Power Rangers: Foxhole Force

by LunaMoon2620

Neil Josten did not expect to find trouble within the hour of arriving to Palmetto City but now he's in the middle of a war between some scary looking raven-like creatures and...and...who are these people again? And Neil is supposed to be their leader now? (Full summary inside) Season: 1 Number of episodes: 20 Come give this story a chance... you won't regret it!

12. S1E12: A Swift exchange

With this episode this story is officially up to date. I'm currently writing Episode 13, so you can expect that soon. Enjoy!

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Previously on Power Rangers: Foxhole Force.

Alone and unmorphed, Neil had to face off against Riko who didn't waste any time injuring him further to taste his blood again because he wanted to make sure Neil was who he thought he was. Accusing him of being one Nathaniel Wesninski and finally getting a confession, Riko turned his world upside down by stating that the thing he'd been after, or person, was Neil's father. Except he didn't say Butcher of Baltimore. Riko called Nathan the Doctor and he claimed Neil's mother imprisoned him and took him away. Riko believes Neil knows the whereabouts of his father but the truth is Neil doesn't know much about anything. His past doesn't add up with Riko's accusations but the King's words somehow ring true. Saved by the team and the Black Ranger in the knick of time, Neil woke up back at the Court where Andrew helped him out of a panic attack but also gave him an ultimatum. He either left and never came back, or he stayed and found out the truth about his past. With not a lot of time to figure things out, Neil still has a decision to make and he only has one day to make it.

S1 E12: A Swift exchange

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The next morning, Neil really shouldn't have been surprised about the first person to knock on his bedroom door, and yet, he was.

"Coach" he cleared his sore throat after a first attempt at calling the man's name and he cursed all the screaming he'd done the day before for how scratchy his voice sounded right now.

"Neil, how are you?"

The redhead shrugged and though he didn't invite the man into his room, he did open the door a little wider. "Fine"

Coach roamed his eyes all over the visible bandages and sighed, but he didn't comment on Neil's answer.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that yesterday. Having to face Riko alone" when Neil remained silent, he went on. "And I would have checked up on you too but Andrew was adamant we let you rest and I rathered avoid a more dramatic turn of events last night"

"Umm... It's fine. I'm fine, really"

The mention of a certain angry blond coworker had Neil frowning at remembering Andrew's parting words from the night before.

You have until tomorrow night to decide. I'll be on the roof. If you show up, I'll know you decided to stay. If you're gonna go, then don't let me see you again.

Tomorrow night had already turned into today and although he had time, Neil still hadn't made a decision yet.

Stay.

The redhead sighed and silently answered his Fox. Please, don't pressure me.

The Fox immediately retreated but Neil was glad to feel that Red wasn't angry or hurt by his words. The Fox was respecting his wishes and giving him some space to figure things out on his own.

"...eil?"

His eyes focused on Coach again. "Hm?"

"I said you can take the time off until you're healed enough" the man was looking at him with concern written all over his face, and he guessed the concern was justified seeing as he'd spaced out for a few seconds there, but Neil still shrugged and pushed through the fogginess still clouding his mind a little. Whether that was from sleep or from his ordeal yesterday, he didn't really care.

"I can work"

Coach frowned but didn't insist further. Had he learned how stubborn Neil could be already? "Make Aaron check you first, will you?"

"There's no—"

"Will you?"

Apparently, he had.

"Yeah. Okay"

"Good. Now, Neil" Coach said, his tone serious and firm. "Since we didn't get a chance to talk about it yesterday... Riko knows you"

Wesninski! You're a Wesninski!

Neil's heart jumped at both the memory and Coach's words, and he was pretty sure he paled a bit after that statement. Had anyone else heard Riko's accusations? Had they heard his confession?

So what if I am!? I'm a Wesninski!

He remained silent for too long and Coach went on.

"I mean, he saw you unmorphed. The Ravens now know your identity" Neil continued to stare. He didn't really know what he should say. "I don't see why they should connect you to the Court if they haven't even found out Kevin works here, but you should still be careful out there. I think our location is safe but, maybe don't show your face just outside the Court for a while? Just until things cool down a bit with the Ravens"

The man's words were a balm of relief. Everyone still believed he was Neil Josten. Just Neil Josten. Could he really still be just that despite Riko figuring him out?

Red hummed inside his chest and Neil could feel the Fox about to explode with the need to tell him to stay, but he remained silent for Neil's sake.

Neil nodded solemnly at Coach's request and decided against arguing that he wasn't keen on showing his face in public anyway. If Coach was surprised or put off by his lack of words that day, he definitely didn't show it.

"Did you speak with Riko a lot?" he suddenly asked.

"Umm"

"Did he mention anything important? Did you learn anything about his plans? About what he's looking for?"

"Ah... yes. I mean..." the redhead debated on what to say. Between the panic attack, the conversation with Andrew and practically passing out as soon as he touched the bed last night, he hadn't had nearly enough time to really process what had went down yesterday. Could he get away with keeping the truth to himself? With how much Riko liked the sound of his own voice, he doubted it, so he settled for something halfway there. "He said, he said something about what he's been looking for? But, it didn't, it didn't sound like he was looking for an object. It sounded like he was looking for... looking for a person? I... I'm not sure. He, he didn't really say much"

"A person?"

Was it safe even saying that much?

"Yeah"

Coach crossed his arms over his chest and rubbed a hand pensively under his chin. "A person... could it be...? But she... no. The time doesn't add up... but, a person? Maybe if she... but it's been so... years, too many years... what if—"

"Umm, Coach?" the man startled out of his jumbled thoughts and regarded Neil as if he'd forgotten he was there. "I should be getting ready for work"

"Ah, yes, yes. Take it easy today, okay? The last thing I need is one of my janitors keeling over in the middle of the job. It's not good for business"

"Yes, Coach"

"And remember, Aaron first" the man reminded him as he turned around and walked towards the apartment living room where a worried looking Matt was not so subtly eavesdropping on them.

"Neil, my man!" the taller boy greeted him once they were left alone. "It's good to see you on your feet"

The redhead let out a polite but tight smile that he hoped discouraged Matt enough to not continue this conversation.

Of course, that didn't happen.

"Man, yesterday was something, right? I mean, with so many attacks during the day and the new perfect Raven and the Raven King and even the Black Ranger showed up! You should probably thank him or something. He saved your ass yesterday. We were still too far away but he'd beaten us to the beach and he blocked Riko's strike when he was just about to—"

"I know, Matt" Neil interrupted, making to close the door so he could finish getting ready for work in peace. "I was there"

"Right. Sorry man. I'm just… I'm glad you're okay. Because, you're okay, right?" Neil halted at the sudden change of demeanor. Matt was now looking at his covered injuries with a pained concern Neil had never seen directed at him before. The other boy was genuinely worried about him and simultaneously relieved that Neil did seem as alright as he could be.

That prompted an uncharacteristically honest response from him. "I'm tired, but I'm okay"

"Well, just listen to Coach and take it easy today. And if you need help with anything just let me know, alright? Your buddy Matt has your back. I can even put up working with the monster for a day if you need someone to cover for you"

"My buddy?" Neil asked at the unfamiliar term being directed at him.

Matt's smile hesitated for a second but it remained in place. "Yeah. I mean, we're buddies, right? We're friends"

The redhead frowned. "Are we?"

"Of course! What did you think we were?"

"I don't have friends" Neil stated, because it was true. He'd learned to appreciate his spot on the team and he knew he would stupidly sacrifice his own life to protect the rest of his teammates. He kind of already had done stupid risky things to protect them and he did feel a certain pull towards all of them, even the ones who weren't Power Rangers. Dan, Renee, Aaron.

Andrew.

But that was because they'd given him a job and a shelter and a purpose and a Fox. Neil was grateful to them, certainly, but that didn't make them friends. Did it? What the hell did it even mean to be a friend?

At his blunt statement, Matt's smile turned from overwhelmingly excited to cautiosly amused. "Ah, man, you're hurting me right now"

"What?" Neil was kind of lost in the conversation by now and he couldn't decide if Matt was looking at him with humor in his eyes, or pity.

"Anyway" the taller boy let out after an awkward second. "I'm off for work. See you around downstairs!"

Neil nodded and closed the door behind him, going back into his room and plopping carefully into the bed. His ribs protested the movement and absolutely every cut on his body pulled at his stretching on the mattress. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment. If he was still going to work today, he could at least be a little bit late for the morning shift.

After Coach's warning, he knew he wouldn't be able to get away with skipping a medical follow up of his injuries, so he grabbed his communicator from the nightstand and texted Aaron to meet him at the medic bay. He wasn't quite ready yet to face other people that day and he definitely didn't want to risk running into Andrew if he went knocking on the twins' door.

