Archive of Our Own

Junkie

what r u doin lol

Pretty Boy ❤️

class, u?

Junkie

with Ally. We r @ the cafe.

Kevin’s so fucking annoying w the dishes

it's not even me who’s not washing them

it's so him cause it has that weird green shit on it

Pretty Boy ❤️

lol

get me something?

Junkie

you know I will :) x

Andrew’s lips couldn’t help but quirk into a small smile, only reserved for the FBI agent watching through the camera of his phone, but also Neil—who certainly knows how to make the blond grin.

The lecture was long forgotten—Andrew didn’t even know why he even decided to major in Criminal Justice. However, it was probably a decision he made while drunk or high. Or maybe even both. All that mattered right now was his junkie and how he was going to kiss him senseless in their dorm room after the clock hit noon.

Andrew’s freshman year at Palmetto State University had been… alright to say the least. It was just a large cycle of eat, shit, play Exy, lecture, piss, Exy, more Exy, party, and another batch of Exy. Practice makes perfect, as they say, but at this point Andrew didn’t think he needed to run laps with the Foxes or block any more of Kevin’s winning shots. He was going to purposefully slack off anyway.

But his sophomore year was better by miles.

Simply because Neil Abram Wymack was a living, breathing person.

And said person lived with him.

And kissed him until his lips were crimson red.

And made him feel things that nobody else ever could.

The thought made his cheeks redden every time without fail.

Initially, Andrew did not want to go to that party at all. He didn’t even know what horribly-named frat hosted it or the man Nicky was desperately trying to set him up with. All he remembered were the purple and black lights, the smoke from the machines that filled the entire house, and the euphoric feeling of Neil’s chapped, red lips on his.

The joint and the high, giggly feeling they shared that night was nothing compared to the exhilarating feeling of Neil’s scarred fingers ghosting over the sensitive skin of Andrew’s waist. Or how Neil hesitantly parted his soft, rosy lips once Andrew’s tongue swiped his bottom lip, letting it in to roam around his mouth like it was their first time all over again. Or how Andrew’s junkie let out quiet, but equally enchanting giggles and brightly smiled into their much slower paced kisses. Or how he worriedly admitted he never kissed anyone before that faithful night where they met. Andrew smiled at the thought, his inexperience was adorable, and the thought of being such a beautiful boy’s first kiss made heat that resembled molten lava pool into the goalkeeper’s stomach.

Neil was absolutely the best thing to happen in the entire history of sweaty man frat parties, and Andrew stood by his point until the day he died.

Despite the final month of his freshman year being better than okay—if anything that was the best he ever felt—the summer that came after was grueling.

Once the AC was cranked up to the maximum setting in his childhood home while his twin brother, Aaron, and cousin, Nicky, constantly nagged his adoptive mother, Betsy, all he could think about while lying in his bed was the boy of his dreams.

Neil, Neil, Neil. His auburn hair, the gap in between his front teeth that revealed itself whenever he smiled, the battle scars peppered all across his skin that he could trace like a map with his fingers, his ocean blue eyes that glistened whenever Andrew would look his way were only some things that he enjoyed seeing. There were so many things he was caught up on, to the point where Andrew was praying that his summer break—which was one of the few he got—was over so he could see his junkie. The texts they exchanged weren’t enough, Andrew wanted to see the boy in person, all to himself.

Finally, when classes and Exy training came in the fall, Andrew was ecstatic—though he would never admit that out, even if his life depended on it. Brown boxes in Andrew’s dorm were coming in, and the noise level increased. But Andrew didn’t care, he was glad Neil was finally moving in. He was also glad that Neil made Exy practice slightly more bearable.

Now, the two of them frequently spend time together—excluding texting or when Neil sends him cat videos that appear on his Instagram Explore page. Sometimes, Neil would sneak out of his and Kevin’s shared bedroom and join Andrew in his bed. The striker would have his head slotting perfectly against Andrew’s shoulder, glancing at whatever book he was reading and the freckles on the bridge of his nose. His scarred hands would creep down the goalkeeper’s arm and shyly grab his hand (after a quick yes or no, of course).

Sometimes, after Neil came back to the dorms after a lecture, he would bring sweets from the cafe located five minutes away from campus. He’d slowly open Andrew’s door and shake the bag filled with goodies like a bribe. During these moments, Andrew would slip a hand on his waist and lick the chocolate from the donuts out of the corners of Neil’s dirty mouth. The striker never admitted it out loud, but Andrew could tell he secretly enjoyed it based on his breathy giggles and his grin that almost met his alluring, sapphire eyes.

Sometimes, Neil would waltz in his room with a large smile on his face. He would practically jump on Andrew’s bed with his thighs in between Andrew’s legs that part instinctively. After a quick ‘yes or no,’ Neil would lean in (he would always make whoever initiated the kiss a competition for some reason), experimentally brushing his chapped lips on Andrew’s while digging his crooked fingernails into the exposed skin of his waist. The striker would grin cheekily into their kisses and encourage Andrew to touch him wherever—including his scarred cheeks, his middle, even his ass sometimes. Based on how vocal he was, Neil loved it, and Andrew couldn’t help but love it too.

A deafening notification from his phone snapped Andrew out of his Neil-induced thoughts. His heart begged for Neil to send him another text or a cat reel, but his gut told him that it was probably somebody else—like a scammer. The only numbers he had on his phone anyway were Neil, Kevin, Aaron, unfortunately Nicky, Renee, and Jean. He wasn’t interested in getting the other foxes’ numbers anytime soon, and it seemed that they didn’t want his number either.

Rolling his eyes, Andrew opened the Instagram notification warily once he noticed that the sender was the person he wanted to talk to the least: Nicky. Andrew already knew that whatever his cousin was going to say was going to kill his brain cells one by one.

theyluvn1cky

cuzzz

cuzzz

andrewww

baby cuz

gay baby cuz

andrewsdobson

what the fuck do you want

I’m in a lecture

theyluvn1cky

like u pay attention lol

anyway

i have tea

so basically I was talking to Jean who was talking to Renee who was talking to Allison who was talking to Katelyn who was talking to Aaron

and Aaron was basically complaining abt u and the baby fox lmao

saying that u hang around him than he does w his own brother LOL

andrewdobson

Kevin can take care of himself

theyluvn1cky

i mean that's what I heard from Jean

andrewdobson

that fucking gossip

theyluvn1cky

LMFAOO

but anyway Ally has been saying you’ve been making fuck me eyes at Neil

which, yeah, me too, but yk

andrewdobson

blocking u in 5

4

3

theyluvn1cky

WAIT NO

STOP

STOPPPP

OK OK so me and ally were thinking we can try to hook u up w Neil

they’re good friends and i’ve been trying to set u up with my friends for MONTHS and nada bc they think ur scary & ur uninterested

Ally knows what she’s doing

she technically got kate w aaron

but i digress

andrewdobson

which is the worst thing she has ever done

being born is a close second 

theyluvn1cky

lmaoo

no but srsly

r u up for it

it as in setting u up w neil

Andrew stared at his phone for what seemed like hours. His fingers tapped against the back of his phone case as he thought about what he could do next. He and Neil never necessarily talked about labeling their relationship—they were just each other’s persons. From the truth for a truth game they frequently played, Andrew learned things about his junkie that some may not even realize. He knew the history of his biological parents that Andrew desperately wanted to bring them back to life and kill them all over again. He knew every single inch of Neil’s body—Andrew didn’t even need his eidetic memory to figure out that he had an iron burn scar on the left side of his face (Neil often felt insecure about it, but Andrew constantly told him that no matter what he looked like, he will always be Andrew’s junkie). He knew that Neil loved to touch his biceps, in and out of kissing. He knew that his clear eyes glistened and his smile would reach his eyes whenever he would score during an Exy game. And he knew for sure that Neil wasn’t interested in kissing anyone else but Andrew. 

Somehow, a smile crept up Andrew’s face, though it wasn’t the smile he gave Neil whenever his voice would crack or choke once the smoke from their cigarettes escaped his rosy pink lips. It was scheming.

Andrew screenshotted Nicky’s texts and opened the message app to send the photos to Neil.

Pretty boy ❤️

[image]

[image]

[image]

Junkie

LOL

tell him that we’re already a thing

Andrew proceeded to ignore the heat spreading throughout his body like a disease. The last thing he expected was for Neil to admit such a thing through text.

Pretty boy ❤️

i’m playing along

Junkie

tell him sure lol

i wanna see if they can set you up with me

Pretty boy ❤️

…

Junkie

;) *Read one second ago*

Andrew let out a sigh, but it wasn’t in irritation, it was somehow fond. Fondness was an emotion the blond didn’t even think that he could have, but after meeting Neil he realized that he felt new feelings around the striker that Andrew couldn’t even imagine. He could feel his cheeks heat up and the corners of his mouth slipping into a smile that gradually got wider. Who knew that “the monster” could even feel this way?

He quickly clicked out of messages and opened Instagram to respond to Nicky’s texts.

andrewdobson

k

theyluvn1cky

YESS TYSMM

UR SO NOT GONNA REGRET THIS

I'M TELLING ALLY RN!!

Andrew scoffs, clicking out of Instagram to open up Snapchat. As a teenager, he never really found the appeal of social media, let alone texting, but now after that horrible summer, he picked up what he missed. Just for his junkie.

