A little something based on JovianPlanets Summer Camp AU on twitter. There's not much to say: they're summer camp counselors, they're in college and Willow is the sports director and Hunter is a lifeguard. They're still dorks, it's very cute, get into it.
---
Hunter was the newest counselor at Camp Palistrom and for the first part of the summer, he had mostly kept to himself. He had been recommended by Luz whose mom worked at the animal shelter he volunteered at, but he knew she had just started dating the activities coordinator and didn’t want to be a third wheel in their summer romance. He was fine using the limited free time he had to study, just because it was summer didn’t mean it was an excuse to slack off. He adopted an air of mystery; he was strict and diligent. He took his job seriously. But the moment he wasn’t actively responsible for campers’ wellbeing, it was like he vanished.
But then one morning Willow ran into him on her early morning jog and was overjoyed to have finally found a workout buddy who could keep up with her, and the two became the talk of camp.
But mostly because Willow and Hunter were no strangers to the infirmary.
They'd be on a hike and sure enough they'd fall into a collection of poison ivy. They'd try out double dutch and would be in with matching scrapes and bruises. They'd be in the garden and sure enough so would a whole beehive. Not to mention the infamous super glue incident when they tried to make a birdhouse for a cardinal that seemed to be obsessed with Hunter.
But this latest one really took the cake.
“Okay it’s not like a life threatening wound or anything,” Viney observed as Hunter sat in the small nurse's office, an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. “The arrow’s head was straight, so it won’t like rip you apart or anything but I ain’t gonna lie it’s still gon hurt when it comes out.”
“Can I take like a Tylenol or something?” Hunter asked.
“Uh I mean you can but it probably won’t do too much,” said Viney. “I mean, it’s an arrow, dude. The stuff that’ll make you not feel that is not the stuff they send to a state owned summer camp.”
“Oh, yeah well, I’m sure it’ll be fine…” Hunter started looking uncertain.
“Oh Hunter I’m so sorry!” Said Willow. “This is all my fault, let me drive you to the hospital and we can get you something to help-.”
“Willow, Willow I promise it’s fine, really,” Hunter said, putting his hand over hers. “It really doesn’t hurt, it’s just… kinda weird. And it’s not your fault!”
“I’m the sports director, I should've explained the technique better before I let the kids shoot!” She insisted. “Let me at least hold your hand or something while she takes it out..”
“Uh sure yeah okay we can-.” He began as Willow eagerly laced her fingers through his and gave his hand a small squeeze. There was no way he was focusing on the pain now. “-do that.”
Their collection of injuries wasn’t the only thing the pair were known for around camp.
“So uh, what were you doing by the archery field?” Said Viney as she looked for the gloves.
“Uh ya know just… walking by.” said Hunter tentatively as he tried not to look at Willow looking at him with wide, worried eyes.
“Just walking by, huh?” Asked Viney with a smirk. “It’s an awful far walk from the pool, are you sure you weren’t there for… any other reasons?”
Hunter’s face turned bright red. “I uh, ya know I was just walking by that’s all,” he said nervously. “Ya know, just… hanging out.”
He totally wasn’t watching Willow demonstrate how to pull back the arrow and admiring the cute way she scrunched her nose when she focused. It wasn't his fault King was overzealous and fired his arrow early.
“Sure it wasn’t Cupid that hit with that arrow?” Viney asked with a smirk.
“Pretty sure,” Hunter chuckled nervously, clearing his throat. If Willow got what Viney was trying to imply she made no indication. She was too focused on holding Hunter’s hand.
“All right then, hold him down Park,” said Viney, getting a good grip on the end of the arrow. “Just in case I don’t get it on the first try.”
“Wait what?”
—-
Viney gave Hunter an ointment he needed to apply every few hours when he changed the bandages. She advised trying to avoid getting them wet, but Hunter found that might be a little difficult being the lifeguard and all.
Luckily, Willow was still certified due to Amity insisting everyone be prepared in case of emergency so she could be there to help if lifeguard services were required. She offered to take his shifts all together and give him a break, but he insisted that it was still his responsibility. So, every day, Willow and Hunter would meet at the lifeguard tower. Hunter insisted he could have his chair and he would stand but she wouldn’t hear of it. So she got out an old one from the shed so they could both sit side by side “like a king and queen, looking over their kingdom,” Willow said. Realistically, they should sit at opposite ends of the pool to have a better view of the whole pool but Hunter didn’t mention this because he liked how excited she was to sit next to him. He wasn't able to do their usual activities since they might aggravate his injury, so he was glad he still had an excuse to see her.
