Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Why is Aaron just standing there? It's weird" Matt pouted, there was something in the air that bothered him and it definitely couldn't be the fact that his body was leaning against Dan. That was a good thing, a thing that he wanted. He loved that girl.

Yet, with the blond boy there, all alone, he simply felt that something was wrong but he didn't know what.

Aaron was sitting on a log, his back to the rest of the foxes. The tree must have fallen during the night, the strong storm had left a small trail of destruction in its wake.

Then he saw, he noticed something strange. There was a man outside the perimeter of the dorms, his shoulder resting on the fence that kept outsiders off campus. He was looking insistently at Aaron and the younger boy didn't seem to notice.

What if he was one of the mobsters looking for Neil and he was mistaking Aaron for Andrew?
No, they would be better dressed and not so stupid about it.

An old acquaintance?
Someone seeking revenge?

Aaron was one of the monsters, misfit and apathetic but seemingly harmless, he never created big problems for the team and his face was only in the public domain because of Drake.

They could try to be friends with the boy, who had nothing in common with his brother other than his extreme resemblance. In fact, since he and Nicky changed dorms, their relationship has improved a lot.

"Why does that man keep looking at Aaron? It's disturbing" Matt felt his blood run cold, he continued to have that terrible feeling.

Dan raised her head, eyes darting left and right "What man?" She asked, she eyes narrowed.

The boy opened his mouth to speak only to be interrupted by a loud and cheerful Nicky.

His tight and colorful clothes always attracted attention, luckily the biggest of the monsters wasn't a real monster after all.
Always kind and smiling, it was hard to believe he was the same guy I met last year.

Andrew forced his brother and cousin to stay away from the rest of the team, as if we were the real danger.

"What are you looking at?" Dark hair entered his field of vision, Nicky had leaned over Matt's shoulder without caring about personal space at all.

So different.

Dan sighed, a slight boredom coloring her voice "Just Aaron acting weirder than usual and Matt thinking there's a mysterious, voyeur man out there" She muttered, threading his slender fingers into Matt's curls.

Nicky raised an eyebrow, looking closer at his cousin. “You mean Andrew. That's definitely Andrew.”
Only he and Neil could tell them apart. It had been strange at first, when he wasn't the only one who could do it anymore.

A disgruntled sound came from Boyd's throat "No it's Aaron, look at his shirt."

Nicky shook his head, muttering offered "He's my cousin, I would always recognize them. Neil accidentally bumped into him while Andrew was drinking his chocolate and there were some of Aaron's clothes in the car for emergencies."

“How can you say that?” Dan asked, a curious glint in her eye. She pulled her boyfriend closer to her chest, wrapping her arms around his torso.

Nicky shrugged, there really wasn't much he could say. He succeeded from the little things "They have different postures. Like, Aaron is not completely closed to the world while Andrew, if he is not showing that he is the master of the street where he walks, tries not to be noticed. He becomes as small as possible"

Dan snorts, a mean laugh. “How could he get any smaller than he already is?”

The laughter was quickly cut off by a sharp, cold voice "I'd like to see you say that to his face" Neil walked past the foxes, purposely bumping his shoulder into Nicky's.

The three older boys tensed, hoping not to have to deal with a sober and even creepier Andrew since returning from
Estevan.

Chapter Text

“So, seriously. The most fuckable on campus?”

Dan's sweet laughter hit his ears timidly, the girl sitting in Matt's arms tried to hide the snort behind a few coughs.

Neil didn't look at his friends, too busy learning the formulas for the new advanced math test.
Actually they have training but the coach wanted to tell them some things and everyone was waiting for him.

Foxes already wear uniforms, except for helmets and uncomfortable gloves. He enjoys basking in the warmth and peace he has learned to appreciate thanks to his new family.

Matt, Dan, Allison and Renee were sitting on the same bench as him, leaving him just a little extra room to write notes from the book into his notebook.

He looked up to make sure Kevin wasn't pushing Andrew's limits too much, even with the blowout win against the Ravens, he still managed to instigate and yell at the goalie.
He frowned, only Nicky and Aaron were listlessly pushing a few balls but no sign of Andrew. He was already about to jump up when the cheeky and obnoxiously saccharine smile flashed across Hemmick's face as he pointed a finger at him where to look.

Neil let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding as his eyes fell on the little blonde lying on one of the benches at the foot of the stadium, far enough away from everyone else but close enough for the goalie to keep an eye on his family .
There was something painful about seeing him asleep in such a large space and surrounded by people Andrew didn't trust. Something extremely wrong and something Neil felt deeply guilty about.

They were bad days, full of nightmares for both of them and Neil knew that when Andrew might have actually received a few hours of rest it was the striker restless sleep that ruined any possible prospect of sleep.

It didn't feel right, it wasn't.

“I'd say Donovan, from the football team,” Dan chuckled, pushing herself further into Matt's body. The boy looked at her with raised eyebrows, feigning a pout before smiling and kissing his girlfriend on the hair. “I can't blame you, darling.”

Neil shook his head, amused by their antics.
Not swinging he never looked at people with that specific interest. He can still tell if someone can be beautiful or not beautiful but it doesn't arouse anything in him.

“Can we name our teammates too?” Matt looked like a golden retriever puppy, sitting up straighter and wrapping his arm around Dan's shoulders.

“We all know what your name would be anyway, love” Dan kept laughing and even if he didn't fully understand why, the sound was enough to tempt a small smile on Neil's lips.

The redhead closed his book, he could no longer concentrate between the chatter of the foxes and his mind that kept going to Andrew.

"Yes! Neil definitely”

The boy moved his blue eyes to the backliner, who started babbling all kinds of compliments "I've always said you're handsome, even if you're my little brother"

Neil turned up his nose, he was now used to the antics of his teammates but even after a year spent with them, he still couldn't understand them and couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

He preferred it when Andrew was close to him, not just for the pleasant feeling it gave him when their shoulders touched or for the chance to relax completely. The doorman also made sure that no one said anything too strange.

He nibbled on the cap of his blue pen, turning the plastic between his teeth. He could feel a light layer of sweat covering his forehead, he brushed away a few strands of hair that had escaped his orange bandana and wished the sun was less close.

“Okay but what about the captain of the swim team? God, he's got some killer shoulders.” Dan turned slightly to Matt, who nodded in agreement. “And you, Allison?”

The rich blonde thought about it for a few seconds, opening and closing her mouth in a way that told Neil the girl wasn't completely sure she was saying what she wanted.
He saw her swallow her saliva and look around before narrowing her eyes in defiance.

“Andrew”

“Andrew?” Dan asked surprised. She had moved closer to her friend, leaving the comfort of her boyfriend's arms "Our Andrew? The monster?”

Neil raised his head, narrowing his eyes. “Don't call him that,” he said sternly. He was fed up with older students who kept giving him names that didn't represent him.
The monsters were other things, it's certain they've never actually seen one.

“Sorry Neil. Just habit, you know I don't really mean it” The girl smiled at him, he knew they were sincere apologies but the words still burned in his mind.

He shrugged, not feeling ready to forgive completely.

“Why are you surprised? If we don't take into account his height and terrible temper... he's cute. Okay, more than cute. I will deny having said it until my last breath." Allison's hair swayed down her back due to the movement of her head, the girl's eyes went straight into Neil's.

She snorted, inviting him to challenge her “Isn't that why you started following the monster like a lost puppy? Come on, you can say it now. I also admit that Minyard is really cute"

“Actually, if you can look at it without the fear of having a knife in your stomach, I can see what you mean.” Matt agreed to high-five Allison, encouraging the girl.

Neil couldn't close his mouth, even though she felt the lack of words.
He couldn't say anything, too shocked.
Are his friends, the most important part of the team, the ones he considers his family, really saying that they find Andrew, his Andrew attractive?

“What the fuck?”

he blinked, not wanting his mouth to outrun his thoughts.

But really. What the fuck?

Was Andrew cute?

Well, sure Neil had eyes, he could easily say the goalie was handsome but that wasn't why he started having feelings for him.
Andrew is the very concept that gives Neil butterflies in his stomach. His strength, stubbornness, his immovability in any situation and the most aggressive way of protecting those he considers his.

He gave Neil a key, a home to call his own, a reason to stay. The possibility of staying.
Andrew is Neil's home.

He looks up at the boy passed out on the bench on the other side.

The sun shines on the sleeping figure, blond hair made almost white by the light. There were only a few times Neil could see the goal keeper with a serene expression, usually when he fell into a nightmare-free sleep. Fairly rare.
he was stabbed by pain in his chest, not really a pain but definitely something that wasn't there.
Yes, Andrew was handsome but it doesn't just boil down to that. Indeed, being Andrew, with the scars, the distrustful character and all his emotional baggage made him who he was.

His.

Andrew was his.

“A little too thin”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw that the others were also looking in the same place.
He clenched his fists, suddenly realizing that he felt jealous.
No, it wasn't just for that.
Andrew didn't like being stared at, sometimes he even scolded Neil for doing it too much.

Maybe this was it?

Did Andrew know he was attractive?

How many times have he seen those looks on him?

With his eidetic memory he certainly remembered every occasion.

Was Drake looking at him like that?
Proust?
And all those men before them?
How many were there?

Andrew had never opened up enough. Of all things successful, Baltimore and then the Ravens defeat.

Two months had passed since the victory.

It still seemed like a dream to him, his fake freedom, a life to live.

“They are small but strong. You wouldn't want to take a punch from him with full force, I assure you, Matt.” Renee giggled, showing off her shy, sweet smile. She was also looking at Andrew, except that her eyes reflected deep respect and something akin to affection.

Neil had been mulling it over in his head, missing the rest of the conversation.

“I could offer him a training program, help him gain more muscle mass. It could be a way to bond."

“Matt, if I were you I wouldn't go and tell him that you want to help him gain muscle mass because you think he's small. He would knock you out in ten seconds and then I would have to intervene to avoid getting stabbed” She exhaled dejectedly. Reneè tried to keep her smile but she was clearly close to the point of being irritated. Who knows what things were said that he missed.

“I bet I could beat him in a boxing match. I have more strength than him."

“You have more strength than him related to your build. He lifts almost the same weight as you in the gym and considering he's half the size of you, it definitely makes him the strongest person here."

“Stop talking about him!”

Neil jumped up, wanting to kill every damn fox.

At least Reneè seemed to have the decency to shut her mouth instantly and look mortified.

Damn them all.

—

he's grateful that the exy can keep him distracted enough.

He felt the anger fading as soon as he was able to hit the first ball with his racket.

Training started shortly after, the coach just wanted to assign the new rooms in advance so as to reassure the original Foxes that they wouldn't be shared with the new freshmen.

Now, as for the new players, Neil thought they were a problem. Big deal.

Sheena, Jack and Colin.

Loud, big-mouthed and with mediocre playing practice.

They will have to do much better next year if they hope to win their second trophy.

Neil counted the ten steps before turning and sending the ball to Kevin. The other striker immediately intercepted the pass and aimed at goal.
Andrew let her pass, the wall glowing red behind him and his face bored.

Neil smiled at the blond, ignoring Day's loud complaints. He knew that Andrew enjoyed making Kevin angry, one of his favorite pastimes. One of the few things he never denied.

Pissing Kevin off is fun, even the redhead could admit it.

Everyone lined up, even the defensve
dealer and backliner to fire balls at Andrew and Renee.

Neil clearly saw the seriousness in Renee, using every effort to block every blow. Only Neil and Kevin managed to score on her.

Andrew, on the other hand, had only blocked Neil's shot, preferring to sit in the goal and only avoid the balls that threatened to hit him.

He expected Day would be the first to get angry, to make a scene about how Andrew was throwing away his talent and his future.

It would have been better.

“I can't believe he's playing as a starter. He should be kicked off the team” Jack ranted loudly, jokingly pushing Sheena's arm.

"The coach must have a weakness for psychopaths, there is no other explanation."

It was well known that the two freshmen formed a united front against some players on the team, Neil himself all too often ending up as the target of their too big mouth.

He stopped counting as many times as the name Nathaniel or Butcher was shouted across the camp, Andrew never missing an opportunity to redress the balance with a threat or two.

The problem for Neil was that his goalkeeper had no interest in defending himself. Just as Andrew never corrected the older students when they called him a monster, he also never discouraged the freshmen when they called him psychotic.

It infuriated him.

“Rabbit”. Andrew's flat voice made him stop in his tracks. He had approached the two stupid new foxes with the clear intention of starting a fight if his fisted hands gave him a hint.

He looked up, encountering that gold and green abyss.

“Stop fighting wars that aren't yours. We're going to take a shower."

He watched Andrew listlessly leave the goal area and leave the stadium, he didn't turn around once, sure that the striker was following him.

Neil was already on his trail before he even finished the thought.

—

They were leaving the parking lot to return to the tower.
During the summer it was easy for everyone to park close together, especially because no one wanted to walk around the car park in the sun.

Andrew was a few steps ahead of him, chatting with Renee about which world conflict might break out first.
Neil managed to hear a few sentences, Renee thought that the problem of life in Africa would trigger some really big protests that would start wars.
Andrew was betting on zombies, or at least on some country that was planning a mass disease and would use it as a chemical weapon.
Neil rolled his eyes, the blond was always so dramatic.

He, Matt and Dan followed a few steps behind the two goal keeper, while Allison and the freshmen remained further behind.
Reynolds was on a lively phone call with her travel agent. He had promised the foxes a special weekend.

She seemed to have a special power where Andrew was concerned. Neil always knew when something was wrong.

He wasn't surprised when he felt the need to check his "nothing" and found him immobile and stiff-shouldered. Renee also froze in place.

There, near the fence that demarcated the private space still owned by the campus, there was a tall and unfriendly-looking boy. Neil recognized him as one of the crows.
It took him a few seconds to understand what he was saying.
His mother would kill him if she knew how often he gets lost in his thoughts lately.

“Doe. Hey, Doe. You know, the others and I were wondering if you wanted to spend a few days at the nest. Those videos are great but I bet it would be even better in person” The raven scoffed, leaning against the net, fingers gripping the net.
He knew he was in no immediate danger, a safety net placed between them and him.

Neil's frown deepened, what videos was he talking about?

Riko was gone, why were the crows interested in Andrew?

Ichirou was keeping his end of the bargain, and had never shown interest in the goalkeeper.

No, something internal was going on in the cult.

Andrew gasped, causing Neil to tense up in response as well.

The blond could get as angry as he wanted later, now Neil had a cock to take down.

He found himself against the net, his father's smile burning his cheeks. “Did you come here to get hurt? because that's what will happen if you don't disappear in ten seconds” he pushed himself further against the net, clawing part of the crow's jacket between his fingers.

“I'm sure you won't do anything at all Wesninsky or some of those delicious videos will become public,” the raven flashed a wolfish grin, turning his attention from Neil to Andrew.

“What are you talking about?” Dan was just two steps away from the striker, in a fighting stance and ready to defend his team.

The man snorted, slapping Neil's fingers that were still clawing at the little fabric he had managed to reach. “Didn't you tell him?” His eyes moved from Andrew to everyone else. The athlete's face lit up in ecstasy at the possibility of hurting more.

Andrew was an unreadable stone to anyone but Neil could sense a hint of fear and anger in those hazel eyes.

“Doe, I knew you were an asshole but I didn't think to the extent of keeping your team of losers in the dark about something like this” he emphasized the words with a wave of his hand “wonderful” he laughed again, backing away from the skilled Neil's fingers.

“Didn't you tell them about your vacation in Easthaven?” he addressed the doorman directly.

Neil wanted to go to Andrew who was completely still and didn't seem to be there. The redhead was afraid that his “whatever it was” had dissociated or was in shock but he too was stuck.

THE crow was talking about Proust.

“Oh, don't worry foxes. it's all recorded"

Chapter Text

“It must have been wonderful”

The menacing smile was all teeth, leaving Neil with a sense of violence.
Not for the first time he wanted to put into practice the teachings of his father and Lola. He wondered what it would be like to take this Raven and gut it piece by piece, dismantle it and throw it to the pigs.

He clenched his fists, wishing for the ability to disintegrate the iron fence with just his gaze. An extraordinary power.

“I thought it was the camera angle. Damn, we all thought so… But no” he laughed, rubbing his nose with the back of his fingers “You're just so small”

The raucous laughter was enough to set the striker off. “I swear to God, if you don't leave right now, I'll send a box to your parents to make your guts happy.”

The man grinned, straightened up to his height. “I'd like to see you try, Josten,” he sneered at Neil.

"Enough!"

Dan stepped forward, grabbing Andrew's shoulder to pull him behind her body before the redhead could even say anything.

He obviously expected it, Neil was no stranger to violence from the goalkeeper when provoked and in a certain way it was dejavu. He remembered a similar scene with Allison and Aaron.
Except now, stuck with her face on the pavement, there was Dan and Andrew's eyes were so empty that Neil himself would have had trouble understanding where the blond's mind had gone. He definitely wasn't there with them, he wasn't even in Palmetto.

Everyone fell silent, frightened by Minyard's outburst of violence. All eyes were on the two crouching foxes.
Only Renee had been quick and smart enough to move before everyone else, slipping partly between her friend and Andrew.

The girl's gaze was understanding but harsh, she mumbled words to the blonde that Neil couldn't understand from where he was standing.

“You're quite the sight,” he slurred the words loud enough for everyone to hear, “So responsive, so full of violence. It must be wonderful to push you down and hold you still while you fight and continue to squirm” he shook his head, licking his lips as if he could imagine the scene “I bet you're so tight you'll break as soon as you get caught”.

Screams and cries of protest came from every fox, outraged by the harsh words and the threat they held.
Everyone knew what had happened to Jean before Renee managed to save him and the mere thought that any of them, that anyone could even think of touching Andrew like that, ignited the killer in him due to the natural combination of the genes of his family.

“Neil”

He could see Renee begging him with her eyes. It was hard to fight the urge not to turn away from the bastard but Andrew needed him.

He took two deep breaths, forcing himself to regain his composure before trying to speak, “Andrew.”

He easily moved away from his fighting position to crouch in front of Andrew.
“Drew? It's okay, I'm Neil" he whispered, careful to maintain a warm and silent tone of voice so as not to risk scaring the boy.

There was a part of the striker that loved the idea of ​​being able to be the pillar of the blond boy, of taking care of him and helping him with everything he needed.
The other part made him feel desperate because the few times Andrew needed him, Neil didn't know what to do. He wasn't as good as the goalkeeper at grounding him, making him feel safe. He hated himself for it but at least he put all his strength and will into it.

He sighed, letting the warm spring air touch his neck still wet from the post-training shower “You're Andrew Joseph Minyard, you're 20 years old, number 3 of the Foxes, extraordinary goalkeeper, you're fine, you're safe. We are in Palmetto”

Without any response, without even a sign that Andrew was listening, Neil was starting to panic.

“It's not funny anymore when it's absent in his head” the Raven's muttered voice reached his ears too harshly, Neil had to clench his fists and dig his nails into the palms of his hands not to give in and run in the direction of that son of a bitch and smash his face.

“We will have to find a way to not let it happen, it can last hours. I won't waste my time” he spat offended, as if the defense mechanism in place was the bane of the nest player's life.

Neil had sprung to his feet, knees slightly bent and ready to run.

“Neil!”

Renee's voice managed to capture his attention again.

He couldn't afford to lose his mind now, he could do it later. There were many things he could do later, when Andrew was safe.

“I'm Neil Josten, number 10. You call me Abram” at the slightest sign of recognition in those golden eyes, Neil felt his heart and hope swell “I need you to get in the car, Drew. Aaron needs you to get in the car and let us all go back to the dorms.”

Hoping for the success of his plan, he moved his hand towards the shorter boy's elbow, being careful not to touch him until the small and brief nod of assent.

When Dan managed to push himself up, she rubbed her neck with her hand. A grimace tightened her lips and the girl's whole body trembled from fear and the adrenaline of the fight. Thankfully, Renee with her usual kindness and care was lending physical and emotional support to their captain.

Allison shouted “So that's it? Are we going to let him get away with it again?” her voice cold, laced with anger and disbelief.
Neil wasn't affected, this time it was one of the older students who was in the wrong, Andrew was just defending himself. Dan should never have touched him.

“Ally” Renee tried to reach out for her friend's arm, only to be met with rebuff on the other side. The eyes full of fire wanted revenge “No! First he almost breaks my neck for a stupid punch given to Aaron and now he almost kills Dan just because she wanted to protect him from that guy!
He's not normal, there's a reason why he's called a monster and I really can't understand you Renee, why do you keep justifying it?
Do you want to suck his cock or is it just another work of forgiveness and charity that your faith imposes on you?”

It was only for a brief moment, but Neil was able to see the exact moment in which the young Christian woman ceased to exist to make way for Natalie “She grabbed him, in a moment when he was vulnerable. What were you hoping to achieve?”

Dan opened her mouth, looking dumbfounded. “Are you really justifying this?” she asked, horrified.

Renee turned to her “I'm stating the facts. You all know how much he hates touch, he has told you several times that he doesn't want to be touched and every time you ignore everything he says only to then complain about the consequences and call him a monster" she walked away a few steps, taking breaths deep enough to fully return Renee and her obnoxiously sweet confident smile “I'm tired of always having to be the bridge that connects the team, that tries to broker peace. We are at the end of our fourth year, I have tried twice to explain to you what it means to have an eidetic memory but you have never been interested in understanding. it's time for you to do it because you should be the most mature student in this team being the oldest. And I'm tired of how you treat him. He's a person and he's my friend."

