Chapter Text
Wednesday December 27th, 2006
Neil goes back to Palmetto. He signed that contract but only starting the following year.
Riko was smug about it. About bringing Neil home. Keeping him. But what Neil promised him, the one and only head to head of king vs queen, it drove him wild. He signed that contract and he'd honor it after spring. He'll have his cake and eat it too. No foxes harmed. A life of exy ahead. Promises that dwarfed his fear.
No one was surprised that Neil came back. Neil told them he would. Then again he'd also said he wouldn't sign. A liar who practices occasional honesty. That's what Andrew called him once.
Neil was a little worse for wear. Bruised and sore but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Riko protected him off the court after all. And on it? Well. Exy is a full contact sport and neil wouldn't have it any other way.
Riko fucked him farewell last night and kissed him awake this morning. The hickies already faded. Probably for the best though Riko would disagree.
He flipped his phone open and paused on who to call. He'd left the nest with exactly two new numbers. Riko, whose contact info he'd listed him under was DO NOT ANSWER in case anyone snooped. And Heather, who he'd kinda been bullied into accepting.
He dialed Wymack.
"Josten?"
"Hey coach. I'm at the airport. Upstate regional. Can you pick me up?"
Cursing on the other end Wymack yelled something, probably to Abby, and when he came back he said, "Are you safe?"
"I'm fine. Take your time. I can call a cab if it's easier?"
"Hell no. I'm coming. But if you're in one piece don't expect me to break any traffic laws. I'm not Nicky."
"Thank you. It's pretty chilly so I'm gonna stay inside until I see you."
Wymack hung up without a goodbye.
Next he texted Kevin one word.
Out.
It was as big a lie as anything. He was still back there. His mind at least. He'd think of riko every time he'd see himself in the mirror. Every time his tongue sat oddly in his mouth. Whenever he saw a protein smoothie or bland food or a naked body or shower.
And that was the betrayal of it all. The foxes have his body. His game. For a few more months. Long enough that they can win with his new abilities. But he belongs to the nest. And he will be the queen.
It's a thought that makes him a little floaty. The rush of power to have Riko at his side. The safety. The protection. He shook the thought away. He went years of his life without Riko. He can withstand a few months.
Wymack arrives and when Neil approaches the man does a double take.
"Neil?" He sounds confused as the student loads himself into the passenger seat.
"I'm fine."
"Yeah you're Neil alright."
"When's Andrew out?"
"Tomorrow. Nicky and Aaron are gonna pick him up in the morning."
"And Kevin?"
"Just landed last night."
"Good."
"Gonna tell me what really happened or am I supposed to believe the family reunion"
"I was at the nest."
"Jesus, Neil what the fuck."
"They had a doctor in Easthaven ready to kill Andrew if I didn't go."
Kill. Because that was tamer than saying brutalize.
Wymack rolled his eyes so hard that someone who wasn't Neil probably would have laughed
"I'm surprised Kevin didn't tell you."
Wymack scoffs, “Of course he knew."
"It's all handled. No more Moriyamas are coming after us off the court."
"You believe that?"
Neil purses his lips to avoid saying yes too fast and shrugs. "He doesn't want Kevin anymore. He broke his favorite toy and found a shiny new replacement"
"Moreau?"
"Wesninski."
"Never heard of em."
Neil shrugs again.
"You're just as chatty as always."
"You said it yourself: you are a loud, grouchy old man. You like to yell and complain and I'm the newest problem child for you to winge about. I'm just giving you the stuff you'll get animated about. That's my job as the resident thorn in your side"
"Josten. What the fuck are you even saying? I don't do shit without a reason and I'm not about to-" he makes a hand gesture that encapsulates the 'everything just said' with a twirl.
"It's not important." Not yet anyway.
It's silent for a beat.
"Why’d they dye your hair?"
"I'm not answering that."
"Is there anything you will answer?"
Neil thinks for a minute looking for a safe topic. Tattoos. Piercings. Sex. Food.
"The food was trash."
"Poor baby."
