Work Text:
Andrew Minyard ; Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.
i.
“Andrew.”
There’s a newspaper flung on his desk that knocks over a stack of wrenches with a loud crash. Andrew perks up, hitting his head on the underside of the ‘64 Belvedere he’s trying to modify to his liking. He uses his legs and rolls out, meeting the bold blue eyes of Neil Josten, who is tapping his foot impatiently with a clipboard in hand and a scowl on his face. He moves around impatiently, grabbing something and throwing it in Andrew’s direction. “Catch.”
Andrew flinches as a blue rag hits his face with much more force than needed, subject of his assistant's annoyance with him. He sighs and starts to wipe his hands as he meets Neil’s glare with a shy look. “What is so important that you had to almost give me a concussion?”
Neil scoffs, rolling his eyes. “If you were in Baltimore like you were supposed to be, I wouldn’t have had to give you one.” Andrew stands up and kicks the creeper to the side, turning to Neil with his arms crossed over his chest. “Andrew,” he starts, “you were supposed to be there three hours ago. You know how Riko gets.”
Andrew smiles, all teeth and shrugs. “Riko can wait. My car can’t.”
“Neither can I,” Neil says, voice sickly sweet. “I had your suit pressed and everything you need is in the plane which was scheduled to leave three hours ago ,” Neil reminds him with a frown. “And for the love of god, Andrew, don’t kill the man. He may be an utter dickhead, but he is, unfortunately, your best and wealthiest buyer.”
Andrew nods, letting Neil leave with the last word. And then he turns around and his voice echoes through his shop. “Neil?”
Neil turns quick enough that Andrew is afraid he’ll fall over, but he slides with grace, balancing on one foot with ease. “Yes, Mr. Minyard?”
“I told you to call me Andrew,” he huffs in annoyance, but it’s beyond the point. “Why are you trying to get rid of me?”
Neil shrugs, his hands tucking into his pockets as he rocks back on his feet. “I have plans.” Andrew hums and raises an eyebrow, gesturing for Neil to continue. “Am I not allowed to have plans on my birthday?”
The silence in the room is palpable. “Oh,” he says. “Really? It’s your birthday already?”
Neil snorts, cheeks tinted pink. “It’s the same day as it was last year. And all of the years before,” he says with a sigh, gaze falling on the floor.
“Buy yourself something nice for me,” Andrew says, picking up the mess that Neil made and looking at the newspaper with a lack of interest.
“You can’t buy my forgiveness, Mr. Minyard.”
“Goodbye, Neil,” Andrew says, shooing Neil off.
Neil sighs and rolls his eyes, stomping over to the door. He stops and turns around. “Wymack invited you to the alumni banquet. Are you attending?”
Andrew shrugs, already back to looking at his new car. “Isn’t it in June?”
Neil snorts and then sighs. “I fear you’d die without me. It’s next week. Shall I get you a date?”
Andrew thinks for a moment. He supposes he should go with someone. “Yes. I trust your judgment.”
“Wonderful,” Neil says with the clap of his hands. “Now, don’t forget you need to be in Baltimore. Do. Not. Forget,” he enunciates before stomping off and slamming the door behind him.
ii.
Andrew isn’t quite sure how he got here. He knew how he got to Evermore, sort of, but now he was being held hostage with the most annoying French man he had ever met. Oh. And he has a car battery powering his heart.
Jean had explained, in detail, what he had done to Andrew. Although his hearing was fading, blurring lightly, he listened to every word. The battery was keeping him alive, creating an isotope fusion and driving away the shards of metal from the bullet that Riko shot him with. But those were minor details. Andrew needed to know how it worked .
“Jean Valjean,” Andrew mumbles, “how do I get out of here?”
But Jean only shakes his head and leans over Andrew’s shoulder. He points at the blueprint set on the desk in front of them. “The Lord wants you to make that exact model,” he says quietly and Andrew swallows loudly, finger trailing over the sheet with mild interest.
“He’ll destroy people with that technology. I can’t… He knows I can’t.”
Jean shakes his head and points over to a door on their left. “Actually,” he says quietly, “he very much knows you can .”
The door to the main room opens and Riko steps through it with a razor sharp smile. “Jean. Andrew,” he greets both of them.
Jean bows gently, “My Lord.”
