Chapter Text
Nothing was going right. In fact, so many things had gone wrong today that Neil was starting to think the world had developed a vendetta against him. He wouldn't be surprised if that were true. He knew well enough that he wasn't exactly the easiest person around. But still, with the amount of bullshit he was going through, Neil was feeling targeted.
It started during morning practice. They were four days away from their game against the USC Trojans on Friday, and the Foxes weren't near ready enough as they should have been. It was all the fault of Jack, because when was it not? He'd shown up to practice late, and then spent the entire time arguing with Neil about anything he could think of.
It took up much too much practice time, and Neil had to refrain from throwing the mouthy striker off the court. He tried to remind Jack about how close they were to facing off one of the hardest Class I teams in the league, but Jack wasn't deterred. In the end, practice had ended with very little actual practice happening.
Then, Neil was reminded too late of an assignment that he'd completely forgotten about for his math class, which docked his mark way too low for his liking. When he tried to get an extension for it from his professor, he was told he needed to pay more attention to his studies and less attention to his sports.
He was not granted the extension, but he was given a new assignment to do which would bump his mark up a little higher. Problem was, the assignment was due the following day, and Neil had no idea when he would have time to get it done.
Afternoon practice was somehow worse than morning practice. Again, it was all Jack's fault, but his antics grated on Neil's exposed nerves even harder due to his shit morning. An argument turned into a punch thrown, then a fight, then Wymack had Neil, Jack and Andrew in his office to scold them about fighting during practice. Neil left his office shaking with adrenaline and anger.
Thankfully, practice ended with no more physical fighting, but the venom in Jack's words were enough to make Neil's shots on goal much harder than they needed to be. At one point, Andrew blocked Neil's shot with a gloved hand, and Neil thought he saw Andrew giving his hand a shake after tossing the ball back.
He decided to skip his afternoon class to work on his new math assignment. He was glad he was good with numbers, because the assignment wasn't exactly easy. He glanced over the original assignment that he'd forgotten about and noticed how much simpler it was, then cursed himself for his carelessness.
He was halfway done when Kevin returned to the dorm, jarring Neil from his focus with his grating voice. Neil tried to tune out the earful Kevin gave him about skipping his class, about how he couldn't afford to have his grades fall because he needed a certain average to stay on the team, and how he needed to stay on the team if he wanted to live.
As if Neil didn't fucking know that.
Neil threw a pen at Kevin, hitting him in the face, then packed up his things and stormed into the bedroom. Thank god the door had a lock. Kevin yelled at him through the door, but Neil put his earbuds in and didn't take them out until he was sure Kevin was done. By the time he finished his assignment, his back was aching from the uncomfortable desk chair and his head hurt from all the reading and solving he had to do. A knock sounded at the door, and Neil nearly yelled at Kevin to fuck off.
"It's me." Andrew's voice traveled through the door. Neil stood and unlocked the door, letting Andrew open it as he retreated back to his desk. Andrew walked in with his bag slung over one shoulder, expression bored. He looked down at the papers scattered over Neil's desk, and his lip curled in disgust. Neil huffed a laugh and leaned back in his chair. "Fuck today."
Andrew didn't answer. Neil heard the rustle of his bag hitting the floor, then the sound of him unzipping his jeans. If he wasn't so exhausted, he would have turned to get a look at Andrew's wonderfully toned thighs, but his body was betraying him. Instead, Neil's eyes slipped closed, and his arm came to shield them.
In an instant he was washed away with exhaustion, and he leaned forward to rest his head on his open binder. A moment later, he felt fingers trailing up his back, and he hummed in content when Andrew laid his hand on the back of Neil's neck.
"Sleep." Andrew said.
"I shouldn't." Neil replied, voice muffled against the papers. He drew in a long breath, held it, then let it out. "Fuck today."
"Heard you the first time." Andrew said.
Neil lifted his head and looked at Andrew. He was wearing sweatpants now, the dark grey ones Neil loved so much because of how low they sat on his hips. He tore his eyes away from the pants and met Andrew's eye. "Yet you didn't answer me."
"Boring." Andrew replied. Neil smiled. Andrew dragged his hand from the back of Neil's neck to his face, holding his chin between his finger and thumb. "Take a nap. I'm not taking you to your stupid night practice if you're gonna be shitty all because you refused to sleep."
