Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Max didn't get scared.

He knew all the negative emotions. He'd felt all the negative emotions. But he didn't get scared.

Okay, he got scared. When he was at home and his father was drinking and yelling his name "MAXWELL!" over and over again, screaming because Max did something wrong or forgot something or fell asleep or just.. His father yelling because he needed something, someone to take his frustration out on. When his father got violent and sometimes physical trying to prove a point to the kid. He got scared when his mother just stood by watching silently, her eyes wide and scared but grateful that it wasn't happening to her.

Max got scared.

But Max didn't get scared at Camp Campbell.

And Max certainly didn't get scared of David.

Or maybe he did. But it wasn't the same kind of fear, the fear Max was used to.

The counselor annoyed him to no end. That smile. The laugh. The sparkle that always seemed to be in his eyes. The positivity. The encouragement. The cheerfulness. It annoyed him.

It intrigued him.

It scared him.

Adults. They were the bane of his existence. Max couldn't remember, before he met David at least, the last time he'd seen an adult smile and laugh. The last time he'd heard a positive comment from an adult. Or heard any encouragement. Got any affection. His teachers all hated him and besides that and his parents, Max tried very hard not to interact with any adults. He'd learned from experience that all adults were bad. He used his parents as an example for that one.

So he tried to make any adult's life a living hell. They'd made his a living hell, so…

And oh, he did pretty well. Aside from his parents Max had managed to break down every adult that he crossed paths with to the point where they all just started to avoid him. Good.

But David was different.

David didn't avoid him and David didn't break. David smiled and laughed and responded with that cheerful, happy tone. David didn't mind showing affection or giving praise. David fought back. David fought back to try and break down whatever walls Max had built up around himself.

That scared him.

It scared him because nobody else had ever tried that. No other adult. David was the only one who didn't seem fazed by his pessimistic behavior, his insults, his anger, his hatred for the world and all adults in the world. David just smiled and continued on as if it were nothing.

It was wearing Max down.

The kid found he'd had less tactics to use. Less methods of making David's life hell, of breaking David before David could break Max. David was winning.

Max couldn't let him win. Max was scared.

He was scared because he wasn't used to it. He knew adults to be cruel, heartless, apathetic assholes who just didn't give a shit. He wasn't used to smiles and positivity and cheerfulness and he wasn't used to fucking affection.

But David showed all of that. And he wasn't afraid to.

But Max was.

He didn't know how to deal with it. He didn't know how to respond. So he responded in the only way he could. By shutting down. Shutting off. Trying harder and harder to break David down, to get under that cheerful mask and find the asshole underneath because there had to be one. Adults were dicks. David was an adult. David was a dick. He had to be. He had to be.

Because if he wasn't then what did he want?

What did he hope to get from his cheerful behavior? What did he hope to accomplish? Was it a charade? Did he have some kind of hidden motives?

Or was he really that naive and trusting and carefree?

Was he really that nice?

Could adults be nice?

Max's thoughts were so contradicting. He couldn't decide what it was but something was off with David. And he didn't know if it was bad. But it couldn't be good. It had to be bad.

Right?

Right?

Max didn't get scared but right now he was terrified.

His mint-green eyes narrowed silently into the water as his feet hung down, kicking silently at the water, but his foot never came close enough to brush against the still, gentle surface. For some reason that frustrated him, wanting to see it ripple, so he scooted forward slightly toward the edge of the pier, but he was still too short to reach the water. Eventually he just reached over and grabbed a small pebble, letting it drop into the lake and feeling a faint sense of satisfaction when it made the water ripple.

It was nice at night, and he liked to come out to the lake. When he couldn't sleep. Or when he woke up in the middle of the night from the nightmare, scared and gasping with nobody to comfort him. Of course he was used to that. He didn't get comfort at home and he most certainly didn't expect to get any comfort here.

He didn't know whether he liked Camp Campbell more than his home. Sure, no yelling, no abuse. Yet. If he did manage to break past David's cheerfulness, then he expected some shouting and anger and maybe for it to get physical, he didn't know. But that didn't seem right. David, getting violent?

Max had to scoff at the thought, picking at a loose thread on his hoodie. That was a stupid thought.

But what if it wasn't so stupid? What if the whole happy-go-lucky thing was an act? What if beneath that mask, David was just like every other adult? Like his father?

Better the devil I know, Max suppressed a shudder as his arms seemed to wrap themselves around himself, kind of curling in on himself at this point. I want to go home, God dammit…

Home.

It didn't seem like a fitting word for his town, his house. Home is where the heart lies, He'd heard David say that before. And if that was true, then his house certainly was not his home. So where was his home?

Max's gaze flickered momentarily toward the camp, and his lips pressed together into a firm line, eyebrows pulling down and furrowing together.

Oh, like hell.

Shaking his head, he turned back to study the water, letting his thoughts trail off. He was brought back into reality, however, when he heard footsteps approach. Instantly alarmed, he scooted himself back from the water and turned slightly, eyes narrowing faintly.

"Hey, Max."

Max didn't say anything, his gaze tracking David as the counselor came over to sit beside him. He stayed completely silent, shifting over slightly and moving away from David, silently turning his gaze away, back to the clear water.

David was silent as well, and Max could feel the counselor's gaze on him. Finally though, David looked away and that's when Max spared a look toward him. He looked… Exhausted. He had bags under his eyes, which had lost the usual sparkle. The smile was gone.

Max felt something shift. A small prickle of worry stirred somewhere deep down inside of him. Not for David - Or so he told himself - But because David wasn't smiling and he wasn't speaking. The two words that the counselor had uttered before hung in the air. And Max swore there was tension.

Or maybe he was just reading too much into it.

Max stared for a moment before shrugging and looking away. "Hey, asshole."

Silence.

No warning of "Language"

Not a sigh.

Not a frown.

Not even a glance in Max's direction.

The worry just got worse and pretty soon he couldn't take it anymore. "Got nothing to say, dickhead?"

This time there was a sigh as David glanced at him. And Max nearly flinched because David looked so worn down and exhausted and for a second his resolve wavered.

And then he remembered this was what he had wanted.

He wanted to break David down.

He wanted him to snap. He wanted him to snap just so he could see that David really was just like all the other stupid-ass cruel adults.

So, Max continued to press. "Cat got your tongue?"

Nothing. David just stared. Weary. Resigned.

Max swallowed down the rising worry, ignoring that instinctual, childish feeling that told him when adults were silent then that was a cause for a concern. He didn't care. He didn't care.

"Okay, Avox." Max mumbled, turning his gaze away. He couldn't think of anything else to say, suddenly. Couldn't think of another way to try and break David down.

So he just closed his eyes. And after a minute or so of silence, he mumbled a soft; "Fuck you, too."

Silence again.

And then; "Language, Maxwell."

Max stiffened.

Panic. Rising, overwhelming panic, that was his first reaction. Maxwell. He heard his father's voice so fucking clearly and oh, god, it hurt. His heart was suddenly pounding as fast as fucking possible as the terror sunk in. It was jolting, like a plunge into icy water.