He sent a snap to Neil of his messy, ineligible psychology “notes” in front of him, which in reality were drawings of his cats back at home. The photo showed blurry lines, presumably his classmates in front of him, as well as the large screen that his professor constantly tapped on with a comically large stick.

Immediately, Neil sent back a picture as well which Andrew opened with great speed he never knew he could have. The photo in question was Neil’s jagged fingers gripping over a brown bag that had a cartoon fox mascot on it.

neilaw10

got u something :)

Andrew almost swooned.

♡♡♡

Andrew knew all of his roommates’ knocking habits.

Which is why he groaned when somebody, who was obviously Nicky, screamed “Cuz!” and knocked frantically on his door.

The blond rolled his eyes as he got up from his cocoon of a bed purposefully slow to open the door. His bleached eyebrows were furrowed and his lips were pierced, he hated how Nicky ruined his indulgence in watching “Neil Wymack shitting on interviewers for 10 minutes straight” compilations on youtube (they were funny as fuck, but Andrew would rather get a lobotomy than admitting it out loud. However, he does comment frequently on those compilations on a anonymous account, writing his favorite timestamps so Fox fans could see).

“So…” Nicky starts with a large grin on his face. Andrew contemplated slamming the door in his face. “Happy birthday, baby cuz.”

Andrew frowned. “You spammed me at twelve in the morning and then said that you were the first person to wish me happy birthday.”

Nicky cocked an eyebrow, though his smile never faltered. “You’re saying that like I wasn’t. I totally was.”

It was Neil, actually. Late at night once the rest of their roommates were out, the striker immediately took the opportunity to spend time with Andrew in his room. Neil was curled up next to him with his auburn curls brushing against Andrew’s neck pleasurably, their hands were intertwined as if they were one. Once the clock hit twelve, Neil’s hands that weakened Andrew’s demeanor cupped Andrew’s face to pull him into a soft, chase kiss. It was nothing like the frantic and intense moments when they would use tongue and practically grope each other, it was short and sweet, but Andrew loved it anyway.

(“Happy birthday, my pretty boy,” Neil breathes, his lips ghosting over Andrew’s. The glint of his lips from the saliva from the goalkeeper’s tongue almost drove Andrew insane. Another honorable mention was the slight rasp in his voice whenever his lips would curl into a smile as he uttered the nickname he has for him. Andrew never knew he could ever be described as “pretty,” but he wore Neil’s nickname like a badge of honor.

Andrew’s hands greedily slipped under Neil’s middle, his fingers felt the thin fabric of his gray sweatpants that the blond was obsessed with for all of the right reasons. Those reasons included Neil’s ass, and Neil’s ass only.

Andrew’s hands cupped the striker’s ass as he leaned in to brush his lips against Neil’s. “Nicky’s going to get mad,” he whispered as if someone was eavesdropping on them. “He was always first in wishing us happy birthday.”

Neil let out a huff of laughter. “But you have me now,” he said, tilting his head so he could give Andrew another kiss.

And, yeah, he did have him now. Andrew was more than grateful.)

“You’re smiling,” Nicky comments, snapping Andrew out of his thoughts. His eyebrow raised up to his hairline as his eyes searched his cousin’s face for an explanation.

Andrew’s smile that he didn’t even realize he had fell instantly. “No.”

Nicky grins, “Don’t tell me it was our baby fox.”

“No,” Andrew denies, somehow picking up on Neil’s habit of lying just for this very moment. “It wasn’t him.”

“You know what, speaking of Neil and birthdays…which somehow are connected today, we’re going to Eden’s! And guess who I invited?”

Andrew stared at him blankly, not willing to engage in Nicky’s useless conversation. Nicky let out a sigh and continued, “Okay, whatever. I invited Neil. You should lend him some clothes, his fashion choice is certainly interesting, but besides that, he’s really—”

“Out,” Andrew commands, narrowing his eyebrows while reaching out to grab his empty armbands. 

Nicky’s shoulders tensed as his smile turned into a grimace, “Okay! Okay, sorry! Jeez. Anyway, you should get ready—and wake up Neil while you’re at it. I’m going to be with Erik!” He announces unnecessarily.

“Don’t care,” Andrew says flatly. Nicky laughed, walking out of Andrew’s personal space and rummaging through his pockets to find his dorm keys. Ignoring his obnoxious cousin, he walked out of his room into the hallway to find Neil’s room.

The striker’s door was wide open. Peering inside, Andrew saw that Neil was cooped up in his and Kevin’s shared desk that was solely used for homework and watching Exy games on the Queen’s comically large tablet.

Neil had his face resting on the palm of his left hand as his right was used to write in his notebook. However, looking closer, Andrew could see that instead of solving his math equations, he was drawing little foxes and paw prints on them. Typically, the blond would hate the sight of the intense school spirit, but just because it was Neil, Andrew found it quite adorable.

Andrew walked in, sitting down on the empty chair meant for Kevin. His hazel eyes shifted to watch the striker’s focused, stoic expression shift into something softer. Unlike those who weren’t Andrew, Kevin, Jean and Jeremy, Neil stayed stationary—his body forgetting about the flight or fight setting that automatically turns on once a presence he wasn’t accustomed to is in his vicinity. Somehow, it was endearing that Neil felt safe and comfortable around Andrew.

Neil’s attention shifted from his messy pawprints that sparkled from his orange gel pen to Andrew’s intense, but attentive stare. Despite the cool autumn breeze that filled the room because of the window Neil forgot to close, Andrew still felt warmth pooling into his stomach and blood rushing into his cheeks.

“Hi,” Neil says, his orange eyelashes fluttering—most likely on purpose—as he drops the pen from his pointer and middle finger. With his newly free hand, his fingers brushed against Andrew’s with a shy smile on his face. He was very clingy, and Andrew was glad he only gave small touches to him.

“Hi,” Andrew replies, moving his hand so Neil’s gentle fingers could grasp onto it—a silent yes. “I didn’t know Nicky invited you to Eden’s.”

“He told you?” Neil asks. With a nod from Andrew, he explained, “Wanted it to be a surprise—a birthday gift, if you will.”

“I don’t like surprises,” Andrew states with a frown.

“You like them when I’m a part of them.” Neil winks cheekily.

Just to shut him up, Andrew's fingers brushed against his left cheek—the one with the hot iron marking—as he leaned in to give him a short kiss. The striker melted into the touch, squeezing their linked hands like it was mimicking the pumping for CPR, though it wasn’t far off since Andrew needed the taste of Neil’s lips to even get through the day. Forget the acrid smoke from the cigarettes that will escape his nostrils or the booze he was going to drink at Eden’s twilight in a few hours, the whimpers that pour out of the back of the striker’s throat that he is convinced are embarrassing were addictive and only fuel his need to push Neil onto his bed and ravish him—no matter if their roommates were present or not.

Neil broke the kiss slowly with only a string of saliva and their hands connecting them. All that was racing through Andrew’s head was ‘God, those dimples’ once Neil smiled with all of his teeth. His tongue the goalkeeper constantly grazed almost fit right through the gap between his teeth and made Andrew obsessed. The blond was fully convinced there was nobody more beautiful than Neil Wymack.

“I hope you realize that I know you like to kiss me to shut me up,” Neil says with faux seriousness. His pierced lips and furrowed brows faltered instantly once Andrew leaned in to shut him up once again. It was an effective method.

Neil let out a groan before he cut the romantic tension between them short. “See!” Andrew let out an involuntary snort. “Anyway, Nicky came into my room before my morning run and asked me to go with you. He was acting strange, though, like he was keeping a secret… or something.”

“Think it was his strange idea of setting me up with you?” Andrew asks, biting the inside of his cheek to prohibit himself from laughing at the thought. The idea was silly, but the thought of going along with it was hilarious.

“Ohh.” Neil nodded his head slowly as if he had a revelation, Andrew could practically see the lightbulb pop up on the top of the striker’s head like a cartoon character. “Oh, yes. Definitely. You think next he’s going to put in a good word for you?”

Andrew sighed, the thought of Nicky embarrassing him—which was every single time he spoke—gave him gray hairs. “Hopefully not.”

Neil snickers, “It would be weird if he told me you were a good kisser or something—not that he’s wrong, but you know.”

“Flattery doesn’t get you anywhere,” Andrew says tonelessly.

“I think it got me pretty far,” Neil tells him with a smile plastered across his face. His jagged fingers reached out to cup Andrew’s cheek, and he leaned down to brush his lips over the soft flesh.

Andrew tilted his head back, knowing his junkie had the sinister, recurring idea of placing open-mouthed kisses over his jawline. The grunt that escaped his teeth only made Neil smile wider and made Andrew feel lightheaded.

On the desk, Andrew’s phone let out a loud notification that he wasn’t too keen on answering since he had an attractive boy’s mouth sucking on his collarbone as his fingers crept lower and lower. However after four more notifications came through, he was convinced it was somewhat important.

theyluvn1cky

i woke up

remember that black shirt i bought u last yr?

u should totally lend it to neil

he’d look scrumptious mm mm mm

do u get the vision?

Nope. Unimportant.

But, frankly, it was a good idea.

Andrew decided to leave him on read, just so he could focus his attention on Neil, who was eagerly waiting for the blond to initiate a kiss.

Luckily for Neil, he decided to humor him and lean in first.

