Chapter Text
The chime of the bell sounded as Neil pushed through the café’s glass door. Bean There, Done That was a relatively new establishment that Neil had begun visiting. Its self-proclaimed title of ‘Palmetto’s Best’ was posted all around the shop made Neil cringe internally. The whole place screamed pretentious, with its forced grunge aesthetic, the overpriced (yet mediocre) coffee and its insufferably named drinks.
Despite all these faults, Neil has been stopping at the café for the last two weeks since landing in Pametto. He tells himself it's convenient since it's on the way back from his morning run, but the real reason is something so complicated that Neil himself can't even solve it. And that reason is Andrew M. A blonde, short,–shorter than he was–angry man stood behind the till looking bored out of his mind, and Neil didn't think it was due to the lack of customers at 6:35 in the morning.
Neil held his breath as the man’s hazel eyes locked onto his. Andrew’s eyes then continued slowly down Neil's sweat-covered body. Down his pulsing neck, his heaving chest, and finally stopping on his thighs.
Neil’s shorts were tighter and shorter than usual, which his roommates made sure to tease him about this morning.
“All my other pairs are in the laundry. These are all that's left.” Neil argued with a blush.
“I believe you, Neil,” Katelyn said with a polite smile, sipping away at her ginger tea. Neil didn’t understand how she drank all these herbal teas.
“I don't!” Miles interrupted. “You whore. Seducing your cute barista with that body of yours.” He made a few crude gestures Neil wasn’t sure he fully understood.
“He’s not mine–” “He will be,” Miles smirked. Neil started to protest again. “Use that rockin’ bod. You work hard for it. And those shorts will definitely get his attention. Let me know if you need any pointers. I’m happy to share.” He winked.
Neil’s cheeks heated, and any objection Neil wanted to voice died on his tongue. He admitted defeat and slammed the door behind him to start his run.
Neil became quite close with his new roommates in the two weeks it's been since he came to Palmetto for early training for the Vixens. Katelyn, with her kindness and gentle disposition, eased Neil’s worries from the start. And Miles, while the complete opposite, with his enthusiasm and being the only other guy on the team, quickly latched onto Neil–
A scoff snapped Neil back to reality. He startled and realised how long he’d been staring at Andrew. Indulging.
“Snap out of it, Nathaniel. What did I tell you about this? It's a distraction, it's dangerous.” Mary screamed as she dragged him by the hair.
You aren't allowed to have this, his instincts screamed.
But you can, his mind unhelpfully supplied.
He caught Andrew’s knowing smirk and slanted eyes and knew he'd been figured out. He flushed and made his way to the counter. He distracted himself by staring at the coffee board above the blonde's head.
He was still getting used to the strange names of the drinks. What the hell is The Rich and the Pour? Or Morally Earl Grey? Neil didn't understand artists.
“Need any help?” A voice broke him from his thoughts. Neil’s gaze shifted back to his favourite golden eyes.
“How can I just get a regular iced coffee?” He glanced back at the board. Was it The Virgin? Neil really didn’t want to say that out loud, especially in front of Andrew.
“That’ll be $4.95,” Andrew said easily, tapping away at the register. The anxiety eased in Neil’s chest. Andrew must have seen that. “For future reference, if I’m not here, an americano is The Alpha-cano,” he pointed to one of the boards. “I know. Stupid, right? They’re named after romance book tropes.” Andrew huffed to himself.
Neil still didn’t understand how Fake ReLatteShip was a romantic trope, but Neil didn’t know much about coffee or romance, so he didn’t think too hard about it.
“I can set you up with an account and put your regular order in, so you don't have to say your order every time?”
Neil let out a breath. “Please. Let's do that.” Neil noted a slight cringe in Andrew’s usually passive features. Neil pushed that to the back of his mind for now.
Andrew swiped one of the black loyalty cards displayed at the front of the tills. “Name and number.”
“Neil Josten.” He responded and gave his number.
“It suits you.”
“What does?”
“Your name.”
“Oh, thanks. It's new.” He did not just say that, did he? He had only been given this name a couple of months ago by the FBI, so it was technically the truth, but his stupid crush didn’t need to know that.
