Chapter Text
‘Welcome to Camp Infinity!’ is the first thing Harry sees printed on a large white banner with red letters as he pulls his Jeep up to the front gates, and he can’t hold back his grin. He is finally back. And after the three-hour drive through the rolling Catskills, it is such a relief to finally pull into the familiar drive.
“It’s Harry!” Bebe yells, tossing the clipboard she was holding aside as she runs over to his Jeep. “Welcome back, stranger!”
Harry smiles easily, lifting his sunglasses so he could see her better. She is blonder than he remembers, a bit tanner too, despite it only being the end of June. Jersey girls, he thinks to himself, shaking his head fondly.
“Hi! It’s good to see you too,” he replies, already feeling at home, the stress of the city rolling off his shoulders as he breathes in the warm fresh air.
Bebe smiles back, handing him a welcome folder and informing him when dinner will be and where to park, before opening up the gate to let his car through.
As Harry drives in, he can’t help but feel fond nostalgia wash over him. Camp Infinity had been his favorite part of every summer from ages twelve to seventeen, his home away from home. Pulling onto the grounds now, at twenty-one, feels so different. He is driving himself, for starters, and that alone is weird enough. It’s even stranger to drive up to the staff side of camp, set far back behind the trees, almost hidden unless you know where to look. Of course, Harry has been back here before, having explored pretty much every inch of the place over the years. Though he never used it, most long-time campers knew that there was a secluded waterfall just to the left of the staff cabins. It is, arguably, the most romantic spot on the premises, and the location of many a camper’s first kiss.
Harry puts the car in park in front of Cabin Four and reality begins to settle in; he is finally back in his favorite place again, and he gets to work here for the majority of the summer.
“Harry!”
As soon as he steps foot out of the car, his arms are full of an incredibly excited blond. “Niall!”
The two had met at Camp Infinity as kids, Niall coming down from Massachusetts every year while Harry made his way over from New York City. They had become fast friends, sharing a bunk every summer, pulling pranks on everyone who would play along, and living life to the fullest. It had been a hard few years without spending their summers together, even if they did try to keep in touch over social media. Although admittedly, that wasn’t something Harry excels at.
Now Niall pulls back, holding Harry at arm’s length with his hands clasped on Harry’s forearms to get a good look at him.
“Your hair is longer now, and you’re taller too,” Niall says with a huff, his eyebrows furrowed. He’s right, in the few years it had been since they had last seen each other, Harry had grown his hair out, his curls now skimming past his shoulders. Harry had indeed grown too, hitting a late growth spurt around eighteen or nineteen, bringing him past six foot. The more he looks back at his friend, the more he realizes how much Niall has changed too. He is broader now, for sure, clearly benefiting from his time on his college’s lacrosse team, and his hair has grown out to show more of his natural brown hair, looking more like he had natural highlights rather than the bleached look he used to have as a kid. He looks good, older, though that is theoretically not much of a surprise.
“Ugh,” Niall groans, a frown etched in his face as he pulls back so that the two are toe to toe. “You’re taller than me now, that’s- you’ve never been taller than me!”
Harry chuckles in response. “Well, I’m glad to see you too, man.”
Niall just shrugs. “Did you see we’re rooming together?” Niall follows Harry to the trunk of the Jeep, accepting a duffle Harry sets in his arm before leading the way inside their little cabin and depositing one of his bags inside the door.
“Incredible, I’m sure they knew we’d end up switching if they separated us anyways.”
Niall hums in agreement, flopping back on his stiff twin sized bed. Harry glances at his own, noticing the small stack of camp staff tees he would be expected to wear and the navy blue blanket with Camp Infinity’s logo prominently displayed. The cabin isn’t very big, just a single room with their beds in opposite corners, a small couch with a table and chair across from the beds, and a pair of dressers for their clothes. Though this is his first year working at the camp, Harry knew the bathrooms were out back behind the cabins, the boys on one side, the girls on the other. It wasn’t ideal, especially on rainy days, but it made sense to save space and plumbing.
“What job did they assign you?” Niall asks.
“Uh, lifeguard, actually. I got certified a few years ago, just to have something to do in the summers. The gym I go to was hiring.”
“That’s awesome, H! Yeah, they’ve got me on music. I’ll be teaching the kids how to play guitar, directing music at the bonfires, that sorta stuff. Well, you know how things work around here.”
Harry smiles. He does, of course. In fact, he even remembers the camp musician when he first came to Camp Infinity almost ten years ago. You could say that he had had a bit of sexual awakening that first year, watching Ed strum away during the bonfires that summer. Harry had known he was gay ever since.
“I haven’t forgotten,” he promises, hiding his blush as Niall cackles out a laugh. Niall had been the first person he had come out to, as he had been present for Harry’s sexuality crisis at the age of twelve. Niall had been by his side for all of it, consoling Harry through his mild panic and reassuring him that everything was going to be fine. It was, of course, and the two were only closer for it.
