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NMFTG 27

Five Days

ao3: Chapter under the cut

Neil woke up early the day after he got back to Palmetto. He took out his binder and spent three hours carefully decoding and copying down the locations of everything him and his mother had stashed away. He used nice clear penmanship and simple words, he debated going to a store and getting crayons to really make sure whatever Moriyama lackey that came to collect could understand but decided that would be too much effort.

He also decided that whatever cash and bonds he had left could stay where they were. It was too much carry around at all times. It could go to whoever managed to get it open after he died.

Matt left his room towards the end of the process, dressed and ready to go pick up the girls and Seth from the airport. “What are you doing?” He asked.

“Sudoku,” Neil said.

“Uh huh.”

“If you look it at, you might die,” Neil tried again.

Matt threw up his hands and left the dorm.

Neil finished up his directions and folded the paper up, he’d keep it in his wallet until whoever it was showed up. The idea was to minimize the amount of time it would take, which would--hopefully--minimize the risk the Foxes were put at. If he died, he died, but he would do everything in his power to make sure the Foxes were fine.

Neil packed up the presents for everyone else back into the suitcase he’d bought to bring them back from New York, snagged his coat, pulled on his orange beanie and went next door. He knocked until Nicky opened it.

“Hey Neil?” Nicky greeted.

Neil ducked around him and entered the dorm. “Does anyone know a good dry cleaners in the area?” He posed to the room, holding up his coat.

“How has Reynold’s not drawn and quartered you?” Andrew asked. Probably referring to the bright pink shirt Neil was wearing covered in neon swirls and planets although it could have just been Neil’s presence alone.

“She has no follow through. Dry cleaners?” He asked again.

“Yeah, it’s over on--” Nicky started to answer.

“Shh, Nicky,” Andrew said. “Not for free.”

“Of course,” Neil agreed. “And what would you like in payment for this piece of clearly priceless information.”

“Why do you even need the dry cleaners, Nicky gave you that a week ago?” Aaron asked. “Do you just exude filth?”

“It saw a crime,” Neil answered. “Price?” He asked Andrew.

“Come to Columbia this weekend,” Andrew said.

Scheming motherfucker, Neil could just wait and ask literally anyone else. Andrew had to know that, which made this an actual request not clever blackmail. Neil doesn’t know how to feel about that, about any of it. Especially about Andrew asking. Are they actually friends?

Neil was going to say yes, that wasn’t even a question. Not anymore, at some point during the year without his notice Neil had apparently become incredibly agreeable when it came to certain things. He’d gone from hissing and foaming at the mouth at the idea of someone clawing an inch out of his grip to just handing over miles with nothing but a snappy comment.

“Sure, I’ll come to your evil lair for the weekend. What an equal and understandable price for the dry cleaners.” At least he still had the snappy comments, they’d never take those away from him.

“Don’t you mean his reasonable and straightforward lair?” Nicky asked with far too much glee.

Neil turned to Nicky and just looked at him.

“Jesus Christ,” Nicky swore. “God forbid anyone else pay attention. I’m sorry, don’t kill me.”

Andrew shook his car keys and left the room. Neil stared after him for a moment.

“Was that supposed to mean something?” Neil asked.

“It means he’s gonna fucking leave us here if we’re not in the car in five minutes,” Aaron groaned getting up to yank on his shoes.

“Cool, Kevin grab your presents.” Neil said.

Kevin complained but listened.

“You know you didn’t have to say yes, right?” Nicky asked. “You don’t even like Eden’s.”

“I don’t have to do anything,” Neil said. “We’re well past my first trip to Eden’s, I know it’ll be fine this time.” He found he didn’t mind spending the weekend with them. With Andrew. He only had so many weekends left, possibly even just this one. He had to have every second with the Foxes he could, it’d give him something nice to think about while he slowly bled out.

Andrew was already in the drivers seat when they all got out. Neil and Kevin put the bags of gifts into the trunk and then Kevin got in the passenger seat and Neil climbed into the back with Aaron and Nicky.

Yes, he could think of the Foxes while he slowly bled out or in that split second between a trigger, a bullet, and the back of his head.

