Chapter Text
David smiled as he walked around the camp, picking up after their latest activities. He had hoped at least some of the campers would have stayed to help, but it was wishful thinking. Still, it didn't stop the overly optimistic camp counselor from making sure everything was cleaned and put exactly where it belonged. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he headed towards the mess hall, where everyone else was having lunch. David took some food and sat next to Gwen. She gave him a quick glance and went back to writing, whatever it was, in her journal.
“What are you writing, Gwen?” He wasn't trying to be nosy, just curious.
She closed the book quickly and turned to him. “Uh, nothing! Nothing at all!”
David shrugged his shoulders, large smile in place. “Hey, nothing is cool too.”
Gwen raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a steady look. “Are you...okay, David?”
“Absolutely!” He leaned forward a little and whispered. “Are you still going to take the campers for a hike? I don't want any of them to spoil the surprise!”
Gwen sighed, sure the campers weren't going to care either way, but a disappointed David could be hard to handle. “Yup. Figured head out right after lunch.”
David finished his food and stood up, clapping his hands together. “Alright, campers, Gwen is going to take you guys on a small hike through the woods!”
Max gave David a suspicious look. “And you aren't coming?” David shook his head. “So, what, exactly, are you going to be doing, Camp Man?”
David wiggled his eye brows. “It's a surprise!”
There was a mutual groan that spread through the whole room. None of the campers had been too keen on David's idea of a surprise, but they also knew from experience, that there was no getting out of whatever it was either. The groans and whining did nothing to remove David's smile. He happily walked from the mess hall, closely followed by Gwen. She placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, you sure you don't want me to stay and help? I don't want you to put too much into something they won't appreciate...”
David only shook his head. “No, no, you guys go on the hike and I can make it perfect!”
Gwen rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “David, it's only a camp fire...”
David put a finger up and pulled some kind of an article out of his pocket, handing it to her. “Not just a camp fire, Gwen. There is supposed to be a meteor shower tonight. I thought the campers would enjoy something a little different.”
Gwen's eyes widened a little. “This might actually be a good idea, after all, David.”
David gave a happy nod and went back to excitedly planning his set up for the camp fire. Gwen watched him go and gave a little shrug. She headed back into the mess hall to get everyone together for their hike. David walked into the counselor cabin and sat at his desk, gathering materials would have to wait until the campers were off. He wanted to make the night perfect for everyone. Cooking over the camp fire and s'mores and then after everyone is full, scary stories before the light show. He giggled happily to himself.
“Hey, David, we are heading off now!”
“Thanks, Gwen!”
David went off to get things together. After picking the best place, he began setting everything up. Gathering the food and the most perfect firewood. A large pit in the middle surrounded by large logs for everyone to sit on and all the food items stored in a cooler near the pit. Wiping the sweat from his brow he went to the lake and used the cool water to wipe the sweat and dirt away. The sun had started to set and David enjoyed the soft breeze ruffling his hair. The sound of voices drew his attention.
“Good, they're back!”
David rushed to welcome everyone back. To his surprise, and pleasure, everybody was in one piece and not even a scratch among them. He ruffled Max's hair, to Max's displeasure, and headed for Gwen.
“How'd it go?”
Gwen raised an eyebrow. “Better than I thought. Did you...you know?”
David nodded excitedly and turned his attention to the campers. “I hope you guys are hungry! I have something special planned.”
This got the attention of the campers. Food that wasn't made by the Quarter Master? David ushered them towards the pit and Max rolled his eyes.
“Really, David? Another camp fire?”
David wiggled his eyebrows at Gwen, who rolled her eyes. “Not just a camp fire!” He opened the cooler showing the contents. Hot dogs, marshmallows, small bars of chocolate, and graham crackers. He laughed to himself as drool started to fall from a couple of campers. With a loud laugh, David started the fire and in seconds the campers had hot dogs on sticks over the fire.
“Yeah, okay, not bad, Camp Man.” Max took another large bite out of a hot dog. The compliment wasn't much, but David was glowing.
