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Chapter Text

When the Ravens’ fight song thrummed through the room, all harsh drum beats and ominous melody, all attention went to the figure walking into the room. The crowd in the studio chanted, “King! King! King!” 

But that was secondary to the sight of Riko standing before them, haughty, proud, and ready to be interviewed by Kathy Ferdinand. This was the first time Kevin had seen him in months and Neil could feel Kevin’s shaking as his knee knocked against Neil’s, but Neil couldn’t look away to see Kevin’s undoubtedly pale face, just as taken aback as Kevin was.

In that moment, amidst the shocked and blank-looking Foxes, Andrew tried to spring forward and get to the stage to protect Kevin. But the Foxes wouldn’t let him. Renee threw herself across his lap as best she could to hold him down as one hand covered his mouth to silence any shouting. Matt grabbed one wrist to hold down it while Wymack secured the other one.

Despite all that movement, everyone’s attention was focused on the man who had just entered the room.

That was why suddenly Neil blinked confusedly before gasping, shocked, went unnoticed by everyone except Neil himself. Andrew’s body (which had been fighting the people securing him so fiercely only moments before) suddenly going slack was far more noticeable, but, since they were all enraptured by the figure striding across the stage, the Foxes were simply thankful they didn’t have to fight to hold Andrew down any longer.

Neil’s eyes darted around the room. He hadn’t spotted Andrew in the crowd yet, and his shoulders were filling with even more tension. But the moment finally he caught Andrew’s eyes, any desire he had to flee disappeared. Neil knew those eyes—they were clearly the eyes he had fallen in love with.

He didn’t know what was happening, that much was obvious. This was either a hyper-realistic dream or somehow—somehow—he and Andrew were both in the past. The last he’d known, they’d both fallen asleep while curled together on their bed. Though, he knew he would much prefer this just to be an awful dream, if only because then he could wake up from it and go back to the life he cherished.

But this was realer than any dream he’d ever experienced. And on the off-chance it was real, he could never abandon Kevin—not even this strange, fearful, younger version of the man he now considered his brother—to his fate.

And he saw this same knowledge reflected in Andrew’s eyes. 

Eyes that were as familiar as the scars painting Neil’s skin (the scars no longer painting his skin?) met Neil’s. They looked strange in this much younger body, but they very clearly weren’t the younger Andrew’s eyes. Neil was certain of that even before Andrew mouthed to him, ‘I trust you, junkie. Give him hell.’

For a split-second, a sliver of his father’s grin crossed Neil’s face. He would never tire of hearing (or seeing) Andrew say words like that—(trust)—especially not when they gave him permission to raise hell.

As Riko joined Kevin and him on the stage, his clothing a dark mirror to Kevin’s outfit, Neil focused his gaze back on the threat. Riko ignored him as he offered a hand out to pull Kevin up and into a hug.

Neil refused to let Riko hug Kevin.

The last time he’d been in this situation, he remembered being paralyzed with fear and indecision, unsure whether Riko would recognize him. This time, he knew that Riko wouldn’t recognize him at that moment. And he knew that Riko would figure him out regardless of whether he was bold or cowardly. 

He refused to let fear of the inevitable future cloud his decisions here and now. (Wherever here and now was.)

Neil intercepted the hand before Kevin could take it, pushing into Kevin’s space like he belonged there and cheerfully shaking it with an obnoxious grin. “Riko, right? I’ve heard so much about you.”

Riko stared down at Neil like Neil was a bug he’d quite like to squash, but Neil held his gaze calmly and gleefully. He shook his hand until Riko was forced to pull away.

“Yes, hello.” He greeted not warmly, but not coldly either. Ah, well. Neil would annoy him enough to garner his anger sooner rather than later. Riko turned back towards Kevin, seeming to decide against pulling Kevin into a hug (probably because of how Neil’s positioning to shake Riko’s hand put Neil almost in Kevin’s lap) and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“I think you’ve shrunk since I last saw you. Don’t they feed you down here? I always heard southern food is heavy.”

“I run it off on the court, I guess.” Given a moment to regroup, Kevin’s voice was strained, but not overly so. He clearly didn’t want to give off the impression that he and Riko were fighting rather than simply estranged, fearful of Riko and Tetsuji’s reaction.

“What a miracle.”

Kathy rattled off her spiel about having the “golden pair” back together, and Riko took his seat on the opposite couch. Kathy expressed her surprise at the estrangement of Kevin and Riko, and Riko didn’t hesitate before trying to garner sympathy for himself.

“A year ago it would have been impossible,” Riko said, “but you have to understand how emotionally crushing December was. The injury was Kevin’s to bear, but we all suffered for it. Some of us couldn’t handle the reality of what the accident meant, myself included. Kevin and I grew up at Evermore. We built our lives around that team and our pair work. I couldn’t believe we’d lost it. I couldn’t accept that our dreams had collapsed. Neither could he, so we withdrew from each other.”

Hearing these honeyed lies, Neil wanted to growl but settled for a smile that looked more like he was bearing his teeth. I liked Riko better when he was dead , Neil mused to himself as his nails dug into his palm in an effort to keep his mouth shut until a better moment.

Kevin’s facade, crafted for the press, was slowly but surely cracking. Neil resisted the urge to catch Kevin’s hand and offer a squeeze of support. This wasn’t his Kevin, who he had established a casual and easy rapport with. This was a boy who was in the process of falling apart. The only comforting thing was that Neil knew Kevin could rebuild himself—he’d seen it happen before.

“Perhaps it was inevitable.” Kevin responded quietly, dully. “We made Exy the center of our lives, Kathy. We showed you our best, but we didn’t show you what it cost us. Juggling three teams, university classes, and public pressure was wearing us down, but we refused to admit it. We didn’t want to believe we had limits.”

Kathy nodded. “I can’t even imagine that stress and pressure. I suppose it had to put a strain on your friendship.”

“We are human sometimes,” Riko said, ”and therefore we can’t help but have our differences, hmm, Kevin?”

Neil could practically feel the way that Kevin was about to agree, so he cut in before that happened. “I’m sorry but I can’t really agree. Obviously traumatic situations are stressful, but I can’t imagine ever withdrawing from someone I consider my family when they need my support.” He tried to project innocent confusion, but given the way that Riko cut a disinterested glance his way, he guessed his input wasn’t welcome. 

How surprising.

Well, Neil was starting off slow. 

Neil had certainly gotten more practice with the press over his years playing Exy, especially since he and Andrew had made Court three years ago (eight years from now?), though he had practice starting firestorms in the news above all else.

But years of being a PR disaster had also given him a good idea of how the press worked. In truth, his media coverage, his revenue, his usefulness to the Moriyama’s, and his life were all interconnected. His very life was dependent on his popularity as a player, to some degree.

Whatever PR experience he had gained from his career, he also knew if he wanted to get Riko’s attention fully off of Kevin, he would have to kick things up a notch. 

Starting shit in the press was certainly a specialty of his.

“Ah, forgive my bad manners,” Kathy said to Neil. As she introduced them to each other, Riko finally dragged his one-minded focus off of Kevin. 

“Mine and Kevin’s relationship is unique, and I do not expect you to understand it.” Riko dismissed his accusation easily as soon as they were properly “introduced.”

“Yes, I’m sure it was unique.” Neil answered earnestly. “But was it unique in a good way? I’m not sure that I, personally, would want to have my biggest goal always be second place. That’s why I’m so glad Kevin came to the Foxes. And why I’m so glad he found me and gave me a chance to play alongside him! As much as I respect him, my personal goal isn’t just to play with the best. It’s to surpass even the best.” 

He smiled at Kevin besides him as he tried to project outward all the respect he had for Kevin’s skill and all the fond memories he had of the games they’d played side-by-side and against each other to make it truly look sincere. Kevin blinked in surprise at this smile. He couldn’t help but offer a tentative smile back. It was far more real than the press smile that had been pasted on his face throughout the interview, even if it was a much smaller smile than his fake smile was.

It also wasn’t quite one of the true smiles that Neil had seen many times over his years of being Kevin’s friend. He doubted that the Kevin of this time could possibly muster such a bright smile in Riko’s presence after all Riko had done.

