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Chapter Text

Fire covered the car, burning Mary's blood and body with it, Neil watched, sitting in front of the burning car, while thinking about what to do next without his mother, should he flee to another country? Or stay in this one and look for an empty city, or should he simply give up and surrender to death? The 15-year-old boy found himself in a complicated situation full of good or bad choices, he didn't know what to do, until he heard a voice, without understanding anything he got up in fright looking

to the sides, until that voice spoke again.

You can't see me, stupid boy- Said the unknown voice in a mocking tone as the boy stopped looking around and started to get nervous, the voice noticing the boy's state said

-It's time for you to rest, boy, the voice speaks calmly as Neil feels his eyes close, but soon they open, the sad young man from before looking like a person

different. He quickly opens the backpack and checks it before another voice speaks. Nathaniel, don't be reckless, you already know what's in the bag, you don't need to check it so much. A calmer voice speaks in a serious tone.

- Don't meddle in my business, Abram. - The young man rummaging through his backpack muttered in imitation, revealing the name of the voice in his head. Fuck you. - Abram speaks in a neutral tone while Nathaniel ignores him, finishing rummaging through his backpack. He looks at the car that was previously covered in flames and sighs. - Time for the dirty work. - He says in a sarcastic tone as he begins to approach the burned car.

Nathaniel walked through the streets calmly, completely determined to find an airport as quickly as possible. He knew that his mother had trustworthy people in the country he was determined to go to. When he finally found the airport, the young man entered it and when he saw the huge line he became a little irritated, realizing the time and that he could not stay in this country for long. He calmly walked up to the person who was already being served in the line and stopped next to her. It was an old lady carrying some suitcases. Nathaniel sighed a little and looked at the lady, and began to talk about how he had gotten lost from his parents and now his flight had been canceled. The old lady, moved, let him go ahead and buy another ticket. He soon bought the ticket and nodded to the lady. Slowly moving away from the line and looking at the board waiting for his flight, while he picks it up he stands up holding tightly to his backpack, the flight arrives and he gets on the plane, he ends up sleeping a little and soon wakes up at his destination, Brazil, but specifically in Rio de Janeiro, he calmly begins to walk the streets looking for the house that his mother had left, in fact going to Brazil, would be the last thing in his mother's plan, but Nathaniel doesn't care about his mother's plans, the one who cares is Neil and he is not that styleless boy.

Arriving at the house, Nathaniel went in and immediately went to see if there was hot water for a shower. After seeing that there was, he undressed and got into the shower, tracing his scars with his fingers as the hot water made them itch. After a few minutes he got out of the shower and dried himself with a towel. The young man looked at his backpack with disgust, seriously thinking about going shopping for clothes. He ended up putting on a gray shirt along with a black pants, he takes some dollars from his backpack and decides to go buy some clothes, leaving the house, he walks down the street calmly, while some neighbors say good morning or simply ignore him, arriving in the city, he looks for some clothing stores, being a little surprised by the crowd of people walking around, some children in the street running or playing soccer, food stalls on the sides, while the older ones passed by and said good morning to him, he arrived at a store and looked at the dark-skinned attendant with braided hair.

- Do you need something, my brother? the young attendant asks with a smile as he raises his hand for a little punch, Nathaniel is confused, but punches the attendant's hand back.

Very good, I see you're new here boy, have you been to the beach? If not, take advantage and enjoy, the sun is on your side today, huh? The attendant jokes while looking at him, Nathaniel looks at him embarrassed while giving a nervous smile, and casually grabs some clothes, realizing that it was 40 degrees and that most of the women outside were in bikinis because of the beach next door, he grabs some swimming trunks.

- Why don't you try the swimsuit? They're new and genderless, partner, try it and see if you like it. The young attendant says calmly while pointing to the black swimsuit. Nathaniel looks at the swimsuit in silence and looks to the side of the swimsuit where there was an orange bikini.

- Can I just get the top part of this? Nathaniel asks, somewhat captivated by the orange color. The attendant looks at Nathaniel, somewhat confused, but soon gives a big smile.

- That one is a set unfortunately, but there are some that you can buy separately, and I'm sure there's one just like it there, the guy said with a huge smile as he pointed to a box with bikini tops.

Okay thanks Nathaniel says with a small smile as he walks over to the box and stirs it.

He looks at it until he finds one that looks like the mannequin, the difference is that it has a small strawberry embroidery on the side, he takes it and puts it in the cash register.

Great choice, I hope you like Brazil - The boy speaks calmly as he hands over the clothes in a bag.

- It was 50 reais. The attendant says with a smile as Nathaniel hands him a 100 dollar bill.

You can keep the change, the young man says casually, picking up the bag and heading home. Before leaving, he stops near a bar and gets a snack, and heads home.

Arriving home, he tidies up his wardrobe and leaves his old clothes aside. Neil probably wouldn't like Nathaniel to throw his homeless clothes in the trash. After tidying up for a while, he gives a proud smile at his work in tidying things up. Soon, Nathaniel goes to the bathroom and looks at himself in the mirror. He calmly starts to take out his contact lenses and picks up some hair dye.

-Neil may be afraid of his face, but I'm not, Nathaniel spoke in a sarcastic tone as he puts on the gloves to dye his hair, after finishing dyeing his hair he looks at himself in the mirror, touching every feature of his face, clean blue eyes and flaming red hair

-If I go like this on the street, they might find me easier... I need a plan - he says calmly as he goes to get his new clothes, until he remembers the orange bikini he bought, he picks it up and presses the fabric tightly.

- It's soft, I don't think it'll hurt me... my mom would probably beat me if she saw me like this, hahaha Nathaniel says calmly as he remembers the taste of blood in his mouth, he calmly picks up his clothes and puts them on, looks at himself in the mirror, he says.

I look like a girl... it must be because of my thinness. Nathaniel speaks calmly as he looks at himself in the mirror with disgust, not that he had any problem with looking like a girl, but he was worried about his thin body or rather

Speaking of Neil, he stays quiet for a few minutes while smiling - why didn't I think of that before? I just have to disguise myself as a girl! That way no one will suspect who I really am, I'll just stay here for a little while and if I feel that it's getting dangerous here, I'll leave and go back to Milliport - The boy spoke excitedly while fiddling with the white line that was tied around his waist, he threw himself on the bed and sighed happily. - I think I can have some peace now.

Chapter Text

When Nathaniel started disguising himself as a girl, the neighbors thought he was a poor girl who had lost her relatives, so they accepted him with open arms into the community. The 15-year-old had nothing to worry about, except for the lack of money, don't get me wrong, but using the money his runaway mother stole wasn't a good idea and even if it was, he would have to save money to buy fake documents and passports that weren't cheap at all. So Nathaniel got a job at a little bar on the corner, always helping the bar owner serve and clean the bar. Some drunks were nice and others not so much, always trying to get a sliver of his attention. At first Nathaniel was irritated, but then he learned to ignore it.

Nathaniel walked calmly through the dark streets, his night had just ended and he just wanted to throw himself on the bed and go to sleep, today had been a difficult day at the bar, drunk old men vomiting and people going to get other drunk old men, but apart from this difficult day, at least now he could go home, Nathaniel was passing through an alley on his way home, until he heard a noise coming from the alley, the young man quickly took a knife from his bag and approached the alley.

"Why does this only happen to me?" The young man thinks as he sighs in imitation, he begins to enter the alley as the noise begins to get louder until the noise stops, and the baby's crying begins, upon hearing the crying, Nathaniel begins to enter the alley without

hesitation, as he approaches a cabin he finds a homeless man lying on the ground, the young man gets close enough to realize that the crying was coming from the man, in the moment of despair, Nathaniel pushes the man aside, only to discover that the man is no longer breathing, the young man's eyes follow the crying below him, seeing two identical little girls, they seemed to be around 1 year old or even younger, both were blondes, looking into their eyes you notice that one has a green eye in the left eye while the other has a green eye in the left, he calmly picks them up, trying to calm them down, until he hears a voice from afar.

Do you need help? a man shouts from afar, he seemed worried. no thanks, my... Nathaniel looks at the girls with a confused smile until he sighs.

My daughters are fine, thank you for your concern. Nathaniel said with a gentle smile as he picked up the twins and left that alley as quickly as possible, without looking back.

Arriving home, the first thing he did was put the twins who were crying on the couch, he calmly looked at them, thinking about what to do next, the young woman gives a shaky sigh and takes Neil's backpack, and takes two of the boy's large shirts, he takes the twins and takes them to the bathroom and calmly begins to wash them, after the bath, he tidied them up and went to see what was in the fridge while the twins followed him like little chicks looking for their mother, they had already stopped crying, but their cheeks still had evidence of crying, he takes some fruit and mashes it on a plastic plate and begins to feed them both with a spoon, after they ate, they fell asleep on the couch rug because they were so tired, Nathaniel calmly looks at them while thinking about what he got himself into and what he would do with two children, he calmly leaves pillows around them and leaves the house with a cigarette in his hand, he returns to the alley from before, seeing that there was no one around, he begins to search the dead man, going through his clothes he discovers photos of the newborn twins with a date of birth and a note that looked like a reminder "Cecilia has blue eyes on the left and green on the right while Amélia has blue eyes on the right and green on the left eye"

Reading this observation, he puts the photo in his pocket as he gets up and goes back home. "At least I found out that they are 1 year and 2 weeks old, and that they have a name." The young man thinks with a small smile, opening the door he sees the twins sleeping in each other's arms.

- What should I do with them? - Nathaniel asks himself as he sits in front of the sofa. When he thinks about the possibility of putting them both up for adoption, his mouth turns bitter, making him uncomfortable.

I'll think about it later for now Nathaniel says with a sigh then he calmly picks up the twins and takes them to the room, placing them next to him, he falls asleep, but not before placing pillows behind the twins so they don't fall to the floor.

