#why couldn’t I have had an exy scholarship | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

codename-adler · 3 years

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Kevin Day and his Oblivious Literature Lover, pt.V

Let’s all repeat after me: therapizing our faves helps us therapize ourselves! If Kevin can get better, maybe we all can... right?

>>Table of Contents, TW and other parts here!

the water runs behind the bathroom door for so long that Kevin spaces out in his spot on the floor, losing himself in thoughts about the Foxhole Court (surprise, surprise)

Juliet comes out at last an hour later, freshly showered, her hair wet and springy, her face even paler than before

she goes to rummage through her tiny dresser, slow and silent like a dead walker, and pulls out multiple clothes before going back into the humidity of the bathroom

she finally comes out into the room a few minutes later, dressed in clean sweatpants and multiple t-shirts and sweaters

the one on top is a simple, XXL black hoodie with the PSU logo on the front, in washed out orange

Kevin unconsciously thinks that the blindingly bright orange Exy hoodies the Foxes have would suit her so much better

happy colors help happy thoughts, right?

(who said that again? was it Nicky? he was probably talking about the gay flag anyways...)

Kevin is pulled from his thoughts when Juliet trudges over to her bed, lets herself fall in it and sluggishly pulls on blue fuzzy socks to warm her cold feet

he slighlty turns to look up at Juliet, and they start a staring contest from where they each sit

but Kevin soon realizes that not everything is a contest, and not everyone exists to challenge him, and Juliet isn’t the Foxes

because she barely lasts 2 seconds before lowering her gaze to her hands, shoulders tensing and fingers picking at dry skin

however, as Kevin keeps feeling out of his depth and thinks about just leaving right there and then, Juliet quietly mumbles

“If I talk, will you talk too?”

Kevin’s first thought is “I don’t have shit to say and I sure as hell wouldn’t give you dirt on me,” and it clearly shows on his face

lucky for him, Juliet’s head is still lowered, so he has time to force himself out of his fight-or-flight relfex

she isn’t the Foxes, she isn’t the Ravens, she isn’t the Foxes, she isn’t the Ravens, she-

but still, what if she is? what if this is all a scam?

but then again, he looked for her, he found her, he spent the night, he is asking... if anyone’s nosy in all this, it’s him

it feels like at the point where he is, where they are, he’s acted far from his usual, asshole self, and he just wants to keep going... it feels good not to fight

“Yes, I will talk. If the subject stays within the limits of what I’m willing to talk about. You should do so yourself,” Kevin states, not quite softly, but not quite sharply either, like he usually does

Juliet anxiously nods, still not looking up

the silence settles back between them, the room heavy with dread, fear and awkwardness

after a while, Juliet speaks up, barely above a whisper, but in the quiet of her room, it feels like her words ring in Kevin’s ears

“If I google you right now, what am I going to find?”

and shit

anything but that

he wants to hold on so bad, just a little while more, to this nobody he’s managed to keep up with Juliet

because if she knows... then everything he’s managed to keep at bay when he’s with her will come rushing back over him, and over her too

and he doesn’t want that

it’s not shame, it’s not pride

it’s pure fear

“You are going to see very ugly things,” is all he responds, face blank and emptily staring at the wall

inside, though, it stings to say those words. because it isn’t totally the truth. exy is his pride, his reason to live, his air to breathe. but if she finds out about exy, she will also learn about the violence, the multiple “accidents”, she’ll know about Riko...

and if she knows about Riko, she’s one step closer to Riko knowing about her

“Kevin. When you say ‘ugly’, you mean you’ve had a shitty life so far, or you mean you’ve killed many people? Because you’re the man who slept on my floor all night and I’m alone, and I’m very afraid right now.”

of course he fucked it up one question in

what is he supposed to say, though? ‘Of course I’m not a murderer, but my owners are’ ?

and the more he thinks about the correct answer to give, the more he looks like he’s searching for an excuse and the more Juliet is retreating into the corner of her bed

“Fuck, no. It means that half the cards I’ve been dealt with are extremely good, and the other half is very, very fucked up. And it’s all over the Internet. And the things that you won’t find there are the ugliest. Ugly secrets that make me even more unlikeable to my... roommates, and our classmates. A walking asshole on a stick.”

Juliet stops moving

“That’s… quite the load of bullshit, Kevin. I won’t look, okay? I promise you. But you said truth for truth. That is not a truth. But... you also said we don’t have to answer if we don’t want to. Kevin, you don’t have to. I’ll take your word that you’re not a serial killer. I’ll haunt you if you are, though. I’ll make all your spoons disappear. And kick you in your sleep.”

Kevin didn’t know how to react

it was so… easy

too easy

just like that, the subject was dropped

no pushing, no threatening knife, no mood swing

now it was his turn

somehow he could only think of Matt, of Aaron and their nights out at Eden’s, of Seth…

“Are you on drugs?” was out of his mouth before he could be careful of his tone

it sounded severe, accusing

yet Juliet did not react, not even a little bit

she just kept on looking at him, letting the silence pressure him into guiltily babbling his excuse

“I’ve seen these signs before, okay! And heard about them too. I know what addiction looks like. The sickly pale skin, the mess, the absences, the shutdowns. Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what.”

“Like a wounded animal.”

his tone was harsh enough to resemble the attitude he usually reserved for the Foxes

and he knew he’d been too rough when it caused Juliet to draw in a shaky breath

“Wow, you’re really good at that… Ever considered being a detective or a life coach? You’re actually not far from the truth… Jesus,” Juliet exhaled. “I do take drugs. Antidepressants. Strong ones. And I ran out this week. I don’t have the money. You’re currently witnessing a withdrawal combined with a depressive episode. Impressive, huh?”

her voice was so devoid of emotions Kevin was reminded once again of Andrew…

except that her face was a mirror cracked open, her pain palpable in the air between them

his first instinct was to reply ‘What’s wrong with you?’, because he genuinely wanted to know why she had to take such heavy medication at her age, and why she couldn’t afford it anymore, but he willed himself to let the words die on his tongue; try not to be a fuckup this time, will you?

however, before Kevin could formulate his thought correctly, the silence overworked Juliet too and she filled it with her story...

“I was diagnosed with dysthymia a couple of months ago. I’ve basically been stuck in a dark cloud since I was like, 15. Never went away. Wasn’t ‘serious’ enough to get medical attention, like the docs said. Fast forward last winter, I had a complete nervous breakdown at my workplace. It was pretty ugly. 911, ambulance, psych ward, psych eval, pills, and other… things. Oh, and a fuckload of bills. Even my scholarship doesn’t cover all of that. So I tried to make my prescriptions last longer by taking my medication every other day, which… Well, not recommended by your local psychiatrist. Last weekend I had to choose between groceries or pills. Now my body is missing its drugs and I’m missing major classes. So… Ta-da…” she told Kevin, her arms slowly moving as if to present a show.

Kevin was speechless

not because he was shocked, or because he pitied her, or because he was disgusted

he was speechless because of the anger that choked him from inside

he felt such a rage at the idea that Juliet couldn’t receive the help she needed, the care she deserved

he was speechless because as anger consumed him, he realized that it was the same anger he’d felt when Jean was given back to him in pieces

he was speechless because he cared too much, now

he hadn’t even seen it coming

if Juliet were to be pulled away now, it’d feel like pulling every stitches he ever had

and all it had taken was a few months

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nekojitachan · 4 years

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Okay, so, the urge to write this hit me (maybe in part because of the new fic). Though I’ve been thinking of it off and on since I wrote it... two or three years ago? I finally got back to it. Raven!Andrew soulmate fic with Raven!Neil (Nathaniel). First part can be found here (I managed to find it).

Uhm, warnings for the Nest (vaguely) and for threats of non-con (that are not carried out). Mention of Nathan, too.

******

Andrew felt a manic, medicated smile spread across his face when Aaron chose not to sit next to him in the Intro to Biology class they’d both signed up for; he was tempted to throw a pen at his twin’s head before he slumped down in his seat and barely paid any attention to what was a blow-off class for him. As soon as the bell rang, he was out the door and waited in the hallway for Aaron to come out. When his brother cautiously stepped outside, he grabbed onto Aaron’s left arm and dragged him aside.

“What, no brotherly love today?” Andrew asked with a bright (false) grin. “Do I stink? I swear I showered after morning practice.” The other students gave them a wide berth, especially when they caught sight of Andrew’s black and red track jacket that all the Ravens had to wear outside of the Nest.

Aaron cursed beneath his breath as he shook his head, then switched to German. “Look, it’s for the best, okay? Just leave me alone.”

“Why?” Andrew’s eyes narrowed as he thought about Riko. “Did someone say something to you?”

Aaron ran his right hand through his hair, which was shaggier than Andrew’s (than his ‘nice’, Raven-styled haircut). “Do any of the other students talk to you? Sit next to you?” When Andrew scoffed at that, Aaron scowled. “It’s not because you’re an asshole, but because everyone here leaves the Ravens alone, it’s like you’re part of some special clique and they don’t like anyone messing with the status quo even if they’re a Raven’s brother. So just… call me or something, maybe we’ll get together on the weekends someplace away from campus, but I can’t chance losing this scholarship. I’m sorry.” Aaron gave him a casual wave as he walked away.

Andrew stood there for a minute as bitterness filled him at how easily Aaron cast him aside, focused on himself as always. It didn’t matter that Andrew had crossed the country for him, had risked his own life to get rid of Tilda for him, had joined the Ravens… well, partially for him.

The asshole hadn’t even managed to get hold of any alcohol for him yet.

He was late to his next class, an American History one, but the professor didn’t bat an eye at his arrival even though she’d chewed out another student last week for doing the same thing. Andrew barely paid attention to what was being said again, confident that he’d pass everything like he always did.

Once the class was over, it was time to head back to the Nest, what joy. He ran into Ben on his way to the stadium and basically ignored his ‘partner’ the entire time. Ben was long used to it by then, and appeared happy when they came across other Ravens, ones who would actually talk to the sophomore.

They spent time before afternoon practice working on their class assignments, which never took long for Andrew to complete. He spent the rest of the break reading through the ridiculously long email Nicky had sent him (why did his cousin bother now that he was back in Germany) and glancing through the stats on the Northeastern Huskies, the team the Ravens were to play that Friday. The Huskies weren’t in the overall top three for the NCAA Division I, but they were for the Ravens’ region so it was considered an important game.

Well, by everyone but Andrew.

Practice was the usual ordeal, was Riko acting as if he was the boss of everyone as he barked out drills and plays, as he expected to be thrown the ball as if he was the only striker out on court. It was Tetsuji watching everything with his emotionless, beady eyes as if he was a starving vulture, quick to lash out with his cane at the slightest mistake. It was Nathaniel acting as if Andrew didn’t exist at all.

Andrew was so tempted to say to hell with them all and head off campus to find the nearest liquor store, but he wouldn’t risk Nathaniel showing up the next day beaten again, or Aaron losing his scholarship.

(He didn’t care about Riko or Tetsuji fucking with him, was more than strong enough to handle whatever they threw at him, but refused to let others be punished in his place.)

Instead, he remained in the goal and blocked almost all of Riko’s shots on it just to annoy the asshole.

(He thought he saw Nathaniel smile once when Riko stalked off in anger, but the expression was gone a moment later.)

The rest of the week was spent with Tetsuji and Riko pushing the Ravens to be perfect (or damn near it) by Friday’s game, to memorize the Huskies’ stats and previous games. Considering that it was only the second game of the season, Andrew took to glaring at the soul mark hidden beneath his left armband; he didn’t believe in regret, not exactly… but he had some rather negative thoughts over Riko and Kevin bringing Nathaniel with them when then came to recruit Andrew.

The campus was festooned with black and red (remove the latter and it would fit Andrew’s mood perfectly), with students wearing Ravens jerseys. Most wore Riko’s and Kevin’s, but Andrew rolled his eyes when he saw Aaron sport his; the moron gave him a brief wave and a nod in acknowledgement, then went to sit with a group of what appeared to be new friends.

How nice for him.

Andrew felt his lips twitch then tug back into a mirthless grin when the loose sleeves of the black and red jersey that Aaron was wearing revealed that the black mark on Aaron’s left forearm was still a shapeless blob, that his twin hadn’t found his soulmate yet. Ah, so only Andrew had been inflicted with that particular curse as of yet, though Aaron was like Nicky and actually looked forward to finding his ‘other half’.

The fool.

Soon enough it was time to return to the Nest, to suffer through yet another recap of the Huskies’ players and probable game strategy (which he’d long ago memorized) before a quick lunch and then ordered to get ready for the game. Andrew noticed that Nathaniel wasn’t with the team for once, and managed to hold on to his curiosity until he noticed a man who appeared similar to the young backliner (his soulmate) stride along the outer ring; he was dressed in an expensive suit which was tailored to fit a muscular build, his dark red hair stylishly cut short (and lacking any type of curl), his eyes the same arresting pale blue as Nathaniel’s. Yet they were utterly lacking of emotion when they glanced out at court… and seemed to linger in Andrew’s direction for a few seconds.

Andrew nudged Ben’s left foot. “Who was that?”

Ben appeared stunned that he’d been asked a question. “Eh? Who?” He glanced in the direction Andrew nodded and frowned. “Oh, that’s Nate’s dad, he shows up now and then, usually on a big game day. Comes before the game starts and always leaves right after.” His frown deepened as he gazed at his racquet. “I don’t think they get along well, Nate’s always withdrawn after his visits and….”

Andrew did some frowning of his own. “And?”

Ben jumped a little at his question and pitched his voice lower. “I wouldn’t say anything, but you’re his soulmate. You’ve seen his scars.” Andrew’s jaw clenched at that statement. “Sometimes after his dad visits, he has a new one.” Ben pointedly looked away after that.

It took a minute or two for Andrew to get the urge to go after the man and bash his head in with his racquet under control (the fact that the abusive bastard had been followed by obvious bodyguards helped just the tiniest bit).

(It also raised the question of who the hell was Nathaniel’s father, what was he doing at Castle Evermore, and why Tetsuji allowed him to abuse one of his most talented players?)

Andrew was distracted from thoughts of violence by Tetsuji ordering the Ravens to warm up and participate in drills as Evermore slowly filled up with eager fans. That wasn’t entirely true as he did feel inclined to smash his racquet into one preening Riko Moriyama, busy mugging for the cameras and fans, and yet again wondered just how incompetent the doctor was who put him on his ‘lovely’ meds.

Maybe Aaron could get a nice lawsuit out of him eventually ‘snapping’ when the inanity of it all finally drove him to bash everyone’s heads in.

A boy with a heavy stick, a ton of issues and forever increasing anger management problems could dream, couldn’t he?

He was actually grateful for the damn game starting, just because it meant that soon it would be over. Andrew was slated to guard the goal in the second half, and so got to sit bored on the bench while a bunch of idiots ran around on the court.

At least, until a Huskie sub striker (#17, Donaldson, junior) seemed to grow annoyed at Moreau blocking him from the Ravens’ goal and swung his racquet into the backliner’s side, right below where the protective padding ended. Part of Andrew nodded in approval of the nasty and effective blow while another was annoyed that he wasn’t the one to land it.

Oh, and that it delayed the game’s end while Moreau was checked and carried off the court.

It was clear that the Huskies hoped to take advantage of the Ravens losing their number one backliner to an injury, but the team was composed of some of the best Exy players in the division. Hebig and Federov managed to do a decent job of defense in Moreau’s place, so Andrew didn’t have to work too hard once he was out in the goal; he only let a couple shots through, with the final score being 12-7.

The stadium erupted into cacophony when the final buzzer rang out, with the Ravens smug over their victory and the Huskies disgruntled. Andrew didn’t give a damn, he merely wanted to shower then sleep, done with Exy for the time being.

Riko and Kevin were expected to do their preening for the camera bullshit, but Andrew noticed how an excited Federov went up to Riko before the asshole left and talked to him, a huge leer spreading across his face when Riko nodded.

Something about that expression made Andrew’s skin crawl (it wasn’t the sweat drying on it or his drenched uniform); it sunk in when he was in the shower scrubbing clean.

Federov’s expression resembled Drake’s when he’d come into Andrew’s room at night.

By the time he rinsed the soap away, dried off and put on clothes, Federov was nowhere to be found. Andrew didn’t see any of the male Ravens missing (other than Riko, Kevin and Moreau), so that left the women and… and Nathaniel.

