part 1, part 2 <3 ||| part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8
contrary to popular belief, nicky is actually a relatively observant guy, especially when it comes to his cousins
andrew is a bit more closed off than aaron, but even before nicky found out about andrew and neil, he noticed that andrew was a bit... lighter. happier, almost
so it comes as no surprise that he would be the next one to catch neil and andrew
the cousins, kevin, and neil all head over to Columbia one weekend after a stressful few weeks at school
and it's nice. relaxing. minimal chaos occurs
(ok sure, nicky realized that he forgot about a Marketing project and maybe kevin kept muttering about a "PDA draft" of some sort and yes, aaron nearly flushed his anatomy flashcards down the toilet but that's beside the point)
the five of them had originally planned to come back to PSU on sunday morning so everyone could catch up on their work
but kevin and aaron had gotten weirdly competitive over dance dance revolution the previous night
so everyone was severely lacking in the sleep department
(there was a collective decision to forget about school and instead stay in bed until 1 pm)
nicky ends up waking up around noon though, feeling more rested than usual
and of course, being the oldest person there, nicky decides to check in on everyone, make sure all his "children" were doing okay
he peeps into aaron's room. he finds aaron half off the bed and goes in to quietly fix his cousin's blanket
he peeps into kevin's room. he finds kevin sleeping perfectly straight and wrinkles his nose at the sheer strangeness of sleeping like a literal rod
he peeps into andreil's room. he find them... not there?
now, for all of nicky's good qualities, it cannot be said that he's always the most rational person
so he races over to aaron's room, ready to break down the door screaming that his favorite couple has gone missing
just as he's about to fling open the bedroom door, he hears a quiet laugh coming from downstairs
he freezes
"right. there's another half to the house. i remembered that"
nicky quietly drops his hand and moves away from aaron's room, tiptoeing down the stairs
he moves around the house, unable to find the source of the laugh until he finally reaches the kitchen
there, he finds andrew sitting atop the counter, his legs wrapped around neil, their noses nearly touching
nicky can't see neil's face, but he does notice neil playing with his and andrew's hands, occasionally bringing them up to press a kiss to andrew's knuckles in the middle of conversation
andrew says something quietly to neil, causing him to laugh again and lean up to kiss andrew
(it does not escape nicky's notice that this is the first time andrew has been taller than neil, but really, the adorableness of his two stabby children takes greater precedence over that)
nicky wants to keep looking, wants the reassurance that his cousin is safe and happy and loved
but he also knows that andrew is a private person and nicky should respect his wishes
nicky trusts his cousin. really, he does. it's just— andrew has been through so much, and getting like 5 more seconds of confirmation that andrew's doing okay wouldn't hurt anyone, right?
the beeping of the coffee pot jerks nicky out from his thoughts
he decides to leave, that andreil will be going fine and strong even without his intervention
but in the few seconds it takes to make his decision, something so adorable happens that nicky's poor heart stops functioning for a moment
andrew pouts — pouts! — and tightens his grip on neil, not uncrossing his legs
neil rolls his eyes and brings his hands up to andrew’s face, caressing his cheeks
neil kisses andrew on the nose
andrew hums and begrudgingly lets go of neil
nicky is internally hyperventilating
he’s frozen to the spot as neil pours the coffee into mugs and brings them back to the counter
andrew takes his mug and promptly wraps his legs around neil’s waist again, burying a hand in neil’s hair
he runs a hand through it slowly, bringing it down until his hand is resting on the back of neil’s neck, their foreheads nearly touching
nicky suddenly turns away, feeling raw and surprised by the amount of intimacy he just saw
he lets out a breath. they’ll be okay. andrew’s going to be okay.
he goes back up to his room and lies in his bed, mind running a million miles an hour
after a few seconds of staring up at the ceiling, he turns over, burying his face in his pillow, and screams a muffled proclamation that andreil is the cutest ship to have ever sailed
(a few hours later when they’re on the road back to PSU, aaron turns and asks nicky why he heard screaming coming from his room. nicky shrugs.
“i was just really hoping that the titanic situation doesn’t occur again. wouldn’t want my favorite ship to sink, you know?”)