Renee didn't have a sharp tongue but she still left Neil surprised. He never expected that the girl would dare to challenge his friends. For once, putting aside the anxiety it sent him, he was happy that Andrew could count on a friend like her. He watched her go, not caring whether the other students followed her or not.
Maybe she was starting to understand what Andrew saw in her.

—--

“I don't think it's a good idea to be here. I should take him to our room, where he can feel safe."
Neil ran his hands through his hair, pulling back his auburn curls. It seemed like a bad idea to him, he felt like he was betraying his partner. Andrew would never have been stuck in the girls' room.

“We have already discussed it. Andrew is still out of his mind and I respect him too much not to consider him dangerous at this moment"

“I can stand up to him. He doesn't need all this, now” Neil was starting to get nervous, Renee couldn't see his point. This, being here now was a horrible idea and the girl would realize it when the goalkepeer came to his senses and stabbed two or three foxes.

He turned her back, looking at Andrew's still, sleeping form in Renee's bed. It all still felt wrong.

—------------

Everyone in the small living room had a steaming cup of tea. He still wasn't convinced about this whole thing, sure that it would fall on him like ice water.

“Now is it time for the sermon?” Dan had his hands wrapped around the steaming cup. The girl's body pressed Matt's side onto the couch where they were both sitting.
Renee remained calm, with a sweet expression and soft lips. “I just want you to understand,” she whispered. “I find this constant fighting between us stupid when the real enemies are out there.”

Neil totally agreed. They didn't know what the ravens wanted from them anymore, what kind of threat they really were. Without Riko to lead them and with Ichirou hovering on the shoulders of two of the foxes, the redhead hoped that they were just threats from those nostalgic for the old nest.

Allison tapped the heel of her shoe vigorously against a small table on which some books and the remote control were placed, bored and against this meeting. The noise was enough to make both Aaron and Kevin jump, both still stiff and stiff from past events.

The second Minyard was pale, at times looking like he was about to vomit, and Day was not far from doing the same.
Neil wondered how Kevin had survived the nest and Riko with such a weak stomach.

“An eidetic memory allows you to remember every second of your life for as long as your brain can remember. Usually a person has memories from their three to four years of life” Renee began to explain, tucking her colored locks of hair behind her ears. She had gotten a single seat on a chair, almost in the center of the other foxes to make sure her voice was clear to everyone.

“At first I was fascinated by the discovery, so much so that I did research and even talked about it with Bee” she confided. She looked sad, as if she regretted it. “My faith doesn't allow envy, it sees it as a sin but for the first few days of my discovery, I envied Andrew's memory.
I observed him, I wrote down and I desired his ability to absorb any information even if he wasn't paying attention. The ability with which he could complete a school exercise or even exy without any effort” she sighed, tilting her face in Day's direction.

“Before you arrived, to have fun from time to time, we swapped roles. We tried to change positions and do some exercises or passages. Andrew never participated, of course... but once we were alone cleaning up after a practice and there were cones and some balls already placed" a small sincere smile rested on the girl's lips "He hit every target too easily to a goalkeeper"

Kevin's expression was ridiculous, his mouth open and his eyes wide open. Neil sighed, hoping the older boy wouldn't use this new knowledge to push Andrew's limits even further.

“It didn't last long, obviously. Spending so much time observing him, it didn't take long to understand that for people like... us, such talent is a curse."

If anything, Aaron's body became even more tense. Unlike his character, the second twin was silent and without a trace of anger. Maybe too overwhelmed to know what to do with himself. Neil was grateful, they already had enough drama.

“What does this have to do with being a monster?” Allison pursed her lips, disgust evident. “We've all had shitty pasts, we've all had trauma. We are foxes, bad experiences are what characterize us and distinguish us from other teams"

Renee shook her head, clenching and relaxing her fists. She needed a few deep breaths to be able to continue her speech with only a glare in her friend's direction.

“I would never allow myself to belittle a trauma or anything else. I'm the last person who would do this but I'm also the first to recognize that some traumas leave deeper scars.
Andrew has had a difficult life, with no one to at least let him know that things could be different. And, what's more, his memory does nothing but continually present him with all the most macabre memories he has experienced."

She took a few minutes of silence, making Neil hate what they were doing even more. They weren't allowed to talk about this, it felt like they were violating a part of Andrew, who was currently lying defenseless in the next room.
He bit his lip, a slight anxiety accompanying the twist in her stomach.

His mind kept repeating "wrong"

WRONG

“Andrew's mind is a trap he can't escape. Every memory is real, his eidetic capacity makes him feel every emotion, pain, smell and sound experienced.
Anything can trigger a memory in him and when it happens, he can't distinguish between the present and the past. Between what is real and what is not"

“We already knew he was crazy. What I wonder is why it isn't locked up somewhere, it's clearly too dangerous to be let loose.
Wymack is waiting for one of us to get stabbed to death to kick him off the team” Allison spat angrily, shifting on the arm of the couch.

“Oh, fuck you!” Aaron made a vulgar gesture at the girl and Neil, for once, found himself in agreement with the uncharming blond. “I basically killed a man and no one is talking about kicking me off the team.”

Allison waved her hand vaguely, stirring the air around her hair. “That was an asshole, he deserved to die.”

“So it's okay if I kill my brother's rapist, but it's not okay if Andrew is a little messed up from being abandoned and raped who knows how many times?” Aaron stands, fists clenched and shoulders shaking. If Neil didn't know him, he might think he was about to cry but he's been around them enough to know that the Minyards probably don't remember how to cry. Not that Neil himself knows how to do it anymore.

“That's not what I said!”

“It just seems the same to me!”

"Stop!" Renee gets up from the chair, red in the face “I brought you here because I wanted you to understand but all you do is argue and argue.
Do you want to know something? Right now I'm not interested in your dramas. Right now a friend of mine is stuck in horrible memories, so horrible that he can't even control his body in the present” she is shaking, struggling to maintain control “If only you had stopped for two seconds. If you had only cared, you would have seen Andrew move away from unwanted proximity, jump at unwanted touches, and if you had only looked at him as a human being, you would have noticed that he was completely alone.
Imagine for a moment all the horrible moments of your life and imagine reliving them over and over again, feeling everything you felt back then” there are tears wetting the girl's cheeks and at least the rest of the foxes are uncomfortable enough not to continue to comment “He feels pain when you touch him. A real pain. When you enter his personal space, he stops breathing and the only option he has is to reach for the knives.
At that moment he doesn't see Dan, Matt, Nicky or any of us, no. He sees any person who has hurt him, taking anything without consent” she sniffs, wiping his eyes with the back of her hand “He's not a bad person and I'm not saying Andrew can't become dangerous. He is, sometimes the emptiness in his eyes scares me too but he's not bad. He never starts a fight, he just wants to be left alone."

it's the second time she's left everyone silent and walks away, Neil would be lying if he said he wasn't worried.
Renee has locked herself in her room and Andrew is still there, alone and defenseless.
The striker barely has time to think about reaching her before pastel-colored locks come back into view. The girl is carrying some pillows and some blankets.

She smiles at Neil, handing him an oversized gray t-shirt “We'll give you the room, we're taking the sofas. Andrew's breathing is regular, he seems to be sleeping peacefully but I think your presence in the room would help him."

Ignoring Allison's protests at being kicked out of her bed, Neil closes the door behind him. Renee may have taken a step in her good part.
He might really like the girl.

Chapter Text

Days and weeks passed without incident. There was no word from the crows or any other threat that might have arisen.

As usual when dealing with these situations, Andrew pretended that nothing had ever happened, under Neil's frowning and disagreeing gaze.

They entered the foxes tower after afternoon training. That evening there would be movie night, Dan's idea to strengthen the team relationship. Neil had already convinced Andrew to go, the others easily followed.

He retrieved some snacks while Nicky and Kevin dealt with the alcohol. Numerous bottles clinked in a bag prepared for the occasion. Neil didn't understand the need to get drunk until they puked guts out but he shrugged. If his friends wanted to drink themselves unconscious, who was he to protest?

He grabbed a glass, filling it with water and drinking it all in one gulp. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Andrew yawn, the goalkeeper still had difficulty reconciling sleep and nightmares.

Neil opened his eyes during the night and there were more times he found the blond awake than he actually saw him sleeping. He hoped that without the drugs, without the constant threat of Neil's father and Riko, they would be able to be calmer but apparently Andrew's monsters were still too much on the surface.

Andrew approached, his sweatpants and black sweatshirt had the classic scent of the washing machine detergent the cousins ​​used and the smell of the blonde's shampoo was really good too.
With a sigh, Neil found himself nuzzling Andrew's hair, losing himself in the familiarity and pleasure of the shorter boy's scent.
If Andrew noticed, he didn't comment, only raising his eyebrow. Neil shrugged, there was really nothing to say.

There were some dishes in the sink, some cutlery and two dirty glasses. It seemed like no one was going to take care of it and for once, Neil also put the problem off for later.

The girls' room was always the most well-kept, with soft throws on top of the sofas and piles of blankets piled on the floor to make it more comfortable.
Rows of glasses sat on the low table in front of the TV, as did some bowls of chips and colorful candies.
At least Andrew wouldn't be able to complain about being bored.

The first to greet him was Allison, who kissed his cheek and gave him a cold look
towards the cousins ​​and Kevin. They easily ignored her. Aaron took a seat on the floor right in the spot next to Nicky. Day preferred to occupy one of the chairs, still muttering that they could use those hours for extra training.

“God, Kevin! Nothing will happen if we use some time to relax” Nicky threw up his arms in exasperation, eyes rolling in a classic Andrew imitation. “You really need a good fuck,” he declared, earning a vulgar gesture from the taller striker.

Another piece of good news was that the newbies weren't invited, so they could hope to get to the end of the evening without bloodshed... As long as no one made the blond angry.

Speaking of that blond, he didn't look in tip-top shape. Andrew was pale, paler than normal, with dark shadows around his eyes and a strange feeling of unease radiating through his body. Neil made sure to get the couch, so they were close but had enough space. Andrew wasn't comfortable showing minimal physical contact around other people, not that Neil wanted public displays.

Aaron chose the film, much to Nicky's disappointment the victorious DVD was a semi-unknown horror film but Aaron swore it would be sensational with scares, blood and everything else.

They spent the first hour almost in silence, with only the sound of the chips being chewed and some mumbling from Neil himself.

“He couldn't have rolled out of that moving car, at that speed, without tearing his shirt and breaking skin. it's impossible,” he declared, his eyebrows furrowed in disappointment. “I can say that from experience,” he replied promptly, before Aaron's disgusted face could have its say.

The unsexy twin gave him the middle finger, going back to ignoring Neil the next moment.

He was getting bored, he saw too many errors and inconsistencies in the plot and Andrew didn't seem in the mood to sneer with Neil about the shitty movie. In truth, Andrew was too silent and still at her side. He turned to look at the smaller boy and his heart sank when he saw him fast asleep.

Andrew had his face turned in his direction, the paleness interrupted only by two red spots on his cheeks. His mouth was open, he clearly couldn't breathe enough through his nose.

Was he sick? When had it happened? Neil didn't realize anything.
He looked around the room, none of their companions seemed to notice his internal turmoil or Andrew's less than optimal health, all too absorbed in the crappy movie Aaron had chosen. There was more and more reason to convince himself that his hatred for the other Minyard was not unfounded.

With little he could do without waking the goalkeeper and attracting the attention of the other foxes, Neil made sure Andrew was comfortable enough and went back to watching TV.

At yet another pause to comment on how this movie was completely wrong, Kevin had paused and stood up only to come back twenty seconds later with a new bottle of vodka. They all brought their glasses closer, snorting with a groan.

“Neil, honey, do you think you can finish this movie without further comment?” Dan asks. Her smile wavered, but the amusement in her eyes was clear and immediately calmed the pounding in his chest.

“Try and eat something” Matt handed him a bowl with some vinegar and pepper flavored chips. He took it even though he wasn't convinced it would work to keep his mouth busy.

“I think I just got an answer to a question I've been asking myself for some time” Allison leaned over, resting her arms on her knees, the glass clutched in her hands was already empty.

Neil barely had time to blink before the girl pointed with her chin just over his shoulder.
It took him a few seconds, the held breaths of the others and then the frantic, light chatter of the foxes but what really shook him was Aaron's indignant cry.

“What the fuck?” he shouted, angry at Allison. His eyes narrowed into two slits ready to glare at anyone who tried to comment.

And Neil could understand, hell, it was unexpected even for him when Andrew and he had been dating for a few months.

The blond boy was still unconscious but an erection formed a clear and conspicuous tent in his dark sweatpants.

He had never seen Andrew hard, even when the blond was giving Neil a handjob, the shorter boy had never been caught with an erection nor had Neil ever had the chance to know if the goalkeeper was aroused and relieved.
Usually, once Neil had reached orgasm, he would be brutally chased away or left with his pants still at his knees.

“Someone must be having a good dream,” Nicky sneered, clearly proud of his cousin's oblivious performance.

Neil clenched his fists, an impending need to protect Andrew from prying eyes. He wasted no time and grabbed one of the blankets draped over the arm of the couch they were half sitting and half lying on. They were lucky that soft things were appreciated even if it was summer and therefore they were around even if there was no need to use them.

“It's just physiological” Aaron muttered, pushing his cousin's shoulder “It doesn't mean anything, it's just a normal reaction of the body. What do you believe? To be excited every time you wake up or at any moment that happens to you?” he asked.

Nicky thought about it, rubbing his chin with his fingers for emphasis. “I thought so.”

“Ignorant fool”

“We can't all know anatomy as well as you, Mr. Future Doctor,” he replied defensively. Hemmick feigned pain at his cousin's words, staging a pathetic collapse on the floor.

With Andrew's body covered by the blanket, Neil was able to relax again, feeling satisfied as the blond snuggled into the new added warmth and if the movement brought their bodies closer together, Neil surely wouldn't have complained.

“Too bad there's not a bet going on” Allison muttered, focusing her gaze on Aaron “Ever since the day I saw you I've wondered if you were all small or if you would have been more 'normal' down there” she mimed the quotation marks with the fingers, a cheeky smirk hovered on her pink lips.

Aaron's eyes were red with anger. “What the fuck? You're fucking sick."

The girl shook the air around her with her hand, emphasizing her next words “Don't be so dramatic, it's a harmless question and besides your brother just made it clear that Katelyn and Neil have nothing to worry about on that front”

Neil felt his face heat up, he was suddenly aware of everyone's eyes on him and he wanted to run away or bury himself.

"How disgusting"

Aaron's disgusted voice made him anchor in his seat.

Kevin moaned, more drunk than he should have been with tomorrow morning's impending practice. “Even I who don't study medicine know that there is no correlation between the size of someone's body and cock” he stopped, took another a sip of vodka and continued with a little asshole smile. “Riko's cock is nothing special,” he gestured frantically, oblivious to the raised eyebrows of those in the room. “What?” he asked defensively “I've lived my whole life at the nest, showering in the locker room with the others and plus I shared a room with him”

“Are you the same in that too?” This time it was Matt who changed the subject, focusing again on the twins.

Aaron blinked, taken aback. A bright red color made its way onto his cheekbones and the tips of his ears. “I don't know,” he murmured.

“What do you mean you don't know? If I found out I had an identical twin that would probably be the second thing I'd notice." Boyd pulled Dan closer, wrapping his arms around their captain and resting his chin on her shoulder.

“That I don't fucking know, and I don't care. Why should I care how long my brother's cock is?” he spat angrily.

“Wait” Dan brightened, turning with a radiant smile towards Matt “You share the locker room, you must have looked at it every now and then”

Aaron groaned, more dramatically than usual, looking like he was about to curse everyone and leave, slamming the door behind him.

Matt thought about it, ignoring Renee's protests that they were pushing far beyond Andrew's comfort lines.
She was silenced by Allison, who accused her of being biased and of lying to her because there was no reason for the girl to defend the monster if there were no feelings.
Neil frowned, as soon as all this mess calmed down, he would have to ask Andrew.

“I don't think I've ever seen Andrew without clothes. He usually enters and exits the shower stall already wearing pants and a tank top. Obviously his bracelets too. I'm starting to think he's sleeping there too"

If only Matt knew how true his words were, but that wasn't something Neil would confirm. It was none of his business to blurt out.

Andrew shifted a little more, his forehead brushing the skin of Neil's arm and the striker gasped.

Aaron's critical gaze was immediately on Neil who quickly clarified, "It's on fire."
"What?"
“Andrew is hot. I don't think it's normal."

In a single moment, Aaron was kneeling at the foot of the sofa, holding his brother's face in his hands. “It's not possible,” he muttered. “Andrew never gets sick,” he looked up at Neil who remained motionless and holding his breath. He had never seen the blond get sick either.

Rationally he knew it was impossible, everyone gets sick, even he got sick while on the run, making his mother angry.

“he's too hot,” he declared a moment later. “Do you have a thermometer?” he asked, diving in headfirst and taking on the role he will one day play.

Renee stood gracefully, retrieving the thermometer from the bathroom and some damp rags.

Andrew moaned when Aaron moved him enough that he was fully stretched out and with his head on Neil's lap. Strangely, there were no rude awakenings and no violence.
Further moans were heard when Aaron tried to force the thermometer into the goalkeeper's mouth.

“No… no,” he muttered, inconsistent with the small arm movements Andrew tried to make. He was clearly beside himself to control his arms or his words. “I don't want to,” he whined, “No. No"

Neil felt his breath taken away. Andrew looked as small and helpless as he had ever looked before. His skin was tingling, the heat emitted by the smaller boy was radiating to the red haired striker's body as well.

“Andrew,” Aaron admonished him, “We need to take his temperature.” All he got was another moan and the blond's figure shrinking.

Neil let out a growl from the back of his throat. He wouldn't let the backliner hurt him in any way.

“Aaron, stop,” he said in a firm, detached voice.
“You don't understand, he has to measure it. He's too hot, it can be dangerous... he might need a real doctor."

And maybe it was the eyes that were shining with genuine concern, the hands that had started to shake slightly or maybe it was the voice that was starting to betray Aaron's normal disinterest in everything, but Neil balled his hands into fists and lowered close to the goalkeeper but never touched him.

Andrew whimpered as Aaron grabbed his cheeks with his hand, forcing the half-conscious twin to open his mouth.

"... Please"

Neil jumped. That word should never have left Andrew's lips. It had been banished, forcefully purged from the short boy's vocabulary.

Aaron also seemed shaken, standing still with his hand raised in the air and the thermometer in the right direction.

“Please,” he croaked again. The words seemed to cause pain in his throat. He opened his eyes, a clear mist hovering in the hazel irises, “Drake?” he asked, closing his eyelids again.

Aaron didn't hold back his retching, moving away from his brother as if he'd been burned. He tried in vain to hold back coughs and luckily Dan was quick to pass him the trash can before the other Minyard ended up throwing up all his dinner.

He was horrified. Neil could see nothing but bare skin, blood, too much blood, and hear that laugh he would never forget.
All the cruelty he had witnessed since he was a child, all the cruelty he had felt on his own skin, had not been as penetrating as Andrew's painful laughter as he was medicated after Drake had abused him.

“What do we do now?” Nicky was standing, one hand to his mouth, biting nervously at the cuticles of his nails.

Neil wished he had the solution, he wanted to answer something. For once his big mouth wasn't helping him. He had no words, only deep terror.

“I called Coach” Kevin held up his cell phone, staggering back to the girls' living room. It took a few steps from the bathroom to reach them but Kevin's hangover made it difficult for the striker to stay upright.

"Why?" Aaron growled, lifting his face from the basket. He wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, clearing traces of spit, and gratefully accepted the bottle of water Renee was passing him. He drank more than half in a single gulp, using a little of the liquid to rinse his mouth and spitting some more into the trash can.

Allison simply showed a disgusted expression while Matt and Dan supported Kevin's decision.

Neil didn't want other people to see Andrew so vulnerable but he also didn't want to risk making the blond even sicker than he already was.

He looked down at the small huddled figure, Andrew's hand resting resting near his face and on top of Neil's thigh. He just hoped they wouldn't regret it later.

Chapter Text

He was knocking on the door of the girls' dormitory. Honestly, he didn't know what to expect from a drunk Kevin's hysterical, panicked call.
He only knows that something is wrong, and that he had to run to the fox tower as soon as possible.

it's Dan who opens the door, the girl is wearing comfortable sweatpants and a tank top that exposes the defined muscles of her arms. “Coach” exhales, looking at him with wide eyes. She shifts on her toes, breathing harder now that she's seen him coming.
Wymack's stomach turns over. Whatever the reason for the call, it couldn't have been good.

After a quick hug and pat of welcome from Matt, David takes a quick look around the room and immediately focuses where his other original players' attention is focused.

Josten's head covers part of his view of the body lying on the sofa, David is 90% sure that the bundle covered by the colorful throw is Andrew. It would explain the closeness and evident concern of his striker.

The other Minyard, Aaron surmises, is kneeling nearby. A trash can is held securely in clenched hands and if the paleness of his face is any indication, the coach is sure the twin's stomach was emptied not long ago.

Neil turns, not looking happy to see him although his flat expression quickly turns wild as his gaze lands over the older man's shoulder.

“What are you doing here?” Josten growls, and David would be damned if he was impressed by the anger of one of his foxes.
He's spent too many years dealing with assholes to not be able to handle a bunch of teenagers who are angry at the world.

