Because a camp counselors!Klaine AU has been something I've been thinking about for a while, enjoy this!

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or these lovely characters.

Chapter One

"That's it. This is the final straw. It's the last day of our junior year and you're sulking!"

Kurt rolled his eyes at his melodramatic friend. "I wouldn't call it sulking." But admittedly, he kind of was. He wasn't looking forward to the summer this year, mainly because while all his friends went off on vacations, he would be in Lima, as always. His dad had already hinted that he had a spot for Kurt to work at his shop, and the only thing worse than staying home all summer was staying at the garage. So there was virtually no way out.

"Well, I would." Rachel huffed. "It's depressing."

"You have no right to be depressed, you're seeing three Broadway shows this summer," Kurt retorted, jabbing at her with his pencil. Rachel swatted it away and sighed, softening.

"I wish you could come with me."

Kurt waved his hand dismissively, knowing Rachel was sincere and feeling slightly guilty for snapping at her. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I'm just… whatever. I'll be fine." If you could substitute 'lonely' for 'fine'.

"Who knows, maybe you'll have a summer romance," Rachel wiggled her eyebrows, changing the subject to be positive not-so-smoothly.

"Last I checked, we're not Grease characters. So I highly doubt it."

With a bittersweet smile, Rachel stood up as the bell rang, touching Kurt's shoulder. "Just keep an open mind, okay? You heard the bell. Junior year is officially over. Lima or not, at least you won't be at McKinley."

He couldn't argue with that logic, so he took a deep breath and nodded, even smiling as she left the classroom. He put his things into his bag, allowing Rachel's words to cheer him up. Three months without seeing a McKinley letterman jacket was enough to be happy.

"Hey, Kurt."

At the sound of his name, Kurt turned, seeing Quinn approaching him. "Quinn. It's been a while." Sure, they saw each other at glee club all year, but they hadn't spoken much. He couldn't imagine what they would talk about. But she was nice to him. As nice as Quinn Fabray could be to people that weren't football players or Cheerios.

Quinn smiled, matching pace with him as they entered the hallway, sticking fairly close together as students jostled to leave. "I know. But I heard you talking to Rachel, and I've come to help you out."

Kurt cocked an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"You have no summer plans. And I happen to know of a job opportunity that will fill the void. How do you feel about camp counseling?"

He nearly laughed aloud. "What did I do to give you the impression that I like camps? Or children, for that matter."

Quinn shook her head quickly. "It's really nice there. Bunks with air conditioning, a really clean lake, and the kids aren't toddlers. They're middle school age, even some freshmen."

Still unconvinced, Kurt crossed his arms as they left the school and headed to the student parking lot. "Sorry, Fabray. Just not my thing."

"It pays three hundred dollars a week."

This was enough to spark his interest. "Continue."

"It's eight weeks, overnight. But you can go home on the weekends. It's nothing, you just supervise activities and make sure no one gets poison ivy, really."

Kurt tilted his head as he unlocked his car. "Alright. Why are you recruiting me for the job?"

Quinn shrugged. "Because I'm counseling there too, and the camp needs people. I've been going there since I was a kid, it's the least I can do to help the staff out. You're the only one who's free all summer, and I can tolerate for a considerable amount of time."

"I'm flattered," Kurt rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched up. They both had the same sarcasm. It was refreshing.

"So, I can tell the manager you're in?" Quinn clasped her hands like a prayer, and Kurt nodded.

"Sure. Text me with the details."

Quinn's wide smile prompted one from Kurt, as well, and the blonde clapped her hands happily. "Great! It's gonna be fun, okay?"

Kurt laughed, waving as she left. He could feel his mood lifting. There was no way it would be fun. But eight weeks away from here? He would count that as a vacation.

