Chapter Text
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Andrew demanded. He had been sitting in interrogation for an hour listening to Chip whatever his last name was's pisspoor excuse of a story for how his semen ended up on the victim's clothes. He claimed they were having an affair and she threatened to tell corporate and get him fired and how he didn't know what he had done until he had kicked the body down the elevator shaft- but Andrew knew it was hoarse shit. Growing up in foster care gave him a great bullshit detector and this guy was setting off all the bells.
"What!?" Chip asked, completely panicked.
"There's no way you could have pried those elevator doors open by yourself." Andrew pointed out, leaning forward with an arm resting against the metal table. He wasn’t showing off his hard earned muscles, not at all. "I bench press two hundred plus pounds and I could barely get them opened- and certainly not enough to kick a body down there.”
"No need to brag, Drew." Neil said through the earpiece Andrew was wearing. He had begged (simply asked) Andrew to watch the interrogation and Andrew felt kind (gay) enough to let him do it. He was starting to regret it. He glared at the mirror so the idiot would shut up but had little hope of that working.
Andrew turned back to Chip. There was another person involved in this and Andrew knew that coming into this interview. He just wanted the truth from this idiot. Why people couldn’t just tell the truth when they were undeniably caught, he couldn’t understand. It wasn’t like the evidence was anything but false. It was always a matter of time but this idiot could help sped it up.
"You cooperate and we'll see about lessening some of these charges." Andrew offered. He didn't have any intention of doing that, just wanting the truth to make the case go easier. But if he had to lower the charges- from what Neil and the other idiots said it seemed like the actual death was an accident- he'd do it.
Chip seemed to deflate. "It was me, okay?" He said. "I'm the one who threw the stapler at her- but I swear I didn't think it'd kill Patty!"
Andrew slapped the table. "Who helped you." He demanded. He wasn’t born yesterday.
"Bossy." Neil said. He was having too much fun with that earpiece. Andrew only gave him control over that because he needed it. After what happened the other day with Wymack and the latest Butcher victim it seemed like Neil needed something to help ground him. And Andrew was very gay. Apparently, Andrew was a pushover for interesting hot guys. Nicky did not cover this when they had the talk. He should blame him for this.
"I'm starting to lose my patience." Andrew warned to both Neil and Chip.
"I thought you never had any." Neil mused.
Andrew was two seconds away from ripping his earpiece out of his stupid ear or kissing Neil to shut him up. He was still undecided.
"Is your whole scheme to this just glaring at people and calling them liars?" Neil asked. "I expected you to threaten people more. Use those muscles to intimidate others. Threaten them with federal prison- you know, the fun shit."
Andrew ignored him.
"Can't I just say it was me?" Chip asked desperately.
"No." Andrew sternly shot that shit down. "You don't get to take the fall just to let your lover escape the consequences of both your actions."
Love was stupid. It was just a bunch of chemicals in your brain making you stupid and do things you wouldn't ever do. And it sure as hell wasn't enough to take the fall for first degree murder. People who did that were just stupid. It was nature doing it's job in sorting through the people who didn't have enough survival instincts for the shitty world they created.
Chip held his head in his hands and Andrew waited, sneaking a peak at the one-way mirror. He wondered what Neil was making of all of this.
"I've never understood people like him." Neil said through the earpiece. "I've never felt romantic love before so I'm not sure if it's that but I can't imagine throwing my life away because of someone else. If my brothers committed a crime- which they wouldn't because it'd be me doing the committing- I'd help them cover it up so they never got caught. But I'm not going to jail for that."
Andrew hummed in pure agreement. He could probably say he was in a similar mindset. He wasn't going down for anyone else's crimes but he'd for sure help cover it up despite the legality of that. His FBI training would for sure come in handy for that. But Aaron was off drugs and Nicky once cried when he realized he actually stole a pack of gum- then immediately went back to the store to pay for it. So he didn't need to put it to use yet. Plus, Neil would probably be the only other person he’d help escape ‘justice’ and he was sure that Neil would be more than capable of covering up his tracks.
After a few more minutes Chip gave up his lover- the lady whose name Andrew didn't bother to get who worked at the front desk. The one with the horribly crashing blue nail polish on her hands. Andrew left the confession to Jeremy because Andrew was done for the day. Having to be in interrogation for an hour with Chip was enough work for him that day.
Instead, Andrew caught Neil as he was getting into the elevator.
"What are you doing?" Andrew asked.
"I was going to go home." Neil said. "Jean is looking at an apartment and Kevin should be deep into a Roman history documentary marathon. The place should be mine and mine alone for the next two hours."
Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't he work at the Roman history department?" He asked.
Neil nodded, watching the number on the elevator screen slowly lower. "It's his special interest." He explained. "He always wants to learn more or refresh what he knows."
