Neil steps up behind Andrew and loosely wraps an arm around his waist while Andrew is busy putting things away, lost in his own thoughts. “Hey…” he murmurs against the nape of Andrew’s neck. the kind of deceptive “hey” that immediately tells you a second of affection isn’t going to be enough. but Andrew keeps working, determined not to get distracted by Neil trailing after him, nuzzling against his neck and rubbing the top of his head against his shoulder. eventually, Neil starts leaning more and more of his weight onto him, slowly forcing Andrew to bend forward under the pressure. “It’s not funny. Calm down,” Andrew protests, sounding far too unbothered for someone who supposedly wants Neil to stop. all he gets in return is muffled laughter and the unmistakable curve of a smile against his skin. “What exactly?” comes from behind, unclear and overly dramatic. a second later, Neil finally succeeds in dragging them both down onto the bed, trying to gather Andrew beneath him, fully aware, of course, that Andrew would never let that happen so easily. the next moment, Andrew catches Neil’s wrist and pushes back: their positions shift almost instantly. Neil doesn’t even bother resisting. he lets them tumble through the chaos of it, passing control back and forth in a whirlwind of playful wrestling until Andrew finally catches him for good and pins him down. strong arms wrap around Neil’s waist and chest, holding him firmly in place. Andrew can hear Neil breathing harder beside him, their brief bout of fooling around has left them both a little breathless. then there it is again—a short laugh. Neil tries to twist around so he can look at Andrew, but Andrew only tightens his hold, keeping him exactly where he is. “You still haven’t calmed down,” he says quietly against Neil’s ear. the words are calm enough, but Neil can feel the contradiction pressed against his back: Andrew’s heart is beating far too hard for someone pretending to be unaffected. if Andrew had really wanted him to stop, he could have pushed him away long before Neil managed to bend him in half and drag him toward the bed. or by firmly saying “no”. but Andrew hadn’t. Instead, he’d chosen to stay close. now he keeps Neil tucked against his chest, burying his face in Neil’s hair and pressing a few firm kisses to the nape of his neck, already fully aware that Neil’s entire plan to end up wrapped tightly in Andrew’s arms — had worked perfectly. even if he’d gone about it in the most shameless way possible.