And suddenly there was a pressure on his chest and he couldn't breathe. Couldn't breathe, couldn't think. He heard yelling, his father's voice screaming his name, screaming that he was useless and worthless and wasn't good enough and that nobody cared…

And pain, he felt the pain clearly even though nothing was happening.

A hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality, and he managed to snap out of his terrorized state momentarily, only to sink right back into it instantly. The hand's grip tightened, shaking slightly, then he felt another hand on his cheek. He could hear yelling.

Not angry. Frantic. And it was the wrong voice.

David…

Why was David there? Why was David yelling?

Max's mint-green eyes scanned frantically for the counselor's face, but he couldn't seem to focus. He could make out a few of the words that the voice was yelling, though.

"Max, Max, hey! Hey, it's okay, breathe, Max, breathe.."

Max's eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion. He wanted to speak but he couldn't seem to yet. All he could think of was his father yelling, slamming doors…

Oh God.

"Dad," Max choked out, curling in on himself as his fingers tugged into his hair, small shivers running through him. The hand on his cheek was removed instantly, but it was back again a second later, trying to lift Max's head up for some reason. He flinched away from the touch, voice raising.

"Dad, Dad, I'm sorry-"

And then someone's arms were around him, and Max was startled into silence, his hand suddenly pressed to a firm chest, feeling the heartbeat beneath. It was slow and calm and steady and it made the yelling stop instantly. The dizzying terror was slipping as he forced himself to focus on the beats, counting them subconsciously as the panic began to ebb away.

Someone was touching him, one hand rubbing circles on his back and the other gently rubbing up and down his wrist. And they were speaking, too, mumbling soft, soothing words that didn't really make much sense to the kid.

"Max, breathe.."

David.

Not Dad.

Max felt a rush of embarrassment, and also slight anger, but also relief. Complete relief. He wasn't at his house and he wasn't with his father. He was at Camp Campbell with David and he was safe.

David. Safe.

Huh… Two words he'd never thought he'd associate with each other. Max didn't think he was safe anywhere. After a few moments the kid pulled away, not meeting David's concerned gaze. He didn't speak. He didn't have anything to say.

"Are you okay?"

"Fuck off." Max mumbled, instead of answering with a "Yes" or a "No" because truthfully, he didn't know whether he was okay or not. He went silent for a moment, then suddenly lifted his gaze to David's face, not really meeting his gaze. "...Don't ever call me Maxwell, you dick." He growled, pouring as much anger and hatred into the words as possible.

"Oh, God, Max, I'm sorry." David said softly, pulling him closer, much to the kid's chagrin. "I'm sorry. I didn't know.."

"You still don't," Max snapped, struggling, and David let him go after a second of hesitation. Max moved away, not sitting back down but staying on the pier, staring down into the water. "Just… Don't call me Maxwell."

"I won't." David said solemnly, sounding stressed and concerned. It didn't fit him, but Max didn't really care right then. David went silent for a moment. "But.. Can I ask why? Why.. That happened?"

Max's gaze snapped back to him in an instant. What was really annoying was that David was sitting hunched over, and he was still taller than the kid. But Max didn't dwell on that too much. He just stared silently for a while.

After a moment, he just narrowed his eyes. "No."

David frowned, looking over at him in concern. "Max, I can't help you if you don't let me."

"Help me?" Max asked incredulously, his mint-green eyes widening faintly. "Wh- I never asked for your help, David. I don't want your help. I just want you to stop being so goddamn happy all the fucking time and I want you to leave me alone."

David flinched slightly, barely noticeable. "Language.."

"Fuck off." Max grumbled.

"Max." David took a deep breath, looking back over at him with a soft, concerned frown on his face. Max wanted to punch him, he really did, but he restrained himself. "Please."

"Please what?"

"Let me help you."

"I don't need your help!" Max's voice raised slightly in exasperation, but he quickly lowered it again, taking a deep breath. "I don't want your help."

David frowned, lips pressing together silently, thoughtfully, before he looked down. He went silent, clasping his hands together and closing his eyes.

"I need you to go away." Max said after a moment, his voice unnaturally quiet, soft. Almost pleading. Because he felt it happening. He was about to break down. And he wasn't going to break down with David beside him.

"I can't do that." David mumbled, eyes still shut. "Max, I'm just… I'm worried about you, kiddo. I really am."

"I don't need you to be worried." Max growled, hands curling into fists. The pressure on his chest was back. "And I don't need you or your smiles or your happiness and I don't need you to be here right now!"

"Why not?"

It was a simple question and Max responded truthfully for once.

"Because I'm about to break!" Max's voice rose and he didn't try to control it this time. His hands had began to shake. "I'm about to break and you can't - I can't-" He stepped back, curling and uncurling his hands as he looked around desperately, as if searching for an escape.

David's eyes snapped open instantly, looking over at him worriedly. "Max.."

"I can't do this!"

"Hey," David shifted closer, reaching one hand out toward the distressed child. "Max, calm down-"

"I can't!" Max recoiled, and David felt his heart clench as Max flinched away from him. He was tense, as if preparing himself for something, anything, but nothing came, but the kid didn't relax. "I can't calm down. I just - Go away!"

"I can help you-"

"I don't want your help!" Max yelled, desperate now. "I don't want your help and I don't want you and I don't want to be in this shitty place anymore!"

David flinched. "Max…"

"No! Shut up!" Max hissed, uncurling his fists and bringing his hands up to his head, gripping his hair and glancing down. He was on the edge of the pier. One more step back and he would fall in.

And for a second, just a split second, he considered it.

"Just.." David stared at him for a moment, then took a deep breath and reached out again. "Max, come on. Let's go back to the camp, okay? I'll take you back to your tent-"

Max flinched away from him, however, and shifted back slightly, leaning away, ready to take another step back. "Don't touch me!"

David drew back instantly, eyes flickering toward the water briefly before he looked back at Max, eyes wide and filled with concern. "Please, Max, just come on.."

"No!" Max let out a choked sob, squeezing his eyes shut. His whole body was shaking now. He hadn't wanted this. He hadn't wanted to break down like this tonight. Not in front of David. And he certainly hadn't been wanting to stand at the edge of the pier, thinking about letting himself fall in.

Max was scared. Scared of himself, scared of David, scared of everything.

"Max," David's voice was closer now, wary-sounding, concerned. "Max, come on, let me help you, please, let me help you, it's okay. This doesn't have to be bad…"

Something in Max snapped.

"This is bad! This has always been bad!" The kid shrieked, eyes snapping open to look up at David, tears pooling in his mint-green eyes. "And for the last fucking time I don't want your help! I don't want you or this camp and I don't want you acting like everything's fine and I don't want your happiness or any of that! I just want you to go away! I want you to stop!"

And then he broke down completely into tears, sobs shaking his small body. He jerked back a little when David moved toward him again, nearly losing his balance but he managed to catch himself before he fell into the water.

"I just want you to stop.." Max gasped, squeezing his eyes shut. "Just- Just stop, Dad.." He flinched and quickly corrected himself. "David- David… Just stop."