The next day Nathaniel made a difficult decision, and a decision that would make his mother kill him without thinking twice, he will stay with the twins, he couldn't separate himself from the twins after they hugged him and called him mommy, so he asked for a day off, which was gladly granted by his boss who said that he was a young "girl" and had to rest, so he decided to spend a whole day with the girls and discovered that Cecilia didn't know how to speak very well, always saying ma instead of mama like Amelia did, but he found it kind of cute, he took advantage of his break from work and went to some stores in the city to buy some children's and necessary things.

After buying everything he needed, he went to a playground and left the twins

walk barefoot for a bit on the grass, he sits on a nearby bench while

watch, until he sees a dark-skinned boy approaching the twins, he had an appearance

childish and smiling, wearing a loose Brazilian shirt, Nathaniel calmly approaches him and runs his hand through the boy's curly hair. - Do you need help? Nathaniel asks calmly as he looks at him, the boy seems to get shy, as he speaks in a low tone.

- No, thanks, the boy gets nervous, he looks around in fear, Nathaniel opens his mouth to say something but is interrupted by a voice younger than him, but not too young.

Crespo approaches the boy, whose name was Bryan.

-Bryan, what did I tell you about leaving home without warning! - a teenager with hair - sorry brother, I just wanted to go play the boy said with sadness in his voice as

tears could be seen on his cheek. -You don't have to talk to him like that, I was watching him Nathaniel says calmly

while looking at him. - I don't need you to keep an eye on my brother, faggot - the boy said angrily while looking at Nathaniel.

- What did you call me? First of all, I'm not hitting you because I'm close to my daughters and if you're a good example for your brother, apologize - Nathaniel says irritably, but you can see the surprise in his eyes when the idiot teenager realized he was a boy, the teenager lets out an irritated snort as he raises his hand for a handshake.

I'm sorry, I'm just annoyed that my brother left the house without warning - he says with a sigh as Nathaniel takes his outstretched hand.

- It's okay, I accept your apology, okay? What's your name again? - Nathaniel asks with a smile as he lets go of his hand and picks up the twins from the grass, they don't complain about being taken out of their fun by their mother's lap.

My name is Pietro, I'm 14 years old and this one next to me is my little brother Bryan, he's 3 years old Pietro says calmly as he pushes Bryan on the shoulder for him to introduce himself.

- Hello Bryan, did you enjoy playing with the twins? Nathaniel asks calmly as he crouches down to Bryan's height, the little boy nods quickly. That's great! My name is Nathaniel, but in front of others call me Nathália - he says with a gentle smile as he looks at Bryan and Pietro.

- If you want, you can go to my house, I would love for the girls to have some little friends - Nathaniel said excitedly as he gave the teenager his home address, if his mother saw him giving his home address to a stranger, she would probably hit him, but since she is dead, he doesn't need to worry about the punches.

-Thank you? - Pietro says confused as he puts the address in his pocket and turns his gaze to the red-haired boy who has already left.

The next day, Nathaniel had explained his situation to the owner of the bar, of course, always lying in some parts, but putting the lie aside, his boss gave him an early vacation, so he had plenty of time with the children, while he prepared breakfast, the twins slept on a soft rug that he had bought, until a knock on the door was heard, he stopped doing the things he was doing and picked up a knife, as he approached the door, he looked through the peephole and ended up being surprised to see the boys from yesterday, he calmly put the knife aside and opened the door with a kind smile.

You guys came, I'm still making breakfast, if you want you can eat with us - Nathaniel says calmly as he moves away from the door, for them to enter.

-We only came here because Bryan was crying in my ear - Pietro says looking at the twins who were sleeping, today he looked a little hurt.

-I see-Nathaniel hums softly as he ignores the bruise on Pietro's cheek.

Eat some, today I made tapioca for breakfast, he says calmly as he gives a plate to Pietro and Bryan.

Thank you Pietro says with his mouth a little full while his brother imitates him. No need to thank... look, if you want, you can sleep here, there's a guest room here - Nathaniel says, almost startled by how soft his voice has become.

– We can't sleep, our parents wouldn't let us. Pietro speaks hesitantly while Bryan grabs his shirt.

- Alright then, I won't force you into anything. The young redhead gives a small smile as he walks away to the kitchen to get some coffee.

After a while he returned to the room and saw a paper on the table, the boys had already left, he read the paper and took a sip of coffee "we had to leave, thanks for breakfast". Next to the writing there was a drawing of a cat, probably made by Bryan, Nathaniel puts the note in his pocket and sits back on the couch, watching the twins.

Chapter Text

The days went by and the brothers spent every day at Nathaniel's house, and today would be no different.

Nathaniel was making lunch, he had planned to make rice, beans and chicken, while he was waiting for the fried chicken, he heard knocking on the door, already having an idea of who it was, he calmly turned down the heat and went to the door.

- You guys arrived early, huh? - Nathaniel opens the door with a gentle smile as he looks

to the two children in front of him.

-Bryan missed you... The oldest of the brothers turned his face away in embarrassment, the youngest brother ran to hug Nathaniel's legs.

-And you weren't? - Nathaniel provokes Pietro as he picks up Bryan, at first Pietro was more aggressive, but he stopped being aggressive when Nathaniel showed himself to be trustworthy.

-A little - He says casually as he enters the house and sits on the couch, looking at the twins who had given him a warning look.

- Don't let them get fed up with you, hahaha Nathaniel laughed, placing Bryan next to the twins who looked at their mother with admiration.

Are you sure they are 1 year old? Pietro looks at the twins in disbelief.

Of course, by the way, you're going to spend Christmas here, right? Nathaniel asks calmly.

Honestly, I don't know, I hope my parents let me - Pietro mumbles softly as he thinks

Nathaniel nods in understanding, he leaves the children in the living room and returns to the kitchen.

The next day, Nathaniel had decorated the house in a Christmas way or so he thought, the twins had pointed out the Christmas things and he bought them and put them in the house as decoration, Nathaniel was in the bathroom thinking about what to do with his hair for Christmas, he looked at himself in the mirror calmly while thinking, why Abram or another alter did not communicate with him, until he heard a voice mumbling.

- First of all, you tell all the alters to fuck off, that's why they don't like talking to you. Abram had a mocking tone while other background voices agreed with him.

-Oh, for the love of God, go fuck yourselves all - Nathaniel takes two ribbons and braids his hair in two, remembering his mother saying that braids were an easy way to fix it. the hair and lasted longer in moments of persecution.

Finishing getting ready, Nathaniel returns to the living room to check if the twins are in the playpen playing, after checking, he went to put the chicken and potatoes in the oven, after putting the chicken in the oven and having cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, he realizes that it is already 11:00 pm, realizing that the brothers should already be here, he worries a little, but soon sighs thinking that their parents had not let them, he goes back to sit with the twins while they follow him with their eyes.

-Mama! Mama! Amelia called her mother with a radiant smile as she received the attention

by Nathaniel.

- I'm here, darling - Nathaniel spoke calmly as he sat in front of the

surrounded, Cecilia looked at her mother calmly.

Knocking is heard, Nathaniel's lips open in a gentle smile as he stands up and goes to the door, opening the door he welcomes the brothers in a critical manner, Pietro was shirtless, in his hands were Bryan, wearing his shirt, there was blood on half of his face, while blood ran down his thighs, already having an idea of what might have happened, Nathaniel looks at Pietro waiting for explanations.

- I couldn't protect him... Sorry mom Pietro falls to the floor in panic while crying, he holds Bryan tightly in his arms, being careful not to hurt him.

-Stay calm, it wasn't your fault dear, give him to me and take care of the twins for me- Nathaniel says calmly as he takes Bryan and lets Pietro enter and throw himself on the couch exhausted

Nathaniel takes the sleeping Bryan to the bedroom and puts him on the bed, he casually lifts the boy's shirt to clear his doubts and soon regrets it, Bryan wakes up scared and soon begins to put his legs together amidst screams and crying, Nathaniel noticing pulls him into a hug.

-Stay calm, mommy is here, I'm not someone else. Nathaniel calmly smoothed Bryan's hair, while the boy buried himself in Nati's arms.

- I need you to go take a shower, okay?-

Nathaniel looks at the young man in his arms as he waits for some affirmation.

- Mom, don't leave my side, please Bryan grabbed Nathaniel's arms, scared

Okay, let's take a quick shower, okay? - Nathaniel sighs as he picks up Bryan and takes him to the bathroom, stepping into the shower without caring about his wet clothes.

After the bath, Nathaniel bandages Bryan's face and leaves him sleeping in his bed and goes to take a shower, touching his fingers, his instincts scream to run away, he lets out a sigh as he feels Abram's presence in his head.

-If you want to escape, you'll have to leave Neil in charge. Abram seemed a little tired, from his tone of voice.

-I know, but the most I can do is leave some memories with him about the kids, I don't want him to be mad at how I used his body Nathaniel seemed

thoughtful as he turned off the shower and began to dry himself with a towel. I also don't like how you used our bodies for seduction Abram raised his voice to speak our

Letting out a sigh, Nathaniel puts on his pajamas and goes to the living room, seeing Pietro awake watching over the now sleeping twins.

You did a good job Pietro-Nathaniel pats Pietro on the head, as he sits next to him.

- No, I didn't, I couldn't make them stop, I couldn't protect my brother- Pietro looks at the floor as the tears come back.

-Shhh-Nathaniel comforted him with a hug. – You did a good job keeping an eye on the twins and trusting someone to take care of your brother. Nathaniel says calmly as he looks at him.

Pietro begins to sob with tears as he hugs Nathaniel, burying his face on his neck.

- I promise to protect you now. Nathaniel looked at him sincerely as Pietro slowly fell asleep. Nathaniel sighed, leaving Pietro sleeping on the couch. He went to the bedroom and took the old backpack out of the closet. He started to see if everything was okay. While he was moving, he picked up Neil's fanboy folder. He looked at the folder with disgust, letting out a low laugh. He finished moving the backpack. He put some more clothes in the old backpack and picked up four other backpacks, putting everything he had bought for the twins in two backpacks. Then he put everything he had bought for the brothers. He would give these things today as a gift, but he wouldn't give them anymore. After arranging some things, he picked up a picture of the twins and a picture where everyone was except him. Nathaniel had taken this picture on Pietro's birthday. laughing as he remembers how Pietro smiled when he saw his birthday present, Nathaniel puts everything away and takes the fake documents and picks up Bryan, leaving the house to the car, he slowly puts him in the car near the window, soon the 15-year-old comes back and wakes Pietro up and tells him to go to the car with the twins, getting into the car, he lets out a sigh and looks back to see Pietro half awake and the other children sleeping.

