Rain and Thunder
parappa_maxwell
It was a particularly stormy night at Camp Campbell, and Neil was woken by a soft sound in the darkness. He wasn’t exactly a heavy sleeper, and many things would wake him up at camp, i.e. the rustling of trees, another camper walking past the tent to get to the bathrooms, the platypus scurrying about, etc. But this wasn't any kind of thunder or heavy rain that woke him, this sound was different, it was human and upset. It was the sound of crying.
Neil listened closer, sure his tired ears were just fooling him, but they weren’t. There was someone in the tent who was crying. It couldn’t have been Max, but there was no one else in the tent, Nikki wasn’t there because there were no mixed tents allowed, and Neil obviously wasn’t crying, he would have known. So, even though it didn’t seem probable, the only possible explanation was that it was Max.
Neil sat up, and the tent fell silent almost immediately. It was almost eerie.
“Max?”
Neil called into the darkness, his voice groggy. Neil could hear the younger boy shift in his cot and then inhale sharply, as though he had hurt himself on something. Max was completely silent afterwards though, the only sound that could be found anywhere was the wind in the trees outside and the rain vigorously hitting the tent outside.
Then suddenly a loud crash of thunder erupted from the sky, and a gasp followed by the soft sound of crying started again. Neil was perplexed, maybe the noise had startled Max, but Max didn't seem like the jumpy type.
“Max, what's wrong?”
Neil tried again, but to no avail, the younger boy was still silent, or rather, as silent as he could be while crying. Neil was about to give up, knowing Max would probably never tell him anything about it anyway, and go back to sleep when he heard something that completely caught him off guard.
“I fucking hate storms.”
Max had meant for the words to come out bitter and spiteful, but his voice was so quiet and frail, instead, he sounded scared. Neil turned to face Max, and he could just barely make out the outline of the shaking boy. Max was hugging his knees to his chest, and wiping his face with his arm since he was not wearing his hoodie. Neil didn't know how to handle this situation, he wasn't good with emotions, but he decided to try his best, and did the only thing he knew how to do.
“Why?”
Neil asked because that's all he could do, he was science kid, after all, so he made a query.
“I just-”
Max was cut off by another loud bang from the sky above them, and he yelped in fear, shaking even harder as more tears fell down his cheeks. Neil noticed this and made a hypothesis. Max was afraid of storms.
Neil shifted so his feet were now hanging off of his cot, and looked at Max. Neil’s eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he could see Max more clearly now.
“You’re afraid of the storm?”
Neil asked gently, but not without an inquisitive tone.
Max nodded, confirming Neil’s hypothesis and making it a conclusion.
Neil turned on his flashlight, positioning it up so the tent was filled with a warm light.
“Why don't you move your cot a bit closer to mine?”
It wasn’t really a question but more of an invitation for Max to feel a bit safer. Max agreed and slid his cot across the floor so it was it was touching Neil’s. Max then got in his cot, and Neil lied back down. After making sure it was okay with Max, Neil hugged Max, and the younger boy gripped onto Neil’s shirt for comfort, shutting his eyes tight as if there was a monster under the bed, or, cot, in this case. Neil felt Max calming down as his grip got looser and his eyes were no longer squeezed shut, but rather resting in a closed position.
“If you ever tell anyone about this, I will fucking cut you.”
Max seemed more confident in his words now, though his tired tone made them less antagonizing. Neil smiled because the empty threat Max had just given him meant Max was no longer upset as he had been.
“Not a word, I-” Neil yawned, “promise.”
Neil said softly, but his friend was already asleep, a warm look of contempt on his face. Neil smiled again and turned off the flashlight, yawning and closing his eyes.
“Goodnight, Max.”