“That was a joke?” Andrew helpfully supplied, though had a tone of suspicion.
“Yes, a joke, absolutely. Ha ha.” He punctuated the words, but didn't sound convinced to his own ears. He hoped Andrew just assumed he was socially awkward, technically not a lie either.
“Okay.” Andrew huffed something that was as close to a laugh as Neil had heard from the man. “First drink is free with the loyalty card so take a seat. Your drink will be ready in a few, Neil.” He liked how his name sounded from Andrew’s lips.
And now he was staring at his lips. Full and pink. The light reflected on the black piercings of the left side of his mouth. Neil had looked them up the first time he saw them. Spider Bites. They suited him so goddamn well. He was entranced.
“I like your piercings.” Neil’s mind stupidly contributed. He gestured vaguely to his own face.
Andrew licked his spider bites absentmindedly, and Neil's eyes vaulted down to the motion. “Do you want to get one?”
“Get what?” Neil managed to get out.
“A piercing? I know a guy. He’s good.”
“I don’t-”
“Just let me know. I’ll hook you up.” Neil blushed.
“Thanks.”
“Take a seat. I'll have your drink ready now.” Neil heated at having to be told twice but complied.
He sat at one of the booths and pulled out his phone so he wouldn't stare at Andrew the whole time and freak him out even more. He went over the Vixens’ schedule for the rest of the summer before the first term started. He had about an hour before he had to get ready for their gym slot.
He was mentally working out his personal schedule when he heard his name being called.
He got up and collected his beverage from Andrew, blushing again when their hands brushed against each other. He murmured a quick ‘thanks’ then promptly darted out of the café.
He drank the majority of his coffee on his run back to Fox Tower, home to the athletes at Palmetto State.
He was about to throw his plastic cup in the trash when he noticed streaky marker on the side of the cup.
‘Call me -A’ and a phone number. Neil paused.
He put the empty cup in the crook of his elbow and jogged into the building, ignoring his beating heart.
He unlocked the door and was greeted by Miles in the same spot he was in when Neil left. “Hey,” Neil said.
“There's our resident slut.” Miles replied cheerfully.
“I’m not a slu–you know what, nevermind. And if anyone here is a slut, it's you.”
Miles winked. "You know it, baby."
“Where’s Katelyn and Sophie?”
“Katelyn’s in the shower, and Soph spent the night with her boyfriend, you know, Ethan, right? The soccer player? Tall, doesn't deserve her–"
“Katelyn’s in the shower? Aren’t we going to the gym now?” Had he gotten the schedule wrong? He pulled his phone out to check.
“Oh my God!” he shouted, frightening Neil. “You don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
“You weren't here last year, but Katelyn has this thing going on with one of the exy players, Aaron. She won’t give me details, prude, but she’s lowkey in love with him. They have to keep it under wraps because relationships between players and cheerleaders are frowned upon, though not forbidden. She’s too careful and doesn't want to ruin her perfect record. And, get this, apparently, his brother is like crazy protective of him and doesn’t want him dating.”
Neil whistled, “Wow. That’s… a lot. She must really like him.” Neil wonders if he could ever have something like that.
“Our gym time during the summer is shared with the exy team. We do partner work, one-on-one with the players. We help them with flexibility, and they help us with strength and stamina. Give and take.”
Suddenly, Neil was stricken with anxiety about working with the exy team. Of Kevin Day. Neil has a complicated past with exy. One that he can't seem to separate himself from, whether he’d like it or not.
Miles hopped up off the couch. “Go get dressed. I’ll be driving you today.” He patted Neil’s cheek. “We leave in thirty. Katelyn get your ass out of the bathroom! Other people live here, too!”
Neil didn’t bother showering since he’d just need another one after the gym, and his curly red hair would just be a frizzy mess again. He did change. He put on a pair of, frankly, tiny black shorts and a tight grey workout top. He was showing much more skin than usual, but the summer heat was getting to him, and he would be working out most of the day. He threw on his runners and put on an orange bandana so his curls wouldn't stick to his forehead again.
