#seth has kevin on his lap ONE time

[lucky-slice]

I'm obsessed with Kevin for far too many reasons to reasonably count, but also because he's like crack cocaine for any and all character interactions in aftg.

Like if you really wanna get down and dirty into a characters psyche, just throw them into a jar with Kevin Day and shake it up a bit.

[star-bursts-industries]

Brian currently consumed by SMAU thoughts. There’s so much potential.

Andrew and Neil are NEVER online. They have accounts because they have too, but there’s only like….5 photos on their pages combined. And it’s like press photos. They post like Harry Styles ok. Once in a blue moon and you have no idea if it’s them or the press team (it’s definitely the press team).

Allison is purposely chaotic, the ultimate f you to her family. She stirs shit up just because she can.

Dan and Renee are properly trained little media girlies. Pretty photos and pretty tame, Dan sometimes gets out of hand if provoked but it’s never anything to crazy.

Seth is banned from having access to his accounts like once a month for posting offensive shit simply because he doesn’t know how NOT to be an asshole.

Matt is a FUCKING comedian. He also professionally shit posts. Movie critics, exy stats and ultimate professional trash talk.

Kevin is basically a professional exy account, the only thing on his account is exy and he’s like the least controversial because all he does is talk about exy. Sometimes he gets a little harsh with his criticism.

Nicky is one of those accounts everyone sees but no one really follows you know? He’s funny but in a wtf way? Bro is all jokes, thats IT. He also faces near monthly expulsion from his accounts but for inappropriate behavior in the public sphere.

Aaron funnily enough has the most followers out of all of them, even Kevin. Aaron’s account is basically faceless and he just posts candid shots of his life. Like look at my ice coffee, watch me study, here’s a time laps of me cleaning my dorm. Aaron is followed by a lot of people even people who don’t care about exy for the soul purpose of he somehow became one of those accounts that just gives people motivation. Funnily enough he did it by complete accident, he started posting photos for the soul purpose of keeping in touch with the friends he wasn’t supposed to have because Andrew. It exploded without him meaning too.

Even funnier? The other foxes have NO IDEA. Aarons internet handle is something dumb and not at all related to his name. So they all think Aaron is using the fact he’s the least problematic child to get out of media duty, and since Aaron doesn’t post his face online they don’t realize those photos that always go viral across the PSU campus are Aaron.

Wymack knows. Wymack has decided this is INFACT above his pay grade ( he also thinks its both funny and good for Aaron, since Aaron is usually the fox that gets looked over)

Aaron doesn’t pay that much attention to the numbers his posts make either. Bro really just likes pulling one on the other foxes.

Also study with me posts help keep him accountable for how he spends his own time.

[jtl-fics]

In honor of April Fools day I will talk a bit about an AU with my favorite fool - (Redacted) Smith that I will probably never write fully but have thought about a bunch of scenes for.

I call it 2 Fluent Freshmen.

Due to a clerical error at both the school and during the local government's push to digitize their documents Smith is noted down as being 2 years older than he actually is and (perhaps a clerical error or maybe no teacher can say if they've had him in class or not) Smith also has enough credits to graduate. Gran has passed away early and there's nothing for him in Washington other than more anxiety.

Wymack & Dan come to Smith when he is 16 and Smith takes the chance to escape from his family IMMEDIATELY. Sure the Foxes are the worst team and sure there's some drama going on with Kevin Day having joined them after his injury but a full ride scholarship is a full ride scholarship!

Smith is rooming with 2 upperclassmen and his only other fellow freshman - Neil Josten. He is not hiding the fact that he can speak Russian, he is hiding the fact that he is 16. Smith ends up pretty close to Seth and Allison due to sharing a dorm / position respectively and just doing his best not to get to close to crazy Andrew Minyard. He does get a bit close with Neil but it's not something he's trying to do.

He's trying to keep his head down and get through the year.

It's a little hard when he is sat on the couch with the Kathy Ferdinand show. It's a lot harder when Riko Moriyama shows up and doesn't realize he's there and just...sits in Smith's lap?? Smith remains as blank faced as ever and what the fuck is Riko supposed to do? ADMIT HE FUCKED UP?

Do you know how hard it is to intimidate someone when you're sitting in the lap of some dude? The answer is VERY. Kevin can't take him seriously at all, especially after Smith made a comment that Riko's ass was bony.

Riko goes after them the same but Smith doesn't really get that his anger is at Kevin. "Hey, I'm sorry I called your butt bony on national television. That was rude of me. You should try some squats though." and like what the fuck is Riko supposed to say in the face of some dude genuinely apologizing to him.

It buys enough time that no one is grabbed or slammed.

Seth and Allison drag him out to the bar that night and after a few minutes sitting with Allison Smith realizes that he actually does have to pee and oh god someone's trying to assault Seth! Smith calls upon the powers of Gracie Hart and Seth has a black eye and a concussion but he graduates.

Neil wants Smith to come with him to the Thanksgiving because Neil has latched on a bit. Smith ends up going and also ends up going upstairs to go to the bathroom because oh god he cannot handle Nicky's parents hearing him take an anxiety shit. He's making his way to the end of the hall and sees a penny on the ground so he bends over to grab it.

And Drake Spears is unbalanced from missing his swing and falls right out the open window to the ground below where he breaks his neck. Naturally, Andrew is watching this scene unfold from the stairs and just starts to laugh his ass off. Smith turns around after flipping the penny over (it was tails side up and therefore not lucky) unaware of what has happened.

Smith asks if Andrew wants to use the bathroom. Andrew insists that Smith goes on ahead. The Hemmicks keep asking if they saw anyone upstairs and Smith has no idea what they're talking about, Andrew does but plays dumb out of spite. A day later it's wild that Nicky's parents got arrested. Like they seemed so normal, how did they kill someone and dump him in the side garden??

The Winter Banquet happens and well...it's dark. It's dark and Neil has brown hair and brown eyes and Smith has brown hair and brown eyes. Riko is not the best at judging heights so he calls Smith to threaten him and tell him that he's joining the Ravens for a Winter Break training camp. Jean is doing the most anyone has ever done not to laugh right now.

Riko only realizes his mistake when he's finished threatening Smith with his father and Smith ruins it. Smith is elated to have somewhere to stay over winter break. He can't mention he has nowhere to go so he'd thought he'd spend the break homeless. Now here comes Riko Moriyama inviting him to a camp where room and board will be provided?

What a nice guy. To thank him Smith compliments the gains he's noticed on Riko's ass. "The squats are really helping you, or are you doing something else?" he asks.

What the fuck is Riko supposed to do? ADMIT THAT HE FUCKED UP? Tell Smith that he's been doing squats and leg lifts before asking that he hand the tickets back and go get Neil???

Fuck that.

He'll just turn Smith against the Foxes and-

Well Riko kept talking about Smith's dead dad and so Smith may have a slight misunderstanding about the full scope of this training camp. He may think that there is some sort of seance element to it at this point and he's kind of excited at the idea of talking to his dad. "I've never spoken to a dead man before, this will be fun." and it's delivered flatly with no expression.

Riko starts to wonder if maybe Smith is the Butcher's son? Did the Butcher have two sons? He's sweating all the sudden.

It does not help that Smith brings a Ouija board to camp or that his dad was a legit Butcher before he died so Riko's tentative questioning only sends him further into an anxious mess about if Nathan had twins and Riko, due to being kept away from the family business, might just not be aware of it?

Smith has a nice Christmas break.

The last scene I've got dinging around in the noggin is in Binghamton. Smith has been left behind at many a stadium at this point. There's a solid and fast rule.

Neil cannot get on the bus without Smith. They are buddies. This is the buddy system. So when the riot starts and Neil seems to be getting pulled away in the crowd?

Well Smith grabs his hand and pulls him towards the bus, "Buddy system."

The bus starts and they're on their way shortly after. Neil's an anxious wreck but that next morning he wakes up to the news that the Butcher of Baltimore died in an FBI raid the night before as well as his men.

Smith watches the news with Neil, "Wow, that's scary." as he sips some orange juice.

[captain-sunshine-11]

more kevseth hcs. you cant stop me:

Kevin has a vendetta against Strawberries (he ate one once and it was mushy asf) so Seth eats them instead

When Kevin wakes up from nightmares, especially if they are bad enough, he will be hyperventilating for a while. Seth wakes up when he realizes Kevin isn't laying down anymore and he just puts a warm hand on Kevin's back--an offer to come back when Kevin is ready

Even if Seth has made it past most of his internalized homophobia, he still has lingering toxic masculinity issues. So he rarely cries if he can help it——the first time Kevin sees Seth cry is after a panic attack

The cause of the panic attack had to do with his near-death experience with the Ravens and neither of them are having a great time. All Kevin can do is let Seth rest his forehead on his shoulder and hold onto his shirt like a lifeline

Back to the fun stuff, they practice just the two of them sometimes. Even after Seth graduates he comes around during holidays and Kevin misses playing Exy with his bf

Seth would call Kevin a plethora of unflattering/embarrassing nicknames (Sugarbear, Lovey-Woo, Hunny Pot, Your Highness, etc) all of them are said sarcastically

Kevin rarely calls Seth anything other than "Seth" but as they get older and out of college Kevin would drop "Babe" every once in a while

Out of the two of them, touch is more important to Seth. They are both touch starved but Kevin is unaware that gentle touch is something he needs (guy thinks that teammates' touch on court is all he needs smh my head). So Seth is more opt to initiate anything

But like anything with them, it has an adjustment period. Kevin isn't used to touch that doesn't mean "pain" or "command". And Seth is still dealing with the remnants of internalized homophobia, but they get to casual hugs and kisses eventually

When they tell Wymack, they were both scared

Kevin, because he just got his dad. What if this makes things worse somehow?

Seth, because he doesn't want to hurt Kevin and disappoint Wymack

Wymack, for all he is concerned, is confused as fuck. Like... wasn't I just telling you guys to knock off the fighting?? I didn't say kiss about it??

(hes happy for them and Seth gets invited to dinners at Abby's house)

Their favorite way to sleep is when Kevin is on top of Seth like a weighted blanket, Kevin having his head resting against Seth's chest and just laying together

One time Seth gets drunk with Matt and Kevin walks over to their dorm because he hasn't got a response to his text in two hours. When he opens the door Matt is drunkenly staring at a very drunk Seth ranting about how pretty Kevin's face is ("He'ss got those green eyes, man... can't believe they came that way.. fuckin gorgeous lipss too...")

Kevin is embarrassed enough when he realizes Aaron is tiredly making coffee while listening to the bullshit behind him, but it gets worse when Seth starts talking about how Proud he is of Kevin. At that point Aaron tells Kevin to get Seth out or to wrestle him into bed

("This is his dorm, Aaron." "Does it look like I care?" "Kevi?? Izzat you? I was just talkin about you. You shit..what are ya doing in here?")

