cruel summer camp Max (3fs) x fem!reader (part two)
summary: As a kids' summer camp counselor, summer was like working extras but having fun at the same time. Two weeks away from home, in the mountains, with your counselors crew. What could possibly happen?
characters: fem!reader x max (3fs)
Last night's evening game lasted longer than usual, every kid ended up going to their rooms at 10 pm, which is very late compared to how you usually made them go to sleep. They were so tired nobody actually sneaked out during the night. Your plans for the day were some creative activities for the kids during the morning, followed by lunch and a trip to the lake, before dinner and actually a pretty cute activity around the campfire to end the first week. So the kids actually had to get some rest to be able to not pass out in the lake.
While the children were having breakfast inside while being with some other counselors, you and Max were outside, preparing the tables for the activities, filling them with crayons, face paint, printed drawings of cartoon characters ready to be colored, plastic made strings and beads for bracelet makers. Also, Max prepared the cutest playlist to put on thanks to the Bluetooth speaker he practically lived with.
Today was going to be great for sure.
Sunday - 9:42 A.M. - Creative activities
You were chilling at the conselour's table, with the task to prepare the newest evening activity, which wasn't playful as usual, it was deep and very emotional. You wondered what would come up from that activity, but there were still many hours left, you had to focus on the present. While writing down every kid's name, you couldn't help but overthink.
This week, you really realized that your heart wasn't protected by sky high walls like you thought it was. Those walls were probably made of styrofoam, weak and breakable. And you feared the strong soldier who was starting to shatter those bricks was your colleague named Max.
Slowly, you were starting to feel affection for him. And honestly, who wouldn't, Max Burnett was perfection made human.
You wanted to be his friend. Which you probably already were, but you know, what if he considers you just as... someone he knows? As another counselor, of course. You wanted to see him even in days other than camp or meetings, hang out, have fun, like everyone these days did. He was so kind and funny it made your heart want to reach out towards his and stay nearby it.
You wanted him to consider you as someone close, present.
You messed up writing one name.
Actually, you did it more than once, but you were too busy in your thoughts to notice. You snorted, hitting your head with your palm to wake yourself up, when a ginger little girl named Lucy made her way to you.
You immediately felt calmer and happier, a smile naturally appearing on your face. "Hey, princess! Do you need anything?"
Lucy walked around the table to stand in front of you, her hands fidgeting with the hems of her shorts. "What is your favorite color?"
How adorable. Your heart warmed up in a split second.
"My favorite color..." you put your index on your chin, tapping on it like you were lost in deep thinking. "It's blue."
Lucy's eyes lit up and she thanked you with that bright smile of hers, before running back to the bracelets table. You adored moments like these, no kids arguing over stupid little things, no kids yelling, just them, enjoying themselves while acting all good.
Your eyes snapped upwards as you saw Max, sitting down on the bench opposite to yours, taking a look to the little pieces of paper you were working on. Your cheeks became flushed, as you quickly put the markers down to hide the wrongly written names. "Oh— I just made some distraction mistakes. I might need more paper cutouts, only if you don't have anything else to do."
"I'm free, don't worry, I'll be your company. You're all alone." Max flashed you a little smile, before taking a pair of red scissors and paper, cutting pieces out. "The kids are behaving so well today." He said, half focused on cutting straight and half on avoiding stuttering.
"Really." You agreed. "Did you tell them that if they don't, then we'll force them to clean the kitchen's dishes for the whole upcoming week?"
Max let out a genuine chuckle, shaking his head. "No, poor them, they hate doing the dishes."
Suddenly, the little Amanda came up to Max, calling out his name. They became friends ever since Thursday night, when he stole her from me and made her laugh. Adorable.
Max absolutely adored being a kid's summer camp counselor, everyone could tell. He loved kids, whenever one of them was sad or crying, you'd send Max. He was good at making smiles and happiness bloom back in them, whether it took him to make a funny voice or joke only they would understand. He was like a real ray of sunshine. That all explained why his expression turned from concentrated to cheerful, and his attention from the paper to answering Amanda.
Surprisingly, she asked the same question Lucy asked you a few minutes behind, what was Max's favorite color.