He didn't have any more left in him. And he didn't fight when David scooped him up. He did mumble small protests to the soft, soothing words of "it's okay" and "you're okay" and "just relax, everything's fine". Empty words. Meaningless. He managed to stop crying, but all his strength had left and he didn't fight anymore, just squeezed his eyes shut tighter.

He was asleep by the time they reached the tent. David frowned down at the kid as he settled Max into his bed, brushing his curls out of his face and pulling the blanket over him. His hand lingered over Max's shoulder, squeezing gently and mumbling one last reassurance of; "You're okay." as he brushed the dried tears off of Max's face.

Then, with a sigh, the counselor reluctantly backed away and turned, casting one last glance over his shoulder toward Max before leaving the tent.

He didn't get any sleep that night.

All he could think about Max. He didn't know how to help the kid if Max wouldn't let him. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to help.

"I don't want your help."

David shook his head, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. I know that's not true. He thought. I'm going to help you, Max. It's okay.

Chapter Text

Soooooo guys,

I've been thinking. I know it's been a while since I posted this story, but a lot of people seem to like it and I was wondering if I should make it into a chapter book, instead of just a one-shot. What do you guys think, should I continue with this?

Chapter Text

When Max woke up, he woke up annoyed. Nothing that wasn't unusual for him, but he woke up in a worse mood than what he was used to. The ten year old sighed softly and curled in on himself for a moment, reaching around to grab Mr. Honeynuts and silently snuggling the bear to his chest as he ran over last night's events, cringing every step of the way. Man, man, man, I fucked up. He thought, tugging on the bear's ears. I freaked out. In front of David… Fuck. Fuck. The kid buried his face into the little bear's small head, grimacing faintly to himself. He hadn't meant to. That night was supposed to be an all nighter as he usually pulled. He thought he'd get a week straight without sleeping - So much for that, but whatever, the kid was exhausted beyond belief anyway. It was no surprise he passed out, especially after the freakout last night. Max winced again before pulling himself out of his bed, carefully setting Mr. Honeynuts aside and standing up.

"Morning," Neil mumbled from beside his own bed, absently pouring himself a cup of coffee. He looked just as exhausted, but he lacked the dark circles under his eyes that came from the six-days worth of no sleep Max had pulled himself through. The other boy glanced at him briefly for just a split second. "Coffee?" Max just grunted, not exactly in a talkative mood as he slid out of bed and headed over.

"Mmg." The kid reached out and grabbed his cup off of the small log they used to balance the coffee maker on, and Neil handed him the pot without hesitation, allowing him to pour himself a cup. He gulped it down instantly, deciding to worry about the burns, that would undoubtedly be on his tongue after chugging the steaming liquid, later. "Thanks." Max mumbled after he'd taken a few sips, rubbing his eyes.

"You needed it." Neil muttered back, turning back to his chalkboard. Max studied it for a moment before seemingly deciding he didn't care, turning away toward his bed with a frown. He'd slept in his hoodie, unfortunately, meaning he'd sweated through it throughout the night. The kid sighed and headed over, pulling out another hoodie from under his bed and shrugging out of the one he'd been wearing, easily shrugging the new one on. It felt odd, not broken in, but he'd just have to suck it up and deal with it for now.

Man, he wasn't going to be able to look David in the eyes after last night, not at all. Not after breaking down into tears in front of the man. Max was honestly disgusted with himself for throwing such a fit, showing such weakness to the camp counselor. But he tried not to dwell on it too much. Maybe he could just pretend it didn't happen.

"You're up early." Max mumbled, checking the watch he kind of just had sitting on his bed but never really wore. Neil let out a hum of acknowledgement, obviously kind of busy and only half paying attention to the other. With annoyed Max to an extent, but he couldn't particularly say he wasn't used to it by now.

"I'm always up this early." Neil commented dryly, writing something down on the board. "You're just too busy chugging coffee or smoking in the morning to notice." He glanced at Max, who shot him an extremely annoyed look. So Neil had noticed his methods of staying up. Smoking cigarettes and chugging as much coffee as he possibly could. The cigarettes were mostly a way of dealing with the stress of hallucinations. Yep, hallucinations. Come on, you can't stay up five days and not hallucinate. Luckily, though, Max's only came in the form of voices. Something easily blocked out..

He noticed today though, they were surprisingly absent. Without him even having smoked a single cigarette yet. The little bit of sleep he'd had must have done some good.

But speaking of cigarettes…

"Whatever," Max knelt down and picked his hoodie back up, shoving his hands into the pockets. He blinked, falling silent for a second before throwing the hoodie down and glancing around. "Where the fuck are my cigarettes?" He grumbled to Neil, checking under his bed before looking around on top of it, under his pillows, anywhere he might have hidden them but forgot about it.

"David came in this morning to check on you." Neil paused and turned to him, eyebrows raising. "He found the cigs and took them. Hey, why did David wanna check up on you, anyway? He only told me you weren't feeling too good last night."

Max had conflicting emotions.

On one hand, he was pissed as all hell that David had taken his cigarettes. His. Something David had no right to touch, much less confiscate. Max was going to chew him out for that later and demand the cigarettes back as soon as possible. The kid was pissed off. Pissed off beyond belief by that.

On the other hand? He was hella glad David hadn't told Neil what had happened last night. That would've just given Max more of a reason to scream at the camp counselor. Which he was going to do anyway, but at least David had kept the list of reasons short. Max didn't say anything to Neil, shoving the hoodie back under his bed and grabbing his cup of coffee before marching out of the tent, pissed.

"Max.." Neil warned slowly, following after him at a much, much slower pace. Max didn't heed the warning at all though, not stopping his fast pace as he headed for the counselor's cabin, his rage clearly etched across his face.

"DAVID!"

The counselor poked his head out of the half opened door instantly, his green eyes focusing on Max. For a second he seemed concerned, but he must have registered the anger on the ten year old's face, because his face paled considerably. If that was possible, at least. A nervous chuckle escaped the adult, clearing his throat and slowly pushing the door open a little more. "Yes Max?" He asked innocently, offering a bright grin. Max shoved out his free hand.

"Cigarettes. Now."

David's grin faltered considerably. "Max… I can't let you have the cigarettes," he started softly. "They're bad and dangerous and could cause long-lasting consequences for you, especially since you're so young. So.. I'm going to have to confiscate them and ask that you try not to do such things like smoking, okay?"

Max dropped his hand for a second, staring at him in disbelief, annoyance and confusion. He gritted his teeth, grimacing silently for a moment. Dangerous. Pfft. He'd been smoking since he was, what? Nine? Not that he ever had much of a choice. It started with his mother shoving a cigarette in his mouth one day and forcing him to smoke. After that… It became somewhat of a habit for the ten year old.

"Fuck you."

"Language," David chided, exiting the cabin and shutting the door gently behind him. "Well, if you two are awake, why not wake the other campers and start today's super fun activity?!"

You two. Max glanced over at Neil, who had, unsurprisingly, followed him and was staring at David blankly. Max glanced at the adult in front of him, considering for a second. He could always get more cigarettes. He had a… Source. Or he could fight the camp counselor for them, but he doubted sincerely that that would get him very far. The kid groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "David, it's too early for that shit."