“Again,” Riko smiled patronizingly. “I do not expect you to understand the intricacies of such a close relationship. The worst was having it all and losing it, to be honest. A lifetime’s worth of effort and sacrifice was about to pay off when Kevin broke his hand.”

Kathy jumped in before the conversation could devolve further. “But look at him now. Isn’t it amazing how far he’s come this year?”

“I’m not sure it is,” Riko said, “but I’m saying that as his brother, as his best friend. You saw him last night, Kathy. I’m worried his wishful thinking and obsession will lead him to injure himself again. Can he recover a second time, emotionally or mentally?”

Neil vaguely remembered these words from the first time around. And this time around, he felt even more viscerally how much they must be hurting Kevin.

He refused to let it continue any longer.

“You know what? I think you were right to think that I wouldn't understand your relationship. That’s fair,” Neil redirected the focus back to their previous words cheerfully. “After all, I’ve only ever been happy to see my friends and family succeeding in their endeavours. However, you’re clearly upset that he’s playing again. Isn’t he why you transferred to our district? You don’t seem to think Kevin should be on the court again, so you’ll try to cut him off at the pass. You want to destroy his chance of making a comeback and make him watch as your team succeeds yet again.” Neil shrugged, trying to look reluctant. “To me it just looks like you’re rubbing his face in everything he’s lost.” Neil lowered his head, staring at his hands, adding in a quieter voice. “It just doesn’t feel right to me.”

Riko shifted in his seat slightly, and Neil couldn’t help but feel viciously pleased at the possibility he might be making Riko uncomfortable. He could feel Andrew’s eyes on him too, and he knew if he looked up those blank-seeming eyes would be laughing at this fake show of humility and uncertainty, especially given the fact Neil would much rather rip Riko’s face off with his bare hands.

“ I will ask you only once to stop commenting on matters you do not understand,” Riko said icily.

Neil looked up to meet Riko’s eyes and shrugged again. “As I said, that’s fair.” He offered Riko a friendly smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

Kathy intervened in the conversation again, redirecting the conversation to another tricky topic. “Neil brings up a valid point I’d like to discuss. This district change is an unprecedented move. For it to be Edgar Allen makes it more surprising. Neither your coach nor the Exy Rules and Regulations Committee has given a satisfactory reason, but I don’t think Neil’s far off in thinking you transferred because of Kevin.”

“Kevin only plays a small role in our decision,” Riko said. He went on to explain that the transfer was to “inspire the south,” and Neil couldn’t hide his incredulous snort of laughter. Riko glared at him, continuing, “not for the reasons this child claims.”

Neil just shook his head smiling disbelievingly. “You inspire teams by holding practice games together, training together, working together. Are you saying that this change just randomly happened at the same time Kevin came down south?”

Riko narrowed his eyes. “Edgar Allen’s decisions are about far more than just Kevin, though he will always have a place in Evermore, which will always be his home.” Riko tried to redirect attention back to Kevin and his injury rather than the Ravens’ choice. “Despite our affection for him, we can’t forgive his new inadequacies on the court, and he clearly respects the Ravens too much to drag us down. But his work with the Foxes this spring proved we can find a place for him on our staff. We’d like him to return to us as one of our coaches.”

Neil thought this was a good place to kick it up a notch without seeming like the villain of the story, letting his expression become as “indignant” as he could manage. It wasn’t too hard. The most difficult part was actually toning down the level of rage he felt. “Why would you want to take Kevin away from the new life he’s creating here? You keep talking about how inadequate Kevin is or how you fear another injury, but does fear of an injury ever stop you from going onto the court to play? Kevin’s one of the bravest men I know—I would never want fear to hold him back. Stop being so selfish. ”

Kevin, as if being unfrozen from his stupor by Neil switching from being passive-aggressive to being flat out aggressive, gave him a harsh pinch of warning, but Neil ignored him.

“Palmetto State is a waste of his talents.”

“Not as much as Edgar Allen was,” Neil said brazenly. A shout of laughter from the crowd filtered into his hearing through the angry haze that had settled over him. He looked into the crowd and saw the grinning faces of his team looking back at him. He saw Coach Wymack burying his face in his hands as if he was resigned to what was happening. And Andrew’s face looked like it might have even held a hint of actual laughter in it. “You’re first and your team has always been first. We get it. But that means extraordinary players on your team don’t get to do extraordinary things! Winning first place for them is ordinary, even expected. Maintaining a top position is far easier than starting over from the gutters. Kevin is doing that right now. He’s facing entirely new schools and learning to play with his less dominant hand. When he masters it, and he will, he’ll be better than you could ever made him. Seeing his drive and ambition right before our very eyes, not as an enemy, but as an ally? Working with Kevin? He inspires the Foxes to be better every day. We’re going with him to the top, and screw you if you think a tragedy can stop him.

“We’re stronger now because he’s with us, yeah, but he’s going to get even better than he is now. Do you know why? It’s not just his natural talent. It’s because he’s with us. There are only ten Foxes this tear. That’s one sub for every position. Think about it. Last night we played Breckenridge. They have twenty-seven people on their roster. They can burn through players as fast as they want because they have a pile of replacements. We don’t have that luxury. We have to hold our ground on our own. Kevin’s growth benefits just as much from working with us as we do from working with him.”

The Foxes in the crowd burst into cheers and whoops. Neil could even see Andrew giving him a sarcastic golf clap, most likely because Andrew and his perfect memory knew (even better than Neil himself could remember) how much of this speech Neil had stolen from his younger self.

As Neil and Riko sniped back and forth about the Foxes’ lack of teamwork and qualifications and then Edgar Allen’s prestige getting them special privileges, Neil could feel the way Kevin was tensing up beside him. And yet Neil couldn’t help but think that the way this conversation was going (the way Riko was focusing on Neil) was infinitely better than the first version of this interview. He’d let Riko focus on Kevin all throughout it and practically let Riko tear Kevin to pieces out of the fear that Riko would recognize him until the moment he couldn’t hold his anger back. 

He refused to leave Kevin to the wolves again.

“Someone as inexperienced as you are has no right to have an opinion on the matter.” Neil couldn’t help but think of the Olympic gold medal that he, Kevin, and Andrew won in the future. He couldn’t help but think of the hundreds of games he’d played—on the professional level, the college level, the international level, or just plain for fun! 

He wanted to laugh in Riko’s face. But he didn’t.

He let the indignation and rage he was feeling quiet down into a look of contemplation as he gazed at Riko. “Unfortunately for you, I think I have an opinion anyway. I think you’re scared. I think the idea that Kevin can be strong without you frightens you. And I think you are scared that when you battle it out on the court, people are finally going to know which one of you is better. ” Neil leaned forward, speaking the next words as earnestly as he could. “But you don’t have to be. I may dislike your attitude about Kevin and this transfer, but I look up to you just as much as I’ve always looked up to Kevin.” 

Neil was lying his ass off. But it was worth it to see Riko’s wide-eyed look and to know that his words were making him more sympathetic to the media and the public.

Neil continued.

“You’ve accomplished amazing things together, and now you’ll accomplish amazing things separately. So if you win on the court when we meet, I promise you that we’ll work ten times harder to give you a better fight—and that we’ll win next time! And if we win—well, then, that means nothing if we can’t win the time after that. That’s the best part of Exy. Working to get better and beat the biggest enemies we can play against.” Neil smiled brilliantly, looking from the equally wide-eyed Kevin at his side to Riko across from them. “That’s why I think you’re going to eat your words. Kevin’s going to recover and be stronger than ever. And so are the Foxes.”

Kathy intervened before Riko could respond. “That sounds like a challenge! You’ve got seven weeks until your match and I, for one, am already counting down the seconds. There’s so much to look forward to this year, but one question can’t wait: orange or black, Kevin? What color is your future?”

Kevin’s hand was like a vice-grip around his arm, and Neil indulged for a few seconds by placing his hand over Kevin's to give it a comforting squeeze. Kevin released a tight breath. “As I said, I would like to stay at Palmetto as long as they’re willing to have me.”

The Foxes erupted back into cheers, spurring the rest of the audience into joining them as the tension of the conversation broke. 

