Fandom I K N O W A P L A C E \\ Camp Camp Roleplay // 1x1

[TarantulaHawk]

She honestly did like the idea of being outside, especially more now that she was in nature - no honking cars and running engines, no strange-smelling air, and certainly no streetlights to fog up the sky and block out every little star that one might have been able to see otherwise. She had been finding out that she really enjoyed nature more than she thought she would. She had been born and raised in the city and she never really imagined herself being out among the trees, but it was a nice change and made her feel much more relaxed than she normally was. Or maybe the relaxed feeling was coming from being among people who actually sort of had an interest in her in some form.

At the mention of a badge, Abby had to smile, her cheeks flushing a little - embarrassment and a strange sort of almost childish pride. David really thought of others a lot and it was almost insanely genuine. She had never really been lucky enough to be around people like him and her life, so every time he did something that was genuine and kind, she instantly found herself confused and amazed. In a strange way, he had almost become her role model.

But Max's comment, she felt her smile disappear and her stomach sort of churn with guilt. Yikes. She wanted to say something snarky and mean in return, just to shut the kid up for a little bit, but he wasn't wrong. That had been her goal and she only wanted the money so that she could survive. It had just become a little bit different because she actually found herself enjoying a job that she had for once in her life - she didn't hate her coworkwers or truly dislike the people she catered to (in this case, the kids). She liked getting up early and having breakfast, she loved hearing the kids enjoying themselves a little bit and she found herself with a sense of fulfilment. But as she thought, she ended up opening her mouth before she really thought about what she was going to say.

"He enjoys being here, Max. Just because you don't doesn't mean you need to ruin it for others."

Abby stood up after a moment, looking at the kids. Most of them seemed shocked that she had spoke up that way and toward a camper of all people, but she couldn't expect anything less. She forced a smile on her face as her stomach suddenly started to twist from the anxiety setting in. Her voice was shaky, but she tried her hardest to sound excited - "Now, let's go get those sleeping bags ready!"

 

[Pilot-66]

The Mess Hall went quiet after Abby’s outburst. Conversations trailed off as kids turned to look up at the new counselor. An adult talking back to one them wasn’t that unusual, Gwen hadn’t been afraid of raising her voice to reign control back over the camp when need be, but…so few of them had expected the same sort of thing from Abby. She’d hardly seemed the type until now. A few kids started to giggle, their eyes dancing between Abby and Max.

David jumped a little bit when Preston slammed his palms down on the table behind him and leaned forward with an almost manic grin, “YES! I love it! Feel that raw tension!”

The redhead glanced back down to Max to see he glaring daggers at Abby. He opened his mouth, probably to bite back some venomous response to Abby’s outburst, but thankfully she spoke up first—urging the group’s focus back to their camping plans.

“That’s a GREAT idea!” David chimed along with her, jumping to his feet and giving his arm an enthusiastic swing. “Why don’t I take a few helpers who are done eating and we’ll start getting everything set up outside? When everyone else is done, you can help them get their plates to the sink and meet us by fire in a few minutes.”

David turned to look around the group with a grin, hoping that separating the kids into small more manageable groups would help give everyone’s tensions a chance to settle. “So, who’s ready to go have some fun?”

“Whatever…” Max pushed himself away from the leftovers on his plate and got to his feet. He shoved his fists into the pocket of his hoody and started to stalk off towards the door, not waiting on David or anyone else to join him, though a few other kids did stand to join the group outside.

Niki reached over and snatched the remaining food off of Max’s plate then wolfed it down herself before bounding after her gloomy friend. She carried a fork out with her and swung its pronged end around like a weapon, boasting about how she’d defend the camp with it once night fell.

“Uh, Niki! Hold on a second—” David stammered anxiously and quickly hurried out to keep an eye on the kids wandering outside. He paused in the doorway to give Abby a quick glance and half a smile–trying to calm the nerves he saw written all over her face, “We’ll just be right past the tents. Just join us when you’re ready, everyone~” With that he turned and quickly filed out, jogging to catch up with the campers who’d left.

 

[TarantulaHawk]

Abby found herself without anything to say as David left with the other campers. She glanced over her shoulder to see who was left. Preston, who's outburst had made her jump a little bit, Nurf, Ered, Dolph and Nerris. Sort of the odd-balls compared to the others, but most of them were still looking at her in a way that made her feel more anxious than comfortable.

It had been a long time since she had snapped out at somebody like that. She wasn't exactly combative now that she was older, and it didn't quite seem fair that she sort of verbally attacked somebody who was just like her when she was a teenager. But maybe that was why she did it. Max reminded her a lot of the way that she used to be, the person that she looked back on and cringed at, and really wished that she would have changed for the better sooner than she did. She bit her lower lip and chewed on it. She really needed to apologize to Max later.

"Man," Nurf's voice brought her back out of her thoughts as he put his tray onto the counter window, "I thought I have some pent up issues."

"To be fair," Nerris adjusted her glasses and looked at Abby, "I'm not surprised you finally snapped. A lot of us have been waiting and getting on when you'd do it."

"Seriously?" Abby asked, looking at them.

"Oh yeah," Ered nodded, grinning and flipping her hair back, "Our last camp counselor wouldn't have hesitated to snap at him already, but when we realized how we chill you were, we knew that it was going to happen at some point."

"I owe Ered, Nikki, Neil, Preston and Nurf over two hundred dollars, now." Dolph sighed, sounding a little stressed.

"Hey, you do!" Nurf exclaimed, narrowing his eyes and pulling out a switchblade, "Where's my money, punk?"

"Okay, okay, enough," Abby rolled her eyes a little, walking over and opening her hand - Nurf huffed as he dropped the blade into her hand, ignoring how she winced when the open weapon knicked her palm, "go ahead and put your trays on the counter and head out. I'll catch up in a minute. I gotta get these into the sink."

The kids listened to her, but she heard them murmuring about their bets and how amusing that was and everything as they left, which made her stomach twist again, which she imagined was causing uncomfortable knots inside of her body that would probably linger there for a little while. She grabbed the trays and dump them into the sink, not really carrying that some of the dirty, soapy water splashed up and got onto the floor. The day had gone from pretty good to pretty uncomfortable in a matter of a couple minutes.

She felt her ears begin to burn with embarrassment at her earlier outburst as she looked for bandaids - the cut from Nurf's blade was stinging and painful. She couldn't believe that she had lost her temper over a comment that a little kid made. Shufelt pathetic. What kind of person would snap at a kid his age, a kid he was probably starting to go through puberty and getting angry at the world for no reason? She stopped when she found a reason. Or maybe an actual reason. She remembered how confused she was when she heard Max cuss for the first time, wondering about if his parents let him do that or not. What if he was going through something that she didn't understand?

She could feel tears burning her eyes as she unwrapped the bandaid and put it across her palm, but she blinked them away. Now was not the time for crying. She'd have to apologize to Max, and then maybe her guilt would go away. She hoped, anyway. As she tried to settle her mind, she then left the mess hall and went after the children that she was watching over, trying to put a smile on her face that would at least fool David.

