The argument had been over something stupid.

It started with Max's plan to prank David backfiring spectacularly, and then the whole day had gone downhill from there. Max had been venting his frustration by giving Space Kid a hard time for his mere existence when Neil told him to knock it off and that he'd done enough for the day. The shouting match that resulted from that wasn't something that Max was proud of, but he wasn't ready to go back and make anything close to an apology yet. He had his image to think about, after all.

Instead Max stomped onward, hands shoved in his hoodie pocket as he followed the trail he'd picked at random when he and Neil parted ways. He needed time alone for now, without Nikki or—heaven forbid—one of the counselors trying to talk him into apologizing.

There was a noticeable incline to the trail he was using now. Large boulders peppered the hillside on either side of him, a few of them split into massive pieces by particularly industrious pine trees. He couldn't remember if David had taken them on this trail before but carried on regardless. It wasn't like it mattered where he went, David would be along to grab him sooner or later.

"Maybe if you actually focused on doing something nice for a change you wouldn't be so pissy all the time." Max scowled as Neil's words started to replay themselves in his head and stamped down on the rest. He kicked a pebble off the trail and paused to listen to it hitting boulders and tree trunks on its descent down the slope, then continued on his way. What the fuck did Neil know anyway? He was complicit in Max's schemes most of the time, so who the fuck was he to talk?

Max was well away from the camp at this point. No sounds other than those from insects, birds, and other animals reached his ears at this point, not that he cared. He could almost imagine David starting the frantic search once he found out that Max had walked off without telling anyone where he was going. Maybe it would give Neil a good scare, make him realize how boring his time at camp would be without Max to liven things up. Yeah, that was it. Let them scurry around searching while Max cooled his head, only to stroll back into camp looking calm and collected at the end of the day. That would show them.

With such a strong focus on his thoughts Max failed to realize that his route was taking him dangerously close to the edge of the path and the steep slope beyond. He could almost hear David freaking out now, asking Neil where he'd last seen Max and the panic growing when Neil—

The thought was cut short when Max's foot hit a patch of particularly loose gravel at the path's margin and slid to the side. Max struggled to get his hands out of his hoodie pocket so he could use them to balance, but too late. His foot started down the slope, and the rest of him followed.

Time slowed as the world spun around him, those panicked seconds as he tumbled down the hill seeming to crawl on for minutes instead. Max came to rest halfway down the slope when a small bush caught him. He stared up at the trail, fighting to catch his breath in the wake of that terror, and tried to focus on how badly he was hurt. Various bruises and nothing worse, as far as Max could tell, hopefully he wouldn't find out later that he'd done worse. He was dimly aware of his throat feeling raw and scratchy, as if he'd been screaming; he probably had been, though this was news to him.

Max slowly started to sit up, and was greeted by a chorus of snaps from the small bush that was the only thing standing between him and yet more falling. He froze, but the cracking continued, and within moments the bush collapsed under him and tipped him down the rest of the slope. Max clawed at the dirt, flung around for anything to stop his fall. There was nothing strong enough in reach, and Max kept tumbling until he hit something solid. He bounced off a boulder, rolled once across stone—and plummeted down a crevasse that opened like a portal into the abyss just beside it.

He let out a full-on scream as he fell, only to be cut off when he hit rock just two feet below it, rolled off, and continued the rest of the way down. There were enough stops that nothing was broken by the time Max reached the bottom, the one thing he could be grateful for in this situation. Max uncurled himself and brushed the dust from his hair. A cut burned on his left cheek just below his eye, and it took all his willpower not to reach up and touch it. He looked up at the thin crack of sky that was the opening of the hole he'd fallen into and felt his blood run cold despite the adrenaline.

The walls at the bottom were too steep for Max to climb. He made several attempts regardless, only to fall back to the floor of the cave after getting just a foot or so up. It didn't help that his arms and legs refused to stop shaking, either. Max continued making attempts until there were no more promising walls to try nearby—he didn't have the courage to try areas that lay in the shadows beyond the small amount of light that came in through the entrance.

"Help!" Max yelled, both hands cupped around his mouth as he called up at the entrance.