Andrew drove them all to the dry cleaners, just outside of campus. Neil dropped off his coat and then tried to get back into the car.

Kevin, in the three minutes it had taken Neil to hand over his coat and pay the attendant in the dry cleaners, had been banished to the backseat.

“Wonders never cease,” Neil mused as he shut the backseat door on a grumpy Kevin and got into the passenger seat. “Am I the least irritating today?” He asked Andrew.

Andrew turned the volume on the radio all the way up to drown him out. But it was totally worth the headache Neil immediately started to get.

What if Ichirou decided Riko wasn’t out of order? What if all of Riko’s shit has been acceptable disgraced mob son shit and the punishment is worse than Neil’s execution?

Andrew pulled into the court and the music finally stopped. They all headed in.

Wymack took one look at Neil and Kevin’s extra bags and went “You idiots moving somewhere?”

“No, Coach, I’ve decided to take up the spirit of Christmas,” Neil said. He put down the suitcase and unzipped it, tossed Coach’s present at him. “Ho, ho, ho.”

That last line was actually an extra present for Nicky who promptly fucking lost it.

What if the money wasn’t there? What if it wasn’t enough? What if Ichirou sent Lola to collect?

Coach barely managed to maintain his grip on his present, which was good as the yellow mug was highly breakable. Coach unwrapped it and looked down at the black text reading ‘I am a fucking ray of sunshine,’ and sighed deeply. “Thank you,” he said gruffly.

Neil pulled out the one for Abby but waited with a pointed look at Kevin until Kevin handed over his gift for Coach. CDS from some band called Creed.

Neil nodded in satisfaction at the complicated look on Wymack’s face as he went to find Abby and deliver her present of a black mug reading ‘BOSS,’ in all caps.

“Oh, Neil,” she said in an emotional voice that had Neil immediately turning around to go sit in the lounge. Him and his headache could only take so much.

And what if Neil’s gamble paid off? What if some douche in a suit showed up, took the paper and Riko was leashed and time just kept ticking? What then? What if it was enough money? It’s not like it would really buy him more time. His clock was still ticking down in federal prison just waiting to get out and hit zero.

The rest of the team arrived. Matt, Dan, Seth, Allison, and Renee all in one piece and good spirits as they greeted Wymack and Abby. Seth tipped an imaginary hat to Andrew and went “Sheriff,” in a greeting tone. As everyone went to sit down.

Andrew neither reacted nor responded but Allison immediately pulled out her wallet and handed Seth a hundred dollar bill.

Dan rolled her eyes and then turned to Neil. “Neil, could you maybe explain what the hell happened in New York. Matt kept sending us concerning but incomprehensible text messages.”

“They were not incomprehensible!” Matt complained.

“You sent us three separate ‘Neil’s not dead,’ messages with no context!” Dan said.

“Well, he wasn’t wrong,” Neil said. “I’m fine.” It would probably take at least a week or two to track down all the money if Ichirou went moderately carefully, if he didn’t give a fuck then maybe a day or two. If he was extra cautious it might be a month. They could be well into February before Neil knew if all the money was where it should be and if it were enough.

“Pay up,” Allison held out her hand and Seth handed back over the hundred dollar bill.

Wymack pinched the skin between his eyebrows. “Do I want to know?” He asked.

“I don’t particularly want to explain,” Neil answered. “But to put it simply: I got knifed a little and wandered into a spotty business meeting on New Years, but I’m fine.” Fine apart from the usual lack of control he had over everything.

“Knifed a little?” Dan asked in a high pitch. “You got knifed. A little?”

“Riko stabbed him,” Aaron so helpfully corrected.

“Okay, he did not stab me. What is it with you people saying he stabbed me? He cut me a little, a stabbing might have actually required stitches.”

“No stitches,” Abby said. “You also probably didn’t see a medical professional did you?”

“I didn’t need stitches, you might be a medical professional but I’m the being stabbed and/or cut professional, okay?” It was already mostly healed, he was fine.

“Not okay,” Dan said. “Deeply, deeply concerning.”

“Do I dare ask what fresh hell you meant by ‘wandered into a spotty business meeting?’” Wymack asked.