Kevin gets Seth into bed and he falls asleep in Kevin's lap. He wakes up very confused but happy against Kevin's thigh. And then he remembers what happened the previous night and runs away to the bathroom

Kevin laughs at him when Seth returns and they wrestle and makeout a bit

[taughtintegrity]

[ hospital ] sender wakes up in a hospital bed and finds receiver sitting by their bedside

seth’s spent what feels like days holding vigil—minus the praying—for robby & ethan, anxiously waiting for his twin brother to wake up. in reality, it’s only been about four hours, but it’s torture nonetheless. time seems to move at a snail’s pace in a hospital—it makes him feel like he’s going to burst out of his damn skin. it’s around 11pm right now, but seth has so much adrenaline in his body that he’s probably not going to sleep for a while. his eyes have been flickering between robby’s still, almost peaceful face, & the various beeping monitors he’s hooked up to. he ignores the male nurse checking up on him as they do their rounds, but after two hours, she’d had given him a blanket after he’d refused to move.

( he doesn’t know how the fuck they’d managed to stay past visiting hours, but he’s not going to question it too much. he doesn’t really care. )

on the flip side, on the frenzied drive to the hospital, chase had said a prayer for both ethan & robby. seth didn’t say anything. he lost any shred of faith in his father at seven. he lost faith in god at eight. he lost everything he almost—almost—had at ten. god isn’t listening. he never has been. it’s a bitter truth.

at thirteen, seth’d remarked to uncle kevin that satan takes on benjamin lawrence’s form, that benjamin is nothing but a mouthpiece for the wicked, grotesque & unholy, in most literal ways possible. kevin hadn’t known what to say that when it was said. but he eventually agreed—two days later while carefully picking out glass from seth’s hand from a shattered—thrown—nearly-empty bottle of tito’s vodka. he’d cried in calla’s arms with a spider-man bandaid on both of his knees. benjamin had flew into a rage over some stupid sport’s team losing.

the bottle’d missed seth’s body because he’d ducked, his instincts kicking in, but it’d broken their shitty tv. glass from the bottle had gotten into his hand while he was cleaning up. he’d stumbled his way towards the brown residence in a bit of shock. it’d made seth miss multiple episodes of his favorite shows before he managed to—somehow—essentially swindle another tv from one of benjamin’s ex-girlfriends who never lasted more than a week. afterwards, he’d cried himself to sleep in calla’s arms, a spider-man bandaid carefully placed over his palm.

seth’s nerves are only soothed by the fact that ethan’s down the hall, still unconscious, but alive. if his best friend died—for a third time, something seth wouldn’t ever forget—seth would have gone nuclear. ( he doesn’t even want to further entertain the thought of what robby would have done. the mere thought makes him physically ill. ) mr. larusso’s with him now—so are his parents, chase, dami, sam, charlie & miguel.

he just finishes hitting send on a text to the miyagi-fang group chat which was used to update them on robby’s condition, the text to jaime sent seconds prior, when a monitor—seth has no clue what it’s called—next to him spikes suddenly. head snapping up immediately, he places his phone on his lap, & blue eyes grow wide with concern as he looks robby over, like he’s worried that injuries will blossom across his body. his brother’s eyes slowly open. all of the tension in seth’s body escapes him immediately, his shoulders sagging in relief.

❝ holy shit, bro. you’re an idiot. ❞ that’s the first thing that flies out of his mouth as robby’s eyes settle on him, a relieved but exhausted smile tugging at his lips. it’s immediately followed up by a gentle hand slotting itself on top of robby’s forearm since he can’t reach his shoulder from his current position, his expression turning serious, but the relief remains obvious, shining in his eyes. ❝ ethan’s alive, ❞ he quickly blurts out, just in case robby was worried about that—knowing him, that’s probably true. ❝ he’s in a room down the hall. still unconscious. some of our friends are with him right now, including chase, mr. larusso, mr. wilson, & mrs. carlsyle-wilson. ❞ he takes a deep breath, hopefully giving robby enough time to process the information, before his expression turns tentative. ❝ can you remember what happened? ❞

@taughtpain woke up

[redrabbitspod]

Yooooo what’s up with you boys?? How are the cats?? The fam?? The team?? Whas goin on

We are fine.

The cats are living in the lap of luxury.

Family is...look Bee is considering marriage and I'm very something about it, I just don't know what. Aaron finished his residency and you can find him in the new LGBTQ friendly pediatric unit in Palmetto. Kate went back to work to finish up her residency which means I get a lot of niece time when they aren't in school and I'm slowly making them my minions. Dylan (AKA Dyl Pickle) has been diagnosed with ASD and honestly no one was surprised just because of how fuckin cool she is. So we're working on sign language with her as she's non verbal for the time being. Bella got in trouble for telling her teacher that school is a government institution meant to keep kids in line and all thinking the same but NOT HER TEACH.

The team has scattered to the winds. Dion and Seth are busy with the baby they had via surrogate (their surrogate being one Allison Reynolds - yes she was as pleasant pregnant as you'd think). Allison and Renee have since retreated back to Miami leaving me without my favorite Christian and leaving the Prince family with an entire human being to raise. Kevin still manages to fit in Daily Exy around his coaching and torturing the team and Neil schedule. The Palmetto State Foxes will probably win the god damn championship Andrew! Wymack is trying to get me to teach a journalism class and I'd honestly rather eat an entire salad of Kevin's choosing. Dan and Boyd are mostly holed up in his place in Columbia where they do god knows what, but it involves a lot of matching sneakers.

What's going on is that Neil and I are living the absolute most boring lives I could ever contrive, and I wouldn't change one thing. -A

[simonsrosebud]

Ok I love kalton so much I need to know: how does dalton take care of Kevin when he's being all moody like he often is? How does Kevin repay the favor when Dalton has a bad day? Kalton has legitimately improved my mood the past few days I love what you've been doing here <3<3<3

at first i read this as “how does he take care of him” as in like when they’re sick but this prompt is so much better

dalton has two sisters.  younger sisters.  that being said, he knows how to deal with moody children and teenage girls.

kevin isn’t either of those, but when he’s in a mood it’s not far off.

today, he’s pissed off.

he can’t help it.  they only have four freshmen this year, none goalies, and andrew decided to fuck with him at practice.  renee and neil had their appointments with betsy, and andrew refused to step on the court.

and since neil wasn’t there to get him back on, they had no goalie’s to practice on.

andrew knew kevin was leading today’s practice with reading goalie’s movements and shooting on the goal and he deliberately fucked it up on purpose.  by the time neil and renee rejoin them practice is already over.

dalton is picking him up from the stadium, and when he pulls up kevin is shouting at andrew, who looks unbothered.  “-here for!  you can’t keep pulling this shit over and over just because you’re fucking bored!  you think they’re going to tolerate it in ur pros?!  all i fucking wanted was one practice, andrew!  that’s it!”  and then neil says something he can’t hear, but it prompts a shouting match between him and kevin in french.  hands waving and balled fists at their sides.

and dalton knows better.  knows not to get involved and to just wait until they’re done.  so when kevin spits the last word and throws up his middle finger after turning away he starts the car up again.

kevin doesn’t talk the whole car ride, and when they get inside dalton cracks.  “i don’t know what happened today, but if you don’t want to talk it out then either go take another shower or put your sneakers back on.”

kevin looks over, and after a minute he sighs and laces up his shoes.

now he’s annoyed his boyfriend.  he doesn’t want to face andrew and neil yet.

except dalton doesn’t take him home.  he leads him to the ground floor of the building where the gym is.  he grabs gloves from a shelf, tosses them at kevin, and points to the punching bag across the room.

“i wanna spend my day with my boyfriend, not his alter ego.  the bag’s name is andrew.”

kevin huffs, and pulls his hoodie over his head.  he drops it to the ground to put the gloves on, and trudges over to the bag.  “come on, kev.  you’re pouting like my sister does when she’s not allowed to sleep over her boyfriend’s.”  kevin starts up and dalton goes to stand on the other side of the bag.  no one else is in the gym, otherwise he’d think twice before taking his shirt off.  “need incentive?  if you’re moody the rest of the day you’re not allowed to sleep over your boyfriend’s, either.”

kevin goes at the punching bag like it’s his job.  he hates to admit that it makes him feel better.  and when dalton pulls him away from it to kiss him it doesn’t hurt.

after he’s showered back at the apartment, he invades dalton’s space and lays his head on his lap.  “sorry for being a bitch earlier.”

it makes dalton laugh.  “you had a bad day, everyone has bad days.  so long as we know how to handle it.”

kevin shrugs.  “yeah.”  he tells him about why he was so mad, and takes a deep breath.  “i know he does it to get under my skin and it works.”

when dalton gets annoyed at something he tends to say so right when he walks in.  he drops his bag inside the door and toes his shoes off.  “some of my students are fucking dicks.”

kevin’s doing homework on the sofa, but discards it when his boyfriend climbs into his lap.  “what’d they do?”

dalton groans into his chest.  his voice is muffled by kevin’s hoodie.  “only half of them did the homework assigned last week, and one kid sent me an email today that said like ‘this class fucking sucks no one cares about blah blah blah do you wanna skip on wednesday’, he meant to send it to his friend in the class.”  he sits up.  “i try to make it fun for them.  it’s a gen-ed class so i know the majority of them are just taking it to get it over with, but i-i see so many of them wearing exy shirts from time to time and being interested in it so i try to talk exy- you know, oh, anyone go to the game this weekend and stuff like that, but they don’t care.”

kevin puts his hands on dalton’s cheeks and squishes them together.  it makes him smile for a moment, but he falls into kevin’s lap again.  “is there anything i can do?”

dalton shrugs.  that’s a no.

but kevin gets a little hung up on it, because he gets that those kids don’t like math but he also is on dalton’s side on principle.  instead, on friday, when the team all wears their jerseys to classes and such as per tradition, he gives dalton his away jersey to wear.  “i didn’t know the exy team did that.”

he shrugs.  katelyn wears aaron’s, and allison used to wear seth’s jacket over her own jersey.  “not really.  most of the relationships on the team are within the team.”

so dalton wears it, and ten minutes before his class kevin decides to use his clout and show up to the class with two coffees.  dalton lights up when he sees him walk through the doors.  “well this is unprecedented.”

kevin notices a few students perk up at his presence, and when more filter in they all kind of subtly stare at the two.  kevin just leans against dalton’s desk while he sets up.  when he goes to pass kevin, he grabs his wrist and pulls him back a little.  “hey.  some kids hate this class because they hate the class. not you.”

dalton’s smiling, but he raises his eyebrows.  “you know they’ll still hate the class even with you here.”

“let them, but as soon as i leave, they’re going to be kiss asses.”  and dalton wants so badly to kiss that smug smirk off his face, but his students are all here and waiting.

“i’ve got a class to teach, mr. day.”

“fine.”  kevin kisses his cheek, dalton sends him a look, and walks head held high to the door.  “you’re coming to the game, d, yes?”  dalton’s cheeks are furiously red.  he always comes to the games, he doesn’t even need to ask.

“bye, kevin!”

dalton jumps on kevin when he gets back to the apartment.  “you’re a pain in my ass.”

“i was right, though, wasn’t i?”

dalton mocks his words right back at him, and kisses him into the sofa.

[let-me-love-you-loki]

An Ending Within--Ch. 15

Chapter 15

           I sat down slowly on the sofa in my therapist’s office. It had been a while since I’d seen her, and it felt weird to be there again. She looked me over with her wide, knowing green eyes as she took the seat a few feet away.

           “How have you been?” she asked, opening a notepad on her lap and tapping her pen against the side of her knee. “It’s been a while.”

           “Yeah, things have been busy.” I sank back against the cushions, stretching my leg out in front of me.

           Her attention followed my movement. “You’re wearing your brace again.”

