#me introducing andrew: he smokes and likes long drives and hates the world

[dumpsterd1va]

okay you know this video with the French guys and the kitten in the road? my heads been doing this thing lately where everything i see lately is andreil so uh... have this little fic based on that lmfao im so sorry

curiosity and the cat

Andrew Minyard had grown up learning to appreciate quiet spaces. The bleachers during 3rd period. The back shelves of the library. The park at 1 AM. He was never truly alone but it was enough to pretend that nothing else existed except him, the ground beneath his feet, and the sky above his head.

It wasn’t until he got his first car that he understood true solitude. Four walls, four wheels, two arms, two legs, a tank of gas that would take him anywhere, and endless stretches of road. He’d run the tank dry and then do it all over again. It didn’t matter if it was rush hour or the dead of night. Everyone else existed in their own metal cocoons, at a distance and irrelevant to him, and he existed in a space that was fully his. All his. If threads of promises unkept weren’t holding him back, Andrew sometimes thought he could go and never come back, living in his car and driving circles around the country until the inevitable.

He always came back though, to the makeshift home he and the only two people he permitted to call him family had made for themselves in Columbia, but when sleep refused him, he would drive for miles and miles on empty roads towards an empty head. The hour and destination didn’t matter, only the feeling of the road churning beneath his tires and the smooth leather of the steering wheel gliding against his palms.

For Andrew taking a long drive to nowhere was like getting a haircut or drinking a tall glass of water on a summer day, so it was no surprise that he found himself on a forested highway just after dawn, letting the frigid morning breeze tangle in his hair.

No, the surprise wasn’t the drive nor the time nor the place.

It was the kitten.

There was nothing notable about the beginning, but then again beginnings are never terribly interesting. It began with the neon glow of 4:36 stabbing his eyes through the dark, a low throb in the back of his head, a parched throat, sweat dripping down his back and pooling uncomfortably just above where his hips connected to the mattress. His sweaty clothes, his matted hair, and the damp sheets clung to him like old memories. He was shivering.

So he drove.

He drove and he kept driving, down abandoned freeways and up windy mountain roads. He stopped for a cigarette at the peak of one, leaning back on the hood of his car and watching the muted pinks of the waking sun struggle against the pitch of night.

The storm inside him stilled.

The drive back home wasn’t as lonely as the drive out, but by that time Andrew didn’t need the silence anymore. He zipped past cars, weaving in and out of the lanes, ignoring the belated honks and indignant faces reflected in his rear view mirror.

He was coming up behind a motorcycle now, but he didn’t bother to pass it. Passing a motorcycle always felt like issuing a challenge and it was one Andrew didn’t have the energy to follow up on.

Which was why he was on autopilot, windows rolled down, radio humming low, going at least 20 miles slower than normal when it happened.

The facts didn’t make themselves immediately apparent. A small lump illuminated by the haze of his headlights, a flash of orange, an impossibly tiny face. Andrew only had just enough time to process what he had seen when he pulled over to the shoulder with a jerk of the wheel that probably would’ve earned him another honk if there had been more people on the road.

He was already flinging his door open and jumping out before he could even think when he noticed someone running towards him. The motorcyclist ahead of him had parked too and was sprinting at impossible speeds towards and now past Andrew. He could hear the helmet rattling against their skull as they hurtled towards the tiny orange speck on the road.

Another car was speeding towards them, but the motorcyclist either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Slamming his door shut and running up the road, Andrew held his hand up in front of him, gesturing for the car to slow down before it killed them. Miraculously there was no honking, only a curious gaze at the strange scene unfolding on the highway at just past six in the morning.

The motorcyclist remained ignorant of Andrew saving their lives, crouching on the ground and scooping the kitten up, cooing sweet nothings.

“How’d you get here little one?” The voice that escaped the helmet was a warm tenor and just a bit hoarse. The motorcyclist was walking towards the shoulder now. “Ah, p’tit loulou, you couldn’t have gotten here on your own. Where are you from?”

For a brief moment, Andrew basked in that jittery butterflies in your stomach feeling of standing in the middle of a road before trailing behind the motorcyclist who was still making embarrassing noises at the cat.

