(BL)Alpha Made
Chapter 52: Good news, bad news

Chapter 52: Good news, bad news

A week of classes had happened, along with the first therapy session, and everything appeared to be going smoothly. Andrew was slowly getting used to his own body, even if things were starting to take a turn.

A few things had started to go...strangely for Andrew’s body, but the most pressing was the fact that Andrew’s gums had started to hurt, and he slowly was realising he was a terrible patient. Michael was having a hard time managing him, and he couldn’t blame him. Andrew was the worst kind of patient.

One who had a vague understanding of the lingo and terms Michael would use on him, and hated it. Michael really had his work cut out for him, so Andrew made sure that Michael had a lot of baked goods to eat while he dealt with Andrew. It seemed to be taking the edge off.

Michael still hadn’t found a dentist that fit his criteria, so they were out of luck in that regard for now, which was why Andrew wasn’t bringing up his sore gums. He didn’t want to send the already stressed out Michael into a spiral. The man was doing so much for him. He didn’t want to cause him more problems.

The therapy session had been...interesting. It had been as Maxwell had described. There was a secure link that was sent out about 20 minutes before the session was supposed to begin, and Andrew didn’t turn his camera, but did turn on his mic. Maxwell and Michael sat in on the first session because they worried, but it seemed normal. It was kind of like an AA meeting, at least the ones portrayed in movies.

They went around a circle and introduced themselves, at least their first names, and how long they had been manifested. Andrew lied, but only about the fact that he had manifested naturally, everything else he told the truth about. It was a nice thing, to talk to others about a shared interest. Andrew could tell that the more time he spent with these guys and talked to him, the more he would feel comfortable in his skin.

They spent quite a bit talking about how overwhelming smells were, and Andrew divulged what happened to him. The others were shocked, and praised everyone’s quick acting in the situation. Andrew felt bad, but the leader of the session talked Andrew out of feeling guilty. Andrew had been a beta before, and if he’d been a normal alpha, he wouldn’t have had such a strong reaction. There was no one to blame in this situation, but there were people to be grateful for. He should focus his feelings into those people, the ones who cared.

It had left Andrew feeling warm and tingly inside. Maxwell and Michael agreed that it was a good program, and they would continue it. Andrew had a feeling his opinion mattered, but not as much as he hoped as the two discussed him like he wasn’t in the room. It was alright though. He knew they meant it in the nicest way. They just wanted what was best for him.

It was on Friday of that week that two things happened.

The first was a very good thing. Maxwell’s Father finally finished his fake identity so that he could work in Maxwell’s company. His new identity was an alpha named Dr. Albert Nice. Andrew had laughed when he’d heard what they had come up with. Maxwell’s father had wanted to brag that they had hired Andrew, but with the current situation going on at his ’former’ company, this was the best they could do. An idiot could understand that they had just hired Andrew, but that was the whole point.

Andrew’s ’former’ company was so far in the wrong that they couldn’t say anything about what the Becketts’ did. If they did, Maxwell and his Father would immediately snap their lawyers on them for Andrew’s falsified guilty verdict and dance around the fire they set off in the company. Not to mention, the whole Tracey situation.

But it was a good thing since that meant Andrew could start working again. It was a big deal, since he was slowly feeling like he was going stir crazy. He’d have to go through a basic introduction, and make sure he was ready to do everything he could in the lab, since it was going to be a different area of work then what he had done before, but thankfully, it involved little interaction with others.

That would help Andrew when it came to releasing his own pheromones.

He had been working on it, but with his emotions still all over the place, Andrew was having a hard time. It was even harder since Andrew was used to being perfect at everything, and everyone who watched him knew he was getting frustrated.

Which is why the second piece of news came as a bit of a shock.

Maxwell’s Father had come in person to deliver the news, and Maxwell had been hovering over Andrew’s shoulder like a hawk, making sure that his own Father didn’t step out of line. From the weary smile on Mr. Beckett’s lips, he knew he didn’t have a leg to stand on when it came to complaining about his treatment. He had made Maxwell’s partner cry, and it had softened him to the man when he’d seen how he’d treated Maxwell with his own eyes.

Which was why he was having a hard time getting the words out.

"Your Mother...has demanded both of you at dinner tonight." Andrew froze, while Maxwell’s jaw dropped.

"What?" The fury wasn’t hidden in Maxwell’s voice. Maxwell’s Father winced.

