Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Do you have everything you need?” Bossuet perched on the end of the bed, watching Joly go through his suitcase with a small smile. The younger man had been super excited about this trip for weeks now, and now that the day was almost upon them, he was practically vibrating from anxiety.

“I don’t know. I hope so.” Joly ran his fingers through his curls as he turned to look at the items he'd laid out on the floor. He did have everything, right? At least everything that was on the list that Combeferre sent him about a week ago. “Maybe I should check again, just to be sure-”

“Jolllly…” Bossuet wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulling him into a hug. “You have everything on the list.” 

“And what if I forgot to put something on the list?” 

“Stores exist,” Bossuet turned to press his forehead against Joly’s, giving him a soft smile as he looked tenderly into his eyes. “You’ll be fine.” 

“I know… I just haven’t traveled in so long.” Joly wrapped his arms around his friend’s neck, resting his head on his shoulder. “Like, not since I was a kid long.”

“Okay, that is a long time,” Bossuet agreed as he rubbed his back, flopping back onto the bed and pulling the smaller man along with him. Joly squeaked a little as they narrowly missed his suitcase, but his friend gently elbowed it out of the way as he pulled Joly further up onto the bed. “And even if something does happen, Combeferre will be with you.” 

“I know, I know…” the younger man rolled over, curling into the older’s side as he found a space for himself on the bed. “I don't know why my anxiety is doing this.” 

“Maybe we should take a little break?” Bossuet flipped over, grinning as he touched his nose to Joly’s. "We have all night to pack anyhow- neither of us are driving."

"You're not even going," Joly managed a small smile as he nuzzled into the older man's side.

"Precisely." Bossuet laughed. "Which means I can help you stop stressing out about packing."

"I'm not stressing!" Joly protested, pushing himself up on one arm to glare playfully at Bossuet. "I'm just… okay, maybe I am stressing just a little."

"Do you want to go over your list again, and then we can leave it be?"

"Yeah, I guess that'll be fine."

With Bossuet's help, and his insistence that this be the last time he look over the list until morning at least, (five times was plenty, right?), the two managed to get Joly's suitcase packed and ready to go in less than an hour.

Then, Bossuet grabbed both of Joly's hands, looking deeply into his eyes. Joly met his gaze, holding it steady for a few seconds before he had to look away. While he could hold eye contact with his friend better than anyone else, it was still a bit too much at the moment.

"Sleep time?" The older of the two asked as he leaned over to kiss Joly's cheek. "It's late, and you might as well try to sleep before Ferre comes to pick you up in the morning."

"I guess that would be a good idea," Joly agreed softly, pulling away so he could change into his pajamas.

"Sleep is always a good idea," Bossuet murmured, eyes already closed as he waited for Joly to climb into bed beside him. When he did, he rolled over and wrapped his arm around him, letting the smaller man snuggle into his embrace. "Goodnight, Jojo."

"Night," Joly responded, yawning as he pulled the blanket over both of them. It would probably all be on Bossuet's side of the bed tomorrow, since the man was a horrible blanket thief, but at least he could start out warm.

The sun was barely beginning to stream through the curtains when Joly dragged himself out of bed the next morning, blinking blearily as he untangled himself from Bossuet. Combeferre wouldn't be there to pick him up until nine, but he wanted to bathe before he came, since he wouldn't have the opportunity again until they came back from their trip on Sunday.

Bossuet groaned as his bedmate left, sprawling out onto the newly freed space as he promptly went back to sleep. Joly giggled a little as he grabbed a clean pair of underwear from his dresser, and made his way to the bathroom.

By the time he'd finished with his bath, the other man was awake and bustling around the kitchen. He gave Joly a light grin as he walked into the room, putting the saucepan down to greet him.

"Good morning, you're up early."

"No earlier than you," Joly yawned, leaning his head on his friend's shoulder, blinking sleepily at the pan. "What're you making?"

"Eggs," Bossuet responded, pressing a kiss to Joly's forehead before returning to his task. He was the one who cooked most of the meals at this point, since Joly could— and had— set water on fire before.

"Oh, okay," Joly hopped up on the counter to watch him cook, running his fingers through his hair. He grimaced as the motion flicked little droplets of water down onto his shoulders, sighing softly. Oh well, it would dry fast, even if he hadn't managed to get all the water out.

Breakfast was a quiet affair— late nights and early mornings didn't quite go well together, even for the most cheerful of people. Oh, of course, Joly was still cheerful, just quietly so as he wrapped his hands around his mug of apple cider, taking in it's warmth.

"It's already so cold outside, and it's barely even September." Bossuet laughed at the expression on Joly's face, shaking his head as he took a sip of his coffee.

"It'll warm up soon enough, it's mostly just cold in the mornings still."

"I'm ready for summer to be back, it never really got hot this year."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, usually, stepping outside feels like you're taking a quest into the devil's armpit, but I never really felt it this year."

Bossuet snorted, accidentally inhaling his coffee as Joly furrowed his brow at him, quickly standing up to slap his back when he started coughing.

"That one needs to go on the list of 'ways to say you're southern without actually saying you're southern.'" He managed to wheeze out after a moment, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

"Oh hush," Joly frowned playfully at him, grabbing a towel to wipe up the coffee that he'd spilled. "Combeferre will be here soon."

"Will he?" Bossuet glanced at the clock, clearing his throat in an attempt to clear out the last of the liquid. "Oh, it appears the time has gotten away from us both, hasn't it?"

"Yes, indeed," Joly blinked a little, turning on his heel to head back to the bedroom. "I'd best get ready for him."

"Yeah, clothes would probably be good," Bossuet teased as he walked away, grabbing both their plates to take them to the sink. "Do you have everything else ready to go?"

"I think so," Joly nodded, bringing his bags out to the living room. "If I add anything else, it'll probably just be something that I see randomly, and don't really need to bring."

"That's fair."

By the time Combeferre knocked on their door twenty minutes later, Joly had dragged all his things out into a neatly organized pile on the floor, and was sitting on the couch waiting for him. He scurried to open the door, giving him a wide grin.

