Chapter 1- The First Day
A/N: Hi! Welcome to my first fanfiction! Writing has always been a nice creative outlet for me, and I've recently decided to post my work online for others to see. Camp Camp is one of the best shows I've ever watched, and while some of that can be attributed to the comedy it revolves around, the characters are what really pulled me into the show. I love the effort that's been put into each of them, and I really enjoy their characterization and the way they grow throughout the series. Naturally, it would be one of the things I'd write about, and it just happens to be the first of hopefully many stories I plan to write and post for people to read! The fic is Makki-centric, and will also contain some Gwenvid. This is going to be a longer piece of work, and so far I've really enjoyed writing it! I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Note: I do not own Camp Camp, and I am in no way associated with the show's owners, RoosterTeeth.
"Goooood morning, son!" Max's face scrunched up at the sound of his dad's ever-cheery voice. A faint light from the hallway seeped into his room, dousing his bed in a warm glow. Cracking open his right eye, the seventeen-year-old slowly rolled over from his sleeping position to see David standing in the doorway, dressed in a white button-up shirt and a pair of light brown khakis with a smile stretching from ear-to-ear plastered on his face. He then shifted his attention to the digital clock on his nightstand, which read "4:30" in a bright red.
"David, it's four-fucking-thirty." The smile on his father's face fell slightly at his response but then regained its unnaturally wide shape.
"I know it is Max, but you know how it goes! The early bird gets the worm!" David gave him a little laugh, causing him to scowl and cover his ears with his pillow in a futile attempt to drown out the man's speech. "Besides, you know that as a teacher, I've got to get to school before the other students arrive! I need to make sure my classroom is ready for the first day, and I have to be there in case there's any early students! I mean, what would happen if one of your classmates got there before we did? They'd be standing there, waiting, locked out from the wonders of the classroom and the joy of learning and the- "
"Alright, alright! Jesus David, do you ever shut the hell up? God, why can't you just go five minutes without bothering me?" Max muttered, sitting upright in bed and rubbing one eye tiredly while glaring at his father with the other. David simply continued to grin, flicking on the light switch before turning around.
"Aw, don't be such a negative Nancy, Max. It's the first day of classes! You should be excited!" He chuckled. "Gwen's already up making breakfast, so I'll be in the kitchen checking up on her. Food will be done by the time you're finished getting ready for school!" He whistled that annoying tune that Max always hated, which only intensified the teenager's scowl.
"Excited to be back in that shithole you call a school? Fuck no," he muttered to himself. Swinging his legs over the side of his bed, he stood and stretched his limbs, pursing his lips as he left the comfort of his blankets. Letting out a loud yawn, he made his way to the bathroom, his feet dragging along the soft gray carpet in his room. He grimaced as his tanned skin of his feet came into contact with the relatively cold wood floor of the hallway and then the bathroom tile not long after that, where he turned on the sink and waited for the water to warm up slightly. He gave himself a good look in the mirror as he waited, his tired reflection staring back at him. A curly black mop of hair sat atop his head, casting a light shadow over his cyan eyes. A slightly hunched back and slouched shoulders completed the "exhausted high schooler" look, and he glanced over the green t-shirt he wore; one of David's old camp shirts, if he recalled correctly. He hadn't wanted it at first, mostly due to its size and his dad's comment that "he hadn't sweat in it too much" in the time he had worn it. As he grew, Max eventually took it for himself, and it ended up being one of the teenager's favorite shirts because of the comfort it afforded him.
Not that he'd ever tell David that anyways.
Splashing water onto his face and running a comb through his hair briefly to flatten a few stray strands, he backtracked his way out of the bathroom into his own room and changed into his usual attire of jeans and his blue hoodie he wore over his shirt. Discarding his pajama pants onto his bed, he then made his way down the hallway, glancing to his left into the kitchen to see David and Gwen standing in front of the stove. The latter was clearly half-asleep, her grip on a pan on the aforementioned kitchen appliance loosening as she struggled to stay awake.
"Morning Gwen," he greeted, only to be met with a half-hearted grunt from his adoptive mother. He walked by his parents towards the pantry, taking out a box of some off-brand sugary cereal and setting it on the counter.
"Hon, you're... you're going to burn the eggs at this rate..." David pointed out to Gwen, who only mumbled a response to her husband as black smoke rose up from under the three eggs that simmered in the pan before her. He gently pushed her away towards the kitchen table, taking her place at the stove. "Let me cook these Gwen. You just go have a seat, and your coffee will be ready before you know it," he said, giving her a small peck on the cheek. She dumbly mumbled another reply, stumbling past Max to the kitchen table before unceremoniously plopping herself into her regular seat. Max could hear her head slamming onto the table as he slipped behind David to get the milk from the refrigerator.
