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ninyard · 13 days

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"if you can't figure it out by now, then i don't have anything else to tell you."

This would be perfect for Andrew to say to Neil

“If you can’t figure it out by now, then I don’t have anything else to tell you,”

(aka an Andreil “what are we?” conversation.)

“Allison hasn’t stopped calling you my boyfriend since we got back from the cabins.” Neil was sat parallel to Andrew with his arms wrapped around his knees in a meagre attempt at keeping warm, next to Andrew’s outstretched legs. The air on the roof of the dorms was crisp with a fresh Spring breeze, the wind swirling debris in little whirls around them. “I haven’t told her to stop, but I will if it bothers you. ”

“Is that what you’ve been thinking about for the last twenty minutes?” Andrew asked, a rhetorical air to the question he didn’t really want answered at all. The smoke that left his lips disappeared quickly in the wind, miraculous that his cigarette was still burning. He brought it back up to his lips and inhaled before turning to look at Neil. He didn’t say anything, and his bored gaze didn’t say much either.

“It’s Allison.” Neil settled for, as if it were explanation enough. He sat up straight to match Andrew’s eye-line. “It’ll catch on.”

Andrew regarded Neil for only a second longer before turning back towards the view in front. “She has never strayed far from being a tabloid princess. It’s nothing more than front page news to her.”

“I told you she was betting on us,” Neil said, but Andrew held up a finger to stop him. “What?”

“Their poor choices in gambling are not my business.” He said, stubbing out the finished cigarette next to him and flicking the butt over the edge. His hands found rest in his lap, interlaced into each other. “They chose a horse in a race and think that they’ve won. I don’t care.”

“Tell me to ask her to stop, then.” Neil looked away as well, arms crossed over his chest, close to asking Andrew to go inside. They could talk in their dorm, except for the fact that Kevin had surprisingly invited Matt over to discuss his playing strategy, and this was not the kind of conversation Neil wanted to have with company. They could speak in German; but he’d made a conscious effort to speak in English in front of his teammates since he promised not to keep secrets from them anymore. “Say the word and I’ll tell her, because I don’t care.”

“Evidently not.” Andrew said. “Why bring it up if you didn’t?”

“Well, does it?” Neil didn’t want to indulge in his desire to dodge his questions by changing the subject. “Bother you, I mean.”

“Irrelevant bullshit doesn’t bother me.” Andrew pedantically emphasised the word bother with quotation marks in the air. “You’re asking stupid questions.”

“Valid questions.” Neil corrected.

“Needless questions.”

Neil sighed and extended his legs. He had to brush the hair from out of his eyes to look over at Andrew, reminding himself that he needed a haircut. “I’ll tell her to stop, then.”

“That is not what I said.” Andrew brushed him off with a wave of his hand.

“So are you my boyfriend?” Neil wasn’t sure why he cared so much, or if he even cared at all, because he knew in truth he would never go out of his way to call Andrew his boyfriend anyway. But in some ways it felt important to understand what was really happening, and how exclusive was their nothing? In his own mind, never to be spoken aloud, did Andrew even believe that they were a thing?

Andrew looked at him, his gaze falling from the top of Neil’s head to the bottom of his chest and back up again. He tilted his head, and landed on Neil’s eyes. After a small inhale, he nodded forward, “No.”

Even expecting it, even knowing that was what he was always going to say, it still felt like a surprise punch to his stomach. That’s what Andrew had done to him, he’d turned him soft, he’d turned him into someone with an interest in normality. He’d turned him into someone who longed for a boyfriend and a life, a home, a future, even if his stomach twisted at the thought.

He pushed down the tiny feeling of disappointment that radiated through his gut, and smiled, “Okay.” Andrew didn’t look away, but he remained silent, and Neil filled the space with a question he knew he shouldn’t ask, but had to ask anyways, “So what are we?”