- I promise to explain everything later, but now you are all Josten, just as I am now Neil Josten, okay? - Nathaniel starts the car nervously while looking at them through the rearview mirror. - Okay... are you still the mother of the twins? - Pietro asks a little uneasily while looking at Nathaniel.

-Yes, of course dear, as I am the mother of all of you - Nathaniel reassures him with a gentle smile, Pietro gives an embarrassed nod as he snuggles into the seat. -Sleep, it'll take me a while here anyway - Nathaniel turns his gaze to the highway, when he realizes that Pietro has already fallen asleep, giving a soft laugh, Nathaniel stops on the side of the highway and looks in the rearview mirror.

- Time to wake up kid, you've had enough rest Nathaniel gives a small smile

before falling asleep

Neil wakes up with the light from the rearview mirror reflected on him. He opens the window and sees that the sun is already rising. Realizing this, he calmly looks back and notices the children. Confused, he starts the car and waits to remember what had happened. He only remembered sitting in front of the burning car and having it go out. As he looks at the signs on the highway, he realizes that he can understand this language. Confused, he touches his head looking for injuries and in return he remembers what may have happened yesterday, remembering the children sleeping in the back seat. He calmly realizes that his hair is not dyed and that he is without contacts. Feeling a bitter taste in his mouth, he stops the car at a gas station and goes through the backpack that he remembered and sees the paint and the contact case. Still a little confused, he grabs his things and goes to the bathroom at the gas station.

After dyeing his hair and putting on the lenses, he gets back in the car and goes back to where his memories ask him to go. Arriving in front of the airport, he wakes Pietro up and picks up Bryan. Arriving, he goes to the cashier and buys the tickets and soon returns to where Pietro is sitting with the twins still sleeping, it's still 6am so he can understand how sleepy they are, when the flight arrives, and they get on the plane.

On the plane, Neil sits by the window while Bryan sits in the middle, he was still half asleep so Neil didn't worry about waking him up, Pietro sat next to the aisle, he held the twins carefully while looking at Neil, searching for answers, Neil ignores him, his gaze returning to the window.

Arriving in Miliport, Neil drags the children to a house for sale and breaks into it, taking out the shop floor, he takes his old clothes and places them on the floor for the younger children to lie down, Neil changes the bandages on Bryan's face and lets him sleep while the twins are taking a tour of the house, looking at Pietro, he lets out a sigh and sits next to him.

I'll tell you everything, okay? Nathaniel touches his hair calmly. Okay? Pietro looks at him with a small smile.

After telling Pietro everything, he was surprised and angry, but then calmed down after listening to Neil's plausible reasons, but then they decided to go to sleep, to have energy later.

Chapter Text

In Millport, Neil had gotten a job at a local coffee shop, close to the twins' nursery, making it very convenient to pick them up after nursery, Pietro studied at the same school as Neil while Bryan was home-schooled.

As time went by, Neil taught Pietro and Bryan to speak the languages he knew, having discovered that Bryan was great at speaking French while Pietro was good at German, I don't even need to explain how proud the older one was of his sons.

At school, Neil decided to join the exy team he had while Pietro stayed on the soccer team, as much as he wanted to join the exy team with his mother, he ended up staying on the soccer team, at recess, the two ate together alone, making some students not approach, afraid of Pietro, who was intimidating because of his height, when he was only 15 years old he was already 1.80 cm, making many people not approach him out of fear.

With time passing quickly, soon 3 years passed, Pietro who was already 17 years old, was now 190cm tall and had curly hair tied in a braid, while Bryan who was 6 years old and 1.29cm liked to leave his curly hair loose, the twins who were still 3 years old and 90cm tall left their blond hair tied in pigtails, Neil always tried to get all the children ready before going to school and ended up forgetting to get ready, but he didn't care about his appearance, but he cared about the children.

___________

Neil had let the cigarette burn down to the filter, without taking a single drag. This had become a habit, always at the end of games, lighting a cigarette and watching it burn. Soon it would be time to pick up the twins. So he calmly threw the cigarette on the floor and stepped on it. Before turning to leave, he turned to face his coach Hernandez who was waiting for him next to the door.

- and your parents?- asks Hernandez already knowing the answer.

- I don't think they would want to miss a business trip just to watch a game - Neil said, sighing as he turned to his coach.

- I thought they made an exception - Hernandez says, sitting next to Neil. No one knew it would be the last game. Neil looks at the floor in disbelief. - By the way, kid, there's someone who wants to see you - Hernandez says.

Before the young man could say anything the locker room door opened, a strange large man standing in the locker room door, he had a tank top on that displayed a sleeve of tribal tattoos With flames on both arms, Neil looked at him suspiciously; he didn’t recognize him, which wasn’t a good or bad thing, and it just meant he wasn’t a local. Millport boasted less than nine hundred residents, and this was a place where everyone knew everyone else’s business. This ingrained nosiness made things uncomfortable for Neil and his secrets, but he hoped to use this small-town mentality as a shield.

- I don't know you - Neil accused looking at the unknown man.

- He's from a university - Hernandez replied before continuing. He's going to see you play tonight.

-Nonsense. Neil grumbles. No one recruits from Millport. No one knows where it is. He scoffs at the town’s name as he looks away from the man and tries to find a way out.

- He's here because I sent him his file - Hernandez says. He published a note saying that he was missing a striker, and I thought it was worth a try. I didn't tell you because I didn't know if it would have a good result and I didn't want you to be nervous waiting for an answer.

- What did you do?! - Neil looks at him irritated, he hadn't given permission for such nonsense.

I tried to contact his parents when he asked to meet in person tonight, but they didn't return my messages. Hernandez said, looking at the young man.

- And you said they tried to come. Hemandez accused

They tried but they couldn't, what did you want me to do? - Neil counters Hernandez's words automatically.

- You know kid, I can't wait for them, the stranger warned, stopping beside him.

"I know the season is almost over, and I'm a bit late, but I had some trouble with the last player I recruited. Coach Hemandez said you haven't picked a college yet for the fall. Perfect, right? I need a backup forward, and you need a team. All you have to do is sign on the dotted line and you'll be my player for five years." The man spoke, not giving the kid a chance to respond.

- You can't be serious. Neil sighs in stress. Very serious and with little time - the man warned.

He tossed Neil’s file into the stands where the boy was sitting so he could see his own name scrawled in black marker. He thought about opening the folder, but why? First of all, the kid this coach was researching wasn’t even real and probably wouldn’t be around for much longer. In five weeks Neil would graduate, and in six weeks he would move with the kids and they would be people far away. No matter how much he liked Neil Josten or the last name Josten, he didn’t dare stay here much longer.

Neil should have gotten used to this. He had spent the last eight years on the run, creating lie after lie and leaving a tangled trail behind him. Twenty-two names stood between him and the truth, and he knew what would happen if someone finally joined the dots on that trail.

Signing with a college team meant more than sitting still, it meant getting into focus, prison wouldn't keep his father down for long, and the kids and Neil wouldn't survive a rematch against him.

- Please go away, he asked politely.

- It's a little unexpected, but I really need an answer, it's still night.Committee has been hounding me ever since Janie was interdicted.

Hearing that name, a bitter taste came to Neil's mouth. He fixed his gaze from the folder to the coach's face.

Foxes he said. Palmetto University.

The man Neil now knew must be Coach David Wymack, looked

surprised by how quickly the boy put everything together.

- I suppose you saw the news.

Technical difficulties, Wymack said on TV. This veiled expression referred to the attempted suicide of Janie Smalls, the team’s new player. Her best friend found her with her veins exposed in the bathroom and, fortunately, was able to get her to the hospital. The last Neal heard was that Janie had been placed under the care of psychiatrists. “Typical Foxes,” the news anchor blurted, though admittedly he wasn’t exaggerating.

The Palmetto University Foxes were a group of talented street kids: Wymack had formed his team exclusively from people from dysfunctional families. His idea of turning the Fox Hole into a sort of rehabilitation center sounded wonderful in theory, but in reality, Wymack’s charges were a group of broken loners, unable to unite even during the game. In the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Foxes were listed as the smallest team and a desperate outsider, ranking last for three years. They improved significantly last year, thanks to the tenacity of their captain and the strengthening of their defensive line, but they still weren’t taken seriously by critics. Their constant poor performances began to irritate even the KRE (Exi Regulations Committee). And then Kevin Day, who had already won the national title, joined the team. For the Foxes, this was the best thing that could have happened to them, and for Neil, it was the reason he couldn’t accept Wymack’s offer. Neil hadn't seen Kevin in almost eight years and wasn't looking forward to seeing him again. Not every door is worth opening; in Neil's case, his life and the lives of his children depended on it.

-You shouldn't have come," he said.

-And yet here I am, Wymack retorted. Should I give you a pen?

- No - Neil replied. I'm not going to play for the Foxes.

- Did I hear you wrong?

- You have a contract with Kevin.

-And Kevin wants you to sign, then?

Neil didn't want to stay there for another minute, he was already late getting home and if he took any longer, Pietro would definitely come after him and this respectful conversation with the two coaches would end up in a nice fight.

So without thinking twice, Neil ran up to the locker room, the metal of the bleachers making a loud noise with each step, but not loud enough to not hear Hernandez's voice. Neil didn't look back, nor did he care if they were following him. He just wanted to go home and forget everything.

Forget graduation

Forget 'Neil Josten' and that damned last name

She had left that night with the children, no chance, he would stay in this city, knowing that Kevin Day knows his location.

Neil unfortunately wasn't fast enough, he was halfway across the locker room when he noticed someone, unable to stop in time, a bright yellow racket reflected under the light, the stranger delivered a quick blow to Neil, the bat hit his stomach with enough force to crush lungs against his spine, he fell to the ground with a crack.

