#(also neil: but Exy IS who i is. am. kevin gets that tho)
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An incomplete list of my favorite AFTG fics
All of these are on AO3, and yes I’m only writing this because I’m procrastinating working on TMHYHM. So, in no particular order, my favorite AFTG fics.
The Multi-Part Fics (Complete)
All of these have ended and taken a bit of my heart with them.
1. August by gus_47 (2/2)
If you know anything about me you know that I’m obsessed I enjoy anything and everything written by gus_47. I am their biggest fan; I would read their grocery lists if they let me. So obviously, I was obsessed with this story as soon as it was published. It’s Kevaaron and just- ugh. Heartbreaking. AND !! There’s going to be a second part. So technically it’s finished, but never fear because we’re not done with my boys yet.
2. 12 Ways To Woo A Minyard by NikNak22 (14/14)
This is a non-exy college Andriel fic with background Kevaaron and Jerjean. Basically, Neil is friends with the Foxes and has a huge crush on Andrew. The Foxes try and help Neil confess, lots of fun fluffy antics ensue. Plus, it’s a “Kevaaron is obviously happening but Neil’s too busy pining to notice” fic, so... yeah
3. Flavors of Fall by NikNak22 (20/20)
Don’t even get me started on this one. It’s Andreil, Andrew’s POV, small-town romance. Andrew’s a photographer and lives in a cottage!! in the woods!! and the Foxes have small-town spooky season fun!! It’s just so fluffy and fun and god the yearning. One of my favorite fluff fics, stg it’s so amazing.
4. Bad Habits by mitigates (2/2)
Okay so listen... I won’t lie, there’s a lot of smut. HOWEVER!!! There’s also fuckin soft Jeremy Knox running a childrens home!! and I need that in my life so badly. Anyway, it’s Andriel, Kevaaron, and Jerjean. Also Neil and Kev hooked up once, and it’s a big joke?? Honest to god, it comes up at least four times-
5. Red Rabbits by bloodydamnit, Jeni182, SeaBear13, and windeavesdrops (25/25)
It’s Andriel with background Renee/Allison, not a fluff fic at all so be warned. Andrew is a journalist who starts a podcast trying to hunt down Mary and Nathaniel Wesninksi. Neil, obviously, doesn’t want to be found. It was an interactive story, there’s a Tumblr page, it’s just so good? Really, go read it. I have no other words.
6. quicksand by likearecord (9/9)
This bad boy is Andriel with fuckboy Aaron and Neil is Kev’s little brother. The sheer amount of gay panic in this story, I simply cannot express to you how much fun this is. I cackled so loudly in the middle of the fucking night. Also like- Andrew gets to have friends?? and family who loves him?? And Neil is a being of utter chaos. It’s beautiful.
7. The Odds Are Never In Our Favor by MalikShah (29/29)
It’s not my normal style, but it was so good? It’s AFTG + The Hunger Games. Andriel, a few character deaths, and just a lot of tears. They’re so gay and so sad and it’s so fun.
8. Thorns by Mostly_Maudlin (2/2)
Andreil during Neil’s fifth year. Lots of healthy communication after some not-so-healthy communication. Just a sweet little fic of Andreil learning how to live when they aren’t right next to eachother. (there is smut tho, just so you’re prepared).
9. a switchblade is my preferred weapon by badacts (48/48)
LOCKED FIC, YOU NEED AN AO3 ACCT TO READ !!
Anyways, this is AFTG if Neil was in the Nest and left with Kevin. It’s Andriel and very good. The slowest of slowburns. You aren’t ready. You may think you’re ready, but you aren’t.
10. Am I Screaming To An Empty Sky? by phan_taloon (4/4)
guys... this one is just heartbreaking. It’s Andriel, hurt with very little comfort, and honestly super triggering so be sure to read the tags before you read. Basically, the Foxes lose the finals and Neil ends up in the Nest. I think I sobbed the whole time I was reading, honestly.
11. never fallen (from quite this high) by crystalcrow (43/43)
It’s AFTG from Andrew’s POV. Deffo a must-read, that’s all I have to say. Also, the first AFTG fic I read so... good memories, ig?
12. Back To The Start by fuzzballsheltiepants (11/11)
Andriel during Neil’s fifth year. Andrew gets injured and loses his memory. It’s just as heartbreaking as it sounds, but also so painfully sweet. gives major “I don’t know you, but I know that I love you” vibes. So good.
The Multi-Part Fics (Incomplete)
Some of these are abandoned, some are not, all of them are worth reading.
1. I left you alone in a house, not a home by ohhhhmygod (4/?)
Andreil after canon where Neil has a little brother. It’s not a super fluffy fic so far, but it’s so good !!
2. Blame It On My Youth by youreyestheyglow (115/?)
Andriel 10 years post-canon. They’re foster dads!! Nat and Paige are what I never knew I needed, I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with this story. The quintessential AFTG fic.
3. Hoax by gus_47 (31/40)
C’mon guys, it’s gus_47 ofc I love it. Jerejean after the Ravens. Absolutely, completely obsessed. It’s so fucking good y’all. Just read it.
4. Redemption by accioice (30/?)
So, Neil goes to the Nest as a kid, but instead of Riko abusing them, the Perfect Court becomes family (plus Ichirou). Eventually they go to Palmetto and there’s Andriel!! Kev is a bi disaster, we get some neurodivergent rep, and really really good found family. They just love each other so much. Honestly, it’s a good “what if..?” fic. Like, what if Riko broke the cycle of abuse? It’s just really good and you need to read it.
5. Andrew Minyard v. The Spear Family by preciousfoxes (10/?)
Andrew takes legal action against the Spears and Neil is a “feral dumpster raccoon lawyer”. Really, it’s just Andrew having gay thoughts for 10 chapters straight. And can you blame him? Neil with a man bun. Neil with piercings and tattoos. Neil in a suit.
6. I Beg You, Whisper My Name Like A Prayer by Louie__TheLonely (4/?)
Picture this. Highschool AU. Neil and Andrew are best friends. They are horribly gay for each other. And horribly oblivious. I AM OBSESSED.
7. Neil Fights The Foxes by This_Witch_Writes (10/12)
Neil picking fights when the Foxes treat Andrew badly? Yes, please. I am a whore for protective Neil. Be warned, there’s some triggering stuff in later chapters. Check tags and stay safe <3
8. Let’s make things interesting by Nico4undead (16/?)
Enter the Minyard-Josten rivalry. That’s it. That’s the whole thing.
9. Innominate by Major_816 (18/74)
Neil gets sold to the Moriyamas, but ends up with Ichirou instead of Riko. Now he’s a badass crime lord working undercover at Palmetto. Get ready for heartwrenching angst and heartwarming found family. I cannot express how obsessed I am.
10. In Which Neil Josten Is A PR Nightmare by CoverYourEyes (16/?)
Eve has the (mis)fortune of working as Neil Josten’s PR manager during the Minyard-Josten rivalry. Otherwise known as: Neil is ungovernable.
11. Tell Me How You Hate Me by Killingmeslowly_24 (that’s me !!) (3/18)
I can’t make a fic list without including my child. So, it’s TKM from Andrew’s POV. Andrew is absolutely feral for Neil, and he’s seriously in denial. It’s so much fun to write. Also!! we get the Nicky content we deserve!! Nicky as an adoring cousin!! (and is that Renee/Allison I see on the horizon? It is? 0.0)
The Oneshot Fics
They’re short, they might be sweet, and rest assured: they’re amazing.
1. Just Because I Can by NikNak22
Am I obsessed with this writer? maybe. Bro it’s 5+1, Neil pranking the Foxes and the Foxes pranking Neil back. Amazing, hilarious, I love it.
2. A Yellow Made Out Of Gray by thelessiknow
5 times Neil sees his friends feel loved + 1 time Neil feels loved. That’s it. That’s the fic. It’s just as fluffy and perfect as it sounds.
3. stay (you don’t have to go) by Major_816
Ohhhh boy. This one. It breaks me. Andriel highschool AU, they meet on a suicide prevention forum. So... major TW. It destroyed me, I’m not going to lie.
4. One day we’ll reveal the truth by allyasavedtheday
LOCKED FIC, YOU NEED AN AO3 ACCT TO READ !!
Aaron doesn’t trust Neil’s intentions, so Andrew tells him to watch how they interact. Cue the fluff.
5. Scribbles and Sticky Notes by Fortheloveofexy
I am so sorry in advance. Post-canon, Neil starts leaving sticky notes out for Andrew. Sweet things or reminders, whatever. Andrew saves them all. AND THEN YOU CRY !!
6 (and 7). goodbye, family. and don’t say goodbye by queenDay05
Neil knows his countdown is ending, so he records a video. The Foxes can’t find Neil, but they do find his goodbye. Absolutely soul crushing.
8. just a footnote by Anonymous
Kevaaron, they’re friends with benefits. Aaron is in love and not handling it well. Fluff and smut, so much mutual pining. One of my favorite oneshots ever.
Well! That was a wonderful little distraction, uhhhh.... expect an update by the end of the week? Life’s been... shit, honestly and I haven’t had the energy to write.
Take care of yourselves, my loves <3
#all for the game#all for the game fanfic#aftg#aftg fic#aftg fic recs#the foxhole court#tfc#tfc fanfic#splishsplash originals#splishsplash recs
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Imagine little Kevin Day. His mother just died a few years ago and he’s trapped in the big bad Nest, being surrounded by the darkness. And then little Nathaniel makes and appearance and it’s like a ray of sunshine made its way in the Nest and Kevin is so excited to have Nathaniel around and making plans for the future with him and promising him that they’re going to be Court, and then Nathaniel is gone, he’s disappeared and Kevin is crushed. 1/?
What happened? Where did he go? Didn’t he want to be friends anymore? He would ask the Master every day if he’s been found, but he stopped after the master slapped him in the face and told him to leave him alone with his aberration. And for years he would look in the newspaper and at the news to see if they’ve been found. He had Jean now, but Jean is not Nathaniel. He’s lost all hope after Riko crushed his hand. His only worry now was to stay alive. 2/?
He drinks and plays and fights and his mind is now far from Nathaniel and checking for him. At some point one thing lead to another and he falls for Andrew, and they kiss and they fuck, but he knows Andrew would not reciprocate. And then Neil Josten comes along and he’s so infuriating and interesting and he plays with everything he’s got and he’s got both of them intrigued. 3/?
And Neil’s real identity is discovered by Kevin and he feels like the ground have up from beneath his feet and was falling and falling and falling, but at the end he landed and he’s finally releasing a breath he’s been holding because Nathaniel is safe and he’s alive, but also an idiot for putting a target on his back. And Baltimore happens and he realises his intense his feelings have been for this trouble kid all along and how he couldn’t bear to lose him again. 4/?
My point is, Kevin Day has always been in love with Neil and he’s lost him and recovered him and he’s not letting go of him ever again. 5/5
--
I just, wonder so much what little 8 year old nathaniel wesninski was like....I wonder if kevin knew it was a tryout when they met? How often did this kind of thing happen? this is tetsuji still trying to build the ravens right, like kevin and riko were playing Exy before most people knew it existed, so it makes sense that there would be multiple tryouts
I imagine kevin not really getting the whole “sold to the moriyamas” thing and is like !! okay! hey this tryout kid is actually good!! he actually seems to CARE about the game!! and have skills! he wouldn’t have had, you know, many friends, so i imagine kev getting really excited to be friends with nathaniel but not knowing how to make friends so he awkwardly follows him around and talks at him
(I wonder how pleased riko would’ve been at that...)