♡♡♡

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Nicky starts, projecting his voice so his cousin could successfully hear through the booming EDM music that filled the club. Andrew shot him a death glare once he noticed Nicky’s purple-painted fingernails were about to clasp his shoulder, luckily the perpetrator got the hint and put his hands up as if he were getting arrested.

Nicky’s brown eyes eyed Neil chatting it up with Kevin, most likely about Exy statistics, as he pointed towards them with a smile. “Flirting 101 by yours truly: you have to basically waltz in there like you own the fucking place, sit next to Neil all pretty and ask for a drink.” Once he noticed Andrew’s blank stare, he spluttered, “No seriously, it works! It worked with Erik.”

“That’s because the poor German is blind,” Andrew states, raising an eyebrow. “Neil doesn’t drink.”

Nicky grimaces, “Okay, so, buy him a soda or something.”

“Okay.” Andrew shrugs, biting the inside of his cheeks to hide a smug smirk. Without a second thought, he turned at his heel to walk over to Neil and his brother while ignoring his cousin shouting: “Good luck, cuz!” at the top of his lungs.

Neil was leaning over the velvet chair he was sitting on as his eyes were glued to Kevin’s phone screen with a strange intensity he has for Exy and Exy only. His older brother was tapping on the screen furiously while he bantered with Neil. Kevin’s face was turning red, not only from the vodka coursing through his veins, but because Neil was clearly winning whatever argument they had.

The last thing he wanted to think about was Exy, especially on his birthday, but thankfully the club lights that changed Neil’s hair color from purple to black only made him look even more ethereal. Neil’s eyes sparkled once he spat out statistics that he memorized from extensive research (which was basically watching all U.S. Court games at least five times through) and his dimples appeared as if it were a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat. No matter how many times Neil smiled, Andrew was still utterly fascinated. All that ran through Andrew’s head was contemplating making out with his junkie in the middle of the bar so everyone would know that he was his. However, the idea would completely ruin their plans of messing around with the Palmetto Foxes who cupid as their part-time jobs.

Andrew sat down next to Neil, refusing to indulge in the brothers’ Exy discussion, but instead, he decided to breathe in Neil’s cologne—a gift from Matt—and the acrid smoke from a cigarette he smoked out the window before stepping foot in Columbia. Neil Wymack was still annoyingly addicting.

Neil’s attention moved from Kevin’s useless phone to his right to look at Andrew with that infuriating smile on his face. His jagged fingers ran through his hair, twirling some of his auburn curls all while maintaining prolonged eye contact with the goalie. Addicting.

“Hi,” Neil whispers, only for them.

“Hi,” Andrew says softly, as if he were afraid of breaking the sound barrier with only his voice.

“Come to whisk away my brother?” Kevin cocks an eyebrow, a hand still gripping on his phone.

After their first meeting, Kevin—according to Neil—was almost blackout drunk by the time they got home. Apparently, Neil had to fill his brother in once he started sending heart emojis to Andrew at every waking moment. Initially, Kevin wasn’t all that for their strange relationship, but he quickly warmed up to it once he realized the happiness Andrew gave his younger brother.

“Did you tell him?” Andrew asks Neil.

Neil raises an eyebrow, confused about what Andrew was putting down. The blond counted three seconds before Neil said, “Ohh. Yeah, I told Kev. He thinks it’s hilarious.”

“I think it’s hilarious,” Kevin agrees with a nod. “And Allison is on it too?”

“That bitch is probably scheming,” Andrew scowls, “But my extremely pushy cousin is already calling shots.”

Neil giggles—an enchanting sound, “What does he want you to do now that his pieces fit together perfectly?”

“Own the fucking place and buy you a drink,” Andrew recites tonelessly. Neil had the decency to hold in his laughter, but his older brother on the other hand turned his head away to hide his snorts.

“Well,” Neil starts, standing up and giving Andrew a large grin that revealed all of his teeth, gap included. The black shirt he gave his junkie slipped up, revealing the scarring of his waist that the blond was utterly obsessed with. The shit-eating grin he wore was making it much more difficult not to use his tongue to explore every inch of his body right here, right now.

“Wanna buy me a drink then?” Neil asks, still maintaining that compelling grin.

“I’ll humor you,” Andrew says simply, standing up and walking over to the bar with Neil’s shoulders brushing against his back.

From the dance floor, Andrew could see Nicky dancing with a crowd of strangers he most likely befriended by chance. Despite the attention he had on himself, he was still staring at Andrew for confirmation his “plan” worked. To humor him, Andrew pointed at Neil, then gave his cousin a two-fingered mock salute. The blond didn’t have to look back to notice Nicky’s jaw unhinged off his face and his eyes widening. For reactions like his, it made messing around all worth it.

Andrew and Neil sat on the bar stools, watching as the bartenders chatted it up with their drunk patrons and prepared drinks, but it seemed that Neil got disinterested quickly since his blue eyes glanced at Andrew like he was made of gold.

“What?” Andrew asks, turning his body so he can face Neil.

Neil beamed, his glistening eyes as well as his sun-kissed skin complimenting the purple lights above them. Andrew felt captivated by his scars which were pale from healing. “I got something for you.”

“I told you. I hate surprises.” Andrew’s eyes narrowed.

Neil shook his head, dismissing Andrew’s accusation. “Not a surprise,” he corrects. “A present.” The striker began to rummage through the pockets of his black skinny jeans that Andrew also picked out. Andrew desperately wondered what was inside his pockets, especially since all that resided in them were usually his keys, his cracked cell phone and dust bunnies.

To Andrew’s surprise, Neil pulled out a black cigarette lighter with his hands clamped around it as if it were going to make a sound. His fingers lightly ghosted the base of the lighter as the corners of his mouth twitched upwards beautifully.

Letting go of the lighter hesitantly, Andrew used his fingers to push it towards him so he could pick it up. Turning the black lighter around, the initials AJD were in red lettering with a heart next to them. Andrew almost grabbed Neil by his shirt and kissed him.

Almost.

So fucking close.

“I saw that you broke your lighter a little while ago, so I got you one custom-made—your initials on it—wait, of course you know your initials. But anyway, uh, I thought you might like it. Happy birthday, ‘Drew,” Neil breathes, his eyes shifting his attention from down at Andrew’s callused fingers tapping on the lighter in satisfaction to the blond’s chapped lips.

Andrew didn’t—couldn’t say thank you. Somehow, because of such a kind gesture, he was overwhelmed. Of course, he had received gifts from his adoptive mother, his twin brother, and his cousin throughout his childhood, but something that came from Neil felt dear to him, even if it was as simple as a lighter. Not only that, but when they first met, Andrew let Neil borrow his lighter during his lowest moment. So lighters and cigarettes, naturally, felt special to both of them.

Neil smiled, noticing a hint of gratitude in Andrew’s eyes. But the small moment between them was dispelled once Neil’s shoulders tensed because of a presence in front of them.

“Andrew! Neil!” Roland smiles, leaning down to grab a towel to clean out red wine stains from a glass cup. “Nicky told me I should be expecting you two.”

Neil snorts, “Yeah, Nicky expects a lot of things.”

As Neil began to order for the both of them and Roland desperately begged for the drama inside the Foxhole Court that the striker was certainly not going to give up, Andrew moved the lighter under the bar counter and started to flicker it as he stared at the multicolored fire with a strange amount of infatuation.

The smile plastered across Andrew’s face was brighter than any flame.

♡♡♡

“What’s the first thing you'll do if you wake up as a vampire?” Renee asks her boyfriend and Andrew softly.

Instead of running their punishment laps—which were caused by yet another brawl between Kevin and Seth on live television—Renee, Jean, and Andrew typically walked around the Foxhole Court and asked each other theoretical questions. Andrew honestly looked forward to these discussions, they made Exy practice slightly more bearable.

“I would probably wonder why I’m so pale,” Jean responds, eyeing Kevin and Neil racing around the outskirts of the court.

“You’re already pale,” Andrew comments quite hypocritically. He raised an eyebrow once Jean sneered at him. “I would try to figure out my new abilities.”

“Personally, I would try to figure out why I could not see my reflection in the mirror,” Renee says. “How about… a werewolf?”

“Wait for a full moon,” Andrew answers easily.

“I, unfortunately, agree with the hooligan.” Jean shakes his head. “They don’t really have many supernatural abilities, besides turning.”

“I read up on werewolves one night, and they have super hearing, sometimes super speed, and also immortality. I think the last part is quite interesting,” Renee says, brushing her multicolored bangs out of her face.

Jean quickly reached out, taking her loose strands and slipping them behind her ears with hearts in his eyes. Renee smiled sweetly at her boyfriend, and all Andrew thought of was raking his hands through Neil’s hair once they got back to the dorm.

“Désolé mon chéri, but werewolves aren’t as superior to vampires,” Jean says. “Vampires can turn into bats. Have you seen Count Dracula?”

“But they need to be invited in,” Renee counters, still maintaining her sweet smile.

“Sharp teeth,” Andrew adds with a nod.

“But getting food is much riskier as a vampire than a werewolf,” Renee says. “You have to think about hiding the body after feeding onto a human.”

“Not if you mutilate it,” Andrew murmurs, looking up and seeing Jean’s disgusted expression and Renee’s smile widening. He already knew she was thinking the exact same thing.

