elyteracy:

@bluewire13 is your gift for the @aftgexchange

“Come on, it’s gonna be fun,” Dan had said, smiling with all her teeth.

It is not.

It is cold and annoying. They’d almost died on the way because Andrew had not put chains on the wheels and they’d just ice skated on the road. Kevin’s opinion of skiing is at rock bottom now.

He feels ridiculous in his big coat, his scarf is itchy and he can’t do a fucking thing with his gloves on. He is highly suspicious of the safety of the sport. These skiing lifts look unpredictable.

“What even is that?” He asks Neil.

Neil opens his mouth, before closing it again. He scrunches his nose, the way he does when he gets frustrated about something. “It’s a…. A- shit.” He clucks his tongue. “I… don’t know the word in English?”

“What do you mean you don’t know the word in English?”

“I only went skiing in France and Austria!” He says. “It’s tire-fesses in French.”

“Drag-butt? That is ridiculous.”

“Accurate though,” Neil says. “You are supposed to get the perch between your legs and it pulls you up.”

“There’s a bad joke somewhere in there,” Andrew says, blank face. It takes a second for Kevin to get it, and he groans. Neil just stares at his boyfriend (or whatever the fuck Andrew is to Neil) with confusion. “Don’t worry about it, idiot,” Andrew says.

Neil shrugs and goes back to tightening his shoes. He makes short work of it. Apparently, he and his mother had spent some time in a ski station lost in the middle of nowhere in France. He seems comfortable and at ease that Kevin envies. He almost wants to throw Neil on the floor and cover him in snow.

The only good thing about it all is that he isn’t the one who seems to hate the holiday the most. Andrew is. He is bundled in two coats and a big scarf, a beanie on his head, squashed curls escaping from it, nose red, cheeks flushed, and his gaze seething.

Neil takes one look at him and snorts. “Come on, it’s not that bad,” he says.

It is, in Kevin’s opinion. Andrew, of the same mind, glares at Neil. “Shut up,” he snaps, though the words are muffled in his scarf. It’s closer to a grumbling now.

Neil snorts, gently peels the scarf off Andrew’s face and kisses his cheek. “You like speed, you’ll like skiing.”

“I don’t like anything,” Andrew says, even when he’s looking at Neil like no one else exists on Earth.

Kevin steps in a puddle of melted snow and curses. He never should have come.

__

Andrew stares at the ski lift with narrowed eyes. Neil is beside him, chatting with Allison, both of them on their ski and looking at ease.

“I have no idea how this works,” Dan admits.

Neil nudges her shoulder with his. “You grab the perch and you stick it between your- Oh,” he says, blinking. He looks at Andrew with raised eyebrow. “Really?”

“What?”

“Earlier. You made a dick joke.”

Dan leans toward them and almost loses her balance. Andrew plans on letting her fall. Neil catches her before she can. “Thanks, sweetie,” she says with an embarrassed grin. “What about the dick joke?”

“The perch between your legs,” Andrew says.

Dan laughs almost falling all over again. “Oh my god, I can’t believe I’m laughing at a joke from the Monster,” she says. “You boy can be funny.” She knocks shoulders with Neil, who glances at Andrew, curious and a bit satisfied maybe.

Andrew doesn’t bother correcting her. She is already making her way toward the ski lift.

She takes a perch. It pulls her up. She curses loudly a mother shouts “Language!” after her. She doesn’t make it more than a few meters before she falls.

And she keeps hanging on the perch.

“Let the perch go!” Neil screams. “Just let it go, Dan!”

“Fuck you!” She shouts back. “It was hard enough to get, it is mine now!”

“Dan stop being so stubborn! LET! IT! GO!”

Finally, she releases her grip on the perch. She drags herself off the path of the ski lift and lets herself lay in the snow.

Neil takes off his ski and painstakingly makes his way up to her. Andrew can’t hear what they are saying from where he is. Neil laughs and holds out his hand. He pulls Dan up who is covered in snow.

Something cold and hard hits him in the back of his neck. He turns around, already reaching for his knives. He realizes that one, it was Aaron, who is smirking at him with another snowball in hand, and two, it is hard to grab knives from armbands when you have four layers on top and gloves.