When I first saw your ask prompts out of excitement I was going to ask you to write every single one them .i was like "write every single one them ,I will be your sole reader" then I calmed down
So if you can could you plz write something with 10 and 7 .if it's about andrew and neil it will be much appreciated
KSDFJH no pls this made me laugh so hard i can't-
7: squishing their cheeks
10: lifting someone up out of excitement
~
7.
Andrew could tell it was one of those days.
Normally, he wouldn't say anything if Neil told him "no" or if he didn't want to take his shirt off; Andrew felt the same sometimes. But picking at his scars, scratching his cheeks, fidgeting with his armbands — something was up.
So, he asked.
"What is with you, Josten," Andrew sat down next to him. "Acting more rabbit-y than usual."
Neil rolled his eyes and slumped into the sofa cushions. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
“What did we say about lying?”
Andrew heard a huff from Neil as he shifted to rest his nose in the crook of Andrew’s neck. “It was just — I heard some kids today talking about how I looked so much like my- like Nathan, and that it was insane that they didn’t recognize me,” Neil mumbled. “I don’t want to look like him.”
Andrew of course was fully prepared to cut a bitch when he heard that, but decided that he could commit murder after making sure that Neil was in the right headspace to hear about his stabby plans.
“You are nothing like him,” Andrew told Neil. Hopefully it was somewhat reassuring.
Neil did not look reassured. Damn.
Andrew was sure that Neil was going to say some bullshit about how he’d be “fine,” and well, he would not be responsible for the combination of the roof and gravity that would likely be soon to follow it that occurred.
So instead, Andrew took initiative.
He got up and dragged Neil to the bathroom (and yes, Andrew was very calm about the fact that they were holding hands. This was not the time to have a gay panic). He fully ignored Neil’s sputters and questions until he kicked the bathroom door open.
Andrew whirled Neil around until they were facing the mirror. (He did have to go on his toes to see over Neil’s shoulder properly but thankfully Neil was standing in front and couldn’t see Andrew).
“Andrew,” Neil blinked. “What are you doing?”
“Proving to you that you don’t look like that asshole.”
“In the bathroom— ?”
Andrew proceeded to place his arms above Neil’s shoulder and promptly squished Neil’s cheeks.
”See?” Andrew said monotonously. “I bet Nathan never had his cheeks squished.”
Neil was silent for one moment. Two. Andrew was starting to think there may have been more effective ways of improving Neil’s mood, when he saw Neil bite back a smile.
“What?” Andrew demanded. “You really do not resemble a serial killer right now.”
It was true. Neil, with his rough scars and bunched up cheeks and a reddening face from holding back a laugh, couldn’t look less like his sperm donor father.
He looked like… Neil Josten. And Andrew would be a lying homosexual if he said it wasn’t the nicest sight he’d seen.
10.
Neil's legs were beginning to go numb.
There were very few things that Neil wouldn't do for Andrew, and so when Andrew called him over to the sofa, well, Neil couldn't exactly say no! He happily abandoned his essay (that he wasn’t putting too much effort into writing anyway) and climbed into the little opening Andrew made under his blanket, fully prepared to be used as a personal heater for a few minutes.
What he didn't expect, however, was for Andrew to yank him onto his lap and bury his (cold) nose in Neil's neck. Neil smothered a smile and crossed his legs around Andrew's back, running his fingers through Andrew's hair.
That had been 20 minutes ago.
It was a cozy position, sure, but Neil didn't exactly want to fail his classes (and then get kicked off the Exy team. and then die.), so he lightly nudged Andrew's back with a socked toe.
"Andrew," Neil said, voice a bit muffled in Andrew's sweater. "Can I get off now? I have homework."
Neil received no response other than Andrew squeezing him tighter.
It was another 10 minutes until anything changed, but suddenly there was a loud beeping noise. Startled, Neil nearly fell over, but Andrew grabbed him, lifted him up, and promptly walked over to the kitchen.
"Andrew, what— " Neil sputtered in confusion as he scrambled to hold onto something. He was dropped unceremoniously as Andrew grabbed a pair of oven mitts and yanked open the oven, a sweet smell wafting in the air.
Neil stumbled back as Andrew pulled out a few trays of monster sized cookies, placing them on a rack to cool down. After finishing up, Andrew slowly turned around to face Neil.