Kathy announced the end of the Exy segment. As they went off the air, she said something. Neil couldn’t hear what it was over the rushing in his ears and the urge to get the hell out and find Andrew. He could see Wymack gesturing for them to do exactly that. He pulled Kevin away as quickly as he could to get them both out of there, keeping an eye on Riko as he followed after them. He behaved until they were in the hallway.

This time around when Riko moved to shove him up against the wall, Neil was expecting it. He ducked out of the way, turning around to face Riko but continuing to back away from him and push Kevin down the hallway. They continued moving towards the doorway he knew Andrew would burst through as soon as he could. The violent glare directed towards him by Riko was as familiar as it was foreign. He could remember it from his three—two—weeks in Evermore, but it had also been years since he’d seen it. He couldn’t stop the slight shiver that slipped out.

“I do not approve, Kevin, You should get rid of him as soon as possible.” Riko only had eyes for Kevin behind Neil’s protective shield. 

Kevin’s voice was quiet, poisoned by a fear that was strange to hear in Kevin’s voice for Neil but second nature to Kevin. “You saw our game last night. He has potential.”

“Potential.” Riko snarled, going for another grab. “You said that goalkeeper has potential and then—”

“Are you gossiping about me? Having a party without inviting me? How rude.” Neil had never been so happy to hear Andrew’s snark—especially since it was usually at Neil’s expense. Andrew shoved his way past them to stand between Riko and both of them. His hands were outstretched, as if to steal a handshake from Riko like Neil had or maybe even a hug.

Without seeing any signals from Andrew, Neil continued onwards. He finally pulled Kevin out of the corridor, searching urgently for the exit. He trusted Andrew to handle Riko, but he absolutely didn’t trust Kevin’s mental health to be able to handle much more of Riko’s presence. 

He was pushing the door to the outside open when the team found them. Neil abandoned Kevin to Abby’s fierce affection as Wymack laser-focused on Neil, berating him for what he’d said to Riko on national television.

“Leave him alone, David,” Abby insisted, even as she refused to let Kevin go. Kevin melted into her embrace like it was the only thing keeping him afloat.

“When I said Abby and I would look out for you, I didn’t mean you should pick a fight with Riko on national television. Should I have spelled that out beforehand?” Wymack scrubbed a hand over his face, exasperated beyond belief. He mumbled under his breath, “at least you said that shit about respecting Riko. Maybe they won’t completely tear us apart on the news.” But he looked like he doubted it would do any good.

Neil let his father’s grin spread across his face. Any fear he’d once held of being like his father had been washed away by years of the knowledge that his father was dead. Neil had never once chosen to act as Nathan would to anyone who didn’t deserve it (and his therapy had helped too). “ Probably should have spelled it out.”

Wymack blinked at him, surprised by the look on his face for a few seconds, before shaking his head again.

“It’s fine, Coach,” Andrew’s voice reached Neil’s ear and he turned around to get his first good look at Andrew from up close. He looked—well, he looked painfully young. Neil could see the foundations of the man he knew, but this Andrew looked more like a teenager than he did a man, even if he was certainly on his way to being the man he would become. He touched Neil’s back on his way by, fingers light enough to give Neil goose bumps and make Neil feel a content warmth spread through him, but didn’t slow on his way to Kevin’s side. Neil understood what he was feeling. Even with the deal years-old by now and fulfilled, Andrew surely still felt the pressure of his deal to protect Kevin from Riko. “Kevin, we’re going. Right now, okay?”

As Andrew maneuvered Kevin towards the bus, Neil couldn’t help but feel the urge to follow them both. But he knew Andrew could handle Kevin, probably even better than Andrew’s past self could have. Plus they still hadn’t talked to each other about what was happening or how much they should reveal about what they knew.

Matt caught Neil’s attention. “Coach says stupid, but I say you have balls of steel. You were pretty sneaky too. I didn’t think you had it in you! I thought you were the quiet type.”

“If Neil was quiet, Andrew wouldn’t have brought him to Colombia,” Renee pointed out.

“ True,” Matt shrugged.

Neil tried to wipe the amusement off his face at the mention of an event that was horrific at the time. But that long-dead distrust between him and Andrew seemed somewhat funny to think of after the years of trust that had now developed between him and Andrew. Renee seemed to interpret his look as confusion, smiling. “Andrew’s welcome parties are his way of sizing up and eliminating threats. Not everyone gets invited.”

Neil had heard stories about all three “welcome parties” in the future, from almost all the players involved in each one, but he still cocked his head in confusion to hide that, looking between the players of the team.

“The three of us were,” Renee supplied, pointing out Dan and Matt. “No one else was until you.”

Wymack broke the conversation up, ushering them all out the door and towards the bus. “Let’s go. I am going to drop you off at the dorm and spend the rest of the day drinking. Damage control can wait until tomorrow.”

As they all filed onto the bus, Neil’s gaze automatically drifted towards the figures at the back of the bus where Andrew’s group sat. It was where he had normally sat, either in a seat near Kevin and Andrew’s seats or in Andrew’s seat if Andrew was feeling indulgent.

He hesitated for a few moments when he reached the seat he apparently had taken on the way there, judging by the jacket he’d left on the seat. It was a row away from Renee’s, only a few rows from the front and nowhere near the back rows Andrew’s group occupied. For a moment, he contemplated moving up a row to be closer to Renee, no longer as uncomfortable with her presence as his younger self had been. His younger self had seen the danger Renee posed, but the older Neil knew very well that she would never be dangerous to him—not unless he did something as stupid as hurting one of her people. 

And he never would. Her people were also his people, even if they didn’t know they were his people yet.

But as he thought about it, Andrew caught his eye from the back of the bus. Without a moment of hesitation any longer, Neil continued walking farther into the bus. The slight intake of breath from the upperclassmen who were watching his progress was just as noticeable as Nicky’s. Aaron watched him disinterestedly as Neil walked past him and sat down in Andrew’s seat. Kevin, in the seat before them, was a bit too caught up in his impending mental breakdown to pay much attention to them. But all of the other eyes on the bus were on the two of them.

Neil considered Andrew for a second. “What did you think of the show?”

Andrew glanced at him impassively. “You’re losing your touch, Josten. No one started screaming at you; there was barely any dramatic gasping. Coach was the only one who looked like he either wanted to die or kill you.”

Blatantly confused looks were exchanged between their eavesdroppers. Matt seemed to be asking Dan if Neil and Andrew had gotten all buddy-buddy while he wasn’t looking, if Neil was hearing his whispering right.

Dan offered Matt a bewildered shrug. Renee’s silent scrutiny felt like a physical weight on Neil, while Nicky’s confused, rambling whispers to Aaron were easy to block out.

Neil scoffed indignantly. “You know perfectly well that wasn’t what I was going for! And it’s not Josten,” he said smugly, “it’s—” Neil paused.

“And the penny drops,” Andrew said.

“Well, damn,” Neil said after a few moments. “We have to fix that.”

“Mhm,” Andrew hummed his agreement. “Knowing you, you’ll get injured sooner rather than later. I’m thinking next Saturday?”

“ What next Saturday?” Nicky wondered aloud as Aaron tried to ignore him.

Neil considered that, before nodding. “I can get the paperwork done by then, I think.” His eyes widened with realization. “Fuck, we’re lucky it’s 2015. Any earlier . . .”

Andrew grimaced very slightly, realizing Neil’s point. 

“But on that note,” Neil switched into Russian to hide their conversation from the obvious eavesdroppers. “What the fuck is going on here?”

“What?” He heard Aaron say, giving up the pretence of not caring what was going on. “What language is that? How does Neil know so many languages?”

“I’m not sure,” Andrew responded in the same language, turning to meet Neil’s eyes. “It feels real.” He took in Neil’s unscarred face, his hands twitching with the desire to reach out and feel it, to see if it was real. “I think it might be real.”

“How does Andrew know so many languages?!” Matt asked in response

“I think it may be Russian?” Dan guessed, upperclassmen and “Monsters” alike united in their confusion.

