Chapter Text
Foxbrokes
Reynolds: Oooh, so sad - anyone betting on Day for #347 your money is forfeit to the pot!
Boyd: Which one is that?
Reynolds: First couple to marry
Wilds: Didn't we dissolve that one years ago?
Reynolds: Why would we do that?
Min03: Clauses were added.
Min03: One party must have been a Fox for a minimum of 3 years.
Min03: Both parties must be at least 1 year post-graduation.
Min03: Marriage must be legal, with a genuine marriage certificate as proof.
Hemmick: Which is why I hate you all because it's still not legal in Germany!
Min03: The couple will receive a percentage of the total pot with proof of legal marriage. The gift amount grows by 1% each year that the bet is active.
Josten: Which is why none of you cheapskates have taken the leap
Min03: This bet began in 2007, and has been running for seven years. As such the winning couple will receive 7%.
Boyd: How do you remember all this?!
Josten: It's his thing
Josten: Before someone asks me to do the math, if I remember the pot correctly the wedding gift is now at $15,603.72
Josten: Some asshole put in 28 cents
Aaron: Only because it makes you have to think every time someone asks.
Josten: Should have known
Walker: I'm sorry to hear that things didn't work out with Thea, Kevin. It's very difficult when a long relationship comes to a conclusion. I'm sure that we're all here for you if you need us while you adjust to the changes happening in your life.
Kevin Day dropped his phone onto the empty side of the bed with a sigh. It was one way to discover that the tabloids had noticed the lack of an engagement ring on Thea's finger. There had already been murmurings of "trouble in paradise" when they hadn't been seen together in public for three weeks, and they would have had confirmation in four days anyway when her transfer announcement went public and placed her clean on the other side of the country from him.
It wasn't that he hadn't planned on telling the Foxes, his NCAA I teammates from his university years turned unlikely friends, he simply hadn't been ready to talk about it. He'd completely forgotten about the bet, and was surprised anyone else remembered any of the old ones at all. He should have kept better track of where he'd pledged his money, especially now that he was down to only his income. He almost rolled his eyes at himself - it wasn't as though millions a year weren't enough to "survive" on. Of course he would need to move, but he'd never liked the apartment Thea had insisted on. It was too dark and reminded him far too much of The Nest. He supposed that was why she liked it.
Kevin rolled onto his front and buried his face in the pillow. He needed to call his father before it hit the Exy gossip cycle. It used to be much easier before Facebook and Twitter made everything even more instant. He'd also underestimated just how protected he had been on campus. In the real world there was very little stopping the photographers from getting in his face all day. Five years on he was begrudgingly used to it. He loathed that he had to be at all - but he would pay any price to keep playing Exy. In many ways he already had.
Power nap officially ruined, Kevin pulled himself out of the bed and made his way to the kitchen. The tall glass of water made him crave a different clear liquid. The first year of sharing a team and a home with Thea had made him realise that he had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, that hiding his drinking (which started when he woke up and only ended because he was asleep) was a neon sign that he had lost control. He had never been able to confide in Thea about his struggle, knowing that for her it would be a black-and-white issue when the problem lived in bloodied shadows that she could never acknowledge. He had found unexpected solace and advice from Matt and Aaron, Foxes with experience in beating addiction, who still remained the only ones that knew he had confronted his alcoholism and made the changes necessary to put that crutch behind him. He assumed Andrew and Neil knew - Andrew knew everything, and Neil saw everything, that was the natural order of things - so there was no need for discussion there.
As his fingers twitched for the familiar long neck of a bottle of vodka he knew he was in trouble. He slunk back to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling the phone over and opening his conversation with Aaron. His thumb hovered over the keyboard before he turned off the screen and dropped it aside again. Aaron wasn't cruel, but he was blunt, and he had never liked Thea. He didn't want or need to be coddled, but he wasn't sure that he could handle the cold, sharp response he would get from him either. Matt was the opposite problem, he would drown in his gentleness.