“What?” Andrew raises an eyebrow back at the Frenchman. Jean just shrugs and pays no mind to the goalkeeper who wasn’t his girlfriend.

“You could say it was an animal attack,” Renee ventures. “However, I think that killing every single day in order to survive might be a hassle.”

“But how is it any different from werewolf scratches?” Jean asks curiously, tilting his head.

“It’s once a full moon,” Renee says.

“So what’s worse: a vampire bite or a werewolf scratch?” Andrew asks tonelessly.

“Werewolf scratch since they’re not as cool as vampires,” Jean answers, placing a strange amount of emphasis on ‘cool.’ He was surprisingly passionate about this discussion topic.

Renee giggled, “I think a werewolf scratch would be rather painful—much more than a vampire bite.”

“Andrew! Cuz!” A voice that could only belong to Nicky called out from behind the goalkeepers and token backliner. In sync, Jean and Renee looked back, but they had different reactions—Renee with a smile and a wave, and Jean with a look of indifference.

Andrew let out a sigh he felt that he was holding in for his entire life, “What?”

Nicky caught up to them, slowing down to walk beside his cousin. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he tried to catch his breath using both his mouth and nose. His obnoxious orange Exy jersey with his signature number, 08, on the back completely contradicted the rainbow loom bracelets on his wrists that Renee presumably made. The sight of his sweaty cousin only made Andrew want to recoil in disgust.

“Okay, phew, hey Renee. Anyway, Andrew, I heard from Allison who heard it from Seth, who heard from Matt, who heard from Dan, who heard from Wymack that his sons have Exy night practice every single Monday, Wednesday, and Friday—which is today!” Nicky rambles, his hands moving with meaningless motions that only emphasize how insane he is.

“Do they—” Andrew points to Renee and Jean with no shame, still trying to grasp onto his plan like plastic straws, “—know about Neil too?”

Jean looked away, trying to stifle his laughter with his hand, while Renee also looked away to touch her giggling boyfriend’s shoulders. Though Renee might’ve looked away because she assumed Andrew and Nicky needed some privacy.

Since Neil had known Jean since childhood, and Renee was arguably one of Andrew’s only friends on the Exy team—let alone the entirety of PSU, it was no wonder that the couple knew that he and Neil were… an item—a thing, even.

Renee was thrilled that Andrew was able to find a person who not only complimented his personality but also made him much more emotionally vulnerable. Due to their respective pasts, the last thing Andrew and Renee expected was to have strong relationships with friends or partners. But now, they both have a support system to rely on when they have bad days, and they are more than grateful for their people.

Nicky grimaces, "Oh sorry, cuz, all of the Foxes—except Neil, of course—know. We’re all in on setting you two lovebirds up.”

“Great,” Andrew grumbles, trying not to show amusement on his face. “So what you’re trying to say is to go over to that night practice today… and play more Exy? Is that what you’re putting down?”

“Yes!” Nicky cheers, his eyes sparkling at the idea of playing Cupid. “Exactly.”

“I don’t like Exy,” Andrew lies. He neither likes nor dislikes it—Exy was just another thing he could care less about. However, once Neil was added to the equation, he was undeniably interested.

“Right, okay, but think about it. Spending time with Neil, aka your man, sounds pretty fucking great, amirite?”

Andrew pauses, pretending to think. “Okay. I’ll go.”

“Oh my God, that’s great! I’m going to go tell Ally, bye!” Nicky cheers, waving goodbye and excitedly running over to take his exaggerated hand motions elsewhere.

After Jean successfully calmed down after his laughing fit, he asks, “Are you serious? Is he serious? He told us but—ha! I never knew he was actually…”

“Yes,” Andrew sighs, shaking his head. “I have to go play Exy at night now.”

“Look at the bright side, you’ll get to spend time with the man your cousin is trying to set you up with,” Renee says, giving Andrew a teasing smile. Luckily for her, she was one of the only people Andrew wasn’t interested in killing over such a comment. However, he was contemplating murdering her boyfriend because of his loud, and extremely French, laughter.

Andrew narrows his eyes at the couple before using all of his strength for today to speed walk away. Even if he was on the other side of the Foxhole Court, he could still hear Jean’s laughter but also feel Neil’s blue eyes watching him intensely.

♡♡♡

“You’re not even doing anything!” Kevin yells, pointing at Andrew from the other side of the court with his disgusting orange and white—very Palmetto—gloves that only reminded Andrew of the death sentence disguised as night practice he was in now.

With callousness, Andrew twirled his racket in between his pointer and ring fingers as if it were a prop. Out of all of the Foxes, Andrew and Renee typically carried the heaviest rackets, simply because they played goalkeeper, but also because they were physically fit. Though Andrew never had any difficulties picking up any rackets—he couldn’t say the same about the others whenever they were nagged by Kevin to buy new rackets.

Andrew wasn’t here for night practice—he was on a mission. But he couldn’t deny that he wasn’t using this scenario to his advantage, especially since Neil was watching him twirling his racket with a glint in his eyes that was difficult to see at first.

Andrew was a lot of things, but being an idiot did not make the cut. He knew that Neil often glanced over at his biceps whenever he wore tank tops. He knew that whenever Andrew gave Neil a firm yes, Neil ran his hands down his thighs and gave them a firm squeeze. He knew that for some reason, once Neil was exhausted from his morning run, he would sneak into Andrew’s room once everybody else was asleep and curl up against the blond’s stomach. He knew that Neil was, somehow, attracted to his body.

Neil Wymack was just as obsessed with Andrew Dobson.

The thought almost distracted him from Kevin aiming that godawful ball towards the goal.

With his quick reflexes, Andrew moved about five centimeters to his right so that the ball wouldn’t hit his shoulder guards. The goal buzzed with excitement and turned the disgusting orange color that frequently appeared in Andrew’s nightmares. Even through his helmet, he could clearly see Kevin’s scowl and Neil’s eyes crinkling as he attempted to hide his laughter.

“You could at least try,” Kevin says condensingly, tapping his racket on the polished wooden floor. The sound that echoed throughout the stadium felt like a familiar warning. “Why’d you come if you’re not going to do anything?”

Neil opened his mouth to explain, but Andrew aiming the ball at Kevin’s face was much faster. Kevin screaming in pain was all the motivation Andrew needed to stay for the entire three hours for night practice. Dropping his racket, Neil was bent over laughing at his brother’s demise and repeating “Ohh, he got you! He got you!” until Kevin’s face behind the helmet turned crimson red—both in embarrassment and because of the bruise forming on the side of his face from the ball. Andrew bit the inside of his cheek to hide a smug smirk, Kevin’s dramatic reaction was hilarious.

“Where the fuck is that when we’re on the field?” Kevin scowls, rubbing his left hand on his cheek to try to soothe the pain.

Andrew shrugs with indifference as he removes his mouth guard leisurely. He wasn't going to respond to Queen Day’s useless complaining.

Neil let out a huff of laughter, “He’ll get a red card. And Nicky told him to come.”

Ignoring the pain shooting throughout his body, Kevin raised an eyebrow, “It’s been a month already, you two are still messing with them?”

“Yes,” Andrew and Neil say simultaneously.

“You two are assholes,” Kevin scolds, passing over the ball to Neil, who catches it instantly. “Why can’t you tell them you’re already dating?”

“‘Cause it’s fun,” Neil admits with a grin, throwing the ball up and catching it with every attempt. His racket remained stationary in his right hand, but the tip of the racket hit the wooden floor silently. Andrew watched Neil throw and catch like it was the most interesting thing in the entire galaxy.

“Do you have your phone?” Andrew asks Neil.

Neil shakes his head, “Left it in the locker room, why?”

“Never mind," Andrew says, “C’mere.”

Without a second thought, Neil walked over to Andrew, racket still in hand but not paid much mind to. The goalkeeper reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone and open up Instagram.

“Proof,” Andrew explains, handing Neil his phone. “Take a photo. Send it to Nicky.”

Neil gladly took the phone with a smile on his face, “Okay, just give me a second.”

Neil uses the phone camera to adjust his orange bandana that was close to covering his gorgeous eyes Andrew was undeniably weak for.

During a round of truth for truth, while Neil was curled up against Andrew’s middle and raking his jagged fingers through Andrew’s blond strands, he quietly admitted that, because of his shitty biological father, for a long time he wasn’t comfortable with looking like his carbon copy. Both Nathan and Neil had auburn hair, light blue eyes, and, for a while, the same exact name.

During that moment, Andrew never wanted to kill somebody more. He never thought that he could feel his heartache for another person, but the feeling happened far too many times to count whenever Neil trusted him with the knowledge of his twisted childhood. Andrew remembers pulling Neil in closer, leaning up to give Neil a chaste kiss on the cheek and calling him beautiful.

Andrew took off his helmet and placed it on the floor beneath them. His hazel eyes watched as Neil’s nose scrunched while he struggled to adjust his bandana. Andrew didn’t even know why he wore it during games, but it did make him look good, so it was sort of a plus.

“Yes or no?” Andrew asks.

Neil looks away from the camera, still maintaining a small smile. “Always yes when it’s with you.”

Andrew scoffs, leaning up to move Neil’s bandana out of his face while the striker stares at him like he hung up the moon. Andrew could’ve sworn he heard Kevin gag, but he was the member of the Wymack-Day family he could care less about.