After each of the campers had at least two hot dogs a piece, they started making the s'mores. The sun had almost completely set, the sky full of reds and purples. David looked up at the sky and could see the light of stars. It was going to be a clear night. Perfect. A light burned across the sky and David tapped Gwen on the shoulder.
“I think it's starting.”
Before any of the campers had a chance to ask, the sky had started to light up with streaks of light. A quiet fell over the group as they watched the sky in awe. As the streaks started falling further apart, there was a large streak and you could almost see the fire around it. There was a loud bang farther into the woods and David and Gwen made eye contact. That seemed unusual, but none of the campers seemed to have noticed. The fire started to die down and the streaks in the sky had stopped, David caught a couple of yawns coming from the campers.
“I think it's time we all head for bed.”
There were mumbles and groans of agreement as the campers headed for their tents. Gwen managed to convince David they could clean up in the morning. After the fire was completely out, they headed for their cabin. As they laid down for bed, David glanced at Gwen's laying form.
“Hey, Gwen?”
A sigh. “Yes, David?”
“Should we be worried about that bang?”
“Nope. It was a good night, David. Get some sleep.”
“Okay. Thanks, Gwen. Goodnight.”
Gwen mumbled something that David assumed was a goodnight. He tried to sleep, but he couldn't explain why he was so worried about one meteor. It had seemed so close and they even heard it land. It was so different from all of the others. He shook his head to clear his mind, pulled his log close, and closed his eyes, willing himself to sleep.
Daniel glared up at the sky, brushing the ash off his shoulders and out of his blonde hair. He glanced down at himself and was happy that none of the ash was going to stain his completely white clothing. Taking a glance behind himself, he smirked seeing his wings.
“Kind of surprised you let me keep them.”
He ruffled the white feathers and frowned, seeing a bit of gray on a lower row of feathers. He ran fingers gently over them, hoping it was left over ash. To his disappointment it wasn't coming off. A small growl escaped his chest.
“Oh, I see. They're going to become black.” He snarled up at the sky. “I didn't fall! I was thrown out. There is a difference!”
The woods around him did not provide an answer. There was only silence. He reached down to his side, fingers brushing a jagged dagger. A sigh escaped his lips and he flapped his wings, rising slowly into the air. He wanted a better look at his surroundings. He looked all around himself and all he saw was a sea of trees. Just when he was about to give up, a small bit of light caught his attention. Daniel flew over to get a better look. It was a small camp fire surrounded by tents and what looked like a couple of cabins near by.
“Looks like the only sign of people anywhere near here... I will have to keep that in mind...”
Daniel flew a short way away and found a large tree, next to the lake. He made himself comfortable near the top and went to sleep.
The next morning, David awoke with a smile, the concerns from the night before forgotten. A glance told him Gwen wasn't up yet, so he quietly dressed and slipped outside. He took a deep breath in, enjoying the coolness of the early morning air. The sun was barely visible in sky, but David enjoyed the peace of the early morning. He decided a small walk around the lake would be nice.
“It's so peaceful. What a beautiful morning.”
David began humming lightly to himself. Something white stuck on a branch, caught his attention. It was a long white feather. He hadn't ever seen anything like it. A quick glance around did nothing to explain where it had come from. He released a small excited gasp, spotting another on the ground closer to the lake. This one was just as white, but had a small bit of gray near the hollow shaft part. There was a small trail of the feathers and David picked each of them up, holding them carefully. In total he now had five and he was standing at the edge of the water. He looked out at the water looking for more feathers, but instead there was a small ring in the water, that was broken by a blonde haired male. Suspicious blue eyes locked on shocked green.
David gave a welcoming smile and a wave. “Well, hi there! My name is David.”
Daniel did not raise more than his head out of the water. Instead his vision focused on the handful of feathers being held so carefully in David's hands. He recognized them as his own. Blue eyes narrowed slightly as the auburn haired male attempted to come closer.
“Don't come over here.”