He tried not to vomit as he tried to control his own breathing, but his body refused to cooperate.

The ringing in his ear was Wymack's furious voice, sounding miles away.

-What the hell, Minyard, that's why we never have anything good.

-Ah, coach-someone said about his head if he was nice, he wouldn't be useful to us, would he?

- He won't be of any use if you beat him up.

Would you rather I let him get away? Just put a band-aid on him and he'll be good as new.

Neil's head was spinning, the air hitting the boy's tortured lungs, he inhaled the air so sharply that it made him have an attack of air, he hugged his belly with difficulty and threw a quick but fierce look at his damn attacker, he would rather not have stayed in that shitty bleachers just to see a damn cigarette, he should have left, feeling irritated, Neil stops coughing and gives a sigh and looks at his attacker again.

Andrew Minyard wasn’t much of a public figure, blond and five-foot-six, but Neil knew him well by now. Andrew was the Foxes’ rookie goalie, their riskiest investment. Most of the Foxes were self-destructive, while Andrew seemed more interested in collateral damage. He spent three years in a juvenile detention center, barely avoiding being sent back. Andrew was also the only person to refuse admission to Edgar Allen University. Kevin and Riko threw him a welcome party to welcome him to the team, but Andrew refused and joined the Foxes. He would never explain why he chose to do so, though everyone assumed it was because Wymack was willing to recruit other family members; Andrew’s twin brother and cousin, Nicholas Hemmick, had joined the team that same year. Whatever the reason, Andrew had been responsible for Kevin’s recent transfer.

Kevin played for Edgar Allen’s Ravens until he broke his dominant hand in a skiing accident last December. An injury like that cost him his college contract, but he should have been rehabilitating where he would have had the support of his former team. Instead, he moved to Palmetto to be Wymack’s informal assistant coach. Three weeks ago, he had officially signed to play next season. The only thing a dismal team like the Foxes could offer Kevin was the goalie who once scorned him.

Neil spent his sleepless nights searching for everything he could find about Andrew, wanting to decipher the boy who had caught Kevin's eye. Meeting Andrew face to face was as disorienting as it was painful.

Andrew smiled at Neil and gave a two-fingered salute.

-Better luck next time.

-Fuck you- Neil cursed. Where did you steal the racket from?

I borrowed it. Andrew tossed the racket to Neil, Here it is.

Neil! Hernandez shouted, grabbing Neil's arm to help him. "For God's sake, are you okay?"

- Andrew is a little grumpy. Wymack said, coming between Neil and Andrew.

Andrew had no trouble reading that silent warning. He held up his hands, shrugging his shoulders exaggeratedly, and stepped back to give Neil more space. Wymack watched him go before looking back at Neil.

- Did he break something?

Neil pressed his hands carefully to his ribs and breathed, feeling the way his muscles screamed in protest. He had fractured

enough bones in the past to know he was lucky this time.

-I'm fine, coach. I'm leaving, let me go.

“We’re not done,” Wymack interjected.

Coach Wymack-started Hernandez.

Wymack didn't let him finish.

-Give us a second?

Hernandez looked from Wymack to Neil.

- Don't worry, if anything happens, let Pietro know where I am. Neil says calmly as he frees himself from Hernandez's grip.

- Ok... Hernandez walks away.
- Should I report the possible bruise? The coach asks.

- No, don't you dare, you know how he is, Neil murmurs, sighing at the end, just thinking about the mess his son would make, he didn't even want to imagine.

Wymack watched the interaction with a raised eyebrow, when Hernandez finally came out of sight, Neil turned his gaze to the man.

- I've already given my answer, I'm not going to sign it.

- You didn't even hear my offer - Wymack said - I paid for three plane tickets just to see you, the least you could do is give me five minutes, don't you think?

- You paid for the tickets because you wanted to, that's not my problem, and you've already taken up more than 5 minutes of my time. Neil glared at Wymack as he crossed his arms against the wall.

Wymack looked at Neil in disbelief, not knowing what to say.

- Besides, even if I wanted to go, I couldn't, since I have a lot of luggage.

- That's not a problem. Wymack says, looking at the young man calmly.

- I have four adopted children, two little twin girls who are 3 years old and a boy who is 6 years old and another who just turned 17, you may have heard me talking about one of them with Coach Hernandez, Pietro plays on the soccer team.

Wymack looked at the young man with naive surprise.

- Okay, there's a school near Palmetto and a daycare a kilometer away.

Neil looks at Wymack in surprise as he uncrosses his arms, he didn't expect that answer, ignoring the name of a woman he doesn't know, he gives a small cough

– I understand, but understand that I'm not going to leave them with someone I don't know, so if a babysitter is needed, I'll choose one myself, and I don't want anyone else to know about them, not even the Foxes.

Wymack lets out a sigh. Hiring Neil would be more of a hassle than he thought. Okay, I think my place or Abby’s has plenty of room for the five of you, but I need to talk to the board about whether some of the kids could stay with you in the dorm.

Neil calmly cheered up at this and gave Wymack a gentle smile, hurried footsteps are heard heading towards the locker room, Neil already having an idea of who it is, calmly relaxes his posture and lets Pietro approach him.

- Who? Pietro asks, looking at Wymack and then at Neil.

- A trainer I just signed, when we get home you're going to be prepared because we're moving to Palmetto in five weeks. Neil calmly pats Pietro on the shoulder and hurries away, not waiting for the young man.

Pietro was totally surprised, not expecting his mother to sign with some coach, he looks Wymack up and down and gives him a confused look

- Are you sure that he just turned 17? Wymack looked at the boy in disbelief as he shook his head.

Pietro gives a low laugh and turns to follow his mother.

- See you later, old man. Pietro waves to Wymack with a smile as he runs towards his mother.
- MOTHER WAIT! He screams desperately, following his mother like a chick following its mother hen.
Wymack lets out a long sigh as he looks at the young man running after his newest recruit, where had he gotten himself into?

Arriving at the house where Neil and the children were staying, he calmly enters with Pietro. When he goes to the living room, he sees the twins playing with their dolls, while Bryan stands next to them in silence. After that terrible accident on Christmas, Bryan ended up getting a terrible scar, the right side of his face no longer had his eye, just a layer of skin where his eye should be, and over time Bryan ended up being diagnosed with hypoglycemia, and given the circumstances, Neil had to teach him at home.

When he noticed his brother and Neil's arrival, he quickly ran to Neil and hugged him.

- Mommy! Bryan shouts with a big smile as the twins notice and run after him.

Hey, honey, why don't you pack your bags? In five weeks we'll be moving to another place, but we'll keep the last name Josten. Neil says calmly as he looks at his children, who are excited that they're going to another place.

Then the twins take Bryan's hand and pull him into the room to decide what to bring.

Neil gives a low chuckle as he glances at Pietro who is standing next to him.

- Did something happen? Pietro asks suspiciously.

Neil knew he couldn't hide the bruise on his back, but knowing that the moment he became the mother of his brothers, Pietro promised to protect him from everything, and knowing where this could end, Neil ended up giving a gentle smile and telling Pietro to go eat and not think too much about it.

Chapter Text

Note: Did I promise that I would make a chapter just to show how Nathaniel used his own body or didn't I promise? Well, that doesn't matter, in fact this chapter may have a little bit of pedophilia (or a lot, it depends on your point of view)

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Nathaniel loved spending time with his daughters, but he hated having to be away from them because of work, which didn't really cover his expenses. He loved the owner of the bar who was kind enough to give him a job, but the salary didn't last long, so he had to have a secondary job to pay his expenses, but who said he could get a job?

He was only 15 years old and didn't have much experience, so he couldn't do much, until one day he heard one of the girls at the bar saying that she charged 300 reais for 2 hours, and complaining that she always ended up filling her cell phone with messages from customers.

Upon hearing this information, he became a little interested, especially because it would soon be Children's Day and he probably didn't have much money left until then, so letting out a sigh he decided, when his shift at the bar ended he would ask the neighbor to keep an eye on the twins, of course he would pay her, if he got a good amount of money that night, he would pay, if not, the young man would owe the little old lady.

When he finished his shift, he got the twins ready and took them to the neighbor who happily agreed to keep an eye on the twins. When he got home, he washed himself and put on short clothes. He picked up a bra with padding, and tightened them a little below his breasts, making them look like natural breasts. When he finished getting ready, he tied his hair in a simple bun and applied some clear lip gloss. After getting ready, he grabbed a bag and took some necessary things.

Arriving at a half-stopped bus station, he leans against a post and smiles at every car that passes, until an expensive-looking car stops in front of him. When he rolls down the window, the man inside the car, who looks to be in his 30s or 40s, looks him up and down.

- What is the price?

Nathaniel gives a low sigh and gives his best smile, approaching the car, he leans against the door.

- 100 reais, I'm new to this kind of thing and you're my first client. Nathaniel spoke calmly as he looked at the man.

It's too cheap, for a beauty like you. The man gave a low chuckle as he opened the door for the young man.

- Really? What a shame. Nathaniel sits in the passenger seat and closes the door.

- I would easily give you 200 reais, but I need to know what you do so much for. The man starts the car and drives away while lighting a cigarette, offering one to Nathaniel.

- I'll do whatever you ask, I have no limits. Nathaniel accepts the cigarette and takes a drag.

- I see, we've arrived. The man says, stopping the car in front of a large, good-looking motel. He gets out of the car and waits for Nathaniel, who follows him.

At reception, it was clear that the staff were used to him, the receptionist gave him a key and the man headed towards the elevator, while the young man followed him.

Upon arriving at the room, the man quickly closed the door and locked it. Without caring much, Nathaniel grabbed the strap of his bag.

- So, show me what you got. The man says, approaching him. By the way, – my name is Salvatore, but you can call me whatever you want, dear.

Nathaniel feels a bitter taste in his mouth, but soon shakes his head a little and gives Valentino a gentle smile.

- You can call me rabbit if you want. Nathaniel says, trying not to laugh at his own last-minute nickname, as he approaches the man to the point where their mouths almost touch.

- Great. The man says in one last breath before pulling Nathaniel into a kiss.