It doesn’t make sense, to Kevin, to think of himself as separate from Exy. Neil is part of Exy. It doesn’t make sense, to Kevin, to think of a time he didn’t feel like this for Neil: it’s so much a part of him that it takes him a long time to figure out what to call it
(On another note imagine Kevin having trouble understanding that Andrew loving being obessed with Neil isn’t the same as loving Exy. “How can you care about Neil and not Exy they’re part of each other?” “There’s so much there to unpack that I’m tired just hearing it”)
#its ok kev#Anonymous#kevineil#sometimes....your perception of love.......can be tied to a violent sport#andrew: kevin doesn't understand that Exy isn't what neil IS it's what neil DOES#bee: so like you and the times you've hurt people?#andrew: .....motherfucker#(also neil: but Exy IS who i is. am. kevin gets that tho)#alcohol /
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pt. four(and final) of things i gathered from reading nora's extra content :
parts one, two, three
[tws: guns, shooting]
- if kevin were ever to make out with any of the foxes, it would be allison because a) she's gorgeous and b) there would be no strings attached
- "(I was super proud of myself for making Kevin like pineapples because I am not a fan of them and I was like YES NORA THINK OUTSIDE THE COMFORT ZONE)" - nora about kevin liking pineapples
- kevin's best memory that isn't exy related is finding kayleigh's letter and discovering who his father is
- seth could sing! he was a tenor
- seth doesn't hit woman unless it's on the court
- aaron has the second-best grades on the team after kevin
- nicky never reconciles with his family after drake
- and rightfully so luther can die
- neil was matt's best man at his wedding :')
- thea and kevin got married and had a child who got along well with 'grandpa wymack'
- as cute as that is, ew bc imo kev and thea are not it
- but anyway
- jean and renee attempted long distance dating but it didn't work out
- definitely because jean and jeremy are meant to be(this is my opinion tho so)
- renee is the only one of the foxes to marry without the other foxes in attendance, but only because she met someone who worked with her and they couldn't take enough time off of their job to have a wedding and the place that they were didn't take well to visitors
- jean was originally going to commit suicide to alert and bring attention to the abuse faced in the nest but it was changed in the last draft
- neil only ever places one bet the entirety of his time at palmetto state
- aaron proposes to katelyn before starting his fifth year, and they marry soon after graduation
- after graduation allison becomes a fashion designer
- allison had two kids, one son and one trans daughter ! she was fiercely supportive and god i love her
- allison's son develops a crush on kevin's kid💀
- matt proposed to dan on the morning of his graduation ceremony
- later on in the pros, andrew would punch their coach after they let an injured neil onto the court for a sub
- between andrew and neil, andrew is better with babies
- the only reason why robin cross, the freshman goalie that is recruited andrew's senior year, was approached was because andrew specifically asked for her
- if you want to know more about robin(her story is actually pretty messed up), here's the link
- when robin is incepted into the cousin's family, she moves into their dorm
- but because there are only four beds, andrew gives her his and shares with neil
- andrew gives robin his and renee's knives when he graduates
- originally, kevin and riko were dating but they broke up because riko cheated on him with jean, though riko and jean went by different names
- in that draft jean actually broke kevin's hand instead
- riko had capital i Issues
- like we already knew that but still
- "Did you know that from day 1 of All for the Game, when it was a shoddy little comic taking place in a Japanese high school, up until the second-to-last draft, they were lovers? The main drama in the first comic was that Riko had cheated on Kevin with Jean, and Kevin stormed off in a heartbroken fit, and Riko was trying to win him back before Kevin & Neil fell in love together." - nora about kevin and riko
- riko broke kevin's hand by stomping on it
- there was a draft where riko shot both neil and kevin, though neil was the only one to survive
- after jean moves to the trojans, kevin tells jeremy that jean can't go anywhere alone due to being so used too the raven's way of living and functioning
- i take this as confirmation that jeremy and jean get really close and they bond and fall in love and-
- when kayleigh and wymack were a thing, they were in an open relationship because kayleigh didn't have time for monogamy
- it's also helped to disguise kevin's parentage
- "Wymack was definitely sweeter on her than she was on him, and it killed him a little that he couldn’t win her over, but he respected her wishes and never pushed her for more than what she wanted to give him. He did a lot of drinking on the nights she was out with her other lovers, though. His head understood why it was better this way–she had dreams, and he had dreams, and they would spend most of their lives apart because of the paths they needed to walk even if they were each other’s one & only–but it took his heart a couple years to catch on." - nora about wymack and kayleigh's relationship
- half of the canon drafts of tfc ended with kevin dying
- nora says that kevin's straight but no he isn't
- nora's aro-ace !!
- say kandreil(kev, neil, and andrew) had still been a thing. if kevin had died, andrew and neil would have had a massive falling out and the resulting events would result in neil leaving abruptly, taking his money and contacts with him and leaving without warning
- the loss of both neil and kevin so close together sent andrew further into a spiral of self-destruction. he was on the edge when neil finally returned, but it took a long, long time for their relationship to be eveb halfway mended
- nora sakavic is actually a pseudonym !
- tfc was born from the most epic of thoughts: 'i want to write a comic about gay athletes'
- abby and wymack never get married but they do move in together during neil's fifth year
- they grow old and are eventually buried together
#lys rereads aftg#that's the end of this :')#if you want to read the extra content yourself it's on a blog.called korakos !!#all for the game#aftg#neil josten#andrew minyard#andreil#kevin day#aaron minyard#twinyards#allison reynolds#renison#renee walker#seth gordon#dan wilds#matt boyd#wymack#david wymack#jean moreau#jerejean#jeremy knox#riko moriyama#betsy dobson#kayleigh day#robin cross#tfc#the foxhole court#trk#the raven king
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Hugs & Foxes
(because i’m a sucker for hugs and obsessed with the foxes)
#1. DAN
Dan gives the most bone-crushing hugs in the entire team. It’s almost scary considering she usually do side-hugs
Like, how more bone-crushing could it be if it was a full-on hug?
On other occasions, she gives patting hugs. That usually cheers or motivates the foxes up, or gets them back in their game.
She usually gives them after games, regardless of results.
#2. KEVIN
This boy does not know how to hug.
Like, he’s an exy star raised in the nest, okay? They don’t exactly teach hugs (not that hugs are teachable anyway).
He gives London bridge hugs.
They’re more awkward and loose.
Awkward in a way that both him and the huggee (is that a real thing or am I just making it up?) are both uncomfortable.
But he does it anyway when he wants to encourage his family.
Even if it leads to a bit of awkwardness, at least they can laugh it out.
#3. ANDREW
Andrew does not hug.
The rest of the foxes don’t hug him and he never hugs anyone. It is an unspoken agreement. (Dan usually just nods at him during pre and after games)
Whether the foxes saw Andrew give one to Neil after a long day at a far corner no one would be looking at after practice when they were all meandering about, they do not comment.
Neil vouches to the girls that it beats Matt’s hugs.
#4. MATT
Matt obviously gives the best hugs. Without a doubt.
Bear hugs
He’s like also the best hugger in the entire team- like, he knows just how tight or loose the hug should be. The huggee never feels uncomfortable with his hugs.
Also, the huggee always feel happy after his hugs. They’re that good.
Matt is the best hugger. Enough said.
#5. AARON
For someone so detached, Aaron surprisingly hugs like he has everything to lose.
His hugs are tight, tight, tight and they tend to feel long although they’re surprisingly short.
His hugs are usually sloppy
I meant sloppy hugs (yes, that’s a thing) not that they are sloppy (are they tho? I don’t know, how does it feel to be hugged by Aaron Minyard anyway??)
I want to be hugged by Aaron Minyard
Scratch that, I want to be hugged by all the foxes. And then I’ll hug them back because they deserve all the hugs in the world.
His hugs feel like as if it’s the last time he’ll ever see the huggee.
#6. SETH
He dead, son
LOL just kidding
I mean he is dead, but I think Seth would totally be into those classic side-bro hugs.
Short and snappy, just enough to not make him uncomfortable.
#7. ALLISON
Definitely gives tight-friend hugs.
Y’know- the traditional two-armed hugs where both people’s chests are touching.
They’re just a tad 10% tighter than Aaron’s.
Whoever fox she gives a hug to will always mostly 90% of the time feel awkward and a sense of fulfilment at the same time.
Because it’s Allison Reynolds- she’s just all that.
#8. NICKY
Nicky clearly loves hugs.
Like, he is so ready to hug the shit out of someone because he’s so deprived from physical affection way back and it’s his own sad way of coping with ✨things✨
His love language is physical touch, okayyy
But he loves hugs- he loves giving totally filial and platonic ones.
Because of Andrew, he always asks the huggee first if they would like a hug. Surprisingly, most of the answers he gets are yes.
And so he hugs real good.
He usually does heart-to-heart hugs, and he always hugs long.
He hugs like that of a loving and supportive father (if any of the foxes ever know what it feels like, really).
#9. RENEE
Surprisingly, Renee is not a hugger.
Like, she hugs alright but she doesn’t offer it on a silver platter like Nicky or Matt.
She’s usually into talking about feelings more, or baking goods for someone who feels bad.
Whenever she feels like it though, she often gives a quick buddy hug (a combination of a quick hug and buddy hug) and it would instantly make the huggee feel better.
One time, Allison was having a bad day and she was surprised to receive a hug from behind. Renee never said anything but she didn’t mind the bad day so much after (or even considered it a bad day).
#10. NEIL
Oh gods, where do I even start with this boy?
Like Kevin, Neil doesn’t know how to hug. But unlike him, he surprisingly gives good hugs.
Even if he rarely gives one.
There’s a higher chance of him giving one when he’s drunk
But he also hugs whenever he feels like it
The foxes (with the exception of Aaron, maybe, who knows) all love it
Like they’re always so excited for Neil’s hugs
They just love Neil Josten that much
Like who gave the right for that boy to be freaking adorable?
And why would anyone hurt this boy?
Anyway, everyone usually feels happy after Neil’s hugs.
Because Neil doesn’t really hug, so him hugging means a lot, y’know?
Also, I like to believe that Neil is the only one of the foxes who got to hug everyone in the team (yes, including Aaron)
#all for the game#all for the gay#aftg#dan wilds#kevin day#andrew minyard#matt boyd#aaron minyard#seth gordon#allison reynolds#nicky hemmick#renee walker#neil josten#the foxes#andreil#the foxhole court#the raven king#the kings men#nora sakavic#i try to be buzzfeed but better#raeraegoaway
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(responding to your tags bc it's interesting and i've been thinking about it a lately) andrew isn't necessarily less violent when medicated be he definitely follows through more when he's sober? and he gets distracted much more easily from being angry when he's medicated. in the first book he smacks neil with the exy racket, but it seems more like an impulse than planned, and then we see him threaten people twice (nicky and kevin) but not follow through, also on impulse, his plan to drug neil, which is carried out semi-sober, and that's about it. (he also threatens to hurt himself but doesn't follow through, impulse as well) after easthaven he pretty much immediately chokes allison and has to be bargained with to stop, punches matt, threatens katelyn, chokes kevin and has to be physically pulled off him before he stops, attempts to physically fight the fbi, nearly punches neil, and breaks rikos arm. idk i wouldn't say he's like, nonviolent on medication by any means but i think it did defang him in the way the court intended it to, for the most part. he does genuinely seem to lose interest in following through in the first part of the books, and he gains that focus back in the latter half. obv this isn't like, an ironclad theory and also it's possbile i'm missing smth bc this is off the top of my head, but i also think that as far as it cosmetically looking like it's making a difference it could just about pass muster for a parole officer who's making sure there haven't been any extra murders yet.
sorry this is super long i just have many thought thank u for ur time
oh my GOD do not apologize for sending me this i am so happy to see all your thoughts and i think its totally fascinating. i am 100% with you on the fact that sober andrew has more follow-through--hitting someone who hit someone else like...yesterday is a very pre-meditated, almost clinical sort of violence. there's no real emotion to it, it's just methodical punishment, and drugged andrew seems like he would respond at least less reliably with violence since the drugs would wash away his immediate emotional reaction by the time he ran into matt again.
so its more a matter of...is clinical violence more violent than impulsive violence? which is why i would want to actually like. collect all the incidents and compare them not just in number but severity. because of the nature of plot, a lot of really insane shit happens in late in the series when andrew is sober, versus many of the triggers for his violence when he's drugged are a lot less serious; nicky making an off-colour joke, kevin being pushy about exy. it's hard to directly compare that to like, someone andrew loves being kidnapped and presumably murdered. i couldnt confidently say if drugged andrew would react with less violence to that situation because drugged andrew never encounters a situation that serious (excepting drake, in which case its a) against himself, who he doesnt value as much as his family b) he's too physically injured to do much other than hold on to aaron).
(actually speculating about how drugged andrew might have responded to baltimore is an interesting puzzle--but then its begs the question of how neil and andrews relationship might have evolved if andrew was still drugged, since i personally hc that andrew isnt comfortable with engaging in sexual activity when he's high)
BASICALLY i could make a case for either side really, because its so ambiguous. i can kind of see how andrews sober, methodical and premeditated violence would be more frightening to people than the emotionally impulsive one-off incidents that happen when he's drugged, but the volatile nature of andrews moods when he's on his medications do not seem super safe either.
i think tho we can agree that andrews medications werent really about his own mental health--they were about controlling his behaviour. whether they worked or not...unclear. whether they were ethical or not? hell no.
ugh. next time i read the books im gonna have to use sticky notes to keep track of all the incidents. im gonna have a goddamn spreadsheet of andrew behaviours.
