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1.
It all starts with a conversation after Wymack gets back from the airport, having escorted Jean to Los Angeles. Abby invites Betsy for dinner, and they all sit by the table, finally, properly celebrating the Foxes’ win, Jean’s transfer, Wymack’s raise, and the end of the semester.
Abby’s food makes everyone full, happy, and lazy, and the topic of conversation changes from Exy to Kevin and Wymack.
“How is the father and son thing going?” Betsy asks, and both Kevin and Wymack wince.
Kevin has a complicated relationship with Betsy. She usually wants to know everything and Kevin is a private person. She’s a happy person, and she believes everything can be fixed with hot cocoa, and Kevin doesn’t eat sweets. He gave her permission to talk with Jean about his traumas, mainly to help Jean, but deep down Kevin believes she shouldn’t be using that. This is not professional. But then again, she also helps Andrew a lot, and for that Kevin is grateful. Complicated, indeed.
Later she talks about building a relationship between the two of them, and Abby cuts in with “You’re more similar than you think.”
Betsy proposes to them a joint session, to which both Kevin and Wymack say “No,” and then she settles on “You could try talking about something non-Exy related. To create a bond based on other things.”
“Like he can talk about anything other than Exy,” Andrew murmurs.
And Neil says, “He can. Wanna bet?”
Something flickers over Andrew’s face, something close to excitement, he says “Fine,” and so Kevin accepts the challenge. Andrew practising with them every night for the whole month is at stake. Worth it.
That’s how Kevin finds himself in a bistro close to Wymack’s flat on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday, because Andrew is with Besty, and Neil is with Matt and Nicky who are trying to make him “more adapted to the world” by watching ‘Mean Girls’ with him. Whatever.
“This is awkward, and it’s going to be awkward,” Wymack says. “I need to know if you’re okay with that.”
“I want to try,” Kevin admits quietly. Then the waitress brings their food, and Kevin scrunches his nose at Wymack’s hash browns and burger filled with cheese and fat.
“Do not,” Wymack says, amused, not irritated. “I’m almost sure you have some kind of an eating disorder.”
Kevin knows that. Try to live in the Nest for twelve years and not have an eating disorder, he thinks bitterly. But he’s come a long way last year, and he’s doing much better. He sometimes drinks sodas, he can eat a square of chocolate (80% of cocoa, no less, because American ‘chocolate’ is truly disgusting), and he once licked whipped cream off of Neil’s lips and— anyway.
“I’m conscientious, not disordered,” Kevin says.
Wymack sighs, and digs his fork into the hash brown. “Do you ever eat food you actually enjoy? Something out of your crazy meal plan?”
“Mmm,” Kevin mutters.
“Tell me,” Wymack says. “If we’re not talking about Exy, then let’s start with something simple.”
“Alright. Pineapples,” Kevin says. “I like pineapples.”
Wymack raises his brows. “Interesting.”
“It’s really not,” Kevin says. “In the Nest we only ate bananas, oranges and kiwis. So once, when we were travelling for the press I got a chance to eat a pineapple, and I liked it, and that’s that.”
“The more you tell me about this shithole—”
“No Exy talking,” Kevin reminds him.
Wymack sighs. “Right. What else?”
“About food?”
“About whatever you feel like.”
“My favourite colour is red,” Kevin says.
“Red?” Wymack raises his brows. “Really?”
“What’s wrong with red?” And then. Oh. “No, no the Raven’s red, more like—”
“Trojans’ red?”
Kevin feels his cheeks burn. Fuck. “No Exy talking,” he says, smiling.
“Smartass,” Wymack says. “Where did you get that brain form?”
“Mum, probably,” Kevin says, and Wymack bursts out laughing. It feels so nice.
2.
“Do you think—” Kevin hesitates. It’s Wednesday again, and again they’re in the bistro. “That mum— would’ve been okay with me and Neil and Andrew?”
Wymack’s face relaxes. “Of course.”
Kevin remembers his mum telling him ‘we’re all born with something missing, so that we can find someone else to complete us’. Kevin had changed ‘someone else’ to ‘something else’ back in the Nest, and it was all about Exy and History from then. But now it’s all so different. He found someone, twice.
Wymack flicks his fingers and says, “She’s the one who created a mixed-gender sport, and—” Wymack stops for a moment, “—she had many lovers, all over the world, I don’t know if you knew.”
Kevin just shrugs. And then, because he can’t really stop himself, he says, grinning, “So, like mother, like son.”
Wymack runs a hand over his face. “I do not get paid enough to get involved in this. I do not.” Then a tiny smile appears somewhere around his eyes and cheeks, a thing Kevin rarely sees. “Anyway, I don’t think that someone as… free-spirited as your mother was would ever care about your… Whatever the fuck this is, above my paygrade.”
“No one believes that,” Kevin says, smiling under his breath.
“Alright, as long as you’re happy and safe then I don’t give a fuck.”
Kevin knows that’s not true. “I am. And we are,” he assures.
3.
“Abby says she’s proud of us.” Wymack says. Another Wednesday, another dinner. “She says it’s because we’re out of our comfort zones, or some shit like that.”
“What does it mean?”
“I’ve never been a father before,” Wymack jokes. “It’s still new for me, you see.”
“Oh please,” Kevin loses his patience. It’s not like he has a lot, anyway. “You say you don’t care, but that’s not true. You can say ‘I don’t get paid enough to deal with this shit,’ all you want, but everyone knows you care. If anything happened to any of your Foxes, you’d be first to save them. You’re the only one who Andrew listens to, actually.” Andrew sometimes listens to Kevin, but Wymack doesn’t have to know about the circumstances surrounding it.
