Work Text:
1.
Max is glad he works remotely for many reasons. The list is probably never ending if he’s being extremely honest with himself.
He loves being able to wear his boxers and no pants while working, he also can’t deny that he talks to himself a little more than an office would approve of. He would probably die without being able to cuddle with his precious animals whenever he wants. His hours are flexible enough, as long as the work gets done. His favorite thing, of course, is being able to take care of things that would otherwise make his mates worry.
For example: He is cooking dinner for them all right now.
Alex and Charles will both be working later tonight than normal and he doesn’t want either of them to worry about making food. Other times they may have just ended up ordering something, but sometimes the thought of restaurant food makes Max want to throw up.
When they first welcomed him into their home he had been an atrocious cook, he really doesn’t know how he made it without them.
Now though, he’s considerably better. They’ve had multiple nights of cooking lessons that they’ve disguised as ‘date nights’, he knows better. He’s glad they did, of course. He can cook for them now, when they’re too tired. Like tonight.
He knows they will be tired, especially since it’s been a long week in general. If he can make it any less stressful than it already is, he will. So, he’s making soup. It’s the main thing he knows for sure he won’t fuck up.
When he hears the front door open he knows it will most likely be Alex. He would have met her at the door if he was not cooking. When her arms wrap around his torso he knows it’s the omega for sure. She nuzzles their cheeks together and smiles tiredly at him. “Making dinner all by yourself? I’m so proud.”
Max rolls his eyes, “I can do things, thank you very much.”
She grins at him before heading to the bedroom for a change of clothes. When she gets back he doesn’t let her help him with the food. She’s content enough to hang off of him, so she doesn’t put up much of a fight. This recipe is just a lot of watching and stirring, so he doesn’t need to move around much. Alex takes advantage of this by sleepily rubbing her face against his chest.
As soon as he’s turning off the burner, the front door is opening again. Charles is entering the kitchen soon enough, presumably following the promise of food. He smiles tiredly when he sees them, “My loves, soup for dinner?”
They both nod their heads, Alex answering the question out loud. “Yes, Max did it all by himself.”
Charles smiles teasingly at that. “Oh really? I’m sure it’ll be great, then.” They’re both ass’s. He loves them.
-
They get their bowls and eat their food slowly while they chat about their day.
Apparently some clients were being difficult today at Alex’s work. She said that she's going to have to fix everything tomorrow, she is definitely not looking forward to it.
Charles has a big project that’s been going on for a while, they know. Luckily, Charles had said that today was a better day. He didn’t have too many problems.
Max’s job is boring compared to theirs, he just approves stuff all the time. His main struggles have to do with staring at a screen all day. He’s glad for it.
The food is amazing, thank you very much. They both thank him multiple times so Max forgives them for their previous teasing.
-
He lets them get ready for bed while he puts the food up for later and cleans up some dishes. He’s thinking of the chores he will need to do tomorrow. He will need to go to the store for dog food and some groceries, then he will sweep a little. Other than that he will probably just work and maybe go to the gym…
He’s so in his head that he startles when hands creep around his waist. “Holy shit, you’re lucky I didn’t elbow you or something.” The alpha laughs in his ear.
“You didn’t though, your body must’ve known it was me.” Max rolls his eyes, there is no way Charles is making an innuendo right now. One of them would pass out before they even got started and it wouldn’t be Max.
“Sure.” Max puts the last bowl in the dish-washer.
“Come to bed, we’re tired.” Max wasn’t even gone that long.
“Yeah, yeah.” Then he’s being dragged to the bedroom. Before he can be shoved onto the nest he heads to the bathroom, he is not about to sleep without brushing his teeth. After he’s done his nightly business he heads to the nest.
Charles lays in the middle with Max at his back and Alex at his front. It’s warm and will never not be comfortable with them there. They’re both asleep before him, no surprise there. It’s nice to hear them breathe, and as weird as it may sound, it helps him sleep more soundly at night.
He’s glad he got to contribute to them having a more peaceful night than they would have had. He loves it. When they first started courting him he hadn’t known how well it would go, joining a relationship late. He knows now, it’s the best thing he could’ve chosen.
2.
Max should have known that morning when Alex was slow to get out of bed. She rarely ever lets her alarm ring more than once. So, when she’s unlocking the door to the apartment halfway through the day he knows something is up.
He turns in his chair to look at her, and yeah, she looks pretty rough. She could never look bad…just dishevelled. “Oh honey. Come here.” She sniffles and deposits herself onto his lap.
“Someone at work was sick yesterday, they must have given it to me.” He rubs his hand down her back, wondering how to deal with this. He hasn’t taken care of a sick person in a long time. “My throat hurts and I've been coughing.” She sounds miserable.
