#campingau

The walk to Quay 4 only takes a couple of minutes; one of the pluses about staying at your apartment and not at the tower with Bucky. The occasional jingle of your keys against the glass growler act like windchimes in the early fall breeze. You round the corner of the final block and come face to face with one of your favorite views of the city. The East River is nestled between lush trees. Some of them have started show hints of the color change at their edges but most are vibrant green determined to hold onto the last remnants of summer. The Brooklyn Bridge is in the backdrop, already beginning to fill with morning commuters you note. That last detail has you pick up your pace a bit.

The barista at the coffeeshop greets you by name as you hand over the growler to be filled with cold brew. It should last the two of you your entire trip. You also order some pastries, your regular hot coffee, and Bucky’s black with 15 sugars. The barista doesn’t bat an eye.

“Where is the sugar addict and the pups anyway?”

The two of you clearly came to the shop too often.

“He should be walking back from the dog park now with both of the mutts and packing the last bits into the car.”

“Packing?”

“As celebration for me being done with school we’re headed up to Adirondack State Park. We’re taking both the fluff balls and camping for a week.” You quickly shoot off a text to Bucky telling him your on your way back. You hope the car is packed so you can start the seven hour drive and beat the worst of the traffic. “No work, no school, and maybe no cell service if we’re lucky.”

The barista wishes you a safe trip and hands over the growler. It’s cool to the touch and feels pleasant during the walk back. Despite fall officially arriving next week, the weather in Brooklyn still felt warm. You knew it could very well change further north.

You truly couldn’t believe it was fall already. Truth be told, you hadn’t had much of a summer as it was filled with classes, papers, and final exams to wrap up your graduate degree. Somewhere in the haze and craziness, you and Bucky had passed your one year anniversary.

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You’d been surrounded by pens and textbooks. Notecards littered the floor in semi-organized piles. Bucky had let you lock yourself in your office all day to study for a particularly challenging exam. It wasn’t until bedtime, you remember, he’d tapped on your office door. Both Ruby and Rufus had assaulted you with kisses and demanded pets from their long lost mother. Being engrossed in the puppy love, you hadn’t realized Bucky had entered and brought in a cupcake with a single candle.

“Happy Anniversary, doll.” He had said with a sleepy but beaming smile. “I know you’re studying, so I don’t want to derail your progress, but I love you. I can’t wait until we can celebrate.”

You’d started sobbing. You weren’t sure if it was the thoughtfulness, the sleep deprivation, or the fact you’d been so stressed you’d forgotten the anniversary all together. Bucky had understood of course. This trip was a delayed anniversary trip of sorts in addition to celebration grad school being completed. The memory was a fond one and you hoped the trip would be the celebration you both deserved.

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You turn onto your street and are greeted by a stunning view of your boyfriends plump backside. The rest of him is buried, digging around in the back of the jeep no doubt triple checking the camping supplies. Your catcall and whistle startles Bucky and alerts the dogs of your return.

“Hey hot stuff!” You come up and smack his behind. “I got some cold bean juice for you.”

“I love cold bean juice...but don’t tell my girlfriend I prostituted my behind for it.” He pulls you into a quick hug and kiss, lightly squeezing your own bottom.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” You stow the coffee in with the rest of your food in the cooler. “I’m certain your girlfriend is too busy wondering if everything is packed and if we still have a chance on beating traffic.”

“Then I would ask why my girlfriend is talking in third person and has travel tendencies like some 55 year old suburban father.” He scoffs; a lopsided smile playing on his lips before he takes a long pull from his coffee. “But yes, everything is packed and ready to go.”

You call the dogs up into the backseat and haul yourself into the passenger side. Bucky slides his mirror aviators off the top of his head and onto his face, queues the road trip playlist you’d both made the night prior, and coaxes the jeeps engine to life.  

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The drive had gone smooth enough. The polished, hard, grey surfaces of the city had melted and changed into open roads surrounded by multicolored countryside. You found yourself ignoring all the books and things you’d brought to pass the time and embraced staring out the window. It was relaxing to look out at the farmhouses or abandoned buildings and imagine what lives had been lived in them and what the people had been like. Bucky had decided to turn the drive into his own personal concert series and sang each and every song with gusto until his throat started to get sore.

Bucky had insisted you guys chose one the rustic sites far away from the loop of traditional campsites with water and electric (and near the showers you’d noted). Something about “it’s not real camping if you can charge your phone”. After checking in with the ranger and procuring a map, you drove off in the direction of your plot.

You had to hand it to him for choosing a beautiful spot. He’d certainly done his research. The site was heavily wooded along the dirt path leading up to it. It opened up to a medium sized clearing which is more than large enough to park the Jeep and set up camp. On the east side of the clearing was a creek. If you had to guess, it was probably a moderate size tributary by the steady rushing of water sounds against the stone banks but likely no larger than five feet across. On the west side there was a smattering of wild flowers basking in the sunshine. During your admiration of the site, Bucky had already done a loop of observation and chosen the flattest spot on high ground for the tent.

