#and the minyards were fuckin

[rainbow-arrow]

today i had the realization that oh the minyard twins are the first time i really like a set of twins to the point one is my actual Favorite Character

with complete disregard and forgetting that the couffaine's are supposed to be twins

[xhoneyghost]

hc that during the Minyard Josten rivalry, Andrew called Neil a "speedy fucking asshole" during a post game interview

During games, the opposite team's fans would chant "Asshole, asshole, speedy fucking asshole" everytime Neil had the ball to throw him off his game.

By the end of the season, Neil gave an interview saying "Oh, I thought they were cheering for me. Was I supposed to be offended? Do better."

And thats how Neil's fans adopted the chant and now they sing it every game he plays. Losing only for the classic, "run fast, faster, even fuckin' faster Josten is out, he's goin' to get ya"

[chewingonsneakers]

Aaron Minyard headcanons (pt. one ??)

[heavily projecting with this guy cuz i can]

- gets dark eyebags super easily. like i’m talking two nights of poor sleep. bad circulation can make them worse

- this is definitely just me projecting but he’s got COLD feet. purple toes, wears socks in bed every night

- if he has a hangnail of any size he’s just automatically pissy for the rest of the day. bugs the living shit out of him

- he buys one of those ms. pac-man joysticks that you plug into the tv to play. yk, one of these:

(nicky really wants to play it but aaron hides it from him in very strange places. back of the seasoning cabinet. underwear drawer. under the couch. inconvenient places.)

- zoned out hard at eden’s when they took matt there for the first time, looking at the drugs andrew had on him

- will either wear the most generic shit or smtg you’d find at an h&m. i’m talking like a heather blue t-shirt and gray jeans, that level of boring. maybe a flannel open over a plain tee when he’s feelin it.

- frequently uses the word “bonkers”. esp when gaming. *shoots a zombie and it doesn’t die* “that’s fuckin bonkers bro”

- obsessively runs a hand through his hair when he fidgets

- loved going to the zoo as a kid. his favorite animals to see were the elephants and bats

- there was a period of his life where he really really wanted a pet bird. one of those little green and yellow cockatoos

- blushes very easily and quickly. red aaron. pink cheeks and nose. especially in hot weather.

- his first time getting a weed high was from thc brownies

- his favorite class in high school was ap bio

- he tells everyone his favorite mario cart character is luigi. secretly, it’s actually princess daisy

- really likes the purple stripe ballard ball. an unusual amount. for no reason. if he doesn’t get stripes in pool he gets internally upset

[simonsrosebud]

me and a friend were ranting about someone and i used the line “she truly thinks she’s got the spine of the fuckin righteous” and my friend thought it was the best thing i’d ever said

thank u andrew minyard

[cough-ii]

aftg as quote book pt 4 !!

“its just a silly little twerk of mine” - nicky

“i wouldn’t mind being called woke. im awake arent i?” neil/wymack

“enter hot take on kevin” *drops the mic, takes a bow* - neil

“Just a reminder we are HALF WAY THERE and we are LIVING ON A PRAYER” - renee @ games

“Led by you hoe” - Alison

“i physically cannot play with my balls in my bedroom” - neil?

“Fuckin this, fuck that fuck fuck fuck” - wymack

“Porn is a genre” - nicky

“Reading porn is better than not reading at all” - nicky

“We are all bussin” - nicky

“Don’t shoot the prime minister…please” - everyone @ andrew

“He gave himself a DIY circumcision” - be creative

“I live under a rock. It;s very warm” - neil

“The only way youre getting out of maths this year is if you kill yourself” - neil

“Don’t kill yourself” - wymack

“Tomorrow we’re going to learn how to be better bullies :)” - dan

“I have nothing important to say ever” - aaron

“I am wrong in the head” - kevin

“Some people say lots of things to get off” - nicky

“It was such a delicious luxury to have a warm drink” - matt

‘I got my pussy waxed’ - alison

‘i feel so much better without my pants’ - matt

“neil you’re flirting” - dan “oops…” neil

“Impact on the victim… DEATH” - andrew

“Stop doing magic in class please” someone to andrew

“‘You look good enough to eat,’ Andrew Minyard had said, the first time he came to pick him (Neil) up. When they got home again he did begin to eat him”

“Hey hoe 💅” alison

“That is tighter than a fishes ass hole” - matt

“Are you ok you look like a drenched rat” - dan

“If I get your name wrong, blame your parents” -wymack

“I was on drugs I didn’t know what I was doing” andrew

“I have thousands of dollars to my name” neil

“why did you threaten me?” kevin “because i wanted to” neil

“Dragons have pronouns too” renee

“i very much enjoy getting renee wet” - Alison, dunking water on renee

“andrew is a crack up” - nicky probably almost got shanked for this

“talk dirty to me” andrew “What if I tied up all your hands and legs and then threw you down the stairs and you died, but we were friends who liked practical jokes, would that be murder?” neil

‘Who was humping the statue?’ - dan

“Little red riding hood in bed with the wolf” - Alison

“His eyes are penetrating you” kevin @ neil unironically

“There are a number of ways you can skin a cat” andrew when one of the cats piss on the bed

‘Just shake ur ass and no one will notice’ nicky

“Why is it always mother fucker this, mother fucker that? Why is it never father fucker” neil

“I’m very private with my fists” dan

“I had some guy in my car and he said ‘i want to commit suicide’ and i said ‘no, not in my car get out’” - twinyards

“Girls, you’re semi-hysterical” wymack

“I touched your boob im sorry” matt @ dan

“Not just jumping off the religious sculpture, they were humping the religious sculpture” - renee, traumatised

‘DANCE you idiot, D-A-N-S…’ - kevin

‘We’ll talk about the sex party another time’ dan

‘I have a gin and tonic every night, it keeps me young’ wymack

“I was in a rage and i broke his nose” neil ab kevin

“Some people need to be chemically castrated” andrew

“Don’t chew gum in front of Jesus” renee

“I’m hearing plenty of smashing noises over here” allison in the cabin

“Oh why don’t you crawl back into your hole” andrew @ neil

“Legalise recreational use of cannibalism” aaron in a presentation

“CMERE YOU LITTLE BOLLOCKS!” wymack

“Stabbing them 3 or 4 times is plenty” andrew

“My brother got dropped on his head” andrew

‘Comparing sizes’ nicky

‘Ive been stalking you all’ kevin

“Shit, Shit, SHIT, Oh my god, SHIT. That’s fucked” nicky

“She called him gay so i threw the chair at her” neil

“I’m gonna die” aaron “Don’t care.” neil

“Get help please” dan

“Young people’s music today, I just don’t get it” abby

“We all have the homosexual gene” andrew

“I’m not going to get you to go around class and looking if people have homosexual characteristics” andrew maybe

‘i saw this really big tombstone and i asked ‘is that where jesus was buried?’’ andrew @ renee

‘What if I worked 55 hours a day?’ matt?

“now that i’m your legal guardian i guess i should look after you” dan a/o matt @ neil

“lesbians are people too” neil

“Charisma test? caress my balls” nicky

“Do you want to do a quickie to de-stress” andrew

“If you are interested in any horizontal refreshment” andrew

“Spit on your hand and stroke my cock at a medium pace, play with my balls and tell me how big they are” (…….. i have second hand embarrassment) - allison

“Do you think Jesus had daddy issues?” alison

“We all get stressed sometimes but cursing is not fucking ok” dan

“I'm working, im twerking and im jerking” nicky

‘It’s a good kisser it’s so smooth and soft and warm’ neil ab his homework

[heymrstargazer]

(word count: 1765)

Aaron Minyard was raised in a way that he was not proud of, despite that he didn’t know it at the time. He still can’t quite wrap his head around it. Sometime in the future he will understand and change, but he’s learning. It’s a process. Part of that process includes his brother and, frustratingly, his brother's boyfriend. Though Andrew and Aaron have a load of issues they need to work through, sometimes they see each other in ways they don’t necessarily want to, but need to. Aaron, currently, does not understand how his psychopath of a brother could see the same thing in another man that he can see in a woman. While that is less of a point, he has also never seen Andrew show anything remotely close to affection in any other forms than murder, attacks, and bloody, discombobulated thoughts. But maybe, just maybe, he has a different way of showing it. There were few times that made Aaron question it, and, for some reason, he couldn’t let them go. He had yet to call Andrew out for it, or consider changing his point of view, but he was working on it. 

Sitting in the waiting room for Betsy to call them back, he ran through the little snippets of the memories in his head.

1. Three weeks ago, Aaron had made fun of Andrew for buying a pack of six Play-Dohs and called him a child. Now, standing in the doorway in attempts to secretly steal some of his shit back, he saw why. To his horror, Neil was sitting across Andrew’s lap with his head on his chest. He was intently focused on the movie playing across the TV screen, which he had never seen before. Neil was always fidgeting, bouncing his legs, or insisting on moving around with any excuse he could get. He assumed it was some undiagnosed paranoia but never wanted to say it. In his hands was a small, deformed blob of green ‘doh’ kneading between his thumbs as he stared at the screen 

“Why does he not just shoot her?” Neil asked, and the noise almost scared him. He would not be caught unintentionally spying on the incredulous scene.

“Because he thinks she loves him.”

“Well that’s fuckin’ dumb. She killed half his family. It doesn’t even make sense.”

“It doesn’t need to make sense, it needs to make money. Now shut up and watch.” Neil hummed at that and continued watching. He even engaged in a conversation about it. It was foreign to Aaron, watching Neil sit still during something so mind-numbing. Even though he kept as much distance between them as possible, he knew it couldn’t have been an easy feat to achieve. But somehow, Andrew pulled it off. 

With a silent sigh, he abandoned the want for his things in the doorway and left just as quietly as he had come. He didn’t want to see that anymore than he had to.

2. His head was thick and clogged with a hangover, and all he wanted was some water. He had gotten off a routine phone call with Katelyn just before he crept down the stairs, quiet as possible as to not wake anyone else up. Unsurprisingly, he heard Neil’s voice from the kitchen. How he willingly woke up earlier than nine on a Saturday morning seemed to be another mystery on the pile that resided with the name ‘Neil Josten’.

“...Wasn’t looking and my music was up too loud. It was an accident,” he said, filtering through the white static in Aaron’s head as he glanced around the corner of the wall adjacent to the bottom step.

Neil was sitting on the counter, face guilty as he picked at the bottom of his shorts. Andrew was kneeling on the ground in front of him, a first aid kit at his side while he wiped up the dripping blood from Neil’s calf. He had an array of nasty gashes along his skin and Aaron couldn’t help but stare.

“How stupid do you have to be to get hit with a weed whacker?” Andrew asked, looking up at him with a tight jaw. Neil didn’t answer, only staring back before Andrew huffed and continued with his work. If Aaron was squeamish it would’ve been his cue to leave, but he wasn’t, so he stayed and watched Andrew coat it with numbing antiseptic before sewing it up with a practiced hand. Neil, as far as he could tell, did not flinch and did not care that a needle was threading between layers of lacerated skin. Apparently Andrew saw different and reached up to give Neil’s hand a squeeze. He would’ve left right then, but watched as Andrew pressed a gentle kiss to Neil’s knee. Repulsion sending him away, he quietly jogged up the stairs and decided the water from the bathroom sink would have to suffice.

