Archer remembered waking up to the sounds of his parents soft voices calling his name. Sometimes his père would giggle at a particularly funny tendril of hair that was sticking up, and then his warm hand would thread through the curls, smoothing them back into place. He remembered first peeking his eyes open and squinting at the dark figures that hovered above them, their arms stretched out to him as they urged him up from bed so he could get a few bites in his empty belly. He remembered how excited he became, despite how typical the routine, to see his parents sitting at the edge of the bed, still rumpled and dazed from their own night of sleep, and usually holding onto each other as they stroked and whispered their son awake. This was how Archer felt when he came to at the gruff mutters in his ear, some of them his name, and others assuring him that it was okay, that it was just him. Who was him?

At the feeling of his body shifting, he peeled one lid up, peering cautiously at the blackened face that was a few inches above his. As he stared up at that unidentifiable head, he opened his mouth with a gasp when his body slid. A pair of arms quickly lassoed around him, though, pinning him to the strong chest that he realized was beneath him. Balling up fistfuls of a crumpled shirt, Archer turned his head to the side, his eyes widening at the sight of nothing but shadowy tree limbs beside him, and under him. "Shh... Archer, sweetheart... dont panic." A raspy voice muttered in his ear, making his head snap back around to the man that he was resting on top of. When he moved his head to a certain angle, Archer caught a glimpse of him through the streak of light that splattered across his hollow face. "Its me, kitten. Ive got you. I have to take you back to Dillons house before the sun comes up."

Mortified at the thought that he had fallen asleep at some time in the last few hours, Archer lowered his head, feeling his body raise as Hunter sat up. A rough sound broke out of him as he stretched his back, which must have been cramping from the way he was hunched forward. Archer blinked at his expressionless face, watching him scrub one of his palms over his stubbly cheeks, while his other remained on Archers lower back. After Hunter yawned and rolled his popping shoulders, he placed both of his hands on Archers back, moving his stiff body around so one of his arms was hooked under his bottom, and his other was placed at the middle of his back. As Hunter brought himself into a sitting position, Archer automatically wrapped both of his arms around his neck, wondering how they would get down. Pressed so close to Hunters body, which radiated heat, even in the bitter cold of the dead of a fall night, Archer helplessly purred, cuddling deeper into the folds of his jacket. He felt Hunters body vibrate with a chuckle, "Selfish boy, I am not your personal heater."

Archer shut his eyes, letting his hands crawl under his thick jacket. They were immediately encased in a sweltering heat that almost made them sweat. He shuddered at the delicious tingle that rolled from the tips of his fingers down to his elbows. "Youre so w-warm. I get cold easily." Pressing his cheek against Hunters chest, Archer ignored the way Hunter jerked suddenly, swinging himself off of the limb theyd been sitting on and down to the one below it. He went down to the next one, which didnt rattle quite so much, before he paused, grabbing both of Archers dangling legs and hooking them around his waist.

"Im going to drop a few feet, kitten. Dont be startled." Securing one of his hands on Archers thighs to keep them from swinging off at the force that was about to push against them, Hunter fearlessly let go of the branch that he was hanging off of. Archers eyes popped open when he felt the security of something to keep him from falling go away once more, but this drop wasnt nearly as far as the one from the bedroom window. Hunter hit the ground within seconds, instantly backing up so he could lean against the trunk of a tree. Once he had his footing back, he peeled Archer off of his front, but laughed when the shaking boy staggered forward, desperately holding his arms out. "Its okay, Archer. We dont have to jump anymore."

He opened his arms for Archer, who snuggled against him, both for the heat that was sopping off of his skin, and for the protection that he offered inside of the unbreakable clasp of his arms. Very unlike himself, Hunter went about pushing Archers unmanageable curls off of his forehead, and then pulling the hood of his sweatshirt up. Mostly warm now, Archer sleepily cuddled into Hunter, a small yawn parting from his lips. Suddenly, his body was once again lifted from the ground, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself cradled in Hunters arms, like how a husband would hold his bride, and he blushed furiously. "Put me down." He pleaded, frantically kicking his feet. "I can walk on my own."

"You can." Hunter agreed, reverting back to the way he spoke to Archer when they first met. "But Im not going to put you down, kitten. Lay your head on my chest. Try to go to sleep. Ill have you at Dillons house in ten minutes."