“You are living inside a movie.” Andrew didn’t laugh, but Neil was sure that the desire to was buried somewhere beneath his stoic expression. “Is that how far removed you’ve become in your freedom, that you think that is something you have to ask me?” He shuffled himself over so he was better facing Neil, and he glanced between his eyes. “We are nothing.”

“A truth?” Neil tested.

“Fuck off,” Andrew poked Neil’s chest hard enough to hurt. “That is the truth.”

“So I’ll tell Allison to stop.” Neil’s head bowed in an over exaggerated nod of understanding. “I’ll tell her that you are not my boyfriend, and you don’t want to be called that. I’ll tell her you said that.”

“I hope that is not supposed to be a threat.” Neil had hoped his response would be more telling, but Andrew continued with, “Would you like to be called my boyfriend?” His tone was less inquisitive than it was mocking, the slightest grimace in his face telling Neil that he hated even saying it.

“I don’t know.” Neil reached a hand out towards Andrew, pausing for a silent glance of approval from him before he placed it on his chest, playing with the strings of the black hoodie he wore. “I’m mostly tired of not knowing what I mean to you.” Andrew’s expression hardened into something resembling annoyance as he continued to speak. “I’m not asking you to call me your boyfriend, okay? I just want to know if you‘re going to meet another guy, and think it’s okay to get him off, because we’re not together.”

Andrew didn’t move to reciprocate the touch Neil had given him, but raised an eyebrow at the hypothetical. “It sounds like it would be a problem for you if I did.”

Neil matched his stare and coolness in his response, “And what if it is?”

“This is an entirely unproductive conversation to have,” Andrew rested a wrist on Neil’s shoulder and brushed a piece of hair back behind his neck. A small but meaningful gesture that perhaps was given in lieu of ensuring Neil that his example would never happen. “I will not give you the pleasure of reassurance. If you haven’t figured it out by now, then I don’t have anything else to tell you.”

“How can I figure it out, when you keep telling me it doesn’t exist?” Neil’s voice was low, and Andrew’s sigh meant he heard the gentleness in it. He heard the way Neil hadn’t meant to sound so pleading, the words leaving his lips in such a way that felt like a desperate whisper for answers. “I want to hear you say it.”

Andrew looked down at the hair by Neil’s neck. “You know that I won’t.”

“Then tell me that we’re not just fucking for fun.”

Andrew dropped his hand and pushed Neil off, seemingly thrown by his bluntness. His laugh was a single short breath, not a semblance of a smile or humour in it. He shook his head as he took a cigarette from the packet he’d pulled from his pocket. Once the cigarette was placed between his lips, he stopped with the lighter a few inches away from his face, pointing the fire starter at Neil. “Well, we’re certainly not fucking for love.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Neil watched as he struggled to ignite the lighter, hand cupped around the flame, the wind set on blowing it out. After the third unsuccessful try, Neil reached forward to help him shield it with both his hands, until three short puffs in from Andrew told him it was lit. Andrew leaned back and exhaled. He watched as Neil pulled his hands away.

“You want to know if I’m going to get bored of you, then.” He said through smoke. Andrew adjusted himself to tuck one of his legs beneath the other, leaning his elbows on his knees. “You want to know if I have feelings, is that it?”

Neil shrugged his shoulders and looked at his hands. “Maybe.”

Neil listened as Andrew let out another smoky exhale. He cleared his throat, and when Neil thought he might speak, he instead filled his lungs again. There was no need to flick off the ash as the wind did that job for him, but from instinct he did it anyway. He let out another humourless laugh, two short puffs following in order to keep the stick lit. Andrew was not looking at Neil as he lifted his eyes to watch him, Andrew’s hazel gaze fixed on something in the distance. Using the thumb and index finger of his free hand he wiped the sides of his lips, tensing his jaw like the words took it out of him just to say. “Fuck you for even asking.”