It was probably a futile effort, but Max carried on yelling for a few minutes regardless before falling silent. He sat down hard on the packed earth floor of the cave and tried to think of what to do next. His thoughts were scattered, refusing to stand still thanks to the rising panic and lingering adrenaline. Finally he managed to pin down the fact that he had no food or water with him, and no flashlight either; he'd been in such a rush to stomp off that grabbing such hiking basics had been beyond him. That was... Bad. Very bad.

He wouldn't last long without the essentials. How long could you go without water again? Three days? Was that the number for kids or for adults? Max couldn't remember which, but he had a terrible suspicion that kids didn't last as long.

The realization was almost too much, and Max choked back a sob as he looked up at the faraway entrance. It was blurred with unshed tears, but he couldn't let himself go just yet. You weren't... Supposed to panic in this situation, they said, and crying was off the table so he could conserve water. Now if only his eyes and throat would listen to that logic.

Max shuffled to the edge of the light and peered into the darkness beyond. Could there be a way out past that? Was the hole above the only way? No flashlight, no matches... And he suddenly became aware of the awful feeling that there might be something there, lurking just beyond the threshold of the light where he couldn't see.

Darkness writhed under his eyes, growing more animate the longer he stared. Max clutched at the front of his sweatshirt with both hands as he tore his eyes away from the shadows, assuring himself that he was just imagining things. There was nothing . It was just his eyes playing tricks in the absence of anything to really see. The tears didn't help with seeing clearly either, so there was that. It was just his imagination.

However logical the reasoning was, it did little to banish the weedling anxiety and lurking fear that there was something else in the cave with him. He couldn't be sure, he couldn't see if he was right or not. It's waiting for me to turn my back. Shut up, shut up! Stop, it's not real, you're just imagining things!

He backed toward the nearest wall within the patch of light, pressed his back against it and slid to a sitting position on the cave floor. His whole body shook as he drew his knees up to his chest in an attempt to get the trembling to stop. Max forced himself to look away from the yawning abyss beyond the light again, only to have his attention drawn back to it mere moments later. Anywhere else but here. He wished he was anywhere else, even acting in some stupid play while Preston yelled at him or participating in whatever meaningless camp activity David had planned for today. A fear so powerful that it bordered on pain settled on him now and refused to leave, chilling his hands and feet and making measured breathing all but impossible.

Was this what an anxiety attack was like? Gwen got those, didn't she? How did she make them stop? Something about deep breaths. That was going to be hard with raw fear constricting his chest like this.

Max took a deep, shuddering breath, held it for a second, then let it out in a big rush. Then took in another and let it out. He couldn't say he felt much better after that, maybe a little light-headed. Were you supposed to hold your breath for a while? Was that it?

If nothing else, trying to remember how Gwen did her anti-anxiety breathing distracted Max just enough from his current predicament to take the fear's edge off a bit. He couldn't believe she didn't just burn out like an old lightbulb with how often these happened to her, he knew he felt like he was about to after just this one.

It didn't take long for Max to start dwelling on the past, what his life amounted to up to this point. Camp Campbell staff were incompetent idiots for the most part, he'd probably be another stack of paperwork for Gwen to take care of by the time they found him. If they even did. Might as well get the introspection over with now while he could still think even remotely clearly.

His parents didn't care, they'd probably be happy he was gone. Nikki and Neil would miss him at least. Well, Nikki would even if Neil was still too angry at him to be sad after what Max said to him. David would be beside himself but he was a big baby anyway. Gwen he wasn't quite sure about, but she'd probably end up cursing him for all the paperwork he caused even if she was sad at first.

Would they ever find his body? Would he stay missing forever?

Max made jokes about death, he didn't really think too hard about it before, but... Now the thought was terrifying. He wasn't ready to die yet. Not like this. Not in some fucking hole near a piece of shit camp in the middle of nowhere.

Thinking of the future had been hard before, Max was never sure what he wanted to do with his life. Even so, he still felt cheated that he'd never be able to find out, that there'd never be a chance for things to get better.

It wasn't fair.

Maybe if he'd been a bit smarter he wouldn't be in this mess. If he hadn't strayed too close to the edge of the path or just kept his bad mood to himself. If he hadn't argued with Neil he'd still be back at camp. If he'd just told someone where he was going there would be a better chance of being found. If he'd just given shit a rest today this never would've happened.