"It's truly my biggest complaint. Two weeks of unseasoned vegetables and protein smoothies."
"That why Kevin eats like a man in war?"
Neil shrugs again, "Probably?"
When they get to Abbys, because of course they went to her place, Kevin is waiting outside looking pale and clammy. No doubt fearing Neil was battered beyond recognition. He was not prepared for the hair and Neil can tell by the way he takes a half step back upon seeing him.
Even so he and Matt rush the car. Matt grabs the duffel bag as Kevin starts going in on him in French.
"Why the hair? Are they baiting your father? You are a suicidal fool and-"
"Kevin," Neil says coldly as he also switches to French, "not now."
Kevin doesn't seem happy with that but Neil follows Matt inside. He spots Dan on the couch and goes to sit next to her.
"Who the-oh fuck. Hey Neil. That's uhhh a nice color?"
"Thanks. I hate it."
"Oh?"
"Since Kevin can keep a secret longer than I thought possible: how about you tell everyone I was at the nest these last two weeks?"
"The nest?"
"I'm fine."
"Shut the fuck up. Why were you at the nest?"
"Would you rather be down a goalkeeper?"
Dan looked at him. Really looked at him and the realization seemed to dawn on her in slow, sick waves.
"I'm a better striker now anyway. We'll wipe the floor with the Ravens."
"You are so fucking lucky you got out."
Neil shrugs again.
"God. Whatever. I'll text the group chat?"
"Thank you, captain."
"Ugh. That sounds so sarcastic."
Neil just smiled at her.
"How uh. How bad was it?"
Neil almost says he's had worse. It was instinctual but not something he wanted the foxes to know. And it wasn’t even bad except for Tetsuji. "The exy was good."
"Do not become Kevin Jr with the raven drills and shit."
Neil bit the inside of his cheek.
"Sorry. Sorry. I just. I thought it was a joke so I was playing along."
"The exy was good. That's not a joke. I-" Neil swallowed his words before speaking more carefully, "We'll win. I know we will. We have to. I need to see Riko's face when it happens. But...we do need to work harder to get there."
"I can't believe you spent your entire break training."
"Is that so out of character?" Neil raises an eyebrow at her.
"No. No, I guess not."
Thursday, December 28th 2006
In the morning Nicky and Aaron dropped by to grab Kevin and Neil on the way to Easthaven.
It would have been a quiet ride had Nicky not noticed his hair. Talking about the color and how flawlessly it was dyed and eventually Aaron kicked his seat from behind and said to stop being weird.
Neil stayed in the car with Kevin while Nicky and Aaron signed Andrew out.
"Now?" Kevin asked.
"I'm fine."
"Jean told me some things he saw Riko do to you."
Neil saw red. Jean was still in contact with Kevin. "Mind your own business and tell Jean to do the same."
"You need to talk to someone."
Neil rolled his eyes but didn't correct him no matter how much he felt like he had to. Jean only saw so much. What Kevin thinks happened...it's not true. And it twists in his gut that Kevin thinks Riko is capable of that.
"Do I need to tell Andrew?"
"If you breathe a word of whatever you think Jean saw to anyone at all I will-"
Neil doesn't get a chance to finish that threat because the next thing he knows is that he's squished between twins and back on the road.
Neil doesn't ask. Isn't sure the answer will be what he needs. But Nicky.
"How was detox, Andrew?"
Andrew waited a second to respond "I hate doctors."
"They're just trying to help." Nicky frowned
Andrew made a noncommittal noise but it didn't sound like a disagreement.
"I heard the doctor you were going to see had a family emergency and was replaced at the last minute," Neil said evenly. He was following Andrew up the roof access and stopped at the door.
"Where is the patient doctor confidentiality?"
"Who was your doctor, Andrew?" Neil didn't look at him.
"McGill."
Neil could breathe again. He shouldn't have doubted Riko. He'd kept all his promises so far. And more.
"You know something."
"Riko almost got you."
"Oh yeah?" Andrew didn't have his knives yet but instinctual moves toward the sheaths made it obvious he was just as violent as he was while high. "How so?"