If you're gonna go, then don't let me see you again.

Just in case he ended up making the decision to leave, he didn't want to go against the blond's warnings so early in the morning. He didn't see how he could avoid the other boy forever, considering they had the same job, but staying cooped up in his room was simply not an option. He had a lot to think about and even though a day off from work would give him the time and space to do so, he didn't want to risk another panic attack because he dared dig too deep into the rabbit hole. He would just have to come up with a solution while holding a broom stick in his hands.

When Aaron texted back a couple of minutes later, Neil grunted his way out of bed again and got ready to face what could very possibly be his last day at the Foxhole Court.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"These are probably gonna scar" Aaron said as he re-wrapped the bandages around his arms. "Definitely, actually"

Neil sighed but didn't say anything back. What were a few more scars to add to his collection?

Sitting in what was quickly becoming his usual bed at the medic bay, Neil thought about the word Andrew had used last night to describe his injuries. Distinctive.

He hadn't had much time to look at the marks yesterday, but clad only in boxer briefs as Aaron cleaned and rebandaged everything, Neil couldn't help but stare at the state of his own body. He had talon slashes everywhere. His chest, his back, his arms, his thigh, his cheek. Usually, Neil didn't like looking at his own reflection and now that Riko's mark had been most likely permanently carved into his face, he'd had to swallow a bout of nausea every time he even caught a glimpse of it in the mirror.

As Aaron proceeded to swab at the small but deep wound on his cheek, Neil thought about that brief conversation with Matt earlier.

Once, when he was younger, just a kid actually, he'd entertained the possibility of having friends. He used to watch kids at school talking about birthday parties or trips to the zoo and he always felt left out and talked about. How could he have friends if he had a serial killer for a father?

An alleged serial killer now, but, whatever.

Then, when he left the confines of his home town to risk his life at every single turn for the rest of his days, well... there was just no time. Friends? No. Girlfriends? Out of the question. His mother had used every opportunity to beat it into his brain how dangerous it was to form ties with anyone or any place.

So no, Neil didn't really know what having friends felt like. Matt being worried about him was just him being polite and Aaron patching him up was just part of his job.

"When they're healed enough" the blond chose to say in that instant, making Neil's wandering mind listen to him for a moment before going back to his own thoughts. "I'll give you a cream for the scarring"

Everyone else was just doing their job, right? Matt, Aaron, Coach. Even the Black Ranger. Fuck, even Andrew, in a way.

"… It won't do magic, but it should help some. You should clean and change everything at least once a day but if you can do more, that'd be great…"

The blond —the other blond, the less talkative blond— was just trying to keep the Red Ranger on the team. He wasn't worried about Neil going away. He didn't care about Neil leaving at all.

"… These are pretty easy to handle" this blond continued as he signaled the slashes on his chest and thigh. "But if you need help with your arms or back, you can call me…"

Was Neil a friend to anyone?

And then another question crossed his mind and he found himself actually scared of the answer. Was the Red Fox his friend?

More.

Neil swallowed an tuned in on Aaron's words for a moment again.

"… I don't think you should work today but that's your business. If anything starts bleeding, you come here…"

Neil was starting to think he didn't really know anything about anything anymore. His past? A lie. His family? A horror show.

His friends?

"… How is the Red Fox anyway?"

"Huh?" Aaron's mention of the Fox had Red spreading a barely there warmth in his chest. The Fox was doing a pretty decent job of giving him space, but at the mention of his name, he couldn't help but remind him of his presence.

"Your Fox" the other boy repeated. "After morphing out, it usually takes a while for them to feel normal. At least that's what everyone says"

Neil brought a hand up to absentmindedly run a finger over the mark on his cheek but Aaron slapped his hand away and the redhead shrugged. "I think he's fine now"

"You think? Why don't you just ask him?"

Right.

Red? He thought. Are you okay now?

The Fox's presence grew steadily warmer as he transmitted his thoughts into Neil's. Morph.

We're not gonna morph now.

Morph.

"Well?" the blond prompted.

He translated the Fox's thoughts as well as he could."He's ready to go in case of an alert"

"Let's hope there aren't any today. Your Fox might be healed but you, my friend, are not"

And there goes that word again.

When Aaron was done with his cheek and then the particularly bothersome slash in his thigh, he got rid of all the bloodied bandages, took off his gloves and began scribbling into a chart in surprinsingly decent handwriting.

Not even sure why he was doing it, he called the other boy's attention. "Aaron?"

"Hm?"

The blond didn't look up from his task and Neil wasted a few seconds trying to make sure he actually wanted to ask what he was about to ask. But, eventually, he decided that the more information he had on the matter, the easier it would be to make a decision by the end of the day.

"Are we friends?"

Now, this, made Aaron look up at him like he had suddenly grown a second head. "What could've possibly given you that idea?"

"You just said it"

"That was a figure of speech"

"So… we're not friends" Neil stated, taking Aaron's words as confirmation of what he'd always thought, that everyone here was just doing their jobs.

The blond shrugged. "I mean, we're not not-friends"

"Then what are we?"

"I don't know. Who cares? Stop asking weird shit"

Apparently the other boy didn't think Neil was being serious enough even though all he wanted to do was understand how this whole friendship thing was supposed to work and how Neil fitted into it, or not fitted into it because he just didn't know and what was this stupid feeling making his decision to leave so damn hard to make when it should've been as easy as breathing? The Ravens knew his identity, his real identity. His father was in the same city as him. His mother was dead.

Why hadn't he left already?

I keep my promises Neil. I couldn't help you find your mother, so make a new deal with me. Stay and I'll help you figure out the truth behind your family and the Ravens.

Neil sighed and hopped from the bed. "We're done here, right?"

"Yes. Be careful. Don't over do it and try not to be back here too often"

Aaron left him alone to get dressed and Neil took the time to force any discomfort due to his injuries out of his mind. He had a full day ahead of him and he definitely didn't want to spend it holed up in his room, or worse, the medic bay.

He took the stairs down slowly, trying to hide his limp with every step and keeping his eyes down to avoid any embarrassing slips that would surely get him benched by Coach for the rest of the day.

He needed to act cool. Stay out of Andrew's sight. Hide his limp as best as he could. And pretend everything was fine.

He just wanted to feel like it was a goddamned normal day. But, since when cleaning up toillets and wiping up floors was his normal? Since when did he look forward to lunch time so much or to swipping the bleachers while he pretended not to be watching exy practice?

Since when did he look forward to being surrounded by people rather than being alone?

Right now, Neil's mind seemed like a barely functioning blender and if—

A sudden jolt to his left arm had his injuries flaring up and he had to swallow a pained moan when the person who had bumped into him at the entrance of the cafeteria pushed his shoulder away to get him out of the way.

"Watch it!" the taller person snarled before he went on his way. Kevin.

Kevin?

Neil frowned at his coworker's back, since Kevin had passed by him and was already several feet ahead. The frown didn't leave Neil's face until Kevin was well on his way to the exy court because despite not being the most cheerful person around, the taller boy wasn't unnecessarily rude either and, if anything, he had been the one to bump into him, so...

Then, movement on the corner of his eye had him looking towards where Kevin had come from to see Andrew of all people following Kevin's footsteps towards the courts. Neil's pulse jumped at the unexpected presence and he remained rooted to the spot while Andrew walked past him too.

So much for staying out of his sight.

Except Neil wasn't exactly in his sight because Andrew didn't so much as glance his way. He walked with a purposeful stride, following Kevin's path and dismissing Neil entirely as he, too, made his way to the courts.

By the time he was alone again, Neil realized he hadn't even taken a second step out of the cafeteria, frozen in place by the strange interaction, so he forced himself to be on his way so he could actually start his shift, thoughts of his untimely encounter with Andrew unfortunately occupying the forefront of his mind.

If he was being honest with himself, Andrew's dismissal stung more than he thought it should. The blond had walked by him like he wasn't even there, like he'd already decided to leave, like he was already gone.

Like he'd never even set foot inside the Foxhole Court in the first place.

And what was that cold feeling of dread settling in his stomach at the thought? Sadness?

It wasn't the first time Neil thought about this but it was certainly the first time in a pretty long while: If he kept leaving everywhere, who was ever going to remember him? Obviously not his mother. Not anymore. And now Andrew. Would the rest of the team be next? Would his Fox follow?

An intense but brief warmth shocked him into acknowledging that the Red Fox was still inside him and very much aware of his thoughts, and Neil used the opportunity to break out of his momentary spell to continue down the hallway towards the storage room.

Don't think about Andrew, he ordered himself. Pretend everything's fine. You have time.

Time to decide what he wanted to do, what he needed to do. Time to maybe say goodbye, even if only silently in his mind, to the only place he'd ever cared enough to stay.