"Good morning, Ferre!"

"Good morning," Combeferre replied, watching as the younger man hurried back to where he'd set his things down, as Bossuet came to greet him.

"Nice to see you, Ferre. How's it going?"

“Well enough," Combeferre replied, leaning on the doorway as Joly slung his backpack over his shoulder, giving him a small grin. "Are you all set?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” 

“And your shoes?”

“Oh-” Joly looked down at his feet, which were still bare, and immediately turned on his heel to head back to the bedroom. “I’ll be back in a sec.”

"He's excited," Bossuet laughed softly, shaking his head as he grabbed a sleeping bag off the floor. "And nervous. I wish I could come with you guys, but if I miss any more work, my boss will have me fired."

"We understand," Combeferre gave him a sympathetic grin as he grabbed Joly's suitcase. "Sucks that you're scheduled to work this weekend though."

"Yeah," Bossuet ran his hand over his head, shrugging as he walked out the door. "But I'm sure you two will have fun, send my pictures of any wildlife trying to get in your tent."

"I'm sure that won't happen," Combeferre chuckled.

"You never know!" Joly piped in, panting as he hurried back to the two, shoving his backpack into the front seat of the car. "They could try to break into our tent."

"As long as we keep all our food in the car, we should be just fine," Combeferre assured him, putting the rest of his things in the backseat. "Is this everything?"

"Yeah," Joly looked everything over, then nodded. "That's all of it."

"Do you have your knee brace?" Bossuet asked, embracing Joly as the younger man wrapped his arms around his waist. "You two have fun."

"I've got it," Joly promised, pulling up the leg of his pants so Bossuet could see the brace.

"Good."

Joly hugged Bossuet one last time before climbing into the car, rolling down his window to wave at him as Combeferre pulled out of the driveway. Once his friend was out of sight, he leaned back, sighing softly as he rolled the window back up.

"Are you tired?" Combeferre asked, a bit concerned over how quiet he was.

"A little," Joly smiled, running his fingers through his hair. "I took motion sickness meds before you got here, and they always knock me out a bit."

"I see," Combeferre chuckled softly. "So you're just going to sleep the whole way up and leave me to drive in silence?"

"Well, you could turn on the radio," Joly teased back, knowing that Combeferre didn't really mind if he napped. It was a better option than him puking anyway.

"I suppose I could."

“Joly, we’re here.” Joly blinked awake as Combeferre opened the passenger door, an amused grin on his face as the younger man squinted sleepily at him. “I’d let you sleep, but I thought you’d rather sleep tonight.” 

“Yeah,” Joly nodded, rubbing at his eyes as he unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped onto the gravel, stretching as he looked around the campsite. “So, what do we do first?”

“Get the tent set up, and then we can deal with everything else,” Combeferre instructed, walking over to the gravel pad meant for the structure, and kicked a few pine cones off of it. “Here, you clear all the debris off of here, and I’ll dig the tent out of the car.” 

“Have fun,” Joly grinned at him as he walked over, picking up the sticks and pine cones that had fallen on the ground in the time since someone had placed a tent on it. “Don’t die in a gear avalanche.” 

“I’m not going to die in a gear avalanche.” Combeferre chuckled as he walked over to the car, opening the trunk to gaze upon his carefully arranged game of tetrus. He started at the top, pulling out the bags and setting them on the ground, keeping everything carefully arranged in piles as he worked his way to the bottom layer, where the tent was. 

Joly finished his cleaning before Combeferre pulled out the tent, and went to go help him, hovering nearby as the older man added their chairs to the pile. 

“Is there anything else I can do?”

“Can you grab the tablecloth and put it on the table?” Combeferre nodded to where he’d placed the food, camp stove, and tablecloth, knowing it would be a hot minute before Joly could help with the tent. 

“Yep!” Joly grabbed it, bouncing over to the picnic table laid near the fire pit, brushing pine straw off of the top before laying the cloth over it, humming softly to himself as he made sure the edges were perfectly straight. 

In the meantime, his friend pulled out the tent and walked it over to the pad, setting it down on the ground and unzipping it. When he was satisfied with the placement of the table, Joly walked over, squatting down beside him. 

“Are tents as difficult to put up as they appear to be?” 

“No, not at all,” Combeferre responded, shifting to grab the tarp he’d brought over a while before. “Grab the other end of this now, would you?” 

“Sure,” Joly grabbed the other edge, and the two unfolded it, laying it down with Combeferre’s careful direction. 

Then, Combeferre pulled the tent out of the bag, handing the poles to Joly as he unfolded it on the tarp, standing up once it lay flat on the ground. 

“Okay, now we’re going to put the poles in,” he explained, grabbing one from the bag Joly held, and carefully putting it together. “It’ll be easiest to see which one goes where if we assemble them all first, they’re magnetic, so it won’t be hard.”

“Magnetic?” Joly perked up, looking at the black sticks he held with renewed interest. “That reminds me, I’ll need to get my compass out so we can properly align our sleeping bags to earth’s magnetic current.” 

Combeferre fondly rolled his eyes as he laid the pole he was working on over the tent, then grabbed another one. 

“That can wait until we get the tent set up.” 

“Where does this one go?” Joly asked a moment later, holding up the pole he’d just assembled. It wobbled in his hand, as though threatening to undo all the work he’d put into making it one piece. Combeferre examined it for a moment, then pointed at the tent. 

“Lay it across the other one there, it’s one of the main supports.” 

“Alright,” Joly laid it diagonally across the other one, so all four corners of the tent held one end of a support pole. Combeferre set the rest of the bag down now that they had found all the poles they needed to put the tent up, and squatted down, clipping the fabric to the poles. 

Joly watched what he was doing for a moment before joining him, finding the clips and attaching them to the proper pole. Once they had clipped all of them on, Combeferre walked to one of the corners, motioning for Joly to go to the opposite one. 

