#written lore

“Why’d they have to assign you to me?”

“I definitely didn’t ask. Where’s my brother?”

“Why would I know?”

Aaron turned to face him and raised an eyebrow. “Because you play for the same team, asshole.”

Neil smirked. “We definitely do.”

Aaron made a disgusted noise and came over to check something on Neil’s IV. “What did the nurse who gave you this look like?”

“Blonde. Short hair. Kind of mousy. It’s been leaking for like ten minutes,” he said, gesturing to it.

Aaron nodded and fiddled with it before going over to a cabinet of fuck all and Neil stopped paying attention to him fixing the IV because as much as he would pretend he didn’t want Aaron there, he was the only doctor he trusted. At least he wouldn’t have to watch his every move while he worked with him.

While Aaron fixed the IV he said, “Yeah, she’s not great. I usually have to send someone in to clean up after her. I’ve been trying to get them to lay her off but we have a union.”

Neil raised his brow. “If you usually send someone in, why are you fixing my IV?”

“Don’t feel like getting someone.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Try not to look so happy.”

After that everything was fairly quiet aside from Neil’s monitor next to the bed, and the occasional clicking and clunking of Aaron doing things around the room. Neil looked at him.

“Minyard.”

“Jesus, what?”

Neil rolled his eyes. “What are you even in here for?”

“I’m supposed to roll you out the ER doors and into the street so you can be the paramedics problem.”

“Ha-ha.”

Aaron sat at the computer in the room and started asking Neil questions. About half way through, and to Neil’s genuine surprise, they got distracted talking about the very Exy game that had gotten Neil injured. When Neil had relayed how exactly he got his injury to Aaron, the doctor frowned and asked if the player at least got a yellow card and Neil had rolled his eyes and gone off on a tangent that was three minutes longer than it needed to be, but Aaron didn’t seem to actually mind. They spoke about the game for a bit before Aaron started up with questions again, to Neil’s slight disappointment, but the questions were short and they were done soon after.

Neil asked, “Don’t you have other patients to get to?”

“Not that I need to be tending to. I was on a break for once before you came in.”

“Sorry to disturb your rest period.”

He shrugged and checked something on his phone. “How the fuck does he know I know where you are?”

“Who?”

He threw up his hand. “Andrew.” He pressed a button and answered the phone. “What?” He asked in German.

Neil couldn’t hear Andrew, but based on Aaron’s facial expressions he assumed Andrew was stuck in game traffic and asking about Neil. Neil thought that was nice, and also found it funny that Aaron probably found it annoying.

“I have a job, you know.” Andrew gave a short answer. “Well, I wouldn’t if I was busy with other patients but conveniently I’m with him right now.” Andrew gave another response, slightly longer. Probably something about leading with that. With no pretext Aaron said, “I have to go. Bye.”

He hung up and stuck his phone in his pocket, then looked at Neil and said, “You’ve made him annoying.”

“You’re annoying.”

“Very nice.”

“‘Real mature, Josten.’”

He wrinkled his nose. “That’s not what I sound like.”

“It is. You sound like you should be pushing glasses up your nose when you talk.”

“Fuck you,” he said, going back over to the computer to put in information Andrew’s call had interrupted.

When Andrew was finally there to take Neil from the hospital, Aaron walked them out. Neil thought that was also a little nice, but he wasn't going to say that. Andrew helped Neil into the car and he and Aaron spoke by the door for a while. The window was down, but Neil tried to block them out. It’s not like the required privacy, they were standing right by him, but he still felt it was best he stayed out of their conversations unless he was invited into them directly.

“Josten.” Neil turned his head to look at Aaron. He and Andrew looked eerily similar at that moment. Not because they were twins, no. Because of how far they’d come. Neil had never really stopped to consider it, but they’d both been so sure they would amount to nothing. Andrew had been so sure he’d amount to nothing he’d tried to take his own life, and Aaron was so sure he’d be like his mother he had replicated her bad habits until Andrew forced him to quit. And now Neil was looking at a professional Exy player and an E.R. doctor, who was considering going back to school to move to a different field anyways. They’d both come so far and Neil hadn’t even realized until now.

Aaron pointed at him. “Stay off that leg for a week, or you’ll be back here and whining about how long you’ve been off court and no one has time for that.”

Neil saluted. “Yes, doctor.”

Andrew: Already?

Neil: It was only a day

Andrew: We’re in Columbia.

Andrew: I can come back and get you.

Neil hesitated, his fingers hovering over the keypad. Yes, he would like to be in Columbia with Andrew and the others (mostly Andrew), but he also didn’t want to make him drive all the way back to Palmetto just to get him. He replied that he was tired and he would take a bus down tomorrow. Andrew told him to be careful, and that was that. From anyone else, it would’ve been ominous.

The issue with the bus at that point in time, however, was that there were no more stops, and Neil had fuck all idea where a nearby train station was and he didn’t have internet access to check. Even if he did, he doubted they were open.

He thought to himself that he was only 12 miles from PSU. Roughly. He could run and be back in about two hours, two and a half if he paced himself, which he would have to do unless he wanted his legs to give out and out for practice on Monday.

