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stargirlwnchstr · 4 years ago

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I have a visual to share with y'all. Say welcome to my long ass 'The Foxes + tiktok' headcanon

@ nickythefox_es (part 1???)

Basically Nicky gets tiktok but all of the foxes show up eventually and just use his profile.

• Most of the videos are with nicky and allison, also matt and dan and occasionally neil.

• Allison and nicky learn so many dances.

• Their duet of make his pockets hurt with Mariah and Zane from the vlog squad is the first one to go v i r a l.

• Yeah most of their followers know them but some and a lot of the comments are non exy fans that just watch them because they're cool

• So many of the "what is exy" "stickball game??" "dont even bother explaining to me what is the sport they play I dont care I'm just here for neil." And related comments get a liked from creator (andrew told nicky to like them)

•The "Oh my god she's coming." "I'm so afraid of her." Audio are the twinyards and nicky shows up, he had to bribe them to be a part of that one.

• They post another version but it's Kevin that enters and Allison and Nicky talking

• So many comments thirsting over them and calling matt and dan parents

• "the real bisexual struggle is simping for matt and dan in the same tiktok." -> liked from creator nickythefox_es commented/replied: ASDGFKSSDWADKWB

• Someone makes a 'put a finger down: Neil Josten edition' and nicky drags him to do it. They both smile as they listen to the prompts and Neil obviously puts all his fingers down but they're like "put a finger down if you clapbacked/if you bad mouthed someone (bonus points if it was on national tv)" "put a finger down if you're under 6 feet" "put a finger down if you love exy" and the last one just says "put a finger down if andrew minyard." Neil does and smiles at someone off camera. Needless to say it goes viral as well. A few weeks after nicky gets verified.

• Allison becomes friends with thenavarose and wisdom sorry I dont make the rules (they're fashion tiktokers)

• They make a series of rating each of the foxes throughout the day, including one of Wymack.

• They do receive bad comments, from bitter ravens fans or just recalling their pasts and nicky sits down and makes a video telling everyone about how they do this videos for fun they dont need hate and negative comments on their videos and all that

• Then another one posted minutes after, neil comes in and nicky says "okay neil you have one minute. Rant off." And neil goes on this rant like how they already hit Rock bottom a single comment is not gonna hurt them and "do you get how insignificant and meaningless your lives must be? You took the time to write and post a comment that you thought was gonna cause an impact and failed. Also thanks for the comments though it helps nicky stay on the algorithm." NICKY SCREECHES AND THE VIDEO ENDS WITH THEM SMILING

• Allison vlogs neil and her going shopping or thrifting also cutting Neil's hair

• *neil walks into the room wearing his orange bandana* *camera moves and zooms on Andrew's face* he doesnt lip sync but the song sings "oh noo I think I'm catching feelings" andrew tells him to delete it "but it already has thousands of likes andrew"

• They post some of their work out routines per request

• One of them is the fast and "I'm spinning like a ballerina" chill of neil just running on the treadmill and doing sprints and squats and leg stuff while it cuts to allison doing a bit of everything but looking like a queen on a matching set.

• A fun one that goes viral for "vine energy" is: it's very quiet on the court and Kevin, very in the zone, throws the ball to the goal, which Andre's catches easily and almost without moving. The camera goes back to kevin as he screeches and let's himself fall on the ground. Neil is standing beside him shaking his head and looking at the goal with a smile on his face.

• They try to teach neil the dances but while filming one of them he just leaves. They post it either way.

• They're in the bus, nicky is on selfie mode and says "it is game day my dudes" he turns and shows the whole bus S C R E A M S, in the corner Wymack is covering his face.

• The iconic "they say drunk thoughts are sober words" or something like that and it cuts to a series of videos of the foxes drunk af. Example: Nicky grabbing Allison's face and saying 'Remember. Bread. Head. Leave.' And allison nodding.

• Nicky films kevin standing up and put the "do you ever wonder what is going on inside their head?" And it cuts to pictures of racquets and exy and Jeremy Knox and one that says history stuff.

• Another one that goes viral is kevin very seriously and p e r f o r m i n g, rapping Jefferson's side of the cabinet battle #1 from Hamilton then towards the end andrew stands up in front of him and with his iconic bored expression he starts rapping Hamilton's part. Behind the camera there's a soft "...oh my gOD" and kevin is shocked eyes widen open and then the camera zooms on Neil who's mouth is open in shock but GRINNING and ~impressed~

• Dan and matt do The challenge, you know the one that like has to flip them over and all that and they ace it, nicky points the camera to where andrew and neil are stating and Andrew says no.

• A few minutes later another video of the challenge is posted only this time is matt and neil.

• Nicky and allison are in full gear filming a dance video (maybe savage or captain hook) on the court and someone films them filming that and then Wymack looking at them SO disappointed cut to Wymack with nicky's phone, having confiscated it and nicky besides him "coach, it's cardio!"

• Hours spent trying trick shots

• Foxes: "get back! Move!" Ravens: "Let me in! I be the I g g y!" Trojans: "Oh my God do no let her in" Foxes: "I am trying!"

• Nicky lying down: "okay but someone needs to tell me how old is the shirtless pottery guy. I can't be part of another controversy. It's for science c'mon. *debby Ryan's*"

• Someone comments "he's eighteen. Simp away, nicky." And he makes a video with his feet swinging and smiling. Aaron gets on the frame and says "we are deeply in need of some bowls." The caption: hi @ papapots

• They are verified so obviously he gains a couple of thousands followers and he duets smiling and with a package in his arms. Text: thanks for the support (and hi new followers from sport side of tiktok hope you enjoy my pots) caption: hi @ nickthefox_es I got you aaron.

• After the package comes they duet it with nicky screaming and showing off the goods and then he moves stop show andrew eating ice cream out of one of them. Caption: AJSNEPWLDKSS THANK YOU DAX

• Allison and nicky do the "I love you!" "No you dont topper! You love the idea of me. You love being seen with me but you dont love me." But nicky is Sarah and allison is topper. Next day the obx ig page reposted it "we stan the psu foxes pogues for life." And chase stokes posts it on Twitter saying "yoo the palmetto foxes watch??? my show???" Nicky takes a screenshot and on green screen he says "hi chase!! We do! The whole team binged it. Currently we've been debating who of us is going to dress up as pogues for Halloween." A lot of voices start arguing and as nicky is gonna enter the debate the video cuts.

• Allison does the facetime *deep male voice says hey* prank on them. Neil doesnt react. Nicky doesnt look up from his phone but does the finger thing and says "get that d, allison!" Dan and renee look at each other and then at allison and she bursts out laughing.

• aaron studying to be a doctor: *two plus two is four etc sound* andrew (eating pretzels from the bag while watching a game show lying down in a bean bag) and his eiditic memory [basically not needing to study]: *three is a magic number sound*

• Nicky runs through the court and enters the lounge beside the photo wall there's a poster he shows the camera as the sounds says it "alive ahaha fuck"

• Somehow they convince all of them to show up and do the wipe it down trend that ends up with wymack throwing the towel at the mirror.

• Comment: so how many members of the team listen to girl in red or sweater weather? Nicky stands there with the color filter: 👁👄👁👉👈 caption: yes❤

• He gets neil to duet to the whole "british people be like". "Neil I'm not british." "Part of you is so just read the tweets." He does and the comments are all thirst and simping

• Comment: raise your hand if you've been victimized by neil josten. Where my fellow Simps at? (The comment gets hundreds of thousands of likes) they make a video, everyone on the team except aaron who walks out raises their hand as the sound says "welcome to simp nation" kevin rolls his eyes but raises his, says something that nicky captions "i simp over his exy skills". andrew doesn't at first, but next to him neil whispers something and after andrew says yes, neil grabs Andrew's forearm and raises it. Andrew looks away and neil smiles.

• Nicky lying down: okay but what if Jean moreau traded places with the french guy from here you know who, david.

• Comment "ugh your mind nicky" reply video: right? Big brain, many thoughts, head full all the time. But like actually the idea of david playing exy and Jean hanging out with ducks and making viral tiktoks just-

• Comment "i feel you and @ austincantdrive would make the best chaotic duo" reply: we would be too powerful together. Austin replies too: agree.

• Allison makes a sports jersey/comfy wear but make it fashion and she styles herself. Everyone on the comments d i e s for her.

• Comment "okay but what about the boys. help allison." She makes a video too with matt and nicky and at the end neil wears an orange crop top and the internet b r e a k s

• Comment "allison do you listen to girl in red?" video reply: her winking at the camera and lip syncing as sweater weather plays. The comments a lot of them liked by creator: a win for the girls (and the boys)

• Upperclassmen Back in 2003: okay but hey do we always have to be involved? Can we do normal stuff that normal people do, like, go for brunch? Us (aaron, andrew, kevin and me): what the fuck is brunch?

• Of course they do the mr blue sky trend. Nicky: drunkenly goes to flirt with a guy. Aaron: drunkenly follows to get away from kevin. Kevin: drunk on pure vodka reminds us we have practice in the morning.

• Or another one all of them. Neil: ready to insult a reporter. Dan: tries not to laugh on camera. Matt: gets ready to hug him afterwards Allison and Nicky: Filming everything. Wymack: the only one trying to stop it from happening and failing.

• Dan and matt duet their reactions to every video edit of them, smiling and saying "your parents love you guys!".

• Comment "literally what is wrong with the ravens/ravens fans?The foxes are such a nice group of people and they're doing great in the sport y'all worship just shut up you cult-y athletic hype house." video reply: "ladies and gentlemen. The volume inside of this bus is A S T R O N O M I C A L."

• comment video reply: okay so we're not gonna talk about nicky at the gym?? Bc C A K E. nicky lip syncing "I'm glad you brung it up because I've been dying to talk about this for a fucking hot minute. First of all-"

• Colin uses one of Neil's or Andrew's interviews replies as one of his sounds and nicky fanboys a lot

• Allison and nicky do the Kardashian sound compilation.

• Nicky with a picture of Erik on green screen: "hi I just wanna say if you look anything like this please contact me. Thank you." Caption: miss u baby. And Erik watches his tiktoks and he facetimes him immediately. Nicky takes a screenshot and duets his own video crying with the screenshot caption: SKALSBSKAJSL Erik comments: stop making tiktoks and answer the phone, hemmick. Nicky replies: yessir everyone below comments keyboard smashes and you got a good one. Goals. Lmao kids that's what we call bottom panic. We stan one healthy long distance relationship and after that a bunch of long distance relationship questions that he makes another video on.

• A video of Katelyn and neil chatting and it pans to the twins watching them with the *when worlds collide sound*

• He reposts a snippet of one of his interviews post game where he grabs the mic from the reporter and nicky: can I say something? Reporter: sure, go ahead. Nicky: thank you. *looks straight into the camera* all the birds died in 1986 due to Reagan killing them and replacing them with spies that are now watching us. The birds work for the bourgeoisie. Thank you." And leaves. IT GOES VIRAL INSTANTLY.

• Comment "is everyone else gonna forget that tiktok where he said he was already part of a controversy? We stan a problematic icon?" Video reply: guys I might have been part of a whole Twitter beef thing against my little hoodie and Bruce hallway but c'mon, like, c'mon you can't blame me.

• Comment "for neil: does the carpet match the drapes 👅😍?" Video reply: neil on selfie mode. "Allison gave me her phone, told me to answer this and ran away so umm." He reads the box on the screen and frowns he walks and stands next to the window, where Andrew is sitting down and is barely seen on frame. "uhmm, the internet is confusing. Our carpet is like this" he turns the phone and shows the floor (grayish carpet) and then back at him "but we don't have drapes so, technically they don't match, I dont know." Andrew's head goes up and simply says "Neil." Neil turns "what?" And the video ends.

• of course nicky and allison do the WAP dance, on the court, when they should be running drills.

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philliamwrites · 4 years ago

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Ocean Eyes, Golden Mind

Fandom: All For The Game (Nora Sakavic)

Pairing: Neil/Andrew

Tags: #math nerd neil, #neil with glasses, #no exy

Summary: In which Neil hates his new prescribed glasses until they attract the interest of a certain Andrew Minyard.

Commissioner: Ziegenkind

Notes: Title taken from Billie Eilish’s ‘Ocean Eyes.’

Ocean Eyes, Golden Mind

Dude, it’s just a frat party. Who doesn’t go to frat parties?

The message flashes Neil’s screen white, its sender none other than his roommate Nicky who is supposed to study for an upcoming test in Public Policy in exactly nineteen hours. That’s what Neil writes him. Nicky’s reply comes instantly.

Those who study tend not to party. You know. Like you.

Neil leaves him on read. If he wants to party, he’ll lock himself inside his room, two bottles of Jack Daniel’s by his side while watching every existing compilation of cats attacking people on the small screen of his phone. He knows how to have a good time, alright. Not everyone has to set their scale like Nicky: More than once Neil has been the spectator of him coming back to the dormitory completely wasted, but still eager enough to get frozen waffles from the fridge. Being too drunk to put them in the toaster, he usually just climbs up to his top bunk and puts them between his thighs to eat them partially defrosted. It’s this fragile line between genius and stupidity that has Neil doubting if he should fill in a request for changing roommates or just live with the fact that Nicky Hemmick is one special kind of man.

