Chapter Text
CH 1
Neil and Andrew can't communicate and from miscommunication rises dubs and regrets
Neil wasn't sleeping, and that was a fact every fox realized : he wasn't doing good at practice, he was failing exams and he wasn't talking. He wasn't TALKING.
The sings were evident, but every time they tried to talk to him he answered with the same old "I'm fine" and that was the most infuriating think about all the situation. It became almost surreal when Andrew asked.
After the last practice of the week, Andrew was worried pissed because Neil could decide to not talk to the others but to him? Whiteout an explanation? Absolutely not. So when they entered their room he looked the door and began to patiently look at the man in front of him.
Neil didn't seem to care or decided to ignore Andrew, so he was forced to use words.
"Neil"
He granted no response, in fact Neil decided to completely ignore Andrew and took fresh clothes for his bath. Andrew was in fact faster and grabbed hid wrist.
"Rabbit, you lost your hearing?"
Neil look at him almost annoyed and tried to set his wrist free. "Just tired"
"Strange, you barely caught a ball this afternoon"
He sook his wrist and singed when he realized Andrew wasn't gonna give up. "What do you want? I gotta shower"
"Oh, i don't know, didn't hear from you all week"
"God you too"
"Yes bastard me too. I waited for you to come talk to me about whatever the fuck is going on in your head , but since you became mute here we are"
"Nothin going on, I'm fine"
Andrew sealed harder his grip on Neil's wrist. "Really? Tell your bags that"
Neil pointed his ice blue eyes right into his. "Let go"
Andrew stared at him, a grin spread across his lips. "The rabbit's running"
"No, I'm not"
"Oh but you are, like always"
At this Neil jolted his wrist away violently and stared hard at him. "Stop" He said before disappearing in the bathroom.
Andrew stared at the bathroom door closed and decided that now he was really getting hangry.
When Neil left the bathroom Andrew was already in bed pretending to sleep, he heard the other man sigh before sliding under the covers. Something was wrong, but Andrew thought it was gonna be future Andrew's problem. . .
Outside the temperature was lowering, and with the cold joy was spreading because the Christmas holydays were arriving.
Neil was running.
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed in the dark hallway. He was covered in blood and sweet, his legs were sore and he probably dislocated his ankle but he didn't stop. He knowed that if he had stopped it would have been his last day on earth, so he couldn't stop: he needed to apologize to the Foxes, to his family, to Andrew. . .
Neil didn't notice he was already crying, as tears run down his face his lungs gave over and he was forced to stop. With the little energy he had left, he headed towards the changing rooms and hid himself in the shower.
The locker's door flew open, Neil shivered and immediately closed his eyes as if not seeing made him invisible.
"Nathaniel". Said Riko's voice.
"Where are youuu?"
Neil made himself smaller as Rico's footsteps were getting closer. Think of something else, something bright and worm, something safe, something like home, like Andrew. Andrew, Andrew, Andrew, Andrew. . .
As Riko appeared in front of his face and smiled at him, he knew it was gonna be a long night.
"Nathaniel, what a bad boy you are. No, no, no, it doesn't go like this. I already told you, remember?"
Oh, yes, Neil remembers, his skin remembered.
"When you're here, you are mine, a Reven. You do as I say, always. You know what I do to bad boys"
Riko took Neil's face in his hand and whispered in his hear. "You know who were bad boys? Kevin and Jean."
As he heard his friend's name Neil looked him in the eyes with rage." Shut up"
Riko's gaze hardened. "You want me call Jean?"
"No"
"What a good martyr you are. So brave, so heroic . . ."
Riko was too close. "So beautiful, like a slut "
He pull out a knife and put it close to Neil's face. "Will Andrew ever want you if I cut your pretty face?"
"Get that name out of your filthy mouth"
"I see, that's how it is"
Neil closed his eyes and clenched his fists, praying some god to wake him up.
He was shaken awake by tow strong hands, tried to focus on the voice around him and when he finally opened his eyes there was a dark figure above him. Neil throw a punch in the air and got away from the bad: his hands were shaking and he was probably screaming because his throat hurt.
"-il. O my god"
"Neil"
"NEIL"
"Nicky, get away from him"
"What the fuck is going on!"
"Someone call Andrew!"
Neil stopped whatever he was doing and turned his head to the figures. "Andrew". He said whispering.
"Fuck, Neil can you hear me? I'm Nicky, you were having a nightmare"
Neil focused his gaze on the figures and realized that Nicky, Kevin and Aaron where near him.
"Where's Andrew?"
