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“You think you’re going to get out of bed today?” Neil asks.
“No.”
Kevin burrows deeper under the covers, curled up on his side with his arms drawn up against his chest. He’s not even sleepy anymore, he just doesn’t want to get up. He takes a deep breath, inhaling their combined scents and the clean smell of Tide.
The mattress dips as Neil flops down at the foot of the bed. Andrew is sitting with his back to the headboard, his warm legs touching the curve of Kevin’s back.
Andrew’s silent but Kevin can hear the quiet turning of pages as he reads, the occasional soft thump when he sets down his mug of coffee.
Neil is more restless, moving around and changing positions. Kevin kicks at him, a nonverbal request that he settle down or get off the bed. Neil makes a grumbly noise but hops down.
Kevin sighs and starts to relax when the covers are pulled back, letting in light and a draft.
“Neil!”
“Chill, I’m not making you get up.” Neil climbs in beside him, pulling the blankets back down before scooting closer until they’re touching, faces close but unseen in the dark.
“Hey.” Neil’s breath is warm on his face and Kevin scrunches his nose even though Neil’s breath smells fine it’s just all up in his space.
“I’m trying to sleep,” Kevin grumbles.
“No, you’re being mopey.” Neil gets closer and starts forcing Kevin’s limbs to uncurl, creating space for Neil to wedge in right against him. Neil’s strong, slender arms wrap around him, his legs tangling with Kevin’s.
“This isn’t necessary,” Kevin mumbles against Neil’s soft hair. But despite his complaining he puts his arms around Neil and hugs him tightly. Neil always feels so good in his arms.
“Shush. You know it’ll make you feel better.”
“Maybe…”
It’s weird how well Neil knows him. Neil gets that the holidays are hard for him, even though he now has a supportive team, two boyfriends, and his dad in his life. Kevin still misses his mom. And this time of year is loaded with years of baggage – being cooped up in Evermore with Rico and Jean while most of the team got to go home to their families.
Added to that is the trauma of that first year when Neil and Andrew went away and Kevin spent the majority of the break drunk off his ass to cope with the knowledge that Rico had Neil in his clutches and there was nothing he could do about it. Andrew… fuck they didn’t even know how bad it was for Andrew until later. So yeah, it’s a lot.
And holiday break means no practice, no classes, no usual distractions or even the noise and bustle of the dorms. Being in Columbia with Neil and Andrew is always good but he still feels his mind sinking into dark spaces, especially on cold, rainy, dreary days like today.
Neil doesn’t say anything else and, miraculously, he doesn’t squirm around like he’s apt to do whenever Kevin or Andrew want to take a group nap. His hands slowly travel over Kevin’s back but that’s fine. Kevin lets it happen. It feels good. Soothing.
He said he wasn’t sleepy but after a time, lulled by the steady rise and fall of Neil’s chest, and the warmth under the covers, he drifts off.
When Kevin wakes he finds himself spooning a sleeping Neil. Kevin shivers, overcome with a pleasant sensation of feeling totally comfortable and safe. He could stay here longer, slip back into sleep, except his stomach feels painfully empty and he needs to piss.
With a low groan, Kevin gently pushes back the covers, blinking at the soft light from the bedside lamp.
Andrew meets his gaze and sets his book aside. He pats his thighs like Kevin is a cat who will just come curl up on his lap. Which is exactly what Kevin does, moving to lay his head on Andrew’s firm thighs.
Andrew plays with his hair, looking down at him with a somber expression.
“I’m okay,” Kevin murmurs.
He eyes the clock on the nightstand, feeling slightly ashamed that it’s late afternoon and he hasn’t gotten up yet.
Andrew notices and tugs at his hair. “We should call you a bear, going into hibernation on the first day of winter.”
“Hmm.” Kevin agrees. “I’m hungry as a hibernating bear.”
“Want me to make a Waffle House run?”
Andrew’s being unexpectedly accommodating but Kevin’s not about to turn him down. “Yeah, thank you.” He swallows hard on the words he can’t say. Instead he takes Andrew’s hand and kisses his knuckles.
Andrew makes a soft noise, a small smile ghosting over his lips. “Move yourself and I’ll go.”
Kevin obliges, sitting up to watch Andrew throw on a hoodie in preparation for his trip. Kevin shudders, looking at the bleak view outside. At least South Carolina winters aren’t anything like the ones in Maryland.
“I’ll get the usual,” Andrew says, pulling on his shoes. “Be back soon if you want to wake Sleeping Beauty.”
“Okay.” Kevin’s voice is hoarse and he feels strangely overcome. It’s not every day that Andrew dotes on him.
With Andrew gone Kevin gets up and makes a stop in the bathroom before returning to bed with a glass of water. Neil’s awake, scrubbing at his eyes and looking adorable. Kevin hands him the glass and Neil drinks half of it before passing it back to Kevin.
“Did we really sleep for two hours?” Neil asks. He looks out the window as if surprised that it’s already dark again.
“Yeah.” Kevin sits next to him, drawing the covers up around his waist. “Andrew went to get food from Waffle House.”
Neil’s expression brightens. “The usual?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Sweet.”
Neil moves up the bed until he’s sitting by Kevin and, by unspoken consensus, they grab Kevin’s laptop from the crowded nightstand and start watching Exy videos on YouTube. They watch Kevin’s favorite montage of Jeremy’s best plays for the year and then watch a series of Exy fails.
They’re laughing hard by the time Andrew returns, his hands full with takeaway bags and drinks. Andrew shakes his head at them and starts passing out food before sitting next to Kevin. He steals the laptop and pulls up “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Neil immediately has questions about why they’re watching a Halloween movie and Andrew tells him to be quiet and eat his waffles.
Kevin smiles, looking fondly at his boyfriends, feeling that echoing sadness in him ease. This time of year will always be hard but he’s not alone. And while dreary days are inevitable, they don’t last forever.