The if's were practically endless, but they weren't doing him any good now. He was stuck and there wasn't a thing he could do to change it, all he could do now was sit and wait for the inevitable.

Pain from his injuries were becoming more apparent as he sat there. Maybe he'd get an infection and kick the bucket before starvation could kill him. That would almost be a blessing at this point. If he was going to die anyway, he'd rather death not take its time.

It would be really nice to hear David's voice right about now. That would mean an end to this miserable predicament because annoying and chipper though he was, David wouldn't just leave Max in some random cave in the wilderness. He could at least count on David for that.

Not that he was likely to find Max, though. How would he, since this cave was so far away from the trail?

The only way to track the day's passing was by the shift of the light that the entrance allowed into the cave. Max followed it, always positioning himself as close to the center as possible with his back to the wall. He was being silly, he knew. There was nothing there, but he just couldn't shake the fear that welled up whenever he wasn't facing it. Night would come eventually. He had no idea what he'd do then.

It was as the pool of sunlight was beginning to crawl up the adjacent wall that Max heard it, a distant voice echoing down into the cave. His head snapped up, and he strained his ears as it faded away, hoping that whoever it was would call out again.

"Maaax! Where are you?!"

David's voice was unmistakable, even at this distance.

Max jumped to his feet and scampered to the edge of the light that was closest to the cave's opening. He started to call back and fell into a coughing fit thanks to a dry throat and a weary voice. He wanted to smack himself for screaming like an idiot when it didn't matter earlier, and for being stupid enough not to bring water with him when he stomped off in the first place.

Another attempt left Max wheezing and silently cursing himself as he clutched at his throat. Help was so close and all he had to do was answer, he was not going to fucking die like this. Max grit his teeth in frustration, then coughed with purpose this time, trying to get his throat to cooperate.

He lifted his head and called out: "David! I'm here! I fe—" Another coughing fit as his voice broke, but he was sure he'd been loud enough for David to hear.

"Max! Where are you?!" David was closer now, Max was sure of it.

"I fell!" Max yelled, as loudly as he could. He didn't know how long he'd be able to keep this up with how his throat felt; too much screaming and hours without water had not been kind to it. "I fell off the path!"

"Keep talking to me, Max!" Even closer. "I'm coming to find you!"

Come on, come on.

"I fell into a cave! Don't you dare walk past me!" The last bit was said without the typical conviction of a Max demand, but that wasn't the point. The point was to keep making noise until David found him. Max paused for a breather, his throat burning. He was going to be hoarse for at least a few days, annoying but worth it if he could get out of this.

"I think I found where you fell!" David called.

A few rocks and pebbles cascaded into the cave, dragging a good amount of dirt along with them.

"Don't kick dirt on me you dumbass!" Max yelled in reply.

"Good to know! I'm coming down!"

Max clutched at the front of his hoodie as he watched the cave's opening. This was it, he was going to be saved. No dying in a randomass crevasse in the middle of nowhere. The relief was almost enough to make his knees buckle.

As Max focused on the entrance above, something at the edge of his vision flickered, like there was something moving beyond the light. He snapped his head around to look and backed against the wall.

The shadows shifted under his eyes, and a strange noise echoed through the cave. David was getting close, Max tried to tell himself that it was just David making a ruckus that was causing the sounds, but both mind and body refused to listen.

"David!" Max called, his voice breaking. "There's something down here!"

A length of rope uncoiled from the mouth of the cave above and David dropped in moments later, hiking pack and all. David barely paused to get his bearings, only remaining still long enough to spot where Max was before bounding over and scooping the boy up in his arms. He turned, his body partially shielding Max from whatever might lay in the dark beyond, then took a flashlight in his free hand and turned it on.

There was nothing save for rocks, cave wall, and a few dangling roots. A smaller tunnel went off in front of them, its depths hidden in a darkness that the flashlight's beam could not penetrate, but the chamber they stood in was completely empty.

"About time you showed up," Max said, his voice husky from overuse and lingering fear. Despite his words he clung to David, taking fistfulls of his green counselor shirt in his fingers; he was happy to see him, however grumbly he happened to be.

David held him until Max's grip loosened, then set him down on the floor of the cave and knelt so he was closer to eye level. "Are you hurt?" he asked, gently taking Max's hands in his own and turning them over to get a look at them.

