Chapter Text
Neil Josten sat on the Bleaches playing with the ring that hung around his neck on a slim chain.
He knew that ring in and out and he carried it around everywhere he went since it was gifted to him three years ago, the cool metal grounding against his chest reminding him of their promise.
He liked up to the stars; his mother would beat him to hell and back if she could have seen him right now. Sitting on the bleachers next to an Exy field, the sport she swore would kill him someday or another, brooding over memories of the past, wishing for something he couldn’t have at least not right now, wanting someone that was out of his reach.
He let out a quiet sigh worry overcame him, and he gripped his duffel harder. He hated that she was in danger that he could not give her a happy childhood, that they needed to run at any sign of danger.
He slipped the Ring under his shirt again making sure that no one could see the chain under his shirt. He looked up to the stars again he craved a cigar not for the drug, but for the grounding smoke that reminded him of hazel eyes and hushed promises.
He hadn’t heard from him for 2 months and 5 days (not that he was counting). The door to the locker room swung open and closed again with a thud. The person standing there was Coach Hernandez the Coach of the Millport Dingo’s.
He was the only one that knew that Neil wasn’t alone in Millport, even though he thought that his parents were still in the picture. He also let them get away with things like sleeping on the school grounds.
“I didn’t see your parents at the game today.” Hernandez said, “They couldn’t make it" Neil replied.
Hernandez just shoot him a suspicious look.
“Couldn’t make it or didn’t want to?”
Neil only stared at him they both knew it was neither of both options.
“No one knew it would be the last game.”
Neil looked back at the court the construction workers were already half-done disassembling.
Soon all that would be left was a boring football court.
Neil’s stomach clenched with dread at the thought this was probably his last time playing Exy in a long time.
He knew that his mother would beat him to hell and back if she knew what he had done. But she was dead now buried in her sandy grave on a beach in Seattle and she could never hurt him again.
“They didn’t miss anything important.” Neil said.
Hernandez turned to him “Maybe not yet,”
Neil didn’t like his tone there was something wrong,
“There is someone here to see you.”
For someone who spent almost his whole life outrunning his past monsters these were words of pure terror. He gripped his duffel bag and stood up in a flash, but the squeak of a shoe behind him told him that it was already too late to run now.
He turned as fast as he could and came face to face to a tall muscly man wearing a wife beater shirt.
His underarms were adjourned with flame tattoos.
This wasn’t one of his father’s men he was sure the man stood too relaxed for that and he carried no weapons,
but who was he then FBI a Moriyama henchman?
Neil tensed ready to run away at any given moment the man showed himself to pose a threat to him.
“I don’t know you!” Neil said cautiously still tense in reach of the stranger.
He counted the distance between him the man and the door to his freedom.
“I am in need of another striker sub, and you were recommended, all you have to do is sign on the dotted line and you are mine for five years.”
Neil huffed a laugh “I won’t sign with you, leave!”
“Well, you see I can’t do that the committee has been hounding me since Jamie got locked up.”
Neil froze, Jamie smalls of the Palmetto Foxes;
she had tried to off herself in the locker room showers, before her best friend had found her on the brink of death in a pool of her own blood.
That would mean that this man was…
“You are David Wymack coach of the Division-one Team of the palmetto state Foxes!” He was his coach, was he here did he know that he was in Millport? Had he not been careful enough and let himself be discovered? Had he slipped up driven by the desire to see him again.
When he could find them his father’s men and the Moriyama’s could too, and then they would be in danger!
Neil’s thoughts spiralled in the effort to make sense of the situation, he for his own security didn’t know where Neil had hidden for the past year that they had been separated, even though they both wanted nothing more than to finally be reunited.
So why exactly stood coach Wymack his Coach now before him and offered him to sign?
That couldn’t be a coincidence.
“You signed Kevin Day.”
The words came out toneless his hope to see him again slowly dissipating.
Even if he wanted to sign the contract so badly, they had agreed that Neil being close to Kevin could only turn out bad.