Kevin drew his feet up onto the edge of the mattress, one arm around his shins and his chin on his knees as he turned the phone on again and opened the browser, tapping on his bookmark of a popular local house-search site. Thea had already bought him out of their West Virginia apartment, and he was letting her handle selling the apartment he was currently in; he would sign the appropriate papers when presented with them. He had time to move out, but the sooner he extricated himself from the depressing living space the better. He wanted something on the small side. He wasn't trying to hide, per se, but a hole-in-the-wall somewhere would attract less attention and that appealed to him. He curled up a little tighter when he remembered that Ichirou Moriyama would never allow it, and he didn't feel like bringing the little lord's goons down on himself because he was wallowing in self pity.
He flopped back onto the bed, forcing himself to take slow, deep breaths. He was staring down the barrel of 30 - he was far too old to be moping so theatrically it pushed himself to panic. He changed the search to something a little bigger and a little closer to the stadium, the latter automatically adding to the cost. Rentals, because if he was going to buy anything he would prefer to do it with a much clearer head. He looked at the options with dead eyes and an empty feeling. He shot emails to the realtors and considered how fast he could pack what was left of the apartment.
It transpired that the answer was "five days", three of which were spent carefully packing his book collection. Since Thea was moving too far away to take any of the furniture with her she left it all - except for the vintage Tiffany lamp that Kevin couldn't stand anyway. By that point the split rumours were considered split facts, and any mention of his name was for his team's fans to curse him out for making Thea leave, or from fans of her new team to cheer his "fumble".
It burned that people thought she left him, but he still wasn't ready to talk about it. He doubted he ever would be. For once he was content to let them think what they wanted. They would, no matter what he said.
He avoided the farewell party. He wouldn't be welcome, and he didn't mind avoiding a room full of alcohol when he still felt the itch to indulge living under his skin. He expected the next practice with the team to be uncomfortable, but somehow it was no different than usual. He had a different backliner dogging him, and the change was a surprising breath of fresh air. He hadn't realised how stale and complacent he had become by always working against Thea. He found himself silently cursing the Raven pairing system for the first time. He supposed that could be considered "healing".
Aina Danielsen knocked her shoulder into him with a grin at the end of the scrimmage, tugging off her helmet and shaking out her sweat-damp hair. "Shit, Day, you haven't had that much fire in you for ages!"
Kevin pushed his hair off his face and managed a faint smile. She was right - everything felt different without Thea over his shoulder. Thea was a strong player, one of the best, and their hard corners fit together, the barbs on their tongues tangled together and thrilled and antagonised them both in equal measure. But he knew all her tells, and she knew his, having trained together for longer than they hadn't. Thea would tell him that a Raven could only ever be challenged by another Raven, but the more she said it the more he wanted to scream that he was a Fox.
"I enjoy the challenge of someone new," he shrugged, carefully undoing his gloves and pulling them off. "You telegraph some of your moves. We will work on that."
Aina laughed and lightly tapped her racquet to his. "Bring it, Day. I'm not scared of that acid tongue." Her head turned and she straightened up as someone waving caught her attention. She flashed Kevin one more grin and jogged across the court, leaving him behind.
He took his time leaving the court. He had nowhere to be and no reason to rush. He would have put in extra time and trained solo but part of him felt hollowed out. The obsessive fire and drive weren't gone, he'd simply misplaced them in one of the boxes he was living out of. They would turn up before long, he wasn't worried. It wasn't the first time Exy couldn't completely carry him through everything happening in his life - a fact he was sure many people would have been shocked by and disbelieving of.
Kevin knew his reputation. It wasn't undeserved. People assumed that he was brought up to think he was better than everyone else, that he was the Son of Exy and that allowed him to look down on other players. No one would know about the beatings. Being locked in cupboards, and then closets when he got bigger. The things he had endured through from both Riko and the Master. The spectacle he made of himself to draw attention from Jean, from other vulnerable players, from Riko when what was twisted inside of him came to the surface and needed to be swallowed back down before it could be seen as anything other than competitiveness and striving for perfection. There were scars that people couldn't see, soft places that still felt bruised when they were pressed. He'd stopped hearing Riko's voice for years, but then-
Then.
He scrubbed his hands over his face and tried to send the thoughts down the drain with his shampoo. Players expected him to be scathing and openly critical, fans expected him to smile and laugh and be happy to see them - and he didn't disappoint, it was beaten into him to never do such a thing.
