#How Neil sees the twins

[wolf-saint]

"Mathematicians call them twin primes: pairs of prime numbers that are close to each other, almost neighbors, but between them there is always an even number that prevents them from truly touching. Numbers like 11 and 13, like 17 and 19, 41 and 43. If you have the patience to go on counting, you discover that these pairs gradually become rarer. You encounter increasingly isolated primes, lost in that silent, measured space made only of ciphers, and you develop a distressing presentiment that the pairs encountered up until that point were accidental, that solitude is the true destiny. Then, just when you’re about to surrender, when you no longer have the desire to go on counting, you come across another pair of twins, clutching each other tightly."

Paolo Giordano

[kjones-fandom]

Neil Josten, Katelyn Mackenzie, and Erik Klose need to be best friends. Someone needs to write a fic where those three go bar hopping while the cousins are busy with something. I wanna see them getting drunk tattoos, singing karaoke, and talking about their SO. Except they are all in love with their partners so instead of the stereotypical shit talking they are waxing poetics and sharing stories.

[iam-anordinary-human-orami]

I really want a scene like this in tsc2 where Neil seems to call Jean more often to check up on him and the floozies are perplexed "Why is Josten calling you?" "You guys close or sth?" "You still haven't told us what happened when he whisked you away" "we are worried sick Jean, how can you keep us in the dark?" And then Cat will say sth like "are you not sharing what you're talking to Josten about cause you're embarrassed?" Jeremy being a worried mother hen "is he bothering you?" And Jean keeps shutting everything down telling them not to worry, and then Laila as a joke says "is he flirting with you?"

And Jean responds with "I hope not. I don't think his boyfriend would take it well"

Everyone immediately stops what they are doing. "Im sorry, his WHAT?"

All hell breaks lose. Cat is shaking Laila "Josten is FRUITY?!", Jeremy is like "He has a boyfriend?" Laila being like "in the year that he joined the foxes and almost died in the hands of his serial killer dad, he got a boyfriend??? How???" And then Cat and Laila start asking questions, Jeremy trying to calm them down but also being curious, Jean is like "Well he's not told me explicitly, but it's obvious."

Jeremy having an epiphany "oh my god. Is it Kevin?" Cat in the background "oh please let it be Kevin" Jean says no, "Kevin is too much of a coward", the floozies are looking at each other like "oh we are definitely unpacking THAT at some point". And then they're like okay, well maybe the boyfriend is not on the team. But Jean confirms, it's a fox, i can tell u who it is-' "NO! We need to figure this one out!" "Let our gaydar do the work Jean we got things to prove!" Jean tiredly: "to who?"

So they start guessing, oh Hemmick is undeniably fruity, Jean is like "I don't even know who that is. Oh, backliner? No, not him". "Maybe it's Boyd?!" Cat being like "Escandalo! Cause he's with the captain right? Wilds?" Laila commenting "He'd be out of his mind to pass on that, and this is the educated opinion of a lesbian", Jean is like "how come u guys know all their names?" Jeremy says "they are a small team and it's hard not to keep tabs on them when they are in the news cycle every week or so"

"Guys we're losing track, keep your heads locked in! Who could be Josten's boyfriend, that tonight's pressing question!" "But there's no one else... wait, is he with the other backliner? Short blonde?" "I'm gonna be honest, I don't get queer vibes from him" "Lol can u imagine it's actually the goalkeeper twin" "what the one that went to juvie and looks like hes one step away from biting our heads off on the court? Nahh". Jean looks at an invisible camera like he's in the office.

And then something happens and they forget about it, until like the winter banquet or some shit and Cat is intently looking at Neil trying to decipher who his boyfriend could be, maybe he is in a throuple with Wilds and Boyd? Jean is like "Why are you looking at the foxes' table so intently?" "It's investigative work, don't worry about it" and then Neil comes over and takes Jean away at the open bar to talk about sth, the floozies are pretending to not be looking at them. Neil notices and he's like "I see they taken claim already." Jean responds with "It's not what u think" and they talk, Andrew probably gets bored at some point and goes to Neil, puts a single hand on his lower back and Jean being able to hear commotion in the Trojans table turns to see them acting like "normal", except their poses look rehearsed, there's drinks that have been spilled on the table and Cat is drinking from an empty glass looking at the sky.

