Pairings: Gan Ning x Ling Tong, Zhou Yu x Sun Ce, Shang Xiang x Lu Xun on the side. Shang Xiang x Lu Xun was part of Quantum's request, and I just can't help myself with Zhou Yu and Sun Ce.

Warnings: None really.

Summary: AU. Camp Wu – a place for swimming, horseback riding, and juvenile delinquents. Of them all, only Ling Tong does not belong. Far worse than the bugs, the mud, and the screaming children is his co-counselor, an obnoxious boy named Gan Ning. He's the picture of trouble and Ling Tong hates him. But Gan Ning isn't as easy to understand as he seems. How much can change in the course of one summer?

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Cheng Pu's pronouncement was enough to keep the counselors speechless for a long moment—and then the voices of opposition burst toward him from all sides, far too convoluted to deliver a successful message. There were so many different tones in the cacophony that Ling Tong was fairly sure he was the only one who hadn't shouted. No, he had already gone much deeper than that—slowly spiraling down into the darkness that came with resigning oneself to the worst possible fate on earth.

"One at a time, please," Han Dang snapped from his place at Cheng Pu's shoulder, more than a little annoyance coloring the manager's tone. Gan Ning's voice followed his so closely that they almost overlapped, the boy's curse pitched at an angry growl.

"Yeh've gotta be flippin' kidding me."

At another time, Ling Tong might have taken offense at the obvious display of how little interest the cowboy had in spending time with him. As it was, he was too deep in his own distress about the exact same subject to so much as summon a retort, and it was Shang Xiang's protest that took up the cry, sharp with the young woman's open incredulity.

"Cheng Pu, you can't be serious! I mean, I understand that Baby Bear can't go on horseback rides anymore, but… but Queenie?" Shang Xiang put a worried hand to her temple, as though just the thought of the two teens sharing an activity group was giving her a headache. "Those two are at each others' throats all day as it is! How can you even think of putting them in charge of the children together?"

Even Lu Xun tried to contribute to the discussion, leaning up as best he could from the ground and groping blearily for the manager's sleeve. "Please, Cheng Pu… I'll be fine in a day or two. Just let me rest a few days, and then I can be Gan Ning's partner again. There's no need to switch…"

Cheng Pu listened to the allegations in silence, and after a moment the counselors' voices died down, each pair of eyes tracing the older man's face as though waiting for an argument. But Ling Tong knew better. By the time Cheng Pu had gone silent, the argument was already over—his uncle never went back on a decision once he'd made up his mind. Which meant his grave was as good as dug, and he might as well go build himself a coffin with loose timber from the woods—

"I understand all of your concerns," Cheng Pu replied at last, one thick hand rising to rub his stubbled chin. "And I promise you, this isn't something I would ask lightly. But even after you've healed, Lu Xun, I won't feel comfortable putting you on a horse again for quite a while, and I can't leave the trail rides completely in Gan Ning's hands all that time."

At the mention of the horseback riding, Ling Tong felt himself grow stiff, and he tried hard not to let the queasy uncertainty in his stomach show on his face. Fortunately, his fellow counselors were still focused on the problem at hand, and none of them seemed to notice his subtle change in demeanor, too absorbed with their disagreement to pay the silent drama student any attention.

"There's got ta be somebody else who could take Baby Bear's place," Gan Ning insisted, arms crossed stiff as marble over his chest. "There're twelve of us up here, fer cryin' out loud…"

"Who would you have me pick, Gan Ning?" Cheng Pu's voice was still calm, but it had taken on a sharper edge, as though the manager's tone were beginning to reflect his impatience. "I can't separate Sun Quan and Zhou Tai. The Qiao sisters would be miserable apart, and they can't ride in any case. If one of the children were to get hurt during a hike, I'd want someone there who could carry them down, and Tong is simply not strong enough to do that."

Ling Tong felt a little heat rising in his cheeks as the other counselors' gazes swept across him, taking in the frame that was just too slight to carry a ten-year-old down a mountain and legs with so little muscle he might not make it up the mountain himself. The drama student folded his arms and avoided their stares, glaring purposefully at a spot beside his shoe. So he wasn't an enormous bear like Lu Meng or Taishi Ci—so what? Acting didn't exactly go hand in hand with weightlifting, and if chance hadn't landed him in this terrible camp in the first place, his relative strength would never have been an issue…

Shang Xiang's response brought his eyes back to the group, her voice flitting through the air like a nervous bird. "Well, what about me? I could—"

"No, Shang Xiang." Cheng Pu's tone was as final as the shake of his head, dark eyes moving kindly across the girl's stubborn face. "I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather keep you with the girls. We're already down one female counselor this year, and I think they'd be uncomfortable under the care of two boys."

