Andrew didn't remember going to sleep, but when he woke up the next morning, he felt refreshed, even if his throat hurt. When he glanced over, he found Maxwell wrapped around him, his face buried in his chest.
They were dressed for bed, but Andrew couldn't remember getting dressed. His face warmed as he realised how much Maxwell had taken care of him. He wanted to apologise, wanted to make it better, but when Andrew attempted to get up, Maxwell's grip on him tightened.
"Oh no you don't." Maxwell grumbled, his voice deep with sleep. "You are staying as my body pillow until I say so." Maxwell wasn't taking no for an answer, so Andrew laid there, letting the man hold him. Andrew felt his lips curl up though as he wrapped his arms tighter around the smaller man.
"Yessir." He told him and received a warning bite on his pec before Maxwell snuggled in deeper.
Andrew went in and out of sleep after that until finally, Maxwell woke up and decided it was time to get up.
Maxwell sat up, yawning, stretching like a cat before he looked over at Andrew and kissed him softly.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, all kindness and softness. Andrew melted.
"I'm better. Glad I got it out of me." Andrew admitted softly and Maxwell nodded. He reached over, cupping Andrew's face as he stared at the man. Andrew didn't have his glasses on so he couldn't see Maxwell clearly, but could tell that the man was staring at him with open affection.
"It's a sweet thing she did, Andy. Not a sad thing. She wanted to make sure that you had your favourite space. I'm grateful for it." Maxwell told him and Andrew felt his eyes water again. He raised his arm up, covering his eyes.
"Stop. I've already cried enough to look like a pufferfish." Andrew complained and Maxwell laughed.
"Yeah? Well, apparently I have a thing for pufferfish, so come here." Maxwell pounced, kissing the man until Andrew was laughing instead of crying. Then, they were making completely different noises and Andrew had to laugh.
The man certainly proved he was attracted to pufferfish.
~
Andrew was nervous. Of course he was nervous. Most of the group might have an inkling as to why they were coming to the restaurant, but they didn't know. Andrew was worried that they were going to be upset. God, what if they spurred Amir into an early labor?
"Do you think Amir is going to be okay? What if this is too shocking for him?" Andrew asked Maxwell next to him. He spoke quietly, not wanting anyone else around them to hear. Maxwell gave him a stunned look.
They were both dressed up. Fancy. Maxwell had done their hair, and they wore suits in a matching shade that suited both of them. They had gone for a navy suit. Simple. Nice. They were good quality, and weren't too groomy in Andrew's opinion. It looked like they were just having a party.
Andrew was fidgeting with his ring, turning it in circles and Maxwell watched him, a small smile on his lips. He reached over, taking Andrew's hand and stopping his fiddling. They were about half an hour early to the reservation, just to make sure that everything was right. They had booked off a portion of the restaurant, closing it off to the general public. How much had it cost?
Andrew let Maxwell deal with that side of it, but did offer up his card to help pay for it. Maxwell had laughed in his face, kissed him, and told him that was cute but he had it. Andrew could still feel the way that the staff had looked at him. Embarrassed, but envious.
"Andy, it'll be okay. Amir isn't going to go into labor over us getting engaged. If he does? He'll go to the best hospital in the area, even if Will is running it." That sounded like a mark against Will, and Andrew winced. He wanted to ask how things had gone with Rue, but given that he wasn't around…that seemed to speak volumes about what had happened.
"Sorry. I'm just nervous." Andrew admitted easily and Maxwell gave his hand a squeeze, leaning into him as they stood waiting.
"It's okay to be nervous. This is only going to happen once, so of course you are." Maxwell said it with such confidence that it took Andrew a moment to realise what he had said. Andrew glanced down at Maxwell and the man was smiling back at him cheekily. Andrew snorted.
"What about vow renewals?" He asked and Maxwell shrugged.
"You aren't getting engaged again." Maxwell told him and Andrew smiled. He bent, pressing a kiss against his lips.
"Neither are you." Andrew warned, feeling his pheromones come out to play as the words left his mouth. Maxwell's eyes popped open as he sucked in, his nostrils filling with Andrew's scent. His eyes fluttered closed for a moment before he chased Andrew's lips.
