Chapter Text
Leaning against the sleek black car his uncle had hired Neil Hatford lit a cigarette and let it dangle from his fingers as he gazed up at the bright orange building that was to be his home for the next five years. Everything considered the Foxhole court wasn’t the worst place he could be – it wasn’t Evermore, which counted strongly in its favour, and it was still a stadium built to house a class 1 NCAA Exy team but they weren’t exactly a high ranked team, and Neil wasn’t keen to be back in the states at all. It had only been a year and a half since his father had been imprisoned, and his mother and uncle had made a deal to take him home. England had been a pleasant reprise after the first sixteen years of his life – and while Neil understood why he was back in the states, and at Palmetto in particular it didn’t mean he was particularly enthused by it. The Palmetto State Foxes were one of the worst NCAA exy teams – close to being kicked out of the league all together until one of the team’s goalies had single handily ensured the team made it to the semi-finals. The team was full of misfits and rejects, people who could play Exy – and may even be deserving of their positions one class I teams, except for their questionable histories and in most cases attitude problems. The coach, David Wymack believed strongly in second chances, and it didn’t always, or ever, make more a cohesive team. As if summoned by Neil’s thoughts the stadiums door swung open to reveal the man himself.
“Hey, Neil right?” He holds out a hand to shake. “I’m David Wymack, you can call me Coach. Thanks for coming out here.” Neil takes the man’s hand, and offers him a smile. Realising something was finally happening his uncle opens the car door and comes around to stand next to Neil, holding his hand out for Wymack to shake as well.
“Stuart Hatford,” He says smiling as well. Stuart was a lot better at faking diplomacy then Neil was and his smile appeared entirely genuine. Neil only knew it wasn’t because of the past year living with the man. “Do you mind if we take this inside? The heats getting to me a bit.” He continues.
Wymack nods his agreement and leads the pair into the stadium. The follow him down several corridors, the twisting turns of a stadium familiar to Neil after five years at Edgar Allen’s Evermore all though the orange and white colour scheme is starkly different to the Raven’s black and red. When they pass by the entry way to the court Neil takes a longing look out. The plexiglass and polished floors send a jolt of wanting through him. It had been nearly five weeks since Neil had been on a proper Exy court, once his high school season had finished and he had graduated the closest Neil had come was to the rec league courts close to the Hatford residence. There were three men training in earnest out on the court, Neil immediately recognises Kevin Day – despite it being over a year since he had last seen the man, years of playing and training together meant Neil could recognise him anywhere – even when he was playing right handed compared to his usual left. It had been a very tragic announcement when fans found out the Kevin Day had broken his hand and was not expected to play again. It had been another shock when Coach Wymack had announced that Kevin would be recovering in Palmetto, and acting as an assistant coach to the Foxes – rather than staying with the Ravens. If fans were upset by that news it was nothing compared to what happened when they found out Kevin would be playing for the foxes next season – leaving the top ranked Ravens for one of the worst teams in the league. Even without the broken hand Neil could understand the desire to leave the Ravens, he had after jumped at his own chance to leave – although regretted leaving behind Jean and even Kevin. Neil had read and researched enough about the foxes to recognise the two men with him as Aaron Minyard and Nicky Hemmick two back liners who were average within the league. That meant that somewhere around here would be Andrew Minyard, Aaron’s twin brother and the foxes best goalie, and someone who had rarely been seen out of Kevin’s arms reach since he transferred. Andrew had been the only person to ever turn down an offer from the Ravens, even though both Kevin and Riko had flown out to meet him personally. Neil understood the urge to turn down Riko – but he had spent close to six years getting intimately acquainted with the bastard and knew his cruelty as one of his defining features. He didn’t understand why Minyard would have turned them down – every player hoping to get into Class I Exy would kill to be on the Ravens, let alone marked for Riko’s perfect court.
Neil’s focus on the court had allowed the others to get ahead of him, but the sound of a door clicking open hurries him along.
“That’s the kid for you,” Stuart says smiling fondly at Neil. “Always getting distracted by any form of Exy.” Neil forces a smile onto his own face as they enter what must be the coaches office. Wymack sits down opposite a desk covered in a jumble of papers and Neil and Stuart take the seats facing him.
“It’s a good trait to have.” He says. “I’ll be honest with you I was surprised when you reached out. The tapes you sent along suggested that Neil would already be picked up by a team, and when I talked to some of the coaches over there, they all said several offers had been made.”