[bloodfiresandabram]

neil being demi is so important and incredible but also i just love thinking about the period of time post andreil where like, it’s early 2000’s yk, they foxes are dumb college students who know gay, straight, maybe bi, unless nicky or some of the other foxes gets involved with the queer community more it’s very reasonable to assume that none of them would know demisexuality or other aspec labels without having the forethought of looking into it, and i can so easily see the foxes being like ok so u only swing for andrew but aaron is his twin so does that mean you find aaron attractive too???

and like, at this point him and aaron still just kinda fuckin hate each other for no reason other than they’re both too stubborn to admit they have no real reason, but the animosity is alive and thriving so neil could just be like nah they’re way different to me, but what’s the fun in that? so instead he’s like “i mean this genuinely, deeply, wholeheartedly, and with every drop of honesty in my soul… aaron is the ugliest piece of shit i have ever had the misfortune of laying my eyes on, and i have seen many, many, many mangled corpes in the aftermath of my father torturing them, and aaron is worse”

and the foxes do not get it they’re like literally HOW can you say that when him and andrew look EXACTLY THE SAME, COPY AND PASTE??? but neil is just not budging at all he’s like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ idk man andrew’s hot and aaron’s not

[foxholecore]

Thinking about how badly Andrew must’ve wanted to be known. For someone to actually notice things about him and be curious and piece all these observations together. Like. The truth game was just as much about wanting to know things about Neil as him wanting Neil to know him. And even without the truth game being evoked, when he knows what answers Neil must be digging for, he gives in more often than not. I think about how when Neil started noticing Andrew’s odd memory, especially when Neil believed him not to be paying attention and when Neil started finally asking questions, and how quickly Andrew answered them, how he must’ve been thinking, finally.

How much he wanted to be known and by someone he knew by now he could trust. Someone he knew could understand him and the implications of things he’s told. Someone he could tell his own secrets and things he’s been keeping to himself. Everything he let other people assume or misunderstand about him. This little nobody runaway is paying attention, piecing it together, understanding in a way that no one has ever been willing to do, not even his own twin. And when Aaron and Nicky asks him when this happened or other variations of the questions Neil’s already solved himself, and Andrew tells them they should’ve figured them out himself.

The way Neil was the first person to take him at his word, especially about something that wasn’t violence. To look further into him and the things he says and does and actually try to understand him. Not just write him off as a violent psychopath who does things for his own pleasure. The way Andrew wanted him to see more of him and understand him. And I just. My mind is tangles. But I want to go on about this forever.

[allforthegaymes]

Somethin about Andrew Minyard who shoves himself face first into danger no matter what risk it poses to himself

Being 5 feet even and still taking on four grown men who try to beat up Nicky outside of Edens.

Knowing his twin brother for less than a few months and willingly killing Tilda, even planning on himself dying in the process if need be.

Andrew willingly putting himself in direct harms way if it means protecting those he loves, while unwilling to put those same people in a even slightly potentially dangerous position.

Andrew who deals with Aarons withdrawals on his own, sat outside a locked bathroom door to intermittently slide his brother new food, water, and clothes. Unwilling to risk sending his brother to a place where he knows people in high positions would be willing to abuse their power, willing to hurt Aaron.

Andrew who despite knowing all of this and making sure Aaron never had to witness it, goes through his own withdrawls at easthaven, knowing what kind of abuse could and would happen to him.

Andrew who promises to protect Kevin and Neil. He knows theyre lying to him and he knows he doesnt know the full truth of who they are and what (who) exactly he is protecting them from.

But he also knows it helps Kevin to have a buddy system to lean on, to have someone who can shove his way through a crowd of exy fans all trying to get at Kevin, both fans and haters of him following his Ravens departure.

The way Neil describes Andrew as being a wall he can lean on and know he wont tilt under the weight of Neil’s past and current issues.

Somethin somethin about Neil looking at Andrew and seeing Andrew in a way no one else can. A way no one else has.

Neil looks at Andrew and sees how his carefully created stony exterior is a way to protect his family, by taking on the brunt of the negative attention from others. Both the other foxes, exy fans, his own classmates.

The rest of the foxes cant hate Aaron or Nicky the most if Andrew is always the one acting out to take all of their feelings of hatred on himself.

And no one recognizes this until Neil.

Neil who sees the way Andrew loves his family so much that hes willing to let them hate him as long as theyre safe.

Neil who knows Aaron thinks Andrew hates him and goes to Katelyn directly to tell her she needs to push to get Aaron into group sessions with Bee to fix his and Andrews relationship, because if Andrew or Neil were the one to suggest it Aaron would be against it.

[afurtivecake]

You know what my actual favourite Andrew Minyard line in the whole series is? It's not his sentimental lines like, "...from now until May you are still Neil Josten...". It's not even the best love confession in all of literature line, "Doesn't mean I wouldn't blow you." It's when he says "I'm not as smart as I thought I was."

That one line tells you so much about Andrew's character. That's the line that spells out for the reader that Andrew is smarter than he chooses to let on. That's the line that shows you just highly Andrew thinks of his own intelligence and how much he's been relying on it to survive and to keep his promises.

