#I personally think it might be Aaron and he snaps at Kevin with it

[dvrcos]

I like to think that after all the dust settles and there’s been a lot of time put between the events the present day the Foxes love reciting Neil’s “you know, I get it” roast.

Because it truly is top tier and after the initial fear and shock wears off the foxes would find it fucking hilarious. Not only the wording of the little monologue itself but the absolute gaul Neil had to say that and the fact that he just riffed it off the top of his head.

I think the “you know, I get it,” specifically becomes a staple phrase in all of their vocabularies at some point. One of them says it and At Least one other Fox in the vicinity immediately goes “being raised as a superstar must be really, really difficult for you” no matter the context of the conversation.

[the-chicken-or-the-banana]

I always wondered how the foxes would react to finding out that it was andrew that "hit on" neil first (specially Kevin, since he was just standing right there while that happened)

(now, i don't think they would willing just talk about it but if one of them slip up...)

Btw: i absolutely adored the goodbye kisses series

AHHH sorry for being so MIA lately but i'm absolutely loving this! also i'm realizing that i'm very bad at actually getting to the point so enjoy a shit ton of irrelevant exposition :)

read it on ao3 here

— ··· —

Kevin didn't understand why they had to come to the zoo. It was smelly, there were kids screaming everywhere, and he'd nearly been stepped on three times in the past 10 minutes. He much rather preferred exy to this.

Team bonding sucked.

He trudged along beside Aaron as Dan, Matt, and Nicky actually tried socializing with the new Foxes. Normally, Kevin would jump at the chance to talk about exy with these recruits, but also, normally he didn't feel like he'd just just rolled through a flaming dumpster filled with screeching, pooping monkeys.

Kevin let out a sigh as they passed some sort of mildly interesting snake exhibit. He nudged Aaron, who was on his phone with a red face, which meant he was either texting lovey-dovey things to Katelyn or blasting an idiot in his Ochem class. You never really knew with him.

"Aaron."

Aaron just scowled at him. Kevin sighed again. Conversing was always so much more exhausting than he anticipated.

"Snakes."

"What."

"Do you want to... see the snakes?"

Aaron blinked in confusion. "Okay?"

Kevin led them to the snakes.

There, they shoved past some families and made it to the front of the glass enclosure.

"Well?" Aaron asked. "Now what do we do?"

Valid question, Kevin thought. He hadn't really considered what they were doing. He just wanted to see snakes.

He told Aaron as much, who rolled his eyes aggressively and went back to his phone.

Kevin felt a tap on his shoulder and twisted around, coming face-to-face (well, more like chest-to-face) with some sort of tour or information guide.

"Hi!" she smiled all too brightly. Kevin wanted to cover his eyes. "How are you enjoying the exhibition?"

"Um," Kevin gulped eloquently, then remembered his media training. "Oh yeah, it's great!"

"Awesome," she beamed. "You know, there's a snake feeding session in about 5 minutes if you and your son are interested."

Kevin's face contorted in confusion. He whirled around, assuming some tiny, lost child was latched near him, but when he turned back, the lady — Sandy — had her gaze intensely focused on the only other small person near him: Aaron.

Oh dear.

Aaron seemed to come to the same conclusion as Kevin did because his eyes widened comically and he hissed "I. am. not. his. son."

Sandy blinked owlishly. "Little brother then?"

Aaron threw his hands up. "I am 21! Leave me alone." He then proceeded to stomp out of the enclosure, dragging Kevin along and leaving a very flummoxed old lady behind them.

"I can't believe it," Aaron kept muttering. "Your son. Your son! I hate life."

Kevin was a bit miffed that he hadn't actually been able to see the snakes, but he figured Aaron's plight was slightly more significant than that.

After a few moments of silent walking (Kevin) and angry grumbing (Aaron), Kevin realized he couldn't see any of the Foxes anymore. He glanced around, instinctively searching for Andrew.

"Hey, do you know where Andrew and Neil went?" Kevin asked.

Aaron scoffed. "They're probably making out somewhere."

"Who's making out?"

Aaron and Kevin both gave unholy screeches as they turned around to find Nicky standing between them, a wide, innocent grin on his face.

"What the fuck," Aaron complained. "Don't do that again, you bitch."

Nicky waved him off. "Shut up. Who's making out? Might be able to close some bets."

Kevin rolled his eyes. "We just can't find Andrew and Neil anywhere. Aaron seems to believe they're off deflowering a zoo Port-A-Potty or something."

"Well then, we wouldn't want to interrupt them, right?" Nicky winked. "Anyways, we're all going to the butterfly exhibit right now so y'all have to join us. I'm not taking no for an answer."

It seemed that they had no choice, so after sharing a resigned glance, Kevin and Aaron trudged behind an overly enthusiastic Nicky while he babbled on about some parrots that he saw. It really didn't seem as interesting as Nicky was making it out to be, but Kevin didn't want to say anything lest he was expected to participate in the conversation too.

They finally reached the butterfly exhibit where the other Foxes were waiting for them. They entered as a mass of loud, mildy buff, smelly athletes and got more than a few glares from the parents of young children who moved out of the way.

But in all this movement, the path cleared and Kevin found... Andrew and Neil? He was about to turn to Aaron and tell him that they evidently not making out, until he noticed how still Andrew was standing and the glee on Neil's face.

Nicky's gaze caught onto them a second later, because he squealed and grabbed Kevin's arm, jabbing his finger at the sight.

"Oh my God," he whispered. "Is that a butterfly on Andrew's nose? That is adorable."

Kevin squinted, and yes, that's exactly what it appeared to be. Nicky's outburst had caught Allison's attention, and she began marching over to Neil and Andrew, the rest of the Foxes in tow.

Kevin could already tell this was going to be a mess.

When they finally reached Andrew, Aaron was the first to speak. "What the fuck?" he asked flatly. Andrew glared at him. Slowly, as to not move the butterfly, he raised his hand to gently flip off his brother.

Nicky immediately started cooing. "Aww, don't worry Andrew! I think you look adorable."

Andrew began slipping out a knife.

On Allison's left, Kevin saw Dan practically shaking with laughter as she pulled out her camera and snapped a picture.

Neil opened his mouth, probably to tell off Dan but Nicky rushed in to talk to him.

"Soooo," he waggled his eyebrows. "I didn't know you could see the future, Neil."

Neil stared at him blankly and turned back to Andrew as he pulled out a map, but Nicky rallied on.

"Like, you must have been able to predict that one day Andrew was going to be this adorable. That's why you asked him out, right?"

"What?" Neil asked distractedly. "I never asked him out."

Kevin blinked in surprise. After a moment's consideration, he realized that considering how utterly oblivious Neil could be, it really was no shocker that Andrew had to ask him out first.

"Wait wait wait," Matt shook his head. "So Andrew asked you out?"

Neil waved them off as he continued squinting at the map he was holding. "Yes yes, just go ask Kevin, he was there."

All eyes turned to Kevin. Kevin was very lost.

"What the fuck," Aaron repeated. "I'm so confused."

"Me too," Kevin muttered. "Me too."

— ··· —

After their long day at the zoo was over, the Foxes finally began the trudge back up to their respective dorms. The younger Foxes dozed off immediately, but the older Foxes gathered in the girls' room to drop off the bags they had borrowed for the trip.

In all the commotion, no one really noticed Andrew and Neil leaving together. But right before they slipped out the door, Renee caught sight of them.

"Good night, you two!" she called. Neil turned around and gave her a tired wave, his body slumped on Andrew.

"Wait!" Nicky scrambled off the sofa. "Before I forget: Neil, how did Andrew ask you out?"

Neil blinked sleepily. "Well," he slurred. "He asked if he could blow me."

The room went silent.

Andrew heaved a sigh and dragged Neil out the door, leaving seven wide-eyed, very much awake athletes in their wake. Slowly, everyone turned to Kevin.

"You!" Allison weakly jabbed a finger in his direction. "You knew about this!"

Too late, Kevin realized what Neil's statement meant. Andrew had asked out Neil in front of Kevin. By offering sex. Nothing could have possibly ruined Kevin's night as much as this information had.

He met the Foxes' eyes slowly. Even Renee looked a bit surprised at Neil's admission, but she was clearly biting back a smile. "Trust me," Kevin groaned. "If I had known this had happened, I would have won myself so many bets."

"Damn," Nicky sighed. "I wish Erik and I had such an iconic story. Who knew the quiet, stabby cousin was such a horny gay bastard?"

"I," Aaron announced hotly. "have never wanted to forget a conversation more than this one."

"But Aaron. Andrew asked to blow him."

"Nicky, I swear— "

"OH MY GOD. They're probably having sex right now! Kevin, could you— "

Aaron put his head in his hands. "Please shut up now."

[ninyard]

I’d like to read your thoughts on Andrew’s trigger re: Proust, also do you think others notice or know about what happened besides Neil? I feel like Bee and Renee and Aaron definitely do not know during the books but might find out what happened later. Kevin might know or suspect but not directly ask because he knows he won’t get a straight answer or he just doesn’t want to know for sure.

Oh I LOVE THIS QUESTION!!!! Anon you spark my imagination in such ways that HURT BIG TIME

CW; Drake mention, Proust, Andrew’s past, knife mention

Here’s my opinion on who knows/who doesn’t know and honestly, I think anyone outside of the people you mentioned are just…not options. It would break Nicky to find out. Coach doesn’t need to know. Abby sees some new scars but she doesn’t ask. But Bee, Aaron, Kevin and Renee?

Firstly, I have a different opinion on Andrew/Bee’s relationship than what Nora said in the extra content, and honestly I refuse to believe Andrew just…doesn’t really talk to Bee about things? I think for a good year of their relationship things were hot and cold, and a lot of the time he would stop her when their conversations started getting too personal, or when he felt he was opening up just a little too much. But when Neil said “I knew who Drake was.” And Betsy said “How? Did Andrew tell you about him?” I kind of read that as a tell on Betsy’s part that she kind of might find it hard to believe Neil knows, because she didn’t find out for a LONG time. Andrew laughed when he first told her, and oh did he love how the pity filled her face. He left the session early when she started asking more, and she probably cried when he was gone because it hurt her so much, the love she felt for Andrew and the way he talked about the crimes like they were silly anecdotes. So honestly, I think if anyone knows about Proust other than Neil during the books, it’s Bee.

She knows the way Andrew reacted when she asked about Drake, or any of the other foster fathers. She saw that violent, unmedicated reaction when she asked about Proust, how well-decorated he was in the mental health field. Obviously I don’t think she knows about EVERYTHING, because her confidentiality as a therapist would have to be broken if she knew how badly Andrew was treated, but slowly but surely she finds out little details. The day he dies, he calls Betsy to organise an emergency session. In Andrew fashion his reaction isn’t normal, isn’t grief, but in a throwaway Andrew comment (“Just another one dead to add to the list.”) she asks him again, he’s dead now, what did he do to you? It’s probably one of the closer times Andrew has got to crying in a session, and when Betsy had a free hour, she let him stay, curled up in the chair, vulnerable, but safe. Andrew was mad when Betsy showed up in Columbia after Drake because he knew how much this would hurt, for him and for her, and she already knew. He didn’t get to tell her this time. How long had she been letting herself think and her mind wander about what had happened on her drive to get him?

I don’t think Aaron ever finds out. Andrew has kept so much of his trauma sheltered from Aaron that I think he probably keeps this to himself, too. Maybe it slips out at one of their joint sessions, but Andrew doesn’t talk about his time at east haven specifically because he knows Proust will come up. I think finding out that, when Andrew was supposed to be getting better, he was being abused, oh man, that would kill him. Him and Andrew get closer post-TKM, but not that close. Aaron killed his Brothers rapist, and for a while when Andrew was committed he almost called Pig Higgins to find out if anyone else hurt Andrew so he could kill them, too. I think if Andrew told Aaron it would change something in their relationship that they might not be able to fix at the stage their relationship was at post-TKM and for a while into the future.

Oh KEVIN, little knowing Kevin, skeptical Kevin, the Kevin who couldn’t keep that dark part of his mind quiet, the part that told him Riko was behind Drake. Kevin knew what he was capable of to an extent I don’t think anybody else, even anyone on the Ravens, knew. He told Andrew at his “audition” for the Ravens he could take him off his meds, that he could do anything he needed. Kevin knew Riko had friends in powerful and important places far more than Neil knew. To Neil, before Proust, it was cops, judges, doctors, people with importance and power. Kevin knew it was the receptionists who would sign the right paperwork at the right time, to make sure everything would fall into the right hands. He knew it was the janitors, who would turn a blind eye to whatever mess they found, or the security who would kindly delete whatever security footage you asked, no questions or qualms. Kevin knew it wasn’t just the doctors; it was the people prescribing medication, it was the student assistants, it was the people who shut the doors behind them. So when Betsy said Easthaven, and Neil said Riko bought the prosecution on Drake’s trial, and then Neil said do you know what he’ll do to Andrew if I don’t go? Kevin knew without being told. That sentiment was enough. Riko’s sick, sadomasochistic nature, and the lengths he’d seen him go to before? If Riko said go, Proust would do whatever he wanted. Kevin knew from the second Neil punched Riko in the face at the Christmas Banquet what was going to happen to Andrew. It took a month after Andrew’s return, a month of sheepish looks and barely being able to look him in the eye, before Andrew snapped and asked him what the hell was wrong with him, surely he’d been around as many victims in the nest that this wasn’t new to him? Kevin only had to say “Riko.” And then a stuttered, “Your Doctor in Easthaven-” before Andrew reached beneath his bands and threatened him with a knife and then Kevin had his answer. He never found out details, and he never asked again.

Also, Andrew spilled a secret or two about a corrupt doctor to Renee at their sparring sessions, but she never asked, and he never told. Renee had never seen Andrew properly sober before, but she could still read him well enough to know something terrible had happened. She told him she was there for him but all that got her was a trip to the ground and a smile-without-a-smile from Andrew, a finger over his lips to tell her to be quiet, but a nod in understanding. Renee knew enough about Andrew’s past to know something bad went on in Easthaven, but to her, that was all she needed to know.

[darkblueboxs]

Calling Home

Summary:

"What if Neil hid his phone where his kidnappers wouldn't find it? What if he called Andrew while on his way to Baltimore? What if Andrew had to listen, heart tearing in two, to Neil's journey into his father's basement?"

Andrew fishes his phone from his pocket, chest emptying himself of air when he sees Neil’s name flash across the display. His hands are shaking as he hits return call, shaking like they haven’t done since he went off his meds, and in many ways the lurch of loss in his gut feels like withdrawal.

He thinks the call is about to time out, when, suddenly, connection.

“Neil,” says Andrew, and it sounds dangerously close to a prayer.

Read here or on AO3

Andrew finds Neil’s rucksack and racquet four gates down from the one they left through. That’s when he knows – isn’t sure what he knows, but knows, because Neil would never willingly surrender his bag or racquet, would keep a white-knuckled grip on them even if the world were ending. It feels like the world is ending, and if it isn’t Andrew is going to end it himself, is going to rip and burn and tear and cut until there’s nothing left of this stupid hunk of rock. Neil is gone.

His phone buzzes in his back pocket. Andrew ignores it. He doesn’t have time to deal with Kevin or Renee or Nicky or anyone else pestering him about where he is and what he’s doing. Right now there’s only one thing on his mind, and that’s-

The buzzing stops.

It’s only as the call times out that Andrew snaps back to sense with a jolt. Neil’s phone wasn’t in his bag. Which meant he could have-

Andrew fishes his phone from his pocket, chest emptying himself of air when he sees Neil’s name flash across the display. His hands are shaking as he hits return call, shaking like they haven’t done since he went off his meds, and in many ways the lurch of loss in his gut feels like withdrawal.

He thinks the call is about to time out, when, suddenly, connection.

“Neil,” says Andrew, and it sounds dangerously close to a prayer.

“Stop it,” Neil’s voice cracks over the phone, and in the black wash of memories that follows it takes Andrew a moment to realise that it isn’t him Neil is talking to. The voices are muffled as though reaching the mic through layers of fabric,and Andrew crushes the device against his ear. Most of the crowd has dispersed in the aftermath of the riot, but still he finds himself scanning the surroundings for somewhere quieter, somewhere he can listen, think-

“Stop me,” taunts a cool, female voice that has Andrew’s train of thought stalling in its tracks. “I told you to keep still, didn’t I?”

“Where are you taking me, Lola?” Neil says, loud and, in Andrew’s opinion, far, far too obvious. The bitch – Lola? – laughs. Andrew would thank Neil for giving him the name if he wasn’t determined to kill him for everything else.

“Where the fuck do you think? Daddy’s waiting. Speaking of which, I can’t take you to him with such a stain on your face. Rome?”

The image that springs to Andrew’s mind is inconceivable. Or, it would be, if he hadn’t lead the kind of life that provides plenty of material for a blackened imagination to work with. His feet are moving before he’s aware of it, and he’s biting his tongue to keep him from shouting Neil’s name down a phone where at best the sound would go unheard and at worst it would get Neil killed. The stadium grounds flash past, and something clicks on the other end of the line, followed by a breathless “You’re sick,” that turns Andrew’s blood to slush in his veins.

He’s jogging up to the team bus when Neil starts to scream. He stumbles, doubles over as though feeling the pain himself, and this time a noise that might have been Neil’s name slips through. Neil is making too much noise on the other end for the word to have made it through, but regardless a rush of fury has Andrew biting down on his cheek so hard he tastes blood.

