Chapter Text
Matthew realised instantly that agreeing to go to the W Camp for Boys Aged 14 to 18 was a horrifically bad decision. The car hadn't driven three metres into the entrance before he knew he was not going to enjoy his time there at all.
The camp was alive and scattered with children and adults alike. People - mainly boys, of course - dived out of the way of the approaching vehicle, carrying their heavy, bulging bags and rucksacks over their shoulders or under their arms. The campers were of all shapes and sizes, laughs loud and boisterous, hair plastered to their faces as they sauntered down the dirt track to where others were waiting to be assigned a cabin for the duration of their stay. One boy, who appeared to be twice the width of Matthew, flexed his muscles and punched the nearest boy in the shoulder, causing them to wrestle right there in the mud and heat of the pulsating sun. Matthew stared at his reflection in the rear-view mirror.
Blonde. Blue eyes. Pale skin. Glasses. Oh, he was so screwed.
It wasn't that he was short or bony or anything of the kind. In fact, he was quite tall for a 16 year old boy, almost towering over his father and his friends. He was well built, had a broad and sculpted figure, courtesy of several years of hockey and skating. It was more of the fact that he was polite, reserved, and patient. That's why he was there; his father felt he needed a confidence boost, a chance to meet new people and speak out once in a while. Matthew thought it was pointless. No matter how hard he tried to be involved, he would be drowned out and thrown out by the rowdy, loud and hyperactive crowd that he would have to stay with. It was always the case.
But he had promised. So there he was.
“Are you alright, Mateo? You look as if you've seen a ghost."
He swallowed in an attempt to make his voice sound calmer. “Yes, I', fine, Antonio,” he stuttered out, smiling softly at his concerned uncle's face. “Just a bit nervous, I guess. I've never been away from home for so long before.”
Antonio flashed a warm smile back before turning around to face the front again. “¡Dios mío, Gilbert! Slow down before you kill someone!”
The man driving merely cackled. “It's the stupid brat's fault for getting in the way,” he hissed as they swerved away from yet another child who hadn't seen the car coming up behind him. How they missed it was a mystery. It was pure white and practically emitted its own aura it was so pristine. It made Matthew giggle slightly to see the German get so riled up about it. “Move out the fucking way, you little shits!” he yelled, causing Antonio to gasp in horror. “God, I hate children. They're so annoying.”
“Gilbert! Language! Franny will have our heads if he finds out you've been saying such vulgar things in front of Matthew.”
“Oh shut up. Frenchy says stuff in front of him all the time.”
“It's not the same-,”
“Ja, ja. Whatever. We're here anyway.”
Matthew twisted his hands in his lap as the car grinded to a halt. Shaking with nerves, he pushed open the door and climbed out. He was hit with a wall of thick heat and felt the fabric of his shirt stick to his skin with sweat far too quickly than he would have liked. He wanted to go back into the car where there was air conditioning, but stood still and waited quietly as his uncles gathered the bags from the trunk of the car, kicking the dirt beneath his feet.
"Okay, that should be the last of it," Gilbert grunted as he dropped the final and heaviest bag onto the ground. He turned to the young boy, putting his hand on his shoulder and squeezing lightly. "You ready, kid?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Matthew mumbled back. He looked down and kicked the dirt some more. He was about to kick a particularly large stone when he felt a large pair of warm arms wrap around him and pull him into a deep hug.
"Oh, Mateo. Please smile. You'll have lots of fun here, we promise."
"All this fresh air, sun, it's good for you dude. Plus if you ever get bored, there are plenty of punch bags here at your disposal. It's gonna be totally awesome!"
"Please ignore him, Mateo."
Matthew laughed and returned the hug, inhaling the familiar scent of roasting tomatoes and fresh rosemary that Antonio seemed to emit. The older man rubbed his back and squeezed him tighter before letting him go and standing up straight. "If you ever feel like you've had enough and want to go home, do not hesitate to call me or Gilbert and we will get here as soon as we can!" Really, Matthew thought, they didn't have to make so much fuss. He was nervous, but he wasn't a baby, and he could take care of himself well enough. But then again, his family had always been overly protective of him, for whatever reason.
