This Year is My Year

Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail

I ran my fingers through Y/N's hair as she leaned back onto my chest, laughing as Dustin kept adding to the list of items that he was insistent we would need for our camping trip. We were laying on the couch, Y/N splayed on top of me, waiting for Dustin to finish his list so we could go shopping for the trip.

"Buddy, we're going for a couple of days, not for a month," Y/N teased. I smiled, kissing the top of her head.

"Fail to prepare, prepare to fail!" Dustin retorted before sauntering out of the living room.

"He's so excited," she commented quietly, readjusting herself to be closer to me. My heart picked up when she started to trace the dove on my arm.

"Has he ever been camping?" I asked, curious as to how my protégé would fare in the wild. She was quiet.

"I mean, he's been to math camp." I laughed with her at her realization. I wrapped my arms tighter around her and kissed her temple.

"We'll have to make sure he gets a separate tent so that we can have more shoe adventures," I flirted, wanting to make her blush. I was successful as she smacked my chest, her face beat red.

"Eddie Munson, you are incorrigible!" She was trying to whisper and keep her voice low so that Dustin wouldn't hear us. I pressed my lips to her ear, knowing what it did to her.

"Oh, so you don't want to go on any of our adventures?" I felt her face heat and smiled into her ear. She was quiet, and I knew I had put her on the spot. "That's disappointing."

"No, I didn't say that," she stammered, making me laugh. I kissed her flushed cheek and squeezed her arms.

"Do you think we should get flare guns? Just in case?" Dustin bounded back into the room, thinking of additional items.

"Buddy – no. I think your list is long enough, and you'll be prepared enough," Y/N stood, her attention now dedicated to making Dustin focus. She turned to me, putting her hand out. "Mind driving us, handsome?"

My heart skipped at her compliment, and I grinned, taking her hand.

---

We were following Dustin around the store, Y/N pushing a cart as I kept grasping at her when Dustin wasn't looking, making her laugh and blush. Dustin was chattering on about the trip, probably the most excited I had ever seen him.

"Should we be worried about temperature drops at night? I'm concerned about my sleeping bag choice now," Dustin wondered. We were stopped in front of the sleeping bags, and Y/N and I had already made our choices. I snaked my arm around Y/N's waist, kissing her exposed neck.

"Buddy, have you ever even been outside?" Y/N asked, genuinely concerned. I tried not to laugh.

"Fail to prepare—"

"Prepare to fail, I heard you the first six times, bud," she interrupted, suppressing a smile. Dustin smiled widely, tossing a thicker sleeping bag into the cart. We continued down the aisle, Dustin going through his list to ensure we did not miss anything.

"I think we should really reconsider getting MRE's – do we really trust Steve with getting the food?" Dustin questioned. I couldn't hold my laughter back anymore – though Steve and I were now cautious friends, I still enjoyed a joke at his expense.

"Dustin Michael Henderson, if you don't stop doomsday prepping, I'm going to leave you at home," Y/N warned, smacking my arm so I would stop laughing. Dustin's incredulous face made me laugh harder.

"You'll regret it if we get trapped out there."

"If we get trapped in the woods by Lover's Lake, I will buy you enough MRE's to feed you until you graduate high school." She took his shoulder and turned him around. "Now, let's go check out."