Archive of Our Own

Andrew was lying face down on the living room sofa, wallowing in his misery, it was the last family movie night before he and Neil were to leave for summer camp the next day.

He had been trying to come out to Neil for at least two weeks now, but every time he thought it was finally the day, something happened, either he cowered or they weren’t alone or he let time slipped, something always had to happened, and now they were hours away from going on a month-long camp and he hadn’t been able to come out to his freaking best friend.

So yeah, he was feeling pretty shitty at the moment.

“Mom made sweet popcorn as a farewell treat for … What’s wrong, Bud?” His dad asked as he approached the sofa Andrew was currently wallowing on. He groaned pitifully.

What? He was fourteen, he was allowed to be a bit dramatic.

“I couldn’t tell him” He mumbled into the sofa
“You what?” His dad asked, bemused

Andrew turned so he was laying belly up.

“I couldn’t tell him; I didn’t come out to Neil”
“Oh buddy, you know there’s no rush, right? Coming out isn’t a limited time offer, it has to be on your own time, whenever you feel ready”
“I know, but I wanted to tell him before we had to leave for summer camp”
“What’s going on, boys?” His mom asked as she came into the living room carrying two bowls of popcorn
“He didn’t come out to Neil today, either” His dad answered
“I know there’s no rush, but it feels like I have this big secret, like I’m hiding something, I know it’s not gonna be a big deal for him, but I guess I’m a bit scared”
“Of his reaction?” His dad asked
“Not really, more like his actions?, it’s just… he’s my best friend, and I like our friendship the way it is now. I don’t want it to change because of me”
“You’re afraid he’ll treat you different after you tell him” his mom said, Andrew nodded, he sat up a bit so his parents could sit on the sofa as well and put his head on his mom’s shoulder. He was a mama’s boy, sue him. “That’s a very valid concern, honey”
“It feels like I’m lying to him”
“Taking your time to process what you feel, to deal with the change and accept yourself is not the same as hiding something from Neil” Andrew just shrugged, it was too late now anyway, they were leaving the next day for summer camp, and he hadn’t done it.
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore, can we just watch the movie?” He said miserably, both of his parents looked like they wanted to say something else but they respected his wishes and just put on the movie.

After sometime Andrew felt himself relax and he let himself enjoy his family time.

……………

The next day, Andrew was exited and the tiniest bit anxious. He was in the back sit of his parents’ car, next to his best friend. He was quiet because said best friend was asleep with his head on Andrew’s shoulder and his thumb in his mouth, Neil might be thirteen already but at this point Andrew thought he would sooth himself by sucking on his finger forever, it was kind of cute… as cute as a thirteen-year-old could be, anyway.

They were on their way to Neil and Andrew’s first summer camp, it was only two hours away. They had ridden the first half of the way in uncle David’s car and now they were riding the second half of the way in his parents’ car, it had been Neil’s ‘brilliant’ idea so they could ride together but spend the same amount of time with each of their parents. Now Neil was out like a light because long car rides always lolled him to sleep (when he was little, he had had really bad night terrors and car rides were the only thing that used to calmed him down).

“If you don’t feel good, if you don’t feel comfortable or if anything happens you know you can call us. Right? We’ll always be available for you guys, no matter at what time you call” His dad said from the front sit, Andrew resisted the urge to roll his eyes, he was fourteen, he wasn’t a little baby. He knew his parents were worried because it was his first time away from them and because he had come out as gay recently and hadn’t been able to tell Neil yet. But still.

“Yes Dad, I know… uncle David told us the exact same thing twenty minutes ago”
“Just making sure, we’re always available for you guys, it’s the first time you’re going to be away for so long, we’re just cool parents that have the right to be concerned” Andrew chewed on his lip nervously, he would never admit it out loud, but he was a bit scared as well.

Four weeks was a really long time but Neil had been so excited with the idea of an “sports and talents” summer camp, he was incredible excited to play Exy and there were also arts and crafts and horses, and cooking classes and a lake so it did sound like a lot of fun, and besides they were already teenagers, they could do this.

This would be their first summer camp, and also the first time they would be away from their parents for so long, when they were younger Neil had had really bad separation anxiety, it had been so bad that he hadn’t been able to go to school for an entire year after he had started living with his parents, he had been home schooled until he was almost seven and after that even though he was an outgoing fun kid, he would stick to Andrew like a limpet at recess for the first few months.

And Andrew… well, is not like he thought something bad would happen in those four weeks but, he was just a bit nervous, that was all. He knew he would have Neil there the whole time and he was plenty conscious that they kind of were each other’s security blanket so he would not feel lonely, but still.

He felt heavy with his secret.

“We’re almost there, boys” His mom said from the front so Andrew took Neil’s hand and gently pulled his thumb out of his mouth, waking him a bit, he tried to put it back in but Andrew didn’t let go of his hand so he blinked blearily a few times before mumbling: “Are we there yet?”

“Almost, better wake up”

Neil perked up immediately, smiling widely, showing his braces to Andrew (of course he had gotten braces, that’s what happens when you suck on your finger nonstop for your entire life, but Neil didn’t really mind them, so it was fine)

“I can already see the lake! Drew, look! It has inflatable water slides, that’s so cool!” Andrew smiled excitedly as well and flattened Neil’s hair a bit, he had a funny cow-lick.

Neil pointed to all of the things he could see until they finally got there and he got out of the car and went straight to his parents.

Andrew moved a bit slower; he got his backpack and suitcase out and went and hugged his parents good bye. Both of them crushed him in a tight embrace.

“Have lots of fun honey” His mom said softly
“I know I’ve said this a million times Drew, but if anything, or anyone makes you feel uncomfortable or anything happens, or you simply want to get back home, you call us Andrew, I mean it” His dad said sternly
“I know, we’ll be okay!”
“We love you, honey” His mom told him softly
“I love you guys too”

He looked up at Neil and his parents were squeezing the life out of him too, it was like they were going away for college and not a month-long camp, it made Andrew feel very very loved, and it wasn’t a bad feeling.

After their parents said their respective goodbyes they switched, and he got squeezed by his uncle and aunt.

“Take care kiddo, don’t do anything too crazy and don’t let Neil get in too much trouble, God knows what that kid can do” uncle David said, Andrew giggled.
“I promise nothing”.

Once they finally said all of their goodbyes off to camp, they went.

Actually getting into their cabin took a long time, first they got orientation to explain meal times, how to sign up for activities, workshops and sport matches. They met the camp counselors and learned where everything was, from the lake and the nurse and everything, Neil was paying very little attention, trusting in Andrew to just remember everything.

