(BL)Alpha Made-Chapter 288: What a crazy first day back

"What an exhausting first day back." Andrew said quietly into the space of the car as the two of them sat inside, waiting for Rose to arrive at May and Ford’s house. Maxwell let out a soft exhale, nodding slowly as they waited in the warmth of the car. His hands were in his lap, clasped and covered in gloves even in the blaring heat of the car.

Andrew almost smiled. Almost.

"I can’t believe Richard manifested." Maxwell murmured. "I mean, I can, anyone can, I just..." He trailed off before he glanced at Andrew, worry on his face. "Don’t judge what I’m about to say, alright? This comes from a completely selfish part of me. I don’t truly feel this way." Andrew braced himself, but he had a feeling it wasn’t as bad as Maxwell was making it out to be.

"Go ahead. I won’t get mad." Andrew told him and Maxwell exhaled.

"I’m upset I’m losing a good researcher for an unknown amount of time. As a CEO, that part is very frustrating." Andrew burst into laughter at Maxwell’s very serious tone. He meant his words, and on a base level, Andrew could understand where he was coming from.

Maxwell’s business was important to him, and he was allowed to be upset about that. It didn’t take away from the care and consideration he had shown for Richard so far. Andrew reached over, taking his hand in his own and giving the glove a squeeze.

"I understand. It is frustrating. Trying to plan what’s going to happen next, who is going to take over the responsibility is hard. Dr. Cox can’t do it because of her obligations to her daughter, Dr. Piper is smart, but needs someone to lead her, and I’m not technically trained for this job at all." Andrew said and Maxwell sighed with relief.

"Oh good. I’m not an awful person in your eyes." Maxwell said and Andrew chuckled. He leaned over, kissing his cheek.

"Max, you could literally kill someone and I would be on the fence if you were actually a bad person or not." Andrew told him and Maxwell’s cheeks creased with his smile.

"Oh, I’m keeping that in my back pocket." Maxwell said and Andrew shook his head.

"Please don’t go on a rampage now that you know that. I’m sure your parents will also back me on that sentiment." Maxwell’s smile didn’t diminish with Andrew’s words, and instead he pointed out the car that was pulling in front of them.

"That looks like the car that Rose drives. I think they’re here." Maxwell said, and Andrew rolled his eyes, amused at how Maxwell had avoided answering his question. Andrew had about 95% confidence that Maxwell was never going to make him have to face that prospect. The 5% was there because Andrew wasn’t fully certain Maxwell wouldn’t kill the women who kidnapped him, nor the people who had funded them.

Driving them into such poverty that they died would count in Andrew’s books. Thankfully, Andrew wasn’t going to look that hard.

The car turned off and Andrew watched as Rose got out of the driver’s seat and Jordan got out of the passenger’s seat. Andrew turned off their car as Maxwell climbed out first. Andrew joined him as he headed to meet Rose and Jordan.

Everyone had a rather grim expression. Rose had her hands shoved into her pockets and Jordan was pressed against her side. Offering comfort as he was bundled up in a similar fashion as Maxwell. Rose didn’t meet Andrew’s gaze for a moment, before she suddenly looked up, staring at Andrew.

"He’s in good hands?" She asked. Andrew could tell that Maxwell stiffened at her response, but this had nothing to do with her questioning Maxwell’s company’s capabilities, and everything to do with the bond that connected the three of them.

Andrew let out a soft exhale, meeting her gaze and nodding.

"He’s in good hands. The omegas in charge are taking extra good care of him, and your parents. Dr. Spencer and Dr. Liu are making sure they’re okay, Rosie. Now, we just need to make sure that they have everything they need to get through this in one piece. It’s not the end of the world. Ricky and I just...got our secondary sexes late, I guess." Andrew said, his lips turning up slightly and Rose nodded, exhaling slowly.

"Yeah. Just late." She agreed, glancing to Maxwell, Jordan, and then back to Andrew. When she met Andrew’s gaze again, she seemed a little less fragile, a little more whole. Andrew placed his hand on the small of Maxwell’s back.

"Can we head inside? I think we’re making popsicles of Jordan and Max." Andrew said carefully, and Rose flushed. She nodded, moving jerkily towards the front door of her parent’s house. Jordan gave Andrew a grateful look and Andrew waved his hand dismissively. It wasn’t a big deal.

They had been there for him so much, even after he had dropped off from the face of the earth. It was now time for him to help pay it forward.

Rose quickly opened the door with her spare key, flicking on the lights and everyone remained quiet as they took off their outside shoes and stepped into the kitchen.

"They need clothes, right? For how long do you think?" She asked, glancing at Andrew and Maxwell. Andrew shrugged, turning to the expert. Maxwell chuckled.

"I’d say go for a week. If it’s too much, it’s too much. We have facilities there to wash clothes since other experiments happen where we need to be discreet." Maxwell said that, and didn’t elaborate. Rose froze, glancing at Andrew, and Andrew just smiled. Rose glanced between the couple, before she shook her head.

"Should I be worried that Richard is working there?" She asked the air, but Maxwell chuckled.

"He’s fine, Rosie. Richard’s in the alpha department. We aren’t doing experiments like that, especially not right now. We have other projects to focus on, and honestly, Andy is our biggest project for the alpha department right now. The scent suppressors that we were working on and that Andy has been taking are a big deal. That’s the main thing Richard has been working on." Rose glanced at Maxwell, interested, before she grew focused.