The first day of summer for Kurt had been spent the same way since he was in middle school. Wake up, make breakfast without having to rush to get to school, and retreat into his bedroom to purge his closet of any heavy clothing in preparation for warmer weather. He'd save some things for reworking into his summer wardrobe, of course, he'd learned to work wonders with a sewing machine and make a lot out of a little. It was a metaphor for his life, he liked to think. Taking things of the past and making them fabulous again. The problem was, he hadn't gotten past that first stage in his life yet. But he'd get the chance to redesign his reality after high school. Now was the time for wardrobe related makeovers.

An hour into remaking some old colored jeans into shorts, his father came down the stairs, leaning against the railing. "So, have you thought about my offer?"

Kurt turned in his swivel chair, sitting up straighter. "I have. And I would've said yes. Working at the shop seemed- fun."

Burt laughed, shaking his head. "Be honest. You hated the idea of stepping foot into the garage."

"Yeah, pretty much," Kurt relaxed in his seat again, seeing his dad wasn't going to be upset with him.

"That's fine. But what are you going to do instead?" Burt sat on the armchair by the stairs, adjusting the brim of a baseball hat that was always present.

"I already have it covered. Camp counseling."

There was a brief pause, and then Burt was laughing again. "You? At a camp?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, but he couldn't quite defend himself against his father's reaction. After all, he'd had the same one. "Yes. I already have the job, too, Quinn put in a good word for me." Burt looked confused at the planning Kurt had already done, but he plowed on. "It's not some cabin in the woods type camp, it's nice. And clean. And the kids aren't too young. And it's three hundred dollars a week."

The last point got Burt's approval, Kurt could already tell. Anything that would save him from funding Kurt's fashion obsessions was good with him. "Well… that sounds good to me. When does it start?"

Kurt told him the date Quinn had texted him, which happened to be just a few days away. "So, if you excuse me, I've got a lot of sewing to do before Monday."

Burt held his hands up in surrender, going back towards the stairs. "Alright, alright." But he didn't go up them yet.

Quirking his eyebrows, Kurt laughed a little. "Do you need something?"

"No." Burt smiled a little, tapping his fingers on the railing. "I'm just- glad you're doing this. I was worried about you staying holed up in here all summer."

He understood where his father's worries came from, as the past school year had been rough for him, with bullies coming on stronger than ever. But the last thing he wanted was to make him worry. Burt had spent too much of his time worrying since Kurt's mother's death, and that was when he was young. He wanted to show him he wasn't a time bomb anymore. "You don't need to worry about anything, okay?"

"I know. You're a tough kid," Burt said this firmly, and finally went back upstairs, opting to finish the conversation there. There wasn't much else to be said.

Turning back to his sewing machine, Kurt wrapped thread around his finger absently. This camp was proving to have a couple more positives than he'd anticipated. It was making his dad happy, and that mattered a lot to him. And saving up this summer would help his goal of heading to New York next year. Rachel's words revisited him then, her voice in singsong; 'Maybe you'll find a summer romance!', and he pushed the thought from his head quickly, refocusing on his sewing. He refused to get his hopes up only to have them squashed. Love could wait until after he'd left for college. He'd waited this long, hadn't he?

"Okay, do you have everything?"

"Yeah, dad. And that's the third time you've asked."

Burt laughed as he finished helping Kurt load his car with bags, patting the trunk once it was closed. "Sorry, I just want to be sure. You'll be home this weekend, right?"

Kurt smiled, nodding. "Yup. And I'll make enough dinners to last until I come home again the next weekend." He'd been helping his dad eat healthier, as Burt had experienced some health scares previously, and the last thing either of them wanted was a repeat. But Burt had the tendency to lean towards takeout food when Kurt wasn't cooking, so he made sure to prepare plenty of food.

"That's why you're my favorite."

He rolled his eyes, but still smiled fondly. "I'll see you next weekend, okay?"

