A good neighbour

Dr. Andrew Knox loved a lot of things. 

He loved his apartment he'd earned with money from the job he loved, he loved animals and plants, he loved people, and he loved the small interactions he had with his next door neighbour. 

They weren't next door neighbours in the classic sense. Since he lived in a small apartment building, the only one of its kind in a well off neighbourhood, and they lived in a giant two storey house that must have cost millions. 

No, they lived next to each other in different plots, but they had become cordial with each other. When they had moved into the neighbourhood, Andrew had brought over a casserole like his mother had instructed him to do whenever he had a new neighbour, and that was when Andrew had met the beautiful man. 

His next door neighbour was a gorgeous creature. With short cut black hair, with a slight curl to it, and deep, blue eyes, with the perfect proportions. The only complaint Andrew had was that he came up to just below Andrew's shoulder. But Andrew couldn't hold that against him. Andrew was 6'4, and he had learned the hard way you never brought up someone else's height when you towered over them. 

It made them uncomfortable. 

So he'd stared down at this little fairy who had moved in next door to him when he'd answered the door, casserole in his hand, and his mouth agape. When Andrew had finally gathered himself enough to speak, the smaller man had a slight flush to his cheeks. 

"I didn't know an alpha lived next door." They were the first words out of his mouth, and the soft, lilting voice held sharp knives. Andrew tried not to visibly wince, and kept his smile on his face while his grip on the casserole tightened. 

"Haha, I'm actually a beta. Welcome to the neighbourhood. I'm Andrew Knox, but most call me Andy." The smaller man's eyes widened, and Andrew had taken that time to look him over. His outfit fit him well, with a tailored shirt to match his tailored pants. The belt he wore tied the outfit together, and Andrew didn't want to know how expensive his clothes were. He'd probably weep in poor. 

"I'm sorry. That was very rude of me. There aren't many betas that are your height." The man hesitated for a second, before he continued. "I always have to be careful, since usually alpha's see me and try to take control of me." Andrew's expression didn't change, but his eyes softened. 

Ah. 

So his new neighbour was an omega. No wonder they had tensed up when they saw Andrew. 

"It's alright. You aren't the first, and probably won't be the last to mistake me for one. You're safe around me though. I can't smell pheromones in the slightest." Andrew grinned at the nervous man, trying to soothe him. His expression didn't change. 

"I'm Maxwell Beckett. It's nice to meet you Andrew." A shiver went down Andrew's spine at the smaller man saying his name, but Andrew just smiled. He handed over the casserole. 

"I was only popping in to say hi today. I hope you enjoy living in the neighbourhood! I just live in the apartment next door, the second one in the corner of the top floor. 204. If you need any help, don't be afraid to ask." He'd handed over the casserole and had honestly thought that was going to be the end of it. 

~

But a month later, after he'd come home from a long day out in the sun and had just taken a shower, he'd heard a hurried knock at his door. 

Drying his hair, he headed towards the front door and checked the peep hole. In front of the door was a rather anxious looking Maxwell Beckett. Concern filling him, Andrew opened the door. 

"Mr. Beckett. It's late. Are you alright?" Andrew asked right away, offering for the smaller man to come inside. Maxwell hesitated for a second before he stepped into the apartment. He glanced around, but said nothing for a moment. The apartment was probably something he'd never seen before, as it was just a small one bedroom, but he wasn't rude about it. "Sorry, I hope you weren't waiting for too long. I was in the shower." Maxwell glanced at the other man and smirked. 

"I can see that, Andrew." The cool tones of his voice washed over Andrew, and he clenched his hand. He wrapped his towel around his neck, planning to dry his hair once his welcome visitor left. Maxwell took a few more seconds before he finally spoke. 

"There is…a strange man at my door. Honestly, I've been having some problems with someone leaving unwanted…gifts at my door. Both doors. The front and the back. Which should be impossible, since I have a huge fence and cameras on both. They keep their face covered. But…I think he's there right now, and in rut. Could you help me? I called the police but…." Andrew took in the slightly shaking of Maxwell's hands, and the way he wasn't looking into Andrew's face. 

He sighed. 

"Alright. Let me go pull on something more intimidating. I'll be right back. Do you want a glass of water or something while you're waiting? I don't have any tea or coffee, otherwise I would have offered some." Maxwell, who had clearly come prepared with an offer of some kind, stared at the man in silence. 

It was clear he hadn't expected Andrew to so easily accept everything he said. That reaction made Andrew frown, but he wasn't going to speculate on his history. All he could do was do his best and offer any help he could. He'd come to the right guy. Andrew went to the gym regularly to maintain his body. It wouldn't do him good to get shown up by farmers when he went to visit them for field research. 

