Chapter Text
Andrew shows up at Neil's greenhouse during lunch, after telling Aaron he's done for the day. Aaron had stared at him, expression completely blank and then stomped into the brewing room. Andrew is certain he heard Aaron cursing under his breath and didn't care to ask why.
Neil greets him with a smile, already back to work with his arms laden down with flower pots. Andrew tries to not think about the way he has dirt smudged on his cheek, reminding him of how real Neil is.
"You made it!"
Neil's genuine happiness at Andrew's arrival is too much. He blinks and has to focus on making himself respond. "I made it."
Neil grins and continues to the table he's working at and sets down his pots. "Grab some gloves and I'll show you what we're doing!"
Andrew, despite Neil's protest otherwise, doesn't think he's the best person to help repot plants, he works best when things are already dead, not springing with new life. He likes spending time with Neil, alone and away from prying eyes. Especially in the greenhouse surrounded by Neil's own element, his bread and butter.
Andrew eyes the small plants, the little prickly cacti and ignores Neil until he picks one up and says; "It's you."
"Very funny." Andrew rolls his eyes and looks to the cactus in Neil's hands. "Are you going to make that one into a cat?"
Neil smiles and nods, setting the cactus down. "Eventually, but it takes quite a lot of energy."
Andrew looks down at Spike; he's crafted from a different species of cactus than the one Neil had been holding and Spike's animation makes the contrast more vivid. It reminds him of what Neil has yet to adequately explain. "You never told me the entire process of attaching souls to plants."
It doesn't have the effect he was expecting and Andrew wonders just how different Neil's skill is when Neil becomes quiet, contemplative. Considering how to respond. "You haven't told me exactly why you joined the coven."
It's an obvious redirection, but Andrew can see the nervousness in Neil so clearly, it's as if he's reading his aura and he isn't that type of witch. Andrew folds his arms over his chest.
"Truth for truth."
Neil bites his bottom lip and Andrew has to tell himself to not stare, focusing on Neil's too blue eyes and steels himself when a curious snapdragon sprouts in his auburn curls, nodding.
Andrew can't look at him, but tells him anyway. He keeps his promises. "I joined the traveling coven, because I heard in my current village that they were 'the worst sort', since they practiced necromancy, worse than what ‘ordinary’ witches do. Decided to become what they already expected of me. Expected of all witches, really…" Andrew focuses on a single spot on the workbench, ignoring Neil. "They were simple nomads, using dark magic to scare non-witches off, simply defending themselves. I never once felt fear, even as they put up wards laced with evil spirits meant to frighten even the strongest man or the holiest priest, and animated corpses to chase witch-hunters away... Not like...." Andrew glances at Neil and he doesn't interrupt, doesn't say anything, simply waits until Andrew just shrugs.
"Like with him," Neil finishes for him quietly and Andrew can’t bring himself to respond. Neil knows anyway.
"Your turn."
Neil sighs and scoops Spike into his hands, the tiny catcus not stabbing him with his spines, nuzzling the plant-witch instead. "I was always seen as evil, and non-witches and witches alike had every reason to believe that, but I was just defending myself as well," Neil shrugs when Andrew looks at him, eyebrows furrowed, what does that have to do with necromancy? "But that is in the past and I refuse to cause harm if I can avoid doing so." When Neil grimaces, hair flowers drooping, he knows he's thinking of his last encounter with an avi. "So I attach the souls of cats to plants I've shaped for them, but when I die, so will they..." Neil slides his gaze over to him and Andrew understands.
"That's…" Andrew can't believe he's stuttering, but— "Splitting your soul more than once would kill you. A human would never—" Neil's eyes flashing silver stops Andrew from continuing.
"I'm not entirely human as we both know, Andrew."
"How many times?" Neil shrugs at this, frowning to himself. "Why?"
"Cats are the neutral force of this world, neither good nor evil and can sense both within a person. I like to think bringing back those long passed, would be an effective way of both ridding myself of that part of me, as well as bringing beauty into the world."
Andrew looks at Neil and Spike, thinks about how lonely Neil must have felt before coming here, before the cats. Andrew has his own reanimated feline, and despite King being made from bone, King is more than the sum of her parts or lack of them anyway. Andrew tentatively reaches out and gently pets Spike. He surprisingly doesn't live up to his name, not since their initial ‘meeting’. Andrew tries not to make an uncanny comparison to himself, but fails. Prickly looking on the outside, but soft to the touch with a gentle hand.
"I think… that Spike is very soft, such an ironic name I gave him." Andrew says breaking the somber expression Neil has.
"You have to move with his spines, not against them," Neil says faux sagely.
"I don't think being a necromancer made me dark or evil, I just think it depends on the very nature of how it is used. Even the ‘purest’ kinds of magic can be abused." Andrew thinks of the ‘good’ magic users he heard about on his travels, that ‘had a bad day’ as if they hadn't been obviously abusing magic for a very long time before they were caught.
Andrew is petting Spike, a piece of Neil's soul and thinks that today has been surreal enough.
"I don’t think the demon blood made you any more evil than anyone else. Maybe you have more of a capacity than the regular person, but you’re no more evil than I am."
Neil turns to him, fully, still cradling Spike in his hands as Andrew carefully strokes his spiky body. To think he had been wary of being this close to the half-demon before, even if it were for a moment when he couldn’t think straight. Andrew waits for him to say something, managing to hold Neil’s gaze as icy blue eyes search his hazel ones. Paranoia seeps in just as he speaks up.
“If the coven showed you that dark magic truly isn’t evil, why did you leave, if they made you feel so safe?”
Andrew doesn’t like this truth game suddenly. Not because he’s embarrassed but… he has nothing to offer Neil. So he deflects. “I found my family.”
