Work Text:
Archie knew something was wrong with Max, he had known since he started working with the redhead, he just didn’t know what and it annoyed the pirate.
There were times where Max seemed even more annoyed than normally, something Archie thought wasn’t possible with the sour expression the other wore so often. Yet, when Max seemed irrational, angry, pissed off and seemed to have all those negative feelings for no apparent reason, Archie felt worried about him. Something must have happened for Max to snap like this and without Archie knowing what it was, he was powerless to do something.
Archie hated being unable to help, being left in the dark and not knowing what’s happening around him.
One night though Archie had enough, going to investigate himself after another day of Max being not quite himself.
Sneaking down into the lab, Archie could by now find Max's office blind and apparently he wouldn’t be the only one in it.
“Hey Max-” Walking in, Archie was met by a rather weird scene. Max was sitting at his desk, an empty glass in front of him which he was filling with cough syrup (?), a bottle of grape-flavoured Fanta next to him, as well as a bottle of cheap looking whiskey. “-what are you doing?”
Max looked up at Archie, his expression shortly shocked, then annoyed again.
“I’m working. And you?”
“I was checking up on you- is that cough syrup?” Archie walked closer to the desk, getting a better look of the contents on it. Indeed, that was a bottle of cough syrup Max had just emptied into that glass, along with currently mixing in the grape Fanta.
“What do you care, get out” Max shot back, but Archie wasn’t one to give up so easily.
“Max I’m seriously more concerned about the fucking cough syrup-Fanta mix you got going on than the whiskey, what is that?” He pointed towards the glass, unsure if he should know what Max was doing.
“It doesn’t concern you. Now get out” Max took the glass, chugging its contents in one sip, setting the glass aside and leaning back, immediately seeming more relaxed.
“Are you taking drugs at work?” Archie now stood right in front of the desk, earning nothing but a sarcastic look from Max.
“The closest thing I can get to it, since I can’t exactly take cocaine at work now, can I, Archibald? Get out, this doesn’t concern you!”
“The fuck I will! Give me that!” Archie took the bottle of alcohol, quickly holding it outside of Max’s reach as the redhead tried grabbing it.
“GIVE THAT BACK!” Max yelled at Archie, clearly very distraught by everything happening.
“NO! Fuck off! Do you have anything else in that fucking desk of yours!?” Archie almost yelled back, but he knew better than that.
“GIVE ME THAT FUCKING BOTTLE! I PAID FOR IT, IT’S MINE!” Max got up, reaching across the desk for the bottle, but Archie just stepped back.
“To repeat myself, the fuck I will! That shit belongs to me now! Answer the fucking question Max, do you have anything else in your desk?!” If Max wanted to be a brat, Archie could be one too.
“NO! NOW GET OUT IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO GIVE IT BACK!” Archie pointed towards Max, trying his best for the anger which was currently bubbling up in him to not take over.
“Don’t you lie to me!” Archie was getting louder, louder than he intended to get.
“YOU HAVE TO RUIN EVERYTHING, DON’T YOU ARCHIE?! I HATE YOU, GET OUT OF MY FUCKING OFFICE!”
Archie stared at the angry redhead for a moment, unaware of Max walking towards him around the desk, trying his best to shove the pirate out.
Ouch. That hurt.
“I’m trying to fucking help you Max! You know what?! Fuck you!” Archie let the bottle drop on purpose, hearing it smash on the ground, Max’s eyes following it.
“WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!” Max looked back at Archie, suddenly starting to hit Archie, or more so trying to, as Archie simply grabbed Max’s wrists, holding them in place.
“Stop that!” Max wouldn’t stop, trying to break loose, trying to attack Archie. “I said stop it!” Archie had enough, the anger in him almost boiling over, so he simply shoved Max back, not expecting the other to have somehow turned them around, quickly losing his footing and falling directly into the glass shards of the broken bottle. Archie could almost see the shards digging into Max’s skin, cutting his hands and wrists open.
“Fuck! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-” Max looked at him, a look that spoke more words than Archie needed to understand that this was the end. He was supposed to leave and nothing could change that. “I’ll-... I’m sorry.”
The next day was weird, to say the least. Archie had felt responsible for everything that happened the evening before, so during lunch he went out and got Max a can of the redheads favorite energy drink, hoping maybe this would make the scientist at least talk to Archie.
Walking back into the office, he found it neat as ever, unsure of what he had expected, but it most certainly wasn’t a normal scene of Max sitting at his computer, working, with his headphones on, as if nothing happened.
“Hey Max” Archie slowly approached. “I got you something” He smiled, putting down the can, earning nothing but a quick glance from Max. Standing there, Archie inspected the desk, seeing the bandages around Max’s hands.
Fuck.
