Words can not describe how thankful I am to still be in bed. I've been awake now for maybe five, or ten, minutes. But, I haven't moved yet to get up. It's been getting up and going every morning since we've arrived. Lying in feels foreign to me now. Like a nice, exotic trip. I just lie here, bones heavy in the thin mattress, and listen to my cabin slowly grumble to life. Trent has risen, already just about clothed as he bumbles around. Eli is complaining about a headache. My guess is he opted to join the restless gaggle that snuck off to the docks, drinks in tow, after last night's festivities. I have no sympathy for him. Only Owen seems to, fishing a bottle of Advil from his duffel. Nick has made a guest appearance this morning to stir Jeff. And then again, because he knew Jeff would fall back asleep as soon as he left. The only presence that seems to be absent is Blaine's.
And, as though on cue, our clamorous cabin leader burst in through the screen door. “Morning boys!” He bellows. “Jeff, why is your boyfriend lingering on our deck?” With a shrug, the blonde boy slips out to address his lover. “Still in bed?” Blaine asks of me as he mounts his own bunk.
“Taking advantage of the easy day.” I smile lazily up to him and Blaine beams back. It's radiant, his smile, pure and magnetic. Yes, magnetic. His face was drawing me in, like a magnetic field. Not that I want to believe that. Because magnets attract opposites. Maybe, that's how he got stuck to Quinn.
“Well, you may wanna get up soon. It's almost time for brunch and you look like the type of classy guy that loves brunch.”
Oh my god, he knows stuff about me. “I suppose I am.”
Blaine pulls his first aid fanny pack from his trunk, securing it around his waist, explaining that he forgot it this morning. “I'm heading up to the mess hall a little early. I can save you a seat.”
Yes. Okay. Great. Absolutely. But, this isn't healthy. I have to think about Quinn and how unbelievably heterosexual Blaine is. I need to get over whatever fantasy this is. “Actually, I think Bas has already got me covered. Thanks, though.”
“Yeah, no problem. I'll catch you later.”
“Sure.”

At brunch, I do sit with Bas and Trent. Even Cal, Marty and Alfie joining us. And, thankfully, we talk about everything but Blaine. Cal gushes over how much he misses his dog. Marty, again, pushes the panty raid idea. This time Trent shoots it down. Alfie and Sebastian team up in convincing us that spending all morning at the lake, before an afternoon at the pool, is not overkill.
So, after brunch, we all meet up at the docks, clad in swimwear. Marty is the first into the water, followed by a horse playing Sebastian and Alfie. Trent slots himself between Cal and I.
"Five bucks says they hook up before the end of camp." he wagers.
I snort, "given Bass track record, I give it until the end of next week."
"But, Alfie? You really think hed go for another guy?” Cal asks.
Trent only shrugs. “Anything could happen.”
Anything could happen. Anything. I can't stop myself from repeating that. I know it's just some pipe dream that anything could encompass Blaine. Still, it continues to loop in my mind. “Anything, really?” I hear myself asking. “Do you really believe that?”
“I mean, I guess so. Being here, I'm realizing we haven't seen much.” Cal thinks aloud. “Like, I'm from Red Rock, Texas. Do you know what they have in Red Rock, Texas?”
“Red rocks?” Trent and I both supply.
“And a whole lot of churches.”