           I sighed. “My leg has been giving me some trouble. Not a lot, but Dr. Thurman wants me to brace it for a while.”

           She nodded. “Are you wrestling?”

           “Not as much as I’d like. But there’s not a lot for me to do right now.” I sighed. “It’s frustrating, but I’m staying busy. I’m teaching more classes at the school. I have time with my daughter.”

           I was shutting down. I knew the feeling. She could see it too.

***

           “Have you seen that pumpkin-headed dipshit?” Jericho asked as he passed by me backstage.

           “Who?” I looked up from the book in my lap. I’d gotten to the venue earlier than usual and was waiting for hair and makeup.

           “Omega,” he replied, plopping down on the edge of the table in front of me.

           I shrugged. “He’d probably in a meeting with Tony or the Bucks.” I paused, taking a deep breath. “If you find him, tell him I’m bored as hell. I want to get in the ring as more than just Inner Circle eye candy.”

           “Black, you’re definitely not just eye candy. But you’re right. Time for you to get those wins under your belt.” Jericho nodded. “Santana and Ortiz are going after the tag titles. I want my belt back. And it’s only right that you get the women’s belt. Inner Circle are going to run the championship scene.”

           Blink. The heavy thumping of my heart against my ribs. A knot in my throat that made it hard to breathe. Flashes of memory raced through my mind. The Hounds in the center of the ring, holding every title the brand had to offer.

           “Hey,” he said, snapping his fingers in front of my face. “Anybody home?”

           My pulse thundered in my ears, an echo of my sudden desperate trip through time. Ice slid down my spine as I forced myself to consciousness.

           “Do I need to get Mox?” Jericho asked worriedly. His normally ruddy face had gone pale. His eyes were tight with concern.

           I shook my head slowly, trying to catch my breath, to force the world upright on its axis. “No,” I said at last. “I’m okay. You just reminded me of something.”

           His eyes softened. A faint smile tipped the corner of his mouth upward. “I know we’re not the same, but we can still be your family. You’re not betraying them by becoming one of us.”

           Laughter spilled past my lips. “What if I don’t want to be Inner Circle for good? What if I want to go Elite? Or Nightmare Family? Or Dark Order? Or maybe I want to just run my own game.”

           Jericho laughed, but his sounded worn at the edges. “I’ve known you for a long time, Black. And I know that you do exactly what you want to do for exactly as long as you want to. Until you decide to bail, you’re Inner Circle. And that’s family.”

           “Oye, mamí!” Jericho and I both turned at the sound. Santana and Ortiz sauntered their way down the hall toward us. Ortiz grinned. “Long time no see, princesa.”

           Santana leaned his forearms on my shoulders and rested his chin on the top of my head. “How’s the leg, reina?”

           I glanced down at the black and red brace. “It’s good. Brace is basically just precaution these days. Most of the time anyway.”

           “You sound pissed off,” Ortiz observed as he sat on the floor nearby. “Run into the EVPs already today?”

           “She wants to hit someone,” Jericho replied for me. “I’m on my way to track down that pumpkin-headed dipshit Omega to get her a good booking.”

           “Chris, I was joking.”

           He grinned and pushed off from the table. “But I wasn’t. Better warm up.”

           I watched him slip down the hallway shouting for Kenny. Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back to Santana and Ortiz. The first swept around me and hopped up onto the table vacated by Jericho.

           “We can pick a fight with Dark Order. They’ve snatched Ana Jay,” Ortiz said with glee. “The two of us—” he gestured between himself and Santana—“can take Silver and Reynolds.”

           “Or Uno and Stu,” Santana added. His tag partner nodded, pointing back at him as if it was a genius idea.

           I couldn’t help but smile indulgently. It reminded me of the moments when I sat back and watched Jon and Seth banter and bicker backstage. A stab of homesickness swept through me. The strangeness was that it wasn’t for a place, but for a moment in time. I missed the feeling that I’d had when the Hounds were together… that moment on the dock behind my parents’ house where I first felt like I was one of the pack.

           Jericho’s words flitted through my mind. Maybe they weren’t the same as Roman, Jon, and Seth, but I could find a new home in AEW. I could make myself another family—not to replace the Hounds. Nothing could ever do that.

           “Those are the only ones we can pick a fight with?” I asked, tossing my book on the table beside Santana. “The women’s division here is… severely lacking.”

           Ortiz and Santana looked sideways at me. “Ah ah, mamí, I know that look,” Ortiz cautioned, getting to his feet.

           I pushed myself to my feet, taking a minute to get my balance. Then I turned on my heel and stalked down the hallway toward the EVP offices. I ignored the faint tingle in the back of my knee as I practically ran.

           I knocked hard on the door of the office. My heart clawed up into my throat. Shuffling echoed from the other side.

           The door swung open and Nick Jackson grinned at me, his blue eyes bright. “Hey, Black. What can I do for you?”

           “I need to talk to Omega. I’m bored as hell, and we’ve got to do something about this women’s division of yours.” The words spilled out before I could stop them. Probably should have thought carefully about what I was going to say before I practically insulted one of the guys who signed my checks.

           Nick’s eyes went wide, but the corner of his mouth twitched up. He stepped to the side and gestured me to come in. My stomach turned upside down. I thought I was going to puke.

           Kenny sat in a folding chair with a laptop open on the low table in front of him. He looked up as Nick shut the door behind me. I watched Kenny’s brow furrow, his blue-green eyes searching my face.

           “Jericho’s already been here,” he said without preamble. “The show is full tonight.”

           I crossed my arms and shifted my weight to my good leg. The brace felt stifling, as if it were an anchor that was dragging me backward. My heart was desperate to get through my ribs and out of my chest. “Tonight’s show is full, Next week’s show will be full. Dark is full. You brought me here to wrestle. To compete. But I’ve spent the last year being basically a valet for Inner Circle. I’ve had three matches, Omega. THREE! That’s bullshit. And you know it.”

           Kenny’s eyes went wide as he sat back in his chair. “You have one women’s match on Dynamite and one on Dark, if we’re lucky. And if the match lasts five minutes, that’s considered a long one. If I wanted to sit on the sidelines, I’d have stayed with Vince. At least there I could get a match or a promo or something.”

           Someone snickered behind me. I didn’t turn to see who it was. I kept my gaze locked on Omega, hoping that he’d know how frustrated I was with the way I’d been treated in AEW. There had been so many promises about how everything would be better than what I’d known. I’d left everything behind for the vision of a new wrestling promotion that was going to bring back the fun, the storytelling, the focus on providing fresh content. Jon had begged me to take the contract, gushing over how fantastic it was. But of course, he was a guy. And the men’s roster was bloated.

           “What do you want me to do, Black?” Kenny asked, his voice gruff. He crossed his arms over his chest. “You want me to shoehorn a match in the show tonight? You want some TV time, is that it?”

           Rage. Frustration. Desperation. A pure sort of anger that came from someone being purposefully obtuse.

           “No, Kenny. I don’t want ‘some TV time.’ I want what you promised me. I want you to get your shit together and actually pay attention to your women’s division.” I drew a deep breath through my nose, desperate to calm the burning in my veins. “If you don’t, I want out of my contract. And I’m not bluffing.”

           I turned on my heel and walked back out of the room. Nick caught my eye as I passed. He winked, giving me a thumbs up. I gave him a faint smile in return before I pulled the door shut behind me.

***

           Sefina grinned as Kevin and Prince played in the floor around her. Her eyes had darkened to a chocolate brown that matched Seth’s, but her hair was a lighter brown that looked like melted caramel. I smiled at her, tucking whisps of hair behind her ear as the two of us sat together in front of the sofa. Kevin slipped and slid across the hardwood and plopped across my daughter’s legs. She carefully ran her fingers through his fur.

           After a moment, she tipped her head back and looked at me. Her smile was slightly sad. “Want Dada,” she mumbled.

           I looked at the clock, realizing that Seth would be in the middle of a live show just then. It would be two days before he came home. “Me, too, baby girl. Me, too.”

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[percontaion-points]

The Raven King chapter 1

Click to see the rest of the snark & image descriptions.

Chapter 1

Seth Gordon's unexpected overdose Saturday night should have meant something more to Neil since they'd been teammates and roommates for three months, but Neil felt nothing.

I'm sorry, but Seth was barely a character. I think he had like three lines of dialogue. Most of his time was spent flaunting his arm candy.

Like I called all of the B-list characters in this “cardboard cut-outs with their names printed over the faces”, but Seth wasn't even B-list. He was more like D-list. The second he was out of sight of Neil, he literally stopped existing. He was never mentioned, even in passing. He literally did not exist.

At least Coach David Wymack was calling them back to the court on a Wednesday afternoon.

Ah yes, the coach that literally can't even be bothered to show up to any of their practice sessions. I'm counting it as a win that he even showed up for their first game.

The team should have come together Sunday morning to grieve their loss, but Andrew and Matt got into an ugly brawl instead.

The narration says this like this was over Seth's death. But the truth is that Andrew attacked his teammates before Seth, and will likely continue to do so long after Seth's death has stopped being relevant.

This summer Andrew's four had all squished onto one couch. Now they could spread out, three on the couch and two to the chairs on either side. The remaining upperclassmen got the couch and chair opposite them.

Neil started for the chair on the end, since he'd always had the outside seat, but Aaron sank into it first. Neil hesitated a second too long, and Aaron finally spelled it out for him. "You're on the couch with Kevin and Andrew. Sit down."

HOLY FUCKING SHIT, WHO THE GODDAMNED HELL CARES ABOUT THIS?! JUST SIT DOWN!

Wymack waited until he was sure they were done and then gestured at Nicky. "You two get down to the court and start doing laps. I don't pay for electricity in this place so you can stand around and gossip.”

This is literally the first time coach has shown up to practices. And he's only there to further Andrew's subplot.

Yeah," Aaron said. "He's the one who told me I had a brother."

Chapter 1 summary: Seth died on Saturday, and it's Wednesday now. The team-- minus Allison-- are all going to the stadium for the first practice since Seth died. They go to the stadium, where they get into a fight over sitting on a bunch of couches. It's fucking ridiculous.

Coach David comes in, and tries to give them a speech. However, it comes off as cold and cruel, making it sound like Seth's value started and ended when he was playing exy. Coach isn't angry that Seth died from taking drugs; he's angry because he could hurt their chances at beating Edgar Alan.

As the boys go off to change, some of the others come to Neil and tell him that there's slim to none odds of Coach finding a replacement for Seth after the season has already started.

They get out onto the field, and David gets a phone call from a police officer. David starts to yell at Andrew for having fucked up. Andrew takes the phone and is overly hostile to the officer on the other end, whom Andrew seems to be familiar with. He calls the officer “pig”, and threatens to kill him if he calls again. The others ask why this guy from three-plus years ago is suddenly calling him, but Andrew is his usual charming self and doesn't offer any real answers. He tries to leave, but when Kevin stops him, the two of them get into a physical fight.

David tries to ask Aaron for answers, but Aaron says that he only ever met that officer once, and it was when he found out that he had a twin brother.

[anduwuminyard]

The foxes as things I've heard at my school

Neil- "I may not have slept in 17 hours or eaten in half as much but I'll be damned if I don't kick your ass in badminton."

