Chapter Text
The soccer ball struck the little hillside with a loud thud, followed by a chorus of high pitched laughter and chaotic footsteps.
Somehow, Josh had already rounded up a dozen fresh faced campers, kids who'd barely stepped off the bus and still had name tags stuck to their shirts, and convinced them to play an impromptu game while their paperwork was still warm in Tyler’s hands.
Tyler sat at a folding table beneath the shade of the mess hall porch, clipboard in his lap, pen tapping softly against the paper. Cabin assignments, team placements, allergy notes. A neatly ordered chaos... that’s how the first day should feel. A little stiff, a little uncertain. The kids were supposed to cling to routine before adventure kicked in.
Josh didn't seem to get that. Or maybe he did and just didn't care.
Tyler’s eyes drifted back to the field. Back to Josh. Again.
He was in the middle of the group, passing the ball to each camper with a careful precision, shouting encouragement like he’d known these kids for years. He darted between them, high-fiving, laughing, just... radiating too much.
Too much energy, too much volume, too much excitement.
Too much skin, too, Tyler thought, watching the way Josh’s tank top, already marked with sweat, was barely hanging on.
Tyler looked back at his clipboard.
He should’ve been focusing on his task, he didn't need to watch. Not Josh, not even the kids. The other counselors were managing just fine. The second session of camp was just beginning... fourteen days of structure, teamwork, and safe fun. Not... whatever Josh was trying to excite in those kids right there.
The ball flew again. Josh leapt, caught it midair, and twisted just enough to land with a half flip that sent the kids into a frenzy.
Too much.
Tyler sighed. Damn it.. he was watching again.
He barely registered the footsteps until Jenna dropped down on the seat next to him, carrying another box of colorful bandanas for the campers. Before they could continue with the check-ins, she looked sideways at Tyler and followed his gaze to the field.
“You’ve been watching him for the past ten minutes,” she said, voice low and even. “You okay, or should I get you a cold drink?”
Tyler blinked and quickly dropped his gaze back to the clipboard. “I’m checking in the campers.”
"Hmhm." She cut the box open, setting it down at her feet. "You were also staring at Josh’s back while doing that."
“I wasn't staring.” Tyler checked off a name. “He’s being reckless. The campers just got here. They don't know the rules yet.”
"They are just playing ball, Ty..." Jenna said gently, nodding toward the line of kids waiting to approach the table.
Tyler furrowed his brows and glanced toward the field one more time, only to immediately regret it. He looked up just in time to see Josh pull off his shirt, catching Tyler’s gaze with a side eye and a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Tyler just glared.
Then a pair of siblings stepped up to his table, their faces a mix of nervousness, confusion, and excitement. Tyler softened instantly, shifting into calm authority and quiet warmth as he welcomed them, asked their names, and assigned them a cabin. Jenna smiled, handed each of them a bandana in their team color, and sent them on their way.
They worked through the rest of the kids, assigning cabins and teams, Tyler steady and welcoming, Jenna with a warm smile beside him, until a pair of swift footsteps signaled a new presence.
Tyler knew who it was before he even looked up.
"Hey," came Josh’s voice, bright and casual, like there wasn't sweat running down his chest.
"Hi Joshie," Jenna replied enthusiastically, earning a bright, cheeky grin from him.
“Busy being official over here?” he teased, turning to look directly at Tyler. “Didn’t peg you for the paper pusher type, Tyler.”
Tyler’s jaw twitched.
“Someone has to keep this place organized,” he answered flatly without looking up, flipping a page even though he didn't need to.
Josh let out a soft laugh. “Right. Gotta make sure all the fast, bright kids end up on Team Josh, so I can finally beat you and claim that camp trophy."
"Yeah, you wish," Tyler scoffed slightly. "You don't stand a chance." He marked another name off the list, his handwriting dipped, just a little.
He finally lifted his gaze, looking at Josh for the first time since he’d walked over. There was a glint in Josh’s eyes, a challenging smile playing at his lips as their eyes locked.
The rivalry was undeniable. Ever since Josh found out there was a prize to win, he’d been set on getting it. But with the first session, Tyler had come out on top. He was better.
In fact, Tyler wasn’t used to losing at all, being a counselor at this camp for the fifth year, he had never, not once, lost to anyone.
And he wasn't going to let Josh change that. Not this summer. Not ever.
"We'll see about that," Josh said smugly, licking his lips and flashing Tyler one last dashing smile before turning on his heel and jogging back to his group of kids.
Tyler stared after him, eyes fixed on the small clouds of dust kicking up beneath each step.
"We'll see about that."
He’d heard those words before.
Exactly two months ago.
Although the phrase had a slightly different ring to it back then.
...
