#When Andrew notices he locks Neil out of the dorm

[aquared46]

Left Unsaid

Note: AO3 is down, life is pain. My fics are normally locked to registered users, but in these trying times, I wanted to share some here (godspeed to the volunteers from AO3; you are fandom's lifeblood.

TW: blood, needles

Summary: Neil begins to practice with knives again and all does not go as planned.

The pull of thread through his skin was what finally calmed Neil’s racing heart. His hands steadied, the burn of alcohol in his stomach a strange comfort. A bottle of vodka pilfered from Kevin’s stash sat beside Neil on the sink, which was littered with bloody gauze that he used to stanch the bleeding and painkillers that wouldn’t kick in well or fast enough. The alcohol wouldn’t dull the pain – not unless he drank enough – but then he wouldn’t be able to take care of the wound anyway. Still, there was something to be said for the placebo effect, even if he knew that’s all it was.

He tied off another stitch, took another gulp of the alcohol, then continued. Neil and his mother were only able to stop and bandage their wounds like this unless they were safe – safe enough, that is. He could almost feel her beside him again, hands clinical and as she tended to him.

“Stupid,” he whispered to himself – but the inflection, the tone, all belonged to her.

The injury would put him out of practice for at least two weeks. Even he wasn’t foolish enough to think he could hide the gash spanning halfway across his palm. He wouldn’t last half-an-hour on the court without tearing it open in his gloves, and someone was sure to notice the pain while he was playing, even if no one noticed the bandages before that. The last time Neil hid an injury, Wymack threatened to take him off the court for twice as long as it took him to heal, and Neil was sure he’d follow through on the threat if he did it again. Especially so early in the season.

The familiar motions of fixing himself up calmed him better than counting ever could. This was something Neil was good at. Something that he hated, but something that gave him focus. Clean up meant that the worst of it was over – for now. A brief reprieve.

Neil used to wish he could stop time. That he could stay frozen in those brief moments with his mother – in crappy motels or dingy gas station bathrooms – where he could breathe, feel the comfort of her running a hand through his hair and pushing his aching body toward a bed or a car for much needed rest. Because soon enough, they’d be tracked down again.

That was how Neil felt now. Hunted. He knew when he chose to stay at Palmetto he’d deal with more threats to his life. The FBI continued their investigation, hurtling towards trials against his father’s associates in which Neil would testify.

Neil was used to his life being at stake. Except now he couldn’t bear to lose everything for a second time. So, when the FBI called to inform him that they were taking additional security measures due to substantiated threats, Neil decided to take his safety into his own hands as well.

And that’d gone even worse than he thought it could.

Now Neil had to clean the blood off one of Andrew’s knives as well as the carpet, and explain to Wymack that he wasn’t able to play because he’d been practicing with knives for the first time in years.

Neil heard the front door to their dorm close. He finished bandaging the wound, then heaved himself off the toilet. The room spun momentarily. He hadn’t lost nearly enough blood to be so affected, but the earlier panic mixed the alcohol wasn’t doing him any favours. He tossed the bloodied gauze in the trash and wiped down the counter until it was pristine again. Then he cleaned the knife carefully, knowing how much Andrew cared for them.

There was pounding on the door before he finished.

“I need the bathroom,” Kevin demanded.

“And I need another minute,” Neil said. He wrapped the blade in a towel, considering the fact that Kevin wouldn’t like the image of Neil bloody and holding a knife anymore than he did.

There was a grumble and footsteps as Kevin backed off. There was a pause, then he raised his voice from further away. “Why is there blood?”

“I’m fine,” Neil said. Except there was blood staining the front of his orange shirt where he held his hand against it to initially stop the bleeding. It stuck to his skin. Neil wanted to hop in the shower and wash the feeling and the scent away, but he didn’t have the forethought to bring a spare pair of clothes in with him.

Neil checked to make sure the bathroom was tidy one more time. He tucked the remainder of the vodka under his arm, stepped out, and met Kevin’s appraising gaze.

“You’re fine,” Kevin said. He ignored the bundle Neil was carrying in his good hand and instead focused on the bandage wrapped around his injured one. “Can you play?”

“No,” he spat, hating the answer more than Kevin ever could. Neil pushed past him. He placed the bundled knife on his bed.

“How long?” Kevin asked. “How bad?”

Neil shoved the vodka bottle back at Kevin, making him almost drop it. “Not long. Not bad.”

Kevin at least relaxed a little at that. “What’s not bad? What were you doing? You know if this happened when we had any games what this could mean for you? For the team? For –”

“I know,” Neil said. He pushed past Kevin to his dresser, where he pulled out a change of clothes.

Kevin followed after him. “Then why –”

Neil retreated back into the bathroom and slammed the door in his face. It took Kevin a few seconds to knock again, no more politely than the first time.

“I still need the bathroom!”

“Find another one.”

~ ~ ~

Kevin hadn’t returned by the time Neil got out of the shower. But Andrew had. Neil hadn’t heard him come back. But he was sitting on Neil’s bed, examining his knife with a bland expression.

Glancing at the clock, Neil could see they still had a couple hours before they were supposed to be in practice, but that also meant that Andrew was supposed to be in class. Instead, he was here, looking like he couldn’t care less that Neil was standing next to the drying bloodstain he left on the carpet.

Kevin must’ve messaged him.

Neil tossed his dirty clothes into a bag so they wouldn’t bleed on the rest of his laundry and decided to deal with them later. He pulled on a pair of running shoes, feeling Andrew’s eyes on him.

“Staring,” he said.

Andrew stood, stepping into Neil’s space. “Where are you running off to?”

“Store,” Neil said. He nodded towards the stain. “Need supplies.” It’d been so long since he had to clean up his own blood, he wondered if he set a record for himself.

Andrew backed away, put on his shoes, slid the knife into his armband, and grabbed a box of cigarettes.

“You coming?” Neil asked.

Andrew didn’t answer. He headed out, leaving Neil to catch up after locking their door. He lit up just before they left the dorm, exhaling a puff of smoke as the door swung shut behind them. Neil snagged the cigarette and Andrew let it go without comment, simply shaking another one from his pack.

The smell helped chase away the anxiety that was creeping back up on him. Neil and Andrew spent almost every night up on the roof smoking since Neil received the call from the FBI. The circles under Andrew’s eyes were almost as bad a Neil’s, but he had yet to complain. He’d watched Neil closely this past week, like he was waiting for him to finally give into his urge to run.

Neil chose to stay months ago, and he wasn’t going back on that decision now.

The on-campus store didn’t have everything Neil wanted, but he would make do. He doubted he’d be the first or the last fox to leave a bloodstained floor behind. If it didn’t come out, they could throw a rug over it.

Andrew grabbed himself a couple pints of ice cream, as well as some candy bars to add to his stash. They left with their respective bags, Neil’s filled with cleaning supplies and a bag of mixed nuts Andrew dropped into his basket without comment. He ate them on the way back to the dorm, feeling significantly better once he had something in his stomach.

Back at the dorm, Andrew settled on Neil’s bottom bunk with crossed legs, spoon already digging into the first pint of ice cream – double chocolate fudge. He watched Neil as he pulled out the cleaning supplies and set to work.

After a few minutes, the stain looked significantly better, but Neil would be lucky if he managed to get it out of the carpet. It was fine. When Neil was on the run, they just had to clean up enough that questions wouldn’t be asked until they were long-gone. Not that anyone in those cheap hotels would stick their nose into anything they didn’t have to. It wasn’t like they had a professional-grade carpet cleaner, not like when they lived with Neil’s father – where everything would be wiped away and made pristine in case of unwanted guests.

Neil jolted as something ice-cold pressed against the back of his neck. He spun to see Andrew, spoon stuck in his mouth as he held his pint out. Now that he had Neil’s attention, he settled back on the bed and dug in for another bite.

Neil finished the job and gathered all the trash, including his bloodied gauze from earlier. After some deliberation, he added his ruined shirt. The pants were dark-coloured and salvageable, but the same couldn’t be said for the vibrant orange Palmetto shirt, as much as Neil liked it. Andrew passed him the empty pint of ice cream to add to the bag, then grabbed the next one.

“Try not to get lost on your way back,” Andrew said. In other words, he’d be waiting for Neil.

He made the trip quickly, not even pausing when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Andrew wouldn’t be the one messaging him, and he didn’t feel like talking to anyone else, especially if it was Kevin ordering him to do things he already knew he had to do. Like see Abby.

He managed not to get lost in his own head and made the short trip to the dumpster and back without being assassinated, otherwise harmed, or running into another one of the Foxes. Small victories. By the time he collapsed onto his bed beside Andrew, he felt wrung out.

He pillowed his head with his good hand and watched Andrew methodically pick his way through his second pint of ice cream. Once finished, Andrew set it down where it’d be in Kevin’s line of sight, which would no doubt spark another rant about healthy sugar intake and professional athlete’s diets.

Andrew reached for Neil’s hand, fingers chilled from holding the pints. Neil didn’t resist as Andrew unwrapped his bandage, viewing the damage Neil did to himself.

“I’d have thought you’d know better than to play with knives,” he said.

“I know what I’m doing,” Neil said.

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“It’s been years since I’ve handled them.” He hated practicing when he was a child, always knowing he wouldn’t perform well enough and be punished for it. When he and his mother ran, he stopped training. As she said, the only thing he needed to know about knives was where to stick one to do the most damage. Other than that, the most important weapon in their arsenal was the single gun they had between the two of them. His mother usually carried it, but she still taught Neil how to aim and shoot in case he ever needed to.

Andrew wrapped Neil’s hand back up, returning it to him. “More fox than rabbit now? Finally showing your teeth?”

“Something like that.” Neil cradled his hand to his chest. “I’d rather not.”

“Then why?”

Neil shrugged. “I don’t have much of a choice.”

That finally got a frown. “Explain.”

When Neil didn’t respond, Andrew huffed and laid down next to him, scant inches between the two of them. Andrew kept his gaze on Neil, letting him look his fill without complaint. Andrew wouldn’t repeat himself, instead waiting for Neil to either answer or deflect.

“I want to be ready if they come for me again,” Neil said. “I refuse to run. But I can’t do nothing either.”

“You chose to fight.”

Neil nodded.

“Idiot. You do realize you don’t have to fight alone?” Andrew reached out slow enough that Neil could pull away if he wanted to. Andrew cool fingers brushed a line against Neil’s throat. “Have someone with you.”

They both knew Andrew was the only one Neil would trust to see him like that.

Neil couldn’t help but smile. “You just want to steal my knife skills.”

“What knife skills? I see no skill here.”

Neil sat up and held out his hand. After a moment, Andrew withdrew a knife and passed it to him. Neil let himself focus on how the knife felt in his hand, warmed from being close to Andrew’s skin. It belonged to Andrew, not Neil’s father. He refused to continue allowing his dead father to hold this over his head – especially when this was something that could save the life Neil put so much blood and sweat into creating.

His movements were still awkward, but the remembrance of the skill he used to carry was still there. After a few moments, Neil found the balance of the blade and threw it at dartboard he was practicing on earlier. It sunk far enough off-centre that some old part of Neil curled up, awaiting pain.

He shoved that down and turned to face Andrew. “Work in progress,” Neil said.

Andrew hummed without inflection. He eyed the knife in the dartboard for a moment more, then closed a hand around Neil’s wrist and pulled him back down onto the bed. “Yes or no?”

“Yes.” Neil pressed his hands into the bed as Andrew leaned over him. He arched into the kiss – all-devouring, a mixture of tongue and teeth that left Neil’s legs feeling weak.

Andrew steadied himself with an elbow beside Neil’s head, their chests almost touching. Andrew’s other hand cupped Neil’s cheek, thumb swiping over the burns on Neil’s face gently. Then he pushed Neil’s face to the side for access to his neck.

“Oh,” Neil breathed as Andrew’s lips pressed against his throat. “You liked that.”

“Shut up,” Andrew said, nipping hard enough to leave a mark.