“Thank you,” Neil breathes, his eyes glistening and his sun-kissed skin sparkled from the sweat dripping down his arms. It was unmistakably junkie, but Andrew didn’t mind.

Andrew glared at him. How could he look at him like that? “Just take the photo.”

Neil’s grin widened as he brought the phone up so he could capture his peace sign, as well as Andrew standing beside him with a blank stare. The camera flash almost made both athletes flinch, but Neil quickly ignored it and sent the picture to Nicky eagerly.

“He’s going to love this,” Neil says, handing the phone back to Andrew.

Andrew took the phone back, opening up a notification that came from Nicky. He knew his cousin was a quick responder, but now that Neil was in the picture, his responses were as fast as lightning.

theyluvn1cky

SO CUTE ❤️❤️🙏🙏😘😘

PUTTING THAT AS MY WALLPAPER

HOWS NIGHT PRACTICE??????

andrewdobson

i bruised kevin

theyluvn1cky

kinky lmfaooo

did u try to talk w neil?

andrewdobson

yes

theyluvn1cky

ok but like flirting with him

andrewdobson

does hitting his brother count?

theyluvn1cky

…

♡♡♡

Andrew didn’t know how he got here.

He was trying to find an ice cooler so he could grab Neil a Pepsi and himself a can of beer. However, because whatever deity was up there despises him, he was now in between his obnoxious cousin, and the skankiest bitch on the entire PSU campus.

“I mean, it’s kind of sad,” Allison says, popping her lips after she put on her third coat of crimson red lipstick of the night. The dealer wasn’t even paying attention to the men sitting next to her, she was too focused on her reflection from her phone camera. “How you’re—“ She points at Andrew, “Neil’s best option. But whatever, he totally likes you—seriously.”

Andrew stared at her blankly, thinking of every single way to dispose of her body at this god-awful party. Pushing her in the pool was winning by miles.

After the Foxes were advancing to the spring championships, the Vixens decided to throw them, and other sports teams at PSU, a Christmas party in some girl named Marissa’s house. Despite Andrew’s unwillingness to come along, Nicky was convinced that he and Neil could “chat it up.” Lucky for him, they already have.

Nicky weakly laughed, “So we have an idea.”

Allison hums, “Mhm, so we’re thinking we can ask one of the girls for mistletoe access and you two can suck face or fuck nasty or something.”

Nicky’s smile turned into a grimace instantly. “Ew, oh my God, don’t talk about my cousin having sex,” he cringes.

Allison ignored him, her body turning over to Andrew as she raised a bleached eyebrow at him. “So, what do you say, Monster?”

Andrew shrugged, trying to hide his amusement by biting the inside of his cheek. Allison nodded in satisfaction and Nicky almost jumped off the couch as he cheered.

“Okay! Go find our baby fox and leave the rest to us, ‘kay?” Nicky says, grinning.

Without a word, Andrew got up from the couch and walked over to the nearest kitchen to grab a can of soda from the fridge. It was the unspoken rule to not rummage through the host’s kitchen, but Andrew could care less about whose house this is.

Andrew last saw Neil downstairs in the indoor pool. Despite how cold it was outside, many of the people who showed up to the party walked around in swimsuits and a trail of water from the pool following them. Andrew wasn’t keen on swimming, especially during the winter, but Neil liked the heat that radiated throughout the room.

Andrew walked down the stairs, immediately noticing his junkie’s bright auburn hair and his green and red ugly Christmas sweater (which read ‘Here's my ugly Christmas sweater!’ with a mirror on the bottom) that Andrew silently begged him to not wear (the begging in question was a death glare when he picked it out from his closet). Neil sat on a brown pool chair next to Jean and Renee as they watched Kevin and Jeremy play Chicken Fight with Matt and Dan.

Neil’s pool chair was large enough for two, so Andrew sat down, wedging in as Neil’s entire face lit up at the sight of the goalkeeper. The splash of water hitting the perimeter of the pool almost made Andrew jolt, causing a giggle to escape Neil’s mouth.

Andrew rolled his eyes, handing the striker the can of Coke. “They didn't have Pepsi.”

“‘S fine,” Neil says, cracking the can open. “Look at them—“ His chin inclines, motioning to his brother and his boyfriend, “—this is so silly.”

Andrew snorted as he watched Kevin fall from Jeremy’s shoulders with a loud yelp, “Guess who found me?”

Neil cocks an eyebrow, “A Vixen?”

“No. Nicky and your bitch friend.”

“Hey!” Neil protests, automatically knowing he was referring to Allison based on their rough history. “But what’d they say?”

Andrew shifted over, his head fit almost perfectly on Neil’s shoulder. He wasn’t all for PDA—which Nicky told him about around two weeks ago when he convinced Andrew to ask for math help to spend time with Neil, even though he majors in Criminal Justice—but with the small space between them, and nobody really paying attention, it felt like a good moment.

“Said they’ll try to set us up to kiss under the mistletoe,” Andrew replies, reaching out to grab the Coke from Neil, who handed it to him gladly.

“Huh?” Neil blinks, warmth flooding his cheeks. “Wait, wait—that’s a thing?”

Andrew raises an eyebrow, “You didn’t know?”

“No—oh wow, this might be their best idea yet,” Neil says, wiggling his eyebrows at Andrew. Their faces were so close that Andrew could count every single one of his orange eyelashes, as well as the much smaller, pale scars on his skin.

“Stop,” Andrew scowls without any heat. The water splashing and the screams from the pool were just enough reason to ask Neil, “Wanna get out of here?”

A smug smirk appeared on Neil’s face like flipping a light switch. “You only came here to whisk me away?”

Andrew frowns, “Now you just sound like your brother.”

Neil hides his smile with the sleeve of his ugly Christmas sweater as he lets out contagious laughter, “‘Drew, you don’t need a reef to kiss me.”

“I know I don’t,” Andrew deadpans. “I mean away from some random cheerleader’s mansion.”

Neil’s grin widened, “You don’t want Nicky and Ally to think they won, innit?”

“Innit,” Andrew mocks, stealing Neil’s British accent for a few seconds. “I want you all to myself.”

“Possessive much?” Neil teases lightly.

“Sure,” Andrew says tonelessly, deciding to humor Neil.

“Well, shall we?” Neil asks, standing up from the pool chair. Andrew also stood up, placing the now empty can of Coke on the seat before walking shoulder to shoulder with Neil upstairs.

Stepping outside of that party was like breathing fresh air—especially because of the stink of weed that traveled throughout the living room and kitchen. Past the freshly trimmed plants and the stone driveway, Andrew decided to stop right next to one of many fences that surrounded the perimeter of the mansion.

Andrew placed a hand on Neil’s waist, pulling him impossibly close, and his other free hand gripping the back of the striker’s neck to meet him halfway into a feverish kiss. Neil let out a satisfied hum, his lips parting once Andrew’s tongue swiped his bottom lip. The greatest Christmas gift he could ever ask for was Neil licking and groaning into Andrew’s mouth with desperation that exceeded his love for Exy.

Andrew was too busy letting out involuntary grunts over Neil’s scarred fingers moving from his sides to his waist, his fingernails scratching the exposed skin pleasurably and Neil constantly breaking their wet kisses that in reality were just their tongues roaming and teeth clanking to moan and babble “you’re so fucking pretty” to even notice his phone buzzing in his pocket.

theyluvn1cky

YOOOOOOO

is so fuckig LITT right now WHERE AR U??

istg i checjed like every nook and cranny of his four story house WYA?

GIRLS R COMING UP TO ME AND ASKINGBTO KISS CUZ I HAVE THE MF MISTLETOE HELPPP

⚠️ BLOCKED USER ⚠️

allisonjreynolds

answer ur cousin’s texts monster

dude

piece of shit

did u fucking block me u cunt??

♡♡♡

“Guess what I got!” Nicky cheers holding an empty bottle of whatever champagne he bought. Underneath his eyes, his tan skin was flushed red and some of his words were slurred slightly, which made him almost too drunk to function.

The Foxes were celebrating their first death match victory against the Binghamton Bearcats. Andrew never pays attention during Exy matches, except when a ball comes flying at his head, but after he counted seven orange buzzes on the opponent's goal, he realized that the Foxes won 7-2 (the two were because Neil asked to block three goals, so he just let two out of the five in). Alcohol, booming music, and cigarettes were more than enough “celebration” the Foxes needed.

As always, the Vixens hosted another party—this time at another cheerleader’s house. But the Foxes spent the majority of their party time in the girls’ dorm and doing drugs.

“An empty bottle?” Jeremy confirms confusingly, wrapping his hands around an exhausted Kevin’s waist. His boyfriend was desperately trying to stay awake as his tattooed cheek rested on the side of Jeremy’s neck like a pillow.

Nicky scoffs, “Naw… we’re going to play spin the bottle!”

“We’re in fucking college, not second grade.” Seth rolled his eyes. 

“Have some fun, Seth,” Allison grumbles, giving him a disapproving look. “Hey Nicky, I have an idea: let’s add in Seven Minutes in Heaven.”

Nicky whistles in satisfaction, “Oh my God, yes! That’s so fun, amirite guys?” He looks over at Andrew and winks—though it looks more like he is struggling to stay awake.

