#and he is there to protect kevin and riko

[wormisauce]

Kevin:

Kevin Day was dumb. He was book smart, yes, and an Exy genius but when it came to people and relationships, love? That was a completely different court. It’s why he was so confused when people asked him out, hit on him etc and why he was absolutely baffled when people say Andrew is in love with him. There is no way Andrew Minyard was in love with Kevin Day. The same man who’d walk off court just so he wouldn;t have to play with Kevin’s bitching, the guy who’d still to this day just walk out a room when he didn’t want to deal  with Kevin. He may not know much about love but he knew it wasn’t that

Andrew:

Andrew didn’t do “feelings” or relationships. He went out, had sex (never at a house), and went home, alone. Feelings were tedious and insignificant. There was no need for mushy and needy people. Andre could barely handle his own problems; he didn't need anyone else relying on him. Andrew may be completely uninterested in love; he wasn't dumb, he could see it in anyone else. How Allison's eyes lite up when Renee walked onto the field in her goalie uniform, the way Matt trailed after Dan wherever they went, just how pathetic Nickey would get before and after Erik came for a visit. Why would he subject himself to that and why in earth's name would Kevin. There was no way Andrew could miss Kevin DAvid Day being in love, let alone with him

Other:

Kevin Day was an idiot and Andrew Minyard was an absolute buffoon. Two dumb men claiming they know what love does and doesn’t look like, that they knew the others heart better than anyone with eyes

Kevin who claims Andrew couldn’t give less of a damn about him, like Andrew didn’t put his life on pause and the line to protect Kevin from the Jappaneese fucking mafia! As if Andrew wasn’t the one who made his horrible protein shakes every morning, or brought him his special electrolyte waters when he was hungover. Like Andrew didn’t sit by him with a hand in the small of his back everytime Kevin woke up screaming or crying or puking from a dream about Riko or the nest or Jean, not talking or acting just a solace in the dark

Andrew Minyard wasn’t any better. He could identify love and attraction in others but he was so focused on figuring out others he didn’t have time to think about his own state of mind. His deformed view of himself has him believing anyone loving him is a pipe dream. Andrew is so busy being angry and scared he can’t comprehend being happy. He’ll never admit that he could love someone, let alone someone else loving him.

[donghuamuqing]

the aot au that lives in head is banging against the walls of my skull to get out

[afurtivecake]

Andrew isn't Kevin's guard dog. He's more like Kevin's emotional support dog.

He follows Kevin around so that he feels secure, lends his presence and support when Kevin has his meltdowns and look! Here's Kevin calling Andrew over for silent moral support before he gives his "never been skiing" interview.

[lucky-slice]

low key i think to deny Riko's trauma is to deny his narrative importance in the story.

like Riko's trauma related to his father parallels neil's. His concept of brotherhood adds complexity to Andrew and Aaron's relationship. He acts not just as an antagonist but as a foil to other character's relationship to trauma and violence.

to solely view riko through the lense of his actions is to miss the point. He is a character in a story, not a real breathing human being.

[sunriseabram]

Please rt with your opinions/to spread!

[soliloquy-ingthelifeaway]

Aftg kevin×ichirou au, where they accidently meet in baltimore while kevin is playing with the baltimore wildcats and ichirou is visiting the butcher with kengo. kengo has actively started transitioning certain powers and holdings to ichirou and this visit was just to familiarise him with the violent side of the family "business". They bump into each other when kevin has sneaked off to visit a library that has extensive history archives. ichirou is there, not because he has any special interest in history but just to take a reprieve from his complicated life. Libraries happen to have 2 things he desired- silence and no people who would constantly try to get his attention and emgage him in business talks. Kevin didn't escape his notice, and kevin was able to recognize him, he looked eerily similar to riko, only more mature, serious and lacking that manic glint in his eyes. Ichirou intercepts him, he is curious and feeling rebellious, they get talking and its the most brilliant thing in the world. After kevin got over his initial fear, he started talking- about history and exy, even a little about jean and riko. For once ichirou didn't have to carry a conversation, he wasn't expected to make or break deals, hell they didn't even talk about anything remotely close to the mafia or the main family.

