A/N: Okay, so this is my first attempt at a multi-chapter story in a loooong time... Alternate universe, at that! I'm iffy about it because this kind of story takes creativity and commitment... Two things I don't always have xD Eeek! But, anyways, read this and tell me what you think so I know if I should even bother continuing it or not. -chews nails nervously-

The bus ride was long and uneventful as I rested my head against the window and watched the city fade and morph into wilderness. All the other teens on the bus talked and laughed with each other and I made no attempt to join in, drowning them out with the music from my MP3 player. It only took about twenty minutes before I was completely and utterly bored and I pulled the DS from my pocket, playing it for the next two hours straight until we reached our destination and my hell for the next two months, Spruce Lake Bible Camp.

It was about four in the afternoon when we all piled off the bus and grabbed our luggage. There were two camp counselors waiting for us, wearing khaki shorts and cheesy smiles. The girl counselor introduced herself as Misa and the male, Matsuda. Both of them seemed a few cards short of a full deck but what they lacked in smarts they made up for with enthusiasm. We followed them up to a large, log building which turned out to be the camp's chapel. There was already a group of teens inside, from another bus, I assumed. Everyone took a seat on the wooden benches and continued their content chatter while I simply stared down at my feet, wondering how long it would be until I could be alone and have a cigarette.

Everyone quieted down suddenly and I looked up as a man stepped out in front and greeted us all in a smooth voice, "Hello and welcome. My name is Light Yagami and I'm the camp's manager."

My lip curled in distaste at his well-groomed hair and perfectly pressed clothes. He looked about 20 years old and had this 'holier-than-thou' air about him. Hopefully, I would have no reason to interact with him this summer. He went on to tell us how excited he was for this summer and how much fun we were all going to have and then explained a bit about the camp and how it was split in half, one side for the girl's cabins and one side for the boy's. A list of rules came next.

"Here at Spruce Lake, we're all here to enjoy ourselves and get closer to nature and God. We don't use profanity nor do we fight, whether verbally or physically, and we do not tolerate any kind of substance abuse, including cigarettes."

I sighed at that, thinking about the four cartons I'd stuffed into my luggage. I would be damned if this tool thought he could keep me from smoking. Rules were made to be broken, after all.

"Also, we encourage everyone to make friends but please remember to keep it appropriate. Respect each other's personal space and boundaries."

I snorted audibly and several people looked at me, including Light, whose charming smile faltered. His eyes flashed with annoyance for a split-second and then he looked away, plastering on a happy face again.

"Let's move on, shall we?"

Several counselors then came forward and introduced themselves, including Misa and Matsuda, and read off a list of names of the teens that would be in their cabins. Sure enough, it was just my luck that Matsuda called my name and I sighed, standing up to join the group behind him. The last person to be brought into our group was a skinny boy with straight blond hair that just brushed his shoulders and an overall cranky demeanor, named Mihael. He seemed to want to avoid social interaction as much as I did.

"Okay, guys! Let's go!" Matsuda said, practically bursting with excitement as he gestured for us to follow him. I rolled my eyes behind the orange goggles I wore.

We left the chapel and were brought up a long, winding hill to our cabin, which was dubbed "Cabin 7". The walk left me sweaty and red-faced and I wished I had worn a pair of shorts instead of jeans. I glanced up, wondering how the blond, Mihael, felt, being dressed in black pants and a matching long-sleeve shirt. He was only a few feet ahead of me and I noticed that even his walk was full of attitude, all stomping feet and swinging hips. Naturally, my eyes dropped to check out his backside. Despite his obvious unpleasantness, he was cute and his butt definitely was too.

I sighed, somewhat loudly, causing him to look over his shoulder at me, his eyes narrowed. I looked away, adjusting the bag on the shoulder, trying to shift my thoughts to something a little less gay. That was, after all, the reason my parents had sent me to a bible camp in the first place.

About a month ago, at my tender age of 15, I finally came out to them. I'd anticipated my father's yelling and my mother's crying but I hadn't counted on them signing me up for two months at a very religious summer camp; co-ed, of course. I think they were hoping the bible readings and many young girls running around would 'fix' my homosexuality, like it was some temporary faze, and I would return to them their perfect little genius again. I hadn't argued because I didn't want to upset them more and besides, it's not like I had any big summer plans anyway.