Time to understand what the hell these feelings were and time to bury them deeply enough so that logic could take their place.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Exy practices worked like this: Kevin spent close to ten minutes explaining that day's schedule and why they were focusing on certain exercises. Then it was warm ups, solo drills, three on three scrimmages while the others pointed out faults or good plays, a few individual shots on goal for the goalie to practice and then a game simulation to finally end practice with a review of the day. Neil knew because he'd participated a couple of times in Kevin's practices to help out and because he liked to watch the different teams practicing throughout the day while he cleaned the bleachers.

Normal practices worked like that anyway. What Neil noticed though, as soon as he stepped into the first row of seats, was that today wouldn't be a normal practice at all.

The 10:00 to 12:00 practice was supposed to be reaching the game simulation part of it but, instead, the kids were still going through solo drills that mostly consisted on shooting the ball at the plexiglass and then catching it again. This exercise was a good common warm up but players didn't usually spend hours with it, at least from what he remembered of his childhood, and it was sometimes used as punishment for when kids were misbehaving on court. A couple of minutes bouncing and catching the ball nonstop against the wall was sure to make your arms tired and sore. And the closer he inspected the kids' faces, the more he realized how long they must have been doing this for. So why were the players of Kevin's team still doing this excercise?

Another unusual thing was the scowl on Kevin's face and the way he yelled instructions for the kids to work faster. The plexiglass surrounding the court didn't exactly let him hear what Kevin was saying, but it looked like he was about to have an aneurysm given how much he was scowling.

But worst of all, and what was actually making Neil stop pretending not to be openly watching practice, was the fact that Andrew was inside the court, making his way towards Kevin and adjusting the straps on his gloves because he was in freaking exy gear. Goalie exy gear.

Whatever Neil had been pondering about before pushing his cleaning cart towards the bleachers a minute ago came to a complete halt as he watched Andrew 'I hate exy' Minyard come up to Kevin and flicker him on the shoulder to call his attention. The taller man whirled around looking like he was ready to explode when he, too, was caught off guard by the sight before him.

Again, Neil couldn't hear what was going on inside the court, but it looked like Andrew wanted Kevin to change the current drill for a good old fashioned shoot out at the goal. The blond's unexpected willing participation must have been enough to convince Kevin because he sent the kids on a water break before making them line up facing the goal. Everyone gave Andrew a grateful glance while the blond put on a helmet, grabbed a racquet and strolled confidently towards his spot.

Now, taking shots on goal wasn't necessarily easier on the body than what they were doing before, but having to wait in line behind close to twenty other players gave the kids enough time to rest their arms.

Kevin seemed to have cooled down a bit too and he stood to the side as Andrew proceded to take charge of practice.

Neil didn't even try to dissimulate as he took a seat and kept his eyes trained on the short goalie as he directed the kids to start taking their shots.

Andrew was...

Andrew was...

Andrew was amazing!

For someone who claimed to hate exy, the blond moved with a practiced ease that could only come from years of training. Granted, the players trying to score on him were young and some of them really inexperienced, but round after round after round of shots, Andrew didn't let one single ball inside the goal. Neil was mesmerized as Andrew didn't even move when he somehow calculated that someone's shot wouldn't even enter the goal no matter how far or close the shot was, and he once rejected a ball so hard that he sent it all the way to the other side of the court, nearly reaching the other goal while he was at it. He once deflected a ball and sent it towards Kevin's ankles, but the taller boy screwed up his face again and flipped him the bird with a snarl. Some kids snickered but Kevin focused his scowl on them and they sobered up inmediately. Andrew didn't try that again.

Neil only realized he'd just wasted about forty minutes of his shift being amazed by Andrew's performance because the blond took off his helmet to wipe some sweaty blond locks from his forehead and sent everyone off to the locker rooms. Andrew stayed back only to say something in Kevin's ear before he, too, walked out of the court.

When after a moment Kevin sought the redhead out on the bleachers and stared at him with an annoyed look on his face, Neil stood hurriedly to actually start cleaning. It took him more than it usually would have to leave the bleachers spotless but he blamed his tired body and his stiff movements for how long he remained near the courts. He definitely wasn't waiting to see if Andrew would come back for the next group that had practice before lunch.

When he didn't, Neil regretfully moved on to another spot of the Court even though he was glad to get out of Kevin's unnerving glare. It looked like the taller boy had started the day from the wrong side of the bed and Neil was all too glad to be out of his way.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lunch was a quiet affair, mostly because it was just Nicky, Aaron and Neil at the table, and even though Nicky spoke enough for the three of them, the hour drifted by in relative peace.

It was uncommon but not unheard of whenever Kevin didn't show up for lunch and on his way to the cafeteria, Neil hadn't been surprised to catch the taller boy alone inside the exy court taking scarily precise shots on goal. The man had clearly been upset about something all morning but at least now it looked like he was actually doing something productive to let out the steam.

Andrew wasn't with them and he wasn't with Kevin either, but there was nothing new about the blond disappearing for lunch. Neil had the slightest suspicion he spent every lunch hour alone on the roof, but today wouldn't be the day he finally decided to find out for sure. Besides, he had more pressing matters to think about.

So far, he'd managed to determine that he was buddies with Matt, Aaron and him were not not-friends and he and the Red Fox were more than that, if he'd translated correctly what his Fox had felt towards him earlier when he'd been pondering about it. He was pretty sure that if he were to ask Nicky if he considered them friends, the tall boy would answer something along the lines of Matt's words. He knew for a fact that he wasn't friends with Andrew, though, because the blond had pretty much spelled it out for him at least once before, and though everyone else treated him kindly enough, he still wasn't sure what to call them.

But what exactly was he doing right now anyway? Pondering his decision about leaving or staying upon how many people he considered his friends? If his mother knew the things running around in his head right now... but that was the thing, wasn't it? She wasn't there and she would never be again. One way or another, if he decided to stay, he'd be disappointing his mother no matter how dead Riko claimed her to be, and if he left, he'd be disappointing Andrew because of his promise and the rest of the foxes because they were friends.

Damn it. He was tired of figuring things out and it was only midday. If he could just—

"Neil"

"Hm?" he looked up from his mostly untouched food to Nicky, who was regarding him with a curious expression on his face.

"Is everything alright?"

No, he wanted to be honest and say for the first time in his life, but he found himself falling quickly into deeply ingrained habits and nodding his head at the question.

"I'm fine"

"You've barely touched your food"

"I'm not really hungry"

Aaron looked reluctantly between him and his unfinished plate and looking like he'd rather be doing anything else than sitting here with them, he addressed Neil's unenthusiatic behavior. "I told you, if you're not feeling well, you shouldn't be pushing yourself much to clean around today. You should've stayed home"

Home. The third floor of the youth centre. Just a floor with merely three different apartments and a handful of rooms. Home.

He knew the Foxhole Court was a home to every employee here, but was it home for him too?

Home.

Neil shrugged and forced himself to eat another bite. "I'm fine"

The rest of the hour passed by in a bit of a tense silence but when their lunch turn finally ended, Neil was all too glad to get back to work, except when he was about to follow Aaron and Nicky out of the cafeteria, his communicator buzzed and beeped inside his pocket.

For a moment he feared it was a Raven alert, but the sound was different and shorter, which let Neil know it was only a text message.

Stepping aside to clear the cafeteria entrance, he unlocked the screen and then stared confusedly at a message from Coach.

*Team meeting in five. DO NOT tell Kevin*

Neil frowned.

He sought out Aaron and Nicky who were still visible at the end of the hallway that lead to the locker rooms, but it didn't look like they'd gotten any messages on their phones. He glanced at the court farthest from the cafeteria to see Kevin still going at it to the point a few players from the next scheduled practice had to bang on the plexiglass for the taller boy to notice and let them in.

A sudden feeling of unease took residence deep inside his chest and though he didn't have a clue what was going on, his Fox seemed upset about it somehow. For how much he'd wished he could have a normal day, this day was turning out to be anything but, and as he turned around to make his way back into the cafeteria and then the kitchen and beyond, he rubbed a comforting hand over his chest hoping that whatever Coach was about to say wasn't as earth shattering as everything that had already happened yesterday.

He was one of the first to arrive at the Command Centre and for the second time that day, he was caught off guard by the unexpected presence of Andrew, who was standing next to Coach with an uncharacteristic frown on his usually impassive expression.

Since the blond still refused to acknowledge his presence in any way, Neil decided it was safe enough to study the other boy's posture, staring openly at his tense demeanor and wondering what the hell was going on. Neil could only remember two other times in which Andrew seemed rattled and tense, the time Neil was drugged and they fought inside the gym and the time one of the Monkeys, Josh, went crying to him in the locker rooms. Other than that, Andrew was always either cocky, impasive or bored. If he didn't think the blond would openly ignore his request, the redhead would ask him what had happened to put such an evident frown on his face. But knowing how that conversation would go, he turned to Coach instead.