So when they got to their little two bed cabin, Andrew was already a bit tired, they had time to settle and explore before dinner and then if they wanted to, they could go to the inauguration bonfire.

Dinner was a noisy affair, they sat on a table full of other kids but they ended up only really chatting with each other. Andrew wasn’t exactly the most sociable person and Neil seemed content to just excitedly talk to Andrew.

By the time they reached the open area where the bonfire was being held, Andrew was already stifling yawns, and of course Neil noticed, he always noticed everything going on with Andrew… well, almost everything.

“Do you want to go to bed? We don’t have to stay here if you’re tired”
“I want a s’more first” Andrew mumbled, he was actually quite tired, social situations and general socialization made him tired but his sweet tooth was stronger.
“Oh! I’ll make you one! You go find us a spot and I’ll bring you one!” Neil said and left.

Andrew found a semi secluded spot close enough to the fire that he felt warm but kinda far from other campers, he would start being social the next day. He was just waiting for Neil to comeback when one of the camp councilors sat next to him.

“Hello kid” He said, he was a tall and strong looking, his hair buzzed close to his scalp and he was smiling “How are you liking camp so far?”
“Hi, it’s nice, we haven’t really done anything yet” the tall guy laughed, Andrew didn’t think he had said anything funny.
“Sure, sure, look if you want, I can give you a private tour of the place, I know all the cool hided spots”
“Um, I don’t know, I’m kinda tired and my friend is-“
“I’m Drake, Drake Spear by the way” he interrupted “And you are?”
“Andrew”
“And do you have a last name, Andrew?”
“Dobson, Andrew Dobson” Drake was about to say something else but Neil had found his way back
“I got you two s’mores and a… Oh! Hello”
“Hi kid” Drake said shortly
“This is Drake, a camp counselor, he was saying that he could give us a tour or something” Andrew said feeling a tad dumb
“Now?” Neil asked confusedly “At night?”
“You know what kid, you do look tired, maybe another time, maybe not” Drake said and got up and left without another word
“Well, that was weird” Neil said and then dismissed the interaction, refocusing his attention entirely on Andrew “Look! They had fried Oreos, I got you two, since the first s’mores I made kinda caught fire” Andrew laughed focusing on Neil as well
“That’s okay, you little pyromaniac, thanks” they had their sweets (mostly Andrew, because Neil didn’t have a sweet tooth, he was weird like that) and got back to their little cabin.

Right before bed Neil got a plushy out of his backpack.

“Did you bring Bunny?” Bunny was a fox plushy that Andrew had given Neil when they were little and it had become Neil’s security blanket. For a long time, wherever Neil was, you could also find Bunny the Fox, it actually still lived in Neil’s bed. Now of course he didn’t carry it around all the time like before, but apparently being away from home for a month required the company of Bunny The Fox.

“Yeah” Neil said shamelessly “He would’ve felt lonely being without me for that long”
“Right” Andrew mumbled, half asleep already, he hadn’t brought a plushy, his own security blanket was a red haired, freckled boy sleeping in the bed in-front of him “G’Night Neil”.

………………….

Their first official day at camp started with breakfast and an arts and crafts class, they were the only boys in a class full of girls younger than them, but Neil had wanted to take it and neither of them really cared.

The teacher taught them a complicated looking pattern to make friendship bracelets that Andrew didn’t quite understand and Neil actually picked up pretty quickly, he really liked to draw and he was generally good with anything artsy.
Neil ended up making him a pretty cool blue and black bracelet while Andrew made this ugly thing that Neil delightedly wore on his right wrist, all in all they had fun and Andrew’s new bracelet actually looked pretty nice.

The second day they tried horseback riding and Andrew discovered five minutes in that he was terrified of horses, Neil didn’t exactly love it either so he didn’t think they would be coming back.

The third day they went to a baking class per Andrew’s request, they were baking brownies, a dessert that Andrew already knew how to make since he and his mom baked a lot. The teacher wasn’t really good at explaining but because he already knew the process they were doing fine.

Half way into the recipe, Andrew noticed there was a boy from their school in the class, he was probably a couple years older, and he looked like the most stereotypical main character in every Disney movie ever, but Andrew wasn’t exactly…mad, about it. He was all tall, blond and tan, with a perfect white smile. Andrew was also a blond but in a different shade and he was really pale and the tiniest bit awkward, he was only fourteen though, so awkward was kind of the default.

The boy from his school had a friend with him and it seemed like they did not know what was happening in the class…Maybe he could go and talk to them and offer them help, or maybe not.

Yeah, better not.

Neil and Andrew had been at the summer camp for only three days but in that time, they had not made new friends yet, Andrew wasn’t exactly sociable and Neil seemed happy to just hang out with him, but maybe he could talk to the boy… he kind of wanted to…

Oh, they were coming to them.

What. No.

“Hi, I’m Jeremy and this is Kevin”. Tall and blond said. He had an easy smile, Andrew’s tummy did a funny thing “We got lost at some point in the explanation and you guys seem to know what you’re doing, so we were wondering if you would you mind giving us a hand?”
“Hi” Andrew said and for some reason it came out all shy, he cleared his throat “I’m Andrew and this is my best friend Neil” Neil smiled at them and waved with a spoon in his hand.
“Hello!” Neil said cheerly “Sure! Andrew is the expert though, I’m only good at the decorating part”
“Baking is very precise and specific, and she was explaining it all wrong” The other boy said, Kevin. He was also quite tall and his green eyes seemed way too serious for a baking class on a summer camp. Jeremy laughed good heartedly.
“She wasn’t the best, and now she’s super busy helping everyone else and you guys are the only ones who look like you know what’s going on”
“We’ll help, bring your mix” The boys got their stuff and came to their table, Andrew started to explain some of the steps when Jeremy interrupted him;
“I got it!” He yelled, startling everyone, then proceeded to blush sheepishly, Andrew looked away “Sorry, I just, you seemed very familiar. And I finally got it! You guys go to Macon High, you’re on the Exy team!”
“Yeah!” Neil answered excitedly “We are! You go to Macon too?”
“Yes, but I think you guys are younger I’m almost sixteen, I’ve seen you guys play, Andrew is such a good goal keeper”
“He is the best!” Neil said proudly and it was Andrew’s turn to blush. Jeremy didn’t look away “I’m thirteen and Drew’s is fourteen”
“I play Exy too” Kevin said a bit shyly “And I’m fifteen too, but I don’t go to your school I don’t live in Palmetto, um, I’m a striker”
“Really!” Neil said loudly “Me too!!” From then on, the conversation quickly dissolved into Neil and Kevin excitedly talking about Exy and completely ignoring the brownie batter.