“Okay, should I make you some tea? That always helped my sister when we were young.” Her hold on him tightens the smallest bit, not wanting to get up, he’s sure.
“Okay…I’ll wait for you in bed.” She slips off of his lap and heads to the bedroom. While the water starts to boil he texts Charles for him to pick up some meds on his way home. He pours the water into a mug and leaves the tea bag to steep while he texts Charles specific brands that he remembers working the best.
Once the tea is done he heads to the bedroom.
Alex looks cute under the covers like that, it’s too bad she feels like shit.
She grabs the mug and takes a sip. “Thank you,” When Max goes to make his leave Alex grabs his arm to stop him. “Can’t you just stay in bed with me?” Max sighs because he knows that he won’t be able to say no. He grabs his laptop, sits on the bed, and leans against the headboard. He logs into work as she sips her tea.
Max really hopes this is a quick one day illness and she’s better by tomorrow. He hates seeing the people he loves like this.
After she’s finished with her tea she lays down and snuggles up against his legs. Unsurprisingly, she passes out almost immediately. Max continues to do his work as best as he can, he’s pretty successful until Alex wakes up and starts shivering like they’re in the fucking arctic. “Should I get another blanket?”
“Please…” Max goes to the linen closet and quickly grabs a blanket stashed in there. When he gets back into the bedroom she urges him back over. He gets back into the bed and lets her latch onto him. She is very warm on his body, he might start to sweat.
The rest of the day until Charles gets home is filled with coughing and a runny nose. Max can’t help much, it makes him go a little insane. When Charles gets there he immediately has Alex take some medicine, then he goes to make dinner for everyone. Max stays in the bed with Alex, still getting caught up on work.
They eat their food on the couch, Alex in the middle. Some show playing on the tv. Max thinks about if he’ll need to take Alex to the doctor tomorrow, if she’ll progressively get worse. God, he hopes not.
When it’s time for Alex to get in bed again, Charles goes with her while Max stays back and cleans up the kitchen.
-
The next day is much the same.
Alex doesn’t seem worse, luckily, she’s just not exactly better either.
Max had gotten out of bed that morning and gone to his computer to get some work done while she slept. A couple hours later she's trudging up to his desk and forcing her way onto his lap. “Do you need me to get you anything?”
She shakes her head, then just noses against his scent glands. He lets her do her thing for a while as he works. Every few hours he’ll have her take medicine, not wanting to be lazy when it comes to her health.
He gets enough work done to justify a lunch break, so he heats up some leftovers and has her eat in bed. He knows she's probably feeling pretty gross right now, without the energy to shower.
After they’ve eaten he gets back to work as quickly as he can, Alex staying in the nest with Leo this time. His job may not be as exciting as his mates, but he really can not slack when it comes to getting work done. He does finish up eventually, just in time to get a text from Charles letting him know that he’ll be late tonight. Max sighs, but it can’t be helped.
He goes back to the bedroom and feels Alex’s forehead, she doesn’t feel as warm as earlier. Good.
He holds her hand, “Do you want me to help you shower?” Otherwise she will feel disgusting the rest of the day, he’s sure.
“Yes, please.” He helps her to the bathroom and out of her clothes. Not the first time they’re showering together, just the first time that she’s really leaning on him for support.
She’s coughing pretty often and Max feels terrible that she is feeling like this. He hopes that getting clean will help her feel at least a little better. He shampoos her hair for her as she leans on him, helps her wash her body. He even helps her with her face routine. He puts her in a robe and lays with her in the nest, watching some show.
When Charles gets home later that night he looks exhausted, he curls up with them without saying a word.
Max gets Alex her medicine before they all go to bed.
-
Alex feels good enough to go into work the next day, so not very good at all. When she gets home that night Max is sure she should have waited one more day, but it can’t be helped. She’s back in top shape by the end of the week, if you ignore the lingering cough.
3.
They get back into a regular routine, just in time for Charles to get sick as well. Alex had felt really bad, he’d obviously gotten it from her. Charles reassured her as best as he could.
Now, don’t get him wrong, Max loves Charles. Of course he does. It’s just, he’s terrible when he’s sick.
Genuinely, half of the time he’s whining about not feeling good, claiming he’s dying. The other half? He’s working on his laptop as if he really will die if he doesn’t.
He also makes his presence known on Max’s lap, but instead of zoning out he’s non-stop talking and squirming. Max tries to be patient, truly. Charles just makes it so hard.
Max forces him to drink some medicine, then forces him into bed. “Rest, Charlie. You won’t get any better if you keep pacing everywhere.” Charles is looking at him like a petulant child would, Max sighs. “I can stay in bed with you too if that will help.”
That has Charles relenting.
