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Soft breezes glided through the foliage of the woods. A lanky man watches from behind a bush,peeking in on the unfolding turmoil of Camp Here & There. It was field day. All of the counselors were spread across the grassy plain as the campers partook in the activities,The Elephant Man’s gaze only lingered one. Well,it was starting to turn into two as of lately. His muse and another man,Joshua MacHeath. Elijah’s eyes intently followed the counselor;he didn’t know what made him so…special.
He was still fully devoted to his muse,seeing Sydney as such a higher being than compared to himself;that any thought of showing romantic attraction or interest towards him felt unnatural. The same couldn’t be said for Joshua. Elijah found himself becoming fond of the man,seeking him out,craving to get a glimpse at him before disappearing back into the forest. The suddenly rustle of a ball landing into a nearby bush awoke Elijah from his train of thought. His gaze snapped to the bright red dodge ball,resting in the thin branches of the bush. A faint voice stuck out to him.
“Don’t worry kids,I’ll get the ball! After all it’s takes a degree of manliness to venture off into the dark forest.”
Joshua proclaims as he subtly flexes his muscles. (Like he had any to begin with) He starts to make his towards the trapped ball,Elijah continues to spy on him until realizing that he’s in danger of being caught by him. The Elephant Man quickly darts his eyes around before hiding behind a tree instead;barely getting spotted. Joshua hears the faint crunching from leaves,he peeks around the edge of the forest before trying to retrieve the ball. It’s pretty lodged into the prickly bush,he tries to sneak his into the branches. He cuts himself on a small spike,barely a scrape. Joshua lets out a yelp before whacking his hand back. Elijah jolts slightly at the high pitched yell.
“Always so timid.”
Elijah whispered to himself,snickering softly. He grabbed a random stick;an idea came to him. He slowly crept to behind the bush,hoping that Joshua was distracted enough by his “injury” to not notice him. The Elephant Man used the stick to poke the ball out. It finally popped out,rolling next to Joshua’s feet. The other man’s eyes follow the now free ball,his expression turned to slight confusion. Before he could check what got it out;one of the other counselors called out to him. He picked it up as his eyes lingered on the bush. Elijah’s heart practically racing but soon enough Joshua went back to the group. A relieved sigh left;crawling a safe distance before pushing himself back into his feet. Just as he was returning back into the forest,he sneaked one last peek at Joshua. The leaves crunched under his feet as he walked away.
Now,this wasn’t the first time the two men had “interacted”;they had just never been face to face. Elijah had already seen what effects he had on people like his muse and Marisol. As to prevent harming Joshua in anyway,he kept his distance but it didn’t mean he tried to hide his liking to him. These feelings weren’t easy to come by either. For so long,Elijah thought his only purpose was to serve and love Sɏđnɇɏ his inspiration. But that love was different;admiration. He didn’t see himself as equal to him,so a romantic relationship/crush never appealed to him. It started slowly,his fondness of Joshua. He knew Joshua was close with his idol and they had history together but Sydney always brushed him off in annoyance. It caught The Elephant Man’s attention as to why he’d be treated that way so he watched. He kept watching,lurking around the camp,desperate to understand the counselor. It was getting harder to deny that he was interested only for his muse but he actually grew attraction to him. The way Elijah wanted to see Joshua as he sneaked to visit the nurse. Thoughts of wanting to reveal himself fully crowded his mind at night in his darkest hours. What if he accepted him? What if Joshua was more understanding than…
He couldn’t keep bottling up of this conflict of feelings. Elijah was set on finding out if Joshua would care at all,maybe a brutal answer would finally set him start. It was a crisp evening. Some of the camp staff were outside surrounding the fire,the campers sitting on the ground and nearby logs. The Elephant Man used to foliage to hide himself until he was able to sneak behind a cabin. He peeked his head out slightly,the tip of his mask being the only give away. His thumbs nervously fiddled with the small box he brought. Waiting until everyone seemed too invested in something to notice him sneak into the cabin. Elijah sighed deeply before slowly yet boldly creeping towards the door of Cabin Silkworm. He made it onto the small porch,knowing that nobody locks the doors;he let himself in. He stepped in before placing the box on a nearby chair;it’ll work for now.
𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬
Oh shit. Someone was coming inside. The Elephant Man quickly hid under one of the bunk beds,hoping the darkness would conceal his bright pink mask.
“I’ll be right there!! Just grabbing my jacket real quick.”
It was Joshua. He walked into the room,reaching out for his coat hanging on the chair before noticing the box. Weird,it had his name written on it in pen. The handwriting was neat too. He peeked around before picking it up,curiosity got the best of him. Upon opening it,he was met with a red cotton headband. Elijah was fighting the urge to cough or sneeze from all the dust under these beds,probably has been gathering it for years. It didn’t matter. Not when he was on the verge of being rejected. Joshua picked up the gift,rubbing the soft material between his fingers. A soft grin appeared on his face,still he wondered who it came from,there was no card or signature. He tied the bright cloth on his forehead before heading out of the door. He probably thought someone else got it for him and he was going to thank them. It was only Elijah who knew though. Maybe that was enough. He crawled before under the bed and decided escaping from the back window was a safer option. He opened the old sill before hopping out. Making his way back to the dense woods. One last peek,he took one last peek at Joshua. His face was alight with joy. Elijah found himself smiling softly too. His eyes involuntarily turned to…
That would be addressed another time but for now he was content.
Or at least he convinced himself he was.