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Max felt the grass crunch under his feet as he walked in the windy clearing. The whistling of the wind brushed passed his ears as he walked.
He kept his head down, hoodie up. The activities for today had been cancelled; and everyone was ushered into the mess hall by the counselors due to an upcoming rainstorm. He snuck out, of course. He didn't really tell Neil or Nikki. So here he is. Feet rooted where he stand, looking down into the mouth of a steep ledge. This was some ways out of the regular camp territory. No way someone would bother looking here. He supposed even Mr. Campbell had no clue about this. Sense this part wasn't camp grounds. He stood there, looking down for a moment more, before he inhaled. Feeling his chest rise with the air that filled his lungs, he lifted his foot up. He was ready and going to do this now.
The wind must've made it hard for him to hear, because a sudden panicked voice rang out-
"Max?!"
He stopped in his place, as he whipped his head around to the sudden intruder. His eyes widened as he saw the red-headed man emerge from the pines.
He panicked, and opened his mouth to say something, an explanation. "W-What are you-?" David's voice almost seemed to quake from his lips. Instead of saying something within that moment, he felt the wind blow his hair. "David..." Max began, his voice quiet. Well- that was, until he felt a particularly strong blow of wind knock him over roughly, and his feet misplacing themselves. "DAVID!" he screamed, as he slipped down, trying to scramble for purchase on the grass before he would definitely fall to certain doom. "Max!" the red head shouted, and was quick on his feet, as he practically lunged to Max and caught his arm.
David's other hand gripped onto the grass to stay up as the strong wind blew and whipped his tuft of hair around roughly. David grunted, as the wind from his lungs was knocked out from the landing. He took a sharp inhale, though, and looked to Max with serious eyes, eyes Max never saw from him that much, besides from maybe being scolded. The wind made it tough for David to simply stay in place.
"Here- just- just! Give me your other hand!"
David demanded, as Max hung from the ledge. The boy lifted his hand and tried to plant his feet on the muddy slope of the cliff, the wind causing
his feet to slip a bit, sinking them nearly down more, as dirt from the ledge fell on the hand that tried to grip to the ledge.
"I can't-!" Max shouted, his feet trying so hard to plant down again, but the wind tugged them away. "W-what? N-no! Just- swing your arm up, just-"
The boy growled under his breath and gripped into the ledge. "God dammit, David! I said I can't!" Max gasped in the rough wind that shook him for a moment. "How do you not understand?! The longer we hang like this, the faster you'll get one or both of us killed!" Max argued, his emerald eyes shooting a fierce glare up at the man, who shifted his eyes away, trying to think of something else.
"Just-!" Max spat, eyes holding on the man, even if he wasn't looking back at him. "Let me go." Max said, his face remaining serious.
David's eyes finally met to look at the young boy, his arm straining with the wind and holding up Max. He grit his teeth and his copper brows furrowed together. He squinted his eyes, and huffed. That's when he instead saw a panicked Jasper in the boy's place. The counselors eyes widened, brows lifting up, and then furrowed back down again.
"No."
The man growled, as he swung his other arm- the vice keeping him up, down to grip the boy's blue sweater sleeve and roughly tugging him up with his will-power against the wind. When the young boy was tugged up, he'd been accidentally thrown more roughly into the grass than David meant to.
David huffed, and breathed heavily, panting almost. "Oh, goodness, Max..! Hah- I'm so glad you're okay." He sighed as he looked up at Max and smiled.
Max's eyes shifted a moment. "Woah- Damn- I..." Max began, breathing heavily like the older man. He chuckled a bit in relief, but then saw the dirt shift under David, gasping loudly. "D-David!" He screamed, quickly throwing his hand out to David, knowing he wouldn't be able to catch him in the back of his mind as he did. Max scrambled to the edge hurriedly, seeing David topple down it. He wasted no time in pushing himself off his feet and run down to where the slope would end.
...
David awoke with a bit of a startle as rain drops patted his head. "Wh.." He questioned silently, looking around, eyes blurry and glazed over. His hair tuft was in his face as the rain drops dripped off it as well. It didn't take his body very long to suddenly swell with a sharp sting of pain. His face twisted up and he hissed at the sharp swell. "What the.." he began, cutting himself off, as he looked down at where the pain seemed to swell from. He didn't expect what he'd see.
He gaped, wide eyed at the long branch that stabbed through his side. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. No, no, no- that.. He couldn't be stuck...!
He felt his heart seem to drop to his stomach at the realization. He was going to be sick. But instead of doing anything his head felt heavy. So did his eye lids. He let them weakly droop for a moment, as he tried to process his thoughts, though he swore he felt like he was moments away from passing out.
The silence lasted only for what felt like a few moments before David's silence was broken with a- what sounded frantic, but mixed with excitement- voice he was more than familiar with. "Oh my god, David! Thank god you're--!" He lifted his head to see a soaked from the rain Max, who's voice died in his throat. He supposed that was his response to seeing his predicament.
