Chapter Text
Andrew Minyard flicks his lighter, closes it, flicks it open again and watches the flame burn.
The TSA agent nearby gives him a stern look, and he stares flatly back until she turns away with an eye roll. He wonders, in a detached way, what Wymack would do if he got himself arrested for burning down the airport instead of retrieving his shiny new teammate. Especially considering Wymack doesn't even know Andrew is the one picking Neil Josten up today. It was supposed to be Nicky, because apparently their coach wants their new teammate dead in a car wreck before the season even starts. Well unfortunately for him, Andrew has his own plans.
He shoves the lighter back in his pocket as he spots Neil across the room, slightly obscured behind a crowd of people. Neil's eyes land on Andrew and then the crowd disperses, revealing a second, identical Neil Josten right next to him. Andrew blinks. With all of his planning and strategizing for this meeting, he hadn't managed to account for this.
The two of them walk toward him and stop a few feet away. One stares warily around the room, the other offers him a nod.
"There are two of you," Andrew says flatly. "This is a surprise. Did no one tell you I hate surprises?"
-
Eli very carefully does not roll his eyes at the man in front of him. Unsure which Minyard it is, but it hardly matters, so long as he keeps away from Abram. Eli keeps his eyes on Minyard while Abram scans the roaming crowd for any other threats, but Eli doubts any will be here.
"Who cares?" Eli says breezily, rolling the tension out of his shoulders and shifting the duffle bag he's carrying. Abram remains quiet, watching, perched on his feet and ready to run. Good. "Can we go? I need a nap."
It wasn't a long flight, but it was long enough. Eli hates airports almost as much as Abram, and he's cranky and tired. Nice of them to send an attractive chauffeur, but he really hopes it's the less stabby one.
-
Andrew's expression sours with distaste. His hands twitch for his knives but he keeps them still for now.
"We aren't going anywhere until you tell me who the fuck you are," he says. "I distinctly remember recruiting one Neil Josten, not two of them. Which one of you is the imposter?"
-
Eli smiles unpleasantly, ignoring the way Abram's eyes fall on him and flick quickly away. Abram's never been entirely comfortable looking in the mirror.
"Package deal, blondie," he says, gesturing to them both. "Which one are you, then?"
-
Andrew ignores the question. His gaze flicks toward the quieter clone, who is avoiding eye contact with both of them. Andrew's fairly certain he's the one he'd met in Arizona. Maybe 80% sure.
He steps forward toward the quiet one, whose eyes dart up to meet Andrew's. He's plain-looking at a first glance, mousy brown hair and brown eyes, with baggy clothing that hides his form, but he's undeniably attractive, which only irritates Andrew more.
"Neil. You are Neil, aren't you? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't leave both your asses here and let you find your own way to Coach’s place. And I don't like liars, so don't be one." Andrew draws a small knife from his armband and flashes the blade, holding it close to his body to avoid unwanted attention, but making sure it catches Neil's eye.
-
Eli sees a brief flash of a knife and his body does the thinking for him. He's standing in front of Abram in half a heartbeat, face split into the smile that still gives his brother nightmares. He feels the warmth of his twin at his back, comforting and familiar. The threat at his front is much the same, in a twisted sort of way.
It just had to be the stabby one.
"Don't talk to him," he says pleasantly. He keeps his body relaxed and is glad for the first aid kit tucked into the duffle. If he gets stabbed here Abram can sew him up. Sucks they don't have any vodka, though.
He nudges Abram, making a mental note to scold him later. He should've taken off the second Eli stepped in front of him, but he's been weird about that since their mom died.
"Fuck off, then," he says, giving a dismissive little wave. He doesn't give the knife a second glance; either the man will use it or he won't, and Eli will deal with it either way.
-
Interesting how the mouthy one is so protective. Andrew notes the complete lack of fear the man shows for his own well-being. He considers stabbing him just to teach him that actions do have consequences, but there are too many prying eyes around. Better to get his answers later.
The knife disappears and Andrew takes a step backward, affecting a bored expression. "Baggage claim?"
-
Abram's fingers curl in the back of his shirt and Eli can't help the narrowing of his eyes. Why the sudden de-escalation? He wonders if it's a ploy, trying to get them somewhere less crowded.
"It's fine," Abram murmurs to him. "Let's get out of here."