Andrew gave him back a heavy-lidded glance. He was also out of it—he chugged three beer bottles to challenge Kevin to a “drink-off” (he lost, badly), and he also smoked a few cigarettes with Neil on the roof of the dorms. He wasn’t one to get drunk easily, but sitting on a pink fluffy carpet and every little thing somehow becoming funny was probably from the high kicking in.

Beside him, Neil tapped on his shoulder to try to grab Andrew’s attention. Like the rest of the Foxes—excluding Renee and Aaron—his red eyes from the cigarettes and a singular sip from Kevin’s drink contrasted his ocean blue. Andrew’s head turned around so he could take a good look at his junkie, who was so close Andrew could practically taste the smoke on the tip of his tongue. Neil’s pupils were dilated as he stared at Andrew without a word—as if he were appreciating him. It took every bone in his body not to make out with Neil in front of all the Foxes.

“Do you think he’s trying to set us up by putting us in that closet?” Neil asks breathlessly.

Andrew tried not to pay attention to Neil’s fluttering eyelashes and how his left hand behind them was itching to hold onto Andrew’s waist, just for the sake of the Foxes.

“Based on his lazy attempt for a wink, yes,” Andrew replies, his eyes’ attention moving over to Neil’s blue to his rosy pink lips that he wanted to crash into so unbelievably bad.

He wasn’t even trying to be funny, but Neil’s expression shifted from dream-like to absolute chaos. Neil’s eyes creased as he let out addictive laughter that was unlike any cigarette or any form of alcohol there ever was. His scarred hands gripped Andrew’s bicep habitually as he gasped for air. Andrew wasn’t religious, but he prayed for Neil to keep his hand stationary on him, just for his own selfish desires.

“Alright,” Dan says, her voice booming as she plays her leader card. No matter who it was, all conversation stopped as all of the Foxes stared at her to figure out what she was going to say next. “Let’s start. Who’s going first?”

Allison hums, pretending to be deep into thought, “Hm… what about… the Monster goes first.” Her smile was all teeth and the glint in her eyes felt like an unspoken message that Andrew was too fried to even think about.

“Don’t—” Neil growls, narrowing his eyes at his friend uttering her name for Andrew.

No matter who it was—whether it be one of the upperclassmen or an interviewer—Neil would always warn that person not to ever call Andrew that, despite him telling Neil that he could care less. But what he says out loud is different than what he feels—Andrew is convinced he doesn’t care about Neil defending him, but the fuzzy feeling that felt like butterflies in his stomach that appeared when they’d kiss would also arise when Neil’s voice dropped an octave and his soft blue eyes narrowed into hardened sapphires when the word ‘monster’ was in the air like a nightmare they could not escape.

Andrew hoped none of the other Foxes noticed the heat—that wasn’t from the drugs—that crept up his cheeks, “Enough. I don’t care.”

Neil grumbled, his shoulders sinking down in a fit of rage as he stared at Allison with a look that mirrored a serial killer’s. The blonde didn’t seem to mind his weird looks—she had definitely seen something worse or she might be too high to fully comprehend his snarls.

Allison still maintained her all-teeth smile as she passed Andrew the empty bottle. Andrew took it from her reluctantly, noticing the Foxes all staring at him as they waited for him to commence the childish game.

“Starting,” Andrew says tonelessly, placing the bottle on the ground. Before he spun it, the cap of the bottle pointed to Nicky, who was parallel to him in the circle of Foxes that only reminded Andrew of a cult. His cousin’s eyes shifted to Neil—another hidden message, though this time Andrew would rather die than dissect it.

Without a second thought, Andrew spun the bottle, watching two (wait, two?) bottles spin around the Foxes as if they were being selected to star in a death game. The one person he’d want the bottle to select was Neil—even though that was all Nicky and that blonde bitch wanted. Andrew must’ve spun the bottles with more force than initially intended because it took around forty seconds for the bottle to stop, and for the cap to point directly at Jean Moreau.

Immediately, Andrew’s expression soured, and Jean’s face mirrored the goalkeeper’s as they stared at each other with the singular thought that was floating through the air ‘I do not want to be in a closet with you.’

Nicky and Allison’s heads whipped around to communicate telepathically. Nicky’s eyebrows moved in morse code while Allison eyed Andrew and Neil, searching for a reaction she could work with.

Allison clears her throat hesitantly, “‘Kay, I’ll start the timer.”

With a matching aggravated sigh from both athletes, Andrew and Jean reluctantly got up from the pink fluffy rug and went inside.

Jean was leaning up against a rack of clothing that was presumably Allison’s based on the large amount of shiny rhinestone-esque clothing. However, it looked like he was about to fall and land on his ass based on how high he was.

As soon as Andrew closes the door, Jean immediately asks, “You’re still going along with it?”

Andrew leans up against another rack of clothing parallel to Jean. His arms were crossed as he raised an eyebrow at him, “Yes. It’s fucking funny, Jean Valjean.”

“Never said it wasn’t,” Jean scowls. “When are you going to tell them? It’s getting harder and harder not to tell Nicky and Allison about you two.”

“Fucking gossip,” Andrew murmurs under his breath, not fully realizing that even a whisper could travel throughout this small closet like wildfire. “They can figure it out themselves, I don’t owe them shit.”

The two athletes sat in awkward silence after that. It was like an unspoken rule between them, especially when there wasn’t Renee in between them to keep their sarcastic natures in check. Besides her and Kevin, Andrew doesn’t (and won’t) have any other friends in PSU, but lately he has been loosely tolerating Jean, simply because Neil trusted him. Though it was going to take a while for Andrew to talk to him for more than thirty seconds.

“Allison told me something,” Jean says, breaking the silence with the palm of his hand.

“Oh, do tell,” Andrew says sarcastically.

Jean ignores his obvious sarcasm and says, “After we win spring championships, she wants us to go to the fair in Columbia, and she wants to leave you and Neil together. Be romantic and stuff.”

Andrew laughs with no humor, “You’re way too into this.”

“This is the most interesting thing since Aaron and Katelyn.”

Andrew cringes, “Don’t.”

Banging on the closet door startled the two, and the high didn’t help the involuntary flinch that escaped Andrew’s controlled body.

“Seven minutes have passed! Get the fuck out of here!” Allison yells, banging once more for good measure. Just to piss her off, Andrew kicked the door so she could move out of the way.

Andrew left the closet, ignoring Allison’s obvious scowl and all ten pairs of eyes following him to his designated spot next to Neil. The blond sat down, his arms wrapping around his knees to try to suppress his cravings for another cigarette. However, the ultimate thing he couldn’t restrain was his need for Neil’s lips on his, and the striker staring at him in awe was certainly not helping.

Andrew looks over to his right, his fingers digging into his black cargo pants as he watches Neil’s dilated eyes dart all around his body—searching for answers.

“What’d you two talk about?” Neil mouths, his lips slightly parting as he glanced over at Andrew’s right side of his face—which was where all of his freckles were located. It was one of the sole differences between the twins since Aaron had his freckles on his nose. It was also one of the things Neil constantly mentioned—his freckles were one of many reasons he was Neil’s pretty boy. Jesus, the thought was going to kill him one day.

“We talked about how much we hate you,” Andrew mouths back, lying.

Neil giggles, his dimples resembling crescent moons, “I’ll believe that.”

“Let’s go counterclockwise,” Allison says. “Neilio, you’re up.”

Biting his bottom lip, Neil took the bottle and gave it a spin. Unlike Andrew’s turn, the bottle stopped quickly with no room for suspense. The cap faced Allison, who was surprised for about a few seconds, but then smirked at the sight of a nervous Neil.

“Oooh, okay,” Allison whistles. “Let’s go, baby fox.”

Andrew knew that his emotions were like playing russian roulette, except you get shot at every single attempt. Those who didn’t know him assumed that Andrew had two different personalities: manic and bored. But ever since Neil came along, affection and jealousy have squeezed their way into his brain.

Despite what Neil thought of himself, he was insanely gorgeous. Andrew could go on and on about how attractive Neil was, not only physically but emotionally as well. But he could also go on about the impact his good looks had on others—specifically the Foxes. Sometimes, the eyes the upperclassmen gave Neil secretly were more than enough reason to call a team meeting and kiss him hungrily in front of them.

Andrew never thought he could think of Neil with so much possessiveness. Then again he never thought that he would maintain their relationship, especially because of how many people yearn for the striker.

To his left, Kevin wasn’t leaning on Jeremy’s shoulder anymore, however their hands were linked in a way Andrew couldn’t help but feel sick over. He wanted to touch Neil without the nosy Exy players being up his ass, begging for every microscopic detail of their relationship.

Kevin, somehow, could sense the smoke coming from Andrew’s ears. His eyes were squinted, and his left eyebrow was raised as he searched Andrew’s red face for answers.

“Jealousy doesn’t look good on you,” Kevin teases, sounding awfully like a conspiracy theorist.

“Fuck you,” Andrew snarls, pronouncing every syllable like a curse.

“They’re…they’re not gonna do shit,” Kevin slurs. “He’s loyal, trust me.”

“Don’t care,” Andrew deadpans.

“God, this is the most boring Seven minutes in heaven.”

“So kiss Seth to spice it up.”

Kevin instantly cringes, “Ew.”

