#Turns out Wymack has saved Neil's life instead | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kevindayisafrog · 3 years

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What if Neil never made it home? (Kevneil pain)

TW - physical abuse (choking), panic attacks, hints of suicidal thoughts, grief and loss of a MC, anxiety

“Where is he?”, Andrew’s monotone voice chilled Kevin all over, making his already rapid heart beat faster. “I-I don’t-“, Kevin put his head in his hands and let out a shaky breath. He didn’t know where Neil was and he was dreading the worst. He was holding his hand just minutes ago but the fight broke out and..Kevin let out a strangled sound and squeezed his eyes shut. “Andrew-“, Nicky’s fear made him look up in time to see Andrew marching towards him up the aisle of the bus. “Andrew, I promise I don’t know where he is”, Kevin pleaded as Andrew ran into him and grabbed his throat, “Andrew, please, I don’t-“. He let out a choked whimper as Andrew’s hands grew tighter around his neck. A million tortured moments of Riko flashed behind his shut eyes making Kevin want to disappear; run away from this place to find his Neil. “Andrew”, he tried to whisper, the name barely coming out. “Where the fuck is he?”, Andrew’s voice barely changed, his deadpan face still remaining; boring into Kevin’s memory. “His father-the butcher-“, he knew Neil would hate him for telling everyone his past, but if it would get Andrew off him, he’ll try anything. As soon as Andrew lets go he can run; he’d run faster than he ever has, until his legs break beneath him. He won’t care about the pain, he’s lived through pain his whole life, what’s a bit more? If it helps him get Neil back he’ll walk through fire, he’ll go back to the nest, he’ll kiss Riko’s feet and smile as he slowly dies. “Baltimore-the butcher of Baltimore”, Kevin closed his eyes and let a tear fall out. Who cares if the foxes see him cry? He doesn’t give a shit. They mean nothing to him. “Andrew get off him”, Matt looked between the two and wrapped his arms around Andrew’s waist, pulling to no avail, “fuck”. Kevin looked up into Andrew’s empty eyes through his blurring vision and prepared for the pain he’ll get before whispering: “please, Andrew, I can’t lose him”. Andrew’s hands grew tighter than before, making Kevin let out a laugh fueled on pain and fear. He looked over Andrew’s shoulder fleetingly as Matt, Aaron, Nicky and Coach finally pulled Andrew off; his throat bursting with a numb pain. “Kevin, sweetheart”, Abby kneeled beside him and pulled his head gently onto her lap, “if you know about Neil’s past we need you to tell us now. It’s important”. Kevin closed his eyes and swallowed through the burn in his throat, silently apologizing to Neil for his truth. “His father..is the butcher of Baltimore. He just got out-“, he pressed a hand against his mottled throat and swallowed the taste of blood, “out of prison. We need to save him”. Nicky let out an inhaled ‘fuck’ as Matt got ready to hit Kevin. “For fuck’s sake, Kevin, why didn’t you tell us before? Is that why he was scared of his own shadow? Because he was fucking running away?”, Wymack ran a hand down his face and swore. Kevin nodded and cleared his throat, “yeah, he ran away with his mom when he was eleven. But she died and..”, he shrugged and let out a pained sigh as Abby began to rub lotion onto his bruising neck. “Fucking great”, Wymack turned his back to the team and shook his head before turning to glare down at Kevin, “you should’ve told us sooner, Day. What if something has gone wrong and we’re too fucking late?” Kevin winced at his words and slowly closed his eyes; he’s been blamed for a lot of shit in his life, but Neil’s possible death stabs deeper than anything before. “I’m sorry”, he whispered, desperate for someone to believe him. “That’s not good enough right now. Everyone get in your seats”, Wymack barked as he strode to the front of the bus and sat down with a loud sigh. Kevin stood up slowly and sank into his seat, watching out of the window as his fear and anxiety choked him once again.

Kevin sunk into the corner of the hotel room and dropped his head into his hands; his left hand red raw from his anxious picking. He didn’t want to stay in this room, he didn’t care if the FBI forced them to, he needed to get out. They reassured him that Neil would be okay, but he didn’t believe them. Kevin flinched as a hand was placed on his shoulder, a gentle squeeze making him want to crawl out of his skin. “He’s going to be okay”, Abby smiled down at him and placed a gentle kiss on his temple, “I know what he means to you”. Kevin blinked up at her and tried to hold his anxious tears in; he didn’t want anyone to know what Neil meant to him. Neil was his and he was going to protect him until the day he dropped dead. “Fuck’s sake”, Wymack grumbled as a loud knock startled everyone up onto their feet. They all stood in silence as their Coach opened the door cautiously and grunted when two FBI agents walked through the door with annoyed facial expressions. “I’m Special Agent Browning and this”, the smug suited man gestured to the taller man beside him, “is my partner Special Agent Towns. We are working on the Baltimore case and can officially announce that the butcher has been executed”. He said it so proudly, so smugly that Kevin wanted to rip the man’s face off with his bare fucking hands. “But this information is not to leave this room, do you understand?”, Towns glared at each face before nodding and pulling a notebook out of his jacket pocket, “we would like some information on Nathaniel Wesninksi, the butcher’s son”. Nathaniel. That name alone brought too many bad memories up that Kevin wanted to scream. He wanted to scream that his name is Neil, he hated that name and he ran so far away to forget it; but now they’re pinning him back down with it. “His-his name is Neil”, Kevin spoke up and felt everyone’s eyes turn to him, “and I want to know where he is”. He tried to stay formal and authoritative but his voice cracked in fear. Both agents shared a small look, a silent conversation being spoken right in front of their faces, before Browning nodded and turned to face the room. “We are sorry to say that Nathaniel did not make it. Our condolences”. Kevin felt the air leave his lungs as if he’d been shot a million times in the chest. “What?”, he whispered as the Foxes turned to shoot him death glares. “For fuck’s sake, Kevin. You should’ve told us”, Matt spat as Dan physically held him back from killing Kevin. “I didn’t-he didn’t want me to, I was just-“, Kevin took a step back in instinctive fear as the Foxes began to shout over each other, each word ripping deep into Kevin’s skin that they began to merge together into a numbing ring in his ears. “He’s okay, they’re just-“, Kevin gripped his chest with his left hand and replayed all his memories with Neil, “they’re lying. He’s okay”. Browning shook his head and sighed, “I’m sorry, kid, but his father got to him before we could infiltrate the building”. Kevin fell to his knees and covered his ears, his lungs bursting in his chest. “No, he’s okay, he’s okay”, he whispered hoarsely, bile slowly creeping up his bruised throat. His ears began to ring with shouts and cries as he watched his Neil slip away behind his eyelids, the blue eyes that he fell in love with slowly closing shut to never open again.

“He’s okay”, Kevin whispered as his body began to shake, painful sobs ripping through his chest, “he’s okay”. He replayed every interaction with Neil, his body still humming with his touches, his cheeks still blushing from the soft kisses. “He’s okay, you’re lying”, he whispered though it came out barely audible, his throat burning with the bile. He felt like he was dying and he was leaning into it; hoping that this will finally be the moment where he’ll die and won’t have to live without Neil. The boy that he fell in love with the moment he saw him swagger onto the court when they were eleven. The boy that mouthed off to the press, to Riko, but would kiss him so gently; would hold him with such tenderness that it would sometimes make him want to cry. His reason to fight back who has lost the battle; who proved that life would never get better, at least not for them. He let out a wail as he felt his lungs collapse, his body shaking so much that he felt as if he were leaving it; finally being freed. “Kevin”, a blurry voice broke through the deafening ring in his ears, a voice so soft that it made his heart break more, “Kevin, sweetheart, give me your hand”. He opened his eyes slowly and blinked through the tears, his head swimming with his fight or flight reflexes. He wanted to do neither; he wanted to disappear. “Give me your hand”, Abby gently took ahold of his hand and placed it against her neck, “feel my pulse, can you feel it?” It took too much energy for Kevin to nod so he squeezed his eyes shut instead. “Good, now match my breathing, I know it’s hard but you can do it”, Abby began breathing too loudly for Kevin’s ears and he just wanted to push her away, but he tried anyway; she always makes him want to try. “Good, that great, you’re doing so well”, Abby whispered through breaths, a sad smile in her voice. “I don’t want to do it”, Kevin whispered as he felt his chest sag in defeat. “No, you’re doing great, I’m so proud”, Abby cupped his face and wiped away the tears that were infinite. Kevin shook his head and dropped his head on her shoulder, opening his eyes to watch as the other Foxes had turned their backs on him. Neil was the only one that made him want to stay here, so why did he let him go? All he had to do was hold a little tighter, but Kevin always let good things slip through his fingers, “I’m sorry”, he whispered though no one heard him.

Kevin strode onto the Ravens court with his head held and with a victory already in his grasp. “For you”, he whispered to the sky before tapping the butt of his racquet against the floor and changing hands, “you gave me your game and I won’t let you down”.

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simonsrosebud · 3 years

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the one where someone doesn’t know who kevin day is, pt. 4

part one two three five

extra content linked at the bottom!!

the cousins are all on the bus. they’re the first ones there, but kevin hangs behind to wait for dalton. apparently it’s obvious.

nicky hangs out the open bus door. “he meet wymack yet?” and goes bug eyed when kevin shakes his head. “you haven’t introduced your boyfriend to your dad yet?! this is the first time they’re meeting?!”

and jesus, he didn’t think it was a big deal. it’s just the banquet. but he also knows he’s never had a father before. or a boyfriend, really.

“is... should i have done that before? why- it’s not some big deal.”

nicky shrugs. “first impressions are important.” and goes in the bus.

and now kevin’s trying not to get overwhelmed.

abby’s in charge of the headcount, but wymack still climbs out of the bus when the dates get there. dalton is the first one.

he goes right to kevin- still waiting outside the bus, and gives him a quick kiss before grabbing his hand and continuing on his way to wymack.

he sticks his hand right out. “i’m dalton. it’s nice to meet you, mr. wymack.”

wymack nods. “you as well. heard good things.” kevin hasn’t really said things about dalton, but he lets it go. probably just being polite.

“hell, hope i can live up to them.” he laughs. “i would’ve made it a point to introduce myself before, i apologize. i feel like i’ve been grading finals for weeks, now.”

wymack gets talking, and kevin honestly feels like a third wheel. dalton was doing a better job at talking with his father than he did sometimes.

kevin sends dalton onto the bus eventually, and wymack holds him back. “you told him shit?”

“yes. not the yakuza.”

“but he knows you’re kinda fucked in the head?” kevin almost frowns. he’s not wrong. wymack adds as a second thought, “not to say the rest of those idiots aren’t.”

“he knows.” he normally wouldn’t care to mention it, but he really wants wymack to like dalton. “he helped me with a panic attack a little bit ago.”

“riko?” he nods. every time it happens it makes wymack look beaten down. kevin almost regrets telling him, but wymack purses his lips and after a moment shoves his shoulder towards the bus. “he’s a good kid. stop your worrying and get your ass on the bus.”

it’s as good as a compliment as he’d hoped for, honestly.

this years banquet is in virginia. it’s a six hour drive, and kevin had already explained why they don’t fly if they don’t have to, so dalton’s kind of made it his mission to get along with some of the foxes.

kevin would rather he not. it’s not like the last time dalton spent time with the foxes they spilled his life faults in front of his new boyfriend.

that would be insane.

matt, dan, and dalton talk the most on the ride. renee joins the conversation at some point and matt and dan butt out.

kevin’s busy talking to wymack about exy, and horror sets in his eyes when he sees neil talking to his boyfriend. “we’re three hours in, kevin, he’s made it this far.” as in, neil won’t break him. but kevin’s nervous anyway.

until he hears what they’re talking about.

math.

“that’s disgusting.” kevin leans back in his seat and watches them talk.

renee smiles. “you’re dating him.”

the foxes are sat on the opposite side of the court of the ravens, as has become routine ever since neil and riko’s encounter. instead they’re sat with the trojans and jeremy, jean, and alvarez sit across from them. kevin smiles when jeremy comes around to say hi, but he smiles just a bit wider when introducing dalton.

jean and kevin have this thing. they don’t talk often, but when they do it’s more of a check up. so when jean asks him in french how he is, dalton grins. “do all exy players just speak french?” it’s more of a remark to jeremy, who laughs and tells him jean said he taught kevin french when they both lived at edgar allen together, which makes dalton feel a little bad. kevin had told him how he knew jean, and about living at edgar allen with riko’s abuse.

later, dalton grabs his hand under the table. “is french triggering for you?” and, what? “jeremy said jean taught you french, and you’ve told me about your time with jean.” oh.

dalton was a graduate student, sure, but he was more intuitive than kevin thought. “french was an escape because no one but us understood it. i like speaking french to you, because you like it. it helps to take away the meaning behind why i learned it in the first place, i think.”

“okay... can i kiss you? would you be okay with that?”

kevin raises a brow. “i mean, jesus, i came out for a reason.” he starts to turn away with fake annoyance, but dalton snorts and turns his chin back before he gets away. it’s just a small peck, but it’s enough to make dalton smile so kevin doesn’t care.

jeremy circles back. “volleyball, guys?”

dalton snaps his head back to kevin. “oh, i’m going to dominate you.” and takes off.

“be on my team!”

“nope!”

normally they’d drive back that night. the first banquet after the disastrous one last year was the fall one (which kevin went to with renee because he was still scared to introduce dalton), and they’d gone back that night since it was only a two hour drive.

wymack wasn’t sold on it at first, but after getting multiple confirmations from everyone that it’d be okay, he booked rooms so they could drive back sunday morning instead.

the foxes are all drunk- save for renee, andrew, neil, kevin and dalton.

they gather in matt and dan’s room for hours. at one point, kevin’s so out of it and tired that he doesn’t notice dalton leave for a moment.

it’s because of andrew.

but all must go well because dalton makes it back alive and unfazed. he settles behind kevin and kisses his cheek. “wanna head back?” he drops his head into the crook of his neck. “you look really good, baby.”

that’s a new nickname. he thinks he likes it.

ahaha. aha. you know what happens.

dalton asks kevin if he would want to come to maryland, his home, for a few days during winter break. kevin says sure before he realizes that it probably includes him meeting dalton’s family.

kevin does a google search once he’s settled back in his bed at palmetto.

when do people normally say i love you in a relationship?

he deletes it almost as soon as he searches it. it’s a stupid thing to search.

dalton sends him a text. a funny twitter post, and a message under it.

the banquet was so much fun, i’m so glad you asked me to go w you❤️❤️

kevin sends a heart back.

ALL EXTRA CONTENT ALL HERE BABEY (aka a dalton/kevin directory so i don’t have to keep updating on this post hehe)

there’s so much extra content and it just keeps coming so keep an eye out for updates on that link^^

dalton finds out how famous kevin really is

dalton/kevin at pride

what does dalton look like?

first fight aha

what did andrew say to dalton?

dalton & wymack’s perspective of meeting each other

AMAZING DALTON X KEVIN ART!!!

kevin meeting dalton’s friends

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livingasaghost · 3 years

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okay so i always see a bunch of ridiculous aftg headcanons soooo i decided to put my hat in the ring and try it out

this is all about the foxes and their chaotic as hell groupchats

so let’s imagine for a second that this series doesn’t take place in the early 2000s so smart phones exist

periodically the foxes have exchanged numbers with each other - obviously each of the cliques can contact each other, but then throughout that first year there are little things that cause people to give out their numbers

like at some point nicky lets it slip that he’s having trouble with his stats class and out of the blue allison offers to meet up with him because she’s surprisingly like really great at math? so the two of them start up a little text chain where they just shit talk everyone and start a few random bets

and then dan gets katelyn’s number from one of the other vixens and the two of them initially just start texting about game details...which turns into bonding over make-up and girl talk and eventually dan starts inviting katelyn to hang out with her and the fox girls

at first renee is the only one who has everyone’s number because she’s the only one who everyone likes

but then after their big win, renee just puts everyone in one massive groupchat so no one gets left out and they can all bond and it’s just as chaotic as one would expect

at first everyone’s just trying to figure out who’s who, but not everyone has an iphone so all the iphone users are really pissed off at the green bubbles

aaron’s the only one with an android because of course he is

he refuses to switch to an iphone even when the rest of the team BEGS him to bc he “doesn’t see the point”

for the whole summer after neil’s first year, the team keeps trying to pressure him and andrew into upgrading their phones because the team is so sick of what it’s doing to the groupchat

neil doesn’t really know how it all works because he’s still getting used to having a phone and having friends to text, but then everyone starts sending him emojis that don’t show up properly and his phone won’t load any photos they send and the rest of the foxes are so FRUSTRATED bc neil doesn’t seem to notice

eventually, in a shocking turn of events, andrew gets so fed up with the chaos of everyone texting his flip phone that he’s the one who gives in

he shows up at the dorm one day and just hands neil a little baggie with his new iphone

they’re just starting to get it set up when nicky strolls in and IMMEDIATELY takes over, showing neil all about emojis and changing your phone background and saving all the fox contacts

neil is, unsurprisingly, very overwhelmed and slightly terrified, so andrew reaches over and does it all for him, and nicky just looks put out

it takes neil like six months to change any of his contacts or backgrounds or settings because he just doesn’t care

eventually he does manage to set his lockscreen to a really bad photo he took of andrew when he wasn’t paying attention

andrew notices it one day and chooses not to say anything

(he secretly loves it)

when the groupchats start heating up.......neil realizes it’s kind of fun to have a smart phone because it feels like the foxes are with him all the time

after neil and andrew get iphones, the rest of the team decide to make a separate groupchat for just apple users bc no one really texts aaron regularly anyway

at first it’s just a place where people drop details about practices

dan shares news from wymack and abby and then kevin starts giving orders about what the foxes can do better

and somehow that is the tipping point

because everyone hates when kevin starts talking exy

(except neil)

so everyone jumps on him and it’s the perfect icebreaker

nicky is the obnoxious one who sends a ridiculous amount of emojis and gifs and reaction images (neil never knows where he finds them all) - he also sends the most tiktoks. usually ones that are super inappropriate or just plain stupid.

allison texts a lot because she’s always attached to her phone ready for the tea and sometimes she’ll send a really raunchy meme just to spice things up

neil doesn’t really know what’s going on half the time - and he never really scrolls up to see what he’s missed - so if and when he does respond, it’s usually just to ask clarifying questions or give a thumbs up

matt is the one who always checks in to make sure everyone’s doing okay - he’ll send really encouraging texts that people like andrew shit on

one time matt sends everyone a really sweet text over the holidays about how much they mean to him....and then dan just kicks him out of the gc and goes “okay enough of that bullshit i hate u guys xoxo” and andrew gives it a thumbs up

sometimes when he’s bored andrew will just kick out everyone but renee and neil bc why not

kevin is the one who gets kicked out the most

sometimes it’s because he texts about exy, but eventually it just becomes a running joke that they’ll kick him out randomly

like they’ll be in the middle of a conversation and then allison will just boot him out of the gc just to see what he’ll do

usually when this happens kevin will just send an angry message in one of the other gcs telling neil to add him back

it’s usually neil or renee who adds someone back bc they feel bad that people get left out of the gc

renee has this weird obsession with tiktok and she sends them CONSTANTLY like usually they remind her of certain teammates

she’ll send these at all hours of the night bc she has trouble sleeping and that means more time to scroll through the app from hell

and even though it gets on everyone’s nerves, no one can hate renee so they all just kind of....watch the videos and then everyone’s obsessed with tiktok

dan will send memes and things but only when they’re like so ridiculously funny that they get the whole gc wheezing at midnight on a school night

and usually they’re SO ridiculous that they only make sense to dan

“Dan you do realize we have practice tomorrow?”

“matt shut up this girl is talking like MARGE SIMPSON I CANT BREATHE”

most of the foxes text without proper capitalization or punctuation but matt and kevin and neil (and aaron) are all very proper with their texting

dan makes fun of matt all the time bc he doesn’t seem like the kind of person to Use Proper English but matt doesn’t understand why everyone can’t just use capitals when it’s automatic (he doesn’t know how to turn it off)

neil uses proper grammar just bc it doesn’t occur to him to do anything else

andrew uses lowercase bc it reads like a monotone to him and he thinks it’s ~cool~ and he also likes making kevin mad

sometimes he’ll use the wrong punctuation and grammar on purpose just to get kevin to reply to his texts

eventually nicky realizes he can change the group name and the group photo so he starts the most chaotic conversation by dramatically changing it to a snapchat screenshot of neil asleep on andrew’s lap and calling the gc SEXY EXY BESTIES 👅💦

it stays like that for all of two minutes before kevin notices and quickly changes the name to The Foxes

and then it becomes a free for all as everyone tries to be smart and snarky and ridiculous

stans of kevin’s left hand

the foxwhore court

🧡 Neil Josten Fanclub 🧡

life’s like a game of exy🥍

periodically throughout the week someone will change the name as they see fit - normally it’s something stupid but sometimes they’ll start an actual conversation by changing the group name

The Ungrateful Foxes

fuck you kevin

Guys plz be nice to Kevin

YOU KNOW, I GET IT—

The Worst Team in the NCAA

fuck you kevin

GO TO SLEEP NEIL!!!

one time after they’d spent like two weeks being called wymack’s whores, andrew decided he’d had enough of that so he just renamed it 🖕🏻🦊

and they do have a separate gc with wymack (they just don’t need to bother him with all their shitty commentary)

but funny enough, they’re almost worse in the wymack gc

at first wymack tried to control everyone by kicking people out who misbehaved, but then it just kept happening until it was him, kevin and renee left and he had to let it go

now all the foxes will text him at the most random times with the most random of questions

they also have a running joke where they all call him dad

kevin hates it, but wymack secretly thinks it’s hilarious and sweet

“hey dad can we get pizza after practice tomorrow???”