Neil looked down at Andrew’s arms and the armbands he wore on them. He looked back up at Andrew’s face before whispering, reverently. “I think it is too.” They were both well-versed in ignoring the gossiping of the Foxes around them. Though, to be honest, it made the situation feel all the more real.

Neil grimaced. “It’s as scary to lose everything we knew as it is wonderful to have this second chance.” 

Andrew’s brow twitched. “Stop being a poetic idiot, Josten. I’m still here, and so is our family. We haven’t lost anything—you just might need to put some work into rebuilding what you know is possible.” 

Neil smiled at Andrew, somewhat weakly, before his eyes widened. “Holy shit, this is before you and Aaron even dissolved your deal, before—” he gestured uselessly in the air. “Everything!”

“Before Riko, before your father, before Drake, before Neil Josten was a real person, before Ichirou, before—” Andrew’s eyes widened slightly. “Seth.”

Neil knew what he was feeling. It was a little like he’d had the wind knocked out of him. Seth was someone who had died before they’d ever gotten to know him like they did all the other Foxes. He was a person Andrew may have even hated. But with the perspective of years and despite how big of an asshole as he was, he didn’t deserve to die. 

For every threat that was still alive and active, there was also an opportunity for them to make things right, make things better. 

To save someone who mattered to the people important to them like Allison.

Neil could see his own determination to help his family reflected in Andrew’s eyes. “Okay,” he said, shutting his eyes. “So we’re doing this.”

Andrew’s eyes communicated how blatantly obvious he found that statement to be. “What are we telling the idiots?” he asked instead. “They’re your job more than mine.”

Neil raised an eyebrow, amused by Andrew’s stubborn refusal to explicitly admit that he cared for the Foxes as much as he did (even now), but decided to let it slide for now. 

Neil instead considered the people on the bus around him. All of them were not-so-inconspicuously eavesdropping on their conversation, and he realized with amusement that the upperclassmen, Nicky, and Aaron even seemed to be betting on what they were talking about and why they were being oddly civil.

Even if they were younger and he didn’t know them as well as he knew their future selves—even if they barely knew him—they were still his team, and, well, “I decided a long time ago that the time for secrets was over.”

Andrew looked somewhat approving, even through the apathy that he always wore—though perhaps that approval was only visible to Neil (and maybe Aaron, who knew how to read Andrew to some extent). “Do you mean just about your past?” Andrew asked seriously. “Or do you also mean whatever the hell’s going on with us,” he grimaced before using the unbelievable word, “time travelling?”

Neil was unsure. “They might think we’ve gone crazy,” he thought aloud.

Andrew looked like he was calculating something as he glanced out over the group on the bus. “We probably know enough of their secrets to convince them of the truth—but should we?”

Neil imagined not telling them, imagined another year of secrets, lying, fear, and dealing with everything with only Andrew for help. He grimaced, and Andrew could see his answer in that grimace.

“All in it is, then,” Andrew agreed. “Our first order of business is Seth, and our second is trying to make Neil Josten a real boy. Think we can get the FBI to release you to us again, even without Nathan being dead?” Neil considered the idea but had to shrug, uncertainly. He didn’t really know much about the workings of the FBI. “Hmm,” Andrew hummed.

He stared off into the distance for a long moment, plans and ideas clearly swirling through his mind. Neil didn’t push him. Andrew would tell him what he was thinking when he was ready.

Andrew blinked, his luckily sober focus returning to Neil. Neil realized with a jolt that Andrew was still under court-order over his medicine. He urgently added, “Third order should be your meds. That shit’s doing no one any good, but we do know what meds can actually help you from experience. Do you think we can convince Bee to speak up for you?”

Andrew’s eyes still looked calculating as he replied, “Maybe.” But Neil knew better than most how relieved Andrew would be to not have to deal with his drug-induced mania for any longer than he had to this time around.

“And well,” Neil grimaced, “Thanksgiving. We can fix a lot, including Aaron’s trial.” Andrew’s eyes grew more determined at the prospect of making sure Aaron didn’t have to go through that trial than they did at the thought of protecting himself. Still, Neil knew that the lessons Andrew had learned from Bee over the years hadn’t gone to waste—Andrew valued his own life far more than he used to. Andrew (and Neil too) were in a better place now, mentally, than he’d ever imagined either of them being in the past.

“There’s a lot to deal with,” Andrew mused, his eyes flickering to Kevin’s collapsed form on the seat opposite them. He had stopped hyperventilating, at the very least. “Including His Highness.”

“That nickname doesn’t really work yet, does it?” Neil realized.

“Of course, it does.” A faint smirk appeared on Andrew’s face. “Day’s always been a drama queen.” Neil snorted, but didn’t disagree. 

Andrew switched back into English in his next sentence. “Up and at ‘em, princess.” He said, and Neil poked Kevin with his foot when Kevin didn’t react. Kevin glared over at them, and Neil chose to take his display of defiance as a good sign. “We’ve got news—somewhat mixed, but on the better side of things.”

“Are you finally going to let us in on whatever you’re whispering about?” Dan asked wryly, clearly not believing for a second that Neil and Andrew would share their secrets.

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do.” Andrew’s words made everyone on the bus freeze. 

“Hey Coach!” Neil called to the front of the bus. “I think you should pull over!”

“I thought I told you all this shit could wait!” Wymack called back.

“It really can’t,” Andrew insisted, and Andrew’s unexpected vehemence when at least partially sober was enough to get Wymack to pull over. He stomped down the bus’s corridor and pointedly sat down in one of the seats.

“Well,” he scowled, “what’s so important it couldn’t wait?”

Neil surveyed the bus: the bunching of Dan, Matt, Renee, and Abby at the front was as far as possible from Andrew’s group at the back. Neil flicked his gaze back at Andrew, and Andrew gave him a dry look before sighing. “All the little kiddies to the front of the bus,” he announced, ignoring Aaron’s protests and Nicky’s disbelieving looks as he chivied them towards the other Foxes. Neil was left with the task of helping Kevin stand and make his way over.

Kevin’s body felt more like dead weight than Neil was comfortable with. It felt like all the will to fight had been sapped from the body, and it was the least Kevin-like thing Neil had seen from Kevin in a long while. Well, the least like Kevin he knew.

When everyone had finally congregated in the front of the bus, seated together despite all protests and grumblings, Andrew stood up, looking as placid as ever as he crossed his arms. Neil stood up beside him with more uncertainty.

He and Andrew exchanged another look, and Neil realized he had no idea where to begin: time travel, his past as a Wesninski, their future? It was all jumbled together inextricably. 

Perhaps it was best to focus on the biggest change and challenge: time travel and the Foxes’ future.

Neil opened his mouth, not really thinking about how he would try and explain what he was about to say. He ended up pausing there for a few moments, his mouth open and no words coming out before Andrew huffed and rolled his eyes.

“Time travel is real, and Neil and I are actually our future selves from 2026. We don’t know how or why but we found ourselves in our younger bodies right when Riko strode into the room.”

The silence that reigned after that statement was mystified. “The fuck?” Aaron voiced what everyone was thinking. “Is this some sort of sick prank?”

“No. It really isn’t,” Neil found his voice. “I know this is hard to believe—we can’t believe this either. But we’ll prove it to you if we have to.”

Dan’s voice was wary when she asked, “How?”

“The best way is probably secrets we know that your future selves told us—ones you might think you would never tell anyone. We promise not to share anything that you deserve to share on your own terms, though.” Neil said earnestly. 

Suspicious looks were shared amongst the Foxes before those doubting eyes were turned back on Andrew and Neil. No one objected, so Neil took that as the most permission they were ever going to get.

He turned his gaze expectantly to Andrew. Andrew raised an eyebrow back. Neil returned an incredulous look. Andrew huffed a breath before turning back to the Foxes who all seemed to be as baffled by their silent conversation as they were fascinated. Nicky in particular seemed to be extremely confused.