Shang Xiang glanced between Lu Xun and Ling Tong, and to the drama student it seemed as though she were sizing them up and trying to decide if either of them were truly more of a man than she was. But she kept the barb behind her lips, and all Ling Tong could do was bristle, resenting the unspoken insult as silence fell across the clearing once more. At last Han Dang shifted in his stance and turned to glance left, his calculating gaze settling on Sun Ce.

"Well… I suppose that would leave the two of you…"

There was something marginally unpleasant about the manager's tone, and Ling Tong was left wondering exactly what Sun Ce had done to get on Han Dang's last nerve. Then again, that wouldn't have been hard for the pushy little dictator, whose amber eyes had grown very wide at the threat. Han Dang scoffed and seemed to consider, brushing back dark bangs with a hand as callous as his stare.

"You might be a lot less trouble if you were separated, after all."

Cheng Pu had turned to face the other manager, and his eyes were full of patient warning, harboring the same look that Ling Tong remembered getting as a kid when he complained about the same thing too many times. But his uncle got no chance to give his opinion on the subject, because another voice beat him to it—a loud, indignant voice, matching its owner's expression for fervor and outrage.

"No way! Not a chance!"

Sun Ce took two large steps back, and he slung one arm out in front of Zhou Yu as though Han Dang had threatened to take his companion away by force. The action reminded Ling Tong a little of Zhou Yu's on the first day of camp, and he was surprised to realize that the protective—or was it possessive?—streak he'd observed then was just as much a part of Sun Ce as his shadowy companion.

Zhou Yu hadn't said anything in response to Han Dang's threat, but he didn't have to—the shorter boy in front of him was still running his mouth a thousand miles a minute.

"Zhou Yu's my partner!" Sun Ce snapped, glaring at both managers as his voice arced across the clearing in a near shout. "It's always been that way, and it's always gonna be that way. Don't even think about trying to separate us just because Queenie can't get along with anybody!"

Ling Tong opened his mouth to snap that he was learning to get along with Camp Wu's nicer delinquents just fine, thank you very much, and that it was only people like Sun Ce he couldn't stand—but a hand on his shoulder stopped him, and the drama student was surprised to see that Gan Ning had moved to his side and was shaking his head solemnly. He was more than ready to snap at the cowboy, too, and would have if Han Dang's footsteps hadn't drawn his attention again, pulling every gaze to the frustrated manager moving toward his obstinate counselors.

"You are so much trouble," Han Dang growled under his breath, and something about his tone made Ling Tong flinch, Gan Ning's hold on his shoulder tightening as Sun Ce dropped his hands into ready fists. The manager shook his head, coming to a stop so close to the sunshine boy that a gust of wind might have blown them into each other. "I don't know why I didn't just agree to get rid of you after last—"

"Han Dang."

Cheng Pu's voice was quiet—far quieter than his fellow manager's—but there was something about it that cut right through the other man's words and drew the attention of all the upset counselors around him, sending unnatural silence throughout the clearing. Ling Tong felt a shiver go down his spine, inspired more by his uncle's tone than the soft breeze that had begun to blow around them. He knew that voice only too well. It was the voice Cheng Pu used when his patience was hanging by a spider's thread, only moments away from shattering his easygoing temperament …

"Put your hands down, Sun Ce," the manager ordered without raising his voice, and reluctantly the boy obeyed, though he moved a step closer to Zhou Yu as his fists dissolved. Cheng Pu gave him a stern look, dark eyes cold in his usually genial face. "How many times have I told you that I will not allow fighting at this camp? And the fact that you would even raise your fists to an adult…"

"But he—"

"Quiet. Don't interrupt me."

Sun Ce's voice stopped as abruptly as it had begun, cut off by a sharp look and sharper retort. Cheng Pu put a hand to his forehead, massaging the headache that Ling Tong could hardly doubt was rolling through his temples.

"No one is going to separate you two, Sun Ce. And we will not be getting rid of anyone." This last was directed at Han Dang, who turned away and stared out over the lake as his partner continued. "We are just going to switch the cabin groups a little. Sun Ce, I don't see why any of this concerns you in the first place, so why don't you and Zhou Yu go get the kids ready for swimming, all right?"

Sun Ce's shoulders had relaxed considerably under Cheng Pu's soothing voice, and at the final suggestion he turned to look up at Zhou Yu, amber eyes seeking their darker counterparts. Ling Tong couldn't tell what manner of silent messages passed through their gaze, but they were sufficient to put a smile back on Sun Ce's face, and Camp Wu's juvenile dictator set off for the cabins as he'd been instructed, pulling Zhou Yu behind him.

"Okay, okay, I'm going… well, bye, Queenie!" the sunshine boy shouted in a retreating hail, leading his stoic companion toward the clustered cabins. "Good luck!"