"Not bad," Max mumbled, ignoring the sting of the cut on his cheek and the ache from his many bruises. A wave of exhaustion hit him, and his legs started shaking from the strain of keeping him on his feet.

David released Max's hands and gently turned his head to get a better look at the cut, Max pulling away after a few moments. He got the hint that Max didn't want the cut tended to yet, and David instead reached for a side pouch of his pack from which he retrieved an unopened bottle of water. David broke the seal with one firm twist and handed it to Max.

It was surprising that David was perceptive enough to know that Max would be too tired and frustrated to easily open it himself, and Max appreciated it. He got the cap off and took a couple big gulps. The water felt wonderful on his aching throat—that is, until it went down the wrong tube and he started coughing.

David rescued the bottle from Max and waited for the coughing fit to subside before handing it to him again. "Alright, let's get going," he said once Max had taken a few careful sips. David straightened and looked up at the ceiling entrance and the rope he'd come in on still dangling from it, then down at Max again. "You're not in any shape to be climbing up a rope, are you?"

"Well jee, David. I've been sitting here in this hole after trying to escape until I couldn't use my arms anymore of course I can't climb a fucking rope!" It was unfair, probably, but Max had long ago reached the end of his patience and he wasn't going to stand for stupid questions from David right now, no matter how grateful he was for being saved. His arms were shaking again and it was pissing him off that he couldn't keep them still, on top of everything else.

"Okay," David said, not chiding Max on his choice of language this time. He was still thinking, his eyes fixed on the cave opening. After a few moments he unclipped the strap of the backpack that bound the shoulder straps across his chest so the top of the pack hung loose, gave those straps more slack, then tightened the strap around his waist a bit more. With that done he returned to Max and knelt beside him so that the side of the backpack faced him. "Alright, I think I can carry you between me and the backpack. I'll strap you in once you're up."

Max paused, worried that the plan wouldn't work—David had a habit of not properly thinking things through, after all. The first attempt to climb up resulted in Max landing on his backside, and he scowled as he got shakily to his feet.

This time David put his right hand back, cupped like a stirrup, so Max could get a leg up.

It worked. Max did his best to center himself in front of the pack. "Okay," he mumbled, wrapping his arms as far as they would go around David's chest.

David tightened the straps on the backpack until Max was held firm against his back and clipped the front strap in place—not tight enough to be uncomfortable, but it would keep Max from slipping out as long as he held on. He then returned to where the rope dangled into the cave and started pulling himself up arm over arm, steadily making his way toward the entrance and freedom beyond.

This wasn't the first time Max felt impressed by David's freakish strength, but now it would be helping him out instead of foiling one of his schemes. He kept as tight a hold as possible on David despite his tired arms—just in case the pack idea failed somehow—and pressed the uninjured side of his face into David's back. The fear of falling harried him no matter how much he tried to push it away, and clinging as tightly to David as possible was the only thing that could keep it at bay.

There was a brief pause as David figured out how to get through the entrance without bumping the pack against the surrounding rocks, and then they were out.

It was late afternoon now, and deep gold sunlight slanted through the pines. Max was surprised at himself for even noticing that, but it just went to show what being stuck in a goddamn cave for hours would do to you. Make you a sap for atmosphere or whatever. In any case, he was happy to be out in proper sunlight again.

David knelt to untie the rope from a nearby tree he'd secured it to, Max still on his back as he did so. Not that Max was complaining; stress and exhaustion had fully caught up to him now, and anything that kept him off his feet seemed better than walking at this point. His grip on David relaxed, and he drifted off a bit as David climbed back up to the path with the assistance of another rope he'd secured to a tree above it.

"Max?"

The sound of David's voice jerked Max back to full awareness. "What?" he snapped.

"Do you want to walk back to camp? You don't have to, just thought I'd ask."

Max considered it for a few seconds. "No. I'm really tired," he admitted.

"Alrighty, then! I'll get us back to camp in no time!" David said with a little bounce.

"Yeah yeah, wake me when we get there," Max grumbled.

David's long legs set a swift pace, and Max found himself drifting off to sleep again. The current position wasn't ideal, but it was comfortable enough after what happened that day. Max slipped into a light doze, the rock of David's steps surprisingly soothing to him.

