It was early on Friday morning when Archer wheeled his case of luggage downstairs, the bag still half empty to give room for souvenirs that his père insisted he bring home so the rest of the family could see how his trip went, if only his père would believe him that there were no stores in the middle of the forest. The farthest his parents had gone away from the comforts of their home was the middle of the backyard, where they had set up a tent, only to load it down with comforters and sheets and blankets, making it seem as if they werent actually laying on piles of dirt and grass. Archer himself wasnt very outdoorsy, but unlike either of his parents, he wasnt nearly squeamish enough about picking up a few worms and caking his stubby nails in mud. Archer almost expected more of at least his daddy, who was a very brawny man, but, once, when he was a child, he had asked his daddy if he could spend the night under the stars, only to get a look as if he had asked if he could move to the moon. Despite being so dissimilar in some of the more obvious ways, his parents were nearly the same person in every way that wasnt to be expected.

After a nearly silent dinner ended last night, with only the sounds of forks scraping and plates clattering to make the only conversation that was to be had, Hunter had gone home at a respectful hour, not daring to stay past seven. It was as if he knew that if he put off no vibes that he would in any way be a bad influence on Archer, he would be let off the hook, but what he didnt know was that, as soon as hed stepped through the doorway, his daddy had swooped down and dug his talons in. To Archers relief, his parents had let him walk Hunter out the door for a moment of privacy, an act obviously urged by his père, since his daddy hadnt stopped staring at Hunter since the two of them reappeared at the dinner table. And, because he knew that his parents were probably watching through the window, Archer had taken Hunter over to the side of the porch that put them at an angle too far away to be seen. Things had been quiet between them, no words spoken about the upcoming week, or how good the dinner was, but Hunter had simply leaned down and pressed a kiss to Archers cheek, then whispered for him to have a good night. And, just like that, he was gone, his dark form vanishing through the black sky that hugged around him like a vice of cold air that hung limply, waiting to crush whatever came to it. His daddy didnt even have to flip the porch light on and off, a thought that humored him as he returned inside, his cheeks freshly flushed and his lips snagged on his teeth. It was a look that didnt go unnoticed by his père, who gave him that smirk as if he knew something that no one else did. But Archer had wiped off the buzzing feeling in the nerves that had been touched by that wide, moist mouth, and with a few words to his père about checking over the outfits he had decided on, but still needed advice about, the moment was forgotten.

When he arrived upstairs, his uncles car was already sitting in the driveway, and he and his daddy were having a discussion about his uncles work in the car shop. His père was standing at the counter, pouring seed into two bowls that Pavarotti and Everett pecked their beaks at before he even lifted the bag, and his cousin was leaning against the wall, watching him feed the birds. Archer frowned at Dillon, feeling slightly guilty that his plans for this year had ultimately failed, and that he had become closer to Dillons best friend than he had to Dillon. Since the two other men were chuckling about car engines and mufflers and other things that Archer didnt pay too much mind to, he slowly approached his père, who was still donned in a flowing nightgown that almost looked too pretty to be real. His blondish brown hair was rumpled on top of his head, but despite how exhausted he was to have woken up before the sun did, a smile still creased his lips. "Père?" Archer said, his eyes following Pavarotti and Everetts wiggling tails, which stuck straight up in the air as their upper halves dove into the bowls of food.

"Hm?" His père set the bag of food aside, sealing up the top of it. "Oh, good morning, dear." Turning around to face Archer, he opened his arms and enveloped his son tightly in them, then released him and placed his hands on Archers cheeks. "Your eyes are bright and you have a smile on your lips. Are you excited to be going on the trip?" Archer nodded his head, making his père grin with delight. He clasped his hands in front of him, then called for his husband. "Blaine, love? Archer is up."

Quickly finishing the conversation, his daddy turned his head over to his père. Archer couldnt have missed the affectionate look he gave his husband before he gave his attention to Archer. A wide smile pulled at his lips, and he left his brother-in-laws side so he could walk over to Archer. "Are you ready to head out, sweetheart?" While his uncle came over to grab the bag, his daddy wrapped him in his strong arms, placing a dry kiss on Archers cheekbone. "Be safe. Call whenever you need us." Archer bobbed his chin, wondering what his daddy meant by what he first said. He assumed that it had everything to do with Hunter and a little less to do with him watching his feet so he didnt trip over any twigs. "We love you."