He tiredly calculated his calories for the day on the way home, and allowed himself to duck into the Thai takeaway for his usual order. He sat cross-legged on the sofa, eating out of the box as he watched reruns of the week's games, his focus for once not on the television though he couldn't say what he was thinking about instead. The beep of his phone pulled his attention back to his surroundings and he wrestled it from his pocket. He sighed and unlocked it to look at the new group.
FOXMAS2014
Reynolds: Okay chucklefucks - we decided Vegas last year so I want to start getting numbers
Reynolds: I'm assuming it's 11, since Kevin is solo
Reynolds: And to work around everyone's work and practices it's the 20th-27th
Reynolds: Questions, queries, complaints?
Aaron: Katelyn can't make it this year
Wilds: Boo hiss!
Wilds: But is she okay?
Boyd: Does this mean she won't be trying to teach Nicky how to backflip after all?!
Aaron: Her niblings are getting bigger, she doesn't want to miss it
Renee: I think that's sweet - you must have a lot of trouble finding the time to see family
Josten: Thank fuck /t
Nicky: Baby's first tone tag! He's growing up *wipes away tear*
Josten: I'm 27 years old
Min03: 26. Do not let your driving license go to your head.
Kevin Day: You're not going with her?
Aaron: Not this time
Reynolds: She's seeing her family, he's seeing his. Couples are allowed to do that you know!
Kevin Day: I was only asking ffs
He muted the chat. He'd get the details in his email when Allison finished organising them, as always. He often felt along for the ride when the Foxes were together, and he knew that it was his own fault - his attitude when they met was awful, and it had taken a long time for the team to knock his corners off, but even then when he joined them with Thea it was easier to go off as a pair for most of the time.
It was that he missed most as the weeks passed - he was too used to always having someone beside him. Andrew had broken him of needing it years ago, but Thea was his home and his work and everything else in between. Her absence was everywhere. It lessened when he finally secured a new apartment, taking with him what furniture it didn't make sense to get rid of and letting the realtor know what was being left behind for the new owners if they should want it. He treated himself to a new bed, bedding, and premium mattress, but otherwise set things up simply and then sent photos to Allison and waited for her to take matters into her own hands. Within the week he had a series of deliveries carefully tailored around his training times, and was in receipt of art for the walls, curtains for all the windows, cushions and a rug for the living room, and several sets of bed sheets - one with a note to keep it in the spare bedroom for when she visited because she didn't trust him to not stage the new photos and then shove everything in a cupboard.
That night he dressed his bed in the sheets, lay back on them and gave his phone the middle finger. He immediately sent the photo to Allison, who responded with several laughing emojis and a heart.
Good boy, the penultimate message read, quickly followed by, That's the Queen we know and love. Good to see you back to yourself.
Kevin dropped the phone beside him and smiled for the first time in months.
By the time December rolled around he was feeling enthusiastic about the getaway. He bought new clothes, polished his shoes, got a hair cut. His team noted the change in his mood, and more than one joke was made that he clearly had special plans while he was away. He shrugged them off good naturedly and made promises that he simply planned to spend time with his friends before visiting his family for New Years.
Even the horde of paparazzi waiting for him in Las Vegas weren't enough to dampen his mood. Their presence meant that the others had already started to arrive and someone had put the arrivals together and realised there were more Foxes on their way. He let his good mood carry him past them with a smile, and paused to sign a few things.
"Think you can sign this for me?"
Kevin turned with a grin at the voice and looked down at a smirking Neil, snagging the pen and quickly signing his forehead instead of the receipt he was holding out and then dropped the pen back in his hand.
"Tagging my things, Day? Don't you know better?" Andrew looked at Neil's forehead with contained amusement, hands in his pockets. They had to have been in the airport for a while because he seemed generally relaxed. "We have a car waiting."
Kevin nodded and fell into step beside him like old times, glancing now and then to Neil who was licking his thumb and trying to scrub the pen from his forehead with muttered grumbles under his breath.
"Everyone else here?"
