#exy confessions

[exyconfessions]

If Andrew Minyard has a million fans, then I am one of them. If Andrew Minyard has ten fans, then I am one of them. If Andrew Minyard has only one fan then that is Neil Josten.

.

[sirius-duck17]

When I first read All For The Game, I thought Exy was played on ice for the first two and a half books. I don't know how I came to this conclusion.

(I also thought Baltimore was in Spain.)

Do you have any embarrassing confessions like this about AFTG? I won't judge you.

[kevinsdsy]

i LOVEEEE your socmed aus they keep me going i NEEDD to see jeremy beefing with shawn over jean and/or a confession (whether directly to jean or to cat/laila/whoever about his Jean Feelings)

i hear you loud and clear 🫡 honestly when i started doing these i just thought i’d do a few silly lil parts with some texts and tweets and that’s it.

not indulging too much in the characteristics of other teammates. no sudden established relationships (except for tony & nabil). no extra headcanons. no shawn anderson. no plot, basically. nothing that could truly be proven incorrect when tsc2 would come out.

but then i got carried away and we’re like 25 parts further down the line and suddenly we’re talking about doing a summer olympics era of the socmed au too LIKE ‼️

so the upcoming weeks i’m going to try and indulge in jerejean more :)) and then because summer olympics au is still set in france who knows what’ll happen then 👀

[foxgloveinspace]

FOX!! hi!!!! i’m really excited again!!

i got asked out on my first ever date today 🥰

it’s not fully planned yet, we still have to pick a day but omg! someone wants to go out with me?! i can’t believe it, and i’m very happy to finally be branching out a bit. i’ve been getting a bit lonely, watching some of my friends go on dates and have relationships

and i’m finally almost done school so i feel like i have the emotional availability to actually start seeing someone

it’s just exciting because this is a really big step and i feel like i’m finally growing up and looking at the future. and it might be nice to have a partner and be able to shut up all my family with their “we’ve lost hope for exie and their cousin finding husbands” shit lol. it’s honestly not that serious but it does bug me a bit. because it’s not like for a lack of trying or anything. and now maybe they’ll see that i’m not going to be a spinster lol

Yay! Thats really cool Exie, I'm super happy for you!

[dark-side-blog3]

What would your yanderes use to lure you into a trap?

Let's say your yanderes set up a cardboard box propped up by a stick, or maybe one of those fancy table ontop of a suspicious carpet that maaaaay or not be right over a pitfall trap.

I'll go first:

[tbartss]

Underrated moments in AFTG upon reread:

- Allison calling Kevin’s tattoo a tramp stamp

- Seth laughing his ass off upon hearing Riko was on the Kathy Ferdinand show

- Nicky suggesting Allison and Kevin hook up and they both react with intense disgust

- Aaron shrugging to Neil coming back absolutely battered from Evermore

- Kevin wanting to ask what Neil and Andrew talked about at Eden’s twilight after Andrew confessed to Neil, then seeing Neil’s face and being like “you know what? Not my business.”

- Dan, Allison and Renee basically fake dating platonically their first year to defy the sexist guys on their team

- Neil finding math interesting

- Kevin giving Neil the most scathing elevator look that Neil feels shame about his wardrobe for the first and only time

- Dan punching a Raven in the dick after they made a sexual comment about her past

- Matt’s mother being so grateful to Andrew for getting Matt clean that she pays Aaron’s bail

- Nicky calling Kevin a brat

- Wymack making Dan the first female captain despite the rampant misogyny in Exy

- Andrew stroking Neil’s back after Neil stood up for Kevin at Kathy’s Interview

- Wymack and Matt being the original Andreil shippers

- Neil giving Kevin his binder before going to Evermore like HELLO???? That was some INSANE trust

[kairospy]

BYTHE WAY

In this AU Kevin went to Millport, only too late. Neil had already been arrested and taken into government custody.

Imagine when Andrew comes back to the dorm and goes “hey remember that guy we travelled to bumfuck nowhere for? He’s an internationally wanted criminal and gave a speech today in my crim class.”

AU:

Neil doesn’t meet the foxes, he’s instead caught by the FBI

He helps them catch his father and bring down his empire.

One day he’s brought in to Andrew’s lecture as a guest speaker

The Q&A at the end:

Student: Have you ever killed someone?

Neil: There’s two FBI agents at the door who advised me against answering that specific question. There’s your answer.

Student: What’s the best way to get fake documents?

Neil: I’m legally required to say “don’t”.

Student: What’s the most illegal thing you’ve ever done?