“Listen, I wanted to apologize because of yesterday. I was concerned but I overreacted and we’re… Arceus dammit we’re nothing more than colleagues, right? I clearly overstepped some boundaries and I wanted to apologize because of it” Archie simply stared for a moment, hoping for some form of reaction out of Max, before nodding, understanding he wasn’t wanted, turning around and walking out.
“Wait.” He heard behind him, clearly Max calling out to him. So Archie stopped, turning around, looking into Max’s disappointed face as the other slowly took off the headphones. “We’re more than colleagues. I want us to be more than that, I want us to be friends and as friends we should be able to trust each other. What happened yesterday wasn’t my finest moment, but I think it was a needed one. There is… a lot that I am dealing with and I would like you to help me deal with it.” Max hadn’t looked at him until now, slowly raising his gaze to stare directly into Archie's face. “My office after hours?” Archie simply nodded.
There it was, a smile. A genuine smile on Max’s face, who nodded as well, putting his headphones on and going back to work.
Archie was there, as promised, finding Max in that same position, only this time without headphones and the computer having been turned off.
Max immediately realized Archie had walked in, turning towards him, smiling.
“Hey” He started, pointing towards the second chair in the office. “Sit down. I have a lot to talk about” An awkward laugh escaped Max’s mouth, something that made Archie feel even weirder about this entire situation. He was unsure what would happen now, but sat down nonetheless, always eager to help Max any way possible.
The moment Archie sat down, Max started talking and talking and talking. Basically telling Archie his entire life's story.
He told the ex pirate about his time at college, about how he had been a party person. Archie almost couldn’t imagine it, stuck up Max at hardcore college parties? An impossible image in Archie’s mind. Max told him how his alcohol consumption had gotten more and more, at some point starting to even drink outside of parties, the same happening with the typical ‘party’ drugs Max had access to. Ecstasy, the stuff he made yesterday on his desk, apparently it was called Lean, even tranquilizers made their round, adding to the list of Max’s addictions.
“Alright… Anything else I need to know?” Archie asked, sitting up a bit more straight in the chair, trying his best to show Max he was paying attention.
“There’s… one more”
Looking at Max’s worried expression, Archie knew this one would be something even more serious.
“Hit me”
Max took a deep breath in before saying a simple word which would change their relationship forever.
“Cocaine”
Archie couldn’t stand this. Max was staying at his apartment for as long as he needed to, being under constant supervision by Archie. Yet, everytime the other managed to stalk out of his room, Archie knowing he had most probably spent all day sleeping again, Max's appearance got worse and worse.
“How’re you feeling?” Archie asked, putting down his phone onto the kitchen table, his eyes darting over to his tired colleague.
“I’m fine, stop asking me how I’m feeling all the time! I’m fine, I have this under control Archie!” Max didn’t look at him, his voice annoyed, angry even, before realizing what he just said. “Fuck, sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. I just- It’s- Arceus I’m just sorry-” Max rambled, only to earn a calm shush from Archie.
“It’s fine Max. I’ve done my research, I know it’s the withdrawal” Archie smiled, knowing right now Max needed all the support he could get. “You hungry?”
Max chuckled, a sound Archie could die for.
“Yeah, I’m really fucking hungry” Sitting down at the table, Max could watch Archie get up, walking over to the small kitchen, already having been prepared to cook something up for Max.
“Y’know this is just the start, right?” Archie asked, fully aware Max wasn’t the only one who’d have to suffer through the next months.
“I know.” Max’s voice was quiet, unsure, scared almost.
“You think you can do it?”
“No.”
Two weeks later, even though Max already started feeling a lot better after a week, they wanted to give Max’s body some time to rest, they tackled the next big hurdle, for which they decided to combine two of Max’s addictions.
Namely being tranquilizers and that lean stuff Archie had never heard about.
What Archie, and Max as well no doubt, underestimated largely were the effects of withdrawal.
Now, Archie wasn't new to people vomiting or being horribly sick, he had cared for the adults on the ship he grew up on often enough, should they have the displeasure of a horrible hangover. This was different though.
Hearing Max vomit from the bathroom, seeing him shake and sweat, a deathwish written across his face whenever Archie checked up on him, it was so much worse than anything Archie had seen.
They never talked in the bathroom. Max could barely get some water down without vomiting again, let alone actually talk, but even outside of the bathroom, they rarely talked. They both knew how the withdrawal affected Max’s mood, both knew it was better to just stay silent than somehow hurt their relationship over something stupid.
Archie had to admit one thing. The worst thing about this all?
Before they even started getting Max settled in at Archie's place, they had talked about how they’d approach this issue. Both agreed Max couldn’t just go from 100 to 0 overnight, he would have most definitely died from the pure shock his body would have gone through, so they decided to go step by step, addiction by addiction. This also meant Max would still indulge in his other addictions.