"No," Neil piped up, arms dropping theatrically as he gave up trying to get the pen off his face. "Allison and Renee went ahead to set up. Dan and Matt's plane was delayed but they'll be here in a couple of hours, roughly when Nicky and Erik land. The esteemed Doctor Minyard took another cab because he wanted to sleep before dinner."
Kevin snorted softly. "I bet he loves you calling him that."
"Only because he has forgotten what sarcasm is," Andrew's dry voice cut in. "If you talked less and walked faster we would have left already."
Kevin looked down at him and grinned. "If I walked faster your little legs wouldn't be able to keep up." He weaved out of Andrew's reach as a hand thrust out to grab him, his good mood undeterred. "Oh come on, you let me have one short joke per occasion. My Christmas gift to you is that I have used it already."
"Can your gift to me be something to get your name off my fucking face?" Neil groused.
Kevin dug in the side of his bag and pulled out a small packet of antibacterial wipes. "Make sure to wash and moisturise your face when we get there and you'll be fine."
Neil snatched them and wrestled one from the packet, frantically scrubbing his forehead as they walked. Paying attention to Neil gave Kevin a legitimate reason to ignore the people who recognised them. Andrew, as always, didn't care if they were recognised or not. It was an enviable talent, and well practised. Somehow no one hated Andrew for it - he wasn't sure that he could get away with it so unscathed.
One of the better things about Allison reconciling with her parents was access to the Reynolds hotels. He didn't like giving them his money, but usually their stays were greatly reduced in price - and even if they weren't, it was worth being able to stay somewhere he could walk freely without cameras and pens thrust in his face.
The suite was perfect - of course. The hard wood floors and plush carpets, the granite counters and glass tabletops, floor-to-ceiling windows, cushions and blankets and a fireplace. It could almost feel like a home. With Renee and Allison lounging together on the sofa it felt even more so. He gently put down his bag and allowed himself a moment to take it all in. He was used to opulence, he would be a liar if he claimed otherwise, but sometimes it was just... nice.
Renee saw them first, slowly uncurling herself from the corner of the sofa, swinging her legs from Allison's lap and getting up with a warm smile. He accepted her brief but fierce hug, more accepting of and comfortable with physical affection than he used to be, and without Thea to disapprove of it. She gave his arm a gentle squeeze before she turned to Andrew, and he took the cue to heft his bag to a more appropriate location.
"Second room on the left," Allison called over, wiggling her fingers at them in greeting. Since the other three were deep in discussion the instruction and greeting had to be for him, so Kevin raised a hand in acknowledgement and and lifted his bag, making his way to the room to freshen up and change.
It wasn't until he was four steps into the room that he realised two things: that there were two twin beds, and that one of them was occupied. He froze for a moment before putting his bag down as quietly as possible, slowly shutting the door behind him to try and make as little noise as possible. It was a testament to how tired Aaron was that he didn't immediately raise his head, a much slower uncurling happening as he pushed down the marshmallow-y cover and looked bleary eyed over at Kevin.
"Mph," he grunted, pushing himself up to sit. "Isn't this a blast from the past?"
Kevin smiled and gave an agreeing nod, going over to the second bed and putting his bag beside it. "You don't jump a mile at the door opening any more, that should make sharing the space a little more tolerable for you I would think."
Aaron let loose a very faint chuckle. That was something else that had changed over the years, Aaron's willingness to be softer around the team. Kevin had seen glimpses of the person Aaron was around Katelyn, he had been on the receiving end of a slightly gentler Aaron when he struggled with his alcoholism, but the bulk of the team were still getting used to a Minyard that wasn't all blank looks or smoldering glares.
"You can't sleep in the doctor's mess if you don't quickly learn how to sleep through anything except a pager," he yawned, adding, "I'm still not great at that," with a wave of his hand towards the door, "but there's less of that than anything else."
"Well, I still don't snore so I shouldn't be too bad of a roommate." Kevin unwound his scarf and pooled it onto the nightstand. "And I'll take my change of clothes with me for after the gym, should only bother you when I sneak out."