“She,” he says, pointing to Abby, “is here because I asked her to. she's here because she's the team nurse and she's here because I was called in the middle of a quiet evening,” he replied. He had no problem with his boys calling in times of need. Hell, he didn't even have a problem with people sneaking into his house at night and stealing his alcohol as well as hogging his couch.

“Hi guys” The sweet smile on Abby's lips warmed his heart. Sometimes he said he didn't deserve the woman, an angel who ended up by mistake in his shitty life. Or, it was a sign that what he was doing, giving second chances to troubled youth, was definitely right.

“Abby”

The first to get up and hug the woman was Renee, followed by Matt, Allison and even a green and sick looking Nicky.

Had a flu virus targeted his players?

David turned his face towards the figure of his son. He was leaning heavily against the wall, the one closest to the bathroom, with a bottle of vodka clutched in one of his hands. He staggered, babbling nonsense in a low voice. David managed to catch Riko's name, Thanksgiving, and something along the lines of "he fucked with his head."

Josten's jaw clenched, clearly torn between relaxing and attacking anyone who gets too close to him.

Abby smiled warmly at him, wrinkles forming around her eyes maintaining that slightly sympathetic, slightly sad expression she always reserved for injured foxes. “Will you let me check what's wrong with Andrew?” she asked, not necessarily expecting a positive response.

It wouldn't be the first time Neil and Andrew growled at the woman and stopped her from doing her job. David was always there, present to prevent things from going further, even if he didn't believe that the two boys would really have been capable of intentionally hurting someone from their little family but that was exactly what scared the man. How many times had it already happened that Minyard or Josten ended up in a state of confusion and did not recognize anything of what was before their eyes? There was still a possibility of accidental injury.
There may have been a time when David believed that Andrew was actually a threat, drugged and dangerous during his pill-induced euphoria but now that he could think clearly, David knows that the only two times the blond boy was serious in his threats were the time he threatened to break his hand because of Kevin and when Neil was returned after Baltimore.

He watched the woman he loved slowly approach the sofa, careful to show the redhead every movement. When she was satisfied with the striker's calm reaction, she opened her first aid bag and took out a thermometer.

Her serious gaze turned worried as she raised his brown irises to look directly at Wymack. “I can feel his heat from here,” she communicated.

He wrinkled his nose, what fucking person gets that sick in the summer?
If he thought Abby was worried before, just a few minutes later she was on the verge of a bout of worry. “David” almost screamed, “He needs to go to the hospital.”

She didn't finish her sentence before Neil jumped up, creating a protective shield in front of the shorter boy. “Not without his consent,” he growled.

“Neil, you don't understand” she intervened immediately, directly showing the thermometer in her hand “105.27°F if the temperature rises further it can cause serious damage”

Neil's eyes widened, filled with terror and indecision. “There must be something we can do here. Anything,” he prayed, still kneeling at Andrew's bedside. The scarred hands were very close to those of the goalkeeper, without ever touching. David was really happy that the two boys had found each other.

He seemed to have put her heart and every hope in the nurse's hands and when Abby reached out to brush Andrew's blond hair away from his forehead, the goalkeeper gasped violently and let out a pitiful moan.

“Don't touch it!” Josten bared his teeth and David knew this was the moment he had to cover Abby's back.
He trusted the boy but he didn't trust all their shitty experiences and he knew enough about the world of the two young people not to know that aggression was the only way they knew to stay whole.

“Neil!” he warns, even though he knows how much it must cost the striker to stay calm when Andrew continues to make little whining sounds “Abby won't hurt him. Do you trust me?” he asked.

Despite his initial reactions to his closeness, Wymack enjoyed seeing the progress Josten had made towards him. He no longer moved away, he didn't jump and once they even managed to hug each other.

The boy bowed his head, his arms stretched out at his sides and his hands clenched into fists. His knuckles were white from how hard he was clenching, holding on to anything. “He doesn't know,” he whispered. “He doesn't know that we're here, now, with him,” he clenched his jaw in a fierce grip. “He doesn't know he's safe,” he confided, as he shook his head slightly in denial and a few silent tears fell.

David hated this.

He hated knowing what Neil was talking about.

He hated that Andrew had to go through those things.

He hated that no one helped the kid. That every adult he encountered on his path had disappointed or abused him.
He also hated the fact that ever since he approached, Andrew was looking at him with dull, distant eyes but with a clearly visible feeling in them: terror.

He wanted to get close to the goalkeeper, whisper to him that he was just their annoying, grumpy old coach but at the slightest move, Andrew retreated into an even smaller ball spitting out frantic words.

"I do not want. I do not want"

There was something he had been convinced he would never hear. Andrew looked like he was about to cry. His voice was high-pitched despite the faint sound, frantic. The words were quick, a prayer when they left his mouth.

Wymack held his breath, he wasn't a doctor but he knew that high fever could trigger hallucinations among the various symptoms, but this?

He raised his hands, showing his palms to Andrew but to some extent he also wanted Neil to see that he was unarmed and with nothing but good intentions in mind.

"It's me. Wymack, boy,” he whispered, loud enough to be heard but not too loud to startle him with his big, raspy voice.

Andrew moaned once more, a painful sound that made David's chest tighten in a painful grip.

“Don't do it. I don't want to” he whimpered, pushing himself further back into the sofa “I'll be good”

A series of curses and retching filled the room.

Aaron was doubled over on the garbage again, vomiting up whatever was left in the boy's stomach. Kevin had limped away too, furiously slamming the bathroom door behind him.

Dan had started to cry, held tightly in the strong arms of Matt who was in almost the same condition.

David managed to turn part of his body, watching Abby bend over Aaron to make sure he was okay and wishing he hadn't done so so he didn't have to see the mess of tears and snot that Nicky had become.

Unfortunately it wasn't David's only mistake. The sudden movement also scared Andrew who, although impossible, became even smaller and started screaming louder.

"Please. Please” he cried, tightening his fingers around the soft blanket he was wrapped in “I won't say. I'll be good. I won't say it, I swear. Don't do it"

Wymack felt like throwing up, he would borrow the garbage can and throw up last months food.

Who the heck does that to a child?

As extremely painful as everything was, they couldn't continue like this and Neil seemed paralyzed and absent by his side. He and Abby had to do something.

“I won't hurt you, Andrew”

It was the wrong thing to say.

Andrew straightened, his gaze hardening as he said, “You always say that!” he shouted “It hurts! It always hurts... a lot." The screams gave way to sobs in the now silent room. No one dared make a single sound or any movement. The entire dormitory seemed frozen except for Andrew who was crying freely with his chest rising and falling at a frantic pace.
“I'll be good. Please, Steve,” he croaked.

Hearing a name, a name other than Drake is perhaps what made all rationality or common sense go to hell.
Wymack needed Andrew's temperature to drop, fast.

He didn't think as he grabbed the boy by the shoulders and lifted him into his arms. He thought it would be harder, that he would have trouble keeping his balance or some shit like that.
He knew Andrew was very small for his age, hell, everyone knew that but he had never actually gotten to touch him or even hug him to know exactly how fragile he looked in his large hands.

The goalkeeper became agitated, trying to fight the coach with the little strength he could manage.
David didn't let himself be discouraged, he grabbed the back of Andrew's neck in a firm but delicate grip, threading his strong fingers through the soft blonde hair “It's okay” he repeated like a chant “It's okay. I got you. You're fine, kid."

He only stayed still for a few minutes, less than ten, but the mental fatigue that this whole situation was bringing on made him feel like they had entered the fox tower at least a year ago.

He almost felt defeated when Andrew gave in and his body sagged onto David.

Neil blinked, looking at them and even if only two seconds before he had seemed on the verge of killing the man, (who only thanks to Matt's grip on the striker had a murder been avoided) now his eyes were full of tenderness and something similar to love.

Wymack settled under the light weight of twin, fully assimilating the sensation of Andrew's chest against him, of the smooth chin sinking between David's shoulder and neck and suddenly he felt something different, foreign.

And.. Oh.

OH.

After endless minutes of Andrew having stopped fighting and David doing nothing to hurt the smaller boy, the blond snuggled into his arms with the flames tattooed on him.
It was such a strange feeling, so unexpected but absolutely so right.

He tightened his fingers through the pale locks, lovingly scratching the scalp. He had never done anything like this before, he had never thought of doing it even with Kevin but now, with Andrew so vulnerable in his arms, he felt it was right, that he wanted to do it.

“I will never hurt you, kid. Especially not like that,” he whispered, tightening his grip and hating himself for what would happen next. “We need to make sure the fever breaks, and without going to the hospital, our options are limited and barbaric.”

He opened the bathroom door, ignoring Kevin sitting on the floor in front of the toilet.
Neil and Abby were hot on his heels, demanding explanations of Wymack's intentions.

David ignored everyone, concentrating only on turning on the shower water and slipping into the cabin under the freezing jet.
In this heat, the cold water felt close to a pleasant sting but he could also feel Andrew's body tense up and he whimper painfully every time he tried to move away from the water to no avail.
Burning like the kid did, David knew for a fact that the cold was hurting Andrew but it was the only way he could think of to lower the young man's temperature without dragging him to a fucking emergency room.

These guys would have killed him one day or another.

"Everything is fine. You'll be fine" he whispered in the blond's ear, silencing him, trying to comfort him with delicate circular touches of his fingers in his wet hair.
A few sobs later, and their clothes soaked, Andrew seemed calmer and slightly more clear-headed.

The goalkeeper flinched and stiffened without making a sound. He was holding his breath, too, David realized.
“Okay, kid. You have a very high fever, we are lowering it. Nothing happened. Nothing will happen"

He heard a maybe exhale, followed by a few painful coughs and a slight tremor going through the smaller kid's entire body. “Coach?” he called weakly.

“Yes, Andrew?” it was a question and a confirmation at the same time.

He slowly let go of his grip, allowing the blond to slide along the tiles of the shower stall, when Minyard pushed him away, pushing his hands against his chest, and let him sit on the cold, wet tray.

The boy raised his gold and green eyes, looking at him through wet lashes. “I'm sure he's above your pay grade,” he croaked, balling his hands into fists to avoid seeing them tremble.

At least David's unorthodox idea seemed to work, Andrew was aware of his surroundings.
“I think I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. If a fox is injured, it's my job to make sure it gets well and is back to full strength.

He reached out to ruffle Andrew's blond hair, stopping at Andrew's gasp but continued when the kid didn't seem to move any further.

He inserted his long fingers between the golden threads, when wet they were a little darker, and he still felt that strange and warm sensation.
Touching Andrew Minyard had never felt so right as it did in that moment.

—--

They had accompanied Andrew and Neil to their room.

Neil had been the only one allowed to touch Andrew now that the smaller boy seemed to enjoy more clarity and words.
He had let the striker take him to bed and David and Abby hadn't seen them since the door to their room closed behind them.

The adults didn't feel ready to abandon the little ones yet, not when Minyard refused to take their temperature again or eat or drink anything, including fever medicine.

He had made some coffee, with the cheap blend that college students used in their dorm. Wymack didn't really care, he'd had worse and Abby was used to the man's equally bad and cheap version of coffee. He should have changed her, at least for her own good.

He clutched the steaming cup in his hands, his thoughts refusing to leave him.

When had everything gone so wrong?

Steven.

Who the hell was this Steven now?

Which came first, Drake or Steven?

Were there other names?

“There's nothing wrong with feeling the way you feel.” Abby sat on the couch next to him, her white mug steaming from the hot, black liquid inside.

“I don't know what you're referring to. We did our job” He mutters. He drank two large sips of coffee, unaware that he would have preferred to mix it with a good grappa, or even the cheap one that the small market on the corner sold would have been fine.

Abby smiled, looking at him in that way that could melt his heart in his chest. She took a sip of coffee before nodding. “We both know what I'm talking about and there's nothing wrong with that, you know?”

David inhaled sharply, he was naive in believing he was hiding something from the nurse. Hell, she noticed things that David himself didn't.

“Anyone thinks your favorite is Dan. Dan thinks your favorite is Kevin as your legitimate son,” she hum, a small smile creasing the creases in the corners of her eyes, “We both know you love all your foxes.”

David found himself nodding, why hell yes. He loved every one of his foxes, even if they were beyond his pay grade as Minyard liked to point out.

“And yet we also know that there is a fox that you look at a little more. Someone who isn't easy to relate to, someone who knows how to make himself hated. But when that fox believes he is not seen, when he lowers his mask of indifference and violence... that's when you are overwhelmed by the enormous baggage of destroyed emotions he carries with him. It's the moment you get to see that child broken too soon from life."

David turned his whole body to meet Abby's gaze.

His gaze was too wide, almost alarmed to have been surprised so easily, to have been read without any difficulty. He opened his mouth only to be interrupted.

“It's okay, David” she smiled with all the sweetness she was capable of. She adjusted her glasses on her nose, looking away “There's nothing wrong. You are not wronging any other fox. I also worry about him a little more."

They finished drinking their coffee in silence, neither of them thinking they would each be able to return to their own home.

They stayed like that, on a sofa, with a large supply of coffee, in the comfortable comfort of being together.

Chapter Text

It was a normal evening at Eden's, the only difference being that this was one of the times the older students had joined their group.

Kevin wasn't at his drunken breaking point yet but he was getting there. Nicky had run onto the dance floor, followed by Allison, Dan and Matt.
Aaron had worked up enough courage to invite Katelyn over, the two shared a chair and engaged in a thorough, filthy session of tongues and lips pressed together.

Neil rubbed his eyes with his hand. He was tired, he had spent the last ten days torn between being a good vice-captain and trying to take care of an Andrew who couldn't admit he was sick.

The music was too loud, there were too many people and it was hot. So hot that Neil hated himself for agreeing to this evening. The stench of sweat was making the air unbreathable in the narrow, enclosed space.
Too many people were busy dancing, drinking, sweating and unlike all the other nights, tonight there were definitely too many individuals occupying the place.

He was regretting being here but he couldn't quite do it. Not when he saw the mischievous sparkle in Allison's eyes, too caught up in rubbing herself against Nicky without any concern, feeling safe with one of the foxes.

Not far away, Matt's loving gaze has eyes only for Dan who smiles at him in response. Their bodies move in rhythm, touching each other without sinking into vulgarity.

Renee is the only other fox, besides Neil and Andrew, who doesn't dance.

The striker never asked. She probably doesn't like dancing but Neil can assume he knows the girl enough to imagine other reasons.
She may not want to be surrounded or like Andrew, Renee may feel too exposed around a group of drunk people. She has no reason to trust. Neil can understand that feeling and it saddens him a little that someone else in his family is uncomfortable in this way.

He sees the girl smile, something slow and bright. The other players were approaching, with happy faces and for once free of worry.

Andrew stands, muttering something about his glass having been empty too long.

Neil watches the blond, deciphering his goalkeeper's will. He doesn't seem to want to be followed, so Josten finds himself exhaling, feeling slightly cold at being left behind.

Not that he would take initiatives of his own accord. He will always accept Andrew's wishes, as long as the youngest kid stubbornness does not put his safety at risk. He wouldn't let anything in the world hurt the rebel Minyard.

His eyes follow the blond hair to the counter, Andrew manages to grab a stool and sits down waiting for Roland to get rid of the other customers.
Before long and with new people approaching the bar, Neil can no longer see Andrew but tries to remain calm. Everyone here knows the cousins, everyone knows what Andrew did to defend Nicky and honestly excluding Renee, Andrew is pretty much the best fox at taking care of himself.

“It's not fair that Renee never drinks, we convinced Neil to take a few sips too” Nicky whines, he has to hold on to Aaron's chair so as not to fall while trying to reach his seat.

The others seem to find their chairs more easily.

Once everyone is in their seats, with the half-full glasses still clutched in their hands, Allison shows off a wolfish smile, leaning with her arms on the sticky table. “Let's play truth” she proposed.

This was a bad, bad idea.

Before Neil could voice his concerns to the group, Nicky and Matt howled in amusement, raising their glasses in a toast.
Aaron groaned loudly, clearly horrified at the proposal. Only an elbow in the ribs from Katelyn managed to convince him not to get up in annoyance.

They were playing.

Neil closed his eyes and prayed that his friends weren't drunk enough to throw away any progress they'd made.

“Have you ever been with a girl?”

Nicky took a large sip of a pink cocktail. “Yes,” he said in disgust. “When I returned from the conversion camp.”

“And…” Allison asked, not interested in Hemmick's lack of willingness to share. The girl was a thirsty wolf, and under the solid layer of drunkenness she didn't seem to understand how something like that could hurt someone.

Nicky shrugged, drinking some more. “It sucked. Then I left for Germany and met Erick" just saying that name removed every shadow and darkness from the backliner's gaze."

Now it was his turn and as expected he turned to Day. “So, Kevin. Are you secretly in love with Jeremy Knox?”

Neil grimaced, he was happy for Nicky's stubbornness, especially because it meant he would never give up on the twins but... He didn't want to have to listen to an agitated and nervous Kevin for the rest of the evening which by the way was going to become really long.

Kevin cursed the entire table “it's easier to be straight in the exy world, how many times does this have to be repeated to you fools? And then I have Muldani"

“Yes” Dan clarified “The girl you don't even call by name and who doesn't show up since the final match” she sneered. One of his hands was raised behind Matt's neck, where deft, delicate fingers were stroking the taller boy's dark hair in a pleasant way.

Kevin clenched his jaw so tight, Neil worried about his teeth.

“So tell me Dan, since you found out who my father is have you become kinder towards me or am I wrong? Do you think the coach would turn his back on you if you didn't get along with his son?”

Their captain narrowed her eyes, enraged by the low blow. Everyone knew that Wymack was a bit like the father she never had but this could be true for all foxes.

Aaron and Andrew also seemed to care about the man, even though they hid it very well.

“I'm kinder to all the monsters” Dan replied “For Neil, but it seems like my efforts aren't appreciated and it's strange because you're the first to want a functional team, yet here you are. You're just mocking an attempt to unite the team even more."

“Enough, tonight we are not talking about exy or anything related to sports. I refuse to talk about anything remotely close to sports and studies” Allison's little outburst had certainly saved them from the start of a small but bloody battle.

It took a few minutes and a few sips of alcohol to relax their mind and muscles again, Neil would have preferred to continue with that calm but Allison was smiling too cheekily at him.

She approached him, she could feel his arm brushing against him. “Little, sweet little Neil,” she began in a drawl. “What do you and the monster do when you're alone?” she smiled with all his teeth. The long eyelashes fluttered innocently, oblivious to the blush on Neil's face.

He found himself choking on saliva, his eyes searching for flashes of blonde that could save him from embarrassment.

“Eyes on me, vice-captain. The little monster is not here to ruin the party” She waved her long ponytail, letting it swing over her shoulders “is he violent and psychotic even in intimacy?”

A muffled growl managed to divert their attention, Aaron was livid, with a cold look and a ferocity that was comparable only to his twin.
Neil wonders how much they actually had in common, how much more alike they would be if their mother hadn't decided to split them at birth.

“Don't get mad at my curiosity, monster number two. You might hold a grudge that even though you're the same, somehow he's nicer... more interesting even though he's totally crazy."

“Fuck you” Aaron snaps “You shouldn't even be here” he turns to look at Neil, who as usual ends up being the target of the other Minyard's anger “it's always your fault, Josten”

Allison laughed, not interested in Renee's less-than-subtle attempts to distract her friend. “Neil's only fault is making the image of someone with your face making out with him so fucking hot.”

“Allison!”

Reynolds feigned indignation, twirling her hand in the air emphatically, “Renee, truth. Don't you find the image of the two thugs kissing something decidedly hot?”

Renee didn't respond, the slight blush on her cheeks was enough and Neil felt like he was dying in the middle.

“It's fucking disgusting. Stop the fuck!” Aaron had jumped to his feet, his fists clenched and his knuckles white. It wasn't difficult to see him angry and grumpy but it was rare for that anger to actually come out in violence and at that moment, Aaron seemed about to hit Allison.

“Relax Minyard. Every girl with good taste and even guys who know how to appreciate beauty can say that they are hot. Katelyn, doesn't the image I described excite you?”

Neil finds himself holding his breath far too often this evening and he's hating it.

He knows they're drunk, he knows they don't have bad intentions but they're exaggerating.

“That's enough,” he growls. He raises his voice enough to be heard above the noise of the music, above Allison's voice who continues talking without caring about anything.

“Christ, Kate,” Aaron's shocked voice falters, trembling as if his whole world is slipping out from under him.

“It doesn't mean anything” she hastens to say “I like you and your brother, well you're the same, you can't get mad if I think he's cute too but he's different. We are different, I love you"

And again, Neil has to remember how to breathe. Hearing those three words come out so easily shocks him.
He doesn't know if he can stay, his instincts are screaming at him to run, to get away before he can see Aaron's face or his voice say those words back.
Words he doesn't think he'll ever hear from Andrew's voice.
His heart in his chest is beating wildly, taking up all the space in his ears.

The sharp movement of Aaron's head brings his attention back to the room, turning his head as Minyard did.

Leaning between the column and his brother is Andrew who seems to barely be standing.

Neil furrows his eyebrows, imitating Aaron's same expression.

“Christ, Andrew” Nicky is the first to open his mouth “Are you drunk?”

The goalkeeper simply observes his cousin, a completely normal behavior for him except that there is no trace of his usual apathy.
His hazel eyes are too bright, streaks of green shining in the expanse of gold and amber as they roam over their teammates.
it's far too quiet, too relaxed. Not even with the medicines that the court had imposed on him could he be like this.