As he got closer, Andrew actually heard something that echoed his own train of thought, “Who would fucking leave a kitten in the middle of the road?” The helmet was bowed down now, gloved hands scratching the kitten’s head. “Some asshole abandoned you… when you’re this tiny.” A defeated sigh. “I’d take you but Sir doesn’t take kindly to strange cats and I don’t wanna upset her, but I can’t just leave you here.”

“Stop whining and give me the damn cat.” The motorcyclist seemed to register his presence for the first time and that’s when Andrew realized he’d said that out loud.

“Really? You’ll take it?” The voice had brightened considerably and even through the tinted glass of the helmet, Andrew could see a smile.

Andrew shrugged and rubbed the kitten’s head right between the ears, its large eyes staring up at him as he did so. “Just another stray.”

“Thank you,” the motorcyclist said as the kitten transferred between their hands. “You take in stray cats often?”

“Not cats.”

Hands finally free, the motorcyclist ripped off the helmet and rested it against their side. “Oh, so dogs then?”

Andrew drank in the sweaty red hair that stuck up from the motorcyclist’s head like an explosion, the frigid blue eyes that were so clear they looked like glass, the elegant nose, the strong eyebrows, the thin lips, the freckled cheeks. All things that would have made a classic beauty, had it not been for a trail of thin scars and burn marks criss crossing through those striking features that revealed a life not easily lived. They took that face from classic to once in a lifetime.

“People.”

A quirked eyebrow. A relaxed smirk. “Is that so? I’m glad you have experience then.”

Andrew didn’t miss the sarcasm dripping from their voice like molasses. “Whatever I’m taking the cat.”

Hands raised in surrender. Eyes amused. “Hey, it—” A cursory glance. “Sorry, she’s all yours. You’re gonna want to get her checked out at the vet first though. Ringworm in kittens can be deadly. And super contagious.”

Andrew’s grip on the kitten must’ve tightened because she mewled with some discomfort. He loosened his hands and stroked her behind her ears.

“Hey,” the voice was softer now, velvet smooth. Blue eyes peered down at him through thick lashes. “I can help you make a drop in appointment. I just can’t risk possibly exposing my own cat to diseases. I’m probably already going to have to burn this whole outfit.” Taking in the worn jeans and the flaking leather jacket, Andrew didn’t think that’d be such a bad idea.

He said as much and earned himself an eye roll. “Sure, criticize the guy who’s trying to help you out.” Said guy rubbed a finger against the kitten’s face. “Be glad you’re so cute or I’d never go through all this trouble.”

Andrew had to agree.

Pulling an ancient phone out of his equally ancient pants pocket, Andrew’s second unexpected companion for the day pressed a few buttons before putting the phone to his ear. After a few rings he said, “Hi, I’d like to bring in a kitten I just found.” A beat of silence. “Not sure. Yeah.” His fingers idly stroked the kitten’s back. “Yes, I can be there in an hour. Tell the doctor it’s Neil Josten. Yep, thanks so much. Bye.”

Strapping his helmet back on, Neil said to Andrew, “Just follow me, I’ll take you to the clinic I take Sir to.”

They strode along the shoulder until they reached Andrew’s car. “Fine, but don’t pull any trick shit, I’m in a car remember?”

“From the way you were driving, I think you need to remind yourself first.”

Unlocking his car, Andrew sighed. Motorcyclists and their attitudes. “Hold this.” He handed over the kitten to Neil before yanking his sweatshirt off. He wrapped his hands in the hoodie before taking her back and swaddling her in it until only her face was showing.

“Oh, you’ll make a great cat mom.”

“Shut up.”

“Should I get you a baby on board sticker?”

“I will leave you and the disease carrier on the street to rot if you don’t quit it.”

An easy grin was hidden behind the helmet but Andrew managed to see it regardless. He chose to ignore it and instead clambered over the driver’s seat, setting the kitten on the ground on the passenger’s side. He slid the seat all the way up and found a few more discarded jackets for padding to prevent the kitten from sliding around. She was still gazing up at him with those huge eyes, but didn’t seem unhappy with the arrangement.