Harry grabs the rest of his stuff from the trunk of his Jeep, dropping it inside before maneuvering his car into the parking lot a few yards away. He takes a moment to look out onto the property. Although the staff cabins are pretty secluded, their view is still impressive. Set up on a hill, he can see the lake to his left, though the beach and diving platform are further away. He can see the dining hall, the game room, the two swimming pools, with its slides bright from a fresh coat of paint. He can see the volleyball courts, pristine and waiting for campers, and, of course, he can just make out the sports field down at the edge of the property, the games shed housing all the equipment just beyond it. He had spent many a year attempting to defend his teams’ honor in goal at the annual soccer tournament, something he never quite got the hang of despite his years trying.
“C’mon,” Niall hollers, bursting out of the cabin. “Dinner starts in a bit and I think we’re supposed to have a staff meeting beforehand.”
The two walk down the hill together, catching up on the past four years. Niall has one more year of majoring in business at the University of Rhode Island. His current dilemma is whether to add a music minor, constantly balancing his practical mind with his creative spirit. Niall laughs, secretly jealous, as Harry describes his own studies in the creative writing program at NYU.
“No, H, I’m just giving you a hard time. You’ve always been quite the poet,” Niall muses as they walk.
Harry blushes and doesn’t say anything. So Niall’s seen my Instagram posts. Luckily they’re nothing too revealing, mostly black and white pictures of Scrabble boards and words scribbled on scraps of paper. Despite rarely opening the app, Harry’s Instagram account is where he tends to share bits of his creativity with the world, too shy to do so in other avenues until he got to college.
As the pair near the dining hall, Harry feels the blurry pictures from his memories come into focus. The grounds look nicer than he remembers, the grass perfectly green and accented with hanging flower baskets on the lampposts every ten feet. He notices that they aren’t in full bloom yet, and looks forward to when they would pop open for the world. A familiar excitement starts to grow in the pit of his stomach as Niall greets other staff members who are also making their way inside. Harry recognizes a few too, smiles politely and listens to the small talk as they take their seats.
The dining hall is somehow both huge and homey at the same time. It’s decorated like a giant cabin, with a stage up front and large round tables covering nearly every inch of space, save for two wide aisles splitting the room in three sections. Despite the camp being empty except for staff and counselors, they still have all the tables with exactly eight chairs, ready for the following day when the campers would descend upon the place.
“Hello everyone!” greets the camp director, Nick Grimshaw, as he bounds up onto the stage.
The group welcomes him in return with cheers, Niall shouting loudly above everyone else. Some things never change.
“Welcome back to what I am sure will be another incredible summer at Camp Infinity!” Nick says with a large grin, looking out over the forty or so young adults staring back at him. The fulltime property staff tend to stay to themselves, and the dining crew have their own boss, leaving the counselors and seasonal event staff to form their own group that Nick manages.
“Before we eat, I just want to run through the ground rules. Though most of you are familiar faces, I still have to do my job, right?” This earns him a small laugh. “Right! Well, of course, everyone has already been assigned their jobs. This year, on top of our life guards, music instructor, art teacher, rec department, and camp counselors, we also have a new ropes team! We’ve spent the last year building a thrilling ropes course out behind the guest cabins, and I’m sure you will all enjoy taking the kids there, as well as trying it out yourselves during your days off.”
Harry glances over to Niall who is grinning so large that it looks like it hurts. Of course Niall would be hyped for the ropes course. Harry, on the other hand, is a bit apprehensive. While he loves an adventure, heights are not exactly his thing. Sadly, he already knows Niall will be dragging him out there the first chance they get.
“I know we’re missing some faces tonight. Our international friends have been held up by some inclement weather, but they should make it in time for the camper welcome tomorrow,” Nick explains. “This year we are welcoming staff from England, once again, and I am sure you will all be kind to them as they adjust to the time difference.”
Harry’s head shot up as Nick spoke, his eyes widening. He had resigned himself years ago to the fact that he would never see Louis again. The possibility of them working together all summer was enough to get his heart racing.
Harry glances away when he feels Niall kick his shin under the table, sending him a wink. Harry grunts as he kicks Niall back, getting even with him. Staff from England meant Louis, his long-time camp crush, might be back. Camp Infinity is special in many ways, but perhaps most importantly because it had a sister camp in Manchester, England, Camp 18. Campers could choose which of the two locations they went to. While Manchester did sound enticing, Harry always opted to stay closer to home. However, when he was fourteen, two boys a few years above him arrived at their camp in New York from Camp 18, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. Harry would be lying if he said he hadn’t experienced love at first sight after meeting Louis, his first and only camp crush. Over the next three years, Harry had fallen head over heels for him, though that was something only Niall and his sister were aware of. Every year, Harry kept his crush to himself, not wanting to ruin his friendship with Louis over a relationship that was bound to fail; they lived over three thousand miles apart, there was no way it would work out long-term.
Still… Louis was potentially coming back this year, and Harry couldn’t help the hope that began to swell in his chest. He kept himself in check though, keenly aware that most staff members were still in college, like himself. Louis, at twenty-three, would be one of the older members of the staff.
The rest of dinner flies by in a blur of introductions and delicious food. Camp always meant great meals, but Harry realized that he had somehow forgotten just how much better everything tasted when it was passed around a table of friends.
