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They weren’t big on celebrating major Holidays. Kevin, Neil or the cousins didn’t have family outside of the Foxes, but Nicky still looked at Holidays as something to be celebrated. For the second year in a row, first for Neil and Andrew, their group wound up in New York with the upper class men, being tourists by day and Kevin and Neil playing Exy by night at the neighborhood court.
New York had far too many people for Neil to enjoy, so he watched his teammates enjoy themselves. He watched Nicky be pulled in by Erik. He watched Matt wrap his arms around Dan from behind and hold her close to keep out the chill. He watched Aaron turn into a different person when Katelyn put her hand in his.
It seemed like such a long time ago when he watched New Years in Time Square in Wymack’s apartment. He hardly thought of that night Wymack put him back together and held him up when he was so close to breaking.
Tonight, they were buzzed and happy in Time Square. Neil looked over at Andrew who was smoking and leaning against a building where they stood near the back of the crowd. If it wasn’t for the small quirk of his lips Neil would have thought he was bored as he stood apart from the crowd.
Neil walked back to him and leaned against the brick wall next to him. “Hey,” he paused but only got a glance in his direction. He stole Andrew’s cigarette and took a puff before he passed it back. “You going to make a resolution?”
“Resolutions are for the weak minded,” Andrew said.
“Come on,” Neil said. “Indulge me.”
“Why should I?” Andrew asked and just blinked when Neil shot him an annoyed look.
“I watched the ball drop last year from Wymack’s couch,” Neil said after a few minutes of silence.
“After Riko beat the shit out of you?” Andrew asked.
“I made a wish, even though coach told me it was for resolutions,” Neil said. Last year turned out to be one of the hardest, but best years of his life.
“Did it come true?” Andrew asked casually, like he wasn’t really interested.
Neil shrugged and looked back to Andrew, a slow look over his face. The way the lights flashed off Andrew’s pale eyes, how his nose and cheeks were pink from the cold, how he could see the heat of his slow breathing in the cold.
“Stop it.” Andrew said cooly.
“I’m not doing anything,” Neil said.
Andrew flicked his cigarette away and pushed off the wall. Neil wanted to grab onto him and tell him not go but, but he simply turned and stood in front of Neil. Neil tucked his hands into his coat pocket and looked back.
“150 percent,” Andrew said.
Neil rolled his eyes and was about to comment but then Andrew’s hands were on his face and he kissed Neil. Neil tensed, but just for a moment, it was hard to think of anything else when Andrew’s lips were on him. It was their first public kiss. The first time Andrew touched him in front of other people and Neil didn’t mind it. He leaned into the kiss, his hands balled in his coat pockets until he couldn’t take it anymore and brought one hand to Andrew’s soft hair.
The crowd in front of them along the street’s volume went up.
People were counting down. Neil was counting how many times he made Andrew catch his breath. Andrew pulled away with yells of ‘Happy New Year!’ around them, but Andrew had eyes only for Neil.
Neil pulled his swollen lower lip into his mouth, hand still in Andrew’s hair to keep him close, not nearly as cold as he was before Andrew pressed against him.
“It came true,” Neil said.
“Championships?” Andrew asked like he already knew the answer.
Neil shook his head and pressed another kiss to Andrew’s soft mouth. When he made the wish he didn’t know the depth of it, he barely understood it now. Last year Andrew was being abused by Pruste. Last year Neil was being abused by Riko. The one thing that kept Neil going was that he had something to go home too and that was worth everything. Every stupid decision he made, every secret he gave away. He knew while sitting on Wymack’s couch, freshly tattooed, freshly without his disguise that he had something. He had a chance. He had a family. He had Andrew.
“You.” Neil said softly.
Andrew watched Neil, keen eyes roaming over Neil’s scarred face. Neil thought there would be a retort, a comeback of some sort denying what was between Andrew and him, but Andrew was silent. Neil moved his fingers from Andrew’s hair to dance across his jaw, slowly just in case his touch was unwelcome.
Andrew didn’t move away and for the first time Neil saw it. That look Andrew always told Neil to stop, when he felt too much when he looked at Andrew, But this time it was coming from Andrew. His eyes were soft, his mouth slightly open and he was looking at Neil like he was the best thing he ever saw. Neil understood why this look was so hard for Andrew to see. Neil wouldn’t look away. The world could crumble around them and he’d have eyes only for Andrew.
“It’s always going to be you,” Neil said.