Chapter Text

Tears

Every Fox knows that Neil can get away with anything whenever Andrew is around. It doesn't matter what kind of trouble he's caused, what words have come out of his mouth, or whether he's guilty or innocent. None of it matters because, as long as the goalie is by his side, he's—to put it somewhat dramatically—untouchable.

Neil is something akin to Andrew's boyfriend. Everyone says so except the two of them. And that makes him the very definition of someone untouchable.

Still, one question lingers among some of the Foxes: if the day ever came when Andrew had to choose between his not-boyfriend and his twin during a conflict that left no room for compromise, who would he choose? Everyone has seen Andrew brush off insults directed at himself. They've watched him remain indifferent through arguments, threats, and fights. But the moment someone crosses a line with Neil, that indifference disappears. His silence becomes something far more dangerous.

That's why the question has never been whether Andrew would protect Neil. He's already proven that he would — and that he always will. The real question is what would happen if protecting Neil meant standing against Aaron.

Because there's something else that only the older Foxes know.

So, between Neil and Aaron, who truly gets Andrew's absolute protection?

No one has ever been reckless enough to put that theory to the test. No one wants to be the reason Andrew Minyard is forced to choose.
But that has never stopped the Foxes from wondering.

The day had started like any other at Fox Tower: the usual morning routine, early practice, classes, lunch, more classes, and finally the afternoon practice before everyone was free for the rest of the day.

Now the team was scattered around the court, recovering from another brutal training session. A major match was only days away, and Kevin and the Coach had been —to put it simply— unbearable all week. Every practice had been filled with shouting, criticism, and impossible demands in pursuit of perfection. By now, everyone was walking on eggshells, running on sore muscles and frayed nerves.
With practice finally over, no one paid much attention to what was happening on the court anymore.

One watched with visible exasperation and the other with his usual boredom, bordering on indifference.

Their attention was fixed on Neil and Aaron, who had somehow managed to turn another conversation into yet another argument. Judging by Aaron's expression and Neil's infuriating smirk, it had most certainly been the redhead the who started it.

Neither Kevin nor Andrew knew what they were arguing about. Then again, when it came to those two, the topic rarely mattered. It was usually something ridiculous.
At first, it looked no different from any of their usual bickering.

Then Andrew noticed the slight change.

Neil was still wearing that smug grin, still firing off one comment after another with effortless confidence. Aaron, however, had stopped snapping back just to win the argument. His shoulders had gone rigid, his jaw was clenched, and the irritation on his face was quickly giving way to something far uglier.
Andrew kept stealing glances at them, trying to read Neil's lips while keeping a close eye on Aaron's reactions. He was already growing irritated with their endless back-and-forth when a loud clatter echoed behind him.
He and Kevin turned at the same time.

Nicky stood frozen beside the equipment cart, hurriedly gathering the Exy balls he had just spilled across the floor before stuffing them back into the bucket to avoid drawing Coach's attention.

But when Andrew looked back, shouting had replaced words. Then every Fox's attention snapped toward the court.

"Shut the fuck up!" — Aaron shouted, his voice echoing through the gym.

Neil, flat on his back, looked more annoyed than intimidated. Instead of staying quiet, he opened his mouth again, answering with the same provoking tone that had gotten him there in the first place.
The screams echoed throughout the gym.

Nicky was the first to react, dropping the bucket of balls again and running toward them. Matt and Dan followed a second later, but neither managed to intervene before Aaron lunged at Neil again.

Neil kept talking. Of course, he kept talking, he never learned when to shut his mouth.
He wasn’t even trying to defend himself. He barely propped himself up on one elbow as he continued to respond with that insolent calm that seemed to exist solely to provoke Aaron.
Every word was another spark.

“Shut the hell up Josten.” — Aaron shoved him back to the floor and Neil let out a dry laugh.

Aaron raised his fist with the clear intention of hitting Neil again, determined to shut him up once and for all.

There was no warning.
No words.

He simply stepped between them and caught Aaron's wrist before the punch could land.

His grip was ironclad.
The entire gym fell silent.

Every Fox watched the scene unfold.

"Let go of me." — Aaron struggled out of sheer instinct, but Andrew didn't budge.

He didn't even look at him.

Andrew's gaze slid right past Aaron and settled entirely on Neil. His eyes swept over him with practiced efficiency, searching for injuries.

A split lip.
The beginnings of a bruise along his cheekbone.
Steady breathing.
No broken bones.
Nothing life-threatening.

Neil looked up at him, looking more irritated than frightened. If anything, there was still a trace of smug satisfaction on his face — "I'm fine."

Andrew didn't answer.

He kept studying him for another second.
As if making sure he was absolutely fine, like he always said.

Only then did Andrew release Aaron's wrist.

Aaron hadn't taken his eyes off his brother once.

Waiting for Andrew to look at him first.
…
He never did.

The expression on Aaron's face was so raw that not a single Fox could have put a name to it.
Kevin felt something twist uneasily in his stomach.

For years, he had watched Andrew ignore the rest of the world. People often mistook that indifference for impartiality.

Kevin knew better.

It had never been impartial.
Andrew had always made exceptions.

First, it had been Aaron.

Now...

Kevin caught the exact moment Andrew released an almost imperceptible breath after seeing Neil stand on his own.
Most people wouldn't have noticed it. Kevin did.

Only then did Andrew turn to Aaron.