“dad nicky’s being a bitch can you make him run extra laps”

“WAIT DID YOU GUYS KNOW THAT WYMACK IS KEVIN’S ACTUAL DAD??? *blinking man gif*”

kevin starts leaving the gc instead of waiting to be kicked out

#should i do another one of these #this was SO FUCKING FUN #aftg #aftg headcanon #aftg hc #tfc #headcanon #mine #personal

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kevindayscrown · 3 years

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Ah, I love your series with Kevin and Eric so so much! It's so good. Now that you said about prompts, I kind of would like to see Kevin talking with Jean about Eric (and maybe Jean talking a bit to Kevin about Jeremy). Of course you don't have to if you think it wouldn't belong to the plot/series but, if I'm being honest I would like to see your take on this! :')

Hello! Thank you for taking time to send me your request! For some reason, the most asked prompt both here and on insta was Kevin/Jean and their discussion about Eric! So I'll start with this one (and you were the first to send me it).

The one where Kevin Day falls in love with an ice hockey player.

Extra Content Part 2

Ghosts

Anything included in this head canon takes place the semester after the Foxes won the championship against the Ravens.

Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about varsity teams in the United States so excuse any false information. Head over to the directory to find the previous parts, and follow this link for the fan fic version.

Kevin still rarely talks about Jean Moreau and everything cruel that took place in the Nest. He touches very briefly upon that subject, and even when he does, he hardly ever mentions the former Raven backliner.

He knows that Eric won't push it but it becomes clear that, as the final match between the Foxes and the Trojans approaches, Kevin is more jittery and nervous.

Usually, he expresses these emotions through being extra snarky. It's also the match that will declare the champions of the season, which only adds to his demands on court.

The Foxes can hardly stand his behaviour, so they let Eric do damage control. He seems to be the only one able to tame Kevin after a total of seven hours of practice per day.

Eric has managed to find a few of Kevin's buttons that help the other relax and ease off the tension, but it doesn't always work.

It does nothing when the day of the game finally arrives.

This year, it's a home game for the Foxes, so they are saved from the trouble of travelling across the country. They can hardly accommodate the crowd this match will attract, but they know they will still have the support of their loyal fans.

Eric takes a seat fifteen minutes before first serve. He can see from the stands that, even during warm ups, Kevin is unusually silent for someone who can't stop talking about the Trojans or about game tactics.

The game finally starts and it reminds the ice hockey player of a death match. There is violent collision of bodies, curses and fights, but it's apparently all fair game. It surprises Eric, but not enough to make him take his eyes off of Kevin.

The way he moves on court, brings about a wave of pride that overwhelms Eric. He can't help the smile on his face nor the way he cheers every time Kevin scores.

However, much to the Palmetto students' dismay, the Foxes lose 8-10. The 'renovations' the Trojans did to their lineup last year and the addition of perhaps the best Class I bakcliner on their team, is enough to create the small point gap needed to secure them a victory.

Eric can already tell Kevin will not be happy about it. He decides to give the team time to process the loss and waits outside of the Foxhole Court.

Which means that the Foxes have to deal with Kevin taking their ears off about everything that went wrong. Only few of them could tell, however, that Kevin was probably judging himself the harshest for every lost opportunity.

No one wants or has the guts to tell him that many times, Kevin would hesitate simply because his offence was met with Jean's defence.

The only one who decides to do something about it is Neil. Jeremy Knox seems to agree to his plan and the two of them manage to persuade both teams to help.

And that's how Kevin finds himself facing his former teammate as he comes out of the showers, dressed and ready to leave.

The number three on the other's cheek makes Kevin want to reach for his own tattoo, to look in the mirror and see if the '2' is still there.

"Jean," he says and walks over to his locker. "What are you doing here?" His voice comes out somewhat empty and void of emotions, even if there is a whirlwind of them in his head.

"That was a good game. Your hand seems to have almost fully healed," Jean says instead.

Kevin flinches. He remembers the night he left and he is sure Jean does too. He is sure that Riko took all of his rage out on the one left behind.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," he finally says.

Jean says nothing at first. He simply stares at the other. They are obviously both still haunted by ghosts of the past. And Kevin is still weighted down by the guilt of thinking only of himself that night, no matter how injured he had been.

"It doesn't matter now. That's in the past. We have both gone our own ways."

Kevin can see that. Jean looks... healthier. He has gained weight and his light skin looks less ashen than it did the last time Kevin saw him.

"The Trojans-"

"The Trojans have taken me in and have helped me stand on my own two feet. It was the best thing you could have done for me."

Kevin nods. He had known that the two of them would never be able to play on the same court together again, exactly because of their shared past.

"And I thank you for it. I know the Foxes are right for you too."

Kevin is not so sure about that sometimes, but he knew that if Wymack had not taken him in, he wouldn't be here now.

"Are you happy?" Jean finally asks. It sounds almost absurd; the two of them, happy. They had never even been allowed to make such thought in the past.

But he thinks of Eric, he thinks of his father, he thinks of all the victories he has shared with the Foxes, and nods.

"I am."

"So they were right. About you and that hockey player."

The last thing Kevin expected out of a conversation between him and Jean was to talk about his love life. But eventually, he nods slowly in confirmation.

"Yes. They were right. We are together. We have been for several months now."

Jean crosses his arms on front of his chest and watches Kevin carefully, as if calculating what to say next.

"If he can tolerate you for months now, then I suppose it does work out."

Kevin could hear the meaning behind those words. 'Don't screw up'. But he has already done so once and he isn't planning on doing it a second time.

"It does. My boyfriend comes to all my games and is there when I need him. That's enough."

Jean nods, and there is a far off look that tells Kevin that he is thinking of something similar.

"Give Jeremy my thanks. Tell him that tonight's game was good enough that it almost doesn't feel like a loss."

The small laugh that comes out of Jean catches Kevin off guard. He supposes that the Trojans have done a lot more for Jean than he had expected.

"I'll tell him. He seems to value what you have to say," he says and Kevin scoffs, grabbing his duffel bag from the locker before closing it.

"And of course you would know." Normally, someone would perceive this as teasing, but Kevin is very clear about the meaning behind his words and is sure that Jean has also understood.

"I spend a lot of quality time with my Captain. I've gotten close with him, as it's expected."

Kevin just nods, walking besides the other towards the exit.

"We will see each other again on court next year," he finally adds once they are a few feet away from their awaiting teams. "You better be prepared."

"Don't worry about that, Day. I'm sure we will get to talk again before that," is the last thing Jean says before leaving.

Kevin watches him until he feels an arm being wrapped around his waist. He turns to look at Eric, with a characteristic scowl.

"It was a good game, if that's any comfort to you," the goaltender says and chuckles as he presses a kiss to Kevin's temple.

Kevin rolls his eyes but despite tonight's loss, he somehow feels lighter in his chest.

#all for the game #aftg #andreil #andrew minyard #neil josten #the foxhole court #kevin day #the raven king #the kings men #matt boyd #kevin day x oc #OC: Jiang Eric #nicky hemmick #aaron minyard #dan wilds #renee walker #allison reynolds #aftg fic #aftg headcanon

59 notes · View notes

aftgficlibrary · 3 years

Note

Are there any AUs where renison or lailalverez is the main pairing?

there are quite a few but here you go -maz

renison:

Before All I Heard Was Silence by moonqueerdom (T | 7,430 | 1/1)

Allison's eyes widened and her face burned immediately, spreading to her neck and the tips of her ears. "Oh my gosh, Renee," she lowered her face and covered it with her hands.

Renee chuckled. "She is beautiful when she blushes, ok noted."

"Oh my gosh, Walker, stop that," Allison's voice was too wobbly and high-pitched even for her own ears, and there was a grin threatening to pop on her lips.

About to disappear in the afterlife, Allison Reynolds meets Renee Walker, who was ready to change her life even after death.

Last Café by uberimmortal (M | 4,802 | 1/1)

Like every weekend for the past year, Renee finds herself on a Saturday morning in front of the Last Cafe. She takes a deep breath, key still in her hand, shivering from the autumn breeze as she tries to muster up some energy to open the door. The sun is just beginning to poke over the horizon, lighting up the city in a blue haze, not close enough to this side of the earth to provide any real warmth. One by one street lamps flicker until they turn off completely.

The Gracekeepers by wishbonetea (M | 112,116 | 20/20)

The sea has flooded the earth. Allison lives on a circus boat, floating between the scattered islands that remain and trading dazzling and death-defying feats for food from the islanders. Renee lives alone in a lighthouse in the middle of the ocean, with only the birds and fish for company. As penance for her past, she works as a gracekeeper, tending the graves of those who die at sea. A storm brings them together, but under clear skies they must part. When one of the Foxes goes missing, Renee joins to help. It’s meant to be a temporary escape, but Allison might be a reason to stay.

⁂

An AU of Kirsty Logan's The Gracekeepers.

she's got lips like wine not sugar by IzzyAguecheek (Not Rated | 8,561 | 1/1)

The coffee shop was mostly empty the first time Allison came in. It was too early for most people, specially on a Sunday, when most people didn’t have work and therefore didn’t need to stop by to grab a coffee to wake up. Allison, however, didn’t strike Renee as the type of girl to drink coffee before a shift at some boring company. She looked more like someone who had stayed up all night and now was trying to fight off a hangover with caffeine.

Dan was late, per usual, so Renee and Andrew were the only employees working. Andrew took one look at the car parked outside, right in front of the window, and firmly turned his back on the girl sitting at the corner booth.

“You take that one”, he decided.

(or: Renee works at a coffee shop, and, when Allison becomes a regular there, she is absolutely in love. It's just a Renison Coffee Shop AU.)

counting my blessings by quensty (T | 10,354 | 1/1)

The last letter is from Wymack.

Allison, it says. Forest Falls, California, has been having problems with a robber. Dan and Matt are too far, and Neil and Andrew are already working a job in Nevada. Get on it. -DW

“Motherfucker,” Allison says.

Real Gravity by loose_canon (T | 1,723 | 1/1)

RECORDED 04:08, PILGRIMAGE YEAR 1584 DAY 29

[begin message]

Hey, Mom. You’re probably watching this and thinking about how much you want to kick my ass right now. Well, my butt, because you don’t say words like “ass,” much less think them. Anyway, I know you’re mad at me. I’m the ungrateful daughter who hijacked an emergency pod and zipped off into space in the middle of the eclipse service like a dumbass—sorry, dumbbutt—with another girl because I just had to go and open myself to the spirit of lesbianism. I’m not gonna lie, I’m mad just like you are. Part of me wants to just say that the spirit is a good fucking time and be on my way. But I need you need to know that I’m losing something, too.

A sci-fi one shot: Allison leaves a final message for her mother after she and Renee escape the generation ship they grew up on.

On Dragon's Wings (Under the Blue) by tinystreetlamp (T | 8,417 | 3/3)

For hundreds of years the six kingdoms coexisted in peace due to a magical contract that prevents violence between them. Ever since Allison's brother Jean was kidnapped by Riko she has wanted to lead her armies to war against the Island of Night, but the contract prevents her from doing so. When crown prince Nathaniel arrives and asks for sanctuary, Allison sees her chance to unite four of the kingdoms against Riko and rain down her vengeance upon him.

(How to seduce a pirate: drag her underwater unexpectedly)

/Graphic Depictions of Violence

vengeance and death by cthulu_sun (M | 2,446 | 1/1)

legend says you have wax-dipped wings and golden fingernails and knives made of the blood you have spilled. legend says you are not merciful.

in which renee is a tired guardian angel, finds the foxes, and falls in love.

a hundred jewels on throats by ghvsts (T | 3,226 | 1/1)

"have you seen the goddess from the seafoam," they whisper, "she is more beautiful than anything."

(in which seth is ares, renee is persephone, and allison has had enough)

fabrication of a grand scheme by cloudghost (T | 13,787 | 1/1)

Renee was silent for a while. Then, finally, she said, “I want to try going outside.”

“I thought you were scared.”

She hummed her assent. “That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it.”

Since that was basically the philosophy Allison lived by, she nodded. Renee turned back around and met Allison’s gaze. In that moment, Renee looked unbreakable and unshakeable, like nothing that ended up in her way could ever stop her for long. Allison shivered.

Love You a Latte by ceilingfan5 (G | 8,465 | 1/1)

Allison's favorite barista is adorable Renee, so when she gets the news that she has to go on a terrible family vacation and bring an "appropriate plus-one", she decides to finally get herself uninvited from the rest of those events for all eternity. She and Renee go together, pretending to be a very much in love couple, stir shit up, and leave a lot closer than they ever expected. (Obviously they fall in love.) Allison may say "I decided love was fake a long time ago and it’d take a miracle to change my mind now,” but if anyone can be a miracle worker, it's Renee.

say you'll never harden to the world by orphan_account (T | 10,300 | 1/1)

Of course it’s when the knife finally doesn’t feel awkward in her hand anymore that Allison shows up.

Instead of the relaxed way she usually holds her wings, they’re pulled taut behind her back. Her arms are crossed in front of her chest and there’s a decidedly not pleased look on her face.

“Hey,” Natalie says, not interrupting the sequence of stabbing moves she’s been practicing. She has no time for the way seeing Allison makes her feel.

Safe – a joke. Not alone – Allison might not even be real. Cared about – impossible.

Those kinds of emotions aren’t meant for someone like her in the first place, and she’s not going to indulge them.

give me shelter or show me heart by hondayota (Not Rated | 4,720 | 3/3)

Renee had always thought of hope as a feeling, something she scraped out of her insides when she had nothing else to hold onto, but over the past months, hope had ceased to be a feeling and had become synonymous with Allison Reynolds.

the renison zombie au no one asked for

renee and allison are hella gay even when there's zombies

laila/alvarez:

It's Called Fashion Hunty. Look it up. by theKristastrophe (T | 15,440 | 8/8)

Sara works for a company that she doesn't hate but doesn't love either. So she sits at the bar with her two other best friends and tries to get through the work week.

When a fresh lawyer stumbles into thier weekly Rant Club, Sara knows she's in for a wild ride.

Featuring gratious eyerolling, snark, and everyone's favorite Foxes.

Buckle up kiddies. It's time to Sashay, Sashay, Sashay...

Come Close by tinystreetlamp (T | 10,932 | 1/1)

Sometime around 200 BC in Ancient Greece, in a world where the greek gods are real, Laila is a warrior from Sparta. During her first visit to Athens she meets not only Jeremy of Troy but also falls head over heels in love with Sara, a daughter of Apollo and local poet. But Sara is cursed, and soon the three cross the Mediterranean on a quest to break the curse and save Sara.

Sara means Sun by tinystreetlamp (M | 27,739 | 8/8)

Five years ago, ships with black and red sails appeared on the horizon and wiped out all of the royal family - except one. The Raven King conquered Coralia and is doing everything he can to stay in power. Jeremy of Troia, the rightful heir to his kingdom, has been in hiding for the past five years, but he found something worth fighting for.

Laila, an Elven Warrior and Jeremy's best friend, will do anything to protect him. Meeting a cute stranger isn't going to change that.

/Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death

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moons-writings · 4 years

Text

Cinderella au - aftg

Ok ok, I know that I’m supposed to be working on my vixen!neil au (and I am! It’s just taking a bit because I apparently can’t write short fics to save my life), but I just watched the live action Cinderella and I have Thoughts.

Neil is Cinderella, because while Andrew is totally the one with the evil barely-related family, it wouldn’t make sense for Andrew to go to a ball. Also, when Neil’s mom dies, his situation becomes worse, like Cinderella.

Lola is the evil stepmother but Nathan never goes to jail or dies. There’s no stepsisters (there could be if you want the Moriyamas, but I don’t because that just adds a whole other layer that I don’t want to deal with, also we like things soft) but the rest of the inner circle fills that role of pushing Neil down

Nathan has some high rank and is affiliated with the army. He’s not a captain or general by any means but has a reputation of being lethal.

Mary was the one with the real power (maybe a countess or foreign duchess), so Nathan married up. When she died, Stuart wanted to take Neil under his wing, but Nathan didn’t want to lose hold of the one thing that tied him to power so he argued that Neil should stay with him because Lola could provide some “maternal love”.

Neil is forced to do household chores and clean up after his father and his circle’s kills. He’s also forced to learn how to use knives to help them in the future

Bee is the queen, she is sisters with Abby, who marries Wymack

Andrew and Aaron are Bee’s kids, Kevin and Dan are Abby and Wymack’s

Wymack is part of the army, maybe the general or something. He teaches Dan the people skills while Kevin cares more about being the best swordsman

Aaron follows his aunt and becomes a healer while Andrew becomes a skilled cavalier

They all play a sport *cough exy cough* that they made up when they were little kids (and that’s why the rules are so screwed up)

Aaron wants a ball because he fell in love with a foreign princess (Katelyn) but Andrew doesn’t like her so Aaron wants Bee’s approval to trump Andrew

When he were younger, Andrew was kidnapped by Drake and he saw some human trafficking and Drake almost got to him. Renee saved him and got him to the royal guard. Andrew became an advocate for cleaning up the kingdom and became close friends with Renee

Bee adopted Andrew and Aaron when Tilda first abandoned them. Tilda tried to take one back but Bee made her realize that guilt wasn’t going to make her a good mother so Tilda left them in Bee’s care

Nicky and the twins know each other and their relation. Nicky’s parents are influential so although Bee has tried to save him, she can’t really take him away without causing a scandal, which she doesn’t think will be good for him. Instead, she suggests that he study under an ambassador. Nicky gets to travel and meet Erik, the prince of some place more powerful than Bee’s, and thus Luther’s, kingdom. Nicky is happy and lovesick and takes over as ambassador to Erik’s kingdom

ANYWAY

Aaron wants a ball

Bee says yes

Andrew is upset because Bee says everyone has to go, so he spitefully says that EVERYONE includes commoners, so now the whole freaking kingdom is invited

Bee privately thinks this is funny and that maybe it will mean that Andrew will find a nice boy

Dan thinks its hilarious and while Kevin is upset that it’ll take time away from practicing, it’s making Andrew take out his anger during practice

Invitations go out, announcements are made

Nathan decides he wants to go in order to social climb

He doesn’t want Neil to go because having a kid will make him look less serious

Neil doesn’t care but Matt, who is one of the servants (stable boy), wants to go and wants Neil to go because he wants his friend to have fun

Lola sends Neil to Allison’s dressmaking shop to order a dress

Allison has Renee over when Neil goes. Renee takes one look at Neil and sees someone who’s been hurt and needs help. Allison sees a fighter with horrendous fashion taste. Allison tells Neil she’ll make the dress only if Neil agrees to let her make a suit for him and if he’ll save the money to get something decent to eat

Neil agrees because while the suit thing might be weird, he’s not about to give up free money

Renee goes and tells Andrew because she thinks he might want to know about the corruption in the nobility

Andrew decides he wants to see this for himself so he decides to lurk around when Lola goes in for a fitting

Neil accompanies Lola because she wants to flaunt her power over him

Andrew sees Neil and is like “ooh pretty boy”

Neil sees Andrew and is Suspicious and kinda recognizes him as one of the princes

Allison sees all this and makes Andrew measure Neil for Neil’s suit

Renee laughs at Andrew’s pain

The “yes or no”s start here, but with Neil flinching away from Andrew when Andrew goes to measure Neil’s torso

Andrew is suspicious and a bit angry at what this might mean, because he saw how the trafficked kids reacted to other people and he know how he reacted the weeks and months after getting kidnapped so he knows something is up

Allison drags out Lola’s fitting as much as she can to give Andrew and Neil time to talk, as well as to give Neil time away from Lola

Andrew tells Neil to meet him in the woods if he wants to get away from his father

Neil is still suspicious but figures it couldn’t hurt, and besides, he’s definitely faster and a better fighter than some prince, right?

Neil and Lola go home and Lola complains to Nathan about how long Allison took, Nathan lets her at Neil

They meet in the woods the next day

Andrew wants to grill Neil when he sees how hurt he is, but Neil doesn’t really want to talk, so they exchange truths

They meet a couple more times like this (the ball isn’t happening for another three weeks because it takes time for this stuff to be planned and organized)

By the second week, the rest of the royal family has noticed and elected Dan to follow Andrew because Aaron and Kevin are both annoyed at Andrew for various reasons

The day Dan follows Andrew is also the day Matt comes with Neil. Matt had followed Neil because he wants to meet this person who is making Neil happy when he isn’t with Matt

Andrew is annoyed and tells Dan to annoy someone else, so she goes and talks with Matt. Matt now wants to go the the ball too

Slowly the foxes come together, and by the week before the ball, the royal cousins have taught the others exy.