Neil: See, that’s a trick question, because if I answer it becomes the most illegal thing I’ve admitted to.

Student: What’s the hardest lie youve ever had to tell?

Neil: “Sure, I’d love to do a Q&A with a bunch of people who are weirdly obsessed with my father and decided to study crimes because they don’t have the balls to commit them.”

Student: Are you afraid your father’s people will come after you?

Neil *at the end of his fucking rope*: No, I feel completely safe. That’s why I’ve got armed federal agents waiting outside.

Student: How’d you get caught?

Neil: First of all, rude. Second, the FBI made a very compelling argument

Student: …which one

Neil: “cooperate or find out exactly how many laws you’ve broken” - said by a guy holding a very thick file. Direct. Effective. Hard to argue while zip-tied to a chair.

Student: What’s something you miss about your old life?

Neil: being able to leave a room without seven cops and a judge asking where I’m going.

Student: If you could do it all over again, would you?

Neil: I’d rather set myself on fire. I know you don’t understand that reference, but trust me when I say it’s funny.

Student: how many identities have you had?

Neil: Simultaneously or in total?

Student: …total?

Neil: enough that I had to check my ID before answering roll call

Student: what’s the worst crime you’ve ever committed?

Neil: do you want me to answer this as Neil Josten or Nathaniel Wesninski? The distinction matters.

Student: Have you ever made someone disappear?

Neil *looking over his shoulder at Browning*: goodness gracious no

Student: How many languages do you speak?

Neil: enough to talk my way out of things… mostly into them, though

Student: Why did you agree to talk to us?

Neil: it was this or community service

He’s as unhelpful as possible.

His entire goal is to waste everyone’s time while making it just interesting enough that no one can call him out on it.

And Andrew? He’s watching. He’s enthralled. He’s interested, and isn’t that odd.

The professor looks like she regrets her entire career. Half the class is too stunned to speak. Browning is wondering if the punishment for beating up the most valuable witness the FBI has in custody would be worth it. (It would)

Anyway long story short. 5 minutes in Andrew’s in love

[allfortheslay25]

Bestie, your brain 👌👌👌 i love all of your aftg au's, mermaid and omegaverse especially. Any headcanons or other things you wish people would ask but haven't/generally be willing to share? Hope you're doing well 💜

Another au from the secret stash!

All for the Cult

I hid this one cuz I’m afraid it’d be controversial and up until this week, I hadn’t even shared it with my sister

I actually am writing a fic for it but the fic will not be published until it is completed. I don’t want to risk leaving it in the public on a hiatus so it’s safe with me until I can finish all the chapters

Basically instead of exy as the base of AFTG, it’s bastardized religion. Exy technically exists but instead of Tetsuji continuing Kayleigh and his pet project, he turns to forming a cult. Exy ends up being a dying sport no one really cares about unless it’s Kevin Day who still plays on the side of his true passion, communing with God.

Neil was a human sacrifice raised for slaughter until his mom took him and ran. Homeless and with no way out, Neil joins Wymack’s staff at his wayward home/church where junkies and sob stories go for their last second chance. No one actually has to pray to god or believe in the Bible’s teachings to work there as it is not a standard church and more like a theater than anything

The more kids Wymack recruits, the longer he gets to keep his church and program at the school

(Also side note but I was doing the comic of andreil but forgot my house looks like a Catholic Church threw up in it so I got awkward and couldn’t finish it)(oh and my sister renamed it all for the debauchery cuz she got to read the altar scene lol)

Key points and fun facts of this au:

- the Ravens are a cult cult instead of a sports cult

- Riko is obsessed with his holy trinity (perfect court)

- The Moriyamas are still a crime unit but Nathan is sort of a satanist on the side (Would like to say mass majority of satanists are not evil or bad, Nathan just is)

- Neil was born as a sacrifice. Mary took him and ran tho before the ritual

- The Foxes are ppl from broken pasts who work at Wymack’s church for scholarship/community service.