Shit, Nathaniel, whom Federov would stare at from time to time. Whom Federov would try to talk to, but Moreau always interrupted him and pulled his partner away. Andrew thought it was just Moreau being a dick, but now….

He broke into a run towards Nathaniel’s room, and was grateful for once that there weren’t any locks on the doors in the Nest as he threw the door open.

Federov had a struggling Nathaniel pinned to the bed, hand raised to hit him (hit him again, judging from Nathaniel’s bruised face and bleeding lip). The bastard looked up in time for Andrew to punch him on the cheek, which knocked him aside, and yelped in pain as he was hauled off the bed and thrown to the floor, where his ribs were stomped on twice. Hard.

“Stah- ah! Stahhp,” the bastard screeched as Andrew kicked him once more for good measure, only to find himself pulled off balance by Nathaniel.

“Stop it,” Nathaniel said, his voice weak and a bit slurred from the split lip. “You’ll get in trouble.”

“Like I give a shit.” Yet Andrew found himself unable to look away from his battered soulmate, from the hopelessness in Nathaniel’s eyes and the blood on his face; while he was distracted, Federov scurried out of the room like a four-legged crab and slammed the door shut behind him. Andrew clicked his tongue at the thought of having to track down the bastard to slit his throat before he returned his attention back to Nathaniel. “Why’d you stop me?”

“Because Riko would be mad,” Nathaniel said as he slumped back on the bed. “It’ll just make things worse.”

“Worse than someone raping you?” Nathaniel flinched at that but didn’t say anything, just closed his eyes and huddled into a small ball, his black sweatshirt torn to reveal some of the awful scars on the upper right part of his chest, including one which looked like an iron burn on his shoulder.

Andrew felt something turbulent scour through his chest at the sight, felt it rail against the drug in his blood, and spun around on his left heel then stalked into the small bathroom attached to the room where he wet a couple washcloths with cold water and grabbed a towel. When he returned to the bedroom, Nathaniel watched him with a wary gaze as he approached the bed.

“For your face,” he said as he held out the washcloths. “You might want to do something about the swelling.”

Nathaniel was still for a few seconds before he uncoiled enough to accept them. “Jean will-“ He winced when he must have realized that his partner was stuck for the night in the medical department.

“Will what?” Andrew prodded as he smiled, jealousy and anger straining at the chemical chains the damn drug forced upon his impulses. “What’s he gonna do, hmm?”

“Yeah.” Nathaniel wrapped his arms around himself and appeared younger than seventeen years old. “There’s… there’s icepacks in the minifridge.”

Andrew glanced around and found the fridge on the other side of the room, by what he assumed was Moreau’s desk; when he opened it, he found it stocked with a couple bottles of water and several icepacks. Huh, seemed they were prepared for a few booboos, how interesting.

He went back to the bathroom and grabbed a couple hand towels to wrap the icepacks in, and returned to the room to find Nathaniel gingerly wiping the blood from his face. Once it was cleaned up, he handed over the icepacks and got up to grab the large sweatshirt (Moreau’s) which was draped over the back of the nearby chair and threw it on Nathaniel’s bed. “I’m spending the night here.”

Nathaniel’s eyes (well, the right one, the left was swelling shut) widened at that. “I’m fine! You can-“

“I’m not leaving in case the asshole decides to come back,” Andrew stated as he dropped down on Moreau’s bed. “You willing to be smacked around some more?”

That earned him a virulent glare. “You’re the asshole. And how do I know you’re not gonna… gonna take his place, huh?” For all of Nathaniel’s harsh words and nasty looks, his slender fingers plucked at the sweatshirt he’d draped over himself as if it was a safety blanket.

Someone didn’t have a lot of faith in him, did they? Andrew didn’t blame his soulmate, not with everything he learned about the Nest with each passing day. “Because I’m not like anyone you’ve met before,” he said as he kicked off his sneakers and stretched on top of the duvet.

Nathaniel scoffed loud enough that his throat had to ache. “They all say things like that,” he mumbled as he pulled on the sweatshirt, his gaze downcast. “That they’re special, that they’ll treat you nice, that it’ll be wonderful.” He rocked back and forth once the shirt was on, his eyes unfocused as if he was remembering something and the words sounding rote as if they were someone else’s. “It’s nothing but lies.”

Andrew remembered Nathaniel’s father, the man with the emotionless eyes, and wondered if Nathaniel’s parents were soulmates as well. He wondered if they were one of the pairs who served as cautionary tales, as reminders that not all soulmates had happy endings.

He wondered if that’s what Nathaniel had been talking about when he accused Andrew of being just like ‘him’ when Andrew had let his frustration slip, back in the breakroom.

(Why Nathaniel was so comfortable with a man who wasn’t his soulmate.)

Andrew once again struggled with his drug-addled emotions, with the urge to break things, to stomp out of the small, black-walled room and the Nest and Edgar Allan, to carve off the damn soul mark from his arm and… and the thought of leaving Nathaniel defenseless stopped him cold. Instead, he clicked his tongue and rolled over onto his side until he faced the wall. “Shut up and go to sleep.”

Nathaniel muttered something in Japanese, but got up a few minutes later to go into the bathroom, and several minutes after that shuffled back onto his bed and turned off the light. Andrew lay on the bed and finally relaxed when he heard his soulmate’s breathing slow about half an hour later.

He didn’t get much sleep that night, not when he waited for Riko or Federov to break into the room to take Nathaniel from him.

Nathaniel gave him an incredulous look in the morning when all he did was climb off Moreau’s bed, go into the bathroom to take a piss and then leave, desperate for coffee and his medication (not necessarily in that order). He stopped by his room first to take a pill and was on his way to one of the break rooms for caffeine when he had the dubious joy of running into a smiling Riko.

Warning bells went off immediately in his sleep-deprived head, because if Riko appeared happy about something? It rarely was good for anyone but Riko.

“Good morning,” Riko all but purred as he blocked Andrew moving down the hall.

“Not until I have my coffee,” Andrew muttered as he stared toward the break room, determined to walk past the asshole.

“Ah, not quite yet.” Unfortunately, Riko was nimble of foot and one hell of a determined asshole. “I want to talk to you about last night.” When all Andrew did was grunt in response, Riko’s left eye twitched and his smile slipped slightly. “You may be pleased to know that Jean has been declared fit to play in this Friday’s game, after a couple days of light practice. That’s good because Lev will need a few days to recover from your… disagreement last night.”

Andrew focused his attention on the manipulative asshole. “From me ‘disagreeing’ with him raping Nathaniel?”

Riko’s nose scrunched as if he’d heard something disagreeable. “You’re new to the team so you don’t understand how certain things work. And that’s how if someone does very well during a game? They get something nice as a reward.”

Rage flooded through Andrew, made his hands twitch to wrap around Riko’s throat at that ‘reward’ bit despite the latest pill; he only resisted as he thought about Aaron. “Nathaniel isn’t a ‘reward’,” he forced past teeth clenched tight.

The look bestowed upon him was one of immense pity. “There’s so much you don’t know, rookie, including how wrong you are about that.” When Andrew’s hands clenched into fists, Riko wisely took a step back. “But that’s not to say that he can’t be your reward, right? After all, he’s your soulmate,” Riko taunted.

“I don’t-“ About to spit on Riko’s offer, something in Andrew made him stop. “What do you mean?” Was this a way to keep Nathaniel safe? Out of Federov’s reach?

Riko’s smile took on a predatory edge. “I’ll admit, I was skeptical when Kevin claimed you were this amazing goalkeeper, but I’ve seen your ability.” Now the smile was wiped away by something resembling annoyance. “When you bother, that is. So here is what I’m proposing. You shut down the goal while you’re out on court during the game? Nathaniel is yours.”

Andrew was quiet as he thought about that, as he thought about his soulmate being safe. “I can’t always guarantee a complete shutdown, not against some teams.” When Riko opened his mouth to argue, he held up his hand. “Up to three goals, and only during the top three teams,” he bargained. It meant he’d have to push himself, would have to work for it (dammit)… but if it meant that Nathaniel would be safe….

He was such an idiot, wasn’t he? No matter how smart he thought he was, how he’d learned his lesson the hard way, here he was willing to bleed out for a pretty face and wide blue eyes.

(For someone who might be as fucked up as him.)

(For his other half.)

“Two goals,” Riko countered, “and Nathaniel is all yours, no one else is to touch him.” Then he laughed, the sound more cruel than amused. “Well, by a Raven at least.”

“He’s mine,” Andrew bit out as he stepped into Riko’s personal space.

There was a flash of fear in the asshole’s eyes before he flashed his usual wide grin and stepped back. “There’s pre-existing claims on our dear Nate, best get used to it.” Riko gave a mocking laugh as he walked away. “You’re so out of your league, Doe.”

Andrew brushed aside the reference to his previous life as he stared figurative daggers into the asshole’s back (oh for them to be real). Once Riko was out of sight, he headed to the break room for a much-deserved mug (or three) of coffee.

It was when he was on his second refill when he realized that he desperately needed answers, and that they most likely would only come from one of his least liked Ravens – Moreau.

*******

So now I’m trying to figure out - is the Perfect Court 1-10 or 1-9???? Obviously when I wrote this, I thought it was 1-9, but I’ve seen so much artwork since then that shows Andrew as ‘10′ so....

Probably back to the new fic unless another prompt/old fic snatches my attention. Though I’m sure I’ll get back to this at some point because ANDREW AND JEAN.

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i-did · 4 years

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I love your hc about kevin being bisexual aromantic and the part about his relationship with thea! I like hows it not just a "they lived happily ever after" situation, it feels more realistic. You also mentioned how you have some ideas for seth? I'd love to hear them!

Yeah! I'm not super into happily ever afters, I men to an extent sure, but for me they're so unrealistic that it pulls me out. I like how in aftg the happily ever after is that neil gets to live and hes with andrew and just has to pay a shit ton of money but we know that doesnt matter to him. Outside of context that doesn't seem very happily ever after, and I like it. It seems achievable and realistic while still romantic.

I think Kevin loves thea and thea loves Kevin, but out of habit and as partners with shared truama more than anything to do with the person themselves. Thea might not even love kevin romantically and he doesn't love her romantically but they don't really know that. And you don't need to know that because you don't need it. They fight and everything and have struggles but don't ever split up imo.

Okay seth ideas:

I have a lot of ideas for seth, I headcanon his mom was Vietnamese and his dad was white. He grew up with a racist dad who instilled toxic masculinity into him especially as an Asian man and then his dad dipped leaving him with insecurity of not being manly enough as well as abandonment issues. His mom worked a lot a lot a lot a lot to keep them afloat, he had a lot of brothers and the hierarchy was enforced with rough housing, the 2 oldest brothers suddenly parents. None of the kids ever got Vietnamese names legally because the dad wouldn't want them to have "funny sounding names" but the mom occasionally called them pet names, seth was hoping after the dad dipped at least their mom would finally be able to teach them more Vietnamese to close the barrier between them, her finally being able to speak in the language she was most comfortable in, but she was too busy and communication was always simple and shallow.

The whole EC deal with seth, the same family who left him giving him bigger abandonment issues etc etc

What seth looks like in my mind:

Obviosly he looks half Vietnamese half white, but he's a skinny lanky guy with a tooth gap he used to stick dumdum lolipop stick in between when he was little, he's got ashy medium brown hair, its dark when grown out but lightens a bit in the sun, he is one of those people with a lot of moles and freckles he got from his father. He used to be the guy who wore fake tapers and skate shoes, basket ball shorts, and a monster energy drink snap back. He starts to just wear tee shirts and jeans and takes out the fake tapers. He's got nobby knees and elbows he bangs on things and he swears everytime.

If Seth Lived:

Him and allison would have broken up a few more times until one really explosive fight and she says "I can't do this anymore" and he says "I know" and she says "I'm not going to leave you" and he says nothing.

She realizes staying friends with your ex was a promise she couldn't quite keep as much as she wanted to. They drift apart. He relapses but this time Kevin finds him. He's out the rest of the season for rehab, getting his degree online and Wymack pleads with them to let him keep scholarship. They cut him off. Wymack pays for what he can before seth can say no, and just drops off a bunch of applications for scholarships and says "I'm not letting you quit." And someone doesn't leave him.

He becomes a social worker. He actually really loves it. He reconnects with 2 out of his ~7 brothers. One of them died and he didn't even know, and he wishes for a second it was him instead, before remembering that they haven't talked in at least 10 years.

He becomes less homophobic but will still say anything to make someone hurt if he hates them, but he becomes less explosive and more worn out. The second hand trauma from being a social worker weighs on him and kne of his coworkers opens up about talking to someone. Their job doesn't cover therapy. He goes to AA and NA meetings. He's not relapsing, but its free therapy and he knows if he feels tempted he could get a sponsor.

He beats the shit out of someone outside one of the meetings who was trying to sell to the people coming out (he runs away and doesn't get caught,)

He goes on a dating website half assed at around 40 years old.

He meets a woman who is also on there half assed. She's very blunt and it reminds him of allison, but she's no frills and they come from the same type of world. He can relate to her and they don't have screaming matches that start with him refusing to take a gift of a 1200 dollar dress shirt when his from Ross is just fine.

5th date in he tells her he's sober and she says "why don't you think we've never gone to a bar?" And he realizes she's sober too.

10th date she says "i know this was fun, but I have a son and I can't be casual anymore. You have to be in or out."

And he thinks about it. And they talk about it. And he says he's in.

Its years of dating until the mom decides its steady enough to meet the son. He's 12 and says "you're not my new dad" and seth laughs, and the kid is confused, because he was trying to say something that would hurt.

His girlfriend becomes his fiance after she gets pregnant, not just because of the baby but because they've been dating for 6 years now and its been serious. Its a miscarriage and its hard, but they get though it.

Seth gets really close with the son even if he came in later into his life, he recognizes a lot of himself in the kid. He's never like a father to the kid, and seth isn't sure he knows what it means to love someone like a son, but he knows its pretty close and he tries to be the opposite of his dad.

They stay lower middle class their whole lives, her working her way up from grocery self stocker job she had at 16 to store manager just over time, him a social worker, in a cheaper town with not a lot to do, but they have a book shelf were they watch movies.

He turns on a game sometimes and quietly thinks to himself "what the fuck" about the one year of college exy he was benched the most possible drama happens. He'll say "I went to college with that kid" and she'll say "who? Scar face? Isn't he like famous or something?" And he'll say "yeah. He is"

She doesn't tell him he has to do anything he doesnt want to do, but she finds out he's been invited to multiple fox reunions where some of the attendees are rich as fuck athletes and says "i want them to pay for my meal" and so they go. They go in their Walmart dress clothes and they don't feel bad, they think rich people are stupid to spend so much when 20$ is enough for a shirt. Their son is in high school and can watch the house by himself.

Seth sticks to Matt, and then remembers that Dan was always more down to earth and his wife loves dan. Doesn't like the others so much besides Wymack and Matt a bit.

Its the only one they go to, but it reminds him to keep up with the man who had helped him out so much and he stays in contact with Wymack. He feels bad for drifting off but they talk. About once every few months, but its more than before.

Okay I'm ending it about here lol

#aftg #all for the game #the foxhole court #tfc #ask #seth gordon #mailob #fig writes

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100storiesin2020 · 4 years

Text

Chapter 2: The Raven Boys

Come find me on AO3!

***

Fortunately for Wymack, the boys were, in fact, waiting by the front door. Unfortunately, Henry Cheng had joined them.

Henry noticed the coach’s approach and his jaw fell open. “Is that Coach Wymack?” he asked incredulously. “As in, Coach David Wymack of the Palmetto Foxes? Who learned Exy under Kaleigh Day? The coach of the team with the most incredible turnaround in NCAA Exy history?” He rocked on his heels, looking like he was either going to faint or jump through the roof in excitement.

Gansey put a hand on Henry's shoulder. "Easy there, man. Can we help you, Coach?" He asked in his most presidential voice.

Wymack's hackles rose a bit. That voice reeked of money and power, of authority and privilege, and went against everything the Foxes were. He could tell that it was a mask, and there was something decidedly off about this boy, but even so this boy in front of him was not the kind of kid he would choose to be a Fox. But, he was out of options now, and was going to have to make the best of it. He sighed. This was not going to be fun for him. "Yes, actually. I'd like to talk to the three of you, if you have a minute." He gave Henry a pointed look.

