Chapter Text
Neil had expected to wear the same navy suit and pink shirt he’d splurged on for Maddox’s dance to the tech demo.
But after he’s picked the kids up from school and fed them dinner and made sure they’ve gotten a good head start on their homework before Kevin came to inevitably distract them, he goes to his room and sees a charcoal suit laid out on his bed. The suit’s piped with black, and there’s a matte black tie placed next to it as well as a black shirt.
Neil stops in his tracks when he sees it, heart throbbing, almost missing the black shoes at the base of the bed, shiny and expensive. Neil fingers the suit’s luxurious material gently, trying not to think of how much money Andrew had spent on him.
He takes a quick shower and shaves- face and groin (just in case). He knows he’s probably too hopeful, but hope was never a bad thing. He even chooses his nicest underwear, black silk boxer briefs that cup his cock comfortably and makes his ass look sexy (just in case).
He checks himself out in the mirror, chewing his lip. He runs a finger gently over his scars, not for the first time wishing that he was flawless, but still thankful that they’re proof of his survival.
He sighs, tearing his gaze away from his reflection before getting dressed quickly, leaving his jacket off for now as he drapes it over his arm, taking care not to crease it. The pants and shirt fit him perfectly, moulding to his toned body.
He goes downstairs to check on the boys in their play-slash-study room. Maddox is still working diligently, bless his soul, while Ash is making mouth explosions in the corner, surrounded by miniature astronauts.
Neil sighs fondly, resting his jacket on a free table, before going over to crouch by Ash. “Why are you blowing up the astronauts, sweetie?”
Ash grins widely. “Daddy said when astronauts take off their helmets in space, they go boom!”
Neil blinks, mentally noting to remind Andrew that maybe next time he should teach Asher something… positive. Oh well, as long as they were on the topic...
He sits near Asher, ignoring whether or not his pants are crumpling, folding his legs and leaning in conspiratorially. “He’s wrong,” Neil whispers. He’s been reading up on space for the sole sake of Asher, just like he’d been doing research on judo and dinosaurs.
Asher’s eyes widen, and he leans in close, astronauts forgotten. Neil’s heart expands when he sees the teddy bear he’d given to Asher – Rin, next to him, safely away from the explosions and death that was happening.
“Daddy’s never wrong,” Asher whispers, and Neil smirks.
“You don’t blow up in space,” Neil confirms smugly, remembering the article he’d read just a few nights before. “The pressure in space is so low that you get bubbles in your blood and swell up really big!”
“Like Violet!” Asher exclaims, eyes lighting up. Neil nods immediately, pleased that he’d gotten the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory reference that Asher made.
“But,” Neil lowers his voice again. “Your skin is very stretchy, so you won’t explode!”
“Like Violet,” Asher repeats, gasping. “She was stretchy too!”
“And if being Violet wasn’t bad enough, after you’ve passed out because there’s no oxygen, the Sun and other bad stuff is going to make you mutate-”
“Like an X-Man!” Asher squeals, jumping up. “I wanna go to space! I wanna be an X-Man too!”
Neil chuckles, not having the heart to correct his meaning of mutate. “What would be your superpower?”
“I would time travel,” Asher declares strongly. “So I could go back and bring back dad and make daddy happy!”
Neil’s heart goes out to the kid, although he was so confused from that one statement. Nevertheless, he opens his arms, and Asher crashes into it, holding him tightly.
“He didn’t finish his homework yet,” is Maddox’s dry voice from behind him, and Asher immediately flushes, hiding in Neil’s shirt.
“Ash,” Neil’s voice is stern, pushing him away and watching him with narrowed eyes. “I thought we had a deal? No playing until homework is done?”
Asher pouts. “I’m almost done,” he mutters. “But Captain Astro was in grave danger and wanted me to save him.”
Neil snorts, pressing a kiss to Ash’s head. “Come on, bud,” he stands and leads a pouting Asher over to his table.
“Maddox just wants a hug too,” Asher crosses his arms and sends Maddox an evil look. “He’s just jealous.”
“Hey now,” Neil crouches in front of them. “Look at me.” They comply; Maddox with a shy look, Asher with a pouty look. “My hugs are free to good boys,” Neil states. “When you finish, you get a nice big hug, and maybe some ice cream if Kevin’s not in the kitchen.”
Asher’s eyes widen, and he immediately picks up his pencil, chewing on his lip as he finishes his homework. Neil smiles affectionately, and after he ensures that Ash didn’t need help with his homework, he moves over to sit on a beanbag chair, scrolling through social media until Maddox jumps up from his seat, running over to show Neil his homework. Neil confirms that he’s finished, and grabs Maddox into a big hug, resting him on his lap and letting him play car racing games on his phone.