"Do you do that with bones?" Andrew asked. He couldn't stop staring at Neil while his attention was distracted. Those icy blue eyes focused ahead of him, the tan of his skin making them pop even more. His ruffled dyed brown hair a curly mess atop his head and Andrew wanted to run his fingers through them. He didn't though. But he could stare.
"Sometimes." Neil admitted. "But I'm not much of a fan of documentaries."
"I'm sure your brother is scandalized by that." Andrew deadpanned.
Neil let out a snort, covering his mouth. Fuck that was a beautiful sound and Andrew wanted to hear it again. It caused his stomach to twist, knowing that he caused it. Fuck.
"He is." Neil agreed, with a small smile on his face.
"Do you want to go to lunch with me?" Andrew asked suddenly, not able to keep his gay fucking mouth shut.
Neil looked at Andrew, those icy blue eyes landing somewhere right above Andrew's eyes. "At the same diner as last time?" He asked.
Andrew nodded.
Neil hummed. "Okay but you're paying." He agreed.
Andrew gave a heavy sigh just to get Neil to smile. It worked. Fuck, this was bad. Really bad.
Once they were seated at a booth at a diner called Sweetie's, Andrew handed back the menu and ordered the same thing they had gotten the last time they were there a few days before. Neil didn't seem to mind as he grabbed a napkin and pen. He started to doodle what appeared to be fox paws. Fuck, why was he so cute?
"So," Andrew said. "Truth for truth?"
Neil looked at him, steady and unwavering, and nodded. "Truth for a truth." He agreed.
"You survived the Butcher." Andrew reiterated. It was hard to believe that someone escaped the Butcher alive with minimal injuries but there Neil was- sitting right in front of him. Very much alive. It was even more unbelievable that someone who escaped the Butcher was willingly going back into the throws of this- putting himself in danger just to catch the very same man who killed his mother and nearly killed him. But that was what Neil was doing and Andrew couldn’t stop thinking about him. This just made him way too interesting. "Why don't I know about this?"
Neil tapped the pen against the table, and Andrew knew he was choosing his words carefully. "I made a deal with Wymack." He eventually said. "Anything else about this is above your security clearance."
Andrew resisted the absurd urge to cross his arms over his chest and huff. It was clear from the beginning that Wymack knew more than he let on, but to think that the old man was hiding something this big from Andrew. The lead agent on this case. He would have to make Wymack's life difficult for a while as revenge. But Neil was right in the end- if Wymack didn't tell Andrew then it was top level security clearance. It would make sense. The Butcher would no doubt be after Neil- the only one to ever survive him. So Neil's identity and past would have to be hidden by everyone, especially to those at the FBI who might give Wesninski a heads up. It didn’t mean Andrew had to like it however, and it did nothing to stop from making Neil the most interesting person in the world.
"Why did you take this case?" Neil asked as the waitress dropped off the milkshake Andrew ordered and Neil's tea.
Andrew took a sip of his milkshake that was made to near perfection. "His drugs were the ones my birth giver was hooked on." He said simply.
"Oh." Neil said.
"I didn't care about that, though." Andrew said, finding that he wanted to tell Neil more than he normally did. "That bitch got Aaron hooked on them and I've always made it a point to never let anyone get away with hurting my brother."
Even if Aaron and him weren't exactly on good terms Andrew would make sure no one got away with hurting him. Nathan Wesninski’s drugs caused far too many problems in their lives- it caused Tilda's abuse to only get worse and worse, Aaron's own drug abuse and the horrible withdrawal he had to suffer through and perhaps even the reason that Andrew had been given up. No one could confirm it of course, but from what Andrew had heard Tilda had gotten hooked on drugs from the twins' sperm donor who ditched them when Tilda got pregnant. Of course Andrew had no idea who that was, if he was a drug pusher for Wesninski or even his name but he never had the urge to truly find out- Nicky was his dad after all. He only needed Nicky and not some answers from a deadbeat who was probably dead in some ditch. At first, Andrew hadn't known anything about where the drugs had come from or who was creating them- the most Andrew knew was the low level drug dealer who had given Tilda and then Aaron their stash. It was only after Andrew became FBI (for the gossip) that he finally figured out who was suppling those drugs. And then he promptly punched a hole into his wall when he realized what he was up against. Drugs were the least of Nathan Wesninski’s crimes so if Andrew wanted to make good on his promises he needed to take down Wesninski for everything- murders included.
"It's not going to be easy." Neil stated, taking a tentative sip of his tea. "He's just as careful about the drugs as he is the murders."
"Yes," Andrew agreed. "If we could tie him to the drugs it'd only be a matter of time before we connected him to the murders." A lot of the murders so far were directly or indirectly tied to the drug trade going on on the west coast where the Butcher had a tight reign on his empire so to speak. Meaning that if they could manage to get the Butcher on the drugs claims then it’d only be a matter of time before the murders would be connected to him which was why the Butcher was as anal about the drugs as he was about his murder victims. Fucking bastard.