"I take it she's not used to the new morning schedule either, huh?" Max commented idly as he reached up into the cupboards and pulled out a bowl, pouring his milk inside before taking his cereal from the box. His dad let out a small laugh.
"Afraid not. Don't worry though, she'll get used to it! I'm guessing it'll be another week or two before that happens though," he said, scraping the burnt eggs into the garbage and cracking three fresh eggs. "It doesn't help that she stays up pretty late at night, either."
Max raised an eyebrow, pouring out his cereal and taking a spoonful into his mouth. "Can't she just wake up at her usual time instead of waking up with you?" He asked with a mouthful of his sugary breakfast.
"I guess she just wakes up whenever I get out of bed and can't fall back asleep. And don't talk with your mouth full, Max." His son rolled his eyes at that.
"Suck a dick, David." He took another bite of his cereal, glaring daggers in David's direction as he did so. His father, choosing to ignore his vulgar comment, held a mug under the coffee maker and watched as it filled up to nearly the brim before bringing it over to his wife, who was still slumped at the kitchen table. Max watched as David took her hand in his and gently wrapped her fingers around the mug's handle, giving her another peck on the cheek and heading back to the stove.
It was certainly odd to be able to call both his former camp counselors his parents, and Max was certain that if he were to go back in time seven years and tell his ten-year-old self that the two people he hated at camp the most would be his parents, he'd kill himself on the spot. But, loath as he was to admit it, he couldn't be happier that they had accepted him for who he was and let him into their lives. Plus, they were leagues better than his birth parents. Sure, they still weren't the best parents by any stretch of the imagination- David with his excessive nagging and everlasting cheeriness, and Gwen with her pessimistic outlook on life and weird obsession with trashy tv shows- but they were doing their best. They fed him, gave him a roof over his head, gave him an education, and so much more. They gave him their love, and with that, a family- something Max never thought he would get to truly experience, and for that, he was forever grateful to them.
He also smiled at the thought of his mom and dad even being together in the first place. At first, he was the last person on the planet who would've thought that the two of them would get together at all. David was way too cheerful and optimistic for someone like Gwen; there was no way she'd even give him a chance. But through it all, she did, and they ended up dating for nearly three years before David had mustered up the courage to ask Gwen to marry him. In fact, it was Max who told David to stop being a baby and propose.
He remembered the day they got married just two summers ago. Both had taken the day off, and they decided the ceremony would be held at none other than the pier at Camp Campbell, where they first met. He remembered how nervous David was as he stood at the altar alongside Quartermaster, waiting for Gwen to finally walk down the aisle. And he remembered the way his former counselor's jaw dropped when she finally did make her way to him. Gwen's white wedding dress contrasted her dark skin beautifully, and she wore just a touch of makeup that made her violet eyes shimmer as she was bathed by the warm glow of the setting sun. There was no way he'd forget the tears that formed in her eyes as David said his vows, nor his loud bawling as she reciprocated in kind. And then he actually cheered when they finally kissed. It was probably the first time in his life that he cheered for someone else, and though it left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth when he did so, he knew that deep down he was truly happy for them.
And don't get him started on the way he felt when he found out that they were adopting him.
"... Max. Hello? Earth to Max?" He snapped out of his daze to see Gwen staring at him, her violet eyes boring into his own as she gave him a little wave. "You okay there? I've been calling your name for the past like, minute."
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I should be asking you that though, since you were practically like a zombie this morning," he scoffed, folding his arms across his chest after eating another spoonful of his breakfast.
"Oh. Yeah, today I got it bad. I knew last night that David had class today, but I didn't really put two-and-two together and I wasn't expecting him to wake up so early today." She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "I'm not at 100%, but I'm feeling a bit better now. Thank God for coffee, right?" Max just gave his mom a slight smirk. She almost made him laugh.
Almost.
"What made you ask me that anyways?" He asked, again with a mouthful of cereal. He could practically feel David's eyes boring two holes in the back of his head, but he decided to focus on Gwen and her answer rather than deal with his father's nagging again.