That day ichirou broke the one rule implemented on him- to not have any connections to the second branch and gave his number to kevin. Kevin was too closely intertwined with riko, he would be classified as a connection to the second branch but ichirou wasn't going to let this go.

They met every other day during their stay in baltimore, after that they stayed in touch via texts and sporadic calls. Ichirou was the first person kevin called after escaping the nest, he told him about all he planned to do. Ichirou promised him that kevin will never face any danger or threat from the main family and he'll do his best to protect him from riko.

[its-aftg]

Seth and Riko...

OG post that inspired this

Imagine that Seth, you know, didn't get fucking murdered in book 1.

That first banquet where the Ravens have joined the Foxes district...just imagine that when Jean calls out to Neil and makes him come into the locker room to meet up with Riko that it's not just Matt that comes looking for him but also Seth. They're roommates and Seth will be damned if anyone intimidates the other striker on their lineup (other than him of course).

When Riko tells Neil he will speak to Kevin and have him explain, that he will not tolerate the disrespect, Seth sees red. Matt goes to push Neil out of the room and moves back in to have Seth's back. Seth turns to Riko, eyes angry. "You might not tolerate the disrespect but I don't fucking tolerate you pulling people away to have secret chats in locker rooms." Seth bodies up into Riko's face, quick to move like he does on the court, coiled and ready to throw hands.

"Shoo, Nathanial and I are talking." He motions to Jean to get Neil back in.

And well, that was the wrong thing to say. Seth smirks before pulling back a fist and connecting with Riko's jaw. He never cared if it was during Exy or if it was off the court, Seth was always hot tempered and ready to go, a blessing and a curse he thought. Riko didn't stand much chance against the other striker, while Seth's job was to be fast and score, he was a wall when it came to fighting. Plenty of practice on the Fox line for the everyday brawl. He towered over Riko and easily bodied him down to the ground in front of the locker, it only took a few strikes to take him down. He let out a small laugh at the shock Riko let show on his face - no Jean to protect him as Matt held him back near the door - "Leave my team alone or next time I won't go easy on you." Seth spit on him as he turned to the door to leave with Matt and Neil in tow, looking back as Jean went over to help Riko off the ground.

When they met eyes he just smiled and walked away.

--

The next time they met on the court. Since Seth and Riko played the same position they didn't get nearly enough time fighting as Seth would like. In the time between the banquet and the match both Kevin and Neil had come clean on what was really going on with the Moriyama's. Seth wasn't all too happy with them., and wasn't happy with them trying to make Neil and Kevin's life harder -that was his job.

Seth and Kevin were up when Riko was on, Matt and Nicky on as backliners. Matt was more than ready to follow along with whatever he needed to do to destroy Riko, already tasked with being the one to cover him. Seth watched the way Matt repeatedly made it harder and harder for Riko to get the upper hand, months of training with Kevin had made Matt so much better at being the Foxes biggest backliner. He smiled under his helmet as he watched Riko's repeated frustrating as Matt blocked his route, stole the ball, and passed to either himself or Kevin.

During the last half Riko darted down his side of the court, looking like he was running for his life and making Seth think of Neil when he first arrived at Palmetto. He knew it was his chance to confront him head on and and raced the 10 yards over to him. He checked him before Riko could pass the ball away and managed to scoop it up when Riko lost it. instead of trying to run with it he spotted Kevin with an opening and immediately bounced it out of his racquet towards him.

Riko hissed at him after the wall turned red with the alert of a goal scored. "Piece of shit," Riko spit at him.

"Not what your mom was saying last night!" He laughed as he flipped Riko off and went back into the next play as the Raven dealer chucked the ball down the court.

He watched with trained eyes, preparing to steal the ball where he could. Zane saw Riko mostly open and passed back to him from half court, both Seth and Matt descended on him faster than he expected, both aware that the team had to pass to Riko frequently to keep Riko happy as their king. Matt smashed into him from behind as Seth yanked at his racquet to flip the ball out. Riko didn't stand a chance against the two 6 foot plus men, both ready to use their size to their advantage. Seth popped the ball out of his net and in an unexpected move passed it behind him to Matt to deal with.