“Aaron,” he said, turning his gaze to his twin. “I know you’re dating Katelyn.” Aaron fought to stay impassive, but Neil could see the way terror flared up in Aaron’s eyes, the fear of what Andrew might do to her crystallizing behind them. Andrew bulldozed on before Aaron could deny it or say anything. “In the—” he paused, trying to find the right phrase “—original timeline, a lot happened. But to make an extremely long story extremely short: we went together to talk to Bee over the next few years. We broke off the deal. You married Katelyn. I was your best man. You were disgustingly happy. And if my apathy over the whole deal doesn’t convince you that I’m not the same person I was an hour ago, then I don’t know what will.”

Everyone blinked in surprise—partially because this was the most Andrew had ever spoken at once to most of them but mostly because of the sheer insanity of what he was saying. A flood of emotions covered Aaron’s face as he tried to comprehend all of that.

“Holy shit,” Nicky whispered into the silence. “You aren’t Andrew.”

“Hmm,” Andrew hummed noncommittally.

Neil smiled, weakly. “More like, grown-up version. New-and-improved. Removable-exy-stick-and-cigarette-are-included-with-this-product.”

Andrew flicked a look at Neil’s face as Neil rambled, nerves getting the better of him. He shifted, brushing his shoulder against Neil, and Neil paused, taking a deep breath. Nicky and Aaron were as likely to be convinced by Andrew’s words as they were to be freaking out because of them.

Renee’s voice was soft when she spoke up. “I believe you.” Everyone turned to face her. “They’re different,” she explained. “Besides what they said, you can see it in how they act.”

Wymack was still looking unsure, and Dan and Matt shared skeptical looks. So Neil knew it was his turn. Turning to look Matt and Dan in the eyes, he spoke. “If you had a son, Dan would want to name him David.” He very carefully did not look at Coach Wymack as he spoke, though he heard Wymack’s sharp breath. “And Matt would want  to name a daughter Sophia.” The sudden look of realization that crossed both of their faces made everyone who was actually paying attention to their faces realize Neil was telling the truth when he said this. “Though I’m not sure if I should say whether you two actually used those names or if you just told me about your ideas for names.” He glanced uncertainly at Andrew, who shrugged slightly to say that he didn’t care. “Any doubts left?”

Kevin had been a statue since Andrew and Neil had started to speak. But now his warring emotions (compounded by seeing Riko earlier after so long) and skepticism unfroze him, both evident in equal measure. “No.” He said. “You’re lying, why are you—”

Neil cut him off before he could work himself up any more. “Le lettre à Tetsuji de Kayleigh avec l’information de ton père.” (Kayleigh's letter to Tetsuji with the information about your father.) Kevin made a sound like a man being stabbed, and Neil felt a rush of guilt wash over him. This was quite literally like kicking a man when he was down. He added, in English this time, “The sooner you tell him, the better. It all worked out in the end.”

Kevin deserved to share this information, not have it shared for him. Mentioning the letter itself was more than enough. Neil was careful not to say something as recognizable as “Wymack est ton père” (Wymack is your father) which could be recognized by the non-French speakers, but knew that the Foxes likely still recognized the names Tetsuji and Kayleigh in between the French words. He kept an eye on Wymack especially.

Wymack was watching his team, all now silent and pale as they tried to process the things Neil and Andrew had said to them. Glancing back at Neil, Wymack nodded his way, seeming to accept that they were telling the truth for now. Grateful that Wymack seemed convinced by the reactions of the team around him, Neil turned his gaze to Abby. She had also turned pale though she was much quieter about her feelings than the Foxes. 

As Neil watched her, she mouthed to herself ‘this is crazy,’ before  covering her face with her hand and taking a few deep breaths. By the time she put her hand back down, her face had turned more resolute, ready to take on this new challenge for the sake of her Foxes. 

Wymack clapped his hands, bringing everyone’s attention back to him. Despite all the questions that were likely overflowing in him, it was clear that he was more concerned with those last words. “It all worked out in the end?” he asked sharply.

“This year is a rough year.” Neil answered, meeting his gaze levelly. “A lot happened that Andrew and I want to prevent. But even after all that,” Neil felt a small smile grace his face as the Foxes watched him, “I think we were all happy. It all worked out in the end.” Andrew nodded, as if to agree with that statement.

If Kevin had sounded like a man wounded and in pain before, his quietness now was unsettling. “I’m alive?” he whispered, finally.
“And happy,” Neil repeated, knowing that the concept of potentially being “happy” likely hadn’t even occurred to Kevin, given how in-the-air simply his survival was. Kevin buried his face in his hands to hide the emotions that surged in him from the other Foxes. But Neil knew him well enough to know the conflicting things Kevin was feeling.

Kevin would need time, years, to fully understand the idea that he could be free.

After a pregnant silence stretched for too long, Dan spoke up. “What can you tell us?” 

Dan was trying to regain control of the situation, clearly shoving her emotions away for later even if the tinge of desperation that touched her voice couldn’t be hidden. And, as if that was a signal, the Foxes’ faces each turned determined, wanting this future happy life more than anything in the world.

Neil winced, knowing exactly where this particular conversation should start. He had escaped this bit last time, by virtue of being kidnapped and forcing Kevin to do most of the explaining, but he couldn’t escape it this time. 

“We can discuss the future and what needs to happen in a little bit. The more important thing to talk about now is probably the past,” Neil said. He looked down at his feet, trying to work up the courage to find the right words to say what he had to say. His past was so well-known in the future (and so far behind him) that it was almost hard to imagine having to do this at all. And yet telling this story mattered more than it ever had before—this was the first time that this version of his family was hearing the truth. This moment could change how they saw him for the rest of their lives.

This could ruin their chances at friendship, at family, forever.

A finger flicking his temple pulled him back out of his thoughts. He met Andrew’s unimpressed gaze, the eyes that knew exactly where his thoughts had gone to. He smiled sheepishly at Andrew and took a deep breath, remembering that this was his family, even if they were younger than he remembered. 

They would be his family again, and his family would never leave him behind.

Neil looked up again, meeting each of the Foxes’ (his family's) eyes

“Most of you probably don’t know what this means, but—” he locked eyes with Kevin. “The name I was born with was Nathaniel Wesninski.”

Chapter Text

“Most of you probably don’t know what this means, but—” he locked eyes with Kevin. “The name I was born with was Nathaniel Wesninski.”

“Name you were born with?” Matt asked, staring at Neil in bewilderment. But Kevin had frozen, staring at Neil. 

“No.” The sound of the hoarse denial Kevin gave was heart-wrenching. Neil hadn’t heard a noise like that from Kevin in years. “That’s not true.” His words silenced the confused murmurings that had started among the Foxes. Kevin stood under his own power, his own breakdown over all this pushed off in favor of staring at Neil’s features.

He watched Kevin, waiting for realization to sink in. On its heels was sick fear. “You’re not really him,” Kevin was almost pleading with him to say that he was lying, that this was just a fucked-up joke. “You’re not really Nathaniel.”

Neil had long since gotten over any reaction to the name that used to be his. He met Kevin’s gaze evenly and told him. “Not any more. I’ve been Neil Josten for twelve years and I won’t be Nathaniel ever again.” Neil could feel Andrew’s silent but solid approval beside him and resisted the urge to reach out for Andrew’s hand for some comfort. 

“It’s not that simple—” Kevin insisted, fear bleeding back into his expression as disbelief faded. 

“It can be.” Andrew said simply.

“As we said,” Neil smiled, weakly, “it worked out last time, and Neil became my legal identity.”

Kevin just shook his head, years of conditioning and fear making him irrational. “I can’t believe your mother agreed to this.”

Neil shook his head. “She died before I even got to Millport. When I was doing this the first time around, I didn’t know about my connection to the Moriyama’s. I had nothing and no one else, Kevin. I gambled on you not knowing the truth about my family, figured the chances of you remembering me were slim, and when it later became obvious that Riko figured it out, I stayed anyway.” Neil looked into Kevin’s despairing eyes, ignoring the silent, confused Foxes around them, and leaned in to hug Kevin, like he would hug his Kevin

Kevin froze.

Neil whispered in his ear. “We won the finals, Kevin. We were free. It will happen again, Andrew and I will make sure of it.” Kevin almost seemed to melt in his arms, becoming deadweight and latching onto Neil like he had Abby earlier that day. Neil leaned back, still holding onto Kevin’s shoulders. “But keep that last bit between us for now, yeah? I wouldn’t want to spoil the finale for anyone else.”