So here Max is, sitting in bed with his alpha. An alpha that hasn’t stopped scenting him in hours. It seems to have helped Charles settle though, so Max won’t say anything. When Max is putting his work away he almost drops his laptop with the speed that Charles lunges on him. So Max has to lay there with Charles on top of him until Alex gets home to relieve him of his duties.
When she does she laughs at Max, then takes his place graciously. His mates laze in the nest together while he orders them food and cleans up a little bit, he knows that Alex is still feeling a little fatigued in her own right.
When he gets the food and drags them to the living room, he sits in the middle this time. Alex talks about her day, Charles whines about his. Max listens to them, it’s nice if he ignores Charles coughing horrendously every so often.
Sleep isn’t peaceful that night, but it’s them so he’s not too upset.
-
The next day Charles keeps getting these phone calls from work, it irritates Max to no end. He can hear Charles’ voice getting more and more scratchy. Max goes to the living room where Charles is sitting on the couch, and waits for his call to end. Charles is looking at him innocently from his place on the couch once he hangs up the phone. “Need anything, baby?”
“Yeah, I need you to stop working. They can handle one day without you.” Charles goes to refute him but then his phone is ringing once more. Max raises an unimpressed eyebrow at him. “If you answer that, I'm wresting the phone from your hand and hiding it from you.”
As soon as Charles registers the words, Max can tell he’s going to answer it. As soon as the call goes through Max is on top of him almost immediately, he’s basically in Charles’ lap. Since Charles is literally sick right now, it is basically no fight at all. He yanks the phone out of Charles’ hand and starts talking to whoever it is. “Hello? This is Charles’ mate, he is sick right now and needs to rest. Do not call anymore, he will be back by the end of the week.” Then he hangs up the phone and puts it in his own pocket.
Charles is looking up at him, a dazed look on his face. “That was so hot.” Then he’s squeezing at Max’s hips. As if, Max is not going to get sick because of Charles being horny. Max slaps his hands away and gets off his lap.
“You can have your phone back later. For now, you need to rest, not worry about whatever.”
-
So the rest of the day Charles is back to whining about how sick he is. Max knows it’s not that bad. Charles will probably be back to work tomorrow, he really can’t miss too much.
-
The next morning when both of his mates are fixing to get to work, he’s glad they’re getting back into a routine. He kisses them both on the cheek goodbye.
4.
They get back into a rhythm. Though, it’s a little different this time. Charles will come home late, then he’ll work even more once he gets home. Alex and Max are both annoyed, they want their alpha back. He’s always coming to bed after they’ve fallen asleep, it’s extremely unappreciated.
Max and Alex are cuddled up on the nest together when Alex is letting out a distressed whine. “Max,” Even the cats have joined them, they can tell the emotional strain is too much right now.
“Alex, should I force him back?” They’ve tried a couple of times, but he just says something about how he needs to get what he’s working on done, he’ll be back in bed soon. Max is getting more and more upset everyday, he’s ready to take drastic action. Emotional warfare.
When Alex is nodding her head Max is immediately getting out of bed. He sees Charles at the dining table, looking like he’s able to fall over. When Max walks over and sits on his lap, Charles startles. “Fuck, Max. You scared me.” He wraps his arms around Max’s waist. “Did you need something? I have to get this done tonight.”
Max scowls at him. “Yes, I need something.” Max pinches his chest, satisfied by the yelp it gets him. “I need my alpha back in bed with me and our omega.”
“Sweetheart…I’ll be there in a second. It’ll be quick, I promise.”
Max frowns. He noses along Charles’ neck, inhaling as best he can with his beta nose. Charles shudders, resolve already cracking, Max can tell. He knew this would work, and knew Charles’ weaknesses. “But we miss you…”
“Max, I’m really behind because of those couple of days I missed.” Max knows this, of course. Charles has said it many times this week. The words don’t matter much to him when Charles is about to pass out from exhaustion at their dining table.
“I don’t care.” Max nips at the alphas neck. “Alex is in bed, distressed, because you haven’t had any time for either of us.” Max can smell the scent under his nose tank at his words. “We know you have to work, but what about us?” The arms around him tighten, Charles laying his head on Max’s chest.
“I’m sorry, truly. I just…okay. I need to wrap this up real quick and I’ll be done.” Max deflates, he should have known this wouldn’t work. When Max goes to slip off of Charles' lap he’s held in place. “I swear, I’ll be quick. Stay here until I finish.” So Max does. He tells himself he won’t stay longer than 10 minutes, Alex is still waiting after all. Charles is true to his word this time. He closes his laptop at the 8 minute mark.
Max gets off of his lap and leads him to the bedroom, Alex perks up when she sees them. Max yanks off Charles’ clothes quickly and shoves some night clothes onto him, then pushes him onto the nest. Charles is as pliant as can be, he lets Alex fret over him once he’s finally laid down. Both Max and Alex cuddle up to him, he’s out in less than 5 minutes.