Asher doesn’t take long to finish either, and when Neil’s finished cuddling the both of them, they decide to sneak into the kitchen in hopes that Kevin wasn’t there.
He wasn’t, thankfully, so Neil hoists the both of them onto the counter, dishing out healthy single scoops of chocolate ice cream for them. He pours himself a glass of juice, sipping it as he watches the kids devour their ice cream.
“Will you two be okay with Kevin tonight?” he asks softly, because he knows they both loved their bedtime stories, and Kevin would probably tell them some story about himself and Exy in hopes that they fell asleep.
Maddox nods emphatically. “Aunt Thea would be there!”
“She’s awesome!” Ash pipes up. “She plays with us and tells awesome stories!”
“Kevin’s always mad when she’s nice to us,” Maddox giggles. “She always yells at him!”
Okay, so who the hell was Aunt Thea.
“Who’s that?” Neil blinks, not sure how he felt about leaving his kids with a practical stranger, then remembering the kids weren’t his.
“She’s Kevin’s girlfriend,” Maddox scrapes the bottom of his bowl. “But Drew always calls her Kevin’s wifey and Kevin gets mad at him.”
“Kevin gets mad at everybody,” Neil mutters, but the kids hear him and giggle. “When is she coming here?”
Maddox frowns. “We’re going by Kevin!” he says excitedly. “They have a huge couch that Aunt Thea lets us jump on.”
Neil’s getting heart pains just imagining the kids jumping on the couch and falling and breaking something. He takes a deep breath. “Don’t jump too much okay? Because if you hurt something, you’ll shorten my life.”
“And mine.” Andrew’s voice comes from the doorway and when Neil sees him, everything freezes. Andrew’s looking gorgeous and Neil stares shamelessly, slack-jawed. Andrew’s wearing an all-black, three-piece suit that fits him flawlessly, topped off with black leather gloves that make him look dangerous and rich. He’s buttoning his jacket as he enters, and Neil swallows hard.
How dare Andrew look so good? Fuck. The black highlights the hazel in his eyes and his lips are looking extra pink and Neil wants to tear his own hair off and scream.
Everything comes back into focus when Maddox says something to Andrew through the haze of Neil’s arousal and Andrew answers in his deep voice.
Neil blinks as Andrew moves to the kids, giving them short hugs and telling them to behave themselves with Aunt Thea. They promise sombrely before they’re jumping off the counter when Kevin calls for them.
Andrew turns his gaze to Neil, and Neil’s body throbs with titillation. Andrew asked Neil on a sort-of date. Andrew sent the kids away. The house was going to be empty when they came back. Andrew had said ‘we were in the kitchen while my two kids were upstairs sleeping. What did you expect to happen?’, and now the kids weren’t going to be there tonight.
It was extremely difficult to not get his hopes up. Andrew regards Neil, before turning on his heel. “Don’t forget your jacket. And block Kevin’s number if you don’t want him calling you to complain about devil children. Thea has both of our numbers in case of an emergency.”
Neil had forgotten his jacket and a burst of panic rushes through him before he remembers he’d left it on the table in the playroom. He goes to the room to grab it, buttoning it as he walks into the living room.
Nicky’s here, and Erik is too, both well-dressed and looking dashingly handsome as they talk seriously with Andrew. As Neil gets closer, he hears that they’re going over the schedule for the afternoon, as well as the specs for the new prototype that they’re launching. Neil hangs back a bit, not wanting to intrude, but as soon as Nicky sees Neil, he grins excitedly, serious look washing away.
“You’re looking dapper, Neil,” Nicky compliments, grinning widely. “I see Andrew’s dressed you well.” Neil smiles, thanking Nicky softly. Erik digs in his pocket before pulling out a small card with a clip on the back of it.
When Neil turns it around, it has the logo of Andrew’s company – a geometric fox, like Andrew’s tattoo, Neil realises in shock, and in block letters under the logo, it says CEO’S GUEST.
“You’ll have to wear it at all times,” Erik says almost apologetically, but Neil doesn’t care, trying to hide the flush from his cheeks, because it might as well have said Andrew’s date. “It’ll give you more privileges than a normal guest, as in, you’ll be able to leave the hall while the demo is going on. You can also enter with a phone, and I’m sure Andrew’s already warned you about Kevin. You’ll also be seated at the same table with the Board of Directors.”
Neil gulps, and Nicky chuckles as he sees the look of fear pass over Neil’s face. “Hey, don’t be scared. The directors are the three of us, and two others. They’re cool, I promise! You don’t even need to mingle after if you want. Andrew usually runs away as soon as it’s over.”
