"So... let me get this straight.
You've seriously never been on a camping trip..?"
Nikolas murmured with a tone of surprise. It hadn't been the first time he asked before that evening, as they trodded their way through the trees in a straight path that took them further and further away for the city. Attention half split between where their feet were taking them, and to Agnes herself when the question left his lips. For their trek out to the site in mind, he wore an older pair of jeans. A faded pair of converse that somehow still clung to his feet. A gray and blue flannel long sleeved shirt. The straps of a heavy burdened backpack clung tight on his shoulders, loaded up with various supplies and food. Underneath his arm rest a sleeping bag rolled up, a couple of fishing poles lastly held in one hand. A small cooler in the other.
An exasperated sigh left Agnes' lips, but she couldn't help but grin. "For the last time, Nik. Yes, I've never been camping before." Agnes replied, looking over at him briefly after the question was asked. Her attention was divided into three parts, him, where she was going, and a small portion to her surroundings. It was a habit of hers to wonder if anything else lurked around them and to keep track of where they were going. Agnes herself was wearing something similar, dark jeans and a red and black flannel shirt with half sleeves and a black tank top beneath, the flannel unbuttoned to let cooler air flow through her attire. Strapped to her feet were black combat boots, ready to trek wherever she may go. The luggage strapped to her back held her essentials, with her sleeping bag curled up and attached to the bottom of her backpack. In one hand was the tent equipment, and her other hand free.
"I guess I just figured everybody's gone at least once y'know? Even you. Maybe especially you, being a wolf and all." Nikolas responded with a hint of a grin across his face that had seemed to linger from the moment they had left the city behind. "Used to go when I was younger. A weekend at a time usually, but it’s been a while… we grew up. Some things changed, schedules got busy.” He explained with a brief shrug of his shoulders.
Agnes shook her head. "Nope, never got the luxury to camp. The people I grew up with....weren't the family type." Hopefully she dodged a rather serious answer, and that was enough to quench his curiosity. She offered a grin. "Besides, us wolves don't bring bug spray or fishing poles in the wild." Agnes said, giving him a nudge with her elbow of her free hand.
A frown came across his face, a sympathetic glance cast her way. "Well, I'll tell you it's a shame... but don't worry. I'm here to pick up their slack." He flashed a rather confident smile on that sentimental note, looking forward as they walked. "I'll pick up the wolf's slack too, then. Deal?" He snickered some and shrugged his shoulders. The longer they walked, Nikolas' eyes had begun to scan over the area. Eventually, his feet came to a stop within a small clearing that seemed flat enough, dropping the sleeping bag under his arm.
"This look good to you?"
"That's fine by me."
Her grin grew into a smile. As they approached the clearing, Agnes, too, had the idea of dropping her things there. "This will do just fine." She answered, seeing in the distance a lake that happened to be nearby.
"GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS AND HELP ME OUT HERE."
A frustrated Agnes was sitting on the ground, her hands holding metal rods with bendable joints, while glancing at a folded, crumpled paper of how to put it all together. She, a woman who could assemble a sniper in record time, was just about to chuck the tent equipment in the lake.
The yell caused Nikolas' head to turn. Hands down, easily. Blue hues swept over to see her stationed there, the rods in her hands with the instructions-
Wait... who needs instructions to put up a tent?
"You uh... you need help over there?" Nik asked amusingly, standing up from beside the items he had dropped off. He dusted off his hands and walked over towards her. "Doesn't exactly look sleep ready. How long've you been working on this, now? Five, ten minutes?" Nikolas would fail at hiding a grin and picked up one of the poles, starting to put it together. "Like this... then we'll lay out the rest of it flat."
Agnes watched him walk over with the iciest stare, seeing him take his own sweet time. "No shit, Sherlock." Agnes stuck her tongue out at him, she was trying. On a sniper rifle, it was easy what fit where for her, but with these metal rods, they all looked the same. She watched as Nik assembled the frame of the tent. "Ya think we should put the tarp up? Looks like it's gonna rain tonight."
As she stuck her tongue out, Nikolas wrinkled his nose. Connecting the rods together he laid out the tent frame, lacing the rods through from one end to the other. A glance upwards to the sky was given and he shook his head. "Rain wasn't in the forecast. Didn't think so anyways. It's fine."