- Wymack’s church isn’t a standard catholic kind. He has his own unique spin on it so even those who aren’t religious can still work there. Campus students attend the services to watch the plays, hear the readings, listen to the choir, and some even use the confession box. Some even go to donate as the Foxes are connected to a bunch of charities

- Andrew is not a real priest. The cousins were apprentices for Luther for a couple years to get him off their backs. Because of his experience and eidetic memory, Wymack has Andrew do scripture readings and other tasks. In return, Andrew gets to be off the meds the entire time of mass

- the Foxes attend classes and work shifts at the church in their free time. If they flunk classes or skip church, their scholarship is revoked

- all of the Foxes live in the upstairs rooms above the church

- When Andrew first met Luther, Luther promised to take care of the Cass situation as long as Andrew gave God a try. Andrew only agreed to read the Bible and took Nicky’s since the Hemmicks were worried he’d vandalize a new one. Andrew thought it was a good read but mostly was humored by all of Nicky’s annotations

- Andrew doesn’t care about religion enough to hate it so he’s fine chilling around and hearing the preaching

- When Neil goes to the nest, he agrees to spend those weeks in Riko’s church where he’s ofc tortured. Riko no longer has the desire to sacrifice Neil as long as Neil joins his cult

- Renee holds a Bible study on Sunday evenings and Saturdays so weekends are Andrews days off

- Lots of their readings are done performatively with music, spoken word poetry, or with their own unique spins/translations of the text. (Every mass always starts with a disclaimer that what is being said/shown is their interpretation and not to be taken as the honest god given truth)

- whenever they raise enough money or supplies, the foxes celebrate by getting wasted; Wymack’s treat

- Betsy is still there for mandatory therapy sessions since the point of the scholarship is to rehabilitate troubled youth

- Abby is Wymack’s assistant but she also is a part time nurse

[perfectlyoongi]

SECOND-CHANCE!NAMJOON who asked the stars every night for them to guide you back to him.

SECOND-CHANCE!NAMJOON who was amazed to see you at his door on a saturday morning. you had rang the doorbell without any hope or desire — to tell the truth, you didn’t even know why you were there, why you rang the doorbell, why you waited for Namjoon. but when he opened the door, when you saw Namjoon for the first time after your breakup, you realized — your heart called out for Namjoon. but would that really be the reason? or would you have gone to his house to deliver the shirts you stole from him ages ago? would you have gone to Namjoon’s house just to say goodbye one more time? no, that didn’t make sense, it couldn’t be. Namjoon knew you, he knew you wouldn’t go that far for a second goodbye. so what were you doing there? wait… don’t you say th—

SECOND-CHANCE!NAMJOON who listened to you without uttering a single sound. your every word traveled to Namjoon’s heart, where they basked in a bed of eternal waiting. your every feeling was patiently listened to by Namjoon and weighed on a cosmic scale of opportunities. your every confession was met with pure hope and happiness, as if a new door had been opened for Namjoon’s love. you were in front of him, telling him how much you missed him and how much you needed him. you weren’t looking at Namjoon, but you were there, in front of him, saying how empty your life had become from the moment you separated. that saturday morning, you were there, in front of Namjoon, telling him how wrong it was that you ended your relationship — and Namjoon just listened to you.

SECOND-CHANCE!NAMJOON who waited for you to finish talking to kiss you. when you finished your rehearsed speech, there was a pause. for the first time since you arrived, you were looking at Namjoon waiting for an answer, a reaction, something that would tell you if it was a good idea for you to go see Namjoon. but Namjoon didn’t speak — Namjoon didn’t need to speak. as if begging for air, Namjoon kissed you for the first time in forever. as if searching for the reason for his existence, Namjoon kissed you once again as he had done so many times before. as if giving in to his fate, Namjoon kissed you. “i’ve waited forever for this moment. and i would wait however many eternities it would take to hold you in my arms again.”

SECOND-CHANCE!NAMJOON who asks you two, three times if you’re sure you want to start over. he wanted it, a lot, but Namjoon also wanted you to be happy — and if your happiness came at the cost of his, he wouldn’t mind offering you his happiness on a golden platter. so Namjoon wanted to be sure. would you be ready to start over? should you start over? with each question Namjoon asked, more certainties grew within you. yes, you never forgot Namjoon. yes, you always loved Namjoon. yes, you wanted to date Namjoon again. yes, it was Namjoon. it was always Namjoon like it was always you. and with your certainty and with all of Namjoon’s certainty, it happened. “knowing that your happiness still depends on me makes me feel so good. i know it’s selfish to feel this way, but i was so afraid that you would have found someone else who would make you happy.”

SECOND-CHANCE!NAMJOON who is finally happy. simply that. your return to Namjoon’s life brought pure happiness. that raw, heavy feeling that ran through your entire body and made you move and live; that pure and delicate feeling, which made you see the world in different colors; that feeling he had lost the day he lost you was back. just like you. how was it possible for Namjoon to not just be happy? “my god how i love you. how i missed you so much. how i love you. yes, again. because i always love you.”