Henry had many faults, but an inability to take hints was not on the list. "I'll meet you guys at Ninos, then." Only Henry could be honestly described as waltzing away, but he did so whistling.

Wymack sighed just a tiny bit in relief before turning back to the three players. He appraised them for a minute, trying to figure out the best approach with them.

The three of them painted an interesting picture together. Richard Campell Gansey the Third stood tall and polished, the picture-perfect product of his upbringing, presidential and almost imposing despite his age. Ronan Lynch was full of angles and edges, his strength and ferocity outlined in black. Adam Parrish was muted, somehow, as if half of him was far away or he was half asleep. Half asleep, Wymack decided, judging by the bags under his eyes.

He could feel a very strange aura surrounding the three of them. It whispered of forests, of magic, of beauty in creation and a threat of destruction. It was like nothing he had ever felt before, and he couldn’t determine which of the three it came from. Maybe it was all at once. Beneath it all, he could sense darkness within each one of the boys. They all had different shades of it, and they were all on the way to mending in their own way. He decided it would have to be enough. If he hadn’t sensed even a little bit of that, he would never have been able to bring himself to add them to his Foxes. That was his criteria, after all: he took broken people, those who needed a second chance. These boys may not all need him to get that second chance, but at least they were all broken.

Eventually Wymack resorted to his default style: gruff no-nonsense, straight to the point. "Here’s the thing, boys. I didn’t come here for the three of you, but I was impressed with what I saw. I’m in desperate need of two dealers and a goalie. Each of you can have a full-ride scholarship if you’ll sign to my team.”

Adam did not hesitate. “I’m in.”

Gansey and Ronan both looked at him in surprise. “What happened to Harvard?” Gansey asked.

“I didn’t get a scholarship,” Adam replied coolly. “Palmetto isn’t my first choice of school, but I’d get the chance to play more Exy, go to school for free, and not have to work.” He looked wistful. “I’ll be able to sleep.”

Ronan glared. “I’m not going with you.”

Gansey turned to him, eyes pleading. “But why not?”

“You know why. I have to stay here.” Ronan nodded towards Wymack to indicate why he wouldn’t go into more detail. “And I can’t leave Opal alone.” He stomped off.

Gansey looked chagrined, and then sighed. “May we have a night to think about it, Coach Wymack?” Wymack nodded. “We may be able to work something out for him. If I can convince him to sign, then I will too.”

“Well, I’ll be here until tomorrow morning.” He pulled out a blank sheet of paper from one of his files and wrote “300 Fox Way” on it before handing it to Gansey. “I’ll be visiting an old friend at this address, so you can stop by when you’re ready to sign.” Gansey read the paper and laughed, handing it to Adam, who also laughed. Wymack’s eyebrows rose. “Are you familiar with it?”

Gansey grinned. “Our good friend Blue lives there.”

Well, that explains a lot, thought Wymack.

****

The five of them finally convened at Ninos later that night. Henry had already ordered enough pizza and breadsticks for a small army by the time Gansey and Adam had arrived, and Ronan had probably eaten half of it himself.

“What took you so long?” asked Blue, in between bites. She was out of her jersey, wearing possibly 4 different shirts that had been stitched together into a dress before going through a woodchipper. “Wymack doesn’t talk that much.”

Gansey laughed. “I knew he was here to recruit you. You’re an excellent striker, and apparently he’s an old family friend. You’ve been holding out on us.”

Blue grimaced. “I’d never heard my mother mention him, but apparently they go way back.” She took another bite of pizza, chased it down with some soda, and then gave in. “I saw his face change when I walked into the room. He’s very clearly a psychic; that must be how they know each other.” She laughed then. “I will never be free of them, will I?”

“I hope not,” Adam muttered around his mouthful of pepperoni. Blue was a bit chagrined; she tended to forget that he was technically a psychic now too.

“Sorry, Adam,” she said gently. “You know I don’t lump you in with the others. Anyway, I signed on. Full scholarship, five years. I think I might be able to study abroad in the summers if I work it out with Coach before hand. What about you guys?”

“We all have offers,” Gansey began.

“I signed with them,” Adam butted in. “And I know you want to. Ronan shot them down.”

All four of the others turned their attention to Ronan. “Spit it out,” Blue said. “Why did you say no?”

Ronan just glared at her, but he had never won a staredown with her yet, and this was not his chance to start. “I can’t control my dreams off the leyline,” he muttered. “It’d be dangerous for me to leave. And I can’t leave Opal by herself for that long. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

Blue nodded in understanding, and the table was silent for a moment. Gansey broke it. “I’m pretty sure Palmetto is on a leyline,” he mused. “I’m sure any leyline would work, not just this one.” He pulled his journal out of his pocket, and Ronan rolled his eyes.

“We already found Glendower. Do you still need to carry that fucking thing around?”

“Yes, Ronan,” Gansey replied with his ever-infinite patience. “Look. We will be right on the line.” He spun the book around so that the other at the table could look at the map. Blue reach out to trace the line that clearly passed through Palmetto. Henry grabbed her wrist and handed her a napkin before she could get grease on the book.

Adam tilted his head to the side, his sign that he was thinking about what to say. “It may not be as strong as our leyline, but if it is it may work. I can do maintenance on it too.” He looked at Ronan for confirmation and got a glare in return. “That solves only half the problem, however.”

“I have an idea,” said Henry, who had been astonishingly quiet so far. The table looked at him in surprise. “You’ve been planning to revive Cabeswater, right, Ronan?” The dark boy nodded, eyes wary. “Dream it tonight. Your mom can stay there with Opal, and you can come back and visit every weekend that we don’t have a game. It’d be a long drive, but doable.”

Ronan nodded. “I will try tonight. I’ll need some help, maggot.” Blue nodded. “Adam?”

They looked at each other, Greywaren and Magician. To them, nobody else mattered in that moment. They could read each other in a way the others couldn’t, as if they moved to a rhythm no one else could hear. An unsettling grin spread across Ronan’s face at the same moment that Adam’s mouth twitched into a small smile. “I’m in,” Adam said.

Gansey grinned and then finally settled into the pizza. “Looks like we have a plan. Blue? You better call Fox Way.”

Blue was already pulling her phone out of her pocket, and she laughed. “I’ll tell them I’ll be gone all night. Let’s do this.”

****

They gathered that night in the spot where the entrance to Cabeswater had been. Blue, ever the sensible one, had packed a few bags full of blankets so they wouldn’t freeze in the spring night. She'd also brought a few candles, a bowl, and a jug of grape juice for Adam to meditate with.

The five of them set up the site quietly. Gansey and Henry's presence wasn't necessary, but at this point in their adventures it would have been beyond useless to ask them to sit out, so they'd joined under strict orders to be as quiet as they could be. It was a tall order for talkative Cheng, but the somber feel of the night finally got through to him.

Ronan had a makeshift bed set up, and Adam sat next to him. Between them was the candle, now lit, and a bowl full of grape juice. Blue settled herself there as well, and the three of them made a circle. Adam and Blue linked hands, and each rested a palm on Ronan's head, which made him curse.

"Did you have a better plan?" Blue snapped. Ronan cursed again before shifting around so he could have both his hands free and within reach of the others. Ronan closed his eyes and Adam settled his gaze into the bowl.

After a few minutes it became clear to Henry that Adam was zoned out and Ronan was asleep, so he felt safe to whisper a bit to Gansey and Blue. "I know this was my idea," he started, "but do you think it will actually work? I'm still new to this aspect of everything."

Blue didn’t remove her gaze from Adam's face. "I'm not sure," she murmured, "but I think it's our best bet. I'd feel better if we all went to Palmetto together. I know Ronan can take care of himself, but he shouldn't have to. I don’t want to leave him alone." Henry shifted around uncomfortably. He didn’t want to be left behind either. He was the newest piece of the group, and it seemed like he would never quite fit in right. Perhaps it was because he was stepping into the shoes of a dead boy who he had never met. Perhaps it was just that he had missed the bulk of the drama. He was happy to be here, but sad that he didn’t feel like he would ever really belong.

Blue seemed to sense his thoughts, as she was wont to do. "You belong with us too, Henry, but you don’t need to give up Venezuela for us. You'll come back to us." She turned her head slightly so he could see her ghost of a smile. "And this way, I'll be able to afford to come visit you on spring break."

Henry smiled. "I'll hold you to that then." A silence stretched between them. "Though if it doesn't work-"

"It will work," Gansey declared. His voice was full of command. It was the voice that had woken the creatures in the cave, the voice that had demanded that Cabeswater give up Glendower. His voice seemed to ripple through the air, leaving Blue and Henry shivering in its wake. "It will work," he said again, "and it will be stronger than ever before."

At that instant Adam snapped his gaze up to Blue, eyes wild. "It's here." A bolt of lightning shot down from the cloudless sky, striking the ground right in the center of the group, and the world went white.

***

They hiked out of the forest in silence that night, hesitant to break the spell that had surrounded them. Their dream forest was back. It was not the same forest, with different trees and streams and animals, but it still spoke Latin. It recognized them all. Greywaren, Treedaughter, King, Magician. It even knew Henry, though none of them had a translation for the dream speak word that had been used.

It was still a place of beauty, and, as always, a place of dreams. The crowning gem had been the clearing where it always rained and the rain made you feel both happy and sad.

Blue had cried, thinking of Noah and how much he would have loved it. She knew he was gone, knew deep in her heart that he had let go and moved on. He'd always understood her more than any of the others had. She knew it was a ghost thing. But she had understood him in return. She knew he had held on in fear- not for himself, but for his friends. For the life he had saved on the leyline 7 years ago. For the family he had created after death. He knew they were safe now, and so he had gone.

They arrived back at Monmouth as the sun went up, having silently agreed that they needed to be together. But before they could sleep, Blue borrowed Ronan's phone and called Fox Way. "Put Coach on the line," she told Orla. She looked at Ronan, eyebrow raised, and he glared back for awhile before grinning and nodding. "Hello, yes, Coach." She continued. "This is Blue. Ronan and Gansey are in. Leave the paperwork with my mother, they will send it in later. We are going to bed." She listened for awhile before handing the phone to Gansey.

"Hello," Gansey said, bringing out the President Cellphone voice. "Yes, we are both in. No, she didn’t bully us into it. We had to work something out together last night to make it possible for Ronan to join us. Yes, he is in too. No, he doesn’t want to talk to you," he told Coach without even asking Ronan, who grinned even wider, leaning back on the couch. "See you in July then." He hung up. "Guess that's it then." He grinned. "We're going to Palmetto." Blue and Henry cheered, waking up Adam who had already passed out on the couch. Ronan grabbed Adam and dragged him toward his room. Blue went to Noah's old room, leaving Gansey and Henry alone in the front room together.

Gansey looked at Henry for a moment before reaching out and clasping him on the shoulder. "I wish you were coming with us."

Henry shook his head and tried to smile, but it was obviously an effort. "You won’t be rid of me forever," he said. “I’ll miss you, but I can afford to come visit. And I’ll be there next year, if not in the spring.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Gansey relaxed. It just wouldn’t be right until they were all together again, but for now this was good enough.

#a chainsaw in fox tower #chapter 2 #im so excited to have this up now guys #all for the game #aftg #the raven cycle #trc #the foxhole court #the raven king #the kings men #the raven boys #blue lily lily blue #the dream thieves #blue sargent #david wymack #gansey #ronan lynch #crossover #adam parrish

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knox-knocks · 5 years

Note

Things you said while you were drunk for andreil! Congrats!

ahh thank you! here’s nearly 2,000 words of fluff and pining :3

read on ao3

The sun hung heavy in the sky and the rays fell through the branches around them like a cascade of golden light. There was a gilded edge to the leaves where the light caught them, highlighted veins, a bright summer emerald green, stirring in the warm breeze. Andrew didn’t understand how the world could be so bright, radiant even, when night would call in an hour.

A raised hand in the corner of his vision caught Andrew’s attention like cotton snagged on a bush. Golden as the light with thin, nimble fingers and pale scars crisscrossing knuckles and circling a thin wrist. Neil held his hand above him, touching the streams of gold with his fingers, turning it this way and that. He wasn’t trying to block out the sun but he did just that, and long shadows were thrown across his face. He let his hand drop back across his stomach and Andrew was left staring at the dust motes and pollen swirling in the air like stars in a galaxy.

It was nearing the last days of summer vacation, and in a couple weeks, Andrew would be moving two hours away from Columbia to live in a college dorm. He was accepted into Palmetto State University on a scholarship, which was a surprise to some but not to the people who had ever seen him guard a goal. Andrew didn’t particularly care about Exy or college - his major seemed somewhat interesting at least, but he was unsure of what he could do with a degree in Criminology - but what really made Andrew stop and think, Am I really doing this? was Neil.

Neil still had his last year of high school to finish, and no matter how he denied it, a part of Andrew twinged at the thought of leaving his best friend behind. Attached at the hip, Nicky had said about them once, and while Neil was the easiest person in the world to be around, someone Andrew could rely on and trust, someone he could actually talk to, it wasn’t exactly right. They weren’t attached at the hip, there was no tether keeping them together. They just were.

But what if Andrew left and all of that changed?

Andrew didn’t like change. His childhood was full of change, going from foster home to foster home, passed around like a particularly unpleasant stray. He’s lived in Columbia for three years and has been friends with Neil for two, and to most that wasn’t a lot of time - but to him it was. He’d never had something so permanent before, and soon enough it was all going to change again.

Breathing out a sigh, Andrew reached for the bottle curled loosely in Neil’s fingers and brought to his lips. He tipped his head up so he wouldn’t slosh it all over himself and took two long sips of the wine, letting the sweetness settle low in his stomach, making the tips of his fingers feel tingly and numb. He handed the bottle back to Neil and watched as Neil drank from it, cheeks flushed, throat bobbing as he swallowed, lips already stained red. Andrew wondered if his lips looked the same.

They’d stolen the bottle from Neil’s uncle. It was expensive, but Andrew thought it tasted the same as the cheap stuff from the grocery store. Still, they were well on their way to drunk and the bottle was only about half empty. Neil had drank more than Andrew had, and he was already tipsy. Andrew could tell from the light dancing in his eyes as he lay on his back with his head pillowed on his arm, head tilted back to watch the dapples of light play out across the leaves above them.

Andrew wanted to kiss him, right there, while the light still lit his face and painted him in gold, while the curve of his lips held that soft, content smile of his. He thought about kissing those lips, tasting the wine they’d drunk and feeling the buzz in his veins of a high despite the alcohol in his blood. Andrew stopped that thought right there. He wouldn’t kiss Neil, not without an explicit yes untainted by alcohol. He wouldn’t kiss Neil now, maybe not ever because Neil didn’t like people that way. But, god did he ache with want.

Tearing his gaze away, Andrew rubbed his palms into his eyes until he saw lights bursting like fireworks, different from the sunshine around him. He willed his thoughts to stop, urged himself to stop thinking about Neil and kissing, but it was a gargantuan effort. He knew it was so hard because of the wine in his system, that he was perhaps a bit more drunk than he’d thought. Despite this, Andrew reached for the bottle and took another swig, trying and failing not to think about how Neil’s lips had touched the rim when he drank from it.

Andrew allowed a tiny lapse of self control and looked back at Neil. His eyes were closed, and the fringe of his auburn hair, bright and burnished in the sun, had fallen over his forehead. He still had that easy smile, and Andrew was looking at Neil’s lips again. Fuck.

He sat up, wobbling slightly as the blood and alcohol rushed to his head. Neil’s eyes drew up and he turned his head to look at Andrew. When he spoke, his words were slow but not quite slurred. “Are you leaving?”

Andrew had a sharp retort waiting on his tongue like he always did, but as soon as he looked down at Neil he forgot it. Whether it was from the alcohol or just Neil, stretched out in front of him, languid like a cat, Andrew couldn’t remember. There was a new softness to his expression, a look in his eyes, the way his features relaxed. Andrew had seen that look on Neil’s face only a couple times, more often recently, and it still made his stomach swallow itself whole.