The disbelief in Kevin’s eyes looked strangely close to happiness this time, and so he lightly pushed Kevin in Andrew’s direction. Andrew could take care of him while Neil dealt with the rest of the team.

Wymack’s eyebrows were sky-high when Neil met his eyes. “The hell was that about? Why do I feel like I know that name, ‘Wesninski’?” 

Looking around the group, the only one with any recognition in their eyes was Renee. But her recognition seemed confused, almost like she was searching for a forgotten memory, so Neil supposed that she only knew the name tangentially. He and Kevin had spilled a lot of the pieces of the puzzle, but not enough for anyone to put them together coherently.

“Probably from my father,” Neil told him honestly. “Nathan Wesninski, also known as the Butcher of Baltimore. A lackey of the Moriyama’s and mob boss in his own right.”

Matt’s gasp was loud as Dan pressed a hand to her mouth, looking vaguely nauseous. Renee frowned, seeming to scan Neil again. Aaron just looked unimpressed, while Nicky went wide-eyed. Wymack just looked resigned. “Why do I never see this shit coming,” he murmured to himself.

Neil ignored him, continuing to explain. “To make another long story short, Nathan and Tetsuji arranged for me to audition for his ‘Perfect Court’” Neil sneered the words out. “But mom didn’t want that for me. We ran away with a few million of Nathan’s profits and have been on the run ever since, though she didn’t tell me about the Moriyama family business. She died—” Neil paused, looking briefly confused. “Last year, I guess? She’s been dead for twelve or thirteen years to me, that’s odd to think about. But more importantly, she was the only thing keeping me from getting myself killed through exy. So here I am! Though I didn’t succeed in getting myself murdered, obviously.”

“Well, fuck.” Nicky was the one to break the silence. 

Neil snorted. “That’s about how I felt when I put it all together.”

Matt looked at him like he was a stranger in his friend’s body, and, well, Neil kind of was. “Is the new confidence a thing from the future or a thing you were lying about?” Neil was impressed that his voice only shook slightly.

He thought about the idea before shrugging. “A little bit of both? I shoved down most of my temper until today, the first time around. But my confidence is definitely also a future thing. I was a nervous wreck the first time I saw you guys after you found out the first time around.” Neil pulled his hands out of his pockets, revealing how they were shaking slightly. “I still am this time, but I am better at hiding it, I guess.” He smiled weakly.

Renee stood up and Neil couldn’t help but tense. But she simply stepped forward and grabbed Neil’s hands, stopping their shaking. She looked down at them and then smiled up at Neil, a little shaky too. “This is quite a lot to take in all at once, but we’re already in the firing line. I don’t think the others would ever choose to let you go after all this, if that’s what you’re afraid of.” 

Neil relaxed in a way he remembered his younger self had never been able to do around Renee. He couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking his head. Renee could always cut to the heart of the matter.

“Yeah,” Dan agreed. Despite the tension in her body, she summoned a brave smile. “We’re already dealing with Kevin’s shit, we can handle yours too.” Matt nodded beside her. 

Nicky was clearly as freaked out as any of them, but he mustered the courage to add. “Your practice from dealing with this the first time around should help us make perfect, right?”

Neil turned to find Aaron’s gaze. Aaron was the most unfamiliar person there to him. In the future, they had only become close friends after years of existing in Andrew’s life as people important to him. This Aaron hadn’t even gotten a confirmation of what (who) exactly had killed Tilda yet. But Neil could see the start of the birth of the future Aaron he considered family (and even a friend) starting to take root in him. He could see it in the way that Aaron (despite the bombshells regarding himself, Katelyn, and Andrew that had been hurled his way) met Neil’s eyes, saying. “Andrew says he can handle it. So he probably can.”

Wymack grunted, attracting his attention. “What they said goes for me too. Though we still have to fill in Allison and Seth on all of this.” Neil couldn’t stop the look of distaste that crossed his face at the idea of having to do this all over again with them. “How did we handle it last time around?”

“That one was more Neil than me,” Andrew said shortly. He was letting Kevin slump into his space, his hand a comforting weight on Kevin’s neck. Neil knew very well how strangely calming that gesture could be, especially from solid, steady Andrew.

Neil grinned sheepishly at the looks that got turned back on him. “Yeah, we’re gonna have to workshop that plan. It’s not really going to be very effective until Kengo—and Nathan too, I guess—kick the bucket. Arranging deals for Kevin, Jean, and I with Ichirou was the best way to make peace.”

Kevin’s head shot back up. “Jean?” He looked hopeful but confused. “Why would you negotiate a deal for Jean?”

“Oh,” Neil said, turning to look back at Andrew and Kevin. “We could probably get him out sooner, couldn’t we?”

Andrew narrowed his eyes, considering what he knew, then nodded. “After he meets Renee for the first time could work, instead of after Evermore and the second banquet.”
Renee, who had sat back down, looked confused when Neil turned back to her. “We can figure this out more later, but Jean Moreau could really use your friendship, if you’re up for it.”

Renee was surprised but smiled. “Any way I can help,” she told him, grabbing the cross on her necklace and gripping it lightly.

“As for why,” Neil turned back to Kevin, “to make another long story short—”

“It’s because you’re an idiot.” Andrew interrupted.

Neil blinked before laughing. “Well, yeah, we knew that. But that’s too short.” He grinned.

Andrew raised an eyebrow, as if to say ‘but clearly the knowledge hasn’t been penetrating your thick skull, or I wouldn’t have to remind you.’

Neil laughed again, before continuing his story. “In order to protect a person I love, I went to Evermore for winter break. That’s how I knew your secret, actually, Kevin.”
Outrage erupted from the rest of the team, but Kevin just looked sickly resigned at this point. Wymack buried his face in his hands, seeming as exasperated by Neil’s death wish as he was resigned to it.

“Martyr.” Andrew scoffed at him. Neil just grinned back. The memories of Evermore still haunted his dreams and his mind. But he refused to let any of it control his life any more. Andrew raised his voice a bit to be heard above the rest, and that rare occurrence was enough to get everyone’s attention. “We won’t let that happen again. Will we?” Andrew arched an ominous brow at him.

Neil actually thought about it for a moment causing Matt to jump in. “Neil, no, dude, you can’t—”

But Andrew just raised a hand to shut him up, staring Neil down. “We’ll find another way to keep everyone safe.” He told Neil.

Neil stared back at him, remembering everything he knew about what had happened in Easthaven. Remembering that even what he had sacrificed to Evermore was never going to stop Andrew from being hurt. Remembering the years of therapy that he’d undergone (most of which had been ineffective due to Neil refusing to let anyone in close enough to help) and the two years of therapy that had slowly started to get through to Neil.

“We’ll find another way to keep everyone safe,” he agreed, and Andrew nodded in satisfaction

Nicky was staring at the two of them, a little perplexed. “You two almost hated each other before all this . . . are you. Will you be. Whatever! Were you close, in the future?”

Neil tried to contain his laughter, suddenly realizing that this was before Allison had suspected anything about them. This was before Kevin knew anything about their feelings. This was before Wymack figured them out. Before Neil was ever under Andrew’s protection. Only Renee might have the slightest inkling of what he and Andrew could be (and now were) to each other.

So he skirted the truth a little, half for their privacy and half for his own amusement. “Well,” Neil hedged, “we’ve been on the same team on-and-off for about eight?” He turned to Andrew and got an absent-minded nod. “Eight of the last eleven years. We had to start getting to know each other at some point.” He shrugged.

But this offhand comment was enough to revive Kevin from his slump. “The same team?” He asked wildly. “A pro exy team?” Neil smiled at his exy-obsessed friend (though he knew that Andrew would say he was just as bad).

“Yeah, Kev, a pro-team.”

“You went pro?!” He turned back to Andrew excitedly. Andrew looked back at him with a flat, unimpressed look. Kevin swung back around to look at Neil. “Both of you?!”

Neil smiled at him indulgently. He could see some tension slipping out of the team with how normal it felt to see Kevin all wound-up about Andrew playing exy for real. “Both of us,” he confirmed.