Frowning, Archer slowly stopped wriggling around, giving in to the strength in Hunters hold on him. Archer certainly wasnt the lightest weight to carry, but Hunter hadnt released a single pant, or had to shift Archer around to a position that was more comfortable on his straining arms. Hunter acted as if he was a light feather. Determined to remain leaning away from Hunter to put less weight on him, Archer huffed when Hunter pressed him closer, making him clunk his head against one of his collarbones. Even though he didnt want to, Archer gave in to the ease that he felt when he was smothered in Hunters body, and he let himself be consumed by his fiery skin, nodding off as he forgot about how cold he really was.

It seemed much later when Archer found himself staring up at faint shadows through bleary eyes once more. He reached up for the black figure standing above him, making a soft noise of encouragement for Hunter to return his warm body to him. "Shh..." was the only answer he got in return, as Hunter lifted his feet so he could drag the blanket out from under him. He raised it over Archers body, draping it over him with such care, as if he was a fragile diamond that he was covering with a sheet to keep it hidden. Although his freezing feet were satiated by the hug of the blanket, Archer realized that nothing was warmer than Hunter, so he lifted his arms once more, snagging his fingers in the collar of his shirt. Hunter laughed lowly, kneeling down beside of the bed and taking Archers hands in his. He tenderly plucked his fingers off of his stretched collar, kissing the tips of them one by one as they raised. "Its okay... Youll see me in a couple of hours. I wont go anywhere for long."

Seeing Hunter frown at some unknown thought, Archer lifted his heavy head from the pillow, only to have Hunter place his hand on it, threading his fingers through his curls as he lowered it back to the bubble of fluff. "Shh..." he urged once more, scraping his oval nails over Archers sensitive scalp. A tangle of hair hung onto his finger, so Hunter worked the knot out, then laid the curl across the white pillow, the only streak of color on it. "I have to go, kitten. Your cousin will be up soon."

"Dont go." Archer whispered, his voice so high pitched that it sounded like a bell ringing. Hunters frown deepened, and then he wiped his face clear of expression as he bent over Archer, placing a single, soft kiss on the center of his forehead. His lips drifted down the middle of Archers face, and then paused on his lips, where he pressed a chaste kiss that set Archers nerves to flames. "Hunter." He said against his mouth, quietly whimpering as Hunter pulled away, his body turning from him. Grabbing for the back of his shirt, Archer helplessly watched, devastated, as Hunter walked away. His form became nothing more than a silhouette, outlined by the shine of the moon, by the time he got to the window, which he swung his legs out of. Hunter gave him one lasting look before he dropped to the ground, a look that, despite the fact that he couldnt see his eyes, he knew that they had met. "Hunter." He chirped softly, and then Hunter was gone.

Archer dragged himself through most of the morning, giving up on making himself look presentable even after a long, steaming shower that only seemed to make his hair frizzier. His pale face was washed out, and bags circled his dull eyes, so he figured that readying himself was a hopeless cause that only two bottles of moisturizer and ten of conditioner could fix. Unfortunately, his family seemed to notice the way he tiredly slumped around the house, but other than Dillon asking if hed had a good night of sleep or if he kicked him one too many times for him to drift off, no one questioned. It wasnt until his uncle turned the car into the parking lot of the school that Archer sat up, squaring back his shoulders and tilting his head forward as he looked out the window, his eyes flickering around for that blond head. This also made his cousin raise an inquisitive brow at him, but this time he remained silent. With a brief parting from his cousin, who had to walk around to the other side of the school to get to his first class, Archer hurried into his side of the building, not even bothering to stop at his locker to unload some of the weight that his shoulder smarted against lugging around.

Pretending that it was only him in the crowded hallways, Archer pushed through the crowds of people idly standing at their lockers. Anxious to know if he had actually shown or not, or if he had backed out because he thought that last night was a mistake that had brought them, two people from completely different sides of life, too close together, Archer reached his English classroom and hesitated just steps away from it. If Hunter was in there, Archer didnt have a clue of what he would say to him. But there was also a chance that he wouldnt be, and Archer had his plan even less thought out for that scenario. He didnt want to say that he would be upset if the next few minutes told him whether or not he would ever be able to smile at Hunter again, but part of him knew that he would. In a matter of hours, even less than a whole day, Hunter had gone from being his worst enemy to his closest friend, even over his cousin.