He wasn’t thinking right, his thoughts dulled by the wine, and he was drunk, but Andrew dropped back down into the grass and leaves and faced Neil. Neil turned on his side, curling up on himself as he tended to do, and a honey-slow smile spread across his face as he met Andrew’s eyes.

“Why do you look at me like that?” The words were past Andrew’s wine-tinted lips before he could stop himself.

Neil tilted his head to the side. “Like what?”

“Like,” Andrew waggled his hand in front of Neil’s face “that.”

Neil sucked his bottom lip into his mouth as he thought and Andrew was proud of himself for keeping his eyes firmly on Neil’s. Although that wasn’t much better - the blue in Neil’s eyes swirled and swirled until Andrew thought he was going to drown in them. Unintentionally throwing Andrew a life raft, Neil said, “Tell me.”

For a second, Andrew thought Neil was toying with him, that he’d caught onto Andrew’s attraction to him and thought it as some sort of big joke. But Neil’s expression was open, and all the softness there was genuine and Andrew knew Neil would not do that to him.

Andrew lifted his hand and tapped a finger next to Neil’s eye before he could talk himself out of it. “There’s this light in your eyes here, and the corners crinkle like this when you’re happy,” he said. Andrew wouldn’t even have noticed the way Neil’s eyes and nose scrunched the tiniest bit if he weren’t already looking so closely. Following the line of Neil’s cheekbone, across the long scars he felt under his fingertips, Andrew rested his thumb by the corner of Neil’s lips. “Your lip quirks up like this and you have this soft smile, like you can’t stop yourself from looking at me like that.” Andrew traced his thumb across Neil’s lips. They were soft and pliant and Neil didn’t pull away. Andrew’s throat was dry but he didn’t want to reach for the wine again. “No one’s ever looked at me the way you do,” he said and let his hand drop away.

Neil’s eyes were so wide and so, so blue, but Andrew couldn’t look away. They were close enough that Andrew could see the freckles dusted across Neil’s face, he could count them, really.

“I must like you an awful lot, then,” Neil said, his eyelashes fluttering as his gaze dipped down, “if that’s how I look at you.”

Andrew’s breath hitched and his heart rate picked up. “Do you?” he whispered.

“I’ve never liked anyone the way I like you. I just thought.” Neil paused, eyes squeezing shut, shaking his head. “I don’t know what I thought.”

He opened his eyes and he was staring again. Something in Andrew trembled, like leaves rustling in the wind. Neil was drunk, he didn’t know what he was saying, he would regret it when he sobered up, Andrew should never have asked. Neil’s tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip and Andrew couldn’t take it anymore.

Sitting up, turning away from Neil and drawing his knees up and curling his arms around them, Andrew said, “I more than like you, Neil.”

He didn’t dare look at Neil and see the surprise spilling across his face, the regret pooling in his eyes as he took back what he said. Andrew’s fingers tightened and it took everything he had to relax before they curled into fists and he collapsed in on himself. A small tug on his sleeve nearly made Andrew startle, but this was Neil and he made himself release the remaining tension in his body.

A brush of fingers along Andrew’s shoulder, never touching skin, always so careful. Neil leaned forward until he was in Andrew’s line of sight, his other hand braced in front of him so he wouldn’t topple over. There was a bit of leaf in his hair but he didn’t brush it away. “You should do something about it, then,” he said, because of course he would.

Andrew grit his teeth. “You’re drunk.”

“That doesn’t change how I feel,” Neil countered.

“You’ll regret it.”

“I don’t think I will.”

Andrew shot him a look. Neil smiled and twisted his body until he was sitting facing Andrew. “Kiss me?” he asked and the air in Andrew’s lungs got lost somewhere along the way. “Yes or no?”

“Not until we’re sober,” Andrew said. “Ask me again then.”

“Okay,” Neil said easily. He stood up, stumbling before he caught himself on the the tree. He laughed at his own clumsiness and leaned against the trunk.

“Your uncle’s going to be mad at you for stealing his wine,” Andrew said, grabbing the bottle.

Neil shrugged, unconcerned, and held out his hand to help Andrew up. “He’ll get over it.”

They walked home together, the sun setting behind their backs, and their fingers brushing the whole way.

#aftg #tfc #andrew minyard #neil josten #andreil #i am still very very slowly working through all these prompts in my inbox #and i've wanted to write this sucker for a while now so what better time!#mine #my writing

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jemej3m · 5 years

Text

What Now? (p1)

where andrew and neil are single dads and their kids hate each other.

Neil hated the administrators. They sat at the front desk and looked up at him with enormous eyes, eyelashes fluttering as they asked: “What’cha lookin’ for, hon?” She smiled, almost beseechingly, as she stood. “Tour? I can show you around.”

“Actually,” He cleared his throat, pulling his sleeves down. “I’m here for Robin.”

The woman’s face turned sour, though she did her best to remain neutral “Right. You said you would be here a half hour ago, Mr Josten. The others have been waiting. Take a seat, I’ll let Headmaster Boyd know.”

I’m sorry, Neil wanted to snap. That some stupid kid has managed to aggravate Robin and that I’m a full-time working single father. Jesus Christ, people were shallow.

He dropped into a plastic chair, straightening his shirt again. His hair was still a little damp after his 30-second shower: Convincing his coach to leave practise early was never easy, but he was one of the few teammates with a kid. And the only one of that small group who parented alone. He probably had a few more concessions than the rest, but he couldn’t afford to spend them on shit like this.

Opposite him was a broad-shouldered man, staring at him. Unimpressed. Did he recognise Neil? He hoped not. He wasn’t in the mood for a facade. The staring continued. Neil elected to ignore him in favour of looking at the ceiling.

When Robin was shuffled out by her classroom teacher, Danielle Wilds, she gave Neil a sheepish look. He stood up and offered his hand, which she let rest on her head. Touch was still incredibly unfamiliar to both of them. “What’s this all about, Robin?”

She pointed to the bruise on her jaw. “I pushed him after he called me bad things. Then he punched me back!”

Neil glowered. It didn’t explain why his adoptive daughter was getting in trouble. She could sense that he knew she was omitting details of the story, and hid behind his hip as they followed Danielle Wilds down the hall.

Behind them, the blond man stood. He was shorter than Neil - a feat in itself, really - but it was as though Neil could feel needles stabbing into the back of his skull. He took Robin by the hand as he lead her into the headmaster’s office, and immediately observed his surroundings: The enormous glass window looking out over the school’s courtyard, where kids were dressed for phys-ed and playing with skipping ropes, the mahogany desk, the shelves of books, the trophies and certificates of achievement on the walls. Boyd had a picture of a young girl with wild, curly hair by his computer. The man in question was sitting relaxedly in his chair, tattoos visible through the white button-down, his cuffs loose and rolled to mid-forearm. His hair was spiked with gel, and

There was a young boy, sitting opposite him. He had black hair and green eyes, looking nothing like the blond man who sat next to him. The son was probably getting close to his father’s height. Both of them wore distasteful sneers. Like father like son, Neil supposed.

“Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” Neil asked, when there had been too many moments of frigid silence. “Robin? Anyone? I’d like to know exactly why I’m here.”

“I’m sorry, Mr Josten --”

“Neil.”

“Neil.” Boyd cleared his throat. “Robin and Kevin have been having some serious disagreements over the past few weeks. Neither seem willing to compromise, or come to an impasse. We usually like to guide students to conflict resolution, but this is getting out of hand. Isn’t it, Kevin?” He looked at the boy. “Robin?” Neil’s daughter withered under his look of disappointment.

They both pointed at each other. “They started it!”

“Kevin always tells me that I’m dumb and get all the answers wrong.” Robin wailed. “And he hides my pencils!”

“Robin scribbled in my maths scrapbook.” Kevin huffed. “Then she hid my completed spelling homework --”

“Wasn’t me!”

“And then she put grapes in the bottom of my bag, and they’re all squishy!”

“Are you sure that your own grapes didn’t spill, Kevin?” His father implored.

“You’re very good at losing pencils, Robin.” Neil shook his head. “Maybe you’ve lost them?”

“No!” Both of them cried.

Momentarily, Neil looked to the other father, and recognised the look of pure frustration furrowing the man’s brows.

Boyd rested his elbows on his desk, clasping his fingers beneath his chin. “But is that why we’re here today?”

Both of the children quietened.

“What the supervising teacher told me was that she saw Robin push Kevin, who hit her on the face.” He gestured to the bruise on Robin’s chin. “The other children said that Kevin was calling her names. I would like to reiterate that there is a strict, no-violence policy at this school, and would like you both to go home and think about the way you have behaved. Neil, Andrew: You should help them reflect and compose apology letters to one another. I’ll see you all tomorrow morning.”

Andrew glared daggers, standing abruptly and ushering his son out the door. Neil grabbed Robin by the shoulder and dragged her out.

When they caught up to the other pair, Neil sniped: “Really appreciated being dragged in here, thanks.”

“Maybe butchering is a hereditary thing, hm?” Andrew examined his car-keys. They were sleek, an expensive model that Neil couldn’t possibly name. “Such a shame.”

Neil fumed. Sensing Neil’s irritation, Andrew turned a blank look on him; Neil wondered how someone with such a void-like gaze could be a parent.

“Let’s go home.” He murmured. Robin tucked herself into Neil’s side and they hurried out of the administration building together.

Here’s how it goes:

Neil was almost 24, and coached Exy teams in Couth Carolina’s little league. He’d got out of his family’s criminal history through his Exy scholarship, but never taken it further. He hadn’t even really liked kids, but it was something to do.

Then, because Neil’s tragic existence seemed to be catastrophic for those around him, a car t-boned into a van outside his apartment. Neil, always running in the early hours of the morning, immediately rushed over. The sedan’s driver was a crumpled heap, blood splattered across the windscreen -- he most likely dead, so Neil ignored him. But there were screams coming from the back of the van, so he yanked the damaged door open.

Bruised and bleeding, curled into the corner of the van, was Robin. She was thrown into the foster system as an infant, and was then kidnapped at the age of three. No one cared about a foster kid going missing. Her missing person’s file was practically non-existent, especially after 2 years. Robin had clambered into his arms as he pulled her out of the back of that van, and he hasn’t had a full night’s sleep since.

Four years later, he’d set up a scholarship program in the little league, his daughter was making enemies at her new school, and Neil still didn’t regret a thing.

Andrew sat in the car and thought about the best way to approach this. For Kevin’s sake, he would be a role-model. But every inch of that Josten had him wanting to clench his fists. Of course he knew of him: Exy had gotten him through college. The Josten scandal was everywhere: Leaving the Ravens for the Trojans, Jean Moreau quickly following suit, the Butcher of Baltimore, the Moriyamas, the FBI; Then, settling down to coach kids. That drama had to be almost a decade ago, though. Didn’t matter. Exy had never mattered to Andrew. His degree had also been second thought: His occupation was satisfying, but never thrilling.

Having a kid, though. Jesus.

Kevin was a handful and a half. He was brimming with energy and emotion, repressed anger and competitiveness creating a volatile reaction to most situations. Andrew had taken Kevin in after his mother’s death, his old exy coach, Wymack, being the father but being unable to, you know. Father.

Andrew didn’t understand how the fuck he was meant to be any better.

“I’m sorry, Andrew.” Kevin didn’t look that apologetic. “She’s just super annoying! And she wouldn’t shut up about how her dad’s team is the best, and she loves her dad, and he’s the best, and how she’s going to play Exy too. Exy, exy, exy. All the time! It drives me insane! She talks so loudly, too. And so much. She never shuts up.”

Andrew could read his son. “Usually people aren’t this successful at getting under your skin, Kevin.”

“I hate her!” He frowned, his lips puckering. It was stupidly adorable. Andrew hated the word adorable. “I really do, you know. She’s always teasing me about liking history and reading my books. She can’t even do maths!”

“Remember what I tell you, Kevin.” Andrew switched on the ignition and swerved out of his car-parking space. He searched for the flash of an expensive sportscar, of which would be presumedly Neil’s, but he couldn’t find one.

“Be the better person so you can shove their own failures up their asses, I know.” Kevin drew his feet onto the dashboard but Andrew swatted them down.

“No feet on the dashboard.” He pointed at Kevin but the brat pushed his hand away, promptly sticking out his tongue.

God, why did he decide to have kids?

Oh yeah. He didn’t. Right.

(Still didn’t believe in regret, though.)

i hope this made sense!

i just think itd be hilarious lmao imagine seeing a parent in the lobby and be like damn and then figure out that their kid and your kid hate each other

#andreil #super cute #this is just silly #dad!neil #dad!andrew #single parent au #child!robin #child!kevin #andrew minyard #neil josten #children #child au #adoption #this is cuuute #all for the game #the foxhole court #kevin day #fluffy #jem writes

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yougotmyshareofit · 4 years

Text

January Book Reviews

So I inhaled a lot of books in January despite school starting back up again (not good for my productivity that’s for sure), so I thought I’d give some quick book reviews on them because a lot of them were real winners.

1. Ziggy, Stardust, and Me // By: James Brandon

Ok this book was absolutely beautiful. After finishing it, I couldn’t do anything but sit there completely in awe. The characters are amazingly written and the author portrays the difficulties of being LGBTQ+ as well as a person of color in the ‘70s with such cutting emotion. It brings up a lot of issues and prejudices that were prevalent at that time, which was really enlightening. All in all, it was probably my favorite book out of all of them this month and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

Summary: “ The year is 1973.... And homosexuality is still officially considered a mental illness. In the midst of these trying times is sixteen-year-old Jonathan Collins, a bullied, anxious, asthmatic kid, who aside from an alcoholic father and his sympathetic neighbor and friend Starla, is completely alone. To cope, Jonathan escapes to the safe haven of his imagination, where his hero David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and dead relatives, including his mother, guide him through the rough terrain of his life. In his alternate reality, Jonathan can be anything: a superhero, an astronaut, Ziggy Stardust, himself, or completely “normal” and not a boy who likes other boys. When he completes his treatments, he will be normal—at least he hopes. But before that can happen, Web stumbles into his life. Web is everything Jonathan wishes he could be: fearless, fearsome and, most importantly, not ashamed of being gay. Jonathan doesn’t want to like brooding Web.... But he’s drawn to Web anyway. Web is the first person in the real world to see Jonathan completely and think he’s perfect..... For the first time in his life, he may finally feel free enough to love and accept himself as he is. ”

2. Something like Gravity // By: Amber Smith

This book was pretty heart-wrenching and also very beautiful. I liked how real and honest the author was at portraying Chris’s struggles with being out as transgender and the amount of trust he had to have to open up to Maia. It was a lovely story that showed that someone can be in your life for a short amount of time, but still change it in ways you never thought were possible. Highly recommend as well.

Summary: “Chris and Maia aren’t off to a great start. A near-fatal car accident first brings them together, and their next encounters don’t fare much better.... But they’re neighbors, at least for the summer, and despite their best efforts, they just can’t seem to stay away from each other. The path forward isn’t easy. Chris has come out as transgender, but he’s still processing a frightening assault he survived the year before. Maia is grieving the loss of her older sister and trying to find her place in the world without her. Falling in love was the last thing on either of their minds. But would it be so bad if it happened anyway?”

3. Frat Girl // By: Kiley Roache

So this book was a pretty entertaining and humorous read. I really liked the trope that the author used -- a feminist girl dealing with all the crap that goes down in a frat house. It was also pretty enlightening for me and showed the different sides of feminism, as well as struck down lots of stereotypes that both feminists and anti-feminists have, which was really cool and interesting. Although I enjoyed this book, at times I felt that I was just reading the same scene over again, so I feel like the author could’ve been more concise. However, I still liked it a lot and thought it was an entertaining read.

Summary: “For Cassandra Davis, the F-word is fraternity—specifically Delta Tau Chi, a house on probation and on the verge of being banned from campus. Accused of offensive, sexist behavior, they have one year to clean up their act. For the DTC brothers, the F-word is feminist—the type of person who writes articles in the school paper about why they should lose their home. With one shot at a scholarship to attend the university of her dreams, Cassie pitches a research project: to pledge Delta Tau Chi and provide proof of their misogynistic behavior. They’re frat boys. She knows exactly what to expect once she gets there. Exposing them should be a piece of cake. But the boys of Delta Tau Chi have their own agenda, and fellow pledge Jordan Louis is certainly more than the tank top wearing “bro” Cassie expected to find. With her heart and her future tangled in the web of her own making, Cassie is forced to realize that the F-word might not be as simple as she thought after all.”