“Huh,” Dan voiced, turning to share confused looks with Matt. Renee just smiled serenely, but Aaron and Nicky both looked a little stunned at the idea that Andrew would continue playing voluntarily.

“Do you—” Kevin switched targets, realizing that he would never get a proper answer from Andrew about any of this. “Does he play properly? With drive?”

Neil couldn’t help the wide smile that spread across his face. “Most of the time. Sometimes,” Neil leaned towards Kevin like he was sharing a secret, but his voice was a stage-whisper that everyone could hear. Kevin leaned in towards Neil eagerly, “I even think he might actually like it.” 

Kevin looked like he was barely restraining himself (mostly because of what a terrible idea it would be) from grabbing Andrew’s shoulders and shaking him in delight.

Andrew rolled his eyes, turning his unimpressed look on Neil instead of Kevin. Neil just grinned back, like the instigator he was. “Do I now?” He asked Neil dryly.

Neil gave him a disbelieving look. “You can’t tell me you don’t like exy after—” he gestured vaguely at his neck to reference their future Olympic gold medals. “I saw how hard you played that game.”

Andrew looked down, seeming to inspect his nails. “Actually, you’ll find that I very much can tell you that I still don’t like exy.” He shrugged, lazily. “It’s just that they weren’t boring opponents.”

Neil was indignant. “You liar!” he could hear the Foxes suck in a tense breath after his words. “I have video footage—video footage!” he emphasized, “of you smiling while playing!”

“A smile of great violence.”

Neil scoffed. “Who on earth can smile at Knox, of all people, with violence?!”

“Me.” Andrew was unphased.

“He was on your team! You were clacking racquets with him! There’s no way it was a violent smile, stop it.”

“Mmm, that’s a fascinating argument,” Andrew crossed his arms. “Except for the fact that you don’t have video footage. That happened in 2024, dumbass.”

Neil froze, looking at Andrew as if Andrew had just told him he ran over one of their cats. “Fuck.”

Andrew smirked slightly, before turning away. The Foxes couldn't help but gape at how naturally the two of them interacted—and at the lack of violence in Andrew’s response to Neil’s teasing!

“Okay, what the fuck is going on here?” Aaron finally broke. Neil couldn’t say that he wasn’t expecting this. “What happened to you? Why—” Here he stumbled. Here was the crux of the matter. “Why would I ask you to be my best man?” He sounded both bewildered and slightly heartbroken.

Andrew stared him down before crossing his arms and looking away. “I don’t really get it, personally, but you said something about me being ‘the man who kept you alive long enough to have the chance to get married’ and Kitty—” He broke off here, glancing at Neil with a furrow in his brow.

“Did she go by Kitty way back when?”

Neil grinned, shaking his head. “Nah, that started when they were in med school. Remember the Thanksgiving where she—”

Andrew snorted. “Yeah, I remember. Whatever. Katelyn insisted.”

If Aaron had been confused before, he was flat out gaping now. Nicky wasn’t too far behind him. “Holy shit,” Nicky repeated.

Andrew ignored them, not deigning to respond. Instead, he turned his focus back to Kevin. “You finally distracted from your breakdown, Princess?” he asked sardonically.

But Kevin flinched at hearing a “royal” title now that he was aware enough to absorb Andrew’s words. Andrew frowned. “Don’t—don’t call me that. I’m not part of Riko’s Cour anymore.” Kevin looked down at his hands.

“Of course not,” Neil said, walking the few steps over to where the two of them were. “The Queen of Exy needs no King.” He tapped the two on Kevin’s cheek gently. And this time Kevin didn’t flinch.

He was too busy staring at Neil with awe in his eyes. “I actually went through with it?” he questioned, wide-eyed. Neil had never even realized he was entertaining the idea this early on in the year. He had assumed that this was more of a spoiler for the future (a necessary one, it seemed). But, well, perhaps Kevin had slightly more of his future self’s spine than Neil had first assumed. He smiled at Kevin.

“Of course you did, Kev.” Kevin couldn’t seem to decide what emotion his face should settle on: bone-deep terror or ecstatic relief. Finally, he just sighed, slumping in his seat.

“You two are going to kill me.” He murmured to himself.

Andrew just flicked the side of his head. “No dying on my watch, Day.” Kevin lolled his head to the side to look at Andrew and couldn’t suppress a smile.

“No dying on your watch.” He repeated. Andrew rolled his eyes and looked away.

“Whatever. Muldani would never let me live it down if you died on me.” Andrew looked confused for a moment so small Neil doubted that anyone else caught it. “Or I guess, she would if she knew who I was. This is fucking weird.”

Neil, at his side, was completely distracted from the matter at hand by the mention of Thea Muldani. “Thea,” Neil growled, before scowling to himself.

The Foxes couldn’t help but look freaked out. Matt ventured, “Uh, did Thea—do something? I’ve never seen him react like that, what—”

Andrew rolls his eyes fondly, cutting in before Neil could respond and inevitably confuse them more. Even his unimpressed look seemed more fond than normal. “Don’t pay attention to the idiot with a one-track mind,” he supplied. “Josten always gets worked up when his quote-unquote ‘greatest rival’ is brought up.” The Foxes stared blankly at Andrew. He looked back at them, equally blank. “She is equally vehement when he comes up. They go drinking together every other Friday. No idea how that started.” He shrugged. 

“Wait!” Nicky exclaimed. “Neil drinks?”

Neil was still looking somewhat angered, but was pulled out of it by Nicky’s words. “Ehh, sometimes. Usually only with people that can have my back.” They gave him weird looks, and Neil shrugged. “A hold-over from when I had too many secrets and couldn’t afford a loose tongue.” He paused. “I guess I’m still keeping many of my secrets from most of the world at this point. God, it’s weird to think that no one knows about my past except you guys. And Riko, soon enough,” he added. “But I can’t stop that from happening.” He shook his head before looking at the Foxes sitting around him.

The two of them were telling them the most unbelievable shit in the world. Time travel, secret pasts on the run from the mafia, Andrew having emotions—well, the last one was quite believable to Neil, and he’d fight anyone who said otherwise, but he doubted the Foxes would agree with him. 

But the Foxes were still sitting there. They even believed the two of them! 

They were still there.

And that mattered. It meant the world to Neil. So he told them: “There’s a lot we have to do, a lot we have to talk about. But I think what you’ve learned today is more than enough to rattle you. We can put off discussing more for a few days while you guys get used to all of this. The most important thing to know for now is that Riko is going to be out for blood—hopefully less so than the first time around since I really toned things down this time—but we can’t go out at night for the next while or things will end badly.”

“We’ll figure it out.” Andrew told them. And coming from Andrew, they couldn’t help but believe it. As psychotic as they thought he was at times, Andrew always protected his people.

The Foxes dispersed back to their various corners of the bus to digest this new information in silence as Wymack got the bus back on the road. Neil sat down and closed his eyes. He could feel Andrew sit down next to him. He stretched out his hand between them, eyes still closed, and felt Andrew interlace his pinky with Neil’s. Neil smiled and let himself fall asleep.

When he opened his eyes, it was to the sounds of people evacuating the bus. He rolled his head to the side and spotted Andrew’s sleeping face next to him. Neil grinned softly and reached out, shaking him slightly. He couldn’t help but remember the many violent ways Andrew used to react to waking up back in this time. He could feel Andrew’s body jolt beneath his hand. Instincts were hard to overcome—but Andrew had spent the last eleven years working on overcoming these exact same instincts.

As the jolt that shuddered through his body, Neil braced himself, wary of what being shoved eleven years back in time could do to Andrew’s progress on this front. But after a moment, Andrew blinked his eyes open, staring directly into Neil’s. A slight smile crept onto Andrew’s lips as Neil watched. “Staring,” Andrew told him quietly

“Shamelessly,” Neil whispered in return.

Soon, they were filing off the bus with all the rest of the Foxes. Neil couldn’t help but smile, seeing Fox Tower look the same way it looked his first year. Because it was his first year. God, that was weird. He was rooming with . . . Matt and—Seth. 

So weird.