Consider that up until that point Andrew has presented himself with nothing less than the domineering kind of toughness you'd expect to see in a prison scene in a movie. He openly talks about breaking Neil, threatens multiple people with knives and makes everyone work around him. His "tough guy around town" persona and his ability to inflict violence is clearly something he prizes. AND YET. The first time he admits to any kind of dissatisfaction with himself, it's about his intelligence.

That is the point where the reader realizes that Andrew, in his own mind, is an intellectual. He doesn't actually pride himself on being the toughest guy in the room. He's aware that he's all of 5-feet-nothing and he knows at any given moment there's likely to be someone bigger and stronger than he is. What he's counting on in any given situation is being the smartest guy in the room. Fix any issues before they worsen, anticipate and eliminate any threats before they surface, think his way out of any problem that comes up. His intelligence is what he relies on to keep his promises.

That's the moment Andrew realizes that he's been letting his feelings get the better of his logic. He clocks Neil as dangerous from day one. But he's been telling himself that he's letting Neil stay for Kevin's sake or at least just until he can definitively prove Neil is dangerous. But the real reason he let Neil stay and get away with all his sketchy behaviour is because he let the fact that he likes Neil as a person, overcome his logic.

It makes you think, OH, THAT'S WHY Andrew was so interested in Neil in the first place. For someone who prides himself on his intelligence and KNOWS that no one else can match his smarts, Neil figuring out his twin switcheroo trick is the same as Neil throwing down the gauntlet and challenging him to a battle of wits. Andrew keeps trying to trip Neil up and Neil keeps batting his attempts aside and Andrew ends up helplessly charmed by Neil. Because Andrew LIKES that Neil is able to outsmart him sometimes, that Neil is his intellectual equal. And somewhere along the way, he's let himself forget that he "knows better" than to get emotionally attached, than to let someone else best him at his best quality- than to act like every other idiot in love that he's ever met.

You then realize that Andrew hasn't once thought of himself as brawny jock. That off-putting delinquent/school-shooter vibe and "psycho" reputation is a carefully calculated form of self-defense. It's self-defense in the literal sense of scaring off people who might want to fuck with him, but perhaps also in the sense of protecting himself from being seen. It makes sense, right? If people were to actually try to get to know him with an open mind, they'd soon discover that he IS difficult to get along with in ways they thought they could handle, but can't. Better to act the volatile asshole than suffer the disappointment of people changing how they treat him. And in the unlikely case that people find out that he isn't as tough as he presents himself, they might pity him. And that would be even worse. Much better to be as un-fuck-with-able as possible.

First time reading the book, I was taken in by Andrew's jock-ish façade. But the moment he admitted maybe he ought to be disappointed in himself for not being as smart as he thought he was, I had to set the book down and rethink every assumption I had made about Andrew as a character. The timing of that revelation is so perfect, because it happens just before the Thanksgiving mess. And so as the reader, you're suddenly coming to terms with the fact that Andrew is so much more vulnerable than he's ever portrayed himself to be at the same time that Andrew is being hit with probably one of the worst moments in his life. Like, that absolutely TOOK ME OUT. Which is why, that's one of the best lines in the whole series to me.

[exyrpf]

Exyblr Dashboard Simulator based on what I personally see on sportsblr:

1/?

👑 girlbossriko follow

how many bro jobs do you think it took before riko moriyama and kevin day realized that uh.....maybe this wasn't just a bro thing

👢exyinaphonebooth follow

how many times do they have to come out and say they're like brothers before you freakos stop shipping them

👑 girlbossriko follow

????? do i know u

#it's a tumblr post about two exy players that you'lll never meet in your life it really isn't that deep

558 notes

💃fox-me-up follow

ngl that newest fox is kinda 👀

#psu lb #exy lb

8 notes

👨🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻 talk-exy-to-me

The NARRATIVE that kevin day and neil josten have........son of exy! scouting the rookie-est of rookies from fuck knows arizona........no listen you dont GET IT winning is EVERYTHING TO KEVIN and he would risk it on the foxes? And NEIL? who has only played exy for a year! NEIL Gets his attention!!!!! And hes good and he's getting better every game and he keeps bitching about kevin's ex on live tv BUT WAIT!???? NOT QUITE WHAT YOU EXPECT! Bc then neil shows up with a number on his cheek BECAUSE WELL it turns out they've known each other since they were KIDS! how is everyone not insane w me THEY'RE LITERALLY PERFECT

#where r my fellow njkd truthers #how r u all not here with me this isnt even the start #kevneil #210 #psu #njkd

102 notes

☀️ usctrojanny

every smiley blonde striker (jeremy knox) needs a brunette wet cat emotional support backliner (jean moreau)

#jerejean #usc trojans #i'm just saying 🤷‍♀️

58 notes

👸🏻 kevindazed follow

did he just......