Neil wouldn’t have listened, but Andrew’s mouth met his again, and then he couldn’t think of anything instead of returning the kiss. His palm ached from when he was gripping the sheets, but he couldn’t bring himself to care when he could feel the warmth of Andrew’s body all around him.

“Shoulders and up,” Andrew said against Neil’s lips. He relaxed down far enough that their chests were moving together as they breathed in tandem, but not enough to truly put his weight on Neil.

Neil threaded his fingers through Andrew’s hair, then dropped one hand to brace against his shoulder. Neil lost himself in the kiss, his world narrowing down to the way Andrew felt against him, the faint taste of chocolate on his tongue, the spicy scent of Andrew’s deodorant, the sound of their combined breathing and Neil’s cut-off moans, and the starbursts behind his closed eyelids as Andrew took him apart.

Once Andrew pulled away, Neil cracked his eyes open and stared at the bars of the top bunk. He licked his kiss-swollen lips, feeling loose-limbed and floaty. He turned back towards Andrew, noting the flush on his cheeks and the mess Neil made of his hair. He grinned.

Andrew didn’t even open his eyes. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“I’m not,” Neil lied.

Neil wouldn’t let what they had slip through his fingers. He said he would stay, and he’d do everything he could to do to keep that promise. He’d fight in every way he was capable of.

A word sat heavy on his tongue – on his mind – coaxing and deceptively alluring despite the weight it would carry for both of them. Neil didn’t utter the words. He cut them off before they could fully articulate into thoughts. There were certain things he wasn’t ready for – didn’t know he’d ever be ready for.

To feel was one thing. To put into words was another.

But maybe that word was just another thing he was running from. He’d fought the memory of his father to reclaim the knives he wielded, and maybe that word was something he’d need to fight to reclaim from his mother.

#andreil #all for the game #aftg #aftg fic

[foxo-lotl]

another from twitter, one of my favourites. angst

andreil having a fight on a really bad day for Neil. Andrew telling Neil what the have really is nothing and he doesn't lie.

Neil just saying 'okay' and walking away.

After that, they're both distant, Andrew tries to talk to Neil the next day, but Neil's responses are quiet, almost dead.

It hurts. a lot. going from Neil listening to his every word and throwing himself into conversationa with Andrew with full interest, to him being completely withdrawn and empty, it's almost worse than when Neil arrived at Palmetto. He throws all his energy into practices, and doesn't come back to the monster's dorm. his dorm. his bed. with Andrew. Andrew's grown so used to sleeping beside another body that the heat and weight of it is something he almost thinks he misses. When he gets in the car to drive back from practice, he instinctively waits several seconds to hear the click of the seatbelt beside him, before realising he won't hear it. When they get back to the dorm, he starts on coffee, pulls out both his and Neil's cups, and makes his hot chocolate, he finishes making the drinks, picking them up and walking to the couch, he is just about to mutter a 'junkie' before he realises Neil just isn't there and pours both drinks down the sink. He can't even smoke without it hurting, the smell and taste tainted by Neil the same way it is by Andrew and his mother for Neil. When he goes to sleep at night, he occasionally tries to snuggle into Neil's arms before realising they're not there. in the mornings, he groans, expecting Neil to get up for his run, and prepares himself to grip Neil so he will decide to postpone his run, only to realise there is nobody for him to pull back to bed.

Andrew thought he'd lived through hell, and he had, but this is almost more painful, he'd desensitised himself to physical pain, but this type of pain is something that takes careful management, and he let himself fall too far that he doesn't think he can ever recover from it. It ends when Renee, Aaron, and Matt notice the way the both of them look deader and yet more miserable than they've ever seen before, when they notice the space they leave beside them when they sleep, when Aaron watches Andrew pours a drink from a cup he knows was Neil's down the sink, with an expression he can only describe as hurt on his face, clearly not thinking anyone was nearby.

They lock them both in Matt's dorm (painstakingly, because they're both observant and stubborn) And tell them they'll be back later.

They make it two hours of silence and rare eye contact before Andrew hears tears quietly hit the desk Neil is sitting at. The sound surprises him, he's never heard or seen Neil cry, and knowing he's the one who caused it hurts so so so much worse than he could ever expect.

Neil doesn't sob, doesn't wail, barely sniffles, he's just silent. And it hurts Andrew to remember the things that must've happened for Neil to be able to do that, to feel like he must.

Andrew hasn't cried since he was 10, but he does when Neil finally looks up at Andrew's face. It shocks him, because he'd nearly forgotten the sound of his own cries. Andrew isn't quiet, he focused on not doing it at all, rather than being quiet, they wanted him to cry, he wasn't going to give it to them.

When Neil hears Andrew's sobs, he can't hold himself back. Sliwly, carefully, he moves towards Andrew and holds out his hand.

Andrew latches on like it's the only thing keeping him alive. it is.

Andrew almost begs through his sobs, instead, he apologizes, he was angry and scared, and he was lying, and he needs to hold onto Neil or he might float away.

Neil tells him about that day, how it was already a bad day, how he needed to know Andrew wasn't going to let him go, to make him leave. And what Andrew said had tore him open from the inside out, it felt like he was being killed, left on the side of the road like roadkill. Nothing. Andrew cries more at that. At what he'd done. At how he made Neil hurt so badly, but Neil forgives him, and Andrew promises to never say that again. They end the night cuddled up, clinging to eachother, silent tears making their way out occasionally, vowing to never let the other go again.

#all for the game #aftg #aftg andreil #aftg textpost #andreil #andrew minyard #neil josten #palmetto state foxes #the foxhole court #aftg series #aftg neil #aftg andrew

[jingerhead]

Hi,.....if you don't mind me asking, can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from AFTG? And why do you love them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks....

Hey lovely! I think I did answer this a long time ago but I don't mind answering again. So here are my favorite foxes in no particular order! I feel like I rambled a bit when talking about them so apologies for that.

Neil -

I really love Neil's character for many reasons, but I think the reason I love his character the most is because of the unconscious character development he goes through. To be honest, I feel like during the events of the series he didn't really notice it as it gradually occurred, but instead all at once. His goal going from survival despite his tiredness of it that leads him to accepting the offer to play exy to wanting to stay Neil Josten, the person who somehow got friends and a found family and people who notice and care about him is so good to me.

I also really love the complexities of his character for that reason as well, especially when we get to the Baltimore scene. Him deciding to let go of Neil Josten so that 'Neil' wouldn't have to experience the horrors but instead for 'Nathaniel' to face the fate he always knew was coming is bittersweet and hurts my heart. Everything about his personality is so interesting to me and honestly I feel like I could write an essay on it alone. I have many more reasons why I love Neil but this post would be way too long if I did PF so I'll leave it at this for now.

Andrew -

Andrew's entire character is just fascinating to me. There's bits and pieces of him I can pull out and relate to but there's others that are so far from myself I'm intrigued by it. Every bit of his backstory and the reasons why he does the things he does are so interesting. He's just such an interesting character to me that I still find new things about that make me freak out over.

To be honest, I think the reason why I love his character so much is because there's just so much in it. I feel like that red string conspiracy board meme when I dive into his character. From a writing perspective it's just incredible to me, because you can tell so clearly that Nora poured so much into him it's insane. I could write an essay about his character as well like I'm not sure what else to say other than I just love every aspect of his character.

Aaron -

Both the Minyard twins are just so interesting to me and honestly I think that Aaron has just as many complexities as his brother does character-wise. There are specific reasons why he makes the decisions he makes, behind his emotions and feelings, and the relationships he makes. I think that one of the biggest reasons why I like Aaron's character so much is because, as much as he can't see it, both him and his brother are completely ruled by their emotions. They feel SO MUCH. Aaron's anger and persistence can blind him, he's spiteful, he's hurt and healing but he's also happy and loving. There's just so much to him and his backstory and yeah I get emotional over Aaron Minyard.

Favorite moments from the series -

This is a way harder question to ask pf. In no particular order, here are my favorite moments from the series:

The 'thank you, you were amazing' scene and moments after, right when Neil got kidnapped

The scene when Neil picked the lock to the monsters' dorm, yelled at Kevin in French, ran for his life and then Kevin choked him in the middle of the hallway

The scene where Andrew gets a call from Higgins, hangs up, then answers the return call and says he didn't hang up

"Another bit of unexpected honesty"

The Riko Roast™

#jinger answers #aftg #tfc #all for the game #the foxhole court

[karmiky]

Convinced that at some point Neil makes it his life’s goal to give Andrew a fox paw shaped hickey.

#he finally succeeds #When Andrew notices he locks Neil out of the dorm #And refuses to even acknowledge Neil’s existence until it fades away #worst week of Neil’s life #because they’re both dramatic little shits #and Andrew gets his revenge on Neil’s neck #no turtle neck or any amount of scarves will hide those honey #a lot of money changes hands between the foxes #Wymack just stares off to the distance like he’s contemplating every one of his life choices and how they brought him here #he also puts in a request for a raise #i will fight anyone who disagrees #aftg #all for the game #tfc #the foxhole court #neil josten #andrew minyard #andreil

[crazy-fangirl2524]

January 19

“I wish you could come,” Neil said wistfully, staring at Andrew who he was FaceTiming. Andrew hummed in agreement. He had extra practices because his pro team is having a match on the coming Tuesday, so he couldn’t free his weekend. Neil hadn’t see Andrew for almost three weeks and he was missing him terribly. It didn’t helped that tomorrow would be January 19, a day he couldn’t help but be conscious of.

“Well goodnight,” Neil said, after a while of comforting silence. At least Matt and Dan would be coming over tomorrow, Neil thought to himself as he turned off the lights and charged his phone.

The next day, he woke up to Robin knocking on the door, asking if he wants to have breakfast with her. With a sigh, he thought that it was better to go out and eat than wallow in his room.

Just as he was getting out of his dorm, someone tackled him and he almost punched them, but then he heard familiar laughter and he hugged Matt back.

“I missed you so much,” Matt cried.

“I missed you too,” Neil said, muffled by Matt’s thick coat.

“Hey Dan,” Neil flashed a genuine smile at her. Dan grinned and joined in on the hug. Matt chatted on and on, gushing and talking animatedly. They were going into Neil’s car when Neil realised that Robin didn’t follow them.

“Oh it’s fine, she told us to get some alone time,” Matt winked at Neil. Dan shook her head in exasperation. She got into the backseat while Matt got into the front, pushing the seat way back. Andrew would be so annoyed the next time he sit there, Neil thought.

Neil drove them to the waffle house and it was really nice to see them in person. Matt talked about his pro team and complained while Dan talked of her pro team and how being an assistant coach actually weren’t that different from being captain because it’s still “ordering around lazy assholes though they are more professional and less complaining”. Neil then complained about the freshman foxes and he and Dan exchanged pointers. Sitting there with them late in the morning in a busy restaurant, Neil felt this quiet buzz of happiness and content. Nothing could ever beat the original foxes that had been there for him through thick and thin. They were his family always, he would burn the world and not let a single flame touch them.

As they were finishing breakfast, Neil went to the bathroom, and when he came out, Matt and Dan were gone. Instead a blond man was at their table and for a split second, Neil’s heart almost beat out of his chest and he remembered all the exits and thought of the fastest way to his car and how he has to find Dan and Matt and he knew what person to ask to find someone and-

The man turned and how could Neil not recognised him sooner? That tussled blond hair styled with care, the brown coat that Neil bought with him last year, and no man would ever be that height.

“Andrew” and Neil felt his chest contracted and everything spilled out of him. All the pent up tension and worry seeped out like someone opened up a locked gate.

Andrew’s piecing gaze never left his face and hungrily drank Neil in. He didn’t move as Neil walked towards him until they were just inches apart and Andrew had to tilt his head up slightly to look into his eyes.

It could have been just a few seconds, or maybe minutes, it wasn’t until a waiter cleared his throat then Neil broke away his stare. “What,” Neil said flatly.

The waiter shrank back, “uh- I- uh the bill, you guys asked for the um bill.” Neil dumped some twenties and the waiter scrambled away, stuttering something about change but Neil waved him off.

