Realistic or Modern Woe and Whoa!

[cadence]

Julian told him he was going to try and have fun. It had been the highlight of the previous day and Mickey just knew proving to the kid that Sunny Squirrels Camp really could be as much fun as he made it out to be would be the highlight of yet another day as well. He was incredibly excited for the game to begin. Because Julian was taller than most of the younger kids, he had one of the more important roles in his Master Game Plan. He was going to be the one to capture the flag! The one to bring his team to yet another victory! But he never showed up. It was disheartening, sure, but Mickey was absolutely positive he had only gotten lost between the cafeteria and their little area tucked away near the volleyball nets. He didn't want to face the fact that Julian had probably run away and hid on purpose. No, he told him he was going to try and have fun! Mickey didn't like to think people were liars.

Well, he was wrong. He stood up straight, crossing his arms over his chest in a rather disappointed way as Julian went on to call the kids monsters and then threaten to curse in front of him. By this point, his excited grin had been replaced with a frown. Julian had the tendency to do that to him, it seemed. Mickey was trying so hard to be happy and positive when he was around him but ... The kid just sucked his joy. He was constantly finding the worse in things, refused to have fun, told him he talked too much, and well... Mickey was really beginning to grow tired of his attitude. It was absolutely uncalled for and it was beginning to affect his attitude as well. Which was difficult to do, by the way, because tried to remain as upbeat as possible despite the circumstances.

"You're a jerk," he said the next moment, as blunt and stoic as he could manage. He didn't like to call people jerks. It was one of the meanest things he could think to call someone, actually, but he felt like the situation called for it. "The kids aren't monsters," he defended, now showing more emotion than he had before. In fact, his voice steadily grew more high pitched and annoyed and overall just hurt the more he talked. "They're having fun. Like most people here do. Instead of, like, try as hard as they can not to have fun." He let out a bewildered scoff the next moment, eyebrows knit in a look of confusion. "Why are you so set on running off, anyway? I've been nothing but nice to you. I gave you waffles! I talked to you when all the other counselors were scared to! I offered to hang out with you so you wouldn't be surrounded by younger kids all the time! I - I, ugh. I've been nothing but nice and it's like you're trying super hard to be a butt-head."

Realizing he had pretty much been ranting, he let out a deep sigh, shooting the shorter an apologetic look. "Sorry, it's just ... You told me you were going to try and have fun." He frowned, tucking a stray lock of hair back underneath his denim hat. "Can you just try today? If you don't have fun, you can... Hang out in the cabins or... whatever it is you'd rather do." He didn't look happy with the compromise. He wasn't happy with it at all, but he knew there were some people that couldn't be reasoned with. Hopefully he would have enough fun to try and stick around for more events, but... If he didn't, Mickey wasn't going to try and force him to do things he wanted. Even if he very, very, very badly wanted him to. He just wasn't that kind of person.

Despite the disappointed tone and frown he wore moments before, Mickey plastered a smile to his face, doing his best to rid the air of the negative vibe. He uncrossed his arms, bending over to take each of Julian's hands in his own. To him, it didn't seem like a personal gesture whatsoever. It was a rather friendly one to him; he didn't seem to realize that holding hands had a deeper meaning to some. He lightly tugged on the other's arms, gesturing towards the kids again with a nod of his head. "Let's go?" He proposed, sounding unsure. "Just one time. You'll have fun. If not, you don't have to play anymore."

 

[smolfluffball]

"Um, I-" As he spoke, the blond teenager knew he'd upset the counselor. He was actually frowning, and in the entire time he'd been at camp and interacted with the guy, he didn't think he'd seen Mickey frown once. It was kind of alarming. He leaned back against the tree and crossed his arms, trying to act like he wasn't low-key concerned by the counselors expression. Then, the brunet spoke. Julian's expression faltered as he was called a jerk, and he dropped his arms, stuffing them into his pockets. He averted his eyes and scuffed his shoe against the ground, listening silently as Mickey talked about the kids. He sounded hurt, and his voice was starting to shake and grow in pitch. Julian fucked up. He really upset Mickey now, and although he wanted to apologize, he found he couldn't say anything.

