Chapter Text
Stepping off his skateboard under the entrance to his summer job, Reki closed his eyes and tilted his head to the sky, feeling a warm breeze brush against his skin as the morning sun sank into his face. The rustling of the tall trees and songbirds chirping overhead accompanied by the smells of flora filled his senses. He felt a nostalgic smile sneak onto his face and opened his eyes to the familiar looks of his favorite camp: Camp Crossroads.
Reki hitched up the bag on his back and started down the path towards the main building to check in, the nerves in his chest starting to bounce around, filling him with access energy. Although he had attended as a camper for several previous summers, this was his first time acting as a counselor here. He had spent the entire ride down to the camp fantasizing of becoming the favorite counselor and watching the campers make new memories with new friends, as he had done in his years. He was beyond ecstatic about the new experience, but doubt couldn’t help creeping into his thoughts.
Taking care of the kids wasn’t worrisome to him, he had plenty of experience with his three younger sisters. Rather, the thought of being left out among his fellow staff members made his heart clench slightly in his chest. Maybe they would think he was too loud, or talked too much. He often overheard his classmate’s complaints at school for being too energetic or too childish.
He shook himself out of his thoughts as he neared the building, taking a deep breath and smelling the freshly cut lawn and what remained of the morning dew. He pulled open the glass doors and was blasted with a wave of cool air, feeling the goose bumps rise on his skin. Three people looked over at him in unison from the center of the brightly lit room.
“Hey there! Are you… No, wait, don’t tell me.”
A well-built man with broad shoulders squinted at him in determination as he stood in the entrance. Reki’s eyes scanned him, taking in his short, wavy, green hair, tan skin and strong jaw. His orange and white striped t-shirt had the top three buttons undone, almost as if the man would rather not be wearing it at all. Reki imagined he was at least two or three years older than himself.
“What are you-” The other man standing beside the first asked. His long, flowing, pink hair was tied in a low ponytail over his shoulder. This guy didn’t strike Reki as someone who would want to work outdoors seeing as his clothes and overall demeanor had more of a sophisticated air to them. His fair skin and smaller frame looked the complete opposite of the other, but he held himself high with his arms crossed over his chest. By no means did he look delicate. He was wearing an upscale blue blazer over a gray shirt with black jeans. Reki looked closer, leaning in, and realized a ring on the right side of his bottom lip, accompanied by three piercings in his right ear.
After a bit of contemplation, Reki recognized both of them as counselors from his last year as a camper, although he was in a different age group and didn’t get to interact with either.
“Shhh, I’m concentrating.” After a moment, the green haired guy nodded, seeming to make up his mind and said confidently, “Reki. You look like a Reki.”
“Woah!” Reki said in disbelief, his eyes wide and a smile tugging at his lips. “How- How did you know?” He moved forward while he talked, setting his bag down where he spotted the others, coming to a stop almost directly in front of the males.
“I’m just a genius like that,” said the muscular man, tossing his shoulder and smiling nonchalantly.
The pink haired man rolled his eyes in annoyance. “You doopy gorilla, you knew because you looked at the sheet. There were only two options, meaning you had a 50 percent chance of guessing the correct name.” He pulled a paper out of the back pocket of his companion.
“Oh,” Reki giggled. “Yeah, duh, whoops.”
“Hey! Don’t give away my secrets, Pinkie!” He tried to grab the paper but the pink haired man quickly turned away, planting a hand on the other’s face in an attempt to keep him away.
The two were now bickering back and forth while swinging their arms around and Reki watched in amazement, laughing under his breath as they spewed creative insults.
To his right, someone cleared their throat. There was another man behind the front desk sitting patiently and looking impassive. He had short black hair that came to a point on the bridge of his nose, and light skin dotted with a beauty mark under his right eye. He was dressed in the camp uniform, a purple t-shirt sporting the camp logo with blue jeans, bringing Reki back to reality as he remembered his purpose for being here.
“Oh, right.” Reki walked over to the man feeling upbeat. “I’m supposed to check in. I’m gonna be a counselor this year.”
The man introduced himself as Tadashi, the vice director of the camp. He explained that the other men, who had now calmed down, were other counselors named Nanjo and Kaoru. They were waiting for one more to arrive and then they would sort out living arrangements and start their training.
While they waited for the fourth and final counselor to arrive, Reki chatted with Nanjo and Kaoru. Nanjo insisted he refer to them as Joe and Cherry, even though Kaoru didn’t seem too keen on the idea. He learned they were both twenty and had grown up together, even traveling outside the country for school trips and summer vacations. Reki thought about this and furrowed his brows. “So you two actually get along? It seems like you’ve been fighting the entire time since I got here,” he asked, a little cautiously.