"Neil" the man greeted first. "How are you doing?"

"What's going on?" the redhead asked, choosing to ignore the question about his wellbeing in favor of the conversation not deviating to unimportant matters.

Coach raised an eyebrow but didn't comment on his evasive answer. "Let's wait 'till everyone's here"

Everyone turned out to be just Allison and Matt, and as the three Rangers stood in front of Andrew and Coach, Neil repeated his earlier question.

"What's going on, Coach?"

"Yeah, why couldn't we tell Kevin?"

"And what is he doing here?" Allison added pointing at Andrew and releasing her full attitude through just one sentence.

"He's the one who called the meeting"

Coach's answer had Neil staring questioningly at Andrew. He had never been one to openly get involved in any Foxhole Force business so having him call in a meeting with the core members of the team was just another proof that today wouldn't be as normal as Neil had been hoping to.

Everyone else regarded Andrew expectantly, Coach included.

"Well?" Matt prompted.

Andrew didn't beat around the bushes. "Kevin's weird"

There was a beat of silence in which everyone expected Andrew to add something else to that statement but the blond remained quiet, studying everyone's reaction one by one until his eyes settled on Coach. By now it wasn't a surprise that Neil was the only one looked over but the clench of his stomach at being so blatantly ignored still shocked him to the core.

Like I'm already gone.

Stay, his Fox suddenly said, but the redhead sent the thought to the back of his mind in favor of tuning back into the silence around them, which Allison broke first with a snort.

"Tell us something we don't know"

Andrew's gaze landed on her next and he answered with a petulant tone, as if having to deal with them at all was a great trial on his patience. It probably was. "Kevin's being weird"

"What do you mean, Andrew?"

"That he's weird" and when everyone kept staring at him expectantly, he huffed in annoyance. "He's acting weird. Since this morning. Last night probably. Something's up"

At Andrew's words, Neil was immediately reminded of this morning, when Kevin bumped into him and then pushed him rudely out of the way. He'd thought it was weird that the blond had been following him around, but he guessed now it made sense if he'd been worried about Kevin.

"That's why you were at exy practice today" Neil stated, his face growing hot when there was no answer following his words. Not even a glance his way.

Thankfully, Matt picked it up from there. "You were in exy practice?" he asked incredulously, which no one could blame him for. Andrew's hatred towards the sport wasn't loud but it was known.

"Irrelevant. Kevin's weird. Relevant"

Oh, him you answer. Andrew could really be such a child sometimes.

This time, Andrew didn't wait for anyone to suddenly get his meaning and he finally shared more details. "He's yelling at the kids. Insulting. Trashtalking. Impatient. Intolerant. Volatile. Short fused. He shouldn't be around them today"

There was no immediate reply. Even Neil had to admit that didn't sound like their tallest teammate at all. Okay, maybe he wasn't the most patient person around but he would never, ever, be intolerant towards the kids. For every employee of the Court, himself included, he was surprised to acknowledge, the kids of the youth centre were something closed to sacred. This place was their safe haven and anyone would rather die than snap and trigger any of the kids. They had enough of that at home. So having Kevin showing that kind of behavior towards them was indeed worrisome.

Neil could understand Andrew's involvement in this.

His thoughts were drawn back to that morning and how Kevin seemed to be punishing his players for something until Andrew had to step in and change their drills to give them a break. None of the exy players were Monkeys, and Andrew never interacted with the exy players if he could avoid it, but he too would be damned if he let them be unjustly aggravated by anyone.

But then, as if what he'd already said wasn't enough cause for concern, Andrew delivered another puzzling thought. "I don't think he realizes he's doing it"

At that, Neil felt the Red Fox stirring anxiously inside him which only made the redhead fear that whatever was going on with Kevin was worse than it sounded.

Swift, Red said, and Neil crossed his arms over his chest protectively.

"How can you tell?" Matt asked.

"Because I confronted him about it and he said he doesn't remember doing any of that"

"How could he not?" Neil asked without thinking, his concern about Andrew ignoring him transforming into concern for Kevin. "I saw him at practice this morning being harder than usual"

Coach turned to him. "So you agree with Andrew then"

"Umm, I mean, yeah. It was weird"

"I haven't noticed anything" Allison said next, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "But if what you're saying is true, shouldn't we be talking this with him?"

Andrew shrugged. "Maybe you knew something I didn't"

"Like what?"

"Did something happen on the field yesterday? I know he fought Riko"

"Yeah, we all did for a short while until he left" Matt answered.

"You think he might have been hurt and didn't say anything?" Coach asked Andrew but the blond shrugged one shoulder again.

"I don't know"

"What do you suggest we do?"

Neil couldn't help but wonder at the way Coach and Andrew interacted whenever they did, which wasn't often but when it happened, Coach always managed to show an incredible amount of trust in Andrew's judgement. Despite the blond staying on the sidelines about almost everything, Coach valued his opinion and vouched for him whenever the others were too quick to insult or dismiss him. The redhead could admit that Andrew's quick mind made him have good ideas from time to time, but some of his ideas were also reckless even if still carefully calculated, like drugging him for example. Now, it seemed like Coach was leaving the entire delicate matter of Kevin's new attitude problem in his hands. At least Andrew didn't seem bothered by the pressure, which shouldn't have been a surprise to Neil at all because the blond seemed to take in people's problems in stride. Neil's included.

"Give him the day off so I can figure out what's going on"

But what was actually the most shocking of all, was that neither Allison nor Matt were protesting the suggestion. Either they didn't have a better idea or it wasn't the first time Andrew had to deal with something like this and Neil couldn't help frowning a bit upon how quickly they all were to rely on Andrew for something like this after trashtalking him like there was no tomorrow. But it wasn't his place to defend Andrew, especially because he didn't understand why he felt the need to do so.

Swift. At another anxious thought from his Fox, Neil rubbed a hand in small circles over his chest.

It was Allison who spoke first, before Coach could even agree to Andrew's idea. "Don't do what you did to him the first time"

Her tone was curt and as serious as he'd ever heard her, but the words sounded like a plea more than a threat. Andrew simply stared at her but Neil didn't think Andrew would repeat whatever it was he'd done to Kevin the first time because, well, it was Kevin and he was a part of his crew.

"Alright" Coach said after a moment. "I'll let you handle this. But no funny business. You report to me in a hour and if this isn't more than just an off day on his part then..." but his threat died quickly as he ran a hand up and down his face. "Actually, let's hope it's just an off day on his part"

Andrew nodded and Coach went on. "Neil, cover for Andrew while he's busy and Allison, cover for Kevin on the court. I'll man the front desk for a while" another nod, this time from everyone else present. "Now, don't tell Kevin—"

"Don't tell Kevin what?"

Swift.

Neil turned around.

Well… damn.

---

Swift.

Red's warning was unnecessary as their blue teammate's voice reached them from the stairwell and Neil's stomach dropped as he felt like a deer caught in headlights. Allison and Matt whirled around with equally widened eyes, frozen for a second until Matt clapped his hands together and took a step forward.

"Kevin! What are you doing here?"

"What's going on here?" Kevin asked instead of answering, a distrustful expression in his eyes as he regarded everyone present.

"What do you mean?" Matt said with an awkward laugh, and Neil groaned inwardly because that's exactly how you don't want to sound if you're trying to be inconspicuous.

"All the Rangers were subbed downstairs. You think I wouldn't notice?"

Neil pondered about adding his two cents to the conversation, making up a good enough excuse to explain why they'd decided to meet up without one of them but, really, they'd been caught redhanded while talking about Kevin behind his back so it was a little late to be wanting to save face about it.

Apparently Coach had the same idea. "Andrew had some concerns he wanted to share with us"

With a steely glare, Kevin focused on Andrew. "And what is so important you can tell everyone else about it but me?"

"You" the voice was higher pitched than everyone had been expecting but Neil guessed he shouldn't have been surprised that it was Allison who delivered the blunt reply instead of Andrew. The thing about Allison though, is that she didn't look as angry as she did worried and, as Neil was about to find out, that only made her more straightforward than usual. "What is this about you being mean to your players?"

Kevin's head snapped back to Andrew and he let out with a barely concealed groan, "This again? I told you, you made a mistake. Everything was fine this morning"

Andrew lifted an eyebrow. "I bet the kids won't tell you that"

"So what, you think I'm lying? I'd never hurt my players. Any of the players here"

"Then what do you call your little tantrum this morning?" this time, Andrew lifted his chin higher and he pinned Kevin with a heavy look, but the taller boy ran a hand through his hair and when he spoke, he did so with a growl.