He had expected this summer to be about a paycheck, something good to put on his resume. He hadn't expected meeting someone like her. She made everything fun. She bought them matching heart-shaped sunglasses and would mimic his voice when he yelled at kids not to run. But she wasn't making fun of him, which was odd to him. She went out her way to find him. She'd bring him an extra jello cup from the mess hall when he was running late, she asked people to move down so she could sit next to him at campfires, she made him a friendship bracelet that he mentally vowed never to take off.
For the first time, he wished for an endless summer.
---
As the last campers headed back to their cabins to get ready for dinner, Willow jumped into the pool to do a celebratory cannonball. Hunter laughed as she splashed his feet, setting her prescription sunglasses on the edge of the pool as she treaded water.
“Come on in, let’s race!” she called up to him.
It was tempting, it was very tempting. It had been a hot day the way Willow’s braids were slowly unraveling made her look like a mermaid. But he still had a few more days on Viney’s restrictions.
“I’d love to, but I gotta go change my bandages before the campfire,” he said. “I’ll be right back though, I wanna tell you about my idea for a water polo team.”
Hunter ran over to the pool shed where he kept his supplies and went to work. The bandages were tight around his shoulder, and it was difficult to remove one handed by himself, especially with the shed as dark as it was. But he wanted to get back to Willow as quickly as possible, so he practically dislocated his other shoulder as he tried to undo the old layer.
“Hey, are you okay in here?” came a delicate voice from the doorway.
“Willow!” he said, flustered as he turned himself back around. “I-I’m fine; really. I can figure it out myself.”
“I know Gus said you had trouble last night and he had to help you before bed,” said Willow as she made her way to the back by him, her hair still dripping wet. “I can help you if you-.”
“No no I don’t want you to have to-.”
“I honestly don’t mind at all Hunter. Plus I don’t want you to get infected.” She put her glasses atop her head, the shed too dark for sunglasses. He knew her normal glasses were back in her locker, he’d hate for her to strain her eyes on his account. “Let me help you.”
But she really did care about him.
“It’s just… I’d have to take off my shirt…”
“Oh, well… oh.” Willow stopped herself. She realized that despite being the lifeguard, Hunter did always have his tank top on. A fact she remembered vividly because the few times he had needed to jump into the water, her head quickly turned and saw the white see thru fabric clinging poetically to his torso, glaring in the sunlight. Not that she had been disappointed. Not that she was expecting anything. Not that she was ogling him.
Okay, maybe a little.
The point was that Willow knew Hunter did not take off his shirt because she definitely would’ve noticed if he had. She knew it was none of her business, she knew it wasn’t professional or polite to ask but she’d be lying if the slight definition of his arms didn’t spark a healthy curiosity in her.
But she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.
“Oh, that’s okay,” she said. “If you want I can get Gus to help if that would be more comfortable for you, I just know it’s an odd angle and with how hot it’s been today I’m worried about you not healing properly.”
“Uh no it’s okay just… promise not to stare?”
“I promise.” She swore, crossing her heart. She put the appropriate amount of medicine onto her fingertip as she tried to allow Hunter some kind of privacy as he undressed. Hunter took a deep breath as he carefully went to remove his shirt and the moment he did Willow realized just how small the pool shed was as she felt launched into the orbit of his personal space as her eyes did not know where to land. Even with her impaired vision, she could see plenty. She didn’t know how to react, and her mouth moved faster than her mind as she let her thoughts become audible.
“Wow.” she whispered, immediately regretting it. She saw Hunter’s brow furrow in worry and she stumbled over herself to try and fix it. “Sorry! Sorry, it’s just that you’ve got some pretty impressive-.”
“Scars, I know they’re-.”
“-muscles.”
An awkward silence floated between the two of them as Willow attempted to address the task at hand as she placed one hand on his wound to apply the salve and the other somehow landed on his bare chest. As he looked up to face her, Hunter saw how close they were. She didn’t step back or wear a look of disgust, in fact if Hunter didn’t know better, he’d say she looked rather… flustered.