He drops the bag and raquet as soon as he’s in range of the bus to slide a blade into his free hand. Nicky is the first to see him, staggers back from whatever he sees in Andrew’s face, mouth hanging open around an exclamation that never makes it past his lips. Noone is stupid enough to lay hands on him as he climbs onto the bus, and their questions go unheard. All Andrew can hear is screaming.

Abby is checking Kevin over when he reaches them, medical kit open at her side. Andrew shoves her from his path with the flat of his knuckles and she staggers back, diagnostic torch clattering to the floor. Kevin barely has time to look up before Andrew is throwing him up against the bus window.

“Tell me where Neil’s father is or I’ll slit your fucking throat,” Andrew says in a voice that isn’t his.

There are shouts behind him, someone get coach and don’t touch him and it’s Kevin, he won’t, will he?

Kevin’s eyes are glassy, but they sharpen as a gutteral noise buzzes through the phone still crushed to Andrew’s ear. It’s followed by gulping, frantic breathes, pained, but evidence, at least, that Neil isn’t dead.

“Is that-?”

Andrew presses the blade against Kevin’s throat. “Where is Neil’s father?”

Kevin goes white. “Prison.”

“Not anymore.” There’s that clicking again, and Andrew’s gut twists on reflex like some kind of fucking pavlovian reflex. This time he knows what to expect, but Kevin doesn’t, and he flinches as Neil’s scream echoes down the phone.

“Baltimore, then. He’s from Baltimore, he-”

“Renee,” Andrew says without looking away from Kevin. She’s right there behind him- he expected no less.

“Andrew.”

“I need a car. Something fast.”

He doesn’t have to turn to see the moment she shifts from Renee to Natalie: he can hear it in her answer. “I’ll be back.”

His brother throws himself into one of the seats as Andrew passes, as though he thinks he’s next on Andrew’s interrogation list. Andrew can’t blame him: he himself isn’t sure what he’s capable of right now, the knife in his hand twitching as though it has a mind of its own.

“Andrew,” Kevin says, “You can’t.”

He flips the knife in the palm of his hand as he hops the last step down from the bus. “Watch me.”

Neil’s voice on the end of the line has turned thin and scratchy like old sheets, garbling what sounds like she’s dead, she’s dead, I swear she’s dead.

“Do we believe him?”

“Might as well be sure.”

A scuffle, and Neil is screaming again. Andrew wants to join him.

Renee roars up to the bus at the same moment Wymack arrives at a brisk jog, presumably summoned by one of the well-meaning idiots hiding on the bus.

“Minyard-!” he yells, then his mouth drops open when he catches sight of Renee behind the wheel of a sleek, obnoxiously orange car. Maybe she stole it from one of their fans. “What in the flying fuck?”

“Andrew,” Nicky pleads, “Whatever’s going on, the police-”

“Half the police are his men,” Kevin says. “And he could buy off the rest if he wanted to.”

“Who?!”

“Nathan Wesninski. Head of the Baltimore crime family.” Kevin’s voice cracks. “Neil’s father.”

“Text Renee his address.” Andrew says, ignoring the reaction of his teammates as he pulls open the car’s passenger door. The glass is missing, due to the riot or Renee’s carjacking it’s hard to say.

The door doesn’t shut behind him when he pulls it, and when he looks up it’s Aaron’s hand blocking the way.

“Andrew.”

Andrew yanks at the door, but it won’t give. Neil is begging now. Begging like Andrew used to, and it’s working as well for Neil as it did for him. Whoever this Lola is, she’s going to die slowly.

“Let go,” Andrew grits through his teeth, not trusting himself to say more.

“What the fuck are you doing, Andrew? Are you going to try and kill a mob boss? You’ll die.”

“So?”

Aaron doesn’t answer, but his grip on the doorframe tightens. “I can’t…” he starts, chokes, starts again. “Don’t leave me.”

Andrew throws himself back out the car with violent speed, grabs Aaron by the collar before he can react. “You arent the only person I made a promise to.” Andrew grinds out through clenched teeth. “I intend to keep them both.”

Aaron’s eyes widen. At last he swallows, lets go of the door, and Andrew snaps it shut behind him before anyone else can intervene. Aaron’s face could be his own reflection, were it not for the absence of glass in the window and the absence of fear on Andrew’s face.

It’s only as they pull away from the stadium that Andrew remembers Neil called their deal off. Just that day. As though he knew.

If he thinks that will stop Andrew- fuck him.

They’re on the road with impressive speed – Andrew thought he was reckless, but Renee’s driving puts his own to shame. Horns blare and brakes screech as they merge onto the highway, but the roar of the engine not quite covering up Neil’s sobs echoing down the line.

Neil is crying. Torture, Andrew has no trouble imagining, but Neil crying…

“Faster,” he says. Renee accelerates.

Even at such alarming speeds, their progress is agonizingly slow. Renee is smart enough not to ask any questions, and Andrew leans away from the howl of air blasting through the broken window. There’s shuffling, the clicking of – handcuffs, he’d recognise that sound anywhere – and then Neil is talking. To pigs, by the sound of it, the shitty kind, the only kind, and he addresses them as though reading their names off their badges, loud and clear for Andrew’s ears. Andrew doesn’t need to make an effort to remember their names, but still he repeats the syllables with a bite that has Renee glancing his way.

“Do you have anything?” Andrew asks.

“A penknife. Nothing worthwhile in a real fight.”

“I’ll give you some of mine.”

Renee nods, fingers flexing around the wheel. If the prospect of death worries her, she doesn’t show it, gaze steady on the road ahead despite the furious roar of the car engine.

The rustle of fabric against fabric, and Andrew is biting back bile as-

“You could almost me my type if you weren’t so young, hmm? You look just like your father.”

Andrew doesn’t hear Neil’s response, his mind whiting out like television static. He doesn’t realise his blade is back in his hand until Renee leans over to bat at his fist. Blood leaks from his palm where his blade sliced it open.

“If you fight me, I’ll cut you off at the knees,” Lola hums in his ear. Andrew drops the knife to the footwell before he can damage himself any further, a swirling montage of horror hazing over him. He knows a viable threat when he hears one.

“Chloroform,” Neil says, then, “I can’t-”

Whatever he’s trying to tell Andrew is cut off, and the phone falls silent save for the faint sound of police sirens.

Andrew drops the phone into the footwell after the knife and punches the dashboard with everything he has. The plastic cracks under his fist, and he’s drawing back to take another swing when Renee slams the breaks, bringing the car to a gut-punching halt. Andrew’s seatbelt cuts into him as car horns blare furiously behind them.

“Keep going,” Andrew barks.

“You won’t be any use to him with a broken fist,” Renee answers, infuriatingly level.

“Keep going,” Andrew says once more, then, when it gets no reaction, “I won’t do it again.” He fishes the phone out from the clutter of magazines and takeout wrappers in the footwell and holds it like a promise.

Andrew thought Neil’s screams were the worst thing he had heard. But, as the following hour proves, his silence is much, much worse.

When the voices return, Andrew can tell by the echo that they’ve moved somewhere different. Tiled walls, if he had to guess, but beyond that, it could be anywhere. Muttered snatches of, where do you want him and dump him anywhere coming through with such dispassion that for a heart-stopping moment he thinks they’re talking about Neil’s corpse. But then the voices move off, and finally, a low, near-unrecognisable voice.

“Andrew.”

“Neil,” Andrew says, as though there’s any chance of Neil hearing him.

“I don’t know… I don’t know if the call connected. I hope it didn’t. I hope you didn’t have to hear…” Neil interrupts himself to hack up what sounds like half a lung. “I couldn’t hold it in. I’m sorry.” The plastic of Andrew’s phone casing cracks under the pressure of his grip. He barely notices Renee taking the exit from the highway.

“I don’t want to die a lie,” He continues, and Andrew has never hated him more for it. Will never hate anything or anyone as much as this for as long as he lives. “My name is Nathaniel Abram Wesninski. And I wasn’t thanking you for the game earlier. I was thanking you for the keys, the trust, the honesty, the kisses. I was thanking you for everything.”

Andrew stares ahead without seeing a thing. “No,” he whispers.

As though by some miracle he heard, the other end of the phone falls silent.

Then a door opens.

“Renee,” Andrew says urgently.

“We’re close.”

“Not close enough.”

“Hello, Junior.” A pause. A thud. A gasp of pain. “I said, hello.”

Neil’s voice – Andrew doesn’t care for Nathaniel, doesn’t care to let Neil slip from his grasp so easily – sounds as broken and terrified as Andrew has ever heard it. “Hello.”

“Look at me when I’m talking to you.” Neil’s father speaks with the same self-assured authority Luthor did, the same cool detatchment as Proust, the same subtle satisfaction as Drake. “Who told you that hiding in plain sight was a viable option? You had to know I would find you eventually.”

I did. The thought comes unbidden to Andrew, settling in his chest like a heartache that will choke him until he dies. Andrew doesn’t believe in regret, but this is as close as he’ll ever come. He didn’t know. He didn’t know Neil’s father was this. He wants to kill Neil for lying to him almost as much as he wants to kill himself for believing him.

“The only question that remains is how I’m going to kill you. I’ve had a couple of years to think it over but now I’m indecisive. I might skin you alive. I might take you apart one inch at a time and cauterize the wounds. I think no matter what I choose we are going to start by slicing the tendons in your legs.”

Metal scrapes against stone. There’s shouts, a clang, scuffling, a thump.

“Maybe we’ll do both,” Neil’s father continues. “Skin you an inch or two at a time and carve the flesh out from underneath. If we do it right, you might last all night.”

Andrew is thrown back to a crisp winter morning on a cold rooftop, surrounded by the smell of cigarette smoke and the icy burn of Neil’s eyes. I think about carving the skin from your body and hanging it out as a warning to every other fool who thinks he can stand in my way.

And what about the other ten percent of the time?

The answer doesn’t matter anymore. Andrew hit zero long ago.

“No,” Neil says.

“Lola, would you like the pleasure of crippling him?”

“Please,” says Neil. The word nearly stops Andrew’s heart. “Please don’t.” Then, “Andrew-”

And the line goes dead.

And something inside Andrew goes with it.

The phone hits the floor of the car with a distant thunk. Renee’s voice is white noise, syllables devoid of meaning.

“Keep going,” Andrew says.

The house is a hive of flashing lights when they arrive, police cars and ambulances and the flash-bulbs of photographers following the scent of blood. Bodies are being carried out on stretchers under white sheets, and Andrew tears through a police baricade like tissue paper.

Renee buys Andrew enough time to reach the nearest body, and the EMTs stumble back but can’t do anything to stop him without dropping the body. He hauls back a sheet, and his mind goes deadly blank as he sees piercing blue eyes, familiar auburn hair flecked with blood-

“Andrew?”

He turns.

Sitting in the ambulance at the bottom of the driveway, caked in bandages beyond recognition- but he would know that voice anywhere.

Andrew is lost.

Andrew is lost.

Andrew is found.

He flows to Neil like the river to the sea.

“You heard,” Neil whispers. There’s barely a part of him that’s safe to touch, so Andrew settles for the back of his neck, which is sticky with blood but otherwise untouched. “I’m sorry.”

“I’ll kill you,” Andrew replies, grip tightning, and Neil smiles, even though it must pain him to do so.

“Couldn’t let anyone else have the pleasure, could you?”

“Neil.” It’s as though every other word has flooded from his head at once.

Neil’s smile, already fragile, looks set to shatter. “My real name-”

“I don’t care.” The officers have made it past Renee, but they aren’t interfearing, which is good, because being arrested for assaulting an officer right now would be deeply inconvenient. And, because Andrew means what he says, he leans down and presses a kiss softer than he believed himself capable of to Neil’s lips.

Neil sucks in a breath, but not from pain, hands coming to rest on Andrew’s shoulders, too heavily bandaged to gain purchase. He pulls Andrew back in, and they kiss through the taste of blood and sweat and tears until there’s nothing left in his world but Neil.

“Neil Abram Josten,” Andrew repeats. It sounds like a prayer answered and a promise fulfilled.

Which it is.

*

[livingasaghost]

the foxes during pride let's GO

disclaimer: i know everybody has their own headcanons for what all the foxes' sexualities are so do not come at me if i give your character a different sexuality than you think they deserve! (except aaron that bitch is straight)

so obviously the foxes are Not Straight™️ (except aaron fuck that guy) which means the foxes during pride are just.....chaotic af....but also, it took them a while to figure out how not straight they are

they all decide they're going to the pride parade bc none of them have ever been and since they have so many Gays they need to support them and now that they're all friends it'll be way more fun

kevin does NOT want to go and argues about it for three days before andrew shuts him up

nicky is so excited that he asks erik to fly in just so they can go together

neil still doesn't really know a lot about pride since he didn't even realize he "qualified" since he "only likes andrew"

one night he shares his fears with renee because she seems like the only person on the team who understands his sexuality aside from andrew and she says that he seems like he's on the ace spectrum and that he definitely belongs in the community

neil spends the rest of the night on his computer looking up demisexuality and asexuality and a whole list of terms he never knew existed

the next day he shows andrew, happy to finally have a language to explain himself, and andrew just nods

as neil keeps talking and explaining romantic attraction, andrew starts to think that maybe he belongs a little on the aro spectrum...but he doesn't say anything. just keeps thinking.

eventually neil speaks up at one of the team's hangouts and shares that he's demisexual and he may also be questioning his gender

this sparks a huge conversation where everybody starts Questioning™️ and soon it's 2am and matt is sharing that he might actually be pansexual?

allison waves everybody off because "of course i'm not straight i never have been you guys just haven't noticed"

nicky gets very put out that so much of his team is Not Straight and they all acted like he was the odd man out for being gay

then allison decides to stir the pot a little more "actually, i've always had a crush on renee but i know that'll never happen"

which leaves renee and the entire team speechless

renee: "...i always though YOU were the one that was never gonna happen"

nicky: "WAIT? RENEE AND ALLISON LIKE EACH OTHER?"

matt: "andrew just won like $300"

nobody really knows what to do next, so allison and renee just kind of look at each other and the two of them silently agree to talk about it all later

nicky: "okay well y'all better spill the tea when you hook up because i want all the details"

dan shoves him off the couch

as the night wears on, kevin stays conspicuously quiet, and it isn't until almost everyone goes to bed that neil finally convinces him to open up

kevin: "the reason i told you that you shouldn't be homosexual is because.....i used to have a crush on jean"

even though neil doesn't really understand, he admits that jean does have a beautiful face and it's really really attractive when he speaks french

neil shares a little bit more about demisexuality and kevin wonders if maybe he falls on that spectrum somewhere...if maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if he wasn't entirely straight

after their Big Night of Sharing, dan talks with allison because "how did you know you actually liked girls?"

and the more allison starts to talk, the more dan realizes that all those girls she thought were pretty growing up.....weren't just women she admired

but she stills likes matt and she still finds some men attractive and she starts to realize that maybe she falls on the bisexual spectrum....or maybe just queer, she isn't sure yet

one day after practice wymack goes off on some tangent and eventually nicky spills that they're all going to the pride parade

wymack: all of you?

nicky, totally serious: okay, well, not aaron bc he's homophobic and he's also the token straight teammate

aaron: i am not homophobic

matt: i'm pretty sure you are

wymack almost asks about why they all want to go to pride because he's sure most of them are queer, but it's above his pay grade so he just tells them to have fun

almost everybody decides to dress up for the parade — kevin obviously refuses — and andrew surprises everyone by wearing armbands that are rainbow colored

neil tells andrew he doesn't care about dressing up but andrew buys him a rainbow shirt anyway

and then while they're getting ready allison insists on drawing a little demi flag on neil's cheek right over his scar and it makes neil feel like he finally belongs somewhere

nicky obviously goes all out and wears an outfit that matches eriks: short shorts, rainbow flag cape, rainbow socks, etc. he even wears heart-shaped pink sunglasses

the girls spend a few hours doing their make-up and they even convince matt to put glitter in his hair

renee gets a few disposable cameras for the occasion and spends the entire day taking cheesy photos of (and with) everyone to remember everything

halfway through the day neil looks over and sees allison and renee holding hands

at one point kevin gets recognized and people start asking him about his sexuality, wondering if he's just an ally and kevin almost bolts....but then he glances at neil, who's standing close to andrew...and he looks at nicky and erik....and then he notices allison and renee together.....and something in him just kind of snaps

kevin: "actually, yeah, i'm here because i'm bi. i'm bisexual."

the whole team just stares at him, most of them wearing proud smiles, and when the fans leave (inevitably about to share this news with the internet) they all gather into a group hug — even andrew — and congratulate kevin

and even though kevin keeps telling them to "GET OFF!" he's also secretly glad that he finally has people to accept him and love him no matter who he loves

andrew doesn't say anything the entire day, looking entirely unimpressed by the crowds and the parade, so neil pulls him aside at one point

neil doesn't expect him to say anything, just wants to give him space to breathe, but then andrew speaks up

andrew: i never thought it could be like this

neil: like what?

andrew: colorful

[pocketsedition]

aftg as cliche high school au

i got bored and was wondering how the foxes would work in american high school stereotypes and now i’m here so. yeah ignore it if it sucks <3

neil would of course be the popular-kid-who-doesn’t-wanna-be-popular

depending on who you are he could either be really nice to you or the biggest fucking asshole

he’s on the cross country team as well as soccer w kevin (duh)

he mainly hangs out w other ‘popular kids’ like matt allison seth dan and occasionally the vixens but like only because his group knows them

he also vibes with renee occasionally

andrew would be the quiet kid who’s actually an asshole especially to teachers and reads during class is that a stereotype? i think so

he’s also probably a gamer kid and he wears a bunch of rings yes youll see

i’ll get more about him later

aaron is that kid in biology who’s got an A+ throughout the whole class and it annoys the shit out of everyone because that shouldn’t be possible

kevin is a jock. yes he is

he plays soccer and does cross country (can you do those both at the same time) (i’m not a sports person)