"Again, I don't know how it looked like from outside the court but I can promise you, you're wrong about this"

Kevin's answer had everyone shifting uncomfortably. Neil hadn't completely believed what Andrew had said about Kevin not remembering his morning behavior, not because Andrew would lie about it but because how can one forget something like that? But Kevin's comment had his mind reeling to a stop because the way it sounded, things just weren't adding up.

"Kevin" he called slowly, waiting for the other boy to direct his attention to him. "Andrew was inside the court with you"

There was a moment of silence.

Kevin frowned.

He glanced at everyone.

Then he looked back at Neil.

And let out a nervous snort.

"Him? In practice? And you think I'm the one lying?" Neil felt his stomach sinking and he had the vaguest suspicion that his Fox was the one feeling more off balance with that answer. Andrew had been right after all. Something was definitely wrong with Kevin.

"Kevin" called Coach next when no one else knew what to say and he asked the question that was undoubtedly on everyone's mind. "Are you feeling well?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" and for a moment, the tall boy looked as confused as them all.

"It's just, you're not making a lot of sense right now"

But the moment was broken when an annoyed frown reappeared on his face and Kevin crossed his arms over his chest. "Me? You're the ones not making any sense at all! You acuse me of mistreating the kids, you put words in my mouth and then you meet in secret to talk about it behind my back"

Swift.

Red's anxiety was rising in time with Kevin's voice and even though Neil understood his concern because he was feeling the same, he didn't get why the Fox was so agitated all of the sudden. Red had remained in the background of his mind all day per his request but during the last few minutes, his presence had become as strong as the very first time they'd blended together, when everything was amped up by how new it was. Neil didn't necessarily considered it was a bad thing, but he didn't like the reason behind the sudden spike of Fox presence inside him.

What is it?, he asked Red, but the Fox merely trembled inside him, encouraging him to pay attention to the scene developing in front of them.

And oh boy, were things only starting to take a turn for the worse.

Andrew snapped his fingers twice to call for Kevin's attention, stretching the silence when he finally got it for a second before asking his next question. "Did something happen between you and Riko yesterday?"

Kevin pressed his mouth into a thin line. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"You tell me, you fought him yesterday. Did he do something?"

"He didn't do anything because I'm fine!" the taller boy answered with a snarl.

"Kevin, we're just trying to unders—" but Coach was cut off by another angry remark.

"Why do you have to drag the King into this?"

"King?" Allison let out incredulously, voicing everyone's thoughts because there was no way anyone had missed such a slip up. Andrew turned to Coach and lifted both eyebrows as if to say: see? And Coach worried the bridge of his nose as he regarded both Andrew and Kevin. Allison took a step towards their blue teammate. "You did not just call Riko a King"

"I didn't—"

"You did!"

"No, I didn't!"

What the hell was going on? Neil felt at a loss for words and completely useless as Kevin continued to snap at everything and everyone, denying calling Riko a King when Neil had heard him say it perfectly clear just a second ago.

Swift.

Neil frowned at yet another warning from Red.

"Why don't we all calm down a little bit?" Coach suggested, only to have Kevin whirling towards him.

"Why would I? You've always done this. You've never really trusted me"

"That's not true, Kev" Allison said, looking crossed at Kevin's accusation.

"Oh, but it is! You fight me more often than not" he snarled, pointing his remarks solely at her. "You mock me. You like me one day and not the next. You're playing with me!"

Allison blanched at the last words and Neil screwed up his face in confusion as their pink teammate went uncharacteristically quiet when she mumbled a reply. "That's not true" she repeated.

"You could tone it down a bit, dude" Matt intervened when Allison averted her eyes and bit the inside of her cheek.

"Why? Maybe this is the only way you'll actually listen to me"

"We do listen to you"

"Right! That's why ever since he showed up you all just decided to ignore me" Kevin spat back, pointing at Neil who wasn't expecting to be personally dragged into the taller boy's... whatever the hell he was doing right now.

The redhead, encouraged by Red, tried to defend himself. "What are you—"

"You" Kevin hissed though, cutting him off mid sentence and focusing his angry eyes on him. "You don't get to say anything about this. You come here out of nowhere. You tell us nothing and now they all follow you. Why has no one ever doubted your words? Why has no one ever doubted you?"

"I have" Andrew answered unhelpfully with a shrug and even though he was just stating a fact, Neil felt the remark sinking at the bottom of his stomach.

But Kevin didn't give Neil time to say anything back himself before he was firing sharp words at him again. "You're a fucking ghost"

"Kevin" Coach hissed in reprimand and just as quickly as his anger had risen, Kevin's features cooled down and he looked at Coach with a confused frown on his face.

"What?" he asked, genuinely curious, as if he hadn't just spat hateful jabs towards Allison and Neil. Towards everyone, really.

For his part, Neil was trying not to get caught up in Kevin's words despite them ringing as true as anything the other boy had ever said before and them making his earlier thoughts come back to mind again.

If I always leave, no one will remember me.

You're a fucking ghost.

Stay and I'll help you find the truth behind your family and the Ravens.

There was a feeling deep inside his chest, maybe even inside his heart, that made him wish with all his might that Kevin's words wouldn't ring so true. He didn't want to become a ghost, not here and not to these people.

For a brief moment, his eyes landed on Andrew who was, for the first time that day, looking straight at him as if he could read Neil's thoughts from across the room. The redhead's heart beat rapidly as he came to a sudden realization: that he simply did not want to leave. If he stopped considering all the pros and cons, if he stopped hearing the echo of his mother's voice telling him to run, run, run, then he was left with the only reason that should have ever mattered in the first place. He did not want to go.

Neil sucked in a breath and held the blond's gaze until Coach's voice brought his attention back to the matter at hand, and that was the fact Kevin seemed to be living two different realities at once: the one where he was rude and ruthless to everyone and the one where he had no idea what the fuck was going on, like everyone else.

"There's no need for such harsh words" Coach reprimanded calmly and they all stared at Kevin as the taller boy tilted his head to the side.

"What are you talking about? I haven't said anything. I'm waiting for you to explain"

Silence. Then, "What?"

"To explain why you're here"

"Kev..." Allison began, only to have Kevin shaking his head in confusion.

"What?"

"We just— Are you messing with us right now?"

"No, you're the ones messing with me. Why were you talking about me behind my back?"

Was he seriously asking them as if he'd just caught them in the middle of the meeting? Matt was the one who answered. "We're worried about you. You're not acting like yourself today"

"Look, I don't know what Andrew has told you but I told him that—"

"Riko messed with you yesterday" the blond in question interrupted and, just like that, Kevin's gaze turned cold and full of recognition.

"I told you, I'm fine! The King didn't do anything to me!"

Swift!

Neil startled both at Red's thought and at the angry slap Kevin threw at the central monitor table, scattering papers and keyboards alike. When their blue teammate didn't look like he would calm down any time soon, Allison and Andrew took a step towards him, Allison holding her arms out as if she was approaching an enraged animal.

"Kevin"

"No! I don't understand what you want from me!"

"We want you to calm down" despite Allison doing a great job of keeping her own loud emotions at bay, Kevin still whirled on her, sweeping his hands across the desktop and throwing everything to the ground.

"I won't calm down until you stop accusing me of shit I haven't done and blaming the King for it!"

"Stop calling him a King!" she finally snapped, which made Kevin snap in return.

"Or what!?"

Neil's body tensed in anticipation as Kevin took a threatening step towards Allison and Allison jumped at the unexpected approach. She grimaced when she realized what she'd done and everyone shifted uncomfortably at the way Kevin's voice dropped to an angry hiss.

"Don't you dare flinch away from me. I would never hurt you"

Allison swallowed. "Then what are you doing?"

Swift.

After Allison's question, Neil realized everyone had taken a tentative step forward because Kevin had adopted a fighting stance, which made his words not match with his actions at all, and he looked mere seconds away from launching an attack on Allison, who still had her hands up in a valiant attempt to keep their teammate calm.

The room around them was dead silent and the only thing that could be heard was Kevin's ragged breathing making his nostrils flare.

Then Red sent a shock his way. Swift!

Yes! Neil responded with a hint of exasperation. It's Kevin and Swift. What is it?

Look.

Neil did, and when he found the reason behind Red's agitation, he swallowed thickly before talking.

"Umm, Kevin?" when the other boy shifted his gaze towards him, Neil pointed a finger towards his face. "Your eyes are flashing yellow"

The words seemed to hit him like a physical blow and Kevin dropped out of his fighting stance to stumble a couple of steps back.

As much as Neil had noticed that his eyes were flashing yellow, he had also noticed that they looked as terrified as they'd ever been and Neil swallowed hard in sympathy because he knew that look well. He'd seen it on himself before.

This was not good. Not good at all.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kevin stumbled back another step.