So instead of spending his night curled into himself, wall against his back and eyes on every stranger distributing awful shots, Neil sits at the Math Tutoring Centre on the west side of the campus and gives group tutoring sessions.

Math comes to Neil like breathing. Like Bertrand Russel said, not only does Mathematics possess truth, but supreme beauty—a beauty cold and austere, like that of a sculpture. It is sublimely pure, and capable of a stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show. It is poetry—elegant and deep—of logical ideas to create harmony in a written line. Once he tried to explain that to Nicky over microwaved Mac n Cheese with Girls running in the background, clearly overestimating him, because Nicky only stared into space for a few seconds, and replied, “You really need to get laid, man.”

Reluctant at the beginning, Neil only agreed to join the Tutor Program because his math professor promised to throw in some extra cash. Something about raising the graduate numbers in order to get the board of education off his back. That’s where Neil’s jurisdiction of interest ends, but he has enjoyed it more than expected—the empty hallways, the harsh light of the ceiling lamps, the smell of chalk, the faint echoes of students still lingering in classrooms. There’s this magic about the Palmetto State University at night—a vulnerability that can only live once the sun sets behind the horizon. When else would he find a kid sleeping under a table in the library, or seniors breaking down in tears for exact 10 minutes before continuing their studies as if nothing has happened.

There’s another reason he’d rather spend his evening on campus, one Nicky doesn’t need to know because then Neil won’t hear the end of it. That reason being 5’0’’ tall chemistry prodigy Andrew Minyard, sitting in the last row of Neil’s math sessions each Friday. He only knows about him thanks to Nicky’s never-ending complaints, but that never really stopped him from throwing a few or more glances in Andrew’s direction. Just curiosity, of course.

So when he stands in front of the blackboard now, putting away his lesson papers which are full of numbers and equations—the kind that has enough letters to look like sentences—he feels dozens eyes burn holes in the back of his neck, and one pair belongs to Andrew. No one asks why he’s here, but everyone knows he doesn’t need to be.

In his one year of giving tutoring sessions, Neil has learnt that exactly three types of students exist: Students who are really good, certainly not in need of the extra lessons, but going anyway for some extra ego-buff and unnecessary brain-flexing. The second type is students who are okay, doing their tasks, following the lesson, not really attracting any attention safe for some crude jokes. The last type has Neil questioning his belief in the educational system of the whole state because he doesn’t understand how they are allowed inside the sacred halls of PSU.

Andrew is a special type on his own—the enigma that keeps Neil awake at two in the morning because he’s desperate to solve it, but without knowing where to start, he’s just running in circles. His fingers itch to solve an equation with multiple variables, to find the solution to a problem and get it off his mind.

He doubts it will be this easy with Andrew.

“Before we continue to look at scalar products in R- and C-vector spaces, we’ll consider bilinear and semi-bilinear forms in general, and link them to matrices for their representation to chosen bases.” Neil’s hand flies across the board, leaving letters and parenthesizes that look like bizarre drawings—art in its most complex form. Once he’s finished, he takes a step away, wipes the chalk on his fingers off on his jeans, and turns to his audience. “What happens to this equation with the semi-bilinear form σ?”

Two hands shoot up immediately. He ignores them; no need to feed their ego, and instead picks a freshman who’s been staring at his phone for the last ten minutes. Making way, Neil moves back to the student’s seats and leans against a desk.

Is it the farthest place away from the board? It is.

Is it the closest that will get him to Andrew? Might be so.

It certainly gives him a good look at what Andrew’s been doing since Neil started—and that is not solving a single task on the paper Neil has handed out at the beginning of the session. Andrew, apparently bored before it even started, has taken out a slip of paper with a sudoku puzzle on it and is solving it against his leg, completely linked out of the instruction.

Neil tries not to stare too much at Andrew’s bare arms, and instead looks back at the board.

“Does that look right?” the freshman—Rhys or Rheeze or something like that—asks, turning around.

Neil narrows his eyes and squints at the board. He can’t make out a single thing, and that’s bad, yes, but his feet betray him, staying rooted where they are instead of reducing the distance until he can distinguish σ from a.

“Where does the l come from,” he asks. Multiple heads snap in his direction.

“That’s a j, Josten,” someone says from the other side of the room.

Neil squints harder. “And the u?”

“A μ.”

“No, it’s a v,” a girl next to Neil says, and that’s when the everyone starts shouting about what’s on the board and what isn’t.

Neil bears it for a solid minute before he surrenders. He pulls a small case from his pocket, opens it. Puts his glasses on.

The whole room goes silent.

Neil checks the equation, nods. “Correct. Who’s next?”

Multiple people stir, one manages to get up, and walks straight into a table leg. Neil questions that ‘straight’, because only then the freshman guy stops staring at Neil and steers his attention to the equation on the blackboard.

It was a bad idea, and Neil still hates Allison for forcing him to go. She’d dragged him to the doctor last week to get his eyes tested, annoyed by his never-ending questions of ‘What’s written there?’ or ‘Is that a six or an eight?’.

“They’re my eyes,” Neil had said, arms crossed as he sat in the office and waited for his turn.

“And it’s me who has to see your ugly squinting face,” Allison had replied.

Two hours later Neil had finally his prescriptions but that didn’t mean he was free from Allison’s clutches. He would have been fine with some glasses from the dollar store, but she insisted that if he’s going to wear them more than once a day, he should get designer glasses—thin frames and a color that matches his copper hair. She suggested gold. Neil picked black. The look of disappointment on Allison’s face was something that deserved its own painting to commemorate it. But once they’d finally chosen the right pair, she’d given him the very same look most of the students are giving him now—a mix between slight awe and disbelief as if he’s grown a second head. Or owes them all a month’s worth of lunch money.

“Well,” had Allison said at least, turning away to pack up and go home. “Tigers have their stripes. I have my eyeliner.” She threw him another scrutinizing look over her shoulder. “You have your glasses.” If it was supposed to make him feel better, it didn’t work, and right now he regrets nothing more than allowing Allison to drag him around.

Neil’s eyes land on Andrew’s sudoku puzzle, now half-hidden under his papers, and he sees now that he isn’t even solving the thing, but simply coloring in the empty squares.

He takes a second too long and meets Andrew’s eyes staring back at him.

“Problem, Josten?” Andrew asks with a blank expression, tapping the end of his pen against his monochrome picture of black and white squares.

Neil wants to see how far he can push until he walks against a brick wall and breaks something. He returns his gaze to the board but feels Andrew’s eyes like a solid touch on the back of his neck.

After the session, the students hurry outside, still throwing curious glances over their shoulders at Neil and if he could merge with the back of his chair and disappear forever, that would be totally okay. It isn’t until a shadow looms above him that he looks up from his own homework and draws in a careful breath when Andrew towers above him.

Neil raises an eyebrow. “Problem, Minyard?”

Andrew’s face gives nothing away, and when he stretches out a hand, Neil doesn’t flinch. His glasses slip off easily, held between Andrew’s thumb and index finger.

“Nicky told me he’s trying to convince you to join him tomorrow,” Andrew says. Neil needs a second, because that is the most words he’s heard out of Andrew’s mouth.

“I have no reason to go,” Neil says, his eyes jumping up and down, from the equation that makes his sight blur to Andrew leaning his slender waist against the table.

“You have one now.” It’s barely neutral enough to not sound like a threat, but Neil stares at Andrew nonetheless, and when he puts Neil’s glasses on, Neil’s heart does a weird stutter. He’s still starring at Andrew when he leaves the room, and no, his eyes don’t stray, they stay on Andrew’s broad back, and if they dip lower it’s because of the light.

Once he’s alone, Neil takes a deep breath, exhales slowly. Puts his head in his arms and counts to ten in French first, then again in German. His heart still does this weird thing, trying to bruise his ribs from the inside.

He gets his phone, texts Nicky he’ll go to the frat party tomorrow and puts it away, not interested in his roommate’s reply. There’s still the equation he needs to solve, but for the first time Neil’s heart isn’t really into math, and he is quite alright with it.

#philliamwrites #ao3 #fanfiction #aftg #andreil #andrew minyard #neil josten #all for the game #andrew x neil #neil x andrew #andrew/neil #neil/andrew

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nekojitachan · 4 years ago

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I really need to figure out how many parts there are to this story (The Real Thing). I do. But for now, have a new one, and know there’s one more left.

Last part is here.

Uhm, mention of Andrew’s rehab, nasty Ravens roughing Nathaniel up (nothing too bad) and Andrew NOT LIKING THAT, FEELINGS! Oh, and Riko being Riko.

******

Despite being told not to practice for a week, Andrew changed into his Ravens’ uniform as soon as he was back in the Nest since the rest of the team was out on court – since Nathaniel was out on court. He rushed out of the locker room as quickly as he could, muscles still rubbery from recovery, and immediately noticed three things.

First, that Riko wasn’t anywhere to be seen, nor was Kevin. Second, that the Ravens were oddly subdued as they stood around watching the players currently involved in a scrimmage. And third? That Nathaniel took part in the scrimmage (as did Jean)… not as a backliner, but as a striker. He wore a lighter set of padding and held a striker’s racquet, managed to avoid Federov to score a point – and then nearly went to his knees when the asshole slammed into him after the ball was out of his racquet.

A sharp, tumultuous anger flared to life inside of Andrew to see his soulmate treated like that, yet before he could do more than take a step forward, he found his way blocked by racquets; Toby and Leif had moved to block him. “Don’t,” Toby whispered while Leif shook his head. “It’s almost over, and it’ll only be worse if you do anything.”

“Don’t tell me-“

“Let him get through this and then be happy you’re back,” Leif hissed. “He’s been through enough.”

Andrew stopped trying to shove past the racquets and gave the backliner a narrow look. “Ben said he was all right.” Had his partner lied?

Leif shrugged then resumed watching the scrimmage. “He is, all things considered.”

That wasn’t much of an answer. Andrew ignored Toby belatedly welcoming him back and resumed watching the scrimmage as well, inwardly seething each time Nathaniel was slammed into, knocked down or battered around. His soulmate was one of the best backliners out there despite his small size, and even showed promise as a striker because of his amazing speed and knowledge of Exy. But he had still switched to a new position after years of playing a different one, so his responses were the slightest bit off. If he was playing anyone else but the Ravens? It probably wouldn’t matter, but he was, and the best team in the Class I division picked up on each and every mistake he made.

After a few more minutes, Tetsuji finally called an end to the scrimmage; Andrew wanted to throttle the old bastard when he strode over to an obviously worn out Nathaniel and gave him three strikes against the lower back with his cane then ordered him to do more drills. He ‘corrected’ a few other players before he approached Andrew and studied him for a few seconds. “Work on drills.”

No ‘hey, glad to see you’re back after we put you through hell’ or ‘get some rest, you look terrible’, but Andrew would accept it since it allowed him to be near his soulmate and not punch the asshole in the throat (yet). He grabbed his racquet and went to the outer ring of court, where Nathaniel was already at work on the Raven drills.

The idiot paused to give him a slight yet pleased smile, his eyes shadowed as if exhausted and cheeks sunken as if he’d skipped too many meals, but other than that… other than that the sight of him made Andrew’s heart race, dammit. Ever since coming off the drugs, the world had been somewhat muted, had lacked the hint of mania-enhanced vibrancy it had possessed the last year and a half, but now that he stood near his soulmate…. He felt the same inexorable pull toward Nathaniel that he always had, the same urge to slide his fingers into the auburn curls tucked beneath the black bandana and tug him forward for a kiss, to nibble and suck on that full bottom lip.

Those emotions were real, were so very real, as was the need to protect Nathaniel, to ensure he was all right, to track down everyone who’d hurt him while Andrew was gone.

For a moment, Andrew felt a rather dramatic urge to carve out his heart to put an end to all those feelings before common sense kicked in. Then he realized that he was still staring into Nathaniel’s eyes and decided he could live with beating himself into a coma with his own racquet. Before he could carry through with that solution, though, Nathaniel began to frown. “Are you all right? You look really tired, should you even be out on court?”

Andrew clicked his tongue and stepped forward. “Look who’s talking, sweetpea.” He scooped up a ball and with a clever twist of his wrist, knocked over the three cones on the end to the left. “When’s the last time you slept? Or ate a full meal?”

“I’ve been eating,” Nathaniel mumbled as he completed drill #8. “And… not here.” He glanced over at Tetsuji, who barked out a correction at Leif (who was certain to be caned once the scrimmage was over).

That implied that a certain ‘sweetpea’ would talk later; Andrew gave him a narrow look before he focused on knocking over cones for the next twenty minutes, imagining that they were Riko and Tetsuji the entire while.

He felt a rush of that irrational, potent urge to protect when he saw all the bruises, new and old, on his soulmate’s lean body when they stripped for the showers, and only managed to keep from crushing skulls with locker doors when he realized that they were from playing Exy, that the marks matched up to weak spots in the protective padding (or the lack of it entirely) and not from- that it was from Exy.