4. I wish you all the best // By: Mason Deaver

UGH THIS BOOK!! I inhaled it in literally less than 24 hours and I LOVED it. Classic angst (like a lot of angst) with a happy ending and it was so so good. Definitely a close second for my favorite this month. I just loved all the raw emotion that the author portrayed and how real they were with the mental and emotional struggles the characters faced. So amazing, highly recommend.

Summary: “When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they're thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents' rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school. But Ben's attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan's friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change, and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life.”

5. All for the Game Series (The Foxhole Court, The Raven King, and All the King’s Men) // By: Nora Sakavic

So I downloaded these as ebooks on my iPad, which turned out to be a terrible idea because they ruined my productivity at school for a literal week. A. WEEK. Basically I would read these in class rather than pay attention, but you know whatever it’s fine I’m fine. Anyways, I loved this series so so much. I wil say that the first book was good, but kind of confusing for me because there were so many different names and backstories that I literally could not keep track of all of them. However, it gets better as the series goes on and I inhaled all 3 of these books pretty quickly. I loved the main characters and even though the backstories were kind of confusing at times, they also made the plot super interesting and intricate so I guess you win some and you lose some. All in all, you gotta read this series cuz it has all the best trope and there’s lots of angst (seriously SO much) and lots of mystery. Good stuff.

Summary (book 1): “Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He's short, he's fast, he's got a ton of potential—and he's the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher. Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn't need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed. But Neil's not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil's new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can't walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he's finally found someone and something worth fighting for. ”

#seriously tho read these guys #they were all so good #also sorry for the long post #like yikes man #january book recs #book recs #recommended #recommendations #books #reading #lgbtq #book recommendations #book reviews #book review #review

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raynertodd · 5 years

Text

Fic: Oh Brother (1/6)

Jason decides to go to college. He thinks South Carolina is far enough away from Gotham that his family will leave him alone. He’s wrong.

(or: 5 times Jason's brothers visit him at college and one time Bruce comes too)

(This started as a 'what if Jason gave up the superhero life and went to college' fic and turned into a sort-of crossover with the All For The Game series when I started thinking about Jason at Palmetto and how good he could be at Exy. Mostly though, this is about Jason and his family. )

Read on AO3

Jason is pleasantly surprised by the campus of Palmetto State University. He stares up at the building housing the sports teams and reminds himself that he wants to do this. Growing up in Crime Alley, he never believed he’d finish high school, let alone go to college. When he moved in with Bruce and saw Dick away at college he allowed himself to think about it. Then he died. Then he came back. Things had settled down in the few years since he came back to life, to the point where living a semi-normal life seemed attainable.

His first step was becoming a legal entity again. When he explained his plan to her, Barbara was happy to help him set up his identity. She helped him study for the GED and proofread his college applications. He couldn’t exactly pay for college with cash from drug-lords, so he applied for sports scholarships, too. Jason had joined the school’s Exy team during his brief time at Gotham Academy, so that was the sport he chose. Roy was happy to spend an afternoon shooting a reel to send in with his application, and then all that was left to do was wait.

He was accepted into each school he applied to, with a few colleges offering scholarships as well, but it was Palmetto that caught his eye. The whole point of going to college was to stay away from trouble, yet he chose the school that had ties to the yakuza.

The sound of voices brings Jason out of his thoughts and he enters the building. His room is on the top floor so he begins the trek up the stairs. There are already people in his room when he gets there; he recognises them from the files he and Barbara had made on his teammates.

“Hi, welcome,” a cheerful redhead calls out to him. “I’m Dan Wilds, co-captain of the foxes. You must be one of our new recruits.”

“Jason Todd,” he introduces himself. Dan puts down the boxes she had been carrying and helps a tall man with dark hair with the TV he was holding.

Once they had it settled, the man sat down on the couch and smiled up at Jason. “Matt Boyd,” he offered a hand to shake. Jason took it, noticing the dotted scars of track marks up his arms.

“I’ll give you hand bringing your stuff up if you like. Just need a minute to recover. Of course move-in is on the hottest day of the summer,” Matt huffs, sinking further into the couch.

“Don’t worry about, I packed light,” Jason gestures to the duffel bag hanging from his shoulder.

“That’s all you’ve got?” Matt asks.

Jason shrugs. Some clothes, toiletries and books was all he needed to keep in the dorm. He had a safe house a few blocks away where he was keeping his armour and weapons just in case he needed them.

“Please tell me your not on the run from the mob too,” Matt sighs. Dan shoots him a sharp look. “What? He’ll find out about it soon enough.”

“I’m not on the run from anyone,” Jason assures them. Though he’s sure there’s plenty of people from various mobs who would like to get their hands on him, but that’s what secret identities are for.

A few weeks into the semester Jason is on the sofa in his dorm room, reading one of his set texts when knock at the door brings his attention back to the room. His roommate Aaron is already across the room so Jason lets him answer it.

“There’s someone here to see you,” Aaron says, turning back to look at Jason with curiosity.

“Let me guess, dark hair and blue eyes?” Jason replies. Aaron nods. “That doesn’t actually narrow it down much.” He sighs and gets up to go to the door. “Dickie-bird,” he greets his older brother. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Little wing!” Dick says in greeting. He’s smiling but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “How about an explanation as to why you decided to go to college halfway across the country without telling any of us?”

Jason rolls his eyes. “It’s none of your business what I do with my time. I’m not breaking any of B’s rules. I thought he’d be happy I’m back at school. Y’know, getting the ‘normal’ life experiences.”

“He’s so proud of you, Jay,” Dick says earnestly. “Are you going to let me in or do we have to do this in the doorway?”

Jason steps back to let his brother into the room.

“Could you give us a minute, A?” Jason asks his roommate. Aaron obliges with a nod and Jason listens to his footsteps as he goes to the girls’ room, presumably to let them know about the tall dark haired man who showed up saying that Jason is a runaway.

“Can we talk freely here?” Dick asks.

“I’ve checked for bugs but I think the walls are pretty thin and my teammates are nosy as shit.”

Dick nods.

“What are you doing here, Dick?” Jason sighs and plops down onto the sofa. Dick perches beside him.

“You weren’t answering our calls,” Dick explains. “Which isn’t that unusual for you, so I went to your apartment.”

Jason winces, knowing what cleared out safe houses would look like to his brother.

“We thought you’d run off again. It scared me, Jay, thinking that you would leave without saying goodbye.”

“I’m sorry,” Jason says quietly. “I didn’t think.”

“It’s a good thing you enrolled here under your real name. It didn’t take Tim long to track you down. Welcome back to the land of the legally living, by the way.”

“Barb helped me out with that. So the whole family knows I’m here?”

“We were worried about you,” Dick shrugs.

“Worried that I’d gone back to kill- breaking B’s number one rule?” Jason censors himself. He has a feeling he’s being listened to.

“Don’t do that, Jay,” Dick says, frustration edging into his voice. “You have to stop expecting the worst of him.”

“I’ll stop expecting it when he stops thinking the worst of me,” Jason huffs.

“He worries-”

“That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? He sent you to check up on me?” Jason rises to his feet, his hands clenched into fists.

“We’re so proud you’re going back to school, but you have a history, Little wing,” Dick says gently.

“Get the fuck out.” Jason is at the door, holding it open for his brother.

“Jason-” Dick is cut off by his brother’s glare. “Fine. Just, answer your phone every once in a while?”

Jason’s eyes drop and he stares at the floor, his face hard. He waits until he hears the elevator doors close before he looks up. The door to the girls’ room next door is ajar. He can see shadows of bodies behind the door. He was right, they were listening.

“Enough entertainment for you?” he says to the general area of the room. He doesn’t expect a response, already turning back to his room when Dan opens the door.

“Sorry,” she says. “We heard shouting, and secret past lives haven’t gone well for the team previously.”

“Previously? You guys are fucked up,” Jason huffs out a laugh.

“Want to come in and talk about it?” Dan offers. Sensing his hesitation, she adds, “We’ve got booze.”

Jason looks into the room where Aaron, Matt and Renee are sitting around the couches. Alison appears with a bottle of wine and a bottle of vodka.

“Fuck it,” he says, and steps into the room. He sits next to Matt and grabs the vodka, bypassing a cup to drink straight from the bottle.

“Gross,” Alison laughs.

He sets the bottle down and looks around at the small group. “Go on then,” he sighs, prompting their questions.

“Who was he?” Aaron asks.

“My brother.”

“You have a brother?”

“Three - wait no, four and sister,” Jason says. He pauses, thinking, then adds, “Last time I checked, anyway.”

They looked at him strangely for the phrasing but didn’t press the topic.

“Did you run away from home?” Renee asks.

“I don’t always get along with my family,” Jason shrugs. “I wanted to go to college, but I couldn’t stay in Gotham to do it. They way they would lookat me,” his hands are clenched into fists at his sides. He takes another drink. “Fuck their pity. Dick called it pride, but it’s guilt.”

“Fucked up family? Join the club,” Allison grins, nudging her plastic cup against the bottle Jason is holding.

“You’ve got no idea.”

“Just please tell us you’re not related to anyone in the mob,” Aaron says.

Jason can’t help but laugh at the irony. “No, my family are definitely anti-mobster.” Eight heads in a duffel bag would argue that Jason was technically a crime lord, but that’s not what Aaron asked.

#jason todd #batfamily #all for the game #my fanfiction #dick grayson #next chapter going up on Ao3 within a few days

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raph-peruggia · 6 years

Text

Beyond its negative effect on his teammates' psyches, Raph doesn’t concern himself with Parents Weekend. It’s not an event that is meant for him. He doesn’t have any family after all. The weekend will come and it will go and nothing will change.

Coach Michael Cheng is a foolish man. Raph learned this from the months they spent together while Raph played with the Rattlesnakes. Cheng splits his time between teaching PE at the local elementary school and volunteering as the coach for the Rattlesnakes. He works a ridiculous amount of hours for a team that will never make him any money. He has a job he cannot afford to take time off from. He has wasted his time attempting to improve the lives of countless young adults who will never repay him for his efforts.

And now, he has come to Raph’s front door, a clumsily wrapped oblong package in hand.

Raph stares at him. The man almost visibly wilts under the force of his gaze. He attempts a smile that is not quite sincere. “Hey, kiddo! Long time no see.”

“Why are you here?”

Cheng cannot meet his eyes. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other. “I was around town, and I heard you guys have a game against the Terrapins tonight so I figured I’d stop by, catch the game, talk to David, and uh, check on you.”

“You paid at least $300 dollars to fly across the country to South Carolina so you could watch a regional college-level Exy game, speak with David Wymack, and assess my condition.”

“I had a lotta miles saved up,” Cheng says. He twists his hands around the package, wrapping paper crinkling beneath his palms. “Anyway er, kiddo, how ya’ doin? Settling in okay at the University? Getting along with your teammates.”

Raph should be a box checked off a list for Cheng. His job as the Rattlesnakes’ Coach required him to provide young adults access Exy and the opportunities it afforded, nothing more. He had successfully helped Raph gain a full-ride sports scholarship to an accredited university. He shouldn’t care what happens to Raph now. Their relationship should have ended the day Raph collected his things from the church he’d been squatting in and began the week-long treck across the country to Palmetto.

But Michael Cheng has always been ineffable to Raph. His seemingly endless supply of care and concern, his thinly veiled justifications for all the ways he wastes his time and money on other people, it’s all incomprehensible to Raph.

“My health is adequate. My academic performance is adequate. My athletic performance has been inadequate. I haven’t achieved the level of synergy with my teammates required to play at Court level. I have only met a few of my teammates. I have made most of them uncomfortable,” Raph reports blandly. Cheng nods. There’s a grim slant to his mouth now that curdles something in Raph’s stomach. He’s not beholden to Cheng anymore, David Wymack is his coach now, but it still feels wrong to do something that disappoints him.

“Sorry to hear that kid. I’m sure they’ll come round eventually they just gotta get to know you better.” Cheng’s arm moves in aborted motion towards Raph’s shoulder. “You’re a good kid. I’m glad you’re doing okay…cept for the uh, synergy stuff I guess. I figured that’d be a little harder for you after playing on the Rattlers.”

“I have nothing further to report. You can leave to talk with David Wymack now.”

“Well uh, okay, but first I got you this.”

Cheng thrusts the package into Raph’s hands. It’s light, and he can tell already that it’s made of metal. Steel possibly, or an aluminum alloy. It takes about a second before he realizes what it is and by then he’s ripping away the paper in a near frenzy. It a racquet, new by the looks of it, and expensive, and-

“This is the perfect length for someone of my height and reach.“

Cheng grins. “Well, Wymack texted me that they couldn’t find the right typa racquet for you and I figured- we had this one lying around and I remembered talking with you about racket lengths and how they change the game and stuff so I uh, figured it’d be a good gift. It’s a good luck present I guess, for the game.”

“There’s no such thing as luck. This will improve my control but I doubt the improvement will be so great that it changes the outcome of the game,” Raph says, twisting the racquet in his hands. The stick is dark blue, the net deep enough to hold the ball comfortably but not so deep that it inhibits his ability to aim a shot. It’s the type of racquet that Raph wouldn’t even have been able to steal. It’s too specific to his exact needs and superficial preferences.

“You custom ordered this,” Raph observes, running a finger along the edge of the net. “This was at least one-hundred and fifty American dollars.”

Cheng winces, his grin slipping a bit. He rubs the back of his neck, suddenly sheepish. “Well uh- I figured, you know-”

“I didn’t require a new racquet.”

Cheng’s expression grows serious, somber. “But you wanted one, right? And you didn’t say anything to Dave because you got it in your head that you gotta earn all of the things you’re given right?”

That’s…not wrong. He had wanted a new racquet and he had decided that at his current level there was no point in asking for one. Raph has done nothing for the Foxes but keep his part if the bench warm. He stares at Cheng, then down at the racquet. It’s perfect in a way it has no right to be. The grip, the weight, the net, even the color display a careful attention to detail.

Raph’s chest feels tight. There is something there, unfolding slowly inside of him, something warm.

“Listen, kid,” Cheng continues, reaching out to push the racquet further into Raph’s grip. “Indulge an old fart and lemme give you a gift. Keep it. I want ya’ to have it.”

“Okay,” Raph murmurs, grip tight around the stick of his new racquet. Then, as an afterthought, he adds, “thank you.”

Cheng never does go to speak with David Wymack. He insists on taking Raph to lunch and talks to him endlessly about the Rattlesnakes. Raph doesn’t care about the Rattlesnakes. They are no longer of use to him. But he listens regardless.

The game with the Terrapins comes and goes, Cheng remains. He’s underfoot for the rest of Parents Weekend, constantly concerned about Raph in some way or another. He asks him if he’s eating enough several times. He pesters Raph into buying a single poster to hang on the empty wall of his side of the dorm room. He rambles on and on to him about getting enough sleep and eating his vegetables and working hard in school and brushing his teeth as if Raph is some hapless child he’s got to look after. He even insists on frittering away more of his money on a phone of all things.

“It’s only fifteen dollars more for a family plan,” Cheng says with a shrug. “Besides, if you’ve got this I don’t have to shell out for a plane ticket just to check up on ya’.” Raph doesn’t point out to him that they are not family. He doesn’t need a phone or even want one really, but the look Cheng gives him when he holds out the cheap plastic device is the same as when he’d pushed the new Exy racquet into Raph’s chest. He doesn’t say thank you, but he does take the phone and tuck it into his pocket alongside his switchblade.

When Parents Weekend finally comes to an end, Cheng hesitantly reaches up, squeezes Raph’s shoulder once, and boards his taxi. Raph watches it drive away. Cheng presses his face against the window, waving at him until the car turns a corner and he disappears from sight.