“Who’re you tryna impress, Neil?” Katelyn asked with a slow scoop of his outfit. “Short shorts? Really, Neil?”
“Come on! They’re not that short. They're for good blood flow.” Neil argued. “I’m trying something new.” He mumbled. Katelyn looked at him with a softening gaze.
“You know I’m only teasing, babe. Look at what I’m wearing.” She winked and spread her arms out as Neil checked out her light pink workout set. Pink, compression shorts, a pink sports bra and a sheer pink wrap top. “Plus, we’d be lucky if Miles doesn't wear a Speedo.” That made Neil laugh. Miles was very body positive, something Neil was growing slightly jealous of. He has too many insecurities, too many scars.
“I heard my name.” Miles popped out of the bathroom doorway. “Talking shit?”
“Nah, check out Neil, though.” Katelyn whistled appreciatively.
“Damn! You should have worn that to see your barista. Definitely would've gotten his number.”
“Actually, I kind of already did,” Neil confessed.
“What?!” Katelyn and Miles screeched at the same time.
“Tell me everything!”
“Later. We have to leave now, or we'll be late, and you know what Coach Madison is like about punctuality.”
“Don’t think you're getting out of this so easily. Debrief at eight after practice, capiche?” He agreed, and they left.
They arrived at the gym just on time, but it appeared that everyone was already here, including the foxes. They quietly entered while a burly man with tribal tattoos, that Katelyn had informed was Coach Wymack, was explaining the joint plan for the day. Coach Madison caught their eyes and mentally scolded them.
“We’ll pair up a Fox and a Vixen and go through each of the exercises on this board. Any questions? No? Okay. Coach Madison will call out the pairs. I don't want to hear any complaints.”
Neil engaged in conversation with Miles and Katelyn while the pairs were being called out.
“McKenzie with Aaron Minyard.” Coach called out. Katelyn blushed.
“Wonder how she pulled that one off?” Miles commented.
A short blonde sauntered up to the group. Neil completely blanched. “Andrew?”
He got startled looks from Katelyn and Miles and a scathing glare from Aaron? “How do you know my brother?” Aaron questioned.
“Brother--?”
“And finally Josten with Andrew Minyard. Everybody pair up!” Neil glanced around the room and locked onto the golden pair from this morning.
This was his Andrew. “Bye, guys.” He said to the group and strode to Andrew.
“Hi.” He said weakly.
“Hi.”
“So…” Neil started.
“You’re a Vixen.” He accused.
“You’re a Fox!”
They were at a stalemate. “Let's just get this over with.” Andrew sighed and walked over to one of the mats. Neil hid his disappointment.
They were starting off with the flexibility aspect, so Neil took charge. “We’ll start with a few stretches, then get into the exercises.”
It went relatively okay, even with the tension simmering between the two.
They went through most of the yoga and flexibility exercises without a word between them. It wasn't until the last one that Neil was flat on his back, and Andrew was pushing one of his legs up against his chest. They were so close that Neil could feel each breath Andrew let out against his lips.
“Harder,” Neil said.
“Are you sure?”
“Don't worry. I can take it.” Andrew groaned, and Neil thought he heard him mumble a ‘fuck’, but Neil was distracted by the burn of the stretch as Andrew put more body weight on Neil.
“How much longer do we need to do this?” Andrew asked shakily.
Neil glanced at the clock. “Thirty more seconds. Then we can move on to strength.” Andrew grunted in response.
After a torturous hour had passed, they were done with the strength training. There was nothing noteworthy about it other than the fact that Andrew could bench nearly double Neil's body weight. Andrew’s teammate, Matthew Boyd, had to spot him during that because there was no way Neil was catching that if something were to go wrong.
Neil kept getting distracted by Andrew’s biceps and just his strength overall. Neil couldn't keep his eyes off him, in his black Nike compression shirt and grey sweatpants.
Coach Wymack clapped his hands and drew the attention of every athlete in the room. He commanded respect, and Neil wasn't sure if he admired him or feared him. “Everyone, pay attention to Coach Madison!”
