Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Rebels were already half-way through the season, and they knew next to nothing about their newest recruit, Neil Josten. Sure, they knew about him from what they had seen in articles and on news stations, but they didn’t really know him as a person. All the articles referred to him as a smart mouthed rookie who somehow became a captain of the PSU Foxes and led them to victory through several championships. The other news talked about his sketchy background and the horrible incident that had given him the scars on his face.

Most of his new team had given up on trying to get anything out of the man himself, he never answered questions about anything other than Exy. There were a few stubborn members who hadn’t given up hope yet. Hollis was one of them. She was the captain of this foolish boy and she was going to get to know him whether he wanted her to or not.

Hollis had gotten to the stadium early for practice, wanting to have some time to herself before the rest of the heathens arrived. Which is why she was surprised when Neil arrived only ten minutes later, phone pressed tight against his ear.

“No, you can’t feed the cats ice cream.” He says, rubbing at his eyes. “I don’t care if Sir is asking for it, you’re supposed to be the responsible parent here.”

Hollis tries not to make it too obvious that she is listening to his conversation, but it doesn’t matter, he waves a hand in her direction and returns to his call, completely unbothered by her presence.

“I left Sir with you for one weekend and this is what you do with her?” He sighs. “If you give it to her then there will be less for you.” He says as if that solves everything. It must, because he smiles as he begins opening his locker. “Thank you. I have to get ready for practice, I’ll call you when I’m done.”

He listens for a moment and hums pleasantly. “I love you, too.”

This surprises Hollis so much that she nearly slams her hand in her locker door. As it is, she narrowly avoids it and pretends like nothing happened. Of all of her team members, she never would have guessed that Neil was with someone. He seemed to live and breathe Exy and it was difficult to believe that he had a life outside of that.

There’s a bit more shuffling in the silence of the locker room before Hollis grows uncomfortable and clears her throat.

“You have cats?” She asks because she is almost positive he wouldn’t answer if she asked about who he was talking to. She spins around to see him leaning against his locker, phone still in hand.

“Yeah, we got them in my fifth year.” He says carefully. She doesn’t miss his use of the word we.

“But you couldn’t keep them in your dorm, right?”

He shakes his head. “We got an apartment that they stayed in for that year, even though I didn’t get to live there until I finished school. Now, Sir lives with me most of the time, they hate flying though so sometimes I’ll leave her at home when I come back here.”

She didn’t miss his use of the word home either. Here wasn’t home for Neil and she was dying to know where home really was.

She decides to risk it and ask anyway. “Where is home?”

Neil hesitates, but there is a soft smile fighting it’s way onto his face.

“Right now it’s in Atlanta.”

That surprised her enough to earn a raised brow. Atlanta was a long way from Chicago and she couldn’t imagine trying to have a relationship from that far away. There wasn’t time for her to ask anymore questions, because the rest of the team was now arriving in waves and Neil retreated to the bathroom to get changed, leaving her with more questions than she started with.

Chapter Text

The next time she overhears Neil on the phone is a complete accident with a lot more witnesses. They were in the locker room after a long afternoon of practice and were waiting for Coach to come in and tell them who their opponents were for the semifinals.

Neil’s phone began buzzing furiously from where he was leaning against his locker and it earned him more than a few curious looks. He was staring down at his phone in confusion, but put it to his ear and answered anyway.

“Hello?”

They couldn’t hear the person on the other end, but Neil had gone terrifyingly still and had a white knuckled grip around his phone.

“What happened?” He closes his eyes and takes in a few deep breaths. “What hospital?” He asks quietly and Hollis straightens in her seat at the terror leaking through his voice.

“I’ll be on the next flight out.” He hangs up without waiting for a response and begins shoving things into his bag with a frantic energy she had never seen from him.

“Neil?” She asks hesitantly and he stops just long enough to throw her a short glance. “Is everything okay?”

He throws his bag over his shoulder and begins tapping at his phone, no doubt scheduling a flight. “Family emergency, I have to go.”

He sweeps out of the room without a backward glance and the others are left staring after him in a mixture of worry and curiosity.

“I thought he didn’t have any family?” Kelli asks with a frown.

Hollis shrugs. “I’ve heard him on the phone with someone before. He seems to be in a relationship with someone back down south.”

That gets a whole slew of eyebrow raises and furious questions. When Coach Brown finally made it into the room, Hollis sighs in relief.

“Where is Josten?” Coach asks, doing another slow sweep of the room.

“Family emergency.” She responds. “He said he was catching a flight so I doubt he’ll be in for practice tomorrow.”

Coach Brown curses under his breath and pulls his phone out to make a call. It takes four long rings before the other person picks it up.

“What’s this I hear about a family emergency?”

They all lean forward in anticipation as Coach Brown frowns.

“How bad is it?”

He listens for a second before nodding along. “I can deal with that. Give my regards.” He says and hangs up, facing the eager Rebels.

“Neil will be out for a few days, but he should be back by Tuesday.”

“What happened to his girl?” Harris asks.

Coach Brown furrows his brow and stares at them curiously.

“If Neil wanted you to know the details of his personal life then he would tell you himself. All I can say is that he had a family member in the hospital with a concussion and some pretty bad bruising.”

“But Neil doesn’t have any family.” Kelli pipes up again.

Coach Brown stares disapprovingly. “That you know of. Maybe you should try to get to know your teammates a little better.”

Kelli scoffs. “Yeah right, Neil doesn’t tell us shit about anything. We didn’t even know he was in a relationship until today and that’s only because Hollis told us.”

“And how did Hollis know?”

“I overheard a phone conversation. I also know he has two cats but that’s all I got from him.” She responds with a shrug.

Coach Brown sighs and pinches his brow. “I’m too old to deal with this. Fine, your homework is to convince Neil to open up to you. I don’t care if all you know is his favorite cereal, I want you to have some idea of who you’re playing with.”

The grumbles from the team are low and annoyed, but nobody argues with him. They would get to know Neil whether he wants them to or not.

Chapter Text

When Neil gets back to practice on Tuesday, he looks worn out but happier than most of them had ever seen him.

“How’s the family?” Hollis asks when none of the others speak up.

Neil gives her a surprised look but the content smile on his face doesn’t leave.

“Annoyed and recovering.” He answers. “Luckily the concussion was minor so recovery was only a few days of rest.”

“That’s good. How did it happen?”

His expression darkens immediately and she regrets asking. “Took a hard hit in practice. I gave the coach an earful for it, but he assured me the situation was being taken care of.”

That wasn’t exactly surprising. If Neil was going to fall for someone, it’s no surprise that they played exy as well. Hollis was afraid one of the others would ask something about his girlfriend, so she jumps in before things get awkward.

“Well I hope whoever it was got punished accordingly.” She waits for his slow nod before smiling approvingly. “The team was wondering about where you had gone.” She says, leaving the invitation open for him to fill the gaps.

“Atlanta.” He responds shortly, seeming understandably confused about their sudden inquiries. “I go down there whenever we both have free time.”

“Does your partner play pro as well?” She had been wondering since the last time they had a conversation like this.

Neil smiles fondly. “Yeah, Atlanta Hawks.”

Her brows shoot to her hairline. They had played against the Hawks once already this year and would play them again next week in the semi finals, but she had never seen Neil interacting with anyone on the team except for Andrew Minyard, his known rival.

“I guess you’ll get to see them next week then.”

Neil nods casually but she can tell he’s more than excited for the coming week. “I plan to stay the weekend after the game.”

“You better be rooting for us to win.” She teases.

Neil snorts. “Obviously. I’ve heard the Foxes are all coming down to watch.”

“The current Foxes?”

Neil shakes his head. “No, the Foxes from my first year. Even Kevin is coming down since he’s got the week off.”

“Kevin Day?” Harris asks with a starstruck look.

“Yeah, so we can’t lose or I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Plus we can’t lose to Minyard.” Harris shoots back.

Neil smiles crookedly. “Oh I’ll hear it from Andrew whether we win or not.”

Hollis frowns. “Is he going to be a problem?”

“For the team?” Neil asks in surprise.

She shakes her head. “For you.”

“Oh,” Neil grasps for a response. “Andrew is a problem for a lot of people, but not to me.”

“If you’re sure.” She says and then Coach is banging on the door and urging them out to the court.

Chapter Text

When the game against the Atlanta Hawks came around, they were all more than a little nervous. All except for Neil who was practically giddy in excitement. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet and kept darting glances out towards the door.

There was still an hour until first serve, so they were waiting in the lounge while Coach went over strategies and plays. This was their first semi-final game in several years, in no small part thanks to the fact that Neil was on their team. When Coach told them that Neil would be in against Minyard, he surprised everyone by speaking up.

“You shouldn’t put me against him.” Neil says with a wry smile. “He won’t let me score on him.”

Coach Brown looked unamused. “He won’t let you?”

Neil shrugs. “He knows me too well. I might score on him once if I’m lucky.”

“What are the odds of someone else scoring on him?”

Neil hesitates. “Not high, the Hawks have the best defense in the country. Andrew doesn’t really try when he plays most games, but tonight I doubt he’ll hold back. He won’t give me the satisfaction of a clean goal.”

“Then that settles it.” Coach Brown responds. “If he’s going to be shutting us out then you’ll be our best bet at getting some points in.”

Neil doesn’t look like he agrees but he nods anyways. “Yes, coach.”

“Now if we can get back to the task at hand, Hollis I want you to--”

Coach cuts off as a phone begins ringing loudly and Neil claps a hand to his pocket. He doesn’t look at the caller ID but he is giving Coach pleading eyes and after a long winded sigh, Coach motions for him to go ahead.

“You’re supposed to be getting ready.” He says in lieu of a hello. There is a muffled response and Neil pitches his voice a little lower. “I can’t go right now. We’ll see them afterwards anyways.”

Neil sighs heavily and darts his eyes around the room. “If it’s that important then give him your keys.” He listens for a short moment and then begins digging through his bag. “I’m not going to him, so you can send him in here.” He says something else in what sounds like German before ending the call and emerging from his bag with keys in hand.

There was a knock on the locker room door before anyone could question him and the one and only Kevin Day walked into the room. There was a smattering of starstruck whispering and a fair amount of ogling--from Benji--but Neil looked completely immune to his presence and tossed him his keys.

“Tell Aaron not to let the cats get out of the apartment. I don’t feel like arranging any funerals today.”

Kevin rolls his eyes and turns towards the door, only pausing when he is about to step back outside.

“How many goals did Andrew give you?”

Neil grumbles under his breath. “Zero.”

Kevin’s snort is both amused and annoyed. “If you don’t get more than that then clearly you haven’t learned any of what I taught you.”

And of course, Neil Josten is incapable of backing down from a challenge.

“Oh really? How many points did you score on him during your last game?” He asks knowingly.

Kevin’s look turns sour and he spins back towards the door in a flawless pivot. “One.”

Neil’s smug smile is enough to take attention away from Kevin’s retreating form and he is practically humming in contentment.

“Why did Kevin Day need your keys?” Hollis asks, more than a little baffled.

“He didn’t, Aaron did.” At their blank looks he explains. “We’re having a reunion party at my apartment after the game, but Aaron’s wife Katelyn is pregnant and decided she isn’t up for sitting through the game so they’re going to watch it from our place.”

“Aaron Minyard?” Kelli asks dubiously.

“Yeah.”

“You’re going to let Andrew Minyard into your house?” Her voice rises an octave at the question. Hollis is starting to wonder if she had a bit of a crush on Neil.

Neil pauses for a long moment. “It wouldn’t be the first time, so yes.”

Kelli’s jaw drops along with several of the others.

“If you kids are through with your gossip circle, let’s get back to business.” Coach Brown says and the conversation is dropped for another time.

Chapter Text

The afterparty was louder and more crowded than Neil would’ve liked. With all the Foxes crammed into their living room it was making the space more than a little claustrophobic.

Andrew and Neil had retreated to the bar between the living room and kitchen where they had a bit more room to breathe. Andrew looked as uncaring as he always did, but Neil could tell that he was smug about their win tonight. The Rebels had lost by one and Neil couldn’t help but think that if he had just scored one more point that things might be different, but Andrew had stuck to his word and Neil hadn’t managed a single point against him the whole game. Then again, if they had ended up with a shootout he had a feeling things would have ended the same way, so maybe it was better like this.

“I’m transferring next season.” Andrew says suddenly and Neil nearly drops his drink.

“Oh?” Is all he says because he knows what he is hoping, but doesn’t want to be disappointed.

“Brown gave me an official offer tonight.”

Neil nearly laughs with how relieved and excited he is. Andrew would be playing on his team. They would be together all the time. No more long distance and weekends spent on airplanes, just them together in their own apartment.

“Your defense was pretty pathetic so I figured it couldn’t hurt.” Andrew continues and ignores the sour look Neil gives him.

“We’re going to have to get a new apartment.” He replies, thinking about his small one bedroom place in Chicago. It was big enough for Neil and a cat, but it was not nearly big enough for all of his stuff and Andrew’s.

“I already chose a few to look at.”

He shouldn’t be surprised that Andrew had already planned ahead, but that did leave one question.

“How did you already look when Coach just offered you the spot tonight?”

Andrew is silent for a long moment, but his finger is tapping a steady rhythm against his glass so Neil waits him out.

“I got an offer from Ohio if Brown didn’t ask.”

Neil smiles, thinking about how long Andrew had been planning to make the move. The distance had been hard on them both, but it was worse for Andrew even though he would never admit it. Neil knew him well enough to know that being alone in the apartment was it’s own kind of torture for him. It’s one of the reasons Neil suggested they get cats, so Andrew had someone there with him even if Neil wasn’t.

Neil hums, reaching out a hand and waiting until Andrew nods before curling his fingers into his hair.

“Maybe it’s time I change the name on my uniform then?” He tries to say it casually, but it’s just a little too forced and he nearly winces.

Andrew stares at him for a long moment before shrugging his shoulders.

“If you’d like.”

Neil looks into his eyes, searching for the reluctance or hesitation. There is none.

“I would.”

“You can tell Brown then. For both of us.”

Neil doesn’t bother trying to fight back his smile this time and Andrew huffs in exasperation before curling his fingers into the collar of Neil’s shirt.

“Yes or no?” He asks, and this time Neil thinks Andrew might be smiling too.

“Yes, Andrew.” He’s still smiling when Andrew brings their lips together. It spoke volumes of how happy Andrew was about the move that he was kissing him with all the other Foxes in the room. If he thought he could get away with it, he would say as much to Andrew, but that would no doubt put an end to any other affection tonight just out of spite.

A wolf whistle startles him into pulling away and he glances towards the living room to see most of the Foxes watching them with smiles with the exceptions of Aaron who was staring at the far wall with a frown and Kevin who was ignoring them completely, but otherwise there were no dissenters. Andrew doesn’t spare any of them a glance as he focuses back on his drink, but Neil doesn’t miss the way his hand settles on the bar behind Neil’s back.

Neil is smiling so wide that it causes a few raised brows.

“There a proposal we don’t know about?” Dan asks, with a curious look between them.

He ignores that comment and throws Andrew a worried look but Andrew shrugs and tips his drink in invitation to share the news.

“Andrew’s transferring to the Rebels.” He responds excitedly.

Nicky whoops and pumps a fist in the air. “It’s about time you two were on the same team.”

“Congratulations.” Renee says with a kind smile. “I’m sure you’re both excited.”

Some of the Foxes look to Andrew as if they might see something there, but his face remains as impassive as always.

“We are.” Neil replies, nudging Andrew who gives him a bored look. “We might also need help moving once the season is through.”

“I’ll come down and help.” Matt volunteers. “If the timing is right maybe we can bring the whole family up, it’s been a while since the kids saw you.”

Dan nods her agreement. “Toni has been going on and on about seeing her Uncle Neil so she can take a picture with you. Apparently she wants to show it off to her classmates.” She rolls her eyes.

Andrew’s lips quirk in the barest hint of amusement and Neil loves it. Though Andrew would never admit it, he was much better with kids than Neil was and that extended to all of the Foxes' children. Kevin and Thea’s daughter practically worshipped the ground Andrew walked on and Dan and Matt’s son Wyatt once wore a Minyard jersey for nearly a month straight. Matt had sent Neil almost fifty pictures of the sight and Neil had shown every single one to Andrew. Andrew hadn’t reacted, but he had several of the pictures printed out and put up in their apartment. The first time Matt had seen them, he joked about Neil’s sentimentality and Neil hadn’t corrected him. He had a feeling Andrew wouldn’t appreciate anyone else knowing how much he enjoyed being a cool uncle.

Neil spares Andrew a quick glance before turning towards Dan and Matt. “That’d be great. Thanks.”

The conversations broke down after that and eventually everyone cleared out of the apartment, save Aaron and Katelyn who were staying in the spare bedroom for the night.

Only once they were in bed did Neil reach out for Andrew. The kiss they shared this time was softer, it was Andrew’s relief and Neil’s gratitude. It was the kiss that spoke of the end of their loneliness and the promise of a future together. It was everything Neil had been wanting for as long as he could remember.

“I love you.” He says quietly. It wasn’t the first time he’d said it and it wouldn’t be the last. Andrew had never responded, but Neil didn’t need him to. He knew he loved him, even if he couldn’t say it like Neil could, his actions spoke louder than his words ever could. It was in every little thing Andrew did for him, and it was in his decision to do everything he could to keep them together. It was every ‘yes or no’ and every time he forced himself onto a plane just to come and see Neil. Andrew showed his love as constantly as Neil voiced his.

“Junkie.” Andrew says it fondly, and there is a smile on his face. This was the side of Andrew that only Neil got to see, one who wasn’t so concerned with hiding his emotions. Neil could always read Andrew better than anyone and Andrew had learned to live with being known so well.

“Your junkie.” Neil hummed in contentment, nuzzling his nose into Andrew’s neck.

Andrew didn’t respond, but he didn’t shoot him down either. This thing between them had been something longer than Andrew would ever admit, but he hadn’t shot Neil down since before the game against the Ravens his first year. This would always mean something to both of them, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chapter Text

Hollis honestly needed to stop overhearing Neil’s phone calls, it was getting to the point that she was feeling like a voyeur, which was ridiculous because it was just a phone call but she couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt after listening to his personal conversations. It made it infinitely worse because this time, he didn’t know she was there. She had stopped in the doorway of the locker room when she heard him talking and he clearly hadn’t heard her come in.

Today was a bit different, mainly because whoever he was talking to, it didn’t seem to be his partner. Either that, or they were having a fight because she had never heard Neil that frustrated over anything that wasn’t Exy related. She could just barely see him around the corner of the wall and he was standing still in front of his locker.

“I hear you,” Neil said with a sigh, pushing his knuckles into the metal of his locker. “But what do you want me to say? I already told you I can’t make this choice for you.”

He pauses to hear the response and busies himself with pulling his gear out of his locker.

“Look, do you want us to watch Amalia while you deal with this? I can take a few days off until you get things sorted out.”

Hollis didn’t know anyone by that name, but Neil said it fondly which means it must be someone close to him.

“Kevin,” He says it sternly and Hollis realizes he must be talking to Kevin Day. She belatedly remembers that his daughter was named Amalia, which must be who Neil is volunteering to watch. “This isn’t about her anymore, this is about you and Amalia and what’s best for you. I don’t care what the press or fans say, this is your life not theirs.”

Now she feels really guilty, because this was very clearly a highly personal conversation. She started to edge away from the doorway, but the loud curse from Neil had her freezing in her tracks.

“Bullshit, Kevin.” He threw his gear onto the bench with a little too much force. “Can’t you see what she’s doing to you? This is Riko all over again, only this time it’s worse because you are letting it happen and you’re dragging Amalia into it.”

Neil kicked at the bottom of his locker and took a long and deep breath.

“I shouldn’t have said that.” He says calmly. “I know it isn’t an easy choice, that’s why I offered to watch Amalia so you could take some time to figure out what you want.”

Another deep breath. “Yeah, this weekend should be fine. Practice isn’t mandatory right now so I’ll take a few days off. I might take her down to Atlanta with me if that’s alright? Maybe even swing by and see Wymack.”

Whatever Kevin said must have pleased Neil because he started pulling his gear out again.

“I’ll tell him.” He says and ends the call.

Hollis waited a whole minute before pushing the door open even further and making a point to make as much noise as possible. Neil was staring at his phone, but he looked up when she came in and nodded at her in greeting.

“Good morning, are you the first one here?” She watched Neil nod again and began pulling out her own gear. “Are you enjoying the time off?”

He shrugged but didn’t answer, not that she expected him to.

“Are you heading down to Atlanta anytime soon?”

“Maybe. Actually we’re getting a new apartment up here as soon as the Hawks finish their season.”

She raises her brows. “Oh, is your partner not staying in Atlanta?”

He shakes his head. “The distance was getting to both of us. We decided it was better this way.”

“I’m glad then.” She smiles at him even though he isn’t looking at her. “I tried the long distance thing for a bit, but we couldn’t make it work.”

“Are you still together?” He asks curiously.

“No, he ended things with me when I wouldn’t give up Exy for him.”

Neil huffs. “He wasn’t worth it then.”

She smiles at the derision in his voice. “No, he wasn’t. I don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t support my passion. How about you?”

He quirks an amused brow. “I don’t know about support. More like tolerating it until we retire.”

Hollis opens her mouth to question him further, but Kelli has arrived in all her perfume doused pink glory. She wishes she was able to ask him about the phone call he had with Kevin, but that would mean admitting she had overheard him and she didn’t think he would appreciate that.

Chapter Text

Hollis had almost completely forgotten about the phone call by the time the weekend came around. It was only once she got to Saturday morning practice and Neil wasn’t there that she remembered. Coach Brown simply said that Neil took some time off for family and the other Rebels took that however they wanted to. Most of them assumed he had gone down to Atlanta to spend some time with his girl and Hollis didn’t bother correcting them.