“My favorite pizza place is a front for the Moriyamas!” Matt explained, poorly.

“What?!” Five separate people yelled. Not doing wonders for the headache.

“It’s a front for someone,” Neil elaborated. “But New York’s a centerpoint for trade, business, and travel. Every mob has a guy in New York.” If Ichirou came himself Neil could try to get control. Buy a gun before the meeting or just take one off whoever was there again. Bad plan, horrendous plan, strong chance of mob war with a side of everyone Neil has come to care about dying horrifically.

“Are you a mob guy?” Seth asked.

Neil was not answering that. “Oh, look, presents.” Neil started pulling them out and throwing them at the Foxes who hadn't gotten them yet. He had to stay calm, had to move slowly, the fact that Ichirou hadn’t killed him on New Years already meant he was ahead of expectation.

“This has got to be your worst deflection yet,” Aaron said.

“I don’t give a shit, you’re all giving me a migraine. Merry Christmas, leave me alone.”

Allison inspected the little package of wrapping paper and peeled hers open first. Revealing the white pair of heart shaped sunglasses. She looked at them, then squinted at the side. “These are like three hundred dollar sunglasses, how the fuck did you afford them?” She asked.

“MOB GUY,” Seth yelled with an accusatory finger.

“Seth, he just said he had a headache,” Dan said, blissfully quiet. She opened her own gift and looked at the scarf Neil had found for her. It was the softest one, it had taken him the longest to pick that one out because he wanted to be sure it outranked every other scarf, including the one he’d bought Randy. “Thank you, Neil,” she said with a smile.

He had this right now. A migraine, a group of friends, a place to sleep, and the ability to play Exy. Until the Moriyama’s came to call he had to focus on that.

Renee opened her present and found a fuzzy orange sweater that matched the streaks in her hair. She smiled too.

Seth opened his and found a cowboy hat and immediately started shaking from laughter. He put it on and tipped it for real to Andrew, “Sheriff,” he said again.

Allison handed him back the hundred dollar bill.

“Oh, yeehaw,” Nicky said.

Seth tipped his hat to Nicky.

“Neil,” Wymack said. “Are you going to elaborate on the consequences of you meeting the main branch?”

“No, I don’t think I will,” Neil said, leaning back in his chair and putting his arm over his eyes to block the light. He was done thinking about the consequences, one several hour long morning freak out was enough.

“Do you want pain meds?” Abby asked.

“Yes,” Neil admitted after a moment.

A long, coward-what-would-mary-say-she’s-dead-dumbass-moment. Because of course the second Neil decided to be done with one episode his bullshit brain had to give him another.

And Coach was still staring at him with an impatient look.

“I implied that Riko needed to be put down like a sick dog or something, I don’t know, Coach, I was having a night. There really shouldn’t be any consequences, assuming Ichirou has eyes. Kevin, hand out your presents.” Close enough to the truth that no one could really argue, leaving out the little extra bits he’d told Kevin and Andrew.

Abby gave him pain meds and a glass of water and Neil, for once in his life, took them without complaint.

“You worry me kid,” Wymack said.

Neil gave him a thumbs up.

“Kevin got us presents?” Seth asked. “Fuck, am I slacking? Was this a striker line thing?”

“You’re slacking,” Allison said.

“This was a Neil thing, he dragged me into it for reasons beyond me,” Kevin said as he handed out presents to the upperclassmen. Who seemed more bemused than believing of Kevin’s deflection.

A fancy edition of The Art of War for Dan, who grinned at the title.

Diamond earrings for Allison, who begrudgingly admitted they were wearable.

A charm bracelet with an exy racquet and a cross on it for Renee, who smiled and thanked Kevin softly.

Some romance novel for Abby, that Kevin had told Neil was by her favorite author. Who reacted accordingly.

And for Seth a lava lamp, which was the product of an overly intricate inside joke that Neil had been present for but still didn’t understand. “You sick son of a bitch,” Seth said as he opened it.

And as promised a book about haunted buildings in New York for Andrew. Who unwrapped the present in silence and then put it down next to him without a word.

“Damn, the monster really is a whole new creep now, huh?” Seth mused.

“Seth,” Renee admonished.