 

[Pilot-66]

It took longer than he’d have liked to talk Niki out of wielding her fork like a weapon. Eventually, the girl decided to let it go, but only because she thought it’d be more fun to fight hand-to-hand against any intruders the night might bring to their camp. David had laughed along and agreed, but as he watched the kids begin to settle around the fire pit, he nervously hoped that no raccoons showed up to take her up on the challenge. There was no way he’d get Niki to back down if one did…

David turned his head when he heard the other kids approaching from the mess hall. He gave them a broad grin, “There’s the rest of my happy campers. We’ve got plenty of space left, make yourself comfortable~!”

They passed by him without really slowly to acknowledge him, but they were busy chatting amongst themselves so David didn’t mind. Since everyone seemed to be out of the Mess Hall now, he glanced back up to the log cabin in the distance, searching for Abby but he didn’t see her. She was probably still putting the dishes away, he reasoned with himself, but…he hoped she was alright…He hadn’t seen her look so uncomfortable since her first day on the job.

He let out a small sigh, doing his best to keep his worry off his face as he looked back at the campers gathered and chatting around the campfire. He blinked when he realized Max wasn’t among them.

David slipped away from the group for a second and headed back a few feet towards the camper’s tents. He approached the one Max, Niki, and Neil shared and called out to Max. When no one answered, he quietly pushed the tent flap back and peered inside.

He saw Max sitting cross-legged on his cot. The boy looked up from the handheld video game in his hands to David. His expression went flat and he sighed, “Ah shit…” under his breath as if he’d been hoping no one would notice he was missing.

David fought back the urge to correct his language, “…You okay, Max?”

“You mean apart from the fact that I’m stuck out here without basic amenities and some jumpy fucking nut case for the next three months? Yeah. I’m great.”

David let his usual grin fade. He sighed and stepped inside the tent. The redhead walked over and knelt down next to Max’s cot despite the fatigue and ache in his knees. The boy refused to look at him. “Max, I know…you got used to it just being me and Gwen out here, and that it took a while for us all to finally understand one another—and then you show up and things have changed. That’s hard, I get it. Really after the whole Daniel thing last year…I– let you all down that time.” David glanced down at the ground for a moment at that, even after feeling Max finally look up at him with slightly less of a scowl on his face, “But I promise that sort of thing won’t happen again.”

The counselor turned his head, listening to the muffled conversations of the other campers a little ways away. He grinned a little bit as he could pick up so many of their quirks among the chatter, “I really think Abby fits here…” He said at last. Everyone in this camp seemed to have something that the summer gave them a short reprieve from, and he felt that Abby was much in the same boat. More than any of them knew yet. “She’s trying…so, cut her a little slack? I’m not saying you have to be best friends—although I would LOVE that and would absolutely encourage it~!-–but just give her a chance and get to know her? I couldn’t run this place this year without her.”

Max said nothing a long while. David just watched as he eventually shrugged agreement and tried to look distracted by the game in his hands. By now, David knew better than to think he’d solved anything. Max would still have his outbursts. He’d still poke and prod to find Abby’s nerves and expose what he wanted to know before he even thought about trusting her. That was just…all he knew, and that was hardly the kid's own fault. Yet he hadn’t argued the point, so David hoped maybe—just maybe–Max would be a little more open.

“Thank you, Max.” David muttered to him quietly, knowing no part of this was easy for him despite how though he tried to act.

The counselor stood, fighting back a wince as his muscles screamed at him. “Now!” He beamed, putting his hands on his hips as he grinned down at Max, “You may be right about us lacking basic amenities, buuuuut we do have some pretty great smores~~!” He chimed, knowing Max had a bit of a sweet tooth since most of his blackmailing efforts ended in demands of double deserts (among other more malicious demands) “If you wanna come back later and spend the night in your tent-–if that’s what you need—then, well, that’s okay! But I think our first camp out this year would be a lot better with you there. What’dya say?”

Max blinked at him for a moment then back at the front of the tent before letting out a long (almost overdone) sigh as he threw his arms out, “Fine! If that’s what it takes to finally shut you up and get you off my back,” he agreed, setting the game aside and hopping out of the cot. He paused and lifted a pointed finger up at David as he added more sharply, “But I’m OUT the second any of this gets stupid…”

David grinned down at him and agreed, the expression feeling genuine for the first time since leaving the Mess Hall. Despite his plans not to linger, Max gathered up his sleeping bag and pillow for sitting on and headed outside behind David. They’d only just the tent behind when David finally saw Abby approaching from the Mess Hall.

“Hey! There you are~! Looks like we’ve got just about everyone now.”

 

[TarantulaHawk]

Abby was just kind of scared and stressed out and completely unused to the situation that she found herself in. But this is been the first time that should work with kids, and she had tried to tell herself in the beginning that some kids were going to have problems, but she obviously was a little too affected by them. Maybe Max was right. She had originally just been going for the paycheck, so why didn't she turn her thoughts around and think of that instead of getting so involved?

But that was almost a ridiculously easy question to answer. She was there because of David and the kids. Even though the kids were kind of assholes sometimes, a lot of them actually had good hearts and just did the things they did because it was part of who they were. And then there was David. David was very dedicated to the camp into the kids and she had never seen anyone in her entire life so happy to work with children who constantly berated and belittled him. He was a good role model for Abby to have, even though the thought of thinking someone she worked with that was her age was a role model - though she couldn't think of anyone like she did with him. He was just so.... Genuine.

She focused on looking at David when he spoke up, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "Yup! So, what are we gonna get up to first?"

"It's a campfire," Neil's eyebrows knitted together as he looked at her, scratching the back of his head in confusion, "you sit down around the fire, sing some shit, make smores and then go to bed."

Abby flinched a little. She sometimes forgot that she wasn't like those kids, that she didn't go camping when she was a child, she barely even went to school most of the time. She never had a chance to do small things like this with family because, well, her past was a little more complicated than that cliché white picket fence family, or even a single parent family. There was a lot of things that she missed out in her childhood and teen years. Sometimes it hurt to have someone actually know that.

 

[Pilot-66]

David felt his shoulders hitch self consciously at Neil’s cutting explanation and word choice. “Aw, come on guys…” he chided lightly, “language.”

“I’m just pointing out that it should be rather self-explanatory…” Neil countered, keeping a skeptic eye on Abby for a moment longer before shrugging off the adults and greeting Max as the dark haired boy plopped unceremoniously down between him and Niki.

Trying to shake off the whole exchange, David turned back to Abby and brightened back up as he waved her over, “Come on, I’ll show you how to make the best smores this side of the country!”

With all his usual pep, the redhead led her around to an open spot around the fire where they could keep an eye on all the campers. He took a seat, silently grateful to be off of his feet for just a while, and welcomed Abby to sit alongside him.

He pulled the smores supplies out from a fabric store bag he’d brought out earlier and started to pass out the supplies to the campers nearest them. Used to the routine by now, the kids passed the supplies around the circle—though Nurf took the time to hold the marshmallow bag high over Nerris’ head and poke her with a stick every time she reached for them. David prompted him to move along and eventually, everyone had their supplies.

Not a soul waited for instruction or permissions to start making their own smores…or eating the ingredients immediately.

“The trick is making sure you get that perfect golden brown on the marshmallow,” David smiled at Abby patiently as he handed her some supplies of her own, then secured a marshmallow on the end of a stick and held it just above the flames in demonstration, “Just like….this!” He pulled the marshmallow back just as it toasted. He pulled it off the stick and secured it between a small plank of chocolate and a graham cracker, “And that it~ You get a feel for it the more you do it, but it’s super easy.”