Neil hummed. "Okay," he whispered. Andrew let go of his chin and started for the door. Neil set his head back down on his binder as he heard the bedroom door open.
"On your bed, like a normal person." Andrew said. Neil groaned, and Andrew shut the door.
Neil woke to the sound of the bedroom door opening. He sat up quickly, heart pounding as his brain yelled Danger!. Kevin stood in the doorway, looking unimpressed. "You've been asleep for five hours."
Neil rubbed his eyes and forced his breathing to calm down. "What?"
"How the hell have you been asleep for five hours?"
Shit. He'd meant to set an alarm before he fell asleep, but exhaustion had clearly gotten the est of him. He gave a defeated shrug, and Kevin rolled his eyes. "Get up. We're going to the court."
Neil mumbled an affirmation as Kevin left. He couldn't deny that the nap had helped, even if it was three hours longer than what he wanted. He felt rejuvenated and ready to get some good practice in at the court. He got dressed, ate, and followed Andrew and Kevin out the door.
His serenity was squashed only twenty minutes into practice. Kevin was already annoyed with him, as he made abundantly clear on the drive to the court before Andrew shut him up by threatening to turn the car around. Kevin's annoyance only quieted with that, and it came right back as soon as there was a Plexiglas wall separating him and Neil from Andrew. Neil wasn't fast enough. He wasn't shooting right. He wasn't even running right, which Neil called bullshit on right away.
In the end, Neil was left fuming, and he kicked Kevin off the court at the two hour mark. Kevin argued, but Neil shoved him into the wall and told him to get lost. He didn't pay any mind to the string of curses Kevin let out on his way to the stands.
Neil spent an extra half hour shooting on empty nets, practicing drills by himself and nearly running himself into the ground. He would have gone on longer, but a firm rap against the court wall had him meeting Andrew's stern gaze. Neil scanned the stands in search of Kevin, but found them empty. Panting, Neil cleaned up the court and willed the anxiety bubbling in his veins to go away.
When he was finished, Andrew was gone. Neil locked the court door and shut off all the lights, then walked to the locker room. When he entered, Andrew was sitting on the bench, staring at his phone. He didn't look up when Neil came in, so Neil put his things away and headed for a stall. He stripped, chucking his clothes off to the side and turned on the water. Hot droplets fell over his shoulders and back. Slowly, Neil dipped his head under the stream and let the warmth engulf his scalp.
"Neil," Andrew said from the other side of the curtain. Neil looked over his shoulder at the shape of Andrew's silhouette.
"Yeah?" he said.
There was a moment of silence, then the curtain opened. Andrew stood there naked except for his boxers, watching Neil with a bored expression. Neil dragged his stare from Andrew's face to his biceps, down his stomach and to the outline of his dick in his briefs. He swallowed and looked up to meet Andrew's eye. "Hey."
Andrew ticked a brow. "Hey. Can I come in?"
"Yes," Neil said, a little too quick, and Andrew rolled his eyes. He stepped into the stall and shut the curtain behind him. Then, he stepped into Neil's space, as close as he could get without touching him. Neil clenched his fists at his sides and stared into Andrew's eyes, waiting. Andrew allowed a long moment of stillness before he spoke. "Washing your hair. Yes or no?"
"Yes," Neil said softly. Andrew reached behind him for the bottle of shampoo and opened the cap. He poured some into the palm of his hands, rubbed them together, then reached up and began massaging the shampoo into Neil's hair. Immediately, Neil's eyes fell closed, and he had to work to not slump against Andrew's form. It felt good, having Andrew massage his head.
They didn't shower together very often, but when they did it was always heavenly. Andrew's fingers dug into Neil's scalp enough for Neil to feel it, enough for Neil to be able to focus on it, on him, on Andrew. Few things were better than this, which was something Neil had discovered that morning after he got back from Baltimore when Andrew had cleaned his skin, washed his hair, and taken him into his mouth.
His thoughts strayed to the image of Andrew on his knees, honey eyes looking up at Neil with his lips wrapped around Neil's cock. It had felt so good, and every other time after that had felt just as good. Neil could still feel Andrew's lips on his hip, and he shuddered. Andrew tipped Neil's head back under the water and ran his fingers through his hair, washing the soap out effectively. When he was done, he grabbed Neil's chin. "What are you thinking?"