Jeremy smiled looking fondly at Kevin and then turned to Andrew.
“He was just taking the class to keep me company, he comes to cooking and music classes with me and I do all the sports with him”
“That’s okay, Neil and I do that too”
“Do you like to bake?”
“Yeah, um, it’s something I do with my mom a lot” he said feeling just a tad uncool but Jeremy smiled even wider
“That’s awesome! My mom doesn’t really bake at all but she loves plants and we take care of them together, gardening it’s our thing” Andrew smiled, it was nice to feel accepted, they looked around just to find Neil and Kevin still in deep conversation, Jeremy shrugged “Well, it looks like our friends here are going to be no help, I guess it’s up to us to fix these brownies”
“Yeah, I guess so” Andrew said, he was feeling a little breathless but as he continued to explain how to correctly mix and add the ingredients, he discovered that Jeremy was pretty easy to talk to, he seemed actually interested in the baking class and he kept making Andrew laugh while he exaggeratedly tried to explain what went wrong on their first try.

When both of the mixes were in the oven together Neil and Kevin were still talking nonstop about Exy. Andrew knew how long Neil could potentially talk about Exy and it was a very very long time, but Kevin didn’t seem bored, he looked just as exited.

Now here was the thing, Andrew enjoyed Exy, but he also enjoyed naps, and chocolate chip cookies and pillow forts, he wasn’t absolutely obsessed with Exy like Neil was.

He and Jeremy were coming back to their table when Neil jumped and grabbed Andrew’s arm with both hands.

“Drew! guess what! Kevin’s mom is Kayleigh Day! She literally invented Exy!”
“Oh!, really?” Andrew said, surprised, he had seen pictures of her before and Kevin actually looked a lot like her “That’s pretty cool” he admitted, from what he had seen on TV Kayleigh was super outgoing and had a strong personality, his first impression of Kevin had been the total opposite.
“Yeah!, oh! My dad met her once! but like, forever ago, before we were even born, he’s an Exy coach at Palmetto State University” Neil, that was still holding Andrew’s arm put his head on his shoulder while he was still animatedly talking to Kevin.

Andrew was aware that they had a unique friendship, he knew that most friends were not as touchy and affectionate as they were. Not even girls. He had never really thought much about it, they had been this way since they were little so it felt completely normal to him but now that he was discovering his sexuality and noticing a bit more how couples behaved, he realized that from the outside his friendship with Neil could give the wrong impression but Kevin didn’t seem to think anything of their closeness, he just kept talking about Exy with Neil. Jeremy on the other hand eyed them curiously, not in a judgmental way, just… curiously, Andrew felt himself blush, again.

Neil now wanted to decorate their brownies with Exy designs so he and Kevin went to get what they would need and left Jeremy and Andrew alone.

“Maybe later we can meet again and go swimming in the lake, I saw there’s a bunch of inflatable games that looked pretty fun” Jeremy offered and Andrew really really wanted to say yes, but…
“I can’t I’m sorry, I promised Neil that we’ll play Exy on the afternoon open games,” He said looking at his shoes.
“Oh! That’s okay, there’s plenty of time to do fun stuff, maybe tomorrow then” Andrew looked up
“Yeah!, Tomorrow sounds good, I’ll tell Neil”
“Oh, um, yeah, I’ll tell Kev” Jeremy smiled.

After the brownies were decorated with their favorite teams’ colors and little Exy rackets and helmets, they agreed to meet again soon.

The afternoon games were fun and tiring and they were both asleep as soon as their heads touched the pillows.

……………………………………………

The next day Andrew was kinda hoping to see Jeremy, after all they had agreed to meet again soon, Neil liked water parks and water slides but he wasn’t entirely comfortable showing his bare torso in public, he had a large burn scar in the shape of an clothing iron on his shoulder and various cigarette burns all over his torso, he had a long sleeved surfer shirt thingy but it depended on how was he feeling that day, so if Neil didn’t want to go swimming, Andrew wouldn’t insist, and also he wouldn’t go by himself. But it seemed like Andrew was in luck because Neil was super eager to try all the inflatable water slides and games.

They packed their stuff and went to the lake.

Andrew was trying to subtly look for Jeremy but since he was going swimming, he didn’t have his contacts on and he hadn’t put on his glasses either so he wasn’t really that hopeful, they sat on a towel near the lake when someone called his name.

It was Jeremy, Andrew suddenly felt underdressed with his swim shorts and shirt.

One year did seem to make a big difference when you were growing up, Jeremy and Kevin somehow looked so much older and cooler than them, especially Neil, who was only thirteen and short for his age. Andrew was also short for his age but, whatever.

“Hey guys!!” Jeremy said happily “We were looking for you! We actually spotted Neil’s ginger head” Neil rolled his eyes, he had auburn hair but, in the summer, along with some more visible freckles his hair got a lighter shade making him a true ginger, Andrew hid his smile with his hand but Neil still looked at him with narrowed eyes and stuck out his tongue.

“I heard they were going to make a race today, like a circuit on the inflatables and at the end you have to sit in the edge of this huge inflatable thing and someone jumps from high up and sends you flying to the water” Kevin said looking exited

“Really? That sounds so cool!” Neil responded eagerly eying all the games until he found the one, he was looking for, it was big enough that Andrew could see it as well, it was like a giant pillow filled with air that acted as a trampoline.

Andrew felt his stomach drop a little, he enjoyed swimming but he did not like heights or the sensation of falling and sitting on an inflatable trampoline and waiting for some to send him flying off into the water was definitely not his idea of fun. But he didn’t want to show his fear to their new friends.

“That looks scary as hell” Jeremy said “And we already played Exy all morning I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up” he sounded embarrassed but the admission made Andrew feel better.

“I do want to go” Kevin said, looking a bit disappointed
“Why don’t you go with him” Andrew immediately proposed to Neil “And I can stay here with Jeremy so he won’t be alone, I mean, if you want to”
“Yeah!” Jeremy said “We’ll cheer for your team, from here, where we will not die”
“Are you sure?” Neil said, looking at Andrew, he knew Andrew was afraid of heights but still made sure so Andrew smiled softly
“I’m sure, we’ll wait for you right here”
“Okay” Neil said
“Great, I’ll go sign us up” Kevin said and left
“Before I go, you have to put on sunscreen” Neil said looking at Andrew severely.