Andrew began to walk away and Neil could only follow him, like the sea following the calling of the moon. Neil noticed that his car was gone and he guessed that Matt and Dan drove it away. They walked a bit further and stopped in front of Andrew’s Maserati, a sight so comforting and real that Neil was just getting hit with the fact that Andrew was actually here. He was with him right now, next to him. And Neil suddenly wished to prove it to himself that this was all real and it wasn’t something he dreamed up himself and that Andrew was actually here.

Andrew got into his car without looking back and Neil got into his seat, the cold metal beneath his hand warmed him up more than any fire ever could. Andrew was already blasting warm air out of his car and was taking off his thick coat, leaving a big sweater, Neil’s sweater.

“Yes or no?” Neil asked, facing Andrew, his hand hovering over Andrew’s face, eyes glancing down to Andrew’s lips.

“Yes,” and Andrew closed the distance. Neil couldn’t help but sigh at the first contact of lips. He never thought he would miss kisses this much. But Andrew was everything surreal and impossible that’s right in his life and if he would burn the world for the foxes then he would upheave the whole world and fight the entire universe just to keep Andrew happy and safe.

“I thought you had extra practices.” Neil said pulling away reluctantly as humans unfortunately had to breath.

“I do,” Andrew answered.

“Thank you,” Andrew shut him up by pulling him in again. Maybe January 19 really wasn’t all that bad if he could spend it with his real family.

#then later surprise surprise Kevin also came over and Neil had never been this happy since they won the championship #literally his best Jan 19 so far #the previous days he would be too conscious that they don’t do much and this year they don’t do much either but #Andrew and Kevin dropping everything to see him is everything to him and fhe best thing he could ever asked for so #sorry for this incoherent hc that’s slightly all over the place because I literally just wrote it like so yup #anyways I fucking love Neil josten hope you have the greatest day with ur soulmate and family ily #aftg #all for the game #the foxhole court #andrew minyard #tfc #andrew joseph minyard #neil josten #andreil #neil abram josten #aftg hc #aftg headcanon #tfc hc #tfc headcanon #aftg neil #aftg fandom #aftg fanfiction #aftg fanfic #aftg series #tfc fanfic #tfc fanfiction #andrew x neil #neil x andrew #aftg andrew #aftg trilogy

[thehalcyonharbinger]

Cute andreil facts from Nora’s posts that everybody forgets about

They actually do hold hands

When Robin moves to their dorm (during Neil’s fourth, Andrew’s fifth year) Andrew relinquishes his loft and shares with Neil the entire year

Renee was the first one to catch on Andrew’s attraction to Neil, but Kevin was the first one to catch on Neil’s attraction to Andrew

After Aaron outs Andrew and Neil’s relationship to Betsy (during The King’s Men), Betsy sends Andrew a message that says ‘’I’m happy for you’’

Andrew punches their pro team coach when he makes Neil play despite his injury 

They sit on each other’s laps 

Andrew is usually the big spoon

Andrew isn’t actually the top, they switch (by the time Neil becomes the Foxes’ captain, they are comfortable either way)

They go on dates, mostly long drives to nowhere, but also long walks on the beach or even a table for two

They stock coffee in their house in case one of them wakes up in the middle of the night because of nightmares

They don’t say ‘I love you’ because neither of them have ever heard anyone say these words directly to them, but there are times when Neil could’ve said them: during Aaron’s trial, when Betsy had a heart attack, during Nathan Wesninski’s trial, when they finally got their own apartment, when their team beats Kevin’s, when the US Court wins the gold medal

Their ‘I love you’ is in ‘Stay’, ‘Don’t go’, ‘Welcome home’

Neil likes forehead kisses, and Andrew is definitely tall enough to give them

Their first time was stressful for both of them, not only for Neil (we like to paint Andrew as this very experienced dude, and forget that Neil is actually his first too, which is sad)

Andrew discusses his and Neil’s relationship with Renee

Andrew buys Neil a camera when he noticed how much Neil loved the photos in the lounge

Andrew destroys the hems of every single pair of pants he owns because they are too long

One day they both stop asking

One day Andrew will learn to trust Neil with all of himself

Andrew is better with kids than Neil

When it’s nearly time for Aaron’s trial, Neil asks Betsy to be there for Andrew and says that he needs a mother right now

Neil practises picking locks, so he handcuffs himself to a bed

when Andrew finds him, he makes fun of his miserable attempts and leaves him handcuffed to the bed, stating that he did it to himself and now has to deal with the consequences 

The next day Neil handcuffs himself to Andrew, so he won’t leave him again

*So obvioulsy the statement ‘’everybody forgets about’’ is false, but I wanted to write down all of my favourites (even though I’ve probably forgotten about at least half of them)

This post also exists for writers who need some fanfic ideas, etc.

If you feel like adding anything I didn’t include, please go ahead, let this post be even longer it already is

#the foxhole court #headcanon #or just canon #andreil #aftg #all for the game #tfc #neil josten #andrew minyard #fanfiction #I know this fandom isn't a big fan of THE POSTS trademark but I love them #let me live #the raven king #the king's men

[twirlingflurry]

love your hcs!!!! do you think you write one about the legacy neil left at palmetto and with the foxes. like he goes back when wymack retires. and next to where he carved his and andrews initials into the bed post just before andrew left, there’s other foxes initials and he sort of unknowingly created a tradition. or like eventually he gets his old exy racquet back from the cops and it sits at the court and before a game he slapped it so so did the rest of the team and has become a team ritual

hi anon - thank you so much! sorry for the delay, this week has really been something skhdskgjhd but i hope you enjoy <3 i had lots of fun with this :) 

years down the line, wymack is retiring (dan will be taking over for him)

neil and andrew are still playing pro together, but there’s a lull in their training and it’s nearing the end of the collegiate exy season, so they drive to palmetto together

andrew says he’s only going because he doesn’t want to have to deal with the cats alone

“you were alone with them for two weeks last year”

andrew pretends he doesn’t hear him

and then neil and andrew are standing outside wymack’s apartment, unannounced, and he grumbles that “at least you didn’t break in this time” but there’s fondness in his tone and he ushers them in

they have a night of comfortable chatter and silences, and andrew grabs the alcohol from the same cabinet it’s always been in. it’s familiar, and neil falls asleep on wymack’s couch with a smile on his face and andrew curled up on top of next to him 

and the next day, neil and andrew go to fox tower, and they walk the stairs that they know as well as they know each other

they get to the third floor, and a small group of foxes is leaving their dorm room, the one that used to belong to neil and andrew, when they see the two and just. freeze. 

it’s nothing new to be recognized by fans, but it’s weird for it to happen somewhere that feels like home. they tolerate it and ask if they could go into their old dorm room

the young foxes scramble to let them in and frantically pick up clothes and throw away trash to give the room some semblance of tidiness. neil and andrew don’t care

the bean bag chairs are gone, but there are still faint ash stains on the windowsill, and the crystal-clear memories of long since faded moments wash over neil

they drift over to the bedroom, and the young foxes leave them be as they silently make their way to the bunk. neil gingerly sits down onto his old mattress, andrew right beside him

andrew catches neil’s attention by tracing the carvings of their initials on the bed post, then trailing his finger down an array of other scrawled letters below. other initials, carved by foxes who came after them, and a smile ghosts over neil’s face because,,, he stopped running and he left solid evidence behind and people actually continued it after he was gone ?? and it’s such a weird thought but he loves it 

he asks the young foxes if there’s anything else that continued after he left

they show him the roof, fitted with new locks that have also since been sabotaged. it looks like their secret spot was less secret than they thought, but at least someone’s still enjoying it

they proudly demonstrate how they’ve all memorized neil’s riko roast which baffles him because that was never even televised ?? where did they hear it ????

andrew ofc will never tell him that he transcribed it when nicky asked him to. he doesn’t even really know why he listened, so there’s no way he’s ever going to try to explain it to neil

all of them have orange bandanas, which is a tradition that started neil’s second year and has apparently continued ever since

they don’t know that that’s where it started so they don’t mention it, but neil noticed from games 

they take neil and andrew to the court and show them the two lucky racquets (the drake one they got back from evidence when the case was closed and the one andrew used to shatter riko’s arm) and they all absent-mindedly tap them on their way in

it used to be a thing the foxes would only do before games, but slowly spread to. every single time they go to the court

apparently it’s also become custom for them to link arms on to way back to the bus after games, after neil’s kidnapping from binghampton

it took a while for them to get the order of the line right bc if they’re not careful, their attempt at keeping each other safe becomes a fist fight

bonus (not one of neil’s legacies): dan’s photo wall continues! they don’t ever take down pictures of the older foxes, just keep squeezing more pictures in. it expands beyond only one wall to every wall of the foyer, and they’re still having trouble finding room. sometimes they have to pile photos on top of each other

they also mention that movie nights are still a thing! they’re bi-weekly, and they always try to find a classic movie that at least one of the foxes has never seen bc of a shitty childhood

night practices are also still happening. not everyone goes every night, but a couple of the keeners do

“junkies”

neil is,,, stunned, honestly. he didn’t ever imagine he could have this concrete of an impact, didn’t think he could keep existing in a place even after he left it

before, he’d never wanted to be remembered. the idea slowly became more bearable over the years, but this is,,, he never expected anything like this

it’s overwhelming and it’s wonderful and he loves it

and later that night, neil and andrew go up to their rooftop (there are two young foxes up there that scurry away as soon as they realize who stepped onto the roof) 

and as they look out over the city, hands linked, neil’s heart feels so light and he can’t get rid of - doesn’t want to get rid of - the smile that seems to be glued to his face, even through the pang of nostalgia - another new feeling

and neil and andrew sit under the comforting blanket of the night and talk into the darkness

just like old times

and it’s comfortable and familiar and once upon a time, neil wished that it would never end

but now? now, neil knows that while he may leave,,, this will never end. not really

as he sits under the stars next to the man with whom he will spend the rest of his life, neil knows the memories and whispers of the past live on through love and legacies

#i loved writing this #sometimes i think my answers to asks are too long but like #do you guys mind? bc i have so much fun w the long posts #also sorry for the mini hiatus #life kicked me in the shin LMAO #anyway i fricken love the foxes #and ily anon #whoever you are #thanks again for the ask! #aftg #all for the game #tfc #the foxhole court #andreil #andrew minyard #neil josten #david wymack #coach wymack #dan wilds #drake spear #riko moriyama #palmetto state foxes #all for the gay

[winterxjxsmine]

This is my birthday present for @allforthestickball. I wish I was a writer so I could write you something better or I wish I could give you something you wanted but this is the only thing I can offer right now so I hope you like it, I love you, happy birthday!

Before you read this keep in mind that English isn't my native language so there are definitely mistakes in this. This is the first time I'm attempting to write Andreil and it was scary af I don't know how you all are doing it,, I really tried,,

Trigger warnings: panic attacks, mention of Nathan torturing Neil in the past

Neil always knew how to read behind Andrew's words but sometimes even he was getting a little confused. Or that one time Neil couldn't see behind Andrew’s words and let his insecurities torture him.

Today was a good day. Neil woke up beside his partner a couple of minutes before his alarm like every day. Dorm beds were very small and definitely not made for two people, but Andrew and Neil soon found out that sleep comes easier when they’re sleeping together, so it didn’t matter.

Today was a good day. “starring” Andrew had said with a hoarse voice from sleep when he woke up and saw Neil looking at him like he was the most interesting thing in the world like every day. It was a part of their routine by now. 

Today was a good day. Andrew and Neil after a small make-out session when Kevin finally left them alone got up, made and ate breakfast together, and like every other day, they got ready and left for early practice with the rest of the monsters. They held hands on the way to the court ignoring Nicky's exciting glaring from the back seat, they shared more private kisses in the locker room when everyone was already in the court who made Wymack later threaten them with marathons because they were late.

