the refreshments table to get a cool drink of water. He spotted the door that he knew belonged to a closet in the far end of the wall. Metres away, Brian was eyeing the same door. He was familiar with that door…and the closet it belonged to. Especially the closet… 

 

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

The sound of teenage laughter filled the room. It was the same night of the dance party, after they’d had fun with their dance battles. Now, the teens were busy dancing, gossiping, flirting or playing party games. They were playing truth or dare at one end of the room and 7 minutes in heaven at the other. 

 

By now, their counsellors weren’t paying much attention to them. They were either busy dancing, or napping in the corners of the hall. The campers decided to make use of this and do some cheeky things they most likely wouldn’t get away with other wise. 

 

For seven minutes in heaven, it was being played the traditional way, in which both people who were put into the closet were blindfolded. The point was that neither person was supposed to know who was in the closet with them. They’d kiss first and ask questions later. The campers decided it would be more fun for them not to tell the players who they’d just kissed. They’d have to figure it out on their own. As all games of seven minutes in heaven, several of the players were dragged into the game without volunteering. 

 

This was what happened to Brian. He was just minding his own business, walking across the hall to get himself some fruit punch when he was grabbed. “What the fuck?” he laughed. He was amused, but alightly annoyed as well. He really had wanted a drink. Drew and a guy from another patrol took his arms and walked over to where the group playing the make out game were gathered. 

 

“You’re up, Brian”, Drew told him. 

 

Brian spotted the closet door and instantly understood what they were up to. “Oh, no”, he declined, shaking his head. “No, I’m not doing that.” He started walking away when the two boys who brought him over stopped him. They put a blind fold over his eyes while Brian half heartedly struggled. He didn’t really want to play the game but he figured there was no harm even if he was forced into it

 

“Sorry, B. It’s your turn”, his so called friend said. 

 

Brian heard the door open, then felt himself being pushed inside the cooler, smaller space. He heard the door close and thought, I’m going to get that bastard back for this. He heard some feet shuffling nearby and felt another presence, signalling that whoever he was supposed to make out with was already in the closet with him. The teenager couldn’t help but find that predicament amusing…he was ‘in the closet’. Figuring he had nothing better to do since the other person did not utter a peep, probably out of nervousness, Brian reached for the body in front of him. He didn’t have to reach very far and found the warm body. He was pleased to notice that he had been paired with another boy. That was something, at least. Well, fuck it, he thought, grabbing the back of the other boy’s neck and pulling him to him for an intense kiss. Brian thought he’d go all out just for the heck of it. It was seven minutes in heaven. If he was going to kiss the person there with him, why not make it spectacular. 

 

What surprised Brian was the intensity with which the other boy kissed him back. Their make out was hot and passionate, each boy giving it their all and enjoying every second of it. This mystery boy was a great kisser. His lips were soft and felt like they were a good shape. His hair was soft and nice to run his fingers through and pull on. His taste was unlike any Brian had experienced before. He hadn’t been with that many guys just yet, but he had still gotten enough to know that there was something else about…whoever this was. He found himself actually wanting to know who the boy was as he continued to suck his face. Their breathing was heavy when they broke apart to allow themselves some air. Brian did not want to stop for a single second. He moved his lips to the stranger’s neck, which he found to be smooth and delectable. The stranger let out the most arousing sound when Brian started kissing, sucking and biting his neck. “You’re a really good kisser”, the stranger said breathlessly. 

 

The voice made Brian stop in is tracks. He knew that voice. He knew it regrettably too well. Placing his hands on the boy’s shoulders to steady himself, Brian pulled away from his neck and stood upright. He then removed his blindfold to be sure this boy was who he thought he was. Shit. Sure enough, the boy was exactly who Brian thought it was, though he hoped it wasn’t. Yes, the mystery boy who was the best kisser Brian had ever experienced turned out the be the one and only Justin Taylor. Brian could not be sure if he was furious or ecstatic. He knew his friend had done that to him on purpose. He really was going to get him for it. “Something wrong?” Justin asked, his blindfold still securely in place. The voice made Brian’s heart stop. “Why’d you stop?” For a split second, Brian wondered what Justin would do if he found out it was him he had just been gloriously making out with. He shook that thought away, deciding that he didn’t want to stick around for him to find out and pulled away. Quickly and silently, he opened the closet door and dashed out of the enclosed space. Ignoring the others telling him that it had only been 5 minutes, Brian walked right out of the hall, his heart racing. In spite of himself, he couldn’t help but feel completely shit about what had just happened. He thought he might melt away from embarrassment. It would be fine, so long as Drew suffered for it and Taylor did not find out. He could not let that happen. The boy had called him a ‘good kisser’ and seemed disappointed when he pulled away. Brian wasn’t so sure Justin would think that if he knew who he was kissing. And yet…Brian couldn’t get that kiss off his mind. 

 

Meanwhile, Justin was still in the closet, feeling confused, disappointed and rejected. He had been kidnapped and forced into the closet against his will by Emmett, who was definitely going to kill later. Justin would never play a game like seven minutes in heaven by choice. It was way too embarrassing. He had been expecting nothing at all to happen but seven minutes of awkward silence, but what he got was way more exciting than that. The other person who had been thrown in the closet with him was clearly a boy. He wasted no time in grabbing Justin and kissing the life out of him. It was so amazing it made the blond weak at the knees. He could do nothing but hold on for dear life and kiss back with all he had. Secretly, Justin had never actually kissed anyone before. This was the biggest reason he never played games like this. But if he was going to have a first kiss, he felt beyond lucky that it was a kiss like this. A kiss so passionate, so delicious. Justin had o idea he was capable of kissing someone like that. Yet as he kissed the stranger, he thought that they fit together perfectly. When the stranger had moved to his neck, he felt himself growing hard. He willed away the feeling, but the other boy’s mouth and tongue were far too talented to ignore. It all stopped when he told the stranger what a good kisser he was. He stopped his truly heavenly administrations, opened the door and bolted. Justin was left alone, his mind whirling. What in the fuck just happened? He wondered, feeling his heart constrict in his chest. He did not even know who this person was and their running away actually managed to hurt him. 

 

Despite the humiliating sting of rejection Justin now felt, he could not regret that kiss. Because that kiss, he was sure, was what all the fairytales were about. Every poem and song about feeling complete and right by one person seemed to make sense. It was bizarre; Justin had a raging crush on a boy who’s face he had never even seen. He wondered if he would ever know who that stranger was…

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

 

-The following day, The Rangers gathered in a nice space outside where the cool summer breeze hit them just right. This breeze lightly rustled the leaves of the trees above. It was all very pleasant. The temperature was ideal, and the sunshine was delightful. Brian liked how it made Justin’s hair shine golden. Justin liked how it made the flecks of green in Brian’s eyes stand out. Sunshine seemed to bring out beauty, a curious thing to Brian Kinney. Perhaps this was the real reason he’d called Justin ‘Sunshine’ all those years ago, and why he still called him the nickname now.

 

It was a Friday. The Rangers had grown even closer in the time they were at camp. A comfortable trust and care was evident throughout the group. Brian and Justin were proud that their campers supported each other and got along more than well. It made all their activities and all their days all the more enjoyable. “We’re going to play some theatre games this morning”, Brian informed the campers in their nice spot amongst the trees and the breeze. While a couple of the campers looked like they thought this would be lame; a typical reaction from the more ‘cool’ kids, most of the campers really liked this idea. It meant that they would be having fun all day. The counsellors were determined, as always, that they would.

 

All of the drama games were based on improvisation, encouraging the players to work their imagination and use their creativity. It also required cooperation and willingness to let go and try anything. There was no such thing as a bad idea in these games, so long as everyone would go along with it. The patrol began with the classic game; space jump. “Space jump is pretty much the game that teaches you how improvisation works”, Justin explained. “We start with one person doing something such as reading a book. Then, when someone figures out a different scenario they want to make, they cal out ‘space jump’. The person in the scene freezes and the other person starts a new scenario, based off of the frozen pose the person ‘on stage’ is making. These two people will have a scene, for example, riding an elephant, and when someone else comes up with a new scenario, they call out ‘space jump’. The people in the scene freeze and the third person has to use their positions to make a different scenario, like delivering a baby. The game continues like that until everyone has gone, and then we go backwards.”

 

A few questions the campers had were answered by the two camp counsellors and the patrol began the game. They decided that only 10 people could be in a round at once, as 20 would be far too crowded. That, and it was always better to have an audience for these games. They were not just fun to play, they were fun to watch. Sasha started ‘on stage’. She improvised baking a cake, using miming to do so. Justin was impressed with this because it meant the girl was using her imagination to visualise the ‘reality’ of her scene. She had mentioned that she took regular drama classes. Marijanna called ‘space jump’ and led the improvisation into a jewellery heist. Several more campers joined in on this round, building hilarious sketches together. “That was so great”, Justin told the kids when their round had finished.

 

“You guys are hilarious”, Brian applauded them, making the campers proud. The remaining ten campers were eager to start on their round after watching the first funny round.

 

Felix was the camper to begin the second round, pretending to ride a horse in a comical fashion. Everything with this boy was comical. Hawnai jumped in and changed the story to an intense Mexican standoff. “You’ll never defeat meeee! Senoir,” she cried, making everyone burst out laughing. By the end of this round, the whole patrol was crying with laughter. They laughed until their stomachs hurt. It was only morning, and the day was already so much fun; a good sign.      

 

The patrol went on to play ‘train’; a game in which several people pretended they were on a train and one person had to try to make them all laugh. Like the first game, this was hilarious, boisterous and very enjoyable for the players and the watchers. They then played ‘what are you doing’, where all the players had to mime completing a particular task, then give a new, more inventive task to the next person who asked them what they were doing. Yu-Jin mimed riding a bike when Tyler asked, “What are you doing?” She told him that she was performing heart surgery, which meant that Tyler had to mime heart surgery. Of all the theatre gams the patrol played, this was the least popular. The last game they played was the collective favourite as it involved more story. It was known as ‘the party game’ and each player was given a specific type of character to play at a party. The host had to guess who or what the guests were supposed to be. Brian and Justin were pleased with how imaginative their kids were and were convinced to play in a round with them.

 

Before they all knew it, hours had passed. The patrol were brought back in to reality when Brad and Sally announced their presence. “Yoohoooo!” Sally called, waving enthusiastically as she approached the group. Brad skipped along behind her, a cheesy grin on his generic face. Brian couldn’t believe that he actually knew people that were real life versions of couples you always saw in real estate magazines and commercials. It was…sickening.

 

“Hello campers!” Brad sang with flair. It was enough to make even the kids doubt the man’s sexuality. “We have got some exciting news we think you’ll be glad to hear.”

 

Pausing for effect, wide-eyed Sally announced, “Next week will be our official Camp talent show!”

 

This actually sparked some interest in most of the listeners, who perked up. “That’s right”, exclaimed Brad. “So put on your magician capes and shine your dancing shoes, because anyone can enter!”

 

“We’ll accept anything you think is a talent”, Sally told them. “So long as it’s appropriate. We don’t want anything offensive or rude. But we know you kids are good enough to know that on your own.”

 

“You can enter in groups, or by yourself. The sign up sheets will be in the main hall. Just leave your names, the name of your act and what you’ll be performing for us”, explained Brad. “It’s always a magical night that’ll bring fun to even the debbiest of downers!”

 

Brian cleared his throat to keep from chuckling at Brad’s lameness. Justin knew exactly what the man was up to and gave him a discreet look. Their eyes briefly locked and they shared a small, yet very amused smile to display all their feelings about these two people. Sure, they were good. But that was exactly it; they were too good. Brad and Sally were hard to believe as real people. Both counsellors wondered how their hippy and free-loving parents and predecessors had managed to raise a boy like Brad. Could be way worse, Justin thought with a slight shrug.

 

Eventually, after taking a few questions, the couple left and the Rangers were free to go to lunch. The boys dismissed them and led them to the dining hall. On the way, the kids talked animatedly about the talent show and how much fun it would be. “I am going to wow the non-believers with my magic”, Jesepee, the quiet golden boy said. “By the end, no one and I mean no one will ever say they don’t believe in magic ever again.”

 

“I’ll take you up on that”, Tyler challenged.

 

“Yeah, why don’t we make a bet out of it”, added Masamane, completely serious.

 

Jesepee apparently liked a good challenge. He confidently nodded, with his arms spread out as if he were an eagle about to soar across the sky. “Bring it on”, he said. The kids all laughed and playfully teased each other all the way to the dining hall.

 

As they walked, Justin enjoyed his fingers lightly brushing against Brian’s. They were standing close enough to each other that they would have to reach for each other. Still, they did not. They only stuck to the ‘fingers brushing’ thing. It was oddly comfortable; one thing Justin didn’t ever expect to feel around Brian Kinney. Time really did change things.

 

*****

 

The rest of the day went just as well as the first. In the afternoon, the Rangers were divided into smaller groups and put together short drama pieces. Everyone ended up having a blast and once again Brian and Justin had something to be proud of their campers over. They were the kind of kids that would go far…probably.

 

As night claimed the camp, Justin walked with Brian back to their cosy little cabin. Now that he and Brian were sort of lovers, he didn’t mind the cosiness so much anymore. No longer did either man find it to be suffocating. They both stepped up onto the small porch and opened their door. Every time Justin performed this very action, it brought back a whirlwind of memories…

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

Justin and Emmett laughed and conversed as they walked back to their cabin after a long day. They had spent the day playing sports, vigorously moving their bodies way more than either boy was used to. Even after warm showers, their muscles ached with vengeance, punishing them for daring to exercise. All they wanted was to get in bed and stay there for hours on end. Their other roommates were still hanging out at the dining hall, so it was just Emmett and Justin. “I cannot wait to lay down and never play football again”, Emmett said.

 

With a laugh and a nod, Justin agreed. “Oh yeah. I’m gonna be feeling this for days. That’s what I get for being an artist. All we do is sit or stand around for hours. Tell us to actually move our bodies, and we practically drop dead.”

 

“You weren’t that bad”, Emmett offered.

 

“Oh no. I’m am”, Justin responded, waggling his eyebrows for good measure.

 

“The only exercise I’ll be doing is the kind in bed”, Emmett said, completely serious.

 

Justin pondered over that statement before asking, “Have you ever had sex before?”  

 

Emmett gave him a wink and said, “Oh, have I ever.”

 

The friends shared a laugh, nearing their cabin. “What’s it like?” Justin asked. He felt at ease with this other boy. Emmett was so free and open that he made it easy to be around him. Justin liked how honest and unashamed the flamboyant boy was. Someday he hoped to be a little like him in that regard.

 

“Baby, it’s like nothing else in the world”, Emmett answered.

 

“Did it hurt?” the blond asked. “I mean the first time?”

 

The taller teenager nodded. “At first. But it gets better and better as it goes on. I need to stop. I’m getting hot just thinking about it. His name is Jackson Gilroy. I can’t believe I’m going 8 whole weeks without having sex. It’s barbaric.”

 

Justin laughed, not being able to relate. He was in no rush to lose his virginity, but he did think about sex quite a lot. He was a teenager, after all. In truth he was old fashioned. He wanted his first time to be special. This was something he could not tell the few friends he had back home. They would tell him he’s delusional. Perhaps he was. But if delusional got him his dreams, Justin would take it.

 

The boys finally reached their cabin. Emmett unlocked and opened the door. Unexpectedly, the teen toppled over rather ungracefully. “Wahhh!” he cried.

 

“What’s wro-woah!” Justin said. The blond immediately got tangled up in string. He looked around the room and saw that strinf had been tied everywhere around their cabin. “What in the…?”

 

Outside, Justin could hear some laughter. He guessed it belonged to whoever was the blame for this little prank. “We got ‘em, gentlemen”, an unfortunately familiar voice said. “We got ‘em good.”

 

His face turning red with annoyance, Justin wrestled to untangle himself while Emmett did the same from his place on the floor. He’d heard everything Justin had and was just as eager to go after those infuriating boys. “We know you’re out there!” Emmett called.

 

“Kinney, you are going to get it!” Justin called.

 

These comments only led to more laughter from the mischievous boys outside. “When you’re ready to give that a try, we’ll be right outside”, Brian called back with obvious amusement. “Come and get it, boys”, he teased.

 

This of course only enraged the tangled up boys even further. Despite all the inconvenience, Justin was sure that getting Brian back would be extra fun.

 

 

PRESENT

 

Justin chuckled under his breath as the memory came back to him. With a smirk of his own, Brian looked at Justin and asked, “What’s so funny?”

 

The older version of the blond shrugged and looked back at his co-counsellor. “I was just remembering old times.”

 

“And by old times, you mean the pranks we used to pull on each other?” Brian suggested, smirk still in place. They both stepped inside their cabin.

 

“We did some pretty terrible things to each other”, Justin remarked, closing the door behind them.

 

Brian moved to stand closer to Justin. They could both breathe in each other’s intoxicating scent. “What should we do to make up for all of it?” he asked, leaning in.

 

Completely wanting what was about to happen to happen faster, Justin moved even close to Brian so that their bodies were touching. “We can start with this.” Justin moved in and kissed Brian fiercely. Instantly, clothes came flying off. These were two men that had to have their hands on each other right that very second. There could’ve been a fire and neither man would let go. Justin moaned into Brian’s lips, who loved the vibrations it caused. It made him laugh against Justin’s mouth. He pulled away and moved his head to suck on Justin’s neck while the blond himself laughed too. Brian dragged Justin to the closest bed and they fell onto it. Brian wasted no time in getting him all sheathed and Justin all ready for him. Both men wore matching smiles as Brian entered Justin once again. “Uhhh”, Justin moaned in appreciation.

 

It was amazing; even though this was not the first time they’d had sex, each time Brian was surprised by just how wonderful it felt to be inside Justin. Pausing for a very brief moment to let the man adjust, Brian began to move and out of the hot and deliciously tight channel. “Ohhhh yeah”, he moaned.

 

Justin grabbed Brian’s ass in two hands. “Fuck me, Kinney. Show me how guilty you feel for all those mean little pranks”, Justin demanded teasingly.

 

Brian’s smirk returned and the pair shared a laugh as they moved together. “Let’s just hope you can handle how very guilty I am”, Brian flirted, picking up speed with his thrusts. He changed his angle as well, getting deeper and deeper. Justin’ moans got louder and louder, pleasing Brian beyond anything else ever had.

 

“Ohhh. Uh!” Justin shouted. He tugged Brian’s hair almost roughly to pull his head down for another yummy kiss. The two counsellors spent the night having playful yet passionate sex, not getting nearly enough sleep in the end. One thing both men could agree on; it was so worth it.   

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

-

Justin was woken by an intense feeling of pleasure. He felt a talented mouth moving over his hard cock and was brought back into consciousness. “Mmm”, he murmured appreciatively. He stretched out as best as he could without disturbing Brian’s administrations. The blond reached down and laced his fingers in Brian’s soft hair. His other hand gripped the sheets beneath him. “That’s it”, he whispered, his breathing becoming heavier.

 

Brian held onto Justin’s hips while he continued to suck Justin’s impressive dick. If he was honest, he quite liked giving head if the dick was nice enough. Justin’s was just about the prettiest cock Brian had ever had the pleasure of pleasuring. That, and he loved hearing the sounds he got Justin to make. It encouraged him to take his skills even further. Brian ‘Mmmed’ over Justin’s cock while Justin stroke Brian’s head.

 

“Ohhh, Brian”, Justin moaned, slightly lifting his body off of the bed. It was just too good. No matter how strange it was that Justin was now having regular sex with his old archenemy, he was beyond glad that it was happening. Getting woken up like this was well worth it. “Uh!” It didn’t take long before Justin was cumming down Brian’s throat. The man stayed in place to swallow every last delectable drop. “Fuck!” Justin called.

 

After a few more moments, Brian lifted his head up and gave Justin a proud grin. Justin smiled back, satisfied. “What do you say? Was that a way to be woken up or what?”

 

Justin laughed and wrapped his arms around Brian’s neck. “What a way it was”, he responded flirtatiously. He pulled Brian’s smiling face towards him for a deep good morning kiss that got both men hot. When the kiss ended, Justin looked between them to see Brian’s harder than hard cock. “Seems like you’ve woken up too.”

 

“Almost”, Brian answered back on the edge of a smirk. He took Justin’s hand and brought it down to his dick. Justin took the hint and gave it a squeeze, making Brian breathe out with pleasure and arousal. “Want to help me be completely awake?”

 

His lover’s response was a smile and the pair got to kissing again. Justin wrapped his legs around Brian’s waist as they made out, Brian’s wetness making the blond hard again. Their cocks rubbed together as it got more passionate and soon Brian had Justin on all fours. “OH!” Justin yelled out while Brian pounded into him with great expertise. Their coupling was quick, but intense and oh so delicious. It was the start of what was sure to be a very good day.

 

*****

 

It was the day of the talent show Brad and Sally had announced the previous week. Some of the Rangers campers had entered, giving the patrol people to really cheer for. Jesepee and Lane were performing a magic show as promised. Felix was performing an original rap. Truthfully, he would have loved to perform a magic act with his friends, but he wanted to share his ‘mad rapping skills’. Hawnai and Geeta were doing dance-aerobics; a blend of dance and aerobics. It was a sport that was full of fun energy that always affected an audience. Sasha had entered to sing a song.

 

The campers had spent the morning helping to set up the stage and all the sound equipment. They were all supervised, of course, and managed to get the camping grounds looking show ready. The performing campers had been given the morning to rehearse and prepare for the show that would take place in the afternoon. Jesepee had spent the entire day bragging about how he was going to blow everyone’s mind and Lane, as his assistant, went along with it. Felix ostracised himself from everyone as best he could, claiming that he needed to get in ‘the zone’.

 

During the day, Brian and Justin shared sneaky lingering looks and ghost touches. They would brush against each other in seemingly innocent ways whenever they passed each other. When Justin was tying up a sign when Brian came up behind him and whispered in his ear, “Tonight I’m going to fuck you even harder than I did this morning.” Justin closed his eyes and shivered. Damn Brian. After hearing that, Justin was going to have a hard time keeping his dick at bay.

 

Hours later it was time for the show. The stage had been set up with speakers, microphones and musical instruments for the different acts. All the campers and their counsellors eagerly sat in front of the stage, waiting for the talent show to begin. Brian and Justin sat together, with Brian tracing a finger along the side of Justin’s leg. Sorou approached the men, making them both sit up straighter as if nothing at all was going on. “What’s up?” Brian asked the boy.

 

“It’s Sasha”, Sorou said, obvious concern in his voice and on his face.

 

“What’s wrong?” Justin asked, his and Brian’s concern growing instantly. “Did something happen?”

 

Thankfully, Sorou shook his head. “No, nothing happened.” Justin let out a sigh of relief. Sorou went on, “Turns out she’s not as confident as she pretends to be. She is really nervous. I don’t know if she’ll go through with it.”

 

Sharing a quick look with, Brian and Justin asked Sorou to take them to their camper in distress. They followed the boy to Sasha, who was pacing about, shaking her hands and breathing loudly. “Woah, hey, you’re okay”, Brian said, immediately trying to calm the girl down.

 

Sasha shook her head, “N-no”, she breathed. “I don’t think I can do this.”

 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to”, Justin told her soothingly. “No one will be disappointed in you.” Sasha looked down sadly. She did nod, signalling that she understood what Justin was saying, but there was something else. “But you’ll be disappointed in yourself, huh?” Justin asked her. Sasha nodded, still looking down. This was so unlike the typically confident and social girl they were all used to.

 

“Have you ever sung in front of people before?” Brian asked the girl, getting her attention. She turned to him, but still didn’t look up. Sasha nodded in confirmation. “Just not this many?”

 

Sasha nodded again. “Yeah. Not this many.”

 

Brian stepped close to the girl and put his hands on her shoulders. “Here’s what you can do whenever you’re nervous. Close your eyes. Now breathe in slowly and deeply.” Sasha followed Brian’s instructions while Justin watched. He was constantly impressed with how the once seemingly heartless man treated their campers with such kindness. “And when you open your eyes, all you gotta do is picture something you like in front of you. Maybe it’s some guy. Maybe it’s a pony. Maybe it’s chocolate cake. Just picture it on the horizon.”

 

Slowly, a smile formed on Sasha’s face. She opened her eyes and looked up at her two counsellors, her smile getting brighter. The boys around her smiled back in response. Taking another breath, Sasha nodded and said, “Okay. Okay, I can do this.” Brian removed his hands from the girl’s shoulders and stepped back. Sasha shook her whole body with a funny sound. “It’s gonna be so crazy up there.”

 

“You can do it”, Sorou said to her with tender encouragement. “Like I told you; you can do anything.”

 

Sasha gave the boy a grateful smile which made Sorou blush ever so slightly. Brian and Justin looked at each other knowingly, smirking. It seemed there was a little crush here. “We’ll be cheering for you”, Justin told the doll-like girl before starting to return to their seats. Brian gave Sorou a wink before following his co-counsellor. Once they were seated again, Justin sighed, “Ah, young love.”

 

“Yeah”, Brian mock-sighed back over dramatically. “Revolting, isn’t it?”

 

Justin rolled his eyes and playfully hit Brian’s arm. “It’s sweet.” Brian huffed a laugh. “Don’t you go saying anything to them.”

 

“Why, me? Never. What on Earth would I have to say?” Brian asked innocently.

 

“Just be nice”, Justin scolded.

 

Brian smirked and bumped his shoulder with Justin’s. “I’m always nice.”

 

“Yeah, and I’m a 90s Brad Pitt”, Justin scoffed.

 

The brunet chuckled and leaned in even closer to say directly into Justin’s ear, “Brad Pitt’s overrated. You’re way hotter.”

 

This got Justin laughing as well, trying to keep as quiet as he could. The show was starting! The hosts were none other than Brad and Sally. The couple was dressed in matching blue sequined shirts and white satin pants. It was ridiculous, but at least it gave Brian and Justin an excuse to laugh at the pair out loud. Several of the campers and counsellors laughed at the camp runners’ outfits, so the blond and brunet decided to join in. Brad and Sally thought the laughter was at their corny dancing up to the microphones and enjoyed the audience response. “Gooood afternoon Camp Peatree!” the couple said together. “Welcome to The Camp Peatree Talent Shoooow!”

 

“There are some wonderful acts for you this afternoon”, Sally said with ground enthusiasm.

 

“So without any further delay; Iiiiit’s show time, folks!” Exclaimed Brad.

 

The couple danced off stage and the performances begun. Some people sucked. Others were great. No matter who was on stage, however, everyone had a great time. There were singers, dancers, comedians, musicians, bands, sketches, acrobats, gymnasts and more. The Rangers did their patrol proud in their performances. Geeta and Hawnai blew everyone away with their routine to a hyper dance track version of a Lady Gaga song. It made everyone want to jump around with them. The pair were happy to be given a big applause. Felix proved he was the king of cool and truth with his rap about nature. He’d said it was inspired by the camp, pleasing Brad and Sally. Jesepee and Lane wowed everyone with their magic act. They started off with more simple tricks and illusions like the sawing box, birds in a hat and card tricks. Later, they moved on to more complex and impressive tricks, including cool, heart-stopping escapes. He made Lane levitate and escaped out of a water trap. Everyone wondered how Jesepee had gotten his magic equipment to camp and he cleverly responded with, “Magic, darlings. Always.” Lane agreed in all seriousness. Jesepee even managed to incorporate some ballet into his act, showcasing another of his talents. When Sasha came on, she sang a beautiful ballad by Pink, stunning the whole turnout with her voice. She smiled brightly when the audience gave her a standing ovation.

 

After many entertaining acts, Brad and Sally appeared back on stage to close the show. It was not a competition with winners or prizes; it was an evening of fun. “Thank you all for attending to support your incredibly talented and courageous fellow campers!” Out of absolutely nowhere, a gush of deep green slime fell from up above, coating Brad and Sally in the substance. Everyone was stunned yet again that night, while the couple yelped, “Gaaaahhh!” The goopy hosts looked up and saw that something had been rigged on the wooden beam above them. No one had noticed until now. Turning back to the front of the crowd with sheer anger in their eyes, the couple demanded, “Who. Is. Responsible. For. This?

 

Unfortunately for Brad and Sally, the majority of people present began to laugh and laugh until tears were coming out of their eyes and their stomachs ached. Brian looked at Justin pointedly through his amusement. Slime was familiar to them both…            

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

“We are going to kill that scavenger hunt”, Jared said boldly, boasting to his friends. None of the boys with him were in his patrol, so even though they were friends, when it came to patrol competitions, they were ‘the enemy’.

 

Drew laughed cockily and threw back, “You think so, huh?”

 

“Oh I know so”, the tanned teenager responded.

 

“You’re gonna eat your words, buddy”, Drew fired.

 

Brian shook his head, laughing along with his other friends; Tony and Nate. The friends had been enjoying a nice, cool swim in the lake. Now, they were getting dressed after having sat on the shore for a while to dry off as best as they could by air. They were all pretty much dressed, except for their shoes and socks. “You two know shit”, Tony spoke up. “My patrol is going to kick your asses.”

 

“I’ll believe that when I see it”, Brian said. The teenagers playfully pushed each other around, laughing and mocking each other. It was a nice afternoon of fun. Simple and fun. Ever since Brian had been tricked into making out with…with that Taylor boy, being able to relax and enjoy himself without thinking about anything else had been impossible. He couldn’t forget the feeling of Justin’s lips on his, of his skin on his, their breaths mingling together, their tongues entwined. Never had a kiss been so perfect for Brian. But he couldn’t let himself think like that. Taylor was an enemy, not a…a lover or anything crazy like that. That was impossible, anyway. Thinking about it even for a millisecond was pointless.