It was only after practice that Coach Brown pulled her aside and gave her a packet of documents with the marching order of taking them to Josten’s house. As far as she knew, none of the team had ever been to Neil’s place and he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to change that. But it was her job as captain and she would do what she had to do, so she caught a cab and went to the address Coach had told her.

The apartment building she arrived at was nice and clean on the outside, though it wasn’t the type of place she would’ve expected Neil to live. It was a nondescript building, something your eyes would pass right over if you weren’t looking for it. Neil lived several stories up and she stopped in front of the door that Coach had written on his instructions. She knocked after a short hesitation and listened as footsteps drew closer and closer until the door creaked open.

Neil looked startled to see her on his doorstep and she held up the package in explanation. “Coach asked me to bring this to you.”

He nods and opens the door a little wider. He reaches out to grab the package when a loud thump startles him into turning back inside and out of sight. “Come in, I’ll be right back.” He calls from somewhere deeper in the apartment.

She hears him talking to someone as she closes the door behind her and moves towards the living room. The apartment is small but clean and sparse. It definitely wasn't the bachelor pad she had been expecting, but somehow this made more sense for the Neil she knew. She moves towards a shelf where several pictures are on display and smiles at Neil's secret sentimentality.

The first is of the Palmetto Foxes, all wearing sweaters and sitting around someone's living room. It was clearly Christmas when they took it, and it takes her no time at all to spot Neil. He is leaning against a wall beside a Christmas tree and smiling softly at the person to his right. What surprised her the most is that the person he was smiling at was none other than Andrew Minyard, who was staring right into Neil’s eyes. Andrew doesn't look happy per say, but he didn't seem hostile either which was strange.

She moves past that picture without thinking too much and looks at the next one. This picture was clearly taken in the same apartment as the last, though now it was practically empty. The only person in the picture was Neil who was sitting on the floor and playing with two cats. His partner must have taken this picture and that thought makes her smile.

The next one is a picture of Neil and Andrew, wearing matching coats and standing close together, staring into each other's eyes. This didn’t make them look like they hated each other, if anything she would think there was maybe something more between them. But she had seen the interviews, she had heard Andrew say he hated Neil and Neil had egged him on. There was no way they could be together like that.

She turns away from the pictures at the sound of footsteps getting closer and Neil returns holding a toddler on his hip. This must be Amalia Day. The little girl is small, her dark hair pulled into tight braids. She was absolutely adorable though Hollis had a hard time picturing Kevin as her father.

“Sorry,” Neil says as he sits Amalia onto the couch. “Sir was trying to convince Amalia to pull down the bag of cat food.” He holds his hand out and she passes the packet over automatically. He doesn’t immediately look at the papers, instead he looks at the shelf behind her where the pictures were sitting. There is a challenge on his face, as if he’s daring her to ask the question that he knows she wants to.

“You seem close with your old team.” She says instead of asking about Andrew. His lip quirks in obvious amusement at her deflection.

“They’re my family.”

“All of them?”

He turns back to the couch, watching Amalia poke at a tiny and fluffy white cat.

“Yes, even if we don’t like each other.”

He gestures to another picture that she hadn’t spotted before. This one was taken at two of the Foxes’ wedding. Once again, Neil was at Andrew’s side, though this time Neil was laughing and even Andrew seemed to have a small smile on his face. The rest of the Foxes were scattered around them in various pieces of formal wear. Aaron Minyard was standing beside Kevin, at least she thought that was Aaron, it very well could’ve been Andrew and she had been mixing them up all this time. Whoever it was, they were glaring at Neil and the other twin in scorn.

“Do you have beef with both Minyards?” She asks eventually.

Neil waves a hand dismissively. “Aaron and I have never been on good terms, but we’ve learned to deal with each other after all these years. We didn’t have much of a choice so I got close with his wife Katelyn out of spite and spent time with her when I had to be around him.”

“And Andrew?”

“That’s different.” And that’s all he says. It’s enough to get the attention of Amalia though and she perks up.

“We’re going to see Uncle Andrew!” She says excitedly.

Neil smiles at her fondly and nods. “Only a few more hours.”

It is then that Hollis realizes that Amalia is wearing a small Rebels jersey with the name Josten on the back. That alone is precious, but she’s also wearing a big bow in her hair with the name Minyard printed on it in glitter. It wasn’t much of a guess which twin she was the most fond of.

“You’re going to see Minyard?” She asks worriedly.

“Yeah, we have a flight out tonight. I have to start packing actually.”

She thinks back to when Neil had told them that his partner played for the Atlanta Hawks. What would the odds be that his partner was on the same team as his rival? But is it really that much more likely that the partner he was referring to was Andrew Minyard? She didn’t know and was too afraid to ask.

She took his dismissal for what it was and nodded to the package. “What is all that about by the way?”

Neil looks down at the pack and a small smile graces his features. “It’s the welcome package.”

She furrows her brows, but the look on his face says that he wouldn’t answer even if she asks so she doesn’t bother.

“Have a nice trip.” She says instead as she makes her way back towards the door. He follows her out.

“Thanks. I’ll be back at practice later next week.”

“It’s fine,” She waves him off. “Take all the time you need.”

Only once she is back in a cab and heading home does she give more thought to everything she learned today. No matter how many times she thinks of it, it only seems to get more outlandish and by the time she reaches home she has convinced herself that she must have imagined the fondness in Neil when he talked about Andrew. In the back of her mind though, she kept seeing that picture of them standing a breath away from each other and looking as if they had forgotten the outside world existed.

Chapter Text

All of the Rebels were required to have an active social media account and most of them stuck to Twitter and Instagram. Hollis had been there the day their social media agent had explained to Neil how to work both apps and how often he needed to post on each. It was a conversation that had taken years off of all of their lives, but Neil had eventually gotten the hang of it and Hollis had gotten into the habit of checking in on his account to make sure what he posted was appropriate.

Most of Neil’s pictures on Instagram were of his cats or the meals he was eating, but every now and then there was a random Fox who would make an appearance. Today however was a bit different. He had posted three separate times today, something that he almost never did.

The first picture he posted was of a little girl from behind, who Hollis knew now as Amalia Day. In the picture Amalia’s jersey was now a Minyard jersey and she was holding hands with a man who was out of the shot. It couldn’t be Neil--the scars on his hands were unmistakable--which meant this was most likely Andrew Minyard. She couldn’t picture Andrew playing with children, but Amalia was clearly captivated by him so he must be different when out of the spotlight. Almost all of the comments on this picture were about the name Minyard on her jersey, but most were amused rather than hateful for Neil posting something about his rival. There was also quite a lot of controversy over whose child was in the picture, some thought it was Neil’s secret child, but others pointed out that she looked like Kevin’s little girl who was a known Minyard fanatic.

After that was a picture of Amalia asleep on a couch that Hollis recognized from the pictures she had seen in Neil’s house. There was a big orange cat curled up next to her, blocking her face from view and Neil was leaning against the couch in front of her. The person who took the picture had their feet resting against Neil’s shoulder but otherwise there was nothing to say who it was aside from it being a man. The comments of this picture were all over the place with speculation, many people pointed out that Andrew had posted pictures of this same couch and that it was definitely Andrew’s cat, but the majority were just fawning over how gorgeous Neil looked at that angle.

Hollis clicked over to Andrew’s page and had to agree that the cat and couch were definitely the same. Her theory about their relationship was starting to sound more and more plausible in her mind. Especially when she scrolled back through Andrew’s pictures and saw quite a few that were unmistakably of Neil. There was one in particular that stood out to her. It was a silhouette of a man wearing a bright orange hoodie and standing on a balcony with a cigarette between his fingers. You couldn’t see his face, but he was wearing sweatpants and his posture radiated relaxation. She had never seen Neil that comfortable, he always seemed to be two seconds from fleeing a room.

She jumped back to Neil’s account to see his latest post. This one was still from behind Amalia while she was up on top of a man’s shoulders with a cup of ice cream in her hand. Hollis knew it was Andrew because she knew that’s where Neil was, but there were no other defining features about him in the picture. The most notable part of the picture was the sky blue hoodie the man was wearing with the name Josten across the back. It was adorable when captured below Amalia’s maroon Minyard jersey. The Minyard-Josten rivalry was thriving in the comments, everyone was screaming about Neil being passive aggressive, but Hollis didn’t think that was what was happening at all. If she had to guess, this was Neil gushing over his partner and a child that he considered family. The fact that Andrew was wearing a Josten hoodie was all the confirmation Hollis needed about their relationship. As shocking as this revelation was, Hollis was not as surprised as she thought she'd be.

Neil never talked about girls or did anything to indicate that he was interested in anyone, even before the whole team knew he was in a relationship. So it wasn't really a surprise that he liked men, if anything it was the fact that he had chosen Andrew that was blowing her mind. She didn't like judging people she didn't know, but she had met Andrew at a banquet last year and it had been nothing short of an awkward encounter. He never smiled, never spoke, just stared through her while his teammates did the talking and then eventually walked away without ever acknowledging her existence.

Neil was so sweet, he was as close to a little brother as she had ever had even if he didn't feel the same way. To think someone so good could choose someone so emotionless was wild. She wishes she knew what Andrew was really like, there must be a side to him that only Neil knows, one that Hollis wanted to see if only to confirm that Neil was being taken care of the way he should be.

Hollis left a comment on this picture, a short and sweet ‘cute’ and sent it off. There was so much she wanted to know and no way of knowing it. She couldn't ask Neil outright because he would never tell and obviously Andrew was out of the question which meant she had to settle for the internet. For the next hour she scrolled through videos and articles about the Minyard-Josten rivalry, even going back to videos and interviews from their college years but there still wasn't much to go on. At best she might think they were friends, at worst teammates who tolerate each other. Not once did they give any indication of their relationship.

She put down her phone and marveled over her newfound knowledge of what she was ninety percent sure was a relationship even without the evidence to back it up. There was a piece of information nagging at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was and eventually decided to just let it go and bring it up to Neil when she saw him next.

Chapter Text

Neil was back at practice by Thursday and by that point the Exy world was in chaos.

Breaking News: Kevin Day and Thea Muldani Split

It was all over the news, everyone was talking about it, and Hollis had the sinking suspicion that this is why Neil had been watching Amalia this past week. Their whole team was gossiping and trying to figure out what caused the split. Hollis was more worried about Neil, but she wouldn’t say that to any of their teammates.

Her worries were in vain though, because Neil had shown up looking as put together and carefree as always. He was pointedly ignoring the curious looks thrown his way and began rummaging through his locker.

Before one of the others decided to broach the hot topic, Hollis stepped in.

“Neil, how was your time off?”

Neil glanced back at her shortly. “It was fine.”

“I saw your Instagram posts,” She smiles even though he can’t see it. “It looked like you had a fun time.”

He nods, finally turning around with his gear in hand. “We took Amalia to the fair.”

He pulls his phone out and taps a few times and then holds it out to her wordlessly. She takes it hesitantly and looks down to see the most adorable picture she had ever seen.

Amalia Day was scrunched between Neil and Andrew on what looked to be a merry-go-round, a bright smile on her face. Neil was looking at Andrew with a soft smile as Andrew looked down at Amalia almost fondly.

“She’s precious.” She says, handing the phone back. She catches a glimpse of his home screen as he locks his phone and is unsurprised to see that it is a photo of Andrew holding their two cats. “I meant to ask last time, what was that paperwork about?”

Neil furrows his brow for a moment before understanding dawns on him. “Oh. It was just transfer paperwork.”

Hollis drops her jersey and stares in shock. “It was what?” She asks indignantly.

He backtracks immediately. “Not for me.” He shakes his head. “I was just passing them along.”

It’s like a lightbulb goes off in her head. This is what had been bothering her last time. After all, Neil told her that his partner was transferring teams and that he was in the process of getting a new apartment.

Andrew Minyard was transferring to the Rebels.

The revelation floored her and she nearly had to sit down to take in such a shock.

“To your partner, right?” She managed to ask.

Neil looked at her approvingly for putting the pieces together. “Yeah.”

Kelli was up out of her seat in seconds. “You’re kidding me right?”

Neil had a dangerously blank look on his face. “Why would I be?”

Kelli gaped for a second but rallied on. “The biggest relationship in Exy just ended and you’re going to flaunt another one around? What if you end up breaking up, what then?”

It was out in the air now and none of them knew what to do. Neil looked about two seconds from murder and was twisting his key ring around his finger, digging his palm into the sharp edges.

“The only way we’ll be breaking up is if one of us is dead.” He says coolly. “As for Kevin, that isn’t any of your business and if you bring it up again you will not live to regret it.”

Kelli sniffs dismissively but obediently doesn’t say anything else about Kevin. “You can’t know that. Everyone breaks up eventually.”

“Not us.” The way he says it is definite, like saying the sky is blue and the sun will rise. There was no doubt in Neil’s mind that he and Andrew would be together until they were dead. “And my relationship isn’t any of your business either.”

Just like that, Hollis can feel all of her hard work being erased. Neil was closing them out again at the first sign of scorn. She wishes she could bash Kelli over the head for undoing everything she had been trying to accomplish. Neil had been opening up to them, sharing pieces of his life little bits at a time, and now it was ruined.

“We won’t pry.” Hollis promises, hoping the others won’t try and argue.

Neil nods at her once, but it is still acknowledgement. Kelli scoffs but doesn’t say anything more and they lapse into uncomfortable silence as the girls leave to get ready.

Maybe there was hope for Neil yet.

Chapter Text

After practice is usually when they would all be winding down, however today it brings about a different kind of torment. The press have been swarming the stadium, trying to catch a statement from Neil about Kevin’s situation. It didn’t do them any good since they could never get close enough for anything more than pictures of their cars. That didn't stop them from showing up though, every single day since.

One thing that the entire team knew was that Neil had a very nice and very expensive car. When Harris had first seen it he nearly threw a fit and started talking Neil’s ear off about it until Neil had admitted that he didn’t have a clue about cars. It had thrown the entire team off, mostly because Neil seemed to love that car with a passion he usually reserved only for Exy. After Neil had left, Harris had rattled on and on about the Maserati, as if Hollis had a clue what any of it meant. She was knew a lot of things, but cars were not something she had ever had any interest.

Today, there was a different car in the parking lot, this one just as expensive and beautiful as the other with one major difference. Andrew Minyard was leaning against the car and smoking casually, like he did this every day.

Everyone stopped as soon as they spotted him, but Neil kept walking like there was nothing amiss. Hollis was acutely aware of the press being held off on the other side of the parking lot and can only imagine what the articles will say tomorrow morning. Neil stopped beside Minyard and stole the cigarette out of his hand and brought it to his own lips. Andrew blows smoke in his face as retaliation. As far as Hollis knew, Neil didn’t smoke, but maybe that was just one more thing they didn’t know about him.

“The fuck?” Harris asks startled, coming up beside Hollis.

She didn’t respond, but watched as Neil inclined his head and Andrew turned to get into the driver's seat. There was no hesitation when Neil walked around the car and got into the passenger's seat with a familiarity that spoke volumes of their relationship.

“Did Neil just get into the car with Andrew Minyard?” Benji asks from behind, a frown on his face. “I didn’t imagine that did I?”

Hollis wants to ask just how many times Benji has been imagining Neil to have to ask, but she holds herself back just barely.

“That was Andrew Minyard.” She replies, resuming the walk to her car. She hears Harris and Benji following.

“I thought they hated each other?”

She shrugs. As much as she would love to share her knowledge with the rest of the team, she would keep her mouth shut until Neil decided to tell them. “Neil refers to all of his old team as his family, I assume that includes the ones that he might not always like as well. He all but admitted to me that he doesn’t like Aaron Minyard, but he still keeps in touch with him.”

Harris hums but he doesn’t sound convinced. She'd have to keep an eye on him, if someone else was clueing in then she wanted to make sure they didn't spill the beans. Plus, Harris was trustworthy, if he figured out on his own then she could finally discuss this with someone else. Maybe then she'd stop feeling so crazy, looking at every little interaction and trying to find the proof.

“Do you think this has to do with Day?” He asks.

Hollis frowns. “Why would it have to do with Kevin?”

Harris gestures towards the press. “They could be trying to take some of the spotlight off the divorce news.”

Hollis considers this. It would make sense, from what she had gathered about Neil’s relationship with Kevin they seemed close and it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine him doing something to help Kevin. Maybe Andrew had shown up just to cause a stir, and if he got extra time with Neil then that was no doubt a bonus for both of them.

“Maybe,” She finally says. “It’s a smart idea. People won’t stop talking about Kevin, but it might divide the attention enough to give Kevin some breathing room.”

“Are Neil and Kevin close?” Benji asks with a calculated disinterest that she doesn’t believe one bit.

“He let Neil watch his kid, so yeah I’d imagine they’re close.” She responds and unlocks her car, throwing her bag in the backseat. “Let’s just try to respect Neil’s privacy and be there when he’s ready to talk.”

Benji looks all for the idea of being there for Neil and she nearly rolls her eyes. Harris is watching her with an intent and curious look but he doesn’t say anything, just nods. Taking that as the agreement she was looking for, she climbs into her car and speeds away.

Chapter Text

Practices pass with nothing of interest all the way until Wednesday when they begin planning a get together to watch the finals. Neil begins fidgeting and Coach Brown doesn’t hesitate to call him out on it.

“Spit it out, Josten.”

Neil looks uncomfortable at the attention but turns to their coach obediently.

“I’m going out of town tomorrow.” He states.

Coach Brown doesn’t look surprised. “Were you planning to tell me?”

“After practice.” Neil admits. “I’m going to the game this weekend.”

Coach Brown snorts. “I figured as much.” He digs into his pockets and pulls out a set of keys, identical to the ones that everyone on the team carried. “I assume I can trust you to deliver those.”

Neil nods, tucking the keys into his bag. “We’ll be back by practice Monday.”

Coach Brown nods. “I'll see you on Monday and only you. I don’t want the press catching on before we release a statement.”

“Yes, Coach.”

After they are dismissed, she makes her way over to Neil’s side.

“Can I expect to see a picture of you in a Hawks jersey on Instagram?” She asks.

He nearly smiles and she counts that as a personal win. “A big number three on the back.”

She hears a choked sound and turns to see Harris hovering around them. She shoots daggers at him and he feigns indifference.

“Why are you wearing a Minyard jersey instead of your partner’s?” He asks curiously.

Neil turns to him, face totally blank. It's slightly disturbing how quickly he can turn his emotions on and off. “It’s something the Foxes agreed on. Whenever we make it to the finals we have to choose whose side we’re on. This year it’s either Andrew or Kevin.”

“And you chose Minyard?”

Neil smirks. “Yeah, it’s going to piss Kevin off so much.”

He said it like he was looking forward to seeing it happen and Hollis can’t help but wonder what kind of dysfunctional friendship they have.

“Do you think the Hawks will win?”

Neil considers it for a moment. “Hard to say. It’ll come down to the Hawks’ strikers because there is no way Andrew will let Kevin run up the score on him. If he manages to lock down the goal then it’ll be a tough game.”

Hollis nods approvingly. “Well, I hope you have a nice time.”

There’s a twinkle in Neil’s eyes and she wonders if it’s the idea of the game or the idea of Andrew destroying the competition that has him so excited. Either way, odds are that Andrew factors into the happiness somehow.

“Thanks.” He mutters and they descend into pointless small talk. She even manages to get Neil to join in.

Chapter Text

It wouldn’t be a lie to say that Hollis had been checking her phone religiously before the championship game started. She was waiting to see when Neil posted the picture in his Minyard jersey and she may or may not have turned on post notifications so she knew the exact second that it happened.

The whole team was spread out across the lounge, joking around and making bets, completely ignorant to the internal struggle Hollis was going through. She just wanted to know what was going on at the game, was that so much to ask? She should've just bought her own ticket to the game so she could see it all in person.

The notification pops up just five minutes before game time and she probably looks like a bat out of hell as she scrambles to pull it up. She is not disappointed.

Neil was standing between Danielle and Matt Boyd with his typical blank stare. Both of his companions had wide smiles and were wearing New York jerseys much to her amusement. She had a feeling that Andrew wasn’t exactly popular amongst his old teammates.

The second picture was of them from behind, showing off the names Day and Minyard. The comments section was blowing up over Neil’s jersey of choice and quite a few people were calling it a publicity stunt or sour grapes. Hollis wanted to smack all of those people upside the head and point out how incredibly stupid they were, but she didn’t think management would like that very much.

Harris appears at her side, taking the space on the previously empty couch and leans over to look at her phone.

“Josten?”

Hollis nods. “People weren’t lying when they said he was a PR nightmare.”

Harris snorts. “I still can’t believe it.”

She furrows her brow. “What?”

He gives her a pointed look. “The relationship between Josten and Minyard.”

She darts her eyes around, hoping no one else was listening, thankfully they didn’t seem to be paying them any attention, much more focused on the tv.

“How’d you figure it out?”

Harris shrugs. “I had suspicions since he told us his partner played for the Hawks but I didn't really get it till Minyard came and picked him up from practice after the mess with Day. What about you?”

She wishes she could claim to have known since then, but it had taken her far too long to figure it out.

“I had to take some stuff by Neil’s apartment and saw some pictures of them together. I figured they looked a little too friendly to be rivals.”

“He didn’t tell you?” He asks in surprise.

She shakes her head. “No, he’s hinted at it but he never outright told me.”

Harris accepts that with a nod.

“How do you think the team will react to his transfer?”

She sighs. This had been bugging her since she found out. Just the thought of having Andrew Minyard on her team was enough to send shivers down her spine. One thing was for sure, she was about to get a lot more busy.

“Not well. They barely understand Josten and now they’ll have to deal with someone even more difficult than him. It’ll take time for them to get used to him, but I think it’s going to be good for the team in the long run.”

He smiles and she thinks for the first time about how good looking he is when he isn’t covered in sweat and armor. “You and your optimism.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” She tucks her hair behind her ear and looks back down at her phone where new pictures are loading from Neil’s account.