“Oh, uh… thanks,” he managed to say. “I uh work out a little, I guess.”
“Yeah, I guess saving people will uh will do that,” she said, pretending to clear her throat. She promised she wouldn’t stare, and she didn’t realize it was easier said than done. She held her breath as she wrapped the new bandage, trying not to apply too much pressure. It was one thing staring at his back when he passed her on their runs, but this was bordering unprofessional.
“Are you okay?” He asked when she was uncharacteristically quiet. “I know it’s kind of gross-.”
“No, no it’s totally not gross,” Willow quickly assured him. “It’s like the total opposite of gross, it’s like I get why the sign-up sheet for swim team filled up so quickly, ya know?”
“I uh, I meant the wound,” clarified Hunter.
“Oh! Oh yeah yeah yeah totally,” she laughed nervously. “I mean not that it’s gross, it’s like practically healed. You uh- I mean… dude you have some major tan lines.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah I guess,” he laughed, noticing for the first time the tan half circle from his tank top clashing with the pale whiteness of his torso. “You should see the tan lines from my crocs, my feet are covered in polka dots now.”
“You think that’s bad? Check this out!” She giggled as she pulled the strap of her coverup over her shoulder to reveal a dramatic discoloration of her own. “And don’t get me started on the tan line from my glasses.”
“Okay yeah, that’s pretty-woah!” Before Hunter could finish, he bumped a shelf with his elbow and sent the supplies faking onto the ground. He quickly pulled Willow out of its path, pulling her in by her waist to avoid being crushed by boogie boards and towels. The water falling from her hair created a small puddle that she slipped in and caused her to hold him tighter for balance.
“Sorry about that, are you okay?” He asked, looking down at her slightly embarrassed. Much to his surprise, he was met with wide eyes as Willow instinctively clung to his chest.
“Mhm-hmm,” she breathed softly, and Hunter was suddenly taken back by the way the gentle light shone through the small window and managed to find her like a spotlight. Like she was the only thing deserving of the sparse light, like it was drawn to her, like it fought to be near her. He could hardly blame it. They were so close, he could smell her sunscreen. So close, that it would be so easy to-.
“Hunter, how many floaties would be considered a safety hazard because Gus and I wanna-oh.” Luz stopped herself dead in her tracks as she examined the very surprising very… compromising scene she walked in on: a shirtless Hunter holding Willow as her strap exposed her shoulders and they both looked like deer caught in the headlights. What was she supposed to think?
“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt!” Said Luz, going to shut the door. “I’ll just be going so you can-.”
“You’re not!” “It’s not what you think!” They said simultaneously as they quickly separated, and Hunter rushed to put his tank top back on.
“Luz, wait up!” Willow called before quickly turning back to Hunter. “Are you good?”
“Huh? Oh yeah, I-it’s great thanks,” he said with a blush he hoped the dim lighting hid.
“Cool,” she said, giving him a wink as she often did. “Happy to help.”
—-
It felt wrong to, but Willow almost wished Hunter’s injury would take longer to heal. She hoped he would ask her to stay on after he no longer technically needed her, but she knew he wouldn’t dream of inconveniencing her. But it wouldn't be anything like that, she loved spending time with him. And he didn’t socialize outside camp sponsored events. If he wasn’t required to be somewhere, he was off by himself. She would find an excuse to see him under the guise of planning events and soon he would be telling her about the books he was reading or showing her pictures of the cardinal he was looking after. She knew he needed the time to collect his thoughts after the overstimulation their job brought forth, but summer was ending soon. Was it selfish to say she wanted as much time with him as possible?
She had never met someone like him, so serious and silly at the same time. She loved the way he lit up when he told her about his interests and the way he looked at her when she went on about her plants. He admitted he had found an old book on edible fungi so on their next hike they could look for examples together. She would love nothing more.
She liked him, she really liked him.
And she was starting to think he really liked her too.
---
“Did you know Hunter’s birthday is this week?” Willow asked as she and Gus finished cleaning up makeshift kickball bases.
“How did I know you were gonna bring up Hunter?”
“Okay, you brought him up first when you were talking about arranging a Cosmic Frontier movie night,” countered Willow.
“Well, if we get two more sign ups we’ll be allowed to do it!” he said. They currently had three, two of which were them.
“Anyway, it’s not on the employee board so I wonder why he’s keeping it a secret.”