“Right, guys?” David turned his head and looked around at the campers, a little pride radiating from him as he watched a few of them actually bothering to turn the marshmallows over the flames like he’d taught them a few years ago.

The last rays of sunlight finally vanished behind the trees, though the forest around them glowed with deep orange and amber hues as the fire crackled between them.

“So!” David eventually broke the silence. “What do you guys feel like first, huh? A game? Maybe a scary–err–ish story? Or maybe some good old campfire songs?” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at his guitar, which he’d brought along and leaned against a nearby tree. He perked up a little and added, “You know! Abby’s pretty talented…if she feels like sharing tonight, you guys are in for a real treat~” He glanced over at her with a small smile, not wanting to force her into anything, but he did think she’d be great at it given what he’d heard of her voice so far.

 

[TarantulaHawk]

Abby had to smile. It was almost impossible for her to not when she was around David - his peppy attitude gave her some sort of energy that she didn't even realize she actually possessed. Clutching the handle of her ukulele case, which she had made sure to grab just in case David wanted her to play it (she had the strangest feeling that he might ask, and she really didn't mind the idea).

She followed him over to the fire, admiring the glow of the reddish-orange flames for a moment, becoming temporarily lost in the wonderful crackling and popping that came from it. Seeing a campfire in person was such a surreal thing. She carefully sat down next to him and set her ukulele at her side, her smile never fading. She had managed to push her outburst to the back of her mind, and because she felt so guilty about certain things for such a long time, forgetting was probably a good thing for her. She was already juggling a million things, anyway.

Quietly did Abby watch how the campers interacted with each other. Nerris and Harrison didn't glare at each other for once and even were sitting next to each other, and Nurf was being a jerk, but wasn't being threatening. Neil looked bored, but glad to have something sweet and she had caught on to Max's love for sweets as well - Nikki was a different story, as she would eat everything. After a moment, she stopped her watching, blinking her eyes a little in realization. She was so much more attached to the kids than she thought. It had only been a little bit. The feeling of being so attached to other people's children made her feel a little uneasy and even guilty. She couldn't just fill the void with someone else's kids.

Abby managed to turn her attention to David as he started talking and she carefully took the supplies - holding two graham crackers on her lap, along with a small square of chocolate. She put her marshmallow on the stick, making sure it wouldn't spear the side on accident. She carefully followed his instructions, doing her best to evenly roast the marshmallow in the fire. As she did so, she caught Nurf full-on stabbing the marshmallow into the fire and pulling it out; flinging it back and forth, the flaming ball of melting goo a surely dangerous weapon.

"Nurf, holy lord, please don't fling the flame around like a toy," she said, not able to stop herself from grinning - he was such a troublesome child, and she shouldn't have encouraged it, but it was so something a kid would do, "please. You're gonna hurt someone."

Nurf grinned right back and nodded, blowing out the now blackened goo ball and putting it between a smore. She turned her attention back to her own and started to make her smore - marshmallow on one cracker, chocolate and then the other cracker. After a moment of hesitation, she bit into the sweet treat. She chewed, pleased with the taste and quickly understanding why others loved them so much. She glanced up, noticing how the other kids ate and were.... actually quiet, for once. Sort of a miracle.

Abby's attention was soon drawn by David as he began to talk, breaking the peaceful silence. A game could be fun, though with the kids hopped up on sugar, maybe that wasn't the best of ideas. A scary story could be pretty fun too, but with the devious grin on Nikki's face, she had a feeling it would be more gory than anything else and she cringed a little. And then he mentioned that she could sing and Abby felt her cheeks heat up a little, the pink color spreading back to her ears. But she kept her smile all the same.

"I could totally do that," she nodded, shrugging and patting her ukulele case, "I'll take requests, if you want, even. As long as it's not... Dirty or full of cussing, though."

 

[Pilot-66]

A short hush fell over the camp at Abby’s offer to take musical requests. The fire roared louder in the silence as a few campers glanced around at each other before Ered decided to speak up for the group, “Wait…” He tossed her streaked bangs out of her face as she looked across the dancing embers at Abby, “You mean you play like real music?” A smooth grin spread across the teen’s lips, “That’s cool.”

“Yes!” Dolph piped up from alongside the teenager, seeming more than happy to tout in Abby’s favor after the time she’d taken to spend with him in particular, “Usually we hear only camp jingles here. Such limited creativity from our dear David, I’m afraid.”

“Hey, campfire songs are real songs! Good ones!” David jerked his head around to look back at the kids, his voice sounding almost comically wounded even to his ears. Scrambling to save a little of his pride in front of Abby and the campers, he straightened his back and lifted his chin, “And I know plenty of other songs too, thank you.”

Niki let out a short laugh, the sound muffled by the cheeks full of smores she was wolfing down. “Yeah, okay…” She teased the redhead, her tone was more endearing than mocking.

“I do!” David protested as he folded his arms over his chest, though he couldn’t keep grin from cracking over his expression. He knew was acting more like one of the kids than a counselor at the moment, but…it was all in good fun in the end (even if he did actually about their opinions of him deep down). More than anything though—he was just happy to see the kids so enthusiastic about something. He glanced over at Abby appreciatively, knowing none of this would have been going as well as it was without her. His grin spread a little further when he saw the small–but genuine-looking–smile that’s been on her face ever since settling down around the campfire. It was nice to see her looking so relaxed after all the turmoil of the past few weeks and…whatever circumstance had left her alone in Sleepy Peak's streets. His shoulders relaxed a bit, all the aches and pains seeming to ease in the warmth of the campfire and his companions. He was still exhausted, some corner of his mind was still a mess, and he still had so much to do, but…it was nice to have a night away from it all.

“Oh!” Preston’s voice made David realize he’d zoned out for a second. He blinked, looking away from Abby to glance at Preston as he swung an empty smore stick into the air with dramatic emphasis, “You two should perform a duet!”

“Hey, yeah!” Niki gulped down her mouthful and jumped to her feet. She grinned widely as she pointed at David, “Put your money where your mouth is, camp man! Let Abby pick something and you join in—IF you actually know it. Now, DUKE IT OUT!”

A small fevor broke around the campfire from some of the kids as they agreed with Niki and Preston. David lifted his hands, “Well…I don’t know about anyone duking anything out…” He tried to ease them before anyone got too rowdy and too close to the fire, but with a good-natured shrug he reached back, grabbed his guitar, and pulled it into his lap as he gave Abby a smile, “But…I don’t suppose there’s any harm in a friendly challenge.”

Niki hissed in victory as she reclaimed her seat while David gave a short laugh then turned his head to look at Abby as he piped up brightly, “So, how about it?”

 

[TarantulaHawk]

A duet? It had been a long time since she had done that with anyone. In fact, the last time that she had performed a duet with somebody was with a person that she tried to forget. As the memories begin to creep up on her, she did her best to distract herself by taking out her ukulele from the case and checking if it needed to be tuned quickly. it seems like her past always showed up, even in the things that she really enjoyed doing, the things she liked to wear, and the things she liked to eat. It was hard for her to really move on when she could only think of her past half the time.

"Sounds fun." She said, smiling a little. She didn't think of a duet as friendly competition, but she loved how David thought it was. He was such.... Well, he was a dork.