Even if Kevin didn’t recognise him, he would still be close enough to the Moriyama’s,
to draw their attention to the new rookie player with too much skill for only one year practicing Exy.
They would surely get suspicious when they made a background check and found nothing in his name before his appearance in Millport.
Maybe they wouldn’t recognize him for the Person he was eight years ago, but they would find traces that indicated his ties with their own Organisation.
He couldn’t allow them to be found not for his own safety, but for the safety of his family.
“I can’t sign with you.”
He manged to say despite the pain in his chest and the growing longing for something he couldn’t have.
“What would it cost me to make you sign?”
Wymack tried to gamble, but Neil already started to back away again shoving his emotions away to think clear again.
“I didn’t fly our three people out here for nothing!” at these words Neil froze in his tracks.
He would not come here, would he?
He could not after everything they did to hide themselves.
But then the thought of their last conversation crossed his mind,
he had said he would see them soon and Neil didn’t believe it although it was reassurance for him,
not to give in to his minds urge to pack their things and run.
The person who was most likely to be here was another one, but he too brought trouble.
Neil stepped back “you didn’t bring him here!”
His disbelief must have been written all over his face, because Wymack stepped forward sizing him up and down with a questioning glance.
Neil was so fixated on Wymack that he only noticed the coach.
“Why do you have a problem with me?”
With these words a new figure came into the room and Neil had to hold back a gasp from escaping his throat.
Before him stood Kevin Day, starting striker for the Palmetto Foxes former member of Riko Moriyama ‘s Perfect court.
Neils friend from another life.
The last time Neil had seen him was eight years ago in his first try out for the Edgar Allen Ravens at evermore.
Kevin and Riko were there for his try-out and for what happened after.
Kevin knew him as someone else another name, another life entirely.
He could only hope that eight years and all the changes to his appearance, made Kevin not realise who stood before him.
But that wasn’t the worst about him right now because last year the ESPN had released a statistic,
it said that not Riko was the best striker in the game but Kevin.
In consequence to the statistic Kevin broke his hand in a skiing accident.
Or so was the official statement of the Ravens.
How no one picked up on the coincidence that not even hours after the public statement of ESPN declaring Kevin day as the best Player released,
Kevins main hand was injured and he changed schools to Palmetto,
a rivalling Exy team giving him protection and a offer to train the foxes as a assistant coach.
The truth was hidden, even if someone with a working brain cell and five free minutes could discover that an injury like Kevin’s could only come from an Exy racquet used with the intent to shatter every bone in the hand.
Neil of course knew where the true reason for Kevin Days injury came from, even if he wasn’t interested in Exy his sources and connections ran deep.
Shaking of his thoughts he looked at Kevin.
“I am not good enough to play with a star like you.”
That was one of his most important questions right now,
why did Neil catch Kevin’s attention?
Even with all the practice he got with Kevin and Riko in evermore the little league and this year’s practice in Millport,
he had toned down his skill to look like a rookie who had never played before.
He had even walked around with books he originally bought for her, to really sell the impression.
Kevin only smirked and took a step towards him.
“No, you are not but you will be if you sign with us!
We will train you and you will make court and whatever your problem is with signing I am sure I can offer you protection.”
Neil almost snorted from amusement careful not to let his mask slip.
Kevin couldn’t offer Neil protection, not the scared princess, that runs away and drowns himself in alcohol,
the moment he notices the briefest signs of danger.
The only person he would ever allow to protect him and his loved one, was far away safe in Palmetto.
But he had told him about the deal he had struck with Kevin,
to protect him from the Moriyama’s reach and Neil sure as hell knew better than to get involved with any of Kevin’s antics.
That was right the deal! Wymack had said he flew out three people, but he hates to fly.
In contrary to this Kevin was here, standing before him right now proud in all his majestic glory and not quivering in anxiety,
and if Neil knew something for sure then it was that he would never break his promises with anyone.
This could only mean that…!