Chapter Text
Chapter 1 – Camp True Path
The three boys had grown up together, but their lives were now different than they had been before. Regulus used to be a girl; now he was a boy; now all three of them only liked boys. It took a while before they told each other, but of course they all accepted each other. That didn’t mean everyone did. Among those who didn’t accept them were their parents. Once word got to their parents, the boys had been in big trouble; all three were sent to conversion camp. That’s where they found themselves now, Camp True Path.
“Why you’re a pretty young lady,” one camp counselor told Regulus. It took everything in him not to cry right there. Not only was he wearing a dress upon his mother’s insistence, but here was this counselor misgendering him mere seconds upon their arrival. After getting situated into the girls rooming, Regulus walks out of the cabin to go find Barty and Evan.
Barty and Evan are sitting on a nearby log already discussing how to vandalize the camp and get kicked out. Regulus walks up in his dress.
“God, I hate seeing you in those,” Barty says.
“You’re not the only one,” Regulus adds.
The week doesn’t start off terribly. Sure, there’s the misgendering and all around homophobia, but it could be worse. The three boys can’t help but think they’ve gotten off easily.
Later that evening Regulus sits in front of the crackling camp fire. Barty runs up and puts his arm around Reg, “sup dude.” A counselor gives Barty a stern warning look. Barty’s tongue darts out of his mouth at the counselor and sticks up his middle finger before turning his attention back to Regulus.
“Soooo, how are you holding up in this hellhole?” Barty asks.
Regulus frowns and shakes his head, no words escape his mouth, his throat tightening. Barty pulls him closer, “we’ll get out, don’t worry. It’s just temporary.”
“Barty, Kiara, keep your distance. PDA is not allowed here at camp.”
Barty jumps up. “That’s NOT his name.” Before he knows what’s happening the counselor delivers a sharp slap across his face before walking off.
Evan rushes over. “Oh God! Barty! Are you ok?!?!”
“I’m fine.”
That weekend the camp counselor called all the campers into one room. At the front stood a scantily dressed woman and a man in tight clothes. One by one students were sent into a room with one of the two at the front.
“Hey? What’s going on?” Regulus asks one of the girls he’s at camp with who just came out off the room. The girl explains how the two are prostitutes. Regulus turns and walks out.
A few hours later Barty is sitting on a boulder crying, Evan’s arm around him.
“What happened? Are you hurt?”
Barty sits there staring at the ground, the tears rolling down his face, a sickened look in his face. “They brought in a girl…they they made me strip and let her…”
“Oh God no.” Regulus exclaims in horror.
“We’re leaving tonight” Evan states.
Barty looks up, “but-”
“No buts. We’re leaving”
Before the three really process what they’re doing they’ve paced and hopped the fence. It’s dark out, the moon shining through the branches overhead, quiet sounds of scampers and the breeze surrounding them.
Regulus looks over at Barty, tears still falling, drying small paths on his face. Silently, he walks over and opens his arms.
“Let’s take a rest here for a bit, ok?”
Barty nods and the three boys curl into a ball against each other, all providing the comfort they’re desperately in need of after Camp True Path. Regulus presses a kiss to Barty’s forehead trying to help him calm down, though there isn’t much calming down after the experience he’s gone through, What type of person would allow prostitutes to rape someone simply because they’re gay, more than allow, orchestrate the whole thing. Then they have the audacity to call themselves Christian. Bullshit.