He swallowed the lump in his throat as Mickey said he wasn't even trying to have fun, and he knew just how right the counselor was. His entire persona was built up around the concept that this camp was the worst thing ever, and from what he'd seen, it really wasn't. Sure, there were kids that were a lot younger than him, but Julian was still a kid himself. He wasn't much older than some of the kids here - there was a fourteen year old, and he was only three years older than some of the middle schoolers. The other counselors were older and they seemed to care a lot about the campers having fun, as was evident by the one standing in front of him now. He was saying something about how he tried to help him out, and Julian bunched his shoulders up, frowning at the ground. He felt bad. Like, really bad. Mickey was right. He had come up to him and offered to show him around, even though Julian had been a total jerk to him. He was still here, now, trying to make sure he had some fun. He gave him an apologetic look, but Julian just felt sheepish. God. He felt awful.

The counselor was offering a compromise, but Julian didn't want that. He almost said something, but the lump in his throat had returned. Julian didn't want Mickey to think he was a jerk, or that he was incapable of having fun, or that he was going to run away. He wasn't going to run away, and the actor was absolutely capable of having fun. Even if he had to play a game that he didn't really want to play... But Mickey really wanted him to try to have fun. He didn't like seeing the brunet, who was cute and standing too close to Julian, sad. He sighed when Mickey stopped talking and tried to think of what to say, though his persona. He wanted to apologize. He needed to, because he really hurt Mickey, right? He dug around his brain for something to say, and when he looked back at Mickey to say he was sorry, he saw he was smiling again. What the hell.

He watched Mickey for a few seconds, trying to figure out why he was smiling again. He'd been hurt, right? Like, really annoyed. He'd called Julian a jerk. Was he faking it? He had to be faking it. He couldn't switch between emotions that quickly, could he? Julian could, but that was because he was an actor and he trained to do it. It was all fake for him, his entire persona and his annoyed, angsty comments. Was this smile fake for Mickey, though? He narrowed his eyes, incredibly suspicious, then felt Mickey grab his hands. He startled, but then the taller guy slid his fingers between Julian's, and he felt his cheeks warm. Oh my God. Holy shit. No. Why was this happening? What was happening? What the hell was going on? He looked frantically at Mickey, who didn't even seem to be bothered by this hand holding. Oh my God, he was clueless. That was so bad. Julian urged his cheeks to return to normal and his heart to reach a regular pace again, and he took a deep breath, hoping Mickey didn't think anything of it.

"Um, okay. I'm sorry I disappeared again, and that I called the kids monsters. I..." He looked away, frowning. "I don't really want you to think I'm a jerk. I just... am a teenager, I guess. Maybe I'm having a mood swing or something." He didn't sound very convincing, but he wanted to try to sincerely apologize to Mickey. It was hard, though. He wished he could just break character and tell him what he was actually doing, that he was just acting, but he was too far in now to do that. "I'm seriously sorry. Like, I apologize. I know the kids ain't monsters or anything, I just had a bad experience with capture the flag when I was younger. Like, I got tripped and then stepped on, and stuff." He shrugged helplessly, not meeting Mickey's eyes. That was actually a truth, although he hated to admit it to anyone. "And I know it's stupid, because the kids are a lot smaller than me, but I dunno. And, you were like, right, about me being a jerk. I'll try to, I dunno, enjoy the game. I guess. You don't have to hold my hands." He looked at them pointedly, and wanted to pull away, but decided not to. Why? He didn't know. He was being stupid. "I won't run away again. For a third time. I think it's the third time."

 

[cadence]

Mickey was really beginning to think this kid was just a jerk. The way he nonchalantly leaned back against the tree, crossing his arms over his chest like he hadn't just been a big, fat meanie... It was pretty upsetting, if the brunet was truly honest. He wanted his first year as counselor to be perfect! He wanted every single kid to come to Sunny Squirrels Summer Camp to have the time of their lives. That was going to be a little difficult to accomplish when this kid didn't seem to be enjoying his stay at all. And, God, if his bad attitude was affecting his mood, Mickey could only imagine he would upset the other kid's moods even more. Mickey was the kind of person to not let anything bother him! If he was beginning to be disturbed... Yikes. Things weren't looking good. He let out a small, frustrated huff through his nose, crossing his arms over his chest in a way that might suggest he was mad. And honestly? He was. Just a teensy-tiny bit. He had been so nice to the kid! He had tried so hard to help him have fun. He was just so, so stubborn. It was upsetting. Thankfully, Julian seemed to feel bad. Mickey couldn't help but notice the way he averted his eyes, shoving the toe of his shoe into the dirt. He perked up a bit at the sight, thinking there was hope yet.