“How did you find out?”
“He was showing me a postcard his guardian sent him, and I saw another one on his bed that asked what he was doing for his birthday on Friday,” she said.
“You were in his cabin? Unsupervised?” Gus gave a fake gasp. “At last: a camp scandal!”
“Pshh, I wish,” she joked. “It’s your cabin too, Gus. I was just in there helping him fold your laundry since he lost the bet you two had.”
"The poor fool really thought he could drink more Bug Juice than me," Gus chuckled fondly as he slung the sack of kickballs over his shoulder. "He never stood a chance."
"He's never had so much processed sugar before," laughed Willow, remembering how she had tried teaching him how to braid with his surge of energy but he had passed out on her shoulder halfway through and she guided him through the sugar hangover the next day.
“Yeah, you two have been spending a lot of time together,” said Gus. “Getting hit by that arrow was the best thing that ever happened to him. Before, he’d be up all night rereading the manual to something and now he’s like a totally different person. He’s been smiling alot more.”
“We hung out before he got hit by the arrow,” Willow smiled. Hunter had a nice smile, even the thought of it was contagious.
"You know that's not the arrow I mean," teased Gus. Willow rolled her eyes, she knew Viney's joke about Cupid's arrow had spread around camp. She honestly didn't mind it. She had brought it up once to Hunter, to see if he was totally against the implication but somehow, they got talking about Percy Jackson, thinking it was a reference and he went on one his deep dives that Willow loved to listen to, like her own personal podcast.
“I wish we started hanging out sooner. There’s only one more session left and then he’ll be across the country for school.”
“I know,” sighed Gus sadly. “But that just means we have to make the time we have left count. The campers leave Friday morning and then we have a whole weekend before the last set comes in. Maybe we can do something for his birthday?”
“I want to do something, but I know if we tell him we want to do something he’ll insist he’s not worth the trouble,” said Willow. “And I don’t think it’s because he wouldn’t enjoy it, but he’s like actually convinced he doesn’t deserve it.”
“Then… what if we surprise him?” said Gus.
“Gus, we hardly have any free time as it is,” laughed Willow. “And when we do, we’re all together. How can we plan a whole party without him knowing?”
“If we tell him it’s not for him,” said Gus slyly.
“Ooh, you’ve got a scheme, Porter?”
“We just need to convince Hunter that I have a summer birthday.”
---
“Okay, Gus is out with Matt collecting firewood so we should have plenty of time to set up the main hall before he gets back,” said Amity, going over her checklist. In truth, Matty and Gus were finishing making a cardboard cutout of O’Bailey out of paper mâché, convinced it would be a fun photo op. “Luz and I are finishing up decorations, Skara is on music, Jerbo is on punch, Ed and Em are getting games, Viney… I don’t think a petting zoo is gonna work but lemme double check and we just need someone to pick up the cake and a few things from town.”
“Oh! Hunter and Willow can go!” Luz pretended to spontaneously volunteer as though that had not been the plan the whole time.
“Uh, sure yeah,” said Hunter. Willow nodded and ran ahead to grab the keys from Eda’s office.
Once she was out of earshot, Luz reached out and pulled Hunter back by his shoulder. “Don’t mess this up.”
“I won’t,” he assured her, confused as to why she thought he would. “I know Gus’ favorite flavors and I’m prepared to go to multiple stores to get the trick candles he likes.”
“Not that!” Luz said in a harsh whisper. “Do you really think we need two people to pick up a cake? No, this is just an elaborate excuse to get you two alone so you finally make a move.”
Luz considered the opportunity a birthday gift to Hunter.
“Make a-,” he turned around frantically to make sure Willow had not been around to hear. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“My dude, during free swim you look at Willow like you’re hoping she’s gonna drown,” said Luz. “Those sunglasses aren’t fooling anyone.”
“I would never put the lives of campers at risk!” He said, truly offended. “I keep an avid and well circulated eye over everyone in the water, not just Willow and her green bikini!”
Luz simply raised an eyebrow to him as his words caught up with him and did not help disprove her point.
“I mean I- it could’ve been green, I don’t remember but it’s beside the point because what I mean is I still have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Which I guess means you haven’t noticed the way she practically starts drooling every time you reapply sunscreen,” said Luz smugly, amazed how neither of them were even a little bit subtle and yet the other was totally oblivious. Like an unstoppable force and an unmovable object.