"Uh, no. I'm okay, thank you." Maxwell answered after noticing that Andrew was waiting for a response. Andrew smiled at the smaller man and then turned towards his room. He grabbed one of his tighter workout shirts, before pulling on his gym shirts. He finished off the look with a pair of gloves and a baseball bat he used to play with his friend's kids. 

When he stepped out, his hair still wet, his glasses on, and tightening his grip on the baseball bat, he noticed the shocked look on Maxwell's face. He grinned. 

"Do I look intimidating?" He asked him, and Maxwell swallowed. 

"You'd look more intimidating without the glasses." He answered and Andrew laughed. 

"Unfortunately, I don't have contacts, and I'm blind without them. Shall we go? Are they at the front of the house or the back?" He asked the black haired man and Maxwell composed himself. 

"He's at the front, directly in view of everyone. He's making a statement." It was clear to Andrew that Maxwell was uncomfortable. With the situation and having to ask for help. Unconsciously, Andrew reached out and ruffled his hair with one of his gloved hands. Maxwell stared at him, affronted, while Andrew pulled on a pair of sneakers. 

"I'll make sure he doesn't think about coming back, alright?" He grinned down at the man, who started up at the other man in shock. If Andrew had been paying attention, he would have noticed the slight pink tinge to the other man's ears. Unfortunately for Andrew, he was thick as a bag of bricks, so he cheerfully opened the door and motioned for Mr. Beckett to pass him. 

Hesitantly, Maxwell did just that, and Andrew whistled as he made sure the door closed securely behind him. 

"Now, shall we have some fun?" He suggested to the smaller man, who was now worried he'd enlisted the help of a psycho. Andrew wasn't going to easily dissuade his worries either, as he took the stairs down quickly, and made for the front door of his neighbour's house without waiting for him. 

Maxwell's heart was racing in his chest as he watched the taller man take long strides towards the shadowy figure on the front stoop of his house. The cameras were all facing towards him, but he wore a hood and a hat, obscuring himself. 

Andrew, for his part, was still whistling until he got close enough that the other male could hear him. 

"Oi, shithead, what the fuck are you doing in this neighbourhood?" Andrew called, and Maxwell swore he felt a shiver run down his spine. The fluffy, big man he'd met before had shifted in a second. Andrew's tone dripped venom, and it was made more intimidating by the fact the lights reflected on his glasses, making it so that the alpha on the stoop couldn't see Andrew's eyes. 

"U-Uh, I'm w-waiting for my partner to get home." The man stuttered, and Andrew came to a stop beside him. While the other man was an Alpha, Andrew still towered over him. The man wasn't short, but Andrew just was that tall. Andrew's grip tightened on his baseball bat. 

"Partner? That's not what I fucking heard. Are you harassing what's mine?" Andrew growled, mimicking the words he'd heard on t.v. several times. The alpha before him shook as Andrew raised the bat. 

"I-I'm sorry. I thought he was-" Andrew bent down, until the faces were quite close to each other. Andrew now had a good look at the creep, and was disgusted. He hated that even pieces of shit, just because of the genetic lottery that was being an alpha or omega, made them inherently attractive. Even this monster had a good facial structure, hiding the monster inside. It was a good thing that Andrew had a good memory. He wasn't going to forget him. 

"You weren't well informed. The reason he's not here often is because he's at my place. Now scram, before you and my friend get acquainted. I never want to smell your stench around here ever again." The alpha scrambled away like a bug, and Andrew stood in front of the door, silent, watching. Maxwell worried that the man he had met before, the kind one who'd taken his insulting words to the face and smiled, was an illusion. 

All of that was confirmed once the creep was out of sight, and Andrew came bouncing over, a silly grin on his face. 

"Did I do a good job? Do you think he'll come back? I just quoted some lines I'd heard on t.v. before. I hope you don't mind. Oh, and don't worry. I'm actually in a relationship, so I promise I won't be a weirdo like that guy." Andrew smiled at Maxwell, who seemed to be dealing with some serious whiplash. Before the man burst into laughter. 

He hunched over, holding onto his sides as he laughed. When he looked up at Andrew, with sparkling, slightly wet blue eyes, a warm feeling settled into Andrew's chest and he smiled. He rested the bat on his shoulder, waiting for Maxwell to fully contain himself, and when he had, Maxwell shook his head. 

"Did you want to come in for some tea? I do have some at my house, and I feel like I owe you for such a great performance. I also have some snacks, plus, I don't put it past that creep to be lurking around to see if we are actually an item or not." Andrew's face hardened, and he nodded. Even though the situation was so serious, he was happy that he was making a new friend.