Ling Tong crossed his arms over his chest, fairly certain that his expression was a far better response than any words could have been. 'Good luck'? That made it sound like living with Gan Ning was even a possibility. It would be an act of mercy if his uncle just shot him now…

"Tong?"

The questioning syllable drew the drama student's attention back to Cheng Pu, who was watching him with composed countenance and a patient stare. Ling Tong could tell he was waiting for an answer to the favor he'd asked before the argument even started—why his uncle bothered asking, however, was a mystery. He'd obviously made his decision already, hadn't he?

Ling Tong huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, shaking Gan Ning's restraining hand from his shoulder as he did so. "Well, it doesn't look like I have much of a choice, does it?" the drama student snipped, shifting his weight as his gaze swept across Cheng Pu's face. His uncle's expression took on a distinct aspect of guilt, and against his will Ling Tong found that he was speaking again, unconsciously trying to put the manager at ease. "Whatever. It's not like this summer can get any worse."

What more could go wrong, anyway? Trapped in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of teenage savages, fifty-odd screaming children, no TV and a rival he couldn't stand… wasn't that the definition of hell?

Cheng Pu exhaled into a heavy sigh, running one hand across his unshaven chin. "Thank you, Tong. I'm sorry to have to do this to you."

Since his uncle truly looked apologetic, Ling Tong decided not to rub how awful a time he was having into the manager's face again, though the prospect was tempting. He settled for leaning back on his heels with a sharp frown instead, shaking his head to scare a fly that had been nagging his ear, as Cheng Pu stepped forward to regard Gan Ning and the drama student more closely.

"It'll be at least a week before you have to take the kids riding again… I might ask Huang Gai to map out a different route to the waterfall. Just use that time to get used to the boys, all right, Tong?"

Ling Tong shrugged, and his uncle clapped a hand on his shoulder, startling the boy a little with the force of his touch. Cheng Pu's other hand reached out to assert a similar hold on Gan Ning, though the cowboy looked more uncomfortable than his new cabin partner at the unexpected contact.

"I need you to get along," the manager told them sternly, though his words drew a snort from Gan Ning and Ling Tong only rolled his eyes. Why did his uncle and Sun Ce keep making it sound like their feud was optional? It wasn't the drama student's fault that Gan Ning had no manners, bed head, and a speech impediment.

"Sure thing. Shouldn' be a problem at all."

Gan Ning's sarcastic reply was enough to dislodge Cheng Pu's hands from the boys' shoulders, and he gave them both a gentle shove in the direction of the cabin, sending them a mildly irritated look as he turned back to help Han Dang and Shang Xiang lead Lu Xun to the main lodge.

Ling Tong exchanged a quick glance with the cowboy beside him, and then he spun on heel and strode toward his former cabin as fast as his legs could carry him, wishing in vain that his stride were longer than Gan Ning's. Unfortunately, his irritating rival kept easy pace with him, and his drawling voice hesitated only a moment before breaking the tense silence between them, the accent immediately hitting Ling Tong's last nerve.

"S'been some day, huh, girly?"

That was it. The stupid, rooster-headed cowboy's private nickname for him was the absolute last straw.

The drama student stopped so abruptly that Gan Ning almost passed right by him, pausing awkwardly halfway between his strides to look back at the fuming boy. Yes, Ling Tong was fuming—he could practically feel the smoke curling up from his ears, and he hoped Gan Ning could see it, too, because he was mad as hell and more than ready for the infuriating cowboy to hear about it.

"All right. Listen up." Ling Tong squared his shoulders and did his best to look intimidating, though Gan Ning only raised an eyebrow at his sharp glare. The drama student huffed, crossing both arms over his chest. "I may have to put up with these arrangements for the rest of the summer, but let's get a few things straight right now. I don't like you."

Ling Tong forced as much malice as he could summon into the words, but the cowboy only blinked at him, indicating to the younger teen that his words hadn't been quite powerful enough. The drama student tried again.

"In fact, it's not even that I don't like you. I hate you. I hate spending time with you, and I hate talking to you, and I hate—everything. I just hate everything about you. So leave me alone already!"

By the time he'd finished, Ling Tong was running short on breath, and his voice had transformed almost into a shout, prompting a few curious campers to glance out of cabin windows toward the face-off at the edge of the clearing. Nonetheless, Gan Ning was still watching him with a primarily blank expression, apparently not nearly as offended as Ling Tong had predicted.

A moment passed in silence, and then the ragtag cowboy tilted his head to one side, watching his companion with unnervingly serious eyes.

"Why?" Gan Ning asked, and it was Ling Tong's turn to blink, startled by the simple question. Gan Ning stood up a little straighter, watching the drama student carefully. "Why d'you hate me so much anyway, girly? I don' remember doin' anything to you."