Right. Airports always set Abram off. Too many eyes.
To Minyard, Eli shrugs easily, the duffle jostling. "We've just got this."
A single duffle bag, packed full of all the things a person could need.
-
Andrew turns on his heel and walks away, not waiting to see if his charges will follow. He focuses on getting his cigarette lit as he pushes through people and walks in front of traffic.
When he gets to his car he unlocks it with a click. "Bag in the trunk," he directs them.
-
Eli and Abram exchange a glance and a shrug, and hurry after Minyard. Fuck, which one was it that kicked the shit out of those guys not long ago? Eli can't remember. Abram will surely know, the obsessive little weirdo, but Eli isn't going to stop and ask.
Minyard can move pretty quick for someone so short, and the twins hurry after him, holding up a hand in apology to the honking cars that screech to a stop in an effort to avoid mowing him down.
Eli is reluctant to part with their bag, but not as reluctant as Abram. A glance at him shows twitchy fingers and a posture poised to flee, and though it always hurts to see him like this, it's really the only way. Trying to project confidence, Eli drops the bag in the trunk and nudges his brother with a shoulder.
"Shotgun," he says, like anything else was ever an option. Abram rolls his eyes at him, but climbs into the backseat without a word.
-
Andrew takes his time finishing up his cigarette before he flicks it away and gets into the car. Of course the mouthy Neil (or not-Neil?) takes the passenger seat. Andrew eyes the quieter one in the backseat as he puts the car in reverse.
"So. Neil Josten and Neil Josten. Is one of you going to give me another name to call you, or should I just refer to you as Dumb and Dumber?" He looks from the backseat to the passenger seat as he speaks, to indicate which one he thinks is which.
-
Eli can't stop the grin from overtaking his face, flicking his eyes up to the rearview mirror to catch Abram's gaze. Minyard has no idea how funny he is, seeing as 'Neil Josten' is both of them, the twins switching in and out of the role depending on who suits the situation better.
But Minyard's already made his assumptions. No reason not to lean into them.
"You can call me Eli. Right, Neil?" He says the stolen name like a joke between the two of them, but Abram doesn't seem to find it funny. Probably caught on the fact that Eli gave out his actual name; or as close as he's willing to get. Well, Abram's always been better at swimming through their identities, letting go of one on the exhale and breathing in the next. Eli's more talented at holding his breath.
-
Andrew pays for parking, then guns the engine as soon as the bar is up. He revs the engine with satisfaction as he swerves through traffic, ignoring the honking of horns around him.
"Eli. E-lie. A fitting name for an imposter. Okay, E-lie, here are your choices," he says, counting on his fingers. "Number one: you convince me that I should bring you both to Coach’s place and let you near my family. I don't like to repeat myself, so I'm being generous by asking a second time. Number two, I crash the car and we all die. Up to you."
-
Jesus, Minyard drives like someone with a death wish. And judging by the words, he sure as shit has one one, too.
"It's too nice of a car to wreck," Abram says, trying to be helpful, but Eli wishes he wouldn't. The less said between his brother and the pointier Minyard, the better.
"Unclench, asshole," Eli says, rolling his eyes. "Your coach knows about both of us. I told you already, we're a package deal."
-
"Was that so hard to say in the first place?" Andrew says pleasantly. "I do hope you're telling the truth. For your sake, of course." If he isn't, Andrew will just kill him at Wymack's. Easier to clean up the blood there than in his car anyway.
He lifts his gaze to the rearview mirror to make eye contact with Neil. "Don't think I've forgotten you tried to run away from us last month. Kevin's still butt-hurt about that, you know. What did Coach say to get you to change your mind?"
-
Eli's "I did say that," is rudely ignored as Minyard turns his attention to Abram, who doesn't look at all comfortable with the question. But he soldiers through, giving a twitchy sort of shrug.
"Got to come out early, and Eli comes with." Abram looks a bit queasy using the name in front of someone else, where it has only ever been whispered in secret between them, or harshly spat by their mother before. He doesn't mention his Exy obsession or his hero-worship of Kevin Day, which is probably for the best.
Eli shoots a smug smirk at Minyard and mouths 'package deal.'
-
Andrew ignores the mouthy imposter and stays focused on Neil in the backseat who is squirming like he wants to duck out of the vehicle and run.