Neil's alarm bells are ringing, there was no way Andrew was intentionally getting drunk. He hated not being in control.

He bit his lower lip, perhaps the fever medicine was still present in the blond's system and the normal amount of alcohol well tolerated by Andrew had become far too much with the combination. The only acceptable option he could think of.

But then…

Had someone forced him?

Just because he had a reputation, didn't mean some asshole didn't feel something anyway.
Andrew is small, at first sight an attacker would have no qualms about taking action.

But still…

Andrew is with them and seems unharmed, there are no people following him or trying to approach him. Neil is getting seriously paranoid.

“It's Andrew” says Aaron “Andrew doesn't get drunk. We've never seen him drunk."

“Yes, but look at him. he's definitely drunk" Nicky notes, glancing at Neil "You know I love you but he's my cousin and... do you need the that conversation?"

Neil's ears got even redder and fuck Nicky if he thought Neil wouldn't respect Andrew. “fuck you” he replies, and he is sure that his father's icy eyes convey the second message: Say it again and I'll kill you.

Andrew slumps into the chair, his arm and knee pressing against Neil's limbs, and familiar, soothing warmth floods the striker's tense body.

He let out a sigh he hadn't realized he was holding, Andrew's appearance had triggered a total calm in his brain.

The goalkeeper's strange behavior caused Aaron to sit back down, much to the happiness of his cheerleader.

Neil knew that Aaron had taken a step back only because he didn't trust the redhead with his twin, he was aware that he was watching him like a hawk watches a mouse: ready to pounce and hurt as soon as Neil made a misstep.
Not that he would ever do that, Andrew is too important to him.

Even though it was now clear that there was definitely something wrong with the little goalkeeper, Neil's eyes widened when Andrew's head lolled onto his shoulder.
The smaller boy let out a soft moan, rubbing his forehead against Neil's shirt.

“Aww” Nicky squeaked “Can we keep this version of Andrew?” he asked, leaning over the table as he avidly observed his cousin's behavior.

“Shut up, Nicky!” Aaron barked, not hiding the disgust in his voice. Katelyn hit him with a small elbow and both Minyards jumped.

Ready for a violent reaction, Neil was ready to grab Andrew's black t-shirt but just as his hand reached out, Andrew let out a panicked moan, pushing himself further into Neil's body.

The entire group looked at him in bewilderment and Neil wished they weren't here, where he couldn't protect the short boy from unwanted stares.

“I think we should leave,” he said instead.

“Shit, he's really drunk” Matt laughed, gently pushing Dan's shoulder as she looked at his players with a smile.

It seemed that no one other than Neil had observed the second twin's reaction, too focused on Andrew.
Neil himself hadn't realized he had him in his arms, with one of his hands resting behind his neck. He was scratching his scalp, working through the soft blonde hair.

He jumped a little when he realized that Andrew was literally purring, continuing to rub his face against Neil's shoulder and neck. Chills pass through the striker's body, a widespread heat begins to spread from the stomach.

He's not sure if this is actually consent and he's thinking about stopping but Andrew keeps getting closer until he's practically climbed into Neil's lap.

“Neil… Neil” he hums. His voice is different too, soft and strangely not flat.

“Drew” exhales, immobile for fear that the slightest movement will cause this house of cards to collapse. “Drew, we should go home” he tries to say. Now it's clear that something is wrong and that they shouldn't stay.
Andrew wouldn't want to be seen so defenseless.

“I don't want to” he murmurs against the neck, where the lips are touching him and are about to screw Neil's every logical thought.

“The monster doesn't want to leave, let's start the game again” says Allison, with her gaze capable of burning on the two players.

Neil looks at Renee, “We shouldn't do this,” he hisses at the girl. She's watching them with such intensity that Neil ends up being the first to look away.

“Hey, Andrew. Do you want to play?” Matt asks. He paid for a bottle of vodka and is refilling everyone's glasses except Renee.

The goalkeeper moves just enough to be able to rest his cheek on Neil's shoulder, from this angle he is able to look at most of the group, leaving only Kevin hidden behind Neil. He just blinks, as calm as ever until Neil clearly hears him shrug.

Matt and Allison's eyes light up with excitement.

“Come on man!” exclaims the backliner “I'll start”

To everyone's surprise, Aaron is the one who asks, surely to get revenge for the whole evening. “The worst shit your dad put you through?” Then he makes a gesture: “Avoid the drug part, we already know that”

Dan shifts indignantly, only stopping when Matt reassures her.

“One time he was so into his partying and drugs that he didn't realize he'd locked me out of the house. I spent Christmas night sleeping in the car"

“It's shit” commented Katelyn.

Andrew snickered, it was the closest thing to a laugh he'd had since he'd been sober. It was no surprise when everyone froze and looked in his direction.

“What, you think you could do worse?” Dan growled. He saw her bite her lip, as if all at once she remembered last Thanksgiving at the Hemmicks.

And if everyone's thoughts were on that episode, Andrew made them feel stupid again as he pushed himself harder against Neil.

“In one of the houses I stayed in, it wasn't so strange that children who looked for a little more food were forced to spend a night on the porch,” he muttered, rubbing his face to smell Neil. me, waited until everyone went to sleep and then climbed through the gutter pipes to the room of kids.
I was so tired that I didn't wake up in time the next morning and
foster parents found out, so they tied me to an old dog house they had out back.
The first two days I tried to free myself then I gave up and on the third day I entered the den hoping to be warmer. I was so stupid that I had to lie down to realize that almost all the wooden slats on the roof were missing."

“My God,” Nicky gasped, not so drunk anymore.

Dan also looked horrified as she rubbed her fingers together. “How long did you have to stay?”

Andrew seemed to think about it, even though Neil knew he didn't need to. His perfect memory did not allow him to forget even the smallest detail.

“Oh captain, my captain. Are you feeling sentimental? Don't be, it's a waste of time."

“When did you get free?” Aaron was the one asking, changing the form of the question in hopes of gaining his brother's interest.

“Oh, that hurt,” he slurred. Nel felt the breath brush against his skin, making him shiver.

Just when they thought the discussion was over, Andrew spoke again.

“I didn't,” he stated. “They had forgotten the appointment to fix the grass. On the seventh day the gardener found me, it had snowed that night and he had to call an ambulance.
When they discharged me, I ended up in another house"

There was an uncomfortable silence around their table, broken only by Aaron's low growl. Despite her efforts, not even Katelyn seemed able to calm him down.
Neil could understand it, the only reason he hadn't snapped was Andrew's solid, comforting presence in his arms.

The blond didn't seem aware of the little bomb he had unhooked and probably didn't even care. The anguished feelings of others were not his problem.

Despite everything, "That's enough" he found herself whispering to him.

Andrew had no filter in this situation, he probably didn't understand the weight of what was happening and would regret it tomorrow and God forbid the Foxes had to deal with the consequences of this evening.

It would only end in injuries and a lot of blood from each of them.

“Have your eyes always been so beautiful? I had assumed they were brown."
Andrew stiffened in his arms and Neil did miss how the smaller boy hid from sight, and even though Matt was his best friend he couldn't stop the glare he gave him. “Don't look at him,” he growled, protectively.

Matt raised his hands with open palms, silently apologizing even as his lips sported an annoying smile. “No pressure man, just asking. Aaron's are darker” he justified himself, hesitantly running a hand through his dark curls which now had much less gel in them for the evening.

“I already told you that they are twins but they are not the same” he curled his lips, annoyed by the comparison between the two Minyards. He liked Andrew, not Aaron at all. They were not the same, for any reason in the world.

“I said Andrew is cuter than Aaron,” Allison grinned.

“We're fucking identical twins, damn it. And stop it, you're disgusting” Aaron screamed, throwing one of the peanuts directly at Reynolds' head.

She didn't even spare him a glance, still focusing on the crouched form of the goalkeeper.

“Since you're strangely so talkative…”

“Allison, stop.”

“Come on, Renee. Don't be a killjoy."

“You're making Neil angry and Andrew won't be hungover tomorrow and he'll be furious.”

Raynolds waved Renee's voice away like it was an annoying insect. “Tomorrow is another day.” She flashed her best shit-eating smile. “Since Neil doesn't want to answer… When did you lose your virginity Minyard?”

The cousins ​​complained but Neil couldn't hear anything but his ears ringing.

Andrew didn't miss a beat, wetting his lips with his tongue before clearly saying, "Seven years old."

The air seemed to be sucked out of the entire nightclub. He only had time to meet Renee's empty, cold eyes.

Neil couldn't believe it, the bile was rising in his throat.

That wasn't it. It wasn't.

"Enough. Stop it” he found himself grabbing Andrew's arms and shaking him forcefully.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't allow it.

He pushed the goalkeeper off his lap, ignoring how the boy staggered as he ended up on unsteady legs.

There were only a few movements, no one could have predicted it but in a minute they were surrounded and Andrew pinned down by unknown arms.

A man, the Ravens' goalkeeper immediately recognized Neil. 6,33 foot tall and wide enough to be cumbersome in the enormous goal, had Andrew anchored against his body. An arm tied around the smaller boy's waist which also kept his arms pinned down so they could do nothing but remain motionless at his sides.

Andrew's feet are off the floor, his head held still by the raven's large hand. “Now, now, now. I don't think you and I have ever met." A loud, raucous laugh mixes with the deafening noise of the music. "God, I can't believe something so small could have done so much damage to our king."

Neil gritted his teeth, clenched his fists at his sides. They were outnumbered.

“I don't think it's the right place to discuss things. We will have time and opportunity at the court, there we will decide who is the best but until then... you better leave us alone" Dan took a few steps forward, immediately followed by Matt.

The raven didn't pay the slightest attention to their captain, even ignoring the fox's anger, looking to his side out of the corner of his eye, in the direction of one of his teammates.

Neil felt bad.

It was the same asshole who showed up outside the foxhole court parking lot.

“I told you I knew how to make it docile, in a while it will be even better but this also breaks all the fun. You better see it first."

Anger flared up in a second.

Neil ran forward, he was the fastest NCAA player for a reason, and punched the shorter raven square in the face. The one they had already met. He heard the familiar, sickening crunch of nose bone breaking, blood splatters also landing on his clothes as he prepared to throw the second punch.

He had already glimpsed Renee coming forward, Matt in a fighting position and Aaron throwing himself at his brother but even then they would have had no hope. It was only the sudden arrival of Roland and security that averted a real massacre.

A thud made him turn, Andrew was on his knees on the floor, pushing Aaron away from him.

Neil was still too angry, too bloodthirsty to think straight and keep Nathaniel out of this.

He turned towards the barman, ready to crack his skull. “What the fuck did you give him?” he approached threateningly, enough to force a security man to get in the way.

“Don't worry, Paul. Neil is a friend, he just needs to calm down." stopped the security before starting a new fight.

When the crows were ushered out of the building, Roland turned his frowning gaze to Neil. “What the hell are you accusing me of, Neil? Do you think I would do anything to Andrew?” he spat out words filled with anger and disbelief.

“Roland would never do that!” it came directly from Nicky.

Neil laughed, a shrill, evil sound. “Are you sure about that, Nicky?” he licked his chapped lips before continuing. “Ask Roland what he was doing out back of the with your 15 year old cousin,” he growled finally.

Neil is aware that Andrew was consenting, that it was only through experimenting with the bartender that the blond boy had an idea of ​​what he liked to do and what he didn't but that didn't change the fact that Roland was older and that Andrew was clearly in a uncomfortable working position.

"What?" Aaron's scratchy voice only faded when Katelyn managed to push her boyfriend back.

But Neil's anger still hadn't subsided, he grabbed the older boy's collar and repeated to himself “What the fuck did you do? He was fine before coming to the bar with you."

Roland pushed his hands forward “Nothing, I swear. I poured him the usual whiskey and he didn't even drink more than usual" he defended himself "I wouldn't hurt him and you know it too".

He knew her words were sincere but this explosion of energy set him on fire “So what the fuck happened? Because he was away longer than usual and when he came back he was strangely sociable and soft."

Roland shook his head, moving away from her hands “There was a small fight, someone accidentally spilled some beer. it was over before it even started but everything on the opposite side of the counter was destroyed. Andrew waited until I finished cleaning to get his fourth shot and then left. I haven't seen him since."

Oh. Oh.

Someone had been stupid.

He knelt in front of Andrew, now almost a stranger to everything that was happening around him. Neil lifted his chin with his thumb and forefinger, scarred fingers grazing the smooth, pristine skin.
For all the fights he knew he had gotten into, it was a miracle the blond didn't have a crooked nose or a missing tooth.

“Let me get this straight,” he told him, “Were you really that stupid to take your eyes off your glass and then continue drinking once the fight was over?” he growled, pressing his fingers deeper “I thought you were the smart one. As if you're not aware of what you look like."

“Get your fucking hands off him, you asshole!” Aaron tried to kick him, but Matt wouldn't let him.

Neil only had eyes for Andrew, nothing could distract him.

Andrew blinked in his usual slow, detached way, which only made the striker angrier until he heard his voice.

“Neil…” he murmured, slow, feeble, almost sweetly. “Neil…”

Anger quickly gave way to panic, Neil's insides burned and his chest crumpled in on itself. “Andrew?” he asked, hesitantly.

“I… I don't… I don't” he stopped speaking suddenly, just as every other movement stopped.
His eyes, however, gave a clear view of whatever it was. Andrew was terrified in a way he had never seen before.

“Drew” he called “Drew? Talk to me” She pulled him towards her, forcing herself not to vomit as she felt the small, soft body in his arms. It wasn't until Matt caught his attention, kneeling beside them, that Neil realized he was hyperventilating.

“Neil can't answer that,” Matt told him, “But I promise you he'll be fine. They drugged him, from the symptoms he reported throughout the evening I assume it was a high dose of GHB. He… he'll be fine, okay? Let's go home."

“ghb?” he murmurs in a whisper.

Matt gently nudges his shoulder, wordlessly asking if he needs a hand carrying Andrew. Of course the answer is no, he wouldn't let anyone else touch him, even if that person is Matt. The older boy continues to look at him with a pitying look and Neil hates the way his stomach hurts.

Chapter Text

He didn't like lying to Andrew, he hadn't done so since his return from Baltimore and even though he knew he was being a little irrational, he had a vague unpleasant feeling that he was lying to him.

He had his eyes closed, still welcomed by the warmth of the proximity of the blond's body, he felt good but what really prevented him from lifting his eyelids was the sweet humming that, surprisingly, came from Andrew.

She had never heard him sing, he was angelic. His usual flat, monotone voice was gone.
He thought he knew the tune, probably a song that played on the radio every now and then.

Andrew's light breathing caressed his cheek, a sign that the goalkeeper was very close. Neil still had to get used to the blond's physical presence.
Of course, he had already received the best blowjob in the world (not that he had had any before, he couldn't really compare but somehow he seemed to know that this one would be the best anyway) and after the first one there were others, not to mention all the times they were able to steal time on the roof and ended up kissing senselessly, for a long time. Very long.

But despite all this, Neil still hadn't touched Andrew. It didn't bother him, he would wait and accept it if the shorter boy never wanted to be touched beyond his hair, but for now he could still hope for it.

The mattress sinks a little towards the center, a sign that Andrew has moved even closer. Neil's heart beats frantically, eager to receive more warmth from the body nearby.

“it started as a game, but it never ends”

Without the haze of sleep anymore, the words of the song become clearer even if murmured in a very low voice. Neil wishes he had the eidetic memory to never forget any words or the world in which they are spoken.

“It doesn't take much to feel better, all I need is you. I was born with noise inside, if I see you I don't hear it anymore"

He couldn't stop the smile tugging at his lips and he was honestly sick of pretending to be asleep. He let his lips pull upwards but kept his eyes closed, so Andrew would feel less exposed and vulnerable.

“I like your voice,” he stated. He remained still, his eyelids lowered. He was vaguely aware that his legs were stretched out straight, he also felt the sheet wrapping around the bundles of muscles that were sweaty from the heat.
His arms lay at his sides, the back of his right hand brushing the fabric of the blonde's sweatpants.

“Shut up,” he exhales, in a hoarse voice than he had been don't using until recently.

He wanted to wipe his smile, he felt it stretching more and more and he really wanted to erase it but Andrew preceded him by placing the palm of his hand on his cheek, right under the burn left by Lola.

“Yes or no?” he asked and Neil could already feel his insides burning with anticipation.

"Yes"

Andrew's lips were against his, pressing hard and aggressive even though Neil was happy to give him as much control as he wanted.
He opened his mouth just enough to allow the goalkeeper's tongue to slip in and kiss more deeply.

He hadn't smoked yet, there wasn't the bitter aftertaste of tobacco or the sweet one of chocolate. Everything in that moment just screamed “Andrew”.

Both of the blonde's hands cupped his face, stroking and mapping the scars there.
Neil hadn't asked what the limits were at that moment, the only choice he had was to clench the sheet in his fists to keep his hands busy.

The tongue touching his, the soft sensation under the roof of his mouth, and his own moans were already sending him over the edge. He could feel his erection becoming painful through his boxers, his cock twitching with interest and his balls activating. “Andrew,” he moaned, “Andrew, where? Where can I touch?” he asked breathlessly.

Andrew pulled away briefly, his lips red and shiny. There was a bit of saliva in the corner of his mouth, which Neil wanted to collect with his tongue.

The boy thought about it, intent on evaluating his limits, aware and confident that Neil would respect them all.

“My hair and my shoulders”

Neil smiled, reaching out with his freer hand and immediately grabbing a lock of his hair.

“Don't clench,” Andrew growled, diving back into that battle between teeth and tongue.

Neil swallowed a moan, moving his other hand because he needed more, he needed to touch and feel close and it was a complete shock when his mind had planned to move his hand up to Andrew's head but hadn't taken into account the closeness of the blonde's body.

The back of Neil's hand had collided with the crotch of the smaller boy's trousers, who had let out a strangled, surprised gasp.

They immediately stopped kissing, Neil expected Andrew to get up and run away but he was completely still, not even breathing.

Terror had engulfed the Striker. “I'm sorry,” he hurriedly said, unable to move to move away from Andrew's motionless body.
Unfortunately, he couldn't shake the excitement, his cock was still hard and very interested in the indistinguishable, if still soft, shape of Andrew's cock pressing against the back of his hand.

“Andrew”

“Shut up,” followed by a puff of air, a mix between pissed off and furious.

Andrew was going to kill him and Neil couldn't even blame him, even if he didn't want it he ended up breaking their agreement.

“Shut up,” he repeated, regaining control of his breathing. He looked uncertain, the look in his hazel eyes was clearly vulnerable. “I hate you.”

Then he seemed to think about it, happy that whatever he had expected hadn't shown up. “Yes or no?”

Neil had no idea what she was asking him, still confused by everything that had happened but he didn't need to think about it for a second longer. "Yes. Yes, Andrew. Yes".

He expected the same strength, the almost innate aggression in their movements but like everything about Andrew, Neil's world was constantly being turned upside down.

The kiss becomes sweet, calm. Small timid touches of the tongue, used to explore, to limit boundaries. He can feel Andrew's body shiver, his fingers insistently caressing the scars on his cheekbone, a way of remembering that it's Neil next to him.

He rests his forearms on the mattress, landing heavily against Neil's auburn curls.
The striker finds himself sighing into the blonde's mouth, enraptured by every sensation and desire.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees Andrew's eyelids narrow more than they should, the boy's hands are shaking. He knows he's fighting against whatever his mind is screaming at him, against the all-too-vivid memories of a shattered old life.

He's thinking about telling him that they can stop, that they don't have to continue, but right before he can open his mouth, in one quick, precise motion, Andrew lifts one of his legs and stands over Neil. He's almost sitting astride him, careful that Neil's erection doesn't touch him.

The blue eyes lock with the hazel ones, he imagines that his pupils are also dilated like Andrew's. There is something new, a silent language that is changing their relationship, it seems like a step forward.

Neil and Andrew, no one else. Just them in the safety of their room.

Remain docile, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth “Yes” he repeats even if no question has been asked.

Neil knows that Andrew likes to take him apart, tear him apart and rebuild every bone. He kisses his jaw, little wet touches to reach his lips.
Everything becomes a need, a need to belong, to feel. Tongue and sighs released into each other's mouths.

The blond boy moves away a little, Neil is still with his eyes closed and instinctively follows him, lifting his head from the pillow, needing contact, feeling empty now that he has lost it.

Andrew moves a cowlick from his forehead, grazes his nose with the tip of his tongue and moves down to suck and lick his neck.

“I thought it was my fetish, Minyard”

“It is,” he growls, biting the skin in warning.

Neil moans louder, the fake pain is just an extra twinge that ends up in his groin. It really needs to be touched soon.

He raises his hands, holding him still in the air before a firm nod convinces him to caress Andrew's cheeks.

The kiss becomes passionate, needy and painful.

He's panting, he needs to breathe but he doesn't want to leave the blonde. Andrew understands, they both need to catch their breath if the blushing is any sign, but Neil wouldn't be the instigator he is if he let it go away easily. While he's still close enough, he bites his bottom lip, pulling and sucking on it hungrily.

“Fuck,” Andrew mutters. His breathing is heavy and his hair is all messed up.

He lowers himself again, their bodies are aligned and Neil feels Andrew's hardness against his thigh.

He feels like he's going crazy, he would like to move, to outline the shape along its entire length with his fingers. He wants this, he desperately needs it.

“Andrew, Andrew. More” and curses himself because he almost ruined everything with the word please that risked escaping him. He needs to be alert, he doesn't need to be so clouded.