"I need to head to the bedroom and start grabbing things. Jordan, can you go downstairs and grab Mom’s suitcase? It’s the blue one. I think it’s in the closet in the spare room." She asked and Jordan nodded. Maxwell jerked forward.

"I’ll help." He offered, and Jordan offered a slightly relieved smile and the two went off. Andrew followed Rose down the hallway towards the main bedroom of the house. Andrew hadn’t been in here often when he was a kid, mostly when they were playing hide and seek.

From his memories, the room hadn’t changed much. Once you opened the door, the bed sat on the right side of the room, pressed against the wall. Two closets were on either side of the bed, one for Ford, one for May. A dresser sat in front of the bed, but from Andrew’s memory it was mostly used for spare blankets and a place for May to keep her jewelry for work.

It hadn’t changed.

Rose was busy in one of the closets, grabbing clothes as she muttered to herself. Andrew was busy checking out the top of the dresser. A few trinkets remained outside of the small chest that May used to keep her things in. It had been a gift from Ford before the children were born. Andrew remembered asking about it when he was a kid.

Besides the chest there were framed photos of Richard with his degree, Rose and Jordan at their wedding and...Andrew. It looked like it had been changed recently and Andrew felt his throat tighten.

It was a photo from recently. From the party where they had celebrated that Andrew had gotten accepted into school again. Andrew was smiling, Maxwell tucked under his arm. He looked happy, truly happy. Andrew’s throat worked as emotion filled him.

Damn it. May and Ford really had a way of getting to him.

"Andrew? Can you fold these up for me?" Rose asked from the closet and Andrew turned, clearing his throat.

"Of course." Andrew replied, moving over to Rose and taking the clothes she offered him. He moved to the bed as she did another quick look over the closet, then moved to the next one. Andrew was grateful for the methodical work of folding clothes. It gave him a moment to calm down.

Everything was quiet. The soft sound of Rose sliding hangers across the railings in the closet as she looked over her parents clothes, the murmur of Jordan and Maxwell chatting as they approached, and the sound of the fabric brushing against Andrew’s hands. It was hushed. As if everything was holding its breath in anticipation.

"We couldn’t find the blue one. We found a black one, is that okay?" Maxwell asked as they entered the room. Rose poked her head out of the closet, looking at what Jordan held up, and nodded.

"Perfectly fine. I just suggested the blue one because it’s familiar. It’s old though, so maybe Mom had to get rid of it." Rose said, before she shrugged and finished grabbing the clothes. "I’m just going to grab them some toiletries and then some underwear. Do you want to put everything in the suitcase, Andy?" Rose asked and Andrew nodded as Jordan put the suitcase onto the bed.

"Can do." Andrew told her, and Rose wandered out of the room to the bathroom. Maxwell watched her, and Jordan sighed.

"She’ll be fine." He said quietly, and Andrew felt his chest warm. Jordan was a quiet man, but it was clear that he knew his partner well. Andrew smiled.

"Listen to Jordan, Max. She just needs some time. She’s like May in that way. Especially when it comes to Richard." Andrew said and Maxwell sighed.

"I don’t doubt either of you. Truly." Maxwell said. Andrew could feel the hesitation, knew that that wasn’t the end of his worries, but Maxwell didn’t say anything else. Neither did Jordan. Andrew just put the clothes he’d folded into the suitcase, and then folded the other half as they waited for Rose to come back.

It was only a few more moments later she came back with a small toiletry bag, one that Andrew was familiar with. It was what May had taken to carry her bathroom things in for every trip they had taken as kids. He was kind of surprised to see that it had survived. Andrew watched as Rose placed it on top of the clothes and then turned and grabbed underwear for both of her parents.

Once that was done, she checked over the bag, making sure it was full of the things they needed, before she sighed and zipped it up herself. Then, she met Andrew’s gaze.

"Take care of them?" She asked. It wasn’t lost on Andrew that she wasn’t asking for permission to go see him. Andrew reached out, grabbing her shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

"You’re mated, Rose. You wouldn’t hurt him." Her face twisted.

"Y-You don’t-"

"We do know that. It’s a medical fact. Unlike me, you’re a regular alpha and you’re fully mated to Jordan. You can’t hurt him, not with your scent. Take the time he’s asleep to work through this, but after that? You’re not allowed to run away from him. That will hurt him." Andrew warned and Rose flinched. She looked ill, but Andrew could tell it was just because she was feeling a lot of emotions.

Jordan looked ill as well, and Andrew had a feeling it was because she was releasing a lot of pheromones and only he could smell. Maxwell paled slightly, and moved closer to Andrew.

"I...yeah. Okay. I...I will." She agreed finally and Andrew gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"I know you will. You’ve always been a good older sister, and Richard appreciates that. Now come on. I’m sure you two had more important plans than this right now. Max and I got this. We’ll call you if anything changes." She nodded, giving Andrew a grateful look.

"Thanks, Andy. I appreciate this. This isn’t your problem, and yet-" Andrew gave her a stern look.

"Shut it. Don’t even start. Just go home, get some rest." Andrew told her and Rose froze, before she chuckled.

"Alright. Come on then."