The young man just accepts and remains submissive in the hands of the older man, Nathaniel hugs Salvatore's neck while pressing himself against him, the older man grabs him by the thighs and pushes him onto the bed, climbing on top of him, Salvatore begins to kiss his collarbone while trying to take off his belt with one hand, after taking off the belt he moves away a little from Nathaniel and has a beautiful view, his marked collarbone while he blushes and lets out small sighs, the man gives a low laugh and goes back to kissing the young man's wet and swollen lips....

After 1 hour, Nathaniel fixed his dress and loosened his hair to cover the marks left, Salvatore smoked a cigarette while taking out some money notes and giving them to the young man, who took them without any hesitation.

- This is more than planned. Nathaniel looked at the 300 reais and then at Valentino.

- You deserve it. The man speaks calmly as he looks at him.

- If you say so. Nathaniel keeps the money in his bag.

- Need a ride? By the way, is your meeting place going to be on that highway?

Nathaniel looks at him in disbelief, but soon sighs.

- I don't need a ride, but to answer your question, yes, that will be my meeting point. Nathaniel says calmly as he packs his things and leaves the room.

The older man, seeing the young man walk out the door, gives a small smile as he shakes his head.

Time passed, and Nathaniel still did not understand the intentions of that man, who passed by the meeting point every night, even though he was not his only client, but always paid more than the necessary amount or always offered a ride, even though they were "kind" gestures.

Nathaniel didn't trust him one bit.

Arriving at Salvatore's house, Nathaniel starts to get nervous. Today had been different, the older man had asked the young man to go to his house, which was not common, but the man promised a very large amount, so Nathaniel accepted without thinking much.

Regretting it a little, he enters the house and soon becomes more nervous. In the house there were toys and some children's clothes, the man was looking at him with a scary smile.

- Bunny. The man spoke in a low tone, but you could see the malice behind it.

- speak. Nathaniel looked at him in disgust as he clutched the strap of his bag.

- What would be the price for me to sleep with your daughters?

- What? Nathaniel froze at that sentence, he looked at the man in front of him with disgust, as he slowly opened the bag, he was irritated that Salvatore knew about his daughters and still mentioned them in a disgusting way.

- What is the price? The man insists again, but now with a disgusting smile.

- That's the price. Nathaniel spoke calmly as his father's smile appeared on his lips, taking a small knife from his bag, he aimed it at the older man's neck.

Salvatore, upon noticing the knife, became angry and attacked Nathaniel.

- Don't think killing me is that simple. Salvatore stood over Nathaniel, holding him tightly to the ground. – Since you're not willing to give them up, I'll prefer you then, you're great at your job dear, don't get me wrong, but I prefer it when they cry, and your face is beautiful enough that I want to see it stained with tears.

Nathaniel didn't pay attention to anything else, he only worried about eliminating that insect, so that it wouldn't get close to his daughters. While he was lost in thought, the older man had already taken off his clothes and was preparing to penetrate him without preparation.

When Nathaniel felt the burning, he wanted to cry, but he refused to do so, he would never cry for a normal man, his fear should be his father, not this idiot man, so while the man penetrated him without caring about anything, Nathaniel passed the knife to his free hand and stuck it in the man's leg, at the moment when the man flinched in pain, Nathaniel found the strength to lift half of his body and the knife in his hand made a deep cut in Salvatore's neck, the young man slowly moved away while his body got dirty with each splash of blood that came out of the man's throat.

Nathaniel looked at the dead body in front of him and took his clothes back, putting them back on, he took a black bag he had in his bag for any emergency and took the knife and threw it inside there along with the son of a bitch's clothes, after cleaning, he left, straight to his house, irritated for being limping, he calmly sighed and straightened his posture, he would have to find a way with the damn pain, tomorrow night he would probably have other clients to attend to.

Chapter Text

      Note: I would love to see you guys comment

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Neil had long since lost count of how many airports he had seen. Whatever the number, it was insane, and he would never be able to get comfortable with it.

There were a lot of people watching him at the airport, and flying with a fake passport was always risky. He had inherited his mother's connections after her death, so he knew the job was well done, but his heart beat faster every time someone asked to check his documents.

He had never been to Sky Harbor Airport, let alone South Carolina, but there was something familiar about his frenetic pace. He stayed with the children the entire time, even after everyone else on the flight had left for their destinations. The crowd around him seemed to be the usual mix of tourists, businesspeople, and students heading home for the end of the semester. He expected no one to recognize him, since he had never been to South Carolina, but he didn’t usually check ahead of time.

Finally, he made his way down a hallway to the landing stairs. Friday afternoon meant the small hallway was packed, and finding the ride Coach Wymark had promised him was easier than Neil had expected.

It was his teammate's unerring gaze that caught Neil's gaze almost right to him. 

It was one of the twins. Judging by the calm look on his face, Neil had made his bet that it wasn't Andrew. Aaron Minyard was often referred to as "the normal" of the two, though this was usually followed by a debate about whether or not he might be healthy, given that he shared genes with Andrew.

Neil walked across the room with the children to find him. Neil was the shortest player on the Millport Wild Dogs team, but now he was a little taller than Aaron. The black suit he was wearing didn't help him look tall either. Neil wondered how he managed to wear long sleeves, especially in this heat, you could feel the heat just looking at him.

- Neil - Aaron points instead of greeting. - Give me your luggage.

- I only have this and the children.

Neil lifted his bag and slung it over his shoulder as he pointed at the children.

- Are they with you? - Aaron asks with a raised eyebrow as he tries to get a small look at Bryan's face.

- Yes, any problem?

This time Pietro is the one who answers, impatiently, carrying Bryan who had fallen asleep from exhaustion while the twins whispered to each other.

Aaron, without answering, turned and motioned for them to follow him, Neil and the children followed him through the sliding glass gate into a warm summer afternoon. A small crowd waited at the traffic lights, in the crosswalk, but Aaron pushed past them and continued on. A screech of brakes screeched as a taxi stopped an inch from Aaron's body, which he seemed not to notice, more interested in lighting a cigarette between his lips. He paid even less attention to the curses the driver shouted. Neil waved an apology at the taxi driver and hurried to catch up while Pietro fell a little behind and raised his middle finger at the driver.

A sleek black car was waiting in the parking lot. Neil didn't know much about cars in general, but he knew Pietro was interested in them, and from the look on the younger man's face, he could tell it was worth a fortune. But then he thought for a moment that there must be a smaller car out of sight, behind it, but Aaron unlocked the big car with a button on his key fob.

“Luggage in the trunk,” he said, opening the driver’s door and sitting sideways in the seat to smoke.

Neil obediently picked up the kids’ bags and put their backpacks in the trunk before climbing into the passenger seat. Neil turned to get Bryan who had woken up, while Aaron didn’t go anywhere until he had smoked his half-finished cigarette. He got in the car and closed the door. A turn of the key in the ignition made the engine hum, and Aaron looked at Neil again. The ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth was a decidedly hostile expression.

- Neil Josten, he said again, sounding more like a test. - Here for the summer, huh?

- Yes.

Aaron turned the air conditioning on full blast and steered the car in reverse.

- So there are nine of us. But the kids will probably stay with Abby, so there will be five of us.

Neil had heard that name before, coming from Wymack, but he didn't know who the woman was. Before, he had an absurd fear of women, especially women his mother's age, but with Nathaniel's memories, he ended up having more trust in adult women than adult men.

Coach Wymack had warned Neil that Andrew and Aaron's cousin Nicholas would be in town, but the sum still didn't add up. Neil knew who that fifth person was. He didn't want to believe it, even though he knew he'd expected it. Kevin had been superglued to Andrew's side ever since his transfer. Still, Neil had to be sure.

- Is Kevin going to stay on campus? - He asked.

- Wherever the stadium is, Kevin will be there. He can't live without that thing.

Aaron replied sarcastically.

- I don't think Kevin is here because of the stadium, Neil supposed.

Aaron didn't respond.

It was a short drive to the parking lot exit, Aaron handing the lady at the counter money. He stepped on the gas as the barrier lifted to let them out. A car horn honked at them in warning as they cut straight into traffic, Neil discreetly holding Bryan against his chest as he buckled his seatbelt. Aaron either didn't notice or didn't care. Once they were on the highway, he gave Neil a sideways glance.

- I heard you didn't want to sign the contract because of Kevin last month.

- Well, let's just say I'm not a big fan of him. - Neil replied, watching the scenery rush by outside the window. - but maybe you'll forgive me for not reacting well.

- Maybe not. I don't believe in forgiveness, and I'm not the one you offended. This is the second time a recruit has said fuck you to him. If you could make him bite the bullet, his pride would be destroyed. Instead, he's losing faith in the intelligence of high school athletes.

- I'm sure Andrew had his reasons for refusing the same as I did.

- You said you weren't good enough, but you're here anyway. Do you think a summer of training will make much of a difference?

- No, Neil answers. - It was very difficult to say no, and besides, the children are fans. The twins turned their faces away indignantly when they heard this.

- Coach always seems to know what to say, huh? Makes things harder for the rest of us. Even Millport shouldn't have given you a chance.

Neil shrugged.

Millport is too small to worry about experimentation. I had nothing to lose by trying, and they had nothing to gain by rejecting me. It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time, I guess.

- Do you believe in destiny?

Neil sensed the slight contempt in Aaron's voice, causing him to calmly look away at Bryan. 

- Not much, and you?

“Good luck then,” Aaron wished, ignoring that return question.

- Only bad luck. Neil says jokingly as he kisses Bryan on the forehead, who wakes up sleepy and hugs his mother's neck.

- We are flattered by your opinion of us, of course.

Aaron turned the wheel, zigzagging the car from one lane to the other without bothering to check the traffic around them. Horns honked behind them. Neil glanced in the rearview mirror as cars swerved, avoiding crashing into them.

- It's too good a car to be destroyed - he said with a small smile. 

"Don't be afraid to die," Aaron replied as the car zigzagged down the four-lane highway toward an off-ramp. "If you're scared, you're no good for our team."

