(long and anticlimactic, :( , next will be better)

~

"Sawyer-"

The tug at his sleeve made the southern boy pull his head back up from the busted counter. The house of age-made booby traps has filled the morning with enough ruckus with how Sawyer found himself halfway through the floor as he got up from the rickety bed. So he was a bit over the whole 'something else is wrong' thing.

Robin's bright blue eyes where blown wide as he chewed nervously at his bottom lip. He straightened up without thinking. This wasn't a nuisance, it was a little more unnerving than that. Robin seemed... Scared.

"Uhm... Maddox... Keeps..." Robin's eyes danced around the room. Flitting around nervously as his adams apple dropped, swallowing hard as he tried to explain himself with haste.

"...uhm... talking."

They looked at each other for a moment. Blue eyes staring into blue as they both seemed to blank.

"He's always talking now. What do you mean-?" The Hewitt boy stood to his feet. He didn't realize he was actually a bit taller than Robin, but the difference now only seemed to make Robin more nervous than anything.

"It's just that..." He swallowed hard again. Not even sure why this must be worrying him so much, but it was. "Just look-" He pulled more at his sleeve, dragging him through the Paperstreet house, the walls groaning as each step almost seemed to make the house shake.

Robin stopped a few feet away from the doorway to another room, hand extended in a 'look!' kind of way, only, he didn't actually say it this time. He didn't say anything of any sort of way. His lips where pressed tightly together as he looked up at Sawyer. Brows furrowed as they both listened.

"Robin needs to come back... I don't like that.... No, no, I can't.... What-" Robin put both hands over his mouth, or else he might've screamed with how Maddox's fluffy blond head popped up before they could move closer, eyes wide and curious as Sawyer felt his panic rise. He was shaking. Trembling from head to toe.

"Cowboy! Is your leg okay? I saw it in my room when I woke up!" His mouth hung open in a curious, almost ditzy sort of way as he waited for an answer, not like he usually was at least. He also seemed to not acknowledge that he was talking to himself either, or the fact that he was shaking like he was left outside in the middle of winter for the warm fall day it was inside and out.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine Mads... Are you alright?" He took a step closer, noticing how blown wide his pupils were the closer he got to him, it was hard to tell from where he was just standing with Robin, since his eyes where almost that pitch black brown on a normal day, but the thin ring of iris clearly stood out as he looked at him. Grip tight on the aged doorframe.

"Yeah. Hey, do we have anything to drink? Not my chocolate milk though, that mine. Something else." He smiled. Robin creeping up behind Sawyer, holding onto his shirt the way Maddox usually does instead. Muttering something that just barely reached the other boy's ears.

"He's sweating... Like a lot."

And he was. Maddox's tank top was stuck to his chest, soaked through, his skin dewy as the wisps of blond hair near his hairline were plastered to his forehead. In horrible fascination did Sawyer follow a drop down his face.

This was a little more than he expected.

"I-I...." Sawyer swallowed hard looking at him. If he didn't know any better about his kid, he would have thought he was some sort of junkie in a back alley, asking him for cash for another hit instead of something to drink. "Uhm... ELIAS... I think we have some things in the kitchen..." He called out to see if he could call him down without having to leave him alone. Carefully holding out his hand that Maddox quickly took with his shaking one. Squeezing with strength he didn't look like he had.

"Robin. Check the fridge for me please." Sawyer nudged him as Maddox slowly walked forward. Looking almost as if he was trying to not fall over as he laughed a bit at his own clumsiness. To little resistance, Robin bolted straight to the kitchen as they carefully made their way there.

He was radiating heat. Almost as if he had some sort of crazy fever. But he seemed too... Unbothered... He smiled, eyes not for one moment drifting off of his face as Sawyer begged that Elias would get downstairs faster.

"Are you sure you're alright Maddox? You look like you're sick. Maybe Elias can take us to-"

"It's okay, this happens sometimes. I just need to get that drink. I don't want to keep them waiting." He interrupted without a care. Suddenly looking back down the hall. Sawyer did the same, not sure what he was looking back for as his pace slowed.

"Mads. I'm not joking you look-"

"You have really pretty hair... I wish mines was that dark..." The blond tilted his head as his breath grew ragged. His grip tightened on his hand as his smile fell, mouth parting to try and bring in more air he was suddenly not getting. Looking down the hall in a squint . Trying to keep moving forward. But suddenly tripping as Sawyer moved to catch him. "Do we have... Orange... Jui..."