Before Andrew knew it, Nicky was knocking on the closet door, announcing that seven minutes were up. Neil and Allison left the closet with their faces pink from laughing, and Andrew desperately wanted to know what they were talking about—because he was nosy, or he was just really fucking jealous.

Neil sits back down to Andrew’s right with that addicting smile on his face, his body facing Andrew as if he were the sunflower to his sun. Immediately, Andrew wanted to retch—though it might be the alcohol coursing through his veins.

“What’d you two talk about?” Andrew asks.

“About how much we love you,” Neil says, his grin getting wider.

“Smooth,” Andrew comments dryly, ignoring the small fuzzy feeling in his stomach quickly becoming a problem. He never knew he needed to hear Neil say ‘love,’ but here he is.

“I’m so fucking tired,” Neil slurs, his last words becoming incoherent because of the yawn that escapes his throat. “Wanna get out of here?”

“I’m not going to kiss you,” Andrew says. They were too fried to do anything more than hold hands, plus Andrew wasn’t inherently comfortable doing anything while his body was itching for a nap and another cigarette, at the same time… preferably… somehow.

Neil kept maintaining his good-boy smile, “I know. I just want to sleep.”

Andrew got up from the rug, offering his hand out to Neil as he flushed the thought of the nosy Foxes down the drain. Neil gladly took his hand, his scarred fingers wrapped around the back of his hand as his touches ghosted over the paper cuts he got by being careless.

Andrew locked his room, not caring about his other roommates who barge inside in a few hours. All he cared about was Neil raspily murmuring ‘yes’ once Andrew asked if he could put a hand on his waist. Without a second to spare, his right arm reached out to pull Neil closer—to the point where his head fit perfectly in his chest. Neil’s arms were stationary under Andrew’s as he let out soft sighs, a sign that he was certainly knocked out.

‘Jesus Christ, he really is mine,’ Andrew thought to himself.

The thought made him smile into Neil’s auburn curls that appeared more times in his dreams than he could even begin to count .

♡♡♡

theyluvn1cky

sucks u condmt suck face w nil yesterday lmfao

dot u fuckin worry, cuz

we have smthng planned *Read yesterday*

♡♡♡

PSU FOXES 🦊🥍💕

Skank

Heyy guys

I got us tickets to the state fair
to celebrate our wins!

*👍Liked by Captain, Backliner #4, Renee, Annoying cousin and Kevin’s bf*

Skank

even u, Monster

Andrew Dobson
🖕

Junkie

Don’t.

Skank

sorry 😬

Annoying cousin

can’t wait!!!

♡♡♡

Andrew tried not to lose it over Allison’s hand gripping onto the sleeve of Neil’s white shirt that reads ‘I ❤️ my attitude problem.’

Unlike the rest of the Foxes, who were making up plans to meet at the laser tag building at a certain time that was to be determined, Neil and Allison were scooted away. The dealer was explaining something to Neil, who was listening intensely to what she was saying, but also hoping that her long nails would stop digging into the thin fabric of his shirt.

“You’ll be okay,” Kevin says, about to nudge Andrew playfully, but at the last second realizes he knows better.

“Fuck you. I’ll destroy you in laser tag,” Andrew murmurs, crossing his arms.

“That’s not until five hours from now—I’ll strategize. What we should do is team up against Neil, he’s a little too good with guns,” Kevin offers.

“If you gave me a fake gun and told me to shoot Kevin Day for an hour, I’d beg for a real one,” Andrew deadpans. “Also I want Neil on my team, not you.”

“Bitch.”

“Attention whore. Get the fuck away from me.”

Kevin rolls his eyes, going over to Jeremy and Jean, who were laughing over something Andrew could care less about. Meanwhile, Neil tugged on the sleeve of Andrew’s band t-shirt—the same Korn shirt he wore when they first met—with a small smile on his face.

“What?” he asks dryly.

Neil’s smile instantly got wider, “Never went to a fair before. I’m pretty excited.”

“Don’t care,” Andrew lies, the money he was going to spend on his junkie that was in his pocket suddenly weighing down his body after his fib.

“You know what Ally asked me?” Neil says, eyeing Andrew as he waits for the shorter man to respond with ‘what?’ Unfortunately for him, Andrew just stared at him blankly.

Neil snorts, “She says that I should take you on the Ferris wheel. Guess she’s calling shots on my end too—guess she also doesn’t know that you’re afraid of heights.”

Sometimes Andrew forgets how attentive Neil was, as well as the striker’s memory being decent enough that he remembers every single truth Andrew spills out during their little game.

Andrew shrugs, “Nobody knows but you.”

Neil’s eyes widened, “Not even Aaron? Or Nicky?”

“I don’t talk to them willingly,” Andrew says dryly.

For some sick and twisted reason, Neil’s eyes light up instantly and his grin widens at the mention of knowing something about Andrew that nobody else knows.

“We can go on the Ferris wheel,” Andrew offers. “To mess with them,” he adds, because he’s on a fucking mission.

Neil cocks an eyebrow, “No? What, why?”

“I like messing with them,” Andrew deadpans.

“Okay, yeah. I agree—shit, but, like… you’re…”

“Afraid?” Andrew finished for him. “Don’t care.”

Neil bites his lip, “We don’t have to do anything she says.”

“Neil,” Andrew says firmly. “I want to go on the fucking Ferris wheel.”

“Okay.” Neil sighs, then proceeds to smile. “Okay, we can go on. Do you want to go now… or later?”

“Now. Let’s get it over with.”

♡♡♡

“Fuck,” Andrew mumbles, biting the fleshy part of his bottom lip. For some strange reason, he peers over and watches as the Ferris wheel rises up like molten lava. Though after seeing every single person running around the fair become smaller and smaller, he recoils, vowing never to do that again.

Beside him, Neil could feel Andrew tense up. His attention moved from the roller coaster going through its thirtieth loop to the shaking goalkeeper.

“‘Drew?” Neil asks, trying to grab his attention.

“Yes?” Andrew responds shakily, moving his attention from his rapid heartbeat to Neil’s hands that were stationary on his lap. He felt his breath hitch and his leg bouncing uncontrollably once his eidetic memory decides to fuck him over and remind him of the view below them.

“Can I hold you?” Neil asks. “Yes or no?”

“Yes,” Andrew says, shifting closer to Neil so his arm could grab around his waist.

Neil leaned down, pressing a kiss on Andrew’s temple, “It’s almost over.”

Andrew eased into his touches, trying to calm his breathing by using exercises his mom used on her patients. He loved the feeling of fear when he was on the roof of the dorms with Neil and a cigarette in between his fingers, no matter how fucked up it was—but spinning around was a whole different experience. Instead of screaming though, he was completely silent—keeping his fear to himself.

“I don’t understand why Ferris wheels are supposed to be romantic. There are so many other things that beat it by miles,” Neil says.

“Like… what?” Andrew asks breathlessly, desperately wanting to hear his junkie’s voice. The breathing exercises were nothing compared to the softness of his British accent.

“Like…” Neil pauses, thinking. “Like hiding a body.”

Andrew meekly laughs, “Only you would say that.”

“No, but seriously. If you were to kill someone with another person you’d have to plan, buy weapons together—unless you already have them, figure out an escape plan, go to the location, kill the person, escape, file to change your identity, fly to a different country, etcetera. You know what, if someone pisses me off so fucking badly, I’d invite you to kill them with me—I know, I know, I’m romantic. Oh also, it’s done.”

Andrew cocks an eyebrow, “What?”

“We’re at the bottom,” Neil says simply, standing up from the seat and offering his hand to a shaking Andrew.

The blond didn’t even realize the ride stopped, he was too busy listening intensely to the fucked up plan that was a one-way ticket to jail. Andrew didn’t even think about death rates and the tiny ant people below them, he just bathed in Neil’s soft but raspy voice like it was oxygen—a necessity. The last thing he expected was surviving a rainbow thing that spun around 500 feet in the air, but with Neil holding onto his waist, he sort of thinks he can do anything.

Without a second thought, Andrew grabbed his hand so he could get up. His entire body shook as if it were a moving bee hive, but the butterflies in his stomach went mad at the sight of Neil and his dumb fucking shirt.

“Hi,” Neil says, smiling.

“Hi,” Andrew replies, the anxiety that plagued his voice slowly withering away.

Neil’s arm shifted from his side to wrapping around Andrew’s waist. His entire body shone from the setting sun over the horizon as his pearly white smile that was reserved just for Andrew widened. The goalkeeper’s arms stretched out to the back of Neil’s neck, getting on his tiptoes to even look at the striker’s smooth jawline.

Moving their respective directions to capture each other was a mutual decision that felt like it couldn’t be put into words. The kiss wasn’t frantic or hot like they typically were when they had an empty dorm—it was slow and sweet, almost comforting. Andrew’s legs shook, not because of being 500 feet high in the air but because he was now high off the taste of the mint chapstick Neil put on before arriving at the fair.

It felt like a scene from a movie. Neil’s fingers ghosting over his hip felt like going through a rush of relief Andrew wasn’t fully ready for. The setting sun made them, along with the entire fair, become a multitude of colors—the most prominent was red, which only reminded the blond of Neil’s fiery hair.

Andrew didn’t care if any of the Foxes somehow appeared and watched. He had Neil to himself now, and that was all that mattered.