The tug in Neil’s chest was impossible to ignore. It felt wrong to hear Andrew’s voice wrapped around those words, words that separately read like an insult, yet meant something different to their original form when he uttered them. Like watching a fish out of water, like listening to a mime sing; to have these moments of vulnerability from Andrew were as beautiful as they were rare. He hadn’t intended to steer their conversation to the place where it had landed, and part of him felt guilty as he watched Andrew silently struggle through the side of himself he swore did not exist. The side of Andrew that kept itself buried six feet below, hidden from anyone who asked, except for Neil, who’d been digging a hole for months trying to find it.

“When you put a name to something it gives it permanency, yet an opportunity to end,” Andrew sat up and moved closer to Neil, finding his position with one knee in between his legs, sitting back on a spot on the lower half of Neil’s thigh. He threw the cigarette somewhere behind him as he settled. Taking Neil’s hair into his fists, he examined the look on his face with his lips slightly pursed. He considered his words and took one hand out of Neil’s hair to hold his chin up, making sure he was listening. “You label it however you wish. I will not. Do you understand?”

Neil nodded, afraid to speak, as if any words insufficient would cause Andrew to change his mind about where he rested his body weight. It was reassurance enough that he’d found his way there, and that he remained, comfortable by his own volition.

“And for the record, Abram,” Andrew leaned in close, wisps of his hair tickling Neil’s face, his breath hot as he left a gentle kiss on his jawline. Neil shut his eyes and breathed in the moment, hiding his fists in the pocket of Andrew’s hoodie. “To answer the question you so annoyingly want answered,” He left another kiss higher up on his jaw, brushing his lip against his ear lobe as he moved, slowly, so gently Neil was both afraid he would fall apart, or that he would be able to feel his quickly beating heart through his skin. The hand that had sat in his hair moved to cup the opposite side of his face, the other tucking Neil’s hair behind his ear and holding him by his neck. Neil couldn’t help but shiver as he whispered in his ear, “I will not be fucking anyone else, and I am not just fucking you for fun. Happy?”

Neil nodded as he turned into his lips, melting into the kiss that warmed him up as the wind persisted. His hands pulled out of the hoodie pocket, and he tapped Andrew’s neck for permission to hold him. When Andrew hummed with a barely there nod, he hooked his hands around the back of his neck and pulled him closer.

There were a million things Neil could label Andrew;

Terrifying but caring. Gentle while violent.

Beautiful, like something that deserved to be hung on a wall, yet so precious Neil wished nobody else could see.

Rough. Jagged.

Talented. Human.

Misunderstood, perhaps. Genuine, most of the time.

When he thought about Andrew, there were a million things he could identify him as before landing on Neil’s boyfriend.

He would not tell Allison to stop, nor correct Nicky when he joined in. He would not say it out loud, either, as if their nothing that is something was so sacred it couldn’t be uttered. It was a relief of course to know that Andrew was his, and though he felt embarrassment rush through his blood at the idea of it, he was certain that what they had both found in each other was glaringly rare and hauntingly perfect. He noticed how perfect they fit together in each others space, lips on lips, hands on skin, and wondered how he ever doubted this was it; that this was real.

He was sure that no one else could experience such a thing.

#this got a little too long but I could keep going #the prompt is supposed to be angsty but <3 look at these two <3 #look at how they love each other #I hope this is okay! I hope you enjoy!#I love these funky little guys #Neil josten #Andrew minyard #aftg #all for the game #andreil #andreil fic

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sepulchralblues · 2 months

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Some Might Call This Love

He knows Neil wants to know what is going on in his head. But the truth is, Andrew isn’t entirely sure even he knows what is rattling around in his skull. Yesterday had been a huge deal. For the both of them, not just Andrew. Yesterday had been the first time Neil had fucked Andrew. Something about wording it that way feels crass to Andrew. Calling it ‘made love’ makes him want to vomit, but ‘fucking’ doesn’t describe what yesterday was to either of them. It was so much… more. (It was everything and nothing.)

