AvNeil OS : Green eyed monster

Neil doesn't really think about it when Ali's phone rings as his car is driving down the highway at least 20 over the limit. He's only half tuned into the conversation, the other half split being making a mental note to check out the banging under his car's hood once they get to Neela ma's and wondering if they're anywhere near a diner, because the only thing he's eaten since breakfast was a soft candy bar that Ali had produced from his backpack and Neil's starving.

There's a few more minutes of inane chatter, interspersed with some teasing comments and soft laughter, and if it wasn't for Ali's Yeah, we'll see you when we get there, should only be another couple of hours, Neil would almost swear that it's one of his girlfriends on the other end of the phone.

With a final goodbye, Ali snaps his phone shut and slides it into his pocket.

"How's Neela ma? ," Neil asks, his hope at having seen a diner in the distance dying as they get closer and he realises it's long since closed.

"Huh?" Ali replies.

"Good to see you're putting all that learning to use, Ali," Neil comments, ignoring the soft bitch that comes from his brother. "Neela ma," Neil repeats. "Has she found anything?"

"That wasn't Neela ma, it was Avni," Ali answers, hand reaching out.

Neil doesn't even have to look as he slaps Ali's fingers away from the radio. "Avni?" Like he doesn't know who Avni is, like there are a hundred to chose from.

"Yeah, Avni," Ali nods, frowning as Neil turns up the radio.

Turning back to the road, Neil watches the black tarmac disappear into the distance in front of them. What was Avni doing ringing Ali instead of him? Unless she just assumed that Neil's driving. Which he is. But still. Avni's his wife, so it stands to reason that it's Neil she should be ringing.

"And what did Avni want?" Neil asks lightly, his attention half on Ali and half on Steve Walsh's voice coming from the Impala's speakers.

"Nothing specific, she was just wondering how the search for clues went."

Neil can feel the frown on his face. Avni never just calls to 'see how it went.' "Are you sure there was nothing else? Like maybe she was holding something back."

Ali snorts slightly as he answers. "Relax, Neil. She was just ringing to see how we were. No ulterior motives."

Neil doesn't reply.

It's actually sometime the next morning when they finally pull into Neela ma's, thanks to an accident, a tailback and a diversion that took them in the opposite direction of their destination.

The house is dark when they get inside, a note on the kitchen table in ma's handwriting telling them to shut up, go to bed and not wake her up. They paper, rock, scissors for the spare room, with Ali's face falling slightly when he realises he's on the couch that's about a foot too short for him. Neil debates on offering to go again, but it's not his fault Ali always resorts to paper when he's tired, and ma's spare bed is a hell of a lot more comfortable than the torture device he keeps in his living room and laughingly calls a couch.

Leaving Ali staring pitifully at the couch, Neil makes his way up the stairs, carefully stepping over the third step from the top that has a habit of creaking loudly whenever someone stands on it. The bed's already made up when Neil gets into the room, and Neil's grateful because he can feel exhaustion creeping up on him like a sneaky bitch.

Fishing his cell out of his pocket, he checks quickly for any missed calls (none) or messages (still none) before putting it on the bedside cabinet.

Kicking off his boots and stripping off his jeans, he lets them stay where he drops them and crawls into the bed. There's a spring that's threatening to dig into his ass, but it's still comfier than the couch.

~

It's gone noon when Neil makes it downstairs, hair still damp from the shower he's just taken and grunting his thanks as nanno holds out a coffee.

"What time did you boys get in last night?" Ma's stirring her own coffee as she asks the question.

"Too damn late," Neil replies.

"How'd it go?"

Neil shrugs. "No problems," he says. The only problem had been when Ali had landed in a ditch.

Thinking of Ali makes Neil's eyes flick to the couch, where blankets are neatly folded over one of the arms.

"He's already up and out," Bobby says, following Neil's line of sight. "Avni came by and they headed off to the cafe."

Whoa, wait--

"Avni was here?"

Bobby nods. "Yep, turned up just after Ali woke up, hung around while Ali ate breakfast and then they went. Left a couple hours ago now, so they should be back soon."

There's no way to phrase So why didn't she come and see me? without sounding like a thirteen year old girl, so Neil stays silent as he heads to the fridge and pulls out everything Ma has with the intention of throwing it all in a sandwich. And it's nothing to do with the fact that it's going to make him feel better after his wife ignored him in favour for her best friend. It's just that he really fancies a sandwich. With everything in it.