"Wh-what?"

"Kev"

"Coach, what the hell is going on?"

"What does this mean?"

"You should all go"

"What?"

"Coach"

"Kevin"

"Why are your eyes flashing yellow?"

"I... I don't... It can't..."

"Kevin"

"Coach!"

"Everyone! Just wait a damn second" the man in question burst out trying to reign in the questioning foxes and focusing his attention on a visibly paling Kevin, who was worrying his eyes between shaking fingers as if he could make them go back to normal by simply rubbing them hard. "Kevin... are you feeling alright?"

All fight seemed to have left their blue teammate only to be replaced with a fear so unhidden that Neil found himself taking a step closer to Kevin if only to show moral support because, otherwise, he had no freaking clue how to help the taller boy. He was pale, his skin looked clammy and sweaty, and his yellow eyes showed nothing but fear as he started to breathe out of rhythm.

"So-something's happening... I think... but... no, no, no"

"Kevin, what's wrong?" Coach asked slightly more sternly than before but Kevin shook his head and clutched at his heaving chest, which later Neil understood as an attempt to reach the Fox inside him.

"Please stop it. Please. Swift"

"Kev—" Allison tried to reach Kevin but his eyes widened impossibly with even more fear and he flinched away from her touch.

"No! Stay away from me" he snarled and then gasped. "Swift? Fuck. Come on"

"Guys, I think..."

"He's... is he...?"

Absolutely no one was able to form a complete thought, much less a complete sentence, because right in front of their very own eyes their blue teammate was turning into... he was turning into a Raven and Neil had to clutch at his own chest because Red was going wild inside him with worry, as he knew the others' Foxes were too, if their pained grimaces were anything to go by.

Swift. Swift. Red whined.

Kevin. Neil thought.

The moment he'd pointed out the change in the color of Kevin's eyes, Neil had forgotten about everything that had been plaguing his mind since yesterday. Right now, all his senses were focused on his teammate, his friend?, and the way he was backing away from the group in fear.

"Go. You need to go. You need to get away from me. Now. Now!"

And spurted by his Fox, Neil wasn't really surprised when the next words left his mouth, even if they felt foreign and new. "We're not leaving"

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Andrew snapping his head towards him as if shocked by the statement. Or maybe as if he didn't trust it. Neil couldn't really blame him. And then Kevin yelled out again. "You must!"

"Kevin!" this time, Allison. "We're not leaving you alone"

Their blue teammate let out a growl that sounded dangerously close to a screech and pulled at his hair roughly. "Fuck! Fuck all of you! You need to listen! I'm turning and I could— I could—"

"Fight it" Andrew let out deceively calm though he was taking small slow steps towards him.

Kevin's words and Andrew's words were making Neil think back to his first days on the Foxhole Force when Coach had explained about Kevin being one of Riko's perfect Ravens but escaping before the transformation process could be completed. Did that mean Kevin could half turn into a Raven? Maybe he could turn into a regular Raven and not a Perfect one but, if anything, that was even worse because it meant Kevin might lose his rationality. His humanity. Neil had never wondered these things before and now he realized how thoughtless he had been about the whole matter.

"Fight it" Andrew repeated as an order to which Kevin shook his head erratically.

"I can't!"

Then he lunged forward.

"What is he doing?"

He went for the central desk, aiming for the button that opened the hidden panel on the wall and trying to make a run towards the tunnel.

"Kevin, stop!"

It was Andrew who reached him first, followed closely by Coach and between the two of them, they tried to prevent Kevin from running.

The taller boy didn't make it easy though. "Let me go! Let me go, let me go, let me go! I'll hurt you. I'll kill you!"

The words didn't sound like a threat, more like a warning of what could happen if Kevin turned into a Raven and everyone insisted on keeping him close. But the idea of him dealing with this on his own, out there, alone, was just unfanthomable.

"We'll help you" Matt offered, watching, as were Allison and Neil, how Kevin's struggles made even someone as sturdy as Andrew and Coach falter on the spot.

Inhuman sounds were making their way out of Kevin's mouth as he fought to free himself as much as he fought against the transformation process and all Neil could wonder about right now was what the hell had Riko done to Kevin yesterday to trigger such an episode.

Suddenly, Kevin gasped and his yellow eyes widened once again when the blue aura of the Swift Fox enveloped him, giving Neil hope that the Fox had finally managed to conquer the evil Raven presence inside his partner. But his hope died quickly when the next thing Kevin did was let out a scream. If it was one of pain or frustration, well... that didn't really take away how hopeless and anguished it sounded.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

Held captive between Andrew's and Coach's arms, Kevin doubled over as much as he could and let out another anguished scream when the blue energy materialized around him into his Power Ranger suit, except it wasn't exactly his suit because the thing was so midnight blue it was almost black and there were spikes drawn all over the side of his arms and legs. It was a weird combination between a Fox and a Raven and everyone jumped a step back at the sight.

Allison gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. "Kevin"

But the other boy didn't listen. He trashed harder and harder until finally, he broke out of Andrew's and Coach's hold by slashing Andrew down to the floor and making a run for it after smashing the button on the desk. Everyone yelled at him to wait as they instantly chased after him but, with his heart in his throat, Neil ignored his own injuries to kneel at the blond's side.

"Andrew!"

Andrew was clutching at his chest, eyes squeezed shut and face taut with pain as he pressed the bleeding slashes on his skin.

Yes. Slashes. Raven slashes.

Bleeding Raven slashes.

Neil was only half aware of Coach kneeling on the other side of Andrew and he instinctively reached out to put a supporting hand on the blond's shoulder when he halted at the last second, remembering how Andrew didn't like it when people touched him.

"Andrew?" Neil and Coach asked at the same time and the blond opened his eyes to finally acknowledge and address Neil for the first time all day.

"Find. Him" he hissed through clenched teeth and Neil felt his Fox jump at the idea.

Swift!

They locked eyes for a long second. Pained hazel with determined blue, and Neil nodded before standing up.

"Wait a minute" Coach said, but Neil shook his head.

"No time"

"Neil! You're in no condition to—"

"I have to go get him!" he interrupted, already halfway to the tunnel entrance and glancing back briefly only to see Coach sighing and redirecting his attention back to the injured Andrew.

Then Neil entered the tunnel and put a boost on his sprint to try and catch up with the others, ignoring every twinge and pull of his own injuries. He had a feeling Red was showering him with foxy adrenalin right now because he barely felt a thing. Kevin was more important than that.

His friends were more important than that.

Morph?

Neil felt a quiet grin slipping into his mouth despite the situation and he put a hand over the Foxhole Force insignia on his cuff to answer the question of his Fox.

Morph.

---

He caught up to the rest of the team quickly, Allison and Matt having morphed as well, as the three of them jumped out of the hidden exit in the forest and chased after their refashioned blue teammate.

Part of him was still worried about Andrew and the evident Raven slashes on his chest. More than he'd liked to admit, seeing the blond falling down like that had been both unheard of and disquieting. Raven Kevin was definitely strong.

And the other part of him was fucking reeling because Raven Kevin? There was so much wrong with that simple sentence that a shudder ran down his spine. Despite everything he'd already seen, he wasn't sure he was ready to be met with the sight of his teammate physically turned into a black feathered creature. Seeing his changed blue suit was enough and he hoped they could find a way to stop Kevin from turning even more. Maybe Swift was buying them time, but he didn't want to see what would happen to the Fox if the transformation was completed.

Neil was brought out of his own head when the three of them got close enough to Kevin that the other boy was within earshot and Allison called out desperately for him to stop.

"Kevin! Just wait a damn second!"

"Kevin, stop!"

"Kevin!"

And he did. After a particularly loud yell from Matt, their blue teammate stopped in his tracks and turned around to stare at them with his helmeted head creepily tilted to the side.

He remained silent and so Allison spoke first. "Let's go back. We can figure it out"

"I'm not going back where I'm not wanted"

Neil groaned inwardly at the words. Not this again.

Matt thought the same. "Dude, that's just not true"

But Kevin remained silent, posture stiff and threatening. Allison took a step forward. "Where are you gonna go?"

"Where else?"

With a surprinsingly gentle tone, their pink teammate, who was taking point on their attempt to bring Kevin back with them, said, "You left there, remember? You hate it there"

Neil didn't really want to believe they were talking about the Nest. Kevin had been Riko's prisoner in the Nest for a whole year and though he didn't know what exactly went down in that time, Neil was sure it couldn't have been pretty. But when Kevin answered, there was no doubt he meant that horrible place. "They made me"

Allison seemed to have run out of words for a moment, so Neil stood next to her and gave it his best shot. "Umm... Kevin, I don't really understand what you're going through right now but you can fight it. We'll he—"

A loud snort stopped him. "Oh, I fight. I fight every minute of every day, I fight. Why keep fighting? I feel good now. I'm good" and then he seemed to realize exactly what he'd just said and his body unlocked from its rigid posture to stumble to the side. Kevin managed to get his balance back before he could hit the floor and he clutched at his head with both hands. "No! No, no!"