"So you both play," Andrew hums. "How boring. Neil, you already said you weren't good enough to play with us. Is the same true for your doppelganger here? Kevin wouldn't have agreed to take on dead weight, so he must have seen some potential in you. Unless Coach went over his head. Which is it?"
-
Abram predictably perks up at the chance to talk about Exy, the side of his mouth even twitching into a tiny smile.
"He plays goalie and he's great!" Abram says excitedly, then pauses and adds, "and sometimes striker."
The 'sometimes striker' Abram refers to is when Eli took his place on the court during a bout of illness. He hadn't wanted to, but if they'd have lost that game the season would have ended early and Eli would never have allowed that, especially since at the time they thought their access to an Exy court was limited.
-
Andrew raises an eyebrow. Another goalie, Coach, really? Andrew might be offended not to have been told about this if he cared about Exy at all. Still, having another goalie sub might get Kevin off Andrew's dick a bit. He won't complain about that.
"Coach will be pleased to have someone else around to clean up the team's messes," is all he says.
Abruptly done with this conversation, he cranks up the music and drives the rest of the way to Wymack's without speaking. He pulls up outside the apartment complex and hops out, opening the trunk with his key ring and joining his family on the curb. Kevin looks as surprised as Andrew was to see their additional guest.
"You didn't know about this, I take it?" Andrew asks him.
-
Eli gets out of the car, ears ringing, and watches Minyard join a small group. Abram grabs their bag and Eli huffs a laugh at the shocked look on their faces before turning to take in the twins. Eli's never really seen another pair of twins up close before, and it's... weird, seeing identical faces make different expressions.
"No, I didn't know about this," Kevin Day says, affronted, and he sounds so much like his younger self that Eli laughs. "Who are you? Which one of you is Neil Josten?"
If only they knew.
"I'm Neil," Abram offers, flicking a glance to Eli and back again. "This is Eli."
"Didn't know there would be a welcome party," Eli says, grabbing the duffle from Abram and slinging it over his shoulder.
-
"Apparently Coach signed off on it," Andrew tells Kevin, bored. Kevin's obvious annoyance is mildly amusing at least.
Nicky steps up to the newcomers with a smile and offers a hand for each of them to shake. "Hey. Welcome to South Carolina. Flight go okay?"
-
Eli shakes this new man's hand and smiles. At least the people here are hot. Completely fucking bonkers, but easy on the eyes. "Well, no crash landings so it could've gone worse."
Abram gives him a wide-eyed look as he reluctantly shakes his hand as well and Eli tries not to make his amusement too obvious.
-
"Glad to hear it. I'm Nicky," Nicky says, giving Neil's hand an extra squeeze before letting go. "Andrew and Aaron's cousin, backliner extraordinaire. And very curious if either of you swing my way, because—"
Kevin interrupts, frowning at Eli. "What do you play? Are you any good?"
-
Oh, well. That's interesting. Eli flicks a quick, appraising look up and down Nicky and decides he wouldn't be opposed. But then Kevin butts in and Eli gives him a withering look before turning his attention to more important matters.
"Well, Nicky, actually—"
"He plays goalie," Abram chirps up happily, completely oblivious. Eli sighs, slanting him a fond look, and figures he'll hit Nicky up later.
"I'm decent," he shrugs. He'd really rather not be dragged onto an Exy court unless it's to help Abram practice.
"He's great!" Abram says unhelpfully.
-
Kevin looks extremely interested to find out if this is true. Nicky is also eyeing Eli up very unsubtly, for different reasons. Aaron rolls his eyes and goes back to messing around on his phone. Andrew feels a headache coming on.
"No more Exy talk," Andrew says. "We'll be on the court soon enough."
"Suitcases in the trunk?" Nicky asks, heading to grab them. When the Jostens reiterate that they only have the one bag between them, Nicky looks baffled. "No way. Do you two seriously plan on living the whole year with one bag of clothes between you? I could never, I'm way too materialistic." He laughs at himself.
-
Abram's eyes flit over the car again, expression probably blank to the others but Eli knows he's thinking yeah, we can tell, and tries not to laugh.
"We get by," Eli says. "Don't need much."