“You just gonna stand and gawk or help me set up camp, darling.” He called to you already having unrolled the tent tarp. “Unless of course your gawking at me…”

He’s smirking into the sunlight. Sadly the sunglasses are blocking his stunning ice blue eyes, but the vibrant smile and his carefree posture are enough to make you sigh. Your boyfriend had been through a lot. Seeing him so carefree never failed to fill your heart.

Setting up camp didn’t take long. Despite Bucky’s joking requests for help, he had a very dictatorial style of camp set up and took over most of the tasks himself. You didn’t mind unfolding one of the lounge chairs and keeping an eye on the dogs exploring their surroundings (and sneaky glances at your slick with sweat boyfriend).

Dusk had settled over the campsite and somehow it was more beautiful than when it had been bathed in sunlight. Bucky had started a large fire in a homemade fire pit hours ago. The fire had finally produced enough coals for you to set up the large cast iron pan on the fire to begin cooking dinner. The smells wafting from the fire were heavenly and stirred your stomach. Bucky ignited the solar powered lanterns you brought with and the plot was bathed in a warm almost candlelight glow. Ruby and Rufus had wiped themselves out with exploring and chasing fireflies. They were both now curled up next to the fire rousing only in hope of some cooking fallout.

You fished the foil wrapped potatoes out of the blazing hot coals, adding two to Bucky’s plate and one on your own. The meat had a perfect crispy outside thanks to the cast iron’s caramelization. You’d made sure to make enough protein and tossed some sweet potatoes in to give the dogs a special dinner tonight. Last thing to go on your plates were the veggie skewers from the grill grate. It was a damn good meal considering you were rusty on your camp cooking skills.

Fully sated, the two of you lounged in the freestanding hammock you’d managed to convince Bucky to bring. The crackling of the fire created a relaxing soundtrack along with the sounds of the forest and the babbling of the stream. The dogs had curled up together on their outdoor bed.

“Darling?” The word is mumbled into the crown of your head while you lay across Bucky’s chest. “I’m so proud of you.”

You were fully ready to brush off the praise like you usually do but the self deprecating joke died in your throat. You found yourself overwhelmed and a tad emotional. You were done. You’d finished your second degree. You lifted your head to meet your boyfriend's eyes.

“Thank you, Buck. Happy late Anniversary.”

He kisses your forehead before his lips meet yours. The kiss is sweet and delicate and filled with love. The fire pit and the flames within it had burnt down to a slow sultry roll. You pull away and brush back a stray lock of hair that had fallen across Bucky’s forehead; the same one that always went rogue.

“So… how far away is the nearest campsite?”

“A couple miles at least. Why?”

“Far enough if someone were to scream or something, no one would hear?”

“Are you planning on murdering me, love?”

“Not exactly.” You gaze into his eyes and see the amber fire reflected in the blue pools. The deep tan of his summer skin is backlight from the light cast from the pit and lanterns. It’s sinful how good he looks right now. You shift your weight in the hammock so his thigh rests between your legs. He still looks puzzled and moderately worried about you turning into an axe murderer. You roll your hips as much as the hammock net permits and plant a kiss to the exposed skin on his neck.

“Ohhhhhh!” The exclamation turns to a low groan as you suck deeply onto his neck. He tries to pull you into a new position for better access-

“What the hell babe!” You plop not so gracefully onto the cool grass. “If you weren’t in the mood you just had to say so.”

He can tell your anger is lighthearted as you’re unable to contain your giggles. In the needy attempt to touch you, Bucky had disrupted the equilibrium of the hammock and tumbled you to the dirt.

Seamus’ lips were chapped. They dragged against Eddie’s in a way that wasn’t entirely unpleasant but it certainly did not have the charm the movies and his brother would have Eddie believe. Seamus’ upper lip had the hint of hair. It tickled and Eddie, unable to stop himself, snorted against his best friend’s lips. They pulled apart. Seamus’ eyes were wide and rapidly blinking. He chewed upon his lip. His teeth snagged against the dry skin. Eddie covered his mouth.

“I, sorry – that was weird,” Eddie heaved out between his laughter. Seamus shrugged.

“Yeah… why do people do it?” Seamus rubbed his lip. Eddie took a nice, long breath.

“Well, because they love each other. It’s what people do to say they love each other,” Eddie said. Seamus stared back at him. Eddie felt his heart stop.

He’d got it all wrong. He had kissed Seamus and Seamus didn’t love him. He should have waited. He should have ignored his brother. It was so stupid for him to believe, to have thought that Seamus could ever have loved him. Eddie was wrong, wrong, wrong.

“I don’t think we have to kiss to love each other,” Seamus said. He tapped his lower lip. Eddie clenched his fist together.

“What do you mean? It’s what everybody does.” Eddie fiddled with his friendship bracelet. It’s what the couples in the movie do, what his parents do and even what Aleks and James do. Of course you had to kiss to love each other! It was what kissing meant.

