Andrew wrapped his arm around Maxwell’s shoulders, pulling him close as Maxwell watched the brothers move to the side and have a quiet but aggressive conversation.
"That was strange." Andrew muttered, and Maxwell nodded.
"I was under the impression the apology wasn’t sincere." Maxwell muttered. "But clearly that was not the case. He genuinely seed apologetic." Maxwell agreed, and Kim was the one who spoke up and clarified.
"Maxwell, you know this, but Andy doesn’t. The Fulton’s are a long line of alphas and their Mother is the second wife of their Father. The first wife died in childbirth, and their eldest sibling is the black sheep of the family. A beta, which in a family like that, is a death sentence. I can only imagine what kind of vitriol might have co out of everyone’s lips at them." Kim shuddered. "It was good of him to apologise. On that topic, do you want us to stop doing business with them?" Andrew’s eyes widened at her question.
"What? No! I don’t care enough about them to do that." Andrew muttered and Maxwell’s shoulders shook as he laughed.
"Good answer." Maxwell said, his eyes sparkling as he looked up at Andrew. "The Fulton’s aren’t a bad group. Before everything went south, the eldest was getting close to securing a deal with my company. They are competent, when they aren’t being dumbasses." Andrew scoffed.
"I don’t think being involved with drugging soone is classified as being a dumbass, Maxwell." Maxwell raised an eyebrow at Andrew’s response.
"Oh? And who are you to say? You weren’t the one who was drugged, and you don’t know how I handled the issue of their drugging company-wise." Andrew sealed his lips, but was clearly upset. Maxwell chuckled, reaching his hand up to cup Andrew’s cheek. "There is no need to make that face. I was just teasing. You have every right to say sothing, but I do think you should trust in this regard. I doubt your ex would even apologise." He muttered angrily, and Andrew found he wasn’t able to relax.
"That is...different, Maxwell. You never dated the Fulton’s. As far as I am aware." Maxwell blinked, staring up at Andrew’s tense expression, and the way that Andrew’s mouth was turned down. Andrew knew he was being slightly unreasonable, but he did not like how Maxwell compared the Fulton brothers to soone he had dated for years. They were not equated in his mind.
"Andy, am I detecting a hint of jealousy?" Maxwell asked, and Andrew went white. Maxwell’s eyes sparkled as he looked up at the taller man, while Andrew felt panic fill his body.
"I-I-" Maxwell patted his cheek, and Andrew gulped.
"It’s cute if you are. No, I never dated the Fulton’s, I’ve just worked with them for a long ti. Unlike your ex, I know their personalities and their values." Maxwell’s smile grew dangerous. "And I know their weaknesses. That’s what I am the most confident in." Andrew sucked in at the devilishly handso way his smile reached his eyes.
Andrew was in trouble.
Andrew didn’t know that he could find the man even more attractive then he already did, but right now he was struggling. He knew that he shouldn’t find the man even more handso because he was speaking about soone else’s weakness, and using it against them, but Andrew could feel his cock swelling in his pants.
Clearing his throat, he looked away from Maxwell’s bewitching expression, and gently moved out of his grasp. He turned to Kim and Mrs. Proctor, begging that they wouldn’t notice his sudden condition, and held out his hand.
"We shouldn’t keep you any longer. It was wonderful to see you again after so long." Andrew told them honestly, and Kim, being who she was, pushed his hand out of the way and hugged Andrew tightly.
"Any questions at all, don’t be afraid to reach out. Even if you just want to talk about your Mother, we’re here for you. Expect us to demand your presence for Christmas, unless you are already obligated to go to the Beckett’s. We’ll rotate. They can have you for one year, and we get the other." Kim gave him a tight squeeze and passed him off to her wife, who’s hug was just as tight.
"A shared custody agreent. Now that you are back, we aren’t giving you up." Mrs. Proctor promised, and gave a soft, warm grin to Maxwell. "You too, dear. You are a package deal." Maxwell’s ears turned pink and he smiled warmly.
"Oh, that’s very kind of you, but-" Kim cut him off as she wrapped the smaller man in her arms in a hug. Maxwell was clearly not expecting it, and Andrew chuckled as he watched his boyfriend grow flustered as his aunt claid him as one of his own. Andrew knew where he got his touchy-feely trait from now, since his Mom had been the exact sa way.
Maxwell slowly accepted the hug as Kim spoke.
"No buts! If you’re going to be in Andy’s life, you have to deal with us. I know, we’re the in-laws from hell. We’ll make you tremble in your boots!" Kim pulled away and raised her hands, wiggling her fingers like she was trying to scare Maxwell. Instead, Maxwell burst into laughter at her antics, and Kim smiled.