"I tried, I really did, but she would not budge. If you do not come, she will halt all funding for the project we wanted Dr. Knox to work on. I had no idea she had full control of it, but she does, and she means it." Maxwell’s hand trembled, before he clenched it into a fist. Andrew, sensing his growing rage, grabbed Maxwell’s clenched hand and without much thought, pressed a kiss against his knuckles.

Maxwell’s Father watched in amazement as his normally nuclear son calmed with just a touch, and he sighed. He wished he could have just shown this to his wife, instead of what she had planned.

"But Andrew can barely control his emotions! What if he-"

"I tried to tell your Mother that as well. I’ve been keeping up with all of Dr. Smith’s notes, but she was rather insistent. She said that ’if he plans to live with another man, he better bring him to meet us, or else.’ I am terrified to find out what else she could have planned." He closed his eyes, before delivering the final blow. "She also...invited your brothers, and their partners." Maxwell groaned, and pressed his face into Andrew’s shoulder. Andrew, for his part, was still reeling from being invited to a family dinner.

It’d been ages.

"Should I...bring something?" Andrew asked the two Becketts, and Father and son gave him a strange look.

"No? Why would you do that?" Maxwell asked, and Andrew’s cheeks flushed.

"Well, I don’t want to make a bad first impression on your Mother." Neither had the heart to tell him that he’d already had. Just being around her omega son had predisposed her to dislike him. Mr. Beckett scratched the back of his neck, before he sighed.

"She likes flowers. Specifically ones that are bright and showy. I’ll suggest-"

"No. I’d like to go pick them out myself." Andrew interrupted, and both men stared at him.

"Andrew, Baby, you can barely handle the other alphas when they release their pheromones, how are you going to manage going to the store? Especially such a smelly one?" Maxwell asked, and Andrew shrugged.

"I’ll ask Michael. He might have something. I can’t remain afraid forever, and besides, I’m not the one who’s scared to let me leave the house." Andrew gave Maxwell a pointed look, and Maxwell looked flustered. It was true that what had happened to Andrew had very much impacted Maxwell, and he had been wary to let the man leave.

He also knew it wasn’t good for Andrew, so with a bone weary sigh, he nodded.

"Alright. Ask Dr. Smith if he has something. I know neither of us can get out of this. Andrew’s suit won’t fit him anymore though, so we’ll need-" Maxwell’s Father cleared his throat, before the front door opened and one of the security team came in carrying a suit bag.

"I took the liberty to get Dr. Smith to measure Dr. Knox’s frame for this very situation. I had planned to gift him a suit once we finished this identity crisis, and hoped he would have a chance to use it in the future. Little did I know your Mother was seven steps ahead of me." Maxwell’s Father truly did sound apologetic, even as Maxwell gave him a hard look.

Andrew got to his feet, moving towards the suit bag. The security guard handed it over easily, and Andrew unzipped it on the back of the couch so that Maxwell could easily see it. Andrew froze when he saw the colour.

"A...cream suit?" Andrew said softly, and Maxwell’s Father stepped forward and gave the fabric a touch, before nodding.

"Yes. I thought it would suit you, and bring your hair and skin colour into contrast. Do you dislike it?" Andrew opened his mouth, before he closed it. He couldn’t say why he disliked the colour, that would give them an easy way to find out who his father was. His Father was notorious for wearing bright, flashy suits. He’d never seen him in a plain black suit in his life. It was why Andrew chose to wear them.

Glancing at Maxwell, he saw the way Maxwell’s eyes lit up as he looked at the suit. They had at least given him a light, soft blue dress shirt and a slightly darker shade of cream for a tie, but it was still quite the shade. But if Maxwell wanted to see him in it, Andrew would wear it.

Forcing a smile, Andrew looked up at the man who had fathered the man he cared about, and smiled.

"Thank you very much for the suit. It’s a kind gift. My old suit was getting quite worn." Maxwell snorted.

"It was basically falling apart." Maxwell protested, and Andrew grinned.

"It was fine." Andrew said, and Maxwell looked up at Andrew incredulously.

"You were going to pop a button at any second. I worried you’d take someone’s eye out." Andrew threw his head back and laughed. He knew that Maxwell had hated the suit, but he hadn’t realised it had been to his extent.

Turning his attention back to Maxwell’s Father, who still looked guilty, Andrew smiled.

"What time is dinner?" Andrew asked, and his shoulders finally relaxed.