“It isn’t bad,” He says slowly. “It’s part of the reason you make such a good captain. You can pick the team up when we’re down.”

Her lips quirk up slightly. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

He laughs and they lapse into a comfortable silence.

The newest addition to Neil’s Instagram is a picture of him with three older people, two women and a man. She recognizes the man in the Day jersey as Coach Wymack of Palmetto State, otherwise known as Kevin Day’s father. The two women are mysteries, but one of them has donned a Minyard jersey and is smiling kindly at Neil.

She clicks over to Neil’s tagged photos and sees several from the past hour. One is of a former fox--Allison, her brain supplies helpfully--wearing her own Minyard jersey, hair perfectly arranged over her shoulders. Beside her is another girl, this one with white hair with purple streaks. Hollis thinks she might be another fox, but she can’t remember her name or position. This girl also has a Minyard jersey, and is smiling pleasantly towards the camera. The caption reads ‘Andrew, you better not ruin my winning streak.’ Hollis thinks back to when Neil had told her that the foxes always bet on the championship game and assumes this must be what the caption is referencing. The girls are disgustingly adorable and it makes her wonder if they are just good friends or perhaps more.

The next picture is from Nicky Hemmick, Andrew’s cousin who is also a former fox. He and another man are sporting their own Minyard jerseys and have mentioned Neil in the caption as well. ‘Repping the cousins tonight. @NJos10 How’s the view from the box?’

Neil hadn’t replied, but he had liked the picture which she thought was rather sweet considering Neil seemed to loathe his own phone most of the time. The only times she had seen him looking at it happily had been when Andrew was on the other end of the line.

The next picture was from Dan Boyd and it was immediately Hollis’ favorite of the bunch. She had captured Neil from behind, showing off the Minyard on his back, as he stood right against the glass of the VIP box. He was clenching the bar in front of him so tight Hollis could see the whiteness of his knuckles. He looked more nervous than when they had gone into their own semi-final game against Andrew. Dan had put quite a few hearts beneath the picture and the caption ‘“I’m not nervous, he’ll do fine.” - Neil Josten, two minutes before this picture was taken’.

Hollis showed this picture to Harris and he barked a quiet laugh. “Idiot.”

“I think it’s cute that he’s worked up over it.” She says and turns her attention to the tv where they were panning to a view of the VIP box. Neil was sitting down now and listening to Matt as he gestured wildly about something but Neil wasn’t watching him, he was watching the people on the court; or should she say person on the court. He looked the picture of ease and Hollis would’ve never known he was nervous had she not seen Dan’s picture. His only tell was in the tight grip he had on his phone and the serious way he was staring down at the court.

The sportscasters were talking about the people in the box now and the whole team quieted to hear what they said.

“Here in the box tonight, we have quite a few Minyard and Day supporters and you will notice several previous Palmetto athletes among them. The one everyone has an eye on tonight is the sharp-tongued rookie Neil Josten of the Chicago Rebels. Now, no one was expecting Josten to show up in an Atlanta Hawks jersey tonight, and even more surprising is the name Minyard on the back. I don’t know about you Jennifer, but I’m getting whiplash with all of this rivalry business.”

“Yes, it was very shocking to see, but even more surprising was the picture that has been swirling around for the past few minutes.” A picture pops up on screen and Hollis' breath catches. It was a screenshot from Neil’s Instagram and the picture was one that Hollis hadn’t seen yet. It was almost the same as the one Dan had posted, except this one had been taken from his left side and showed the way he was biting his lip. The photo zoomed in on his left hand and what was very clearly a wedding band on his finger. The other Rebels are just as surprised as she is and she thinks she hears Benji choke on his drink.

“This is a picture from Josten’s personal social media that has rocked the Exy world just minutes before the biggest game of the season. No one has missed the wedding band on his finger and people are rife with speculation on who his mystery spouse is, guesses range from an actress to a fellow Exy player. Quite a few have suggested Neil’s own captain Hollis Grimm as a likely candidate,” She lets out a loud squawk of protest and Harris pats her arm gently. “Grimm has been friendly with Josten since he arrived on her team last year and she has replied to several different social media posts.”

The sportscasters go on for a few more seconds before panning back to the court and the game that was about to begin. The Rebel’s locker room is silent.

“Well,” She says, hating the awkwardness in her own voice. “That’s unfortunate.”

Harris snorts and she nudges his side. “How do you think his partner will take it?”

Hollis stares in horror, thinking about what Andrew would do to her if he thought she was making moves on Neil. His husband!

“Oh shit.” She sinks into the cushions. “I’m going to die.”

Harris pats her head sympathetically. “It was nice knowing you.”

“Is no one else going to talk about the fact that Neil is married?” Kelli shrieks.

Hollis shrugs. “He said he didn’t want us prying into his relationship.”

“But marriage?” Kelli says again. “As in a big ceremony and white dress type stuff.”

She shares an amused look with Harris, knowing that there was definitely no white dress involved and most likely no big ceremony either.

“Courthouse wedding seems more Neil’s style.” Harris says, matching her thoughts. He doesn’t say that he can’t see Andrew Minyard being the ceremony type, but she knows it’s what he’s thinking.

“I agree, he’s probably the type who got married and told everyone after the fact.” Hollis says, thinking back to the group pictures of the Foxes she had seen. She had a feeling that didn’t go over very well based on what she knows about Neil’s old team.

There are nods of agreement and then the game is starting and there isn’t anymore talk of relationships for the rest of the night. She shoots off a quick text to Neil, asking if he's alright but as expected she doesn't receive a reply.

Chapter Text

The Hawks had won the championship by one point. To say Neil was proud would be an understatement, he was practically vibrating in his seat as he watched the team swarm the court. Andrew, of course, stayed out of the victory huddle but his eyes trailed up to the box and Neil could feel his stare piercing through him.

Neil was up and out of his seat by the time Andrew looked away and headed towards the locker room. Dan and Matt were laughing with Wymack, Abby, and Betsy and didn’t even try to get him to join in the conversation. All but Betsy were sporting jerseys that said Day, but Neil had seen the others post pictures in their Minyard jerseys. They had bet on this game, since they bet on everything and Neil knew that Allison, Renee, and Nicky had just won hundreds.

He had posted his own picture earlier, proudly showing off his Minyard jersey and according to Allison, the internet was exploding with speculation. The most popular opinion was that he lost a dare, and the most interesting was that he and Andrew were secretly best friends who created the rivalry just for popularity. It was hilariously not that far off, except the last thing they had wanted out of this was popularity. There was also the unfortunate matter of his ring flying around, but he was determined to ignore that problem until it was unavoidable. It wouldn’t be a mystery that much longer anyways so why bother addressing it.

Now, he was sneakily making his way out of the box and towards the hallway outside of the locker room to wait on Andrew. He would meet up with Dan and Matt back at the apartment later, right now his only concern was Andrew.

It takes Andrew a surprisingly short amount of time to shower and leave, stepping out into the hallway and looking smug. Neil had a feeling that Kevin was receiving a mocking text message right about now.

“Have fun?” He asks once Andrew gets close enough.

Andrew waves his hand lazily. “The last bit was mildly intriguing.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kevin that furious.” Neil says with a smile, remembering the look on Kevin’s face when the final buzzer went off. It had been some mixture of pride and horror. He was probably realizing just what sort of trouble he’d put himself in by their group effort of convincing Andrew to stay on the court. Of course, Neil hadn’t had that problem when the Rebels had played them, mainly because the sight of Andrew shutting down the goal had gotten to him in an entirely different way. Horror and disappointment were the last things on his mind.

“Maybe this will be enough to deflate that ego.”

Andrew snorts. “Doubtful.” Andrew stares at him for a long moment before hooking his fingers into the collar of Neil’s shirt. “Yes or no?”

Neil smiles. “It’s always yes, Andrew.”

Andrew rolls his eyes but pulls him in and kisses him firmly. It doesn’t last long, they are in a public space and they would never be comfortable enough with so many people around, but it’s enough to take the edge off and when they pull away Andrew is even smiling a little.

He holds his hand out and Andrew slips their palms together without hesitation.

“Come on, Dan and Matt are waiting.”

Dan and Matt were staying in a hotel near their apartment, but the kids were at Neil and Andrew’s watching the game with Aaron and Katelyn who was expected to deliver in a little under two months. Tomorrow, they would be flying out to Chicago and moving into their new apartment so everyone was coming along to help out.

Neil couldn’t help but think of how lucky he is now, with a man who loves him and a family who cares and helps him whenever he needs, he thinks life can’t get much better than this.

He is proven slightly wrong when they reach the Maserati and Andrew pulls him into the backseat with fire burning in his eyes. They’re going to be late meeting Matt and Dan, but he can’t seem to make himself care. He takes back what he said earlier. This, nothing could be better than this.

Chapter Text

As previously agreed, Neil shows up to practice the Monday after championships alone and looking tired. Hollis had tried to strike up a conversation with him, but he seemed distracted and she had eventually given up. No one brings up the picture or the wedding band, but she can feel the tension in the air so sharp you could cut it with a knife. It was almost a relief when practice came to an end and Neil drove away without a word to anyone.

When Tuesday comes around, Neil isn’t at practice and no one has heard from him, even Coach Brown didn’t know where he was. It wasn’t a stretch to say that Hollis was worried. After several unanswered phone calls, they decided to leave it alone and try again later, but that didn’t stop her from shooting off several texts asking him to call her. Obviously, she doesn’t get a response but she remains hopeful.

They make it all the way through practice and back to the locker room before they notice someone leaning against Neil’s locker.

Up close Andrew Minyard looked just like he did in the articles, like he was bored and could care less about the world around him. He was also incredibly good looking, something that most people tended to overlook. If you can get over the height thing, then anyone would be lucky to have him. Hollis wonders what had made him choose Neil. Obviously, Neil was his own kind of gorgeous, though most said his scars took away from that beauty, she didn’t see it that way. Aside from that, Neil was one of the most difficult people she had ever met, he was unapproachable at the best of times and hostile at worst. She couldn't imagine how anyone convinced him to date them, much less Andrew Minyard. You wouldn't think that two messed up individuals would work together, but Andrew and Neil seemed to prove that wrong.

Contrary to the rumors now floating around, she had never felt anything for Neil but a fierce protectiveness that she couldn’t explain. He was like a little brother to her at this point, a very stubborn and reluctant brother. So, she could sort of see why Andrew would be attracted to the innocent and sweet parts of Neil that rarely saw the light of day, but she could not figure out how he made an actual relationship work.

The team came up short at the sight of Andrew and several of their jaws dropped open. Coach Brown didn’t pause and went straight up to him with a nod of greeting. There was a familiarity there that spoke of a previous meeting.

“Where’s Josten?”

Andrew studies his nails. “Most likely puking his guts out at home.”

Coach Brown grimaces. “Is he contagious?”

Andrew waves a disinterested hand. “Had some bad food, he’ll be fine.” He seems to think over his next words carefully and holds out a packet of papers. “We made some changes to our uniforms.”

Coach Brown frowns and pulls the papers out. Hollis isn’t sure what he sees, but his frown turns to shock as his eyebrows reach his hairline and he darts a startled look up to Andrew.

“Are you sure this is how you want to do this?”

Andrew shrugs. “It was Neil’s idea.”

"And I'm assuming he didn't bother running this past anyone else."

Andrew throws him a dry look that nearly makes Hollis laugh out loud.

Coach Brown sighs and nods slowly, putting the papers back into the packet. “Alright then, I’ll get it done. I expect you both at practice Thursday.”

Andrew nods once and sweeps out of the room, the team parting around him like he had the plague. Only once he’s gone do they start badgering Coach Brown with questions.

“What the hell was Andrew Minyard doing here?” Pete asks, disgruntled.

“Why is he coming to practice Thursday?” Benji questions.

Coach Brown pinches his brow and points a warning finger at them until they go silent.

“As of today, Andrew Minyard is officially part of the Chicago Rebels.” He holds a hand up when the others start to protest. “He is the best goalie in the country and I will not have any of you running him off. This is final and you will deal with it.” It doesn't take a genius to hear the underlying threat. If he thought someone was causing problems for Andrew or Neil then he wouldn’t have any problems getting rid of them.

The locker room is silent until Hollis clears her throat. “I think this will be good for us. Our offense is already one of the best in the country and now we have a chance to bolster our defense with a champion. I think it’s great that Andrew is transferring.”

Coach Brown nods his approval. “Well said, Grimm. I know this will take some adjustment, but I believe we will benefit greatly from it.”

“What about Neil?” Benji asks curiously. “Aren’t he and Minyard rivals? How are they supposed to play together?”

“Josten is the one who recommended him.” Coach responds. “He and Minyard played together for four years with no problems and they will do it again. Andrew has already assured me that their rivalry is nothing more than media fueled rumors.”

“But he said he hated him!” Kelli exclaims.

Coach shrugs, but she doesn’t miss the subtle eye roll he gives. She wonders how long he had known about Andrew and Neil. “I won’t pretend to understand them, all I’m saying is what they’ve told me and that is that this will not be a problem for them. If they can work together, I expect all of you to work with him as well.” There are reluctant grumbles from the rest of the team, but no one has the guts to say anything else and Coach Brown seems to count it as a win, exiting the room with a quiet grumble.

Hollis tries to make herself look busy, but she can't pretend she doesn't hear what the team is saying about Andrew. "You've seen the articles." Kelli says in disgust. "He went to juvie for almost killing some guys. Not to mention his first two years at Palmetto he was so unstable that they had to keep him drugged."

Hollis' blood nearly boils at that. If there was one thing she wouldn't stand for it was teammates bad mouthing each other, especially if they were dragging old trauma into it. Before she has a chance to speak up on Andrew's behalf, another voice cuts in, cold as ice.

"That's a bit hypocritical isn't it?" Harris asks, seeming completely calm were it not for the fury in his eyes. "You were on anti-depressants when you joined the Rebels, so I don't see how Minyard's case is any different."

Kelli sniffs, seeming rightfully guilty. Seeing how she wasn't going to keep up the argument, Pete decides to do it for her.

"Come on, Harris, you've heard the rumors, they said he has physically assaulted his own teammates before. That's a hell of a lot worse than some pill problems.

"And despite those rumors, he's still friends with all of his old teammates. Don't you think there might be some details missing if his old team has never said a word about it?" Harris presses, running a hand through his hair. "Rumors aren't facts and shouldn't be taken as such. The fact is that most people don't have a clue who Andrew Minyard is, only that he has a shitty past and a bad reputation. Don't you think he deserves a chance before you write him off completely?"

The locker room is dead silent, the only sound made by Harris as he turns to grab his bag from his locker. Hollis' cheeks hurt with how hard she's biting down to keep from smiling too hard. Of all people to come to Andrew's defense, she never would have guessed it would be quiet Harris Houston. It made her appreciate him that much more than she already did. As he moves past her towards the door, she grabs his arm, giving it a soft squeeze.

"Thank you." She whispers.

His lips quirk in the hint of a smile before he moves out the door.

Hollis turns back to the rest of the team, hands on her hips.

"Anyone else have something to say?" She asks in challenge.

It's almost funny how quickly they begin collecting their things and escape the tense moment. She makes a mental note to keep an eye out for Neil and Andrew when they came for practice, and an extra note to take Harris out for a meal as thanks. Maybe this whole transfer mess wouldn't be so bad after all.

Chapter Text

By the time Thursday comes around, the press has mostly given up staking out the Rebels’ court and most of the team has begrudgingly agreed to play nice with Andrew when he arrives.

Neil and Andrew arrive together, something that Hollis and Harris both take notice of but seems to go over the rest of the team's heads. Neil acts like it’s business as usual and goes to dig his gear out of his locker while Andrew heads for Coach Brown’s office.

Hollis is only aware of the team’s silence when Neil slams his locker with a bit too much force.

“What?” He demands.

“How’s the wife?” Kelli asks, voice high and grating. Hollis sighs internally, she had really thought they escaped this mess.

Neil just stares straight through her until she becomes uncomfortable. Hollis steps forward before any of the others can say something to make this even more awkward.

“Are you feeling better?”

Neil tips his head in her direction and nods. “It wasn’t anything serious. I’ve had an entire house full of people fussing over me.”

Hollis raises a brow. “A house full?”

He shrugs. “Dan and Matt brought the kids down and helped us move. Aaron and Katelyn came to help with the unpacking.”

Hollis files this information away to ask about later when the entire team wasn’t listening in. From the way Neil had talked before she had assumed he and Aaron were grudging acquaintances, not the type of people who would come down to help you move into your new house.

“That’s nice of them. Did you get a bigger apartment or an actual house?”

Neil snorts. “A house. We don’t like having nosy neighbors.”

“I know what you mean.” She smiles. “I’m sure you’re excited to be living together again.”

“Yeah,” He hesitates, weighing his words carefully. “Maybe we’ll have you over after it’s all set up.”

Hollis beams. “I would love to.”

He nods like the decision is set and then disappears into the changing rooms. Hollis is acutely aware of the rest of the team’s eyes on her, but she just finishes pulling her gear out of her locker and ignores them to go get changed. By some miracle, the rest of the team hadn’t asked when Neil’s partner would be joining the team. Either they had found some sense of decency, or they had forgotten. Whatever it was, she was grateful. The other new recruits wouldn’t be joining until later this summer so she supposes they aren’t really out of dangerous waters until then, but she remains hopeful.

When she returns to the lounge, Andrew is just returning from Coach’s office and his eyes are scanning the team systematically. He pauses when he spots Hollis lingering in the doorway.

“Where’s Neil?” He asks, voice carefully detached. She sees the others bristle at his tone but she just smiles.

“He went to get changed.” She responds and points towards the door. Andrew nods and spins to retrieve his new bag of gear before going in the direction she indicated.

“Why didn’t you stop him?” Benji hisses at her quietly, eyes on the now closed door.

“Why would I?” She asks with a frown.

“Neil never changes out with us.” He says waving his hands dramatically. “He’s probably going to freak out on Minyard or maybe they’ll get into a fight!”

Hollis' mouth moves silently, trying to come up with some explanation besides the obvious one. She can’t tell them that Andrew had more than likely seen Neil completely bare and that changing in front of him wouldn’t even register to Neil, but she doesn’t have a good answer either. Surprisingly, or not, her savior is Harris who steps forward and gestures for Benji to calm down.

“They were on a team together for four years, I’m sure Andrew knows what he’s doing. Maybe Neil is more comfortable around his old teammates.”

Benji doesn’t look like he believes him, but he doesn’t have a good argument either so he shuts his mouth. It is five long minutes before Neil and Andrew return, looking no different than when they had left aside from their attire. The team is watching them with a curiosity that she hadn’t seen since Neil had first joined their team.

Coach Brown chooses that moment to make a reappearance and claps his hands once. “Alright, everyone here?” He waits for Hollis’ nod of confirmation before gesturing at Andrew and continuing. “Good. This is Andrew Minyard and from now on he is going to be the one watching your backs out there so I expect you all to work together.”

There is no missing the warning in Coach’s tone. There is that ever present threat again, that if they didn’t work well with Andrew then he would have no problem replacing them. Afterall, according to the rumors, Andrew and Neil are being looked at for Court and that is not a player you want to lose.

“Minyard, you have anything to add?” Coach looks back and seems unsurprised when Andrew just stares at him. “Alright then, everyone get to the court and start warmups.”

They all trail out of the locker room, some more eagerly than others, and Hollis doesn’t miss the soft smile that Neil gives Andrew as they head out the door.

Practice is going about how you would expect, a hot mess. It wasn’t even all on Minyard either, there’s a tension running through the team like a livewire and it was causing mistakes left and right. Drills had been done and then they moved on to a scrimmage, which was going even worse than the drills. On the other hand, Andrew seemed completely unconcerned with the fact that they were a train wreck and closed down the goal like it was child's play. Poor Neil couldn’t get a single shot in, leaving him more competitive than Hollis had ever seen. He snapped at the backliners and pretty much anyone else on the court who hindered his progress in scoring.

Where Andrew was bored, the poor strikers that went on were exhausted. Apart from Neil, none of them seemed to know what to do with a goalie that couldn’t be scored on. It was a major blow to the ego, especially to a bunch of pro players who had far over a foot on Andrew. They should’ve had the advantage with their longer reach, but Andrew seemed to twist his tiny body in ways that didn’t seem possible to block shots. She guessed it probably helped that after every blocked attempt, Neil lit up like a Christmas tree.

By the time Coach calls an end to practice, most everyone is breathing heavily, some even flopping onto the court to catch their breath before dragging themselves into the locker room. It takes them a record long time to shower and finally throw themselves onto the couches in the lounge. In all this, Neil and Andrew look tired but mostly unfazed, leaning against the wall as if they had actual energy to spare. It was entirely unfair and more than a little embarrassing that all of the veteran members were huffing and puffing while these two newbies were fine. Then again, that says something for how old some of them were getting. It had never been more obvious that they weren't all twenty-four anymore.

Coach Brown gives them five whole minutes to catch their breath before launching into his critiques of their performance. Everyone is so tired that they can’t even muster the energy to be annoyed at their shortcomings. After a few minutes of rambling, he finally stops and looks them over with a proud gleam in his eye.

“I assume you all understand a bit better now why I decided to steal Andrew from the Hawks?”

The answering nods are few and far between, a couple people even look like they might be sleeping already.

“He’s a natural disaster.” Someone mutters, earning groans of agreement.

Hollis darts a look at Neil and Andrew. Neil looks oddly smug whereas Andrew looks ready to leave. You’d think it was Neil being complimented and not the other way around.

Coach Brown nods, seeming pleased.

“That’s right, and that is exactly what other teams will be saying next season when we step onto the court with him behind us.”

