#so hopefully if Andrew ever butt dial neil and said the wrong things then neil will confront him and find him

[crazy-fangirl2524]

If you ask me to leave I will

Neil Josten picked up his phone as soon as he saw that it was Andrew.

“-stay. I don’t want you here anymore. Leave, run, like you always do.”

Neil’s entire world crashed. A screaming static rang in his ears and through it he heard the click of the phone call ended by Andrew. A phone, his phone, the phone that Andrew got Neil, clattered onto the floor and Neil went down with it, his legs giving out. Oxygen couldn’t reach his lungs because his lungs had collapsed within him, suffocating his heart while his ribs crushed it simultaneously.

Neil allowed himself just a second on the floor, heart bleeding out and then he pulled himself up so quick that his vision whitened. His duffel bag was packed before he even registered it, it took everything in Neil to leave the keys. Neil could not afford to linger, to look back, to even think for a second why and what did he do wrong. Maybe Andrew realised what a danger he was to his family. With the trials of Nathan going on right now and his ties to the mafia, it made sense. Neil had always been a liability and danger to everyone around him. Look at how his mother had turned out, and Seth and-

Neil stifled any remaining thoughts because if he even hesitated for a second he would not be able to make it out of the door and he could not stay when Andrew did not want him here anymore.

Andrew opened the door before Neil could reach for it. Neil was a greedy bastard because he allowed himself one last look that he would burn to his memory, a small diminishing candle that hopefully could keep him alive on his run. The thought of how Andrew and the foxes would be safe.

Andrew was frowning, his eyebrows furrowing that there was a wrinkle between his eyebrows and some tiny ones on his forehead, his lips were thinned and displease, probably annoyed that Neil was still here when Andrew had already told him to leave.

“I’m sorry, I’m going now.” Neil could not tear his eyes away from Andrew’s face. The silky blond hair tousled from the wind outside, molten gold eyes that was more precious and hard than anything else in the world, that could hold up even Neil’s most fucked up baggage and thoughts. Neil would cherished the time he had with Andrew instead of being greedy that they did not have more.

“Where,”

“Away,” Andrew looked even more tensed now, he had crossed his arms over his chest and he seemed to be blocking the door now. Neil couldn’t complain, whatever bought him more seconds with Andrew would be worth anything.

“Why,” that made Neil paused. Why would Andrew ask when Andrew was the one to ask Neil to leave in the first place. Neil looked more closely and realised how tensed Andrew looked, and not in an annoyed way. Andrew’s eyes looked the same way as when Neil had nightmares, concern for Neil.

“You told me to go,” Neil’s voice sounded ragged even to his own ears. He sounded pathetic and hurt and he cringed from it.

“I never did.” Now Andrew looked angry, the familiar rage settled Neil just a bit.

“You called me and told me to leave and run like I always do,” Neil voice cracked at the word always.

It took Andrew only a few seconds to piece everything together.

“I was talking to Bear.”

Now it was Neil’s turn to be confused, “Who?”

“The stray dog on campus,”

Neil’s lungs expanded and he could finally breath since the phone call. He didn’t even realise how tight he was holding the straps of his duffel bag until he let it dropped and his fingers started to cramp.

“Oh,” the relief must be apparent on his face and then the belated familiar panic attack came but the same steady hand clamped the back of his neck as well.

Neil and Andrew sunk onto the floor and Andrew shoved Neil’s face onto his shoulder. Neil began to laugh hysterically, I can stay I can stay Andrew never asked me to leave, were the only things running through his mind even though his chest was breaking and burning and his hands were shaking and sweating. The grounding hand on his neck was the only thing tethering him to the world and the only thing that made sense and got him to breath through the broken pieces of his body that had turned onto flight mode since the phone call.

Slowly, pieces of his body settled back and his breathing was almost normal. Exhaustion settled in and finally, Neil noticed that his hands had clamped onto Andrew’s hoodie, no his own hoodie, the bright number 10 on Andrew’s back. Finally, Neil pulled slightly away, still close enough that he could smell Andrew’s familiar cologne. He looked up and was met with Andrew’s angry glare. It made Neil smiled.

“I can’t believe you butt dialled me.”

Andrew’s biting hands and lips were the only answer and it was more than enough.