His père made a sound of agreement, draping a light hand across Archers shoulder and rubbing, "We love you very much. Well see you in a week, darling. Have a good time with your cousin and your other friends." Letting Archer go when his uncle nodded for him to step away from them, his parents stood back as Archer turned away, going to his cousins side. The two of them followed his uncle out the front door, and Archer glanced back one last time before Dillon shut it behind them.

It took him a minute to realize that Dillon was speaking, and when he heard the noises of his voice coming up his throat, he looked over at him, blinking his blank eyes. "Its going to be so great. We can stay up late every night. Well toast marshmallows. Well tell scary stories-" Dillons idea of what would be fun over a camping trip certainly wasnt the same as Archers.

Chuckling at his eager son, Dillons dad opened the back door of his car, pushing Archers bag in beside of Dillons. "Whatever you do, boys, dont do anything I probably would have done on this trip." He stepped around to the front of the car, lowering into the drivers seat as the boys hauled themselves in with the rest of the luggage and the girls.

The drive over to the school was accompanied by the quiet tunes of the radio, most of them drowned out by Dillon yelping out new ideas of what they could do to have a good time over the next week. Archer didnt put in any comments, since, as soon as he got out of the car, he intended to seek out Hunter, as he promised him he would. Even Dillon had a couple of friends he was already blabbering about hanging out with, but Archer knew that Hunter was completely alone. He had even choked out a question about who Archer would be around for most of the trip. Archer had smiled fondly at the discomfited look on Hunters face, and he had reached out to touch his knee. When he looked up at him, Archer had teasingly murmured that even though Hunters snotty remarks sometimes made him want to kill him, they at least gave him something to do for the long hikes that were scheduled at least once a day. Hunter had asked what that thing was that he could do, and Archer had laughed, admitting that he was now up to twenty seven ways that Hunter could die, and that he could probably come up with more.

Just as he expected, the parking lot was jammed with three buses that were bumper to bumper, rocking back and forth as lines of jumping and shouting kids filed onto them. Cars maneuvered around their wide forms, horns honking and fists shaking as parents became increasingly frustrated by the maze. Raising his brows at the mess, Archer started to look back up at his uncle, who was glancing around for a way that he could sneak around the other cars, but something caught the corner of his eye. A dark shadow, which blended in with the dim sky, threw a leg off of his motorcycle, his long hands reaching up to adjust the collar of his shirt. Sitting down on the seat of the bike, he reached into the bag that was hanging from his shoulder, digging out a small box. He flipped up the top of it, pulling out a slim stick and a red object that Archer couldnt identify. Suddenly, his features were illuminated by a flickering light as he sparked the end of his cigarette into tiny, burning bits of dust. He lifted the cig to his mouth, pressing it between his tight lips, and took a long inhale. A flume of smoke released from his nostrils and the corners of his mouth.

"Hunter." Archer whispered, the first word hed said in more than twenty minutes. That got the attention of his cousin, who had been twisted around to his own window and peering at the herds of students that darted over to the buses, seeking warmth for hands that were stuck into pockets and ears that poked out from under hats. "Hunter!" Reaching down for his door handle, Archer let himself out of the car, hearing a call from his uncle to sit still until they were parked. "Hunter!" He tried again, picking up his pace when that blond head whipped around to him, cigarette limply hanging from his mouth, forgotten. Realizing who was clomping over to him, Hunter immediately jerked the cigarette away from his face, just barely having time to stub it out before Archer crashed into him. They became a knot of tangled limbs and laughter as Hunter slid his arms around him, instantly working to tame Archers windblown curls. "You came. Youre here. I almost didnt believe that you would-"

Hunter smirked down at him, pulling him closer when Archers heaving body calmed, and the cold air settled in, making him shudder. "Youre always surprised to see me, little kitten. Why do you never trust that Ill be wherever you want me to be? I gave you my word, sweetheart, and thats something I never break." Stepping back into a line of darkness that stretched out of the base of a telephone pole, Hunter touched Archers chin with the tips of his fingers, tilting his face up so he didnt have to bend so far to reach it. His chapped lips descended firmly onto Archers, kissing him so deeply that Archer whimpered at the spread of heat on the lower half of his face. Hunter chuckled throatily, nudging one more kiss onto Archers lips before he drew away, "How could I not have come when I knew that these lips were waiting to be warmed?"

