Andrew got his own face time call from the Gates family about mid afternoon. THey had finished opening up their presents and showed Andrew, Maxwell, and everyone else that they had a present under the tree waiting for them.
Luis and Thomas, who had not been expecting that, stiffened momentarily before lying through their teeth and saying that theirs were still on the way.
Andrew could almost see the competitive nature boiling up and Andrew had to resist laughing. May and Ford hadn't gotten them gifts because they were trying to upstage them. They had gotten them gifts because they wanted to show that they were accepting them as part of Andrew's life.
May and Ford hadn't fought to have Christmas with Andrew. They had given up those rights, that claim, because they had seen how much more it would mean to Kim and Jenny and Thomas and Luis.
It was sweet, but Andrew could see where Maxwell got his competitive spirit from. Honestly, he'd seen Ben stiffen as well because you could tell what kind of gift that Amir and Ben had gotten. It looked soft through the screen.
Andrew bet it was a handmade blanket, and when he glanced over at Ben, he could see the calculations behind his eyes. It was hilarious that they were taking this as seriously as they were. Andrew knew that if they started this, May was absolutely going to match their energy.
Of course the gifts wouldn't be more expensive, but they would get more thoughtful. May would start doing in depth research, Ford would take up handicrafts. Andrew had seen this before, and Andrew honestly didn't know who would win. Given his in-depth knowledge of May and Ford, he was guessing them, but Luis and Thomas were Maxwell's parents so…
Andrew was just going to keep his mouth shut.
Maxwell, however, seemed thrilled, and a little honoured that May and Ford had gotten him a gift. He was clearly just as calculating as the others, but in a slightly different way. After Andrew finished up the call with the Gates, and a rather nervous Richard said he needed to speak to Maxwell privately, Maxwell had leaned over and asked Andrew a hushed question.
"Do you think they would like it if I quietly helped them furnish a nursery?" He asked, hesitant, and Andrew melted. He leaned in, his lips brushing Maxwell's ear.
"Mm, probably not without informing them, so reach out to Jordan and get his opinion on it. Make it a surprise from him and you." Andrew suggested and Maxwell nodded, serious, and Andrew pressed a kiss against his forehead. He couldn't help himself, and it didn't seem like Maxwell minded.
"I'm going to go call Richard now. No doubt it's an omega question." Maxwell said, drawing the attention of Amir and Luis.
"Oh dear. Is he okay?" Luis asked, very seriously concerned and Andrew and Maxwell shared a look. Maxwell's lips twitched, before he sighed.
"Well, he's fine, mostly. Embarrassed is more like it." Maxwell muttered, before kissing Andrew on the cheek and pulling his phone out. Luis, interested, glanced at Andrew. So did Amir. Andrew took a sip of his non alcoholic eggnog and shook his head with a soft smile.
"Oh no. Don't look to me for answers. There are some things I am refusing to find out unless I need to know for safety reasons." Andrew stated firmly, and that had Ben bursting out laughing.
"Oh, so he took someone home, huh? From the party?" Andrew sealed his lips, not willing to speak. Ben's eyes crinkled up as he smiled, as did Amir.
"Oh Andy, you've just given us a lot of people to pick through. Do you know Richard's type?" Amir asked, eager and Andrew shook his head.
"Nope, and I don't plan to." Andrew stated firmly, and that only made Luis chuckle. She had this slightly confused, but amused expression on her face. Andrew was pretty sure she already knew who it was, but from the glitter of her eye, she wasn't going to tell.
As she raised her hand slowly, covering her mouth, she glanced at Andrew, before she smirked and giggled.
"Oh. Wow. I had no idea." Luis said softly, and Thomas turned on her. He looked betrayed.
"You know who it is?" He asked and Luis giggled again.
"I might, but Andy isn't going to confirm it for me, so I'm just going to have to poke around like the rest of you." She said slyly, and Thomas narrowed his eyes.
"Lou, come one. You can't be serious! There were so many people there, and I'm not taking out the mated pairs. Some of them are-" Thomas cut off as Amir covered his mouth, scandalised. Luis laughed.
