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“Neil. I’ve discussed this with the Council and we all came to a unanimous decision,” Nicky says. Neil sighs. He knows that whatever Nicky has to say will effectively ruin his Saturday in approximately one sentence.
His morning started perfectly, he woke up extra early and went for a 6-mile run. Then, Andrew kissed him the second he entered the dorm, which was a rare occurrence if he hadn’t showered yet. After getting clean, he sat down to watch some Exy reruns on the TV. Again, perfect Saturday.
And then Nicky showed up.
“What is it, Nicky?” Neil asks, annoyed. Nicky fidgets with the end of his shirt, pretending to study a loose string.
“Well, um. You have to take Andrew to his dentist appointment.”
Oh. That's no bueno. Neil remembers the time Matt told him about when it was his turn to take Andrew for his appointment. Andrew had rushed out of the office the second he was let go and left Matt stranded there until Dan picked him up half an hour later.
The objective is to keep Andrew from eating for 30 minutes if he has no cavities, and for an hour if he does. The extra 30 minutes is to ‘prevent injury’ from the numbing they inject into his mouth.
“Why me? Why can’t Renee take him again?” The Foxes are very adamant about Andrew’s half-yearly dentist visits. He lost his privilege of going alone when after his appointment, he drove himself to Walmart and got a basket worth of chocolate and ice cream.
The problem wasn’t even the 30 minutes of no sweets. He just wanted to piss everyone off.
“Because, statistically, you have the least percent chance of Death by Andrew,” Nicky argues, “And also you’ve never taken him before, so it’s only fair.”
Neil rolls his eyes, “Fine. When is it then?”
At this, Nicky goes back to fidgeting, “Well, it’s at 2. Today.”
Neil glances over to the clock, 1:24. Jesus. Short notice much? Neil turns back to Nicky, “Where’s Andrew?”
Nicky shrugs, “Don’t ask me. I never know where that kid is. Anywho, g’bye! Have fun!” He turns around and skips away, out of the room.
*
They barely get to the appointment on time. Andrew made it his mission to delay them as much as humanly possible, first by making a show out of looking for his shoes (which were hidden under the couch), and then by kissing Neil at every stop sign and red light until cars beeped at them to move along (Neil was driving. He knew better than to let Andrew take the wheel).
But still, they make it through the doors at 1:58, an incredible feat for someone who’d just gone through several obstacles to arrive there. It doesn’t take long before one of the desk ladies enters the waiting area, “Andrew Minyard?”
Andrew gets up and leaves with her, sparing Neil a glance before disappearing behind the door leading to the rooms.
With Andrew gone, Neil takes the opportunity and looks around the waiting room for any source of entertainment. There’s a TV hanging from the wall, but it’s only showing some random telenovela. Neil tries to make an effort to understand what they’re saying but quickly realizes that a year of Spanish is not enough to fully comprehend the rapid speech the woman on screen is firing on, presumably, her husband.
Looking down at the coffee table beside him, his eyes catch on a familiar figure on a magazine resting atop a messy stack.
Immediately sparking his interest, he picks it up and reads the cover;
Jean Moreau: The Phenomenon No One Saw Coming.
Neil barely notices the 10 minutes that pass before Andrew walks back into the waiting room and sits down in his seat next to him. Neil sets the magazine down on his lap, and Andrew, upon seeing what he’s reading, mutters junkie under his breath.
“So..” Neil starts, “What did they say?” Neil is silently praying to whatever is out there that Andrew doesn’t have any cavities. It would make his job infinitely harder.
Andrew only shrugs.
“Cavities?” Neil presses.
“Six,” Andrew says, crossing his arms and sinking back in his chair.
Neil chokes on his spit, “ Six? ” That has to be some type of record. Neil thought it was only possible to have one or two at a time, but here Andrew was, proving him wrong in every way his brain thought possible. Fuck, how long was it going to take to fill in six cavities?
Neil takes a second to look at the way Andrew is slumped in his chair, “Yes or no?” he asks. He can’t resist; Andrew looks cute sitting there like an angry toddler.
