#Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

indigothemuse · 2 years

Text

Promise- Andriel

Hi everyone!! This is a birthday fic written for Archi, who you may know as @moonscarsandstars

Crossposted on ao3.

Fic will be under the cut! <3

Dan wakes up at 7 am to the sound of furious knocking on her door. She groans and rolls out of bed, regretting the loss of her blanket and Matt’s warmth. She still moves quietly. Matt had a late flight, and she doesn’t want to disturb him. A courtesy whoever’s knocking doesn’t seem to share.

She opens the door, and sighs. Neil Josten stands outside her apartment, in a pair of running shorts and a bright green shirt. “Why in the world are you here?”

He bounces on the balls of his feet, shoes the same green as his shirt. “I need to talk to Matt.”

“Matt is sleeping. Which I would like to be.”

“Oh.” He follows her inside (uninvited) and takes off his shoes. Dan wonders idly if Andrew got them. Neil continues to follow her like a lost puppy. He doesn’t look like one anymore at least.

She turns to face him outside her room. “Okay. I am going to go back to sleep. And so are you.” She cuts off his protest with a Captain Stare™ . “Come on. Sleep.”

He slides into the bed, and Matt rolls over, slinging an arm around him. Dan smiles, takes a quick photo and sends it to the group chat that she has with her Foxes, and goes back to sleep.

☽٭٭٭☾

Neil wakes up at 11:30, face to face with Matt. He’s barely awake, blinking blearily.

“Am I dreaming?”

“Unless you suddenly have hyper-realistic dreams, no.” Neil keeps his voice soft, wary of waking Dan.

“Mm. All right, let’s get breakfast.” Matt stands and Neil follows, feeling more alert than he had before. Their kitchen is nice, bright, and clean. There’s a small plant on the windowsill above the sink, and Neil pauses to read the sticky note next to it. Water twice a day—Breakfast/Dinner. The note is in Renee’s careful script, and the i’s are dotted by little stars, and there’s a cluster of them in the corner. He waters the plant, and looks to Matt. He’s rummaging through the cabinets, and emerges with a triumphant grin, brandishing a skillet and shallow bowl.

“Okay! Young grasshopper—” “what” “—I’m going to teach you how to make the best french toast you’ve ever had!”

“Young grasshopper?”

Matt nodded sagely. Neil smiled a little, and jumped up onto the counter, swinging his legs. Matt starts pulling things out of the fridge and cupboards, and mutters to himself under his breath. Neil catches the fork that Matt throws, reaching up easily. (Years of Andrew and Kevin throwing things that he asks for have been helpful for his reflexes, even if Kevin almost broke his nose once.)

“Right! So we need eggs, cinnamon, vanilla and salt mixed together.” Matt brings measuring spoons over with him and Neil pushes himself onto his knees to watch curiously. Matt measures out the ingredients, talking him through the process.

Neil finds that he enjoys it more than he thought. Matt talks animatedly, if quietly, catching him up on all that he’s missed. It’s spring break, two weeks of time off before Neil has to be back for his final few months of school.

Finally, they end with six pieces of French toast. Matt puts powdered sugar on his, and Neil steals half of their fruit for his pieces. Dan laughs when she emerges from the bedroom and sees powdered sugar over Matt and Neil’s mouth stained red from strawberries. She pours herself a cup of coffee, kisses Matt’s forehead, and plucks a blueberry from his plate.

“Morning!” She’s cheerful now, brown eyes bright. “So, Neil, what brings you to our humble abode?”

He sighs, fork beginning to push his bread around. “I, er…I wanted to do something. For Andrew.” Dan's eyebrow twitched. “He just…he’s really important to me, and since I’m probably not going to get signed on his team…” Andrew lived in Boston and played for the Boston Rebels. Neil had been getting offers, but none from Andrew’s team.

“Did you already have something in mind?” Matt leaned forward, breakfast forgotten.

“Yeah. This.” He pulled the ring box out. “It’s not an engagement ring!” he yelped, as Dan and Matt Looked at each other and then back at him. “It’s a promise ring. For ours.”