"Language," David sighed again. "And it's never too early to start a fun day!" He chirped, bouncing along toward the tents. "Do you guys wanna help me wake them up?" He asked over his shoulder as Neil turned to follow, Max trudging along reluctantly.

"You got a megaphone?" Max said dryly, smirking faintly in satisfaction when Neil snickered, lightly elbowing him in the side and raising his fist for a fist bump, and Max happily obliged. He never thought he'd make friends in this complete hellhole of a camp, but Neil and Nikki weren't so bad. At least, Neil wasn't. Nikki could get on his nerves sometimes. Sometimes.

"That's a wonderful idea, Max!" David exclaimed, and much to the kid's displeasure, he pulled out a megaphone. From where the fuck he had it before. Max stared in disbelief and pure annoyance as the camp counselor turned and handed it to him, that same annoying, bright smile on his face. Max met his gaze blankly for a moment. He saw nothing but concern in those green eyes staring back at him, making him grimace. Can we just pretend it never happened?

"Would you like to do the honors, kiddo?" David prompted, still holding out the megaphone. Max just rolled his eyes, then reached out and snatched it away easily, pressing down on the button and lifting the megaphone to his mouth, taking a deep breath. Beside him, Neil covered his ears and took a few steps away.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING VIETNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!"

Max felt an odd sense of satisfaction at the complaining groans from the other campers as they were startled from their sleep by the young ten year old, who could do nothing more than start laughing. Okay, he could definitely see why David liked that part of the day. It was fun to wake people up. Especially in such a rude manner. Max simply dropped the megaphone and took a sip of his coffee. "Done."

"Er.. Good job, Max!" David said cheerfully, ruffling his hair and picking up the megaphone. Max did nothing more than smack his hand away, focusing him with an annoyed look before turning away. He started to take another sip of the coffee, only to actually yell out in surprise when a certain someone tackled him. Max managed to get the coffee away from him before it could spill all over his clean hoodie, though.

"NIKKI!" The ten year old shouted, shrugging the girl off of him and pushing her back a bit with his foot. "The fuck?!"

"WHAT ARE WE DOING TODAY?!" Nikki exclaimed, barely giving him time to stand before she latched onto him again. The kid staggered, taking a deep breath and trying to push her away to no avail. Fuck, she was so annoying sometimes. "MOUNTAIN CLIMBING?! BEAR HUNTING?! HIKING?! SWIMMING IN THE LAKE?! ADVENTURE?! I'M READY!"

"Nikki I don't know what the fuck we're doing today but if you don't get off of me right now I swear to god-" Max seethed, his rage only growing. Luckily, Neil peeled Nikki off of him before any real damage could be done, steering her toward David.

"Ask David, he's the camp counselor, Nik,"

"RIGHT!" Nikki latched onto David instead, and Max's annoyance faltered at the very girlish scream the camp counselor gave, almost falling back. "WHAT'S THE ACTIVITY TODAY DAVID?!"

"We- Well," David cleared his throat, letting out a nervous sounding laugh that made Max smirk faintly. God, he was so fucking pitiful. "We're going canoeing!"

"AWESOME!" Nikki squealed and promptly threw herself to the ground, rolling in the dirt. Neil sighed, shaking his head and glancing at Max, who shrugged faintly, seeming just as annoyed. The kid backed off a bit as David was surrounded by the other campers, who were voicing their own excitement and/or complaints. Max just gestured for Neil to follow, and the other camper happily did just that, the two of them easily slipping away from all of the commotion.

"Okay, I love Nikki and all, but she's too fucking hyper." Neil complained when they reached a good distance from the camp. Max hummed in agreement, leading him down some twisting path through the forest. "I've never been down here before." Neil mumbled, falling into step with him. "Are you leading me into the woods to kill me?" He smirked, glancing toward Max for a second.

"Figure it out genius," Max snorted. "I'm not gonna lead you away to kill you without a weapon. Well, I guess I could choke you with a tree branch. Or repeatedly bash your skull in with a rock…"

"More morbid than usual," Neil noted. "So what happened to create the painfully obvious tension between you and David?" He questioned. Max scoffed a little. There was always tension with him and David. He loathed the guy, and David was… Well, hopefully on his way to hating him. Max just needed some reassurance.

Weird, how he needed reassurance that someone hated him. But it was all he knew, so, could anyone really blame the poor kid?

"I don't know." Max gave a one-shouldered shrug. "We talked a bit last night, but I told him to fuck off and went to sleep." Not exactly a lie. Neil didn't seem very convinced, but he gave a short hum of acknowledgement and stopped when they reached a small clearing.

"Dude, where are we?" The older boy prompted, glancing around and squinting slightly. He didn't seem to like being so far out into the forest, his posture stiff and slightly hunched over, like a rabbit ready to bolt at the first sign of danger. Max liked that, honestly. He was right to be wary, especially out here.

Especially with who he was about to reveal.

"Knock knock." Max called, turning to the small shed at the far edge of the clearing. It didn't take long for familiar blue eyes to peer out at him, a bright grin etching across very pale features and a skinny arm lifting to wave. Beside him, a more burly looking man peered out, fixing his gray mustache and narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the kid. Then both pairs of eyes turned to Neil.

"Campbell, Kool-Aid man." Max tilted his head toward Neil, who looked more shocked than anything, staring at the two men. "You remember Neil, right?"

The three were engaged in a staring contest for a long time, the two men looking pissed and Neil looking confused and slightly afraid. Then, fists clenched, Neil turned to Max, eyes blazing.

The three spoke at once.

"What the hell?"

Chapter Text

Max was heavily regretting his decision at this point. The glares fixed on him were definitely not amused in any way - Even "cheerful" Daniel looked pissed beyond belief. Cameron wore his usually already pissed off face - And Neil had his signature scowl. All directed at him. The ten year old smiled wryly, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and letting his gaze drift around for a second. He could try to play it off for Neil, like he didn't know what the two were doing here, but Neil was a genius… He'd see past him, Max was sure. Eventually, though, the kid turned his mint-green gaze to Neil, quirking an eyebrow almost questioningly. "Whaaaaat?" He asked innocently.

"Max," Neil fumed, pointing one slightly shaking finger toward Cameron and Daniel. Max wasn't sure if he was trembling from rage or fear. Probably a mix of both. "You cannot just keep criminals hidden in a cabin near the camp."

Max blinked at him, the corner of his mouth tugging into a sly smile as he kept up his innocent facade, tilting his head cluelessly. "Really?"

"Really!" Neil exclaimed, facepalming. "Max, what the fuck? I demand an explanation. Now. Right now." He growled. Max almost laughed - Who did Neil think he was, his dad? No. Max wasn't going to be ordered around by anyone. Not at Camp Campbell, and certainly not by a boy barely a year older than he was. The kid shrugged and turned to Daniel and Cameron, cracking a grin. This is where the hard part came in, getting Cameron not to kill him, and getting Neil to promise to keep this a fucking secret.

