Chapter Text
“What are you doing?”
Aaron heard the door shut and closed his eyes. Even his eyelids were sticky. “It’s hot,” he said, the effort of peeling the words from his lips lingering in the form of sweat dripping down his face.
“I was asking Andrew.”
From somewhere near his feet, Andrew said, “It’s extremely hot.”
Aaron heard something drop to the floor next to his brother, and screwed his eyes tighter together, refusing to listen. But Neil just said, “You two are pathetic.”
Aaron opened one eye to see Neil crouching over Andrew’s head, Andrew’s head turned to the sound, and the shadow, eyes closed but one hand reached out in an aborted gesture. Neil was smiling at Andrew. “We are not,” said Aaron.
Neil raised an eyebrow at him. “Then what is this?”
“Heat rises,” said Andrew from where he was lying flat on the kitchen floor head to toe next to Aaron.
Aaron had to look away from the fond look Neil gave Andrew. “You learn that today?”
“It’s science,” Andrew said, before Aaron heard something like a kiss and then Neil move away. He opened his eyes again.
Neil moved around the dorm while Aaron melted into a small puddle on the floor. He was wearing a white t-shirt, and regretting it, wondering if Andrew’s black vest top and armband combo was warmer or cooler. At least he had bare shoulders. Aaron didn’t really like showing his upper arms.
The door opened again and Kevin’s voice rang into the room, “Oh come on.”
Aaron’s eyes snapped open and he looked up at the tower making its way over to them. He smirked. “What?”
“It’s science,” contributed Andrew with a mutter, sounding half way to asleep.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” said Kevin, but he sounded more amused now, poking Aaron’s thigh with his shoe. “What if you’re in my way?”
“Are we?” said Aaron, eyes working their way up Kevin’s body.
Kevin frowned at him. “Some of us actually live here.”
“I’m not stopping you.”
“I might be,” Andrew mumbled, starfishing so that his feet touched the cabinets near Aaron’s head and his pinkies stretched to reach the fridge.
Kevin smiled, and Aaron caught it, before he rubbed it away with a shake to his head and started lecturing Andrew on how to be a better roommate. Aaron closed his eyes as Kevin stepped over him delicately, shoved Andrew’s body a little by moving the fridge door into it, and grabbed a bottle of water. He sat down, long legs fitting into the space next to Aaron, and cleared his throat. “So,” he said to the cabinet opposite.
Aaron waited, watched as Andrew lifted his head, and then his body onto elbows, and said, “What.”
Kevin shrugged, still looking away, but then he said, “I broke up with Thea.”
“Oh.” Andrew lay back down again, and crossed his arms behind his head.
Aaron looked away, and stared at the ceiling. “Ok.”
“Yeah,” said Kevin, as if Aaron had asked a question.
Neil shuffled back into the kitchen, having changed into tiny orange shorts and a long-sleeved grey top. After a second of noting the silence he said, “Did I miss something?”
“Kevin finally dumped her,” Andrew said. “We’re having a party.”
“Clearly,” Neil said, sitting on the floor opposite Kevin and bumping their feet together. “That’s good. Right?”
“Yeah,” said Kevin. Aaron turned his head to watch him, but Kevin’s eyes were focused on Neil. “I think so.”
Neil shrugged. “You guys never saw each other. You didn’t love her anymore. It’s simple.”
“You always think it’s simple,” Kevin said with a frown.
“It’s my superpower.”
“Being deficient in human emotion isn’t a superpower,” said Andrew from the floor.
“That’s not what you said last night,” Neil said quickly, like he was pleased with himself.
Kevin spluttered on his water, and Aaron frowned at Neil. “Is that supposed to be a joke?”
“Yes,” said Neil. “What do you think?”
Aaron shrugged. “5 out of 10.”
“Not bad,” said Neil with a grin.
The front door slammed open and a bag was thrown across the room. “It’s SO. HOT.”