Before Julian even had the chance to retaliate or apologize or even say anything in general, Mickey's mood had taken a complete three-sixty, and he had pasted a smile onto his face. At least, outwardly, it appeared as if he were suddenly happier. Noticing the apologetic look Julian sent him and a few other signs that clearly suggested Julian was sorry, his mood had improved a little. Besides, he wasn't someone who enjoyed negative energy. For a moment, there was a lot of it, and Mickey couldn't help but think it was his fault. He had called the blond a jerk. That was such a mean word. And then he had yelled at him. And then he said he was being a butt-head! Geez, he had been so mean. He was feeling like a complete bully and he had to force himself to smile before he fall down that self-deprecating hole much more. Smiles fixed everything. At least, he firmly believed that they did. Not expecting an apology or an explanation or really for the other to say anything at all, he had taken the other by the hands. His plan was to drag him to the meeting with the other kids, hoping that he could somehow manage to convince him that the camp really was a lot of fun. For whatever reasons Mickey couldn't quite understand, Julian seemed embarrassed when he took his hands. He had noticed the light pink spread through his cheeks, deciding not to say anything. He didn't understand anyway and simply offered a goofy smile.

He was pretty surprised when Julian started talking. He was even more surprised when he apologized. Mickey could tell he felt bad. Sure, he couldn't quite understand why he was acting the way he did, but it was obvious enough that he didn't really want to be as rude as he was being. Not the type to hold any sort of grudge, he had already forgiven him, even before he had already said anything. Still, it was good to hear. His grin widened, becoming more genuine as he did. He let go of one of his hands for a moment to dismissively wave it, making a "pft" sound. "It's okay!" He assured, beaming. "I forgive you. I'm sorry I called you a jerk. You shoulda just told me you had a bad experience, though." He absentmindedly interlocked their fingers again, looking down at the shorter. "You can sit out if you really want to. I won't let you get trampled, though. I'll protect you." He brought their hands to his chest, dramatizing his claim that he would protect Julian from the swarm of energetic children. Honestly, he was aware of the fact that he probably couldn't hold his own against them. He had the advantage in height, sure, but he had a body that could honestly put a twig to shame. "It's gonna be fun! Plus, we really, really, really, really, really, really need your help!" He laughed when Julian said he didn't need to hold his hands, promising that he wouldn't run away again. "Oh, but I do, Jules. Gotta be extra safe."

He let go of one of his hands, using the other to guide him to the rest of the group. He was positive he could have found his way on his own; after all, it had only been a straight path to the volleyball nets just on the outskirts of the main cabin area. But, it was better safe than sorry. Mickey really did believe that he meant his apology and he meant what he said when he said he wasn't going to run off again but ... Mickey didn't want to take any risks. He finally let go of his hands once they had arrived, grinning at the Squarriors who now all had various paint designs on their face. He was immediately greeted by the kid he had entrusted with his can of face paint The kid had just finished with painting the cheeks of a younger girl when Mickey had arrived, who congratulated him for doing such a good job on everyone's faces. When the boy returned the can, Mickey shoved it deep into his fanny pack. But, not before discreetly sticking both of his thumbs in the paint, of course. Positive that Julian wasn't going to agree, Mickey had come up with a devious plan to get him to wear some paint for the game. He turned towards the blond, covering his painted black thumbs with his fingers as he did. "Hey, Julian?" He was grinning, probably giving himself away. Then again, he was always grinning. Maybe Julian wouldn't notice. "You have something on your face."