Also, as the ball has been approaching, Nathan has swung between ignoring Neil and causing immense amounts of harm

This causes the foxes to rally even more around Neil

The week leading up to the ball, Nathan was scarily calm because the royal guard has lightened up on patrols and so Nathan isn’t as worried about getting caught

Neil tells the Andrew this privately and Andrew makes a note to get Neil away from his father asap

The day of the ball, Nathan and the inner circle go. They make plans to leave at midnight.

Neil isn’t really planning on going still, but Matt shows him the suit Allison had made for him (Allison gave Matt the suit because she didn’t trust Neil not to ruin it before the ball) and Dan had sent them a carriage, so it would be a waste not to go.

They don’t their names called because only the women and distinguished guests get to be announced

Andrew abandons Aaron when he sees Neil

Bee has already given Katelyn her stamp of approval when Katelyn was the first to arrive and she saw how lovesick both Aaron and Katelyn were

When Andrew gets to Neil, Matt leaves him to find Dan

For a solid hour everyone is happily paired off, Renee watching fondly as Allison makes snide remarks on others’ outfits, Aaron and Katelyn dancing, Matt and Dan talking, Neil and Andrew in the gardens. Kevin is talking with the daughter and apprentice of a blacksmith (Thea) and Nicky is pissing his parents off with Erik.

Then, when Neil comes back inside with Andrew, he sees a) the time and b) Nathan

He’s not sure if Nathan’s seen him, but he tells Andrew that he’s got to go, so he runs like the speedy little fucker he is. In his haste, he leaves a shoe, because Renee and Matt annoyingly made him change into bad-for-running shoes because his shoes were too dirty

This makes Renee, Dan, and Allison the Fairy Godmother(s)

Andrew picks up his shoe and decides that when he finds Neil, he’s going to get him shoes that fit better

At home, Neil finds that the inner circle minus Lola is back. They start to beat him up, and when Nathan and Lola get home, they continue to do so. Nathan can’t cripple Neil permanently because everyone would notice, but he does break his leg and slash him up

He’s about to break the other leg when the Foxes break down the door. Kevin, Renee, Dan, and Andrew utterly ruin Nathan, and since they’re royals, they’re untouchable

Nathan and the inner circle go to jail

It turns out Aaron proposed to Katelyn at the ball, so Andrew proposes with the shoe Neil lost. Neil is confused, but elopes with Andrew.

Dan, Allison and Nicky laugh, Renee and Kevin shake their heads for different reasons and then Nicky freaks out because he wanted to throw elaborate weddings for his cousins, but now Andrew has ruined it

#aftg #andreil #andrew minyard #neil josten #aaron minyard #nicky hemmick #kevin day #matt boyd #dan wilds #renee walker #allison reynolds #coach wymack #abby winfield #bee dobson #nathan and the evil inner circle #my au #cinderella au

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writingpuddle · 4 years

Text

“Don’t you ever get lonely?” Nicky asked, digging in his pack for a chocolate bar. To their left, the cliff dropped away precipitously, sheer granite cliffs like sentinels at the end of the world.

Neil stared at Nicky. “No,” he said.

“What, never?”

Neil looked out across the sweeping vista of mountains before them. A speck that could have been a hawk or a raven or a sparrow spun against the sky, too small and distant to judge. He’d stood in the middle of busy cities; he’d gone to school with hundreds; he’d even tried out for a track and field team once. He’d been surrounded by people, and he had been so ferociously lonely it had been like a knife in his chest.

