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David sat the gallon of ice cream carefully with the rest of the sundae supplies in the plastic bag. Ered’s birthday was tomorrow and he and Gwen had decided to throw a little party for the camper. As he sat down the bag in the cart, he noticed the familiar blue of Max's hoodie was no longer in his peripherals. Panic hit quickly, because an unattended Max never bode well for anyone, before spotting the small camper at one of the toy vending machines. Max was angled towards it, investigating each dispenser and what they had to offer. He wasn't causing any active trouble, at least.
Giving the boy one last glance, he went back to scanning and bagging the last few remaining items. It was already getting pretty late out and Gwen could only keep the campers in line for so long. He'd brought Max as a sort of weight off her shoulders, but the campers united fast when they felt like it, even without the accelerant that Max was.
“Brownie bites, sprinkles, oreos…” David went over a mental list of the ingredients in his head. The small tug on his shirt had him snap out of his thoughts and turn his head around. Max stood behind him with a finger pointing over to the toy vending machines.
“I need two quarters,” Max said, keeping his eyes on the ground. David gave him a hesitant smile. In usual circumstances David had little qualms about handing over whatever Max needed, as long as it was within reason. But that machine held little swords that looked awfully sharp and David did have enough risk management sense to know that Max should be kept away from sharp things.
“Is it for candy? We already have all these treats, Max,” He tried. He figured it was better to vet what Max wanted first before giving the boy an outright refusal. It wouldn't surprise David if it was candy Max was after either. The boy had a terrible sweet tooth, and how often had David seen the boy with a tooth brush? Maybe he should bring up that lesson revision about the importance of dental hygiene to Gwen…
“Ew, hell no. The candy has been in there forever. It's probably got mold.” Alright so not that. David looked back at the machine, then at the slowly defrosting ice cream. Gwen would have stood her ground and told Max ‘no’. David was not Gwen. His philosophy when it came to Max was that if he could just find the right angle to approach the boy then maybe Max could start to open up and enjoy camp and the things it had to offer. Would a tiny toy sword do that? Probably not, but as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. And if this was the first step to getting Max to maybe brighten up, so be it. Besides, the swords did have a very tiny blade. At most it would just prick whoever it was jabbed at. Which would probably be him.
“What do we say Maxie?” He asked teasingly. If he was going to inevitably be on the receiving end of a tiny sword he could at the very least get Max to use his manners. Max let out a groan and mumbled something under his breath. David figured that was probably the closest he would get to ‘please’’ from the boy and pulled out his wallet.
Max wasted little time in taking the quarters and turning back to the machine. David would have watched Max but a line behind him was starting to form. No need to keep the other customers waiting. He scanned the last few items, the total ringing up to a little over 60 dollars. David hoped that his next paycheck would actually come on time. Once the bags were loaded in the cart, he headed over to Max. The boy was staring down at his hands at whatever the little plastic capsules held.
“Ready to go Max?” He asked. Max looked up at him before quickly shoving both of his hands into his jacket pockets and nodding. The motion was quick enough that he hadn’t been able to get a good look at whatever Max had been holding. One toy sword was something, multiple was another. He’d have to warn Gwen to check any chair before she sat down for the foreseeable future.
The parking lot was mostly empty by the time they walked out the door. A few cars parked sparsely on the concrete being illuminated by the slowly setting sun. The trip through the parking was short, the silence filled by David humming as he got the keys to pop the trunk. He grabbed the bags by the handful and set them gently between the junk that filled the rear, Max sliding between David and the cart towards the passengers side door. David knew better than to suggest that Max should sit in the back. The last time Max had the boy had been very enthralled by kicking David’s seat. As soon as the task was done he closed the top and returned the cart to its little station.
“Ready to go back to camp kiddo?” He asked, sliding back into the car. Max didn’t respond, instead thrusting his hand towards David while staring out the window.
“The machine gave me an extra one. Don’t think too much into this, campman,” Max grumbled. David took the plastic capsule out of Max’s hand and tilted it to get a better look. Inside was a little plastic ring. The band was painted to look silver, parts of it already beginning to flake off and reveal the black underneath. The center held a fake blue gem that mirrored his face back with its dozen little cuts.
It was, he had to admit, cute. He pulled the ring out of the capsule and slid it onto his left ring finger. It didn’t fit, because it was meant for a child sized-finger, but maybe he could turn it into a necklace if he wrapped some string around it. Regardless of what he did with it, Max had still given it to him. Max was not a gift giver. He did not naturally go out of his way to give people things unless strings were attached. What Max intended to do with the plastic ring was beyond David, but for the moment David would let himself think of the ring the way he hoped it to mean; as a thoughtful gesture.
“Thank you Max. I appreciate it,” David said softly. The boy shrugged and didn’t bother to look up. Despite Max’s attempt to keep his head down, David could see the way the boy’s cheeks burned red. Was the summer heat finally getting to Max? The boy really should take off his hoodie one of these days.
“Well it’s not like I had anyone else to give it too,” Max replied. David was going to say more. Let himself get started on just how thoughtful the sentiment of the gift was regardless. Max could have easily thrown it away, or had two rings! But he gave one to David. He turned to start his speech, and paused. In the seat next to him, the boy was folded into himself, his expression lacking usual anger or distain. Instead, Max looked contemplation, staring at his hand with his brows pinched together. David noticed on Max’s own finger a similar ring. This one with a red gem instead of blue. The vividness of the color stood out even in the dark car. Max toyed with it, twisting it around his finger back and forth.
It was the smallest David had ever seen the boy look.
For as much as he didn’t want to let the moment pass he didn’t want to sour it either by making Max upset, and the ice cream in the trunk wasn’t getting any cooler. He slid the ring into his pocket for safe keeping and started up the car. He’d bring this up to Gwen tonight after the campers were in bed. He’d tell her he was really making a break through Max, and she’d probably tell him that this was just another one of Max’s schemes. But Gwen wasn’t here right now. And she couldn’t see for herself the way in which Max had let down his walls, if only for a moment.
David straightened up, a new gleam in his eye as he started the drive back to camp. Great things were coming, he could feel it.
He didn’t know it yet, but eleven years later a proposal with real rings would happen. And neither of them would find it in themselves to throw the old ones out.