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It felt like his brain had short circuited. When he finally got the words out it still felt like a dream. “You're taking me camping with you?”
“Yessir.” His dad said, not sparing him a glance. His attention focused entirely on what looked like a high tech gun-gadget thing, sleek white and gold and probably very brand new. He was already mid-way through packing the supplies, or rather directing the au-pairs to pack for him.
Dev had to resist the urge to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. His dad wanted to go on a father-son outing! Just with him! If he was asleep he didn't want to wake up yet.
His dad was snapping at the au-pairs again “Make sure the rest of the hunting gear is in proper working order.”
“What?” Dev faltered. “Hunting gear?” His dad didn't seem to notice so he tried again. “What did you say about hunting?”
for the first time since he had walked in from school his dad glanced at him. “What better way to bond?” He bared his teeth in what Dev generously interpreted as a fond smile, before snapping again at the au-pairs. “Careful with that!”
“Y-yeah, of course!” Dev nodded with more enthusiasm than he really felt. He had never killed anything before, but, well, it was about time right? It was the manly thing to do. Besides he would have his dad there to walk him through it!
He swallowed thickly. No biggie!
“Do you want me to help with, um, packing?” he asked eagerly. Dale waved a hand dismissively.
“Go pack yourself into the car parked out front. I'm planning to leave in twenty minutes, preferably on the dot.”
“Ah! Right!” of course. Stupid. He didn't want to be getting in his dad's way, especially when the au-pairs could work so much more quickly. He needed to save his energy for the camping trip anyway, duh! Sure enough a brand new off-roading car was parked in front of the house. It was easy to pick out in retrospect, especially since his dad decided to leave it running (nobody liked getting into a warm car).
Twenty minutes though...
He looked at the car, then his house. Well, he couldn't camp in just his normal clothes. Quickly as he could, he ran back up to his room and changed into something more outdoorsy. Or what he thought was probably outdoorsy.
He felt giddy as he pulled on the closest thing he had to a camping outfit–(He was really camping he could hardly believe it) – a white and gold plaid button up that he'd never put on before, but got for free as a Dimmadome product. As he ran back to the car he took a moment to glance in the mirror. Normally he didn't like wearing anything other than his jacket, it hid him that made him feel more comfortable, but today he couldn't help but smile. This was the outfit of someone about to spend some quality time with their dad.
Then he ran back down to the car to wait.
–
His dad must have noticed the outfit change because his gaze paused on him for half a second longer than normal. He didn’t comment on it though and Dev couldn't help but be a little disappointed. That was OK though, they would have plenty of things to talk about later when his dad wasn’t so busy doing important things - like pacing, and muttering quietly into a recording device. He had started around the time they got in the car, and he had continued long after they got to their destination. Quick, hushed notes to himself, theories about… something? He tried to ask but each time he'd been hushed away.
That was fine.
He could wait.
His dad had brought him on this trip for a reason, right? He could be patient for a little bit longer, even if the idea of waiting anymore made him want to explode.
In the meantime he tried to enjoy nature and camping on his own, which mostly involved harassing the au-pairs and making them fly him around above the tree lines. They were deep in some kind of pine forest where the trees stretched upward past where he could see from the ground. There were lakes around, and he cooed at animals before remembering what he would have to do soon and quickly changing course.
Eventually though, inevitably , he got bored.
“Dad?” He asked. A myriad of tents had been set up by the au-pairs, multiple of them just for storing equipment and the one he was currently in as some kind of temporary office. It was roomy for a tent, a few foldout tables were set up and a single uncomfortable looking stool sat covered in junk in the corner, and in the middle of it all was his dad, looking at some kind of cork board with string. If he heard his son’s voice, he did not respond. “I know that you're busy but, um, are we going to do any camping things soon?” He paused, “Like, cook marshmallows or tell spooky stories or um….” he had been starting to pick up some enthusiasm but trailed off. His dad wasn’t looking. He wasn’t even paying attention.
His fist clenched and he fought a worse urge to break something. He had been dragged all the way from the comforts of home for what? To sit in the woods and get eaten by mosquitoes? He could do that fine in his own backyard. His dad was busy, sure, but he thought this was an opportunity to spend time together. He wanted it to be. “Dad!” He yelled and finally he snapped out of his haze.
Dale fumbled with the recorder in his hand, almost dropping it. “What? What is it?” He glowered and turned to face him. Immediately the weight of what he’d done felt like it was crushing him.
“I– um.” He shouldn't have done that. “I wanted– I wanted to know if you–”
“Later Dev .”
“Right.”
He flung the tent flap shut and moved away. Why did he do that? He rubbed his eyes where he realized tears were forming.
Weak. Pathetic. Crybaby.
He didn't care where he ended up, he just wanted to be away from here. Somewhere above an au-pair beeped at him, a warning that he was moving dangerously far from its line of sight. It was for his own safety but the thought of it following him right now made him even more angry. “buzz off.” He snarled. It didn't. The thing beeped a Negative at him again with something like artificial concern. A stupid robot built to pretend to care about him because his dad couldn’t be bothered. It made him want to scream. “I said buzz off!” He shouted again, picking up a rock and throwing it with all of his strength.