“Now, this part is a little tricky, but the worst that’ll happen is it’ll take a few tries to get right.” He held up the corner of the tent, showing Joly the little metal stick meant to be inserted into the poles. “You’re going to take this little piece here, and stick it inside the pole, and the hard part will be the fact that it wants to jump everywhere while you do this, especially once it’s got one side in, and the other loose. Which is why I’m on this side, and you that one. It’ll be easier to deal with if there’s someone on either side holding it steady.” 

"I see," Joly nodded in understanding, glad that Combeferre was so patient in walking him through this. He'd never set up a tent before, despite always being curious about it, and it was turning out to be less trouble than he anticipated. "Are these two the only poles we have to put up, or do the other ones go somewhere too?"

"The others are in use as well, but they'll be added to the structure later," Combeferre replied. "One is to hold up the awning over the door, and the other over a window."

Joly nodded again, silently concentrating on making sure the metal stick was firmly inside the pole— without getting his fingers pinched. Even without experience, he could certainly see that was likely to happen if he wasn't careful.

When they'd finally gotten the tent stable, Combeferre handed Joly the bag of stakes and a hammer, giving him a slight grin.

"These are pretty straightforward here, I trust you can figure it out while I set up the camp stove?"

"Of course!" Joly smiled widely as he grabbed the hammer, scurrying over to the tent and settling himself down at one of the corners. There was little else he enjoyed more than repetitive motion, and hammering things was a fine source of that. It wasn't at all long before the tent was firmly staked into the ground, and he quietly returned the hammer and extra stakes to the car before going over to join Combeferre.

"Is that everything?"

"Just about," Combeferre responded, stepping back to overlook his handiwork. "We really just need to put up the canopy, and then we're done. That can wait though, if you'd rather go explore, it's not due to rain at all this weekend."

"Well, I would like to find the bathroom," the smaller man admitted sheepishly, shifting on the balls of his feet as he glanced around the area. "What is there to do here?"

"Lots of things," Combeferre pressed his lips together as he thought, shutting the trunk of the car before joining Joly on the road. "Hiking, tubing, there's a swimming hole about a half mile down the river, and a great deal of other things to do in the town if you ever want to take a trip down there."

"If there's stuff to do here, I'd prefer to stay," Joly smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets as the two walked. The air was crisp and smelled of fall, and the leaves on the trees were just beginning to change their hues from green to brightly colored reds, oranges, and yellows. There weren't many full trees yet, but a few leaves here and there.

"We'll have more time to do things tomorrow, but we could walk down to the swimming hole after supper if you'd like," the older man proposed as he stopped in front of the bathhouse. "There's a trail along the river, and it'll be nice for you to see it before deciding whether you want to get back there again tomorrow."

"It's a little cold to swim this time of year, but I'd like to see it anyhow."

"Especially with mountain rivers," Combeferre laughed, leaning back against the wall. "I'll wait for you out here."

“So, which way is the river?” Joly asked as he exited the bathhouse a few moments later, shaking his hands to rid them of the water that still clung to them. 

“This way,” Combeferre turned back the way they had come, looking back over his shoulder to be sure Joly was following him. “We can cross through one of the empty sites, several of the ones along the river side have paths down to the trail.”

The younger man nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets again as he followed behind him. He was excited to see the river, and it didn’t take too long to reach the water. 

The river itself wasn’t deep, maybe two or three feet at most, but it was still a sight to see. Perfectly clear water rippled over the rocks in the stiller parts of it, and small rapids formed around the larger rocks where the current flowed faster. Joly could see why Combeferre had mentioned tubing. The water was mostly quiet, but there was enough of a current to keep someone moving, and the small rapids adding a little excitement to it… Maybe they all could come back when it was warmer and try it someday. 

“It’s peaceful, isn’t it?” Combeferre asked as he slid down to the riverbank, holding a small tree to keep his balance until he was safely on solid ground. “You can get closer to the water, we’ll just have to climb back up when we’re ready to move on.”

“It is,” Joly agreed, letting the older man help him down to the sandy bank, watching the water lap at the toe of his shoes. He took a step back, not wanting to get his feet wet. “I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so quiet here.” 

“You weren’t?” Combeferre gave him an amused glance as he slipped off his shoes, stepping into the water. He took a sharp inhale as the icy water ran over his skin, but didn’t step out. “I forgot how cold the water is here.” 

“I was kinda expecting more people to be walking here, not just us, y’know?” Joly explained, pushing himself up to sit on a large root sticking out of the dirt. He grinned as he saw Combeferre’s expression. “Just how cold is it, actually?”

“Pretty warm,” the older man replied sarcastically, hissing again as he stepped deeper into the water. “Feels like I’m walking on ice cubes, but it’s worth it.” 

“I don’t know if you’re brave or foolhardy to be wading in this river then,” Joly laughed, shaking his head. “Maybe both.”

“Enjolras came up here with my family once when we were kids, and you should have seen him when he got out of the water,” Combeferre grinned back at him. “His hands were turning blue, and he still wanted to get back in the water. My mother made him stay out until he’d warmed up a bit of course, but he was a stubborn little thing.” 

“How long have you been coming here?” 

“Since I was two or three, so just about twenty-five years or so now.” 

“Every year?”

“Just about,” Combeferre shrugged, rolling up his pants so they wouldn’t get wet. “It always brings back memories walking down here. There used to be a huge tree in our site, but they chopped it down about six years back.”

“And you’ve never taken anyone up here but Enjolras and I?”

“No, it’s hard to find a time when all of us can go, but I’ll manage it someday- Oh fuck that’s cold.” 

“Be careful.” Joly laughed, shaking his head again as he watched Combeferre step in the hole, bringing the water halfway up his calf. 

"I think that's enough wading for one day," Combeferre grimaced as he pulled wet fabric away from his leg, gently squeezing it to get the water out. "Ready to move on?"

"Yeah, don't forget your shoes," Joly nodded, clambering up the riverbank to wait for Combeferre. His friend's legs were long enough that he just had to take a larger than normal step to get back up on the path, unlike himself, who had to climb up. "Are you not going to put them on?"

