Chapter Text
At 4:30 A.M sharp, the speakers go off in the D Tent. “Rise and shine, boys! Wake up!”
Stanley rubs his eyes sleepily, and gets up out of bed. He walks over to his duffle bag and puts his working clothes on.
The early morning air tasted dry and bitter, as it had many weeks before. Camp Green Lake was always hot and unbearable, but today felt different.
It was the first few days of winter, meaning there were much colder nights to come. Cold nights at camp meant freezing. It wasn't like being at home, with multiple blankets and a heater. Here, you have one thin blanket that could pass as a sheet and a rock solid pillow. It can't really get much worse than that.
Stanley thinks on the subject for a while. He sits on his bed and closes his eyes. He reminisces about making hot chocolate with his mom and watching Christmas movies. He would do anything to be back there, warm and full.
Zero lays on his bed watching Stanley. He is wondering what Stanley is thinking about.
Stanley tries to imagine he was back at home. His stomach grumbles as he thinks about cookies and ice cream. A snack he would have almost every night and never get tired of it. He smiles and opens his eyes.
When Stanley looks over at Zero, he shuts his eyes quickly.
Zero starts to hold his breath. He hopes Stanley didn't see him looking.
Stanley stares at Zero sleeping for a bit longer, then walks out of the tent and walks to the dining hall to grab breakfast.
Once Stanley leaves the tent, Zero concludes he's in the clear. He gets up and gets changed, hits the bathrooms, and heads to the dining hall.
Zero spots Stanley sitting at the end of D tent’s table. Nobody is sitting next to him. He smirks and hopes that Stanley is saving a spot for him.
Zero walks up to the food bar and grabs an apple and cereal. He doesn't get milk though, he prefers it dry.
Zero strolls over toward D Tent’s table. The boys are deep in a conversation about who would win a race with cinderblocks around their ankles. Zero has no interest in this conversation.
Stanley spots Zero and smiles widely.
“Zero! There you are!” Stanley says.
The boys stop their conversation briefly and look up at Zero. He quickly sits down next to Stanley and begins eating.
Everyone starts talking again, and Stanley is fully focused on them. Zero wishes sometimes that Stanley would talk to him instead. The conversations all the boys share have no importance. When Stanley and Zero are talking, their conversations actually have meaning.
Zero taps on Stanley's shoulder. Stanley immediately turns his head toward him.
“What's up, Zero?”
Zero looks around before whispering something under his breath. Stanley laughs, and turns his attention back toward the group.
When Zero turns his head up, he notices Zigzag is staring at Stanley and Zero. Stanley doesn't seem to notice this. Zero locks eyes with him. Zigzag quickly looks away.
Zero decides to brush it off. He watches Stanley get really into the discussion, shouting something at X-Ray. The table bursts into laughter, but Zero didn't catch the joke. He wasn't listening.
After all, if there were an angel sent from heaven itself sitting right next to you, would you be listening?
~☆~
After all the boys finish their food, it's time to start digging. Zero walks with Stanley to the shovels and grab one each. They start toward the sandy wasteland.
“Did you have a good breakfast?” Stanley asks Zero.
Zero looks up at him. “It was alright.”
Stanley scrunches his face and tilts his head. “Only alright? I thought it was fun.”
Zero rolls his eyes and sets the tip of his shovel on the dirt. “I'll dig here. You go in front of me.”
Stanley nods and walks in front of him. He starts to dig.
This is one among many things Zero especially likes about Stanley. He does whatever he asks of him. The same can be said for Zero, though. He would drop just about anything for Stanley.
Zero tells Stanley to dig in front of him because now he can stare without him noticing. Zero watches him closely, while still focusing on digging.
This part of the day is the worst. Non stop digging for hours until the hole is a shovel deep and a shovel wide. Zero is pretty quick at this, though. He finishes digging after a few hours. He doesn't immediately go to the Rec Room yet though, because he doesn't want to leave Stanley alone.