“No,” he said, because he didn’t know how to explain—didn’t even want to, really. He’d felt more alone back in the so-called real world than he’d ever felt in the wilderness, miles from any other person. When there was no one around, there was no one to miss.

~~~The Long-Distance Hiker AU (A Bullet Point Fic)~~~

So after Neil’s mom died he kinda of ghosted around for a while and eventually ended up in a small hiking town in California

He met a bunch of thru hikers and figured, hey, my dad probably won’t find me if I’ve fucked off into the wilderness

So he starts hiking

And pretty soon he realizes it’s the best thing he could imagine

He spends all summer in the mountains and when winter rolls around he finds a temporary job in a skiing town working in a second hand gear shop

He’s an ultralighter in the most accidental sense possible

His gear is weird and cobbled together and his shoes are held together with dental floss

He sleeps under a tarp with a down blanket and a thin foam mat and he’ll eat the same shit day in day out without even registering it while he covers frankly obscene distances every single day

It basically gives Kevin an ulcer

Kevin’s an ultralighter, but in the stuck up, rich bitch way; his gear is probably worth thousands of dollars and he’ll lecture anyone who listens about ripstop nylon and is super snobby and elitist about who is a so-called “real” thru hiker (hint: anyone who doesn’t do it his way isn’t a real thru hiker)

(don’t worry he’ll get smacked around a little by people like Dan and stop being such a little bitch about it but he grew up rich so even though it might’ve been shit living with Riko he really doesn’t always take into consideration the context of how much fucking money gear costs when he’s preaching about ultralighting)

(yes I’m taking out my dislike for pretentious rich ultralighters on him, okay, but the difference is he’ll have character growth versus the people I met are probably still being preachy and self-important to this day)

Andrew’s like the exact opposite

His pack weighs like seventy pounds and he’ll pull a six-inch knife (a gross misuse of smart gear weight management) at anyone who comments

He has a completely contained single person tent that’s big enough to sit up in and a four-inch inflatable mattress

His sleeping bag is rated to like -20 even when he’s hiking in the summer

Nicky swears he once saw him pull a full-sized chocolate cake out of his backpack three days down the trail and everyone says that’s stupid and made up but secretly think its totally true

Andrew likes to hike alone but somehow he’s never more than a day away from Aaron and Nicky and when he keeps showing up near them it gets harder and harder to pretend like he doesn’t actually care about them

Nobody says anything, obviously, but Nicky gets a little teary when he starts to notice the pattern

It was Nicky’s idea; in this universe Erik got him into hiking when he was in Germany so he got the cousins into it as a bonding exercise and then it turned out it was the best family activity they had ever found

This is several years after they graduated and they’ve scrounged together enough time and money to hike the Pacific Crest Trail

Now the upperclassmen:

So Stephanie Walker is a trail angel: one of those people who lives near a long trail and provides snacks and rides and somewhere to stay and basically helps out anyone who comes by with whatever’s going on; she’s pulled a lot of people out of frankly dangerous situations and she’s not afraid of anything the trail has to offer

So Renee finds herself and her faith while living this life of meeting new hikers every day and it’s almost inevitable that she starts to hike and find solace in the wilderness

Allison is one of those Wild types: she’s done some hiking (much to her parents’ chagrin) but she’s never done a thru trail or even much overnighting before, but she’s ready to throw herself into it and doesn’t care how dirty she gets

She totally carries a tiny spa package though

The other women are very skeptical because they take pride in being free from societies expectations and make up and shaving but they come around after Allison pulls it out one time when they’re seven days into a ten day section and gives them face masks and they all have a little pedicure pampering session (so, so needed when your feet are being beaten and bruised by hard terrain all day)

She has a lot of new, expensive gear and is super touchy about people trying to help her (because a beautiful woman absolutely gets people trying to “help” all the time and it’s infuriating and condescending) but she learns to accept help from her closest friends

She was showing off near the beginning of the trail drinking with a bunch of guys and probably got too sloshed trying to act tough (alcohol hits you waaaay harder at high elevations dude, if you’re not expecting it you can get Fucked Up really fast)

It’s Seth who realizes things are getting out of control and pulls her out before the guys can do anything shitty which is how their friendship and eventually their relationship gets started

They piss everyone off with their constant breaking up and getting back together on the trail, sometimes hiking together for days and then splitting up and going to hike with other people but they find a lot of healing out there in the woods

Seth’s mom is totally dismissive and condescending of his hiking, she thinks it’s a stupid waste of time, but she thinks everything he does is a stupid waste of time so at least when he’s out there without cell service he has an excuse to not respond to her

Now Dan

Dan’s trailer trash, right

She’s got no fucking cash but she has this dream in her head to hike the PCT and she’s going to fucking well do it

Her gear is probably most similar to Neil’s except where his is a mess of weird priorities and held together by spit and twine

Hers is meticulously planned

It’s cheap, some of it’s over forty years old, but it’s hers

It’s probably the only stuff in the world that’s actually hers

She accumulated it over about four years, hitting all the second-hand gear events, saving up every penny, packing and repacking and writing everything out in great detail until David Wymack got wind of her plans at a gear event

He’s one of those guys who hiked the PCT thirty years ago back before anyone knew what it was except instead of feeling superior about that it means he knows exactly how much impact experiencing the wilderness can have for disenfranchised people

He approaches Dan and offers to sponsor her hike

She’s resistant at first; she planned this hike, she got all the stuff together, she was going to do it without anyone’s help

But he comes back and says he just wants her to write about her experiences and publish it on his website

He’ll pay her for the work, of course

And she wavers and finally caves because this will move her plans up by about two years if she can make money while she’s hiking instead of having to hoard up enough cash to take six whole months off

Her blog posts are a huge hit

She doesn’t preach about how the mountains saved her, or get too metaphorical about hiking or anything like that

She just talks about the real, raw experience of hiking

The friendships, the trials, the triumphs

The infuriating people whose mental image of the hiking community doesn’t include poor black girls who grew up in a trailer park, who say she’s an inspiration like they actually mean something else

She talks about the days that she flies up the mountains and the days that she can barely drag herself out of her tent and the day she realizes that Allison and Renee, these women she thought could not be more different from her, are the best friends she’s ever had in the world

And she’s takes fucking amazing pictures

She’s also very determined not to have a trail romance

That’s stupid and cliché

Look that guy Matt might be hot but she’s not interested

He’s clearly working through some stuff and she’s not here to be some guys savior or whatever

So Matt then

His mom helped him get sober a couple years ago and he’s been struggling with it ever since

She got him into hiking as an outlet and a healthy hobby and he took to it like a fish to water

He’s got legs for days and he doesn’t mind carrying a heavy pack, he can hike for hours without stopping

(The fact that he’s faster than her pisses Dan off a bit, but sometimes you gotta accept that you’ve got short legs and just hike your own hike, there aren’t any prizes for speed)

He relapsed again a couple months before his hike started and he and Randy weren’t even sure if he was going to be able to do it but he’s damned well going to try

So anyway

Pretty much everyone is trying to actually hike the PCT except Neil

He drives everyone bonkers

His motivation isn’t really about the trail so much as staying out in the wilderness where there are no gangsters to murder you

So he just does whatever he wants and keeps showing up at random points

He’s technically got one of the thru hiker permits but he frequently goes off on side trails not on the PCT and ends up hiding out in the woods so rangers won’t find him

He’ll just hitchhike straight through boring sections or anywhere that you pass through too many towns where he’d rather not be remembered

He keeps coming back to the PCT but it’s more like it’s a rough guideline of where to go than an actual route he’s taking

He’s got his natural colouring back because who’s dying their hair or wearing fucking contacts on the trail?

But also

Who would ever associate a runaway mafia kid with a guy with overgrown hair and a stained t-shirt who’s sitting serenely on a mountain pass in a photo on David Wymack’s website?

Nobody

That’s right kids, Nathan doesn’t have a role in this one because he doesn’t find Neil

Maybe he gets killed in a shoot out or something and some other gangster steps up and takes over, and in the shuffle Neil’s just kinda forgotten

Maybe he finds out months later and he just stares at the computer in shock because he should have known, shouldn’t he? He should have felt it when his father died

He should have realized that he was free

That happens later though

Who fucking cares what Riko’s doing honestly

Kevin has somehow attached himself to Andrew and is driving him up the wall with advice to improve his hiking/base weight/distance/etc and he sees this guy (Neil) who regularly covers like thirty or forty miles a day (obscene!) and is like YES this guy is my people!

Except when he starts talking to Neil he realizes he’s this total weirdo who doesn’t even have a cook set he just eats cold food (a common enough thing among ultralighters, but not like this. Oh god, not like this)

Neil’s just sitting there gnawing on a pack of uncooked ramen like a fucking animal

And he’s not! Even! Hiking! Properly!

You’ll never finish the trail if you hike like this!

Neil just gives him a blank look

He’s got no interest on getting on some “verified” list of people who hiked the PCT, he just likes hiking

Andrew likes him

I mean obviously he despises him what the hell is with that janky ass setup but also he’s so unconventional and unapologetic how could Andrew not be into that?

They’re the kind of people who give wilderness rescue personnel grey hair, but for completely opposite reasons

Neil keeps running into them because even though he covers so much ground every day, his meandering route means he doesn’t actually move down the trail very fast

They’ll be like wait weren’t you like a week ahead of us and he’s like oh yeah I heard about this cool waterfall and took a sixty mile side trail to visit it and nearly ran into a momma bear with two cubs, it was awesome

And they all start to grow on him, and each other, almost accidentally

Look none of them are out there romanticizing the trail as some kind of magical place where the problems of the real world disappear and the people are somehow more pure and true or whatever

People are people and they bring their issues wherever they go

But there is a paring down

When your daily concerns are just mileage and shoes and food and weather, a lot of other stuff fades into the background

And well the truth is a lot of people are on those trails to work through stuff

And they find each other

Gradually, without even really noticing

They team up in June, groups of three or four with crampons and ice axes to get over the Sierra’s.

Neil was planning to just do side hikes and wait for the snow to melt—he isn’t so reckless he wants to go over the ice alone, but Kevin insists he join them and for the first time he hikes in a group with Kevin and the cousins all together.

It’s weird

He’s not used to people talking to him when he’s hiking and he frequently doesn’t respond and it’s not because he’s being rude he’s just so focussed on what he’s doing and what’s around him that he literally doesn’t hear them

And then

Nicky slips

It’s not his fault, they did nearly everything right (Kevin may be a pretentious ass, but he does know his shit) but sometimes shit just happens for no reason

And they’re at the edge of the ice sheet so Nicky’s just untying himself from the rope that links them together, he’s not even moving, and the snow beneath him shifts and he doesn’t even have time to scream before he’s hurtling down the snow below the trail towards the cliff at the bottom of the ice sheet

Neil doesn’t even hesitate

He dives after him, ice axe in one hand like a fucking gladiator and gets his arm wrapped around Nicky’s waist

He slams the ice axe into the snow and it drags behind them, and it looks like it’s not going to catch, and the edge is getting closer and closer—

Until the axe catches something, and Nicky and Neil lurch to a halt, clinging to each other, hanging off of Neil’s one arm and the axe.

Neil looks up and sees Andrew, Aaron and Kevin in various places on the slope above them, their axes dug in and long gouge marks in the snow beneath their heels, strung together by a ropeline that’s still attached to Neil’s waist

That rope is probably the only thing that slowed them down enough that Neil could stop them without ripping his arm clean off

It’s hardly a by-the-book rescue, and in fact it was pretty stupid, but they’re okay, they’re okay, that’s all that matters

That night they light a fire down by a lake and Nicky cries on Aaron’s shoulder and Andrew keeps clenching his fists because he’s never felt so helpless in his life and it was Neil that jumped, not him

He knows that he was at the far end of the line and he would’ve made it worse if he had, but doing nothing while Neil risked his life to save Nicky

They don’t really talk about it

But you kind of can’t help being friends after that

And even after they’re out of the high mountains and back on solid trails Neil keeps tabs on them

And Nicky befriends the others and without even meaning to they start to develop a sort of loose trail family vibe

They’re not hiking together all the time like some of the groups they meet, but they check on each other all the time and wait up in resupply villages and bond over firepits and shitty hot chocolate mixes and swap tips on how to keep the butt-chafing at bay

Neil sticks to the outskirts, mostly, but he starts to open up a little, in fits and spurts, tiny non-specific things that wouldn’t even register to most people but that this particular group knows means more than that

He’s slowing down, too, sometimes hiking entire days with people and covering half his usual distance even when there’s no cliffs or glaciers threatening him

He likes hiking with Andrew the most, though

Because neither of them are big talkers when they’re hiking and Andrew’s pack might be absurdly heavy but he’s got legs the size of tree trunks and endurance to match, so he might not be fast but he can outwalk half the people on the trail by sheer relentlessness

They both like to camp up high, near treeline (so Neil can set up his tarp) and in the places that it’s legal they’ll start a small fire and Andrew will loan Neil his pot so he can actually cook his fucking ramen for once and sometimes they’ll watch the Milky Way rise and share secrets under the open sky, not looking at each other so they don’t break the illusion, and sometimes they won’t say anything at all but it’s okay, because they’re saying nothing together.

It’s nice

It’s maybe more than nice

The summer draws to a close and Neil is starting to realize that he doesn’t want it to

He never wants the hiking season to end but this time it’s different

This summer has been perfect

And he knows deep in his bones that once they leave the trail things will change

The others have lives to return to, and Neil…

The trail is all he has

And if he’s barely hiking alone at all these days, well, who’s going to call him out on it?

The others like having him around because he stops them from getting too fixated on the Trail to see the trail

He still takes side trips but now sometimes people will come along and he’ll stand at the base of a canyon staring up at the glossy white walls and Dan will snap a photo for her blog and smile, because the PCT is just a line on a map, but the hike is all of them; together

He’s hiking with Andrew in September when a storm hits, this time vicious

Neil huddles under his tarp in resignation

Storms suck, he always gets wet, no matter how much he lowers the tarp, but he’s used to it; he just waits it out

But it’s just getting worse

Hail lashing at the tarp and pummelling the ground and maybe for once he regrets camping so high up

And Andrew has to shout to be heard but finally Neil realizes he’s offering to let Neil come into his tent

You’re going fucking freeze, just get in here

Neil goes

It’s weird

It’s instantly weird

The tent is not built for two people, so they’re both sitting cross legged with their heads ducked to not press against the roof

The storms probably not going to let up soon, Andrew says

Yeah, Neil says.

Andrew sighs

Lie down, he says, and Neil does, and Andrew lies down next to him, shoulder to shoulder

It barely works, only because neither of them are very big people

Neil’s pack is outside wrapped in his tarp and all he has is his damp down blanket but he’s not cold anymore, not with Andrew bundled up in his ridiculous sleeping bag right next to him

The storm rages for nearly two days and what passes between them in that tent, nobody knows

If they’re barely ever seen apart after it, well. You only see people so often on the trail. It could easily be a coincidence

And if Neil doesn’t even set his tarp up on rainy nights anymore, well. They never camp near other people anyway, so who’s to know?

In early October the snow blows in, blocking the route to the finish.

They drift around a resupply village for almost two weeks, waiting for the trail to reopen, but finally even Kevin accepts that it isn’t going to

After all of that, none of them are going to finish the trail

It’s a disappointment—of course it is. For most of them, the end of their trip is now a nondescript exit into a village, no fanfare, no closure; they didn’t even know they were done for days

Still, it’s not so bad

They’re all together

Allison suggests Vegas, but they all laugh it down; they wouldn’t even know how right now, bearded and hairy and ravenous as they are

They go to South Carolina instead

It’s not really even discussed that they’ll stay together, they just all go; Allison hosts them at her resort and they laugh at the incongruous weirdness of seeing each other in real clothes, and it’s different, but it’s also okay

They stay for another two weeks, and they don’t hike another fucking inch

We should try the Continental Divide Trail sometime, Dan says

Her blog is so popular now that she’s got sponsorships from more than just Wymack waiting for her

She could make a career out of hiking and blogging and doing gear reviews and it’s a dream she’d never even realized she wanted until she had it

And if she accidentally fucked up and ended up with a hot trail boyfriend? Well, nobody’s perfect

And he has a great butt

(she has photos of it on her blog, from when they jumped into a glacier lake naked back in August)

Everyone is jealous

How about that trek in Iceland? Matt suggests

Or the whats-it-called in New Zealand, Allison says

Oh, I bet there’s some good ones in Europe! Nicky says. You guys can all meet Erik!

And it’s going to be different, but it’s not going away, and Neil feels calm in a way he never has at the end of a hiking season before

Eventually everyone has to start making plans to return to their lives, and jobs, and Neil sneaks out to the back of the house to sit in crisp fall air and watch leaves spiral down out of the trees

Andrew follows him

They sit together, watching the moon rise over the hills, and when Andrew asks Neil to come home, Neil says yes

#me? coping with my inability to go hiking by writing headcanons? its more likely than you think!#aftg headcanons #aftg au #andreil #bulletpoint fic #my writing #hiker au #gratuitous descriptions of hiker life #found family #this is like 3.5k idk man #this is very self indulgent lol

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deus-ex-knoxina · 4 years

Text

au where andrew and aaron are wymack’s sons

okay tilda USED to be less of a disaster

like in canon, wymack doesn’t know he has kids. he and tilda split up only a few weeks after she got pregnant, so he was long gone by the time she even knew. it’s not like they were exclusive, either. while it’s a gut punch to learn andrew and aaron’s last name, and what happened to their mother, he figures they can’t be his.

of course, andrew and aaron don’t know either. but you know who does? riko, and by extension kevin

riko’s goal in recruiting andrew is a lot more specific now. instead of just ‘get a really good goalkeeper with a reputation’, it’s ‘get the really good goalkeeper with a reputation so he doesn’t sign with the foxes’.

of course, knowing wymack was their father would probably make the twinyards less inclined to sign with him, not more, but riko doesn’t know that. he doesn’t know them very well at all, and andrew has decided to keep it that way

(riko’s fatal mistake, again, is not recruiting aaron as well. if he had tried, then maybe andrew would have agreed-- or not. if he had tried to recruit nicky too, he probably would have stood a decent chance.)

wymack recruits andrew, aaron, and nicky, with absolutely no idea that he’s related to them, and they accept. riko gnashes his teeth.

he does so even more once they play the foxes that year. the ravens win, of course they do, but andrew aims shots at riko’s head, when he can. just a little reminder to that thick skull that andrew minyard personally dislikes him (as opposed to the general apathy he treats the rest of the population with)

when kevin runs to the foxes after the winter banquet, it’s not because wymack is his dad, because he’s not. it’s because wymack managed to snatch the minyards right out from under riko’s nose and keep them away from him, and if he can do that, then maybe he can keep kevin safe too

(he does. wymack wouldn’t be able to bear otherwise.)

and for a while, that’s how it stays. for a long time, actually. the year goes on. neil gets recruited, and the foxes’ futures start to look up. seth dies and andrew gets sent to easthaven and they look down again, and neil goes to evermore for winter break, and riko does not reveal anything. he bides his time.

(when wymack comes to get neil from the airport, neil is struck by how big wymack is. he’s not that tall-- he’s not short, but kevin and nicky and matt are all taller than him-- but he’s strong and sturdy.)

kevin, who knows the secret about wymack and the twins, has already catalogued all the similarities he can find between them. he’s had a lot of time to do so.

the reveal doesn’t happen until the final game. riko waits until he’s close enough to andrew to score, then right as he’s lining up his shot, he says, ‘you know, i was surprised when you signed with daddy dearest over there.’

andrew doesn’t dignify that with a response. if riko wants to play mind games, he can do so by himself. he does do his best to aim the ball at riko’s ankle. it ricochets off the wall, though, because riko is one of the few players good enough that andrew actually has to try to control the ball around him.

riko figures maybe he didn’t get through to andrew, or maybe andrew’s just obtuse, so that’s what he starts with next time he’s within earshot. ‘oh, didn’t you know wymack’s your dad? how does he feel about that car crash of yours?’

andrew grits his teeth, but he stays the course. he doesn’t need riko yelling about family history to aaron next, because aaron might hit him and then who knows what’ll happen. they can’t afford to lose a player.

that surprises him-- because what does he care how the game ends? but it matters, because to take riko out, they need to beat him at his own game, literally.

andrew does pick up on riko saying something to kevin before the next serve, and kevin stealing worried looks at andrew for the next five minutes.

well, then.

they make it through the game. andrew hisses at the other foxes to keep riko away from aaron, and for once, they don’t ask questions.

and they win.

andrew breaks riko’s arm, and then he says, calmly like he hasn’t spent the past twenty minutes contemplating it, ‘hm, at least my dad wants me.’ because he doesn’t know if riko is telling the truth (and he plans to find out from kevin), but he does know it would be an absolutely devastating comment, and andrew is all in favor of those.

and he also knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that wymack wants him, at least on the foxes if not in wymack’s personal life. wymack signed him and has dealt with all his shit and has bought him expensive whiskey in exchange for playing like he means it. wymack wants him around, which is more than riko can say about his father.

when they get off the court, andrew lets neil lean on him, but he finds kevin and asks, ‘what did he say to you?’

kevin looks at neil, exhausted but alert, and then at aaron over by the vixens, and then at wymack, and then finally back at andrew, and andrew has his answer. ‘so it’s true.’ and kevin nods.

and andrew decides he’s going to deal with that later. right now, he’s tired, and he wants to talk to bee before doing anything, just to figure out what to do, and at the moment kevin needs to go away and andrew needs to find a place to sit down because his legs are tired and neil, for all his running at ass o’clock in the morning, is too exhausted to even ask prying questions.

so he turns and walks out of that conversation, and neil follows, and andrew feels ready to eat ice cream and play video games for a week without a single mention of exy.

he doesn’t need to tell kevin to keep aaron in the dark for now, he’s pretty sure. kevin wouldn’t do something so instigating without a kick in the ass, and with aaron staying with matt now, there are way fewer chances for it to just slip out.

he talks to bee, and he talks to neil, and their methods are incredibly different but their suggestions are, funnily enough, the same. neil would probably be mortified to hear that revelation so andrew is saving it for a rainy day.

so he follows their advice, and he tells aaron, and aaron kicks a chair over but then he just stares at andrew for a second and then goes into his room and slams the door behind him. sulking is fine. aaron sulks, and then he gets over it, or at least fit to be in public again. this is something andrew knows about him. and he waits, and eventually aaron texts him a simple ‘what are we going to do’

and that’s how they find themselves driving to wymack’s the next saturday, music blasting in the car, but isn’t it funny how andrew can still hear the silence between them?

they’re better than they used to be, which is how andrew knows that this silence is something they both need, to steel themselves for the conversation they’re about to have. he parks the car, and turns off the radio, and they sit there for at least a minute before aaron says, ‘no deals. we tell him and that’s it.’

‘that sounds like a deal,’ andrew points out, just to be a shit, and aaron rolls his eyes at him but says, ‘no new deals with wymack. we don’t need one. he’s already got our contracts and you’re off your meds.’ and andrew agrees.