#selfpara #yes #the poster is for rush hour 2 baby #raph chose it because it was ten cents and it was cheap and he knows nothing of the world #i love him #mike's fc is godrey gao #i love my over-involved dad coach npc

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tfcrp · 6 years

Photo

THIS IS YOUR GAME

Name: Jensen “Jen” Brookhart Age: Nineteen Class Year: Sophomore Position: Vixen Hometown: Milledgeville, Georgia This character is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT

TW: death, homophobia, gender identity discrimination, abuse

Jensen’s entire life could be summarized by two things; Exy and family. From the moment they could walk, their father forced a racquet in their hands and had them competing against their siblings in the backyard. Jacob Brookhart’s biggest dream was for his family to become the most well-known Exy players in the country. In college, he had played Dealer for the Penn State Lions and moved on to play professionally for the Georgia state team. Retirement hit him hard. There wasn’t nearly enough glory in coaching for the local high school team, so when Jacob and his wife gave birth to their twins and then Jensen only a year later, he saw the perfect opportunity for the Brookharts to go down in history. But then, his wife got sick, and he lost her only a year later, leaving him with three toddlers. The dream was in jeopardy, but it wasn’t dead.

The loss of his wife caused Jacob to channel his grief into coaching his children. Instead of doing homework after school, they practiced drills in the yard, working to be the best in little league. In the process, Jacob became less his children’s father and more their coach. And, the more he drew away, the closer the trio became. They always say that having twins for siblings must be lonely, not having a part in the so-called twin telepathy or that special bond, but Jensen never felt that way. They were so close in age that even Jacob referred to them as triplets. But despite that, Jane and Jackson still had that innate need to protect their youngest sibling, not that Jensen needed it. While the twins were obedient, Jensen was skeptical, the only one who ever dared stand up to their father. And while the twins were good at Exy, Jensen was the best. It all came so naturally to them: the coordination, the speed, the agility, the ability to see plays unfold in front of them. Their father loved Jensen for their talent, but nothing else.

Jensen always felt different. From birth, they were told they were a boy, but the term felt too limiting. They identified so strongly with both of their siblings that sometimes they felt like a boy like Jackson, and sometimes a girl like Jane, and never understood why they had to be one or the other. Jensen never truly understood their feelings until they were a teenager and they would watch Jane apply makeup before school, quietly wishing they could do the same. Makeup wasn’t the only thing catching their eye—cheerleading did as well. During Exy practice, they couldn’t help but watch the cheer squad practice their routines off to the side. They always liked to dance, but in the privacy of their room where their father couldn’t see. And as found themselves more drawn to dance and cheer, they struggled to care about Exy. The game had long stopped being fun with their father breathing down their neck, but Jensen had learned very quickly that it was easier to just entertain their father and pursue their real interests in the safety of their room, where they could play with Jane’s makeup or create routines to their favorite songs, their little peace of freedom from their dad’s expectations. The only ones who were allowed to see Jensen’s hidden side were their siblings, and while they worried for Jensen’s future, the twins accepted them without question.

By the time Jensen was a senior and the twins were off playing Exy at college, they were missing that easy acceptance and felt suffocated and desperate, which led them to sign up for an after school dance class. Jensen instantly fell in love. As long as they had that one hour a week, they could handle the pressure, the ridicule, and the hiding. What they didn’t plan for was to also fall in love for the first time with a boy in their dance class. Soon, Jensen was sneaking out of the house for more than just dancing, losing sleep on the weeknights to be with their boyfriend. Love made them the happiest they’ve been since the twins left, but it also made them careless. Their performance suffered enough in practice and class for their father to notice, and to pay more attention to Jensen off of the court than he had in years—leading him right to what Jensen had been keeping secret. One night, after Jensen had snuck out like they so often did to meet their boyfriend, they saw their father in the distance as they pulled away from a kiss and knew it was all over.

Broken and bruised, Jensen was kicked out of their father’s house and off the Exy team—but, luckily for them, Coach Wymack had already had his eye on them. Jensen wasn’t sure if they wanted to play Exy in college, especially when their interest in it was quickly dwindling, but they couldn’t turn down a full scholarship and a place to stay. So Jensen signed the contract and bound themself to another five years of a sport they barely cared about, but at least they were finally free to do it without hiding who they really were.

SEIZE IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT

Jensen’s freshmen year playing for the Foxes had its ups and downs. The moment they moved onto the campus, they wore what they wanted to wear and started going by Jen, rather than Jensen—the nickname the twins called them out of their father’s earshot. Jen really did try to enjoy themself, giving their all in practices and doing their best to befriend their teammates. The majority of the team accepted their colorful clothes and occasional made-up face, but there were still the outliers who scowled at them when no one was looking. But, as they had already begun to realize in high school, their heart just wasn’t in it. It wasn’t their teammates that began to deter them, though—it was the Vixens. When it was Jen’s turn on the bench, they found that they would watch their routines, rather than the game, just like they did in high school.

I think I want to join the cheer squad, Jen sobbed to Jane one night over the phone. Their father couldn’t ruin the siblings’ relationship, and just like she did when they came out, she supported Jen. Cheerleading was right up Jen’s alley with their love for dance, and they felt more at home with the Vixens than the Foxes. The fear of losing their scholarship led them to finish their freshman year with the Foxes, but they eventually decided it wasn’t fair for them to go on for a second, taking a spot that could go to someone who loved the game in a way they just couldn’t anymore. After numerous conversations with Wymack, financial aid, and Coach Amanda, they found a way to keep their financial coverage for school—and so, Jen Brookhart went from a star Dealer for the Foxes to a cheerleader for the Vixens.

JEN BROOKHART is portrayed by HARRY STYLES and is TAKEN

#jen brookhart #jenbio #a #v #t #tv

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mcelhenneyy · 7 years

Text

lalvarez meet ugly au

this fic is for @magnesiumeternity for the tfc femslash exchange! @tfcfemslashnet

it’s 1.6k words and ive never written for this fandom before so I hope you like it!

Laila Dermott seemed like your average 18-year-old – excited to finish high school and preparing to go off to university. However, while all of her friends were partying and celebrating graduation, Laila was working. USC had offered her a scholarship to play exy, which she was incredibly grateful for, but that didn’t change her dire situation as much as she had hoped.

Her parents had tried to help as much as possible, but they both had minimum wage jobs and didn’t have much to offer. As thrilled as Laila was to be moving to California, she first had to somehow make enough money for the travel, accommodation and all living expenses once she was there. This meant accepting any job that she was offered, and doing whatever hours possible.

She had been fired from her first job but she couldn’t even bring herself to be sad about it since it had been to stock the shelves in a warehouse at night. She was fired when her boss saw the security footage of her both cowering in corners and jumping whenever there was a noise, and blasting loud music to try and distract herself. (She stood by the fact that the warehouse had been trying to kill her.)

Her current job could have been worse, at least that’s what she told herself when she was waking up at 11pm for her night shift. Before starting the job, Laila had no idea that there were department stores that stayed open 24 hours (who could possibly need to visit a department store in the middle of the night?) and even though it would be another night shift job, the wages were higher and they had offered more hours so she happily accepted.

Essentially, Laila was working harder than she ever had in her life when she should have been celebrating her youth and freedom.

Two nights into her new job, she realised why there were vacancies. It turned out that some people did, in fact, use department stores in the middle of the night. One customer in particular had been driving her crazy since she had started.

Most of Laila’s work was tidying up displays and clothing that had been messed up during the day, as the idea was that there wouldn’t be enough people to mess them up in the night. This mentality was challenged by a girl who looked to be around Laila’s age and had dark skin and flowing, curly hair. Laila would have found her incredibly attractive had she not spent the entirety of her time in the store picking up shirts that Laila had folded and dumping them back down.

Every night, the girl turned up at 2am and headed straight for Laila’s section. She never made eye contact with Laila, or interacted with her, but she passed by her every night. Her routine consisted of picking up one of each of the different shirts from the display, holding it up to her chest, then putting it back in a heap without a second glance.

Laila had no idea whether the girl knew how much she was bothering her, but she didn’t see how someone could coincidentally enter the same store at the same time every night and mess up the exact same display each time.

One Wednesday night, Laila was fed up. Wednesdays were the worst days anyway and it appeared that the girl was happy to exacerbate the foul mood Laila was in. Her manager had shouted at her for five minutes straight about the lack of effort that she put into her displays and she was fed up. Extra time had been spent on the shirt display and she was just praying that the girl would go easy on her tonight.

Clearly, this opinion was not shared by the girl. Laila turned her back for just a minute and she appeared, immediately heading for the shirts. After she had picked up and dumped three shirts, Laila knew this was it.

“Hey! Could you please put the shirts back properly?” Laila wanted to be polite, in case this was some sort of misunderstanding. However, the girl just smiled and dropped another shirt. That was enough. “Are you kidding me? Every night you come in and mess up my display and I have never said a word to you. You have no reason to be doing this – you never even buy anything! I’m in trouble with my manager and it’s all because of you!”

Laila was almost panting – she was the most even-tempered person that you could meet and that was the first time she had ever voiced her anger like that. Her anger grew as the girl smirked back.

“Hi, I’m Sara Alvarez. I was wondering how long it would take you to snap.”

“What?” Laila knew her confusion showed on her face.

“Well, you’re really cute so I thought, what better way to get her attention that to annoy her every night?”

“There’s no way that you’re telling me that you’ve almost made me lose my job just because you have a crush on me.” This was all far too much for Laila to comprehend, it made no sense.

“Yeah! Well, I didn’t want you to lose your job, I just wanted to annoy you. I’m sorry about that though, I wouldn’t have wanted that to happen.”

“I’m in shock.” The situation was so bizarre that Laila burst out laughing and soon Sara joined her, “I can’t believe this! Even while you were frustrating me, I was still hoping you liked girls!”

“There’s definitely one girl I like, her name’s Laila, and we got off to a bad start but I’m pretty sure she’s in love with me now.”

“How do you know my name?”

“You wear a name tag, I’m not psychic. Also, that’s the part you pick up on?” Laila blushed. She had practically forgotten all of her annoyance from the past few weeks. Sara was gorgeous, and she was funny and liked her back? Laila must have been dreaming. After a few more minutes of flirtatious banter, Laila remembered that she was at work and she did actually have a job to do.

“Before I leave, could I get your number then? I’ll text you so you have mine as well,” Laila eagerly typed her number into Sara’s contacts and even put a heart emoji next to her name, locking the phone before Sara would notice.

A week later, they went on their first date to see a movie, musing about how they could finally meet each other at a normal time. They spent most of the movie throwing popcorn at each other and giggling as they mimed the bad acting on the screen. During a kiss between the two main characters, Sara turned to Laila, “How did we end up coming to a straight film?”

Laila giggled and mumbled, “We could improve it if you want?” Sara’s grin grew as she leaned over the arm of the seat and held her face in front of Laila’s. Laila tilted her head forward until their lips were touching, and both girls felt like they were on cloud nine. The kiss was short but when they pulled back, Laila’s hands were cupping Sara’s face and Sara’s hands were in Laila’s hair.

There was another three weeks of flirting, sweet kisses and dates around the city before Sara dropped off the map. She hadn’t responded to Laila’s messages or posted on any social media. Laila didn’t have time to worry though – in a week she was flying to USC to join the Trojans and she was fitting in as many hours in work and in exy training as possible.

Laila spent the majority of the flight thinking about Sara. She was really sad about the fact that they would now probably be on opposite sides of the country, and she hadn’t even had the chance to say goodbye. Live in the moment, Laila thought, it’s not every day that you join one of the best exy teams in the nation, you should be happy.

The captain, Jeremy Knox, was there to meet her at the airport with Coach Rhemann. Jeremy hugged her as soon as her saw her and from the huge smile on his face, Laila knew that they were going to get along amazingly. She had a firm handshake with the Coach whose smile was genuine and warm.

She was confused that they weren’t leaving when Jeremy explained that there was someone else getting off the same flight as her. As she turned around to face the people spilling out of the gates, Jeremy shouted to someone in the distance, “Alvarez! We’re over here!”

Laila couldn’t believe her eyes as Sara emerged from the crowd and hugged Jeremy. As she stepped back, their eyes met.

“You’re a Trojan?” they both said at the same time before Sara started laughing.

“I wanted to distance myself as I wasn’t ready for a long-distance relationship. I know I should have explained but I guess it all turned out well in the end!”

Jeremy looked confused, “You two know each other?”

“Yeah, Sara’s my girlfriend actually.” Alvarez raised her eyebrow and smirked.

“Girlfriend, huh?” All three started laughing, although Jeremy still wasn’t quite sure what was going on. Coach Rhemann smiled and guided them out, not at all surprised that this was how the meeting had gone.

Laila was happy – she was playing her favourite sport and she was even dating the girl who had done everything she could to make her hate her. It felt like nothing could go wrong.

#tfcfemslashexchange #tfcfemslashnet #lalvarez #lailaverez #Laila dermott #alvarez #tfc #the foxhole court #usc trojans #aftg #all for the game #jeremy knox #mine #tfcbronet #aaronminyarddefencenet

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thefoxholecourtrp · 7 years

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THIS IS YOUR GAME

Name: Lucy Yoon Age: Nineteen Class Year: Sophomore Position: Goalkeeper, #23 Hometown: Fort Lee, New Jersey

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT

It’s hard growing up a twin, always seen as half of a whole, never a full person in your own right—or maybe that was just how Lucy Yoon felt, because it never seemed to bother her twin brother, Leo. But, then again, everyone always seemed to see him first and then her, assume that he was the leader of their little duo, even though they couldn’t have been more wrong. Lucy was a hurricane trapped inside the body of a girl, a storm of pride and ambition and jealousy, always willing to go too far to get her way—a fact that no one seemed to notice until it was too late.

Exy was just another thing that fell into that pattern: somehow, everyone assumed that Exy was all Leo’s idea, that Lucy was just following his lead, and it quickly became more than she could tolerate. They started out as a striker pair, siblings perfectly in sync on the court. And they were both feared and admired, sure, but it wasn’t enough, not when they were always Leo-and-Lucy—and it was always in that order. She wanted to break free, she wanted to be her own person, she wanted to be better than her brother. And so she spent her time in secret, honing a new set of skills, until she debuted in the first practice of her junior year as a goalkeeper instead of a striker—where she’d be the only one on the court, making heroic saves, not having to share the glory with anybody.

Her teammates were shocked, but her brother was more than shocked, he was hurt. But Lucy was only smug: he’d be a worse striker without her on the court next to him to prop him up, and she would be seen as her own player for the first time. Only it didn’t quite work out the way she planned. The hurt feelings and the jealousy between them only worsened as Lucy refused to apologize, and it spurred a new competitiveness between them that was disastrous for their relationship but advantageous for their team, elevating them to new heights.

In their parents’ eyes, Exy was supposed to be a diversion, just another activity to pad out their college applications. As far as she knew, Leo had always felt that way, too. Exy had always been Lucy’s passion and the possibility of playing Class I in college her seemingly impossible dream. But when their coach told them that there was the possibility of being recruited to Class I and getting full scholarships, that changed. And when the recruiters started showing up their senior year, they were there for Leo, and they weren’t there for her. She’d miscalculated: with two strikers always on the court, the number of available slots was higher, and switching into the goal had only made it that much harder for her to get herself noticed, made her chances of being recruited that much slimmer.

Unable to just stand by and watch her brother get everything she wanted—the way he always seemed to, without ever working for any of it—she did the only thing she could think of: she waited until the most critical game of their season and, with USC and Ohio State recruiters in the stands, she sabotaged him. And, as they lost their game and ended their season, she knew that she was burning down her own dreams, too, but it didn’t seem to matter—she wasn’t about to let Leo have something she wanted, something she couldn’t have.

And maybe she never would have felt guilty for it if she never got caught—but she did. And, suddenly, it wasn’t just her Exy dreams that were in jeopardy, it was everything: she was facing not graduating, she was facing expulsion, she was facing Leo’s hurt face as he said Lucy, do you really hate me that much? And the answer was yes, at the time, she had—but she didn’t want to anymore. Her parents fought for her and, instead of expulsion, she was given a brief suspension and wasn’t allowed to walk during graduation. And she and Leo put down their racquets and found that, without them held between them, they could get along better, could repair the bridges that had crumbled between them.

SEIZE IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT

Leo seemed happy to give up Exy, and Lucy pretended to be, too, but the prospect of college without Exy was one she found herself increasingly dreading—until she had an idea. The Foxes were her only hope and, with a coach and teammates who hated her for ruining their season, the only person she had to rely on to advocate for her was herself—or so she thought. Leo noticed when she spent one too many late nights up editing her own highlight reel, and when she confessed her plan to him he—instead of being angry, or jealous, as she was sure she would have been—supported her. If she needed any more proof of how much better he was than her, how much kinder, how much more selfless, that would have been it. And, when she was ready to put her materials in the mail to Coach Wymack, he was right there with her.