He pinched Archers chin between his fingers, rubbing his thumb against his soft jaw. Even though the tip of his nose felt like an icicle protruding from his face, he felt his cheeks color from the warmth that Hunter pressed into them. "I like getting good morning kisses from you, kitten." He muttered lowly, making Archer release a light titter that was carried away by a strong breeze. His heavy hair blew across his face, but Hunter quickly pushed it back into place, reaching down with his other hand for the hood of his sweatshirt. "Cover this poor hair, you naïve, precious one. Youll make it knotted."

Archer frowned up at Hunters attentive expression as he focused on running his fingers through the curls that had already twisted around each other, "I should cut my hair. Its such a mess-"

"Dont." Hunters voice was flat, one of his hands twirling a lock of black hair around it. "If you cut a single strand of this hair, I will wring your neck." Raising his hands to the top of Archers head, he pressed his palms so firmly against his hood, pinning it in place. "Your hair is beautiful. Dont speak of it like its not." He ducked his head, smacking a fiery kiss to his lips, which peeled apart as a quiet noise whined through them. And then Hunter stepped back, leaving Archer with nothing to hold but an armful of air. Opening his eyes, he saw Hunter wipe his face clear of all of the emotion that he had showed Archer, replacing it with a sardonic smirk that he gave to Dillon. Archer stared at Hunter with a pair of huge eyes, wondering how long hed been putting on the façade that he was just a sarcastic ass with no weak side to him that let him be vulnerable enough to speak of hair like it was a valuable jewel.

Dillon gave both of them a strange look, and then said nothing about what he assumed he had just witnessed, obviously because he didnt expect it to be true. Instead, he shrugged a shoulder in the general direction of the buses. "Guys, the buses are about to fill up. Lets get the good seats that are left."

Archer breathed out heavily, speaking only when he knew his voice wouldnt shake, "There are good seats on a bus?" Hunter reached back for him, grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulling him to his side. He walked him over to the buses, where Dillon had left their bags to be loaded into the underneath storage compartment. The first two buses had already been packed with kids, so they were left with the third one, which was luckily half empty. Dillon stepped on first, instantly hurrying down the narrow aisle so he could get to an open seat beside of one of his friends from the other English class. Hunter nudged Archer up next, and Archer cautiously walked between the seats, careful not to trip over any feet or bump his hips into the swinging legs of kids who kept turning this way and that.

Most of the seats around Dillon had kids already shoved into them, so Archer had to go farther back, and he stopped at a seat that was five rows away from his cousin. He lowered onto the discolored, ripped cushion, watching Hunter sit down beside of him and put his knees against the seat in front of them. Nervously squirming when he realized that, for the next two hours, he would be squished against Hunter, Archer turned his head to the side, gazing out at the kids that were still lined up outside, and then to the cars that were trying to swerve around them. Suddenly, though, a warm hand came to the side of his head, and he twisted back around to Hunter, whose face was so close to his that he didnt have a moment to take a breath at how awestruck he was by how gorgeous Hunter was before a wide mouth brushed over his. Sighing, Archer automatically wrapped his arms around Hunters neck, his eyes falling shut.

Hunter pulled back with a soft pop, but left his face near Archers, the tips of their noses touching. "What do you call a kiss like that?" Archer asked, peeling his lids up. Even though a pair of dark sunglasses covered them, he knew that the brightest yellow of eyes were gazing into his ocean blue eyes.

Smirking, Hunter leaned closer to him, his strong arms winding around him and tugging him so close that Archer was nearly draped entirely across his wide chest. "I call that kind of kiss a defiance of my self-control. These lips of yours make me more of a man than I would like to be." He touched Archers bottom lip, slipping his fingers into the crease between the thin, pink lines. Archer opened his mouth, feeling a smooth nail tap a small tooth. "Go to sleep, my beautiful, frizzy haired kitten. Ill hold you until we get there."