Neil doesn’t buy it. “You left on a three-year sabbatical, Andrew. Rin tells me you didn’t really keep in touch all that well.”
Andrew has to fight to not look away from him.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Neil continues when Andrew remains silent.
“I don’t know,” Andrew blurts out before he can stop himself. Neil frowns. “I don’t know why I left.”
“The coven, or your family?” Andrew doesn’t respond to that.
Neil studies him for a moment and then looks down. “What answers are you searching for, Andrew?”
“I don’t know.” Andrew turns away from him when he looks up, he can’t handle this anymore. He expected to come see Neil today and… again, he doesn’t know what he expected, but it wasn’t a deep, personal conversation like this. He feels so raw and exposed. He hates it.
But you don’t, not really…
“Andrew—”
The side door to the greenhouse swings open and both of them jump in surprise. Andrew looks to Neil, wondering how neither of them didn’t notice Mathew Boyd and his stupid, loud delivery truck pulling up.
“Neil!” Matt greets him cheerfully as Andrew turns to see the giant non-witch walk in, a large, flat package under his arm and a toolbox in the other hand. He pauses when his eyes land on Andrew, evidently confused.
Andrew looks at Matt, feeling the same confusion he sees etched on Matt's face. This is his time with Neil, and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t find a way to say it out loud that doesn't sound like a petulant toddler being told to share a toy for the first time.
He’s also trying to wrap his head around just how childish he feels.
Andrew and Matt both turn to Neil, both of their expressions asking ‘Why is he here?’, to a confused Neil. Evidently he’s not seeing the issue here.
Neil probably thought it wouldn't be a big deal, like Andrew doesn't avoid the man as much as possible. He tries to be stoic, but Matt resembles an overgrown puppy half the time.
"Hi, Matt." Neil smiles.
"...I came to fix the window." Matt says a little uncertainly, glancing from Andrew to Neil like it's an equation he can't quite solve.
Good luck with that, I can’t figure it out either.
"Great!" Neil smiles and moves away from Andrew.
No. No, it's not.
"That storm last week cracked a pane when a branch hit it," Neil laughs and it sounds so bright, but Andrew can't help but feel a little smug that no orange or yellow flowers sprout in his curls. "Then one of the fluffy kitties smashed through it, charging a bird." And the smugness is gone.
"Oh no!" Matt frowns, not even looking at Andrew now as he goes to the window crudely covered with a large piece of wood. "Are they okay?"
"Abby had to make a house call to heal a gash, but otherwise they were okay. More scared than anything. Nothing some cuddling couldn't fix."
"Well, that's good!" Matt sounds genuinely relieved as he moves the pots stacked in front of the window, moving the bench after. "I'll get it fixed in a jiff!"
"Thank you, Matt," Neil grins and walks back to Andrew. The urge to steal Neil away and hide until the non-witch is gone is strong, but he doesn't give in. "Sorry about that, let's get back to work!"
Andrew tries to get back to work, repotting the plants, but Matt is a distraction and Andrew can't relax with him puttering around in the background. He grits his teeth and tries to focus on Neil and not Matt the bumbling window fixer. Just as he opens his mouth to say something, Matt starts talking. Andrew focuses on the plants, trying to ignore him.
He tries not to show his frustration in his work, because the plants matter to Neil, and embarrassingly, that means it matters to Andrew too.
How inconvenient.
"How long does it take to fix a window anyways?" Andrew mutters to himself, but annoyingly not quiet enough.
"Do you think you could do a better job?" Matt quips.
Andrew bristles and narrows his eyes at his "brother-in-law" standing tall by the window. He's intimidating for a non-witch. Andrew barely tolerates the man because he and Dan make Aaron happy, which is why he hasn't chased him off. Yet. But now he's interrupting his time with Neil? His time to figure out whatever this is? What he wants?
"I could do it without making so much of a racket," he forces out as evenly as possible. 'Negative energy isn't good for the plants,' Neil had told him. 'People like Robin, Nicky, and Jeremy help them immensely,' was his example.
Matt growls and gestures at the window. "Then by all means, go-"
"Okay! This isn't good for my plants," as if to prove his point, Neil's hair flowers droop slightly and Andrew's chest tightens.
How dare you upset him.
You're not helping.
"Sorry, Neil..." Matt apologizes, while frowning at Andrew. Andrew offers his patented bored expression.
"Just… don't, guys, you're both my friends."
"Sorry," Matt apologizes again and resumes replacing the glass.
Andrew stares at his back for a moment and turns to the pots, scooping soil into it and carefully picks up the plant he'd been repotting. He feels Neil's eyes on him, but tries to keep it cool, until Neil's tiny Chamomile cat, Cam is held up in front of his face. Another piece of Neil’s soul.
"Here," Neil whispers, "Cam is great for anxiety and stress." That damn, comforting smile…
Andrew holds Cam as he purrs in his arms. His purring is very loud, but it’s... soothing.
Andrew watches Matt putter about, while Neil does actual work with the plants. He has gentle hands, talking soothing words to them; watching him, Andrew feels like each plant is special to Neil.
Andrew can feel the warmth in his stomach growing stronger the longer he looks at Neil. It's quite aggravating. Neil, the bastard, invited him over when he knew Matt was coming over, like it isn't a big deal.
Like, being friends with Andrew isn't something to hide.
Andrew hates how Neil's not even disappointed in him, he isn’t being very helpful, but Neil is humming under his breath and occasionally glancing over at Andrew and smiling.
Being around Neil feels like when he first learned how to use magic, in a way that didn't feel like he was cursed. It's a low, simmering, warm sensation of affection, that with every passing day threatens to boil over.