“Yes,” he gruffs. Neil leans in and gives him a peck on the cheek.
It isn’t long before the same receptionist comes and calls out Andrew’s name again. He stands up and Neil, before Andrew has time to walk away, grabs his hand, “Can I go with you? I’m bored.”
Andrew squints at Neil as if trying to decipher a puzzle but eventually relents.
*
The room they enter is plain, with white walls, white counters, and two gray rolly chairs against the far wall. The dental engine rests in the center of the room, which Andrew lays on per the doctor’s instructions. Neil takes a seat on one of the grey chairs, which allows him a perfect view of Andrew’s face.
He wouldn’t tell Andrew, but the real reason he came along was that Neil couldn’t pass up an opportunity to stare at his boyfriend for a while.
The doctor leaves the room but quickly enters it again with a syringe in his hand. Neil sees the subtle way that Andrew tenses, his shoulders lifting slightly. Neil rolls his chair forward enough for Andrew to be able to reach out and hold his hand if he wanted to.
Which he did, apparently, because as soon as the needle gets close to his mouth, Andrew frantically grips onto Neil’s hand and squeezes, pressing his eyes closed in the process.
Eventually, though, Andrew relaxes and in turn, so does Neil. He doesn’t let go of Neil’s hand though, so he tries to take a nap.
It must have been about 40 minutes later when Neil’s bladder acts up and he excuses himself to go to the bathroom. He tells Andrew he’ll be right back and lets himself out of the room.
The office itself is like a labyrinth, with hallways sprouting from hallways and identical doors in every corner. Neil, however, manages to remember the bathroom they passed on their way to the room, and quickly finds it.
When he’s done, he returns to the room to find it empty. Panic floods through him as he asks the doctor where he went.
“The short one? Left as soon as I finished.”
Fuck fuck fuck. Neil rushes through the maze and exits the building in a blur. How did he fail so fucking soon? He runs to where the Maserati’s parked and sees Andrew trying to force the car door open. To anyone else, it would look like he was trying to steal it. Neil sighs a breath of relief, “Thank god. Andrew. I thought you left.”
He abruptly stops the moment he hears Neil and walks up to him, leaving only an inch of space between them, “Yes or no?” Andrew asks.
Neil nods and Andrew leans in. The kiss isn’t exactly brutal, but it’s not soft either. Neil forgets about his circumstances and sinks into the kiss. It’s not long before Neil has one hand in Andrew’s hair and the other on his neck, pulling him closer. Andrew returns the favor and soon has his hands in Neil’s pockets.
Wait. Fuck.
Neil pulls away before Andrew has the chance to take the keys to the car. “You sneaky fox! ”
Andrew cringes, “Oh my god never say that again.”
Neil laughs and gets in the car, “Haha, nice try!” Andrew rolls his eyes and follows, walking around to get into the passenger seat. He takes on the same slumped pose he’d sported in the dentist's office, and manages to sink even further into his seat.
“I feel betrayed. I thought you cared about me,” Neil jokes.
Andrew scoffs and rolls his eyes, “Drama queen.”
They sit in a content silence until Andrew speaks up again, “I can’t believe you called me a ‘sneaky fox’.”
Neil stops at the red light just before Perimeter road, an indicator that they’re almost home. “I’ll do it again if you really liked it that much,” He gives Andrew a pointed wink.
Andrew sticks out his tongue and says, “I’m breaking up with you.”
Neil gives Andrew a peck on the nose, “No you’re not.” He pretends not to notice the way Andrew’s cheeks turn several shades pinker.
*
Upon returning to their dorm, Andrew sneaks off to his room.
Nicky comes up to him and asks, "So.. how'd you do?"
"Good," Neil says, proudly. When he goes to check up on Andrew, however, he walks into him reading on the windowsill with several chocolate wrappers by his feet. Nicky must've followed, because Neil heard him say, “I had hope in you, Neil. I should’ve known Andrew’s genius has no limits.”
Neil doesn’t miss the smirk Andrew tries (and fails) to hide.