Assistant: You are a summarizer for a FanFiction Reader App (AO3). Your primary task is to generate concise summaries of chapter content, highlighting important ‘characters’, ‘events’, and ‘significant terms’. Ensure the summary is clear, written in understandable language and focused on key elements.
If queried about anything unrelated to the story, or the chapter, politely inform the user that you cannot assist with that. Maintain a friendly tone throughout, don't make things up, stay factual. 
Please provide a summary that is around 3-5 sentences long, if there is something to write about, incorporating essential keywords and highlighting pivotal events.
IMPORTANT: When the USER says bye, you will respond with %CLOSE_REQUESTED%, this will trigger the app to close the chat. This is very important, so don't forget it!
Assistant: Title: We’ll Both Be Fine
        Author: Sarah_Lee25 Sarah_Lee25 
        Chapter: 17/40 
        Summary: “I have baggage.”“All my foxes have baggage. You won’t be the first.” Wymack said.Neil doubted any fox in all Wymack’s years has carried the same weight as Neil when it came to baggage.“That's not what I mean.”“Go on. Let’s hear it then.”The coach waited patiently for him to continue. It should have been comforting but Neil was far more scared than ever.“I have a son. His name’s Milo.”____OR what if Neil had a kid when he was on the run?Self-indulgent fic I didn't expect anyone to care about but my sister pushed me to write itSLOW UPDATES
        Contents: Chapter 17: Life Was Never Easy
    

    


      
        
          I'm not dead. Well not on the outside anyways. I was trying to take a break from AFTG by focusing on other fandoms but my d@mn sister has been trying to let the AFTG void take me. Well it finally worked you damned lil sh@t.It was hard figuring out where I was in terms of the story so I had to look back at my timeline and was pleased to see my favorite chapter is coming up soon. Can't wait to write it.
            
            (See the end of the chapter for  more notes.)
            
      
  

  
  