(let’s say yes for the sake of this)

he’s also one of those history nerd kids 

you know who i’m talking about

nicky is a theater kid and he can actually sing really well

he just never stops

he knows he’s good at singing but it’s annoying walking out of math every day hearing a random song

seth and matt are both jocks and best friends (besides neil) but there are significant differences about them

yes they both were highlighters during middle school but that’s besides the point

seth is one of those kids who during gym is always like “dOnT bE a sOrE LoSeR” whenever your team loses but when his team loses he’s a pissbaby talking about how you cheated and just e w 

he also has pot brownies in the middle of class

he probably asks you for answers for the homework too

matt just vibes and probably accidentally hits the volleyball too hard but everyone loves him anyway

he absolutely sucks at most classes and will absolutely be like “ohHHH thank youu :D” when you help him like literally the puppy eyes give you no choice but to help him

allison is the regina. fuckin george of school

but like if you guys end up sitting together during chemistry and you aren’t a complete dickhead to her she’ll probably give you candy or just whatever she has on her

renee is quiet girl whos actually got good grades and popular girl (allison) highkey has a crush on her

dan is like middle ground like shes a sports girl

but shell willingly hang out with both quiet kids and popular kids

overall really nice

OKAYOKAY NOW

neil ended up getting set up with one of the vixens marisa

(i think that was that girl who neil took to the banquet and was like "why do i need your number" to ?)

anyways he keeps trying to be like "no." over and over but she simply Wont Have It

and then next thing you know hes running for homecoming king and hes this close to breaking his own arm to get out of it

so now. he has to find an outfit

meanwhile Quiet Goth™ andrew minyard and his twin brother aaron have their dad who has a fashion business (mom died in a catastrophic car crash)

and everyone knows this so theyre always asking for like. help and discounts and shit

he says no to all of them

except neil whos in need of an outfit and

very very pretty

like uhh who gave you the r i g h t to have that awkward smile ???

and those t h i g h s ?

so andrews like "eh whatever sure"

yes yes yes yes

and. they end up getting kind of close ?

it kind of astounds everyone

aaron hates it he has calculus with neil and neil has the audacity to be so good at math and just so happens to be the only person andrew helps ?

seth is confused because andrews the only person he cant beat in a good one v one of exy

but also andrew buys a bunch of pot brownies from him and ???? he doesnt know why bc he doesnt even look high most of the time

he gives them to security guards as bribery so he can keep his knives on him during school

and now neils just friends w him ????

and its going well

"so you don't wanna be popular" "...yeah" "then dont"

neil retorts with:

"so your telling me your dad runs a fashion business and you wear all black"

they go back and forth for like half an hour

andrew starts trying to teach neil how to play videogames

neil fucking sucks but he doesnt really care because andrews nice

and actually helping neil pick out his outfit is a fucking pain because he so pretty picky

andrew dies

anyways

neil starts opening up about how he doesnt actually like marisa and andrews like "tell her"

"i hav she just doesnt. listen >:("

andrew offers to but neil knows about the frog knives (yes the frog knives) and hes like hah nice try

they still have nights on the roof and cigarettes and secrets shared

so everything happens and it finally gets to marisas head that neil doesnt wanna go to homecoming (with her. that is)

its like 4 days before homecoming and he jsut snaps

"yaknow i get it—"

she ends up crying but neil doesnt care at this point shes finally off his back

lets face it he would not care that man has zero morals

and so its homecoming night and neils this close to simply Not Going

but matt and seth are on the football team and they have their game and he spent hours looking for a suit

so he goes to the game and he hangs out with the upperclassmen

deliberately avoids the team because theres ways vixens nearby and he cant deal with marisa rn

so he hangs out

he sees aaron in the stands and asks if andrews around aaron just shrugs

useless

and the games over matts team wins yay !!!

everyones happy

now its time for the dance

neils dreading it

he goes and tries to avoid the general public because Ew People

and he sees andrew hiding from the noise in a hallway with no people

theyre quiet until neil follows andrew out to the back of the school and to the middle of the empty soccer field

"you werent at the game"

andrew shrugs "i didnt care about the game"

"and you care about the dance?"

"aaron doesnt have his own car"

"mhm"

andrew rolls his eyes

its quiet and neils just looking at andrew

he kinda had a realization the other night with matts help

andrew simply stares back

"yes or no"

"yes"

kith :)

the school doesnt notice they’re a thing until andrew shows up to school one day wearing what may or may not be one of those wrist. sweatband thingies

im dumb i forgot what theyre called

and neil always has one of andrews rings on him and hes always fidgeting with it

anyways i might write a fic who knows not me❤️

[kevindayisafrog]

Part 7 of the Kevaaron thing

TW - homophobic slur towards the end

Kevin’s days merged together in a slow downward slope of practice, sleep and lessons. His grades slipped slightly as he couldn’t procure enough energy to pick up a pen, let alone write thousand word essays and extra notes on top. At practice the Foxes resented him more as his fraying anger caused him to snap easier and cause more fights than usual. Wymack tried to bench him for a week but got tired of Kevin’s complaints and decided to let him back on court to annoy the Foxes instead. All he wanted to do was sit alone in his room so could process his thoughts, but Andrew kept a closer eye on him so he couldn’t even go to the bathroom without questions being asked. He couldn’t breathe in the suffocated dorm and the pounding noise of the court made it worse. And on top of all this the press and Raven fans dragged Kevin and Jean ruthlessly, blaming Riko’s death on them and calling them all the names under the sun. But he couldn’t complain, the Foxes’ sympathy could only stretch so far; and that ran out after one of last week’s practices ended with Kevin and Matt ripping each other into pieces.

Kevin looked out the window of the car as Andrew speeded towards Columbia with the sweet taste of Eden’s on his mind. The car radio hummed in the background as Nicky filled them all in on the latest campus gossip, but Kevin couldn’t care less. He tapped his fingers against his thighs as they turned off the highway and towards the exit for Columbia. Kevin itched to get out of the cramped car and drown himself in the strongest drink that Eden’s could provide. Andrew pulled up outside Sweetie’s and Kevin practically fell out of the car to escape the closeness of the others. “Embarrassed to be seen with us, Kev?” Nicky got out of the car and flung an arm around Kevin’s shoulders as they made their way into the ice cream bar. Kevin tried to shake Nicky’s arm off but couldn’t manage to stop Nicky’s iron grip from squeezing his arms. “Let’s get the table in the corner”, Andrew led the group to the table and shot Nicky a death glare until he dropped his arm from Kevin’s shoulder. “What? You’ve got Neil, you can’t be too greedy”, he winked at Kevin before sliding next to Aaron on the pink leather booth. Kevin looked from pair to pair and decided that sitting with Andrew and Neil might be more comfortable than having Nicky’s hands brushing his under the table. “Yay, I get to see your face better”, Nicky smiled at Kevin before grabbing napkins and idly spinning them in a lazy circle. “Hi, what can I get you today?” a short black haired waiter approached the table with menus but Andrew waved him off and ordered their ice cream without looking at the man. “You don’t have to always be a dick”, Aaron muttered as the waiter left the table to fetch their orders. “I’m not looking for charity points”, Andrew lifted one leg onto the seat and rested his chin on it as he watched the other diners. Kevin watched him for a while before reaching over and snatching the napkins from Nicky, “can you stop fucking doing that. It’s annoying”. Nicky rolled his eyes and turned to face deadpan Aaron with a smile. “Am i the only happy one here?” he looked around at the stone faced monsters and laughed as Kevin threw the napkins at him. “Behave”, Aaron growled as the waiter returned with three sundaes. “I’ll just get the other two for you”, he smiled at them before turning and leaving for the kitchen. “I’m not really hungry”, Kevin muttered as he stared down at his ice cream with a sick feeling slowly crawling up his throat. “You can’t get drunk on an empty stomach, so if you’re planning to drink away your sorrows I’d advise you to shut up and eat”, Andrew waved his spoon in Kevin’s face before turning back to his own sundae and taking small bites. “Here you go, enjoy”, the waiter slid the last two sundaes to Aaron and Nicky and quickly left the table again. Kevin watched the others eat and felt as if he would pass out from the sight of the sugary food. “I will fucking force feed you”, Andrew turned slightly in his seat and picked up Kevin’s spoon as a warning. “Fine”, he snatched the spoon back and swallowed down a lump in his throat as he scooped up the ice cream. They all ate in silence until the last person, Neil, finished eating before Andrew shoved Kevin off the seat to leave the diner. Kevin waited for Neil to slide out before following the two out into the dark street.

Aaron watched blearily as Kevin knocked back drink after drink without a thought. He never cared much for Kevin’s well-being before, but he felt somewhat responsible now that Kevin had no one else to lean on. “Heya, Kev”, he grabbed Kevin’s wrist before he could drink and pulled it away, “wanna dance?” Kevin looked at him blankly as Aaron slid off his seat with a stumble and smiled at him with a lopsided grin. “Come on, chicken”, he let Kevin set his drink down before pulling him towards the dance floor by the wrist. “I don’t dance”, Kevin stood in the middle of the dance floor blushing as people moved all around him. “Come on, let loose”, Aaron grabbed Kevin’s other wrist and pulled him closer. “Just let loose”, he repeated as Kevin stood stiffly with darting eyes. “I might go back up to Andrew”, Kevin made a move to leave but Aaron pulled him down to his level. “Don’t leave me, I’ll teach you”, he pushed Kevin back up straight and started to slowly dance with a pleased smile. “I don’t think so”, Kevin let a rare smile creep across his lips as the pint sized boy opposite seemed to ‘let loose’. Aaron rolled his eyes and placed his hands on Kevin’s hips to move them side to side. “Why not? It’s fun”, he blinked up at Kevin’s swaying frame. “People will laugh”, Kevin’s smile faded as he looked at the dancers around him. “Who will laugh?” Aaron watched as Nicky made his way down the steps. “Everyone, they’re staring”, Kevin took a step back and knocked into a drunk girl who wolf whistled at him. “Sorry”, he whispered and stepped towards Aaron again. “Everyone’s drunk, dipshit, they won’t remember. Live a little”, Aaron started swaying to the music and smiled as Kevin shifted on his feet and began to slowly sway with him. “There you go”, he laughed and standed on his toes to place his stretched arms on Kevin’s shoulders, “loosen them shoulders, you giant”. They both laughed as Kevin slowly caved in and went for it. “Nice hip movement”, Nicky stumbled over and slapped Kevin’s ass, “I like what I see”. Aaron rolled his eyes and pulled Kevin closer. “He’s mine for the night, go find someone else”, Nicky stared blankly between Kevin and Aaron before nodding with wide eyes and moving away. “Someone needs to teach him boundaries”, Kevin spoke quietly so Aaron had to ask him to repeat it. Kevin laughed and leant down to speak in Aaron’s ear, “someone needs to teach him boundaries”, Aaron nodded and blushed at Kevin’s body so close to his. He tried to step back without making it obvious and stood on a woman’s foot. “Watch it, schoolboy”, she shouted at him as her boyfriend stood between Aaron and her. “Get your own girl, dwarf”, he sneered down at Aaron how raised his fist. “Or fucking what?” Kevin grabbed Aaron’s fist and pushed him behind him. “Are you standing up for that child?” The man glared Kevin up and down before laughing in scorn. “Oh, I see, you’re fag-“, Kevin didn’t let the man finish before punching him square in the face. The girl shrieked and leapt down to aid her battered boyfriend as Kevin pulled Aaron away by the hand.

“I’m sorry”, he shouted over the music once they were back up with the others at the table. “Sorry for what?”, Andrew leaned over the table to inspect Kevin’s cut hand. “Oh, Kevvie, violence is never the answer”, he leaned back in his seat and shook his head sarcastically. “Piss off, hypocrite”, Aaron glared at Andrew before turning back to Kevin’s slumped demeanor. “I could’ve handled it myself, you didn’t need to do that”. Kevin nodded quietly before whispering. “I’m sorry”. Aaron rolled his eyes and left the table to get ice. When he reached the bar he stared at the mirror on the wall and watched Kevin reach for another drink. “For fuck’s sake”, he bit his lip as Roland walked over with a smile. “Just ice, thanks”, he watched as Roland scooped ice into a rag and tied it up. “Andrew got in another fight?” he handed the ice to Aaron with a worried expression. “No, Kevin this time”, Roland nodded quietly as Aaron left without another word. “Use this you big baby”, he pressed the ice onto Kevin’s knuckle and took the drink from his other hand. “I was drinking that”, Kevin scowled at Aaron who knocked back the drink himself and placed it back on the tray. “I don’t care, you’ve had enough to last a lifetime”, he looked at Kevin’s confused glare and pressed the ice harder to make him wince. “I’m not having this conversation, not now”, he looked away to watch Nicky make a fool of himself on the dance floor and Aaron felt a heavy pull in his chest. He knew too well about addiction denial and knew what Kevin was thinking. “Well, we’ll talk about it later”, he let go of the ice and looked down at his thighs as Kevin grunted in reply.

[honestlyzenoouh]

The Friendship I never knew I needed

Okay, new headcanon time because I read a post about Aaron and Neil begrudging friendship, and now this thing won’t leave my brain. It sorta grew legs and kept on going, sorry. Featuring twinyard forced bonding, Neil being an asshole and Katelyn being sneaky.

Okay, so we know that Neil doesn’t really care for Katelyn. But like, sometime in Neil’s 3’rd year and the girls have left him he shows up to one of his maths classes and like, Katelyn is there??

Katelyn is super smart as well as athletic, the whole deal. And one time one of her TA’s were like, okay this class might actually challenge you, but won’t take up all of your time. Might be fun.

And Katelyn is like, alright imma try.

The first two weeks Katelyn doesn’t even notice she shares the class with Neil, it is that big.

When she does though, it’s because the professor is writing a thing on the board (it’s early, I don’t wanna do actual maths rn), slightly incorrect, and she really wants to point it out, but also doesn’t wanna be rude and affect her grade.

Neil doesn’t have such worries and just sorta not quite yell but loudly points it out... might’ve used a cuss word or two as well, whoops

Katelyn was like thank god someone said something, she was sat clinching all muscles not to say anything.

Then she clocks who said it and was like, huh, I might do something about this. He is someday gonna be my family so might as well start wearing him down now, instead of later.

Also, perfect excuse to actually start up a conversation, sharing a class.

So a couple of weeks after that, when Katelyn has had some time to think, and Neil thinks he’s safe, she strikes.

They are appointed some homework, and she has positioned herself so she can see Neils face in the lecture hall (without it being obvious) and Neil’s eyebrow pinch the tiniest bit together. Now is the time.

She gently approaches him a little sheepish, “could we maybe form a little study group for this class? I don’t really know anyone here, and I don’t really understand the concept for this bit”

Neil, a little suspicious but also completely lost on this subject “would you be able to meet in the library on Tuesdays at 4?”

She says yes of course and dances a bit internally.

The first like, 3 study sessions are completely awkward and stilted, but somehow they work really well together academically? Who knew?

It’s in the fourth meet-up that the ice breaks. Katelyn arrives a bit winded, with a half of cup of coffee and just starts to enthusiastically rant about this complete asshole who cut in line at the coffee place, and then the girl who tripped her on the way into the building but wouldn’t apologize and they got in an argument and then so on about every bad thing for the past week

And Neil is just hooked on her rant. He is reminded a bit of Dan and her ranting about sexist assholes in sports and he really misses her, but why should that stop him from making new friends?

So he stops fighting it and actually talks to the girl. Turns out, they have a lot in common. Including complaining about their significant Minyard. They love them, but oh my lord are they petty and annoying.

From there on out, Tuesdays becomes their hang out day. Even when the semesters over and they don’t have that class anymore. Just Katelyn and Neil becoming unlikely best friends (sorry Matt, it wasn’t on purpose), and telling each other everything. She is the first one outside of the foxes to see his scars.

She didn’t flinch. But she quietly seethes for days afterwards. Aaron tipped him off by complaining about Katelyns bad mood to Kevin (not that he cared) and he overheard it. They had a talk and only grew tighter.

Fast forward like, a year and a half, and Aaron really wanna meet this person. And Katelyn really wants her bf and bff to have a bond as well, but considering all of the bitching she hears about Josten this and Josten that, she had taking to keep referring to Neil as that person I meet in this class, or her nickname for Neil (it’s buggy, because he keeps on bugging her with more maths) to keep the peace.

Also, gender-neutral terms to keep the jealousy at bay. He’s not that bad, but better safe than sorry. Neil means a lot to her now.

But finally she snaps; “fine, you can meet buggy. But only if they agree to meet you too”

“Why wouldn’t they agree to meet your boyfriend?”

“You’re annoying, and I complain about you a lot.”

“You what?”

Anywayyyys.