“Yeah, sorry, Sheriff Monster,” Seth corrected, tipping his hat once again.

Allison cackled.

The headache caused by the car radio had vanished as the pain meds kicked in. Only for the noise of everyone’s tilted mirror view of Andrew to rear it’s loudass head. “I bet Andrew hasn’t even skinned anyone alive, he’s hardly a monster.”

The noise died a beautiful death, instantly choking out into dust. Matt exchanged pointed looks with the other upperclassmen, who all seemed crossed between concerned and disturbed. Except for Renee who’s face remained serene. Nicky looked vaguely ill, Kevin looked very ill, and Andrew’s new impassive look seemed there to stay.

Wymack and Abby both looked like they thought it might be a poor joke.

“Neil,” Aaron asked, strained, breaking the silence. “Have you skinned someone alive?”

Bold, yet called for. “No, of course not.” Neil said, waited for the sighs of relief before continuing. “I just watched as someone else did, it’s actually really difficult, you have to go excruciatingly slow or else they die of shock.”

“Mob guy,” Seth repeated in a whisper.

“Please tell me you’re fucking with us?” Dan asked.

“Keep the murder confessions where I can’t hear them,” Coach said before immediately pivoting into the information they actually needed for the season.

Texas, Belmonte, Arkansas. Technically only two of them really stood inbetween the Foxes and the death matches. Perfectly named. Blah blah “How stabbed are you? Nevermind, you’re seeing Abby or you're benched.” blah blah blah. “Andrew, how behind are you?”

Noise died a second time as everyone looked at Andrew.

“I improvised,” Andrew said in his new measured voice.

“Uncanny,” Seth whistled.

“I bet he laughs the first time Nicky trips over something,” Allison said. “This whole I am stone thing will crumble at the first instance of slapstick violence.”

Neil reached down on the floor for a ball of crumpled up wrapping paper and threw it at her.

Matt made a sharp coughing noise.

Coach loudly continued on about morning practices, meetings with Betsy Dobson, and useless reminders to stay safe. Abby left when he started to go pick up lunch. By the time he was done she was back, food in hand.

Everyone chatted mindlessly about winter break as they ate. Everyone finished and Neil tried to use the chaos of everyone getting up to escape before Abby could get him. But she was waiting by the door with a stern look on her face.

“Come on, just let me look at it and make sure. For my own peace of mind.”

“Fine,” Neil gestured to her office. He followed her in and hopped up on the bed. He tugged his shirt up enough that she could see the healing wounds. Abby put on gloves and then looked them over.

“Okay,” she said. “They are healing good.”

“I told you I was fine.”

“Neil,” she sighed, pulling off her gloves. “It’s not that I think you’re incapable. You’re an adult, you’ve made it almost twenty years without dying. I know you can take care of yourself. But you don’t have to, that’s why I’m here. Okay? It’s my job to give you ibuprofen and look at your injuries. There are little details that can be missed, especially when the brain is distracted with pain or stressful situations. And those little details are the difference between an injury you feel ten years later and one you forget about.”

“Abby,” Neil stopped her. “Thank you, but I’m fine.”

She sighed again and let him leave.

Neil slipped out of the room only to find Dan waiting for him. It never ends.

“Hey, can we have a chat?” She asked.

“Is it about anything I said today?”

“If I say yes will you leave?”

“Yes.”

“Then no,” Dan sighed. “I wanted your advice on something.”

“Fine.”

She pulled him towards the photo corner and waited until everyone left. Matt and Allison cut off whatever conversation they were in to grab the last bits of trash and leave.

“As you have barred me from asking or saying anything about whatever is going on with you, i.e. are you okay? Should I be worried? Will you let me know if you need help with anything or hiding any bodies?” Dan paused there as if Neil was going to answer. “Instead, could you give me some advice on talking to Andrew? I want to make sure he’s okay and find out if I should be worried, help, bodies, etcetera.”

Many, many curse words and various levels of screaming passed through Neil’s mind. “Talk. To. Him. Dan, I can’t say this enough. If you just go to him and meet him where he’s at, he will probably answer you. He respects you, it’s not that complicated.”

“He respects me?” She looked so surprised.