“Well, we’re not everybody,” Seamus said. “I made you this bracelet because I love you, I hold your hand because I love you, you defended me the other night because you love me… We’re only thirteen. We don’t have to kiss and do all the movie stuff. We love each other anyway.” Seamus looked at Eddie. Eddie had never seen him look so sure of himself. He seemed so wise.

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed. “I do love you.” He beamed up at his best friend, the boy he loved.

“I love you too,” Seamus said. They shared their dopey grins, fiddling with the bracelets they’d made for each other. They were cheap and flimsy but the two boys were sure they’d stand the test of time. “Can we agree to not kiss again anytime soon? Or like… ever?” Seamus cringed. Eddie laughed again, because he couldn’t help it.

“I think Aleks and James have kissed enough for everyone in the entire world,” Eddie said.

“They’ve kissed enough for the entire universe!” Seamus spread his arms out wide to emphasis his point. The two boys snickered. Seamus looked to the door of the tent. “C’mon, let’s go and get some scissors.” Eddie pushed himself upward, taking a moment to stretch before he offered his hand to Seamus.

The monopoly game had still not gained any momentum. Dan had confiscated the race car from both James and Jordan. Instead Jordan had settled for the iron while James had begrudgingly taken the cannon. Aleks was rather content with the top hat and had been balancing it upon his finger for the past few minutes. Dan was just now getting to pick his piece.

“Dad,” Seamus said as he came out of the tent. With his right hand he pulled along Eddie who stared down at their hands with a sappy little smile. “We need scissors.”

“Scissors? What for?” Jordan frowned at his youngest son.

“We’ve got to trim our bracelets.” Seamus proudly showed off his new jewellery.

“Nice,” Jordan said. He got up to rifle through their bags.

“Maybe you can join us for monopoly?” Dan held up the thimble piece he’d lovingly chosen. The two younger boys both shook their heads. Seamus’ head shook so vigorously that the thread Eddie had woven in came loose and flew across the camp site. Aleks pointed to it with his foot, too lazy to disentangle his upper body from the overbearing hug James had graced him with. Seamus knocked Aleks’ foot aside. Jordan returned just in time to keep Aleks from retaliating. He handed Seamus the scissors and watched intently as the blond used them to trim their bracelets. Their thread dropped to the ground. Jordan bent down to pick it up. Aleks thought it hilarious to push him over with his toe, leaning into James as his father stumbled into the ground.

“Aleksandr!” Jordan spat out the mud and grass in his mouth. “That’s it, you’re not playing monopoly anymore.” Jordan snatched the top hat off of his son’s finger.

“Oh no, what a punishment – however will I live?” Aleks placed the back of his hand across his forehead, gasping.

Jordan scowled at his son but refrained from yelling at him more.

“I suppose we should get to bed anyway…” Dan sighed as he looked down at the monopoly board. He’d wanted to play so badly – he had his strategy prepared and everything. Yet it was getting late and they had another exciting and wild activity planned for the next morning.

“We can play monopoly tomorrow evening, Dan.” Jordan pat his friend’s shoulder. “Everyone except Aleks can play that is.” Aleks rolled his eyes at his father.

“S’alright, I was going to take Aleks out tomorrow anyway,” James said.

“You were?” Aleks looked up at his boyfriend. James nodded down at him. Aleks clapped his hands together. Finally, a romantic camping date.

Seamus and Eddie had stumbled away to their respective tents. Eddie had left his half-unzipped, the door flapping just slightly in the gentle breeze. They could all see him moving inside. It was when Eddie dropped his shirt onto the ground that James shoved his boyfriend off of him.

“Bed time,” James said in response to Aleks’ hurt pout.

“You could have just asked me to move.” Aleks got up and dusted the dirt from his trousers.

“Where’s the fun in that?” James leaned in to press a kiss to Aleks’ cheek. It was kind of cold but weirdly soft. James ran his fingers over the skin. He raised his eyebrow at his boyfriend, a silent question passing between them. Aleks slapped his hand away and James knew. Aleks had been moisturising. Maybe he had been trying to coax his crappy beard hair to grow.

Aleks stormed off into the direction of his and Seamus’ tent. James gave a small wave back to his father and Jordan before he made a beeline for his own tent. He ducked into the small gap Eddie had left and turned to close it behind him. His brother was already tucked into his sleeping bag. He had only one arm exposed, twisting and turning it this way and that as he admired his bracelet.

“So,” James began as he pulled off his shirt, “did you kiss?” He collapsed onto his own sleeping bag. Eddie nodded. James cheered and clapped his hands together. Finally, his brother had done something right.

“I don’t think we’re going to again though.” Eddie tugged upon the thread of his bracelet.

“Why not?” James reached over to ruffle his brother’s hair.

“It was gross,” Eddie said. James smacked his brother on the forehead.

In the tent beside them, Aleks was watching his younger brother braid his hair. Seamus had recovered the thread he’d lost outside and was weaving it together now.

“What’s going on between you and Eddie?” Aleks had to ask. He couldn’t wait.

“Oh, nothing new.” Seamus fiddled with the hair between his fingers. He wouldn’t look up, far too focused on the golden locks he was holding. Aleks nudged his brother with his foot.