Giving her one last head scratch, he muttered. “If you even think about peeing or pooping or puking in here, I will toss you out the window.”

When he was satisfied, he turned back to Neil and said, “Lead the way.”

Neil’s expression was unreadable on the account of the helmet but the gentle tone of his voice was unmistakable when he murmured just loud enough for Andrew to hear, “I’m glad it was you.”

He walked off without another word and straddled his motorcycle, leaving Andrew to climb back into his car a little dazed.

Beginnings are boring. Monotone, colorless, unoriginal. But it only takes one change in routine, one chance encounter, to make a beginning move towards a different starting line. A new norm. It’s that shift between the old and the new when things really start to get interesting.

And on that particular morning, Andrew had not one but two surprises.

The kitten.

And Neil.

#andreil #aftg #all for the game #the foxhole court #tfc #maybe i'll continue this #i just needed to get it out of my head #havent really thought that far ahead lol #writing andrew thinking neil is hot makes me laugh #andrew: a literal poet #andrews mouth: die #i dont think i'll ever write not from andrews perspective because it amuses me so much #but sometimes its hard to balance him between all the asshole traits and the traits about him i love #me introducing andrew: he smokes and likes long drives and hates the world #also me: sounds like an asshole #also also me: HES MISUNDERSTOOD KAREN #my fic

[buffalowingsfortwo]

9/20/19 4:00 am

ash to faith

im drafting this in the notes of my phone because my wifi’s being really shitty. i know it’s better to not just do it in the app anyways, but i hate this. i like tumblr’s formatting and the knowledge that all of my work could be wiped out in a second if the app doesn’t feel like working properly.

today was lot. not like how yesterday was a lot, but for real a lot. i could’ve gone to sleep a long time ago but i’ve been processing.

i got up around 1 today and just stayed in bed until like 3. i had plans to go out with kris for a couple hours, so after a while, i had to get up and get ready. i did my makeup and drove to his house and tried to think about anything other than what happened last night. he got in the car, and started talking about last night immediately, and i tried to ignore him and focus on the sounds of fall out boy’s greatest hits. it kind of just made me feel worse.

after some debate, we (i) decided we’d go to vons to buy a fruit bowl, and then find something to do in the middle of nowhere. it took 15 or 20 minutes to find an old broken down shed that i’ve been wanting to explore for a while. we ate honeydew and watermelon and walked onto the property and hoped there weren’t dead bodies or someone waiting to shoot us. unfortunately, there were neither. it would’ve actually been really exciting if we did run into a problem like that.

the shed thing wasn’t that exciting, so we looked around every corner, and took a few pictures, and i carved “A+K 9/19” into what was once a couch. he took my knife and carved a heart above it. i tried not to think about what that would look like to anyone else. we ran around and took more pictures and i got lots of stickers and splinters in my shoes. he kept trying to grab me, and maintain any kind of physical contact with me. i kept trying to run to different locations and keep the distance between us. i didn’t want to be mean, but i came there specifically to explore. around 5:30, i announced that we had to leave so i could take him home. we walked back to the car, and before i could start driving away, he grabbed my hand and started talking about his feelings. i was trying to focus on fall out boy’s greatest hits. most of what he said blurred together. i make him feel like nothing else. i make him really happy. he really likes to spend time with me. im really unique. i looked pretty in the sunlight. he talked about me a lot to his friends and family. and while he said all these things, i looked everywhere but at him, and thought about everything but him. and i felt bad. like, really bad. but he wouldn’t stop talking. and i know from past experience that he has a habit of going speechless when i do something bold or unexpected. so i kissed him. and then as quickly as i went in, i pulled back, and i started driving us back into the city.

he talked more after that. he was really flustered, and it would’ve been cute, if the full situation wasn’t so awful. i didn’t say much. i dropped him off at a restaurant where he was meeting his family for dinner, and when he got out of the car, he kissed me again. and that’s when it really set in that im a fucking idiot and i should never be trusted to handle my own problems. i kept driving and tried really hard to focus on fall out boy’s greatest hits.