 

The teenager shook his head and grabbed his socks. His other friends all grabbed their shoes and socks as well, ready to put them on. The boys continued to joke around with each other while they put on their last item of clothing until their expressions changed. Their faces contorted with disgust. “What the fuck?” said Nate. Clearly something had been put inside the socks. They felt wet, cold and squishy. Each boy quickly pulled off the sock they had just put on and looked in it. “What is this stuff?” Inside, the teenagers could see something that was a deep green colour.

 

Brian tipped his sock upside down and watched the goo drip out. “It’s slime”, he said, annoyance evident in his voice. It also contained a knowing aspect, as if he was not at all surprised. “I used to make this shit with my friend Mikey.”

 

Drew threw his socks on the ground with emphasis. “Let’s not play dumb about this”, he said, standing up. “It’s obvious who’s behind this.”

 

Brian smirked, ready for the challenge. He stood, followed by his other friends. “So?” He looked around at the other boys. “Let’s go get them.” The other boys shared nods with each other and were on their way. They were so going to make Taylor and Honeycutt pay…

 

 

 

PRESENT

 

Justin raised his eyebrows at Brian, knowing exactly what was on his mind. Brian gave the man a wink and they turned to their other campers sitting around them. “Do you guys know anything about this?”

 

The campers stopped their laughing briefly to shake their heads in the negative. Brian and Justin were glad it was none of their kids. Whoever was behind this was going to be in a world of trouble.

 

It took a while, but Brad, Sally and the stage were eventually cleaned up of all the slime. In the time it took to get everything and everyone all cleaned up, the kids behind the prank were found out. All the campers had been questioned by the counsellors until someone spilled the beans. The campers responsible were 3 boys and a girl from the older patrols. They had set up the trap when no one was looking and found it hilarious. “Well, I certainly hope it was worth it”, Brad said, shaking his head. “Sally, call their parents. These campers are going home.”

 

Sally nodded with a ‘good riddance’ look on her face. She motioned for the misfits to follow her and led them to the main hall. After they were out of sight, Brad spoke into the microphone again, addressing the rest of camp, “I apologise for all the commotion, campers.” For once, the man looked tired. With a sigh, he said, “I hope you all enjoyed the afternoon in spite of it. These pranks will not be tolerated here at Peatree. Those campers will be sent home this evening.” The people around looked at each other. “In better news; it’s time for dinner!”

 

That certainly brightened the mood. Everyone eagerly began to make their way to the dining hall. Justin and Brian walked alongside each other. “Naughty kids getting up to trouble”, Justin commented. “Nothing’s changed since we were here at camp.”

 

Brian smirked and leaned in closer to whisper to his companion, “If I remember correctly; you were a very naughty boy indeed. I never really punished you for it.”

 

Justin took a deep breath, trying to stop himself from getting a hard on in front of everybody. “Nothing’s stopping you from doing that tonight.”

 

Brian chuckled in a way that made Justin’s shiver. “Nothing at all, Sunshine. Prepare to be punished.”

 

“Can’t wait”, Justin said back flirtatiously. If Brian could make him squirm, he could do exactly the same.

 

TO BE CONTINUED…    

 

---

 

 

-It was Monday, the beginning of the fifth week of camp. Monday promised to be a fun day. The Rangers were teaming up with The Sycamores patrol to learn circus skills. Four experts had come in to teach the campers some cool skills. They were professionals named Penny, Travis, Kim and Art. The campers were taken with these teachers immediately and were eager to start the day.

 

 

 

“Today you’re all going to be learning juggling, balancing objects, basic slight of hand, some cool card tricks, plate spinning and simple tumbles”, Travis told the campers after greeting them. Everyone was already excited.

 

 

 

This pleased the instructors. “I hope you all had a good night’s sleep”, Penny said. “Because it’s going to be a big day.”

 

 

 

Penny lived up to her word. The campers got right into it. They started with basic juggling. Travis had them juggling three small balls and made sure that the counsellors got involved as well. None of them minded; it was fun! Most of the people there were having trouble with the juggling. It was a tricky thing, but each person improved as they practiced and practiced. A couple kids were naturals, as the case always was. No matter who was at what level, the instructors were patient and helpful. Brian was glad for the fact. He had come across too many asshole teachers and coaches who treated their students like their were idiots for not immediately getting everything right. These instructors were actually real teachers in their patience. Brian himself was doing quite well with the juggling. “Nice job there, Brian”, Travis said as he moved around the group.

 

 

 

Brian shrugged, trying to remain from getting smug and continued to toss and catch the balls. “What can I say? I know how to handle balls.” Travis and Justin chuckled in response to this. Brian looked at Justin with a smirk and added, “Isn’t that right Sunshine?”

 

 

 

Justin blushed, but smiled back. He was not going to let Brian embarrass him. “It sure is, Brian”, he said, moving closer to him. “And you know how good I am at handling the stick. Aren’t I?”

 

 

 

“Certainly”, Brian responded, holding back his grin. Oh how he loved to play these games with his unexpected lover.

 

 

 

Travis looked from Brian to Justin, feeling like he’d witnessed enough of their eye fucking and innuendos. “Right, well…good work”, the man said and walked away. Brian gave Justin a victorious smile which was gladly returned. Such fun it was to make each other squirm. Even better when they could make others do it as well. Both men could tell Travis like their exchange. In fact, he was exactly the kind of guy Brian would have gone for. He found himself thinking that he would have picked him up after the day was over and fucked him hard. But strangely enough, Brian did not desire to go anywhere near the man. Even stranger, he was more than content to be with Justin every night they were there. Only Justin. That was a thought that made the stud frown. Never in his 27 years had he ever wanted to be monogamous. He lived by his motto of ‘do anything, say anything, fuck anything.’ So why was this blond changing that without even trying to?

 

 

 

Brian’s pondering was thankfully interrupted by Travis announcing that they were going to have a go juggling cloth. It was different to juggling with balls as cloths were not hard, solid items. It also looked cooler. The group laughed and laughed while they tried this skill, dropping the cloths again and again. Travis had just as much fun witnessing the shameless scene. Some of the kids did manage to get it right, while all the others, Brian and Justin included, remained either average or hopeless. When Kim told them they were ready to move on to balancing objects, everyone welcomed it.

 

 

 

Unfortunately for the hopeful group, balancing was even trickier than the juggling. They tried balancing plates on sticks, which was a particularly trying and humorous task. While the two patrols enjoyed the day, their counsellors noticed a few budding young romances going on between their campers. Sorou was very sweet on Sasha and it looked like Sasha returned those feelings. Justin could tell that the preteens hadn’t told each other as much yet, but they did exchange lots of smiles. The man wasn’t sure what her parents would say about the whole thing, considering she was only 12 and Sorou was 14. But that was exactly why he knew that anything going on between the pair was harmless at this point. As far as Justin was concerned, it was cute. He hoped that the two campers confessed their feelings before the summer was over.

 

 

 

Another potential romance had both Justin and Dusty, one of the Sycamores’ counsellors, particularly intrigued. It seemed that Sean had a thing for one of the Sycamores’ boys, Jacob. Both boys had been making eyes at each other all day. “I’ve seen them talking a couple times”, Dusty told Justin. “Their cabins are next to each other.” She leaned in closer to the blond. “Between you and me, Jacob has been staring at Sean longingly for weeks. It’s very cute.”

 

 

 

Justin smiled, looking at his own kind camper. “It is.” He had suspected that Sean was gay before hand but he couldn’t be sure. Now, he definitely was. That meant he could relate to the boy in a special kind of way. Once upon a time, Justin was just a young boy, still discovering his sexuality and who he was. Seeing Sean and Jacob watching each other, too afraid to make any kind of move made him want to help push things along. “Why don’t you go have a chat with Jacob. And I’ll speak with Sean. Let’s see if we can make some magic”, he said to Dusty. The woman smiled conspiratorially and headed over to her camper. When she reached the boy she gave Justin a wink.

 

 

 

With a smile, Justin approached Sean. “Hey there”, the man greeted the boy.

 

 

 

“Hi Justin”, Sean greeted back, looking at him with a smile. He seemed to be in a good mood.

 

 

 

“How’s it going today?” Justin asked. “You having fun?”

 

 

 

Sean nodded with an even bigger smile. “This is so cool.”

 

 

 

“I’m glad you think so”, the counsellor told him. “You’re pretty good at some of this stuff.”

 

 

 

The boy shrugged and scrunched up his nose. “Kind of”, he said. “I’m alright.”

 

 

 

Justin was silent for a moment, pausing to observe the boy and think over what to say to him. He decided to just rip off the bandaid instead of dragging it out any longer. “So”, he began, clearly on to something. Bing the smart boy he was, Sean immediately caught on. “Jacob is really nice, huh?”

 

 

 

Sean rolled his lips under and looked away. “Uh huh”, he said, trying to sound indifferent.

 

 

 

The camp counsellor was not going to give up. He peaked at Dusty as she chatted with Jacob, encouraging him to try whole-heartedly. “Look, Sean”, he began kindly, getting serious. “I’ve been where you are. Thinking there’s no way that one guy would ever like you. But you’ll never know unless you talk to him.”

 

 

 

Sean looked at Justin meaningfully for several seconds. Justin gave him a small encouraging smile. Finally, the boy decided to take Justin’s advice and go for it. He looked over at Jacob and felt his heart melt. “Okay”, Sean said, taking a breath to prepare himself. “I’m gonna do it.” Justin gave him a Sunshine smile. “Wish me luck.”

 

 

 

“You won’t need it”, Justin told him. Sean made a face out of nervousness and turned around before he could change his mind. Justin watched the boy make his way to Jacob. The boys talked a little shyly and flirtatiously for a while. They then laughed together and Jacob motioned for Sean to follow him. Sean looked back at Justin and gave him a thumbs up. He mouthed ‘Oh my God’, making Justin chuckle. The young teen walked alongside his crush happily, almost dancing.

 

 

 

A very satisfied Dusty approached Justin while the two campers went to spend time together. They were still doing the circus tricks, but they were practicing them together, chatting and laughing while they did. “It worked. They hit it off right away”, Dusty said gladly.

 

 

 

Justin smiled, still watching their campers. “I knew they would.”

 

 

 

“And we were the ones who pushed it along”, Dusty said, pleased with their good-hearted meddling. The two counsellors conversed leisurely for a while longer before Dusty walked off to talk to one of her other campers who said they needed her help.

 

 

 

Brian had been watching all of this from metres away. When Justin was alone again he prowled over to the man. Justin was happy to see him, but tried to hide this by acting casual about his arrival. “Mister Match-Maker, are you?” Brian teased.

 

 

 

The blond laughed and turned so that his body was facing Brian. “I am”, he said back proudly. He was proud of himself and felt no need to hide it, especially not from his bed partner. The man standing before him was one of the most self-assured people he’d ever met. “Is there a problem with that?”

 

 

 

Brian held back his smirk as much as he could. “None at all, Sunshine”, he drawled back. “You could’ve spared them the dismal fate of a relationship. Even if they are only 14.”

 

 

 

As Justin looked back at Sean and Jacob laughing together, he smiled again. Brian admired the smile, grateful for each time and every second he got to see it. Justin turned back to him and said, “It doesn’t look so dismal.”

 

 

 

Brian stepped in closer to Justin, prompting the blond to do the same. They looked in each other’s eyes, wanting desperately to kiss the living daylights out of one another. Marcus’ distinctive laughter was enough to make the men snap out of it and remember where they were. Both men cleared their throats and stepped back from each other. “As much as I’d love to fuck you right here, I don’t think that’s a sight for the kids”, Brian remarked.

 

 

 

His lover laughed loudly. “You’re right”, he said back flirtatiously. “That’s no way to behave in public.”

 

 

 

With a shrug, Brian said, “Guess we’ll just have to be good boys for now and wait until later.” Brian gave Justin a wink and walked away before he jumped him. It was going to be a long time until later came.

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

Justin giggled as Brian pulled him into the shower stall. It was late and the counsellors had snuck into the shower building together. If they wanted the privacy to have the fun they’d been waiting for all day. It had been far too long since their morning tryst. Brian pulled Justin right into him and kissed him like a starving man tasting food for the first time in days. They were mad for each other, hands everywhere, skin on fire. Brian reached behind him to turn the water on. Both men cried out at the sudden hit of cold water and started laughing gleefully.

 

 

 

They stepped aside, waiting for the water to heat up. While they waited, they continued to nip, lick, bite and kiss every spot they could reach. Brian moaned when Justin nibbled on his neck. He had found out early on that that drove the man crazy, and so he used it to his advantage any chance he got. Brian pulled Justin’s head up to kiss his lips, his tongue invading Justin’s willing mouth. They walked back under the spray, the water now warm and pleasant.

 

 

 

Before they begun to have sex, the men washed themselves first. Justin enjoyed Brian’s hands moving soap over him and rubbing it into his skin. He equally enjoyed doing the same thing to Brian. It was more intimate than they’d ever been with each other. Apparently Brian intended for them to be completely clean and reached for the shampoo bottle that had been left in the shower. It was not his usual high quality product, but it smelled nice and that was good enough.

 

 

 

When Brian squeezed some shampoo onto his hand, it brought back a previously forgotten memory to his blond companion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

 

 

“I’ll see you later”, Emmett told Justin as he left the shower building, his hair still dripping wet from his bathing.

 

 

 

“Later”, Justin called. He’d only just entered the building had had briefly chatted to his friend before he left. They spoke about their last prank to Brian and his friends and wondered when they were going to strike back. Usually, they retaliated much faster. Justin shrugged and removed the last of his clothing. He hopped in the shower and turned on the water with a drawn out sigh. All he’d been thinking about for the last two hours was this very moment. He wanted nothing more than a nice, relaxing, cleansing shower.

 

 

 

He closed his eyes and let the water wash all his worries away, forgetting all about Brian and his band of un-merry men. The boy was through with letting his thoughts be dominated by those bullies. This was time for himself. He was glad he’d brought his own soap and shampoo with him. They smelled of honey, one of his favourite scents. After enjoying washing his body, Justin moved on to his hair. With his eyes closed, he squirted some shampoo onto his hand. It felt colder than usual, but Justin took no notice of it. The teenager began rubbing the substance through his wet blond hair. It felt…different. Wrong. Justin frowned and stopped his hand motions. He opened his eyes and moved his hand down to look at it. His shampoo wasn’t supposed to be that colour. “What…?” Justin smelled his hand and gagged. Someone had replaced his shampoo with mayonnaise! Justin hated mayo. He had to stop himself from throwing up. It was in his hair! “Fuck!”

 

 

 

Justin stood directly under the water and frantically washed all of the condiment out of his hair. Something told him that this wasn’t all Kinney had planned for him, but it was a horrendously unpleasant start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRESENT

 

 

 

Shaking his head and the foul memory away, Justin allowed himself to relax and enjoy Brian’s hands on him. They massaged his scalp in a way that was oh so nice. Justin closed his eyes and smiled with pleasure. The sound of Brian chuckling made Justin open his eyes again to look at the man questioningly. “What’s funny?” he asked.

 

 

 

Brian continued to wash the shampoo through Justin’s luscious hair as he answered, “Nothing. You just look like you’re in pleasure land.”

 

 

 

Justin smirked and ran his hands over Brian’s chest seductively. “That’s exactly where I am, counsellor Kinney”, he said. Brian looked from Justin’s eyes to his lips, thinking about tasting them. “It’s rather nice over here.” Justin moved his face even closer to Brian’s, making the man smile lustfully. “I can take you there, if you want me to.” Justin didn’t wait for any kind of answer from Brian. He gave the man a hot kiss and then fell to his knees just as it was about to progress. Taking Brian’s lovely hard dick into his hand and licked it from the base up. He gave the tip a kiss, pleased by the sound Brian made. Swiftly, Justin swallowed Brian whole and gave the man the best blow job he’d ever had. 

 

 

 

“Uhhh, Justin”, Brian moaned. He reached down to grip Justin’s hair in his hands and closed his eyes. Pleasure land was the sweetest thing. A delicious 2 minutes of Justin’s skilful mouth and tongue brought Brian over the edge. “Yeeeaaah!” he groaned as he came down Justin’s willing throat.

 

 

 

When the man was sated, Justin popped back up with a proud look on his face. Brian opened his eyes and took the younger man into his arms. The counsellors resumed their kissing, every sense intoxicated by each other. In the last few weeks, Justin had seen a side to Brian that he never thought he would. He wasn’t just kind and funny. He really lived up to his reputation as a stud; sexy, skilful, responsive and very in tune with the male form. But with Justin, Brian was another thing. He could take Justin into his arms and touch him with an affection that Justin didn’t know the man was capable. His heart fluttered and melted all at once when he was with the other man.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Brian decided to ignore the surge of electricity he felt coursing through him whenever he was near Justin. He didn’t even have to be touching him and his breathing changed. He had no idea what it meant; no person had ever made him feel that way before and he wasn’t sure what to do with it. What was it about this blond that drove his entire psyche crazy? 

 

 

 

TO BE CONTIUNED…       

 

 

 

-Two days later, The Rangers were on their own again. They had walked over to the same spot they had done their mandalas at. “Today, kids, we’re going to be doing something you’ll probably really like”, Brian told them. Justin shook his head at Brian’s typical spunk. He wondered if the man was ever serious. Not keeping the campers waiting any longer, Brian went on, “This morning you’re going to be creating your very own superheroes.”

 

 

 

The campers chattered words of excitement in response to this news. “That is so cool”, Moira said with a blinding smile.

 

 

 

“Thought you’d like it”, Brian commented, smirking slightly at their reaction.

 

 

 

Chuckling, Justin got out large sheets of paper and stationary equipment. “You can use these materials to design your superhero.” The campers rushed over to the paper to get a start on the morning’s activity. Justin continued to speak while the campers enthusiastically moved. “Make sure you give your hero everything they need. A name, an alias, a back story and of course; some awesome super powers. We can share our heroes later.”

 

 

 

Brian moved to stand next to Justin with his arms folded, watching their kids go at it. They were glad they had a patrol they could constantly be proud of. These were good kids, and they were a good patrol. “My friend Mikey would salivate if he got told he got to do this for hours. Or get a hard on. Probably both.”

 

 

 

“He a fan of superheroes?” Justin asked, recognising the name. Brian had spoken about his friend Michael a fair few times, even when he was younger. The man told Justin they’d been friends for a long time. It made Justin even more curious about his co-counsellor. Everything Brian and told him about Michael suggested that they weren’t at all alike, and yet Justin could tell how much the man meant to him. It was just another thing Justin would have to figure out about Brian; how he decided who he could be friends with.

 

 

 

“He’s the king of comics”, Brian told him. “I wonder whose idea this was.”

 

 

 

Justin shrugged, watching the kids having fun already. “I don’t know. But it’s a really neat idea, huh?”

 

 

 

“Well, it’s certainly got them hooked. You could probably send a naked man on fire running through here and they wouldn’t notice”, remarked Brian, making Justin laugh.

 

 

 

The blond turned to face Brian, ready to proposition him. “It seems to be keeping them pretty occupied. How about we join in on the fun?”

 

 

 

“Drawing cartoons was not how I thought I’d spend my morning”, Brian said, giving in already. The two men picked up some paper and stationary to begin designing their own super heroes. Originally, Brian was going to create a very x-rated hero who had master powers in giving men pleasure. Looking around at who was in his company, Brian quickly realised that kind of superhero wasn’t appropriate. For now. That didn’t mean he couldn’t introduce Justin to that hero later on. They hadn’t explored with role play yet…

 

 

 

The Rangers laughed together amidst their focus in creating the best superheroes mankind would ever know. A while later, the patrol collectively agreed that they were all finished and ready to bring their heroes to life. They had fun making simple, make-shift costumes for their superheroes, getting more enjoyment out of the morning. Some of the older kids thought this activity was a tad ridiculous, but ended up having fun anyway. No one was around to make of anyone. The patrol sat in a circle when everyone was ready. Each person stood one at a time to share their superhero. Everyone was impressed with the creativity display and had fun listening to and watching the others. “Mega Jam!” exclaimed Felix, jumping around. “He hypnotises people with his killer jams! He’s a rap genius!” As always with Felix, this got everyone laughing.

 

 

 

“This is Taser Girl!” Moira cheered, doing a fancy pose. “She can power an entire city with her electrical powers and stop bad guys with her tasering hands! Don’t high five her. She’ll zap you!”

 

 

 

Marcus was next. “Meet Klaxon Jaxon Super Sound! He can control frequencies so he can hear anything he wants to. Anything. Especially evil Russian spies.” The boy did a funny James Bond-like move, making the group laugh. They were impressed, however. This superhero was pretty clever.

 

 

 

“I’m the Sledgehammer man!” Tyler yelled as if he were the Hulk. He smashed his fist into the dirt with a roar and a groan. “Sledgehammer is the strongest man to ever live. His fists can make the entire Earth shake!”

 

 

 

Alexa got up and twirled the cape she made around. “Duh, duh, duh, duuuuuh!” she sang, getting everyone giggling. “Turkish Delight traps criminals in her jelly goodness. She regenerates it so you can’t eat your way out!! And she owns a kebab store on the side.”

 

 

 

“Woo for kebabs!” Duke cheered.

 

 

 

The other campers got up and shared their original superheroes. They came up with a time manipulator named ‘Time Zone’, a shape shifter called ‘Magnus’, a super genius ‘Super head’, a premonitions hero ‘Miss Forward’, A girl who could turn invisible known as ‘Gone Girl’, and many more inventive and hilarious heroes. The g-rated hero Brian came up with was a super boy scout. He was ace at getting badges and surviving in the wild. All of nature was on his side. The patrol found this rather amusing. Justin’s hero was ‘Colour splash’, a super artist who could make anything he drew real. Everyone thought this hero was really cool. When it was time for lunch, the heroes went off to enjoy a super lunch!

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

After lunch, The Rangers were led to a spot where there was a lot of mud. The counsellors had their campers line up in a straight line. Brian pointed between the two kids standing in the middle and drew an imaginary line up and down. “Everyone on this side of the line”, he gestured to the kids to the right of the imaginary line, “You’re with me.”

 

 

 

“And everyone on this side”, Justin gestured to the ten kids standing on the other side of ‘the line’, “You get me.” The kids looked at their counsellors curiously, not having any clue what was going to happen. With a knowing smirk, Brian showed the kids a long, long, very long piece of rope. “This afternoon we are playing a game of tug of war.”

 

 

 

The campers looked around at each other, unable to decide if this was lame or not. “It may sound unappealing, but a good ol’ fashioned game of tug o’ war is a camp tradition”, Brian said to assure the kids. The teams got into position over the mud patch, with the counsellors at the very ends of the rope. “The aim of the game is to pull on the rope as hard as you can as a team. The strongest team will succeed in pulling the rope far enough to make the other team fall in the mud”, Brian explained from his spot on one of the rope ends. “Sounds obvious, but I’m obliged to tell you the rules.”

 

 

 

Justin huffed out a laugh and got the patrol prepared. “Hold tight everyone”, he called. The kids gripped the rope strongly and shifted to be in a ready stance. Brian and Justin locked eyes, being brought back to when they did this as campers…

 

 

 

 

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

 

 

The Waterloos stared each other down from different sides of their rope. They all held on tightly, preparing for battle. “Ready”, Charlotte called. “And pull!” With that, the different teams tugged harder than they’d ever tugged before, hoping that they wouldn’t have to be victim to a mud bath. Brian wished they had of been told about this beforehand. He didn’t want to ruin his white shirt!

 

 

 

The campers and counsellors grunted and groaned as they pulled on the rope. “Come on campers!” Carl called out in encouragement. His voice was strained due to his effort at tugging the rope. “You can do this!”

 

 

 

“Show your might!” Charlotte called to her team of campers. “Use your strength!”

 

 

 

Everyone was fired up and determined enough to put in all their efforts. This was war, after all. A strange sound was caught only by a few young ears. “What’s that?” one girl asked. The campers standing closer to the middle could feel something changing about the rope. Like it was weakening or dropping. Or breaking. Without any further warning, the rope snapped right down the middle, sending everyone flying. They all fell onto the muddy ground in a heap.

 

 

 

Charlotte managed to sit up, blowing her hair out of her face. “Why did that happen?”

 

 

 

Carl made his way over to wear the break was on his side of the rope. He slipped, tripped and fell over on the way to the snapped rope. When he finally got there, the police officer took the end of the rope to inspect it. While he was doing this, Charlotte slipped, tripped and fell over as she got to the broken rope on her side. Both counsellors studied the rope ends before deciding, “It looks like it’s been sabotaged”, Carl said.

 

 

 

“Someone cut the rope?” Curtis asked, trying to hold back his laughter. It was a feat that only lasted him a couple seconds. Once they were over, the teenager laughed and laughed, still rolling around in the mud.

 

 

 

Charlotte and Carl looked at each other with tired eyes. They could not be bothered to nag and put the blame on anyone. Shrugging at each other, both counsellors addressed their campers, “We’re going to let this go”, Charlotte told them.

 

 

 

“Only because tug of war is all about getting dirty”, Carl explained, keeping the general mood light hearted.

 

 

 

“Yeeeaah!” someone cheered and the patrol enjoyed rolling around in the mud together. They figured they never really got the chance to be silly like this, so they were going to enjoy it. Even the kids who would usually find this sort of thing gross embraced it and had fun.

 

 

 

“Aw, man”, Brian complained, looking at his all dirtied up white shirt.

 

 

 

Justin laughed at the boy. “Aww, did poor Kinney get his clothes all dirty?” he teased in a baby voice. Brian rolled his eyes at his nemesis. He then smirked at the boy and mushed a big chunk of mud on the top of the kid’s head. “Argh”, Justin complained, scrunching up his face. They boy pretended to be all outraged but then looked up at Brian with a smirk of his own. He slapped some mud right onto Brian’s butt, making it look like Brian had shit himself. It got Justin laughing while Brian pretended to be more annoyed about it than he was. Despite his filthy state, Justin had touched his butt. He had touched his butt! Brian found himself wishing the touch could have been more drawn out and less fleeting. Justin was wishing the same thing…

 

 

 

 

PRESENT

 

 

 

Back in the present, The Rangers prepared for their tug of war. Brian and Justin had triple checked the rope, so unless someone played the old switcheroo on them, the rope appeared to be un-tampered with. “Steady”, Justin called. “Aaaand…tug!”

 

 

 

The patrol let out a collective groan as they all tugged on the rope. The physics of the game forced everyone to shift their feet a little so they could get a better balance. The two teams shouted out encouraging things to their own team and more game-play things to the other one. The counsellors would have laughed if their breath wasn’t almost choked out of them by their efforts. The teams pulled and pulled until a winner emerged victorious. The kids on Justin’s side gasped, feeling themselves get pulled over into the mud by Brian’s team. They lost their footing and all fell right into the muddy ground.

 

 

 

“Woohoo!” Brian’s team cried at their win. They dropped the rope, puffing and panting as they shared high-fives, hugs and cheers. It was a true victory! Even more so by the fact that the other team were forced into the mud.

 

 

 

“So”, Brian said, walking close to the losing team, who remained on the floor. “How does it feel to be defeated?”

 

 

 

Justin gave Brian a cheeky smile. Brian cocked his head, unsure of Justin’s intentions. The dirtied up blond grabbed Brian’s legs and pulled him down to the mud with him. Their campers laughed and cheered at the action. “You tell me”, Justin said with cheek.

 

 

 

Truly surprised, Brian gave Justin a mischievous smile of his own. “Kinda like this.” Reliving the past, Brian quickly grabbed a whole chunk of mud in his hand and put it right on top of Justin’s head, getting it in his golden hair. This made their watching campers laugh even more. Justin shook his head at the man and threw some mud right back at him. That was what started the entire patrol in a massive mud fight. “Oops”, Brian said with a laugh, looking around at the monster they created.

 

 

 

Uncaring of who was around them, Justin laughed and pulled Brian to him for a sweet but brief kiss. The men smiled at each other and engaged in the mud fight when a few of their campers tossed mud right at them. They only hoped they’d have time to get all cleaned up before diner. Something told them Brad and Sally wouldn’t be too happy to feed a bunch of muddied campers.

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

Nightfall came over the camp and once again Brian and Justin could spend some alone time. Together, they walked down to the lake. It was a nice night with a cooling breeze. It was also time for Brian to show Justin the other hero he’d thought of earlier. He told the man about it, who laughed and said it was a great idea, but that he was glad he’d kept it for the two of them. “How about I introduce you to him? I know he’s been dying to meet you.”

 

 

 

Justin grabbed Brian’s face in his hands and planted a hot kiss on him. “I believe I already have met him”, Justin said, standing close to Brian. “Every night for the past couple weeks.”

 

 

 

“I believe you have”, Brian said back before resuming kissing Justin’s perfect lips. They divested each other of their clothing and jumped into the lake stark naked. The pair laughed and splashed each other as they swam around for a bit. It was ridiculously romantic; skinny dipping in the moonlight. Brian didn’t care. He was going to make sure that things heated up in the water. He wadded over to Justin and took the shorter man in his arms. Justin reached up and wrapped his arms around Brian’s neck. “Ever fucked in a lake, Sunshine?”

 

 

 

The blond exhaled quickly in his lust. “No, I don’t think I have.”

 

 

 

“Prepare for that to change”, Brian said with a predatory grin. He dashed off to the shore to collect a condom and a dollop of lube. Making sure that both he and Justin were well prepared, Brian lifted the younger man off his feet. Justin wrapped his legs around Brian’s waist, a big smile of his face. The pair gazed at each other for a moment. Snapping out of the silly romanticism, Brian again took Justin’s lips with his. He positioned his cock at Justin’s hole and pushed in. Justin pushed back, helping him get all the way inside him. Both men grunted once they’d succeeded. “Yeah, Sunshine”, Brian groaned. “You are so nice and tight. Like your ass was made just for me.”

