Chapter Text
“David?!?”
The familiar voice cracked through the room, he didn’t hide his voice in sarcasm or anger, he was too shocked to pull up the walls before the man's name was past his lips.
“What the fuck?” He asked.
“Language.” David corrected him out of reflex.
It had been three months since he had seen the boy and he wasn’t sure how max would react, what state the boy would be in when he got to him, but regardless of that David had pushed every boundary and worked every angle to make this happen.
Max’s parents hadn’t come to pick him up on parents day. David had always suspected that Max had troubles at home but it wasn’t until recently when he had read Max’s file, brand new and only just accumulated by social services, did he truly understand how bad it was. His father was drunk and abusive, forced into an arraigned marriage with a woman he didn’t know and then immigrating to Canada shortly after with a baby on the way. This past summer, while Max was away at camp things, had come to an all-time low in their household and instead of coming to pick Max up his mother had taken her own life. after leaving a detailed letter, that later had to be translated, explaining all the abuse that had gone on from her husband and how she was not allowed to learn English cutting her off from her neighbours and community. The letter also described how much she had hoped that Max could find a better life, and how guilty she felt that she could not be there and could not give him that herself.
David had spent hours crying over the photocopies of all the documents, the photos, and the stories, all the things Max had put up with over the 11 years of his life. He couldn’t begin to understand how the other felt, but he understood now why the boy lashed out so much.
He had spent four summers with Max now, and he couldn’t believe how blind he had been, he always tried hard to optimistic, to bring joy to the children in his life as best he could encase they didn’t get it elsewhere. He was still in university, studying to become a teacher, that was how he became involved in camp Campbell back in his undergraduate, but he was not about to let that stop him from kicking his ass in gear.
The moment the social worker had taken Max away he could see the pain in the others slouched defeat
. The moment the social worker had taken Max away he couldn’t stop himself.
The moment the social worker had taken Max away his resolve had set.
The moment the social worker had taken Max away David knew that he had to fight tooth and nail to get the boy in the raged blue hoodie back.
And so now there he stood in front of the other, in the small room, sat at the small table in the cps building.
“They said I was going to a new foster family….” Max had bounced from foster family to group home and back again several times in the span of three months, no one could handle him quite like David knew he could. “So what are you doing here?”
“Max….” David took a deep breath a small smile creeping over his lips. “I’m here to take you home.”
There was a deep look of confusion on Max’s face and he still hadn’t moved from just in the doorway, someone had closed the door behind the boy to give them some privacy.
“My home.” David clarified with a little cough.
“Like hell, I want to fucking go home with an asshole like you.” Max spat, his eyes said scared, and he reminded David of a lost cat in that moment, swatting at you from behind a dumpster afraid of affection but also secretly longing for it. Max turned clutching his backpack and banged on the door. “Take me back! I don’t want to go with this fucking smiling creep.”
“Max,” David said his voice as patient as ever. “Please… just give me a chance…” he said softly and watched as Max’s hand slid down the door and dropped to his side. It broke his heart how defeated the child looked, he knew what was going through Max’s head, where was left for him to go if he didn’t choose David? Would they ship him off to a different town? He had to run out of foster parents and group homes eventually, and then what? Would he be kicked to the streets? End up in juvie? There was already a low chance of ever seeing Nikki or Neil again. What happened would happen if no one on earth remembered he existed?
“Fine, but I’m not fucking happy about it, and I’m not fucking saying thank you or some shit.” He said turning around, his face said anger, but even David, oblivious David, could see the relief in the child’s eyes at the idea of going somewhere he didn’t have to worry about other adults or children. At least he knew David, and he knew David well enough to know that he wouldn’t be hit or yelled at like one of the group homes he’d run away from.
David was grinning now, excitement filling his face his hands clasped in front of his mouth. “Oh, Max I can promise you won’t regret this.” The man practically vibrated out of his chair but knew better than to make any sudden moves towards the kid.
“Yeah well, I think your idea of what will make me regret this and mine are fucking different David.” He hissed but followed him out to the car anyways.