Aftg react

Part65

Foxes react: chapter 15

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Andrew accepted that in silence and settled down to wait. Neil held a bandaged hand out for the tape and bags, but Andrew gazed into space and ignored him. Matt finished up in the kitchen and went past them. When the bathroom door was closed behind him and the shower cut on, Andrew motioned to Neil's hoodie. Neil tried not to wince as he popped the buttons undone. He got the shirt as far as his elbows before he had to take a breather and rest his aching hands. Andrew gave him only a second before peeling the sleeves off his arms one at a time. Andrew pulled a garbage bag over each arm, tore the excess edges off, and taped the jagged ends to Neil's biceps. He tugged at both bags to check for any give and added another layer of tape to be sure. When Neil's arms were good, Andrew started on his face. He picked up one of the plastic ends he'd torn off, folded it over and over in on itself, and taped it over one of Neil's cheeks like a shiny black bandage. Neil was pretty sure Andrew put more tape than plastic on Neil's face, but Neil wasn't going to complain. Andrew finished his other cheek and inspected his handiwork. Neil guessed he was satisfied with the end result because Andrew tossed the scissors and roll of tape off to one side.
Andrew tugged the blanket out from under them and draped it over Neil's shoulders like a cape. Neil tried pulling the ends together over his chest but couldn't get a good grip with bags over his fingers. Andrew watched him try twice, then pushed his hands aside and did it for him.

This was like a treat to everything they had seen so far, almost everyone wanted to comment on it but no one wanted a knife on the gut with the exception of Aaron who was making sick sounds and Nicky who hadn't learned his lesson jet and had tried to say something but was quickly shut down by a fierce glare.
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The only awkward moment was when the waitress, trying to make small talk, asked Neil about his bandages.
"Skateboarding," Matt said the same time Dan said, "Fell into a tank of piranhas."
Allison waved a hand in bored dismissal when the waitress sent a nonplussed look between the two and said, rather conspiratorially, "Bad breakup."
"Rough weekend," the waitress deduced, and moved on.

The others (Matt, Dan, Alison, Nicky) looked proud of the excuses that they had come up with, others (Aaron, Andrew, Abby) dumbfounded and done with them, Renee had a soft smile used to all that and Wymack laughed with the scene and everyone's reaction.
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"Where did you want to go?" Renee asked.
"I don't know," Neil admitted. "I haven't looked around yet." Allison tapped manicured fingernails against her lips thoughtfully,
then beckoned to Matt. "Resort?"
"Doesn't seem like his kind of thing," Matt said, "and it's too early
for the beach. Cabin?"
Allison looked poised to argue but thought better of it. "Blue Ridge?"
"Haven't been yet," Matt said, "but I've heard they're awesome." "Neil?" Allison asked.
"What?" Neil asked, lost.
"Yes or no?" Allison said, like she couldn't believe he wasn't
following along. "We're going to the mountains for the week." "We," Kevin echoed. When Matt looped his finger to indicate
everyone, Kevin made a cutting gesture in dismissal. "No. Regardless of what happened this weekend, we are still in the middle of spring championships. We need—"
Kevin cut off abruptly and looked down. Neil couldn't see what he was looking at, but he could guess. One of Andrew's hands was out of sight beneath the table and his knife was missing from beside his plate. Andrew's chin was cradled in his other hand as he gazed across the room at nothing in particular. Kevin stared hard at the top of Andrew's head like he was considering calling Andrew's bluff. In the end he scowled and let it drop. Neil didn't know what convinced him: the dark bruises still lining his throat or the desperate gestures Nicky was making on Neil's other side.

"Nice Minyard" said Alison with a teasing tone as she wiggled her and Nicky was doing the same as he looked at her and Andrew ignored them both with a huff and Aaron did some ungodly noises.
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Andrew stayed to clean the blenders out, then took two rocks glasses from the cabinet. He filled both to the brim with scotch and held one out to Neil. Neil looked from it to Andrew.
"I don't drink," Neil reminded him.
"You don't drink because you are afraid of losing control," Andrew said. "What do you have to hide now?"
That easy accusation brought Neil up short. He looked at the drink again. Andrew moved it closer, and Neil took the glass. Andrew lifted his a little in either challenge or invitation, and they knocked their drinks back together. The whisky burned its way down Neil's throat. Neil thought about too many nights on the road and too many bruises. He thought about Wymack putting him back together in his apartment this past December and letting Neil keep his secrets. He wavered between extremes, unsure if the heat pooling in his gut was nausea or relief.
Andrew pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket and traded Neil for his empty glass.

Nicky screamed at what he saw startling some when he said "oh my god it's happening" referring to Nei actually drinking with them all and the others huffed at his reaction before going back.
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Their plans got more elaborate the more they drank until Neil was sure none of them would remember this debate in the morning.
Neil got up for another glass of water when the conversation slid toward more normal topics. When he cut the sink off and turned around he found Aaron waiting for him in the middle of the kitchen. Aaron jerked his chin in a silent order to follow and stepped out the back door onto the balcony. Neil set his drink aside and followed. He closed the door as quietly as he could and went to lean against the railing. Aaron made no move to close the gap between him.

This was most definitely weird, for Aaron to want to talk with Neil so there was something happening there.
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"Nicky's kind of stupid," Aaron said. "He made the mistake of saying something to Andrew instead of waiting until he could get you alone. Andrew almost cut him open when he didn't take the hint fast enough." He glanced over his shoulder at the back door, maybe making sure the kitchen was still empty, before turning back on Neil. "That leaves you with me, since Andrew didn't see fit to warn me off you."

Andrew looked at Aaron like he could see what he was going to say, it seemed that Andrew was going to regret not warning his brother but he didn't believe in regret so if anything happened Aaron was the one to regret it and he made sure of letting Aaron know as he send him a look.
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"So now you're going to talk to me," Aaron said, "and I'm going to give you exactly one chance to tell me the truth. Are you really fucking my brother?" He waited a beat, but when Neil just gazed back in silence, asked, "Do you take your cues from dead men?"
"What?" Neil asked.

Andrew and the other didn't like were this was going but it didn't look good.
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"Just wondering how you went from your whole I-don't-date high horse to Andrew's bed," Aaron said. "Either you were lying to us to hide the fact you're a flamer, or you saw Drake rape Andrew and realized he's easy prey."

They were horrified, it got a reaction out of everyone even Wymack who would rather let them fight it out had a disapproving and shocked expression, Andrew was looking at the screen eyebrows ever so slightly raised and body frozen, "this is a low even for you" said Matt, he looked mad just like the other, half because they all had seen how Neil and Andrew were with each other and half because saying something like that was just a low shit move to do. They were mad at what Aaron said and they knew that Neil was the same or maybe even more so and they knew how Neil was going to react to that and it somehow made them angrier because they felt like Aaron knew and was doing on purpose.
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Neil punched him—a terrible mistake in retrospect, as he ended up half-crumpled over his screaming hand.

They winced at that, seeing him so in pain because he was defending someone but not being able to do it right.