(BL)Alpha Made-Chapter 275: The whole Beckett family ganged up on me

The next few days honestly weren’t that different from when Maxwell had finished up his heat.

Andrew was probably a little bit more on edge, a little bit more protective, but it wasn’t too different. He found that he was taking care of Maxwell more. Making sure he was eating, hand feeding him if Maxwell would let him.

What he did find that had changed was the emotional state of Maxwell. Maxwell had always been a little reserved, a little standoffish. Things had changed. Maxwell was slowly showing him his emotions outside of the bedroom.

It wasn’t as if Andrew hadn’t noticed it before, but it was like a dam had broken inside of Maxwell from them spending Andrew’s rut together. Maxwell was frowning as he worked, sighing when something frustrated him, pouting when Andrew wouldn’t carry him around when Andrew was busy.

Maxwell was the one who insisted that Andrew make him a little nest in the breakfast nook so that they could be together as Andrew tried to cook to do something while Maxwell caught up on a week’s worth of tasks that needed his specific attention.

It was...it was nice. Andrew wasn’t going to lie to himself and say he wasn’t over the moon that it was clear that Maxwell was opening up to him more. It truly was something that made him very, very happy. He just...wasn’t exactly happy with how they got here.

It was on day two of this new arrangement, when Andrew was still in the throws of his rut, that the phone rang. It was Maxwell’s, and Andrew rushed to check who was calling.

It was Maxwell’s parents. Luis was calling, and from the call, it looked like it was a facetime call. Andrew swallowed.

"It’s your parents, and they want to see your face." Andrew told Maxwell, who was typing away at his laptop from his little nook that Andrew had made him. It was full of Andrew’s clothes and scents, and Maxwell was even wearing one of Andrew’s too-big-for-him shirts. His shoulders were bandaged up, but Andrew was worried about how they would respond to that.

Maxwell did look rough still. He had changed out his collar for a different one since the velvet was covered in unmentionables. Andrew had blushed at the fond way Maxwell had looked at it, as he put it back into the box. Andrew had seen Maxwell’s bare neck for all of a few minutes and had felt his mouth water.

He wasn’t quite sane yet.

Maxwell looked up, taking in Andrew’s panicked expression, flour all over his apron, and grinned. He held out his hand, and Andrew went, summoned.

"I’ll answer first." Maxwell said, just as the phone went silent. Then, it vibrated again. They were calling again. Andrew flinched.

"Are you sure? I just..." Andrew trailed off and Maxwell laughed, patting a spot next to him.

"Baby, they adore you. It’s okay. If you don’t want to face them, that’s okay. I won’t let them treat you poorly over it." Maxwell promised and Andrew felt his heart squeeze. What a reliable man he was. Andrew could do this. He could muster up the courage to speak to them as they waited for the last of Andrew’s rut to leave and then they could go get tested. Michael said there was a way they could tell.

Andrew sat down next to Maxwell, his face pale, as Maxwell grinned, answering the phone.

The faces of Luis and Thomas filled the screen, a small window in the corner showing Maxwell, his lopsided shirt showing off the bandages that covered his shoulders, his expression relaxed, while Andrew’s reflection stared back at him. He winced.

Andrew’s darker skin next to Maxwell’s pale complexion, his amber gaze that truly did look monstrous. There was no emotion to his eyes, just a slight, reflective glow that even Andrew found unnerving. How Maxwell dealt with it this whole time was honestly a miracle. Even though Andrew had his glasses on, he still felt...other. The apron covered in flour didn’t dilute the image either.

Luis and Thomas looked completely normal. Both well dressed, composed, and not as messy as Maxwell and Andrew looked. Andrew felt his gut twist, worried about what either of them would say.

There was a beat of silence, as both groups examined the other. Andrew held his breath, wondering who would speak up first. It was Thomas who broke the silence.

"How far along is the rut? I’m a little worried since it’s taking so long." Thomas said and Andrew felt his chest squeeze. Maxwell reached over, taking Andrew’s hand in his own.

"It is his first real rut. It was bound to take a little longer." Maxwell defended, and Thomas nodded.

"Have you spoken to Dr. Smith about it? Is he at all concerned?" He asked and Maxwell glanced at Andrew. Andrew hadn’t let Maxwell and Michael speak over the phone. Only through text. He knew it was silly, and Maxwell smiled whenever Andrew stood over his shoulder and watched him message Michael, but he couldn’t help it.

In Andrew’s rut muddled mind, Michael was an attractive male alpha who Maxwell knew. His friendship with the man was put to the side in the face of his omega maybe leaving him. It was a silly thing, but Maxwell didn’t get upset, only teased him about it.

"Michael hasn’t brought the length of my rut up yet." Andrew confirmed, his voice sounding a little strained because of his tension. Thomas nodded, his gaze sliding between them. Andrew couldn’t tell what he was looking at, but he tensed nonetheless.

"That’s good to hear. You both look...to be in good spirits. Did...a doctor come to visit?" Luis asked and Maxwell laughed.

"You forget that I had a partially trained one at home, Mom." Maxwell joked and Luis’ lips turned up slightly.

"That’s right. I had forgotten in all of the confusion of the last two weeks. I see that you’ve been baking, Andy. Max, I assume you’ve been working? Your Father said he saw your icon logged in over the last two days." Maxwell nodded to his Mom’s words.