Neil frowned slightly. "Nothing."
Andrew gave his dick a pointed look, and Neil realized with slight embarrassment that it was filling out. He chewed on his bottom lip. "Sorry. Ignore that. It'll go away."
Andrew stared at him, his hand still in Neil's hair. "You didn't answer my question."
Neil pursed his lips. He didn't want to ruin this by admitting he was thinking about Andrew sucking his cock. He didn't want to ruin the serenity of this moment by making Andrew uncomfortable, by voicing his thoughts and having Andrew decide he was done. But Andrew's gaze was sharp, and he wanted and answer.
Who was Neil to deny him anything?
"Back when we first showered together." He said, "When you...got on your knees."
Andrew's free hand skated up and down Neil's side slowly. "Is that what you want? Me on my knees?"
"Andrew," Neil said, trying to ignore how those words only made his predicament worse, "I'm happy with this. I'm happy you're here. I don't want you to feel like just cause I got hard," he trailed off, unsure how to word it. Andrew squeezed his chin hard enough that Neil almost wanted to pull away.
"When have I ever done something I didn't want to do?" Andrew asked. Neil just shrugged. Andrew watched him for a second. "If it's a no, then it's a no."
"It's not a no." Neil said.
Andrew raised a brow. "Is it a yes?"
Neil couldn't deny the subtle ache growing between his legs, and he couldn't pretend he didn't want this. "Will you stay? In here, after?"
Andrew rubbed his thumb along Neil's chin. "Yes."
"Then yes. It's a yes."
Andrew didn't drop to his knees immediately like Neil was expecting him to. Instead, he pulled Neil's face down and pressed a bruising kiss to his mouth. Neil was so glad he didn't immediately drop to his knees. Andrew's tongue poked it's way past Neil's lips and licked into his mouth, and Neil sighed. He hadn't been given permission to touch, so he kept his hands balled up at his sides as Andrew took him apart with his mouth.
The kiss was slow, but strong, and Neil was lightheaded when Andrew pulled away. Andrew slid down Neil's body, settling on his knees. He looked up at Neil as he wrapped his hand around Neil's cock. Neil sunk his teeth into his bottom lip when Andrew gave it a slow stroke. His nails dug into the palms of his hands as Andrew slid his hand up Neil's dick and brushed his thumb over the tip.
"Hands in my hair, junkie."
Neil moved fast, sinking his fingers into Andrew's damp locks, so grateful for something to hang onto Andrew leaned forward and dragged a flat tongue against Neil's tip, and Neil let out a hushed moan. His eyes threatened to fall closed, but he forced them open. He couldn't miss this. He couldn't. Not when Andrew looked so beautiful, so ethereal when he had Neil's cock on his tongue.
He dipped his head and licked a stripe from the base of Neil's dick to the top, then swirled his tongue around the tip before swallowing hi down. Neil couldn't quiet the high pitched whimper that fell from his lips, his hands tangling in Andrew's hair as Andrews hollowed out his cheeks and sucked hard.
"Fuck," Neil panted, "Oh my god,"
Heat was like a wildfire in his thighs, between his legs, in his lower belly, spreading like crazy and not showing any signs of stopping. Andrew was excellent with his mouth, and he reminded Neil of it every time he went down on him. He slackened his jaw enough to fit more of Neil's cock, then he swallowed. His throat constricting around Neil's dick was like heaven, and when he did it again Neil gasped out his name. Andrew hummed, and Neil threw his head back. "Fuck, fuck, oh fuck," he chanted, chest heaving.
His hips bucked once, twice before Andrew planted his hands on them and pinned them to the wall. Neil looked down at him and met his gaze. Andrew's eyes were narrowed as he looked up at Neil. He pulled off and pumped Neil's slowly with his hand. Neil shuddered, his skin both freezing and on fire as he noticed the evident buldge in Andrew's soaked briefs.
"Andrew..." Neil whispered, without even meaning to.
"Hm?" Andrew asked, stroking his dick with more force. Neil hissed, but when Andrew dug the pad of his finger into the slit, Neil's mouth fell open as a loud moan echoed off the walls. His hips stuttered against Andrew's hand, and his eyes squeezed shut for a moment before Neil forced them open again. Andrew rubbed his thumb right under the tip a few times before leaning back in and taking all of Neil in one go.
