Chapter Text
After
Neil and Andrew kiss in the lounge of Raven's locker for what feels like forever. Everything in Neil’s life has led to this every moment, from the slide of Andrew’s tongue against his to the deafening sounds of their teammates cheering just outside the hallway. This is the reason he fought so hard to survive all those years on the run and it was worth every pain and scar imaginable. So he losses himself in the heat of Andrew’s mouth and lets his fingers run through Andrew’s damp hair. All Neil can think of is Andrew Andrew Andrew. The heat of his body where presses Neil against the black walls of the Nest. Neil can’t control the laugh that he lets escape his mouth.
Happy. He’s happy. He would have never thought that was something he was capable of in the underground locker room of the Nest.
Andrew pulls back from him and raises an eyebrow at the smile that is permanently plastered on his face. But he can't help it. Riko is dead, they won the championship, and Neil gets to live a life filled with Exy and Andrew. This is the best day in his extremely miserable life and he’s giddy with excitement.
Neil doesn't think he has it in him to regret disregarding his mother’s dying wish to keep running and keep moving. Not when staying has brought him here to this very moment.
Andrew lefts out a long sigh and pulls him by his shirt towards the door and says, “Let’s go, junkie. You can barely stand.” Neil keeps smiling at him and hobbles after the blonde man.
Andrew’s right though his legs are shaking. Playing a full game of Exy against one of the country’s best collegiate exy teams was nothing less than hell.
It also didn't help that the Ravens have been out to get them from the very beginning. Neil can't even fathom the number of (barely legal) body checks that he had to endure. He knows that he’ll feel every last hit tomorrow when the adrenaline from the win warns off.
Not that he cared about what was going to happen tomorrow when Andrew pushes him through the door. As if on queue the whole team turns to them and the upperclassmen let out wolf whistles. “We thought you two got lost in there,” Matt says with a grin and an arm around Dan who looks like she’s been crying.
Emotions seem to be running high as everyone is crowded into the hallway with their family passing the trophy around for pictures. Neil’s never been good with emotion but what else is new? This is his family.
Neil chooses to ignore Matt and the upperclassmen's antics and to move further down the hallway towards Coach. Where the older man has everyone herded near the exit. The look of satisfaction is evident in his smile and the hand on Kevin’s shoulder. It seems as though he is trying to ground Kevin to the movement and not let him think about the fact they are in the Nest, something Neil trying not to focus on too much either.
He’s not sure if now is the right time to tell Kevin that Riko is bleeding out from a bullet wound to the head in the east tower. The very thought of it brings his father’s smile to his face.
But Kevin is smiling. Actually smiling, not a fake one he uses for the press but one full of joy and pure happiness. It looks a bit jarring seeing how the Kevin Neil knows is always yelling at him or stressing over exy. Maybe Neil is changing for the better or maybe he’s not but he’ll give Kevin a few moments before he ruins his night.
The best time to tell Kevin would be back at Plametto preferably before the Championship party everyone is talking about so that the Son of Exy can drown his grief with alcohol after he receives the news. Neil sure as hell doesn't plan on taking care of Kevin while he deals with his grief over Riko, honestly, he thinks he might even get drunk in celebration. Neil’s sure Riko and his father are going to have a splendid time in hell together. Someone more capable of comforting people than someone who gets the urge to laugh at the thought of Riko's cold body should probably handle Kevin.
See I can be a good person. Don’t say I never did anything for you Kevin, Neil thinks.
Andrew tugs on his shirt to get his attention. He doesn't think he can wipe the smile off his face so he just turns to Andrew grinning.
“What is it?” Andrew demands with his eyes flicking to the almost manic smile Neil knows is across his face.
Andrew has always had a way of seeing right through him. That would have scared him a year ago but now Neil revels in the fact of begin seen, being known.
Neil tries to keep it brief with a short “Later.” but when Andrew gives him an unsatisfied look Neil rolls his eyes and adds, “Not here, on the bus.”
Andrew hums looking Neil up and down then nods and brings a hand to Neil’s face. He cradles the redhead’s cheek and presses his thumb in where the taller man’s smile curves up. Almost instantly Neil feels his smile soften at Andrew’s touch, no longer his father’s smile, but a genuine one that the foxes brought out of him. Family.
Coach’s voice brakes Neil out of his thoughts and the room quiets down, “Alright everyone, let's get the hell out of here.” To Coach’s right, a security guard comes up.
Andrew's body tenses up and his hand shoots out and grabs Neil’s arm in a tight grip.