SECOND-CHANCE!NAMJOON who promised to give you the entire universe as proof of his eternal love. like an exploding star and a nebula painting the vast nothingness of our universe, Namjoon wanted to shout to the whole world that you were back. Namjoon wanted to make sure your existence was marked in the universe. with your love, Namjoon would build constellations that would forever tell your story. with his love, Namjoon would build a world where the god was only you. pure veneration and devotion was what you deserved. and he insisted on giving you everything, the whole world, the whole universe — everything to make you happy. “and when the day comes when i have to leave, look for me in every creation in the universe, because i am there creating a new galaxy just for you.”

[ninyard]

All this talk of Exy irl sport parallels. I must confess I read the whole trilogy while picturing them on rollerblades the whole entire time

it’s a right of passage to imagine exy entirely wrong tbh. there’s a whole collective that thought it was on ice skates, or on grass.

[exyconfessions]

I’m kinda friends with some of the vixens and I heard them complain that neil josten is an asshole for rudely turning one of them down and this seems to be kind of a Thing? several people have mentioned to me that Neil will turn them down very rudely or will just leave without answering

honestly, respect, it’s kind of fucking hilarious. I actually saw it happen at the library cafe yesterday and the poor barista asked for his number and he said, “you don’t need my number for my coffee, I’ll be waiting here like everyone else” and dropped a $10 bill on the counter and left to wait for his drink without another word. poor girl was too stunned to say anything else

.

[parasocialqueen]

betsy dobson the woman that you are.

the way in tkm she says to Neil (after he barely comes back in one piece from spending xmas in the nest) “I confess I don’t understand much about sports,”

Vs in tsc when she’s saying something obviously incorrect about exy to get jean to talk (after he was on his deathbed)

Bee I love u bee

[minnnoru]

Do you still accept requests? If yes more Jerejean pls 🧎🏻‍♀️

Jeremy Knox does not, in fact, have daddy issues.

At least, that’s what he tells himself every time someone brings up their totally normal and still-present fathers. He’s totally fine. His dad leaving one fateful Tuesday afternoon with the immortal words, "Just running to the store for milk. Be back soon, champ," does not affect him. At all.

Not even when the almost-empty carton in the fridge went bad. Not even when it curdled. Not even when it fossilized.

Totally fine.

And he’d managed to keep it that way for a solid twenty-one years. That is, until Jean Moreau, cynicism incarnate, opens his sharp, French mouth and ruins everything.

It starts like this:

Jeremy, sweet, sunny, ever-happy Jeremy, is at a post-game Exy celebration, halfway into a beer and fully invested in telling the team about a completely harmless childhood anecdote.

“So anyway, my dad went out for milk when I was eight and never came back—”

Silence.

Absolute, deafening silence.

Cody looks horrified. Derrick's beer pauses mid-air. Laila stares like he’s just confessed to murder.

And then—Jean Moreau, traitor, ruiner of moods, destroyer of good times, frowns and leans back in his chair.

“Ah,” he says, like he solved a riddle. “So that is why you are like this.”

Jeremy blinks. “Like what?”

Jean lifts a brow. “Optimistic.”

Cat coughs into her drink.

Jeremy scoffs, offended. “I was already optimistic before my dad left.”

Jean hums, deeply unconvinced. “Yes. I am sure.”

After that, it becomes a thing.

Jean, insufferable in the way only a man who has survived the Ravens and come out even meaner can be, does not let it go.

Every chance he gets, he slips a joke in.

When Jeremy forgets his keys: “Did you learn that from your father? Vanishing unexpectedly?”

When Jeremy holds up an empty milk carton: “Déjà vu, no?”

When the team’s bus breaks down: “Did your father take up bus driving?”

Jeremy, naturally, tries to retaliate.

He might be kind by nature, but he’s still a competitive athlete and he wants to land a comeback or two. The problem is, he’s… not great at it.

When Jean forgets his Exy stick, Jeremy blurts out, “Wow, uh… maybe you, like, inherited that from someone irresponsible? Like… um… Riko?”

Jean raises an eyebrow. “Inherited it from Riko?”

“I mean. Learned it from. Whatever.”

When Jean sighs dramatically at practice, Jeremy shoots back, “Bet you wouldn’t be so dramatic if you’d had, you know. A solid father figure. Probably would’ve turned out way more… emotionally stable?”

Cat winces. “Oof.”

When Jean mocks his optimism again, Jeremy mutters, “At least my dad left without giving a whole evil monologue first.”