Burt nodded, waving as Kurt finally got into his car and pulled out of the driveway, following the directions Quinn wrote for him once he left the neighborhood. He was surprised to find himself excited about getting to the camp, and especially grateful he was sure to know at least one person there. The ride was a little long, but he had a couple soundtracks to keep him occupied on the way, and idly wondered if the camp had any music programs for the kids. He'd gladly help out with that. Thinking about the possibilities (and singing loudly to the Wicked soundtrack) passed the time until he arrived. Or, passed the entrance to the camp three times before finally realizing the tiny, nondescript sign with faded letters actually read 'Camp Lakeview'. Slightly disheartened, Kurt turned down the narrow road that led to the camp, looking around as he drove. Truthfully, it was a little creepy, the way the trees kind of hung over the road. But he reminded himself what Quinn had said, that it would be nice. Just because the sign was old and the road was a little unkempt didn't mean the whole camp would be that way.

He thought that until he got to the clearing for the parking lot, at least. From where he was, he could see a row of cabins, with roofing that would be frowned upon by safety inspectors, he imagined. There was a lake to his left, true to the camp's name, but large patches of twisting ferns and weeds hid the shore from view. What was he getting himself into? Just as he was about to get into the car and head back home, already thinking of excuses he could give to Quinn, someone called out. "Hey!"

Kurt stilled his hand on the handle of his car door. "Ah- hey." He forced a smile that he knew must look strained, then turned around, and quickly, a real smile came. Because the guy in front of him was cute. Really cute.

"Are you the new counselor?" The guy asked, and Kurt noticed that he was wearing a T-shirt with the camp name printed across the chest. He must be a counselor, too. That certainly changed Kurt's perspective on the camp. Bringing his gaze back up to his face, Kurt saw a flicker of something playful in his eyes, almost mischievous. But soon that was forgotten as he noticed the unique color of the boy's eyes, they were like gold or honey or something equally as intriguing.

"That's me." He smiled, dropping his hand from his car. "I'm Kurt."

"Blaine," The guy held out a hand, a thousand watt smile along with it. "Welcome to Lakeview."

"Indeed," He breathed and returned the smile, shaking Blaine's hand and trying not to notice how tan he looked in contrast the the faded tee.

"Why don't I show you around?" Blaine dropped his hand, adjusting the brim of a baseball cap that sat atop his short-cropped curls.

"I would love-"

"There you are!" Both of them turned to see Quinn jogging over, in a T-shirt identical to Blaine's. "Finally. I see you two have met."

Kurt tried to silently tell Quinn to leave, but she wasn't getting the message. "Yup. He's about to give me the tour, so…"

"Oh, no worries, I can take care of that!" She waved her hand at Blaine for him to shoo, and the guy gave a mock salute.

"Nice meeting you, Kurt. I'll see you at the cookout tonight." And then he was headed off towards the bunks, leaving Kurt to turn on Quinn.

"Excuse me, you just ruined our conversation."

Quinn snorted, beckoning him to follow her in the opposite direction. "You just met. Don't tell me you already have a crush on him."

Kurt rolled his eyes, leaving his luggage in the car to deal with later and following after her. "I wouldn't call it a crush so much as an appreciation for his face."

"Mhm. Just his face?"

He crossed his arms, bumping her hip lightly. "Help me out? How long have you known him?"

Quinn shrugged. "Since we both went to this camp when we were little."

"And? What's he like?"

"Crazy," She laughed. "Even as a kid, he was turning the place upside down. But now his craziness comes in the form of smuggled alcohol for the counselors and his on-again off-again fling with another counselor here."

Kurt's heart sank, and he wanted to kick himself instantly. Hadn't he just sworn off summer romances a few days ago? And here he was almost falling for a guy he barely knew, without knowing if he was even gay. "I see. Should I stay away from him, then?"

Quinn considered this for a moment, then smiled at him. "I'd say it's more of an 'enter at your own risk' situation."

Kurt didn't ask her to elaborate, even though he was more than curious. He refused to get mixed up with guys this summer, especially not one that seemed to be flying too close to the sun. "Noted. Now show me around?"

Quinn dutifully toured the camp with him, and Kurt had to keep reminding himself to listen to her instead of letting his thoughts return to the smiling boy. He didn't know what it was, but something in that smile seemed to pull Kurt in. He'd just have to resist. But as his mind reverted to Blaine once again, he knew that was harder said than done.