Our Camp Days (Complete)

[Sophie ♥]

Alright babies, posting a new story now!  It's not really an ABDL story - more of a caregiver story?  That's how I like to think about it anyway.  Breaking down barriers and being there for someone and all that.  It's super wholesome and cutesy and adorable!  

ALSO two boy protagonists!  Which is rare for us.

You might be thinking, "Sophie, what's with all this non-diaper content? Why are you posting it here?"  Hey sometimes I just like to write stories that aren't about messing your pants, okay?!  And there's nowhere else I can put them where anyone will read them or care.  So you guys have to endure it.

If you're into diapers (what a weird concept) you can check out our Patreon.  The complete 'Our Camp Days' story is available on there in PDF and ePub.  I also started a new story today that is extremely diaper-focused.

And before @Wannatripbaby asks, this story has 31 chapters.

~Sophie

P.S. THANK YOU FOR READING AND COMMENTING AND LIKING AND YOU ARE ALL SO WONDERFUL!

-------------

Premise: Sidney Albanese spends his summer in the great outdoors, at the behest of his parents.  Though Sidney has a talent for not getting close to other people, his cabin-mate, Kris, has an equal talent for making friends.  As their camp days drag on, can Kris uncover Sidney’s mysterious quirks and find a way to connect with him?  Or will Sidney’s silent, obsessive nature push Kris away?

Disclaimers: violence, homophobia, not ABDL

-------------

Special thanks to the following patrons for the extra support: Lil' Erica, Cam, Lizzy, BeelzeDerBock, Lizzie, Phil, Ruka Puddlegum, Selpharia, Scotia3079, Jasmine Starshine, Princess Sarah, Herezulo, Sorka, Keira, and Guilyn.

-------------

Our Camp Days
By Sophie & Pudding

 

Chapter 1

"It's supposed to be some kind of bonding experience. You know. Dump a whole bunch of boys out in cabins in the woods for three months, no power, no video games, nothing but each other and the wilderness." I thought it was stupid - I just wanted to be home with my Xbox and my iPod. I knew half the guys here felt the same, too; including the one I was talking to.

"I mean, there's food and supplies and all that. It's not like anybody is going to end up starving so it's sort of pointless." Some of them loved this - the idea of man against nature and all that crap. I didn't. Neither did the boy sitting next to me on the fallen log. He was about my age, I'd have guessed, though his face didn't look a day over fourteen.

"Your name's Sidney, right? I heard one of the others talking to you. I'm Kris."

I nodded my head, my fingers anxiously playing with themselves over and over, tugging at the dead skin on the fingertips. I didn't look up at Kris. He was talkative. Social. I supposed I liked that. Better than silence anyway, and I had a lot of that going on. He kept things active, moving, constant. Recurring. He was cherished. By me, at the very least. I'd never say so.

"You don't talk much, huh Sidney? That's alright, I reckon I probably talk enough for two." I shot him a smirk and motioned to the row of log cabins that lined the far end of the clearing. They were small, barely much bigger than a tool shed; but each only slept two. I guess it was to discourage us from milling about in the cabins all day when there was adventure to be had.

"Wanna bunk together? I mean, half the guys here are psycho wannabe survivalist nut-bags by the look of it. I think I'd rather share a cabin with the quiet, thoughtful kid."

Again I nodded. He was... insightful. I liked that, too. But I'd keep to myself. No sense making him regret his decision to pick me. No sense in much of anything right now. But I wasn't going to sleep out here by the campfire, that was for sure, and the other six boys had vanished either into the cabins or into the dark woods. I hated the dark. I stayed by the fire.

"Come on, let's go get set up for the night." I got up from my perch by the fire and started wandering toward the last cabin on the left. It was furthest away, relatively speaking, so I figured it would be the last to be occupied. Sidney was close behind me, but he didn't say much as we crossed the grass clearing and the shadows got longer and longer.

"So where you from, Sidney? Your Dad send you here to toughen you up?" I didn't look at him as I spoke, choosing instead to focus my attention on the door handle.

I nodded, but I knew he couldn't see. I could barely see, and he was faced away. I felt sick to my stomach. Only about halfway across the grass did the light of the fire die and I fumbled anxiously in my pocket for a match. No flashlights. No anything. I lit the match and again followed behind Kris with closed eyes. I wasn't sure when, but I bumped into the boy and dropped the match, taking the light with it. I kept my eyes closed. I was shaking.

The door opened with a creak and I quickly made my way to the far end of the little cabin, plucking the little lantern off the wall and lighting it with a match from the matchbook in my pocket. In the dimly flickering orange light cast by the flame, Sidney stood in the doorway, trembling, not prepared to look up or make any sort of visual contact.

"You okay, Sid? Scared? It's alright, nothin’ bad's really going to happen out here. They make out like this is some badass expedition, but it's a private reserve." It didn't seem to quell his shaking, though, so I closed the door behind him to give us some privacy.

Thankfully, when I opened my eyes, the lantern was lit. I was dizzy with fear and decided it was probably best to sit down. Only one bunk bed sat in the far corner, and I quickly took my seat on the bottom. I was starting to calm down. Still, I hadn't said a word as Kris watched me with what looked mostly like curiosity. I turned away from him.

"You know, my Dad used to take me out camping every summer, like he wanted to prove a point that he could make it against the wild. He'd fuck up the tent, though, or forget to bring something or get lost or... you know, whatever. Point is, back then was just a canvas tent between us and the world. Here at least we have a cabin." I looked around at the flickering shadows and smiled to myself, the way that the wood lit-up warmly was something you didn't get anywhere else.

"What's eating you?"

I ignored the question - it couldn't be answered with a nod or a shake of the head and I wasn't feeling up to talking. Not like I could. It was kind of a... oh, whatever. No point explaining it to myself. I pulled my trunk out from the side of the bed - nothing important and nothing smuggled. My dad had checked this trunk ten times before leaving. I pulled out two candles and put each of them on the bedside table. They were slow burning, exposed flame. They'd be as much use as a lantern and half as cumbersome. I lit them with a flick of the match and the room livened up.

"Hey, good call." I smiled appreciatively at the quiet boy and admired the finer details of the log cabin. There wasn't much. Some drawers, a cupboard no-doubt inundated with insects. And the bunk beds. There was a little table with two chairs by the door, but it wouldn't be much good for anything of any measurable use.

"You want top or bottom? Figure you might want top because when the other guys pull pranks, it'll usually be on the dude on the bottom bunk." I didn't know why I offered, why I felt the need to be protective. Maybe it was the kid-brother element.

I had intended to stay on the bottom, but Kris was good at convincing. I looked up at the mattress above me. Not too high. It had a rail. Probably wouldn't fall. Even if I did, what was the worse that would happen? Sore knee? Okay. I climbed up off the bed, pulling my own blanket from the trunk, and climbed the little side ladder to the top bunk. Wow. Seems higher up here...

"You can speak to me, you know. I know I talk a lot but it's mostly just filler." I couldn't see him as he moved around slowly on the top bunk, but I could hear him rustling the blankets about and getting situated.

"At least there's no schedule. We could just waste away the summer in here and not have to deal with the other guys." Not that the idea itself seemed that appealing, either; I was sure we'd die of boredom at some point. But maybe I was just trying to reassure him.

I put my head on the pillow and looked out at the ceiling. Out at the ceiling. Not up. Ugh, I hated this. But I'd hate the bottom even more if I got dragged into the lake or something. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine myself on the bottom bunk. No point getting dizzy over something you can't control. I knew that. I'd been practicing that.

There was a fairly long pause.  I didn't get his deal, why he didn't wanna talk. Maybe he didn't much like me, and that was okay.

"You awake?" I heard him stir a little above me to indicate that he was, though as always there were no words to join it. "Wanna go exploring tomorrow? Get away from some of the other guys, maybe find some fruit bushes or something, or a lake to swim in?" No answer, so I treated the question as rhetoric.

"Maybe you'll feel like talking to me then, too. Who knows, right?" I laughed, but he still didn't make a sound. What was with him, anyway? Maybe he can't talk... that'd be awkward. Right? Super awkward. I mean, not that he couldn't talk, just that I'd made fun of him for not having talked yet. He wasn't deaf, though, far as I could tell, because he at least shuffled in response to my questions.