Andrew stays standing, confused by it all. Riko takes the confusion as an invitation to talk. “Andrew Minyard. I hear you’re the talk of the black market for street racing. Why is that?” Andrew doesn’t answer, but Riko also doesn’t wait. “I have a problem. You see, my car just isn’t… dangerous enough ,” he says with a smile.
Andrew’s mouth finally decides to move. “So?” he snarls, unafraid.
“Jean, control your pet,” is all Riko says before he’s talking about racing again. “People don’t feel threatened by me and they should. I want your work, Minyard.”
“No,” Andrew says, standing his ground. “My work is for those who need it.”
Riko smiles sadistically. “Jean?” he summons, pulling a knife from a hidden sheath on his leg. “Come here.”
Jean closes his eyes and says something in French, Andrew wonders if it is perhaps a prayer to a God that did not exist, as he steps in front of Riko’s blade. Riko slashes at Jean’s left cheek, a place that already had scarring. He digs the blade in, relishing in Jean’s screams of pain. When he tries to pull away, Riko twists harder and makes eye contact with Andrew. “See, Minyard?” The scarlet blood flows and drips to the floor as Riko continues to smile. “Would you like to say no again?” Andrew bites his tongue, Jean’s screams echoing in his mind. “That is what I thought.” In seconds Jean is on the ground, Riko sheathes his knife and walks out the door, lock clicking behind him.
Andrew rushes to Jean’s side, trying not to flinch at the blood coating his cheek. “You French bastard,” he murmurs quietly. “We’ll fix you up. Come on, get up,” he says, lifting Jean with ease and taking him to the bed in the corner of the room. Andrew finds towels and, luckily, a first aid kit. He dabs at the injury with a cotton swab, wiping away any excess blood with the towel. As soon as his hands are away from Jean’s face and back in his lap, Jean is walking to the garage.
Andrew should follow Jean into the garage, but instead he finds a security camera in the corner. He stares at it in wonder before shaking his head. He saw what Riko did to Jean and he knows he wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to him. Andrew moves to the desk, staring at the blueprint sitting face up. He feels bile rise in his throat, choking him until he can’t breathe. And then he sees something he can’t let go. He sits down and formulates a plan, drawing out a blueprint and finding a way to convince Riko he was indeed working on the car.
Step one: piss him the fuck off.
Andrew eyes the security camera with a smirk and stomps over to it, car battery in hand. He sticks his middle finger up and yells, “If you wanted me to make your superpowered car, you shouldn’t have kidnapped me and hurt my friend you fucking bitch!” He steps away with a laugh and Jean makes eye contact with him, frowning. In moments, there’s loud and rapid Japanese through the door and Jean flinches. Whatever they are saying must not be pretty. Good , Andrew thinks, let him be mad.
“Listen to me, little Minyard,” Jean hisses, pulling Andrew against him and tapping where the wires connect to his chest. “Do as I do or else you won’t stand a chance of getting out of here.”
“My Lord,” Jean bows as the door opens. He nudges Andrew to do the same, but his back stays straight. They talk rapidly while Andrew stares emotionlessly. “He’ll be using the garage now,” Jean says in English. Riko nods once and leaves them alone. Jean visibly relaxes once the door clicks shut. “What did I tell you about following my lead? It would have been worse than last time! I could have been killed!”
Andrew nods wordlessly, moving to the left of the room and to the garage. The lights flicker on when the door opens and he inhales harshly. “Shit,” he mumbles, looking at the sleek black and red cars. “How did he even…” Andrew trails off, gliding a finger across the hood of the red ‘69 camaro. He bends down and looks at the tires, X275’s, and he laughs. Of course. The best tire for street racing. He glances over his shoulder once and sets the battery connected to him down, popping the hood with mild interest. “FTI transmission and converter,” he notes to himself, closing the hood. The tins of gasoline in the corner catch his eye. “VP 110? That shit is expensive,” he marvels, jumping out of his skin when Jean walks up beside him.
“So? Are you going to do it then?” Jean asks and Andrew clenches his jaw.
“First, I’m fixing this,” he says, pointing to his chest, “and then I’m getting us out of here.”
iii.