Today was a good day until it wasn't. Everything in practice ran smoothly. Kevin complained the whole time about the team’s performance, Nicky about how sleepy he is and why practice is so early, Matt made jokes to make Neil laugh, everything was good. When practice was over everyone went back to the locker rooms to get changed, Neil with Kevin stayed behind to talk about game strategies as always. When Kevin headed to the locker rooms too Neil saw Andrew and Renee not far away from him so he started heading towards them.

Neil didn’t mean to eardrop at Andrew’s and Renee’s conversation but what he heard made every word die in his mouth. “if you feel this way about him maybe you should tell him, he’s your boyfriend after all.” Renee spoke carefully as always. Both friends were oblivious to Neil’s presence. Andrew gave her one of his famous death glares. What Andrew wasn’t telling him? Neil frowned but tried not to jump to conclusions. “He’s not my boyfriend,” Andrew growled almost offended at the accusation. Renee sent him a knowing look and Andrew huffed. “I’ll get bored of him eventually.” they were his next words before he threw his unfinished cigarette in the concrete.

Neil's mouth suddenly went very dry and his stomach was knotted. Andrew's last two phrases echoed in his mind again and again. "Neil hi" Renee's voice brought him back to reality. He just looked at her for a few seconds not trusting his mouth to speak right now."Is everything okay?" He thought he heard her ask when she saw his pale face and his tense figure. That seemed to catch Andrew's attention who almost immediately turned around to look at him as well. "Uh yes yes, I just- I'm just gonna take a shower." He tried to keep his face blank and without waiting any longer he awkwardly turned and disappeared from their view.

"He's not my boyfriend, he's not my boyfriend, he's not my boyfriend." Neil couldn't stop thinking of Andrew's words. They started their 'this' two years ago. They never talked about what exactly they were but Neil was certain that after all of this Andrew had stopped denying that they had something. In his conversation with Renee, he didn't say that they weren't something, he just said that..they weren't boyfriends but if they're not boyfriends then what are they? It's something that they both have to spend their time on? No, for Neil Andrew was so much more than that. He was feeling emotions he never felt before and he was pretty sure he would never feel again for anyone else. For Neil, Andrew was his whole world. He believed from Andrew's actions that he felt the same for him but Andrew denying that there isn't something between them after all this time is ridiculous.

"I'll get bored of him eventually." He hadn't listened to Andrew saying this for so long and he's not even sure why it bothered him so much. The truth is that Neil sometimes feared that he wasn't enough for Andrew. Even though the other boy had his full attention to him that didn't mean that someday Andrew wouldn't get tired and bored of Neil. Who he was anyway? A broken soul beyond fixing with scars all over his body and face. The butcher's son doppelganger. Sometimes he couldn't even look at himself in the mirror, maybe Andrew would feel the same someday.

And what was that Andrew was hiding from him? What if he wanted to tell Neil he doesn't feel the same? What if he wanted to remind him that he's just spending his time with him and nothing more? A wave of fear almost paralyzes Neil. What..what if Andrew is already bored of Neil? What if he wants to break up with him already? But no, this doesn't make sense. Andrew wouldn't act this way if he wanted to leave him. His behavior simply didn't match this theory. Neil sighs forcing himself to relax. He's just being paranoid.

Neil let his insecurities drown him a little more and if he stayed in the shower longer than he used to well nobody had to know. With automatic movements, he started dressing without even noticing Andrew's presence in the room until he spoke. "Everything okay?" He asked looking straight to Neil's blue eyes trying to find in them the right answer. Neil tried to hide a flinch and put his shirt on faster. "Yeah, everything okay." He said pressing a small smile on his lips. He wasn't exactly lying after all. Everything was fine, nothing happened he just had to forget what he heard, this conversation wasn't for his ears anyway. Andrew always had a problem with words. His words never matched his actions so this was another reason to not take it seriously. He just had to puss every feeling in the back of his mind.

"Where are the others?" Neil asked while they were walking to the car and he couldn't see the rest of Andrew's lot. "They got bored waiting for you," Andrew answered with a bored tone and disappeared inside his car. Neil took a deep breath forcing himself to relax before he followed him. They were quiet on the way back as most of the times because they were always communicating better without words so Neil found the fact that he was so bothered by words ironic when Andrew showed him every day with actions. Andrew glanced at Neil curiously many times and at some point, he let his hand hover over Neil's thigh, a silent question. Neil nodded and put his hand over Andrew's offering a small smile at him.

When they arrived at the foxhole tower Neil almost opened the door to get out but Andrew's 'yes or no' stopped him. Neil looked at him and heard himself answer yes and without even realizing it he was already leaning closer until his lips met Andrew's. Without his permission, he felt his body tense and it seemed that Andrew felt it too because he got away from Neil immediately. "Talk," Andrew growled looking at Neil with his usual blank stare. "I don't know what you mean I have nothing to say," Neil answered, crossing his arms over his chest trying to avoid eye contact. Andrew huffed before he got out of the car and slammed the door behind him. Neil sighed, again. Andrew was his usual self, everything was perfectly fine so why couldn't he just forget about it? He was getting mad at himself. "Andrew I'm just tired." Neil started following him but Andrew didn't stop until he was in the building waiting for the elevator. Neil always preferred the stairs but he didn't trust his trembling legs right now and he didn't want to leave Andrew.

The two boys entered the elevator standing as far away as they could from each other. Neil couldn't stop glaring at Andrew while they were waiting in tense silence. Suddenly the lights started to tremble, the elevator stopped and the lights went completely off. "What..what happened?" Neil murmured frozen in his place. A sudden light flooded the room and Neil soon found out that it was Andrew's phone. He watched him approach the entrance with a carefully placed blank face that betrays nothing about his feelings. "We're stuck, probably power outage," Andrew answered eventually pushing repeatedly the 'emergency’ button without success. Neil's heart began to rise in his chest but he tried to ignore it. Being trapped here makes him immediately think about some of the old darkest moments of his life. His mind traveled to times when his father locked him in his wardrobe or any other small space in the dark to punish him. This was so familiar it made his skin crawl. 

Soon enough the only thing he could see and hear was his younger self crying and begging for his father to show him mercy. At some point he realized he couldn't breathe, his hands felt numb and his legs were trembling even more than before. "Andrew." He almost choked, panic clear in his voice. Andrew was beside him with a hand in his neck pushing him to sit down in a second.

“Neil” Andrew called his name with a stern voice. “Andr- Andrew I can't-” Neil sobbed grabbing Andrew’s hand with his own trying desperately to ground himself. “You’re Neil Abram Josten, striker for the Palmetto state foxes.” Andrew began to say with a steady voice. “No- no- I can’t-'' Neil was feeling nauseous and dizzy, his throat was dry and his lungs were hurting because of the multiple desperate breaths he tried to take. “Repeat after me Neil'' Andrew demanded, grabbing harder at the back of his neck. “You’re Neil Abram Josten, striker for the Palmetto state foxes, you’re safe, your parents are dead, and I’m here.” Neil started to repeat his words with a trembling voice shutting his eyes while he tried to imagine moments of his foxes, and Andrew, and his life as Neil Josten. “Breath with me” Andrew whispered, grabbing with his other hand one of Neil’s and placing it in his chest to help him match his breathing.

A couple of minutes passed and Neil was finally back to himself, his breaths were steadier and his pounding heart was calmer. None of them dared to move. “I’m a mess” Neil murmured tiredly. Why would Andrew want to be with him?. Always a problem, always a responsibility. “What’s new” Andrew moved his hand from Neil’s neck to his hair. “What happened” his piercing look dared Neil to lie. “My father used to..lock me in small places and leave me in the dark for hours.” He explained avoiding Andrew’s eyes. “I’m sorry it’s stupid” he apologized a few seconds later. “Shut up or I’ll gut you” Andrew answered, flicking him in the forehead.

“Aren’t you bored from all of this yet?” Neil asked quietly, his hesitation clearly in his voice. “Aren’t you bored of me yet?” He added before Andrew could speak. Neil was sure that Andrew would reply with a sarcastic comment or something but Andrew seemed to understand how important this conversation was. “What is this?” he asked instead, forcing Neil to make eye contact with him. “Nothing, just..I’ll understand if you’re bored with this, or me” Neil answered, making Andrew frown.

“Don’t be stupid” he growled giving him a hard stare. “There’s no ‘this’ like you always said anyway'' Neil couldn’t stop himself at this point. No one said anything as Andrew gathered his thoughts. “Where did all this come from?” he avoided to answer and Neil felt disappointment in the pit of his stomach. “Am I lying?” Neil pressed and when Andrew didn’t answer he huffed shaking his head in disbelief. Neil moved away from Andrew’s touch. “I’m not your boyfriend and you’ll get bored of me eventually.” Neil continued and saw the moment that realization hit Andrew. “You eardrop my conversation with Renee.” He stated with a blank look. 

“I didn’t mean to” Neil answered quietly. “I thought you were smarter than this Neil.” Andrew sighed moving closer to him. “I just...I just thought..it doesn’t matter, you were clear to me two years ago about this.” Neil dared to look at him in the eyes and almost choked when his eyes met Andrew’s. Angry hazel eyes looking at him.

“Listen to me clearly because I’m gonna say this only once.” Neil nodded and Andrew leaned closer. “Stop making assumptions about things. Just fucking ask me. You listened to two phrases I said and you think you understood everything. There’s a ‘this’ and we’re not just boyfriends.” Andrew said, his hazel eyes burning Neil hoping that his idiot will understand the things he can’t say. Realization hit Neil and his eyes went wide. “Oh,” he said suddenly feeling very stupid. “Yeah oh.” Andrew mocked him. The thing is that Andrew Minyard never was good with words so he always used his actions to show his family that he cared. Neil has no idea why his insecurities blinded him. Andrew showed Neil every day that there was a ‘this’ with his way. He and Andrew aren’t just boyfriends. They’re so much more than that and now Neil finally gets it. “You like me,” Neil stated with a smile forming on his lips. “Idiot,” Andrew murmured. “Oh you, really, really like me.” he teased and Andrew rolled his eyes. “I’ll kill you,” he threatens with no heat behind his words.

“It’s okay because I, really, really like you too.” Neil’s smile got wider, Andrew huffed again but Neil could tell that he wasn’t so unaffected as he wanted to show. “And what's the thing you are hiding from me?” Neil asked suddenly and Andrew took his eyes away from him. “What I already told you.” He answered through his teeth and Neil couldn’t hide his smile. “Yes or no?” he asked him and after Andrew’s consent, together they leaned closer to each other and Neil let Andrew show him how much he cared about him with long heated kisses until the power came back and their foxes came looking for them.

#this is so long help #all for the game #aftg #all for the gay #neil josten #andrew minyard #andreil #nora sakavic #palmetto state foxes #the foxhole court #the kings men #the raven king #aftg headcanon

[crows-and-crumbs]

“I Asked Him”

So I really loved how whenever Andrew does something convenient, everyone’s like “what did you do to make him?” “how did you make him do that?”

And every time Neil just answers “I asked him” and no-one believes him. But it’s the same with Renee and coach and probably with Betsy as well, they ask him instead of the demanding?

Yes he does more for Neil, due to the nature of their relationship, but he still does what others ask of him for the most part.

All of the other foxes expect resistance and stubborn refusal or violence or ridicule, because they’ve already made their judgement of him from the start.

I don’t think a single fox has ever tried asking because they’ve just labeled him as a problem and never tried to communicate with him in a constructive way.

They were just too angry and afraid of him (understandably so)

So all I can imagine is, as time goes and Neil and Andrew fall into a nice pace of living like (almost) peaceful civilians, the other foxes notices?

Most of their fear kinda disappears, not that they don’t think he can and will hurt him, but because they learn not to cross his boundaries.