"Oh, you were smiling," Gwen replied, shrugging. "You never smile this early in the morning, so something's gotta be up with you. What were you thinking about, hmm?" She leaned forward, resting her chin in her left palm while she held her mug in her other hand. "School? Your classes? Oh wait! I know- thinking about seeing your friends again? Maybe a certain green-haired girl you're pretty close to?" She gave him a small toothy grin, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Max nearly spat out his slurry of cereal and milk at her, barely able to contain his food in his mouth as he recovered from the shock of her question. His swallow was audible, and the hesitation in his answer only made Gwen lean closer. "W-What the fuck!?" He wheezed, leaning against the kitchen counter as he glared daggers at his mom sitting at the kitchen table. "No! That's the last thing that would be on my mind! What the hell is with you and your damn questions this morning?" He felt his face heating up as he spoke, and he hoped that the orange-yellow kitchen lights would somehow hide the scarlet forming on his cheeks.
"It means I'm insinuating that you have a crush on a certain friend of yours, Max," she said, her smile growing wider with each passing moment. She looked eerily similar to David when he gave him a big smile. Maybe it was a bad thing that they got together and became his parents.
"Okay, first of all, don't look at me like that. You look like David and it's creeping me out. Second, don't use big words that I don't understand. It pisses me off. And lastly, no, I'm not thinking of anyone in particular, dammit!" He scowled, turning his back to Gwen and forcefully shoving the last spoonful of his cereal into his mouth and putting his bowl in the sink.
"Aw, Max, don't be like that. You guys would be so cute together!" David teased as Max walked by. He growled in frustration, causing the redhead to chuckle. "Usually I wouldn't say that, but as your dad I can tease you about girls now!" He and Gwen both shared a laugh at their adopted son's expense, and Max gritted his teeth.
"Just hurry up so we can go already." He glowered as he spoke, returning to his room and scooping his backpack off the floor near his desk. As he left, he could hear Gwen idly comment "He didn't deny it," and he clenched his hands into fists inside the pocket of his hoodie. What did they know? Here he was, thinking of their marriage and their family, and they have the nerve to assume he's thinking about some girl who just happens to be one of his best friends? Even if he was thinking about Nikki, it wouldn't be in that way. At least he thought it wouldn't.
Wordlessly he shuffled past his parents in the kitchen and made his way into the living room, stopping in front of the couch and taking the remote off the coffee table to turn on the television. Flipping to the weather channel, he saw that there was no chance for rain and turned the tv off immediately after.
"Checking the weather? How resourceful of you, Max!" David remarked as he stood by his son. The teenager only scoffed.
"That's because unlike a lot of idiots in this world, I'm not utterly incompetent and don't forget to check what kind of shit nature is gonna throw my way when I leave the house," he said, scathingly. He turned on his heel abruptly, not noticing the glances David and Gwen shared behind his back. "Let's go already, camp-man!" He shouted, taking his tennis shoes from the shoe rack near the door and slipping them onto his feet.
"Have a good first day, Davey," Gwen said, rising from her seat to give her husband a hug and a quick kiss on the lips. He smiled at her as they embraced, hugging her tightly.
"Thanks Gwen. I hope you have a great day at work as well!" She smiled at him warmly and turned to Max as they stepped away from each other.
"You have a good day too, you little shit," she said, pointing a finger at him almost accusingly. The teenager pursed his lips, about to throw a witty remark back at her, but stopped when he saw the underlying love and affection in his mom's eyes. Sighing, he turned away and opened the door, feeling the moist air from the previous night's rain against his skin.
"Thanks Gwen. You too." He stepped outside and made his way to the station wagon, watching as David followed suit only moments later after putting on his brown loafers and locking the front door. The redhead unlocked the doors and Max quickly slid into the passenger seat, putting his seatbelt on and resting his backpack in his lap as David settled in on the driver's side. Shifting into reverse, the two slowly made their way onto the neighborhood's main road and began their several minute drive to Sleepy Peak High School. Max gazed out the window, watching the long, spindly branches of the tall trees passing by overhead as David tuned the vehicle's radio to the same nature podcast he liked to listen to in the mornings.
"Max, I'm... I'm sorry about what happened at breakfast," David began, the radio turned down, so it was nearly inaudible under his words. "If it makes you feel better, I won't make fun of you like Gwen does." Max turned to see him staring ahead through the windshield, quickly glancing over to his side of the car every few seconds. "I know it's not really the nicest thing to do when someone might have a crush on someone else, regardless of whether or not it's true. So I just wanted to say I'm sorry. Gwen will probably apologize later too." He looked stricken, and Max felt sorry for him and what had become of his morning. His only response, however, was to glower at his surrogate father, albeit less intense than before.