“If he didn’t he would never talk to you at all.”

“Huh,” one arm crossed her body and the other came up to her chin in a move Wymack did eight times a day. “What do you mean by where he’s at? Look, I know I’m biased, I know my vision on him is skewed and it shouldn’t be. Help me out here and I will work on it.”

How is Neil the authority when he’s only known Andrew for eight months? Jesus Christ, eight months. He’s been in Palmetto with these people for eight months.

“I’ll give you some practice right now. Andrew doesn’t do things for free, you want me to explain ‘where he’s at,’ then I need a favor from you.”

“Okay.”

“In a few days Kevin is going to come to you, probably very drunk. To tell you something that is probably going to upset you. I just need you to remember that he grew up with only Tetsuji and Riko for company before you respond.”

“Every single word made every previous word worse, the whole time through. I’d be impressed if I wasn’t scared.”

“Will you do it?”

“Will I remember that Kevin is not just an asshole but a traumatized one? Probably.”

“Good enough, look literally just ask. Be ready to barter and for a no. It’s,” Neil tried to quantify it better than he had the last time he had this conversation. Because this was apparently a conversation he would keep having. “Andrew is overfamiliar with consequences, he thinks things through, it’s easier if the terms are clear. And at this point he’s probably expecting you to misunderstand or just not care about what he’s actually saying. The way you all operate is on a fundamentally different level, it’s not bad or good it’s just different. I can talk to Andrew because I understand him. And because I know when to leave him alone. Don’t make it about feelings, just figure out what it is you want from him and ask for that.”

“I don’t want anything from him?”

“You do,” Neil corrected. “You want him to talk to you, or to act like a member of the team. Or let you help so you can feel like a good captain. It might be in his best interest but it’s still something you want from him.”

“That’s a very transactional way of putting it.”

“The entire world operates on transactions. It might be nicer to pretend it doesn’t but it does. Everyone wants something from everyone else. Some people don’t care or aren’t expecting too much so they can write all the blank checks they want. Others need every little piece of fine print before they agree.”

Dan stared past Neil at the photos behind him. And then slowly, she nodded. Neil hoped she actually understood.

“Thank you,” she said, the corner of her mouth peeked up a bit after a moment. “You know, whatever's going on with you that you don’t want to talk about. Whatever happened to you before we met. I’m happy you joined us, that you’re alive to be here.”

No one had ever said that to Neil before, even if they had he never would have believed them.

He believed Dan.

Dan smiled and ruffled Neil’s hair and left him standing there.

He turned around to look at the photos on the wall and study them for a moment. Pictures of people he never met. Pictures of the only people he’d ever care about other than his mother. Standing for group shots with neutral to happy expressions. Candids of them in mid conversation or laugh. Neil was there, more than he thought. Him sitting on the couch with Andrew and Renee when Aaron and Nicky made cocktails. Him covered in temporary tattoos from before the Raven’s game. Him at Halloween in his costume, a ghost.

He was here and after he was gone these photos would stay. Even if the Foxes forgot him there’d still be little proof of the existence of Neil Josten. Photos and articles and a place where he used to be. But one day the photos would come off the wall and that would be it.

Neil was halfway back to the dorms, the cold January air wrapped around him when Katelyn found him and joined him stride for stride.

“Hey asshole!” She greeted. “I’m glad you like the hat.”

“Thank you,” Neil had manners on occasion. “Why are you here?”

“Mostly to make sure Aaron wasn’t lying when he said you were alive.”

“Well, look at me breathing,” he demonstrated. It felt like a lie.

“You know what else Aaron told me?” She asked with an obnoxious grin and a literal skip in her step.

“Lies and slander.”

“That you said we were friends.”

“Like I said. Lies and slander.”

“No, takesies backsies. You said it. We’re making friendship bracelets, we’re gonna have a sleepover and paint each other's nails and talk about, well traditionally it’s boys but we can stick to exy.”

“Are those all actually things?”

“Yeah, in like middle school,” Katelyn turned around and started walking backwards so she could face Neil. “Would you like the middle school bestie experience? It’s formative.”

“What like now?” It was the middle of the day for one.