they get out of the car together, and they walk up to wymack’s apartment together, and aaron knocks before andrew can get his keys out but honestly, now that he thinks about it, aaron’s probably right. wymack should know they’re here and make the decision to let them in.

he does, and he raises an eyebrow when he sees who it is, but he doesn’t comment on them knocking because maybe he can feel the heaviness in the air, and he closes the door behind them and says, ‘what?’

that’s something andrew appreciates about wymack. he’s direct. which is why andrew says, ‘so did you know you’re our father, or did tilda keep that a secret too?’

wymack’s face drains of color and aaron says, ‘andrew,’ but he leaves it at that.

they stay at wymack’s for a long time, and andrew nabs a bottle of whiskey before they go, just to make sure wymack knows that he’s still the same person. if he really cared he’d get a lock for his liquor cabinet.

when they’re in the car, before they leave, aaron says, ‘what do we say to the rest of the team?’

andrew honestly hadn’t considered that. bee and neil and aaron and wymack and kevin all know, which is already a lot of people. probably nicky will have to be told at some point, and so will abby. he’s going to tell renee at some point. does it matter if the others know?

he voices that aloud, and aaron says, ‘i don’t know, but wymack might appreciate not having to keep it a secret.’ and that’s true. so they decide, because they’re both assholes, to wait for dan’s next full team mandatory bonding night

(wymack, still up in his apartment, is upset. not because of what they told him but of what it means-- if tilda had just told him, or if they’d split up a few weeks later, then he could have taken the twins, he absolutely would have taken the twins, and he could have prevented so much of the darkness in their lives. and it hurts, too, to know that tilda herself was responsible for a lot of that darkness. but that’s not what happened. and he’s pragmatic. he’s tried to help them ever since they signed with him and he doesn’t know how much success he’s had but they are doing better now than they were. he can try to keep that going, and he will keep that going. they deserve that.)

the mandatory bonding night happens a week later, everything is going great, occasionally people are raising eyebrows at how long andrew is staying because usually he leaves as soon as possible but whatever, and then kevin gets up and says he’s going to bed and like they planned (the plan was to wait until right before the first person leaves, so they can get everyone at once and also scatter), aaron immediately goes hey, kevin, wait, one last thing

and kevin is very, very prepared for this to be something stupid and/or incomprehensible, but he waits, and aaron says, ‘i just thought you should know that since wymack’s me and andrew’s dad that means you’re not the only son of exy anymore’

there’s a two second pause while people register what he said and then everyone loses their SHIT. allison is shrieking, nicky is just running around the room from person to person yelling in their faces, neil is laughing his ass off, dan looks like she really isn’t sure whether to believe him or not, and matt’s just kinda catatonic

eventually, dan decides to believe them and let it go. she doesn’t know the details, but their relationships with each other, the team, and wymack have all improved over the last year. if she gets in their faces right now about being assholes (as much as she wants to do just that), all their progress might be ruined.

and then andrew (and aaron, once he catches on) spends an entire practice calling wymack ‘male ancestor’ and dan figures they’ll be alright

she’s proved right later on, as the twins don’t take that long to get used to the idea of someone who’s already proved he’s on their side over and over being a part of their crafted family. it’s unorthodox and andrew definitely continues to steal alcohol but wymack locks the liquor cabinet and gives him a copy of the key, which seems like a completely futile exercise but keys are important, and keys given by someone else are even more important.

#my posts #twinyards #david wymack #aftg

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teen-content-queen · 4 years

Text

Cigarettes and Coffee and Kisses

Fandom: AFTG Ship: Neil x Andrew Synopsis: After Neil has a bad dream, he and Andrew smoke cigarettes, drink coffee, and kiss at 3 o'clock in the morning.

Read on AO3

Neil sat up, the covers heavy as stones on his chest as he gasped for breath. Whatever the dream had been, he couldn’t remember it now. He could tell without looking though, that Andrew wasn’t in bed because his boyfriend certainly would have reacted to Neil’s sudden movement if he were in the room. Neil looked towards their bedroom door. It had been left cracked open a little, their sign that they were planning on coming back to bed eventually. When it was closed, he knew Andrew was sleeping on the couch. It gave them both comfort to know where the other was without having to go searching when the other didn’t want to be found.

He took a deep breath and swung his legs over the side of the bed, climbing out and snatching his sweatpants from the floor, pulling them on as he padded into the living room.

His eyes had finally adjusted to the low light of the night, the blue glow of the cable box mixing with the faint moonlight to let him make out the silhouettes of the room around him. Two fluffy lumps on the back of the couch accounted for the cats, but there was no Andrew-shaped shadow on the couch or in the kitchen. Neil’s eyes landed on the balcony, on the far side of the apartment. The lit end of a cigarette seemed to float through the air like a firefly outside.

Andrew’s eyes drifted up to him when Neil slid the door open, poking his head out while keeping his body tucked into the warmth of the apartment. It was only March, and the cool breeze from the open door was enough to pull goosebumps up along Neil’s exposed chest. Andrew offered him the cigarette and Neil held up a hand, disappearing inside again before reappearing in a sweatshirt. It was probably Andrew’s but it was dark and besides Neil liked how the familiar mix of cigarettes and musk calmed his still frayed nerves.

He eased himself down next to Andrew, in one of the two chairs they’d put on the balcony for just this purpose. The ashtray between them was a housewarming gift from Wymack, although Neil thought Abby probably had a hand in buying it. He breathed in the familiar smoke, which now reminded him more of Andrew than his mother, and slid further into his seat, watching faroff headlights cut across the city below.

“What are you doing up?” Andrew finally asked, flicking his finished cigarette off the balcony instead of into the ashtray. Neil watched it drop from view before answering.

“Nightmare. You?”

Neil felt Andrew shift next to him, tensing up. Some part of Andrew was unable to accept that he couldn’t always save Neil from the things inside his mind. Neil looked at him now, meeting his gaze before sliding his hand across the small distance between them. He left it open as an invitation but let Andrew finally close the last few inches and link their hands together. Andrew pulled his gaze from Neil and looked out on the city. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet.

“Just couldn’t sleep.”

Neil gave their joined hands a small squeeze of understanding and then looked back towards the quiet world below. He hadn’t seen a clock since he’d gotten up, but judging by the traffic and the deep darkness of the sky above, he guessed it couldn’t be later than 3 o’clock.

They’d both have to be up by 9 the next day, dressed and ready for a press conference by noon. The makeup artist was going to have more than a few choice words when she saw the bags under their eyes but Neil ignored that thought for now. It was Kevin’s job to look presentable. He was the face of the US Court. It was Neil and Andrew’s jobs to win games.

A gust of cold wind blew across the balcony, causing a few of the burned out cigarettes to roll around the ashtray, threatening to fall out. Neil involuntarily shivered, the air cutting through his sweatshirt and hitting his bare chest beneath. Andrew looked at him and smirked. He weathered the cold better than Neil ever had.

“Coffee?”

Neil just nodded and together they stood, hands still clasped together between them. Neil slid open the door, stepping inside and letting Andrew follow behind, waiting for him to shut the door before heading towards the kitchen.

As always, Andrew flipped only a single switch in the kitchen, a light over the sink flickering to life. It gave them enough light to see what they were doing but not enough to break whatever trance that these late nights had. In these dark, quiet hours, Neil always felt like he and Andrew were the only men on Earth.

Neil let Andrew drop his hand to retrieve the decaf coffee as he hopped up to sit on the island countertop across from the coffee pot. Andrew poured the dark grounds into the machine and Neil watched him gather two mugs, a matching set that Betsy had given to Andrew for his birthday the year before, along with enough hot chocolate for an entire Exy team. Neil was pretty sure Andrew had drank it all in about a month.

Andrew settled the mugs down next to the pot, just beginning to brew, before turning to face Neil. He studied Neil’s face for a long moment before taking a step towards him.

“Yes.” Neil said, answering the unasked question on Andrew’s face and moved his legs further apart to leave space for Andrew to stand between his knees.

Andrew took his yes and the space, stepping up and resting his hands on the counter on either side of Neil’s thighs. Neil raised a hand to Andrew’s face, letting it hang in the air by his cheek bone.

“Yes or no?”

“Yes.” Andrew said, leaning into Neil’s hand for good measure. Neil let his fingers drift along Andrew’s cheek and across his thick eyebrows, pausing on his chin. Andrew looked up at him with an expression that Neil considered the closest Andrew would ever come to fondness.

“Yes or no?” He asked, eyes darting from Neil’s to his lips.

“Yes.” Neil said, letting out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding probably since he’d woken up.

Andrew moved in closer, lips pressing against Neil’s with a lazy tenderness. It was the kind of kiss that didn’t need to lead anywhere. Just a kiss for the sake of kissing Neil. Neil ran his thumbs along Andrew’s cheek bones, fingers brushing along the nape of his neck. They stayed like that until the poliet beep of the coffee maker told them it was ready.

Neil let his hands drop to his lap as Andrew pulled himself away slowly, pushing off of the counter beneath Neil and turning to pour them each a mug. When Andrew had properly mixed in all of his additives, he came back to rest between Neil’s knees, the steam from their coffees seeming to twirl together between them.

“Do you want to talk about the nightmare?” Andrew asked.

Neil considered it, but the tightness in his chest had faded and whatever lingering images he might have been able to remember at first had long since been wiped away with the cigarettes and the coffee and the kisses. He thought about saying as much but opted instead for a simple shake of his head. Andrew seemed to accept that answer, giving him a nod in return.

“What’s keeping you up?” Neil asked.

Andrew shrugged but shook his head. Neil didn’t press that issue. Finished with his coffee, he set the empty cup on the counter beside them, out of the way. Andrew finished his too, and set his mug beside Neil’s.

“Should we go to bed?” He asked, looking up at Neil with a blank look, not giving anything away. Neil shook his head, offering instead,

“We could have more coffee.”

“I’d have to brew another pot.”

“We could kiss in the meantime.”

Andrew smirked up at him, leaning in. He stopped, his lips ghosting Neil’s.

“Yes Andrew.” Neil whispered.

When Andrew kissed him this time, he tasted like cigarettes, and sugar, and coffee and Neil felt whatever knot was still holding him from his nightmare dissolve inside of him. They never bothered to make the second pot of coffee.

#aftg #neil x andrew #andriel #back at it again with the late night fanfic postings #good morning European friends #good night American friends #fanfic

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strikerkudo · 5 years

Text

Title: wandering, wondering (Available on AO3)

Fandom: All For The Game

Relationships: Andreil, Neil & Kevin & Dan

Word Count: 4712

Summary: Aaron and Andrew Minyard are known for turning every summer day into something special. And although, traveling into another dimension qualifies as ‘something special’ the twins are not amused. Between finding out his pets are secret agents, their alternate selves being useless and being chased by a freak with a robot army, Andrew has entirely too little time to enjoy a fashionably dressed Neil Josten. And really, that’s the biggest crime here.

Andrew, still passively pissed with the entire situation they've found themselves in, scoffed at their alternate selves. There wasn’t much he expected. Maybe he briefly thought this dimension might’ve been less of a bitch to them. Saving them from the drama and trauma. Living under a Moriyama dictatorship didn’t sound all that fun though. In conclusion, this entire universe is a bust. Andrew, in any case, did not appreciate his alternate self being such a wimp. No knives anywhere on his person. He’d probably sooner push his brother in front of a train than have to face any kind of retribution.

Good to know that there’s no good universes out there. Just equally terrible ones.

Aaron and his counterpart, meanwhile, were discussing similarities and differences. Alternate Aaron was quite animated. Andrew’s Aaron wasn’t as enthusiastic, rather he looked angrier and angrier the more the other Aaron talked. Good to know that not even Aaron struggles with riling himself up.

Andrew finally had enough dealing with their useless alternate selves and turns to beckon his brother.

“We’re leaving. Now.”

Aaron spared his counterpart one more sour look and followed his twin out the front door. They paid no attention to the frantic calls of their other twins.

“Why are you outside?”

Immediately a robot appeared before them as they stepped unto the street. In a swift move Andrew slid a knife from his armband, stepping in front of his brother.

Before either of them could react, the robot was incapacitated. It fell to the floor without much fanfare, revealing the figure of a man standing on the fallen metal. A quick look was all it took for Aaron to groan. Andrew could relate to the sentiment, seeing as it was none other than the alternate version of Seth Gordon standing there. Andrew was already dreading being forced to remember being unwillingly saved by Seth Gordon for the rest of his life. His eidetic memory turned out to be much more of a hassle than Andrew anticipated.

“What are you two midgets doing out in the street? You’re the Minyard kids aren’t you?”

Aaron was involuntarily twitching. Trust Seth Gordon to get on a Minyard’s nerves in four seconds flat.

“What do you care, dumbfuck?” Aaron was not in the mood to be teased today. As always.

Seth growled. Andrew decided it’d be counterproductive to kill Gordon so long he didn’t touch either of them. Instead, he decided to make coming back home his main goal.

“Where’s Kevin, Gordon?” If Seth was surprised that he knew his name without having introduced himself, then he didn’t show it. Gordon bared his teeth holding back any retorts.

“Kevin? You mean Kevin Day? What do you want with him?”

Andrew had no more patience for idiots. He stepped forward and grabbed Seth by the neck. With his other hand he pushed the sharp end of a knife against his abdomen.

“If you don’t want me to kill you, I’d suggest you talk. Fast.”

Seth tried to break free, but Aaron was now behind him, holding his arms hostage. Seeing that struggling was pointless, he deflated. He told the twins that Kevin was in the resistance’s underground headquarters that can be accessed from inside the Wymack’s house. Skeptical of the whole ‘Kevin being part of a resistance’ thing, Andrew gestured to his brother to turn Seth around. Aaron led him toward the house, Andrew’s knife still a dangerous weight at his back.

They stepped unto the stone path leading up to the front door, when the ground beneath them opened up to swallow them.

The fall was short, landing them in a pitch black room. Seth involuntarily cushioned the twins. Andrew dived away rapidly to avoid any more contact. There was no time for collecting themselves.

“Girls!“

The call was followed by multiple people jumping out from the shadows, quickly entangling the twins and the alternate Seth in thick rope. Andrew had a knife to the rope before they finished securing him. Anger flashed through him. He sprung to his feet and charged at the closest person with his knife..

The boy he ran at jabbed his wrist when he was close enough causing him to drop the knife. Andrew's eyes narrowed at auburn hair, before he was thrown to the floor. Surprisingly his captor kept physical contact to a minimum. He tried to wiggle his now bound hands free to no avail.

“Whatcha doin'?“

Finally Andrew raised his head. Standing before him was Neil Josten. Alternate Neil Josten in a dark tank top under a black bomber jacket. His pants looked to be stretchy tugged into black ankle boots. The look was completed by an orange bandana holding back his red locks.

Those icy blue eyes focused on him. Andrew thought this may be a good time to shut up.

“Figures that it'd take another apocalyptic dimension for Josten to develop an ounce of fashion sense.“

Sadly, Andrew has never been one for norms.

Alternate Neil stared at him in confusion. “Wait,“ his tense stance softens, “what do I wear in your dimension?“

Andrew's answer was cut off by another figure entering the scene. Everyone's attention immediately flew to them. Even Alternate Neil stood straighter, saluting.

“Captain.“

Out of the corner of his eyes Andrew recognizes the familiar head of Dan Wilds.

Dan doesn't spare either of them a single glance. Instead she nods at the girls, which Andrew now identified as the alternate versions of Renee, Allison and Katelyn. No wonder Aaron's face looked constipated.

Dan sighed at the sight of Seth. “Seth,“ she starts exhausted, “what are you doing here? I thought you resisted the resistance.“

“I am. I just had to help these dumbfuck twins across the street. They were-- uhh, looking for Josten.“

Andrew raised an eyebrow. Well, that was a lie. Meanwhile Dan’s eyes turned to steel at that information. She waved her hand. Apparently that was the sign for untying them.

Or only Seth. Head turning once to Allison who averted her gaze before running away, growling. What a coward.

“So.“

Dan turned her eyes on Andrew. She stepped in front of him, pushing Neil out of sight behind her at the same time. Andrew felt like strangling her for thinking he was a danger to Neil. He was a danger to many people, but not Neil. Never Neil.

“Why were you looking for Neil?“ It sounded like a question. It wasn't. So that’s why Gordon said ‘Josten’. It was a threat. A promise. The ‘one wrong word and you're dead’ kind of promise.

Andrew dealt in promises.

His intonation didn’t change as he briefly summarized the twins’ circumstances. Dan’s face scrunched up. She wasn’t completely convinced, but she didn’t consider them an immediate threat. Which was a stupid assumption, but it played in Andrew’s favor so he shut his mouth.

After another minute of her coldly glaring between Aaron and Andrew, she sighed.

“Untie them and bring them to Kevin. He probably knows something about different dimensions.”

Neil went to untie Andrew, again, with unnecessary care to dodge his skin. This pissed Andrew off. How fucking dare Neil to be like this in every universe.

Andrew shook his wrist, getting up on his feet. Neil followed suit. He opened his mouth. Dan put a hand on Neil’s shoulder and swiftly steered him away, cutting off whatever he was about to say.

When Aaron walked up behind him, rubbing his own wrists, they followed the two of them. The girls flanking them.

They stood in front of a tall monitor covering a big chunk of the wall. The screen showed blueprints and a lot of undefinable data. In front of it sat Kevin Day on a chair with one leg thrown over the other. He looked like the Kevin from their dimension. The only difference was the tattoo. In place of the queen chess piece stood the small image of a raised fist. How clichee.

“So,” Kevin leaned forward, “you’re from another dimension?”

Andrew refused to respond, so Aaron nodded curtly. Kevin returned the gesture and then promptly shot up from his seat.

In an overly showy fashion, Kevin pulled out a remote and pushed a button. The big screen was now displaying an animation of a flowing circle. Kevin plucked a stick from his desk to slap it against the screen.

“Let’s just assume that all dimensions are aligned in a circle.” He taps the stick along the screen. His demeanor was as cocky as ever.

“You traveled clockwise to our universe, which is the one next to yours.” Kevin glanced at Andrew with a raised brow, making sure he was following along. Andrew suppressed a snort.

Kevin continued on. “In conclusion, in order for you to return to your own universe you’d have to either continue on clockwise through a ton of different dimensions, or─,” he paused for dramatic effect, “go counter clockwise.”

The room was quiet. “O─kay,” Dan started, “what’s the problem then?”

“The problem,” Kevin resumed, “is that going counter clockwise would require eight million gigawatts of energy. That amount of energy is extremely difficult to attain. Not to mention it would probably overload the local power grid.”

So, Andrew thinks, this might be an issue. They would need to go clockwise, but they have no idea how many dimensions they would need to cross.

Kevin put down the stick and instead picked up an accordion. “I have prepared a little song to help illustrate my point.”

The dread throughout the room was palpable. If Andrew was on his medication he would’ve laughed merrily. Then again, if he was on his medication he’d be laughing at everything.

“If you travel through dimensions going clockwise makes it easy,” Kevin took a breath, “going counter clockwise would take eight million gigawatts of energy overloading the local power grid.”

He paused. “I know, it needs a chorus.”

It needs a lot of things, Andrew thinks.

Dan sighed, crossing her arms. “Can you get that much energy together?”

Kevin returned the accordion to its place beside his desk. “It’d be hard, but if I pull energy from neighboring houses…” He trailed off.

Dan nodded. “Do it.”

“Neil.” The boy in question walked to his brother. The two of them fumbled with a device, that was apparently going to open a portal for them, while the rest of the group watched. Andrew only had eyes for Neil. It was weird to think that Neil and Kevin and Dan, are so eerily similar to Andrew’s version of them, while his and Aaron’s own counterparts were nothing like them at all. Either way, Neil looked the same. The same auburn hair and blue eyes, scarred skin and unreadable expressions. It might not be Neil, but Andrew could still enjoy the view. Humming, he makes a mental note to buy his Neil a matching jacket.

“Okay,” Neil’s voice snapped his attention back to the task at hand. Andrew stepped forwards to the portal device, making sure that Aaron was standing beside him. Kevin grabbed another remote and started the machine up.

Lights flashed as the portal slowly conjured itself. It ripped a hole through the air creating a floating green form. Slowly the form displayed purple trees, blue grass and a weird creature staring straight through the portal.

“Not that one,” Kevin quickly pulled a switch and the image changed. “Not this one either.”

Kevin continued skipping dimensions four more times. “Aha! This should be it, right?”

The image showed a normal tree in a normal backyard. The twins’ tree in the twins’ backyard. Andrew nodded at Kevin, and moved to mock a salute at Neil, when they heard a faint sound.

“That…,” the sound got louder until it could be identified. “That’s a yell?”

Out of nowhere Nicky came tumbling at Kevin, taking him and the portal device down with a yelp. At the same time the portal rippled into nothingness and the power shut off. Andrew backed a step away from everyone else. He could hear Dan yelling at one of the girls to turn on the emergency power.

Kevin shoved Nicky off as soon as the lights flickered back on, running to the busted machine. His face was heartbroken before it transformed into anger. He turned to Nicky.

“You!” Kevin pointed at him. “The portal was fragile! A single irritation would’ve broken it down! And you─ you jumped right through it with a head start?!”

Nicky, who was being helped up by Aaron, shrugged. “It’s not like I knew what it was!”

Kevin looked ready to burst a vein. “If you didn’t know what it was,” Kevin took a deep breath, “then why did you jump into it?”

Nicky, now upright, shrugged again. “Saw the twins and you know, jumped in.”

At this point Kevin was sitting on his big chair, holding his face in his hands. Neil awkwardly patted his shoulder.

Aaron glared at Nicky. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Nicky looked offended. “The two of you were missing! I was looking for you all over─ I built a shrine!”

“You─” Aaron paused. “You built a what?”

Dan rubbed her temple and interrupted. “So, going counter clockwise is a no go and now we have another one of yours here.”

“Seems like it,” Andrew replied, just as eager to have Nicky’s mouth shut.

Aaron spoke up. “We have our own portal device. Well, . That Moriyama guy took it from us. And I guess he has our cats, too.”

Neil perked up at the mention of Moriyama. “Riko? What did you do?”

“We came here.”

With a shake of his head, Neil looked to his sister. Dan was tapping her arm in thought. Her movement halted and she stood taller, crossing her arms. “We can get you into the Moriyama tower. No further than that. You’ll get a copy of the blueprint, but you’ll have to get to Riko’s main office and get your device back on your own.”

Dan turned around, motioning to the doorway behind her. She stood there, waiting for the three of them and Renee to make their way inside. The cousins passed quickly.

“No, not you.”

Dan’s voice caught Andrew’s attention. He peered over his brother’s head to where Dan was using her arm like a barrier. In front of her stood Neil with Kevin towering over him from behind.

“But we’re the two best soldiers you have!” Kevin argued. Neil nodded his head frantically. “Yeah, we can help!”

“No,” Dan repeated, “and that is final. You two are my brothers.”

“But─”

“No. I do all of this to protect you. I won’t compromise your safety to get these three into the lion’s den.”

The two looked ready to protest further, but Dan waved them off. She signalled to Allison and Katelyn. The two girls grabbed the boys’ shoulders, keeping them still. If Andrew didn’t know better, he’d say that the two of them were pouting.

Dan, not shaken by the argument simply proceeds to the tunnel entrance. “There’s an underground mine. The carts still work. One of the tunnels leads to the lowest level of the Moriyama tower.”

They arrived in a tunnel. Multiple connected carts stood on the rails. Andrew let his brother and cousin climb into a cart near the front before he joined them. Renee boarded the cart in the very back where the motor was located. Andrew watched as Kevin and Neil snuck into a cart behind them, hiding themselves under a sheet. His eyes slid to the side. While Andrew could support the notion of having Neil, any Neil, out of danger, he had little interest in revealing their location. They weren’t all that subtle anyway. This might get interesting after all.

Thoughts circle back to Neil. Neil. The Neil who’s probably wandering into their backyard with Kevin, wondering where they are. It’s been a few hours since the twins, and now Nicky, have landed themselves into this mess. All because of King and Sir. The two dumbest cats who, as it turns out, aren’t entirely dumb. Then again, being cat secret agents doesn’t necessarily make them smart. Either way they have caused nothing but trouble for the Minyards. But Neil just had to collect two stray cats. And he just had to bring them to Andrew. Not to mention the stupid face he made as he begged Andrew to let them stay.