👸🏻 kevindazed follow

guys please tell me i'm not insane

👸🏻 kevindazed follow

HE'S NEVER BEEN????? SKIIING???? KEVIN WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ?????? KEVIN PLEASE

#i i'm going insane i will literally die if someone doesn't explain this to me HE'S NEVER BEEN SKIING?!!!!

407 notes

🧚 goalie-stan

oh....i'm feeling so weak......it'd sure be nice to have a big strong goalie (renee walker) hold me up (renee if you're free on tuesday i am also free on tuesday.........on tuesday this tuesday, any tuesday?)

#literally passing out just thinking about her holding me don't call don't text i'm busy

84 notes

🌄 softkevinday follow

do u think if u offered kevin day essential oils to heal his hand he'd beat you to death

#it'd be hard for him bc he only has one hand but he could probably do it #legally this is a joke don't do this

284 notes

🗣️ jeremyknoxes follow

feeling normal

215 notes

📜 realexyblog

actually exy rpf is fine, i asked kayleigh day herself and she told me it was fine

112 notes

🐋 sexyexy

'exy is a stupid name for a sport' have you considered that a) i don't care and b) it's named that solely so i can make sex jokes about it

11 notes

🏳️‍🌈 gay4stickball follow

is he, ya know *mimes jerking off* an ncaa exy player

#i don't believe that straight exy players exist

56 notes

🙈 ittybittyminny follow

Andrew Minyard!!!!!!! 🥰🥰 short king!!!!🤏🤏😋😋 Awwwwwwww the scrunkly!!!!! 🤗🤗🤗 My boinky boy!!!!!🥺🥺 Crinkly doo,,,,shronkle scrimblo......🥺🥺🥺 rb if you'd scrunkle!!!!!!! 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

📖 sapphic-exy follow

he literally killed someone

🙈 ittybittyminny follow

And? God forbid women do anything

#also no proof he did that #yeah there's proof his twin bro killed someone but that's not the same bc theyre different people #almost killing someone doesnt count

807 notes

🐦‍⬛ edgarallenexy

got told i'm problematic for liking the ravens? THAT'S LITERALLY MY SCHOOL OH MY GOD

2 notes

🌸 softexy

Kevin Day - A Study

#kevin day #psu foxes #palmetto foxes #exy #web weave #poetry #psu foxes #palmetto #edgar allen

378 notes

[childrenofcain-if]

What's a movie scene that got the ROs tearing up/on the verge of tears?

C LACROIX: king/queen never cry! atonement (2007). the ending really got their ass when it turns out that the reconciliation between the protagonists never happened, and the happy ending was just a story written to cope with the tragic reality.

V NÆSHOLM: little women (all versions). when beth died, V actually started sobbing uncontrollably and was unable to focus for a couple of minutes. beth’s quiet kindness and her acceptance of her fate reminded them of their own twin sister and it was like losing her all over again.

W OSTENDORF: bridge to terabithia (2007). they watched the movie for the first time with MC and the scene where jess learns that leslie has died makes them tear up every time because they somehow end up imagining them and MC in their place every single time.

D DIACONU: dead poets society (1989). the moment neil’s father confronts him, which leads neil to take that extreme step. D has struggled with expectations from their family a lot and they often see themselves in neil and how it will might have ended for them...

M WHITLOCK-SINGH: star wars: episode III – revenge of the sith (2005). the whole movie got their ass good, but anakin and padmé’s final interaction on mustafar? that did it for them. the heartbreak of betrayal, the absolute destruction of love, and padmé dying just had them sniffling and trying to dab away their tears.

[saintofsacrilege]

since you guys seemed to like the first one…

aftg headcanons that are so real to me i forget they aren’t canon (pt. 2):

dan wearing high-waisted leggings with mesh cutouts 24/7

allison being tan with a lot of freckles (face, shoulders, etc) that she used to hate but now she’s learning to love them

twinyards having a splash of freckles across their noses

renee loving layered clothing looks

nicky loving those crocs with the little charms

allison and dan being gold jewelry girlies

renee being a silver jewelry girlie

matt’s two favorite colors being blue and orange (cuz of his truck and the foxes)

katelyn wearing a ton of pastel green and white (it’s basically her signature color combo)

neil sometimes helping aaron with his math homework but only in the most antagonizing ways possible (aaron is very grateful but he’ll never admit it)

neil and andrew randomly quizzing each other on russian vocabulary when they’re bored