But when she got a call from Wymack, she was alone. Tell me why I should take a chance on you, he asked, his tone inscrutable. I made a mistake, she replied, but I want a second chance to play this sport. And they were like magic words, granting her a contract—and a warning: if you play on my team, you’re part of the team, meaning that you don’t put yourself above it, ever. If you do, you’re gone. It’s a line she’s carefully toed, trying to keep her pride in check and learning to let others have the spotlight. But she could never be mistaken for quiet, or agreeable—she has opinions, and she never hesitates to make them known, on the court and off, a brutal honesty that doesn’t always do her favors.

LUCY YOON is portrayed by BAE SUZY and is OPEN

#bio rp #lsrp #lsrpg #bae suzy fc #lucy yoon #lucybio #a #f #o #of

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nekojitachan · 5 years

Note

Twinyards (brotherly platonic) #15

*sighs*

*whispers* i thought you were my friend….

15. Don’t die on me– Please

Yeah. Trigger for some violence and guns

*******

There had to be easier ways to earn a scholarship than to play Exy on a team with the Foxes, Aaron thought as he suffered through the last few minutes of an early play-off game with Breckenridge. He could have suffered the embarrassment of showing up at prom in a dress made out of duct tape (after everything else he put up with in high school, what the hell, right?) or pretended to be a Star Trek fan or something, considering he hadn’t pulled his grades up in time (that Andrew… that they sucked for too long). No, he was stuck playing on a team of rejects and lunatics and liars while he got his ass kicked trying to keep the ‘roided offense (they had to be, the over-muscled, aggressive assholes) away from the goal.

Oh, and all while his dear brother yelled at him and Nicky for being lazy bastards who couldn’t block a distracted toddler, they were such a pathetic pair of backliners.

Andrew better not so much as blink when Aaron dragged Katelyn onto the team bus for the ride back to PSU, not when he had his own boyfriend (Aaron still felt a bit of a reflexive shudder at the thought because, well, Neil) and managed to channel the indignation he felt into mostly blocking Breckenridge for the final part of the game.

Go figure, he guessed over a year of therapy might finally be paying off.

Nicky gave out a loud cheer when the final buzzer sounded and the Foxes won by four points, the second of the three games they needed to proceed to the death matches. Aaron grimaced as he shoved his obnoxious and sweaty cousin aside, and did his best not to notice Neil headed to the goal to… whatever with Andrew. Do their weird ‘not in a relationship’ thing.

Idiots annoyed him, and those two were among the biggest he’d ever had the misfortune to suffer.

They cut it short, though, because the Breckenridge fans were not happy about their team being knocked out of the play-offs so early; it was something that had been simmering all season long, with the Jackals bitter about the Foxes winning the championship last season, something they’d never accomplished. They were used to being being the best in the Southeastern district, and weren’t taking kindly to being so vastly eclipsed by a team that used to be considered the worst.

Not kindly at all, judging from the raucous boos raining down onto the court - boos and drink cups and other debris, which reminded Aaron of what had happened in Binghamton almost a year go. Apparently he wasn’t the only one, considering how all the Foxes but the freshmen drew together with either anxious or cautious expressions on their faces, how Andrew was all but plastered to Neil’s side and the upperclassmen drew as close as they dared to the couple while Wymack yelled at Breckenridge’s coach about skipping the post-game line-up.

No one argued with that decision.

Well, almost no one argued with that decision - Jack, ever the asshole, bitched about how Wymack rushed the team through their showers and getting ready to leave after Dan and Kevin conducted very brief post-game interviews.

“We won, why are we running out of here as if we’re ashamed?” the idiot freshman bitched as he threw his dirty uniform into his duffel bag.

“Maybe because in part what everyone’s pissed-off about out there is how you ran your mouth while out on court?” Nicky said while he pulled on a clean shirt. “You know, you calling them names and getting yourself yellow-carded?”

Jack appeared ready to throw something at Nicky until Andrew slammed his locker door shut and leaned forward, his expression blank but gaze intent on the rookie striker. “Josten mouths off all the time,” Jack sneered while he folded his arms over his chest in a show of false bravado. “Maybe it’s his fault.”

Normally Aaron would agree with the jerk, but Jack was like a landmine, going off with the slightest pressure and totally indiscriminate, while Neil was normally a guided missile, intent on a target with maximum damage. Neil didn’t take on the entire team, just the players who gave him shit.

Which, granted, were most of the Jackals.

“I don’t let them get away with treating me like shit, but I actually play Exy instead of merely trying to look tough out there,” Neil shot back as he glared at Jack. “Maybe you should, too.”

Before Jack could argue, Wymack yelled at them to behave and get their asses in gear before he left them behind (if only for a couple of them). Aaron grabbed his bag, eager to see Katelyn and head back to campus, and hoped that Coach Martin wouldn’t complain about her riding with the Foxes.

He was busy texting her to see if Martin had agreed to allow her to switch buses as they left the Away locker room, Andrew on his left as his brother motioned for Nicky to walk ahead; someone seemed intent to herd his little group of ‘Monsters’ close together, the reason becoming clear as the noise from out in the parking lot grew louder. Dan fell quiet from what she was saying to Matt and Renee’s shoulders tensed while Wymack called out to them to be careful as they walked out onto a still-full parking lot awash with angry Breckenridge fans.

The campus police had their hands full trying to disperse the upset crowd, hindered by barely moving cars which were blaring their horns and blasting music. Shit was still being thrown through the air, including something which made Laura yelp as she ducked to avoid it hitting her head. Sheena yelled at a group Jackal fans which made them spray their drinks on her, and only Renee pulling her back kept a fight breaking out then and there.

Worried about Katelyn, Aaron hurried ahead to where the Vixens were huddled together doing their best to ignore a bunch of assholes in Breckenridge jackets who were harassing them; it looked as if Jorie and Bianca were barely holding back from punching them.

“Hey! Leave them alone,” Aaron shouted even as he heard his own name be called out from behind him. “Get away from them, you assholes!” Remembering his lessons from Matt, he formed his right hand into a fist and threw his weight into the punch he aimed at the guy standing nearest Katelyn, striking him on the left cheek.

He got another punch in before someone grabbed him by the back of his shirt and spun him around, clipping him in the ribs before he ended up on the ground. He got a kick in the back as he curled up to protect himself and then there was more shouting, was Nicky’s loud voice and Matt yelling, was Neil calling out Andrew’s name and then something in what sounded to be Russian.

Aaron had just started to unfurl when there was a loud bang, a noise which startled him still with its intensity and strangeness before he realized that it was a gunshot, that someone had just fired a gun. There was more yelling, a mix of panic and anger and the sound of running, and then he heard it.

People were calling out Andrew’s name.

Neil was crying out Andrew’s name.

Aaron found himself on his feet within an instant and twisted about until he saw the huddle of bodies nearby - Wymack and Matt were wrestling with some strange guy while Neil and Nicky knelt next to Andrew, who was sprawled motionless on the ground.

“No, no!” Aaron stumbled over to his brother, who was just out of reach, really. “What the hell?” he cried out as he fell down next to Andrew, to the body which suddenly seemed so small (Andrew never appeared small, not really, other than that one time back at-) with his eyes closed and the red spreading across his chest despite Neil’s hands pressed against it as if to keep it inside.

“He was… you were… oh god,” Nicky stuttered out while Neil rambled on in a mix of what sounded to be Russian and German.

It couldn’t be happening - Andrew couldn’t be hurt, not Andrew. He was supposed to be there to fuck things up for Aaron but also make them right, to be there. If he was in trouble, Aaron had to do something, just like with Drake. He had to make it right. Yet when he pressed his fingers against Andrew’s neck, to feel his pulse, he could barely feel anything at all.

“Don’t die on me– please,” Aaron whispered as Abby rushed over to join them, as he heard someone start crying in the background. “You can’t, you asshole.” He kept repeating those words while Abby started CPR and Neil’s pleading in foreign words.

*******

Hmm.

Blame @nikothespoonklepto

#aftg #aaron minyard #first time writing this pov #andrew minyard #writing prompt #now it only seems bad #i'm sure abby saves the day

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exysexual · 7 years

Text

hs au (part five)

(part one)(part two)(part three)(part four)(read on ao3)

Neil has to get the fuck out of Oakland.

That’s the only thought bouncing around in his brain as he runs home, duffel slapping against his thigh in a familiar rhythm.

Andrew Doe knows too much about him. Has too many reasons to think him suspicious.

Neil can’t believe he fucked up like that. His mom would– well, she wouldn’t be happy. A fucking panic attack? Just because Edgar Allen was mentioned?

Actually, it’s not that it was mentioned. It’s that representatives from there will be at his fucking school tomorrow and that someday Andrew Doe could mention to Kevin or Riko this weird kid he knew–

When Neil gets to the house, he stops himself from spiraling. Kevin and Riko couldn’t possibly recognize him just from Andrew offhandedly mentioning him. And it’s not like they’d be coming themselves tomorrow.

No, his biggest obstacle now is Andrew Doe.

Neil Josten isn’t in the room when Andrew gets to Stats on Tuesday.

He slides into his seat and tries not to watch the door too obviously. The bell rings, though, and Neil still hasn’t materialized.

Andrew spends the rest of class vaguely watching Rodriguez and cycling through wondering where Neil is, being annoyed that he’s curious, and thinking through the game tonight.

The Jamesons had somehow caught wind of the scout situation, so now Andrew is dealing with their excitement and hopes about Exy scholarships. He’s mostly kept up a fake smile, aside from last night, but he has no idea what will happen when the inevitable disappointment comes.

Mac lets Andrew play the entire game, and he gets a shutout, and the Jamesons hug him all at once and he only freezes for a second.

He glances around the stands, looking for Neil before he realizes what he’s doing. He doesn’t see him anywhere, and he barely has time to berate himself before Mac is pushing him to the office, where there’s a line of bored-looking people in collegiate apparel.

Cathleen squeezes his hand in comfort before following him into the room.

Neil skips out on school because he doesn't know if he's even going back. He organized and reorganized his bag, sorted through his documentation, thought about the money he had left, and tried to make a mental pro/con list for sticking around.

Pros: no wasting money on new IDs; no rent or money for the squatting; easy access to the school; knows a few people (mostly on the CC team) who make his days a little less lonely; no figuring out a new place, a new identity

Cons: Andrew Doe knows something is up

For his mom, that would’ve been enough. They would’ve left town as soon as Neil told her about it and she had sufficiently punished him. They would have gone to Montana or Arizona and she would’ve cussed him out the whole way, before her guy in Boise or Mesa got them new digs.

But now, it’s just Neil. It’s just Neil, whose disappearance from school would raise questions, and whose appearance in a new town would raise questions, and whose travel from Oakland to Boise alone would raise questions.

It’s just Neil, who already kind of hates waking up and going bed alone everyday, even with the guys he exchanges ‘sup nods with in the hall.

Being a teenager is a complicated thing, a mixture of wanting not to be quite so alone in the world and wanting everybody to ignore you at all times. Being a teenager on the run, trying to escape notice, with nobody to rely on or turn to– Neil isn’t sure if he wants to scream as loudly as he can or run away from it all.

He slumps into Stats on Wednesday with a plan, but he can hear the echoes of his mom’s constant vitriol as he drops into his seat. He ignores when Andrew Doe comes in, faces forwards and takes the most meticulous notes he’s ever taken. He hopes that he fades into the wall.

Andrew stares at the back of Neil’s head for the entirety of the class. Part of his mind is still reliving the discussions he had last night, when the Jamesons weighed Edgar Allen versus Berkeley versus Penn State, when Mac had grinned and slapped him on the back and said, “Good job, Doe.”

The other part is wondering what the fuck is up with Neil fucking Josten, who has a panic attack and disappears and then reappears without so much as a hello. Andrew may not be the most sociable of people, would ignore everybody if he could, but even he has to admit that Neil is fucking weird.

He’s probably embarrassed, Andrew guesses, thinking back to the panic attack. But to be embarrassed, he has to care what Andrew thinks to some degree, which doesn’t really compute.

At the end of class, Neil turns around and rubs at the back of his neck, his eyes fixed on the wall behind Andrew.

“Um, hey, Andrew,” he says quickly, “sorry about last time. Do you think we could meet today instead?”

Andrew raises his eyebrows and shrugs. “No practice the day after a game, sure. Library 3:30?”

Neil nods and then books it out of the classroom, the opposite of his usual slouch. Andrew watches him go in confusion.

The fuck?

Neil gets to the library at 3:30 on the dot only to find Andrew already sitting at a table in the corner, pushing his chair back onto two legs.

Neil drops into the chair across from him and digs out his Stats notebook wordlessly. No more slipups.

“You feeling better?” Andrew asks as Neil reemerges. Neil bites his lip and nods, then lets out the story he’d been stewing.

“Um, yeah, sorry again,” he replies, putting as much sheepishness into his voice as possible. “My mom made me stay home yesterday ‘cause she was worried about me.”

Andrew nods, studying his face closely. Neil runs a hand back through his hair and tries to look as embarrassed as he can.

“We, uh, think it’s just all the talk about college that’s got me nervous,” he continues. “If it happens again, she’s going to make me talk to somebody about it.”

Andrew nods again.

“Anyway, Stats?”

Despite what Andrew would have expected, Neil Josten appears to genuinely care what Andrew thinks of him. Andrew tries to puzzle this out as he walks home, goes over everything he thinks he knows about the new kid.

He runs cross country and track. He’s smart but freaked out about college (admissions? Tuition? Adjusting to the environment?). He and his mom (no dad mentioned, except once when he said “my parents”) moved houses recently. He dresses horribly. His family has a really shitty car and he doesn’t have a credit card or a cell phone. He continually asks about Exy and Andrew despite claims that he doesn’t care about Exy. He doesn’t appear to notice that half the upperclassmen have crushes on him, but he cares what Andrew thinks.

There’s a few conclusions that Andrew comes to as he climbs up the Jameson’s front steps: Neil’s family is dirt poor; Neil is trying to hide that his family is dirt poor; Neil thinks Andrew might spread around the fact that Neil’s family is dirt poor.

Plausibly, Neil wants to play Exy but can’t afford it, and doesn’t even give a shit about Andrew.

Andrew tries not to feel too disappointed that Neil doesn’t actually care about him, or that Neil apparently judges him so harshly as to think he’d cade about something like his family’s wealth or spread it around.

Regardless, Andrew pastes on a smile as he steps inside, and shares with Cathleen the latest updates on his project.

Neil Josten is nothing.

Neil has another panic attack that night. Alone, curled up under his blanket on the hard, cold floor, he tries to imagine the impression he’s made on Andrew, and it’s nothing good. He realizes he never asked about Andrew’s game and then wonders if he’s really being recruited by Edgar Allen and the next thing he knows he can’t breathe.

He doesn’t know how much time he loses, but he feels bone fucking tired when his breathing is back to normal, even though his mind is still going in circles.

He tries to picture Riko and Kevin and Andrew playing together. Tries to imagine the weight of a racket in his hand. Tries to remember his mom’s smile.

Neil doesn’t get much sleep that night.

Andrew almost stops dead upon entering the cafeteria the next day when he spots Neil sitting with a few of the guys from cross country. He has not once witnessed him in the cafeteria before, although he hardly looks out of place, leaning in and listening to Todd Jiang.

Andrew joins Tekien and Sam Reagan at the table they usually sit at, conveniently beside the cross country table. Andrew alternates between smoking and joining them at lunch, depending on how much he can handle inane Exy bullshit.

He sits as close as he dares to the CC table and can just overhear their conversation as Sam and Tekien continue discussing their defense at the game on Tuesday.

“C’mon, Josten, you gotta get a Facebook,” Jiang says with a grin. “You’re already withholding your cell number, so how else can we contact you?”

“I’m not getting a Facebook,” Neil replies. Andrew can see him picking at his protein bar out of the corner of his eye.

“Can you imagine how many friend requests he’d get, like, right away?” asks another guy who Andrew doesn’t know. “Half the junior class would be on him like that.”

Neil slouches further down in his seat at that. Andrew wonders why he keeps his unpopular act up even around his friends.

