Work Text:
As Jamie finished loading his gear into the back of the truck, Elliott tried to ignore the snickers coming from the backseat. Kevin and Tony were whispering to each other and giggling behind their hands like a couple of twelve-year-old girls.
Elliott groaned. He hoped they'd stop it by the time Jamie got in the truck. Or at the very least before they got on the road. He remembered the last hunting trip he'd gone on with Kevin and Tony. Tony had complained loudly for several miles that Kevin was looking out his window, and Kevin complained that Tony had at least part of his ass on Kevin's side of the seat until Elliott had finally screamed at both of them to be quiet or, God help him, he was going to turn this truck around and drive them all home.
Of course, the drive had been heaven itself compared to what happened when they arrived the campsite and the pranks started in earnest. Four days in the woods with two of the biggest practical jokers in the garage. Elliott didn't know what he'd been thinking.
But this time would be different. This time they had Jamie.
The passenger door opened and Jamie climbed in.
"You ready to go?" Elliott asked.
Jamie grinned. "Sure am. Thanks for having me along, guys. I mean, I know I'm a rookie here."
"No problem," Elliott said. "We'll teach you all you need to know."
"Well," said Jamie. "I do have one question you're probably gonna think is stupid. About this animal we're hunting. The guys at Bass Pro said they couldn't tell me much about it, only that I was probably in for an interesting trip. What exactly is a snipe, anyway?"
There was a noise from the backseat that sounded exactly like Kevin trying to disguise a laugh by pretending he was coughing.
Elliott patted Jamie's knee. "We'll tell you all about it when we get there," he said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone.
Jamie smiled again. "I can't wait!"
As they pulled onto the highway, Tony started kicking the back of Elliott's seat.