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."