Oh well.
 

[Wannatripbaby]

This is looking pretty good! :D

[Sophie ♥]

Chapter 2

Sleep didn't come easy. Sleep barely came at all. I watched the sun rise through the windows and tiptoed down the side of the bunk, blowing out the slow burning candles. I'd timed them. Half my trunk was filled with them. If I only burned them at proper increments, I'd have enough to last the whole time I was here and longer. And to each candle was a hundred matches. Chances were not something I liked to take.

The sound of the boy climbing down the ladder and blowing out the candles woke my from my sleep, though I didn't open my eyes to acknowledge the disturbance. Instead, I let him wander around the little log cabin with the belief that he was in some semblance of solitude. It was always interesting to see the way people acted when they thought you were asleep.

"How'd you sleep?" I heard the boy just about leap out of his skin at the sound of my voice but kept my eyes closed still. It was silly to ask him a question without the option for him to give a yes or no gesture, but the answer didn't really matter anyway.

I took a little breath and shook my head, looking out the cabin window. Some boys were already up. How do people wake up this early? Then again, I'd woken up this early. Kris was awake. Maybe this was typical. Maybe I was atypical. I didn't want to know the answer. I hadn't bothered changing out of my jeans the night before, so I was already wearing my clothes for the day.

A few moments after my attempt at conversation, I sat up on the edge of the bed - my chest bare - and stretched my arms above my head to yawn, mindful of the top bunk.

"Wanna go for a walk?" Realistically it was probably about 7am. The kitchen tent at the far end of the clearing would open at 9am to serve breakfast, and 7pm to server dinner. Anything else, apart from water, was up to us.

"Few hours before breakfast, anyway."

I didn't answer. I looked out the window. I felt dizzy again. I finally turned away from the outdoors and back toward my bunk mate. He was... nice. Anyone else wouldn't have given me a second thought. I took a little breath and nodded my head, pulling my jacket over my arms despite the 80 degree weather.
Sidney and I were a pretty stark contrast I came to realize as we wandered into the woods. I was talkative, he was silent. I was tall, he was short. He'd rugged up like it was a winter’s day; I'd left the cabin in only my jeans. I wasn't the most buff guy in the world, but I had a pretty visually pleasing top section and back home I made a habit of showing I wasn't ashamed of it.

So we walked. The reserve was only a few dozen acres; close enough to the real world that if we were allowed cell phones, they'd probably still have coverage. Still, the faux-wilderness was enough to pose challenge to Sidney; the boy constantly having to re-check his footing and frowning in disapproval when something tripped him up or smacked him in the face.

"Huh. You hear that? Sounds like running water."

I didn't like this. I really didn't. Our pace was slow, obnoxiously so, and I watched my feet so much that I didn't even realize Kris wasn't wearing a shirt until he'd spoken. I kept my hands in my pockets ritualistically and nodded my head at Kris' question. It was definitely running water. The cabins weren't far from a lake, but lakes weren't running.

"Probably a river. The webpage said there were a few rivers." The lake would have been easy to find, but it was a safe bet that a few of the other boys had already found it and I liked the idea of a bit of privacy.

"So you got a girlfriend back home, Sid?" We walked while I talked, and I made sure to look at him whenever I asked a question so he could nod or shake his head in response. "Or any special someone?"

I shook my head. He was courteous. I liked that. It was probably the best I'd get from anyone here, realistically. I actually smiled, too! Gosh. Nice kid. Wish I could tell him. I followed behind Kris slowly as we stepped through the forest. I kept my eyes on my boots. Special boots.

"I did. I mean, my parents didn't like the whole thing, which is why I got sent here for the summer. Guess they didn't like the idea of me having any indecent fun, right?" Ironic. The sound of running water grew louder and in a few more moments we broke the tree-line and came to the edge of a pool about ten yards across, with a waterfall cascading into over a rock-face by the left hand side. Just to the right of that was a tributary that continued through the woods, but the arrangement meant that there was a pretty nice body of still crystal water.

"Well ain't that wonderful. Wanna swim?"

I shook my head and stood behind Kris as he approached the waterfall. Insane. I took a step back as he surveyed the area. I didn't want to get in the way. It was a pretty nice looking area, I'd give it that. But me, swim? Hell, I wasn't even sure I knew how to swim. I couldn't think of the last time I was in the water.
I was never the highly strung type; very casual and easy-going - difficult to rattle at the worst of times. So I slipped off my flip-flops and tugged my jeans down my legs, then waded out into the water.

"Holy shit, Sidney. It's so warm. Really, really warm and awesome. Come put your fingers in, feel? You might change your mind about wanting to swim."

Again, I shook my head. I decided to sit only because I didn't want to seem rudely in-a-hurry. I was very careful, though, siting on the edge of the rock, just far enough away from the water to keep myself comfortable. Kris seemed to enjoy himself, though. I smiled a bit. I envied him, a little. I knew I did.

There must have been a hot spring beneath the water or in the rock bed or something, and I dived down under the crystal clear water to check. Not like I was a geologist or anything, but I figured if there were a spring then it would probably bubble up somewhere. Twenty seconds later I surfaced and took a deep gulping breath.

"How you doin' up there, Sid? Nice and dry?" I flashed him a smile and ran my fingers back through my hair. It was a fantastic day. I just wished my only companion wasn't mute.

I nodded with a little smile. I knew it was a jab at my unwillingness to get into the water but humor wasn't lost on me. Hence the smile. I pulled my knees to my chest and watched Kris splash around in the pond. I liked him, if nothing else. He was the kind of person I wished more people would be.

------------

I forgot to post a new chapter yesterday so I'll try to post another later today!

[Sophie ♥]

Chapter 3

The water was nice, but it was ultimately a little dull without someone to play around with. So it was only a few more minutes until my attention span ran dry and I emerged from the water.

"You know, I got a pad and pen back in my case in the cabin. Think that'd help?" It was a nice and easy way for me to assess if the mute boy was actually mute, or if he really just had nothing to say.

I shook my head again and looked down at my feet. He was so. fucking. nice. I felt a little color touch my cheeks and played with the dirt with my boot. Ugh. Just talking would be so much easier. Maybe connect with him. But it wasn't smart. I knew it wasn't. Distance. Better. Three months. I could do this.

"No problem. If you change you mind, you know where to find me." I laughed, and he smiled wearily. We'd likely not spend too much time apart here, and I definitely felt the call of the big-brother instinct kicking in, despite the fact I knew that he was my age. Or thereabouts. I picked up my jeans and slid them up my still-wet legs awkwardly, then ran my fingers through my messy mop of blonde hair that had gone brown in the water.

"Whatcha wanna do now? Guess we could go exploring. Or we could go back. You hungry?"

I nodded my head though I very much wasn't hungry. I just wanted to go back. Kris started down the same path we'd taken to the waterfall and I followed behind. Again, my eyes on my shoes. Again, slow. We'd probably be late for breakfast at this rate. I bit my lip and tried to pick up my pace a little. You're fine. You'll be fine.

"You don't look at me a lot, but when you do there's something in your eyes. Like. This girl was brought to our school last year; she gave this talk to all the guys. She'd been raped by some asshole at a party, and I guess it was part of this program to tell guys 'hey, don't be douchey’. She had this look in her eye, though, this sadness... I guess I see that in you, too." Honestly, telling a guy that he had the gaze of a rape victim probably wasn't the biggest compliment in the world, but it was just an observation.

"If anyone gives you a hard time here, I'll look out for you, okay?"

My smile faded with Kris's attempt at 'getting to know me' and I decided against responding to his question. I didn't need to be looked out for. I was fine. I picked up my pace a little and walked ahead of Kris with a frown, though he probably couldn't see it. He'd get the hint, though - if anything, he wasn't stupid.

Well, that could've gone better. I let him walk ahead of me, though only a few steps ahead just to give him space. I could apologize, I could try and make it right, but moving on was probably best.

"So you know, I didn't get much choice coming here. Did you? I mean, did you choose to or was it parents?" Sidney didn't seem the outdoorsy type.