"Hell yeah I'm not. Now be good. I'm not attacking you in public." Maxwell warned. "You're the one who is going to be embarrassed if someone walks in on us in a bathroom." Maxwell warned and Andrew nearly choked.
"That would be a scandal." Andrew said and Maxwell smirked.
"A scandal? I'm with my fiancé. How in the world would that be a scandal?" He asked, smirking with a pleased expression. He was pushing the bounds he had set for himself, and Andrew shook his head. Where was the Maxwell that hated pda? Was it actually only out of bitterness that he had hated it? Andrew was beginning to think that was the case.
Andrew managed to control himself until others began to show up, trickling in, suspicious as Maxwell and Andrew greeted them.
It was Maria who saw it first.
From across the room she let out a loud gasp, smacking her hands over her mouth, letting go of Zack's hand as her eyes shot open.
"You're engaged?!" She screeched, making every other body in the whole restaurant look towards them. While they had booked off a section of the restaurant, Maria had not waited until they were in that section to screech. Hewie was a little shocked by the loud noise his Mom made, but her other children were quick to comfort him, along with Zack.
Andrew was actually surprised by the show she was putting on. She'd been there when Andrew had been physically looking for rings.
Thomas and Luis were behind her, with Amir and Ben behind them. Three of the four seemed surprised, while Thomas just looked proud. Luis' eyes started watering, and Amir was sobbing as soon as Maria exclaimed the words.
Andrew and Maxwell found themselves surrounded, hugged, petted, and Andrew couldn't be happier.
When the Gates family arrived, along with the Proctors, Andrew had to swallow the lump in his throat. He wanted to tell them about the letter, but he still hadn't read it. Not because he thought it was going to be sad, but because he was already at his emotional limit and needed some time to recharge.
Jenny and Kim were crying with the others, and honestly, so was Richard, Rose, Ford and May. Jordan was being the strong one for them as they all cried, happy beyond words for Andrew and Maxwell.
Of course Andrew's Mom was brought up. A silent force in the room, always there, always present. It didn't feel heavy though. No one spoke of her as if it was a sad thing. Instead, Kim and May spoke of her and how proud she would be of him, of who he had chosen.
They spoke of how obvious it was that Maxwell loved him, and how obvious it was that Andrew loved Maxwell. How excited they were to welcome Maxwell into their family. Andrew kept it together, only because he'd cried so much the day before but Maxwell? He cried a bit, his eyes watering a lot when it came to them speaking about how much his Mom would like Maxwell.
It warmed Andrew's heart that he cared so much about her opinion and the opinion of those who knew her.
There were a few other people that Andrew had invited, like Mr. Dalton and Dr. Cox and Dr. Piper, as well as a few of Andrew's friends from before. They ended up arriving late, while Mr. Dalton had to decline because he was away on business. He did appreciate the invite, and sent his congratulations.
That was fine. There were also a few people that Maxwell invited. People that Andrew had met in passing, but since they were invited, they actually meant more to Maxwell then Andrew had realised.
Will didn't make it. Luis had a tenseness in her jaw when she said that. Maxwell and Andrew could figure out the reason though. If things had gone sour with Rue, the man probably didn't want to be around others right now. Ben had sighed, looking tired, and Maxwell and Ben had gone off to have a discussion about it after.
Andrew knew that now that their stress was gone, Will was going to get a brotherly gang up to knock some sense into him. It was about damn time, in Andrew's opinion.
The rest of the night was easy. Filled with laughter, fun, and everyone celebrating them. Luis and Maxwell were already deep in the wedding planning and Maria jokingly asked Andrew if that bothered him.
He shook his head, smiling at his fiancé as he held a mocktail in his hand.
"No. Not at all. It just shows how excited he is to marry me." Andrew said proudly and Maxwell's whole face had turned red. Everyone had laughed, and Andrew had been pulled away into a dark corner to be kissed later when everyone had had a few drinks.
It was perfect, and Andrew was glad that they had decided to do it this way. It suited them, and from the way that Maxwell stared at him, he agreed.