Dan had brought a hand up to her mouth, her wedding ring glinting. He smiles nervously, fidgeting with the box. “That’s beautiful, Neil. I’m sure he’ll lo-adore it,” she corrected herself quickly, and smiled at him.”

Matt left his seat and slung an arm around his shoulders. “Neil. He’ll like it. Trust us?”

That wasn’t even a question. He had put his life in their hands before, over and over again, and by now it was second nature to trust them.

“Yeah. Okay. Thanks for breakfast.” Matt pulls him into a tight hug. Dan ruffles his hair after, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“See you, Captain. Have fun with your Foxes!”

Neil grins at her. “Have a good day, Coach.”

Dan beams at him, he’s waving and leaves, and then running back to Andrew’s apartment.

☽٭٭٭☾

Andrew looks up when a key turns in the lock. Neil had visited Dan and Matt the day before and had come home looking much more relaxed. And now, returning from his morning run, he comes inside sweaty, but not gasping for air.

Neil comes over and peers down at Andrew. “What are you working on?”

Andrew frowned at his laptop. “Lacey, the PR manager wants me to ‘have a more active presence on social media.” Hence, his screen displayed a view of their most recent emails, where he ran out of reasons not to post more.

“Mm. You could post a picture of us!” Neil grins at him, crooked, blue eyes shining and auburn hair tousled.

“In your sweaty workout clothes?”

Neil nods seriously, but amusement glints in his eyes. “Of course. They want the authentic versions of us.”

“Which includes you, post-run?”

“Yep! Smile!!” Neil loops an arm around his neck and sits in his lap. He takes the photo quickly and spins his phone to show Andrew. He’s looking at Neil, eyebrow quirked. He’s resolutely not smiling, but that means nothing when his face looks so…soft. “Can I post it?”

“Do you even know how to use social media?”

Neil pouts. “Rude.”

“It’s one of my better qualities.”

He grins at that and presses a butterfly soft kiss to his cheek. “Can I post it though? Or at least send it to the others?”

“Yes. You can post it.”

Neil does so, writing out a caption with the focus he typically reserves for reviewing Exy footage (Junkie, he thinks with something almost like fondness), tongue poking out between his teeth. He glances at his phone when it sounds off the Twitter notification. @jos10exy tagged you in a post!

He looks at it. Neil had posted the picture, and he was grinning at the camera. Andrew doesn’t look at himself again, instead amusing himself with how quickly the people react. Neil has a popular social media presence, probably due to his nonexistent brain-to-mouth filter.

The responses roll in, and people lose their minds.

Lacey messages him, a simple ‘Good.’

☽٭٭٭☾

Neil is, simply put, losing his mind. The ring sits, heavy, in his pocket. The weight of Andrew’s gaze is almost crushing. And he tries, so hard, to act normal. To act as though it does not burn under his skin, as though the secret lies across his tongue, ready to take the fall.

He has two days before his flight back to Palmetto and the Foxes, and then the final game of the season—championships between the PSU Foxes and the USC Trojans. Jeremey, Jean, and most of the original team that he had played in his first year had graduated. This was a new lineup too, led by Captain Olive Brant, a backliner.

But he doesn’t want to have to plan out strategies and deal with Jack and Sheena. He’s just happy to be here, with Andrew, in their little pocket of the world.

“What,” Andrew says, crushing the silence like how he grinds out his cigarettes.

“Huh?”

“Something’s bothering you.”

Warmth unfurls in his chest, blooming, flower petals opening up. “Yes,” he says, simple, sweet, offering up a truth for their game.