David stopped in his tracks. “Are you okay?” A nod. “Do you need some help?” The blonde shook his head. “Oh...okay then.” David started to turn and leave, but his attention was stuck on a white feather sticking out of the water. “Hey, can I have that feather? I'm collecting them until I can find the bird that left them behind.”
Daniel scoffed. How dare his wings be compared to that of a regular bird. In his irritation, he stood up completely, his wings down, tips still slightly in the water. A blushed crossed David's cheeks seeing the naked chest and torso, but then paled seeing the wings on either side of the man. He opened his mouth, but before a sound could be released, the blonde male had a jagged dagger to his throat and a hand over his mouth.
“Don't make a sound.” David attempted to nod, but movement caused the blade to push into his skin and instead released a small groan. “I'll release you if you promise not to scream. Deal?” David made a muffled affirmative. “Good.”
The blonde removed his hand and the blade. There was a flat rock next to the lake and Daniel took a seat on it, shaking his wings to get the water off of them. David watched, mouth agape in shock. After a quick shake of his head, he walked closer to the male, grateful the other had on a pair of boxers. He shyly held the collected feathers out to the other male.
“These...these are yours right?”
Daniel quirked an eyebrow. He had assumed the man would have gone running off into the woods. “They are, but I have no use for loose feathers.”
David carefully ran the fingers of his free hand over them. “Would it be okay if I kept them? They are beautiful...”
Daniel watched the auburn male, a little amused at the the fascination the other had in the feathers. “Sure, why not?” Daniel rested his chin on his hand watching David. “You said your name is David, correct?” David nodded. “My name is Daniel.”
David's head whipped up and his eyes were shining. “Nice to meet you, Daniel!”
Daniel wasn't sure what he had done to make the other so happy, but the smile across the others lips was stunning. Daniel ruffled his wings again, allowing the breeze to flow through them. David's eyes had lit up with curiosity. Daniel didn't know what made him want to do it, but he beckoned David over with a finger.
“You can touch them if you like.” The way David's eyes lit up again, Daniel knew he had made the right choice.
“R-really? Thank you...”
David slowly moved forward and ever so gently ran his finger tips down one of Daniel's wings. Eyes open in awe, David ran his finger tips over the space where the wing connected to Daniel's back, causing a shiver from Daniel. David quickly pulled his hand away, afraid he had done something wrong.
“A-are you okay?”
Daniel locked his eyes with David's again. “It felt...” Daniel wasn't sure how to explain how the touch had felt. “Different.”
David still held his hands to himself. Daniel wasn't sure why, but this bothered him. He gave a small smirk and opened his wings to their full length. David's small gasp, eased the tension. Some of the feathers had turned completely black, others had started graying. Daniel moved his wings slightly, making a small breeze to ruffle David's hair lightly. David released a small giggle and Daniel felt his heart race. A peaceful silence settled between them as Daniel gathered his clothes and put them back on. David had taken Daniel's place sitting on the rock, looking out at the lake to give the other male privacy.
Daniel walked to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Hey, David, are you alone?”
David shook his head, smile present. “I'm a camp counselor for Camp Campbell. It's just down the lake.” He suddenly remembered the incident with the jagged dagger. With a quick shake of his head, he dismissed the thought, sure that they were friends. “Why?”
Daniel hummed lightly. “I don't think I have to tell you, but I can't let you tell anyone about me.” His brows knitted together. “But, I think I like your company... So, I don't want someone coming to look for you...”
“Are you lonely?” David covered his mouth quickly, afraid of offending, a small blush forming on his cheeks.
Daniel turned annoyed at first and then paused. He had always been alone, so maybe he was lonely. “Perhaps... Maybe I am... lonely.” Daniel took one of David's hands and held it in his own. “Will you come back soon?”
The blush on David's cheeks grew. “Tomorrow is Saturday. The campers don't have activities. I could come spend the day with you tomorrow...” Another thought crossed David's mind. “Wait, are you just staying out here?”
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “Yes? Where else would I stay?”
“What are you going to eat, then?”