They did this every year... the counselors meet-up a few months before the summer break, all of them crowded around mismatched tables in the private room of some cozy restaurant downtown. A place where they could comfortably hash out plans for the camp... the themes, the games, the chore schedules, everything.
Their own version of team-building.
Although, truthfully, usually there wasn’t much of a team to build. Most of them were returning year after year, already familiar with each other, as well as how things worked and what to expect at the camp.
Except this year, there was a newbie.
Josh.
Introduced by David, the camp director, with a proud hand on his shoulder and that voice he always used whenever he was particularly pleased with himself. "This is Josh, our newest counselor. You’re all going to love him."
And within half an hour... everyone did.
It soon became clear that Josh was the sort of person who walked into a group of people like he’d been invited to make himself the centre of attention.
He was smooth, all effortless charm and casual confidence. He learned everyone's names, told them a bit of a backstory about himself and why he applied to be a counselor at the camp. David, beaming with pride, hung on every word like he’d known Josh for years.
Josh didn’t cling to one person or linger on the edge like most newcomers usually did. Instead, he moved through the space, like he’d always belonged in it. And people let him. Welcomed him, even. They leaned in when he spoke. Laughed too loud at things that weren’t that funny. Touched his arm when they didn’t need to.
Morgan doubled over in laughter and Debby practically starry eyed. Even Jenna.. somehow Josh convinced her to scoot aside with just a simple “Mind if I squeeze in?” just so he could land himself right in the center of the action.
Everyone loved him.
Well, almost everyone.
Tyler had been clocking him from the far side of the room ever since he walked in.
He wasn't like most of his colleagues, he didn't trust people easily. He was cautious around anyone new, especially when they didn't act like a newbie at all. Especially when they came into the room like they owned the space. Especially when they looked so damn effortless about it.
Don’t get him wrong, he tried to give people the benefit of the doubt. But charm meant nothing to him... not until it was backed up by something real. And until he got to know someone, even just a little, he kept his distance. He didn’t warm up to people right away, no matter how charming they seemed. He didn’t just hand out trust like candy, people had to earn that.
Still… Tyler had to admit, it bugged him just how easily Josh seemed to fit in. Something in the back of his mind itched, a quiet alarm suggesting that maybe Josh’s attitude wasn’t entirely genuine. That maybe he was trying too hard without looking like he was trying at all.
But Tyler couldn't be sure.
If he set his judgement aside though, it really was a good thing they were getting a new counselor.
Up until now, it had just been him, Mark, and David... the men of the camp. Although, to be fair, David was usually buried in paperwork and rarely engaged with the kids or the counselors. So in practice, it was just Mark, Tyler, and the four girls. Their dynamic was easygoing, stable, just the way Tyler liked it.
Last year, though, Lindsey had a child of her own and could no longer return as a counselor. So David decided to bring in someone new to help out. Somehow, Tyler had assumed that someone would be a girl.
Instead, they got Josh.
Usually, Tyler had no problem with people like Josh. The kind of people who made everything look easy. Who didn’t need to try hard for likes or respect because it was just handed to them like a party favor. Tlyer himself wasn't wired that way and he was okay with it, and he could respect it in others.
What he did have a problem with was when those people disrupted an already established dynamic. When they brought chaos to something that had been working perfectly..
And to Tyler, Josh looked like the definition of chaos.
Tyler watched him in silence as he chatted with Debby. She was listening intently, her gaze flicking between his eyes and his lips, like she was hoping to taste the words instead of just hearing them.
And honestly, no wonder she didn’t know where to look first.
Josh was beautiful.
Not in a way that seemed deliberate, just effortlessly so. He had these deep brown, puppy like eyes, curly hair that threatened to fall into his face if he moved too fast, and full lips curved into the most disarming smile. His arms were toned, a hint of muscle appearing whenever he raised his arm and his sleeve rode up.
Effortlessly charming, effortlessly beautiful.
Realizing he was staring, Tyler looked down at his drink, swirling the condensation at the bottom of the glass with slow, absentminded motions.
Josh looked exactly like the type of person people always fell for too easily. The kind who’d have the female counselors distracted all summer. Maybe even some of the older camper girls. Jeez, maybe even some of the boys, Tyler thought, reluctantly acknowledging that he might have a problem himself if he let himself entertain the thought for just a little longer.
And Tyler wasn’t having that.
When he looked up again, Josh was already looking at him.
Not scanning the room. Not glancing his way. Looking.
Their eyes met. Josh was still mid conversation with Morgan, but his gaze was fixed on Tyler, like he’d been waiting for him to look up. There was curiosity and maybe even a hint of intrigue in his eyes, but beneath it all was something playful. Something that almost looked like a dare.
His mouth twitched like he was holding back a grin, and for a second, it felt like the whole room had narrowed down to just the two of them. Still, his eyes stayed warm. Inviting.