I shook my head to the first question. Kris knew the second one wouldn't receive an answer. I didn't want to communicate, though - I was still a little unhappy. Raped, huh? Asshole. Who would even bring that up? What if it were true, who would bring that up! Jesus. We finally broke out into the clearing where the cabins were and the smell from the tent was already wafting over.

I didn't make any further attempts at conversation over breakfast, though we sat together and a few of the other guys sparked up various little exchanges with me. Nobody really tried to talk to Sidney, though. We ate, and we wound up back in our cabin together - though it was still early morning.

"I didn't mean anything, you know; what I said about the girl at our school. I just mean something shitty happened to her. Maybe something shitty happened to you, too. I mean, I dunno. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. Who cares? Just wanted you to know that if you ever wanna talk about it, I'm here." I flopped onto the bottom bunk and looked up at the mattress above me, though he'd made no inclination to climb up.

"Only bring it up 'cause it seems like you're pissed at me and I get that. I didn't mean to imply anything."

I nodded my head as a little show of acknowledgment. I wasn't the type to hold onto things and I certainly wasn't about to let this be the first. I sat down on the chair by the good-for-nothing table and looked out the window. I hated it here. I hated not talking.

"So you know I talked about back home, how my parents didn't like me dating, remember?" It would have been exhausting to be the only one talking, but Sidney was a pretty good listener so it didn't seem to be fatiguing.

"I mean, they're good parents. Just difference of opinion, I guess. You don't have anyone back home, huh?" He looked at me for a moment, before looking away silently.

"Kinda shitty, sending a boy here who can't talk. This could be a really sucky place without talking. Well. Suckier."

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I wasn't sure how to explain to him, or if I even wanted to. Being thought of as unable to talk certainly had its perks. But he was my bunk mate. He was almost my friend, right? Then again, I shouldn't get him involved. I knew better. I definitely did. I decided to shake my head at his comment and turned toward him. I looked him in the eyes, which I wasn't sure I'd done yet. He had really nice eyes.

We shared an exchanged glance for a moment, and I smiled with my dark green eyes - they were usually brighter, but in the summer months they turned dark. They were something I'd been complimented on in the past. His own eyes were blue, and shone in the light that streamed through the window. He was pretty attractive, all things considered.

"Well, Sidney. I like you. Talkative or not, I think you're pretty cool."

Again, I nodded, and broke eye contact. No way to do this. Just get through it. Three months. Whatever. You can do that. No problem. I pulled my knees to my chest and looked out the window again. I wondered if there was anywhere I could etch the days into the wall. A way to remind myself how long I've been here. How many days to go.

It was a very quiet few hours as the morning turned into the afternoon - we went for another walk, found a cave but decided against exploring it, and then found some sweet berries that we stopped and ate. And still not a word.

"You know I get the impression you don't like it here." It was pretty clear, even to someone who wasn't his friend.

I nodded in agreement. I refused the berries all the same as I'd refused almost everything else we'd done. I sat on the log by the campfire, which wasn't burning, and watched as Kris ate the little red balls. I didn't look at him again. Not directly. Not like before. I should have known better. 90 days.

"You know this place is only a few dozen acres. The interstate couldn't be more than a few miles walk. You know, if you wanna blow this joint. I don't know where we'd go, but I'm kinda pissy at my parents and you don't seem too happy here." Basically, it was stupid. I knew that. He knew that, too. But this wasn't a prison. It shouldn't have to feel like one to him.

The idea was tempting, but I'd been here almost a day. It was safer than out there. Safer than unknown. And I certainly couldn't go home until these 90 days were up. So I shook my head, though I was sure the reluctance was evident. Couldn't go anywhere. Trapped. Pretty standard, I supposed.

"Alright, well, if I'm a jerk again just throw a rock at my head or something. Sometimes there's not much of a filter between brain and mouth, you know" For him it was evidently the opposite problem. For Sidney, everything was filtered and silenced. It actually made me curious what his voice even sounded like.

"So you can talk, right?"

I took a little breath and nodded my head. I didn't want to admit something that would so obviously complicate things, but he was... special. In his own way. Something I didn't often see. I shouldn't have said it, though. But he'd never ask again. This was the only time I could be honest, and I'd chosen to.
"That's cool." I smiled and took another handful of berries from the little sack that I'd gathered them into.

"So, Sidney. The boy who can talk, but doesn't. Who hates it here, but won't leave. Who avoids looking into my eyes at all costs, and whom is still eternally grateful for my company." There was a smirk and I finished another fed little red and black orbs.

"You're a lot more complex than me. I'm just Kris. That's it. Nothing more to me."

I nodded my head. If only he understood how incredibly appealing "just Kris" was. I wished so badly I could be "just Sidney". I sighed and looked at the fire pit, dead and bare. It would rage again tonight when it was needed. It would rage every night every summer for the rest of time, probably.

-------------

Thank you for reading.  Like & Comment!  Consider supporting us on Patreon!  

[Sophie ♥]

Chapter 4

"I'm glad you're here, you know." It was dark now, and the two of us were walking back to our cabin from the food tent after having enjoyed dinner. A really wonderful dinner, given the circumstances and locale, anyway.

"I don't fit in with those other guys. They all rant about guns and women and cars and all that shallow crap. Maybe you would, too, if you talked. But right now I'm going to pretend that stuff doesn't interest you, and that we see eye to see. So it's nice to have someone to call a friend here."

I nodded. I wasn't sure how he'd take it. If I was agreeing with him about the cars and guns or about the having someone to call a friend. It was an agreement to both, in reality, but he didn't know that. Still, he'd called me his friend. I liked that. Maybe it was best to try to stay quiet after all. After all. 90 days.

The sky was still a dark blue while I followed him through to our cabin. Not black yet. Good. Upon entering the cabin I lit the two candles by my bed and looked out the window at the boys starting the bonfire.

"You're not a fan of the dark, huh?" I'd noted the candles in the boy’s trunk when he'd opened it earlier in the day. This place must have been a nightmare to someone who didn't much fancy the dark - without electricity the world was by default a very dark and foreboding place.

I shook my head. I liked the way he worded it. "Not a fan" rather than "afraid". It was kind. I smiled a little to myself and watched the fire start. It was strange lighting a fire without gasoline. I wasn't even sure how. I waited in quiet as the sky turned a little darker and the fire shown a little brighter.

"Got any siblings? I'm an only child, so I guess that's why Dad takes stuff so hard." The majority of the conversations we had were typical topics that any teenager could relate to, but I liked this boy. He never said a word, and yet he made me feel so interesting with the way he'd sit and listen and smile in response.

I shook my head. Wish I did. Maybe my parents wouldn't focus on me so much. I wished I could say that. I wished I could explain. But I knew I couldn't. And I knew I shouldn't. And I knew so much I wished I didn't know. Fuck.

He was tortured by the fact, and I longed to understand what it was that went on inside that head of his. But with just yes and no, it was difficult to get to know anybody.

"So no siblings. No girlfriend. Parents stiff you by coming here. You do something to piss 'em off?"

That one was difficult. The kind of difficult that didn't fit into a head shake or a nod. In the end, I decided to nod, hoping my hesitance gave more away than I was expressing. I guess, in reality, they were a bit pissed off. What else could they do but send me here?

"That complicated, huh?" He looked away, which was as good as an agreement and I smiled mildly, looking around the darkened cabin as the light of the candles painted each and every surface.

"Well. I don't know a thing. So far as I'm concerned, you're a clean slate. For the next 90 days, a clean slate. How's that sound?"

I nodded my head with a little smile. If only it were that easy. Still, his assurance was... wonderful. I was actually happy to hear him say it, even if it wasn't true. I nodded toward the bed and he looked up at it. I was very tired with how little sleep I'd gotten the night before. Maybe a good night's sleep might make things easier.

"Alright. I'm gonna stay up for a bit, read a book. You need anything, you just shake the bunks or something." I smiled and leaned back up into my bed, yawning a little. He was nothing if not fascinating.

Sleep, once again, eluded me. I was dizzy by morning and wound up slipping as I climbed off the ladder, making far more noise than I'd have liked. I shook my head in mild annoyance and blew the candles out. The sun was far from up but the sky was turning a dark blue.
"You get up earlier and earlier each day, you know." I spoke with my eyes still closed. "Keep up this pattern and soon you'll be waking up before you go to bed. And that'd just be weird."
I sighed and looked out the window. No fire. No anything. Quiet. Too dark, still, though. The lantern in the room had been turned off, and if it wasn't for the still present moonlight I wouldn't have blown the candles out at all. I sat next to the window in the little chair and slipped my boots back on my feet, but I made no inclination of leaving.