The rock hit it dead on and it spun in the air with a wailing alarm, a notable dent left in its metal. He hadn’t expected to actually hit it. It wasn't going to be following him anymore though. In the split second that followed he took the opportunity to book it, sprinting through the trees until his legs felt like they would give out under him and he collapsed against a tree, panting.
Dev shook, though he wasn't sure if it was exhaustion or something else. He didn't care either. He needed to break something.
With the last of his strength he lifted a stick and slammed it into a tree with enough force that it shattered. He swayed, exhausted and off-balance. He was more tired than he thought. Finally he stumbled back, and hit the ground with an oomf. Dev just lay there.
He wanted his dad to pay attention to him, was that too much to ask?
He stared at the light between the trees. The grass was surprisingly soft. He wasn't sure the last time he had actually appreciated it. He spent most of his time indoors. It was hot and mosquito filled sure, but aside from that it was…kind of nice.
The sun had noticeably moved in the sky by the time he sat up and decided to head back to the camp. He’d let himself lay there for longer than was probably appropriate, just breathing and letting himself calm down. Long enough that any good parent should be worried sick.
It was a nice fantasy to indulge in and he let himself revel in it as he finally wandered back in the direction he remembered camp being. It was a long trek, longer than he remembered (The idea of being lost never occurred to him, not in any serious way at least. It was the terrible sort of thing that just didn't happen to people like him), but eventually he did end up back at the campsite just as the sun was beginning to dip.
His hair was full of leaves and his face was still slightly red from crying, not to mention the dirt on him. He must have looked like a mess, as he clambered out of the underbrush into the slightly more open clearing of the campsite.
He had decided at some point that he was going to sleep in the car rather than his tent. The seats were comfortable enough, plus it was insulated better. And because the thought of even sleeping near his dad's tent right now made him angry.
“BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP”
He nearly jumped into the air. An au-pair, the one he broke, was going nuts at him “Shut up, I'm back now!” he snapped. It did not.
Maybe he was in trouble for breaking it.
“What are you– oh.” His dad stumbled out of his sleeping tent looking upset and drowsy.
His dad looked at him.
Dev looked back.
Then, from somewhere inside the tent behind him he pulled out a gun, and shot.
There was a deafening sound, then his leg collapsed from under him. It took him a moment longer to realize that the shrill screaming was coming from himself. And- oh. Oh it hurt .
A voice he vaguely recognized as his dad's said, “Oh crap.” Dark red soaked through the white fabric of his clothes staining everything. “Oh crap.” His dad's voice said again, then he was kneeling beside him, yanking his son's hand away so he could look at the injury. It was hard to think through the pain in his leg. Every beat of his heart pulsed like fire.
“You broke the drone.” Dale hissed through his teeth. “You just had to do that, didn't you– stay still and let me look. ”
There was blood everywhere, staining white clothes and their skin and the grass. It looked like a murder scene.
“Fetch me gauze. Not you, wait for repairs. Start packing up the equipment we're leaving in the morning.” He snapped order after order at the drones.
“You shot me.” He managed finally. Through all the adrenaline and tears the words finally came out. There has been recognition in his eyes, hesitation even, and then he fired anyway.
“Well I wasn't supposed to!” He snapped. Gauze was handed to him and he indelicately began to wrap the wound. His hands shook. “Do you want to know why we came out here? It wasn't for bears or rabbits. What we were looking for would have been the funding of my next biggest project. You don't get funding like that without hunting something dangerous– very dangerous, and I built precautions just so this wouldn't happen.
“You shot me.”
“Because you broke the thing I brought to protect you.”
He pulled the gauze too tight and Dev yelped. Suddenly he was a lot more careful wrapping.
“You've heard of changelings.” He said it like a statement. Dev sort of knew. Supposedly they replaced children in the dead of night. “There have been baseless reports of fairies in our area for years. Desperate suckers will pay arms and foot for anything substantial and– “
“You were using me as bait?” The words fell out without him meaning them to. Something awful and hysterical was bubbling up inside him and despite himself he giggled, which quickly turned into more sobbing gasps. “You were using me as bait for some– body snatching monster!”
“There's no evidence that changelings are body snatchers. They just mimic , not even well according to reports.” He said, like he was offended that Dev would even suggest such a thing, “I never would have let that happen in the first place. That's what the drones were for. That's what the gun was for.”
Dev leaned back and focused as hard as he could on anything other than screaming. His dad took that as a sign that the conversation was done. With little effort his dad lifted him off the ground and took him to his tent.
It was uncomfortable. He felt exhausted. He wanted to cry. His leg burned.
The next morning his dad finished repacking all of their supplies and they began the drive back home. Dev wasn't to tell anyone what happened. Especially not the little accident. He just nodded numbly. He wouldn't tell anybody, how could he? Who could he? It just wasn't the sort of thing you shared.
So maybe, even when he couldn't, the world could go on believing he had a dad who loved him.