That no one was suicidal enough to ignore his reminders before he’d left for rehab.

He wasn’t particularly hungry, so he dumped his slab of disgusting tofu in Nathaniel’s bowl, followed by his orange dropped on his surprised soulmate’s tray. “Eat them,” he ordered in French. “Let Valjean do the talking.”

Jean snorted in amusement but motioned for his partner to eat as well. “So nice to have you back.”

“Considering that I go away for a couple weeks and come back to everything all fucked up? I’d say ‘yes’.”

Jean winced while Nathaniel nibbled on his bottom lip and slowly peeled his extra orange. “It… it is nice to have you back,” Nathaniel murmured as he ducked his head.

“Eat,” Andrew repeated as he poked at his rice with his chopsticks and told his stupid emotions to fuck off. “What the hell happened with the asshole?”

“Yes, that,” Jean sighed as he stabbed at his own tofu before breaking it apart. “Have you heard the story about how Kevin and Riko went on a skiing trip together, only for Kevin to break his hand?”

Andrew nodded as he dropped several grains of rice onto the table and began to flick them toward the wall. “Utter bullshit.” Why would either of the young men take time off right before the playoff season? All they’d talked about was how the team had to spend the whole winter break training, not to waste time on some stupid vacation.

“Yes, exactly.” Jean glanced around the large room, but everyone appeared to be focused on their own meals and conversations. “All we know is that Kevin disappeared one night, unable to attend the winter banquet with us, and Riko left soon after that.” He gave Andrew an intent look before he forced himself to eat his dinner, while Nathaniel, done with the one orange, steadily shoveled rice and tofu into his mouth.

All they knew? Or all they could say while out in public? Andrew continued to flick rice grains until the two were done, then nodded when Nathaniel proclaimed that he was tired. He watched his soulmate pocket the extra orange, and followed the two backliners (well, maybe not Nathaniel anymore) to their room.

Once there, Nathaniel set the orange on his desk and opened the drawer to retrieve a paper bag filled with the ‘good’ energy bars… and what turned out to be expensive chocolate bars. “Here,” he told Andrew as he handed them over. “I made sure to grab them whenever they restocked.” A slight flush colored his sharp cheekbones as he ducked his head again. “And, uhm, one night they had the chocolate up in the East Tower. I thought… well, I can’t get out to buy a gift.”

Andrew noticed that Jean was pointedly looking away right then, his right hand clamped over his own soulmate mark. “The only thing I could have brought back was used toiletries, so give me a few days, okay. These… these are great.” He reached out with his left hand to tousle Nathaniel’s hair, which made his soulmate smile, then sat down on Nathaniel’s bed as he pulled an energy bar and chocolate bar from the bag. “Now tell me what really happened.”

Nathaniel sat down next to him, so close he could feel the redhead’s body heat. “As you guessed, the skiing story was a lie,” he said as he switched to French. He looked straight at Jean as he tugged on the hem of his black sweatshirt. “What really happened was that… well, Riko broke Kevin’s left hand.”

Andrew paused in opening the wrapper of the energy bar to raise an eyebrow. “Not to apply logic when dealing with a jealous psychopath, but any idea why then?”

“Because earlier that day, several ERC officials showed up and had the two play against each other to disprove the rumors that Tetsuji is making Kevin hold back in favor of Riko,” Jean explained. “Riko won, but… I think he realized that perhaps they were right.”

“Of course they were right.”

Andrew nudged the ‘peanut gallery’, AKA his soulmate, in the side (gently, considering all the bruises) to make him remain quiet, and nodded to Jean to continue. Nathaniel grumbled but began to peel his orange.

“All we know for certain is soon after that, Kevin came to us with his hand broken.” Jean winced while Nathaniel muttered about Riko being a fucking prick. “Riko used Kevin’s racquet to break it with the intention of crippling him. We did what we could, and….”

“And?”

“And I called in a few favors from the guards I know who report to the main branch,” Nathaniel explained with a quiet voice. “Enough to get him out of the Nest and somewhere safe.”

For a moment, Andrew wanted to grab Nathaniel by his shoulders and shake him, to yell at him about doing something stupid, something that would put him in danger… yet he hadn’t seen any new cuts or scars on his soulmate (or Jean), hadn’t seen anything to make him think that the two idiots helping out their friend had been a huge mistake (yet). “Where is he?” he asked before he popped a piece of dark chocolate into his mouth, then hummed in pleasure at its intense flavor.

Nathaniel slumped in relief next to him (and slightly against him) while Jean smiled (a tiny bit, but still a smile). “It’s not common knowledge yet, but he’s at Palmetto State.”

Andrew was only familiar with the university since he’d spent a couple years in Columbia, which wasn’t far from the university. “Why the hell is he there?” He’d think that Kevin Day, #2 of the ‘esteemed’ Ravens, would go into a fit of apoplexy to be near the worst team in the Class I division.

Nathaniel and Jean shared a smug look as Nathaniel handed Andrew an orange section, which he accepted with a dubious frown despite his soulmate’s urging. However, when he tried it with a piece of chocolate, he had to admit it was an acceptable flavor pairing. “No one knows who’s Kevin’s father, right?” Nathaniel asked, his expression still smug.

“Big deal, he’s not the only one playing the ‘who’s your daddy’ game.”

Nathaniel’s smile was wiped away by Andrew’s dry comment while Jean rolled his eyes. “Perhaps, but the thing is, Kevin does know who’s his ��daddy’.” He scrunched his nose when Andrew gave him an interested look. “A couple years ago, we found a letter his mother wrote in Tetsuji’s library identifying the man. It seems she had an affair with David Wymack but chose not to inform him of the results.”

“Hmm.” Andrew slipped the last piece of chocolate past his lips and sucked on it as he considered that bit of news – and the fact that Tetsuji knew about Kevin’s bloodline while Wymack didn’t. “Why didn’t he go before now?”

“Because Kevin worried about the Moriyamas doing something to his father if he did,” Nathaniel explained as he rubbed his right hand along his scarred chest. “Now… now he doesn’t have much to lose and feels that he has no value to the family because of his hand.”

That and Nathaniel (and Jean) had stuck his neck out to get him away from Riko (and the Nest). Andrew once again wanted to shake his soulmate for being such a fool, but part of him realized that he couldn’t throw stones when it came to him protecting Aaron and Nicky.

(That he’d do just as much if not more for Nathaniel.)

“What about Riko and you being a striker?” he asked as he once more nudged his soulmate.

Nathaniel grimaced as he tugged again on the hem of his sweatshirt. “With Kevin gone, Tetsuji decided that I was the best choice to replace him. There’s no chance of having anyone ready for the playoffs, but he’s determined I’ll be trained in time for next season.”

“They’re hoping for Kevin to return, one way or another, but don’t think he’ll be able to play,” Jean explained in more detail. “Since the main branch ‘happened’ to find out about Kevin’s ‘accident’, Riko’s actually had to pay for his impulsiveness, at least a little, and was sent to Baltimore for winter break.” Next to Andrew, Nathaniel twitched at the mention of his birth city, which made him think that Riko wasn’t spending time with his professional team.

“He’s going to be furious when he returns,” Nathaniel murmured against Andrew’s shoulder. “Especially since Tetsuji announced that the Ravens will play without him for at least the first round.”

That was a surprise; Andrew glanced at Jean to confirm the news and clicked his tongue when the young man nodded. “Supposedly, Riko’s too distraught to play, but we think it’s a mix of keeping him away from the press and a punishment of sorts. They announced the line-up the other day, and it’s not as if we’ll have a problem winning without him or Kevin.”

Especially when Andrew would continue to shut down the goal as much as possible, per his bargain with Riko. Reminded of the importance of his performance, he gave his sleepy soulmate a slight nudge before he slipped off the bed. “Unless there’s any more gossip I should know, I’m heading off to bed.”

“No,” Jean said while Nathaniel stretched out on his own bed, clearly exhausted and ready to fall asleep. “You know the important things.”

Andrew gave him a quick salute before he left, thoughts focused on what he’d just been told. He wasn’t happy about Nathaniel risking himself for Kevin Day, but doubted that Tetsuji would wait to punish the fool if he suspected anything. That left them with Nathaniel’s position switch, Andrew and Jean having to work harder to make up for Kevin’s lack on the court, and dealing with an even more unstable Riko.

Oh what fun.

(Andrew pondered the chances of him getting away with another ‘accidental’ death, but dammit, Riko was rarely alone and highly unlikely to get into a rigged vehicle with him.)

Ben acted happy to see him and filled him in a bit more about the ‘drama’ while he unpacked his bag, sent a few texts to Aaron and Nicky then got ready for bed; about how the fans were upset over the possibility of Kevin never playing again, and most of the strikers being unhappy about the thought of Nathaniel stepping in for Kevin next season.

Morning came all too soon; Andrew struggled through the morning workout, determined to build back the muscle he’d lost during rehab. He noticed that Riko still wasn’t back on campus, and so made a point to give long blank stares at Federov and a few others (the ones who looked too long at Nathaniel, the ones who’d slammed him around on court yesterday) as he lifted weights (too much weight, his muscles protesting the entire time which he ignored); they quickly looked aside, their expressions uncomfortable.

(The pain was worth it when Nathaniel – Nat – sat next to him at breakfast and handed over the banana one of the servers had snuck to him.)

The campus was even more an explosion of black and red as Edgar Allan showed its ‘pride’ at the team heading into the playoffs yet again (as if there’d ever been any doubt), with many students in Andrew’s classes wearing #1 and #2 jerseys and sweatshirts. There were hushed discussions about Riko and Kevin, but the students wisely didn’t approach him. That semester, he didn’t have any classes with Aaron, so he picked seats in the back row, far away from everyone else, and basically catnapped to catch up on his sleep.

Tetsuji was indeed a bastard about playoff training; their first game was against Idaho State’s Bengals, who weren’t much of a challenge, but ‘the Master’ demanded perfection (‘the Master’ was a prick). Andrew was ‘allowed’ one week of drills to get back in shape, then another week of scrimmages before the first game of the season. So much for following the doctor’s orders, but he wanted to be back in shape to defend the goal just as much as Tetsuji expected him to be, if for different reasons.

(Nathaniel kept taking the abuse while out on court from his own teammates; Andrew looked forward to the next week when he’d be out there with him, to when he would be in control of the ball and ‘oops, I didn’t realize I threw it that hard’….)

There was a sense of anxiety and uncertainty thrumming through the team as the week wore on, a nervousness that had them snarling at each other more than usual. Andrew watched on dispassionately as the Ravens postured and plotted for starting lineup, for Tetsuji’s (positive) recognition, for anything that would make them seem more important. The only time they dared to drag him into their pathetic games (Bautista and Loiseau trying to taunt him about his lack of a smile and insinuating something about him and Nathaniel), he put a stop to it real quick by asking them if they thought they could play without half their vital organs.

(He was even going to be ‘nice’ enough to leave the choice of which ones to them before they mumbled something about homework and scurried away.)

Things didn’t get any better when Riko showed up at last toward the end of the first week, sullen and appearing odd without Kevin skulking nearby like a misshapen shadow. As Nathaniel had predicted, he was an even moodier bastard than usual, especially when Tetsuji ordered him to do drills instead of practice with the team, a sign that his punishment was ongoing.

So it wasn’t much of a surprise when he approached Andrew toward the end of practice on Friday with a cruel smirk on his face. “How’s life without the drugs, Minyard?”

Andrew gave him a cool look for a couple seconds before he answered, aware of how Nathaniel and Jean slowly approached from the left. “Less medicated.”

“It’s certainly not improving your sense of humor, but your Exy skills are as good as ever, if not better,” Riko said as he eyed the red cones knocked over during Andrew’s drill practice. “I’ve good news for you, as of now, you’re #5. Someone will be here tomorrow to do your tattoo, and your new uniform will be your locker in the morning.” The glassy gleam in his eye dared Andrew to argue, especially when he glanced at Nathaniel standing a few feet away, but all Andrew did was nod once (his hands clenched around his goalie’s racquet).

It was a quiet dinner, with Nathaniel forcibly holding in what he wanted to say until they reached his room a short while later. Once the door was closed behind Andrew, he let out a harsh breath and jerked his hands through his damp curls. “Why? Why are you letting him do that? You don’t have to be perfect court, too! It’s another way for him to sink his claws into you!”

Because Andrew knew if he put up any sort of fight, Riko wouldn’t hesitate to use Nathaniel against him, and possibly Aaron as well. “Because it’s just a stupid tattoo. He’s probably doing it to balance out the fact that Kevin’s gone.” To fill the gap left in his stupid perfect court because of his own jealousy.

On the other side of the room, Jean grunted in agreement. “I agree, he’s likely trying to show it doesn’t matter, Kevin’s loss, when he can still find talent to round out his court.”

“Still, it makes it that much harder for Andrew to get away if he’s perfect court. You know Riko will think he can plan his entire Exy career now,” Nathaniel snapped.