"You can sit here, if you want. On the edge of my bed. I used to sit on the edge of my best friend’s bed when something was getting to me, and just being close made it seem more manageable." I didn't expect him to take me up on the offer, to be completely fair. He was barely comfortable being in the same room as me, let alone sitting on the end of my bed.

I weighed the pros and cons. I knew I shouldn't. I knew it was against my rules. I knew it, and still... I climbed up and sat on the edge of Kris' bed, looking at the window still. My cheeks were hot. Thank god for the lack of light in the room.

He certainly surprised me, that's for sure - I didn't regret extending the invitation for a moment; I was just in a little bit of awe that he'd actually do it. So he sat, on the edge of my bed, looking away at the window and I smiled a little. At least he was starting to trust me and that was something.

"Heard you stirring earlier in the night. Bad dreams it sounded like. But you know they're not real, right? Just stories your mind makes up to scare you. That's all." If my hand had have been rubbing the small of his back, then I would have sounded exactly like my best friend.

I nodded my head and closed my eyes. I didn't like this place. I just wanted to go home. But now, would home even feel right? I was very tired and very dizzy. I wasn't sure when, exactly, but my closed eyes wouldn't open. And a little bit after that I felt my head on a pillow. And I was asleep.

I watched over him for a while as the boy crashed on my bed next to me; I was on the inside and made sure to push up against the wall to give him space. But he didn't rouse. He didn't stir. He actually slept, like... really slept. And after an hour or so of watching, I slept too. Far apart as could be at first, though I had every confidence in the world that I'd wake up cuddled up to the boy. Not like I could help it! I was just a very affectionate sleeper. And so I slept.

-------------

Thank you for reading.  Like & Comment!  Consider supporting us on Patreon!  

[Wannatripbaby]

On 5/16/2020 at 9:20 PM, Sophie ♥ said:

Chapter 2

Sorry I'm a bit behind. This past weekend went a bit wild for me. ?

On 5/16/2020 at 9:20 PM, Sophie ♥ said:

I kept my eyes on my boots. Special boots.

? Why are they special? What's so special about these boots, huh!? Are they magical? Do they conceal a hidden blade that springs out of the toe when you click your heals together? Are they made of Selkie Skin? ?

[Wannatripbaby]

On 5/16/2020 at 10:37 PM, Sophie ♥ said:

Chapter 3

Another great chapter. The curiosity of figuring out exactly why Sydney is the way that he is just keeps dragging me deeper and deeper. I wanna know. I have to know. 

 

On 5/16/2020 at 10:37 PM, Sophie ♥ said:

I smiled with my dark green eyes - they were usually brighter, but in the summer months they turned dark

... This is gonna be a stupid question, but is that just figurative language or can people's eye color really change slightly with the seasons? 

[Sophie ♥]

3 hours ago, Wannatripbaby said:

Why are they special? What's so special about these boots, huh!? Are they magical? Do they conceal a hidden blade that springs out of the toe when you click your heals together? Are they made of Selkie Skin? ?

The real questions.  Sidney is a wizard and his cursed magic boots have cast Silence on him.

15 minutes ago, Wannatripbaby said:

This is gonna be a stupid question, but is that just figurative language or can people's eye color really change slightly with the seasons? 

HEY UH.  Apparently, this is a real thing?  I didn't know for sure (it was Pudding's post) but I googled it.  And because of intense sunlight, your body may produce extra melanin, which can SLIGHTLY alter eye color!   This effect is temporary.

Also thank you for reading and commenting. ;_; I know this story isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it's nice to know someone is still enjoying it.

[Wannatripbaby]

2 hours ago, Sophie ♥ said:

HEY UH.  Apparently, this is a real thing?  I didn't know for sure (it was Pudding's post) but I googled it.  And because of intense sunlight, your body may produce extra melanin, which can SLIGHTLY alter eye color!   This effect is temporary.

Whoa... ?

3 hours ago, Sophie ♥ said:

Also thank you for reading and commenting. ;_; I know this story isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it's nice to know someone is still enjoying it.

Yeah, I mean I would expect a story like this to get less traffic than your usual stuff, but no comments whatsoever? That's practically a crime! 

*calls the Dailydiapers Police*

[Chris Robin]

2 hours ago, Wannatripbaby said:

no comments whatsoever? That's practically a crime!

Ok, fine! I've been guilted out of lurking!

9 hours ago, Wannatripbaby said:

? Why are they special? What's so special about these boots, huh!? Are they magical? Do they conceal a hidden blade that springs out of the toe when you click your heals together? Are they made of Selkie Skin? ?

When I first read it I just thought they were just hiking boots as in this quote I like: "You need special shoes for hiking — and a bit of a special soul as well. ~Terri Guillemets" but I much prefer knife shoes. Perhaps this is why Sid is always looking at his feet while walking, he doesn't want them to accidentally deploy and then he'll trip over them. Yep, that's the only plausible explanation!

16 hours ago, Sophie ♥ said:

I had every confidence in the world that I'd wake up cuddled up to the boy. Not like I could help it! I was just a very affectionate sleeper.

It's going to be an interesting start to the next chapter, perhaps it will surprise Sid into conversation. Overall I'm interested, looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

[Wannatripbaby]

On 5/18/2020 at 1:44 AM, Sophie ♥ said:

I was very tired and very dizzy. I wasn't sure when, exactly, but my closed eyes wouldn't open. And a little bit after that I felt my head on a pillow. And I was asleep.

I watched over him for a while as the boy crashed on my bed next to me; I was on the inside and made sure to push up against the wall to give him space. But he didn't rouse. He didn't stir. He actually slept, like... really slept. And after an hour or so of watching, I slept too. Far apart as could be at first, though I had every confidence in the world that I'd wake up cuddled up to the boy. Not like I could help it! I was just a very affectionate sleeper. And so I slept.

Dawwwww. ?

Also I'll go ahead and call it now, even though it's pretty obvious in my eyes: Kris's former "partner" whom his family "didn't like" was a guy. 

[Sophie ♥]

5 hours ago, Wannatripbaby said:

Also I'll go ahead and call it now, even though it's pretty obvious in my eyes: Kris's former "partner" whom his family "didn't like" was a guy. 

[Sophie ♥]

Chapter 5

Mistake, mistake, mistake, mistake, mistake. What the fuck was wrong with me?! Jesus Christ! I was trembling again, shaking my head side to side. I'd slept with him. I mean. Fuck. Not fuck. But. Actually. Slept. Next to. Ugh. What the hell was I thinking?!

He woke up before me, but the way he sat bolt upright in bed made it pretty clear. I was vaguely aware of him draped over my chest for some of the nap, and I yawned, rubbing my eyes.

"Hey. Hey, cool it, Sid. It's cool. You crashed out on my bed and I decided to get some shut-eye with you. Really sorry if I'm a bit cuddly. Just the way I get when I'm asleep. Didn't mean to freak you out."

I slammed the door on my way out of the cabin. The sun was really out now, though still in the early stages of morning. And regardless, people were about. I didn't want people to be about. Fuck. I played with my fingers in front of me as I hurried down the path toward the breakfast tent. Just along the back were a row of showers and toilets. Despite the lacking of electricity, luckily, this place had plumbing.

I decided to let him blow off some steam - clearly I'd gotten too friendly in my sleep and weirded him out. Way to go, Kris! You're officially creepy. A half hour passed before I got up and made my way out of the cabin, trying to figure out where he'd gone. One of the other guys - James - let me know he'd seen Sidney walking toward the shower-block and I smiled appreciatively. I'd have to find him, smooth this stuff over. God I was stupid.

My boots were soaked through, as was my hair. Ugh. Why couldn't I bring a blowdryer or something to this place? I saw Kris walking down toward me and looked down at the grass. My fingers had started to ache after tugging on them and were already a dull off-red in the sunshine.