“Bullshit,” Aleks said. There was something more, something different about his brother tonight.

“We’re in love,” Seamus looked up at his brother. Aleks blinked.

“Duh,” Aleks said, “but that’s not new. What happened tonight? Beside your stupid bracelets.”

It was obvious, to Aleks at least, that Eddie and Seamus were in love. They held hands all the time, it was something they had always done – it was something that lovers do. If that was what Eddie was getting so worked up about then he was as dumb as his older brother. Aleks had known that Seamus had loved Eddie forever… even if his younger brother had never quite gotten that himself. Seamus was cupping his bracelet, hiding it from his brother’s eyes lest he insult it again.

“We kissed,” Seamus admitted. Aleks raised his eyebrow at that but didn’t tease.

“And?” Aleks couldn’t wait to hear about his brother’s first kiss.

“It was the worst thing ever,” Seamus said.

“It’s the braces isn’t it? I always knew kissing someone with braces would be weird.” Aleks ran his finger across his own teeth. The metal was sure to catch your lip and split it or something.

“No!” Seamus shook his head, “just kissing was weird.”

“You’ll get used to it.” Aleks shrugged. Seamus placed his finger into his mouth and gagged. He never, ever wanted to get used to kissing.

Outside, Jordan’s ears pricked up at the sound of gagging. He’d become attuned to those noises since Seamus was just a baby. The kid just couldn’t keep things down. When his son didn’t call out for him and Aleks didn’t scream like a lunatic, Jordan relaxed.

“Are you ready for zip wiring tomorrow?” Dan placed the lid onto the monopoly box.

“You know I could just stay here at the campsite… it needs a little clean,” Jordan gestured to the area around them. There wasn’t a blade of grass out of place. Dan rolled his eyes.

“You can’t leave me alone with the boys and besides, I’m sure they have baby zip wires.” Dan nudged his friend’s arm. Jordan hit him back with a bit more force.

“I’m not scared,” Jordan said.

~~

Jordan was shaking. The trees were higher than they were in the brochure and the wires, well, they were mere strings. Jordan might as well have agreed to zip wire across the Grand Canyon on Seamus and Eddie’s bracelets.

“We can’t be going across on that,” Jordan whispered into Dan’s ear. They’d been given helmets, some knee and elbow pads and that was all. The instructor was looking at them with this big, far-too-happy smile. Jordan wanted to beg him to strap an airbag to his chest, some moon shoes to his feet and to just not let him do this god damn activity.

“You’ll be fine,” Dan said. He couldn’t deal with Jordan when he had his son to worry about.

James had been squeezing Aleks’ uninjured hand so hard he was sure he’d have to wear a bandage on that one as well. Aleks had tried to be reassuring. He’d leant into his boyfriend, nuzzled his head against his shoulder and repeated all of the instructor’s tips. He’d told James time and time again that it wasn’t even that high and hey, it’ll be over in seconds. They’d be on solid ground in no time.

“It’s going to be fun. It’s just one day and then you’ll never, ever have to do it again,” Aleks said.

“I don’t want to do it ever,” James whined into his boyfriend’s hair. Why was this even an activity? Why couldn’t they had just played on the tire swing in the campsite park? That was on some ropes and it went kind of high. James was definitely not climbing up the side of a tree to sail through the sky to tiny platforms. His feet were staying firmly on the ground, thank you very much.

“C’mon, four steps – maybe you’ll make it to five this time,” Aleks snickered.

Aleks went stumbling forward as James forced him away from him. The instructor looked to Dan and Jordan to handle the situation. Jordan refused to meet his eye, gaze fixated on that god damn string he was expected to fly upon. Dan merely shrugged. At least there weren’t any broken bones this time around. The instructor took a nice, deep breath. He clapped his hands together.

“Right, who’s going first?” The poor instructor almost jumped out of his skin as Eddie rushed towards him. He raised his hand wildly in the man’s face, bouncing up and down on the spot.

“Me, me, me, me, I want to go first, please, me, me, me!” Eddie hopped from foot to foot.

“Well, how about we let one of the adults go first. Jordan, would you like the honours?” The instructor gestured towards him.

Jordan wanted to punch him in the face. He wanted to rip his cheap, plastic helmet off and throw it at this idiot. Aleks was suddenly upon him, linking their arms together and dragging him towards the dreaded ladder.

“Yeah, Dad – show Eddie how it’s done,” Aleks said. He was grinning from ear to ear.

“No, I really don’t think I should, I think that Eddie will do ju-eep!” Jordan’s nose nearly touched the rungs of wood. He looked to Seamus for mercy but he found nothing. The traitor was smirking back at him. The instructor gently nudged Jordan away and for a moment, Jordan thought that he’d been saved. The instructor climbed up ahead of him with ease, not even looking down or shaking in the slightest. When he’d got to the top, he bent down and offered Jordan his hand.

“C’mon then Jordan, let’s get you up here,” he said.