A sudden halt in David's pace jolted Max awake, and he lifted his head.

"Oh darn, looks like I twisted my ankle," David said, his hands on his hips as he looked down at his feet. "Would you mind walking back the rest of the way, Max?"

"Sure, whatever," Max said with a roll of his eyes.

David knelt and undid his shoulder straps, allowing Max to slip off his back and lower himself to the ground. At least his arms were rested enough to do that now. David then handed Max's water bottle to him so he could drink more if he needed to.

Once on the ground, Max took a few more gulps of water then stuffed the bottle and his hands in his hoodie pocket as he waited for David to get up again; the sooner they got back to camp the better, but Max wasn't keen on possibly getting lost again. He didn't trust himself not to make a mistake in this tired state.

"Okay," David said as he secured the straps again. He led Max around a bend in the trail, and the camp came into view.

Well, at least David hadn't hurt himself farther out, and the current arrangement was lucky for Max since being carried in on David's back would've been embarrassing as all hell. He had a reputation to uphold, after all.

Nikki was the first to spot them. She smiled and pointed, then led the charge as Gwen and the other campbers followed her over. "Hey Max!" Nikki said cheerfully as she bounced to his side. "You find any adventure on your walk?"

"Yep, sure did," Max said with a slow, unamused blink. He spotted Neil looking worried near the back of the crowd and a bit of genuine anger worked its way through the tiredness, only to be dampened completely by the memory of what he'd said to Neil first to provoke him. "David got in trouble and I had to bail him out," Max added, pointing up at David. The lie was purely spur of the moment, but it was better than the embarrassment of telling them the truth and it would be funny to watch David react.

"And he did a wonderful job, too!" David added jovially. "And now we're going to make sure Max is a-okay before he returns to the camp activities."

That... Was unexpected. Max followed David toward the Mess Hall, his eyes on his back—well, backpack—as they walked. He'd expected a bit of blustering over the explanation and a scolding on stretching the truth, not for David to back him up. Though, now that he thought on it, David wasn't strictly against lying per se—after that whole Space Camp ordeal he did say that fibs were okay as long as your heart was in the right place. Only David could give a scheme to save face some sappy moral like that.

Maybe there was a lecture coming after all, David was being way too calm for this to be normal. Max strolled into the Mess Hall and David let the door swing shut behind them.

"Let's get you some food first, I bet you're really hungry after what happened today," David said. He hurried to one of the tables and plunked his backpack down on the seat, pausing for a moment to stretch out his back and shoulders before hurrying into the kitchen.

Max walked to the same table and took a seat at its far end to wait. The intermittent nap had been nice, but Max was still exhausted and he rested his head in his arms—cut side up, especially with it stinging so bad now—as he listened to David working in the kitchen.

The sharp sound of a plate being set down on the table before him woke Max from his stupor and he lifted his head to find a sandwich in front of him. It was made from the good whole grain bread, and it even had the crusts cut off.

"Woops, you'd better wash your hands too, Max," David said before Max could touch the sandwich. "You never know what kind of nasty bugs might be lurking in a place like that." He set a glass of water on the table beside the sandwich as Max slid off the bench and went to the kitchen.

It was only once Max was giving his hands a good scrub that he really noticed how dirty they were. Good thing David caught that, Max would rather not catch the plague or whatever shit might be down in that miserable hole. A few scuffs on his palms and fingers twinged as he cleaned them—they must've happened while he was trying to catch himself on the way down, or while he was trying to climb back out. There was no blood now, but they were tender and red and more than a little painful.

Max dried his hands and returned to the main room, where he found David laying out the contents of the backpack on his end of the table. He cleared his throat—and immediately regretted making it do that thanks to the pain—when David didn't notice him right away.

"Hmm?" David looked over his shoulder at Max. "Need something, Max?" he asked, turning to face Max completely.

Rather than answer, Max shoved his hands at David, palm-up so he could see where they'd been scuffed.

David gently took one of Max's hands in his own and examined it, then did the same for the other. "Some abrasions, but they don't look too bad. If they hurt we can put some antibiotic ointment and bandages on them. We should take care of that cut on your face too."