"My favorite color?" Max bent his body to be eye level with Amanda and pat her shoulder. "I feel orange."
You smiled to yourself, taking a mental note of Max's favorite color. Just in case you'd need it someday. Amanda thanked Max before running back to the bracelet table.
You didn't want to assume things, but the thought of two matching bracelets for the two of you was cute to say at least.
"They're absolute angels." Max pointed out, restarting to cut out the papers. "This week's time has flied more than usual."
A wave of melancholy washed over you, leaving you naked with a feeling of a heavy heart in your body.
You were like this. Feeling melancholy even during the moment, knowing you'll miss it so much when it will end.
"Yeah." You nodded, almost done writing the names. "Can you spoil me tonight's activity? I want to know!"
Max laughed and shook his head, denying. "Absolutely not, it's a surprise me and Eddie only know."
You let out an exasperated groan and chuckled right after. "Not even the littlest detail?"
"Mhh... let me think about it," He hummed, looking lost in thought, before whispering. "Nope."
You stood to swat his arm playfully, as he stood too to ruffle your hair without shame, making you yelp while he laughed.
Next to the table stood Lucy and Amanda, smiles attached to both their faces as they hid their hands behind their backs, not letting you two see what they were holding.You both crouched for them to feel seen by you, almost in a telepathic movement.
"Did you bring something for us?" Max asked, his eyes sparkling of curiosity. After that question, they showed you what was in their pair of hands, opening their palms under your eyes and making you both gasp.
Two little bracelets, made in blue and orange beads one different from the other, but with the white letter names too, reading 'Max' and 'Y/n'.
You two immediately became as soft as plushies, both making high pitched "awwww's" and gently taking each of the bracelets in your hands. You took the one with your name, and Max took his.
"You're supposed to exchange them." Lucy pointed out, exchanging your bracelets from the other's hands.
"Ooh!" Max smiled and immediately put his on his wrist. "So now I have her name."
Amanda nodded and I put mine on too, the little girls smiling non-stop. "And I have his."
We proceeded to thank the girls a lot for their hard work, hugging them before they both escaped from our grips and rushed to the drawings table.
You look at Max with an expression that clearly showed how glad you felt. You melted like a snowman under hot sun, before looking down at your orange, Max bracelet. Brunet laughed to himself at your face, before stepping in and wrapping his arms around you, hugging your shoulders. "See? Our work's getting paid back."
You realized how much you adored to be hugged, especially from this guy. He was taller, so you felt safe, he was gentle with it, making you want to fall asleep in them and stay like that for the rest of your days.
Gosh, you were falling. Hard.
Afternoon, 2:54 PM - Lake
"Everyone, stay close to your friend!" Max yelled, making his way through the woods, moving every trench invading his path. He looked behind himself to check the kids following him. "I said line up in pairs!"
You were walking next to him, holding the giant mesh bag of colorful pool noodles and inflatable rings over your shoulder. The plastic rattled with every step, sounding like a rhythmic percussion to the "hiking" playlist Max had pumping from the speaker clipped to his belt.
Max turned, walking backward for a few paces with an effortless grace that made your heart do a little somersault. He caught your eye and tapped the blue bracelet on his wrist with a wink. "Don't let 'em wander off, partner. I'm counting on this blue luck."
You felt heat in your cheeks that had nothing to do with the afternoon sun. "Just keep walking before you trip over a root, Max!"
Max chuckled and shook his head, before spotting the familiar sign indicating the path to the Lake. Soon, the sparkling expanse of the lake opened up before you. The water was a deep, cool sapphire, reflecting the clear sky. The kids let out a collective cheer, their fatigue from the late night finally replaced by the adrenaline of a "beach" day.
"Safety talk first!" Max announced, dropping the heavy cooler of water bottles with a thud. "Life jackets for the non-swimmers, and nobody—I mean nobody—goes past the buoy line without a counselor. Understood?"
The kids chanted a weak "yes", before Max's voice got louder. "I said, understood?!"
Everyone of course yelled a way more loud "YES!", before Max stepped aside to let them run to the lake. "Aight, aight, you guys are free."
The kids immediately changed into their swimming suits, leaving them messily on various rocks, putting on flip flops of every imaginable color and design, some of them rushing into the waters.