Happy belated @aftg-mixtape to @halfpintpeach!! I'm very sorry for the delay but I hope you enjoy your gift <3

Read it here.

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mostlymaudlin · 2 years

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pay more attention

rated t, 500 words, andreil / series: flashes of intimacy

“If you want it, just put it in the cart,” Andrew says. “Stop dawdling.”

Andrew and Neil only came shopping to “pick up a few things,” but they’ve been at Target for almost an hour. It’s dead in here at 8 PM on a weeknight, but it’s still entirely too over-stimulating. He’s beyond ready to go home, drink a beer, swap lazy handjobs in the shower with Neil, and fall asleep.

Neil, however, feels no such hurry. He has been staring at a large, mundane canvas print of an abstract fox for almost a full minute — Andrew had made it to the end of the aisle before he realized he’d left Neil behind.

Neil blinks at him. “I don’t know where I’d put it.”

Andrew takes a few steps back, considering the print again.

“There’s space in our room in Columbia,” Andrew says. “On the wall with the window.”

Neil doesn’t respond for a moment, so Andrew glances at him. He’s doing his kicked puppy song and dance, staring at Andrew like he’s just done something either incredibly cruel or incredibly kind.

Andrew, who has done neither, gestures at Neil’s face. “What’s wrong with you now?”

“It’s just,” Neil starts, then pauses to swallow thickly. “I didn’t know it was our room.”

Andrew can’t help it — he rolls his eyes. Then, he takes Neil’s chin in his hand.

“Neil,” Andrew says. “That house is your legal address. You sleep in that room every time we are there. You have that shitty ass dresser that took three hours to assemble. What the fuck did you think was going on?“

Neil shrugs, still looking wounded. “That I was staying in your room, I guess.”

Andrew scoffs, dropping Neil’s face. “There’s hardly a difference anymore, is there?”

Neil’s expression crumples further, and fucking hell, they were just supposed to be in and out. Toilet paper and coffee filters and a new bath mat. There’s no need for a meltdown in the Home Decor aisle.

“Knock it off,” Andrew says. “Don’t make this into some big, new thing. Nothing has changed. Pay more attention.”

Neil nods, but he’s still got that face. The irritation leaves Andrew’s body on an exhale. Neil is being stupid, but only because his perspective is rooted in his fucked-up life experiences. Andrew knows that Neil never takes what isn’t freely given, and he knows how much it means for Neil to claim things as his own. None of this should be surprising.

Andrew checks over his shoulder to make sure the aisle is still empty. He puts a palm on the back of Neil’s neck and draws him close. Neil tucks his face against Andrew’s hair, and Andrew measures the rise and fall of Neil’s chest until it settles into an even pattern.

“Enough of that,” Andrew murmurs, stepping away. Neil’s expression has morphed into quiet contentment, which is less concerning but way more annoying. “Grab your stupid fox so we can go home.”

this series is now on ao3!

#silly silly neil #hes so baby rn #aftg #my writing #my aftg writing #flash #andreil #andreil fic #aftg fic #flashes of intimacy

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theravenkin · 11 months

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since im not a gatekeeper ill project the andreil fic idea i just had since i know i probably won’t write it:

andrew runs an antique store and also buys/sells antiques himself. neil comes in once to get rid of some weird fucking artefact he found in an undisclosed location in an undisclosed manner. andrew buys it. neil keeps coming back, each time with more and more unhinged things for andrew to appraise. andrew may or may not buy every single one and may or may not be entirely biased.

#someone please do what i am too much of a coward to do #andreil #andreil fic #aftg #aftg fic #andrew minyard #neil josten #all for the game #aftg fanfic

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kazbiter · 2 years

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one thing about me is seeing the phrase "Andrew wants." when talking about Neil in a fic is going to do it for me EVERY. DAMN. TIME. signed, sealed, and fucking delivered.