That took care of the little twinge of anxiety. "Later," Max said. He withdrew his hands and returned to his end of the table where the sandwich was still waiting for him.

While David returned his attention to the backpack, Max went to work on his sandwich. It was packed with smoked ham, lettuce, sliced tomato, and it even had pickles and the spicy mustard that Max enjoyed on it. Part of him was surprised that David actually paid enough attention to know how Max liked his sandwich, but then David seemed to have a habit of noticing small things. He wasn't as stupid as a lot of people thought he was, Max included. Still, it was nice to know that David cared enough to find out—his own parents sure didn't.

Max felt even more tired by the time he finished; while the sandwich was more filling than say, oatmeal or something easy to eat, it took a bit more work to chew up. He turned himself around and slid off the bench, hands stuffed in the pocket of his hoodie again. "I think I'm gonna head to bed," Max said with a slow blink.

"Alright," David said, looking up at him. "Do you want me to take care of your cuts first?"

"Yeah fine," Max replied. Some of the scuffs had gotten tomato juice on them and were starting to sting, and the cut on his cheek still burned, it would be nice to sleep without that. He followed David to the kitchen for another round of handwashing—and a brief washing of the cut on his cheek, which stung more than he thought it would—then back to the table where there was a first aid kit open and ready.

David applied the ointment and bandages to Max's hands with meticulous care, then gave them one final check once he was finished. "That should keep them safe," he said cheerfully as he stood. "And last but not least..." David dabbed ointment on the cut that ran under Max's left eye and smoothed a clear bandage over it. "There! All done!"

"Looks okay," Max mumbled as he inspected David's work. He was about ready to drop where he stood, and getting back to his tent might actually be a challenge at this point. He walked toward the front of the Mess Hall, barely noticing when David held the door open for him.

About halfway to the tents Max realized that there was a lot of dirt that needed to be washed off after his tumble down the slope. He grabbed a fresh set of clothes and headed for the showers instead. The bandages started to fall off after time in the shower, but he didn't feel like asking David for help again. After finding a first aid kit in the bathroom he did his best to redo the bandages—a clumsy job in the end but at least it would keep them covered up. Thankfully the clear bandage was able to stay in place, so Max didn't have to go messing with that while he was so tired.

With that done, Max returned to his tent and went to bed, shutting out the sunlight by draping the sheets over his head.

Shadows twisted and writhed under his gaze, and all the while the light at his feet grew smaller and smaller. The air was cold, clammy with a musty smell that clung to clothes and hair. The sound of shifting stones and tree roots reverberated in the passage beyond. It filled his ears with confusing echoes and suggestions of speech that he couldn't quite pick out among the chaos.

Soon it would reach him, once the light went out...

It was dark when Max opened his eyes, and after a split second of panic he realized that rather than the darkness of some godforsaken cave, this was the considerably more comforting dark of his tent. He could even pick out the roof of the tent thanks to the dim glow of their nightlight, and the only thing he could hear now was the quiet sound of Neil breathing in the cot next to him. Such logical reassurances did nothing to ward off the fear that still gripped him now, however. He swore he could still smell the cave, could still feel the presence of whatever was lurking in the darkness beyond.

Max wasn't sure how long he lay there before he finally worked up the nerve to sit up. Nothing lunged out of the shadows to get him, there was no one save for Neil in the tent with him, but enough was enough. He took the flashlight from where it had been placed beside his bed, grabbed his hoodie, and stumbled out into the night.

At the margin of the circle of tents Max broke into a run, hurtling toward the Counselors' Cabin as quickly as his aching legs could carry him. A little too fast. He hit the door to the cabin with a loud bang and was answered by a distinct thump from within. Max froze, the irrational fear that something unpleasant could've heard the noise stealing over him.

Silence dragged on, then there was the start of a whispered conversation within the cabin.

Max forced his arms to move, reaching out and knocking on the door three times.

Another pause.

"Max?" It was David's voice, whispered just loudly enough to be heard through the door.

"Yeah, it's me," Max admitted quietly. Without thinking he turned so his back was to the cabin, allowing him as much view of the open space in front of it as possible.

The worn hinges creaked to an almost earsplitting degree as David pushed the door open.

"Is something wrong?" David asked as Max backed inside, hoodie and flashlight clutched to his chest.