As if Riko didn’t already have a leash on him; as long as the prick had control of Nathaniel, Andrew would ‘behave’ until he figured out a way to break his soulmate free. “At least I should get a better pro contract this way,” he said in a deadpan manner. As if he cared about such a trivial thing.

“Not funny.” Nathaniel’s brows drew together as he reached for but didn’t touch Andrew’s left cheek. “I didn’t want this for you.”

Foolish Nat, one of the very few people (besides Nicky) who seemed to give a real damn about Andrew; he found himself mirroring his soulmate’s gesture and, when Nathaniel gave a solemn nod, cupped his hand on that sharp, tattooed cheekbone. He didn’t know if he was the one to shuffle forward or if it was Nathaniel (perhaps both), but they soon were so close that he could feel Nathaniel’s warm breath against his lips, could see the flecks of grey in those pale blue eyes, could think of nothing but finding out how soft his soulmate’s full bottom lip would feel-

Then jerked back when Jean cleared his throat in a loud manner.

Nathaniel’s cheek felt hot beneath Andrew’s calloused palm, but he didn’t run away; instead he glared at Jean and barked out something in Japanese which made Jean shrug. “Should I leave?”

Andrew shook his head. “I’ll go.” At the quickly masked hurt on his soulmate’s face, he shook his head again as he gave a light caress to Nathaniel’s cheek before he forced his hand to fall aside. “Nicky’s supposed to call me, and it’s already late enough in Germany.” His cousin was an emotional moron, but what else was new?

“Okay.” Nathaniel gave him one of those slight smiles which made his chest ache and would haunt his dreams (in a good way, at least) all night; Andrew forced himself to leave and put up with a call from his overbearing cousin once back in his own room, who asked too many questions about Nathaniel and rehab. He knew Nicky was worried about him and wanted him to be ‘happy’, but the call left him drained enough that he was grateful to go to bed afterward.

(Even if he dreamed about fending off an army of faceless creatures who wanted to take Nathaniel away from him.)

It was a good thing he went to bed early, because he (and a grumbling Ben) were woken up by Akagi, who dragged him off to get tattooed first thing in the morning. Andrew didn’t think he’d ever get another face tattoo, but it was small and over with quickly, and he received many envious glares when he showed up for the morning workout with a telling bandage on his left cheek.

His teammates’ displeasure only grew when he pulled on his new uniform, but there was nothing they could do when Tetsuji nodded in approval. At least, nothing too overt, not when he was tucked into his goal. Federov and Adams were rough once again with Nathaniel, but a few well-aimed return throws convinced them of their folly in regards to targeting Andrew’s soulmate.

Aaron caught up to Andrew on Sunday, when his tattoo was uncovered; he came to a stop in the hallway and gaped at him for several seconds before he shook his head. “What the fuck. Are you so into Wesninski that you had to get matching tattoos or something?” he asked with a slight sneer which seemed forced.

Andrew gave his twin the finger. “It’s how many men I killed in rehab.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.” There was a bitter twist to Aaron’s lips for a moment, yet like always, he avoided the huge elephant in the room (so to speak). “Despite me reminding him about how much of an asshole you are, Nicky sent a bunch of gifts for you. I’ll bring them next time.”

“Okay.” Andrew waited to see if there was anything else then nodded in goodbye; as he walked away, he heard his twin mutter about how he wasn’t going to be as much of a ‘sap’ when he found his soulmate.

Andrew had already picked up a gift for Nathaniel, he was just waiting until after the game with the Bengals on Friday when they would be alone to give it to him soulmate. When they would be alone, no Jean and no drugs… he felt an unusual mix of anticipation and nervousness fill him whenever he dwelled on it. He’d thought about what could possibly happen between them if Nathaniel had any interest, now that he was off the drugs (when it was clear that his… that whatever it was between them wasn’t a part of the medication), and he had an idea of how it could proceed in a manner which would ensure that they both were willing.

They just needed a bit of privacy and space.

Unfortunately, they didn’t get that chance, because the Wednesday before the game, David Wymack reached out to Tetsuji to let him know that Kevin was staying with him and unwilling to return to Edgar Allan, that he wanted to buy out Kevin’s contract with the Ravens, which set off an already unstable Riko (it seemed the prick had been waiting for Kevin to return any day now). The psychopath strode out on court and began tearing into his own teammates, smacking their legs and backs with his racquet for any perceived infraction (imperfect form, holding their racquet wrong, etc.). For once, Nathaniel was wise enough to duck his head and stay out of the way… until Riko targeted Jean.

All it took was one swing of Riko’s racquet crashing down on Jean’s left shoulder and Nathaniel leapt to his partner’s defense, yelling in Japanese at Riko. The prick whirled around, his eyes wide enough that their whites could clearly be seen and a ‘smile’ pulled taut on his face, as he swung at Andrew’s soulmate. Nathaniel ducked the first attempt to hit him, but took the second blow as he acted like a human shield to protect his stunned partner.

Andrew was in motion as soon as he realized what his idiot soulmate was doing, uncaring about the consequences. When Riko raised his racquet again to bring it down on Nathaniel, Andrew smacked his own into it, which knocked it out of Riko’s hands. He should have stopped there, he knew, but the prick had dared to hurt Nathaniel, had been unwilling to stop, so Andrew hit him again, enough to send him crumpling to the wooden floor as he cried out in pain.

The prick out of the way, Andrew knelt next to his dazed soulmate, his arms draped over him in a protective manner, and didn’t let go until he was dragged away by several people.

*******

SO CLOSE. You gotta feel sorry for Jean, stuck with these two idiots while Jeremy is across the country and oblivious about him (I mean, Jeremy suspects, but Jean won’t let him know for certain for his own protection).

One more part, I’ll get it out soon (would I not give you a HEA??? Well, for the most part). Though I want to answer a prompt and I’ve an Old Guard idea/snippet which should be out in the next day or two.

Hmm, the earl grey tea cake which is baking smells wonderful...

#aftg #the real thing fic #andreil #andreil soulmates #raven!andrew #raven!neil #it's getting serious now #aaron minyard #jean moreau #riko moriyama #the ravens #protective andrew #one more to go

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kar3npage · 5 years ago

Text

The 5 times one of the Foxes saw Andrew smile, and the one time all of them saw him smile

Because I love the 5+1 format, and because I just want Andrew and Neil to be happy. (Also I’ve decided that of course they would get married, because that just makes sense).

My apologies for any mistakes, this was written all in one go this afternoon and I was too excited to wait before posting. I’m also trying to sign up for ao3 so I can post it there, I’ll update when that happens:)

Thanks for reading!

The mood in the room was unusually somber before the Palmetto Foxes third game of the season. This was especially unusual because they weren’t expecting any sort of backlash, and the team that they were playing against was pretty tame. No one had any particular fear against the Terrapins and the two teams were mostly friendly.

Allison knew that the dark vibe was from the silence that came from the corner that Neil and Andrew sat in.

Besides the cat fights with the new Foxes, everyone on the team has been working well together this year. The upperclassmen and Andrews group had an unbreakable bond from the events of last year, although they all pretended that they couldn’t care less about the other group (except for Matt. He couldn’t pretend to not care if his life depended on it, the sweet puppy).

Neil’s silence was accompanied by a far away gaze and sickly pale skin. Allison had already pulled him aside in the dorms to lecture him about playing while sick, but he insisted that he was fine. Allison had let him go, assuming that Andrew would take care of him. Now she was wondering if she should have pushed harder, since he looked absolutely determined to play today.

Renee’s soft nudge distracted Allison from their almost dead looking striker and she gave her an understanding look.

“I’m sure he’ll take care of himself,” Renee says quietly. Allison squeezes her hand, grateful to have her to lean against. She still wasn’t sure how Renee managed to understand exactly what everyone was thinking with such accuracy.

“Okay people, we’ve gotten a strong start, let’s keep that up,” Wymack says gruffly, sending a concerned look toward Neil. “If any of you aren’t feeling up to it, tell me now so we can change the starting line-up.”

Everyone looks at Neil, who stares straight ahead like he hadn’t heard Coach. He turns his head to avoid Andrews dark look, then gets up stiffly.

“We done Coach? Dan and I would like to start drills soon,” Neil says. Allison snorts at his poor attempt at changing the subject, but Wymack just lets him go with a nod.

As they make their way over to the court Allison sees Wymach snag Andrew. “You’ll keep an eye on him?” she hears him say. She doesn’t hear Andrew answer, but she knows that he will.

They’re up, 4-2, by the time the first half is done. Allison had kept her eye on Neil every time she was off, but he had looked fine while playing. Abby wasn’t able to check in with him during half-time though, too busy dealing with Jack’s minor injury that he had gotten from getting checked into the plexiglass. Allison had to admit that she had very little sympathy for the kid.

Everything was going fine until almost the end of the next half. Allison hadn’t been paying much attention to the health of her team while she was playing, focused more on actually playing, but no one could ignore the loud slam that came from near the other teams goal.

Allison instinctively looked toward the noise to find out who was down.

The game was still going, but slumped against the wall across from her was Neil. Allison didn’t hesitate to run over to him, abandoning the goal for Andrew to look after.

One of the Terrapins backliners stood beside him, helmet off and looking sweetly concerned. He starts babbling as soon as Allison makes it over to them.

“I swear, it wasn’t that hard of a hit,” he says frantically. Allison understood the panic-it had less to do with Neil and more to do with what might happen to the poor kid when Andrew got here.

Allison ignores him and tugs Neils helmet off to reveal his deathly pale face. His eyes start fluttering as he wakes up, and he’s able to put his hand up to stop the game. Allison hears a smack behind her, but she ignores it.

“Neil, where are you hurt?” she says. It comes out irritated, but she knows that Neil will get that it’s out of concern.

“‘M fine,” he mumbles, trying and failing to get up. Allison shoves him down and looks around for Abby.

The poor kid who hit Neil is being held against the plexiglass by a furious Andrew, Nicky and Aaron standing beside him and trying to talk him out of any blatant violence. Abby has fighting her way through the players with a mixture of anger and worry.

“Drew?” Neil says, eyes closed and head leaning against the wall. There’s another smack and a few seconds later Andrew shoves Allison out of the way to sit beside him. Abby shows up a few minutes later, but Allison stays where she is to use her body to give them a bit of a barrier.

“You idiot,” Andrew growls. “Next time, get up after you get hit.”

Neil gives him a feverish smile. “I’m sorry I worried you. I’m f-, I’m okay.” He just barely catches himself and Andrew shakes his head in irritation. Allison grins, a little relieved that he’s feeling good enough to catch his words.

“Neil, do you know how high your fever is right now? You could kill yourself, playing like this. What were you thinking?” Abby lectures while she smooths back his hair. “Why didn’t you tell him to stop, Andrew?”

Neil grabs Andrews hand awkwardly, still wearing his armoured gloves. Andrew snorts. “You think I’m his keeper? He does what he wants. Junkie.”

Neil laughs weakly at that and lets Abby and Andrew support his weight as they get him up. Once he’s able to stand on his own two feet, the crowd lets out a supportive roar and Allison turns around to see Neil and Andrew. Andrew gives him a small, relieved smile, something that Allison never thought that she would see. No one had seen Andrew smile a single time since he’s been off of his meds. This smile is completely different. It softens his jaw, and even though it’s so small that it’s barely noticeable, Neil beams when he catches it.

She hears Andrew mutter a number under his breathe and they slowly walk off the court.

Allison could settle a few bets from this, but a part of her knows that she saw a private moment. Renee walks over to take over the goal and gives her a pleased smile, almost like she knew how selfless Allison was being by not telling anyone about this.

She grins back and relaxes, knowing that Neil is in good hands.

Matt could cry, he was so happy to see his best friend after so many months apart. Dan squeezes his arm and lets him go give Neil a bear hug. All of them have graduated now, and Christmas is one of the only times that the original Foxes get to see each other, and even then it’s sometimes difficult to get everyone together.

This year everyone is gathered at Abby’s, and it feels just like old times. Aaron and Katelyn are already helping Abby and Wymack in the kitchen and Nicky is regaling everyone with stories from Germany, Erik adding details every once in a while but mostly just looking at his fiance with heart eyes.

Allison and Renee are coming later, and Kevin is watching an Exy match on TV. His mouth is open slightly as he watches the rematch like he’s never seen it before. Andrew sits beside him with a bored expression while he scrolls through his phone, but Matt notices him glance up at them a few times while he chats with Neil.

Neil had mentioned how difficult it’s been to be playing on different teams than Andrew, and Matt can see how happy he is now that everyone’s together. He thinks that Neil’s been getting lonely.

The kitchen is a hive of activity and they all talk over each other as they catch up on the past year. Dan and Matt show everyone their engagement rings, way too excited to wait to tell everyone like they had planned. Matt swears that Wymack tears up a bit when Dan asks him to walk her down the aisle, and Abby just about breaks his back with how tightly she hugs him.

Andrew even offers them a nod and agrees to fly out with Neil for the wedding, even though they aren’t sure when it will be yet.

There’s more exclaiming when Allison and Renee get there and Allison shouts at them for not waiting to announce it until they got there. They look tired but happy after travelling all day, and Renee gives him one of her pleased, proud smiles. At some point Betsy had gotten there as well, and Matt sees her having a long conversation with Andrew in the living room.