The air was muggy and sticky, despite Nikolas' forecast. "Ya sure? The air's thick, I can pretty much smell a storm coming." Agnes pressed on the issue, keen on getting this tarp up.
"It's fine. Looks like it'll go past us, you see those clouds there?" The tent standing, Nikolas was soon as well. Gesturing over the tree line towards the sky.
"They'll come back! Help me put the tarp up!"
"Clouds don't just change their minds and turn around."
"...You don't know that."
"And you do?"
. . .
"This is your fault."
The tarp was not put up, and just as Agnes suspected, a thunderstorm brewed overnight. Heavy raindrops pelted the tent, as the wind rustled the tent around.
"Alright so sue me!" Nikolas groaned from where he lay on his back and watched the tent shake, flashes of lightning to boot causing a flinch with every moment it passed. Note to self, Nik. You might've been wrong. Through the mesh top, rain fell little by little at first, now coming in with every second passing. "What do you want me to do about it now!?"
"Put the fucking tarp up! Or shield the mesh opening with yer face." He could have shielded the mesh opening with anything, it would have been entertaining to see him use his face.
"Are you kidding me? It's down pouring." Another groan from Nik. Odds were... she wasn't. The tent was soon full of scrambling as he searched for the tarp and unfolded it. Out from shelter he went, mutters and curses heard through the rain fall. Within five minutes, it no longer came through the top. Scrambling back into the tent came Nikolas, hair stuck down to his head, nearly soaked to the bone.
"You were right... ya happy?" He mumbled.
Agnes did not help him, not in the least. He turned down putting the tarp up before the storm, now he's gonna fucking put it up during it. The winds still rustled the tent, but at least the rain stopped and no more water came inside. "Yes, very." Wait....the rain stopped, more or less, it lessened to a drizzle.
"I guess the clouds really do change their mind."
"Rise n' shine! C'mon Smalls, up and at'em!"
Agnes jolted awake, when she got her bearings, she groaned, curling up in her sleeping bag. She would wake to the sound of Nikolas' voice raised, shuffling through his bag for something, already dressed and far too lively for the crack of dawn. Had Nik slept for once? Of course not. Not with a dampened sleeping bag and overall coldness to fall asleep to. "I've gotta big day planned." Agnes all the while was murmuring something in the sleeping bag that sounded almost like "Let me fucking sleep."
A moment later, her sleeping bag would shake a few times as he was brave enough to try it. "Sleep when you're dead, let's go!" Nikolas chimed in an all too cheerful tone. The sound of the door being unzipped was heard, sunlight flooding into the tent rather obnoxiously.
"THATS A LITTLE TOO EXTREME DONTCHU THINK?" Agnes yelled back at him. The dreaded sunlight, 92.96 million miles away, and its light managing to glare at her face. "Fiiiiine, Im getting up." She groaned, sitting up from her sleeping bag. Her eyes still shut and hair a mess. "Get out I gotta change.”
The sound of Nikolas clapping his hands together was heard and he hopped out of the tent. "Good!" Just like that, pleased with himself, he left. Leaving the door unzipped behind him ensuring she'd be up soon enough.
"Here."
Nikolas gestured to her. A fishing rod was held out at arms length for her to take. In front of them? The water seemed to span out for miles from their spot near the lakeshore, the trees overhanging leaves from above at the spot he had chosen. A small tackle box and a box of worms waited on standby.
Agnes grabbed the fishing pole when it was offered, and looked over the serene setting around them. Nik didn't know it but she was taking mental notes of where she was going and what she was doing. Everything Agnes was experiencing was completely new to her, and here was a goof that was ready to show her what she missed in her childhood.
"How are we gonna catch the fish with sticks? They're to quick!"
"You're... kidding, right?"
He had to ask, with the way he was looking at her, brow raised. "Well... let me show you." The second fishing rod was held out. "See this here? It holds fishing line, strings it up to the top where it leads to a hook. The button down here holds and releases the line. Turning this brings the line back in." Nikolas' hands followed along to gesture as explanation was given. Afterwards, his own rod was set down, turning to snag the box of worms. "Hold the pole steady for me," Pulling one out in his fingers he reached to untether the hook from hers. The worm was baited on the hook carefully before he turned to do his own.