 

[smolfluffball]

This counselor was starting to concern Julian. He was too eager to change his mood, to become happy again, and when Julian apologized, the brunet only grinned wider. The actor narrowed his eyes, squinting only slightly. Something was up. The brunet was too quick to change emotions, and it reminded Julian only slightly of himself. Was it possible? He really doubted it, but the sudden mood change was really weird. It was like a switch was flicked in Mickey, and Julian thought it reminded him of an actor he once met. The dude could cry on command, and switched between emotions in a snap. Was Mickey an actor? That'd be so weird. The blond wouldn't know how to feel about that, at all. But, what other option was there? Mickey forgave him so easily, which was surprising, considering how upset he had been earlier. The sudden change of emotions was rather alarming to Julian, so he hoped it was just that the counselor was testing out his acting abilities. When Mickey said he should have told him about his (not really that) traumatic experience and interlocked their hands again, he decided to push his thoughts away for later. The hand holding was a bit more important, and very distracting.

"I didn't want to tell you I had a bad experience with capture the flag because you seemed really excited about it," he said quietly, frowning. He also had over-exaggerated his one time incident, the being trampled over, but he couldn't say that now. "It was a while ago, back when I was a kid. I guess it wasn't really that bad, honestly. And I can-" He cut himself off when Mickey brought both their hands to his chest, and felt his cheeks warm again. God, the dude needed to stop. Julian hated blushing, but the warmth on his cheeks only told him that he was, indeed, doing exactly what he hated. He tried to pull his hand away, but was unsuccessful. "I can protect myself," he finished weakly. He was seriously starting to regret pissing Mickey off. If this was Mickey's way of getting revenge, Julian would probably die. At Sunny Squirrels Summer Camp. His family would never let him live that down. He could see the headline now: 'Famous teen actor Julian Foster dies, aged 16, due to over-exposure to a dangerous camp counselor.'

Hm. That headline was a bit dramatic, but did Julian care? No. Mickey was holding his hand. He was blushing. He was doomed.

As Mickey continued to speak and as Julian urged his cheeks to stop being so hot, he noticed that Mickey said really six times. Wow. That was overkill. "You really need help, but I would really like it if you stopped holding my hand." He tried to pull away again, but Mickey said he needed to in order to ensure safety, and the blond stopped struggling. Whatever. He'd just accept it. He'd upset Mickey, and he still felt bad about that, so he'd let it slide. Unless the guy was an actor, like him. He'd need to figure out the truth very quickly, or it'd drive him crazy. "You do realize that holding my hand like this is kind of gay, right?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. Apparently, he could not just let this slide. "What if the girls start gossiping about you?" He frowned, but mostly at his own question. He was projecting onto Mickey now, and he hated it. He let out a loud sigh. Retreat to a safer topic. "But, whatever." He shrugged once. "You do you. I don't care. I'm already being dragged along to play a scary game. You know, this could be interpreted as you breaking Sunny Squirrel Rule number five. Bullying. You are bullying me."

Even though he had objected, during the time he had been talking, Julian had been led back to the group of children. He saw they all now had face paint on, and he looked down at his hand when Mickey finally released him. He wiped his hand on his pants, frowning at a couple of kids who giggled. See, Mickey? This was why you didn't just hold hands like that. He shot the counselor an annoyed look, but the expression quickly dropped to one of surprise when Mickey came towards him. He was hiding something in his hands. Julian hadn't been paying enough attention to see what had happened, but there was a teen boy watching Mickey, so that obviously meant that something was up. He quickly replaced his look of surprise with a scowl when Mickey said he had something on his face, and he crossed his arms. "You're not going to get me to fall for that, Duck Boy."

 

[cadence]

I can protect myself. Mickey was sure he could. Positive, actually. He didn't look like any sort of protector himself. Sure, he could be rather intimidating because of how tall he was. He was only sixteen years old and stood at exactly six feet tall. But there was just something about him that didn't really seem inherently strong. He was incredibly thin, after all; and despite being so energetic and talkative most of the time, there was a gentleness to him that really suggested he couldn't even hurt a fly if he tried. Still, he wasn't sure he could give Julian another chance. He had given him three chances already; three chances to try and see whether or not he could actually have any sort of fun at Sunny Squirrels Camp. But he had run off. Each and every time. Hand-holding didn't mean anything romantic or personal to Mickey... At least, not yet. To him, it was just a way to ensure Julian actually tried this time. And Mickey, even more so than before, was determined to show Julian he could have fun. If that meant claiming he'd protect the kid and assure that no kids trampled him at this game of capture the flag... Well, he'd do it. He'd do almost anything. "I won't let you get trampled," he promised after a moment of silence, giving a quick assuring squeeze of the other's hand.