She carefully began to pluck the strings of her ukulele, already having a song in mind. The air around them was so nice and cool compared to the way the day had been hot, and is the fading red and yellow colors on the horizon almost matched the flames that licked upward into the sky. The kids had fallen quiet, obviously wondering what was going to come out of her mouth or out of his. It was kind of cute that they all were so excited for this, and she knew that she couldn't let them down - for once, that sort of knowledge didn't stress her out.

Her voice started soft as she sang, not needing it to be loud by any means, "I wanna pick you up and scoop you out," she looked so happy to play her ukulele and all of the stress she had been holding in seemed to fade as she did so - her voice more relaxed than it was usually, "I want the secrets your secrets haven't found...~"

 

[Pilot-66]

“Great!” David’s face lit up when Abby agreed to the kid’s idea and started to check over her ukulele. He glanced back over the campfire at the kids, his smile hanging naturally on his lips as he watched a few of them lean forward in their seats. Usually, it took something…well…destructive, to capture their attention like this, but this—this was so much better.

The redhead turned his attention back to Abby as she started to pluck a slow steady tune on the strings of her instrument. For a moment, embarrassment prickled in his chest. Just as the campers had predicted, he didn’t immediately recognize the chords. He tried to look cool about it so he could save a little face in front of the campers but a quiet giggle from the crowd made acutely aware of how bad his poker face was.

His ears pricked when Abby started to sing the first couple of lines, the familiar tune slowly pulling him out of his head. He did know this! It’d been forever since he’d heard it but he DID know it.

David glanced down at the guitar in his lap, waiting a few seconds for the best spot to join in before he started to strum the gentle cords along with his co-counselor. He looked up again with a warm smile on his face as he started to sing along, the usual energetic fervor in his voice subdued to a melodic lull that matched Abby’s soft tone as naturally as though they’d practiced this a dozen times before, “Paint me in trust, I’ll be your best friend. Call me the one, this night just can’t end,”

Around the campfire, the kids had completely stilled and focused on the two. Even Max had finally lifted his head, though he kept his expression carefully guarded.

David could feel the stares on them from across the fire, but at the moment, he could hardly remember his earlier desire to earn “cool points” with the kids by proving himself. For now, he was just…enjoying the moment. Everything else in the world felt so far away from them for now, like they were completely sheltered by the forest around them as it fell into harmony with them. A cool wind passed by, rattling the needles of the pines and faraway crickets began to join in with their nightly melodies as well.

David relaxed, just like Abby had done earlier, contentment radiating from him like warmth from the fire as he continued the song with Abby while the sun finally slipped away behind the mountains,

“oh, oh ~ ”

 

[TarantulaHawk]

It had been along time since she had found someone that she easily harmonized with, but it seem to like her and David knew how to interact with each other vocally and it was kind of nice. He brought her back to the days where she didn’t have to stress about money or about her life in general. Almost all the way back to the time when she was a young teenager and she was finally exploring the world because she felt brave enough to, and that was when she made friends that she would never forget, even if they forgot her - more likely than not.

“Will you share your soul with me?” Her voice stayed soft, which apparently command of the attention of the children because they remain silent, but she wasn’t really focused on them anyway; her instrument was more important at the moment. “Unzip your skin and let me have a see...~”

The song had always reminded her of her childhood, the early years when she was too scared to open up to other people because she didn’t know what would happen, and the time when attachment was something she just couldn’t imagine enduring because she knew she would lose them. She was getting better, but really she was just a scared kid in an adult body. She was getting better, but the process was disgustingly and painfully slow.

 

[Pilot-66]

Verse for verse, the song carried on between the two counselors as naturally as the crackle of the campfire. David quieted every now and then, focusing quietly on the strumming of his guitar before rejoining Abby for the chorus as needed. Gradually, the song started to come to a close as instruments and voices alike mingled over the last few words,

“We’re just, human…~”

Lost in the simple task of playing the final chords, David had almost forgotten about their audience until one of the campers let out a sudden ‘woha!’ that made him jump a little as he snapped to attention. The red head blinked, looking across the campfire as the kids stared at the two adults with raised brows and a few slacked jaws.

“That was…significantly better than I expected.” Neil was the first to find his voice.

Max blinked once before shrugging and letting his shoulders hunch as he shoved his hands into his pockets, “Eh, I guess. Especially if this means we’ll never have to hear another stupid campfire jingle…” He muttered, letting his voice trail off on a hopeful note as he realized Abby’s arrival might mean the end of David’s stupid made up songs.

“Oh, don’t you worry, Max! There’ll always be time for the classics.” David reassured.

Max sighed and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose as the point and insult sailed right over the lanky counselor’s head.

Overjoyed to see the kids so enthusiastic for once, David felt a natural smile brimming on his lips as he set his guitar aside. “But didn’t I tell you guys? Abby’s a natural!” He turned to glance over at his co-counselor, his eyes bright in the glow of the fire, “I just KNEW you would all have a great time tonight~”

“I did!” Space kid’s muffled voice echoed from the group. As usual, he seemed the most unabashed about actually enjoying himself at camp, especially as he clamored to his feet and pressed closer to the adults. “Does this mean we’re gonna give her the—” The boy paused, then cupped a hand around the side of his helmet and whispered; seeming oblivious to the fact that everyone could still hear him as he leaned towards David, “Are we gonna give her the surprise now?” Forgetting his attempts at secrecy in an instant, Space Kid’s eyes lit up as he leaned back and bounced on his heels, “Oh! Oh! Can I do it? I know where it is!”

David blinked at the boy for a moment before relaxing where he sat and grinning, taking a moment to appreciate the boy’s spirited enthusiasm before answering him. “I think that’s a great idea, Space kid! Of course you can.” He spoke with a touch of warm amusement in his voice.

“Whoo! Mission launched!” Space kid shot off a quick salute before darting off towards the tents nearby.

Niki turned his head to watch Space kid dash past. She heard Max mutter something under his breath beside her, but she paid no mind to his usual grumbling. She was more interested in the adults for now. The song had been kind of slow for her tastes, but it had been good. A lot better than listening to the same folky campfire songs over and over like last year. “Hey, Abby…” she ventured, “where’d you learn to sing like that anyway?”

 

[TarantulaHawk]

Abby sort of found herself focusing on David as they both sang, her eyes flitting back from her ukulele to him, admiring how he seemed so invested in the song. It was sort of a nice change, to see someone who loved music like he did. And the kids complained that he only sang campfire songs, but she imagined he did it with a passion unrivaled by others. It just seemed to be how David worked with everything he did, and Abby honestly appreciated that.

As David played the final chords to the song, she strummed softer and softer until the sound of her ukulele faded away and she looked up, smiling a little at her tiny audience, who seemed amazed. Though the sound of one of the camper's outbursts made her laugh, unable to stop herself. It wasn't something she had heard recently, but she had heard sounds of amazement before. She wasn't new to performing for others.

At the praise, Abby felt her cheeks heat up a tiny bit and she rolled her eyes a little bit - her smile still there and it only grew a bit more in an embarrassed and flattered way. It was sweet of him to say something like that about her, but she honestly expected a compliment from David here and there - he was such a kind individual. She brushed some loose bangs out of her face. She had to admit that she was thinking about the red-head a lot more than she thought she would.

But her mind refocused itself on Space Kid and how he seemed so excited and happy about the entire thing. He was such a good little kid. Weird, but good. That was something she was used to and she was perfectly happy with the good-weird kids. They made things a little more bearable. But a surprise from him? It worried her a little, but she raised an eyebrow as he dashed off for the tents.