“What are you reading?” Marty asks, nudging Cal. Again the latter and I skip the swimming, occupying shaded seats at the poolside. Trent, surprisingly decided to take a dip in the refreshingly blue water. Less of a shock, Alfie and Bas do the same. Marty and Cal are next to me discussing Go Set A Watchman and how it ruined their childhood, but I'm not listening. Admittedly, that's become a big problem for me. All day Ive had a bad case of Blaine Brain. I really should listen. But, she is back.
Blaine and his girlfriend are directly across the pool from me. Which is perfect for slipping on my shades, kicking back and glaring at them. It's not so good when I subsequently can't look away. Blaine's bare chestr13;and thank god for itr13; boasts superhero abs and a golden olive tan most would pay to have sprayed on. It also has five and a half feet of girl draped over it. They're curled together on this tiny lounge chair, despite multiple being vacant. Quinn keeps pressing her lips against his skin. Her hands keep traveling toward his beard, tickling it to draw laughter from him. And he has, many a time, stooped his head to drop a kiss on Quinn's forehead. Sometimes her lips. Once even her neck. And I'm over here like, hello PDA? It's gross and, also, I wish it was me.
“....Kurt?”
“This is the second all swim in a row and I want them to know that I am not amused.”
“Oh, okay.” Poor Cal was just trying to include me and now I've gone and snapped at him. “So, you haven't read the book?”
“He hasn't been listening.” Marty dismissively informed Cal. “Do you even know what book we're talking about?” Shoot, he's caught me. Even as I know I have been found out, I can only manage to draw my gaze away from Blaine long enough for quick glances at my friends. I can feel them staring back at me. Cal looks hurt simply because I wasn't listening. Marty just seems miffed. I don't like it when they look at me like that.
“Go Set Your Watch, Man, Daylight Savings Has Been Over For Months?”
“You really weren't listening?” Cal whines. I try to apologize, but my focus flickers back to Blaine. This time, Marty catches me. His eyes follow mine. They're brown too, but not in the way that Blaine's are. Marty's are just a little too muddy.
“Jesus, Kurt. You can't torture yourself like this. He clearly has a girlfriend.”
At his words, my stomach clenches lightly. It's only a small squeeze, but it doesn't release. “Well, I can dream, can't I?” I wish I could do a lot more than dream, but I'm trying to assuage Marty's incredibly uncalled for frustration.
“Read as: stalk him.”
“I'm not stalking him.”
“You're going to drive yourself crazy!”
“We just don't want you to get hurt.” Cal pipes up, sadly.

It's strange when Trent and I, along with most of team blue, return to the cabin. Dinner had been completely void of any cabin leaders. So, this is the first time I'm seeing Blaine since his public debauchery with Quinn. Well, maybe not so much debauchery as excessive cuddling. Whatever it may be, he is incredibly unchanged. He's standing alone in the center of the cabin, blue bandanas in hand, awaiting his team's arrival.
“Boys, gather ‘round.” He announces. We all find ourselves in a small semicircle, operating around Blaine. Trent and I aren't sure what's coming; isn't tonight some game? Although I notice the excitement of our mates. Their energy is lapsing off of them in waves, reverberating in Trent and I. “So, tonight is a big night for us.” Around me, a wave of cheers explodes from the boys. It's echoed back over and again from the neighboring cabins. It resounds like a Spartan battle cry. Trent and I exchange a glance. Both of us can feel the calls ringing through our bones. “Tonight is not just some game, boys.” It is at this point the Blaine begins to pass the bandanas and some glow sticks around the circle, all of the guys taking some.
Finding my gaze across the circle he points at me. Then at himself. Then at the bed. I blush wildly during the mental stutter that it takes me to realize that no, its not about sex, Kurt. His forehead. Hes pointing to his forehead. And of course securely around the bed frame is my blue bandanna tied to there and forgotten only a day prior. I smile and nod my understanding as realization dawns on me. He gives me a cheesy grin and a big thumbs-up before forging on with his speech, while I duck out of the huddle to grab my bandanna.
“Tonight is a challenge.” He announces. “Tonight is an opportunity to fight. To prove our worth as a cabin and as a team.” some of the boys around me release whoops of agreement. I cant help but think about my step brother and how he must have felt during all of those locker room pre game pep talks. By that I mean really, really pumped, but mostly terrified. “So, lets go out there and show them what team blue is all about!” As Blaine leads us out to the field, the cheering returns both from our cabin and from those around us.
As we make the trek to the field, all of the cabins converge. It's a tight pack of us all together, bumping and tripping over each other. And shouting. I can't say I was necessarily a fan. Its all very overwhelming. But, I could certainly feel the rallying of the troops appeal it held. The energy spreads through my body the same way that nerves do- all quick and jittery. Against the darkness of the evening sky, the glow sticks work as a rudimentary rainbow proudly displaying each cabins colors.
The howling never ceases either. Were all packs; multicolored packs howling at the moon and at each other. I cant help but wonder if the sleeping families nearby fear they will be attacked by wolves tonight.
Wes leads us towards the clearing. We weave like fireflies with our glow sticks through the trees. Without instruction, everyone returns to their respective team, circling into an arena. Wes and David occupy the center. In tote, David is brandishing a large flag that denotes “Happiest Campers.” Wes, of course, has his megaphone. He raises it, effectively silencing the rowdy crowd.
“Boys, we are gathered here tonight,” The crowd around me begins pounding their feet against the clean cut grass, creating a drum roll for Wes. Maybe this is something they do annually; maybe it's just what one does at a time like this. “To play Capture the Flag.” At that, a great cheer is ripped from the crowd. “Alright guys, quiet down.” Wes called over them with little success. “Seriously, guys. If I can't explain the rules, we can't play.” That threat seemed to work. “Okay, so here are the rules. I'll try to make it quick.” He adds to assuade the groans. “So, we'll have two teams. Warm color cabins versus cool color cabins. If you don't know what that means, art school is going to be rough for you.” There's a light chuckle and movement as we rearrange ourselves to be near our new teams. Sebastian finds Trent and I quickly. “So, every cabin has their own flag, which your wonderful cabin leaders have hidden for you. But each side also has a black flag that was hidden by some of the girls. So, none of us know where they are. Once one side has captured all of the opposing cabins' flags, we enter sudden death mode and can now go for the black flags. And I assume everyone knows, when you get tagged you go to jail. There's one there,” Wes and David both point to a set of risers at the end of the field. “And there.” Then at another set on the opposite end. “If you make it to jail without getting tagged, you can only jailbreak one person. In sudden death mode, if you're tagged you're out for the rest of the game. Go sit in jail. And no hitting or fighting. No tagging each other in the face and all of that. Be nice to each other. You win the game, your team gets a flag like David's.” The mentioned man flourishes the flag to some oohs and aahs of the group. “Does that cover it?” He turns to David.
The soft spoken leader cups his hands around his mouth to announce that “The woods are fair game.” Everyone loses their shit cheering over that.
“Just don't get eaten by anything! Word will be spread of sudden death mode by walkie talkies. So, cabin leaders find people and tell them. Okay, you have five minutes to strategize. When you hear this noise,” His megaphone releases what sounds like the scream of a dying bird, “It means time is up and the game has begun. Warm colors left court; cool colors right court. And…” Wes and David share a wicked grin. “Go!” And we all scramble.

