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Preston had vaguely known for a while that this would be coming soon. He had just had his eleventh birthday before being shipped off to summer camp, and while it hadn't really been on his mind, he knew that he'd been feeling... changes. Subtle, yet completely overwhelming. Is this really what growing up is like?
Being shocked awake with sharp pains in his gut is certainly a wake up call for the sleep-ridden child, just trying to make it to the restroom without tripping over a rock in the middle of night - his groggy, agonized state doesn't help much. Even worse, finding the blood in his pajamas... at first it's terrifying, or maybe he's just dreaming still...? No, a swipe of his finger between his thighs produces a red mess on his fingertip, and the resounding grimace that spreads across his face is confirmation.
It takes him a moment to really recognize what this is beyond just assuming he's going to die, a foggy memory of that day he'd spent in his school's special "health class": just two or three class periods where they'd separated out the girls from the boys - already a discomfort for the poor kid - to beat abstinence into their heads and, in his case, at least explain the basic logistics of getting a period. So that's what this is?
In his limited understanding of the topic, he can only assume this means his body wants to have a baby now, and, hunched over, clutching his stomach on the toilet, he can't help but laugh a little. As if! He's a boy, he reminds himself; he's not going to be a mommy any day.
... the giggling quickly stops when another sharp jab resounds in his gut, and his breath catches in his throat, lithe legs shaking, as his eyes well up with tears. Fuck, that hurts way too much... it feels like his stomach is tearing in half! With a tiny sigh, the boy hurries along in cleaning himself up, at least trying to wipe away all of the blood and flush it down. It feels... uncomfortable, having that wet spot up against him as he tugs his pajamas back up, but there's really nothing else he can do for now.
He hurries out to the sink to get the gross blood off his fingers, and one glance in the mirror is enough to make him whimper. God, he looks pathetic, cheeks flushed all the way up to his ears and eyelashes wet with tears that streak down his face. Even his hair is a mess - he hadn't brushed it down after crawling out of bed; why would he?
After a moment to handle another wave of shooting pain, he finally allows himself to step out of the restroom into the main part of camp again, eyes darting between the circle of tents and the counselors' cabin... fuck, as embarrassing as it is, he needs help.
Swallowing his pride, he quietly makes his way over to the door of the cabin, hunched over as he gives it a little knock. Sure, he feels bad about it - it's probably three in the morning or so - but he's not so sure he can handle this alone. "D-David?" He calls, that usual loud tone in his voice completely missing now.
It takes a moment or two, but soon he sees a lamp light flicker on by the window, and there's a shuffling noise moving up to the door as it finally creaks open. Standing there in the doorway, so much taller than the boy, David's face is full of concern, even though he looks like he was just woken up. Leave it to him to be completely focused on a camper's problems even if it pulls him out of bed in the middle of the night.
"Preston-- gosh, I thought that was your voice," he nods, and he bends down a little, getting to a more eye-to-eye level with the young boy. "Aw, what's the matter, buddy? Have a nightmare?" He asks, though his concerned expression turns to pure worry when Preston gives a pained whine, sniffling up tears.
"... I'm bleeding," he shakes his head, voice so much tinier, shakier than David is used to.
For a moment, David is raring to go into panic mode, the thought of blood meaning injury meaning first aid, but... with another look at Preston, it's clearly something else--
Oh. Ohhhhhh.
Realisation clicks in his brain and he nods, biting his lip with uncertainty as he glances back over his shoulder into the cabin, wondering exactly what he should do about this. His finger taps lightly against his chin, blinking back down at the child before him, and he finally comes to a decision.
“Come on in, we'll get you all figured out,” he reassures the boy, pressing a hand lightly against his back, and he leads him into the cabin quietly.
Inside, it's a much warmer, homey feeling than the tents, David's side decorated with old pictures of past summers with campers Preston doesn't recognize. Gwen’s half of the room is much more… predictable, posters of celebrities Preston barely knows the names of covering her wall. Just beneath that, a lightly snoring pile of blankets. Clearly she's a much heavier sleeper than David.
David invites the boy to take a seat at the desk, and Preston carefully does so, trying his best to keep from pressing his weight directly against the chair. It's… awkward, but he can deal with it. He watches as David carefully maneuvers over little piles of Gwen’s laundry on the floor to reach her, gently shaking her awake. There's a half-awake groan and she swats David's hand away, but when he leans down and whispers something in her ear, she pauses, finally rolling over in bed and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
She glances to the hunched-over boy by the desk with tired eyes, and she pushes herself to sit up, straightening out her shirt as she stands. “Not feelin’ so hot, huh?” She yawns, and she gently reaches out to pat his shoulder, squatting down before him. “I've got some stuff that'll make you feel better, wanna come with me?” She gestures back over her shoulder to the cabin’s bathroom.
After a tiny moment, Preston nods. “Yeah… please,” he sighs, and he stands up, allowing Gwen to take his hand.