Taking a shaky breath, Archer reached down for the door handle, but before he could push it down and pull the door open a few cracks, another hand, with the strength of steel, closed over his. Archer gasped, staring down at that hand with a pair of huge eyes, before he recognized the tanned shade of the skin that was pulled tight over thick bones. "Hunter." He mumbled, whipping his head over his shoulder and gazing up at that sardonic face as if hed never seen it before. "Hunter!" He blurted again, hearing Hunters rough chuckle as he flung his arms around his neck. "Youre here."

"At school, I know. What a surprising place for us to meet." Archer had never been so happy to hear that sarcastic taunting. Giggling, Archer squeezed Hunter tighter to himself, pushing his nose into the warm fabric of his fresh, clean shirt. He already smelled like cigarettes, and it wasnt even eight yet. "I take it that you missed me. Its been so long already, hasnt it? At least three hours." When Archer turned his shining eyes up to his face, he found Hunter already grinning down at him, an adoring look on his face. "I missed you, too, kitten... even though my back didnt. Its still stiff." As he made a show of twisting his back from side to side, Hunter reached down for the door handle, flipping it down. He kicked the door open, then placed his hand on Archers waist, nudging him in.

The rest of the class had already found their favorite spots, and Archer noticed that some of the groups had switched around, but he was fine with staying right at Hunters side. Hunter followed him back to the seats theyd taken yesterday, and, as Archer lowered into his, Hunter leaned over to say something to him, but was interrupted by the door swinging open one last time, and the bellowing sound of their teachers voice. "Get in your seats." He demanded, slouching over to the front of the room, where Archer knew he would give a brief speech before he retreated back to his desk. There was no wondering why he had never won an award for being the greatest teacher. "Thank you to the students who turned in their slips for the trip. It helps planning go much easier. I will be passing out an itinerary and list of what to bring. You should go over those ahead of time. For those of you who know for certain that you are going on the trip, you will be able to pick who you will be rooming with today. The cabins can only hold up to three people, so unless you want to room with someone you dont know, get your slips in soon! Also keep in mind that we are going on this trip with my other English class. You can also pick to room with someone from there."

As soon as hed gotten out the few words he was going to say for the entire class period, Lumbly started digging through his papers for the other forms about the trip. Sitting back, Archer helplessly glanced around the room at the other students, all of whom he didnt know and would probably never get to know. Most of them were already chatting about who was rooming with who, and he saw more than one disappointed face, which meant that he would most likely end up staring awkwardly at one of those sad faces, introducing himself as the roommate who they would forever know as their second choice. When Hunter received his papers, he mindlessly shuffled through them, not reading over any of them. The noise he was making drew Archers attention back to him, and he pushed his lips to the side of his face, knowing that whatever cabin Hunter was staying in probably already had a waiting list. Suddenly, Hunter raised his head from the papers, turning it this way and that, the same as what Archer had done. A frown creased his bottom lip as he picked up on conversations of girls and guys who had had this trip and their roommates planned out for months now.

Before Archer could ask him who he was rooming with, though, Lumbly stood back up, another piece of paper in his hands. "Im going to call out names. If you know who youre rooming with, Ill mark it down." The names were listed off in alphabetical order, and each one was followed by one or two people who excitedly called out that they were rooming together. While Archer knew that his three cousins were in the other English class, he was certain that Beth thought of him as the last person she would want to room with, and that his youngest was probably already grouped with a couple of other girls. He couldnt even say Dillons name, since he was sure that Dillon had friends before he came along. When it came down to his name, all Archer could do was flush as he muttered that he didnt have anyone to room with. Lumbly automatically marked him into a column of names that he would divide into makeshift groups. Archer heaved a sigh, listening to nearly the entire class brag about the fact that they had best friends, while the one friend that Archer was supposed to have, his cousin, had spent less time with him than even his own best friend did.

Hunters last name was near the middle of the alphabet, but there were still few kids with names after his, so he was one of the last to go. Glimpsing over at him when his name was called, Archer pathetically watched him remain silent for a second, as if he was going through a list of people in his head. But, to Archers surprise, when Hunter finally lifted his head, he shrugged a shoulder and muttered that he didnt have anyone to room with. Archer stared at him as if he had just sprouted wings. Even though he must have felt Archers gaping eyes on him, Hunter wouldnt look over at him, almost as if he was ashamed that he, like Archer, didnt have a single friend to rely on.

