defractum:

Andreil domestic post-canon

For @justalittleaddicted as part of @aftgexchange.

It was a Tuesday during August when Neil didn’t move into Andrew’s
apartment.

It was official – he was a Lion now, which meant hauling his
ass over to Los Angeles in time for the pre-season training camp. Most traded
players relied on their agents to do the heavy lifting. They just hopped on a
plane and expected their belongings to turn up on the other end and a car and
house to be sorted out for them.

Neil had done no such thing. For starters, when he dropped
his key off with his agent to return to the letting agency, his apartment had
been as empty and spotless as when he moved in a year ago. There was only an
overstuffed duffel bag – battered and fraying in one corner, not the sort of
thing an athlete making seven figures a year needed to carry around – and an
Exy racquet slung over his shoulder. He said he’d sent the rest ahead.

The other thing was that he’d hopped into the passenger seat
of a sleek Masarati idling on the side of the road, and driven himself the fifteen
hours to LA. He hadn’t needed an apartment either, but the forwarding address
he left was on the fourth floor of a modern build. It was a two-bed, but the
second bedroom was an entertainment centre and home office rather than a
bedroom.

The last few trades of the season were still being wrapped
up, but Neil’s move to the LA Lions had been finalised almost a month ago now,
on the down low.

Denver had been
bemused – Neil had done well for them, but not so well he warranted snatching
up after only a year into his pro career, especially not at the amount the
Lions offered.

Keep reading