Andrew- *has a broken arm* "There's no wet floor sign over that puddle so in theory if I run through it and fall and break my other arm, I could sue." *proceeds to run and slip in it but lands on already broken arm and gets yelled at*

Kevin- "Stop asking me for the answers, you should have suffered through it like the rest of us. I have literal tear stains on this paper and they resemble the pride I no longer feel over my accomplishment. I'm going to drop out and become a hooker if I dont get an A."

Nicky- *eating a marker* "Listen, I'm not gay but I'm not going to say no if my friend asks me to join in, y'know?"

Aaron- "I swear! I'm not breaking the window, I'm just fixing the screen" *pulls screen out of window and whacks his brother with it*

Dan- "Please give me a detention form so I can hand the slip to Mr. [Wymack] next time i get a low grade on a test"

Matt- "I dont know who he is but if any of you fucked up idiots hurt him even a little bit, I will call your mom's and tell them the things I've heard come out of your mouths"

Allison- *has airpods in and teacher repeatedly says her name and she's not even looking up from her laptop

Nicky- "she doesn't speak BROKE"

Renee- "I play minecraft for the peaceful aesthetic that comes from building a cute lil' house on single player and filling it with cats. It makes me feel empowered"

Seth- *wrote fuck you on knuckles in pen* "If one more teacher tells me to wash my hands I'm going to start writing it all over my face"

Betsy- "I've seen some weird things in my time here, but I dont think I've ever seen someone stick that many pencils in a ceiling. Honestly I'm not even upset because that's real dedication"

Wymack- "I know you guys are tired, trust me I am too, but if I catch any of you sleeping, you're going to be running laps around the school for the rest of the period."

Abby- "I love my students dearly but I do not get paid enough for ANY of this"

-🐱

Part 2

[foxerice]

stuff that wouldve happened if seth were still w the foxes

“it’s a sad day… we lost our dear teammate seth…” “stop telling everyone i’m dead” “sometimes i can still hear his voice” 

-

seth: (picks up sir & king so that they’re eye level w him)

neil: oh yeah ‘drew found them recently-

seth, with purpose: i would die for them.

sir and king: (sit on seth’s lap) (start purring)

andrew, seething: traitors

-

seth and aaron, sitting on a table (on it) w notebooks out:

nicky kevin and renee, standing in front of a whiteboard that says “homophobia. bad.” in bright red letters: so in todays lesson, 

-

seth: why are you here

kevin: how else will you learn the entirety of lgbtq+ history?

aaron, sweating: the… the entirety?

kevin, pulling up a projector as nicky and renee hand out popcorn: we have time 

-

seth: (raises his hand)

nicky: yes seth!

seth: what does twink mean

nicky: what

seth, genuinely shaken: i heard andrew call neil a ‘twink twig bitch’ when they were arguing this morning and im— im kind of scared to look it up—

-

kevin, violently rubbing at the whiteboard: oh no oh— oh fuck this is—fuck this is sharpie—

nicky, sweating: haha ok! recess!

seth: isn’t that wymack’s-

kevin: shut up and help me

-

dumb reporter @ neil: who tops in your relationship?

seth, as wymack pulls neil away: shut the FUCK up that is an INVASION of PRICEY

nicky: it’s working!

andrew: it’s not

nicky, about to cry: his head is in the right place ok

-

renee, leaning in close: say a slur one more time and i will beat you so hard your ancestors will feel it. do you understand.

aaron and seth, holding back tears: yes ma'am.

-

andrew and renee have the apocalypse. seth and matt have cryptids.

wymack: listen up! our next game is in west virginia, point pleasant

matt and seth: (excited yelling)

matt, gripping seth’s shirt: im gonna fuck mothman

seth: im gonna cook him a warm meal

matt: you’re a no homo little bitch

-

seth: SUCK A DICK, JOSTEN

neil, being held back by nicky: MAYBE I WILL

wymack, quietly, to the bus driver: please flip us over

-

seth, waving allison’s car keys: you. me. AA. now.

kevin, thoroughly confused: what

seth: neil said you were thinking of quitting drinking but didn’t know how to start so i signed the both of us up now let’s go we don’t have all fucking day

seth: i’ll be there and we can leave whenever if it’s not your thing so don’t fucking worry about it

kevin, close to tears: alright.

(seth has six brothers) (for some reason kevin feels like his first)

-

nathaniel: i understand why andrew is handcuffed to wymack but seth?

seth, eyes red from crying (also black and swollen from the riot and andrew): so what if i am. he isn’t the only fucking disaster here. get over yourself.

(neil is his second)

-

(seth gets in andrew’s way when he tries to strangle kevin) (he cant open his left eye for three days after) 

-

when kevin decides to get the queen tattoo, seth gets something with him

seth decides to take this thing with allison seriously and begrudgingly asks matt for relationship advice

seth laps the stadium three times with andrew when they realise neil is missing

him and renee abolish whoever it was that hurt allison during the riot

when kevin confesses that he knows where neil might be, it takes him everything he has to protect him from andrew instead of just strangling kevin himself

andrew tries to fight an officer when they wont let them see neil. seth backs him up 

seth would’ve still been an aggressive jerk. he would’ve slipped up more than once but neil would’ve convinced seth to let his past go and stop letting it poison everything he did. he’d grow close to certain foxes and they would’ve helped him without trying. he’d want allison to help him look into grad schools and he’d go into social work and he wanted to help people. 

he was depressed and angry and an asshole and a brother and in love (and scared of it) and he was talented and strong. his life wasn’t fair and he definitely wasn’t alright and he was a fox.

[andreil-protection-squad]

So I wrote some Kevin x Seth smut and here you have it

Please excuse any grammatical errors, english’s not my first language and I’m still trying to learn how to proper use it in a text lol

Anyway, my second attempt at ever writing smut, please be kind.

__________

“I can’t fucking take this anymore,” Seth mumbles. He mumbles something more, but Kevin can’t quite make it out.

“Don’t be such a bitch,” he replies. “The game starts in about an hour.”

“Not everything is about fucking exy, you fucking maniac,” the other boy answers. “I mean, I really need some pot right now, ‘cuz I am so fucking stressed.” Seth groans loudly, which gathers the attention of his other teammates, but he doesn’t even spare a second glance to them. “Fuck off,” he mumbles in their direction.

Kevin’s face scrunches, as he thinks about high Seth, who is so much more chill than the regular Seth. The red in his eyes is almost calming and the slow movement of his limbs can be described as mesmerizing, if it wasn’t for the fact, that Kevin would always think about all the times, he had the horrible thought, that Seth wouldn’t be able to play exy again after smoking_._ Fortunately, Seth was always able to throw a punch and a ball, no matter how much he smoked, so there really wasn’t any reason to worry about him at all.

“You know what, Day? I’m gonna smoke in the bathroom and you’re gonna cover me.” Seth stands and Kevin raises his eyebrows.

“Why should I do that, Gordon?” he asks. “And why would you rather smoke than watch the report on the team?” Kevin glances at his teammates, who all watch the report, while being busy with doing their usual routine before a game. Nicky texts Erik, Andrew is half-asleep in Neil’s lap and Allison is painting her nails, even though she will have to do it again once the game is finished. But atleast everyone – besides Seth and Andrew – has their attention focused on the right thing: Exy.

“You could also suck my dick, but I guess that won’t happen either”, Seth suggests snarky. “You need to chill the fuck out with your exy bullshit, dude. There are other things in life, too.”

“Like pot?” Kevin asks.

“Like pot”, he agrees. “See, you understand me. So, excuse me, while I go smoke some.”

Before Seth can go, Kevin reaches out and catches his wrist. “You can’t fucking smoke some pot before a game, Gordon. You won’t be able to do shit.”

“Bummer.”

“I mean it, Seth. If you make us loose, then I will shove all of the opposing teams exy racquets up your sorry ass.”

“Jesus”, Seth mumbles and gets his hand free. “You are such a lame fucker, did you know that? Loosen up a bit, will you?”

“I will, if we win this game.” Kevin raises his eyebrows again.

“Fine. Fine, I won’t smoke. But I need to piss.” He walks a step, then stops and turns around again. “Unless you don’t believe me and want to check, that I really am only pissing.”

Kevin growls in defense. “Actually, I need to go to. So yeah, I will keep you company.”

“Great, I can’t even take a piss without you playing my watchdog,” Seth mumbles. As they both begin to leave the waiting room for the Palmetto State Foxes, none teammates even notice it. And even if they would have, it wouldn’t be that uncommon of a sight – Seth and Kevin both leave together for the bathroom several times a month. It’s a natural sight, really. Not even Aaron has the audacity to leave a snarky comment for them, because he doesn’t have to.

The second the bathroom door falls in place behind them, Seth checks all of the stalls to see, if anyone is still in there, then he takes the trashcan and the potted plant in the corner and shoves both of them right in front of the door. “No lock,” he says. “But better than nothing.” He winks at Kevin before he relocates into one of the empty stalls farthest away for the door. “What’re you waitin’ for, Day? Get that ass in here.”

Kevin chuckles and blushes. It’s also nothing new for him and Seth to fool around when they both want to. It’s kind of their thing, like Andrew and Neil have their roof, or how Allison sneaks her hand into Renee’s when she thinks no one’s looking. There is really nothing more to it than some sex. But Kevin would lie, if he didn’t think of it as more. Every time they do it – in an empty bathroom, on his bed in the dorm while the others are out or even in the dark and shadow-y bushes outside of the Foxhole Court – he has this feeling in his chest, that it’s something more, at least for him. He actually and generally likes Seth, even if he would never tell him that because then Seth’s gigantic ego would explode.

Before Seth can grow impatient, Kevin moves in front of him. Seth sits on the closed toilet but is still tall enough, that Kevin doesn’t has to bend down too much to kiss him hard and fierce. Seth’s lips part in an instant and he grasps Kevin’s neck with one hand to pull him even closer to him. A moan hangs between them, like the hot air between their mouths. Kevin smiles as Seth’s mouth begins to wander to his throat, where he slightly bites his skin. Cold shivers run through him, Seth’s finger trace the little hairs on the back of his head and begins to suck on his skin. Kevin throws his head back to let out another groan, then he slips his legs between Seth’s legs to stand even closer to him. He could feel the hard on of the other boy pressing on his thigh.

“Come ‘ere,” Seth mumbles. He presses his finger in Kevin’s neck to pull him closer to him and then they are kissing again, licking each other’s lips, biting them, playing with their tongues. Seth tastes like smoke and mint bubblegum and Kevin enjoys everything about that.

He buries his hand in the other boy’s hair while his own dick just continues to grow. He can feel it itching against his jeans, longing to be freed. Kevin’s free hand begins to wander down Seth’s chest, just past his hard nipples that poke through his shirt. Seth groans again but Kevin just kisses him harder. Just hearing him breath is enough that Kevin grows impatient himself. He wants him and he wants him now.

“Hey.” Seth looks breathless and hot as Kevin stops kissing him, but his brows are tight. “Why’d you stop, Day?”

“Ask again and I won’t continue, you shithead,” Kevin answers while he reaches his destination with his hand. Seth’s dick is hard against his pants and the moment he lays his fingers on the bulge in the other boy’s jeans, Seth moans.

“Fuck,” he whispers.