Andrew waits. Neil sighs, softly, and pulls the ring box out of his pocket. Andrew stiffens ever so slightly, but still, he waits. “It’s a promise ring. Not—not an engagement ring. Not if you don’t want one. And it’s for us. Our yeses, and our nos. And the promise to be there for each other, to protect each other. But if you don’t want it—”

“Neil.” Andrew had moved during Neil’s rambling, and he gently squeezes the back of his neck. “Yes, I want it.” He takes the box and slides it carefully onto his right ring finger. It’s a simple black band, but there are stars engraved on the outside, a small cluster of three. Inside, ‘Home’ is written. Andrew smiles. “Can I kiss you?” Neil breathes, overcome.

“Yes.”

Andrew leans in first, and Neil meets him, in a soft, sweet kiss. He’s smiling against Andrew’s lips, but Andrew just tangles his fingers in Neil’s hair. When they pull away, Neil is beaming. Andrew has a tiny smile pulling at his mouth.

“Is this why you’ve been running all over the place?”

Neil laughs. “Yeah. I was worried you wouldn’t like it.”

“I do. …Thank you.”

“Of course. I’m glad you do.”

Andrew reaches into his own pocket and pulls out a similar ring box. “It looks like we had similar ideas.”

The ring is black, and simple, but there’s a moon inscribed on the top. He checks under the band, and smiles at what he sees. ‘Junkie’.

“Thank you, Andrew.” He slips it on, and looks at it. “We match, see?” Neil holds out his right hand, and he obligingly holds out his.

“Yes.” Andrew studies him. “Something’s still wrong though.”

Neil frowns. “I just…miss you. Yeah, you’re here, but I’m going back soon. And then I probably won’t be able to sign with your team, but I’ll be pro, and—”

Andrew leans forward and again, gently squeezes the back of his neck. “Neil. Breathe. Our relationship is not dependent on being close by. You could live in Europe, and I would still be with you. Our promises are not just the result of being in the same area. I will protect you, no matter what.”

Neil looks at him. Hazel eyes steady, maybe not warm, but caring. Protective. “Yes,” he says, slowly. “I know. It’s just…difficult, not being by you anymore, especially once I go pro.”

“I know.” Then, Andrew moves his hand to rest it against Neil’s cheek, ring cool against his burn scar. “I’ll be here. I promise.”

Neil is overcome. “I will be here too.” He brings his hand up to squeeze his hand. Andrew smiles.

Maybe it isn’t perfect. Not now, maybe not ever. But Neil knows, with Andrew, he’ll be okay. Able to thrive and not just survive.

He’s happy. And he’s going to do his best to stay that way.

----------------

Thank you so much for reading!! Please, if you enjoyed, leave a like and reblog it, so it gets spread.

I sincerely hope that you had as much reading it as I did writing it <3

happy birthday, love. i hope that you had a wonderful day, and I'm so excited to seeing what this year brings you. i love you dearly, and you're one of my absolute best friends.

love,

indigo (the muse)

#neil josten #andrew minyard #matt boyd #dan wilds #all for the game #all for the gay #neil josten/andrew minyard #domestic fluff #minor angst #soft neil josten/andrew minyard #domestic andreil #andreil #yes this is late. i didnt think abt posting here at first. oops </3

9 notes · View notes

aftgficrec · 6 months

Note

ah I'm so excited you're open!!! thank you for the ridiculous amount of work you all do 🙏ok, this might be too specific but any fics with an alternate take on Andrew and Neil's post-trk reunion? Andrew gets out of easthaven early, Neil leaves the Nest later, AU's, etc.? i think it's a really interesting point in their dynamic, and I'm a sucker for sober Andrew realizing someone was watching his back for once

Feeling a bit like a Bernie Sanders’ meme – ‘I am once again asking myself why I spent so much time on an ask,’ 😅 but it's because this is such an iconic and beloved scene for our fandom. For a super fun ‘live’ first-time reader reaction to this high drama, check out ‘The King’s Men, Chapter 1 – Hello Foxhole, My Old Friend’ by @nickireadstfc here. -A

also see

Andrew's POV of throwing keys off roof here

‘Come and Save Me From It’ here (completed)