"Cookies," he said as way of explanation.
Neil didn't know whether to laugh or groan.
"You were so excited to get your cookies out of the oven that you carried me over to the kitchen instead of just telling me to get off your lap."
"Yes."
"Andrew."
"..."
"You better be this excited to go to tonight's night practice— "
"I cannot hear you over the sound of me eating this cookie. Crunch crunch."
"Andrew!"
andrew in tkm after neil respects his boundaries, treats him like an actual person, and still shows interest in him: i used to be in love with neil as a joke. but bro... i don't think it's a joke anymore 👀
05 kissing
I drew this drawing for https://the-chicken-or-the-banana.tumblr.com/post/650598082547990528/andreil-and-goodbye-kisses
You have to read these sweet stories
part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 || i'm actually feeling kinda sad that this is the last part but also my brain can't come up with more ideas lmao
wymack stands by the fact that he doesn't get paid enough to deal with andrew and neil's shit (both as separate idiots and together)
but he does care for all his foxes, despite all the... difficulties that surround them
and honestly? one of the biggest struggles he faces is how absolutely thick-headed and oblivious the foxes can be regarding andrew and neil's relationship
truly, the heart-eyes neil constantly gave andrew were so obvious, he's not sure how everyone missed them before
but because he's so observant, he doesn't fail to notice how the older foxes keep giving strange looks to neil whenever he leaves andrew's side now
wymack doesn't get in the way of his foxes' personal lives. but if they start causing disturbances on the court, it's his job as coach to get to the bottom of these issues
(okay, maybe he and dan catch up on the so-called "drama" in the team every few weeks but it's for completely exy-related business. ahem. of course)
one day, wymack corners neil and lets him know that he and dan were to meet in his office after practice to talk through some logistics for the winter banquet
neil agrees, and practice goes smoothly (or, as smoothly as it can go with the foxes)
but after practice is... interesting
wymack swears he had no ulterior motives planned with the meeting; it really was supposed to be a genuine discussion
but the outcome of it was certainly unexpected
he and dan both know to wait for neil, that he doesn't like changing in front of anyone
so they wait. and wait. and wait.
it gets to the point where it's nearly 45 minutes after practice and surely neil should be done at this point, no?
wymack gets up, fully prepared to break down the door to make sure neil is okay when suddenly it slams open
neil tumbles out hand-in-hand with andrew, with matching flushed faces and ruffled hair
wymack sighs
dan outright snorts, and neil's head jerks up and his eyes widen when he notices dan and wymack
but before he can say anything, dan stands up and grins at andrew
"fucking neil again, huh?"
neil chokes on a cough and wymack turns to dan with a groan when he notices the mischievous glint in her eye, almost like that was an... inside joke?
with minyard?
wymack is very confused
andrew just scowls at dan. "i will knife you and make it look like an accident"
neil is still recovering from his coughing bout, so wymack turns back to the stabby midget ready to reprimand him
"i'm not scared of you anymore, remember andrew?" dan's eyes are still bright as she tries not to laugh
"shut up, both of you" wymack interrupts their weird jokes conversation whatever gruffly. "neil, do you remember why we're here?"
"huh? OH. oh shit. drew, i'm supposed to be talking with them about some winter banquet stuff"
andrew considers this. "how long?" wymack tells him about an hour, and andrew nods and turns to neil. "i'll stay"
neil just rolls his eyes. "you have a paper due tomorrow that you haven't even started yet. go do that, i'll be fine"
wymack sighs. he's been doing a lot of that lately. "minyard, go finish your homework or i swear to god, i'll make you run three marathons next week"
andrew glares but mutters out a "fine." he goes to leave but neil tugs him back by the wrist
neil then proceeds to kiss andrew on the nose and gives him the most bashful smile wymack has ever seen on the kid's face
neil's happy. it's a christmas miracle! and it's not even christmas yet!
and that kiss... really, it was the last thing he expected out of neil and andrew but he's happy at how comfortable they've grown around each other
and okay, it was a little adorable
(not that he'd ever say that to their faces, of course)
andrew ends up stumbling out of the court with the reddest face wymack's seen as neil turns back to him and dan
"right" he says sheepishly. "banquet?"