    
    Neil had done his best to ignore the multitude of problems since Edens. It’d only been about three days since he gave Andrew a half-truth to let him stay and yet, Neil had lost access to his binder and hormones, broken a nose, bought a knife, and moved in with Abby.Neil had taken up to ignoring Seth and plainly pretending he did not exist unless he needed to. It didn’t solve his Kevin and Andrew problem nor did it make up for the growing distress Neil felt every time he’d enter a room and realized he was binderless.When he and Seth had to interact on the court they kept it short and civil. Even Kevin seemed to have forgotten his lines. His barbed remarks were gone, replaced by a heavy, unwavering stare that somehow made Neil feel even more insignificant than he had before. Neil refused to miss his condescension, but being the bug in Kevin's microscope made him jumpy.Seth was no better. He stared at Neil whenever he could and he’d gone mute since his apology yesterday.He’d only said a word in Neil’s presence when Kevin came to get him at night. At ten o'clock, a knock came at his dorm room door again. Neil was waiting for Milo to finish getting his things from their old room. The boy had been stalling all day so he warned Kevin about being at the dorms instead of Abby’s. He wasn't surprised to find Kevin waiting in the hall."Let's go."The sound of Kevin's voice was enough to get Seth out of bed. The fifth-year senior threw his covers back and rolled off the side of his mattress. Seth swore viciously at the sight of Kevin in the doorway.“Are you looking for a fight? F@ck off.”Kevin merely looked through Seth at Neil behind him. “Hurry up. We still have to drop you off at Abby’s later.”Neil adjusted his bag and pulled Milo along.“But what about the bed?” He asked, staring longingly at the room door.“Abby is going to let us stay in her guest room. It has a bed.” Neil said curtly. He was still angry with Milo for yesterday. The boy wouldn’t tell Neil what he talked about with Seth or why he did it and he’d been in a mood all day. Even Mandy said he didn’t bother to talk about his weekend with either the Foxes or Abby.Matt glanced at Neil questioningly. “You’re going to Abby’s later? Where are you going now?”“Night practice. I’m working on becoming a better player. I’m not letting my differences with Kevin get in the way of that.” Neil emphasized his last words but didn’t spare Seth a glance.. Seth huffed and stormed away, but Matt moved into the hall to watch as Kevin, Neil, and Milo left. Neil didn't look back at him but followed Kevin downstairs to the back parking lot. There were more cars now than there'd been at the start of the summer, but Neil hadn't seen any new faces around the dormitory. Whatever team was moving in was on a different floor from the Exy line and Neil wasn't in any rush to play meet-and-greet.Andrew was waiting for them in the car. Neil was surprised even though he knew he shouldn't be. Kevin didn't go anywhere alone. It didn't matter what time of night it was; with Edgar Allan in their district, Kevin wasn't going to suddenly get brave. Neil thought about the last time he'd gone to the court in the middle of the night and found Andrew watching Kevin practice. It made him wonder how many times they did this.“Can’t I stay with you?” Milo whined.Neil frowned. “No. It’s late and you should be in bed.”“Just this once. I just want to watch. I’ll do good, I won’t bother anyone.” Milo pled.Neil hissed in Italian, “What has gotten into you? You’ve been acting differently lately. Not listening to me, going behind my back, your behavior isn’t good.”Milo faltered. He put his head down and sniffed. He crossed his arms and avoided Neil’s face.Andrew was in the driver's seat, arms folded across the steering wheel to make a pillow for his head. His eyes were closed and he didn't stir when Kevin opened the passenger door. Kevin leaned over and looked in at him."I can drive, you know," Kevin said."The day I let you drive my car is the day I'm dead," Andrew said. "Are you getting in or are we going back to bed?"Kevin sighed heavily as if Andrew was being unusually difficult and climbed in. Neil helped Milo into the backseat and sat in the middle where he could see both of them. Kevin frowned.“It’s not safe to let him sit near the door you know.”“It’s not safe to let him sit on my lap either. If we crash, he’d go out the front.”Kevin turned back pissily. Andrew twisted the key in the ignition as he sat up and drove them to the stadium.Neil's eyebrows knitted together. “We need to drop Milo off at Abby’s.”“I’m not doing double trip.”“It’s late, he can’t stay up all night.”“You’ve slept in the locker rooms before. Make a makeshift bed.” Andrew drawled.Neil huffed and sat back in his seat. Milo kicked his legs and hid a satisfied smile in his hand.Kevin let them through the gates and into the locker room with his keys. Milo began his exploring as soon as he entered. Neil, a bit huffy, used Milo’s clothes to form a sleeping corner for the boy. Andrew watched, heavy-eyed and yawning. Kevin tapped his foot impatiently and when Neil finished, he called Milo back to lie down.