Hi, everyone, MarcellusMiro66 here! This is my first Camp Camp fanfiction and a total drama bomb at that, serving as a Cartoon Crossover/AU to "Parents' Day". Confident that his parents won't come to the camp for Parents' Day, Max runs away in a last ditch effort to escape. However, unexpected things do happen. A young couple arrive and, upon being informed of the situation he's in, decide to adopt him.
The story is mostly a dramatic thriller, with elements of action, horror, supernatural, and even romance thrown in for good measure. Think...Rain Man (1988) Meets Lion (2016) (with hints of The Bourne Series (2002-Present) and Total Recall (1990) as well) for now. With that said...
Enjoy! If you can...
Adoption. It is one of the most difficult and gut-wrenching concepts in the history of everything, if not THE most difficult and gut-wrenching concept in the history of everything. Not to be confused with "adaptation", it is the act of a person who assumes all responsibility for a child that is not theirs. Adoption was intended to bring about a permanent change in the status quo, unlike guardianship and additional systems created for the caring and nurturing of a young one. There are two types of adoption: "Open" and "Closed". "Open" allows identifying information to be exchanged between the biological parents and the adopted parents; "Closed" disallows it.
You can take two guesses as to which of these were used in this situation.
. . . . . .
("The Night Begins To Shine" – B.E.R.)
RUSTLE-RUSTLE!
Max ran through the forest with a backpack slung over his shoulders. He had been taken a series a rapid breaths for some time, and he was dangerously close to asphyxiation and losing unconsciousness. Taking a minute-long break in-between sprints, he picked up the pace again and again before he leaned against a tree. Looking down at the ground, he contemplated his circumstances amidst his heavy gasping; one half of his mind was beginning to believe that this was a mistake, the other half was adamant towards his decision to run away. There was one thing both halves could agree on.
He was starting to get cold.
Cold and sick.
With nothing but a hoodie and jeans for warmth, Max hugged himself before he trudged on. He had to be very careful when navigating through the woods. You never know what kind of shit happens in there: Bears, wolves, crazy murderous hillbillies hiding in the mountains. Okay, that last part may only occur mostly in movies, but it's always a possibility. You can't rule it out.
After a few moments, Max finally reached the road and breathed a sigh of relief. Rubbing his forehead, he glanced left and right, debating which way to go. He decided on taking a third option: Going both ways to see where both led, although he suspected that the right path (rule of symbolism not intended) would lead back to the camp. Indeed, a mile or two after, a bright light shone from a few more away, the shape of a particular cabin forming in the mist. Scowling to himself, he turned tail and started back in the opposite direction. The moonlight illuminated his hike back towards the way he come, his feet becoming sore in the process and his throat beginning to feel itchy.
As usual, the persons of interest to blame were his parents. Thoughtless and neglectful, with nothing but a first name and current age on his birth certificate, he grew up to express nothing but cynicism towards the world and disdain towards his parents who brought into it and left him to fend himself from it. Why they would do such an objectionable thing, he didn't know. Not yet, at least. He was still a child; he had much to learn.
All of a sudden, Max's nose and eyes sniffled and twitched respectively. His breath began to hitch in fear. He was not going to cry. Not now.
'I am not going to cry. Not now. I have a reputation to live up to.'
His head perked up at the brightness behind him and he turned to find a van heading in his direction. Gasping and thinking quickly, he scurried into the bushes, praying that the occupants didn't see him (and mentally cursing when they did). The van slowed to a stop as, from Max's earshot, the driver and its passenger stepped out.
"Excuse me! Young man, are you okay?"
'Well, of course not. But that's my problem and not yours. So you can just suck a dick, good sir.'
"It's all right. We don't want to hurt you."
'Really? Well, I don't want to hurt you either. So you can suck a dick along with your husband, good ma'am.'
Then again...
After a few moments of reluctance, Max emerged from his hiding place with his hands raised as a sign of no harm towards the young couple. The woman had big blonde hair, a pink shirt with a white collar and cuffs, purple pants, red lipstick, black low tops, and white earrings; the man had curly brunette hair, a sea green sweater over a light-green checkered sweater and cuffs, and brown slacks with matching loafers.
'Hmm. They don't seem that all intimidating...but why is that man's nose long and pointy?'
The sound of silence was broken by the woman being the first to speak up.
"Um... Hello, young man. My husband and I saw you walking on the side of the road all by yourself, and we were worried that you may be lost."
'I was lost...'
It was the husband's turn to speak up next.
"Well, I was worried that it was a trap and you were the bait. Thankfully, I was proven wrong."
The woman shot the man a look that clearly read "Really? We're trying to console the kid, not traumatize him some more!" as she nudged him in the ribs. It alone prompted a small (albeit hidden) grin from Max, whose face reverted back to a frown once he realized that something:
"Why are you here?"
The sudden question and the bluntness in the way it was asked caught them both off guard.
"What?"
Growing increasingly frustrated by this couple's complete lack of tact, Max growled and raised his voice ever so slightly:
"Why are you FUCKING here?! Can't you see that I'm already suffering enough as it is?! My parents don't give a shit about me or the life I'm living right now, my counselors don't see or hear anything wrong about it, and the rest of my so-called friends are going about with their own parents or other family members on fucking Parents' Day! I have nobody! Nobody to call Mom and Dad!"
In the middle of his pacing, he abruptly stopped and turned to the sympathetic if extremely frightened couple.
"How are they not getting this?! My parents don't care about shit like this! They are NOT! COMING! EVER!"
. . . . . .
At that moment, Max collapsed and the dam that held back his tears broke free. He buried his face into his hands as he cried, the couple watching with nothing but concerned pity for the young boy. The woman in particular felt her maternal instincts kick in as she marched over to him, knelt down to his level, and delivered a warm and sincere hug. A hug that Max returned with only a slight hint of hesitance.
"Come on. Get up."
"What...?"
The woman certainly had that special motherly glint in her eyes. That warmness and sincerity traveled to her smile.
"You're coming with us."
"Why...?"
The man shared a look evocative of hers as he placed a hand on the young boy's shoulders.
"Because no child, regardless of what they did, deserves a much crueler fate like yours."
A smile very nearly crossed Max's face. His hopes were almost coming true. 'Almost...'
"What's your name, son?"
'Son... I never heard that term since...'
"M...Max..."
'...my REAL Mom and Dad used it.'
"Just Max?"
A gentle nod all but confirmed this fact. The woman nodded and decided that a formal introduction was in order.
"Well, Max. My name is Rita Loud, and this is my husband Lynn."
A/N: Yep! You all guessed right: This is clearly a Camp Camp / Loud House Crossover. For those who like it, yay! For those who dislike it...I'm sorry. Like a hundred times. The prologue will be revised next time.