#andrew Minyard headcanons

[the-s-exy-squad]

Headcanons:

Andrew Minyard

Andrew’s favorite color is not black. It’s blue/green but he never told anyone and let the assumption grow because in his mind, even that small amount of happiness would be taken if he admitted it.

I think the reason Andrew is so protective of Aaron isn’t just because he is his brother and he couldn’t protect him but also that his definition of brother differs from the normal. He sees it as “Protect. Save. Take care of.” And since he didn’t have any stable and emotionally available role models for those kinds of relationships, he is using what he knows to accomplish those meanings.

^ The deal he made with Aaron was NOT to control him but to ensure he isn’t taken advantage of by friends because his history of abuse. If he doesn’t have friends, he can’t be taken advantage of.

^^ The issue Aaron had with Katelyn stemmed specifically from their mother. Since Aaron was abused by her most of his childhood, he was afraid they’d get into the exact same relationship but romantically and we know how Andrew reacts when he’s afraid.

When Neil becomes team captain, he and Andrew kinda take in the newer classes’ Exy players. Neil is the protective and sometimes unhinged silly father while Andrew is the caring but emotionally unavailable one.

^ I also think one of the younger class’ players would get back to the dorm late and he would be standing right inside the door scaring the shit out of them deadpanning a “where’ve you been?”

^^ He also enforces that all triggers for the team be averted during practice and casual hang outs for everyone. (He threw a sandal at one of them that he pulled directly from his foot during movie night once after someone made a joke that had a “not normal” trigger in it for one of the other team mates)

Andrew is very specific about his ice cream texture. He likes all sweets for the most part but his ice cream has to be a specific texture.

^ He HATES carnival peanuts and orange slices (the candy). The texture is not a vibe and he would rather stab himself SEVERAL times.

He loves sudoko, puzzles, and logic games. His favorite are 3d puzzles that you stack the pieces to make. He had a lot of every puzzle and logic puzzle and how long it took him to beat or do it successfully.

^ Those metal fidget puzzles? He has HUNDREDS.

^^ He gives one to Neil every so often and would watch him try and figure it out. If Neil didn’t get it and asked, he’d explain. If Neil did get it, it was usually within minutes and he’d sit it in front of Andrew with a triumphant cocky grin.

His first mention of anything Drake did to him was actually in a fit of anger when Nicky got really depressed with guilt about thanksgiving.

(If he had a modern phone) His phone passcode is the day Nicky got custody. When he and Neil became dating “but not dating”, he changed it to the day he hit him with an Exy racquet.

^ When asked he’d say “the first time I took Neil’s breath away” and everyone assumed he meant the first time they fucked or something and not question it anymore. Kevin would be the only one to know but he wasn’t gonna mention he remembered that day.

His favorite animal is a deer. He likes how elegant looking does look and feels a sense of connection with him since he technically was one (by temporary last name).

His favorite number is 88. I have no reason. It just is.

He does art sometimes because Bee suggested an outlet and since he has eidetic memory, he’s able to draw pretty realistic things.

^ He keeps these locked in a desk. Nobody knows even Neil. (Who one day accidentally stumbles upon a loose drawing Andrew forgot to put up of a bird- drawn because he was stressed and wanted to leave. When he asked Andrew who drew it for him, he said he did. Neil has a new binder that is full of drawings Andrew did.)

Andrew gets a Medusa tattoo on either his shoulder blade or forearm. He’s grateful the artist didn’t ask him if he knew the meaning and left a large tip for just that with no explanation. Explanation for the tattoo, not needed.

^ He’d keep it simple and put Medusa’s head (or a graphic of it) inside a circle or some other shape because he likes to signify it’s a part of him but it’s encased in the past and he can’t change it.

He thinks about the stupid shit he laughed at and/or said while medicated and cringe sometimes. (“bee being bee”)

He is actually good at debates. Especially if he does his research on it first and will tear apart anyone he debates ANYTHING with.