"It will take a lot of work, especially if you have moles in the FBI." Neil looked cute while deep in thought. "At the very least you have us at the Jeffersonian helping you now."
"We'll have to watch out for Riko." Andrew finished his milkshake and pushed it aside to make room for his mountain of pancakes with ice cream and whipped cream.
The waitress placed the plate in front of him along with a can of whipped scream and syrup. She then placed Neil's egg sandwich in front of him and dropped off more napkins.
Andrew continued when she left. "It seems like Riko will do anything to get back at you for humiliating you."
"Well I have you, don't I?" Neil asked, looking at Andrew with those beautiful blue eyes that made Andrew feel like he was drawing in the most beautiful of glacier water.
Andrew's heart stopped for a moment, the implication of those words dealing too much damage. He didn't mean it that way. He was talking about their deal- nothing more. But fuck Andrew wished it was because every time he looked at Neil he wanted to press him against the wall and kiss him stupid. Maybe even suck him off to make him less interesting (he was starting to think that was impossible though).
"Of course." Andrew huffed, angrily cutting his pancakes into a million pieces. He would help Neil deal with Riko in whatever way they needed too, especially if he got in the way of this investigation. "What did you mean back in the interrogation room?"
Neil looked at Andrew in confusion, mid bite of his sandwich. It was cute. "What?" He asked.
"That you've never felt romantic love."
Realization dawned on Neil's face. "Oh." He said. "Well, I haven't. I don't swing."
Yeah Andrew knew Neil was too good to be true. Of course the guy ended up being, what it sounded like, aroace. But, this should be what Andrew needed to get the fuck over this man. Like that would be that easy- especially when Neil looked so damn hot. "So you're aroace?"
Neil just shrugged. "I don't know and I don't care." He said.
Andrew didn't push it because it wasn't his business and because he didn't want Neil running off if he pushed too much. Instead he shoved his mouth full of pancakes and enjoyed the burst of sugar. He needed this.
"What's your deal with your stepfather?" Neil asked.
Andrew couldn't help the face he made at the mention of Erik. It was a simple reflex that he had little control over- Aaron was the same. "Don't ruin my appetite, Bones." He warned.
"I get to ask two questions." Neil said stubbornly. "You asked me about the interrogation room then if I'm aroace. So either ask for a different question or answer."
Andrew rolled his eyes but did it. It had nothing to do with the fact that Neil's annoyed face did things to him. It didn't because Andrew just learned that Neil wasn't interested or ever would be interested. "My mother says it's something about being in the foster care system," he started. He normally respected everything Bee said but this time she was reaching. He simply disliked Erik. "But I say it's because Erik is just a German himbo with no outstanding qualities."
"But it doesn't seem like he hurts your dad." Neil observed. It was frankly amazing how Neil picked up on some stuff but had actually written in an official report that someone had died by stapler. Word for word too. Then had the audacity to be upset with Kevin when he demanded they redo the paperwork.
"No." Andrew agreed. "But that's the bare minimum. If he ever lays a hand on my dad I'm burning him alive in acid."
"Careful, you'll need a lot of it." Neil wiped his mouth with the napkin and went to take a sip of his tea, looking way too cute for their conversation. "It'd be enough to make even an experienced chemist sick."
Andrew filed this information under the file of things to ask later. Right now he didn't want to know, to ruin the moment of peace they had going. "Final question, Bones." He said instead. "Make it a good one."
Neil seemed to light up at the challenge, a small smile gracing his face. "What's your favorite animal?" He asked. "And note that the only correct answer to that is Foxes."
Andrew buried his surprise because it didn't matter. Because maybe Neil wanted to keep the light mood around them too.
"Sharks." Andrew corrected, the warmth of the memory of Nicky taking him and Aaron to an aquarium as their first activity taking over him. It was the first real memory Nicky made for the two of them, as no one had ever taken either of the twins before. No one else cared what Andrew liked or didn’t like, and no one else bothered with just staying by his side as he watched the sharks swim past him for hours and hours. He still had the shark plush Nicky bought him even after a decade. "The puppy of the sea."
Neil's smile only grew. "Okay, I'll give you that one." He looked at Andrew and for a moment Andrew swore they made eye contact for the slightest of moments. "They can be pretty cute."
Andrew ignored the way his cheeks heat up and reminded himself Neil didn't swing. "Foxes can be cute." He muttered. "Under the right conditions." He looked away, not able to handle the bright look Neil was giving him. But if he looked out of the corner of his eye he could see the soft, happy look Neil had on his face.
Andrew supposed he could learn to like foxes just a little more if it meant making Neil smile like that again.