The game played on behind them as Seth stepped a few feet away from where Riko had fallen on the floor, racquet loose in his hands as he watched the ball soar to the Raven's side of the court.

"I should have killed you and your scaredy-cat when I had the chance," Riko sneered.

Seth raised an eyebrow in question at him, observing the way his gaze tracked to Neil bouncing his leg on the bench at the Foxes side.

"Oh, you think you coulda got the better of us?" Seth brought his racquet up over his shoulders, the look of a casual conversation as the ball was still in play around them. He shifted his weight to one leg as he watched Riko plant his feet in effort to stand back up.

"I don't think- I know."

Seth laughed as he threw his racquet to the ground. "Yeah, I don't think so mother fucker," he said as he threaded a hand through Riko's hair, pulled him up with only that as the grounding point to Riko's full height. Seth bent down to meet Riko eye to eye before his other hand wrapped around Riko's throat to lift him up completely off his feet. Attention was drawn to them as a whistle blew and red cards were thrown on the play. Seth didn't stop, lifting Riko well over his head, laughing more as his hands clawed at the one at his neck, mouth open trying to take a full breath into his lungs. He squeezed tighter, feeling tendons shift under his grip even through the guard. When he felt satisfied by Riko's fear he slammed him against the plexiglass wall to their left, let him slide down as he released his hold just as his other hand balled into a fist to start relentlessly pummeling into his side as the other came down to catch him on the side of the head.

The Foxes didn't move to stop him, except one. Kevin came up and roughly grabbed at his elbow.

"Gordon! Forget him, " Kevin met his eyes and held his racquet out to him. "Time to get them where it really hurts." A rare feral Kevin smile was on display and Seth was only able to take his racquet back, clack theirs together before running off with a shit-eating grin, ready to play Exy with his favorite striker in NCAA.

Riko wouldn't finish out that game, he'd have to have been hauled off with some moderately severe injuries for only being in an altercation with one other man.

The Foxes would win.

Seth wouldn't regret what he did, after all, he's just a Fox with an attitude problem.

[ronanlyxch]

stuck in the Nest and trying to tell yourself this is what your mother would have wanted, even though the fading memories of her touch feels so different from the heavy hands and sticks you are now used to. How could someone who cradled you so gently want this for you? But...did she ever cradled him? Or was that distant memory just a dream? It certainly felt like a dream sometimes.

I’m freaking out about this!!!

no Listen kevin is doing the least healing out of everyone andrew goes to therapy he trusts people in his life he confides in neil and neil coped by running and lying and now he’s Staying he’s trying to be honest and to confide in others and letting himself love even jean is going to therapy for his water phobia and is working to trust people and is getting to the point where he can admit what happened to him was awful and he didn’t deserve it but kevin?? kevin doesn’t talk about his feelings Ever the most vulnerable we see him is when he has panic attacks about riko and what does he do? talk to the people around him? NO he chugs vodka and shoves it all down that’s all he does repress repress repress I doubt he’s even vulnerable in therapy yes bee knows the facts of the situation but when I first got into therapy I would give my life history so rehearsed and robotic and detached he can’t acknowledge how the horrible things he went through Affected him part of him still thinks the abuse made sense!!! because it was punishment for not being perfect!!! and he still believes he has to be perfect above all else!!!!

[bees-figurines]

Matt was the first one to make a promise to Neil, that he would protect him from the monsters until graduation. He gets Kevin off Neil during their first fight in the dorm. He protects Neil's things when Neil calls from Columbia. He waits up for Neil to come back from the first night practice with Kevin just to make sure he is unharmed. He saved Neil from Riko during the banquet since Andrew had his hands full with Kevin. I can keep going but my point is Matthew Boyd does not get enough love from this fandom!!!

