It was mid-September, the changing of the leaves in full swing and a slight nip in the air. Kurt loved this time of year, as he was finally able to start wearing his extensive collection of sweaters and scarves and could stop watching his father shuffle around in Crocs and start wearing real shoes again.

He almost lamented at the fact that he'd been forced to leave so many of his scarves behind for his duration as a student leader, but reminded himself that he'd be thankful when he got back and they were still clean, unsoiled by the dirt and general outdoors that somehow managed to permeate every article of clothing no matter how careful he was. Kurt liked the outdoors, he just didn't like when they got on his clothes.

"Now, are you sure you got everything you need?" hid dad asked from the driver's seat as they pulled into the parking lot where the bus that would be taking all the volunteers to camp was waiting. Burt eyed the two duffel bags in the back seat. "When we went to New York for vacation you took five bags of stuff, and that was only a one week trip!"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yes, dad. I know I'm taking a shocking amount less than usual, but this is camp. As much as I hate to admit it, I don't need coordinating outfits for each day with accessories to match. I'm going to be outside most of the time and I'm pretty sure no one there is going to care what brand my pants are."

Burt pulled up along the curb and got out, opening the back door to pull out Kurt's bags. Kurt leaned forward in his seat, checking his hair one final time before opening his door and following.

The bus was set to depart at 3pm, and although the pair had arrived a full hour early, there seemed to be an extraordinary number of people already present. They'd been told that there were four camps in the same area that would be sharing a bus, but only a dozen student leaders were assigned to each camp. Kurt let his eyes wander across the mass of people, wondering just who would be at camp with him as Burt brought his bags around.

Kurt looked over at his father for a moment, startled to see him with his eyes downcast and a slight frown on his face. "Aww, dad. It'll be fine. You have Carol and Finn...well, mostly Carol to take care of you while I'm gone! And I'll be back in just a few weeks. We have a few days of orientation and prepping the camp for all the kids to arrive, two weeks of actual camp, then a few days of teardown after the kids go home and we're done!" He patted his dad's arm, "I'll be back before you know it!"

Burt looked up, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I know, kiddo. I'm just going to miss you is all." He pulled his son into a hug, sending Kurt's sunglasses askew. Kurt hugged back, knowing that while most times hugging his dad in front of a group of people would be borderline embarrassing, he was going to miss it over the next few weeks.

They pulled apart, Burt clapping a hand on his son's shoulder. "Go have fun, Kurt. And...try to make some friends, will ya?"

Kurt nodded, leaning over to pick up his bags, "Sure thing, dad. Rachel should be here somewhere, so at least I'll have her if everyone else ends up hating me- now all I have to hope is that we get put at the same camp. I'll see you on the 2nd when we get back. If you need anything while I'm gone that Carol can't take care of, I left the number for the camp on the fridge. And there's leftover chicken that you should probably eat in the next few days so it doesn't go bad, and make sure Finn stays out of my room and oh god maybe I should just stay-" Burt held up a hand, "Kurt, it'll be fine. We're going to have to get along without you when you go off to New York to be a big actor someday anyway. Think of this as, like, a trial run. If we're still alive and have all our limbs by the time you get back, we'll know it was a success. Now go on and find Rachel. I love you, kiddo."

Kurt smiled, "Love you too, dad."

He watched as his dad got back in the car, giving a small wave as he drove from the lot and out of sight. This was it. He was now officially on his own.

" OH MY GOD!"

...except for that.

A flurry of brown hair and sweater tackled him, blindsiding him from his left. Combined with the weight of the large bag slung over his shoulder, it was too much and Kurt found himself on the ground, a giggling Rachel sprawled out on top of him.

"Jesus, Rachel!" He exclaimed, attempting to shove her off of him and failing. "I've been here less than two minutes and you've already managed to get my pants all dirty and almost kill me. I hope you're pleased with yourself!" She rolled off of him, still shaking with laughter, and Kurt shot a dirty look she didn't see in her direction.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared over them, causing both to stop and look up, shielding their eyes against the sun.

"Are you okay?"