“The limo’s here,” Kevin appears at the entrance, the two kids behind him. “Tell Jeremy I said hi.” Neil frowns, wondering if he was referring to Jeremy, who’d been at the kids’ Exy game. “Come on, get your asses out so I can leave,” Kevin mutters.
Nicky rolls his eyes, ruffling Maddox and Asher’s hair as he passes. Erik does the same, and then Andrew’s crouching and whispering to them and they’re nodding seriously.
Neil sighs, kneeling and giving them big hugs. “Don’t stress out Kevin too much, okay?” he says, and they nod, grinning. He kisses both of them on their foreheads, and they tell him goodbye. When he stands, he realises that Andrew’s paused at the door, eyes on the scene. Neil doesn’t let it get to him, fighting back the reddening of his face, escaping into the limo before Andrew could say anything.
He makes sure to clip on the badge of honour, fastening it properly, before looking out the window as the buildings whoosh past. He’s never been in a limo before, and it’s weird having so much space in a car.
Nicky and Erik don’t seem to have the same awe as he does, chatting amongst themselves about the demo and the attendees. They’re sitting on either side of the limo, with Neil and Andrew in the back, and Andrew’s quiet, arms folded and eyes focused on an empty spot.
Neil doesn’t want to distract him. Clearly, this tech demo is important, so he doesn’t want to mess up Andrew’s thinking.
Nicky doesn’t have the same worries, turning to Andrew and saying, “did you read the speech I sent you?”
Andrew nods tightly. “You overexaggerated the efficiency and speed of the model.”
Nicky rolls his eyes. “It’s marketing,” he huffs. “That’s what we’re supposed to do. That’s why other tech companies bullshit their clients about their products being technological revolutions and the most cutting-edge technology-,” his voice turns mocking and Neil hides a laugh. “-and that’s why we should, too.”
Andrew huffs, and Erik butts in. “Version one-point-one-point-oh should meet the requirements,” he states. “The tech team is busting their asses off.”
Neil’s getting lost now, trying to keep up with the conversation. “What did Jeremy say?” Andrew asks lowly. “How long will the coding take?”
“To stay within our budget, we have to take our time,” Erik replies, leaning back and folding his arms. “Jeremy said that if there’s one mistake and we push it to the front end, it could cost us thousands by the second. The new servers that he installed are working properly, so once we’re ready to push the code out, it needs to be perfect.”
Andrew sighs heavily, rubbing his face. “I want to see the coding,” he states. “I know it’s not finished, but still.”
Nicky groans. “Andrew, we talked about micromanaging. I know you love coding and wished you were doing that instead of managing but –”
“It’s not about that,” Andrew snaps, and Neil shifts awkwardly. “I need to make sure they’re on the right track to get the shit you’re going to talk about. You can’t go up there and gush about how amazing it’s going to be if we can’t back it up.”
“Andrew,” Nicky’s voice lowers. “Trust them. And trust us. I talked to Jeremy before I used the figures. It’s possible. With version two-point-oh, those numbers are going to raise. It’s going to work. You don’t have to do everything yourself anymore. You should have a break.”
Neil wishes he had a Kit Kat at that moment because it would’ve been perfect.
“Nicky,” Andrew starts, then sighs heavily and clenches his jaw. Neil wonders if they would ever be at the stage where he could just reach over and hold Andrew’s hand for support. “I’m going to kill you if you’re wrong.”
Nicky gives him a shit-eating grin. “Ah, the number of times you’ve threatened to kill me and I’m still here. It’s almost a way of telling me I’m always right, Andrew.”
Andrew glares at him, and Neil bites back his laugh. “On the topic of killing,” Nicky continues awkwardly, clearing his throat. “I invited Allison.” Andrew’s face turns murderous. “And Wymack. And Abby,” Nicky winces at Andrew’s expression. “Well, Wymack and Abby are invited because they’ve done so much for us. They’re basically family, Andrew.”
“And Allison?” Andrew growls out, and Nicky flinches.
“She’s rich,” he says bluntly. “She has contacts. Her father’s company is one of our most loyal clients.”
“Then invite her father,” Andrew grunts, rubbing his face and looking exhausted already.
“I did,” Nicky sighs. “And then I invited her after she found out and called me.” He clears his throat. “At least Renee’s going to be there.”
Andrew huffs, settling for glaring at Nicky, not bothering to respond to anything for the rest of the trip.
When they arrive, there are some cameras and flashing lights at the entrance of the building. Not much, but still enough. Neil looks on in interest as Andrew and Nicky fluidly exchange seats, and then the driver’s opening the door. Nicky’s getting out in place of Andrew, all smiles, Erik following him out.
Neil’s not sure whether to get out with them, but then Andrew’s hand lands on his knee, a silent stay. Neil obeys, and the driver closes the door on Nicky and Erik talking animatedly with the people mingling in the front.