3.  In the last two seconds of the game, the court erupted in complete and utter chaos. Aaron watched from the bench as Matt physically hauled Neil away from the fight between two players of the opposing team and Kevin and Allison. Kevin tried pushing out of it but was dragged in by the back of the shirt. Andrew was halfway across the floor when Neil kneed Matt in the gut and scrambled back into the fray. Both coaches and all the refs were yelling this and that at the teams, half of the players encouraging the catastrophe while the others tried pulling them out of it. Nobody even heard the buzzer go off. Neil came flying out of fucking nowhere and knocked one of them clean on their back, all the wind rushing out of them. Allison and Kevin were quick to become afterthoughts as the other opposing player turned and landed a brutal sucker punch to Neil’s gut. Despite falling on the floor in clear pain, the player did not lay off. Aaron could not make out what obscenities were being spit Neil’s way but he could tell it wasn’t anything pleasant. Neil managed to get on his feet, ignoring the towering size-difference between them and lunging for the player again. Allison and Kevin tried pulling them apart but Neil managed to kick Kevin away and knock Allison on her ass. He landed a series of quick punches and apparently didn’t hear everyone yelling at him. He only stopped when Andrew picked him up from the waist and dragged him away. The refs dispersed accordingly and Aaron saw the hand from Andrew that was dug into the back of Neil’s jersey to hold him still.

It was a blur, red cards passing between crowds and both teams filing off the court with heat simmering between them. Andrew walked past all of them, steering Neil down the hall despite Abby’s protests. With a sigh, she tended to Kevin and Allison while conversing with those who lined up behind them. She looked over to Aaron and nodded to the hall, which he understood and, though appreciative of her allowance for him to shadow her, did not want to deal with whatever the two of them were doing. Neil may have gotten hurt but not so much that he couldn’t function for other activities. Aaron knew first hand how effective adrenaline could be.

Hesitantly walking into the locker room, he was met with the sound of both their voices.

“No! I’m not--”

“Do not fucking lie to me-”

“If you listened then maybe-”

“Neil. Shut up.” Sitting on the bench, Neil gave Andrew a withering glare as he stopped pacing. “Are you okay?”

“Fine, thanks for asking.” Andrew’s lips tightened in aggravation as he stomped over to Neil, staring right into his face.

“Truth. What did he say to you?” Aaron almost laughed at that. The only thing Neil was notorious for, other than being an instigator, was a liar. Maybe Andrew really had gone off his rocker. 

“He called me Nathaniel and said I should put a bullet in my head just like my dad. Maybe in hell he’d finally give me what I deserved,” Neil phrased as bluntly as one could.

“That’s fucking bullshit. You hear that every day and don’t give a damn. What set off the bomb in your head that makes you act like a man on a mission to fulfil his death wish?” 

“People without a brain shouldn’t get to talk about you or Aaron like they have one,” he replied. With the mention of his own name, it was clear as to what said player was referring to. Andrew didn’t respond to that, eyes boring into Neil’s before he sighed. he quietly grumbled something before planting both hands on the sides of the bench next to Neil’s legs, thunking their foreheads together. Aaron was already closing the door when he heard Andrew mutter something quiet bust distinct.

“One of these days you’ll end up dead and a ditch and I’ll be the one that put you there.”

“You’re smarter than that,” Neil replied and Aaron made sure the door close all the way. He waited all of two second before slamming it open and watching the two of them separate with surprising speed. He grimaced with a disgusted eye roll before Andrew spoke again.

“Get out.”

“I’m supposed to make sure Neil isn’t bleeding out, but I have no problem letting him if you’d rather me do that,” he said and Neil beat Andrew to a response.

“I’m fine.” Both of them gave him an identical look of disbelief before Andrew sighed at let Aaron get to work. He shoved down his discomfort and, despite the overwhelming desire of leaving Neil to his suffering, grabbed the kit from the wall and got started on the disaster in front of him, all under Andrew’s watchful gaze.

- - - - - - -

“Let’s go,” Betsy said, pulling his blank gaze from the floor to her. Andrew stood up a second before him, allowing him the chance to push Aaron’s shoulder and knock him back into his chair. He huffed about it before trailing behind the two, surveying Andrew once up and down despite that it was the same thing he saw in the mirror every day. 

In spite of everything telling him to be a stubborn ass and leave things the way they were, he started to second guess. It was common knowledge that some wires in Andrew’s brain were connected the wrong way, and he knew better than anyone that it wasn’t Andrew’s fault. Seemingly only Neil bothered to take that into consideration but maybe, just maybe, he should try it too. 

(aha i remember when this was supposed to be two bullet points whoops)

[pocketsedition]

aftg as cliche high school au

i got bored and was wondering how the foxes would work in american high school stereotypes and now i’m here so. yeah ignore it if it sucks <3

neil would of course be the popular-kid-who-doesn’t-wanna-be-popular

depending on who you are he could either be really nice to you or the biggest fucking asshole

he’s on the cross country team as well as soccer w kevin (duh)

he mainly hangs out w other ‘popular kids’ like matt allison seth dan and occasionally the vixens but like only because his group knows them

he also vibes with renee occasionally

andrew would be the quiet kid who’s actually an asshole especially to teachers and reads during class is that a stereotype? i think so

he’s also probably a gamer kid and he wears a bunch of rings yes youll see

i’ll get more about him later

aaron is that kid in biology who’s got an A+ throughout the whole class and it annoys the shit out of everyone because that shouldn’t be possible

kevin is a jock. yes he is

he plays soccer and does cross country (can you do those both at the same time) (i’m not a sports person)

(let’s say yes for the sake of this)

he’s also one of those history nerd kids 

you know who i’m talking about

nicky is a theater kid and he can actually sing really well

he just never stops

he knows he’s good at singing but it’s annoying walking out of math every day hearing a random song

seth and matt are both jocks and best friends (besides neil) but there are significant differences about them

yes they both were highlighters during middle school but that’s besides the point

seth is one of those kids who during gym is always like “dOnT bE a sOrE LoSeR” whenever your team loses but when his team loses he’s a pissbaby talking about how you cheated and just e w 

he also has pot brownies in the middle of class

he probably asks you for answers for the homework too

matt just vibes and probably accidentally hits the volleyball too hard but everyone loves him anyway

he absolutely sucks at most classes and will absolutely be like “ohHHH thank youu :D” when you help him like literally the puppy eyes give you no choice but to help him

allison is the regina. fuckin george of school

but like if you guys end up sitting together during chemistry and you aren’t a complete dickhead to her she’ll probably give you candy or just whatever she has on her

renee is quiet girl whos actually got good grades and popular girl (allison) highkey has a crush on her

dan is like middle ground like shes a sports girl

but shell willingly hang out with both quiet kids and popular kids

overall really nice

OKAYOKAY NOW

neil ended up getting set up with one of the vixens marisa

(i think that was that girl who neil took to the banquet and was like "why do i need your number" to ?)

anyways he keeps trying to be like "no." over and over but she simply Wont Have It

and then next thing you know hes running for homecoming king and hes this close to breaking his own arm to get out of it

so now. he has to find an outfit

meanwhile Quiet Goth™ andrew minyard and his twin brother aaron have their dad who has a fashion business (mom died in a catastrophic car crash)

and everyone knows this so theyre always asking for like. help and discounts and shit

he says no to all of them

except neil whos in need of an outfit and

very very pretty

like uhh who gave you the r i g h t to have that awkward smile ???

and those t h i g h s ?

so andrews like "eh whatever sure"

yes yes yes yes

and. they end up getting kind of close ?

it kind of astounds everyone

aaron hates it he has calculus with neil and neil has the audacity to be so good at math and just so happens to be the only person andrew helps ?

seth is confused because andrews the only person he cant beat in a good one v one of exy

but also andrew buys a bunch of pot brownies from him and ???? he doesnt know why bc he doesnt even look high most of the time

he gives them to security guards as bribery so he can keep his knives on him during school

and now neils just friends w him ????

and its going well

"so you don't wanna be popular" "...yeah" "then dont"

neil retorts with:

"so your telling me your dad runs a fashion business and you wear all black"

they go back and forth for like half an hour

andrew starts trying to teach neil how to play videogames

neil fucking sucks but he doesnt really care because andrews nice

and actually helping neil pick out his outfit is a fucking pain because he so pretty picky

andrew dies

anyways

neil starts opening up about how he doesnt actually like marisa and andrews like "tell her"

"i hav she just doesnt. listen >:("

andrew offers to but neil knows about the frog knives (yes the frog knives) and hes like hah nice try

they still have nights on the roof and cigarettes and secrets shared

so everything happens and it finally gets to marisas head that neil doesnt wanna go to homecoming (with her. that is)

its like 4 days before homecoming and he jsut snaps

"yaknow i get it—"

she ends up crying but neil doesnt care at this point shes finally off his back

lets face it he would not care that man has zero morals

and so its homecoming night and neils this close to simply Not Going

but matt and seth are on the football team and they have their game and he spent hours looking for a suit

so he goes to the game and he hangs out with the upperclassmen

deliberately avoids the team because theres ways vixens nearby and he cant deal with marisa rn

so he hangs out

he sees aaron in the stands and asks if andrews around aaron just shrugs

useless

and the games over matts team wins yay !!!

everyones happy

now its time for the dance

neils dreading it

he goes and tries to avoid the general public because Ew People

and he sees andrew hiding from the noise in a hallway with no people

theyre quiet until neil follows andrew out to the back of the school and to the middle of the empty soccer field

"you werent at the game"

andrew shrugs "i didnt care about the game"

"and you care about the dance?"

"aaron doesnt have his own car"

"mhm"

andrew rolls his eyes

its quiet and neils just looking at andrew

he kinda had a realization the other night with matts help

andrew simply stares back

"yes or no"

"yes"

kith :)

the school doesnt notice they’re a thing until andrew shows up to school one day wearing what may or may not be one of those wrist. sweatband thingies

im dumb i forgot what theyre called

and neil always has one of andrews rings on him and hes always fidgeting with it

anyways i might write a fic who knows not me❤️

[allforthecourtt]

the foxes as shit i pulled in 4th year university

well folks... believe it... or not... i... FINISHED MY FUCKIN DEGREE WOO and so it is time for the annual post. (i cannot believe i’ve been doing this shit for 4 years)  this follows my shit i pulled in high school, in first year, in second year, and in third year.  the biggest plot twist to all of this is that i pulled all this shit and still earned an honours degree with distinction and got into an MA next year.  so the real advice is study hard, and fuckin party harder.  if i can do it, so can you.  i love all of u and thank you for always being entertained by my uni hijinks. one last time, here we goooooooo

Matt Boyd: accidentally had a matching tattoo with one of my students (i really wish this was a joke)

Dan Wilds: prof that i TA’d for said that exam rooms have “a negative energy” and i said “I can’t believe you just vibe checked this exam” and then had to spend a full 10 minutes explaining him what a vibe check is while our students were writing their final exam

Kevin Day: got a rejection from a college grad program that i’d applied to.  I emailed them back and told them they were wrong and the next day I received an acceptance.

Alison Reynolds: i was running a crafts station at work on valentines day and this kid goes “do you have a boyfriend?” and i said “no, not right now.” and this kid goes “oh so you’re like alone on valentines day? that sucks” and i’ve never been read harder or faster by a child

Renee Walker: one of my students asked me a very intelligent and deeply philosophical question about the nature of war being the main catalyst for change in history and i answered with an eloquent “shit, dude, that’s like really hard to answer.”