Crap, he wasn't about to tell David that he'd been woken up by a nightmare like some little kid. Think of something. "Still achy from what happened today and my cot is a piece of shit," Max grumbled as he started to relax. He crossed to one of the armchairs and hopped into it, where he dropped his flashlight, put on his hoodie—the clean one, and for the first time he felt grateful for that stupid gift his parents had sent—and tried to make himself comfortable. It was a futile effort, considering how shitty and old the chairs were.

"Not so sure a chair is the best follow-up if your cot is so bad," Gwen said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No worries, Gwen. I'll take care of it," David said cheerfully.

Gwen lingered a while as David started stripping his bed and Max did his best to ignore everyone in the room. Finally she shrugged and returned to her bed, where she turned over and fell asleep.

Max had only just found some semblance of comfort in the lumpy armchair when David tapped him on the shoulder and pointed toward his bed, which was now made up with fresh sheets and a pillow.

"Trade you," David said, the used sheets and pillow held under one arm.

Without a word Max hopped out of the armchair and went to the bed instead. He climbed up, took off his much-dirtied socks—so freaked out he hadn't even put on shoes, he felt so ashamed of himself right now—and dropped them on the floor, then pulled up the covers. The mattress wasn't a huge improvement over his cot but it was better than no improvement at all. Max turned over to look at the rest of the room and found that David had settled in the armchair with his blankets and pillow, already asleep.

If he listened carefully, he could hear both David and Gwen breathing. Just knowing they were there helped him feel more at ease. Max turned over and closed his eyes, dropping off to sleep within a few minutes.

David was gone when Max woke the next morning. The sheets had been neatly folded beside the armchair, with the pillow placed on top of the stack. Gwen was still in the cabin, dressed and seated in one of the armchairs with a book in her hands.

Max turned his back to her and considered whether he wanted to try sleeping in a bit more; he was still aching from the ordeal yesterday, and some spots were even hurting a bit more than they did before, which now that he thought about it was probably the origin behind "gonna feel that in the morning". He wasn't feeling very tired, however, so trying to sleep more would just result in him feeling groggy later. Plus he'd feel better after his morning coffee.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Gwen said as Max sat up.

"God can you be any more cheesy?" Max asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with the back of one hand and wincing when he bumped the scratch on his cheek. "Where's David?"

"Probably getting his ass kicked by the other campers," Gwen said with a sigh. She marked the page on her book and closed it. "Better get out there and check."

Max stopped off at his tent while Gwen went on ahead to the Mess Hall. He wanted to change to a fresh set of clothes at least, even though he usually slept in his day clothes anyway. Neil wasn't in the tent when Max entered, and he felt a little grateful for that; while he wasn't necessarily mad at Neil now, he still wanted time to think of what he wanted to say to him and whether he wanted to share what really happened the other day.

The Mess Hall wasn't in ruins when Max arrived, surprisingly enough. The other campers were getting up to their normal smalltime mischief at their tables; Harrison was levitating his toast while Nerris messed with her dice beside him, meanwhile Preston was striking a dramatic pose while he orated in his head and Space Kid was doing his best to navigate his food past the fishbowl helmet he always wore. Nurf chuckled as he flicked a spoonful of oatmeal at Preston, missed, and almost hit Max instead.

Yep, the usual. Max spotted Nikki and Neil at their usual table, and Nikki waved excitedly at him when she noticed him looking. Neil joined in waving—less enthusiastically—after a few moments, apparently still nervous because of what happened yesterday.

Max gave them a single wave in return and went about getting his breakfast. He settled for the cafeteria coffee today since it was already made and he didn't want to wait anymore—he could always make up another, non-shitty cup of coffee later if he wanted. David was serving food today instead of the Quartermaster, which was admittedly a little unusual.

"Good morning, Max!" David said as he put waffles and bacon on Max's tray. "Are your hands feeling better today?"

"They're fine," Max replied, not looking down at the mess he'd made of doing them himself after the shower. He considered thanking David for, well, everything he'd helped him with since yesterday and the fact that he hadn't made a big deal of it the way you expected that David would. That could be saved for later though, when there wasn't an audience.

"Good to hear!" David said with a big smile.

