Chapter Text
It is a five-hour drive out to the edge of civilisation and Daichi finds himself nodding off by the fourth hour. He had set out before the sun had risen so that he would reach the campsite bright and early but he had also been up late packing, which means that he is yawning behind the wheel of his brand new camper.
Daichi blinks away the sleepy tears clouding his vision and a red blur pops up at the edge of his vision. It swerves dangerously close to Daichi, coming in fast at a high speed, and Daichi slams on the brakes before his camper gets clipped by the asshole cutting into his lane. Daichi sees red, both figuratively and literally, as the back of a bright red camper fills his windscreen, blocking his view of the road and narrowly avoiding a collision with Daichi's camper. Anger and indignation burns away all traces of Daichi's former sleepiness and he slams his hand down repeatedly on his horn, conveying a loud and clear message of how he feels about having his lane cut into so rudely for no good reason.
Daichi had been lucky there hadn’t been another vehicle behind him or his sudden braking manoeuvre would have been disastrous instead of just annoying. Even so, there had been an awful crash behind Daichi, coming from somewhere in his camper, and the smell of freshly spilt coffee fills the enclosed space, telling Daichi exactly what had happened back there. He had left his coffee tumbler on a table and by the sound and smell of it, it had thrown itself off the table and cracked open, flinging its contents all over Daichi’s nice, new wooden floors.
Daichi growls, glaring a hole into the back of the offending red camper as it speeds off like the driver hadn’t even noticed Daichi until it is nothing more than a smudge on the horizon.
“Asshole,” Daichi mutters under his breath.
---
“We are so glad to have you here,” Isabelle the secretary chirps as she shakes Daichi's hand firmly, a quick and businesslike up-and-down. “You’re going to be a great campsite manager. I just know it!”
“I’ll do my best,” Daichi tells her ruefully. She had been nice enough not to remark on the concentrated coffee scent lingering on Daichi but her nose has been twitching all throughout their conversation, putting her constantly on the verge of a sneeze. Dogs did have sensitive noses and Daichi feels like he should apologise to her.
Isabelle smiles brightly at him and claps her hands together. “Now, I’m still setting up your campsite for you so why don’t you go ahead and explore the area a bit.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Daichi asks, peering over her shoulder at the vacant plot of land slowly taking shape behind her.
“Oh no, I’ve got it all under control. It’ll be ready once you’re back!” Isabelle looks thoughtful. “But I wouldn’t say no to more craft materials if you come across them. I do want to craft a few more pieces of furniture for you if possible.”
“Where can I find those?”
“Trading is how we do business around here so have a look around in Breezy Hollow and see if anyone is about!”
---
Daichi drives with the windows rolled down. He had mopped the floor and thrown out his now broken tumbler but it still smells intensely like coffee in his camper and he is dizzy after having to drive for a solid hour while breathing it in.
Outside, it is autumn and it shows in the leaves on the trees and the ground, the entire road strewn with crispy, crunchy brown leaves. The light breeze feels nice on Daichi’s face and as he approaches Breezy Hollow, the fresh scent of fruit reaches his nose, clearing out the stale smell of coffee that had stubbornly clung to his camper and him.
Breezy Hollow is a good spot for someone new to the camp grounds like him and Daichi feels refreshed as he steps out of his camper and onto the leaf-strewn ground. Trees gather in a loose formation before him and Daichi wanders, keeping to the marked trails and noting the bits of civilisation littering the place, a swing seat here and a picnic table there. A fire crackles close by and Daichi heads towards it, curious about the other campers he could meet out here.
“Hello,” Daichi says as he steps into a clearing and spots a cat by a fire, huddled up in a blanket and warming a mug over the open flame. It doesn’t look terribly safe but the cat looks terribly grumpy so Daichi chooses not to point that out just yet.
“‘llo,” the cat mumbles a reply, his eyes barely wider than slits over his blanket. Wrapped up like that, the cat almost resembles his tent behind him, the both of them conical and comprising mostly of cloth. What Daichi can see of him is a mottled blond and brown mix of fur, his eyes the faintest hint of golden-brown as he squints at the contents of his mug before glancing up at Daichi. “You’re new here, aren’t you?”
“I am. I just arrived actually,” Daichi says, coming to stand by the cat’s fire. “I’m Daichi.”
“Kenma," the cat replies.
“Do you,” Daichi looks at the setup Kenma has out here in Breezy Hollow. The tent and fire are cozy but Daichi can sense that a distinctly minimal effort had been put into setting them up, just enough for Kenma to withstand the autumn chill with his fire and blanket. “Do you need anything?”
“An apple,” Kenma says.
Daichi glances at the apple tree growing magnificently behind Kenma. Autumn is the season for apples and the tree’s boughs are heavy with round, red fruit. The tree is also very much within walking distance. But it doesn’t look like Kenma is going to do anything about his apple craving when he looks just about as rooted to the ground as the apple tree is so Daichi walks the short distance to the tree for him.
“Here you go.” Daichi plops a shiny red apple into Kenma’s paw, his pockets full with two more.