The cool colors team has decided to meet right inside the woods, enough to have tree cover, for strategizing. Our team is a mix of the blue, green and purple cabin. So, our combined leaders are Nick, David and, of course, Blaine. “What's the plan, team?” he asks, once we've formed a wide huddle.
“I figure we put three people on their cabin's flag. Then, of who we have left, we do half perimeter and have runners.” David explains. Clearly, he has thought about this quite a bit. “Any objections to that?” No one speaks.
“Sounds like a plan.” Nick chimes in. “So, who wants to guard?” Some hands go up, mostly reluctantly. Although maybe one or two people are very ready to guard their flags. “Great, we can take them to their flags.” Nick addresses his fellow cabin leaders.
“We will leave you all to figure out guards and runners. Assign us parts, too.” David adds as he leaves with Nick and Blaine.
It's strange to see Blaine with the other cabin leaders. With us, he's so garrulous and takes control. But, here I'm reminded that he is the runt of the litter; the last minute kid thrown into a leader position. He stops leading and starts listening. I don't know what it is but it makes him seem more accessible somehow.
“And Kurt,” My attention is drawn back when Eli says my name. “You're a runner. Trent, you'rer13;”
“Wait, I can't run.”
“Well, you're too scrawny to guard.” Eli shoots back. Jeff smacks him on the arm. “You know I'm right. It's what's best for the team.”
“But, I'll just get tagged every time.”
“I got your back, Kurt. We can run together.” Jeff says, throwing a dirty look to Eli.
“Fine.” I sigh, not at all ready to do any sprinting.
“Okay, great.” Eli snaps. “Trent you'rer13;” Eli is cut off this time by the sound of Wes's megaphone. Seemingly from nowhere, a herd of warm colors came charging at our lack of defense. “God dammit!”
“Not fair! They have Wes.” Someone from Nick's cabin whined.
“Come on boys, it's go time!” Nick called, sending everyone into action.
Jeff turned to me. I was honestly expecting him to ditch me. Instead he says “We'll go through the woods. You ready?”

“Well, we tried.” It didn't take long before both of us ended up in jail. Jeff sits beside me while I catch my breath.
“So, what do we do now?” I ask, taking inventory of our fellow jail mates. There's two guys from the green team and three from purple, plus Owen.
“Wait for someone to jailbreak us.” I nod and Jeff falls quiet for awhile. Then he nudges me and points over through the trees. There's Eli being escorted to jail by a freshman on Wes's team. Jeff stands to applaud him. “Oh, how the great have fallen.”
“Fuck off, Sterling. Someone will come soon.”