"Nah, I'm going to let my feet dry out so I can wipe the sand off before I put my socks back on," Combeferre explained. "I'd rather not be feeling sand in my socks for the rest of tonight."

"No, that sounds horrid." Joly agreed with a shudder, forcefully pushing the image out of his mind before he had too long to dwell on it. Sand was a terrible texture.
“I’ll put them back on before we hit the gravel part of the trail,” Combeferre chuckled, holding his shoes in one hand as they continued. “Or I’ll just suffer, I haven’t decided yet.” 

“There’s no reason for you to suffer,” Joly clicked his tongue, shaking his head in mock disappointment. 

“It’s only about a hundred feet,” Combeferre replied, unable to hide his amusement. “I’ve walked it barefoot before.” 

“Well, I’ll just have to take your word for it.” 

Sure enough, when they hit the clearing by the bridge over the river, where gravel met dirt, Combeferre decided to just walk it, rather than stop to put his shoes on. 

“You should have put your shoes on,” Joly tried to keep at least a straight face at his muttered string of curses as the rocks dug into his feet, since a serious expression had already failed him.

“Bah, like I said, it’s only a hundred feet.” Combeferre stepped onto the dirt path on the other side, wincing as he rubbed his feet.

“You’re stubborn.”

“No more than you are.” 

There were a lot more people at the swimming hole than on the trail, and Joly stopped short as they entered the clearing, looking at Combeferre warily as a small jolt of anxiety coursed through him. He hadn’t been expecting so many people. 

“Ferre?”

“It’s alright,” Combeferre put his hands on the younger man’s shoulders, gently steadying him. “We can stay here, or we can keep walking. There’s hellbenders up the river a bit.” 

“Hellbenders?” 

“Little amphibians that hide themselves away like Cosette’s father. We aren’t likely to see them, but there’s always a chance.”

“Let’s keep going then,” Joly took a deep breath and hurriedly made his way towards the other end of the trail, trying to ignore the sudden burst of children screaming as they jumped off a large bounder at the far side of the river. “How deep would you say the water is here?”

“Fifteen, maybe twenty feet out by the rock,” Combeferre replied, taking a quick glance at the scene as he followed after his friend. “Plenty deep enough to dive off of as long as you’re careful to jump out.”

“Have you done it before?” 

“Many times.” Combeferre nodded. “If we’d come up here an hour or so later, there’s be hardly a soul here, but I didn’t think about that.” 

“How far does the trail keep going?” Joly cocked his head as they entered the shadows of the forest once more. 

“Maybe another mile or two? I’m not sure, I’ve never actually walked to the end.” Combeferre responded with a shrug. “Usually, we just stop at the swimming hole, and then when we’re done there, we head back. I’ve only really started exploring the place these past few years.”

“So you haven’t really been hiking?”

“Not here no, there’s a trail with a pretty cool swinging bridge in the national forest though, and if you’re willing to drive between stops, there’s several waterfalls in the area.” 

“Big ones?”

“Some of them are. There’s a sliding rock too, but I doubt you’d want to go on it.” 

“Why not?” Joly gave him a challenging grin. “It can’t be that bad.” 

“It feels like you’re being submerged in ice water, and fast too,” Combeferre laughed softly. “I’ve been down it a few times, the first I wasn’t prepared for how cold it would be.” 

"How old were you?"

"Maybe sixteen? My parents wouldn't let me do it until I could swim well, and then I begged for about six or seven years after taking lessons?"

"Maybe I'd like to try it sometime," Joly murmured, knowing that it probably wouldn't be on this trip, because he'd much rather have a feel for the water before that happened.

"We can go see it tomorrow if you want, I don't have anything planned." Combeferre grinned at him. "I wanted to keep the schedule free, so we could see what we felt up to doing… and what the weather permits, but it's supposed to be nice this weekend."

"Is it not usually this nice out?"

"Depends. Once a tropical storm came through when we were here, and it rained so hard we had to go home early. Our tent flooded out or we probably would have stayed."

"Your tent flooded?"

"Yep, about three inches of water inside. Enjolras was pissed he woke up cold and wet." Combeferre laughed, shaking his head at the memory. "That was the first time we went without my parents there, so just imagine us trying to figure out what to do with everything."

“That must have been horrible,” Joly grimaced in sympathy. “Is it unusual for a tent to flood, or should I worry about that?”

“Nah, there’s nothing to be worried about now,” Combeferre reassured him. “This tent is new, and there’s no rain in the forecast. Even if there was, I wouldn’t worry about it unless it was a big storm.” 

“Alright.” Joly nodded, looking up at the sky, which was beginning to turn pinkish. “What time are we to be back for supper?”

“Any time, but I guess we’d better start heading that direction,” Combeferre hummed, turning on his heel after a longing glance in the direction of the trail now behind him. There would be other trips to see where it led, but he didn’t want to be out here after dark. Not with parts of the trail being small drop offs into the river. 

“Do you want to stop and put your shoes on when we get back to the swimming hole?” Joly asked, remembering that he’d seen several places to sit there. Combeferre nodded. 

“That would be the best idea with the sun setting. Just in case we’re still out when it gets dark enough to require a flashlight.” 

“Does the sun set that quickly?”

“No, if we walk fast we should have plenty of time to get back to the site before it’s totally dark out- oh darn, I forgot we have to put the canopy up.”

“Is that too hard to do without light?” 

“No, I suppose not,” Combeferre rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s my own folly though, just an annoyance. And we truly don’t have to put it up until tomorrow, it mostly serves to keep the leaves off the table.” 

“Let’s do that then,” Joly smiled sliding onto a bench as he waited for Combeferre to put his socks and shoes back on. In the forty or so minutes that they had walked on the other trail, nearly everyone had left the area, and Joly took the chance to look over everything. 

The water was still in the main part of the bend, but he could see larger rapids just off the right edge. It was certainly not as deep there, but the water moved faster. To the left, everything was still. Directly across the way, a rock outcropping stood, with several larger boulders jutting out over the water. It had been one of these that the kids had been jumping off earlier.