Baltimore. Neil knows where Andrew’s mind is. And for a second his mind flashes back to the day he was taken, the danger he had put the team in with one of his father's men standing at the door with a gun smiling out at them, and his hopelessness as he let Neil Josten go, but also Andrew telling him to stay.
“There is a larger crowd right outside the exit so we moved your bus as close to the door as we could and barricaded the crowd to form a path. The best thing is to stick together and keep moving towards the bus, so follow me,” the Guard quickly goes over as he starts moving them down the hallway and out the back doors.
That’s how Neil finds him and Kevin sandwiched in the middle of the team as they exit the Nest to the bus. He’s not sure if collectively everyone’s mind was thinking about the riot that led to him being kidnapped but everyone stuck together. He can but feel the warmth that passes through his chest at the gesture of protection. Andrew’s hand never leaves Neil's arm and his hazel eyes are alert. Neil doesn't try to talk Andrew down but instead enjoys the heat of the blond’s hand on his bicep.
Maybe Andrew is right. Maybe Neil is a junkie, especially when it comes to anything Andrew-related. Neil thinks to himself. He’s sure if he said this out loud to Andrew the blonde would either refuse to speak to him for a few days just to spite him or Neil would be told to shut up with a kiss. He’ll have to test that out later.
The security Guard opens up the double door and ushers them outside and just as the night's cool air hits Neil's face so does the sound of the crowd screaming. He was not sure if they were angry at them or cheering for them. Foxes haven't had much experience with the latter so surprisingly they all kept their heads down and enter the bus quickly.
Not causing a scene is a foreign concept for them. But Neil doesn't think he can be shocked about anything at this point.
Once Coach steps on the bus he does a quick headcount before he gets the bus on the road. Seeing how there is a party waiting for them that is being thrown in their honor when they get back. Abby starts making her rounds with a cooler filled with ice packs and heating packs.
Everyone crammed themselves at the front of the bus talking loudly about the party and their summer vacation. Neil hears Allison say that it will be a vacation fit for champions.
Neil and Andrew walk to their seats in the back far from the rest of their rowdy and over-excited team.
And as soon as they sit down Neil could feel Andrew’s gaze on him so he turns and looks into the shorter man’s hazel eyes. Andrew cuts straight to the point, “Well, we’re on the bus Neil. Start talking.”
Neil sits up in his seat to see Nicky and Aaron sitting behind the driver's seat talking to Renee. He wanted to make sure no one was close enough to hear. He’s not sure when he’s going to tell the rest of the foxes but right now Neil owes Andrew the truth first.
“Riko’s dead,” Neil states plainly. Andrew makes gestures as if to say Go on.
“Someone came for me after I left the showers and took me to the east tower. Ichirou was waiting for me there with Riko. He told me that he has no use for people who cause him trouble, which we know what that means and then he shot Riko through the head.” Neil brings his hand up to Andrew’s temple and taps gently and lets out a breath. “I thought that bullet was meant for me” he whispers to Andrew.
It’s something Neil didn't even let himself process until he was staring Andrew in the eyes.
The blonde moves closer to him in the seat and brings his hands up to the redhead’s face. With a bit of shock, Neil notices that Andrew’s hands are shaking with what has to be anger. Or maybe fear?
Neil realizes that he in fact could have been the one that was shot and that there was nothing Andrew could have done to stop it. That all of this would have come to a sto-
“Don't.” Andrew demands, “Don't say that. You did nothing wrong. You cause him no trouble and won't cause him any trouble. Riko’s dead.” Neil nods along to his words and mumbles, “Yeah, he’s dead.”
From the corner of his eye, Neil sees Abby making her way toward the back of the bus. Andrews seems to notice her at the same time and turns to face her as she moves to the seat across from them.
Abby smiles at them kindly as she sits down but Neil could tell that she saw the tension in the air. “Just doing a check-up, is anything hurting or numb? I have ice packs and heating pads,” she asks.
Well
“I think my toe is broken,” Neil says lamely. “Oh, Neil,” Addy replies sadly. Andrew gives him a glare and switches seats with Neil so that Abby could check his foot in the aisle. She makes a face at the nasty bruising that is already forming across two of Neil’s toes and examines it while asking questions. Luckily it was not broken but just badly bruised.
Rot in hell Riko.
Abby tells him to ice it and wear loose shoes until the bruising starts to clear up. And turns to Andrew and simply asks, “Do you need anything?”