"Ah, I’ll have to tell my parents that. I’m not sure how they’ll feel about it. They might want the worst in-laws title. They do like to be in first place for everything." Kim laughed while Mrs. Proctor let go and Andrew and held her arms open to Maxwell. He only hesitated for a mont before he went to older oga.
The two shared a brief, but aningful hug that Maxwell was the first to pull out of. Mrs. Proctor smiled at him warmly.
"You are a precious new family mber to us. If you have any worries, even if silly, don’t be afraid to reach out. Especially if it is sothing you are concerned about in regards to Andrew. I’ve been with a true alpha for a long, long ti. I can answer anything you are curious about." She told him, and Maxwell’s shoulders relaxed. He nodded, and took the fact that Mrs. Proctor cupped his cheek well. Her eyes crinkled up in the corners as she smiled at the younger n before her.
"I can’t leave them waiting for too long. Get ho safely you two. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. You’ll realise how short that list is the better you get to know !" Kim’s laugh filled their ears as Andrew and Maxwell headed past the front desk and towards the cafe. Maxwell was the one who linked their arms together, leaning into Andrew particularly close when they passed the Fulton brothers.
"Does that alleviate your jealousy?" He whispered, teasing Andrew who felt his cheeks heat.
"I wasn’t-I just don’t like you defending people who tried to hurt you. I stopped saying her na when you asked." Andrew muttered, frustrated, and Maxwell leaned into him further. The two of them got into the small line behind a group who were clearly workers here. All of them had wide eyes as they glanced behind them.
"Hmm. Alright. I understand what you an. I will stop defending them as of now, alright? Is that acceptable?" Maxwell asked, a smile in his voice. Andrew swore the man was trying to be the death of him by being so cute. Andrew puffed his cheeks, annoyed, and Maxwell got on his tippy toes and kissed his cheek.
A cup shattered on the ground.
Andrew glanced in the direction of the cup only to find Maxwell’s eldest brother’s partner standing there in shock.
"M-Maxwell?" If Andrew rembered correctly, his na was Amir, and Maxwell dropped down on his feet to rush over and help him clean up. Andrew was right behind him. Amir was clearly embarrassed he’d dropped his drink so suddenly, and Andrew spoke to the very understanding staff working and they imdiately told him not to worry. Andrew was thankful as he grabbed a dustbin and broom, along with so cloths.
"Are you okay?" Maxwell asked as Andrew helped clear up the bigger shards and the liquid. Both could tell that Amir’s hands were shaking, and he pushed up his glasses as they slipped down his nose.
"I-I’m fine. I was just surprised." Andrew smiled at him kindly.
"Wedding jitters?" He offered kindly, and Amir glanced up before his face broke into a nervous smile.
"Y-You could say that." it was clearly sothing more than that, and it was eating away at him. Maxwell glanced at Andrew, and Andrew nodded. They couldn’t leave now that they had seen this, and Andrew was on board to make sure that Maxwell’s brother-in-law was okay.
Maxwell helped the other oga to his feet, while Andrew remained back to order his and Maxwell’s drink, as well as pick up Amir’s fresh remake. Andrew paid attention to where Maxwell escorted the other man, watching as the two crossed the front doors and headed for the comfy seating area on the other side.
Andrew didn’t have to guess, and knew that Maxwell’s drink order was going to be a green tea. The man didn’t like coffee, and he wasn’t going to like the silly, sugary beverage Andrew was about to consu. They had a straight green tea, but Andrew branched out and got him a peach green tea. Really test him.
Once he had the new batch of drinks, Andrew carried them over by balancing two of the cups on top of each other with their saucers. Amir looked like he was going to have a panic attack as he saw Andrew approaching, while Maxwell frowned.
"Andrew..." He warned, and Andrew smiled at him.
"Take you tea, would you, Maxy?" Andrew replied to his warning, and Maxwell did so, before sitting back down beside Amir on his right side. Andrew, taking the hint, sat down on his left side, caging him in, but not in a threatening way. Andrew set the new, fresh drink order in front of Amir, and set down a drink in front of himself that looked eerily similar. Amir, who had been playing with his thumbs, knit his brows.
"Are you...drinking a pumpkin spice latte?" He asked softly, and Andrew nodded.
"Yes, I am." He told the smaller man, and that seed to surprise him. He opened his mouth, before he closed it, going back to playing with his thumbs. He seed nervous. Extra nervous, and Andrew shared a worried look with Maxwell. "Should we...call your partner?" He asked softly, and Amir shook his head aggressively.
"No! No." He was clearly distressed, but grew even more so at the ntion of calling Ben. That worried both of them, but only Maxwell frowned.
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