allison getting kevin into skincare

andrew comforting aaron (in his own andrew way) after aaron’s first time meeting katelyn’s parents goes horribly wrong (aaron doesn’t realize andrew was trying to be there for him until after the fact; he thought andrew just wanted to rub salt in the wound)

aaron going “gross” in the most monotone voice whenever he sees neil and andrew within three feet of each another (so, constantly. it’s how pretty much all of his interactions with andreil start. it’s basically a greeting at this point)

aaron getting pissy and begging neil and andrew to “just get a room already” whenever they start “fighting” (flirting) in front of him

andrew and matt bonding over being car guys but neither will admit that they’re bonding or that they like cars

nicky referring to neil and andrew as his “gay relatives” as if he himself isn’t gay

neil and andrew making it a tradition to get kevin the weirdest possible birthday/holiday gifts they can find (they try to outdo each other)

kevin giving the foxes autographed pictures of himself for every birthday/holiday (andrew likes to see what they’re selling for but he and neil never actually part with them)

wymack owning at least twelve “#1 dad” mugs

giving andreil matching t-shirts being a running joke among the foxes (think “i’m with stupid” “i’m stupid” and “if lost return to andrew” “i’m andrew”)

katelyn being tall asf and pear-shaped

aaron freaking out one day and confronting neil like “are you attracted to me?? be honest” and neil’s beyond confused (“no?? why would you think that???” “you’re dating my identical twin.” “what does that have to do with anything?”)

[bisexualchaosdemon]

Twins run in the family.

Aaron and Katelyn get married after graduating from Palmetto, before they go off to med school together. It takes them pretty far from Andrew, but they work to keep in touch.

In the last year of their four year MDs, Kate gets pregnant — A happy accident. Then, they find out they're having twins, just, holy fuck. Kate is determined to not let it slow her down, though, because she's a bad bitch. Then Andrew suggests that they move closer to him and Neil once they graduate.

This leads to a few long and difficult conversations. Andrew admits that he would like to see Aaron more and to have a relationship with his nieces. Aaron admits that he does miss Andrew being close by and that they could use the extra support. In the end, they agree after Andrew actually apologies to Katelyn for the way he treated her in the beginning.

No one regrets the decision. Aaron and Katelyn are beyond grateful for the support as they start their careers. Andrew absolutely adores his nieces, more so than he ever thought he could. Neil is happy because Andrew is happy.

But it isn't always easy. It's hard because they both see it; the girls are what Andrew and Aaron could have been if they were never separated. If Tilda had been capable of being a good mother to her twins. And it fucking hurts.

Somehow, this pain leads to Aaron planting a seed in Andrew's mind — What if Andrew and Neil were to start fostering? Andrew thinks his brother has finally lost it. It's ludicrous, insane, impossible, but– Is it? Helping foster kids could be nice, and it's not like they can't stop if it's too much.

Once Neil has his own separate crisis about it, they decide to go for it. Andrew and Neil sure as hell know how not to raise a kid and they have yet to completely traumatise any of the kids in their lives. So a fuck ton of paperwork and hoop-jumping later, they find themselves in a group home to see if there's a kid there they can help.

That's when they find not one kid, but two. Tucked away in a corner they find twin girls, maybe a year younger than Aaron's girls, who only speak Russian. They hadn't intended to jump in at the deep-end like that, but something about them puts Andrew on alert. So they take the girls home with them.

And it is so, so much harder than they had expected. They had only prepped for one kid, but that's easily fixed. It's not so easy to fix the fact that the girls absolutely do not trust them. But Andrew and Neil are persistent; they don't push for trust, but they make sure to prove to the girls that they are safe at every turn.

Slowly, achingly slowly, the girls start to relax. They start to open up. And Andrew realises something so much worse than the pain that got them here.

Andrew realises that his twins are like him and Aaron too, but if Tilda left them both in the system. They are the real life result of his own worst nightmare.

[themaxbox]

SO im not into aftg I have not read aftg I follow the tag and reblog fan art because I am a fan of that fandom almost? Yall are just some of the most funny and talented people I've ever seen i love experiencing these sports mafia books second hand.

Here's what I know from the outside looking in:

Neil Josten- A fake name? His real name in every way that matters I think? Mafia family ties. Boy on the run. Dating Andrew Minyard(?). You can tell who he is in art because he's got reddish brown hair and face scars.

Andrew Minyard(?) - thats his last name, right? Short blonde and looks angry a lot of the time. Arm warmers are plot relevant cause hes hiding scars. Has had a REALLY bad childhood but idk if its mafia related or not??? Dating Neil.