 

 

 

His breathing becoming more laboured as Brian moved inside him, Justin puffed back, “Maybe it was.” That turned Brian on more than anything else had in his life. He gripped onto Justin’s body and fucked him into pure bliss. For some inexplicable reason, nothing was more arousing than hearing that Justin was made for him. To be his match. To please him and be pleased by him. Brian moaned and bit the blond’s neck while he had sex with him. “OHH, Brian!” It was a good thing no one else was around; these boys were not being quiet at all. Several minutes of this out of the world sex was all either man needed to bring them to climax together. Brian made his familiar face while Justin made his familiar noise as they came together. That was another thing Brian liked about Justin. He always seemed like his body was in tune with his. So much so that they could time their orgasms to cum together.  “Yessss!”

 

 

 

When they managed to come down from their mind blowing orgasms, the boys looked at each other and kissed again. Justin didn’t think he’d ever get tired of kissing Brian Kinney. Everything about his mouth, his lips, his tongue, were absolutely perfect. Yum. Brian laughed when they broke the kiss, prompting Justin to laugh with him. He hopped down from Brian and stood in front of him. “Well, you can cross that off your checklist, Sunshine.” Justin smiled brightly at Brian, making the man think that it was even more tinkling then the stars above them. It seemed to glow more than the moon and give more light than the sun. Brian shook his head and kissed the man again before leading him back to shore.

 

 

 

Once there, the counsellors came together again and made love on the shore. This round was much slower and gentler. It was making love.

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED… 

 

 

- Sunday. This was a special Sunday. Instead of the usual Peatree Sunday Games, the whole camp gathered to play a mass game of ‘capture the flag’. “This is a special game of capture the flag”, Brad told the camp through his beloved megaphone. “Instead of the usual two teams, we are playing with all ten patrols. That means that the rules are a little different. There are ten flags scattered across camp.” Several campers groaned, worried over the thought of having to run around across the entire camp grounds. “Don’t worry”, Brad reassured them, “All of the flags are scattered nearby. You will all know the locations of the flags, as they form a decagon.”

 

The campers shared looks with each other, the sound of this un-traditional style of the game starting to get really interesting. “There will be keepers by every flag. The people who are the capturers must gets past them, as well as the campers who are other team players. If someone tries to capture a flag and gets caught by an enemy player whilst in their territory, they must go to the jails. There is one jail in the centre of the decagon”, Sally explained. As Sally and Brad said more, the game started sounding more and more fun.

 

“A player can release someone on their team from the jail at any time”, Brad added. “The game will end once all the flags have been captured. The team with the highest number of flags will be declared the winner.”   

 

“What if the result is tied?” A boy from one of the older patrols asked.

 

“A good question”, Sally acknowledged, nodding her head. “If the result is tied, then the game will be a tie”, she answered.

 

“As for the teams; there are 5 catchers, 5 keepers and ten other players. The players are there to assist the catchers and distract the keepers”, Brad explained after a couple seconds of people registering Sally’s answer. “Now. It’s up to you all to decide who is going to have what team position.”

 

The patrols all took that as an invitation to discuss their teams and tactics with each other. The Rangers came together. “Who wants to be a catcher?” Brian asked. The more athletic campers immediately volunteered themselves and the positions were filled. They then sorted out who would be the keepers. The ten remaining Rangers were players. It didn’t take long for all of the patrols to sort out their team positions. “The game plan; work together, be supportive, do this for each other”, Brian said. The Rangers nodded their heads, knowing that that was the best course of action. The patrol was close enough to be happy to live by the ‘one for all and all for one’ motto.

 

When it looked like everything was sorted out, Brad said, “Catchers, go grab a blue sash.” He gestured to one of the cardboard boxes that Sally was standing next to. “Keepers, go get a green sash. Players, you get yellow sashes.” The campers obeyed and collected their sashes. It took quite a while and was a little chaotic, considering there were 200 kids trying to get at 4 boxes.

 

Eventually, however, all 200 campers adorned a sash and were ready to begin the game. The keepers were all led to their team’s flag. Everything had apparently been set up the previous day, as all the campers found. All the other campers were ready to play. Using her megaphone, Sally announced, “Good luck campers. The game starts…now.” At the signal, the campers began the game while their counsellors kept watch. They had been situated nearby each base so that the game could be monitored at all times. No one was allowed to cheat or harm each other. The counsellors were there to make sure the game was played safely and fairly. The game was intense; war cries and running like hell. It was a fun battle that everyone tried their very best in. Brad and Sally hadn’t taken into account that the younger kids were at a disadvantage with the older ones and were all defeated; but not without a fight. All the playing teams worked hard, running from base to base to try and capture as many flags as they could. The Rangers got one, The Foxes got one and The Roselleas got two. In the end, The Falcons patrol emerged the winners with 5 out of 10 flags. Everyone was puffing and laughing, having had a fun and tiring morning.

 

The campers gathered back together when the game was over and the Falcons were declared the winners. “Congratulations to our winners and to everyone who played”, Sally said with her big smile. “The prize is that The Falcons don’t have to help pack up. The rest of you, however, do!” The Falcons cheered and high fived while everyone else groaned. Behind their bright smiles, Brad and Sally were clearly evil. “So, get to it, campers! Afterwards, you can all enjoy the big outdoor lunch we’ve organised. Flacons, you can enjoy it right now!” With complaining and mumblings of Sally’s secret wickedness, the campers packed away all the equipment. As Sally said, once everything was cleared, the rest of the campers were free to take part in the picnic. The camp spent the afternoon soaking in the summer sun, enjoying the breeze and eating fresh food.

 

Justin sat with Brian on the grass. They watched the campers laugh and play. Justin laughed, spotting Duke and Masamane get Felix right in the face with a creamy piece of cake. “Hey!” he complained through laughter. He wiped some frosting off his face and licked his fingers while the two boys ran away. “I’m gonna get you!” he called, picking up a tart to chase them with.

 

Brian watched Justin as he laughed at the display. He watched the other man’s features light up with joy. It was Sunshiney and beautiful and other lesbionic sentiments. All of it made him feel…something. That something annoyed him because Brian Kinney was not supposed to feel something for anyone. Yet, that something made Brian oddly happy. Deep down, he wanted to accept it, to embrace it. There were no expectations at Camp Peatree. No one here was expecting him to be the great stud of Liberty Avenue and the Upper West Side. He could be anyone, do anything. This was what made him slide his hand over to Justin’s and take it in his. Surprised, Justin turned his head to look at Brian. They said nothing at all while they viewed each other. After a couple of seconds, Justin smiled in acceptance and held Brian’s hand tighter. Brian looked away, back at the campers, unable to hold back his own smile.

 

They watched Felix catch up to the two campers he was chasing. “Gotcha!” he said victoriously.

 

Duke and Masamane turned around, holding a custard tart each. “No”, Duke said with a smile that matched his friend’s. Felix took a step back. “We got you.” The two boys threw the tarts at Felix, dirtying his clothes completely. Giggling like a couple of school girls, the pair ran off, leaving Felix to wipe the dessert off him.

 

This time, both Brian and Justin laughed. They would have put a stop to it, but they knew it was harmless fun between friends. “Remind you of anything?” Brian asked, making Justin laugh loudly. Indeed it did…

 

 

         

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

“There’s lots of food, so no one will miss out!” Murph, one of the camp owners said over her flower-decorated megaphone. “Everyone enjoy!”

 

The campers and counsellors did exactly as they were told and enjoyed all the food that was served for their afternoon picnic. It was another day after finishing The Sunday Peatree Games. After having competed in games and sports all day, the campers were tired and very, very hungry. They dug right in to the dishes. There was lasagne, burgers, sandwiches, salads, pies, tarts and cakes. Justin’s friends watched in a mixture of amusement and shock while he inhaled the mountain of food he’d put on his plate. “I’ve just gotta ask”, Blake said, not looking away. “Where do you put it all?”

 

Justin looked up from his nearly empty plate, some crumbs and sauce on the corners of his mouth. “Huh?”  His friends laughed at this response. Justin swallowed and wiped his mouth. “What?” he asked bashfully, his cheeks turning pink.

 

“Oh, nothing, Jus”, Daphne said, putting an arm around her friend and giving his shoulder a squeeze. “We love you just the way you are.” Justin rolled his eyes and shook his head, but smiled anyway.  

 

“Yeah, we love you and your piggish appetite”, Blake joked. Emmett laughed in response. Justin pretended to laugh too. He turned back to the table they were standing nearby and picked up two desserts; one cherry tart and one lemon cheesecake. Swiftly, the blond turned around and stuck the desserts right in the faces of his two teasing friends. This time, Daphne started laughing. A few other campers nearby saw this happen and joined in on the laughter. Blake and Emmett wipe the sweetness out of their eyes. “very funny”, Blake said flatly.

 

Licking his fingers, Emmett said, “I was going to try some of that anyway.” Justin gave him a cheeky wink. “But I wasn’t planning on wearing it.”

 

“Oops”, Justin said innocently with a shrug. He smirked and said flatly, “I guess my hands just…slipped.”

 

“Uh huh”, Blake returned, inching closer to the table. Quickly, he picked up another cherry tart and slapped it onto the top of Justin’s head. The dessert got everywhere, temporarily staining his hair a rosy pink. “So did mine.”

 

Justin scoffed and picked up a smaller cheesecake. At the same time, Blake took a piece of lasagne in his hand. The friends looked at each other challengingly for several seconds, daring the other to make any kind of move. Blake lunged forward, prompting Justin to do the same and they pressed the food to each other’s torsos. The commotion had gotten the attention of many campers, who gathered around to watch. Brian was one of them. He thought the whole thing was very amusing, mimicking the mud fight he and Justin had the previous week. Food was a lot more appetising than mud. Brian watching the red and white of the cherry tart drip down Justin’s face. He would have liked very much to have licked it off. Whilst Brian was caught up in his dirty thoughts, Justin and Blake continued to chase each other. “Food Fight!” some guy yelled.

 

The campers around raised their arms and cheered, agreeing that a food fight was a very fun idea. There were kids everywhere, chasing each other and tossing food. Brian laughed and picked up a half empty bowl of potato salad. “What the hell”, he said, dumping the salad onto a nearby camper’s head. This earned him a buttered roll to the back from the kid’s friend.

 

While the campers engaged in this incredibly juvenile activity, their counsellors and camp owners stood by helplessly, wondering what on earth they could do. The campers were creating such a mess! Surely, they were going to be made to clean it up later. The problem was how to make the kids stop now before they made any more mess.

 

“What a waste of perfectly good food”, Dudley, the other camp owner sighed, still picking at his veggie-patty.

 

 

 

PRESENT

 

“You’re right”, Justin said, getting up. This meant that his hand slipped right out of Brian’s. He brushed off his pants and said, “We should probably put a stop to this before it gets out of control.”

 

Sighing with annoyance because he’d much rather spend more time sitting with Justin, but nodding because he knew the blond was right, Brian said, “Fine. Let’s go stop it.” He stood and saw Justin’s knowing smile.

 

“Don’t worry”, the blond whispered, leaning in closer to him. “I’ll let you hold a lot more than my hand later.” He gave the man a wink and began walking towards the pranking campers. “Hold it there, guys!” Justin called to them. Brian barely heard his co-counsellor speak. He was too busy thinking about holding a lot more than his hand…

 

*****

 

After dark, the camp had all been gathered together again. They were going to be playing a mass game of the game ‘spotlight’. Campers would hide in pairs. One pair was selected to be the searchers. They would search the camp for the hidden players, using flashlights to try and spot them. Once a pair was found, they had to help find the other hidden campers and counsellors. It was outdoor hide and seek in the dark. Two counsellors stayed back at Camp Base in case of any mishaps.

 

The campers and counsellors ran around madly to find the perfect hiding spots. Two older kids were ‘in’ and walked around with their flashlights, figuring out the sneakiest ways they could catch the hiding kids…and adults who were really kids at heart.

 

Brian and Justin joined hands and dashed off as everyone scattered. They ran into the trees, hoping to find a private spot where they could have a moment alone for a while. Trying not to giggle like a couple of school girls, the men stopped, deciding they’d walked far enough. Brian turned around to face Justin and the blond put his hands on the man’s upper arms. Pausing briefly to smile softly at each other, they came together for a kiss. Without separating their lips, Brian pushed Justin against the nearest tree and deepened the kiss. Justin moaned into the heated kiss. He pulled Brian closer to him, their bodies now flush together. Brian reached down to cup Justin’s dick, causing the blond to pull his mouth from Brian’s with an audible sound. “Brian”, he warned with a laugh, trying to remove Brian’s hand from his lower regions.

 

Brian pulled his head back just enough so that he could look at Justin’s face, giving him an innocent look. “What?” he asked, tongue-in-cheek as he continued to grope the younger man in his arms.

 

Said man tried to squirm away, despite the fact that he loved Brian’s hands on him. Brian foiled the man’s escape plans, holding onto him tightly. “Not here”, Justin told him.

 

“I seem to remember you saying I could hold this part of you earlier today, Sunshine”, Brian whispered seductively, giving Justin’s dick another squeeze. He could feel it getting hard in his palm as heat radiated from Justin’s crotch.

 

Justin laughed and placed his hands firmly on Brian’s shoulders. “I didn’t mean now, Brian”, he said. Brian gave him a cheeky smirk and raised his left eye brow, keeping his hand exactly where it was. “Anyone could see us.”

 

“Anyone you say?” Brian murmured with a smirk, his face close to Justin’s. “A little bit of danger is exciting. And hot.”

 

“Yeah, well it wouldn’t be so hot if an innocent 8 year old kid spotted us”, Justin commented.

 

This seemed to be enough to make Brian actually stop fondling the man for a moment. With a sigh, he released Justin and stepped back slightly. He still looked to be in good spirits, to Justin’s relief. “You may have a point there, Sunshine”, Brian said, his eyes dancing. “We’ll have to leave that for later. But for right now…come find me!” Brian dashed off in a different direction, surprising his lover.

 

“What?” Justin laughed, startled by Brian’s sudden departure. He moved off the tree he had been pinned to and ran after his co-counsellor. He was well aware that they were acting like kids, but was having too much fun to care.

 

Justin thought he spotted Brian and sped up, a grin on his face. His plans of catching the man were dashed when a teenager jumped in front of his out of nowhere. “Gotcha!” She said triumphantly, tapping Justin’s shoulder. She laughed when Justin made a little yelp of shock at the girl’s sudden appearance. “You okay?’

 

“Oh yeah, I’m just fine”, Justin assured the girl while he tried to settle his own racing heart. It didn’t take long and the girl raced off to find other people who were hidden. Justin shook his head with a short laugh. He should have expected that he would be caught, but for a minute, he forgot they were even playing the game. He was just focused on being with his sexy summer lover. As soon as Brian reappeared in Justin’s mind, he realised that now he had been found, he had even more incentive to catch the man. “I’m coming for you, Kinney”, he said, starting up his run again. Exactly 3 minutes and 32 seconds was what it took to catch up to the brunet. Justin pounced on him, causing both of them to topple to the ground.

 

Laughing, Brian wrapped his arms around Justin and flipped them over so that he was on top of him. “You are making waiting til later so much harder by throwing yourself at me, ya know.”

 

“Shut up”, Justin chuckled, giving Brian’s arm a light smack. The boys returned to Base, where they were met with a couple younger kids who had been scared to be out in the dark. Counsellor Perry and Counsellor Carol were also still at Base. The kids cheered right up when the four counsellors told them about the campfire the whole camp was going to have when the game was over.  

 

A while later, the game was over, everyone deciding that it had been a ton of fun. The camp gathered yet again; this time, to share a big campfire together. The fire was large and warm, but safely controlled by all the counsellors present. Sally and Brad led the camp in singing some corny old campfire songs. “Now repeat after me!” Sally said with her usual enthusiasm. “Fire’s burning, fire’s burning. Draw nearer, draw nearer. In the garden, in the garden. Come sing and be merry!”* The camp followed Sally’s lead and sang the song, which they managed to turn into a round. They spent the evening eating marshmallows and smores, singing songs and sharing stories. Brian and Justin sat comfortably together. Justin wished he couldn’t put his arms around Brian, but decided against it, unsure of how the man would react when they were around the entire camp. Holding hands in public was one thing, but embracing was far more intimate. He wasn’t sure Brian wanted anyone to know about them. Frankly, he wasn’t sure he wanted anyone to know either. Shrugging it off, Justin shifted closer to Brian, deciding that he was just going to enjoy being near him in any way he could. What ever this was that they had…they’d figure it out…eventually…

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

 -Bright and early on Tuesday morning of the sixth week at camp, The Rangers gathered together in the same spot they had made their mandalas not too long ago. It was time for some real storytelling. “Today, children,” Brian began, causing the older kids to huff at being called ‘children’, “You are going o be learning all the deepest, darkest secrets of Camp Peatree.” He spoke slowly, using a mysterious tone and a raised left eyebrow.

 

The kids were all silent for several seconds, unsure whether they should be excited or suspicious. It was Justin who broke the silence. “He’s kidding”, he said, disappointing many of the campers. Their counsellors chuckled at them and Justin added, “But what you ARE going to learn today is Camp Peatree’s history.”

 

Again, the kids were silent, as if waiting for their counsellors to tell them this was another joke. When it got uncomfortable, one kid managed an unenthusiastic, “Yay…”

 

Brian sniggered in response, but his glee was cut short when Justin whacked him on the arm. He held his arms up in innocent defeat and Justin turned back to the kids. “Oh, come on, it’ll be interesting!” He gestured for everyone to sit and waited for them all to get themselves together. Once everyone was ready, the boys began telling their campers Camp Peatree’s past. “The camp has been running each summer for fifty years and the land here has been in the Peatree family for decades”, Justin started off.

 

“It started with Albert and Janis Peatree in 1960 and was passed on to Murph and Dudley after 20 years. They were still the owners when Justin and I were here”, Brian continued. The boys had some sheets of information to go off, but they did actually know most of what they had to share anyway, having been told the camp’s history when they were campers.

 

Yu Jin asked a question, to Justin’s great relief, because it meant that at least one person was actually interested. “Were they anything like Brad and Sally?” she asked, with a slight shudder. The current owners were very nice people, but just about everyone agreed that they could be a bit too much sometimes. They were just a little bit too smiley and too enthusiastic. Even just a little bit too American at times as well.

 

Both Brian and Justin smiled, remembering the previous camp owners. “They loved this camp as much as Brad and Sally do, but they were a lot more…well, mellow.”

 

“Mellow? Peatree?” repeated Sean with a huffed laugh. “Can those two words even be put in the same sentence?”

 

The patrol laughed at the boy’s joke, but his counsellors knew better than to actively encourage making fun of their camp owners. “They’re still around”, Justin shared, referring to Murph and Dudley. “But after 20 years, the camp was passed on down to Brad and Sally, who of course have been running it since. Sometimes, the campsite is used by scout groups and music groups to hold their camps at. These are always only ever in the springtime, or during fall, because we need the camp in summer and it’s far too cold to host anything here in winter.”

 

This bit of information seemed to interest the campers, as they had been completely unaware of this. “Do they do the same stuff we do when they’re here?” Geeta asked.

 

“Other organisations don’t really hold 8 week programs here like we’re doing now. Their camps are usually only about 1 to 4 weeks long. And a lot of those camps and events are themed. I know there have been some Halloween themed camps before, for example. So, I suppose they do whatever fits their theme or the reason that they’ve come here in the first place”, Justin answered.

 

This time, Nina asked a question. “So, like, why did Janis and Albert decide to start the camp?”

 

Justin was frothing these questions, leaving Brian quite amused. And pleased that his companion was the one doing most of the talking. “Great question!” Justin responded. “Well, the Peatree family have owned the deeds to this area of land for a long time, but no one ever attempted to affectively do something useful with it. Janis and Albert met each other at a summer camp that wasn’t too far from here when they were teenagers, so they loved camps. That particular camp closed for good, so the Peatrees decided to turn this spot into a camp of their own. They had everything they needed built and the rest is history.”

 

“You know, there were a couple times when the camp almost had to close down”, Brian piped up. Justin was surprised. He thought that Brian would have been happy to give all the responsibility of this task to him. Then again, Brian never ceased surprising him. “The camp almost went broke more than once, and there was some group of hippies who wanted the land to be free of visitors.” This made the campers laugh. “But every time, the Peatrees came back on top again.” He gave Justin a cheeky wink, and the blond struggled to keep his blush at bay.

 

“So…” Jesepee began, sounding like there was something a little scandalous he wanted to ask. “Have there been any famous romances here? I mean, the camp’s been open for 50 years…”

 

Justin chuckled and began to answer the question, “You can probably imagine there have been plenty of young summer romances here. We’ve heard that some of them even last.”

 

“You know people who are still together, then?” Jesepee asked.

 

“I do know a few childhood sweethearts who went on to get married. People who met here at Camp Peatree at some point”, Justin answered.

 

Most of the girls and a few of the boys sighed almost longingly. “So romantic!” said Sasha.

 

Brian had to stop himself from puking. This was supposed to be a History lesson. Boring and simple. How had it turned into memory lane for the lovers of yesteryear? Justin, on the other hand, thought it was all very sweet. He believed that true love always prevails. The patrol spoke more about the camp and the people connect to it until was time for lunch. Brian honestly couldn’t wait to get out of there and away from conversations about romance. He was so going to be getting Justin to give him a blowjob for making him listen to such drivel. That was about as romantic as Brian wanted to ever get. Luckily, Justin loved sucking dick. He was so good at it, how could he not?

 

After lunch, the patrol returned to the same spot to do something that was more active. They were tasked with building a shelter in groups of 4, using only the natural materials around them like sticks and leaves. The counsellors stood back and watched their campers scramble about, looking for materials and completing their task. It was like watching a flock of birds run around, pecking at the ground. It brought Brian and Justin back to their time doing this very same thing…

 

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

 

Brian was sure that he had been cursed. Or maybe it was just that Charlotte and Carl had had enough of him messing around. What ever it was, someone or something had it in for Brian. Once again, he had been placed in a group with his least favourite camper. Well, probably not his very least favourite. He wasn’t the biggest man of Joseph, the boy who always smelled like a mix between an old closet and sweaty shoes even after he’s showered. But of all people, he has been forced to work with the smartypants blond boy that found endless new ways to infuriate him day after day. He was just so damn annoying and cute and…UGH! Had Brian really just thought of Justin as ‘cute’?! What in the hell was wrong with him?! He couldn’t believe he had been thinking the kid wasn’t so bad lately. Not long after they worked together on the first aid task, the boys had gone right back to making each other’s lives hell with all new pranks. And yet, there was something changed between them. Neither boy knew what it was, or dared to entertain the thought long enough to figure it out. But something was changed. Brian was just glad that Justin had no idea the boy who kissed him in 7th heaven was him. That would cause drama, he was sure of it.

 

Justin couldn’t believe he had been grouped with his arch-nemesis yet again. What was it that made people think it was a good idea to put them together at all?! While they were working to build their stupid shelter that stupid Carl and Charlotte had instructed them to do with stupid natural materials, Justin just couldn’t concentrate. He was far too busy watching Brian’s arms as he tied leaves and branches together. That was why putting them in a group together was so detrimental to him; Brian was just too distracting! Hazel eyes met blue and Justin looked away instantly, feeling his cheeks get a little hot. Fucking hell, now he probably thinks I’m obsessed with him, Justin thought, clenching his jaw. He got right back to tying things together to make their shelter.

 

After Justin had looked away, Brian resumed the position of ‘the watcher’. He eyed the blond across from him thoughtfully, a slight frown creased into his forehead. Why is he so obsessed with me? Brian thought while staring intently at the boy in question.

 

This unusual exchange did not go unnoticed by the two other boys in their group; J.D and Curtis. They both looked at the blond and brunet before sharing a look between them. They were able to communicate a message to each other in those look; that these two were weird. And totally hot for each other, but in total denial about it. Curtis cleared his throat and said, “Justin, will you help lift this side up?” This made both the watcher and the watchee slightly jump, immediately returning to the present. Brian wondered how long he’d been staring at Justin, while the other boy, who was very aware that Brian had been looking at him for exactly 46 seconds, blushed even more than he already was. Curtis and J.D shared another quick glance and tried really hard to hold in their laughter.

 

“Uh, yeah, sure”, Justin said, standing and moving around to where Curtis was. They held up the first completed side of their natural shelter, with Curtis standing on the outer side, and Justin on the inner side, forcing him to be near Brian. Really near. As in his ass was right next to Brian’s face. The brunet noticed immediately, of course, but got busy ignoring the piece of wonderment beside him. J.D watched for Brian’s reaction and again had to suppress his laughter. This was just too good. Curtis was an evil, evil man. And a genius, of course.

 

Once the two boys managed to prop up the first side of their shelter, things moved along much faster. Brian and Justin made a point to ignore each other the entire time, much to their fellow campers’ great amusement. Finally, they were tying their final piece of the shelter together and decided that they were just about done. “Looks good, boys”, J.D commented. “If I do say so myself.” He suggested that they show their counsellors their finished work. 

 

“Hold your horse there”, Justin told his fellow dork.

 

“Hold your horses?” Brian questioned, scrunching his face up in disgust and slight amusement.

 

Justin look over at him. Curtis was standing between them, but they could still see each other just fine. “Yeah, what?”

 

Brian made a gesture as if the meaning behind his comment was obvious. “Who the hell says that? I mean, what are you? 60?”

 

“Who says you have to be 60 to use a a simple old saying?” Justin challenged.

 

“See! You just said it was old! And what teen speaks in sayings?” Brian teased back.

 

“Why is it so important to you how I speak?” Justin asked, perfectly enunciating every last word.

 

“I hate to break up this heartbreakingly important conversation, boys”, Curtis interrupted before Brian could fire anything back. “But why aren’t we showing Carl and Charlotte this right now? We’re done, right?”

 

Justin was finally able to say what he had wanted to several seconds ago before he was so rudely interrupted. “Because we need to check it first.”

 

“Like go inside it, or something?” Brian asked.

 

“Yeah”, Justin shrugged.

 

“Looks like you too are our volunteers”, Curtis said, annoying the boys on either side of him. J.D mouthed ‘you’re pure evil!’ to him, which Curtis responded to with a cheeky grin. “Chop, chop boys. We don’t have all day.”

 

One thing that Brian and Justin could agree on was that Curtis was an ass. A nice guy, but an ass. Moaning and groaning the entire time, both boys ducked into the shelter the group had made and looked at their work form the inside. “Looks okay”, Brian called out.

 

But the boy spoke too soon. Just as he’d finished his short assessment, Justin noticed one of their ties completely loosen and begin to slip towards them. “Oh shit!” was all Justin could manage to say as the shelter collapsed on top of him and Brian. The boys themselves ended up almost completely on top of each other in the chaos!

 

Curtis and J.D stepped forward, looking at their patrol members on the ground in a heap. “I guess not”, J.D said, making Brian glare up at him. Surely someone had it out for Brian. There was just no other way this would be happening to him…

 

 

 

PRESENT

 

The day had gone by painstakingly slow, but it was finally time to head down to dinner. Brian and Justin were in their cabin, just about to make their way to the hall when they got a knock at their door. Brian just about prayed that it wasn’t Carol or Sally or someone coming to annoy them. At least the knock hadn’t come when he and his cabin-mate had been fucking less than 10 minutes ago. Now, that would have been annoying! He opened the door warily only to see his campers standing outside the door. “Oh”, he said, opening the door fully. Justin walked over to stand beside Brian and see who was there. “Hey guys, what’s up?” Brian asked.

 

The kids all had mischievous, knowing smiles on their faces. The counsellors were unsure of whether to be worried or not. “Is something going on?” Justin asked after getting no answer from the kids.

 

“Come on”, Sean said as the campers began to lead their counsellors somewhere.

 

“What?” Justin asked with a soft laugh.

 

“Just follow us”, Alexa said. Brian and Justin shared a shrug and followed their kids. They probably weren’t axe murderers, being only tweenagers, so the men figured they were safe following them.

 

“So…where are we going?” Brian asked as they walked.

 

“You’ll just have to trust us, won’t you?” Troian said mysteriously. It did nothing to make the men any less confused. What the fuck, Brian thought.

 

It didn’t take long for them to reach their apparent destination. The kids stopped walking, then turned around to face their counsellors with smiles on their faces. That was when both men realised where they were. The campers had led them to the gazebo, which was decorated with a table with a red table cloth, two chairs, candles and few fairy lights. It was clear what was going on. “Guys…” Justin began, not sure what to say.

 

“So yeah, we set this whole thing up for you two”, Felix told them.

 

Brian and Justin shared a slight smile before smiling even brighter at their campers. “How did you manage this?” Brian asked.

 

“Oh, we have our ways”, Troian replied with that same secretive tone.

 

Looking at the set up, Justin said, “This is…”, he shook his head, unable to find the words in one thought. “It’s amazing. And so thoughtful. Thank you.”

 

The kids all nodded and responded with variations of ‘it was easy’ and ‘of course’. “Chicken’s on the menu”, Sean told the pair. “We didn’t…well, that’s from the kitchen, but you know, it’s here instead of in that big ugly dining hall, so…I mean, you’ll enjoy it so much more, I think.”

 

“We certainly will”, Brian agreed. Justin knew he had more than just dinner in mind when he said that.

 

“We just want to say we think it’s cool that you guys are, well, you know”, Hawnai chimed in. “And we thought we’d thank you for being awesome.”

 

Both counsellors laughed. “No one has ever called me awesome before and meant it” Justin joked. “I’d better call my mother. She’d be so proud.”

 

“Me, I’m used to it”, Brian said. Their campers laughed and told their counsellors not to worry about packing up the set up. They wished them a wonderful evening and went off to have dinner in the main hall like always, leaving Brian and Justin alone. “They figured it out”, Brian said, going to sit at the table. Justin followed him and sat on the opposite side.