When Lumbly got to the end of the list, he scrolled over the paper once more and started on the column of kids who still werent in groups. He marked them off by threes, and Archer heard more than one groan of anguish, sounds that Lumbly didnt care quite enough to try to quiet down. Still staring at Hunter as he wondered how he wasnt the most well liked kid in school, since he was so confident and sure of himself, Archer turned away from him when Lumbly called out his name once more, putting him in a group of boys who made very clear their dislike of the group theyd been forced into. "W-Wait." Archer suddenly said, his eyes blowing out of proportion when he realized what hed just done. Lumblys eyes appeared over the edge of the paper, looking at him as if he was the most boring creature on the entire planet. "Mr. Lumbly... Id like to room with Hunter."

Even though he wasnt looking at him, Archer knew that Hunters head had snapped up so quickly that he nearly gave himself whiplash. Lumbly simply nodded his head, scratching Archer out of that group and switching him over to his own column with Hunters name on top of his. As soon as Lumbly moved on to the next group of names, Archer hesitantly shifted his huge eyes over to Hunter, who was looking at him with a funny expression. He looked dumbstruck, something hed never been before, and it almost made Archer laugh, had he not been so nervous that Hunter might reject his offer to room with him. Abruptly, Hunters mouth opened, and, to Archers relief, he only had one word for him, one that wasntno. "Why?" He asked, even his voice giving a tone of uncertainty.

Archer helplessly shrugged his shoulders, "I cant tell you why, Hunter." He tilted his head to the side, a strand of hair swinging across his forehead. "All I know is that I want to spend time with you." Pulling a smile onto a corner of his lips, he reached out for the papers that were hanging from Hunters limp hand and tugged them free. "Do you want to come over to my house tomorrow night? You can eat dinner with me and my family... then we can pack for the trip. Bring over some of your clothes. I can decide what outfits would be best to bring on a camping trip." At the strange look that Hunter gave him, Archer smirked, "My parents have always told me that I got my two left feet from my daddy, but my knack for fashion from my père. I dont always use my abilities for the greater good, but I know that gray should never be worn when you have hair so blond." Teasingly reaching out for Hunters messy hair, Archer ran his fingers through the spiky locks, and he laughed when Hunter pouted, pushing them back up once again.

Humored by Archers unexpected abilities, since hed only ever been around Archer when his hair was a bedraggled ball of curls, or his body was swallowed by a thick sweatshirt that reached the middle of his thighs, or his feet were pushed into a pair of plain sneakers, Hunter chuckled, shaking his head at how ridiculous he was being. Playfully reaching out for Archers face, Hunter cupped his chin in his hand, "Do you know what you got yourself into by choosing to room with me?" Archers eyes widened to the size of saucers, and he nervously giggled, watching Hunter lean so close to him that he could smell the faint hint of cigarettes on his breath. "You had better hope youre the first one asleep, you naïve, foolish kitten."

Archer smiled at Hunter, trying to keep his composure, even though he could feel his face heating up as Hunter put his face so near to his that the tips of their noses bumped. "Shouldnt I want to stay awake longer than you do? If youre the last one awake, then you can ravish me while I sleep."

The smirk on Hunters face widened, "I wouldnt do such a thing. What makes you think so lowly of me? Unless you giggle the way that you are right now, I will remain as more than a man at his primal instincts." Sliding his mouth against Archers red ear, he mumbled very quietly, "I snore... very loudly." Feeling his jaw drop at the way that Hunter had messed with him, Archer pulled away from him, swatting him across the arm. Hunter burst into laughter, grabbing Archers whacking hands and dropping them onto his lap, while he used his other hand to wrap around Archers back. Realizing that Hunter was trying to hug him, Archer instantly stilled his arms, and he felt Hunter envelope his other around him when he figured out that he could safely release Archer. "Youre perfect, kitten." He murmured, those few words making Archer twitch with something that was between unease and comfort.

"Im not perfect." He argued, but Hunter shook his head.

"No, you are." That soft voice insisted, not a string of doubt threaded through it. "No ones ever given me the kind of friendship that you have... not even your cousin. I promise that Ill never take you for granted. Youre like a diamond to me... youre too valuable for me to just let you go."

Smiling, Archer laid his head on Hunters shoulder, his voice coming out so quietly that he didnt even hear himself. "I dont want to be like a diamond, Hunter. I want to be your kitten." At those words, Hunter squeezed him so tightly that Archer knew that he would be in unbearable pain if he tried to pull away, so all he could do was sink closer, like a kitten rubbing against the thing it was firmly marking as its own.