Aaron Minyard: i worked on my birthday and during that shift i told a FULLY adult woman she couldn’t do something and she had the audacity to say “but it’s my birthday!” and before i could stop myself i said “ma’am you cannot imagine how much i don’t care.”

Andrew Minyard: told my landlord that she was committing class warfare when she spelled my name wrong on my rent receipts.  she did not find it funny.

Seth Gordon: had a twitter thread planning for FOUR years only for me not to be able to complete it because of a fuckin pandemic

Nicky Hemmick: referred to the medicalization of masturbation in the victorian era as the “OG no nut november” and my prof made me explain what that is to the class. it was as awful as it sounds.

Bonus Nicky: managed to get half my department on twitter to back me up (aka bully my prof into approving) my request to let me give my paper a joke title and not loose any marks

Coach Wymack: a student sent me an email in response to their grades that just said :(

Neil Josten: managed to survive no matter what life, my degree, and god kept throwing at me.  just try to kill me bitch.  i am simply unwilling to die.

[jemej3m]

objection

because im now a law/crim student, this is all im gonna fuckin write about 

anyway here’s andrew as neil’s defence attorney (totally inspired by @aymmidumps‘ amazing andrew here)

gruesome crime descriptions but neil’s not a butcher in this one

*

“Wesninki’s applying for an appeal,” was all Andrew heard from the minute he’d stepped into the office. It was all anyone could - and would - talk about. 

Reasonably so, Andrew presumed. Nathaniel Wesninski had been locked up since his nineteenth birthday, when he slit his father’s throat. Andrew reckons he should’ve never been charged with murder, especially when considering his father was the Butcher of Baltimore, but Andrew had been just an undergraduate student at the time. There was nothing he could’ve done. 

Now, though. 

Now Andrew was just over thirty and steadily climbing the ranks. He hadn’t intended on becoming a defense attorney, but it just so happened that he was damn good at keep kids out of jail. The juvenile detention system was just a cog in the wheel of dysfunction, after all: he knew that first hand. 

Survivors of violent assault who had killed their attackers were also common clients of Andrew’s. Those with mental illnesses and drug addictions found their way into his stack of case files, too. He’d always thought he’d be on the right side of the law, throwing shitty people in jail and fixing the system one day at a time. 

This was alright too, he supposed. 

“Hey, Minyard,” Boyd leaned against the door-frame of Andrew’s office. He had his own private space, unlike the others, who often shared offices with two or three of their colleagues. Andrew was just lucky. Or favoured. 

“Let me guess,” Andrew said, without looking up from his file on a thirteen-year-old being charged with battery and theft. “Dan’s pissy because I didn’t turn up to dinner on Friday, there’s free coffee in the break room, Wesninski’s applying for appeal and Wymack wants me?” 

“Uh,” Matt squinted. “Yes? How the hell did you guess?” 

Andrew gave Matt a bored look. “You talk too loud. The walls are thin, you know.” 

The man huffed, conflicted between being impressed and disgruntled at Andrew’s usual bitchiness. He simply threw his hands up and vanished from Andrew’s doorway, most likely to groan to his wife about how incorrigible Andrew seemed to be. 

He threw his file onto his desk, locked his office door behind him and swung past the break room to dump three packets of sugar into a free latte. By the time he arrived at Wymack’s door, the man was already stood up, most definitely unimpressed by Andrew’s tardiness. And his lack of tie. 

He did wear a tie to court. Most of the time. 

“Nice of you to finally show up,” the old man grunted, tugging on the cuffs of his casual blazer. Andrew fucking hated blazers. They were always too tight around his shoulders. “I suppose you already know what this is all about?” 

“Seeing as Allison, Robin and Renee have all tried to talk my ear off about it, yes. I’m aware Wesninski is trying for appeal.” 

Wymack wasn’t impressed. “What you don’t know is that he’s come to us to represent him.” 

Andrew paused. Now that was interesting. Nathaniel Wesninski was halfway between New York and Baltimore. Why the fuck would he recruit from seedy South Carolina? There was no viable reason, unless - 

“Kevin,” he deduced. “How do they know each other?”

“Moriyamas and Wesninskis ran in the same circles, before it all got shut down.” Wymack arched a brow. “Wesninski figures that Kevin is the only person he can trust.” 

“Kevin won’t do it,” Andrew shook his head. “He doesn’t touch anything Moriyama related with a ten-foot pole.”

“Wesninski knows that. Which is why he’s asked for you: Kevin passed him on.” 

Andrew closed his eyes, very, very briefly, as he cocked his head at his boss. “You want me to get the most notorious gangster’s son out of jail.” 

“At least have him commuted to manslaughter,” Wymack suggested. 

At least, Andrew thought. He remembered looking over the Wesninski case in his third year. Nathaniel Wesninski had laughed, incredulous, as the FBI lead him away in handcuffs, nearly losing his fingers in an effort to cling onto the knife that he’d used to end Nathan Wesninski’s life. 

That wasn’t manslaughter. That was homicide of the first degree, plastered over the front page of every newspaper the next day. 

"You’ll owe me,” Andrew warned. 

“I’ll cover your bar tab at the Foxhole for the rest of the year,” Wymack conceded. 

Andrew huffed. “It’s February.” 

Wymack arched an eyebrow. 

Andrew had a feeling he’d regret this. He hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his slacks and rocked back on his heels, looking to the ceiling. “Fine.”

“It was an order, not a request,” Wymack grunted. “Get out of my office and get a visitation permit.” 

Andrew, already fed up with a case he’d only just been assigned, turned on his heel and dutifully marched off. 

*

The drive was nine and a half hours. Andrew could’ve made it a single-day round trip on a plane, but he refused to fly somewhere he could drive instead. He booked a half-hour slot with Wesninski on Saturday afternoon: if he found the man interesting enough, he’d bribe a guard to let him back in Sunday morning. Then he’d drive home, midday Sunday. 

At least Wymack was letting him stay in a nice hotel in Philadelphia. It almost made the journey worth it, but he wouldn’t jump the gun. It would only be a worthwhile trip if he figured that Wesninski wasn’t hopeless. The man was just 29. It was nearly 10 years since he’d been locked up. Andrew’s chances were - practically slim to none. 

Half-way through the drive Nicky called. 

“Heard you’re going to see Wesninski,” he said, the phone somewhat masking Nicky’s obvious curiosity.

Andrew sighed. “Aaron needs to shut his mouth.” 

“Aaron comes to family dinners,” Nicky objected. “He has every right to tell me whatever he wants. Speaking of - if I promise you a whole loaf of garlic bread, will you come to the next one?” 

Andrew huffed. “I’m busy.” 

“Yeah, yeah, you hate socialising, you’ll tolerate dealing with Aaron at work but nowhere else, blah blah. What about me? Your dear, old cousin?” 

“Fine,” Andrew grunted. “Now, leave me alone.” 

“Yes!” Nicky crowed, but whatever response he had after that was cut off. Andrew dropped his phone back in the passenger seat, turning the radio back up and relaxing into his chair. 

It was a further five hours after that disturbance till his arrival at SCI Phoenix, Philadelphia. Andrew would always despise how depressing prison complexes looked. Chain link fences and brick boxes, splayed out like a progression of architectural failures. The parking lot was enormous and empty. Andrew parked far enough away that his nice car wasn’t in direct sight from the prison’s visiting entrance, fixing up his suit and tie and slinging the strap of his briefcase over his shoulder. 

The guard by the door snapped his fingers for identification. Andrew flicked his license towards him, gaze deadened by boredom. The guard almost winced when Andrew sighed, looking to the clock. Once he was finally granted access, he took the lanyard and shoved his way through the doors. 

Visitation was close to shutting up when Andrew arrived, miserable loved ones reaching for final hugs and brief kisses. Andrew was lead by the duty guard to a private room, waiting by the barred door. 

Wesninski was already waiting for him inside. His hands were cuffed to the table, fiddling with a blunt key. His red curls were overgrown and messy, the grey jumpsuit hanging off his small frame. 

When the door clanged shut, Wesninski looked up. His eyes were the most spectacular blue Andrew had ever seen, his face marred by horrific scars and the stitches used to hold him together. He looked ridiculously unimpressed. Andrew, meanwhile, smothered any flickers of emotion as intrigue sparked in his chest. 

Damn, he thought.

“Unlock him,” Andrew said, to the guard. 

The guard arched an eyebrow. “You sure?” 

“Obviously,” Andrew said, rolling his eyes. He didn’t have knives on his person - they’d set off the metal detector - but he was never vulnerable. He made a promise that he’d never be taken advantage of again. 

Wesninski flexed his wrists when the guard unlocked them, giving Andrew a thinly veiled look of appraisal. The guard immediately skittered off to stand outside the door, holding the interrogation room’s keys in tightly clenched fists. 

“So,” Wesninski said, holding out a hand. “You’re the famous Andrew Minyard.” 

"And you are the infamous Nathaniel Wesninski,” Andrew returned, ignoring the warmth of his skin as they shook hands. He sat down: the shitty metal chair creaked. “We both seem to have names and reputations that precede us.” 

Nathaniel’s eye twitched slightly. “I prefer Neil.”

Andrew leant back in his chair, leg crossed at the ankle. “You seriously think they’re going to let you out?” 

“Well,” Neil admitted. “Probably not. But I figured I’d give it a shot. It should be safer out there now.”

“You’ve been hiding in here? Who from, your father’s ghost?” 

Neil was not impressed. “His bosses, actually. But since Kengo’s second son was shot between the eyes and his first son locked up for it, I should be fine.”

“Riko and Ichirou,” Andrew deduced. “Kevin’s mentioned them once or twice.”

Neil just glared. “I can’t believe that coward won’t help me.” 

Andrew narrowed his eyes. “He owes you, does he? What for? Helping him escape the Moriyamas? Wait - that was me. What about coping with his trauma and reestablishing his career? Nevermind - that was me, too. Goodness, you haven’t been around much, have you? Right, right,” Andrew leaned over the table, resting his chin on his laced fingers. “You’ve been in jail for ten years.”

“You are not funny,” Neil snapped, gripping onto his blunt key.

“I don’t know if it’s worth my time, Mr Wesninski,” Neil flinched again. “Convince me.” 

“Other than it’s what is just?” Andrew arched an eyebrow. Neil huffed. “Fine. I’ll pay you. Double your normal fee.” 

“Prison pays well, does it?” 

“Blood money,” Neil had the audacity to wink. Dammit, Andrew thought again. “I already know you’re quite happy to spend dirty cash, Minyard. A G6, right? Bit of an upgrade from your mother’s car.” 

He should not know that. “You’re not exactly winning me over, here.” 

Neil leaned back in his chair, fiddling with the stupid little key. He must have spent the last decade tracing it down to its current blunt status. Andrew wondered what it used to unlock. 

Okay - he was intrigued by Neil. And yes, his narrative fit Andrew’s bill. And some spare cash wouldn’t hurt: he could sent Nicky and Erik over to Christmas for the summer. 

“What’s something you’ve never given anyone?” Andrew inquired. 

Neil looked up from under his ruby-tinted lashes. “What?” 

“I want something that no one else has.” Andrew leaned further forward, leaning in close. “What do you have to offer me, Wesninski?”

For a moment, Neil simply stared. His fingers stilled. He definitely had a few tattoos and scars, from what Andrew could glean at the little slice of a sharp collarbone, exposed by the jumpsuit. 