“Yeah, that’s what’s gonna happen,” he says grinning. Kevin opens Seth’s zipper and Seth start to stand and pulls down his pants and boxer in one go. The many times he now has seen Seth’s dick are enough, that Kevin doesn’t admire the view anymore but gets to work. He strokes the skin before he reaches out to hold its entire length in his hand. Seth groans even more and sits again. He presses one arm against the stall wall while Kevin begins to gently rub his dick up and down, up and down again.

“You fucking,” he begins to mumble but stops and bites his lips the second, Kevin touches the tip of his dick.

Instead of saying something back and ignoring the fact, that several thoughts in his head are screaming about the lack of hygiene on this bathroom floor, he kneels between Seth’s parted legs and begins to blow the other boy. It’s something he’s done many times now, but every time feels like another life where he just begins to experience this side of his sexuality anew. Being with a boy was so much different than being with a girl. Maybe Nicky really had a point and he, Kevin, too needed someone to lean against. Sucking someone’s dick was never really on Kevin’s to-do list when he started to have feelings for other people, but now that he’s done it more and more times, he really can’t tell why he never thought about the fact, that he might be into this. It was always girls when he discussed his sexual preferences and maybe this was all Riko’s fault, who stole his virginity and also his free will to experiment, but whatever it was - it lead to Kevin leaning on a bathroom floor with his teammates just outside the door and licking the tip of Seth’s dick who looks already like he might cum any second.

“I swear to god, if you cum before I even got a chance to get touched, I am going to murder you,” Kevin says as he stops blowing. “Like, seriously. It’s like you can’t hold out for another minute or what?”

“It’s been days since my last shot,” Seth grumbles. “Also, you’re too good at this. You’re making me feel things.”

“What a wonder,” Kevin laughs. “I’m making you feel things while I literally devour your fucking dick. I guess everyone would feel things when I had their cock against my throat.”

“I fucking hate you,” Seth says. He grabs Kevin by the shoulder and forces him up, before he kisses him hard and hot. “Get that pants down,” he mumbles between two breathless kisses.

Kevin does as demanded. His dick springs out as his pants and boxer drop to his feet. The cold air feels good against his skin but even better is the feeling of Seth’s fingers on his cock. Ever since their first time, Seth would give Kevin a hand job whenever he felt like it. He didn’t even care that other people could see them. Whenever Seth was feeling horny enough, he would stick his hand into Kevin’s pants. This time, though, as he was stroking Kevin’s dick with his hand, he pushes himself up, spins them around without ever breaking their lip contact and then forces him away from Kevin’s mouth.

“I will suck you so hard, you won’t be able to remember your own name,” he says before he drops to his own knees.

The sight of Seth swallowing Kevin whole was a real blessing, even though Kevin quickly closes his eyes and throws his head back, as the wet and hot feeling of Seth’s mouth was doing things to his dick. An animalistic groan builds in his throat, but he is able to hold it a bit longer in him. The slurping sound that Seth makes whenever he opens his mouth and takes a breath is just another sharp knife in Kevin’s stomach, twisting with the longing after releasing and more pleasure. He grabs a fistful of Seth’s hair, just to feel this boy even closer to him. He moans loudly.

“Be a bit louder and everyone can watch in a minute,” Seth complains with wet lips and saliva sticking to his chin. Kevin, throbbing and pulsing and hot, lets out a quick whine, before Seth rolls his eyes and swallows him again. This time, as Seth lets his teeth make some good and honest work on Kevin’s dicks skin without hurting him, he puts a hand over his mouth to contain the next moan that was already escaping him. The feeling of a river pulsing in his skin grows stronger with every lick and touch and hot, wet kiss Seth does to him, so much that Kevin must pull his teammates mouth away from his dick. “So fast?” Seth asks grinning. “And you’re one to complain.”

Seth stands again and wipes his mouth before Kevin can pull him close again. It doesn’t even bother him, that Seth now tastes like his own dick. He just kisses him, licks his lips, grinds his tongue again Seth’s, bites the sensitive skin right next to his lip corner. Seth moans into his mouth. “You got a condom?” Kevin asks.

“Always for you, dear,” Seth replies against his lips before he parts away from him to reach in his jeans pocket on the floor. “Will you do me the honor?”

“Fuck you,” Kevin says but catches condom and rips it open before pulling it over Seth’s throbbing, hard cock.

“No, I think, I’ll rather fuck you,” Seth says with a sly grin.

Kevin turns around and bends over. He feels one of Seth hands on his shoulder, massaging his hot skin, before he feels two of his other fingers entering his hole. Another beastly moan builds in his throat, as Seth begins to widen his ass, entering another finger just a moment later. They didn’t bring any lube, but they did it so often without that Kevin was sure, that it didn’t matter now. He could hear Seth spitting in his hand and then the wet, cold touch of his fingers, rubbing all over his hole. His dick twitches and he uses his other hand to work on himself while Seth was busy preparing him.

Seth’s hand slides down from his shoulder to his lower back and the next thing Kevin knows, is the tip of a dick entering his ass. This moan he couldn’t contain anymore. Beastly, loud and deep it escaped his mouth the second he presses his hand on it. “Fucking be quiet, Day, I know I’m good.”

“Fuck – fuck you, Gordon,” Kevin is able to reply before Seth slides all the way in.

The feeling of a dick entering him was also something Kevin never thought he would experience, but as Seth now slowly began to widen Kevin’s ass by pulling his dick out and entering again, he was sure it was something he wouldn’t want to miss again. A girl could never, he thought as Seth enters again. This was nothing compared to his own fingers or that one dildo Nicky gifted him as a joke a year ago. Feeling Seth inside him was real and raw and just unbelievable hot. He wanted every inch of him and more. Everytime Seth pushes himself in, Kevin loses his mind. His hole itched and tightened around the cock in it, but he knows it was just preparing itself for all the other pounds that were coming. Seth laughs and moans.

“This is better than pot,” he says while pounding again. “Guess you were right, Day.”

Kevin can’t answer. He is too busy with blocking his own mouth from messaging their teammates of their little game in here with a loud and hot moan, that’s already tickling in his throat. His eyes roll back into his skull, while Seth builds up speed and power, pounding faster and harder into him. Seth’s dick inside of him should be enough to make him cum, but Kevin just fastens that process by stroking his own cock with his other hand. Masturbating alongside Seth fucking him is just the best relaxation before an important game and while Kevin feels his cum building up in his balls, he hears Seth’s balls slap against his cheeks with every pound.

“Fuck,” Seth groans. “I could fuck you all day.”

“I would let you,” Kevin can say before he presses his hand against his mouth again. He feels the cum leaving his dick just as a hot feeling runs through his whole body. Anticipation is dead and the new king of his body’s name is pleasure.

“I’m gonna –,” Seth starts, but he cuts himself short.

The next thing Kevin feels, is Seth grabbing a fistful of his hair and pressing his dick as far inside Kevin’s ass as he can. Then there are waves and waves of hotness in him, throbbing feelings and wet salvia against his hole. Seth releases another load into the condom that’s thankfully still on, but even with that Kevin can feel it in him. They both pant and breath for their lives. Seth chuckles as he presses a soft and lazy kiss against Kevin’s shoulder blade.

“Nice one,” he breaths.

“You’re better be relaxed enough now,” Kevin replies breathless. His own skin buzzes. He feels himself in every pore, everything is more colorful. His heart races against his chest and he counts the seconds Seth still remains inside of him.

“I could go for another round,” Seth admit sheepishly.

“Fuck you,” Kevin says. “We don’t have the time.”

“Bummer,” he answers and sighs, before pulling himself out of Kevin. “It was a good ride though.”

“It was,” Kevin agrees. “Maybe,” he starts and turns around to witness Seth pulling the filled condom of his dick, “Maybe we can have round two when were back in Palmetto.”

Seth catches his eye and grins. “You little bitch,” he says. “You’re really starting to enjoy this, huh?”

Kevin growls angrily. “Don’t start_ _with that, Seth. We both know that it’s not really easy to not enjoy this. Also, we’re both really good at doing it. I don’t think I would have this much fun with another guy.”

“I feel loved,” Seth says with a sarcastic grin before he throws the condom into the toilet. “Clean that up,” he then adds and points at the sticky white marks on the ground. With a smirk on his lips, he leans forward and kisses Kevin again, hot and wet but also soft and more affectionate. “Maybe I really enjoy it too, Day.”

Even though Seth is a fucking bitch who wouldn’t say shit to save his own life, he really makes Kevin feel good whenever they kiss and fuck. It’s not even his primordial instinct kicking in, telling him to enjoy the warm body next to his while he can. It’s a feeling deeply buried in his heart that he’s way too afraid to tell without knowing if Seth could even reply to those feelings with enough thought and meaning. Kevin smiles and pushes that thought away. For now, it’s good enough for him that he can have Seth whenever they please. He doesn’t need the conformation that it’s something more for both of them, because he knows it is for him and he knows he is the only one entering Seth’s bed.

They share one last, lazy soft kiss before Seth walks over to the sink and cleans himself up and Kevin admires the muscled, toned back of his – boyfriend? Lover? Something different? It doesn’t matter, he tells himself. He loves that it’s Seth and he loves every second with him, even if they only throw snarky comments at each other before they make out in an empty bathroom stall.

Kevin Day doesn’t have to love Seth Gordon but maybe he just does.

[side-effect-of-the-meds]

Please tell me Erin and Matt are close friends in this verse and the whole “I bet Andrew’s gonna get with Renee” thing happens to the two of them instead?

*chortling like a rich evil baron about to unveil my newest weapon* Oh, love, you don’t know the half of it. 

So let’s run through a few things real quick tho. In this au, Matt and Dan ARE NOT DATING YET! They will be at the end but not yet. Seth and Allison are a couple with the same on-and-off relationship. But the spicy stuff? That’s the team’s local love triangle of Kevin-Erin-Matt. 

Erin and Renee still have their agreement about the knives. In exchange for telling Renee about some of her the physical abuse she faced in her foster homes, Renee teaches Erin how to use the knives. That’s it though. Erin is just trying to watch both halves of the team on her own. It isn’t super hard because they upperclassmen never go anywhere alone and are usually at the dorms anyway. About two or three times a week, they run laps together because Renee is trying to maintain some semblance of a connection with Erin. However, Erin doesn’t let her in as much as Andrew did because Renee is hot and this ain’t no time to be catching feelings. 

The thing about Erin and Matt is that Erin adores his mother. She used to watch all of her matches growing up and it’s actually how Erin learned how to fight. Matt does not trust Erin after Eden’s but when he finds out about the fact that she idolizes his mother almost as much as he does? It thaws his heart just a little. One day he sees her shadow boxing, mimicking the movements of his mother on screen. 

“You’re putting too much weight on your front leg,” he says. Erin’s knives are out in a flash. Matt raises his own empty hands in surrender. She lowers her knives and he steps into the basement. It’s hard at first for Erin to let him into her space. She knows that as long as she isn’t trying to hurt him, he won’t hurt her either. But once she does, they become sparring partners. Erin’s always been good at picking things up but she can’t deny that some of her success comes from Matt being a good teacher. It takes a while, but Erin also tells him about Kevin and the Moriyamas. Matt offers to watch the upperclassmen before Erin can even ask. About a month or so before Millport, Erin sees Ania’s file. She sees the bit about how the team captain took advantage of her and she’s suddenly seeing red. She drags Matt down to the basement and they spar until she can barely stand anymore. Sinking to the floor she tells him about Ania. After a few moment’s consideration, she gives him the bare bones of Drake, no names, no dates. Nothing to place who Drake was or when she stayed with him. Just enough for Matt to understand. Matt is devastated. He changes up their regiment so that it focuses on how to deal with things like that but he doesn’t say anything. Erin knows what he’s doing and she’s grateful. She leaves him a few extra cases of beer for it 

Matt and Renee both see that Erin isn’t quite as monstrous as she seems but Renee is a little more uneasy around her than Matt. Erin tends to be very cold to her and it makes her hard to read. Matt is the one that knows about Erin’s sexuality and whenever he sees her with Renee he just kinda those the eyebrow wiggle thing. Erin just flips him off. 

