Page 14 of Aftermath

Austin barely refrained from rolling his eyes. As desperate as he was for an escape, he wasn’t stupid. There was no way he could defeat a man while cuffed behind his back, not to mention the madman had a gun.

Their kidnapper only chuckled. "I suggest you get creative, then."

There was no finesse or gentleness about it. Austin was forced to drag Cam back into the cell by his feet, and he nearly dislocated his shoulder in the process. It took time, and he couldn’t imagine the pain Cam was in.

The lamp in the ceiling above their cell didn’t provide much light, but Austin could still make out darkening bruises, bloody cuts, and swelling on Cam's battered body.

The door was closed behind them, and the hatch slid open next. "Uncuff yourself then him." The madman tossed the two keys on the floor, and Austin squatted down to pick them up. "Put the cuffs on again in front of you. Evan can be free of his while he sleeps the day off."

Austin dropped his cuffs on the cot next to him, then stood up and glared at the man on the outside. "Why should I put them on again?"

"I'd think Evan would want sustenance soon. Wouldn’t you?"

"Fuck," Cam rasped in a whisper from the floor, "f-fuck you."

"Very well." The psychotic creep nodded. "No food or water for either of you until you're both cuffed." That said, he threw in the medical kit, shut the hatch, and left the basement.

Austin released a breath and let his eyes travel down Cam's body. The scars and the tattoos made him unique. The muscles that were slowly rebuilding made him look strong. Good food made him look healthier. But he was still vulnerable, no matter how Cam hated to admit that.

Austin was unable to deny that he actually found Cam beautiful.

Perfect with all his imperfections.

As Cam sleepily mumbled about "Psycho" throwing him around in that torture room, he turned onto his side, his front facing Austin, and Austin brushed his fingers over Cam's right wrist that was now wedged between them.

He hoped the scars from the handcuffs wouldn’t be too deep, but he had a feeling that was a pipe dream. Austin was getting rid of his bandages the day after tomorrow, but Cam had another few days to go.

In captivity, they had patched each other up as best they could. They'd been each other's nurse, doctor, shoulder to cry on, and punching bag. Because it'd be a lie to say Austin and Cam got along from the beginning. They still butted heads, especially with Austin's newfound anger and Cam's short fuse, but they made it work somehow.

Austin hoped they'd be able to patch up each other's emotional wounds, too, even if it was going to take years.

Austin sat down next to him on the cot, worried as hell that Cam would have a full-blown panic attack. Slowly, he pulled off Cam's shirt to inspect the damage.Jesus Christ.Oh, there was damage, all right. There were also countless tattoos.

"Lie down," he murmured, gently pushing Cam back. The younger man obeyed silently, his breathing still irregular, and his eyes wide open. "Can you tell me where it hurts the most?"

He rummaged through the medical kit, locating some antiseptic cream and a couple sterile pads.

When Cam failed to answer and began hyperventilating, Austin scooted closer and automatically cupped the other man's cheek, but the gesture felt too intimate. It was something he'd do to comfort his wife or baby girl, not a grown man.

As he moved his hand to Cam's shoulder instead, he started to speak quietly, words of no importance, but hopefully they'd be enough to distract Cam from whatever hell he was suffering internally.

At the same time, he cautiously ran the washcloth over Cam's wounds. Luckily, the water in their bucket was still relatively clean, and Austin wanted to get rid of as much blood as possible before starting with the pads and the cream.

He'd already scooped out two tin cups of water for later use; he figured Cam would need to drink soon. They both would, trapped in this humid hell, but Austin could probably go without for longer than Cam could.

He continued to speak about trivial things as he cleaned Cam's upper body. He absently spoke about his daughter when he noticed the violent wince Cam gave the second Austin came in contact with his ribs, and he murmured a low curse. Was anything broken? Because they were shit out of luck in that case. There was nothing Austin could do if there was a fracture. Antiseptic cream, pads, bandages, and a small suture kit would only help with superficial wounds.

Truth be told, Austin didn’t know for whose benefit he kept talking. Maybe it was for himself—to keep memories and his own identity alive and real—and perhaps it was to give Cam something else to focus on. Regardless, when he registered a slight change in Cam's posture and his breathing, the reason didn’t matter. Cam was starting to relax;thatwas important.

By the time Austin had done his best to wipe away blood and sweat, the water in the bucket was tinted dark pink in the florescent light from above them.

"Who the fuck," Cam coughed, "names their d-daughter Riley?"

So, that’s what he's found to focus on, Austin thought wryly. "Glad to hear you're still the polite ol' you," he drawled with a shake of his head. "AndInamed my baby girl."

After his little brother who had died of leukemia as a child.

"I didn’t say it was ugly, did I?" Cam got defensive. "Just, you know…" He shrugged, which hurt. "It's a boy's name."

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