“This is where we started tubing if we were feeling ambitious.” Combeferre, said, noticing him looking around. “We swam the tubes out to the rock and jumped off into them. It didn’t always go well, but at least it made a fine story to tell later.” 

“What did you do?” 

“Well, once, this was before either you, Grantaire or Feuilly joined the Amis, and it’s a shame we haven’t managed to do it since, but we were all younger and less occupied then,” Combeferre began, shaking his head mournfully. “I somehow managed to drag everyone but Courf up here, and we all went tubing. Of course, we decided to go for it and start the tubes off here, even though it was quite the trek up carrying them.” 

“You had to carry them all the way up the trail?” 

“Somehow, none of us realized that we could drive up to the swimming hole.”

“Seriously?” 

“Yeah… it wasn’t our brightest moment. It’s funny now though.” Combeferre chuckled softly. “But we got everyone tied together so we would stay together, and most of us made it when we jumped off the rock… Except Bossuet.”

“So, the usual lady luck interference?” 

“Yep. He landed on the tube just fine, it just promptly flipped over, taking him with it. Then we had to figure out how to get him into the tube when none of us could touch bottom.” 

“Did you manage it?” 

“Of course!” the older man was slightly affronted. “I think it was a team effort between Enjolras and Bahorel who managed to pull him up, and then he settled himself more comfortably once we got past those first rapids.”

“So everyone’s been up to this place with you except for me?” Joly asked curiously. Combeferre nodded sheepishly. 

“I’ve managed to take a solo trip with everyone except you, and a few group trips. I’m glad you finally were free this weekend.” 

“I am too.” Joly leaned on Combeferre’s arm, before stooping down and picking up a rock, tossing it into the water, then watching as the ripples expanded outward. “Someday we’ve got to get everyone else up here too.” 

“I’ve been trying nigh on five years now, we just need everyone to clear the first weekend in September off their calendars.” 

“I’ll make sure mine and Bossuet’s are clear for next year,” Joly laughed, hooking his arm around Combeferre’s. “Maybe it’ll be warmer then.”

“It’s a nice temperature now, you should feel it in the morning.” 

“Ugh,” Joly wrinkled his nose. “I think that means I’m going to be a blanket lump until it warms up then.” 

Combeferre laughed brightly, gently tugging Joly away from the stairs as he turned around.

"Well, we've spent enough time dilly-dallying here, I'm getting hungry."

"Oh-" Joly's eyes widened as he suddenly realized that he hadn't actually eaten anything since breakfast. "Yeah, me too."

"I'd suggest we run back in that case, but it's a little too dark in the woods to risk that with all the roots about."

"I won't challenge that."

"Good, because I'll have to lecture you if you try running after dark."

Joly laughed, and started down the trail again, walking at a quick pace so they'd get back faster. Combeferre followed behind, at a slower clip, and it took the younger man long enough to realize that his friend wasn't beside him, that when he looked back, he was nearly fifty feet behind.

"Oh." Joly stopped immediately to wait for him to catch up, giving a sheepish wave before walking over to the edge of the riverbank to look at the river. This was one of the places where the ledge went out over the water, rather than the sand, and he stood close to the edge of the drop off.

Maybe a little too close. Joly squeaked softly as he felt the dirt crumbling under his feet, unable to catch himself on a tree before he was tumbling into the river.

"Joly-!" Combeferre leaped forward as soon as he heard the splash, running over to the spot where he'd last seen his friend. To his relief, Joly was already standing up in the water when he got there, teeth chattering as he looked up at him pitifully. "Are you alright?"

"You weren't kidding about it feeling like bathing in ice water," Joly shivered, standing almost waist deep in the water as he stared up at Combeferre, too much in shock from his fall to move out of the water just yet.

"Did you hit your head when you fell? Or anything at all?" Combeferre grabbed hold of a tree as he moved closer to the crumbling embankment, not wanting to make the same mistake that Joly had. Fortunately it was no more than two feet down to the river, and it was deeper here than in other places, and the fact that Joly was standing was promising. "C'mere, I'll help you back up."

"Just my arm a little, it hit bottom first." Joly slowly walked over to his friend, careful to keep his footing. "It doesn't hurt so much though, I'm pretty sure it'll be fine by the time we get back."

"I'm glad." Combeferre grabbed his wrist, tugging him up onto the trail once more before quickly looking him over. Despite being dripping wet, and shaking like a leaf, the younger man seemed to be just fine, despite the scare he had given the both of them.

"I think I learned my lesson about standing too close to the edge of things like that," Joly muttered as he wrapped his arms around himself, grimacing as his shoes squished with every step he took. "Ew…"

"I wish I had a towel for you," Combeferre replied sympathetically, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as he glanced at his watch, trying to gauge how much time he thought it would take them to walk back. This time though, he stayed beside Joly, not wanting to be far away if anything else happened.

The last rays of light were fading out of the horizon by the time they finally got back to the campsite. Joly immediately walked over to a tree with a few low hanging branches, stripping his shirt off as he went, and laying it over one of them.

"I swore to go under fire, not water, and I'm pretty sure that falling in a river counts as going under water."

"Joly, we're in public," Combeferre scolded as he saw his friend reach for the button on his pants. "At least have the decency to go in the tent."

"And I'm wet," Joly pointed out, squeezing a bit of water out of his pants legs to prove his point. "I don't want to get water all over our blankets. I won't take my underwear off, I promise."

"Fine," Combeferre sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he stripped. "Squeeze out your socks before you hang them up, and put your shoes by the fire pit. I have newspaper I can put in them."

"Sounds good," Joly slid onto the bench of the picnic table as soon as he'd done as Combeferre asked, peeling off his knee brace and rubbing his knee.

"Is your knee alright?" Combeferre asked as he went to unlock the car so he could get to the food, looking over at him worriedly.