She leads him back into the room and instantly begins searching through a small cabinet under the sink, pulling out a tiny box and… is that a spare pair of shorts and underwear? “These should fit you - we've got a few extra sets of clothes for campers in situations kinda like this,” she explains, holding up the shorts for him, but she keeps the underwear for a moment.
She quickly opens the box and tugs out a little square thing - ah, he's seen this before! The teachers at school showed him this during those awful lessons. He watches as she rips off the plastic wrapper, and she takes a moment to unfold it, showing it to him.
“I dunno if you know what this is, but it's a menstrual pad; goes in your underwear to keep it clean,” she explains carefully before demonstrating how to press it into the cloth of the underpants. “Go ahead and slip these on, I'll step out for you,” she smiles, standing up straight and ruffling his bedhead gently.
“Thanks…” Preston grins, just glad that the pain hasn't struck again yet as he watches her leave, and he quickly tugs off his messy pajama pants which fall into a clump on the floor as he grabs the new pair of underwear. He squints down at the little white pad in the middle, blinking at it curiously before he reached down to step into the leg holes, tugging them up over his hips and settling into them.
It takes him a moment to adjust, the pad feeling odd against his skin. He sighs, staring down between his legs. It actually kinda feels like a diaper… gross. Oh well, he absolutely prefers it over the awful, sticky feeling of blood. He stands up and takes a look at himself in the mirror quickly before reaching down for the clean pair of shorts, tugging them up as well, feeling far more comfortable and secure now that he knows he won't actually ruin his clothes again.
… instantly the comfort is gone though, a new wave of stabbing cramps riding through his body, and he gasps, biting his lip and wiping away the tears that instantly spring back up. Okay, he's got to get help for this part too, clearly.
He switches the light off in the bathroom and makes his way out into the main bedroom, glancing over to see the two counselors talking quietly between themselves. They hush down when he enters though, gazes glancing over him, and Gwen perks up a little to regard him with a gentle smile, a container in one hand and bottled water in the other. “How's that feel, kiddo?”
Preston holds a hand against his stomach again, but he actually manages a little grin as he nods. “Better, but it still hurts a lot,” he hisses out a little grimace. “What do I do?...”
“Gwen has some medicine for you, it should make the cramps go away at least for a little while,” David points out, watching as she crosses the room over to Preston and unscrews the cap of the medicine bottle, tipping out a single little pill for him and handing it to him alongside the water.
At the prospect of being free of these awful cramps, he quickly snatches the pill from her with a grin, swallowing it down and chasing it with gulps of water. Seems like he's at least partially back to his normal, intense self.
With a pleased sigh, he lowers the half empty water bottle and nods, already feeling so much more comforted knowing that he's got these two to help him out. “Thank you, I didn't know how I was going to sleep tonight through that…”
“You're very welcome, Preston,” David hums, and he waves him closer. “Can you come sit with us though? We wanted to have a little chat,” he explains, patting a spot on his bed where the boy can sit.
The theatre kid quickly nods, not thinking twice about hopping up by David, and Gwen joins on the other side. “Yeah, we just wanted to make sure you're doing alright, we know this is probably sorta weird for you,” she adds.
David nods in agreement, gently stroking down the flippy bits of Preston’s messy hair. “I know it’s probably very uncomfortable for you, getting your period as a boy and all… but I don't want you to think it makes you any less of a boy than I am, okay?” He smiles, an expression of masterful reassurance.
Preston gives a little shrug; honestly he hadn't even considered it that way… he remembered getting that old speech back in school along with all of the girls, but he hadn't really connected the two. He just… always has known himself as a boy.
“I know… I'm a boy and this isn't going to change me,” he grins, giving a tiny laugh.
Gwen lets out a sigh of relief, running a hand along Preston’s back. “Good, we were really worried about that… we've never really had a boy like you around the camp before - at least not since we've started working here - so… I mean, I'm really glad if we can help you out,” she explains, her genuine expression something uncommon around here, and it feels nice to know she actually cares.
“And you can come talk to either of us about anything - no one else is going to know about what happened tonight so you don't have to worry about that,” David speaks up, giving a little chuckle.
Preston can't hold back the smile on his cheeks, and without much hesitation he wraps his arms around both of his counselors, tugging them into a hug. “Thank you so much, David, Gwen… I'll remember that.” He giggles.
Gwen is a little shocked, but she reciprocates, not entirely used to campers showing any kind of affection. David, however, looks like he might start sobbing with happiness, the bright smile across his face as he hugs Preston tight. “You're welcome, little buddy-- just let me know if I can do anything else for you, okay?” He nods, patting Preston's back. “You should probably get back to your tent though… we've got a big, busy day planned tomorrow,” he grins.
With another round of thank yous and hugs, a few extra pads supplied in hand, David walks Preston back to his tent, letting him settle in for the night without any more pain or worry.