Nicky looked Aaron and after few seconds said. "He - em, he woke me in the middle of the night and . . . told me to come here 'cause you were having a nightmare and than he got out. I thought that he was gonna call Abby or maybe Bee but. . ., he didn't returned"
"What?"
"Neil, listen we don't care where Andrew went, we are more worried about you. Even the guys next dorm heard your screams. Can we do something ?"
Neil looked Nicky in the face processing what he was saying: Andrew wasn't there, what was he supposed to do without him? "
"I don't - I"
He was interrupted by the door opening by Abby who turned on the light. "O god Neil, are you ok? I mean fiscally becau-"
"He didn't hurt himself. I checked". Said Aaron behind Nicky.
Neil got up in a fracture of a second and run, got beyond Abby ready to see a pair of golden eyes but then he realized she was alone. No Andrew.
He stood there while the other got out of the room, then when Abby was behind him ready to talk he said. "Wymack, I wanna go there"
Abby looked at him and with a soft smile said. "Of course dear"
She helped Neil with the jacket and without any goodbyes he got out of the dorm.
After Neil and Abby got out of the dorm the others didn't know what to do, but certainly they didn't go to sleep: Nicky went in the kitchen to get himself a hot tea, Kevin tuned on the TV and Aaron went in is room to get his phone.
He called Andrew and he obviously didn't answered on the first ring:
"Where the fuck are you?"
-
"Andrew? I swear to God-"
"Neil?"
"You are ridiculous"
"Aaron"
"Don't Aaron me, you bastard. You leaved us with your crazy boyfriend which by the way didn't kill anyone, but thanks for the worry"
"Aaron, Neil?"
"You wanna know about Neil? Let's talk about him: he had a fucking nightmare and he woke up screaming and throwing punches, and only when he heard your name he became conscious, I have to assume you called Abby because she arrived just in time an took Neil to Wymack's"
-
"I really hope you're going to him-"
Andrew hung up.
Aaron looked at his phone in disbelief and started to laugh hysterically.
"Hi Andrew, are you ok?"
-
"Andrew?"
-
"Are you safe?"
"Yes"
"Ok, If you want me to help you know you have to tell me what happened"
"I can't"
"Do you want to meet?"
"No"
"Ok, want to know the crazy thing that happened to me? I was at the supermarket with Abby and i saw Kevin and Matt, together, and they were fighting for the food to bring to the dorms"
-
"It's Neil, right?"
"Yes. . . He had a nightmare"
"Oh"
"I had it too, but. . . when i woke he. . ."
"Andrew take a deep breath, in . . . and out . . . good. Do you want to continue the talk?"
"Yes, but not on the phone"
"Ok, are you coming here or at the studio?"
"There"
"Ok, do you want the address?"
"Bee i know where you live"
"Hahaha, ok see you soon"
Andrew ended the call, took his keys out the pocket and went to the Maserati.
Thirty minutes later he was in front of Bee's door. He stood there for a couple of minutes than he unlocked the door and enter the house.
Bee was in kitchen making tow cup of hot chocolate. "Oh you're already here"
She turned and smiled at him, pointing at the sofa where he could seat.
After she left the kitchen, she give one of the cup to Andrew, set on the other chair and give him time to collect his thoughts. Than Andrew started talking.
"I didn't in fact had a nightmare, but . . . I woke up when Neil started moving. I realized he was having a nightmare, i wanted to woke him but than. . . he said than word"
"Ple-"
"Yes, that one"
Andrew took another sip. "When i heard him, I . . . I remembered last Thanksgiving, and I leaved"
"We fought last week and didn't really talk to each other since than, I know i should have styed because now I'm not scared of Drake but of what might that stupid idiot think"
"Why did you fought?"
"He stopped sleeping for a few days, didn't talk about it with anyone. I asked and it didn't go as planned"
After a minute of silence Bee talked. "I think you tow need to talk, but seriously talk because the holiday period is difficult for both of you. And I think you should let Neil now you are there for him even if you don't demonstrate it, we both now he tend to fly with his mind"
"I could talk to him but we know he doesn't like me, so all i can do is tell you to express your preoccupation and worries with him. Most important thing: don't throw everything away just because it arrived a difficult time, promise me"
"Ok, i promise"
"Good, do you wan to sleep here?"
"Yes"
"I'm gonna take the covers"
Andrew nodded and as Bee disappeared in the other room, he pulled out of the pocket his phone. He searched Neil contact and looked at his name.
They were gonna be just fine, he had to wait only the next morning