Aaron Minyard(?)- Andrew's twin thats all I know

Jean and Kevin - Unclear who they are I was just already following the tag when Sunshine Court was announced so I see their names together a lot. Are they in love?

Renee- the one with rainbow dip dyed hair in fan art. All I know is people love her.

Riko- A name I have seen

Exy- Fake sport. Under the impression its a contact sport but I am realizing that these character might just be violent people??? Is it tackle lacross or did I make that up????

Thats all I got boys. Whats with the face tattoos? How many of these people actually have mafia ties? Idk how many people will see this but please infodump in the tags/notes. I would love a character cheat sheet so I understand more fan art but also just tell me anything about these freaks (affectionate).

[simonrileysfavteacup]

Ok so, maybe this is gonna be a bit further into the future when Tommy’s a bit grown up (teenage maybe).

So your doing laundry and see that your son hasn’t been doing his chores and you go up to his room and see him playing his video games as usual, and you softly chastise him about his chores.

And he surprises you with his outburst, and he actually swears at you. And you flinch at the sound, astounded that your own son, your baby boy talked you into that manner.

Simon. Is. Pissed. He loves Tommy, but he will never tolerate him disrespecting you. Simon knows how much work you put into being a mother. Simon goes full on stern dad mode.

Imma let you decide what happens next 🤭🤭

THIS IS SUCH A GOOD IDEA WTFFFFF

Run through here for anyone confused about all the characters

***

Sundays were your favourite days. You loved the relaxation, the peace, the days off. Simon had been home for a few days. Your kids, Tommy, Emma, Lilah, and Alex, were ecstatic. Atleast, the twins were. The second Simon walked through the door, they wanted to play games and go outside and all that. Emma was just happy her dad was home and safe. She had been her father’s daughter from the moment she came out of the womb. 

Tommy, however, your eldest, was a bit closed off. He practically sat in his room all day and never came out, It was starting to get on your nerves. 

You were doing Simon’s laundry when you notice Tommy’s dirty clothes that you had asked him to wash still sitting by the laundry machine. You roll your eyes, heading into his room. “Bubby?”

“What?” he doesn’t turn to look at you, still focused on his PC. 

“You didn’t do your laundry.”

“So what?”

“You need those clothes for school.”

“So you wash them. I’m busy.” 

“Bubby, you’re old enough to wash them yourself.”

“Don’t call me that and isn’t it your job? It’s not like you work or anything. Dad does all of that. All you do is cook and clean and-”

“Thomas Riley!” His words hit deep in your chest. 

“What? God, why do you always have to be such a bitch?” 

That was it. He hit a nerve. You turn, walking out of his room, tears stinging the corners of your eyes. You head into your room, holding a pillow to your chest. His words hung in the air. 

Simon walks in moments later, covered in mud after a football game with the twins. “HI lovie,” he smiles before noticing the tears on your cheeks. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” you turn away from him. 

“You can’t lie to me, lovie.”

“Tommy yelled at me and he called me a bitch…said my only job was to cook and clean…”

“He what?” Simon is fuming. 

“Please, don’t say anything to him…”

“He’s getting grounded. You stay here,” Simon walks out, running into Lilah. “Oi. Go to mom. She’s sad.”

The little girl nods and pads off to see you.

Simon walks to his eldest son’s room. Tommy turns in his gaming chair. “What?”

“Off the game or I unplug it,” Tommy rolls his eyes but turns off his game. “What did you say to your mom?” 

“Nothing.” 

“You lie just like her,” Simon holds back a chuckle. “She’s crying and it’s because of you. You know how much she does for you? And you swore at her. Go apologise. You’re grounded. No games for a month.”

Tommy looks down at his feet, guilty. He walks off to your room, where Lilah curls into you. You look up as Tommy sits on the edge of your bed. “Ma?”

You look at him.

“Ma, I’m sorry. I kinda let my emotions get the better of me. Didn’t mean to yell at you…just…I found out Lizzie was cheating and I’ve had a real bad week and I took it out on you. Please forgive me?”

A moment passes. 

You open your arms, letting him curl into you. “She cheated?”

“With Neil,” he sighs. “I’m never dating again.”

“That’s what we all say, bubby.”

[mini-minish]

nathaniel wesninski & andrew doe au i picked up from a 2021 sketch 🪓🖤🔪

notes under the read more!