‘Learning To Feel (When You've Forgotten How)’ and the fandom meta posts here

‘pipedream’ here

‘reaching for the heights’ here

‘Lost boy’ and ‘[Un]broken’ here

‘I Know You From A Nightmare,’ ‘The Marks We Make,’ and ‘Draw Me Out, Mark Me In’ here

‘Marked’ and ‘Soulmates who can feel each other’s pain’ here

‘Of Stars and Stories’ here

‘What’s normal now?’ here

long previous recs with reunion mention

‘No More Fucks To Give’ here (updated)

‘The Sphynx and the Hare’ here (completed)

‘corvus, vulpes, lupus’ here

‘never fallen (from quite this high)’ here

‘Not a Pipe Dream’ here

‘everything and nothing begins with you’ here

Andrew gets sober, Neil stays at Evermore

‘Oh Raven,’ ‘Jailbird,’ and ‘Take to the Wing’ here

‘Scared to Live (But I'm Scared to Die)’ here

‘Comeback’ here

you may also like

Christmas at Evermore here plus song rec ‘Far From Home (The Raven)’ here

Proust here plus ‘if you really love nothing’ here

Neil’s a hallucination here

Andreil meet in Easthaven here

‘just a slow body’ here

‘Will you be there when I come back?’ here

‘Here With You’ here (complete)

‘i'm here right now (just be here right now with me)’ here

‘We're All Stories In The End’ here

‘Spirits In My Head’ here

‘Fold me in your palms’ here

‘The Raven Prince’ here

‘Thanks, Matty’ here

‘Lullaby’ here

Random Rec - Andrew Minyard playlists round up here

Just a Pipe Dream by loveroulettes [Rated T, 2781 Words, Complete, AFTG Exchange Summer 2021, Locked]

Andrew thought coming off drugs will get rid of all side-effects, so why is Neil still here? AKA the scene where Neil picks up the cigarette from the ground and smokes it, but from Andrew’s POV

tw: implied/referenced abuse

reckless/i like it by Willow_bird [Rated M, 27259 Words, Complete, AFTG Mixtape Exchange 2022]

One thing didn’t seem to have changed since getting off the drugs. One thing almost seemed to have gotten worse. ”The next time someone comes for you, stand down and let me deal with it. Do you understand?” “If it means losing you, then no.” --- 5 times Andrew realized this something he had for Neil was, well, treacherous + 1 time he admitted (at least to himself) that he liked it

tw: violence, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced csa, tw: kidnapping, tw: choking, tw: implied/referenced torture

In the rain by Lyndis [Rated G, 1147 Words, Complete, 2021]

Part 2 of Quick and Dirty, parts 3 and 15 here

Andrew is off his drugs for the first time in years. No one knows he is back from Easthaven and he just wants to see Neil.

Time Machine by Marquee [Rated G, 137 Words, Complete, 2023]

Part 4 of Aftg Poetry

Andrew wanting to kiss Neil on the roof, but he isn’t sure he should. But like a poem?? Yeah.

Tumblr Prompts by lipsstainedbloodred [Not Rated, Collection, 2018]

Chapter 13: Page 12: What if Neil didn’t go with the monsters to pick up Andrew from Easthaven (Andreil) [T, 2434 Words]

tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: implied/referenced sexual assault

his solace by orphan_account [Rated M, 2292 Words, Complete, 2016]

Andrew’s first thought of Neil Josten was ‘fake’. He was a boy who was clearly lying, clearly pretending to be something he wasn’t; or at least, something he didn’t want to be. Andrew’s next thought of Neil Josten was ‘dangerous’. He was too attractive for Andrew to ignore, whilst single-handedly being the biggest flight risk he’d ever met. Neil looked for exits everywhere he went, and Andrew hated him for it.

tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced csa, tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: violence

Silent Words by Jeni182 [Rated M, Collection, Complete, 2018]

Chapter 2: Colors [T] Andrew hates color. It’s part of the reason why he’s always in black. It’s just easier. The color doesn’t make his eyes hurt. He doesn’t have to think about shit matching. It deters people, a lot of times.