“So greedy,” Andrew whispers, nipping playfully at his collarbone, “is he still yes?”

“It's always yes with you”

In return, Andrew gives him another punishing bite, sucking on the skin immediately after. This will leave a nice bruise later.

The goalkeeper makes space between the striker's legs, aligning their hardness.

There are soft moans from both of them. For the first time since they started their "nothing", Neil feels that he is not the only one who stutters, who doesn't know what to do with all this. Andrew seems shy, uncertain and it's all reflected in the small movements, they are tests. He's figuring out how far and how far he can go and how much Neil is willing to accept.

The hips move, disorderly and graceless, driven by the same atrocious slowness with which they are exchanging kisses.

The pleasure, the knowledge that it's Andrew on top of him fires every synapse in Neil's brain. Always attentive to Andrew's every reaction, Neil's hips also make imperceptible movements, letting their cocks rub through the fabric of the suit.

He wants to scream, he is satisfied with the soft sounds that his throat vibrates but which are attenuated by the blond's lips.

His cock is so close to the edge she can almost feel it. The feeling of the swollen lips, the heat and the perfect texture of the body above him is fatal.

Neil drops his head back, giving himself up to orgasm with a strangled scream.

he is so lost and absorbed in the sensation that he misses the exact moment when the heat on him disappears and the bathroom door slams with a mighty sound.

Neil knows Andrew came down too, he felt the smaller boy's body tremble and stiffen. He felt the tension, his throat against his shoulder spasming to barely make a sound.

Remain lying, looking at the ceiling. His breathing is still rapid, his chest swelling and deflating.
He looks down, feeling the mess in his underwear cool.

The shower turns on, the pipes creak as the water runs through them but the sound calms him enough to know they'll be okay.

After turning off the alarm, he gets up to make coffee. Even though Kevin is passed out on the couch in Matt's room, Neil is aware that the hot drink is the only thing that will lure Andrew out of the bathroom.

Turns on the appliance, changing the water in the tank. It's a new model, they had to replace the old one after the goalkeeper's outburst last week.

Even though six days have passed, Neil still remembers the fear of that evening in Eden.
The next morning was a succession of accusations, screams, worries and Andrew's total closure. It took him four days to get the blonde back to his normal self.

There were times when he hated almost every single fox: with Jack not stopping suggesting how much Andrew enjoyed being in those strange situations where people tried to achieve something. it's almost as if he was looking for it, he said. Finally with Allison, who was still trying to convince the coach to punish the blond for attacking Dan more than a month ago.
“Just because his foster brother fucked him, doesn't give him the right to be a complete asshole. We all have our baggage, we are foxes."

At least Wymack had been smart and forced most of the team to run five extra laps, with the threat of signing everyone up for a marathon if he heard another word.

When he heard the beep, he wasted no time pouring himself a cup of black coffee. He was leaning against the counter, the fox-shaped cup clutched between his fingers. He only managed to take two sips when he noticed the thick head of blonde hair approaching.

Andrew only gave him a bored look before raising his eyebrow slightly. what did he want?

Neil smiled, the overwhelming warmth of the memory of his awakening still making his heart pound. Andrew sneered, snatching the ceramic from his scarred hands and doused the black liquid with seven teaspoons of sugar and an alarming amount of cream.

It was a miracle how he managed not to become frazzled and hyperactive with all that sugar.

Andrew stood a foot away, watching Neil over the edge of his cup as he savored the nauseating substance he called coffee.
“Problems, Josten?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.

Neil tried to hide his smile by faking a cough. “I thought I was the problem.”

Minyard clenched his jaw, his gaze sharp. “Then you're not as stupid as you seem.”

“And they're not a pipe dream either,” he chirped

Andrew rolled his eyes, feigning total disinterest. “I hate you.”

The striker smiled, this time without trying to hide it. “I know.”

—----------

Wymack had gathered all the foxes an hour before the morning training. With classes not yet starting, they didn't have such a strict schedule, although that would change soon.

He had asked Abby to help him not only with the freshmen but also with the old players. He doesn't know the details but something has broken in recent weeks.

Relations between Andrew's group and Dan's seemed to be on a razor's edge. With the cousins ​​refusing to acknowledge each other's mere presence and Reynolds never wasting an opportunity to argue, the team was falling apart. Even Josten didn't seem to want to support a truce, the only one who had managed to do the impossible just a few months earlier.

He put a hand to his face, rubbing his skin and ending up messing up his hair. He was getting old because of this, he would have turned 43 this year but he felt much, much more adult.

He could hear the din of voices and laughter. Some guys had already arrived and were waiting for him and Abby.

What was strange was the presence of the “monsters” without the constant of Minyard and Josten. Those two never let the rest of the group go unsupervised.

Matt, Dan, Allison, Renee, and Nicky were sitting calmly on the second couch. Hemmick was talking about something about Germany, about how he hoped Erik would be able to book a flight for Christmas.

David rolled his eyes, romance wasn't in his veins and despite Abby, he would never understand the emotion behind stupid advances and flirtations.

He crossed his arms over his chest, a harsher expression than he wanted to convey making his brows furrow. Kevin spoke animatedly, or rather, argued with the freshmen about how ridiculous and useless they were on court.

And Aaron, Aaron stood in front of David, shoulders hunched, texting frantically. He hadn't even noticed her presence.
To tell the truth, none of the foxes were aware of David's presence, and yet, he was a big man… really hard to ignore.

He thought it was fun to wait, to stand still and silent waiting to be recognized. Vaguely he wondered if he could hear any more bullshit from Jack's mouth. He had heard about a really interesting marathon.

He was quickly getting tired of waiting when he noticed Aaron's shoulders jump in surprise. He's not proud of it, he's simply tall and he has to say that it's the Minyard's fault for being so short, so much so that he can see his phone screen perfectly.

Someone had sent him a video.

Just a second of hesitation before a nimble finger clicks play.

The adult part that often lies deep became active, having the decency to look away but couldn't cover its ears.

Muffled moans that only sounded like pain and suffering. An indistinguishable snap of skin on skin.

Instinctively he focused on the screen, in disbelief that Aaron of all people was watching really dirty porn in the foxes' common room.

His breath caught in his throat as the familiar image of blonde hair and a small frame filled the video.

“Come on AJ, be good for me”

The boy was stuck, immobilized on a hospital bed. Leather straps tightened his wrists, ankles and even his head. Lying on his back, wearing only a gray sweatshirt, with way too much bare skin exposed and… blood. A sea of ​​blood staining his thighs and white sheets not to mention there was a fucking person clearly violating him.

“They taught you well to be silent, right? We don't want anyone to find out our secret, do we?”

David could tell that the bile in his stomach had turned sour, that in no time he would be throwing up there on the floor. The rest of his mind was blank, his body without any thread tying it to his will. He was paralyzed.

“You should know that I really want to hear from you, AJ. I want to hear your voice while you beg me"

“I will kill you”

The man on the screen, a doctor, he realized with horror, laughed as if it were the funniest thing he had ever heard.

The shot was fixed, from the side, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Faster movements, louder sounds until real grunts echoed from the cell phone speaker, attracting the attention of the other kids.

In the video, Andrew whimpers, fighting the ropes and the withdrawal. The young man's face was much paler than usual under the hideous red spots caused by pain and the effort of holding himself back. Her blond hair was a sweaty mass on her damp forehead.

A retch is the first and only sign of life emitted by Aaron and David knows he should stop all this, snatch that diabolical object from his hands and scream until his lungs can't breathe anymore. He can't. He can't. He isn't capable of it.

“It will mean that we will start to get to know each other better”

Without any forethought, the doctor abruptly separates from the blond, causing the smaller boy to choke with a breathless gasp.
He gets off the cot, leaving his hips free and showing without censorship the horrible result of his actions.
He seems satisfied with the blood, the twisting of a defenseless boy and the cracks starting to show.
The tremors, the white knuckles and the attempts to vomit which end in suffocation because the string blocking his head prevents Andrew from any movement are irrelevant. The doctor has full control and is exploiting it.

David thought he had hit rock bottom with human cruelty. He had picked up Neil at the airport after the Christmas holidays and then after Baltimore. He thought he had seen it all.
He was not prepared for this sadist who had every intention of using his hand to continue the torture.

The things he thought he would never see included Andrew's terrified, childlike expression at that moment.
He never thought he'd hear him scream like that. To hear him cry so openly.

How his face, now completely red with pain, could contort himself so that he looked truly human and not a machine designed for war.

How all the fingers except the thumb had forced their way in with force and ruthlessness.

“Don't say I'm not nice, today I'll stop at the wrist”

“And to think that I would have done it even without the payment. I would have wanted you as soon as that doctor of yours, Dobson, had introduced you to me"

“It's really lucky that you're so small. So tight despite you being so used. If only you knew how pleasant it is to feel torn under my care."

He glimpsed the movement, a blur that was arrowed and a moment later Josten snatches the phone from Minyard's hands, throwing it to the ground and crushing it under the sole of his shoe.

His expression is wild, pure and honest anger. He grabs the collar of Aaron's shirt, yanking the shorter boy and pushing him against one of the lockers.
He leans his head forward, just enough to meet their foreheads. “What the fuck are you doing?” he hisses, threateningly. The ferocious smile that only appears when Neil is about to lose control. “Besides being an asshole, are you turning into a fucking maniac?”

Aaron doesn't seem to recognize him, his gaze is far away on the destroyed remains of his cell phone.

“If I didn't know how much you meant to him, I'd kill you,” he snarls at him. “I can't believe you looked at that shit instead of destroying everything. You're worthless, you're nothing."

It is only the striker's quick reflexes that allow him to move in time and get away before his clothes are soiled by vomit.

Aaron bends to his knees, some spit dripping from his chin. His eyes are shining, his gaze still lost.
He doesn't react when Nicky grabs him by the shoulders, when he holds him in a fierce hug while tears fall quickly down the taller boy's cheeks.

“Fuck,” he curses, turning his head towards the door.

David follows her lead by looking at the spot where he imagines Andrew must have been. It's empty now.

"Shit. Fuck. Shit".
Josten is frantic, threading his fingers into his hair and pulling hard on the auburn locks. He seems to curse himself internally before sprinting and running out the door.

Wymack grunts, for the first time in what seems like hours, he feels in control of himself again.

"Out!" he shouts “I want you all at the court. Start training or I swear to God, I'll make you spend the entire season on the bench. At the cost of disqualifying ourselves"

He slammed the door to his office, slumping into his chair before opening his desk drawer. His hands trembled, the liquid in the whiskey bottle swayed on the glass walls.
The man snorted, the liquor was Andrew's favorite. He had bought the bottle to convince the boy not to kill anyone during the opening event of the new season.

Now he wondered if he had ever made a mistake, preventing the little dwarf from killing Riko all those times.
If he was wrong not to side with Abby that last November. The nurse was against forced hospitalization.

Andrew was different again, sober. An empty shell.

He had been fooled by Nicky's stories, by Aaron's strong belief that sober Andrew was just a crazy lunatic.

He let his mind run through a million scenarios where he could change things. He abandoned himself to the bottle, emptying more than half of its contents even though it was morning.

A firm knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts. Abby pushed the door open, closing it behind her.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, a sign that she had been told what had happened. Or at least, that the other foxes had explained to her in broad terms.
He couldn't imagine Aaron talking about it voluntarily.

The woman lowered herself to her knees, placed her hand in a comforting grip on David's arm.

“Neil is back. He said that the Maserati is still in the parking lot, that Andrew must be around here because he wouldn't have abandoned the car. He didn't find it, though.
he is worried, nervous. He keeps looking at everyone else like he's about to disembowel everyone."

“Didn't he find him or look for him?
We know Minyard wants to be left alone when he needs to think. He wouldn't use a hideout where he'd be found in five minutes, Josten should know better,” he muttered, grumpier than he intended.

Abby raised her eyebrows, blinking in surprise. “Five minutes?” she commented more to herself than to the man next to her “It's been over three hours, David. The kids outside are exhausted. I ordered food for them.” Her gaze softened, moving her hand to grasp and squeeze the thick, sturdy fingers. “Come on, you have to eat something too.”

From the height of the sun in the sky, it was clearly time for lunch. His foxes were sitting on the ground, sandwich wrappers abandoned in small huddled groups.

Nicky and Aaron were surrounded by the older students, he could hear Allison's voice above the others.

“So, can you tell us what the hell was in that video?”

The quieter minyard looked exhausted, sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest. Nicky tried to be strong, to be the guardian the twins could count on. He was rubbing relaxed circles on the blonde's back, ignoring all the questions in turn.

Jack and Sheena were laughing loudly about something and David had a bad feeling that whatever amused them so much had to do with the twins.

Another wave of anger blazed through his system.

“Who told you to stop?” he shouted, kicking one of the plexiglass walls hard. “I want you all on the pitch, you little slacker shits.”

The whole team jumped at the outburst, the only one who wasn't paying attention to anything was Neil. The boy was running around the perimeter, hoping to calm down.
David wasn't going to stop him.

After another two hours in which each player gradually collapsed to the floor, Abby forced David to stop training.
It was no one's fault what had happened and destroying his children's arms and legs would get him nowhere.

“This isn't you. You know it won't do any good. You're not that kind of coach, David."

The concern evident in the nurse managed to calm him down. Did he need to think clearly and… honestly?

He felt guilty for that destructive training.

More than five hours with only a small lunch break.

He went to his office, where he could change his t-shirt for a less sweaty and smelly one.

Out of the corner of his eye he looked at the bottle of whiskey, it was a little less than half but it would be enough to make up for it.

Back in the stands, he smiled. His kids were the reason he continued to fight against a system that had no room for second chances.

The foxes were exhausted, divided into small groups as they rested flat on the dirty, sweaty floor.

He shook the bottle, ready to yell at the little shits to come closer when his cell phone rang.

He pulled it out of his pocket, the name on the screen lifting a weight off David's shoulders that he hadn't realized he had.

“Where have you been? Neil has been looking for you everywhere. Couldn't you send a message? You've been missing for over six hours, you little shit."

Silence.

“Minyard? Are you OK?"

Panic was looming. Andrew was not a person for jokes.

“Andrew?” he bit his lip, there was almost desperation in his voice.

A few heavy breaths confirmed that there was someone on the other end of the call.

“Coach?”

“Andrew, where are you?”

“Andrew?!”

Chapter Text

“Minyard, what the fuck?” he blurted out, more out of concern than anger. 

He only managed to keep the device from crumbling in his fingers because he could feel his breathing again. 

Wymack pressed his fingers to the corners of his eyes; he would wake up in the morning with a lot more white hair. 

“Did you call thinking I missed you and wanted to put up with your shitty nature, or is there a reason?” he muttered, nervous but also tired. 

The man leaned forward and dropped the bottle, more empty than full, onto the nearest seat. 

There was another sharp intake of breath. “Renee can locate my phone. Come alone.” 

Then he hung up. 

No information, no explanation. An order. 

Fuck you. That little dwarf piece of shit. 

David has atoned for all his sins since he joined the Minyard. Damn, she's atoning for them just by hearing about the little blond devil.

he gritted her teeth and turned away to steady her nerves.

As soon as she felt herself steady, he walked over to the courthouse door to warn the boys of her arrival. 

"Renee?" he called. 

The girl was wearing the white and orange doorman's uniform and was sipping a soda while chatting with Dan.

She looked up, a lazy smile making her face shine only to fade a moment later. Her slightly drawn eyes darkened and she approached David in a few quick steps. 

“What happened?” she asked. 

David blinked, too used to dealing with the religious and optimistic version of the girl. 

He motioned for her to follow him to his office, she obeyed without question.

When they closed the door, the calculating look and tense shoulders took over the older fox. 

“Minyard called. Said you could locate his phone” 

He sat down in the worn chair, he didn’t know anything about technology and whatever the hell she had to do to track down the dwarf would probably take a while. 

Renee didn’t give any sign of getting the message, her now blank face rivaling the one Andrew always wore. 

David was seriously glad the girl had been able to move on from her adoption. He can’t even stand the thought of another person like Andrew on his team. Hell, Josten is already too much. 

“If he doesn’t know where he is, it means one of two things.” She raises her hand, holding up the first finger “He’s been unconscious for a certain amount of time or…” She places her middle finger next to her index finger, exposing option number two “he’s injured, probably a head injury and he’s too confused to think straight” she muttered. 

Wymack sighed, palming his face. “He seemed coherent, though it took him a while to speak.” 

He didn’t get another answer.

Renee typed quickly on her screen, concentrating until her face darkened even more. “We’re going. Now.”

They had been driving for over an hour when Renee told him to pull over as soon as David could. 

“He won’t be happy to see you,” he told her, turning off the old van and taking the keys out of the ignition. 

The girl hummed, sliding out of the seat easily. She paused briefly to loosen up her muscles that had been sore from the journey. “Don’t worry, Coach. Once he figures out where we are, he won’t use my presence against you.”

Wymack hoped she was right, earning Andrew’s trust was a slow and exhausting job and the man knew that once lost, it would be very difficult if not impossible to regain. 

It took another twenty minutes of walking before they could see a blond figure. 

Andrew was half slumped against a column of an old vandalized structure. The walls of the one-story building were all contaminated with spray paint, some windows were boarded up while others had been torn out. 

There were a couple of directional signs along the path, they must have been public restrooms some time ago. 

If David could go back, he would. The closer he got, the more he could make out the boy’s condition. 

Blue and purple bruises covered the pale and exhausted face, along with a trail of blood that seemed to start in the thick blond hair. 

“Christ,” he muttered, taking more steps forward, faster. 

Minyard hasn't noticed their presence yet and it already seems like a worrying situation.

The hands of the smaller boy are shaking. He is trying unsuccessfully to light a half-broken cigarette. They too are covered in dried blood.

“Andrew” he calls, announcing their presence. David made sure to use a firm and non-threatening voice just to avoid scaring the dwarf. 

It didn’t work. 

The blond jumps, losing his grip on the lighter and curling up a little more. 

Even from here he can tell that his movements are limited and that most of his weight is supported by the stone he’s leaning on. 

He saw the expression of pure panic give way to the usual cold and detached mask. 

“Coach” and it almost seemed like a joke if it weren’t for the boy’s breathing too labored “I thought I told you to come alone. Did you throw a party without telling me?” he accused, after shifting his heavy gaze to Renee.

During the drive he had been thinking about how to respond to these accusations. It was obvious that questions and trust issues would be raised at this point. Before he could say any of her objections: ‘it was your idea to ask her’ ‘it was her idea to come’ ‘she didn’t ask my opinion’. Renee took charge of the situation. 

She stopped a foot away from Andrew, frowning at him. “You don’t know where we are, do you? We’ve never been this far,” she says, looking around. Her shoulders are still stiff, and that makes Wymack nervous too. 

As if there was a danger waiting to strike them in the back. 

“It’s the devil’s throat,” she says. “I knew you wouldn’t tell coach to come alone if you knew where you were.” She held out her arm, offering it. “Hold on and use leverage, I promise not to touch you.” 

Andrew looked at her with half-closed eyes, his body still shaking and it didn't take a doctor to understand that the boy would never be able to support his weight alone.

David took a few more steps toward his foxes. He could easily make out darker stains on the black clothes now. The hoodie was loose enough that no skin could be seen through the rips in the fabric, but you could tell without looking critically that the material was damaged in several places. There was a large bruise around one of his eyes, which was almost completely closed.

Minyard followed Walker’s advice, pushing himself up against the girl’s firm, solid form. Renee didn’t falter for a moment, but Andrew seemed to be having a hard time straightening up.

He was almost standing, and it was probably too much because a moment later, Andrew was vomiting, making a mess of the Catholic girl’s shoes and maybe even a little bit of her pants.

“Oh, that was only half intentional,” he croaked, his voice shaking.

Renee snorted a laugh, but her eyes were too watery and shiny to be truly amused. “I know, Drew.” She didn't let go of the smaller boy, didn't wrinkle her nose in disgust. Instead, she dragged him closer, always making sure not to touch him beyond the point where Andrew's hand was gripping her forearm. 

The blond was leaning his forehead against the girl's chest, probably aiming for the shoulder but the height difference was a fucking bitch sometimes. 

That's when he noticed, Andrew was missing his shoes.

His shod feet pounded the dirt and stone cobbles without any signs of pain, but Wymack knew better. 

He looked past the boys, at the uninhabited and eerie structure. “Are there any bodies I should know about?” he asked. 

Few people could approach Andrew with bad intentions and walk away unscathed, and if the boy was in this condition, it was possible the other person was dead or dying. 

“Nothing at your pay grade, Coach,” the young man muttered, without the inflection in his voice or the grace to raise his head to look at him. 

Wymack grunted, stomping loudly across the gravel to enter the building. 

“Don’t you take my word for it, David? You break my heart,” he scoffed. 

The man shrugged, pretending the contempt in the young man’s voice didn’t sting. “I’m looking for your shoes, you shitty dwarf.” 

“I’ll buy new ones”

He heard the hoarse, contemptuous voice but he was already inside.

The rays of the setting sun cast streaks of light, spotlights on the thick dust in the air. 

The interior was all white, or at least it was supposed to be. Simple medium-sized tiles for the walls and larger ones for the floor. 

Some of the tiles were broken or lifted, leaving the rough, uneven ground exposed. But what really caught David’s attention were the streaks and smears of blood that was too clean to be older than hours or a day. 

He walked another meter before his shoe hit something in the piles of abandoned garbage. 

A blue box with red writing, too new compared to the used cans, bottles, and syringes. 