Neil remembers what Kevin had said, that Andrew stayed out of the limelight as much as possible. The driver pulls up to the back of the building, and Andrew makes Neil get out, and Neil follows him up the stairs, through a passcode-protected door.
The inside of Vixen Industries is beautiful. There’s glass everywhere, making it look modern. They pass a number of offices with names and positions on metal door signs, and Neil sees Jeremy Knox, CTO, and grins to himself because he was right.
Andrew’s office is to the end of the hallway, taking up an entire expanse of the floor. His desk has three monitors, and when Andrew enters, Neil following him.
Neil surveys the inside of the office. He’s never been here before, and it has a clean, nice smell. There’s a three-seater leather couch along the wall, and the back of the office is totally glass, overlooking the city. To the side, there’s a door that says Bathroom and another that says Closet. It makes sense now, when Andrew came home late or spent nights at the office, he wasn’t totally crazy.
Andrew’s rummaging in his desk for something as Neil observes the shelves that are neatly stacked with hundreds of books about coding and programming and gaming, and there are pictures of astronauts and dinosaurs that Maddox and Asher obviously helped to choose. On his desk, between two of his computers, there’s a picture frame, and although Neil can’t see what’s on it, he doesn’t doubt that it’s a picture of Maddox and Asher.
Andrew finds what he’s looking for, a small flash drive, and wordlessly exits the room, shutting the door firmly. Neil follows him quietly, too much in awe of his surroundings, passing Nicky’s office and Erik’s office. Andrew reaches in his pocket when they enter the elevator, pulling out glasses with a thick black frame, putting it on.
Neil snorts, raising an eyebrow. “Is that supposed to be a disguise?”
Andrew frowns at him. “I’m short-sighted,” he replies, and Neil forgets what he’s going to say because Andrew in glasses just does something to his insides.
He clears his throat, wrenching his stare away, gazing at the steel doors of the elevator. “Looks good,” he croaks out, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Andrew doesn’t respond, thankfully.
When they finally get to the hall, Nicky’s already at the front, speaking with a group of people, arms flailing energetically. The security, that’s scanning people and taking their phones, lets Andrew and Neil through without a question.
The room is abuzz with life, and Neil sticks to Andrew’s side. “Why’re they taking people’s phones?” He whispers to Andrew and Andrew glances at him.
“It’s a prototype that’s being revealed, one that’s not out to the public yet. The demo is just for our loyal clients and stakeholders. The public demo for interested investors and customers will be in a few weeks.”
Neil frowns because he doesn’t really get it, but then again, he’s a nanny, not a programmer. “So, you’re not giving the demonstration or whatever?”
Andrew nods. “I’ll be giving a short speech, but Nicky’s doing most of the presentations. I don’t do public speeches, but this is private, and I already know a number of people here, unfortunately.”
Neil snickers lightly, before giving Andrew a small verbal push to go off and greet people, and after an evil glare, Andrew complies as Neil blends into the background, eyes tracking Andrew.
“Thirsty?” A familiar voice comes, and when he looks, it’s Renee, holding a glass of champagne out to him.
“Is it poisoned?” Neil raises his eyebrow, before accepting it and grinning good-naturedly. “I’m kidding, thanks.”
Renee offers him a smile. “How are you?”
Neil shrugs. “A bit overwhelmed. Trying to blend in and figure out what’s going on.”
“I understand,” Renee laughs lightly. “I hadn’t planned on coming, but Allison’s selling point was that I promised her ‘till death do we part’ in my wedding vows.” Neil laughs lightly, sipping his champagne. “Also, I never miss a chance to see Andrew acting like a human.”
“Oh,” Neil raises his eyebrows. “Were you two close?”
Renee inclines her head as if weighing her answer. “He did confide some things with me that he wouldn’t give freely to anyone else.” Neil frowns. “But, before you ask, we were never together, no. Let’s just say we weren’t each other’s type.”
Neil sighs heavily, leaning against the wall that he’s standing in front of. “He’s my type,” he mutters. “But I don’t think I am his.”
Renee smiles behind her glass before taking a sip. “I think you’re wrong,” is all she says and Neil groans.
“Don’t get my hopes up,” he pleads and she chuckles softly.
“Where are the kids?” She asks and immediately Neil’s hackles raise.
“They’re with Kevin and Thea,” he says defensively. “They’re in good hands.”
“I know,” she nods. “Allison and Dan are looking at it the wrong way. From what I see, the kids are getting love from more people than normal kids do. They’re being taken care of by more than two parents, and that just means that they’re getting more love than you or I ever did.”
Neil smiles slightly because she’s right. “Thank you,” he murmurs. “For not saying anything bad about him.”
