Work Text:
Neil was wandering the woods near his house, sunlight creeping through the branches above, warming him. He loved being outdoors and enjoying the thrills of nature. Today, his plan was to find his and his friends' old treehouse. Before he came out to look, he had gone to find Andrew and Kevin, but to no avail, as they weren't home when he went to invite along. So here he was, wandering the woods alone, on such a nice day.
Neil pulled his camera out of his bag, which he had grabbed last minute before leaving the house. Neil observed it for a moment; he knew this used to be his most prized possession, but couldn't place why it had been. He approached a split in the path and paused for a second, losing his train of thought about his camera. Suddenly, he heard a branch crack behind him and turned; he had excellent hearing. Suddenly, Andrew was in front of Neil's eyes, Kevin lurking a bit further behind.
“Hello to you too,” Andrew said, filling the silence, as Neil hadn't said anything yet.
“Oh yeah, hi,” Neil replied, letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding in. “Why weren't you guys home?”
“We came to find you,” Kevin said, stepping out of his silence. “I see you brought that thing,” nodding to the camera Neil had a death grip on.
“Oh yeah,” Neil said, frowning, softening his grip. “Some gut feeling told me I was gonna need it today.”
Andrew, looking bored, decided it was time for them to get moving. “If that's all, then the treehouse is down that path.”
Neil felt a small smile on his lips. No matter the mystery of the camera, having them there made the path ahead feel a lot clearer.