Ania is just as uneasy around Matt as Neil was with Renee but only because he’s a guy. It takes some time before the two of them become friends and Matt doesn’t push it because he already knows about Millport. 

Now we come to the love triangle.

So obviously, people see Erin running around with Kevin all the time. Kevin is always by her side, even while he’s the assistant coach. Naturally, the foxes all start betting on them. That is until she and Matt start becoming friends. The foxes scrap the old bet entirely and are picking sides on who Erin will end up with. Dan bets on Matt and it breaks her heart just a little. He’s so sweet. She hates men but a small part of her thinks that even she could learn to love him. Dan thinks he deserves better but she isn’t going to interfere. 

When Ania arrives, things get real heated. All of them have seen the way Kevin’s eyes soften when he sees her. They see the way his hugs linger a little longer than they should. They see the two of them walking back from class together despite Kevin not having a class anywhere near that direction. For the record: Kevin sees Ania solely as a little sister. That’s it. 

“It’s a blatant declaration of love,” Allison insists. But? He’s? Still? With? Erin????? Erin and Ania also have a certain amount of animosity between them. Everyone assumes it’s because they’re fighting over Kevin. Matt would be watching all of this go down if he wasn’t having his own problems. He’s trying to win Dan over but she still thinks he and Erin are a thing. He tells her it would never happen because he’s not her type. Dan doesn’t dig further and Matt is so relieved. He wouldn’t even dream of exposing Erin’s sexuality so he would have had to lie his way through an interrogation. Building a relationship with Dan on a foundation of lies would not have sat well with him. God forbid she found out if he had. Anyway, Dan ends up pulling her bet and watching the mayhem of the team unfold. 

Matt knows what’s up the second Ania arrives though. He knows she’s pretty and he knows Erin is a sucker for a pretty face. But he sees Erin watching her run laps and he’s just like :000000000000000 At their next sparring match, he asks Erin what she thinks of the new girl. He barely doges the blow she aims at his nose. He laughs and takes it as confirmation. Once he and Ania do start getting closer, he’s absolutely doing his best to wingman for Erin. He knows it’s worked once Erin’s gone to Easthaven. Every day before heading out to the court, he sees the way Ania looks at the door to her dorm as if waiting for Erin to walk out. It hurts to see Ania hurting. Dan has essentially adopted her so that makes Ania his kid too. He doesn’t bet on her sexuality because he already knows she swings Erin’s way he doesn’t know about girls in general but yeah. 

He’s p scared when Erin gets back. He worries that Ania isn’t going to accept this Erin but it doesn’t take long to see that Ania still loves her. About a year later, he realizes that Ania had never been in love with medicated Erin. She’d always known exactly who Erin was when she was sober. She’d only ever had eyes for the real Erin. It warms Matt’s heart to know that Erin has someone like Ania. He thinks about it a lot, especially while standing as the officiator for their wedding. He’s a blubbering mess when he announces that they may kiss the bride.

[aftgficlibrary]

best fics of 2018?

This is so subjective so some of our staff are gonna put our 2018 favs here below!!

Cassy

This is my favorite fic ever and the author just started updating it again so im in tears all the time 

i’m here right now (just be here right now with me) by Talls (M | 27,606 | 3/7)

Neil first meets Andrew with a racquet to the stomach in a locker room when he’s eighteen. Andrew first meets Neil with a hushed conversation on a beach in California when he’s five. They still manage to meet on rooftops, fall in love, find family, and heal together, just not quite at the same time and definitely not in the same order.

(In other words, Andrew is the Time Traveler’s wife.)

This fic is so soft and pretty

Translation Errors by SensationalSunburst (Not rated | 3,127 | 1/1)

“Andrew doesn’t love me,” Neil said simply, “So if he has a love language, I don’t know it.”“Oh, honey.” Allison drawled, “You don’t actually believe him when he says he hates you, do you?”

Lucky by sunrise_and_death (T | 4,328 | 1/1)

At thirteen, he’d lived in eleven different cities, gone by as many different names, and seen his reaper twenty-eight times. Some people would have called him lucky.

Live Once More (This Time Will Be Better) bypurpleeyesandbowties (T | 2,457 | 1/1)

Very carefully so as to not wake his roommates presumably sleeping off a night of regrettable choices, Andrew pulled a notebook towards him and opened to a fresh page to make a list. Two lists, actually. Changes to make and things to keep the same. Thankfully, it didn’t take long to sort out what was important.

To change:get off pillsno Kathy no Seth dying (Neil was upset)no Thanksgivingno winter at Evermoreno Baltimorekill Riko soonerkill Nathan myself

Keep the same:get Neil to the Foxes

Maz:

changing tides - titanic au by missbolton (M | Incomplete | 4/5)

When Nathaniel Hartford boards the RMS Titanic, it is a death sentence. He will be shipped to New York with his brutal father and his soon-to-be wife, Lola. There’s no escape.

Until he meets third-class artist Andrew Minyard.

if you’re lost you can look (and you will find me) by paleromantic (T | Incomplete | 5/?)

Neil Josten jerked awake, his cigarette falling from his fingers as he did. The frigid air bit at his arms, his neck, his face, but he didn’t notice, too busy looking around.

“What the fuck.”

or

Neil and Andrew wake up back in Millport, and get the chance to start over.

I’m Just Killing Time by thesaroscycle (T | 10,666 | 1/1)

He was sat in the most comfortable armchair in the back, the book in his lap closed but well-worn and dog-eared, one of the things that annoyed Bee to no end. His glasses sat on the table next to him, along with the hot chocolate Bee had made earlier in the morning that had gone cold. He stared out the window into a cloudless blue sky, squinting at the late morning sun and blurry trees. It was getting warm enough outside for the frost to melt on the grass, and late enough for people to start coming in. He couldn’t wish more for fall, when the sky would be gray and the chill would last all day rather than just early morning. Everything seemed to be holding its breath for the coming summer, for longer days and warmer mornings. Andrew couldn’t be less excited for summer; of all their town’s 70-degree-high summers, it was still hot enough for Andrew to melt in his stubbornly consistent black wardrobe.

Paper Skies by exybee (T | 4,662 | 1/1)

Andrew’s a quiet librarian who treats his library much like how he treats his person. He spends his time searching for the color blue in hopes of finding something real, but when he meets Neil Josten, he finds that maybe blue isn’t the only thing out there.

Or, Neil’s a kaleidoscope of colors, and Andrew gets a lesson in self-care.

Atlas:

Honey, we should run away by allyasavedtheday ( T | 8,836 | 1/1)

“We’re moving on soon,” his mom says casually as she’s plating up their food. As if it’s an inconsequential detail and not something that rocks Neil to his core.

“Why?” he asks, keeping his voice calm and measured like she taught him to do if he was ever taken.

“We’ve been here too long,” she says like it’s obvious, setting down a plate of pasta in front of him.

“It’s only been ten weeks,” he can’t help pointing out. Ten weeks with Andrew. Ten weeks that aren’t enough.

“That’s over two months,” she retorts, neatly spearing a piece of pasta with her fork. “Two more weeks and we’re leaving. Just as soon as I have everything organised.”

*

Andrew and Neil meet when Neil is on the run with his mother.

Show Me How You by smokesprite ( Not Rated | 6,825 | 1/1 )

“They thought they would stop the show; they thought they could cut the act, but Neil had been sulking around too long now to not know where all the necessary equipment was. He was a ghost, and he would do the ghost dance, goddammit.”

Neil is a ghost with a house to haunt, but the Moxie Foxy Burlesque Troupe refuses to be chased off. If you can’t beat em…join em.

Aaron:

stay as long as you need by lolainslackss (T | 2,955 | 1/1)

The soulmate timer counts down to your soulmate’s death. Apparently, Andrew’s soulmate doesn’t have long to live.

Oh, Catastrophe by TheKingIsDead (witch_lit) (T | 1,447 | 1/1)

Aaron and Katelyn are at a concert and Aaron can’t shake the feeling that the drummer is familiar.

it’s a long way down byionlyloveyouironically (T | 6,506 | 1/1)

The sound of rushing water, the moon overhead, bare feet on a muddy riverbank, and a weeping woman reaching a dead hand out. 

Scout

A Mewment Like This by fuzzballsheltiepants (T | Incomplete | 9 Works)

tenuous by undertow (cendal) (M | 7,431 | 1/1)

Neil Josten is trying to learn to be a normal person. He has an apartment and a cat. He goes to therapy every Wednesday. He has friends and attends their study group regularly. He eats lunch with his best friend’s brother.The hardest part is letting people in, but he thinks that one day he’ll get there.Series: Part 1 of all of me wants all of you

The Continuing Adventures of the Nine-Nine by gluupor (G | Complete | 10 Works)

A series of short, ridiculous, mostly plotless stories featuring the Foxes as the cops of the Ninety-Ninth Precinct.

Back to the Start by fuzzballsheltiepants (T | 29,277 | 11/11)

Andrew has been on his pro team for 6 months when he takes a ball to the head. Neil flies to Boston to see him - only to find that Andrew doesn’t remember him.

Rachel

Funky Happenings with the Fox Family by dobbypussypopper (Not Rated | Incomplete | 17/?)

naughtygayweedcrime: did I rlly just see neil say woke

naughtygayweedcrime: what a surreal timeline we live in

dumbfool: allison is trying to teach me how to meme so I can get hip

naughtygayweedcrime: bless your poor soul

davidwymack: sometimes I regret living

davidwymack has muted exyllent, damnwilds, + 7 others for 30 minutes

The Real Folk Blues by moonix, nefelibata (E | 42,365 | 4/4)

Captain David Wymack and the bounty hunter crew of the Bebop spaceship might be a little out of their depths chasing down the infamous hacker and notorious runaway Neil Wesninski, whose bounty exceeds even Kevin’s wildest dreams. Worst of all, Andrew might actually enjoy it.

/Graphic Depictions of Violence

a world alone by ephemeralsky (T | 54,850 | 6/6)

“It will not be cheap,” Andrew finally says.

“I know,” Wymack says. “Two bottles of Johnnie Walker sound good to you?”

“Four,” Andrew says without missing a beat. He thinks about having to deal with Nicky later on, about the additional work he has to do, and decides that he will not do anything for less.

“Three,” Wymack argues.

“Four or we have no deal.”

Wymack mutters something about blood-sucking hooligans under his breath before he concedes with a, “Fine.”

(or: a High School AU where only some of them are high-schoolers)

[winterblues]

hey i rlly love your writing sm!! could you maybe do an andreil one for this prompt: imagine person A knowing person B hasn't been eating properly for the last few days so person A makes them a proper meal from scratch that they can both eat together to make person B feel better? thank you!!!