[heartstringgs]

Nora saying Neil would have stayed at the Nest for Jean. Jean and Neil both hating Betsy on sight. Neil and Jean both being sold to a higher family like a commodity. Neil gently taking the phone from Jean's hands and saying'I've got him coach' to Wymack when Jean starts to panic. Neil asking Kevin if Jean was okay when Jeremy called. Jean wishing Neil had stayed just so someone could be with him during the harshest times of his life. Kevin being sure that Neil will be helped by Jean. Neil giving Jean time to get it together when the agents arrived. Neil protecting Jean from his abuser. Jean silently cleaning up Neil's wounds and speaking to him in french when no can hear them. Jean asking Neil to tell him that Riko is truly gone and Neil confirming without a moment of hesitation. Jean and Neil both automatically resorting to saying they're okay—I'm fine, there's nothing to talk about—whenever someone asks them. Neil originally being a backliner just like Jean. Neil telling Jean it's okay to take off the tattoo. Neil reminding Jean he's worth saving. Neil looking over his shoulder out of instinct thinking Jean would be there near him. Neil being Jean's what-if. The 3 to the other's 4. A broken promise. The misplaced forever partners.

[threewaywithdelusion]

Can we talk about the attack on the Foxes and exactly how many triggers that's going to set off?

How much do you want to bet that Lane swung for Neil's ribs first because he'd mouthed off in the interview and revealed that Jean had had broken ribs? How long until Jean puts it together and blames himself for the fact that he and Neil now share matching rib fractures from the Ravens? (Neil doesn't care. He'd do it all again).

Andrew has a broken collarbone so bad it needed surgery, and he's going to have to wear a sling for several weeks. He's immobilized and unarmed (literally if he can't wear a knife on his injured arm. A knife in the armband of his working arm would do nothing because he can't draw it with one hand). And Andrew has an immense fear of being too weak to defend himself, especially with a broken bone to make him a target.

Kevin. He's finally grown a spine and this is the first time we see him literally fight the Ravens. He throws hands in defense of his Foxes, and Neil in particular, when Kevin from a year before would never have. But he saw Andrew, his protector, his shield, the man he promised he would make Court, with a hand dangling limp and useless at his side thanks to a broken bone. How many hours did it take before they got Andrew into an x-ray and saw that it was fixable? How long did Kevin stare at Andrew's limp hand, memories of Riko and his own broken bones going through his mind?

Allison was off the court, but that's the part that's going to kill her. Only she, Renee, Nicky, and the freshmen were off the court, but the freshman don't count. Allison had to watch through plexiglass walls as her team was hurt, unable to do anything to help, and she probably thought how many times is this going to happen? How many times am I going to be sidelined while my friends are hurt? how many times will I be useless in protecting them from the Ravens? (It's been one year since Seth died. Since Allison let him go out and lost him and she's never stopped wondering if things would have gone differently if she had been there that night.)

Nicky is also stuck outside the plexiglass, watching as Andrew is the first to go down. He remembers Andrew fighting for him outside Eden's, remembers how Andrew never regretted defending Nicky even when it got him put on those hated meds. And he can't help but feel like a useless guardian because he wasn't there when Andrew was attacked at Thanksgiving (he was the reason Andrew was in that house) and he isn't there now. All he can do is watch.

The Foxes have a long road to recovery and they've definitely survived worse. But with so many old scars torn open, this year might be just as rough as the last

[lorasx]

at the winter banquet, when riko and jean come over to neil and kevin, neil steps forward and puts himself between kevin and riko in a protective way. what do you think jean felt when he saw his long-lost promised partner was someone who is brave enough to stand up to riko for kevin

[palindrome-mystery]

Kevin would not - could not - defend himself against Riko. Years of abuse and torture beat into him that he was to obey Riko.

But when Riko goes for Neil, Kevin tries to stop him. He catches Riko's arm, he lays a hand on him, he goes against him. Because protecting Neil, who at the time was just some random nobody Kevin was trying to mentor, was more important than his fear of Riko.