BONUS:
abby doesn't believe it when david tells her about the nose kiss
she knows that neil has a heart of gold, she knows that andrew has so much capacity to feel
but a nose kiss? she doesn't think andrew would agree to that
so when her older foxes come over one night after a tiring, but successful, game, she decides she needs to see this for herself
after a hearty dinner, all the kids are sitting in the living room, with andrew and neil talking quietly in the back corner of the room.
perfect.
"neil!" abby calls, and everyone in the room quiets to look at her. "sweetheart, could you help me bring out the dessert?"
nicky immediately jumps up from beside her, saying how he could help if she needed it
"no no, it's alright, i was hoping to talk to neil, if that's okay? it might take a little while"
neil looks extremely worried at this and abby almost feels guilty.
almost
he glances at andrew and then he leans down so quickly that abby nearly misses it
neil kisses andrew on the nose.
abby barely notices andrew's bright blush, nor does she register neil moving towards her
she just feels so proud of her foxes for coming so far in a world that keeps trying to beat them down
it's a sentimental moment, which is completely ruined by kevin's woop and nicky's yell of glee
"YES BITCH THEY DID IT THEY DID THE KISS GIVE ME YOUR MONEY ALLISON"
"fuck you hemmick. fuck you"
neil looks at them wildly. "you guys were betting on us? i didn't think you would..."
matt sighs and slings an arm around his friend. "oh neil, do you still really think that low of us? we bet on everything"
JSKHKKSJ OK IT'S FINALLY DONE i already miss this series but it has been a fun time :) my asks are always open if y'all have anything specific you want me to write !
part 1, part 2, part 3 ~ this is your daily reminder to go drink some water ~ part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8
renee tends to be perceptive about any changes with any of her foxes
but she's especially known for having the insider information on andrew (and by extent, his relationship with neil)
she doesn't do anything too special though. she just treats andrew with kindness and recognizes that they are both hurt people trying to heal, even if that healing looks different on both of them
but one of the best methods they can agree on is sparring
renee knows she's strategically a better fighter than andrew, considering her training and specific past
andrew is more... emotions-based — he acts with his heart rather than his head (although she's sure everyone would laugh in disbelief if she told them that)
andrew's aggression and ferocity is largely dependent on his current state of mind, which makes him a rather formidable opponent
he has a lot of pent-up anger. renee knows this. so imagine her surprise when after getting off his drugs, andrew starts throwing slightly weaker punches, moving just a hair slower than usual
(she thought it was the apathy. of course, it later came out that this was the work of one neil josten and his many kisses)
renee is certainly getting used to this newer, calmer andrew
and she's immensely happy that her friend is becoming more comfortable in his skin
but it still takes her by surprise to see how much he lets his guard down around neil, how much softer he is
andrew's certainly no romantic chick-flick lead, but renee sees how his eyes constantly flick over to neil, how andrew seems to lean into him, how it's not "andrew" and "neil" but rather "andrew and neil"
(or as nicky calls them, "andreil." renee would never tell andrew, but she thinks the ship name is extremely cute)
no matter what, though, renee can count on andrew not stopping their sparring sessions
it's less of an outlet for him now, but she likes to think that he enjoys her company, even if he would never admit it
so. it's a Wednesday evening, when andrew and renee usually spar
she's at the door of the gym, texting allison on her phone as she waits for andrew
(no allison, i don't think the twins would appreciate Prada sunglasses for their birthdays. and do you really want to spend hundreds of dollars on a gag gift?)
a few minutes later, the maserati pulls up, with neil in the driver's seat
andrew gets out of the car, walking around the hood to reach renee
but as he passes the driver's seat, renee sees the door open and neil gets out, grabbing andrew's fingers lightly as he pulls him around so andrew's back is touching the car
renee knows she should look away. really, she does
but what kind of a fox would she be if she didn't have something to tease her friend about?