It was silent - almost electric. Andrew watched as something behind Neil’s eyes crumbled, the exhaustion settling in, the loneliness of a man who had known nothing but pain and suffering and isolation. 

“Everyone knows Nathaniel Wesninski,” Neil said. “No one knows Neil.” 

Andrew felt the remnants of a smirk tug at the corner of his lips. 

“I’ll tell you the truth,” Neil offered, glaring at the table like it offended him. “I’ve never told the truth before.” 

Andrew stood up, offering his hand. Neil followed suit, grip hesitant where he clasped Andrew’s hand.

“I’ll get you out of here,” Andrew said. 

“You’ll try,” Neil corrected him. 

“Here’s something you should know about me, Neil,” Andrew tugged on his suit jacket, fixing his cuffs. “I never fail a promise.” 

Andrew felt Neil’s gaze, watching him as he left. As Andrew filtered past the guard, he snuck a two hundred into the guard’s pocket. 

“Nine o’clock, tomorrow morning,” he said. “Bring him here.” 

The guard, moon-eyed, just nodded. 

Andrew glanced over his shoulder for one last assessment of his newest client. Neil was leant against the table they had spoken at, arms crossed as he glared in Andrew’s direction. His hair flopped forward, masking one eye. Like this, with his tattooed forearms and shoulders and hell-fire hair, he looked dangerous. 

In his right hand, he played with his key. 

Andrew spun on his heel and left. He knew he’d made the right decision. 

Neil Wesninski would get out of jail, if it was the last thing Andrew did. 

*

[redrabbitspod]

READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH ROLLING STONE HERE:

(full, designed article. But if you don’t want to follow a magazine layout, read the transcript. Art by @bloodydamnit)

TRANSCRIPT BELOW THE CUT

Red Rabbits: The Rolling Stone Interview

Featuring Andrew Minyard, Neil Josten, and the Red Rabbits Team

By Angie Rodner

On a chilly Monday, Neil Josten and Andrew Minyard are standing side by side, looking at something on Andrew’s phone in our New York, Rolling Stone headquarters. The rest of the Red Rabbits team, consisting of Dan Wilds, Seth Gordon, Renee Walker, Robin Cross, Allison Reynolds, and pro Exy legend/honorable mention Matt Boyd, orbit around them. It's an interesting scene to take in, to say the least. No matter what they seem to be talking about, they all defer to the two hosts without any of them seeming to acknowledge it. 

I was lucky enough to sit down with all eight of them, and I’m not ashamed to say I’m a fan of the podcast and I’ve followed since Season 1. The story of Andrew and Neil (formerly known as Nathaniel Wesnisnki, the son of the Nathan Wesninski or the Butcher of Baltimore), and the revelation of their connection they’d shared as kids, was better than any true crime podcast I’d ever listened to. 

Now, the team takes on what they’ve dubbed ‘The Case of the Newark 9’ for their second season. It’s a case based around the hunt for a man known only as ‘Steven’, who they believe is responsible for a series of kidnappings and murders of young girls in and around the Newark area. They’re joined by Robin Cross, a victim and survivor of Steven’s, who is helping them investigate the case. 

I sat down with Robin and the other women of Red Rabbits first. 

What’s it been like to work on this podcast together? Was it strange to go from looking for Neil, to having him in the studio, to watching him and Andrew form the relationship they have?

Dan: It was strange, because in all honesty, it wasn’t strange. Does that make sense? None of us knew about the meeting they had as kids, but when Andrew finally told us, everything made a lot more sense. Really, they belong together. It was much weirder when they first got back and hadn’t acknowledged what was between them yet. We were all just kinda like... are y’all not seeing what we’re seeing?

Renee: They got there eventually.

How have things changed from Season 1 to Season 2? The cases are obviously different, but they still involve missing children. What’s the atmosphere like around the studio?

Dan: Tense.

Allison: I’m not even there that often and I can still feel it.

Robin: It is tense, but there’s also a sense of urgency. We know ‘Steven’ has another girl now, so it’s like every day that goes by is another day he has her... Another day we either find him, or we don’t.  

Mm... I can’t imagine how difficult that is. However, with that being said, the NYPD have made it pretty clear that they aren’t buying what you guys are selling. How does that make you feel?

Robin: I don’t feel anything about the NYPD. My anger is better placed elsewhere. I am angry. But the police didn’t listen to me when I was a kid and trying to tell them important information. Why would they listen to me now?

Renee: I think we all try and take our cues from Robin. Andrew and Neil are very careful to include her and get her opinion on certain things before moving forward. We’re not letting this thing with the NYPD deter us. 

Speaking of Robin then, what’s it like for you to have her on the team? As one of Steven’s victims that is, there with you in the studio?

Robin: Oh no. Say nice things about me.

Dan: Girl. [ laughs ] Honestly, she’s amazing. She’s my little sister and I’m not just saying that. I think we all kind of feel that way. I’ve never known a person as strong and determined as she is and I know - see she’s blushing! [ laughs again ]- I know she hates it when we talk about her like this, but it’s so true. She’s family now.

Renee: She is, and I think she brings a really unique perspective to the case. We have someone here who’s directly involved, who lived through it and can give us some idea of what the other girls went through. I think most people would really love to have that kind of resource during an investigation.

Allison: For sure. She’s even my muse for my fall line. Everything is going to be deep colors and fun modesty.

Seems like you’ve been properly inducted into the team, Robin.

Robin: [ smiling ] It feels amazing...

Now, last question. Are you confident you’ll find what you’re looking for?

All as one: Yes.

Speaking with the ladies was fun. They were easy and connected and you can tell that there was a real sisterhood in the studio that day. It was refreshing to see women supporting and helping each other thrive in such a competitive industry. There was a lot of laughter between them, and it was such a joy to be able to share it with them. 

-

My next interviewees were Seth Gordon, ‘resident TFN sound engineer/IT guy/anything to do with technology’, as he tells it, and New York Lynxes starting backliner, Matt Boyd. When I tell you I laughed throughout this entire interview, I’m being completely sincere. There was something about the way the two bounced off each other that had me smiling and understanding why they are both so well-liked. 

You guys are best friends aren’t you? I feel a bromance in this Chilli’s tonight.

Seth: Bet. Matt Boyd is my homie and BFFL. Do people still say that? Anyway, we have matching necklaces and everything.

Do you really?

Matt: No, not really, but I’d totally wear one if he gave it to me.

[ laughing ] Matt, how did you even end up here? I know you were friends with Neil, but I feel like the details on that are kind of murky.

Matt: I hit him with my truck. [ My jaw dropped ] No, really! I hit him with my truck in Midtown Manhattan when I was driving home. He refused to go to the hospital so I brought him back to my place to make sure he was okay. He didn’t leave after that.

Seth: Because you held him hostage? That’s the way I hear it.

Matt: Oh yeah, for sure. He takes up so little space, why not? [ laughs again ] No really, I did convince him to stay, but I just felt like he needed a friend. He was obviously running from something and he was scared. I just didn’t know from what or why at the time.

And when you found out?

Matt: Honestly? I just about shit myself, but it made so much sense. All the little questions I asked myself early on, finally had answers. 

I saw the interview you and Dan did with Essence. You guys look amazing together.

Seth: They are amazing together. It’s gross. 

Matt: Yeah, and you and Dion aren’t constantly fawning all over each other.

Is that Dion hovering nearby?

Seth: Yep, that’s my man. He’s amazing and fuckin’ fine as hell. Can I say fuck in this interview?

Sure.

Seth: He’s fuckin’ fine.

Seth, what’s it been like for you, putting together the shows? There’s been a lot of audio that’s hard for us as listeners to hear, and I’m sure there’s more we haven’t even heard. 

Seth: There is.

What’s that like for you to have to go through it all?

Seth: Really hard sometimes. There was some stuff in Season 1 we didn’t air that seriously gave me nightmares. It’s worth it, though. We found Neil and I think we’ll find Steven.

Are both of you confident in that fact?

Seth: Positive.

Matt: I think if anyone can find him, it’s Andrew and Neil. They’re determined and they’ll keep looking no matter what.

I believe them. 

Andrew and Neil were my last interview of the day, and a more determined pair I think I’ve ever met. 

Here’s the thing readers: They’re connected. It might make me a poor journalist, but I don’t know how else to explain it. At one point during the interview, Neil reached over to squeeze Andrew’s arm. At another point, Andrew reached over to squeeze the back of Neil’s neck. They were obviously a comfort to and for each other, and it almost seemed like they borrowed strength. It was intense and being able to witness it has been one of my favorite moments in my career.

So, let’s talk about this season before we get into everything else. You’re looking for a man you believe to be responsible for the disappearances of multiple girls in the Newark area. Do you feel like you’re any closer to solving the mystery than you were at the beginning?

Neil: Absolutely. We’ve gotten some really great tips and we think we’ve narrowed some things down. We don’t want to get too deep into what we’ve got at the moment, because we’re still investigating. But we’re confident in what we have.

What’s it been like working with Robin? I was able to interview her earlier, and she’s really something.

Andrew: She’s been the best resource we have. She’s incredibly strong and unbelievably quick. She’s taken this terrible thing that happened to her and turned it into fire, and it’s been amazing to watch. Most of the information we have comes from her.

The interview you guys did with her was absolutely chilling. I cried three times listening to it. How do you handle hearing these things? I feel like it’d be really hard not to take it home with you.

Neil: Yeah. It’s hard sometimes.

Andrew, I want to touch on the interview Riko Moriyama just did with Kathy Ferdinand and your response. What was that like for you, hearing Riko wrongfully expose something like that on live television?

Andrew: It was… I was stunned, I guess. That information was supposed to be sealed. My name was redacted. So I have no idea how he even got details of the case.

You’ve talked before about being in the foster care system. It sounds like you had a pretty rocky childhood.

Andrew: Yes.

Neil, I know yours was no picnic either. Do you think that this kind of... shared trauma, I guess, is part of why you two work so well together?

Neil: Yeah, partly. When we met as kids, I think a bond was cemented. We both knew how horrible adults could be to children. But now that we’re older, I think more than a shared trauma, it’s a mutual respect for that trauma. We both have shit, you know? I told Matt this one time and I didn’t really understand how true it was until recently, but we both have baggage that we share. We take each other’s on to lighten the load for the other. But, there are times when it gets really fucking heavy, and I think recently we’ve figured out that it’s better to lean on each other when that happens, instead of trying to carry it all ourselves.

Why do you think Riko felt the need to call you two out like he did? I know he mentioned Neil possibly being manipulated into the relationship.

Neil: [laughs]

Andrew: I wish I could manipulate him into having better taste in music.

Neil: My taste in music is fine. 

Andrew: It is absolutely not. And I don’t know why Riko feels the need to comment. I’d be interested to hear the reason. The things he said regarding Neil were ridiculous, and in his response, Neil has made sure to make that known. But the thing that really bothered me was his comments on mental health. He tried to basically call me unstable for seeking therapy and admitting that there came a point when I needed outside help. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people in this country who seek out therapy every year. There’s no shame in it and I’m unsure as to why Riko believes there is. Honestly, I’m shocked the Moriyamas haven’t released a statement. He’s their mouthpiece, after all.

Do you think they should apologize?

Neil: Yes.

Andrew: I think they should at least clarify. I’ve already heard people are planning to protest their new documentary and I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to give my money to people who think I’m less of a person because I struggle sometimes.