"Max," Daniel cleared his throat and headed toward the two. Max slid a step forward on instinct, taking up an almost protective stance in front of Neil, who's blue eyes were wide and wary as they flickered from Daniel to Cameron and back again. "We had an agreement, you come alone."

"He followed me Daniel." Max replied lazily, his mint green eyes considering the man in front of him. Daniel was a twig. He could totally take him. It was Cameron he'd have a hard time getting past. "Can we keep him?"

Daniel didn't seem amused at the joke, his blue eyes focusing on Neil for a moment. "Can he keep this a secret, Maxwell?"

Max's eye twitched once, his expression storming over for a second. "First of all, cult bitch, don't fucking call me that." He seethed. "Second of all, I got this, alright? So back off." He growled, and Daniel held his hands up in mock surrender, taking a few steps back and narrowing his eyes. Max then turned to Neil, looking more annoyed than ever. "Neil, keep your mouth fucking shut about this, got it?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Neil narrowed his eyes at Max, not seeming intimidated in the slightest, which really only fueled Max's anger. Yet it amused him at the same time. It was funny to see Neil so angry. He wasn't sure why, though… Maybe it made up for his lack of ability to anger David in some weird way or whatever. "The last time we saw that guy," Neil's sharp blue glare slid toward Daniel. "He tried to turn Camp Campbell into Camp Fucking Genocide and you, what, expect that we can just keep him around camp?" He snapped, then glanced at Cameron. "Not to mention, that guy probably wants David's head on a stick-"

"So?" Max asked incredulously, trying to ignore the sinking feeling he got at the thought of Cameron killing David. Neil rounded on him, a disbelieving look appearing on his face as he stared the smaller boy down.

"You don't really mean that."

Max quirked an eyebrow at him and shrugged, about to say something. But Daniel stepped in again, fucking annoying bastard, and cleared his throat. "If I may?" He studied the two. Max gave an unamused look and a shrug of his shoulders, and Neil just fixed Daniel with an icy cold glare. "If you can promise to keep quiet, we'll… Reward you."

"Reward me with what." Neil narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Your life," Cameron threatened, but Daniel held up a hand, giving him a disapproving glare. Max almost snorted at the pure irony of it all. Daniel was protesting against killing someone. Guess he likes his victims oblivious. The kid thought, eyeing Daniel suspiciously. Whatever, I've still got my eyes on this asshole.

"Well, Max isn't exactly keeping us here for free." Daniel spoke again. "We've been, ah, paying rent, so to speak. In… Cigarettes and alcohol. And drugs." He glanced at Max, who smirked. Neil, meanwhile, turned and fixed Max with a look that pretty much screamed are you fucking kidding me.

Max just smiled cheekily.

"Well," Neil growled, turning back to Daniel. "No offense to my buddy here but Max is a complete fucking idiot. I don't want goddamn drugs or cigarettes or alcohol, so you can keep that shit to yourself." He then turned and jabbed a finger at Max. "As for you, you're really stupid for bringing me here, Max. Because I swear to god-"

"What about money?" Daniel interrupted, ignoring the indignant "WHAT" from Cameron behind him. Neil faltered for a second, turning back to him in disbelief. Daniel simply reached into his pocket, pulling out a wad of cash and holding it out to the kid slightly, not really enough to let Neil take it, but enough to show him what he had. Neil focused on the cash silently, eyebrows furrowing. "I give you money, you keep the secret safe. Deal?" He prompted.

"I'm telling you, Neil." Max stuffed his hands into his pockets and leaned back. "It's awesome to have someone owe you. Why y'think I'm doing this? As long as I let them stay, they owe me, man. And now they owe you." He fixed his friend with a condescending look. "Who would ever pass up an opportunity like this?" He questioned with a dry little grin. Neil grunted slightly, crossing his arms and scowling like a pouting child.

"...Fine," Neil mumbled. "Secret's safe." He reached out and grabbed the money, which Daniel handed to him without hesitation. Neil simply flicked through it, counting it with interest. "I could by a computer system with this, damn… How'd you get so rich?" He paused, glancing toward Cameron. "Ah, nevermind." He rolled his eyes slightly.

"Glad you've joined the club." Max patted Neil on the shoulder before turning to Daniel. "Cigs, man. David took the ones I had." He gritted his teeth, quite obviously still frustrated about that one thing in particular. Daniel nodded and looked toward Cameron, who huffed and headed back inside, grumbling all the while. Max let his eyes flicker up to track him for a moment, eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

Did he trust these guys?

No. But that didn't mean he wasn't willing to, ah… "work" with them.

"I'd be more careful," Daniel sighed to Max, sinking down to sit in the grass and crossing his legs calmly. "If David found the cigarettes, I doubt it'd be very long before he started questioning where you got them." He warned, meeting Max's gaze with ease. "So be more careful, alright?"

"This sounds vaguely threatening…" Neil mumbled uncertainly, squinting at Daniel for a second before looking at Max.

"It is." Max told him simply before turning on Daniel, annoyed. "As for you, Kool-Aid man, chill, would you? I'm not going to let him know about any of this. The cigarettes? One time thing. Not happening again, I'll make sure of it." He insisted, giving a faintly amused smirk as he met Daniel's icy blue gaze with his own chilling ming green eyes. "I'm being careful, Danny."

"If you say so." Daniel tipped his head to the side. Max nearly winced at the cracking sound. He still hadn't gotten used to it. It was mostly annoying, not really frightening anymore. Max was just frustrated, that was all. He certainly wasn't scared of cult bitch. He could take him. Yeah…. Okay, in all honesty, every adult terrified Max. He couldn't help it, though. It was just… How he was. He hated it, but he blamed his parents for it. They were the reason he had all these goddamn trust issues.

"Here you go brat." Cameron walked back out of the cabin, tossing a pack of cigarettes to Max, which he stepped back to catch quickly. The ten year old turned the box over in his hand. "Lighter?" He prompted, then quickly shot a hand up to catch the lighter as the item was thrown at him. "Thanks. See you tomorrow, assholes. Let's go." He grabbed Neil's arm and turned, pretty much dragging him out until the older boy quickly regained control of his feet and started to walk beside him.

"Bye Neil, goodbye Maxwell!" Daniel called, and Max didn't need eyes in the back of his head to know the fucking cult bitch was waving. Max gritted his teeth, continuing to tug Neil along and only letting go when they reached a pretty safe distance.

"Wow." Neil mumbled, shoving the money into his pocket. Max simply tore one of the cigarettes out of the box and lit it without a moment's hesitation, the ten year old, putting the cigarette between his lips and lighting it with practiced ease. He took a long, much-needed drag, slowly pulling the cigarette out and blowing the smoke out, away from both of them.

"Oh, god I fucking needed that."

"When did you even get into smoking anyway?" Neil grumbled, leaning back against a tree. Max figured he knew that Max would be out here for quite some time smoking, and must've wanted to stick by him. Probably for the inevitable lecture Max was bound to get. That thought alone had Max taking another drag, as well as the memories of when he first started smoking.