Gilbert sent him a broad grin that oozed with mischief. "If I find out that any of these pipsqueaks have been stirring shit, I will personally kick their asses for you! And you totally have to let me, okay? None of this pacifist bullshit."
Matthew let out a light breath of air that could be mistaken for a chuckle. "Yeah, I know. Thank you for driving me here." He picked up the bags, lugging the largest over his shoulder and the smallest under his arms, and sent his uncles as big a smile as he could muster. Antonio's eyes began to swell and his bottom lip quivered. "I'll be off then. Bye, guys."
Ignoring the Spaniard's woeful sobs and the sound of Gilbert whacking his friend not so affectionately up the back of his head, Matthew dragged himself unwillingly towards the pulsating crowd. He could already feel judgmental eyes on him.
This was going to be a long holiday.
*
It was the seventh time in the space of five minutes that Alfred had been asked to pull a person's bag out of the perpetually growing pile of cases and luggage. Not that he minded of course. He was always willing to help someone out, even if it did make the muscles in his arm ache with the amount of heavy lifting he had done that morning. He flashed a pearly white smile to his current damsel, a short-ish boy that looked a few years younger than him with long brown hair and big green eyes, before dragging a bright yellow bag from under the pile with one strong tug. "Here you go!" he beamed, making the boy stutter as he dropped the bag into his hands.
Alfred watched in amusement as a deep blush began to spread across the boy's cheeks. He stifled a laugh. This kid was doomed if he turned into a bumbling wreck that quickly. Alfred had been to many all-boy camps in his life and one of the things he had learned in that short amount of time was that the big kids will do anything to stay on top of the heap, even if it means squashing a few of the smaller lads to get there.
It was a good job Alfred was such a nice guy, if he did say so himself. He grinned wider. "You're welcome. Always here to help a friend!"
"Friend?" the other boy spluttered.
"Yeah, friend. Since we're goin' to be spending the next few weeks together all cosy, we might as well get to know each other now!" He stuck out his hand. "The name's Alfred. Alfred F. Kirkland."
The boy hesitantly put his hand in Alfred's, allowing the taller of the two to vigorously shake their hands up and down. "My name is Toris Laurinaitis," the boy stuttered. "I-It's a pleasure to meet you."
"You too, buddy! Have you been to one of these camps before?"
The boy gave a half-hearted smile. "N-no."
Alfred figured as much. "Well you've met the right guy! I go on these camp things all the time, there ain't nothing I don't know about these places." Alfred clapped Toris on the back. It was more forceful that he had intended, and Toris let out a rather loud choking noise, but he seemed to be fine. Alfred pulled the brunette into a one armed hug. "Let's stick together, okay?"
"Erm, I don't-,"
"Awesome!"
The sound of a whistle pierced the air and drew the boys' attention to a large pole in the middle of the camp. Behind the pole stood rows and rows of cosy looking wooden cabins, each with a picture of a forest animal and a flickering flag above the door. Alfred grinned at his new companion before grabbing Toris' shoulder and leading him reluctantly to the group of boys that began to grow around the source of the whistle. The noise was so great that Alfred could barely hear himself think before a gunshot stabbed the air and silenced every sound.
"Thank you, Vasch," said a man who Alfred assumed to be the camp leader. He was small and slightly chubby, and had kind smile as he beamed brightly at the eager boys in front of him. The man next to him, Vasch apparently, did not look at happy. Sporting an emotionless scowl, he pocketed his rifle in a holster on his back and glared at the crowd, some of which backed away to avoid his piercing stare.