The boy's eyes seemed to shift back and forth, scanning the man up and down. "Holy shit- I..." Max said, his tiny voice trembled. David could hardly breathe, when he sucked in a breath, the pain seemed to surge more. So he took small breaths. "H.. Hey, Max," David croaked with a start. "I-its, this isn't a big deal, don't worry, alright? I'm alright..." He tried to reassure Max. To no real avail, as Max shook his head. "Shit, shit, shit," Max mumbled. "To hell you aren't!" the boy spat, his thin brows furrowing together. In what emotion, David couldn't pin from his features alone.
David tried to give him a weak smile, to reassure him, maybe. But Max wasn't taking it. he got to his knees and pawed at the wound, as if to help. David sucked in a harsh breath, which Max immediately shot a look up to him, as if to make sure he wasn't hurting him. David sighed out, and looked down at the protruding branch again, and to Max. "God, fuck, you could have splinters in your body." Max hissed, panicked and afraid. For.... David? The red haired man sighed and looked at the boy, reaching a hand out to pat his hair. As if THAT could help too. "I gotta get you off that branch." Max declared with a mumble, as he stood above David's slacked legs and gripped his sides.
Davids eye's widened, and his arms weakly grabbed Max's."Max, don't." David plead, looking the boy in the eyes, his half lidded eyes glossed over. Max only stared back at him for a second, sharing the same facial expression as the older man. That was, until his brows furrowed down and his grip tightened.
"I can't just leave you to bleed out either!" Max growled, actually tugging David's thin body up a bit to David's dismay as he yelped loudly in pain at it and clenched his eyes,
holding Max's arms tighter at the sting. He felt the boy lay his body back down on the branch. He opened his eyes, and saw the boy's eyes. Max's eyes looked cloudy and ready to cry.
David's heart swelled at that, and he took a shaky breath. "You can't, Max." David said, sliding his hand to curl around Max's tiny hand who was shaking. David expected the boy to pull away from him from doing that. But he didn't, he instead said, "I... I can go get Gwen, she'll know what to do." Max said, his voice stuttering and shaking. His eyes were so glossy now as David swore he could see that his tears were about to fall down his cheeks. David simply shook his head. "No, the camp is too far away." A pause settled between them as Max shook his head. "Then what the fuck are we going to do then?!" Max growled, sitting on Davids lap, piercing emerald eyes burning into the man, trying to keep his strong facade, even as a tear rolled down his cheek.
David just took a shaky breath in, feeling the sting refuse to let his lungs get enough air, as he breathed out. "I don't know." David whispered, moving his hand to Max's head again to pet the woolly hair the boy had, again, a reassuring gesture. Max never once rejected his hand, never swatted it away. The boy's lower lip was quivering now, as he sucked in a sharp breath and sunk down quickly and hugged the man "God, this is my fault," Max said, his voice cracking, as he straddled the man under him, who still had his hand caressing his hair. He could feel the rise and fall of each breath the man made. He could also feel his heart beat steadily. He refused to acknowledge the wavering between the patterns.
The boy shook his head, as his tough facade finally shattered. He sucked in a breath as he suddenly allowed sobs to rip through him. He didn't know what to do. What WAS there to do? He could hardly breathe, as he convulsed with more sobs. He could feel the man's other hand rise to rub his back slowly. "It's alright, Max." David tried. His voice was raspy now. Tired, shaky. "It's not," Max sobbed, tiny hands gripping his shirt tightly in his balled fists. They stayed like that for a few minutes, David petting his hair with one hand, and rubbing his back with the other.
"Max, I'm tired." David finally broke the silence. "I'm gonna take a quick nap, okay?" David asked, his eyes and head feeling heavy again. Max's eyes shot open at that. "What?! N-no! You can't just fall asleep!" Max yelled, at him, looking up. Yet he didn't move from his embrace, David's hand on his back rubbing circles into it, albeit slowly. David sighed. "Only for a few minutes, Max." the man whispered. Max's brows furrowed. No. No, no, no! "David, don't you fucking dare fall asleep, you may not even wake up! Do you get that?!" The man shook his head, as he tried to quiet him by 'shhh'ing him. "Few.. Minutes." David insisted, as his head leaned down slowly, eyes closing with it.
"David!" Max shouted, the hand on his back slipping now, falling as he sat upright. David's hand in his hair also stopped, drooping in its place. before also falling.
"For fucks sake!" Max yelled. "You can't fall asleep!" the boy argued, now seemingly as if to himself. "David! Do you hear me?!"
He shouted, grabbing his shoulders and shook him gently at first. The boy's eyes widened. No, no, no. He can't lose him! Not like this!
The boy's tears fogged his vision as he shook his head, trying to clear the tears as he suddenly slapped him. Then slapped him again. And again... And again.
He felt his sobs rip out of his body as he did. And he got no response. Max sat on his lap and slammed his small fists into the man's chest. "God dammit, David!"
Max cried out, the rain pouring and dripping down his curls of hair. He sobbed into the wind, as he sunk down into the man's lap, and pressed his face against his chest again.
Max wanted to pretend he could still feel the rise and fall of the man's chest, even now. He wished the same for when his heart was beating... But when he pressed his cheek against his rib cage, he heard nothing. No thu-thump of a heart. Nothing. Like he was listening to an empty can. Nothing...
The man's warmth seemed to drain from him, too. As the cold air seemed to make his body just as cold.
Max couldn't remember when he blacked out that night...