For some reason Andrew absolutely hated the texture of sunscreen, but he was pale as fuck, in the summer his hair was almost white and where Neil got tanned and sun-kissed, he got red like a lobster, so he knew he had to put on sunscreen if he wanted to actually be able to move the next day, but he still hated it and Neil had to practically wrestle him to get it on.

“Yes mom, I’ll put on right after you leave” he said with all of the sarcasm he could master, and it was a lot.
“No, put it on now” Neil answered stubbornly, knowing Andrew won’t do it otherwise “Come on, I’ll help you”
“No, I’ll do it later”
“Now you won’t, stop being stubborn”
“Fine, but I’ll hate every second of it and I won’t let you touch me with your disgusting hands after” he said childishly
“Like I care, now come on” Neil got a good amount of sunscreen and gently massaged it on Andrew’s face, then on his arms and back. Jeremy eyed them curiously the entire time but Andrew was too busy feeling grossed out and annoyed to feel much of anything else. “All done, it wasn’t that hard, was it?”
“I hate you”
“Sure, you do, after the race we can get ice cream, I saw that today anyone could get chocolate cones” Andrew didn’t say anything “Unless you don’t want to, of course”
“I do”
“What?”
“I do want to! Now fuck off, Bunny” he said and pushed Neil a little, he laughed out loud and ruffled Andrew’s hair before he took off to catch up with Kevin. Andrew eyed them with narrowed eyes until Jeremy cleared his throat, Andrew suddenly felt himself blush but Jeremy made pointless conversation and in no time, they were talking like old friends.

It was easy to talk to Jeremy, he was funny and kind, and Andrew felt himself unravel as time passed, they cheered for their friends when it was their turn to race and he ended up laughing until his belly hurt because Jeremy invented the obscenest yet funny cheers. Once they calmed down a bit Jeremy asked;

“So… you guys have known each other for long?” He said pointing at Neil, who was jumping really high up on a trampoline.
“Yeah, since we were very little” Andrew answered, looking at his hands
“Oh, I met Kevin only three years ago but we became friends pretty quickly. You two seem very close”
“We are”
“Can I ask you a personal question, um, it’s, if you don’t want to answer that’s totally fine” Andrew could feel his stomach rolling
“O-kay” he said slowly
“Are you guys… are you guys dating?” Andrew chocked in his own spit
“What?!, no! we’re not, he’s not… um” Great, now he couldn’t even talk
“He is not gay?” Jeremy asked softly, Andrew shrugged but didn’t say anything, he didn’t think so, Neil didn’t seem to be into anyone, but he was only thirteen, and besides Andrew wouldn’t just divulge his sexuality even if he knew. “Well, um, I am…gay I mean”

Andrew looked up so very fast. Jeremy was already looking at him, he seemed nervous but not ashamed or guilty.
“You are?” he asked, kind of in awe. As far as he knew none of his friends were gay, not openly, anyway. So, it was a surprise for him that someone would just say his sexuality like that, like it was not a big deal
“Yeah, I hope you’re okay with it” he mumbled
“I am! More than okay, it’s totally fine!” he answered hurriedly.

They were both quiet for a couple of minutes until Andrew gathered the courage to speak again

“I am too… gay, I mean” He whispered looking at his hands that felt gross and sweaty, his face felt hot and his neck cold
“Thank you for sharing that with me, Andrew” Jeremy said softly, Andrew could hear the smile in his voice “Also, your blush is very cute” He commented casually.

Andrew almost fainted but Jeremy wasn’t done.

“Maybe, if you want to, we can go to movie night today, our counselor said they’re projecting something outside, so maybe we could go together…”

But before he could embarrass himself by stuttering something dumb, Neil literally tackled him.

“Boo!” he screamed happily throwing his entire body weight on top of Andrew and knocking them both down, he hadn’t seen him coming so the sudden apparition almost gave Andrew a freaking heart attack, is heart was beating so fast he could literally hear it.

“Oh my God, Neil!” He said breathlessly holding onto his best friend for dear life.

“Got ya!” he replied giggling with his head on Andrew’s chest but then he looked up, his eyes big and innocent “Drew! Did I actually scare you? Your heart is beating so fast!”
“Yes, little fucker, you came out of nowhere and tackled me!”

Jeremy and Kevin were both laughing at them, Kevin good naturedly and Jeremy a little breathlessly, Andrew was still holding onto Neil like a limpet and trying to calm the fuck down a little.

“Did you see us?!” Neil asked excitedly still holding on to Andrew “Kevin made me bounce so high I swear I could see the buses at the parking lot!”
“We saw, you two are crazy!”
“Our team won! By a lot! We were so much faster, oh and Kevin got a nasty friction burn on his elbows, that’s why we came back”
“Oh, yeah, Neil was the only one smart enough to wear long sleeves” Kevin said showing his elbows, they did look pretty raw, Neil smiled softly at the commentary, friction burns were not the reason he had worn long sleeves but he looked relieved that he didn’t have to give any explanations “Lots of us got burns, it’s nothing mayor but I’ll go see if the nurse can give me cream or something”
“I’ll come with you” Jeremy said and got up “See you tonight?” He asked Andrew, blushing a little
“At movie night?” Neil asked
“Um, yeah” Jeremy answered, his smile looking just a bit strained
“Aren’t you tired?... You know, from all the swimming and the sun” Andrew asked, Neil shrugged
“A little, but don’t worry, I’m going if you are”
“Right” Jeremy sighed, but then he smiled sincerely if not a little resigned “I’ll see you guys tonight, save us a sit of you get there first!”

By the time they got to the open camp where the movie was going to be projected. Andrew was a bundle of nerves. Jeremy had sorta kinda invited him on a date, right? He had never gone to a date before, but nerves were pointless anyway, especially because when he had imagined going on a date with some boy at some point far away in time, he did not thing his best friend was going to third-wheel them, but here Neil was, oblivious as always, marching happily to an empty spot. And well, it wasn’t a date either if Kevin was also coming, actually, it wasn’t a date at all.

Andrew wondered if Kevin knew Jeremy was gay, and the thought made him feel guilty because he hadn’t told Neil yet, he felt like he shouldn’t be thinking of going on dates and wanting to exclude his best friend specially not at a camp where they had come together but he didn’t have time to feel too bad about it when someone called his name.