Jordan’s fingers moved like a doll’s, stubborn and stiff as they tried and failed to bend properly so that he could hold onto the ladder. Once he’d figured it out, he clung to the rung like a lifeline. He hoisted himself up, put a foot on the ladder and breathed. He heard Aleks clapping enthusiastically behind him. Jordan would have liked to turn around and scold his son but the moment his hand left the ladder it shot back and grabbed the rung above. He closed his eyes and pulled his weight upwards. His toe slammed into the bark of the tree and he knew he must have been in pain but Jordan couldn’t feel it. All he could hear was the blood rushing to his ears. All he could feel was the pounding of his heart. His breaths were short. For every rung he climbed he must have breathed a thousand times though Jordan felt as though no air was getting into his lungs.

Jordan’s hand slammed into the instructor’s and only then did he open his eyes. The man was still smiling, trying to encourage Jordan but it only enraged him. Jordan huffed as he dragged himself up with the instructor’s help. When he stood atop the platform, the instructor let him go. For a second, Jordan was free-standing and he actually felt kind of proud of himself. Then, once he’d looked down over the expanse he was supposed to soar across, Jordan cursed. He wrapped his arms around the tree trunk and squeezed his eyes shut. Down below, Aleks laughed so hard tears came to his eyes and he used his selfie stick to perfectly capture the moment. Seamus slipped into the shot, pointing up at their father as Aleks tried to get as much of them and Jordan in it as possible.

James took one look at Jordan up there, saw the fear that contorted his face, and knew he couldn’t handle it. He turned and ran. His heels kicked up dirt, leaves and innocent bugs but James didn’t dare look back or slow down. He shed his helmet, then his knee pads and wrestled with his elbow pads until they came loose. He ran and he ran until it wasn’t possible to run anymore. He gripped his knees and forced his breaths out. Who had thought that this was a good idea? Was it Jordan? His Dad? Whoever they were James cursed them and he cursed Eddie and Seamus and Aleks for finding it funny. He was not going to get on that zip wire, he was not going to follow Jordan’s foolish footsteps. James was going to stay right here until everyone found him.

At least, that was his plan until Aleks came sauntering up. He was wheezing, though not because he was running, no, Aleks was wheezing because he was bellowing at James’ misfortune. He’d collected all of James’ safety gear and was huddled over them now as he tried to speak.

“Spit it out,” James yelled. The top of his lip pulled upwards as he sneered down at Aleks, hating him the most at that moment.

“That, that, that was the funniest, oh my god, the funniest thing I’ve ever seen,” Aleks said. He stood up, finally, and wiped the tears from his eyes. James turned away from him.

“I hate heights Aleksandr, it’s not funny!” James huffed. He looked over his shoulder at his boyfriend.  Aleks tried to school his face, to hide the smile that wouldn’t leave. He looked odd and James had to chew upon his lip so that he wouldn’t laugh at such a crucial moment. Aleks snuck a little closer.

When he was close enough, Aleks reached out and cupped James’ shoulder.

“I know, I know but I’m sorry, you should have seen you. One minute you were there and then, and then just nyoom!” Aleks moved his hand quickly in front of him. James rolled his eyes.

“I’m glad I amused you. Now, can you leave? I’d like to sulk in peace,” James said. Aleks clicked his tongue, let his head fall forward and press against James’ shoulder in place of his hand.

“Oh c’mon James, don’t do this – you’ll be fine, my Dad’s doing all right now,” Aleks said. James couldn’t imagine that. Jordan looked petrified. He was sure they’d have to cut the tree down just so that they could rescue him. If it had been James, he’d probably have pooped his pants.

“I don’t care how your Dad is doing, I care how I’m doing.” James moved so that Aleks fell away from his shoulder. He crossed his arms over his chest.

He heard Aleks huff. Aleks moved so that he could get in front of James but James turned again. He didn’t want to see Aleks’ stupid, smirking face. Aleks stepped over and James turned. Again and again until James felt dizzy and finally Aleks got in front of him. He was pouting now. He’d dropped James’ safety gear off to the side though he was still wearing his stupid helmet and pads.

“Please come back, I need my big, brave James to look after me.” Aleks tugged at James’ arms but they stayed crossed against his chest. James shook his head. Big? Brave? Aleks was simply teasing him now. There was no way, especially after today, that he saw James as “big” and “brave”. James was acting small and scared and he wasn’t the least bit ashamed. Aleks pulled again, more insistently now, and James’ arms came apart. Aleks stepped as close as he possibly could, forcing James’ arms to wrap around him. He looked into James’ eyes, still pouting. “Please.”

James’ head fell back. He looked at the sky, stared at the clouds. Thought of anything but Aleks’ annoying, adorable face. Aleks’ hands came to the back of his head, pulled it forward so that James was looking at him again. Aleks came closer, pressed the ghost of a kiss to James’ lips.

“I want to spend the day with you James, I want to try zip wiring with you and then we can have our nice little date later. Please, please, please come and try it. For me.” Aleks looked at him. James sighed. This was so unfair. He groaned, made sure that Aleks knew how annoyed he was about the whole idea, then he nodded. Aleks’ pout and sadness fell away instantly. He went to pull away but James held him firmly, dragged him back until he could kiss him properly this time.

