Solangelo One Shots

Campfire Songs

Nico's POV

He stood with his arms crossed over his orange camp counselor's shirt, watching the flames reach towards the opaque sky as he listened to the off-key singing rising from the crowd nestled around the fire. "And we sit by the campfire and sing our campfire songs, and we do it together because any other way would be wrong." Nico fought back an eye roll as he listened, the lyrics cheesy and the rhythm simple. It was the way of the entire camp- ear to ear smiles, hand holding and unwanted hugs from behind from that one kid who just wouldn't leave Nico alone. But he was broke and his college application was drier than a desert so Nico was forced to smile back, hold hands and not scream in frustration every time he felt a sticky arm wrap around his torso.

Across the fire he caught Will's eye, earning a grin and a small wave from Will. A young girl clung to his tanned and freckled leg, staring up at him with eyes filled with admiration but while Nico would have had to resist the urge to shake her off Will didn't seem to mind. Whether it was the fluffy blonde hair, the sky blue eyes or the dazzling smile that made the campers treat him like the best person on Earth, Will seemed to be made for a camp counselor job. Will had created the very mold of camp counselor, while Nico was struggling to fit into it.

Will gently pulled the girl off of his leg, placing her gently on a log in front of the fire and slipped over to Nico, surveying the sight before him with a quiet happiness. "They're so sweet, aren't they?" he said as screaming erupted behind him and a boy chased his friend to the edge of the forest with a plastic sword.

"Yeah," Nico laughed. "Sweet. Like demons dipped in a vat of honey." Will rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on. They're not that bad. We were all kids once, anyway."

"Hey, I was never like that," Nico said. "I was quiet. I played card games and ate my happy meals without complaint. I'm sure you were perfect."

"I was never an angel," Will laughed. "You can ask Cynthia." He nodded at the camp leader, sitting on a log at the very front and strumming a guitar, leading the song with the force of a general charging into battle. "I practically grew up here, and Cynthia watched the whole thing. It's nice to be back after being away for so long. I love it here." He turned to the fire, the flickering flames casting a golden glow over his face. The orange light made his eyes stand out more than ever, like sapphires against his freckled face. He was strangely aware of the sound of Will's breathing, the heat cast by the fire, the hazy glow of the moon pouring onto the dirt underneath their feet. The conversation had dropped off but there was something between them, crackling like electricity, lifting the hairs on Nico's arms. Maybe it was created by the sound of the waves crashing against the sandy beach or maybe it was created by the very presence of Will next to Nico but somehow, even amid the screaming of children and the less than ideal bathroom situation, something told Nico that his time at the summer camp wouldn't be quite as bad as he had imagined it to be.

When the fire had died down and the children had been ushered into their bunks Nico collapsed face down onto the twin bed in his tiny bedroom adjacent to the main cabin, his face buried in the pillow. He could still feel Jeremy's claw-like fingernails digging into the skin of his arms as he whined about the nine o'clock bed time and Nico's body felt drained of energy as if the children had sucked him dry. He turned his head to see the light still on in the cabin across from his, the silhouette of a boy his age pressed against the window. He sat up to get a better look and the window was pulled open and Will stuck his head out, grinning. "Hey," he called. "How was it?"

"How was what?" Nico asked, stepping over to the window and dragging it up. The air was cool, a light breeze blowing through the camp. It toyed with Will's hair its way by, picking up a golden curl.