Unwillingly, at first.

"When I was like… Eight? Nine? I can't remember." Max said lazily, huffing out some more smoke. He definitely wasn't going into detail about his first time, and Neil definitely wasn't going to make him. "Doesn't matter." He flicked some of the ashes off. "It's mostly to relieve stress at this point now. You want one?"

"No thanks." Neil grimaced. "David's right, those things are bad for you." He went silent for a moment. "...So why did you start smoking?" He prompted, clearly not about to let the subject drop so easily. Max bit back an annoyed groan, taking another drag.

"Does it matter?" Max growled, smoke billowing from his lips with every spoken word. "And yeah, I know what David said. Doesn't matter. We're all gonna die one day anyway, why not speed up the fucking process?" He didn't miss the hint of concern that flashed through Neil's eyes, but it was covered in an instant as the other boy stared, narrowed blue eyes focused on Max's mint green ones.

"I'm just saying, man. Be careful, okay?" Neil sighed. "So, uh, what exactly… Are we gonna do about Daniel and Campbell?" He questioned, grimacing slightly at the thought of the two. Max hummed faintly, agreeing with his tone and expression one hundred percent. He hated those guys.

"I dunno. I was gonna turn 'em in eventually, near like, the end of summer or whatever." Max sighed. "Since David stays up here all fucking year long anyway. I'd rather them not be so close to where he is, so." He narrowed his eyes, realizing he'd kind of slipped up on that. But maybe he could brush it off, maybe Neil wouldn't question him.

No such luck. The other boy smirked, looking faintly amused as he studied Max. "So now you care about David."

"No." Max insisted, fixing him with a harsh glare as he took another drag, flicked some more ashes onto the ground with a scowl. "I just know if he dies, we'll be stuck with Gwen and some other replacement counselor. Much as I hate David - And I do hate David," He growled, trying to wipe the smug smirk from Neil's face. Didn't work. "I'd rather be stuck with him than some other asshole. Or worse - Someone more cheerful and annoying."

"Yeah, yeah." Neil snickered to himself a bit, ignoring the glare Max was giving him. "Whatever you say." He shoved himself away from the tree. "I'm heading back." He stared at the cigarette in Max's hand. "Canoeing. Yay." He added dryly.

"I hear you." Max took one last long drag of the cigarette before reluctantly throwing it down, stomping down on it with his shoe to put it out as he chuckled out a laugh, easily blowing out smoke as he did. "But, it could be worse." He added, stuffing the pack and lighters in the pocket of his hoodie with a smirk.

"Hmm.. Yeah, we could actually be bear hunting." Neil scoffed, turning and heading back for the camp, Max easily catching up and falling into step beside him. "Or hiking. God, I hate hiking, like fuck."

"Mhm," Max agreed. "And mountain climbing, yeah, no," he paused for a second. "Hell, maybe we got lucky." He smirked, nudging his shoulder against Neil's. "Maybe they all left without us."

"Free rein of the camp," Neil blinked at the thought, and Max grinned, letting his mind wander for a second. "What would we even do with it?" Neil laughed after a moment, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes ahead.

"Oh, easy," Max smirked. "Watch Gwen's shitty TV while eating whatever snacks David's hiding under his goddamn bed," he laughed a little, and Neil chuckled a bit himself, actually seeming amused. Max let himself relax for a moment. "But I doubt they'd leave without us. No camper left behind." He mimicked David's high-pitched sounding voice, almost sounding exactly like him for a second. Almost.

Neil sighed. "If only we'd get so lucky."

"If only." Max agreed, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking ahead. The two fell silent then, lost in their own whirlwinds of thought at this point. If only, man.

Chapter Text

When Max and Neil got back to camp, David and Gwen were already helping the campers get ready, settling them into their life jackets. Max nearly rolled his eyes as he passed Harrison and Preston, who were chatting eagerly about the activity. Nikki was wrestling with her life jacket, and Max honestly wasn't quite sure whether she was trying to tighten it or get it off. Gwen eventually went over to help the girl, grumbling all the while. Max stopped in his tracks with an annoyed sigh, clicking his teeth together. He debated turning back to get a few more drags off a cigarette. This was obviously going to be a very, very long and stressful day. The kid turned his gaze to the sky briefly, turning only when he saw David making his way from the counselor's cabin, dragging a long a few canoes.

"Max, Neil!" The counselor exclaimed excitedly, gaze resting on the two kids. His eyes focused on Max for a split second, and the kid watched the slightly cheerful smile fall for a second to a concerned look. Max just narrowed his eyes at him in silence, the two locked in a staring contest, like a battle of wills. Whoever cracked first won. But David didn't seem to be giving in so easily, his green gaze seeming to search for something in Max's mint green eyes. Some emotion.

And Max didn't appreciate it at all. He eventually tore his gaze away to look down, his eyes going colder. He heard David clear his throat and could feel Neil's gaze on him, but the kid didn't dare look up, grimacing.

"Come get your life jackets, kiddos! It's always great to be safe in the water, you know!" David called to them, and Max let out a low, drawn-out sigh, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. He eventually met David's gaze again, narrowing his eyes at the camp counselor briefly. David blinked, looking down at him expectantly with a small frown.

"I'm sitting this one out."

"..Are you sure?" David's frown deepened briefly, a look of concern crossing his face as he stared down at Max. "Nobody's forcing you to participate Max, but it could be fun," he added, trying for one of his bright, cheery smiles. But it faltered, giving away easily to the concern he held for the kid. Max grimaced, glancing toward Neil, who was glancing back and forth between the two, blue eyes narrowed in thought.

"I'm sure." Max said after a moment, looking at the ground now and refusing to meet David's gaze. "I'll just sit on the pier and watch or something."

"Well, I'll sit with you then," David said brightly, and Max huffed out a sigh, rolling his eyes.

"David-"

"Gwen," David interrupted, turning to the other counselor, who looked up and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Do you think you can take over today's activity?" He asked cheerfully, crossing his arms and leaning back with a warm smile.

"Sure, whatever," Gwen sighed, shaking her head and turning away from him. "Nikki! Get back here!" She yelled, storming after the excited child with her signature scowl. David nodded, setting the canoes down and heading over, kneeling down beside Max and resting a hand on the child's shoulder.

Max grimaced, shrugging him off. "You're really gonna pass up a chance for canoeing, camp man?" He grumbled, casting a glance toward David. "I don't need you to sit with me, asshole."

"Language." David reminded him, fixing a stray curl on the kid's head. Max, surprisingly, didn't pull away, not really in the mood to fight him right then. "As for canoeing, we do that almost every other day, kiddo. I wouldn't mind sitting this one out. I'd rather hang out with you." He said brightly.

"You're fucking unbelievable," Max mumbled, cursing again just to be a little shit. It was moments like this that scared him. When David didn't act like the adult he was. Max was honestly questioning if David was even an adult at all. He didn't act like any other adult Max had met, and he was just… David. It was…

Terrifying.

"Language," David said again with a sigh, patting his shoulder and standing up. "Maybe we can think of something else fun to do." He ruffled the kid's hair, but Max did shove him away this time, letting out a protesting growl and reaching up to fix his bouncy curls.