Apparently Eyeliner didn't really like him holding his hand. Funny, he thought, because he was so obviously red, but Mickey supposed that might have more to do with the heat or the fact that he had been caught hiding again or... Well, anything but the obvious, really. He stuck out his tongue when Julian said this, refusing to let go of his hand. Sure, he was a little worried that he might be making Julian uncomfortable, but... The extra measure was needed in case he decided to try running away again. "I don't care about none of that," he said, shrugging dismissively when Julian brought up the fact that they probably looked gay in the moment. He supported it completely, after all. If people wanted to talk badly about something like that? So be it. Mickey didn't care. Well, at least he liked to pretend he didn't. "If we hurry you won't have to hold my hand anymore," he said in a sing-song voice, sounding almost taunting, as if he realized the effect it was having on the other. He blew out his cheeks when Julian accused him of bullying, feeling the smallest twang of guilt. Was it bullying? Mickey would never be able to live with himself if it was. "Uh, sorry," he mumbled. "I'm a counselor so I'm allowed to break the rules." Yeah, he would actually die on the spot if he intentionally broke a rule but... Julian didn't need to know that.

They finally reached the others and Mickey finally let go of his hand, immediately leaving his side to collect his can of face paint from one of the kids. It was then that he got the brilliant idea to sneak some onto Julian's face, knowing good and well that he probably wouldn't willingly wear any. So, in the next moment, he was in front of Julian, grinning from ear to ear and not looking suspicious at all. "Fall for what?" He cooed, batting his eyes innocently. "Seriously, you have something on your face. Let me get it!" Without waiting for approval, Mickey had each of his hands on the other's face, quick enough to spread paint under each of his eyes before he could try and swat him away. He giggled when he saw his work, giving an approving nod. "Perfect!" He exclaimed, giving a thumbs up, which was now stained black. The next moment, he spread the rest of the paint on his own cheeks.

"Now, it's game time..." He said, mustering the most intimidating voice he could manage. He laughed the next moment, huddling everyone in the group into a circle. He even made sure to keep an eye on Julian this time, completely determined not to let him run away again. Besides, Mickey found his eyes kept being drawn to him anyway. He looked pretty cute with smudged up face paint. It was a fluttering thought and he quickly dismissed it, clearing his throat to go over the game plan. He and Julian, being the tallest and probably fastest, would retrieve the flag. Then the others were divided into three groups: one to hide their flag, one to guard their flag, and the other to ward off the other team as best they could before they could even reach it. The plan was... Honestly flawless, if Mickey did say so himself. It had won many games of capture the flag years previous, of course.

 

[smolfluffball]

It was impossible to stop the counselor, it seemed. In mere seconds, Julian's cheeks were smeared with wet paint, and he figured he probably looked akin to a raccoon. Either a raccoon, or some emo punk with massive under eye bags. Well, at least that would fit his edgy aesthetic. He had flinched when Mickey had grabbed his cheeks, but then he tried to swat the other boys hands away when he was done. Mickey was too fast, and he pulled back, but the damage had been done. Julian now looked like a part of the gang of children. He just accepted it, but let out a very audible sigh to let Mickey know that he wasn't impressed. He watched as Mickey wiped the rest of the paint on his own cheeks and realized he did, indeed, look like a part of some strange cult or emo edgelord. Whatever. He'd wash it off later. It was fine, if it cheered Mickey up. He didn't want to upset him further.

When Mickey gathered the group of children together to go over the game plan, Julian had to admit that it was rather sound. He almost pointed out that he was probably not one of the faster people in the camp, despite the fact that he was older. He didn't get the chance, though, because Mickey divided the teams up and they split up to start planning. The game was starting, officially. Julian was unprepared, definitely. He had to be stuck with the counselor through all of it, and he worried that Mickey would hold his hand again for some unknown reason. He did not want Mickey to hold his hand again, despite what his cheeks might say. He sighed again and moved slightly off to the side of the group, stepping closer to Mickey. If they were going to be stuck together for the game, he'd just... stay by the guy. He'd be fine and would be able to manage his feelings, because he was an actor. "Uh, so," he started, crossing his arms over his chest, "you're plan isn't terrible. It actually makes sense, kind of. I'm amazed." He let sarcasm creep into his voice, but then looked back towards the children.