When he could, Aleks stepped away and picked up James’ safety gear. He pulled on James’ hand to make him stretch out his arm and attached one elbow pad, and then swapped arms and did the other. He bent down to help James with his knee pads and when he looked up, James was smirking.

“You look pretty good down there,” James said. Aleks huffed and smacked James’ thigh. Aleks stood up and placed the helmet on top of James’ head. He tugged at the straps and then fastened it on. He couldn’t resist knocking the hard plastic, only for James to pull his hand away and tug him straight into another kiss. Aleks smiled against his lips, thankful that he’d managed to quell James’ bad mood. When they pulled away, Aleks snuck his hand into James’.

⛺️  ‘cause you get lighter the more it gets dark by transstevebucky (8k)

Louis and Harry go camping with Doris and Ernest, and have a lot of feelings.

⛺️ Promise You'll Remember That You're Mine by shitucute (34k) @shitucute

What he doesn’t expect is to see Louis in their bathroom wearing panties. Not even like standard panties, they’re fucking black and sheer so Harry can see Louis’ full arse and there’s even lace trimming the edges. He nearly has a heart attack.

Harry’s face probably looks like a bright red tomato, and if not then the only other option would be that all his blood is going to his dick, because Louis looks like a fucking wet dream.

“Oh, you’re back.” Louis looks as nonchalant as ever, when Harry is over here freaking the fuck out.

⛺️  As Long as Skies are Blue by theboyfriendstagram (25k) @theboyfriendstagram

Summer Camp!AU. Louis has been a football instructor at Lake District Camp for three years when twenty-year old Harry Styles - the latest addition to the counseling team - stumbles not so gracefully into his life. It’s not that Harry is everything Louis can’t stand-except. He is. But that doesn’t stop him from walking in on the naked boy too many times for it to be a coincidence.

⛺️  You’re My Favorite Bird by supernope (33k)

Harry is an ornithologist and Louis owns the camera repair shop where Harry gets his photos printed. Niall works for Louis, Liam works with Harry, and Zayn paints. There’s a cat, some camping, some bird watching, and obscene amounts of fluff.

⛺️  Counting the Steps Between Us by zarah5 (24k) @zarah5

AU. So, yeah. That year abroad helped Harry establish that he is in love with his best friend. Now, if Louis would stop treating him like a little brother, that would be awesome. (Additional ingredients: a collapsing tree house, a lot of pining, the other three boys as Louis’ new best mates from university, and a camping trip. Serve hot.)

⛺️ language or the kiss by Awriterwrites (31k) @awriterwrites

“I’ve heard about you, Louis.”

Louis just looked back at him, hands on his small hips, foot tapping out an angry beat on the hardwood floor, a verse just under his tongue, waiting to spill out. “Yeah? What have you heard?”

Harry slowly stood up, his long lean body feline as he came forward, slowly closing the two feet between them. “Yeah…I’ve heard about you.” Harry whispered, so close Louis could smell his cologne, something spicy and fruity, soft and wild. “You’re the one.”

Louis looked up at him; unfortunately he had to look up. The fucker had about three to four inches on him. “The one what?” His eyes flickered from Harry’s intent stare to his wet obscene lips. Louis wasn’t proud. But his dick may have twitched a little. Just a little.

“You’re the one to beat.”

OR the one where Louis' the best at everything until Harry comes along and makes him think twice. About everything.

⛺️ The Boys of Summer by afirethatcannotdie (45k) @stillthehun

“I mean…we’re gonna have to sneak around anyway, yeah? Like, with that whole rules thing that I guess we’ve decided to ignore. Might make it a little more fun this way.”

AU. In which Louis is a reluctant sports coach, Harry's a fellow counselor who wears tiny yellow shorts, and camp rules say they're forbidden to date.

Dan wasn’t too sure about heading to the clubhouse that night, what with their eventful day and the early morning that loomed over them, but he gave in to Seamus and Eddie’s pleading. The security guard scowled at Aleks and James but he nodded when Dan and Jordan passed by. Seamus and Eddie broke off from the group almost immediately, rushing the arcade machines with the handful of coins Dan had bestowed upon them.

“Don’t waste them all, I’m not giving you anymore,” Dan said. A lie, truly, but the way Seamus and Eddie slowed down showed that they believed it. Jordan had already slipped away to the bar area and Aleks and James weren’t too far behind him. Dan watched Seamus and Eddie drop their coins into one of the machines for a little while, smiling when he noticed that any tickets Eddie won he gave to Seamus. When Eddie looked up, handful of coins almost depleted, Dan ducked into the bar.

 Jordan and the boys had claimed a table right near the front. Aleks pushed back against the back of his chair, his feet resting upon James’ lap. He cupped his soda in one hand and was fiddling with a piece of paper in the other. As Dan neared the table, he saw that it was a bingo sheet and that Jordan had a similar one in front of him. Jordan seemed to have only splashed out for one dabber though. Dan took a seat in one of the empty chairs, pointing at Jordan’s sheet and pouting.