Jean pauses. “Was that a dig at me or my trauma?”

“…Both?” Jeremy offers, sheepish.

Cody groans into their hands. “Please. I am begging you both. Stop.”

---

It should be infuriating. Should be.

But Jeremy, who has survived worse (like his mother’s attempt at a “healthy” vegan Thanksgiving), finds himself… enjoying it?

Which is insane.

Jean Moreau is not fun. Jean Moreau is not nice. Jean Moreau is about as warm and inviting as a haunted house.

And yet.

There’s something about it. The way Jean doesn’t pity him. The way Jean pushes but never wounds.

Jeremy doesn’t think about it too hard. Because if he thinks about it too hard, he might start thinking about the way Jean looks at him. The way Jean stays close, even when he pretends he isn’t. The way Jean, despite everything, is still here.

And Jeremy doesn’t do complicated.

(Or at least, that’s what he tells himself.)

---

Things come to a head one night when Jean, for once, doesn’t make a joke.

Jeremy notices immediately. Because when you spend months engaging in mutually assured daddy issue warfare, you notice when the battlefield goes quiet.

“What’s with the long face?”

Jean exhales. “Do you ever…” He hesitates. “Do you ever think about it?”

Jeremy, for once, does not joke. He thinks about how often he doesn’t think about it. How he’s spent his whole life not thinking about it.

But Jean isn’t just anyone. Jean is Jean.

So Jeremy shrugs. “Only when I run out of milk.”

Jean huffs, almost a laugh.

---

After that, things shift.

The jokes are still there, but now, sometimes, Jean softens.

A hand on Jeremy’s back when he thinks no one’s looking.

A quiet, “You’re not as alone as you think.”

A night where, against all logic and reason, Jean kisses him first.

Jeremy, breathless, doesn’t pull away. Instead, he grins against Jean’s lips and whispers, “Wow. Bet my dad didn’t see this one coming.”

Jean groans. “I take it back. Leave.”

Jeremy doesn’t. He just grins and pulls Jean back in.

[fyodorsushankaaa]

starting a tag game that we confess the rarepair ships we secretly fw

im starting :3

yosazai, taniatsu, morirotsu, tachitani, kunisano, kuniran, akulucy

(may add more if i remember lol)

no pressure tags

@juusou @fyodorsfavoriteanimewifu @imnotpayingforyourtherapy @lilliablog @willofthewood @exy-mybeloved @kaiserkisser + anyone who wants!!

[foxesscramble]

Advent Calendar: Day Eleven

Christmas Tree - Post Canon - Hackers AU || "You're blushing!"

Andrew x Neil

@allforthegamebingo

----------

A look into Andrew and Neil decorating Christmas Trees through the years…

Year One:

They fight a lot over whether they should have white, yellow, or colorful lights on the tree. Neil honestly kind of wants all of them (he’s never had a Christmas tree before) but Andrew is adamantly against any lights that aren’t the warm yellow ones (he has had a Christmas tree with every form of light you could think of through all of his years in the foster system). 

Finally, Andrew relents and lets Neil have colorful lights. (Neil hates them but pretends he loves them because he cannot admit defeat after Andrew spent so long telling him they were the worst ones.)

They rope the rest of the foxes into decorating the tree with them and it’s a little lopsided and definitely clustered with too many ornaments. The ornaments and colored lights clash terribly but it makes Neil almost giddily happy every time he sees it in their living room.

Year Two:

Neil decides to go with warm lights that year since he knows they’re Andrew’s favorite. The ornaments are mostly the same vibe, but there are a few that Nicky dug up that were from the twins' childhood. (Andrew thought that they were lost through the years, but apparently, they had been put in a box that Aaron’s mom had been given when she collected him.) 

Wymack buys them a whole bunch of gag ornaments but Neil takes more care of them than he would ever admit. Bee gets them ornaments as well but they’re gorgeous, glass ones with delicate designs. Andrew had a minor breakdown over them one night and confessed through tears that no one had ever cared enough about him to get him a gift that he really wanted. (He had told Bee in an appointment that he thought that the nicely painted glass ornaments were the best ones and she had hummed and moved on. He didn’t think she would remember. She had.)

Christmas was a weird and endlessly triggering time for them but through the years they tried their best to replace the memories with happy ones and they had plenty of family to help them along the way.

Year Five:

There were a lot of kids that year. Katelyn and Aaron had twins who had turned one the month prior. Dan and Matt had a three year old. Kevin had a four and a half year old. Nicky and Erik had adopted a six year old together. Renee had adopted a five month old and was currently rocking the single mom life. (Allison had moved in to help her and Neil may be oblivious to it but Andrew had told him something was going on there and Neil believed him wholeheartedly.) 

