New Beginnings (Camp Camp fanfiction)

The Day After the End

Max wakes up with a groan, squinting at the light spilling into the room. He looks around confused for a moment; he doesn't really recognize the room. He closes his eyes again when he remembers where he is. He's in the guest bedroom of David's small house on the camp grounds.

Of course he lives on the campsite. The boy thinks to himself. Just then, David opens the door, beaming. "Good morning, Max. Are you ready to get up?" He says gently and somewhat excitedly. Max groans and rolls over.

"Fuck off, David. It's only seven." He says in a groan, squeezing his eyes shut. He hears David sigh and start to speak quietly.

"Max, come on. I know this can be hard, trust me. Just... Please try. For me?" He says in a soft, slightly disheartened tone.

"No, you don't know. How could you possibly know?" Max says in a bitter tone, staring out the window, laying on his side. He clutches the blanket tightly in his hands and rolls his eyes as he feels a weight on the edge of the bed.

"Max, I know a lot more than you think." He says quietly. He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. "I...I was in foster care throughout all of my childhood. I went through a few houses where I was abused. I never knew where I would be the next week. So yes, Max, I understand."

Max sits up and looks at David in shock. He sits at the edge of the bed with him and looks at the floor. "I had no idea. I'm... sorry, David." He says sincerely.

"Don't apologize, Max. It isn't your fault." He says with a smile. He notices that Max still looks regretful, and stands up. "Wanna get dressed so we can have breakfast?" He says somewhat cheerfully.

"Yeah, whatever." Max says, defaulting back to his bored tone of voice. He stands up and walks over to his suitcases and gives David a pointed look. The man takes the hint and leaves the room while he changes.

Once Max gets done changing, he navigates the unfamiliar halls until he reaches the dining room. David has set out a classic breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. To his surprise, Gwen is at the table. "Gwen? The hell are you doing here?"

Gwen gives him a small and somewhat sympathetic smile."Hey, Max. How are you feeling?" She asks. "I'm here because I really don't think David can handle you by himself. At least, not for a while." She says with a small shrug.

Max grimaces at her sympathetic smile. "Don't fucking do that. Don't feel sorry for me." He snaps at her. He knows she means well, but he's always hated getting sympathy.

"Sorry, Max. But look; I'm going to say one thing right now. You better not pull all of the bullshit you did over the summer when you're staying with him. He's doing something huge by taking you in. Don't take this for granted, kid." She says seriously.

"Yeah? And what the fuck are you going to do if I do act the same as I did over the summer? The hell are you going to do about it?" He says, crossing his arms with a glare.

"You'll go to foster care. You'll know what he went through during his childhood. Going from home to home, being mistreated, never knowing where you'll be the next week." She says somewhat threateningly. "I don't want to have to do that, but I won't sit by while you walk all over him. He's been through enough without you adding on to all of that." She says with a hint of sadness in her voice. Max catches on quickly.

"Why do you care what he's been through? It's not like you have feelings for him or anything, right?" He says with a smirk. Gwen blushes and sits back in her chair, eyes widened slightly.

"What? No! I--Look, he acts like a child! Why would I--How could I--" She stammers, becoming less and less coherent with every word. "Listen up you little shit, not one fucking word about this to anyone." She says, cheeks still slightly pink.

"Why not? It's obvious that--Oh fuck." He says with a groan, as David had just entered the room. His eyes light up as a mischievous grin spreads across his face. "Hey David," He says, drawing out his name as he locks eyes with Gwen. "I think Gwen has something to tell you. Don't you, Gwen?" David turns to look at her with a smile as Gwen glares daggers at Max.

"What is it, Gwen?" David asks curiously. Gwen looks up at him, cheeks turning the slightest shade of pink as she shakes her head. "Are you getting sick? Your face is turning red." He says in a somewhat concerned tone, reaching forward to place his hand on her forehead. Her face reddens further because of this.

Max snorts at the panicked look on Gwen's face and the confused look on David's. "Nah, I think she's fine. She's just warm." He says with a smirk in her direction. Gwen glares back.

"Alright. Well, you two eat your breakfast. I was thinking we'd just spend today watching movies together." He says with a smile. Max sits down and rolls his eyes as Gwen watches David. The three eat their breakfast in near silence and put their dishes in the sink.

"I have some movies picked out already! Let's go to the living room and get started!" David says excitedly, leading the way to the living room. Max sits in an armchair off to the side while Gwen sits on the couch. David sits down on the couch next to her. He offers her one half of the blanket that's on the couch with a smile. Max rolls his eyes and makes a gagging motion to Gwen.

The two scoot a little closer to each other and cover their laps with the blanket. Max folds his legs to the side of the chair, resting his elbow on the arm. The first movie starts and of course, it's Disney. Big Hero 6, huh? Could be worse, I guess. Max thinks to himself.

They watch Disney movies through Netflix all day long, only stopping to get a quick lunch. After a while, they order a pizza for supper and eat in the dark with only the light of the T.V. It's around midnight when they finally run out of movies. Gwen had fallen asleep a couple hours ago and is now leaning against David, his arm around her shoulders.

"Alright Max, you should get to bed. It's late and we need to get you enrolled in school tomorrow." He says softly, trying not to wake up Gwen. Max is too tired to argue and just starts walking to what is now his bedroom. He sees David carrying Gwen back to his bedroom and assumes that he'll sleep in the bed with her. Later that night, though, he walks out to get some water and notices David sleeping on the couch.

The stupid bastard gave her his bed? Why not just share it with her? Max shakes his head, sighing softly. He gets his water and goes back to his room, sleeping soundly until the next morning.

AN: None of the backstories in this story are canon to the actual show(yet). If you guys want, I'll add my headcanon for David to this chapter. Please comment and let me know what you think so far! Any feedback is greatly appreciated ^-^