“Hi guys!” Jeremy said, he had changed into jeans and a cute turquoise shirt that looked good with his golden curls, Andrew swallowed
“Hi Jeremy, where’s Kev?” Neil asked, and oh, they had moved on to nick names? Andrew felt a pang of… something
“He fell asleep after dinner, I think he’s out for the night, you guys swam a lot today, I’m surprised you’re still up and about”
“Bunny” Andrew coughed; Neil elbowed him
“What?”
“In our families, his nick name is Bunny because of the Duracell Bunny, you know, the one from the batteries, because he seemingly has endless energy, my dad calls him Tornado Neil” Andrew explained, Jeremy laughed good naturally
“I can see the resemblance” Neil pouted
“Whatever” he mumbled.

They sat on the ground with their backs resting on a big log, Andrew in between Jeremy and Neil, he felt weirdly comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time, Neil was his safe place so even if he didn’t know, his warm weight next to Andrew made him feel better but at the same time, he felt like he was hiding in plane sight.

They had started talking animatedly at beginning of the movie but the conversation had slowly died down as they kept watching. Not even twenty minutes in Neil was out like a light, he had turned to face Andrew, had put his head on Andrew’s clavicle, an arm around his belly and fell asleep almost instantly. Without thinking Andrew had carefully covered him with his jacket and was gently carding his fingers through Neil’s hair. When he looked up Jeremy was watching him, he felt himself blush.

“You take care of him a lot, uh?”
“We take care of each other, but I am older, so I do think is my job to keep him safe, I’m sure he feels the same though”
“I know we kinda just met but I really like that about you, the way you protect what’s yours” Jesus, what was he supposed to say to that; thank you, it’s all the childhood trauma? He was so bad at this; a cute boy was blatantly flirting with him while his best friend was asleep literally on top of him. How did he get himself in this situation?
“Thanks” He answered and then he just thought ‘fuck it’ went for it “I really like your good humor, you have a really easy-going personality” You’re also so beautiful and I wanna run my hand through your golden locks, he didn’t say.

Luckily from there, conversation just flowed, like in the afternoon they talked and talked about anything and everything. He learned that Jeremy was the middle child and had four sisters and two dogs, that he loved mango, surfing a played dolls with his little sisters. He told Jeremy about how he loved to read and how he and his dad loved cars. It was incredibly easy to open up with him, which surprised Andrew, he was a very private person.

“Hey Andrew, would you like to go on a walk with me tomorrow? Just the two of us” Jeremy asked just before the movie ended
“Yeah” Andrew whispered with a soft smile “I would like that very much, I promised Neil we will play Exy in the morning open games but maybe in the afternoon?”
“Sure, I’ll text you, give me your number?”
“Sure” Andrew felt fizzy inside as he gave his number to Jeremy, a boy that he liked.

When the movie ended, he took a half-asleep Neil to their cabin and went to bed with a new number on his phone.
………………………….

The next day started well, they had fun on the open games and Neil was pretty happy about their win. At lunch Andrew got a text, he was going to meet Jeremy by the lake, the only problem was that he hadn’t told Neil yet.

“There’s a knitting workshop in like an hour, do you think our moms would like new scarfs for the winter?” Neil asked
“Um, I guess so, but, I’m not- I’m not going, but you can you if you want to!”
“You don’t wanna? that’s okay we can do something else, how about painting, they were making pouring art or something like that, it sounded kinda cool”
“That’s not, is just, I already have plans, for the afternoon” he whispered, Neil looked very confused
“To do what?”
“Just, I’m going somewhere, but you can go to any of the workshops”
“Without you?”
“Um, yeah”
“But… why?” Neil asked sounding more and more lost “Don’t you want to go with me?”
“That’s not it, I just already made plans”
“With who?”
“Jeremy”
“And he doesn’t want me there?”
“No, that’s not it, it’s just… since the day we arrived we have stuck to each other and I want to make new friends too, you can go with Kevin if you want too, it’s just an afternoon, we don’t have to be attached at the hip every second of the day, we don’t have to do everything together, we’re two different people” Andrew said and immediately felt like a hypocrite and a liar, he didn’t mind doing everything with Neil, he actually liked it, and they had always being attached at the hip, it wasn’t something new and he didn’t think it was a bad thing. He simply didn’t know how to justify himself without outright coming out.

Now Neil looked hurt, he was biting his lip and looking down at the table.

“I didn’t know you- I didn’t know I was suffocating you” He shrugged “I thought we were having fun together…”
“That’s not what I meant, and you can come with us if you want to, we’re not even going to do anything interesting” Andrew said trying to fix the situation, the last thing he wanted was to get in a fight with Neil
“No, I don’t want you inviting me out of pity” He spat “That’s worst! if you’re going to ditch me at least have the balls to do it right, Andrew!” Neil angrily said and left the table without looking back.

Andrew just wanted an afternoon with a boy he liked and now he had fought with his best friend because he didn’t have the guts to come out to him, he felt his lip wobble so he just folded his arms on the table and hid his head to try and calm himself. He didn’t want to lie to Neil, more than anything he wanted to tell him the truth and he didn’t even understand why the thought of coming out to him scared him so much.

He felt his phone vibrate sometime later but he wasn’t in the mood to check it so he just ignored, he knew it wasn’t Neil anyway, he just stayed where he was until someone gently touched his shoulder, he lifted his head slowly and found Jeremy looking at him and just felt worst.

“Hey Andrew, are you okay? I texted you but you didn’t answer, I thought you forgot about me”
“Hey, no, I’m sorry, Neil and I had a disagreement and I just didn’t really realize it was so late already”
“Oh, I’m sorry, is there anything I can do to help? Maybe we can go look for him so you guys can talk” He said, sounding genuinely concerned
“No, it’s okay, I should wait for him to cool off a bit”
“Well, we can go on a walk, if you’re still up for it, it’s totally cool if you’re not” He hurriedly said
“Yeah, let’s go, I need to unwind a bit too”
“Awesome”

Despite the circumstances Andrew actually relaxed in their little adventure, Jeremy had discovered a pretty open area behind the lake, he kept the topics of conversation light and simple and he didn’t pry so they ended up mindlessly walking for close to two hours.

They had a good time, but Andrew couldn’t stop thinking about Neil, about him alone somewhere, about him being mad at Andrew, about Andrew hurting him with his words that weren’t even true.
“Maybe we should come back, you seem a little distracted” Jeremy said
“I’m sorry, I’m really having a good time, I promise”
“Me too, but I understand you’re worried about Neil, it’s okay, we still have a lot of time to hang out whenever we want to”
“Yeah, we can all hang together with Neil and Kev, we haven’t played Exy together yet”
“Yes, that sounds like fun, and we can also hang just the two of us again, if you want to” Andrew felt butterflies in his tummy
“Yeah, I would like that”
“Great, I’ll text you!” Jeremy said then unexpectedly gave Andrew a soft little peck on his chick and then ran off.