“Where’s mine?” Dan tried to tug Jordan’s away but the other man slammed his hand down onto the table. Jordan nodded to the one in Aleks’ hand and the teenager’s mouth fell open.

“But dad, I really, really, really wanted to play bingo!” Aleks held the sheet against his chest.

 One of Jordan’s eyebrow lifted and he stared at Aleks for a moment. Aleks remained scorned, looking back at his father as though his heart had been broken.

“Are you serious? You want to play bingo with us?” Jordan’s voice broke at the end. He smiled hopefully at his eldest son. This was it, this was the moment they could bond on this trip.

“No, dad. Bingo is for old people,” Aleks flicked the paper toward Dan. Dan pinched it between his fingers, placing it down onto the table and smoothing down the corners. Jordan coughed to hide his disappointment, shifting in his seat and pointedly looking out towards the stage as the entertainer took their place in the middle.

“Then go hang out with your little brother then – he’s more your age range,” Jordan said. Aleks opened his mouth to retort but James threw his legs off of his lap and pulled on Aleks’ arm.

“Yeah, let’s see what they’ve gotten themselves into,” James said. His tone gave Aleks no room to argue.

 Aleks freed his arm from James’ grip the moment they escaped to the fluorescent arcade area. He turned his back on his boyfriend and scowled at one of the grab machines. James’ chin made Aleks jump as it pressed into his shoulder. He turned his head so that he could see less of James’ dumb face. James pushed his lips out as far as possible so that no matter how far Aleks turned, he could still see them out of the corner of his eye.

“You didn’t have to side with my dad,” Aleks said. He couldn’t see it but he knew that James was rolling his eyes at him. He knew because his boyfriend sighed heavily and it was rare that James sighed like that without rolling his eyes too.

“I didn’t, I was siding with you. You said bingo was for old people so I thought we should go and find the young people,” James tried to explain himself. Aleks scoffed.

“I still don’t forgive you,” he said. He craned his neck away from James’ lips as they sought to butter him up by peppering him with kisses.

“What can I do to change that?” James murmured against his skin.

 Aleks stared ahead at the grab machine again. He remembered how James had won him over once before. He’d come clambering into the tent and chucked a bullet bill at him in the middle of the night. Aleks had been smitten then and he knew exactly how James could fix it now.

“I want that shark,” Aleks said. He pointed it out to James. James reluctantly looked up from his boyfriend’s neck to see it. It was pushed against the wall of the claw machine, so far off to the side James wasn’t even sure the claw would go that far. James detached himself from his boyfriend and walked closer to investigate. He looked at the rail the claw travelled across. It might reach the tail but that wasn’t big enough for the claw to grab.

“What about the dinosaur? That’s going to be easier to grab,” James said. He was already feeding the machine his money.

“Nope, want the shark.” Aleks leaned against the machine and smirked.

 James moved the claw as far over as it could go. He adjusted it just slightly so that it was in line with the shark and then he let it drop. The claw sailed downwards, swung to the side, caught the shark at the base of its tail and pinched. As it lifted it up, it brought the ass of the shark up with it. When it started to move towards the little drop off hole, the shark slipped from its grasp and fell back amongst the other plush animals. James looked at Aleks, gesturing towards the machine in a fashion that said ‘I told you so’. Aleks only shrugged and glanced again back at the shark. It wasn’t that he wanted it that badly, in fact in any other circumstances he would have just told James to leave it. But now, as James inserted more coins into the machine and grit his teeth, Aleks knew that he just had to have it.

 It was by the fourth or fifth time that James started shaking the machine. He’d managed to move the shark towards the centre but not by much. The damned claw had a habit of pinching and then just opening itself up like the whore it was. James’ right foot started tapping about twenty minutes in and it hadn’t stopped since. Aleks was amusing himself with his selfie stick, taking several selfies and grinning wider and wider with each picture. In every one James got more and more aggravated, occasionally blocking his face with one hand. Aleks grabbed his wrist and moved it aside, kissing James’ fingers as they twitched with annoyance. James tried once more, his pockets considerably silent compared to how they’d jingled earlier that evening. He held his breath as the claw caught the shark, squeezed its torso and lifted. Even Aleks gasped as the claw began to move, shark still attached, and he squeezed James’ wrist as the claw swung over the hole. The shark dropped, slamming its side on the plastic that separated the plush toy pit and the escape hole. It tilted unsurely towards the pit before slipping down into the hole.

 Aleks snapped a picture just as James lifted him up in victory. He squeaked, using his free hand to claw at James’ shoulder. James let him down after a few seconds, though he kissed Aleks before he truly let him go. Aleks came back for more, deepening the kiss and letting James know that he’d definitely forgiven him now. He followed James’ lips as James started to bend down to retrieve their prize. They only broke apart when James thrust the shark into Aleks’ hand and looked down at it with a cheesy smile. He squeezed the shark’s nose and laughed.

“I can’t believe I won it,” James said. He wiped his brow as he thought back to the tense game.

