Chapter Text
Neil had been taken to England before he could even wake up. At first he didn’t speak at all and wouldn’t eat; his only words were a request to see the foxes. Stuart tried to reason with him about that request, tried to make him rethink it, until, almost giving up, one of the family’s cousins suggested offering Kevin’s and Jean’s contracts to convince him to stay. Hesitant, but out of ideas, Stuart agreed and talked to the little master. He promised that once he recovered, Neil would be a great help in the translation work, which made Ichirou let him buy Kevin’s and Jean’s contracts. With the contracts in hand, it was easy to make Neil agree to stay in England in exchange for his friends’ freedom.
His first friends in England were his cousins certainly older, but far more affectionate than anyone he’d ever known. They always asked if they could hug him and constantly bought him gifts. Because of that, Neil only got somewhat involved in the family business, until unfortunately a cousin very close to him, named Arthur, was killed in a shooting. Neil was devastated, and out of revenge he inserted himself even deeper into the family’s two lines of work. He killed each and every person responsible for his cousin’s death, and in the midst of the slaughter, seven years passed.
At a masquerade ball hosted by Ichirou for his people and allies, Neil met Alexandre Volkov, a 38-year-old man, as tall as Kevin, head of the Russian mafia. At their first encounter, Neil thought he was arrogant and cold, until a few days later a meeting was arranged at Alexandre’s request. Ichirou accepted, but was suspicious when asked to have Neil attend as well. Neil had killed many people and done it cleanly, so no one knew who was behind the massacre of several gangs. Ichirou feared that someone Neil had killed was under Alexandre’s protection, but in the end it wasn’t that at all. The head of the Russian mafia, whom everyone believed to be heartless, simply wanted Neil’s hand in marriage. Neil thought about refusing, but Ichirou seemed very satisfied with the benefits of the union. For a moment Neil wondered if his mother had felt the saqqme way when she had been given to his father. So the marriage would happen, but Alexandre and Neil would be engaged for at least an entire year.
When Neil moved into Alexandre’s home, he discovered he had a five-year-old son Kael, a level-2 autistic child. Neil didn’t know how to communicate with him, so while he stayed home with nothing to do, he watched Exy, and the child seemed so interested that he eventually gathered the courage to talk to Neil about it, which delighted him. The boy had pale white skin and blue-gray eyes like his father’s, but what truly caught Neil’s attention was the color of his hair a fiery red, nothing like Neil’s faded ginger, but still very similar.
With the days and nights shared with Alexandre, it was impossible for them not to grow closer, especially when Alexandre was respectful and gentle with Neil. At first, the younger man didn’t care about Kael’s mother, but when he saw Alexandre having a panic attack one night, they sat and talked. Neil listened. Kael’s mother had been an actress, daughter of a friend of Alexandre’s father. She was supposed to be his fiancée, but impatient with Alexandre’s slow advances, she drugged and raped him. The older man fell apart in Neil’s arms, and the younger didn’t know what to do, so he began talking about the foxes, even about Andrew things he had kept from everyone. And so, that was the night they truly began to bond.
Days passed, and they grew closer. Alexandre left work aside to spend time with Neil and Kael. Neil stayed with Kael, played Exy with him, and took him to daycare. As a translator, Neil didn’t need to leave the house, so he used his free time to finish his work, and eventually looked for hobbies. The first was cooking. His first dish wasn’t even edible, but Alexandre and Kael ate it without complaining and even praised him, giving Neil motivation. Eventually, they finally married. One of the cousins Neil trusted most offered to take care of Kael, since her children already played with him a lot. After many promises to take good care of the boy, Neil and Alexandre went on their honeymoon.
On the honeymoon, Neil and Alexandre trusted each other completely for the first time, giving themselves to each other with love and tenderness.
After four years together, Neil and Alexandre granted Kael’s request. Ever since he had seen a child from his school proudly saying he was a big brother, Kael had been begging for younger siblings, giving his parents no peace. So when he turned nine, they adopted Sienna and Evan, two two-year-old twins. Kael loved his younger siblings and was always worried about their well-being.
Neil felt satisfied with his life married to a kind, loving man and living with a miniature version of himself and two little troublemakers overflowing with energy until Alexandre’s 43rd birthday. Everything was perfect until the birthday boy’s head was pierced by a sniper bullet. Neil froze, his beloved’s blood splattering across his face, the children crying and screaming, Stuart and Ichirou calling for reinforcements.
A memory Neil wished he could bury deep in his mind.
Now, twelve years after he stepped into the South Carolina airport, he drove to the house Stuart had promised him. With three children and alone with the enormous inheritance his husband had left, Neil only wanted to live quietly with his kids while planning his revenge behind the scenes.
He still remembers when Kael came home excited fromaa his new school, saying their community had a children’s Exy team. Neil was surprised and hesitant. He had no good memories of a children’s Exy team; just remembering his father from that day made the nausea return. But not wanting to disappoint the boy, he promised to sign him up after school.
When he arrived at the registration site, he was enchanted by the poster it looked so much like something the older Foxes would make. With a quiet laugh, the twins, now three years old, stared at him. They were still three, but still used pacifiers. Neil had tried to break the habit, but after nights of crying and no sleep, he’d given up for now.
– Papa! Let’s go! – Kael shouted from the entrance, wearing his autism badge something he often forgot at home. He was excited, barely staying still.
Neil came out of his thoughts and walked toward him; the twins tried to make him run and he held them in place. They entered the building, full of mothers and excited children. Kael was a bit scared by the number of kids. He wasn’t small at all, but he panicked over many things. With a small smile, Neil placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle push to join the children. Shyly, he went. Neil headed to the registration papers, reaching for one when something stopped him: a name his name but spoken by a very familiar voice.
– Neil? – Dan looked at him, surprise and sadness all mixed together with a faint glint of anger.
Neil looked at her, surprised and hesitant. The woman before him looked like Dan, just older hair still short, but with a more mature and wise gaze. God, how he missed that look.