Put That Kid Down

Chapter Eight

It felt like he'd just closed his eyes when he was woken by the sound of cursing and his tin can system being tripped. David shot out of bed, his favorite log at the ready, and charged out the door only to find the Quartermaster tangled up and swearing the air blue, waving a... a... David went pale as the, um, attachment on the end of the Quartermaster's arm wobbled and bounced through the air. With a shudder, he pushed the implications from his mind - it wasn't like he didn't know the Quartermaster had a few kinks he explored in his downtime.

He just didn't like to think about it.

Max, Nikki, and Neil were just behind him, and none of them were laughing uproariously at the Quartermaster's plight as they normally would. Neil was tinged a delicate green, his eyes staring unseeingly at the ground with one hand lightly over his mouth, while Nikki's expression was unreadable, but her posture was slumped and listless. Max... Max had his hands in his pockets, and a blank expression, but the whites of his eyes shone in the dark and he was curled in on himself again in that almost-hug David had seen the day that...

"What did they see?" David hissed, and it was only because the Quartermaster's face was suddenly so close that he even realized he'd crossed the space between them and fisted a hand in the other man's robe.

"They made it down to the damn dungeon and ruined my night," the older man grumbled, not reacting in the slightest to David's own overreaction. He flushed, releasing the Quartermaster and stepping back.

"Sorry, I... " David wasn't sure what track his train of thought had veered down, now. It wasn't like the Quartermaster had ever given him reason to doubt him. Only vague, nebulous clouds of suspicion spiked with paranoia like lightning met his hasty search through his memory. "I'll take them from here, Quartermaster; they should have known better." He frowned down at the trio, and felt the irritation falter when they didn't seem to notice. "Come on, kids," David hoped he wouldn't have to carry them, because if Max came out of his fugue state and... and was frightened of him, David wasn't sure how he'd react. Luckily, the three fell in step, and Nikki began murmuring something to which Neil responded, so he was trailed by the quiet hiss and sputter of their conversation all the way to the dining hall. When they got in, Max had yet to say a word, but Nikki was holding his hand. The fact that he hadn't shaken her off should have been a little concerning, but David felt more relieved that Max would accept comfort from his friends.

He sat them down at the island counter in the kitchen so he could watch them while he made cocoa. "I am disappointed in your behavior tonight." David set the kettle on, "Especially you, Max, as the more experienced camper, but I'm glad you all made it back in one piece." The time crossing the lake and walking to the dining hall was enough recovery for Nikki to duck her head a little guiltily, but Neil just wrinkled his nose without looking up. Max, on the other hand, broke abruptly from his shock.

"One piece?" he demanded, "I just saw a bunch of old people having kinky sex in a dungeon!"

David portioned out the cocoa powder between the four mugs before he replied, "And I'm sure it taught you a valuable lesson on following the staff rules. We don't make them up just to torment you, you know." He turned and leaned on the counter near the stove as he waited for the water to boil, arms crossing over his chest without his consciously deciding to do so, "What were you all thinking?"

"We just wanted to find a ghost," Nikki said, almost plaintively, and Neil nodded.

"Plus, Max wanted to prove he wasn't scared of anything," the taller boy added, throwing Max under the bus without even taking a moment to think it through.

"Traitor," Max growled, before leaning back almost casually in his chair, "And so what? You wouldn't want to piss me off too much with a sucky punishment, would you, David?"