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It had been an adjustment, to say the least, for their fifth year. A whirlwind of slow predictable change that still seemed to come unnoticed and loud. Years ago, Aaron thought he never would have been here, then he thought there would just be the three of them. He had gotten used to Kevin, and then, unfortunately, gotten used to Neil. And then there was Robin, and now instead of four their dorm housed five.
At first he hadn’t known what to expect, perhaps the timid freshman taking the couch Matt had donated to them. But Andrew had stripped the bed across from Aaron’s and crawled into Neil’s, and not a word had been said about it. Progress, on everyone’s parts.
It was crowded and loud, but it was also warm and oddly comforting. The days were filled with practice and class and Katelyn, and when Aaron came home there was food and Nicky losing at video games. Neil had become an oddly helpful study partner, Robin strangely ruthless at cards, and as always Andrew was there, watching over them all. At the end, when the sun had set and the world had gone quiet, Aaron could crawl into his bunk, hear Nicky settle below him, and if he peeked through the slats of the rails he could watch Andrew tuck himself against the wall, Neil a barrier between him and the room, and fall asleep quicker than Aaron had ever seen before. It was progress, reassurance, and Aaron couldn’t bring himself to hate a moment of it.
Until a dull thump woke him up in the quiet of the night.
He lay still in his bed, the dark pressing down and blinding him, breath caught in his throat as he listened.
The drag of fabric was loud in the room. A soft noise from a throat, then another thump.
“Andrew.”
Dear fucking god, this was not happening. In all of his life, Aaron never wanted to hear Neil Mob-Magnet Josten, say his brother’s name in that quiet insistent voice. Screwing his eyes shut against the pull of blankets, the slow creak of wood, Aaron prayed he would simply die right here.
“Andrew.” Another thump. “We agreed to two.”
Quiet, for a moment, and Aaron begged every god that it was over. But then, soft, as if someone was moving a bare inch at a time, was more rustling of blankets.
“Jesus fuck,” Neil muttered, and Aaron frowned because he recognized the irritation in his voice. “You know what? I’m ignoring you now.”
The fabric settled. Aaron waited, the gloom of the room quietly receding until he could make out Robin’s bunk across from him. Somewhere in the room, someone shifted. A frustrated exhale, and then a mess of a struggle and another thump.
Carefully, slowly enough his own bed didn’t creak, Aaron pulled himself closer to the edge. Sending up a quick plea to avoid any further trauma, Aaron peered through the slats. He could just make out Andrew and Neil in their bed, tucked close on the small mattress. They were still, and a passing glance would let one believe they were asleep.
But then Andrew reached behind himself, down to the small space between the bed and the wall, and slowly dragged a blanket out from its depths.
Neil’s eyes were closed when he hissed a quiet, “Andrew I swear to god-“
“You don’t believe in god,” Andrew said quietly, draping the blanket over them both.
The blanket had barely settled before Neil ripped it off the bed, flinging it to the floor. “Where the fuck are you even getting all of these?”
Andrew didn’t answer, laying still once again. Then, he started pulling another blanket out. This one stayed long enough for him grab a second and start dragging that over them as well.
With a strange sort of noise, Neil twisted until he was sitting up, staring down at Andrew. “Minyard, it’s a thousand fucking degrees in this room and if you put another blanket on this bed I am going to peel the skin from your body and turn that into a netting for my racquet.”
Aaron could just see how Andrew paused, the glint of his eyes as he blinked up at Neil. They stared at each other for an endless moment, and Aaron thought Andrew might have finally met his match. But then he slowly started dragging the fleece over the bed again, holding Neil’s gaze as if it wasn’t happening at all.
“Why do you want me to suffer?” Andrew asked, pulling another blanket from nowhere. “I’m cold, Neil. And now you threaten me? How am I supposed to sleep in these conditions?”
Reaching behind Andrew’s legs, Neil grabbed all of the blankets and threw them onto the floor. Aaron could see the shapeless pile, the countless colours and patterns forming it. Neil jut his chin out in triumph. “What are you going to do now, huh? We cohabitate this bed. And I won’t be boiled alive just to save the ice blocks you call toes.”
Calmly, Andrew pressed said toes against Neil’s hip and shoved him off the bed. Aaron watched Neil’s arms flail, the little squawk of protest leave him, his landing softened by the mountain of bedding below him.
His head popped back into view. “Drew, you can’t just steal my bed.”
Andrew arranged a second mountain of blankets on top of himself, snuggling down under their weight. He let out a quiet hum, sounding unbothered. “What are you going to do about it, Josten?”
Muttering darkly under his breath, Neil crawled back into the bed, awkwardly curling around the bundle of Andrew. Reaching down, he dragged up a single blanket to drape over himself.
After a moment, Neil quietly said, “Two.”
“Five,” Andrew shot back.
“Three,” Neil said firmly. “Final offer.”
Andrew shuffled in his burrow. “Three and you let me put my feet between your legs.”
“Just wear socks,” Neil whined, but he was already pulling blankets off, rearranging them.
“Absolutely not,” Andrew said. “No, not that one. The one with the green.”
“That’s the heavy one,” Neil grumbled, but switched the knitted one for a duvet from the floor.
Aaron watched as they finally settled, wondering if this was all some sort of fucked up dream. Neil’s quiet complaints of Andrew’s cold toes were the last thing he remembered before sleep took him again.
By the time he woke up, the blankets were gone from the floor, and their bed was empty. Padding out into the kitchen, he found Andrew glaring at the coffee maker, poking at the brew button as if it would somehow make it go faster.
Passing by him, Aaron breathed, “Just tuck your sweatpants around your toes like a normal person.”
Andrew didn’t look away from his coffee, but Aaron could have sworn he saw the corner of his mouth twitch. “Now where’s the fun in that?”