"Appreciated." Aaron pushed himself off of the tall mattress, bare feet dangling for a brief moment before they sank into the thick carpet. He stretched with a quiet grunt. "Though I should probably join you." He patted his stomach, a little softer and larger than Kevin remembered it being the year before. "Turns out I'm an emotional eater - I don't know why I was surprised to realise it, it's not like my twin doesn't live on sugar."
That brought Kevin to a pause. He put the shirt in his hands on the bed and looked over at Aaron with a frown. "Emotional eating? Did something happen? I thought things were going well with your residency?"
Aaron shrugged and turned away from him, going to the dresser near his bed. "Residency is fine." His shoulders were tense as he looked at the drawer he had opened but did little else. "Katelyn and I broke up." He waved a hand in Kevin's direction to quiet him before he had a chance to open his mouth. "It was mutual. We... It doesn't matter. I'm okay now."
"You haven't told anyone?"
Aaron turned and gave him a withering look. "After the fuss they made over you and Thea? Definitely not." His arms folded defensively across his chest. "I'd completely forgotten about that stupid bet, and now all I can think about is not getting the damn gift pot. At least I still have a chance that Dan and Matt will stop stalling, and then I'll get a quarter of the main. $51,000 is nothing to sniff at."
"I thought Andrew was going to pay for medical school?" That had always been the plan, he discovered, once the man had decided that he would follow Kevin and precede Neil into the pros.
"It was what he wanted - it wasn't what I wanted." Aaron turned and pulled clothes from the drawer and put them atop the dresser. "We fought too hard to put deals and owing each other behind us." He shook his head and pressed the drawer closed, hands lingering on the handle. "I'd rather do it the hard way."
Kevin knew better than to argue with a Minyard once he had made up his mind, even if the decision was a stupid one. Andrew had more than enough money to pay off Aaron's school debt. He could pay it a dozen times over and barely dent what he was paid in a month, let alone a year. Instead of saying anything he chose to nod and return to unpacking his suitcase.
"You know, I bet on you," he said, closing the last drawer. "Looks like neither of us are getting any money out of that bet without something unexpected happening."
Aaron gave a short, quiet laugh. "We're in Vegas - all I need to find is someone willing. Of course the divorce from my random bride would probably swallow the money I made from it, so maybe I'll stay away from the chapels."
"You're crushing my dreams of watching you get married by an Elvis impersonator," Kevin sighed, clutching at his chest. "How will I ever recover?"
Aaron shook his head and perched on the edge of his bed. "Consider yourself lucky I'm not marrying you and running away with half your fortune."
"That's one way to win the pot," Kevin laughed. "Get the full amount, split it between us. Or you can have it all, really - you'd deserve a reward for being married to me."
"The rules never said anything about it having to be a real relationship," Aaron mused. "Just a legal marriage." He went still for a moment before shaking his head with a sigh. "I can't believe I almost considered it for a moment. That would be insane."
"Completely insane," Kevin agreed. "Though on a plus side for you, Andrew would kill me and you'd inherit my entire fortune as my widower."
Aaron slid off the bed with a smirk. "Careful, Day, you could talk me into this."
"I'd have to keep my own name, you know," he replied solemnly. "I don't know that I could be Kevin Minyard. Things would get far too confusing on the court."
Aaron huffed a small laugh. "I've paid far too much to be Dr. Minyard to fuck around changing it to Dr. Day." He scooped up his clothes. "I'll take one bathroom, you choose from the remaining two. They're going to want to go to dinner once everyone is here."
The conversation dropped as easily as it had come up, and was completely lost as the last of their group staggered through the door and everyone was distracted with greetings and hugs and Nicky's dramatic retelling of his and Erik's journey. Kevin perched on the arm of the sofa, watching them all with a small smile. It was clear the way the team gravitated to certain people, and it was impossible to ignore the way they were all coupled up - you had to be blind to miss the orbit that Andrew and Neil always had with each other, the way Erik watched Nicky with adoration, the light touch of Renee's hand on Allison's shoulder, the possessive way Dan had her arm around Matt's hips. He swallowed heavily, keenly feeling Thea's absence for the first time in a while. He glanced over to Aaron whose expression betrayed nothing of his own heartache as he talked to Matt, easily tuning Nicky out.
"Tell me you're not going to sit on the sidelines even with her gone."