- First of all we are talking about a sport, not a fight to the death, and secondly my children are here inside, so drive right. 

Even with a gentle smile, Neil speaks to Aaron in an irritated tone of voice while Pietro in the back seat with the twins smiles at his mother's words.

- It's the same thing, said Aaron. You're going to play for a First Division team, with Kevin on your team, people are always willing to bleed for that. I suppose you've seen it on the news.

Even saying these words, he ends up slowing down the car.

- I see, Neil nodded without interest as he paid attention to Pietro who had his arms crossed.

Aaron gestured with his fingers, as if proving his point. Neil should have told him he was wrong, but he let it slide.

Kevin Day and his adopted brother, Riko Moriyama, have been hailed as the children of Exy. Kevin’s mother, Kayleigh Day, and Riko’s uncle, Tetsuji Moriyama, created the sport thirty years ago while Kayleigh was studying abroad in Fukui, Japan. What began as an experiment spread from campus to local street teams and then across the pond to the rest of the world. Kayleigh brought it home with her to Ireland after completing her degree. The United States picked up the sport soon after.

Kevin and Riko were raised at Exy. They both had their own custom racquets, although the giant Evermore Castle stadium in Edgar Allen, Exy's first NCAA stadium in the United States, was a bit out of the ordinary. After Kayleigh's fatal car accident, Tetsuji adopted Kevin, but the new Ravens coach didn't have time to care for his children. Riko and Kevin spent their entire school years at Evermore with the Ravens, and were considered the team's unofficial mascots.

When they weren't being coached by Tetsuji, they were being coached by a team, teachers were brought to the venue so they didn't have to leave the stadium to go to school. Kevin and Riko grew up in front of the cameras, with Exy always in the background, and always together. Until Kevin transferred to Palmetto State, he and Riko had never been seen apart.

Their unconventional childhood led many to worry about their psychological well-being, but it also fueled a raging obsession with the duo. Riko and Kevin were the faces of the Crows. For many, they were considered the future of Exy.

Last December, Riko and Kevin disappeared from the public eye for weeks. When the spring championship began in January, neither of them was in the Ravens’ starting lineup. Late in January, that’s when Tetsuji Moriyama addressed the issue at a press conference. The news came as a cruel blow to Exy fans everywhere: Kevin Day had injured his hand on a skiing trip. According to Tetsuji, Kevin and Riko were too devastated to face the Ravens and their fans at the time.

The next day, Coach Wymack told the press that Kevin was recovering in South Carolina. Hearing that Kevin would never play again was bad enough; finding out he was leaving the Ravens was even worse for the die-hard fans. Kevin had been relegated to the bench as an assistant coach, where he lent his prestige and knowledge to the local team. Fans took this as a slight to their beloved Ravens, but most people took him for granted once his hand healed again. Except Kevin Day signed with the Foxes in March, no longer as a coach, but as a forward.

His fans went from feeling heartbroken to feeling betrayed.

Palmetto State has borne the brunt of this hatred ever since. The school and stadium have been vandalized more than a dozen times, and several fights have broken out on campus. It would only get worse when the season resumed and people saw Kevin wearing Foxes colors.

Neil wasn't at all eager to step into this chaos.

Wymack’s apartment was a twenty-minute drive from the airport. The parking lot was nearly empty, since it was noon on a workday, but there were three people waiting on the sidewalk.

Aaron was the first to get out and pointed the key fob at the back of the car. Neil heard the lock click as he got out of the car with the kids. Aaron met the others at the curb while Neil grabbed the twins' and his own bags from the trunk. Neil handed the bags to the twins who insisted on carrying their own. Letting out a sigh, he slung the backpack over his shoulder, easing himself a little with the familiar weight. He straightened his posture and smiled kindly. And before he knew it, he and the kids were the center of attention.

The twins stood on either side of Kevin, dressed identically but easily distinguishable by the looks on their faces. Aaron looked annoyed now, having accomplished his task in bringing Neil in. Andrew was smiling, but Neil knew his joy didn't mean a pleasant reaction. He was smiling as he smashed a racket into his stomach.

Nicholas Hemmick seemed the only one genuinely happy and surprised to see Neil and the kids, he stepped down onto the sidewalk and approached. Neil was glad for the distraction, as it kept him from looking at Kevin, and he readily accepted Nicholas's offered hand.

“Hey,” the boy said, using his handshake to pull Neil to the curb. “Welcome to South Carolina. Did you fly well?”

- Yes, I flew very well. - Nicky gave Neil's hand one last squeeze before letting go. - I'm Andrew and Aaron's cousin, the wonderful defender.

Neil looked at him, and then at the twins. The twins were fair-skinned, Nicky was dark, with black hair, dark brown eyes, and skin two shades darker to make him look tan. He was also a little taller than them.

- Of blood?

Nicky laughed.

- We don't look alike, do we? I take after my mom. My dad rescued her from Mexico during a missionary trip while he was doing the paranaueê. - He rolled his eyes, then jerked a thumb at the others. You know them, don't you? Aaron, Andrew, Kevin? Coach was supposed to be here to let you in, but he had to go to the stadium real quick. CRE called him in for a meeting, probably about why we haven't announced our replacement yet. In the meantime, you stay with us, we have the coach's keys, and these are your brothers? Nick asked excitedly as he crouched down to the twins' level.

Neil had initially told the trainer that he didn't want the foxes to know about his children, but while he waited for his graduation to arrive, he talked to Pietro and decided not to hide it, especially because who would suspect that Nathaniel Wesninski would adopt 4 children.

- They are my children. Neil stands in front of the twins - The twins are called Amélia and Cecília, Pietro is the oldest and Bryan is the one who is sleeping.

When he finishes speaking, Nick looks at him confused while Kevin lets out an angry sigh, Aaron rolls his eyes, disinterested and Andrew continues with his smile.

- Are they blood? Nick asks with an embarrassed smile.

Cecília and Amélia stop talking to each other and look at Nick, as if he had said the most idiotic thing in the world.

- And I thought Pietro was stupid. - says Cecília with an eye roll while Amélia holds back a laugh beside her.

- Hey! Pietro shouts angrily at the twins while Bryan wakes up and takes his face off his brother's neck, looking at the unknown people in front of his family, he started to feel uncomfortable as he saw the expected reactions.

Nick gasped when he noticed the scar that covered half of Bryan's face, Kevin stifled a sigh while Aaron looked on in bewilderment, Andrew's smile grew stiffer 

Bryan looked panicked in his brother's arms, trying to push them away and get closer to Neil, Pietro noticing and put him on the ground.

The boy was quick to run between his mother's legs.

- Children. Neil speaks softly as he places his hand on Bryan's head and looks at the twins and then at Pietro who looks away embarrassed. - But to answer your question, no Nick, they are not blood related. He gives a gentle smile as he looks at Nick.

- Okay, I get it. Nick says embarrassed and nervous as he gets up and walks away from the twins, standing next to a serious Kevin.

- Why didn't you say you had children!? Kevin asks irritably, trying not to look at Bryan.

- The coach didn't find a problem.

- Are your things still in the trunk? Nick asked, interrupting what Kevin was going to say next. 

- No, that's all.

Nicky arched an eyebrow and looked at the others.

- They only have one bag. I wish I could travel like that. Damn, if only I weren't so materialistic.

- Materialist is just the beginning, Aaron insinuated.

Nicky smiled and grabbed Neil's shoulder, guiding him toward the front gate.

Neil flinches at the touch, but doesn't pull away.

Bryan, noticing Neil's hesitation against Nick's touch, hugs his legs even tighter.

- What's wrong Bryan? Neil asks worriedly as he stops walking and looks at the boy.

- Mommy, I want to be held. Bryan asks with an excited smile, his initial panic disappearing when he sees Neil's smile, he touches Neil's hand for comfort.

- Of course, dear. Neil responds with a soft smile, picking up Bryan and pushing Nick's hand away in the process. Pietro, who was watching this scene, gave a smirk, proud that his brother had noticed his mother's discomfort before him.

- Mom? Nick asked confused as he looked at Neil, while Aaron grimaced and Kevin looked at the children and Neil with the same confusion, Andrew didn't look at Neil, but his gaze showed curiosity.

Before Neil can answer the question, Pietro stands in front of him and quickly interrupts him.

- Is there a problem? As far as I know he's here to play and not to answer your stupid questions. Pietro says irritably as he picks up the twins and looks at the group suspiciously.

- Oh… Right! Let's go to the coach's apartment right away! Nick tries to change the subject as he starts walking in front of them.

- And this is where the coach lives, he said unnecessarily. - He makes all the money, so he can live in a place like this, while we poor people sleep on couches.

- You have a very expensive car for someone who thinks he's poor. Pietro says, looking at the car and then at them. Still with a suspicious look.

- It's because of him that we're poor. Nicky replied dryly.

“Aaron’s mom bought us money with her life insurance money,” Andrew explained. “It wasn’t surprising that she was worth anything after she died.”

“Calm down,” Nicky said, but he looked at Aaron as he spoke.

Andrew threw up his hands in a shrug. Why worry? It's a cruel world, isn't it, Neil? You wouldn't be here if it wasn't.

- I don't think the world is cruel, Neil replied. - But I do think the people who live in it are.

- Oh, that's true.

They rode the elevator to the seventh floor in silence. Neil glanced at the numbers flashing above the door and then at Bryan, who wrapped his arms around his neck, trying not to look at Kevin's reflection. His concern for the children's well-being was enough of a distraction. He preferred to stay as close to them as possible, so he could protect them as quickly as possible if necessary. Being away from them was definitely out of the question. Neil made a mental note to look for all the emergency exits.

Wymack’s apartment was number 724. Everyone crowded around the door as Aaron pulled the key out of his pocket. It took him two tries to remember which pocket it was in. Neil didn’t notice when he found it and unlocked the door. He was more busy looking at Aaron’s pants pockets. They were too flat to hide a pack of cigarettes, but Neil had seen Aaron put it away before he crossed the street at the airport.

Here it is, Neil, Nicky said, and Neil forced his gaze toward the open door.

Nicky gestured for him to come in.