#guys i think i need a life.#sinistercacophony#asks#andrew minyard#medication tw#mental health#idk how to tag this but if its upsetting plz let me know#drake spear#reference to noncon
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Foxes + New Years
the exy team doesn’t do a lot with the other athletes of Fox Tower. Or more accurately the other athletes don’t want to anything with them
New Years is the exception.
Every New Years the captains of all the different teams get together and organize the biggest party of the college year.
It usually takes place on the Exy court because it has the glass enclosed court but the rest is open so they can see the fireworks.
(Because no one can convince me that a stadium that sits 65,000+ is completely enclosed)
Though almost all the teams from campus attend, there isn’t a lot of mingling and it is a lot like the Exy banquets.
Except on the dance floor of course because really they’re drunk colleges and aren’t that picky about who they’re next to.
Anyway it usually goes without flaw or incidents.
Usually
But when there is it almost always involves one or more of the Exy team memebers.
And more times then not that means Andrew and Neil.
Because they are rude little shits and like to pull knives on people.
The whole thing usually goes like this:
Dan, Neil refuses to help, spends the week leading up to the party stressed and grumpy. And talking to way more people than she’d like.
Also trying to convince, or force, whatever you want to call it, certain members of the team to come.
She always manages to though because despite what they say, her team respects her.
The days before the party are spent much like the days before the banquets.
People in search of dates, alcohol, and hot new clothes.
Allison usually drags Neil with her to shop for a dress and something for him.
He never buys anything though because Andrew always has something perfect waiting for him the night of.
It sometimes even slightly cordinates with his. Not that Andrew would admit that.
This year Neils is a black shirt and grey plaid pants(because I can’t get the thought out of my head) and Andrews is a black turtle neck with grey skinny jeans.
Very hot exy bfs indeed
Power couple shit
Anywayyyyy
The party is fun for most of the foxes.
Dan and Matt always try to make like rounds to the other athletes as part of being hosts and the Exy teams designated parents.
Because no coaches or real fake parents are allowed at the New Years party.
Allison is the life of the party and is on the dance floor all night.
She also looks so hot that everyone can’t stop watching her.
Renee is a mixture of Dan and Matt and a more subdued Allison.
Though she spends plenty of time dancing with Allison.
While everyone is watching Allison because she looks amazing, they are watching Nicky because he’s a mess on the dance floor.
Like literally can’t dance to save his life even though he tries.
He tries so hard.
A big part of this however is because he gets drunk with in the first hour of the party.
The years Erik is able to come to the party he can not stop laughing.
Yeah Nicky is an idiot but he’s Eriks idiot and he loves him so much.
Usually Aaron and Katelyn dip from the party before midnight because unlike most of the athletes they have other friends.
They’d rather celebrate the beginning of the new year with the rest of the student body.
But during the time they stay it’s spent in the dance floor.
Kevin usually puts up a fight about going but is always the first to get drunk(until he stops drinking)
“Just cause it’s the new year doesn’t mean we need any more break from practice.”
“Shut the fuck up, Kevin”
He is drunk before he even gets to the court but no one talks about it.
And he stops complaining after two drinks.
Once there he stays to the sidelines with Neil and Andrew or goes to the dance floor with Allison and Renee.
Neil and Andrew are the last to come and first to leave.
They literally will leave at 12:02.
Neil hates the party so much. Too many people and lights and noises.
Plus he hates that the Exy court is used not only for a party but for one with people who don’t even know or appreciate Exy.
Andrew mostly goes cause free drinks and food but also he likes to get dressed up with Neil and even tho he never will admit it, he likes seeing all their teammates happy.
With the New Year comes the traditional 12:00 countdown and...kiss.
They stop playing music about two minutes before the new year so everyone can get to their bf or gf or get ready for fireworks or whatever they need to do.
For some on the Exy team fireworks are a big no no so they leave or get headphones.
When the countdown is done Matt and Dan are always the first ones to start kissing and their kisses are full of love and laughter.
Allison usually gives Renee a sloppy quick kiss with her hands tangled in Renee’s hair.
Nicky and Erik kisses are a lot like Dan and Matt’s but with more tongue and they definitely turn into make out sessions.
Kevin finds the closest person not kissing someone and gives them a quick peck, after he asks of course.
Maybe he brings a date some years idk??
Andrew and Neil, who are definitely not out yet during their college years usually slip out while everyone is getting ready for midnight or watching fireworks.
They’ll sneak into the the press room so that they can still see the sky and court and hear the countdown but have the privacy they want.
It’s usually a sweet soft kiss unlike most of their other kisses.
Andrew ups the percentage every year.
Because his heart still can’t comprehend that Neil is kissing him with such care and love and that they are doing something so coupley.
He loves it tho.
“Happy New Year, Drew.”
“2009%”
“Did you just say the yea-“
“No.”
Happy new year everyone!! It just turns 2021 here and I am so glad 2020 is officially in the past!
Again sorry this got kinda long and I’m too tired to proof read so it’s probably full of typos lol
#andrew minyard#all for the game#aftg#exy#neil josten#kevin day#andrew x neil#tfc#the foxhole court#trk#andreil
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prompt: aaron had a slight ED that he developed as a kid and is now being noticeable to the rest of the foxes even andrew and nicky kinda knew he forgot to eat but the stress from school and exy makes it worse....
I could easily expand on this and maybe one day I will. It hits kinda close to home tho so I’m going to err on the side of brevity just for my own mental space. Thank you so much for the ask! I hope this is what you’re looking for ❤️ ❤️ Take care of yourselves!
Warnings for depression, eating disorder.
Edit: this has been expanded and can also be found on my ao3
Part 1 | Part 2 | Ao3
-----
Wednesday | 6:04am
The alarm was screaming.
Its cries crashed against his senses like sea-storm waves and Aaron was without shelter. The sound had been crowding him for four minutes now, and he still couldn't lift a hand to make it stop -- even though he was perfectly aware and wide awake. He wanted to stop the sound, he needed the quiet back, but for whatever reason his hand just wouldn't listen to his brain no matter how many times he willed it to move.
Aaron hated days like this.
Wednesday | 8:43am
Nicky slung his arm around Aaron’s shoulders, a grin plastered on his face. His hair was slicked back like a low-budget greaser, halfway between wet and just damp. They’d just finished morning practice and he, Nicky, and Kevin were waiting out in the player’s lobby for Neil and Andrew to finish showering and changing so they could leave.
“Aw man, I am hungry. Please tell me that Andrew and Neil are gonna finish up soon so that we can go get a real breakfast.” Nicky's whining was easy enough to ignore most of the time, but today Aaron was tired and his patience was thin. He had three tests to study for, two essays to write, they had a game coming up on Friday, and Aaron didn't have the bandwidth for Nicky, too.
He shruged his cousin off with a snort. "I'm just gonna hitch a ride to the library." There were still a few hours before his first class of the day, and he needed to use that time for something productive.
"Aww, c'mon Aaron come to breakfast with us! We'll drop you at the library when we're done. It won't take too long!"
"What won't take too long?" When Aaron looked over, he saw Neil and Andrew coming out of the locker room, clean and changed.
"Breakfast!" Nicky announced. "Neil, tell Aaron to join us! It's a family breakfast -- he should be there!"
"You can't just label things "family" events as a way to require people to be there," Kevin said with a long-suffering sigh. Even so, Aaron noticed he already had the menu of their usual breakfast joint pulled up on his phone. The pictures of pancakes topped with glistening syrup and fluffy omelets made his stomach clench in an unpleasant way.
Aaron looked away.
"I've got a shit to do," he said. That would be his final word on it, and to demonstrate, Aaron turned to head toward the doors.
Except Andrew had moved to block him, though Aaron hadn't registered when his twin had circled them. Aaron frowned, lifting his chin in challenge.
Andrew just studied him for a long moment before looking just past Aaron, gaze darting over his shoulder to the others behind him. He lifted a hand and a second later a slim object snapped into it. When Andrew then held it out to him, Aaron saw it was a granola bar.
A quick glance over his shoulder exposed the granola bar thrower as Kevin, who was zipping his backpack shut. They matched gazes briefly and Kevin nodded toward the granola bar in Andrew's hand.
"If you aren't going to come to breakfast with us make sure you get something on your way to the library."
Aaron glared at him, then rolled his eyes and turned back to his brother. Andrew just looked at him, expression blank, and continued to hold out the damn granola bar like he could stand there all day without a care in the world.
A flash of resentment boiled through him. Of course Andrew could stand there so fucking unbothered. Barely anything affected him at all.
With an annoyed huff, Aaron snatched the bar out of Andrew's hand and shoved it into his pocket before stalking out of the building.
Wednesday | 1:15pm
Katelyn ❤️ (13:15): Hey baby! Prof Dixon bailed again ~ you free?
Aa. Min. (13:15): McCallister's?
Katelyn ❤️ (13:16): See u in 5! 😘
Wednesday | 1:23pm
Aaron stood inside the confused cacophony that was McCallister's, an on-campus restaurant that was the love child of a deli and a pub but four times too big, regretting his choices.
It wasn't even the noise that was bothering him the most. It was the smell.
Aaron took two steps into the restaurant and his stomach roiled. It twisted and tightened, curling in on itself in disgust at the sharp, slimy stench of cold cut deli meat cushioned on a waft of double-baked potatoes that filled the restaurant like wildfire's haze. He and Katelyn met here for lunch two or three times a week when their schedules lined up. They both liked the food and they had several corner booths where they could hide in and study together after eating. It was one of their favorite places. But right now, Aaron was fighting not to gag.
“Aaron!” Relief warred with dread at the sound of Katelyn’s voice and he hastily plastered on an imitation of the smile he usually didn’t even have to think about, that always rose to his lips whenever she was around all on its own. It didn’t today, but for Katelyn he could make the effort. For Katelyn, Aaron could do anything.
He turned around once that smile was fixed in place and wrapped his arms around her when she joined him, indulging in a quick kiss that soothed some of the nausea churning in his gut. When they broke apart, Aaron turned to lead them toward their usual booth but Katelyn stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“Babe is everything alright?” Worry painted a crease between her eyebrows, her mouth drawn down as she studied him.
Most days, Katelyn’s concern warmed him. It made him feel seen and loved and cherished. Today it put a slash of anxiety through his lungs, breath seeping out through the cut and concaving his chest under the weight of her scrutiny.
Aaron arranged his smile into something tired and unalarmed. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a long week, y’know?”
Katelyn hummed like she wasn’t sure she believed him but was deciding to trust him anyway, then she smiled and she released his arm only to take his hand, giving it a small squeeze. “Alright, then let’s get some lunch and shut out the rest of the world for at least a little bit, yeah?”
The smell of the restaurant was still choking him and even his skin felt tight. The absolute last thing he wanted to do right now was stay there another second, let alone the hour he had until he needed to think about heading to his next class.
“I’m so sorry Kate, I’ve got to meet with the TA for my history class. I remembered right after I texted you but I still wanted to see you so I figured I’d just tell you when you got here.” He offered an apologetic smile and did his best to ignore the way guilt was now mixing uncomfortably well with the sick already sloshing around in his stomach. Aaron did not like lying to Katelyn, it felt wrong. But he also couldn’t... he couldn’t explain what was wrong with him right now -- not because he didn’t know, but because he was sure explaining it was going to make him sound crazy and that was just the last thing he needed right now. It was better to slip away, go somewhere he could focus on homework or something and just... wait for it to pass.
Katelyn’s expression fell, flashing disappointment, then a sad understanding as she nodded. “Of course. It’s okay babe, really. I’m just glad I got to see you at all.” She smiled then -- that bright, warm, just-for-him smile that always had Aaron’s heart skipping. A small knot of tension loosened in his lower chest, just enough that he was able to take a small breath and offer a more genuine smile of his own in return.
“I love you,” he told her.
“I love you too, Aaron. Take care of yourself and I’ll see you later, okay?”
He made no promises before he made his escape, just a smile and a wave.
Wednesday | 3:37pm
The granola bar tasted like ash in his mouth. It felt like there were iron weights attached to his jaw, making it impossible for him to chew. A fist of repulsion locked around his throat, and it was a physical struggle to swallow.