Speaking of struggle, let’s move back to the case. I know the NYPD has been giving you grief over your claims that the person you’re looking for is the same person that’s taken Haylie Clark. Robin, especially, seems completely certain. How does it feel to know law enforcement doesn’t have your back on this?

Andrew: Familiar. They’ve never had my back before, so why would they start now?

Neil: I’ve dealt with too many crooked cops to really take it seriously. I have no idea what their motivations are and to be clear, I’m not saying I think they’re crooked - I’m just saying that in my experience, the help doesn’t always come like it’s supposed to.

The rest of the team seems pretty confident in you two. They all said they absolutely believe you’ll be able to find him. Is it hard sometimes, not to lose faith?

Andrew: It’s hard all the time. But it doesn’t matter. We have to keep moving forward. We aren’t going to stop until he and Haylie are found. 

I think that’s really commendable and I look forward to seeing that happen. Now, tell me a bit about the team. Neil, since you came in at the end of Season 1, how did you find the dynamic as an outsider?

Neil: I didn’t really understand it in the beginning. Not really. It helped having Matt at my back for months prior, but I’ve never had the opportunity to make solid connections with people. So when I came into the studio, to this group of people who had known each other since college, it was overwhelming. 

Andrew: That’s funny, seeing as how they like you better than me.

Neil: It’s all the charm and charisma. 

[ laughing ] And now? You all seem really tight knit.

Neil: Now, yeah. We are. These people are my family.

Andrew?

Andrew: Yes?

Neil: She wants you to say something nice about the team.

Andrew: Every single one of them knows my coffee order, and it’s truly amazing that they can do what the interns cannot. [ he looks over at Neil, who’s tilting his head and raising his brows ] Oh, don’t look at me like that. Fine. We have a really strong team. I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing without them. Seth works harder than anyone I know, Dan keeps us all in line with just a look, Renee is the only reason I agreed to do this in the first place, Reynolds has a lot of money and she’s not afraid to use it for a cause she believes in, and Robin is the most inspiring person I’ve ever met.

And Matt?

Andrew: Who?

Neil: The guy that kept me alive for months while you were hunting me.

Andrew: [ rolls his eyes and shrugs ] He’s fine.

-

My take away from the interviews was this: these people will do whatever they need, in order to find their perpetrator. They believe in their cause, they hurt for these girls, and they’ll find justice for them in the end. They’re family, that much is clear, and I can’t wait to see how this ends. I can’t wait to say that I was there when it’s over.

Red Rabbits can be heard on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and GooglePlay. You can follow the website at redrabbitspod.tumblr.com and twitter @redrabbitspod.

And as the Red Rabbits team always says, “Keep Searching”. I know I will.

[luci-cunt]

hola my dear unholy defiler!! for the fanfic title thing: “old heartbreaks and new tattoos” (bc i’m incapable of choosing titles without stealing lyrics, oops :/ )

Bonjour my fondly defiled god! FANTASTIC fic title i love you

k so this one HAS to have just a lliiiiiitttttllleee biiiitttt of angst but I’m still sticking with AFtG and Andreil cuz, y’all I’m a slut for it leave me alone XDD (you can request other pairings if you want tho XD I’m just uncreative XDD)

let’s seee.... we’ll start with a scene set--

So, you’ve got Neil-- 18, living with his dad, who in this timeline killed his mom and Neil never got out. Neil’s stuck, no way of getting out, BUT opportunity strikes in the form of a war

YES you read that right it’s 1940 babeeeyyyy

Neil sneaks out, signs up--almost gets turned down cuz he’s hella tiny but manages to convince the recruiter to let him anyways for the sake of “patriotism” 

Neil’s plan is to serve for a while in France, out of the way of his father and get his feet under him before deserting and booking it to like, idk, somewhere else in Europe. 

Meanwhile: Andrew is being tossed around foster care, on a random turn of luck he bumps into Aaron who’s oddly literally identical. He finds out they’re brothers/ the whole Tilda situation/ blah blah, but before he has the chance to move in or anything the draft hits and Aaron’s the one hit with it. 

He’s supposed to get shipped out to France, but he’s still all hoped up on drugs and Andrew has seen his fair share of returning “war heros” and he realizes Aaron going to France is a death sentince

So he goes for him. 

He takes Aaron’s name/ identity Mulan style and goes as Aaron Minyard into the war

(back at home Aaron only realizes what’s happened AFTER Andrew’s gone and by this point he can’t do shit so he has to go into hiding)

And--big shocker--Neil and Andrew are deployed to the same front

Neil’s been there for a bit longer by the time Andrew shows up, but Andrew clocks his intentions to desert REAL QUICK

instead of outing him tho--he asks to come with

He doesn’t give a single fuck about the war, he just wanted to keep Aaron out of trouble

Neil doesn’t trust him, but Andrew says if Neil leaves him behind he’ll just tell the commander what happened and Neil can’t have that so fuckin fine I guess this bitch is coming

They realize they can’t leave just yet when they come under mortar fire that pins them down for a week straight. 

(ayeee bonding week~ what’s better to bond over than the constant fear of death ~~~~~~~~)

They bond with some cigarettes andrew brought, and Neil takes one and says he’ll only light it when they’re free of the warfront and he can properly enjoy it.

Then the mortar fire lets up and they’re charging out of their trench for the enemy and everything’s a rush

Neil manages to lose Andrew and he flips his lid

Turns out Andrew’s fine--or--kinda. he got hit with a stray grenade and his leg’s almost totally fucked. 

Neil gets him to safety (back to the abandoned trench they were in before) patches him up as best he can, leaves him with a gun, and tells him not to move while he goes to get help

Bs happens, Neil gets help, Andrew ends up fine but now he’s gotta get carted away on medical leave. 

Turns out tho his leg is fucked, so he gets honorably discharged and sent “home” 

He trades identies back with Aaron, makes a big deal of the long lost twin Andrew Minyard coming home after seeing a picture of his brother getting honored in the paper and waits. 

He’s worried about Neil, and even MORE worried when, not a month later, he gets a guy on his front step telling Aaron that Nathaniel Wesninski was captured and taken as a prisoner of war. The camp he was at was bombed--there were no survivors, and he left this for you. 

it’s the cigarette, taped to a ragged looking postcard with a cheesy picture of Palm Springs on it. The post card is blank. 

Well fuck. 

Andrew is fucked, he locks himself in his room for the day, drinks himself dumb and doesn’t talk for three days. 

At the end of the third he leaves the house, and when he comes back he’s got a new tattoo--it’s simple, just a black-and-white, unlit cigarette right over the pulse point on his neck. 

He doesn’t explain it, doesn’t say anything, but he goes on the back porch and stares at the cigarette that came with the postcard, and, after a moment, lights up. 

Three weeks later things aren’t doing well but he’s managing. 

He’s leaving the gym one day, reeking and tired, when he spots someone leaning against his car. 

The man grins up at him, and says “can I bum a cigarette?” 

!!! this got alsdkdjf;laksdj a little involved XDD sorry  I got into it XD 

send me a fic title and I’ll say how I’d write it out!

[nekojitachan]

I just read armies for the third time and every time I reread is just as fuckin amazing as the last time... Also I saw an ask once mentioning a collection about Aaron visiting Andrew in London, just wondering if you have any plans of posting again? I'm just so weak for my minyard boys. Hope you're good! Love your writing please never leave us ❤️

Ah... I went looking for the link to the story but I’ve been unable to find it yet (I know I would have used something to tag it, but that’s not working). I do have it saved, but not the link (on a side note, I found a twinyard prompt that I’ve forgotten about). So here it is again (until I either add it to Armies properly or do an Armies side stories post on AO3):

*******

Abram smiled at Ashley as he leaned gingerly against the top of one of her monitors with his chin resting on top of his folded arms. “So, I sent you the file last night, and let me tell you, it was rather difficult reining in Andrew while I corrected the few grammar mistakes – he wanted to make a couple comments on the paper.” That had surprised Abram, his husband’s interest on the topic, but Kimberly had picked an interesting book for once.

Ashley laughed as she leaned back in her chair and toyed with her long, dark brown braid. “I appreciate your efforts since I can only imagine what he’d have put in there.” She shuddered a little which made Abram smile in shared horror. “She’s doing better?”

“Yes, I imagine soon enough you’ll have to come up with something else when I ask for a favor.” Ashley smiled at that, a mixture of pride for her younger sister and delight in thinking up a new ‘price’ for Abram when he needed certain things done; he didn’t mind because Ashley was a minor miracle worker and usually asked for small, easily to do things in return such as proofing her sister’s uni papers or bringing back certain items from their travels.

“I’m sure I’m up to the challenge,” Ashley said as she tapped away on her keyboard. “As is, I’ve just sent you my part of our latest bargain. The email contains all the information you need in regards to the reservations I made for your dinners and a private appointment at Barts Pathology Museum.” She gave him a pleased smile as she once again toyed with her braid. “Anything else?”

“Don’t let the place descend into chaos while we’re away, yes?” Abram asked as he stood up and gave her a jaunty salute.

“I’ll do my best!” Ashley called out as he walked away, voice bright with laughter. Maddy and Rita (who was back in the office while she did some research before her next mission) wished him a nice ‘holiday’ as he left the office to meet up with his husband.

Andrew was standing out in the hallway with Lloyd and Kathryn Ambrose, one of the higher-ups who handled the EMEA region. Despite Lloyd’s occasional grumbling about the woman (he tended to grumble about anyone ranked above him), Abram never had a problem with Kathryn, who always treated him and Andrew with polite respect. “Hello, Abram,” she greeted him.

“Hello, Kathryn. Everything all right?”

“Yes, I was just talking to Lloyd and Andrew about how there’s a potential situation in Hungary. I know you’re about to go on holiday, but I just wanted to give you a head’s up that we may need to send the two of you there once you’re back.”

Lloyd nodded as he motioned to Andrew and then Abram. “Bit of a special request, but some people feel that you two could help out the agents already there.”

It wasn’t as if they could say ‘no’ when it was their jobs; Abram shared a look with Andrew who gave a slight nod after a moment. In a way, it might be better for them since someone else would be taking the lead on the mission and they would be providing support, would be more in the background. Though it meant that they’d have to do a bit of research before they left even though they were supposed to be on break.

“Send us all of the necessary information,” Abram said as he went to stand next to his husband.

“Though we’ll need an extra day or two to prepare,” Andrew argued as he stared down Lloyd.

“Of course. I’ll have Maddy put together the intel and send it to you by tomorrow.” Lloyd knew better than to fight with Andrew by then, especially with Kathryn right there (and when she appeared pleased by their agreement). That dealt with, they said their ‘goodbyes’ and left.

It wasn’t as if Andrew’s brother and sister-in-law would want to see them the entire time they were in London – they were visiting for a medical conference, after all, so they should have plenty of time to go over the material. If anything, the extra day or two they’d won from Lloyd would be spent by themselves to ‘recover’ from the visit.

Abram had the suspicion that they would need the days to recover, considering how Andrew was already on edge from the approaching visit, which was why he’d done everything he could to ensure that Aaron and Katelyn had an enjoyable (and busy) time once they arrived. He’d enlisted Ashley’s help on the matter, since he didn’t want the family too involved with Andrew’s brother ‘just in case’.