"Kevin..." Allison said, walking until she was within armsreach.

"Ally" their blue teammate whined and he sounded like he was in pain, like trying to hold into his humanity was actually physically hurting him.

"Just let us help you"

"I don't need help" he snarled viciously only to shake his head as if to dispel the thought. It was like talking to two different Kevins at once, Raven Kevin and Fox Kevin, and the foxy one was clearly struggling to remain in control. "Fuck"

"Allison, be careful" Matt warned when she stood even closer to him, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder.

"He would never hurt me" she stated but when her hand touched his shoulder, Kevin snapped.

He slapped her arm before slashing her away and Allison landed to their right.

Swift!

Thankfully, she looked okay and got back up quickly but Kevin had already locked into another target as he lunged for Neil.

The redhead braced himself for an attack in which he knew he couldn't hit back. Hurting Kevin was implicitly out of the question, so he crossed his arms above his head when Kevin went to slash him down.

Well... that was a mistake.

A slash down his arms and a well placed kick on his stomach later were all it took to have the Red Ranger curling in on himself on the ground and holding his injured arms against his stomach. Despite the Ranger suit protecting his skin from getting torn again, the thing was still as thin as another layer of skin and so his slayed forearms were on fire after Kevin's attack. If he somehow managed to pull the stitches, Coach was going to kill him.

Scratch that. Aaron was going to kill him.

He zoned out of the confrontation for a few minutes, trying to regulate his breathing, until he was able to see straight again and he saw Kevin, Allison and Matt still going at it. They were fighting, Allison and Matt doing their best to parry Kevin's strikes without hurting him and failing miserably when time and again they were slashed down.

Kevin, though, seemed to be fighting two battles at once, the war with himself constantly interfering with his fight against the Rangers and allowing Allison and Matt a reprieve every once in a while.

Hunched on the ground, Neil felt hopeless as he saw his team fighting hard enough that sparks blew out of everyone's suit and he cursed his injured body for betraying him like this. He was supposed to be fine damn it!

Then things got to a peak when Kevin summoned an equally dark blue staff as his suit and he focused his attack on the Green Ranger to the point Matt ended up winded on the ground.

While he'd been distracted by Matt, Allison had snuck up on him from behind but before she could do anything, Kevin whirled around and pointed the tip of his staff under her chin, dangerously close to her throat, so Allison stopped with a gasp and they ended up locked in that stance.

"Allison—" Neil began, but the blond shushed him and kept her focus on Kevin, who was breathing heavily while his arms shook with the effort of keeping the staff pointed at her. Neil suspected he was trying to hold it up as much as he was trying to draw it back.

"Kev" their pink teammate said, her voice still as gentle as if she was talking to one of the kids at the youth centre. "This isn't you"

"You don't know that" he spat between clenched teeth, raising the staff and Allison's chin a few inches up.

"I know you. You're Kevin Day and you are not a Raven"

His arms shook even more. "But look at me!"

What she did was touch her wrist, right over where her morpher would be.

"Power down" she said, ignoring Matt's and Neil's protests and standing in front of Kevin without her Ranger suit on. "I am. And I know you're still you despite what your suit looks like. So power down"

Kevin shook his head emphatically while his breathing picked up its pace. "I'll be like them"

"You could never be like them, Kev. Look at me. Hey, look at me" Kevin raised his head from where he'd been staring at the floor and Allison placed a hand on top of his on the staff. "You would never hurt me. I trust you. You know this, remember? Please, remember"

A pained sound made its way out of Kevin and their blue teammate let go of the staff which clattered to the ground a second before he fell on his knees, going back to holding his head between his hands. Allison knelt right in front of him and though she didn't touch him, her hands hovered over his lap.

"You're a good person" she said, and Neil watched as every time she spoke, Kevin's entire body shook even more. "You've broken out of their spell before, you can do it again. You're a Fox and you know that means you're worthy of your Fox. I bet Swift is telling you the same thing right now" Kevin moaned and tried to clutch at his hair but found he couldn't through his helmet and so he scratched and scratched and scratched until the sound of talons against the helmet grated on Neil's nerves. Still, the redhead didn't dare even breathe in case he interrupted Allison's speech.

"It won't go away"

"We'll still be there for you even if it doesn't" she said and then she ducked so she could catch Kevin's eyes through his visor. "I'll still be here even if it doesn't"

Kevin gasped and then held his breath for an endless second until with a full body shudder, the disquieting dark blue suit flickered out of existence and he deflated, leaning forward until Allison had to stop him from sprawling on the ground by holding both hands against his shoulders. Thankfully, Kevin still looked human and the only trace of his Raven self were the pale yellow eyes that eventually shone so weakly they turned back to their normal dark green.

That's when Allison placed a hand on his cheek and smiled in relief. "There you are"

Kevin's face crumbled and he sagged until he could hide his face on Allison's shoulder. She embraced him and they stayed like that until Kevin's breathing slowed down and his body stopped shaking so much. Neil could hear Allison whispering things to his ear but they were too quiet to be heard. When Kevin nodded and held on to her tighter, Neil averted his eyes and focused on getting back on his feet. He was sure Kevin wouldn't like an audience for this vulnerable moment.

An unmorphed Matt appeared next to him to help haul him to his feet, and though right now every little movement pulled at his injuries, Neil was glad to be standing instead of curling pathetically on the floor.

"You okay?" Matt asked, to which Neil nodded before morphing out himself.

They walked closer to Kevin and Allison who were still embracing on the floor, but at the sound of their footsteps, Kevin pulled back and composed himself. He tried to stand on his own but when he faltered, Allison and Matt were there at each side of him to hold him up.

"I'm sorry I hurt you" Kevin said, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

Matt huffed and waved a dismissing hand. "That was nothing. My mother could hit harder than that. Literally. I'm pretty sure the Ravens would've kicked you out because of that weak slash"

"Matt" Allison warned but the other boy shrugged.

"Too soon?"

"You're unbelievable! Even I have more tact than that"

"Hey, come on, it was just a joke"

"Just a joke my ass!"

Neil studied Kevin's face and realized that even though he wasn't okay, he couldn't be so soon after that, he was sporting the ghost of a smile on his lips at the banter of their teammates. Neil himself felt a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. A smile of relief that they'd managed to help Kevin fight off the transformation, a smile of amusement at the way Allison and Matt kept trying to lighten up the mood around them, and a smile of acceptance, because despite being pretty much useless today, he finally realized he never would have been able to live with himself if he had fled and left Kevin and the rest of the team alone to deal with this on their own.

Stay, Red said, having already calmed down from his frantic worry over the Swift Fox.

But there was still one more thing he needed to be sure of before he actually decided to stay, so he prompted everyone to start making their way back home and, slowly but surely, they all helped Kevin walk his way back to them.

Home.

Huh.

He'd never said it before.

As he walked, Neil came to the conclusion that: one, the notion didn't bother him as much as he thought it would; and two, the word didn't sound bad coming from him at all. In fact, he might have felt a small flutter in his stomach when no one questioned him or contradicted him or even looked at him the wrong way because they all accepted him as part of their home already. But the excited flutter might have just been his Fox and not this terribly deep new need to feel like he belonged somewhere.

Finally, after years and years of running, Neil Josten belonged somewhere and alongside his team, he was making his way right back to it

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Somehow, Neil, Allison and Kevin ended up sitting at a table in the cafeteria.

The Foxhole Court wasn't nearly done for the day, but lunch time had ended long ago and everyone was kneedeep into practice. Coach had finally benched Neil after Aaron had to redo a few of the stitches in his arms and the older man had also relieved Kevin from his duties for the rest of the day. Allison was actually supposed to be at the front desk but Neil supposed she'd roped Renee into covering for her so she could stay with Kevin a little while longer.

They had raided the real fridge next to the hidden stairwell that lead to the Command Centre and were currently making their way through a pint of vanilla ice cream. Even if Neil wasn't terribly excited for the dessert, he appreciated holding his hands around the cold tub while the other two ate from it.

Well, more like Allison was eating from it because all Kevin did was move his spoon around without actually taking a bite. Neil figured the taller boy's stomach wasn't up for much of anything right now.

"Kev?"

The boy in question looked up at the mention of his name. "Hm?"

"Dan checked your morpher. Your eyes are back to normal. Everything's fine. Don't worry about it anymore"

"Hmm"

Allison sighed. "Kevin, really"

"I still don't know how he did it. What he did. He could do it again" he was talking about Riko.