This was the worst part about days like this.
Aaron knew he had to eat something, because he knew what could happen if he didn’t and the only thing worse than having to put up with feeling this way, dragging himself through the mud of his own psychosis one step, one mile, at a time -- was doing it with everyone watching him struggle.
So he forced himself through half the granola bar. He knew better than to push for more than that, or all his efforts would be wasted into the nearest trash can.
Wednesday | 7:51pm
Practice had been brutal. It had been so bad that even Nicky hadn’t been able to cheer himself through it and was just as bitter and on edge as the rest of them by the time they hit the showers.
Aaron sat in the lobby and waited for the others, feeling old. He felt tired. He just wanted these stupid pissing contests to stop and everyone to shut up. He wanted the world to be completely silent, completely empty. Emptiness sounded nice. Sounded peaceful. Sounded right.
The sharp scuff of shoe-rubber against tile had him cringing so hard his shoulders ached and he peeled his eyes open to glare at the source. Andrew stood there, hands in his pockets, blank-faced and too knowing.
Aaron snorted and looked away.
The couch shifted slightly as Andrew took the spot next to him. There was the soft shk of a blade cutting into something crisp and when Aaron looked over, Andrew was holding out a small sliver of apple. His brother wasn’t looking at him. Instead, the other Minyard was dispassionately staring at the tv, which was playing some sports channel that Aaron knew very well Andrew didn’t give a single shit about.
For a long moment Aaron just stared at the side of his twin’s face, but it was impossible to know what, if anything, he was thinking about. Finally, he looked at the sliver of apple. It was pale, small, unobtrusive. Aaron’s stomach clenched, a mix between hunger and repulsion. All he’d had today was that half a granola bar -- which had been both too much and not enough. His throat tightened as he stared at that innocuous slice of fruit, but he was almost focused more on the hand holding it. His eyes burned and he looked away, but not before taking the slice.
#aftg#aftg fanfic#tw: depression#tw: eating disorder#tw: ed#aaron minyard#andrew minyard#twinyards#of course i made it a twinyard drabble#because i'm a sucker for the boys supporting each other#going into a small headcanon in the tags here#i hc andrew struggles with food#similar to what aaron goes through here#but more intense#because he has a very complex relationship with food#based on his past#and then the manifestation of his depression does not help#i actually have a wip based on this#from andrew's pov#where we see him dealing with his ed#and the way the monsters support him through it#sometimes his ed crops up due to his depression#and sometimes its separate#anyway#this was an unnecessary a/n in the tags here#but that's why andrew took the approach he did in the drabble#because how he treats aaron in this is how he needs to be handled when he has his own episodes
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i am so happy i found your tumblr!!!!! its so good to see people having the same or similarities perspective of yours, like a comforting hug (for thos who like it).
so, what are you favorite aftg andreil fics???
hi there and thank you :D
well my favorite andreil fic of all time is lessons bcs i’m very basic
i also love this one where andrew gets amnesia bcs on one hand he falls for neil all over again just bcs of how respectful and understanding neil is but on the other hand bcs he forgets the last seven years of his life so basically one second he’s a 17yo wreck but the next he’s a top tier exy player, has The Hottest BF and last but not least kevin freaking day the freaking son of exy is his best friend - like that’s Goals
this here is my favorite fic about neil exploring his demisexuality bcs he tells nicky to fuck off. love that for me
this one is andrew’s pov through some scenes of the books, mostly while he was on drugs and pining for neil. it’s pathetic but he’s self-aware about it and i think the writer really captured the madness and the chaos of his drug addled mind
if you want more recs you can check out my bookmarks :)
#all for the game#the foxhole court#aftg mine#aftg ask#i'm almost done re-reading my old bookmarks btw#i could be done with it sonner but i keep stopping to re-read some select scenes from lessons#at this point lessons is like my main comfort read#it's not even funny anymore
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Can I just 💛💝💘
every day i lose 8 years of my life expectancy trying to come out with a spoiler because i’m lame and like to tell stories in their entirety.... but i will do this for u
💛: what is the title based on?
i apologize in advance for what i’m about to say but it’s from the mamma mia song called the name of the game! i chose it because it has a very specific childishness to it that i feel like i wrote a lot about in this fic, at the same time that it’s a coy song about wondering if the person you’re developing feelings for feels the same way about you :^) there is also the innuendo with the word game and, you know, exy. here are some of the parts i consider parallel a lot with this fic:
I was an impossible case
No one ever could reach me
But I think
I can see in your face
There's a lot you can teach me
And you make me talk
And you make me feel
And you make me show
What I'm trying to conceal
What's the name of the game?
Does it mean anything to you?
but for the sake of curiosity, here are some of the names i’ve considered so far and might switch my mind to when it’s time to post the fic:
kill your darlings
illicit affairs
andante, andante
language of averted eyes
💝: who has your favorite character arch? give a brief summary
i KNOW it’s my god given duty to say kevin, but i actually want to say neil. i think it’s a common thing to gloss over neil’s flaws in canon, and while i suppose it depends on interpretation and whatnot, there is just something so irrevocably boring about the way people write him that motivated me to actually put in the work not to just understand neil, but to see him in his entirety. at the start of the fic, he’s entirely too dependent on the rest of the foxes to tell him who he is (much like he was with his mother), he clung to kevin because kevin gave him a purpose and neil wanted nothing more to have one, he lashed out on everything and everyone who made him even the slightest uncomfortable because that was both his flight and fight response, and he was at constant odds with himself and andrew/kevin because he didn’t know how to cope with his attachment to them. i also wrote a lot about his relationship with his mom: about the way sometimes he wishes she was still there to tell him what to do and who to be, about how much of a betrayal to her it feels to be happy still, about how alike they were.
at the end of the fic, i feel like he’s a lot better at working through his issues without lashing out or repressing them. it’s a hard process, of course, and lots of fights come from it, but i think he realizes, in the end, that no one is going to leave him as long as neil does not leave them, and that there is no reason to live on the defensive side now that mary is gone and he has to fend for himself. personally, it felt extremely cathartic to touch on these topics, and while writing neil’s pov was claustrophobic at best and downright annoying at worst, i think he’s a funky dude. could use some therapy tho.
💘: give us a huge spoiler
Kevin, from the passenger seat, drenched in moonlight, presses his lips into a tight line. Very beautiful, but that’s not the point. “I don’t understand you,” he confesses, at last. This is the longest grocery store run of Neil’s life. They hadn’t even gotten out of the parking long yet. “I don’t understand anything about you. You—” Kevin huffs frustratedly, “you don’t like me.”
That’s a way to put it, Neil thinks. “I do.”
He ignores it, averting his eyes to the window. There is nothing interesting there to see — just cars, charmingly unrecognizable, but still just cars — but Kevin doesn’t seem to mind it so much as long as it’s not Neil. “Then why can’t we be friends, Neil?” he asks, his voice so distant Neil almost deems it a rhetorical question; a wonder made-aloud. “I don’t understand you. I don’t understand— us. When it’s good, it’s so good, but when it’s bad, it’s so bad.” Kevin’s shoulders fall. “I don’t like fighting with you,” he ultimately decides, “but I just can’t apologize. I can’t apologize like you did.”
“I understand,” Neil replies, forcing his eyes to meet the lamp post just in front of the Maserati to keep himself from compulsively staring at Kevin’s face. How ridiculous is their situation — looking everywhere but at each other, blowing air into the night to avoid blowing up their relationship, worn out like a party dress. These stupid feelings of his for Kevin will be the death star of their entire planet: something will choose to grow or rot from it, but everything else will be extincted nonetheless. Tentatively, Neil asks, “Do you think we’re bad at being friends?”
“Yes,” Kevin immediately answers.
I don’t want to just be your friend, he thinks. Neil files that out for later. “How would we be if we were good at it?” he prompts, “Like you and Andrew?”
Kevin does something that’s half a scoff and half a huff — it’s scornful regardless. “I don’t think I’m friends with the two of you,” Kevin admits, eventually. He looks small, at sudden. “I don’t know if we ever were. Neither of you know how to be friends with me.” He fidgets with the door handle for a second. “I don’t understand why.”
There is an edge to the voice — something charged, something that implies an Am I the problem? that Neil absolutely hates. “It’s not your fault,” he murmurs, biting down on his own tongue. You did this; he is violently reminded. It’s not what Neil meant, of course, but he ultimately decides that his intentions failed him. “I think we’re just… Bad, in general.” Neil presses his lips together in thought. “But I won’t leave unless you tell me to. It’s not over until you tell me it is.”
At that, Kevin turns to him abruptly, blinking in surprise as if he hadn’t even considered the idea of a life without Neil in it. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he replies, almost stern. “I said get out of my house, not get out of my life.”
“Semantics.”
“Not semantics,” Kevin disagrees. “I don’t want you out of my life.”
“Kevin,” Neil finds himself almost pleading, “I don’t want to be bad to you.”
#kevin: why are we bad at being friends neil: DO I LOOK LIKE I WANT TO BE UR FRIEND!!!!!!!#im obsessed with how fucking stupid this conflict is. neil is burning through 10 different types of yearning rn and kevins like#he doesnt like me :/#bitch he likes u too much... thats the problem#asks#the name of the game#i love the concept of their pre-relationship tbh#neil is having the most difficult time of his life trying to grasp the fact that kevin day sexy kevin day pretty kevin day hot#andrew is digging a grave for his feelings to die in because he can't take it anymore#and kevin's like damn :( they dont even see me as a friend
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Okay so I had an idea for an AFTG fic but again I’m horrible at anything that isn’t hc’s so here we are (feel free to make this into a fic if you want just credit me) *Also all pairing in this are platonic besides andreil and mattdan soo, don’t like get out*
This spawned from that fact that one of my 3 PTP’s (platonic trust pairing) in AFTG is Kev and Neil
This is probably my PTP that has the most popularity in the fandom I’d say (my other 2 are Renee/Andrew/Neil and Neil/Dan which are both *really* hard to find ((at least on ao3)) so that sucks) but you’d be surprised how little it gets like actually focused on
Most times, platonic wise, Neil gets shown bonding with The MonstersTM, Allison, or Matt
wHICH IS FINE IM TOTALLY OKAY W/ THAT
I just happen to enjoy neil/dan, kev/neil,and renee/andrew/neil more
So I wanted a fic that really showcased kev and neils relationship
BUT IM ALSO IN LOVE WITH OUSIDER POV SO THIS HAPPENED
Now onto the actual headcanon
So neil and kevin are like best friends
They've been like that for a while
but they also like fucking despise each other
like they love and care deeply for each other and would probably die for the other if the situation called for it
but will that stop them from almost killing each other 24/7?