At Nikki's voice, she redirected her attention to the campfire group. The question sort of caught her off-guard and for a moment, she was quiet. But then she smiled a little bit.

"Well, singing I guess, came kind of naturally," she shrugged and then smiled a tiny bit, her amber eyes getting lost in the glow of the crackling campfire as she continued to talk, "though I had someone.... Really close to me help me fine-tune myself a little. He was a great teacher."

She hated to admit that he had good qualities that she missed, and that made her miss him, but she couldn't just forget him entirely. She flipped the ukulele over, showcasing an amalgamation of names and messages written in black permanent pen - some fancy, some sloppy, some kind of rude, and some sweet. Her eyes quickly found one of the signatures in a very beautiful and neat cursive, a male's name - below it an 'x' and an 'o' and a sentence as well, but it was sort of blurry. She looked over at Nikki for a moment and then flipped it back around.

"And the ukulele was a gift and it honestly makes me sound better than when I sing without it." She added with a little laugh.

 

[Pilot-66]

All of the kids listened attentively when Abby finally started to recount her history with music. Niki settled back down in her spot between Neil and Max, somehow finding the room to scarf down yet another smore as she soaked up the woman’s story.

David watched over them for a moment with a quiet smile then turned his attention to Abby as well, admittedly just as curious about her as the kids were. He tilted his head to get a better look when she flipped her ukulele over to show them its unique decorations. He skimmed over the messages, feeling his eyes widen slightly when he saw some of the more rude remarks scribbled on the white wood. He stole an anxious glance over at the kids, quietly hoping they wouldn’t pick up on any new words to add to their already colorful vocabularies, but when no one pointed them out or reacted he relaxed again and let his eyes drift back over the signatures—his focus lingering over the elegant curls of one name in particular as he listened to Abby recall her mentor.

The lanky counselor looked back up to Abby as she flipped the instrument back around and humbly credited it for most of her talent with a laugh. He felt himself grinning a little wider at the sound. She’d had nervous laughs every now and then when he’d first met her and during the first few weeks of camp, but lately—tonight in particular—Abby seemed to be laughing a lot more. It was nice to think that maybe this place had aided in that a little, but mostly her laugh was just…nice to hear.

“Why’d you play tic-tac-toe on your ukulele?” One of the kids asked, “and who won? There was only one X and O.”

“Those are short-hand symbols not tic-tac-toe, dumbass.” Max rolled his eyes, not even bothering to turn to try and find whoever it was he was correcting.

“Oh yeah. Hugs and kisses, right?” Niki stopped licking melted marshmallow from her fingertips and peered across the fire at Abby, waggling her brows mischievously, “Someone really close, huh?” She teased as kids her age were so prone to do in matters of relationships.

David blinked with realization. Abby had spoken about her mentor with great affection, and he had a feeling the other scribbled named and notes came from some important people as well, given how fondly she spoke of them, but…all he could think about was how barren the contacts section of her application had been compared to the crowded but noticeably faded list on her instrument. A mixture of empathy and concern clawed inside his chest as he studied the woman in the firelight, wondering how she got here. He felt his smile falter a bit, brows knitting together as his worrying snuck into his expression.

“Soooo, how close were you? Did’ja…hold hands?” Niki snicking drew him out of his thoughts.

“Come on now, Niki.” David sat up and tried to reel the teasing girl in. He knew she meant well. Niki had ragged him just as much last year about his former relationships, but he didn’t want her accidentally picking at old wounds. Just in case.

“Pfft,” Niki’s cheeks blew out as she snorted, “Awww…You aren’t jealous are you, David?”

“…Huh?” The redhead's spine snapped up.

“It’d be understandable if you were.” Nerris put in with a nod, pushing her glasses up with her index finger, “If Abby’s close someone taught her music, that’d make him a bard. Bards usually have a high charisma stat, and you…well…” She trailed off, making a sympathetic face at David.

David cut a glance over at Abby, not even entirely sure what Nerris was saying now, but he was eager to try and fix this awkwardly derailed conversation that he’d somehow caused. Turning back to the kids he shook his head and gave a half smile, speaking with his best attempt at a ‘teaching-moment’ voice, “A-heh, look, kiddos—I just don’t want you butting in when someone’s sharing something with you…”

 

[TarantulaHawk]

The biggest signature was the one in cursive, scrawled so delicately above the smeared line, obviously indicating that the second message hadn't had time to dry before it had been given to her. The name was the same as the one that had made Abby curl into herself with anxiousness when she first met the kids, but she knew it couldn't have been the same person - Daniel. The name, even though shared with probably a million other humans on the same earth, made her feel sick even just with a glance.

But through her stomach's churns of worry and upset, she smiled at Nikki's accusation about the person being very close. Kids at their age always seemed to regard relationships in a way that made them a little less awkward and more funny than anything else. But at the way that David sort of cut in, she gave him a sideways glance. Thankful, but she wouldn't like Nikki's accusation just fall away like that.

"We were.... very close." Abby's smile seemed very warm, but her eyes were a little more than distant and almost misty, though when she blinked again, the moisture disappeared and her eyes went back to normal.

Abby looked at Nikki suddenly at the mention of David being jealous. She laughed despite herself, unable to stop it. She covered her mouth and her grin was nothing but amused and it showed. She couldn't help but keep that grin as David tried his hardest to refocus the group of kids from the comment Nikki had made.

"Nikki, David is not jealous of anything," Abby said after a moment, her grin fading a little bit and she shot David a little smile, "we're just good.... friends. That's all. He has nothing to be jealous of."

Friends. The realization sort of hit Abby like a train or a bag of bricks or a baseball bat or something like those things; she made an actual friend. Or was she overthinking it? She had only been there for little over a week. Were they friends already? If talking about Daniel hadn't gotten her stomach upset, the concept of making a friend for the first time in a while caused her stomach a very unsettling combination of twisting anxiety and some sort of bittersweet burn. She couldn't remember the last time she had even made a friend. And it sort of hurt to think about it, really - all of her friends always left her and forgot her completely in the end.

 

[Pilot-66]

The air around the campfire stilled as the campers listened to Abby clarify her relationship with her mentor. Preston leaned forward on the log he was sitting on, soaking everything up like it was a drama, but if anyone else had noticed the misty eyes behind Abby’s smile, they didn’t mention it. The quiet didn’t last for long. Niki let out a small groan when Abby assured them that David was a friend and had nothing to concern himself over, “Uggh, that’s boring though.”

David considered it anything but.

The lanky counselor blinked, sitting a little more upright as he looked over at the blonde. She considered him a friend? His eyes lit up in the firelight as a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Warmth spread through him, mingling with the concern that’d settled in his chest earlier at the memory of Abby’s blank papers. There might have been nothing he could do about whatever had happened to all those names on the back of Abby’s ukelele, but…maybe he could be the start of a new collection of names that Abby carried with her. Ones that weren’t so faded.

And, heck, if he was being completely honest with himself…after everything that’d changed lately, he could use a friend too…

Before David could reflect much on his moment of clarity the kids spoke up again. “Since when do YOU care about relationships anyway?” Neil asked, arching a brow and recoiling slightly away from Niki as if he suspected her of being ill, “Isn’t that a little…domestic for your tastes?”

