Real dad {dadvid CC}

Chapter 6: arrival

David POV:
I when I finally got back home, I turned the key to my tiny cottage like home, and was welcomed with a scent of old times.
I stepped in with my suit case and
I was exhausted, all these emotions were running through my mind. The constant thought that max wouldn't be okay, and how he's feeling made me wonder why I cared so much.
I cared very deeply for this child, he was one of the main reasons I tried so hard at camp. I felt like I failed him. I wanted so badly to give him happiness, yet every night he'd cry himself to sleep.
I decided if I called Gwen that maybe we could talk about this to make me feel better. Gwen was someone who I could always talk to, my best friend.
But before I could even tap the button to call Gwen, I heard a knock on my front door. I assumed it was the pizza that I had orders since I emptied my fridge I left for camp.
But when I opened the door it wasn't pizza. It was a small child with a blue hoodie.
He looked up at me and spoke

"I'm ready to talk."
His face was horrible, he had bruises everywhere, cuts, scrapes, and not to mention the tears pouring down from his face.

"M-max..?" I stuttered in shock

"It's fine David..I knew you would just push me away like the others.." he said turning around to walk away.
I grabbed the young boy, and pulled him into my house.

"Max it's 10:30 at night, what are you doing here?!" I asked him with a scared look.

He just looked at me with his eyes widened and began to sob. He sat down on kitchen floor and began so sob into his arms. He was visibly shaking and seemed be in trouble. I knelt down and pulled him into a hug.

"Max, what happened?" I asked in a soothing voice while stroking his back for comfort.

"I-I can't s-stay with my parents any longer..." he said into his arms.

"What do you mean? Did they do this to you?" I said lifting his chin up directing to his injuries.

"If I told you...would you be mad...?" He asked while more tears came down his face.

"No! Of course not max! Who did this to you?" I asked in a panic.

"M-m-my parent-ts" he said crying into my shoulder.

"Max," I said holding him tighter.
"Why haven't you told me?" I asked holding the small child.

"I-I didn't want them to get mad at me...you don't know what they do when they're mad...." he said with a sob.

"Shhh...it's ok" I said with a soothing voice, as I scooped up the crying child and gently sat him onto my sofa.

"Okay max, lets get your face fixed up." I suggested walking to my bathroom and getting a med kit.

I put medical gel on his cuts,  wrapped them up with bandaids, and got some ice for his bruises.
I then noticed he had some sort of limp, he told me he had sprained his ankle, but didn't tell me how.

Once the pizza got here, I offered him a slice but he declined.

"Max, please eat." I said in a stern and hopeful voice.

"O-okay" he whimpered.

I was surprised to hear max obey my orders for once. Maybe he was just grateful that I helped him, or maybe he was just desperate enough.
When I went to serve him a plate on the couch, I found he was on the floor. He was watching the nature Chanel while curled up.

"Max, you know you could sit on the couch." I said gesturing to  the couch.

He just looked at me with his head tilted.

"W-what? I thought couches were only a privilege...." he quietly spoke.

"No, couches aren't a privilege, TVs are a privilege." I told him, confused on why max thought so. It was strange, most kids would just grab the remote and struggle in giving it back. Max was different.