It’s like a shot of adrenaline through the exhausted team. Their eyes turn greedy at the thought of next season and she can already picture the championship trophy in her hands. It sets anticipation coursing through her and she becomes almost giddy for their first game.

“Now, all of you get out of here. If you’re this tired after a regular practice then I’m upping your hours in the gym.”

Frenzied energy returns to the locker room as everyone grabs their bags and leaves before Coach Brown can follow through on that threat. Hollis stays behind long enough to see Neil reach out to run his fingers through Andrew’s hair and Andrew tip his head up to meet his eyes. She doesn’t stay to see what happens after, that was private and she planned to keep it that way.

Chapter Text

It was no surprise that only two weeks after Andrew had officially joined the Rebels, he and Neil were accepted to Court. The team was in an uproar, half of them too excited about having two nationally ranked players on the team and the other half horribly jealous. They kept the excitement to a minimum when Neil and Andrew were around, mainly because every time they brought it up Andrew looked like he was going to stab someone. But once they were gone, they talked each other's ears off, predicting whether Andrew would get along with his new team any better than he got on with them. The overall opinion was no.

This week had been especially gossipy because Andrew and Neil had been out of town for a ‘family emergency’. The others made their own guesses as to what that meant, but Hollis had gone straight to the source and discovered that Andrew’s sister-in-law had given birth while they were out of town in New York City so Andrew and Neil had gone down to meet the babies. She thought this was very sweet, even if Neil assured her it was only because it gave Andrew an excuse to miss practice.

One week later Andrew and Neil are back at practice, just like they said they would be. In fact, they were the first ones there and Hollis had the pleasure of arriving next and witnessed something she probably wasn’t supposed to.

Neil and Andrew were in the lounge on the couch. They hadn’t changed out yet, and Neil was lying with his head in Andrew’s lap while Andrew scratched his fingers against Neil’s scalp.

Hollis cleared her throat loudly as she walked in and Andrew’s eyes snapped to her accusingly. He brought one finger up to his mouth, giving her the message to keep quiet. It is only then that she notices Neil’s eyes are shut and his breathing is slow and even.

She nods, moving over to her locker as quietly as possible. It didn’t matter in the end, because the door to Coach’s office banged open across the hall, causing Neil to startle awake and blindly reach for Andrew. Andrew's hand goes back into his hair, pulling him in close until Neil's panicked eyes meet his.

"Shh, stop it." His voice is steady and it seems to work wonders on Neil whose breathing is slowing. Neil brings his hands up to cup Andrew's face, not quite touching but it seems to ground him anyways. "You're safe." Andrew's voice is so soft she almost doesn't catch it.

This, this was something she could understand. Pieces of the puzzle that was Andrew and Neil were falling into place and making a picture that she was beginning to understand.

Andrew gives him a blank stare as Neil finally begins to calm down and takes in the room around him.

He meets her eyes and frowns.

“Hello?”

She smothers a smile at the way he makes a greeting sound like a question. “Good morning,” She begins pulling out her gear. “How was your trip?”

“Long.” He answers, sitting up so there is only a small gap between him and Andrew. “Katelyn was pissed that she gave birth while they were in New York instead of here.”

“I’ll bet,” She responds with a smile. “How are the babies?”

“Small.” Andrew answers, not even bothering to look at her. She counts it as a personal win that he answered at all.

Neil nods his agreement. “I’ve never seen babies so tiny, but Katelyn said they were really healthy for being born early.”

“That’s good. I’m sure they’re both excited.”

Andrew scoffs, which is more of a reaction than she had ever seen him give anyone before. “Try terrified.”

Neil hums his agreement and reaches up to card his fingers through Andrew’s hair which is an adorable gesture that before today, she never thought she would see from either man. The moment was interrupted by the door opening, admitting Harris and a pretty, blonde girl that Hollis didn’t know but vaguely recognized. Harris looked supremely uncomfortable and was shooting Hollis a pleading look.

“Umm,” She starts, but Neil is already standing and the girl throws herself at him with a wide smile.

“Seems someone still doesn’t know how to answer their phone.” She says as she pulls away and Neil smiles sheepishly.

“Sorry?” He responds. “I turned it off because it kept vibrating.”

The woman frowns disapprovingly and reaches out to ruffle his hair.

“Well,” She tosses her hair over one shoulder. “I guess it’s fine.” She peers around Neil to see Andrew still on the couch but watching them closely. She wiggles her fingers in a teasing wave. “Nice to see you too, Monster.”

Neil frowns and gives her a hard look which she ignores, focused entirely on Andrew. Andrew doesn’t seem bothered by the rude nickname and arches a brow. “Allison.” He says dully. “Where’s Renee?”

Ah, so that is why Hollis had recognized her. This was Allison Reynolds, former Fox player and clearly close friends with Neil. And she is almost positive that Renee played with them as well.

Allison waves a hand dismissively. “She’s coming in this afternoon.”

“Why are you in town?” Neil questions, taking his seat back beside Andrew.

“Fashion things that you’re pretty face wouldn’t understand.” She responds, coming to perch on the arm of the couch. “But we do have tonight off, which is why I’m here. We should get together for dinner.”

Neil shares a knowing look with Andrew and smiles when Andrew huffs. Neil turns back to Allison who doesn’t look at all impressed by the silent conversation that just took place in front of her.

“That’s fine. Did you want to go out or come to our place?”

Allison steeples her fingers beneath her chin. “I haven’t been to your place yet. Did Andrew finally convince you to get rid of that ugly furniture from your apartment?”

Neil pouts, looking absolutely adorable. “It wasn’t that bad.”

Andrew’s eye roll could be seen from a mile away. “I was not going to live in a house with that eyesore of a couch.”

At Neil’s dejected look Allison laughs quietly. “Sometimes I forget how cute you are.” She says, reaching out to pinch his cheek.

Neil scrunches his nose in distaste, but it’s Andrew who bats her hand away.

“The orange couch is no more so are you coming or not?”

“It’s a date.” She states and Andrew all but growls. She throws him a victorious look and gives Neil another hug and a kiss on the cheek. “See you tonight darling. You too, Andrew.” She says his name with emphasis, giving Neil a teasing smile.

She sweeps from the room, strutting on her platform heels. Hollis has immediate respect for her just for wearing heels to an exy court. She and Harris share a wide eyed look and she has no problems reading the ‘what the fuck?’ in his stare.

Andrew and Neil are talking quietly now, but it doesn’t take long for Hollis to realize that they aren’t speaking English. Maybe Russian?

She edges around the room to Harris' side and nudges him. “I’m so confused.” She admits.

He nods, shifting closer until he is pressed against her side. “That makes two of us. Who was that?”

“Former Fox, I think.” Hollis sighs, leaning back against the wall behind them. “I guess they know Andrew and Neil better than we do. She even got Andrew to talk to her.” She says in a whisper, keeping watch on the conversation across the room.

“You’re doing well with them.” Harris responds, reaching down to squeeze her hand. Her heart does an uncomfortable flip in her chest and pink rises to her cheeks. She is aware that Andrew and Neil have stopped talking and when she looks over she sees them both watching her knowingly. Andrew stares wordlessly, and leans over to whisper in Neil’s ear. Neil’s arches a brow and looks at her wonderingly before humming and turning back to Andrew. Hollis decides right then that she absolutely does not want to know what they’re saying.

Chapter Text

By the next day, the whole team had more or less gotten over the fact that Andrew and Neil had missed a week's worth of practice and resumed focusing on them now being Court. There were only a few team members in the lounge, the others having already left for the day, but those left were either minding their own business or annoying everyone.

“Have you gotten your Court schedule yet?” Benji yammered away. “Do you think you have a shot at making it to the Olympics?”

Neil and Andrew dutifully ignore him as they had every other time someone questioned them about Court. Hollis can’t say she blamed them, it had only been twenty minutes and she was already sick of the constant stream of questions.

After another well intended but still annoying remark from Benji, Neil pulls out his phone and scrolls for a moment before holding it out for Hollis to see.

“Katelyn sent these this morning.” He says in explanation.

Hollis peers at the phone eagerly to see two baby girls with tiny tufts of blonde hair. They are tiny where they rest in their incubators and she can only imagine what it would be like to hold someone so small.

“They’re adorable.” She replies with a smile. Neil scrolls once more to a new picture. This one is of Andrew and Neil, holding hands and Andrew’s face pressed close to the incubators. Neil looked absolutely terrified, his grip on Andrew’s hand white knuckled, but Andrew seemed completely absorbed in his nieces. Such a soft sight made Hollis’ heart melt a bit.

“Aaron said that we looked like the nervous parents when he saw that one.”

Hollis barely catches Andrew’s soft snort.

“You were the nervous one.” He says quietly.

Neil gives him a fond look. “True, but I’ve never been around babies before. What was your excuse?”

Andrew gives him a bored stare. “I was imagining what little terrors they were going to be with Aaron and Katelyn as parents.”

Neil laughs dryly and shakes his head like he doesn’t believe him.

“You’re just jealous that there is another set of twinyards now.”

Andrew raises a single finger in response to that one, making Neil smile even brighter.

“I hate you.”

Neil waves a dismissive hand. “Yes, yes, so you keep saying. I still don’t believe you for the record.”

Hollis feels a surreal sense of wonder. Is this what they were like when they were alone? How had they managed to get together if they were constantly saying they hated each other? Surely that couldn’t be healthy for a relationship.

“612%”

Hollis didn’t understand what that meant, but Neil clearly did as he hummed and turned back to his locker.

“I thought I was down to 600%?”

Andrew doesn’t look at him, but he slams his locker with unnecessary force.

“You gained it back that night.” When Neil gives him a confused look, Andrew sighs and turns to look at him. “The hospital.”

Neil nods his understanding, leaning in close to look Andrew right in the eye. “You mean when I called you soft?”

Andrew doesn’t warrant that with a response as he turns to go towards the showers. He pauses in the doorway to look back at Neil pointedly. “613%”

Neil snorts a laugh and follows Andrew out of the room. It is pindrop silent for nearly a whole minute after they’re gone before chaos is unleashed.

“What the hell just happened?” Kelli shrieked.

“Am I hallucinating or did Andrew just say he hated Neil to his face and did Neil just laugh it off?” Benji questioned with a stunned look. “And did Neil just call Andrew soft and live?”

Hollis shares a pained look with Harris and does her best to ignore their teammates. It doesn’t work exactly, but it does keep her from having to look at their faces and lie to them. She catches the suspicious look on a couple faces as they stare at the door that the two had disappeared through. This secret of theirs might not be a secret that much longer if they kept this up.

Neil and Andrew show up a few minutes later and all talk of them fades away. Hollis can only hope it stays that way and no one is stupid enough to question either of the men.

She doesn’t think anyone else notices the way Andrew hovers by Neil’s side as he talks to some of the other strikers about plays or the way Andrew snags Neil’s bag off the ground and tugs at his shirt when he gets tired of waiting on him. No one but Harris who gives an exasperated eye roll as Neil hurries after Andrew. This was going to be an interesting season.

Chapter Text

Practice continues on in relative peace for the next few days and Hollis can almost fool herself into thinking the chaos is over. She should’ve known better than to hope for something like that.

They were in the middle of a scrimmage game and it was going well by their own standards, meaning that no one had gotten into a fight all morning. Things were going so well that she should have been prepared for them to go wrong before it happened.

Byron--one of the strikers--had been blocked by Andrew every single time he took a shot on goal. This normally wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary, but Byron had already lost one of his sponsors this week and she knew Coach was considering trading him before next season. With all of that on top of not being able to score, Hollis could see how he would be easily irritated. Andrew seemed completely oblivious to the mounting frustration he was causing or the concerned way Neil kept looking down the court towards the goal. Byron was already known for his bad attitude and it was only a matter of time before he lost it and took it out on someone else.

The next time Andrew cleared his shot down court, Byron slammed into him full force, crushing Andrew between him and the plexiglass. Andrew shoved Byron back so roughly he fell on his ass, but Andrew was in no shape to go after him more than that. He was leaning heavily against the wall and was beginning a slow slide towards a seated position. He didn’t get that far before Neil was across the court and at his side, making sure to kick Byron on his way past.

Andrew waves a dismissive hand when Neil reaches for him, but Neil ignores it and helps lower Andrew till he’s seated. Neil kneels in front of him, staring at his face in a mixture of fury and concern. Hollis is dimly aware of Coach Brown chewing Byron out behind her but she ignores it to stand a few feet from Andrew and Neil, doing her best to block them from the view of the rest of the team.

“Are you hurt?” Neil asks quietly.

Andrew shakes his head shortly. “Don’t be overdramatic.”

Neil frowns. “I’m serious, Drew.”

“Just lost my breath, I’ll live.”

“I see your ability to infuriate strikers hasn’t gone down at all.”

Neil reaches up to take Andrew’s helmet off and Andrew allows it, tipping his head for easier access. Hollis sees the incredibly vulnerable moment for what it is and turns her head to give them a semblance of privacy.

“And I see you’ve gained some self control over the years.” Andrew says as Neil scans his body like he could see the injury through his clothes. “You didn’t even need someone to pull you off him this time.”

Neil scowls. “Don’t tempt me to go back for him. I already want to pull your knife on him just to see him sweat.”

Hollis peeks over in concern and catches sight of the tiniest hint of a smile on Andrew’s face.

“Wouldn’t that be entertaining.” He brings two fingers up to tap at Neil’s chest and he sits back out of Andrew’s space in response. “Unfortunately I don’t feel like having to bail you out of jail today.”

Neil quirks his lips. “Tomorrow then?” He asks standing and reaching down to help Andrew to his feet.

“I’m undecided.” Andrew responds, pressing a careful hand to his chest. Andrew takes a second to get his feet under him, still looking a bit unsteady before pulling away from Neil’s grasp. “We have plans.”

Neil frowns. “Tomorrow?”

Andrew gives him a look. Neil seems to think it over for a moment before connecting the dots and frowns. He seems a bit nervous to Hollis which is strange.

“I thought I told you I didn’t want to do anything.” Neil says accusingly.

Andrew shrugs. “I told them not to. They didn’t listen.”

Neil doesn’t seem to have a good answer to that so Andrew turns towards Coach Brown who has silently come to stand beside Hollis. Byron is nowhere in sight.

“Are you alright?” Coach Brown questions.

Andrew does not warrant that with a response, just a short look and a gesture towards his form.

“We’re taking tomorrow afternoon off.” Andrew tells him. Coach Brown raises a brow, but hasn’t denied them. Yet.

“Why?”

Andrew jerks his finger at Neil who is looking more and more uncomfortable.

“Birthday party.” He explains.

Neil grumbles. “Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I didn’t know.” He says with an accusing look at Andrew who doesn’t seem to care.

“It’s your birthday?” Hollis questions excitedly.

Neil seems to shrink in on himself. “It was a few months ago, we just haven't celebrated it yet. Not like it’s a real birthday anyways.”

That confuses Hollis for the split second it takes her to remember who she was talking to. She remembers reading something about him faking his age when he was in high school so it makes sense that he would’ve had a fake birthday to go along with it.

“It is.” Andrew says shortly. Neil’s mouth clamps shut and it makes Hollis' heart hurt for him. She wonders not for the first time just how deep the scars go for these men, how much pain had they learned to hide for their own safety.

“Now you’re really making me want to knock the breath out of you.”

Andrew does the closest thing she’s ever seen to a smile. She thinks Neil might look exasperated, but when she looks back at him he’s staring at Andrew like he holds all the answers in the universe. Like he is the answer. It is the most adorable thing she has ever seen and she instinctively looks around to see if any of the other team members are watching. Luckily, it seems Coach Brown sent them on a water break and most everyone seemed to be giving Byron a hard time around the bench and weren’t paying them any attention.

“You can have the afternoon off.” Coach Brown says, breaking the moment and clapping to get the team back on the court.

Andrew nods, like he expected nothing less and moves to grab his helmet from the ground. She watches Neil grimace at the reminder of his birthday party, before heading back to his starting position.

Hollis hangs back for a moment and watches Andrew pull his helmet on. He gives her a bored look when he sees her still standing there, but she stands her ground.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” She asks.

He gives a blank stare. “Fine.” He seems to weigh something for a moment before coming to a decision. “Neil will send you our address. Harris can come too.”

It takes her a second to figure out what he was implying, but when she does, she can’t help the bright smile that splits her face.

“Thank you.” She decides to respond. She wants to ask what makes her so special, but she knows he would never answer her.

“Don’t bring a gift.”

“Why not?”

“Neil doesn’t like it.”

She’s a bit relieved she doesn’t have to do last minute shopping for the world's most complicated people, but she still knows she’ll feel bad showing up empty handed. Maybe she could find something as a general housewarming gift instead.

“We’ll be there.”

He turns away without acknowledging that, but she is too happy about the progress she’s made today to care about much of anything. She goes back to her starting position at half court with a skip in her step and earns a raised brow from Harris when she goes to pass him.

“What’re you all excited about?” He asks quietly so as not to let the others hear.

She pauses shortly at his side. “The two of us have just been invited to Neil’s birthday party tomorrow.”

His jaw actually drops open.

“You’re serious?”

She nearly laughs. “Dead.”

“Shit, I can’t believe it. Are we actually getting through to them?”

She shrugs. “Seems like it. Andrew says no gifts so just show up on time.”

“How about I pick you up and we go together?” There is absolutely no excuse for the warmth spreading through her chest. None at all.

“Sure, it’d be really awkward if it was just me surrounded by all their friends until you showed up.”

“I think you have that backwards.” Harris sighs. “When you’re off court you are the least punctual person I know.”

She feels briefly offended but she can’t even fault him because he’s right.

“Whatever, just be on time.” She grumbles, moving past him and focusing all of her energy on finishing practice. Tomorrow was gonna be fun.

Chapter Text

When Harris and Hollis pull up outside of Neil and Andrew’s house, she is pleasantly surprised. The house is located in a quiet neighborhood with plenty of space between the houses to provide privacy. Neil and Andrew’s house was a classic brick with white shutters, not at all something she would have pictured them picking out. It has a little picket fence and a perfectly kept flower bed. Everything about this house was at odds with what she knew about the two men, including the driveway full of cars.

“Lots of people.” Harris remarks and if she didn’t know any better she’d say he sounded nervous. She couldn’t blame him, she was nervous as hell, but it was funny to see a six foot three man intimidated by a house full of people at a birthday party for midgets.

“You think we’ll know any of them?”

He snorts. “Probably not. I’d guess it’s mostly his old team.”

She hums and climbs out of the car. Harris follows her to the door with hesitation that makes her smile and calms her nerves a bit. She knocks at the door and they wait for exactly five seconds before the door is thrown open and a woman she doesn’t know is smiling at them. The woman was very pretty, with brown hair curling softly around her face and a smile that looked a little tired but welcoming nonetheless.

“You must be the teammates.” She says kindly.

Hollis holds out her hand. “Hollis Grimm and this is Harris Houston.” She introduces.

The woman takes her hand. “Katelyn Minyard.”

“Oh,” Her eyes widen as she takes in Katelyn again. This did not look like a woman who had just had twins a short time ago. She looked as if she had already lost a great deal of her baby weight which was insane, but true. “It’s nice to meet you. Neil’s told us about you.”

“Really?” Katelyn brightens, stepping aside so they could come into the house. “Good things I hope.”

Hollis nods. “He showed me some pictures of the babies as well.”

Katelyn’s smile turns soft. “I’m just glad he got some practice with the other kids before he became a real uncle. If you had seen him a few years ago, he never would have come near the girls.”

Hollis laughs as they head deeper into the house. She catches sight of sleek and modern décor which doesn’t match Neil at all. Neil didn’t like to match or look put together, meaning they either hired a decorator or Andrew has a very good sense of style.

They come out of a hallway into a large open kitchen-dining-living area and it’s already full of people. She catches sight of Kevin Day sitting at the dining table and talking to Danielle Wilds-Boyd, a little girl perched on Dan’s lap. Hollis isn’t ashamed to say she googled the old foxes before they came today so she could at least recognize them. Matt Boyd is leaning against the kitchen island next to a Minyard who is probably Aaron, a baby cradled in his arms. She can only tell the difference because Aaron seems to be happily chatting with Matt, something she doesn’t think Andrew is capable of. Not that she didn’t think Andrew could be happy, but more that she didn’t think he would let anyone else see him being happy, no one but Neil at least. Allison Reynolds is draped on a couch with Renee Walker at her side, the two were playing with Amalia and two other kids of unknown origin. Andrew and Neil were nowhere in sight.

Katelyn leads them towards the kitchen and consequently Aaron and Matt. The two men look up when they see them approaching and Aaron holds out a hand to wrap around his wife. Matt looks Hollis and Harris up and down once before smiling.

“Well, well, the infamous teammates. You’ll have to fill us in on how you managed to win Andrew and Neil over.”

“Not a damn clue.” Harris responds, earning a laugh from the others.

That catches the attention of Allison who comes over to inspect them. Even though they had briefly met Allison before, they hadn’t actually spoken to each other so they might as well be strangers. Hollis is beginning to feel like a new exhibit in a museum with all the staring.

“You both look fairly normal.” She says casually, turning towards Matt. “Are we sure they’re friends with the monsters?”

Matt shrugs. “You think they’d be here if they weren’t?”

Hollis gives Harris a bewildered stare. He returns it and mouths ‘monsters?’.

Allison hums, turning back to them.

“How many of your teammates have figured out they’re a thing?”

Hollis shouldn’t be surprised that this came up, but hearing other people talk about Andrew and Neil openly was jarring.

“You mean aside from the two of us?” Harris asks and waits for Allison to nod before continuing. “None.”

Allison’s brow arches. “None?”

Hollis nods. “No one else has figured it out as far as we know.”

There is silence for five long seconds before Matt begins laughing.

“What the fuck?” Allison frowns.

Matt wipes away the tears building at the corner of his eyes.