“Why don’t you want one, Neil?”

“I already see enough of you idiots at school. Don’t need that messing with my home life, too. ‘Sides, my mom doesn’t want me to get one.”

They laugh at that, and somebody jokingly says, “What a momma’s boy.”

Neil shrugs.

“Doe, what did you think about our third goal on Tuesday?” Tekien asks then, diverting Andrew’s attention.

“It went in the net,” Andrew says flatly. Sam cackles at that as Tekien rolls his eyes.

“Be like that, hoard your Exy knowledge. Just remember not all of us are getting recruited by the Ravens, though.”

Andrew shrugs and starts in on his lunch, ignoring the next table over and instead letting Tekien and Sam’s chatter wash over him.

Neil doesn’t know how Todd found out it was his lunch period, but he’s not thrilled at this development. Sitting on his stoop is weirdly peaceful. Getting ribbed by the CC team is not, especially when they want him to be a normal teenager.

“Oi, Josten, where do you think you’re going?” Todd yells out on Friday, when Neil tries to steer away from the cafeteria and head back to his stoop. He rejoins the CC table resignedly, where Diego offers him a fist bump and Phil gives him a ‘sup nod. God, why is everyone around him such a bro?

“So, Josten, you’re not hooking up with Katherine, are you?” Diego asks immediately.

Neil takes a measured bite of his protein bar and unsuccessfully tries to place the name. “Who’s Katherine?”

Phil laughs and Diego shakes his head. “I think she’s in your Spanish class.”

Neil pictures the blonde girl who tries to talk to him every fucking day. “Oh, Blondie?”

Phil continues chuckling. Diego puts his face in his hands. “Jesus Christ, Neil.”

“I think you can safely take that as a no, Diego,” Todd offers with a smirk. “Then again, maybe Josten is hooking up with her and doesn’t even know her name.”

Neil represses the full body shiver that threatens to break out at the memories of kissing girls in back allies and what followed. He takes another steady bite of his bar and lets them think what they will.

He looks around the cafeteria and catches Andrew’s eye. The other teen stares expressionlessly at him. Neil frowns and wonders if he should’ve left after all.

(part six)

#i wrote more things omg!#who knows if it's terrible!#not i!#hope it's not :)#my writing #tfc #andreil #the foxhole court #high school au

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jemej3m · 5 years

Text

What Now? p5

Or more correctly titled: twice that andrew asked neil out and it failed miserably, and the one time they managed to get it right.

note: these are just drafts and i will be uploading a proper, easier read onto ao3. enjoy none the less!

Andrew thought it was going smoothly. They were eating across from one another in one of Palmetto’s few elegant restaurants. Neil had managed to wear something other than a tank top and sweats: His jeans were not threadbare, and he wore a sweater over a button-down shirt. His curls cascaded neatly from his head, and Andrew fucking hated everything about the man.

Both had found suitable care for their children for the rest of the evening. Perhaps, if things went truly well, they could return to Andrew’s empty apartment. Kevin was visiting his father for the night.

It seemed a little too ambitious. For all of Neil’s reclusive mannerisms, he was oddly relaxed. It made Andrew somewhat suspicious.

The meal was good. The conversation was comfortable: They shared early memories of Robin and Kevin, tales of snobbish parents, explaining further details of their work.

“Wymack’s child?” Neil had said, startled. “I...hadn’t realised.”

“What of it?” Andrew asked, leaning a little closer and sipping on his gin.

“I’ve had two kids granted scholarships with Palmetto State.” He admitted. “If it weren’t for Wymack’s initiative to take in disadvantaged youth, they’d never be considered. I’m hoping - well, Robin wants to go there.”

“Tell the old fuck to say hi to his kid more often.” Andrew grumbled.

Neil laughed softly, a quick curl of the lips. It was a sound Andrew was becoming incredibly fond of. Fuck, he was turning into a sappy shit, wasn’t he?

Outside, they smoked together, leaning against the hood of Andrew’s Maserati. Andrew’s suspicion had grown when Neil insisted to help pay, but perhaps that was just him defying traditionalism, like the rest of his existence did.

There was only one way to figure it out.

His hair shone in the moonlight whilst the golden hues leaking from the windows of the restaurant curved over his cheekbones and lips. His scars distorted his skin, warped by age and further growth.

Regardless of scars, Neil was, in short: Stunning. The most attractive man Andrew could remember stumbling across. He was the perfect height, the appropriate age, a single, working father who understood trauma and trust issues. And he was here, on a date with Andrew.

What were the chances?

“Can I kiss you?”

Neil looked at him, shock spasming across his face. “Huh?”

Apparently, the chances were zero.

“A kiss, Josten.” Andrew said, flatly. He ignored the disappointment that lurched in his throat. “Must I spell it out for you?”

“I -” He stammered. “I didn’t realise you like me.”

“I hate you.” Andrew: Contradictory as always. He kept his gaze upon the restaurant, refusing to allow Neil to see the tumultuous storm of unwarranted emotion in his eyes. “What did you think this was?”

“Not a date.” He said, weakly. “Didn’t occur to me that someone was willing to look past this.” Andrew saw the gestures out of the corner of his eyes. Neil was talking about his scars.

“Fuck off, and take your pity party with you.” He said, decidedly.

“I still had a nice evening.” Neil offered. “I hope me being a dumbass didn’t ruin it entirely.” He had slid off the hood, grinding the cigarette under his boot. “Uh. I’ll go?”

“Do.” Andrew said flatly. He’d known it was too good to be true.

And then - against all expectations -

(Seriously, why did Andrew bother with expectations surrounding Neil? He had defied every single one of them thus far.)

- Neil leaned in for a quick kiss on the cheek. Andrew whipped his head to look at him as his own face grew warm, unable to stop his body’s reaction.

Neil was even more hopelessly awkward, clutching his car-keys to his chest. “I hope that was okay. Uh. I had a really good time. Sorry I didn’t realise it was a date. Um. Call me?” He grimaced at himself, cheeks as red as his hair. “I’m going to walk away now.”

“Take your time.” Andrew offered, ignoring his own hypocrisy as his heart slammed against his ribcage. “I’m finding this rather amusing.”

Neil scowled. “Oh, fuck off.” With that, he swivelled on his heel and stormed away.

Now, that was a more typical ending to Andrew’s usual dates. He took a drag of his cigarette and let himself smile - just a little - as he remembered the brush of Neil’s lips over his cheek.

“Come out with me again.” Andrew was leant against the plexiglass wall with his arms crossed, sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he watched Neil pack up from practise. Most kids had already vacated: Late, Thursday practises always cleared out quickly. Robin and Kevin were running drills together at the other end of the court.

“What?” Neil was awfully distracted by Andrew’s popped collar, unable to forget Allison’s critical analysis of Neil’s newfound distraction. Not to mention they’d already been on a date - not that Neil had realised. “What do you mean?”

“You’re hopeless.” Andrew shook his head. “I should have known better than to do this.”

“No, wait-” He dragged the stack of cones over, dropping them onto the wooden floorboards when he was stood in front of Andrew. He was much taller than the man when Andrew was slouched against the wall like this. “What did you say? I didn’t hear you.”

“You’re an idiot and a liar.” Andrew offered. “I’d like to run you over.”

“Right.” Neil said, trying not to smile. “Of course.”

“I’m asking you out to dinner.”

“Why?” Neil asked.

Andrew narrowed his eyes. “Are you that thick?”

“I didn’t think you were interested, after how much of a mess last time was.” Oh, fucking fuck, what the fuck was he doing?

“Surprise, surprise.” Andrew muttered, shouldering his way out from between Neil and the wall. “I’ll be at yours at 7. Don’t make me wait. Kevin!” He snapped. “We’re going, hurry up!”

“Come help me pack up, Robin.” Neil urged.

The two kids dragged their feet as they were forced in opposite directions. Neil saluted Andrew in farewell, and was flipped off in response. He laughed, but it hiccupped in his throat. Andrew Minyard had asked him out to dinner - a date. A real date, that he knew was a date. And he’d said yes.

Robin rubbed her eyes as she yawned when they’d finally packed up. “Are we going home now?”

“Yes, honey.” He ruffled her hair. “Do you want to go over to Allison’s tomorrow night?”

“But there isn’t an away game on Saturday?” She yawned again.

“I’ve got a lot of paperwork to do in the office tomorrow night.” Neil lied. It didn’t sit well in his stomach, but he didn’t really want to explain to his daughter why he wanted the house free. He didn’t want to admit to himself why he wanted the house free. “And there will be games played on court, so you can’t practise. I’m sure Laila and Jeremy would love to have you over.”

“Okay.” She hiccuped, skipping ahead.

Neil frantically pulled out his phone.

N: you have to look after robin tomorrow night sorry not sorry

Allie: uh huh.

N: and you need to help me figure out what to wear.

Allie: knew it! i believe in u, u sexy midget

N: um thanks?

The whole arrangement between him and Allison worked swell: Her kids came over for a snack as Allison shuffled him into his bedroom.

“Ass jeans.” She threw a plastic bag at him. “Trust me on this one.”

“How’d you know my size?” He demanded, mystified. When he pulled out the new boxers, he threw them at her with an indignant squawk. “The children are next door to us, Allison.”

“But they won’t be tonight.” She winked, clapping her hands delightedly. “Fuck, I love being a wing-woman.”

“I haven’t seen you in such a good mood - ever.” Neil accused. “How’s Renee.”

“Fuck off and get dressed, Neil.”

Then she’d taken Robin off Neil’s hands ( “Dad, why are you dressed fancy to go to work?” “I’m just testing out some new clothes, honey. Enjoy yourself! Go to sleep early!” ) and Neil was left alone, waiting for Andrew on his front doorstep. The gun-metal grey of the car - a Maserati, as Andrew had previously insisted - was impossible to miss as it turned into Neil’s street.

Andrew had his hand hanging limp out of his window as Neil clambered in.

“Hey.” He said.

“Hey yourself.” Andrew replied, shooting off.

Second date basis, Neil thought to himself. Did the first one even count? Oh, fuck. He was so out of his depth.

“Called it.” Andrew said quietly, as the car pulled to a stop. Neil glanced over at him and Andrew slanted a bored look. “You were too relaxed last time, which made me suspect you hadn’t gotten the clue.”

Neil stuttered out an apology, to which Andrew lifted his chin with his finger.

“Quiet.” He instructed. “Breathe.”

Neil did as he was told. When they got out of the car, he followed Andrew through a parking lot: It was crowded. When Neil saw the orange and white donned fans, he couldn’t stifle his smile.

He was completely overdressed for an Exy game, but Andrew was also dressed to the nines, so it didn’t feel strange. From the boot of his car, Andrew gathered two Palmetto Fox-themed scarves for the both of them.

“Tell anyone I willingles went to an Exy match, and I’ll kill you.” Andrew warned.

Neil just couldn’t stop grinning. “Would anyone believe me?”

The stadium itself was huge: Neil wondered how different his life would have been, should he had participated in collegiate exy. Maybe he would have been able to make a name for himself. Maybe his father would have killed him. They had good seats, in the third row back from the sub benches of the Catamounts. It was an exceptionally tough game: Neil would have been upon the edge of his seat, but watching Andrew was equally as thrilling. He sat back, allowing himself to gaze upon the icy-blonde hair and hazels eyes that shone with each flash of a red goal light.

“Staring.” Andrew commented.

Neil hummed. It was lost under the cacophony of noise as the Foxes scored another point. Robin would have loved to go to a Foxes game, as would Kevin. It was both a shame and a relief that they weren’t here. It meant the flush across Neil’s cheeks wasn’t questioned, nor the way that Andrew risked a hand on Neil’s knee.

After the game - Foxes, winning 7:6 - they ate food stall dinner and walked lazily back to the car beside one another. The drive was just as relaxed, Andrew humming along with Neil’s technical analysis of the game. There were a lot of whole in which he had no idea what happened, too distracted by the man next to him.

“I wonder if our kids think we still hate each other.” Neil mused.

“I do hate you.”

He rolled his eyes. “My mistake.”

The corner of Andrew’s mouth quirked.

They arrived at Neil’s place, Andrew parking to escort Neil to his front door. Neio felt his fingers involuntarily clench into fists as they approached the entrance, knowing it was a crucial moment.

His hand hesitated over the door handle. He turned to Andrew. “Would you like something to drink?”

Andrew rose a single eyebrow.

“Tea, coffee, whisky,” Neil was blushing, but he stood his ground, stepping through the door and propping it open. “Come on. It’s getting cold outside.”

Andrew walked across the premises and the door clicked shut behind him with a dulled sense of finality. Neil guided Andrew through to the kitchen, putting the kettle on for himself.

As Andrew gestured towards the coffee machine, Neil’s phone began to ring in his back pocket. He grimaced apologetically as he put it to his ear, Andrew simply raising a single eyebrow, switching the coffee machine on. “Hello?”

“Neil, thank god.” Allison said, breathless.

“Allison?” His hand stilled. “What is it?”

“Robin’s okay, but she’s been seriously sick. I’ve tried to keep her calm, but she’s super distressed. She needs you. It’s probably just some bug she’s caught, but it’s pretty bad.”

“Shit. Shit. I’m on my way.” He hung up and buried his head in his hands. “Christ alive.” He spins around with a derisive laugh. “I get you into my place, and for what?”

Andrew rose up the other eyebrow. Neil flushed.

“Robin’s sick. I need to go grab her.”

Andrew took his keys from the kitchen bench. “I’ll drive you.”

“What? That’s -” He coughed. “You don’t have to.”

“I wouldn’t trust your car not to spontaneously combust if a fly landed on it.” Andrew said, truthfully. “Come on.”

“The life of single parenting.” Neil grumbled, the anticipation of the evening vanishing with the first words from Allison’s call. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Andrew was at his wits end with this case. It was not heart-warming, nor simplistic. And while he appreciated a challenge, his client had repeatedly created many issues that he would have to divert in order to succeed, and his client still treated him like an asshole, no matter the effort. Justice was a complicated, bitch of a thing.

He got out of the shower, donning sweatpants and a t-shirt. It was evening: Kevin had gone out with Wymack again: This time, Wymack was well enough to fly over to LA to see the Trojans, and Kevin had been practically hopping all morning with excitement. His son’s over-enthusiasm hadn’t helped the headache of a case, either.

He threw himself back onto the couch and pulled out his phone.

Nei(diot)l: date #3, yes or no??

A: yes. when.

N: uh. now? i kinda have chinese food and am at ur door.

Andrew yanked the door open. Neil’s sweatpants hung deliciously low on his hips, the long sleeve covering his scarred torso and arms. In his arms were bags of food. Andrew stepped out of his way, but didn’t miss the way the hair on the back of Neil’s neck rose as Andrew brushed his fingertips across Neil’s lower back.

They ate in comfortable silence on the couch, amongst papers and books. Respectfully, Neil didn’t look. Instead, he asked. “Kev’s upstairs?”

“Away for the weekend.”

Neil hummed.

“Why are you here, Neil?”

He shrugged, stabbing into his chao mien. “I have a six-senth.”

Andrew put his carton down onto the coffee table, uncaring if it ruined transcripts. He, realistically, shouldn’t want to want Neil. Not when work was stressful, and often hitting too close to home. But he wanted Neil. In every way that Neil would give him. He stood in front of the young man and took the chinese food from his grasp, chucking it alongside his own.

“Robin?” Andrew checked.

“Sleeping over with Allison’s children.” Neil murmured, gazing up at Andrew with undeserved awe.

Andrew clambered onto the couch, a knee on either side of Neil’s hips. He grabbed Neil’s hands and pinned them to the couch cushions.

“Can I kiss you: Yes or no?”

“Yes.” Neil said. “Obviously.”

“Shut the fuck up.” He took Neil’s jaw into his hands. Even this close, Andrew was fearful to take the leap. Being a single parent had defined him for so long, it was almost incomprehensible to think of himself as anything else. Kevin and Robin ought to get used to each other. “You’re so fucking annoying.”

“Should I take the food and go?” He suggested.

Andrew kissed him quiet.

ta-daaa!

its sooooo messy but idgaf *shoves it at you* good luck lmao

#andreil #single parent au #dad!andrew #dad!neil #kid!kevin #kid!robin #all for the game #the foxhole court #jem writes

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