“I don’t… notice everything Willow does,” Hunter lied, beginning to sweat. He assumed her gaze was always meant for something just past him. Or maybe she was just making sure he applied it evenly. Once she had offered to get his back for him and he ended up pretending to see something in the water to avoid coming up with an answer because he literally couldn’t say yes but how could he say no?
“Hey, having a crush is nothing to be embarrassed about-.”
“Shhh! What are you doing? Willow might hear you!” Hunter hissed. “If you bothered to read the handbook you’d know that fraternization among counselors is frowned upon and can end in demerits or termination of employment!”
“Demerits? Are you reading the manual from like the 1950s?”
“It’s been a consistent policy!”
“Interesting that you seemed to care so much about that policy that you looked it up to see if it had changed,” said Luz with a smirk.
“It’s not like that,” he lied again. “I happen to know all the policies and their updates.”
“So are you gonna report me and Amity?”
“What? No, I would never-.”
“Then the rules are not the reason you’re being a wuss,” said Luz firmly. “So why haven’t you made a move all summer? She’s been flirting with you like crazy.”
“What? She has not-.”
“So what I walked in on in the pool shed was just… what exactly?”
“She was just helping me with my injury.”
Hunter knew how it looked. It wasn’t the first time they had been caught in a similar situation.
There had been the time the counselors had gotten together for a game of capture the flag. The only condition was that Willow and Hunter had to be on opposite teas, otherwise no one else stood a chance. After a competition within the competition on who got Gus, he declared himself referee to keep the peace. The counselors had decided to make things more interesting and to make finding the flag extra hard. There were no rules so long as it was on the border and chaos ensued.
In the end, Willow’s team had been victorious as their flag was apparently invisible. Flag locations had been disclosed to Gus so he could confirm no foul play had occurred. Afterwards, Hunter was praising Willow at her ability to hide her flag so well, no one had been able to locate it. She beamed at his praise and twirled her ponytail, saying it wasn’t that far away. Hunter knew she often wore her hair and braids and took immediate notice. Especially the interesting color of her hair tie.
Without thinking, he reached forward and took a closer look. Finding his suspicion correct, he removed the makeshift scrunchie, causing her curls to cascade onto her shoulders as he finally held the flag high over his head. The game was long over but he still felt victorious. Despite the finding of the flag resulting in no real loss, Willow til lunged forward to try and take back her treasure. Hunter used his height to his advantage and kept it out of her reach but that didn’t stop Willow. She wrapped one arm around him to prevent him from switching between hands as the other reached up in vain, the both of them laughing too hard to care how silly it all was. She gave one bold jump and the next thing they knew, they were on the ground.
In the commotion, Hunter had landed on top of Willow who managed to win her flag back. She tried to catch her breath from the laughing and the falling as she looked up at Hunter with a wide, smug smile. Their faces were mere inches apart as Hunter found himself frozen. He knew she couldn't get up and until he did but he was too focused trying to formulate an apology. But Willow hardly thought one was warranted. Silently, she reached up and placed the handkerchief around his neck and tied a loose knot as her fingers lingered at the frayed ends. Hunter wordlessly looked down at her as she did not remove her hold but seemed to try and bring him down closer to her. She was slowly succeeding as his forelock now rested on her forehead, she bit her lip and somehow Hunter felt she was resisting the urge to raise her head to close the gap herself. Her hair was spread out on the ground with the dark green grass effortlessly blending in, like she was everything and everywhere. She was in her element, and he couldn’t help but feel drawn to her. He allowed her to pull him down more, until he was on his elbows and as her eyes fluttered closed he knew that he was right where she wanted him to be and he just had to-
“Have you guys seen where Gus-oh!”
Just as quickly as it was cast, the spell was broken as Amity and Luz rounded the corner.
“Oooh, what’s going on here?” sang Luz mischievously raising her eyebrows as she wrapped her arms around Amity’s waist and placed her chin on her shoulder. They pair had been betting on who would make the first move and there was a stack of limited edition Azura bookmarks waiting for the winner.
“Nothing!” said Hunter, his face turning bright red as he pushed himself away from Willow, quickly standing on his feet. Amity and Luz exchanged a knowing look as Hunter frantically wiped the dirt off him before extending his hand to Willow to help her off. “It was uh… it wasn’t… we were just uh-.”