He watches as Andrew’s jaw tenses and both Abby and Neil wait for his response.
A few seconds later Andrew grounds out, “Just the heating pad for my shoulder.”
Neil lets out a small laugh before switching to German to say, “Was the painful to admit?” Because Neil couldn't help himself.
Andrew just sends him a sharp glare that Neil has interrupted to mean Shut up.
Abby nods at Andrew seemingly ignoring the language switch after spending so much time around the cousins and hands a heating pad over to Andrew.
Just before she leaves Abby turns to them and tells both of them, “Alright you two great job out there I'm very proud of you both. Now get some rest before we arrive back at school and you two let me know if the pain anywhere gets worse.” she finishes with a pointed look at Neil. So the redhead just nods solemnly, “Yes, ma'am.”
When Abby leaves he turns to Andrew and realizes just how exhausted he feels. He guesses that Andrew sees the energy in Neil's body evaporate as he slumps in his seat. Andrew reaches out a hand and moves his head to the blond's shoulder to rest on. Neil’s eyelids immediately start to feel unbearably heavy as he hears the sounds of his teammates starting to quiet down.
As well as the adrenaline of winning starts to wear off and they prepare to rest for the three-hour drive back to school. Just as Neil starts to lose the fight with his consciousness he feels Andrew rest his head against him.
Which makes Neil smile as the blackness of his dreams consumes him.
—--------
Neil wakes up to the bus coming to a full stop and then Coach’s voice. “Alright wake your asses up we’re at the dorms. Get off this bus and wait for me on the sidewalk.”
Neil groans. His body is stiff as a rock and he can feel his legs twitching. Andrew moves his head off of Neil’s and puts his hand on the redhead’s shoulder to get him moving. Probably knowing that if he didn't Neil would just hide out on the bus.
Once they’re all outside the bus slowly everyone starts stretching their sore muscles out. This game had to be the most intense and physically draining game they’d ever had.
The Ravens were unforgivably harsh with their countless body checks and red cards. It had seemed as if they had an endless supply of players that came out-swing and there was not much the foxes could do about it with no subs on the bench. Mental it was draining but regardless the assholes still lost.
All that talent and they didn't know how to manage their anger in the face of losing. Neil thinks that's what makes real winners, people who know how to take losses. And the foxes have been losing their whole lives and it was about time they started winning.
Coach joins them on the sidewalk in front of the Fox Tower and states, “It’s 10:00 pm and the Vixens are setting up a party for you guys in the lobby. Go upstairs, change and be back downstairs in 15. No one is to leave the Tower. We’re expecting hell tomorrow so stay together. Oh and enjoy the party you deserve it.” Everyone cheers and agrees to pregame in the girl’s dorm. The older man nods and ushers everyone inside.
Neil thinks that it’s either now or never. So he grabs Kevin's arm and nods towards Coach, “We need to talk.” Andrew stays back with them, eyeing Kevin for a reaction.
Neil waits for everyone to get inside before he turns to say, “Riko’s dead. Ichirou shot him in the east tower. I thought I’d tell you before you see it on the news. They’re probably going to cover it up as a suicide. Our deal with the main branch is still on so don't do anything stupid.” Neil tries to say all of this with a straight face for Kevin's sake but can help the slight lift of his lips as they try to form a grin.
He looks over to Coach and makes eye contact and nods toward Kevin to say, You deal with him. Because one thing Neil is not going to do is to hear any excuse that Kevin might make for a man he considered a brother.
Neil couldn't give two shits about what Riko went through and to be completely honest, which is something new he’s trying out, he’s glad Riko is dead. The only thing Neil wishes is that Ricko would have suffered more. His father and Riko’s deaths were far too fast for his liking.
Neil’s body tenses up. He’s itching for a fight. Neil knew all the wrong things that he could say about Riko would have Kevin swing at him. So he turns on his heels and leaves with Andrew trailing behind him before he can say something.
It's not until the elevator door closes that Andrew says something, “You kept that surprisingly civil. Who knew Neil Josten knew when to not run his mouth.” Despite everything Neil laughs.
It helps loosen him up and he lets his body relax a bit, which was probably what Andrew was going for. It makes Neil smile. Who’s the Junkie now?
Neil huffs and his mind wanders back to the look on Kevin's face as he realized his abuser/brother was dead. Shock and Heartbroken.
But Neil doesn't plan on letting this ruin his night of partying downstairs with his family. So when he gets to his room he throws on an outfit that Andrew bought him for Colombia and makes his way toward the Girl's dorm. Pushing Kevin and the look of sorrow on the taller man’s face out of his mind.