"Hello everyone! My name is Tino, and this is Vasch," the smaller man gestured to his frowning companion, "and welcome to W Camp! We hope you enjoy you stay here and have lots of fun doing all the activities we have lined up for you guys. You might even discover something about yourself along the way that you never even knew!"
Alfred sniggered. The only thing he wanted to discover was the location of the shower and where he could get a hot meal before bed. Some of the other campers seemed to have the same idea. Tino didn't seem like the kind of guy that knew how to work with teenage boys. His small frame and soft tone seemed more appropriate for babies.
"Now, I know you're all desperate to get settled, so I'll hand you over to Vasch and he will tell you which cabin you'll be staying in. Each one has a picture of the animal they are named after, so don't worry about getting lost! You'll start your activities tomorrow, so for now just get comfortable and spend some time getting to know your cabin mates. Dinner is at 7 and lights are out at 9, so you have plenty of time to do so! If you have any questions or concerns, please do not be afraid to find me or one of the other camp leaders so we can help you in any way we can! Okay Vasch, over to you!"
With one final smile at the group, Tino skipped away. Vasch, on the other hand, was not as cheerful as his co-worker. With one look he silenced the boys and pulled a small stack of paper out of his jacket. Alfred could feel Toris stiffen beside him.
"Listen up," Vasch barked, like a general addressing his troops. "I am going to tell you which cabin you will be living in. When I call your name, retrieve your luggage and head straight to the cabin you were assigned to. These arrangements are permanent. I will not accept any disrespectful behaviour in my camp."
Alfred had never met a guy like this at one of these camps before. They were usually like Tino, bright and sunny with a cheerful disposition that made them seem patronising yet approachable. Vasch was the complete opposite. He looked like he preferred to be doing anything else but care for kids. Alfred tried to keep his excitement contained at the thought of all the ways he could rile this guy. It would be a new experience for him, trying to sneak past the camp guard dog in the middle of the night to get supplies for a midnight snack. Screw everything else, this would be the most fun he would have in his life!
Vasch paused to scan the crowd. Satisfied with the lack of complaints, his lips curled into what Alfred assumed was a smile and turned to the first sheet of paper in his hands. He bellowed out a list of names and every sixth name came the name of the cabin they were to stay in. Boys scampered off like scared mice, not wanting to stay in the company of Vasch and his rifle for a moment longer than they needed to.
"Adnan. Kohler. Hendriks. Karpusi. Kirkland. Laurinaitis. Cabin Eagle."
"Dude, we're totally in the same cabin! Must be fate, right?" Alfred laughed before grabbing Toris by the arm and dragging him off in the direction of the cabins, ignoring the boy's protests. The cabin was the ninth one down on the furthest row and, to much of Alfred's delight, the closest to the food hall. It took them a while to find it and they got lost several times, mainly due to Alfred claiming he knew 100% where he was going and refused to listen to Toris' advice of asking for directions. Above the door of the cabin was carved a great bald American eagle flying majestically below the stars and stripes of the flag above it. Alfred felt the need to salute the creature before kicking open the door and hurling himself and poor Toris inside.
"'Sup folks! The name's Alfred, and this here is Toris. It's nice to meet you guys."
The other campers had already unpacked their bags when Alfred and Toris burst inside. One of them was sat on top of a chest of drawers and had his arm braced on the window, a cigarette in hand. Another was lying on his bed and appeared to be asleep. The second tallest, a tall guy with dark skin who was wearing white sunglasses, put down the clothes he was folding and strutted over to Alfred. He stuck his hand out and Alfred took it enthusiastically.
"Sadiq," he said, flashing a grin so wide it rivalled Alfred's own. "That's Mathias." He gestured to boy with spiky blonde hair who waved with enthusiasm from where he was sat on his bed; "and that's Jan," he said, nodding towards the smoking boy, who grunted in response. "And sleeping beauty over there is Heracles." Heracles mumbled a quiet "hello," before rolling over and falling asleep again. "It's nice to meet you too."
Alfred beamed. This was going to be the best holiday ever!