#1 Camp Counselor

David knew something was there, but with everything that lurked in the forests around the camp, it wasn’t something that was overly concerning until he actually saw the creature. He stood frozen in fear. What even was this thing?! He wanted to scream, wanted to run, but he couldn’t seem to get anything to move. The only thing that managed to come out of his mouth was a small whimper as the creature’s arm extended towards him.

David beamed, glad that she accepted his offer. “Oh, that’s a wonderful idea!“ The counselor chuckled at her previous comment, “I don’t think anyone really likes school that well, but maybe we can make some of the campers like writing a little bit more if it’s something they’re passionate about!“ He sat down in the grass, eager to start both brainstorming and hopefully bonding a little more with June. He knew how overbearing he could be on the newer campers, and he wanted all of them to feel comfortable around him. 

David watched carefully, trying to understand exactly how to move his hands, but it still didn’t click. He fumbled with the coin again, dropping it with a sigh before giving the camper a smile. “Maybe I’m just not cut out for magic tricks.“ The counselor chuckled, ruffling Harrison’s hair, “I guess that just makes everything that you can do that much more impressive, kiddo.“ David beamed at Harrison, genuinely proud of him, “You really are a talented kid, you know. I don’t know if anyone really tells you, but they should, Harrison.“

Don’t panic, David. Don’t panic. As Max fell into his worst coughing fit yet, the counselor was failing to keep his full attention on the road, barely managing to keep from swerving. He fought to keep the shakiness out of his voice, trying to be calm and soothing. “Max, bud, stay with me. Try to breathe, okay? Small breaths, slow and easy.“ Feeling the kid latch onto him, David started looking for a place to pull over. Alas, the mountain roads of Sleepy Peak weren’t the best for a break once you were out on them.  Time for plan b. David sped up another almost ten miles per hour as soon as the roads stopped curving as much. It wasn’t like he didn’t know these roads like the back of his hand, and Max needed medical attention immediately. While David knew some advanced first aid, he wasn’t thinking very clearly, and he very honestly wasn’t prepared for something like this. “Can you hang on another ten minutes? We’ll be there soon, kiddo.“  He made it in five, and threw the car in park at the emergency room entrance. Running to Max’s side of the car, David was already yelling for help, grabbing the attention of a couple of nurses nearby. David cradled Max in his arms, blubbering like a baby; he couldn’t hold it in anymore. Max was sick and possibly dying, and he was terrified. He’d been able to keep himself together thus far, but now.. the reality had hit him all at once. 

“Hi, June!“ David walked over to the camper, a clipboard in hand. “I understand that your camp is writing camp, correct? Well, I thought a fun activity could be to come up with a few writing prompts and have all of the campers write short stories! But, well,“ he rubbed the back of his neck, “I’m not really great at coming up with the ideas. Would you like to help me?“ He crouched down in front of her, holding out the clipboard and a pencil for her to take.

“Come on, babe. Let me sing one more song for the campfire.“ He leaned his head over on Finn’s shoulder, giving him the best puppy dog eyes he could muster while stifling back a yawn. It was rather late, and the campers had already gone to bed, but David was determined to spend time with his boyfriend and the crackling fire, the smell of smores still thick in the cooling night air. “Pretty please?“

“Hey, Nikki! Look at what I found!“ The counselor held up a rather adventurous box turtle, the small reptile kicking his stubby legs in the air. With the camper’s enthusiasm for animals, and this one being relatively safe, David was eager to show her the turtle. 

David knelt beside the camper, smiling at him gently. “Hey, Maxius! How are you doing, kiddo? Are you settling into camp okay?“ The counselor wanted to make sure that Maxius felt safe here and that the transition to being around other kids was as smooth as possible. “If you need anything at all, you know you can ask me, right?“ Maybe he was being a little of a mother hen, but he was a little worried about the kid.

It was rather quiet today at camp, surprisingly enough, and David had decided that it would be a great day for magic camp- something relatively calm compared to how the camp normally ran. While the other kids had already stopped paying attention and were milling around the activity field, the counselor was focused on trying to learn a supposedly simple sleight of hand trick. It was proving to be rather difficult however.  “Alright, Harrison, can you show me again? I think I’ve almost got it!” He, in fact, did not almost have it.

David slumped into a seat beside his fellow counselor, resisting the urge to lean his head over onto the other’s shoulder. It was dinner time, and the Mess Hall was buzzing with the kids’ chatter about the day’s events; there had been only one fire, but David had managed to fall out of a tree attempting to stop Nikki from getting into a hornet’s nest. It had been pretty hectic, to say the least. When David spoke, it was barely loud enough for Jasper to hear above the noise, even sitting beside him.  “Hey, Jasper? Do.. do you think I’m a good counselor?”

David couldn’t help but keep glancing over at Max as he drove, scolding himself for not keeping his eyes on the road. But.. the counselor was scared. Max was sick- very sick, and he couldn’t help but feel responsible. He knew Max was a little too good at being able to hide this type of thing, likely a learned behavior from his home life, but the guilt still ate away at him.  David cracked the window, relishing the cool air that drifted in. It calmed him down a little, and the death grip he hadn’t realized he had on the steering wheel loosened a little. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his eyes trained ahead. He was almost surprised that Max picked softer music, but he was glad for it all the same. It filled the silence of words that David didn’t have. He wanted to just be able to reassure the kid, but the ten year old was too smart for it. He’d quip back with all of the reasons it wouldn’t be and how things could go wrong. Even so, he was just a kid, and he was a sick kid at that.  With a short sigh, he reached over and gently grabbed one of Max’s hands, thumbing over the back of his palm. “It’ll be okay, kiddo. Just hang in there, alright? I know it’s scary, but I’ll be here the whole time. I promise.“”

|| Guess who’s back to do some shit?? I’ve got two hours and motivation, so like this post for a short starter. Also, regarding current threads, I think I need to drop some of them. However, if you’d like to keep our thread(s) please message me! Thanks, y’all. I needed that break, and I’m glad people haven’t completely abandoned me lmao ||

|| I have another ask about David's plans for Halloween (will be answere tonight or tomorrow morning) but as for an AU... Probably not just because I don't have the time right now to dedicate to one. I'm also not sure exactly what I would do for David, anyway??? So for now, I don't have an AU planned. It might change later this month, but I'm not doing great right now. Sorry, y'all. ||