"Yeah, yeah, sounds fuckin' great, David."

"Language,"

Max sighed, rolling his eyes and looking away. This whole fucking situation was stupid. David wasn't supposed to know any of it. He wasn't supposed to know about the panic attacks, about how scared Max was. He wasn't supposed to know and be concerned. Max grimaced, staring at the ground for a while before simply squeezing his eyes shut with a slow, shaky sigh.

He had to fix this somehow.

He would fix this.

Why did he want to fix this?

"Nikki, be careful, you'll tip your canoe over!" David called to the girl worriedly as Nikki and Nerris fought to straighten themselves, Nikki cackling all the while and Nerris looking terrified for her life. Max watched for a moment from the shore, silently prodding at the water with a stick, watching it ripple slightly. The kid blinked, kind of fascinated as he ran the stick through the water, watching how it cut through effortlessly, but how it was filled again instantly. His mint green eyes focused briefly on his reflection for no more than a second before he made it ripple again.

The kid hummed softly to himself, reaching out one hand to touch the water now. He could easily say he liked water. It was interesting. Max couldn't help but think back to that night, though. To last night. Him at the edge of the pier, ready to fall into the water. Ready to drown and just let everything slip away. Ten year olds, ten year olds shouldn't have thoughts like that. Ten year olds shouldn't feel like that. They shouldn't know such horrible, twisting emotions, the thoughts.

Right?

Max wasn't even sure what a kid was supposed to be anymore. On one hand, he saw all the other kids, bright, innocent, happy. But on the other there was himself. Way too mature for his age. Knew definitely too much for his age. A lot more than he should. Forced to grow up faster than he should have because of his shitty ass parents. Max wasn't sure what to think anymore. The kid was confused by everything in this world, and to be completely fucking honest? It hurt like hell.

David always told him he was mature for his age. Max had already seen that, though. Other kids lacked his intelligence. But with that intelligence came first-hand experience and a cynical view of the world, which they also lacked. Max had decided a long time ago that maybe that was a good thing. He wouldn't wish how he felt, his life, upon his worst fucking enemy, and that was saying something. They deserved their innocence.

And, Max pondered as he laid back in the grass, ignoring the water for now and staring up at the bright blue sky. He must not have, if he missed out, right?

Damn, he really oughta just not think anymore. It was all so complicated, the thoughts running around in his head. Too much for him to keep up with, too much in general. The kid just shut his eyes, twisting his hands into the sleeves of his hoodie with a soft, shaky sigh. It didn't matter though, did it? Nothing really mattered. Because soon they were all just gonna be dead and they wouldn't remember anything. They'd be faced with eternal nothingness. And that? That was the thing Max most looked forward to. No more pain. No more thoughts. Death would be peaceful. A break from the feelings, the horrible feelings of pain and anger and sadness, they'd be gone.

Max felt his stomach twist in the way he was used to, taking his breath away briefly. I'm just a kid, he marveled at himself, swallowing down the sudden lump that had formed in his throat. I'm just a kid, I really shouldn't be thinking like this at all.

"Max? You alright?"

Max sighed, bringing his hands up to his face for a moment. He pressed his fingers into the corners of his eyes for a few moments, mostly fending off the tears that had begun to brew beneath the shut eyelids. He didn't answer for quite some time as David settled in the grass beside him, feeling the counselor's gaze on him. Eventually, Max figured he'd taken enough time to compose himself, and moved a little to sit up, hunching forward a bit and crossing his arms.

"I'm fine, camp man." The ten year old mumbled. The biggest lie he'd ever fucking told, too. Max didn't know if he was fine anymore. But in all honesty, he was pretty sure he wasn't. There was no way he could be fine. Everything hurt all of a sudden. It was so much pain. Max felt his eyes burn just thinking about it, quickly taking in a soft breath and squeezing his eyes shut against the tears.

"Max," David leaned forward a little, his elbows propped up in his knees, legs crossed and his head in his hands as he stared at the kid, green eyes filled with concern. "Do you remember what I told you at the pizza place? Parent's day?"

Max went silent, his eyes cracking open and his gaze flickering to David for a split second. Did he remember? Of course he fucking remembered. He remembered almost everything about that night. The night that had started off stupid, but turned out in a way he definitely didn't expect. That was weird. Weird as hell.

I'm sorry your parents don't care enough, Max. You have every right to be angry, but you deserve to be happy.

"I said," David cut his thoughts off, leaning forward a bit more. Max focused on him again, frowning slightly now. "I said you shouldn't have to pretend for anyone." The words made the kid blink, staring up at David in complete silence, and David smiled gently and continued. "And you shouldn't have to pretend you're okay if you're not okay. We don't have to talk about what happened, Max. But if you do want to talk, about that or anything else, I'm here for you. Okay? I'll always be here if you want to talk about anything."

Max went silent for quite some time, swallowing hard and trying to ignore the stinging of his eyes this time as he stared at David. I'm here for you. Those words. He wasn't sure what he felt when David said them, but it sent a warm feeling through his chest for some odd reason he couldn't really place. He wasn't quite used to that, to having anyone be nice to him, to having anyone there for him. It made him feel weird. He wasn't too sure he liked it, because now he was once more dangerously close to tears. He grimaced, squeezing his eyes shut again and turning away, once more pressing his fingers into his eyes with a soft sigh.

"And it's okay to cry." David mumbled from beside him. "Everybody cries, Max. And you're just a kid, after all. You don't have to be afraid of showing your emotions."

Max gritted his teeth, completely silent for quite some time. He didn't have to be afraid, huh? That was bullshit. David didn't even know the half of why he was terrified. But Max supposed that was a good thing. The kid just shook his head at the camp counselor, waiting a moment to find his voice again before speaking, his voice strained but luckily not shaking or cracked, so that was good.

"You are so fucking lame, David."

David just laughed slightly from beside him. He didn't sound at all surprised, but the laughter did surprise Max, who cracked an eye open to glare up at him silently. "Language, Max,"

"What? It doesn't hurt anybody." Max said dryly, running his fingers through his curly hair. "Fuck, fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck," he smirked slightly to himself despite the situation, sighing softly as he looked back toward the water. He didn't really care about the campers, mostly focusing on just the water. Fascinating. At least more fascinating than the other idiotic kids.

"Was that a South Park reference?"

Max wasn't sure who was more surprised, David or himself. Max choked on nothing but air, his head whirling around to look up at David in complete shock. "No fucking way, how the hell did you know that?" He demanded, turning slightly to face the camp counselor. David wasn't someone he imagined watching South Park, honestly.

"I watched it a lot when I was a kid," David shrugged slightly, giving him a curious look. "It's really not a kid show, especially for ten year olds," he added with a small smile, shaking his head.

"Oh, trust me, I know," Max shook his head a little, rolling his eyes. "That's pretty damn obvious." He sighed, sitting back.

"Language."

