A whole other day had passed, and Maxwell was ready to lose his fucking mind. He'd had his Father's phone number pulled up onto his phone screen, but had backed down. Frustrated, he had gone outside on the back porch to smoke. It was the only thing giving him temporary relief given the circumstances. He knew Andrew would probably be mad at him when he got back, but that wasn't a concern until he got back.
"Fuck. Andrew, where are you?" Maxwell murmured, taking a drag from his cigarette before exhaling slowly, staring into the small woods surrounding the back of his property. He sighed, staring out towards the woods. He couldn't bring himself to look towards the front of his house, since all he would do was stare at Andrew's balcony, hoping that the lights would turn on, and then this would all be a funny memory.
He took another drag, about to put out his cigarette when he heard some unusual rustling from the woods. He froze. The alphas that normally bothered him hadn't been around because of Andrew, but it had been over a week now. What if it was one of them? Narrowing his eyes, he tried to see if he could pick out anything, but found he was only straining his eyes. That was, until a large shadow broke off from the treeline.
It was a man. A tall one at that. There weren't that many people who were that height without being alphas, and Maxwell's heart began to race in his chest. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck! Panic began to fill him, he snuffed out the cigarette and fumbled for the flashlight that he always kept near the door. Usually, pointing out that he knew they were there was enough to scare them. He hoped this was going to be the same situation. He was in no shape to deal with a stalker today.
Fumbling for the button, he turned the flashlight on, before turning it towards the shadowman.
At first, he wasn't sure what he was seeing. Was that…bare skin? What kind of lunatic would be walking around butt naked in this weather? Moving the beam, he accidentally scanned down, and the blood left his face. The man was hard as a fucking rock! Who the hell was he? Scanning up, Maxwell thought his heart was going to jump into his throat. He threw the flashlight to the ground, and began to run.
"Andrew? Andrew!" Maxwell shouted, racing towards the man who was stumbling towards his backyard. He pushed open the side gate, rushing towards the man who was in the nude, without his glasses, and did not look well. As soon as he got closer, he began to unwrap the scarf he had on around his neck, as he was able to take in how he really was.
"M-Max?" Andrew's voice was soft, and broke something inside of Maxwell. He was covered in cuts, and he wasn't wearing anything on his feet either. They looked like they were bleeding, and badly at that. No wonder he was stumbling. His fingers were pale, probably from the cold, and Maxwell approached him and wrapped the scarf around his neck. It was nothing compared to how fucked up he was, but it soothed a small part of him.
"I'm here Andrew. I'm here. You made it." Tears began to fall from Andrew's eyes, and Maxwell's heart shattered. That was when something odd happened. A scent washed over Maxwell, and confused, Maxwell looked at Andrew. Andrew wouldn't stop crying, and Maxwell pulled him in for a hug. "You're okay. You made it here." Maxwell comforted easily, and Andrew slowly wrapped his arms around him, giving him a squeeze that was far too tight. Too strong.
Maxwell's body began to tingle the longer he smelled the scent, and when he finally realised what it was, horror filled his bones.
"Max, I waited. I waited for you. Then something happened. Max, what's wrong with me? My body hurts. I don't know what's wrong. Am I…am I a monster?" Andrew's words filled Maxwell's chest with dread. There was no fucking way that crazy bitch actually did it. But the scent alone was proof that she had. Andrew smelled…like an alpha. Not only that, but an alpha in rut. Fuck.
"You are not a monster, don't even entertain that thought. Come on, let's get you inside. You're frozen. I need to take care of your wounds, too." Andrew didn't want to let Maxwell go, that was clear, but he did, and Maxwell, who also didn't want to let Andrew go, took his hand in his, and led the way slowly, knowing Andrew's feet were messed up. The two of them waddled towards the lower entrance, all the while Maxwell was trying to decide on who he should call first. His assistant, or a doctor.