Dan joined Renee in the first cart, standing instead of sitting down in the seats. With a flashy twist of her staff she pushed the cart off the edge. Renee started the motor and then they were driving through the tunnel.

Andrew ached for a cigarette. Nicky, who has been talking non-stop since he tumbled through the portal, has now moved on from bothering Aaron to bothering the girls behind them. Asking a million questions at once. Dan didn’t indulge him much. Most information was classified. Aaron used the distraction to direct his attention to Andrew.

“So,” he leaned back against the seat. “How are we going to find our remote? It’s safe to say that Riko keeps it close by, but that’s all we know.”

Andrew keeps quiet as Aaron runs a hand through his hair. “The place will be swarming with robots and I doubt you can fight off an army of them.”

Andrew doesn’t confirm nor deny. “Stealth is out because of Nicky.”

His twin buried his face in his hands with a groan. Andrew’s lips quirked upwards. Seems like his dear brother forgot the fact that their cousin was with them. The cousin who was still bantering with Dan over his shoulder. While Aaron brainstormed possible strategies out loud with Andrew throwing in comments every once in a while, Nicky continued on.

“So, what do you do? I mean, outside of the whole resistance thing you’ve got going on?”

Dan raised a brow. “What else is there to do?”

He gasped. “What else?” Nicky shook his head and fully turned around. “What else? How about boyfriends? Shopping? Annoying your little brothers?”

“Annoying them?” Dan asked incredulously. “I spend every day of my life trying to protect my little brothers. I had to grow up pretty quick around here to make sure they didn’t have to.”

“Damn. You make growing up sound like a bad thing.”

“It is what it is. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect the ones I love.”

With a whoosh the sheet covering Neil and Kevin was thrown backwards. Neil laid his arms on the front of the cart and rested his head there, while Kevin simply held onto the railing.

“Aw, thanks, sis.” Neil grinned.

“What are you two doing here?” Dan frowned at them.

Kevin spoke up. “We’re here to help.”

Dan was about to object when Renee interrupted her. “Sir, we’re nearing the target.”

The resistance leader opened her mouth a few times before letting out a frustrated growl. She pointed at her brothers. “Don’t move.”

Quickly, she climbed over the carts to the front.

Dan forced the carts to a stop, stemming her staff between the cart’s wheels. It loudly screeches to a halt. With a single tug, she freed her staff and stepped on the platform.

“This is your stop.” She holds a hand out to help them up. Nicky is the only one to take it. Dan rolls her eyes and leads them to a metal shutter. “Okay, people, change of plans. This is as far as we go.”

Handing Aaron a map, she presses her elbow on a button and the shutter opens up.

“We’re not gonna help them?” Kevin asked.

“No, we’re getting you two home. Where it’s safe.”

“But we were─”

“Look,” she snapped. This is not our fight, it’s their fight. And you two shouldn’t have gotten involved.

“Here goes,” Nicky said as he walks under the shutters. Renee led the three of them further into the room. It was pitch black. Andrew couldn’t see a thing and that fact did not sit right with him.

Nicky couldn’t keep himself from speaking up. “Uhh, is it supposed to be this dark?”

“Dark?” Dan perked up. She stopped pushing the cart, instead taking her staff and stepping in front of her brothers.

Within seconds the cousins were surrounded by Moriyama-brand robots. Andrew glared at them as he reached for his knife. From the noise he heard behind him, he figured the others weren’t much better off.

“That’s because it’s a trap!” A big screen lowered itself from the ceiling, showing Riko Moriyama. Under the screen, Jean Moreau stepped into the light. In his hands he held two chain leashes. King and Sir were trapped and looked at the twins. Andrew interpreted their regretful faces as guilt. Not that it matters. Andrew has to take the cats back with him anyway.

So far, the whole rescuing thing hasn’t worked out very well.

Nicky stared at the cats’ little hats wide-eyed. Oh yeah, Andrew thought, he missed the whole ‘our cats are secret agents’ thing.

“Yeah, we could have thought this out more,” Aaron said.

Riko laughed like he practiced his evil laugh for hours beforehand. He points at the cats. “I got you and I got your little friends, too! Game over. You lose, I win.”

Riko’s face looked so self-satisfied that Andrew had to bite back the urge of punching the screen, knowing it’d wouldn’t actually hit him.

“Mark this the hour of you doom, Sir and King the Cats. Three─,” Riko looked down at his watch, then groaned. “Ugh, I got one of these watches with just little hash marks. It doesn’t even the numbers on it. Wait, let’s just say it’s between 3:30 and 4:00 EST.”

Sir’s eyes widened comically. Swiftly, he pushed a button on his own watch and a hologram appeared. The hologram was of Wymack in the shower. Now, that was a sight no one ever needed to see, but it did the trick. When Wymack noticed, he tried to cover himself as much as possible. Riko averted his eyes. So did Jean, who dropped the chain leashes in the process.

Sir and King quickly ran by the robots which were mimicking their master. King grabbed Aaron’s hand and the group was running back to the cart.

“I told you,” snapped Wymack. “Not between 3:30 and 4:00.”

He was ignored. Riko finally dared to look. “They’re getting away!” He yelled.

The group passed the shutter and jumped into the carts. Andrew made sure his brother and cousin were there, before turning back to the robots following them. Dan was a step ahead, as she shut the shutter behind them.

“I knew this was a bad idea,” Dan murmured. She chanted ‘Go’ under her breath, as she pushed the cart. “Renee, start the motor!”

Renee did as she was told. With the momentum from Dan’s push, the cart started. Dan hopped a few times on the rail before jumping on the cart. Neil and Kevin helped her up and inside.

Meanwhile, the robots have melted through the shutter. They caught up rapidly. Dan cursed. She forced her brothers to climb a few carts ahead.

“You two keep your heads down. And remember your training.”

“We never had any training,” Neil shot back.

“Well, keep your heads down. Consider yourselves trained.” Dan had no time for bickering.

She equipped her staff, twisting it into the right position. “This is gonna be close.” Dan perched herself up on the last cart and started to effectively incapacitate a multitude of enemies. The others simply stared as she kicked and beheaded the robots. Nicky was openly impressed. The rest didn’t say a word, but even Andrew couldn’t deny that that wasn’t half bad.

“If we can get to the north tunnel before they get to us, I can trip the security door,” Dan said.

Once again, the tunnel behind them filled with more robots. Dan winced, asking Renee if the cart could go any faster.

“It’s already all in, Sir.��

“Alright, this is gonna get hairy.” She jumped to Renee in the front car. Sir and King replaced her place at the back, swinging their chains to use them as weapons. Andrew stepped up behind them with his knives out. Aaron grabbed a wrench that was lying around and Nicky looked around a bit, before realizing there was nothing else he could use as a weapon.

“Can we make those turns at this speed?” Renee asked Dan.

“Well, we’re about to find out,” Dan responded as she tripped a turn sign. The carts screeched on the rails, being forced through several sharp turns.

The robots approached again. This time, King threw his chain around a robot’s arm. The other end he tossed on a nearby sign. With a clang, the robot fell apart. One of his laser arms landed on a middle cart. Landing there tripped the laser and it burned into the ground of the cart and starting a fire to erupt. Nicky screamed and crawled into closer to the twins.

“There it is. We should be okay if we can hold off these─”

Andrew and Sir were shooting at the robots with the laser arm. Quickly, destroying them one by one. Aaron held two wires in his hand in order to trigger the shots. Andrew supported the metal gun with his shoulder, while Sir aimed.

Dan looked at them. Mildly approving. Until Neil spoke up. “Can we do that?”

“No. Keep your heads down.”

Out of Nowhere, the cyborg version of King and Sir appeared. Cyborg King shot the wheels of the cart precisely. The cart wobbly lowered on one side, causing Andrew to lose grip of the metal arm. Their weapon fell into the abyss below, while Nicky yelled a string of ‘No’s’.

Robots were advancing and the cart screeching on the rails slowed them down. Not to mention the fire in the middle, that was slowly spreading.

“We’re slowing down. There’s too much stress. I don’t think we’re gonna make it,” Renee said.

Dan growled. “Everyone to the front. Now. We’re gonna have to cut these carts off.”

Nicky tried to step forward, but the flames got into his face. He fell back and the rest couldn’t press through the fire either. Andrew clenched his fists and teeth.

“The motor’s overheating,” Renee called out.

Dan looked between the cousins and their cats and the security door. She bit her lips. Then her eyes fell on her brothers that were still keeping their heads low.

“Sorry guys, you’re on your own.”

In a swift move, she pressed her staff between two carts, effectively separating them from the cousins. Andrew could understand the sentiment, but that didn’t stop him from resenting Dan in that particular moment. Their cart quickly came to a stop.

The resistance’s wagon kept driving into the tunnel and then disappeared behind the security door fallen shut.

Andrew stared into the air, as they were taken captive. The robots flew them back to the Moriyama tower. At least, Andrew thought, they still arrived at their destination. Now, he just had to think of a way to overwhelm the guards, break out of, presumably, a jail cell and then get back their remote control to return to their own universe.

Neil better appreciate Andrew saving the stupid cats for him and he better reward him greatly.

***

“What are you doing?” Neil yelled out. Dan hit a sign, closing the door behind them.

“My job,” she replied. “Protecting you two.”

Kevin jumped up. “We gotta go back and help them!”

“That’s not our fight.”

“But you just abandoned them! We could’ve made it. We could’ve all made it.”

“Or we could all have been captured and I wasn’t gonna take that chance. These are the tough choices, people. Somebody’s gotta be the adult here.”

Neil was ready to object again when Dan interrupted him. “You two are safe and that’s what’s important.”

“But─”

“End of discussion.”

The cart fell hauntingly silent. Renee spared Neil and Kevin a regretful smile. Then she turned her focus forwards. Kevin looked at Neil. The two sat back down.

Neil hoped the cousins were alright. For some reason, he couldn’t help but root for Andrew.

#AndreilWeek2019 #aftg #tfc #andreil #andrew minyard #my fic #my writing #fic #one-shot #day 1: alternate meeting #turned out longer than i planned #anyway #pnf au

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luci-cunt · 5 years

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Warning for a long ranting post written by a writing nerd about cool ways to write the beginnings of your stories using Star Wars and All For the Game as examples:

[TL;DR (I don’t blame you): I think Neil’s status as an active protagonist rather than a reluctant protagonist/ the way his story as a character is presented to us is a really cool and seemingly unique way to open a story, and maybe if I break it down and analyze it so people can understand what’s so cool about it they’ll write more stories like it so I can read them XD]

I just really, really like how AFtG opens up, how it begins, I feel like it’s such a cool and unique example of storytelling. (granted maybe I just haven’t read enough books and y’all can think of five that do the same thing–if you do please rec them to me I need books like these XD)

Anyways, I think first to really explain my thinking we should look at almost any other story, say–idk Star Wars for relatability’s sake.

Luke Skywalker is a regular ass farmboy until circumstances occur and he needs to join up with the rebels and gets tossed ass-over-teacup into a badass adventure with light swords and a magical force literally called the force.

that vs.

Neil Josten is a runaway, he plays exy despite the fact that it’s dangerous, and then joins a bigger team but instead of trying to avoid his fate he just resigns himself to the fact that he’s not making it through the year.

Already, I can spot a few differences–

1. Neil isn’t a reluctant protagonist

2. Neil’s inciting incident isn’t shown

But also some similarities?

a. Both worlds are outrageous but still awesome

b. Both worlds are also grounded in reality despite this outrageousness

Now to delve deeper:

1. When I say Neil isn’t a reluctant protagonist I’m refering to the trope of “protagonist lives a normal life until [insert inciting event (for Luke it’s his Aunt and Uncle being killed)] forces them to don the cape and mask and save the day” personally I love this trope and it works well for world building since you can make your protagonist a fish out of water which makes expositing easier. But– Neil isn’t a reluctant protagonist.

He actively chooses to join the Foxes not in spite of the dangers but despite them. Unlike Luke, who doesn’t know any of the events that will happen after he joins the rebels (e.g. finding his father/becoming a superstar of the galaxy/being pivotal in the destruction of the Empire/etc.) things just happen to him.

Again: this isn’t a bad way to write your story, I live for reluctant protagonists and this way also has a lot of comedic potential especially if your reluctant protagonist really just doesn’t want to be there.

But I digress– Neil actively causes the entire plot, he basically spoils the whole book for us actually. I mean, he says at the beginning that by joining the Foxes Riko or Kevin will probably recognize him (which happens) which will lead to Riko fucking with him (check) and then his father will probably end up finding him (check check) which will end badly (yup). Neil, just automatically resigns himself to the fact that all this will happen and he won’t live through the year. By him joining the Foxes, he’s creating the entire plotline, which makes him an active protagonist rather than a reluctant one.

2. Neil’s inciting incident in the books (just like most books) I think is kind of debatable, is it when Andrew, Kevin and Wymack come to recruit him? Is it when Riko first recognizes him at the Kathy Ferdinand show? Personally, and for the sake of this long ass think piece, I’m saying it’s Mary’s death. This launches him into the hopeless state we see at the start of the books that leads him to decide to throw his (admittedly bad) life away to play the sport that will kill him. But, interestingly enough–we don’t see it.

With Luke we get a slice of his normal life, how he’s restless but likes life and has a good family, then when they’re killed we all understand why he’s joining the rebels.

But with Neil, we don’t see Mary die, we just get vaguely alluded to it. He smokes because it reminds him of his mother, and how it sounded like velcro when he tried to pull her body out of the car.

This is interesting because it gives the reader the impression that Neil’s life has been rough, so rough that his mother’s death is just another thing to live through for Neil. We can gather that Mary was important to him, but at the end of the day she’s gone and Neil’s still here and he’s just surviving.

THIS IS SO INTERESTING!!!!!!

I mean, talk about show don’t tell, I think this opening for a book is just fucking AMAZING.

(though I will admit the actual opening chapter for AFtG is a bit confusing and lowkey a lot to read though because at least the first book is really heavy on exposition. But again, this is mainly because Neil is an active protagonist and therefore is very knowledgeable about his situation. I think the way she (Nora Sakovic) presents this exposition as a character trait in that Neil analyzes every situation he’s in, is super creative and cool, but it doesn’t mean reading through alllllll that exposition, while necessary, is any fun. lmao)

sorry for another digression XD

a/b. Both Star Wars and All for the Game are outrageously awesome stories rooted in reality. For Star Wars it’s pretty blatant: there is magic, fantasical creatures, space, but it’s all supposed to follow specific rules/ laws and there’s a very familiar fascist-esque force ruling the galaxy.

For AFtG there’s mafia and a fictional sport and weird drugs and on and on, but it’s all grounded in real laws and rules and consequences we (as readers) are familiar with.

I mean, just take the character of Andrew Minyard for an example of crazy rooted in reality (albiet a very gritty reality)–

An unmarried mother had twins, she couldn’t keep them both so he got sent to foster care, where he was abused and treated like shit from an early age. So far that’s pretty realistic right? Then things get a bit of a Nora specialty twist on them because Andrew rediscovers his twin brother later in life, and then, in order to protect Aaron from Andrew’s current abuser, he gets himself locked in jail. Getting a little less relatable right? (I just mean like, this doesn’t happen every day) THEN, he gets out and goes to live with his biological mother, who–due to the stress of being a single mother (and possibly past events) she’s turned to drugs, raising her son into the addiction and ostracizing herself from her other family. Andrew, because of the way he grew up, has grown to understand that giving people chances = pain. So, when he makes the deal with Aaron, and even gives Tilda a chance just for Aaron, the only option in his mind is to permanently get rid of her.

Crazy, rooted in reality, it makes for a super intriguing balance that is so much fun to play with. Other examples of this are like the show Archer, which is more comedic and also a cartoon but it uses the cartoon world to make things funny but grounded in realism. For example, the main characters worst fears are aneurysms and alligators, those are real fears despite his outlandish, cartoony personality.

I don’t know how to conclude things, but I guess what I tried writing out in a short paragraph that turned into a whole fucking essay, is that–active protagonists are just as fun to read as reluctant ones, and I feel like I see so many reluctant protagonists that it’s refreshing to get this new perspective.

(Also I think it contributes to why I personally feel more interested in writing/ reading fanfics, since before AFtG I’d never written/read any because it seemed odd to continue a story that had ended, especially if the characters where reluctant protagonists since most fanfics change to active protagonists. NOT that fanfic’s on other stories are bad, that’s not what I’m saying at all, I LOVE fanfic I just think–for me at least–AFtG fanfic seems more interesting because it almost makes sense? If that makes any sense?)

Idk, I’m tired and rambling now and idk if anyone will actually read through all of this but I had to write it all out, thanks for reading if you did!!!

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exyjunkies · 6 years

Note

14 + andreil? (“Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.”)

…………………………..

so i needed to write this plot bunny outta my damn mind

(and i liked this enough to post it on my ao3!!)

fic meme 1-100: andreil + 14. “Hey, I’m with you, okay? Always.”

send me a pairing (preferably from aftg/trc) and a number and i’ll write you a drabble (1-50) (51-100)

Andrew has often thought of how a clock, something built totell time, can fail at its very function the moment it’s set wrong. The thoughtwas unnerving, really, because it only strengthens the truth that time was oneof the many things that was out of anybody’s control.

One of the other things was change. The Columbia house, forall its glory and all the moments it’s lived through, cannot fight against thewishes of time. Though it did look like it tried to put up the best fight itcould possibly attempt. The windows, some slightly cracked and others difficultto open, merely provided glimpses into how much the structure has been through.The welcome mat had the letter O blacked out by ash, from theone time Nicky had set it on fire. The doorbell still worked, but the buttonwas long gone from its mechanism. The house paint was peeling off, and theplants around the side of the house were long gone.

It’s been almost three years since that day. Everyone Andrew knows has told him that this, what he wasdoing, wasn’t helping anyone move on with the natural course of things. Nothim. Not Neil.

Walking up to the house, Andrew wondered when he’ll everstop wanting to coming back.

He checked the time on his watch. 11:38 PM.

He doesn’t think twenty-two minutes will be enough to readyhimself for what was coming.

(Really, he doesn’t think any amount of time will ever beenough.)

The doorknob is cold and unsettling to the touch as ever.Andrew opened the door, and a wind blew in his face. He coughed because of thedust that got to his nose. A few seconds later, he heard the night cricketsoutside drift to a steady silence.

Nice job, Josten. Shaking his head, Andrew broughtout his flashlight, and shone a light throughout the dark house.

When they (Andrew, Aaron, and Nicky) had bought the Columbiahouse in their freshmen year, it was mostly empty, save for the appliances thatthe seller was generous enough to leave them. They acquired a microwave, ablender, and a pressure cooker (that none of them knew how to use until theirthird year). It was a really spacious house, which meant the three of them wasfree to fill it with whatever they deemed was necessary for each of theirsurvivals. Money was no object.

So Nicky was in charge of furnishing, while Aaron made tocall in men for the repairs, and Andrew shouldered costs and looked over wherethings were supposed to go. After three months of arguments and fussing about,it was done, and they had a place to stay whenever they needed to get away fromPalmetto State. They began bringing Kevin along a few weeks later. It was ateam effort to put the house together, that much Andrew knew.

Nicky and Aaron were not the least bit surprised, then, whenAndrew and Neil had ended up taking over the house later on. Nicky had a placewith Erik in Germany, and Aaron was in med school with Katelyn in anotherstate. This was around the time Neil had graduated and was well on his way to anoffer with the US Court, and Andrew was being bombarded with the same offerfrom the US Court that he had rejected the previous year. Andrew remembered walking into the living room and seeing Neil with both contract proposals fromthe Court’s recruitment team.

Leaning against the wall, he hadwaited until Neil noticed he was there at all.

You’re not seriously judging me for going through job offers.Neil’s tone had been playful, a smirk on his face that was probably amused atAndrew’s glowering.

It’s more of an addiction for you, junkie.

It’s what’s keeping me alive. Sorry if this life is so addicting.

You know, if you needed someone to go with you and hold your hand,that’s not going to be me.

Yeah? At this, Neil had put the papers on their coffee table, stoodup, and walked over to where Andrew was standing. In the years that they hadknown each other, Andrew had not grown taller, but Neil had two inches added tohis height. The smile on his lips not withdrawing, he crossed his arms andlooked Andrew square in the face.

Then how are you going to stare at my ass from behind if you’re not inthe games with me?

Andrew remembered looking up atNeil’s face, unimpressed. Tell me onegood reason why I should go back to that game again.

You know the gig’s not half as bad as you make it out to be. ThenAndrew had glared, turned around, and walked away.

A few hours ago, both of them hadsigned with the US Court, and were set to start practices next week. Once theyhad both gotten the notification, Neil had looked and did his best not to burst outlaughing.

I am irresistible, he had declared, winking at Andrew.

One week, huh, Andrew had muttered, hoisting a laughing Neil up onhis arms and carrying him back to their bedroom. We shouldn’t waste any time then.

Andrew shone his flashlight aroundthe living room, the furniture in it now dusty and chipped. Their sofa still had that gash across the middle,and their pillows had almost all the stuffing falling out and frayed. Thetelevision set, once a flatscreen and of the highest quality, now couldn’t beswitched on or even plugged in. A circle of dustless surface was on the coffeetable, where the last ever coffee cup used to be. Andrew didn’t know if Neilhad taken the coffee cup off, or if someone had gone in to take it. Honestly,it didn’t really matter anymore.

To the side, their bookshelf wasstill crammed with books, half of which they never got to read together. Nearit was another shelf, which held framed photos and some souvenirs from thecountries they got to travel to. A mini Eiffel Tower, a golden cat that used towave its paw, a box of one red chopstick because they lost the other one. Atiny Mexican hat, from the first time they flew anywhere. Andrew surveyed thephotographs, looked at the all the faces. A family portrait, with him, Neil,and Sir Fat Cat and King Fluffkins. They had taken it intending for it to be aChristmas card, but Neil liked it so much he wanted it to be the family’s copyand theirs only. A picture of him and Aaron, arms around each other’sshoulders, taken by Neil himself. And beside it, a picture that Andrew hadtaken of Neil holding one of Dan and Matt’s kids, from when they babysat forthe couple.

Of the two of them, Neil had beenmore vocal about wanting kids, simply because Andrew was rarely ever outspokenabout anything. Andrew had it memorized – that look of want that Neil used tohave, whenever one of Dan’s kids would bring him something they had drawn orwhenever they wanted something from their kitchen. Neil had both been subtle(adoption flyers lying around the counter) and obvious (bringing it up whenthey were in bed, before they went to sleep). But what he didn’t know was thatit was a fleeting want between the both of them, something that never happenedonly because they were too busy with everything else.

Looking at his watch, Andrew sawthat he had seven minutes before midnight.

“You don’t mind if I’m a littleearly, do you?”

The voice had come a little tooclose behind him, but Andrew had learned to calm himself down. Neil never meantto scare him, even if his hair stood on end almost every time this happened.Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. Inhale.Exhale. That’s it.

He turned around, and behind himwas Neil.

In his spiritual, yet mostcorporeal, form.

A ghost.

“You were always one forsurprises,” Andrew whispered, tightening his grip around his flashlight. Neillooked back at him, shrugging in the most Neil-like fashion.

Ever since Neil had become thisstate, he was always different. Sometimes, he was his cheery, annoying self,following Andrew around the house and talking his ear off. There have beentimes when he was an angrier, snappier version of himself, levitating objectsaround the house and throwing them against the walls. Most of the time though,Neil was merely a shell of himself, less responsive, drifting out of realityfrom time to time.

He liked it when Andrew came tovisit, which was twice or thrice a week. Always around midnight, and not formore than half an hour. Neil had explained, once before, that there wasn’t muchspiritual energy around their part of South Carolina for him to stay long.Andrew didn’t know much about the supernatural and ghosts and spirits, so hetook Neil’s word for it.

At the start, Neil being a ghosthad helped Andrew cope with his death, had helped him mourn the loss. The shockhad lasted quite a while, and then the anger came. Andrew was not proud of howhe handled himself.