The other Minyard heaves a huge sigh and drags his eyes up from his phone. He looks pissed and exhausted but not like he's about to pull a knife on them, which makes him the preferable twin in Eli's opinion.
"Can we get a fucking move on?" he says. "I have better shit to do."
Eli wonders what shit he could have to do during summer break but doesn't ask.
-
They pile into the elevator, a slightly tight fit between the six of them. Nicky has shuffled himself so he's next to Eli, and gives him a big wink. Andrew sighs internally. He supposes there's no harm in it, so long as Eli is telling the truth that he has permission to be here. At least Nicky is directing his flirtations at someone who might be interested for once.
Neil is glancing around the elevator in a squirrely way, a hunted look in his dark brown eyes. Andrew keeps his attention on him as they walk down the hall to Wymack's apartment and Aaron gets the door open.
"Home sweet home," Nicky says, gesturing inside. "Assuming you both are staying here? Coach only has the one couch, but my bed at Abby's is open for guests anytime."
-
Eli is not above a little flattering, and Nicky's very obvious desire is kind of doing it for him, at least for the moment. Eli is normally the one to make his interest known, not the other way around. It's nice to switch it up.
Abram freezes when they walk inside the apartment. Eli isn't sure if it's because they have a semi-permanent place to stay for a bit, or if it's because that place is with a man their father's age, but he leans his weight into his brother's side and feels him relax.
"We'll be sticking together," Eli tells Nicky. As much as he likes getting his rocks off, he's not about to abandon his brother to do it. "I'm taking the floor."
Abram doesn't say anything, but Eli knows it's more likely that they'll both end up there eventually, curled up back to back.
-
Nicky nods. "Offer stands if you change your mind. How about a tour?"
Neil and Eli follow Nicky and Aaron down the hall while Andrew takes the opportunity to rifle through Wymack's cabinets. He finds his quarry, a full bottle of whiskey, and shoves it behind a couch cushion for now. Then he kicks back on the couch and stares at the ceiling.
He needs more information. There's something very strange about these Jostens, but Andrew doesn't know what. He flips through the few memories he has of them: meeting Neil in Arizona, the tapes Kevin made him watch. Nothing jumps out. He thinks about the duffle bag that supposedly contains everything the two of them need. A place to start investigating, perhaps.
Kevin allows Andrew a few minutes of peace before he begins speculating about Eli's skills and what Coach had been thinking, recruiting him without consulting Kevin and blah blah blah. Andrew tunes him out until the doorknob rattles and Coach lets himself in.
"Coach, you've been hiding secrets," Andrew says, cutting off any of Wymack's usual complaints about Andrew breaking into his house.
Wymack looks around the living room suspiciously. "What did you do with them? I swear to god, Minyard..."
Nicky takes that moment to come trotting down the hall with the newbies and Aaron in tow. Andrew gestures toward them with a flourish. "Unfair accusations. Not a hair on their little heads harmed, see? Despite the lack of forewarning on your part. You know how much I hate surprises."
Wymack scrubs a hand over his face. "Not everything is your business, Andrew."
-
Nicky takes lead on the little tour, the better Minyard tagging along with his eyes glued to his phone. Eli briefly wonders what's got him so hooked before deciding he doesn't care. They head back to the living room when they hear the door open, in time to hear the coach give a tired reproach.
Andrew! That was the stab-happy one's name. Which means the better twin was Aaron. Mystery solved.
"Don't know why you care," Eli says, leaning against the wall. "So what if there's two of us? We're basically the same person anyway."
Abram tries to give him a sour look for dangling a secret like that so obviously, but Eli can see his mouth twitching in amusement.
-
A twin joke? Andrew glances at Aaron, both of their mouths twisting in disgust at the idea of being considered the same person.
Wymack looks over Neil and Eli and nods. "At least you got here safe. I was pretty sure Nicky's driving was going to get you killed."
Andrew eyes the Josten twins to see how they respond.
-
Abram and Eli share a look. Nicky, huh?
"We've suffered through worse," Eli says brightly, thinking of his mother swerving and the flip of a car, the sound of gunshots and the plodding of feet through the dark.
Wymack stares at them through narrowed eyes, then turns to Nicky accusingly. "Sure you have."
"Hey!" Nicky protests, putting his hands up in defeat but still whining, "I'm not that bad!"
-
"Yes you are," Aaron says, still not looking up from his phone.