Joe slung his arm around Cherry’s shoulder and immediately Cherry shrugged him off. Joe tried again as he said, “nah he loves me.” Then he raised his brow and his look turned skeptical. “Or- at least he loves my cooking.”
“Yes, it’s only the cooking.” Kaoru deadpanned.
Joe chuckled, his eyes lingered on Cherry a second longer than necessary, faint affection in his eyes. “Anyway,” Joe said, letting his arm fall from Cherry’s shoulders and turning the attention to Reki. “You know anything about this other counselor. I think his name is... Langie?” He turned to Kaoru.
“Langa,” he supplied.
“Right. You seen him around?”
Reki felt a gust of hot air on his back as the glass doors opened behind him. Turning his head, he was met with the sight of a frazzled teenage boy with blue hair and a closed-off stance, and his slightly taller, brunette mother behind him. Reki could see the boy’s cheeks slowly start to redden, probably conscious everyone’s eyes were on him. His mother walked to the counter to check in with Tadashi and he followed closely, keeping his eyes on the floor and his hands clenched tightly around his bags.
“Hey! Are you Langa?” Reki asked, walking towards the boy with a friendly smile. As he approached, he realized the other had maybe three inches on him. The blue haired boy turned his head surprised and Reki was struck by his light eyes, a mix of blue and green. His fair face had a dusting of pink and was somewhat covered by his fine hair, highlighted from the sun streaming through the doors behind him. The boy shifted awkwardly under Reki’s gaze as his mom and Tadashi talked in low voices. Or maybe they were drowned out, all Reki’s attention was on Langa like a spotlight.
“Yeah?” He asked timidly, his voice soft.
Reki smiled wider at this. “So then you are Langa? I’m Reki and these guys are Cherry and Joe. Well- their names are Kaoru and Nanjo but they said you can call them Cherry and Joe. Anyway, we’re the other counselors who’ll be working with you.” he gestured behind him to where the older guys had followed him to Langa, both of them offering a wave.
Langa nodded his head slightly at them. “Hello.”
When Langa didn’t add more, Reki said, “You can set your bags down right over here by ours.” He stepped forward, extending a hand to take Langa’s things. Langa didn’t protest, so he moved to the other side of the room to place them by the bag of his own, hearing Langa say a quiet thank you. “Have you been here before or is this your first time?” Reki was genuinely curious, but he also picked up on the fact that Langa didn’t seem to provide much information unprompted.
“I just moved here and was looking for a job. This one pays well”
“Oh nice! I’ve been going to this camp for several years now but this’ll be my first year as a counselor! So it can be our first time together!” His voice raised with his excitement.
Langa nodded at his.
He wanted Langa to feel welcome here, especially since Reki loved this camp dearly and wanted Langa to experience that same feeling. Langa was quiet though, and that made Reki a little apprehensive; he didn’t want to overwhelm the other boy. So far, however, Langa wasn’t giving him any of the tell-tale signs he had seen from his peers who had expressed their general dislike for Reki. There were no side-eyes, nothing showing that Langa was trying to make a quick get-away, not even the polite smiles and nods before excusing themselves.
Langa’s mother tapped her son on the shoulder lightly and pulled him away to exchange goodbyes. Reki tried not to stare, smiling and turning away as she cupped Langa’s face and kissed his forehead. He heard her soft tone, a little nervous saying, “If you need anything, anything at all, ok honey? You let me know right away. I’m just a few minutes away, ok sweetie? Text me every night, if you want. I’ll be happy to hear from you. Ok, ok I’ll leave now. You try and have some fun, ok? Ok, I love you, I’ll see you in a couple of months. Or sooner if you need anything.”
When they finally parted, Langa returned back to Reki's side.
“Alright everybody, let’s get right down to work.”
A tall woman with long, dark red hair and bright red lipstick emerged from the hallway behind the front desk. Her presence made everyone straighten up and pay attention. She looked them over for a moment before offering them a warm smile. “Welcome. I’m the camp director, aka your boss, Kiriko.” Her voice made Reki relax a little, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. The way she spoke was genuine, but that didn't take away from her unquestionable authority.
“Kaoru, Nanjo, you have already heard my spiel from last year. Langa, Reki, we are excited to have you on staff this year.” She nodded to them as she addressed them. “First thing’s first. We have your cabin’s ready so this means Nanjo and Kaoru in Cabin 1 and Langa and Reki in Cabin 2.”