HELL NO
so they go to college together
along with all the upperclassmen (so matt+dan+allison+renee+seth) but not the monsters
andrew and neil have been together for a bit
they met around the same time kev and neil did so they've been together for a while (also while we're talking abt relationships, i don't ship renison ((am i the only one who believes that renee is a strong aro gal who don't need no man/lady/person)) but if you wanna make this renison, go ahead)
andrew goes to a different college tho ( for some reason i dunno)
and neil doesn't really like sharing stuff abt his personal life
we all know this
but a lot of the stuff he's done in his life involves andrew
so drew is brought up a fair amount
but when the upperclassmen ask who he is neil kinda just smiles and then moves on so they ask kevin and he's like
oh andrew is like one of my bffls he's a ride or die
(obviously not phrased like that)
and the upperclassmen r like 'ok he can be trusted he's a friend'
(little do they know hehhehhe-)
sO ONE DAY
kev is tryna forget all his issues
so he decides to get hella pissed
wasted like he's never been b4
probably cause thea broke up w/ him last week but we don't talk abt that okay shhhhhhh
so he goes to the next party alli throws and
let's say it together kids
gets wasted like he's never been b4
to the point where the upperclassmen don't really know wht to do with him????
so they call up neil like yo pick up kev he's drunk off his ass like always but we think he's doing it cause he's sad this time'
so neil, being the good and sweet angel (not) that he is
goes to pick up kevin
and like he finds him on a coach almost catatonic just rambling to himself
so neil picks him up and drags him away to his car
and ofc all the upperclassmen r trying to help
so while neil is putting kevin into his car kev randomly just stops talking
(which is weird cause he's kept rambling this entire time)
and he looks neil in the eyes and goes
'i love you neil'
and neil just like takes a second
pAuSeS
because he's not used to people showing him love even tho so many ppl rlly do love him (this boy is2g-)
and then quietly says
'love you too kev'
and finishes buckling him up
all the upperclassmen have been watching this going on the entire time and they read into in the exact wrong way
(they're trying their best, my baby dumbasses, but they're just wrong)
and think this is a romantic love confession between frenimies *instead* of the declaration of mutual respect and affection between 2 bro's that it is
matt is the first one to voice this after kev and neil leave and he is
PUMPED
he is super excited that his bro has found someone to love just like he found dan and is super excited to like talk abt love and go on double dates n stuff
and every one else agrees
which is why they're all super disappointed that by the time a week goes by, nothing has changed between them
so dan matt and allison decide to do something about it (renee+seth ducking out because'it's rude to meddle' and 'why tf would i care abt jostens love bullshit')
they try to set up kevin and neil a bunch of different time s
once with the offer of a study session that they all say they can't make it to, leaving neil and kevin alone
another time with the offer of kevin and neil going to the movies w/ matt and dan
(neil ends up busy w/ a skype date with andrew that he can't pass up cause they're always so busy and he has to see his boyf so kevin just ends up 3rd wheeling matt and dan)
and once with allison straight up just telling neil that he and kevin should get coffee some time
which neil respond to with
'we already get coffee together?'
so dan matt and alli are stumped
they don't know what to do with these 'lovesick' idiots
they're problem gets solved tho don't you worry
so the next weekend, andrew is gonna come over to psu and stay for like a week
neil is oVER THE MOON
HE IS SOO HAPPYYYYY
And kevin is really happy too
so the upperclassmen take this to mean that these boys have finally gotten the hint and asked each other out
so imagine they're suprise when the next time the group goes to get lunch (which they do with each other every wednesday )
a super short blond emo joins them
and no one really acknowledges it?!?!?!?!?!?
until renee is just like 'hello andrew, how are you?' knowing smile on her face
and the upperclassmen are just like 'oh it's the famous andrew, that makes sense' but then they're like 'wait how does renee know andrew?!?!'
they ask and renee is just like 'neil gave me his discord. he thought we'd get along well'
-and then they're just like okayyy renee totally has a crush but well let it slideee
uNTIL
at the end of lunch neil is just like 'oh wait i never properly introduced him-' -cause you're a mess, junkie' -fuck off andrew' then just turns to the upperclassmen and says
'guys this is my boyfriend andrew'
and the foxes just silently freak out
because neil is in love with kevin? it's so clear? why did neil go and get a boyf when he has his love right in front of him??????
so after lunch, matt dan and alli ask to talk to neil privately
(andrew, kev,and renee all talk together while seth like, looks at his phone)
and they're like 'neil why'd you get a boyf??'
and neils like 'wdym?'
and alli says 'why'd you get a boyf if your so obviously in love w/ kevin?!'
and neil just LAUGHS at them
straight up cackles
and then the upperclassmen are like whaaaaattttt????
we saw your declaration of love at the party??
and you're both really close and seem to genuinely like and be interested in each other??
what gives????
and neils like
'me n kev are besties
that was a platonic declaration of love
also
i'm demi and me and drew have been together for like 3 years now'
and the upperclassmen are just like 'ooooooooooooooooohhhhhh sorryyyyyyyyy'
it's the first time alli has ever lost a bet (it was w/ seth abt neils feelings for kevin)
neil tells andrew abt it and the shortie just snorts and is like 'kevin would fuck a racket quicker than he'd fuck you'
neil is like 'i'm basically exy personified tho, soooooo'
drew tells him to shut up
(he does when andrew asks yes or no, just nods his head and smiles)
renee knew all along and is happy for her friends
kevin just wants to play exy he's been deprived the entire post
So yeah that's the entire headcanon. If you want some music to listen to while you write or just in general i recommend "I lost a Friend" by FINNEAS and "Corduroy Dreams" by Rex Orange County. they don't really have anything to do with the story, they're just real good :) Thanks for reading. see y'all later

#Spotify#aftg fandom#aftg au#andreil#psu foxes#outsider pov#headcanon#fanfic#sorry for the long post#thanks for coming to my ted talk#im gonna stop now#aight peace
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The Raven King: A Summary – The Plot Twist King
Shocks and revelations! Sassfests! Backstory awesomeness! Team spirit! The Josten Glow Up™! Me losing my shit! But most importantly – plot.
Sounds good? Then it’s time for Nicki to sum up The Raven King.
In 2013, now-renowned author Nora Sakavic blessed us with The Raven King, book two of the All For The Game trilogy. In this second installment of orange gay sporty murder shit, ex-runaway, part-time sassmaster, and all-time Exy nerd Neil Josten meets the Edgar Allan Ravens, a team that is exactly as dark and fucked-up as their completely unsubtle name suggests.
Especially Neil has reason to fear them: Star player Riko Moriyama, also known as That Fucker™, and his father Tetsuji are Neil's crime lord father's crime lord bosses and are exactly 0% fooled by his runaway act. However, as Neil is a 100% impulsive savage sassmaster, he consistently picks fights with them anyways, which Riko repays by revealing his true identity to Kevin.
But that's not all there is. Just when the Foxes' start to form some actual team spirit and real friendships, our heroes experience the shock of the century: At the Hemmick's family Thanksgiving, goalie, snarkmaster and court-approved maniac Andrew Minyard is raped by his long-time childhood abuser Drake. In his brother’s defense, Aaron rushes in and kills Drake - a ruse set up by Riko Moriyama.
In order to free his boyfriend teammate from the Moriyama-bribed doctors Andrew was sent to for rehab, Neil agrees to spend Christmas with the Ravens, which is exactly Not A Fun Time. There, he is tortured, abused, cut, burnt, tattooed against his will and generally made to look as if he had a fun encounter with a meat chopper. Bruised and beaten, Neil returns home to his Fox family and swears everlasting vengeance on The Raven Fuckers.
And that’s The Raven King for you.
Did I like it? Hell fucking yes.
Did I prefer it to the first book? Hell fucking yes.
Seriously, The Foxhole Court was wonderful, all good things in there, all the exposition a girl could want, but The Raven King was where shit finally, finally started going down.
There was PLOT. There were brain-mushing twists and jaw-dropping revelations, breath-stopping shocks and heart-clenching emotional moments galore.
This, as predicted last time, was the book where the arc of suspense picks up speed. It’s a basic - but effective - trilogy setup: The first book sets the scene, introduces the theme and the characters and gets the reader invested in the story. The second book dishes out the truly gripping plot points, keeping the reader at it and paving the way for the big finale. Finally, the third book is where shit truly goes down: Here, the last big twists are revealed and everything culminates in an epic finale.
It is Every Trilogy Ever, and it works like a fucking charm.
Personal highlights of this book include, but are not limited to:
THE FALL BANQUET SASSFEST. EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. I will probably never shut up about this ever. "Dan, I said please" honestly ICONIC.
"I don't think Riko likes me very much"
The second banquet, but for entirely different reasons - reasons being Neil's newfound guard dog attitude and my newfound tears
Renee’s backstory can I get a hell yeah
Nicky teaching Neil how to cellphone uhmmm sign me the eff up
THEY FINALLY HAVE TEAMWORK AND DO STUFF TOGETHER MY LITTLE HUFFLEPUFF HEART CAN'T HANDLE THIS
Thanksgiving. We don't talk about Thanksgiving but. Honestly that chapter.
The very last two chapters scared the crap out of me but honestly, they were so well-written and so amazing so suck it I'm including them here seriously they were so good
DADMACK
Same as last time, but updated: Opinions on characters!
Neil is still my son, but wow, introducing Son 2.0 in the Updated Version: Now featuring Facing Your Problems, Dealing With Shit and Actual Responsibility! With a guaranteed 20% less emo and 100% more awesome! Buy now, get one punch in the Raven jaw for free.
No, seriously, Fearless Neil Josten is my favourite Neil Josten. He is right on the same level as Sassmaster McSavage Neil Josten, followed by Responsible Neil Josten, with Angsty Dramatic Runaway Neil Josten coming in last. (Sorry, book 1.)
Andrew has risen through the ranks of my favourites faster than mentos in a coke bottle. I LOVE HIM. Thanksgiving has cemented this. He is my small gay angry knife murder son and I will protect him five-fucking-ever. He is the main reason I am hella excited for TKM because Andrew!! Off!! His!! Meds!!! Imma pass out I'm so excited.
Kevin has definitely improved as well – the awesome 'I Have Adopted This Team And I Will Make Them Great, Suck My Dick Riko' scene, anyone?
Nicky has won back my heart for good by now - the Teaching Neil How To Phone Incident has definitely rid him of any and all past mistakes in my book. Also, he is the fuck precious and continues to bring sunshine into all our bleak lives.
Aaron has gained mad, mad sympathy points in this book. He suddenly has a PERSONALITY, you guys. Also, the Thanksgiving incident. THE THANKSGIVING INCIDENT. Anyone hating on Aaron from this point on can fight me. Also Katelyn is an a+ cutiepie.
My opinions on Renee, Matt and Dan are pretty much the same as before, if heightened by the reveal of all of their awesome backstories. An ex-street gangster, an ex-junkie and an ex-stripper all loving and supporting each other and being their own family?? Sign me the fuck up.
The only one I'm still kind of 'meh' about is Allison. Where's her backstory. Pls. I want it.
Wymack, Abby and Betsy are the Fox Parent Triumvirate, my opinion on them hasn't changed either. Also Dadmack!
And my opinion on Riko and his bastard posse should be clear. Kind of split on Jean (he's a victim etc etc, still doesn't excuse him imo, but maybe he’ll become more likeable later), but that's about it.
Let's take a look at some predictions I made last time, shall we?
They’ll deal with Seth’s death – some better, some worse pretty much exactly sums it up, go me
The banquet thing will happen and it will be hella awkward and hilarious and something Super Dramatic And Important will happen OH MY SWEET SUMMER CHILD OH MY OH MY
Neil will master the Raven drills Kevin is making him do and it will be EPIC so he did pass them apparently, but I actually had to read back on this to be sure, sooo - no epicness. instead: heavier racquets! when will Kevin chill, the answer is never
Andreil will continue having Important Gay Moments™ uhmmm hECK YES lotsa andreil in this book, ya girl is happy
The “Kevin and Riko know Neil” situation will not be addressed (!) (I’m expecting that to be in the last book, near the final epic smackdown) GIRL YOU WERE EXPECTING WRONG BAHAHAHA
Neither will we meet Neil’s father (again, last book) ok I'm sticking with this tbh
However, we will meet Tetsuji and shit will go down oh hon
Also, we’ll meet some Ravens I suppose, since it is the Raven King after all "WE WILL MEET SOME RAVENS, I SUPPOSE" oh HON OH HON
We will find out Renee’s backstory y e e e s
We will find out something – if maybe not everything – about the Minyard-Hemmick backstory Y E E E E E E E E S oh dear
Some more kisses will happen. I don’t care who kisses whom. Probably not Andreil (yet). Let it be Abby and Wymack. Aaron and his irrelevant girlfriend. I don’t care. Give me kisses. excuse you, "irrelevant" psshh, but yeah that's the only kisses in this book :(
And because I don't learn from my mistakes, let's do this one last time - Shit I Think Will Happen In The Kings Men:
HANDS UP FOR CANON ANDREIL I'm sorry, I know this is happening, tumblr told me :/
Will they kiss tho?? Will they have actual love declarations?? Sexy times maybe even????? WHO KNOOOOOOWS
I will love the USC Trojans 1000% if they are huffy puffs I will love them
Someone's gotta die who are we kidding
Hopefully no one of our guys
We will finally get that sweet Allison backstory (come on girl don't let me down)
We will meet Neil's dad. This cannot not happen.
Some championship shit will happen in which the Foxes either a) win or b) don't win but The Real Prize Was The Friendships We Made Along The Way
Nicky's bullshit dad will get the court case he deserves (if this doesn't happen I'm the fuck quitting)
Cats are probably important somewhere
Phew. That's it for this book, then. As always, thank you guys are so much for sticking with me through this. You are the backbone, the spirit, the motivation of this blog. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
See you soon with the third - and final - book. I am not ready.
If you like what I do here and you want to help me continue writing (still working on that laptop), please consider buying me a coffee! Thank you so much <33
#nicki reads tfc#aftg#tfc#trk#the raven king#the foxhole court#all for the game#two days late this time bc life is STRESS im sorry#come hmu in my ask box if you like these!!!#kinda unsure abt the format aha ha ha#ily all have a great day/evening/night
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Part 11 of The Sam Diaries
Read on Ao3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10507836/chapters/27140973
20:47: Is this Eunoia?