Nicky pouts.
Andrew gets up and swipes the bottle from behind the couch cushion, passing it deftly to Kevin while Wymack is distracted. "Leaving now," he announces. "Is the fresh meat tagging along too?"
"Going where?" Wymack asks, eyes narrowed.
"Court," Kevin says, already halfway out the door with the bottle tucked behind his back.
"We can take them to Abby's after," Aaron says. "You didn't need them, did you?"
-
The three of them head out, while Nicky lingers. Abram turns his big eyes on Eli, who had no desire to keep him from his beloved Exy anyway. Even if he had been hoping for a nap.
"We'll meet you guys in a second," Eli tells Nicky. "Gotta talk to your coach about something."
A few minutes later, duffle bag locked away and a pair of jingly keyrings acquired, the twins head out to find their entourage waiting impatiently by the elevator.
-
The elevator ride down to the street is silent. Andrew figures he's not getting more information out of these tight-lipped strangers until he takes it forcibly for himself, so for now he draws back and watches them. The two have so far seemed oddly in sync, anticipating each other's moves without speaking and making all kinds of significant eye contact. He wonders distantly if that's what it's like for all twins who get to grow up together.
When they reach the car, Andrew slides into the front seat and leaves it to the rest of them to figure out the seating arrangement.
Nicky is the first one to realize the problem as they begin piling in. "Uh, Andrew? You've only got five seats and there are six of us."
"You should change your major to math with intelligence like that," Andrew says.
-
Kevin immediately slides into the passenger seat. Asshole.
"We'll double up," Abram says. Eli shrugs his assent and moves to the car when Nicky speaks up.
"You might be more comfortable on my lap," he tells Eli. Aaron looks up from his phone to grimace at his cousin, but Nicky smiles angelically at both of them.
"Sure, Nicky," Eli says. Abram blinks at him, confused, absolutely not picking up any of what Nicky's been putting down, and Eli feels another wave of fondness wash over him. He bumps their shoulders together before crossing to the other side and plopping himself on Nicky's lap, Abram next to them and Aaron at the other window, once again absorbed in his phone.
-
Well at least someone's having fun. Andrew peels away from the curb and heads off to the court. The sooner they get there, the sooner they can leave.
Nicky gives Neil and Eli a tour of the Foxhole Court and they all eventually end up in the locker room. Andrew plants himself on a bench with the stolen whiskey, sucking down a healthy amount. Nicky can drive them to Abby's, and Andrew needs something to get him through Kevin's obnoxious nattering while he watches his two new players.
His interest is piqued when he sees Neil slip away into a bathroom stall with his gear, while his twin stays in the locker room to change like a normal person.
-
Abram predictably takes off, going to change where no one can see. He would hate the questions and attention it garnered. He would prefer it even more if his brother would do the same, but Eli's had enough of hiding.
He strips down, ignoring the sudden silence that means people have frozen. Eventually, there's a choking sort of inhale and Eli glances over to see a stunned look on Aaron's face.
"What the fuck happened to you?" he asks, and Eli raises his eyebrows.
"Why you lookin'?" he returns, and it's enough to snap Aaron out of whatever horrified response his scars provoked. Instead he scowls, pink rushing to his cheeks, and Eli laughs. Definitely the preferable Minyard, he decides, pulling his jersey on. He’s cute. "I'm kidding, man. Horrible accident, don't worry about it."
He saunters over to the stalls and bangs twice on one. Abram scurries out, clothes in hand, and dumps them into the same locker as Eli.
"Can we play now?" he asks, oblivious to the tension in the room.
-
Despite himself, Andrew's mouth ticks in amusement at the way Eli is able to fluster Aaron. Serves Aaron right for asking a question that obviously has no good answer. These aren't scars from an accident, Andrew is sure. He spots cigarette burns and knife scars and even the pucker of an old gunshot wound before they disappear neatly beneath Eli's jersey.
Between these scars and Neil flat-out hiding to change his clothes, Andrew's distrust for these two is at an all time high, but there's nothing he can do yet. He follows lazily behind as Nicky and Aaron lead the two newbies onto the court, and plunks himself down on the sidelines to continue nursing his whiskey. Kevin stands with his nose practically pressed to the glass, waiting to see what these two are made of. He's already seen Neil play in tapes and at his final game in Millport, but Eli is a completely unknown factor. Andrew can't fathom how anyone can be as interested in this pointless sport as Kevin is, but he'll admit in the privacy of his own head that he is mildly curious to see if Eli's goalie skills are up to his standards.