Neil of course agrees, but only if he can bring Andrew as well. “He’ll play nice, I promise! No knives or hairpulling”

Aaron is really excited to finally meet Buggy. They really mean a lot to Katelyn and makes her happy. And who makes her happy, make him happy too

Andrew is very curious about Neil’s supposed new best friend. Turns out, Neil also hasn’t disclosed exactly who it is, but Andrew hasn’t outright asked him about it so.. It’s his own fault, really

The meeting goes a little like this:

Neil and Katelyn is at their weekly hangout, this time at a coffee shop around campus, and both text their S.M(significant Minyard) where to meet up. Andrew arrives first and just stands in the doorway when he catches sight of the twin redheads sitting and laughing about something. Neither has noticed him yet

Debating just walking out again, he hears a soft but earnest “are you fucking kidding me”

Turns out Aaron was just as surprised and lowkey mindfucked. They catch each other’s eyes and have their first mental conversation

“Well shit, now we have get along with each other’s S.R’s (significant redhead). Also did you know? No? Thank god I wasn’t the only one”

Katelyn turns around as her Aaron senses has gone off, and spies the twins just looking at each other totally defeated. Then turning to Neil like,

“Did you not tell Andrew about me? Because he is doing the same face Aaron is currently doing, and I didn’t tell him exactly who he was meeting today other than my best friend”

“Whoops, might’ve forgotten. They look kinda emotionally constipated... For how long do you think Aaron is gonna complain about it’s me?”

“Two weeks at least, how about Andrew with me?”

“He’s just gonna passive aggressively stare at me with snide comments every now and then until I buy him a tub of ice cream in apology. I give it 6 months for Aaron to laugh at I joke I made without making that face afterwards”

“You’re on, it’s gonna take him 9 at least”

It took 5 and a half months, and 2 years for Katelyn to get Andrew to huff his version of a laugh at all.

Just, Neil and Katelyn being besties and forcing the twinyards to accept and maybe even like each others S.R’s whilst also getting a better relationship out of it. Also; Aaron is now cursed into saying buggy instead of Josten or Neil, and he hates it. Until he doesn’t of course.

[senstia]

Hii!! I love your page!! Do you do headcanons? If so: drunk neil w the foxes and andrew?? Again i love your page!❤️❤️

Hi!! Thank you so much! People don’t ask for them often but i’m always happy to do them!!

-Pls excuse my terrible grammar, punctuation and writing in general loll im very bad

-but anyway i love drunk neil hes the cutest boy ever and neil will always have my whole heart (and Andrews)

Here you go!!

The foxes decided to play 21 questions. It was Allison and Nicky’s idea. Neil attempted to opt out but they would have none of that. Neil wasn’t one to drink and since Nicky and Allison’s version of 21 questions involved a lot of shots he wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about it. Losing control wasn’t something Neil was used to but all the foxes looked so happy and he knew Andrew would make sure he was safe so in the end he decided he’d play.

“Andrew your turn!” Nicky yelled enthusiastically. He may have pre-gamed the game a little bit.

“Not playing,” Andrew said. Neil was sitting on the floor below him looking nervously excited and already slightly flushed from the alcohol making its way through his system. Andrew wondered what kind of a drunk Neil was. Hopefully he wasn’t an angry drunk.

“Fine, fine i’ll go again. Ummmm lets see oooh oh i got one! Never have I ever kissed a girl before!”

Allison, Renee, Aaron, Matt and Kevin all downed their shots immediately. Neil frowned down at his drink but slowly tipped it back and swallowed.

“Wait pause, Neil you’ve kissed a girl before?” Matt asked. Andrew tried to hide the curiosity from his face as he looked down at Neil.

“A couple,” Neil mumbled, embarrassed.

“A couple?? Neil is a player! I’m offended you never told us! Must not have been that great since you decided to swing the other way huh?” Nicky blabbered.

Neil flushed bright red. “I already said I didn’t swing and I don’t. Those girls were nothing. Andrew is different.” Neil said. He knew the alcohol was making his tongue looser but there was no way for him to control it at this point.

“Different how?” Allison said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at Neil.

“Don’t answer that,” Andrew snapped at Neil.

“Well, i’m still offended. I thought I was your first kiss!” Nicky shouted. Apparently alcohol made Nicky louder than normal.

“Your first- what? You’ve kissed Neil?” Dan asked incredulously.

“Yeah well...” Nicky paused and looked up at Andrew. Andrew was leaned over closer to him and giving him a death glare.

“Go on Nicky,” Andrew said.

“Please don’t kill me,” Nicky squeaked out.

Andrew pulled a knife out of his armband and started twirling it in his hand. “Explain.”

Allison was continuously feeding Neil shots as they watched this confrontation.

“Well you see, we may or may not have kissed a few times the first time we took him to Columbia,” Nicky said, looking terrified.

“I thought I told you to keep your hands off him?” Andrew said, cocking his head.

“You told me to give him the cracker dust so I did!”

“I didn’t realize that included kissing,” Andrew said.

“Okay yeah so I may have taken advantage of the situation a little bit. But I mean come on can you blame me? Neil is beautiful, like male model beautiful. I just couldn’t help myself! And besides you weren’t even into him back then!”

Aaron wrinkled his nose in disgust at the words. Neil looked perplexed by the whole situation. Andrew looked murderous.

Andrew stared at him in silence with death in his eyes. He wanted to deny what Nicky had said but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t attracted to Neil back then, even with the hair and contacts.

“Oh. Oh. You were into him back then? I-I mean um well I thought you hated him when you two met?”

“I did.”

Nicky looked extremely confused and Andrew wanted to stab him so bad his hands were shaking.

“It’s called sexual attraction Nicky. Leave him be,” Renee said softly but not quietly.

Andrew glared at Renee but stayed silent.

“Right um I-I apologize. Please don’t kill me. Please.” Nicky said weakly.

“If you ever get anywhere near him again or compliment him like that again I will stab you in your sleep.”

Nicky squeaked and recoiled from Andrew but nodded his head vigorously.

Neil was just looking up at Andrew in wonder and awe. Andrew glanced down at him and raised his brows but Neil just kept staring. Andrew just rolled his eyes and looked away.

“Okay next round, Kevin’s turn!” Allison said.

The next few rounds went by with little to no drama and Neil knew he was completely trashed. Every thought he usually kept in his head was managing to make its way out of his mouth and he had no way to stop it. Andrew was always beautiful and Neil always loved him but it was like the alcohol was making every feeling he had for Andrew increase tenfold and he was having a really hard time trying to keep those feelings to himself.

Neil contented himself with staring at Andrew in awe. Sometimes he couldn’t believe how perfect his boyfriend was.

“Look at how he’s looking at him!” Allison loudly whispered to Renee happily.

Everyone in the room heard that and they all moved their attention to Neil. Neil was sipping a mixed drink and staring at Andrew like he put the stars in the sky. Andrew was trying as hard as he could to ignore this and was staring intently at the wall.

“Neil what are you looking at?” Allison said. She was an instigator at heart and loved seeing Neil fawn over Andrew. Neil looked over at the rest of the group like he hadn’t realized any other humans existed besides Andrew.

Neil sighed, “My boyfriend,” he said dreamily.

Nicky squealed and the only person who wasn’t grinning widely at Neil was Aaron. Even Kevin looked mildly amused. Andrew just looked down at Neil with a blank face.

“Why are you staring at Andrew Neil?” Nicky asked already getting excited by what his response might be.

“Because I love him,” Neil said with a huge smile on his face. Everyone was squealing and smiling at this and Aaron looked at Neil with something like disbelief on his face.

Andrew fought tooth and nail to keep his expression unreadable but he felt like his insides were being stuffed with sunshine.

“Stop that,” Andrew said and flicked Neil’s nose.

Matt frowned at this. He knew Neil knew what he was doing and he was sure Andrew was different when they were alone but he did think Neil deserved someone who could be a little more affectionate.

Neil noticed Matt’s frown and stage whispered, “Don’t worry Andrew says he loves me all the time, he just doesn’t show anyone else his soft side.”

Everyone started cracking up laughing at this. Neil peeked up at Andrew hoping he didn’t anger him. His mouth was getting really hard to control at this point.

“Sorry,” Neil whispered to Andrew.

Neil was looking at Andrew with the biggest puppy eyes and Andrew knew he was so screwed. Andrew thought to hell with it and brought his hand to Neil’s cheekbone. Neil nodded happily at Andrew and Andrew began stroking his cheek. He leaned in and softly brushed his lips against Neil’s. Neil let out a contented sigh and melted into the kiss. After a moment Andrew pulled back to look at Neil.

Neil pouted, “More,” he whined.

Andrew rolled his eyes. “You’re drunk.”

“Drew I want, I want...” Neil said helplessly.

“What?”

Neil leaned close to Andrew’s neck and paused. Andrew muttered a soft yes and Neil brushed his lips against Andrew’s neck. “All of you,” Neil whispered.

Andrew stood abruptly and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge.

“Drewww,” Neil whined loudly.

“Oh my god, oh my god. He has a nickname for him! I’m gonna die it’s so cute,” Nicky said excitedly nudging Kevin over and over to get him to watch Neil and Andrew. Matt, Dan, and Allison were all squealing in excitement at the spectacle and Renee was smiling quietly.

“Drink,” Andrew said and shoved the water bottle into Neil’s hand.

“Does this mean we can have sex?” Neil said excitedly. Aaron choked on his drink and cringed at this.

Andrew lightly smacked Neil on the side of his head. “Shut it. Drink your water.”

“Drewww.”

Andrew glared at him, “What?”

Neil scooted up closer to Andrew’s seat and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, “You’re really really beautiful.”

“If you’re trying to seduce me it’s not working,” Andrew said.

Neil cocked his head to the side dramatically. “Last time I said that you let me-“ Andrew put his hand over Neil’s mouth and Neil kept speaking beneath it.

“Finish that sentence and you’re sleeping on the floor.”

Andrew took his hand off Neil’s mouth thinking Neil was done but Neil finished his sentence aloud.

“-under five minutes, so I thought it worked,” Neil finished.

Nicky opened his mouth to say something and Andrew glared at him. “Say one word and you’re dead.”

Everyone was attempting to keep their laughs under control as Neil talked to Andrew.

Andrew got up again and Neil whined in protest. “Calm down i’m just getting you more water,” Andrew said as he stalked off.

Andrew came back and handed Neil another water bottle.

“Drewwww,” Neil said. Andrew just stared at him with raised brows.

“I love you. You’re the best person in the wholeeee wide world. And you’re also really really pretty. And your arms are super muscular. And you have beautiful eyes. And your hair is super soft. And I love that tiny freckle you have on your a-“ Andrew smacked his hand over Neil’s mouth again.

Andrew picked Neil up bridal style and growled, “We’re leaving.”

As Andrew walked out of the apartment with Neil in his arms Neil looked over his shoulder and waved happily at the foxes.

All the foxes just laughed at Neil and waved back at him.

Andrew plopped Neil down on their bed and stared down at him. Neil couldn’t remember anything he had just said but he had a hunch he had said some things he shouldn’t have.

“I’m sorry,” Neil said softly, wishing he was sober right now for about a hundred different reasons. The water had made it into his system enough that he was more aware of everything around him but he still felt off.

“Shut up. Yes or no?”

“Yes. Always yes,” Neil said breathlessly.

Andrew just sat down next to Neil on the bed and kissed him once softly on the lips. Neil sighed.

“Are you mad at me?” Neil asked.

“No. I love you.”

“Hug. Yes or no?” Neil asked.

Andrew just nodded and Neil wrapped him in a tight embrace. They stayed wrapped in each others arms for long minutes and right before Neil pulled back he whispered, “I love you too,” against Andrew’s neck.

Andrew got his answer. Neil was a sappy drunk.

[jemej3m]

Dare You

anon asked:

If your still doing prompts... What about if Neil and Andrew are friends and Neil figures out that he likes Andrew and asks his friends how to woo him and then Andrew has to deal with Neil's terrible attempts at wooing. But everything neils doing is the same thing that Andrews been doing but in his own way? Idk, the idea just won't leave me alone and I'd love to see how amazing you could write it. Love your writing besides, it always makes my day :)

also on ao3!!

*

Neil and Andrew had been friends for 5 years when they have their first kiss. 

The context? Neil’s small-town friends had all found themselves at the same university. Obviously, they banded together. Obviously, there were parties. Neil’s not a party person himself, but he loved his eclectic family and wanted spend time with them whenever he could. He’d moved to Palmetto when he was 13 with his mother, and as the youngest of the group, watched as the rest of them moved on from middle school to high school, and then from high school to college. 

But now they were all back together again. 

Thus developed his (mild) enjoyment of Allison or Nicky’s chaotic fiascos, which were technically parties, just lacking any rhyme or reason. 

Andrew wasn’t a party person either: in high school, he, Neil and Renee would have movie nights instead, waiting for the rest of them to stumble home in drunken stupors. 

He still tagged along to these gatherings, though. Maybe because Neil and Renee were now commonly in attendance. Neil didn’t think that Andrew would come just for Neil, but he hadn’t worked out why Andrew had become so inclined to participate. Maybe because Aaron was there, and they were trying to patch things up with one another. Their mother’s accident had really put a rift between them. 

“Are you playing?” Allison demanded. “Neil, you’re playing. Renee’s managed to convince Andrew to play, so you’re playing.” 

“Fine,” Neil mused, mostly to appease the inebriated monster that Allison was. No attention was paid to him in these drinking games, mostly because he didn’t drink, but also because he didn’t do anything too unreserved. 

“Great!” she cheered, slinging an arm around his shoulder and brought him to the circle. He automatically took his seat next to Andrew, and felt his friend lean closer. 

Friend was a loose term. Neil and Andrew were almost attached at the hip: When Neil’s mom had died two years ago, Andrew snatched him away and got a spare mattress in his bedroom till Neil had enough money to afford rent somewhere. Andrew was the only one who knew every horrific detail of Neil’s violent childhood, and the only one who’d seen the scars left by his dead-beat dad. Neil was the only one who knew everything about Andrew, too. 

“Spin the bottle, Allison?” Dan leered as the girl put an empty beer bottle in the centre of the circle. Everyone was there. “We’ve got family members here!” Aaron mimed a retching action as Nicky laughed, clapping loudly. 

“It’s just to pick who has to do truth or dare,” Allison retorted, waving the bottle in Dan’s face. “You wanna go first, huh? I’ll pick out your dare for you, Wilds. A personal attribute!”

“No way,” Dan laughed, leaning back into Matt’s shoulder. The guy was half asleep: alcohol did that to him, sometimes.

“Fine, I’ll spin it,” Allison huffed. With a little too much vigour, she flicked the neck of the bottle, sending it spinning wildly. 

And of course, it had to land on Neil. 

“First of the night!” Nicky crowed. 

“Neil’s just going to pick truth,” Allison complained. “And make us all sad.”

Neil grinned at her. “Not my fault you grew up in a guilded bubble.” 

“Shut the fuck up. Choose!”

Neil hummed, cocking his head to the side. 

“Don’t do something stupid,” Andrew warned under his breath. 

“Dare,” Neil said. 

“Here we go,” his best friend sighed. 

“Fuck yeah,” Allison grinned. “What should we make you do, hm? We all know you can and will eat anything without even flinching, no clothes-off, no alcohol...” 

“Maybe he should go try and steal something,” Kevin slurred. “He’s good at it. Fuckin’ hot-wired a car once, for the hell of it.” 

“Fuck off, Kevin,” Neil managed, ignoring the incredulous looks that the others were giving him. 

“When the hell did you manage that?” Dan demanded. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.” 

“He should kiss Andrew,” Matt mumbled, burrowing his face into the crook of Dan’s shoulder. No one heard him. 

“We should see if he can jump from the dorm roof!” 

“No,” Andrew said. 

“He should shotgun three Caprisuns,”

“Too easy!”

“Fine, five!” 

“He should kiss Andrew,” Matt repeated, sitting up and blinking the sleepiness away. 

The circle grew quiet. 

“Yeah,” Allison breathed, grinning wildly. She looked to Neil. “You’ve gotta kiss Andrew.” 

Neil glanced at Andrew, whose gaze was hooded as he glared at the been in his hand. 

“I’m not doing that if Andrew doesn’t want to,” Neil said. 

Andrew shrugged. “I don’t care.”

“See?” Allison said, gesturing wildly. “Pucker up, Josten.” 

“Well, this isn’t how I expected this to go,” Neil muttered. Andrew looked up at him, something making his eyes sparkle. “Tonight, I mean.” 

“Right,” Andrew said. “Well? Hurry up.”

Neil hadn’t kissed many people before. Andrew knew that all too well: he’d heard about all three of Neil’s dating disasters in meandering rants about expectations and Neil’s lack of interest in - well, anyone, really. 

He was overthinking this. It was just a kiss. 

“And no measly pecks, either!” Dan insisted.

Andrew didn’t care. It was just a kiss.

Neil felt all stiff and awkward, because he had no idea what he was doing, but it was fine, because Andrew was tilting his head and lifting up his hand to press his fingertips to Neil’s cheek, tilting up his chin a bit. Neil let him. 

When Andrew drew back, all Neil could think was that his lips were so soft. So soft. Everything about the kiss had been feather light, which wasn’t like Andrew at all. 

Neil learned new things about Andrew every day. 

“Happy?” Andrew said, facing the circle once more. Allison was cheering as Nicky and Aaron gave each other all-knowing side eye: Dan was clapping, and Matt was looking right at Neil with his head tilted to the side. “Now: go pick on someone else.” 

“Someone your own size, might you say?” Nicky teased. Andrew flipped him off. 

It had been a nice kiss, Neil thought. He didn’t know Andrew could kiss like that. 

“You with us, Neil?” 

Neil glanced up and found everyone looking at him. “Yeah? Why?” He frowned. “Did it land on me again?” Did he have to kiss Andrew again? He didn’t want to: not in front of everyone, at least. 