[Thank you for the lovely prompt & I apologize in advance for the Angst™.]

Neil wipes a bead of sweat from his temple with the back of his wrist and bares his teeth. He’s got that acute glimmer of feral aggression behind his eyes again, Andrew observes, dully.  

The sort of expression often native to a prowling jungle cat attempting to intimidate a potential threat into premature submission. Andrew can’t help but see it as a phenomenal waste of energy, getting worked up over a stupid practice scrimmage, at Kevin Day of all short-fused idiots. 

No matter how close Andrew allows Neil to get, he will never be used to his exhaustive thirst for victory.

How many more goddamn exy-obsessed morons do I have to babysit in this lifetime?
Across the court, Kevin’s got a firm grip on his racquet as he glowers behind the netting at Neil as if through the barrel of a gun. It’s a late fall evening and the sky is a patchwork of pink-gold clouds, the moon sits a shrivel of a crescent in the rapidly darkening distance. 

Andrew watches his teammates with his characteristic lack-of-character, expression neutral as he remains stationed in position, racquet balanced on his shoulders like an afterthought.

He can hear Nicky whinging to Matt about something inconsequential Andrew doesn’t care enough to inquire about, Renee and Allison have been exchanging subtle glances across the court for two-and-a-half hours now. 

During their last sparring session, Renee mentioned in passing that she’d found another sparring partner in Allison. “She wants me to teach her how to fight. Says she wants to be prepared for anything. It’s like she doesn’t trust the world as much after everything that happened with Seth and Neil’s consequent revelation. It’s sad but I think it’s awfully brave of her, don’t you?” Andrew had merely blinked at her, unamused, before grappling her into a headlock she hadn’t seen coming and raising a knife to her throat. “Oops,” he said. “You’re dead.”

It isn’t until Andrew hears Kevin strike that he notices the hesitation in Neil’s jaw just as he slams the ball with lethal force and his knees buckle. He stumbles not even half a second after and Dan grabs ahold of him before he can crumple to the ground. Andrew feels his heart skip a couple of paces just as Wymack blows his warning whistle, calling a timeout. Kevin gawks in mystification for a moment before breaking into a disapproving scowl.

“The hell was that, Josten?” Wymack snaps, striding over to Neil and crossing his arms over his big chest. “I’m fine,” Neil grunts. “It won’t happen again.”

“You’re right,” Wymack replies, with a smile that’s at least two-fifths deliberate condescension. “It won’t, because right now you’re about as useful to me as a vegetable. I’m benching you for the rest of today.”

“Come on, Coach!” Nicky shouts, jogging up to where everyone is now crowding around Neil like he’s some kind of a helpless dog they all accidentally ran over with their cars. “Let’s just call an early mark. Please? We could all use a break!”

“I don’t,” Neil spits, balling his fists to his sides; eyes rapt on Wymack’s. Idiot. Wymack shoots a steely glare right back at him. “You play in peak condition or you don’t play at all. I won’t tolerate this half-assed bullshit. You hear me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I think you do. Now go pick a cozy corner to sulk in and don’t return to my court until you’re bleeding stamina or I will knock you flat on your ass myself. Do I make myself clear?”

“But—“

“I said,” Wymack’s tone becomes dangerously taut. “Do I make myself clear?”

At this point, even Nicky shuts his trap and takes an obedient step back, his expression pleading at Neil to do everything within his power to not trip on the Coach’s last nerve.

“You’re being unreasonable,” Neil growls, lowly. Nicky shakes his head in exasperation, just as Dan smoothly interjects, “I think what Coach is trying to say, Neil, as that you seem a little under the weather today. Maybe rest up a little and take it easy for the evening so that you’re better equipped for practice tomorrow?”

“Yeah, man,” Matt chimes in. “We’re just worried about your health.”

Andrew brings his racquet down and leans his body weight against it, still watching quietly from the sidelines. Renee shoots him a concerned glance and Andrew pretends not to notice.

“It’s insulting,” Kevin cuts in, with eyes only for Neil as he crosses the distance between them and parks himself merely inches from where Neil is standing. Andrew can’t say he envies Neil. He knows firsthand Kevin’s tendency to invite himself into one’s personal space whenever he gets cranky. “You’re insulting us all. I don’t know what the fuck’s been going on with you, but you better get your shit together because your breakdowns have no place on the court. Now do as Coach says before you waste any more of everyone’s time.”

Kevin and Neil spend a solid minute exchanging mind-imploding death glares at one another before Neil caves. He doesn’t look happy about it, but he flips Kevin off, turns on his heel and trudges off the court. Andrew watches Neil carefully. The fight is slowly pilfered from his shoulders and he lets his chin droop against his neck. There is something volatile about his defeated posture as he ambles right past the stands and towards the showers. Wymack turns to Andrew, expression irked but knowing.

“Goodbye.” Andrew says, before casually trailing after Neil.

“There isn’t enough whiskey in the goddamn world to put up with you ungrateful asshats on a daily basis,” Wymack mutters, under his breath before blowing his whistle again. “That’s enough dilly-dallying, maggots! We can practice without Tom and Jerry for now. Drop the long faces and give me forty-five laps. We’ll reassemble then. Go, go. Fucking go.”

“Crowdpleaser,” Andrew mumbles, coming up behind Neil.

Neil looks up at him without meeting his eyes. “Agree to disagree.”

Andrew joins Neil in the shower and they kiss until their mouths are numb and then Andrew drives them back home. They’re barely halfway through the door when King Fluffkins trots up to them and curls himself, not unlike a clingy toddler, around Andrew’s boot. “Get your cat off my foot,” Andrew mutters, at once. Neil shrugs off his coat, shuts the door behind them and smiles faintly. “And deprive him of cuddles? That’s abuse. Plus, he likes you.” Andrew groans and has to peel the feline off himself as he cradles King Fluffkins in his arms and deposits him on the couch next to a lazing Sir Fat Cat McCatterson. “Do that again and I won’t hesitate to turn your furry ass into a winter coat.”

King Fluffkins looks unfazed at this remark, but a short laugh escapes Neil. 

Andrew will never admit it, but Neil’s laugh sends a jolt of spring warmth up his spine. The kind that wedges itself in between shoulder blades and seeps into his ribcage. It is so full of raw, fleeting feeling that it fills every gap inside Andrew to a brimming point. 

Andrew sourly notes Neil hasn’t laughed like that in a week.

“What did we discuss about threatening our cats at every given moment?”

“Your cats.”

“Right. Whenever they piss you off they’re my cats.”

Neil follows the cats’ bad example, dropping dead on his back on the lounge room sofa and allowing the pests to crawl up onto his chest. Andrew empties the litter, brings them fresh water and fills their bowls to the top with food before wandering into the kitchen.

The weather grows worse within the span of the hour. The rain is loud as fuck outside. The wind droning on like the hum of a distraught choir. He chops a fresh batch of mushrooms, carrots and green bell peppers. He separates all the vegetables and leaves a stockpot of water to simmer. The oven is preheating. He cooks in mindless silence, all the while wondering why Neil isn’t venturing in to watch him like he usually does. There is something upsetting fizzling beneath his skin, like an itch he can’t scratch. He has this shitty gut feeling—hot and incendiary; an interloper awaiting recognition. He spends longer than intended in passive contemplation and his stockpot begins to overspill.

Andrew lowers the temperature of the gas and yanks the lid off the pot, swatting the steam away as if it were a school of flies.

He finds cooking less boring than he finds most activities in his daily life. Bee says it’s because cooking is an act of creation, which makes it a common stress reliever. People feel better about themselves when they’re creating. 

Andrew doesn’t know about that, but it’s a layman’s job to follow a recipe. 

There is something vaguely satisfying about it, he thinks. Cooking is meticulous and straight to the point. It doesn’t take thinking if your hands know what to do and your mind’s prone to estimate. If the recipe demands half a slab of melted butter he won’t add a pinch more or less. He’s fairly adept at following instructions and doesn’t feel the need to experiment. 

If nothing else, cooking is a way to pass the time and is vital to survival.

Eventually, Neil does float into the kitchen, looking jaded. Andrew keeps himself busy with seasoning and pays him no heat. “I’m going to bed,” he says quietly. Andrew halts, grabs a wooden spoon and dips it into the pot nearest to him, still hot off the stove. “Come here,” he replies. Neil joins his side as Andrew blows softly on the liquid before holding a spoonful up to Neil’s mouth.

“Taste.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Taste.”

Neil pouts a little, but obediently leans in and takes the smallest sip. “Mm,” he nods. “What is it?”

“Hot and sour soup.” Andrew says.

“Will it taste better off of your lips?” He leans in questioningly but Andrew neatly sidesteps, leaving Neil fumbling. “Sorry,” Neil remedies, quickly. 

“I didn’t mean to—“

“You’ll consume it directly first.” Andrew answers, in lieu of an explanation.

“It’s really good. I’ll uh… Have some tomorrow if there’s leftovers.”

Neil is about to turn when Andrew wraps cold, gentle fingers around his wrist. “Dinner will be served in ten minutes. Go outside and take a seat on the dining table.”

Something dire flashes in Neil’s heady blue eyes. “Andrew—“

“Don’t argue with me.”

It’s a full-fledged three-course assortment of homemade meals and Neil stares at it like it’s making him nauseous just to look at it. To Andrew, it smells heavenly: steaming hot-sour soup and chicken à la king with a side of sweet potato wedges. Andrew feels a pang of something irritable inside his chest. He doesn’t quite care whether Neil likes it or not. He isn’t allowed to be a baby about this. Not any fucking more.

“Eat,” he prompts. “Eat or I will force feed it down your gullet, yes?”

Neil sighs and begins to scoop an insufficient portion onto his plate, rather halfheartedly. Andrew snatches the spoon from him and begins to serve Neil himself, making sure to get an equally ample portion of each item available before helping himself.

“You will explain as we eat.”

“What?”

“Drop the clueless act and stop being this pathetic.”

When Neil merely blinks at him Andrew scoots closer to Neil in his chair, making it creak in protest against the wooden floor as he grabs Neil’s chin in his hand. He lowers Neil’s head and allows his eyes to bore into Neil’s. He’s lost every remaining morsel of his patience. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“No.”

“You’re treating me like one.”

“I’m not trying to. Fuck. Everyone’s just constantly on my ass about everything all the time and so what if I have a bad day or two. Am I not allowed the privilege—?”  

“Fuck everyone,” Andrew’s voice is dull and combustible. “Do I look like everyone?”

At this, Neil lowers his gaze to Andrew’s lips, back to his eyes and something within Neil’s own softens.

“Of course not,” he replies, voice more subdued now.

“I’ve had enough of your mopey bullshit,” Andrew says, letting go of Neil’s chin.

“Explain.” Andrew demands.

“It’s not a big deal.”

Everything inside Andrew knots up like curdled milk. There is a visible tension in Neil’s shoulders that is no doubt going to escape in a torrent; without a moment’s notice. Andrew doesn’t even have to prepare himself for it. He just wants to face it headfirst.

Andrew draws his mouth into a thin line. “If you lie to me again I won’t sit here and tolerate it.”

“It’s not something you’ll want to hear.”

“I don’t care,” Andrew snaps. “Tick tock.”