When You Were Young by SpookyMiscreant [Rated T, 1831 Words, Complete, 2017]

It starts when the monsters pick up Andrew from Easthaven. Andrew sits on the roof of Fox Tower and contemplates Neil Josten now that he's sober. Set to the background music of When You Were Young by The Killers.

tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied referenced child abuse and neglect

this hole you put in me (wasn't deep enough) by gaygoyle [Rated T, 3368 Words, Complete, 2023]

Neil blames himself for not doing more for Andrew while he's at Easthaven. So, Neil returns the one thing he knows even with his ban- Exy.

tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon

Shades of Sunset by darkbluebox [Rated T, 1885 Words, Complete, 2020]

Andrew is five years old, and he thinks orange is the most beautiful colour in the world. Twenty years in the life of Andrew Minyard.

tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: implied/referenced csa

Tell Me How You Hate Me by Killingmeslowly_24 [Rated T, 30532 Words, Incomplete, Updated June 2023]

Next to Kevin sat a man who was roughly Neil-shaped, but that was where the similarities ended. Because Neil was brown hair, wide eyes, and a skittish demeanor. Neil was hidden smiles and questions and questions, so many goddamn questions, and- No. This wasn’t Neil. This man was a collage of bandages and bruises, hair bathed in flame. This man was a slack jaw and blue eyes, blue like ice, like an ocean, like drowning, too much like freedom for Andrew’s comfort. ... Or, The King's Men from Andrew's POV

tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced csa, tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: violence, tw: dissociation, tw: suicidal thoughts, tw: depression, tw: blood, tw: panic attacks

Bury it deep down, keep it under your skin by All_for_the_andreil [Rated T, 2123 Words, Complete, 2023]

He only wants to jump off the roof half the time. He supposes that’s progress too. The other half he’s only thinking about it in theory. How many bones would he break? Would he die on impact, like his mother did, or would it take some time? Would he feel the pain, or would it be just pure shock? Would he laugh as he fell? -or- Andrew's life told in snippets

tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: suicidal thoughts, tw: canonical character death

Promptober 2023 by djinthehouse [Rated T, Collection, Updated Oct 2023]

Chapter 2: Falling into his reverse based on the song, The drug in me is you, by Falling in reverse

tw: referenced drug overdose, tw: canonical character death, tw: implied/referenced drug addiction, tw: violence, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: psychological abuse, tw: gun violence, tw: murder

Chapter 4: Weak for the Boy This is based of the song, Weak by AJR it is kind of the opposite of Falling into his Reverse.

tw: referenced nonconsensual drug use, tw: violence, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: blood, tw: psychological abuse

drop the game by Joana789 [Rated T, 1647 Words, Complete, 2017]

Then, the pills are gone. The buzzing in his veins is gone. The too-bright colors of the world are gone, everything back to its overwhelming dullness again. Neil Josten is, startlingly, still there.

tw: implied/referenced torture

but i’ll know, i’ll know by neilpipedreamjosten10 [Rated T, 2709 Words, Incomplete, Updated Nov 2023]

After Andrew comes back from Easthaven, Neil is missing, and Andrew is the only one who remembers who he is. But Neil never left Edgar Allen. *** This takes place during TKM, a what-if? fic where Andrew returns and finds that Neil was like a figment of his imagination, but now he has to save the runaway.

tw: graphic depictions of violence, tw: referenced overdose, tw: referenced suicide, tw: nonconsensual drug use, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: torture

Lost (I Don’t Want To Be) by Demiwitchwoodwalker [Rated T, 4564 Words, Complete, 2022]

Part 1 of Someone(s) To Stay

Kevin didn't respond, couldn't, and he suspected Riko knew that as his next words oozed with some sort of satisfaction. "I thought I'd give you a bit of a heads up, as a… let's say Christmas present. Your precious Nathaniel's getting inked. It's a shame Jean already got three, it would've suited the little Wesninski."

tw: violence, tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: panic attacks

NB: kandrew/developing kandreil