~

He's just putting the plate in the sink with the rest of the dishes that no one's washed yet when the front door opens and Ali's laughter rings through the house.

"Neil, hey." Ali stops short when he sees Neil standing there.

"Hello, Neil." Avni's voice is low and quiet, and it absolutely doesn't send shivers through Neil. It doesn't. Neela ma just hasn't got the heating on. Even though it's the height of summer and it's 40 degrees out. In the shade.

"Have fun at the cafe?" Neil asks, thoroughly proud of himself for not tacking the without me on the end that he can feel bubbling in him.

"It was very-- rewarding," Avni replies, glancing at Ali.

Yeah, Neil bets it was. "I'll be in the yard if anyone needs me."

"Neil?" Ali sounds confused.

"Junkers to fix, Ali," Neil says. "We can't all spend the day with our nose buried in food." He doesn't say anything about the look Ali and Avni give each other as he walks past them and out of the house. Doesn't say anything about the fact that they're even giving each other looks now. It used to be Avni looking at Neil, head tilted in that weird way that she has. In no part of Neil's epic plan was there any mention of Avni looking at Ali.

And he knows in his head that he sounds like he's jealous, but he's not. Seriously. He has no jealousy whatsoever. He's not jealous of the fact that Avni rang Ali instead of him. He's not jealous of the fact that Avni decided to show up this morning and disappear off with Ali instead of sitting on the end of Neil's bed and watching him sleep. He's not jealous that Ali and Avni now, apparently, have a look. He's not jealous at all.

The broken-down old cars in the yard stare at him in a faintly disapproving way.

Well, f**k.

Avni doesn't turn up on for some time and Ali spends the day with his head buried in various books and checking stuff on the internet. Neil wonders if maybe they had a lover's tiff after he went outside to batter six shades of hell out of one of cars (which he totally only did because it needed to be taken apart and that was the most expedient way of doing it) and can't help but think that it serves Ali right if they did, the wife stealing bas***d.

Neil spends the afternoon telling himself that he should be a better friend. That if Ali and Avni have found each other then he should support them, and not think up ways to make Avni realise how much of a whiny little bitch Ali is in comparison with Neil's awesomeness.

He should be happy for Ali. He should. Ali's been through a lot. He should go back in the house and tell Ali and Avni (who'd turned up, said hello to Neil and then said something to Ali that had had them geeking out over something Neil had never even heard of before and not noticing when he stomped out of the house to go and beat up some more cars) that he's happy for them.

He should tell them that it's great they've realised what they feel for each other and if Ali wants to date Avni, then it's okay with Neil.

He should go in there and tell them that right now.

And he will, just as soon as he's beaten the crap out of one more car.

He's not stomping out the house, he's not. He's merely walking more forcefully than he normally would. And he wouldn't even be doing that if it wasn't for the apparently epic love affair playing out in front of him.

I found this in the market, Ali, and thought of you. Because Ali's always the first thing that springs to mind when you find an old, ornament just lying around.

Wow, thanks, Avni-- And here, let me make goo-goo eyes at you in appreciation.

Neil had left the room at that point, he'd had to. Had grabbed a beer out of the fridge and come out to sit on the porch.

The condensation from the bottle runs over Neil's fingers and drips onto his jeans as he watches a couple of stray cats lounging on the hood of one of the trucks, completely unaware of the entanglements playing out in front of them. Neil wants Avni, who wants Ali, who's a dork.

Putting the beer next to him, Neil drops his head into his hands. "Oh god, I've turned into a TV show actress." Which, y'know, not that bad, because he'd do wonderful acting in a minute, but still--

"Neil?" Neela ma's voice interrupts further thoughts on the rom-com that is his life.

"Out here."

The door creaks as it opens, and Neil banks down on the urge he always has to hold the door open for Neela ma, the memory of the glare he'd received the first time he'd tried it still in his mind.

"You okay?" Ma asks, the look on her face telling Neil that he's pretty sure the answer is no.

"'M fine, ma."

Ma grunts, accepting the lie. Neil can still hear the idiot muttered his breath, though.

"You stayin' out here?"