There was a loud cheer from Joe and Reki looked over in time to see a subtle fist of victory from Cherry. “Ha-ha take that! We got the newly refurbished cabin,” Joe said teasingly, a smug smile across his face.
“Ah, that’s ok, right Langa? We’ll make do.” He gently shoved Langa’s shoulder.
This earned a nod from the taller boy. Reki vaguely noticed he hadn’t reacted badly to his casual touch.
Cherry huffed loudly, looking annoyed. “Easy for you to say. Let’s just hope it doesn’t rain too hard. There’s a leak in the ceiling right above one of the beds.” He scrunched up his face and shivered as if relaying the memory in his head.
“What? How come I was never informed of this?” Asked a concerned Kiriko.
“Ah we- well- you see-” Joe tried, laughing nervously and glancing over at Cherry.
“Nothing to worry about. Didn’t end up to be a big deal.”
“Nevertheless. I’ll look into fixing that right away.”
Kiriko explained the locations of the cabins and sent the pairs on their way to start unpacking before training started.
The walk down to Cabin 2 was further from the main building than Joe and Cherry’s cabin so they were able to get a feel for the layout of the camp. On the gravel path they passed several dark wood buildings, some obviously older than others, which were set aside for the dozens of campers arriving in a few days. Near one cabin was a tall, sturdy oak and wide swing tied to a low hanging branch. The walkway led them to a more secluded area surrounded by forest and only one building to their right. Langa stopped, glancing over at Reki with a raised eyebrow.
“That’s the gym,” Reki supplied excitedly.
“It’s big,” Langa noted simply.
“They have a rock wall inside! I’m not very good at it, but it’s a lot of fun. There’s like five different walls I think, all ranging in levels.”
They started walking again but Langa kept his eyes on Reki, so he continued to explain, holding the boy’s full attention.
He rambled until they rounded a corner and their cabin came into view. “And at the top of one wall- Oh! We’re here!”
The cabin was a small structure that resembled lincoln logs colored a light reddish brown with a small porch and overhang. They climbed the creaky steps and opened the door, shuffling in and dumping their belongings. Along the opposite wall, two twin beds protruded into the middle of the room, with a dresser acting as a bedside table next to each. In front of the beds facing an open fireplace to the left, a small couch sat looking worn, but comfortable and inviting. Sunlight was streaming through a window next to the door and the soft hum of the air conditioner filled the cabin.
“Which bed do you want?”
Langa shrugged and shook his head. “I’m ok with either. Your choice.”
“You sure? Wanna bet which one has the leak above it?”
Langa nodded. “Yeah, whichever.” Then he tilted his head and a ghost of a smile made its way to his lips while he chewed on the inside of his cheek, thinking. “I’ll say the left bed. That one has the leak.”
Reki picked up his bag again and trudged to the bed situated on the left. “I’ll say the bed on the right has the leak then.”
They began to unpack everything, making their beds, Reki stuffing his clothes in the dresser while Langa placed the clothes his mother helped him fold neatly inside his. Reki even set some snacks for his midnight cravings up on the mantle of the fireplace. They took their time, making this shared space feel like home, seeing as that’s what it would be for the next three months. After about a half an hour, Reki looked over to see the taller boy plop himself onto his bed, eyes on the ceiling.
“It’s nap time.” He sleepily mumbled, eyes falling shut.
Reki chuckled and checked his phone clock. “We have about an hour before lunch, you could get a quick nap in so you’re rested for training later tonight.”
“Mmmm”
“Ok, I’ll come wake you up in a bit, get some rest!”
Reki quietly grabbed his skateboard from under his bed, turning off the light as he left the cabin. Climbing down the steps, he recalled his previous summers here, thinking where an ideal place to skate was. He found an area near the main building that would work and hopped on this board. He was glad for his skateboard. For him, it always guaranteed happiness. The feeling of the wind rushing through his thick hair, the freeing sensation when he was in the air. He could never get enough of it.
His mind wandered back to his little cabin in the woods with a quiet, blue haired boy. Reki had noticed the way tension left Langa’s shoulders since his arrival. Had he done that? Had he made him feel comfortable and welcome? The thought warmed his chest. Even if that wasn’t his doing, he was just glad the boy seemed happier than this morning.
Happier. He felt happier as well. Thinking back to his concern of becoming a sort of misfit among the staff members, he almost laughed. Joe and Cherry had introduced themselves and made him feel a part of their group as soon as he had stepped into their sight. The doubt from the morning was slowly starting to slip away. He inhaled a deep breath through his nose, smiling wide as he recognized this as the beginning of something good. Really good.