“Sorry,” He says when he sees Harris’ and Hollis’ confused expressions. “It’s just that we have a bet about how long they’ll be able to keep it under wraps. Allison hasn’t lost a bet since we were in college so you’ll have to forgive her frustration.”

Hollis smiles. “How long have you guys known?”

Matt taps a finger to his chin. “I guess Kevin and Renee probably knew the longest, but they never said anything to the rest of us. We had suspicions for a bit, but nothing confirmed until right before championships Neil’s first year.”

Hollis’ mouth drops open a bit. She had figured they were together for a while, but around six years is a lot longer than she suspected.

“That’s a lot longer than I expected.” Hollis admits.

“To be fair, it took us years to finally get the story of how they got together out of Neil.” Katelyn jumps in.

Hollis is officially intrigued. “Do we get to know it?”

The others share an indecipherable look before turning back.

“If you’re here then that means that they trust you.” Matt says fondly and nods for Allison to continue.

“According to the story we got, which could very well be a lie, I mean this is Neil we’re talking about.” Hollis doesn’t know what she means by that, but she wasn’t going to interrupt when she was finally about to get some answers. “He said that they kissed on the rooftop like some cheesy rom-com but that they didn’t become a them until after championships which is complete bullshit.”

“Why is it bullshit?” Harris asks.

“Because they were like a damn old married couple. They were ridiculously overprotective of each other and then there’s the times they disappeared after night practice to who knows where.” Allison says with a look of disgust.

“Don’t forget the fact that Andrew let Neil drive his car and got him his own key made. On top of giving him a key to the house when he barely knew him.” Katelyn adds.

Allison points an approving finger at her. “Point for the prettiest Minyard.”

“I disagree.” Neil’s voice cuts in and she turns to see him entering the room with Andrew not far behind. Andrew is carrying a small baby in his arms and it is one of the cutest things she has ever seen.

“With what?” Matt frowns.

“Andrew is obviously the prettiest Minyard.” Neil says with a twinkle in his eye.

Aaron scoffs loudly. “Asshole.”

Neil smiles and shares a look with Andrew who is staring straight through him like he would kill him if there wasn’t a baby in his arms.

Katelyn wraps her arms around Aaron with a bright smile.

“Well, I think you are definitely the prettiest Minyard.” She drawls.

“You can’t even tell us apart.” Andrew says shortly.

Katelyn blushes. “It was one time!”

Neil laughs, something Hollis had heard before but never quite as openly as this. She doesn’t think she had ever seen Neil this carefree before either, it was refreshing. He wasn’t trying to hide his affection for Andrew or watching what words he said, he was just being himself without a care in the world.

“You should know better,” He smiles. “Andrew never forgets.”

Hollis turns a curious look on Neil.

“You’ve never mixed them up?”

Neil’s smile goes soft.

“They don’t look anything alike.”

She stares between the twins, trying to see what he sees. From where she stands, the twins couldn’t look more similar. Same hair, same eyes, same everything. The only difference was that Aaron seemed to radiate happiness and love, especially towards his wife and kids whereas Andrew didn’t seem to feel anything, though she knows that probably wasn’t true at all.

Aaron grumbles. “We’re identical twins dumbass.”

Allison gets a devilish gleam in her eye as she turns on Neil.

“Didn’t you tell me that the reason you knew Andrew picked you up from the airport that first day was because Aaron has a flat ass?”

“You aren’t supposed to hold a drunk person's words against them.” Neil grumbles.

Matt’s laughter rings out loudly, shortly followed by Katelyn’s. Aaron’s glowering face only makes them laugh harder, Katelyn clutching her husband’s arm to keep herself upright. The real spectacle though is Andrew and Neil. Neil’s face has gone completely blank as he stares at Allison in betrayal and Andrew’s face is as red as she’s ever seen it. He looks like he’s trying to decide between punching Neil or kissing the daylights out of him. Clearly he decides neither because he chooses to stare down at the baby in his arms with a very serious expression.

“Your uncle is an idiot.” He says gravely.

Neil smiles brightly, seeming almost giddy as he slides next to Andrew. They aren’t touching, but he is as close as he possibly can be without making contact with Andrew. He stares down at the baby as well.

“Your uncle should say it to me himself.”

“Stop using my baby to flirt.” Aaron bites.

Hollis shares a look with Harris. If this was what they considered flirting then she really couldn’t understand their relationship at all.

Neil turns a bored look on Aaron.

“Are we not allowed to talk to our niece?”

Katelyn elbows Aaron’s side. “You absolutely can.”

Neil throws Aaron a superior look.

Aaron turns on his wife. “Traitor.”

Katelyn laughs. “It’s Neil’s day, we have to be nice.”

Aaron doesn’t look pleased, but he doesn’t complain when Andrew lifts the baby up to look Aaron in the eye. The little girl is absolutely adorable and she stares at Aaron with wide blue eyes and a happy grin. Aaron is weak in the face of his daughter and his face breaks into a faint smile.

Andrew leans around the baby to look at her face.

“Your dad has a flat ass.”

Aaron scowls, turning on his twin. “Don’t corrupt my daughter before she’s even a month old.”

Neil laughs and leans against Andrew’s shoulder. “Yeah, watch your language, Drew.”

Andrew frowns at his husband and holds out the baby to Katelyn who snatches her up in a heartbeat. Neil gives Andrew a short look and waits until he nods to drop his chin onto his shoulder. It was a cute gesture and not at all something she expected to see them doing. It makes her think of just what they would be like if they weren’t sneaking around. She had never asked why they hid their relationship, but seeing them together like this was making her want to know. She’d have to ask Neil some other day.

“What percentage am I at now?” Neil asks cheekily. Hollis is dying to know what this percentage thing is all about. Andrew reaches up and flicks Neil’s nose.

“622%”

“There they go with the percentages again.” Matt huffs and she perks up, hoping that there might be an explanation here. “Are you ever going to tell us what it means?”

Neil tilts his head, eyes turning mischievous. “I told you, it’s how much he hates me.”

There are groans from the rest of the group. Hollis gets the feeling they’ve had this conversation quite a few times.

Matt throws a hand up and turns towards Allison. “I give up. He’s hopeless.”

Aaron scoffs, reaching out to snag his other daughter back from Matt. “You’re just now getting that?”

Matt sighs, shaking his head. “No, I just hoped that as my best bro he’d let me in on the secret.” He then turns to Neil and pouts. “Is this any way to treat your best friend?”

Neil snorts. “I told you the truth, it isn’t my job to make you believe it.”

Allison arches a brow. “You’ve been married for three years and you expect us to believe that he still hates you that much?”

“And getting higher every day.” Andrew remarks, seeming bored with the whole conversation. As the conversation drew on he began poking at the cat that had climbed onto the kitchen island behind him, doing its best to climb up Neil’s shoulder. Andrew was not having it.

“I thought you put the smug bastard away?” Andrew asks Neil.

Neil leans back enough to see the cat and smiles. “Amalia must have let her out, which means King is out too.”

Andrew frowns, pulling away from Neil fully to snag the cat and heads back in the direction of the hallway. Neil doesn’t seem bothered by his husband abandoning him and turns back to the rest of them. He gives Harris a short nod before turning to Hollis.

“How was practice?” He asks, like he had been dying to know but didn’t dare ask until Andrew was gone.

She smiles. “It was fine, but it wasn’t the same without the two of you. The strikers didn’t know what to do when they kept scoring so easily. It seems some of our defense has gotten lazy now that they’re used to Andrew covering their asses.”

Neil shakes his head. “We’ll have to work on that. He won’t be behind them for a whole game.”

“I know, I already talked to Coach about it.” She assures. “First game is only two months away. Are you excited?”

Neil’s eyes sparkle in a way that only seems to happen when he talks about exy and Andrew.

“Of course, Andrew and I haven’t played together since his fifth year.”

Matt raises a brow. “If anyone had told me that first year that one day you’d be more excited about Andrew than you were about exy I would have laughed in their face.”

Neil turns his face away, but Hollis can tell he’s embarrassed.

“Don’t say it like that.” He mumbles.

Matt shrugs. “There’s no shame in it, though Kevin might disagree. Trust me, I love Dan way more than exy.”

“Coming from a normal person maybe, but this is the same guy who once told Nicky that he loved exy and didn’t care if it could never love him back.” Aaron grumbles, earning another elbow to the side from Katelyn.

Allison shakes her head in disappointment. “That is pathetic, Neil.”

Neil shrugs. “I know that, but that’s how I felt.”

Allison perks up. “Felt, past tense?” She waits for Neil’s hesitant nod before continuing. “What changed?”

Neil grumbles something about being nosy that Hollis doesn’t quite catch.

“Andrew.” Is all he says but that is all they need before they start teasing him about how cute he is or in Aaron’s case, how disgusting.

It takes Andrew returning for them to drop it and steer towards easier subjects. Hollis is jerked from one conversation to another, going between learning more about the Foxes and telling them about herself. By the end of the night she is truly exhausted and leans on Harris’ arm for support as they step out the front door. Only once they are settled into the car does she finally draw up the energy to say what’s on her mind.

“We didn’t know them at all, did we?”

Harris gives her a wry smile from behind the wheel.

“I think we knew a part of them, but no, not really.”

She shakes her head, sinking down in her seat.

“Well, at least now we do. I had fun tonight.”

He smiles. “So did I.” He pauses, biting his lip before speaking again. “From everything I had heard about the Foxes, I kind of expected them to be different. More screwed up as bad as that sounds.”

She reaches over and pats his hand. “I get it, I had that same thought about Neil when he first joined. I think they get a bad rep because of where they come from but they aren’t any different from the rest of us, they’ve just had some bad luck in the past.”

He hums in agreement.

“Who’d you like the best?”

She thinks it over carefully, going through the Foxes in her head. Matt was nice and boisterous, always making sure they were included in conversations. Dan was a bit more reserved, spending most of her time with Renee and the kids, but when they had gotten to talk to her she was fierce and opinionated, it wasn’t difficult to see how she became captain of the Foxes. Then there was Allison who was the gossipy one of the group, she was constantly finding ways to tease Neil or get the others to spill their secrets. Kevin hadn’t talked much about himself, but he had talked to Hollis about exy for quite a while before Andrew came over and banned any more talk of exy for the rest of the night. Aaron was the quiet spectator to most of their conversations, only chipping in when he felt like it, most of the time he was busy with the twins and didn’t bother with the rest of them. She had spoken with Renee the least, the other woman playing with the kids or just silently watching the rest of them interact. She was oddly mysterious for a woman with pastel hair, but Hollis found her intriguing. And lastly was Katelyn, she had been sweet and doting one minute and teasing the next. There were times that she had pulled Hollis aside to make sure she was comfortable or to make sure she knew they were joking about a topic that was a little too dark.

“Katelyn.” She says resolutely.

Harris laughs. “I knew it. She’s the optimistic one so I knew you’d get along well.”

She puffs out a short laugh of her own, turning towards the window.

“What about you?”

“Aaron.” He says without hesitation.

She hums. “Why?”

“He talks enough without being overbearing. Plus I find it funny how he and Neil don’t get along.”

She smiles even though he can’t see it.

“It makes sense, you’re both the silent and watchful type.”

“I’m going to believe that is a compliment.”

She waves a dismissive hand.

“Whatever you say.”

They make the rest of the drive to Hollis’ apartment in comfortable silence as she goes over the night in her head. The longer she thinks about it the happier she gets. This was the opening she had been looking for and now she thinks she might finally be on the inside instead of watching from the outskirts. These were her people now and she was determined not to lose them now that she finally had them.

Chapter Text

The following morning after the birthday party was blessedly free of practice meaning Hollis had until the afternoon to do whatever she pleased. This would normally mean more time in the gym or possibly a morning spent fiddling with her camera, but all of that was put on hold the second she picked up her phone.

She had no fewer than seventy texts along with a handful of tagged pictures on Instagram and Twitter. Determined to find out what all the fuss was about, she pulled up the single text she received from Harris. It was short and to the point.

‘Check your Instagram.’

She was obviously intrigued and also slightly worried. With no other choice, she pulls up the app and decides to check the pictures she has been mentioned in, hoping those would clue her in.

The first was an innocent photo from Katelyn of the two of them and one of the babies. There wasn’t anything overly concerning about this one so Hollis moved past it after dropping a like and a quick comment.

The second photo was from Dan, a sweet shot she must have taken while they were all talking in the kitchen. One slight issue with this picture was the fact that Neil and Andrew were practically joined at the hip, talking quietly between themselves. The comments were going insane, ranging from outrage to confusion. Of course, everyone already knew Andrew had joined the Rebels, but that didn’t mean they suddenly expected Neil and Andrew to get along, much less like each other enough to stand that close. While this was mildly concerning there still wasn’t anything that should have earned the reaction it was getting.

There was one last photo from Andrew’s own account which was alarming enough on its own. Andrew hardly ever posted and when he did it was usually vague silhouettes or pictures of his cats. The fact that he had posted about the party was strange enough to send up red flags in Hollis’ mind.

It was a simple enough picture, a shot of Andrew, Neil, Aaron, and Kevin, but it was the caption that was the problem.

‘Gay, straight, bi and demi. Figure it out. #Pride.’

This was a disaster. Not only were people losing their shit, but he had just outed three court players with a single sentence. She had no doubt that he had gotten their consent beforehand, but she doubts he had asked PR for their approval. She can only imagine what Kevin’s team was facing right now. The Rebels were probably on damage control as well, trying to smooth things out meaning she should head to the court, but she couldn’t help her curiosity and decided to scroll through the comments.

So far, it looked like people were assuming that Kevin was the straight one even though Aaron was clearly married to a woman. Now, Hollis wasn’t positive if it was right, but she had heard the rumors of how enamored Kevin had been with Jeremy Knox in his younger years and she didn’t have a hard time picturing him as bi at all. Plus the fact that Aaron seemed to barely tolerate Andrew and Neil being together so she really couldn’t see him being with a man after the grief he gave the two of them.

It seemed to be a toss up between the other three, but one thing was clear. Either Andrew or Neil was gay and there was no way around that fact. Aaron and Kevin had both been married to women at some point which eliminated them from the running leaving only two options. Andrew’s fans seemed convinced that Neil was the gay one, just like how Neil’s fans assumed the opposite. It was chaos through the entire exy community. She can only imagine how the four men were handling all of this. Aaron probably wasn’t as bothered as the others, being out of the spotlight for several years now meant that most people didn’t keep tabs on him anymore. But the other three were a different story.

Refusing to look through the comments anymore, she closes out of the app and dials a familiar number. It takes four long rings before it’s picked up.

“Hello?” Neil’s voice is the same as it always is, no sign of being bothered by all this at all.

“I just saw the post.” She says in lieu of a greeting.

“Ah,” He pauses for a long moment and she can hear rustling on the other end before Andrew’s voice comes through.

“Are you going to lecture me, Oh Captain?”

She snorts, hating that she couldn’t even really be mad at him for this.

“I should after all the trouble you’ve caused.” She threatens before giving up and sighing. “Are you two alright? Did you get in trouble?”

Neil hums. “They definitely aren’t happy with us, but there really isn’t anything they can do about it. It’s in our contracts that our relationship was our business and we could handle it however we wanted.”

She slackens in relief. She was really worried they were going to be punished for this. That they weren’t was a weight lifted off her shoulders.

“Even the Court contract?”

“Of course,” Neil assures. “We’ve been planning how to come out for a while now so we made sure they knew that before we accepted the offer.”

“Why out Kevin as well?”

Andrew scoffs, she can almost feel his disdain from here.

“Because he was too cowardly to do it on his own. He agreed to it so long as we were vague.”

She nods her understanding before realizing they can’t see her and speaking quickly. “Am I right to assume he’s bisexual?”

“That’s right.” Neil affirms. “Andrew’s gay and I’m demi.”

“I don’t know if you’ve seen social media, but your fans are arguing over which of you is the gay one.”

“Not surprising. People aren’t very bright.” Andrew scorns.

“I didn’t know you were gay for half my first year so what does that say about me?” Neil asks, she can almost see the challenging look in his eyes.

“That you’re an idiot.” Andrew deadpans. “If you had been less obsessed with stickball then maybe you would have noticed when I gave you keys to my house and car.”

“To be fair, you were high when you did that, not exactly easy to read.”

Hollis was beginning to feel like a bystander in this whole thing. Had they forgotten she was on the phone?

“Why would I want you to know? You didn’t swing when we met.”

Hollis thinks this is the most she’s ever heard Andrew say in one sitting or possibly ever. He was surprisingly normal, not that she expected him to be what the rumors said, but she thought he’d be quieter based on what she’d seen from him before.

“Now you sound like Aaron.” Neil grumbles.

“Aaron?”

There is total silence for a few seconds and she is starting to realize that Neil might have said something he didn’t mean to.

“It’s nothing.” He says hesitantly. Andrew must have made some kind of face because Neil hurriedly continues. “Drew, I’m serious, it’s old news. We haven’t had any problems with Aaron in years so there’s no need to dig them up now.”

“I want to play a round.” Andrew says seriously.

Hollis is really debating whether she should hang up at this point, but her curiosity was piqued and she couldn’t make herself pull away.

“I thought we didn’t have anything left to give.” Neil grits out.

“Clearly we do.” Andrew fires back.

Neil sighs. “At Blue Ridge that first year after everyone found out about us Aaron pulled me aside to talk.” Neil spits out the last word with a venom she had only ever heard him use on reporters. Whatever this conversation was, he was clearly still pissed about it.

“He implied that I was taking advantage of you after...after Thanksgiving.” She didn’t know what happened on Thanksgiving, but she could take a guess. She had read the articles about Andrew long before he joined the Rebels and she knew what had happened during Neil’s first year that ended with Aaron in court for murder.

“I never told you because I handled it and the only reason he said it in the first place was because he wanted to see if he could use me against you like I used Katelyn against him. That’s it.”

Andrew doesn’t respond right away, but when he does there is an odd tension in his voice.

“What do you mean by ‘you handled it’?”

Neil clears his throat roughly. “Ah, I might have punched him.”

“You...punched him?” Andrew sounds completely detached from the conversation, but there was also genuine surprise underlying his words. “Your hands were burned so badly you couldn’t even tie your shoes or open a bag of food but you punched someone.”

Neil laughs shortly. “I’m an idiot remember.”

Andrew seemed to be at a complete loss for words. They were quiet for so long that Hollis thought they had hung up until she heard quick footsteps and the call went dead. She stared down at her phone in surprise, she had thought they had forgotten about her but that clearly wasn’t the case. She remembers what Neil had told Katelyn last night, that Andrew never forgets. She hadn’t thought he was being serious at the time, but maybe he had been and Andrew really did have an eidetic memory.

Now that she didn’t get to know what happened next she wasn't sure what to do. Had Andrew intended for her to hear all that or was it a test to see if she would hang up on her own? She didn’t know how to handle it and most importantly she was going to go mad with no answers. She could try calling back later, but she already felt terrible for listening in on the conversation so she decided to just keep busy and hope Andrew wouldn’t be too mad at her when they saw each other next.

Chapter Text

Despite all the chaos, Hollis still had to show up at practice that afternoon which she finds supremely unfair. After a quick phone call with Coach Brown, it had been decided to act like business as usual so people didn’t realize that this wasn’t planned for in the slightest. Because, as much as some people were slandering Andrew and Neil right now, there was also a massive amount of support for what Andrew had done. Afterall, there were no other Court players that were out of the closet and only a handful of former college players who came out after retirement. Two of those players are former Trojans who played when Neil and Andrew were with the Foxes, but they hadn’t come out until long after they had faded from the exy spotlight. Overall, being anything but straight in exy just wasn’t talked about, much less admitted.

The team planned to capitalize on the good press, especially with it being pride month. Already they were organizing interviews and events for Andrew and Neil, but whether the men would agree was another question. She silently hoped they would, if only so they could be a bit more open in the long run.

When she stepped into the lounge, she found it to be already full of team members who were sitting in a loose circle and arguing loudly with a pile of money in the middle. They all froze when they saw her enter, seeming torn between guilt and greed.

“What on earth are you doing?” She says, crossing the room to throw her bag in her locker.

There’s a bit of mumbling and shoving before Benji raises his head with a wince.

“We were betting over Andrew and Neil’s sexuality.”

She raises a brow, leaning against her locker and staring down at them with judgement.

“And did anyone bother reaching out to Andrew or Neil instead?” The silence is telling enough. She sighs. “You should respect their privacy or ask them yourself. If they want you to know they’ll tell you.”

Benji perks up. “You know?”

She nods. “Yes I do and before you ask, I have no intention of telling you.”

The team slumps but Byron has a wicked grin on his face.

“The majority have bet on Andrew being gay and Neil either bi or demi.” He says, watching Hollis’ face closely for any indication of whether they’re right. Hollis does her best to keep her expression neutral even as her heart races. They were way too close for comfort.

“What about Aaron and Kevin?” Asks a voice from the doorway and Hollis whips around to see Harris striding in casually. “What do you think about them?”

“Kevin is obviously straight.” Byron says firmly.

Benji shakes his head. “He’s bi, one hundred percent.”

“And why do you think that?” He fires back.

Benji’s cheeks go red and he rubs his neck subconsciously. “Just a feeling.”

Hollis and the rest of the Rebels had long suspected that Benji himself might not be all that straight, but they wouldn’t say anything if he didn’t want anyone to know.

“Do you think they’ll get in trouble?” Harris asks, moving further into the room. The question is obviously directed at Hollis and she sighs in relief as the tension in the room dissipates.

“No, I already talked to them both and they said their contracts were very clear that their relationships were their business and could be handled however they wanted.”

Harris whistles slowly. “Imagine having that much power. I didn’t even get to decide what number I wore when I first started out.”

Hollis nods her agreement. “I know, I was surprised too when Neil told me.”

“Are they coming to practice?”

She shakes her head. “Management has advised them to take the day off while they try and get security tightened. I mean, you saw all the reporters on the street, I can’t imagine what the Hurricanes must be dealing with on Kevin’s end.”