The fragile ornaments had to be moved up that year so that none of the kids could knock them off the tree. (Neil trusted his cats not to knock them off but he wouldn’t risk the kids breaking Bee’s ornaments.)

After the kids had hung up some of the stuffed and plastic ornaments, they baked cookies and let the kids decorate them with different colored frosting. Neil, Katelyn, Aaron, Dan, and Allison were on kid duty while Andrew, Renee, Matt, Nicky, and Kevin were on clean-up duty. They all settled in and let the kids pick what Christmas movie they would watch that night. (This became a tradition, the first movie they picked was the Polar Express then the next year it was Frosty and when the kids got a little older it turned into Elf and then the Grinch. The Nightmare Before Christmas seemed to terrify half of the kids so they put that one off until everyone was over the age of 11.)

Year Eight:

They’re almost not together that year to decorate because Neil’s exy games didn’t line up as well with Andrew’s that season. Andrew and Bee put the tree together that year (yes they bought a fake one, Neil’s allergic to true pine) and waited for Neil to get home before decorating together. Neil thanked them continuously for including him and apologized again and again for not being there. 

It was a nice and needed bonding moment for Andrew and Bee. Andrew still talked to her about issues he had every now and again but it was more motherly advice than therapist advice that he got nowadays.

Christmas was at Dan and Matt’s that year so they packed their stockings (Allison and Renee had gifted everyone with new ones that had their names embroidered on them one year as a present) and their cats and made their way to the Boyd’s. 

The children were beyond excited at their arrival. (All of the kids adored Uncle Andrew which was a shock to everyone but Neil and Aaron, both of whom have felt the need to have Andrew’s approval.)

The kids watched Barbie and A Christmas Carol that year which Dan and Allison thought was wonderfully reminiscent of their own favorite Christmas movie. (Kevin couldn’t help the fondness he felt when he watched the wondrous look in Amalia’s eyes as she watched the movie. They go home after Christmas and spend a week watching all of the classic Barbie movies. Amalia’s favorite is the Diamond Castle and Kevin’s is the Three Musketeers.)

_______

Christmas was a time that brought all of the foxes together. The kids got to see their cousins and aunts/uncles. They got to see their grandparents (Coach, Abby, and Bee). Christmas rotated houses every year and the kids got to pick a movie every year. (As the kids got older and unable to agree on a movie they would all put a movie into a hat and Andrew would pick a paper from the hat and that’s what they would watch.) Through the years, the traditions grew and morphed and they enjoyed the time they spent together. It was a time of happiness and gratitude for their (not so little anymore) family. The horrors of the past faded into scars and the content feeling in the present and hopefulness for the future settled into their souls warmly.

[onehundredfoxess]

12 / prison break / 312 words

@taylorswiftmicrofic

“We’re not staying in here,” Andrew said with a scowl, walking to the cell door and glancing down the hallway at the roaming police officers.

Neil choked back a laugh. “You’re not really planning to stage a prison break, are you? We’re only here for one night.”

Andrew rolled his eyes. “This is fucking county jail.”

“Fine, jail break. It’s still only one night.”

“I hate you.”

Neil hummed, forcing back one of those smiles that seemed to surface every time Andrew said those words — the words that Neil knew to be untrue, a cover for whatever feelings were really bubbling there under the surface.

If Andrew hated him, Neil was sure that he wouldn’t have started the bar fight that landed them both in that very cell.

“That guy wasn’t even hitting on me,” Neil argued again. “You didn’t have to punch him.”

“You’re obtuse,” Andrew said plainly. “You wouldn’t know flirting if it hit you in the face with an exy racquet.”

“You have hit me in the face with an exy racquet .”

“You were an idiot then too,” Andrew said, but the corner of his lip tipped up, like he was holding onto the memory of the disastrous practice, bringing it to the surface for Neil to remember too.

To remember the way Andrew took care of Neil after it had happened; Andrew changing the ice packs on his head and refreshing the bandages where the skin had broken.

“That was your way of flirting with me?” Neil asked, though hindsight had already told him the truth of that weeks ago. There was something established between them now, even without labels or vulnerable confessions.

Andrew scowled at Neil. “Shut up and help me find something to pick this lock with.”

Neil didn’t bother to hide his grin at Andrew’s deflection, before standing up and helping him to scour the jail cell for lock picks.