Andrew taps the panel on his chest and watches it flicker to life with a dull pulse. With the power he was using, he had enough energy to power at least 72 lifetimes. 200,000 people’s electricity are stored in it, and it’s all working to keep Andrew alive. “Pretty amazing,” he says, flicking Jean on the forehead. “Now the fun part.” Andrew pulls away the top blueprint and puts four new ones out on the desk. “Look at that. What do you see?”
Jean furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “Nothing. I see absolutely nothing.”
Andrew’s smile is all teeth as he says, “Exactly.” He places the sheets on top of each other in a seemingly random order and then flattens them out. “Look now,” he nudges.
Jean’s face is millimeters from the paper as he mumbles to himself. He looks up at Andrew with wide eyes. “You’re crazy. You’ve gone mad, little Minyard.”
“But I haven’t,” Andrew says with a smirk. “Everything we need is right here.”
“So?” Jean asks, tilting his nose up in a scoff. Andrew rolls his eyes in response.
“So, we make it and we get out of here. Right now.”
iv.
The sounds of metal scraping against metal are enough to send bolts of adrenaline shooting through Andrew’s veins and he finishes off the final leg. He looks to Jean with wide, pleading eyes. “Are you ready for this?” he asks as he steps back to admire his work.
The iron suit was just as it was described: a suit made of iron, a machine of destruction, a masterpiece of death. But more than that, it’s his way out. Andrew steps in and looks at Jean with a smile. “How do I look?”
“Like you’re about to get killed. I love it,” he chuckles dangerously. Andrew understands, he’s feeling the same fucking way. As soon as he puts the helmet on, he’s in it until the end. Jean looks at him, begging him to stay quiet while he runs the instructions through Andrew’s head one more time. “You’ll have fifteen minutes. That’s how long this,” he taps the energy source, a multi-isotope radio-decay cell, or arc reactor, on his chest, “will last you. Out the door, sixteen steps to the left, ten to the right, turn to the left and walk twenty until you’re out of the door. Once there, work your magic. The gate is straight ahead and you should have roughly,” he looks down at his watch and smiles, “ten minutes. Sound good?”
“Sounds amazing,” Andrew says with his eyes closed. His heart is racing. At least he thinks it is. “Ready to go, sunshine?”
Jean takes a shaky breath. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Jean yells out loudly, the start of their plan. Andrew counts in his head, timing this was key. There’s a thump at the door, barely heard over the way his body is reacting to his nervousness.
Andrew gets to one minute, twelve seconds, when the door opens. He’s hidden, but his breath still hitches as Riko’s men walk in. He doesn’t recognize any of them, and he closes his eyes. At one minute, forty-five seconds, he moves forward, the creaking sound making him wince. He pushes past the men with insane force, closing his eyes as three bullets hit the front of his suit. Shit , he thinks, clicking a button on the inside of his glove and watching as flame erupts from his hands. He laughs silently, smiling as he counts his steps. 16, 10, 20, he recalls silently. He gets to sixteen and turns right, walking ten more with no problem. He turns left and his shoulder gets caught on a banister. “ Fuck ,” he mutters, echoing through the suit with a robotic tone. He pulls twice, knowing he’s losing precious time as he yanks his arm free. He walks fifteen steps, stops to make sure he’s safe, before walking the last five and kicking the door down. It’s too easy, but he doesn’t stop as he walks to the gate. But it wouldn’t budge, even with the extra force of his suit. He had a plan, he just hoped he didn’t need to use it. He lifted his feet once and then jumped, and suddenly he was in the air and he was fucking flying .
The ten minutes must have been up as he falls from the sky, shifting and biting back a scream as he collides onto the ground, pieces flying as his head bashes into the pavement. He feels the hot trickle of blood slicking his face, but he stands up and removes the last of the broken pieces from his body, shedding them like a second skin. His hands shake as he wipes his eyebrow and groans at the sting of pain. He digs through the rubble to find the phone he was given last week as a requirement from Neil, something about him “always being late” and being “irresponsible.” Andrew realizes that Neil may have been more than right for once.
He doesn’t even look as he presses speed dial. “Hey, Josten, I got into some trouble. I’ll be back earlier than expected, so we can celebrate your birthday together.”
“Just what I want,” Neil scoffs and Andrew bites back a smile as he hails a cab. “My wish was to spend my birthday with my boss.”
“Good, because that’s exactly what you’re getting. Wait by the door, Neil,” he says, and the line goes dead.
v.