 

“They’re smart kids. And maybe we weren’t as discreet as we thought”, Justin replied. “We so do not deserve such good campers.”

 

“After what we put our counsellors through, no we do not deserve them”, Brian laughed.

 

The pair enjoyed their outdoor dining experience together, talking and laughing comfortably. Brian was kind of uncomfortable with the rather romantic setting. “Uh, Brian?” Justin asked after a while. “I can practically hear you thinking. Something up?”

 

Brian shrugged and then shook his head. Truthfully, he was feeling weird, but it was also very nice. Being there with Justin was more than pleasant and he was glad he was there with him. He just wasn’t used to doing this sort of thing…ever. He didn’t, however, want to say anything that might upset Justin and spoil the mood. He did not want an argument when he was looking forward to dessert later on. “Nope. Nothing.”

 

True to Justin’s nature, he would not leave it at that. “Are you…I don’t know, freaking out because this is kind of like a date?”

 

Brian looked at his companion, both amazed and annoyed that he was always so good at reading him. “Just a little”, he admitted. “Look, I don’t want to have this fight-“

 

“Brian, I’m not going to fight with you”, Justin said with an understanding tone, surprising and relieving the other man. “I get it. That would be a little weird. But, this doesn’t have to be a date. Just a nice dinner and some good company.”

 

The brunet smiled at the blond, admiring the hell out of him. “But if this was a date, what’d happen, do you think?” he asked with one thing on his mind.

 

“Oh, I’d definitely put out. But it’s not a date, now, is it?” Justin saucily replied.

 

“Not at all”, Brian said back, eye fucking the hell out of the blond. “But you know, we could always pretend it was a date.”

 

Justin looked like he was considering something very important before meeting Brian’s heated gaze again. “We’ve never role-played before”, he said reaching over to trace lines on Brian’s hand with his fingers. “Think it’d be fun?”

 

Brian didn’t have to think about anything before responding with a simple and fervent, “Yes.”  

 

The men rose and came together for a kiss. They wrapped their arms around each other, getting closer. After standing like this for several seconds, they both realised that they were still close by the main hall and that the campers would all be coming outside soon. That was not the audience they wanted, so Justin took Brian by the hand and led him back to their cabin for a cosy night in. The boys came together for another heated kiss once they were back safely in their cabin and immediately started working on their clothes. Getting them off as quick as possible, Brian pushed Justin onto his bed, Justin pulling him down with him. This made Brian laugh and Justin smiled. He liked that sex with Brian wasn’t just hot; it was fun. He intended to have a lot of fun. He pulled Brian down to resume their kissing while they rubbed against each other. When he could stand no more, Justin demanded that Brian enter him. “Fuck me. Now!”

 

“Yes, Sir”, Brian half-whispered, making Justin shiver. He was sure that if Brian didn’t get to it soon, it’d be over before it even started. Fortunately, as always, Brian was swift and expertly. He knew how to get them both prepared quickly because it was too hard to wait many of the times they’d had sex. He looked Justin in the eyes while he penetrated him, making a deep sound in his throat.

 

Justin closed his eyes and grabbed on to his lover’s back, pulling him closer. “Brian”, he purred. “That’s it.” With their arms around each other and faces close together, the two men fucked and fucked until they were all fucked-out. Justin had never had it this good in bed. Brian was the best he had ever had. He wasn’t too sure if he wanted to give that up once camp had ended. But he had never brought it up with Brian, for fear of what he might say. For Brian was more than just his fuck buddy. He was his friend. His…something. Justin had no idea what Brian really was to him, but he was something. He could only hope that Brian considered him to be something as well.

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

-On Thursday, Brian noticed a change in Justin’s behaviour from the very moment they woke up. He noticed the blond being a tad quieter than usual the previous evening, but this morning, he was not his typical Sunshiney-self at all. Although Brian would swear the man’s cheery attitude was annoying, he was actually quite worried by its absence. The day was brighter when Justin was smiling, so if something was up with him, Brian was not okay with that. No Sir. He had to get his blond smiling again however possible. “Okay”, he said, making Justin look at him, an obvious twinge of sadness in his eyes. “Something’s wrong.”

 

Justin shrugged and pretended not to know what Brian was talking about. “I don’t see anything wrong.”

 

“Justin”, Brian said. Justin sighed and looked at Brian again. “You don’t have to pretend around me, okay? I’m your friend, aren’t I? You’re too quiet. It’s…freaky.” That got a small laugh out of Justin. There it is, Brian thought victoriously. Justin poked his tongue out at Brian, making the brunet move to stand closer to him. “You know I’ll try to help you in any way I can.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Justin nodded and said, “Okay. There…there is something going on.” Justin paused for a bit, unsure if he really wanted to go on. Deciding it was better than arguing with Brian, he began to spill his guts. “Today is…it’s the anniversary of my dad’s death.”

 

That certainly wasn’t what Brian was expecting, but now it made sense why Justin had been so down. “Oh.”

 

“Yeah”, Justin said back, looking down.

 

“You guys didn’t get along, right?” Brian asked, remembering their conversations about asshole fathers over their time here.

 

Justin shook his head. “He didn’t like that his only son likes dick”, he said. “He left us when I was 17 and we didn’t really speak at all until a couple years ago when he got sick.” Justin moved to sit on his bed and Brian sat down next to him. “He said he wanted to patch things up with me and my sister before he went, so I couldn’t argue with that. It was weird, but for the first time in so long, things were actually pretty good between us.”

 

“He ever change his tone about ho-ho-homos?” Brian asked.

 

The blond chuckled at Brian’s silliness and answered, “Not really. But he was willing to overlook it to be on good terms with the family. Mom never forgave him for being such an asshole, which I totally understand and respect. But, I guess it’s different when it’s your dad. Even though I knew he was a dickhead, I always kind of hoped he’d come back around. It took terminal cancer for him to do that, but eventually he did actually come back Molly and I. That’s really sick, but sometimes that’s the way life is, I suppose.”

 

Raising his eyebrows, Brian commented, “Never expected to hear something like that to come out of your mouth, Sunshine. It’s so cynical, so…me!”

 

Justin shrugged and chuckled again. “We’re really not as different as either of us thought.” Brian scooted closer to Justin so that their thighs were touching. “Anyway, it was cancer in his colon and eventually it got him. By the time he went, Mol and I could call him our dad again, so we were sad about it. I think that’s part of the reason he wanted to make amends. So that someone would actually miss him when he was gone.” Justin huffed out another laugh. “Bastard.” Brian put his arm around Justin. “He died a year ago today.”

 

“Is that why you came back her to Peatree?” Brian asked him, remembering their conversation back when they were first unpacking in their cabin. Justin nodded and didn’t say anything. Brian stroked Justin’s arms with his hands. The younger man relaxed into Brian’s touch.

 

After about a minute, he stood and announced, “I should go call my sister.” Brian nodded and watched the man walk out of the cabin with his cell phone. He was glad the man had at least told him what was bothering him. Despite what people thought of Brian, he did care when something was upsetting one of his close friends. It was odd to be thinking of Justin Taylor in that way, but Brian didn’t mind one bit.

 

Outside, Justin spoke to his younger sister for several minutes. He was glad they had some free time after lunch before they had to return for the afternoon’s activities. “So it’s been a whole year”, he said into the phone.

 

“You know, it kind of feels like it was yesterday”, Molly commented.

 

“I know what you mean”, Justin replied.

 

He heard Molly chuckle on the other end, making him smile. He liked hearing his little sister laughing. It was the sweetest sound. Angelic, almost. Every time he thought something like that, he was soon reminded of what a little devil she could be. “It’s funny, missing him like this”, she said.

 

Justin knew just what she meant. “Yeah.”

 

“He really was a jerk, wasn’t he?”

 

“He was.”

 

A slight pause held out before Molly broke it, saying, “But he was our dad.” 

 

Justin felt tears come to his eyes, hearing them in his sister’s voice. “He was”, he answered quietly. The siblings spoke for a while longer before bidding each other farewell. Justin stood outside alone for another moment and then went back inside his cabin to find Brian waiting for him. “Hey”, he greeted.

 

“Hey”, Brian said, moving further back on the bed. Justin accepted the invitation and went to lie down on his side. Brian laid down behind him and pressed his chest against the blond’s back. He put his arm around him and the pair stayed like that for several silent minutes. Brian didn’t want to stand for Justin being hurt over anything. If he was unsettled, then so was Brian. And that just would not do.

 

Appreciating the comfort, Justin allowed himself to melt into Brian’s embrace. It made a nice feeling swell in his gut. And his heart. After a while, however, that was no longer enough. He needed something else. Skin on skin, touching, sweat. He needed to feel good. Justin turned in Brian’s arms and pushed the man on his back. He began kissing Brian, who instantly responded. They had their hands in each other’s hair as they made out and felt heat grown between them. Justin sat up, straddling Brian and took his t-shirt off. He moved back down to kiss Brian again while he fiddled with his shirt.

 

When he sat back up again to pull Brian’s shirt off, the brunet asked, “You sure you wanna do this?”

 

Justin nodded, licking his lips. Brian watched his pink tongue admiringly. “I want this. I want you. Now.”

 

Well, Brian wasn’t going to argue with that. Not if a hot blond wanted him now. He let the guy undress him and watched in amazement at how fast both of their clothing disappeared. It was like magic. Everything else from that point went by almost as quickly. Moments later, Justin had impaled himself on Brian’s dick. Brian grabbed onto Justin’s hips and told him with a laugh, “Hey, slow down a bit”.  

 

“Sorry”, Justin laughed. And he tried, he really did. He tried to slow down, but he ended up riding Brian for all he was worth. “Yes!” he called out as Brian’s dick hit his prostate. The brunet started thrusting upwards and Justin knew hoe to angle himself to get fucked where it counted. This was exactly what he needed.

 

“Fuck!” Brian growled, closing his eyes. He bit his lip as he gripped Justin’s hips firmly. “Justin!” He sat up so that he could kiss Justin while they continued their exuberant fuck. Justin came soon after with Brian’s dick up his ass and his tongue in his mouth. He continued to ride Brian while he had his orgasm and Brian came seconds later. One thing that Brian appreciated was that Justin always seemed to know how to make him come. Every damn time. Brian fell on his back and Justin hopped off him to lie beside him. “Shit”, Brian puffed.

 

Justin looked over at his lover and nodded. “Uh huh”, he agreed.

 

“It’s probably about time to head over to get our Rangers”, Brian said after a few beats of panting and puffing. Justin agreed and the men got themselves all cleaned up, dressed and ready.

 

“Thanks for that”, Justin told Brian once they’d left their cabin.

 

“Oh, it was my pleasure”, Brian said. The friends shared a laugh as they headed to where they needed to be.

 

*****

 

Half and hour later, the Rangers had all been taken up to the camp’s flying fox and given the safety instructions. Basically; don’t be an idiot. The kids were all pretty excited to do this traditional camping activity and lined up eagerly. The kid who’s turn it was had to climb up a platform built off of a large tree until they were 10 metres high. Then Brian would help them strap into the harness. The kid would step off of the platform and glide all the way across and down where Justin would pull them to the ground and unbuckled them. Everyone was having so much fun that Brian and Justin wished they could have a turn as well, but they were the only ones present who were allowed to be operating the contraption.

 

Marcus pulled a Superman pose as he glided down and yelled out, “I’m the king!” After he did that, several other kids did funny things as they had their turns. Each kid got to go on twice, and they all enjoyed every second of it. Watching the other kids have their turn became just as fun because of what ever their reaction was. A few of the boys would poke and hassle one of their friends as they got to the bottom, but were still hanging in the harness. This meant that the person people poked couldn’t escape!

 

Brian couldn’t see what was going on well as he was far away, but it happened right in front of Justin. He thought it was rather funny. It could be far worse. After all, these kids were much less troublesome that Justin’s old patrol were…

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

“Ready”, Carl said as Emmett tightened his harness as tight as it would go. He was excited to have a turn of the flying fox, but his fear of heights had him feeling nervous as well. “You’ll be just fine, kid”, Carl told the boy. Emmett nodded and took a deep breath. “Off you go.”

 

Emmett swallowed hard and stepped off the platform before he chickened out. He knew that if he did that the other campers would never let him live it down. Everyone had gone through with it so far, so there was no way Emmett Honeycutt was going to be the sissy boy he knew he wasn’t. His stomach was flipping and the air rushed past his face as he glided down. A smile broke out on his face as he realised that he was having fun. “Yahoo!” he cheered.

 

“Go Emmett!” Daphne cheered from the ground. “Wooo!” She and Justin were the only two people there who Emmett told about his fear of heights, so they were proud that he went through with it. Besides, it wasn’t so scary once you did it.

 

Fun is meant to be had, but it often doesn’t last. Especially not when there are assholes around to spoil that fun. Drew, Brian and Jarod were standing in a spot that was near the bottom, but ahead of where Charlotte was ready to pull the campers down. Justin noticed the boys standing their looking suspicious and instantly had a bad feeling. “Daph”, he said, causing the girl to turn to see what was wrong. Those boys were definitely up to something.

 

Before either teenager could say anything, Emmett reached the exact point where the jerks were standing. As he passed them, the jerks had enough time to reach up and pull Emmett’s pants down. “You perverts!” Emmett yelped as he glided the rest of the way down with his pants bunched around his ankles.

 

The jerks laughed and exchanged high-fives while Charlotte called out to them, “Hey! Don’t do that again!” Several of the other campers around laughed at the prank as well, but Justin, Daphne and Blake all shared conspiratorial looks. They snuck over to where the bullies were still standing, each of them managing to get behind one. Swiftly, they grabbed the waists of the bullies’ pants and pulled them right down before turning to run off.

 

“Hey!” all three boy’s shouted. This made all the campers laugh even harder and Charlotte could do nothing but shake her head. She was too busy helping Emmett down to intervene right away. From his place, Emmett say the aftermath of what happened and had a laugh himself.

 

The boys pulled their pants back up and got right to chasing after the three hooligans who ‘pantsed’ them. “You get back here”, Jarod called.

 

“You freaks are so gonna get it!” Drew shouted.

 

Brian ran along with his friends to get back at the nerds who thought they could out-smart them, but he found himself feeling just a little bit disappointed. Daphne had been the one who pulled his shorts down. It would have been much more preferable if it had been Justin. Only because that would give him more of a reason to go after him directly. Because, you know, Justin was so much fun to pick on. That was the only reason why.

 

When Emmett had been properly unbuckled, however, Charlotte was free to stop all the commotion.  She could try, at least. “Campers!” she yelled, going after them. “Cut it out!” Poor Charlotte never got a break. Still, Justin thought that it was all worth it. Anything to piss off Brian and his pals.

 

 

PRESENT

 

The Rangers went swimming in the lake after their fun on the flying fox and Justin found himself forgetting about what this day meant. It was nice to get his mind off it, even if only for half a minute. Sometimes it just helps to pretend you’re okay for a while. But during dinner, Justin realised that there was no way to hide from it. It was there and he needed to deal with it, because that was life. Nothing ever just goes away. So you must find a way to live on with the situation, rather than pretending it wasn’t there. Justin decided that that’s what a man does; he lives on. With someone like Brian by his side…and on top…and behind, he knew he could do it.

 

The reason the patrol had gotten some free time earlier in the day was because they had another activity to do in the night time. The campers were led nearby the lake with clear jars. Brian told them they’d be catching fireflies. Most of the campers like this idea, while a few others thought it was lame. Brian and Justin joined in themselves and they all admired the night sky while they chased around glowing bugs. Justin was grateful to Brian today. He had really stepped up and taken charge of the patrol’s activities today, because he knew Justin was preoccupied. It made that feeling in Justin’s gut and heart return.

 

Plenty of the campers managed to catch a few fireflies in their jars and admired them. Yu Jin and Troian shared some facts about fireflies with everyone, impressing both their counsellors. The girls very much liked that everyone thought they were geniuses.

 

Justin looked up at the stars and remembered the last thing his dad ever said to him. ‘You were never weak.’ Justin understood that that was his father’s way of apologizing for all the things he said to him when he came out to him. It meant all that much more that out of anything, that was what he chose to say to him. Because they weren’t just his last words to Justin, they were his last ever words before he passed on. That was why Justin had decided to truly believe those words.

 

Brian came to stand beside Justin. The blond looked over at him and gave him a smile before returning his gaze up to the sky. Brian stayed watching his companion and put his hand on his back. The touch made Justin smile as he stayed on the stars. “Bye Dad”, he said softly.

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

-The following week, everything was back to normal. Justin’s mood had picked up and no one could have been happier. Brian was glad Justin was back to his usual Sunshine self. The Rangers were taken up to the go-karting track in the morning for some cool fun. “Campers, you can probably guess what we’re doing today”, Brian said once everyone was there. The kids looked around excitedly. “Go-karting is a lot of fun, but it can go wrong if you’re not safe. Make sure you’re buckled in properly and keep your eyes on the track.”

 

“Everyone has to be patient”, Justin told the patrol. “Tail-gating isn’t cool or funny; it can lead to an accident. So be aware of other people around you and be fair. If we look after each other, we’ll all have fun!” The kids cheered and they all got ready to go. There enough karts for 12 people to go at once, so half the patrol and one of the counsellors had their turn, while the others watched. Then they would swap around.

 

The counsellor would drive his kart behind the campers so he could see everyone as best as he could. The group drove around the track 3 times before returning to the others. Felix finished first in the first group, while Sorou finished first in the second group. The kids “Yahoo’d” and cheered the whole way around the track, having the time of their lives. This was declared the patrol’s favourite activity to date.

 

Once they were all done, the boys led the group down to the main hall for lunch while they all chatted excitedly. “I would have come first, but I’m just off my game”, Sam declared with a cheeky smirk on his face.

 

“Yeah, sure bud”, Tyler said back in a funny voice. Sam gave the boy a friendly shove, which was returned. The campers continued to tease and taunt each other all the way to the hall. 

 

Lunch was as uneventful as ever. Carol went on and on about how sweet her campers were, telling a story that everyone had heard at least twice already. Brian thought he’d make things more exciting by reaching over to fondle Justin’s crotch under the table. Justin coughed, nearly choking on his food when he first felt the sneaky hand touching him where it counted. “Alright?” Ethan asked the blond.

 

Justin coughed again and made a futile attempt to brush Brian’s hand away under the table. “Fine, thank you”, Justin responded. Again, he tried to knock Brian’s hand away while trying to remain as unassuming as possible.

 

Brian managed to keep a perfect poker face while he palmed Justin’s dick through his jeans, feeling it grow hot. There was no way he was giving up this game. Ethan eyed the two men suspiciously, seeming to guess what was going on by his changed expression. The conversation at the table had resumed, but Ethan continued to watch the pair for another several seconds before finally looking away. Brian could tell the doofus was disappointed that he wouldn’t get a chance with Justin. Not on your life, bucko, Brian thought, his eyes narrowing at the curly-haired man across from him.

 

Unfortunately for Brian, Justin noticed this and chuckled to himself. Brian stilled his hand and looked at the man in question. Justin patted Brian’s leg and said quietly, “No need to be jealous, dear”. He gave Brian a teasing wink and the man harrumphed indignantly. That made Brian pull his hand away from Justin’s crotch. Gotcha, you asshole, Justin thought, pleased with himself and amused at Brian’s reaction.

 

Jealous!? Please! That’s ridiculous, Brian thought. There was no way. Just because the very sight of Ethan put a sour taste in his mouth didn’t mean anything at all. Not a single thing.

 

After lunch, Brian was free of stupid men looking to hook up with his friend and mean blonds teasing him. Well, maybe he was never quite rid of the mean blond. Luckily for him, he knew many ways to get back at him. The boys were going to lead their patrol through tie-dying some clothing that afternoon. Justin had just begun explaining what they had to do when Brian inched closer and closer to him. Sneakily, he moved his right hand behind Justin and gave one perfectly rounded cheek a big, unexpected squeeze. Justin jumped a little and gave a small yelp in response. The kids looked at their counsellors strangely and started to laugh. “Uh…You okay, Justin?” Tyler asked.

 

Justin refrained himself from giving Brian a big payback smack and opted instead to nod at the camper. “I’m just fine”, he said, forcing a pleasant tone. The kids looked like they didn’t quite believe him, but dropped the topic immediately in favour of continuing instruction for their afternoon activity. Justin finally finished speaking and the patrol got to setting everything up. There were several buckets filled with water or different colours of dye. They also tied some thin rope to two trees so that they could hang their dyed clothes up to dry afterwards. The kids had a selection of plain white t-shirts, sweat shirts or long skirts. Most of the kids picked to dye a t-shirt. They had every colour in the rainbow to choose from. Justin showed them how to dye a shirt with multiple colours to make it look even cooler. A few of the older campers thought that this was more a kids activity, but Geeta insisted that once they had their finished shirts, they’d be glad they did this. Justin was grateful for such a positive, creative girl in his group.  

 

While the campers were busy tying elastic bands around their clothing and sticking it in the dye, Justin walked over to where Brian was standing, overseeing the activity. He walked from behind so the man wouldn’t see him coming. When he was close enough, Justin whispered right into Brian’s ear, “You’re going to pay for your wandering hands, Kinney.”

 

Justin knew his plan to startle his co-counsellor worked as Brian jumped as soon as he started talking. “Shit, Justin”, he laughed under his breath. He turned around to face the grinning man and responded, “I’m already looking forward to it.”

 

The blond gave him a wink and they resumed watching their campers work away. After a while, Moira suggested, “Hey, why don’t you guys make a shirt too?”

 

“You know, that is a good idea”, Justin said, approaching the tub of plain clothes, which had been reduced to a few items. He picked up a sweat shirt and beckoned Brian over. “Come on, you”, he said. “You’ve gotta join in on the fun too, right campers?”

 

“Yeah!” several young voices answered.

 

Brian chuckled to himself and walked over to the tub of clothes, shaking his head. He stood next to Justin as they tied elastic bands around their shirts and asked, “You aren’t the least bit concerned I’m going to do what I did last time we were around dye?”

 

Justin gave Brian a ‘yeah right’ look and warned, “You wouldn’t dare.”

 

“Try me, Taylor”, Brian teased. Justin poked his tongue out at Brian, feeling like they were teenager all over again…

 

               

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

The majority of the Waterloos had moaned and groaned about having to do a tie-dying activity at camp. Max had reminded their counsellors that they weren’t “some damn little kiddies you can entertain with keys”, which had only excited Charlotte and Carl even more about forcing them to do this. It was no secret that their counsellors were exhausted after having to yell and lecture their naughty patrol 10 times a day. It wasn’t as if they didn’t like the kids, but …they didn’t exactly like them all the time.

 

Charlotte had insisted that they’d get over themselves and end up having more fun than they’d thought. J.D, Elliot, Emmett and Daphne had been excited from the beginning. “Man, you are such a girl”, Turk told J.D as the boy enthusiastically rinsed his shirt in dye.

 

J.D shrugged and responded, “Think of how cool we’ll look wearing these!” He seemed to go away somewhere in his imagination for a short while and said, “Hah! Oh, that Betty”, when he came back down to Earth. Turk shook his head and his friend’s nerdy antics and bashed his shirt in the dye.

 

Justin and a handful of other campers did end up enjoying themselves and dyed several items of clothing in all sorts of patterns. “See?” Daphne said to Justin. “Didn’t I tell you this’d be fun?”

 

The boy stuck his tongue out at her, which she reciprocated. No one could ever accuse them of being immature. That would be unheard of. “How are you so good at this?” the blond asked his friend, watching her work on her third piece.

 

“I’ve been doing this with my cousins since I was like 6, I think”, she answered, continuing to work. “That’s why I think it’s so fun! You can come up with really cool patterns if you know how to play around with the bands and the colours.”

 

That was the moment that Emmett decided to pop up, proudly holding up a finished shirt to show off. “Look!” he sang, wearing a jolly big grin. “Isn’t it a masterpiece?” He said the last word with a lame French accent, making his friends crack up. “Oui?” he asked, apparently expecting an actual response.

 

Emmett had used every colour of dye available and managed to get slightly wonky patterns in the shape of dicks all of the shirt. Daphne and Justin laughed at the shirt and gave it compliments. “It is magnifique!” Daphne declared.

 

“A true masterpiece”, Justin agreed in all seriousness.

 

Emmett gave his friends a wink and shimmied, holding the shirt up to his torso. “What do you say? Think Charlotte and Carl will let me wear it around camp?”

 

The two teens he was talking too scrunched up their faces in thought and replied together, “Maybe not.”

 

A couple metres away, Brian stood with Max, making shirts of their own. Max bumped him and pointed to where Emmett was showing off his masterpiece. “Check it out”, she snorted.

 

Brian looked at the shirt for a moment before realising what the pattern was. He let out a laugh of his own as the boy danced about. “That kid’s a lunatic”, he said.

 

“Maybe”, Max laughed. “But it’s cool he doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him. He just does whatever he wants.”

 

Brian was taken aback by this. He had never stopped to consider anything like what Max had said, but now that he was thinking about it, he realised it was kind of cool. After a couple seconds, however, Brian shook himself out of it. Honeycutt and cool do not belong in the same sentence, he thought. He shrugged at Max and said, “He’s still a dork.” Max just laughed and squeezed the wet shirt in her hands. Brian looked over at Emmett again and noticed that he was talking to Daphne and Taylor, the only other two people at camp who were bigger dorks than Honeycutt. Aside from J.D and Elliot, maybe. But he had no problem with those two nerds. Chanders and Taylor, on the other hand…Ah ha! An ingenious idea struck the boy as he looked down at Justin’s light pants…hugging his perky butt in all the right places. He still hadn’t got those twerps back for dacksing him and his friends the other day. Now was his chance. Brian snuck over to the giggling dweebs, holding a sponge completely soaked in purple dye. By the time Emmett noticed him, it was too late. Brian slapped the sponge onto Justin’s butt, staining his pale blue shorts with deep purple dye.

 

The boy yelped and quickly turned around to see his least favourite camper standing behind him. “What the fuck!?” he yelled, more in surprise than in anger. “You!” Quickly, Justin picked up his shirt and squeezed it over Brian’s head, getting green dye all over him. The boys did not stop there. Back and forth, they both found ways to get each other dirty with dye while Daphne and Emmett tried and failed to stop the commotion. The strangest part of it all; the enemies actually looked like they were enjoying themselves.

 

Figuring if he couldn’t beat ‘em, he’d join ‘em, Emmett shouted out, “Dye fight!” That got everyone throwing things at each other, getting soaked and colourful. Charlotte and Carl really should have known these misfits would find a way to turn this activity into a diaster like all the others.

 

 

 

PRESENT

 

After dinner, Brian and Justin had spent 2 hours making each other pay for the day’s antics. Brian figured he’d have to change his opinion of dessert if this was Justin’s idea of it. Completely spent, the men fell back in bed. “Oh…my…God”, Justin breathed.

 

“I like the way you do punishment”, Brian said.

 

Justin laughed loudly and the men spent several seconds in comfortable silence while they tried to regain their breaths. His breathing mostly back to normal, Justin turned on his side to face Brian. “Did you really day dream about fucking me back when you were busy making my days a living hell?” he asked.  

 

“Hey, you did a pretty good job of making my days hell right back”, Brian laughed.

 

“Mmmhmm”, Justin said with a smile as he leaned in close to Brian’s face. The men shared a slow, deep kiss. Justin shifted so that he was half on Brian and half on the bed. Once they’d pulled away, Justin said, “But, seriously. Did you?”

 

Brian put one hand behind his head and chuckled. He put his other hand on Justin’s back and looked right at him. “I did”, he admitted. Justin waggled his eyebrows at him and Brian added, “I liked to pretend that I wasn’t really into you, but my dick was telling me things my head refused to.”

 

Justin smiled and thought for a moment while Brian looked up at him. “We were all such brats back then”, he mused.

 

“You know, I’d feel bad for Carl and Charlotte, but it was too much fun to piss them off”, Brian said with a smirk. He stroked Justin’s back with his hand.

 

Again, Justin laughed. It was a bright Sunshine laugh that filled Brian with an unfamiliar feeling. “It’s a wonder that we were even allowed back this time after all we got ourselves into.”

 

Brian shrugged. “Guess it was a long time ago.” Justin nodded his agreement. “Plus, it probably helps that the owners changed.”

 

“Yeah”, Justin giggled. “Murph and Dudley probably would never have let us back.”

 

“Especially not at the same time”, Brian added.

 

Another moment of pleasant silence passed between them. Justin considered whether or not he should say what was on his mind. Fuck it, he thought. “I’m really glad I ran into again, Brian”, he told his lover genuinely.

 

“So am I”, Brian said with a gleam in his eyes. “We’ve been having the best sex of my life.” Justin laughed and pinched one of Brian’s nipples, making the man squirm. “And even though you’re still a complete dork, you’re very easy to get along with.”

 

Justin squinted his eyes and said, “Thanks…I think?” Brian laughed and stroked up Justin’s back and ass. He looked down at Justin’s body and the blond grabbed Brian’s chin to make him look at him again. He moved his head down to kiss the other man sensually. Amazingly, they had the energy for one more round. But this one was different from all the others. The men took it slow, drawing out their sighs, touches and movements. This time felt a lot like making love.

 

*****

 

Justin sat up for a bit while Brian slept. He was feeling particularly inspired by Brian’s position. Even sleeping, the man managed to look graceful. There was something so gorgeous about the man when he was asleep. He was on his stomach, with his hand near his peaceful face. Justin reached into his back pack next to the bed and took out his favourite sketch book. Sitting on the other bed, Justin drew Brian. He was mesmerised by every little detail of the man. He’s fucking beautiful, Justin thought. The picture turned out well, but Justin was sure it was because of the subject rather than the artist. He moved over to stand over Brian and caressed his lover’s face. For a little while, he allowed himself to picture a future between the two of them. It hadn’t even been that long, but Justin was feeling something he’d never felt before. That feeling could only be one thing.