Alex and Max hold hands with each other on Charles’ stomach. “Thank you, Max.” She whispers to him, so as not to wake up the alpha between them.
“Of course.” He squeezes her hand.
-
Charles manages his time better after that.
5.
They had been doing great.
Less overtime, more sleep. No more sickness (Max is still surprised he didn’t catch whatever they had).
Then, on a random Tuesday he’s hearing a loud crash and loud cursing. He quickly heads to the kitchen just in time to see a bunch of glass on the floor with a bleeding Alex standing above it. Then he sees Charles go to clean it up with his bare hands . “Charles, wai-”
Then Charles is bleeding too. “Fuck!”
Max sighs and goes to grab the first aid kit. It’s not stocked very well, but it should do the job. Alex’s cut is on her leg, for where the glass bowl shattered and ricocheted. Luckily it just barely grazed her, could have been a lot worse. He cleans it with the alcohol wipes and patches her up. Leo snuggles up to her afterwards, seemingly sensing the distress.
Charles just got a little cut on his finger from where he grabbed the edge of a piece of glass. Max puts a hello kitty bandaid on it, he’s bought them a while back. He’s not glad that he can use them…but he’s glad to see it on Charles. Sassy is the one to comfort Charles in his time of great need, surprisingly.
Max comforts by kissing both of their wounds better.
+1
Max had a pretty shit childhood, most people know this by the second time meeting him, sucky dads really are the bane of the world.
So, it’s no surprise that he has nightmares every now and then. They’re not the fun, interesting kind, just the boring kind. The kind that has you shaking in your sleep, where you wake up and no longer have the ability to sleep.
He doesn’t get them as much now, but occasionally he’ll wake up all sweaty and panting, and not in the fun way. Tonight is one such night. He’s not alone this time when he wakes up, no. Alex and Charles are looking at him with concern, they had obviously shaken him awake.
“Are you okay? Was that a nightmare?” Alex asks, eyebrows furrowing. Max forgets that there are still some things that they don’t know, some things he just forgets to tell them. He’s never had one with them before, so it wasn’t relevant.
“Oh, yeah. Yup. That was a nightmare.” He sits up, trying to process everything. He’s too keyed up to stay in bed, he gets up and walks to the kitchen.
“Max- ?” Charles and Alex follow him to the kitchen. He tries to get the kettle filled up with water, but his hands are shaking too hard. Charles takes it from him and Alex wraps her arm around his waist. Charles sets the kettle and waits for it to boil, then pours a mug and throws the tea leaves in it. They all stand in silence, until his tea is done and he’s taken the first sip. Just how he likes it. “Max, please explain.”
Max doesn’t really want to, it’s pretty embarrassing. What grown man actually gets nightmares? He picks up Donut, who had followed them into the kitchen, to stall before answering. “I just get them occasionally, they’re memories mostly.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Charles is asking, as if their mere presence hasn’t driven away the dreams for months on end.
“This tea is pretty good.” Max takes a sip.
Alex rolls her eyes, “Take this seriously please.”
Max sighs, he probably should, he guesses. “It’s just stuff from my dad, not much I can do about it. Mainly sleeping next to you guys helps.” They look proud, but still uncertain about everything.
“If you’re sure…” He finishes his tea after a couple of minutes, it did its job well. He’s tired, more emotionally than anything else. They all go back to the bedroom, and they make him lay in the middle unsurprisingly.
He’s ready to pretend like he’s asleep for the next few hours until their alarms start going off. That doesn’t end up happening. “Max,” Alex starts, and he can feel a lecture coming. “You know we’re here for you, right?” He raises an eyebrow, of course he knows that.
“Of course I know that.”
“Sometimes it feels like you do so much for us and when we try to do stuff in return you lock up.” Max doesn’t get it. He loves them and the affection that comes with them, he thought he was taking it well? Alex must realize his confusion, she goes to clarify. “I mean when we are trying to service you. You try to do most things by yourself. You always take care of us when we’re in distress, let us do the same for once.”
He thinks he might know what they’re talking about. It’s always been hard for him to accept help, he supposes he should start now. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Charles asks with his eyebrow raised.
“Okay.” Max doesn’t say much more, and they’re maneuvering him to lay down. Alex tracing his face, Charles running his hands down Max’s back, their precious pets surrounding them. And he didn’t think he would get any more sleep that night, but this might just be a record. He thinks they must be doing something with their scents, because he’s asleep almost instantly.
-
Max never has to worry about nightmares anymore. Even when he does get them, he wakes up. Reality is too nice for him to let his thoughts get tainted by a silly dream.