“Andrew?” Neil calls as Andrew stumbles in through the door. Neil rounds the corner with a frown. “Jesus. Were you drinking again?” he asks, running forward to catch him before he falls. He’s careful not to touch him too hard. “What did they do to you?” His fingers fly up to touch the scar across Andrew’s eyebrow, pushing away his matted hair and rubbing at the dried blood on the left side of his face. He no doubt will have a bruise on his cheekbone, but he sighs and pushes it away. A problem for a later date.
Andrew chuckles, although it sounds more like the wheeze of a dying man. “You should see the other guy,” he jokes and then winces, legs falling out from underneath him, sending him kneeling on the ground. “Can you, uhm,” he coughs and is half expecting to see blood flying from his mouth in crimson droplets. “Can you take me downstairs?”
Neil nods wordlessly. “If I had known,” he says quietly as he helps Andrew down the steps, “I never would have sent you off on that plane.”
Andrew doesn’t tell him that his face is only half of the damage they had done. He imagines how it would go down, a heroic gesture where Neil hand hovers over Andrew’s chest and he stops and asks why there is a metal ring in his chest. And then, in Neil fashion, he would faint and Andrew would be left taking care of him.
Once Neil gets the door open and Andrew through the door, Andrew leans against his desk and tries to smile. “I’ll be alright.”
Neil shakes his head, “Yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it.” He looks around the workshop and Andrew catches something familiar in his eyes before it disappears. “Don’t break anything. And that includes you. If you die, it’s my head on a stake, Mr. Minyard.”
“Go away, Neil. I’ll call you if I need you.”
vi.
Neil’s footsteps are loud as he enters the garage. “Mr. Minyard? I saw you called,” he says quietly, sounding more nervous the closer he gets to where Andrew is hidden on a metal table in the back of the room.
“Hey, Josten,” Andrew says with a smile when Neil comes into sight. He’s currently holding a new arc reactor in his hand, waiting for the moment to tell Neil he’s on the brink of death.
“Andrew? What the fuck—”
“It’s an arc reactor,” Andrew says with a grunt.
“But you said that was a hoax. That technology is impossible,” Neil said quietly, staring at Andrew’s hands.
“Obviously not. Because currently it’s working to keep the metal from a bullet away from my heart. But the problem is that it needs to be replaced.” He looks up at Neil with a charming grin. “Yes or no, Neil?”
“Yeah. What do I need to do?”
“There’s an exposed wire,” Andrew explains, holding the new reactor out to Neil. He takes it with gentle hands and looks at it with a curious gaze. Andrew’s hand moves to the one currently in his chest, twisting it to the left and releasing it with a groan. “You aren’t going to like this.”
“What— Oh my god. What is that smell?” Neil looks up quickly and squeaks. “Jesus fuck, Andrew. What the hell did they—”
“Can you shut up?” He snaps and Neil nods, mouth closed. “Okay. You have small hands. I know how it sounds but… I need you to reach in there and,” Andrew is breathing shakily now, the heart monitor he’s hooked up to is speeding up by the second, beeping rapidly in the silence of the shop. “There’s an exposed copper wire. Pull it out carefully and don’t touch the metal walls. Like Operation .”
“ Operation ?” Neil questions, as if that was the weirdest thing that was happening. As if Andrew wasn’t lying on a table and dying because there was a faulty wire in the arc reactor.
“The game. Now focus. I need you to get the wire. Pull it gently.”
Neil’s hand fits perfectly, if not rather tightly, through the chest cavity. He gags as he hand touches the inside, squelching with the pressure and getting covered in clear liquid. “Why is it wet? Oh my god, there’s puss. And it smells!” He shakes his head, gagging and closing his eyes. “I’m not trustworthy enough for this. I can’t do this, you can’t trust me.”
“I trust you, Neil. Just find the wire, okay?” Neil nods, fingers digging around, hooking into the wire. “Found it? Okay, now don’t let it hit the—” Andrew cuts off with a low grunt as it touches the side with a magnetic pull and the tang of blood hits his tongue as he’s pushed back into the table. Neil starts to freak out, eyes wide. “Calm down. As long as you don’t pull the mag—” Neil pulls harder than he should have and the magnet at the end comes out with a clang, just as Andrew was warning against. The heart monitor starts beeping loudly and Neil looks like he’s the one who is dying.