Too late. For Aaron, it was already too late and Kevin saw it perfectly.
And with a sinking feeling, Kevin realized Aaron had noticed too.

"Are you done?" — Andrew's voice was as flat and emotionless as ever.

It wasn't a question born out of concern.
It was an order disguised as one.

Aaron didn't answer.

He kept staring at his brother.

For something.
Anything…

A question.
An “Are you okay?”
A reprimand aimed at Neil.
Anything at all.
…
Nothing came.

Andrew didn't spare him another glance.

Instead, he turned back to Neil — "Can you stand?"
"Yeah." — Neil pushed himself to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I told him he wasn't going to like the answer."
"Shut up." — This time, the words came from Andrew.

Not because Aaron had asked him to.
But because Neil was already standing, already talking, already wearing that infuriating smirk as though nothing had happened.

He'd always known.
…
Or maybe he'd always suspected.
He'd simply refused to give the thought a name.

It wasn't the first time Andrew had chosen Neil.

Everyone knew that.
Everyone had seen it countless times.

But this...

This was different.

This time, Andrew hadn't looked at him first.

He had never seen it from this side.
He had never been the one left behind.

For years, he'd told himself that Neil was different. An exception. That Andrew protected Neil because Neil was Neil, and that it didn't change anything between the twins.
It didn't mean Aaron had stopped being the person Andrew would choose first.

At least, that's what he'd always believed.
That if the day ever came when Andrew had to choose, Aaron had been certain his brother would still choose him.

Because he was his brother.
Because he had always been his brother.
Because before Neil, there had never been anyone else.
Because Aaron had been there first.

Then it hit him.

Andrew hadn't asked who started the fight. He hadn't asked if Aaron was hurt. He hadn't even looked at him first. His attention had gone straight to Neil, checking him over before sparing Aaron so much as a glance.
The worst part was how effortless it had been.
There hadn't been a moment of hesitation or uncertainty. Andrew hadn't weighed his options or stopped to think. He had simply acted, following instinct rather than reason.
And his instinct had led him to Neil.
A lump formed in Aaron's throat.

For years, he'd convinced himself that Neil was the exception. That Andrew's protectiveness toward him didn't diminish what the twins had. Neil was different — that was all.
Now he wasn't so sure.

(“Maybe Andrew had checked Neil first because he was the one on the ground.” — Said a voice far in his head.
“Maybe he'd simply reacted to whoever looked worse.” — Said another one.
“Maybe...”)

Maybe the truth had been staring him in the face all along, and he'd simply refused to acknowledge it.

"...You checked on him first." — The words escaped before Aaron even realized he'd spoken them aloud. It sounded more like a question rather than an realization.

Silence settled over the court.
Neil frowned slightly, the smugness slipping from his expression as he glanced between the twins.
Kevin looked away. Unable to see what he knew was coming.
No one knew what to say at that moment.

Aaron let out a quiet, humorless laugh, though there wasn't a trace of amusement behind it — "You checked on him first." — This time his voice was steadier.

Not because it hurt any less.
Because saying it out loud made it real.

Andrew didn't answer, nor did he deny it.
He didn't offer an explanation.
He simply stood there, as unreadable as ever.

For Aaron, that silence said everything words never could.
And for the first time in as long as he could remember, he realized he was no longer the first person Andrew looked for when things went wrong.
And he never thought losing that place could hurt so much.

The tension hanging over the court was suffocating.
No one spoke.
For a long moment, the only sound in the gym was the faint hum of the overhead lights.

Most of the Foxes hadn't heard what Aaron had whispered. They had been too far away to catch the words, unlike Neil and Kevin. All they knew was that something had shifted. Whatever had just happened, it wasn't about the fight anymore.
Whispers had yet to begin, but the questions were already there, lingering in every uncertain glance.

Neil frowned, confusion replacing the smug satisfaction he'd worn only moments before. He opened his mouth, as if to ask what Aaron meant, but never got the chance.

Aaron pushed himself to his feet so abruptly that the movement startled everyone still watching.
His blond hair fell over his eyes, hiding whatever expression lay beneath it. Without looking at anyone —not Andrew, not Neil, not the rest of the team— he turned and walked toward the locker room with quick, purposeful strides.
No one tried to stop him.
A few minutes later, he emerged dressed in his street clothes, his duffel bag slung over one shoulder. He didn't acknowledge the silence that followed him. He didn't say goodbye.

He simply walked out.

Andrew never moved.
He didn't call Aaron's name.
He didn't look after him.

He remained exactly where he was, his expression unreadable, as though nothing relevant had happened.

Neil's eyes followed Aaron until the door closed behind him. His confusion only deepened, and for the first time since the argument began, he looked genuinely unsettled. Even Nicky's usual cheerfulness had vanished, replaced by open concern as his gaze shifted uneasily between Andrew and the now empty doorway.

Surprisingly Kevin was the only one who reacted.

Without saying a word, he headed for the locker room, changed as quickly as he could, and hurried after Aaron before he disappeared completely.

As he reached the exit, Kevin slowed for just a moment.
Against his better judgment, he looked back.

Andrew hadn't moved.

Neil was saying something to him — Kevin couldn't make out the words — but Andrew's attention remained fixed on Neil, as though the rest of the world had ceased to exist once again.

For a brief moment, Kevin wondered if Andrew had any idea what had just broken.
He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

By the time he stepped outside, Aaron was already halfway across the parking lot.

Kevin broke into a run after him.