“Half these people don’t live here anymore,” muttered Andrew with his eyes closed.
“I know,” Neil said sympathetically, touching Andrew’s leg. Andrew caught his hand and held it there, and Aaron looked up to watch his cousin approach.
“Um, who forgot to invite me to the kitchen party?” Nicky sounded affronted, but he sat cross-legged between Kevin and Neil and fanned his face.
“Aaron and Andrew are pathetic,” said Neil. “I think they’re melting.”
“Are you criticising my parenting skills?” said Nicky, stealing the bottle of water from Kevin and downing the rest of it while Kevin huffed out an objection.
“I don’t think it’s your fault we have the heat retention of walruses,” said Aaron.
“Bad example,” said Andrew. “Walruses live in cold climates.”
“Whose idea was it to keep walruses in the south?” said Aaron.
Andrew pointed at him, and after a pause said, “Exactly.”
“I don’t think either of you know what you’re talking about,” said Neil.
Andrew finally sat up, eyes raking over Neil’s outfit and said, “It’s too warm.” It was almost like a whine, except Andrew never whined.
But Neil’s eyes were amused. He said, “The Mas has air con?”
“Ice cream?” said Andrew with raised eyebrows, sitting up a little more enthusiastically.
“OH,” said Nicky, “can I come? I want to see what flavours they’ve got.”
“Sure,” said Neil, standing and pulling Andrew after him. He whispered something in a disgruntled Andrew’s ear, which seemed to cheer him up. He pointed each at Kevin and Aaron, who gave their ice cream orders, and the three of them shuffled out the dorm.
Which left Kevin and Aaron alone.
The floor was blissfully cold against Aaron’s back, but he felt oddly vulnerable spread out in front of Kevin like this, so he shifted the upper half of his body up onto his elbows and looked over at Kevin, only to see Kevin’s eyes dart away.
“So,” said Aaron. He searched around for conversation. “What do you want to do this week?”
Kevin sighed. “Wymack took my keys.”
Aaron tried to tamper down his amusement. At the scolding in Kevin’s eyes he hadn’t succeeded. They had the same argument every year. For the first two weeks of summer break, coach confiscated Kevin’s keys to the stadium. No exy. Aaron said, sarcastically, “Well fuck, what will we do instead?”
Kevin looked at him, something unreadable in his expression. He looked away just as quickly. “Gym?” he suggested.
“You and Neil can run in the mornings,” said Aaron, “but I’m not going anywhere near a gym. It’s summer.”
Kevin sighed. “I hate summer.”
“I know, Day,” said Aaron, leaning his head against the cabinet and watching as Kevin’s eyes shut, as something tense and wound up seemed to spiral around his body. “You’re too tense.”
Kevin’s eyes snapped open and he glared at him. “People say that as if it’s supposed to help. Of course I’m tense. I can’t practise.”
“And... you broke up with your girlfriend?” Kevin looked away again. “I dunno, maybe a couple of weeks off life would be good for you.”
Kevin sighed. “I’d rather not.”
“You don’t have much of a choice.”
Kevin waved this off, resting his hand on one leg, Aaron watching it where it landed against soft hairs, just at the edges of Kevin’s shorts, the hem loose around his thighs. Kevin said, “What do you wanna do?”
Aaron felt warm, felt warm already, felt warmer and just said, “Whatever. You know. Whatever Andrew wants to do, probably. You know the drill.”
Kevin laughed wryly. “Yeah. I know the drill.”
“Maybe we can go to the beach,” said Aaron, still watching Kevin’s hand where it folded into a fist and then uncurled, thinking of bodies running in shorts and suncream and maybe even swimming.
Kevin said, “Sure,” probably thinking of beach volleyball and sprinting with Neil and girls in bikinis.
Aaron looked away again, something twisting in his stomach and closing his eyes and sighing, hoping it sounded more content than resigned and said, “Ok.”