Max turned away from the counter without another word and joined Nikki and Neil at their usual table. Nikki pestered him about whether he'd picked up any new "battle scars" and was duly impressed by the scratch on his cheek while Neil waited nervously off to the side, until Max told her to sit down and let him eat in peace and that he'd tell them what happened later.

After finishing breakfast, Max led Nikki and Neil behind the Mess Hall where there would be less chance of being interrupted. Neil was still fidgety when they came to a stop, no-doubt worried that Max was still mad about what happened yesterday. Might as well take care of that first.

"Hey, Neil," Max began, glaring down at the ground as Neil's head snapped to look at him. "About yesterday, we both said some pretty shitty things..." Max paused, grinding the toe of one sneaker in the dirt as he worked up to what he was about to say next. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that stuff about you. I should've just listened and quit while I was ahead."

Neil relaxed visibly. "Yeah, we really did," he admitted, looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry too, and I'm not proud of the things I said either." A small smile came to his face, and he chuckled. "Who would've thought that our first big fight would be because Space Kid, of all people."

That got a laugh out of Max. "You say it like we're trying to date him or some shit, ew."

Nikki swept the two of them up in a hug before they could go on. "Everything's back to normal!" she said with a happy bounce. "Now tell us about your adventure."

Max did so, leaning against the back of the Mess Hall while he told them what happened. Not the bits about his reflections and fears obviously, but all the exciting parts and even how David had come to his rescue in the end.

With Nikki and Neil informed on what had actually happened, Max decided it was time to thank David for helping out. Once he could talk to him one on one, to be precise. The day passed as any other normal day at camp would, and finally Max got the opportunity later in the afternoon.

When Max found David he was in the Counselors' Cabin, seated on his bed while he folded clean clothes and sheets. David gave Max a smile and a wave when he spotted him in the doorway, then went back to his work.

Max took that as an invitation and closed the door behind himself, then walked over to David's bed and hopped up beside him. He was here, but the words didn't come easily and Max shoved his hands in his pockets, staring at the floorboards while he put together what he wanted to say.

David continued folding, giving an occasional half-glance at Max to show that he was listening.

"So yesterday, when you got me out of that cave... And not... Making a big deal about it," Max began, kicking his legs against the bed frame. He grimaced; this was already going terribly, he couldn't even get the words out the way he wanted. Max sighed. "Thanks for helping me out." He had to admit, he should've gone the simple route from the start—it was surprisingly easy.

"You're welcome," David said with a warm smile. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Yeah." Max nodded and looked down at the floor again. "I told Nikki and Neil what really happened, and I'm cool with Neil again. We worked it out." When Max looked up he spotted that stupid sappy sparkle in David's eye that meant he was proud of him. "And I guess I spoke too soon about that not making a big deal bit," Max added with a roll of his eyes, but he wasn't quite as annoyed as he usually would be. So rather than shutting David down, Max held his arms out to suggest that he would accept a hug.

David took him up on the offer in an instant, jumping to his feet as he swept Max up into his arms for a tight hug. "Oh Max! I'm so proud of you!"

"God, do you arm wrestle with bears or something?" Max grumbled as he squirmed in David's arms. The complaint was half-hearted in reality; Max would never admit it, but he'd actually been wanting a hug after what happened. Pretending it was a reward for David helping him out was just a bonus. He tried to hug David as tightly as possible himself, but there was no way he could get close to the crushing intensity of a David bearhug.

Still, there was a point when something could go on too long.

"You know," Max began, grinning wickedly as he started to swing his feet. "This position puts my feet right around prime crotch-kicking height."

"Okay good talk Max," the words came out of David's mouth in a rush as he broke the hug and put Max on the floor.

"What were you proud of, anyway?" Max asked, looking up at David. "I tell Nikki and Neil most stuff."

"Well for saying thank you!" David replied cheerfully. "It's not something you do very often. And telling your friends the truth is wonderful too!"

"Oh. I guess you're right," Max said with surprise. "By the way, same deal as last time with that hug. You tell anyone, you're dead."

"Okay, Max," David said, his smile softening somewhat. "My lips are sealed."

A/N: My contribution to the Dadvid Big Bang event on Tumblr! Massive thanks to CT for beta'ing AND for drawing wonderful art for this fic as part of the event!