[HIATUS] The Day the Campers Came | GRAVITY FALLS/CAMP CAMP AU

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Camp Campbell was byfar the shittiest camp you could send your kid to. A run-down, scam artist's sanctuary with campers too fucked to stay anywhere else.

They'd all be damned, though, if they said they weren't family. Closer than the nine circles of hell, those campers.

Harrison had no one else. Not his parents, not his... siblings, nobody. Except his fellow campers.

He'd play with his food, look out the window, talk with his friends, nothing irregular for the magic camper.

Harrison didn't always appreciate the monotony of the camp, though. Things had severely died down this year compared to the last year's shenanigans. He wanted a bit more spontaneity in his life again.

He took it upon himself to change the schedule. Perhaps he'd bury the hatchet, mend some bridges, whatever. He wanted to make things right.

He didn't want to age out of camp on a sour note, did he? The magician always wanted to go out with a bang. So, naturally, he'd start with Neil. Although the other boy started their... he wouldn't say rivalry, they had nothing to compete for. Neil had started their.. general disliking for the other. He'd put it that way.

After a quick pep talk between Nerris, Preston, and himself, he finally managed to work up his confidence to talk to the science lover. But a minor intermission by David put his quest on hold for a moment.

No worries. Take your time, Harrison. No need to worry. He'd thought.

The boy made his way hesitantly towards the aforementioned, seeing that he was taking notes or making calculations of some kind. Maybe Neil wouldn't give him the time of day.

Speaking of such, Neil looked up at him, then back down at the paper. He didn't look at Harrison, but attempted a conversation. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to- well, talk to you." Harrison clasped his hands nervously, feeling the warming of his hands rub against the fabric of the gloves.

"Spit it out. I don't have all day," he looked Harrison in the eyes sharply for a fragment of a second. "If it's about your magic, I don't care. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. I can't help you." Neil's focused remained on his work.

"It's not that." He blurted. Harrison firmly placed his hands on his hips and eyed the faux scientist. "I wanted to bury the bridge between us."

Neil's brow furrowed as he placed his pencil down. He looked up at Harrison. "That's not the saying. It's bury the hatchet. But, I digress. Why?" He questioned.

Harrison inhaled sharply, running through the shoddy script Preston had prepped him with. "I'll be too old to come back to camp next year, and I wanted to make things right before there wasn't a chance anymore."

"Understandable. Are you sorry?" Neil leaned back in his chair which leaned on the steel machinery behind him.

"I am." Harrison responded, his hands grasping eachother in a more firm, tense way.

"You shouldn't be." Neil stood. His figure was about two or three inches taller than Harrison's, and imposed a sense of fear into the magician. "When I first arrived, I was childish. You didn't deserve what I gave you." Neil's content (but intimidating) expression stayed put, sending chills down Harrison's spine. "In other words, Harrison, I'm sorry."

Harrison was in utter shock. This was.. odd, to say the least. He was expected to make the apologies. The 'man of science' was stubborn, believing he was better than everybody else (in some ways he was, but that wasn't the point). "I.. uhh," he stammered.

Neil eyed him up and down, and against his better judgment, held out his hand for a handshake. Harrison didn't reciprocate immediately, instead staring at the out hand.

"So, Harrison, are we ready to bury the hatchet," Neil's own eyes followed Harrison's gaze down to his hand. "Or do you like to stare at my hand?" He stifled a laugh.

Harrison tooks Neil's hand firmly in his own, shaking it with great pride. He smiled boldly. He got cocky. Cocky enough to lean in and kiss Neil on the hand.

Neil let his hand free from the grasp, shock imminent on his face. But, ultimately, he didn't look displeased or disgusted. His face was redder than it usually was (even with his rosacea). Neil wiped his hand on his jeans, looked away, and regained his composure. His blue eyes met Harrison's musky green ones for a short moment.

"Does this make us.. friends?" The magician asked, his eyes sparkling with hope.

"Perhaps," Neil crossed his arms. "Can I ask for your assistance, Harrison? Considering Nikki has been banned from working on my.. machinery, and Max just won't?"

"Yeah.. yeah! What do you need help with?" Harrison looked happier then David when Max smiled, placing his hands on Neil's desk eagerly.

"Come back here." Neil said, motioning to the various machinery placed behind the excerpt of a science camp.

Harrison followed Neil, albeit hesitantly.

"With your.. erm, magic, I think the project could come along a lot quicker." Neil looked at the jumbled mess of steel he called a project as if he the father and the steel his child.

"What.. what even is this?" Harrison queried, looking at his makeshift project partner.

"This baby is going to be a teleporter!" Neil stated boldly, showcasing the jumbled steel as if it weren't a mess.

"Okay.." He replied doubtfully. "Tell me what to do, boss."

"Alright, I have you start.. there." The two probably worked on the project for hours. Running calculations, screwing pieces together, secretly snagging some juice from the mess hall once or twice, and Neil swatting Space Kid away with a broom once. Perhaps they fist-bumped (atleast once).

The two looked proudly at the finished project. Harrison had traded his more formal clothing for old things from the lost-and-found. His hands were still gloved, though.

"Are we going to test it, Neil?" Harrison asked, pushing stray strands of hair behind his ear as he looked at Neil.

Neil nodded, his hand hovering over the 'Activate' button. Harrison gripped the side of the machine nervously.

"3.., 2.., 1- activate..-!" Neil stammered, pressing the button.

The world shook as the two boys gripped the machine. The sound, oh my goodness, the sound was deafening. It was like a fire alarm in his ears. His hands burned and ached from the intensity of the radiation from the machine.

And just like that- they were gone.

Harrison looked at the sky, his vision hazy. His ears rung, and he couldn't bring himself to speak. He did his best to look around before he spotted Neil, about three or four yards away.

He was slumped against a tree, and the ground made it seem like he dragged himself there. Neil's head bled profusely against the tree.

Harrison gasped as he attempted to get something out. He turned onto his side before he began coughing uncontrollably. This left him dizzy with no sense of where he was. And before he knew it, he was out like a light once more. He wished he'd passed out of some more comfortable foliage.