Andrew stood there, stunt for a few seconds, feeling himself blush, his chick was tingling and his breath was coming a bit fast, he smiled to himself and touched his chick briefly and then left as well.

He found Neil sitting a table by himself at dinner time. He sat next to him but didn’t say anything, he felt conflicted with emotions, on the one hand he felt guilty for abandoning his friend but on the other hand he felt like he didn’t do anything wrong, not coming out to Neil was what was really bothering him he wanted to apologize but he felt like it would be for the wrong thing so he didn’t say anything and they ate in tense silence.

They both got ready for bed time in silence, Neil clutched Bunny The Fox tightly and turned in bed so he wasn’t facing Andrew. Andrew did the same in his own bed but he didn’t go to sleep until he was sure Neil was sound asleep and his breathing had regulated.

He expected things to be better in the morning but when he tried to talk to Neil at breakfast all he got was an angry ‘leave me alone!’ Andrew didn’t know what to do with his time without his best friend, he considered texting Jeremy but he wasn’t in the mood.

At the end, he went to the knitting workshop that Neil had told him about but he didn’t really understand the patterns that the teacher was explaining and he only got frustrated because Neil would have understood in no time, but he wasn’t there.

He didn’t see his friend at lunch and he spent the afternoon pretending to read in their cabin until dinner time when he ate next to Neil in silence again. When he got back to their cabin after taking a shower he found Neil already in bed clutching Bunny The Fox, again. He tried to sleep but his mind was racing; why couldn’t he just fucking come out to Neil? Why was it so hard? He should just do it and get over it, but no, here he was sulking and afraid with his friend physically just a few feet away from him but so far away in every other aspect.

He just stayed there thinking, until he heard Neil start to whine softly, he sat up immediately and looked over to his friend’s bed, he was clutching his plushy tightly and he was frowning in his sleep.

“Dad, Dad no” He mumbled and then he abruptly woke up, gasping for air.
“Neil?”, Andrew asked softly “Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?” Silence, Neil borrowed his face on the plushy, sucked on his finger and didn’t say anything, Andrew was about to get up to check on him when Neil whispered:
“I’m fine” Andrew did not believe him but he didn’t think Neil wanted his comfort at the moment so he just asked
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, go back to sleep” He said and turned on his bed so Andrew couldn’t see his face anymore.

It took a long time for any of them to be able to sleep again, neither of them said anything and Andrew just felt worst and worst. He knew Neil had separation anxiety but until now he had been handling it pretty well but it seemed like the time apart from home had started to take a toll on him. And their fight probably wasn’t helping either. Great.

The next day was more or less the same, he didn’t text Jeremy and didn’t see Neil except for meals, so yeah pretty miserable if you asked him, by dinner time everyone was sent to bed early because apparently a summer storm was coming. Andrew didn’t really care but Neil was very afraid of lightning and thunder, like actually afraid. It had to do with something that had happened to him before he was adopted, Andrew didn’t know the specifics but he knew the fear was bad, he just hoped that Neil would already be asleep before the storm. Even though, he was planning to keep an eye on him.

Thankfully Neil actually fell asleep pretty quickly after they got to bed. Andrew was determined to keep himself awake in case something happened, but the sound of the rain lolled him to sleep without him realizing.

Sometime later he woke up with the roaring sound of a thunder and the whining of Neil. He quickly turned to the other side just in time to see his friend abruptly sit up, looking utterly terrified, he scanned the room without really seeing anything, his breathing coming fast and his eyes watered in an instant. He clutched his fox plushy tight as he let out a startled whine.

“Mommy, Mommy! Help me, please Mom!” he called, his voice barely audible with the storm.

“Neil, hey, Neil” Andrew called softly, not wanting to startle him more “It’s okay, you’re okay. We’re at summer camp, your parents are at home, they’re okay, it’s okay” Neil’s lip started to wobble and he was clutching Bunny the fox, real tight, and in that moment, Andrew didn’t care that they were supposed to be mad or that they weren’t really talking to each other, he simply lifted his covers and said “Come here”.

Neil jumped of his bed so fast that he almost didn’t touch the ground and he was in Andrew’s arms in no time, Andrew held him tightly, running his hands through his copper curls, “It’s okay, it was just a dream, I’ve got you” He whispered over and over, he could feel Neil crying and trembling in his arms, he was clutching Andrew’s shirt in a tight fist and was biting the fingers of his other hand, all while he somehow still held Bunny the Fox. Another thunder broke from the sky making Neil whine and tremble.

Andrew held him and whispered soothing nonsense until Neil’s breathing started to come a little easier, and he had stopped biting on his fingers but he was still shaking and whining when he heard a thunder.
“I’m right here, I won’t let anything happen to you, you’re safe Neil, you’re safe with me”
“Drew” Neil said wetly
“Yeah, I’m right here, not matter what, I’ve got you” Neil somehow had managed to intertwine all of their limbs and now had his face tucked on the curve of Andrew’s shoulder.
“I -I miss, my- my parents” Neil said managed to say after some time “I’m so fucked up” he whispered darkly.
“No, you’re not, I miss my parents too, and I bet you, every kid here misses someone even if they won’t admit it”
“Is not the same! Other kids don’t dream that their freaking sperm donor is hurting their parents because they’re alone, I bet you, other kids don’t dream of blood and knifes whenever they’re not sleeping with their parents in the other room” He finished and buried his face in Andrew’s shoulder.

Without thinking Andrew gently kissed the top of Neil’s head. Fuck separation anxiety, fuck childhood trauma, they were supposed to be past that. He rationally knew that trauma didn’t work like that but they had had happy, stable homes longer than not, they shouldn’t still be hurting.
“You’re not fucked up, you’re strong, you’re a survivor” He whispered and held Neil a little tighter “Do you wanna call home?”
“I don’t want to go back!” Neil said hurriedly, sniffing “I’m having fun, I get to play Exy and cook with you and swim, and… and”
“That’s not what I asked”
“If I call them in the middle of the night, they’re gonna know something is wrong and I don’t want them to worry for nothing and I don’t want them to think that I want to get back early, don’t call them, Andrew, please”
“Okay, I won’t, but you know they wouldn’t mind if you called no matter the time” Neil just shrugged.