"Just a little sore, I think it'll be fine if I stay off it for the rest of the night," Joly shrugged a little. It didn't feel like he'd be stuck in bed tomorrow, but one could never quite be sure until they got to that point in time. Still, he was pretty good at guessing when he'd certainly be in pain come next morning, but that was only when it was a certainty. "We'll see how sleeping in a tent treats it though."

"I've got Tylenol in my bag if you need it."

"So do I." Joly paused for a moment, looking at the soaked brace. "Hey Ferre?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know how to dry out a knee brace?"

"I can give it a pretty good guess," Combeferre replied, walking over to examine it. "You go change in the tent— no, don't give me that look, you're shaking like a leaf— and I'll see what I can do."

"Are you going to build a fire?"

"I wasn't going to until tomorrow, but considering the fact that you just fell in an icy river, I'm going to change those plans. Now shoo."

"Yessir," Joly scrambled off into the tent to put on something dry, leaving Combeferre shaking his head at his back.

When he stepped back out ten minutes later, wearing sweatpants and a blue sweatshirt with a Star Trek insignia patch sewed onto the chest, the older man had effectively disassembled his knee brace, pulling out the metal hinges and setting them to the side after he'd dried them as best he could. Now, he was gently squeezing the water out with a towel, making sure he didn't stretch out the fabric.

"I daresay I'll have this dry by tomorrow," he looked up at Joly with a small grin as the younger man grabbed one of the camp chairs and pulled it up to the fire pit, staring into the darkness. "You'll have to watch the hinges for rust, but we can deal with that if it comes. I think I've dried them well enough."

"I sure hope so," Joly tossed a few small sticks into the pit as he waited for Combeferre to come join him, pulling his feet up into the chair when he did. "I'm still so cold."

"You'll warm up fast once I get the fire going," Combeferre assured him, running his fingers through his damp curls for a moment before he grabbed the fire starter and set to work building the fire.

Joly hummed non-committedly, pulling his feet under his sweatshirt as he watched Combeferre work. He'd clearly done this so many times before, and knew how to fuss with the wood until it was blazing, flames flickering up into the darkness and sending out sparks, which floated to the heavens until they too disappeared.

"Do you want to do hot dogs tonight?" Combeferre interrupted his thoughts, standing up and wiping his hands on his pants as he smugly gazed at his handiwork. "Since we have a fire and all that."

"I'm up for it," Joly grinned a little as his friend hurried back to the car, grabbing everything they would need for the meal. "How high are the chances I set this on fire?"

"Low," Combeferre chuckled as he put one of the hot dogs on the stick, knowing that his friend would shudder at the feel of the cold, slightly wet meat, no matter how cooked it may be. "You're much more likely to burn it to a crisp."

"Sounds good, I've eaten burnt stuff before." Joly gave him a cheeky grin as he took the stick, holding it over the fire. "Thanks, Ferre."

"No problem," Combeferre smiled as he arranged his own meal, grabbing the other chair and pulling it up to sit beside Joly. "We might have to move if the smoke decides to come over here— they say it follows beauty, and you're très joli, if I do say so myself."

"Shoosh," Joly ducked his head with a small smile at the older man's teasing. "You're quite the looker yourself, so I'm sure it'll want to come after you if the beauty logic is sound."

"Oh no, because I know the magic words to keep it away," Combeferre laughed, rotating his hot dog so it would cook evenly. "It won't dare come near me."

"And what are those magic words?" Joly asked curiously.

"I hate white rabbits," Combeferre grinned at him. "Then it will stay far away from you, works like a charm in my experience."

"There's no way that actually works."

"You'll just have to try it for yourself someday."

"I guess so- Oh—"

"What happened?" Combeferre leaned over to be sure Joly was alright, as the man pulled his hot dog out of the fire.

"Cooked it too long on one side… I think it's done now though," the younger responded, carefully untangling himself from his sitting position before walking back to the picnic table, where Combeferre had laid out all the condiments and buns. He assembled his dog and headed back, as the older man moved to take his place.

Joly stared at the fire flickering as he ate, beginning to grow tired even though it wasn't even eight at night yet. He guessed there must be something about breathing in the crisp air that was making him sleepy, since he had napped most of the way up that morning. Still, there was one thing he'd been itching to try ever since Combeferre had told him about the trip.

"Ferre, are we gonna do smores tonight?"

"I suppose we can," Combeferre replied, grinning at his friend's hopeful expression. "We have to wait for the fire to die down to embers before we can though, marshmallows are much easier to catch on fire, and I'm not sure I trust you holding fire on a stick."

"Oh c'mon, it would be like a torch!"

"Point made."

Joly huffed good naturedly, crossing his arms as he shot a glare in Combeferre's direction. Even though he could see him just fine, the older man ignored him, calmly eating his supper.

"Do you want another hot dog before I put everything away, or are you good?"

"I think I'm good, especially if we're doing smores."

"Anything to drink?"

"It's too late at night to drink, Ferre." Combeferre raised an eyebrow at him.

"Joly."

"I'll be fine until morning, I promise."

"You didn't drink anything during our hike, so I'm certain you're dehydrated."

"You didn't either."

"I'll drink if you drink, deal?" Combeferre looked at him much too smugly, and he frowned.

"Fine, deal."

Combeferre smiled at him as he stood up, returning a few moments later with another hotdog for himself, and a water bottle apiece for him and Joly.

Joly stared at it in distaste, not at all liking the fact that he was breaking his carefully thought out routine he followed at home, but took a few sips anyway to appease Combeferre.

"Is that good?"

"I would prefer you drank the whole bottle, but I know better than to ask that of you," Combeferre replied simply, turning his second hotdog on an axis. "Yes, I suppose three sips is fine, if that's all you're willing to have. It's something.

"Thank you." Joly sighed in relief as he recapped his water, and set it in the cup holder, pulling his feet back up onto the chair and hugging his knees as he watched Combeferre finish eating. "How long do you think it will be before the fire is ready for smores?"

"Half an hour, give or take. I'm not going to add any more to it, so it'll die down faster."