- Home sweet home. If anything involving the coach can be called sweet.

Neil had known since April that he would be sleeping with Bryan on Coach Wymack’s couch for the next few weeks, while the twins and Pietro slept at Abby’s. He’d known in the days since Wymack’s visit that it would be uncomfortable. He still wasn’t prepared for the way his stomach was churning inside him now. Ever since his mother died, the only people who slept near him were his children and his damn clients, most of whom were men. How could he let Wymack lock the door every night with the three of them under the same roof?

He couldn’t sleep there; with every breath Wymack took, Neil would probably wake up wondering who was around him and Bryan. Maybe he should go back and stay in a hotel, but how would he explain that to Wymack? Would he have to explain himself? Wymack knew about the kids, so would he understand his reluctance?

He hadn't expected to freeze like that, hesitating for a long time, making Pietro take the initiative and enter the hallway. Neil saw the curious and confused look Nicky sent Aaron, and knew he had made a mistake. He quickly followed Pietro with Bryan in his arms and looked at Andrew who had entered after Pietro. Andrew was smiling, his pale gaze intense. Neil met his eyes for a moment and knew it would have been worse to stay there with them than to walk through that door. He would find out what he feared, but not here and not now, not with Andrew and Kevin as witnesses.

Neil walked through the door and down the hallway following Pietro who was carrying the excited twins. The first door opened into the living room, where Neil and Bryan would be sleeping. The couch Wymack had said was clean, there was even a note for him, saying the blankets were in the coffee table drawer. The couch was the only place in the room that was clean, everything else was covered in paperwork and empty coffee mugs. The ashtray was overflowing with ash.

Pietro made a noise of disgust as the twins whispered amongst themselves, Neil grimaced slightly and hugged Bryan closer to his body.

Even if he didn't care about his own hygiene, he would always prefer that children stay clean and in clean places. 

Neil was on the other side of the room, ready to look out the window and look away from the mess when Nicky spoke behind him.

- What was that?

Neil's blood turned to mud and Pietro froze, the twins who had been whispering before stopped immediately, even Bryan buried his head deeper into Neil's neck. It wasn't the words Nicky had said that made the family freeze, but the language he used.

German was Neil’s second language, and he had taught the children the language too, having learned it through three years of living in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. He remembered more of Europe than he cared to; most of it had been a blur. Neil knew the taste of blood in his mouth was just his imagination, but it was enough to choke him. He could feel his heartbeat under every inch of his skin, beating so fast it made him tremble from head to toe.

How did they know he spoke German?

Neil quickly thought about running away, but Aaron answered, and Neil realized that Nicky wasn't talking to him. No, they were talking about him, without the intention of him understanding.

Neil forced himself to move, finishing his journey to the window. He pushed the curtains aside and placed his hands on the glass, needing something to lean on as his heart tried to return to its normal rhythm. Bryan touched his hair for comfort, causing Neil to hum a nursery rhyme softly enough for only Bryan to hear. 

- I think he was savoring the moment, Aaron replied.

- No, Nicky refuted. It sounded more like shock. What the hell did you say to him, Andrew?

Neil and Pietro looked at them.

Nicky wasn't looking at Andrew, perhaps already knowing he wouldn't get an answer, but they were both watching Neil from across the room. When Neil turned around, Nicky smiled brightly and switched back to English.

- How about a walk?

Neil thought about saying something, but thought it best to stay quiet, that scare had left his hands shaking, but he tried to hide it, hugging Bryan, even tighter, so Pietro answered for him, noticing Neil's discomfort.

- Sure, why not? Pietro replied with a smile.

There wasn’t much to see. A bathroom was across from the kitchen, and the bedrooms were down the hall. Wymack had turned the second bedroom into an office. Unlike the walls in the living room, the walls in the office were covered with newspaper articles, staff photos, outdated calendars, and various certificates. Two bookshelves lined the wall, one filled with Exy’s books, the other a mishmash of everything from travel guides to classic literature. Wymack’s desk was buried in papers, not an inch of wood visible, and Neil’s files were on top. In one corner sat a prescription bottle, weighing it down.

Nicky took the bottle with a triumphant sound and twisted the cap.

“That’s not yours,” Neil warned, trying to hide the disgust in his eyes.

“Painkillers,” Nicky said, ignoring the implied accusation. “Coach broke his hip a few years ago, you know? That’s how he met Abby. She was his therapist, and he got her the job here. The team is still split 50-50 on whether or not they’re having sex. Andrew refuses to vote, which means you break the tie. We want to know ASAP. I have money riding on this.”

He squeezed a few pills into his palm, screwed the cap back on, and put the bottle back in place. Neil looked to see what the others in the group thought of this, but Andrew and Kevin were gone. Only Aaron remained and didn't seem to care, but Pietro looked irritated but tried to control himself, with the twins pinching his hands.

- Don't do that in front of the kids - Pietro takes on a cold tone as he looks at Nicky, he probably would have attacked, if Neil wasn't there, the twins squeezed his hands as a warning not to get mommy in trouble.

- I had forgotten about them, sorry, by the way you're going to meet Abby tonight, at dinner, Nicky said, tucking the pills into his pocket as he looked at Pietro. We have a few hours, so maybe we can take him to the stadium and let him have a look. We have enough of us for a match now. Kevin is probably pissing himself with excitement.

“I doubt it,” Neil said, thinking about Kevin’s cold expression.

- Kevin isn't excited, Aaron agreed, but since Exy is the only thing that matters, no one wants to see you on the court more than he does.

Neil’s reply caught somewhere in his throat as he processed this information. It was the same thing Aaron had said in the car, almost, except Aaron had sounded apathetic, now he sounded sarcastic. Between this sudden change in attitude, the missing pack of cigarettes, and the identical outfits, Neil was starting to guess what was going on. These were only minor things, but Neil had learned to survive on subtle details.

entered the hallway. Aaron and Kevin followed him, presumably with the

alcohol hidden between their bodies, leaving Nicky and Neil in the office.

- I didn't break anything this time – said Andrew.

- I'll believe it after I check everything I have.

The door slammed in the hallway, and it wasn't long before the coach

entered the office door. Dressed in jeans and a faded shirt,

Wymack looked more like a garage rocker than a coach college. Neil supposed he didn't have to look presentable in his own home, but it still felt disorienting.

Wymack assessed Neil and nodded.

- I see you're fine. I was sure Nicky's driving would kill you. 

Neil felt Nicky watching him and said:

- We've survived worse.

Pietro nods beside him.

“There’s no worse survival than driving this idiot,” Wymack said. “ There’s only open casket or closed casket.”

“Hey, hey,” Nicky interrupted. “That’s not fair.”

- Life isn't fair, you idiot. Get over it. What are you still doing here?

- Leaking – Andrew replied. – Goodbye. Is Neil coming too?

Bryan lifts his face from Neil's shoulder and looks at Pietro in confusion.

- Where are we going? - Bryan asks quietly in Portuguese to Pietro who also shrugs, confused. 

- Where are you going? – Wymack asked, looking suspicious.

- I also wonder, where are we going? – Neil looks at Nicky with a smile.

- Mercy, what kind of people do you think we are? – Nicky asked.

Neil shrugs as he plays with Bryan's hair.

- Do you really want me to answer?

- We'll take him to the stadium - Aaron replied. - Then we'll take him to Abby, you won't need him, will you?

- No, no you won't, he didn't arrive with the kids for even 10 minutes, so go out and tell Kevin that not today. - Wymack says, crossing his arms.

- Whatever. - Aaron replied, leaving the room.

- Bye Neil, bye kids. Nicky says in a sickening voice as he follows Aaron. 

Neil calmly sits on the couch letting Bryan relax more against his body, the twins let go of Pietro's hands and run to stand next to their mother.

But soon the peace is disturbed by Kevin, who enters in a huff.

- What do you mean, he's not going to train? He needs to! - Kevin says indignantly.

Neil rolls his eyes as he feels his mind flood with curses, most of them from Nathaniel and the rest from Alex, they had forgotten how insufferable Kevin could be.

- Yes, I do, but my children need to rest. - Neil replied irritably.

Kevin was going to start his drama again until Andrew finally walks in.

- Let's go, if mother fox doesn't want to come then we can't do anything. - Andrew says with a smile as he walks away.

Pietro is uncomfortable with the way Andrew talks to Neil, Bryan stops snuggling against Neil and looks at Andrew with a raised eyebrow, while the twins who can't stay quiet start asking questions.

- Why did you say mother fox? - Amélia asks with a serious face.

- Are you trying to get my mother? - Cecília says, being more direct. He is not the first man to try to court the twins' mother, so they are vigilant about any man who approaches Neil.

- Cecília and Amélia! - Neil shouts embarrassed, Pietro tries to hold back his laughter while Bryan looks angrily at Andrew.

Andrew stops walking and looks at the twins with a stiff smile, Kevin chokes as Wymack uncrosses his arm and gives a light cough.

- No. - Andrew answers looking at the twins as he leaves the room. Kevin follows him complaining loudly.

- Later we'll go to Abby's house, if you need me, I'll be in the office. - says Wymack, who soon turns to go to the office.

Neil gives a small nod as he takes their bags and stows them under the couch.

- We need to go buy groceries - Neil says calmly.

- Leave this to me and the twins. - Pietro says with a smile as he picks up the twins.

- Okay, but don't take too long! - Neil says worriedly, looking at Pietro and the twins who are leaving the apartment.

- Okay,

It seems like we have a lot to do. - Neil says looking at the mess in the room and then at Bryan who smiles back.

 After 2 hours, Neil, with Bryan's help, had already managed to tidy up the entire living room and kitchen. They cleaned the furniture and swept the floor. It wasn't really cleaning, but at least they dusted things. Then Neil realized that he and Bryan needed a shower, so he grabbed some clean clothes for him and Bryan and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Entering the bathroom, he was relieved that it had a lock on the inside, Neil quickly takes off his sweaty clothes and puts them in a bag and lets Bryan take off his own clothes while he turns on the shower, he gets in the shower feeling the hot water falling on his shoulders, soon Bryan joins him, taking a shower as quickly as possible, scrubbing himself and washing his and the youngest's hair.