"You just make sure not to engage him next time he shows until we figure out how he did it"

Next time he showed, Neil didn't even want to think about that. He still hadn't told anyone but Andrew the truth about what Riko wanted with him. To everyone else, Riko had just been after his Perfect Raven number 5 and though he'd spurted a bunch of threats about needing to find someone, no one knew who that someone was or how he was connected to Neil's past.

No one but Andrew.

One of the first things Neil had done upon arriving back to the Court was look for the blond. He didn't care if he was ignored or dismissed again, he just wanted to make sure the other boy was alright. But no matter where he looked, Andrew was nowhere to be found. Coach said they had dealt with his injury and that he would heal, but Neil had still to catch a glimpse of him since then.

"Neil" the redhead looked up from the ice cream tub to see Kevin regarding him with a guilty expression on his face. "Your arms... I'm sorry"

Neil looked at his tender rebandaged arms and shrugged. "I'm fine, really. And you didn't do this to me anyway"

Kevin looked like he wanted to argue but instead he just nodded and looked down at his hands. He had stopped playing with the spoon in favor of inspecting his fingernails. Neil hadn't really gotten a good look at the Raven talons, which he was grateful for, but he guessed Kevin was thinking about them now with the way he kept flexing and unflexing his fingers.

After a few minutes of this, Allison discarded her spoon as well and took a gentle hold of his hands to make him stop. The blond was definitely surprising Neil today with how calm she was being about everything. She waited until Kevin dragged his eyes up to her and then she spoke.

"It's over"

"I can still feel them" Kevin whispered and Allison squeezed his hands tighter.

"Do you feel this?"

A nod.

"They will fade. This won't"

Kevin swallowed and nodded again before clutching Allison's hands in return. They stayed holding hands like that in silence for so long the ice cream started to melt and Neil felt his Fox tugging for his attention.

Neil.

The redhead was staring at the melting ice cream, thoughts of a certain blond making his way through an entire tub on his own at the wee hours of dawn making him wonder what was so great about the cold treat everyone used it as comfort food. Was that what Andrew did every morning he'd caught the blond eating ice cream when he was coming back from one of his runs? Comforting himself?

Neil!

What?, he responded with a start.

Go.

He frowned. Why?

Go.

Red was enhacing a weird feeling inside his chest. It was the same feeling he got when he didn't want to make himself noticed, when he wanted to slip away without anyone knowing. It was strange that the Fox was feeling that way, not after having spent all day telling Neil to stay. Was he asking him to run now? Had he changed his mind? Did he think it was dangerous for Neil to stay? Did he think no one actually wanted him to stay? Did he—

A sudden jolt inside his chest had him quietly gasping and Red made sure his mind didn't go down that particular road anymore. Instead, the Fox rolled his eyes at him, if that was something magical floaty foxes did.

Look.

Neil looked up to see Allison and Kevin still holding hands and staring deeply into each other's eyes. Were they still doing that? He was beginning to understand the awkward feeling Red had been pushing into him so after clearing his throat a couple of times, he stood up from the table.

"Umm... I should go do... something, so I'm gonna go. Kev, just... feel better" he finished awkwardly, not really knowing what to say and Allison rolled her eyes before dismissing him.

"Bye, Neil"

She never let go of Kevin's hands and Kevin simply nodded at him before focussing his eyes back on her.

"Right, umm, bye" and he made his way slowly upstairs towards his room. He was exhausted and as much as he hated to admit it, his body was in pain. If he couldn't spend the day working like everyone else, then he'd take advantage of it and take the longest nap ever.

After all, the more he slept, the faster night time would come so he could cross off his list the one thing he still needed to solve.

Andrew.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After waking up from a four hour nap, Neil made his way up to the roof. He hadn't meant to sleep so long but as soon as his head hit the pillow he'd been out like a light for hours. He skipped dinner, figuring he could eat something after he got this one last thing over with and preferring to wait for Andrew on the roof in case the blond was eating.

But as he opened the access door to the roof, he found Andrew where he said he'd be, sitting at the edge of the roof with a lit cigarette in hand and staring off over the city as he blew smoke into the air. It was dark outside on the roof and the only things illuminating both Andrew and the edge of the roof were the bright full moon above their heads and the thousands of stars blinking brightly through the clear night. There was a chill to the night but it wasn't uncomfortable enough that Neil couldn't stand it.

Silently, he made his way over to the edge.

He'd never been particularly afraid of heights, but he had to admit seeing Andrew with his legs dangling over the edge was making his heart stutter in slight concern, even if it wasn't the first time. He pushed through it though, and though he sat cross legged he did it right at the edge of the roof as well.

Andrew didn't say anything for a while, and neither did he. They both seemed content to breathe the cool night air and Neil was grateful for the familiarity of smelling the cigarette smoke making its way to him.

It made his mind wander. It made his mind wander towards his mother and the life he'd lead before coming to Palmetto. He'd spent all day trying to figure out whether to stay or go based on what other people would think if he did either one, his dead mother included. Would she be proud if he ran? Would she have beaten him if she was alive to see him stay? But never had he really asked himself what did he want to do.

What did Neil Josten want?

The answer seemed so hard to give and yet so easy at the same time, because the answer had been staring at him all day. Neil Josten wanted to be a janitor in the youth centre. Neil Josten wanted to be the Red Power Ranger in the Foxhole Force. Neil Josten wanted friends and he wanted his Fox.

Neil Josten wanted to stay and stop being nothing, which is what he would always be if he kept leaving everywhere. Neil Josten wanted to be Neil Josten and for that to happen, he needed to make things right with Andrew.

"Are you okay?" he asked to break the silence, barely making out the bandage peeking under the collar of the blond's shirt under the poor light.

Andrew didn't dignify his question with a verbal answer but he did nod his head after taking another drag from his cigarette.

"We got Kevin back. He's shaken up but I think he'll be okay"

This time, a hum.

Was Andrew still mad because it had taken him an entire day to figure out his answer? To see if he would keep his promise? Suddenly, a feeling of dread took a hold of the pit of his stomach and didn't let go for a while. Andrew valued his promises, that much had been made clear last night when the blond had aggressively reiterated that fact.

I keep my promises, Neil.

Had Neil screwed up already by considering breaking his? Again, he was under no illusion that he and Andrew were friends, but he didn't want the other boy to be mad at him forever. He was just trying to—

"You stayed" Andrew finally broke his silence as he finished the cigarette and reached for his pack to light another. He didn't offer one to Neil and Neil didn't ask for one. The smoke Andrew blew in his direction every few blows more than enough for him.

Neil swallowed and nodded. "Kevin needed help"

"And now what?" he didn't sound angry. He sounded neutral, like he did most of the time, like he did when he was just being himself.

Neil sighed and looked up at the stars. "Now I guess... I could use some help too"

"You're staying" Andrew clarified. Not a question, a statement. Neil nodded.

"I'm tired of being nothing"

"You'll always be nothing"

A shrug. "Well, this nothing would really like a home"

Andrew hummed again and took another drag from his second cigarette. Neil breathed in deeply and turned his head to look at Andrew when he caught the blond moving at his side.

Andrew scooted closer, until there was barely two inches of space between them, and he reached out a hand towards Neil's neck. For a second, his heartbeat spiked but he was surprised to realize it wasn't out of fear.

"What are you doing?"

"Shh"

A couple of fingers found their way to the side of his neck, right over his pulse point. In fact, Andrew pressed his fingers so hard into it that Neil could even hear his blood pumping in his ears. "Andrew"

"Feel this" he said, leaning in so the only thing Neil could see was the determined hazel of his eyes. "This is the moment you stop being a rabbit"

Fox.

Neil's eyes were widened and by the time Andrew retrieved his fingers and leaned back, Neil was almost gasping for air.

Neither of them said anything else and Andrew didn't stick around for long after that. There was no need for conversation anyway, because the important things had already been said. Neil would keep his promise so he knew Andrew would too. Together, they would find the truth about his family.

Before he left, though, Andrew placed his barely touched cigarette in the space between them, a clear invitation for Neil to take it and finish it once he was gone, which is exactly what he did when he was left alone.

His pulse was still going a little wild and despite everything turning out in his favor, he could feel a small frown on his face, because he didn't know why.

He took a drag from the cigarette and tried to blow the feeling of uncertainty out of his mind and he felt the presence of his Fox flicker with something aching to amusement.

Blushing.

And Neil didn't really know what to say to that, so he simply finished the cigarette and made his way back inside, into his home, where his friends had ended up waiting for him so they could all have dinner together at the girls' apartment.

Neil Josten was not nothing anymore.

Neil Josten had a home.

Next Episode: Between a rock and a hard place

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Any thoughts, comments, theories? I hope you're liking this story so far. See you on the next episode!