"Nikolas Everett..." She began in a flat voice, looking at him with a neutral expression. It must have been startling. "...do I ever joke?" Agnes took in everything he said, absorbing it like a sponge. Agnes held the fishing pole in place as Nik put the bait on her hook, then would take back her fishing rod when Nik took back his. "So now we wait?"
"Agnes Hale, no you don't." He responded with a wary glance towards her expression. "But... apparently there's a first time for everything, huh?" Nikolas snapped a finger, pointing at her after before he let it lower. Once he was done with his own, he pulled the rod back and cast it out into the water. The bobber settled some distance out, settling on top of the water surface. "You wanna try casting? Think you can handle it without hurting anybody?" Was that a serious question..? Yes and no.
Agnes chuckled with a slight smirk at his gesture, however this was no joke. She snickered. "It looks easy enough." Mimicking Nik, she pulled the pole back and cast out the line as well. This was going to be a waiting game, then again it gave her time to think to herself, unless Nik offered further discussion.
She wanted to try? Cool. "Don't catch the trees, either." Nikolas commented. Yet, he still would duck his head when she went to cast. To his surprise he wouldn't catch a hook to his ear or anything. Once the bobber had landed in the water as is, he leaned back where he sat, holding the fishing rod in a lofty manner in his lap.
"Now we wait n' watch. Keep an eye on the bobber, and if it goes down, give the pole a tug."
Agnes understood, watching the bobber in the water closely. Although she looked focused, her mind was beginning to drift.
Five minutes passed by slowly... the next five after that maybe less slow to the mind. Nikolas himself had more or less lay back on the bank, waiting to feel a tug of the rod rather than watching. Eyes on the clouds, he'd miss the little red top of Agnes' bobber starting to dip under the water until it disappeared.
"Nik....NIKKI." She called over, tugging the pole reeling the line back. She had the strength to just jerk the fish out of the water, but Agnes didn't want the line to snap.
At the second yell, Nikolas' eyes opened. Had he been almost asleep...? Maybe. His gaze went to Agnes, then to the now absent bobber on the lake surface. He sat up within the next second, moving closer to her, sitting crouched. "Alright, alright, bring it in nice and easy! Don't reel it in too fast or it'll snap and get away. Go steady, just a few cranks at a time." He was grinning, watching the end of the fishing rod as it bent some to the fish fighting it on the other end.
Agnes all the while wasn't paying attention to how close he was, just that she needed to catch that fucker. As he said, she gave the line some slack before she started to reel it in. Agnes continued this pattern, until a large bass flopped onto shore. Swiftly, she dug her claws into the fish and held up the corpse by its tail with a triumphant smile. "Do we eat it now?"
Well, forget the whole speech about how to hold the damn thing, there it was. Nikolas wore a grin for the duration of it, eyes on the line where it disappeared into the water depths, but mostly watching the look on Agnes' face. He sat back some with a laugh when she pulled it onto the shore. "Sure, don't see why not. I can cook 'em up when we get back-" His attention went shifted abruptly to his own when he felt it tug. He pulled the rod up to hook it, reeling in little by little.
...his luck? It got away. Fishing rod reeled back in, away back to camp they went. One victory in tow.
"We came from that way, I'm sure of it. Remember?
Remember that tree over there? The way it's leaned sort of crooked?"
He pointed across what was nothing but dense timber in front of them, and for the matter, behind them as well... were they lost? Well... he didn't think so anyways.
"Ugh, ...men and their false sense of direction." Agnes murmured. They were walking in circles, she was carrying light luggage, but it was luggage nonetheless. Agnes was growing weary of his leadership, and soon....very soon....this would turn into a dictatorship. "Do you really know where you're goin?"
"I'm certain, I know my way around. I was an Eagle Scout when I was younger even, y'know that?" Nikolas cast a glance somewhat over his shoulder to her, a brow raised in that matter-of-fact way. Well Nik... how the hell would she? No matter, he wasn't worried... and even after the second hour, he wasn't worried.