"Hey. Look. I'm sorry. You'd think I'd know better, right? Me of all people? I didn't mean to freak you out. I'm sorry." Apologizing for affections that happened during my sleep seemed pointless, but I wanted for him to know that I didn't mean it.

"Hey... what happened to your fingers?" I took a hold of one of the boy’s hands and held it up to the light, though he pulled away indignantly and frowned. "Looks like poison oak, maybe. Come on, bet they have some ice in the kitchen tent."

I stepped back into the shower, completely clothed, and started to wash my hands in the running water, doing my best to keep my clothes dry. They burned like fire under the warm water. I finally managed to pull myself out from behind the curtain and almost ran directly into Kris again. I held up my wet hands so he'd understand I was washing them.

"Looks like they're clean, Sid. Come on, leave them be for a bit. I wanna talk, okay?" He frowned and turned away, but I continued regardless.

"You slept like three hours in my bed. That's better than you've slept the entire time you've been here. I don't really understand, but if it's a safety thing, if it's feeling like you're protected... that's cool. I mean it. I just mean if I freaked you out that's cool too."

I opened my mouth like I might speak and then looked straight down to the ground. I knew my cheeks were taking color. What the hell kind of boy blushes, anyway?! I bit my lip and looked away from Kris. Jeeze. What was with this boy? Couldn't he leave well enough alone?

Was he blushing? I smiled a little and looked over my shoulder to make sure we were alone, and then took his hand in mine again.

"I think these are clean enough, don't you?" He pulled away. I knew he would. "I like keeping you safe. Sorry if it's weird. It's just nice to have a purpose around here."

I turned on my heel and went back into the shower stall, leaving the curtain open as, again, I started to wash my hands under the faucet. Soap. Rub. Rinse. Soap. Rub. Rinse. Okay. They're fine. Really. Totally fine. Totally. Still, I couldn't stop shaking.

Was it me? Every time we touched, he washed his hands. Huh. I didn't have a disease or anything! I was even a pretty cleanly guy. It was whatever. I made sure not to let myself be offended, even as he scrubbed furiously.

"So you don't like being touched?"

I nodded my head and refused to make eye contact. I didn't touch anything, letting my wet hands dry themselves in the sunlight. My clothes were mildly damp, still, from not having a towel after the shower and my hair was still matted to my face. My fingers, though, still wet, were redder than before.

"So... your hands." I didn't wanna bring it up, but I was curious. More for the sake of taking care of him than anything.

"You don't like germs, huh? Guess that rules out cuddling. Must make it hard for your girlfriends." I was sure he'd mentioned being single before, but I didn't discount the possibility that he might have actually had someone he loved in the past.

"Is it hard?"

I looked down at the redness of my hands and nodded softly, just barely, to the point where I wasn't sure I nodded at all. I wanted to explain more. Sound less crazy. But I couldn't. I knew I couldn't. Why did this have to suck so badly? If I could just tell him...

"I won't touch, then. I'm really sorry, I didn't know. I'm just used to having someone to share a bed with, even if Dad freaked out when he walked in on him and me. Anyway, let's go back to the cabin, get sorted out and calm down." I offered him a smile. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't much. But maybe it was more than I thought.

Him? It was... probably a slip of the tongue. Something he shouldn't have said. But I couldn't help focus on it. Him. He liked guys, then? It certainly would explain his kindness toward the idea of me being gay. I wasn't, though. Poor kid. He didn't have it as badly as me, but he probably had it pretty bad.

Sidney looked puzzled for a moment, but didn't say anything. Well, he never said anything. But he usually looked as though he wanted to say something and was holding back. Right now he just seemed quiet in the way other people were quiet.

-------------

Thank you for reading.  Like & Comment!  Consider supporting us on Patreon!  

[Wannatripbaby]

Hmm... So maybe Sidney has OCD? Like, the severe kind that causes people wash and scrub their hands till they bleed? Maybe that's why he was sent here? To "cure" his disorder by sending him out to the wilderness with a bunch of other guys, away from all the modern conveniences that allow his disorder to "flourish"?

[Sophie ♥]

On 5/20/2020 at 9:18 AM, Wannatripbaby said:

Hmm... So maybe Sidney has OCD? 

Good theory!!  

[Sophie ♥]

Chapter 6

"Okay, so no touching at all, right? I just wanna be clear so I don't make you uncomfortable in future."

I hated miming. I really did. I'd pretty much sworn it off entirely unless I had to. I didn't even like writing stuff down. But it was probably something Kris should know if we were going to live with each other for the next three months. I touched my fingers together, just the tips of my pointers, and held them out for him to see, then shook my head no. Then I pointed to my stomach, clad in my t-shirt, and nodded. Ugh. I hated miming.

I didn't really get it, despite the look on my face that showed just how hard I was trying to get it. I decided to work through it out loud, hoping for his encouragement.

"Can't touch your hands, but can touch your body?" That didn't really make much sense in context of him freaking out over sharing my bed, but at least it was a start.

I sighed and shook my head, walking past him and slipping my slightly damp hands into my pockets. Fucking miming. Why do I bother? Should just learn sign language like a normal fucking mute. I started the way up toward our cabin again, breakfast having long gone by and my stomach rumbling, knowing full well Kris was following in tow.

At least I was sharp enough to know when I'd gotten it wrong. I followed behind the boy and figured that there was really no reason for me to have to touch him anyway, so it really didn't matter. I just wished he'd talk to me, even if it was only a few words here and there when things really called for them. I could see how frustrated he was, too, and I wondered how it all worked. Was it not his choice to stay silent? We got back to the cabin and I smiled.

"Look... Im sorry if I crossed any lines. I was just trying to help out. You want me to keep my distance?"

I didn't have an answer for that one. For all intents and purposes, yes. Yes I wanted him to keep his distance. I definitely wanted him to keep his distance. But I didn't want to say yes. I didn't know what I wanted. So I shrugged. I forgot I had that maneuver. Still not miming. I stopped at the door to the cabin and looked at it a little spitefully. With a little frown, I looked over at Kris.

It only took a moment for me to clue in that he didn't want to touch the door knob, and I smiled helpfully and stepped in front of him to get the door. He hadn't flat out said that he wanted me to stay at a distance, though he hadn't said otherwise either. Just a shrug. He seemed grateful that I opened the door for him, though, and he wandered in ahead of me.

"I brought a deck of cards with me. You wanna play something? I got some gloves, too. Thought they might have been useful if I was out in the woods. I don't know if they'll bug you or not, though, but still an option right?" His hands were almost vibrantly glowing though, and that concerned me.

Without a word I went over to the trunk, using my sleeve to open it the way I always did, and pulled out a pair of very new looking black gloves. I put them back, though - I did my best not to leave anything out in the open because washing something was always a pain in the ass.

"Oh, you have gloves? That's cool." I guess I didn't really get the intricacies of this stuff, what bothered him and what didn't.

"So your hand stuff, you know, not liking to touch stuff. Is not liking to talk related to that in any way?" It seemed ridiculous to suggest that it was, but there was a lot I didn't know and I'd only learn by asking. It seemed cruel as fuck to send someone out into the woods who doesn't like having their hands touch anything, though.

I shook my head and fiddled with a granola bar I'd packed away in my suitcase along with the rest of a box. My dad wouldn't allow most foods, which pissed me off a little. Granola, though, seemed fine. I took a bite of it, the wrapper completely content in my bare hands having only been in my trunk before that moment.

Unrelated. That made sense. I watched as he ate the breakfast bar and tucked my hand into the edge of my bag, pulling out a desk of cards wrapped in a hair-tie.

"So I guess my cards are out, right? Not trying to be intrusive, just trying to figure this all out. Boundaries and rules and stuff."

I held up the pair of gloves again and shrugged my shoulders. I'd never played cards. I didn't know any card games. People were typically not kind enough to explain rules to me. Still, the idea interested me enough to try. So after I finished my granola bar I slipped the gloves onto my hands and pulled my coat over my bare arms. Even in the cabin, it was closer to 80 degrees and I wasn't immune to the heat. I opened the window, but I started to sweat anyway.

"Why the coat? It’s just me and you here. You can relax, if you feel comfortable." I smiled reassuringly.

