Written for CMBYN Bingo 2021.

* Please do not translate or repost this story.

Elio had been dreading this day all summer. So far his high school experience had been okay. He had spent most of his time with Marzia and Chiara and he had managed to go unnoticed by most of the other students, which was just how he liked it.

But over the summer he had come out to his best friends, and while their reactions couldn't have been more positive - they had nearly knocked him off the bed hugging him - and he trusts that they wouldn't tell anyone, he had been nervous about going back to school. Somehow he felt different, like people could see the change in him, the fact that he was no longer keeping this secret. Which was of course ridiculous, he knew, because people did not look at him at all. Why would they? They probably didn't even know his name.

The only thing that had given him any kind of reassurance that nothing was going to change was knowing that Marzia and Chiara were going to be right there by his side. Even this camping trip with another high school wouldn't be so bad if he could share a tent with them and avoid the awkwardness of having to sleep next to a virtual stranger.

The three of them had had it all worked out. Chiara had brought her iPad, and they had picked out which movies they were going to watch at night. Marzia had brought snacks, Elio had snuck a bottle of some bright blue drink with him. It was going to be great!

But their teachers had expected all of this, and they had split up every group of friends - mixing them with students from the other high school. Elio ending up having to share a tent with a boy named Thomas.

Elio had tried his best to get to know him, even going as far as to offer him some of the blue drink, but Thomas had only been interested in texting with his girlfriend. So Elio had pulled a book out of his backpack and he had spent the afternoon reading while the others were busy getting to know their new tent mates.

He has just sat down at one of the long tables for dinner, hoping that Marzia and Chiara won't have forgotten about him already. But just as he's about to text them and ask where they are, someone sits down next to him.

The young man looks older, but from the band around his wrist Elio can tell that he's one of the students from the other high school. He flashes a smile, not sure if the young man is just waiting for one of his friends or if he has mistaken him for someone else.

"I'm Oliver."

"Elio."

"Nice to meet you. Is it okay if I… I mean, if you were waiting for someone…," Oliver says, already getting ready to get up and leave.

"No, it's fine. My friends… I'm pretty sure they're somewhere else." With someone else, Elio thinks.

"Right…" Oliver nods, looking a little uncomfortable as he runs a hand over the back of his neck. "I ehm… I'm sorry, man. This is a little weird, right? This whole trip, being forced to share a tent with someone you've never met? Who did you end up with?"

"Thomas."

"Thom? He's alright, isn't he? I have to share with some guy named Jay?" Oliver asks, but Elio just shrugs - ashamed to admit that he doesn't have a clue who Jay is, even though he probably has gone to school with him for years.

Oliver seems to notice the look on Elio's face, because he gives a chuckle before pulling a flyer out of his pocket.

"Are you going to this thing tonight?"

"The talent show?" Elio asks, scrunching up his nose.

"No, the movie," Oliver chuckles, turning the flyer around. "Knowing our teachers, it's some old black and white movie. But it could be fun, right?"

"Yeah… maybe."

"Want to go together?"

Elio feels his stomach flip and his cheeks grow warm, so he quickly looks down, hoping Oliver hasn't noticed. The last thing he needs is someone starting a rumor about him, even if it's some stranger from a different school. A stranger he'll probably never see again after this trip - or let's be real, a stranger he'll probably never see again after dinner.

"Unless you're going with your friends, of course."

Elio looks back up, now noticing his best friends laughing and chatting away with their new friends at another table. Not exactly blaming them, but feeling a little hurt nonetheless.

"No, let's go together."

By the time dinner had gotten served, the table had been filled with other students. Oliver had been dragged into some discussion about something that had happened at their school last year, and while he had tried to include Elio into the conversation, Elio didn't have a clue what the discussion was about. So he had kept to himself mostly, and he had gone back to his tent as soon as he had cleared his plate.

He had almost considered staying there - quite enjoying having some peace and quiet to read, seeing as Thomas was gone - but he couldn't stop thinking about Oliver. Something about the teenager making him feel things he had only ever felt for certain actors up until today. That feeling that made him think he should go and have a cold shower.

Yet something had told him that he would regret it if he didn't at least go and check this movie out. So he had dragged himself out there, regretting it as soon as he found only two other students there. The two of them curled up on a blanket, too busy making out to actually watch the movie.

"Sorry I'm late."

Elio jumps up, finding Oliver coming up to him, a bag of chips and two cans of soda in his hands.

"I hope these are alright. They were all I could find," Oliver says, before looking up at the makeshift screen. "Oh wow… I was just kidding when I said black and white, but this is actually…"

"We could go…"

"To the lake?" Oliver suggests, Elio quickly following. Hating to admit that he would have followed him anywhere.

When they get there, they find the place deserted. Earlier some of the others had gone for a swim, but it has gotten colder, and most of them are sitting by the fire now.

Elio half-expects Oliver to suggest they go join them - something about the two of them here alone together feeling a little awkward. But Oliver sits down by the water, patting the space next to him as he flashes a warm smile.

He opens a soda - Elio wishing he had brought the blue drink to share with him and also hoping that Thomas hasn't found it and taken it by now.

"I ehm…," Oliver begins, before letting out an awkward chuckle. "I'm sorry, I'm not usually this nervous."

"Should I leave?"

"No! I just…," Oliver sighs, shaking his head, smiling to himself. "I don't really know what I'm doing here, or…"

"Do you want to go watch the movie?"

"No, will you let me finish?" Oliver laughs, and it only makes the blush on Elio's face grow darker. "I've never done this before… not with a guy, so… I only came out to people this summer," he blurts out, now being the one blushing. "Sorry, is that…?"

"Me too." Elio smiles, but when he senses something in Oliver's face changing, he quickly looks out at the water. This was a trick, right? Some prank to get him to say this, and now Oliver is going to tell everyone.

But Oliver grabs his hand and he gives it a reassuring squeeze to let him know that he understands how he's feeling. To let him know that he isn't here to hurt him, but that he wants to be his friend, maybe even more than that.

Elio isn't sure whether he should believe it though, because this seems too good to be true. No one has noticed him for years, so why would someone notice him now? Especially someone like Oliver.

"You're not out to them, are you?" Oliver asks, nudging his head into the direction of the campsite, but when he sees the look on Elio's face, he sighs. "Relax, I'm not going to tell them."

"How did you know?"

"I didn't," Oliver laughs. "If I'd gotten it wrong, we were just two guys having a drink together."

"And now we are?"

"Two guys having a drink together."

Elio can't help but laugh, and he can slowly feel himself letting his guard down. He doesn't even stop Oliver when they lie down to watch the stars and Oliver hooks their pinkies together.

"Hey Elio?"

"Yeah?" Elio asks, keeping his eyes focused on the sky because he is too nervous to face him.

"Do you think we could do this again tomorrow?"