Zero walks over to Stanley and sits on the outside of his hole. “Almost done?” He shouts.
Stanley looks up. “Not even close, thanks.” He replies snarkily.
Zero lays on his back. He is extremely tired from all the hard work. At least it isn't scorching outside like usual.
After a while, Stanley finishes up his digging and leaps out of his hole. “Thanks for waiting for me, Zero.” Zero just nods and stands up with him. They return their shovels, and head into the Rec Room.
Stanley goes in first with Zero right behind him. The rest of the boys from the D tent are playing cards in a circle. X-Ray looks up from his deck.
“Hey, Caveman! Over here!”
Stanley walks over to the circle of boys with Zero tailing him. They sit down. Zero sits extra close to Stanley just so their legs are touching.
Zigzag is staring again. This time, he is looking with a more upset expression. Zero can’t think of anything he could be mad at. Zero looks at Stanley. He looks bored. Zero decides to try to help.
“Do you want to work on writing with me?” He asks.
Stanley looks over at Zero. He raises his eyebrows. “I thought you said you got it down? Do you still need more practice?”
“Yeah, I forgot some stuff over the past week.” Zero says this but he knows he is lying, he hasn't forgotten a thing. He just wants an excuse to get away from Zigzag and hopefully cheer Stanley up.
Stanley looks a little surprised, then sighs and stands up. “Alright, sure.”
Armpit looks up from the game he was in the middle of. “Hey wait! Where are y'all going?”
Stanley turns around to reply to Armpit. “Just, uh, you know, writing.”
“Writing what? Zigzag asks.
His wide eyes pierce Zero’s. “What is wrong with that boy?” Zero thinks to himself.
Stanley rolls his eyes. “We’re just writing. Lay off, would ya?”
Armpit shrugs and all the boys return to their game of cards.
Stanley leads Zero over to the empty table and grabs a pen and paper.
“Okay, what are you stuck on?”
Zero thinks for a moment. He can’t decide whether to tell the truth or to lie to him.
“Uh, actually…can we just write for a bit? I need to practice. I'll let you know if I need extra help or anything.”
Stanley looks confused, but shrugs.
“I guess.”
~☆~
Zero and Stanley end up writing for a while. Stanley’s hands are cramping up from writing so much. He looks over at Zero. His curly hair looks like clouds. Zero is so close to the paper that every time he prints another letter, he flicks a coil of his hair with his pen.
Stanley is proud of Zero. He thinks of himself as a pretty good teacher for being able to teach Zero so easily.
Stanley stares at Zero. He looks ethereal. Stanley doesn't know what to write, so he decides to do some journaling.
Zero starts to write about what he wants to do once he is freed from camp.
ᴼⁿᶜᵉ ᴵ ᵍᵉᵗ ᵒᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᶜᵃᵐᵖ, ᴵ ᵃᵐ ᵍᵒⁱⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ʷᵃⁱᵗ ᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖᵃʳᵏ. ᴵ ʷⁱˡˡ ˢᵗᵃʸ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ ˡⁱᵏᵉ ᴵ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ⁿⁱᵍʰᵗˢ ᵇᵉᶠᵒʳᵉ. ᴵ ʷⁱˡˡ ʷᵃⁱᵗ ᶠᵒʳ ᵐʸ ᵐᵒᵗʰᵉʳ ᵗᵒ ᶠⁱⁿᵈ ᵐᵉ. ᴼⁿᶜᵉ ˢʰᵉ ᵈᵒᵉˢ, ᴵ ᵃᵐ ᵍᵒⁱⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ᶠⁱⁿᵈ ˢᵗᵃⁿˡᵉʸ. ᵂᵉ ʷⁱˡˡ ʰᵃⁿᵍ ᵒᵘᵗ ᵉᵛᵉʳʸᵈᵃʸ. ᴵᵗ ʷⁱˡˡ ᵇᵉ ʲᵘˢᵗ ˡⁱᵏᵉ ᶜᵃᵐᵖ. ᴵ ʷⁱˡˡ ᵐᵃᵏᵉ ˡᵒᵗˢ ᵒᶠ ᵗᵃˢᵗʸ ᶠᵒᵒᵈˢ. ᴵ ʷⁱˡˡ ᵍᵉᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵐᵉᵉᵗ ˢᵗᵃⁿˡᵉʸ'ˢ ᶠᵃᵐⁱˡʸ. ᴴᵒᵖᵉᶠᵘˡˡʸ ᵐᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵐʸ ᵐᵒᵗʰᵉʳ ᶠⁱⁿᵈ ᵃ ʰᵒᵐᵉ ᵇʸ ᵗʰᵉⁿ. ᴵᶠ ⁿᵒᵗ, ᴵ ʷⁱˡˡ ʲᵘˢᵗ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵗᵒ ˢᵗᵃʸ ʷⁱᵗʰ ˢᵗᵃⁿˡᵉʸ. ᵀʰᵃᵗ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ᵇᵉ ᵇᵃᵈ ᵃᵗ ᵃˡˡ. ᴹᵃʸᵇᵉ ᵗʰᵉⁿ ʷᵉ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈ
Zero is in the middle of writing his last sentence when Zigzag comes over to the table and snatches Stanley and Zero’s paper from their hands.
“Hey, Zigzag, what the fuck?” Stanley shouts.
Zigzag doesn't reply. His eyes are glued on to the papers.
Stanley gets up to grab them back quickly, but Zigzag turns and speed walks to the other side of the room. Zero can feel his face getting hot, but he doesn’t dare move.
Zigzag laughs as he reads the papers. Stanley goes to chase Zigzag, but he runs around in a circle in the Rec Room. He starts to read Stanley's paper aloud for everyone to hear.
“Ever since we met, something about you intrigued me. You are so beautiful and kind to me, I couldn't imagine my life without you in it.”
Zigzag begins to cackle along with the other boys in the room.
“Stanley, do you have a crush?”
Stanley’s cheeks flush with red. “No! That’s not even my paper!”
Zero watches Zigzag continue to read from Stanley’s note. Zero stands up and quickly grabs a ball from the pool table.
“You are so mysterious and I have so much left to learn about you. I would ask, but I get so nervous around you. It’s like whenever you're near my heart begin-”
Zero chucks the ball right at his head.
~☆~
Zigzag was fine after a bit, he just got knocked down. Zero was punished, but only lightly. No shower or clean clothes for a week.
Zero wants to ask Stanley about the note, but it's dinner time for the boys, and it wouldn't be the right time to ask. Everyone is quiet today. Nobody looks at Zero.
Zero turns and whispers something to Stanley. “Don’t look, but Zigzag has been looking at you the entire time.”
Stanley squints his eyes and returns to eat his food. Slowly, he looks to his side. Sure enough, Zigzag is staring into his soul.
Stanley laughs it off and continues eating. Slowly all the boys ease into their own conversations.
Magnet tries asking Zero a question, but he just stares blankly and doesn't answer.
Everyone knows that Zero only talks to Stanley, but nobody knows why.
Stanley and Zero continue to joke around for a while. Something in Zero’s stomach feels funny.
Zero can't quite figure out what he's feeling. He recalls his mother telling him about love when he was younger, but he can't remember if that's the right word for it.
When he looks at Stanley, he feels nervous. Zero has never felt this way about someone before. Stanley is filled with beauty his eyes have never seen. One of Zero’s pastimes is just staring at him, no matter what he is doing. He looks perfect at every angle.
Zero can admit, he gets a little jealous when Stanley hangs out with everyone else. Zero hates talking to them. They treat him like he's an alien.
When Stanley talks to him, he feels special. Like he actually matters.
He has never acted this way over anyone else.
Whatever he's feeling, he needs to bury it away. It’s not like Stanley would feel the same anyway.