"Shut up," Max said simply, looking up at him blankly before turning away again. He went silent for quite some time, rubbing the back of his neck quietly and letting his gaze focus on the water once more, his mint green eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion. He wasn't sure what he was feeling right then, thinking over David's earlier words with a frown. Could he even trust the camp counselor? Should he even trust the camp counselor? He couldn't guarantee David wasn't like his parents. He couldn't guarantee David wouldn't hurt him. He knew it was probably stupid to even think like that, to be scared of David of all people, but it was just how it was. Max couldn't help it. He felt stupid and childish for it, but…

"Last night was just kind of rough, David." Max mumbled after a moment, grimacing slightly. He hadn't wanted to talk about it, but he knew David at least deserved an explanation, especially after comforting him like that. Not that Max was going to go too in-depth about it, but. "I just don't like being called Maxwell. It sets me off or something." And hearing you say it honestly hurt a little bit, too. Some things he just wasn't willing to share.

"So, uh, I'm sorry."

David blinked down at him, looking a little surprised when Max turned back to him. "Why are you sorry?" He questioned in confusion. "You shouldn't be sorry, Max. We all break down from time to time. It's what makes us human." He sighed. "I don't know what happened last night, for sure, but I won't ever call you that again, okay?" He asked, and Max nodded slightly.

"Good," Max grumbled, looking away. "So can we move past the heavy shit and forget any of this ever happened?"

"Max…" David trailed off. Max glanced back up to him, seeing David's eyes dart toward the others for a second, and Max followed his gaze quietly. The other kids were a good distance away.

Max had a sinking feeling this was just about to get heavier.

"I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me," David mumbled, turning back to Max. His gaze was frighteningly serious, and it made Max tense. That childish instinct hit him again. David was never serious, this was wrong, so wrong. "Last night, you kept - You kept saying Dad."

Max was already shaking his head, narrowing his eyes. He didn't have to answer to this, not at all. Did he? David wouldn't do anything if he refused to answer, would he?

"And you were… Pretty scared," David's voice lowered slightly, staring the kid down through concerned green eyes. He went silent for a moment. "..Your parents. What are… They like?" He asked after a moment, his voice dead quiet.

Max blinked, his jaws clicking together for a second. What were his parents like? Apathetic assholes, the way all adults oughta be. They were dicks. Max loathed them more than anything. They were abusive, rude, angry all the time. But Max wasn't going to admit any of this to David, was he? Hell no. The kid eventually just stood, dusting his hoodie off. "I don't have to answer that."

David blinked, looking a little surprised at first before his expression quickly turned anxious. Max stared at him, eyes narrowed. He had a feeling he'd already given the camp counselor the answer to that question unconsciously, which was not good at all. "Max…" The adult mumbled. "Please tell me. I won't be mad, I just wanna know."

"I don't care." Max said blankly, crossing his arms with a frown. David didn't need to know any of this shit. What would he do if he found out? Max didn't really have good experiences with other adults. The last few times he'd tried to tell anyone about his asshole parents hadn't ended good at all. Why should this be any different?

…

Because David was different.

Are you really willing to take that chance, Maxwell?

Max went silent for a moment, torn and confused now. "Why do you want to know." He eventually growled at David, squeezing his eyes shut and taking in a slow, shaky breath. This wasn't supposed to happen today. They weren't supposed to do this emotional bullshit anymore. Why couldn't things just go back to normal? Why couldn't he go back to hating David, like he was used to? Why was everything so goddamn complicated all of a sudden?

"I'm trying to.. Understand a little more, Max." David mumbled. "Besides, if… If something's wrong, in your household, that's not good at all." He stared at the kid, worried. "So please,"

"They're assholes." Max gritted his teeth, blinking his eyes open and fixing David with a cold glare. "Abusive, apathetic assholes."

"Abusive how?" David blinked down at him, the concern in his green eyes only deepening. Max hesitated a little at that, looking away now. Was he really doing this? Was he really talking to David about this shit? The kid took a deep breath, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. It wasn't too late to turn back and change the subject, he still had time.

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters." David sounded appalled now. "If they're abusing you in any way, Max, you don't need to be in that household at all."

"There's nothing you can do about it anyway," Max snapped at him, taking a slightly shaky breath and letting it out slowly. "So fucking drop it, David. It doesn't matter. I'm fine. I'll be fine. Eight more years and I'm out of that shithole anyway."

"You shouldn't have to wait eight years," David protested, obviously not about to drop the subject anytime soon. "You're ten, Max, and you're already smarter than most adults. You grew up long before you should have, you shouldn't be put through any of that anymore. I want to help you, but how can I if you won't let me?"

"How many times to I have to tell you," Max's voice shook slightly now, but he didn't really feel close to tears, so that was good. He felt… Mostly hollow. "I don't want your help."

"But you need it." David countered, shaking his head and staring the child down. "Max, please. Let me try. You don't deserve any of this."

Max blinked once, turning back to David. "I don't?" It was a genuine question, and Max was genuinely confused by that, because all he'd ever heard from any adult was that he did deserve it. Why? That never got clarified but that wasn't the point, the point was that if you hear something enough times, you start to believe it.

"...No, Max, you don't," David mumbled before reaching out and pulling the kid into a hug. Max went still for a second in surprise, then let out a growl and pushed away from him. The weird, warm feeling was back, and Max didn't understand it a bit.

"Whatever," Max took a deep breath, fixing him with a glare. "I don't wanna talk about this anymore, and I don't want you getting involved."

David shook his head. "I can't do that, Max," he said quietly. "If there's something I can do to help you, I'm going to try. I know," he lifted a hand to stop Max when he started speaking, not missing the barely visibly flinch. The counselor lowered his hand instantly, giving him a soft, reassuring smile before continuing, "I know you don't want it, but I want to help you. You don't deserve this situation, and I promise you I will try to get you out of it."

Max stared at him, completely dumbfounded for a moment. "Why?" He asked after a few seconds of silence. "After everything I do to you, why would you want to help me, David?"

"Because you're just a kid. A defenseless, innocent kid who was forced to grow up too much too fast." David said simply, staring at him. "You deserve so much better, Max. You might not think so, and you might have been told otherwise," he gritted his teeth slightly, seeming faintly angry. "But you deserve a lot better."

Max was silent for a while, eventually just sitting back into the grass with a frown. He looked down, tugging on the sleeves to his hoodie. "Whatever." He mumbled after a moment, gritting his teeth slightly. He couldn't say anything that would change David's mind. Couldn't say anything to stop him, so what was the point?

"So will you let me help you?"

"...I don't want your help."

"But you need it," David leaned forward a bit, and Max glanced up at him reluctantly, looking uncertain now. "Max, please. Will you let me help you?"

Max stared at him in silence for a moment. Honestly he didn't know what David planned to do. But he was curious to see how David planned to "help" him at all. To see the outcome of it. What was the harm done, really? If David failed, he failed. If he succeeded… Max wasn't sure what would happen, but either way… He figured even if he said no, David would continue to try anyway.

The kid went silent, looking down for a moment. He wanted to say no, he wanted to say hell no, he wanted to say he didn't want it, didn't deserve it.

Instead he said. "Okay."