Neil kissed his survival instincts goodbye when he defended Kevin against Riko on TV, but Kevin also fought against his survival instincts to protect Neil from Riko just a few minutes later.

[kevjeanday]

What? I’m not crying. My eyes are just leaking. It happens when i think about Kevin asking Jean to teach him French, about Kevin’s ‘I don’t want to lose you’, Kevin buying postcards and magnets for Jean when possible, about stupid, beautiful kevin defending Jean the best he could when he learned the hard way years ago not to speak up against Riko, about Kevin sometimes staying with Jean after, but often had no choice but distract the ravens from further hurting Jean by being insufferable.

About Kevin thinking and worrying about Jean when Kengo is dying, about Kevin trying to convince Jean not to return to Evermore even though the mere idea of defying the Moriyamas still terrifies him, about Kevin doing everything to ensure Jean got on Kevin’s favorite team because ‘their kindness matters’ and ‘some of them you like’ and because he wanted Jean as far away from West Virginia he can get because he knew how hard it was for himself to be just a state over.

About ‘breathe’ and ‘be careful with him’ and letting Bee use everything he told her even though he never trusted her enough himself.

About Kevin traveling to California to help Jean even though he has to drink to get through it, about ‘California agrees with you’ and about ‘Stay with me’ and Kevin dropping his media persona to protect Jean on television, about ‘the only brother i have left’ and ‘you’ve always known what i am’ and ‘so will you’.

About Kevin trying to talk about Riko with Jean, about Kevin convincing Jean to talk to Betsy, about Kevin seeing Jean enjoy something other than Exy and ‘I’m glad’, about Kevin seeing Jean kept the ruined postcards and immediately sending a new one.

[lucky-slice]

I see the vision and I adore it.

I wouldn't say its a one to one because they're all very different characters, but yeah - there's something in there about protecting and being protected. Something about promises.

Kevin exists in a protective role for Jean, not because he can necessarily prevent physical harm, but because he protects Jean's strength to live. He makes Jean promise not to end his life and in turn implicitly promises to not let him do so.

Andrew's protection of Kevin presents more physically, but even so - their deal was much more about Andrew's ability to protect Kevin from himself. He would stop Kevin from going back to Riko. He supplies him with a sense of stability that Kevin would drive himself to ruin without.

You could even draw parallels between the breaking of these respective promises. There's multiple ways people have interpreted the choking incident (and I'm not gonna ramble on your post about that), but from my perspective, the choking incident is a representation of Andrew placing something above his promise to Kevin. You can argue whether or not this "breaks the deal", but it's not hard to draw a parallel between the shifting of that dynamic and the shifting in Kevin and Jean's dynamic.

Fun stuff to think about.

is it just me. or is kevin to jean what andrew is to kevin

[fairvstairs]

You just don't get him like I do.

Wymack pulled a bottle of vodka out of the bag and put it down beside Kevin. “You have ten seconds to inhale as much of this as you can. I’m timing you. Go.” It was alarming how much a man could drink when he needed an emotional crutch. Wymack had to pry the bottle from Kevin’s desperate fingers afterward.

Kevin was silent for an endless minute, then said, “You should be  Court.” It was barely a whisper, but it cut Neil to the bone. It was a resentful goodbye to the bright future Kevin had wanted for Neil. Kevin recruited Neil because he believed in  Neil’s potential. He brought him to the Foxes intending to make a star athlete out of him. Despite his condescending attitude and his dismissals of Neil’s best efforts Kevin honestly expected Neil to make the national team after graduation.

“Good thing you’re not there anymore.” “Jean still is.”

“Let Riko be King,” Kevin said, with the exaggerated enunciation of the thoroughly sloshed. “Most coveted, most protected. He’ll sacrifice every piece he has to protect his throne. Whatever. Me?” Kevin gestured again, meaning to indicate himself but too drunk to get his hand higher than his waist. “I’m going to be the deadliest piece on the board.”

Before he stepped on Kevin tapped the butt of his racquet against the floor and passed his stick to his other hand. He stroked to half-court head high and left-handed and the crowd went wild.