“I was just giving Hunter his consolation prize,” said Willow as though that truly was what she had been doing. She straightened the bandana around his neck before gently tugging the front of it to lead him away as she walked past their friends as though nothing had been interrupted. He followed behind her, and later chalked it all up to adrenaline from the game.
It was nothing, right? Just like the pool shed?
So why was his mind so consumed by nothing?
“It looked like you were posing for the cover of a romance novel you see in the grocery store checkout line,” insisted Luz, interrupting his daydream of a memory. “Man, if I knew she was so into bad but sad boys I would’ve set you two up ages ago!”
“She is not into me!”
“Do you… not want her to be?”
“I want her… I want her…”
“I don’t think you need to finish that sentence,” said Luz with a wink as she heard Willow returning.
“Hey!” Willow called as she ran back to him with a smile, dangling the keys in his face. “Ready?”
—-
Willow tried her best to waste time in the store, but Hunter was just too efficient. When she pretended to lose the list, he had it memorized. When she pretended like she couldn’t decide between two things, he offered to get both. When she pretended to have forgotten something, planning to take her time going back to get it, he and his long legs rushed to grab it in record time.
She had to admire how determined he was to get back and help set things up for Gus, she couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he saw the effort was all for him.
But damn it, she needed to waste some time!
Maybe she could make the most of this opportunity…
She watched him check his mirrors as though they had somehow been adjusted since they were last in the car 10 minutes ago. The way he furrowed his brow and blew his loose strand of hair out of his vision almost made her forget to breathe. She knew his mind was a never-ending maze of lists and instructions, and other people might think that made him uptight or critical, but Willow knew it was because he cared so much, he didn’t know where to start. He was thorough and thoughtful and clever and careful, and Willow wanted him to know that she knew. She couldn’t help but see him.
“You’re a really good driver,” said Willow, looking at him with a smile.
“R-really? Uh, thanks,” Hunter gulped. Despite the car being in park and off, Hunter’s hands remained at 10 and 2 on the wheel. “You’re really good at… sitting shotgun.”
“Thanks,” she said, kicking her feet as they dangled over the side of the high truck seat. He started the car and Willow watched him quickly go through the checklist. Seatbelt, lights, windows, reverse, windows again. Maybe he even glanced her way, surely to make sure her seatbelt was secure. She fiddled with the volume knob and watched him from the corner of her eye as he sat up straighter, as though sensing her gaze.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Luz:
Luzura: We need some more time, can you stall him a little longer?
Hello_Willow: Of course 🙂
“Hey uh, since we have some extra time, do you mind if we take a small detour real quick?” she asked as sweetly as she could.
“Oh uh, sure,” he said. She knew he was not the detour type, but she has a feeling she wouldn’t say no to her.
“Oh, take a left at the next stop sign,” said Willow as Hunter did so. They were far from the streetlights now, far from any light. Willow led them to a small, secluded spot that overlooked the lake, the moon’s reflection the only thing showing where the land ended and the water resided. They weren’t too far from camp now, but far enough where they had privacy.
“Is this… Lookout Point?”
“Oh, huh, I guess it is,” said Willow with a chuckle, seeing he was right. “I never realized. I always come here during the day to catch frogs, but I guess at night it has other plans.”
“Yeah, heh.”
“C’mon! Let's go sit by the water!” she said, jumping out the door before he could protest. He wouldn’t, he would follow her anywhere. A few feet from the lake was a picnic table and Willow hopped on and spread out her sundress dress, looking like a painting that Hunter felt somehow always existed in his mind. The moonlight found her, as light always seemed to, and graced the top of her head like a halo.
“I just thought the moon would look pretty over the water,” she said, bringing her knees up to get more comfortable.
“You were right,” said Hunter, his eyes going back between her and the moon, their radiance essentially equal. “It’s really pretty.”
“Yeah,” she agreed with a sigh as Hunter tentatively sat beside her. Her stomach flipped, as their shoulders nearly touched.
“So uh, how did you know about Lookout Point?” Willow asked after a moment.
“Huh? Oh, uh I dunno.”
“It’s just cuz Lookout Point isn’t the actual name of this place, the only people who call it that are people who come here to… uh…”
“Oh, yeah I know,” said Hunter, trying to seem cooler than he felt.