"We're going to play seven card stud. It's my favorite poker." Sidney didn't talk much, but he was a pretty good listener and he nodded along with me as I explained the rules. Two cards down, four cards up, one card down; discard two and play your best hand.

"I'd ask if you have any questions, but that seems redundant." I smirked a bit.

I had pretty much given up on explaining the touching thing to Kris. He wouldn't understand without talking and it was something I couldn't do. So I played cards instead. And I played very badly. I put down three twos and he looked at my discarded cards.

"You had a full house."

I just shrugged my shoulders. I had no idea what that meant.

The next fifteen minutes was spent explaining the differing hands in poker and how they ranked against one another, and while I talked I emptied out one of my matchboxes on the table in front of me and began to break each match into three pieces; one piece had the red tip and the other two had no tips. Once I'd finished talking, I divvied up the broken sticks into two identical piles.

"Poker is more fun if you bet. Red's are worth five, and others are worth one." It was a way to bet that didn't involve money and still had a fair bit of thrill. "Any questions?" I slid his matchsticks across to him.

I shook my head but I had millions. I still didn't understand which made which hand better, but maybe I'd learn. Who knew. So we played cards. And I did learn, albeit slowly. And by the time the sun had found its way high in the sky, I'd lost all my matchsticks. I supposed I wasn't very good at cards, either, though I had a lot of fun.

"You did really good." I smirked. It was a lie, but it as a relative assessment. He did pretty good for a newbie. I picked up the pile of match-sticks and put them on the bedside table to use next time we wanted to play, and then set the playing cards next to them.

"How're you feeling? Better than this morning?" It was good that he'd been able to lose himself in a distraction for a while, and I just hoped it was enough to help him forget about how bad he felt this morning.

I nodded my head and played with one of the little cards between my gloved hands. I didn't like gloves. I hated them almost as much as touching things. I put the card down and slipped the gloves off, putting both of them into my trunk with the rest of my belongings.

"I'm glad. Has it been a problem long? Not touching things?" I usually made it a point to only ask one question at a time so that he could give me a concise yes/no answer without ambiguity, but something else came into my mind.

"I'm sorry I touched you when we were laying in my bed. I didn't know, was all."

I shrugged my shoulders and played with the little circular ball I kept in my pocket. It never touched the ground. It never touched anything but me. I knew he didn't mean to do what he'd done. I fell asleep. I hadn't meant to either. It was an accident, so I gave him a little smile. Hopefully he'd get that. I still didn't look at him.

He smiled and that made it okay. To some degree, at any rate.

"So this is... like... you're being sent here to force you to 'get over' your little quirks?" I was probably wrong; but I couldn't think of any worse place for a boy like Sidney to be, unless this was an attempt by his parents to scare him out of his idiosyncrasies. Which was kinda douchey.

I looked up with a bit of surprise at the boy sitting on his bed. I slipped the little ball into my pocket and nodded my head, looking at him in the eyes for only the second time. They really were beautiful. I pointed to my mouth, but he probably wouldn't understand. Ugh.

"Mouth... lips... talk? Oh. They want to make you talk.” He looked at me with a little bit of light in his eyes and I shook my head.

"That's really fucked up, Sidney. Like. I don't know what's what or what's going on or why, but I can't imagine dropping you into a group of asshole guys is going to help at all. If anything I bet it'll make you less able to talk!" I was actually upset by this. Like. Legitimately frowning. "No offense, but your parents are dicks."

I really smiled at that one with only a little nod of my head. I really liked Kris.

-------------

Thank you for reading.  Like & Comment!  Consider supporting us on Patreon! 

[Baby Billy]

I really like this, usually I can figure these out by this time in a story but you have me completely clueless on  this one.   

[Wannatripbaby]

6 hours ago, Sophie ♥ said:

So this is... like... you're being sent here to force you to 'get over' your little quirks?"

I was right! ?

[Sophie ♥]

Chapter 7

The rest of the evening was spent in comfortable silence. I played with a few of the things from my chest - namely the silly putty I'd had for two years. Not a spec dirtier than day one. But the second the dinner tent opened, you better believe Kris and I were out of the cabin like a lightning bolt from a cloud.

"You know, if you can ignore the sixteen hours of monotony per day, the food here almost makes this place worth it." We took our place at the long shared table and the other guys were laughing and talking about their escapades. One of them - Andrew - claimed to have seen a bear, and then Chris-with-a-Ch one-upped him with a story of how he'd seen a dozen bears and fought one off with his naked hands. Ivan looked at the two of them arguing, and then at us with a smirk.

"How many bears have you fought off, Kris?"

I rolled my eyes. "You know, like, two dozen. Easily." Ivan smirked and shifted his gaze to Sidney.

"What about you, Sid? Oh, I bet it's mountain lions for you. You know. I bet one of those cats got your tongue, right?"

"Hey. Don't be a dick, Ivan." We'd all been introduced on the first morning by the coordinators, but that had been the extent of it. And it seemed to be common knowledge that Sidney didn't talk.

"Oh, toughen the fuck up, Kris. You know he's just a pussy."

"Yeah, Sid's here because girls aren't allowed and we need a bitch."

"Chris, seriously dude, lay the fuck off, alright? Sid's cool."

"Oh right, I get it. He's Kris' bitch."

"Seriously. Shut. The fuck. Up. Alright?"

"Or what?"

"Yeah, what's it to you, Kris? You gonna take a fall for this little faggot?"

I didn't like gay slurs at the best of times. And I didn't like any of what was going on. I shot a look to Sidney and smiled, rolling my eyes. Which was about the time that Andrew stood up and grabbed Sidney by the back of his top and tugged him off the bench seat, tossing him into the dirt, the other guys bursting into laughter.

Anyone else would've tried to break their fall. I didn't. I kept my hands tight against my body and fell square on my back and my elbows. The shocks rang through me like lightning. Still, my skin never touched the ground. I managed to my feet using the sleeves of my coat and put my hands in my pockets. I couldn't fight back. And even if I could, I was easily half a foot shorter than Andrew. So I stood there, awkwardly. I also wasn't one to back down from anything, even fights I couldn't participate in.

Andrew shoved Sid again, and the moment he looked around to gloat, my hand connected with the side of his cheek with a sickening crunch and the boy dropped in a heap, holding his jaw. Ivan and Chris both stood up.

"Fucking really Kris? He can't even talk, you think he's gonna have your back in a fight?"

"You're so fucked."

"Seriously. Backed the wrong god-damned horse."

Chris hit me square in the jaw and I winced and staggered back in a daze. Hell of a left hook. He turned and threw another punch at Sidney. Ivan stepping in to grab the smaller boy from behind and hold him still. I saw white hot rage at the edge of my vision as I lunched forward and grabbed Chris, throwing him back against the table and leaning in close, my hands clutching at his collar.

“If you ever lay another fucking hand on Sid, you're going to be eating the rest of your meals through a straw!" I was seething. Absolutely furious, talking through clenched teeth. Ivan had let go of Sidney and nobody dared talk as I held Chris against the table.

"Do you hear me? I said do you hear me?"

"Fuck, Kris, let him go!"

Andrew and Ivan exchanged glances, as if trying to figure out what to do, and I tossed Chris to the ground at their feet, looking at my friend and his bloodied mouth. I spat on Chris as I walked past him, then leaned down to help Sidney to his feet - mindful not to touch his skin.

"You okay?"

Pulling anyone up by the collar of their jacket was all kinds of disrespectful, but when Kris did it to me I only felt appreciation. I was trembling and bleeding. I didn't happen to like either of those two things. I didn't cry, though, despite the pain shooting through my face.

I stumbled awkwardly away from the dining tent, back toward where the showers would be. I never made it, though. My vision failed me halfway and I found myself slipping to the ground, the blackness taking over.

It was a pretty awkward situation, picking up a boy who didn't like to be touched, while a bunch of boys who wanted nothing more than to kick my ass watched onward. But it's not like I was going to leave him in the dirt. So I hoisted the boy over my shoulders in a fire-mans hold and stumbled back to our cabin with him.

I eventually got the boy inside and laid him down on my bed. He was dirty. He'd hate that. He'd really hate that. It's why he was going to the showers in the first place. So I made my way to the shower block to fetch a wash cloth and a pail of water. The boys at the dinner tent were still talking, all watching me; I was marked. I knew I was. They'd leave Sid alone but it was open season on Kris now. Fuck 'em.