"Scout?...Like...a boy scout?"
Agnes said with an apparent snicker that turned into laughter. She would never let him live this down, why did you tell her this Nik? For the next hour, she would just degrade him with questions such as if he knew how to tie knots or sell any cookies, as well as mistaking Eagle Scouts with Cub Scouts. After awhile, Agnes was too tired of wandering aimlessly. "Alright that's it! Gimme something to sniff and I'll get us back." She offered.
Nikolas stared at her... almost vacantly for the next few moments or so. His mouth opened and closed a couple times.
"Yeah, like boy scouts, but it's- I mean hey, it wasn't easy, alright!? I had to..."
He stammered defensively, words trailing off in the end as they lost their power. Soon enough, the further they'd walked his expression fell more or less into a pout. An hour of fun for Agnes, an hour of grumbling. "And we didn't even sell cookies."
Time passed. As she finally had her last straw, Nikolas held his hands up in defeat. He stopped walking, pulling his backpack off his shoulders. "Something to sniff... like what? You tell me Alpha-Wolf, you take the lead."
Alpha-Wolf? She wouldn't mind getting used to that. As soon as she took off her luggage and got on all fours, Agnes immediately shifted into the monster Nik's inhabiting demon hated the most. Her nasal socket pressed against his shoulder, taking deep whiffs of the fishy smell that was left on him from fishing. This may have startled his demon, but it vexed her none. She couldn't detect anyone around them, so Agnes stayed in her demon wolf form for the rest of the hike, carrying her luggage in her jaws like a mama alligator.
"Don't mind me." Came that sinister voice from the beast. Hey, at least she was taller than him now.
Blue hues grew wide within a couple seconds or so, ultimately taking several steps back the moment he'd recognize her moving to shift. The result was a chill down Nikolas' spine. The immediate disapproval of the demon latched onto his soul felt further as his hands had begun to shake... he closed them to fists when she drew near, staring upward in restrained silence until she was to step back. Nikolas swallowed before he spoke. "Don't... don't worry about it." He murmured. He followed behind at some distance as she would walk.
And for the other? The demon itself enjoyed that feeling of fear from both Nik and the demon within him, Agnes paid no mind to it as long as it didn't harm them. She was surprised she didn't hear any witty banter about hitching a ride on her back or something along those lines. They strolled for about another hour or so until their equipment was in sight. Agnes disappeared into thick brush for a moment, only to return fully clothed and hungry for the fish they caught.
They could both use some time spent off their feet... not to mention food.
"So... what do you think?"
Nikolas spoke up from what was quiet beforehand. A small pan was set over top of the coals beneath to be heated, the fish from their endeavors earlier in the afternoon filleted and ready on standby. He sat cross legged not too far off from the campfire, one hand settled in his lap, with the other prodding at one of the pieces of wood.
"I'm surprised you haven't caught the forest on fire by now, boy scout." Agnes stated. She was in her pajamas, a dinosaur onesie, and sat on the opposite side of the setup he made, close enough to feel the fire's heat. "When are we gonna eat?"
"Me? Impossible." Nikolas mused. "As soon as the pan's heated. But the real question here is... What are those?" Amusement filled his voice as he'd point the half-smoldering stick he held towards her.
"This is adorable and cozy, that's what it is." She gestured to her dinosaur onesie. " I know you're jealous, there's no reason to hide it."
"Frankly, I didn't know you did adorable, Smalls." He responded with a hardly held back grin, a brow raised. "Didn't know that was secretly your style. Am I gonna find you in a Starbucks someday?" At least he had the fire between them. He might've had a bruise from her already if there wasn't. A glance down to the pan was given, and he pulled each piece of fish off the plate and set them on to start cooking. "Besides. Probably don't make them in my size. What a shame, huh?"
Agnes grinned warmly. "I don't do adorable, it kinda just happens, y'know?" Style? If 'get the fuck outta my territory' was a style, it was what she going for. "Pffft, nah I can make my own coffee." Agnes watched as the fish began to sizzle on the pan, and the smell became more alluring. "They do! You should get a unicorn one."