“Thanks,” Kenma tells him, rooting around in his blanket for something. He hands over a bag of something and when Daichi peers in, he sees bells and what appears to be cotton. Kenma looks indifferent, taking his mug off the fire and inhaling its steam. He doesn’t look up at Daichi, keeping a firm grip on his apple as he says, “Welcome to the camp grounds.”
---
“Do you like it?” Isabelle asks Daichi expectantly as Daichi steps into his campsite.
Isabelle had made good use of the cotton Daichi had handed over to her and Daichi runs a hand over his brand-new sofa, turning his gaze towards the matching table and rug. Even though they are standing out here in the near wilderness, everything around him is homely, comfort stitched and built into every single inch of his campsite. It is more than Daichi had expected when he had taken on the post of a camp manager in the middle of nowhere and the smile that erupts on his face is born out of the genuine good feelings he has about this campsite, his bad start on the road be damned.
“It’s amazing,“ Daichi tells her. “I don’t know how to thank you for getting me all set up with the furniture and the grill and all. I was expecting just a tent.”
“We do have to find some way to keep new camp managers from running off after all,” Isabelle replies with a laugh. “Just thank me by inviting lots of campers to your campsite and being a good host.”
Daichi thinks of Kenma in Breezy Hollow and wonders if he would respond to an invitation to Daichi's campsite if he went back a second time. The apples were plentiful there and he could arm himself well with them before talking to Kenma again.
“I’ll do my best,” Daichi says.
Isabelle nods, looking convinced. “Now, if you need any help just drop by my mobile office at the marketplace or approach one of the camp managers at the other campsites. There’s one that is not too far from yours and the manager there is quite a veteran.”
Isabelle leaves with an enthusiastic backward wave and Daichi plonks himself down on the sofa, liking the way he sinks just right into the cushions. The selection of books on the nearby bookcase contains a full set of guidebooks on outdoor camping, covering topics from fruit to fish to bugs. The other side of his campsite holds a grill and plenty of room for preparation, except that Daichi doesn’t have anything to try it out with.
The handy map on his smartphone shows him two spots for fishing but before that, Daichi decides to head down to the marketplace just to see what they have to offer. He wants to find a replacement for his coffee tumbler and he is growing used to getting around in his camper. With the coffee scent gradually fading from his camper, it makes for a pleasant drive all the way to the marketplace.
Rows of campers and shop trucks line the area designated as the marketplace and Daichi is just about to pull into an empty lot when a flash of red appears in the corner of his eye. A sense of deja vu washes over Daichi as he slams on the brakes to avoid the camper that slides into the lot he had been making his way towards.
Daichi sees red and he doesn’t care if he is leaving his camper in the middle of the road as he storms out of the door, his anger and indignation from this morning reigniting as he marches right up to the door of the red camper.
“You,“ Daichi hisses as the driver emerges from his camper.
“Me?” the driver says, surprise painting his face as he opens his door to a furious Daichi and looks around for anyone else Daichi could possibly be referring to.
Like Daichi, he is human and he stands head and shoulders taller than Daichi while standing in his camper, made even taller by the tousled mess of his hair that Daichi would describe as the worst case of bedhead he has ever seen. He is long-limbed and broad-shouldered, filling up the lengthy space of the doorway as he leans against the doorframe and surveys the area above Daichi’s head. His eyes widen as he catches sight of Daichi’s black camper with its distinctive orange highlights. “Oh. It’s you.”
Daichi resists the urge to throttle him—one quick shove is all it would take to send him flying back into his camper and nobody would know—and settles for diplomacy. “Congratulations on realising that yours isn’t the only camper on the road. Maybe now you’ll start to drive like a civil person instead of being a goddamned road hazard."
The driver narrows his eyes at Daichi’s tone, his golden eyes sparking, but then his expression smooths out into a pleasant expression, which Daichi doesn’t trust one bit. “You’re new here, aren’t you? I’ve never seen your camper around. I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot but I’m Kuroo. I manage one of the campsites here.”
Daichi hopes that Kuroo’s campsite is on the other end of the camp grounds and as far away from his campsite as possible. Kuroo is completely unfazed by this confrontation, smug even, as he smirks down at Daichi from his camper and Daichi opens his mouth to correct that.
A horn blares from behind Daichi and Daichi glances back to see a truck stuck behind his camper, the driver looking pointedly between Daichi and his camper left out in the middle of the road, blocking a whole stream of vehicles from entering the marketplace.
“You better shift your camper,” Kuroo advises him. “The marketplace shops are about to rotate.”
Daichi glares at him as the driver sounds his horn again impatiently. Just so that Kuroo doesn't think he has gotten away with this, Daichi jabs him in the chest with a finger and leans in close to say, “Stay out of my way. Just because your camper is red doesn’t mean that everyone is going to stop for you all the time.”
Kuroo widens his eyes and raises his hands in mock surrender, and Daichi turns on his heel and jogs back to his camper. The camp grounds are big and the campers many. During his time as a campsite manager here, Daichi hopes that he won't run into Kuroo again.