This is a long one kiddos so strap in

Kevin

The first time is with Kevin, one night where Kevin is hammered and Andrew is tipsy

Neil is watching a movie with the upperclassmen and Aaron is at Katelyn’s dorm and Nicky is on the phone with Eric (has been for three hours)

They’re both on the couch, a game running in the background as Andrew tears through a tub of cookie dough ice cream and Kevin just stared straight at him for a while

Eventually Andrew gets annoyed with him, glaring at him “stop starring at me like I’m an exy court, fucking junkies”

Normally, Kevin would have rolled his eyes at him, maybe sent a jab back his way, maybe even laughed in his drunken state… but he didn’t

“Don’t shut me out?” It’s a question, not another entitled demand that is so like Kevin

There’s no break in his voice, or tears in his eyes. This isn’t a drunken breakdown, it’s a genuine request

Andrew stares back as him for a long while, face impassive and eyes vacant, but Kevin can see the gears turning

A spark of pride and fear goes through him with the knowledge that he knows the other man that well

“Don’t ask stupid questions” Andrew replies, looking away from him and stuffing another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth

Kevin feels the weight he didn’t know he was carrying, that he had been carrying ever since Neil and Andrew began their… whatever

“You’re and asshole” he mumbled, but he could feel the tension bleeding out of him by the minute

When Kevin went for another swig of vodka, Andrew shoved the ice cream in his face instead, and for once Kevin allowed himself a cheat day

Nicky

Nicky asks him if he has a gift for Neil yet, as a tease, knowing Andrew won’t tell him even if he does

He almost falls off his chair when Andrew says “yes” and leaves the room

Aaron

Aaron’s is complicated, mostly because Andrew already had done a lot of things for him

Most of it had been asked for indirectly (murdering Tilda, protecting him etc.)

But the first real breakthrough is one day in therapy when Aaron is getting heated about Neil and him again

And Andrew is exhausted of that conversation still being centrum after all this time

But this time is different

“I’ve told you, Neil is nothing, we’re nothing”

“Will you stop saying you chose nothing over me!?”

They sit in silence for a long while, Andrew sipping his cocoa and Bee talking to deaf ears

Before Aaron leaves the car once they reach the fox tower, Andrew clicks the locks and they continue sitting in silence for a bit

“Fine” Andrew says the word like it’s a chore, but Aaron feels it just the same

Dan

Dan is wringing out her hands, shifting her feet and sweating bullets as she stares at the monster’s door

She had lost the bet, she was gonna have to ask him, and she could feel the tension from behind her where the other upperclassmen were waiting to see what would happen

If she got stabbed then at least there would be witnesses, maybe even time to call and ambulance

Andrew opened the door, starting up at her with nothing but blank boredom and it ticked off every alarm bell in her head

she was surprised he hadn’t slammed the door in her face

“A-Andrew! Hi, hey… uhm we were just, I mean, me and the upperclassmen were just wondering- of cause on with a go from you- if we could… since it went kinda okay last time- maybe we could… uhm”

“Spit it out Wilds” he didn’t sound impatient, but then again Andrew never sounded anything

“If we could join you for Halloween again this year?” The words rushed out of her mouth, and she almost braced for impact

But it never came

“Sure” she blinked at the response, heart flailing to keep if with the situation “just get there yourself and plan with anyone but me, I don’t care” then he slammed the door and she retired mechanically to her own dorm where the others were waiting

Matt

“Hey man can you hand me the hair tie?”

It wasn’t even on purpose when Matt did it

Andrew was just the only other person who wasn’t wearing the gloves yet and it was impossible to pick up a hair tie with the blocky gloves on

The room froze as him and Andre made eye contact, and followed every step Andrew took

But in the end, all that happened was Matt ending up with his hair tie and nothing else

“Thanks dude!”

Allison

Andrew never doesn’t anything Allison says

I’m sorry but he can’t stand her and she can’t stand him

There is not scenario I can make up where this works

But be free to come with suggestions though if you do

#andrew minyard #aftg #neil josten #aftg fandom #all for the game #the monsters aftg #matt boyd #kevin day #dan wilds #allison reynolds #aaron minyard #nicky hemmick

[aftgficrec]

Staff Recs - Podfics

Lately we’ve noticed a lot of podfics streaming by our tumblrs from @ao3feed-thefoxholecourt, so we’re reccing some that we’ve listened to and enjoyed. Kudos to the fic writers of course, but also a big thank you to the intrepid podficcers who put in a lot of work for little notice or acclaim. - AFTG Fic Rec Fam

previous podfic ask here

Podfics by Ceewelsh of ‘i swear i only fell for you on accident’ series here (NB: this Allison and Kevin snark-fueled attraction fest is great fun to listen to! If the podficcer continues, part 4 will be a juicy rated M)

Podfics by Flowerparrish for ‘high up in the hills of california’ here (NB: includes author commentary, backstory, tidbits, sequel talk, and general fandom chat/headcanons)

10-15 minutes

NB: a multicast podfic of a podcast…! [podfic] i've been confused on how to move (real love's so hard to find) by growlery, knight_tracer, the24thkey [Rated G, 14 min, Complete, 2021]

Original by Talls recced here

Justin: John Doe says “I am a student athlete and I have an issue with someone on my team. The first time I ever met him, he hit me so hard in the stomach with a racquet that I went flying to the floor...

20-35 minutes

NB: it’s great fun listening to Neil on his worst behavior and Andrew’s family losing their minds! [Podfic] For He's A Jolly Good Felon by Aliteralgarbageheap [Rated T, 22 min, Complete, 2021]

Original by gluupor recced here

What's a guy to do when he's forced to go to his conservative, homophobic aunt and uncle's for Thanksgiving dinner?

Why, invite along his ex-con, tattooed, argumentative roommate as his fake boyfriend, of course.

NB: don’t miss hearing this au of Neil’s first interaction with Andrew — a sassy Harry Potter-esque howler and ode to the Grinch mashup — and Andrew’s lingering golden stare. [Podfic of] temper temper by Flowerparrish Pods (Flowerparrish) [Rated T, 21 min, Complete, 2020]

Original by Ominous here

“You paid for the deluxe package,” Neil says as he scrolls through his payment history to find his client's invoice. His system is simple:

Basic Package: Fuck you…

Intermediate Package: Fuck you, with passion…

Deluxe Package: Fuck you to hell…

And it looks like Andrew Minyard is the unlucky soul today.

NB: this fic is filled with rich descriptions that I read quickly but could more fully appreciate in the podfic version  [Podfic] hands like birds by Aliteralgarbageheap [Rated T, 26 min, Complete, 2021]

Original by lolainslackss recced here

Busy working on his thesis and waiting tables, Andrew Minyard doesn’t have time to think about boys.

That doesn’t mean certain boys can’t be distracting, though, and between his cat-sitter who won’t stop flirting with him via post-it note and the new, unforgivably attractive kitchen assistant working at the restaurant, Andrew is very distracted indeed.

tw: ableism, tw: implied/referenced character death, tw: scars, tw: anxiety disorder 

NB: an original podfic work! With a voice cast and sound effects! The Looking Game by Ceewelsh, impersonal_villain, mahons_ondine, mistbornhero, Poddragon27 (Penndragon27), Ravin, RhetoricalQuestions [Rated T, 5268 Words/33 min, Complete, 2020]

Don’t be mad, Andrew. And don’t take it personally. This isn’t about you. I wanted to make everything work. Dorming with you, Exy with the foxes, graduate from undergrad, go pro, go Court, and with you I wanted… with you.

I couldn’t make it work.

Don’t try to find me. I’ve been planning this for a while, I have resources, I’ll be safe. Don’t try to find me. Andrew?

A voice murmurs. The recording cuts out.

tw: kidnapping, tw: abuse, tw: torture, tw: drug use, tw: car accident, tw: implied major character death, tw: blood/gore, tw: gun violence

45 minutes to 1 hour

NB: I have a soft spot for Andrew’s pov, and now we get to hear it! And those concoctions Neil makes, omg. Maybe fill up on something healthy before listening? [Podfic] Daily Special by Aliteralgarbageheap [Rated M, 45 min, Complete, 2021]

Original by moonix here

Detailing the fast and slow seduction of one Andrew Minyard by a coffee shop specialising in hot chocolate and rude baristas.

tw: mental health issues, tw: medication side effects, tw: dissociation, tw: implied/referenced rape/non con

2 hours plus

NB: the reader’s cadence and tone pair beautifully with andreil’s developing relationship and the healing nature of this fic [Podfic] right side of rock bottom by frecklebombfic (frecklebomb) [Rated M, 2h 26min, Complete, 2016]

Original by allyasavedtheday, recced here (Locked)

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.

(The last two might be interchangeable.)

tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: implied/referenced csa, tw: alcohol, tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: ptsd, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon

#staff rec #neil josten/andrew minyard #andrew minyard & renee walker #kevin day & neil josten #au: roommates #au: college/university #au: no exy #au: coffee shop #universe: post canon #theme: fluff & humour #theme: crack #theme: fluff & angst #theme: angst with a happy ending #theme: meet ugly #theme: pining #theme: mental health issues #theme: bed sharing #theme: ptsd #theme: tattoos #tw: ableism #tw: anxiety disorder #tw: abuse #tw: torture #tw: drug use #tw: car accident #tw: implied major character death #tw: blood/gore #tw: gun violence #tw: dissociation #tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon

[jostnns]

aftg among us

neil: mains orange because foxes and because it pisses off kevin when he wants to be orange. if he doesn’t have card swipe he fakes admin wires to see if anyone else fakes swipe. camps admin table to see if anyone vents between medbay and security and electric. a Detective. it’s hard to tell when he’s impostor because he acts sus as a crewmate too cuz he always just investigates.

andrew: mains black with the plague mask. has never completed a task. intentionally buttons when he sees kevin on simon/start reactor or download/upload. as an impostor he kills kevin, neil, and renee first because they’re the best at reading him and he needs to get them out of the way.

kevin: mains dark green. does everything efficiently. he makes his rounds from cafe to right side then up middle then down left side to get his tasks done asap. he stands perfectly between two tasks so he can reach both without moving for efficiency. as an impostor he is a chronic self reporter.

aaron: mains lime. sticks with nicky because a) nicky won’t kill him and b) nicky won’t suspect him. as an impostor he banks on neil being sus and always accuses him. always looking for a double kill

renee: mains whatever color no one else wants and does the flower hat. you will not see her all round regardless of if she crewmate of not. hides in upper engine to to see kills. as an impostor she’ll trap you in a room, chase you around and when you’re most scared she’ll kill you and vent out. MASTER of vent kills. always slick. you never see her coming.

allison: mains pink. no hat because it’s easier to sneak around without one. she’s a standard crewmate but as an imposter she will m a r i n a t e the hell out of you. “hey can someone watch me do scan?” is her go to lure & she always gets away with it

matt: mains dark blue with the “dad of 1” fit. he calls his child Lil Neil and uses it to guilt people into not voting him. as a crewmate he does the big brain strat of acting sus so the impostors won’t kill him. it works some of the time. he simps for Neil & if neil is dead then he simps for dan. if the remaining players are matt, neil, and anyone else, he will vote the other person. no matter what. as an impostor he refuses to kill neil or dan until the end, which ends up getting him caught more times than not

nicky: mains cyan with the “dad of 2” fit. obviously the one on his head is andrew and the one next to him is aaron. if you spend 10 seconds with him and don’t kill him he will clear you and the foxes take advantage of that. as an impostor he always forgets to check if cams are on before killing. if he gets votes off as imp he vibes in the ghost chat and sets off as many sabs as possible. he will also help out to remaining impostor by locking people in the room with them. you always know when he has died because you can hear his scream from his dorm

edit—— i forgot to add for nicky—

he books it to electric every round while there’s still a cool down so he can do his tasks there before the impostors are physically able to kill. he literally will not enter electric after the first 15 seconds of a round.

dan: mains red because she means business. gets her tasks done AND investigates. totally beast mode. as a crewmate she keeps track of the two/three part tasks everyone else is doing and follows up to make sure they do the other parts. big brain deduction strats. as an impostor she picks out the inconsistencies in other people’s stories to make them seem sus. she gets everyone on board with the sus so they don’t notice that dan is the one who is orchestrating everything

#aftg #the foxhole court #among us #neil josten #andrew minyard #andreil #kevin day #foxes #aftg headcanon #chessa.txt #i am going to reblog this and add on with impostor teams & strategies #hope y’all like #i spend so much time playing i am king. i now every strategy #this won’t get notes it’s dead hours #maybe i’ll do the trojans and erik and katelyn and jean if y’all want #spoiler riko rage quits & puts the other impostor when he gets caught 😤

[paradoxolotl]

Are there any quotes or moments from any of your fics that you've had to leave out of the final product? Like, deleted scenes. If so, do you feel like sharing?...(Particularly Inked Truths because I'm obsessed with it. I fell in love with BoM, read it multiple times. When I found out you were doing a prequel I was very excited and have not been disappointed since.) (I also love TftR but it makes sad.)...Absolutely no pressure. If you don't want to answer please just ignore this, I'll understand.