20:47: Yes? Who are you?
20:48: It’s Neil Josten. I was trying to get hold of Sam’s number to tell him the police got a hold of the guy at the game but I couldn’t find it.
20:49: If u managed to get a hold of my mobile number in Greece I don’t think it was the police who took him away
21:01: Why doesn’t Sam have a phone?
21:05: He broke it last week and hasn’t replaced it yet
Also kinda still can’t believe I actually know u pls b nice I am too excited and tired for this conversation
21:05: How did he break it? And I don’t think I’ve ever been good at nice sorry
21:06: He dropped it on the floor
Apparently me in lingerie causes him to lose all motor functions
21:07: I didn’t need the extra info
21:07: Your fault for asking. Anywho, I’ll pass on the message. Thank you again for the game tickets and congrats on how well you played
21:09: Andrew’s probably bought those game tickets ten times over in ice cream by now
21:09: That is… Maybe a little bit true. I should probably give him discounts at this point
21:10: Do not it is hard enough keeping him to his diet schedule as it is
21:10: Rodger that.
21:11: Sam just asked me what I’m laughing at
He is shocked and appalled at the idea of a meal plan
21:15: Don’t ever let him meet Kevin Day. He loves meal plans more than he loves his wife
21:16: Poor wife
21:20: So apparently ur demi too?
Oh
Shit sorry Sam’s just told me not to mention it
I just haven’t met anyone irl other than Sam
Ignore it
21:30: It’s fine
21:45: So Sam’s demi and he was just born like that?
21:46: Yes?
21:47: And you’re not demi right?
21:47: Nah I’m just a boring heterosexual.
21:48: I didn’t know there was a word for it
I just thought I was different
21:49: Well u r but it’s not a bad thing. And it seems to be working for u guys fine!
21:50: Yeah. Thanks Eunoia.
10:52: Neil, I need to apologise
I never thought I was going to get answers as to what happened to my parents
And I definitely didn’t think the answers would be btw ur parents were spies
Like that’s not a reality I ever had to live in
Don’t get me wrong I’m 100% ready to stab ur uncle if he ever comes near me
But Sam’s convinced me I shouldn’t have taken that out on u it’s not ur fault
I’m sorry
11:10: Your parents were killed to save my life. I should be the one apologising. Are you ok?
Also do not attempt to stab my uncle you will be killed before you even met him
11:11: Calm down crazy. U didn’t kill them.
Sam's helping me through it. It's going to take a while to rewrite them in my head. I can't believe they lied to me for so many years. It's like, did I even know them? But the best thing for me is to get back to work doing what I love. And finish up wedding decisions as well :)
I figured that. My parents were the good guys tho right?
11:12: I might as well have
I'm glad you've got Sam.
All the members of the FBI I’ve met are pricks but they were on the right side of the law I suppose. And they got taken out because they were too good at their jobs
11:12: Pls pass Andrew ur phone
11:13: Ok…
11:14: What?
11:14: Pls get ur bf’s head out of his self-deprecating arse. Also how much ice-cream will it take to win u over? I have a lot
11:15: Unfortunately it’s been stuck there since he was born.
I’m sure we can come to an arrangement. Just how much of your ‘Death by Chocolate’ do you currently have stocked?
11:16: How big is ur fridge?
When Andrew had finally managed to coax a nervous and still visibly upset Neil out of the Maserati and into the shop (thankfully there didn’t seem to be any other customers in yet; Andrew had a feeling Neil would like this conversation even less in public), it’s to find Rosa deRosales behind the counter, not Eunoia. Rosa and Andrew stare at each other blankly.
“Oh yeah, Rosa, those famous Exy players I was talking about come in here all the time, I don’t really know why, but they’re pretty chill so don’t give them special treatment.” Eunoia’s voice calls from the back, getting steadily louder as she makes her way to the front. “Can you get the door for me babe?”
Rosa breaks eye-contact with Andrew to push the door to the back open and lets Eunoia, hidden behind a tower of white dopplers, into the front of the shop. She places them down on the counter carefully, having still not noticed Andrew and Neil.
Andrew takes a second to look her over. In all honesty, she looks like shit. She has bags under her eyes that speak of not just a bad night’s sleep but a truly horrific one, and she’s hobbling like she’s injured her feet in some way. Her hair, for the first time in their acquaintance, is tied back away from her face, and it makes her look serious in a way she rarely is. Her eyes are still slightly wild and more than a little haunted, but she’s calm in the way she unstacks the boxes and there’s nothing fake about her smile as she thanks Rosa.
“How long have you worked here?” Andrew says finally and Eunoia startles and looks at him in confusion.
“This is my first shift.” Rosa replies quietly, fidgeting with her apron. “I’m just helping out Eunoia while she gets some new staff, but I still fill her ‘fucked-up’ criteria.”
“You know each other?” Eunoia asks, gesturing between the two of them, giving a disapproving glance at her friend for calling herself and the other employees fucked up. Andrew shrugs.
“We were in the same foster home, but not at the same time.”
“Oh.” Eunoia says in surprise, and then she glances at Rosa and pales. “Oh.”
“Yeah.” Rosa replies, and Eunoia looks vaguely sick when she looks back at Andrew. Andrew quirks an eyebrow, feeling like he’d missed something.
“I’m guessing that’s why you were barely sober over November and December in Junior High.” Eunoia says quietly, still talking to Rosa but not taking her eyes off Andrew.
“I couldn’t believe he was really dead after I’d spent all of Freshman High hiding from him at your house.” Rosa agrees, just as softly. Neil and Andrew both stiffen.
“I suppose that makes Eunoia one of the ‘good friends who got you to the hospital in time’?” Andrew manages, eventually. Eunoia shakes her head.
“We didn’t go to the same university.”
“Not that that stopped her from flying halfway around the country to visit me in hospital in the middle of her exams.” Rosa smiles, poking her friend in the side.
“Way too many fucking coincidences.” Neil says, blinking at them all. Eunoia agrees with a laugh, and if it’s a little more hard-won than it usually is, that’s to be expected. They’re going to be ok.
"At least half of those better be mine." Andrew deadpans, pointing at the dopplers, when the feeling in the room gets a little to sappy for him to stomach, and this time when Eunoia laughs there's nothing hesitant about it at all.
“Andrew.” Kevin’s never been one for conventional greetings.
“Kevin.” Andrew replies, because neither has he.
“Are you free?” Andrew assumes he means to chat, and wonders when Thea had managed to persuade Kevin to be a little less brisk and demanding on the phone. He’s not entirely sure he likes it. He stretches out on their couch, secretly pleased with the fact that he’s short enough that his whole body fits on it lengthways with some wiggle room, and closes his eyes, listening to Neil switch on the coffee machine. Neil thinks that when the coffee machine is whirring Andrew can’t hear him singing along to the radio, and Andrew sees no reason to inform him of the truth, especially when after last week’s mess with Sam and Eunoia, Andrew was worried the singing wouldn’t come back for a while.
“From Neil? Unfortunately he’s still alive and annoying as ever.”
“Of time constraints you bastard.” Now there’s the Kevin he knows and- Knows. “I thought we could get lunch.”
“You live on the other side of the country.” Andrew deadpans, intrigued despite himself.
“And now I’m in your town.” Kevin says back with his usual stoic demeanour, no hint as to why he’s travelled hundreds of miles just to take Andrew out for lunch.
“What happened? Did you finally leave Muscles to do something about your Knox boner? Come to have a gay crisis with me?” Andrew can tell Kevin’s fuming through the phone, and Andrew knows the only reason he hasn’t exploded in rage is that he’s not sure what part of Andrew’s speech he’s most upset about.
“No.” Kevin grounds out, through gritted teeth. “I’ll meet you at that Italian place Neil took us to last time. Don’t bring him.” The line clicks dead before Andrew can ask what the fuck that’s supposed to mean.
“What the shit is going on, Day?” Andrew announces as he strides up to Kevin’s table, ignoring the waiter chasing after him about waiting to be served. Kevin flicks an apologetic look at the staff as Andrew sits across from him, who predictably all swoon over the handsome celebrity.
“I owe you.” Kevin says, uncomfortably. It’s the last thing Andrew ever expects him to say. Luckily Kevin is used to Andrew’s taciturn ways and keeps talking without being prompted. “I didn’t hold up my end of our deal.”
Andrew’s eyes narrow as Kevin clenches and unclenches his scarred hand. He doesn’t think the striker even knows he’s doing it.
“You don’t owe me anything.” Andrew says, eventually. Kevin frowns at him.
“I know it’s been ages but that doesn’t make it ok.” Kevin protests, and Andrew wants to snarl at his stupidly thick head. He hated dealing with people who didn’t understand him.
Which basically translated to he hated dealing with anyone who wasn’t Neil.
“I came up with that deal because I was desperate, and much as I meant to hold up my end of it, the way I went about it was all wrong. I built my entire life around Exy and I didn’t think for a moment that you couldn’t do the same. I knew for certain that Exy could be more to you if you just let it, and I was right, but it couldn’t be the be all end all for you.” Kevin trying to apologise is almost amusing enough for Andrew to want to continue the conversation; his face is contorted with the effort of saying the right words, and he’s still failing miserably. It’s quite possibly the first time Kevin’s tried to genuinely apologise in his life. Andrew’s fairly certain he practiced this little speech.
“You’re not listening Kevin. You don’t owe me anything.” Kevin blinks.
“I don’t understand.” Andrew rolls his eyes and looks out the window as he fidgets idly with the knife on the table in front of him. Unfortunately not sharp enough to cut the pest.
“You picked Neil.” Andrew’s hand tightens around the knife at his admission, and he watches as understanding dawns on Kevin’s face.
“Oh.”
“You’re paying for the food.” Andrew insists, not letting Kevin linger on the topic for any longer.
“We’re only here because it’s got some options with really rich carb intake.” Kevin says sternly. Andrew sometimes amuses himself thinking about Kevin’s face if he saw how loosely Andrew followed his meal plan. (And by loosely he means one night a week he eats whatever green vegetable-filled meal Neil forces down his throat, and only because Neil hates vegetables just as much and Andrew will one day capture on camera the face Neil makes around spinach.)
Andrew sends a text to Neil informing him that he’s leaving Neil for his bowl of pasta later on, and occasionally offers a comment on Kevin’s latest analysis of the upcoming season, admitting to himself quietly, with a little bloom of warmth he usually only feels around Neil, that it’s because he enjoys talking to Kevin.
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@palesandwichobject asked for a part 2 of the Andreil Twilight AU (part 1) (special thanks also goes to @alecolightwood )
Neil needs some time to adjust to his new vampire body
He is still surprised when his body moves faster than he anticipates
Stupid accidents in school happen
Like Neil just disappearing and then showing up at the other side of the room a few seconds later
The other students think he is even weirder since he started hanging out with Andrew
They are also concerned because the two of them seem really close now
Who would voluntarily want to spend time with Andrew (he is scary af)
But the Foxes are worried too because if Neil keeps acting like that they´ll have to move soon
Riko may be dead but if they call too much attention to themselves the humans will soon start to notice that they aren´t normal
And if other vampires (possibly members of Riko´s clan) become aware of the fact that they have revealed their true nature this could start yet another war between the Foxes and the Ravens
So they decide that it´s time to move
Nicky wants to move to Germany because he wants to move in with Erik again
But he´s overruled by the rest of the Foxes
Kevin suggests moving to Alaska and living with the Trojans a clan who has a similar lifestyle (Kevin is also close friends with the clan leader Jeremy)
Andrew of course chooses Kevin´s side
Neil doesn´t care (he just wants to be with Andrew) so he votes for Alaska
Most of the other Foxes also really like or at least tolerate the Trojans so most of them are ok with moving to Alaska
It takes some time to pack all their stuff (Allison has a lot of clothes and Kevin wants to take all his Exy gear with him)
They also need to make up an excuse about why they are moving in the middle of the school year
It takes about a month and a half of preparations until they are ready to move
At first Neil didn´t really care about moving because he´s been on the run for most of his life but when moving day rolls around he is actually pretty excited
The last few month were exhausting
He always had to pay attention to not blow their cover and to get used to all of his new abilities
Neil had to come to terms with his new scars
Andrew gave him a matching set of armbands when he found Neil silently tracing his scars one night
Neil has been wearing them ever since
He was also very busy figuring out his relationship with Andrew
There has been a lot of kissing and figuring out each others boundaries
They figured out that Andrew is ok with Neil touching his hair and neck and even his shoulders on most days
But the most important thing that Neil has discovered is the spot Neil has to kiss to make Andrew shudder
It happened one night when they sat on the roof together (like most nights)
Andrew had a cigarette between his lips and Neil´s new sense of smell allowed him to inhale the smell from just sitting next to Andrew and watching him smoke
Andrew looked good
The pale glow of the moon illuminating his straight nose, strong jaw line and long eyelashes
The smoke curling around Andrew´s expressionless yet beautiful face
Neil couldn’t resist
He leaned even closer inhaling some of the smoke surrounding Andrew
When Andrew didn´t shy away Neil moved another few inches closer
“Is that ok?”
