"Hey, Nicky," Andrew said in stage-whisper German. "Don't touch him, you understand?"

"You know I'd never hurt him. If he says yes—"

"I said no."

"Jesus, you're greedy," Nicky said. "You already have Kevin. Why does it—"

He went silent, but it took Neil a moment to realize why. Andrew had a short knife pressed to Nicky's jersey. Where he'd pulled it from, Neil didn't know, but he refused to think Andrew wore one onto the court under his uniform. There had to be rules and regulations against that. The last thing Neil wanted was for Andrew to stab someone in the middle of a game. The Foxes would be banned from the league in an instant.

"Shh, Nicky, shh," Andrew said, like he was soothing a troubled child. "Why the long face? It's going to be okay."

Neil was no stranger to violence. He'd heard every threat in the book, but never from a man who smiled as bright as Andrew did. Apathy, anger, madness, boredom; these motivators Neil knew and understood. But Andrew was grinning like he didn't have a knife point where it'd slip perfectly between Nicky's ribs, and it wasn't because he was joking. Neil knew Andrew meant it. If Nicky so much as breathed wrong right now, Andrew would cut his lungs to ribbons, any and all consequences be damned.

Neil wondered if Andrew's medicine would let him grieve, or if he'd laugh at Nicky's funeral too. Then he wondered if a sober Andrew would act any different. Was this Andrew's psychosis or his medicine? Was he flying too high to understand what he was doing, or did his medicine only add a smile to Andrew's ingrained violence?

Neil looked to Aaron, waiting for him to interfere. Aaron was tense but quiet as he stared at Andrew's knife. Neil gave him another second, but he couldn't wait forever. He didn't know what would finally set Andrew off and he didn't want to find out.

"Hey," Neil said, looking back at Andrew. "That's enough."

"Quiet," Nicky said in English, barely louder than a breath of air. "Quiet. It's fine."

"Hey," Neil said again, ignoring him, but he wasn't sure what to say. Questioning Andrew's sanity or calling his bluff would end with Nicky in the hospital. He wouldn't pretend to accept Nicky's advances just to calm Andrew down. What Neil needed was a distraction, something more important to Andrew than Nicky. That left only one thing that Neil knew of. One person, rather.

"Are we playing or what?" he said. "Kevin's waiting."

Andrew looked at Neil as if that hadn't occurred to him. "Oh, you're right. Let's go or we'll never hear the end of it."

Andrew let go of Nicky and spun away. His knife vanished under his armor before he reached the door. Aaron squeezed Nicky's shoulder on his way out. Nicky looked shaken as he stared after the twins, but when he realized Neil was watching him he rallied with a smile Neil didn't believe at all.