"Hmm, well, I'll help a little. He didn't bring home an alpha, if my suspicion is correct." That threw Ben and Thomas, the two alphas, for a loop while Amir just sighed, sipping on his own eggnog thoughtfully.
"Well, no matter what, I'd say good for him. I think everyone deserves love, and anyone who comes from May and Ford especially deserves it. He's so nerdy and cute, I can see anyone wanting him." Ben stiffened.
"You're not allowed alone with him anymore." Ben declared and Luis snorted.
"Oh, don't be silly. Do you think Amir would allow him to make a move on him if he was interested? Don't have such little faith in Amir." Luis told her son and Ben grumbled, while Amir grinned at his mate. He reached out, taking his hand in his.
"While I appreciate that you want to protect me, your Mom is right. Why would I even consider wandering right now, hmm? Or ever?" Amir told his husband, all smiles, and Ben flushed.
"Sorry. It was just a knee jerk reaction. I just-" Amir made a soft humming noises, patting Ben's arm.
"It's okay. I know as the due date gets closer your own pheromones are all over the place. Feeling protective, aren't you?" It felt like Andrew was watching an intimate moment that he shouldn't be. Amir and Ben were showing that they understood each other and cared for each other deeply. That they were able to communicate their fears and worries easily, even with the weight of their secondary genders.
Andrew felt that these moments were something that should be behind closed doors. Not that he was opposed to them doing it now, he just believed it should be afforded some privacy. He also knew that the Beckett family were a bit more private in nature, and didn't want anyone to feel uncomfortable.
When he glanced over at Thomas and Luis though, they had soft expressions as they watched their eldest interact with his partner, and Andrew realised that maybe that wasn't the case. Maybe they were just a little awkward and rough around the edges, which led to them not really showing their emotions in public. Andrew let out a soft sigh, and hoped that Maxwell would come back quickly.
He wasn't offended in any way, he just didn't want to experience this without Maxwell at his side.
~
Maxwell came back shortly from his phone call, looking a little flustered. When he met Andrew's curious gaze, he just sighed and shook his head.
"He's in way over his head." Maxwell told him. He has no idea what he's doing, and needs advice. Honestly, I don't think I can help him as much as you can." Maxwell told him and Andrew made a face at his words.
Andrew had a feeling it would come to this, but he didn't want it to. Not because he didn't want to get involved, but that he didn't want to know more.
"That damn newb." Andrew complained and Maxwell snorted, covered his mouth, before he just gave up and started laughing.
"You can't say that to his face right now. He's a mess, Andy. He looked like he was going to cry because he didn't know how to flirt, or why he was being flirted with." That was probably something that Maxwell was supposed to keep to himself. Amir and the others were eating it up, listening in on someone else's messy, but not in a bad way, love life.
"Fuck." Andrew exhaled, surprising a few people around him. Andrew did try not to swear as much as some people he knew. It just didn't always feel good coming from his mouth. "I can't teach him how to be better at flirting. He's a damn fool, and too straight laced for it. He has to figure it out, and they also wouldn't like it if he tried to emulate me." Andrew said, and Maxwell snorted.
"They would be even more upset if he tried to emulate me." Maxwell pointed out, and all Andrew could do was nod in agreement.
"God, Richard pretending to be you? Ugh." Andrew shivered, hating the idea. Maxwell smacked his shoulder, annoyed.
"Hey. Don't be like that. I'll get offended." Maxwell warned and Andrew leaned in, pressing a kiss to Maxwell's shoulder.
"No Angel, I'm not thinking about you negatively, I'm thinking about Richard negatively. I would not like that." Andrew told him and Maxwell gave him a suspicious look, before Andrew pressed a soft, quick peck to his lips. "Come on, do you honestly think I have any issues with you? At all?" Andrew asked and watched as Maxwell's ears turned pink.
"I can think of one." Maxwell muttered and Andrew blinked, unsure what he meant, but Maxwell didn't clarify. Instead, he turned his attention towards his watch. "Shouldn't we start getting dinner ready? It normally takes us a while, doesn't it?" Maxwell said, brushing it off and getting to his feet.
Andrew sat in confusion, unsure what had happened, and unsure if Maxwell was okay. It was clear to him though that Maxwell did not want to continue that conversation. He'd just have to save it.