The Minyards were due to arrive the next day, and were staying at some hotel in central London where the conference was being held (along with a couple of ‘minders’ from the family), but had agreed to meet up with Andrew and Abram during their free time. Nicky and Erik would come to visit in a couple days for a mini-reunion, so there were dinners arranged and Abram had planned for an excursion or two for the couple to enjoy (by themselves).

Things between the brothers had improved since the wedding in South Carolina last year, had been tense phone calls at first before the two had moved on (somewhat) from the past, but Aaron and Andrew spending time together like this was a big step that Abram wasn’t certain that they were ready for just yet. Still, it was what it was, and in a few days Aaron would return to the States and soon after that Andrew would have an excuse to vent any disappointment by killing someone (more than likely).

“What idiocy are you contemplating now?” Andrew asked as he drove them home.

“Hmm, just that you’ll probably have to wait a week or so to commit therapeutic homicide, hon,” Abram confessed, and laughed when his husband heaved a weary sigh.

“Should have had the damn judge say ‘until insanity do you part’, could have gotten out of this marriage ages ago,” Andrew grumbled even as he held out his hand for Abram to entwine their fingers together.

“You like my mental instability,” Abram insisted as he smiled. “Keeps things interesting.”

Andrew did the sighing thing again but didn’t disagree.

Stuart and Davis were in the townhouse when they arrived, which drew a displeased frown from Andrew when he caught sight of Abram’s uncle standing in the kitchen with a purring King in his arms. Davis grinned while he held up his hands in a placating manner. “Just dropping off a few things and checking in on the kids.”

Abram patted his husband on the back before he went to hug his uncle, mindful of King who was handed over when they stepped apart. “You look tired, is everything all right?” Jamie had told him that Stuart was traveling a lot lately when they’d last talked; Abram had checked a few documents for the family to ensure that everything was on the up and up in the contracts.

“Too much drinking with Camillo last night,” Stuart complained. “Looking forward to being home for a bit.” He gave Abram an exhausted smile as he scratched King’s chin. “I know you’re busy the next few days, but if you’ve some time, call me and we’ll have some tea, yeah?”

Abram nodded in agreement. “That’s doable.” They should be able to meet up while Aaron and Katelyn were busy with the conference.

“Good. There’s some chocolates and jenever for you, and Ravi will show up with the cars when you need one, just call.” Stuart waved to Andrew as he left, and Davis bent over to give a meowing Sir a stroke along the back on the way out.

“Couldn’t he have brought some damn whisky?” Andrew complained as he headed straight to the boxes of chocolates out on the island while Abram shook his head and set King down on the floor.

“Your life’s so hard,” Abram remarked as he picked up the bottles of gin-like liquor and stored them away in the cabinet (he had a feeling he’d need them soon enough). “So, we eating in tonight or going out?”

“In, since we’ll be going out the next few nights,” Andrew said between bites of sweets.

That decided, Abram checked the fridge and cabinets before he settled on a spicy chicken and rice dish to make later, and worked on a few more documents for Jamie in-between calls with his cousin and Nicky while Andrew read a book. They went out to sit by the fish pond for a little while before he started on dinner, a mug of tea in his hands and a glass of whisky in Andrew’s, an enjoyable half an hour where Andrew made his usual threats over the poor fish and Abram slumped down enough to rest his head against his husband’s broad shoulder, content to sit there next to him and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Then he was given a shove to the knee and told to go cook something that wouldn’t poison the both of them.

Abram bit back a smile as he called his husband a prat for the umpteenth time, affection a warm tingle in his chest.

Andrew sat at the island and texted with Nicky while he made their dinner, and had a glass of wine waiting for him once it was done (and stole the damn naan once Abram sat down). It was nights like these which Abram treasured the most during all the years they’d been together, when they ‘bickered’ during dinner then curled up together in the living room (since it was late spring it wasn’t too warm yet for a fire) to watch a few episodes of a baking show they both enjoyed (easy to follow with their schedule) then head upstairs after a few hours.

They were tired, but not too tired. Looks were exchanged and clothes were shed before they sprawled out on opposite ends of the bed, where Abram spent a moment enjoying the sight of Andrew’s stocky yet muscular body (save for the slightest pouch of fat on his belly which he adored) before he gasped as his husband stroked his half-tumescent cock then leaned in to nuzzle it and-

He much enjoyed it when Andrew performed oral sex, but he also much enjoyed it when he could reduce Andrew to a shuddering mess with his mouth and hands, so it was the best of both worlds when they both blew each other. It didn’t take long until they both were shivering messes sprawled out on the bed, and then the bastard dragged him off to the shower to wash off before they tucked in beneath the blankets for a restful night’s sleep.

Mostly.

Andrew was up first, which was a rare occasion; Abram resisted the temptation to follow his husband out of the bed but decided to give him a bit of peace (half an hour) before he got up as well. He found Andrew working out and only put in a mile or two on the treadmill before he went to wash off then began work on a batch of chocolate chip and hazelnut hotcakes. It was right as he finished the last one that Andrew joined him, fresh from his own shower.

“I guess you won’t be fish bait just yet, babe,” the prat remarked as he rested his chin on Abram’s left shoulder and wrapped his right arm around Abram’s waist.

“If it wouldn’t be so traumatic to the cats and Nicky, I’d file for divorce,” Abram teased as he added the last hotcake to the huge stack next to the stove.

Andrew clicked his tongue before he snatched up the plate. “You’ve never had it so good and you know it.”

Yes, Abram did indeed ‘know it’, but there was no need to say it, was there? “Did you hit your head with a weight or what?” he asked instead, and rolled his eyes when Andrew made a rude gesture his way. “I’ve merely decided to wait for you to die from clogged arteries or diabetes instead, it’s much easier than dealing with solicitors and the such, hon.”

“What was that?” Andrew waited until he was seated at the island and his precious carbs set down to reach for his phone. “I’m making note of this so when we’re either divorced or you mysteriously disappear one day, there’s no problem with me taking custody of the cats and Bren – yet another cruel comment bordering on abuse.” He made a show of typing on his phone before he set it down then got up to fetch the whipped cream and syrup for his hotcakes. “How I suffer for this relationship.”

“Yeah, yeah, be sure to tell Nicky – oh, wait, I’ll do it for you.” Abram grinned when Andrew’s shoulders hunched upward at that remark. “I’m sure he’ll be ever so helpful with recommendations on how to save our marriage.”

Andrew gave him a long, level look for several seconds (which was impressive, considering the stack of hotcakes before him) before he spoke. “He’ll torment you just as much as me, you know.”

Ah, a flaw in an otherwise perfect plan. “Uhm… I’ll be off with Stuart?”

“You think the pest won’t rat you out to the family?”

Dammit, there was that – Stuart had actually calmed down on the whole ‘Andrew is bad’ front and all. “He’ll still be worse with you,” Abram argued as he set about making some scrambled eggs for himself.

“Right. Idiot.” Still, Andrew appeared smug as he finally cut into his stack of sugary carbs, so Abram felt pleased as he prepared his own breakfast. Once it was done, he sat down and rolled his eyes at how most of the hotcakes were already gone.

Andrew checked his phone while they ate and reported that Maddy had sent the intel for the Hungary mission, which they’d start parsing through later. Abram had just enough time to wash the dishes and go change before they left for the airport in the Aston Martin sedan which Navi had dropped off for them to use to pick up Aaron and Katelyn since neither of the sports cars in the garage would handle four people and luggage. Since Andrew didn’t trust anyone but the two of them or Bren (who made sure the cars didn’t sit idle too long) driving the sports cars, they didn’t want to have them out of the garage for the few days that Aaron and Katelyn were in town, so Ravi would drop off and pick up the sedans whenever Andrew needed one to drive his brother around town rather than let them sit in the driveway overnight.

Abram waited until they were past the worst of the traffic to speak up. “Aaron’s into general practice and Katelyn’s pediatrics?” He hadn’t paid much attention when Andrew spoke about his brother, other than to note that they were getting along (finally).

“Yes.” Andrew tapped his fingers against the steering wheel then sighed. “They both work at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Guess it balances out us a bit, right?” He glanced aside at Abram with a slight quirk to the corner of his mouth. “We kill people, they heal them.”

“We don’t kill everyone,” Abram argued. “There’s some missions where people live.” He smiled when Andrew snorted in dissent. “Whatever.”

“Whatever indeed.” Andrew’s eyes narrowed at the hatchback driving much too slow in front of them. “I’m about to kill someone right now.”

Someone was probably going to get multiple vehicle violations in the mail within the next few days, Abram suspected, but for once the threat wasn’t directed toward himself so he merely settled a little lower in the comfortable leather seat and used his phone to check the traffic ahead.

They reached Heathrow shortly after Aaron texted to say that he and Katelyn had cleared Customs and retrieved their luggage, and so drove to Arrivals to pick them up. For some reason the two had declared that they didn’t have to go into the airport to greet them, so Andrew drove the sedan to the general arrival area where the two should be waiting and found them by spotting Aaron’s familiar visage.

The couple appeared surprised by the Aston Martin as it pulled up to the curb and when both Andrew and Abram exited the vehicle, with Katelyn breaking into a grin while Aaron shook his head. “It’s so good to see you!” the young woman exclaimed as she made an abortive motion as if to give Andrew a hug then thought better of it. “Thank you so much for coming to pick us up.”

“Ah, yeah, you didn’t have to do that,” Aaron said in a much more subdued manner; he was dressed in worn jeans and a MUSC long-sleeved t-shirt, while Katelyn wore leggings and a brightly colored PSU sweatshirt. “We could have taken a cab or something.”

“But the hotel room won’t be ready for a few hours,” Abram said while Andrew grabbed the luggage to put into the car’s boot. “I thought that’s why-“

“Ignore him,” Katelyn insisted as she nudged her husband in the side. “He’s grumpy because of the long flight.” She gave Abram a grateful smile while Aaron huffed and went to help his brother with the luggage. “We appreciate everything you’re doing for us.”

“Uhm, it’s nothing, really.” Abram motioned toward the car and fumbled for the door handle so he could open it for her. “Let’s get going.”

“Okay.”

Katelyn smiled as he closed the door once she was inside, yet Aaron gave Abram a displeased look over the hood of the car before he slid inside. Abram frowned over the reaction then shrugged as he returned to his seat up front.

“This your car?” Aaron asked once they drove away from the airport. “Seems a bit too normal for you, a bit proper and all.”

Abram bit into his bottom lip to hold back a chuckle as Andrew revved the 560 horse power engine to easily bypass the traffic as they merged onto the highway. “It’s not bad for a loaner, but I much prefer the Vantage S Roadster or the Maclaren 720S. They’re not meant for four people,” Andrew stated in a bored tone, “unless you want to ride on the roof.” He gave a look at his brother through the rear-view mirror. “That an option?”

His brother was quiet for several seconds before he made a disgusted noise. “Like rubbing it in that you’ve got money now, don’t you?”

“Aaron,” Katelyn protested in a quiet, unhappy voice.

“I wasn’t the one to bring it up,” Andrew pointed out as his hands tightened around the steering wheel.

That seemed to deflate Aaron’s bad attitude as he slumped back in the seat and was quiet for the rest of the drive to the townhouse. After about ten minutes, Abram spoke out in Chinese. “Perhaps we can be assigned to Hungary a little early.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Andrew replied, but there was the slightest bit of humor in his deep voice and his grip relaxed.

It looked as if Aaron wanted to say something when they reached the townhouse, but Katelyn managed to step on his foot before she walked away from the car. “It’s lovely,” she said in a bright manner as they entered the building.

