Too Much (Andreil One-Shot)

Too Much

Andrew had been quiet for so long that nobody noticed him slipping from time.

Nobody noticed how the look in his eyes went from boredom to full on detachment. Nobody noticed that on the inside, alarms were going off and lights were flashing and everything was being torn apart and set on fire. Nobody noticed that Andrew was shutting down.

Nobody, except for Neil.

Neil first noticed in the locker room before a game. The team was huddled around Wymack, eager to absorb any details that could help them win. Neil, of course, had heard this all before from Kevin.

He let his eyes wander from teammate to teammate, lips almost pulling into a smile before landing on the person he really wanted to look at.

Andrew looked exactly like he always looked. Bored, casual. His attention elsewhere. But Neil knew Andrew by now. He knew it was a mistake to look for signs on his face.

Andrew could control his face wonderfully, but his body often gave him away. Neil noticed that his hands were balled in tight fists, and his shoulders were filled with secret tension.

At the time, Neil let it slide. Partly because even if he asked, he knew Andrew would brush him off.

A couple of days later, it happened again. Neil was studying for a Spanish exam, quickly flipping through his textbook, and wondering if he should go through verbs one more time. Quick movement in his peripheral vision caused Neil's head to whip up.

Andrew was throwing blankets off the couch, his hands sinking into the cushions but coming up empty.

It was an odd thing to see. Andrew barely lost anything, and even if he did, he didn't care enough to go looking.

Neil only watched for a second more before asking. "Looking for something?"

Andrew flicked his wrist, indicating it wasn't any of Neil's business. Neil reluctantly let his eyes fall back on his textbook, casually glancing up when Andrew made too much noise.

After a couple more cushions were thrown, Andrew found what he was looking for and held it to his chest. It was only a pack of cigarettes, but Neil wondered if it was much more than that.

Neil knew he could just ask Andrew. They didn't lie to each other anymore, and Neil knew that whatever Andrew would say wouldn't scare him away. They were that strong.

But Neil also knew that Andrew would come to him when he was ready.

Not surprisingly, it was Renee who first said something. She caught Andrew between switching positions at the goal. Neil only saw Renee's mouth moving before Andrew turned and left.

A little while after, Renee caught up with Neil. "Hello Neil. How are you?"

"I'm f-" Neil bit his lip, feeling almost guilty before Renee smiled sweetly at him. "I'm okay, sort of worried." He gave a half ass response. Because Neil truthfully didn't know if it was time to panic or not.

"About Andrew?" She guessed.

Neil nodded, his eyes falling to the floor, not wanting to give away something he wasn't ready to.

"Don't worry. I'll try talking to him if you want?"

Neil didn't want to admit that he had seen them talking, and knew exactly how that went."No, it's fine. I'll talk to him."