"Andrew," Neil moaned, "Fuck, that's so good. Fuck," he babbled, not knowing what he was going to say until he was already saying it. Pleasure built up quick inside of him, and he had to drop one hand from Andrew's hair to avoid pulling on it. "Oh, god, 'Drew,"
Andrew moaned, the vibrations hauling Neil too close to the edge. He was close, so close. And then, Andrew reached between his own legs and palmed at his crotch. Neil barely had a second to stutter out "'M coming," before his eyes squeezed shut and everything came crashing down. Waves and waves of orgasmic pleasure washed over him, and the droning of the shower was quickly replaced with his barely controlled whines as he bucked into Andrew's mouth.
He wasn't sure if he was calling out Andrew's name or if he was just repeating it in his own head, but it was all he could think. Andrew, everywhere, consuming him just as intensely as his orgasm was. Andrew sucked him through it, swallowing his cum and pumping the base of his dick gently.
Neil slumped against the tile wall, breathing out hushed moans as he slowly regained control over his thoughts and limbs. He could feel Andrew pumping his dick, slowly, but he stopped when Neil twitched from oversensetivity. Andrew stood, and Neil looked at him with awe. His hair was a mess from Neil's fingers running through it, and it was stuck to his forehead from stray drops of water from the shower.
"You're beautiful," Neil breathed.
Andrew glared. "117%. Idiot." Then, he leaned forward and captured Neil's mouth. Neil went willingly, though he was too boneless to place his hands back in Andrew's hair. The kiss was deep, exploratory, and Neil moaned through all of it. When Andrew pulled away, Neil looked down. "Want help?"
Andrew bit his chin. "Your hand."
Neil shuddered out an "Okay,", and he reached down to free Andrew from the restraint of his boxers. Andrew caught Nil's lips again, and Neil had to work to focus on pleasuring him rather than getting lost in tongues and teeth. Neil gripped Andrew's base firmly, then slowly slipped his hand up the shaft. Andrew kissed him deeper.
Neil moved faster, squeezed a little harder. Up and down, up and down. He flicked his thumb over the tip with every stroke, just as Andrew had once taught him to do. Andrew sunk his teeth into Neil's bottom lip, and Neil's whine was paired with Andrew's breathless groan as he released along Neil's fist.
His body tensed, and he dropped his forehead into Neil's neck as he rode his own orgasm out, grinding his hips into Neil's hand. Neil moved his hand slowly and carefully. After a moment, Andrew stood straight and moved Neil's hand away.
He looked at Neil with a slight crease between his brows. Neil leaned forward, without thinking, and paused to give Andrew time to push him away. When he didn't, Neil pressed his lips into the crease. When he pulled back, it was gone. Andrew was glaring at him, but Neil only saw how his jaw and brows had relaxed.
"Don't look at me like that." Andrew said.
"Okay," Neil muttered.
Andrew placed a flat palm on Neil's chest. "Hand me the body wash."
Neil did.
Andrew took his time washing Neil's body, massaging his tired and overworked muscles. Neil was granted permission to wash Andrew's hair, which he took precious care of. When they were done, they dried off and got dressed. They made it all the way into the lounge before Neil realized they were missing someone. "Where's Kevin?"
"I made him sit in the car." Andrew said.
"Why?" Neil asked.
Andrew stared at him. "So he wouldn't hear you moaning in the shower."
Neil's cheeks heated. "Oh."
They made it to the front door when Andrew stopped him with a hand on his wrist. "Do you feel better?"
Neil frowned. "What do you mean?"
Andrew rolled his eyes. "Don't pretend that you haven't been a ball of stress all day, rabbit."
Neil shrugged. Then, he smiled. Andrew had done everything to make him feel better. He'd washed his hair, made him feel good, and massaged his muscles all so Neil would feel better. And Nil did feel better. He felt relaxed. His head was quiet. Most of all, his chest felt fluttery, light. Yeah, Neil felt amazing - all because of Andrew. His Andrew, who cared enough to help.
Andrew frowned at him. "What?"
"I'm good," Neil said quietly, as if a louder tone would betray how loved he felt. "I feel good. Thank you."
Andrew shoved him forward. "Shut up. You're going straight to bed when we get back."
Neil laughed, carefree. "Aye aye, 'Drew."