Wait, what?

“You’ve been spared for now,” Allison grinned. Neil flipped her off. 

And that was Andrew and Neil’s first kiss. 

*

Neil burst into Matt and Kevin’s dorm room - obviously, he and Andrew shared one, and Aaron was in the fancy dormitory for academic scholarship students - in a small frenzy. 

“Hey,” he told Kevin, who was sitting on his bed minding his own business. “Fuck off.” 

Kevin glared at him. “You realise this is my room?”

Matt took off his headphones, looking over his shoulder from the tiny desk he’d crammed in at the end of his bed. It was comedically small in comparison with his gargantuan frame. 

“Please?” Neil begged. “I need to talk to Matt.” 

“Why can’t I hear it?” Kevin demanded. “I’ve literally known you longer than anyone else. We used to watch each other shit in toddler potties, Neil.” 

That was true. Still, Neil needed Matt, his not-childhood friend. 

“Dude,” Matt said. “Neil and I are bros. Somethings are just bro to bro. You talk to Andrew about shit you don’t talk to Neil about, yeah? Y’all are like brothers. That’s different from being bros.”

“None of that made sense,” Kevin muttered, packing up his shit. He glared at Neil. “I’ll be in the common room. You’re making up for this by editing my thesis.” 

“Looking forward to it,” Neil said dryly, ushering Kevin out the door and leaning against it, feeling a little breathless. 

Matt jumped onto his bed, patting the spot next to him. “Come hither, child.” 

“I hate it when you say that,” Neil complained, dutifully crossing the tiny room and curling up into a ball on the mattress next to him. Matt patted him on the shoulder gently, though it still managed to send shocks right to his fingers and toes. Matt was just a big guy. 

“What’s this all about?” Matt pushed, when Neil stayed in a curled ball. 

Neil’s head flopped back, thudding against the wall. He swallowed, staring at the ceiling. 

“I like Andrew.” 

“Well, that’s good news,” Matt laughed. 

“No, Matt.” Neil glared towards the window. “I think I’m in love with Andrew.” 

“Yes,” Matt said earnestly. “I know.” 

Neil’s neck nearly snapped what with how fast he looked at Matt. “What?”

His friend snorted. “Dude, you’ve always been infatuated with him. We’re best friends, Neil. You and Kevin are best friends. Do you really want to go cuddling up with either of us, like you do with Andrew? Do you spend hours with either of us at a time, just talking? Do you dream about us? Have you told us everything about you?”

“How do you know I’ve done those things with Andrew?” Neil accused, even though he was completely right. 

Matt shrugged. “That’s how I am with Dan.” 

“We’ve cuddled,” Neil said weakly. 

Matt slung his arm around Neil’s narrow shoulders. It was like wearing a blanket. “Hell yes, we have. But that’s not what I mean.” 

“We don’t do that.” 

“Head out of the gutter, bucko. Remember that photo Allison managed of the two of you? Asleep on the couch? You were literally asleep on Andrew’s chest: one of his legs was hooked over your hip. That’s some serious canoodling, bro.” 

“You’ve analysed us that intensely,” Neil said flatly. 

Matt snorted. “It’s kinda hard not to. You’re both all over each other. I’d say it’s sweet if it wasn’t, well, you and Andrew.”

“So if you knew I liked him,” Neil complained. “Why’d you dare me to kiss him? Now I’m aware of it, and I hate it!”

“That was kinda the point,” Matt admitted. “Why the hell do you hate it? Love is a good thing!” 

“Need I remind you of my parents?” 

Matt shoved him gently. “Don’t start pulling the parent card. Neil, you’ve loved Andrew for years. And - well, I can’t really read him, no one can - I think he likes you back.” 

“He does not,” Neil insisted. 

“He does!” Matt sung. “You know what you have to do now, Josten?”

“No,” Neil said, sullen. 

“You’ve gotta woo him.” 

“Here we go,” Neil mumbled. 

Matt winked. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you. Andrew will be head over heels for you in no time.”

*

“So,” Neil said, sitting on his bed. Andrew was reading a book, his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. He only wore them in their room, even though everyone knew Aaron had reading glasses and thus Andrew would have to wear them too. He had his armbands off and a pair of knitted socks on. Neil had become so keenly aware over everything that constituted of Andrew recently: it was driving him up the wall.  

Andrew looked at Neil from over his book. “What?” 

Neil shrugged. “I don’t know. Do you want to go somewhere?” 

Andrew glanced at his watch. “Now?” 

Neil shrugged again. 

“What’s this about?” Andrew asked, sitting up.

“Nothing!” Neil stressed. “Just thought it might be good to - get out?” 

“It’s a Tuesday evening,” Andrew said flatly.

Neil deflated. “We don’t have to go.” 

Andrew sighed. “Fine.” Neil perked up. “Where did you want to go?” 

Neil hadn’t thought that far ahead. “David’s?” 

“David’s,” Andrew repeated. “Neil, you don’t like diner food.” 

“Well, now I do!” He really needed to stop the hiccups in his voice. Stuffing his feet into his shoes, he yanked on his coat and shoved his keys and phone into his pocket. 

“Now I’m even more suspicious,” Andrew said, watching Neil’s erratic behaviour with mild amusement. “You’ve never willingly taken that phone with you unless I forcefully reminded you too.” 

He needed it to text Matt. “We all learn and grow,” he said breezily, escaping out the door. “Hurry up, I want coffee!” 

“It’s nearly fucking midnight,” Andrew growled. 

He skipped ahead till he arrived at the dorm’s parking lot: Andrew’s was in the corner, where it couldn’t be scratched. After his mother’s death he’d used his portion of her life insurance to buy the thing, but it hadn’t got him more than a heap of junk. He’d spent a whole summer fixing it up: Neil had watched him from the corner of his garage, a little mesmerised. 

Fuck, he liked Andrew so much. He could hardly contain it within himself. 

He switched the radio to Andrew’s favourite channel as they drove to David’s, an old diner on the corner of campus. It was run by a grouchy old man by the name of David Wymack, hence the name. He served the only pancakes Andrew would speak well of, and sometimes Neil could withstand the fruit smoothies. 

Andrew glanced over at Neil at the music choice - Neil almost always usually bickered with him about playing heavy rock when it got past 9 o’clock - but said nothing, continuing to drive. 

There was almost no one in David’s when they arrived, even though he usually shut at one. Neil was relieved for that: he didn’t feel like anyone watching him as he failed miserably at wooing Andrew Minyard.

Andrew got his pancakes and Neil decided to try the blueberry smoothie, sans ice cream. 

“What is wrong with you,” Andrew muttered. 

It clearly wasn’t going well. Neil grimaced and shrugged. “Dunno.” 

Andrew squinted at him. “Are you upset?”

“What? No!”

“Can you bozos stop wasting my time?” Wymack huffed. 

“Fuck you too, old man,” Andrew said. Wymack flipped him off and proceeded to put an extra scoop of ice-cream onto Andrew’s plate. Their relationship was baffling, especially after Andrew worked the summer here with Renee. 

They sat at a corner table, a little ceramic jug with plucked daisies plonked in the centre of the red-and-white chequered table cloth. 

“You seem jittery,” Andrew said. 

“I’m fine,” Neil managed. Andrew reached out with his hand under the table to stop Neil’s leg from bouncing. The heat from his palm was addictive. Neil made a strange squawking noise, and Andrew immediately withdrew his hand. 

“You’re fine,” Andrew repeated. 

“Yup,” Neil insisted. Andrew’s pancakes arrived, so Neil tried to distract himself from the ruffled blonde hair and pale eyelashes and the freckles on his nose, sipping at the smoothie. Neil didn’t know what to do with that information. It was quite unnerving. 

They were done by half-past-twelve, when Andrew decided to get up and leave without warning. Neil - in a moment’s panic - took one of the daisies from the jug and hopped up after him. 

Andrew was leaning against his car door, lighting up two cigarettes. Moonlight shone down, curling in his hair and curving across his jaw. Neil found himself a little star struck. 

Andrew offered up the second cigarette and Neil took it from between his fingers with his lips, like he usually did. This time all he could notice was how close it put them, and the shape of Andrew’s lips. Now Neil knew what they felt like, too. 

This is ridiculous, Neil thought. 

“Why are you holding a flower?” Andrew asked. 

Neil looked down to where the daisy rested in his palm. He brought it up and tucked it behind Andrew’s ear. The tips of Andrew’s ears went very pink: he had to be warm in that large sweater of his. 

“Don’t know,” Neil answered truthfully, looking at where the daisy drooped down over the shell of Andrew’s ear. 

“Okay,” Andrew managed, though his voice was a bit strained. What if he was allergic to daisies? No, that was ridiculous. Neil would know if he was allergic to daisies. 

They finished their cigarettes in the quiet. Everything was so muddled. Neil just wanted it to go back to normal. And yet: he wanted to kiss Andrew. 

Fucking hell, he thought. 

*

“Back to the drawing board,” Neil announced, bursting into Matt’s dorm room again. Kevin wasn’t there, thankfully. 

Matt arched his brow. “Huh?”

“Date and flowers didn’t work. What the hell do I do?”

His friend hummed. “What about gifts? Is there something you could give him that’s romantic?” 

“He likes chocolate?” Neil hedged.

“Could work,” Matt acknowledged. “Or, you know, we could make him jealous.”

“Absolutely not,” Neil grimaced. 

“Just a thought.” 

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Neil groaned, sinking into a puddle on the floor. 

The door opened as Kevin stepped through. He didn’t even pause, stepping right over where Neil had melted onto the floor. 

“Don’t mind him,” Matt acknowledged. 

Neil made an exasperated noise. 

“Have you always been so dramatic?” Kevin acknowledged. 

“Maybe you could recite a monologue to him,” Matt suggested. 

Kevin frowned. “Who?” 

Before Neil could shush him, Matt sung out “Andrew!” with a cheerful smile. 

Kevin signed. “Fucking finally. Everyone’s been waiting years for the two of you to sort yourselves out.” 

“What?” Neil sat up. “Are you serious?” 

Kevin shrugged. “It’s pretty obvious.” 

“For fuck’s sake,” Neil groused. 

“He’s trying to woo Andrew into liking him back,” Matt informed Kevin. 

Kevin frowned. “Why don’t you just tell him that you like him?”

“Because that’s mortifying?” 

“You’re such a horribly adjusted human being,” Kevin muttered. 

“He’s kinda right,” Matt acknowledged. “I just kept asking Dan on dates till she accepted.”

“No,” Neil hoisted himself to his feet. “I’ll figure it out. It won’t have to come to that.” He glared at both of them. “Thanks for nothing. Neither of you know anything about relationships.” 

“We are both in committed, loving, long-term partnerships,” Kevin pointed out. 

“Love you too!” Matt called as Neil stomped out.

*

Neil eventually developed a checklist. 

Spontaneous midnight date? Nope. Flowers? Definitely a no. Making him a mixtape? Not the right decade. 

Accompanying him places definitely didn’t work: Neil was late to all his classes for a week. Cooking for two also didn’t work, seeing as the only thing Neil could cook was 2 Minute Noodles. 

Chocolates was a moderate success, but it probably didn’t help the wooing cause. It didn’t help that they roomed together: Neil didn’t get much time to scheme, because neither of them were social butterflies, and their dorm room was their safe space. 

The only thing he thought could’ve been counted a success was when they decided to rewatch the last two Harry Potter movies together: Andrew yanked Neil over to his bed and they nestled into the corner to watch the films from Andrew’s laptop. Neil was so consumed by the thought kiss him kiss him kiss him that he barely registered either of the films. 

One month passed since Neil’s epiphany, then one and a half: It even got too the point that Neil jostled Andrew’s shoulder at another of Allison’s ‘parties’ and said “Remember the last time she made us participate?” to which Neil only received an odd look and stale silence.

He also tried to rig one of Allison’s silly games, giving Andrew a piece of paper that asked do you like someone? Andrew set the thing on fire with his lighter, and the dormitory nearly had to be evacuated.

Neil was beginning to lose hope. 

“You upset, Neil?” Renee asked, dropping into the chair next to him. He was studying in the library, one of the few places he knew Andrew wouldn’t follow. 

“Hi, Renee,” Neil said, sullen. 

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She twisted herself around to face him. “What’s up?”

“Can’t talk to you about it,” Neil mumbled, resting his head on his folded arms and glaring at the table. 

“You know,” Renee said, slightly amused. “I overheard something about someone being interested in Andrew recently.”

Neil sat up. “You did? Who?” He’d fight them. Not that he was possessive, or jealous. 

Renee laughed. “You, silly.” 

Neil deflated. “Does everyone know? I feel like I was the last one to figure it out.”

Renee patted his shoulder gently. “Almost the last one.”

“What do you mean?”

“Andrew doesn’t know.”

“Good,” Neil huffed out. “That’d be embarrassing.”

Renee shook her head. 

“He’s never going to like me back,” Neil mumbled. “I’ve been trying so hard, but he won’t notice.”

“He did mention you were acting odd, recently,” Renee acknowledged. 

Neil huffed. “Yeah, well. There’s no point in keeping it up, is there? Not if nothing will happen.”

“You know,” she said. “I always found clarity in honesty.” With that, she winked and slid off her stool. “See you around, Neil.”

“Yeah,” Neil muttered. “See you.”

*

Neil dressed quickly in the shower stall and hooked his towel over his shoulder, carrying his small caddy back to his room. He was wearing old pyjamas: fire-engine truck flannels with one of Matt’s oversized (or normal sized, for him) hoodies that went all the way to his fingertips. He shook out his wet hair as he traversed from the bathroom back to his dorm room and shouldered his way in, the door unlocked. That meant Andrew was back. 

And back, Andrew was: facing the wall, he was tugging off a turtleneck sweater and yanking on a t-shirt that Neil recognised as his: he’d already changed into grey sweats that were too long for him, hanging around the ankles. 

Neil slowly put his soap back onto his little shelf, hanging his towel on a wall hook. Andrew glanced over his shoulder at him, acknowledging Neil’s presence, before going back to unpacking from his day and readying for bed. 

Neil felt sucker-punched. 

“Andrew?” 

He glanced back again, brows furrowing at Neil’s strange tone. “What?”

When Neil couldn’t answer, he dropped what he was doing and came closer. His fingers curled in Neil’s collar, tugging him closer. 

“You’re pale as shit,” he commented. “Are you going to collapse?”

“I’m already falling,” Neil joked weakly. 

“What?”

“What?”

Andrew stepped back. Dammit, Neil thought. “What the hell is going on, Neil? You’ve been acting fucking weird for ages, now.”

“I really like you,” Neil breathed out. 

Andrew froze. 

“I wasn’t meant to say that,” Neil bit out, folding his arms over his chest. “But I can’t get over it. Ever since we kissed I’ve been kinda losing my mind, and everyone’s told me I’ve liked you for years -” 

“Shut up,” Andrew said fiercely, stomping right up into Neil’s space, crowding him against the door.

“Um,” Neil mumbled, blinking. 

“You’re the worst,” Andrew hissed. “You’ve been doing all this shit because you like me? I thought you were working up to telling me you were leaving!”

“What?” Neil echoed. 

“Shut up,” Andrew complained. “You’re the fucking worst. I hate you.” 

And then he kissed him. Andrew kissed Neil, that is. It was definitely one of the best moments of Neil’s life, which wasn’t saying much, considering his track record. Still, Neil’s fingers spread out across Andrew’s shoulder blades as his hands grasped Neil’s jaw, kissing him for real, this time. 

Neil had been right: it was definitely better when there was no one else watching. 

Andrew’s shoulders were hunched over when he fell back, pressing his forehead to Neil’s shoulder. 

“You like me?” Neil asked, voice higher and breathier than he thought he could manage. “Since when?”

“I hate you,” Andrew retorted. Then, quieter, he said: “Since forever.” 

Neil’s hands pressed him closer: this wasn’t unfamiliar, the proximity, Andrew’s touch, breath wafting over bare skin. But the warmth encompassing it made sense now. 

“Okay,” he said. And then: “Me too.”

“Were you trying to woo me with 2 Minute Noodles?” Andrew inquired.

“No,” Neil said sheepishly. 

Andrew shook his head, tilting Neil’s head down for another kiss. Then he signed against Neil’s lips. “I hate you. So much.” 

Neil grinned.

*

HEEHEEE

[tomiokai]

Agent Reid || Spencer Reid

Masterlist

A/N: I honestly have nothing to say but I write too much and I can’t stop as much as I try. When I watch anything I always have to do do something else along so when I watch CM I also write these.  When I was first writing this I was going to set this all in one day but then halfway through I decided I wanted this to take place in a series of days so low and behold I deleted the whole thing and started over. Enjoy.

Please don’t copy my works, but if you do want to use it as inspiration please give me credit, at least tag me. I do read a lot and when I see my ideas getting stolen and then turned into new stories it really hurts me.

Summary: Y/n loves teasing Spencer by calling him Agent instead of Doctor. 

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Category: Fluff

Warnings: Extreme fluffiness. Some innocent teasing. Maybe it gets Kinky. 

Word Count: 2.0k

_

Day 1 at the BAU

The first time it happened it was simply a mistake. It was my first day at the BAU and I was simply a rookie. 

I walked behind JJ as she showed me around the BAU, the conference room, Hotch’s office, Rossi’s office, Garcia’s den, and finally my desk, that was also with a bunch of other peoples workspaces. JJ told me that we all worked as a team and I nodded along. JJ was very nice to me and acted as if I was her own child, perks of being young and likable I had thought to myself. At 8 o’clock sharp everyone started filing in. Before everyone poured in tho JJ had warned me I would be the youngest of the group which meant I was going to be the baby of the team. 