-
Kevin Day apparently considers himself too good to get on the court with them, so it's Abram against two backliners and a goalie, which hardly seems fair. When Abram manages to sneak shots by the backliners, Eli barely moves, blocking sloppy and lazy, letting his brother show off to his new teammates.
He can feel Abram pouting about it, though. His brother gets whiny when Eli holds back on the court, insisting he wants the challenge.
Eventually, his majesty Kevin Day calls for a break and Eli is the first off the court. Kevin stomps over, pointing a finger in Eli's face.
"What do you think you're doing?" he demands. Eli looks between the finger and his face, unimpressed. "Is that the best you've got? What the fuck was Wymack thinking?"
Abram appears next to him, sweaty and out of breath, leaning into his side.
"Hey, he's much better than that!" Abram defends. Then, quieter, just for Eli to hear, "Why aren't you playing right?"
Eli has a feeling that telling Abram he wanted him to get some goals in wouldn't go over well, so instead he says flatly, "Sorry, just so tired from the flight."
Abram gives him that stupid pouty look again and Eli predictably crumbles. "Ugh, fine. I'll do better."
-
Andrew loses interest in the practice almost immediately as it becomes apparent that Eli sucks ass at goalkeeping. He's not the worst Andrew's ever seen, but Renee could block circles around him, and frankly Andrew is questioning Coach's already questionable judgement. He drinks more whiskey, hoping to drown out the sounds of Kevin growing increasingly frustrated next to him.
That is, until Andrew catches on to what Eli is doing. It's a subtle thing, but Eli's body is always positioned the exact right way to save the goal, always moving in the right direction. He's just moving too slowly to get there on time, or he changes direction at the last second for no apparent reason. Andrew narrows his eyes. He's pulled this same shit on Kevin before when Kevin was pissing him off. He knows what it looks like when a goalie is holding back intentionally.
What is Eli's game here? Trying to make his brother look like a better striker than he is? It's pointless, they all already know how much Neil's skills are lacking.
He watches with mild interest as Kevin finally confronts Eli, with Neil jumping in to defend his twin. Then they head back onto the court and this time, Andrew's fully paying attention.
-
Pleased with himself, Abram drags Eli back on the court, eager to get back to playing. Though he's still reluctant, Eli dutifully blocks any shots Abram manages to get around Nicky and Aaron. He still doesn't think this is fair, but as usual, Abram is only energized by the challenge.
Eventually, Aaron calls this practice to a halt. Abram is very clearly disappointed, but praises the backliners and thanks them for the practice.
"Yeah, well, you aren't terrible," Aaron says begrudgingly. "It'll take awhile to get you to where you need to be, but you'll get there."
From what Eli can tell, this is high praise from the man, and he gives Aaron a bright smile while Abram nods solemnly.
"Alright, let's go see what coach Kevin has to say," Eli says, rolling his eyes. Nicky laughs and begins a story about Kevin as an assistant coach as they file off the court.
-
It's clear to Andrew that Neil's clumsy shooting poses no challenge for Eli. He finds himself wanting to see the other goalie pushed to his limits, to determine exactly where that line is. He's so caught up in watching them that he's actually taken by surprise when Aaron calls an end to practice.
Andrew shakes his head, reminding himself he doesn't care about this stupid sport. He notices Kevin watching him with a look in his eye that Andrew really doesn't like. Andrew picks up his whiskey bottle and shoulder-checks Kevin on his way out.
"What the hell, Andrew," Kevin complains, but he's distracted by Neil and Eli coming off the court.
Andrew doesn't stick around to hear what Kevin has to say to them.
-
What follows is an interrogation about Exy skills from Kevin, and then a terribly awkward dinner at the nurse's house. Nicky reminds Eli that his bed is open and Eli smiles and turns him down.
The twins sleep curled up on the floor, back to back like always. If Wymack thinks this odd, he doesn’t mention it. And the next day unfortunately finds them back on the court.