i went home and ate a few snacks and then shelby said she needed someone to go to target with, knowing that i am the world’s biggest fan of target. we went, and she got some stuff for her dorm, and i made out with chapstick for both of us, and two new lip glosses. while we were there, i ran into sydney and her best friend alyssa, but managed to play it off like i didn’t actually see them. i don’t know if they saw me. if they did, they didn’t say anything. im grateful for that.

i took shelby home and had to go straight back out, because kris and our whole group of friends was going bowling to celebrate kris’s departure from the valley. we met at dominic’s house, where everyone smoked and we all made dumb jokes, and i was introduced to dominic’s younger brother kenny, and a group of his friends, all of whom are really weird and really loud. i think they’re cool though. an hour and a half or so later, we left for the bowling alley.

kris offered to pay for my bowling because i had $3.30 in my bank account. i felt bad but i let him. it was me, kris, connor, dom, damonte, andrew, julya, paige, and madi, and everyone was super high except for me. i didn’t mind, because it’s been a while since i’ve had a fun night, and i was just happy to see everyone. we played through our game and it was messy. we split up the boys and girls and found out our skill levels were pretty evenly split. julya fuckin killed it and got the second highest score, right after damonte, who i guess invented bowling. i got the second to lowest score, barely above connor, who on probably half his turns, just threw the ball directly into the gutter. it was humiliating for both of us and i’ll probably never stop making fun of him for it.

when the game finished, everyone went outside to smoke, because madi had a wax pen, and half the people in that group will apparently die if they don’t have a cigarette every 30 seconds. while they went around in a circle, i sat on the back of dominic’s car and looked at the stars and thought about it all. this and everything beyond it. the city we were in. the street we were on. and the moon to my right. and for a moment, i understood the weight of my whole life, and i watched it swim under me, and i was at peace with that moment and everything that had led up to it. and i was so happily above it all.

it was getting close to midnight, and i had already pushed my curfew far past the breaking point (with my mom’s half permission) so i let everyone know i had to go. they all started talking about where they were gonna go for food, and i went around hugging everyone. it was fine until i got to kris and everyone ran to their cars, as if the moment wasn’t tense enough already. so i went and hugged him for a bit, and then told him i had to go, and when i pulled back, he kissed me. and because i felt bad, and because i was having a good night, and because i knew it wouldn’t last, and because it had just been so long since anyone had looked at me like that, i let him. and it felt awful. he tasted like cigarettes and cold water. he isn’t a bad kisser, and i do like the taste of cigarettes, but the feeling of it all just broke me. in dominic’s car behind us, were dom, andrew, connor, and damonte, all very obnoxiously cheering. and i laughed with them. and kris kissed me again. and i thought about how it was such a nice night. and i thought about how it was such a nice place to be. but it wasn’t home. and no amount of loneliness could make it so. so i stopped him, and said i had to go, and i told him he’d find a nice girl at college to fuck. and he said he really liked me. and i laughed, because there weren’t any words to cover the guilt and adrenaline and chaos i was feeling. so i pushed him over to dominic’s car, and all the guys started yelling out praise for me. i told them to fuck off and suck dicks, and they just turned up the music, and started yelling and bouncing around as if seeing someone make out with their best friend was the most exciting thing they could fathom. and i laughed as they drove away. and when they were gone, i looked down sierra highway, and i knew i wasn’t above anything at all.

i went home and ate the chicken pot pie my mom had made for dinner and left in the fridge, and then some watermelon, and spent a couple hours on shelby’s bedroom floor while she packed for school. and i filled her in and we both felt bad. so i played jerome by lizzo on a loop, and tried not to think about any of it. which became really hard when i started getting screenshots from ari who was getting texts from dominic about how me and kris had just made out and how kris was in love with me and they were all horribly depressed that he was about to leave for school and that this timing was so bad. i still wonder how none of them realized the timing was bad because i made it so. i can’t tell if what i did makes me heartless or not. probably. but im too tired to consider anything right now. i still have stickers in my socks and i just want to sleep forever. this would be a really good time for you to still live reasonably close to me. but it is what it is, i guess.

“i don’t blame you for being you, but you can’t blame me for hating it”

- a little less sixteen candles, a little more touch me by fall out boy