“Neil! Come over here and take a shot.” Nicky screeches as Neil and Andrew walk into the room. Nicky is currently in the girl's kitchen doing shots out of the Championship trophy. Neil smiles and shakes his head then joins him.
“Here it’s Vodka. Take a sip or you can shotgun it out my mouth.” Nicky says drunkenly wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as he moves closer to him. Andrew comes over and takes the trophy out of his cousin's hand while sending the older man a glare and takes a long swig from the trophy and passes it to Neil. Reluctantly he takes a small sip.
He’s still not sure how he’ll act if he gets drunk, but he’s not keeping secrets anymore. So Neil thinks he’ll just stay close to Andrew tonight. Which was already his plan.
Andrew puts a hand on Nicky's chest and pushes him out of Neil's space. “Move” he demands.
Nicky pouts, “Sharing is caring little cousin, but fine. I am going to let Renee do my makeup.” And Andrew rolls his eyes as Nicky drunkenly stumbles out of the kitchen blowing them kisses.
“How is he already drunk its only been 10 minutes.” Neil wonders out loud. Andrew shrugged and says “Who the hell cares?” As he takes the trophy out of his hand for another sip. Neil feels the shorter man’s eyes wander his body. Neil feels the room grow a little hotter. “Are you drinking tonight?” Andrew asks.
“Mmm…Just a little. I don't want to get drunk tho.” he replies. The blonde grabs his face and asks “Yes or no?” A grin splits the redhead’s face. “You already know the answer.” He whispers as he slowly leans into Andrew's personal space.
Andrew retaliates by shaking Neils's head. “Answer the question.” the blonde growls obviously, tired of Neil’s games. Neil just smiles and says “Yes, Andrew. It’s always a yes.” Then Andrew takes another long swig of alcohol and brings Neil's lips to his for a kiss.
Andrew pushes his tongue into Neil's mouth slowly opening it up before slightly opening his own mouth allowing vodka to pour into Neil’s. It burns on its way down with only the taste of Andrew on his tongue to chase it down.
The combination makes Neil's head spin and his knees shake at the feeling. He has to grab onto Andrew's sleeve to keep himself steady. Neil isn’t sure if it was from the vodka now flowing through his veins or Andrew's tongue trying to taste the alcohol that was in the redhead's mouth, but regardless Neil feels chills move down his spine.
They slowly pull apart and Neil stares into Andrew’s eyes, black almost eclipsing the hazel. Neil’s not sure he wants to go downstairs anymore.
The next thing he hears is, “So are you two a thing now?” Allison's voice breaks through Neil's foggy mind and Andrew lets go of his face but doesn't move away from him. A flash of annoyance pierces through Neil quickly as he turns to see Allison and Matt smiling at them. He’s not sure if it’s from them being annoying or the fact that they’re trying to settle bets.
Neil takes the trophy from Andrews's hands and pushes it into Allison's arms and says, “Oh fuck off. Can we just go downstairs?”
Dan walks in and takes the trophy from Allision and drains the rest of the alcohol from it. “You heard the man. Everyone go and get shit-faced.” Dan yells and the room erupts with noise and they all pile out of the room to the lobby downstairs.
To party like Champions.
To put it simply the party was all over the place. Neil had stayed squished between Andrew and the arm of the couch watching his teammates drink as if there was no tomorrow. From the looks of it, Allison was flirting with Renee’s mom, Matt had his shirt off and was dancing on a table and Dan and her stage sisters were teaching a very drunk Nicky who was only standing thanks to Eric's arms, and Renee how to twerk while Aaron was in the corner of the room swallowing the cheerleader’s face. The latter Neil truly didn't care about.
He just hoped that Aaron was smart enough to keep her away from Andrew.
It was packed and all night people were coming up to Neil and Andrew and congratulating them on their win. This basically meant that Neil was responsible for responding seeing how Andrew never bothers with people he deems not worth his time. And Kevin was probably at Wymack’s drowning his feelings in vodka.
Overall very on theme for the foxes in Neil’s opinion.
After a while, even with the alcohol in his veins, his eyes were getting heavy so he nudges Andrew with an elbow and asks, “Room?” Andrew replies by standing up and leaving and so Neil follows. Neil would always follow Andrew for as long as the blonde wanted him. Neil waves at the foxes to signal the two of them were leaving. Neil would probably never hear the end of it tomorrow when everyone is sobered up.