"I don't know why you're apologizing, because you didn't do anything. You weren't the one teasing me about something that isn't true."
"That's where you're wrong, Max; I should've realized that you were probably uncomfortable and stepped in when I saw that you were." Max's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he was taken aback by the stern tone in David's voice and the serious look he gave him. "Even if this is all a bit trivial... a father should protect his family." For the first few moments after he spoke, Max was taken aback. He didn't quite know what to say, or how to respond to David's words. Even though he had been living with him and Gwen for several years, he found that he still had no idea how to react whenever they got serious about treating him nicely. It was especially odd for Max, since his biological parents had never once shown the kind of care his current parents did.
Rolling his eyes and turning his head away towards the window, Max huffed out his reply. "Yeah, sure, whatever David. Listen, let's just forget that conversation ever fucking happened and move on. We've still got the rest of the morning and the rest of the day at school today, so we should make it count while we still can." The last part of his sentence left a bitter taste in his mouth; he couldn't even believe he'd say such a sappy thing out loud, let alone to David of all people. But he had succeeded in making the redhead stop talking about the subject, and for now that was all that mattered.
"... Alright Max. You're right, let's just make the rest of today a good one." David returned to focusing on the road before them, a small smile on his face and a sparkle in his eyes. Max could practically feel the happiness and excitement returning to his father and radiating off of him into the space between them, and it made him sick. But he was glad that David was no longer thinking about the situation back at home and decided to just let the man have his moment for the time being.
A short while after, the quaint houses and their scraggly trees lessened in number outside the wagon's windows, signifying their proximity to the school's campus. "Well, we're here Max!" David announced, a little too loudly and cheerfully than Max would've liked, and slowed the vehicle enough to make the sharp turn into the only road that led to the school's parking lot. The grumpy teenager simply groaned in response, making David chuckle a fair bit as they pulled into their usual parking space in the staff lot just several feet from the main entrance. The duo unbuckled their seatbelts and exited the wagon, David walking to the backseat to retrieve his briefcase while Max slipped his backpack onto his shoulders.
"You can go inside, David. I'm just gonna wait out front like I usually do." Max waved his father off, pulling out his cell phone from his hoodie pocket and checking the time before opening the messaging app. David smiled softly at his son.
"Waiting for Nikki and Neil again? Alright Max. I'll see you in first period, alright?" He turned towards him and the two exchanged a brief hug before the man headed into the school while giving Max one final wave. The teen stood off to the side in front of a few hedges by the office window, watching and waiting patiently for the first buses to arrive. Looking down at the screen of his phone, he sent his two best friends a short message in the group chat they shared.
[Hey. When will you two get here?] He typed out his question quickly before stuffing his phone and his hands back into his hoodie pocket. Although the air was somewhat humid and he hated it when it was moist, the temperature was a comfortable seventy degrees and waiting outside meant that he wouldn't have to talk to any of the adults in the office or any of David's co-workers.
A sharp buzzing in his pocket snapped him out of his thoughts, and he lifted his phone up to read the response to his earlier text.
[Max, it's only five-fifteen. School doesn't start until seven-thirty and you know I don't leave my house until six-fifty. Why are you up so early?] Max could only roll his eyes at his best friend's response.
[Because, Neil, David woke me up early and dragged my ass out of bed so I could come here early with him. Said he needed to make sure his classroom was set up or some bullshit like that, I dunno.] He sighed in irritation, not wanting to wait nearly two hours to see his friends again and head inside the school. Kicking the sidewalk in frustration, he paced around for several moments, waiting for Neil to reply with a solution to his predicament as he was the brains of the group. Until he found his solution in not Neil, but Nikki instead.
[Hey Max! I'm already up, so I can head over to the school now if you want! My mom won't even notice I'm gone anyways!] The teenager could only smile at the ridiculous excuse for a solution that his friend had come up with in Neil's stead. Shaking his head, he typed out a quick response and prepared to wait for her arrival. He remembered about the trail in her backyard that led to her house and figured that at her normal pace the green-haired girl would be on the school's campus within fifteen minutes or less. 'The perfect time for a nap,' he thought to himself, his eyes darting around to find a good spot to rest.Locating the nearest bench to him and dumping his backpack onto the grass before sliding into a hunched sitting position, he pulled his hood over his head and drew the front closed, pulling on the drawstrings as hard as he could. He sighed, closing his eyes and stuffing his hands into his hoodie pockets.
A small smile spread across Max's face. Maybe the first day of school wouldn't be so bad after all.