Many do. Nick rescues Jeff. Two purple players get Owen and a friend out. A trio comes to free the remaining half. And then it's just me and Eli. Others come and go, but we remain the constants. Personally, I'm quite content with staying in jail. Because I can sit here. I've actually resorted to lying down. The sun is just nearly set, painting the sky a star spangled dark blue with a yellowing pink as it nears the treetops.
Eli refuses to take a moment to sit down and appreciate the sky. Instead, he paces endlessly. When he isn't trash talking the other teams, he is bargaining with everyone to jailbreak him instead of whoever they actually came for. Of course it never works.
“Oh, god bless. It's Blaine.” I shoot up to sitting at Eli's words. “He'll get me out.”
Our leader comes bounding over to us. “Eli,” He throws an arm around the eager boy. “Take a load off. You look tired.” Eli is ushered to the risers and a hand is extended to me. “Let's go, Potter.”
“What the fuck, you're taking Hummel?” Eli yells, only to be ignored.
“I don't know, Blaine. I'll probably get tagged before we even make it back.”
“Then I'll come and jailbreak you again.” My heart picks up when he smiles down at me and further extends his hand. “Let's go.”
I know exactly why I take his hand- he's charming and far more captivating than any old sunset. But, I'm quickly realizing what a mistake it was, because now we're running. And Blaine is fast. With my hand still caught in his firm grip, I have no choice but to keep up. Still I can feel a searing pain developing in my shins.
“Blaine, I really think you should've picked Eli.” I pant out. The distance between us is growing as my speed begins to lag. “He seemed so eager. Not that I'm not but he's a lot faster. Probably. And much more ob- Oof.” In all my blabbering I became acutely unaware that Blaine had stopped moving. “Observant.”
When I speak a host of actions are set in Blaine. With just a few quick steps, he has me pinned flat against a wide tree. This is, of course, accompanied by another ‘oof.' And now Blaine is stepping in closer. All of him is suddenly right there with all of me. His sneaker clad feet are slotted between mine. His knee caps bump gently against those of my own legs. His hips are nearly as flush with me as his chest is, firm and warm and steadily rising and falling to meet mine. His eyes venture one more peek around the tree before they swivel back with his head to lock with mine. And, my god, is he about to kiss me? Of course not. Instead of his lips pressing to mine, its a finger.
"Shhh." Blaine warns me gently, shuffling his body in closer. Slick with sweat, he rests his forehead against mine. I watch as his lips, full and pink, framed by his beard and slightly parted, fall to rest against his finger. It becomes the only thing between us. If he moved his finger we would be kissing. And now thats all I can think about. We are in the middle of what appears to be a very serious game of capture the flag. Theres an acute burn in my legs and in my lungs. My heart beat is ringing through my ears with the shouts and cries of the game. But Blaines warm body is pressed to me, with absolutely no room left for Jesus. One of his hands is resting on my lips of all places. And if he moved his finger wed be kissing. I can feel his five unaccounted for fingers are clinging to my shoulder, holding himself closer to me. My chin tickles from the ghosting touch of his beard. His breath is dusting over my lips. It mostly smells like the food from the mess hall. But, under that is the faint smell of peppermint. And if he moved his finger wed be kissing. There is something so intimate about that knowledge.
A group of boys run past us. All too soon, Blaine steps away and I am left cold. We were only hiding. There's nothing intimate about that.
"Kurt,” Blaine's voice cuts in. “Start running. I'm right behind you.”
At that point, from only seconds of close proximity to Blaine, I can feel my face flushed and pulse quick. Im also pretty sure my pupils are dilated. My mind is swimming with only one thought: if he had moved his finger we wouldve been kissing. So, excuse me for needing a moment before I take off running. I take a quick breath to center myself then a step to take off, right into Blaine.
"So sorry." I blush further. I try again to run, turning to go around Blaine. But its too late. Our legs are already hooked. So, when my stupid ass tries to run, I wind up taking us both down.
Blaine grunts out a swear before we both end up on our sides, him on top of me. I can't help but whimper as his elbow digs harshly into my gut.
“Sorry.” Blaine breathes, rolling onto his back.
“No, I'm sorry. That was all me. I should've-”
“Hey, Kurt.”
“Yeah?”
“It takes two to tango. Don't worry about it.” He turns his head along the grass to look at me where I still lie from the fall. Self conscious in his gaze, and sensing strongly that I posses the likeness of a squashed bird, I draw myself to a seated position. “You okay, Potter?” he asks.
“Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?”
When he smiles, it looks more like a grimace. His teeth are knitted together and his lips draw up around them. “Yep, just peachy.”
He doesnt look peachy. I dont want to push him or contradict him or anything. But, he hasnt exactly gotten up yet. “Are you-”
Before I can ask him if hes sure, both of our attention is caught by someone running towards us. I dont even move to run. Blaine, however, tries to scramble to his feet only to fall back on his bum with another grunt.
The boy tags us both while were still down. I dont recognize him, but he is adorned in the red of Wes's cabin and appears to be much older than me. Maybe even older than Blaine. “You snooze you lose, Anderson.” He laughs and boy if that wasnt the most mean spirited laugh I have ever heard. I can see a little quiver of defeat trickle across Blaines face. For a second I think he might cry. But then Im being hoisted up by the red team's resident jerk.
“Come on, off to jail.” I begin to be led away willingly, feeling oddly stripped of my rights, considering this is only capture the flag. Blaine stays down for a moment longer. “Would you like a written invitation, Anderson?”
“Im coming, Clark.” He snaps at the guy. I wait with Clark the Resident Jerk. We both watch Blaine brace himself, push onto his feet, then fall back down with a yelp of pain.
“Blaine!” Without a second thought, Im at his side. But now Im not sure if I should hold his hand or help him up or maybe brush the loose curls from his forehead.
“Maybe you should sit out instead.” Clark admits, hoisting Blaine up in a far more cautious adaptation of how he handled me.
“No, Im fine.” I know hes lying. He takes one step, stops, grimaces, takes another and inhales sharply with a wince.
“Blaine,” I reach out to him, but he disregards my hand.
“I got it, Kurt. Im okay.” He forces out through gritted teeth. The sharp tone, one completely foreign in Blaine's voice, makes me jolt back from him. He takes another step, more of a limp this time, and wobbles.
I take hold of his elbow when he makes for another step. He's about to protest, but I will not be having any of that. Not now; not with all of the pain written on his face. “I dont doubt that you know what you're doing. But,”
“I do.” Clark chimes uselessly.
“Just let me take you to the nurse to be sure.”
Blaine purses his lips in consideration. He lifts a leg, rolling his ankle experimentally. “They better not give me fucking crutches.”

