Camp Camp GC Fic

An Ethical Clusterfuck

There was a lot of work to do.

All Neil wanted to do was hop in his car and go back to his apartment and cuddle up to his boyfriend and watch some goddamn Gossip Girl. 

Nikki was slowly rediscovering life, and it was almost as if she'd never died at all. But she had, and they all knew that. Gwen and David would stare at her for minutes at a time, like they were waiting for her to disappear once again. And they still hadn't called her mother. Because how do you tell a grieving mother that her daughter who'd been hit by a bus was mysteriously alive again?

Ethically speaking, the whole situation was a clusterfuck. You don't mess with the dead. It's seriously fucked up. But Nikki seemed pretty happy with being alive again. She went swimming, played with a wild wolf, and sang the ABCs with little Eva. But she was different. Her eyes were darker, and she seemed to lose consciousness every once in a while. Her eyes would just go blank. Like there was nothing there.

A week after Neil arrived, he wanted nothing more than to not be at camp. He, Max and Nikki were staying in the counselor cabin together, and it made Neil so nervous. He didn't like being back there in the woods. It reminded him of a time where he was happy with his friends, unknowing of what life would someday bring him. 

But holy shit, was having Nikki by his side once again amazing. Her light was incredible and spread miles wide. She was energy, love, and power all in one. But looking at her was sad, too. Because every time Neil looked at a photo of her after she died, he flinched and looked away. The picture of Max, Nikki, and him sat face down on his bedside table because it hurt too much to see. And that feeling was still there when he saw her, even though she was alive and breathing right before his eyes.

Another few days passed, and Neil had to go home. Preston's show was opening. He was secretly glad to be leaving. 

Gwen and Nikki saw him off, as Max and David were out on the lake.

"Come back soon!" Nikki said as she hugged him.

He just laughed. "Stay safe."

"Bye Neil," Gwen said softly. She hugged him, and whispered in his ear, "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," his broken voice whispered. "I love you guys."

And he left.

Getting back to his and Preston's studio was so relieving. Throwing his duffle bag onto the couch felt really good after a long week and a half. Preston had already left for his show, so Neil was left with half an hour to get ready. He put on a button down and black dress pants, then quickly did his hair. The play was showing at Preston's school, which was less than a mile away from their apartment in Chinatown. They'd gotten a very good deal on the place- a steal, actually. Rent was 1600 a month, and easily Neil's job at his own school covered his half. It had been hard for them with Neil up in Harlem for school and Preston in the Lower East Side, and they only really saw each other on weekends for that first year. 

So they looked at apartments together towards the end of the year. Neil didn't want to live in Harlem anymore, he felt way more comfortable in the lower part of Manhattan. It was where everyone he knew and loved lived. And they found the place in Chinatown. Even if they had to walk two blocks for laundry, it was working out pretty good for them. Over the summer, Neil had been working for one of his professors in the lab as an assistant, and it paid okay, and Preston was getting paid to do coffee runs and be in the ensemble scenes of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was their life, and it was good. Great, even. Neil thought about Nikki all the time, but instead of letting himself be sad, he indulged himself and school work. Which wasn't healthy. But he was ready to do it again.