“I never would,” Renee states. “I understand him better than most people.”
Makes one of us, Neil thinks, but then they’re interrupted by Jean whose tag says CTO’S GUEST.
“Jean,” Renee smiles widely when she sees him and Jean’s grinning too, embracing her. “How are you?” Her voice softens affectionately.
“I’m excellent,” Jean responds, accent thick but understandable. He turns this gaze to Neil, eyes dropping to his tag and brows lifting. “Hey, CEO’s guest.”
Neil flushes, rolling his eyes and glancing toward the stage when Nicky taps on the microphone to start the presentation. Neil follows Jean to his table, taking his seat as the demo starts.
After that, Neil’s attention is taken by Nicky’s vibrant attitude, leaving the audience in tears from laughing so much. Andrew’s calmer, voice low but strong as he addresses everyone, and Neil can’t look away for a second, completely enthralled. The picture of Andrew on the stage, looking strong in his black suit and gorgeous as fuck, will forever be ingrained in Neil’s mind. The glasses add to his look, and he looks so good, Neil wants to eat him up.
Nicky takes up most of the talking, however, selling the product animatedly, the audience listening with rapt attention. Neil actually understands most of what he’s saying, save for the more technical terms. Neil’s so caught up in Nicky’s speech, he doesn’t realise that Andrew’s sitting at the table next to him.
When he does realise, he jumps slightly, but Andrew doesn’t say anything, eyes on Nicky as he sips champagne. Neil drags his eyes away from Andrew’s Adam’s apple bobbing as he drinks the bubbly liquid, looking back at Nicky.
The rest of the demo pass without a hitch, and it ends on a high note as Nicky receives a standing ovation. There are drinks and hors-d'oeuvres passing around with waiters, and Andrew turns his gaze to Neil.
“Bored?” he asks, and Neil shakes his head emphatically.
“This is actually really interesting,” he states. There were going to be live demos next, and that seemed like it was going to be –
“Pity,” Andrew says, swallowing the rest of his champagne, and Neil’s distracted by the movement of his throat again. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to run away.”
Oh. Every thought about the demo flees Neil’s mind and he whimpers, “yes.”
“Okay,” Andrew nods, standing. “Let’s go before Nicky sees us.”
Neil follows Andrew, weaving through the crowd, heart racing. “Don’t you want to make sure everything runs smoothly?” Shut up, Neil.
“Nicky’s right,” Andrew’s responds, quickly walking through the hallway, and to the elevator. “I should trust them.”
When they’re finally in the limo, there’s a bucket of ice and champagne waiting for them. “Goddamn Nicky,” Andrew mutters, but still reaches out and pops the cork, giving Neil a glass, pouring some for him.
When both their glasses are filled, Andrew leans back, sipping the cold liquid. Neil's quickly preoccupied with how Andrew's long leather-covered fingers look dangerous while gently holding the fragile glass.
Neil wants those fingers on him.
He clears his throat. "So, the demo was fun," he says, sipping the icy champagne. "I knew Renee and Jean, so that was cool. How did Jeremy end up working for you?"
Andrew puts one leg over the other, relaxing. "When he was injured, Jean told Kevin that Jeremy was thinking about quitting. Nicky brought up the idea of offering him a job because Jeremy had majored in Computer Science at USC and managed to graduate magna cum laude. I agreed. Jeremy’s smart, and he has good ideas."
Neil hums lightly, swishing the champagne in his glass. “How old were you when you started up?”
“I was twenty-three. Nicky and I really pushed it in the beginning, Allison’s father and Wymack were some of our first investors,” Andrew swallows the rest of his champagne, resting the glass in the ice bucket and leaning back.
Neil tries to do math in his head. If Andrew got the kids after he started the business, because he’d said that if he wouldn’t have been the CEO if he knew he was going to get them, and considering that Maddox was almost eight, then that meant that Andrew’s in his early thirties. Neil frowns, mind working as the limo pulls up outside the house.
Andrew’s ushering Neil out, and Neil’s mind is in a state of confusion because it doesn’t make sense. Andrew looks so… young. They go into the house, and Neil’s toeing off his shoes and taking off his socks, stripping his jacket and pushing up his sleeves. He removes his tie, exhaling as he unbuttons the first few buttons on his shirt.
Andrew does the same, removing his footwear, jacket, tie and waistcoat, folding his sleeves to reveal his strong, tattooed arms that make Neil light-headed every time. Andrew pads into the kitchen and grabs a bottle of red wine and two glasses as Neil sits on the couch, heart pounding. It was becoming more and more date-like, and Neil’s heart is racing at the realisation.
Andrew sits on the ground, back against the couch and Neil slides down to sit next to him, the champagne warming his blood. They’re so close, Neil’s skin is prickling.