After the shower, he hands Bryan a pair of Spider-Man underwear, a T-shirt and knee-length shorts, who happily takes them and gets ready. Neil puts on a large white shirt and shorts. He ties up part of Bryan's bangs with two thin hairpins. Then, Neil picks up Bryan and leaves the bathroom, placing him on the couch and taking a math book out of his bag. He hands it to the little boy and goes to the kitchen to see what he has to eat. He soon finds ingredients to make fritters. He makes the dough and then puts it to fry.

After placing the cupcakes in a small jar, he sprinkles sugar and cinnamon on top, soon he hears the front door open, Pietro places the twins on the floor and the bags with food and hygiene products near the sofa.

- Take advantage of the fact that you're here, bathe the girls and then go take a shower. - Neil says with a smile as he closes the jar full of rain cakes, he made it to make a good impression on Abby.

- Okay! - Pietro mumbles, yawning as he grabs the twins' bags and takes them to take a shower.

After 5 minutes Pietro comes out of the bathroom with the twins wearing pink dresses with white ruffles, Neil sits on the couch and grabs a comb and some white and pink bows, Pietro soon hands the twins to Neil and grabs his backpack and takes it to the bathroom. 

Neil arranges the girls' hair in a beautiful way, leaving Amelia's hair loose, but with a white bow at the back while Cecilia's hair is tied on two sides with pink bows, he makes them put on their pink ballet flats, and gives them both a kiss on the forehead.

Not that Neil wanted to make the twins seem like they were more important to him, in fact he cares about everyone equally, but he also respected the style of clothing that each one wanted to wear, of course there were limits, first it couldn't be anything short and sexualized, he always kept an eye on the clothes the children wore, so as not to have any sexualization of his children.

Pietro leaves the bathroom after 10 minutes, that's when Neil realized why they took so long to get home, Pietro had taken out his braids and cut his hair into a mullet style, leaving the sides shaved.

- What did you think? - Pietro says jokingly as he spins around, he wears a skull shirt and cargo jeans, his belt looks like a black chain.

- Perfect - Neil replies with a gentle smile, which is returned with a smile of pure happiness from Pietro.

Soon the family turns to face the office door as it opens.

- Are you guys ready yet? - Wymack asks in surprise as he leaves the office.

- Yes. - Neil answers along with the children.

- Okay, then everyone, straight to the car! - Wymack says, taking the keys from the table and opening the apartment door for the children.

Neil takes the twins' and Pietro's bags, following the children with a gentle smile, sometimes scolding the twins or Bryan for running too fast, arriving at the car he put the bags on the floor of the car, the twins are the first to climb into the car followed by Pietro and Bryan, after seeing if everyone is comfortable, Neil goes to sit in the passenger seat and looks at Wymack, the coach starts the car and thus begins the trip to Abby's house, Neil stared out the window with his arms crossed, not wanting to think too much.

The trip to Abby's house didn't take long, after 10 minutes they were already there. Neil got out of the car and waited for the children to leave, so he could get the backpacks and the candy he had saved, after getting everything he followed Wymack.

Neil was excited to meet his children's future nanny, and wanted to make a good impression. Entering the house, he soon went towards the kitchen, leaving the children with Wymack in the living room. In the kitchen was the woman who looked at him in surprise, but soon gave a kind smile.

- Hi, you must be Neil, right? - she asks calmly. 

- Yes, and you must be Abby, do you need help? - Neil gives a gentle smile as he points to the vegetables that need to be cut, putting the little pot aside. 

- Oh, if it's not too much trouble, I'd appreciate it. - Abby replies as she distracts herself with the pot on the stove.

Neil focused on grabbing a knife and cutting the vegetables, it didn't even take him 2 minutes to cut them all.

- Wow, you were pretty fast. - Abby looks at him in surprise.

- That's because, when I had to work at night, I needed to leave food ready for the children, so it became a habit to prepare everything quickly - Neil says with a gentle smile as he takes the vegetables and puts them on a plate.

- I see, Wymack warned me about the kids, looks like I'm going to be their babysitter, huh? - Abby jokes as she takes the vegetables from the plate and pours them into the pan.

Neil washes his hands and then dries them with a napkin. After drying his hands, he goes to where he placed the little pot and hands it to Abby.

- I made it at the coach's house, it's kind of rude to go to other people's houses empty-handed, they're rain cakes, it's a sweet, you eat it more for breakfast, but it's great as a dessert too. - Neil says with a gentle smile as he looks at her.

- Thank you so much, dear. - Abby gives him a gentle smile as she takes the little pot full of rain cakes. - I'll put it on a plate.

Neil chuckles softly until he hears the front door open, looking out of the kitchen he sees the group with Wymack.

- Hemmick, come here and be useful for once in your mangy life. Set the table. - Wymack shouts with his arms crossed, his tattoos covered with Strawberry Shortcake stickers, probably the twins' work, since they were more outgoing than the boys.

- AAHH, coach, – Nicky complained, but when he saw the coach's arm he laughed – new style? It suits you coach.

- Shut up and get to work.

- You two can't even behave when we have guests? - Abby as she leaves the kitchen.

- I don't see any guests. Neil is a Fox. He won't get any special treatment just because it's his first day. I don't want him to think this team is anything but dysfunctional, or June will be a harsh reality.

- David? Shut up and see if the vegetables aren't boiling too much.

Kevin, look at the bread in the oven. Nicky, table. Aaron, help him. Andrew Joseph Minyard, this better not be what I think it is!

She grabbed the whiskey from Andrew's hand, but he laughed and walked out the door. From the hallway, Abigail looked like she wanted to follow him, but she settled for just giving Nicky a murderous look.

What should I do? Nicky asked, avoiding his gaze as the three

they separated into their respective tasks. – Take that away from him? Not in hell.

Abby ignored him to look at Neil.

– I hope they didn't bother you. By the way, Neil, if you want, there's some orange juice for the kids in the fridge.

Before Neil could respond, Andrew interrupted him.

“Don’t worry,” Andrew shouted, out of sight. “Indeed. It’ll take a while to finish him off, I think. Give me until August, maybe.”

Pietro looked at him angrily.

- Dare you give us a repeat of last year… - Abby spoke in a serious tone 

- So, Bee will be here putting the pieces together - Andrew interrupted her,

appearing in the doorway. Having lost his whiskey along the way, he held out his empty hands in a plea for calm. “She did so well with Matt, didn’t she? Neil isn’t going to be a blip on her radar.”

- You invited her, didn't you?

- I invited her, but she declined. She thought it would make things a little embarrassing. - There's nothing embarrassing except when Andrew and Nicky are around - said the coach.

- Who's Bee? - Neil asks with a gentle smile.

The group looks in his direction, Abby gives a small cough and looks at him.

- Bee is the team psychiatrist, you'll meet her in August. Abby gives him a smile

- Oh, I see, I can't wait - Neil says with a gentle smile.

Not that he liked psychologists, but it was better to smile than to complain, at least it was a female psychiatrist.

- Betsy is great - Nicky said. - You'll love her.

 Neil doubted it, but he let it go anyway, well, for now.

“Let’s eat, okay?” Abby suggested, gesturing for Andrew to enter the room.

Neil had already helped the younger children into their chairs and sat at the table as far away from Kevin and Andrew's seats as he could. The conversation died down as everyone sat down and

served themselves, but started again as they took pieces of lasagna. Neil did the

He did his best to stay out of it, but when Abby talked to him or the kids he had to stay in the loop, but in the times when he didn't have to he was more interested in seeing how they interacted.

Every now and then the table would separate, as Kevin and Wymack talked about spring practices and recruiting at other schools, and

Nicky was talking to the other half of the table about gossip, movies and celebrities that

Neil didn't know. Andrew watched Kevin and Wymack, but had nothing to say.

contribute to the conversation. Instead, he hummed to himself and pushed his food on the corner of your plate. 

After lunch, Abby, with Neil's help, clears the plates and places the plate full of fritters in the center of the table.

- What is this? - Nicky is the first to ask.

- I make rain cakes for the children for breakfast or afternoon tea. Neil explains calmly as he takes one and gives it to Amélia and then to Cecília.

Wymack takes one along with Abby who thanks him for the dessert, Nicky is the first of the group to accept the sweet. He takes a bite and soon begins to talk.

- How delicious! You cook very well Neil! - Nicky says taking more cupcakes from the plate, in an exaggerated way, in front of Neil, but soon the rest of the group also starts taking the cupcakes, even with Kevin's grumbling, he ends up taking some too, and Andrew ends up taking most of the cupcakes, Neil noticed, but played dumb.

After everyone ate and left the dishes for Aaron who went to clean complaining, Wymack announces that it is time to leave, Neil takes the now clean pot back and picks up Bryan, saying goodbye to the sad and upset twins with a crying face, he laughs, kissing their foreheads and giving Pietro a hug, when he walked away from the house to go to where Wymack's car is parked he hears crying from afar, probably from the twins, he apologizes to Abram and Nathaniel while ignoring the crying and gets in the car.

Wymack enters right behind him, starting the car, which soon drives away from the house.

- Are they going to be okay? I've never seen children cry so much. Wymack says, feeling a bit shivered when he remembers the loud crying he heard.

- They have an older brother, everything will be fine. Neil says naturally as he hugs Bryan who plays with his hair.

- Are they going to be a problem for you? - Wymack asks without taking his eyes off the road.

Neil looks at him confused until he realizes it was about Kevin's group, if it could even be called Kevin's group.

- It'll be okay, they're even nice to kids. Neil replies with a gentle smile. 

- Legal? I think that's the most normal word they've ever received, but let me know if they cross the line, Andrew is not my responsibility, but he made a promise to Kevin and Kevin's contract is my responsibility, so I can use that against him.

Neil turns his head in confusion, why would Kevin agree to make a promise with Andrew and why is the contract so important to the point of being used as a threat by Wymack? Well it seemed that some alters knew why, because they went completely silent when Wymack spoke.

But it was better to leave asking later, he was tired and Bryan even more so.