“Ah, thank you.” Abram was a little unnerved by how cheerful she was about everything, despite being used to Nicky’s exuberant nature; why was she with a dour person like Aaron? “Would you like something to drink? Tea or coffee?”

“Tea?” Aaron muttered as he glanced around. “Can he be any more British?” That seemed to be directed at Andrew.

Katelyn’s smile appeared a little strained at the comment, and then Sir came trotting along, probably attracted to the sound of their voices. “Aw, would look at… him?” she asked as she glanced at Abram, who nodded. “Aw, such a pretty boy,” she cooed as she bent down to pet Sir, who began to purr at the attention. “And coffee, if it’s not too much trouble. We’re trying to stay awake until tonight, we heard it’s best for jet-lag.”

Abram made a quick escape to the kitchen and left it to Andrew to show his family around the first floor of the townhouse. He heard Katelyn’s excited voice as the coffee brewed, and the three returned as he poured the hot beverage in four mugs; it didn’t come as a surprise when Andrew headed straight for the cabinet which contained the whisky.

“The place really is lovely,” Katelyn exclaimed as she leaned against the island as she looked around at everything. “I especially like the backyard. We keep talking about getting a townhouse one day, but we’re so busy with work right now that an apartment is easier to maintain.”

“It won’t be anything like this,” Aaron muttered, but he gave Andrew a slight, grateful smile when whisky was added to his mug. “We’re saving up enough money that we’ll get something nice for Charleston.”

“Just another year or two!” Katelyn gave a slight laugh as she leaned against her husband with an arm wrapped around his waist. “And by that point, we should be able to enjoy the new home! You know what they say about residents and long hours.”

Aaron grimaced at that. “I didn’t think anything could make me feel as tired as Day’s obnoxious practices when we reached the semi-finals, but a twenty-hour shift will do it.”

Abram perked up a little at the mention of Exy, at least until his husband gave him a ‘gentle’ kick in the right ankle. “So lots of long days, huh?” he asked as he got up to fetch a tin of biscuits to go along with the coffee, which he made sure to set close to Andrew. “I’m sure you have stories to tell, yes?”

He might not know how to deal with ‘normal’ people like Aaron and Katelyn after being raised by criminals and murderers, but he knew how to get people talking, especially after going to work for Lloyd. Especially after seeing the flashes of envy in Aaron’s eyes (an emotion so unfamiliar in Andrew’s) since picking the couple up from the airport.

It didn’t take much prodding for the two (especially Aaron) to reminisce about stories during their years as interns and residents, about the patients they’d treated while on the long training shifts and their fellow students. For a while it appeared that Aaron tried to disturb them by recounting the most gruesome stories that he could, but gave up when neither Abram nor Andrew were bothered (that and it seemed as if Katelyn did some kicking of her own).

If only Aaron had a clue what his brother had been up to the last few years, but all he’d been told was that Abram’s family was in ‘shipping and trading’ and that the two of them currently worked for the government.

Abram noticed that Andrew avoided looking at Katelyn directly when she talked, his gaze often cast at the mug held behind his hands, and figured that his husband still had some issues in regards to Aaron’s relationship. He also noticed that Aaron focused his attention on his brother rather than look at him, especially once it was clear that Abram wasn’t the ‘squeamish’ sort.

Andrew wasn’t the only one with his issues, it seemed.

Katelyn was in the middle of talking about some child who’d eaten too much raw pizza dough when her phone chimed. “Oh,” she said when she read the message. “We can check in now.”

Andrew stood up while Abram gathered the mugs. “It won’t take long to get to the hotel,” Andrew said as he walked away (probably for a cigarette before the drive into the city), and Aaron excused himself for a moment, which left Abram and Katelyn alone in the kitchen. He went to put the mugs in the dishwasher and was surprised when Katelyn came over with the tin of biscuits.

“Uhm, we really appreciate all of this,” she said in a quiet voice. “I know you don’t have to drive us around or have dinner with us and stuff, that it probably would have been enough for Andrew and Aaron to just meet up for coffee or something.” She gave Abram a wry smile when he held up one of the mugs. “He might not show it, but it means a lot to Aaron that Andrew’s willing to spend so much time with him after everything, and he’s… he’s trying, honest.”

Abram was beginning to see why Aaron had fought his brother so much (according to Nicky) for this woman, with her cheerful disposition, intelligence and obvious love for the man. “Well, he is a Minyard,” Abram said once the dishes were put away. “I know what to expect.”

She giggled a little and nodded. “Yes, and while they’re wonderful men, they’re stubborn as well. Very stubborn.”

“Ah….” Abram made a show of holding up his hands and shaking his head in a clear sign of not wanting to incriminate himself (at least, not when there was a chance of Andrew walking in at any moment).

Katelyn giggled some more and gave him a sympathetic look. “Right, not trying to get you in trouble, but I understand. I can’t always say that we’ve gotten along,” she rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner at that, “but I’m happy that Andrew found someone.”

“Thank you.” Figuring it was best to change the subject before his husband returned, Abram motioned to the young woman’s purse. “So, there’s a couple of dinners we arranged and a friend of ours lined up a tour we think you and Aaron might enjoy, but do you want or need to do any shopping while you’re in town? Anything to take back home?” There’d been times when some friends of Nicky’s had come for a visit and needed souvenirs and the such. “I’ve a good friend who works at Harrods who can be of assistance.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful!” Katelyn beamed at the offer and went on about a shopping list she’d been given by her coworkers and her mother, as well as a couple items she’d hoped to find before she left; both Andrew and Aaron rolled their eyes as she talked while Abram sent a text to Liliya to arrange an afternoon when the two could meet up – maybe even have Nicky join in since he’d probably enjoy the excursion and got along well with Liliya.

Tension seemed to leave Andrew’s shoulders once the couple was dropped off at their hotel, and it was a quiet ride back to the townhouse. Abram made them some spiked tea and tugged Andrew out to sit by the pond, content to be alone with his husband once again. “That wasn’t too bad, was it? Katelyn seems nice.”

For once, he didn’t think the frown directed at the pond had anything to do with Andrew’s ‘dislike’ with the fish. “She’s still annoying as ever,” Andrew proclaimed before drinking his tea.

“Really?” Abram sighed as he leaned against Andrew. “How long are you going to hold this grudge? I mean, it’s just been… what, almost ten years? Something like that?” Couldn’t he just accept the poor woman already?

“Forgiven Ally for Calais yet?” Andrew asked as he stole Abram’s tea, the bastard.

“Never mind,” Abram sighed as he slumped down on the bench. “It’s going to be a few awkward dinners, how wonderful. At least I’m not driving.” He had a feeling that there would be at least a bottle or two of wine consumed at dinner.

“I put up with your insane family all the time, you can put up with Aaron and the cheerleader tramp for a few nights,” Andrew told him in that ‘agree with me or else’ tone that always made Abram want to grit his teeth.

“I don’t mind the cheerleader ‘tramp’, I just have to put up with some weird, twisted copy of you.” Abram scoffed as he thought about Aaron. “Does he really think he’s getting anywhere with those feeble scowls and insults? After I’ve lived with you this long?”

There was a slight twitch to Andrew’s full lips before he finished Abram’s tea. “It is rather amusing to see him try, isn’t it?”

“Prat,” Abram said as he rested his head on Andrew’s shoulder. “Why do I bother with you?”

“Someone has to remind you to feed the damn fish, babe.”

“More like make sure you don’t try to fry them up one day, hon.” Abram hummed in happiness as his husband tugged on a lock of his hair then closed his eyes so he could enjoy Andrew’s presence and the sound of falling water. It was quiet for at least a few minutes before Andrew tugged on his hair again, harder that time. “Ow, what?”

“Come on, it looks like it’s going to rain and I’m not about to have you get soaked then pass out on me during a mission again.”

“One time,” Abram moaned as he stood up. “One fucking time. Are you ever going to let that go, either?” he asked, even though he suspected he knew the answer already.

“No,” Andrew said in a succinct manner as he gave him a slight push toward the townhouse. “Idiot.”

Abram wondered if he could get Katelyn alone during her visit and commiserate over living with a Minyard (former Minyard, in his case, he supposed) for a good hour or two, perhaps see if she had any advice which may come in handy (other than ‘render him unconscious for a bit of peace and quiet’).

*******

[amiiinyard]

Can you go more in with the aaron and wymack. I like aaron’s pov and want to know what happens next

definitely. it was fun to write.

this one got a little... interesting? that’s a good word for it.

as always, hope you enjoy.

- - -

Aaron walks slower to the court than he should have, hoping silently that Wymack would catch up to him and tell him it was all a joke.

He didn’t mean that much to the team, so when Wymack pulled him away, it couldn’t have been real. Maybe he was dreaming.

Always a dreamer, Tilda used to say. Her voice is an echo in his head now as he walks back onto the court. No one moves when he sits down and only Neil looks over. 

So irrelevant.

His eyes are closed when Wymack walks back onto the court. His fists tighten. A fucking joke.

“So,” Wymack starts, and Aaron opens an eye to find Wymack looking at him. He closes it again. “Did Aaron say anything?”

The Foxes shake their heads and Aaron feels his breathing quicken along with his thoughts. His fight or flight has been triggered, but instead he freezes. He barely registers himself leaving when Wymack tells him to. He walks up the stairs, wishing his legs were longer so he could take them two at a time.

Stupid Stupid Stupid Stupid Stupid Stupid

He tries to act like everything is normal. Maybe it is. He was overreacting.

Always with the overreacting, Tilda would say.

Aaron punches a wall. His knuckles split. He doesn’t feel it.

Aaron falls, hands clenched and knees bent awkwardly. What was wrong with him? 

Always a mess, Tilda would say.

Aaron wants her voice gone.

Andrew had said always once. The word always means nothing to him anymore.

“Aaron.... Aaron... Aaron!” He looks up but he can’t see anything. “Alright kid, c’mon. You need a fuckin’ break.”

“Do not,” Aaron slurs as he stands, leaning against Wymack. 

“Yes, you do. Abby is taking you to her house. She’ll take care of you, kid.”

Aaron wants to protest, but he can’t. He tries to protest, but he doesn’t want to, not really. 

Wymack continues to mutter words that Aaron doesn’t understand, or at least he doesn’t right now. He can’t really tell what Wymack is saying, other than the occasion “Aaron” and “Kid.”

Aaron is aware of Wymack talking to Abby. He hears the word “mother” and freezes, eyesight and head clearing. “What did you just say?” he asks loudly before wheezing.

Abby makes a sound of concern before rushing to his side. “David,” she starts, but Aaron doesn’t hear the rest. He leans into her soft touch, liking the way her nails scratch at his scalp. His mother never did that. Maybe if she had, things would be different.

“Take care of him,” Aaron hears Wymack say before he slips into a state between being awake and asleep, between being alive and dead. A state where he isn’t Aaron Minyard, the “normal” one, but Aaron Minyard, the one who struggles a little more than he lets on.

[gluupor]

No Law in Deadwood

inspired by this artwork by the incredibly talented @requiemofkings

“Fuckin’ finally,” said Kevin as they crested the hill and the ramshackle town came into view. “I’ve a hankering to get to town.”

“No surprises there,” replied Neil, adjusting his hat to keep the sun out of his eyes. “I’d a thought you were gonna shoot them poor sumbitches when the whiskey barrel went dry.”