“So… have you?”
“What?”
“Been here with someone to-.”
“Oh! No! No, no, no! Haha no way!” He said quickly and nervously, his laugh forced and unconvincing. “I just uh know about it because Luz is always sneaking off here with Amity and she asks me to cover for her. She called it that but I had no idea that wasn’t the official name, heh.”
“Oh yeah, I bet they carved their initials here somewhere,” she said, looking down at the table. Hunter followed her gaze and saw it was covered with hearts filled in with tiny letters. Willows’s finger traced a few as she searched for her friends’ and Hunter held his breath as her fingers brushed his, maybe even lingering when they did. He looked down too, searching for Willow's initials, being very familiar with how they looked encased in a heart.
“So, uh, are yours-.” Hunter started to ask but was interrupted by a loud explosion. He and Willow looked up and saw a display of fireworks gracing the sky above the lake.
“Oh wow,” she whispered. “They must be from the camp across the lake, they’re always showing off.”
It was like a show just for them, a spontaneous display of light and color trying to reach the moon. Okay maybe Willow knew this would be happening since it happened every year. Hunter wasn’t the only one super into planning. They sat atop the picnic table admiring the scene together. If you told Hunter he would be spending his 21st birthday at Lookout Point watching fireworks with the prettiest girl he’d ever met he would say he’d never believe it.
“Are you cold?” he asked, most likely because he wanted to say something. It was the perfect night, in every aspect. Willow felt perfectly content. But she noticed Hunter wasn’t wearing a jacket and it made her feel mischievous.
“What if I said I was?” She teased, bumping his arm with hers.
“Oh, uh…” Hunter suddenly realized he did not have a solution to offer. “Uh…I guess I could uh…”
He looked around as though one might appear if he was desperate enough, but the air did not manifest him something for some reason. He tentatively raised his arm and hovered for a moment over Willow’s shoulder. She saw from the corner of her eye but said nothing, as though worried she might spook him. But in her mind she was screaming words of encouragement. Finally, his arm found its way down across her back, his hand resting gently across her shoulders.
“Is that… okay?” his voice was strained as his eyes looked straight ahead. Willow wanted him to know he didn’t have to be nervous, but she has to admit it didn’t make her heart flip a little. She carefully wrapped her arm around his waist to bring him closer, her head ever so slightly resting on his chest.
“I feel warmer already,” she said softly, unable to help but giggle at the small gasp he let out when she returned the contact.
“Cool,” said Hunter softly as he felt her shift closer to him. “Yeah, uh this is… nice.”
“Yeah,” agreed Willow as the pair enjoyed the view. She felt his head rest against hers and all she wanted was to be in this moment forever. She imagined how picturesque they must look, comfortable and cozy. Her phone in the car, their friends miles away, no chance of being interrupted now.
Now she could find out if there was something to interrupt.
“Do you… think you’ll come back next summer?” Willow broke the comfortable silence to ask. It was such a nice moment, and she didn’t want to ruin it, but it had been on her mind. But she might not get another chance where she was sure the two of them had privacy. She might need to take advantage of that.
“I mean, I’ve been having a great time so far,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the campers and the birds and yo- you know, the o-other counselors.”
“Well they’ve enjoyed getting to know you too,” she said sweetly, as her free hand played with her braid. “So I was kinda hoping I’d get to see you again.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Willow quickly turned her head up to face him just as he turned his and their noses nearly touched. Suddenly she couldn’t hear the fireworks as her heart flooded her ears
“Willow, I have to tell you something,” he whispered. She held her breath. “About my shoulder…”
"Oh my gosh, was I hurting you?" she panicked as she pulled away. "I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking I was just-."
“Viney said last week that my shoulder was fine,” he said quickly and ashamed as he turned away from her.
“What?”
“I didn’t technically need your help this week,” he went on. “I lied to you because I like spending time with you, and I was worried that if I didn’t have this then… then I wouldn’t know how to ask you to… because everytime we… I- I never know how to ask you to hang out and I guess I just wanted you to think…” he sighed and covered his face with his hands. “I dunno.”
Willow just smiled and looked at the friendship bracelet of woven yellow and green wrapped tightly around his wrist. “Ya know,” she started. “This isn’t the first time I’ve tried to get you to Lookout Point.” She admitted with a chuckle. He slowly looked back up at her as though her words were in another language.