 

Quietly, he put the sketch away and lied down next to Brian. He pulled a sheet over their bodies and reached over to turn the nearby lamp off. In the dark, Justin felt safe and happy next to his friend. With warm feeling in his heart, Justin joined Brian in sleep.

 

TO BE CONTINUED…  

 

 

-The Rangers were brought into one of the halls for their morning activity; a rarity at summer camp. It was a Saturday and the campers all seemed rather tired. It just so happened that it was their lucky day. This morning, they were going to be doing something that was easy peasy, fun and delicious. Brian and Justin didn’t tell their kids what they were doing until they had set up the tables they needed. “Kids, this game is an old one. But I’ll tell ‘ya; it’s fun”, Brian said to the anticipating campers. “Just about everyone I know how ever went to camp has played this.”

 

The counsellors revealed several blocks of chocolate to the group. “It’s called the chocolate game.” That instantly got a good response from the campers. Luckily, none of these campers were allergic or lactose intolerant, so no one had to miss out. “It’s quite simple, really.” Justin tipped some dice out of a plastic bag that held several pairs. He picked two up and explained, “You all take turns rolling a set of dice. When someone rolls two six’s, they get to break a piece of chocolate and eat it.”

 

“My kind of game”, Marcus said, only half joking. The look of love and admiration in his eyes was unmistakable. Who needed romance when you could have chocolate?

 

With a smirk, Brian said, “You keep playing until all the chocolate is gone.” These days, Brian tended to stay away from sweets when possible, but deep down, he did have a sweet tooth. But, he would give his left hand before he’d ever admit that to anyone. Even so, he had always thought this simple little game was fun.

 

It didn’t take long for the campers to sort themselves into groups of 5. Everyone had a table and two blocks of chocolate to themselves. Brian and Justin walked around the set up area, watching the campers play away. It was hilarious every time someone rolled a double 6. Everyone would cheer and the lucky kid would have their go at some chocolaty goodness. As usual, the patrol laughed the whole morning, enjoying the game immensely. It was so simple, but great! A few of the boys mucked around, whacking each other on the butt and poking each other’s sides, but it was all in the name of fun. It was nothing like the mischief The Waterloos got up to. When everyone had finished all the chocolate, the patrol talked about the Sunday Peatree games that would be on tomorrow. It would be the last of the games, as the end of camp was nearing. Everyone had been having such a good time, they felt as if camp had only just started. They did not know where the time had gone.

 

All the patrols had the afternoon after lunch free as there would be a camp activity in the evening. Brian and Justin spent that time in bed without clothes. They were amazed at the new ways they kept finding to drive each other mad with lust and pleasure. The afternoon fun had to stop, however, as the boys were expected to help all the counsellors set up for the night. Barely making it on time, the men dashed off to meet all the others when Justin noticed the time. Both men were still sweaty from their last round. Brian didn’t mind at all, of course. Justin, on the other hand, prayed that no one would notice and ask anything embarrassing. He was sure that at least two people gave him an odd look, but Brian just laughed and shrugged it off. He was no help at all. The counsellors took a while setting up the evening, but ended up working together very efficiently. It was time for dinner when they were done and the adults all heading over to the dining hall, where the campers were already waiting.

 

Brian eyed off Ethan during dinner again. The other day, Justin told him that the man had been flirting with him and Brian responded by kissing the life out of the blond, right in front of him. Brian was not at all jealous, and Justin was not his boyfriend, but that Ethan needed to stay away! It seemed to ward the man away, as he hadn’t been looking Justin up and down the way he usually had. Justin seemed to know just what was going on like the know-it-all he was and teased Brian relentlessly over that particular incident. All that blond must have gotten to his brain. There was no way Brian was jealous. He wasn’t even sure he knew what that even felt like. Jealousy was not Brian Kinney’s style…

 

After dinner, daylight was beginning to fade. The counsellors all led their campers over to Camp Base, where they had spent all that time preparing the night’s activity. The campers saw that a large white curtain made of calico had been tied from the top of the stage and stretched out to be flat. There were picnic blankets and some cushions set up and a projector in the middle of the walkway. Once the wonderful Brad and Sally had gotten to the stage, they spoke into their beloved microphone. “Welcome, campers!” They sang together.

 

“We hope you’ve had a lovely day”, Sally told everyone with her big smile.

 

Brad matched her gleaming smile and said, “This evening, we will be hosting a cam tradition here at Camp Peatree. We’ve brought you all here for a do-it-yourself drive-in movie!” This was appealing to all the kids. The ones who had come here before were not surprised, having known what to expect, but all the other campers were very excited. “Now, we’d ask everyone to be courteous and behave tonight, so we can all enjoy the nilly out of ourselves!”

 

“What in the heck does ‘nilly’ mean?” Tyler asked. His fellow campers laughed and the two kids next to him covered his mouth so he wouldn’t get into trouble. The camp owners instructed everyone to settle in and get comfortable, making sure that patrol groups would try to stay relatively close together. Brian and Justin sat on a blanket together, not worrying what anyone might think anymore. They were sure that many people around knew or could guess that there was something between them. If their campers had been able to figure it out, surely other people had as well.

 

It took several minutes, but once everyone was settled in well, Brad and Sally announced that the movie they’d be watching was a classic; ‘Back to the Future I’. It was only right to play an old movie at a drive in, make-shift or not. Most of the campers seemed to think so too, eager for it to begin. Some others complained that it was a movie for old people, but Sally insisted it was one of the greatest films of all time. “We’ll be starting shortly, we just want to wait until it gets dark”, Sally told the camp. “So until then, enjoy!”

 

Some 80s music played from the speakers to fill the time before the movie started. Campers and counsellors chatted away while they waited. Brian put his arm around Justin and the blond relaxed into him. He was glad that they didn’t feel the need to hide themselves. After all, they were friends. Nothing about them was out of the ordinary. They listened to Carrie from The Foxes patrol tell a story about Adam being scared of the flying fox. He was supposed to be the counsellor helping kids on the platform, but they ended up having to switch. “We hadn’t even started, and here’s this fully grown man crying about having to climb a tree”, she said. The boys laughed, picturing Adam in the situation. “The kids gave him crap for it for the rest of the week, the rascals”, she laughed.

 

At that moment, Adam himself turned up. “Hey guys, what are you all talking about?” he asked with his typical enthusiasm.

 

Carrie gave Brian and Justin a wink and said, “Oh, just how great the campers are.”

 

“They sure are!” Adam tried to agree. He so wanted it to be true, but there was something on his face and in his voice, something hidden, that screamed for help. Help against these mean kids. No. He was the adult. Adam would never break down. He would be the man he knew he was. Of course, that was just the moment when two kids from his patrol ran up behind him and pulled his pants down to his knees before speeding off. “Hey!” he called, turning around. He hobbled after the cheeky campers, while trying to pull his pants up.

 

The three adults that were left watched this, laughing at the scene. “There he goes”, Carrie said. “I’d better go help. Those kids can be real dirt bags, ‘ya know?” And with that, she was gone.

 

Justin shook his head and said, “It’s like seeing Charlotte and Carl dealing with us.”

 

Brian nodded with another laugh. “And man, were we dirt bags!” The men sat together comfortably, watching the sun set over Camp Peatree. It was a warm night and there was a good atmosphere.

 

Finally, it was dark enough for the movie to begin. “Okay, campers!” Sally announced. Everyone piped up in anticipation at the sound of her voice. “Here we go!” The woman got Neil to start the projector up and the movie began. The whole camp cheered as it started. In the end, even the kids who whined about being forced to watch and ‘old person’ movie’ enjoyed the night. After a while, some candies and water bottles were passed around so everyone could enjoy some small snacks. Nothing could beat a night like that!

 

Justin rested his head on Brian’s shoulder and the man stroked the blond’s hair. It was such a pleasant way to simply be together. This was something Brian never did. Not even with Mikey. It was almost like he was…cuddling. Surprisingly to Brian, that didn’t bother him nearly as much as he would have thought. In fact, it was actually nice. As he enjoyed the feeling so soft blond hair in his fingers, Brian recalled the drive-in movie from his time as a camper. From his cosy spot, Justin found himself doing the same…      

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

A distant sound of cheering filled the summer night air. Justin sighed and dug the stick he was holding into the dirt in front of him. He was sitting out the front of his cabin all alone and bored out of his mind. “This bites”, he said to himself, really because there was no one else around to talk to. While all the others were getting to enjoy a movie, he was forced to sit out by himself. The only joy he got out of the night was the fact that Kinney was also condemned to the same cruel fate. The campers had been told they were to attend a camp-made drive-in movie the previous day, but Justin Taylor and Brian Kinney were pulled aside by their counsellors and told they would have to sit out. The reason; repeated bad behaviour. Justin thought it was absolutely ridiculous. Sure, he was acting up a little, but it was only ever to get back at Kinney for being an asshole. Why should he be punished for another jerk’s crimes? It was also no secret that Brian’s buddies were just as mischievous as he was, so why was it fair that they still got to go to the drive in? Justin knew better than to sit and sulk, but he figured that if no one was around, he was safe to do so.

 

A rustling sound interrupted Justin’s grumpy thoughts for a moment. He looked around for a moment and shrugged when he decided it was nothing. He got right back to poking his stick at the ground when he heard another rustling sound. Justin sat up straighter and called out, “Is anyone there?” There was no answer, but there was another rustling noise. “Hello?” Justin asked, a frown creasing his forehead. He wasn’t scared. He was not scared. Alright, maybe he was a little scared. If who or what ever that noise was would just damn well reveal itself, everything would be perfectly fine.

 

Right when Justin was about to go racing back inside his cabin, none other than Brian Kinney jumped out behind the boy, grabbing him and shouting, “Boo!”

 

Justin yelled, startled and scrambled to get away from the unwelcomed and most certainly uninvited guest. “Jesus”, he breathed, looking at the laughing boy. Brian had keeled over with laughter, aimed at him. It pissed Justin off even more that Brian just so happened to look kind of cute when he laughed. But only kind of. “You’re a jerk, you know that?” Justin was now standing on the grass just in front of his cabin’s steps.

 

Brian pulled a proud expression and propped his head up in his hand. He was on his side, looking over at Justin. “So they tell me.”

 

Justin gave the boy a fake laugh and asked, “Did you need something?”

 

“Why would you think I needed something?” Brian asked back. He sat up straight and tried at act nonchalant. Obviously, there was something up. That familiar gleam of mischief was in Brian’s eyes. It was like he knew something that nobody else did. That he had all the answers to every question in the world. By now, Justin knew it was mostly just a front, but it was still ever present in the brunet’s expression.

 

“Pardon. Let me rephrase”, Justin said with a fake politeness that only WASP mothers and southerners had seemed to perfect. Justin had listened to his dear old grandmother jabbering on about something overdramatic enough times to be able to mimic the tone. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

 

“Well, that’s no way to speak to a guest, now is it?” Brian said with fake charm.

 

Justin wasn’t going to play Brian’s games anymore. He had let the big bully get him into enough trouble already. “Brian, just tell me what you want”, he said seriously.

 

This seemed to be enough to get Brian to stop acting like a 12 year old for a short while. Justin wondered how long it’d last. Meanwhile, Brian decided it was only fair for him to give blondie a little break that night. “Alright, alright”, he said in surrender. “I only came here to tell you that I found a way we can still watch the movie without getting caught, that’s all.”

 

“Really?” Justin asked slowly, unsure of whether or not he should believe Brian.

 

Gone was that look in Brian’s eyes, replaced with a sober expression he rarely saw on the boy’s face. “Really”, Brian responded. He stood up and walked down the cabin steps as he spoke, “I’m gonna go check it out. So I thought you might too.”

 

Justin looked at Brian thoughtfully for a moment. He didn’t look like he was kidding or teasing or planning. It was almost unnatural how genuine Brian seemed to be behaving. “Okay…” Justin said, watching a smirk appear on Brian’s face. It was dangerously handsome. “How did you manage to figure this out?”

 

Brian shrugged and gestured towards himself. “Do you really have to ask?”

 

“I suppose not”, Justin chuckled. Of course a troublemaker would find a way to break the rules. That’s what got them both in the shit in the first place. Brian smiled again, turned around and began walking. Justin couldn’t help but smile in response to Brian’s own and walked after him. He still wasn’t sure what Brian was up to, but he figured it was better than poking a stick at the ground. “What are they showing?” Justin asked after deciding that silence was too weird around his usual nemesis.

 

“Jurassic Park”, Brian told him as he walked.

 

That put a smile on Justin’s face. “No shit”, he said. “I love that movie!”

 

“You got good taste”, Brian said, giving the boy another smile. It was weird. Brian was never this nice to him. Justin supposed that he’d go right back to his usual asshole self the very next day, and all would be right in the world again. The boys walked around for a bit, with Brian leading Justin through a few spots he’d never passed before. He guessed this wasn’t the first time Brian had snuck around the campsite. “This way”, Brian said. The sound of the movie got closer. Justin could tell that it was only about 10 minutes in, so they hadn’t missed much. Brian had brought him to a spot close enough so that they could still see the film, but far enough away so that no one would notice them if they looked back. “Here”, Brian told him, pulling him to sit down next to him.

 

Justin looked at Brian in brief wonderment, before diverting his attention to the screen. For once, Justin found himself feeling grateful for Brian Kinney. He had saved him from having to spend the evening bored and alone. He may be a mega-ass, but apparently that didn’t mean he couldn’t be an alright guy sometimes. Even more unusual; Justin actually really enjoyed being in Brian’s company that night. They watched the movie together comfortably, laughing between themselves that Charlotte and Carl weren’t going to get the best of them that night. “It’ll take a lot more than banning a professional gate-crasher to stop me”, Brian joked. And Justin believed him.

 

TO BE CONTINUED…         

 

 

-Week 8; the final week of Camp Peatree 2010. The week was halfway through and it had been full on each day. All the patrols were getting their last activities done, which had many people feeling sentimental. It had been an eventful summer. One that none of this year’s campers or counsellors were going to forget. Everyone was determined, therefore, to make the most of each day they had left. In the morning, The Rangers’ morning activity was rock climbing. The camp had put in artificial rock climbing walls in an area outdoors around 12 years ago. Previously, campers had not been able to climb at all, as there were no cliffs suitable for a natural climb on site. Fortunately, this method was easy to set up safe, and most importantly, fun!

 

The counsellors didn’t have to spend too much time explaining the safety precautions, as their patrol had used harnesses and heights quite a few times over the summer. That meant that everyone had more time to climb the walls. There were three walls side-by-side that were all 12 metres high. Brian and Justin was pulling one rope from the ground, while the campers took turns manning the harness rope for the third wall. Each camper had at least two go’s at climbing the walls, with several kids climbing up many more times. After a while, they decided that it would be a race to see which camper could climb to the top the quickest. Amazingly, not a single camper was afraid to climb the walls. The boys were sure that had they done this activity weeks ago, they would have had at least 2 frightened campers. That was fine, but it was such a proud moment to see all of their campers go all in for this. It showed how far everyone of them had come.

 

“You can do it!” The campers would cheer as the three who were climbing moved up the wall. Justin believed he’d never come across such a wonderful group of kids ever again. Most kids were ratbags! Justin and his friends certainly were, in their own way. And even though some of these kids could be very cheeky chickens, they were all fantastic.

 

Once it was time to pack up and head for lunch, both counsellors told their campers exactly how they felt about them. “We are both really proud of you all”, Justin said.

 

“You should be proud of yourselves”, Brian added with such genuinity, that it must be true. “Look at what you’ve done this summer”, he said, getting all the smiling kids to reflect on the good times and the bad. “You’ve overcome fears, pushed through some rough days and made friends you might keep for a long time.”

 

The campers looked around at each other after Brian had said that. “Not me”, Sam joked. “These guys smell. No way I want to see any of them ever again.”

 

Tyler pulled the other boy into a playful headlock. “Oh yeah?” he asked, pushing his armpit as close to Sam’s face as he possibly could. “How’s that, Sammy boy? Smelly enough for ya?”

 

The campers laughed at the silly boys mess with each other while Flex, Marcus and Jesepee got in on the teasing. They shoved and poked each other, calling each other names like ‘bogus breath’, ‘fart face’ and ‘doofusaurus’; a doofus dinosaur. All in the name of fun. Brian and Justin only let it carry on for about 30 seconds before they announced that it was time they went to lunch. This shut the goofy camper up right away and got them marching along. Apparently they were very hungry.

 

Lunch was very nice as always. They had to hand it to the place; Camp Peatree had some pretty good cooks. There seemed to be enough variety there so that no one was forced to eat anything they didn’t like or want. Brian and Justin remembered that when they were campers, the food was okay some of the time, and terrible every other time. The only times the food was really good was when they had big outdoor picnic lunches. It was hilarious to look back on. One time Justin, who usually ate anything and everything, thought they had hit a jackpot when they were served simple ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches. They were as simple as pie to make. Justin thought what could possible go wrong? The campers had instantly discovered the answer to that question when they found that the sandwich was also packed with a mountain load of pesto. Not a nice little bit; a whopping amount that drowned out the flavour of the core ingredients in the sandwich. Thankfully, the cooks at camp this time were much more aware of different people’s tastes and diets. Perhaps Brad and Sally had known how bad the food was before and made it a personal mission to better it for everyone. What ever it was, all the counsellors who had previous been Peatree campers themselves, were glad of the welcomed change.

During lunch, the counsellors listened to and shared stories of their own times at various camps. “My younger brother’s first camp was at a camp I’d been to before and he followed me around for the first two whole weeks!” Aria from The Pines told them. “He was 8 and there was nothing anyone could do to make him go with his own group.”

 

“How did you manage to get him to leave you in the end?” Caroline from The Roselleas asked.

 

“He made friends with the kids in his cabin and started to want to spend time with them. By the third week, not only did he go off on his own, he wouldn’t even come near me for the rest of camp!”

 

Justin nodded, completely understanding where the girl was coming from. “That’s exactly how little siblings are, huh? One second you’re their hero and the next, they don’t want anything to do with you.”

 

Aria laughed, agreeing with Justin’s comment. “So true! The good thing is; if I want to embarrass him, I’ve got a million stories I can always dig up.”

 

“It’s not so picture perfect being the younger sibling, either”, Phil from The Mountaineers said, his mouth full of food. He made sure to swallow before he went on. “My older brother was constantly finding new ways to torment me. I couldn’t enjoy anything without having to watch my back! Sure, I love the guy, but still to this day, I need to stay alert in a pool or he’ll try to drown me.”

 

“I hear that”, Brian spoke up. “My sister was always pining the stupid things she did on me.”

 

“What’s the point of having a younger sibling if you can’t blame them for everything?” Justin said with a smirk.

 

“Or pick on them?” Aria added, wearing the very same smirk.

 

Brian and Phil looked at each other for a couple of seconds before turning back to the other two. “There’s no point in arguing with the eldest child”, Phil said.

 

“They’ll just be a pain in the ass”, Brian finished.

 

Aria and Justin pretended to be offended before laughing at the silly banter of lunchtime.

 

After lunch, the counsellors took their campers back out to do their afternoon activity. The Rangers were going to be making and then flying kites in pairs. They ended up using some of the knots they had learned several weeks ago in the making of their kites. Brian was the one who led this, as he was surprisingly quite the expert of kites. He explained that he used to make them with his friends all the time as a kid and so he knew every way possible to construct one. While Justin wasn’t the one doing all the explaining, he did help out anyone who needed it. The campers did quite well with this task. There were a few minor stuff-ups and confusions, but eventually, each pair had a kite made. They had used sticks from around the campsite and some material and string that had been provided.

 

When everyone was ready, both counsellors taught the campers how to fly a kite. There wasn’t as much wind as what would have been preferable, but there was enough to have some hope of getting these kids up in the air. It ended up taking some time to get any of the kites up. Only 3 of the campers had actually flown a kite before, so they were dealing with beginners. Everyone gave it their best shot, the pairs working together cooperatively. One thing was for sure; this was an activity that required a lot of patience and persistence. After a while, however, the kites started going up. Everyone cheered any kid who managed to get their kite flying, even if it was only for a 30 seconds. This actually gave a lot more fun to what easily could have turned out to be a very frustrating activity. Instead, the campers took it all light heartedly and laughed at themselves all afternoon. This was just another reason Brian and Justin were very fond and proud of their campers. Not everyone managed to get their kites up, but everyone tried their best and made sure that they had fun while doing it.

 

At one point, the kids were allowed a toilet break. It was easily enough done, as there were toilets very close to where they were trying to fly their kites. Brian and Justin were still standing outside, casually conversing with a couple of their campers when they heard a girl’s surprised scream come from the bathrooms. Everyone who was outside turned to the toilets and saw Marijanna running out of them. Figures they had only just gone on this short little break and something was already wrong. Marijanna ran over to her counsellors with a look of disgust on her face. “What’s going on, Marijanna?” Justin asked with concern.

 

From the girl’s expression and where she had just come from, Brian wasn’t sure if he wanted an actual answer to what was wrong. But, the girl spoke, “Someone…Some idiot put all these fake snakes and spiders in like, most of the toilets and sinks in there!” Brian was so very glad that was the answer she gave. Rather some fake scaries than a real…mess.

 

“We’ll have to go and tell Sally about that”, Justin said, speaking not only to the girl, but to Brian as well. “Brian and I aren’t allowed to go in there, for reasons I think you can imagine, but if we go get Sally, she’ll sort out getting it all cleaned up.”

 

Marijanna nodded and sighed in relief. It sounded as if she’d been holding in her breath from the moment she ran over to them. Brian and Justin shared half-amused glance as the blond led the girl away to find Sally. They both appreciated the girl’s overdramatic reaction to what was surely a simple, silly old prank. Brian wondered who would of have time and the resources to fill all the toilets with plastic creatures. He thought pranks in toilets were lame, but he remembered one very funny one from quite a while ago…

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

Daphne raced into the first open stall she saw as soon as she entered the bathroom. She had been holding out for a wee for almost an hour and she felt like she was going to burst if she didn’t find relief soon. She sat right down on the toilet, prepared to let it all go. But, there was a funny splat sound when she plopped down on the seat. She also felt something hitting her feet. Something kind of…wet. Oh no, She thought, squeezing her eyes shut and praying that it wasn’t something terribly disgusting. Oh please, no. The girl looked down and saw that her shoes were covered with what looked like ketchup. She leaned forward slightly and caught the smell. It was definitely ketchup. Daphne let out a huge thankful sigh of relief and gave herself the release she’d been praying for, for what felt like a million years. There was nothing quite like the feeling of a good pee. It took Daphne several seconds to frown and realise that ketchup splattered on her shoes was not normal.

 

She frowned and looked back down at her now red sneakers. Daphne finished up and got her pants back on quickly so she could inspect just what the hell made that happen. She lifted up the seat and saw five small ketchup packets that were flattened and emptied out. Ah ha! The culprit of the mess was found, and now the only question was; who was the culprit! Daphne looked down at her feet and shifted her weight, feeling the sauce begin to seep through her shoes. “Yuuuuck”, she complained, opening the stall. The girl dashed outside to deduce the villain behind this trickery. “Alright, who was it?” she yelled as she approached her patrol.

 

Everyone turned to her. “What?” Blake asked, unsure of whether the girl was joking or out to kill.

 

“Um, did you have a little ladies problem?” Max asked, pointing at Daphne’s shoes. This was when everyone else noticed the formerly white sneakers. A couple voices called out ‘ew’, making Daphne roll her eyes.

 

“Oh, come on”, Daphne said. “That’s not blood, for frick sake, it’s ketchup!”

 

Frowning, Charlotte asked, “Ketchup?”

 

Daphne placed her hands on her hips. “That’s right”, she responded. “Ketchup.”

 

“And why exactly are your shoes covered in ketchup?” Turk asked, hoping for a great story.

 

“Someone thought it was a neat idea to hide sauce packets under a toilet seat back there”, the girl told everyone, gesturing to the bathrooms several metres behind her. That explanation got several chuckles and laughs from the very mature teenagers, which only made Daphne’s patience even shorter. “I was the one who had to discover that little gift, so I wanna know who did it”, she demanded. No one said anything as she looked around at each person, suspicion in her narrowed eyes.

 

Charlotte moved to stand next to the girl, now facing the rest of the group. “Sweetie, why don’t you go get cleaned up and we’ll get to the bottom of it?” she suggested with her ‘mum voice’. It was so weird to just about everyone that Charlotte wasn’t even a mother and she managed to master ‘that’ voice.   

 

Daphne considered it for a millisecond before returning to eye the suspects. It took all of two seconds to spot Brian and his band of jerks trying and failing to suppress laughter amongst themselves. She pointed an accusatory finger at the boys and said, “You!” The others looked over at the boys she pointed to. “I should have known”, she said dramatically.

 

Brian and his friends no longer held in their laughter. Brian raised his hands in a proclamation of innocence and said, “Seriously, it wasn’t us.”

 

“Right”, Daphne nodded sarcastically. “And I’m Cleopatra.”

 

This only made Brian’s goons laugh even more. “I swear”, Brian said through his own chuckles. “If it was us, we would own up to it.” Daphne continued to stare down the untrustworthy boys. “Ketchup on the john is very middle school, wouldn’t ya say?”

 

“I’d say it was stupid”, Daphne said back, again making the boys laugh. “If it wasn’t you, why are you laughing like a bunch of 11 year old girls at a slumber party?”

 

Brian looked at his pals at back at Daphne, giving a shrug. “Just because it’s middle school, doesn’t mean it’s not funny.”

 

“Oh, you are such a moron”, Daphne said to the smirking boy. He raised his eyebrows at her and gave her a wink.

 

“Okay”, Carl said, moving to stand in front of Daphne and Charlotte, facing the group. “We don’t need ay bickering. It’s very ‘middle school’, isn’t it?” Both Daphne and Brian poked their tongues out at each other. Carl turned back to Daphne and said, “Now Daphne, why don’t you go change your shoes.” The girl shifted uncomfortably again. “Don’t worry. We’ll sort this out.”

 

“What if it wasn’t any of us?” Carla pipped up. “What if it was some idiot from another patrol?”

 

Carl looked at the kids for a brief moment before saying, “Because I have never met a group of kids who caused so much chaos.”

 

Turk snorted and leaned over to say to Carla, “Yeah right. The guy’s a cop.”  The man just shook his head.

 

Daphne pipped up, “Okay. I’m going now. My shoes are disgusting and saucy.” This received a few more sniggers from the group. “Anyone is welcome to come help.”

 

“I’ll help you, Daph”, Justin said, walking towards his friend. The pair began to walk off together, Daphne appreciating her friend’s offer. She had only been joking, but getting help was nice.

 

“It was totally him, right?” Daphne asked Justin as they walked.

 

“Huh?” he asked like the intelligent young man he was.

 

Daphne shook her head with a smile on her face. “Brian, you goofball”, she teased. “He was the one who did it.”

 

Justin thought for a moment, remembering how sort of nice Brian had been to him recently. He gave his friend a smile and answered, “You know what? I don’t think it was.”

 

 

PRESENT

 

In the night, Brian and Justin snuck off to the showers together. They didn’t take joined showers too often, as they could only do it late, when they were sure no one else would wander into the room. It wasn’t that they were cautious of being found out, it was more that they didn’t want anyone to walk in on them fucking. Not when there were kids around. That would be a sight for the ages.

 

The boys removed their clothing and Justin took Brian’s hand, pulling him into a shower stall. He pulled Brian until they were against the back wall, flush against each other. The laughed together all the while. Justin put one hand behind Brian’s head and the other on his back. He pulled Brian towards his again, this time to kiss him like it was the thing he had been born to do. Brian gladly kissed Justin back the very same way. He reached over to turn on the water. Justin made a muffled yelp into Brian’s mouth and jumped out of the way of the spray, pulling Brian with him. “What the fuck?” he laughed, still holding on to Brian. He looked into the man’s eyes. Both sets were shining.

 

Brian leaned his head down so that he was close enough that if he wanted to kiss Justin, they would not have to move. “Can’t handle a little cold water, Taylor?” He asked in a low, sultry voice. It was teasing. And damn hot.

 

“I don’t want any cold water”, Justin said back with a similar tone. He reached back and managed to turn on the hot water as well. The men continued to stand just outside of the spray while they waited for the temperature to be just right. “We’re going to be heating things up in here.” Brian smiled and Justin kissed him. The men wrapped their arms tightly around each other as they kissed and kissed and kissed. They devoured each other until the need to breathe became an issue. When they finally pulled apart, both men were panting.

 

The lovers shared a smile and Brian pulled Justin under the spray of the showerhead with him. It was just right by the time they stood under it. “I don’t think I could ever get tired of tasting your lips”, Brian told Justin, moving forward to give those lips a peck. Justin chuckled and wrapped his arms around Brian again. “I could taste you all day and it wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the craving.” Brian licked Justin’s lips before kissing him deeply.

 

Craving, Justin thought as he enjoyed yet another make out session. Did he just admit he craves me? As in he desires me? Yearns for me? The blond felt goose bumps raise in his skin as these thoughts flooded his mind. With great strength, he pulled his lips from Brian’s. Brian raised his eyebrows in question. “I want your cock inside me”, Justin whispered to him, feeling Brian’s hard on against his hip. His own pressed into Brian’s body. “I want to feel you fuck me like it’s the last time you’ll ever fuck.” He gave Brian kisses in between his words. “Taste me.” ~kiss~ “Touch me.” ~kiss~ “Fuck me.” ~kiss~

 

Brian’s breath hitched at Justin’s words. He was so horny it almost hurt. “Fuck”, he whispered, unable to stand it. He grabbed the condom he’d brought in with him and ripped the packet open. Justin watched while the brunet put it on himself. Brian gave Justin another tongue filled kiss before turning him around quickly, making the younger man gasp at the suddenness of the movement. Brian held Justin to him, his hands running over the blond’s chest. He could hear Justin’s aroused breathing and pushed a finger inside him.  Justin arched his back as much as he could with Brian still holding him close. After playing a little bit, Brian added another finger and then another. Justin had closed his eyes and let his head fall back onto Brian’s shoulder while he enjoyed his lover’s fingering. Brian held Justin’s face from behind as he pleasured him. He watched the blond’s face, getting more and more aroused by his blessed out expression.