"Pardon my not noticing." Nikolas snickered, prodding at the fish to center it in the pan. "Well, if I find one, I'll get it, just for you." As soon as the fish was done cooking, he handed a plate to her. "Cooler's over by the tent, sides like chips and fruit too."
Agnes grabbed a soda from the cooler before she took the plate from Nik. She sat beside the campfire and enjoyed her meal in silence, Agnes wasn't one to talk while she ate.
"How do smores sound?"
Nikolas asked over his shoulder, rifling through his bag to pull out the ingredients. He came back with the three items in hand, a couple roasting forks in the other.
"What... are smores?"
Agnes internally braced herself whenever she asked what something was. It seemed almost blasphemous every time she asked even though it was obvious what her corrupted childhood didn't let her experience.
And... all he could do was stare. Nikolas blinked once or twice, gauging for seriousness on her face. When would he stop bothering to do that? After a long pause he sat down. "Well... you're in for a treat because I'm gonna show you. Mind opening each of these for me?" Setting down a box of graham crackers, a back of marshmallows, and some chocolate bars. He meanwhile let the forks settle on the edge of the fire, propped on a piece of wood.
Agnes stared back in all seriousness, as she stated before, she didn't joke. Eventually, he'd have to get used to her not having a childhood. She nodded and opened the necessary containers for the making of these...smores. Agnes may or may not have slipped a marshmallow in her mouth when Nik wasn't looking.
"Hey." Nik uttered, the moment he saw the marshmallow disappear. "No eating the ingredients." With a mild grin he picked up a fork, putting a marshmallow on one, then the next. He handed it over to Agnes. "Hold it over the fire for a while. Not too close, don't let it burn. If it catches fire, blow it out."
Dammit, she thought, being caught red-handed. The soft, plushiness of the marshmallows was almost irresistible for her not to grab one. Agnes refrained herself from the bag of ingredients, and did as Nik said, casually holding the impaled marshmallow over the fire. She watched as it started to char, and then catch on fire. Agnes found the marshmallow being engulfed in flames quite amusing, letting it burn a bit more before she blew them out. "Now what?"
While she made quick work of starting hers, Nikolas had set out a couple graham crackers and a piece of chocolate for each. He put his over the fire not long after, taking his time to get it golden brown before pulling it off. "Now..." He started, setting his stick down where it wouldn't burn anything. "Hold it over here, and keep it steady. Don't poke my eye out either." He smirked.
"No promises." Agnes stated plainly, and proceeded to follow his instructions, holding the marshmallow in place.
"Rude." As she held it steady, he'd take the two halves and smash the marshmallow between it. Sliding it off the fork, he handed it to her. "Tada! Give it a try. Don't make a mess."
Agnes was hesitant, glancing at Nik warily, was it really alright to bite into boiling hot marshmallow? He hadn't done her wrong yet, so her teeth bit down on the graham crackers sandwiching the chocolate and marshmallows. Immediately, her eyes opened in wonder, it wasn't searing hot. The chocolate insulated the heat of the marshmallow perfectly, it was crunchy, gooey, and chocolately. It was perfect. In just two bites, the smore was gone. "That was amazing!" She exclaimed with a smile, licking off whatever marshmallow spilled onto her fingers.
Sitting back as Nik made up his own, he kept an eye on Agnes when she took a bite. Something of a victorious grin spread across his face and he chuckled some. "See? You were missing out all along. Go on- ...make another one." His words finished as half-mumbled as he took a bite of his own.
Indeed, she understood how much she had missed. To think she had been convincing herself how much of a waste of time these things all were all this time. With haste, she made another one, and another. and another, and another. After her fifth one, Agnes laid back on the ground with a huff, her stomach filled with fish and smores. "Hey Nik." She called from where she lay, staring up at the trees and hearing the campfire crackle. "...Thanks for this."
Stopping at a couple, he watched her go for one after the other until he wasn't too sure of the count. Already lying back, eyes above to the stars, he heard her lay down and turned his head ever so slightly. "Don't worry about it, Smalls. Promise you'll go again sometime?"
"Only if ya promise to put up the tarp next time."
- END -
"You should get a unicorn one."
"Well if I find one, I'll get it just for you."
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