“Oh, I don’t.” Niki waved him off, “I just like to stir the pot and see if it turns into a fight!” She jumped up and slammed a fist into her palm, “Like that time Tabii attacked that lady in town for talking to you, Neil. That was VICIOUS! I hope I get an eyepatch like hers one day.”

“Okay, okay. Settle down.” David urged, worried about Niki getting too close to the fire (and admittedly a little self-conscious about how her story reflected on his abilities as a counselor). “There’s no fighting here.” The redhead glanced over at Abby with a smile before reaffirming her earlier words, “Just friends.”

Leaves crunched under hurried footsteps as Space Kid came running back towards the campfire with something clutched in his fist. “I got it!” His helmet fogged as he paused beside the campfire to catch his breath. Once he was settled, the boy wandered up to Abby and held his gloved hand out to her, revealing a rather dated looking iron-on patch. It was small and round with a pair of crudely designed wings sewn onto a yellow background. “It’s a badge! For, uhh…” Space Kid paused for a moment before shrugging and smiling anyway, “I don’t really remember…I just wanted to help give it to you.”

“It’s the Sparrow’s initiation badge!” David piped up from alongside Abby, all too happy for the chance to explain one of the camp’s oldest traditions. Across the fire, Max rolled his eyes, already annoyed by how stupidly excited David and Space Kid were over some dumb patch. He just hoped this meant the night would be over soon. He’d sat through this stupid “ritual” too many fucking times.

“Normally it’s presented to campers and staff after they’ve been here a month to signify their progress and acceptance into the order. I know it’s only been a couple weeks, but I think you’ve earned it.” The redhead continued, grinning ear to ear, “You’ve been a huge help around here and you already fit in so well with our little group here, so—”

David snapped his hand up to temple, puffing his chest out proudly as he gave Abby the official Camp Cambell salute. “With all of us gathered as witness, it’s my honor to officially welcome you to the troop! From this day forward, you’re one of us, and you will always have a place here among your fellow Sparrows. Campe Diem!” He paused and glanced over at the kids, prompting them to follow along with him through the salute and motto, but only Space Kid joined him, smacking his hand against his helmet as he saluted. The redhead winced a little at the lack of participation, but at least most of the campers were smiling as they watched the ceremony. A few yawned, but they were up a while past curfew, David reasoned.

 

[TarantulaHawk]

Abby chuckled a little at Nikki’s exuberance, mainly because it was amusing, but also because she wished that her daily amount of energy was that high - especially past her own bedtime, as they all were sort of dwindling past. Also, laughing at Nikki made it so that she would forget what they were talking about in the first place, as it was beginning to make her very uncomfortable and she really didn’t know what to do about it. She tried her hardest to make sure that her memories in the past were only of the good times, as few as they were, but that rarely ever worked. All she could do was distract herself from the hurt and tell herself that she’d work on going through all of her negative emotions later (which always ended with her being too afraid to do so).

Another welcome distraction came about when she heard the crunching of leaves and looked up to see that it was just Space Kid running back from the tents. He had a little thing in his hand that looked sort of like a patch, tiny and almost handmade-looking. And then of course, David began a little spiel about what it was and why she was getting at. She couldn’t help but smile, even though it was rather embarrassing that she was getting something like that just for helping him out. But it was also sweet and definitely something that she could imagine in some sort of kids movie. When it was offered to her, she gently took it into her hands and watched David salute - there was no way she’d do that hand guest her, but she turned her attention to the flag regardless, watching it barely flutter at the edges as a soft breeze rippled through camp.

After a moment, though, she turned her attention to David. “Thank you. That’s very sweet of you to give me this. And thank you guys for being... well, at least sort of decent to me. That means a lot.”

 

[Pilot-66]

David could practically feel himself glowing as he watched Abby take the badge into her hands then turn to the give the old flagpole by the Mess Hall her attention. A grin he couldn’t have fought even if he’d wanted to cracked over his features. He barely even noticed her reluctance to do the salute, too ecstatic at the glimmer of her camping spirit to really be bothered with the details of how she went about showing it. Maybe between the two of them, this would finally be the year the kids really got it too! He lowered his hand back to his side when Abby took her turn to speak. The redhead met her gratitude with a broad smile, but before he could say anything else to her, Max let out a long sigh, “Great. Whatever. Are we done yet?”

With a blink, David looked over to meet the dark-haired boy’s tired glare then swept his eyes over the rest of the campers. They all looked a little drowsy, rubbing their eyes and doing their best to stifle yawns in front of each other. Guilt prickled on the back of his neck when he realized they’d been up a little longer than they should have been.

“Good idea, Max.” He praised, “We should all get a good night’s rest. After all, we’ve got another FULL day of fun waiting for us tomorrow~!”

He saw Max roll his eyes but the rest of the group seemed content to go along with it as they all started to bunk down into their sleeping bags and fluff up their pillows. To David’s surprise, Max eventually started to settle down as well, his back turned to the lot of them as he laid on the outside edge of the group beside Neil and Niki. But…at least he’d decided to stay and camp out with them, rather than slink back off to his tent alone. Feeling optimistic about that being a good sign, David smiled quietly to himself for a moment before pushing himself up to his feet to put out the campfire since he and Abby would need to rest too.

His muscles ached and protested at his movement, still sore from his hours of repair work and early mornings, but he still felt better now than he had earlier today. He walked over to the treeline and picked up the bucket of water they’d had on hand in case of emergencies and walked it back to the campfire. He poured it out gently over the flames. Once the fire was mostly out, he knelt down and took the spade from the side of the bucket to turn soil over the ash and stones in the fire pit, trying to quell the last of the stubborn embers. Without the roaring fire, the campsite had fallen rather dim, though moonlight and glow of the coals ensured they weren’t in total darkness. When he looked up again, he could tell most of the campers had already fallen asleep and would probably be out until sunrise. Some part of him wanted to be envious of their ability to just fall asleep like that, but he focused on just being content on having happy comfortable campers instead. That was enough.

He glanced back at Abby with an amused huff at how quickly the kids had fallen asleep then turned his attention back to the dying fire. “You did great tonight!” He spoke as he shuffled dirt over more orange coals, his voice quiet but as enthusiastic as ever, “I told you they’d love your singing!”

When he was certain the last embers were close to fading out, he let himself sit back a bit, watching glowing ash dance into the air for a moment before looking back at his co-counselor, “I didn’t get to say earlier but…well, I know the kids think it’s kind of silly, but…I meant it, about the badge—you’ll always have friends and a place here, Abby.”

Well, so long as he could KEEP this place here, a tiny voice reminded him in the back of his mind.

I will! He thought firmly to himself, then pushed the nagging thoughts aside, not letting them show on the warm smile he gave her. After the kindness she’d shown him earlier today on the docks and the trust to call him a friend…it felt like the least he could do to stay determined and make sure she knew that she had all the same support that she was offering.

 

[TarantulaHawk]

As David begin to snuff out the fire and all of the kids had crawled into their sleeping bags, she turned her attention more to the sky. Out in the wilderness, even though she was surrounded by kids and near her fellow camp counselor, she felt sort of alone. She had always felt this way but being in the woods really made it worse; however it was obvious that David really seemed proud of her and that made her feel a hell of a lot better.

