Chapter Text
Camp was wrapping up to a close, and David looked upon the sea of campers with a sigh. As much of a pain as they are, he wouldn’t trade this summer for the world. He watched as parents left their cars and made their way over to the mess hall. He watched kids leave with their parents and sighed. All of the campers had left, except for 1. He watched the sunset as a car pulled into the parking lot.
“Max, your parents are here!” He called out. A tall man with dark hair, flattened by gel walked up to David. The man grabbed Max’s shoulder harshly and began dragging him towards the car. “Sir!” David yelled “I can’t let you take Max without verification that you’re his legal guardian!”
The man turned and looked at David “I am, now fuck off.” David wasn't entirely surprised with the language. What caught David off guard was the look on Max’s face. He looked terrified.
Something was wrong. Very very wrong.
“Sir! That isn’t validation, I need a driver's license or I.D. card!” The man didn’t turn around, simply opened the door to the car and, quite literally, threw Max into the car.
Max screamed.
That wasn’t going to fly.
“Sir! I’m Max’s counselor. What you're doing right now is physical abuse! I can’t allow you to take him home with the way you are treating him!” The man only laughed “You think I give a shit? This peice of shit is mine, which means I can do whatever the fuck I want to do with him! Fuck off Asshole!”
“I can’t do that Sir. I am responsible for him, as his camp counselor. You haven't checked him out, and even if you had, I have grounds to call the police on you for abusing your son.”
“I have lawyers, I can get out of any shit you throw at me.”
“Perhaps, but I will not let you take him off the campgrounds. He is not going with you, that is final.” David never tended to raise his voice. Max sat and watched this scene play out. Slowly and carefully he opened the other door to the car and ran behind David.
“You little Shit!”
“Please, don’t let him take me with him!”
“You get your ass back in the car right now!”
“He isn’t going with you sir. That’s final.”
The man began to laugh, before walking up to David and grabbing him by the shirt. “What are you-” David was cut off by a fist hitting his face. He was thrown to the ground where the man kicked him in the stomach. “My kid, I do whatever I want.”
David coughed and clutched his stomach as he pulled himself upright. “I won’t-” a cough “-let Max go home with-” Another cough “Someone as horrible as you.”
The man sighed “Fine, you want the piece of shit? He’s yours. I have lawyers.” The man turned and walked away, opening the driver’s door he turned back to David “By next week, he will be yours legally. Fully adopted. I don’t fucking care about it.” The man climbed in and the door slammed behind him.
Carefully David watched the car drive away, before turning to Max “Max?” He looked back at the boy, who seemed to be staring off into space. “Max, are you alright?”
Max only softly laughed “I guess it's true, I guess they really do hate me.” He sniffed “It was going to happen eventually, sorta surprised he even showed up at all.”
Max started crying softly. It felt like a spear was sent through David’s heart. “Oh Max, come here.” David scooted the couple feet back to Max before pulling him into a hug. Surprisingly Max clung to David’s embrace before the soft crying turned into sobbing. Max’s hands gripped David’s shirt like it was the only thing keeping him from falling.
David wrapped his arms tighter around the boy “I’m so sorry Max, I couldn’t let him take you. I’m sorry I ever thought you were over exaggerating. I’ll do everything I can for you, I promise.”
The two sat in the dark until Max fell asleep in David’s arms.
What did he get himself into?