 

“Now”, Justin whispered. “Before it’s too late.”

 

Brian listened right away and replaced his fingers with his dick. He held onto Justin’s hips as he pushed inside. “Uhh, yeah”, he moaned softly. The feeling of the pleasantly warm water was making the experience even more sensual. It was as if all his senses had been awakened for the first time and everything was happening all at once.

 

“Ohh”, Justin moaned at the same time, his voice just as soft. “Brian.” The men held onto each other as they had unbelievable sex. Brian caressed Justin’s body as he moved and kissed the man’s neck, head and face. Justin reached behind him to grab onto whatever of Brian he could reach. The thrusts were deep, slow, almost rhythmical. Their moans were relatively soft. There was a lot of heavy breathing. When Justin started gripping Brian’s ass, the man began to increase the intensity of his thrusts. He moved his hips in such a way that his dick would feel like it was going in even deeper. “Huuuh. Fuck.” Brian kissed Justin’s face as he sped up his movements. Justin reached behind him to grab Brian’s head. The man took the cue and moved to kiss Justin’s lips. The let go when they were getting close so that Brian could grab on to Justin’s hips and fuck him to climax. Brian took Justin’s own dick into one hand and did things Justin would never be able to describe. It was just too good. All it took was a couple more thrusts and Brian was cumming blissfully. He moved throughout his orgasm, bringing Justin over the edge just seconds later. The lovers moaned together as they peaked in pleasure.

 

Afterwards, both men puffed and panted heavily. Justin was leaning over to rest his head on the wall, while Brian rested his head on Justin’s back. They remained like this for half a minute until it was definitely time to move. Brian rubbed Justin’s ass to let him know he was going to remove himself from him. He did just that and pulled the condom off. He made a mental note to toss it when they left and move back to wrap his arms around Justin, who was still facing the wall. Brian pressed his body against the blond and delivered some kisses to his neck. “Was that what you had in mind.” Brian asked.

 

Totally spent, Justin nodded. “And more”, he replied. Brian laughed and continued to hold the other man for quite some time.

 

TO BE CONTIUNED…         

 

-“Let’s get to it, Rangers! It’s a beautiful morning,” Justin said cheerfully. The campers followed their counsellors into the second hall for their morning activity. It was Saturday; the second last day of camp. Justin had woken Brian with a lovely and lengthy blowjob. It was the ideal way to start their day. Justin had managed to make Brian absolute putty in his hands. This was something not too many men had accomplished with a man like Brian. Yet, it came to Justin like breathing did. It was natural, it was energy, it was everything. Neither man wanted to talk about the fact that their time at camp was almost over.

 

Nor did any of their campers. That was why they tried their hardest to remove any atmosphere of sadness by replacing it with fun! Because even though it was sad their adventure at Peatree was coming to an end, that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy what was going on in the now! Brian and Justin spent the morning teaching The Rangers different card games. They played ‘Donkey’; a G rated version of the game ‘bullshit’, as well as ‘sevens’, ‘spoons’, and of course a good old fashioned game of poker. Family friendly, of course. The campers used candy to instead of money, which Justin thought was a much safer, more delicious way to play the game. Brian teased Justin of being another one of the kids, but Justin quickly reminded him that the morning they shared had been very, very adult. “Now who’s cutting it fine?” Brian whispered, looking over at the kids to make sure they hadn’t heard anything. They were far too innocent to be hearing anything so sultry. Luckily, the campers remained blissfully unaware.

 

The morning was made fun and exciting with lots of laughter and candy while the patrol learned and played these card games together. The two counsellors even joined in on a few of the games. Moira turned out to be a dark horse, surprising everyone with just how good she was at sevens and poker. “I don’t get it”, Felix said, as the girl won yet another round of poker. “How are you so good at this?”

 

The girl shrugged as she happily munched on some candy she’d won. “My dad taught me”, was all she said with a mischievous smile on her young face.

 

“Way to go, girl”, Jacqueline said encouragingly. She gave her fellow camper a friendly pat on the back. “Show ‘em how it’s done.”

 

“Show them how a girl can kick their butts”, Troian said with a cheeky smirk of her own.

 

Justin chuckled and said to all of this, “Hey, I’m all for some girl power.”

 

Jesepee, who was sitting next to Felix, dramatically placed his hand over his heart. “So, you are a traitor?!” he exclaimed. Duke quickly reached over to lightly whack the boy on the back of the head. “Ow!” He placed his hands on his head and looked back at the other traitor.

 

“Cut the dramatics”, Duke said, crossing his arms in the way a rough body guard does.

 

The other boy threw his arms up in the air dramatically. “I can’t help my nature!” That started another one of the boys’ silly whacking and name calling episodes. The patrol had witnessed so many of these, they were sure you could make a whole series out of them.

 

Brian made eye contact with Justin, who had the same thing in mind as he did. This whole scene wasn’t too far away from their own experience teasing each other over a game of poker…

 

          

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

“Kinney’s the man!” exclaimed Jared, making a triumphant touchdown gesture with his arm. It was after dinner, and a bunch of the campers had gathered to play some card games, using actual bets. They all figured it was far more interesting that way. Kinney had just beaten out another camper in a round of poker. Many of the teenagers around that him as some kind of genius.

 

Daphne and Justin stood by with their arms folded, watching the jerk receive praise and good fortune. The curl haired girl clicked her tongue and shook her head. “He don’t deserve it”, she said. Justin looked at her then back at Brian. “It’d be prefect if someone knocked him right off that smelly high horse.”

 

That got Justin’s attention. He had come along to this purely for fun, so he was taking it fairly easy when he played cards with the others. But what they didn’t know was that he was holding back. Secretly, Justin was quite good at card games, especially poker. He had spent countless hours playing it with his grandfather since he was young. It was fair to say that Justin knew his way around a card game. And all this time; nobody here knew it. But what Daphne said got Justin thinking that that was about to change.

 

Brian stood up, his arms raised in triumph as his friends patted him on the back and cheered him on. “That’s right”, the boy called, completely loving himself. “I’m the man!”

 

“Yeah you are!” a female voice from the crowd of teenagers called back, making several kids laugh.

 

A cocky smirk on his face, Brian called, “Who’s next? Come on! Who wants to take on the King?”

 

A murmur of voices swept the room as Brian and everyone else waited for anyone to speak and step up. It was one hell of a surprised when that person was Justin. He walked towards the confident brunet, saying, “I’ll do it.”

 

“Justin, what are you doing?” Daphne yell-whispered at her friend. She did not want to see him harmed or embarrassed in any way. Justin turned back and gave her a shrug, accompanied with a look that said ‘trust me’. The girl gave her friend an encouraging smile and Justin turned back to look at Brian, who was busy laughing with his buddies.

 

Brian walked close to Justin. “Think you can handle it, blondie?” he asked in a way that made Justin just want to punch him…or tongue him, but that was far beside the point.

 

Justin stared into hazel eyes in silence for a few beats before matching his competitor’s smirk. He said in a calm voice, “That’s what people will be asking you when we’re through.”

 

The boy’s behind Brian all ‘ooo’ed’ and laughed. Brian laughed along with them at the kid’s balls and gestured for the blond to sit. “Alright, Taylor”, he said, walking back to take his seat. “Here we go.”

 

Once they were seated, Max began dealing the boy’s hands. Brian and Justin held eye contact with smug faces rather than poker faces. Brian thought he had it in the back. Justin thought the same thing. “What are we betting on?” Justin asked.

 

Brian gave it a quick thought before saying, “The loser has to jump in the lake in front of everyone, completely naked.” The campers all made sounds of appreciation of this bet; it was definitely going be a real scream! “What’s it gonna be, Taylor? You still in?”

 

“Oh, I’m in alright”, Justin answered. “I’m looking forward to winning.”

 

Brian laughed disbelievingly. “Give it your best shot”, he said, not really meaning it. Justin just shook his head and the game begun. It was clear to everyone immediately that both these boys were serious players. When it came to poker; they meant business. The boys played swift moves and bets, impressing everyone. Finally, when it was down to the final bet, Brian looked more smug than ever. He was looking forward to seeing Justin’s bare ass jumping in the lake. He turned over his hand, his eyes locked with Justin, who was not giving anything away with his face.

 

“A straight flush”, Jared called. The older teen gestured for Justin to turn over his cards, believing he’d already won. Justin gave the boy a smirk and turned over his hand. There were several gasps and Brian’s smirk disappeared. He leaned forward, looking at the cards with a frown on his face. “A royal flush”, Jared said, hardly believing it. There was a moment of silence before the bulk of the group roared and cheered at the impressive win. Jared looked like someone had just told him Santa Claus wasn’t real. Which would be ridiculous, because of course he’d real…

 

Many kids patted Justin on the back or squeezed his shoulders. Daphne rushed over to her friend, giggling and gave him a hug from behind. Justin relished the look that was on Brian’s face. He had just owned him in front of all these kids who seemed to think the Kinney kid was so great. “Oh well”, Justin said with a ‘sucks to be you’ shrug. He rose to his feet and said, “Looks like you’d better start stripping.”

 

Brian looked up at Justin and gave him a slight smile. As much as getting bested sucked, he was actually very impressed with the blond. The little dork has game after all, he thought. Justin returned the look and Brian got up. The room was loud with voices. “Alright”, Brian said to his opponent, making everyone quieten down a bit. “We’d better go down to the lake.” The campers cheered as Brian exited the room, Justin right behind him. Everyone else followed them all the way to the lake, laughing and chatting along the way.

 

They finally got to the spot they needed to be at and stopped. It was very dark and the summer air was slightly chilly. Brian faced the campers as he removed his clothes, feeling no shame. The girls all had to hold each other up as the young man undressed, along with some of the boys. Brian held Justin’s gaze while he did this, that familiar smirk on his face. Justin thought that Brian was actually enjoying this. He’s such a weirdo, Justin thought, returning Brian’s gaze, none-the-less. It was hot. Justin could not deny that his heart was beating faster than normal and his breath became hitched as he watched the handsome brunet. When he was down to his underwear, Brian gave the campers a wink and turned around. He pulled down his briefs, revealing a very nice derrière. Justin felt his jaw drop as he looked on, unable to peel his eyes away. Brian dived into the lake while the campers cheered and woof whistled. If Justin were capable of producing actual thoughts at that moment, he would have thought that it really was something to whistle at.

 

Brian broke through the surface of the water, raising an arm triumphantly. How he managed to still come out on top even when he was the loser, Justin would never know. The campers clapped the brunet as he swam about for a bit. If only Justin could stop looking.

   

 

PRESENT

 

The afternoon came all too quickly and the entire camp gathered together for a final full-camp activity. Brian and Justin knew what was coming as this had been the tradition since the camp had opened. Brad and Sally stood side by side, Brad’s arm over Sally’s shoulder and hers around his back. “Campers, it has been a wonderful summer this year”, Sally said.

 

Everyone gave a cheer in response, getting a smile from both the camp owners. “Yeah!” an older boy called out. “Twenty Ten for the win!”

 

Sally and Brad merely nodded, their smiles in place. “I’m going to pretend I know what that means”, Sally said through her pearly whites. “And tell you all that this afternoon, we’ve got a special Camp Peatree Tradition in celebration of our time here.”

 

The campers looked at each other, wondering what this was all about. “Congratulations, campers, because you will all be partaking in the Camp Peatree Scavenger Hunt!” There was a short murmur amongst the campers, most of whom liked the sound of this. “Of course, you will be teamed with you patrol”, Brad continued. “Your counsellors have the list of things to find and a basket to carry everything in. You will have 2 hours to find everything or as many things you can on the list and get back here to Camp Base. The first team back with the most items will be declared the winners!” Another, more excited murmur ran through the kids, who were getting more and more hyped as Brad spoke.

 

“We’re sure you won’t break any rules, but we have to go through them anyway”, Sally said. “There is to be absolutely no cheating, no sabotaging other teams, no stealing other people’s items, no bullying or physical violence and you must not do anything to put yourself or others in harm’s way. If any of these rules are broken, which I trust will not happen; your team will be disqualified.”

 

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way”, Brad began, pausing for effect. “GO!” The patrols all huddled together to look over the list of things to find.

 

“Good luck, everyone!” Sally called.

 

The Rangers looked at Brian and Justin expectantly to show them the list. Justin handed it to Yu-Jin. “How about you read it out?”

 

Yu-Jin gave a nod and a smile before reading out the list, “Teams must find the following items from around camp; a frog, an oak leaf, a pinecone, a caterpillar, oak bark, a jar of lake water, a tent peg, a bluebell flower, a stick shaped like a letter, 5 rocks of different sizes, a picture of the black-billed cuckoo bird, a handful of moss, a handful of soft dirt, a picture of animal tracks, a loose feather from 2 different kinds of birds, some mulberries, some pine needle leaves, a whistle, a dandelion and a snail.”

 

The others listened intently, thinking about where they could search for and find the items they needed. “Doesn’t sound too hard”, Sean commented once Yu-Jin had finished reading. “I think we can win this, guys.”

 

“Obviously”, Felix said cheekily. “You’ve got me on your team.” Sean poked his tongue out at the boy and Brian got the campers’ attention.

 

He cleared his throat and held up the basket. It had a few jars in it for various items that needed to be contained. “I say we get started?” he suggested.

 

“Right!” The campers cheered, already beginning to dash off.

 

“Hold it!” Justin called and the kids sheepishly returned to their counsellors. “If we’re going to split up, we should at least be in pairs, or more. And make sure to come back here once you’ve found what you’re looking for.” The patrol decided who was going with whom and what they were searching for. They decided that they would be more efficient if they spilt up. The kids who needed the jars took them and were off on their way. It was a little chaotic at first, with kids running everywhere. Brian was teamed with Moira and Alexa, looking for the flower and animal tracks. They walked off to a rather secluded spot on the campsite to search. Alexa insisted she knew what she was doing, so they others decided to believe her. Justin had gone off with Lane and Jacqueline in search of the bird and the feathers.

 

After searching the trees for a while, Lane spotted the bird. “Look!” he said, using a hushed tone. He was wary of scaring the bird off before they could get a picture.

 

“He’s so cute!” Jacqueline gushed.

 

Justin got out his phone to snap a picture of it. “Got it”, he said and gave them a wink. “Well spotted, Lane.”

 

“What cane I say?” said Lane, “I’m the greatest.”

 

“Since when?” Jacqueline teased, poking her tongue out at the boy. He requited the gesture and the group continued to search for their second item. It didn’t take them too long, considering they had found the spot where a cuckoo bird had nested. One of the feathers was from the cuckoo and the other was from a bird that no one recognised. Birds weren’t exactly Justin or Lane’s thing. Jacqueline had only chosen this one because she loves animals, and the frog was already taken by Sam and Sorou. In any case, these things ended up being pretty easy to find.  

 

The campers high-fived each other and then Justin. “Success!” Lane cheered, holding up the feathers triumphantly. 

 

“Should we find some of the others now?” Jacqueline asked. 

 

Justin nodded. “We can help the others find their items.” The three of them walked around, looking for their patrol members, passing several other kids and counsellors on the way. The other eyed them suspiciously, while Justin tried to smile back. Competitive preteens were not his favourite thing in the world.

 

They had only been walking for around 2 minutes when they heard a “Pssst!” Justin jumped, making his campers chuckle and they all looked in the direction of where the sound came from. They spotted Tyler’s head poking out from behind a tree. He gestured for them to come to him.

 

Once they’d gotten past the tree, Justin said, “I’m not going to lie; you nearly scared my heart out of my chest.”

 

Tyler gave an amused snort and said, “Sorry, man. But, come over here.” He walked over to Duke, who was crouched down, looking at something on the ground. Everyone followed Tyler to Duke and looked at what he had. Duke was holding a stick that had a very hairy green caterpillar was perched on it. “Cool, isn’t it?”

 

Justin scrunched up his face. Bugs weren’t his thing either. “Cool isn’t the word I’d use, but sure.”

 

Duke snickered at that and put the caterpillar into a jar. “That’s our first thing done”, he said. “We just need a pinecone.”

 

“We’re here to help”, Lane said and for that, Tyler and Duke were grateful. The patrol looked around together and found the pinecone in no time.

 

“Oh yeah! Who da man!” Tyler cheered, making the others laugh at his silliness.

 

“Not you, doofus”, Duke joked, earning him a light whack on the arm.

 

“Why don’t we go find some others and see if they need help”, Justin said, already heading off. The campers followed along and they almost ran right into some passing bodies. “Woah!” Justin looked up at who he had almost bowled over and was glad to see it was Brian.

 

Brian looked amused and gave him a smirk. “Am I so irresistible?” he teased. Everyone laughed and Justin noticed that Masamane and Troian were also with his group. “You guys had the same idea, then?”

 

“Great minds think alike, as Pop always says”, Jacqueline said.

 

Brian nodded at her, “That is true.”

 

Duke held up the jar, “We’ve got a new friend”, he said.

 

Masamane held up his jar and said, “Two new friends.” A little grey and brown snail was inside his jar.

 

“Too bad they’re the only friends you guys can get”, Tyler joked.

 

“Shut it, or this friend will make it down the back of your pants”, Duke shot back, pointing to the caterpillar.

 

Masamane pointed to his jar and said, “This one too.” The boys laughed together while the girls shared looks that said ‘boys are stupid’. And they were right. Boys are stupid.

 

“Let’s just keep going”, Troian said. Brian and Justin told her that was a good idea and the patrol went off in search of their other campers. They were making good time. “All my ideas are good ones”, Troian said as they began to walk again. Before anyone could speak up, she added, “Now, let’s win this thing, people!”

 

“I like the way you think”, Alexa said cheerfully as she skipped along with the group.

 

After a while, Felix and Jesepee caught up with them. They were the ones holding the basket, which they had put their moss and dirt in. Everyone else was glad to be able to put their things in the basket so they no longer had to hold them all in their arms. Justin volunteered to carry the basket. “I’m just such a big strong man”, he said, taking hold of the basket. Brian huffed out a laugh and gave Justin a pat on the back. The group got back to walking around in search of their other campers. They weren’t thinking about the time at all, considering they had already found plenty of the items on the list. Splitting up to search was a great idea. Moira suggested that they head down to the lake and there they found Sean and Nina.

 

Nina was standing on the shore laughing, while Sean was splashing about in the lake. He was shouting and jumping around, holding a jar. “Sean!” Brian called, getting the two kids’ attention. “What are doing?”

 

“Getting some lake water!” the boy called back.

 

“You didn’t have to actually get in the lake”, Brian said as the other campers got closer to the shore.

 

Nina gave another laugh and said, “I tried telling him.”

 

“It’s more fun this way”, Sean declared. He jumped up and gave a ‘whoop!’ before making his way back to the shore. “And we got what we needed.”

 

“Great”, Justin responded with a smile. He gestured to the basket and the two kids put their things in. “Now, I wonder where the rest of the gang has gotten to?”

 

“Well, you did say to meet back at Camp Base once we’d found our stuff, so maybe we should just head back and wait?” Masamane suggested.

 

The group all shared looks and nods of agreement and headed back to Camp Base. They figured their remaining campers would get their eventually, if they weren’t already there. They found Sasha and Marcus on the way and brought them back to base with them. They arrived to find Yu-Jin, Marijana, Geeta and Hawnai waiting there for them. They waved at their other campers and put their items in the basket. “Okay, now we’re only waiting on Sam and Sorou with the frog and the bark”, Justin said, looking all the things in the basket over.

 

“You know what, I think we got this”, Tyler said, looking around the area. “I mean, it doesn’t look like anyone else is around.”

 

“Yeah, well, until those other two get here, we can’t be so sure”, Nina reminded him.

 

“Always gotta be a downer, huh?” Tyler teased.

 

The Rangers waited for several minutes until they saw two very familiar boys approaching them. “It’s them!” Marijana cheered. The entire patrol cheered Sam and Sorou on as they reached them with the last two items on the list.

 

“Come on, Rangers!” exclaimed Justin, heading over to Brad and Sally on the stage.

 

They reached the camp owners and handed them their basket. “Wonderful!” exclaimed Sally. “We’ll have to wait until everyone is back to officially declare the winners, so hold tight!”

 

The Rangers tried not to groan too loud. They passed the time by sharing their favourite stories over the summer. “Hey, how did your patrol go in the Scavenger hunt?” Sasha asked their counsellors.

 

Brian and Justin shared a smirk. Brian answered, “We came dead last.”

 

“Really?” The girl asked with a chuckle.

 

“Oh yeah”, Justin responded. “We spent a lot more time messing around than we did actually finding things. Our poor counsellors were not happy.”

 

The campers laughed and continued sharing stories until everyone had returned to base and handed over their baskets. Brad and Sally looked over everyone’s finds and got the camp’s attention minutes later. “Well, campers, first of all, we want to congratulate each and every one of you. Not only for how well everyone did on the scavenger hunt, but how fantastic this summer has been”, Brad started off. “I’m sure you’ve all made memories and friends that will last a life time!”

 

“Now, what you’ve all been waiting for”, Sally said. “The winners of the traditional Camp Peatree Scavenger Hunt are…The Rangers!”

 

“Yeeaaah!” The patrol cheered. They all shared high-fives and hugs before making their way up to the stage. The other patrols clapped and cheered them on in congratulations. Brad and Sally handed them all small trophies. They were also made exempt from returning their collections to where they had come from around them camp.

 

“Well done!” exclaimed Brad. “Now campers, it’s time for a last night party in the dining hall!” Everyone cheered. “But not before you get those little creatures you captured back to where you found them!” he added. “We’re nature friendly here at Peatree!” The camp groaned, but couldn’t argue with that and hurried off to get the job done. Meanwhile, The Rangers headed straight for the dining hall.

 

“We did it!” Sorou cheered. The patrol all came together for one big group hug.

 

“I’m so proud of you all”, Justin said genuinely.

 

“So am I”, Brian added. “Now, let’s get in their and party!”

 

“WOOHOO!” The camp ate, danced and laughed to their heart’s content, making their last night together one to remember. Finally, it was time to close up and head to bed. The Rangers all shared hugs and said their goodnights before retreating to the cabins for a well deserved rest. In Brian and Justin’s case, rest was not the thing on the agenda.  

 

The two men got inside their cabin, chatting about their win. “They really deserved that”, Justin said. “They’re really such good kids.”

 

“They are”, Brian agreed. “You’re a great counsellor, Justin”, he said seriously.

 

Justin gave him a tender look and responded, “Thanks, Brian. You’re not so bad yourself.”

 

It was silent for a moment as the two men shared a fond look. Brian broke it by returning to his usual jokester self. “Not so bad? Please, I’m the best.”

 

Justin laughed and stepped forward. He put his hands on Brian’s waist, pressing his body against him. “You are definitely the best at some things.”

 

Brian leaned in so their noses touched. He gave Justin a kiss and asked against his lips, “What would those things be?” Justin chose to answer by pulled Brian to him, crashing their lips together again. They kissed and kissed and kissed, all tongue and touching and moaning.

 

When Justin pulled away, he whispered, “I want you to fuck me like you’ve never fucked anyone before”, right into Brian’s ear. “Make me scream. Make me cum. Make me feel you.” Brian shivered in response and immediately began tearing at both their clothes. In no time at all, they were naked and on top of each other. “Yes”, Justin purred as Brian licked down his body. He reached Justin’s groin and kissed down his hard dick, seeking out his twitching hole. Justin put one hand in Brian’s hair, watching the man pushing his legs open and settle between them. He began licking and kissing away, giving Justin the rim job of his life. He kept going until Justin was begging him to fuck him. “Please, Brian! Oh please! Oh!” Brian kissed and nipped Justin’s thighs and took Justin’s dick into his hand. He gave the flesh and squeeze and sucked lightly on the head. “Fuck, Brian, I can’t take it. Fuck me already!”

 

Brian smirked and released the other man’s cock. He moved up Justin’s body to come face-to-face, keeping their eyes locked. “This is what I’m best at?” he teased, voice husky.

 

Justin laughed half in actual amusement and half in frustration. “Yeah, and it seems like you’re also the best a giving a guy blue balls!”

 

The brunet gave a soft laugh and relented. He kissed Justin again, rubbed their noses together and reached over to get a condom and some lube. He hand Justin the condom. “Here. You do this, while I do this”, he said, holding up the lube. “That’ll speed things along.” Justin wasted no time in getting the condom on Brian while the other man applied a good amount of lube to Justin’s entrance.

 

“Now, Brian”, Justin demanded, placing his hands on Brian’s ass.

 

“Alright, alright”, he responded, lining himself up. “I want you to remember this”, he said, looking into Justin’s eyes as he pushed inside. Justin arched up at the sensation. “I want you to remember the feeling of me inside you, stretching you out.” His voice was breathless and he began to move, making Justin gasp and grip Brian’s ass cheeks. “I want to be the best you’ve ever had.”

 

Justin reached up with one hand to pull Brian’s face down to kiss him. They rocked together, moaning and holding on to each other. “You already are, Brian”, Justin whispered back. “Oh! Just like that.” Justin wrapped his legs around Brian’s waist, angling himself up to give Brian a new angle. Brian took this as a cue to go in deeper, making sure to find Justin prostate every so often. He liked seeing Justin’s face change when that spot was touched. “Fuck Brian”, Justin moaned, his eyes closed. “UH!”

 

“Justin”, Brian groaned, his toes curling in pleasure. “Oh Fuck. Justin!” He began to hit Justin’s prostate more frequently, making the man’s breath hitch over and over.

 

“Brian, I’m close!” Justin managed to get out, his voice heavy with lust.

 

“Do it”, Brian said back. “Cum for me, Justin.” The blond let out a moan and pulled Brian down to give him another kiss as his climax reached him. He moaned into Brian’s mouth as he rode out the waves of his orgasm. His ass clenching around Brian’s dick triggered his own orgasm and the man opened his mouth wide to shout out a noise of appreciation. “AH!” His body went rigid until he was finished and he collapsed on top of his companion.

 

Justin unhooked his legs and let them fall to either side of Brian’s. He wrapped his arms around Brian’s back as they caught their breaths. “Fuck”, Justin breathed. “That was…” he failed to find the words.

 

Brian lifted up slightly to look at Justin. “The best you’ve ever had?” he offered with a smirk.

 

His lover returned the smirk as he ran a hand through his dark hair. “Yes, Brian. The best I’ve ever had.” He was smiling, but his voice was serious. Justin meant it more than he’d ever meant anything before. He was kind of sure that Brian was the best he would ever have. He may have ruined him for all men forever. And seeing as this was their last night at camp, that was looking like quite the problem. Justin wasn’t sure if any other man would be able to satisfy him after being with Brian. In more ways than one. “What do you say we go for a few more rounds?”

 

Brian laughed loudly and caressed Justin’s face. He stroked one rosy cheek with his thumb. “Let me catch my breath first.”

 

The lovers laughed and joked together between kissing and fucking. They didn’t end up stopping until the early hours of the morning. Justin passed out, completely tuckered out by the night’s strenuous activities. Brian remained awake for several minutes after him, watching the blond sleep soundly beside him. While he watched, Brian found himself what would happen when they went back home. Would he ever see Justin again? Would it only be as friends? Or would they get to fuck again? He studied Justin’s fair features as he slept, noticing just how beautiful the younger man was. He wasn’t entirely sure the blond was human; perhaps he was a god sent down to Earth. It would make sense seeing as he was sculptured so perfectly. That seemed unlikely to Brian, however. The world didn’t deserve someone as kind and bright as Justin Taylor. Then again, neither did he, and yet here they were. ‘Shit,’ he thought, feeling something churn deep in his gut. ‘I’m really gonna miss him.’        

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

-Once again, the sun peaking through the window was what woke Brian from his sleep. He hadn’t gotten many hours in, considering how late he and Justin had kept each other up, but when he finally did manage to get some shut-eye, it was sound and peaceful. Brian blinked several times until he could focus his vision. It instantly landed on Justin, as if his body was always searching for the blond to fill all his senses. The younger man was still sleeping beside him and Brian watched him for a while, without a single thought passing through his mind. Perhaps this was why he lifted a hand to trace Justin’s features. He trailed his fingers over Justin’s right temple, down over his cheek bones, across his jaw, over his lips and up and down his stupidly cute nose. Brian had never thought a nose was cute before. Looking at Justin’s, however, he decided ‘cute’ was exactly the right word for it. Those were the first thoughts Brian had had since waking and they led him into others. The morning had come as always, but this morning was significant. It was Sunday, week 8; the very last day of camp. This thought made Brian halt his movements over Justin’s face while an ugly feeling settled in his gut. He didn’t allow himself to dwell on it long as Justin made a sound that was oddly similar to purring, bringing his attention back to his cabin mate. Brian felt a small smile grace his lips when he focused on Justin’s face again and he resumed his movements, combing his hand through the front of Justin’s golden hair. He played with this soft hair for a while, in awe of how soft it was, until Justin shifted on the bed.