 I meet Aaron Hotchner first, he was as you would suspect the “alpha” man he gave me boss vibes, let’s be honest. He seemed nice enough but I could tell he was going to work me hard for the first few months. 

Then I got to meet Derek Morgan, he, on the other hand, was not as uptight as Hotch, he seemed chill but he did warn me I better do my best but also be safe. I already could tell he and I are gonna get along well. He was cool.

Next was Penelope Garcia. She was the biggest sweetheart ever! She definitely had the best style. She wore funky clothes that I loved. She instantly loved me but I suspected she snooped through my personal life before she liked me, but can I blame her. 

Next was the supermodel Emily Prentiss. She wasn’t a supermodel but she might as well be one. At first she was cold to me, like very cold to me, but you know like all ice they melt and now I proclaim Emily as my second mom besides JJ.

Then came David Rossi. He was very nice and funny. He acts tough all the time, but we all know on the inside Rossi is a big softie, he’s like a teddy bear. I proclaim him as my father. I think that since I am the youngest of the bunch I can proclaim anyone as my mother or father. Period. 

The last person walked in through the doors and I felt like I was drooling let’s be honest. He was tall had dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. He was dressed in a purple dress shirt with black dress pants and a dark grey cardigan. In my eyes he was beautiful. 

JJ and I walked up to the beautiful man and she introduced us. 

“Y/n this is Spencer Reid, and Spencer this is Y/n  Y/l/n.” JJ introduced. 

“Hi, Agent Reid,” I said sticking my hand out for a handshake. First mistake I made.

“It’s actually Dr. Reid and I don’t do handshakes, It’s actually safer to kiss,” Spencer responded waving at me instead of taking my hand. 

I looked over at JJ but she turned around to hide her laughing face. 

I looked back to DR. Reid and lowered my hand. “Okay Dr Reid. Nice to meet you.” I responded going on my tippee toes to kiss his right cheek. 

When I pulled away he looked shocked and I just laughed. “See you around Doctor.” I smiled and walked away with an innocent look on my face, but not before I saw Derek pat his back and mumble, “You should really try fixing you introductions kid.” 

-

Day 9  at the BAU

The second time I called Spencer ‘Agent Reid’ it had accidentally slipped out. We had finished a successful case and I went in for a hug with Spencer. Spencer and I had gotten close over a week’s worth of time, he and I had become very good friends. We would often go to 24-hour cafe’s and we would talk about books and anything we were interested in over coffee. 

“Good job Agent Reid. You did great,” I said to Spencer as soon as I saw him walk through the door to the Philadelphia police station.  

Spencer hugged me back tight but when we pulled back Spencer looked at me sternly. “Remember Y/n it’s DOCTOR Reid not AGENT Reid.”

I let go of him with a small laugh and winked at him. “Okay doctor, I’ll watch my mouth,” I laughed.

Later that night when we landed back in Virginia we went to our favorite cafe together and talked till 12:47 in the morning before the manager kicked us out because we were “too loud”.

Day 68 at the BAU 

It slipped again. It was an accident I swear! We just arrived in a small town in Canada and it was my job to introduce everyone to the deputy. 

“Hi, I’m SSA Y/n  Y/l/n,” I said walking into the police and shaking the deputies hand. 

“This is SSA Aaron Hotchner,” I said pointing at Aaron. “This is SSA Derek Morgan,” pointing at Derek. “SSA Prentiss, SSA Rossi, Agent Jennifer Jareau, and Agent Spencer Reid.” I introduced everyone. 

Everyone shook hands and when it was Spencer’s turn to shake the deputies hand he refused and said, “Actually it’s Dr. Spencer Reid.” 

Shit, I had thought. 

When we were sent off by Aaron to go investigate the crime scene I quickly apologized. “It just slipped I’m so sorry Spencer.” 

“It’s okay Y/n just make sure next time you say, Doctor.” Spencer brushed it off. 

“How about I buy you a coffee after the case to make up for it,” I asked as we walked into the Johnsons house. 

“Only if you get me a refill too,” Spencer answered as he inspected the house. 

“Anything for Dr. Reid.” I sang back. 

-

Day 143 at the BAU

When we had a first-ever disagreement I called him ‘Agent Reid’ just to rial him up even more. We were arguing about who would do better with children. Honestly, the whole fight was just stupid but neither of us was going to give in to the other. 

“I did so well with the children today.” I bragged as we got on to the jet, Spencer right behind me. 

“I think I did the better job,” Spencer responded as we took a seat across from each other. 

“No,” I drew out slowly looking at Spencer dead in the eye. 

“Yes,” Spencer responded taking out a book from his bag. 

“Whatever,” I said, rolling my eyes and turning away from Spencer.

“Okay Y/n, whatever you say,” Spencer said, rolling his own eyes then turning his attention to his book. 

I started fidgeting with my fingers as I mumbled under my breath. “I know I did better.”

Spencer looked up from his book and turned to me, “You know I can hear you right?” 

“I know, Agent Reid.” I shot back narrowing my eyes at him. 

“It’s doctor. D-O-C-T-O-R,” Spencer spelled out. 

“Actually I can call you Agent if I wanted to.” I sassed. 

“I’d prefer if you called me Doctor, Y/n,” Spencer spoke, he was obviously annoyed. 

“Nope I think I prefer calling you Agent more than Doctor,” I responded standing up to go get myself a coffee. 

I walked over to the coffee pot and flicked it on to make some coffee. I glanced over to where Spencer sat and he had turned back to his book, but this time he was biting his lower lip. I wasn’t a profiler for nothing, he was thinking of something for sure.

I poured myself a coffee and added in creamer and sugar. Out of habit, I grabbed another mug and poured some coffee for Spencer. Darn my stupid habits and I. I grabbed the other mug and walked back to where Spencer was. 

“If you admit I did better than you, I’ll give you your coffee,” I said sitting down both coffee’s in hand. 

“Fine you did better, hand me my coffee now,” Spencer said not looking up to me. 

“I’m not convinced,” I bluntly answered. 

Spencer looked up at me this time, “You did better than me Y/n, you are better with children than I am.” Spencer deadpanned. 

“Fine,” I puffed, handing him his coffee. 

“Good girl,” Spencer replied taking a sip. 

I don’t know why but my face immediately heated up and I quickly excused myself to the bathroom. That’s when I realized I had a crush on him. 

Day 757 at the BAU: Current Day

Over the past 2 years, I have never dropped the ‘Agent Reid’ act because: A) It’s a tease and B) It’s hilarious because he always gets so frustrated. It simply clung to me and it won’t be going away anytime soon. 

I sat at my desk and typed away on my computer, it was a quiet day at the BAU. Hotch, Rossi, and Prentiss were all out on their own business. JJ was sorting through files, and Garcia was in her office having a dinner date with Kevin. Spencer was reading at his desk across from mine waiting for me.

I had three more sentences to write for tomorrows report and then I’m done. Spencer and I had plans to go see a movie after work today so I quickly typed my last three sentences and quickly shut off my computer. I started shoving my papers into my to-go bag and throwing pencils into my desk. 

“Calm down Y/n, I’m not going anywhere.” Spencer laughed putting his book away too. 

“Oh, I know I’m just really excited,” I said back standing up and swinging my dark blue cardigan on. 

We walked together to his car and we got in together. “So you wanna tell me what movie we are watching now?” I asked buckling my seat belt. 

“I’m not telling you, it’s a surprise,” Spencer responded smirking as he sat into his seat. 

“Alright Agent Reid.” I teased. 

Before I could register what was happening next Spencer lunged forward to me and wrapped one of his hands around my neck. I was shocked truly, I always thought Spencer was vanilla even after prison. I starred at Spencer in shock as he held me by my neck. 

“In the past two years, you have called me ‘Agent Reid’ exactly 432 times. The first few times I get it, it slips, but now you straight up tease me with it, and you won’t stop because you know how much it bothers me. Were you trying to get me to snap, buttercup.” Spencer asked his face dangerously close to mine. The nick name came out of no where I swear.

I bit my bottom lip and instead of an answer I gave him a small moan. 

“Oh you naughty girl,” Spencer whispered a small smirk on his lips.

I leaned forward as far as I can and attempted to kiss Spencer, but he moved back and smiled. He let go of my neck and said, “We can’t do that right now, we have a movie to catch.” before he sat back into his seat and started the engine. 

I slumped down in my seat and pouted at Spencer as he drove. I glanced at him once in a while to see if I caught his attention. But I suspected he knew what I was doing and smiled as he drove. 

“Finally he looked over at me and laughed, “Tonight.” 

I instantly sat back up in my seat, once again happy. Oh boy was I excited about tonight. 

[nekojitachan]

Okay, so I think I’m going with ‘the real thing’ for a title. Subject to change of course. But as I sorta promised, more andreil soulmate not fic. Same warnings as before (mention of past abuse, referenced but not described/detailed sexual abuse, Andrew on meds so...).

Part four (previous part w/ links to the OTHER parts can be found here)

*******

Andrew was about to murder his new bestie; it had been three days since Moreau had all but promised to spill secrets, and if Andrew had to wait much longer? The backliner would be spilling blood instead.

Yes, among his various character foibles (he refused to see them as flaws, not matter what the shrinks rudely insisted) was his very low tolerance for patience when he felt that he was owed something. And he most definitely felt he was owed the truth about what was going on with Nathaniel.

Perhaps Moreau sensed his imminent bloodletting because he muttered ‘tomorrow’ to Andrew as they passed each other in the hall on Tuesday, which granted him a temporary stay of execution. Andrew grunted softly in acknowledgement, then knocked his shoulder into Bautista, who’d been staring a bit too long at Nathaniel.

The backliner glared at Andrew once he regained his footing, but all it took was Andrew ‘smiling’ at him and the older Raven averted his eyes and scurried away.

People were slowly getting the message that Nathaniel was off-limits.

Wednesday came and at first started off as a normal day; early as hell practice, Aaron being smug about getting a good grade on their biology test (Andrew kept his better grade to himself), barely staying awake in his classes, then back to the Nest for more stupid Exy practice. Except Riko and Kevin were gone, off to Detroit to play the next two nights for their professional team (who could keep them), which meant that Andrew just had to wait for Nathaniel to be pulled away, too. He gave Moreau a pointed look when they (and Nathaniel) went out onto court to play in a scrimmage, but the French bastard merely returned it with a blank expression.

Andrew may have aimed a ball or two at the bastard during the scrimmage.

He’d just settled on his bed with a new book to read (sent by Nicky) when his phone vibrated with a message from Moreau for him to come right then to the break room in the Black Hall. Part of Andrew wanted to ignore the summons, but his desire to find out the truth won out over his ornery nature so he got up and left his room without saying a word to his partner (not that Ben acted surprised at all to see him leave). There were a few Ravens out in the hallways, but none brave enough to question him, especially when he headed in the direction of the Black Hall.

Very few went there unless invited to by one of the ‘perfect court’; people would assume it was just him getting away from Ben and raiding the ‘good’ break room again while Riko was gone.

Like he wouldn’t raid the break room while Riko was standing in the middle of it.

Moreau was waiting for him with a mug of coffee in hand. “Nat should be busy for a couple hours at least,” he said by way of greeting.

Andrew went to fix coffee for himself. “Translating stuff.” That’s what Moreau had told him the other day. “He do that a lot?”

“Somewhat. He’ll be called up to the East Tower during games to translate for some of the guests up there, or to work on documents for Tetsuji or Kengo.”

“Kengo, Tetsuji’s brother and Riko’s father.” Andrew knew a few things.

“Yes, Tetsuji’s brother.” Moreau gave him a considering look then focused his attention on the door of the break room as if to ensure that no one was out in the hall. “Are you sure you want to-“

“Tetsuji’s brother,” Andrew said to urge Frenchie on. “Tell me about the man, everything.”

Moreau gave him an intent look as if judging how serious he was about things (about Nathaniel) before he sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he resumed speaking. “The truth of the matter is, the Moriyamas came into their wealth by being crime lords – yakuza. Kengo is the current head of the organization and his oldest son, Ichirou, will take over when he dies.”

Well, that somewhat explained how Tetsuji could be such an abusive bastard and Riko treat people like belongings; they clearly believed themselves to be above the law. “So Tetsuji and Riko do whatever they like because they’re mobsters?”

Moreau wrinkled his nose, which had been broken at one point and not properly set, as he sipped his drink. “Not… exactly. Kengo and Ichirou are part of the main branch, the line that inherits the wealth and responsibility of the Moriyamas. Kengo, as the Moriyama lord, was to only have one son, one heir, but his wife bore two.” His expression grew guarded as he glanced at Andrew for a moment. “She died for that mistake, and Riko was disinherited, was given to Tetsuji to be raised as part of the side branch.”

“Funny, but I always believed it takes two to tango.” When Moreau merely shrugged at the comment, Andrew clicked his tongue. “So Riko has no real power?”

“Not… exactly,” Moreau repeated, and glared when Andrew threw a crumpled napkin at him. “Asshole.”

“Tell me something new,” Andrew said with a wide grin. “Oh, wait, that’s what you’re supposed to be doing right now.”

Moreau muttered in French something while he tugged on his long bangs then sighed. “Riko is still a Moriyama, which means he has money and connections, but has nowhere near the power he’d have if he was part of the main branch.”

It sounded as if someone, a certain spoiled, psychotic brat, might have to answer to his ‘betters’. “And where does Nathaniel fit into all of this?”

It was quiet for about a minute as Moreau stared into his mug then huffed. “The same as I do, more or less. We were sold to the Moriyamas by our fathers.” He looked up at Andrew, who stood there… mentally prodding at that bit of information. “No comment?”

“How the hell do you ‘sell’ someone?” He knew the logistics, but somehow it didn’t seem to fit when one applied it to Exy players.

“Well, in my case, my parents owed a debt to the Moriyamas and decided that it was best paid off by offering me to Tetsuji since I knew how to play Exy.” Oh no, Frenchie didn’t sound bitter about that at all. “In Nat’s case… his father is in charge of a large amount of territory on the northeastern coast and reports to Kengo. For some reason, Nat can’t take over from the man, so he was given to Tetsuji.”

“Nathan Wesninski,” Andrew said as he remembered the redhead with the soulless eyes, the businessman with all the ‘interesting’ rumors.

Moreau nodded in a grave manner. “Yes, Nathan Wesninski, the Butcher of Baltimore. He comes here now and then to deal with people who’ve run afoul of Kengo, and often he reminds Nat to ‘behave’.” He shuddered as he rubbed his right hand along his upper left back. “If you think Riko or Tetsuji is abusive, they have nothing on Nathan. He’s responsible for most of Nat’s scars.”

Most, but not all.

Andrew thought about what he’d been told, about someone thinking they owned his soulmate, that they could abuse him with impunity, and ‘smiled’. “No one owns Nathaniel.”

“Including you?” Moreau dared to ask as he set the mug aside, his expression blank as his obnoxiously tall body coiled with tension, coiled as if ready to launch itself at Andrew.

Andrew clicked his tongue at that bit of nonsense. “Did I stutter?” he asked, each word enunciated slowly. “No. One. Owns. Nathaniel. Do I need to learn sign language or that mumbled slurring you call French so you’ll understand better?”

“I don’t want to hear that from someone who grunts out German,” Moreau snapped, as if he couldn’t think of anything more offensive, but he’d relaxed against the counter.

Whatever. If Andrew was a lesser person, he’d be rolling his eyes right then instead of shoving the good granola bars, packets of honey (it was some type of sugar), and energy drinks into the pockets of his hoodie and track pants. “Anything else I need to know? Moriyamas are mobsters and bad, Nathaniel’s father is a serial killer and really bad, and Riko is under the mistaken belief he owns the two of you.”

There was a brief muttering of French again before Moreau shook his head. “That’s it. But be aware that since Riko feels he owns Nat, he probably believes that extends to you.” He rubbed the soul mark hidden beneath the sleeve of his black hoodie, his expression neutral but grey eyes bleak.

Oh, just let Riko try to put a leash on him and lead him around, Andrew would wrap it around the prick’s neck and strangle him with it. He was about to leave the room when something occurred to him. “Does Riko only give Nathaniel out for ‘rewards’?”

He knew the answer as soon as Moreau’s expression shut down, as the backliner wrapped his arms around himself as if to shield himself from someone. “Why do you care?”

Andrew could say because Moreau was Nathaniel’s partner and as much as it galled him, Nathaniel cared about the French bastard. He could say that he knew what it felt like to have unwanted hands and mouths and worse on him, to be used without a care (except he wouldn’t, not to someone he barely trusted). He could say because he needed to know exactly how bad it was with Riko’s power games.

Yet all he did was give the backliner a two-fingered salute before he walked away, well aware that he wouldn’t answer if asked a similar question.

Ben gave him an expectant look when he returned to their room, so Andrew threw him an energy drink and granola bar which his partner caught with a wide grin.

Nathaniel appeared tired during practice on Thursday, but didn’t move as if he’d been injured in any manner. He smiled at Moreau as usual and talked to a few of the Ravens (the ones who didn’t look at him as if he was a piece of meat), and gave Andrew a puzzled look now and then as if he was trying to figure him out.

Good luck with that.