Condoms. 

He kicked it, a grimace of disgust marring his features. It was a pack of ten, only two foils came out. 

David shuddered, thinking about the blood, this box, and the condition of the boy waiting outside.

It couldn’t have happened again, it couldn’t be what he thought. Drake had only happened nine months ago, his kid couldn’t have been in that situation again. It wasn’t fair. With Riko and Drake dead, who the fuck would do something like that? 

He looked around quickly, seeing if there were any used and recent looking condoms. He needed proof. 

He saw the black shoes that were definitely Andrew’s but nothing else that mattered. 

He took them and with one last disgusted and angry look he went back outside. 

The kids were talking, or rather, Renee was talking and David wasn’t sure if Andrew was responding. 

It warmed his heart to see that they had ended up in some sort of crooked hug, with Renee wrapping her arms around his back. “Coach won’t hurt you, I promise. I’ll be right here. You know he can’t watch our backs here. If I have my hands full with you, I won’t be able to protect us,” she whispered, her lips almost pressed against the blond locks. 

Before Josten came along, David had also believed that something was going on between the two of them. Not that he was a gossip, but being around foxes also meant that it was impossible not to listen to gossip and sometimes to bet. He wasn’t proud of it, but he was a fox after all.

The girl met his gaze, she was accusing him a little for listening to their conversation but she didn’t stop talking. “Coach wouldn’t hurt you, you know. You trust him,” she said calmly. “You wouldn’t break into his apartment if he didn’t. You might have tested him at first but now you feel safe there,” she stated. 

David’s heart was both cold and hot. Sad because he didn’t want to scare any of his kids and hot because at least once a week he finds Andrew sleeping on his couch or raiding his alcohol. 

The knowledge that the boy feels safe in his own home when he doesn’t believe he is even safe at the fox tower makes David ache with affection. 

“Drew,” she mutters teasingly. “Drew? Shit.” 

The girl’s shoulders straightened. “Coach, we have to go. Take Andrew and I’ll make sure we get to the car in one piece.”

Wymack didn’t have to be told twice, he recognized the urgency. He approached the two kids, his mouth twisting slightly. He didn’t want Renee to put herself in danger and he understood that she didn’t know what trouble was lurking in this place but… Renee was too young, in an ideal world David would have been the one protecting both kids. 

“Right here,” she said, pointing to the back of Andrew’s head. “Put your other arm behind your knees—” 

“Christ, Walker,” he interrupted. “I know how to fucking lift someone,” he yelled in exasperation. “What the fuck did you do?” he asked, unable to hide the hint of panic in his voice. 

The girl raised both eyebrows, confused, as a flash of realization crossed her face. She looked down at her shirt, where traces of blood stained the white fabric of her uniform. “It’s not mine.” 

“If it’s not yours, how did it get there? Are you sure you’re not hiding a wound?”

Renee shook her head. “Andrew agreed to be transported so I could estimate how long it would take me to walk and how long it would take me to put him down if I needed him. Not a favorable number.” She raised an eyebrow critically. “How did you think we got here?” She gestured toward the yards that separated them from the abandoned structure. They had found Minyard practically outside the old bathrooms.

David looked down at the boy in his arms, his blond head lolling against his chest. Even unconscious, his breathing was shallow. He could feel his bare forearms, clammy and sticky. It seemed like it wasn’t just his head wound that was still bleeding. 

They walked in tense silence, ears sharpened for any sound. 

The twenty minutes they had spent walking that same stretch had turned into forty. 

The anxiety and worry were playing tricks on the coach and the second goalkeeper. 

Renee got into the driver’s seat, making sure David got in the back seat and continued to check on Andrew. The boy wasn’t fully awake yet, but David made sure to poke his cheek with a finger to get his eyes to open every few minutes. 

They didn’t know how bad the head injury was, it was better to be safe than sorry.

“How do you know this place?” he asked, unable to stand the silence any longer. 

Renee looked at him in the rearview mirror, then focused on the road. “In his first year, when the meds were giving him too much energy but his head wouldn’t even think about me touching him in a fight… We’d come here for a run. A way to unload his body and make him feel something above the blur the drugs were giving him. This isn’t a good place. A lot of bad things happen.” 

Wymack snorted. “Of course. Why wouldn’t my two goalkeepers train in a place called ‘Devil’s Throat’. Who cares about a gym or a foxhole court for the team’s use?”

Renee hummed, not feeling the need to answer. 

“One day, you fuckers are going to kill me,” she sighed. “As soon as we get to the hospital, I’ll call Abby. At least she’ll understand something the doctors say,” he muttered, brushing a few strands of reddish blonde hair off Andrew’s forehead. There appeared to be only one cut on the back of his head. 

Walker slowed the van to change lanes and turn at an intersection. “We’re not going to the hospital,” he informed. 

“Are you crazy? Where do you think we’re going?”

“From Abby. He hasn’t agreed to anyone else.” SHe made sure to meet her gaze through the mirror. “He’s going to stab one of the paramedics if he wakes up in the hospital.” 

David gritted his teeth, clenching his jaw. “For that, he’ll have to be alive.” What didn’t need to be said was that the blond looked half dead for the moment. The words hung heavy in the air. 

It was a miracle they’d found him conscious when they arrived. He was willing to bet it was pure willpower and stubbornness. 

“If Abby says he’s in danger of dying and there’s nothing she can do to help him, then I have permission to take him to the hospital. Not a minute sooner.” 

He narrowed his eyes, irritated. 

They didn’t say another word the entire way.

Abby had been warned. A short, direct message. They would have to make a saint of that woman. 

She let them into the house, frantic eyes darting from Minyard to the blood-stained clothes he and Renee were wearing. 

“What happened?” she asked, helping David get the boy onto the couch. 

Wymack sighed, straightening his shoulders and leaning heavily on the table nearby. “I’m not sure. He called, he was conscious enough to be sarcastic and then he collapsed.” He exchanged a look with the woman. “He was attacked, I think beyond the physical level.” 

Abby shook her head, her clasped hands pressed to her trembling lips. She was trying to sound professional. “This is beyond me. He needs real doctors, tests and–” 

“He trusts you,” Renee interrupted. “He doesn’t want anyone else. All I ask is that you try. You helped Neil and then Jean, try him too” 

“I don’t know if I’m enough. He’s bleeding on my couch. I can’t rule out internal bleeding without thorough tests”

“He trusts you, I trust you too. Give it a try, if you think his life is in danger, then we’ll take him to the hospital.”

Removing the layers of clothing from Andrew was proving to be more difficult than they had imagined.

Finally, Abby grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting away the black hoodie until pale skin with large blue and purple stains was visible.

The head wound had finally stopped bleeding, Abby thought, with a little care they could have avoided stitches.

Without a more thorough examination, with a more alert Minyard, the nurse was reluctant to administer painkillers and numbing agents.

Wymack made sure to bring enough towels and a basin of warm water. They needed to clean him up to figure out what was underneath the mess.

The nurse cleaned and dressed every cut and bruise, always careful to touch the battered skin gently.

She bit her bottom lip, teasing it between his teeth. Her thoughtful gaze fixed on the empty wall as nimble hands moved instinctively. 

“We can’t pretend there isn’t an elephant in the room yet,” David huffed. 

He understood the woman’s distress but they couldn’t afford to delay any longer. 

Abby blinked several times, turning her head to look at the man. Her lips parted, letting out a heavy breath. “We have to undress him.” 

Wymack clenched his fists, his knuckles white from the force. He didn’t want to do this but what other choice did they have. 

He nodded once. They would make this as professional as possible. 

He moved closer so he could easily grab the waistband of the boy’s sweats. 

“We wake him up first,” Renee croaked. The girl’s eyes were wide, raw and incredulous. “You’re not touching him while he’s out. If he wakes up while you’re undressing him— he— he— We can’t do this” 

Abby didn’t have to think about it, she dug into her bag for a small jar of salts. She opened it and held it under Andrew’s nose. It took a few moments for the boy to wake up in a panicked confusion. 

His limbs moved before anything else. Like any violent awakening, Andrew was striking blindly. Kicks and punches flew around, until the boy was lucid and tired enough to look around.

His eyes were blurry, his breathing was short and fast. 

David wasn’t sure if Andrew was actually awake. 

“Andrew, we need to get your pants off.” Renee knelt down to his level, keeping an arm’s length away. If Andrew had tried to hit her, he wouldn’t have been able to. 

His one eye was open, he opened wide. “NO.” he gasped. “No. No. No. No.” he chanted frantically. 

“Drew, it’s this or the hospital,” Renee sang, not showing any signs of distress. 

“Let’s start with something simple, okay? Do you know where you are, Andrew?” Abby asked, assessing the damage to his head.

Andrew’s eye landed on the woman, there were broken capillaries around the iris, which made the paleness and bruises on her face even more disturbing. 

The boy didn’t answer her, preferring to focus his attention back on Renee. 

“I said no.” 

And if his voice was a little unsure, afraid that just like the others, Renee had also ignored his will, no one pointed it out. 

David knew that Luther Hemmick, Nicky’s father, was aware of the situation at the Spear house and that he had labeled the confession as a simple misunderstanding. 

It was no wonder Andrew kept everything that had ever happened to him a secret. 

“Then let us take you to the hospital, Drew.” 

He had never heard Walker so defeated, she looked like someone had kicked a puppy. 

Oh, holy shit! That was exactly what had happened, wasn’t it? 

Not that he often associated Minyard with a puppy, but wasn't he just a fucking kid?

“Andrew, if you don’t let me help you, I don’t see any other solution. You’re a student on campus, your health is our responsibility and–” 

A couple of knocks on the door made the rest of the words stick in Abby’s throat. 

“Are you expecting someone?” he asked the woman. 

“No,” she said, looking up at David. “Shit,” she corrected. “I had Matt pick up some pamphlets to give Dan for the meeting tomorrow. I totally forgot.” 

The man sighed, getting up to take care of the matter. 

So imagine his surprise when not only Boyd but Josten stood at the door. 

A tired-looking Josten with dark circles under his eyes. 

“What the fuck happened to you?” the man blurted out, making the boy jump. David cursed inwardly.

“He’s been like this ever since he couldn’t find Minyard. I’m trying to distract him, he almost tore Aaron’s head off,” the taller boy said. 

Wymack grimaced, he didn’t like lying, “Well, take your shit,” he said as he shoved the stack of pamphlets straight into Matt’s stomach, “See you tomorrow.” 

“NO. I SAID NO. NO.NO.” 

David stiffened at the frantic shouting, mostly because he doesn’t think he’d ever heard Andrew shout before. 

Josten’s eyes widened and then narrowed in realization. 

“Andrew,” he exhaled weakly. 

He tried to move past David, but the taller man was prepared and easily stopped him. 

“Coach,” the striker growled, “If you don’t let me in, I swear, I’ll hurt you,” he spat with an unnatural smile, the butcher’s smile reminding him of his mind. 

“Neil” 

“No! You want to tell me why no one thought to warn me that Andrew was here?” Sharp teeth were shown as a weapon, “and why is your shirt stained with blood?” He took a step forward, his head tilted and his eyes dark, menacing, “if you’re not the one hurting him, why not let me in?”

David was paid too little, he was hoping to have a normal day. Practice, do some paperwork and then finally be able to drink some whiskey in her living room. If he was lucky maybe Abby would invite him to dinner. 

But Minyard had called him. 

If it wasn't Josten, it was Andrew. He had no way out. 

"Why do you need to calm down" 

"No. I need to see him." 

Wymack wavered in indecision. "It's not nice," he warned. "He's hurt." 

When another groan rang out loud and clear, Josten shook his head and pushed David away. 

The man had been expecting it, didn't resist, and managed not to stumble as he moved. 

He sighed, looking intently at Boyd. "Go back to the tower," he said. "And Matt... Not a word to anyone, not even Dan," and with that, he dismissed his opponent. 

He closed the door and went into the living room, where he found Abby standing worriedly at least a meter away from the couch. 

"Your name is Andrew Joseph Minyard, you're the starting goalie for the Foxes. You're at Abby's house, the team nurse. We're safe here." 

Neil repeated it like a mantra. 

Andrew's eyes were still glassy, ​​but his breathing had become more regular. 

It took four more repetitions before the blond could see Josten. He blinked his good eyelids. "Neil," he croaked. 

"I'm here. I'm here. It's okay."

Chapter Text

“Neil?” 

It was just a whisper but enough to make Neil’s heart skip a beat. 

He held out his hand with the back of it toward the boy on the couch, it didn’t take more than a few seconds for hesitant, trembling fingers to touch the recognizable scars. 

After a minute of Andrew tracing each cut on his hand, the blonde’s shoulders relaxed slightly. 

“Abby, seeing you. Yes or no?” 

“No”

“Andr-” 

“I said no” 

He knew they didn’t have much of a choice but he would never take away the goalkeeper’s ability to say no. 

If Andrew didn’t want it, they would find another way. 

He raised an eyebrow at the nurse, waiting for some sort of solution. 

Abby bit her lower lip, her eyes watering from holding back tears. She shook her head, “Taking him to the hospital is the only other choice.” 

The rustle of tired footsteps made him jump slightly, he had almost forgotten Wymack was there. 

“No shit,” the older man mutters, leaning his shoulder heavily against the wall, “I will not let any kid, not even one of you two dickheads get away with this. Minyard needs treatment. It’s my final word or I will tear up all your scholarships, including Kevin’s.”

Neil narrowed his eyes, not liking the tone or the imposition of being forced to do something. He didn’t like how it sounded or how it made him feel.

Suddenly he felt really bad. 

Thinking about all those years, including the last one, where Andrew had been forced to do things he didn’t want to do too many times. Bad, unspeakable, horrible things. 

He wouldn’t be like them. He wouldn’t force the blond to do anything. 

In the heat of disgust at those thoughts, Neil raises his arm before he can tell Andrew that they were leaving. 

To where he didn’t know, but definitely somewhere far from here. 

He must have been too close to the other boy, Andrew must have seen the movement as a threat. 

Neil finds himself groaning, a searing pain erupting across his face. 

He’s backed away from the force of the blow, his crouched position not helping his balance. 

“Fuck,” he curses, feeling his cheekbone and eye to assess the damage. It hurts like hell. 

His attention is drawn to the fast, ragged breathing. He drops to his knees, moving closer to Andrew. The smaller boy is hyperventilating, where there were still small patches of pale skin on his face, now red from the exertion of his panic attack. 

“No…” “No…” he sobs between breaths that are too shallow. 

Neil wants to scream. He wants to tear the skin off his bones rather than live with the horror that it’s his fault Andrew is so scared.

His instinct is to run, to run away and never look back. 

He swore to himself that he would never hurt him. 

Somewhere he hears a sob coming from Abby, a rustling of clothes and a shifting of air that can only mean that Wymack has come closer to the woman to comfort her. 

A door closes gently, Renee politely respecting their privacy now that the situation seems more under control. 

Neil can’t remember exactly when Andrew’s labored breathing stopped. Or when he fell asleep. Or rather, when he lost consciousness. 

“What are you doing?” He growls at the woman who approaches. She’s wiping her eyes, wet with tears she can no longer control. 

Neil wants to cry too. God… if only he could let go. 

“I’m sure you know. Me or a complete stranger at the hospital.” The answer isn't bitter, it's firm but not cruel. 

Abby would never hurt any of them. He knows that. It's just that Andrew seems so small and vulnerable. He just wants to protect him. 

As she manages to completely remove the unconscious boy's pants, black and painful bruises cover the blond's knees and legs.

“Jesus Christ,” their coach mutters. 

He’s gotten close enough to get a clear view of the damage. 

“Broken?” he asks Abby, frowning at the condition of one of her foxes. 

The nurse touches and lifts the boy’s left knee until it bends, then rests the injured leg on the couch. “No,” she says. “I don’t think the goal was to break anything. In the right places, the force of those blows would have done serious damage.” 

The man shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his frown making his expression even more tense. “Why stop at bruises?” 

Neil’s stomach ached, he could feel the bile threatening to rise in his throat. It reminded him of Lola’s threats, of his father. How they loved to kick him in the legs before promising to cut them off, just to laugh at all his clumsy attempts to run. 

“They wanted him to try,” he whispered. 

“What does that mean?” Coach looked from Andrew to Neil. He crossed his arms over his chest, his shoulders tensed. 

Neil’s eyes were fixed on Abby. The nurse had Andrew on his side, assessing the damage, cleaning and dressing what she could. 

Her touches were gentle and minimal, not lingering too long for no reason.

“Whoever it was wanted to see him try to run away, without giving him a real chance of saving himself” it became painful to swallow after he said the words, he didn’t think he could say anything else. 

Wymack’s grunt was the last sound in the room. 

—-----

The first thing he knows is that his neck hurts. He had no intention of falling asleep, Neil had pulled up a chair and walked over to the bed where Andrew was still lying unconscious. 

Abby had offered to prepare the other guest room but Neil had reassured her that he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway. 

He had underestimated his own tiredness. 

He raised his arms and tried to loosen the muscles without making too sudden movements.

The blond’s breathing was ragged, a frown so slight Neil wasn’t sure it was actually there. But Neil was always paying attention to every little inflection on Andrew’s face. 

He was having a nightmare. 

“Andrew,” he whispers. It’s the best way to wake him, in fact the only way if you don’t want to end up with some kind of injury. “Andrew,” he repeats, his voice rising slightly. 

The crease between Neil’s eyebrows becomes more pronounced as he fails to reach the other boy. “Drew,” he almost shouts. 

Meanwhile, the goalkeeper has started to toss in his sleep, constantly turning his face and wincing every few breaths. 

The pillowcase was damp, the shiny skin of his forehead was visibly sweaty, as was the hair in his bangs that had flattened and stuck to his skin. 

“Andrew, wake up!” He despaired. 

He wouldn't let him relive whatever nightmare he was having. “Andrew,” he tried calling him again, raising the volume of her voice.

As he watched the discomfort grow deeper in the crease between the blond’s eyebrows, Neil knew he had no choice. 

He would hate himself for this. 

Taking a deep breath, he touched Andrew’s shoulder. 

He groaned, flooded with pain, leaning forward and pushing his hands over his surely bloody nose. 

He pulled one hand away just enough to look at it, yes there was definitely blood. 

“Andrew,” he croaked in a hoarse, nasal voice, “It’s Neil. You’re safe.” 

It takes a very long time for the blond to realize where he is, who he’s with. 

Andrew’s chest rises and falls at a rate that’s still too fast to be healthy and not painful with the amount of bruising Neil has seen on the smaller boy’s ribs. 

“Breathe,” he says, thinking about how Betsy would help the goalkeeper. “Three things you can see?”

He doesn’t know if Andrew actually heard him, he didn’t notice any change in the blond’s expression or body movement. 

He’s probably still too deep in his head to be alert enough to fully understand the words. 

That’s why he didn’t really expect an answer. It was a shock to say the least. 

“Lamp” 

It’s a trembling whisper, something so delicate and childish that he didn’t believe it could come out of the fox’s lips. 

“Desk” 

It seemed to him that it was painful and tiring for Andrew to speak, he was undecided whether to stop him to avoid further discomfort or to let him continue just to be able to listen to that sound again. 

If he thought his life began and ended with Andrew, now the certainty gives him no escape. 

He feels like he lives only for this little grumpy boy that no one, apart from him, has ever really wanted to know. 

“You”

Neil has to swallow the lump in his throat. 

He wants to hold Andrew in his arms and never let go. 

He knows he can’t do it, they’ve never done it. The blond could go crazy from the feeling of being stuck with another man, touching. 

Neil won’t do it but that doesn’t mean he can’t think about it and want it. 

Another endless minutes pass before Andrew wakes up fully and tries to sit up. 

He had to calm down, had to be more rational. 

They’re at Abby’s house. They’re both safe. 

Neil grits his teeth, not knowing what to do when Andrew’s panic returns. 

The boy grips the sheet between his fingers, squeezing the fabric as if he’s personally offended him. 

“A– Aaron…” he croaks. 

“Aaron’s fine,” he says quickly, sitting up with his back pressed against the headboard. He doesn't like this part of the blond, he had already seen it during Drake, he had felt it when they told him how Andrew had ended up taking drugs to defend Nicky. He put everyone first, regardless of the damage he caused himself.

Andrew doesn’t seem to hear him, or maybe he doesn’t care what Neil says, because the blond continues to babble about his brother. 

Neil runs a hand over his face, massaging his tired eyes and ending with his fingers tugging at his auburn curls. “We’ll call him okay? Then you’ll see that he’s okay,” he sighed. 

He didn’t have his phone with him, luckily in the room there was one of the PCs that Abby lends to the boys when they stay at her place for the summer. 

He stands up just to grab it from the dresser and then put it on his lap as he lies down next to Andrew again. The goalkeeper has gone silent, his expression so blank that Neil is no longer sure of his mental presence. 

Undaunted, he opens the app and calls, against all his expectations, the most hateful Minyard in the world is online. 

It takes a few rings before Aaron answers but when he does the image shows an ugly tired and irritated face. 

“What the fuck do you want, Josten? I’m trying to study,” he growls. He’s so biased that he doesn’t notice that his twin is mostly in the frame. 

When Andrew doesn’t move or say anything, Neil steps in. 

“See? He’s fine,” he whispers

“Andrew?” asks the other, who has finally looked up at the screen “What the fuck happened?” 

Neither Andrew nor Neil deign to answer. It would be too much to explain and Neil still doesn’t know how things went down, even if he understands what is clearly concern and not anger as most people would think hearing Aaron’s voice. 