He had been rooming with Robin his last year. And before that he was always rooming with Andrew and his family. This would be strange, until they figured out the rooming situation. But at least this way, Neil could keep an eye on Seth, he supposed.

Neil remembered the way that Andrew and his family had fled into their rooms as soon as they could the first time around, how Andrew had already been drugged to the gills. This time, Andrew was stubbornly holding out just a little longer. Neil was torn between which he hated more: Andrew taking the meds or the way withdrawal made Andrew feel. He decided not to say anything about it for now. This time, all of the Foxes were directed to Matt and Neil’s room. The upperclassmen didn’t want to separate from each other, and Neil (and Andrew) didn’t want to leave any part of their family alone right now. It felt scarily like they were all vulnerable right now, even knowing that Riko didn’t strike until later that night.

They went to the men’s suite and found Seth and Allison tangled together on the couch. They were watching a movie, dressed but just barely. Neither seemed embarrassed about being walked in on. The upperclassmen didn’t bat an eye, as if this was a normal sight around these parts , but Seth and Allison both seemed somewhat perturbed by the so-called “monsters” coming into the room, not to mention how exhausted and fucked-up Neil was certain that they all looked.

“What the hell are they doing here?” Seth demanded. Dan just groaned, way too tired for this explanation.

“Way too much happened,” Matt tried to smile at them. “Promise we’ll explain later, but right now I think we just need to pass out and get some sleep.” 

Allison seemed skeptical of that explanation but just shrugged as she rearranged herself on the couch. Seth groaned but quieted down easily enough when Renee agreed. “Whatever,” he grumbled.

Neil couldn’t help but grin as he looked around the room, a happiness filling him that pushed to the side the sadness he’d felt earlier. Now wasn’t the time to mourn for a great life.

His family was here, Andrew was here—and Seth too. Who knows, maybe Seth could become family one day. Andrew glanced at him out of the corner of his eye as Andrew headed over to the window. He was probably likely to figure out how to pop the screen out and smoke. 

Andrew rolled his eyes at Neil. He could likely tell how sappy Neil’s thoughts were getting. But Neil just turned his blinding grin on Andrew instead, watching as an almost unnoticeable twitch tilted Andrew’s lips up too.

Realizing, suddenly, that he’d forgotten some extremely important information he’d been planning to share, he turned back to the room at large, a shit-eating grin spreading over his lips. “Oh, also, I almost forgot to mention! As long as I can get the paperwork worked out in time, Andrew and I are getting married next Saturday, so we’d love it if you could all come.” He gave them his biggest, most heartwarming grin and waited for the fallout.

For two peaceful seconds, there was silence. And then:

“Andrew, you’re gay?! Why did you never tell me?! We could have—”

“What the fuck? I thought those two hated each other! But they’re actually fa—”

“Please, be quiet, Seth. Personally, I’m very happy Andrew found someone for himself.”

“Ohmygod, what? Is this why you told me not to bet on you and Andrew, Renee?!”

“What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck—I—Renee, has my brother been possessed? Do you know any exorcisms? What is going—”

“What! He and—Neil and—but he. What? Dan, makes this make sense, please make this make sense.”

But Dan was quiet. After a few more seconds of chaos, she let out an ear-piercing whistle. Neil rubbed his ears grumpily as Dan stared at him. He remembered Dan’s whistle quite well, but that didn’t mean that he liked experiencing it again. When he finally met her eyes, she stared him down. Finally, she spoke. 

“Are you being serious?” Her tone was menacingly quiet and Neil found himself swallowing nervously.

But when he answered her, his voice was just as quiet and serious. “Yes. This is happening.” He flicked his gaze to Andrew. When Andrew flipped him off, he shook his head with a smile and a laugh. “Definitely happening,” he said, gazing at Andrew with a look Andrew would probably call sappy and love-struck.

“Okay,” Dan said, pulling his eyes back to her. “Then we’ll be there.”

The room was quiet for a few seconds before Aaron groaned, covering his face with his hands. “Just don’t ask me to be your best man. That’s just going too far,” his voice, muffled by the hands, insisted.

Andrew scoffed. “Of course not. Renee’s my best woman.”

Renee smiled at Andrew, blindingly warm. Neil thought that there might have even been some tears (ones that were quickly blinked away) in her eyes. “It would be my honor.”

When Seth went to open his mouth, Allison quickly covered it. “Hun,” she said, sugar-sweet, “if you ever want to have sex with me again, you won’t say anything at all, right now.” Seth stared at her, wide-eyed. Before crossing his arms and laying back down on the couch grumpily.

Nicky, now that he was longer as wary of Seth’s reaction, jumped to his feet. Neil couldn’t help but smile as memories of the calmer (but just as excited) Nicky from the first version of their wedding surged to the front of his mind. He practically bounced over to Neil. “Is this really happening? Is Andrew really—” When Neil nodded, Nicky took Neil’s hands in his and squeezed them, before hugging Neil tight. Neil hugged back with ease. “Thank you,” Nicky whispered in his ear. 

Neil just smiled, shaking his head. Any changes to Andrew were all Andrew, but, well, he’d never been able to convince Nicky of that. He would never be able to convince Nicky of that. He’d save that inevitable discussion (bickering match) for another time.

Nicky whirled around, dramatically pointing at Andrew. “And you!” Andrew raised an eyebrow, flicking ash off the end of his cigarette. Amidst all the chaos, he’d managed to get the window screen off and had lit up. “I can’t believe you never told me! Think of all the bonding we never got to do!”

“The horror,” Andrew deadpanned, gripping the desk with a hand that was beginning to shake with the symptoms of withdrawal. Neil noticed that, but Nicky didn’t.  Neil left them to their “argument” regardless, trusting Andrew to know when the withdrawal became too much.

“Matt,” he said, turning around to face the still-gaping man.

“Uh, yeah, Neil,” he answered, slowly gathering himself.

“Would you be my best man?” Matt blinked at him, dumbfounded, before pointing a finger at himself, as if asking ‘me?’. Dan grinned at him by his side. “Yes, you,” Neil said, his voice tinged with amusement.

“I—I—I would be honored,” Matt slowly started grinning. “Woah, yeah, totally! I mean, I never expected this, you two, whatever it is. But I’m—yeah, of course.” He was clearly still out of sorts, so Neil left him to Dan’s care. 

Neil couldn’t help the stupid-looking grin that overtook his face as he walked across the room to Andrew. He tapped the desk beside Andrew and, receiving a nod, sat down, leaning into his space. He held his hand above Andrew’s and felt Andrew reach up to meet him half-way, intertwining their fingers. Neil grinned. “Yes or no?” he asked.

“Yes,” Andrew replied.

Neil brought the hand up to his mouth and kissed Andrew’s ring-finger, where Andrew’s ring usually sat when it wasn’t on his necklace. “We’ll have to get rings again.”

“Mmm,” Andrew agreed.

“And we have to figure out how to find Sir and King again.”

“Mmm,” This agreement was more begrudging, more along the lines of ‘do we really have to?’

“And—” A hand suddenly covered his mouth. He looked at Andrew. Andrew stared back at him, as sturdy and solid of an anchor in this crazy, confusing world as he’d always been.

“Stop thinking and shut up for a bit, junkie,” he ordered, and Neil felt the familiarity of Andrew, of these words settle into him slowly. Familiarity was something he sorely needed in this strange time they’d found themselves in. 

And Andrew’s familiarity felt like home.

Neil smiled under Andrew’s hand, and Andrew pulled his hand away. 

They didn’t notice that all eyes were on them as they existed in their own personal world—or it seemed that way until Andrew stuck out a hand flipping them all off. Some of the Foxes looked away, politely.

But others couldn’t but continue to watch the two of them, fascinated, as Andrew cupped Neil’s cheek, brushing his thumb over Neil’s lips. Neil kept smiling, still ignoring the world around him. He recognized the invitation in Andrew’s gesture and nodded. Andrew leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss on Neil’s lips. 

They rested their foreheads together, and Andrew whispered against Neil’s mouth. “You’re staying, right, Josten?”

Neil smiled. “It’s Minyard-Josten, actually.” 

Andrew took that as the answer it was and kissed Neil’s proud smile off his lips.