"Gavin." Nines was gentle as he shook his shoulder, and smiled as he watched him whine and squirm in his sleep. It had been a long night. Since they'd set off in the late afternoon, they'd ended up stopping at around midnight in a small roadside motel. Not wanting to miss too much of the trip, Gavin had insisted they wake up at four to get back on the road. Since he'd barely slept, Nines insisted on driving the final stretch while Gavin caught up on sleep. They'd made good time. It was barely twelve fifteen and Nines had just pulled into the main parking lot near the lake. "Gavin, we're at the lake." Green eyes blinked open and peered sleepily out the window at the sea of cars. It was quite a popular time for camping.

"I'm up...I'm up." Gavin wiped his tired eyes and groped for the door handle before stumbling out into blinding sunshine. He shivered a little in the breeze coming in off the water, but it wasn't cold out, not by any stretch. Before they continued on to their campsite, they needed to find out where their party had gathered. They might need to drive to a different area. Getting his bearings, Gavin soon spotted a wooden cabin further inland. That had to be where people went to find their bookings. Nines agreed as he led the way, looping an arm around Gavin's waist as they went.

"It is quite beautiful here." The water in the distance was blue and glittering, there were islands further out covered in trees, forests stretching out on either side of the lot, and despite the amount of cars, it was actually pretty quiet. Most people had already headed off to their various campsites. Gavin nodded and leaned into Nines' side, gripping the hand that settled on his waist. Fuck, he would have loved to come out here when it was just the two of them.

"Wait until we get out there! You should see the size of some of these trees! There are fire pits, viewing points overlooking the lake and forest, bears, deer, a tonne of birds and fish. If you get a good spot, you can even sit and watch the stars at night!" That would be nice. Hopefully, their itinerary would allow for such things. At the cabin, Gavin led the way up and took the lead in talking to the young man behind the counter. Their site had been booked in Tina's fiancé's name, Danny Boyd, and it turned out they were quite a way into the forest. However, most conveniently, they had a parking spot right inside the campsite. Nines watched as Gavin and the young man leaned over a map and the directions were pencilled in. As they left, Nines held out his hand ready, trying not to smirk. They both knew he was better with directions.

As they strapped in, Nines could tell Gavin was brimming with nerves. He was about to meet Tina's fiancé for the first time. What if he hated the guy? What if he didn't? Could anyone really be good enough for Tina? She was basically his little sister. She deserved the best, and so far, this guy didn't sound like the best. Giving him a comforting glance, Nines pulled out and headed for the treeline, following the worn in trail of other cars. They bounced along the uneven road for almost an hour before the trees thinned and the campsite appeared, along with three other cars. There were already two large tents pitched, so some of the guests were clearly sharing.

"We're here," Nines said as he shut off the engine and waited for Gavin to climb out. Neither of them enjoyed meeting new people, but Gavin was a natural. Taking a steeling breath, Gavin opened the door and stepped out. The telltale crackle of a fire was enough to tell them someone was there. Leaving their luggage for now, they headed into the campsite to introduce themselves, but only one person was there. A young man, barely older than twenty-five, was lounging on one of the long log benches with a worn fishing hat over his face. He had mousy shoulder length hair and scruffy casual clothes. Gavin didn't expect formality on this sort of trip, but he could already tell this guy was a lazy, no-good scoundrel.

"Hey," he said to announce himself. The young man startled upright, the hat falling from his face as he looked around with wide hazel eyes. He was scruffy and unshaven, but pretty good looking underneath the scruff and tangled hair. His eyes were red rimmed, and it didn't take Gavin long to realise he'd been drinking. The goofy smile and pile of empty bottles gave that away. Not that he was trying to hide it...

"Yo! You must be Mr G!" What the fuck did he just call me? Gavin glanced at Nines, who pressed his lips together and tried not to laugh. Gavin looked horrified by his new nickname. "I've heard a lot about you, and is this the RoboCop boyfriend?" Gavin wasn't one to loathe at first sight, besides that time with Connor, but in this case he'd make an exception. He was everything Gavin had worried he might be. A no-good drunk with a serious lack of prospects. Gavin Reed could sniff out a lowlife a mile off, and this guy was definitely one of them.

"I'm Nines."

"Nines? Are there nine of you floating around?" Though lacking in tact, Nines gave the young man points for showing an interest. Sitting up properly, the young man picked up a half-finished bottle of beer and took a swig, though he lowered it with a grimace moments later. It was warm and flat. Gavin almost gagged as he shrugged and continued drinking it anyway.