“So, you’re in your thirties?” Neil asks, and Andrew turns to look at him, frowning.
“What?” he snorts. “Fuck no.” He pours some wine in each glass, and Neil accepts it, inhaling the rich aroma.
“That doesn’t make sense,” he sighs, deciding to give up. “You got the kids after you started the business. You started Vixen at twenty-three and Madds is eight.”
Andrew sips his wine, glancing at Neil. “Why don’t you just ask me?”
Neil shakes his head, passing a hand through his hair. “Nah, it’s not my business, I’m sorry. I was just curious. I wouldn’t ask about that. You’ll have to give it to me freely.”
Andrew’s gaze darkens, twisting the stem of the wine glass between his fingers. Neil’s cock throbs when he realised that Andrew’s left on the leather gloves. Fuck. “And if I don’t give it to you freely?”
Neil shrugs languidly, trying to calm his thudding heart. The leather gloves and tattoo sleeves are such turn-ons, and he needs to not get aroused right now. “Then I’ll never know.”
Andrew’s silent for a few minutes, while Neil sips his wine as casually as possible, although his control over his arousal is weakening slowly because of the alcohol.
“Asher and Maddox aren’t my kids,” Andrew says lowly, taking off his glasses and placing them on the coffee table.
Neil freezes, then frowns. That’s impossible. “Don’t mess with me,” he mutters. “They look just like you.”
Andrew sighs heavily. “I don’t lie,” he states, and Neil frowns. “They’re not mine. They’re my twin brother’s.”
Everything slots into place so quickly, it’s dizzying. Neil blinks a few times, trying to focus. “Aaron,” he breathes.
“Yeah,” Andrew says finishing his wine and placing his glass on the coffee table. He folds his legs. “He knocked up his girlfriend when they were twenty and they got married right after they got out of university. About a year after they had Maddox, Katelyn got pregnant with Asher, but there were some complications and she died in childbirth.” Neil’s heart aches. “Two years ago, Aaron was in a fatal car accident. Katelyn’s parents had disowned her when she got pregnant out of wedlock, I took them in. I couldn’t let them go into the system, and when I heard Nicky’s parents were considering taking them in, I had to stop them.”
Neil chews on his lip, so sad that the kids had to go through all of that. “I won them over in a court case and only because Aaron had put it in his will after Katelyn died. Asher got nightmares every night because he was in the accident with Aaron. Maddox remembers Aaron more than Asher, but I’ve told Asher about Aaron enough. I don’t want them to forget him.”
“That’s why Ash calls Aaron ‘dad’ and you ‘daddy’,” Neil says in wonder, and Andrew nods.
“And I told Maddox that he didn’t have to call me that if he didn’t want to. He knows who his real father is, anyway. Like I said, I didn’t expect them.”
“Andrew,” Neil whispers hollowly. “That’s horrible. You lost your brother.”
“I hated him for years,” Andrew continues. “But I protected him because we’re blood.” He shrugs, staring at the blank television. “Having those kids really changed us.”
Neil has to fight back the sympathy, squeezing his eyes shut because Andrew would hate sympathy if Neil offered it right now. “I’m glad the kids are alright,” he whispers. “And I’m glad you’re helping them remember him. It just means I’m going to fight harder when people put you down.”
Andrew doesn’t say anything, but there’s the quietest inhalation of breath. Neil lets his eyes open. “You still have a truth to get out of me,” he continues, looking over at Andrew.
Andrew meets his eyes, and Neil's heart leaps into his throat. Andrew's lips are stained red and wet from where he licked them after sipping the wine.
"You're gay." A statement, not a question. Neil nods nevertheless. "You said it took you years." There's a question in there somewhere but Andrew doesn't elaborate.
Neil looks away because Andrew's looking more and more edible. He clears his throat. "When my mother and I were on the run, I tried kissing a couple of girls. My mother found out and would always beat the shit out of me, and then make us move. I couldn't make connections, or she would move us again. When she died, and my uncle took me in, I spent some time figuring myself out. I experimented with both girls and boys," Neil shrugs. "Girls were boring," he drinks the rest of his wine, placing his glass next to Andrew's. "But I thought I was bi until I had a sexual experience with a guy and that was it. Got my brains blown through my dick and never looked back."
Maybe if he was a little soberer, he would've thought twice about oversharing, but his brain to mouth filter had disappeared the second he drank the first sip of red wine.
"He was blond," Neil says dreamily, and then to his horror, he can feel his cock stiffening in his pants. "That day I realised that one, I have a thing for blonds, and two, I'm one-hundred per cent gay."
He shifts awkwardly, too-aware of the arousal running through his veins. He clears his throat. "What do you have a thing for?" He mumbles softly, looking at Andrew, a light blush dusting his cheeks.