Katelyn stopped moving. She blinked slowly. “You know what, I was joking but yes. Let’s have a sleepover.”

It was either that or sit in bed and wonder if he was already dead. “Sure.”

“Okay, we gotta go get snacks and matching pajamas.”

“Matching pajamas?”

“Yeah, I can tell this is your first sleepover. It’s important we pull out all the stops.”

“You can tell?” Of course she could tell, he asked if they were real. Which was idiotic, Neil had observed many kids over the years organizing sleepovers that he wouldn’t have been able to go to even if he had been invited. Of course they existed.

“It happens,” Katelyn shrugged. “Marissa had never had one before either, or Aaron for that matter. Not proper ones. It’s never too late.”

“Marissa?”

“Guess.”

“Cheerleader.” There were so many of them and Neil did not care at all about keeping them straight in his head.

“Yes, what else.”

Was this cheerleader important? “International assassin.”

“My roommate,” Katelyn laughed.

“Right.”

“It’s okay, I know you don’t care.”

“Should I?”

Katelyn hummed. “Do you care about me?” She asked.

She did it in a light curious voice, it was genuine but not overly serious. It didn’t feel like a trap.

“I do,” Neil answered honestly. She was the only non-Fox that made that list. She tried really hard at everything, she was weirdly understanding and violent for a person so normal. She was also a little too ruthless and obsessed with Aaron to be normal. Neil was still more than a little light on the details of friendship but he figured Katelyn was a good one to have.

“I care about you too,” Katelyn said first. “And Marissa, but you don’t need to care about her.”

“Good, I’m not going to.”

They went into a department store and got popcorn and matching flannel pajamas.

Katelyn swung open the door to her dorm and low and behold. Marissa, real person, sitting on the couch. Neil watched the two of them talk fast, using a lot of words incorrectly, before Marissa blew a kiss to Katelyn and then left with a wave.

Katelyn made Neil help drag an absurd number of blankets and pillows into the living room. As the first rule of Katelyn’s Epic Sleepovers was bed’s are lame. The next was get into pajamas which seemed like less of a rule and more of an order. But clearly Neil was not the expert.

She put on low inoffensive music and pulled out a box full of nail polish. “I think Jessica swiped my embroidery thread.”

“That bitch?”

“It’s what we were going to use for friendship bracelets.” She pulled out a bottle of purple liquid, poured it on a paper towel and then started stripping the white from her nails.

“That bitch,” Neil did not care.

“It’s a tragedy, what color do you want your nails to be?”

“Why do you have so many?” There were more bottles of nail polish then there were blankets and that was saying something.

“So, I can match my nails to my outfits.”

“That’s inane.”

“Neil, you dress like you ate a bag of skittles, rolled around to make sure they got shuffled around, and then threw up all over yourself.”

“You know Allison might think you and Aaron are together because you’re both secretly violent but it’s actually because you’re both huge dicks.”

Katelyn giggled. “When we met, I was stress crying in the library. Aaron sat down next to me, realized I was crying and told me I was ‘making the room humid.’ It was so rude I actually stopped crying from the audacity.”

Neil shook his head and started pulling out random colors, he stopped when he had ten.

“Really?” Katelyn asked.

“I like looking like thrown up skittles.”

She shrugged, put down the paper towel and held out her hands, gestured for Neil to hand one of his over.

Neil slowly held out his right hand. Took it without a word and looked at his nails. She wasn’t rough or gentle, just there. She picked up another paper towel and cleaned his nails, filing them down, putting weird little fluids on them just to wipe them off. Then she took out a block of foam for some reason.

“I feel like you’re just making shit up to do to fuck with me,” Neil said.

“This is all really basic nail care stuff.”

“There is no way.”

She shook her head, “let me give you nice skittle nails and I’ll let you talk about Exy.”

“What am I just going to start listing stats?”

“I don’t know, are you?” She reached for his left hand and started the whole process again on that one.

“Why do you put up with Aaron’s whole thing,” Neil gestured with his free hand.

“Holy shit? You’re picking talk about boys?”