Friday, Aaron bumped into Andrew as they left Biology class and muttered ‘don’t lose, I’ve bet a bundle on you’ on his way out the door, which made Andrew want to lose the game on purpose until he remembered Nathaniel. Nathaniel, who sat in the seat in front of him on the bus as they traveled to WVU for their latest game. Nathaniel, who peaked over the seat to frown at him. “That… doesn’t look like an English assignment book to me.” He motioned to the current wolf shifter ‘romance’ novel Andrew was reading as a diversion.

“It’s not.”

“Okay.” Nathaniel went a whole fifteen seconds (nibbling on his full bottom lip the entire time, which did nothing to Andrew to watch, nothing). “What does ‘omega’ mean?”

Oh no, Andrew wasn’t having an A/B/O discussion with his soul mate on a crowded bus. No. “Going to cheer us on as we defeat the Mountaineers?”

Nathaniel frowned as he ran his long, slender fingers (which Andrew didn’t think about at all, about them on his- he didn’t think of them AT ALL) along the top of the seat. “I wish the Master would have let me play this year, I’m more than ready. And you shouldn’t have a problem tonight, they’re weak on their offense, they act tough but they crumble if you don’t back down in four seconds.”

Andrew listened as his soulmate went over a concise review of the Mountaineers that was better than what he’d suffered through in the past week, mindful to pay attention to the few players Nathaniel singled out. When his soulmate finished up his summary of the other team, Andrew gave him a solemn nod and a quiet ‘thank you’, which made Nathaniel blink at him and a slight blush spread across his sharp cheekbones before he muttered something and ducked back down in his seat.

That allowed Andrew to finish his wolf shifter book (light on the plot, which was why he liked the books – he could finish them in a few hours without much brain cells involved and have a bit of twisted amusement over its ridiculousness).

At least it wasn’t a long drive to WVU, a campus known for its partying which somehow, Andrew doubted the Ravens would be allowed to join in; Tetsuji made sure to segregate the team from the rest of the university as soon as they arrived and set them up to practice on the court once they were in uniform.

Someone had no sense of adventure.

At least he got to watch Nathaniel stretch with the rest of the team (he was still trying to figure out if it was a good or bad thing that his soulmate was so damn flexible) and do drills before he retreated to the sidelines. That was around when Riko and Kevin came back from dealing with the press, and Riko made sure to hold up two fingers to Andrew as he walked past.

Such a shame Andrew didn’t have anything sharp in hand at the moment to shove into the bastard’s throat.

What he did have was a growing clarity as the drug-fueled mania slowly faded away (yet how odd, the urge to kill Riko still remained); he watched the first half of the game against the Mountaineers all too aware of Nathaniel sitting next to him on the bench, lean body twitching each time the Ravens scored a goal or lost possession of the ball. Nathaniel smiled, slight but pleased, whenever Moreau successfully blocked a Mountaineer, and glared when his partner took a rough hit.

He nearly jumped in his seat when Andrew cleared his throat. “Yeah, weak in offense.”

Nathaniel turned toward him, a slight frown on his face, and for a moment Andrew thought he wouldn’t speak. “Most of them. Peters’ being rougher than usual tonight.”

He was the one trying to take down Moreau. “Cheng’s trying to fake out Ivanova into thinking he’s shooting for the top of the goal then going lower.” The striker had done that twice so far, and gotten past the goalie once.

That slight smile appeared once more on Nathaniel’s lovely face (not that Andrew had any real opinion on how the redhead looked or anything). “You noticed that?”

Andrew clicked his tongue and forced his attention back onto the game. “I just spend my time in a painted box waiting for people to throw balls in my direction. Not like I do any real work out there.”

“Of course,” Nathaniel murmured, but he sounded amused for some reason.

The first quarter ended, which meant that Moreau was swapped out for Federov, which also meant that Nathaniel took to speaking quietly with his partner in Japanese until halftime.

Perhaps it was the lack of drugs in his system, perhaps it was knowing that Moreau was concerned about his own soulmate (the fear of Riko finding out who he was), but as he glanced at the two backliners out of the corner of his eye… there was evident affection between them and long familiarity, but nothing to suggest they were in a relationship themselves. There weren’t any lingering touches or glances, nothing intimate or possessive between them.

Yet Andrew still felt a ridiculous urge (which he ignored) to shove Moreau off the bench.

It was almost welcome to be out on the court for the second half of the game, to be away from Nathaniel and the traitorous emotions the bond between them awoke in Andrew. In the goal, his world focused down to the idiots trying to get past him to score a point, which he refused to allow.

(He knew he couldn’t keep shutting down the goal for the rest of the season, but WVU wasn’t much of a challenge.)

Moreau gave him a nod in acknowledgement when the teams lined up at the end of the game, while there was a look of relief on Nathaniel’s face before he schooled it into a blank expression when the Ravens gathered in the locker room for Tetsuji to give them a gruff ‘you did a decent job today’.

Riko caught Andrew on the way to the bus, a thoughtful gleam in his eyes as he blocked Andrew from exiting the stadium. “Impressive job out there tonight. Perhaps there’s something to letting you play… natural.”

“Only so much at a time,” Andrew said as he smiled, his expression exaggerated once again since he’d taken a pill after the game; it wasn’t that long of a drive back to Edgar Allan, but long enough that he’d be experiencing withdrawals by the time they reached campus so he’d went ahead and taken it.

He’d have to wait until next week to have time with Nathaniel as ‘himself’.

Yet the urge to protect Nathaniel as they went to his soul mate’s room, to make Federov and Bautista and the other Ravens who stared at the redhead in a hungry manner glance away in fear was still there, as well as some tremulous emotion when Nathaniel didn’t insult him or run away but walked beside him.

There were a fresh set of sheets on Moreau’s bed when he entered the room.

“Try not to snore so much this time,” Nathaniel said, a half-hearted sneer on his face as he dropped onto his bed.

Andrew gasped as he clutched his hands to his chest. “I have never been so slandered in my life. Never.”

Nathaniel scoffed as he rubbed at his eyes as if he was tired. “Right, that’s the worst you’ve ever heard. Such a sheltered life you’ve led.” Then he dropped his hands and had the grace to look guilty. “Uhm, I mean… that didn’t come out right.”

The press had delighted in going on about his stint in juvie, him being in the foster system and of course him being arrested for beating up the assholes who’d hurt Nicky, not that he’d cared at all. “I know not what you mean, I’m just an innocent babe alone in this wicked, cruel world.” He tried to bat his eyes but wasn’t sure it worked well with the manic grin.

Nathaniel gazed at him for several seconds before he sighed and stood up. “I didn’t see you take a hit to the head earlier so I think it’s okay for you to go sleep,” he mumbled as he went into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Andrew gasped again. “You care for me! You truly do care!” His lips twitched when his ‘dear’ soulmate gave him the finger before the bathroom door slammed shut.

At the very least, someone didn’t quite hate him as much anymore. Who knew, maybe by the time he graduated, Nathaniel might even trust him.

He blamed the drugs for the feeling of warmth in his chest at that thought.

*******

IDK, still working through some things, but lately it’s been... if I post is that a sad cry for attention? Am I being annoying? Maybe I shouldn’t post stuff... but I said I’d post this.

*sighs*

Anyway, back to writing the other fic. Hope everyone is staying safe.

[djhedy]

a drabble, inspired by this ridiculously pretty piece of music

but  I was careless, and you were broken you were ready, but I’m unspoken, I’m unspoken you’re amazing and you shine a light on me and you were ready, but I’m unspoken, I’m unspoken

unspoken by aaron smith

They get married, because Neil had asked. Andrew blames Nicky, and that one night in Germany when Nicky and Neil had stayed up late drinking gluhwein and Neil had waved him ahead and Andrew, sleepy and full of warm wine and the warm background hums of his family, had gone straight to sleep, feeling Neil climb in next to him what felt like seconds later, tapping him once on the shoulder so that he would turn in their bed and wrap Neil up in his limbs.

And a few weeks later, when they’re eating out because they’d run out of food, and they’re just wearing sweats because they were run ragged at practise that day and neither feels like changing, and Andrew has days where he just wants to be comfy,

Anyway they’re just eating pizza for fuck’s sake when Neil, facing out the window, just says, “Would you want to get married?” and Andrew stops eating, because of course he does. He stops and he gives the words their full attention and what he comes up with is, “Why?”

And Neil shrugs, smiles at him, says, “Why not?”

“That’s not a good argument”

“I thought it might work with you”

“Appealing to my chaotic side?”

“Always”

And they discuss it properly. Neil doesn’t say that Nicky had put the seed in his mind, but the timing is too suspicious, and at one point Neil says, “It doesn’t have to be a big deal, but, I don’t know. I just thought it sounded nice. We’re doing this anyway, right?” gives pause for Andrew to say this isn’t a this, even though it’s been eight years, so Andrew rolls his eyes and Neil grins and says, again, “I just thought it sounded nice.”

So Andrew shrugs and says, “I’m not giving a speech”

Neil asks Nicky to help, by which he means can you just do everything, which Nicky does. And it’s surprisingly minimal. Foxes and extended families and a few of Neil and Andrew’s teammates. They go to Columbia, because of course they do. County hall, for the legal bit. Neil says to Nicky a week before “wait do we need people to stand at the front with us?” and Nicky grins and says yes, they’ll need two witnesses, but he’s too stressed and he will be coordinating so to ask someone else and Andrew has no idea what he’ll be coordinating, but, fine. So he just shrugs and says he doesn’t care and Neil looks at him carefully and says, “I don’t either. You can ask Aaron.” And Andrew shrugs again and looks away so Neil smiles at Nicky and nods, says to ask Kevin too. They figure Nicky does because on the day itself –

the day itself they wake up slow, small smiles, feed the cats, stay in bed. Andrew is glad they told Nicky to make it later in the day

– when they turn up, exactly on time –

We’re going to be late

We can’t be late to something I never agreed to in the first place, junkie

Drama queen

– on the day itself Kevin and Aaron and Nicky are stood at the front of the room, chatting to the registrar, looking smart in suits and in front of a backdrop of flowers Andrew doesn’t remember asking for, but when he raises an eyebrow at Neil he just shrugs, smiles. “Pretty, though.” Andrew doesn’t say anything.

And everyone’s there. Andrew had said he’d be happy with just the two of them, but they’d needed the witnesses, and Neil had wanted the Foxes, and Andrew grudgingly agreed when Neil pointed out Bee, Wymack and Abby would have their heads if they weren’t invited, and then a few close teammates and their coach had overheard plans so

Now there were 30 people milling around the room, grinning when Andrew and Neil entered.

And Andrew immediately wants to turn around and head home, half-turns to Neil – who just slots their hands together, palm against palm, smiles at him, leans in and whispers into his ear “Let’s just get this over with”

And Andrew nods against him, powerless, tugs on his hand and basically hauls him to the front of the room, feeling a grinning junkie following behind

They do the getting married bit

And there’s a lot of the registrar talking and then signing documents and Andrew watches Neil for his cue where he’s supposed to be at any point

He needn’t have worried

Neil never lets go of his hand

Andrew feels a bit unsteady, lets Neil’s hand in his ground him, says “yes” in all the right places, and “I do” when he gets told it’s necessary

He has to look at Neil when the registrar says, “Congratulations, you are now officially married!” and there’s some cheers behind him but it all fades a little when Neil presses in, ghosts a kiss on his ear and says, “Tricked you, now you can never leave me.”

And Andrew whispers back, “Don’t know what you mean. This was all my idea.”

And Neil laughs, and some strength in Andrew, or some momentary loss of memory that he’s in a room full of everyone who he’s ever let know him, makes him pull back just enough to push his hand into Neil’s hair and kiss him

When he pulls away he looks at Aaron, who smiles at him – a barely there thing – before turning away to join the others. Kevin squeezes his shoulder and turns too and then they’re allowed to leave. Neil’s hand doesn’t leave Andrew’s. Nicky is crying.

Later, they’re in some sort of private room in a restaurant, and it’s great honestly – there’s ten different kinds of desserts lined up along the side and Andrew is eyeing them but Nicky had already said sternly, “Not until after the speeches” and Erik had said, “If you make him cry on his special day I will not be very happy with you Andrew Minyard”

And Andrew had just muttered to Neil, “Speeches?”

But they sat down, listened while Nicky and Matt gave a joint speech which, Andrew supposed was probably equal parts heart warming and funny. Mostly he kept eyeing the desserts. Wymack speaks for about 20 seconds about instigators belonging together, and when Andrew looks at Neil he’s grinning. His entire face is warm, and bright – one half still clinging onto where Matt had started hugging him when he sat down and didn’t stop. Andrew doesn’t mind. He still has Neil’s hand. Neil just looks – happy

Unreal

Incredible

And Nicky is saying, “Does anyone else want to come up and give a speech?” grinning into the microphone they have set up at the front of the small room. “If not we’ll get to Andrew’s favourite bit, the desserts” and a few people laugh but for some reason Andrew is standing, Neil’s hand slipping from his as he does, eyes snapping to his, and Andrew looks away and walks to the front and Nicky, a little wide-eyed, hands him the microphone

And Andrew takes it and looks at the ceiling

And says

“This was all Neil’s idea. So – he can thank you for coming.” And Andrew thinks about it some more and says, “And anyway most of you have known me longer, but would take his side if anything were to happen. It’s fucking favouritism.”

A few people laugh, and he glances at Nicky, a steady presence at his side, who is just beaming at him, and then he looks at his feet and says

“I just wanted to say – it won’t. I’m not that kind of self-destructive.”

He waits, tries to work out why he’s up here at all. The whole room is quiet, anticipatory, almost nervous. He looks up, and finally finds Neil – Neil, who looks a little shocked, unbearably pleased, sitting up straight and attentive and staring straight back into Andrew’s eyes. Neil is why he’s here, at all – in this room, on this day, hand in hand and pushing each other forward, constantly. Neil. Neil who is looking back at him like he’s the only person in the room. Andrew can understand that. Couldn’t tell you who else was there right now.

so Andrew looks back and just says

“Junkie. Thanks for asking.”

[side-effect-of-the-meds]

neil finally gives up his hair as fried and a lost cause and shaves it off without warning. what are the foxes/andrew's reactions?

This took forever and I doubt it was what you were looking for, but here it is love! Thanks so much for your ask. 

 Allison is PISSED. She keeps insisting that she could have saved it. The rest of the upperclassman were sad to see it go but they don’t give him too much shit about it. Nicky is in mourning. He spends at least, the next two months whining. During each of their breaks, he comes up to tell Neil that there was nothing sexier than the way his hair fell when he pulled it out of a bandana at the end of a game. He insists that it was the only reason he dragged himself to practice. Neil just ignores him. 

Aaron has a mental breakdown. He thinks that Neil looks really badass and gets scared because now he thinks he’s gay and has a thing for Neil. It takes him a week and a half to chill out. It’s a good week for Katelyn tho. In an attempt to satiate his fears, Aaron’s been her eating out every day and she’s living for it. Katelyn and Kevin end up liking Neil’s hair too. They like the way it tickles their palms when they run their hands over it. Kevin used to ruffle Neil’s hair all the time, even before he cut it because Neil is his baby brother and he loves him with his whole heart. Recently, he’s been doing it as a stress relief thing. Something about the way it feels now makes him feel better. Don’t ask me to explain this one. I do this to my friend all the time. It makes me feel better and I like projecting onto Kev and Neil. Once Aaron calms down, he shows up at Neil’s dorm before practice one day. Neil frowns but lets him in. He goes into the bathroom and digs the razor Neil used out of the cabinet. Returning with it in hand, Neil finally understands. They lay a towel on the floor and drag in a stool. Aaron hesitates before taking his shirt off and Neil just glares at him. After losing the staredown, he shucks it off and Neil replaces it with a towel. 

“What exactly do you want?” Neil asks as he plugs in the razor.

“An undercut,” Aaron mumbles. Neil looks at him with wide eyes and an amused grin. Aaron just scowls. When he flips the razor on, Aaron curls into himself. 

“Hey,” Neil says, turning the razor off. He grabs Aaron by his chin and forces him to look him in the eye. “You’ve got to trust me.”

“Trust a liar?” Aaron snapped. 

“Look, man, you’re the one that came here. You want me to be honest? I really don’t care about you. You mean absolutely nothing to me. Last year, I needed you so that we had enough kids to make the line-up. This year, however, we’ve got two new backliners. Jack and Sheena might get on every one of my nerves but here’s the bottom line: I. Don’t. Need. You. To me, you are expendable. 

“To Andrew though? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he loves you so goddamn much. You think he chose me over you? Wrong. Your brother knew that if he kept holding on to you, you’d only grow to hate him. He saw that letting you be happy would be a show of good faith. He trusted that you’d return the gesture by showing him that he didn’t have to keep you on a leash. And you did. Why? Because I know you love him as much as he loves you.

“Contrary to what you keep deluding yourself into believing, I love Andrew. Andrew lets Katelyn live because he knows you’d never forgive him if he hurt her. I let you live because Andrew would never forgive me if I hurt you. You don’t have to trust that I’m a good person because, let’s face it, we both know that I’m not. No, you just have to trust that I love Andrew more than I hate you.” Neil lets go of Aaron’s chin and leans back against the counter. “So? What’ll it be?” 

Aaron can feel his blood boiling. A small part of him knows Neil is right. He came in here. He asked for this. Screwing his eyes shut, he takes in a deep breath. “Do it,” he says, finally. He hears the razor cut on. Every pass it makes scares the living daylights out of him. He’s too scared to open his eyes. He’s just going to have to trust Neil. Beneath the towel, he clenches his hands into fists. He focuses on the way his nails bite into his palms. You asked for this, he tells himself. When the razor cuts off, he feels the towel slide away. A hairdryer is turned on and he can feel it blowing on the back of his neck. 