"No, my name is a derivative of my model number. I'm an RK900." It seemed the word derivative had thrown their new companion somewhat as he gazed at them with his mouth open. Oh, wonderful. A mouth breather. The guy looked like a fish and seemed to have as many braincells too! Gavin did his best to school his expression and remain neutral, but at least a little of his inner thoughts must have shown on his face because Nines stifled another laugh.

"Ride on, sweet as!" Where did this kid come from? Generation Delta? Who the hell talks like that? He sounded like a stoner, and his glassy eyes matched as he raised his bottle in a small toast. Clearly, he had no idea what it meant to be an RK900, but it was nice he was being so positive. He was accepting, at least. "Hey, did you see that strip club on the way in? Pretty sweet, right? I was thinking we should hit it up with the boys later, you know? One last hoorah before the ball and chain attaches, am I right?" Nines set a swift hand on Gavin's shoulder before he even thought to move. A strip club? Is he fucking serious? When he's marrying my best friend in less than a month? Who does this asshole think he is? Gavin was in no fit state to say anything as he swallowed the knot in his throat. His neck was starting to flush with suppressed rage, though their companion remained oblivious as voices drifted over from the treeline at the back of the camp.

"I don't think that would be the best idea," Nines replied, though it didn't seem their new friend was listening as he squinted at the treeline. Nines glanced up as four more people came into view, apparently just back from a morning walk. They seemed marginally older and more put together than their young friend, one of whom looked a lot like him. He had longer hair kept tied in a neat tail, with much shorter stubble on his chin. He was walking between two brunettes, both a little taller with matching fleece vests. The last of their group was a blonde man, slightly smaller and thinner than the rest.

"Hey! The new guys are here!" I swear, I'm going to throttle this kid! Nines settled an arm around Gavin's waist and gripped his hip, a firm sign for him to remain at his side. He was sure their new friend would settle down and become more bearable once he was sober. They'd probably just had a long night is all, though the other four seemed far more normal as they smiled and headed over. "Danny, this is him! This is Mr G." Oh thank God! Never had Gavin been more grateful for a mistaken identity as he was right then. His knees almost gave out as the blonde man clammed up and walked towards him looking anxious.

"M-Mr Reed! Gavin! Pleased to meet you," he stammered nervously, extending a hand and looking uncertain. Gavin smiled politely and accepted his hand. He had a good grip, though his shake was a little weak. Shy. Uncertain. Nothing like that no-good scoundrel from earlier. He was also a little older, probably around thirty. Slim, but not skinny, with a strong upper body from years of lugging speakers and gear around. Since the other three all seemed to be around Danny's age, Gavin assumed they were the band members. "These are my friends, Tony, Rodie, and Cliff. You already met Cliff's brother, Craig." Gavin nodded at them as he shook their hands, pleased to find them all so normal.

"So, this is the band, hm?" Gavin was surprised they were so normal-looking.

"Mostly. A couple of them aren't really into camping." Gavin nodded along politely. This whole trip was probably Tina's idea and Danny had been pressured into it. There were probably other things he'd rather do for his real stag-do, though hopefully hookers and strip clubs were off the table. "Luckily, Cliff is really into fishing, and Tony and Rodie like to hike." That didn't explain why Craig had to come, but Gavin was probably being a little hard on the kid. He was young and stupid, as all twenty-five-year-olds should be.

"What genre do you play?" Nines asked, hoping to keep the conversation flowing.

"Sort of country-rock, I guess," Cliff replied in a voice so deep Nines swore it couldn't have come out of his slim body. No need to ask who the singer was. If he wasn't the lead, he was at least the bass. "We didn't think we'd be able to make a career out of it at first, but it turns out country is still pretty popular, both her and overseas. We do really well in Asia." Nines wasn't sure he followed, but it sounded like the band itself got by pretty well. Unfortunately, that didn't trickle down to the roadies. Not unless Danny had been holding out on Tina and hiding his real earnings. A lot of his money likely went on travel.

"Why don't we help you get set up?" Tony offered as he waved to the packed car. That seemed a good idea. The lot of them headed over to the car, where Rodie and Gavin set about untying the ropes and the rest of them emptied the boot. Meeting people was actually a lot easier than Nines had supposed, or perhaps it was that Danny and his friends were so genuine. They cracked a few beers and had a lot of fun figuring out how to put the tent up. Gavin had a pretty spacious four-man tent, despite there being only two of them. Nines watched in relief as Danny and Gavin pored over the instructions together, comparing rods and laughing as they tried to figure out which pin went where. Nines could have made it easier for them, but letting the humans do it together was proving to be an excellent bonding activity.