It did occur to him, however, that after that trip he also didn’t feel like running 12 miles. Especially because he had a backpack with him. He checked the time. Considering the extra weight, it’d be more like three hours, and then he’d be back at P.S.U. by two in the morning, and then he’d be dead tired on his way to Columbia because he’d want to be there early, even though Andrew didn’t care.

He did consider that he had other friends. A particular friend came to mind, one who had a truck and may be willing to pick him up. He felt a little guilty, not wanting to bother Matt so late, but if he wasn’t able to get Neil, that was fine too. He decided there wasn’t any harm in asking.

“You’re stranded at a bus station?!”

“Stranded is a strong word.”

“Whatever. I’m on my way. Send me the street name.”

Neil smiled a bit when he heard Matt fumbling with his keys. “You don’t need to rush.”

“It’s dark!”

“Oh no.”

“Uh-huh.” Neil heard him speak indistinctly to who was presumably Dan before he heard a door shut, and then Matt said, “I’m gonna come get you, and then we’re getting food.”

“Why?”

“Did you eat dinner?” Neil paused too long, and Matt sounded a little too triumphant when he said, “See!”

Neil smiled again. “Fine. I don’t think anything is open, this late though.”

“You underestimate southern fast food chains.”

“I’m familiar.”

“You can tell me about whatever that means in the car,” he said, then he hung up.

When he pulled up in front of the bus stop, Neil was slouched on the bench there, chewing on his nail and screwing on his phone. He glanced up where Matt rolled down the passenger window and stretched to lean out of it, grinning. “Want some candy?”

“Very funny,” Neil said, hopping up and slinging his backpack over his shoulders before depositing it under the dashboard and climbing inside. He slammed the door shut, and rolled the window back up, thankful for the air conditioning. “Where are we going?”

“To get the best food in town.”

Neil raised an eyebrow. “Which is?”

“Domino’s pizza, obviously.”

Neil nodded, familiar. He watched Matt turn up the radio, and he started asking Neil about his trip. When he heard the unfortunate news that it was both boring and stressful, he asked what he was doing tomorrow. Neil said he was going down to Columbia to meet up with the rest of his dorm plus Aaron. Matt nodded, then asked if he’d ever consider spending a weekend with him and the girls; just on occasion. Neil was a little surprised, although he shouldn’t have been. He knew the upperclassmen liked him, and really, when it came down to it, Matt might’ve been his first real friend he ever had as Neil Josten.

Nathaniel Wesninski didn’t have friends, he had at most acquaintances and people he liked to talk to at school. God forbid his mom catch him chatting with someone too long. The “only sharing homework” excuse only worked so many times after he got somewhere new and started bonding. Really, he supposed, he’d always craved some connection. He’d lacked it under his father’s thumb and his mother’s fist. So, Matt being so welcoming when he got to Palmetto, sharing a living space with another person and it feeling oddly comfortable, oddly safe; he supposed that yeah, maybe Matt was one of his closest friends. He’d never really stopped to consider it.

“Neil?”

He blinked. “What? Sorry. I didn’t hear you.”

He looked a little concerned. “You weren’t at that stop too long were you? You zoned out for a second.”

He smiled to himself. “Just thinking.”

He nodded and pulled in the Domino’s parking lot. He looked at Neil and repeated, “I was just asking if you wanted to spend the weekends with me and the girls sometimes. Or just a Friday or Sunday. We’d be happy to have you. No pressure, I just feel like I never see you aside from practice since we don’t share a dorm anymore.”

Neil shrugged. “No, we don’t. And I know it’s sort of awkward for you guys to come to Eden’s with us.”

He laughed and undid his seatbelt, pulling the key out the ignition afterwards. “It’s not that bad. We’re just not used to the nine of us ‘hanging out’.”

Neil tilted his head. “Maybe we could do it more often. At the dorms. I mean, Nicky and Kevin are technically upperclassmen too. I appreciate that Kevin is a prick, but he’s also a good guy.”

“Yeah, I know. Nicky is too.” He sighed. “I think Renee would be happy to do it. Dan would probably see it as an opportunity for team bonding, or whatever we would call it.”

“She and Kevin can bond over team bonding.”

Matt barked a laugh as he climbed out of the car. “Yeah right!”

They went into the restaurant and took a seat after ordering their food and waiting for their number to be called. There was only one other group of people inside, so Neil assumed it wouldn’t take long. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was. “I’ll text Andrew,” he said, and only realized it was a tad random when Matt looked at him oddly.

“About what?”

“About this weekend. I’ll stay with you guys. It’ll be fun.”

Matt beamed and Neil wasn’t quite used to it out of anyone but Nicky. He was used to Matt much more laid back, and his excitement made Neil a little excited, and it was a nice feeling. “Sweet! I’ll tell Dan.” He pulled his phone out to text the girls that they’d have an additional friend for their movie night tomorrow, and Neil took the time to tell Andrew he wouldn’t be making it to Columbia. It was a little weird. He was so used to going. He was a little worried what Andrew would think, but after assuring him he was not injured or anything else, he was just spending time with the upperclassmen, Andrew told him to “tell Renee hello” for him, and that was all.

Matt pointed at him with his phone as he began to slide out of his booth to get his phone. “Hey, you’ll have your dorm to yourself. That’s nice, right?”

“Don’t you have yours to yourself with Aaron gone?”