Truths for the Roof didn’t lose anything but Inked lost a bit. Really, it was just redone to flow better and fit the characterization better, or moved somewhere later on in the series. I’m more likely to add then take away. It’s pretty rare I scrap something completely, and usually find somewhere else to put it, even if it’s a different fic. But originally BOM was very different. Andrew was medicated and Aaron knew Neil Josten from class.

Here’s a scene that was reworked in Ink Blotted Memories ~

Aaron did his best to avoid Andrew after that. He made himself busy at work, hauling dishes back and forth and hanging out with the bouncers on his breaks. When they were home Andrew was usually shut up in his room or outside smoking which made avoiding him all the easier, giving Aaron space to dick around on the TV or be in his room. Nicky still tried to involve both of them in stupid bonding activities like family dinners and movie nights. When they did happen, it was tense and uncomfortable, mostly filled with Nicky’s inane chatter. Aaron purposely did not look at his brother on these nights. He was torn between wanting Andrew’s acknowledgment and wishing he had never found out about him.

He marked his days with video games and his nights with alcohol and cracker dust, counting the days until he could once again use school as a distraction.

And the entire original Brother of Mine, which I rewrote most of when I got partway through ~

Aaron could still remember lying in his bed in his mother’s house, body bruised and hurting, wishing to have someone who could help him. Someone to make things better. To stand with him and hold him up when he was so close to crumbling. Learning about a long-lost twin felt like something out of a movie. An answered prayer. Finally, Aaron would have someone, a brother, who he could talk to. He imagined late night talks and secrets shared between them. They would have a bond so strong that nothing could come between them.

Andrew’s response of ‘fuck off’ had felt like a back-hand across his face.

Still, he held out hope. He was told to try again in the Spring, and that was what he planned on doing. Even when Andrew was sent to juvie, Aaron held onto his hope of a brother who would care about him. They were twins after all, how hard could it be?

The first time he had met Andrew face to face, Uncle Luther beside him and a metal table separating them, Aaron’s idea of what their relationship would be went up in smoke. His face was looking back at him, but there was no expression, no emotion at all. A blankness that revealed nothing of what he was thinking. It was hard to make eye contact with Andrew, his eyes sharp enough to be cut on. Andrew didn’t speak to Aaron at all that first visit; he just stared at him with a flat glare the entire time.

And yet he still came to South Carolina to live with Aaron. Aaron desperately wanted for Andrew to open up to him when they lived together. He thought he had to, now that they shared a room. He also hoped that home would get better, now that Andrew was home. Maybe mom would get better, would stop being so stressed. So angry.

It only took one incident for Aaron to believe Andrew was untouchable. They were in the backyard so Andrew could smoke, both sipping from a bottle of vodka Andrew had acquired. He had only moved in a week ago, and so far, things had been quiet. Aaron had no new bruises, but Andrew’s blank stare made him warry. The slam of the front door had made Aaron flinch, Andrew’s cold eyes tracking the movement. Aaron could hear their mother calling for him, her words tight with anger. Remembering the pills he had swiped earlier in the day, he swallowed back the lump in his throat and went inside.

He remembers her screaming. He remembers the pain of a hand across his cheek. Then there was Andrew, her wrist gripped in his hand, twisted far enough to make her bend at an awkward angle. It was then that Aaron saw the first expression on his twin’s face, and it terrified him. His lips had curled back in a snarl, his eyes bright with an anger Aaron had never seen before.

It was that night that Andrew had offered Aaron a deal. They would stick together, just the two of them, and Andrew would protect him. Aaron believed this was the answer to what he had been asking for. Finally, he wouldn’t be alone. He made his promise to Andrew.

Months passed, and Aaron was still collecting bruises. It was almost worse now, to have a witness to his suffering. Someone who had promised him protection but couldn’t stop everything.

Then, the accident where Aaron was left with only Andrew. Just the two of them.

The funeral where Andrew’s arm was in a sling, a cigarette hanging from his mouth, and a strange gleam in his eye as the dirt was poured on their mother’s grave.

Nicky coming back from Germany, taking them in.

Moving into a new house and Andrew installing a lock on his door.

The agony of being locked in that bathroom, withdrawal clawing his body to shreds.

The slow isolation at school, Andrew refusing to let anyone close.

Nicky’s assault and the mandated therapy.

That awful laughter and empty smile.

And Aaron had to wonder if instead of his prayers being answered, he had been cursed.

~~~

Things began changing the spring of their freshman year of college.

When they first joined the Foxes, there was a clear divide between Aaron’s family and the others immediately. Any interactions ended in spitting insults at best and violence more than not. The others feared Andrew and his knives, circling their group like alley cats. Not that the three of them were much better. Nicky constantly antagonized the others, and the twins’ general lack of effort to get along definitely rubbed a few people the wrong way. The Columbia trips solidified their isolation from the others. Honestly, Aaron couldn’t care less about getting along with his teammates. He would leave them alone as long as they did the same. He was here for a degree, not friends.

Now, they had officially been knocked out of the championships. Not that Aaron could bring himself to care, but games days usually also meant Columbia, and Aaron desperately wanted to get off campus. Between the upperclassmen, Day’s bitching over the season and Nicky’s whining, Aaron was looking forward to drinks, crackers, and music loud enough to lose yourself in.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t go without Andrew. His twin was currently perched on his desk by the window, smoking and staring out at the campus, fingers rapidly tapping. Normally they would already be packed up and gone by now, but they hadn’t gone once in over a month. At first Aaron thought it was because of exy, but then Andrew would disappear from the dorms for hours at a time, much to Day’s frustration. The only reason Aaron even noticed this as odd was because his brother rarely left Day alone. He never told them why they stopped going, or where he disappeared to, and any complaints fell on deaf ears.

“Come on Andrew!” Nicky whined, “We never go to Columbia anymore!”

Andrew’s laughter made Aaron’s jaw tick. “Oh, poor Nicky, don’t you know that no means no?”

“But why not?” Nicky was still going.

Aaron didn’t know why Nicky thought he could reason with Andrew. Unless you were Renee the best result from interacting with him would be victim to a cutting insult or dismissal. Worst case you’d need stitches.

His phone buzzing in his hand distracted him from the conversation happening. Looking at the screen, he felt a wave of relief wash over him, soothing the tension in his shoulders.

Katelyn

You played great today! It’s too bad the season is over

Katelyn was an instant balm to Aaron’s anger. It was still new, this thing between them. They had met in their intro biology class and had spent many late hours at the library studying. She had been the first person at Palmetto who had bothered to get to know Aaron for him, not just as ‘Andrew’s twin’. At first, he was a sullen asshole, but her endless patience and positivity snuck past his defenses and made a place for her in Aaron’s very bones. The only issue was they had to sneak around; Aaron couldn’t risk Andrew finding out about her.

Glancing up to make sure Andrew was still distracted with Nicky, Aaron settled further into his beanbag.

Aaron

Whatever it’s just stickball

Katelyn

Still, I’ll miss watching you ;)

Aaron had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep the smile off his face.

Katelyn

How’s Columbia?

Aaron

Wouldn’t know we’re still in the Tower

Katelyn

Think you could sneak out for a bit?

We’re in that bar with the turtle

Nicky’s yelp brought Aaron’s attention back to the room in front of him. Andrew was still on the desk, but Aaron caught the glint of metal as a knife was put back in one of his armbands. His eyes followed Nicky as he retreated to the bedroom, face split in his usual grin. When the door closed behind Nicky, Andrew’s eyes snapped to Aaron, pinning him to his spot. Aaron glared back, daring Andrew to say something to him. To say anything.

Instead, Andrew flicked his cigarette out the window, slammed in shut, and left the dorm completely. Aaron wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or not.

He sat there for a moment, fingers tapping on his phone. If this was going to be following his typical pattern over the past few weeks, Andrew would be gone for hours, and wouldn’t notice if Aaron left. He would just need to be back before Andrew. Really, it wasn’t that hard of a decision.

Aaron

Be there in twenty.

Katelyn

<3

Grabbing his jacket, Aaron hurried out of the dorm, eager to get away. Even if it wasn’t Columbia, even if it was with the Vixens, any time with Katelyn was worth it.

Aaron didn’t look up as he left the Tower. If he did, he might have seen a heavy stare and two lit cigarettes.

~~~

Summer came, and somehow Betsy had convinced the courts to change Andrew’s medication. Something about an incorrect diagnosis or dosage. Aaron wasn’t sure how they thought an Andrew off the pills would be any better, but no one asked him for his opinion.

The upside was that Aaron had weeks free of his oppressive twin, and he could spend as much time with Katelyn as he wanted. It was the first time in years Aaron felt like there was no weight pulling him down, like he could finally breathe.

It was in those few perfect weeks that Aaron came to a decision.

He couldn’t lose this.

~~~

Andrew had come back from Easthaven reverted back to the emptiness of when Aaron had first met him. He had barely said a word to anyone since he came back, simply leveling that bored glare at them whenever someone tried to speak to him. Whenever Aaron saw him, he was fiddling on that damn flip phone, barely acknowledging his surroundings. Even the upperclassmen had noticed his attachment to the device.

It was during a meeting before the first game of the new season that someone finally snapped.

“Damn it, Andrew, what are you doing?” When Kevin got really angry, his face flushed. Right now, he was approaching tomato.

Andrew snapped his phone shut, “Nothing.”

“Bullshit, you need to focus. Our first game is tomorrow, and we are nowhere near ready.”

“Maybe,” Andrew drawled, “instead of worrying about me, you should focus on what you’ll do when you see Riko again.”

It was a low blow, but effective. Kevin immediately fell silent, his skin changing from red to white so quickly Aaron was surprised he didn’t faint. Edgar Allen had joined their district after Kevin announced that he would be joining the Fox line-up. Last year Kevin had showed up, hand bloody and broken, looking for sanctuary. Apparently, Riko had broken his hand in a fit of rage. Kevin had tried to sue, but with the connections and money behind the Moriyama name, it was ruled as an accident. The public backlash of that along with Kevin’s transfer to the Foxes had caused several headaches last year.

“Jesus, Andrew,” Nicky whispered.

Andrew opened his phone again. No one else tried to speak to him for the rest of the meeting.

~~~

It was a new bet among the Foxes: what Andrew was doing on his phone. Everyone agreed that it was pretty clear he was texting someone, but the question was who. Some believed it was a secret girlfriend, while others were still convinced Renee and Andrew were together. Others thought it had to be something illegal.

Aaron knew what he thought, and he silently watched and cataloged information away.

~~~

The season was going terribly. They were winning games by the skin of their teeth and they were more divided than ever. Seth and Kevin couldn’t stop fighting, their newest striker was a nervous wreck, and Andrew didn’t give a shit.

Their last game was against the Ravens, and they had been destroyed. Now, Wymack and Dan were looking for a win.

They were in the locker room getting ready for the game when Andrew’s phone began to ring. Aaron didn’t recognize the song Andrew used, but he knew he normally used the default setting for his ringtone. Andrew picked up before Aaron could think too much on it.

“What?”

At this point everyone was staring at him, not even trying to act like they weren’t eavesdropping.

Andrew scoffed, “Junkie,” he said before snapping his phone shut, tossing it into his locker, and slamming it door closed. A moment later he was stalking out of the locker room.

Silence was left behind in his wake until Nicky broke it, “So it isn’t a girlfriend?”

When the team was gathered again (...missing...)

