Chapter Text
One hundred and three. Andrew tossed aside the thermometer after it flashed the number.
It was from the stress of the last year, Andrew decided. The Junkie’s brain didn’t know how to compute it. Hours of practice every day, getting hunted by the mafia, tortured, and nearly killed by his father, Riko Moriyama . It was enough to make a man go mad. Or get a hundred and three degree fever.
“I’m good to go to practice. Really. I’m fine.” Neil said, pulling away from Andrew’s grip.
Those words sent a barrage of emotions whipping around in Andrew’s chest. Of bandaged fingers and Kevin’s throat. He shut it down in an instant. Neil was too sick to notice the mistake. Andrew let it go.
Neil was not fine. He was swaying on his feet as he bumbled through their dorm kitchen. His face had this sickly pallor, and Andrew secretly thought he looked like a zombie. It almost brought that aching, emotionless laugh back to the surface. He swallowed it.
“I’m just gonna drink some water, eat an apple, and I’ll be ready to go,” Neil promised, running into a counter again. He glared at it like somehow the counter had moved and purposefully ran into him. It had not.
Andrew could’ve said a thousand things. He could’ve been logical and said that Neil shouldn’t be out of bed, much less running around playing stickball. He could’ve gotten Aaron to recite medical facts at Neil, for god sake. He didn’t. “You didn’t go out for a run this morning.”
Kevin and Neil usually went out every morning of the summer. ‘ To keep in shape. ’ They also played at the court every day. Andrew had actually thought about joining them today. Not anymore.
Neil shrugged. His hands were shaking as he tied his shoes. “I was just extra tired this morning. I wanted to sleep in.”
Andrew knew that Neil never slept in. Even if he skipped the morning run, it was to do homework for his ever-failing classes or help the upperclassmen with something.
Neil straightened and clutched his water bottle like his life depended on it as he took one unsteady step toward the door. Andrew took four steps and was once again between Neil and the door.
If Neil thought he could leave their dorm in that state, he was mistaken.
“Andrew,” Neil whined. “I’m gonna be late.”
Andrew was well acquainted with Neil’s puppy-dog eyes and would not be swayed by them. “Kevin said you weren’t allowed on the court until your fever broke.”
Neil took a halting step back. Andrew could almost see the words flashing in bright red neons across his brain. Banned from the Court .
“How did he know?”
Because, of course, that’s what he wants to ask.
“He saw you this morning. Tried to wake you up for five minutes before you finally noticed him.” Which was abnormal because, like Andrew, Neil didn’t sleep that deep. Too many years on the run. Too many run-ins with death. Too many nightmares. He was always alert, even when sleeping.
“I told you. I was tired.”
Andrew stepped away from the door and closer to Neil. “And while trying to wake you, waking me up in the process , he noticed you were a human radiator.”
Neil shook his head, a betrayed look on his face. Junkie couldn’t live without his precious stickball. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. Probably Kevin’s.
“But- I’ve got to practice. I’ve almost got that- Kevin!”
Definitely Kevin's.
Andrew picked at his nails. The black nail polish was chipping off even though he redid them less than a week ago. Unfortunately, he’d have to live with it for a little longer because it appeared today’s plans were chock full of dealing with the Junkie.
Neil stayed on the phone for a little longer with Kevin, gradually getting quieter as he accepted his fate.
Andrew let him wind down and tuck his phone away before pushing him back in the direction of bed. This time, Neil didn’t put up a protest.
Andrew let him change back into sweats while he went looking for some ibuprofen. Andrew had actually called Aaron as soon as Kevin had left. The fact he woke up his twin at 5 am in the morning was only an added bonus.
“Andrew, what the fuck?”
“What do you use to treat fevers?”
There was some grumbling at the other end of the line. “I dunno. Tylenol? Ibuprofen? Fuck, it’s early. Cold compress? Who’s sick?”
Andrew hung up the phone.
Aaron would probably be around later to investigate, but that wasn’t for another hour or so when he finally dragged himself out of bed.
Andrew dug around for a rag or small towel only to find their kitchen woefully undersupplied. So he went back to the bedroom and dropped off the pill with Neil, now standing in sweats in the middle of the room with a lost look on his face.
“Take this. Get in bed.”
Neil looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t. So instead, he swallowed the pill dry and burrowed into his blankets, shivering.
Maybe no cold compress then.
Andrew still stole one of Kevin’s shirts and ran it under the sink for a minute before wringing it out and bringing it back.
Neil was already asleep, his chest rising and falling in rhythm.
Andrew leaned forward and grazed his fingers over Neil’s forehead-- to check for fever, obviously. Neil was burning up. Andrew almost wanted to call Aaron again, but he would say to call Abby.
Andrew could trust Abby not to kill Kevin, Aaron, Nicky, Neil, and himself. But he didn’t trust her anymore than that. Maybe he should call Bee. Andrew slung the wet shirt over Neil’s forehead and left the room again.
“Andrew? Is there something wrong?” Bee’s intoxicatingly sweet and worried voice asked.
“Neil’s got a fever.”
Bee seemed to understand at that. “What was his temperature?”
“One hundred and three.”
“Whoo! That’s high! What’ve you done to help?”
“He tried to go to the Court, but Kevin banned him until the fever is gone. I made him take ibuprofen, and now he’s in bed asleep.”
“That sounds like the best place he can be, Andrew. I’m sure if you have any other questions about his care, you can ask your brother or Abby. Hell, even Wymack might have some advice.”
“I already called Aaron. I’m not calling Abby.”
“Wymack, then?”
Andrew hung up. He might call Wymack later if Neil doesn’t get any better. He walked back into the room to find the cold compress no longer on Neil’s forehead as he tossed and turned in bed. A nightmare; probably made worse by the fever.
“Neil.”
Neil groaned and whined in his sleep.
“Neil,” Andrew said more insistently.
Neil still didn’t wake up. So Andrew decided to take the compress and wring the remaining water onto Neil’s face.
Neil woke up panting and wiping water off his face.
“You had a nightmare.”
Neil caught his breath and nodded, falling back down on the pillow. They didn’t talk about their nightmares, they both knew what happened in them anyway. Andrew left to go get the thermometer and when he returned, Neil was still laying there, staring at the bottom of Andrew’s bunk.
Neil didn’t put up a protest when Andrew took his temperature. This time, he carefully set the thermometer on one of the dressers. He would need it later.
“Yes or no, Neil?”
Neil looked confused, tearing his gaze away from the bunk above him. “What?”
“Yes or no, can I lay down with you?”
Neil hesitated another moment. “Yes.”
Andrew shucked off his armbands and placed them next to the thermometer on the dresser before climbing in next to Neil. The bed really wasn’t big enough to have the two of them in it, but Andrew didn’t mind as he pulled Neil closer and onto his chest, much to Neil’s surprise.
Neil was about to protest again when Andrew shut him up. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t want to. Sleep.”
Neil nodded and closed his eyes, letting himself relax into Andrew’s body.
Andrew was reminded about the wet spot on the pillow where the cold compress used to be but didn’t move as Neil got comfortable. He also agreed with Kevin’s previous statement about Neil being a space heater.
Neil usually ran cold and stole all of Andrew’s warmth; exhibit A being the way Neil snuggled into Andrew’s side. So this was weird. But Andrew didn’t move.
He pulled out his phone and started playing a word game and when he got bored of that, he pulled up a book on his phone but he put that away eventually when his eyes started to hurt.
Aaron did, in fact, come around to investigate, only to find Neil and Andrew asleep on Neil’s bed.