#andrew joseph minyard #i love you Andrew Minyard ur the hermit crab my parents never allowed me to adopt as a child #you guys don't get it he WANTS #HE LETS HIMSELF WANT NEIL #eventually u know when they're healed #andrew minyard #all for the game #the raven king #the kings men #the foxhole court #andreil #andrew x neil #neil abram josten #neil josten #all for the gay #aftg #aftg fic #andreil fic

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crazy-fangirl2524 · 9 days

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I would have let you by theresnothis

“Neil wanted to scream but he swallowed it like his guilt and maybe this was what the four letter word looked like: trust, understanding, devotion; I would kill and die for you. Dying by your hands as an act of love from both sides.”

Sometimes Neil Josten just slips and Nathaniel takes over.

3k oneshot, hurt/comfort, slight angst, andreil, please read it lol.

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medeaaasworld · 2 months

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Okay, so, hear me out—

We've got our square share of Riko-Neil's-abusive-ex fanfiction, and the idea is wonderful, truly delicious! But.

What if...it was Lola?

Like— let's pretend for a second that Nathan isn't that bad. A local mobster perhaps. Or just an average alcoholic, throwing kitchen knives at his son during the long benders.

Lola works for him and is—obviously—obsessed with the man (eww)

She is older than Nathan's son, Nathaniel —let’s say about a ten-year difference — and the boy is so delicious! He looks just like a younger version of Nathan himself and is way easier to manipulate. (yes, I'm thinking about this part of the king's men)

So she does manipulate him, abuse even. Clearly it's grooming, 'cuz when she starts Nate is still a minor, and that helps her to build an even stronger connection between them.

Nathaniel Wesninski knows that he is just a more amenable replacement for his father. He hates her. But he's way too deep in that shit to stop, because her continuous manipulation has paid off.

So he suffers. Nurtures his silly little crush on the best friend and surrenders all his resolve to not drag Andrew into his mess — ever the martyr.

Nathan sees everything and doesn't give a fuck.

Andrew sees everything and hates himself for making a deal with Neil, according to which the rabbit gets to fight his own battles.

Foxes are foxes.

Riko is a bitch, but otherwise harmless.

And perhaps Stuart saves his unlucky nephew once again.

Am I writing this? Yes

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sunriseabram · 3 months

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Fic Masterlist

Dreams You Die In (Andreil) - Mature - 2.8k | one-shot - Nightmares - Graphic violence Problem (Kandrew / Kandreil) - Explicit - 1.7k | one-shot - Mutual Pining - NSFW

In Time, I Will Be Fine (Kevin) - Teen and Up - 1.2k | one-shot - Canon Compliant - Character Study

Bullet With Butterfly Wings (Andreil) - Teen and Up - 2.1k | one-shot - Canon Compliant - Angst with a happy ending Devil Sent To Plague (Andreil) - Teen and Up - 15k | 7/7 chapters - Demon Neil / Human Andrew - Comedy

Vervain (Andreil) - Mature - 30k | 9/9 chapters - Graphic Depictions Of Violence - Vampire Neil / Human Secret Agent Andrew

Not Today, Nathan. (Andreil) - Teen and Up - 1.5k | one-shot - Vampire Neil / Human Andrew

The Ghost of Nathaniel Wesninski (Andreil) - Teen and Up - 839 | drabble - Graphic Depictions of Violence - Canon Compliant | BAMF Neil Josten

Defining Love (Andreil) - Teen and Up - 460 | drabble - Andrew Character Study

A Hunger Only You Can Fulfil (Andreil) - Gen - 620 | drabble - Soft Andrew

Not that type of body count (Andreil) - Mature - 727 | drabble - Canon Compliant | BAMF Neil Josten

Talk Shit, Get Hit (Kevin) - Mature - 621 | drabble - BAMF Kevin Day

You keep his shirt, he keeps his word (Andreil) - Teen and Up - 4k | 3/3 chapters - Fluff