Harris hums in agreement. “At least no one knows where Neil and Andrew live, I imagine Kevin’s place is probably surrounded by now.”

“You two know where they live though, right?” Kelli asks curiously. “Or at least one of them. That is where you went last night, isn’t it?”

Hollis weighs the questions and then decides that there isn’t anything overly revealing about them making them safe to answer.

“Yes, we went to Neil’s birthday party last night.”

Benji perks up. “It was Neil’s birthday?”

“No, they just hadn’t had a chance to celebrate yet.” She waves off, focusing on pulling out her gear. “You should all change out, Coach is probably planning to take his frustrations out on us today.”

The team groans but does as ordered and picks themselves up. She was right, Coach Brown practically ran them into the ground to the point that by the time she makes it home all she can do is fall face first into her pillow.

The following day brings its own problems: Neil and Andrew would be back at practice today. While she was thrilled to see her teammates, she knew that it would be nearly impossible to leave the stadium after practice once the reporters caught sight of the two. It couldn’t be helped though, already there was talk about whether Neil and Andrew had been kicked off the team since they hadn’t been at practice yesterday which meant they could not afford for them to take another day off.

When Hollis arrived at the stadium she’s surprised to see Kelli already in the lounge, scrolling through her phone. She looks up when she hears the door open and sighs when she catches sight of Hollis.

“Are you waiting for someone?” Hollis asks as she goes to put her bag away.

Kelli clucks her tongue and frowns.

“Do you know when Neil will be here?”

Hollis raises a brow. “No, but he usually gets here not long after me. Why?”

Kelli picks at the edge of her phone case, a nervous tick that Hollis had never noticed before.

“I need to talk to him.” She says then frowns. “Or I need to talk to Andrew and I don’t know how without pissing him off so I need to talk to Neil.”

Of all the things she could’ve said, this was probably the last she would’ve expected. Kelli wasn’t known for being friendly after all, so reaching out to any of their teammates was a miracle. Hollis didn’t necessarily dislike Kelli, she just made it very difficult to like her. There were parts of that she understood and some she didn’t.

Kelli had a hard life. In her first year of college she got hooked on antidepressants after her boyfriend got her drunk and filmed a sex tape that he then leaked to the entire school. She had to change colleges after that, and even then it haunted her. No one wanted to sign the damaged girl with a bad reputation, it was a miracle that Binghampton decided to take a chance on her. But they did and she had been on the long road to recovery ever since.

“Andrew takes patience.” She finally says, weighing the words. How on earth was she supposed to explain Andrew Minyard? “He doesn’t like when people waste his time so make sure you know what you want to say.”

Kelli nods, absorbing every word.

“Don’t try to touch him, I don’t know why but he hates it when people touch him.”

Kelli frowns. “He plays a contact sport.”

“He plays goal in a contact sport, otherwise known as the one position where you don’t have to touch anyone.” She points out.

Kelli taps her fingers restlessly.

“Andrew and Neil…” She says slowly, weighing the words. Hollis has a feeling where this was going. “They’re together, aren’t they?”

Hollis isn’t sure what to say to that. She hadn’t talked to Neil about whether their relationship was a secret or just something they didn’t tell people about. Was she supposed to lie or be honest?

“We’re together.” Neil’s voice cuts in and she whips around to see him striding into the lounge with Andrew hot on his heels.

Kelli’s mouth snaps shut and she gives Hollis a pleading look but she has no clue how to help her.

Hollis motions at Andrew and Neil and mouths ‘go on’. Kelli frowns, but she still rolls her shoulders back in determination and strides across the room to where Andrew and Neil are standing next to their lockers. They watch her with curiosity but not animosity which is as much as you can hope for.

When she stands an arms length away she stops and fists her hands at her sides.

“I just wanted to tell you,” She says, voice getting more confident as she goes. “That I really admire what you did. Coming out like that.”

Neil looks over at Andrew and raises a brow, but Andrew is staring at Kelli with an unreadable gaze.

“As an exy player, it isn’t easy to be different.” She bounces on the balls of her feet, looking like she’s mustering courage for her next sentence. “You’re both a lot braver than I am.”

“It isn’t brave,” Andrew finally says, his voice quiet but oddly kind. “It’s selfish.”

Kelli looks as confused as Hollis feels as Neil hurriedly explains.

“We hadn’t told anyone before because it’s our private life and people don’t need to know about it. We came out because it’s easier for us, not because we want to be symbols of courage or anything.”

Kelli breathes a sigh of relief, slouching a bit now that the hard part was over.

“That makes me feel a little bit better.” She admits.

Neil nearly smiles. “It’s easy when you know what you can’t stand to lose.”

Kelli glances at Andrew at the same time as Hollis, just in time to see his ears turn red and his eyes trailing up to Neil’s face. He brings a hand up and pushes a finger into Neil’s cheek.

“Junkie.”

Neil does smile this time, looking down at his husband. “Yours.”

Hollis nearly squeals and Kelli looks back at her with wide eyes, biting her lip.

‘They’re so cute’, she mouths and Hollis can’t help but laugh a little.

“What’s your partner like?” Neil asks, forcing Kelli to turn back around. Her smile turns wistful, looking like she was far away from this conversation.

“She’s an engineer. We met my second year with the Rebels after I stumbled into her at a bar. She was a fan and asked for my autograph, and then when I was too drunk to stand up straight she drove me back to her house and let me sleep in the guest room. When I got up the next morning she had made me breakfast and already left for work, after that is history.”

Neil and Andrew look like they are in their own world, holding some silent conversation that no one else understood. It was adorable, if slightly frustrating for an outsider to witness.

“How did the two of you get together?” Kelli asks hesitantly.

This was a risky question. Hollis knew it was risky because Matt had just told her that Neil and Andrew didn’t tell them how they got together until years after.

Neil looks at Andrew with mischief in his eyes. Seeing this, Andrew sighs and nods.

“Not entirely sure.” Neil admits. “But, I found out Andrew liked me in a club.”

Hollis hadn’t known that, from what Allison had said, they told her a different story.

Kelli’s eyes are wide, taking in everything they’re giving her. “A club?”

Neil nods. “We went there all the time. Anyway, we were talking and Andrew told me he was attracted to me which made me start thinking about how I might like him too.”

Andrew raises a brow, likely knowing that Neil was leaving out some very key points in this story.

“Did you start dating immediately?”

Neil frowns, thinking it over carefully. “I don’t think so?” He looks to Andrew, clearly hoping for some enlightenment.

“Definitely not.”

Neil rolls his eyes. “Would you admit it if we were?”

Andrew gives him a short look which Neil seems to take as a no.

“It was sometime in my first year.” Neil shrugs, seeming completely fine with the fact that he doesn’t know the beginning of their relationship. “We aren’t big on labels so we never bothered until we had been together for a while.”

“Labels are overrated.” Hollis agrees.

Neil nods, nearly smiling as he leans over toward Andrew, stopping just shy of touching and holds out his hand in offering. Andrew stares at it hard for a few seconds before sighing and lacing their little fingers together. Now Neil really does smile at Andrew’s small act of rebellion.

“The point is,” He starts, turning to Kelli seriously. “Do what you want to do. Whatever works for your relationship, that’s for you to decide.”

Kelli’s eyes go startlingly misty and she hurriedly turns away, fanning her face. When she manages to get herself under control, she spins back around, laughing awkwardly.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She sniffs, turning her nose up. It seems she is done with her vulnerable moment and back to being as difficult as possible. “Just for the record, I didn’t bet on you.”

Neil huffs. “Thanks. We’ll be sure to send you a Christmas card.”

Kelli’s smile betrays her mood as she struts back to her locker.

“Damn right you will.”

As Andrew and Neil stalk off to change, Hollis takes the chance to embrace the newfound friendship blooming in the team. They may not all like each other, but they were learning how to deal with that and how to work together in spite of it. If she was a more sentimental person she might cry. As it was, she settled for a quick victory dance around the locker room, ignoring the way Kelli stared at her like she was insane. She didn’t care, she was too happy and this was her one moment of excitement before she went back to being the cool and collected captain that she pretends to be.

She’s snapped out of it by stifled laughter coming from the door and she twirls to see Harris watching her with a bright smile.

She clears her throat, straightening up and pretending nothing happened. He doesn’t say anything, but throughout practice she catches him watching her and it sends butterflies fluttering through her.

Chapter Text

Oddly enough, the press had mostly stayed away from the stadium, but Hollis didn’t learn why until after practice when Coach pulled her aside for a private talk.

“I’ve arranged an interview for Andrew and Neil and I need you to talk them into it.” He says with a hopeful look.

She frowns. “They shouldn’t be talked into anything they don’t want to do.”

He raises his fingers asking her to wait. “Just listen to what I’m saying before you say no.”

Hollis raises a brow which he seems to take as agreement.

“The fans want answers and the board as well as our sponsors feel we need to give them some. We’ve set up an interview with someone who will do right by them both. She’s pretty new in journalism but she has done interviews with past exy players who had scandals and all of them spoke highly of her and received positive reactions from the public. I’m not asking them to bare their heart and soul to her, but just give some basic answers that will sate the fans' curiosity.”

It isn’t like she disagrees with him, but what really mattered to her was how Andrew and Neil feel about it. She doesn’t want them to be uncomfortable or to feel pressured to give something they don’t want to.

“I don’t think they will agree to it if you make it all about their sexuality.” She says hesitantly.

Coach nods, looking like he’s taking mental notes.

“So, what do you think?”

She furrows her brow. “Maybe as more of a ‘where are they now’ or something. Like if you got Kevin and some of the other Foxes to join in I think they might consider it.”

He chews his lip consideringly. “It might work, but they’d still need to give some answers and that’s the real problem.”

She waves him off. “They will open up if they want to and nothing you try to scheme will change that. If they won’t do it then you need to prepare a backup plan.”

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I’m too old to deal with this mess.”

She grins, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

“You and me both.”

It had taken quite a bit of persuading to get Andrew and Neil to do this interview, hinging on whether or not Kevin and Matt were also dragged into it. They had gotten on the phone with the Hurricanes’ immediately and they were more than happy to offer up Kevin since they were in a similar situation. Matt’s team had taken more convincing, but that was made easier by the fact that Matt was determined to be a part of the interview whether they agreed to it or not.

Due to the severity of the situation, the interview had been set for as soon as possible, meaning that they flew Matt and Kevin to Chicago by the end of the week so that the interview could take place at the Rebel’s court. Whether she liked it or not, Hollis had also been dragged into it, as a character witness or something, she wasn’t exactly sure of her role but she was already dreading it.

The camera crew and staff had shown up at the stadium bright and early, meaning that of course Hollis had to be there too. Andrew and Neil had somehow lucked out and weren’t coming for at least another hour, meaning Hollis had the task of entertaining their guests on her own.

The lounge had turned into the waiting room for the athletes, leaving Hollis stuck with Kevin and Matt until someone else showed up. Matt seemed to be entertaining himself, talking on the phone with one of his kids in the corner of the room. From what she had heard of the conversation, they were planning a surprise for Dan, something involving breakfast in bed and streamers of flowers? Whatever it was, it sounded elaborate and very much like something Matt would plan for his wife.

Kevin was studiously ignoring Matt to focus on the tv where a re-run of Palmetto State’s first game of the season was playing. The Foxes have once again started off rough, barely scraping together a win. Neil had told her when they watched the game that the first few games of the season were always tough because the team was still fighting amongst themselves and establishing a hierarchy. If they managed to settle that, they could be unstoppable.

“Robin should’ve dealt with them by now.” Kevin mutters, leaning back on the couch with a frown.

Hollis quirks a brow from her seat beside him.

“How long did it take you and Dan when Neil joined?” She asks, genuinely curious. She had seen the games from Neil’s first year and there was a vast difference in play style between the start of the season and the end. From what she could tell, something had happened over their winter break that changed something in the Foxes.

Kevin cuts his eyes to Hollis, assessing.

“Too long.” He sighs. “Neil is an idiot, but he was the one who fixed the Foxes.”

Matt laughs lightly, coming over to join their conversation.

“We were a mess and then Neil came in and started putting pieces together that the rest of us didn’t even realize were broken. You should’ve seen the twins, they had some serious issues with each other. Neil barely knew them, but he figured it out and got them into therapy like it was nothing.” Matt slouches against the arm, eyes taking on a far away look.

“It wasn’t nothing,” Kevin frowns. “He almost destroyed the team getting them there.”

Matt shrugs. “But he didn’t.” He points out. “Man, I still can’t believe that Neil used Katelyn like that.”

“He used her?” Hollis questions, not liking the sound of that.

“To get them into therapy he suggested that Katelyn stop seeing Aaron until he agreed to it so that’s what she did. Somehow it worked, but Aaron wasn’t too happy with Neil for a while there.” Matt explains.

Hollis considers what she knows about the twins. They had seemed to get along fine from what she had seen so clearly the therapy did something for them. Neil had told her that he and Aaron didn’t get along, but from what she had seen at the party that wasn’t exactly true. She was beginning to wonder how much of what she knew about the twins and Neil was real and what was just them keeping up appearances just to be petty. It was easy for her to imagine Neil refusing to acknowledge that he and Aaron were more than just begrudging brothers-in-law at this point simply to annoy Aaron.

“Then Aaron used Neil against Andrew which none of us were expecting to actually work. That’s how we found out that whatever was between them was more than just sex.”

“You guys didn’t think they were in a relationship?”

Matt shakes his head.

“You have to understand, Andrew and Neil were very different back then. Neil had all the trust issues of a stray cat and didn’t even realize we were friends for months. Then there was Andrew who went from being completely manic on his meds to indifferent to everything including his own family. So it was a bit difficult for us to imagine either of them having feelings beyond lust.”

She weighs that against what she already knows about Andrew and Neil. No matter how hard she tries, she just can’t see it. Sure, she had been clueless for a while there, but as soon as she figured it out it was immediately clear that they were in a relationship. There was no way she would have considered anything else between them. Then again, she couldn’t picture Neil the way Matt was talking about either. She had always known he was a private person, but he had never been detached or unfeeling. It was the same with Andrew, even though he didn’t show his feelings, you could still see how much he cared for Neil in all the little things he did for him and the way he was never far from his side.

Something clicks in her head then and she can’t help but smile.

“You guys still don’t know when they got together, do you?”

Matt rubs a hand against the spikes of his hair.

“Not a damn clue. The bet has been going on for years but they refuse to settle it for us.”

Hollis thinks over what they had just revealed to Kelli the other day. Was the reason they refused to settle the bet just because they didn’t want to admit that they didn’t know the answer? If that was the case, she didn’t think it would be a problem for her to fill Matt in.

“It’s because they don’t know.” She states, enjoying the way his mouth drops open in shock. “Neil just told one of our teammates that they don’t know when they started dating, only that it was during his first year.”

“They told someone they were together?” Kevin cuts in, seeming bothered.

Hollis shakes her head. “She guessed and they confirmed it. She’ll keep it quiet though, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“I can’t believe that after all these years, the answer was that simple.” Matt says, still in shock. “It’s such an Andrew and Neil thing to do, draw it out just because they don’t want to admit they don’t know. Allison and Dan are going to flip.”

“Who wins the bet then?” Hollis can’t help but ask.

Matt considers it. “I guess it would technically be Kevin.” He turns to the other man who was dutifully ignoring him. “What exactly did you bet?”

“That Neil probably didn’t even know they were dating at all but Andrew knows the exact day.” He says, finally playing along.

She’s officially intrigued. “You think Andrew knows?”

He shrugs. “He has to. There must have been a time where he started thinking of Neil as his boyfriend and he knows when that was even if Neil doesn’t.”

It was certainly possible, she didn’t put it past Andrew to not tell Neil if he did know. She wonders if he would ever tell Neil or if he planned to let him be oblivious for the rest of their lives.

“Haven’t you gotten tired of gossiping about our relationship by this point?” Neil says, strolling into the locker room with Andrew at his side. Despite his words, he doesn’t show any visible sign that he was bothered by their conversation.

Matt throws his arms across the back of the couch, a wide grin on his face.

“I’ll stop talking about it if you settle the bets.” He promises.

Neil arches a disbelieving brow. “Which bets?”

Matt holds up three fingers. “When you got together, who made the first move, and when you got married.”

Neil frowns, fiddling with the ring on his finger.

“I already told you who made the first move.”

He waves a dismissive hand. “Nobody believes you.”

“It was me.” Andrew says shortly, taking a seat on the empty armchair. Neil comes over and settles on the floor between his legs. Hollis doesn’t miss the way Andrew’s fingers thread into his hair, or the way Neil leans back into the touch.

Matt turns to Andrew, incredulous. “Seriously, he wasn’t lying?”

Andrew shrugs. “For once.”

Neil nudges his leg, but his lips quirk in the hint of a smile.

“I don’t lie to you.”

“Anymore.” Andrew corrects.

Neil is completely unapologetic, tilting his face up to his husband.

“Isn’t that what made me so interesting?”

Andrew frowns. “629%”

Neil laughs, resting his head against Andrew’s knee.

“Я тебя люблю.”

Andrew’s cheeks turn pink as he pushes Neil’s face back down.

“Idiot.”

Hollis is more thrown by the different language than she is by the conversation taking place in front of her. Matt and Kevin don’t seem surprised though, so she was determined not to show hers.

“Two more bets to settle and we’ll leave you alone.” Matt reminds them, breaking the moment.

“Who won the other one?”

“Renee.”

Andrew snorts and Neil doesn’t even bother hiding his smile.

“Not surprised.” Neil responds, tilting his head in thought. “We got married my fifth year.”

Matt flails, sitting up straight in his seat. “Are you serious?”

Neil gives him a look. “It was right after I got out of the hospital.”

The former Foxes' faces darken at that. Hollis tries to remember if she had read anything about that, but she can’t think of anything.

Matt clears his throat, doing his best to banish the heavy mood that has settled over the room.

“So you got married for…”

“Visitation rights.” Neil says at the same time Andrew answers. “Tax benefits.”

It makes something warm bloom in her chest when she sees the looks on their faces, how utterly fond they are of each other. She wishes she had something like that, the complete trust they have in each other was something anyone would envy.

Matt seems to be taking mental notes as they talk, probably figuring out who won what bets and storing the information to tell his wife later.

“Okay,” Matt says hesitantly. He’s likely getting more information about them than he’s ever gotten before. “When did you get together?”

Neil looks at Andrew who seems to be weighing the question and his desire to answer it.

“First year.” Is all he says.

“But when?” Matt hopefully prompts.

“No.”

Hearing this, Neil looks back at Matt and shrugs.

“That’s all you’re getting.”

Matt sighs but lets it go. He probably knows better than to try and push either man to answer.

Hollis sits up a little straighter now that the conversation has faded away.

“Have you discussed what answers you are going to give today?” She asks.

Neil nods. “We aren’t planning to tell them about our relationship, we have other plans for that.”

“I’m going to tell them I’m bisexual.” Kevin says carefully.

Matt claps a hand on his shoulder in support. “Good for you, man.”

Kevin shrugs. “I’d rather talk about next season, but I know they’ll ask and I’m prepared to answer.” He looks at Neil seriously. “Are you?”

Neil’s smile says it all. It isn’t the smile he gives to the Foxes, it’s his reporter smile, the smile that says he is about to verbally destroy you.

“We’re ready.”

They break into small talk about the upcoming season for the next few minutes until they are finally called out to the media room where the interview will be taking place. Hollis’ nerves are singing in her veins, but one look at Neil’s mischievous eyes and Kevin’s unwavering conviction and she is striding over to her seat with her head held high. They were going to do this.

Chapter Text

They are seated in comfy chairs, with Hollis, Matt, and Kevin in the back row and Neil and Andrew in front. The reporter was a nice woman in her thirties named Amara who seemed to smile an awful lot, but Hollis was hoping that would fade a bit as the interview got underway.

There was a screen directly in front of them so Hollis could see her teammates' faces which were currently set in their default neutral expressions. Hopefully they would play nice today, but she wasn’t holding her breath. At least Kevin and Matt were here to keep up the conversation when Neil and Andrew inevitably got tired of giving answers.

Amara leans forward, clasping her hands together. “Let’s get started. Could you please introduce yourselves.”

“I’m Matt Boyd, starting backliner for the Carolina Panthers.” Matt begins, his bright smile bringing up the mood.

“Kevin Day starting striker for the Seattle Hurricanes.” He says with a small wave.

“I’m Hollis Grimm, captain of the Chicago Rebels.”

Andrew and Neil stare at each other for a few awkward seconds before Neil spins back to the camera.

“Neil Josten, striker for the Chicago Rebels.”

“Andrew Minyard.”

Amara waits a few seconds for more, but Andrew doesn’t continue so she clears her throat and leans back in her chair.

“First, I want to thank you all for taking the time to speak with me today. Now, Andrew, your recent transfer to the Rebels was quite a shock. Could you tell me the reason for the switch?”

Andrew jerks a thumb at Neil, making her eyes go wide.

“You transferred for Neil?” She asks slowly.

Neil’s expression doesn’t change, but Hollis can see how he seems to stop breathing for a second there. Andrew waves a dismissive hand.

“We share custody of a cat.” He explains.

Neil’s huff of laughter is nearly lost beneath the sound of Matt losing his shit and Kevin grumbling about not taking this seriously.

“Technically I found them.” Neil says, nudging Andrew’s hand.

“They would be dead if I left them in your care.”

Neil’s scoff nearly distracts her from the screen where Andrew’s lips twitch as if repressing a smile. Neil stares at his husband for a long moment before Amara coughs, disguising a laugh.

“So,” She starts, eyes darting between the two men in interest. “Did you trade cats every now and then when you were on separate teams?”

Neil shakes his head. “Sir stayed with me and King stayed with Andrew. We visited when we could.”

“You two must be pretty close then?”