“He’s not listening to me.” Wymack waves his hand. “I believe he trust me enough, but it’s Andrew we’re talking about, so it’s a bit fucked up.”
“I know he does.”
“Okay, enough with Exy talking,” Wymack says.
Kevin rolls his eyes. “This doesn’t have to do anything with Exy. You can’t use this argument when it’s convenient for you, and not let me use it when it’s convenient for me.”
Kevin’s phone vibrates in his pocket. A message from Jeremy “Success, we managed to feed Jean with a brownie :D”
“Something important?” Wymack nods at Kevin’s phone.
“Jeremy,” Kevin says in a weird tone. He tries to compose himself. “Looks like Jean is making progress.”
“God, this kid.” Wymack shakes his head in an “unbelievable” gesture.
“Mhm.”
“I’ve been thinking,” Wymack starts carefully. “The way he’s looking at you. There’s something—”
“No,” Kevin says quickly. Too quickly, judging by the look on Wymack’s face. “No, he’s— no. He has every right to be angry, but I told him I’m sorry, so. I shouldn’t leave him behind, I know that, but he wouldn’t have come with me.” There it is, an ugly truth, said out loud.
“Okay, okay,” Wymack reassures. A moment later he says, “you know, he told me that apparently you never doubted I’d take you in. Easily one of the top best moments in my life, hearing this.”
Fuck, fuck. Kevin’s cheeks burn. Again. What’s wrong with him? “I knew you’d never turn down a broken player.”
“A player?” Wymack repeats.
God, why is this so hard? Wymack knows why Kevin didn’t tell him about the whole being a father thing, because of the Moriyamas, and whatnot, and maybe, maybe, because he was afraid Wymack wouldn’t believe him about being his son, but Wymack didn’t know about the last one. Until now, it seems. Kevin was one hundred percent sure Wymack would take him in, the same way he took in Andrew and every other broken Fox.
“Yeah,” Kevin finally manages.
Wymack looks like he understands, and he doesn’t press.
“I told him that. Jean. He was there when we found the letter, but it’s not like I could’ve talked about my father in front of— what are the others? The best moments in your life?”
Wymack blinks. “Let’s see. Meeting your mother, obviously.”
Kevin rolls his eyes. “Obviously. She was something else.”
“Of course she was. Maybe when Andrew decided to trust me enough to take the offer,” Wymack says. “As fucked up as it was, he breaking into my building, and all his bullshit talking, but yeah. Worth it.”
Kevin hums. “That’s nice.”
“Maybe when Josten got all emotional and started his thanks for taking him in. What a menace. Still nice, though.”
Kevin manages a smile.
Wymack continues, “And of course, but I’m sure as fuck as a coach I shouldn’t be saying that, when Andrew broke this asshole’s hand. History repeats itself, huh? Very poetic, very cinematic. But for the love of fuck, keep it a secret, will you?”
Kevin grins. “Of course. I’ll never tell Andrew his coach has some respect for him.”
“You better not,” Wymack argues. “Speaking of dramatic players. Number one on the list, ‘my father comes to all my games’.”
“I had a rare bout of humanity. Temporary,” Kevin adds, but he can’t stop smiling. “This is not going to happen again.”
“You’re all so dramatic,” Wymack says, amused. “Bane of my existence, all of you. Maybe my Foxes beating the shit out of the Ravens can qualify, maybe as number five,” he adds.
When they finish eating, Wymack asks, “What about your favourite memories?”
“Exy related or non-Exy related?” Kevin says. There are some moments that come to Kevin’s mind immediately. Getting together with Neil and Andrew, escaping the Nest, signing as a Fox, winning with the Ravens, being invited to Court, getting the key to Andrew’s house, finding Neil alive after his father kidnapped him… But the most important one—
“No Exy talking,” Wymack reminds him. “And maybe try to choose something not related to any of the shit I don’t get paid enough to be involved in.”
Kevin snorts. “Fine. Finding mum’s letter in Evermore.”
“A ray of sunshine in the shithole, hm?”
“Yeah. Yeah, it was.”
Wymack’s phone buzzes. He smiles. “The Trojans are about to win Day’s Spirit Award, again,” Wymack says. “Have you heard?”
Kevin nods. “Obviously. One day you’ll have your own award. ‘David Wymack’s Miracle of Year Award’, or something like that.”
“Not funny.” Wymack says.
“My sense of humour is as thin as yours. I’m serious. Have you ever seen the Trojans’ staff? Coaches, fitness coaches, assistants, nurses, drivers, scouts, lawyers, PR staff probably, and God knows what else. You managed to lead the Foxes to the championships not having any of this. We have Abby, obviously, but still. And we won.”
“You said no more bounds of humanity. I could use a PR manager to tame the mini-you. And to tame you too, actually.”
“I’m serious. You deserve more credit.”
“Okay, enough with Exy talking,” Wymack says. “You’re making me emotional.”
“At least you got your raise,” Kevin says. “Well deserved.”
+1
“I should probably tell you,” Wymack starts. “That me and Abby— I mean, Abby and I—”
“Are fucking, are together,” Kevin offers. “Yeah, I know. Everyone on the team knows. Whatever.”
“How?”
Kevin shrugs. “How did you know about me and Neil and Andrew?”
“It’s easy to notice, when you know where to look,” Wymack says.
“Well then. There’s a bet about it, even, about you and Abby. The longest standing one,” Kevin tells him.
“And did you—?”
Kevin grimaces. “Had to. They made me bet when I got here. You don’t really want to know.”
“Fuck,” Wymack says. “You think anyone may have a problem with that? Thinking it’s unprofessional, or some shit?”
“I think,” Kevin says, smiling as widely as he’s never had, “even when half of your Foxes win the bet, this amount of money is not enough to get involved in this shit.”