The wooden cabin was a small, square room with four bunk beds and one single bed that I assumed was for Matsuda. There was also a small bathroom attached with only a toilet and sink. The showers were farther up the hill in a separate building. By the time I got through the door, everyone had chosen their beds and 'bunk buddies'. I looked around for the empty bed that would be mine and saw that I'd be sharing with the blond. He'd already thrown his luggage onto the bottom, so I tossed mine on the top and decided I should at least say hi to him, since we were sharing a bunk and all.

"Hey, I'm-"

"Mail. Yeah, I heard your name earlier." The smaller boy dug through his bag for something, not even bothering to look at me.

"Right. Well, my friend's call me Matt..." I trailed off as he stood up and turned to look at me with his cold blue eyes.

"Good for you," He shot back as he unwrapped a chocolate bar. He took a large bite and then walked past me toward the door. I watched as Matsuda tried to stop him, asking where he was going and Mihael turned on him one of the best death glares I've ever seen. He muttered something about going for a walk and then took off. Matsuda gave a weak shout after him, "Be at the cafeteria for five o'clock!" before returning his attention to the other teens.

I stared at the door for a moment, frowning, before shaking my head and muttering, "Asshole..."

I wasn't really annoyed or insulted, though. It took more than some snotty brat to get to me. In all honesty, for whatever reason, I was actually intrigued by this cute, blond asshole and wanted to get to know him better. He seemed to be the only interesting person here, not only in my cabin, but in the whole damn camp.

I saw him in the cafeteria at dinner and decided on impulse to sit down across from him. No one else was sitting at our table and I assumed it was because of the very obvious "fuck you" vibe that the other boy gave off. He looked up from his plate of spaghetti at me. Surprisingly, his expression wasn't cruel or disgusted. I had been expecting him to throw something at me or tell me to get the fuck up and go sit somewhere else but he just continued to swirl the pasta around his plate, not actually eating any. I, however, was starving and cleaned my plate in less than five minutes. I was moving on to my lime green Jell-O when he finally spoke.

"So, what's up with those goggles?"

He gestured the orange lenses over my eyes and I found myself smiling. 'Success!' I thought, 'he's talking to me and I didn't even have to do anything.'

"I like them," I answered simply, as I always did.

He furrowed his brows and gave me a look that asked "are you kidding?" and when I said nothing, his expression changed to one of mild amusement.

"You're a big nerd, aren't you? One of those kids who sit at home all the time, playing World of Warcraft. Judging by the colour of your skin, you avoid the outdoors at all costs."

I cocked my head to the side, a bit surprised by his (quite accurate) assumptions about me and his smirk grew when he took in my reaction and realized he'd been correct. I decided that two could play at that game and leaned against the table, looking him up and down. Dark clothes, long hair, painted nails, bitchy attitude... Perhaps he was one of those kids who fancied themselves 'Goth'. He even had a cross hanging around his neck, though he certainly didn't fit in with the rest of the religious kids there. Maybe it was for shock value.

"And you probably sit around all day listening to angry music and writing in your journal, eh?"

His smirk turned into a full-blown grin and something in my stomach stirred at the sight of it.

"Not even close," He answered mysteriously. "What the hell is a guy like you doing at summer camp, Matt?"

The way he said my nickname in that teasing tone made my stomach do that weird fluttery thing again and I found myself chuckling nervously.

"Parents made me. They thought it would be good for me to, uh... get outside and stuff."

He didn't miss the awkwardness of my answer and I decided that along with cute and bitchy, he also seemed fairly intelligent. I was beginning to think that maybe we really could get along.

"What about you, Mihael?" I asked, wanting to keep the conversation going.

The look on his face told me that he was not fond of his name and he proved me right when he waved a delicate hand in the air and said, "Mello, call me Mello."

I held back a laugh, wondering who the hell had given him that nickname. I'd only met him about an hour ago and I already knew this guy was anything but mellow.

"My parents sent me here, too," He admitted bitterly. "They think I'm out of control, which is complete bullshit, by the way. I got into a few fights and was unfairly expelled from school. Of course, my mom and dad over-reacted and decided to send me here. I don't know if they're expecting these bible-thumping morons to set me straight or if they just want me out of their hair for a few months but either way it fucking sucks."