But Andrew and Neil walk up to their room in silence. Neil can feel Andrew’s eyes on him. Probably checking how sober he is. Which is completely sober. Neil had a few drinks at the start of the party but the looks Andrew was sending him had Neil switching vodka for water halfway through the night.
As soon as Neil enters their shared dorm a hand pushes him against the door. It was dark but Neil could recognize Andrew by the weight of his palm on his chest and the way his breath felt over his lips. “Yes or no?” the blonde asks in the small space between their lips. And suddenly Neil is not tired.
“Yes, alwa-” Before he could finish Andrew's lips greedily met Neil’s as if he were trying to swallow the word from his lips.
The kiss was mostly tongue with a harsh scrap of teeth that had Neil’s toes curling. Andrew pushes his body against him and they both shudder at the feeling. Andrew rolls his hips against Neil and every thought leaves his brain.
He can’t help but throw his head back against the door as he feels heat expanding in his lower belly and his cock grow heavy in his jeans. Neil lets out a choked-off moan followed by a whimper when Andrew grabs his hips and moves them together. It’s almost too much but not nearly enough.
“Andrew. Take me to bed.” Neil practically begs, but he never says please.
He banished the word from his vocabulary a long time ago. Andrew pulls back completely and stares at Neil hungrily. Before saying in a breathless voice, “Bed. Take your clothes off.” Hazel eyes almost completely dilated stare back at him.
Neil starts moving immediately, tearing his clothes off and cursing at how tight his pants are. Once completely naked Neil practically collapses in the bed and the cool sheets against his back offer a moment of clarity before Andrew tears off his own shirt and climbs over Neil’s prone body.
Fuck. Andrew has gotten Neil off countless times and sometime he’ll stay afterward and finish himself off. But Andrew is always fully clothed.
Neil knows that it gives him a sense of power and control over the situation. It makes it easier for him to walk away if he feels too vulnerable. But now Andrew’s bare chest is hovering inches above Neil’s scared one.
Neil lets his eye wander. Pale skin covered in frickles, a rounded muscular chest with two hard pink nipples on top. The sight of them makes him dizzy with want and he has never wanted anything more than to run his tongue across them.
But Neil doesn't move knowing that this is a sign of trust and looks up into Andrew’s hazel eyes. The man above him seems to see in the very depth of Neil’s soul, “I’m not going to last long if you keep looking at me like that.” Neil barely gets out, already breathless from kissing and thinking of what Andrew is about to do to him. Neil moves his hands slowly under the pillow allowing Andrew to have all of the control.
Andrew captures his mouth in a hard kiss and wraps his hand around Neil’s cock and sets a brutal pace, giving him hard and fast jerks that have Neil’s hips arching off the bed. “Andrew,” Neil gasps into the kiss. He vaguely hears the sound of a cap lube before Andrew’s hand tightens around Neil with a smooth glide that has the redhead seeing stars.
His whole body trembling with the effort not to cum too quickly. Andrew's hand moves faster causing an almost amount continuous string of precum to pour out Neil’s tip. Andrew pulls back from the kiss to look down at his hand moving against Neil’s cock but Neil’s eyes don't leave Andrew's face
“Fuck. Neil.” Andrew groans as he hides his face in Neil's neck and bites down. Neil's whole body jerks at the sensation. Pain and pleasure blur together and he moans Andrew’s name into the pillow.
With Neil’s neck now exposed Andrew moves in on the opportunity and the blonde’s lips leave a hot trail of kisses and teeth down the column of the redhead’s throat. Neil would call him out on the neck fetish but he can't breathe or think.
Neil can feel the need to cum ripple all through his body and lets the feeling roll over him until all he can’t think about is Andrew's lips and hand bringing him to the edge.
Neil cries out when Andrew twists his wrist just right over the tip of his cock. “Oh. God. ‘Drew!” He tries to get out in between heaving breaths.
“I’m so close” Neil nearly sobs as Andrew whispers into his neck, “That’s it. Let me hear you.” Andrew is usually not one to talk when they have sex but the sound of his voice makes Neil’s stomach tighten.
Neil lets out a moan that rips its way out of his throat as he cums into Andrew's fist.
Hips wildly jerking upward to drag the sensation out. Neil can't speak, he can't even think straight. But Andrew knew exactly what he needed and pressed their lips together as Neil’s body is taken over by the aftershock of his orgasm.