Kevin nearly jumped, twisting to look at Neil. "I don't... I'm fine. I have time to say hello to everyone when they haven't just walked through the door."
Neil watched him. It was always unnerving when his ice blue eyes bored into you, but there was nothing you could do other than wait him out. "You say that a lot now. 'I'm fine'. You used to yell at me if I tried pulling that. What makes you think I won't call you out on it now?"
"Because unlike you there is nothing going on that you need to worry about." Kevin slowly unfolded his arms, not wanting Neil to mistake his body language. "I have a new place, I'm connecting better with my team than I have in years, and I'm playing a better game. I have everything I need and more."
"That's not true." Neil left it a beat before smirking. "You need a new place in West Virginia because I refuse to house your ass through the international season."
The laugh bubbled out of Kevin before he could stop it. The room stopped and all eyes turned to stare at him. If he wasn't used to being looked at he might have reacted to their rapt attention. Instead he looked back to Neil. "I'm looking into it - I don't want to rent or buy anything I haven't seen. If I have to get a hotel for some of it, I'll get a hotel for some of it. I'm not too bothered, I'll work it out."
"Kevin 'planned everything down to the second' Day isn't bothered he doesn't have somewhere to stay when training?" Allison raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "I don't believe that for a second. What do you plan to do, break into the Nest for a nostalgia tour?"
Kevin went cold. It was sudden and painful and pricked at him until he could feel his temper bristling. He clamped his mouth shut and ground his teeth together to stop himself snapping any response before his brain thawed enough to think his words through. As white hot rage simmered he stood, now needing to leave the room before his will melted before his mind. He moved quickly and precisely to his room, closing the door calmly behind himself and walking to the window opposite. His hands started to tremble and he tucked them in his armpits, not trusting himself with fists.
The door opened and quietly closed again. Kevin looked at the reflection in the window and was unsurprised to see Aaron. "You'd think after years of insisting that I'm a Fox, they would see something other than a Raven when they looked at me." He turned slightly towards him but kept his hands where they were. "I avoid wearing all black, I won't even wear too much red. I don't talk about them, I don't play like them, and I only go back because the US Court means more to me than avoiding my past. I've even signed every fucking petition to move the US Court to somewhere a little more central, anything to not have to go back there. But no - I'm still a damn Raven no matter what I do!"
Aaron didn't move closer. He shifted and leant back against the door, hands in his pockets. "It was Allison being Allison. She loves to press your buttons - and she doesn't have Thea here to fight your battles for you."
Kevin hated that he couldn't argue against that analysis. No matter how many times he told her not to raise to Allison's bait, Thea always had cutting remarks to throw back. He was fairly sure the two women enjoyed it, which was one of the reasons he never tried to defend himself or step between them to stop the verbal sparring. It was one of the few times Thea would engage with the Foxes. She was always candid about how she saw no merit in observing the holidays, and especially spending them with the Foxes, but he had always insisted. He supposed he should have realised back then that he would have to choose between his friends and his relationship.
"I should have skipped this year," he quietly confessed, turning back to the window. "I was barely a Fox then and I'm barely one now."
"No." Aaron stepped beside him, looking out at the view. "You're not going there. You lost your mother, you were abused by your guardian, and attacked by your brother. You needed a second chance to build yourself up from nothing. And you did. That makes you a Fox. You've said it yourself - you are so much more as a player because you had to adapt. Your left hand will never be up to a full game, but your right hand is as strong as your left used to be, and with both you are unstoppable on the court. You exceeded everything the Ravens intended for you to be. You did that. No one else. So get your tail from between your legs - you have every right to be here."
Kevin managed a faint, wry smile. "Marry me?" he joked weakly, hands slowly creeping from where they had been clamped to rest at his sides.
"Would serve them right - snatch the money from under all their noses. Allison hates to lose as much as you do." Aaron exhaled slowly. "We get married, we get our money, we have a good vacation, we go home, we get divorced."
Kevin faltered. "I... meant it as an... expression of..." He chewed his lip. "I do like to win."
Aaron pulled his phone from his pocket, silent as the keyboard clicked under his thumbs. "Okay. Get your wallet. Let's go."