Work Text:
Neil was just glad he had remembered to bring a coat.
When Kevin texted him his flight had left thirty minutes late, Neil was already on his way to the airport. He knew he had to park his car in the parking lot because he couldn't stay in the pick up lane for that long, he knew the closest available parking spot would be too far away to not take the shuttle, and he knew people would stare at him if he waited around at baggage claim. So after making his way to the airport entrance, he stood to the side, leaned against the cold wall, and lit a cigarette. He put on his coat, but didn't bother zipping it. The sharp wind helped him stay awake as his watch displayed the time 3:28am.
It wasn't until seventeen shuttles had come and gone that Kevin stepped through the automatic doors with a bag slung over each shoulder. Neil recognized the larger one as his bag of exy gear.
He walked over, took the other bag, and headed for the nearest shuttle, knowing Kevin would follow him.
"Where's the car?"
"In the parking lot."
"Why didn't you pull it around here to the front?"
"Kevin I'm not going to listen to you bitch about my decisions the entire way back," Neil said in lieu of an answer. As he stepped onto the shuttle the driver said he couldn't smoke onboard. He snubbed it out with his shoe before stuffing it in his pocket.
Kevin took a seat next to Neil on the already crowded vehicle, carefully positioning his legs so they weren't touching Neil’s.
They rode in silence as the driver called out stop after stop until they reached the section the Maserati was parked in. After loading Kevin’s bags in the trunk, Neil cranked up the heat and got them on the road.
The first few minutes stretched out in endless silence as neither of them knew what to say. For the past two years, the only times Kevin and Neil had talked were brief conversations over the phone. Neither one was particularly keen on socializing, so the topics of discussion were not very broad. Kevin would call to chastise Neil about a risky move he had done during a game. Neil would call Kevin to debate certain plays and strategies. And recently, Kevin would call Neil and make plans to stay at his apartment for the weekend while he was in town for a game.
But this was different. The atmosphere in the Maserati was anxious, almost as if every particle of artificial heat was charged with nerves. Kevin fidgeted with the zipper on his jacket, seemingly debating how to articulate something in the correct way. At last he seemed to settle on asking directly.
“Will I be staying on the couch?”
“It’s a one bedroom apartment,” Neil answered. “With only one bed. Unless you’re suggesting Andrew and I both share the couch, yes that’s where you’ll be sleeping.”
This didn’t seem to satisfy Kevin, but not because it was a bad answer. It was unsatisfactory because it wasn’t the real question he had been trying to ask.
“What about the cats?”
“What?”
“You have two cats don’t you?”
“Yeah. What about them?”
Kevin shifted in his seat. “Will they be...” he considered his word choice carefully, “problematic while I sleep?”
Neil thought about this. “If you’re worried about the cats climbing all over you, I’ll keep them in our room at night. But I can’t guarantee Andrew won’t kick them out.”
“Isn’t there a crate or something you can put them in?”
Neil scoffed. “They’re cats, Kevin. Not vicious dogs that will bite you.”
This still didn’t seem to please Kevin, but he realized Neil had a point.
“Should we stop at the store on our way?”
Neil eyed Kevin without turning his head. “Why would we do that?”
Kevin crossed his arms with a huff. “I know your fridge is probably filled with ice cream, and I need actual food to eat while I’m here.”
“We have actual food. What do you think we eat every day?”
“I shared a dorm with you two. I remember Andrew’s diet.”
Neil smirked, remembering Kevin’s incessant complaints about the cabinets full of Andrew’s sweets. “Relax. You can just make eggs tomorrow for breakfast, and I’m pretty sure we have some leftover casserole for dinner.”
Kevin was so caught off guard that he forgot to look disdainful. He uncrossed his arms and leaned forward in his seat, completely turning his torso to face Neil. “I didn’t know you two cook.”
“We don’t,” Neil explained while taking an exit off of the highway. “Katelyn made it.”
“Katelyn as in Aaron’s wife?”
“How many other Katelyns do you know? Yes Aaron’s wife. She made it for dinner last night. Turns out Andrew likes sweet potatoes.”
Kevin pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. “Wait. Go back. You had dinner with Katelyn?”
“And Aaron.”
“With Andrew?”
“Obviously.”
Kevin chuckled under his breath. “How’d you convince him to do that?”
“I didn’t have to. It was their turn to host.”
Kevin’s eyes shot open. “What do you mean?”
Neil smiled. “Once a month we get together and have dinner. We take turns hosting. Although, since neither of can cook, when it’s our turn we just go to a restaurant.”
“Wow.” Kevin briefly shook his head in the same manner a wet dog would. “I can’t believe the twins voluntarily have dinner together.”
“It’s nice to keep in touch. Speaking of which, have you talked to Jeremey recen-“
Kevin put up a hand to cut Neil off. “Before you ask, I’ve already had a conversation with him about the Christmas card.”
“And?”
“Turns out it was Jean’s idea.”
Neil almost swerved off the road. “What? There’s no way!”
“Apparently the photographer accidentally snapped a shot of them kissing and Jean said that’s the picture they should send out. Jeremy had no objection.”
Neil grinned as he readjusted his hands on the wheel. He was glad Jean was happy about his new life with the Trojans and his new boyfriend.
Conversation died out for a few minutes, but the atmosphere already felt much lighter. As they drove along, Neil used the silence to think. He thought about how this was the first year Jeremy and Jean sent out a Christmas card together. He thought about how Katelyn always remembered to make dessert for Andrew when they came over for dinner. And he thought about how Kevin seemed to smile more in this car ride than he had his last year at PSU.
“How’s Thea doing?”
“Good. She’s doing good.” Looking down, Kevin fidgeted with his hands in his lap before adding, “She’s due in about three months.”
Again, Neil had to use all of his willpower not to veer into a ditch. “You got her pregnant?”
“What? You act like it’s unbelievable.”
“It is.”
“Matt and Dan have two children.”
“Matt and Dan have been married for three years.”
“So?”
“So, that’s about three more years than you.”
“We’re not sure if we want to get married.” He stopped moving his hands and began bouncing his leg instead. “Why do we need rings to show commitment?”
“Do you know the gender?”
Kevin’s leg stopped moving. “We decided to be surprised.”
“Name ideas?”
“We haven’t decided on one for a boy,” Kevin said as he turned his head to hide a smile. “But if it’s a girl: Kayleigh.”
“What about the name David?” Neil asked.
Kevin snorted. “Fuck no. I think Wymack would have an aneurysm.”
“How’s he doing?”
“We talk everyday when we get the chance. We meet up for holidays. He’s living with Abby now.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I keep telling him to tie the knot before she gets tired of managing his stress.”
“That seems hypocritical,” Neil pointed out.
“He said he’ll propose when I do.”
And that was that.
Neil took a deep breath in through his nose and released it out through his mouth. They had finally reached the housing complex. After parking along the curb, they both exited the car and walked up five flights of stairs to the apartment. Andrew was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, light spilling out from the hallway behind him.
“You’re late.”
“Blame Kevin,” Neil said as he walked inside.
“You’re late,” Andrew said again as Kevin passed.
“Blame storm warnings.”
As Neil dropped his keys in a bowl on the kitchen counter, he heard Andrew shut the door as Kevin dropped his bags by the closet.
It already felt more like home.