The battered boy’s shoulders slump, letting his body sink into the mattress and between the covers. 

Neil bites his lower lip, he looks so young that it should be wrong to appear so vulnerable. If there were a mirror, Andrew would hate himself for being so blatantly vulnerable. 

“Andrew?” comes the angry voice “Josten, if you did—” 

Neil doesn’t let him continue, he ends the call by closing the computer screen. He doesn’t have enough energy and he can bet that whatever came out of Aaron’s mouth would have justified the backliner’s death.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees a slow, steady movement. He knows not to interfere, that any offer of help would be taken horribly. 

He waits almost 15 minutes to see Andrew in the right position, lying in the fetal position and with his face hidden in the blanket even though it’s the middle of summer. 

It takes just as many minutes to hear the calm, steady sound of his sleeping breathing. 

Neil closes his eyes too, he has no choice but to wait and he will. He will give Andrew all the time he needs to be ready to talk. 

With a weight in his chest he lets go of the heavy breathing he hadn’t realized he was holding. 

Everything will be okay. They will be okay. 

—------

“Are you sure you want to go?” Abby is worried, Andrew’s head injury wasn’t that serious but not light either “You can stay here as long as you need, you know. I’m happy to have you”

He smiles, it still seems so strange to him even though a year has passed. He doesn’t know if he’ll ever get used to it, if it will seem normal to be surrounded by people who care, who want to help, or who just want to be there.

He’s grateful to Wymack and Abby for showing him that not all adults are bad, that not all people want to take advantage and look for a way to screw.

He’s understood that some people care, that they want to be family. They want to help for the simple pleasure of doing so.

“Thanks, Abby,” he replies, resting his hands on the wooden back of the chair, “Andrew wants to go back to the tower,” he squeezes his fingers on the wood until his knuckles turn white. He doesn’t agree with the choice, he can’t fight but he won’t act like he’s happy with the decision “You know how she is. He wants to check on Aaron, make sure he’s okay. Nicky and Kevin might have drawn the wrath of half of Palmetto knowing them, with no one to keep tabs on them. You know Drew, he needs to check on his family” He says it with a tight smile, a frown deepening between his eyebrows.

To his detriment.

He doesn't think he's as important as anyone else.

He doesn't care about getting hurt.

He's so used to it that he thinks it's normal.

He thinks it's right.

That he deserves it.

He doesn't say it. He leaves the words hanging in the air.

If the tight line Abby's lips form is any indication, she understood.

Chapter Text

He doesn't usually pay attention to anyone's appearance. He learned at a young age that appearances are often deceiving and that underestimating people always leads to pain.
Neil himself was underestimated while he was on the run. He killed those men.
The rest of the foxes tend to underestimate him. No one except Andrew and maybe Renee are aware of his true capabilities.

Matt, Dan, Nicky... hell, even Abby and Coach seem to forget what he's been through. They think he's an innocent child, they treat him with kid gloves and think he could break at any moment.

If only they could see beyond their noses.

So no, he doesn't usually judge anyone by their gender, height or weight but right now he's really grateful to a God he doesn't even believe exists for keeping Andrew so small.

Carrying the goalkeeper turned out to be harder than he imagined.
Sure, Neil could just pick up the blond and carry him to their dorm but Andrew is as stubborn as can be and has refused any alternative to the absurd and stupid situation they find themselves in.

No, Andrew wants to walk on his own two feet, allowing Neil to only support part of his weight.
It might be almost comical if it weren’t for the labored breathing and the little sounds of pain coming straight from his throat.

He sighs.

On one hand, he understands Andrew’s desire, not his need, to appear as normal as possible. On the other hand, he hates why he thinks he has to do it, he hates every single person who made Andrew believe he can’t appear weak and needy.
He hates everyone who has ever hurt him.

At least he managed to convince him to spend another night at Abby’s and to accept the ride to the fox tower.
They had promised the nurse that they would have lunch as soon as they got to the room, to make up for not agreeing to have breakfast with her that morning.

“You have to leave me now, rabbit.”

Andrew’s thin, raspy voice pulled him from his thoughts. The ugly, dark bruises on his throat made it hard to talk, not that he was normally a talkative person.
Since he’d stopped taking his court-ordered medication, he’d cut the amount of words he’d use with anyone by more than half.

He smiled just a little.
Neil wasn’t just anyone. He was nothing but anyone.
He had a version of Andrew that no one else could access, and he was infinitely grateful for the trust.

“If I let you go, you’ll fall,” he said without emotion. They were facts, as raw and simple as the truth.

“If you don’t let me go, I’ll kill you,” there was none of the usual sting in the threat, not that they’d ever been more than words. He’d never recognized real danger, not with his Drew.

“Yeah,” he snorted. “You know you’re going to have to bury me? Do you really want to go through all that trouble?” he smiled.

Andrew rolled his eyes. “I hate you,” he muttered, stepping through the newly opened elevator doors.
He preferred the stairs, but four flights of stairs with a wobbly Andrew was out of the question.

“Am I at 120%?” he asked, biting his lower lip.

The blond seemed to make a huge effort to push Neil’s face away with his hand. “122, no you’re at 123%”
He let himself be led three steps out of the elevator before using all his weight to make his point.
Neil has to let him go. Now.

The striker would never question his decision, not when the other boy was unsure of Neil’s reaction.
It was terrible, this calculating look he was getting, being watched like he was one of those characters in books so gray the reader can’t figure out who he belongs to. Good or bad?

Neil pulled away abruptly, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

Andrew watched him for a few more seconds, his eyes sharp and suspicious. When he gave him a quick nod, Neil could breathe again.

He walked away, walking and fulfilling Andrew’s wish to let him do things on his own.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw the blond leaning heavily against the hallway wall, his left hand scraping against the wall in an attempt to move forward.
The steps were slow and unsteady but Neil had no choice but to comply with Andrew’s request.

He used his usual speed, arriving near their room in a matter of seconds.
The door to Matt’s room was open, the tall boy was standing leaning against the doorframe, talking animatedly to Dan. Allison and Renee were there too.
As he got closer he could hear part of the conversation.
They were planning a movie and booze night in the girls’ room.

Boyd was the first to notice him, the boy flashing him a wide smile that vanished the exact moment the dark eyes landed on his face, giving way to a deep furrow between his eyebrows.

He was about to ask what was wrong but Allison beat him to it.

“What the fuck did you do, Neil?”

The redhead’s lips tightened, what was she talking about?

Then a thought crossed his mind. The bruises. He had forgotten about them.

He just shook his head, making a mental note to grab his bandana. His hair was starting to feel downright annoying in his eyes.

“An accident,” he muttered, no longer interested in giving any more information.

The girl didn’t look impressed, tapping her foot rhythmically on the floor. “Let’s hear it, what kind of accident is that?”

“Yeah. Damn, Neil? What the hell kind of accident did that leave you with?” Dan looked angry on Neil’s behalf.
He had to grit his teeth and remember that foxes weren’t bad, they just couldn’t really see him.

“It’s nothing serious,” he growled. “I’m fine.”

It was only the swaying of the not-so-soft footsteps on the floor that reminded him why he was there.
Andrew was finally catching up to him and he looked like crap.

His entire body was shaking, his hair looked completely wet, and he was so pale that Neil was sure he was going to pass out at any moment.

He lingered only for a moment, unsure whether to try to help or to keep his promise not to interfere.

The other students had noticed the goalkeeper, too.

“Piece of shit,” Allison whispered furiously.

He wasn’t fast enough, not when his eyes and head were focused on the panting boy in his line of sight.

Allison had already moved, making the physical difference between her and Andrew visible to Neil for the first time.
At 7.8 inches tall, she seemed to tower over Andrew’s more huddled-than-usual form.

Andrew only had time to blink once before he was body-checked and pinned into the wall behind him.

Neil winces at the sickening sound Andrew’s head makes as it bounces off the wall. He catches the moment the boy’s body sags downward, the small trail of blood running down the white wall.
Allison’s body blocking the descent, her knee poised to strike painfully below the belt.

He moves, not fast enough “NO” he shouts but it’s not fast enough.

Andrew screams, or at least tries to.

It’s too low, too short, Neil knows.

Just as he knows it’s the first time he’s heard him scream in front of him.

He grabs Allison’s shoulders, tightening his fingers into her skin. He was careful not to hurt Andrew further, who, overcome by pain, instead of running away, collapsed on the girl who hurt him.

He grits his teeth. He’s so angry.
So angry that he has to hold back so as not to kill his teammate.
But he will. Oh, he will. As soon as he’s sure Andrew is safe and sound.
He’ll kill her slowly, show her firsthand everything he learned from the butcher.

“Fuck you,” he snaps, shoving her away roughly.
He hopes he’s left red, bloody fingernail marks on the bitch’s shoulder.

He kneels in front of Andrew, holding his weight on himself. The boy is shaking wildly but that’s all he does, he’s even holding his breath.

Neil grit his teeth, anger boiling under his scarred skin. The scars burn with the unstoppable need for revenge.

“Andrew,” he forces out. He tries to control his voice, not wanting the anger to spill over into his words because right now he’s not sure the blond can understand that he’s not angry at him. Never at him.

“Andrew,” he repeats, desperate for an answer. For the slightest sign that the boy is okay, as much as he might be.

“And—”

It’s just a gasp, followed by a sob but it’s proof that he’s managed to breathe.

He swallows the lump that has formed in his throat, to try to say her name again when he hears it.

he is weak.

a whimper so soft he might think he imagined it but then he hears it again and again.
It takes him a moment to realize what he’s hearing.
The realization hits him harder than anything else.

Andrew was crying.

The boy who was unfazed. The boy who would stand firm and stand firm no matter what. The one who told Neil to stay, to step aside when whatever came for him. The boy who, unfazed by the new cuts and scars Neil was sporting, told him to stop making his job harder, that no one wants a martyr.
That same small, fierce, perfect boy is silently crying on Neil’s shoulder.

“Are you really defending him?”

Allison looks at him in disbelief, bordering on hurt, as if Neil was the one out of his mind and not her who hit her already-injured teammate.

“Allison” Renee exhales. She’s frozen, hand raised in mid-air, eyes wide. Her pink lips are parted, her gaze shifting between her friend and the blond man slumped in Neil’s arms.
“Wha– What did you do?” she stammers, not wanting to believe her eyes.

“What?” she snaps indignantly “You mean I’m the only one who came to the conclusion that the monster attacked Neil?” her jaw tightens, facial muscles tense “Why does no one ever put him in his place? He’s just a five-foot-tall, 110-pound wet brat. Why are we still afraid of him? This is ridiculous”

“Ally” Matt croaks, his mouth hanging open in horror “I think you’re overreacting” he puts his hand to his lips, trying to hide his expression. Dan stands still beside him, equally shocked.

“What the fuck is going on here?”

Neil jumps at the new voice, holding Andrew protectively to him. He looks up at where the two new figures are standing.

“My God, what happened?” Nicky comes closer, bent over on his knees “Andrew, are you okay?” he asks in panic.
He tries to reach out, stopping at Neil’s withering look.
“Okay, okay. I won’t touch him but please, I need to know how he is”

“I’m not going to ask again. What the fuck happened?” Aaron stalks toward the older students. His hands clenched into white-knuckled fists.

“I– I… We…” Dan stammers, only to stop when she can’t find any more words.

“What the fuck did you do?” the second Minyard looks like he’s about to explode, Neil knows it’s only a matter of time before he throws the first punch.

He wants to join Aaron, he wants to take Matt away because he could easily overpower the smaller player and he doesn’t want to add more worry to Andrew.
He wants to kill Allison.
He wants to erase that grimace on Dan’s face. Shake Renee for not taking a serious stand when it comes to the older students.

He just needs to think about Andrew and his well-being right now.
He needs to get Andrew to Abby.
He needs Andrew to talk to him, tell him to stop worrying.
He wants to see those eyes, those beautiful hazel eyes, roll up to the sky at Neil's drama.

“Matt, can you take us to Abby?” he asks it like a question but it’s not. It’s each of their faults that they’re in this situation. He’s been asking for a truce for months, the older students have been apologizing for months but the next day they go back to treating Andrew like he has no soul.

The tall boy looks at them surprised, probably he didn’t think Neil would talk to him so soon.

It was necessity.

“NO”

“Aaron, someone has to check on him” Nicky begs. He’s still crouched on the floor, his eyes shining and unable to look away from the blond.

“None of them are going near my brother again” he growls “We’re taking you”

Before Neil can even remind Aaron that he doesn’t know how to drive and that Andrew would probably rather be dead before leaving the keys in the hands of the twin, the most obnoxious Minyard in the world is calling someone. Probably the cheerleader.

“Kate will meet us downstairs,” he says, confirming his suspicions. “Let’s go.”

He helps him up, while Neil is careful that Aaron’s hands don’t touch Andrew’s skin.
The blond has gone silent again, no longer giving any sign of recognition. He doesn’t even know if he’s still conscious or if the whole situation has finally overwhelmed him, giving his mind and body a moment to breathe.

When they get to the parking lot, Katelyn's blue car is already there waiting.

It takes a bit of maneuvering, but he manages to get in the back seat while Aaron helps him secure the unconscious Andrew so they can make the five-minute drive safely.

"Hi Neil," the cheerleader greets. "What happened?"

He's not sure who she's asking, her eyes had landed on Aaron before she's even finished saying hello to Neil.

"Something with those assholes. Come on Kate," he replies, still texting his phone.

Neil wonders who Aaron is texting that's so important, considering his girlfriend and her twin are both in the car.

Maybe Nicky, that would be the only other obvious choice, but Nicky keeps texting Neil's phone asking for directions, which wouldn't make sense if he was in touch with Aaron.

“You were supposed to turn right,” he says, realizing that Katelyn has passed the right exit for the nurse’s house.

“Let’s go to the hospital.”

“What? No!” he stifled a scream, Andrew wasn’t going to accept anything like that “We have to go to Abby, Andrew won’t be happy”

Aaron turned in the passenger seat to look Neil in the eyes “You know what? My brother will get over this or if he wants he will use it as an excuse to hate me even more”

Neil blinked twice, more in disbelief than anger, Aaron still believed his brother hated him. He couldn’t be further from the truth.

It was only once he managed to get an unconscious Andrew out of the car that he noticed the family car parked next to them.

“What is he doing here?” he growled.

It reminded him too much of that day in Columbia, after he and Wymack had picked up Andrew from the hospital. After Drake’s attack.

“She was in Reddin, I wrote her because she’s the only one, besides you, he trusts and it’s clear that you’re not capable of thinking clearly at the moment. He needs a real fucking doctor”

Dr. Dobson approached with a sad smile, her gaze settling on the tangle of curled up limbs that was Andrew.

“How long have he been out?” she asked, leading the way into the emergency room.

“I’m not sure,” he replied with a shrug, “A few minutes before leaving the tower I guess.”

The paperwork was annoying.

Neil was prevented from going in with Andrew, luckily Betsy was his therapist and given the blond’s history and reactions to strangers, she was allowed to go with him.

He could have called his uncle, hell he should talk to Andrew about the wedding. Only relatives are allowed to get information or talk to the patient.
Stupid.

Neil knew Andrew more than Aaron probably did in his entire life but only he was allowed to fill out the other twin’s file and the doctor promised to keep him updated.

Time stopped. The sound of the clock ticking in the waiting room filled the room, even though it was packed with people waiting to be seen.

Neil hated hospitals, the smell of disinfectant, and the general desperation that hung in the air.

It probably took hours to see Bee again.

The woman looked tired, her face paler than when she came in. She looked like she’d been crying if the smudged makeup around her eyes was any indication. She was now as composed as ever, not giving much away.

“How is he?” Aaron was the first to break the silence.

Neil’s throat was sore, incredibly dry and uncooperative.

Bee sighed, took off her glasses to clean them before placing them back on her nose “The head trauma is worse, not too dangerous but we’ll have to monitor him every two hours” Her brown eyes darted to Neil “They wanted to do a rape test but he had clearly showered, I decided to spare him such an invasive procedure without a possible new lawsuit”

“WHAT?”

If it hadn’t been connected to the others, Aaron’s chair would have flipped over on the floor “Rape kit? What are you talking about, Josten? What the fuck?” he spat, grabbing the collar of Neil’s shirt.

He shook him and only Katelyn’s presence saved Neil from a few punches.

“I’ll fucking kill you. I’ll kill you.”

“Aaron!” the girl shouted, holding her boyfriend back “Aaron, I’m sure Neil didn’t do anything” the cheerleader’s pale eyes looked hopefully at the striker.

“You know I killed the last asshole who touched him”

Neil felt sick, if he had something in his stomach he would have thrown up.

“I didn’t do anything” his voice comes out hoarse “I would never hurt him. Fuck, I’d rather die than hurt him in any way”

“We know, Neil. Aaron is just upset right now, he didn’t mean to accuse you”

Betsy had positioned herself between the two boys, ready to intervene but Katelyn seemed to have a firm and secure grip on her boy twin.

“When I took Matt to Abby to pick up the pamphlets for Dan, he was there with Renee and Wymack. That’s all I know”.

He didn’t tell him about the horrible bruises that decorated the goalkeeper’s body, about the clear traces of brutal sexual violence.
About the showers with boiling water because Andrew wanted to tear his skin with his nails so as not to feel hands that continued to touch him even though there was no one left to hurt him.

He hated the younger boy’s eidetic memory. He would never let him forget.

The psychiatrist cleared her throat, “I thought it was safer for Andrew to be released, the doctors didn’t agree but I’ve already spoken to Abby. She’ll be taking care of him for the next few days, keeping him under constant observation”
“You can’t do this” Aaron intervened “If he needs to be in the hospital there must be a reason”

“He needs treatment but…” she took her time to figure out what words she wanted to use “They gave him a mix of drugs that messed him up. Antibiotics, painkillers and some very strong tranquilizers” she paused to see if everyone was following her reasoning “He reacted badly to one of the active ingredients, he’s highly drugged but instead of being manic he’s simply passive and talkative. If we leave him here like this, he’ll never trust any of us again”

“We’re taking him home” he intervened, without having to think about it further.

There is no universe where Neil loses Andrew's trust. There is no way around it.

—------

The new seating arrangement is more uncomfortable.

Andrew hasn’t let go of Bee, clinging to the doctor like a baby octopus around her arm.

They’re all packed into Katelyn’s car, Neil pushed against the door and Betsy against the other. Andrew should have been in the middle seat but had managed to scramble into the doctor’s lap between groans.

He was whispering furiously into the psychiatrist’s shoulder, muttering whispers that were incomprehensible to Neil. He found it unnerving, being with such a talkative and touchy Andrew was just wrong, especially if his attentions were on someone else.

“It’s okay, Andrew. We’re just going to Abby’s. Aaron’s here too.”

There was a loud snort, a mixture of derision and disbelief.

The other Minyard turned to look at his twin, his brows furrowed.

“Doesn’t it make you feel safer knowing your brother is here?” she asked gently.

Neil gritted his teeth, his jaw nearly creaking under the force he was exerting. Why was Dobson continuing to feed Andrew’s uncontrollable chatter? It was clear the blond had no filter between his mouth and his brain.
Where was doctor-patient confidentiality?

“It doesn’t mean anything,” he heard him scoff. “Most of my foster siblings have fucked me against my will.”

Even though they were far away, she could feel Dobson tense.

A groan of unpleasant surprise escaped Katelyn and Aaron’s now glued lips… Aaron looked like he’d been slapped relentlessly.

Hazel eyes were wide, his normally pale face a sickly green. “You,” he stammered. “You don’t trust me?” he asked, his voice shaking.

Andrew shrugged, his face still buried in the doctor’s shirt. “Why shouldn I? You jerked off on the third day we shared a room.”

“Shit, were you awake? I-I thought you were asleep.”

The goalkeeper scoffed. “Did you hear that, Bee?” he asked with a chuckle almost as obnoxious as the ones from the court drugs “As if I could sleep with a stranger in the same room as me”

Aaron reacted with a groan, he must have made a bad comparison. From brother to stranger in a matter of seconds.

“is that why you disappeared? You didn’t come home until the weekend. I thought you were mad about something, I thought that until now and you were just… scared?”

“I couldn’t predict when you’d get tired of your hand and try harder”

Aaron took a deep breath “You know I would never, ever hurt you, right?” he was scared of the answer.

Neil couldn’t stand it anymore, this Andrew was unfiltered, unprotected “Shut up, Drew. You don’t know what you’re talking about”

When Andrew jumped, Betsy put a protective hand on the back of his neck. She turned to the redhead with a hard look “Don’t ever shut him up again, Neil. EVER”

The striker was in disbelief, shocked because he had never heard the psychiatrist speak in a way other than her usual gentle calm.

“He spent his life being silenced, being threatened with worse things if he ever spoke to anyone. As long as I live, no one, no one will ever silence him again,” she says sternly.

He had never seen it this way but it still felt wrong, even though Andrew didn’t believe in regret, Neil didn’t think it would end well.

“Wait,” Aaron’s voice came out of nowhere, after the car had gone uncomfortably silent, “When Nicky adopted us, you grabbed a chair and locked yourself in your room for three days. You never even came out to eat. Did you think Nicky would hurt you? Is that why you almost stabbed Erik in the kitchen? Did you think he would hurt you because it was night and you were alone in the room?”

The lack of response and the calmness of his breathing made it clear that Andrew was asleep, oblivious to his twin’s entire monologue.