"Blue eyes and nice asses," Andrew says without hesitation, and Neil's heart thumps. Andrew's looking at him with dark eyes, and Neil's heart is beating so quickly, he's pretty sure he's near a stroke. "Mental and emotional strength. Intelligence." Neil's eyes grow lidded as Andrew drones on. He's focused on Andrew's lips, and he can't really think straight, blinking slowly. The urge to touch Andrew is so great that it's almost painful.
"Gets along great with the kids," Andrew continues. "Honest and not prying."
"You have a lot of things," Neil whispers, skin crawling. He can't resist the urge anymore and he can't breathe if he doesn't get to touch Andrew, and he's moving before he could really talk himself out of it -
Neil plants the sloppiest kiss on Andrew, pressing their lips together messily, and then he's wrenching back, eyes wide and horrified.
"Fuck," he gasps, and he's on the verge of crying because he's so fucking stupid. “I’m sorry, Andrew, oh god-”
Andrew kneels up and holds Neil’s face between covered hands as the redhead panics, looking down at him seriously. The leather gloves are warm against Neil’s skin. "Stop it," Andrew growls, and Neil's staring up at him with wide eyes, skin on fire from Andrew's touch. "Yes?"
"Yes," Neil squeaks, not sure what he's agreeing to, but he just wants to crawl away and hide.
Andrew leans down and kisses him, and everything stops.
Neil gasps, inhaling Andrew's scent, unable to think clearly. Andrew's kissing him slowly, opening Neil's mouth up and mapping out every inch of him with his tongue. Neil feels the kiss deep in his bones, feels it zipping down his spine like something electric and sharp, feels it rushing through his blood.
It's perfect, and Neil's kissing back desperately, their lips are sliding together, Andrew's palms holding Neil tight as he devours him. It's everything Neil imagined and more, Andrew tastes sweet and tangy, and Neil's so fucking drunk on him.
When he pulls back for air, Neil's left hanging, trying to get some equilibrium back, because Andrew’s tipped him off his axis. He feels so gone, blinking slowly as he looks up at Andrew, whose cheeks are flushed.
"Fuck," Neil whimpers, fingers curling into fists by his thighs, knowing Andrew’s aversion to touch. "Andrew. Andrew, can I-"
“Yes,” Andrew breathes, and the confirmation soars through Neil’s bones, making him feel lightheaded.
He reaches up because he can't help himself, he's addicted, and he's pressing their lips together again, this time hard and urgent, sliding his hand into Andrew's hair and kissing him ferociously. Their teeth clank and it goes straight to Neil's cock, moaning softly as he sucks on Andrew's bottom lip.
Neil kisses Andrew as if he's trying to climb inside of him, trying to bury himself inside of the blonde, pressing hard against him as if it's a fight. He kisses Andrew until he's breathless, and then kisses him some more until his lungs are burning and eyes are watering, and he's pulling back, gasping for air.
He's hard, his cock painful between his legs, and Andrew's lips are bitten and red. Andrew's breathing heavily as he looks down at Neil with lidded eyes.
This time, it's Andrew who murmurs, "fuck", and all Neil could do is agree with him.
“Andrew,” Neil whispers throatily, and Andrew’s eyes darken before he’s standing up. Neil’s heart pangs, but then Andrew’s sliding his leather gloves off smoothly, shrugging off his shirt.
Neil can’t breathe when he sees Andrew shirtless in front of him. He can’t think straight. His eyes are roaming the expanse of Andrew’s hard muscles unashamedly, panting as he imagines sucking bruises onto every ab.
“Come on,” Andrew says, walking away, and Neil’s scrambling up from the floor to follow him. Andrew’s shedding his pants as he walks towards the back door, and Neil’s voice gets caught in his throat when he sees Andrew’s hard thighs and ass wrapped in black silk.
He’s suddenly glad that he’s wearing his best underwear when Andrew opens the sliding door, and walks to the pool, sitting in the edge and dropping in.
Neil’s rushing to get out of his clothes, standing in the cool night air in his briefs, his hard cock pressing against the material and the coldness making his nipples pebble. He almost dreads getting into the pool, unable to fathom how icy cold it must be, but when he pokes his toe in, he’s astonished that it’s warm.
“It’s temperature controlled,” Andrew informs him, after ducking under the water and resurfacing, pushing his hair back.
“That just means we’re going to freeze our balls off when we get out,” Neil responds, but gets in anyway. Did he even have a choice? With Andrew half naked in the pool, lips still stained red from wine and slightly swollen from kissing Neil, there was no other option.
Neil was fucked. He didn’t think he minded.