It was a day like any other,specifically a day when Neil was home and Andrew was out, taking care of thegroceries. Between the both of them, no one knew that Lola Malcolm hadn’t beencaught by the FBI, and was instead on the lookout for Neil to seek her revenge.Andrew had come home to the struggle between Lola and Neil, and hell had brokenloose from there.

Andrew had succeeded in getting aknife through Lola’s head through her eye, but not until after she had shotNeil in the stomach. There was blood everywhere. And the hospital could only doso much that much blood loss. Andrew threatened as many doctors and nurses ashe could, but he couldn’t change what had happened. Neil was in a coma for agood eight months, before the doctors had the talk with Andrew regardingpulling the plug.

A voice had come up behind him, inthat hospital hallway, and whispered, “Letme go, Andrew. The machines are terrible. It hurts so, so much.”

It took Andrew another monthbefore he could agree to pull the plug. Wymack, Betsy, Abby, and the Foxes,both the old and the new, were there with Andrew, and that was that. No fancyfuneral. No televised news about Neil’s death. No articles in the newspapers,no interviews with the sports channels.

Just a cremation, a jar, andNeil’s ashes, sitting in one of the Columbia house’s cupboards.

It’s been almost three years sincethe accident. And a small part of Andrew was uneasy, if not scared, about Neilstill not being able to transition to the afterlife.

Three years.

Neil put his hand to Andrew’s arm,and Andrew shivered. He could feel the faintest sensation through his shirtsleeve. He saw Neil solidify a bit more and sigh in relief.

“I get the feeling that you havesomething to tell me that couldn’t wait.”

“We’ve got all the time in theworld, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“Seventeen years of marriage doesn’thelp you become a better liar, dummy.”

Andrew gritted his teeth. Hefrowned at Neil. “Yeah, well, the real world doesn’t make me deal with thetruth any better, either.”

“And what has been happening in the real world?” Neil’s voice was lessinterested and more of a drone. As if it was draining him to push every singleword out. He went to sat down on their sofa, and continued, “Tell me a story.”

So Andrew told him. About Reneeand Emilio’s third son, who was born premature and had to stay in the incubatorfor a few weeks. About Allison and her fiancé, and their upcoming wedding inthe Bahamas. About Nicky and Erik visiting for Christmas this December. AboutAaron and Katelyn opening up a new private practice in the east. About Robin andher girlfriend, and how she had been coaching the Foxes for almost seven yearsnow. About Wymack in a plush and comfortable retirement home that just happensto adore Exy and him, so they had no problem with Kevin’s specifications. AboutDan and Matt starting an Exy Little League, and how it was going to be biggerthan they had anticipated. About how he and Kevin were still with the Court.

“But you know how I keep thinkingof,” Andrew broke off, inhaling a little shakily. He sat beside Neil. “Ofresigning. They have enough goalkeepers there anyway.”

Neil did a lifeless haha and replied, “Good luck. Last timeI joked about you leaving, Chief always said that wouldn’t happen. “Not on my watch, Josten.” With the gruffdisagreement and all. That kinda shit.”

“It doesn’t do anything for meanymore.”

Which was true. Financially, Andrew was set for (what he believedwere) the remaining years of his life, and he still had some of his fortune fromhis teenage years to add to his Court savings. He didn’t really care much forthe Exy celebrity life, and he only had a few friends in the sports industryand even less of a desire to make more. On top of that, the only reason why hewas still with the Court was because of Kevin, who was still a little abovetwenty-five years or so from retirement. Kevin was convinced that he and Andrewwould be together on the team until then.

Every single day with the team andplaying Exy served to be a reminder to Andrew about just how much Neil livedfor the sport. They had played games with one off the court, but when they wereboth on the court together, they were a force to be reckoned with. Eventually,everyone had ended up looking forward to the games that had the both of them onthe lineup.

Now that Neil was gone… well.Andrew could still close off the goal when the team needed it, but even theleast invested fan could see that games against the US National Team were lessexciting now. It was something no one dared to speak of.

“Well, you know I wouldn’t mind ifyou did,” Neil said, leaning back and closing his eyes. Or at least that’s whatit looked like to Andrew. “Resign, I mean.”

They sat in silence for a longtime after that, Andrew and his arm on the couch’s arm rest, and Neil sittingback on the couch. It was never an uncomfortable silence, that much they bothhad to be thankful for. From time to time, Andrew looked over and watched Neildo his best to materialize, take as much energy as he could from the ground,sometimes from Andrew. But then Andrew knew Neil always felt bad about tiringhim out, so the touches were subtle. Andrew didn’t want to admit that it wasmore draining that he let out.

Besides, if it meant that he couldsee Neil a little better, then Andrew would hold onto Neil himself – if Neilwouldn’t violently lash out and throw Andrew off of him.

“Ugh, we never really got thishouse to look the way it should,” Neil suddenly said, his eyes darting aroundthe room. Andrew snapped out of his thoughts.

“Your eye for real estate ischarming, junkie.”

“Shut up. This place was a dumpbefore I got here.”

Andrew felt his mouth twitch up abit at that, and he saw Neil laughing quietly. For a bit, he looked almost… alive.

“Yeah,” he murmured, shiftingcloser. “You were a real lifesaver.”

Neil looked Andrew in the eyes,and smiled.

Then, as if a spell broke, he suddenlyclosed his eyes and groaned slightly. “Ugh.”

“What?” Andrew was alert, a bit ofpanic rising in him. “Anything I could do?”

“No, I just,” Neil stopped, facingaway from Andrew. After a beat, he spoke up again.

“This always happens. I hate it.”

“What does?”

“Oh, don’t act like you don’tknow,” Neil scolded, a little sadly. “Me wanting to hold your hand, or mewanting to kiss you, and then remembering that— that I’m just… this.”

And here I was, about to tell him that he has to move on. “Neil, pleasedon’t do this.”

“Don’t do what?” Neil snapped, standing up suddenly, making his form waver abit. Andrew was starting to feel his own anger too. It was anger not at Neil,but at the situation that led to this. He did his best to keep it down and puttwo fingers to the bridge of his nose.

“Don’t… ugh— don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

Neil looked down at him, a littleconfused. Then, understanding showed on his face, along with a very pissy mood.

“Oh. Okay. I see how it is.”

In all the years that they’ve beenmarried, they’ve had their fights, and they’ve each had their share of faults.After everything though, they always, alwaysmade it a point to resolve their issues. This was because of the two of them,Neil was the one that hated going to sleep with something wrong between them.

Still, they were human, so nothingwas as perfect as how the movies almost always made everything out to be.Andrew tended to be unresponsive a lot of the time, because he didn’t believein wasting a single breath on useless things, and Neil always had some smartremark prepared to everything because he liked being the last say, socompromises were only arrived at after a lotof work.

So of course, this meant thingsalways had to get messy before they get fixed.

“Neil,” Andrew began, standing upand taking a few steps away from Neil. “You know it’s been far too long. It’sunnatural.”

“So is being murdered at the ageof 46, Andrew!” Neil yelled, theground shaking a little, just because he can make it shake. “This is so unfair.I’m not fucking ready.”

“And no one ever is,” Andrew replied,stepping forward slowly. It was so hard to keep himself composed, but he knewhe had to do it. “But I’m telling you now. You’re not doing yourself any favorsby staying here.”

“Wow, now you’re telling me about what’s best for me. Well, news-fucking-flash, Andrew Minyard. Ithink I can handle myself.”

“No, you can’t! If you can, you would’ve been gone from this place a longdamn time ago. You know I’m making sense. You’renot human anymore, Josten. You have to fucking accept that.”

“And what about you, huh? What is it about methat keeps you coming back? I’m ‘not human anymore’? Fine. Then why do you keep going here, at the crack-of-God’s-ass‘o clock, visiting me?”

“Because I care about you, idiot. Don’t you think it hurts me to see you likethis, too?”

“Oh, boo-freaking-hoo, Andrew Minyard is still alive, getme a tissue.”

Andrew exhaled, getting the rageout of his system before he did anything drastic. Crossing his arms, he saidthe one thing that’s been on his mind ever since he got there.

“So if I went and offed myself.Would that help?”

Neil, as always, doesn’t properlylisten when he’s in the heat of the moment. “If you— what?”

Clearing his throat, Andrew repeatedhimself.

“If I died. Passed away. Left thislife. Etcetera etcetera. Would you finally move on to the afterlife?”

“You’re being ridiculous. Wheredid you get that dumb idea? It’s not that easy.”

“Then what, for God’s sake, wouldmake it easy—”

“Nothing, Andrew! Don’t youfucking understand?”

Neil’s outburst was so strong thata wind blew through the house, and every door in the house began openning andslamming back shut. Andrew was taken aback. The pressure in the room was sostrong, and the doors were so loud.He shut his eyes and took a few more breaths to steady himself. Anger and fearwas not the greatest combination to deal with.

Easy, Minyard.

After calming down himself, Neilshook his head.

“Don’t you get it?” He startedagain, less harshly this time. “My entire childhood, I never got to make anypart of it mine. It was always, new nickname this time around, or new state thenext month, or new house to break into later on. Mom died, and I had to livewith her voice of disappointment wherever I went. It was absolutely miserable. Andthen I came across Exy, which gave me the chance to take a small part of itback. For myself.

“And then the Foxes came along,and. And you guys were everything.Not from the start, no. At the start, a lot of you were major assholes,” Atthis, Andrew nodded in agreement, and Neil continued, “But then you guys becamefamily. And every game that Palmetto State got me to, gave me even more andmore reasons to keep going. Wymack was, sort of, the father I never knew Ineeded. And somewhere along the way, I saw you in a way that I never saw anyoneelse before, and, well, I guess the rest was history.

“I finally, finally had the life Iwanted. And I had that life to share with you. It wasn’t perfect, and it suretook some work getting there, what with my father and the Moriyamas and all,but I made it. I was myself. And I hadthat going for me for a long time. Seventeen years with you was wonderful. ButI knew I wanted the lifetime package. But then Lola came that day, and… andtook it all away. Just when I was just getting ready for the long haul.”

Neil sat back down, leaving Andrewabsolutely speechless. This was a side of Neil that he has never heard before.A lot of things were going on in his mind right now, and none of them was theright thing to say in this situation.

“Do you know what I was doing thatday, Andrew?” Neil continued, not looking up at him. “Because I do. I stillfucking remember. I was about to put in a call for this house I wanted, justoutside of South Carolina. Somewhere in Pontiac. Matt told me about a reallygood deal by a friend of his, so I went to check the house out a couple weeksback. I was going to say yes to the realtor and put in the first payment. Itwas going to be a surprise.”

Sitting back down carefully,Andrew made sure to look at Neil this time, listening to everything he had tosay. He put his hand on top of Neil’s spirit one, watching Neil’s materializedface shed a tear.

“Shit,” Andrew whispered. He hated seeing Neil cry. “I never knew.”

“Yeah,” Neil sniffled, putting hishand to his face and wiping off a tear. “It’s because I did my best to keep thesecret this time around.”

And they stayed like that, staringinto each other’s eyes, for a little bit longer. Andrew could only hear hisheartbeat, the crickets outside, and Neil’s labored breathing, from his entiredialogue earlier.

“Andrew,” Neil murmured. “I’mscared.”

Gritting his teeth, Andrewreplied, “I am too. It was hell tolose you the first time. But this is something you have to do.” After a beat,he added, “It’ll get easier.”

When Neil didn’t reply, Andrew puthis lips to where he saw Neil’s cheek was, and kissed. Andrew didn’t feelanything, but Neil let out a humorless chuckle.

“Thanks for trying, asshat,” hesaid, and Andrew knew they were okay again. He didn’t really know what to saynext, so he only nodded. Neil inhaled, exhaled, and clenched both his fists.

“Fine. I’ll stop being a ghoststuck in the past,” Neil said, and stood up. He rolled his shoulders back, andstretched his neck. “The afterlife can’t be thatbad.”

“If you get sent to hell, please reserve my slot.”

“You know there’s one with your name on it already.”

They could sit there and jokeabout it for another hour, and it still wouldn’t make the goodbye any better. Neilwas off staring at absolutely nothing, like he was trying to find the words tomake it easier. Andrew knew this, so he stood up with Neil, staring into thesame nothingness.

“Hey,” Neil said, after anotherlong, quiet minute. “I’m with you, okay?”

Andrew thought about how a clockcan fail to tell time the moment it was set wrong. It was a fact of life thathe used to be frustrated with, because he had wanted to go back and change thepast. He had wished he did things differently, sway the odds in his favor. Dothe groceries the previous day instead. Get home a little earlier. Kill Lolabefore she got to shoot Neil.

But now, Andrew knew that he neededto stop playing god. Every single thing in the universe was going to come andgo, no matter what anyone did, and nobody could change that.

What made everything morebearable, Andrew knew, was the people that he went through time with.

“Always,” he replied, looking atNeil one last time. He couldn’t believe this was going to be the last time. Thetightness in his chest was enough to stop him from breathing.

It was almost like he was losingNeil all over again.

Neil smiled sadly at Andrew,almost as if he was trying to hold back more tears.

Then, he looked up, and he wasgone. And for the first time since he had bought the house, Andrew was on hisown.

For the first time, Andrew wasalone.

#andreil #andrew minyard #neil josten #thetfcnet #all for the game #aftg au #anonymous #answered #ficmeme100 #uhhhhhh WELL #myfic #aftg fic

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voltronical · 6 years

Text

So I had an epiphany when I heard a song called In My Veins by Andrew Belle. (Ha, I just realized it’s perfect that the artist’s name is Andrew) And it gave me major andreil feels. And I really need to get this out of my brain so I don’t forget it. I’ll probably end up writing this at some point.

imagine Andrew waking up first one morning

and Neil is still asleep next to him

and instead of getting up, he just watches Neil sleep for a while

and he remembers when this was almost lost to him

after that game

when Neil said goodbye without him realizing it

and he wasn’t fast enough to keep him safe

and then he was gone

imagine how Andrew felt

imagine every kiss, every stolen moment playing behind his eyes in cruel, perfect clarity

how Andrew wishes, like he so often wishes, that his memory wasn’t as good as it is

how its a special kind of hell to remember exactly how Neil’s mouth tasted beneath his lips

how torturous it is to remember acutely how his scars felt under his hands

and know somewhere in the back of your head that Neil is most likely dead

that the monsters he tried so hard to run from

those same monsters that he decided to stop running from

finally caught up to him

and there was nothing Andrew could do

forget their promises

forget their shared secrets

when it mattered, he wasn’t quick enough to save the one person who somehow managed to wiggle into his life when everyone else left him

and then Wymack gets a call

from an fbi agent

and its like a fire has erupted in his veins

his pipe dream

the one that was supposed to be a hallucination

isn’t gone

he’s alive

Wymack drives the bus to a motel on the outskirts of Baltimore

and then they’re told Neil made a deal to see them

one last time

and Andrew’s fingers ache to twist themselves into Neil’s hair, just one more time

and then Neil walks into the room

and Andrew sees what they did to him

and the fire he’s been keeping in check since Wymack got that call threatens to burn him from the inside out

its a good thing the people who did this to Neil are dead and gone

and that’s when Neil blinks awake

and Andrew is torn from his memories

caught, as always, by Neil’s sleepy gaze

and Andrew sees the scars on his face

he can touch him

so he does

and with the light streaming from the bedroom window falling so perfectly on Neil’s face

Andrew feels something in his chest that he’d thought would never belong to him again

love

love for this boy, who managed to find his way through the cracks in his defenses

and Neil simply smiles in understanding, and says one word, his voice cracking from sleep

“Staring”

Anyways, I hurt myself with those feels so I thought I’d share. Let me know if you’d like to see this turned into a full fic.

#andreil #aftg #all for the game #andrew minyard #neil josten

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littlespoonevan · 6 years

Note

RIGHTYO since you offered to make my day how about either "5. In the back seat of the car", "23: Reunion" or "14: in public" for andreil? :D I couldn't decide so whatever you like the best

asjkdhfks Tina, I don’t know how you managed to pick the three prompts that are all so tempting asjhd it took me forever to decide one which one to go with but amnesia aus are my secret weakness and I felt like it would be sO PAINFUL with these two, I couldn’t help myself

I feel like this got so long it should probably be on ao3 instead but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ lmao I hope you like it!!!!!

23. Reunion

From the very beginning, Andrew has been cautious inhis relationship with Neil.

It’s a self-preservation tactic; even before Neilstarted wanting him back he knew he couldn’t have this. He’s always beensilently waiting for the day Neil will be taken away from him.

He just didn’t expect it to happen like this.

Temporary retrograde amnesia.

After their game, the backliner that had beenhounding Neil all night had caught him off guard right as Neil had taken offhis helmet, barrelling into him and knocking him to the ground. Neil’s head hadbounced off the hardwood floor of the court with a sickening crack and Andrewwould’ve likely ended up with another assault charge under his belt had he notbeen so concerned with the fact that Neil wasn’t immediately waking up.

Now he’s sitting in the hospital waiting room,feeling anxiety roll off his teammates in waves and choking down his own furyas the doctor explains to them that Neil appears to have lost his memory as aresult of his head injury.

It’stemporary, she says.

Wecan’t say for sure when he’ll get his memories back,she says.

Supportand patience is what he needs from you most right now,she says.

Hedoesn’t seem to remember anything from the last two years, at least,she says.

The last one is what piques Andrew’s interest andhe’s immediately pushing himself out of his chair, intent on making a beelinefor Neil’s room.

“Andrew, they didn’t say we could go in yet!” Wymackcalls after him, sounding exasperated and exhausted.

“He doesn’t remember,” Andrew says, not bothering tolook over his shoulder as he makes his way to the door of the waiting room.“He’s going to run.”

That seems to spur the foxes into action and there’sa mini stampede behind him as he charges down the hall to Neil’s room.

Neil is in bed with a nurse checking one of themachines he’s hooked up to when they arrive. He seems calm from the outside butAndrew recognises the wild look in his eyes. He’s panicking. He’s trying tofigure out how to escape.

“Neil,” Matt says beseechingly and Neil stopsfidgeting where he lays, eyes wide as he focuses on the crowd in his doorway.His gaze travels from one of them to the next and Andrew’s stomach churns whenthere’s no flicker of recognition on Neil’s face as he looks at him.

He hangs back as the others crowd Neil. They allstart talking over one another before Aaron begrudgingly points out thatthey’re going to overwhelm him. He shoots Andrew a sidelong glance as he saysit but Andrew doesn’t return it.

He listens for a minute or two as Matt takes up therole of explaining to Neil what’s happened but he can’t stomach it for verylong before he’s storming out of the room and out of the hospital altogether.He sits on the bench out on the sidewalk instead, a cigarette clutched betweenhis trembling fingers.

He’s not sure how long he stays out there for – aslong as it takes him to burn through six cigarettes – before he’s joined bysomeone.

Nicky knows better than to sit next to him but herounds the bench so he’s standing in front of Andrew, hands stuffed in thepockets of his jacket to ward off the chill.

“Aren’t you going to come inside?” he asks after abelated silence.

Andrew raises his eyes to look at him, offering himno answer other than another drag of his cigarette.

“Andrew, he’s your boyfriend,” Nicky says, voice fraying at the edges and finallylosing some of his patience.

“No, he’s not,” Andrew replies dully and Nicky huffs.

“Now isn’t the time for your stupid riddles aboutyour relationship,” he snaps, expression turning pleading. “Andrew, he’s hurtand he’s fucking scared and he won’t believe anything we tell him. He thinkswe’re just feeding him back the cover story he thinks he’s fed us.”

“And what do you want me to do? He doesn’t remember me,” he says through grittedteeth. And that’s the crux of the matter, isn’t it? Neil is here but he isn’t.He doesn’t remember Andrew; he doesn’t remember anything. And Andrew feelsunbalanced, unsteady, like the wind has been knocked out of him.

He- he lovesNeil. In whatever fucked up way he’s capable of feeling love. And he’s gottenused to it. The affection, the comfort, the steadiness he feels with Neil’spresence by his side.

And in one fell swoop it’s been taken away from him.

What’s he supposed to do now?

Nicky’s expression softens like he understands andAndrew hates that too. He hates that Neil’s made him vulnerable, that Neil hasmade him more open. Even if it’s just a sliver.

“Andrew,” Nicky says quietly. “Even when you twohated each other, you were able to convince him to stay. Can you just try?”

Andrew squares his jaw, stubbing out his cigarette onthe bench before standing up. He doesn’t say anything to Nicky or pause to lethim follow but Nicky seems to recognise his acquiescence for what it is andkeeps his thoughts to himself as they make their way back inside the hospital.

The rest of the foxes are waiting outside Neil’s roomwhen he comes back inside and he doesn’t slow to talk to them before he’spushing open the door.

Neil looks up in surprise at the sound of Andrew’sentrance and Andrew can feel his eyes on him as he casually drops into thechair beside the bed.

Holding onto his calm has never felt quite asimpossible as it does now with Neil watching him with a curious gaze but Andrewforces himself to remain impassive.

“You’re not Aaron,” is the first thing Neil says andAndrew quashes down the hope that festers in his chest. He and Aaron aren’tdressed the same and, as oblivious as Neil can be, he’s perceptive when itcomes to details he thinks might be important. It’s not recognition and hecan’t let his mind believe it to be.

“Astute observation,” he says blandly.

Neil continues to stare at him, eventually asking,“Why did they send you?”

“They’re under the impression you actually listen tome.” The truth is, it’s always been the other way around. Andrew always listensto Neil, even when it goes against his better judgement.

“Listen to you about what?”

Andrew finally lifts his head to meet Neil’s gaze andit hurts. It hurts to see the blankexpression, it hurts to see the spark of interest that’s usually evident inNeil’s eyes missing, it hurts to see there’s no affection that Andrew’s grownso accustomed to.

“They think I can convince you not to run,” he says.

Neil visibly startles at that, expression suddenlymuch more guarded than it was before. “What?”

“You’re on the third floor of the hospital. There’san elevator to your left and a stairwell at the end of the hall to the right. Thereare cameras but they have blind spots – I’m sure you’d figure those outquickly. You’d get to the exit but you wouldn’t even make it to the highway beforesomeone would find you. So,” he says plainly. “Don’t run.”

Neil is watching him with a calculating look now andat least it’s something familiar.Andrew has seen this look before. Not for over a year, but he’s still seen it.

“If you know me as well as you apparently do, youshould know I’d find a way,” Neil says after a too-long pause.

“Abram,” Andrew says softly, gut twisting at the wayNeil’s entire frame stills at the word.

He looks at Andrew, and Andrew decides to answer hisunspoken question.

“You’re not Nathaniel anymore. You don’t rememberNeil. But you’re always Abram.”

“Who told you that?” Neil asks, voice quiet to maskhis panic.

“You did,” he tells him. “A year ago. When you wantedme to trust you. I’m giving it back to you now. Trust me.”

Neil squints his eyes as though he’s trying to workAndrew out. The joke’s on him; Andrew can’t even work himself out. “Whathappened?” he asks eventually.

Andrew feels like releasing a sigh of relief but hesuppresses it. “Your mother is dead. Your father is dead. Your uncle killedhim. All his associates are either dead or in prison. You’re under Moriyamaprotection. You officially have permission to play exy for the rest of yourlife. It’s over, Neil.”

Neil releases a slow breath, digesting theinformation, before he finally meets Andrew’s gaze with vulnerable eyes. “It’sreally over?”

Andrew nods once and Neil closes his eyes.

They don’t talk for the rest of the night but Neil doesn’ttry to run and Andrew stays. It’s at some point in the middle of the night,with Neil asleep and the room dark save for the glow from the heart monitor,that Andrew finally allows the fear to settle beneath his skin as he turnsNeil’s keys over in his hand.

He’s scared.

He’s scared Neil won’t remember. He’s scared of Neillooking at him like he’s nothing, like thisis nothing. It’s never been nothing and Andrew has only just admitted tohimself – quietly, in the deepest recesses of his mind – that this iseverything.

He cranes his head back, closing his eyes andreleasing a careful breath.

The walls are collapsing in and he’s not sure howmuch longer he can keep them standing.

Neil has been in hospital for four days.

He still feels odd, referring to himself as Neil, butafter his conversation with Andrew, Matt had brought him his passport anddriver’s license to show him. It feels odd but at the same time somewhatfamiliar. The same feeling you get when something is on the tip of your tonguebut you can’t quite remember what it is.

Andrew hasn’t been alone with him since the firstnight and doesn’t stick around much even when the other foxes are there. Neilhasn’t asked but he can tell their relationship is different to the one heshares with everyone else.

Andrew had been the one he’d believed the firstnight, the one who seemed to know how to actually get through to him. Neilnever envisioned he’d let someone close enough to him that they’d know him thatwell but evidently, Andrew is an exception.

(Not to mention, the little slip ups everyone hasbeen making tell him all he really needs to know.)

A few of the other foxes are with him now, talkingabout how the doctors said Neil could be discharged tomorrow since he seems tobe recovering well – besides the whole amnesia thing.

