Camp camp short stories!

I'll be strong for you

Daniel coughed and hacked as he fell face first into the mud. His fissures from the furious yanking of his IV's were bleeding and stung as the dirt filled them. His white hospital gown was now gross; stained with mud and sweat. It was about to start raining, he could smell it. He didn't know whether to be thankful or not. His head spun as he tried to stand up quickly.

He was out for revenge, dammit. David had ruined his life and he was gonna make him pay.

He ran through the brush, pushing out the pain of his wounds and the dizziness in his head. He wasn't very far from the camp and he knew he could hold out long enough.

When he finally did reach camp, he was out of breath and full of adrenaline. He was sure that the medicine that the doctors had to pump through his body to flush out the rat poison weren't going to mix well with it. He carefully snuck around each tent, being careful not to make a single sound.

He reached the front of the site, where David's cabin was. His breath was heavy and he was having a hard time seeing straight. But, he was right in sight of his goal, so he persevered. He stood up straight to knock on the door. He didn't really have a plan, per se, he couldn't risk being seen in the mess hall attempting to grab a knife. But, he was playing it by ear and hoping for the best.

"... Come in." David sounded worried. It was late, after all. His campers were long past asleep. Daniel gulped and shook his head as he opened the door, the rain just beginning to sprinkle outside.

"Daniel?" He stood up from his bed, still fully dressed.

"Hello, David." He let his adrenaline turn to anger, but his dizziness was worsening by the second. He was beginning to see two Davids as the rain came down hard.

"Oh my gosh, you look awful. Are you okay?" He frowned, walking over to Daniel, who was now rocking slightly back and forth. He grabbed onto his shoulders to keep him steady.

"I came here to... I came, here," He began to breathe heavily.

"Daniel please, sit," He lead him over to his bed, carefully pushing him down onto it. He pulled his hand up and slowly pulled the matted hair from Daniel's eyes so he could see clearer.

"I'm gonna pass out, David." He closed his eyes, his breath heaving in his lungs as if he were choking.

"You do that. I'll be here when you wake up." David was torn up. He thought Daniel was so kind and considerate, even if their duet was a bit harsh. He felt his counterpart's head fall onto his shoulder, followed shortly by his full body weight. He took in a deep breath before leading Daniel's limp body onto his blankets.

He looked at him, bloody and dirty... He decided that he was going to clean him up. He stepped away from his bed and walked over to his dresser to grab an old handkerchief. He opened his door, simply extending his arm outside with the cloth in hand to wet it completely with lukewarm rain water.

He walked back over to Daniel, his breath now coming out easily and slow. He carefully maneuvered his body to remove his hospital gown. David was mature about this, using the wet cloth to clean the dirt and blood from his body while keeping his modesty and getting it over without taking any unnecessary looks.

Once Daniel's body was clean, he took the handkerchief and held it back out in the rain to wash the dirt from it. He wrung it out and folded it before closing his door back and setting the rag on his nightstand. David then went through his drawers and found a set of clean clothes...

--

Daniel's head ached something terrible. He could hear rain outside... And he felt a soft warmth around him. Right, he thought, I'm here. He slowly crept his eyes open to see that it was still dark, but David was laid on his side, one arm laid over onto his chest, right over his heart. David must've been keeping a close watch on Daniel's heartbeat...

He shook his head. David was a care-free spirit. Strong, naive, but so damn positive. Daniel took a deep breath while a hundred thoughts ran through his mind.

Thoughts like, how is he so positive? We can never strive to be perfect beings... And I wish I could be that way. He looked over at David, watching his chest move in and out slowly as he slept peacefully. I... Can't hurt him. He wouldn't deserve it.

"David?" Daniel rasped out, his throat dry and irritated. David's eyes snapped open as if he'd almost been awake this whole time.

"Daniel!" He whisper-yelled. "You're okay!" His body jumped to cling to Daniel's torso to convey his happiness. Daniel was floored.

"Why did you help me?" He lowered his eyebrows.

"Well, you did pass out. I wasn't just gonna leave you like that. Besides, us camp counselors gotta stick together!" He was so elated, his eyes were twinkling. Daniel had to look away, because how could one person be so damn... Happy? He felt his face heating up. "Daniel? Your face..."

"I'm fine. Thank you for helping me." He smiled weakly back at him. David laughed softly as he laid his head back onto his pillow.

"Well, better get some actual sleep. The campers will be so happy to see you later this morning!" He smiled, his hand still over Dan's heart. That made his stomach drop. The second those campers saw him again... David might actually catch the hint this time. He really couldn't stand for that, and he had no clue why. However, he closed his eyes and waited for David to fall back asleep.

He had to leave, for David's sake. Once he knew he was deep asleep, he carefully slid out of the bed. David stirred, his hand reaching for warmth that was no longer there. "Dan-iel?"

"It's alright, David. I'll be right back." He clutched at his shirt because lying to him this time actually hurt.

"Mmmok." He smiled, pulling the pillow from Daniel's side towards him. He let out a sigh before setting foot outside. The rain had cleared and the sun was about to rise. He'd really have to book it. He turned around to take one more look at David before he left.

"I'll get better, I promise."