Work Text:
“Well if it isn’t little Nathaniel.”
Lola’s voice rang through his ears. Neil’s eyes opened to a small motel room.
He recognised it from his time on the run but couldn’t for the life of him remember which state it was even in. The room was small with a double bed in it and furnishings ugly even by cheap motel standards.
Neil’s eyes scanned his surroundings but there was nobody else in there with him. Maybe he had imagined her voice. She was dead after all.
His brain was wired to always immediately search for exits but there weren’t even any doors or windows. Weird, he thought. He’d never been anywhere without a door. The thought made him feel claustrophobic. He had to get out. He tried getting up but nothing happened. He took a deep breathe and realised he was sitting on a chair, a few feet away from the side of the bed, wrists bound together behind his back and ankles tied to the legs of the chair. He tried to pull his wrists free but it was too tight. He was stuck.
It definitely wasn’t the first time Neil has found himself in a situation with his body incapacitated, but it was one of the firsts where he couldn’t escape it. The knots, he knew, were expertly tied.
It was then he realised that he had no recollection of how he ended up here. The last thing he could remember was getting dressed after night practice with Andrew and Kevin. Andrew. Was he taken at the same time Neil was? Was he safe?
Neil could feel his heart rate speeding up. He pulled as hard as he could at the rope, but it was no use, it just grated into the skin on his wrists.
“Trying to leave so soon Nathaniel?” Lola’s voice mocked from behind him.
Neil’s body froze. He hadn’t been imagining her earlier.
“You’re supposed to be dead” He gritted out.
“Do I feel dead to you?” Lola breathed in his ear. Neil felt her lips brush his ear and tried to pull away only to have a hand roughly grab his hair and yank his whole head back. Lola’s face came into view only about an inch away from his as she flashed him a sardonic grin. Neil could feel the warmth of her breathe against his face and struggled to try and get out of her hold.
“Didn’t you miss me Nathaniel?” She fake pouted at him.
“I missed you being dead.” He snapped.
Lola tipped her head back and laughed manically. She released her grip on him roughly and went to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Where’s Andrew?” Neil couldn’t keep the concern out of his voice.
Instead of replying Lola picked up a bloody knife from the bed that Neil hadn’t noticed before. She lifted it to her mouth and licked across one side of the blade, smearing the blood across her lips. A wave of nausea coursed through Neil’s body. What did she do to him?
“Don’t worry darling” She smiled smugly.
“You’ll see him soon enough”. And with that she stood up and brought the knife diagonally across his throat.
Neil’s eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright in bed. He could feel his heart hammering rapidly against his ribcage. The edges of his hair were damp with sweat and his body was shaking. He pulled his legs up into his chest and rested his head on his knees.
He closed his eyes and counted to 30 in Russian and then back down again. Once his breathing has calmed down considerably, Neil turned to look at Andrew and was thankful to see that he hadn’t woken him up. Andrew’s back was to him but that had never stopped Neil from staring before.
He was wearing one of Neil’s old Fox t-shirts which sent a burst of warmth through his chest. Neil wanted nothing more than to lay back down with his boyfriend and go back to sleep, but he definitely didn’t see that happening tonight.
Based on the lack of light coming through the window, he guessed it was some time in the very early morning.
He slid carefully off the bed, grabbed some clean clothes, walked out of the bedroom and down the hallway into the bathroom. After turning the water on, Neil stripped off his pyjamas and stepped into the shower.
He turned the temperature up high and scrubbed at his skin until it was red and patchy, as if trying to wash off the layer of filth he felt from the dream.
When he was done quickly washing his hair Neil rested his forehead against the tiles and stood with the water beating down on his back for what seemed like hours. Lola’s words kept echoing through his head. Neil knew he would never forget how he’d felt when he thought that something had happened to Andrew. It was as if someone had injected ice directly into his veins and lit him on fire at the same time.
Eventually, after his fingers had started to prune, Neil turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He dried himself off and pulled on a pair of black track pants and one of Andrew’s black hoodies.
The smell comforted him more than words could describe.
Instead of going back to bed, Neil tossed his dirty clothes in the hamper and made his way to the kitchen. He managed pour himself a glass of water but trembled so much he took a sip, he poured it out into the sink. For a moment Neil just leaned his back against the counter and closed his eyes. The feeling of Lola’s lips still ghosted across the side of his neck. He didn’t realise he was clenching his hands around the counter top until he felt another set of hands on top of his own.
When Neil opened his eyes, Andrew was standing right in front of him with obvious concern in his expression. Well, as obvious as any emotion could be on Andrew.
He unclasped Neil’s hands and let them hang either side of him.
Neil took the time to look at Andrew’s face. There was a faint sprinkling of freckles across his nose that Neil doubted anyone in the world would ever be lucky enough to notice. Across his left eyebrow was a small scar that came from one of their first games together on the same pro team. His hair was tousled from sleep and Neil resisted the urge to reach out and run his fingers through it.
He was here, right in front of him. He was real. He was safe.
“What do you need?” Andrew asked quietly.
He looked down and shook his head.
“Neil.”
“I don't need you to say anything, I just need you to be here.”
Neil looked back up at Andrew to find him staring straight at him.
“Yes or no?”
“Yes.”
Andrew grabbed Neils hand and pulled him into the lounge room, leaving Neil no choice but to go along.
He flicked the tv onto an exy recording they had playing earlier but muted the sound. Andrew half laid down on the couch towards to back and pulled Neil down so he was essentially spooning him. Neil hesitated to lean into Andrew until the other boy wrapped his arms around his middle and pulled him into his chest. Pressed together from top to bottom, he was completely enveloped in Andrew’s warmth and the breath felt at the back of his neck was of total affection and comfort.
It only took a few minutes of watching athletes run around on the screen before Neil could feel his eyes starting to droop. Just before he fell asleep, Neil swore he felt Andrew press a kiss against his shoulder before he nuzzled into the back of his neck.