Tyler held his gaze for a while, trying to intimidate him. But when his effort fell short, he dropped his eyes back to his drink.
Five minutes later, Josh was moving again. Shifting his drink to his other hand, brushing past the corner table, sliding into the empty seat beside Tyler like it was always meant for him.
"Tyler, right?"
The voice was smooth. Friendly. Too casual.
Tyler didn’t look at him. “That’s me.”
“Cool. I’m Josh.” He offered a hand.
Tyler didn’t take it. Just nodded.
Unbothered, Josh set his glass down and leaned back a little. “Soo…” Josh began, drawing the word out like a string. “You’ve been at the camp for a while, right? What’s your thing? Crafts? Survival skills?"
Tyler finally looked up at him, but his response was flat. “Music.”
Josh’s eyebrows lifted. “Ooh, really? That’s hot.” His gaze dropped, lingering just a second longer than necessary on Tyler’s tattoos. “Makes sense I guess,” he added, lips curling into a grin as his eyes slid back up to meet Tyler’s... steady, deliberate, and maybe just a little too interested.
He held Tyler’s gaze like he was enjoying the view.
Tyler felt his stomach twist, not unpleasantly, but not exactly pleasantly either. More like, he didn't know what to think of Josh's words, or the way he was looking at him.
Was that a compliment? Was he.. flirting?
No. That couldn't be... Right?
Sure, Josh looked like he could be a flirt, but Tyler had assumed that he was as straight as they come, if his conversations with all the girls and Debby’s starry-eyed reaction earlier was anything to go by. The idea of Josh flirting with him left Tyler a little unsteady on the inside.
But on the outside?
Tyler just stared... cool, unmoved, unimpressed.
Josh didn’t seem discouraged. He shifted again, this time angling toward Tyler with a low, conspiratorial tone. “You’ve got that ‘I don’t talk much but when I do, people listen’ thing going. Bet you kill it with the acoustic guitar.”
Tyler tried to fight it, but he couldn’t help it. His mouth twitched. Just barely. Not a smile. But... something.
And Josh noticed. Because of course he did.
“Let me guess…” Josh went on, tapping his fingers idly against the rim of his glass, looking up at Tyler from beneath his lashes. “You sit by the fire, quiet, then when the time comes, you pull out a six string and wreck everyone emotionally with some haunting original song about stars and regret.”
Tyler gave him a sidelong glance. “That’s... oddly specific.”
Josh just shrugged. “I’ve met your type.”
Something about the way he said it caught Tyler off guard. Like Josh wasn’t bothered by people like him at all. Like he didn’t mind that Tyler was acting cold and distant. Like it didn’t matter that they were complete opposites.
Like Tyler’s type was his personal challenge or something. Tyler had no intention of playing along with that.
"Well.. you're wrong," Tyler said simply, not ready to admit that Josh might be onto something.
The truth was, Josh was actually right.
Tyler was mostly quiet, reserved, but when he spoke, his words meant something and they drew people in almost effortlessly. And when those words were paired with a melody and a smooth string of rhymes, people were hooked from the very first line.
But Josh didn't need to know that.
"Which part am I wrong about?" Josh pressed, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lip.
Tyler didn’t answer.
He should’ve shut this down already. Should’ve gotten up, moved seats, gone to refill his drink or check in with Jenna. But instead, he stayed where he was, letting Josh’s words settle under his skin. Wondering, just for a second, what it might feel like to let him in, to see where the conversation could go.
If only he hadn’t already built his walls so high.
Josh must’ve sensed the shift because the next moment, he was leaning in close. His voice dropped a little lower, quieter. “You’ve got this whole mystery thing going on, and I’m not gonna lie... makes me curious.”
Tyler looked at him fully this time. Their eyes met, and something unspoken hovered in the air between them. A flicker of something just barely taking shape.
Tyler’s voice came out quiet, but even. “Curious about what?”
Josh’s lips twitched, like he’d been waiting for that exact reaction. He stood, smooth and unhurried, picked up his drink with two fingers, and locked eyes with Tyler one last time.
Then he simply said, “See you around, Tyler.”
And just like that, he slipped back into the center of action, back to the safe warmth of loud laughter and people who didn’t make things complicated, unlike Tyler.
It left Tyler wondering.
Was Josh just like that with everyone? Open, charming, casually disarming? Or was it some game he played to get under people’s skin and watch them flinch?
Maybe he was the type who needed everyone to like him. Maybe he flirted his way into people’s good books. Maybe he just wanted a reaction.
Maybe he got one.
Or maybe... for the first time in a very long time... Tyler didn't really know what to think.
Tyler exhaled slowly. His hand moved instinctively toward his glass, ready to trace patterns in the condensation like it was part of some coping ritual. Except there was no condensation left. The drink was warm.