I found a pail in the storage cupboard and filled it with warm water, squirted in a blob of hand soap and dropped a wash-cloth into the mix before making my way back.  When I was almost to the cabin, a sharp sting struck the back of my head and I saw a rock roll out of view.  Laughter ensued behind me, but I kept walking. I set the bucket down next to the bed, and reached up to feel the blood seeping from the back of my head. This was going to be a long-ass three months.

"Man, I must be crazy, huh?" I smiled as I knelt next to the unconscious boy and gently started to clean him up.

-------------

Thank you for reading.  Like & Comment!  Consider supporting us on Patreon! 

[Wannatripbaby]

Oh my. That escalated quickly. O_o

[Sophie ♥]

Chapter 8

When I could finally open my eyes, the only thing staring back at me was the top bunk. That meant I... I quickly shot up, the dizzying swirls on the edge of my vision following suit, and I suddenly remembered why I was here in the first place. Before I could make any further move, though, Kris' hand came down on my shoulder and put my head against the pillow again. My pillow. So easily defined by the smell. But I was on the bottom. Didn't make sense...

"I know you're probably really unhappy right now; they messed you up pretty bad. I got you cleaned up," I motioned to the bucket in the corner of the cabin, “but it's probably not to your standards." It wasn't a catty comment, it was just a fact that I knew he was happy to scrub his skin until bleeding.

"I got your blanket and pillow from the top bunk for you, too. Try not to move too much, you took a really sharp blow to the head." I had, too, for that matter. But I figured I could tend to that once I knew Sidney was okay.

I rubbed my bare hand across the top of my forehead, then my cheeks. They were clean. Or, as clean as I could tell. My nose was still sore and my head felt like it was going to explode. Fucking boys. Still, I was lying on my blanket. My head was on my pillow. My clothes were still on, though the shirt was stained with blood. I was fine. I was clean. My candles were lit. The room was bright. I felt... safe. So I relaxed.

"Don't let guys like that get to you. World's full of 'em. But you know what? They're just going to wipe each other out. Smart guys like you, that's who's going to wind up ruling the world." I smiled and sat back down on the chair I'd pulled over from the table.

"I don't think they'll wanna mess with you anymore, anyway. You really showed them a thing or two." I winked and then winced.

"Thanks..." I was just as surprised as Kris that I'd spoken, and above all, I wished I'd have toughened my voice up a bit. I was never the most masculine guy and I tended to express that pretty openly with everything about myself, voice included. I looked up at the ceiling with a little blush and turned away from Kris. Jesus, Sidney, some dignity, please.

I wasn't sure why it meant so much to me, but when he spoke I couldn't help but smile. Not because of the gratitude or the word itself - but because it meant he felt comfortable enough around me to talk.

"You got a nice voice, Sid. You should use it more often." I smiled, knowing that it probably wasn't up to him. And for all I knew this would just be a one-off anyway, but he'd spoken to me and that was some pretty big progress.

"I prefer Sidney." Fuck, how many times I wanted to say that to how many people! It felt so nice just to say it to one! I spoke softly, though. The kind of softly that didn't mess with the quiet night going on around our cabin. I felt comfortable. Warm. It was a good night.

"Yeah, I do too." I wasn't sure why I did, maybe because Sidney sounded like the sort of name you'd attribute to the kind of guy that he was, and Sid sounded more like the name of some sort of serial killer. Or punk rock frontman. Same thing, right?

"How're you feeling? I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm a pretty passive guy, but I used to have some pretty big anger management issues. Guess I relapsed a bit when I saw them pushing you around. I don't like that."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Dizzy. Fine. Dizzy." This was awkward. I almost wished I couldn't talk again. Silence was less awkward than this. I talked so rarely I never knew what to say. I sighed and kept my eyes away from Kris's, my cheeks still a touch red. Why him? Why was this okay? Didn't make any sense...

"You'll be okay." I could tell that he wasn't a fan of conversation, and I got that - if I talked as little as he did, I'd probably find it difficult, too.

"Sorry if I talk too much, by the way. Just used to talking for two." There was a lot I wanted to ask, a lot I wanted to know. Like why he kept blushing around me. But I also didn't want to be too much for him; didn't want to overwhelm.

"You get some rest. I'm really glad you trust me enough to talk to me, but I want you to know it's not an expectation. If you wanna go back to being quiet, I understand."

"It's not exactly... something I... yeah..." Explanation always sounded better in my head. And even my head was working terribly right now. I felt sick to my stomach and my vision was still very blurry, like I'd forgotten I wore glasses or something. I put my hands together and rested them both on my forehead, still looking up at the bed above me. This was weird.

"I locked the door. Sorta." I pointed to the other chair, propped against the door- knob to prevent it from opening. "Just in case."

Getting to my feet proved a little less steady than I'd have liked, wavering a bit as I turned around and wandered over to my suitcase to dig out my pajamas. I'd thought about changing him out of the bloodied clothes, but that might have been too much.

I played with my fingers in front of my face in the candlelight. It was sort of magical. Everything felt nice. I liked when this would happen. It was so rare nowadays.

"Can you pass me a different shirt? Just one out of my trunk?" I didn't mind him touching it from the outside - that part wouldn't go against my skin. Oh, yeah. He never understood that, did he?

"I'm pretty good with being touched, just not my skin. If that makes sense."

"I figured that out, I think. I mean, I didn't know for sure - but I noticed when you got knocked down that you made sure your clothes touched the ground. So I got that impression." I didn't really get it insomuch as understanding why it was a thing, but I did understand that it was a thing and that was a pretty good start. I picked out a new top from the top of his trunk, wandering over to my bed and handing it over.

"So the touching, the no talking and stuff... has that always been a thing? Must be really hard."

"Since I was nine or ten, I guess. I mean, before that, I was always really... clean. Not like this. Not like now. But tidy. Washed my hands before every meal. Not kid stuff." I stripped my own top off my chest, knowing full well it would have to get thrown away now that it was stained with blood, and fit the new one over my head before Kris could get a look at my unattractive body.

"Likewise, I was always quiet."

"So what happened, then?" My hands propped me against the back of the chair as I leaned against it and looked down at the boy on my bed; he didn't actively go out of his way to avoid looking at me now, which was a perk. I couldn't imagine a life so fraught with worries, though; worried about mess, worried about talking, worried about everything. It'd be maddening; I didn't know how he did it!

"Don't know. Something just... clicked. Not a good click. Just a click. And things were different. Like turning on a light. Everything looks different." I figured out pretty quickly that as long as I was careful to take things slow the room would only gently sway instead of spinning like a top. I took the pillow from the bed and put it in my lap, resting my bare elbows on the fabric.

"And your parents sent you here to try and fix you, huh? Guess that's something we have in common. Asshole parents, I mean." I smiled and thought about how he probably wanted to be fixed of his issues, though. I wasn't so ready.

"This is a messed up place, though. Bunch of testosterone charged lunatics and no supervision. Recipe for disaster if you ask me."

"Yeah... you're tellin' me." I smiled a little but the dizziness was still everpresent. I rubbed the back of my head and looked down into my lap.

"Anyway. I don't know. They just want to help me. Want me to be able to talk, mostly. Not many places you can get in the world without speech. And it's not like I have a problem. I just don't talk. I'm not mute or deaf or something."

"Yeah, but I mean, I get it. It's like there's nothing wrong with my Xbox, but my Fallout save got messed up all the same. Can't explain it, just how it is." He probably wouldn't be too happy being metaphor-d to a video game, but it was really all I had going for me when it came to words.

"You are who you are. Maybe you can change it. Maybe you can't. But it's crap that you have to change - plenty of people make it in the world without talking. You could do sign language, or just work somewhere that you don't have to talk. Like in a museum or something." It wasn't just empty optimism, either; I actually had faith in my suggestions.

"Yeah. Well. I'm glad one of us has ideas." I didn't want to get into that, though. I shook my head and wrapped my arms around the pillow, holding to close against me. I looked out the window into the darkness. No glare. No fire. It must be late. I sighed and put my spinning head down on the pillow in my lap.