“Well, you'll definitely be needing crutches.” Nurse Jenny announces. I watch Blaine's face fall. He fixes the nurse with a round set of puppy eyes. Unsurprisingly, it seems to work on the young nurse. I mean, could you blame her? “But the good news is it's only a minor sprain. Get some good rest in. Keep it elevated. Ice it for a few hours every day and you should back to business in maybe a week.”
That news doesn't seem to lift Blaine's spirits much, which only further crushes mine. I did this to him. I ruined camp for Blaine Anderson. And isn't Quidditch this week? I bet Blaine loves Quidditch. While Nurse Jenny wraps Blaine's ankle, I take the opportunity to review my schedule just to know how I've further ruined his week. Yes, wakeboarding, horseback riding and tug of war can be added to the list of things he won't be able to do because of me.
“Okay, sweetie, you're all done.” Nurse Jenny's smile is sickeningly sweet. “Here's some Tylenol to help with the pain. There's dosage information on the bottle. And remember to ice it, elevate it and maybe even massage a few times to keep the swelling down. There's really not much else to it. Just to try to stay off it.”
Was Nurse Jenny even a fraction as concerned when I was bleeding out of my head?

“Are you sure you dont need help?”
"Im sure." Blaine assures me. He uses his wounded ankle to nudge a rock from his path before planting a crutch there. As he braces his weight on his crutches, another rock causes him to stumble.
"Are you-”
"Kurt," The edge to his voice shuts me up. But, Blaine isnt angry with me. I dont think he is. From the draw of his brow and the tension that sprouts from there through to his feet, this is determined Blaine. "I was sure the first three times you asked and Im sure now. Ive got this."
I want to remind him that hes going down a rocky hill on crutches and an ankle that I sprained. Thered be no shame in needing my help. Although I have a feeling he isnt one to be easily swayed.

Its not until he grins and bears his way through a shower that he concedes. "Kurt?" He pipes up, facing the ladder to his bed. I glance up from my magazine and its back. It being the vulnerability Id seen in Blaine when he was with the older leaders. Suddenly The Blaine Anderson is just another guy. His hair is wet and theres a slight flush to his cheeks. Instead of listening to him speak, I briefly entertain the idea that I put that rosiness on him.
"Is that okay?"
I have no idea what that is. But, well, Blaine asked and Im pretty much down for any of his requests. So, I shrugged and nodded.
"Thanks. Even I cant climb a ladder with crutches."
And thats how Blaine and I ended up swapping beds for a night.