“What is that?”
Andrew rolls his eyes and grits his teeth together. His body shudders and freezes, as if he’s going into shock. It wasn’t impossible at this point. “Nothing important,” he shakes it off with a grunt, “I’m just going into cardiac arrest because you yanked the damn magnet out.” Neil opens his mouth once, twice, three times but no words come out. Andrew can’t manage the energy to move his arms so he grunts out instructions. “Grab the new one, wire down. Yep, like that,” he guides quietly. “Now make sure the wire goes straight down into my chest. Ignore the noise,” he says, noticing how Neil’s eyes widen at the loud popping noise as it settles into his chest, and then he pushes it, making another wet pop. “Ignore it,” he says again. “Now, turn it to the right until it lights up.”
Neil turns it painfully slowly, his fingers shaking as he stops. “Is this safe?” he asks, voice shaking. Andrew’s vision is fading at the seams as he nods. For a moment he wonders if he will die like this, Neil hovering over him with his life in his hands. He clicks it into place and the circuit comes full cycle and zaps Andrew back to life. The lights flicker as he yells out. Neil screams, jumping backwards. “What was-”
“It was nothing,” Andrew reassures. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Neil ignores the question, hand hovering over Andrew’s chest. “Oh, Andrew,” he says sadly, “what did they do to you?”
Andrew shakes his head. “They saved me,” he says quietly. He nudges Neil with his arm, handing him the old reactor. “A souvenir. Think of it as an ‘I owe you.’”
Neil makes a sad sound low in his throat. “The next time one of them says you’re heartless, I might have to fight them. I have proof right here,” he says with a grin. He turns the reactor over in his hands before clenching it against his chest. “I’m staying here tonight. No exceptions.”
vii.
“Hey, Neil.”
Neil looks up at the familiar voice. “Hey, Kev,” he says quietly. “What’s up?”
Kevin scratches the back of his neck and grimaces. “I need to talk to you about Andrew.”
Neil nods. He’s gotten used to hearing those words. “Well, the press conference is starting soon. I’m sure you’ll get the answers you need.”
Kevin places his hand on Neil’s arm. “I’m afraid I need more than what he’ll be providing.”
Neil steps away quickly, tearing his arm from Kevin’s grasp. He scowls at him and pushes him away. “We’ve talked to everyone already. Don’t even try.”
“I’m with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. I’m an agent now,” he says, handing his card to Neil. “Convince your boyfriend to talk to us about his escape. We have an offer.” Andrew walks on stage and the reporters all stand, and when Neil looks back to wish Kevin farewell, the spot beside him is empty.
viii.
Andrew is in the workshop again, music blasting as he remembers what Riko had said. The music turns off as Neil walks in, and Andrew swivels his chair around, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Josten,” he greets.
“Mr. Minyard,” Neil says with a smile. “What’re you doing?” he asks, leaning over Andrew’s shoulder to look at the screen.
“Nothing you would understand,” Andrew says with a sigh.
But Neil shakes his head. “Change this,” he says quietly. He drags something to the screen, exchanging one for another. “That should work better, I think.”
Andrew looks at him with wide eyes. “It does work. Is there anything you can’t do?” Neil shrugs, “I took a year of auto engineering my senior year. Anyways, I came down here to remind you about the banquet.”
“When is that again?” he asks, pushing his glasses up and spinning something on the screen.
“You’re expected to be there in 32 minutes, sir.” When Andrew looks at him with a bored expression, Neil just shrugs. “I gave you extra time to play with your toys, but now you have to go let other people play with you.”
Andrew shrugs. “I’ll be there. Have a good night, Neil.”
“You too, Mr. Minyard.”
ix.
“That’s a beautiful suit. It really compliments your eyes.” Andrew smirks and leans against the bar. “Who are you wearing?”
Neil turns around with a pout. “You should know, you bought it for me,” he says with a sly smile. “I was afraid you wouldn’t make it here without me.”
Andrew sits next to him, handing him a dry martini with three olives, exactly what he likes. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I’d make it a week.”
Neil grins. “Oh yeah? What’s your social security number?” he asks, leaning his head back, mischief glinting in his eyes.
Andrew is silent as he stares into Neil’s eyes. “Five.”