Giving in to his bodys exhaustion, since it had never risen so early, Archer draped his loose arms around Hunters neck. He collapsed over his sturdy body, his head tucking under his chin. The crown of it brushed against the softest part on his body, the underneath of his jaw. He swallowed, the movement making his head twitch against Hunters neck. His engrained stubble scratched Archers scalp. "Hold me after were there." His voice was slurred, but Hunter seemed to understand, because the last thing that Archer remembered before he dozed off was that deep chuckle, making his chest rumble against Archers. Hunters arms tightened around Archer, and even after Archers mind left the real Hunter, he was still there, dancing around inside of his head.

Archer grumbled at the feeling of something moving his hair, his head sliding down against the hard thing it was pressed against to get away from the thing that was pushing his ragged locks off of his face. He felt a huff of air hit his cheek when someone snorted, the mouth that the sound came from following him down to where he nestled into the warm hollow of a smooth throat. "Archer... my pretty sweetheart, its time to wake up. Lift your head, my sleepy kitten. I need to wipe the slobber off of my neck." A pair of lips smeared kisses over his locks of hair, which had poked out of the hood that was slipping off of his head. When his eyelids fluttered up, he glanced around with a pair of crusty eyes. His clenched fists lifted to his face, rubbing away the flakes of crud, until a strong grip wrapped around his wrists, pulling them back down. "Dont make your eyes puffy. Look out the window. Were here."

While he turned his head to peer out the window, a gentle finger swept over one eyelid at a time, removing what was left of the clear film that made his vision fuzzy. Archer blinked at the sunshine that climbed through the window, reflecting off of transparent leaves that hung from trees that towered over them. The ground was nothing but dirt, with patches of grass and damp mud, clumped together to make small balls of brown. Peeking out from under the consuming shadow of a tree was a single flower, a yellow tulip that floated just above a shimmering puddle. "How pretty." Archer whispered, whipping back around when someone let out an enthusiastic yelp that echoed sharply in his ears. Hunter frowned, lifting his hand to one of Archers ear and tracing the earlobe.

Suddenly, near the front of the bus, the door swung open, a creaking sound that was harsh on his sensitive ears. As some of the kids started rising to their feet, their arms stretching to the ceiling of the bus and their necks popping from side to side, Lumbly clambered onto the steps, his ruffled head appearing above the front seat. "Line up outside! Single file!" Some of the kids groaned at his bellowing voice, but, without another word, Lumbly turned away and marched off, already barking at some of the boys who had rowdily started pushing each other.

Hunter shook his head at their teacher, slowly moving away from Archer and pulling himself to his feet. He reached down for Archer, urging him up, and he smiled when Archer plunked his head to his chest once more, still too drained to move a muscle. "You should be glad that youre so tired, little one. If you fall asleep before I do, I wont be able to ravish you. Id be laughing too hard at your snoring."

Curling his upper lip, Archer unhappily smacked Hunter across the chest, "I do not snore!" Hunter chuckled at that, easing Archer out of the seat and pulling him along behind him. They hooked their fingers through each others so they couldnt get separated in the restless crowd outside of the bus, all of them kicking dirt up or just kicking each other.

Lumbly went on to say something about how they were going to take a tour of the grounds while the bags were being unloaded, but his voice became smaller and smaller as he started walking, too many feet ahead and too many whispered conversations nearer to them for him to be heard. Hunter put his hand at Archers waist, slowly walking along beside of him with his head straight forward, never turning it to see the greenery on the border of the smashed down pathway, like Archer did. After a few minutes of wandering after their chattering classmates, Hunter suddenly yanked away from Archer, pushing himself out of the stream of students. No one noticed his absence, but Archer abruptly came to a halt, nearly making a girl bump into him. She sneered at him, pushing around him so she could get back to her friends, who she quietly complained to as they gave him dirty looks.