Neil sinks into the warm water, letting himself go under for a few seconds, and when he’s resurfacing, Andrew’s next to him. Now that he’s closer, Neil could see how his eyelashes are clumped and wet, how his lips have droplets of water on them, how the hollow in his neck has a bead of water nestled in it that Neil just wants to lick off –
Neil goes back under the water for a few long seconds, coming back up for a deep breath.
“The kids don’t know that it’s temperature controlled,” is the first thing that comes out of his mouth when he resurfaces, when he looks over at Andrew leaning on the wall next to him.
“Of course not,” Andrew snorts. “We’d never get them out.”
Neil laughs in acquiescence. At least they wouldn’t be able to get Maddox out – he absolutely loved playing in the pool. The only thing that could get him out quickly was Exy.
Neil feels more clearheaded than he was in the TV room with Andrew, but that doesn’t stop him from melting as Andrew reaches for him, pressing him against the wall of the pool. They’re in the shallow end, so they could stand comfortably, and Andrew’s pushing close. Neil’s breath hitches, and he whimpers a yes when Andrew asks.
Their bodies rub against one another and Neil goes pliant against Andrew when Andrew’s lips cover his again. Neil doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of kissing Andrew, doesn’t think that the possibility is even there.
“Andrew,” Neil whispers against his lips, and Andrew blinks, their lips millimetres apart. “Andrew, can I touch you?”
Andrew huffs, hot air brushing Neil’s lips and making his pores raise. “Waist and above,” he warns Neil, and Neil giggles, nodding.
Andrew kisses him leisurely this time, and Neil winds his arms around Andrew’s neck, holding him in place. The feel of Andrew’s cock against his through the water and thin briefs is almost enough to send Neil over the edge, but he doesn’t want to come in the pool the kids bathe in.
“Fuck,” he whispers when Andrew finally pulls away and they’re both panting for air. The moonlight strikes Andrew’s eyes at an angle, making them look almost silver.
Andrew’s unbelievably gorgeous, even soaked to the bone. Neil swallows hard, his lips throbbing from the hard kisses he’s placed on Andrew.
“Do you understand why I left the kitchen that night?” Andrew asks softly, and Neil nods, biting his bottom lip.
“I’m sorry for being so presumptuous,” Neil responds, flushing lightly. “You’re the first person I’ve really only ever had a crush on,” he confesses lightly, and Andrew’s eyes darken, leaning forward and kissing Neil again. Neil’s breathless every time Andrew kisses him.
Andrew groans softly, pulling away and leaning on the wall of the pool next to Neil. “I’m pretty sure half-naked in a pool is moving too fast for a first date,” he mutters, and Neil laughs triumphantly.
“Aha! So it is a date!” he crows, grinning delightedly at Andrew. “And it was awesome.”
Andrew huffs, ignoring Neil in favour of swimming to the other end of the pool. Neil grins and swims over to meet him. He doesn’t know how long it is they stay in the pool, making out and swimming, his mind in a daze as Andrew draws him out of the pool.
He grabs a towel from the stack they had in the pool shed, wrapping Neil in it as they hurry inside to escape the cold. Neil exhales happily as he dries his hair, following Andrew up the stairs after grabbing their clothes from where they’d dropped it, scattered in the TV room.
Andrew pauses outside his room, looking soft and damp, wrapped in a towel. Neil's heart skips a beat. “Can I kiss you?” Neil asks again, already addicted to Andrew’s kisses although they’ve been kissing nonstop since their first kiss.
Andrew steps forward until their lips are millimetres apart, but Neil doesn’t move until he gets the affirmative from Andrew. When Andrew says yes, voice so soft that it’s almost inaudible, Neil leans forward and kisses him deeply.
Andrew groans lowly in his throat, his hand sliding into Neil’s hair and holding him in place. Neil loses himself in Andrew, whimpering softly as Andrew’s soft lips press against his.
Andrew pulls away from Neil’s kiss, if only to catch his breath, before pressing hot kisses along Neil’s jawline, teeth scraping against Neil’s skin and making Neil shudder.
“You can’t stay here,” Andrew says softly in Neil’s ear, making Neil blink hazily. “Kevin brings the kids home at six in the morning.”
Neil sighs heavily. “Why the hell does he make them wake up so early?” Neil mutters, shaking his head. Andrew huffs, and Neil gives Andrew a gentle smile. “Do you have to go into work in the morning?” he asks softly, and Andrew nods. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, then,” he tells Andrew, smiling lightly. “This evening was awesome. We should do this again.”
Andrew snorts, rolling his eyes, telling Neil goodbye and ordering him to change, before disappearing into his room. Neil’s heart skips a beat, but he obeys, going to his room and putting on his most comfortable sweatpants and jersey, climbing into his bed and squealing happily into his pillow.