"Yes. Might as well get some work done that only I can do while I have some down time. It isn’t like we can get up to anything else." Maxwell joked while Andrew felt ill. Maxwell was pretty badly injured. Nothing broken, nothing torn. Just swollen all over. Andrew made sure to put disinfectant on his bites, but only time would tell if he was actually going to be okay. The handprint bruises were also....

"Andy, there is no need to look so ill. I know that this is your first rut, but I think you are doing a rather good job. We were worried that you wouldn’t even answer the phone." Thomas’ words washed over Andrew, making him swallow. He hadn’t expected this kind of support from Maxwell’s family, and when he looked at their expressions, both of them were calm, relaxed. Finding this humourous.

"I just..." Andrew dropped his head. "I’m sorry. I just expected you to get mad at me for the condition that Maxwell is in." Andrew muttered and it was Luis’ laughter that had Andrew jerking up to stare at the phone in Maxwell’s hand. She was laughing, covering her mouth with her hand, while even Thomas looked amused.

"Andy, we have two other boys. Both alphas, and only one of them is mated. Before Ben and Amir were bonded, it was rocky. Ben doesn’t have as much control over his urges as you do. He once lunged at Thomas, a mated alpha and his Father, because he got too close to Amir when he was near his heat." Luis told them. Maxwell chuckled.

"I remember that. Amir was horrified and yelled at Ben. I think it was the first time I heard him raise his voice at him." Maxwell mused, and Thomas chuckled.

"In the moment, it was quite shocking, but no different then when Andy growled at us that one night." Thomas said, before turning his gaze directly to Andrew. His eyes were kind, not as harsh as Andrew thought they were. "You’re doing a good job, Andrew. As a senior alpha, you are doing a good job. Maxwell looks well, he’s bandaged from whatever happened during the worst of your rut, and we both know that he wouldn’t be this content if he was angry about something you did." Andrew swallowed.

He didn’t realise how much he needed someone else to tell him that he was doing okay. That he was on the right track. Andrew’s throat closed up as his eyes watered and Maxwell shifted, putting the laptop down on the small table nearby before resting the phone against the screen. He checked on the angle, making sure that everyone could still see each other, just at a distance before he reached his arms up. He wiped at Andrew’s tears, comforting him even as Andrew knew it was causing him pain.

"Stop it." Andrew chastised, his voice heavy with his tears. "You’re hurting yourself." Andrew complained and Maxwell chuckled.

"Then lean down so I can kiss your tears away." Maxwell told him and Andrew sniffed, but bent. He knew how to listen well. The soft feeling of Maxwell’s lips against his cheeks as he pushed up his glasses, kissing his eyes, did soften some of his emotions.

Andrew was still having a hard time breathing, but it was more due to the fact that his affection for Maxwell was overflowing.

"What a big cry baby I have, hmm? What would your Mom say?" Maxwell teased, his voice warm and Andrew sniffed.

"She called me a cry baby too." Andrew told him, and that made not just Maxwell laugh, but Luis and Thomas too. Maxwell reached up, pinching his nose for a second, grinning. His face was close enough that Andrew could see it without his glasses.

"She certainly knew her son, didn’t she?" Maxwell mused and Andrew felt like crying all over again.

"I love you so much." Andrew gushed, unable to keep the words inside of him even while they were on the phone with Maxwell’s parents. Maxwell’s face flushed, his ears bright red as he laughed.

"I love you too." Andrew melted, reaching out and wrapping his arms around Maxwell, burying the other man’s face in his chest as he did so. Maxwell didn’t protest too much, just laughing.

It was shortly after his emotions had overwhelmed him that Andrew remembered that they were on the phone with Maxwell’s parents.

Embarrassed, he pulled away, glancing at them. They didn’t seem upset at all. In fact, they looked very, very pleased.

"Please let us know what season you want your wedding in, so we can begin planning accordingly." Luis stated, matter of factly. Andrew flushed while Maxwell laughed.

"Neither one of us has proposed yet, Mom." He told her, while Andrew’s head spun. Luis shrugged.

"That didn’t stop me from planning my own wedding. I think a spring or fall wedding would be nice. Maybe next spring so that you can have a bit more time. Granted, I can plan a wedding with only a few months to spare, but I think you two deserve a good, thoughtful plan. It helps to make it really feel like yours." Luis said and Maxwell chuckled again.

"Mom. Stop. You’re scaring Andrew." Maxwell teased and Andrew stuttered.

"I-I’m not scared, I just...I don’t have a ring yet." Andrew muttered and Maxwell paused, before a true, real grin reached his eyes. He pushed Andrew’s arms away, pulling his glasses down so that Andrew could meet his gaze.

"Hmm. Well, I can’t say the same." Maxwell teased, and Andrew grew even more flustered. "You better hurry. Who do you think is going to propose first, hmm?" Andrew thought his heart was going to beat out of his chest. Maxwell teasing him was a deadly situation in general, but teasing him about marriage?

Andrew was turning into a blubbering mess.

"You need to let me get you a ring as pretty as you first." Andrew practically sobbed and that only made Maxwell laugh.

"I think, it’s safe to say, probably next spring at the earliest." Maxwell told his parents who both were smiling widely.

"That works out. Amir and Ben’s little one should be with us then. You can have a little ring bearer for those pretty rings of yours." Thomas teased and Andrew wanted to bury himself in the ground. How embarrassing! They had witnessed everything.

Usually, Maxwell hated this kind of stuff. Instead of being embarrassed like Andrew, the man seemed smug. Proud. God, was it always going to be like this during his rut?