He picked it up anyway and downed the rest in a single gulp before pushing back his chair and standing up from his spot.
He needed another one.
The rest of the night blurred in and out of focus, the way these kinds of evenings tended to. Eventually, the group gathered around to go over camp plans. Jenna called everyone over like a tired mom wrangling her adult children. After dinner, some people switched to water, others went for something stronger.
The conversation shifted to rotations, group assignments, theme nights, and the new camp-wide scavenger hunt someone had dreamt up last year but never implemented. Tyler had input. He always did. Even with the slight buzz working its way through his system, he stayed sharp, his suggestions precise and clear.
And if he felt eyes on him every now and then from across the table, he didn’t acknowledge it.
By the time the official business was wrapped up, the room had softened. Voices were looser, jokes louder. Debby was perched on the back of a chair, wine in hand, cheeks flushed. Jenna had kicked off her shoes. Tyler sat back in his chair, sipping something sweet and citrusy this time. His brain wasn’t entirely quiet, but at least it softened around the edges.
He didn’t hear Josh approach until he was already sliding into the chair beside him again, uninvited but... not unwelcome.
“You always this intense about scavenger hunts?” Josh asked, leaning his arms casually on the table like they were old friends.
Tyler gave him a side glance, “I like things that are planned.”
Josh chuckled slightly, “Yeah, I picked up on that.” His smile curled. “So...what would happen if we...hypothetically... ditched some plan and just made something up on the fly?”
Tyler narrowed his eyes, meeting Josh’s gaze. "Don’t... even think about it. We do these meetings for a reason, Josh."
Tyler was used to mischief from the kids. But the look Josh gave him now? That was something else entirely. "Well.. I make no promises, man"
"My god, you’re trouble," Tyler said, matter of factly, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shook his head.
"And you’re interesting," Josh shot back, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Tyler froze, hand halfway to his drink. "What?"
Josh just tilted his head slightly, as if he was studying Tyler, trying to see something beneath the surface.
“Well.. just the fact that you’re so busy keeping things controlled, I can’t tell if you actually like it or if you’re just scared of what happens when you let go.”
Tyler’s breath hitched for a moment. The words struck something. A little too close to home.
He didn’t answer. Just took another sip of his drink.
Josh leaned in, not crowding him, but maybe a little closer than necessary. “You know,” he said, voice low again, “you’re a lot more talkative after two drinks.”
Tyler turned to him, and... maybe it was the lighting, or the drink, or the smile that wasn’t so smug this time... but something in him loosened just enough to let the words slip out.
“Maybe you’re just easier to tolerate when I’m not completely sober.”
Josh’s mouth curved into a carefree grin. “Wow... that’s practically affection coming from you.”
Tyler gave him a look, half-blank, half-amused. “Yeah, well... don’t get used to it.”
“Too late,” Josh said, his tone easy, but there was something under it... something a little more real. “I like this version of you.”
Tyler looked away, but not fast enough to hide the way that landed.
For all the showy charm, there was something else behind Josh’s eyes. A steadiness. A softness. An interest that felt genuine. Tyler was almost curious about what it might feel like to let his guard down for a few minutes. To lean into that interest, to really seeJosh... What it might feel like to let his drunken eyes roam for a while, take in some of Josh’s beauty.
But then he stopped himself.
He didn’t get to be curious. That wasn’t who he was. That wasn’t safe.
Josh’s smile softened, just a little. “You’re allowed to like me, you know," he said like he knew exactly what was going through Tyler’s mind.
And that was enough to shake Tyler out of his thoughts completely. A simple sentence. And just like that, he pulled the shutters back down.
“Well, I don’t," he said firmly, eyes pinned straight ahead.
Josh leaned back, unfazed. “You saying that to convince me… or yourself?”
Tyler returned to his drink. "Not trying to convince anyone. I just don't."
Josh let the moment breathe, just long enough for Tyler to feel it stretch too thin. Then, with that infuriatingly calm charm, he stood and gathered his glass.
“Well, you're saying that now,” he said with a shrug. “But we’ll see about that.”
And with that, he walked away, leaving Tyler there, alone with the noise in his head and his warm beer and the sinking certainty that this summer was going to be anything but chill and organized.
...
Tyler blinked, dragging himself back to the present.
Josh was gone... already jogging back to his group of kids, like he hadn’t just cracked open something Tyler had buried under two months of silence and structure.
“You just time traveled, didn’t you,” Jenna said beside him, not even looking up from her paperwork.
Tyler didn’t answer. He marked the next name on his clipboard a little too hard.
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.”
“Cool,” she said casually. “I’ll be over by the paddock if you decide to stop brooding.”
Tyler exhaled through his nose, sharp, controlled and lifted his gaze towards Josh one more time.
God bless. This guy was going to be the end of him this summer.