So, we all know Andrew hates physical touch (unless it's Neil, or there was a clear "yes"), but for a moment, imagine, just imagine...
It was a normal summer day. Too hot and too crowded for Andrew's taste. He was only bearing with it because Neil-stupid-Josten promised him an ice cream. So here they are, standing in a giant queue and Andrew, wearing his usual total black outfit is melting. Neil is standing by his side (Almost unnoticeably, turning his back to the crowd, so Andrew would touch as little strangers as possible), smiling ear to ear, wearing a "Palmetto Foxes" t-shirt and his stupid orange bandana. Andrew almost rolled his eyes, when he saw what Neil put on himself, but he hated him too much to say anything. His eyes searched the park for a hint of shadow, and finally raised at Neil, with a little more suffering in his sight that he attempted to show.
– Josten, that ice cream better be worth the fucking oven that you put me under.
Neil didn't say anything, but let out a quiet laugh and moved to the side so his shadow is cast on Andrew. He didn't notice that his back was exposed to the crowd, and maybe, just maybe, wouldn't have cared. It was in that moment that he felt two tiny hands grabbing onto his shirt. At first he tensed, and turned around, ready to pull the kid away until he looked at them and freezed. It was a little girl in a bright yellow dress, grabbing onto him and looking just as uncomfortable as he did. And he saw it. In the movement of her eyes, in the shaking of her lips, in her tightened fists. Andrew was gonna say something, until he was interrupted.
– She's nonverbal. – A soft voice of a young woman, sounding almost guilty. – She hates crowds, but it's her brother's birthday today, so...
– It's okay. – Andrew said before he could think, surprisingly even to himself. – I get her.
He could see the way her shoulders relaxed and a small smile appeared on her face.
– We didn't think she would grab onto someone she doesn't know. – The woman squatted down placing herself right in front of the girl – That's not exactly something she does a lot.
– Don't worry about it. – Andrew could almost see Neil raise his eyebrows, but to his surprise, Josten didn't say a thing. – Does she like ice cream?
Minutes later they would be sitting on a bench, under the cool shadow of a tree, finally having escaped the crowd. The girl would be sitting beside him, swinging her legs and grabbing his finger with her little fist.
Andrew didn't want that. He couldn't, shouldn't. But in that moment he saw himself in her eyes. The fear, the desperate attempt to escape, to hide, to protect herself from the world. And with that, he couldn't bring himself to break her, couldn't do to her what everyone did to him. And if that meant tolerating her little hands on his shirt, he would throw away his pride and shove deep down his burning memories, only to let her have hope that was taken from him too soon.
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