Neil takes a deep breath and lets it out through his nose and the words tumble out of his mouth like bullet shells. “I know that it’s naive but I thought he wasn’t going to be a problem, at least not for the foreseeable future. I will keep playing Exy until there is none of me left. That’s the deal. That’s how it goes but there are things I can’t control—if something happens to me? Something that makes me incapable of playing and—and then, he’ll turn the Foxes into collateral damage in my war.” Neil glances up to meet Andrew’s unflinching gaze. “Ichirou,” he says, the name sounding like a strained chord on a busted up guitar. “He flew down for a meeting and paid me a visit on a whim. He said things. He fucking—“ now there’s a keen rage seizing him. “He fucking threatened your life!”

“He’s threatened my life before.”

“Exactly! He’s made his point. I get it. We get it. This time, he was doing it to taunt me, to remind me that we’re all ultimately just pawns on his sick little chessboard. He’s screwing with me.”

Andrew leans calmly back into his chair and says nothing, waiting for Neil to calm down. At this point, Neil is seething, his breath choked out in rattled gasps. He’s got a white-knuckled grip on either end of the table.

“That wasn’t something I could stand. Listening to that bastard pompously claim all the things he could do to you, count off the ways he could make you disappear without a trace. Why should I have to put up with this crap? Why do I have to keep living beneath the Moriyamas’ shadow? Sitting there, listening to him recite what he’s capable of—hurting you. It reminded me that I’m still the Butcher’s son, that I should be raining hell down on anyone who even thinks of touching us—Touching you.”

Neil is shivering now, his words coming out in escaped sobs. His entire body’s a wreck. He’s a wreck.

Andrew’s stomach twists as conviction stronger than anything Andrew’s ever felt burns in Neil’s voice.

“Do you remember what I told you?” Andrew asks, promptly. 

“I—“

“What did I tell you?”

He watches the muscles work under Neil’s clenched jaw.

“To bury Nathaniel in Baltimore with his father.”

“Neil is your only truth from now on, or have you forgotten?”

“I haven’t.”

“You cannot object what is irrefutable.”

“I won’t let them, Andrew. I can’t… Because that would be pathetic.”

“If there is a single part of you that is still Nathaniel, I do not want anything to do with it. Are we clear?”

Neil is at an utter loss of words before he attempts to gather himself, something unsteady flashing in his eyes. Andrew does not care if his truth is a harsh pill to swallow. Neil will learn. This is the man he chose to protect, the man he sleeps with, the man who is his.

Another irrefutable truth—Neil Josten; not some phantom burnout son-of-a-killer.


“Are you digging him back up?”“No. What’s dead is dead.”

“Good,” Andrew won’t admit the relief his words warrant. “I want you to remember you said that.”

“It’s just—“ Neil sighed. “I haven’t been able to eat or sleep since talking to him. I keep seeing your dead body at my feet or— or worse and I feel like throwing up. It’s that same, ringing sense of dread all over again. The dread I felt when Riko threatened you, before I made my decision to go to Evermore. All I can think about is the need to eliminate the threat. I want to kill him.”

“Don’t be irrational.”

“I can’t just let him get away with this.”

“That is exactly what you’re going to do. Neil,” Andrew says. “Yes or—?”

Bright eyes sharp as stained glass. “Yes.”

Andrew takes Neil’s hand in his own and presses it to the side of his neck, just beneath his jugular vein so that Neil can feel Andrew’s pulse beating underneath the skin there. “Not to indulge your creepy neck fetish or anything but,” he cups his own hand over where he’s holding Neil’s. “I’m here.”

“Whenever—if anything happens, I’ll still be here.” Andrew says. “Nod if you understand.”

Neil lets out another shaky breath and nods slowly, eyes steady on Andrew’s. Watching him unravel on his bad days is always somewhat of a stale realization. There is a part of Andrew that thinks it isn’t fair. When did things become this critical? Before… He wasn’t feeling unless he was feeling empty, the only time the world felt real was when he was standing at the edge of it, staring down at what could quite possibly be a bottomless death. He never used to know what to do with his hands, not until Neil had reminded him, anyway. 

“They’re your hands,” cigarette lounging lazily at the corner of lips chapped stupid, eyes so wide they could be confused for open sores, hair ruffled in the wind.

He’d wanted nothing.

Now he is surviving on that very nothing, cultivating a life from every breath that leaves nothing’s lips.

Careful what you fucking wish for.

Neil’s fingers are warm as they curl up to grip the back of Andrew’s neck. He still looks shaken, furious; as if he wants to turn the world on its head and fight it. There’s still an unkempt tenseness to his posture. Andrew hates it. 

“I don’t care,” Neil announces. “I don’t care if they kill me. Ever since I was born I’ve been ready to die if it comes down to it. That’s the philosophy I was raised on.”

Andrew reads the implication on his face even before he has to make it clear.

“They can’t have you.”

You think it’s cute throwing my own words back in my face?

“Still playing at rabbit?” Andrew says, after a pause. “You know better than to waste energy fretting over shit that you can’t control, or have you not learned anything?”
“My learning curve’s a horizontal line, remember?” Neil replies, a suggestive hint in the twist of his lips.

“Coincidentally the position you’ll be lying in your coffin when I’m done with you.”

“Death kink or neck fetish. Which one’s weirder? We should ask Nicky.”

“I hate you.”

“Me too.”

“I mean it.”

Neil’s fingers against his skin. Alive, alive. 

“That’s what I love about you.”

Andrew scoffs and pushes Neil’s hand off before turning back around in his chair. “Your food will get cold,” he mutters, tone finite.

“Okay.”

“The next time you skip a meal you can sustain on whatever the cats are having.”

“Thank you.”

They eat in the sort of silence that swells over a small town after it’s been ransacked by a hurricane but still left standing. It’s a dizzying, electric sort of silence. The sort you can feel in your bones. When they’re done, Neil helps clear the plates away and they pad up to their bedroom.

King Fluffkins follows as Sir Fat Cat McCatterson continues to doze in his delegated spot.

“That was the best dinner I’ve ever had. I’ll starve myself all the time if that means you’ll cook for me more often.” That dark look in Neil’s eyes has dissolved into something clearer as he rolls over onto his side and begins to press kneading kisses down the side of Andrew’s jaw.

“Shut up.”

“It’s true,” Neil’s words are muffled against Andrew’s heated skin. “You know last week, Nicky was treating all of us to dinner and he asked me what my favorite dish was and I told him I didn’t actually know. Dan and Matt totally freaked out.” Neil’s hand stills over Andrew’s cheek for a brief moment. “My mother never used to cook. I know how to whip up your standard meals. Enough to keep me going. Omelettes, sandwiches, breakfast burritos. You name it. I’ve pretty much got microwaving down to an art form too, but I’ve never eaten anything like… This.”

Neil leans over and presses a soft kiss to Andrew’s lips, the kind that spreads out like the petals of a flower.

“It tastes like real home food,” he smiles against Andrew’s face before gently meeting Andrew’s unwavering gaze. 

“You can touch me if you want.” Andrew’s voice is hoarse.

Neil looks slightly hesitant as he lets one of his hands gently slip beneath the hem of Andrew’s shirt.

Andrew closes his eyes at the contact. Neil’s touch is respectful, delicate, debilitating. Andrew’s skin is fever-warm against Neil’s cool fingertips. Andrew doesn’t want Neil to be able to detect the shortness of his breaths but he can bet Neil feels them.

“I’d like to extend my compliments to the chef,” Neil says, fingers faltering along the waistband of Andrew’s sweatpants. “Properly.”

Andrew grunts a quiet affirmation and Neil slides down, pulling the covers over his head. 

He pushes the covers away in quick retaliation.

Eyes intent on Neil’s.

“I want to see you.”

[skvaaader]

Except there is nothing wrong with writing Neil Josten like that if we look at canon and his ability to fight or not does not make him a damsel in distress.

In canon, every single fight Neil starts he loses or runs from. Except for one fight against Riko during a banquet and that one he basically loses all sense and throws himself at Riko and punches without any technicality.

Nathan's inner circle taught him how to use knives, how to murder people and how to cut them apart. We do not know how far other than that his training extend and we also know that Nathan found him useless and bad at these things, and that Neil explicitly hates it.

We also know that what Mary taught him was basically to run, to get out to not end up in a situation where he had to fight. To book it at the best point, and that is what we see Neil do again and again instead of finishing a fight.

Also instinct and having that ingrained doesn't negate weekly sparring, your body will no matter how ingrained something is in you start losing the form/speed and technique compared to someone who weekly does something. We also if we're going to assume things don't know the extent of Renee's fighting capabilities, we know she was taught to fight with a knife not only how to use one, and we don't know what extended training she has done afterwards.

This is also from the EC on Nora's blog showing that Neil does not actually have extended fighting abilities:

I nearly spit my wine out imagining Neil taking on Renee. She would beat the ever-living shit out of him in a tenth the time it took her to one-up Andrew. :D Girl is savage af beneath that chapstick smile.

Matt’s lessons were how Neil was able to pop Riko in the face without breaking his thumb, but they don’t really pay off until Neil’s sophomore year, when Neil & Jack start clashing like Seth & Kevin used to. The first time Jack is stupid enough to actually take a swing at Neil, Neil knocks him on his ass before Dan can cross the court to them.

((Matt was so proud, though he had to be diplomatic on the court. He was all over Neil in the dorm later like YEAH THAT’S MY BRO))

((Coach sent everyone on laps because why the fuck did he sign up for these headaches is he a masochist or something like seriously why why why all this bullshit drama year after year goddamn)) https://korakos.tumblr.com/post/134367179662/how-do-neils-fighting-practices-with-matt-go

So don't take away from the fact that Renee is a good fighter, and she was around a lot of them as well during her younger years.

What I'm trying to say is absolutely you can imagine that Neil is capable of fighting, but that does not mean that people who do not see him as that is wrong or have read the books wrong. Neil is a character who surrounds himself with violence, but is inherently afraid of it and draws back from it. It also takes away that Neil speaking up is his way of fighting after a life of having his voice supressed by his mother and being told to be quiet and not make a fuss. That he shouldn't be seen. Him standing up for others and himself by using words is very much his way of fighting and is really important to him as a character.

TL;DR write Neil however you want to do, his capability to fight or not does not make him a damsel in distress depending on how you write it and people who writes him as a bad fighter hasn't read his character wrong.

I get bothered by all those people in the fandom who talk about how Andrew/Renee would totally win in a fight against Neil and how they’re always making him unable to fight and needing Andrew.

Like… Nathan and his Inner Circle taught him how to fight and use knives, his mother taught him how to fight and he most definitely used it all while on the run and his mother definitely drilled him everyday. Those instincts and reflexes don’t go away. They’re ingrained into his muscle memory and that knowledge was too important to his survival for him to just forget it.

Plus, Renee, and by extension, Andrew only know how to street fight. While that is useful and can save you out in, well, the streets, Neil most definitely knows how to fight in both the technical and street sense. You’re telling me that The Butcher of Baltimore, his Inner Circle, and Mary Hatford, daughter of a high-ranking member of the British mafia don’t know how to fight and weren’t taught by professionals? Andrew was taught how to street fight once a week inconsistently for two years (in canon). Renee doesn’t like using those skills.

TL;DR: Neil (or more Nathaniel) knows how to fight, stop making him a helpless damsel in distress. He’s not.