"So, you did call , but several hours later?" Andrew winced, and found himself sitting back in that room he’d seen only recently. He wasn’t alone this ti, as Maxwell sat next to him, and Luis and Jenny were also in the room with them. Michael lood over the couple, his face awash in disbelief, and a little bit of anger.
He was frustrated, but at the sa ti. Andrew had called him, so he was clearly fighting with his anger. Luis and Jenny were...witnesses. He felt, even if Luis was glaring at Andrew when he looked over at her, that she wasn’t as angry as she was behaving.
He was in a room with people who had pretty much always had a secondary sex. They understood the reason behind why it had happened, and it felt more embarrassing to him than if he had been caught masterbating. They knew everything, and Andrew dropped his head, blushing.
Maxwell squeezed his thigh, drawing his attention towards him and Maxwell’s expression was relaxed, relieved. His face wasn’t puffy, his eyes were bright, and his collared shirt covered the bite marks that littered his shoulders. He did have a hard ti walking, but it wasn’t obvious. He was just a little slower than he normally was, and Andrew was ashad that he wasn’t able to control himself. He’d broken his own promise, even if Maxwell had poked him.
Poked the beast.
Andrew should have had more control. He was the one who suffered the consequences the most.
God, Andrew was sick to his stomach again.
"Baby, stop thinking." Maxwell’s voice was warm, teasing, as he poked Andrew’s forehead with his forefinger. He smoothed out the wrinkles that were forming there, a smile in his gaze. "It’s okay. I’m okay." Maxwell soothed him again and Andrew felt a sigh leave his lips. He felt useless. How he thought he was going to survive without Maxwell, even for a second, was beyond him.
He’d just gotten into his head so much that he thought he’d be fine. It was clear to everyone else around him that he was a liar. Not only to them, but to himself.
"This just feels embarrassing." Andrew muttered, and glanced at Michael to find that his eyebrows were to the sky, and his brown eyes were wide.
"Embarrassing? This? Andrew, you are-" Michael covered his mouth, shaking his head, before his shoulders shook. "Take off the coat, pretty boy. We need to take so of your blood. The pretty boy goes for both of you." Michael warned, glancing towards Maxwell. "You aren’t free of this, especially if the condom broke. Twice." Luis shook, and Jenny was doing her best to keep a straight face.
"It would be less embarrassing if you just told us you were trying for kids, wouldn’t it?" Jenny teased, unable to keep her mouth shut for long.
She spoke into the silence as Maxwell and Andrew were taking off their coats, rolling up their sleeves. It was lunchti, and Maxwell had gone out for a smoke for the first ti in a while. While outside, Luis and Jenny had arrived, a little earlier than normal, and Michael had arrived at the sa ti.
Maxwell, ever the kind of man who never wanted to waste ti, had thought this was the perfect ti to let everyone know what happened. Thus, Andrew was here, pulling off his work coat, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt and flushing as he realised he had long, Maxwell sized grooves in his forearms.
He had a feeling that was what prompted Jenny to say what she had.
Michael was being professional, so he was grateful for that while Luis turned herself in her seat, her face turned away as her shoulders shook. Maxwell sighed heavily.
"Jenny, you know what we’ve been going through. Do you really think right now would be a good ti for us to be trying for a child? I wouldn’t want that, and Andrew is against it as well." Maxwell spoke for him, but Andrew didn’t mind. It was the truth. This was the worst ti to bring a child into the world.
"Well you’ve done a really good job at fucking that up." Michael muttered and Andrew took back his thought of him being professional as he continued to draw blood from Maxwell’s arm. "Two condoms Andy? Are you serious? How did you not notice? When did you notice?" Andrew’s face was burning and Maxwell did his best not to laugh. "Hold here please." Michael finished drawing his blood and turned to Andrew, his face grim, but his eyes dancing.
"It was...do I have to say it when his Mom’s here?" Michael gestured around them.
"I’m sure your Mom is here too." Andrew’s jaw dropped while Jenny started laughing out loud. Maxwell was even smiling as Andrew’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. "Why are you so embarrassed? They both have kids. They know how it happens." Michael said and Maxwell spared Andrew.
"You know Andrew’s just concerned about my image, Dr. Smith. He’s-"
"Don’t make excuses for him, and at this point, you should be calling Michael as well, Mr. Beckett. We are well and truly past you calling Doctor, even if I am doing Doctor-like things." Michael said and Maxwell’s expression softened. Michael was being a little rough around the edges, and was testing Andrew’s patience, but he knew it was only out of concern.
"Alright, Michael. We noticed the first ti when Andrew ejaculated as he normally did, and there was no barrier inside of ." Michael paused, before he glanced up from where he was drawing Andrew’s blood.
"You ejaculate so hard he can feel it?" Michael asked and Andrew swallowed.
"Uh, yeah?" Andrew replied carefully. Michael’s brows furrowed.
"I didn’t consider asking you about that. Has that always been the case, or is this a recent developnt?" He asked, full true alpha doctor mode, and Andrew swallowed.
He thought back, trying to rember what others had said.
"For what it’s worth, it’s always been sothing I’ve noticed." Maxwell said while Andrew was still going through his mories.
"I...I think it’s always been the case?" Andrew said carefully and Michael’s face shifted. He wasn’t rough, so much as he seed curious. Andrew knew he was going to be quizzed about that in the future.