Two beers later, their tent was up and the humans were talking like they'd known each other for years. Gavin had even regaled them with the story of how he'd mistaken Craig for Danny when they first arrived. Nines and Gavin were both reassured to hear that Danny had already turned down the strip club idea. He hated that sort of thing, and his bandmates agreed. Danny had never been into things like that. they'd called him boring in their younger years, but as they grew older, the others had come to appreciate it. Being flocked by hot chicks was great and all, but having one person to be there through thick and thin was way better. Two of them, Cliff and Rodie, were already married with young children. Tony was still single, as was Craig, which perhaps explained the strip club idea.

Sitting around the fire, they soon started discussing dinner. Gavin had brought out some good meat in a cool box. A thick cut of pork they could turn on a spit, some sausages, and some steaks. Rodie had a travel fridge in his car, which would keep the meat cold all weekend if needed. There were also potatoes, carrots and baby corn that could be boiled or cooked over the fire. Cliff had some corn cobs for toasting, and Craig had insisted on marshmallows. Gavin happened to agree; you couldn't go camping without marshmallows.

"Did you bear spray the area?" Nines asked as he and Tony gathered the fresh food and started washing and peeling. Gavin and Rodie were in charge of the meat, Cliff and Danny were sticking the cobs over the fire on metal spikes, while Craig was in the tent sleeping off the afternoon.

"Sure did, and when we're done with this, the peelings can go off in the trees and get buried." A good plan. Burying the food would make it harder for animals like bears to smell. "We also have a bear-proof box in the trunk of Cliff's car for non-perishables." A wise precaution. Packing the food away and keeping the camp clean was a good way to guard against unwelcome visitors. Gavin had his rifle just in case, but Nines would much prefer not to use it. He'd never seen a real bear before, and at this time of year there would probably be a few growing cubs.

The evening passed better than either of them could have anticipated. Craig woke up just in time for dinner, which he washed down with a bottle of water to cure his hangover. They enjoyed a light vegetable broth with cuts of roasted meat and flame cooked corn on the cob for dinner. Beer flowed, food was plentiful, the fire was warm, and music filled their small camp as Cliff and Tony brought out their guitars. Rodie happily patted along on the edge of the wooden seat to add some percussion, and Craig even pulled out a harmonica. They topped off the night with toasted marshmallows and cocoa before breaking up for the evening.

Nines and Gavin cleaned up the plates and utensils, Rodie and Tony buried the leftovers a nice distance from their camp, and they soon split off into their own tents. Cliff and Craig shared a modest tent, Rodie, Danny and Tony had the largest, and Nines and Gavin had their tent. Once they were inside, Gavin set about unpacking a little. A small electric light lit the tent as he rolled out the thick foam mats and sleeping bags, along with the small travel pillows he'd brought. They both had a set of thick fleece pyjamas and matching socks to ward off the evening chill, though Nines didn't really need it. The last thing Gavin did was step out to brush his teeth and use the bathroom. Thankfully, there was a toilet and shower on the edge of their campsite in small cubicles designed to blend in with the foliage.

Nines waited patiently for Gavin to return, huddled in his sleeping bag and watching the dying embers of the fire. Tony was still out there for now, pottering about doing a few odd chores before bed. When he was ready to sleep, he would stamp out the rest of the fire. Gavin returned with a smile, the fluffy hood of his pyjamas raised. Nines blinked, snapping a picture as Gavin zipped their tent. With the ears, he looked like a fluffy brown bear. It was a good thing indeed that hunting season hadn't started yet. Within moments, he'd crawled into the bag beside him and turned on his side so they could look at each other.

"This was a good idea," he relented in a quiet murmur, and Nines had to agree. It was almost as if Tina had planned it perfectly. Picking a trip that Gavin would love, selecting the perfect friend group for Danny to bring, having them meet Craig first to improve his impression of Danny from the start. Some of those were beyond Tina's control, but the meeting had gone perfectly. "What do you think of him?" Nines didn't need to ask who. There was only one person on this trip that mattered.

"I like him. He is honest and sincere, with a charming personality." Nines didn't think he was even trying to impress them. He was just being himself. That is likely what Tina had advised. Being a detective, Gavin could sniff out a false front straight away. He might not be wealthy, but Nines could say without a doubt that Danny Boyd had nothing but the best intentions. Gavin's nod suggested he agreed, and very much enjoyed his company. Nines smiled and shuffled closer to kiss Gavin good night. This was turning out to be an excellent trip so far.