“The U.S. Court--”

“No, no, I’m sorry! It’s not really putting up, although I understand why people think that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Once we got to know each other better and I realized I like him,” Katelyn kept her eyes on Neil’s hand as she went through the gauntlet of nail care products. “Like not just found him hot but liked his drive and ambition and how funny he is when he’s mad. I’m never going to meet anyone else like Aaron Minyard, I don’t want anyone else. So, it’s all worth it and just part of it. I don’t know, I want to be with him now when we have to meet at the library and we can’t tell anyone we’re together. I want to be with him while he figures it out with his brother, however messy it gets. I want to be with him when I’m old and decrepit and can’t remember how we met. I just want him.”

“I see,” Neil said when it seemed she was done.

Katelyn put down his hand to pick up the first bottle of muted green nail polish. “Do you?” She asked. “I figured the whole romance thing was a bit alien to you.”

“I don’t know about romance,” Neil agreed. “But I understand committing hard to a choice.”

Katelyn smiled and then moved onto the next color. She painted carefully in thin layers over each of Neil’s nails and then went back over for a second and then third coats. She picked up a bottle of clear polish from the box and then put that on Neil’s nails too.

While his hands dried Katelyn went through the complicated nail care process on her own hands and then she picked out a light pink and handed the bottle to Neil. Who looked at it with a vague sense of dread.

“I’m doing this?” Neil asked.

“Yup, painting each other’s nails, don’t worry too much I can clean it up later.”

Neil opened the bottle and tried to copy the way Katelyn had dragged the brush along the edge as she pulled it out. Then he took Katelyn’s hand and at a snail’s pace brought the brush across her thumb. It took him way longer to paint Katelyn’s nails, for whatever reason it felt serious. But by the end she had pink nails that only spilled a little onto her fingers. And Neil had ten clashing colors on his.

Then Katelyn declared her solemn mission to find a movie Neil liked. Four movies later she ordered Chinese food and at the very least Neil saw the appeal of having something to focus on that was distracting and had nothing to do with his impending demise or all of the Foxes issues. Especially with Katelyn’s running commentary on what things were actual social conventions and what was just for the drama.

And then his phone started vibrating. It had been on silent for months but phone calls made the whole box shake.

Katelyn paused Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Neil sighed as he looked at Kevin’s name on the caller ID.

“I’m busy,” he said the second he answered.

“With what? We have practice, we’re already at the court.”

“I’m at a sleepover.”

Katelyn raised an eyebrow.

Neil mouthed ‘Kevin.’

She nodded.

“Be serious, we need to practice. You had all of christmas break for your bullshit, it’s time to get back to work.”

“No, I’m at a sleepover.”

“With who?”

“Katelyn.”

“Stop stealing Aaron’s girlfriend and come play exy with me.”

“Okay, first of all. We are friends, sleepovers are a friends thing. Secondly, no.”

“Stop being a child! You gave your game to me--”

“Yeah and you can have it back tomorrow. Go have fun with Seth, I’m busy.”

“I am going to beat the everloving--”

“No, you’re going to go play Exy with Seth, complain to Andrew, and figure out when you’re talking to Dan.”

“I’m not talking to Dan.”

“Fine Kevin,” Neil looked over at Katelyn and then switched to French. “Keep your father a secret forever, deny me my dying wish of you not completely fucking up your own life. What do I care? I’ll be dead.”

“You are the worst person I know.”

“What a singular and alienating opinion that is.” Neil hung up.

“Did you have plans?” Katelyn asked.

“We usually have a late practice, but he’ll survive without me there.”

Katelyn nodded, picked up the remote, held up but then froze. She turned to Neil with a shit eating grin that was immediately worrying. “You know what’s another rule of sleepovers?”

“Is it a rule or an activity?”

“Shut up. Pranks.”

Neil did not want to get up from the pile of blankets.

“They’re practicing at the court right?” She asked. “I know how to use the control systems, we can scare the shit out of them.”

It was so tempting, but Neil did remember the words that left his own mouth earlier that day. About Kevin and his colossal issues. “There’s like a 50/50 that goes really badly.”

“Oh, right. The cult.” She slumped. Well, it was only 50/50.

“Yeah, the cult.” Neil pulled out his phone again. “I mean, I could ask.”

“Who?”