~~~

(...missing...)Today though, Aaron needed to talk to him.

The chances of Andrew brushing off any attempt Aaron made to speak to him were high, so Aaron waited until Andrew would have to acknowledge him. On Wednesday, when Andrew walked into Reddin, Aaron was waiting for him.

~~~

“Fuck off,” Aaron growled.

Josten had that stupid smirk on his face, his finger tapping on his test score. It wasn’t even that Aaron did bad. It was that Josten did better. He always did better in this stupid class. Aaron hated statistics, but apparently Josten was a math major and took every opportunity to show him up.

From day one Aaron had disliked him. He had plopped down beside Aaron, ratty clothes and shaggy hair, and called him ‘the second Minyard’. Not only was he a complete ass, but he was completely unnerving. His eyes were a blue so pale they were almost glacial, and his face and arms were covered in slashes and burn scars.

Once, Aaron had overheard someone call him ‘Scarface’, and Josten had just asked, with a terrifying grin, if they were looking for some to match.

And Aaron was stuck in a room with him twice a week.

Josten tsked at him, still tapping at his score. “What? Still second?”

“Fuck off,” Aaron really wasn’t in the mood.

He just hummed, pulling his phone out, a god damn flip phone, and spent the next few minutes ignoring the review happening. Aaron could barely focus as Josten texted away; each click grating on Aaron’s already frayed nerves.

Aaron wasn’t even sure how Josten did so well; he spent most of the class doodling in his notebook.

#aftg #all for the game #the foxhole court #the raven king #the kings men #aftg fanfiction #para's fics #ask para

[youknow-igetit]

i’ve always had the headcanon that neil learns how to pole dance and dan helps teach him and i saw someone else post something similar to it (iconic of them, really) and it made me want to elaborate on my hc

some days, neil wakes up and he can’t stand looking in the mirror

he look in the mirror and despite the scars on his face and hands and the vibrant orange hoodie and the chipped nail polish on his hands, all he sees is his father’s eyes and hair and cold smile

so he usually finds himself at the gym building, blasting music in his ears and facing away from the wall of mirrors as he purposefully overworks himself so he’s too exhausted to care about the cold smile that he knows well

either that or he’s in the basement, hitting a punching bag with taped knuckles and pretending that the canvas is his father’s face, lola’s, romero’s, sometimes even his mother’s

one morning he wakes up at four with the phantom pains of hundreds of knives wracking his body

he can’t go back to sleep, so he heads to the gym and picks the lock to the basement

he’s so caught up in his own head that he walks right past the room full of punching bags and opens the door next to it

despite it being in the basement, the room has the same high ceilings as the upper floors, maybe twenty or twenty five feet

there’s no equipment that neil can see in the dark room, nothing except for the mats covering the floor and four vertical poles bolted to the floor and ceiling

he’s confused at first but then... oh

he’d obviously heard of pole dancing as a sport, he remembered seeing the words on the gym directory

but actually seeing the poles, he was kind of intrigued

but he backed out and went into the right room and ran himself down, and despite heaving on the floor, he felt like he could finally breathe

he was exhausted by the time the exy team started trickling into the main gym to do their workouts, but he honestly didn’t care about the stern talking-to kevin was attempting to administer

over the next week, inexplicably, neil’s mind kept going back to the room with the poles. he found himself watching pole dancing competition videos and tutorials and reading articles on different products that help to stay on the pole

on another one of Those Days, he finds himself purposefully breezing right past the boxing room and opening the door to the pole dancing room

he turns on the light, which is still dim, and walks nervously up to the pole in the far right corner

he’s bad at first. not as bad as he thought he’d be, but still bad. youtube isnt exactly the best coach

but he comes back the next day. and the next. and it eventually becomes a regular thing as he becomes better at it. sometimes, when his school workload isn’t heavy, he spends his free periods between classes practicing.

he never sees anyone else there, no matter what time, and he likes it that way. he gets more confident in himself, eventually ending up stripping down to just his briefs as he learns new moves

he doesn’t tell anyone about it. it’s not that he’s ashamed, but the idea of the ex-mafia kid exy player spending his free time pole dancing? it was a little embarrassing

like andrew knows in general where he is at those times but he doesn’t know/care what neil’s doing there. he guesses its just more things to do with exy

and kevin is suspicious but when is he not

but all in all no one finds out

until

one day it’s like three pm and he had the most annoying argument with the TA and he’s still pissed as he descends the stairs to the basement of the gym, just wanting to dance and blow off some steam

he bursts through the door and stops abruptly as the person whirls around

“dan?”

“neil?”

they both kind of just stand there for a moment before neil’s like “sorry, i was--uh, the boxing room is right next to this one and--”

“you were planning on boxing?”

“uh huh”

“in skinny jeans?” dan raised an unimpressed eyebrow

neil glanced down. he was wearing skinny jeans. “um.”

neil shifts nervously. “what are you doing here? nobody ever goes in here.”

“I was just--” dan pauses. “wait, this is where you’re going when you disappear?”

neil rubs the back of his neck. “kinda, yeah”

“kinda or definitely”

so neil tells her everything, about how he’s been going there for months and teaching himself how to dance and whatnot

dan is highkey impressed and asks him if he wants her to teach him anything

“what?”

“I used to be a stripper, neil.”

“oh. right.”

“no, you’re okay. it’s just... i kind of missed it. not the stripper part, but during the day, when the club was closed and my sisters were teaching me. it didn’t feel like it was for anyone. it was for me....it was liberating.”

neil nods. “i get that”

so dan ends up joining in on his practices more often than not

at first neil’s kinda uncomfortable being so physically exposed around someone that wasn’t andrew

but he finds a weird comfort with dan, both of them in just their undergarments swinging around on poles in a big empty room with music playing out of one of their phones

dan ends up teaching neil a bunch of moves she knows, like how to bend over upside-down and spin with just thighs

“and if you twist like this, it shows off your ass”

they also end up talking a lot, about random things, but dan also tells him a lot about her stage sisters and what her high school life was like and in turn neil ends up talking a bit about his life on the run

they also end up talking a lot about their relationships, like how dan learns that andrew likes to snuggle (dan is astounded) and neil learns that matt sleeps with his socks on (neil is apalled)

some of the foxes notice that dan has joined in with neil’s disappearances and she tells them that she’s teaching him “how to be a captain for you assholes. it’s hard fucking work, i’m giving him seminars about you little shits”

but one day matt comes up to neil during practice and he’s like “hey neil can i talk to you”

and neil’s like “you’re talking to me now”

“no i mean like later”

neil’s like ?? but he agrees

after practice everyone leaves the locker room except for matt

he nervously sits down on the bench so once neil’s done he hesitantly sits next to him

“what’s up?”

matt’s acting shifty and weird and isn’t look at neil’s face

“so um, i need you to be honest with me, okay? and i know you wouldn’t do this, but i’ve been having doubts and i just--” matt sighs. “is dan cheating on me with you?”

neil is... absolutely pissed

“what the fuck?!”

“i mean, like, you guys have been disappearing off on your own and then you come back sweaty and flushed--”

“we work out together”

“but she’s always smiling and content after!”

“i literally have a partner”

“that doesn’t stop a lot of people, neil”

“don’t you remember that i don’t swing? dan’s like my sister, matt” neil is surprised when he says it and finds that he’s being truthful. “dan loves you. she’d never hurt you like that. stop selling yourself short.”

matt nods and neil leaves

the next time dan and neil practice together, the next day, dan asks him about matt and neil tells her everything

“i think he’s just paranoid that you’re leaving at the end of the year” neil spins around and hooks his ankles around the pole

“yeah... i’ll talk to him” dan sighs and wraps an arm around the pole and hoists herself up a few inches

“if you’re fine with it, he can come to our next practice”

“you’re sure?” a few weeks ago, neil had told dan how insecure he was about his scars and they both enjoyed the privacy they had at the practice room

“yeah. it’s just matt”

they twirl around for a while, soft music playing from dan’s phone, the artist singing something about being sorry that she fell in love with someone while they were in a hotel room

“what about your boy?” dan asks

“what about him?”

“does he ever doubt you?”

neil shrugs, as well as he can while upside down “we trust each other”

dan thinks for a minute. “are you going to show andrew too?” dan motions to the room with her foot. “i’m fine with it if you are”

so later that day, back at the dorm, neil turns in his bean bag and asks andrew if he wants to come to his and dan’s next practice

andrew replies with a “not particularly”

“don’t you want to see what we do?”

“not really. you don’t ask me to watch renee and i spar.”

“yeah but that’s cause it your guys’ thing. also, dan and i definitely don’t spar”

“it’s still your thing.”

“i wouldn’t ask you to come if i didn’t want you to”

andrew looked at him before saying “you’re insufferable.” neil knew that meant he’d be there

so the next day finds dan and neil leading matt and andrew down their familiar basement path

andrew shows no reaction to the poles except for a quirk in his left eyebrow (neil knows he’s very surprised)

matt, on the other hand, says “this is what you guys have been doing?”

neil nods and takes his shirt and pants off, which leads to another shocked sound out of matt and another raised eyebrow from andrew. (that’s both raised eyebrows. neil’s never done that. he takes it as an achievement. andrew’s eyes tell him not to read too much into it. neil smirks)

andrew leans up against one of the untouched poles as neil talks to matt about liquid chalk as dan takes her own clothes off

matt sits down on the edge of a mat as they start practicing. after a few minutes neil almost forgets that there are two more people in the room than usual, the only giveaway being andrew’s sharp eyes never leaving him and matt’s amazed “ooh”s and “ahh”s

after the alarm on dan’s phone beeped to tell them that their hour and a half were up, matt stood up as the two stepped away from their poles

neil started pulling on his clothes as matt went “I--um--that’s--that was--”

neil picks up his bag and starts walking toward the door, knowing that andrew’s following

“don’t fuck near my pole” he calls, and he can hear dan laugh as he shuts the door

andrew is silent all the way to the dorm

later on the roof, he asks “why?”

neil sighs. “it makes my mind quiet. suspended like that, fifteen feet in the air, the only thing that’s keeping me from falling is me. it’s not like exy, where I have to rely on my teammates. It’s... it’s finding trust in my body.” he looks down at him scarred hands, at the one interlaced with andrew’s. “also my father would never pole dance. neither would my mom. god, she’d be so pissed.”

neil smiles

“what do you think about it?” neil asked as andrew took another drag on his cigarette

“it doesn’t matter what i think”

“it matters to me.”

“I hate you.”

“mmhm. don’t i know it.”

they were quiet as they watched the sun slowly dip over the horizon

“you’re more flexible than i thought”

“what’s that supposed to mean”

“it means i liked it. you are as confident at pole dancing as you are at playing exy.”

“are you telling me that you like when i play exy?”

“shut up. yes or no?” he flicks aside his cigarette at neil’s yes

a few days later, matt apologizes to neil for his assumptions. he ends up convincing neil and dan into entering a pole dancing competition that takes place a few weeks after the championship game

they end up winning third place

(the competition was recorded and put on youtube. neil’s proud. he catches andrew watching the video more than once)

(when kevin finds out about it he practically combusts and tells neil how bad it is for his exy career and what will pro teams think blah blah blah neil doesn’t care)

after dan graduates, neil and her keep up their practices through facetime

the next year they’re able to win first place

#can you tell that i'm fascinated by pole dancing?? #neil josten #dan wilds #matt boyd #andrew minyard #andreil #matt boyd x dan wilds #aftg #aftg hc #andreil hc #all for the game headcanon #pole dancing is so cool i want to know how to do it so badly #why do i have to live in a town of bigots?? #i just think its neat #Also the song I mentioned is 'is there somewhere' by halsey if anyone is interested in knowing #I love Matt but I also think that he's still insecure about being with an actual goddess #This has nothing to do with the post but I hc that Dan proposes to Matt

[dayzone]

I never send asks but I wanted to say that autistic Kevin is also a favorite hc of mine. Would it be possible to get some of your own thoughts/ideas about it? Love all of your posts!!