Neil broke the kiss hesitantly, but he just maintained that soft smile that drove Andrew insane. Instantly, the blond forgot about all of the fear he felt on that Ferris wheel. His tense expression shifted to something so yearning it felt unlike anything he had ever experienced.

“You did it,” Neil affirms, kissing Andrew’s wrist that was still wrapped around the crook of his neck.

The corner of Andrew’s lips curled into a smile, “Guess so.”

♡♡♡

“I don’t know, dude. Maybe just… be bold?” Nicky tries, sucking his teeth as he watches Neil slap away his older brother’s hand as he tries to reach for whatever monstrosity he was drinking.

Neil, Kevin, Jeremy, Jean, and Renee were standing in one of the corners of the bar, some of them getting drunk while the others talked about silly topics (Renee) and gossip from around campus (Jean).

All Andrew could think about was how the droplets of the blue cocktail that resided in Neil’s jagged right hand were dripping down his face, as if they were ready to be licked by the goalkeeper.

“Are you saying I’m not bold enough?” Andrew deadpans, turning to his cousin. He was pretty bold when he wanted to be.

“No! No, sorry—oh my God. Okay, I mean like you should just go up to him and be like ‘Hey wanna make out’ and he’ll definitely say yes—no seriously.”

“What’re you bitches talking about?” Allison asks, interrupting their unimportant conversation quite rudely. Her newly polished nails made clanking noises whenever she tapped on her margarita glass that thoroughly pissed Andrew off. It didn’t help that he already smoked two cigarettes and was itching for a third and fourth at the same time after Nicky dared to open his mouth to speak.

“I’m telling Andrew to be bold—one with the wind, even—and just make out with Neil to get it over with,” Nicky explains, eyeing Allison’s drink with interest. “Hey, what is that?”

“Blood orange—fuck it’s so good,” Allison answers, taking a long sip. After drinking, she pointed a finger at Andrew accusingly. “No seriously, Monster, man up. We did all we could and it’s finally time to take the wheel.”

“You two didn’t do shit,” Andrew scowls, recalling every single one of the failed attempts of “setting him up with Neil.”

Allison scoffs, offended. “Of course we did.”

“You did buy him a drink that one time,” Nicky recalls.

“We didn’t do anything after that,” Andrew lies, biting the inside of his cheek to stifle any laughter.

“What about that Exy night practice?” Nicky asks.

“We just played Exy.” Andrew shrugs, giving a half-truth. After that practice, his junkie was still full of energy for some reason. Andrew made sure to wear him out.

“Christmas party’s a no-go. We couldn’t find you two,” Allison says, swirling the drink in her hand with her eyebrows narrowed until they couldn’t be anymore.

“We had to take Kevin home ‘cause he got too sick.” This time that wasn’t a lie. After kissing just about every part of their faces and marking each other’s necks, Kevin called from the party crying about his childhood stuffed animals. Andrew had to clean up Kevin’s breakfast and lunch from the backseats of his car. For compensation, Kevin gave him ice cream and Andrew forgave him… for now.

“Ew,” Allison cringes, imagining a sick Kevin vividly. “Spin the bottle fucking sucked since you two played two rounds then left.”

Andrew shrugged with indifference.

“Tell me you two at least went on the Ferris wheel,” Nicky pleads.

“Nope,” Andrew lies, a part of him wishing he could’ve skipped the Ferris wheel and went straight to Neil’s kisses.

“Damn, we didn’t do shit,” Allison murmurs.

“No! Stop, we still have time—I don’t want to pay Dan and Matt!” Nicky cries. “I already paid for Twitter Blue!"

Andrew blinks, not even slightly surprised. “You bet on me?”

“Chill, we bet on everyone, even your boy toy, who will certainly become your confirmed boy toy after you go and make out with him or something.” Allison shrugs.

“There’s like thirteen pools out of the twenty you can bet on—not the other seven ‘cause you’re a part of them. Sorry, cuz,” Nicky tries.

“Great,” Andrew says dryly. “So you two are giving up on me?”

Simultaneously, Nicky whined: “No!” as Allison groaned: “God, yes.”

“What the fuck, Ally!” Nicky hisses, brushing his hair out of his face stressfully. “Think of the pot! Money is at stake!”

Andrew nods slowly, getting an idea. “So my desire for romance is just money to you, Nicky?”

“Yes,” Allison answers, itching to instigate.

“Skank,” Andrew deadpans, pretending to hide his insult with a cough.

“Freak.” Allison rolls her eyes, taking a sip of her margarita.

“Oh my God, of course not, baby cuz!” Nicky bites his lip. “We just want you to be happy… and make a few hundred at the same time.”

“All I am is just money,” Andrew says, looking away to appear sad, even though he could care less. “A few hundred…”

Nicky, clearly drunk and in distress, cries, “No! ‘Drew we don’t mean it… we don’t! I love you, you’re not just a few hundred!”

Andrew rolls his eyes, “You know what? I’ll show you two. Make sure to take a fucking video.”

Allison and Nicky give each other a look—one they typically shared whenever the goalkeeper and Neil were in the same vicinity.

After communicating telepathically, Allison says, “‘Kay. Do your worst, Dobson.”

Andrew turned at his heel, desperately begging his shoulder to stop shaking as he tried to stifle his laughter. He could just imagine their shocked faces as he ran his tongue against Neil’s neck, picking up the salt while their bodies shone purple and black from the lights.

Neil passed his drink to Kevin, who gulped it down like he was receiving a first-place award for getting liver cancer. His blue eyes followed Andrew walking over, and his pink lips the goalkeeper was so close to kissing curled into a smile once Andrew finally arrived.

“Hi,” Neil says, his eyes appearing purple from the lights above and his hair was noticeably messier. Neil Wymack was fucking heavenly. Andrew Dobson wanted a taste of him.

“Hi,” Andrew replies, his pierced lips shifting into a smile. “Can I kiss you, yes or no?”

“Yes,” Neil says immediately, reaching out for the back of Andrew’s neck.

Andrew moved forward, getting on his tiptoes and his hands grabbing Neil’s waist with no second thought attached. The goalkeeper initiated the kiss first, brushing his lips softly experimentally—testing. Neil gasped into it, his lips parting slightly, a silent invitation that Andrew’s tongue be let in. Quick enough, their soft kisses turned into frantic ones—a type of kiss they weren’t strangers to.

Andrew moved Neil closer by the waist, their chests meeting with urgency and their tongues were relearning every single inch of their respective mouths. The striker, the bastard he was, knew he had an audience, so he broke the kisses a few times and let out groans that were louder than usual. The only person who was losing to Neil’s dramatics was Andrew and the growing tent in his pants.

Between Andrew’s breath hitching and Neil’s loud, dirty moans, Kevin shrieks, “Oh my God. Make it stop!”

Nicky runs a hand through his hair, blinking profusely as if the scene were a dream. “I expected this but I also didn’t… somehow?”

Kevin looks back at Nicky and Allison, who were trying to look everywhere but Andrew and Neil sucking face, confusingly.

"Jesus Christ, about time you two knew,” he babbles, clearly drunk based on how he slurred his speech and his eyes were bloodshot.

“Knew what?” Allison raises an eyebrow.

Jeremy cringes—jumping into Neil’s defense instantly (Bless him), “Oh nothing, he’s just drunk.” He glared at Kevin, who shrugged carelessly beside him.

Allison’s attention shifted from Jeremy, who refused to give up any personal details about his future brother-in-law, to Jean, who was more than willing to sell Neil for a singular cheeto.

“Knew what?” she repeats much firmer, this time to Jean.

“They’vebeentogethersincelastyear—SHIT!” Jean covers his mouth, glancing around the room as if he were searching for serial killers.

Renee and Jeremy collectively sigh, reaching into their pockets to give a drunken Kevin two twenty-dollar bills. Kevin snatched the money from his friend and boyfriend’s hands with glee, his eyes glistening as he stared back at two Andrew Jacksons.

“You two bet on… when Jean would snitch?” Nicky asks, searching for confirmation.

“It was only a matter of time ‘til he cracks…” Kevin slurs, giggling after every word. Jeremy rolls his eyes, giving his boyfriend a bottle of water, which Kevin reluctantly takes.

Jean gapes at his girlfriend, “You bet against me?"

Renee smiles back, “Sorry, Jean, but you cannot keep secrets.”

“Can we go back to them?” Nicky asks, pointing to Andrew who was biting Neil’s neck.

“No,” everyone cringes in sync.

“They are pretty cute though,” Renee says sweetly.

“Screw that.” Allison pulls out her phone to snap a photo of the two athletes down each other’s throats. “I’m getting my fucking money.”

Neil broke the kiss, immediately howling with laughter. “Ha! Oh my God, their faces—Drew, ha!”

Andrew buried his face in the crook of Neil’s neck, his shoulders shaking as he giggled so hard he couldn’t control himself any longer. His mission was complete, and it ended with a bang Andrew would never forget.

Kevin glares at his younger brother, “You’re a piece of shit.”

Neil chuckles, “Who wants an encore!”

Kevin threw an opened can of beer at Neil’s face, the contents spilled all over his and Andrew’s shirts as they shivered at the contact.

Somehow, that only made the two laugh even harder.

Somehow, Andrew thinks to himself: ‘Jesus Christ, he really is mine.’

Somehow, Neil kissing him silly on the forehead was like a telepathic message that read: ‘Of course I am, pretty boy.’