“Me neither, I thought you’d never get it,” Aleks confessed. James scoffed.

“So you thought I’d never win you over again?” James played with the shark’s tail.

“Nah, I’m sure you’d have found your way back into my heart,” Aleks said. James beamed.

 “Cool! Where’d you get that?” Eddie yanked the shark from Aleks’ hands and admired it. He huffed when Aleks snatched it back, cradling the plush toy to his chest and kissing its little soft head.

“James won it for me,” Aleks said. “He got it from that claw machine.” Aleks nodded at the machine. Eddie dashed over to it and pressed his face up against the glass. He breathed heavily against it, causing the glass to fog up. He jabbed his finger to the glass and pointed at a rhino.

“I want that one,” Eddie said. James leaned over his shoulder and frowned at it.

“All right, go and get it then,” James said. Eddie pushed himself away from the machine, grabbing his older brother’s arm and tugging insistently.

“But Jaaaaaaaames, you’re so much better at them than me! Please, please, please can you win it for me?” Eddie almost yanked his brother’s arm off as he leaned all of his weight upon it.

 James groaned as he stole his arm away from his brother. He reached into his pocket but his fingers just brushing the lining of his pants. He slipped his hand into his other pocket and pulled out his wallet. He’d managed to acquire quite a bit of change as Aleks was the type of boyfriend to steal his wallet and Aleks had this annoying habit of breaking James’ notes.

“Hold out your hands.” James nudged his brother’s arm. Eddie cupped his hands together. James poured all of his change into Eddie’s awaiting hands. He stole a quarter from Eddie’s palm and pushed it into the machine. It lit up and started playing the music that had mocked James before. He fisted the handle and cranked it to the side. The claw soared towards its prize. It dropped, snatched the rhino up by its rounded stomach and brought it upwards. As if it hadn’t driven James mad for the better part of an hour, the claw machine dropped the rhino through the hole with a little plop.

 Eddie pawned off all of the coins into Seamus’ unwilling hands so that he could snatch up his prize. He squeezed it so hard the poor thing’s plastic eyes seemed to pop out of its head. Seamus stood holding James’ coins. He stared at the claw machine and looked to James.

“All right Moose, what do you want?” James sighed. The blond chewed upon his lower lip. His eyes scanned all of the animals that he could see. He looked at Aleks’ shark and then to Eddie’s rhino. He looked back to the machine. Then he shrugged.

“Whatever you can win me,” Seamus said. James placed a hand on his waist, cocked his hip out and threw his head to the side. If he’d had hair as long as Seamus’, he would have resembled Prince Charming. Unfortunately, James’ hair was short and he only succeeded in looking stupid.

“I can win whatever one you want, Moose,” James said. To spite him, Seamus followed in his older brother’s footsteps and chose a duck plush that was in the corner of the claw machine. James puffed out his chest, took another quarter and set to work.

 It took him almost another hour to get that duck, but that get that duck he did. Seamus’ hands were near empty when James placed the duck into them. He took what little change was left and pocketed it, leaning into the kiss Aleks pressed into his cheek. He tapped it again when Aleks let up and turned his head when Aleks moved to oblige. He flipped off their younger brothers as they made kissy noises and gagged behind them. They broke apart when the boys went silent and a deeper voice cleared their throat. Jordan towered above them, his brows furrowed and his hands upon his hip. Dan had his phone held up, having most likely snapped a picture of the adorable scene. Aleks sidled up to him and peered at the phone, muttering something to Dan about him sending the picture over. Jordan gestured towards the door and the group began to follow him.

 “So, did you win at bingo?” James asked Jordan. They passed through the front door and nodded to the bouncers. They seemed glad to see the group leave. Jordan nodded and pulled out a ten dollar bill. He seemed pleased with his meagre winnings. At least he was until Seamus took it.

“Thanks dad, I needed this.” Seamus ran off. Jordan called after him but made no move to chase after his youngest son. James pat his arm.

“I know the feel,” James said. Jordan smirked down at him because of course James knew the feeling. He was dating his son and Jordan had taught Aleks well: to always spend other people’s money and to protect your own. He’d raised them right after all.

 The campsite came upon them too quickly. Jordan and Dan saw their sons into the right tents, Jordan even going as far to wait outside for five minutes to make sure none of the kids swapped. When the hairs on his arm began to raise, Jordan decided it was time to climb into his own tent. He sat down beside Dan who was already snuggled deep inside his sleeping bag. His eyes were closed but when Jordan started to unzip his own sleeping bag, Dan cracked one eye open.

“Wow, I thought you’d guard out there all night,” he said. Jordan gestured to his arms.

“I got cold.” Jordan zipped his bag all the way up to his chin. He let his eyes fall closed, ready to embrace sleep and get on with their final morning.

“Are you sure it wasn’t your Dad senses? I bet Aleks is tunnelling under the ground towards James now,” Dan said. Jordan’s eyes snapped open.

 He shot up, bag still zipped around him, and leaned toward the door. He wriggled in an attempt to get to the door and make sure that what Dan had said wasn’t true.