 

Brian pulled his hand away and waited for Justin to open his eyes. He let out a small groan, making Brian’s smile grow, and opened his eyes. Brian almost sighed in relief, but was able to restrain himself. What was it he always used to tell himself when he felt he was getting too close to losing control? Resist, he remembered. In this moment, it was exceptionally harder than it had ever been. Blue found hazel as quickly as Brian’s vision had focused on gold and Brian was greeted with a smile that would make any man melt. “Hi”, Justin said through droopy eyes and a husky voice. He blinked a few times and Brian wanted to reach out again to trace the golden eyelashes as he watched. Resist.

 

“Hey”, Brian said instead. “Thought you’d never wake up.”

 

Justin smiled again and shifted so that he was completely facing his bed partner. “Why? Have you been up long?”

 

Brian immediately regretted his choice of words, realising what they had revealed. Part of him wanted to tell Justin how much he liked watching him sleep, but the other part, the louder part, wouldn’t let him. Resist. This only allowed him to shrug and answer, “Not too long.”

 

Luckily Justin didn’t follow up on this, or Brian really would be in trouble. The younger man raised himself up on to his elbow and leaned over Brian to look at the clock. “Cool”, he says, settling back into the bed a little more. “We’ve got time to finish packing right now.”

 

Brian looked over at the clock and then back at Justin. “So we do.” That wasn’t exactly what Brian was hoping he would say, but if the slight soreness in his dick was telling him anything, he figured he needed a break from any nsfw* activities. At least for a little while. By the slight wince Justin made when he moved about on the bed, he figured his ass probably needed a rest just as much. None of this stopped them from making out a little before they left the bed. Both men carded their hands through each other’s hair while they kissed, enjoying the warmth of the bed and their current closeness. But as they say, all good things must come to an end.

 

Reluctantly, Justin pulled away after a while and let out a sigh. “Alright. Time to get up.” Brian made sure to sigh dramatically as he slowly got out of the bed. Justin chuckled at him. “And you say I’m dramatic.”

 

“You are”, Brian responded cheekily, wagging his eyebrows at Justin. “That was an impression.”

 

“Oh, was it?” Justin laughed. The sound made something flutter in Brian’s body. He moved across the bed and lowered his feet to the floor while Brian watched his movements. He stood and Brian remembered that they were both very naked. He had been so warm that he didn’t notice it when he got out of bed and his teasing made him forget that he and Justin almost always slept naked since the beginning of their…thing. He couldn’t help trailing his eyes down Justin’s body. Always the perceptive one, Justin understood what this meant. He let out another chuckle and stepped forward, “Feel free to admire me all you want.” That was all he did before he stepped away and headed for his bag.

 

Right, Brian thought as he watched his lover’s bubble butt. Packing. He tore his eyes away from the glorious sight and went to his own bag. “Here we go”, he muttered to himself. The counsellors spent the next 15 minutes moving around the cabin, locating and packing away their things, save for their clothes for the day and a few toiletries. Brian picked up a pair of briefs and frowned at them. Turning to Justin, he asked, “Are these yours or mine?”

 

Justin looked at them for a moment before nodding, “Yours.” He turned back to stuffing something into his duffle.

 

“Why do I remember you wearing them?” Brian asked, still holding up the underwear.

 

“I must’ve worn them a couple times”, Justin said with a shrug. “I’m pretty sure we’ve swapped a few things while we’ve been here, actually.”

 

“Yeah?” Brian asked, peeling his brain for memories of incidences like this. He didn’t know why it bothered him that he couldn’t quite remember any.   

 

Justin gave another shrug. “Yeah.” He continued to pack while he spoke, finishing up. “I mean we’ve been sharing this tiny cabin for a while. It’s not that weird, is it?” Finally, he looked over at Brian and the brunet realised that he actually wanted an answer to that.

 

He also realised that he had been staring at the blond without saying anything for a bit too long. He cleared his throat and shook his head, forcing out a smile. “Uh, no”, he answered. He looked back at Justin’s face and the smile became genuine. It always did around him. “Not weird.”

 

Justin smiled and zipped up his bag. “Well”, he said, giving the top of the bag a pat. “All done.” He started getting dressed and Brian turned back to finish up his own packing and dress himself. Justin hummed softly to himself while he dressed, not quite remembering what song the tune came from. Every time he stole a glance at Brian, the tune got louder and louder in his head, but he still couldn’t place it. Once Brian was all dressed, he announced that he was going outside for a smoke. Justin nodded and told him he’d meet him outside. He waited until he was sure Brian wasn’t going to come back in and unzipped his back pack to grab his sketch book. He flipped to them page where he’d drawn Brian asleep. He tore it out of the book and carefully slid his sketch pad back into his back pack. After he’d zipped it up, he walked over to Brian’s stuff and tucked the drawing into the other man’s back pack. He moved quietly, hoping Brian wouldn’t hear him and come back in. That hadn’t stopped him from humming. Just as he zipped Brian’s smaller bag up, he remembered what the song was; The Beatles’ version of ‘Till there was you’.

 

There was love

All around

But I never heard it singing

No, I never heard it at all

Till there was you

 

*****

 

The two men walked comfortably to breakfast together, close enough so that their shoulders occasionally bumped. They heard laughter and excited screams as they passed all their campers’ cabins. “What the hell is going on?” Brian wondered aloud, an amused expression on his face. He walked over to the cabin they knew belonged to Lane and Justin followed. He would follow Brian anywhere. The blond shook away the thought, knowing that Brian would probably think it was horrendously lesbionic. Still, Justin hurried to return to Brian’s side. Brian knocked on the cabin door and a boy from a different patrol opened it about 7 seconds later, puffing and smiling. “Morning, kid”, Brian said. “What’s all the commotion?”

 

Brian didn’t really need to ask. As soon as the door opened, they could both see all the campers inside the cabin having a pillow fight. They were laughing wildly as they hit each other with their pillows. Justin laughed at the sight, figuring that was probably what all the noise from all the other cabins was from as well. “Nothing much”, the kid panted. “We’re just at war.”

 

“War?” Justin laughed. Brian smirked beside him.

 

“That’s right”, another kid said, before tackling the boy who’d answered the door to the ground. He hit him with his pillow, shouting, “I am the king! I am the king!”

 

“Well, just as long as you head over to breakfast soon”, Brian said to the whole cabin. “Wouldn’t want to miss out on your last Peatree breakfast.”

 

As soon as Brian said that, Justin’s smile faltered. Last. That’s right. They would have breakfast, have one last activity, have lunch and then they would say goodbye. Today the camp would be over. They would all go back home and maybe never see each other again. That was a thought Justin didn’t want to entertain. Till there was you, he sang in his head. Justin didn’t hear the rest of the conversation but soon, he and Brian were back on their way to the dining hall.

 

After a short while of silence, Brian deliberately bumped his shoulder with Justin’s, making him look over at him. “Okay?” Brian asked his…friend? Lover? Justin wasn’t at all sure of where they stood now that camp was ending and it made him nervous in a way he’d never felt.

 

Remembering that Brian was still awaiting an answer he managed to muster up a small smile and said, “Okay.” They were silent again and Justin could feel Brian’s gaze on the side of his face. He could always tell when something was up with Justin because the sun wasn’t as bright as usual. Justin forced himself to meet his gaze again and added, “Just feeling a little sentimental this morning, I guess.” Brian nodded, deciding this was a perfectly acceptable answer, knowing Justin as he was. Besides, from Justin’s perspective, it wasn’t a lie. It was the truth with a few missing details. Or a lot of missing details.

 

Everyone was really chatty and lively during breakfast, eagerly tucking away into their food and sharing stories. People exchanged phone numbers and email addresses. Brian and Justin had already done that, so they didn’t need to bother with that today. This was something Justin was glad for, as he figured it would make him sad. Well, sadder. Anything that was another reminder that camp was over made Justin sad. Seeing as that was all everyone seemed to be able to talk about that morning, that was turning out to be quite the problem. He felt Brian’s familiar hand squeeze his knee under the table and he looked over at him. Brian gave him a wink and that was all he needed to laugh. He laughed and Brian smiled and for a moment the whole world disappeared and it was just the two of them. Till there was you…  

 

*****

 

The patrols all gathered together after breakfast for their final camp activity. The Rangers met out on the field. There was a slightly sombre mood among the group as the final goodbye was nearing. Justin wanted nothing more than to forget about that until it came. So, he put on a smile and said in his most cheerful voice, “Chin up, campers. We’ve still got this morning. And it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

 

The campers did not doubt this after the summer they’d had. “What are we doing?” Sasha asked, the first camper to pipe up. She seemed to be trying the same thing as Justin.

 

“We’re going to be playing hockey”, Brian told the kids.

 

This of course, got an instant reaction. “Awesome. Hockey is my GAME!” Tyler cheered.

 

“Isn’t every game your game?” Masamane pointed out.

 

“When you’re ‘the man’, everything is easy as pie”, Tyler responded with confidence.

 

Sam and Duke laughed at their friend as they moved closer to him. “Is that right?” said Sam, putting his arm around Tyler’s neck. Duke ruffled the boy’s hair with both of his hands.

 

An amused smirk on his face, Brian gestured at the right side of the group. “You guys will be on one team.” He pointed to the left side. “And you guys will be on the other team.” The kids got to moving right away, now very eager to get into the morning’s activity.

 

The Rangers set up some soccer nets as their goals and each camper was adorned with a hockey stick. They allocated their team positions while Brian and Justin explained the rules of the game. It was fairly simple; you hit the puck with the stick until you get it into the goal. With that out of the way, the campers got into position and begun the game with their counsellors as referees. Before they started, both teams huddled together for a pep talk. “Alright, this is the last chance we’ve got to kick butt this summer, so let’s go!” Troian said to her team. The campers cheered in response, set on victory.

 

“We’ve got the chops, so let’s use ‘em”, Felix said to his team. Everyone gave him a funny look. “What?”

 

“What does that even mean?” Sorou asked.

 

“I don’t know”, Felix shrugged. “What ever you want it to mean, I guess. The point is, we got this!”

 

The team cheered, confused and amused and the hockey game finally began. They ended up playing two games after each other as they had plenty of time. Sure enough, Tyler ‘the man’s’ team won both games, causing him to do a celebratory dance. The campers laughed and shouted while they played, the losing team not even mad at their loss. They were close games and full of fun. Brian and Justin found themselves cheering their campers on during the games. Everyone was still laughing and chatting away when it was time for lunch. That brought back the realisation that camp would soon be over. “Hey, campers”, Brian said, noticing the mood shift again. “I can’t think of a better final activity than the one we just had. You did good, kids.”

 

That managed to get a smile out of many of the campers as they took in Brian’s words. “Well, we better head to lunch”, Justin said after a moment. Everyone made their way, trying their best to joke and be as upbeat as they could. This seemed to come easy for the kids, so Justin decided he should enjoy his time left while he could. So he sat close to Brian during lunch, laughing and talking as usual. He made sure to throw in some flirting wherever he could, touching Brian’s thigh under the table. At one point, Brian grabbed the hand that rested on his thigh and gave it a squeeze. Could it be possible that Brian felt anything close to what Justin felt? Justin felt fluttering in his stomach and a tightness in his chest as Brian stroked his knuckles with his thumb. He wondered if Brian felt any fluttering. How nice that would be.

 

“Did you hear about the stink bomb in the toilets?” Counsellor Caroline asked. “What a way to say farewell, huh?”

 

The counsellors all laughed and shook their heads. “Turned out to be a couple of our campers”, Adam told the rest of the counsellors, surprising no one. His patrol had been behind several shenanigans over the summer.

 

He looked at his co-counsellor Carrie and she rolled her eyes. “They little dirt bags aren’t getting away with it”, she said. “Brad said they had to find a way to get out the smell before we have to hit the buses.”

 

“Good luck to them”, Brian snorted.

 

“You know anything about stink bombs?” Carrie asked.

 

Justin gave Brian’s hand a squeeze, making Brian laugh. “I was somewhat of a dirt bag when I was a kid”, he confessed. “Which means I’ve dealt with my fair share of stink bombs and let me tell you; the smell does not want to go away.”

 

Carrie shrugged and said, “Well, that’s too bad. If they’re clever enough to make the things, they should find a way to clean up their mess.”

 

Adam sipped his drink and swallowed loudly. “That’s right”, he agreed.

 

“Though, I’ll never forget the look on your ace when you came out of that bathroom”, Carrie teased.

 

“It was disgusting!” the man complained, giving everyone a good laugh. “It smelt like a dead cow and dog farts!”

 

The counsellors shuddered. “Oh man”, Phil sympathised. He reached over to pat Adam on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, the bad smell can’t hurt you anymore.”

 

“Why am I always the butt of every joke around here?” Adam asked.

 

“Someone’s gotta be”, Perry, Caroline’s co-counsellor responded, getting some chuckles. “Being around a big group of kids for a couple months has really deteriorated our maturity.”

 

“Can’t argue with you on that”, Counsellor Emily said.

 

“Ridiculous”, Brian commented, getting some more chuckles. Justin gave the man’s hand another squeeze, which got a squeeze back. The fluttering never stopped.

 

*****

 

Over an hour later, the entire camp was gathered out at camp base with all of their belongings packed. Brad and Sally stood on the main stage and addressed everyone. “Campers, this summer has been exceptionally wonderful and it’s all thanks to you”, Sally said. “I really hope you’ve all learned some new skills and made new friends. Having fun is what summer camp is all about, and you all brought it to Peatree.”

 

The campers and counsellors clapped and settled again when Brad began to speak. “Of course, this summer wouldn’t have gone so well without all of our excellent counsellors. Let’s give them an applause!” All the campers cheered and roared as the clapped for their counsellors. “Fantastic!” exclaimed Brad. “Thank you all for coming and keep in mind that Peatree will always be here for you to come back to. So we hope to see you back next summer!”

 

Another applause followed this and Sally said, “Have a safe trip home, everyone!” People begun to make their way over to where the buses were. There were some cars for the kids who were being picked up by the parents from the camp.

 

Brian and Justin walked together, The Rangers following along behind them. Once they’d come to a stop, Sasha stepped forward and said, “This is for you guys.” She held a card each out to both counsellors. Brian and Justin took the cards with appreciative smiles and opened them. Inside each card was a friendship bracelet made out of coloured wool. The campers had learned how to make these a while back and used the boys’ favourite colours to make these. The cards were signed by every member of the patrol. Brian’s read; To the Bri-man, you made us laugh throughout the summer and you made us brave. Thank you for helping us to believe in ourselves. You are awesome! The man smiled while Justin read his; Dear Justin, everyday you inspired us to be ourselves and to be good to others through your own kindness. Thank you for making this summer a total blast!

 

“These are great”, Brian told the campers with a big grin. He couldn’t stop the smile on his face or the warmth in his heart. He had come here to settle a bet with his friends, which he had. But ended up really caring about these kids rather than simply tolerating them.  

 

“We couldn’t have asked for a better patrol”, Justin said with heartfelt, getting a little choked up. He could see that several of the campers looked emotional. “Thank you!” The patrol gathered in for a big group hug, holding on to each other tightly.

 

“We’ll miss you”, Moira said once they all pulled apart. Everyone returned the sentiment to each other, sharing hugs and fond words. Before they knew it, everyone was getting on a bus or in a car, waving goodbye.

 

Brian and Justin watched as their campers all left the campsite, feeling the loss. Brad and Sally eventually approached them. “Thank you for your hard work here, gentlemen”, Brad said, giving both men a friendly handshake. “The camp was really great this year.”

 

Sally gave each man a quick, but maternal hug. “I hope you had a good time”, she said genuinely. For all their weirdness, there was no denying that these two were very kind people.

 

“We really did”, Justin told the woman. Brian agreed, earning two very bright smiles form the camp owners.

 

“Wonderful!” exclaimed Sally. “I’m glad.”

 

“Save travels back home, fellas”, Brad said, leading his wife away to speak to other people. “Hope to see you back one day”, he called back as they left.

 

It was time for the counsellors to board their buses. Brian and Justin said some friendly and funny goodbyes to all the counsellors, even though they would both be on the same bus as several of them. All that was left was their dreaded farewell to each other. They moved to face each other and Brian took Justin’s hands. “Well”, he began, dread in his voice. “This is it.”

 

“Yeah”, Justin said quietly. They stared at each other in silence for a few beats before they came together for a big hug. They squeezed each other tightly, revealing in the touch. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m really going to miss you, Kinney”, Justin told the man in his arms.

 

Brian held Justin even tighter and responded, “You too, Taylor.” Finally, the pulled apart just enough so that they could look at each other’s faces. They still had their arms wrapped around each other. “Fuck”, Brian breathed and pulled Justin in for a kiss, uncaring of any overseers. Justin kissed him back enthusiastically before they reluctantly parted. “I don’t even know what to say, except that you made this summer really great”, Brian told his lover.

 

Justin nodded, sniffing. “You are the most ridiculous, frustrating, hilarious and fun person I know”, he told him. The pair stood in front of each other with sad smiles, not wanting to go. It felt like there were a hundred things left to say and do, yet neither knew where to begin. The tingling Justin felt spread throughout his whole body, the fluttering still present. His heart was so full, he couldn’t contain it any longer. He didn’t mean to say it, really. But his body took over and before he could stop himself, Justin blurted out, “Fuck, I love you.”

 

Brian was visibly stunned. His eyes widened and he took a small step back as if he had been pushed. He froze, not knowing how to respond while Justin looked at him with worried, slightly panicked eyes. “Uh”, Brian uttered, unintelligently.

 

“Oh my God”, Justin said, stepping back himself. “Oh my God, oh my God”, he repeated shaking his head. “That just came out”, he fumbled. “I didn’t mean to say it like that, I just…shit.” Brian reached out fro Justin’s arm, but the blond moved back again. “I uh, I gotta go”, he said before turning around and running to his bus.

 

“Justin”, Brian called as the man ran.

 

“I’m sorry”, Justin called back, not stopping. He gave his duffle bag to the bus driver to be placed underneath and climbed into the bus.

 

Brian stood where he was, unable to move as he watched Justin disappear. The blond’s words rung in his ears. “Fuck, I love you.”  Brian picked his own luggage up off the ground and sighed. “Fuck”, he said to himself. He walked over to his own bus, his heart pounding. Something electric moved through his entire body. What’s happening to me?

 

 

FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

It was the last day at camp and everyone was sweating like crazy while they waited to be dismissed. Murph and Dudley were giving a speech that seemed to go on and on and fucken on. They gave out individual thank-you’s to all the counsellors, going over the great things about the summer, going over all the many, many things that went wrong and talking about what summer camp and teamwork is all about. As if that had to do with anything. They also shared old stories of the camp. No one was really listening anymore. Even the counsellors were half asleep. It was too hot and the speech was too boring. The campers were convinced that the camp owners were keeping them there in this weather on purpose for all the crap they pulled over the summer. It made sense, after all. Just as Brian was about to accept his fate, condemned to death by boredom and heatstroke, Dudley said, “We wish all a safe trip home, campers. Bye, bye!”

 

The campers and counsellors cheered, overjoyed to be able to get away before it was too late and they were doomed to die slowly, listening to Dudley and Murph’s tales of the past. Quickly, they made their way over to where the buses were waiting to take them home. The campers dragged their bags along with them. Once they reached the front of the campsite and the buses were in sight, they cheered again. “Well, campers, I’d like to say it’s been a pleasure, but I’d rather not lie”, Carl told The Waterloos as they stood together.

 

The campers laughed wildly, unable to counter this remark. They had put their counsellors through total crap this summer. “Surely you’re not saying my company wasn’t anything but pleasurable”, Emmett said with exaggerated outrage.

 

“Hold onto that confidence”, Carl responded, getting several chuckles. Emmett gave a bow and blew kisses into the air.  

 

“Waterloos, the summer has been…” Charlotte began, searching for the words to complete the sentence. “It’s been…it was…”

 

“I agree, Charlotte”, Brian interrupted, getting everyone’s attention. “The summer was.”

 

Charlotte pointed to Brian and said “Yes”, with a nod. And that was that. The summer was yes.

?/10, not sure if would recommend.

 

Someone cleared their throat after a weird beat of silence. “Standing around awkwardly is nice and all, but I’d rather get the hell out of here”, Max spoke up, hiking her duffle bag higher on her shoulder. “So without further ado, see ya, losers!” The girl walked over to the bus she was taking back home while everyone watched in amusement.

 

“She’s got the right idea”, Curtis said. “Later.” And with that, he was off. The rest of the campers swiftly shared their goodbyes and departed. It was as if spending the last 8 weeks together had not been a big deal at all. No one seemed to mind that there was no sentimentality. Except for J.D. He hugged Carla and Elliot tightly and when it came to him and Turk, they held each other until everyone had gone. It was a bromance for the ages.

 

“Let’s go”, Daphne said to her friends and they headed over to their bus. They had made sure to say a proper farewell to Blake, having become genuine friends over the summer. Emmett, Justin and Daphne were all getting on the same bus, so they were happy not to have to say goodbye just yet. Emmett was going to spend the rest of the summer with a relative in Pittsburgh. “Can you guys believe camp is over?”

 

“You know what? Yes I can, Daph”, Justin said, thinking back to all the pranks they’d been subjected to during their time at Camp Peatree. Although, they had dished out their fair share of pranks too.  

 

Emmett laughed and put his arms around both of his friends as they walked. “Aw, come on”, he said. “It wasn’t all bad. You met me, didn’t you?” The stopped walking, having reached their bus.

 

Daphne reached up to give Emmett a kiss on the cheek, which he took proudly. Justin smiled and put his arm around Emmett, hugging him. “And how wonderful that was”, he said. Emmett giggled and leaned down to give Justin a kiss of his own on the cheek.

 

“Aw, look”, Drew Boyd’s obnoxious voice called. “The little love birds are engaged.”

 

“Are you jealous, Boyd?” Emmett said back with effortless sass. The friends disentangled themselves and turned to see Brian Kinney standing next to Drew, looking like they had the world at their feet.  

 

Drew snorted a laugh. “Of what? Three dorks in a freak show?” He snickered at his own dig.

 

Emmett gave a fake laugh and rolled his eyes. “Honey, you wish.”

 

“You know, Boyd, you should be a comedian”, Daphne said. “You just can’t write that shit.”

 

The two bullies huffed and laughed as if they hadn’t just been burned. “Please don’t tell me you two are on our bus too”, Justin said, unimpressed.  

 

“Alright, I won’t tell ya then”, Brian said back with a stupid, handsome smirk. He crossed his arms over his chest.  

 

“How original”, Daphne rolled her eyes and walked away to hand her bag to the bus driver. Emmett gave their tormentors one final look up and down and followed her.

 

Justin stayed where he was, his eyes on Brian’s stupid, handsome face. “Can’t wait to never see you again”, he said to his nemesis.   

 

Brian stepped closer to the boy so that they were almost touching. Justin swallowed hard as the brunet leaned in and whispered, “You love me.” He pulled back and gave Justin a wink before the younger teen scoffed and turned to walk after his friends. Brian snickered to himself and watched the boy walk away. He had seen the blush begin to colour Justin’s cheeks as soon as he had gotten close to him. Justin could pretend he hated Brian all he wanted, but the brunet knew better. The kid was attracted to him for sure.

 

Drew lightly whacked Brian on the arm, snapping him out of his thoughts. “We gonna go get seats, or what?” the buff teen asked his friend. They had already given their duffels to the bus driver.  

 

“Sure”, Brian said, climbing into the bus. He realised that before Drew got his attention back, he had been staring at Justin and his stupid, cute butt. He shook his head and sat down next to Drew.

 

Daphne, Emmett and Justin got on soon after, sitting a few rows in front of their tormentors. “Hey, check this”, Drew said, throwing some scrunched up paper that had been in his pocket. It hit Justin right in the back of the head. The two boys laughed like the mature young men they were.

 

The blond turned to look back at the pair and rolled his eyes. “You suck”, he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Emmett reached over to ruffle Justin’s hair and said something Brian and Drew couldn’t hear. Whatever it was, it got Daphne and Justin laughing. Brian watched the blond’s face light up as he laughed and marvelled over what a nice sight Justin Taylor laughing was. Yes, he could not wait to never see that kid ever again, either…    

 

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

 

 

-FLASHBACK- Summer, 2000

 

 

 

The kids had been on the bus for about two hours already and they still had quite a while to go. Justin was sitting in one seat, Daphne was beside him at the window and Emmet sat in a seat beside them, across the aisle. They had spent the time so far talking about their time at camp and what they were going to do once they got back home. They shared their favourite camp memories and all the things they had missed while being away from home. “I’ll tell you what I didn’t miss”, Emmett said, scooting a bit in his seat. His butt was staring to hurt a little. “School.”

 

 

 

“I hear that”, Justin said, giving his friend a quick high five.

 

 

 

Emmett held up his hands to gesture that there was more. “Or getting lit matches thrown at me.”

 

 

 

“That happens to you?” Daphne asked in disbelief. Not at her friend, but at the fact that people would be cruel enough to do that to someone else.

 

 

 

The boy gave a shrug and said, “The kids down south are something else. Demons, rather than actual people.” Justin huffed a humourless laugh, wholeheartedly believing that. “I’m glad I still have a few more weeks before I have to go back to that. Jerks like Drew Boyd and Brian Kinney are angels in comparison. That’s why dealing with ‘em is a piece of cake. Honestly, I’d take those two over the creeps I go to school with in a heart beat.”

 

 

 

Justin nodded sympathetically, understanding how shitty bullying can be. “That would still suck, though”, he said. “Being stuck with those two imbeciles.”

 

 

 

The other two teenagers laughed and moved closer to Justin. Daphne poked at him. “Come on”, she said in a teasing voice. “You have to admit that Brian is a hottie.”

 

 

 

“What the fuck are you even saying right now?” Justin said, scrunching up his face. “You can’t stand him!”

 

 

 

“True”, Daphne responded. She gave Justin a few more pokes as she spoke. “Doesn’t mean he’s not handsome. And you totally think so, don’t you, Jus?”

 

 

 

Justin felt his cheeks grow warm and he shook his head, sputtering, “Pfft! No! No way!”

 

 

 

It was Emmett’s turn to give Justin a poke. “Even I can admit I find Boyd to be quite delicious. He’s a complete moron, but a gorgeous moron.” Justin rolled his eyes while Daphne laughed again. “Admit it, sweetie”, Emmett pressed light-heartedly. “You think Brian is a babe.”

 

 

 

“Never”, Justin said adamantly, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance. Emmett and Daphne shared a conspiratorial look before diving in to tickle Justin. “Ah! No!” he yelled through his laughter as he tried to fight his friends off. He managed to tickle them back, getting them laughing and squealing just as loudly as him.

 

 

 

“Hey, would you nerds shut the hell up?!” Drew shouted to them. The friends straightened themselves up and look back at Drew. Daphne gave the boy a glare, Justin poked his tongue out at him and Emmett settled for giving him the finger. Drew laughed and reciprocated, flipping the bird right back.

 

 

 

They all returned to their places they had been in before the tickle war began. Daphne sat up straighter in her seat. “Okay”, she said. “This is super lame. But, promise we’ll stay friends even after we get back.” Emmett and Justin gave the girl a fond look. “You guys are two of the best friends I’ve ever had.

 

 

 

“Same here”, Emmett said, his hand over his heart. “I feel closer to you guys that I’ve only known for 8 weeks than to people I’ve known all my life.”

 

 

 

Justin smiled and reached out to pat Daphne’s leg and Emmett’s shoulder. “You know, I never expected to find friends like you guys when I came to camp. But you two are probably the best people I’ve ever met.”

 

 

 

“Oh shit”, Daphne said, sniffing. “I just had to go and get sentimental, didn’t I?”

 

 

 

“Oh, Daph”, Justin laughed. The friends shifted around so they could all share a group hug.

 

 

 

At the back of the bus, Drew and Brian were watching this vomit-worthy display in amusement. “Check that out”, Drew snickered. “What is this? The loser romance bus?”

 

 

 

Brian frowned and commented, “Dude, we’re on this bus, too.”  

 

 

 

His buddy shrugged. “Yeah, but we’re not geeks.”

 

 

 

The other boy chuckled and shook his head. Boyd wasn’t always the brightest kid, but he was a good laugh when he wanted to be. “Ridiculous”, Brian said. He leaned back, staring at the bus’ roof and groaned loudly. “I’m so bored!”

 

 

 

“Play a card game”, Justin’s voice called. Brian’s complaint had travelled through the whole of the bus, it seemed. “And shut up.”

 

 

 

Brian smirked and poked his tongue out at the blond. To his amusement, slight annoyance and secret pleasure, the younger boy returned the gesture. He gave Brian one more look before turning back around. Brian continued to stare at the little brat, a small smile on his face. “Jeeze”, Drew said, getting Brian’s attention back. “What is it with that twerp? You are so into him, aren’t you?”

 

 

 

The other boy snapped his head to look directly at his pal with wide eyes. “Huh?” he asked rather intelligently.

 

 

 

Drew smirked and leaned in closer to Brian so he could tease him. “The kid.” He pointed to Justin while keeping his eyes on his friend. “You think he’s hot.”

 

 

 

“What?” Brian scoffed. He looked away from Drew and laid his eyes on the back of Justin’s golden head for a second before turning back to his friend.

 

 

 

“Ooo”, Drew said, realisation spreading across his face. He shifted in his seat. “You really do.” Brian scoffed again and Drew grinned. “Oh, this shit just got good.” He rubbed is hands together. Drew was a bit of a shit talker sometimes, but he hadn’t really been too interested in gossip. Or at least, that’s what Brian had thought. “Now it all makes sense.”

 

 

 

Brian frowned. “What does?” he asked, trying a little too hard to sound appalled at Drew’s suggestion.

 

 

 

“Why you’ve had it out for him since day one”, Drew answered, crossing his arms like he had all the answers in the world. “You starting dumping on him before you even knew him.”

 

 

 

“Uh, you were giving him crap, too, dumb ass”, Brian reminded the boy.