Matt can’t believe how far they’ve all come. After such ruined childhoods and terrible experiences in University, they all managed to build themselves lives. Build themselves a family.

Matt feels so incredibly fond of them all that it feels like his chest is going to split, like it can’t hold all of the affection for these people.

Dinner is as hectic and happy as the rest of the day was, and they sit at the dining table for hours talking. Kevin and Neil have an in-depth conversation about their teams and their performance so far this season, which Andrew mocks and then turns to talk with Renee.

Matt and Dan are talking over each other with the ease of people who are perfectly comfortable with each other as they tell Abby about their honeymoon plans, and Allison gives them tips. Or maybe they’re more like orders, but it’s all good ideas so they don’t mind.

It isn’t until after they’ve cleaned up the dishes and most of the Foxes have settled in the living room to rewatch some of their old matches that Matt gets the chance to talk with Neil on his own.

They skype as regularly as possible, and Neil calls him almost every week to get updates, but Matt has still missed him.

When he notices Neil sneak out to the porch, he follows behind.

“It’s hard to believe, but Kevin’s obsession hasn’t waned in the slightest,” Matt jokes as he plops down on the stairs beside Neil. The striker throws his head back to laugh and Matt revels in the warmth that comes with being able to make this once shy kid laugh his genuine, thrilled laugh.

“Andrew would say the same about me,” he says, eyes crinkling in amusement.

“He’s right. You’ve been playing well though, that goal in the last game where you hit it from half court was insane! I have the video saved to my phone so I can show people and tell them I know you,” Matt gushes, glad to finally be able to tell him how proud he is of him. Neil has a pleased blush on his cheeks.

“You still watch my games?”

“Of course I do! Dan and I’ve turned it into date night. We order pizza.”

Neils laughs again, more pleased than he would admit that Dan watches them too.

“How have you been Neil? For real?”

Neil fidgets with the bottom of his shirt. “It’s tough,” he finally admits. “Without Andrew. Our schedules are so different. There’s a chance that next year I might be able to switch though.”

Matt hums and bumps his shoulder against Neils. “I’m glad. I don’t want you to be lonely.”

Neil listens to Matt talk about Dan and what they’ve been up to for a while, and they sit in comfortable silence until Matt finally laughs. Neil gives him a questioning look.

“I have a ridiculous question for you that’s been plaguing me for years now.” Neil raises an eyebrow and waits for Matt to keep talking.

“So if you think that Andrews attractive, does that mean you think that about Aaron too?” Matts eyes are filled with mirth. He knows all too well the strained relationship that Neil and Aaron had through University, and also that they have just reached the point where they can talk about things other than Exy without killing each other.

Neil snorts, but then thinks through an answer much more seriously than Matt expected. “I’m not really attracted to people,” he says, then shakes his head and backtracks. “That’s not what I meant. Obviously I’m attracted to Andrew, and I think he’s beautiful, but it’s more because I know him so well and I trust him so much.”

Neil is blushing slightly at the admission and he looks to Matt to see if he understands what he means.

“It’s hard to explain. I never was attracted to anyone before Andrew. I can see objectively that some people are nice looking, but it doesn’t really affect me. But I really care about Andrew, and I can talk to him for hours and I know what foods he likes and he knows what I like. And the longer we know each other and the more I know him, the more beautiful he gets. Does that make sense?”

Neil frowns and waits for Matt. Matt can’t help the soft smile that curves his lips. “Neil Josten, you are the sweetest person on this goddamned team, you know that? Yeah, that makes sense.”

Matt hears the door close behind them and turns around to see Andrew standing there with his usual blank expression, but his red ears indicate that he heard what Neil said. Neil beams up at him and Matt gets up to leave. He turns around to look at the two before he goes inside and is shocked to see the softest smile gracing Andrews lips before his sits down beside Neil.

It’s no secret that most of the Foxes were worried about Neil choosing Andrew, of all people, to trust. But the longer they’re together, the more Matt realizes that Andrew is just as soft for Neil as Neil is for Andrew, he’s just better at hiding it.

Matt’s still grinning about that soft look hours later when him and Dan are getting ready to leave.

“You two are good for each other,” he says quietly to Neil before they leave, and Neil rewards him with a thrilled smile and a nod.

Playing professionally makes a lot of things very difficult to hide. Something about the sport has made it a fan favourite, and the interesting lives of the players mean that the general public is completely fascinated with hearing about their lives outside of the sport.

As much as Kevin hates how intrusive everyone can be because of this, he has to admit that it makes it much easier for him to keep his eye on the old Foxes. Articles about Neil and Andrew are ridiculously easy to find online, and Kevin has made a habit of checking on them regularly.

He’s doing just that when he finds an article about Andrew getting noticed after his flight to New York. The journalist muses about why on earth he would be going to New York, a place that holds none of his family, only his long time rival, Striker Neil Josten.

What makes his trip even more interesting is the fact that the same long term rival picked him up from the airport.

What made Kevin look at this article with such interest was the picture that was attached to it. It’s obviously been taken with a good camera, since the photo is crisp and clear. In the center stands Neil and Andrew, standing only an inch apart. The crowd behind them is blurred out, making the photo look like a scene from a rom-com. Neil is beaming at Andrew and tugging his bag from him, eyes sparkling. What caught Kevins attention is the small quirk in Andrews lips, something that would be too small to call a smile on anyone but Andrew.

Kevin still has a protective streak for the two boys and wants them to have as easy of a life as possible, but he can’t deny the fact that they seem happier than they ever have been.

Kevin can’t remember the last time that he saw Andrew have a real smile that wasn’t violent or caused by medication.

He re-reads the article, then looks back up at the picture. Is this journalist stupid? He thinks. The whole article is about how Andrew must have come for something else, how their thrilled expressions must have been because they were mid-roast. Kevin can’t believe the journalist didn’t immediately realize that they were dating. He sighs and moves on to the next article, this one about Jeremy, but his mind keeps going back to the content smile on Andrews face. They’re going to be outed if they don’t stop making each other look so happy, he thinks. But he also thinks that maybe that’s not as bad of a thing as he’s made it out to be.

A few minutes later he goes back to the article and sends the link to Nicky without any explanation. He thought that might make Nicky happy.

“I’m glad we still have the skype dates. I know Andrew and Neil are so busy right now,” Erik says, playing absentmindedly with Nicky’s hair as they wait for the boys to answer their skype call.

They’ve been having these weekly conversations with first Neil and Andrew, and later Aaron and Katelyn as well, for months. They had originally just called each other, but Nicky missed seeing his cousins more than he could say. He loves Germany, and he loves every single moment with Erik, but it’s still tough to have such a long distance relationship with his family. Especially after everything they’ve all gone through together.

It was harder to keep in contact with the other Foxes, but they all did their best to meet up for Christmas (everyone even came to Germany a few years ago. Nicky cried with joy, even though Andrew insisted it was just because everyone wanted to see Europe), plus he often got texts from Matt and Renee. And every once in a while he gets an Exy article from Kevin.

Nicky hummed in agreement and watched the screen with anticipation. They had missed last weeks skype call because Neil and Andrew were finally moving in together after signing for the same team in the fall. Nicky has been vibrating with excitement to see the apartment, and Erik has been waiting to ask for tips about taking care of a cat from Neil.

When the screen finally pops up, it’s obvious that Neil and Andrew haven’t noticed it yet. Neil is laughing about something, one of his rare laughs that is unforced and filled with true joy. And Andrew, Nicky’s beloved, terrifying cousin is beaming. It’s the biggest smile he’s seen on his cousins face for years, and it’s the first time he’s ever seen him smile with such true happiness. Nicky could cry, and when he turns to look at Erik, he can see that his eyes are shining as well.

Erik clears his throat and Andrew schools his expression as he turns to the screen. Neil is still looking at Andrew with pure love, but he waves to the screen.

A flash of silver derails Nicky’s thoughts even further.

“Neil. Neil, what is on your hand?” He asks, delight evident in his voice. Neil smirks and holds up the other hand, which has nothing on it. Andrews lips quirk.

“No, your other hand. Is that a ring?!” Nicky is almost bouncing, waiting for Neil to stop teasing him and show him the simple silver band that sits, unassuming, on his finger.

Neil shows him his other hand without hesitating, and Nicky realizes that they’ve already talked about telling him. It makes his heart grow bigger than it already is.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh, are you guys engaged? When did that happen?” Nicky practically shrieks while Erik gives them a heartfelt congratulations.

Andrew’s expression is as bored as ever, but Nicky doesn’t miss the fact that they’re holding hands under the laptop.

“A few days ago,” Andrew says nonchalantly. The tips of his ears are pink though, and Neil can’t hold in the grin.

“Hows Germany?” Neil asks politely, and Erik laughs.

“There’s no way Nicky will let you change the subject that quickly,” Erik says, and Nicky nods effusively.

“How did this happen? I need the entire story Andrew! Or Neil, whoever will actually give me the details. Who asked who? Did you cry?”

Neil laughs again. “We asked each other. We had a long conversation about it.”

Nicky wishes that he could tease them for that and call them boring, but he knows what a huge deal this is for his cousin. He’s thrilled that Neil understands that as well.

“You guys are so good for each other,” Nicky says, sniffling a bit. Andrew rolls his eyes.

“I’m hanging up now,” he says.

“No! I need to hear what you’re doing for your wedding! Maybe I can help you plan it. And Allison can too! It’s gonna be so amazing.”

Neil laughs as Andrew reaches his hand out in slow motion to close the computer. Neil’s voice reaches them as the camera goes down.

“We’re going to have a party, we’ll figure out a time you guys can come out, okay?”

Erik confirms that because Nicky is too emotional over the fact that they’re planning the time around him.

He leans his head against Erik’s shoulder and Erik smiles.

“I guess we’ll have to wait until next week for an apartment tour,” he says, and Nicky can hear the smile in his words.

“I never thought that he would be happy. Isn’t that sad? I wasn’t even sure if Andrew would be talking to me for this long. Then this scrappy puppy comes along and puts us all in danger and makes us all love him, and here we are. No one ever would have guessed this in a million years.” Nicky says thoughtfully.

That night, Nicky falls asleep with the picture of a truly happy Andrew in his mind.

As much as he tries to convince his old Foxes that he’s a grouchy old man who doesn’t care, Wymack spends a lot of time checking up on his kids.

He’s been to as many of Kevin’s games as he can possible fit in whenever they’re close enough and he doesn’t have a game on, he video calls Nicky as often as he can (keeping weird hours makes this easier, and Nicky and Abby both lecture him regularly about getting enough sleep), and Dan and Matt live close enough that they have dinner together regularly. Renee and Allison move around too often to make it easy to see them, but everyone ends up together at least once a year. They avoid doing it on Thanksgiving (Andrew and Neil prefer to keep that one quiet, and no one argues with that). Aaron and Katelyn have even come out to see them a few times when their schedules weren’t as hectic with the hospital.

The hardest ones to get to see are Andrew and Neil. They spent a few years doing long distance with both playing on different teams, so every time they had time off they spent it together. Wymack wishes that he could have lived closer to Neil, he knows that those years were particularly difficult on him.

Now that they are living together and on the same team, it’s been easier for them to get in contact with everyone, but they’re still moving around too often for it to be easy to visit.

Last year they detoured to stay with Abby and Wymack for a few days during their annual summer road trip, and having Bee there meant that Andrew has come out a few extra times to stay when Neil was busy with press.

Wymack tries very hard to convince them that he couldn’t care less about how often they come out to visit him, but they all know that he misses them terribly.

To keep a closer eye on them, Wymack and Abby recorded all of their games, and Wymack secretly watches youtube videos with names like ‘Neil Josten’s Best 10 Roasts’ and ‘10 Minutes of the Josten Minyard Rivalry’. He does not miss dealing with the press after Neil’s been let loose, but he feels a bit of pride every time he rips into a deserving journalist after being asked about his scars. If Wymack could kick everyone’s ass who hurt his kids, he would. Since he can’t, watching them get demolished by a tiny redhead has to do.

For the first time in a few weeks, Abby and Wymack are finally watching a game live. It’s always a lot more stressful watching them live, but they make up for that by ordering Chinese and making an evening of it.

They barely talk through the game other than to insult the other team or praise a good save or goal. The second half as just started when an aggressive striker doesn’t stop at the goal lines. The entire court goes silent and Wymack watches with barely controlled terror as Neil sprints across the court just in time for Andrew to hit the wall. Neil shoves the striker away with more venom than Wymack has seen from him since Riko and turns his attention to the goalie currently lying on the ground.

“Come on Andrew, get up,” Wymack whispers as he watches Neil fling his helmet off and protect his prone form while the medical staff make their way over. The sports announcers are frantic as they explain what just happened and Abby groans in irritation as they show a slow motion recap of Andrew getting hit, then of Neil protecting him.

Wymack clutches his phone and enters the number of their coach before he’s even thought it through. He knows it isn’t likely that he’ll answer, but he’s disappointed when it goes to voicemail anyway. Beside him Abby is calling Neil.