(and besides, she justifies, it happened so quick she didn't even get a chance to look away)
neil and andrew have their eyes on each other and neil gently brings up his hands to caress andrew's check
he leans down and kisses him on the nose, and renee doesn't miss the way andrew's shoulders relax
nor does she miss the faint blush on andrew's cheek that he seems to be desperately keeping at bay
a few moments later, neil gets in the car and drives off as andrew walks to renee, a fake nonchalance in his step
she just smiles at him
andrew scowls
later that evening, nicky unexpectedly opens a new bet, stating that he thinks andreil are "totally the type to give each other cute kisses"
surprisingly, matt and kevin join in on that bet
after a moment of consideration, renee quietly adds that she's betting on nicky's side
there's a moment of surprised silence, before allison scoffs
"when have you turned into such an optimist? i won't ever believe that those two are anything but two tiny assholes"
renee wants to believe there's some affection lacing her words
"okay," nicky claps. "if they do a cute kiss in front of 3 or more of us in the next 2 months, we win the bet"
allison narrows her eyes. "deal"
they shake on it. renee can't wait to win some money
okay uhh i'm probs gonna post the last part of the "andreil and goodbye kisses" series today or tomorrow (most likely tmrw) BUT if y'all have any specific prompts/things you want me to write, send me an ask and i shall try to get back to you soon :)
an incomplete list of northern-californian andrew minyard shenanigans
he gets pissed if anyone asks him if he can surf
the beaches are cold and rocky and gross, no one wants to learn surfing up here
he's totally used to weird weather (a 90° day can have a 50° night) but he absolutely cannot stand extreme temperatures
anything above 100° is reason to riot, and anything below a 40-50° is a good excuse to stay under blankets the whole day
hot days are more common in the bay area than hail, and there's never any snow, so moving to south carolina was a slap in the face
"nicky, do i need more warm clothes or more summer clothes?"
"both, andrew. both."
"why do you not have normal weather systems? just pick one"
andrew literally always carries a jacket with him out of habit
in the south, weather can fluctuate every few days, whereas in california, the weather literally changes every hour and there's almost always a breeze in the bay area
it takes him a long time to realize that hot days in the south just... stay hot. no need for a jacket.
(he still usually has one on hand though. never hurts to be prepared)
san francisco is so. goddamn. boring.
he might not have been there very often as a foster kid, but living like 20 minutes away from it in oakland makes the city really lose its novelty
(also the sfo and oakland rivalry can get very passionate at times. he was just always destined to dislike san francisco)
unironically uses the word "hella." he didn't realize it was a californian thing until it accidentally slipped out in front of the foxes and he got some very confused (and gleeful) stares
andrew calls the two main parts of california "norcal" and "socal" (for northern california and southern california). he cannot for the life of him understand why everyone else is so confused
he has a sort of inherent dislike for socal. he may have literally never been there but... the vibes. he just can't stand them
(andrew refers to socal as "fake california" in his head, as many norcal people do)
honestly, he's a pretty environmental person (aside from the smoking). you really can't live in the bay area without being overly conscious about recycling and sustainability
(he'll constantly bully kevin into separating trash, recyclables, and compostables. kevin never had to do that in the nest but andrew? he's very particular about this.
"kevin. how can you say you're healthy when you're making the planet unhealthy?"
"it's really not that big of a deal—" "it is. shut up and recycle.")
andrew absolutely detests the "sunny, warm, beach" stereotype of california, seeing how inaccurate it is for most of the state
neil likes to joke that jeremy and andrew represent the two extremes of california — sunny and bright vs cold and cloudy
andrew does not find this funny
(okay, maybe a little)
the biggest shock he ever faced was that safeway (a grocery store) wasn't a nationwide chain
apparently it's just a california thing (update: maybe a pacific coast thing?? idek)
"aaron, if tilda's not going to buy groceries, we will just go to safeway ourselves"
"andrew. there are no safeways here."