 

 

 

Drew cracked a laughed, shaking his head. “Only because it was funny. It was a laugh seeing you get him all worked up. Oh man, he gets so mad.”

 

 

 

“You’re a jackass, you know that?” Brian said, a slight smirk on his face.

 

 

 

The smirk was returned and Drew reached over to lightly punch Brian’s arm. “Oh yeah?” Brian nodded with raised eyebrows. “What would you call yourself then, dick breath?”

 

 

 

“I’d call myself perfect, sack face”, Brian said back.

 

 

 

Drew laughed and the pair shared a few playful smacks and punches. “You can’t hide from me , Kinney”, Drew said after some more banter. “I know your secret.” Brian frowned and Drew pointed back to the blond sitting several seats ahead.

 

 

 

“Shut the hell up”, Brian laughed. He had to take it light heartedly so that Drew wouldn’t really catch on that there was some truth to what he was saying. It wasn’t like Brian had a crush or anything. Brian Kinney did not do crushes. But, he would be lying if he said he didn’t find the Taylor boy attractive. He would never admit it, but Justin had appeared in more than one of Brian’s dreams. The kind of dreams that had him feeling…things when he woke. That didn’t mean anything, though. They were just dreams. Justin was cute and Brian thought so. But that was all. And when this bus got to their destination, he would never have to see the little twat ever again…

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRESENT

 

 

 

Brian busied himself looking out the window as the bus made its way to the airport. He wanted quiet, but his mind was loud with the words Justin had spoken to him. His accidental confession. Their abrupt parting. Brian shook his head, desperate to think of anything else. He settled on remembering all the good times he’d had at camp this summer. Camp had actually been way more fun as a counsellor than it had ever been as a camper. Brian figured he could probably attribute that to not getting into any trouble for doing stupid things. That thought had him chuckling quietly to himself, bringing back some of his stupid pranks from his younger years. I really was a brat, he thought with a small smile. But it had all been an act. At camp, Brian could be who he wanted people to see him as. He could be tough and overpower anyone. It wasn’t quite the same at home. He lived in constant dread of his mother’s lectures and constant fear of his father’s violent outbursts. The cool kids thought he was a loser, so at school, he was the one getting pushed around. Once he got older and bigger, however, he began to fight back. He had to protect himself and Mikey. Brian was never top dog at school, but eventually people did stop messing with him. Summer camp was a place where he could pretend that he was the king of the world. And people believed him. So he kept up the act again and again.

 

 

 

He left home as soon as he turned 18 and never looked back. When he was free of the fear and the violence and the loser status, Brian decided he could finally live as whoever he chose to be. So he chose to be the king of the world. And just like it was at camp, people believed him. Of course as an adult, he never bullied or pranked anyone, but he did keep his heart under tight lock. No one would ever get to see his vulnerable side. He didn’t want to show people he could be weak, so he wouldn’t be weak. Michael and Debbie were the only two people that ever knew that side of him. They had known him long enough. And that was okay. Once he was free of his old family, he decided he’d choose a new one. It wasn’t very difficult, as he had already known it would be the Novotony’s since he was 14. And then he met Lindsay, then Ted and Melanie. Then he actually became friends with Emmett Honeycutt and reconnected with Drew Boyd. Finally, he had a family he could be happy to call his own. But having Drew around reminded him that he needed to stay on top. To be the king, he had to keep moving forward and building his empire. So he moved to New York City, doing the exact same job he had been doing in Pittsburgh. It was fabulous, but after 2 years, he began to wonder why. All his life he’d wanted a true family, and once he finally had one, he moved away from them. They still spoke often, but it wasn’t quite the same. Brian never told Justin this, but before he came back to Camp Peatree, he had started looking for an apartment in Pittsburgh. And another job. He figured it was time to come home. Being the king didn’t mean he had to be alone.

 

 

 

That thought brought him back to the camp. How he had ended up having way more fun there than he ever imagined. How he had come to actually care for the kids he only knew for 8 weeks. At the start of summer, it seemed like the camp would last forever, but looking back, it had just flown by. Brian remembered all the things they did over the summer. The campers tackled the rope course; a series of ropes at different heights that you could climb, swing and walk across. They learned outdoor cooking over their own campfires. One particularly cool thing was when they made milk carton hotdogs. You simply put a hotdog into a bun, wrap it up in aluminium foil, place it inside an empty milk carton and set the carton on fire. Preferably with a light or a match. Minutes later, you would have a smoky cooked hotdog. Brian had learned this when he was a kid and he still thought it was cool. The Rangers also went ice-karting. They took really big blocks of ice, covered the top with a tea towel, get one person to sit on it and pushed them down a hill. You would ride down on the ice as if you were in a sled in the snow. It was ridiculous, fun and made for a cold butt.

 

 

 

The patrol did many things together, shared many laughs and created many memories they could look back on with fondness. Brian knew that he would actually miss the camp, as well as the campers. He had won his bet against his friends because it turned out to be the easiest thing he had ever had to do. He hadn’t felt like he had to put up with the kids because he had actually enjoyed spending time with them. And Justin…

 

 

 

Justin was something else. He never imagined he’d run into the infuriating little blond again, much less become his friend and lover. And yet. Brian had learned that Justin was incredibly kind by nature. He learned he was thoughtful out of habit, sometimes awkward, annoyingly understanding and a massive flirt when he wanted to be. In the space of two months, Justin had become someone dear to Brian. Without pressing or forcing anything, the younger man had managed to get through the walls Brian kept around his heart. They had undeniable chemistry, but Brian knew it was beyond just that. Justin was now one of his best friends. And he really wanted him around. The memory of their parting flooded back and this time, Brian let it. Justin looked so shocked and afraid of his own words. Almost as if he didn’t mean them. But Brian remembered exactly what Justin said afterwards. “I didn’t mean to say it like that.” Like that. Like that. As in he did mean what he said, he just hadn’t planned on blurting it out the way he did. That thought did things to Brian’s gut. And his heart.

 

 

 

He reached down to get a water bottle out of his back pack. Maybe the funny feeling was just a symptom of dehydration. Once he got hold of the bag, he unzipped it and reached in. He felt something he didn’t remember putting in the bag. It felt like paper. With a slight frown, Brian looked down and opened the bag a little more. It looked like a drawing. Frown in place, he pulled the paper out and held it with two hands, letting his bag rest on his lap. It was a drawing of him sleeping. It was beautiful. Did Brian really look like that? The frown turned into a small smile and he saw Justin’s signature on the very bottom corner. He brushed his thumb over the signature and turned the page over. There was an address as well as a message written on the back;

 

 

 

For when you don’t feel like sleeping alone,

 

Justin xx

 

 

 

Brian couldn’t tell how long he stared at that message, reading it over and over. The address was clearly Justin’s home address. He had given him an invitation to visit. There it was again; that feeling in his gut. It spread to his chest and through the rest of his body. Those walls had been made to protect his heart. But as this feeling flooded Brian’s veins, he decided that he didn’t want to protect his heart from Justin. I’ve got to go see him, he thought. He was supposed to be returning to Manhattan, but he’d figure something out. Justin was worth the trouble.

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

Two days had passed since Justin returned home and life had been pretty dull. He hadn’t returned to work yet and Daphne had been busy with her boyfriend and studies to have a proper chat. He only saw her when he arrived home and not since. The man sat on their couch with his sketch pad, feeling bored. He missed the excitement of camp and the laughter from all his Rangers. I hope they all have great futures, he thought, tapping his book with his pencil. It wasn’t often that Justin didn’t know what to draw, but since leaving Peatree, he felt stuck. Subconsciously, he probably knew why, but he couldn’t quite place it outright.

 

 

 

He was glad that he had at least achieved what he’d set out to do. Justin returned to Camp Peatree to help himself to finally accept his father’s death. And it had worked. He had begun to really heal from the loss, rather than avoiding it like he had been doing for the past year. I should visit Molly, he thought. The last time he had spoken to her was on the anniversary of their dad’s death. All things considered, it had been an alright day. Not fantastic, but not completely miserable like he’d anticipated. That probably wouldn’t have been the case had it not been for Brian. The man had been so sweet and supportive that day, quite the antithesis of the type of person he usually was. Justin knew it was all for him. What ever Justin needed that day, Brian gave it to him. That idiot, Justin thought with a smile. The feeling he had become accustomed to when thinking of the brunet was there again. The fluttering. His smile fell when he remembered the last thing he said to the older man. How he had just blurted out what ever and ran off. Brian didn’t respond, but Justin didn’t give him the chance to. He just bolted.

 

 

 

The blond squeezed his eyes shut and sighed, feeling like a moron. The memory of their ‘farewell’ left him sick with embarrassment and guilt. He had been desperately trying to keep what he felt for Brian inside, knowing that the man was not into relationships or feelings. And yet his stupid body betrayed him and made him look like a total loser. Granted, being a ‘loser’ at 25 wasn’t as big a deal as it was in high school. That didn’t stop him from shuddering when he thought about that mess of a moment. The odd thing was, he had expected Brian to laugh at him if he ever let his secret slip. But there was no laughter. Brian tried to call after him when he dashed off. Justin toyed with the idea of Brian feeling the same way. He shook his head after a while, thinking, If that were true, I probably would’ve heard from him by now. Sure, two days wasn’t that long to expect a message, but Justin did say something major and they hadn’t exactly parted on ‘good’ terms. He figured Brian had probably decided to just forget about him. Another sigh, this one sorrowful.

 

 

 

Daphne chose that moment to burst through their door, making Justin yelp and jump. Justin’s scream in turn made the girl jump and almost fall to the floor. She held onto the door frame to steady herself. “Jesus, Fuck”, he puffed, one hand over her heart. “I’m not that ugly, am I?”

 

 

 

Justin let out a big laugh and his roommate joined in. “You are by no means ugly, Daph”, he told her.

 

 

 

“I know”, Daphne responded, flipping her hair. Justin laughed again as she walked over to the couch. She plopped down beside Justin. “Just wondering why I scared you so much.”

 

 

 

“I was in deep thought”, Justin said in a mock-mystical voice and waving his hands about.

 

 

 

The girl frowned at her friend before laughing at his ridiculous antics. “Okay, what about?” Justin put his mystic hands away and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Come on, I’ve barely seen you since you got back!” she said, scooting closer to the blond. She put her arms around him for a hug.  “We’ve barely talked in ages. All I know is you had a thing with Brian Kinney”, she used a funny booming voice to say the name, making Justin chuckle. “I want details, bitch!” Justin made a strange little sound and Daphne let go of him to sit normally. “Did something happen?”

 

 

 

Justin looked at the girl for a moment before shifting in his sit. “Alright, so you know we were sleeping together”, he began and Daphne gave him a nod. He paused, embarrassed to say what he was about to say out loud. Truthfully, talking about it with his best friend would do him some good. “And we became really good friends over the summer so I started feeling…things.”

 

 

 

Justin looked over at Daphne nervously. “Things?” she asked.

 

 

 

“I…I kind of spat out that I sort of love him…” Justin said in a low voice. He sunk back into the couch cushions.

 

 

 

“Wow”, Daphne said, sounding both thoughtful and supportive. “When?”

 

 

 

“Right as we were leaving”, he answered.

 

 

 

“Well, what did he say?” She asked, cocking her head to the side.

 

 

 

Justin’s face grew hot as he recalled that incident yet again. “Nothing.” Daphne raised her eyebrows and Justin went on, “I didn’t give him the chance to say anything. I just ran to my bus.”

 

 

 

With her eyebrows high on her face, Daphne asked, “You ran?” She was slightly amused.

 

 

 

Justin covered his face with his hands. “I didn’t know what to do, Daph!” He turned his body towards her. “I didn’t mean to say it and he looked so surprised so I just left. I feel like a complete idiot! He’s probably back in New York, laughing at me.”

 

 

 

Daphne reached over to put a hand on her friend’s knee in support. “Jus, there is no way for you to know that. If you left before he said anything, you don’t know how he’s reacting.”

 

 

 

“Sure, but we haven’t talked since camp ended”, Justin told her. “I feel like he would probably at least text me if he still wanted anything to do with me.”

 

 

 

Daphne pursed her lips, thinking hard. “Maybe. But he could be thinking about what to say. The guy has always been kind of a jerk, right? Maybe he doesn’t know how to handle people ‘expressing feelings’.” Justin thought on this, not knowing what to say. “But, Justin”, Daphne said, getting his attention again. “Did you mean what you said? Are you in love with him?”  

 

 

 

That made Justin pause. He had spent the last part of the camp gathering his feelings, unsure if he wanted to acknowledge what they were. He’d had boyfriends before, but none of them ever made him feel like Brian. He had felt fluttering before, but never this intense. It had never spread through his entire body and taken over. The truth was he had more fun with Brian than with any other guy before. The reason his other relationships had ended was mainly because they never quite managed to be friends. The focus was always put on the ‘romance’. But Brian really felt like Justin’s friend. Since they began having sex, Justin got to see a new side of him. Not just a sexy side, but a sweet one. These were things Justin didn’t know existed in Brian until he got to know him. He was sure getting to know the real Brian was one of the best things to ever happen to him. Because only now did he realise that he had never actually been in love before. And now he was. Shit.

 

 

 

He looked back at Daphne and said, “Yes, Daph. I’m in love with him.”

 

 

 

“Wow”, his friend responded, sitting back into the couch. She had a sort of spaced out look on her face. It reminded Justin of when they used to get high together. That almost put a smile on his face.

 

 

 

“Yep”, Justin agreed.

 

 

 

Both friends were silent before Daphne perked up again. “Well, maybe you should try and contact him”, she suggested. Justin frowned, but she insisted, “Just give it a shot. Even if it doesn’t work out, love is worth it, Justin.”

 

 

 

“When did you get so wise?” Justin asked jokingly.

 

 

 

Daphne shrugged. “We’re 25. We gotta grow up at some point.”

 

 

 

“Don’t say that”, Justin said and Daphne laughed brightly. Maybe she was right. And even if it didn’t work out and Justin ended up flat on his face, he’d still have his best friend.

 

 

 

Hours later, Daphne had gone again and Justin was writing a text message to Brian. He was still sitting on the couch, biting his lip in concentration. He had erased his message a dozen times. He typed into his phone;

 

 

 

Hey Brian. Look, I know we parted on…weird terms. That was my fault. But I want you to know that you are important to me and I want you in my life. So when you’ve figured out what it is you want, give me a call. Take all the time you need.

 

 

 

“No”, he said to himself and moved his thumb to erase the words. His thumb hovered over his phone in hesitation. “Argh!” He closed his eyes and clicked ‘send’. There it was. It was sent. What the fuck did I do? he wondered. He looked at his phone, seeing no bubbles. Brian hadn’t seen it yet, but some time he would. And if Brian was the person Justin thought he was, he would respond eventually. “Shit”, he breathed, holding his phone to his heart. He sat like that, with his eyes closed for several minutes. A knock at the door startled him back into reality. He put his phone down, got up and trudged over to the door. He opened the door and froze. Standing in front of him was none other than the very same Brian Kinney he’d been agonizing over. They stared at each other for a few beats before Justin said, “Brian”, his voice doing nothing to mask his surprise.

 

 

 

“I, uh…I got your text”, Brian said with a slight laugh, holding up his phone.

 

 

 

Justin blinked at him. “I sent that like 5 minutes ago”, he said. Had Brian being hiding secret super powers all along?

 

 

 

Brian smirked and slipped how phone back into his pocket. “Yeah, I saw it on the way. It’s a pretty big coincidence that you sent this while I was literally on the way.”

 

 

 

“You were already coming here?” Justin asked, part in disbelief and part in happiness.

 

 

 

Brian let out a soft laugh. “Well, I didn’t just see it and super speed my way over.” Justin blushed and laughed. The pair looked at each other in silence, much like they had just before Justin blurted out those words back at camp. Brian cleared his throat. “Well, I’m here.”

 

 

 

“You’re here”, Justin said back, unsure of what to do.

 

 

 

The brunet in front of him thought for a second and began to speak. “Do you remember playing 7 minutes in heaven?”

 

 

 

Justin blinked again. “Huh?” Nothing about this was making sense.

 

 

 

“Back at Peatree. 10 years ago”, Brian clarified.

 

 

 

The younger man frowned, trying to recall what Brian was talking about. He remembered getting blindfolded and pushed into a closet. “Oh, yeah”, he said slowly, his frown fading.

 

 

 

“The kid in the closet with you ran away”, Brian said, a that familiar sparkle of mischief in his eyes. The look that meant he knew something Justin didn’t.

 

 

 

“Yeah”, Justin said, his frown returning. This time, it was a frown of confusion. “How…?”

 

 

 

“It was me”, Brian said before Justin could even finish that sentence. “I was the other guy in there with you.”

 

 

 

Justin’s eyes widened and he took a slight step towards Brian. “That was you?!” he asked, utterly surprised and amused. “You were my first kiss?”   

 

 

 

“I guess I was”, Brian answered, a smile on his handsome face. Justin smiled back at him, feeling kind of shy. Brian’s heart was also pounding. “I realized it was you when you spoke. You told me I was a good kisser.” The man waggled his eyebrows at Justin, making him laugh. Brian’s heart beat even faster. “Well, I was embarrassed when I realized it was you, so I got out of there. I wasn’t ready for whatever that meant.” Justin looked at Brian seriously, his eyes full of tenderness. “That feeling never really went away, I suppose. The whole ‘not being ready’ thing.” Justin didn’t say anything. He just waited for Brian to say whatever had brought him here. “Justin, I shouldn’t have let you just walk away.”

 

 

 

Justin had to say something to that. “I didn’t exactly give you a chance to react. I’m sorry about that.” Brian was about to speak, but Justin held up his hand to continue, “I was embarrassed. But I did mean what I said. I was trying to hide it because it’s true, but…” Justin took a deep breath. “I love you, Brian.” Brian’s eyes softened, emboldening Justin to say more. “Getting to know you this summer has been amazing. You became my friend and I really fell in love with you.”

 

 

 

Brian lowered his gaze to the floor, a small closed-mouth smile on his face. After a short moment, he looked back up at Justin, who was waiting somewhat anxiously. “I want you in my life, Sunshine”, he said.

 

 

 

Justin gave Brian one of his signature Sunshine smiles and moved forward to pull Brian into a kiss. He had his hands on either side of Brian’s face, while the brunet held onto his back. They kissed until Justin smiled and pulled away. He wrapped his arms around Brian’s neck. “That’s why you came all this way, huh?”

 

 

 

The brunet returned Justin’s smile and leaned in to brush their noses together. “Fuck, I love you”, he said quietly.

 

 

 

The man in his arms let out a small laugh. “Wasn’t so hard, was it?” Justin asked just as quietly.

 

 

 

Brian pressed his body closer to the younger man. “Guess again”, he joked. Justin chuckled and pulled the man in for another kiss, complete with tongue.

 

 

 

When the finally pried their mouths away, Justin asked, “You want to come inside?”

 

 

 

“I’d love to cum”, Brian said with one eyebrow raised. Justin barked out a laugh and pulled Brian in the apartment, their arms still around each other. “Nice place”, he commented, looking around as Justin pulled him towards what he hoped was his bedroom.

 

 

 

Justin leaned his face close to Brian’s. “You want to see my room?” he whispered, his breath against Brian’s skin.

 

 

 

The other man smirked and moved a hand down to grope Justin’s left ass cheek. “I’m sure it’s very comfortable.”

 

 

 

“You’ll be able to tell me yourself”, Justin replied.

 

 

 

Brian kicked the front door shut and let Justin pull him into his bedroom. He was very pleased to see that Justin had a nice big bed. He gave Justin another smirk and reached for him. The lovers kissed clumsily as they undressed each other, eager to reconnect. It had only been 4 days since they last had sex, but 4 days was too many. When they were finally naked, Brian stopped moving and looked into Justin’s eyes. Their gaze was intense and lustful. “Fuck, Justin”, Brian breathed before crashing their lips together again.

 

 

 

Justin guided them both towards the bed and pulled Brian down on top of him. He broke away from their kissing to pull a condom and some lube from his bedside table. Brian licked his lips. Justin leaned up, his face touching Brian’s and their eyes closed. “Fuck me, Brian”, he whispered. Brian barely had to move forward to bring his lips to Justin’s. He kissed Justin while he prepared him with fingers and lube. He kissed him while Justin rolled the condom on. He kissed him while he got into position. Finally, he tore their lips apart to grab Justin’s hip with one hand and his own dick with the other. “Do it”, Justin whispered and Brian pushed inside him. They moaned together while he made his way inside and locked eyes once he was all the way in.

 

 

 

“I love being inside you”, Brian told his lover as he began to rock in and out. Justin gasped at the motions. “I love seeing you like this. Making you feel good. Making you moan.”

 

 

 

Right on cue, Justin let out a moan. With a smile, he asked, “Like that?” Brian chuckled and nodded in response. Justin gripped Brian’s back with one hand and his ass with the other. He clenched himself around Brian, making the man gasp and moan. Justin smiled again as he released and Brian picked up the speed. “I love to make you moan too.”

 

 

 

“Oh do you?” Brian laughed, nuzzling their noses together. He moved his head to suck on Justin’s neck. That got the man panting. Justin grabbed Brian’s head and pulled him to kiss him. He slipped his tongue into his mouth and Brian sucked on it. He increased the pace, both men moaning together. After a while, Brian got up on his knees, holding Justin’s thighs. Justin groaned at this new angle, arching his hips up. Brian smiled and shifted so that he hit Justin’s sweet spot, making the man gasp each time. It was true; Brian loved making Justin feel good. He always liked to make sure his sex partners had a good time with him, but Justin was a whole new story. Brian found so much pleasure in giving pleasure to Justin. He cared more about getting the other man off than himself, which was something entirely new to him. With that in mind, he took special care to make Justin feel like the only person in the world. Because for the first time in his life, he loved someone. Brian loved Justin and Justin loved Brian.      

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

9 months later

 

 

 

“And so I said, ‘Mary, not until you’ve got a booty as plump as a summer peach!’” exclaimed Emmett Honeycutt. His friends around him all laughed in response to his ridiculous and surely exaggerated story about one of his many drag queen friends.

 

 

 

Brian and his regular group of friends had all gathered at the Liberty Diner for breakfast as usual. They had taken up two booths, squeezing in way too close for comfort as they always did. The bell above the door jingled and Brian looked up. He smiled when he saw who had just entered and rose from his seat. Justin approached him with a big Sunshine smile and pulled him in for a brief kiss. “Hi”, he greeted after pulling back.

 

 

 

“Hi to you too”, Brian responded, his voice sounding far happier than anyone had ever heard it. He gestured for Justin to sit at one of the booths and sat next to him.

 

 

 

“Hey there, sweetie”, Emmett sang with a giggly voice as Justin sat.

 

 

 

Everyone else gave the blond their greetings and Justin reciprocated in kind. The first time Emmett saw Brian and Justin walk into a room with their arms around each other, he squealed and almost tripped rushing over to them in excitement. Drew was much cooler about it. Justin hadn’t seen him in person since camp and the guy hadn’t changed all that much. At least he’d stopped being a bully. The pair weren’t too surprised about the new couple, considering they had both ended up with people they never thought they’d give a second look. Soon enough, Brian introduced Justin to the rest of his gang. If Justin was nervous about meeting them, he didn’t show it. He had managed to charm all of Brian’s friends in no time at all. Michael, Brian’s best friend was a little suspicious in the beginning, but all it took was some bonding over super heroes and Mikey warmed right up to him. Now, Justin was part of the family too.

 

 

 

It had taken close to two months for Brian to settle everything in Manhattan and return to Pittsburgh. He’d managed to find an advertising position at Ryder; the hottest Ad company in the Pitts. They were very impressed with his resume and offered him the senior position they were filling. Justin and Daphne had also helped him find a great new apartment. It was bigger than the one he had in New York, making that another huge bonus to moving back home where he belonged. During all of this time, Brian and Justin maintained a long-distance relationship filled with lots of phone sex and video calls. Daphne had unfortunately walked in on their video chats a few times. Luckily, the girl had a sense of humour. Unluckily, she made fun of the boys for this and their insatiable sexual appetite every chance she got. Luckily, Brian was not in the least embarrassed…Justin could not say the same. Daphne and Justin’s other friends had warmed up to Brian right away, just like his friends had to Justin. Daphne simply declared that if Brian was ever a jackass again, she’d hit him right in the gonads. Brian assured her there’d be no need.

 

 

 

Finally, when Brian had settled back in, he and Justin could pick up right were they left off. It wasn’t all smooth sailing. The men had fights, slammed doors, the silent treatment, time apart. But all of these arguments always ended up with them rushing back to each other in a flurry of kisses, apologies and hot make up sex. They both agreed that the make up sex was the only good thing about fighting. Apart from the occasion three-way, the pair had managed to remain monogamous. Justin became insecure about this and asked Brian if he was sure he wanted to give his ‘sexual freedom’ up. Brian had just scoffed and assured Justin that after him, anyone else would be a disappointment. He had been having sex with one person over the entire summer, so he knew he could keep doing it. Justin was more than happy with that. They were in love and all the people on Liberty Avenue who laughed and gossiped could get fucked.

 

 

 

“Man, I am so pumped for summer”, Drew just about groaned. He took a big sip of his Oreo milkshake. Lord only knew how he kept his physic with all the junk he seemed to ingest.

 

 

 

Emmett put and arm around his man’s broad shoulders. “You always are.”

 

 

 

Drew leaned in so their faces were close together. “You wear less clothes in summer.” Emmett chuckled and gave his boyfriend a kiss. Things got heated pretty quick and the pair were soon making out like a pair of horny teenagers.

 

 

 

“Alright, alright”, Debbie said, walking over to them and banging the table with her palm. “Break it up, boys.” Drew and Emmett pulled their lips apart, but stayed in their embrace. “This aint the back room”, he said with a laugh that came out like a big hoot. “We’re trying to sell food here, not sex tapes.”

 

 

 

“Wait, you sell actually food here?” Brian asked sarcastically.

 

 

 

Debbie gave him a stern smack over the head before affectionately ruffling his hair. “You keep talking like that and you’re next meal will come with a side of spit.”

 

 

 

“I don’t doubt that’s already happened to me”, Brian remarked, earning an eye roll from his surrogate mother. She sashayed away and got right back to work.

 

 

 

“What’s everyone doing for the summer?” an all-grown-up Blake asked, looking around at everyone. “Anyone got any hot plans?”

 

 

 

“Well-“ Drew began before he was interrupted by Brian’s nerdy friend, Ted, tossing a piece of hasbrown right at his face.

 

 

 

“Let me just stop you right there”, the smaller man said, making everyone laugh. Drew and Emmett had never had any qualms about sharing every detail of their relationship with everyone and anyone. Their friends didn’t quite agree with that. What can you do?

 

 

 

“Anyone else?” Blake asked again.

 

 

 

Brian and Justin shared a grin-filled look before turning back to look around at their friends. “We’re going back to Camp Peatree”, Justin shared.

 

 

 

“Again?” Blake asked, almost incredulously. “Why do you two love that place so much?”

 

 

 

Both men shrugged. “It was fun”, Brian simply said.

 

 

 

“I can’t believe Brian Kinney managed to have actual fun and bag a boyfriend at a kid’s summer camp”, Brian’s kind of friend, Melanie said through an amused smirk.

 

 

 

“What can I say?” Brian responded, wrapping an arm around Justin and giving him a squeeze. “He’s just so good in bed.”

 

 

 

Justin laughed and pretended to look offended. “Is that all you want me for?”  

 

 

 

Brian nodded innocently and moved his face closer to Justin’s. “You already knew that, Sunshine.” Justin smirked at him. “Isn’t that all I’m good for to you?”

 

 

 

“Of course”, Justin teased, giving Brian a quick peck.

 

 

 

“Christ, not you two, as well!” Debbie’s voice called from across the diner.

 

 

 

Justin and Brian looked at the woman innocently. “The customers love it and you know it”, Brian called back to her. This got several laughs from people who weren’t even at their booths.

 

 

 

“Although, she’s right, you know”, Michael said, pointing a fork at the couple from his place across from them. “You tow have been crazy loved up ever since you moved in together.”

 

 

 

“Psh!” exclaimed Justin. “Who said anything about love? I’m just using this guy.” He wore a cheeky smirk.

 

 

 

Brian’s arm was still around Justin’s shoulders. He used it to pull Justin’s body closer to him and press his face into the blond’s hair. “That’s a Goddamn lie and don’t you even try to deny it”, he murmured to his man. In truth, Brian loved being able to refer to Justin as ‘his man’. Just, not out loud around his friends. They’d certainly never hear the end of that. They had been living together for 4 months and they still got constant jibs from their friends. And messages of abandonment from Daphne. What are friends for if you can’t make fun of them?

 

 

 

“Well”, Emmett said, getting the attention back right where he liked it; on him. “Since camp Peatree seems like such a blast, I might just have to go back, too!”

 

 

 

“If you do that, I’m coming with you”, Drew said, finishing off his milkshake. “I can’t deal without sex for 8 weeks.”

 

 

 

“Neither could Brian”, Michael joked, getting some laughs all-round.

 

 

 

“Oh my Gadiva, we can all go together!” Emmett cheered, clapping his hands together in excitement. He was bouncing around in his seat. “It’ll be just like old times!”

 

 

 

Brian and Justin shared a look. “What have we done?” Brian asked his partner.

 

 

 

“We should have just gone to camp without telling anyone”, Justin said back.

 

 

 

“Are you saying you don’t want us there?” Emmett asked. He was partly pretending to be offended and partly offended for real. “We will liven up the party, I am telling you!”

 

 

 

Justin hid his face in Brian’s neck to stifle his pained laughter. Brian rubbed his back a laughed along with him. They were going to spend another summer at Peatree. And this time was going to be a hell of a lot more interesting!

 

 

THE END!