yes !! absolutely i take any chance to talk about my hcs !! there’s not enough autistic kevin content, and i’m so glad u like my other content too !!

he was never diagnosed in the nest; he had trouble understanding certain cues and sometimes it felt like everyone expected him to know how to communicate a certain way he didn’t know how to, but PR training was engrained into him just as much as the correct grip on an exy stick was, so he tends to fall back on that

it doesn’t really concern him bc he’s not interested in talking to people and why should it matter ?? he only really needs to be good at exy

he always assumed that his special interest in exy and such was just a raven thing

exy was an easy special interest to have bc in the nest talking about exy was really the only type of talking encouraged

his special interest in history is where he kinda... faltered

at its core it seemed similar to his interest in exy but it wasn’t encouraged the same way exy was so he treats it a bit differently

he does infodump, but only to himself about history while he was in the nest; whenever he would read an article that was really interesting and made him kinda !! he would lock himself in his room, alone, and pace while talking to himself for a few hours to get it all out

the first time he infodumps at psu was about the trojans after a really great match they played; it was only andrew, nicky, and aaron in their dorm at the time

he’s kinda hesitant to really infodump about exy bc at first all of his teammates see him only as a stuck up exy obsessed bitch, and while it’s true somewhat, it definitely doesn’t encourage any of them to listen to him talk even more about exy

he gets more comfortable with infodumping to wymack first, telling him about a history project and a certain move jeremy knox pulled off the really should’ve been impossible and slowly but surely he gets comfortable with infodumping on the other foxes, one by one

Routine. he is Very into routine and coming up with a new one after leaving the nest was hell for him and everyone around him; this on top of his hand pushed him to shutdown for a while

whenever he has a meltdown kevin goes nonverbal and Cannot be touched; andrew and eventually wymack and neil are the only people he’ll let be around him while he’s like this. talking feels impossible for him and even the thought of someone touching him can make him writhe

this pertains more to some of my hcs about his anxiety, but whenever he’s overwhelmed he re-strings the mesh of his exy racquet over and over again until his mind quiets down and he stops full-body shaking

is very meh about food. most of his eating habits come from the nest but he Does Not Like certain textures

cooked carrots? mashed potatoes? cooked peas? if it is warm and mushy he will not eat it

he was “trained out of” most of his stims at the nest but as he gets more comfortable at psu he slowly lets himself stim around his teammates

it’s mostly small stuff; he rocks gently, likes to play with things in his hands to keep them moving, doesn’t really like to sit still. snaps his fingers sometimes when he’s aggravated. pulls on the mesh of his racquet, twists his fingers in the strings. has caught himself chewing on his shirt neck/sweatshirt strings on multiple occasions; andrew noticed, because he notices everything, but he doesn’t object when kevin steals his sweatshirts and ultimately chews on the strings

andrew once walked in on kevin laying on the dorm floor with a mountain of blankets on top of him and all kevin said was “good pressure” and gave andrew a thumbs up

andrew gets him a weighted blanket after that

kevin loves the blanket but nothing beats neil (or even occasionally matt or nicky in their last few years at psu when he’s more comfortable around the rest of the team) laying flat on top of him; he blushed Very Hard the first few times he asked them to do it (after the first time neil accidentally fell asleep on him and kevin realized how good the weight was) but eventually he became comfortable asking

is Bad at reading the room/other peoples emotions; wymack is Always confusing him even if he doesn’t try to, wymack is just... Trying His Best; andrew is normally pretty straightforward and tells it how it is so kevin takes solace in that. whenever people have been Too Much and he just feels frustrated and confused bc people were getting frustrated at him for not understanding even though they were the ones being confusing he either locks himself in the dorm room alone or finds andrew and just sits with him until he calms down

when kevin gets too caught up in his own head or is struggling with understanding a certain situation he goes to neil bc neil is brutally honest and will repeat the same thing as many times as it takes to stick without getting frustrated with kevin

betsy was the one to diagnose him; he didn’t take it badly, he did his own research and his biggest reaction was along the lines of relief and “oh that makes a lot of sense”; he likes knowing he isn’t the only one who feels similar to how he feels. in his pro years he makes sure it’s known that he’s autistic bc he knows it helps other neurodivergent kids in the world to have someone they can relate to. it’s also a big fuck you to all the commentators and press who doubted him only after he made it known that he was autistic; he’s very petty about it and likes to remind people that, yes, you can be the best striker in all of exy history and be autistic. it’s not that hard to understand.

okay !!!! these are just some of my autistic!kevin hcs !! i feel like this hc does Not get enough content :,) pls pls pls always feel free to chat with me about autistic kevin or really any aftg hcs !!!

#autistic kevin #autistic kevin day #aftg #all for the game #tfc #the foxhole court #kevin day #neil josten #andrew minyard #david wymack #kinda: #kandreil #andreil #kandrew #kevineil #kevneil #if u wanna read it that way #matt boyd #nicky hemmick #aftg hcs #aftg hc #ask

[doodlingstuff]

would you give us some more kevaaron crumbs from the mini bullet fic you’ve written? i loved it so much and i was afraid you’d think we didn’t like kevaaron so i’m asking pretty pretty please 🥺💖

Here you go!

Second part of The day Kevaaron was made

• The month following their last encounter is nuts. They just can’t get enough of each other, but they have to be subtle while they figure things out.  

• Although they fail every time they brush fingers after practices, when they lock gazes in Sweetie’s, and especially when they both start being sort of nice to the rest.

• They avoid being together in Fox Tower to keep the thing a secret until they’re sure, but the first time Wymack calls Kevin “son”, he is so elated that runs directly into Aaron to kiss him in the middle of the hallway.  

• Except it wasn’t Aaron.  

• It would've end ugly if Neil hadn't stopped Andrew on time.

• When Aaron knew, he got rid of every single piece of black clothing he owned so Kevin doesn’t make the same mistake twice.

• They also get safe questions Kevin asks before kissing.  

• They save the striker’s life more than once.

• After the shock of Kevin’s mistake, Andrew is so relieved? Because it’s not Katelyn anymore, so he silently approves and his bond with Aaron tightens, but neither he or Neil say a thing to the rest. It’s not their business.

• Matt was the first of the Foxes to notice something changed and got confirmation one afternoon when he caught them kissing in the living room.

• Instead of telling the others, he started and changed bets.  

• Nicky didn’t miss this and was the next to see how they pressed thighs when they were at Eden’s. They also started dancing with each other because why not?

• It took Aaron almost two months to tell Katelyn. She was heartbroken at first but had her suspicions of something going wrong, and then she was relieved she didn't have to be afraid of the scary twin anymore.  

• Thea guessed within a few days, during a phone call. She moved on immediately.

• The four remained as friends and started joining the group for some nights at Columbia.

• The rest of the Foxes know after they win the last game of the Autumn season. Kevin scored the last point. Aaron felt so in awe with the play that he ran all the way across the court to climb into his lovely giant.  

• Numb by the win, Kevin stripped off their helmets and give the twin the sweetest kiss.  

• The Foxes (fans and team) went crazy around them.

• Afterwards, whenever Kevin scores, he would blow a kiss across the court for Aaron to catch it, and Aaron always kisses Kevin’s tattoo at the end of every game.  

• As their thing becomes official, Kevin moves to Matt’s dorm but they still spend plenty of time in the other suite playing videogames with Nicky when they don’t have to study (or kiss).

• On the way to practices, they hold hands and Kevin likes to kiss Aaron’s knuckles. One by one until they arrive to Foxhole Court. Andrew will blast the music so he doesn’t hear and Nicky will try to take pictures until Aaron shoves the phone away.

• On movie nights, Aaron sits Kevin on his lap so he has something pretty to see, but on videogame nights, he is the one on Kevin’s lap only to distract him and win.

• When Kevin joins his first pro team and Aaron is in med school, they barely see each other and they both second guess their thing, but as soon as they get face to face again, they remember and they just. Can’t. Stop.

• And Kevin never stops blowing kisses even if Aaron is working. Kevin knows he’ll do everything to watch.

• They move together after years, and when they do, they get dogs just so they annoy Neil and Andrew’s cats.

• They are so in love with the Foxes babies, that they welcome twins and then, they adopt a baby girl.  

• Looking backwards, trying to play videogames was the best decisions Kevin ever made.

Hope you liked it! I did my very best :D

#aftg #aftg au #all for the game #aaron minyard #kevin day #kevaaron #kaaron #romance #aftg headcanon #headcanon #aftg hc #aftg fic #the foxhole court #the kings men #the raven king #exy is sexy #this fandom #did my best #i suck at tags #made with love #post canon #canon divergence #not canon

[luci-cunt]

Consider this AU hc: writer! Kevin bases a book on his friends bc write what you know and all, and the fan base is like: clearly andreil is a thing, Kevin could not have written them more gay (for eachother) but god Kevin is so oblivious. Anyways, this is how Kevin finds out

OOOOHHH!! Nonnie IM IN LOVE WITH YOU!!!

Ok so in my head--

Kevin’s known Andrew and Neil since college, they’ve all since graduated, exy isn’t a thing but instead Neils obsessed with some random sport idc

Andrew works as a crime analyst and when he gets bored he picks up odd jobs

They all three were dorm mates but when they graduated Andrew and Neil moved in together and Kevin got his own place down the street (ye above a bookshop)

Another thing about Andrew and Neil: they started dating two years after they met but Kevin is completely oblivious

Which shines through in his writing

Kevin’s books are your pretty standard adventure novels--he writes under an alias and the books usually have heavy historical settings that are THOROUGHLY researched

There’s a revolving cast that people adore but most specifically the two main characters: 1. a “mideival jock” and 2. (what news outlets politely deemed) a “satirical deconstruction of the Sherlock archetype” 

Andrew and Neil are absolutely none the wiser

It’s a big thing in the fandom to ship Andrew and Neil’s characters because they! are! gay!! 

but whenever Kevin gets asked he’s just like “what? no? they’re just bros?” and at first everyone thinks he’s being homophobic but they soon realize--no--he’s just an idiot

Anyways one day someone (probably Dan or something) ends up getting her hands on the books and realizes “hey wait--this character is literally me? and that’s allison? and that’s--oh my god” 

so she brings it up to Kevin, and he denies it vehemently, but she eventually twists his arm into confessing (literally)

Also also: Dan herself ships the Andrew/ Neil characters but she doesn’t know who they are

Kevin admits its them and she just flat out doesn’t believe him (blah blah Andrew’s a monster and [insert name] is a misunderstood asshole)

so anyways she learns that Neil and Andrew are NOT the couple she thought they were, and in the process she spills the beans to Kevin that they are--in fact--a couple

here’s a list of gay things(tm) Kevin wrote without realizing it

- he stole Andrew and Neil’s percentage thing - instead of armbands Andrew’s character wears a scarf around his neck to hide a scar he got as a child, there’s a scene where he takes off the scarf to patch up a wound of Neil’s character’s - multiple scenes of Neil’s character looking out for Andrew’s--who will regularly lock himself in his room and not leave or eat or sleep for days on end - literally there’s an entire book about Andrew’s character getting kidnapped and Neil’s going absolutely batshit and slaughtering half the continent to get him back - (side note about that books, half is from Neil’s character’s perspective and half from Andrew’s, who’s been told that Neil’s character is ALSO a prisoner and so HES trying to escape to get Neil out) - multiple soft scenes where they patch each other up and kiss off screen

Anyways, Kevin isn’t convinced that they’re a couple and it takes 

1- his editor (Jean) telling him he honestly thought Kevin was just going for the slowest burn romance in the history of fiction

and 2- noticing that Neil and Andrew have been wearing matching rings for like five years

(and then he’s pissed they didn’t invite him to the wedding, but that’s another story)

It’s safe to say Kevin’s readers finally get some closure

(also he breaks the internet when “Andreil” becomes canon)

<3333 thank you for the prompt Nonnie I fucking love this idea, and if anyone writes a fic based off this PLEASE TAG ME!!! I’ll read the FUCK out of it

#fic #luci writes #aftg #all for the game #andreil