“Thanks, David,” she said with a soft chuckle, “that means a lot”

And she wasn’t lying about that. It was a very rare thing during her life to hear that she was doing well with anything, and when she did hear it, it was never said as genuine as David said it. She trusted him a lot more than she was comfortable admitting and she didn’t know if she could handle thinking about it for a long time all at once, so she then wandered through the crowd of sleeping bodies, checking to make sure everyone was situated and sleeping. When she noticed that Dolph had sort of come uncovered, she carefully moved him back into the sleeping bag and zipped it up properly - her actions were swift but gentle and almost motherly.

“Hm?” David’s voice caught her attention as she stood back up and joined him to take a seat on the log next to him. But when she really focused in on what he was saying, she smiled - a soft and, maybe even unsure, gesture. “Thank you. It really does mean a lot that you’re willing to let me be here. I know that.... I know that I’m not great at dealing with the kids yet, but.... I hope with your guidance that I’ll get better.”

 

[Pilot-66]

David shuffled his weight on the log, looking up at Abby as she gingerly tucked Dolph back into his sleeping bag before crossing over to join him again. He kept the smile on his face as she spoke, finding the expression easier to wear the longer he listened to her and distanced himself from the far less welcoming voice in his head.

“I know that I’m not great at dealing with the kids yet, but.... I hope with your guidance that I’ll get better.”

He felt his chest puff out with a bit of pride at her words. He kind of liked the idea that he was the sort of model counselor that a newcomer would look to as an example. He was…kind of the only other counselor here, sure, but gosh the thought still made him giddy. “Really?” He found himself speaking before he’d registered the words, then cleared his throat and tried to sound a little more composed like an instructor should be, “I mean, yes! Of course~” Settling back again he added more earnestly, “It’s…the sort of job you’re always learning how to do–even years into it–but…I think that’s part of why I love it. I hope you will too.”

David cast a glance out over the sleeping campers, watching Dolph curl comfortably inside the sleeping bag that Abby had fixed for him. He grinned quietly. “Besides, I think you’re already getting the hang of it more than you know…”

Quiet and peaceful as the moment was, it dawned on him slowly that he now only had a couple more days to get the camp ready for its first inspection of the summer. A fleeting moment of panic shot through him like electricity. He still had so much to get done. Plus, he’d need to plan some kind of activity to keep the kids busy–and hopefully oblvious–while the inspector was here. He hadn’t even though of how he was going to explain the inspection to Abby yet either. Guilt gnawed at him everytime he’d thought about bringing it up. The fact that the camp was in danger of being shut down was probably something he should have mentioned a lot sooner. Like, when he’d offered her the job, but…It’d just seemed like trouble she didn’t need that night (not to mention he’d desperately needed the help).

He tried to shake the thoughts from his mind. If he could just handle it…no one would need to worry about it. Not the kids. Not Abby.

“Uh, speaking of which,” David started slowly, reaching up to anxiously adjust the yellow bandana around his neck, “Do you think you can get these kiddos to breakfast in the morning on your own?” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at the Mes Hall hidden by the trees behind them. “The Quarter Master should be up and able to help you in the kitchen, but if you can watch them, I can get up early and knock out that second pier before the days first activities. Which you know I won’t miss for anything~” He tacked on that last bit assuringly, giving his arm an enthusiastic swing for emphasis—at least he started to until a stabbing ache in shoulder cut him short. He turned his head to hide a wince as he set his arm back down his lap.

“It should only be until about nine. Looks like they’ll all be asleep right up until meal hour anyway. Uheh, we really pushed curfew..."

 

[TarantulaHawk]

She smiled a little bit. She liked the idea of being there long enough to be able to actually learn how to do the job properly. Even though she was getting a lot better with practice, even though they weren’t that far through the summer, it’s still felt like there was a lot that she was missing and messing up. She was trying very hard, though, and she had a feeling that it was the effort that was keeping her place there.

At his little comment off to the side when Dolph shifted, Abby felt her cheeks get a little warm. There were some things that she couldn’t explain when it came to working with the kids that she had noticed. She knew why some of those little habits, like tucking Dolph in as she did just then, happened but she didn’t really want to try and explain why she knew how to treat certain kids. She supposed that she really did know, but there’s a lot behind it that made her not want to say anything.

After a moment, she looked back up to the sky and lean back a tiny bit, focusing on the beautiful array of stars against the darkness. There was something so strangely peaceful about being out there like this, and she knew that it was a moment she probably would never forget. She didn’t have a lot of those, memories that stayed with her forever, but she was glad to add another happy one to the collection. When she really thought about it, she realized that her happy memories were few and far between. Maybe that’s why she was so chronically anxious about everything. She didn’t really have many happy times to look back on. She spared a glance over to the sleeping campers and then smiled a little bit. Maybe they were the key to better memories.

At the sound of David’s voice, she turned a little to properly look at him. A little wave of nervousness washed over he at the prospect of dealing with them alone, but she nodded regardless. “Sure thing.”

And then she laughed at his comment about pushing curfew. “Well, their kids, sometimes you need to push around a few rules for them to have fun.”

She stopped smiling after a moment and looked David over - his wrapped fingers, the slight slouch in how he sat, and the bags beneath his eyes. He was very exhausted. She really couldn’t blame him, as he was up almost every morning twice as early as everyone else and fixing everything. But it did make her worried.

“Remember what I said about feeling bad being okay sometimes?” She asked softly after a moment, looking at him with a little gleam of concern in her eyes, “It’s okay to feel bad and exhausted. Trust me, I know. But... if you need help with things, please ask. It’ll make you feel so much better in the long run.”

 

[Pilot-66]

“Thanks.” David gave a small smile when Abby agreed to take care of tomorrow’s morning routine on her own. He felt a little bad putting her in that position, but maybe he just worked hard and quickly enough, she wouldn’t have to be on her own for too long—he could that.

He blinked, stiffening and sitting up a little when Abby teased about kids breaking rules all being part of the fun. “Uh-heh–yeah but…following the rules can be fun too!” He put in, just in case any impressionable ears weren’t quite as asleep as they seemed. However, even as he spoke he couldn’t keep an amused grin off his face as he glanced out over the sleeping campers.

Abby was right.
Tonight had definitely been worth staying up late for.

Distracted by the thought, David didn’t even notice the concerned gaze sweeping over him until Abby spoke up again, reminding him of her words on the docks. He blinked and turned his attention back to her, eyebrows raising slightly as the gentle concern in her voice surprised him for the second time that day. Green eyes searched her expression, both concerned and a little afraid of the understanding he thought he saw in her gaze, “I—”

For a fleeting heartbeat, feeling partially concealed in the darkness of the dying campfire and lulled by the rarity of a kind voice, he felt tempted to say…well, everything. He’d never been good with secrets. Everyone always told him that and–despite how many he’d been painfully choking down for years–they were right. However, just as quickly as the insane impulse had come, it passed and turned into a leaden weight that sat in his throat and silenced him.

“I know…” He answered at last, trying not to feel jittery about pulling himself back from the proverbial ledge. He let his gaze fall to the side for a moment as he shuffled on the log. Even if there were some things he just couldn’t say, he still felt a little bad about keeping the camp’s dire state a secret from her. Out of all skeletons in his closet that one was at least presentable, and yet…he still couldn’t bring himself to say out loud just how bad things were. The camp needed to be a safe and secure place. It had to be.