Nicky turns his attention to Abram today, which would be fine if Abram was interested. Maybe the man took Eli turning him down as a full rejection instead of a raincheck. Abram discourages Nicky as best he can, but it's clear Nicky isn't getting it.
"Neil doesn't date," Eli eventually steps in. "Or hook up. Unlike me."
He gives Nicky a pointed look and gets a wide smile in return.
-
"What, at all? How are you not bored of your hand by now? Maybe you just need a little push," Nicky is saying in a wheedling tone to Neil as Andrew walks into the locker room.
Andrew takes in the scene: Eli standing halfway in front of Neil, Neil looking like he wants to be anywhere else, Nicky with his hands outstretched in what Andrew assumes is supposed to be a convincing pose.
Andrew looks sharply at Nicky. "Who needs a push?"
"Nicky's scheming to rape Neil," Aaron says, and blood rushes through Andrew's ears, nearly drowning out the next words. "Apparently Eli alone isn't enough, he has to go for both of them at once."
"You're such an asshole," Nicky says, heading for the door. He makes the mistake of turning his back on Andrew, who lunges at him and shoves him against the wall, hard. It's a stark contrast to when Andrew attacked those guys for beating up Nicky in the alley; this time Nicky is the threat, and Andrew's skin crawls at having to touch him.
"Hey Nicky," Andrew says quietly in German. "Don't touch Neil, you understand?"
Nicky protests, so Andrew slips out a knife and presses it to his ribs. Nicky goes abruptly silent. Andrew's hands are steady despite the fear and rage warring at the back of his head. Nicky is safe. Andrew knows he would rather die than hurt him or Aaron. And yet he still pulls this shit, pushes where he shouldn't, sets Andrew's teeth on edge and makes his scars itch. Andrew could never hurt Nicky. Andrew should have killed Nicky the minute he started making these jokes. It would be so easy to push the knife between his ribs, to snuff out that life. Terrifyingly easy.
One thought pulses louder than all the others: No one is ever going to hurt Andrew like that again. And no one is going to hurt any of Andrew’s teammates like that, not on his watch. Not even if it's Nicky.
Andrew is teetering on an edge, his control slipping away, and he's not sure which way he's going to fall.
-
Eli and Abram go still, watching warily as Andrew pulls a knife on his own cousin. What was that about? He doesn't give a shit about Abram, so this can't be some misguided attempt at protection. A sort of power play, maybe? Make sure Nicky knows who's in charge?
And oh. The German is a surprise. Eli glances at Abram with raised eyebrows, but Abram shakes his head firmly. Alright, then. Keeping that a secret until later, he guesses.
"Andrew," Abram says, voice calm but steely. Nicky swallows audibly. Eli is tempted to slap a hand over Abram's mouth, but it's fine. If this backfires and Andrew turns the knife on Abram, Eli will step in like always. "Andrew, hey. Put the knife away. We need to go play. Kevin's waiting."
-
Andrew's attention falters, drawn to Neil. Neil talking, telling him they need to go play Exy. Andrew wants to laugh. Exy has never felt less important.
But it's enough of a distraction. All at once the rage and fear slip sideways, back inside where Andrew can't reach them anymore. Suddenly he's just exhausted, his limbs heavy as lead.
He looks at Nicky, who tries to nod and shake his head at the same time, babbling in German that he won't touch Neil, that he's sorry. Andrew steps back and away, lets Nicky slump to the floor on shaky legs.
Andrew does not care.
He goes over to his locker and begins changing like nothing happened, his ears ringing loud enough to shut out all the sounds around him. When he looks up again, the locker room is empty.
-
Oddly enough, Abram's bid for attention seems to have worked. Andrew backs up, eyes empty and distant, and Nicky slumps to the floor. Aaron cautiously approaches, keeping eyes on Andrew, grabs Nicky by the arm, and lugs him out of the room.
Good idea, actually. Ridiculously, Abram looks like he wants to stay and say more. Like hell. Eli grabs him by the wrist and gently tugs. Luckily Abram hasn't lost his mind completely and that's all it takes to get him to follow. When they meet the others on the court, Kevin is already ranting about taking too long.
"So what the fuck was that?" Eli asks, ignoring him. Nicky lets out a laugh that's just slightly hysterical.
"That was my fault," Nicky says, and Eli's brows raise. "Andrew's boundaries aren't like yours or mine, and he won't let them be crossed. Just forget it."