“Before everyone rushes out of here, we're going to do a little warm down. I know my Vixens know it, but the foxes don’t, so I’m going to have some of you lead it.” Her gaze landed on me. Shit. “Josten, Rivera and McKenzie, seeing as you were late, you three can do it.”
“Actually, we were on time.” Miles unhelpfully pointed out.
“On time is late. Now get up here!”
“This is your fault,” Neil whispered to Miles. “We wouldn't have been late if it weren't for you.”
“But now your little barista can admire your ass as you bend over.” Miles winked and skipped ahead.
Neil cursed but followed.
The warm-down was relatively painless, but Neil hated being watched behind his back. And he definitely didn’t over exaggerate his stretches when he caught Andrew's eye on him. Definitely not.
Afterwards, most of the foxes and vixens filtered out, and there were only a few people remaining. Neil stayed behind to talk to Coach McKenzie about some of the upcoming events in his schedule.
He noticed Andrew hanging around by the door, so he wrapped up his conversation with Coach and went to leave.
“Running already, little rabbit?” Andrew said as he passed him. Neil stopped in place and glanced back.
“Rabbit? Where did you get that one from?”
“You’re jumpy, quiet and run away when you get scared,” Andrew answered.
“I am not scared.” Neil disputed.
“Then call me,” Andrew said simply and walked away. Neil could do nothing but stare at his retreating figure.
He had to get the last word in. “Maybe if you're lucky!”
“Rabbit!”
Shit.
It took Neil a few minutes to compose himself. When he did, he made his way to Miles’ silver Toyota Corolla. Katelyn had taken the liberty of sitting in the front seat, so Neil was stuck in the back. When he got in and buckled up, Miles and Katelyn turned swiftly to face him. The seriousness in their face made Neil chuckle.
“Tell us everything.”
So he did, from the coffee shop to the gym, sparing only minor details.
“I don't want to ruin your fantasy, Neil, but Andrew’s dangerous.” Katelyn bit her lip nervously.
“What do you mean?” Now, Neil was confused.
“Aaron told me a bunch of shit about him. He is violent, angry and mean. Even Aaron is scared of him. I heard he beat up four guys and sent them to the hospital with serious injuries.”
Neil may not know Andrew very well, but it didn't feel like the whole story. “He beat them up? Unprompted?”
“Well…no. Apparently, they were homophobic assholes who were harassing his cousin, Nicky, who’s gay and also on the exy team; he was the one partnered up with Miles, but Andrew went too far.” Katelyn sounded less convinced as she went on. “He spent time in juvie, too!” She tried to recover.
“So he protected his family, defended his own sexuality, as well, by the way, and fought off four guys at a time.” Neil hummed. “I’m more impressed than scared, honestly.”
“Neil!”
“What? It's kind of sexy, too.” Neil grinned.
“You have to be careful, Neil."
“Or what? Is he going to hit me? Beat me up as well?” Neil seriously considered Katelyn’s ability to think rationally. She had the right to look at least a little bit guilty. “Unless I’m going to call him a slur or attack one of his family members, I think I’ll be just fine. But thanks for your concern.” Neil spat venomously.
He knew why they worried. He’d told them a watered-down version of his childhood. Abusive father, dead mother, the likes.
What he didn’t tell them was that his father was the most notorious serial killer in America at the time, the Butcher of Baltimore. He didn’t tell them that his father liked to practice on Neil and his mother. He didn’t tell him that his crime syndicate uncle found them being tortured in their basement and shot Nathan in the head.
He’d managed to save Neil, but Mary Hatford had succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
Over the next few months, Nathaniel was put into FBI protective custody while they broke down the Wesninski syndicate.
Due to Nathan’s legitimate business, Neil inherited millions of dollars, tax-free, along with properties and antiquities. Neil wouldn't have to work a day in his life again.
Neil just wanted a normal life. So he enrolled in college and joined the Vixens. It was between them or the foxes, but he figured he needed a break from exy. Maybe he’d pick it up again, but Neil didn’t know.
“Just drive.” Miles wordlessly pulled out of the parking lot.