binary ; tronnor

"welcome to camp"

flash forward, dear readers, to just a few years in the future. connor franta is is twelve and troye sivan is only a few weeks behind at eleven. it's the dead of summer, just a few days into july, when laurelle knocks on troye's open door.

"you all packed, tokky? we're leaving soon!"

yes, packed- troye and connor were going away to summer camp together. connor had always loved swimming and fishing and hiking, or anything at all to do with the outdoors. troye had been hesitant to agree, but connor won him over some how. after all, who in their right mind would willingly spend a week away from home out in nature? no electricity in the cabins, no air conditioning, no completely clean showers? no wifi?! apparently, connor would. he's been going to the same summer camp for the past two years, and it was only this year that troye was old enough to attend.

"yes, ma!" he called back. he went over the essential checklist in his head- toothbrush and toothpaste, swimming costume, extra bug spray and, how could he forget? his hair brush!

troye sat down in front of the mirror that hung above his desk and brushed out his hair, which he had decided to let grow out when he was younger. he stopped getting regular haircuts when he was eight years old, and let it go through the awkward stages of being chin-length to shoulder-length, to where it is now; resting about mid-back. laurelle had taught him many kinds of braids, and how to straighten his hair without literally burning his hand off. he had gotten good at braiding and decided on putting his curls in two french braids that day. he grabbed the blue cap off the top of his suitcase and tugged it over his head, looking back in the mirror one last time. he was nervous, yes- he had never been apart from his mother for more than a few days, and this camp was a week long. but despite the nerves, he was happy to go anywhere with connor. he always talked about the great friends he made there, and the sunsets and the stars and the lake. he spoke of it as if it was his home away from home, his favorite place to be.

troye grabbed the handle of his bulky suitcase and hauled it downstairs, the new tennis shoes he wore filling him with determination (undertale ref for ya hA).

"how're you feeling, tro?" laurelle asked, taking his braids in her hands and leaning down to kiss his cheek.

"okay," troye nodded. "i'm excited, i guess," he admitted sheepishly, not wanting to reveal how nervous he was.

"let's go get connor and hit the road then so you two can be there as soon as possible!"

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after connor gave his mom one last hug, and cheryl gave him a few last-minute warnings, the three were off to the campsite. it was about an hour away, nestled deep into the woods next to a lake. troye insisted that he got to choose their driving music, so he put on an old favorite album of his: magical mystery tour by the beatles.

"let's all get up and dance to a song that was a hit before your mother was born," troye sang softly, leaning his tired head on connor's shoulder (he sat in the middle seat so they would be closer).

"because she was born a long, long time ago," connor continued.

"are you two calling me old?" laurelle asked laughing from the front seat.

in a short drive and a few more favorite songs later, the car pulled up to a large sign with the name of the camp printed on it. they retrieved their suitcases and pillows from the trunk and started to walk down the wide dirt path, wheeles occasionally getting stuck on pebbles.

troye had a sinking sensation in his stomach all of a sudden. he had never been away from home this long. what if he got bitten by a mutant spider and died? what if the food was poisoned and all the campers died? what if there was a freak earthquake and everyone in the world died?