“I hate him.” Andrew responds immediately.

Neil’s smile is amused as he leans back in his chair.

“He hates me.”

Amara nods, turning towards Hollis. “I see. Hollis, how has it been having Andrew on your team?”

Hollis forces a pleasant smile onto her face.

“It’s been fun so far, he’s definitely pushing our strikers to improve much faster than before. I have high hopes for the coming season.”

“Do you think having two court players improves your chances of making it to the championships this year?”

She nods. “We were so close last season and I have no doubt that without Andrew in the goal our semi-final game would have gone very differently. It isn’t a stretch to say Andrew is one of the best goalies in the country and having him guarding our backs will change everything this season.”

Amara turns to Kevin and Matt.

“Is it safe to say that the Hurricanes and the Panthers are nervous for the competition this year?”

Kevin crosses his arms, his face a mask of neutrality, but there is an excited glimmer in his eyes that Hollis had never seen before.

“Of course having Andrew and Neil back on the same team changes things, but we’re more than ready to face them. It will be a good season.”

Matt claps a hand on his shoulder, smiling brightly. “Agreed. Most people probably don’t realize it, but Andrew and Neil work together perfectly on the court. They have some kind of creepy psychic connection that makes them anticipate the others moves flawlessly.”

Hollis nods her agreement. “It’s true, the Rebels were stunned the first time we saw them play together. It’s insane to watch.”

“Do you think playing together for court will give the Hurricanes an advantage since you know how they work?” Amara asks Kevin.

Even though the question is directed at Kevin, it’s Neil who answers.

“We all played together for years, Kevin knows our moves just as well as we know his. It all comes down to the rest of the team whenever we play together.”

“But that didn’t seem to be the case when the Rebels faced the Hawks last year.”

Neil frowns, throwing Andrew a dull look.

“Andrew knows me too well for us to play against each other. He’s the best and I have a long way to go to score on him the way I want to.”

Andrew cuts his eyes at his husband. “Flattery doesn’t suit you.”

Neil’s laughter is short and surprised.

“I’m being honest.”

Andrew tilts his head, running his eyes over Neil suggestively. “Honesty looks awful on you.”

Neil’s eyes light up more than the words warrant and she wonders if this is some inside joke between them.

“I thought you told me to stop lying; you should really make up your mind.” Neil fires back.

“I’m undecided.”

Neil hums and leans across the arm of his chair. “That’s a first.”

Andrew nearly rolls his eyes.

“Not when it involves you.”

Neil arches a brow. “Oh? I didn’t realize I was such a problem for you.”

“Not a problem, a pest.” Andrew corrects.

Hollis can see Matt biting his lip beside her, trying so hard not to break the moment between the smaller men. Kevin’s frown is all she needs to know that he wasn’t exactly happy with the way this was going.

Neil shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. At this point it’s too late to get rid of me.”

Andrew tilts his head, considering. “Should I prove you wrong?”

Neil smiles, not his reporter smile, but not far off from it.

“Feel free to try.”

“I hate you.”

“So you keep saying.” Neil laughs.

That seems to be the end of their talk, because neither of them says anything else as they turn back to the cameras.

Amara hums, drawing everyone's attention back to her.

“I’m sure you are aware, but exy fans everywhere have been talking about the Instagram post that Andrew made last week. From the looks of it, you have outed at least two of your former teammates. Is that correct?”

Andrew inclines his head but doesn’t verbally respond so Kevin takes it upon himself to do it.

“That’s right. We all talked about it and we wanted people to see that exy players weren’t all cut from the same cloth. Diversity and being different aren’t exactly supported in this community but we want to show that it doesn’t have to be that way.”

Matt makes a noise of agreement. “They aren’t the first exy players who aren’t straight, but for years people haven’t talked about it because they were afraid of how the fans and their teammates would react. It’s past time for us to grow out of that mindset and embrace the people who are different.”

Amara nods. “I know that there have been mixed reactions from the exy community, but if you’re comfortable with it, would you clear up your sexualities for us?”

Kevin straightens up, and Hollis sees Matt reach over to clap a hand on his knee.

“For years I told Neil that being straight was easier. You could be whatever you wanted behind the cameras, but in front of them you had to be perfect. It took me a long time to fix that mindset and even now I have a hard time being honest about my real feelings.” He frowns, grip on the arms of his chair going bone white.

“I had to think about how this would affect my family. My daughter and father are the most important people in my life and I wanted to be the best for them that I could. But that isn’t the real me, I’m a mess and I have been for years. My old team knew that and they supported me through it which is why I wanted to support them now. So, with all that being said, I would like to confirm that I am bisexual.”

Neil’s smile is proud and so is Matt’s when he slings an arm across his shoulders. Amara is smiling too and it warms Hollis to see nothing but support and understanding from her.

“Well,” Matt starts. “I’m sure you won’t get a speech like that out of these two, but on behalf of the former Foxes we wanted to say just how proud we are to have these three as our family when most of us didn’t have any.”

Neil fiddles with the ring on his finger, the only indicator of his nerves.

“I didn’t know my own sexuality for a long time, and it’s only thanks to Nicky and Allison that they helped me find the word to describe my feelings. So, I’m a happily married demisexual.”

Matt’s soft snort is most likely lost to the microphones, but Hollis hears it and can’t help the amused smile that crosses her face. Matt catches her look and leans over to whisper discreetly.

“Andrew is gonna kill him for that later.”

“Kill or kiss?” She fires back and Matt chuckles.

They snap back to attention when Andrew waves a hand dismissively.

“I’m gay.” He crosses his arms, leaning subtly towards Neil. “We didn’t do it to inspire people so no need to change your opinion of me now.”

“What Andrew means to say,” Neil cuts in. “Is that we just did this to make our lives easier. But it is still our private life and we would appreciate it if people recognized that.”

Matt jerks a thumb down at the two. “Don’t take it too personally, these are the most private people you will ever meet. We didn’t even know Neil got married until months afterwards.”

“I knew.” Kevin says smugly.

Matt rolls his eyes. “That’s just because they needed a witness and you were in town.”

Kevin’s look turns haughty. “You’re just jealous he didn’t ask you.”

“Hell yeah I am.” Matt shoots back, not at all ashamed. “I’m his best friend.”

“And I’m practically his brother.”

Neil frowns. “Was I adopted when I wasn't paying attention?”

Kevin shrugs. “Probably. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dad had the papers hidden in his office somewhere.”

Hollis laughs along with Matt at the dubious look on Neil’s face.

“Does this mean I have to change my name again?”

“You have too many names already.” Andrew fires back.

Neil snorts. “I only have four.”

“That’s more than anyone else here. No need to add a fifth.”

Neil bites down on his lip, likely to keep from pointing out that Andrew has just as many as he did.

Matt frowns, counting on his fingers slowly. “Four?” His brow furrows before his eyes light up and he nearly jumps out of his chair in excitement. “You hyphenated!”

Neil groans, sinking down into his seat. “Yes.”

Matt is practically vibrating in his seat. “Whose name came first?”

Neil weighs his words carefully. “I’ll tell you later.”

Matt pouts but seems to realize this isn’t the place for this conversation and nods his consent.

Amara looks more than pleased with the way the conversation has gone and Hollis realizes that this is one of the most relaxed interviews she’s ever done. It wasn’t because she was comfortable with Amara, but because Amara was sitting back and letting them do all the talking themselves, only throwing out questions when it seemed they had run out of things to say. Hollis is at once glad that Coach Brown had found them someone like this to interview them.

“Where do you see yourself in ten years?” Amara asks with an interested tilt of her head.

Unsurprisingly, Kevin answers first.

“With two Olympic gold medals, coaching and raising my daughter.”

Matt laughs, gripping his shoulder. “Would you coach pro or college?”

Kevin thinks it over carefully. “Maybe college. I want to help create better athletes, just like what I did for Neil.”

Neil snorts. “You say that like I was completely talentless.”

“Not much different.” Kevin fires back but there is a gleam in his eye that Hollis is beginning to recognize as teasing.

Neil does the mature thing and sticks his tongue out at him.

“What would you be doing?” Kevin asks, seeming more interested in Neil’s answer than anyone else's.

Neil shrugs. “I’ll play for as long as I can and then I guess I’ll retire. I haven’t thought about what to do after that.”

“There’s a surprise.” Andrew shoots back quietly.

Neil leans across his chair and stares at Andrew in challenge.

“And what do you want to do?”

“Road trip,” He replies, arching a brow. “Germany, buy a house in the middle of nowhere.”

The face Neil is making is almost revealing enough that she wants to tell them to cut the cameras off and give them a moment. He looks so fond and in love that it’s nearly impossible not to see what they mean to each other.

“When are you retiring?”

Andrew scoffs. “As soon as possible.” When Neil frowns he continues in a tone that leaves no room for discussion. “I’m not going to play stickball for the rest of my life.”

“I know that.” He mutters but he doesn’t look happy about it.

Matt laughs shortly, drawing the attention to him and away from the way Neil and Andrew are looking at each other.

“Well, I plan to retire whenever Dan wants me to. I’ll be a stay at home dad while she coaches the Foxes. What about you, Hollis?”

She hasn’t given her future a whole lot of thought, but she knows that she won’t be able to play much longer. She has maybe five or six years left if she’s lucky and doesn’t get injured, but after that she would have to do something.

“I’ll definitely be retired by then and I’ll probably use my degree and get a job in sports medicine. Hopefully I’ll be married and have a kid as well.”

“That’s what your degree is?” Neil asks, like she’s never mentioned it before which she knows she has.

“Yeah, what’s yours?”

“Mathematical sciences.”

That was surprising. It isn’t that she doesn’t think Neil would like something like that, but more that she had pictured him doing something that would keep him with exy for a long time. Maybe choosing this degree was his way of letting the sport go so he could grow old with Andrew away from the court. It was a nice thought, even if it wasn’t true. She should ask Neil later just to see what he would say.

“Nerd.” Andrew says dryly.

Neil gives his best blank stare. “You can’t talk, your degree is in criminal justice.”

“I did it for the irony.”

“I know.” Neil smiles teasingly and leans back in his chair to look over his shoulder at Kevin. “Besides, Kevin is the real nerd.”

Kevin scowls, crossing his arms. “History is interesting.”

“Whatever you say.”

The interview doesn’t last much longer, only a few more short questions about the coming season before they are let go. Hollis doesn’t stick around, letting Neil and Andrew say goodbye to their friends in privacy. She collects her things as quickly and quietly as possible before heading out of the stadium.

Outside, she is greeted by the sight of Harris leaning against his car. He looks up when he sees her approach and she smiles nervously.

“What are you doing here?”

He shrugs. “I wanted to see how the interview went.”

“You do have a phone.” She points out.

“Not like I had anything better to do today.” He responds but there is a pink tint to his cheeks that makes her think that might not be his real reason. “So, how was it?”

“It went really well actually.” She can’t help but think about how cute Andrew and Neil were. They definitely weren’t doing what was expected of them, but it was way more than she could have hoped for. “I think it’ll show people that Andrew and Neil are more than just their pasts. People can relate to them now and see that they are just ordinary people like anyone else.”

Harris raises a brow. “That good, huh?”

She nods, fiddling with the strap of her bag.

“I’m glad they joined our team.”

“I know.” He replies, reaching out to clasp her shoulder. “You’ve been more enthusiastic since Neil came. It reminds me of when we were in college.”

Hollis sometimes forgets that they are the same age. She felt so old, courtesy of the years of being team captain and dealing with everyone’s shit. Harris had played for the UT while she had come from the USC Trojans. They had made fun of her for her positive attitude for a long time before she finally put them in their place and cemented her role as captain.

She and Harris had played against each other their entire college careers which meant that when they both ended up with the Rebels, it had taken a lot of time for them to get along with each other. They had come a long way since then and Hollis wouldn’t change a second of it.

“I like it better these days.”

“Me too.” He slides his hand down to grip hers, his smile hesitant and worried. She squeezes his hand once before pulling away and laughing awkwardly. It wasn’t like she was opposed to something more with Harris, but she needed a bit more time to consider the options before accepting any advances. “Wanna go grab something to eat and you can tell me all about the interview?”

She can’t help but smile at how normal he seems. He wasn’t going to let things get awkward between them, no matter what happened. They would still be friends first and foremost.

“I’m choosing.”

He laughs. “As you wish, my Captain.”

She follows him to his car, reveling in the familiarity and comfort between them. Maybe something more wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.

Chapter Text

Weeks have passed since the interview came out and in that time things had remained virtually the same for the Rebels. Andrew and Neil had a lot more sponsorships pouring in, though they refused as many as the team would allow. Other than that and the fans dubbing them as exy icons, nothing had changed. They still had practice every day and they still dealt with the press flocking to them whenever they could.

What did change was the way the fans dug into Neil and Andrew’s relationship. Everyone was convinced they were at least friends at this point if not more, but no one had any evidence aside from micro-analyzing every interaction they’d ever had which didn’t give them much insight. It was kind of funny seeing people freak out about the little smile Neil sometimes gave when in Andrew’s presence or how they used to always be spotted together back in their Fox days. People could pick apart their relationship all they wanted, but she knew they wouldn’t find any real evidence.

Andrew and Neil acted as they didn’t notice the extra scrutiny they were under, though Hollis knew they were aware of it. Kelli had been making fun of them in her strange form of affection and oddly enough that was the catalyst for the rest of the team being totally chill about it. Hollis was insanely proud of the team’s acceptance of Andrew and Neil and the possibility of a relationship between them. According to Kelli, they were still split down the middle on whether or not they were dating, but they were now paying closer attention than ever before. As long as it didn’t bother Neil and Andrew then she would let them do as they pleased.

They had all gotten together today for a last dinner party before the season officially kicked off. Surprisingly, Andrew and Neil had agreed to host since most everyone else had apartments or spouses and kids that kept them from hosting. It hadn’t even taken that much convincing on her part which was slightly concerning, but she was determined to look on the positive side. They hadn’t exactly confirmed their relationship to the team, but they did admit that they lived together and the team could put those pieces together whatever way they wished. It was a lot more than she had expected them to give if she was honest.

It warmed her heart to see their team mingling and laughing in Andrew and Neil’s large living room. She can see Kelli admiring the sleek decor and the photos adorning every available surface. Most of the pictures were new additions to the house, at least since the last time Hollis had been here, and she spent the first ten minutes after she arrived doing the same thing that Kelli was doing now. She definitely didn’t miss the picture of Neil and Andrew, both wearing suits and standing in front of a courthouse with Kevin and Coach Wymack. It seems their guess about a courthouse wedding was correct. If the team had been split down the middle before, then she guessed they probably weren’t anymore after seeing the house for themselves. This was the opposite of a bachelor pad, this was a home.

From her perch at the kitchen bar, she can see Harris talking to some of the veteran members in the living room, and Benji making eyes at one of the rookies in the opposite corner. They looked like friends, and she was so proud of how far they had come together.

“Admiring your handiwork?” Neil asks, coming up on her right side with Andrew not far behind.

She can’t help but smile. “It was a team effort.”

Neil raises a brow. “I didn’t do anything this time.”

“This time?”

Neil shares a look with Andrew, he looks like he’s reliving a fond memory while Andrew looks resigned.

“I helped fix the Foxes in my first year.”

Andrew rolls his eyes. “And every year after that.”

Neil’s eyes turn soft and fond as he stares at his husband.

“If I hadn’t then none of this would’ve happened.”

“If you hadn’t we’d both be dead.” Andrew says, sounding way too calm and accepting for talking about their deaths. She shouldn't really be surprised, this was Andrew and Neil they were talking about, a son of a mafia boss and someone who had been in juvie for beating people half to death, talking about death was probably nothing new to them.

Neil nods like this is perfectly reasonable. “Then you should be happy I did.”

“I don’t do happy.” He responds dryly.

“And here I thought you didn’t lie.” Neil fires back. He reaches out and links a single finger with Andrew’s. It was unbelievably adorable.

“How would you know?”

Neil ignores the jab. “Do you want me to tell you a time you were happy?”

“Enlighten me.” Andrew drawls.

“When we got the cats.” Neil says fondly. When Andrew doesn’t stop him he keeps going. “When I bought you a freezers worth of ice cream on your birthday.” He leans in closer and pitches his voice low enough that only the three of them can hear. “When I agreed to marry you.”

Andrew huffs, but she can see his ears turning red.

“Are you done?” He asks but he doesn’t correct him which is basically a confirmation if she’s ever seen one.

Neil thinks for just a moment before smiling deviously. “I have one more.” At Andrew’s dismissive wave he continues. “When we saw the twins for the first time.”

Andrew wrinkles his nose, one of the biggest reactions she had seen him give. It was cute how Neil could get under his skin like no one else could.

“I hate you.”

Neil sighs, but there is still a smile on his face, although softer than before.

“I know.” He pitches his voice even lower. “I love you too.”

Hollis does her best not to outwardly react, but she still chokes on her drink a little and has to turn away to hide her reddening cheeks. Never in her life did she think that she would hear those words from either man. Sure, she expected that they told each other ‘I love you’, but to actually hear it was another thing entirely.

“Idiot.” She hears Andrew mutter, but she bets that if she turned around right now his cheeks would be as red as hers were.

“So I’ve been told.” Neil throws back and she risks turning back around to see the two men standing close together with a challenge in their eyes.

“And yet you never change. Should I be concerned with your utter lack of concern for your own stupidity?”

Neil doesn’t bother masking his snort of amusement.

“If you want, but I’d hate to inconvenience you.”

“Your mere existence is an inconvenience.” Andrew says, but his eyes are almost playful when he stares at the subtle curve of Neil’s mouth.

“How should I make it up to you?” Neil says, leaning in even closer so that they’re practically pressed against each other.

“I’m sure you’ll think of something.” Andrew waves a hand dismissively and takes a careful step back, putting barely a hand's length of distance between them.

They’re so caught up in their own world that they don’t even notice when Hollis sneakily slides off her stool and heads into the living room where Harris still stands, though now he is noticeably alone. He smiles when he sees her coming.

“Hey, finished talking with our moody hosts?”

She gestures towards the kitchen where the two have now moved to lean against the counter and look out at the rest of the room, bending to whisper to each other every now and then.

“There is only so much third wheeling I can accept before it gets awkward.” She huffs, following as he leads her over to the couch where Kelli has stationed herself.

“Who do you think decorated?” Kelli asks as soon as they sit down. “This place is gorgeous.”

Hollis had that same thought when she first visited and she still didn’t have an answer.

“Definitely not Neil.” She replies, earning a huff of laughter and an eye roll.

“Obviously.” Kelli agrees. “You know I went to his apartment once to feed his cat while he was off seeing his man.” At Hollis and Harris’ dubious looks she waves a hand.

“Don’t ask how I got stuck with the job, because I still don't know why he asked me.” She thinks for a second before shaking her head. “Anyways, that place was so bare and decorated in horrible oranges that I didn’t even bother looking around. I dumped the food for the tiny fluff ball and left as quickly as I could.”

Hollis can’t help but laugh just picturing it. She had a feeling that Neil had chosen Kelli specifically because he thought she wouldn’t care enough to snoop around. It seemed to be a good call, because if Neil had asked Hollis then she really wasn’t sure if she could have kept her curiosity at bay.

“I agree about the apartment, this place is much nicer.”

“Andrew picked out everything.” Neil says, coming around the couch to settle into an armchair with Andrew perching on the side. “The only reason he even took me shopping was for my money.”

Andrew gives him an unimpressed look.

“I make more than you do.”

Neil shrugs. “True, but all your money is for junk food.”

Andrew raises a brow. “Oh, who pays most of the bills then?”

“You do, but thanks to me, you don’t have a car payment.”

Hollis’ eyes nearly pop out of her head and she hears Harris choke on air beside her.

“You paid off a Maserati?” Harris asks in awe.

Neil waves a hand. “It was my fault his first car was destroyed, so I bought the replacement. I’m pretty sure Andrew just chose the most expensive car on the lot for fun.”

“How did you destroy his first car?” Hollis asks, unable to contain her curiosity.

Neil chuckles a bit nervously, reaching up to rub his neck.

“I pissed off the Raven fans my first year and they retaliated by ruining our cars.”

“Wait a second,” Harris starts, leaning forward in his seat. “You mean to tell me you bought that car while you were in college.”

“Yeah.” Neil states, but doesn’t clear up how he could have possibly had that much money.

“He bought it with his dirty mafia money.” Andrew throws in helpfully, picking at his nails.

Neil really does laugh then, the laugh that they hardly ever get to hear because there isn’t much that Neil finds funny.

“Well, it was Nathaniel’s dirty money. Neil Josten hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Andrew clicks his tongue. “Shall I tell you how wrong you are?”

“Do you want to?”

Andrew hums and relaxes back into his seat. It seems he didn’t want to after all.

They break down into pointless small talk for the next little while, until eventually everyone else has cleared out and it’s just the five of them still sitting and drinking wine like the classy adults they were. Well, she and Kelli were drinking wine, she didn't know what was in Neil, Andrew, and Harris’ glasses but whatever it was had caused Harris to nearly choke on his first sip.

Kelli was well into being tipsy and bordering on drunk by this point and Hollis was mildly concerned with how she was going to get her home if she passed out by the end of the night.

“Should I get married?” She asks eventually, staring at her left hand like it had the answer she was looking for.

“Do you want to?” She asks carefully.

Kelli thinks about that for a long moment. “I think so. I would be great at planning a wedding.”

“Have you talked to your partner about it?” Neil asks, surprisingly.

Kelli nods, nearly bouncing with excitement.

“Of course, she wants a night wedding at the Crystal Gardens which is fine with me because as long as she’s happy then we can make anything work.” Kelli gushes.

“Just make sure you don’t forget to invite us.” Hollis teases, feeling the wine relaxing her by the second.

Kelli points a finger towards her, though it was definitely veering towards Harris the longer she kept it there. “You’re going to be a bridesmaid.”