It takes almost 30 long minutes before Abby gets through to Neil, and she immediately puts it on speaker phone so that they can both speak to him.

“Neil, is everything okay?” Abby says, concern leaking through her words.

“I’m… I’m not sure yet. I’m at the hospital? And I’m waiting for the doctor,” Neil sounds shocked, voice dull.

“Which hospital are you at? We’re flying there as soon as we can,” Wymack says, and Abby nods, grabbing his phone to book tickets.

“Umm, I’m not sure. One minute,” they can hear mumbling while Neil asks someone where they are and Wymacks heart aches for the poor kid.

“Okay, we’re just at the New York Hospital.”

“I booked our tickets, we’re leaving in an hour okay?” Abby says as soothingly as she can. “We’ll call you when we get there.” Wymack says in lieu of a goodbye.

By the time they make it to New York they each have a few messages from Neil saying that Andrew’s going to be fine, he has a concussion and they’re keeping him for observation, but he’s okay. The relief is palpable after the tension through the flight, and Wymack is glad that Neil thought to tell them.

It’s early in the morning when they get there, so they sleep at a hotel for a few hours while waiting for visiting hours.

It’s far more complicated to get into the room than Wymack thought that it would be. They have to convince the staff that they aren’t journalists or well meaning fans before they’re brought up to the room, and Abby has to show them family photos from Christmas with Neil and Andrew before the nurses decide that they are allowed to see Andrew.

Wymack’s glad for the security but he curses at all the journalists for making it so difficult. They crowd them when they realize who they are visiting, and it takes a security guard and a lot of glaring to part the crowd so they can follow the nurse.

“Can you confirm the Josten Minyard relationship?” One journalist shouts as they walk past.

“Coach Wymack! Coach Wymack, is it true that Minyard’s injury is far worse than they are letting on? And what do you think that means for the team?” another journalist shouts, microphone shoved unceremoniously in his face. Abby pulls him behind her and gives him a warning look not to say anything.

The hallway where Andrews room is located is blissfully calm after the storm downstairs. The nurse indicates which room he’s in, then moves on.

Abby pauses in the doorway and motions for Wymack to step beside her, a look of contentment on her face.

In the room Neil is perched on the bed beside Andrew. He’s a bit pale but there are no visible cuts or bruises and he looks mostly alert. They’re hands are twined together, the silver engagement bands catching the light.

Neil is saying something in a low tone and Andrew squeezes his hand. His mouth tilts up at the corners and looks at Neil with something close to adoration. Wymack tugs Abby away from the door and takes a few steps back to give them their privacy. He texts Neil to tell him that they’ve made it in, and a few minutes later Neil peeks out the door to great them.

He looks exhausted, hair mussed and dark circles under his eyes, but his face brightens when he sees them.

Abby gives him a tight hug before going to sit in the chair beside Andrew who has his usual bored expression. Wymack stops beside Neil and squeezes his shoulder.

“I’m proud of you, kid,” he says, feeling a little choked up. Neil looks up in surprise.

“For what? I didn’t do anything.”

Wymack grins and pats his shoulder before going in to greet Andrew.

“Next time, get back up after you get hit,” he says gruffly to the tiny blond. Andrew raises a brow.

“Did I worry you, old man? You’re getting soft with age.”

Wymack grunts and sits down in the other chair near the foot of the bed. “Not worried, just annoyed. Kevin’s called me 3 times since I got up this morning to make sure you can still play.”

“He’ll be back in a few weeks,” Neil says while he takes back his post at Andrews side. Andrew rolls his eyes and mutters ‘junkie’ under his breath.

Wymack wishes he could be irritated at the long night and unnecessary panic, but he feels so content being in the same place as his kids that his gruffness is softened.

Neil surveys the apartment from his spot in the kitchen. They’re 1 bedroom apartment is not nearly big enough to comfortably fit everyone in, but no one is complaining about the small space. Even Andrew isn’t feeling claustrophobic yet (Neil keeps checking on him, but he seems happy chatting with Aaron and Kevin on the sofa). True to promise, they did throw a wedding party at their apartment, and they made sure that it was at a time that Nicky and Erik could come out to see them.

However, it took multiple arguments to convince Allison and Nicky that they didn’t need anyone to plan it and that they were just going to get married at the courthouse. Neil’s pretty sure that it was more Renee and Erik than his arguments who made them let it go. No matter what, Neil couldn’t be happier with how everything has turned out.

King winds himself around his ankles, meowing indignantly about the noise in the place and Neil smiles fondly at her.

Matt and Dan are swaying to the music near the balcony door, lost in their own little world. Beside them sway Renee and Allison, and Renee catches Neils eye to smile proudly at him. After Nicky, her and Allison were the next ones they told about the engagement. Andrew had mentioned that it was Renee who convinced him that marriage wasn’t always a bad idea, and Neil couldn’t help but feel a bit grateful for that.

Beside him stood Abby, Wymack, and Bee. Bee has been around long enough that Neil is able to accept her, and he’s glad that Andrew was able to find someone that he trusted so much. Neil has also been going to a therapist, but something about knowing Bee while he was going through everything made it too uncomfortable for him to talk to her. He found someone in New York instead, and Bee seemed so thrilled that he’s managed to open up to someone other than Andrew that Neil almost liked her a little bit. It’s tough to find someone who is genuinely happy about your healing.

Katelyn is laughing with Thea about something, and Erik and Nicky are in the corner cooing over Sir, who is soaking up the attention.

Neil can’t help but think about all of the trials and tribulations it took to get to this point - the time in the Ravens Nest, the terror of Baltimore, all of the panic attacks and rough nights and foggy days. Neil never thought that he would live through his first year of University so every year after that has felt both like a gift and borrowed time. It took until the past year for Neil to wrap his head around the idea that he might be able to live until old age.

That thought was both a relief and terrifying, just because he wants it so badly. Andrew has helped him pull through multiple panic attacks just thinking about it.

Neil knows that there will be other challenges ahead of them (even though they really deserve a happy 20 years to make up for the bad ones), but he thinks that they’ll be much easier than the crap that’s gone on before this.

He catches Andrews eye across the room. They’re both wearing the suits they got for the occasion and Neils eyes have been tracking Andrew all night. He’s noticed that Andrews have done the same thing for him.

Aaron realizes that Andrews attention has strayed and he turns his conversation to Kevin. Neil and Aaron’s relationship isn’t exactly great, but they’ve managed to get to the point where they can go for coffee without hating each other by the time they get home. Neil knows that Andrew appreciates the effort both of them make, even though he’s never said anything about it.

Neil watches as Andrew gets up and makes his way through their friends, no, their family to get to him.

He watches the crowd impassively beside Neil while Neil watches the small twitch at his lips and the fond look in his eyes.

“Staring.”

Neil grins. “I guess you’ll have to do something about that, won’t you?”

Andrew’s jaw tightens where he tries not to smile. Neil feels the glow of accomplishment. My husband thinks I’m funny. He tries to keep his expression calm, but he can see from Andrews pink ears that he’s watching him with as much love as he feels.

Abruptly Andrew holds out a hand. “Yes or no.”

Neil isn’t quite sure what he’s asking, but he puts his hand in Andrews without hesitation. “Of course.”

Andrew leads him over to a quiet spot near the hallway and places Neils hands on his shoulder. He grabs his waist and starts to sway to the music.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what? Like I love you? Because I do,” Andrews ears go red and Neil smirks, feeling very proud of himself for making Andrew blush.

“You’re a pest,” Andrew says.

“Yeah, but I’m your pest.”

And Andrew laughs. Neil almost trips in surprise. He can feel the eyes of the rest of the party on them, but he can’t tear his eyes off of Andrews smile.

“Yes or no,” Neil says.

Andrew’s still smiling. “Yes, Junkie.”

Neil kisses Andrews forehead, not wanting to get rid of that beautiful, perfect smile. There’s a flash and Neil turns around to see Nicky holding a camera.

“This is going on the wall! I’m framing it,” he announces, and Andrews glare holds barely any heat.

A few weeks later, when the package from Germany comes, Neil can see how pleased Andrew is with the photo. It sits in a simple silver frame, and they hang it above the sofa.

Neil feels very much like he lives a charmed life.

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100storiesin2020 · 5 years ago

Text

There's a raven in Fox Tower (her name is Chainsaw)

This is chapter 1 in a crossover fanfic for The Raven Cycle and All For The Game! Major spoilers for both series. Enjoy!

*****

Blue exited the court, racket balanced over her shoulder. She was sweating and tired and extremely proud. Henrietta High School had won their rivalry match against Aglionby for the first time since Blue had joined the team, and she was fully aware that she was responsible for it. She had scored 4 of the 7 goals herself, after all, and each one of them had been hard-earned. Her friendship with members of the Aglionby team did not affect the ability to play against each other. Instead, it made all of them fight harder, and made the game that much more satisfying to win.

"Hey Sargent! C'mere."

Blue paused without turning around. "What do you want, Coach?"

"There's a recruiter here to see you."

That got her full attention. Turning around, Blue saw Mr. Moore, her Exy coach, standing next to her mother outside of his office. "Can they wait? I'd like to shower," she said. She did want to shower, but more importantly she wanted to change back into her handmade clothes. They weren't just a fashion statement or a desire to be different. They served as a warning sign, a protective shield against people who might judge her. She didn't want to meet a prospective coach without her armor.

"Come in, Blue," her mother said, tapping her toe on the floor. This morning, during the daily card ritual, Blue had drawn the Knight. Maura had told her that she would be meeting somebody today. This person would open a door for her future, and Blue would need to decide if it was the door she wanted. Blue had asked for more specifics, but Maura had declined, always insisting that Blue's future was her own. "It's time. This is it."

Blue sighed in defeat and stalked over to the door, which Moore opened for her. The office was a bit cramped, because a room that was originally intended as a cleaning closet really shouldn't have been able to fit a desk that size, but somehow it had gotten in here anyway. Behind the desk was a tall man with brown hair and tribal tattoos. She recognized him quickly, because Henry was a dramatic little fanboy who was constantly going on about his sports teams. This was David Wymack of the Palmetto Foxes, and he was here to recruit her.

"You must be Blue."

"And you must have made a mistake, because you only recruit rejects, but I come from a perfectly functional home, thank you very much." Blue started to turn around and leave.

Maura stopped her, because she was standing behind Blue in the doorway. "What happened to your manners?"

The corner of Wymack's mouth twitched upwards. "No, she has a point. My recruiting standards are pretty well-known, and you're correct that you don't seem to fit the bill. But I've talked to Moore, and to your mother. You've had quite the year, haven't you, Blue?

Blue grimaced as she took her seat. No doubt Moore had told him all about the news headlines she had been in this year. If she was to be perfectly honest, it had been rough, and it had affected her and her playing. She nodded a bit. "Alright then. I'll sign if you offer me a scholarship."

"Blue!" her mother exclaimed, as Wymack raised his eyebrows.

"I'm not being rude, Mom. We both know I can't afford college without some help."

Maura sighed. "Yes, you've always been the sensible one."

Wymack had a calculating look on his face, as if he was mentally rewriting her backstory. It was a little too reminiscent of Calla, which made Blue very uncomfortable. What were the odds that she get recruited by yet another psychic? The expression passed and he slid a file across the desk toward Blue, who stared at it. It was a hideous shade of orange and it had her name scrawled across the front in some of the messiest handwriting she'd ever seen, and she'd tried to interpret Ronan's notes once or twice. "Well, then, here's the deal, short stuff. I've seen your stats. I've talked to your coach. And tonight I got to see you play in the biggest game of your year. Aglionby is Henrietta's biggest rival, right?" Blue snorted. With how much the everyday folk of Henrietta resented the wealth of Aglionby, a dramatic rivalry was inevitable. "You were in fine form tonight, and I know some college players that you could run circles around," Wymack huffed. "My striker handpicked you, and I think he made an excellent choice. If a full-ride is what you need to be able to come to Palmetto, I'm willing to pay it to get you there."

Blue turned to her mother to get her input. Maura had the far-away look that came during a reading when she was working extra hard to see the truth. She snapped back to attention and gave a small shrug, which told Blue that the earlier read still stood. This was just a choice. Not necessarily a good one, not necessarily a bad one, just an option that could be taken or left. Blue turned back toward the coach and stuck out her hand. "Deal." They shook, and he handed over some papers. "Thank you, Blue. Sign these and we will be in touch. Do you have any more questions? I'm hoping to catch some of those Aglionby boys before I go."

Blue froze while flipping through the papers, unsure if she had heard him right. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Run that by me again?"

Wymack snorted. "I'm just interested in a few of them. Aglionby is not the type of school I generally would recruit from," he said with a grimace, "but I'm between a rock and a hard place right now. The truth is, I have some seniors graduating next year, so I'm in desperate need of two dealers and a goalie. I've been to several other schools this week, but I haven't managed to sign anyone." He sighed. "Apparently they were already committed to another school or unwilling to deal with the reputation of the Foxes, and now I'm out of time. Spring break ends tomorrow and I need to go back to Palmetto, so I've got to take my opportunities here."