Andrew kept running his hands through Neil’s hair for what seemed like a long time. A few minutes in, he heard Neil softly suckling on his thumb and the sound mixed with Neil’s weight and body heat made him relaxed and loosed. He was about to fall asleep when Neil talked again.

“Drew?... I’m sorry. I don’t want us to be mad anymore, I know you’re not ditching me, I know you have every right to have fun and make new friends, I’m sorry I got so clingy, I just…” He shrugged again.

“I know, I’m not mad, Bunny. Spending time with you is my favorite thing, I’m sorry I made you think otherwise, it was never my intention” And there was nothing wrong with that, he had never cared for what other people thought about them, yes they had a unique relationship, so what? He liked it that way, they had unique experiences and pasts and he owned others no explanations so he held Neil even tighter and buried his face in his curls
“Spending time with you is my favorite thing too” Neil said sleepily “You’re my favorite person in the whole world”
“Really, you like me more than Matt?” He teased him
“Well, yeah… but don’t tell him, it’ll make him sad”
“I wont. Will you play Exy with me tomorrow?” He asked, it was his own peace offering.
“Yes!” Neil perked up immediately “We can play against Kevin and Jeremy, ‘cuz we haven’t yet, and we’ll show them that you’re the best goalie” Before Andrew could answer Neil kept talking “Will you go to the knitting class with me?”
“Yeah, but can’t make fun of my future ugly scarf” He felt Neil giggled against his collarbone
“No promises”.

And just like that they were okay again, his friendship with Neil was the easiest thing in his life, it was like they simply belonged together, they completely understood each other.

They kept chatting and making plans for the next day until Neil started to speak in half sentences around his finger. Andrew didn’t even notice when he started to fall asleep as well but it felt like no time had passed when he started to feel uncomfortably hot.

He opened his eyes to the sun already illuminating the room, Neil was basically on top of Andrew, with his limbs around him like a baby koala, radiating so much body heat that they were both sweating. His alarm hadn’t gone off yet but Andrew was much too hot to be able to go back to sleep, so he gently removed Neil’s thumb from his mouth and held his hand so he wouldn’t be able to suck on it again and softly called his name.

“Nooo” Neil mumbled, half asleep “Five more minutes”
“It’s way too hot Neil, move” Neil of course buried his face in Andrew’s shoulder after snatching his hand back and was now obnoxiously sucking on his finger again. Andrew rolled his eyes but he was kinda half asleep too, he glanced at the clock, they had ten more minutes until they had to get up so he absentmindedly ran his fingers through Neil’s curls and allowed himself to wake up slowly if a little too warm.

He was the tiniest bit exited to show Jeremy his goal keeping abilities but he decided it wasn’t the day, now that Neil wasn’t mad at him anymore, he felt lighter and more animated. He wanted to spend the day with his best friend.

Andrew knew he made the right decision when Neil clung to him at breakfast looking tired and vulnerable, he convinced him to take the day slow and they actually ended up taking a nap after lunch, Neil curled up next to him clutching at his shirt. Andrew found himself looking at Neil, hi nose a little red because of the summer sun, lots of little freckles high on his cheekbones, and crazy curls.

Neil was his person and because he was so important in Andrew’s life it was hard to come out, but Andrew had to man up and tell him. Soon.

By the next day they were both feeling a lot better so he texted Jeremy and they met up with their new friends for the morning open games.

They all ended up in the same team and Andrew had probably never tried that hard to protect the goal before, they won by an obscenely large margin. He had to admit; Kevin was and amazing striker and although Jeremy had only played a little, he was pretty good too.

“You’re amazing!” Jeremy told him when the game finished and they were all walking together to get lunch, he felt himself blush
“I know, right!” Neil interjected excitedly “He’s the best! We need to play together again, that was so much fun, you guys are amazing too”
“Thanks!” Kevin said, looking proud, he was the son of Exy after all “Hey, I heard that in the afternoon, they’re going to have a play or something like an interactive history reenactment, do you guys want to go?”
“I didn’t know you liked History,” said Neil
“He’s a history nerd” Jeremy said, smiling “I actually already went, it was pretty fun, you’ll definitely love it Kev, maybe Neil can go with you and me and Andrew can try another baking class?” He asked casually, Kevin eyed them curiously but Neil just shrugged
“Sure, if it’s okay with Drew”
“Yeah! Totally fine by me, we’ll meet again by the lake in two hours?” Andrew asked, faking calmness.

After they sorted everything out and parted ways Andrew was left alone with Jeremy again.

“So, I don’t actually wanna go to the baking class, I just wanted to spend time only with you” He said with a wink that made Andrew’s stomach buzz “If you want, we can go on another walk, the area where they showed the movie the other night is pretty empty right now”
“Yeah, sure” Jeremy casually put his arm around Andrew’s shoulders and he felt his heard beating faster.

They walked like that for a while, chatting mindlessly until they sat on a log in a secluded spot

“I have to confess something” Jeremy said looking all shy. Andrew stomach instantly dropped, Jeremy didn’t like him, it was all a prank, he probably wasn’t even gay “I knew who you were, before we met at camp, I’ve seen you in school before and I thought you were really cute but I just never had the guts to talk to you before”
“What” was the only thing Andrew could say because really: what?
“Yeah, you’re like never alone, Neil is always with you, you just, you seemed so cool and unapproachable, I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while, so… yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner”
“You think I’m cool?! You? You, that look like a freaking Disney character and smell like peaches and sunlight and have that sweet smile, really?!” Andrew blurted and then just stopped talking because he definitely did not mean to say all that and now Jeremy was looking at him with a high blush and a really big smile on his face
“Hey Andrew, I want to kiss you right now” He whispered, and Andrew’s little hairs arms stood up
“You can” He whispered back a little breathlessly and just like that Jeremy was leaning in and Andrew closed his eyes.

The kiss itself was just a little peck on the lips but Andrew felt it all over his body.

………………………

The four of them hang out together a few more times in the next few days and Jeremy always found ways to make Neil and Kevin go somewhere else and leave them alone.

In those few days Andrew discovered that making out with someone was extremely fun and it could make you feel like a gummy bear melting in the sun. He enjoyed it a lot.

One afternoon they had sent Neil and Kevin to another race in the lake and they were in their clearing near the woods.

They were talking softly and before they knew it, they were kissing again, they both were very into it, so much that neither of them heard the noise of footsteps approaching them

“Hey Drew, the councilor told me you were looking for, oh!!” they separated quickly, both startling at the noise, just in time to see a frozen Neil looking at them with big blue eyes. Neither of them said a thing.