Katelyn chose to remain silent, her lips pressed together and her gaze focused on the road.
Dobson stared out the window, also pretending that Aaron had never spoken.
It was only right. If Andrew didn’t answer, no one else would. Neil would make sure of that.

With a defeated sigh, Aaron leaned back, fully into his seat, and the rest of the short ride to Abby’s house was silent.

Chapter Text

Betsy was taking too long.

Neil’s nervous energy kept him constantly on the move, little spasms in his thighs that he just can’t control.
He tells himself it’ll only take a second, he’s not abandoning Andrew. Aaron is here, he’ll take care of him for a second.

He plans to walk in that door, ask if everything is okay, and glare at Dobson for making them wait in the yard.

What he doesn’t expect is to find every fucking “original” fox huddled in their nurse’s kitchen.

“What are they doing here?” He growls before he can stop himself.
This isn’t his house, Abby is free to invite whoever she wants, he knows that but…

After what happened?

Neil doesn’t want anyone near Andrew, not one of them, and Abby knew they were coming.
She should have told Betsy not to come back or she should have told the older students to fuck off.

“Calm down, Josten,” Wymack appears out of nowhere, blocking his view of the rest of the room with his broad, muscular shoulders. “I asked for this meeting, so you can explain to me what the fuck happened,” he replies gruffly, crossing his arms over his chest.
The man’s dark circles are dark, his frown lines are more pronounced, marking the hardness of his scowling face.

Anger, worry. Tiredness.

“I don’t want them near Andrew!” He blurts out, unable to keep his composure. “There’s nothing to explain. Allison started it, it’s her fault.”

David presses his fingertips into his eyes, trying to fight off the growing headache. “They’ll stay away from him,” he mutters. “But we’re a team and we can’t be a team without smoothing this over.”

Neil isn’t having it. He doesn’t want to.

Allison was wrong, he doesn’t care enough about her guilt if she ever had one.

He’s about to retort, ready to show off his attitude problem when the front door swings open and an irritated-looking Aaron steps in next to the psychiatrist.

He waits for another set of footsteps but all activity has stopped. Only Aaron.

Aaron who was supposed to check…

“Where’s Andrew?”

Aaron huffs, almost an angry grunt. His fists are balled up at his sides, knuckles pale from the clenched fingers.

Neil feels the tension building, his shoulders stiff, his legs shaking ready to run.

“With my girlfriend,” he groans, unhappier than he’s ever seen him before.
A shrill laugh leaves his lips “Fuck,” he exclaims, his fingers threading through his hair to tug at a few blonde strands “Do you believe that?” He asks no one in particular, he’s not talking to any of them “He prefers my girlfriend, my fucking girlfriend who he literally hates so he doesn’t have to deal with me”

“What?” he asks. Now Neil will never take anything surrounding the goalkeeper for granted but this seems pretty absurd.

“It’s fucked, isn’t he?” Aaron seems determined to go bald but then he stops his fingers, tired “He told me not to touch him and he made Kate his shield”.
He shakes his head, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of his lips “What’s wrong with me? Why does my brother do everything he can to avoid me? He would kill Kate, yet he prefers her to me.
Me, his twin”

Neil for the first time in a long time has no real answer. Somewhere inside him there is that hint of spite that screams at him to tell the backliner that it is obvious that Andrew avoids him like the plague, Aaron is a shitty person with a face like puke.
Who would want to be close to him?
But he also knows that Andrew cares about his brother, he protected him from the start and gave up everything to keep him safe.

“There is nothing wrong with you, Aaron”

Betsy’s voice draws the attention of everyone in the house.

“No?” He taunted the boy. “Then why am I here, alone, instead of with my brother and my girlfriend?
He decided it was better to deal with her than to let me get close to him.”

“Aaron,” she sighed, adjusting her glasses on his nose. “Andrew is confused right now—”

“It looks to me like he knows exactly what he wants.” Aaron’s anger was making itself felt again, silencing the other foxes’ little murmurs.

“You want to know what I think?”

“You’ll say it anyway,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Andrew is confused, he feels like he’s on a drug cycle and he’s only sure of one thing,” she paused, making sure the kid was listening. “You’re a man and Katelyn isn’t.”

Aaron’s already large eyes widen comically, confused and then horrified.

“I- I’ve never… I’m her brother… Why?” He asks, completely defeated

“It's the one he knows.”

“I-I’ve never done it. No one here has ever touched him.”

Dobson sighs, her shoulders slumping. Her eyes convey tiredness and pain. “What’s a few years compared to a lifetime of experience?”

“He’s only been with Spears for a year,” he complains, completely ignorant of his brother’s past.

Thankfully, the look Neil and the psychiatrist give each other also goes unnoticed by the backliner.

They both know it’s not their place to give out information about Andrew. The goalkeeper will do it when and if he is ever ready.

Although Neil is bitter. It wasn’t long ago that a drunk and drugged Andrew confessed in front of most of the foxes that he hadn’t been a virgin since the age of seven.
Aaron, as usual, eliminated from his brain anything he didn’t accept or like.

It wasn’t fair that no one in Andrew’s family seemed to take his time in foster care seriously.

Neil is the first to notice the new footsteps on the porch. His life on the run has trained his senses to be constantly on high alert.

“We’re almost there,” he hears someone whisper.

Katelyn opens the door. Andrew is leaning heavily against her side, on the verge of collapsing.

Katelyn smiles tightly as she takes in everyone in the house. Her eyes soften as they focus on Aaron. “We need a couch. I don’t think he’ll be awake much longer.”
She adjusts her grip on the goalkeeper, pulling him closer.

He wants to yell at the cheerleader to take her hands off, that she has no right to.

He feels something twist in his stomach, leaving him cold and angry.

Aaron points to the couch at the front of the living room and it only takes two steps from the girl to make the blonde jump.

“No. Don’t go away,” he shrieks, his panic about to overwhelm him.

Kate sighs, more sad than frustrated, “I swear I’m not going anywhere. We’re just sitting on the couch, okay?”

Neil raises his eyebrows to his hairline. He watches in shock as the two awkwardly sit down, Andrew seeking as much contact as possible.

The blonde crouches on the girl’s lap, burying his face in the crook of her neck. “Don’t let me get caught,” he whimpers.

He feels a heartbeat skip, frowns, and wonders if the warning applies to him too.
Neil bites his bottom lip, tasting the metal to anchor himself to reality now that his hold is out of his mind and he can’t help it.

“I promise no one but Neil and Aaron will come near this couch, okay?”
Kate grimaces, sympathizing and apologizing in advance.

The stinging feeling he feels must be cracking his impassive facade. Neil is jealous of the cheerleader right now but he can’t help it.

Andrew seems to accept the deal reluctantly, quite content that the rest of the people are staying away from him.
He stammers out more words that Neil doesn’t understand, but Kate presses her lips together and slowly runs delicate fingers through his blond hair.

Neil stiffens, ready to pounce and save the girl from being killed or maimed.
Two seconds pass, then ten, then a minute and nothing happens.
The striker wants to be happy that Andrew has someone he trusts now, but he just can’t let go of this terrible jealousy.

Andrew is his, Kate had settled for the second-choice twin. She can’t change her mind now.
She’ll have to walk over Nathaniel’s dead body and it won’t be easy.

Aaron’s arrival distracts him from his thoughts.
The blond freezes in his tracks, his lips parting in shock.
“What?” he asks, shocked.

Katelyn merely raises an eyebrow, making her boyfriend cringe but not Neil.
Neil knows there’s no way the two of them could ever look like each other. They’re too different, he can’t imagine Drew laughing like he sees the cheerleader do.

“What the hell are you doing?” blurts out, crossing his arms over his chest.

She just blinks. “What do you think?”

“That’s gross, stop it.”

The girl freezes her hand. “Don’t tell me what to do,” she hisses, going back to scratching Andrew’s scalp as he sleeps relaxed.

“He’s my brother and… it’s weird,” he bites his lower lip, holding her tongue. “You’re too close,” he gestures.

Kate sighs, huffing at a lock of auburn hair that has fallen into her eye. “Relax, honey. This is the quickest way to calm you down and well, you’re twins. I figured it would work on him too.”
She shrugs, not caring that the boy on her lap isn’t Aaron but Andrew.
Andrew - I’ll stab you if you look at me - Minyard.

This day has surpassed annual levels of absurdity.

The backliner clenches his jaw, not daring to complain further. She slumps gracelessly into the chair next to him, glaring at her unsuspecting brother.

He wonder if she had the same courage with a sober and alert Andrew.

He turns on a replay of a Trojans game, he needs to distract himself and can't go for a run.
He immerses himself completely in the game, watching every pass and defense of the backliners. This will help him if he wants to break through the Californians' defense.
They were lucky last season, Neil doesn't believe in luck or even in the possibility that Jean's new team will choose to play with a limited number of players again.
Last time it cost them the semifinal.

It takes at least an hour to silence the muffled shouts coming from the kitchen. He was still not happy about the presence of the older students and was too tired to continue arguing. He would have been happy with the marathon that those assholes would run and make Wymack angry.

Nicky is the first to approach the chair where Aaron is sitting. The blond boy is playing with his phone, ignoring the repeated taps on his ankle given by his cousin.

"Why didn't you tell me about this video sooner?"

The obnoxious twin doesn’t look up from his game. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he mumbles.

The taller backliner snorts, and it seems like a signal because everyone else leaves the kitchen and pours into the living room.

“Don’t come any closer,” Katelyn hisses. She straightens slightly, careful not to wake the blond but making sure she’s in a more combative position.

Dan opens her mouth, looking like he’s going to say something but Renee is quicker. “We won’t,” she assures.
There are no shy or sweet smiles. There’s no trace of the girl who always tries to find a solution.
This is the Renee who failed. She failed with Andrew and now she seems more concerned with denying Natalie her freedom than with caring about other people’s feelings. There’s a certain curiosity in thinking about the darker side of Renee that’s free to act.

Sensing the tension rising, Nicky takes it upon herself to lighten the air with her sunny personality. “You were so cute. It’s a shame I can’t remember when we were so young very well.”

He reaches out, turning the phone to a position where Aaron could watch comfortably.

The video starts, with splashing water and some birds chirping somewhere.
A soft, childish laugh breaks through every privacy restriction the foxes had set for themselves. Dan cranes her neck to see, Allison pushes Nicky over without worrying about intruding on his personal space.
Matt only has to move closer to watch.

“My God, you were so small,” Boyd smiles, his expression so sweet it’s the complete opposite of his bulky physique.

“I don’t remember having a game like that,” Minyard mutters, focusing his gaze solely on the video.

“You probably forgot,” Nicky shrugs, looking at his phone in wonder.

Sometimes Neil forgets that Nicky agreed to take care of the twins, that he was their guardian.

The man is showing off his proud mom look.

And Neil… Neil doesn’t give a shit about Aaron but he’d be a total hypocrite to say he’s never been curious about what Andrew was like as a child, and well, as much as he hates to admit it, they’re twins…

He sidles up to the others, stealing glances at the scene unfolding on his phone.

He’s a blond boy playing with an inflatable that sprays water.
Small and skinny, too skinny to be healthy.
He’s wearing a white tank top, it looks new as do his blue swim briefs. Clean and brightly colored in stark contrast to the pale skin, the dark circles under his eyes and the bruises that decorate the boy’s body.

Neil knew that Aaron’s life hadn’t been easy, that Tilda was a violent woman and that she’d left bruises on her son until Andrew ended her miserable life. But knowing and seeing violence on a child were two very different things.
Against all odds, the striker found himself feeling protective of a child who no longer existed.

“That’s crazy, I don’t remember anything like that. I’m trying hard but… I would remember if I had something like that, right? I would have had a blast,” Aaron continued to grumble, never taking his eyes off the video that continued to show the child inspecting the toy with big hazel eyes.

It was clearly new, as the baby was curious and unsure what to do with the object.
He seemed happy to walk around it, douse himself with a little water, and then go back to inspecting it.

Even as time passed, there was no real change in the frame. Only a new background noise had been added, too close to the recorder to be clear.

Dan reaches out, tapping the volume button with a finger and turning the sound up. “It’s weird to realize you were just a baby, in my head I just framed you two as monsters.”

“Fuck you,” Aaron mutters, with no real bite.

Katelyn coos as a close-up of baby Aaron’s smiling face appears on the screen.

“Ugh. Damn, you were really cute,” Allison huffs. “How old were you?”

Nicky chuckles, biting his lower lip. “It’s hard to tell with him, he’s always been small for his age.”

“Fuck you, Nicky,” he growls, blindly hitting his cousin’s head.

A breathless, slightly disturbing snort echoes from the phone.

“Come here, Andrew,” a male voice commands.

A chorus of disorganized voices.

“What?”

“Impossible”

“Is that Andrew?”

“I thought you had nothing of the monster before he became a Minyard”

“What? Where did you get this video, Nicky?” Aaron asks, looking curiously at his cousin.

Hemmick frowns “I thought you sent me this? It came from your email”

“I didn’t send you anything”

The child comes closer, obediently.

“Well? Do you like my gift?” The man is never framed, leaving all the attention on the child.
From this close you can see how ugly and dark the bruises are.
How thinness digs furrows into the small body.

Little Andrew nods and a large hand appears in the frame, feeling the kid’s chest from above the tank top until it sneaks under the garment.
“And what do you say in these cases?” The man croons, his voice so saccharine it sends shivers down Neil’s spine.

Even though he’s uncomfortable, the boy tries not to flinch. “Tha- Thank you,” he stammers.

It doesn’t seem right to be able to read Andrew so easily. To watch him without any of his walls, his protections surrounding him.
In that video, he’s so open to the world, so trusting and vulnerable that it hurts.

He frowns as his tank top is pulled up, revealing his protruding ribs and more purple and green bruises. The man continues to stroke the swollen skin, pausing to squeeze harder over the prominence of his small hipbones. Andrew groans but makes no attempt to escape.

There are more snorts, static, and creaks in the audio.

The boy tilts his head, trying to comprehend what’s happening in front of him.
“Now that you’re in this family, you’re going to have to learn manners and be obedient,” he says, his voice hoarse.
He tugs at his shirt, forcing him closer. “Close your eyes and open your mouth,” he orders.

As the Andrew in the video does as he’s told, Neil’s brain begins to piece itself together and terror seeps into every fiber of his body.

The man shoves two fingers into the boy’s mouth, who nearly vomits upon contact.

It doesn’t matter that a hand is shoved into his mouth, the kid continues to cough and choke until the man seems satisfied.

When he pulls away, baby Andrew has fresh tears on his cheeks. Milky spit dripping from his nose and chin, making Neil’s stomach churn.

The grunts, the noises, the snorts.
The piece of shit was masturbating while watching the boy play.

Neil was about to feel sick.

“What the fuck was that?” Dan was the first to break the silence.

“What did you make him eat?” Nicky was about to rewind the last few seconds to replay the scene.

“Don’t do that,” Renee yells, her face white. She’s probably come to the same conclusion as Neil. “Just turn it off.”

“What? I want to know what he gave him.”

“Don’t do that again,” the child whimpers, loud enough to silence all the foxes in the room. “No- I don’t like that. Don’t do that again.”

And when Neil looks up at his phone again, the boy is shaking, clutching his shirt in his fist.

He notices that the blond boy can't stop crying, that his stomach is still lurching, and that the moans stop once he's vomited, soiling his new suit.

Eyes full of tears come into focus, giving a clear view of the green and gold that color Andrew's irises. "I- I- I'm sorry," he stammers, bursting into tears again. He hunches over, ready to be punished.

"Steven, where are you? Are you still playing with that brat?"

In the frame he buys a woman, in her thirties, dark curly hair. She's wearing a comfortable and casual dress, a bit in contrast with the pool and the boy's beachwear. Leaving the doubt as to the real season in which the film was shot.
In her hand she has a home decor magazine and a black bag.
The neutral expression turns into full-blown anger when he realizes that Andrew has vomited, making a mess.

Noticing the new presence, the kid turns to the woman, ignoring the total anger directed at him.

He raises his arms, wanting to be picked up by what he believes to be his new adoptive mother, but all he gets in return is a slap, hard enough to make him fall flat on his ass.

“Amanda…” The man sighs condescendingly, suggesting that the woman’s hatred is nothing new.

“No Amanda, Steven.
I told you I wanted a girlfriend, I don’t understand why you’re so obsessed with this scrawl. It’s tiny, and useless,” she snaps, grabbing the boy by the arm and lifting him roughly.
She turns to the boy, “Look what you’ve done,” she shouts.

Andrew tries to compose himself, furiously wiping his eyes with his free arm, “I’m sorry,” he whispers, gritting his teeth to hold back his sobs.

The woman grimaces, full of disgust as she lets go of his arm to grab his hair in a painful grip, “You’re just trash. Do you understand?”

The boy wriggles, trying to get away. “I’m sorry,” he yells.

“Amanda, leave him alone. I’ll clean him up.”

“Everything better be in order when I get back,” she growls, removing his hand from his blond hair to walk away, still furious.

They sit in silence for a few seconds before the man speaks. “You really pissed her off.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Let’s go take a shower.”

“I can. I can do it myself.”

The man sighs, frustrated. “You’re really going to be mean, aren’t you? I offered to help, you should be grateful. In fact, you should ask. You know how to do it, right? We spent two days learning.” The soft voice might fool most people, but there’s a clear threat hidden there.
Steven grabs the white tank top again, making Andrew stumble. “If you’re good, we’re going to have a lot of fun tonight. We have to celebrate your birthday, right? Seven years is a big milestone.
Be polite, ask nicely.”

“Ple- please.”

And Neil feels like he’s going crazy.
He snatches the phone from Hammick and throws it without looking.

He doesn’t want to hear anything else. He doesn’t want to hear the millions of questions he knows are coming.
He doesn’t want to explain.

How do these videos exist?

Who the fuck is sending them?

How many of them are there?

Does Andrew know about them?

“Everyone out. Now. Go back to campus.”

Betsy is pushing the older students toward the door, there are protests but the woman is deliberately ignoring them. “You too, Nicky. Out.”

“But. But. What the hell happened?” he babbles.

“Go, Nicky. Don’t argue.”

The taller boy lowers his head, defeated, and with hesitant steps he starts to join the rest of the students.

When the door closes, only Abby, Aaron, Neil, Katelyn and Andrew are left in the house, he still sleeping.

“I don’t think you should be alone right now, but Betsy says it’s best for you two,” she points to Neil and Aaron.
“If you need to talk, feel free to reach me, Bee or David at any time.”

With one last look at the boys, and a shake of her head, the nurse walks upstairs, leaving them alone.

Aaron is still standing, having jumped when Neil lunged for Nicky’s phone.

“What was that?” He grunts, the words sounding like they were forced out through his teeth.

“NO”

“I’m his brother,” he shouts, not risking waking Andrew. “I have a right to know.”

“NO” He narrows his eyes, revealing his father’s smirk and ending the argument.

Aaron looks ready to argue but thinks better of it and flops down into the chair.

No one dares to do anything. The only sound in the room is their breathing, each lost in their own minds, and every now and then their eyes fall on the sleeping Minyard.

Neil wants answers, wants to know what to do but he doesn’t know.

He has no idea how much time he spends locked in his head but when he looks around, Aaron is fast asleep in the chair. His mouth is open, his neck bent in an uncomfortable position, leaning back.
He is breathing heavily but remains silent unlike Kevin’s loud snores.

His eyes wander around the room until small movements from the goalkeeper tell him that Andrew is waking up.
The blond raises his torso enough to be able to look at Katelyn.
There is some tension in his shoulders, no doubt from the effort of using his ribs and arms. He lets his eyes adjust, tensing up at the sight of the cheerleader but when his gaze settles on Neil and then on Aaron sleeping in the chair, he starts breathing again.
Satisfied that no one else is around, he looks back at Kate, squinting.

To the woman’s credit, she never took her eyes off the blond, even though there were moments when fear could be read on her face.

“I let you drool on my shirt while you were sleeping, you could keep from killing me,” she jokes, but a small tic invades her left eye.

Minyard blinks slowly, grimacing at the small wet spot on the girl’s shoulder.

“Drew” intervenes, hoping to prevent a murder or a body mutilation.

Andrew moves carefully on Neil, practically crawling and never taking his eyes off the young woman. Once he is lying down, with his head on the attacker’s stomach, he rests his feet on the cheerleader’s legs, daring her to complain.

Kate hums, maintaining eye contact and not flinching from the unusual and annoying gesture.

Because if there is one thing that everyone can agree on, it is Andrew’s ability to be as spite as possible. He has probably survived his entire life only out of spite.
“Sooner or later I have to put my hands down, you know?” she says, moving the aforementioned limbs while they are still suspended in the air, not risking touching the angry goalkeeper.

After endless minutes of tension, in which Andrew says or does nothing but observe, the blonde finally relaxes against Neil. Finding a more comfortable position before falling back into a deep sleep.

He runs his fingers through his soft blonde hair, massaging gently the way he knows Andrew likes it.

“What does this mean?” the girl asks, still busy looking at the socked feet resting on her legs.

Neil shrugs, he doesn’t have an answer and can only guess.

“I think you’re on your way to becoming one of the monsters.”

The striker just hopes that there will still be a group to be a part of after all this shit. He hopes that it’s over, that no one else will try to hurt them.
But when are they so lucky?

Kate says nothing, bows her head slightly without ever taking her eyes off the orange and white socks that occasionally slip off her legs.

She tries to hide it, but Neil can clearly see the smile forming on the girl’s face.