Blue considered that and looked at her watch, which had bands made of several colors of yarn braided together. "The game ended 30 minutes ago, so Gansey, Parrish, and Lynch are probably changed out and waiting by the front door. You can catch them while I go shower."

Wymack raised his eyebrows at that. "I was under the impression that you didn't have your mother's gifts."

"I don't," Blue replied, wondering just how much Wymack knew about her mother's reputation as a psychic. "It's just that Aglionby has a very small Exy team, since apparently upper society frowns upon violent sports." She rolled her eyes. "Those three are graduating seniors and play the positions you need."

Wymack looked unconvinced. "Then how do you know they are at the front door?"

Blue shrugged. "I won today. They owe me pizza." She picked up her racket and walked to the door. "Good luck. I'm going to go shower." She slammed the door shut behind her.

Maura smiled softly at the noisy retreat and looked back at the coach. "It's nice to see you again, David."

"Likewise, Maura." David Wymack leaned back in his chair and smiled faintly. "I don't think I've seen you in a good twenty years, at least."

Maura snorted. "At least. I can't believe you swept your psychic abilities aside to play sports." Her expression softened. "I will admit, now, that you made the right choice."

"I would have been a terrible psychic," David stated. "Trying to impress people? Doing readings for entitled nonbelievers? Useless. Using my abilities to give my kids second chances?" His eyes lit up, and Maura didn't need her second sight to see his passion. "I make a real difference here."

Maura nodded. "You certainly do. So what exactly drew you to Blue?"

He scowled. "I didn't know she was yours, if that's what you're asking, nor did I know she was an amplifier. She's tied to something dark, something that happened recently. A death? Two?" He glanced at her, and she nodded confirmation. "I'm a bit foggy on the details, and I'm not sure that I can provide what she needs to heal, but I can at least open up some doors for her."

Maura laughed. "There's my Knight card." Wymack gave her a blank stare. "Do you have a place to go for dinner? Old friends are always welcome at 300 Fox Way."

"Fox way, you say?" He smirked. "I'm in." They stood, then, and looked at each other for a moment, passing unspoken secrets through the air between them. Satisfied with what they saw in each other, they left: David with a sense that his situation was resolved, and Maura with a promise that her Blue would be safe.

#all for the game #the raven cycle #fanfiction #crossover #aftg #trc #the raven boys #the dream thieves #blue lily lily blue #the raven king #the foxhole court #the kings court #100storiesin2020 #a chainsaw in fox tower

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shesdangerace · 6 years ago

Text

The Long Winter

Happy Holidays! This is the full piece I wrote for the @aftgholidayzine which I still URGE you to check out and buy for Lost-N-Found Youth. So many wonderful contributions were made, and everyone involved made me feel so welcome. So please please support the zine, and I hope you enjoy the tale of Andrew Minyards’ first winter post-NeilPalmetto

(also available on AO3)

He’s standing in Boston Logan International Airport at some terminal or another. There’s snow outside the windows and Christmas everywhere else. Andrew has his noise cancelling headphones on again, and the silence is as effective as usual.

It’s December, obviously, and he feels it in his bones where the cold leaks through the glass surfaces of window and skin. His eyes feel it too, held open and vulnerable by the winter. Standing inside the airport doesn’t help much. His body always did have trouble letting go.

Someone a few feet away starts to scream, a child. Shrill enough to break through the noiselessness and Andrew wonders not for the first time if he wasted his money, then if he wasted his time making his money, then why he’s wasting his quiet thinking about it at all.

The child is still screaming but it’s a dull sound in the background of Andrews' own dullness, staring out the window with his hands in his black coat pockets.

He’s preparing himself for feeling. For fear. He doesn’t have time to scream. Never has.

In the corner of his eye he sees a woman, with a bag full of Christmas presents at her feet as she sits speaking into her phone. She looks like the past. She reminds him. So he keeps her hidden in the corner of his eye. Before him is the airplane he will soon be boarding, and there’s a man in a flight attendants’ uniform and a Santa hat. He reminds Andrew too.

So instead he stares at the snow, at the white white white and the footprints and the bare dark ground where it’s been shoved away. He stares at the window itself, where the winter has crept along the glass like spectral fingertips, pleading.

He remembers why he’s here.

He’s not quite prepared yet, but the fear is nearing anyway, and the woman and her presents are gone. The dim reflections in the glass are melting together as they move. Andrew lets the noise back in, follows the mass.

He keeps his eyes firmly closed, his fists tightly clenched, and his memories auburn and orange. By the time Andrews' feet touch dry South Carolina ground, he’s ready to face the fear.

Neils' eyes when he opens the store wrapped camera box are cliff edges over an open ocean.

---

It’s just turned January, there are Foxes yelling, and it’s all rather excessive. There’s silver and gold confetti in the air and booze spilled onto the pavement outside Fox Tower. On Neil’s face are a giant pair of metallic pink glasses, a quiet grin, and lipstick stains the colour of Allison and Dans’ laughs. Andrew is relatively sure he has glitter in his hair.

It’s something like a reunion, new Foxes not included because frankly who cares. Robin would have been the only exception if it weren’t for the flu she’s currently bedridden with. Kevin is neck deep in a bottle of something, Nicky is attempting to lift Aaron and spin him, and Matt is running around the group in circles hollering. Renee stands quietly next to Andrew, watching him watching Neil being crushed by the dual embrace of Allison and Dan.

It’s almost like going back in time.

Andrew lasts another half an hour with his bottle of whiskey. Someone brought speakers with them, and the noise makes it easy to hide. He’s thinking about his flight today, about Aarons' right before his, about Germany and Exy stadiums and distance. He’s thinking about how much he doesn’t want to think. For once, Andrew would rather feel.

All it takes is one finger linked through another and through those stupid glasses Neil looks at him and smiles. They leave those glasses behind.

Andrews' new year starts at 1:00am on the rooftop, when Andrews' hands smear with lipstick and Neils' sigh bleeds into Andrews choked breath, and Andrew feels feels feels.

---

‘I miss you.’

It’s still January, and Andrew is knee deep in bitter snow outside his building.

‘I’ve never had to miss someone before.’

He watches his exhale hit the air, watches it spread like a cloud of smoke.

‘At least not like this.’

Andrew reaches his hand in front of his face to watch his gloveless fingers turn red.

‘I think I hate it.’

His eyes close with the heaviness of his lashes, and he lets the snowflakes fall from them as they please.

‘It’s just…not the same.’

Maybe he should have worn a coat.

‘I think I’m lonely Andrew.’

He definitely should have worn a coat. Boston winter is so unforgiving.

---

The snow is falling into Andrews' hair and it’s early February. His team issued practice bag swings at his side, reminding him with every nudge against his body that this day has been long enough already. He catches his reflection in the glass of a bookstore and sighs.

He doesn’t particularly feel like doing this.

There’s a balloon drifting past him, lost by a slender young hand as its owner wraps her arms around her new fiancée. He finds himself caught by that balloon, watching it fade into the open night sky, forgotten.

The air is biting at his skin and there are no stars out tonight.

He really doesn’t feel like doing this.

He listens to the crunch of his boots in a fresh snow bank as he passes, stares ahead of him at the patches of dusty white on the sidewalk. Everything in the winter is so bare.

A gust of wind parts around him, leaving tiny icicles in Andrews' lungs. He can see the sign up ahead.

When he opens the door the ice on the ground blows in with him, and when he sits down opposite a steaming hot chocolate he looks up into his own reflection.

It’s not like Andrew doesn’t already know, it was obvious from the phone call, Aaron’s voice saying ‘I need to tell you something. I think it should be in person’. He still feels though.

‘She said yes.’

And he looks happy and scared and defensive all at once, but Andrew can only say:

‘I’ll be there.’

The silence that follows is as fragile as the look on Aarons' face.

It’s been a while since the last time they did this, just the two of them. Since the last time they looked each other in their hazel eyes. There’s still snow in Andrews lashes. The ice in Aarons' has already melted.

‘Do you miss him?’

Andrew’s not sure why Aaron even bothers asking when he doesn’t seem to want to. He has that sharp turn to his lips. He must be looking for something. Andrew doesn’t deign to answer, and the next words that come seem to be more resented than the last. More fearful. More longing.

‘Do you miss me?’

What an interesting, stupid, pointless question. Andrews' reply comes with a slow blink of his eyes and a twitch in his right hand under the table.

‘Do you miss me?’

‘No.’

There’s something to be said about being twins. Because for two brothers raised apart, they have remarkably similar tells when they lie.

---

Mid-February finds two young men, one blonde one burned, buried in the snow. They’re not making snow angels because they don’t believe in them.

It’s a Saturday morning, and Andrew spent the day before watching Neils' face change. Sometimes his smile would match the bright glare of the snow. Sometimes his eyes would match the frost. Sometimes the turn of his lips would match the dark winter sky.

Today, nothing about Neil matches the world. His presences disrupts the stillness of the cold like a blazing sun.

‘Shouldn’t you have practice this weekend Captain?’ Andrews' voice is muffled by the snow, but they’re so close underneath it all that it doesn’t matter.

‘Not exactly.’ Neils' voice says the words while the set of his sharp jaw says a little bit more.

‘Why?’ escapes Andrew like a breeze.

Neil doesn’t say anything. He just looks at Andrew with something terrible in his eyes that looks an awful lot like a feeling echoing somewhere in Andrew.

The winter is awfully long in Boston. At least compared to South Carolina.

There are thick black gloves on Neils' hands, a gift from Nicky himself this time. Andrew was the one to throw them at Neils' head this morning though before they left. Now, he studies the thread of a fingertip.

He must have fought to be here, fought those young Foxes and Wymack. Even then, it’s not for much longer.

‘Neil.’

It’s almost a whisper, it’s almost angry, and they push that slightest bit closer through the snow till their noses brush together.

When Andrew closes his eyes he feels their lashes tangle.

---

March arrives and the winter is refusing to die. There’s glass in the air of Boston Common.

Andrew is sat on a bench covered in frost, feeling it seep into his coat, watching the brave skate on Frog Pond. The wind is missing, the sky is blindingly blue and bare, and there’s a voice in his ear.

‘So yeah that was my week. Oh except that I forgot to tell you that um, Erik says hi. And um, how was it?’

‘How was what?’

‘Andrew come on, how was practice?’

‘It was practice.’

‘Andrew seriously. Last time we talked remember, you promised? You promised me you would actually talk more.’

Some bird is valiantly trying to sing through the cold, nestled in the branches of a leafless tree overhead.

‘I promised nothing of the sort.’

‘Okay well I took your silence as agreement.’

When will birds learn when to stop singing.

‘That’s not how promises work Nicky.’

‘I know Andrew. I know.’

Maybe there is a little winter wind left, Andrew thinks he saw some branches move. A dead leaf stirring on the ground.

‘Hey Andrew, have you talked to Kevin recently? Neil said he wasn’t sure when you guys last talked.’

No, it’s just a dead leaf.

‘We’ve spoken.’

‘Okay well, maybe speak again? Soon? I just think it’d be nice. For both of you. Also has Neil gotten taller? Or maybe he’s just gotten cuter. It’s hard to tell over Skype. You saw him recently right?'

‘In February.’

‘Oh. I miss that kid.’

By the time Andrew leaves Boston Common the sun is already setting on the frozen surface of Frog Pond.

Now, he’s sat with his bag rattling along on the number 7 to City Point, almost there. The wind is still absent but the chill batters the bus anyway, and by the time it jolts to a stop Andrews' bones are sore.

As soon his feet hit the icy ground he begins to walk, slowly, through the ache. He watches South Boston pass by in shades of grey and black and white, the grey of his demeanour, the black of his coat, the white of his skin passing through it all silently. It takes six minutes and he’s there.

For a building full of semi-wealthy inhabitants, its’ elevator still feels like a slow death, so Andrew takes the stairs all the way to the top. The snow breaks off his boots a little more with every step, and the last remains get left to melt on the mat inside his door.

His coat he hangs up next to the side table where he throws his keys, and as he crosses briefly to the open living space for the remote, the TV begins to play.

‘Tonight’s game is one we’ve all been waiting for…’

His boots come off next, replaced by charcoal slippers because Neil knows better then to give him orange. The kitchen light floods the counter-tops as Andrew reaches up to the cupboard. The cocoa, cinnamon, and vanilla all meet quietly on the granite.

‘Do you think the crowd is ready…’

From the fridge Andrew grabs the milk, and he measures it out in a mug with Nickys' face on it.

‘…He’s the greatest striker the sports ever seen!...’

It heats on the stove, and Andrew leaves it to close the curtains and turn up the thermostat.

‘…I’m just excited, I don’t know what to tell you. I get chills every time...’

Andrews stands there and stirs. The room starts to warm, the ingredients start to mix.

‘…Okay here we go, the teams are about to step onto the court…’

Andrew grabs a handfuls of marshmallows and drops them in until the mug near overflows. The steam rises up past the white, and Andrew allows the heat to burn his hand as he settles on the couch. His body always wants to hoard the cold.