“Are you not gonna fight and leave like a coward, dear brother of mine?” Aaron taunts.

Andrew weights his option for a split second. He gathers snow to prepare a ball. “You are going down.”

He throws the ball. Aaron dodges easily. He doesn’t expect Andrew to charge at him. Andrew swipes Aaron’s feet from under him. Aaron goes down with a shout. Andrew holds him there with a knee to his back and shoves snow down Aaron’s coat.

“Shit- fuck! It’s cold! Andrew! Stop it, stop no, fuck- Andrew, pl- fuck, I give up.”

“You are pathetic,” Andrew says but lets his brother go.

Aaron rolls on his back. His face is red and he is breathing hard. “You are an asshole,” he says.

“You started it.”

Aaron groans. “I give up.”

Andrew turns back to Neil and Dan coming down the slope with a satisfied huff.

Neil stops in front of him. He isn’t grinning, but there’s a playful glint in his eyes. “Having fun?” He asks.

Andrew shoves him away. “I hate the cold,” he says. “This entire trip was the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

Neil snorts. “Really, the worst?”

“Just kill me,” Aaron says from where he is still sprawled in the snow. Andrew kicks snow at him.

___

After a grueling day of skiing or trying to ski, the Foxes gather in the living room of their chalet. Dan and Matt are sitting in the corner curled up. Renée is on the floor at their feet.

Neil is pleasantly buzzed from the tequila shots he did with Allison. She’s already drunk enough to attempt a Disney singing contest against Nicky.

He leans against Andrew. He is a warm and solid weight, and Neil hums. “She’s never going to win.”

“Nicky has watched all Disney three times minimum,” he says.

Neil grins. “Does that mean you know the songs too?”

Andrew scowls at him. Neil giggles.

“What’s so funny?” Renee asks with a small smile. She’s drinking coke. The light of the fire gives her white hair a gentle yellow glow.

“Andrew knows some Disney songs by heart,” he whispers. He’s not sure why he is whispering but he feels like it’s important to keep the secret.

Renee laughs. “Does he now?”

Andrew pushes her away with his feet. She blocks it with her bottle of coke.

“Do not,” Andrew says, glaring at her.

She pats his knee. “Not today, then.” She winks at Neil and he can’t help laughing.

“You’re a moron,” Andrew tells him.

Neil hums in agreement, laying his head against Andrew’s shoulder. “Tired,” he says, and closes his eyes.

__

Aaron stares at the slope, gripping his sticks. Nocky stops next to him, perfectly at easy on his skis, the bastard. He learned in Germany and Aaron hates him for it.

“You okay?” He asks.

“I have no idea how to do this,” Aaron bites out. “Who even thought this trip was a good plan?”

“Most of us, actually,” Nicky says with a grin. “Except you… and Andrew.”

Andrew is not looking much better on his skis. If he could glare the mountain into submission he would. Unfortunately for him, that’s impossible.

It’s only a small comfort for Aaron.

“You need to bend your knees, yes like that,” he instructs. “Point your ski together, that way you won’t go fast. When you want to turn, just put weight on this side.”

From the corner of his eye, he sees Andrew trying it out with narrowed eyes.

Aaron will not be left behind. He pushes himself and starts sliding down the slope. He picks up the pace.

Skiing is actually pretty cool. He thinks he likes it.

He sees something from the corner of his eye. There’s a shout. He realizes doesn’t know how to stop the moment he sees Andrew barreling toward him.

They crash into each other, roll for a few meters. Aaron loses a ski and a stick. His head is ringing and he’s glad he agreed to a helmet.

The sky is a vibrant blue. “I hate skiing,” he declares.

“Same,” Andrew says.

__

Matt shoves the last bag in the car. “We should do this again!”

“No,” the twins refuse, in unison.

“For once, I agree with the Minyard,” Dan says.

Matt throws an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, babe, wasn’t it fun?”

“I am pretty sure I broke my tailbone.”

“Don’t be overdramatic, it’s just a bruise.”

Dan sighs. “I’ll think about it,” she agrees.

Matt pumps the air. “Yes!”