“What in the hell are you insinuating? That I enjoy a fucking drink? I wasn’t aware that was outlawed.”

“Peace, Kevin, fuck. I’d forgotten what a miserable fucking bastard you are when you ain’t had a drink.” Neil shifted in his saddle and stroked his horse’s neck to soothe her as she tossed her head and stomped in place, as impatient as Kevin was to get going. Riding was second nature to him— he never felt more at home than running his horse at a gallop, leaning forward over her neck with her sides heaving as she let loose— but even he was ready for a rest. Days upon days of staying with the impossibly slow wagon train and listening to Kevin’s complaints was enough to make even the most experienced traveller saddle sore.

Neil spurred his horse down the ridge, passing into the town. It was haphazardly put up and quickly growing: tents were surrounded by partially-built structures. The clang of hammers and the buzz of saws filled the air and the smell of sawdust was pervasive, though it couldn’t cover up the scent of horseshit. The main thoroughfare was made up of sucking mud, made worse by the rain of the last three days.

The biggest building had a painted sign that identified it as the Grand Hotel and had an attached stable. Kevin dismounted and tossed his reigns over to the tall, grinning man that came to greet them.

The man did a double take when he saw Kevin and then goggled at him. “Kevin ‘Bullseye’ Day!” he said when he regained the power of speech. “The most accurate shot in the west!”

“Probably in the east, too,” said Neil affably, dismounting his own horse.

“And you must be his sidekick, Quickdraw Josten!”

Neil felt the familiar urge to run that occurred every time someone recognized him. By all rights he should have shed the name Josten long before, it was far too recognized these days thanks to Kevin’s need to be the centre of attention. “God fucking dammit, I ain’t that son of a bitch’s sidekick,” he griped as Kevin snorted a laugh.

“Don’t say nothin’ against my mother, Josten.”

“I’d never disrespect a woman who can outdraw me.”

The stable hand watched their banter with barely repressed glee. “My old lady might give you a run for your money,” he said. He nodded back at the hotel. “We’re the proprietors of this fine establishment. Matt Boyd, at your service.”

“We’d like a room,” said Kevin.

“Two, if you can manage,” added Neil. “We’re mighty worn out lookin’ at each other.”

“For y’all, I can manage,” said Matt.

“There a blacksmith in town?” asked Neil, giving his horse a final pat. “I want to get my horse reshod before we head out again.”

“Minyard has a smithy; I can point you the way.”

“Leave off ‘til tomorrow, Neil,” said Kevin. “Seeing as we’re gonna be here awhile.”

“What brings you to town?” asked Matt. “Prospecting? There’s gold in them hills.”

“This one got a warrant out for him in Cheyenne,” said Kevin, nodding to Neil. “Felt it safest to come to where there were no laws for him to break.”

“It true that there’s no law at all in Deadwood?” asked Neil.

Matt nodded quickly. “On account of it bein’ Indian land and all.” He looked at Kevin curiously. “I thought you were a marshal up in Montana?”

“Until he came to his fucking senses,” said Neil. “No more law man ambitions for him.”

Kevin rolled his eyes. “Tell me, is there anywhere in this goddamn shithole where a man can have a drink in peace? Maybe a game of faro?”

“Can have a drink, a game, and some pussy up at the Gem,” said Matt. “Miss Renee who owns it runs a tight ship.”

Neil raised an eyebrow. “A woman owns it?”

Matt nodded. “She used to be one of the whores workin’ there ‘til she got fed up with the way they were treated. Knifed the last owner and took over running the place.”

“Maybe somewhere less excitin’,” said Kevin. “I only need a drink and a game.”

Matt grinned. “You want the No. 10 saloon owned by Jeremy Knox.” He pointed helpfully.

Kevin tipped his hat and turned to leave. He’d taken several strides before he realized Neil wasn’t following. “You coming?”

“Kevin, you are my very best friend in the entire fucking world,” said Neil, “but if I have to spend another goddamn minute with you I’m liable to shoot you in your fucking face.”

“Don’t sugarcoat it none.”

“If I used fancy fucking words you’d mistake it for a compliment,” said Neil. “Get off. I’ll see you later.”

Kevin pouted, not liking being alone, especially in an unfamiliar place, but Neil couldn’t deal with his deep-seated personality flaws right then. His own issues took precedence; he couldn’t sit and watch Kevin drink and lose at cards, he had to survey the town, find all the escape routes and hiding places and get a look at the people in power.

Once he completed his initial circuit of the town, he headed to the Gem. Based on Matt’s description he guessed that the important players would be found there.

It was late afternoon and most of the local prospectors hadn’t returned from their claims, so the Gem was only sparsely populated. There were around ten patrons, five or six whores, and a bartender. Neil catalogued them all while trying to look like he wasn’t looking at any of them. He took a seat at the end of the bar and kept his head down.

“What’ll it be, honey?” asked the bartender, a slim man who likely had some Mexican in him.

“Water,” said Neil.

The bartender snorted in disdain, but poured him a glass of slightly suspect-looking water. “You new in town? You came to the right place. Name’s Nicky and I know everything.”

“Neil,” he replied. “I know nothin’.”

Nicky’s answering grin was almost predatory. “Want some pussy? All our girls are clean; checked by Doc Wymack and everything.”

“No.”

“You want somethin’ rougher? Wait until my break and I can take you out back.”

“Cocksucker,” growled a nearby man. Neil had characterized him as big and mean; he was gratified to see he was correct.

“You askin’?” said Nicky. “You don’t have the credit to afford me.”

“Fuck off,” said Big And Mean, turning red in rage. “You keep that cocksucking bullshit away from me.” He huffed and started to turn away. “Oughta be illegal.”

“Ain’t no law in Deadwood,” said a new voice. It belonged to the blond man at the far end of the bar.

“Ain’t your business, Minyard,” said Big And Mean.

This must be the blacksmith Matt had mentioned. He didn’t look like much, five foot even at most, but his suspenders helped display the fact that he had the arms of a man who pounded metal for a living. Neil could tell the man was feared, based on the nervous glances that skated over him and the way that everyone in the bar was suddenly minding their own affairs as soon as he started to speak.

“Just sayin’,” said Minyard, knocking the ash off his cigarette. “No law means he can suck cock if the fancy strikes him.”

“Andrew…” said Nicky, a fearful note in his tone.

Big And Mean puffed up and stalked toward Minyard. Neil reclassed him as big, mean, and stupid.

“No law means no one’ll object if I burn the faggot alive, either.”

“I may have to lodge a complaint.”

“And what’ll you do about it?” taunted Big And Mean And Stupid.

Minyard flicked his eyes over the man, looking bored. Then, quick as a rattlesnake he struck, extinguishing his cigarette on the man’s cheek. As he howled in pain, Minyard slashed out with a knife that he must have had hidden in one of his black armbands.

Big And Mean And Stupid fell to the floor, gurgling on the blood pouring out of his gasping throat. Neil watched him die dispassionately. The other patrons pretended not to notice the altercation; one of the whores ran from the room, presumably for her mistress.

“Andrew,” said Nicky, sounding censuring now.

Minyard flipped him a coin. “For the mess,” he said, tucking the knife back into his armband and turning back to his drink.

He had lit another cigarette by the time a tall, blonde, glamourous woman swept down the stairs from the upstairs office.

“Minyard, are you fucking murderin’ people in my place again, you goddamn cocksucker?” she demanded.

“It’s Renee’s place, Reynolds,” said Andrew.

“Same fucking difference. God, you’re an insufferable cunt,” Reynolds said.

Minyard nodded to the coin. “I paid for your trouble.”

Reynolds shook her head and rounded the bar, lifting her skirts to ensure the dead man’s blood wouldn’t stain them. Her eyes narrowed on Neil at the end of the bar. “What are you drinking?” she asked.

“Water.”

She raised a delicate eyebrow. “You want some pussy? Play some faro?”

Neil shook his head.

“Then buy some fucking alcohol or get the hell out of my bar,” she commanded. Turning to Nicky, she continued muttering, “Goddamn fuckers: killing people, not spending any money.” She gave Nicky a piercing glare. “Stop servin’ your bastard cousin if he kills anyone else, you hear me? In the meantime, go fetch the Chinaman and feed the idiot on the floor to his pigs.”

Nicky nodded and left. Neil motioned for a whiskey, not wanting to argue with Reynolds assuming it was an exercise in futility.

Reynolds slammed his glass down in front of him. “And take off your fucking hat. This is a goddamn classy establishment.”

Neil knocked the hat off the back of his head, letting the cord hang it around his neck. When he looked up, he found Minyard’s eyes on him.

“Here to prospect?” Minyard asked.

“No.”

Minyard waited but Neil didn’t expand, sipping his drink slowly and refraining from grimacing at the taste. The smoky flavour reminded him of grievous injuries, gritting his teeth and biting on leather as he was stitched back together.

“Who are you?” Minyard evidently had grown tired of waiting.

“I’m no one.”

“Why are you here?”

“No reason.”

Minyard shook his head. “You’re gonna be trouble, aren’t ya?”

“No, sir,” said Neil, trying to sound innocent. “I’ve never made trouble in my life.”

“I don’t trust you farther than I can throw this building,” said Minyard, draining the rest of his drink and standing. “But I sure do enjoy the way you lie.” He adjusted his hat on his head. “Got my eye on you, Quickdraw.” Which meant that either Minyard recognized him or that gossip travelled even faster than Neil had been anticipating.

Minyard nodded to Reynolds and strolled out the front door, seemingly without a care.

“Ain’t a good thing to have his attention,” said Reynolds, watching him go.

“Figures,” said Neil. “It’s the kinda fuckin’ luck I’ve got.”

He had a sneaking suspicion that his and Kevin’s idea of laying low in Deadwood to escape from their problems might not be quite as straightforward as they’d initially hoped.

[sirfatcat-mccatterson]

This fandom needs more Neil and Kevin fanboying about each other to the press during their pro years and just being supporting friends

Oh anon u r so fuckin right here u go:

- after graduation Kevin and Neil are on separate teams

- it wasnt guaranteed that they would play together straight away and they still have the national team/Olympics to look forward too

- unfortunately it seems they ended up on teams that were bitter rivals

- and with all the josten/minyard rivalry blowing up theres bound to be some chatter

- kevin gets asked multiple times what he thinks of the drama and which side he falls on

- especially with neil being on the Worst Team Ever(tm)

- they dont understand that kevin and neil have an intense backstory and fucking supported each other so much throughout college

- literally kevin would not be the man he is today without neil

- they push each other to be the best they can be

- (kevin has gotten alot more authentically positive after a couple of years living with Jeremy and jean but that's for another post)

- when the press goes after neil looking for a more exciting response they are sorely disappointed

- Neil's eyes soften slightly and mention how kevin has always been the best striker he knew and he strives to be as good as him one day

- the foxes chat goes wild with some of the headlines after this

- matt sends a photo of the article with the caption "what's better than this, bro's being bro's "

- nicky: "hey kev ur never this nice to me!!! Blatant favoritism!!!!!"

- kevin and neil will never stop lifting each other up bc they know how rough it is when someone tries to wear u down so they can be best

☆send me prompts☆

[thweaty]

“of course i have a lot of pent-up rage you fool i’ve been the same height since i was 12” Andrew and Aaron Minyard???

im screaming i was thinking about how fuckin short they were just the other day... like 5 foot? that author really has never seen another living breathing human being ever huh