Raising a brow at Hunter, who stepped over the invisible boundary of where they were allowed to go by placing his foot on a patch of weeds, Archer went after him, hesitantly shuffling his feet into the wild tangles of grass and twigs. "Hunter." He said, getting Hunter to glance back at him for a brief moment before he continued on, his hands reaching out in front of him as he felt out the makeshift pathway. "Where are you going? Hunter." Stumbling over a log that was half buried under a mound of dirt, Archer gasped when Hunter suddenly whipped around, grabbing onto his arm. He tugged him back to his side, going a few steps farther before he held his hand out for something. He rubbed his hand along the rough bark of a tree trunk, and then he left Archer once more, pacing around the tree as if to measure it. "Were not supposed to be here. We could get lost."

Widening his eyes when Hunter sprang up like a monkey, his nails digging into the bark, Archer took a step back, watching him writhe up the tree until he reached the first branch. He sat down hard on it, a playful smirk breezing over his lips. "Im good with directions, sweetheart. Im not going to let you go anywhere." Sliding to the edge of the branch, Hunter bent forward, extending a hand toward Archer. "Id rather figure this place out on my own. You can go with the group, kitten... but I think youd like my company much better than you would theirs." Archer cocked a brow at Hunters hand, reluctantly placing his own in it. He squeaked when he was easily lifted from the ground, his limp body swung around onto Hunters lap and plopped into the middle of it. Breathlessly laughing, he wrapped his arms around his neck, clinging to him so he didnt slide off of him.

"You cant keep surprising me." Archer reprimanded, feeling himself be shifted closer to Hunter, whose arms slid around his waist. "When will you figure out that I dont like climbing things?" Suddenly, Hunter loosened his grip, making Archer inhale sharply as his thighs started to slip against Hunters. Hunter laughed, returning his strong hands to Archers lower back and leg.

"Ive got you, baby. You have to know that you can trust me." Pulling Archer closer to himself, he smacked a quick kiss across his lips, "You should like me better than that damned group... even if I do take you out of your comfort zone. I can give you kisses, while if any one of them ever tried to touch these perfect lips of yours, I would take them up a tree and then drop them."

Archer giggled, resting his head against Hunters shoulder, "Hunter, if I didnt know any better, I would think that you are jealous over me." He felt Hunters lips against his hair, sliding down to the ticklish spot beneath his ear, which made Archer push his head away. "You selfish man... are you going to claim me, but let me have nothing over you?"

Hunter gave him the oddest look, his lips sealing into a thin line, "What do you want, princess? A marriage proposal?"

Shaking his head, Archer shoved Hunter off of him once more when he leaned in for another kiss. "No, I would never accept you." He smiled at Hunter, his teeth biting his bottom lip. "I am your kitten. You should be something to me. Lets see... what are you most like? Youre very grumpy, like a bear." Hunter sneered at that, a look that made Archer titter. He was thrilled that he was finally the one doing the frustrating. "Youre also very flighty. But... when you do find a place to stay, you never leave it. You are like a bird, Hunter. Youre my bird."

Hunter snorted, pushing Archer a few inches off of his lap. "Birds can fly, my pretty one... but kittens cant." He let go of Archer for a brief second that felt like hours, making Archer screech before he was snagged in a pair of arms again, pulled back against Hunters chest. Outraged, he whirled around, slapping Hunter on his shoulder. He only became more embittered when Hunter laughed harder, raising one of his arms to shield himself. "For a tiny kitten, you have the claws of a cat!"

"Maybe you shouldnt peck where youre not supposed to!" Archer scolded, tumbling over with Hunter when he fell against the trunk of the tree, too worn out to keep fighting. Helplessly laughing at the way he panted, Archer turned his head to the side, pecking a soft kiss to his scratchy jaw. "Get me down, my sharp beaked bird."

Hunters lips pulled into a lopsided smile, and he reached out to smooth Archers wild curls. "I think Ill leave you up here, little kitten. Itll give me time to let the scratch marks heal." Swinging one of his legs over the branch, Hunter thrust his body forward as if he was going to leap off, making Archer cry out and tug at him to make him stay until he agreed to take him down with him. But before Hunter dropped, he turned around, folding his arms around Archer and scooting him off of the branch. "Ill get you down, my pesky kitten, but Im taking you to the lake. I know that cats cant swim." Making sure Archer was secured around him, Hunter flung himself to the ground, and Archer felt himself be dragged behind him, spitting like a cat that had its tail pulled.