"What exactly am I supposed to do, anyway? It's probably not the best idea to actually stick together, because if we stick together then it'd ruin all chances for a surprise attack or something. Right? Unless you have a brilliant plan that involves both of us that you didn't feel like telling the children about." He moved his arms down to his pockets and let his shoulders droop, then looked away, just to avoid staring at Mickey. "If you're idea is dumb, though, I might go off by myself. Fair warning."

 

[cadence]

Mickey glanced at his hand, looking around for something to wipe the rest of the face-paint off before he eventually shrugged and wiped it off on the bottom of his shirt. He turned to Julian afterwards, paying absolutely no mind to the black stains now on his shirt, playing it off as completely ordinary. Which, for this specific counselor, actually was.

He grinned proudly when Julian complimented his plan, one hundred percent oblivious to the sarcasm laced throughout. "Thank you!" He beamed, so genuinely flattered that he actually blushed. The blush was only on his cheeks for a fleeting second, hardly noticeable at all. Because the next second, he was explaining the plan to him. The perfect plan. The master plan that had won him capture the flag three years in a row without fail. "You're going to be the distraction," he explained, his spaghetti arms flailing about as he gestured. He knelt so that he was at the ground, grabbing a short stick so he could draw in the dirt. Was it even a serious game if you didn't draw our your game plan? He drew a tree, a flag, and two stick figures, which one could assume was him and Julian.

"Okay, so we're both going to run towards the flag." He drew a line from each of their stick figures towards the flag as he explained, illustrating the idea even though Julian probably understood. "But you're going to pretend to sneak and try and grab the flag. While you're distracting them, I'm going to climb the tree and then... jump out and grab the flag." He illustrated this as well, a goofy grin on his face. He knew how it must sound. Jumping out of a tree. He didn't even had to look at Julian to assume the idea made him nervous. "It's totally safe, by the way. I've done it, like, a thousand times."

He stood up, covering up his drawing with dirt just to be safe. He didn't want the other team seeing his plan and stopping him before he got there. "Flawless plan, right?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned towards him once more. "Let's go!" He grabbed the others hand once again just to make sure he'd actually start running with him, letting go once they started picking up speed.

 

[smolfluffball]

Julian listened quietly as Mickey explained his plan for the game, and the blond had to admit that it wasn't the worst idea he heard before. It could be better, but Julian wasn't in the mood to ruin Mickey's happiness anymore, so he just hmm'd along as the counselor drew out the plan in the sand. The stick figure illustration was pretty much useless to the actor: he was good at following verbal instructions, since he had to listen to his acting peers frequently and he received guidance from his acting coach and directors. The plan would probably work, too, even if it was pretty simple. He doubted the children they would be going up against would suspect a distraction, it most likely wouldn't even cross their minds, unless they were actually experts at these types of games. Julian agreed with the plan for the most part, but then Mickey said he'd jump out of a tree. That, he did not agree with.

"Wait, wait." He held a hand up as Mickey covered his plan up with dirt. He gave the counselor a withering look, but Mickey just stood up and asked if it was a flawless plan. "No." Julian shook his head and ran his hair through his hair, to move his bangs away from his eyes. "Jumping from a tree seems so stupidly dangerous and reckless. It's just a game - you don't need to jump from a tree to get the flag. It doesn't really matter-" he was cut off by Mickey grabbing his hand and pulling him along, before he even got to finish what he was saying. He was so surprised by the sudden gesture that he let out a laugh, but then he clamped his mouth shut and planted his feet into the ground, yanking his hand away from Mickey.

"You-" he let out a huff and fixed his hair again, but he brushed his beanie off as he did so. He huffed again and shoved it into his coat pocket, then he ran both hands through his hair and frowned at Mickey. "You can't just jump out of a tree," he said, shaking his head. "That's too dangerous and stupid. Can you even climb a tree nimbly and quietly? Wouldn't the kids hear you scraping? And, gee, don't you think kids might try to copy you if they see you doing that?" He cocked an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "I'm sure you don't want to leave a mark on the impressionable youth. I can be a distraction, whatever, but do you really want to risk the kids copying you? Monkey see, monkey do, right?"