“Yes”
Neil leaned in and gently kissed Andrew´s neck
His skin there was just as cold as the rest of him but Neil couldn’t help but think that Andrew`s skin is particularly soft there
Andrew´s hair tickled Neil´s skin while he explored Andrew´s neck
But then something happened
Andrew has been stock-still the whole time but when Neil reached the
spot right behind his ear his body shuddered and Andrew made the most beautiful little noise (almost a sigh)
Neil smiled against his neck
“You like it”
“Shut up”
“Do you want me to stop?”
“No”
Neil still grins whenever he thinks back to that moment (it has its advantages that Andrew can´t read his mind because he would just glare at him 24/7 if he knew what Neil is thinking about most of the time)
Yes, the last few month weren´t always easy for Neil but that just makes moving more exciting
He is now ready to build a new life with the Foxes and especially with Andrew
Even tho Andrew gave him a key and a home the house never felt like a real home to Neil
Andrew´s room has always been Andrew´s room even after Neil moved in with him
Now they can finally start over and built a new home together
Neil can´t wait to do that
Andrew and Neil drive to their new home together (they were supposed to take Aaron and Nicky with them but Andrew just started the engine when they were going back for the last bags that were still in the house)
Neil got used to Andrew´s driving style by now
He actually really enjoys going on road trips with Andrew
This always means quality time and at least a few kisses when they have to stop for gas or Andrew simply gets bored
They are the first to arrive at their destination
Jeremy stands in front of the house to greet them
Nothing seems amiss but Andrew has a weird feeling and his instincts are right more often than not
He can smell something or rather someone
Jean
Andrew grits his teeth but can`t stop the hiss from escaping
“What is he doing here?” snarls Andrew
“He is one of us now”, answers Jeremy calm as always
“Then we won`t stay here”, states Andrew before he turns and starts walking back towards the car
“Andrew wait”, Neil runs after him (his new abilities allow Neil to reach Andrew before he can leave)
“No!” Neil protests when he reaches him
“I´m not letting him near you. Maybe you forgot but I still remember everything”
Just when Neil opens his mouth to say something Jeremy catches up with them
“When Riko died Jean came to us asking for help and a shelter. We decided to give him a second chance and if you can´t accept then I´ll have to ask you to leave. But I hope that you´ll think about it before you make a hasty decision”
Andrew just stares blankly at Jeremy and then continues walking towards the car
Neil jogs after Andrew
“Please”
“What?”
“Let us stay here. At least for a little while. If something goes wrong we can always leave immediately”
Andrew looks at him before he nods
He turns around to look at Jeremy “If something happens to him I´m going to kill you all”
Jeremy ignores Andrew threat and just proceeds to show them the house and the property
After a few difficulties at the beginning Andrew and Neil soon settle into their new room
It takes some time for both of them to adjust but they manage eventually
Kevin and Jean fight a lot the first few months after the foxes have moved in but after some time and a few talks they decide on a truce
Andrew and Jean still don’t really talk and Andrew almost killed Jean twice but other than that everything seems pretty chill
Neil FINALLY gets to play vampire Exy
To say he is excited is an understatement
He loves every second of it
Andrew and Neil stay with the Trojans for a few years until they decide that it´s time to move on
They want to live on their own (without the others breathing down their necks every second)
Having their own house instead of just having their own bedroom
They want to settle down far away from the civilization; somewhere in the woods (They are tired of changing identities and pretending to be human. They just want to be left alone)
After some research they find the perfect house in middle of the Canadian forest
It´s very remote and the next village is a three hour drive away
They choose their final identities so they can purchase the house
When Neil checks the new passport he splutters
“This says Josten-Minyard?”
“I am aware”
“We´re not married”
“You´re exceptionally clever today”
“Do you want to get married?”
Let´s be real Neil definitely thought about it more than once but he never imagined this could be something that Andrew wants as well
“Yes or no?” Andrew looks like he couldn’t care less when he asks the question but Neil sees right through him
He sees the slight shimmer of nervousness in Andrew´s eyes and the way the corners of his mouth twitch in anticipation
“It´s always yes with you”
This is how Andreil decide to get married
They don´t want a ceremony (their passports already say that they are married and the simple agreement that they want to acknowledge that fact is enough for them. They know that they are each others forever. They don´t need to prove that to anyone)
Renee saw their talk in one of her visions and when Andrew and Neil come back she doesn´t even need to ask Andrew how Neil reacted
She can see that her vision came true in Andrew´s eyes and can hear it in Neil´s carefree laughter
Renee doesn´t tell the other foxes about it because she knows that Andrew and Neil don´t want to make a big deal out of it
It´s actually Neil´s fault that the foxes catch up on what´s going on
Sometimes he just needs reassurance that all of this is true
That he doesn´t need to run anymore
That Andrew is his home
That Andrew is his husband
So he takes out his new passport sometimes to look at it and make sure it really reads Josten-Minyard there
In a house full of people it only takes so long until someone catches him doing that
It ends up being Nicky who walks in on Neil just quietly staring at the little booklet in his hand
“What is that?”
“Nothing”
Neil tries to hide the passport behind his back but Nicky is faster and grabs it right out of Neil´s hands
“When did that happen?” Nicky asks barely able to contain his excitement when he reads their combined surnames
“What do you mean?”
“Don´t be stupid. When did you and Andrew get married?”
“Uhm technically we didn´t get married. We just changed our names on the passports so it would be easier to buy the house”, Neil tries to downplay the whole thing in the hope that Nicky will just forget about it
But of course he won´t
He tells everyone he comes across about his new discovery and after a few hours everyone in the house knows about it
When they all sit together in the evening Nicky of course mentions how sad it is that Andrew and Neil didn´t have a proper wedding and that it would be a nice way to say goodbye before they move
Andrew and Neil immediately disagree
They don´t need a ceremony
Not to mention a ceremony planned by Nicky
But Renee gives Andrew a look and a few seconds later he can see the vision she had earlier that day
It´s an image of Neil in a nice black suit standing at the end of an aisle decorated with flowers, waiting for Andrew to join him
But what strikes Andrew most about the vision is the smile on Neil´s face
It´s so radiant and bright
His dead heart clenches at the sight
Renee nods her head in Neil´s direction (a gentle gesture that says just think about it)
And Andrew knows that he would do everything to make Neil smile like that (even if that means having an actual wedding)
So it´s decided that they will get married on the day they move
Their belongings will already be a on the way to Canada and will wait for them there when they come back from their honeymoon
The ceremony is simple and nothing official
Just an exchange of vows in the garden
But that didn´t keep Nicky from going all out with the flower decoration
Sunflowers line the way to the makeshift altar (it´s a table with a white tablecloth) and at the end of the aisle an arch of yellow and white roses completes the ensemble
Allison choose the suits
They are both black and very fashionable
Wymack officiates the wedding
All the Foxes and Trojans are invited (even Jean)
There are several betting pools on how the whole thing will go down
They bet on a lot of different things but no one expected them to actually take the wedding seriously (except from Renee but she is not allowed to bet on anything because she probably already knows the outcome)
Neil is nervously standing in front of the altar waiting for Andrew
They are already married on paper but that doesn´t make the strange feeling in his belly go away
And then the music starts
It´s a lovely song but Neil doesn´t really pay attention because Andrew´s just arrived
Bee is walking him down the aisle
He looks breathtaking in his black suit with the white dress shirt and his silver tie
When he reaches Neil he puts out one hand and Neil is glad that he has something to hold on to
Andrew is his anchor
He holds Neil in place and will never let him go (Neil is glad for that)
Neil can´t help but give Andrew his biggest, brightest smile and he is pleased to notice that Andrew´s eyes soften the tiniest bit
Wymack gives a heartfelt speech
Saying goodbye to both of them and wishing them the best for their future
If vampires would be able to cry there would be only a few dry faces
Then it´s time for Andrew and Neil to exchange vows
Neil goes first
“Andrew, you gave me a place to call home and a new life. I promise that I will never forget about the second chance you gave me and that I will cherish that gift until the end of my existence. I promise to trust you and that I will stay by your side. And if should feel the need to run I´ll always come back home to you”
It is short but still more than anyone expected
When it´s Andrew´s turn they all sit stock-still and no one dares to make the slightest noise
Neil giving a little speech was surprising but Andrew saying something he actually means in return seems entiretly impossible
The silence stretches for a few more moments
Then Andrew opens his mouth
His voice is quiet but clear
His face entirely impassive
“This means something”
Neil doesn´t need to breathe anyone but he still gasps at Andrew´s words
“I vow to never bring you any harm and to protect you for the rest of my existence”
If Neil´s heart was still beating it would be jumping right out of his chest
His knees feel weak
He is not the most emotional person but this is the first time Andrew admitted that there is something between them
And he offered his protection
AGAIN
All Neil can do is hold on tighter and hope that Andrew will keep his promise and never let go
Andrew of course notices that something is going on
He squeezes Neil´s hand and tucks him forward
Neil stumbles a bit but Andrew stops him with two hands on his shoulders before he barrels into Andrew
“Alright?”
“Yes”
Neil stares at Andrew for a few more seconds until Wymack interrupts their moment to continue with the ceremony
Renee stands and comes up to them
She has a little velvet box in her hand
Andrew and Neil turn their heads to look at her
While Neil´s mouth opens wide in surprise Andrew merely raises an eyebrow
“I saw you consider it and thought I´ll help you to make a decision. You don´t need to take them if you don´t want to. What you do with them is your choice but I just wanted to give them to you”
She smiles gently at them
When Andrew extends his hands towards her she places the box in his palm
Then she goes back to her chair
Andrew lets go off Neil`s hand and opens the box
In the box are two plain gold rings
“Yes or no?”
“Yes”
Andrew takes one of the rings and puts it on the ring finger of Neil´s right hand (later Neil wears his on a chain around his neck because he is scared to lose it on a hunt)
Neil does the same with Andrew´s ring
“Andrew and Neil by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and husband! You may now kiss!”