So, he was a scrapper, apparently. How a boy that scrawny could hurt anybody was beyond me but I figured I'd better be careful around him. I wasn't much of a fighter, nor was I as intense as Mihael appeared to be, so my chances against him probably wouldn't be very good and I wanted to get through the summer without a broken nose. I realized he was staring at me and I nodded my head to show that I'd heard what he said. His gaze brought back the damn butterflies in my stomach and I realized, somewhat sourly, that I was attracted to him.

'Wonderful', I thought. 'My parents send me to a religious camp to cure my gayness and the first day I'm here I end up crushing on some guy."

I hadn't actually believed that the camp would help, but still, I felt like a failure. I was a decent looking guy with a good sense of humor and a high IQ, but I was also gay and therefore flawed. I was my parent's only child and they put everything they had into me and yet I still couldn't be perfect. It was quite a blow to the self-esteem to hear your own father call you a 'faggot' like it was the worst possible thing you could be.

I shook off the thoughts and realized that I really needed a smoke. It had been nearly five hours since my last one. Looking down at Mello's half-eaten spaghetti, I asked, "If you're done, do you wanna walk back to the cabin with me?"

He seemed to think about it for a second and I wondered if he was trying to come up with a reason not to, but then he dropped his fork and stood up. After we returned our trays, the two of us started the long walk up to the cabin. The sun was still out and I looked around for a place I could go to smoke where no one could see, when I noticed a small path in the bushes and made a beeline for it. Mello hesitated for only a split-second and then he followed me and we walked until I was sure we couldn't be seen anymore before pulling the pack of cigarettes from my pocket and lighting one. Mello scrunched up his nose as I breathed out a content sigh, smoke billowing from my mouth.

"I was wondering why you were coming in here. I thought you were planning on molesting me but this is worse. Cigarettes are nasty." He muttered.

I frowned, wondering why he would follow me if he thought I was going to molest him, unless perhaps he wanted it. Oh, boy. Stop right there.

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it," I replied calmly, taking another drag.

I noticed that he was watching me closely for about a minute and asked, "Do you want to try a puff?"

I hadn't really thought he would but as I would soon learn, Mello could not back down from a challenge and that's what he saw it as. He grabbed the smoke from my hand, examined it for a moment, and then awkwardly held it between his lips. He inhaled slightly and, just as I had my first time, he started to choke and cough. Taking back the cigarette, I finished it off while I waited for him to recover.

"Like I said, disgusting," He wheezed when he was finally able to speak again, and I laughed at the frustrated look on his face, crushing the cigarette under my boot.

"You're not such a tough guy after all, are you?" I asked in a joking manner, ignoring his glare as I checked my watch. "We better head over to the chapel, it's almost six."

The two of us rolled our eyes and began our walk back. We were quiet until we reached the end of the path and Mello grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks. I turned around to ask what he was doing, but he spoke first.

"Okay, Matt," He began, letting go of my arm and avoiding my gaze. "So, this isn't really my thing but… I figure, this place might be a little more bearable if we, you know… I mean, so far you haven't made me want to punch you in the face so I don't mind us like, walking around or sitting in the cafeteria together."

Watching him try to spit that out while trying to appear cool and indifferent was highly amusing. I pursed my lips, pretending to look thoughtful for a moment. "So, what you're saying is… you want to be my friend?"

The blond scoffed. "Whatever slays your dragon, you big geek."

We started walking again and it took me a while to realize that I had a big, stupid grin plastered on my face. I was quite happy due to the fact that Mello had actually wanted to be my friend and it wasn't just one-sided. Always a little paranoid, I had the slight feeling of impending doom deep in my gut, but the giddiness I felt walking next to that vivacious blond overpowered it. If I decided to look on the bright side for once, perhaps this summer wouldn't actually be so bad.

A/N: Ahhh... So, what do you think? Should I write more or just leave it and keep doing dirty one-shots hahaha XD

BTW, there are probably tons of camps out there called Spruce Lake, but it was the first thing that came to my head and I just went with it... so, yeah. This one is imaginary and not actually based on any real camp. K? K.