Max immediately made sure to watch over them, taking a blue pic nic blanket and laying it on the ground without ever looking away from the swimming children for too many seconds, scared something would happen if he did.
The kids started asking for a ball to play, so you took it from your own bag and gave it to them with a light toss towards the water. "Be careful though!"
Near the entrance to the lake there was Old Man Miller, a local who had been renting canoes to tourists and the summer camp since the lake trip became part of the camp's plans. He was already unstacking the bright red and green canoes, preparing for the chaotic arrival of thirty energetic children. You followed Max to reach the woodmade cozy shop.
"Right on time, fellas," Miller grumbled, though a small smile tuged at his weathered face. "I've got ten canoes and two rowboats ready. Life jackets are in the bin."
"You’re a lifesaver, Miller!" Max called out, adjusting the volume on his speaker as he spoke to the man. "Yeah, thank you so much, as always." You added, politely. The man showed you a bright smile, shrugging the gratitude off, speaking about how it was a pleasure for him to cooperate to the kid's fun.
Max began a new conversation with Miller, asking how his wife was doing, to which the man answered saying she was alright, with her own handmade candles shop, which made you interested. Maybe, an activity at a candle shop would be cute for the kids.
You and Max helped Miller with bringing the canoes to the shore, speaking about everything and anything, before actually getting all in place. Some of the kids started to jump around the boats, already excited to get on them. Max sent some of them to the rest of the conselours, since practically everyone knew how to use the canoes, after years of doing it every first Sunday.
Max was talking to a curious little girl who kept asking about how could heavy boats float in water, before his eyes darted towards the pic nic blanket. And lingered there, since you were currently taking your t-shirt off, revealing the bikini top under it. He tried not to, but his heart had the best of him, as he kept messing up with one of the strings on the boat.
You put the tee on the blanket, keeping your shorts just because you didn't want to swim fully, just get some kids on your canoe and give them a beautiful view of the mountains around the lake. You also wore your flip flops and then looked towards Max.
Your eyes locked with his, as you had to squint them since the sun was hitting your face directly.
So you decided to smile a little, just between the two of you.
Unfortunately, him tripping backwards wasn't just between the two of you.
In fact, after your smile, Max had moved his foot and that distraction caused him to stumble backwards, as he yelped in surprise before ending in the water.
You gasped and the kids immediately started laughing hard, some of them clapping their hands while the kindest moved to help Max.You approached too, worried he might hurt himself not very lightly. "Max? Are you okay?"
He was soaked, his clothes too, since he hadn't changed yet. To make the situation even funnier, he was laughing too. At his own fall. Only Max could do such thing without feeling embarrassed.
"Yeah! Yeah, that stone didn't do me justice." He said, shrugging his shoulders before looking up at you, seeing your extended hand.
"C'mon, you're lucky it's summer." You chuckled, strongly pulling him stand.
He ran a hand through his hair while looking into your eyes still, messing his wet hair up, before smiling.
Late afternoon - 18:53 PM
The sun was beginning to dip behind the line drawn by the mountains, painting the sky in streaks of violet and burnt orange as the whole group began the trek back to the main lodge. The kids, though damp and smelling of lake water and sunscreen, were surprisingly energized by the trip.
You and Max were at the front, leading the kids and also the rest of the counselors in your way towards the hotel. His Bluetooth speaker was still swinging from his belt, the volume turned up just enough to drown out the sound of thirty voices.
Suddenly, the upbeat tempo of the previous track faded out, replaced by the familiar, driving beat and soaring synth of "One Last Time" by Ariana Grande.
Max’s head snapped toward you, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He knew this was one of your favorites—you hummed it under your breath while setting up the craft tables that morning. Without a second of hesitation, he grabbed an invisible microphone and pointed it toward you.
"I was a liar, I gave in to the fire!" he yelled out, his voice surprisingly good but intentionally dramatic to convince you do the same.
You couldn't help it, in fact. The combination of the golden hour light, the adrenaline from the day, and Max’s ridiculous energy shattered the last of your composure. You joined in for the pre-chorus, your voices blending over the trail.
"I know I should've fought it, at least I'm being honest!"