Stuart and Neil glance at each other, and Neil allows himself to repeat the story they had already discussed to the coach.
“I spent most of my childhood in the states, with my mother – and then when she passed away,” He pauses glancing away. While the story had been altered a little to appease Wymack his mother’s death was recent and it stung that after all this time, and years living in his father’s house she was dead. “We figured it might be better to come over here for college.” Stuart nods.
“It was a hard decision, which is why we left it so late. The family want Neil close by – but it’d be best for the kid if he’s over here.” Again, technically true but also obstructing a lot. After his father, the Butcher of Baltimore had been arrested Stuart and Mary had made a deal with the crime lord family he answered to, to get Neil out of Castle Evermore and away from Riko and Tetsju Moriyama. A part of that deal had been that the family would owe the main branch of the family a small favour in the near future. It had been decided that that favour would be to come to PSU and play for the foxes, to keep an eye on Kevin Day – an investment of the family and to watch out for Riko – figuring how out of control the man was. As Riko was the second son and worthless to the business his only value was in that as an asset. He’s Exy skills and public persona had built up quite a following, and in result meant millions of dollars in a pro career and endorsement deals. Unfortunately for Riko, Kevin also had the same promise, and in breaking Kevin’s hand Riko had impacted the families earnings. After the family found out that Riko was actively sabotaging Kevin’s new team, there was evidence brought to their attention that he was behind the attempted suicide of the freshman that Wymack had lined up for the next year, the decided to call in a favour. Neil was back in the United States to figure out exactly how much of a risk Riko really was, and to prevent him from sabotaging Kevin any further.
Wymack nods, accepting the story. “Well I can’t say I’m in a position to turn you down, if you weren’t here I would be scrambling to find another player – you are a lot better than I could have hoped for.” He slides a manila folder across the table, “A contract for a five-year deal. Full ride and accommodation as long as you perform on court, and get passable grades. The standard deal.”
Neil takes the folder and flips through it, passing it across to his uncle once he’s satisfied. Stuart takes a little longer looking through the file, but seems satisfied in the end.
“There’s one other thing, well two.” Stuart adds, before going on to explain how set up a place for him to stay when he visits during the year – somewhere that Neil can stay during the breaks. Neil tunes out the conversation, and begins signing the papers in front of him. After they figure out a plan for Stuart to look at the open apartments in Coaches building, and for Neil to stay with coach when Stuart leaves the next week he slides them back across to Coach.
“You said there were two other things?” Wymack prompts giving the contracts an informal once over. Stuart looks back across to Neil, he had been against the plan from the beginning – figuring the team would find out soon enough. Neil shrugs back at him.
“Yeah, we were hoping we could talk to Kevin Day?” Wymack looks surprised for a minute and then settles back into relief. Apparently, he had expected something worse than a new recruit wanting to talk to one of the so-called faces of Exy. Neil doubted that relief would last long, once Kevin saw Neil he was bound to freak out – and Neil would rather he do it without the presence of Andrew Minyard, his apparent body guard.
“That’s fine, he’s out on the court if you want to go introduce yourself.” When neither Neil or Stuart move to stand up Wymack adds “Or I can bring him in here for a bit – be warned though, he’ll be pissed about having his practise interrupted.”
Neil was familiar with how Kevin reacted to being taken away from the Exy court, but had already decided that the less people to witness their meeting the better. “Somehow I think we’ll deal with it.” Neil smiles at Wymack. Who nods his assent and leaves the office, presumably to go grab Kevin.
“You sure about this?” Stuart leans over to Neil.
“Better Wymack than Minyard.” Neil answers back. “Besides he would find out eventually anyway. The contracts been signed, and Kevin will relax once he knows Riko didn’t send me.
Stuarts shrugs, “You know him better than I do, and if the coach knows maybe you can stop hiding that thing.” He gestures to Neil’s cheekbone, where a carefully applied layer of make-up hides the three Riko had tattooed him with, what seems like forever ago. The numbers were meant to be representative of Riko’s ‘perfect court’ – the players that Riko consider the best in the sport, and who would one day make up the US court team. Part of Riko and Kevin’s rise to popularity and trademark looks had been the one and twos, they drew on their faces from a young age – numbers they had made permanent as soon as they could, with Neil and Jean along for the ride. Neil shrugs back at his uncle – although wearing h=the make-up was a pain, he was well aware of the media attention that would come with debuting the number on his cheek. Media attention that had been spiralling ever since last year when Jean been introduced to the Ravens as number four, rather than the three that everyone had been expecting.