Hollis can’t help but smile. “I am?”

“Of course!” She says a few more things under her breath before whirling back to Andrew and Neil. “How long were you together before you got married?”

“Around four years, I think.” Neil answers.

“How did you know it was time?”

Neil looks awkward at that and looks up to Andrew for help but the other man only stares at him. She remembers what they had said before, how they had gotten married for visitation rights after Neil got hurt. It definitely wasn’t the conventional way people usually got married, but that was Andrew and Neil.

“We didn’t.” Neil says slowly. “I got hurt and they wouldn’t let Andrew come see me in the hospital because he wasn’t family. We got married a few days after I was discharged.”

Harris makes a small noise beside her and she looks over to see him staring at the floor, lost in thought.

“You never know it’s time, you just do what your heart tells you.” He says quietly.

Hollis is suddenly wondering if Harris had a secret spouse they weren’t aware of. That would be a bit disappointing, but so long as he was happy she would be happy for him.

Kelli slams her glass onto the table so hard that Hollis is worried about it shattering. Shockingly, the glass is intact as she pushes up from her seat with only a slight wobble.

“Then it’s settled, I’m going to buy a ring and ask her to marry me.”

Hollis stands and catches hold of her wrist when she starts heading for the door.

“Maybe not right this second.” She suggests. “You want to be clear headed so she understands that you’re serious about this.”

Kelli stares at her for a long moment before throwing her arms around Hollis neck in a strangling hug.

“You’re so smart. You are the best captain I could’ve ever asked for.”

Hollis is definitely not tearing up, nuh uh. If anyone said she was then she could blame the alcohol.

“Let’s get you home, hmm?” She says, pulling back from the hug. “I’m sure Andrew and Neil are tired of us by now.”

Kelli nods, pulling away only far enough to tug Harris up from his spot as well.

“Let’s go, the uber isn’t going to call itself.” She begins tugging them towards the door and Hollis can’t help but laugh as she looks back to Andrew and Neil who haven’t bothered to move.

“Thanks for hosting. I’ll treat you to dinner sometime to express my gratitude.”

“Get home safe.” Neil responds, with a short wave. “We’ll see you at practice.”

That’s the last she hears from them before being pulled out the door, barely snagging their bags as Kelli rushed them. Thankfully, Harris had the forethought to call the uber when Kelli began her rambling so they only have to stand outside for a few minutes before the car pulls up.

After settling Kelli into the front seat, she and Harris climb into the back and sit in peaceful silence for most of the ride before she finally has to voice what’s on her mind.

“Are you married?” She asks curiously.

He huffs. “I knew you’d ask.” He teases, but then goes serious, staring out the window in thought. “I was engaged a few years ago.”

“Did it not work out?” She hesitantly questions.

“No, she died.” He says it matter of factly, but Hollis knew that was how he handled things that were a bit too much. The more he felt, the less he showed. “She was sick. I should’ve pushed up the wedding, but it was midseason and we were so busy so I put it off. She passed two months before the date.”

“Harris, I’m sorry.” She whispers, reaching out to grab his hand. He holds on tightly, but she doesn’t complain, she could do this for him.

“It was a long time ago, but that doesn’t make you forget. Now I’m just trying to move on and be happy because I know that’s what she would have wanted.” He turns back to her, a small smile on his face. “She would have liked you.”

As terrible as the timing was, she felt herself blush.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet her.”

He shrugs. “I didn’t want her in the spotlight because then everyone would be talking about me for my sad personal life instead of my skills on the court.”

“I get it. But just for the record, if you ever want to talk about her, I’m always here.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He says, squeezing her hand.

They stay like that for the rest of the ride, holding hands and taking comfort in the darkness around them and the closeness of each other.

Chapter Text

They were an hour out from gametime, and Hollis was officially going to kill her team for all the trouble they’ve already caused her. For starters, Kelli showed up late with the brightest smile and an engagement ring on her finger. Hollis was happy for her, but Kelli’s focus had now been split between her excitement about her wedding and the game, which was just anxiety inducing.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Andrew and Neil had mysteriously disappeared when they went to get changed and hadn’t made a reappearance. This would be less concerning if they weren’t about to go start warmups. Coach Brown didn’t seem worried, so she was doing her best to appear calm as well. Clearly it wasn’t working very well.

“You’re going to get a cramp if you don’t relax.” Harris says, coming up beside her. They were in the media room now, staring at the door and listening to the fans' screams from the other side.

“I’m doing my best.” She grits out.

He laughs shortly. “I know you are, Captain.”

She huffs. It takes everything in her not to start pacing.

“Where the hell are Minyard and Josten?”

He shrugs but there’s a look in his eye that makes her think he knows more than he’s saying. Typical for Harris to have all of the inside dirt when no one else knew anything.

“Probably just mentally preparing for the chaos that’s about to happen once they step onto the court side by side.”

“Ugh, as if this night wasn’t stressful enough. We’re going on any minute now.” She gives into the urge and circles the room once, releasing all her restless energy before coming back to Harris’ side. His smile is both amused and worried.

“Hey,” He reaches out and snags her wrist, massaging it gently. “Seriously, it’s going to be fine.”

“How do you know?” She asks miserably. She hates feeling like this, it had been a long time since a game made her feel this nervous and jittery.

“Because,” His smile is softer now, almost fond. “We have some of the best players in the country on our team and the best captain that we could ask for. We’ll make it through this, no matter the result of the game.”

She tries to let that reassure her, even as her thoughts spiral past everything that could go wrong. There was a chance they would lose some fans, or maybe people would riot when they saw Andrew and Neil playing together again. There were so many thing sthat could go wrong, but there had to be a positive side too, something else that she could focus on to stop her negative thoughts.

They were a strong team, with Andrew in goal and Neil playing the offensive, there wasn't anything to worry about. The subs were strong enough to hold down the fort when the two men swapped out and Harris and Kelli could handle the defense while Hollis was subbed out. Everyone knew the lineup inside out and had prepared for this game just like they would any other. It should be an easy win, but even if it wasn't, this game wouldn’t make or break them. Even if they lost, they would recover and be stronger because of it.

She takes a deep breath and lets her mind go completely blank. It works, sort of. Instead of focusing on her fears, she decides to think about how fun this would be. They were stepping onto the court a new team with a handful of people who had never worn a Rebels jersey before. They were both the team that had made it to semifinals and also something entirely new. This is the strongest lineup the Rebels had ever had, and they wouldn’t let it go to waste.

When she turns back to Harris, she finds him watching her with a proud gleam in his eye.

“Feeling better?”

Hollis nods. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

Kelli’s hysterical laughter has Hollis turning towards the locker room door where Neil and Andrew have finally emerged. She doesn’t understand what Kelli’s laughing about until Neil grins mischievously at Andrew and turns around for Hollis to see his back. His standard number ten is still there, but the name above it is glaringly new. How Coach managed to fit Josten-Minyard on the back is impressive, but she can’t even focus on that because she has never seen Neil this outwardly happy. He was practically bouncing in his excitement and his smile was a near constant thing.

Hollis goes to them, pushing past the other awestruck teammates until she’s at their side. Neil tips his head, waiting for her to say something.

“You never do anything halfway, do you?”

“Less exciting.” He says in his usual deadpan tone, but it doesn’t match the look on his face. He pokes at Andrew’s shoulder until he sighs and spins just enough that Hollis can catch the Minyard-Josten on the back of his jersey. The fact that they swapped names was absolutely adorable, but she had a feeling they wouldn’t appreciate being called anything near cute, so she kept that thought to herself.

“You think you’re both hot shit huh?” Kelli says coming up alongside Neil to ruffle his hair.

She’s a bit concerned of his reaction since neither he nor Andrew was fond of being touched. Clearly, she worried for nothing though because he ducks away from Kelli’s hand and she lets him retreat with a smile.

“Way to steal my thunder.” Kelli teases.

Neil shrugs. “You can talk to the press with us after and return the favor.”

Kelli perks up, eyes going dreamy at the thought of getting to gush about her fiancée. “Deal.”

“Time for warmups Grimm.” Harris calls from his place near the door.

She glances up at the clock to see he’s right and moves to take her place at the front of the line.

“Alright everybody,” She calls over her shoulder. “Let’s go cause some mayhem.”

The cheers from the team are nearly deafening in the room, but she can’t even be bothered because they were about to go have fun and dominate this game. Every worry she had earlier has disappeared in the face of her team’s confidence and as the doors open to the screams of the fans, she allows herself to smile in triumph.

It takes barely any time at all for people to notice the new uniform on Neil’s back and the stadium descends into chaos, only getting worse when Andrew finally steps out as well. She cranes her neck up to see the jumbotron and is unsurprised to see closeups of the names on the big screen. It’s almost impossible to discern the screams, but Hollis is optimistic that she can hear more cheers of excitement than betrayal.

Getting everyone onto the court for warmups is nearly a relief when it drowns out some of the noise. It isn’t much, but she can at least hear herself think now.

“I think my ears are going to be ringing for the next week.” Harris says right into her ear, causing her to jump a bit. She thinks she hears him laugh but can’t be sure.

“Maybe Coach will give us tomorrow off to recover.” She shouts back.

“He’ll have to.” He calls. “We have to get security tightened. Again.” He says, exasperated.

She glances around at the team and an idea begins to form.

“We should go out tomorrow to celebrate.”

“We?” He questions, looking around at the team.

“We.” She replies, circling her finger to indicate everyone.

Harris raises a brow but doesn’t shoot her down.

“Maybe we could get Coach to rent out a restaurant for us.”

She points at him. “Good thinking. It shouldn’t be hard to convince him so long as we win.”

His smile turns fierce, and he grips his racquet just a bit tighter. “Then let’s win this thing.”

They clack sticks and turn all their attention onto the coming game. Hollis has never felt so proud of her team and she lets the pride fuel her through the entirety of the game.

The Rebels win in the biggest blowout in pro exy history.

Neil and Andrew had managed to leave the Rebels home court with minimal fuss last night, but neither of them had bothered to touch their phones since before the game started. According to Kelli the internet was breaking and Neil and Andrew were both trending across multiple platforms.

As Neil sits up in bed, he glances over at his phone, debating whether or not to check the news. One look to his right has him forgetting all about the phone and focusing on his husband.

Andrew was always so much softer in his sleep, the hard lines of his face relaxing into something resembling peace. It had taken them such a long time to get to this point, but Neil thinks every single second of it was worth it if this is what he got to wake up to everyday. They were still healing and maybe they always would be, but neither man was knocking on death's door anymore and they were as close to happy as they had ever been.

He traces the lines of Andrew’s face with his eyes, memorizing him for the thousandth time. From the long lashes brushing his cheeks to the soft curve of his lips and sharp jut of his jaw. Andrew was beautiful as he always was, but Neil would never get tired of looking at him.

“Staring.” Andrew says without even opening his eyes.

Neil smiles, lying back down so their faces are close enough to almost be touching.

“Am I not allowed to look at you?”

Andrew cracks an eye open and glares at him as best he can.

“Not like that, you aren’t.”

He hums, reaching out to run his fingers through Andrew’s hair. Andrew reaches up to swat at him but Neil snags his hand and laces their fingers together. It says all he needs to know about Andrew's mood that he doesn't fight him on it, allowing their hands to rest comfortably on the sheets between them.

“Hollis said we’re having a party today at some fancy restaurant. Are we going?”

“You think they’d let you skip?” Andrew fires back.

Neil shrugs. “We can. I don’t mind staying home with you instead.”

“Disgusting.” His words are at odds with his actions as he scoots even closer and hooks his foot between Neil's.

“So you want to go?”

Andrew grumbles, burying his face in his pillow.

“What I want is to go back to sleep.”

Neil sighs but dutifully stops talking and finally reaches over to snag his phone and power it back up. As soon as it comes to life the notifications start pouring in. He ignores all of them in favor of checking his texts from the Foxes. It was mostly them commenting on how the fans were handling it and messages of congratulations, but amongst those were also pictures. They had all taken pictures in the new jerseys that Neil had sent them. Half were wearing Andrew’s and the other half were wearing Neil’s. It made him feel warm and cared for knowing that no matter what he always had the support of this family he had found. The Rebels were a new family, one that he liked and was comfortable being a part of, but no one could ever replace the Foxes in his life.

He shoots off a text to the group, letting them know that his phone was back on and focused on the Rebels' messages.

Hollis had sent links to clips from their post-game interview as well as highlights from the game that she had picked out, but most of the focus was on the party they were having today. He would laugh about his team’s one-track mind if he didn’t think Andrew would kill him for waking him up again. It seemed they were handling the chaos by acting as if it was business as usual which was just fine with Neil because he had said everything he had to say about his and Andrew’s relationship last night and now he just wanted to move on.

He jumps over to Instagram next and posts two pictures from last night. The first was of Neil and Andrew with their backs to the camera to show off their new jerseys. They had gotten Harris to take the picture since he was the only one they had trusted to keep quiet until the big reveal. The next picture was a candid shot that Dan had sent him from the after-game press where Andrew was nearly smiling as Neil ripped into one of the reporters who had questioned whether they thought their relationship was a result of codependency during a traumatic time in both of their lives. Needless to say, Coach Brown made sure to take him off the list so they wouldn’t have to deal with him again.

As he stares down at his feed, enjoying the many pictures of his friends lives, he sees one that he hadn't seen before. It was from Andrew's own Instagram and dated late last night after Neil had gone to sleep. He stares down at his own hand, scars a stark contrast to the white sheets beneath it and Andrew's own pale hand threaded around it. It was a simple picture, but it means the world to Neil.

'The other ten percent.' is what the caption reads, and it makes Neil feel like he's flying. It was an answer to a question that he never expected to receive. One he didn't think he needed the answer to, but seeing it there in front of him nearly overwhelming. It made him want to wake Andrew just to kiss him senseless, regardless of the fact that he would probably get kicked out of the bed for it. It made him want to run, for once not away from anything, but towards Andrew. But Andrew was right here, against all odds, he was here, and he was going to be here for the rest of their lives.

Forever was still a foreign word in his brain, one that was vague and murky, but sometimes he could see their forever so clearly. He can picture it in this moment, coming home every day with Andrew and falling asleep beside him every night. When they retired, Andrew would spend his days reading and relaxing while Neil went on runs and watched games on the tv instead of from inside the stadium. A mundane life like that was never what Neil had anticipated wanting, but here he was, ready to live it whenever the time came. Those would be happy days where they would complain about their bodies being old and painful, where they would still have cats to take care of and Fox children coming to visit whenever they could. It was the end of their lives, something that had always terrified Neil, but now seemed so warm and welcoming.

He stares down at Andrew and doesn't even bother hiding his smile as he curls his body around his husband's, loving the way he folded himself even tighter into his arms.

"Hey," He whispers into Andrew's hair. "I love you."

Andrew squeezes him tighter but doesn't respond with his typical words. Neil would think he was asleep if he didn't feel how tense he was under his hands.

He feels Andrew's chest expand as he takes a deep breath before he mumbles four final words.

"I don't hate you."

Neil doesn't outwardly react, but inside he is tingling in excitement. He feels warm all over and wants to talk about it, but he knows Andrew won't want this to be a big deal, so he doesn't say anything. Instead, he places a lingering kiss in his hair and lets his eyes fall shut once more. There is no dream that could be better than what just happened, but they're welcome to try.

Chapter Text

It was the final game, USA versus Japan for the gold. Either way, Neil, Andrew, and Kevin were walking out of this place with a medal around their necks. The game was fast and rough from the start, both teams desperate to take home the gold for their country. There had been one too many close calls, but they were finally in the last five minutes. Neil and Kevin were fighting side by side against the backliners, pushing to get as close to the goal as possible only to be driven back seconds later. The score was tied, and they really didn’t want to go to a shootout when they were this tired and beat up.

The last minute was a free for all, more than one player getting a red card and a handful of yellows. Finally, one of the Japan strikers gets around Jean for a quick shot at Andrew. Neil’s heart is in his throat as he watches the ball fly towards him for what feels like hours only for Andrew to block it in a ridiculous twist and then send it flying up court so hard that it goes all the way to the other goal where it sails through amongst the sound of the buzzer going off and the goal flashing red. There is stunned silence where everyone is standing completely still, staring at the goal until the buzzer goes off again signaling the end of the game. USA had just won gold and Andrew had just made history as the first goalkeeper to ever score.

Neil recovers first and sprints down court to Andrew, ignoring the deafening sound of the screams coming from the crowd and the weariness of his own body. He reaches him just as Andrew pulls his helmet off and Neil nearly tackles him in a hug.

He distantly realizes that he’s laughing even as Andrew pulls back to take Neil’s helmet off for him because his hands are shaking too badly to do it himself. When he finally gets it off, Neil stares at Andrew in awe and love and every other emotion that he doesn't have a name for.

“Are you having fun yet?” He asks because he can’t help it.

Instead of answering, Andrew leans in until his lips are brushing Neil’s.

“Yes or no?”

“It’s always yes.” He mumbles before pulling him in. He hears the screams reach a new level of loud, but his entire focus is on Andrew. Andrew, who is shaking almost as much as Neil when he lifts his hand up to tug at the collar of Neil’s jersey before pulling away.

“I really do hate you sometimes.” He says as Neil rests his chin on his shoulder.

“I know,” He reaches down to lace their fingers together. “I love you too.”

It is at this point that the rest of the team finally catches up to them and Kevin is the first to pounce on Neil and Andrew, pride and victory in his bright smile.

“Did I keep my promise?” Kevin asks Andrew haughtily.

Andrew stares at the court around them blankly before his eyes finally rest on Neil. “You did.”

It takes Neil a moment to figure out what promise they were talking about, but when he does it’s almost enough to make him pull Andrew back into their kiss. The promise from years ago where Kevin had said he would give Andrew something to build his life around. Kevin meant exy of course, but the way Andrew was looking at Neil makes him think that maybe Andrew had found a different answer. That was a big maybe though and Neil wasn’t going to ask with all their teammates around.

Instead, he lets Kevin sling an arm around his neck and ruffle his hair as they turn to go shake hands with the other team. It was quick, everyone in a hurry to get off the court so the award ceremony could begin. Neil stayed squished between Kevin and Andrew, soaking in the victory all the way to the podium where a gold medal settled against his neck.

He startles when he feels Andrew nudge his side and looks up to find the poor person who had put his medal on him staring between another medal in his hands and Andrew who was glaring darkly. Neil reaches out and snags the medal waving away the blubbering man and turns to put it on Andrew himself. He smoothes out the ribbon around his neck and feels Andrew shiver at the light touch of his fingers. He smiles as Andrew nudges him back into his place beside him and thinks that this was probably the best day of his life.

He looks up at the VIP section of stands and sees the rest of the Foxes there, cheering louder than anyone else. Dan and Matt have fierce looks of pride on their faces, clutching each other's hands. Allison and Renee are next to them, more understated but smiling in approval. Then there's Aaron, Katelyn, Nicky and Erik. Nicky was whooping and cheering the loudest while Aaron looked like he was about to reach over and strangle his own cousin. And beside them all were Coach Wymack, Abby, and Betsy, the two women hugging and possibly crying while Wymack watched, as calm as always but his own pride was obvious in the way he looked between his three former players. He could deny it all he wanted, but Neil knew that as soon as he was home he'd been printing and hanging all the articles he could find about the three of them in his office.

The Rebels were here too, all the ones who could make it anyways. Hollis and Harris were beside Erik, arms thrown around each other as best they could be when Hollis was heavily pregnant. It had taken them forever to get together, but they had been living their retired life well if Hollis' weekly texts were to be believed. Then of course there was Kelli and her wife, she was almost as excited as Nicky, giving him a wink when she catches Neil staring.

It would always amaze him that he had this many people who cared about him when he once had nothing. He allows that to fuel him, even as exhaustion steadily creeps in.

The rest of the awards ceremony is a blur in which Neil focused on nothing and no one but Andrew and exy. By the time they finally make it back to their room, he is all but spent. He knows tomorrow will be just as crazy as today, with interviews and pictures and all the things he hates about being a professional athlete. But right now, that all seems so far away.

He sits on the edge of the bed and watches as Andrew comes to stand above him. Neil looks up at his husband, letting him see the exhaustion and joy he feels. Andrew brings a hand up to cup his neck, looking for all the world like he was bored, but Neil knew he wasn’t.

“How did Kevin keep his promise?” He asks quietly.

Andrew is silent but that’s alright, Neil would give him all the time he needed.

“Was I your answer?” He finally asks instead.

It takes Neil a second to understand what he’s referencing. A conversation from so long ago, but he remembers because he remembers everything when it has to do with Andrew.

'Don’t look at me like that. I am not your answer, and you sure as fuck aren’t mine.'

“Yes.” He says because it’s true. Andrew had saved Neil’s life whether he liked it or not. When it came down to it, Neil didn’t stay for the Foxes, he didn’t even stay for exy, he stayed for Andrew over and over again.

“Was I yours?”

Andrew answers that with a kiss, telling him all he needed to know. It was a balm on every ache and bruise and he couldn't help but smile into it causing Andrew to pull back.

“Junkie.” He chides, pulling away to get changed for bed.

“Yours.” Neil fires back.

He wants to talk about the game, to talk about how Andrew had kissed him on live television, but those things could wait till tomorrow, because right now all he wanted to do was fall asleep in his husband’s arms knowing he was safe and loved.

When Andrew finally climbs into bed, Neil gives into the urge and snuggles up as close as he can get. Andrew tolerates this without a word, making him wonder if Andrew wasn’t feeling a bit sentimental tonight as well. He would ask, but he had a feeling that question wouldn’t go over well and would most likely put an end to all other forms of affection just out of spite. Instead, he settles into his arms and allows himself to finally relax from the excitement of the day.

Tomorrow would come and no doubt there would be bad days ahead, but for now, he was content and that was all that mattered.