Joly nodded, the flames dancing in his eyes as he rested his chin on his knees. The fire was a beautiful thing. He almost wanted to touch it, but had just enough self control to keep himself from doing anything impulsive this time. It wouldn't do to have both a heat related injury, and falling into the icy river in one day.

Combeferre contented himself with using a stick to poke at the logs resting in the fire, carefully separating them. The flames would soon grow into hot embers, and the older man knew that was the best kind of fire for toasting marshmallows.

"You have water to put it out, right?" Joly lifted his head to look at Combeferre, blinking a little sleepily.

"Of course I do," Combeferre nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. "I've been doing this for years, getting a bucket of water first is routine now."

"Good, then we can go to sleep after smores." Joly yawned.

"Tired?" Combeferre teased gently, chuckling at him. "You slept the whole way up, surely you can't be sleepy already."

"I don't control the exhaustion, Ferre. I sure wish I did though." Joly murmured seriously, stubbornly rubbing his eyes. Exhaustion, especially after one slept most of the morning, sucked. "Hopefully this means I'll sleep well tonight though, even if I've never slept in a tent before."

"Hopefully," Combeferre smiled. "Ah, look at that, fire's ready."

"Really?" Joly asked excitedly as his friend rose from his chair, walking over to the picnic table once more to clean up the remains of their supper. "Do you need any help?"

"No, you stay there, I've got it," Combeferre told him quickly, before he could get up. "I'd rather you stay still for the rest of tonight. You can help with meal clean up tomorrow."

"I'm holding you to that," Joly replied seriously. "You shouldn't be the only one doing anything."

"And you feel in a river. I know you say you didn't bump your head, but just in case."

"Ferre, I think I would know if I bumped my head," the younger man rolled his eyes fondly at the older's fussing. "I feel mostly fine, a little dizzy, but you know quite well that's normal for me."

"Another reason for you to stay put," Combeferre hummed softly. "If you won't drink a full bottle of water, at least oblige me my wishes as a medical professional."

"Deal," Joly replied quickly, nodding his agreement. "Is that a raccoon?"

"Where?" Combeferre turned quickly, trying to see what Joly was looking at. His friend gestured in the direction of the car, shining his flashlight to reveal two shiny eyes. "Yup, that's a raccoon. Little asshole is trying to get in our food I'd bet."

"It's cute."

"Until it gets in the damn food bins that you saw me struggling to get open earlier. They seem to have no trouble going where they aren't wanted."

"Oh c'mon, Ferre, surely it couldn't open that bin, right?"

"Ask Prouvaire when we get home to tell you that story." Combeferre stared at him unblinkingly. "If they don't remember, tell him "the coon on the trip with the alligator"."

"Got it… you've seen a gator here before?"

"No, no, not here." Combeferre quickly shook his head. "This was down at the beach. I'd be decently concerned if we saw a gator up here this time of the year. Or any time really."

"Got it." Joly nodded, watching the little creature paw at the car, seemingly trying to get inside it. Combeferre let it explore for a moment, then stepped forward, clapping his hands to scare it off. The raccoon looked at him for a moment then turned around and scurried into the bushes, Combeferre sighing softly.

"There we go. Smores time."

Joly watched him excitedly, leaning so far forward in his chair that it wasn't an unlikely danger he might tumble out.

Combeferre chuckled softly as he handed him the bag of marshmallows, keeping the graham crackers and chocolate with himself as he sat back down, handing his friend one of the sticks.

"Here you go, don't get it too close to the coals or you'll set it on fire."

"I won't," Joly assured him, determined that he wasn't about to create a makeshift, and very sticky, torch.

A few minutes later, Combeferre held up a beautifully roasted marshmallow, golden brown all the way around, and perfectly puffed. Joly stared at it in envy as his own marshmallow dangled dangerously off one of the prongs of the stick.

"How did you do that?"

"Practice," his friend chuckled softly. "Years and years of practice. Joly, you're about to lose your marshmallow."

"Oh!" Joly quickly pulled his stick back, but alas. The movement was a tad too much for the poor sugary treat, which already was barely hanging on. It fell off into the fire, and was quickly consumed by the flames that jumped up to meet it. "Well, that was inconvenient."

"Just grab another one," Combeferre chuckled, taking a bite of his smore. "Keep a closer eye on it this time."

"I was!" Joly protested, though he did as the older man told him to do, and replaced his marshmallow. This time, he managed to keep his focus long enough to get it mostly cooked. It was a little burnt on one end, and nowhere near as nice looking as Combeferre's was, but at least he had a toasted marshmallow to eat. "I think I'm done."

"Hold it steady," Combeferre murmured, reaching over to quickly trap the sagging marshmallow between two graham crackers, expertly sliding it off the stick and handing it to Joly. "There you go, just put the stick back in the fire to burn off the residue."

"Okay," Joly did as he was told, before looking at the smore in his hands. Hot stickiness clung to his fingers as he took his first bite, eyes widening in sheer delight.

"Is it good?" Combeferre laughed at his expression. Joly nodded in response, focusing on the taste of the dessert, rather than the way his hands were so sticky. There must be a trick to this to keep your hands clean, he'd find it someday, he was certain.

"It's better than I expected," he breathed, looking at his smore with wonder. "Sticky though."

"Yeah, that's a side effect of deliciousness," Combeferre chuckled. "We'll have to go wash hands before we get in the tent, or everything will be sticky as fuck."

"Oh hell no," Joly shuddered a little, shaking his hand to try to rid it of the stickiness. "We have to go to the bathroom before bed anyway, might as well do it all at once."

"When do you want to go to sleep tonight?" Combeferre questioned, leaning back in his chair. "There's a field a short ways away if you want to go stargazing, but if you're already sleepy, I don't want to push you."

"I think I want to turn in early tonight," Joly admitted. He would like to see the stars though, he'd already noticed just how much brighter they were here than they were at home. "Maybe tomorrow?"

"We'll see if we're up for it then," Combeferre agreed, standing and pulling both sticks out of the fire before the metal got too hot. "Do you want any more smores, or am I good to put out the fire. Unless of course you want to sit up a while longer?"