The sound of footsteps interrupts their conversation, and Neil stands to face the door as Wymack comes back, an annoyed Kevin following him. Wymack comes back into the room and heads back to his seat behind his desk before Kevin finally looks up and takes in Neil and Stuart.
The strangled gasp he makes is so familiar, and so very Kevin that Neil almost smiles.
“Nathaniel… what are you?” He chokes out, “You can’t be here. I can’t go back.” He whispers.
“Relax Kevin, I’m not here to make you go back. I left before you remember? Neither of us want to go back.” Kevin seems to relax a little at Neil words.
“Then why are you here?” he questions.
Neil hesitates and switches to French. “Riko is out of control. They want,” he pauses unsure of how to continue – how to explain the favour he barely understood himself, “to ensure it doesn’t get to bad. I’m here to play Exy and to give them” he nods towards his uncle “an excuse.”
Kevin blinks as he takes it in, colour gradually returning to his face. He responds in the same language. “You’re not here to take me back?” he questions.
“No. I’m here as a type on insurance, I don’t answer to Riko anymore but to the main branch. They don’t want anything to happen to raise questions.” He stresses. Kevin nods seeming to accept this.
“I take it you two know each other.” Wymack interrupts, a note of annoyance in his voice.
Kevin looks back to his coach. “Neil and I used … “ he trails off, unsure of how to finish that sentence – while Riko and Kevin had been partners, and Neil and Jean, Neil and Kevin had been close before Neil left the nest, or as close as Riko allowed Kevin to be to anyone else.
“We used to train together.” Neil finishes for him, unwilling to let Kevin make it any more complicated than it needed to be.
“Well, well, Well. Isn’t that interesting.” A voice joins them from the hallway. Andrew Minyard appearing shortly afterwards. Kevin gives him a panicked look. “another little birdy who wants to join the foxes. Did Riko send you?” he slides around Kevin and close to Neil. Neil feels the familiar prick of a knife against his stomach but all the same refuses to allow himself to relax. Holding out a hand to prevent Stuart from doing anything either. “Never mind.” Andrew continues in a sing song. “I won’t let coach let it happen.”
“Neil’s a good player – he was never one to just do Riko’s bidding.” Kevin chimes in.
Neil doesn’t look at him though keeps his eyes on the smaller man in front of him.
“I’m not here to hurt Kevin.” He tries to reassure him. “If anything, I’m here to stop Riko from doing anything stupid.”
“Is that so.” Andrew says, tilting his head but digging the knife in a little bit further all the same.
“I left Evermore even before he did. I have no desire to go back either.” Neil hisses in response. Letting a little bit of his real fear at the idea shine through. Impulsively he reaches up, smudging the make up on his cheek just enough to reveal a faint look at his three. “The lower down you go the crueller Riko gets, Kevin knows nothing of that.” He spits out. Quiet enough that only Andrew hears the words, though he’s sure Kevin gets the idea.
“Oh? How interesting.” Andrew steps back. “I guess you can stay.” There’s a for now implied heavily at the end of that sentence.
“Great so glad you decide who stays and go on my team.” Wymack snaps. He softens when he turns to look at Kevin. “Are you sure?”
Kevin nods. “Nathaneil was never loyal to Riko, and he is a better player than the rest of the back line.”“It’s Neil now.” Neil snaps.
Wymack looks curiously on. “Neil’s going to be joining you as a striker – that what his files and video says.” Kevin looks back at Neil, who merely shrugs.
“The new coach saw me at tryouts and thought I was to small and fast for defence – the change has worked well.”
“Well you can’t be worse than Gordon.” Kevin says derisively.
“If this chat is over you two can go back to court now.” Wymack dismisses Kevin and Andrew, who leave relatively quietly although Andrew sends several looks Neil’s way that Neil ignores. “You couldn’t have said anything earlier?” Wymack questions Neil and Stuart.
“The kid really wanted to play on your team, we didn’t want to jeopardise that.” Stuart responds.
Wymack rolls his eyes and after several vague and insincere threats lets them leave, telling Neil to come back in the morning if he wants to start training ‘with the little devils.’
Neil and Stuart head back to their hotel, and Stuart gets on the phone – no doubt informing the family of their success, and beginning to look into apartments. It's a good start, but it doesn't mean Neil is looking forward to the year anymore, or even to the summer. At least he still has Exy.