"... what"
"i was shocked too"
(it ends up being the first thing the twins bond over when they officially meet)
okay, maybe it's hard to know if you're not from the area, but andrew and aaron literally grew up so close to each other. like oakland (where andrew was) and san jose (where aaron was) are literally 40 minutes apart
i mean these are obvs two HUGE cities in the bay area, but the twins probably felt even more shitty when they realized that despite close together they grew up, they still couldn't have a childhood with one another
hii i literally love your headcannons... can you please write Laila and Alvarez hcs? they're so underrated!!
ok yes as it is now pride and these two are my fav lesbians i MUST
so they met their freshman year at USC, when laila tripped over her foot after seeing a hot girl (alvarez) and spilled a coffee all over said hot girl's new white shirt
alvarez proceeded to hate her. even if she was nice to look out. she definitely did not notice that
and because laila does not like to be bested, she decided that alvarez's pretty face would not distract from her annoying personality
their rivalry was the only major point of contention within the trojans — they would constantly bicker in and out of practice
(jeremy, bless his heart, could never figure out when laila and alvarez were flirting or fighting though)
but despite this, they worked wonders on the court
laila was a powerhouse in the goal and alvarez was a relentless backliner
everyone was extremely confused about the nature of their relationship
this on-and-off behavior continued well into their second year
that is, until they got their spring semester classes and laila and alvarez were in the same calculus class
now they actually had to deal with each other, even off the court
they managed to stay out of each other's hair mostly, but one day, alvarez was absolutely stuck on a concept and jeremy was shit at math and office hours were closed and this really wasn't good—
she did the first thing she could and texted laila for help
so laila came over and after some initial awkwardness, they actually started working
and it turns out, laila is really good at explaining math
it turns into a bit of a norm. every wednesday afternoon, they would meet in a café and study together
(and maybe, just maybe, if each week, they began sitting closer and closer to one another, that's really no one's business)
this just slowly happens over the next few months, and one day, it hits the two of them that hey, maybe i actually like her more than a friend?
naturally, laila and alvarez both freak the fuck out at this
so they go to jeremy separately, who is now dealing with two flustered, emotionally-constipated lesbians
laila: jeremy i think i like alvarez. "like" as in i want to date her
jeremy: hmm. maybe you should just tell her?
laila: fucking shit knox are you dumb—
alvarez: jeremy HELP i think i have a crush on laila
jeremy: well, maybe she feels the same way! just tell her that :)
alvarez: you're so goddamn stupid why would i do that—
needless to say, jeremy is extremely overwhelmed.
eventually, he wrangles the two of them together on new year's day at a party
it's minutes to midnight and nearly everyone has a partner, romantic or platonic
laila and alvarez end up pushed up next to each other, surrounded by a bunch of loud, sweaty college kids
but none of that mattered. because with three seconds on the clock, laila and alvarez both felt a surge of courage from jeremy's words
they rushed towards each other just as midnight struck and promptly smashed their noses together
neither of them really expected their first date to be at the ER with swollen, bleeding noses
but hey! there's nothing more romantic than matching ice packs and nose splits, right?
So I am once again reading through the extra content like one does and I found a little thing that send me to my knees okay
I’m reading about Abby and Wymack and how they move in together and how they’re just in love and stuff
And it says Abby makes him stop smoking because she doesn’t want the smell in her house
Andrew finds out when he visits Neil in his fifth year and he pulls out a cigarette to smoke, but Coach takes it, breaks it and throws it on the ground, super grumpy about it because he can’t smoke
After Neil explains it Andrew just takes one look at Wymack and states “Abby’s doing”
All of this is all good and fun right, however it’s the next part of it that kills me
“If Neil told me to stop smoking, I’d kick him out.”
However small that is, it just made me all tingly?
I honestly think that that’s one of most obvious times Andrew acknowledge that him and Neil are really together
He normally does it in very subtle, private ways and especially not in conversations with others
He actually refuses to mention Neil to others at all
Which also brings me to the next thing that makes me very happy
He casually says this joke about him and his partner’s relationship out loud, to someone that isn’t Neil himself, and not it private, but to Wymack
That is an insane amount of trust for Andrew to put in Wymack with such a little comment and that is another relation we brush over so much in the fandom
Damn man just… I love this line???
That’s also his immediate response to find out that Wymack and Abby are together and that she made him quit smoking
He just compared himself and Neil to Wymack and Abby
He also used Neil’s name in a way that isn’t condescending or mean spirited, which is also pretty rare for him at least in the books
Anyways I might be reading into it too much, but I just thought it was such a nice little comment with more meaning to it than you’d think
she/her, perpetually sleepy, coffee lover ~ currently an andrew minyard stan account ~
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