^ The DEFINITION of “if I talk long enough, I can make anything right or wrong”

He doesn’t associate with Christianity or Christians but he does grow a sense of spirituality after college. He thinks that nature and sacrifice is worth appreciating and honor and although he doesn’t have a set religion or practices, he goes out for walks in the woods often and sits there sometimes to just thank nature for remaining pure and I corrupt like humanity.

^ (-kinda) After college, he starts meditating. Not like an internal analysis thing but he’d imagine his breathing being the world around him and he’d use this to relax and be calm for a while and to escape his life.

He isn’t one of Bee’s clients after college, but they still have calls where Andrew can use her as a therapist if he needs. If not, it’s just a catch up call on life.

He gets better but not in a “I don’t deal with that anymore” way but a “I deal with that every second of every day and I am this close 🤏 to stabbing everyone in the room so I am leaving (and going to mediate or stab a brick if Neil doesn’t give me something to focus on).” (He learns what tells his body gives him and what he needs to do to fix the issue based on the level of those tells.)

He had a journal that is locked in a locked box in a safe (with Neil’s art binder ) and he uses this to right down things he notices when he’s trying to figure out someone’s motives or way of thinking and has EXCEPTIONAL pattern recognition so he’d get it done pretty quick.

He gets a psychiatrist service animal.

^ He gets a dog because he decided that Sir and King are emotional support animals not his service animals because they are older and would be harder to train. He also wanted to differentiate between his psa and animals that benefit both him and Neil.

^^ His psa is trained for panic attacks, dissociating, anger management, and other things. His psa will help Neil out sometimes as well but knows his job is to take care of Andrew because Neil HAS Andrew.

^^^ Andrew got the psa because he doesn’t want to burden Neil with EVERYTHING. Or become co-dependent.

^^^^ He gets a stereotypically “aggressive breed” of dog for a psa. (Pit Bull, Boxers, etc)

I have so many more. Someone please send help. I need just one (ONE! - 1 singular day without thinking of this man)

[allfor-thegames]

andrew's first pro game in the city aaron lives. he doesn't send tickets or ask aaron to come and he doesn't even tell aaron his team is coming to town. if aaron wants to come he will. andrew can't make him do anything.

between quarters, the jumbo tron is showing a "look-a-like" game on the screen where the camera operators find people in the crowd who look like different celebrities or animated characters. andrew's not paying any attention to it when the crowd goes wild. a teammate nudges him to look up and lo and behold, wearing a Minyard jersey is andrew minyard's look-a-like, aaron minyard himself.

he rolls his eyes when the camera focuses back on him for the side-by-side shot and but aaron can see that andrew is actually very pleased.

[0bnoxious0range]

Neil strikes me as the kind of person that just like doesn’t blush. Like yeah sure he may get embarrassed a little at the Foxes’ dropped jaws when yet another pop culture reference flys over his head, but he’s so desensitized to things most people can’t fathom that I feel like he would never get flustered enough for his skin to flush.

But. Maybe it does happen sometimes.

Like when Neil complains that he feels like his feet are gonna fall off after night practice and Andrew just. picks him up. Bridal style with a deadpan face and bored eyes like he picks Neil up all the time. And Neil’s face goes red in seconds because he’s never been picked up and it was Andrew doing the picking up.

Or when Andrew shampoos his hair in the shower and takes great care not to get any shampoo in his eyes and Neil pinks at the sweetness that Andrew will deny later.

Or when Andrew insists on Neil actually using the curling gel Allison got him because his frizzy curls extend “a mile off his head”. Neil blushes when Andrew comes into the bathroom with him (cause he knows fuck all about taking care of his hair) and stares while he applies fumbles with the gel.

TLDR, I like the idea that Andrew is the only one that can truly fluster Neil and Neil is the only one who can fluster turn Andrew’s ears slightly red in turn.

