A Troyson Fanfic

Camping Under The Stars

Troy POV:

We wait in Kipo's doorway as Mr Oak fusses around, shoving things into his daughter's already loaded bag. She's nearly toppling over with the weight.

"Dad, we'll be fine!" Kipo says, grabbing her father's hands, "I've got everything, and so does everyone else!"

"Don't worry about us, Mr Oak!" Benson calls into the room, "We've got myself and Wolf. I feel like two children raised on the surface can handle a night's camping." I love Benson's cocky side. It shows that he stands up for himself.

Also, it's kind of hot. Kind of.

"Well, ok, be safe!" Mr Oak kisses Kipo on the forehead and waves as she leaves the room.

"Ugh, dads, Imma right?" she laughs, only to be met with stone-cold silence, "Oh. Right. Sorry."

I miss Dad. Most nights, going to sleep with Asher's mumbling and Dahlia's snoring, I wonder what he's doing. Fetching Scarlamange some food, perhaps, or dancing with an unknown partner. It really scares me, knowing he could be doing literally anything that ape wants him, but I know I have it a lot better than Benson and Wolf. I suppose I should be grateful.

We reach the canopy in comfortable silence, the kind you don't feel the need to fill. Wolf directs how to set up tents and, with a gleam in her eye, Kipo suggests we split into boys and girls seeing as there's only two tents. I stay stoic on the outside, but inside I'm both incredibly euphoric and outstandingly nervous. It's an interesting combination, not to be completely disliked.

"Ok, so, I've already jotted down the basic constellations on the way up-" Kipo shows us our now 70 per cent completed map, "- we just need to get the miscellaneous stars, the ones that don't add up to anything."

"Hey, where's Dave?" I ask Benson, nudging him. He blushes slightly.

"Oh, er, he's in his old man form, so he's at the worst possible opportunity to be climbing trees."

"Makes sense."

We lie on our backs and stare at the sky for a good few hours, jotting down the occasional dot of light. After about an hour, Kipo starts to yawn.

"Well, I'm going to bed. Goodnight, everyone!"

Soon, I decide to bed down too. Truth be told, I was trying to stay up longer than Wolf. That girl's like a robot and I wanted to best her in something, but secondly I was looking for some alone time with Benson. But it proved impossible to beat Wolf, as if she knew there was a competition going on. I'm asleep within seconds.

My eyes take a while to adjust to the low light. Our torches have been turned off and a Mega Bunny roars in the distance. Must of woken me up.

I turn on my side and watch Benson for a bit. His eyelids are a slightly lighter shade of beauty than the rest of his body, and his eyelashes are longer than they seem. He sleeps almost comically, with two hands tucked under his head. It's absolutely adorable but I can't stare at him forever. Not that I don't want to.

I crawl outside and sit down, watching the Mega Bunny make it's slow progression over Skyscraper Ridge. It roars once more and my tent stirs, before Benson, too, emerges.

"Mega Bunny woke you up too, huh?" he asks, rubbing his eye.

"Yep," I say, then grab my bag, "Marshmellow?"

"No way!" Benson's face lights up, "I haven't had these since I was, like, eight!" I grab two sticks and we pretend to roast them over a working torch. Benson giggles.

I venture a question I've wondered about for a while, "What happened to...your family?"

Benson is silent and I start to worry that I offended him. Then, after a long while, he answers;

"I never knew my real family. I was taken in by a group of dudes when I was about a month old. By the time I was ten, they'd all died in a war. I mean, then I found Dave, but still. No parents."

"Oh." I never knew. I don't want to ask anymore questions about his obviously saddening past. Then I notice the tears, falling either side of Benson's nose, dripping onto the leaves.

"Oh, Benson, I didn't mean to make you cry!" I say, panicked.

Benson sniffs, "It's fine. No one goes unscathed in this world. What...happened to your mother?"

I stiffen. "I...can't remember exactly. I remember a mom, and a sibling too, a baby, but then...nothing." I notice my own eyes have become blurry with tears. I wipe them with the back of my hand before I'm tackled with a monster hug.

Benson has me in a strong hold, but it's very comforting. I hug him back, tightly grasping his back.

"It's like you said," I sniff, "No one goes unscathed." We stay like this for a while, just hugging each other, mourning for lost lives we never knew. After a while Benson breaks the embrace, but he stays close, resting his forehead on mine. He wipes my tears away with a thumb and gently places his hands either side of my face. He smiles, and I choke out a little laugh. He moves a little closer.

Suddenly, I move my face the few centimetres between us and meet his lips with mine. He responds, and we kiss, silently, under the peaceful stars. My whole body feels electric and I'm floating on air, but Benson breaks out connection after a few seconds. My lips are warm but the air is cool. I feel elated and light-headed. Benson laughs and goes in for another kiss, which I meet with glee.

ROOOAAAR

The Mega Bunny wakes us from our dream-like state. Benson's face turns brick red and I know mine's doing the same. I stand up, and flee.