He decided on both. He'd get his assistant to call a doctor for Andrew, and get rut medication. Whatever that bitch had done, it was done, and now he was just going to have to help Andrew through it. He needed to take his own medication just to be safe, so neither of them made a mistake. Ruts made one lose themselves, just like heats did. He didn't want to ever see Andrew wake up and be horrified if the two of them had done something. Maxwell never wanted to take advantage of Andrew while he was weak, and scared. He knew Andrew would have the same thought if their roles were reversed.
"Max? Are we at your house?" Andrew asked, and Maxwell felt his shoulders relax.
"Yes, we are. You made it." Maxwell glanced over his shoulder to find that the man was still crying, but he was glad to see that it was relief this time, and not fear. He was still an ugly crier, which made Max smile, but it fell off of his face quickly. He needed to take care of him first, before he could think about revenge.
They made it to the door, and Maxwell led Andrew inside. He handed Andrew a towel, since a tissue wouldn't do anything given how much he was crying, and Andrew pressed it against his face. It gave Maxwell enough time to grab his phone and emergency pills, before coming back to his side. Neither of them wanted to be far away from the other. He slipped his hand back into Andrews, while he rapidly messaged his assistant. A few seconds after the text went through, his phone went off, and Maxwell knew it was him.
"Mr. Beckett, are you sure you're alright? You're alone with an alpha in rut, how are you still sane?" Maxwell wanted to ask that question too, but he wasn't going to. Andrew clearly hated alphas, and now he'd been forced into becoming one without his consent. That much was obvious to Maxwell, and there were other things to be concerned about. Like the state of Andrew's body. He was skinny, he had clearly lost muscle mass, there were bruises and cuts all over him, and he was fucking naked. What had those monsters done to him?
"Andrew would never hurt me. Besides, I think his body is in shock. I can't even smell him that much." Maxwell told his assistant. "Just…get here quick if you're so worried, but make sure it's a doctor who can keep a secret, especially from my parents. I'll tell them eventually, but I want to respect Andrew's privacy. He's a victim in this, and I want him to have the comfort of healing before we prod him." Maxwell sighed. "I have my emergency pills, which I will be taking right after we end this phone call." He told him, and his assistant sighed.
"Alright sir. I respect your judgment, and you haven't been wrong before. I should be there with a doctor within an hour, so please, keep your distance." He warned, before hanging up. A sniffle made him look up, and he found Andrew's big, brown eyes staring down at him.
"Am I…causing you harm?" He asked softly, and Maxwell forced himself to smile, even if Andrew couldn't see it clearly. He gave his hand a squeeze.
"No, Andrew. I'm fine. That's what the pills are for too. I don't think you would hurt me." Maxwell told him, and Andrew's expression softened.
"C-Can I get a bath? I'm freezing." He asked, and Maxwell nodded.
"I was planning to run you one. Come on, I'm just going to take my pills, and we'll go to the bathroom." Andrew froze.
"Are you going to get in the bath with me? That's not safe. Your assistant just said so." Maxwell didn't take it to heart that Andrew had heard his conversation. The man had just had a horrific crime committed against him. He had no idea what changes had happened to his body since then.
"Andrew, neither one of us wants to leave the other alone right now, right?" Andrew slowly nodded, as if he wasn't sure he wanted to admit it. Maxwell bit his lip, frustrated that he found the man cute, even in this situation. "So I'll just stay in the bathroom with you. I won't get in the tub. I'm fully dressed, unlike someone else." Maxwell teased, and Andrew's grip tightened on his hand.
"...They did it because I wouldn't stop throwing up." He mumbled, and a rage so fierce pierced Maxwell's heart that he thought he was going to have a heart attack. They fucking what?
Maxwell had to take a few deep, calming breaths, before speaking.
"Well, we aren't them, and we never will be. Come, the bathroom is over here." He tugged on the larger man's hand, leading him towards the bathroom. Andrew's breaths were coming in pants, and Maxwell knew that the sooner his body was up to temperature, and he wasn't in a fight or flight mode, things could get dangerous for him. At the same time, he didn't care. Andrew came first.
Andrew would always come first.