From that moment, you and Max began your little, private performance, singing your hearts out without a single care in the world. Your voices probably weren't in their best condition after the day, but seriously, it didn't matter at all.
As the song reached its peak, Max reached out. It was a natural, fluid motion—as if it were the most obvious and casual thing in the world to do. His fingers slid between yours, his palm warm and steady, and he squeezed your hand tightly. He flashed you a secret smile, before singing again and raising your jointed hands.
You didn't pull away. Instead, you laced your fingers through his, the blue and orange beads of your matching bracelets clicking together in the small space between your hands.
For the rest of the walk, the "sky-high walls" you thought you’d built were completely forgotten. You walked in rhythm, swinging your joined hands to the beat of the music.
Evening - 21:01 PM, Hotel garden
The secret, awaited evening activity was just starting, after Max, Eddie and Jacob finally lit up the campfire, and you, Ethan, and the hotel's owner's wife, prepared enough s'mores to give to the kids later.
Everyone had formed a big, circular contour of people around the fire. The kids were tired after swimming and running back at the lake, so the air was silent and ready for the important activity.
We already gave to each kid the papers you and Max have lovingly prepared that morning. He put some quiet piano by the speaker, before sitting down next to you to start explaining.
"So," everyone could tell this evening's project was surely different from the others. The dark, night sky created a significant contrast with the heat and light emanated from the cracking fire. "Since we're halfway into this year's summer camp, me and Eddie thought of something different for this activity."
Eddie smiled to himself, while holding one of the kids's hand.
"What we ask you to do, is take a marker, which we will give to you, and write down what you're grateful for, after living this first week of summer camp. Or even draw, if you don't want to write."
Your heart warmed up, and that warmth didn't come from the fire. It came from Max's care. How much he wanted the kids to feel good and have fun, it was probably all he wanted, after working so much for them.
After everyone had their own marker and Max said they could start writing or drawing. Putting their thoughts on paper.
Who would've ever thought this year would go like this?What if you decided not to come? You wouldn't have lived such special moments, felt such new emotions you missed so much.
Felt such affection and maybe something more you couldn't really put a finger on. Or maybe didn't want to.
The second wave of melancholy hit you again, making you stumble into it and almost give in, when your usually clear vision became blurry and confused.
You wiped the tears away and tried to stay calm, act like the mature, strong girl everyone knew you as. Y/n wasn't emotional or sensitive, she could handle things well, not like a weak, vulnerable child. If she didn't, people would've thought she was pathetic.
All of a sudden, the weight became too much. Your voice let out an uncontrolled sound, as you quickly tried to cover it with a cough, but your hand holding your own little piece of paper couldn't stop shaking.
That's when you felt Max's arm around your shoulders.
He was already done writing his thought, as he switched his attention to you. You leant into his touch, taking a deep breath, letting it out, while looking up, to force the tears to retire themselves. There you were, feeling emotional, like all you wanted to do was cry and never stop. Like an attention seeker, like a kid crying louder so maybe their parents would come up to their room and comfort them.
Maybe, that's was you still were, inside.
You showed Max a weak smile, as he copied it and leant in to press a gentle peck on your hair.
That made your heart flip totally.
After that, his hand squeezed your shoulder, while he used his other hand's finger to tap on your bracelet, before whispering. "Remember I'm always with you."
You let out a chuckle, before leaning in to kiss his cheek too, just because your heart told you to.
Some minutes after, Max asked the kids if they were done and and one by one, they started to tell everyone what they put on the paper, only if they wanted to. If the things they represented weren't too personal.
Max's turn arrived, as he took his own paper an cleared his voice.
"From this year's summer camp, even if it's not finished, I already treasure many things."
He looked down and actually began to read."I'm grateful for the people around me, and the satisfaction and happiness they give to me daily. I'm also very thankful because I found someone who made me feel emotions that I doubted on ever meeting." Max looked at you, smiling.
Your heart started shaking as much as your hands. Picking up your own paper, your swallowed down some stray saliva that formed in your mouth, leaving it dry. You took another deep breath, before reading out.
"I'm happy I am part of this year's summer camp because I learnt how much experiences can teach us and give us. I'm also thankful that..."
Your voice cracked, as Max's hand rested on your back, encouraging. You cleared your voice, staying strong.