• andrew doe gets adopted into the wesninski family when he's just a little older than nathaniel, who hasnt been sent to edgar allen tryouts yet, and andrew doe is trained to be his bodyguard since childhood

• mary doesn't like it, he becomes a weakness for her son and when she leaves she refuses to take andrew with them, so nathaniel stays, and in that mary never really gets to leave

• on the same day she fails at running away and nathan finds them, nathaniel loses his eye lolastyle

• one time when he's a little older, andrew receives a letter, from a boy who claims to be his twin. andrew minyard doe throws it to the fire, and nathaniel picks it up while he's turned, before it burns completelly

�� from the day nathaniel gets injured because he refused to leave andrew behind, they go from annoyed acquaintances to inseparable friends

• he calls andrew "drew" and andrew pretends to hate it. later when theyre older the name "nathaniel" starts to weight, starts to sound weird, so he asks andrew to call him something else, and andrew calls him alex, stefan, adam, until they get to neil

• but he only calls him neil when theyre alone, when its a secret, when nathan cant hear them

• "nathaniel" takes up the axe. he's as good a hitman as the little devil of baltimore has to be. he hates it, hates the color red, the color of his hair

• one of andrew's first memories at the house is of nathan cutting a man to pieces and making him watch, making him learn not to flinch, but red is the color of neil's hair, soft, safe, soothing

• before that, though, theres little league. theres learning andrew is talented at exy, theres kevin day, and riko moriyama, and theres jean moreau

• i want jean and andrew to be funny about each other just for some levity here ok

• the reynolds are a renowed fashion brand, far from them to refuse big mafia money, so they work on suits, on silk shirts, on tailored pants, and allison reynolds is always joined by her friend renee when she goes with her parents for fittings

• renee walker meets andrew doe, and andrew thinks shes silly enough to keep in touch.

• kevin day leaves them, and neil realises he doesnt have to be kept either. kevin day gets to get out and nathaniel wesninski gets quieter.

• neil finds his uncle's contact among some of the things his mother left behind. from stuart he gets to ichirou. from ichirou he starts to make a plan

• riko moriyama is going to make a big announcement soon, something about the perfect court, something that will finally brand the rest of them as his, and well, andrew has always told neil how much he hates that the pen's ink makes the skin of his face break out

• and neil still has the address of a boy who claims to be his andrew's twin

• for whatever reason the moriyamas and the wesninskis have one of those rich people dinners planned. neil gets kevin to show up, nathaniel gets andrew to leave, kicking and punching and a promise broken

• later in the night, a little after the first course is served and they begin the socializations, neil gets kevin to leave, leave, run as far as possible, *now*.

• he sees jean, grabs his wrist, and takes him outside. theyre walking fast before neil starts running, and then the explosion comes from inside the house, from the basement, and knocks both of them out before they turn the corner. the hathford's men long gone from the scene.

• all renee walker and andrew doe see from where he's been waiting for the little voice at the back of his mind to make sense, is the house bursting on fire, believing that it does so with what he's supposed to protect still inside

• but since i can't bring myself to do this to them, andrew finds him, finds jean, and at the hospital finds stuart, who takes his nephew in

• he gets contacted by a man called david wymack, who was convinced by kevin day to offer them a place among his foxes :)

[simonsrosebud]

I have such a huge space in my heart for Nicky Hemmick.

No, his actions of kissing neil are not excusable. I know that, but his past strikes a cord that is heartbreaking.

Nicky Hemmick, who was shunned and cast out by his parents for who he loves. Who was sent to a gay conversion camp, most likely forced to be with women, and then pretended to be straight and date women just to appease his parents. Who tried so hard to reclaim his parent’s love and was so lost and lonely and empty that he wanted to end it all. Who escaped to Germany just to get away and finally found love and acceptance.

Who gave up the life he worked so hard for to raise his two vulnerable cousins at nineteen years old. Who, instead of going back to Germany, joined them for 5 years in college just so they’d go in the first place.

Nicky, who despite his faults and nosiness, treats Neil like family and tries so hard to get in with the upperclassmen. Teaches his cousins German. Worked two jobs to stay afloat. Bought them a home. Was mugged outside a club. Stands up for the twins despite how they’ve treated him in return. Has faith that his mother may love him if he just shows her how well he’s doing. Who lets Aaron get away with his mean comments and puts up with Andrew’s violence when he could easily drop out and go back to Germany if he really wanted.

Some people see Nicky’s background as lesser when comparing the Foxes, but Nicky was drug through hell and then willingly went back for the twins. Nicky has persevered.

[stabbyfoxandrew]

okay so, upon thinking about it, this is how the twin switch (horrible bad edition where luther confuses the twins and sends aaron upstairs into drake's arms instead of andrew) would go:

-

aaron goes to get smth from the kitchen for maria and luther follows him, tells him there's something for him upstairs. a couple minutes later luther is back at the table and aaron is not.

"did my brother get lost?" andrew asks.

"no. he went upstairs." luther puts his glass down.

"and why would he do that?"

