Pipe Dream (The King's Men from Andrew's POV) ✔️

Chapter Seventeen (Pt. 1)

After hearing about the strikers' new-found 'freedom,' Dan and the rest of the upperclassmen demanded celebration. Andrew couldn't bring himself to care enough to protest so the Foxes met up at the diner down the street after practice let out for their celebratory meal. The team was obviously excited about the news and they talked animatedly with each other as they found their seats at a booth large enough to fit all of them. Apparently, since they couldn't talk about the deal with the Moriyamas, knowing it was too dangerous to speak about it in public, that meant that Allison could try her shot at getting more information about Neil and Andrew again.

"So," she said after their waiter had taken their drink order. She steepled her hands and rested her chin on the bridge her fingers created, sending a significant look to Neil's arms. "Is this another thing we can't talk about?"

Neil looked down at his forearms that were covered by the armbands Andrew had given him. He looked ready to deflect Allison's question and shut the conversation down before it started, and maybe the others around the table picked up on that because they were quick jump in.

"Just be careful," Dan said, grinning as she leaned her head against Matt's shoulder. "You don't want to be those people that adopt their partner's personality."

Allison rolled her eyes, seemingly not that upset that her inquires had been derailed once again. "Like Matt didn't go from gagging at the smell of sushi to eating it all the time because you do," she said. "Or you both don't sit there and quote nonsense to each other that none of us understands like the disgusting two-headed monster you are."

Matt and Dan didn't look the least bit offended. They shared a mushy, conspiratorial look that made even Andrew want to gag. "Someone's jealous," Matt said in a sing-song voice.

Allison waggled her finger in the backliner's face, leaning over an amused Renee to do so. "Just wait. You two are going to fully combine one of these days and then Dan won't be able to fit into her booty shorts she loves so much. Who's going to be jealous then, hmm?"

"If that's the case, I'm surprised Kevin hasn't turned into a racquet yet," Aaron grumbled.

"I don't know," Nicky teased, smirking at the striker in question. "Doesn't he look a little orange to you?"

Dan and Renee giggled but Kevin didn't seem to hear them --or any of their previous conversation. He'd been out of it ever since they left Abby's house; missing shots at practice, staring blankly into space like his factory reset button had been pressed. Even now, Dan jostled his elbow jokingly and Kevin fumbled with the fork he'd been fidgeting with, dropping it onto the table with a clatter. He didn't move to pick it up, just stared at it with blank eyes. The others moved on with a shrug, likely thinking he was just spacing out, but Andrew knew better.

He watched Kevin with hooded eyes, his elbows braced on the table and his hands in front of his mouth. He searched the striker's face for a break, or a crack in his armor. He knew it was coming. It was all over, thanks to Neil's bargain with Ichirou, and now it was just waiting game. Andrew knew because of something Bee had said once, about trauma and reaction times. It's not like getting a papercut and immediately feeling the sting. It's like when you've been in a major car accident and hurt your leg, but you don't feel anything for a few seconds, even a few minutes, because your body has so much adrenaline pumping through it, thinking it still needs to fight to keep you alive. Only when your mind tells your body that it's no longer actively being hurt, that it's safe, do you begin to feel and process.

Kevin had been in slow-motion car crash ever since he left Castle Evermore. The final blow had been dealt by Neil once he told Kevin that they were all free, theoretically. But now that meant the biggest danger had been quelled due to Neil's deal with Ichirou, and so Kevin's mind was going to start telling his body it was safe. Safe to feel; safe to break.