All Andrew could hear was his own heart beating so fast it seemed like it wanted to leave his body, he could feel himself breathing really, really fast, he wanted to say something, anything to Neil, but one second, he was completely paralyzed in the spot and the next he was running away, ashamed.

He knew wasn’t doing anything wrong, but he hadn’t wanted Neil to found out that way.

He stopped running when he was in front of the lake and his breathing was coming so fast that he had to sit to avoid hyperventilating, he took a few unsteady breaths and willed his hands to stop shaking to no aval.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

He had wanted to tell Neil willingly, not get caught like a thief.

“Hey” Neil said softly, coming to him, of course he had followed him.

Andrew couldn’t look at him right then so he just put his hand in his hands and started crying.

“Hey no, it’s okay Drew, I’m not mad or anything, you don’t have to hide from me, it’s okay”
“I’m sorry” He stuttered into his hands still not looking up
“You don’t have to apologize” He felt Neil grabbing onto his wrists softly “Can you look at me?”
He let Neil take his hands off his face, everything looked blurry from the tears and the sudden light but even like that Neil didn’t look mad or even bothered, he looked worried.
“I wanted to tell you” He managed to say. He wanted to control the ugly crying but the tears just kept flowing
“Okay” Neil said simply “Can I give you a hug?” He didn’t hesitate, Andrew threw himself at Neil’s arms, his best friend enveloped him in a tight embrace and let him cry.

How could Neil not be mad? Andrew had hidden something really big from him, he didn’t even know how he would have felt if the roles were reversed, he wanted to think he would’ve been as calm as Neil but maybe he’d feel at least a little mad.

“I really wanted to tell you” He repeated it against Neil collar bone “I just could never find the right moment and time kept passing and it became harder and harder” he hiccupped loudly, and held onto Neil tighter.

Why couldn’t he just calm down a little? Fuck.

“That’s okay” Neil shushed him softly, rubbing his back.
“I just... We have a friendship that’s... different from others, we’re very touchy with each other and... and I was afraid that if you knew” He paused for a few seconds because his breathing kept coming in hiccups “I was afraid that if you knew I liked... boys, that our relationship would change, that you wouldn’t want to be so touchy or sleep in the same bed anymore, or... I don’t know, I just didn’t want our friendship to change because of... me” tears kept falling no matter how hard he tried to stop them.
“Drew” he said in a whisper “Our friendship won’t change because of who you like, you’re the most important person in my whole world, you’re the person I feel the safest with and that won’t change one bit just because you like boys”
“I’m sorry” Andrew mumbled again, with his face in his friend’s shoulder
“No, no, you have nothing to be sorry for, you have nothing to apologize for”
“I just... I didn’t mean for you to find out like this, I should’ve told you sooner”
“No, you shouldn’t have been outed before you were ready, this isn’t about when will I want to hear it, it’s about when do you feel ready to say it, and it should have been in your own time, you have nothing to be sorry for”
“Nothing will change between us?” Andrew asked, sounding vulnerable and pitiful
“Nothing Drew, you’re my best friend, no matter what. We’re forever” Andrew’s lip started to wobble again but this time out of relief and he hugged Neil with all the strength of his body, they stayed like that for a long while.

Andrew felt light with relief, finally Neil knew. His best friend had instantly accepted him, no questions asked only acceptance. He should have known but he had been so scared.

After more time of processing and calming down, Andrew felt steady enough to whisper:

“Neil? I think I wanna go home” without skipping one bit Neil softly answered
“Then we go home”
“You... you don’t have to come back with me, I know you’re having a lot of fun and you like playing Exy with Kevin and the others, you don’t have to leave because of me” Neil let go of him to look him in the eyes, he had a soft smile
“Would you stay if I left?” He asked him
“Well... no”
“Then there you go, sure I’m having fun but I have lots of fun with you at home as well and Kevin said that he was moving to South Carolina for the new school year anyway so we can still be friends, and besides.... Separation Anxiety really sucks, I’m tired of the nightmares, I want to sleep in my own room, knowing that my parents are safe right next to me”
“Yeah, I think I need my parents too, and my room and my mom’s hot chocolate that makes everything better... God we’re so lame” Neil let a startled laugh
“I’m not lame! Speak for yourself!” Andrew let himself smile
“We so are, Bunny” He paused, finally looking at Neil in the eye, his best friend smiled at him
“Thank you for telling me, even if it wasn’t the way you wanted me to find out”
“Thank you for being so understanding, it means a lot to me, you mean a lot to me” They hugged some more like the mushy lame kids they were.

Back at camp while Neil was calling his parents to get them picked-up Andrew had to talk to one more person before they left.

He found Jeremy sitting next to Kevin in the dining hall. Kevin spotted him first, said something to Jeremy and then left the table, giving Andrew a light shoulder squeeze on his way out.

“Hey” He said lamely but Jeremy didn’t seem to mind, he smiled at him, open and honest “I’m sorry about before”
“It’s okay, we both got startled but you were outed, it’s fine, it’s no-one’s fault, Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m better now, Neil was really cool about it. Hey, um, I came here to apologize and… to say goodbye, we’re living”
“You are?” Jeremy asked sadly
“Yeah, I think I need to get back home to process everything and you know…”
“I understand, but hey, we can still be friends, right?”
“Yeah! We have each other’s numbers and we’ll meet again at school, right?”
“I’m a freshman next year so maybe? We won’t be in the same budling anymore, but that’s okay, we’ll definitely stay friends Andrew”

They talked a bit more, promised to stay in touch and said goodbye with a long hug.

……………………………

Both of their mothers had come to pick them up. As soon as Neil saw his mom, he threw himself at her and Andrew did pretty much the same with his own mom only less effusively.

He instantly felt safe and sound.

“Honey” His mom said sweetly “What happened?” Oh yeah, they had asked to be picked up two weeks early.
“Can I tell you and dad at home? I’m okay, we both are, but right now I just wanna get back home” His mom eyed him and then Neil, obviously seeing Andrew’s red rimmed eyes and tired stance but she chose to wait for his own time. “All right” She said a little louder “Let’s get you kids home”.

On the ride home Neil put his arm over his shoulders and let him rest his head on his clavicle, he felt tired and frankly drained. Neil kept rubbing gentle circles on his arm and sucking his finger on his other hand, the sound lolling Andrew, that let himself give Neil a one arm hug and together they drifted to sleep.