Daniel gave a small smile. “Oh, I'm sure I can find something. Don't worry, David.”
David was worried. He didn't want his new friend to go hungry. His eyes lit up in excitement and gave Daniel a large smile. “The campers all know how much I enjoy camping. After activities today, I can come out here and we can camp together. I'll even bring some food along!”
Daniel could feel his heart rate pick up again and his cheeks started feeling a little warm. “You don't have to do that, David.”
“But, I really want to, Daniel. It could be so much fun and we could get to know each other better.”
Daniel couldn't lie to himself. The idea was tempting and it would give him an excuse to spend more time with the enigma of a human. Daniel had been sure that after the dagger incident David would have taken off to never return, but instead here he was offering a stranger to go camping with him.
“Okay, then. I'll meet you here?”
“I can be here around sun down!”
David gave the blond's hand a squeeze, before taking off back in the direction he had come. He turned quickly and gave Daniel a wave and disappeared into the trees. Daniel stared at his own hand that was raised, waving lightly. He gave a small shake of his head and ruffled his wings.
“Hmm. Now, what to do until sundown...”
Daniel looked up at the sky and sighed realizing it was still early morning. He spread his wings, letting the sunshine warm the feathers.
David ran back to the camp, his heart racing at the odd encounter. He hadn't expected on meeting someone new or for that person to have wings of all things. He slowed the once the camp was in sight and thought more about the blond. The wings were so white, it reminded him of an angel, but then he remembered the gray and black feathers. He went to the cabin first and pulled a small box from under his bed. Inside were small things he had collected in the woods, an interestingly shaped rock, a shell of some kind, and now the small collection of feathers. After giving the feathers a small stroke, he closed up the box and carefully put it back under the bed. Just as he was standing, Gwen entered the cabin.
“David! Where have you been all morning?”
David answered with his usual smile. “I was just taking one of my walks near the lake, Gwen. I lost track of time and hurried here once I realized how long I was gone.” It wasn't the full truth, but it wasn't quite a lie either.
Gwen, ever suspicious, just gave him a small nod. “Okay... I guess you did get back before it was time to wake the campers. Which camp is on the schedule for today?”
David took out his clipboard and the two walked out of the cabin together. The day went mostly peaceful. Max and his group of friends tried to cause a little trouble, per the norm, but it wasn't anything David hadn't dealt with in the past. Gwen had agreed to let him go camping that weekend in exchange for watching the kids the entire next weekend, so she could have a 'night on the town'. David enthusiastically agreed to her terms and, after activities, was getting his camping supplies together. Max took notice.
“You're going camping, again? Don't you ever get tired of it?”
David gave a large smile. “Nope, never. There is nothing better than camping, Max. Maybe, one day, you'll find some joy in it too.”
Max shooed his hand at David as he walked away. “Yeah, when pigs fly.”
David shrugged his shoulders and wondered briefly that if he had met a man with wings, if he would one day see a pig that also had wings. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and went back to gathering his supplies. Backpack full of supplies, food, and clothes was attached to his tent pack, but before he pulled it on, he went back to his dresser.
“It didn't seem like Daniel had anything extra to wear... I wonder if some of my clothes would fit? We looked to be about the same size...”
He mumbled to himself as he dug through his clothes to find some extras for Daniel. Extra pants and shorts were easy, but David was stumped about what to do for shirts. Daniel was wearing a button down and it seemed easy for him to pull on, slits in the back for the wings, but a t-shirt didn't seem as easy. With a long sigh, David gave up on finding extra shirts, hoping the pants would at least help. As a second thought, he grabbed a pack of unopened underwear, you can never have too many, and pushed it into the bag as well.
“Alright, here I go!”
His excitement had increased ten fold. He had a good place in mind for him and Daniel to camp at. It could even serve as a good place for Daniel to stay, safe and hidden. There was a nice little waterfall he had found while hiking and it didn't seem like anyone went up there that often. After wishing Gwen a good weekend with the kids, David was on his way back to the small place near the lake where he had first met Daniel.