Neil pushed past his own colossal issues and sent a text to Andrew.

Neil: If we started flickering the lights and making noise over the speakers would Kevin be scared for his life or a regular amount of scared?

Andrew: We?

Neil: Answer my question first.

Andrew: Kevin would be annoyed

“Andrew says Kevin would just be annoyed,” Neil told Katelyn.

“Well, then let’s go annoy Kevin.”

Andrew: We?

Neil: Me and your favorite cheerleader.

Andrew: You mean the tumor I’ve been meaning to remove

Neil: Sure me and the tumor who are going irritate Kevin.

Neil tried to ignore the second part, as it was, again Aaron’s problem and not Neil’s. But then he looked at Katelyn as she pulled on her sneakers and coat. Her glasses pushed up on her forehead to keep her hair back. She grabbed a spare coat from the hook and tossed it to Neil. Neil had told Aaron he couldn’t do anything to keep Katelyn safe. And he needed Aaron to believe that so he would do something about the cold war between him and Andrew. But well.

Neil: If you and Renee get to claim people, I do too.

Neil: Katelyn is mine. Threaten all you want, do whatever to Aaron to get back at him.

Neil: But if you try to hurt her you’ll have to kill me first.

Andrew: There it is. I figured this was just another ploy to get me to kill you.

Andrew: I will not be leashed.

Neil: But you’d look so nice in a collar.

Neil stood up and pulled on his shoes and the slightly tight coat from Katelyn and then thought again. As funny as it was, it wasn’t at all true. And Neil tried to lie to Andrew as little as possible.

Neil: I have no interest in leashing you, you dramatic fuck.

Neil: I just want to be the only one dying.

Neil followed Katelyn in through the Vixen’s entrance to the Foxhole Court. They moved through the halls in total darkness, up a staircase and into the stadium proper through a silent service door.

The distant noises of Kevin and Seth practicing ricocheted throughout the stadium.

They went into the system’s control room and Neil propped open the door so they could hear what was going on if anyone yelled. The room was filled with screens and keyboards and switch boards and way too many buttons.

Katelyn turned on the monitor, pulled her glasses down onto her face and started clicking around quickly. How she knew what anything did Neil had no idea.

Another screen turned on with the live camera feed of the court. Neil stepped up to it and watched as Kevin and Seth moved across the screen in drills. Andrew just barely visible in the background on the first layer of seats.

Katelyn hit a series of buttons and the spotlights used during the halftime shows started turning on and off, strobing across the court.

Seth dropped his racquet and Kevin just looked around, still holding onto to his racquet. Andrew didn’t move at all.

Katelyn hit another button and music flooded the stadium.

Seth started laughing, Kevin started yelling, Neil couldn’t hear what over the music but it did seem to be annoyed yelling. Andrew moved a little, still out of focus but Neil pulled out his own phone at the movement and yes, Andrew was texting.

Andrew: The music is a little on the nose.

Neil: I have no idea what’s playing right now.

Andrew: Of course not. Kevin is demanding I stop messing with practice.

Neil looked back up at the screen. Kevin was gesturing with his racquet from Andrew to around the stadium.

Neil: Tell him it’s haunted.

Katelyn changed the music to another song and Seth started jumping up and down and then dancing. Kevin stormed off the court.

“We should leave before Kevin gets up here,” Neil told Katelyn.

She hit a few buttons and everything shut off. Seth loudly complained from down on the court. They started making their way out through the stadium. They were out of sight when the System Controls door slammed open.

“NEIL GODDAMMIT WHERE ARE YOU,” Kevin yelled. “I KNOW IT’S YOU.”

Katelyn put a hand over her mouth to stop from laughing as they slipped back into the Vixen’s changing room and then out of the court. She broke down laughing in the parking lot.

Maybe if he were less of a ghost he’d be laughing too. At Kevin getting pissed, at Andrew enjoying it enough to comment on the music, at Seth immediately going with it. At the ugly snort Katelyn made as she wiped tears from her eyes in the cold parking lot.

But this was just another ephemeral moment that would leave with him. Something everyone else would get old enough to forget.

#no more fucks to give #aftg #fanfiction #nmftg

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