I can admit, I am not fireproof (Andreil) - Teen and Up - 2.6k | one-shot - Baltimore from Andrew POV

Whenever you are is where I call home (Neil) - Teen and Up - 2.4k | one-shot - Graphic Depictions of Violence - Neil at nest | warning: riko moriyama

#masterlist #aftg #all for the game #neil josten #andrew minyard #the foxhole court #drabble #one shot #andreil fic #aftg fic #fic rec #fic masterpost

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noorasaetrr · 13 days

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andreil fic recs

man of war by nvmbrbells (15k)

aftg mutant!au that follows the general plot of the main series except they all have powers. beautiful characterization and writing style, love the choice of powers for each character and how they fit into the story.

a list in the margins by petalloso (16k)

au where andreil meets in high school. love the writing style and the mix between canon personalities and the naivety of being 17 and in love. bittersweet.

forever, for you. by softlightwood (3k)

just a super sweet proposal fic that absolutely nails how an actual andreil proposal might go. love everything about this and it truly packs so much into a short fic.

#sorry its kind of short but i will add more in time #andrew minyard #andreil #neil josten #aftg #tfc #tsc #andreil fic rec #andreil fic #the foxhole court #all for the game #the sunshine court

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starregulus · 19 days

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Hatred

Andrew hates Neil. This a known fact. One of the many truths of the universe. As sure as the sun rising each day.

Andrew also hates heights. But he still goes up to the roof everyday, hanging his feet over the ledge whilst smoking a cigarette.

This may seem like insanity at first glance. But both these truths, these hatreds, have something in common. They make Andrew feel.

They break through that wall of apathy he wears as armor against the dangers of the world. They make his pulse race and his hands sweat. And Andrew hates it.

Or maybe he doesn't.

Andrew values honesty above anything else. He is not a liar and he never will be. After all they were all liars and Andrew will not anything like them.

So he's not lying when he says he hates Neil. He does hate him. More than anyone could ever possibly understand. But Andrew also hates heights. He's not afraid of heights, contrary to popular belief. He hates them. He was, however, afraid of falling.

#aftg #all for the game #andreil #andrew x neil #neil x andrew #andrew minyard x neil josten #andreil drabble #andreil fic #kinda but not really #andrew minyard #neil josten #andrew minyard character study #??? maybe #starregulus writes #starregulus

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fortheloveofexy · 1 year

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Andrew is not delicate.

He is sharp blades and bloodied knuckles. Steel -spined and concrete skin. Nothing gets past him, nothing seeps through the cracks. Andrew has a will like iron and he does not bend, he does not break.

Well. Not usually.

Today, he woke up wrong. The cracks in his armor are wider than normal, leaving him on edge and tense. He feels weak. Vulnerable.

He'd dreamt of a previous foster mom. A woman named Grace. He'd only stayed with her for a few weeks when he was only five, a temporary place to land while his case was reassigned to a new social worker (his third one so far). She'd been unusually kind, offering him snacks and letting him pick out the movie they watched before bedtime. Grace was divorced and retired, and had no children of her own, so she fostered kids instead.

She was also a hugger.

Andrew remembers with perfect clarity the first time she held out her arms in offering. He'd shied away and then immediately panicked, expecting to get hit for refusing. But Grace had simply smiled and suggested they get ice cream, as if nothing had happened.

The day his new caseworker came to get him, he'd cried and begged not to go. He'd pleaded for her to keep him, to become his real mom, couldn't he stay just this once?

She only replied with a sad smile before offering him a hug again, and he'd thrown himself into her arms without hesitation. In the end, he'd clung so tightly that the caseworker had to drag him away.

It was the first time he'd ever hugged someone willingly. It was also the last.

He never saw Grace again.

"Hey," Neil says, dropping onto the ledge beside him.

Andrew glances over at him, unsurprised that Neil thought to check their usual rooftop perch.