“Done,” Neil says. Aaron pries his eyes open to see himself in the mirror. His jaw drops and he runs his hands over the buzzed sides.

“Damn, I’m one fine son of a bitch,” he whispers. He hears Neil snort behind him. 

“You’re the ugliest son of a bitch I’ve ever seen,” Neil replies. 

“What about Andrew?” 

“He’s the most beautiful man in the world.” Neil’s response is immediate. Aaron turns to look at Neil, dumbfounded. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m just stating the facts. Andrew absorbed your aesthetic appeal in the womb,” Neil snaps. He tells Aaron to shower and dumps some of Andrew’s clothes on the counter for him. The two of them have to walk to practice because Andrew left without them. They arrive just as everyone is about to hit the court. 

Everyone is shrieking at the sight of Aaron. He looks amazing, even if Neil doesn’t think so. They all know Neil had to have been the one to do it but he refuses to say anything about it. He hits the locker room to get changed, leaving the others to fawn over Aaron. 

Neil slams his locker door shut only to find himself face to face with Andrew. His face is as unreadable as always. Neil’s abrupt haircut was a week and a half old at this point but Andrew still hadn’t said a single word to him since his original comment. Every nerve in Neil’s body screamed for him to reach out and touch Andrew but he knew better. The status of their relationship was up in the air and Neil was too scared to push the subject. 

When Neil had first walked into the Foxhole Court with his hair buzzed, Andrew had been the first to react. He had also reacted in what had been simultaneously the worst and best possible way. 

“I want a divorce,” he had said. All of the foxes had been stunned. Even Wymack looked taken aback. They’d all burst into laughter moments later but Neil wasn’t sure that Andrew hadn’t meant it. He still drove him around. They still shared a room and smoked cigarettes but Andrew hasn’t touched Neil since his haircut. Not a hand resting on the back of Neil’s now exposed neck. Not a forehead pressed to the back of Neil’s skull. Nothing. Neil was terrified. 

“Drew,” was what Neil said. Please was what it sounded like. Andrew hated the word please so Neil had found a way around it. He felt dirty for playing that card but he was getting desperate. 

“460%,” Andrew replied as he ran a hand over Neil’s buzzed hair. Neil felt his knees give out from under him. Strong arms wrapped around him and hoisted him up. His legs wrapped instinctively around Andrew’s waist and he pressed his forehead to Andrew’s, feeling himself relax for the first time in over a week. 

“It was fried,” Neil whispered. He hears Andrew hum in response. “Is it really that bad?” 

“No,” Andrew replied. “It’s actually really badass.”

[deus-ex-knoxina]

classical pianist andrew minyard

okay i KNOW. i know we all love classical pianist kevin day. but LISTEN.

in juvie andrew joins the music program. or, well, he sneaks in when he’s not at exy, and eventually the program directors decide more activities are better than fewer, and if andrew wants to play music and figures he might as well play exy, then they will make it possible for him to do both.

he’s immediately drawn to the drums (because d u h you keep everyone else on track, don’t have to stand up, get to hit things and make loud ass noises)

and he gets pretty good at it but one day he breaks a drumstick over the head of some asshole and the program director decides not to let him play drums anymore :(

in fact, the program director decides not to let him play ANY instrument that could be potentially used as a weapon. this rules out pretty much everything up to and including the harp, but not piano

and hey, andrew’s already demonstrated that he has a good sense of rhythm, so why not, right?

and the piano is andrew’s need to be loud and to get some of his anger out, and he can slam on the keys as much as he wants, he can teach himself the atonal pieces and the twelve-tone pieces and silently appreciate how they are crafted, not just created. they are deliberate. they are intentional. every single note is placed intentionally.

also atonal piano pieces frequently involve some stabbing at the piano so that’s fun too, because like i said. gotta get that aggression out somewhere now that he can’t throw drumsticks at people (he still does they’re just not his drumsticks)

and andrew and his eidetic memory and his speed and rhythm that he got from playing the drums and being in fights and his appreciation for the type of music that is crafted make him a PRODIGY.

he starts learning some older things, classical piano concertos written specifically so their composers could show off, and because andrew is andrew, he learns them flawlessly. he would be insulted by anything less. it’s one thing to fuck with other people when you’re playing with them, it’s another thing entirely to fuck with yourself. and andrew does not fuck with himself.

he starts learning some variations and thinks ‘oh, that’s not that hard, i could do that’, and suddenly he can sit down at the piano and figure out a short melody and improvise twelve melodies on it like he’s fucking wolfgang amadeus mozart

andrew finds himself appreciating what he knows about some composers. mozart, beethoven, tchaikovsky. these are people who have suffered and were never properly recognized until long after their deaths-- recognized as they were. mozart who was a prodigy, who burned bright but couldn’t get anyone to hire him permanently, beethoven who concealed his deafness as long as he could and fought as long as he could only for audiences to think he had made mistakes or couldn’t hear the dissonance of his own music, tchaikovsky who struggled so much in the closet

and andrew is an instigator at heart. he loves causing drama. and he DOES. how can he interpret this sonata in the way that will piss off the most people while still technically being true to what the composer wrote? who says mozart *really* intended the third beat to be weak instead of the strongest one in the whole measure?

andrew being andrew, he wouldn’t have done anything about this. he gets out of juvie and he goes to live with tilda and aaron and then he and aaron go to live with nicky. he would have forgotten about piano, about drums too.

but nicky (and it always comes back to nicky, doesn’t it, all the little accidents that mean that the twins have a shot at a good life) has an idea. it’s a terrible idea but it’s an idea. he’s always been able to sing, he thinks maybe if he teaches himself some piano he can learn to accompany himself, maybe find some hipster bars or coffeeshops and play there, maybe earn a bit of money, maybe just some free drinks.

he buys a cheap electronic keyboard and practices diligently, with some increase in skill, and andrew tries to ignore the keyboard and almost succeeds, almost, but he wants. he wants to do the one thing that successfully kept his interest through juvie, the one thing that he... kind of misses. he can be alone when he’s playing-- nobody interrupts, people leave him alone, and if he plays long enough then they even go away before he’s done and don’t bother applauding or complimenting him or anything at the end. it is mortifying to be known and andrew does not want this. he doesn’t want to play for other people. he plays for himself, and occasionally to piss off other people.

and it’s satisfying, tactically, to play a piece and get everything exactly right. he... enjoys it. that’s a realization that surprises him.

so he takes some chances. when nicky is at work and aaron is in his room, andrew starts to play. he hopes aaron will interpret it as nicky magically improving, or maybe nicky playing some inspiration-- because nicky is learning, and andrew does not make a single mistake. he plays slowly, at first, re-learning and also learning for the first time an instrument other than the old upright piano he learned to play on, but he plays perfectly.

aaron never mentions it and andrew grows bolder. he plays whenever nicky isn’t home, and when aaron isn’t home either he plays loudly. he remembers everything he ever learned, and soon he’s finding new recordings, listening to them, playing them by ear, and then playing his game and composing variations-- only he wouldn’t call it composing because that’s not what it is to him, it’s just a game. how much can he fuck up this melody while still letting it retain its true character? it’s amusing to him in a dark way. how much does he fuck it up before it’s not the same anymore? i never said it was healthy for him

playing piano, like being gay, is a secret andrew keeps control over. he chooses who, and when, to reveal it to. nicky takes the keyboard to college when they all go, for exy, because andrew minyard is smarter and more capable than he will ever truly let on, and has managed to master goalkeeping as well, with the bare minimum of effort. at this point, the keyboard is a hobby for nicky, not a money-making scheme, but he brings it. why not? andrew is secretly pleased.

the first person he tells-- the first person who wasn’t at juvie with him, because even after all of that time he’s still viscerally uncomfortable with random people hearing him play-- is bee. the second is kevin. or, well, he doesn’t *tell* kevin. he wanders over to the piano while kevin is talking and whips out a scarlatti sonata in double time, banging on the keys, flawless and yet somehow sardonic and brutal in the way that manic andrew is. he drowns kevin out, because kevin stops talking. he is... shocked.

but kevin is not stupid. he knows that andrew does not give up secrets lightly, and he knows that this is a secret, because he knows this is nicky’s keyboard, and nicky would have told him if andrew played. if he had known.

so this is a secret andrew is trusting him with, and if anything kevin is amazed because what does it mean for their deal, if there is already something andrew cares about? or is this like goalkeeping, where he’s good at it because he had no choice but to practice but at the same time refuses to put in effort?

kevin can’t make himself believe that these flawless, energetic piano pieces at the speed of light are the result of not caring. he wonders if andrew chooses the fluttering, embellished, complicated pieces because they provide enough things for him to focus on. and he wonders how that’s different from a game of exy, but he also knows he might never understand.

renee is the third person he tells. he offers, actually, to teach her. underneath the medication he recognizes someone who has something they want to cling to, but who hasn’t really figured out a whole... person, to wipe away who they used to be. renee applies herself diligently and plays duets with him. they still fight, but sometimes they play.

after he comes off of his medication, andrew can’t make himself touch that stupid keyboard for weeks. he wonders what will happen if he does. it’s neil that causes him to snap out of it, accidentally. neil doesn’t know andrew plays. nobody except renee and bee know that andrew’s music isn’t dominated by heavy metal and screamo. but neil has never played piano and is intrigued by it, in the way that you’re intrigued by something you know people care about, and you can’t fathom why. it’s a mystery to him. he’s bugging andrew in the monsters’ suite one day and winds up turning on the keyboard and plunking out some notes just to see what it feels like, and to neil, it feels like nothing. there’s no exhilaration. it’s about as exciting as typing a few letters on his phone.

but neil can get under andrew’s skin like almost no one else, and when neil shrugs and turns away from the keyboard, andrew finds himself sighing, standing, crossing the room, and saying, ‘not like that.’ and neil says, ‘oh? then like how?’, and it’s a challenge, and andrew knows it’s a challenge. and he meets that challenge head on.

neil doesn’t know he’s in love but he’s a little bit closer to finding out, seeing how andrew looks when he cares about something despite not wanting to. and andrew is surprised, because he’s given up another secret to a pipe dream, but somehow, he doesn’t regret it.

[fxvixen]

16 for the sentence asks, if you like? Andreil comes to mind, but anyone you want to write is good with me!

16) “All I know is, one of us is right, the other is you.”

so… admittedly, this went in a direction I didn’t mean for it to take (I meant for it to be shorter lmao) but, here you go! thank you for sending me a prompt, I hope you like it

-

Convincing Andrew to do something he already is interested in doing is delightfully simple, Neil finds. Simple in that he just has to ask. Delightful in that Neil is discovering he feels a surge of pleasure when Andrew agrees to something he asks for. 

Convincing Andrew to do something he’s not keen on doing is something else all together. 

“Andrew?” 

Andrew doesn’t even bother to acknowledge him, just examines the powdered sugar on his fingers.

Neil huffs, ‘not keen on’ is probably an understatement. 

“Seriously?” 

Andrew plunges his hand back in the bag and comes back up with yet another mini powered doughnut and shoves it in his mouth. When he deigns to speak, his words are unrecognizable. 

Neil is a little fascinated with the way the excess power clings to Andrew’s lips, but he answers the question he’s sure Andrew asked. Why should I let this happen?

“Because I like Matt,” Neil says, “and he outright told me that he’s been really lonely with the girls gone.” 

Andrew raises his eyebrows as he peeks in his bag. It might not even be directed at Neil, but he’ll take it as a, And I care about this why?

“I don’t want– Matt…to be lonely,” Neil says. 

Andrew looks to him sharply then, at Neil’s pause, and Neil knows Andrew is doing his own reading of things unsaid. 

I don’t want anyone I care about to be lonely, Neil thinks. Not when I know exactly what that feels like. 

“So, the saved stray wishes to save all the other strays,” Andrew says. 

Neil shakes his head. “Not all of them.” Just the ones that are part of my family. 

Andrew says nothing to this, just keeps working his way through the mini doughnuts, but Neil knows that further pushing will just irritate Andrew. He pulls his own snack out of the fridge, some green grapes, and sits down at his desk to try in vain to get some homework done. 

Neil expects Andrew to sit on this decision for a while, but Neil’s homework has only devolved into a single Exy game recap before Andrew decides. He comes over and leans against the corner of Neil’s desk to get his attention. 

Neil debates ignoring him for the moment, but he’s curious what Andrew thought of so quickly that he would trade for more of Matt’s presence. “Hey.” 

“Next weekend,” Andrew says. “There’s no game. We’re leaving after class and we’re not coming back until Monday. No talk about Exy. No talk about my brother. No talk about Kevin or Nicky or Matt or any other fucking person.”  

Neil grins. “Should I just leave my phone here then?” 

Andrew growls, “If you get in my car without your phone, I’ll leave you out in the middle of nowhere.”

“Hmm,” Neil mulls that over. “Where in the middle of nowhere?” 

“Wherever I want.” 

“I used to live on the run, you know,” Neil teases, and he can see Andrew’s eyes narrow with reluctant amusement. “I could probably make it.” 

“Neil,” Andrew says, bringing him back. “A few weekends away for Matt’s continued presence. Yes or no?” 

“A few?” 

“Here or there.” 

Something in Neil softens at Andrew’s request, because in his roundabout way, he’s trying to ask to spend more time with just him, and Neil wouldn’t say no to that. He says, “I would do that with you without a deal.” 

Andrew’s brows twitch in what might be a frown. He nods slowly. “I’m aware.”

Neil blinks. “You’ve been waiting to ask? Why?” 

Andrew just stares at him. 

“You can ask me for things,” Neil starts, “I want to do things with you.” 

His brows twitch further. “I’m aware.” He stares at Neil more intently. 

No idea what Andrew is trying to convey, Neil raises his eyebrows. 

Andrew huffs. “Nothing,” he stops, and only when he continues does Neil realize it was a moment of hesitation, “that happens here should be unequal.” It’s delivery is flat, but Neil gets the feeling that it’s actually a question. 

It clicks, and Neil abruptly realizes this is a turning point for the two of them. Andrew is unsure how to ask for things that he knows he’ll get, because he thinks that it will mean that he has more power in the relationship than Neil has. At the same moment, Neil realizes that he doesn’t want Andrew to have to ask for a weekend for the two of them in this way. He doesn’t want to have to make a deal with Andrew for him to be okay with Matt. He wants them to want to do things for each other. 

“It doesn’t have to be unequal,” Neil says. “Sometimes you’ll ask for things, and sometimes I’ll ask for things. They don’t have to match up all the time.” 

“I won’t always say yes.” 

Neil gives him a little smile. “I know. I like you that way.” 

“You won’t give up Exy things. You won’t always say yes either,” Andrew says. 

“No,” Neil says, then laughs. 

Andrew’s lip curls. “The weekend away, yes or no?” 

“Yes.” Neil counters with, “Matt getting breakfast with all of us this weekend, yes or no?” 

“Yes,” Andrew says, without hesitation, and Neil feels so so light. Andrew straightens and moves to leave Neil at his desk. “Finish your homework, Captain.” 

Neil groans, but holds on to the thought that just as Andrew knows Neil wants to do things for him, Neil knows that Andrew is willing to do things for him as well. 

Maybe he even wants to. 

-

“God, I haven’t had a pancake in so long,” Matt moans in between bites slathered in butter and syrup and whipped cream. 

Neil tries not to wince at the amount of sugar he’s putting away, especially when Andrew had ordered the exact same with extra whipped cream. Andrew had also ordered extra cherries that he’s half-heartedly fighting Neil away from.  

Nicky laughs. “Are you going to be okay over there?”

“No, but honestly, this is the best way to go out,” Matt says, and he looks so earnest that Aaron shoots him an amused look. 

Kevin, now that there’s someone here other than Andrew to go off at about their food choices, says, “That meal is completely ridiculous for a player of your caliber to be eating. You’re–” 

“I’m just trying to put on weight, Kev,” Matt says. “I need the carbs.” 

“That doesn’t account for the sheer amount of–”

“Ffaaffaaflaalaa,” Matt says around another bite, and Neil muffles a snicker while Nicky cackles and Aaron snorts. “I can’t hear you over the incredible taste of these pancakes.” 

“You can’t possibly even taste the pancakes anymore,” Kevin says. “You and Andrew both need to start thinking about the right kind of food you should be eating if you’re even thinking about going professional. The dietitians will never allow this kind of indulgence.” 

“Then I better get it in now, shouldn’t I?” Matt says, and grins as he takes another big bite. 

“Andrew,” Kevin says, somehow not seeing what’s obvious to Neil, that appealing to Andrew is a lost cause. 

Andrew licks a huge amount of whipped cream off his spoon and then points it at Kevin. Neil steals a cherry while he’s distracted. “All I know is, one of us is right, and the other is you.” 

Matt laughs and has to get a drink when he almost chokes on his pancakes. 

“Fine,” Kevin snaps. “Ruin your careers, I don’t care.” 

Andrew’s mouth pulls in the direction of a smirk, and Neil is pretty sure that Matt sees it because he holds his hand out in a closed fist to Andrew. 

Andrew looks at it blankly for several long moments that Neil gets the feeling are actually filled with something like surprise. Andrew raises his hand to bump his fist against Matt’s and Matt almost explodes with delight. 

Neil himself grins unabashedly when Andrew turns to him and says, “This is your fault.” 

“I’m okay with that.” Neil steals another one of Andrew’s cherries, and Andrew lets him without protesting.