Archie couldn’t stand it. Couldn’t stand Max grabbing a bottle of liquor every time the tremors in his hands got worse again, couldn’t stand Max seeking comfort in alcohol or pills. The pirate really couldn’t wait for the day Max was sober.
Max’s ecstasy pills and pain meds were the next thing to be flushed down the toilet, so only the alcohol remained.
The next few weeks consisted of more stomach cramps, sweating, fatigue and insomnia, although there were also different situations.
Archie was making breakfast when Max stalked in, stiff, his blanket wrapped around him, sitting down at the island counter Archie was currently working on, immediately reaching for his bottle of whiskey stored on the counter.
Archie simply rolled his eyes, knowing better than to comment on it. Soon.
As he focused back on the eggs, Archie could see the bottle slip out of Max’s hand to the ground from the corner of his eyes, immediately grabbing paper towels, taking the pan of the heat and walking around the counter towards the now broken bottle.
“Don’t worry, accidents happen, I’ll just clean that up real quick” He smiled at Max before squatting down, swiftly grabbed by the other man.
“Stop that! Don’t touch it!” Max’s voice was weirdly angry “I can do that myself! I’m not some child, stop treating me like I can’t take care of myself! I’m sick of you and your games!” Archie stared at him for a moment before laughing.
“And what are you going to do against me? I can just put you in a blanket burrito and throw you on the couch and you couldn’t do anything against it!” Now Max didn’t seem to like this idea, his expression turning even more annoyed, although there was a sheen of red coating his freckled face.
“Try me, I dare you”
Oh, now this is what Archie wanted to hear.
He stood still for a moment, Max almost thinking himself to be safe when Archie grabbed the redhead, blanket and all, pulling him to the ground as softly as he could, getting to work on wrapping Max immediately.
Archie was surprisingly fast and efficient at wrapping Max up, mere minutes later able to pick a burritoed scientist up bridal style.
“PUT ME DOWN IMMEDIATELY! THIS ISN’T FUNNY!” A very spicy scientist that is.
“Oh please, you’re enjoying this too, aren’t you? You’re blushing” Max indeed was blushing, the red color nicely matching his hair.
“Whatever-”
He got better. So much better.
Archie knew he could do it. He had always believed in his husband.
So to now stand here in the middle of a cave, picking up that familiar smell even through the musky reek of whatever lived in this cave, it ruined Archie.
Who knew, maybe it was one of the grunts, maybe the smell didn’t come from Maxie.
Oh who was Archie trying to convince, he knew it came from Maxie.
Of course he knew.
Still, he needed to be sure.
Stepping forward, interrupting Maxie in the middle of his monologue, Archie grabbed the Magma leader, pulling him close.
“Leader Maxie-” A grunt rushed towards them, but Maxie simply put his hand up, signalling that Archie wasn’t attacking him.
All Archie did was press his nose in the crook of Maxies turtleneck sweater and take a deep inhale.
Maxie smelled just like Archie remembered him to. He smelled of volcanic ash, of those disgusting menthol cigarettes he kept smoking, of the cologne he used each morning, of alcohol.
He reeked of it, the smell of cheap whiskey oozing off of him.
“Seriously?” Archie whispered, his head still pressed into Maxie.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about Archibald.” Archie scoffed, almost laughing at Maxies mediocre reply.
Slowly wrapping his arms around his Maxie, Archie was once again forced to realize just how bony his ex-husband was.
Much to his surprise, Maxie, although hesitant, accepted the embrace, softly holding Archie.
“You’re really throwing away everything we had?” Once again whispering, afraid the wrong people could hear them, Archie feared the answer he’d get.
“We didn’t have anything.”
Fuck.
He could feel Maxie wanting to leave, wanting to let go, but Archie couldn’t. Not yet.
Holding Maxie tighter, Archie hoped he could prevent him from leaving, from slipping away from Archie again for a moment more.
“Just… Just a bit longer. Please Max, just a moment” Maxie complied.
It really was only a moment longer, nothing more than half a minute before Archie sighed, carefully stepping back, terrified to let Maxie go.
“You know this will be a war you can’t win, right?” Archie didn’t dare look up, rather eyeing the rocky floor, waiting patiently for Maxies snarky reply.
“Oh please, you wish. I know I will win.”
Not like that. Not without Archie.
Maxie couldn’t function without Archie and Archie didn’t see a point without Maxie.
His Maxie.
His partner, who he’d gotten through so much.
Now, it was all for nothing.
Arceus, should Archie ever get his hands on a Jirachi, he swears to everything holy, he would wish for Maxie to be sober again.