(They don´t really need that part because it´s not an official ceremony but Nicky insisted it is mandatory)
Neil is unsure if Andrew is comfortable with kissing him in front of everyone
So he waits what Andrew will do
Andrew holds out his hand again
They intertwine their fingers and walk down the aisle together
They´ll save the kisses for their honeymoon
The wedding reception is short and mainly consists of saying goodbye to everyone
Andrew and Neil will spend their honeymoon on a small island in the Caribbean
Their flight is on the same day so they need to get ready to leave soon after the wedding
Nicky put a big Just Married sticker on the car they will drive to the airport but Andrew and Neil don´t care
They get into the car and Andrew starts the engine
Neil waves a last goodbye to his new family
When he can´t see them anymore he turns back around to find Andrew looking at him
He isn´t smiling but it´s a close call
Neil fiddles with the ring on his finger and smiles back
He can´t wait to spend his forever with Andrew
#andreil#andrew minyard#neil josten#andreil au#andreil headcanon#andreil fic#andreil hc#twilight au#andreil twilight au#tfc hc#tfc au#tfc fic#the foxhole court#all for the game#tfc#aftg#fic#neil x andrew#alecolightwood#palesandwichobject#mine#aftg au#aftg fic#tfc headcanon
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Do you have any book recommendations?
oh boy do i!!
youve probably already heard of a lot of these but
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
this is my favourite book ever okay i can’t stress that enough it has beautiful gay representation and accurate teenage angst. also all the main characters are Mexican and the author is too so i assume he does them justice. It’s character driven and has a beautiful focus on family and best friends and what those things mean and honestly it changed my outlook on life there are so many profound, beautiful, painfully truthful quotes from this book (”Maybe we just lived between hurting and healing”)that ive highlighted and underlined in my own copy but i lost it and im rly sad ok im getting off topic. the thing that i loved the most about this book is how honest it is. it doesnt use unnecessary drama to move things forward and it doesn’t have unrealistic depictions of teens. these are two boys with insecurities but they are written so they’re complex. they’re not boiled down to a Boy struggling with This One Thing, they’re honest characters. oh god i love this book so much if you’re stuck between this book and another one pls read this one first you won’t regret it
here is a great non-spoiler review btw (”It’s a story about a boy who is sad and angry and can’t figure out why.” - from the review)
The Foxhole Court (All for the Game series) by Nora Sakavic
okay before i proceed i want to say TRIGGER WARNING FOR EVERYTHING YOU CAN POSSIBLY THINK OF THIS STORY IS SAD. BAD THINGS HAPPEN. okay now that that’s out of the way. Neil Josten has been on he run from his serial killer dad for the past 8 years. The only thing he’s passionate about is a sport called Exy. He gets recruited by the Palmetto State Foxes, a team of misfits from broken homes who needed a second chance. They’re also known for being ranked dead last for a number of years. Since he’s on the team, he;’s in a spotlight for his dad’s people to find him. An exy star he knew from his childhood named Kevin Day is also on that team and is running away from the japanese mafia who does business with his dad. so double oops. it’s not centred around the sport tho so don’t worry if you’re not a big sports fan bc neither am i. also andrew minyard is a 5 ft ball of destruction and i love him. the women are badass and it has a HUGE FOCUS ON CONSENT. it’s also gay but not til the third book. the character / relationship development is so heartwrenchingly beautiful it’s worth the slow burn also THE FIRST BOOK IS FREE! and the other two are only a dollar each. if u cant afford them pls don’t download it illegally @coldsaturn will gladly buy it for you
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
oh man where do i start. it’s basically a fanfiction of homer’s the Illiad. it focuses on the relationship between Achilles and his lover Patroclus. it’s their story told from patroclus’ point of view and so you get a side to achilles than what you see in history books. this book is SO BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN it’s so elegant and the scenery is rich and oh man the QUOTES (”I am made of memories”) brilliant use of foreshadowing. the ending made me cry. i dont usually cry at books but oh man i can literally quote the last paragraph no lie. (there is a noncon scene in there where a woman is trying to get it on but the man isn’t enjoying it, so fair warning). anyway its a beautiful book
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
okay so this is a childrens book. like a bedtime story. but it’s still going on my rec list because it has incredible insight on growing up and it’s so wonderful it was one of my favourite books as a child and it still is now. It’s kinda old and was translated from french so its kinda behind the times as far as narrative voice goes but it’s about this guy who’s plane crashes in the middle of a desert where he meets the little prince. the little prince is from another planet and tells the narrator about his travels to other planets and his encounters with the “grown-ups”. it has a beautiful message about how what makes something special is something invisible: the connection you have with it. and how it’s okay to miss something because you know that it exists somewhere. (”What makes the desert beautiful,“ said the little prince, "is that somewhere it hides a well…”) and it’s so beautiful the ending gets me every time.
im not gonna list anymore bc im tired but here!! i hope this helped!!
#aaddtsotu#aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe#the foxhole court#tfc#all for the game#aftg#tsoa#the song of achilles#the little prince#answered#anon#book rec
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13th February 2017- All for the Game series
Author: Nora Sakavic
Genre: Thriller, sports, relationship
Rating: This is the only series ever to challenge Harry Potter as my favourite. It is incredible
Favourite Quote(s): (You should be lucky I narrowed it down to five)
‘Fight because you don’t know how to die quietly. Win because you don’t know how to lose.’ David Wymack, The King’s Men
‘Is your learning curve a horizontal line?’- Andrew Minyard, The King’s Men
‘I’ve been a problem for nineteen years. I’m too tired to be one tonight.’- Neil Josten, The King’s Men
‘Don’t look at me like that. I am not your answer, and you sure as fuck aren’t mine.’- Andrew Minyard, The King’s Men
‘I won’t be like them. I won’t let you let me be.’- Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, The King’s Men
I’m going to warn you now, this is going to be long, and spoiler-y, and probably make little structural sense.
So I hate sports. Any kind of sport. I just about tolerate swimming, and never just doing lanes.
I would also probably sell a kidney to be able to play Exy.
This series, quite honestly, has changed my life (and not just about sport). It features; diversity, therapy, alcohol, abuse survivors of all kinds, not enough playing the actual sport, torture, the MobTM, extreme character development, my OTP and too many chess references.
I will start, quite appropriately, with Neil Abram Josten, the many named man. I will not lie and pretend that one of the main reasons I love this series is not because Neil is the first canon demisexual character I have ever read. As a demisexual, this representation was something I didn’t even know I had been craving until I got it. His character made me more secure in my identity; he meant that I wasn’t making it up, that I was real and valid and there wasn’t anything wrong with me. I wasn’t picky or just ‘hadn’t had enough alcohol yet’ (thanks mum); what I felt was different but it wasn’t bad. For all the demisexuals out there, Neil was a godsend.
(For clarification on Neil’s sexuality I recommend reading SpangleBangle’s one-shot ‘Swinging Along the Z Axis’ on Ao3.)
More than that, Neil’s character just broke my heart. He’s haunted and hunted and desperate not to let anyone else get caught in the crosshairs. He doesn’t always do the smart thing, but he does generally do the right thing, and never takes the easy way out. He’s scarred and easily triggered and in some ways damaged, at least when he first arrives at Palmetto, but never, ever broken. Not even Baltimore or Evermore could break Neil Josten and while he’s sometimes regarded in the fandom as the soft to Andrew’s sharp, you’ll never find the Foxes thinking that because Neil is sly and underhand and play’s dirty when someone he cares about is on the line. If Andrew had to be the one to cut the deal with Ichirou, he would never have gotten out of that car alive.
He asked Andrew TO HIS FACE why his ex thought Andrew was tying him up, and didn’t clock for a single second until Andrew literally told him he’d blow him. He asked Nicky if they were friends because he’d never had any before. He is about as quick to get a social cue as I am running. He is so respectful of Andrew’s boundaries even before he found out why, even before their deal. He left Andrew, a person whom nobody had ever admired, whom no-one had ever been grateful for despite Andrew giving up EVERYTHING for them, with “thank you, you were amazing” and figured that would be enough to cover the destruction his death would bring. He chose being tortured by Riko on the off-chance it might spare Andrew some pain, and he chose to be taken to quite literally his worst nightmare, giving up his life and his freedom and everything he’d managed to accomplish that year to keep his Foxes safe.
For the first canon demisexual, he’s certainly setting the bar high.
I’ll save Andrew for last, so let’s get on to the rest of the Foxes.
I’m quite sure I could write an essay on each of them (except maybe Seth. Sorry. I just. Hated that guy). For your sake I’m going to keep it short, but feel free to ask me for a full character eval I’ll be happy to do it.
Matt Boyd- Literal sunshine, saw actual homeless child Neil Josten and decided immediately he would die for him, half of the brOTP of the century, you just KNOW he’s so sweet and attentive and respectful of Dan because she’d never go out with him otherwise. He canonically has a white and orange themed wedding… I actually can’t. He didn’t blame the Monsters for forcing him to go full cold turkey even though he knew Andrew didn’t do it for him and he was ready to fight to keep Neil after Baltimore.
Dan Wilds- Absolute BAMF, can and will kick your ass, the only female captain in Class I Exy and she’s had an uphill battle on her shoulders for years before Neil or even Matt arrives at Palmetto. She has short hair and probably wear gym shorts 90% of the time but she’s still allowed to dress up without everyone being like ‘omg wow dan in a dress’ like it would be in any other book. She was a stripper and she owns it because it’s what she did to survive and it was selflessness not ignorance or anything else that’s stereotypically attributed to strippers, that drew her to it.
Renee Walker- Basically a flower, if it was a flower that could also slit you from neck to gut and plaster on a serene smile a second later, she’s an accepting Christian who isn’t gay herself (*cough* EXTREME RENISON SUBTEXT THO *cough*), she’s working her way through her trauma in a way that is healthy, she wants to put her past behind her but she’ll bring it out to protect/help her friends. She’s the only person that stays with Andrew without some kind of deal between them and she doesn’t do it out of pity.
Allison Reynolds- will slay anybody with her look, refuses to let her grief break her, came through being cut off by her family for not being picture perfect and an eating disorder with confidence and grace and sass. She’s brutally honest in a refreshing way and I think that post King’s Men, with all the secrets out of the way, her and Neil can become much closer.
Aaron Minyard- oh he’s an asshat but he still wheedles his way into your heart. He loves Katelyn more than he probably thought possible, and he’s so snarky I love it. He also killed Drake despite training to be a doctor which I think is something everyone always forgets. I think the thing that annoys me the most about him is not that he’s mean to everybody but that he doesn’t even try to understand Andrew; he just immediately blames him and hates him but not enough to let Andrew go.
Nicky Hemmick- ‘let’s get this straight: I’m not’, nobody really talks about how horrific his childhood being raised in such a homophobic household did to him. They sent him to CONVERSION CAMP and only falling in love with Erik managed to save him from that dark place. His parents refuse to love him on account of his sexuality and then they manipulate him in order to set up Andrew for rape. Obviously it’s Andrew who gets hurt the most here (well I mean Drake dies but like that’s a good thing) but Nicky, like Neil, has to live with that guilt for the rest of his life. He’s a constant ray of positivity despite everything, despite his cousins never thanking him for doing this long-distance mess from his home just to be there for them.
Kevin Day- oh Kevin, Kevin, Kevin. Kevin comes perhaps the farthest of all the foxes over the course of the series and it makes me feel so proud. I screamed in delight and had to put the book down to do a little victory dance when he got his Queen tattoo. I worry sincerely about his liver. He’s a sad little history nerd who has made Exy his LifeTM and an actual asshat on the court. Probably about as good as Neil at knowing how to make friends and he shows he cares through Exy references only but I still love my toll bean.
Ok. Deep breaths. We’re onto Andrew.
Sometimes I think about his character and it just makes me tear up slightly? He’s an apathetic shitty midget who hates Neil and sits on tall buildings because he’s scared of heights for the AestheticTM. Basically everyone on this Exy team is some shade of LGBT+ and yet there’s no similarities between how they express their sexualities. Andrew is gay and a sexual abuse survivor and a foster kid and ex-juvie, but he’s not stereotyped into any of the boxes any other series would put him in.
I know too many people who have been sexually abused. Any other time that I’ve read a book where someone was sexually abused it was either liberally ignored/easily overcome or the person was driven to committing suicide. Neither is particularly helpful to survivors in my opinion, not that I am any kind of expert, and therefore Andrew’s story blew my mind. Andrew is never going to ‘go back to normal’. He is always going to have boundaries and yes or nos and triggers. He is never going to smile often or take Neil off on romantic dates or care about more than his minimum. And that, that is ok. There is no checklist for trauma survivors that they have to work through to be counted as better. Even more brilliant than Nora allowing Andrew to be changed permanently by his trauma, is the way he has an active and encouraged approach to his own recovery. His relationship with Bee is something I truly treasure. I am lucky enough to have not ever gone through something similar to Andrew, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be extremely happy that other people have that representation. Recovery is a slow process, with setbacks and bad days, which is also shown in this series, but it’s possible.
I like that Andrew didn’t always somehow magically know to go and get therapy. He survived Drake through self-harm and while he doesn’t encourage it, which is good, he also doesn’t completely demonise it like some people do. I will be the last person to condone harming yourself, but wanting to be able to make choices in an otherwise choice-less situation is completely understandable.
Proust trying to ruin his scars makes me want to vomit.
He was put on meds after he attacked some men for attacking his cousin and everyone thinks he’s dangerous? And manic? And out of control? Neil is perhaps the first person Andrew lets in enough to understand that everything Andrew does has a reason, and while it’s not always a good one it is also never a selfish one. Their relationship was a trust-build for two and a half books and it makes it so much more powerful. By the time they progress to anything physical, they’re already tied by something unbreakable, not that Andrew’s likely to admit it any time soon.
This is already like five pages long oops so I’m going to round off now.
This series made me laugh, and cry, and I quite literally screamed into my pillow when Andrew finally kissed Neil but I think most importantly it opened my eyes to lots of previously not-thought-about topics and I’m a better person for having read it.
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