"He almost paid a doctor to kill you."
"And yet?"
"I made a deal with the devil to keep you alive in our goal."
"Martyrdom isn't a good look on you."
"Good thing I'm just the scapegoat."
"What. Happened?"
"I went to the nest. Two weeks of raven training and you get back in one piece"
"You left Kevin."
"Broke a promise. I guess I really am a liar."
"You are a pipedream."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night."
"And you? How do you sleep at night?"
"With my back to the wall and my eyes on the exits."
"They have exits in the nest?"
"The rooms have doors."
"I hate you."
"Get in line."
"I was here first."
Neil shrugs.
This isn't the game anymore. Andrew is waiting for him to ask more questions after having so many of his answered. But Neil isn't interested in playing anymore. He won't give the space for Andrew to ask the things that mattered.
He hasn't had a smoke in two weeks and while some addictive part of his brain urges him to sit with Andrew and light up...he holds himself back.
Renee knows something. Neil doesn't know what. She can't know the truth but she looks at Neil with a kind of acceptance that tells him Dan said enough.
He avoids her.
Friday, December 29th 2006
Allison is either the first to notice or just the first to speak up about the piercings.
"You got your ears pierced? In the nest? I could have done it when you got back."
"It wasn't my choice."
Allison looks at him for a long moment. Her expression is one of disgust and intrigue. "You can take them out."
Neil stares at her with a look he hopes seems more thoughtful than finite. After a moment: "I'm fine."
"You," she says looking away. "Are so stupid."
"I get that a lot."
"What else?" She looks at him again and her face is carved from stone.
Neil taps his cheek over the bandage and doesn't elaborate. This is all she needs to know.
Her face twists into revulsion but she keeps that to herself, "At least we don't have to see your god awful box dye job anymore"
Oh. So Allison knew he dyed his hair. Last month that would have scared him. Now he just feels stupid.
"If I didn't know better I'd think a professional did the job this time" she was still talking. Why?
Neil shrugs because it'd be too weird to admit a professional did do it.
Allison lets out a long withering sigh "I know I'm not someone you're particularly close with," because he keeps everyone at an arms length away she doesn't say, "I'm not gonna judge you. Sometimes we make choices people don't agree with. Sometimes we don't get a choice at all. Sometimes choice is an illusion."
Neil says nothing. He doesn't know what to say. He's never been in the habit of comforting people and has so rarely sought comfort out for himself.
Sunday, December 31st 2006
Seth was the worst. He always was. The thing was he wasn't being hostile,at least not overtly. He was passive aggressive and his words carried a bite of disgust that was usually reserved for Andrew's group.
He could tell Allison had told him to keep a distance. But the way Seth stared. The hair. The bandage. The earrings. He had something to say. Something god awful and layered in assumptions.
Neil doesn't linger in his company if he can help it.
The breaking point is new years eve. Seth is drunk and Allison is huddled up with Dan and Renee. He finds Neil in the backyard.
Neil hid here to escape the drunken questions and yet. Here Seth was. Buzzed with a scrunch in his face that told Neil whatever this was it was gonna be bad.
"So Riko’s a fucking fag huh?"
Neil frowns. The word isn't uncomfortable to him but it's...distasteful. "What makes you say that?"
Seth is drunk but he still manages to surprise him. "The tongue ring."
Neil stills. No one else had noticed. His lisp was gone and he tried not to draw attention to himself. "Oh."
"I hope you bit," Seth said with a sort of...commiseration.
Neil was quiet and his fingers itched for a cigarette but he stayed perfectly still. Seth didn't speak for a long time. Wasn't looking at him. Neil wanted him gone. Him and his gross but not wholly inaccurate assumptions.
"He tries to kill me. Threatens to kill the monster. And then with you-"
"Seth. I don't like you. I'm glad you're alive. Now fuck off. You're drunk and I'm not in the mood."
Seth lingers a moment longer. There's an apology balancing on the tip of his tongue. But he knows when he's not wanted and he slips back into the party.