"Interesting. Very interesting. Okay, so that was how you were able to tell. I know you aren’t a careless person, so I assu you had been using them up until this point. Did you check to see if they were from a particular box?" Michael probed and Andrew sighed.
"I checked that after I cald down. They were from a box we were already using." Andrew flushed. "We had already finished one." Luis nearly choked, and even Maxwell’s ears were burning. Michael’s lips twitched, before he nodded.
"Alright. So one box was fine, and the other part of the box was fine. Expiration date?"
"Also fine. I checked before I put the second one on too." Andrew said, and Michael nodded.
"So did that one break right away?" He asked and Andrew swallowed.
"It broke after he knotted." Maxwell spared Andrew from saying it, and Andrew looked at him, grateful, only to find that the other man was glowing. He looked so freaking happy, even while trying to remain neutral.
And Andrew had wanted to turn that into a sad and terrible mont. God, he felt like an asshole all over again.
"So it...broke when he knotted?" Michael confird and Maxwell looked thoughtful for a mont.
"It felt more like it snapped. Like the tension was too much." Michael nodded.
"Alright. And I assu that if you aren’t trying for a child, you took the dication?" Maxwell nodded.
"Yes, I did. It’s worked so far, so-"
"This is a different case, Mr. Beckett." Michael interrupted Maxwell’s words. "I know that previously, we’ve had confidence in it, and if he hadn’t knotted, I would too, but because he did..." Andrew swallowed as Michael sighed. "It’s different. True alphas are...potent when they knot." Jenny nodded.
"All of my kids have co from knotting." She told the room confidently. Maxwell, who had been basking in the fact that he had been knotted, ca to realisation that Andrew’s worries were also very realistic. Andrew’s expression was grim.
"All of them? I know this is rude, but was it-" Jenny cut Andrew off.
"One during our heat and rut, and one outside of that." Jenny told them willingly, and Andrew nodded. Maxwell’s expression didn’t shift, and in fact, he seed to grow determined.
"These drugs didn’t exist then, did they?" Maxwell asked and Jenny smiled, shaking her head.
"No, you’re correct, and we were trying to get pregnant. Our situations are a bit different, but...I think you have so reasons to be worried, Andy." Her eyes were warm as she looked over the couple. "But either way, whatever cos of this, I wouldn’t worry too much. Your relationship could change dramatically over ten months. Oh, sorry, it’s 9 months for male ogas, isn’t it? C section?" She turned to Michael, looking for confirmation and he nodded.
"Yes. Male ogas get C sections for their own safety." He confird, before he sighed. "Well, I’m going to check these, make sure your levels are safe, for both of you, and then I’ll send off the results to your personal Doctor, Mr. Beckett. You’re going to see them on Monday, correct?" Maxwell nodded, and Michael sighed. He ran a hand over his face. "I’ll try to get so better condoms, but at this point, I don’t know if there are any. That should be sothing you work on next in your departnt. Condoms that even a true alpha’s knot can’t break." Andrew flushed again.
Maxwell chuckled.
"Co on Andy, you have to admit, this is kind of funny. You’re such a strong true alpha that you broke the condoms that are supposed to work for other true alphas." Andrew didn’t appreciate Maxwell’s comnts, and covered his face with his hands now that Michael was done.
"This is not funny, Max! You get hurt, and you are the most affected by this if it fails! Am I wrong to be worried and upset?" Andrew asked into his hands and felt Maxwell’s soft hands on his own. Maxwell’s lips kissed his hands, tugging them away from his face and Andrew t his soft expression.
"No, not at all. I appreciate that you’re so concerned for and my body, but it’s okay. You already said you’d take responsibility if it ca to pass, so I’m fine with the outco, either way." Maxwell’s eyes ward as he smiled. "I can take more dication if you’re so worried. Or, I heard going on carnival rides also works." Maxwell teased and Andrew sighed.
"You’re not being funny, Maxy." Andrew murmured and Maxwell grinned, leaning in and giving Andrew a quick kiss.
"One of us has to at least try. You look miserable after being told you knotted . I’m celebrating." Andrew softened at the jovial way he was speaking. At least he wasn’t crying this ti.
"It is a thing to celebrate. Andrew has finished the last phase of his manifestation. His pheromones should now stablise out, and he is officially a true alpha. Congrats, you two. Andy is now safe, he shouldn’t have anymore of those scary attacks, and he doesn’t have a pheromone sensitivity like we worried he would. He dodged almost all of the bullets." Michael said and Maxwell grinned.
"You hear that? It’s a good thing, Andy. A good thing. We’ll take everything else as it cos." Maxwell whispered, his lips against Andrew’s and Andrew couldn’t help but relax. What was he supposed to do?
Maxwell was in such a good mood, Michael had told him that he was okay for now, and the other part? All they could do was wait. He sighed, kissing Maxwell’s lips chastely before he turned and pressed his forehead into his shoulder, his glasses smooshing against his face, but he didn’t care.
"Alright. I get it. We’ll take everything else as it cos." Andrew murmured.
"Oh, but no sex until Monday you two. I an it. Your Doctor is going to say the sa thing as soon as I send over these blood samples. Or, no penetrative sex. That includes fingers, Andy." And the slight balance of happiness and concern shattered.
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