"Right," Eli says doubtfully.
-
Underneath the emptiness and apathy is the gnawing need for a cigarette, which Andrew ignores. He's more than used to denying himself.
Instead he goes directly to the court and works his way through the warm-ups, barely aware of everyone else keeping their distance. Kevin is the only one who will come near him, and Andrew blocks his shots half-heartedly, tuning out Kevin's usual criticism and complaints.
Eventually Kevin demands they play a scrimmage game, three on three. He wants to put Eli's goalkeeping skills to the test, so he takes Andrew and Nicky, and puts Aaron and Neil on Eli's side. It's not even close to a fair matchup, so Andrew decides to even things out by standing still in the goal.
-
Eli doesn't really give a shit about Exy. It's fun when he's goalkeeping against his brother, and he likes hearing Abram prattle on about it. With their mother gone he's been doing that a lot this past year, no longer needing to keep it to whispers between them in the dark.
So when Kevin Day, son of Exy, decides to pit himself against Eli, he fully plans on doing jack shit. Kevin's skill and determination would be impressive, if Exy was something that could impress him.
But then Abram turns to him with bright, excited eyes, and his mouth twitching into a smile he can't hide, and Eli sighs. God damn him.
The scrimmage starts. Aaron is a better backliner than Nicky, and Abram has speed on his side, but Kevin is leagues better than them both. It doesn't take him long to break past defenses and shoot on goal. Eli blocks and swings it up to Abram, already darting down the court, and Andrew's goal lights up red right as Nicky checks Abram to the floor.
"You didn't even try," Eli can hear the whine in his brother's voice from across the court as he picks himself up. It's true. Andrew didn't so much as twitch.
-
Andrew responds to this deeply hurtful accusation by crossing his arms and leaning on his racquet to rest his chin on top. Kevin yells at Andrew a bit, but he's too busy trying to score on Eli to really make it a full-on lecture.
Andrew lets his eyes slip closed. He feels like he could fall asleep right here in the goal. Maybe he will.
-
What the fuck. It's so not fair that Andrew's over there practically asleep on his feet while Eli has to whack this stupid ball over and over again. Kevin gets three goals on him, which is even more annoying, but considering how often he manages to snatch the ball away from Abram and Aaron to shoot, it's not a bad showing.
And Abram looks to be having the time of his life, even though he keeps trying to cajole Andrew into opening his eyes and playing.
"Can I go now?" Eli says eventually. He's worked up a sweat and everything. Gross.
-
Andrew doesn't quite manage to fall asleep, mostly because Neil won't shut up the entire game trying to get him to play. He's nearly as annoying as Kevin. Andrew wishes them both a painful death.
Eli, on the other hand, is putting up a real fight against Kevin. Looks like Neil wasn't lying about his brother being good at Exy after all. Not just good, he's excellent. Andrew doesn't think he could have played better himself, even if he gave a shit. He supposes Kevin and Wymack won't be so reliant on Andrew anymore to keep their team hanging on by a thread.
Kevin reluctantly agrees to let them stop when Eli asks, though Andrew knows this has nothing to do with Kevin's merciful benevolence and everything to do with his once-a-week scheduled Skype call with Thea.
Andrew is off the court before anyone else. He can't handle a full shower right now but he barely worked up a sweat anyway, so he just wipes down the important areas, changes clothes and goes outside to smoke.
-
Eli throws a jealous look Andrew's way as he skips a shower, but Abram distracts him quickly enough, babbling happily about the scrimmage. Eli grabs his clothes from their locker, shoves it into his brother's hands, and gently pushes him in the direction of the showers. Abram takes the hint and scampers off while Eli strips in the locker room and grabs his towel.
From the corner of his eye he can see Aaron staring at his scars again. He can't really blame him; Eli knows his skin looks like a horror show, though the body beneath it isn't too bad. Bit thin, but food has been scarce until recently.
He turns and catches Aaron's eye, raising a brow.
"Keep staring and I'm gonna have to start making assumptions," he says, and Aaron flushes again. Eli is delighted to find that the tips of his ears turn red, too.
Aaron stammers out some weak defense, looking away, and Eli laughs, shaking his head and making his way to the lockers. He winks at a leering Nicky and locks himself in a stall.