Episode nine

Camping

Camping. In the woods, with Kaage. I don't know if I'm excited. And it's not just him either. The New Directions in full are going to be out there in the woods. Skeptical, probably untrusting eyes will be on me the whole time. But Kaage's there, so it's worth it. Kaage. Kaage. He's all I talk about now. He's enchanting and graceful. Beautiful and mysterious. I don't know. Do I feel attracted to him? Maybe. Does he catch my interest? Of course. It's not every day a tall, handsome stranger appears right at your car. It's amazing.

Kaage continued tapping the steering wheel of his sleek black Navigator as he stopped at a stop light. Blaine constantly glanced at the boy. Kaage was acting a bit more stiff and on edge. He wondered what was going on in that boy's mind. As the light turned green, Kaage caught Blaine's eye. His posture softened a bit.

"What's up?"

Blaine shrugged, "You seem tense."

Kaage focused back on the road as they started driving again, "I'm just a bit nervous I guess. It's already starting to get dark and we're not even there yet. I'm not a huge fan in of the dark."

Blaine knew Kaage was lying. The first time they met each other Kaage was in the dark. Then again, he was covered in bruises and cuts. Blaine simply smiled. "A guy like you? Afraid of the dark? That's sad."

Kaage glanced over and smirked. "Shut up. I'm not as tough as I look, alright."

Blaine faked shock. "Really? I never noticed!"

If they weren't in a car, and if he wasn't driving, Kaage probably would've hit Blaine. Blaine could tell Kaage was a bit annoyed. Kaage simply rolled his eyes.

"I can't wait to get there so I don't have to be stuck in a car with you."

Blaine chucked, "Ouch. That hurt my feelings."

"I'm sure it did."

Silence settled in the car again. Blaine looked outside as they got further and further out into the wild. There was street, but houses were few and far and trees were scattered everywhere. The sun had started setting, a light orange glaze spread out on the sky with shades of pink. The clouds were long and puffy, looking soft.

Suddenly, Kaage took a sharp left turn out into the woods. Blaine snapped his head to look at Kaage. "What the hell are you doing?"

Kaage glanced at Blaine as if nothing had happened. He simply snorted, "I'm getting to camp, smart one. I thought that's what you came for. To go camping with us?"

"Yeah but you went off the road!"

"Duh. Look, I do this once a year. Let me do the driving and leave me alone."

Blaine sighed and looked forward. There were no trees, like some hidden path that was neither paved nor dirt. It was just the land with the trees cleared. They suddenly came upon an open area. There were tents set up as well as a big building in the center. Kaage pulled to the side where multiple other cars were parked. "And here we are. Still worried?"

Blaine rolled his eyes and hopped out. "That was completely reckless."

Kaage hopped out of the car as well and popped the trunk. He slammed his door and snorted. "I knew where I was headed. Chill, Blaine. We do this all the time."

Blaine muttered under his breath and pulled out his luggage, Kaage doing the same.

"Now, just follow me and don't get lost, " Kaage said as he closed the trunk.

Blaine followed after Kaage as they walked forward. It seemed bare. Blaine looked at the tents as they passed, heading towards the huge building in the center of the camp. Kaage hopped up the stairs with ease and waited until Blaine caught up. Kaage grinned devilishly, "Well, here we go. Ready to see the New Directions again?"

Blaine nodded and Kaage pulled the door open. Blaine entered. It was a big room. Two long rectangular tables sat off to the side, refreshments placed on them. There were smaller, circular tables along the outskirts, chairs lining them. There was a huge stage up front with open floor in front. Most of the New Directions were seated, Mr. Schue and Rachel up on stage messing with equipment. Puck looked up from strumming his guitar when he spotted movement at the door. He grinned widely. "Blaine's here!"

Kaage rolled his eyes and sat his luggage down. "Nice to know you guys missed me."

Mercedes smiled and walked over. "I missed you, boo."

Kaage gladly accepted her hug. The other New Directions headed over towards Blaine and Kaage. Mr. Schue grinned "Hey boys! We're just setting up. You guys can get settled in, unpack a bit. Just be back here in about two hours."

Kaage smirked. "Alright. I want to show Blaine around a bit anyways."

With that Kaage picked up his luggage again and gave Blaine a look. Blaine followed Kaage out. "Wait, we're sleeping in tents?"

Kaage grinned, "Duh. That's what camping is, right?"

"Well…I guess. But.."

Kaage laughed and found a tent off in the corners a bit, by the woods. Blaine followed, unsure of what to do. Kaage sent Blaine a look as he sat his luggage near the tent. "You should bunk with me."

Blaine blinked, "What?"

"You should bunk with me. There aren't a lot of tents. Plus, if there are any murders I can make sure they kill you first."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "That's very reassuring knowing the state you were in when we first met."

Kaage laughed. Blaine smiled. He really liked when Kaage laughed. It made him seem like such a different person than the closed off one that Blaine met. The pair unpacked, Kurt setting up sleeping bags. The tent was pretty big. Large enough for them to separate their sleeping bags and set their luggage in. When Kaage finished setting up, he stretched. It was around six. They still had at least an hour before they had to go back. Kaage grinned, waiting for Blaine to finish before beckoning him. "C'mon. I want to show you something."

Blaine blinked and followed the taller boy as he started walking through the woods. Blaine groaned. "Are you sure we won't get lost?"

Kaage giggled in return, suddenly disappearing around a corner. Blaine blinked and rushed to follow. Suddenly he came to an opening in the woods. Kaage was sitting on a tree stump. There was a small stream, the water moving gently. Kaage noticed Blaine had caught up and smiled at the smaller teen who was looking at the stream questioningly.

"My mother actually used to take me up here when I was little."

Blaine glanced at Kaage. Kaage smiled and looked at a beetle that was crawling amongst fallen leaves. Blaine walked over, sitting on the edge of the stump. "She doesn't anymore?"

"She's dead."

Blaine blinked at how calm Kaage sounded. "Oh."

Kaage sighed. "I miss her every day, Blaine. But I can't change her passing. And it made me stronger, you know. It made me who I am today. And, maybe it was for the best. I mean, yeah, it hurt. But now, I have a whole family again. Did that make sense?"

Blaine shrugged. "Kind of. So your father remarried?"

Kaage nodded. "Yeah. To a woman named Carole. She's a wonderful woman. Her son, Finn, became my step brother. Which is ironic because I used to have a crush on him."

Kaage laughed and Blaine chuckled. "You had a crush on your step brother?"

Kaage rolled his eyes. "He wasn't my brother at the time."

Blaine snorted and they just sat there for a while, enjoying the view. Blaine didn't know how long they sat there. He didn't care. The sun was starting to set slowly in the distance. The river gave off a light noise of flowing water. And Kaage sat there, seeming so vulnerable. And Blaine just smiled and enjoyed their silence. It wasn't awkward. It was relaxed. And Kaage started humming under his breath. A very odd, almost old tune. A lullaby.

Soon their silence was interrupted by the sound of a phone vibrating. Kaage blinked and dug in his pocket, pulling out his phone. He looked at the text and then pocketed his phone without responding, standing up and stretching. Blaine watched and Kaage yawned before looking back at Blaine. He chuckled. "Ready to go? Puck says we're late."

Blaine quickly scurried up. "Sorry. Yeah. We can… yeah."

Kaage laughed and grabbed Blaine's hand, leading him out of the woods.

A/N: Hey guys! So, this is a bit loose. All of the excitement starts to happen soon! Anyways, thanks for reading and I'll see you guys next week! ~Toxic