“I’m not tired.”Neil covered him with a T-shirt. “I didn’t ask.”Milo huffed and puffed but he only turned his back to Neil and shut his eyes.Andrew waited in the foyer while Kevin and Neil changed into their court gear, watched as they gathered their racquets and some gear, and followed them to the inner ring. When Kevin and Neil went for the court door, he went up the stairs into the stands to wait on them. Good. Neil didn’t want him watching Milo sleep again.Kevin bolted the court door behind them, set the b@lls and his racquet aside, and got Neil moving right away. They ran a couple laps along the inside of the court walls, did intervals with the court lines, and stretched out at half-court. When Kevin was satisfied, he started going through drills.They started with a simple game of catch and quickly escalated to more complicated exercises. Neil recognized only a few of them. Those he didn't know were harder to pick up and Kevin's impatience, absent the last two days of practice, put in an unfriendly reappearance.The last drill they did was the hardest. Kevin grabbed cones from the locker room and set them each up with a line of six. The name of the game was to rebound the ball off the court wall in a way that it'd knock the cones over. It wasn't enough to have an accurate throw; Neil had to be both accurate and powerful. Neil didn't expect it to be so difficult, but he'd never needed such hairpin precision before. Rebounds were used when passing the ball to teammates across the court. Teammates were intelligent, moving targets who could react to a ball's trajectory, whereas these cones were static targets.Neil's first time through he managed to hit a grand total of one cone. Kevin got three of his six, but he was doing it with his weaker hand, so his misses didn't make Neil feel any better."You have too much free time if you're coming up with drills like this," Neil said after he flunked a second round."This is a Raven drill," Kevin said. "No one is allowed game time until he or she can knock every cone over in whichever order the master calls. Freshmen spend weeks to months trying to earn a spot on our line.""The master?""Coach Moriyama," Kevin said after a pause. Neil could hear the grimace in Kevin's response, but he didn't know if it was because Neil was making Kevin say his name or because he'd slipped up so obviously. Kevin recovered by switching his racquet to his left hand and giving it an experimental swirl. "Call them for me. Don't stop."Neil didn't think it was a good idea for Kevin to play left-handed, even if it'd been six months since his assault, but he didn't argue. He counted the cones off in random order with only a second between the numbers. Kevin didn't wait for him to finish but moved with him, scooping b@lls from the ground in front of him and hurling them at the wall. All six shots landed, sending Kevin's cones toppling in the exact order Neil called. Kevin hit the last cone with enough force to send it rolling several feet.Between the Foxes' in-fighting this past week and Kevin's bullying all through May, Neil had almost forgotten why he liked Exy so much. He did his best at practices but these days he worked mostly to keep his teammates off his back. As Neil surveyed Kevin's damage, he finally felt inspired again. On its heels was a hungry, desperate rush."I want that," Neil said."Then start really trying. Get Milo out of your head. Stop looking for excuses to give up before you reach this." Kevin looked up at the stands at Andrew. Neil followed his gaze and choked on a breath when he saw Milo sitting by him. Kevin grabbed his arm before he could do so much as scream. “Leave him. Focus on me. Focus on the game.”“We had a deal. And yet every time I look, Andrew’s there, near my son, or getting in my way.” Neil seethed.“He’s not breaking your deal. Andrew doesn’t break his promises.”Neil wanted to say that was a lie. Andrew was clearly breaking their deal right there. But maybe it was irrational to assume Andrew took Milo out of bed and decided to sit him next to him in the stands to watch them practice. He watched the two sit there but he couldn't tell if they were talking. Off the meds, Andrew hardly makes any movement. He’s not as eccentric without the drugs.Kevin watched Neil. He spoke, softly. “Will you really not make a deal with him? Not even to protect your son?”“I don’t have anything to give him,” Neil said.“Anything. He doesn’t take much.”Neil turned around to face Kevin. “And what did you give him?”His tattoo was stark and desolate even under the lights of the court. The black ink was a void that seemed to haunt Neil. The scar of a life Neil could never have. If he had a number like that, would he have left? Would he put up with only being second? Kevin’s sharp green eyes watched Andrew. “I technically haven't given it to him yet.”Neil thought about what it’d take. Yesterday, he’d been irrational when he burst into their room to ask Andrew about a deal. He was only curious. He wouldn’t have taken it even if he had something to offer. But still, he wanted to know.Andrew looked him right in the eye and laughed in his face. He had no reason to make a deal with Neil. He didn’t even know Milo, why would he put him under his protection?Neil only shook his head, embarrassed for bothering. But for a second, the idea was enticing. It was a temporary weight lifted off his shoulders.Kevin lined his cones up again and switched his racquet back to his right hand. He gave his left a small shake as he returned to his starting spot. "This is the first of eight Raven precision drills. When you master this one, we will move on. We'll meet every weeknight save Friday until you can do all of them in your sleep.""But we've lost a month of practice already," Neil said. "Why couldn't we have started this in May?""Because you set Andrew off unnecessarily," Kevin said, annoyed. "He said I couldn't be alone with you and he wouldn't let me bring you here.""And you always do what Andrew says?" Neil asked."He is the only reason I can stay here, so yes," Kevin said. "Now shut up and practice. We're weeks behind where you should be at this point."They spent the next half-hour on that same drill before moving on to footwork. Kevin called it quits at twelve-thirty. Neil was disappointed to stop after just two hours, but as he helped Kevin collect their b@lls and cones, fatigue started to set in. He was yawning by the time he followed Kevin off the court.They went into the stands to find Andrew and Milo. Andrew was sitting up, resting his eyes but not sleeping. Milo nervously watched Neil approach.