Ling Tong stared at his rival for a moment, caught off guard by the request for an explanation he didn't exactly have. But the drama student was not one to be left speechless for long, and within seconds he'd regained his composure, flicking his ponytail away from the warm skin of his neck.

"Because you're a jerk, Gan Ning."

The accusation didn't sound half as forceful as Ling Tong had hoped, and its power diminished yet again as Gan Ning adjusted his hat, considering his new partner with a calculating stare.

"So? Yer a whiny brat, but I don' hate you. Hate's a strong word, girly."

Ling Tong wasn't sure what surprised him more: the current of philosophy in Gan Ning's reply or the knowledge that his hate for the cowboy wasn't completely mutual. But his surprise only lasted for a moment before his mind registered the criticism hidden in Gan Ning's response, and his indignation responded with a vengeance, extending his arms to give the cowboy a good, hard shove in the chest.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!"

Gan Ning's eyes widened as he stumbled backward and almost lost his footing, but Ling Tong didn't care, only disappointed that the rude delinquent hadn't gotten a face full of dirt to match his mouth. The drama student stamped one foot against the ground, his glare more than equal to the force of his rival's.

"You always do that!" Ling Tong snapped, trying to keep his voice soft enough to avoid drawing a crowd. "You're always insulting me, and calling me a girl, and—"

"Hey now," Gan Ning shot back, regaining his balance and stepping toward the angry teen again. "I ain't callin' you a girl, brat—I'm sayin' you act like one. Nobody'd mistake you fer a girl. Yeh're flat as a washboard."

Ling Tong felt heat rising in his cheeks at the observation, and the storm of irritation building within him grew that much stronger, tensing every muscle in his body and grinding his hands into fists at his side.

"I look nothing like a girl!" the drama student spat, and Gan Ning snorted, leaning back on one heel as though he were considering the claim. After a moment, the cowboy shrugged, smirking beneath the overdone spikes of his mop-like hair.

"Nah… guess not. Yeh're weak as a kitten, though."

Ling Tong bristled for a moment, and then threw up his hands in frustration, marching toward the cabins with a stride so angry he almost expected the earth to crumble beneath him. He hated Gan Ning—he hated him, hated him, hated him, and nothing would ever be able to change that.

"Why do you always have to say things like that?!" Ling Tong shot over one shoulder, and in his backward glance he could see Gan Ning balking at the question, hands outstretched in a gesture of exasperation.

"What d'ya want me to do, girly? Quote poetry at'cha?"

The drama student had almost reached the door of his former cabin, but he paused long enough to get the last word in, turning back to shout at the cowboy who had halted some distance behind him.

"No thanks! You'd ruin it with your awful voice!" the teen accused, his shout ricocheting against the walls of the cabins around him. Then he turned and stomped into the cabin, slamming the door behind him with the power of all the anger and adrenaline swirling through his veins.

The sun had been so bright outside that the small building seemed almost pitch black, and for a moment Ling Tong leaned back against the door in blindness, lifting both hands to cover his face. The wood was cool against his warm, angry skin, and in a matter of moments it had drawn his heartbeat back toward normalcy, too, dissolving the irritation that lay like a lump of clay in the pit of his stomach.

Then a little voice in the back of his head reminded Ling Tong how ridiculous he must have looked having a shouting match with Gan Ning in the middle of all the cabins, and the drama student groaned, hiding his eyes with his palms. How could he have forgotten himself like that? Gan Ning behaving like a half-civilized maniac was one thing, but…

Why?

The cowboy's question echoed back to him through the darkness, and Ling Tong sighed, tapping the back of his head against the door in consideration. Why did he hate Gan Ning so much, anyway? It seemed like, after a week, he should have been getting used to the other boy's mannerisms, no matter how irritating.

But…

Ling Tong huffed, crossing both arms over his chest and staring into the darkness as his eyesight slowly returned to him. But there was just something about Gan Ning that really bugged him, no matter how many times he confronted it. The teen couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was about the disheveled cowboy that drove him up the wall—no doubt he'd have more than enough time to figure it out in the infernal weeks to come…

"Um… Mr. Queenie?"

At the soft voice, Ling Tong started and looked down, and his eyes widened as he noticed for the first time that he was not alone in the cabin. Four sets of big, curious eyes were staring up at him, and Greta—who had been dogging his steps ever since the nametag incident—reached out to take hold of his shirt, her expression warring between worry and curiosity.

"Mr. Queenie? What's wrong? What happened while you were out there?"

Ling Tong looked at the huddle of girls around him, and then he let out a deep sigh, brushing back his sweaty bangs with a tired hand. This was going to take a lot of explaining.

End Chapter 10