"That I finally met someone that makes me feel seen and listened."
The kids didn't joke, laugh or anything. They were just as invested as the rest of you. For the first time, you and Max were talking about eachother without someone else teasing or making it less significant than it really was.
The kids have been sent to bed by the rest of the counselors, as you and Max started tidying up the table and the rest of the day's remains around the garden.
You put the box of markers back in the reception, where it was supposed to be, when Max came up from behind and patted your waist, making you turn and look up at him.
"Hey, uhm... do you want to stay outside for a while?"
Your heartbeat started matching the clock's hand ticking.
"Sure." You accepted, before his hand found his and he tugged you outside, almost forgetting to switch off the lights of the reception.
Soon enough, you and him sat in front of the campfire, as he released his grip on your hand to warm his up.
"Was the activity... I mean, did you like it?" He shyly asked.
You nodded eagerly, to convince him your words were honest. "Yeah! I did, it was so nice. A good idea."
Max nodded along, probably counting how many times the fire cracked, since he stayed silent for a while, before mentally counting down from three to one, and actually saying.
"I was talking about you,"
He confessed, before switching the direction of his gaze down to your side profile.
At those words, you felt your heartbeat speeding up even more, as you wondered if it was possible to die from euphoria.
He was talking about you. About how you made him feel emotions he didn't ever expect to get in contact with. You were the reason he found them.
And it was the same for you.
How did you get so lucky and blessed?
You couldn't help but uncover a sincere and genuine smile, before looking at him too. "I was talking about you too."
You saw how his gaze softened, his eyes probably letting out an invisible sigh of relief, as his shoulders relaxed too. His own lips curved up in a shy smile, before letting out a nervous chuckle.
"Yes. I was." You answered, calmly, even if you were mentally freaking out.
Max was in disbelief. It has never happened to him, someone he liked feeling the same way. The fact that he couldn't stop smiling made you laugh.
"You actually were?" He laughed too.
"Yes! I promise!" You said, nodding your head yes. Max let out an amazed "wow", while looking up at the stars and probably silently thanking God.
"I didn't..." He chuckled again, at his own nervousness. "I never thought you would... feel the same."
You smiled and scooted closer to him to calm him down, before wrapping your hand around his arm and looking for his gaze. "Me neither... I thought you were acting like that only for the kids."
"Only for the kids?" He frowned, making you laugh again, creating a whole symphony from your voice only.
"I don't know, I thought you were just playing with me."
Max shook his head and looked at the sky again, before gazing back down towards you, so close.
"Can I show you I wasn't playing?"
The request lingered in the air. The crackle of the burning fire was the only sound in the small hum, the orange embers dancing like tiny stars that had fallen to earth. The heat from the fire was intense, but it was nothing compared to the warmth radiating from Max’s side as he leaned in, his gaze dropping to your lips for a split second before locking back onto your eyes.
"Can I?" he whispered again, his voice barely audible over the snapping wood.You didn't trust your voice to answer. Instead, you gave a smal nod, your hand tightening slightly on his arm.
Max didn't rush. He moved with a gentle hesitation, giving you every second to change your mind, freely, until his hand reached up to cup your cheek. His thumb brushed over the spot where the orange face paint had been earlier that day—now clean, but still warm from the sun. When his lips finally met yours, the world around the campfire seemed to go silent.
The kiss was soft, imperfect, and tasted faintly of woodsmoke and the lingering sweetness of the marshmallows you’d roasted earlier. It wasn't the practiced, confident move of a "perfect" human; it was careful and sincere, a bit clumsy, but a silent confirmation of every racing heartbeat and stolen glance you’d shared over the past week.
As he pulled back just an inch, his forehead rested against yours. You could feel him let out a long, shaky breath—the sound of a man who had been holding his breath since Sunday morning.
"Definitely not playing," he murmured, a trace of his usual wit returning to his voice, though it was thicker with emotion now.
You laughed softly, the sound muffled against his skin, and tucked your head into the crook of his neck. The "Max" and "Y/n" bracelets clinked together as you reached up to pull him closer, the plastic beads a small, colorful reminder that while the camp week was ending, whatever this was between the two of you was only just beginning.
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