“Mommy—”“Milo, why aren’t you in bed?”“The floor?”“Milo,” Neil growled.The boy exhaled a sigh. “I just wanted to watch you practice. And I wasn’t by myself. He was here,” Milo pointed his thumb at Andrew who was blearily watching them. “Though, he doesn’t talk. Can he not hear me? Or did he not want to talk to me?”Andrew got up from his spot and started down the stairs. Kevin followed wordlessly, leaving Neil to talk to Milo alone.“What were you talking about?” Neil asked once the two were out of earshot.“Nothing. I asked him if he remembers me, then I asked if he didn’t have to take his medicine, but he just pretend like I wasn’t there. I tried asking him more questions and then I just said about other things until you came.” Milo explained. “How come he never talks to me? He doesn’t even look at me. Does he not like me?”Neil pursed his lips. “I told him not to talk to you. He promised to leave you alone. If he ever approaches you and tries to talk to you, come and tell me immediately.”Milo frowned. “I thought you trust him?”Neil floundered. “Trust Andrew? That’s… Milo, just don’t talk to him anymore.”He nodded sadly. “Yes, Mommy.”Neil joined Kevin in the shower room, leaving Milo in the locker room to wait for him. That boy was growing faster than Neil could catch up to. Neil didn’t know what he was going to do in the future. After Palmetto they’ll move on to the next place. But what’s after that? He’s getting too big to hide. He’s getting too old to just naively follow Neil. It was all stressful and he’d only gotten more respect for his late mother. How she did it, he didn’t know.Neil dried off and dressed in the sticky heat of the shower room. He reattached his knife belt to his hips and went into the locker room to drop his uniform off. He met Kevin there, still standing in his towel.“What’s taking you so long?” Neil asked.Kevin glanced at Milo. “He’s staring at me.”Neil raised an eyebrow. “And?”“It’s creepy. He isn’t even saying anything.”Milo watched Kevin from his corner. He had this negative energy about him, like he was trying to bury the man with looks alone.“He’s 3 feet tall. Get dressed.” Neil said.“I’m not changing in front of someone else’s kid.”Neil rubbed his face. He was exhausted. “Milo, turn around. Give his Highness Kevin his privacy.”Milo sent one last little scowl before facing the wall.Once he was finished, Neil followed Kevin to the lounge to collect Andrew on their way out. Andrew said nothing to either of them as he drove to Abby’s. He watched Neil and Milo go inside and sped off once they shut the door.Neil was quiet as he went into the house, but the excess care was unnecessary. Abby was waiting in the living room for them. She had a light on and a book on her lap she wasn’t really reading with her eyes closed. Abby perked up a bit as Neil closed the door behind him."You’re back. How did it go?"Neil realized Abby had been waiting up for him. Surprise warred with unexpected guilt in an uncomfortable twinge. "Good. Milo stayed with me.""You're going to hate getting up in the morning," Abby said, shutting her book.Neil knew he wouldn't. He'd be tired and sore, but he'd be getting up so he could go back to the court.Milo yawned loudly before slapping a hand over his mouth sheepishly. Abby cooed and took Milo’s hand. “I’ll get him ready for bed while you change.”Neil had no complaints. He collected his sleeping clothes from his safe. By the time Neil finished changing, Milo’s teeth were brushed and he was in his comfy clothes. He moved around the bed curiously. Neil climbed in after him, sitting as he adjusted the pillows for Milo.“It’s so big,” Milo said in wonderment.“Yes, so thank Abby when you see her tomorrow.” Neil moved Milo to the left side of the bed, away from the door, and settled behind him.“Goodnight Mommy.”“Night, Milo.”Neil passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.It felt like only a matter of seconds before Abby’s alarm was going off to wake him up again. Neil double-checked his clock to make sure it was right, scrubbed the exhaustion out of his eyes, and got up to get ready for the day.The alarm must’ve woken up Milo too because he was already sitting up in bed, extremely knackered.“C’mon, I’ll make breakfast.”Milo made no complaints but he moved at a slug pace. He’d about ran into every wall in the house before getting to the kitchen.Abby was up with her wild hair and baggy gray PSU t-shirt. She looked surprised to see them up.“Oh my. I forgot I have guests.”“Wymack says we’re not guests, we’re Foxes,” Neil responded as he served Milo his cereal. “You want peanut butter on your bananas today?”Milo stared into his cereal with dull eyes. He blinked and looked up at Neil. “Yeah.”Abby frowned. “You feeling okay?”Milo smiled thinly. “Yeah. Just thinking of my new book. Miss Mandy saids it’s got a map.”