“What?”
“I mean, this actually wasn’t on purpose but after we took that hike and a ladybug landed on my shoulder and you didn’t laugh at me for freaking out but you just came up and let it crawl on your finger until it flew away and then you made sure there weren’t anymore nearby, I… Hunter I’ve had a huge crush on you all summer.”
“Wha- o-on me?” he asked as though he had somehow misheard her.
She nodded, feeling lighter now. “I know it might be silly, but if this is the only summer we’re gonna have together then I just…”
She leaned in and closed her eyes as she waited for Hunter to lean in the rest of the way. She felt him place his hands on shoulders. He took a deep breath and looked at her again as the fireworks fizzled behind her. She was stunning and sweet and astonishing. She was so much more than just one summer.
“I’m not really looking for a summer thing,” said Hunter awkwardly as he pulled away.
“Oh.” Willow said quietly, blinking as she tried to transition back to the real world and process his words. “Oh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh, Hunter I’m so sorry! I’m so embarrassed! I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I’m so sorry you can just leave me here and I’ll walk back to-.”
“No! No, you didn’t make me uncomfortable, I swear!” Hunter assured her in an equal panic. “I just really like you and don’t want to ruin things and I’m not gonna make you walk back-.”
“You like me?”
“What?” Hunter said, not telling what he had just admitted as the fireworks continued to go off behind them. “I just… I uh… w-when I said I wasn’t looking for a summer thing I meant I wasn’t looking for something that was just the summer.”
“But I thought you were going back to-.”
“Not anymore,” he said. “I… I didn’t wanna risk jinxing it but I’ve been taking online classes at night and... I'm gonna be transferring to Hexisde in the fall.”
“Hunter, that’s-.”
“So I don’t want things to be awkward if we see each other on campus because I do wanna see you again and I know the rule about counselor relationships so I was planning on maybe doing something after I was sure that we-.”
Before he could finish, Willow pulled him forward by the collar of his shirt and kissed him. It was quick, but meaningful. The finale of fireworks illuminating the sky behind them as Hunter melted into the contact. As she slowly pulled away, Hunter followed her not wanting to release the dream quite yet.
“‘Fraternization among counselors is only prohibited if the relationship in question is between two counselors where one is the direct supervisor of the other,’” she quoted effortlessly. Hunter let out a small squeak, knowing instantly why her words sounded so familiar.
That’s when he knew she didn’t just want his summer, she wanted everything. He knew how deep she had to have read into the handbook to find that paragraph, as it lived beneath an asterisk that his tired eyes somehow neglected to commit to memory. As she quoted regulation to him beneath the light of the full moon, Hunter had never felt more hopelessly infatuated.
“So… does that mean that we… that you and I can… t-that y-you want to-.”
“I mean, it really doesn’t take two people to get a cake,” she chuckled, fiddling with the bracelet on his wrist. He smiled, nearly having forgotten how they had found themselves here in the first place.
"Right, heh, so uh we need to get going, don't we?" he said. "We don't wanna be late for Gus' party."
"Weeell, the thing is it's kind of not a party for Gus."
"What?"
She smiled and leaned forward to press a quick kiss to his cheek. "Surprise," she whispered, not sure if it was technically still his birthday but just so utterly giddy that he was in the world. "Happy birthday."
"What? H-how did you-?"
"A girl has her ways," she said smugly. "Anyway, we wanted to do something special for you but just make sure to act surprised when we get back, okay? I know you probably don’t-."
She was cut off by Hunter’s lips on hers, purposely and purposeful, no longer allowing room for interruptions or misunderstandings. His hand delicately cupped the side of her face as he felt her melt into him, resting her hand atop his to assure him she intended to keep him there awhile.
"- wanna be late,” she finished dreamily as he pulled away for a moment, only because he forgot to breathe.
"It's my party, I can be as late as I want," he said quietly, not moving too far from her. Willow laughed as she pulled him back to her and reunited their lips, kissing him repeatedly as she brought forth a whole summer’s worth of longing.
They hardly realized the fireworks had ended, feeling as though they had just begun as they moved closer to hold each other easier. In their desperate eagerness, they fell off the picnic table they would later carve their initials in. They landed side by side on a collection of stones, which would find them both with matching casts in the morning.
But it was hardly the oddest injury they had gone to Viney with.
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