The staff moves to the game room after they eat, playing ice breaker games and getting to know one another better. They were all young adults, ages twenty-one to twenty-five, and many had spent at least a few years as campers like Harry had, so there aren’t many new faces in the group. Regardless, by the end of the night their nervous excitement fuels them to all make fast friends with each other.
They don’t head back to their cabins until about midnight, a bell ringing to encourage them all to go to bed. Tomorrow, with campers present, they would be helping chorale the teenagers back to their cabins, helping the counselors with what is arguably the worst part of the job. But tonight, the bell is merely a suggestion, though one of which many staff members happily take advantage. Sleep, they would learn if they had not already, is a precious commodity while on camp grounds.
~~~
There is something so special about waking up on the first day of camp. Harry had always been excited when he was a kid, up earlier than he was all year and rushing his mom into the car. But now, on the staff side, he can’t help but somehow feel the ever-present electric energy even more so now that he’s already on camp property.
The camp is absolutely buzzing when he and Niall make their way down for breakfast, each dressed in their assigned camp uniforms—Niall in a soft blue tee with “Camp Infinity” in large letters with STAFF printed on the back and a pair of khaki shorts, Harry in his black swim trunks and a white Lifeguard tank top underneath a red lifeguard hoodie, both their name tags visibly pinned in place.
Breakfast is subdued, as it typically is on staff only days, an open buffet of cereals and fruit, some eggs and hash browns. Niall and Harry eat quickly, chatting with other staff members on the front porch of the dining hall before they are all instructed to head towards the welcome loop.
The campers will pull up in groups of six or so, as the parents are guided by Bebe and the other property staff to park in front of their child’s specified cabin while the rest of the staff run up to greet the cars, cheering and welcoming each individual camper and helping with their bags while upbeat pop music blares through the speakers. They’ll be introduced to their counselor before being led inside by the event staff carrying their bags and shown around their cabin. It’s wonderfully chaotic, and it is the best way to introduce a new camper to the Camp Infinity experience, to make them feel included from the moment they step onto the property.
However, as the staff members take their places around the circle, awaiting the first cars with music ringing from speakers throughout the property, Harry can’t help but notice that the British staff are still missing. Ever since he found out that Louis could potentially be working at camp this summer, he couldn’t keep his mind off him, his brain thinking back to the few pictures Louis had posted on Instagram over the last few years. However, before he can say anything about this to Niall, a soccer ball whizzes past him, narrowly missing the back of his head.
“Oi! Oi! Heads up!”
Harry turns quickly, nearly getting whiplash. Louis. He’d recognize that accent anywhere.
“Oh, Harry!” Louis yells, jogging over and throwing his arms around his friend. “Sorry, mate. I was aiming for Niall and clearly missed. You’re here!”
Harry blinks back dumbly, somehow unable to form words, standing there in complete shock. Louis is here, at Camp Infinity, presumably working here as well this summer. Louis is here!
Louis stands before him looking as incredible as ever in the same Camp Infinity tee as Niall and a pair of black Adidas shorts. His golden skin nearly shimmers in the bright sunlight, and his eyes are as perfectly blue as Harry remembers, brightened by the blue of his shirt. His hair is a bit longer than he used to wear it, some light facial hair dusting his chin, and – Harry notices – a few tattoos covering his arms. Those are new.
“Didn’t know you’d be working here this year!” Louis says, seemingly not bothered by Harry’s lack of response.
“Yeah, I uh… Yeah. I figured what better job to have this summer than to come back to camp, right? Now that I’m finally twenty-one.”
Louis nods, smiling brightly. “I know. Me mum didn’t believe me when I said I wanted to come back again. But Nick offered me the head of recreation position, and it was an offer I really couldn’t refuse.”
“Louis! That’s awesome!” Harry replies, breaking out of his daze with a wide smile, immediately proud of his old friend. He had heard through the camp grapevine that Louis had worked at the camp the last two summers, being two years older than Harry had given him the opportunity earlier. You had to be twenty-one to work at the camp, giving a gap of three years between being a camper and working there. Louis had, apparently, impressed Nick enough to entrust him with such an important role at only twenty-three.
Louis beams. “Yeah, I’m proper excited! I’ll still coach the football scrimmages, of course, but now I get to be in charge of you lot too.”
Harry chuckles, nodding his head, and wondering briefly if he is included in that “lot.” Lifeguards are technically part of the recreation team at camp, but his knowledge of the camp dynamics didn’t hint towards what the hierarchy might look like.
“When did you get so bloody tall?” Louis asks, puffing out his chest a bit to make himself taller.
“I said the same thing!” Niall laughs, pulling Louis into a tight hug. “Who knew Styles was going to be the tallest of us all?”
Louis hums in agreement, both of them looking up at Harry, who suddenly wished he was sixteen again and could look them in the eyes. “Late growth spurt?” he suggests sheepishly.
“I’ll say,” Louis laughs, shaking his head as he once again stood to his full height, coming up only to about Harry’s forehead.
Before Harry can think of his own joke, the rumbling of tires of gravel brought cheers from the crowd of staff members; the first campers were arriving.