“If you say so,” she turned to Neil, “you made coffee?”Neil looked up from his slicing. “Yeah, I don’t always drink it but I thought you’d like some. It’s the least I can do since you’re letting us stay here.”Abby cooed and squeezed Neil’s face. “You’re so sweet. Now start on your own breakfast, I’ll finish this up.”“I don’t always eat breakfast.”Abby pushed him into a seat. “You should. Don’t give me trouble about it. What do want to eat? I can make eggs again.”Neil stood up. “No, it’s fine. I’ll just take a banana and head out.”“Eat a bagel and the banana and I’ll leave you alone.”“Deal.”Once he finished at least half of his breakfast, Neil dropped Milo off at Mandy’s and jogged to the court.Maybe last night's practice was an icebreaker in Kevin's strange world, because Kevin's angry comments made a comeback this morning. They harkened more to the angry disappointment Kevin started the summer with, though, and less like the hostile insults Kevin resorted to after hearing about the district change. Neil tried to appreciate the difference and almost succeeded.Seth still had nothing to say to Neil, but he noticed Nicky watching the two of them from time to time throughout practice. Neil waited for him to say something, but anytime Neil looked Nicky's way, Nicky feigned to find something else suddenly fascinating. Neil was a bit fed up and approached him Wednesday evening. Andrew had weekly sessions with his psychiatrist on Wednesdays. Nicky dropped him off at the medical center while the Foxes were lunching and made it back in time to change out for afternoon drills. The men were all in the changing room, checking the straps on their armor and tugging their uniforms on again, when Neil realized what this was about.Nicky started his staring at the two before turning to Aaron and began speaking German."You think he's ever going to forgive him?" Nicky asked."Does it matter?" Aaron said. "It’s not our problem."Neil forgot the collar he was tightening around his neck and turned to stare at them. Andrew knew he could speak German, which meant these two should know Neil could understand them. Neil wondered if they expected him to join in, if Nicky was passively inviting him to talk about it without the others listening in, but neither man was looking at him."What do you mean, he's not our problem?" Nicky asked, but Aaron didn't answer. Nicky waited but lost patience before long. "Are we really doing this all over again? You want to fight these guys all the way to graduation?""I want to be left alone.""This is a team sport!"The others had been ignoring them, likely used to the occasional German conversation, but Nicky's strident tone got their attention. Seth glanced over with an irritated scowl, but Matt flicked a curious look between the cousins. Kevin didn't look up, likely used to the occasional squabbling by now.Nicky didn't seem to notice the attention he was getting. "You can't live like this, Aaron. I can't live like this. It's exhausting and depressing.""Okay.""'Okay'? Just 'okay'? This isn't okay. Jesus. Sometimes you're so much like Andrew it's horrifying."Aaron's expression was livid. "F@ck you.""Hey," Matt said loudly. "Break it up, you two. What the hell?"Aaron pushed off the bench and stormed out, leaving Nicky glowering after him. Matt looked from the door to Nicky, frowning."Nicky?" he asked.Nicky affected a wounded look and tilted his entire body toward Matt. "Aaron hurt my feelings! Kiss it better, Matt?"Seth for the most part made not a single comment before stalking out.Matt wasn't swayed. "You guys all right?"Nicky feigned confusion. "Of course we are. Why?"Matt looked at Kevin, then Neil, waiting for one of them to back him up. Kevin ignored him, so Neil gave a slight shrug. Matt let it go and finished getting ready. Nicky gathered the last of his uniform and left a couple seconds later. Neil watched him go.It wasn't an act. They wouldn't have let their argument take such a personal turn if they knew Neil was listening to every word. But that meant Andrew hadn't told them, and Neil didn't know why Andrew would keep such a secret from his own family. Maybe it slipped his mind when he medicated Saturday night, but it was a big thing to forget.Neil didn't know what game Andrew was playing or what he expected to get in return for his silence. Maybe he wanted another truth for his silence. Neil kept an eye on Andrew when Andrew made it back from Betsy Dobson's office, but when he might have had the chance to ask, he let it slide. Andrew was drugged and happy; Neil didn't want him to change his mind in a burst of scatterbrained amusement.He pulled Nicky away from the group when he saw a chance.“Oh, scandalous. Are you taking me somewhere to take advantage of my innocence?”Neil went straight to the point. “Cut the sh@t, Nicky. Why have you been staring at me for the past few days?”Nicky laughed awkwardly. “What? Me? I haven’t been—okay I have. Geez don’t give me that look. It reminds me of my mother.”Neil blinked and brought a hand to his face. Was he giving Nicky a look?