A/N: Not much to say about this one aside from this could be imagined as how Archie got his x-scar on his face. Happy (American) Thanksgiving! ~Kas


It wasn't right. They had been home for almost a day now and yet Archie was still so pale. He shouldn't look that pale. He should be running around and shouting and causing as much trouble as possible, not… not lying in bed and being still. Fighter was curled up on Archie's side, so protective over him, but still shooting those distrusting glances to Maxie now and then. Not that Maxie could blame her. It was his fault to begin with that any of this fell on Archie. If it hadn't have been for him and his big mouth…

It wasn't supposed to end up like this. It was a simple job for Team Rocket that should have taken them a day or two at most. It had all gone so fucking wrong, though, and Archie had jumped in front of Maxie without even fucking pausing- This was his fault. If he hadn't egged them on so much- If he had just kept his words to himself for once then Archie wouldn't be in this fucking bed. But… Fuck, if he hadn't left the damn base to begin with. He'd been so insistent on his own place, and they had to send a bodyguard with him. If it hadn't been for him, they would have been safe in the Team Rocket base, and Maxie probably would be a top scientist, and maybe Archie would be training new interns- Fuck, it had all gone so wrong.

This was all his fault and- "If you take another drink from that fucking flask, I'm throwing it out the window."

"Archie," Maxie startled, his drink sloshing slightly. "You're awake." The response this time was more of a groan than anything, Fighter whining and pacing back and forth on the bed.

"'M fine, 'm fine." Debatable. He still looked like death warmed over and his accent was so strong even Maxie was having a bit of trouble parsing out his words here and there. "Lie to me and tell me that's at least half full." Maxie gave him a small nod, setting it aside and running a hand through Archie's hair.

"How do you feel?" The other was arching into his touch at once, tension leaving him as he sighed softly.

"Like I got sat on by a Snorlax. I take it I look like it, too?"

"Oh- Oh, Archie, no, you look fine." Aside from… Maxie supposed that wouldn't ever heal.

"Oh, Arceus, I'm dying, aren't I? I have to be dying if you're complimenting me like that."

"Archie, shut up, would you? You're not dying," Maxie sighed. "You're going to be fine."

"And how long have you been telling yourself that?" Archie's voice was quiet and still as the ocean he loved before a storm and oh, dear. "You've been blaming yourself, haven't you."

"Archie…" He shook his head, taking his glasses off. "If it weren't for me-"

"Nope, no- Fuck that. Fuck that." Archie was sitting up and before Maxie knew it he was being pulled onto the bed - although Archie struggled a bit more than he normally would. "I knew what I was doing and none of this is your fault."

"Archie, if it weren't for me, they wouldn't have fought us to begin with!"

"Don't care." Archie wrapped an arm around Maxie's waist and pulled him in close, nosing behind his ear. "Still not your fault I'm hurt." Maxie sighed, only turning away from him. "Keep this up and I won't let you play nurse while I'm stuck in this bed."

"'Play nurse?' Is that what I've been doing?" There was choked laugher from behind him, but it was hard to get annoyed when Archie was pulling him closer and rubbing against him.

"Nevermind. I'll talk you out of your spiral later. Just- Just stay here, yeah?"

"I'm not leaving, Archie," Maxie murmured, back to playing with his hair.

"Good," Archie sighed, slumping against him and looking almost ready to fall back asleep. "Thank Arceus you're selfish."

"What?!"