[feelingthedisaster]

little hc that andrew knows the exy regulations book word by word (yk, edeitic memory) but pretends to not know the rules until one day kevin says something that is slightly incorrect, a miniscule error no one else would recognize, so andrew goes "well, actually..." and qoutes the rule, just to make him mad

[floretissogay]

neil and andrew rly are THAT couple that are constantly matching but not because they're trying to be cute– neil just never buys himself anything so andrew starts getting two of everything he buys

[walkingcorpse03]

i fell to my knees in kmart

[trashypotpiebitchybitch]

Come with me down this rabbit hole if you will. The moment we the readers find out about how much Andrew cares is the moment he says "I hate you". Because of this one "throw away" line in the first book "I don't care about exy enough to hate it".

I personally think this is the exact moment HE relieved he was in love with Neil. Because he realized he does care, he cares so much it hurts. And he hates that, he hates his feelings, he hates the fact that Neil makes him feel- makes him care.

And so he hates Neil, because he loves him, because he wants him. Because he cares for him.

[currently-evil]

Andreil in Nutshell

Not included: rest of the foxes sideeyeing them nervously

[hauntingsunshine14]

so, another thing about collegiate teams is that they usually have an alumni game.

now the foxes don't have any alumni by the end of the books, but they will eventually.

now this might be different for a sport like exy (I played lax which really dosent have a large professional league, but the big d1 schools i think still do this too) but yk what it usually happens during pre-season anyways and its always a ton of fun.

Because what happens is that it's usually a game of alumni vs current players. and that is hilarious.

(Dan gets back on the court and gets to win against her current players)

(the current players are just like 'this is so unfair' and 'what the fuck do you mean I have to guard kevin motherfucking day' or ' how the fuck am I supposed to score? minyard is in goal???')

Neil has the time of his life btw - because an alumni game is also a chance for everyone to play on the foxes' court again, a chance to come home!

[photosynthesislover]

When Neil goes pro he ends up in Jean's team and they're roommates. The first day Jean text Andrew "package received" with a picture of Neil in their apartment and Andrew answers "take care of him". Neil still misses Andrew, his last year of college was hell but now Jean's with him and he's feeling a bit better.

[qixjone]

andrew: would you kill yourself for me?

neil, about to thank andrew for the keys, the trust, the honesty, and the kisses: you have no idea bro

[aaxxisses]

neil: andrew, we need to get married.

andrew:

andrew: what?

neil: i want the fbi to have a heart attack, because i'm going to change my last name again.

andrew: shit.

[allfor-thegames]

andriel headcanons

• andrew really pushes neil to enforce his own boundaries. sometimes neil is too wound up to be touched and the second andrew senses it, he makes neil say it aloud. "tell me to let go. enforce it. you know i'll respect it, this should be easy. tell me to back off."

• they try to raise plants. they fail miserably.

• the cats favor neil over andrew, which andrew doesn't necessarily mind.

• but when other players on their team bring their kids to practices or team events, all the kids love andrew and neil's a little jealous (even though he has no idea how to interact with kids).

• andrew has horrible seasonal allergies and neil doesn't.

• neil kicks all the blankets off in the middle of the night and andrew hoards them. they wake up in the mornings with the blanket on only one side of the bed and they never fix it.

• the first night andrew falls asleep facing the wall, neil doesn't say anything about it. but he falls asleep smiling.

• their relationship with aaron and katelyn is pleasant, and gets better with time, but the only thing that andrew and katelyn absolutely agree on is their disdain about neil using a 3-in-one shampoo/conditioner/body wash.

[lemonboyjosten]

it was incredibly poetic of nora to begin andreil’s storyline with andrew hitting neil with a racquet and ending it with andrew protecting neil from being hit with a racquet.

[feelingthedisaster]

i'd like to think that if andreil ever had to lie to the cops about the others whereabouts, their alibies will match without planning it or giving it second thoughts. they just know eachother like that

[walkingcorpse03]

my favorite thing is neil judging andrew so immensely hard at first for being weird when he’s literally neil josten