“Oh. Neil,” Matt says, getting out of his chair andgoing to the corner of the room. He grabs a small duffle bag, coming over toNeil’s bed. “We brought some of your stuff just in case you do get to go home tomorrow.”

Matt drops the bag into Neil’s lap and Neil tugs atthe zipper to open it. It’s mainly clothes but what he presumes are his phoneand his keys sit on top of the pile. He takes them out one at a time, firstturning the phone over in his hands and inspecting it. He’s not surprised whenit doesn’t jog his memory but he can’t help feeling slightly disappointed.

He picks up the keys next, going through each one onthe ring. Kevin tells him the first three are for the court before Neil can evenask and he hears Nicky punch Kevin’s shoulder, telling him to let Neil try andfigure it out on his own first.

Neil doesn’t pay attention to them though, looking atthe other three keys. One is a car key – for what car, he has no idea. Theother two are similar and he guesses one must be the key for his dorm room.

“What’s this key for?” he asks, choosing one of themat random.

Nicky moves closer to inspect the key, letting out anamused noise. “That’s for the house in Columbia. Damn, I didn’t know Andrew wasthat serious. He must’ve given it to you when you guys were there this summer.”

Neil frowns. That doesn’t sound right.

“He didn’t.”

“Hmm?” Nicky asks.

Neil looks up, the tail end of a memory at the cornerof his mind. “He didn’t,” he repeats slowly.

Thekeys, the trust, the honesty, the kisses.

“He gave it to me last year, at the start of theschool year.”

Nicky’s eyes widen at that. “Back then?” he asks in disbelief.

“Nicky, not the point,” Dan cuts it, fixing Neil witha serious expression. “Neil, do you remember?”

The doctor had told Neil his memories could all comeback at once but he’s still not prepared for the onslaught that hits him, twoyears of memories flashing through his mind’s eye and pressing against the insideof his skull. It’s like a tidal wave and Neil shuts his eyes as he tries topiece through them all.

Some of it is a bit jumbled up but at the centre ofat all…

He looks up, unsure how long he’s been silent as hemeets the hopeful expressions of Dan, Matt, Nicky, Allison and Kevin. “Where’sAndrew?” he asks quietly.

“He’s back at the dorms with Renee,” Allison answersafter a beat and Neil’s fingers tighten around his keys. The weight of how muchthe past few days must have impacted Andrew hitting him full force.

He reaches for his phone, tries to turn it on andlets out a frustrated breath when he realises it’s dead. He looks up, findingNicky’s gaze. “Call him.”

“Neil, do you remember?” Matt asks, repeating Dan’searlier question.

“Yes,” he says impatiently, directing his next wordsto Nicky. “Call him.”

Nicky’s mouth drops open in shock before he springsinto action and fumbles for his phone in his pocket. Matt says something aboutgoing to get a doctor but Neil ignores him, full focus on Nicky diallingAndrew’s number.

It takes too long for Andrew to get there and Neil spendsthe time sitting through an examination from his doctor, answering questionsand getting frequently irate as they continue, eyes trained on the door to hisroom.

When Andrew finally arrives, pushing through thefoxes blocking the door, Neil feels his breath catch in his throat.

Andrew is watching him, visibly keeping a tenuous strangleholdon his emotions, though Neil thinks no one can really tell except him.

“Andrew,” he says and he hopes it sounds different.He hopes Andrew can hear the difference.

Andrew doesn’t react and Renee ushers the foxes outof the room – Neil makes a mental note to thank her later.

“Come here,” Neil tries again, softly, with feelinghe normally reserves for the privacy of their own room.

It gets Andrew to move though. He walks over to thebed on stiff legs, stopping just by Neil’s hip. Neil sits up, meets his gazehead on and raises a hand. He lets it hover in the air first, right by Andrew’scheek, but Andrew doesn’t flinch or move or sayno so Neil carefully lays his fingers against Andrew’s cheekbone.

Andrew’s eyes are ablaze and Neil wets his lips. “I’msorry I didn’t remember you,” he whispers.

There’s a split second of still and then Andrew ispulling him into a crushing hug.

Neil releases a shaky breath, hands clutching at theback of Andrew’s jacket.

“If you ever do anything like that ever again, Iswear to god, Josten-“ Andrew tries to threaten, pulling back for half a secondbefore he’s hugging Neil again just as fiercely as before.

“Okay,” Neil soothes, burying his face in Andrew’sneck and breathing him in. “Okay,” he repeats.

Neil can feel the tension slowly seeping out ofAndrew’s bones the longer he holds on and when Andrew finally sags against himNeil raises his head, gently bumping their temples together. “Lie down with me?”he requests.

It takes a bit of manoeuvring but eventually Andrewis lying on the bed with him. Neil is turned on his side, head pillowed on thespot where Andrew’s chest meets his shoulder while Andrew’s fingers curl lightlythrough his hair.

Andrew is quiet, staring up at the ceiling, but it’snot the peaceful kind of quiet they’ve both become used to. Andrew is deep inthought and Neil only needs one guess to figure out what about.

“Hey,” he says softly. “I promised you I wouldn’tleave. I meant it.”

Andrew’s hand stills in his hair for a moment but hedoesn’t look at Neil when he speaks. “I told you to stop making promises youcan’t keep.”

“I can keep it,” Neil protests, pushing himself up onhis elbow and leaning over Andrew too look at him.

Andrew stares at him, jaw working. “Two hours ago youwere in no fit state to.”

Neil huffs, feeling frustrated as he tries to thinkof the best way to explain where his mind’s been for the past few days. “Nobut- you were still the one I trusted the most. You were still the one I wascurious about.”

Andrew continues to look up at him, silent and stonyas ever.

“Why do you find it so hard to believe I could fallin love with you?” Neil finally whispers and he watches the way the words makeAndrew come undone. Just a little bit.

Andrew’s throat bobs and his eyes search Neil’sexpression like he’s looking for an escape. “It’s hard enough to believe once. Idon’t expect it to happen twice.”

Neil’s chest aches at that because how can Andrewstill not understand? How can he still not see it? He takes a second to let therevelation wash over him before he meets Andrew’s gaze again. “Yes or no?”

“Yes.”

Neil leans down, connecting their foreheads beforetheir lips but when they do kiss he tries to pour everything into it. All thethings they don’t say out loud. All the things they don’t even say tothemselves.

He pulls back after a minute or so – neither of themare in the right headspace for any more right now – and he settles his headback on Andrew’s chest, seeking out Andrew’s free hand and playing with hisfingers. Andrew’s other hand returns to his hair and Neil feels contentment slowlysurround him once again.

“I promise I’m not leaving,” he says one last time.

Andrew doesn’t reply but he doesn’t pull away either.

The silence between them now is fragile, uncertainafter too many confessions, but Neil lets it be. Instead, he focuses onrefamiliarising himself with his sense memory.

Taking in the smoky scent of Andrew’s clothes,listening to Andrew’s quiet, measured breaths, lips turned in to remind himselfof Andrew’s taste, eyes fixed on the strong line of Andrew’s jaw where his faceis turned towards the ceiling once again and, finally, he feels.

Touching the callouses on Andrew’s hand, feeling thetingle down his own spine as Andrew’s fingers card through his hair, envelopinghimself in the warmth that emanates from Andrew’s body.

His entire world could be erased but this. He doesn’tthink he could ever forget this.

#andreil #andrew minyard #neil josten #the foxhole court #aftg #my fics #meme thing #happyminyards #asks #apparently there's no scientific proof that re-familiarising ppl with stuff from their life can trigger their memories but whatevs

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Staff Favourites

The top five fics/series of the staff. We hope you love them as much as we do!

Scout:

at the edge of what was by BurningFairytales for SHCombatalade (M | 8,973 | 1/1)

He flips Neil’s phone open and scrolls through the call history. It’s not a long list; his own name is at the bottom, then there’s a call from Nicky one from Dan. There’s an outgoing call from Neil’s phone to Andrew’s – that day they went to Atlanta – and one to a number that isn’t saved but that Andrew recognises as Bee’s.

And then there’s a call from an unknown number, no more than an hour ago.

He wants to call it. He wants to call it and demand where Neil is, wants to find out whoever the number belongs to and bash their head into a wall, break every bone in their body until Neil is back with them.

/Graphic Depictions Of Violence

you say i'm a dreamer, but i'm not the only one. by Idnis (M | 58,350 | 29/29)

Neil Josten wouldn’t say his life was very magical. His dreams on the other hand.

They always seem too real.

And then there's the fact that he finds himself returning to one person's dreams.

Part 1 of you say i'm a dreamer, but i'm not the only one

loving you is muscle memory by Talls (T | 1,452 | 1/1)

Neil has temporary amnesia, and Andrew is disconcertingly attractive. This is especially disconcerting because Neil was pretty sure he didn't swing. Nicky is endlessly pleased by the entire situation.

Fast in My Car by exybee (T | 3,897 | 2/2)

It's four in the morning and Andrew just wants to know how the hell he ended up in the middle of a high-speed police chase with a blue-eyed heartthrob in his passenger seat.

AKA: The Car Thief AU where Neil's not very good at stealing cars, but he's doing a bang up job of stealing Andrew's heart.

the harder you fall by petalloso (G | 17,078 | 2/2)

“The chances of dying on a plane are slim to none,” Neil says casually. “But if it were to crash, you’d be unconscious in a second, and probably dead before we hit the ground.”

Andrew stares at him, mildly baffled. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

Ari:

Nine Weddings and No Funerals by gluupor (T | 28,578 | 10/10)

Neil's just been unceremoniously dumped by his longtime boyfriend before a busy wedding season where it seems like everyone he knows is tying the knot. Desperate not to look like a pathetic loser in front of his ex, he goes along with a plan to bring along a fake boyfriend to the weddings. Since neither Neil nor his date Andrew are interested in pursuing a relationship, there's no chance that anyone's feelings will be hurt.

Surely nothing about this plan will backfire.

a few living things by flybbfly (M | 14,066 | 4/4)

what if a mob boss and the assassin sent to kill him fell in love?

Foxglove Fridays by moonix (T | 4,207 | 1/1)

Every Friday, Neil comes into Andrew's shop to buy flowers.

i'm here right now (just be here right now with me) by Talls (M | Incomplete | 4/7)

Neil first meets Andrew with a racquet to the stomach in a locker room when he's eighteen. Andrew first meets Neil with a hushed conversation on a beach in California when he's five. They still manage to meet on rooftops, fall in love, find family, and heal together, just not quite at the same time and definitely not in the same order.

(In other words, Andrew is the Time Traveler's wife.)

The Real Folk Blues by moonix, nefelibata

(E | 42,365 | 4/4)Captain David Wymack and the bounty hunter crew of the Bebop spaceship might be a little out of their depths chasing down the infamous hacker and notorious runaway Neil Wesninski, whose bounty exceeds even Kevin's wildest dreams. Worst of all, Andrew might actually enjoy it.

/Graphic Depictions of Violence

Halley:

Like A River by moonix (T | 65,259 | 8/8)

Andrew was a statistical anomaly. He was both a Seer and a Squib, an unfortunate combination of genetic traits that still somehow got him into Hogwarts. He had both hands full babysitting Kevin Day, resident Quidditch prodigy, after the drama with Riko Moriyama in fifth year, and making sure his brother finished his last year of education after the death of their mother. What he did not need was another stray to take in – Neil Hatford, formerly Nathaniel Wesninski, prominent guest in Andrew's prophetic dreams with his blue, blue eyes and death omens flocking to him wherever he went. What he needed even less was to start pretending they were in a relationship, but then, Andrew never had been very interested in doing what was good for him.

wind me tighter than a wire by ephemeralsky (T | 4,829 | 1/1)

The insufferable man with an incorrigible inclination for drama leans over the bar, his posture relaxed like a cat’s, and asks the woman, “What did you make him?”

“Ginger highball.”

“Hmm.” Turning towards Andrew, he says, “Now you have another ginger to appreciate.”

Andrew keeps his face carefully blank, taking inventory of the man. His eyeliner makes the ridiculous color of his eyes stand out even more, but the auburn hair is just as conspicuous. Andrew isn’t even going to think about his outrageous costume or about his outrageous legs.

“Gingers aren’t my type,” Andrew says, impassive.

(or: Kevin and Andrew are detectives, and Neil is a show boy who knows A Lot of things)

i'm here right now (just be here right now with me) by Talls (M | 12,201 | 1/5)

(In other words, Andrew is the Time Traveler's wife.)

right side of rock bottom by allyasavedtheday (M | 20,019 | 1/1)

Neil thinks it might be the first time he’s taken a breath in days.

He hadn’t realised it because he’d been so caught up in packing and saying goodbye to everyone but now that it’s over he remembers his self-imposed countdown was meant to be up by now. It’s the end of the school year and five months ago, he thought he’d be dead by now.

Instead he has a team and a future and a home and Andrew.

Way Down We Go by nekojita (E | 620,923 | 46/46)

How would things be different if Nathaniel and his mother had been in Seattle early enough to put him in California the same time as Andrew? What if their paths had crossed back then? What if Andrew's first promise wasn't to Aaron but to Nathaniel?

Catherine:

missed call by badacts (T | 5,757 | 6/6)

There was one thing Nathan had always stood by, his personal code – if you were going to go after someone, you went after them. Not their dog, not their parents, and definitely not their partner. He might not have managed to teach that to his henchmen, but he clearly succeeded with his son.

That, and 'a head for an eye'.

Lessons in Cartography by crazy_like_a (E | 121,706 | 37/37)

Nora mentioned in her extra content that Neil slowly maps out Andrew's body and then this fic happened. Starts after The King's Men

The Smallest Exy Player, Now Even Smaller by ionlyloveyouironically (T | 20,654 | 10/10)

Aaron pissed somebody off, which isn't a surprise, but what happens to Andrew in retaliation definitely is.

(Just another beloved-character-gets-magically-turned-into-a-child fic.)

please tell me it's just the fandom freaking out by OneSweetMelody (T | 16,573 | 7/7)

And finally, the Minyard/Josten Rivalry as told through social media.

Neil Josten @neiljos10

Sadly @ajminyard isn’t too excited about that face off

Neil Josten @neiljos10

Maybe @ajminyard will learn how to block an offside bouncer before then. Or any shot.

unsteady by lipsstainedbloodred (T | 808 | 1/1)

Andrew and Neil get into an argument and Neil has a panic attack.

Bea:

Every Choice Leads To You by SpangleBangle for tycutiovevo ( G | 2,809 | 1/1 )

Andrew knew they had to get up at some point, if only for the bathroom, but was loathe to hurry the moment along. He would take every greedy minute of Neil snug in his bed, for as long as he could. It was the choice he’d made years before, and the one he made every day when he saw Neil’s ‘good morning’ smile. He had a feeling it was a choice he’d be making for many years to come. And while that thought should be terrifying, with Neil sweet and content in his arms, fear was far away.

sickeningly sweet (like honey) by broship_addict( M | 30,351 | Incomplete )

Andrew Doe is twelve years old when he walks into Fox's Sweets Shop. Somehow, he leaves with three friends and all of them are Exy-obsessed losers.

Also known as the kid AU in which the Foxes are happy children and Andrew has a crush

The Real Folk Blues by moonix, nefelibata ( E | 42,365 | 4/4 )

Captain David Wymack and the bounty hunter crew of the Bebop spaceship might be a little out of their depths chasing down the infamous hacker and notorious runaway Neil Wesninski, whose bounty exceeds even Kevin's wildest dreams. Worst of all, Andrew might actually enjoy it.

/Graphic Depictions of Violence

in reference to motility, please proceed by Saul ( T | 8,283 | 1/1 )

She could be so small, he marveled. She was a cat, sleek and windy. A mouse, whiskers perfect and round ears quivering. A moth, fragile and dusty. A caterpillar, wriggly and colorful. She almost disappears.

“Alex,” his mother chided, her voice low and hand tight around his upper arm, but if she wasn't looking at him it would've taken him a moment to know who she meant. She was scared, she’s terrified, her pupils are dots, even though they were just in the second last row of a near-empty greyhound bus. “Stop playing. Are you listening to me?”

In his hand, Marie turned into a pill bug and curled up tight. He closed his hand around her, making her disappear.

The Continuing Adventures of the Nine-Nine by gluupor ( G | 43,357 | 9 Works | Complete )

A series of short, ridiculous, mostly plotless stories featuring the Foxes as the cops of the Ninety-Ninth Precinct.

Aaron:

corvus, vulpes, lupus by badacts (T | 31,834 | 6/6)

It’s not until Mary dies that she finally does settle. Neil looks away from the car, dazzled by firelight and the sense memory of her daemon breaking apart, and finds silvery speckled fur with jet-black points and reddish eyes the same colour as Nathaniel Wesninski’s hair. Just like that, he knows she won’t shift again

/Graphic Depictions of Violence, /Rape/Non-Con

they used to shout my name (now they whisper it) by badacts, broship_addict, PuckB (M | 46,940 | 5/5)

Neil is a bound witch on the run, making a choice between fleeing, slavery, and death. To Andrew, he looks like a useful weapon - at first.

It turns out that ‘useful’ isn’t all he is.

Funky Happenings with the Fox Family by dobbypussypopper (Not Rated | Incomplete | 10/?)

naughtygayweedcrime: did I rlly just see neil say woke

naughtygayweedcrime: what a surreal timeline we live in

dumbfool: allison is trying to teach me how to meme so I can get hip

naughtygayweedcrime: bless your poor soul

davidwymack: sometimes I regret living

davidwymack has muted exyllent, damnwilds, + 7 others for 30 minutes

Learning To Feel (When You've Forgotten How) by thegirlwiththeprettybrowneyes (T | Incomplete | 13/15)

On the night before his first day of therapy at Easthaven, Andrew blows out his legs and decides he isn't going to bury his feelings anymore, consequences be damned. In return, he gets a schedule change, and a very strange new therapist. /////// "Doesn't mean I wouldn't blow you," Andrew finished, looking anywhere but at Neil's face. Neil looked like he had just realized the sky was blue. "You like me," Andrew sighed. "Yeah," he said, resigned "Yeah, Neil, I like you," /////// No Proust AU

The Fleet Foxes Detective Agency by transandrewminyard (nocturnalboys) (E | Incomplete | 17/18)

In a catastrophic post-1929 Boston, the stock market crash and violent, unpredictable weather have dissolved the young nation known as America. Replacing it, a new lawless world rises, the nation-state of Independence, run by elite families who have the cash and clout to keep their grip on the survivors of the Crash. Andrew Minyard and Renee Walker, private eyes and owners of the Fleet Foxes Detective Agency, are the law, solving crimes in exchange for making their livelihood. When Andrew meets Neil Josten, jazz singer and objectively handsome man, he feels himself falling- into the realm of a new mystery, one that he isn't entirely sure he's prepared to solve, and a case that could radically change Independence forever.

Maz:

forever, for you. by softlightwood (G | 3,584 | 1/1)

The smile splitting Neil’s face in two is a soft thing, gentle and wonderful and the most genuine the expression has ever felt settled into his mouth. “I think you like putting up with me”

“Shut up”

“Make me,” Neil tells him.

“Marry me,” Andrew replies.

down beside my red firelight. by paleromantic (T | 2,052 | 1/1)

"Hey, Andrew?"

Andrew took a deep breath, and then looked over at him. "What is it?"

Kevin raised an eyebrow and hooked his thumb in the jeans he'd put on. "You look like... well, you look like you've gained weight recently."

of cabbages and kings by intrajanelle (T | 12,106 | 4/4)

Andrew is a bored lighthouse keeper on the Forgotten Coast. He tends to his garden, feeds the gang of stray cats that prowls his lawn, and occasionally parents the scrappy town orphan. He doesn’t need anyone else.

Or: Neil Josten moves to town.

Feels Like Wasted Youth by conniptionns, exybee (M | 10,170 | 5/5)

Neil’s current living situation is … complicated.

Between his roommates’ badass rager parties and his neighbors’ constant barging into his apartment, Neil’s sure he can handle anything junior year throws at him

That is, until someone leaves a passive-aggressive noise complaint on his door. Unfortunately for the second floor, Neil has skipped the passive and gone full aggressive.

Or the Neighbors AU featuring post-finals parties, ill-timed fire alarms, and helpful campus squirrels.

Remy:

Sunshine and Moonlight by SpangleBangle (T | Incomplete | 5/?)

Andrew starts regretting signing with the Palmetto Foxes the minute the other athletes start commenting on the form of his familiar, and definitely the second his new team mates start digging for details. Ugh. He just wants to tend to his plants and get through college in peace, even if it is fairly unusual for a witch his age to have a familiar. Whatever. That story is private, and nobody else's business.

we're just strangers by whenwordsflyoffthepage (T | 83662 | 21/21)

AU where Neil is in witness protection but still ends up an Exy junkie, Andrew doesn’t play Exy and needs a fake date to Allison and Renee’s wedding, the Moriyama’s aren’t criminals but Riko is still a dick, and Kevin has been living with his father since age 17 and just wants his friends to stop being dramatic so he can play Exy in PEACE

Once More by AkemiAsh (E | Incomplete | 30/?)

When Neil wakes up in a very familiar car sitting next to a ghost, a little more than 7 years younger, he was more than a little freaked out. Last thing he remembered was going out for Andrew's 25th birthday. He hadn’t been sure what to expect. He hadn’t even been sure why he’d done it. He was left adrift in too tight skin, sitting for hours next to the ghost of his mother in what was apparently a jaunt into the past, but it was ingrained in him to run back to Andrew. Always he orbited around the man who stood between him and any threat. Always he found his way to the man’s side. Now was no exception. He hadn’t really expected for Andrew to know who he was though. As he heard Andrew’s voice say his name, he realized that he’d been expecting a ‘Who is this?’, not a ‘Neil?’. Somehow, the relief he’d felt at hearing it though, was short lived. He was panicking. “Where the fuck are you. I woke up six hours ago in the house in Colombia with Nicky and Aaron. It’s fucking April 22nd, 2003 Neil.”

/Graphic Depictions Of ViolenceRape/Non-Con

The Road To Nowhere by emmerrr (M | 118526 | 30/30)

The population has been decimated by an epidemic, society has fallen, and no one is safe. But Neil has never been safe to begin with. When the death of his mother finally leaves him with nothing left to lose, Neil inadvertently stumbles across a miss-match group of people living and working together despite the odds. Sometimes it takes the apocalypse to find out where you truly belong; the hard part is holding onto it. And when so much of him is held together by lies, Neil might have to learn that you can never outrun your past indefinitely.

/Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Beth:

All we need is somebody to lean on by AgapantoBlu (T | 33,196 | 14/14)

“Stuff came up,” he said, in a voice that let no doubts about how much goodness could be in such stuff. None. “It involves my parents and a courtroom.”

Nicky didn’t react while saying those words, but Matt flinched enough for both of them. Once more, he didn’t know the details, but he knew, just like all the other Foxes, that Luther and Maria Hemmick figured in the register of campus security as “unwanted: forbidden entry”.

The Kids Are Alright (Now) by Marmeladeskies for BakaDoll (T | 13,098 | 10/10)

When they're two years old, Aaron and Andrew are adopted together- and it changes the course of their fate drastically.

A story about scars, healing, dogs, and the little boy with the auburn curls who just moved in next door.

raze it to the ground by ilgaksu for badacts (T | 4,511 | 1/1)

It stops being about Neil entirely, and it starts being about this: Andrew is really, really fucking tired.

Part 1 of the long way down

I'm Here (Except When You're Not) by LittleWonderly (E | Incomplete | 13/?)

He’s going to leave. The thought raged it way through Kevin’s mind so fiercely it burned. He’d thought it for months, he’d imagined a hundred different ways before falling asleep but he was not prepared for the moment, not even close.

Kevin graduates from the Foxes and has to leave behind everything that he has come to know. His new family, both blood and not. His partners. With the absence of all he has come to rely on, is being alone something Kevin can survive?

Chasing the Night to See the Stars by ChasingSunlight (Not Rated | 62,746 | 34/34)

Jean Moreau comes to the Trojans a broken man. The Trojans, for their part, decide that broken does not mean unlovable.

\ Rape/Non-Con

Félix:

we might be hollow (but we're brave) by stttmsbwa (M | 40,681 | 4/4)

Andrew is looking to live his life in peaceful nothingness, but his new neighbor's cat won't stop sneaking onto his balcony. As much as he tries to not make it into something, Andrew finds himself drawn to the mysterious and tempting man next door. Neil is just trying to find a reason to not leave Palmetto after everyone else has moved on. But he never thought he would want to run toward something in favor of running away. (In a slightly different world, two people find themselves meeting in a softer setting and in just as much need of each other. A story about dealing with pasts, sharing secrets and a cat who is an asshole yet manages to charm everyone around it.)

be neither fish nor fowl by KING (pelted) (T | 26,363 | 1/1)

They found it in the locked room of a Royal Navy's vessel, The Fox waiting to take her crew and their new spoils across the deep blue. It was beautiful. It was rarer than any diamond. “A mermaid,” Dan laughed, taking a step back and sweeping her hat off her head to hold to her chest. “They were transporting a mermaid.”

It was going to make them rich. ( wherein the Foxes are pirates, Neil has gills, and no one quite trusts the magic. )

Part 1 of Fear No Fall

bloom (just for you) by godotco (M | 7,592 | 4/4)

For lack of any better explanation for what was happening, Neil was in uncontrollable full bloom. - A little slice of witch au turned flower shop au

you take the fucking cake. by Idnis (T | 12,284 | 1/1)

In which Kevin takes baking way too seriously, Andrew makes cookies and Neil learns to bake, and to stay

Show Me How You by smokesprite ( Not Rated | 6,825 | 1/1)

"They thought they would stop the show; they thought they could cut the act, but Neil had been sulking around too long now to not know where all the necessary equipment was. He was a ghost, and he would do the ghost dance, goddammit." Neil is a ghost with a house to haunt, but the Moxie Foxy Burlesque Troupe refuses to be chased off. If you can't beat em...join em.

#masterlist #staff faves #andreil #andrewminyard #andreil fanfic #andreil fanfiction #neiljosten #jerejean #jerejean fanfic #jerejean fanfiction #kandreil #aftgflrec

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