Freedom at Last (Maxwell x Reader)

{3} Frost bitten

"[Y/N]..? [Y/N[ Please wake up.." i heard a distressed voice above me.

for what seemed to be the third time, i opened my tired eyes. Maxwell was leaned over my body, holding onto my shoulders. he let out a sigh of relief when i rose up. he backed off of me so i could sit up properly, looking away slightly blushing. i shivered, feeling the cold ground below me. it was covered in a fresh layer of snow. had it really been that long? When Wilson and i had left for the ruins summer had just begun. i looked at Maxwell.

"How are we gonna survive this? its freezing!" i questioned. Maxwell looked at the ground.

"we'll.. we'll find a way." he said, not sounding like he believed himself much. "first things first, we need twigs and grass, i can see a few unharvested plants over there." he said, pointing to a small field. the two of us headed in the direction, harvesting everything we saw. Grass, Twigs, mushrooms and even a few berries, this will last us a good few days. i found a few stray pieces of flint on the ground, i grabbed some twigs and made a crude looking axe our of them. i handed it to Maxwell, as i wasn't very good with heavy work like chopping trees. he began cutting down some small trees as the sun started setting. i looked around for a safe place for us to camp for the night. i found a clear area with one large birchnut tree to provide minimal shelter. the two of us got a fire started just as day turned to night. we just sat in silence, he was roasting a couple of berries whilst i was weaving some rope out of the grass we collected. i shivered, the cold turning my pale cheeks a light shade of pink. i hadn't been used to this cold, at least without gear. the last winter Wilson had helped me make a thermal stone and a hat, but now i had nothing but this fire.

Maxwell shuffled over beside me and wrapped his suit jacket around me. i looked up to him, slightly concerned

"Maxwell..?" i said to him. 

"you.. looked cold, you need it more than i do." he said, his face heating up. "my apologies for getting so- er.. close. we need to share body heat, until we can make thermal stones we need to conserve as much heat as possible.."

I rested my head on his shoulder. "Thank you.." i said softly. my eyes grew heavy, i slowly drifted off to sleep. i felt Maxwell put his arm around me in a protective way. this is the safest I've felt in a long time. 

as i awoke i felt warm. very warm in fact. the sun had risen, but Maxwell still kept the fire lit. the sun rays beaming onto my face caused me to squint a bit. my face heated up more once i realized the position i was in. i was now laying down, my head on Maxwell's lap, his coat still around me. i sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"ah, good morning [Y/N], sleep well?" he asked in a sarcastic tone, knowing one can only get a decent sleep here. 

i nodded my head. "as well as i could on the ground" i said tiredly. he handed me a couple of cooked berries, i'm assuming the ones he was cooking the night before. i accepted and ate quickly. if we wanted any chance of surviving winter we need to use as much daylight as possible.

this routine carried on for about 15 days. we woke up, started walking around, gathering what little grass and twigs we could find and then falling asleep basically cuddling by the fire. i wasn't complaining, to be honest. There was something about Maxwell.. as bad as Wilson made him out to be, he was kind and caring. he seemed to care about my survival more than his own, giving me his coat and all.. and i'd be lying to myself if i said i didn't find him quite attractive. oh god.. am i falling for Maxwell?? 

we eventually came across a small herd of beefalo. the first signs of spring were starting to show. the birchnut trees sprouted bright green leaves, the penguls started to waddle off back to the sea, the baby beefalo from the last season were almost fully grown, it was truly wonderful. we collected as much grass as we could from the land surrounding the herd, as our supplies have run low. a tiny baby beefalo had come up to me, the rest of its herd staying away from me and Maxwell as they weren't used to humans. i looked at the little guy, he was nothing short of adorable. i knelt down, reached into my pocket and pulled out some cut grass, holding it out in front of me. the beefalo sniffed my hand cautiously before taking the grass and eating it. i smiled lightly, petting it on the head between it's growing horns. in the world you really have to appreciate the little things, its a good distraction from the thought of death lying around every corner. 

"i think it likes you, [Y/N]." Maxwell commented, kneeling next to the beefalo with me.

"what can i say? beefalo just seem naturally calm around me" i replied. it's true, ever since i came here I've always found comfort in the animals here. even when i'm on the brink of insanity i can find myself feeling much better when im around beefalo. there was a tiny herd near Wilson and i's base, after all. wait..

"i know where we are!" i suddenly exclaimed. Maxwell looked at me.

"how can you tell?" he asked

"this herd! its right near my camp! if we just head west we'll find it eventually!" i said excitedly, standing up from where i was kneeling. Maxwell soon followed after me as we started off westwards. after this everything became so much more familiar, despite the snow covering everything. as the sun was starting to set i saw it, the rickety stone walls and the crooked wooden gate, all our drying racks full of small morsels. i was home.

i saw Wilson standing  inside the base, looking through a chest. seeing him made me instantly brighten up. i sped up my pace, almost to a run. i got to the gate and started trying to get Wilson's attention.

"WILSON!! HEY!! I'M HOME!!" i basically screamed. he turned around with a look of shock on his face.

"[Y/N]...? [Y/N] You're alive!!" Wilson replied happily. he pulled me into a tight hug when i entered the camp, not taking notice of Maxwell.

"uh.. [Y/N]? we may have been followed." i heard Maxwell say. i turned around to see that baby beefalo that we fed earlier. 

"huh, he must've followed us in hopes of more grass." i said, kneeling down and petting it once again.

"wha- what is HE doing here? He's supposed to be dead!!" i heard Wilson question angrily. 

"Listen pal, ever since [Y/N] here freed me i've just been trying to survive." Maxwell retorted smugly. 

"Wilson, can we let him stay here? i kinda owe him for helping me survive winter. if it wasn't for him i'd have died of hypothermia days ago!" 

"..fine, but don't expect me to get along with him..." Wilson replied. i mumbled somewhat of an apology to Maxwell, he seemed to just shrug Wilson off. it was gonna be hard to stay alive with those two bickering all the time...