Andrew's head felt stuffy, and his body didn't feel like his own. He felt like he was floating through this experience, as he followed the blob that smelled like Maxwell.
"Did you take your pills?" He felt himself ask, concerned for the omega in front of him. He didn't want to hurt him. He never wanted to hurt him.
"Andrew, that's the third time you've asked. Yes, I've taken my pills. Stop worrying." Andrew couldn't help it. He really didn't want to hurt him. He knew something had changed within him. He felt hot, even though he knew he probably had frostbite or something close to it. He had a craving for…something, but he just couldn't put his finger on it, but knew that whatever he was craving, Maxwell had.
That terrified him.
Andrew was twice the size of Maxwell. He'd never seen Maxwell outside of a crisp dress shirt and pressed pants, but he had a feeling he wasn't built from muscle. He knew omega body types. Apparently, he'd slept with at least one, but he knew what his Mom had looked like. She had been soft, delicate. Squishy when she was at her ideal weight, and thin when she had begun to get ill. It was worse later.
"I just-"
"If you say you don't want to hurt me one more time, I am not held responsible for what I do to you in retaliation." That had Andrew coming to a halt. What did that mean?
"W-What would you do to me?" Andrew asked, as Maxwell led him through his house by the hand. Andrew really liked holding Maxwell's hand, since it was so small and soft, but he wasn't sure how Maxwell would take that. So he kept his mouth shut. Maxwell's sigh took Andrew out of his head for a moment.
"What would I do to you?" He repeated, as the view changed from blurry dark shapes to blurry white shapes. "What would you like me to do to you, Andrew?" Andrew nearly swallowed his tongue.
"U-Uh…" He stuttered, and Maxwell's laughter filled the air.
"I wish you could see your expression. You're frozen. Don't worry, I won't do anything you wouldn't want me to do. Honestly, most people who are in ruts don't remember everything that happens in them." Andrew felt a cold sweat break out down his spine.
"I-I don't want to forget getting back home, Max." Maxwell's hand tightened on his, giving it a squeeze.
"Your body is in flight or fight mode right now, Andrew. You are likely to remember everything until you relax, and then the rut will take over. Hopefully, the Doctor we've hired will get here before then, so that we can get you some medication to help. They'll also run some tests to make sure that your body is okay. Once you're better, better, I'll take you to a proper one. I just want you to have some privacy first." Maxwell chuckled. "Look at me, talking about privacy, while you're as naked as the day you were born." Andrew gave his hand a squeeze. He saw the Maxwell blob move before he heard the sound of water filling a tub.
"It's fine. I'm okay with you seeing my body, Max. I really am. Honestly, I'm just so…so sorry that you have to-" Maxwell's hand covered his mouth, and Andrew found himself frozen at the feeling of his skin against his own.
"Shut the fuck up, Andrew Knox. If you dare apologise for fucking anything right now, I am going to lose my shit. You did nothing wrong. Not a damn fucking thing. They're the ones at fault. You are not a burden to me. Do you know how worried I was? I fucking-" Maxwell cut off, and Andrew knew what he had to do. Forcing Maxwell to release Andrew's hand, he reached out, and pulled the smaller man against his chest.
"Shh. I'm here now. Everything will…it will be okay." Maxwell's shoulder began to shake, but Andrew knew the man was trying to hold it together. He sighed. "I can't see anything right now Maxwell." He told him. "They took my glasses." Maxwell let out a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a sob, and Andrew tightened his arms around him. He leaned forward, enfolding the man in his arms and stealing the warmth from him. Maxwell didn't seem to mind, pulling him tightly against him.
"I was…so worried about you." Maxwell's voice sounded tight, like he was fighting crying. Andrew frowned, but didn't say anything, letting Maxwell get it out. It did sound painful though. "When I didn't see you move for hours, I knew something was wrong. Honestly, I shouldn't have let you leave the house. I fucking hate that bitch. I wanna stab her eyes out. I want to make her life a living hell. How could she do this to you? She fucking-" Maxwell sucked in, cutting himself off, and Andrew didn't say anything about the dampness he felt against his skin.
He decided then he was never going to speak about Heather if he didn't have to. If Maxwell found out that he considered Tracey, the one he wanted to commit violent acts against, as the better of two, Maxwell might lose it for real. Knowing that both of them were probably very unstable right now, he would keep it to himself. He wasn't sure if he should ever tell him about Heather. Hopefully, the answer was never, and Maxwell would stay ignorant to the things that she had done to him when Tracey had left them alone in that cement room.
"I made it here, Max. I'm back." Maxwell rubbed his face against Andrew's chest, and Andrew's heart soared. It was fucking cute, and he was devastated that he couldn't actually see it happening. After a few moments, Maxwell sniffed, and pushed against his arms. Andrew slowly withdrew, but Maxwell quickly took his hand in his again.
"I need to check on the water." He muttered, and Andrew nodded. He felt his senses coming back to him the more he stood in the warm house. It was one of the few times it helped that Maxwell ran cold, since he kept his house at a balmy 20 degrees Celsius at all times. Andrew was more of a 15 degree kind of guy, so he always came over like he was going to the beach. He could tell Maxwell hadn't liked it, but now he was grateful for it.
"Thank you, Max." Andrew said, meaning every word. Maxwell tugged on his hand.
"Shut the fuck up." He muttered, and Andrew wondered what kind of expression he was making. He was disappointed he couldn't see it. He was sure those cute ears of his were turning pink. He really wanted to see. "The tub is full. Do you want some bubble bath in it?" He asked, and Andrew shook his head to clear it.
"Um, you have bubble bath?" He asked, curious. It wasn't something he had expected of the man. Maxwell huffed.
"It's relaxing." He defended, and Andrew felt a grin break across his face.
"Yeah? Well, that's fine. Do you have multiple choices, or just one?" He asked, and Maxwell hesitated for a second, before answering.
"They all smell like bubblegum." He muttered, and Andrew felt the laughter well up inside of him. He hadn't laughed in over a week, and this? This felt good. "Stop laughing at me." Maxwell protested, and Andrew couldn't stop the grin from crossing his face.
"You're just adorable. I bet you're blushing right now." Andrew said, and Maxwell smacked his arm, being careful to avoid the cuts and bruises all over his body.
"Stop making fun of me, you damn giant, and get in the tub." Maxwell led his hand to the edge of the tub, and chuckling, Andrew slowly got into it. His body stung all over as the water and soap touched his open wounds. His feet were the worst, since they were the first things in. He sucked in, and he could feel Maxwell's gaze on him. Andrew didn't react obviously, but he knew the man wasn't taking his eyes off of him.
Slowly, very slowly, he managed to lower himself into the water. Finding that the tub was quite large, Andrew slowly lowered himself further into the water, until just his head was above the water and he could touch the other side of the tub. He could hear Maxwell in the room with him, but he closed his eyes. He couldn't see him, so what good would it do to follow him with his eyes?
No, Andrew kept his eyes closed, and focused on the sting fading from his body as it warmed slowly. He could feel himself relaxing, and then immediately panicked about it. Maxwell had warned him that he could black out if he relaxed too much, and he did not want that. He wanted to be awake. He didn't want to lose more time. He already couldn't remember how he got from that fucking house to Maxwell's, which was a problem. If he couldn't remember where it was, they wouldn't be able to shut it down, or punish those fuckers.
So he couldn't relax.
For his sake, and for Maxwell's.