"I hope you don't mind that I lit your candles. I don't know if you had a system or what." I was still used to talking for two, and it occurred to me that he'd tell me if I'd done something wrong.

"So why me? If you don't talk, even to your parents, why me? I'm just some loser at this stupid survival camp. Hardly the best person to open your words to. Not that I'm complaining, just curious."

"Uh, yeah... that's the interesting part..." And the part I was hoping he wouldn't ask about. I could have lied, probably, but I had very little experience in doing so. I'd probably screw it up.

"I can only talk when I feel... um... safe. You know? Like. In my room at home. Or in the choir room at school. Alone." Actually, in nearly seven years, I wasn't sure there was anyone I actually could talk around before Kris...

"Huh. So you feel safe with me around?" It was hard not to feel kind've like a badass at that confession. Yeah. I made him feel safe. That's me. No big deal. I smiled a little, but looked away to hide it for the most part.

"Must be nice to be able to have a conversation with someone, huh? I'll try not to dominate things too much." He fascinated me. He really fascinated me. And I wanted to learn more about him, and for him to learn more about me. Baby steps.

"Yeah, actually..." I fiddled with my fingers in my lap, my cheeks still a light pink I was almost sure wasn't visible in the candlelight. "Chances are, though, that I won't be able to talk once we leave the cabin. Safety thing, you know? It's kind of like... a defense mechanism. I don't control it. It just happens. I lock up whenever I'm not comfortable, and I'm often not comfortable."

"We'll just have to spend more time in the cabin, then.” I flashed a confident smile and looked at the door, the chair jammed against it. "Might be my safe place, too. Those guys are pretty unhappy. Still, who do they think they are? You don't go through life bullying people. It's just not a thing. Makes me so angry. My best friend, the one that all this drama with my parents got started because of? He was always getting bullied, too. Made me so angry at the world."

"Yeah, I get that. The bullying thing. Everyone likes picking on the kid who can't fight back." I didn't look up as I spoke, like it wasn't Kris I was talking to but the six boys outside, through the walls of my cabin and theirs. I didn't like people like that. I liked people like Kris.

"You think they're going to cause trouble? I can't... really deal with all that. I can't help you deal with it either..." How useless was I?

"It's cool. They probably will, but they're not after you anymore. I set the bar and they're going to do what they can to try and get even. It's whatever, I can take care of myself." I smiled, confidently. Realistically I probably could if it was only one or two of them. Three would be pushing it, but he didn't have to know what.

"I don't want you to get caught up in this. You're my only friend here and I need you in one piece; so if there's ever any crap goes down I want you to come back here and lock the door. Deal?"

"I don't like to run from confrontation. In my experience, it just makes things worse." But then again, I wasn't sure how much use I'd be to Kris in a fight. If anything, I might be a liability. Hell, it's not like I can hit anyone...

"Can we talk about something else? This is stressing me out..."

"Yup." I gave an apologetic and understanding smile and thought about things I'd wanted to ask.

"Where're you from? I'm from New York, which is why it's such a stupid idea for me to be here. I mean, what can the woods offer that I couldn't get from walking through central park at night, right?" A little smirk crossed my lips, but Sidney didn't seem as amused as I was.

"Boston." Not too far. Not too close, though, either. "I've never been to New York." I watched the slow burning candles start in on night two of the very long months to come. The flames flickered even without a breeze. Still, the window sat open from earlier that day. I was still dizzy.

"You should come visit when all this is over. I could show you around, you know, take you to see the sights. If you want. It's pretty nice, but nobody really drives so you take a lot of taxis and the subway. I'd love to show you, though. My parents are going to be pissed that this place didn't 'fix' me though." I rolled my eyes and watched the same flickering flame that Sidney was gazing idly at.

"How are you feeling, by the way?"

"Dizzy." I seemed to have a limited vocabulary. It probably came with not talking so much.

"Other than that, pretty good. Well, no. I mean. I don't know." I sighed and put my head back in the pillow. In reality, I felt... strangely alone. This was the first conversation I could remember having my entire life and still, I just felt so... distant. Like I wasn't even a part of it. But maybe that was the concussion I was sure to have.

"I was debating whether or not to lay with you, if you didn't wake up beforehand. I figured if I put your gloves on, you'd be a little more okay. And you slept really well next to me before so I was weighing the pros and cons. Pro; you slept well. Con; you freaked out. Tough call, really." I didn't know why I liked Sidney. Didn't know why I'd stuck my neck out for him, apart from my usual moral guidelines. And I didn't know why I really did want to lay with him. But there it was.

"I'm not gay. So you know." I didn't even lift my head off the pillow to say it, like it was an afterthought. Still, he'd made a pretty valid point. Sleeping in new places was something I really sucked at, but falling asleep next to Kris...

"Yeah, I know." I responded to his declaration as though he'd said the most arbitrary and non-sequitur thing in the world, but smiled nonetheless at his compromise. It still struck me as odd that he'd feel the need to mention something so personal up front; as though it was going to make a difference in our friendship.

"If I have my own blanket, it's probably fine." Though if one guy looked through that window and saw us... they'd be less kind.

"That sounds pretty good."

Kris was smart. He'd put the sheet from my bed down on his own, keeping both my blanket and me safe from harm. I didn't scoot further into his bed, though, instead making him climb over me to sit against the wall.

"Sorry. I'm not good with tight spaces. Another... quirk, I suppose." I liked that he called them quirks. Then again, I didn't know what else to call them.

"Yeah, most people aren't. I got locked in a trunk for like fifteen hours when I was a kid. Figure it's mess me up for tight places, but it actually just made me less uncomfortable." And that was convenient, because it meant I could wriggle into the place between Sidney and the wall without any degree of discomfort.

I put my head down on my pillow, pulling it a little bit of a ways away from Kris.

"No offense or anything. Just need to keep it particularly to me. Or I have to wash it every day. And it's a pain." He didn't seem to mind, though. He bunched up the end of his blanket and put his head on the pile.

"So, Sidney-who-isn't-gay, any other quirks I should be aware of?"

"Well we've covered tight spaces, germs, and dirt. I'm also not really good with bugs, heights, or the dark. And obviously, talking."

"I gathered the dark one." It was a point of pride, and it was one of the first times I remembered seeing him blush. It was surreal to see a boy blush at all, but it seemed to just work when it came to Sidney.

"So the top bunk wasn't a good idea, huh? That's alright, You can have the bottom bunk from now on." I was pondering whether to offer to continuing the sharing arrangement, but thought it better to see how tonight went first.

"Yeah. In retrospect, the reason I slept better down here probably had a lot less to do with you and a lot more to do with not being six feet off the ground." I didn't want to make Kris feel insignificant, but it was a fact I was only just noticing. And Kris should already feel special - I was talking to him after all.

"Naw, it's totally me." I grinned and cuddled a little deeper into my blanket. The other guys would have a field day if they saw me cuddled up in bed with Sidney, but it was whatever. Hardly their business in the first place.

"Wanna go exploring again tomorrow? Could give things here a chance to settle down a little, too. Up to you."

"Yeah. That sounds nice." It didn't, realistically. I didn't like nature or outside or bugs or dirt or life in general past the four cabin walls. If it were up to me, I'd stay inside and lie here in bed next to Kris. But that wasn't right. And I was curious to test my talking limitations, though I was almost certain of what the results would yield. Kris put his arm around me, over my blanket, and held me. Wow. I quickly buried my head in my pillow before the color in my cheeks outshone the candles.

[Wannatripbaby]

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! ????

HE SPEAKS! 

Hallelujah! ?

1 hour ago, Sophie ♥ said:

 

 

[Sophie ♥]

Now things get interesting!!  

[Baby Billy]

I think I am starting to read how Kris is feeling toward Sidney at the moment,  it's like how a big brother would want to protect a younger brother against the world.

[Sophie ♥]

19 hours ago, Baby Billy said:

I think I am starting to read how Kris is feeling toward Sidney at the moment,  it's like how a big brother would want to protect a younger brother against the world.

Yes!  

Also, I love writing Sidney because he talks the way he thinks.  Since he doesn't talk very often, he uses incomplete sentences and usually drops the subject from what he's saying.  It's so much fun to write!

Thanks again for the comments guys ;_; It means lots to me.