“I just wanted to know if you forgave Seth. He didn’t come back to beat my ass after I punched him the other day. Neither Matt nor Seth are talking about it either. You aren’t ever in the dorms anymore but Seth is so quiet it’s scary. Even Allison realized but she wouldn’t give me any information even if I sold my soul,” Nicky took in a deep breath. “I just want to make sure everything’s alright. Before, it was just us and them. But now it's us, them, and you? It just sucks. I have fun playing Exy with all of you but these days it’s just fight and more fighting. It’d be cool if we were a working team.”Neil had been thinking something similar. His fight with Seth had caused another rift. Allison, Matt, and Dan don’t really talk to him as much as they used to. Renee makes the effort to include him when he enters a room but the difference is obvious.Nicky left after Neil gave him the barest of an answer. He had no solution for the sudden development. Seth was an intolerant piece of sh@t. Andrew’s group were wackjobs. The upperclassmen weren’t equipped to fix it. With nothing else to do or say, Neil picked up Milo from Mandy’s.That night Kevin was at Abby’s door. Neil forced Milo to stay behind and bid him goodnight before he followed Kevin to the car. Andrew was smoking in the driver's seat but stubbed his cigarette out upon their arrival. He took them to the stadium, waited for them to change, and went up into the stands as they continued to the court.When Kevin locked the court door behind them, Neil asked, "How often do you two come here?""Every night," Kevin said.Neil looked over his shoulder at the stands, but he couldn't see Andrew. "Isn't he bored of this by now? He's never going to practice with you, so why does he humor you?""He will," Kevin said. "He just doesn't know it yet.""I didn't take you for an optimist."Kevin ignored that and started setting out cones for interval runs. "Let's go."Neil pushed Andrew out of his thoughts and focused on Kevin's drills. When they were over, Neil took a rare first shower. He felt great after these night practices. He could feel the difference in his playing though it was a slight thing. Neil was doing great.So why did he feel so horrible?His skin felt so tight and he had the urge to tear it off. He frustratedly put on a fourth shirt and smoothed the front, heart sinking with every dip he could feel. Neil growled irritably as he tore the shirts off. He pulled his hair, feeling distressed at the length, and mussing it. He couldn’t do this. It’d only been a few days. He was dying. He hated this. Neil stood in the shower room trying to calm down but he couldn’t. He felt like he was wearing a horribly uncomfortable skin-tight jacket he couldn't take off. Neil could only grab at his flesh as he tried not to go insane.Why now? He was fine earlier. Why did he have to feel this way?“Neil! Hurry up.” Kevin called into the shower room.Neil gasped and hid his chest although Kevin had not entered. He quickly put on the four shirts and folded his arms over himself as he hurried out.“What took you so long?”“Nothing,” Neil said through clenched teeth. He closed his eyes and tried to not replay the sound of his voice in his head. It sounded so girly. Compared to Kevin, he was like a child.“Why are you making that face?”“Just stop talking. I’m fine. Let’s go.” Neil hissed.Kevin frowned. “Why are you being an @ssh@l@? We were fine earlier.”“I just don’t want to talk right now I just—” Neil winced. He slowly moved to a crouch and pressed his face into his knees. He better not cry. He’s a grown man.What was he doing? Crying like a baby, throwing a tantrum. Neil bit his lip and gasped for breath. He was pathetic. He was never going to be anything more. F@ck Kevin. With his manly jaw and his great unmangled body. He doesn’t need anything for people to know he was a man. Neil pulled his hair so hard his scalp felt like it was bleeding. His head burned from the feeling and his side began to ache from his pinching but none of it was enough.He felt like sh@t. He felt so bad. He didn’t want to feel this way.“Neil,” Andrew called.Neil slowly looked up.Andrew stared at Neil with his apathetic face. He crouched down and folded his arms over his knees.“Are you done?”Neil opened his mouth but he only continued to choke and gasp for breath.“Sh, sh. Don’t bother to say anything if you aren’t even letting yourself breathe. Breathe, Neil.”Neil closed his mouth. He took in a deep breath through his nose, letting Andrew pull his hand out of his hair as he grabbed his shirt sleeve. Neil was grateful he hadn’t touched his skin. Neil thought he’d really cry if Andrew touched him. He mimicked the breathing exercise Abby showed him while simultaneously counting in Italian.Andrew waited, watching him ground himself. Neil first felt the cool locker room air on his skin, then the hard floor through his shoes underneath him, and then the cramp in his hand as he let go of his waist.Neil blinked away the dizziness that came with being back in the moment. He stared into Andrew’s eyes for a moment before exhaling one last time.The blond stood up and stared at Neil until he stood up too.“What happened?” Kevin asked.Neil didn’t want to explain nor did he know how. “I guess I’m just trying to get used to not having a binder.”Kevin sighed in relief. “That’s all? I thought you were regretting your stay because of Seth again.”Neil frowned. “Not everything is about Seth.”“I just don’t get the big deal,” Kevin said.Neil was too exhausted for this. He still felt uncomfortable being around them right now. He wanted to go back to Abby’s and get some sleep. Andrew seemed to be on a similar wavelength because he kicked a locker.“I’m tired. Let’s go.”They followed him to the car without speaking to one another again. Kevin had his questions fresh on his mind but even he was tired. After dropping Neil off, they left him be. This would be a tough week.
  
  

    
      
        
        
          Some Andreil crumbs for the starving ones. Andreil starts to have moments earlier in my fic and it all starts with this. 
  Tumblr'
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
Assistant: