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"He…uh… he told me, by the way. A-About the incident, that is." Neil sat awkwardly on the edge of his cot. He watched impatiently as David sat opposite Max on the floor, the raven sitting cross-legged and holding a cold towel on his forehead.

David's eyes widened before narrowing once more as he huffed, licking his lips. "That's, that's good, Neil. Thank you for telling me." He sighed as he turned his attention to Max. "I'm happy that you're trusting people, Max. It's only one person… but that's a good start."

The small boy continued to stare at his feet emotionlessly.

The elder wisely kept his distance. "You need to understand that we're all going to help you, Max." He swallowed thickly, words soft and assuring. "Neil, Gwen and I are the only ones who know, so that means you have a nice group to talk to. Especially Gwen – she knows more than I do so I think you two should sit down at some point."

Max remained silent as David and Neil exchanged glances.

"If it's any reassurance... I did tell Harrison to go away when he tried interfering. As far as he's concerned, you were still dazed from the vomiting thing." Usually the brunet would offer a laugh, or a snarky comment when talking about the magician, but those common antics hadn't even crossed his mind. "People probably think that you're experiencing the backlash of the coffee this morning… probably…"

Max didn't respond.

"Right, listen." David jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "Need to supervise the camp, do my job and such, so if you two want to come out at some point then please do." He sighed, licking his lips. "You can't shut yourself out, Max. It won't help anyone." And with that he stood up, sent Niel and appreciative nod, and left.

Neil swallowed as the elder exited the tent, waiting for the dreaded silence to consume them.

And so it did, very quickly at that.

He felt uncomfortable.

If only he could feel the raven glaring at him, if only he could see him showing any sign of emotion.

He had to say something. Why had he just stopped talking when David had left? Why couldntc e suddenly find the words?–

A sniff.

Slowly he lifted his head to look in the younger boy's direction.

Max stared at the ground with dark eyes. Tears reluctantly began to fall, blurring his vision and causing his lip to quiver. He was trembling violently.

Anxiously Neil inhaled, unsure what to do. He'd already heard Max pour his heart out into a sobbing mess, but this time he couldn't hold him. He didn't really want to touch him, afraid he would lash out – the opposite as to how he had acted previously.

Neil crawled the short distance over to his friend, before going on instinct and embracing the frail boy in his arms.

Max sniffed as he lightly pushed him off. "Don't… Don't t-touch me." He shot him a threatening glare, but ultimately gave up as more tears stung his eyes. "G-Go away."

"I-I want to hug you, Max." The brunet smiled weakly. "You need support–"

"Bullshit… I-I deserved this. You ca-can't change my mind." He stuttered, exhaling shakily.

Neil stared at him. "I want to help y-you, Max."

"Then fuck me." He turned away, fidling with the cuffs of his hoodie.

"Wh-What…?" Neil could feel his heart thumping harder.

"Fuck me. Fuck me right here, right now, Neil." Max stared at him somewhat desperately, wet lips parted. The taller boy looked him up and down, eyes wide. Was he serious?

"No, no, Max. I'm not gonna do that." He tried to keep his voice firm, but he couldn't hide his worry.

"It's the only thing I'm good for, Neil." Max whispered. Neil's stare turned from shock to horror.

"Max…" His gaze softened slightly. "Max, you can't say that-"

"I'm going." He sucked in a sharp breath as he slowly rose to his feet, staring down at the older boy. "Don't follow me. Please." He wiped his eyes harshly with the cuff of his sleeve, shuddering as he dragged his feet to the tent's opening. "I'm sorry if I scared you… see you around…"