Neil nods. "Yeah, could do with the air, y'know." It's not that he's hiding. It's not.

The idiot this time, as Ma goesback into the house, is louder.

Night is when Ali finally snaps.

"Sit, Neil," he demands, as Neil tries to skirt past him and get out of the door.

"Ali, I--"

"Sit!" And wow, Ali can really impersonate an interrogater when he needs to.

Neil holds his hands up placatingly. "Okay, I'm sitting. Jeez."

"What the hell's been up with you today, Neil? I've noticed it, Ma's noticed it, Avni has noticed it, and you know how oblivious she is."

"Not that oblivious," Neil mutters.

"What was that?"

And, god, it really was like talking to an interrogater all over again.

"Neil--"

"Okay, fine, Christ--" He can do this, he's an adult. "I'm sorry if I've been a bit off all day; things on my mind, you know. Anyway, I'm really happy for you and Avni, and I'm leaving now." Because there are more cars outside that need a crowbar taken to them.

"Whoa, wait, what?" Because Ali's just looking confused.

"You and Avni," Neil repeats, exasperation colouring his tone. "Congrats, Ali, the better man won." Even though he blatantly didn't.

"Me and Avni?" Ali says, drawing the words out more than Neil feels is really necessary

"Yes." That's not Neil's teeth gritting, really.

"Me and Avni--" If Ali says those three words once more, Neil's going to hit him. "You think that me-- and Avni--" And, hey, it's great that someone's finding this funny.

"Oh, come on, Ali. The ringing you, the going out to the cafe, the bringing you presents. Seriously, if you were younger, you'd be going to prom together," Neil snaps.

"Oh, for god's sake," Ali retorts. "This is why you've been a pissy little bitch all day? Because you thought I'd stolen your wife from you?"

And there's really no way for Neil to answer that without sounding like a teenage girl.

Ali scrubs a hand over his face. "I have no interest in Avni, Neil."

"Why? Are you saying there's something wrong with her?" Because, yes, she can be weird, and has no social cues, and stares and touches way past propriety, but she's Avni.

"There's nothing wrong with her," Ali says lightly. "Avni is loyal, and good-looking, and a hell of a friend, and she's learning a sense of humour."

"Yeah, so--"

Ali continues, ignoring Neil's interruption. "And she's totally head over heels in love with you."

"What?"

"Yes, she came with me to the cafe and every second sentence out of her mouth was Neil this-- and Neil that--. She picked up the ornament she found in the market because I'd mentioned it a few weeks ago as something ma had commented on when we'd been talking about decorating."

Neil thinks he remembers the conversation with Ma, but it's kind of fuzzy and in a haze of Jack Daniels.

"Avni got me the ornament because it may be useful." Ali's still talking. "Unlike the AC/DC Live in Japan bootleg that's in your car"

"Hold on, the '81 tour?" Because if it is, then that's way more epic than any ornament, and Neil totally would have noticed it. Except, Neil hasn't actually looked in the tape box in the car since they arrived.

"I have no idea!" From the look on Ali's face, it's obvious that he doesn't actually care, either. Heathen.

"It is indeed the 1981 tour, Neil."

Neil's turning towards the voice before the words are out. "Avni! When did you get here?" A thought crosses Neil's mind. "And how much of this conversation did you hear?"

"I heard enough of it, Neil."

Nuts. Enough to know that Neil's regressed to a 14 year old with girl-parts, then.

"Ali's right--"

Neil ignores the smug snort Ali gives at Avni's words.

"I got the ornament because it may contain something Ma needs. I got the tape because-- because I thought you'd like it."

"I do! I will--" Just as soon as he listens to it, he thinks, as the words trails off into an awkward silence.

"Jesus, you're as bad as each other." Ali mutters from behind him, as he walks over and points at Neil. "Neil, Avni married you for you, you moron." And then at Avni. "Avni, Neil likes you more than he likes anything. We all on the same page here?"

Apparently so, considering the blush that staining Avni's cheeks. What the hell, if Neil's going to embrace his inner teen, he may as well go all the way.

"Avni?"

"Yes, Neil?"

"Will you kick me if I kiss you?"

Avni smiles softly. "No, Neil, I won't."

"At last," Ali comments. "Took you both long enough."

But Neil's too busy kissing his wife to reply.