Neil brings his shaking hands to Andrew’s head slowly and waits until blond nobs into the kiss before carding them through his hair. Mindlessly running his fingers through the soft blonde strands as well as lightly pulling the strands of hair. The texture grounds Neil and he lets his hand explore, but never taking more than what Andrew has given him.
Neil’s fingers trace the shell of Andrew’s ear and Neil tries to calm his racing heart.
Andrew’s hand leaves Neil's now softening dick and the next thing Neil hears is the sound of a zipper. Andrew lets out a shaky breath.
Breathlessly Neil asks, “Can I watch?”
Andrew looks into Neils's eyes as if the answer was buried someplace in the depths of the blue that Neil can never stand to look at. Seeming to find his answer the man above Neil lets out a shaky, “Yes, keep your hands where they are.”
And so Neil looks down as Andrew takes the hand he used to bring Neil over the edge into his pants and takes out his cock. This is not the first time Andrew has let him watch as he got himself off.
Usually, after Andrew makes him cum and Neil would hear the sound of a zipper and feel Andrew’s hand moving in his own pants. Neil always asks if he can watch. He is usually turned down but more and more Andrew will let out a choked yes and let Neil watch as he goes over the edge.
It’s breathtaking watching Andrew use his hand that is covered in Neil’s cum and wrap it around his own cock. Neil’s spent cock twitches at the scene in front of him and he bites his lip to cover up his groan.
Neil watches lazily as Andrew set an even more brutal pace for himself as he tries to muffle his moans in Neil's neck. His body shivers at the sound of the older man’s moans as they vibrate through his shoulder.
And then suddenly Neil is watching as Andrew curls his body forward as the blonde's release joins the mess on Neil’s stomach.
Neil watches as Andrew's hand works himself through the aftershocks of his own orgasm and the feeling of Andrew's cum as it slides down his ribs. He turns his face for a kiss and Andrew obliges him.
They kiss until they both cool down and the cum has long dried on Neil’s stomach. But Neil could care less with the taste of Andrew in his mouth, smoke, whiskey, and mint.
Eventually, Andrew pulls back and sighs as he looks down at Neil’s stomach. “You’re a mess.”
Neil smile and rolls his eyes, “Yeah and I wonder who did this to me.” Andrew gives him a look and stands up so Neil can stretch out his tensed muscles. The soreness from the game allows him to melt into the bed.
Neil closes his eyes at the feeling of peace that washes over him and he hears Andrew leave the room.
Sometimes Andrew has to leave and collect himself after they do something intimate and Neil doesn't take it to heart. Letting Andrew have as much space as he needs.
Neil should probably clean the mess up and put some clothes on but his body won't listen to him and his eyes are getting heavy.
Only a second later Andrew comes back into the room and Neil feels something wet against his stomach. He peaks an eye open and sees a wet washcloth and closes his eyes again to groan.
He really doesn't want to move.
He keeps his eye closed until he feels the bed dip as Andrew sits next to his prone body.
And then the feeling of at the feeling of Andrew carefully cleaning him up. Neil thinks that this part is nice, peaceful even after something so intense. “Mmm, thanks.” Neil mummers partially drifting off again.
Andrew snorts, “Got your fix, and now your going to just pass out on me, Junkie.”
Neil smiles and cracks open an eye open to look up at Andrew. Who happens to be staring down at him with an amused look on his face in a clean pair of underwear and what looks like Neil’s sweatshirt.
Maybe others would see a blank face but Neil spends too much time staring at the man above him and cataloging his facial expression to understand that he’s in a good mood.
Neil lightly tugs on the sleeve of the blonde’s sweatshirt, “Stay?”
Stay. In this moment Neil uses it as a question, but he remembers when Andrew had told him to stay in the form of a key pressed in his open palm. A moment that will forever live in his mind. It was the day Neil found a home. Which was both the house in Columbia and in Andrew.
Above him, Andrew throws the dirty washcloth somewhere in the room and hums a yes before crawling over Neil to lay with his back to the wall.
Andrew is able to maneuver the blanket so that it covers both of them. Seeing how Neil is still completely naked and not planning on getting out of bed.
Neil uses the rest of his strength to roll over and face Andrew. And the last thing Neil sees before he gives in to sleep is Andrew’s hazel eyes slowly blinking back at him. And Neil can't wait for this summer and all the next ones he’s able to look forward to. Knowing Andrew is going to be by his side.
And right before he slips into deep sleep Neil remembers he didn't tell the rest of the team about Riko. Too exhausted to care at the moment Neil lets it slip from his mind and leaves it for future him to deal with tomorrow.