His words started to slur together as he grew slack. Eyes rolling up into his head as he panted, passing out in Sawyer's arms just as he called out for Elias again, struggling to hold up his weight as they both slowly sunk to the floor, the urgency and panic in his voice stirring everyone up just as the Durden boy rounded the corner, skidding to a halt only to run over too his side.

+

"Elias we need to get him to a hospital-"

"We can't go out right now. The hospital is too far away... They're still looking for us, Sawyer. He'll be fine." Elias muttered as they both stood in the doorway of the room he was staying in, the one he's been holding himself up in these last few days. His fever had gone down slightly, and everyone worried over what could have possibly happened. Robin seemed the most tense out of everyone. Chewing at his nails as he sat by the cot they tried their best to make comfortable for him. Every so often changing the damp towel over his head to keep him cool.

"He was talking about getting someone something to drink." Sawyer said lightly, hoping it would clear something up between the three of them, to make some sort of sense of what this was about. Not that much of what the blond said before hand made sense.

"Did he say who?" Elias watched the sudden twitch that came over Maddox. But he seemed to only flinch in his sleep, and nothing more.

"No... It was like he didn't want to say." Sawyer muttered. "I don't think... He's the kind of kid to... I don't know... Abuse?"

"He's not." Robin piped up. Brows furrowed as he looked at the ground. "I think... I think he's missing some medicine."

"Medicine?" It was almost questioned in unison by the other two boys as they felt their focus shift from one kid to another.

"Do you guys even know where Maddox grew up?"

Elias pursed his lips. He knew enough to realize that this might not have been as easy a problem to deal with as he thought.

Maddox flinched again. This time, much harder. Robin stood up, just barely touching his arm to make sure he was still asleep when he bolted upright so quickly everyone in the room took a step back. Not at all prepared for the terror he wore on his face as the tears suddenly began to stream. A sudden sob raking through his chest as he thrashed about, grabbing Robin as Sawyer bolted forward, trying to get the boy out of his grip as he pushed him behind him. Shaking his head in a flurry as he tried to keep him away, almost in a terrified... protective... manner.

"I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T WANT TO THEY'RE MINE I WON'T!" He cried out. Dark eyes flying around the room in a panic as he cried, still shaking as he grabbed Sawyer's hand. The both of them struggling against each other until Maddox seemed to finally hear Sawyer yelling at him. Asking him what the hell was wrong, screaming for him to calm down as Elias grabbed him, pulling him away from them both and pushing him back into the creaky cot.

Staring blankly at the three as the worry and fear across their faces became painfully clear.

"O-Oh..." He mumbled weakly. A terrible dream... Bad one like he hasn't had in ages. "Oh..."

Sawyer looked over Robin from where he stood, frozen in the corner he was so quickly backed into. Trying to process what he was screaming about as he watched the Daniels boy ease out of whatever outburst that was. His shaking a lot less now. Breath a lot more even.

"Are you okay?" Robin swallowed hard after asking. Watching as Maddox wrapped his arms around himself, he wasn't wearing a shirt since they took it off to cool him down, and it seems like he finally felt it. His blond head falling to his chest as he let out a shakey breath. He hadn't felt this good in a long time.

"Yes..." He said quietly. "I'm sorry, Cas... I-I... I got scared..."

"This is a lot more than that. What's all this Maddox? This sort of thing doesn't just happen. Does it?" Elias looked him over, going so far as to check his arm for tracks. Pulling one away from him but finding nothing of that sort-

Instead, his eyes fell on the scars across his sides. Swallowing hard before letting go of him. No one speaking in the silence as Robin brushed Sawyer off. Looking back at the blond boy with trepidation. They all were. Not sure what to do or help with when he won't tell them anything. Maddox didn't think twice about it. He felt fine. He knew he was fine. He felt-

"W-When I was a kid... I got... Sick... a lot like this." He never knew why. He never visited the doctors. He only stayed with Mister... He told him it was something he could fix. And for a long time, it was, he hasn't had those feelings in such a long... Long time. "I'll be fine. It doesn't last long... I didn't think it'd happen anymore..." He said quietly. Voice shakey, but clear, enough at least to tell be was done with whatever had just come over him. "I-I'm just a little thirsty..."

He stood up, able to balance on his feet pretty well as he shuffled out without another word.

By the end of the evening. He was fine. A bit... Tired looking... But fine. Entirely back to his off balance and childish self. Smile a little wider, and eyes just a bit more clear.

~

parabellums
SqoobySnaqs
rosedaIe