Still, it only felt right to meet Abby halfway and give her a…less concerning…partial truth for now. David looked back up at her with a warm grin, “It won't be like this the whole summer, I promise. I just…really need to make sure the camp is in tip top shape and ready to go for the next few months. We’ll be having all sorts of events soon—hikes, picnics, contests with the other camps—and by golly, I don’t want to miss a second of that!” He piped, eyes glowing with genuine enthusiasm for a moment before he relaxed again, “It’s just best to get things done A-S-A-P so I don’t! And so that way…everyone who comes here can see what a great place Camp Campbell is!”

The redhead paused, watching a couple of the kids turn over in their sleeping bags after his muttering had stirred them. When no one woke up, he looked back over to Abby and drew a short breath before letting his shoulders relax. “I’ll rest when I need to,” He assured, his voice quieter now so as not to bug the kids, but it was warmer too now that he could speak in full truths again, “But…you should know, I’m am getting help.” He reached up and rested a hand gently over Abby's slim shoulder. He was still little worried everytime he realized how just how small she was for a woman her age, the memories of her saving every little scrap of food the night he met her clawing at his heart a bit. “There’s no way I could get all this done without you here to help look after them.” He tilted his head towards the campers without looking away from her, a smile resting tiredly but earnestly on his lips.

After a moment, David drew his hand back and watched as the last embers in the fire began to weaken. “Sounds like we’ve both—” A yawn forced its way out of him and cut him off for a moment, “–got a big day tomorrow, then~ We should get some sleep too. Unless…there was something else?”

 

[TarantulaHawk]

"I mean, true," Abby giggled, her voice quiet as she covered her mouth a little and nudged him slightly, "but they're kids. Surely you broke a rule or two when you were little, right??"

Abby knew that she did. But she had been a kid with very little rules to guide her along, and that was why she did agree that some rules were pretty important. Especially for kids who were sort of crazy - Nikki and Nurf both came to mind. But as he hesitated to answer her comment about trying to make sure he got rest and whatnot, she frowned a little bit. It was disheartening to know that he wasn't telling her the truth - she knew he wasn't. She had lied enough times in her life to know when someone was being completely honest with her. But she didn't push it. He would come forward whenever he wanted to, if he wanted to. And that was fine with her.

She smiled at the way he placed his hand on her shoulder, and she barely flinched a bit at the contact - she couldn't help it. Men who touched her usually weren't as kind and genuine as David was. "And I'm not cruel enough to let you do that alone. I can't leave now."

She knew that was the truth. She'd feel absolutely awful if she left David hanging like she imagined someone else might have. It would have different had he not approached her with hot pizza that one evening that landed her the job. She wouldn't have cared at all. But when she found herself tangled up in the camp, from the start she realized she just couldn't leave. It would be awful once the summer ended, but she would survive. She always did, somehow.

"That's probably a good idea." She smiled a little more at the sound of his yawn. "Let's get back to the cabin. I'm exhausted."

Abby got to her feet and brushed her thighs and butt off, making sure her clothing was free of whatever debris might have tried to cling to her. She carefully and as quietly as she could wandered through the sleeping kids. She was just double checking that they were okay and asleep and no one was faking sleep or anything like that. She almost looked like a mother hen looking after her chicks, her amber eyes darting between the bodies throughly. After a moment, she stepped out of the sleeping bag pile and yawned herself.

It was going to be a long morning when she woke up.

 

[Pilot-66]

David did his best to stifle another yawn as he followed Abby’s lead and pushed himself up to his feet. He paused, stretching his arms above his head to try and chase away some of the aches in his shoulders before gently kicking a little more dirt over the dead fire…just to be sure. He gave a satisfied hum and nod once he was sure the fire was out for good, then glanced up at Abby, the moonlight just bright enough for him to make out her shape and catch glimpses of her blonde hair in the darkness. He arched a brow as she wove her way between the sleeping bags, but as she knelt down and fuss over each of the sleeping campers, he felt his expression warm and ease. A smile crept over his lips as he watched her adjust a blanket here or pillow there, not a single one of the kids seeming at all disturbed by her presence.

For someone who claimed to have never worked with kids before, she really had a knack for it…

The redhead turned away after a few seconds, though he could feel the smile lingering on his face. He looked down to watch his footing as he picked his way over towards the path that led back towards the counselor's cabin. He paused once he reached the dirt path and glanced back to Abby, waiting until she’d finished her patrol around the sleeping bags before he went any further.

Once she’d stepped away from the kids, he turned and started to quietly lead the way back towards the cabin. It wasn’t far–they’d set the campfire up close enough so that they could keep an eye on the kids through the cabin windows once it was time for bed–but he moved slowly, trying to make the most out of the brief walk so he could clear his head. He’d been relieved when Abby seemed to have bought all his excuses for his behavior and exhaustion, but one thing she’d said had wormed its way into his brain and started to wear on the grin that her mother henning had let him with…

“And I'm not cruel enough to let you do that alone. I can't leave now."

David looked over his shoulder, making sure they were far enough away that his voice wouldn’t disturb the kids before turned with a glance back at Abby and ventured, “Hey, you know…you CAN leave, right?”

Not wanting to give the wrong impression, David glanced down at her, pulling an earnest smile back onto his face as he spoke, “Don’t get me wrong! I’m super thankful I can count on you, and having a new face around camp has been GREAT~!” He tossed a hand out to his side for emphasis as he spoke, but then he slowed and eventually came to a stop a few steps short of the cabin door.

“But…” He glanced to the side and let his voice trail as he tried to find the right way to say what was on his mind. “I don’t want you to think you have to be here.” He pulled the hand he’d happily tossed out back towards himself, reaching across his chest to rub the side of his other arm. Above them, the cheap fluorescent light that illuminated the cabin’s name plaque filled the brief silence with a dull hum. “I know things weren’t, uh, the best when I met you in town, and I’m glad Camp Campbell could be here to help out, but…if there’s ever something else out there for you, or if it’s too much…Well, I just want you to know that you don’t owe this place anything. Or me.”

 

[TarantulaHawk]

"Hm?" Abby glanced up from her feet and to David, looking at him with amber eyes that were sort of cloudy - not with tears, but something more like thoughts she couldn't cycle through quick enough to respond. Her response actually took a moment. "Of course. Not that I would, honestly."

For a few different reasons. The first being that she needed the money and had been stock piling her checks in her bag, making sure they were safe and out of view - a bad habit, still thinking someone might get into her things and steal her belongings. Another reason was that she desperately needed to stay somewhere that wasn't a bench or an alley, or even in a small town like that, the forest with only a jacket for a blanket. But there was a bigger reason that she was trying in vain to forget.

She was becoming attached. Not just to the kids, each with their own personality that made her both laugh and want to tear her hair out sometimes, but to David. The idea of getting close to an adult male that was near to her age, even just as a friend as she considered them, was absolutely terrifying and she didn't know if it made her feel safe or sick. What made that realization worse was that she couldn't tell the difference between her own safety and pretending.

"I won't leave you, David," she murmured as they both stepped inside the cabin, "and I know that I don't owe anything to the camp, or you. I'm just not a.... bad person. I won't leave you alone to run a camp full of little kids and fix the place up and do... whatever else you have to do, y'know? I'm not cruel."

She sat down on her bed, looking down as she swung her feet a bit - just barely tall enough for her toes to graze the floor as she swung them. After a moment, she smiled up at him. "I'd never forgive myself if I left you to struggle."