Neil snorts, his head falling forward as laughter forcefully moves his shoulders. “You’re missing some digits there.”
Rolling his eyes had become a chore while sitting with Neil. “Why are you here, anyways?”
Neil snorts. “Well, unfortunately you’re an asshole and no one wanted to come with you, so I’m your date,” he points out with a wink. “Also, I went to Palmetto, dipshit. I was invited.”
Andrew chokes on his beer. “You did?” Something about Neil in Palmetto orange stirs something in Andrew’s gut, and suddenly he wants to know more.
Neil motions for another drink and turns to Andrew and sighs. “For you being my boss, you really do not know anything about me.”
“Is that a challenge, Mr. Josten?”
Neil smirks. “It very much is, Mr. Minyard.”
After three more drinks and another smirk from Neil, Andrew is driving home fast with Neil sucking on his neck from the passenger seat. “Someone is needy tonight,” Andrew mumbles, groaning when Neil sucks a bit harder, biting down on his collarbone.
They get inside the mansion and Neil is on top of Andrew, begging to be fucked as he moves himself against Andrew, kissing and touching him everywhere. Andrew throws Neil onto his bed with a grunt, shirt already half unbuttoned and pants off. The entire thing is rushed, and Andrew blames his unlimited tab at the bar. Perks of being a billionaire, he presumes.
“Jesus. Hurry up,” Neil whines, lifting his hips up off of the bed to get more friction. Andrew presses his hand on his hip to hold him still, watching him with a dark gaze. Neil whimpers and looks up. “Are you going to fuck me or do I have to get off by myself?”
Neil leans up and starts to unbutton Andrew’s shirt and then stops, flinching back. He looks up and frowns. “Oh, Andrew,” he says quietly. “Fuck, I forgot. I was just surprised, I-”
“Don’t,” Andrew says quietly. “I forget too.” He lies back onto the bed, his intentions forgotten as Neil looks at his chest.
“Can I…” Neil trails off, hand hovering inches from his chest.
“Yes,” Andrew whispers and his breath hitches as Neil’s feather-light fingers touch the skin around it. “I’ve never been so scared. I woke up and I was connected to a car battery. All because Moriyama shot me. All because he wanted his car to be faster.” His eyes are closed now as he relaxes under Neil’s touch.
“How’d you get out?” Neil asks, pulling his hand away and fumbling with his fingers. “I know firsthand that it’s impossible.”
Andrew sighs. “That’s the fucking crazy part.”
x.
The music is once again blaring in the workshop, but this time it’s to drown out the sounds of any potential disasters. Andrew looks at the camera sitting on his desk and starts recording. “Test number thirteen,” he says, completely defeated. He walks to the center of the room where a robotic arm is holding a fire extinguisher as a precaution. Andrew thought it was pointless seven sessions prior. But on test seven, his boot had caught fire and he made it mandatory for testing.
“Starting slow,” he says to himself, bracing his hands out on an imaginary surface. “Flight stabilizer, initialized at three percent.”
“Is that safe?” Neil asks from his designated corner. Andrew shrugs and holds out his hands to steady himself. He points his hands straight down and there’s instant liftoff. Neil throws his head back and laughs. “Wow. Holy shit, Andrew. When they say you’re a genius…”
Andrew smiles and brings himself back down to the ground. “Watch this,” he says and he holds out his arms and snaps his fingers. There are suddenly robots blocking his view from Neil and vice versa, and when they move away, Andrew is in an entire sleek silver metal suit. The only thing visible is his face. He smiles at Neil, eyes crinkling. “What do you think?”
Neil shakes his head and laughs in disbelief. “Iron Man,” he mumbles and Andrew smiles.
“Iron Man,” he repeats. “What an amazing sound that has. Neil, you’re a genius as always.”
Neil blushes and turns his gaze to the cars surrounding them. “It would look better if it was black,” he says thoughtfully, eyes falling on the Maserati.
Andrew nods in agreement, stepping out of the suit. “Put black and silver on that, would you?” he commands his virtual assistant, which responds saying it would take three hours. Andrew perks up in interest. He holds out his hand to Neil, who takes it with a smile. “Don’t wait up on us, sweetheart,” he calls out to the virtual assistant. He turns to Neil, cheeks pink and panting slightly. “Where to now, genius?”