"we arranged a reunion with one of his old foster brother-"

no. no. no.

andrew is up and out of his chair in a heartbeat. he hears footsteps following behind him but wastes no time getting up the stairs. he tries the doorknob but it's locked and fuck it's gonna take too long to pick, it-

neil is there. he has a look on his face that andrew doesn't like but he doesn't even question why andrew needs to get inside. after gesturing for him to back up, neil's foot goes through the door right by the knob and he shoves his hand through the hole to unlock it. andrew shoves the ruined door open and rushes inside to a scene from several nightmares.

his twin on a bed, drake standing over him.

andrew moves on pure instinct, grabbing drake by the neck and yanking him backwards. drake's head thunks against the wall and it's not enough to kill him (later, andrew decides) but aaron is there and bleeding and-

"get out." andrew says to neil. "and keep them out. i will kill any and everyone who comes into this room."

neil moves backwards to the doorway and keeps his eyes on drake, funnily enough. he doesn't look at aaron, he doesn't look at andrew. "do we call an ambulance or not?"

andrew turns a snarl on him.

"not for him. for aaron." neil specifies. "is he... hurt?"

"call it. tell them to send a pig too." andrew tells him and neil immediately goes to stand in the hallway with his phone at his ear.

"andrew?"

andrew's eyes snap back to his twin, looking at him with a confused squint. there's blood trickling down his face onto his shirt. his pants- andrew lets out a breath of relief. aaron's belt is undone, jeans unzipped. but that's as far as he got.

because andrew was fast enough.

"it's alright." andrew says. and it is, mostly. because he was fast enough. "it's going to be alright. you just got hit in the head."

"with what?" aaron sits up groggily, leaning to one side. andrew steadies him and glances down at the floor.

"a bottle of whiskey it seems." andrew holds up his hand. "how many fingers?"

"three." aaron says with a groan. then he squints down at the body in the floor. "who's that-"

"nobody."

"andr-"

"no. be quiet." andrew glances over at the door. "ambulance neil, where is it?"

"on the way." neil says. then he shushes kevin in the hallway. "the 'reunion' didn't go as planned. there's a body in there. you don't wanna see it."

"a body?!" nicky shrieks. "andrew what did you do?"

always my fault, andrew thinks bitterly.

"he's not dead yet." andrew says. probably. if he is, good. if he's not, andrew will finish it later.

aaron blinks heavily and looks down at his lap, at his undone belt, before raising his gaze back to andrew, eyes wide. "what did... andrew?"

there's a rasp of breath behind him and he turns to see drake's eyes start to open. andrew kicks him in the face and grabs aaron, hauling him up by the arm.

"we're relocating now." andrew leads aaron to the bathroom across the hall and sits him on the toilet lid, locking the door behind them and letting neil field questions. from neil's look, he knows exactly who drake is and what he's done. for neil's safety, he'd better not mention it.

in the bathroom andrew doesn't say a word, neither of them do. andrew just holds a washcloth against his brother's temple as aaron struggles to re-buckle his belt. finally, he hears sirens approaching from the distance. he looks out the bathroom window, ripping the lace curtain down in the process, but can't see the ambulance yet.

"he thought i was you." aaron says suddenly, with a disturbing amount of clarity. his eyes are huge and his pupils uneven and andrew doesn't know what to say to that. drake had no preference. he'll never tell aaron that. "andrew?"

"it's quiet time. you have a concussion." andrew says, tapping his finger against aaron's head. it makes him wince.

there's a knock on the door. "andrew, they're here."

"good." andrew looks back at aaron. "do you want a gurney or can you handle the stairs?"

"andrew-"

"just answer the fucking question."

"i can walk."

"alright. let's go." andrew opens the bathroom door and sticks his head out into the hall. only neil remains, standing between the bedroom door and here. he looks over his shoulder.

"he hasn't moved in a minute but he's breathing."

andrew grunts at him and keeps an arm around aaron's shoulders on the way down the stairs. the peanut gallery is in the living room, kevin and nicky sitting on the couch. kevin's texting someone, likely wymack. and maria is opening the door for the EMTs to come inside.

andrew rides in the ambulance with aaron, fills out his forms, and sits in the waiting room while a doctor looks aaron over. it's a concussion, andrew knows. but it couldn't have been too bad, he was lucid enough to figure drake out. andrew's phone rings and he's not surprised at the caller ID.

"what the hell happened?" asks wymack as soon as andrew accepts the call. "i've talked to kevin, nicky, and neil and none of those assholes has a clue."

neil definitely does. but he didn't say. good for him.

"mm. above your paygrade coach." andrew flips his phone shut and leans back in his chair until his head hits the wall.

he was fast enough.