He doesn't bother returning the greeting. Instead, he silently holds out a cigarette, tucking it back into the carton only after Neil declines.

"Couldn't sleep?" Neil asks, casual.

It's an invitation to open up, to say what's on his mind. Usually, on days like today, Andrew abstains. But he *has* gotten better, according to Bee, so he tries for honesty. "Had a dream," he mumbles past his cigarette, "Nightmare."

He can feels Neil's eyes on him. Despite what he often claims, Neil isn't stupid. He knows who and what Andrew's nightmares usually entail, and he knows Andrew doesn't talk about them to anyone but Bee. "A new one?" Neil asks, careful. So careful. Andrew isn't delicate, but Neil is gentle with him regardless.

"An old one," Andrew elaborates, exhaling smoke, "From before." He suppresses a shiver; the wind is stronger up here. "A woman who was kind to me when I was small. I was remembering her."

Neil pauses, tilting his head. "Not Cass?"

"Not Cass," Andrew confirms, "Grace." He plucks the lit cigarette from his lips, considering the lit cherry. "I hugged her, once," he says mildly, as if it means nothing, as if Neil won't see through that facade immediately, "It was the last time I was held. By choice, I mean."

Neil shifts, and the movement draws Andrew's attention back to him. Neil's brows are furrowed, his mouth twisted into a puzzled frown. "So when you hugged me last week," he starts, "That was-?"

Andrew taps him on the forehead, annoyed. "Don't read too much into it," he chides, smoothing out Neil's brow with another poke of his finger, "I only did that to calm you down."

Neil pushes his hand away, his frown deepening, "Then why are you bringing this up?"

Turning away, Andrew stubs out his cigarette and leans back on his hands. "Because I didn't hate it," he sighs, "Last week, and before."

Neil is silent for a long moment. At last, he shifts again. "Ask me."

Andrew raises an eyebrow at him, but Neil presses on, undeterred. "If there's something you want, I'll give it to you," he says, "But you need to ask me. I won't make guesses about that."

The urge to remind Neil that he wants nothing rises to the tip of his tongue, but Andrew discards it. Lying is pointless; they both know by now that it's not true.

Instead he pauses, quietly considering the offer. "Yes or no?" he finally relents.

Neil turns towards him and opens his arms. "Yes," he replies, "Come here."

"Hands above my waist," Andrew mumbles, and then he's tentatively sinking into Neil's embrace, his hands finding purchase on the bumps of Neil's spine while his cheek finds a home next to Neil's jaw.

The sudden flood of body heat nearly has him trembling, but he grits his teeth and forces it down. It's so good and so much, it's almost painful. He finds himself torn between shoving Neil away and coiling around him so tightly he can never let go.

Letting out a long breath, Andrew tries to relax. He focuses on the sound of Neil's breathing, on feeling the faint ridges of Neil's scars where their bodies are pressed together. Soon, the sensory overload starts to fade, and the tension in his muscles begins to dissipate.

Neil waits until he settles down fully before loosely wrapping his arms around him in turn, one hand winding fingers through the fine hairs on his nape while the other rubs soothing circles on his back. It's calming and steadying; a repetitive motion that settles Andrew back into his skin and tethers him to Earth. He's holding Andrew in the same considerate, gentle way he sometimes looks at him. Like if he's not careful, Andrew might shatter.

For the first time, Andrew is grateful for it. He is not delicate, he is not fragile. What is already broken cannot break. Neil knows that, better than anyone.

But, Andrew admits, there was something to be said about being handled with care regardless.

"Okay?" Neil whispers, his voice soft in Andrew's ear.

Andrew nods into his shoulder, squeezing him tighter. "Okay."

#aftg #all for the game #the foxhole court #andreil #andrew minyard #neil josten #aftg fic #aftg ficlet #andreil fic #andreil ficlet #fanfic #ficlet #snippet

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