"You can put it out," Joly responded, his eyelids heavy as he finished his dessert. "I think I'm all good for tonight, just ready to wind down."

"That sounds good to me." Combeferre put the smores stuff back in the bar, allowing his friend a few more minutes of warmth before he came to put out the fire. Joly watched in awe as the steam rose, embers crackling as they went out. Combeferre let the water settle for a moment, before stirring up the coals with a shovel he'd brought with him, then pouring the rest of the water into the fire pit.

"There we are, no danger of that starting up again while we sleep," Combeferre brushed his hands off in satisfaction, looking over to Joly. "Ready to go wash hands?"

"Yeah."

After a quick trip to the bathhouse, the two returned to the campsite, finding it just as quiet as they had left it. Combeferre unzipped the tent and held the flap open, allowing Joly to step in first. The younger man was shivering again, even with his sweatsuit to block out most of the chilly air. He'd been warm by the fire for so long that standing out in the cool nighttime air was enough to chill him. Besides that, the water in the bathrooms never truly got warm, much to his dismay as he tried to scrub marshmallow off his fingers in cold water.

"Here we are," Combeferre zipped the tent back up once they were both inside, and he hummed quietly, digging in his bag for his pajama pants. "Do you mind if I change in here?"

"No, you're fine," Joly flopped back onto his sleeping bag, glad for the mats that Combeferre had brought. If he placed his hand down anywhere else on the tent floor, he could feel gravel underneath his fingers, and he shuddered at the thought of sleeping on that.

"Are you enjoying yourself so far?" the older of the two asked as he stripped, pulling on his pajama pants as quickly as he could.

"Yeah, it's been super fun so far!" Joly nodded enthusiastically. "I'm really glad I got to do this with you."

"I am too, it's been great watching someone experience this all again for the first time. It's not often I get to see that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've never been camping before now, yes?"

"That's correct."

"Usually, when I take the others, they've all been camping before, and know what to expect," Combeferre explained with a little shrug. "For you its all new, and I've enjoyed seeing how you react to everything. It's almost like it's my first time camping all over again."

"Oh, I get it." Joly nodded. "Like when we all took Feuilly to the amusement park that one time, and he'd never been before?"

"Precisely."

Joly hummed happily in response as he climbed into his sleeping bag, content to quietly wait for Combeferre to finish getting ready for bed. He was sleepy, sure, but he still didn't quite want to go to sleep yet, not before his friend was also settled in. He was used to waiting for Bossuet to come to bed every night, since— surprisingly— his bedtime routine took quite a bit longer than Joly's own. He wasn't about to change the fact that he would wait for both of them to be ready to sleep before he fully settled down, even if Combeferre wasn't Bossuet.

"Aren't you going to change?" Combeferre asked as he stuck his day clothes back in his bag, raising an eyebrow at Joly.

"I changed for bed before supper," Joly grinned at him earnestly. "I saw no reason to dirty another set of clothes for only a few hours, when we weren't doing anything but supper and bed."

"Fair enough," Combeferre laughed, making sure the tent was fully zipped up before he climbed into his sleeping bag, placing the lit lantern between them while the younger man made himself comfortable as well. "Do you want to read at all before bed, or shall I turn off the light?"

"I'm just going to sleep," Joly covered his mouth to hide his yawn. "But if you want to read, feel free to leave it be, I sleep with the lights on all the time, much to Bossuet's dismay when he finds me."

"I can read with a flashlight under my blankets," the older man shook his head a little. "It'll be nostalgic, I used to do it all the time as a kid."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Then lights out I guess." Joly snuggled down in his bag, looking at Combeferre until he turned out the lights. "Night, Ferre."

"Goodnight, if you need anything, just wake me up."

"Got it. I'll probably sleep 'till morning once I get to sleep though," Joly admitted. He was tired enough for that at least, even if he usually didn't sleep great in unfamiliar places. Well, a man could hope anyhow.

"Well, if you do need to get up, don't worry about it."

"Okay." Joly closed his eyes, listening to the bugs making noise outside, and the soft rustling of Combeferre on his side of the tent as he tried to fall asleep. It was calming almost, to know that his friend was still awake. Usually, at this point of time, his anxiety would be going bonkers, but he felt calm enough to sleep. And yet, sleep refused to come.

"Ferre?" Joly rolled over in his sleeping bag a few minutes after Combeferre had stilled for the night, looking at the other man pensively.

"Yeah?" Combeferre looked younger without his glasses, so much so that Joly almost had to laugh. "What's the matter?"

"I… well, it's most illogical, but I can't seem to fall asleep."

"Alright, Mr. Spock," the older man chuckled, reaching over to lay a hand on the younger's arm. "What do you propose?"

"Could I maybe sleep with you?" Joly blurted out before he lost the nerve, wincing as he realized what he implied. Combeferre laughed, putting his glasses on as he sat up. "I mean— it's just that I usually share a bed with Bossuet, and it feels weird to sleep without someone else right there."

"I understand." Combeferre slipped out of his sleeping bag, fully unzipping it before putting it to the side, and glancing at Joly. "You'll have to get up if you want me to be able to rearrange our sleeping quarters."

"Oh," Joly scrambled to his feet, wrapping his blanket around his shoulders as he shivered in the cool night air, stepping back as far as he could so that Combeferre could have room to move.

And move he did. He unzipped Joly's sleeping bag as well, setting it on top of his before pushing the mats together and laying one of the bags flat on top of it and motioning Joly to lay down.

"Go on," once Joly was settled, he lied the other sleeping bag on top of him, then crawled in beside him, taking his glasses back off as he gave him a sleepy grin. "Better?"

"Much." Joly agreed, scooting close to his friend and burying his face in his neck, sighing softly. "Thanks, Ferre."

"No trouble at all," Combeferre murmured in return, wrapping his arm around him as he snuggled closer. "Sleep well."

"I will. You too," Joly yawned as he closed his eyes, smiling mischievously. "Don't let the salt vampire come and suck all the sodium chloride out of your body."

"Joly. What the fuck."