‘Are you ready to see Kevin Day in action?’

---

The winter in Boston is long. The cold of it reaches where cold never should, and it sets white fire to the hollows of Andrews' chest.

Everything is ice and snow, wind and hail, chill and white white white. Andrew could disappear in the snow if he wanted to.

It lasts until early April. That’s when the ice starts to thaw, when the snow starts to shy away. A few leaves start to appear on the trees of Boston Common and no one is skating anymore.

When winter ends, Andrew has learned to survive it.

---

He’s standing in Boston Logan International Airport. There’s snow outside the windows and Christmas everywhere else.

It’s December, obviously.

There’s still snow on Andrews' boots that hasn’t melted off yet. It’s dusting his black woollen hat too, drifting down from it into his eyes just a little bit. He’s still cold, hands still shoved in his black coat pockets, but it’s ebbing away ever so slightly.

He waits.

He stares at the busyness surrounding him.

The snow that clung to him before melts away.

And Neil is here.

He’s just staring at Andrew, because of course he is. And he’s so present, so blue and grey and auburn, one bag slung over his shoulder and one hand reaching out from his side. Andrew moves because of course he does.

Their fingertips meet, then their fingers, then their palms, then their eyes. Andrew tugs and Neil follows and they’re both caught.

---

‘They’re still not Foxes.’

‘They don’t need to be.’

‘I know.’

There are three blankets and a Neil keeping Andrew warm. The blankets rest around his shoulders, and Neil rests his hand on Andrews' ankle. Neils' camera has taken four pictures already, and it rests on the arm of the couch.

‘Have you ever considered a Christmas tree in here?’

‘I have one. Several actually.’

‘Those marshmallows Nicky sent you don’t count.’

‘I don’t care.’

Neil is smiling, quietly. He doesn’t seem to notice. Andrew knows that Neil has missed him.

He rests his head against Neils', watches those bright eyes blink slowly closed. He feels Neils' sigh against his skin, places a kiss over the subtle parting of his lips. When Neil opens his eyes again, he looks proud and happy and stunned like he always does these days.

‘Neil.'

It’s almost a whisper.

Neil just looks at him, body held still. Those bright winter eyes.

‘I missed you.’

This is Andrews' second Boston winter, and he knows how to survive it better this time.

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svragent · 7 years ago

Note

maybe some hurt/comfort after wymack’s death for 25 days of kandreil?

Hi anon, thanks for the prompt! It’s maybe not exactly what you wanted since it’s Christmas themed, but I went with the boys + Abby and Bee going through their first Christmas without Wymack. I hope you like it!

Day 8: Fallen Snow

“Do you think he’ll be ok?”

Andrew shrugs as he looks at Kevin, who is curled up on the sofa with a glass of whiskey, headphones drowning out the world. His eyes are red-rimmed and he stares blankly at the exy match playing on the tv, too lost in his grief to think. “No. But time will help. It’s only been a year, Neil.”

Neil sighs and goes over to sit beside Kevin, pulling a blanket over their shoulders. Kevin barely reacts, but eventually he turns slowly and rests his head against Neil’s shoulder, releasing a long, deep breath as he closes his eyes. Neil gently strokes his hair with one hand, pressing kisses to his forehead as they sit there.

Kevin reaches up and takes out his earphones. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess.”

“No.” Neil holds him tighter. “Don’t apologise. It’s…it’s natural to miss him. He was your dad.”

Kevin’s breath hitches as he struggles to keep composed. It takes a minute to calm himself down but eventually he opens his eyes as he relaxes further into Neil’s hold. By this point, Andrew has joined them, perching on his other side and taking the glass from his hands.

“Enough alcohol for now,” he says firmly. Kevin just stares at him before nodding tiredly.

They sit there for a while, mindlessly watching the match, before Abby and Bee arrive. Neil would get the door but he doesn’t want to disturb Kevin, so Andrew gets up to greet them. Like Kevin, Abby is also red-eyed and teary, but she makes sure to smile at the three of them and offers the bottle of mulled wine to Andrew with a warm, if slightly strained “Merry Christmas”. Bee follows behind, laden with bags of food and presents, and utters the same greeting. Andrew takes a couple of bags from her, leading her into the kitchen, and Neil can hear them conversing in hushed tones.

Abby makes her was over to Kevin and takes Andrew’s place on the sofa beside him. She places a hand on his, which he turns over to lace their fingers together. “Hey. How are you holding up?”

“Yeah, not- not good,” Kevin chokes out, gripping both Neil and Abby tighter. “But getting there. You?”

She just nods, smile wobbling.

Neil buries his face in his boyfriend’s hair for a moment before extracting himself from his grip, leaving the two of them to talk. What they both need right now is each other, and he would loathe to come between that, so he wanders to check on Bee and Andrew, who are beginning to make dinner in the kitchen. Bee is preparing a pre-cooked turkey while Andrew chops the vegetables. “Hi Neil. How are you doing?”

“I’m…” Fine. “I’m managing.”

Bee hums and sets about locating the kitchenware, while Neil goes to help Andrew. No one says anything about the blatant lie, but Andrew places a steadying hand to the small of his back when Neil starts to struggle, and eventually takes over when he almost slices his finger off. Tasked with making gravy, Neil takes a moment to gain his bearings and push aside his emotions. His grief is the last thing anyone needs today, least of all Abby and Kevin.

Between the three of them, dinner is prepared quickly, and soon they’re all seated at the table. Kevin sits between Andrew and Neil on one side, while Abby is opposite him, Bee sitting to her right. Neil pours a glassful of wine for each of them and Bee leads the conversation, with Neil awkwardly trying to continue it for Andrew’s sake, while Andrew gives the occasional response. Kevin and Abby are clearly relieved at the chance to sit out from the conversation, though Kevin chimes in at some point to ask Bee how her work is going, voice hoarse.

Abby eventually speaks up when they’ve almost finished their dinner. There’s a lull in the conversation and she takes the opportunity to jump in with the elephant in the room. Clearing her throat, she takes up her glass in one hand. “I’m really grateful to you boys for having us over. It really means a lot. It’s been so hard without…without David, but you’ve really helped to make today more bearable.” She pauses to wipe at her eyes. “This year has been awful, for all of us, but I am so proud of how far you’ve all come, and I am so glad that you three have each other for support. And I think David would be too.” She lifts her glass to them. “Here’s to the many more years we’ll all see. And to David.”

Bee echoes her, and Kevin raises his glass, “to Dad,” muttered from his lips. Neil and Andrew raise their glasses respectively, and Andrew squeezes a hand on Kevin’s thigh in support. They may be broken this year, but they’re Foxes. They bounce back from their losses, from their setbacks, and come back stronger for it. Looking at Kevin and Abby, red-eyed but determined, and at Andrew and Bee, quietly grieving but still providing solid foundations for their family to step up on, Neil can see that they are already on their way to recovery. Wymack may be gone, and his loss will always be felt, but they will see through each year with unwavering resolve.

Send me a Kandreil Christmas prompt and I’ll write it for you!

#i hate myself now #aftg #all for the game #25daysofkandreil #kandreil #andreil #kandrew #kevineil #Anonymous

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ohsweetflips · 7 years ago

Text

hawk in the raven nest, chapter twenty-four

chapter summary: tragic: causing or characterized by extreme distress or sorrow

A/N: hey guys!!! im so sorry that i had to postpone today's chapter, i was had classes and then a swim meet and was out from 8am to 11pm last night and passed out the moment i got in

read on ao3

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chapter list

Ever since Kevin began his time as a Fox on the starting line, the Ravens made it a habit of watching their games. Riko was the one who enforced that. Their teammates believed that it was so Riko could laugh at Kevin’s misfortune; Kevin left the best Class I Exy team for the last place Foxes, what was there that Riko couldn’t laugh at? Nathaniel, however, knew it was because Riko was paranoid. Kevin was always a threat to Riko, but before the Foxes, Kevin was a threat that Riko believed he could beat down. Now, with Kevin as an opponent, and an opponent who was drastically improving a team meant to amount to nothing, Kevin was a danger to Riko.

Riko became obsessive when watching the Foxes’ games. He kept note of every win and loss, the length of each point gap, which team they were playing and how they had fared against the Ravens. With each game that the Foxes won, and with that each large point gap, Riko grew less and less happy with his results.

With the Foxes winning game against Binghamton, Riko’s nerves were through the roof. He was past the point of a violent outbreak; at this stage, everything was internalized. His hands were clenched on the arms of his chair, his knuckles white. His eyes stared blankly at the screen as their teammates chattered around him in the lounge. Maybe they were nervous, too, but didn’t want to let on; maybe they didn’t see Kevin as a threat yet. Either way, Riko was panicking because championships were getting very close and the Foxes were going to be in the death matches. With the path they seemed to be going on, they might be able to get past Penn State. The Trojans could be the ones that stop them, but even that was too close for Riko’s liking.

Attention was brought back to the screen when none other than Kevin Day came back on it. He was the one who the reporters decided to interview that night. He was sweaty, with some pieces of hair clinging to his forehead. His green eyes shone with victory, and he flashed an award winning grin at the camera. The two on his cheek stared at them all, showing where he had come from, and where he was now.

“Kevin, what an amazing game the Foxes played tonight!” the reporter beamed, happiness obvious on her face at being able to interview Kevin Day.

“Thank you,” Kevin grinned, swooping his hair out of his face. “We’ve all worked really hard for this game.”

“Talk about working hard!” she exclaimed. “Look at you! Last year, no one thought you would ever step onto a court again. Now, here you are, right-handed, and picking up speed with the Foxes, who finally seem to really deserve their Class I rank. It seems that you’ve really been pushing your fellow teammates.”

“Actually, we all push each other. You see, while I definitely push the Foxes to be better, they push me, too, not just with their own drills, but with stamina in a game. The Foxes are really big on endurance training. Coach Wymack really emphasizes on it considering how few of us there are, some of us are out here playing full games with no subs. So, yeah, when I got here I was getting good training in. Not only was I coming off of not being able to play for months, but I also hadn’t gone on long runs in forever. Years ago, before we were even on the Ravens, Riko and I would go running around campus. But once we were official Ravens and had night practices, we haven’t done it since. We had no time, we would spend our time on the court before we would even think of going running. The Foxes and Coach Wymack really helped me get back to where I needed to be, I’m so thankful to be able to play again.”

The reporter wouldn’t realize what Kevin had said, and how it didn’t match up. She would realize it when she went over tapes, or had someone write an article about Kevin bouncing back from a hit and run that happened while Riko and Kevin were on their usual late nights runs. While she was talking about it, or someone was writing about it, they would realize the discrepancy in that story when they noticed that Kevin said very clearly that he and Riko hadn’t ran together in years.

At that moment, though, she just nodded along with a grin on her face. Captain Danielle Wilds came into view, but Nathaniel didn’t catch what she was asked. All eyes were on Riko, because while the reporter wouldn’t catch the discrepancy, it was all the Ravens noticed. They were told by Riko himself that something terrible had happened to Kevin, by Tetsuji that Kevin was struck by a car while they were on their usual run. Yet, Kevin himself, the injured party, blew that truth out of the water in just a couple sentences.

“Didn’t you say that you and Kevin would go on runs all the time?” Jenkins asked.

“He doesn’t know what he’s saying,” Riko managed out, his eyes locked on the TV.

“He seemed very confident in what he had to say,” Andrew unexpectedly said from besides Nathaniel.

“Shut up!” Riko shouted, and Nathaniel didn’t miss some of their teammates flinching. He wondered if Riko felt his own validity crumbling to pieces. Riko looked over at where Nathaniel and Andrew were sitting, except his eyes weren’t on Andrew. He was staring directly at Nathaniel. Riko didn’t know that Andrew knew everything, he didn’t know that Nathaniel and Andrew were constantly speaking with Kevin; Riko thought that everything that really happened with Kevin was just a secret between him and Nathaniel. He was waiting for Nathaniel to say something, to say anything that would give up Riko’s crumbling alibi. It was a threat; if Nathaniel said one wrong thing, Riko would kill him. Riko wanted to see if Nathaniel was smart enough to stay quiet.

Nathaniel had an attitude problem, but luckily for him, he knew when to save his remarks for a later date when they would be more beneficial. To reveal the truth now would give Riko an opening to destroy Nathaniel; Nathaniel was smarter than that.

Nathaniel met Riko’s eyes and said nothing. For right now, he would leave Riko the satisfaction of thinking that he scared Nathaniel into silence. He would let Riko try to convince his teammates that Kevin was delusional, because inevitably he would fail.

The lie that had been formed was finally being broken apart. The end never looked so clear and bright.

In the morning, Tetsuji was forced to call off another practice. Instead of practicing, the Ravens were corralled into their lounge. Nathaniel was sitting on one of the loveseats with Andrew at his side. Riko was alert, sitting tense on one of the recliners. The rest of the athletes were groggy with sleep, but anyone with a mind could see what was happening.

The door from above swung open, and all heads turned to the staircase. Down walked Edgar Allan’s Director of the Board of Education and the Athletics’ Director. After them came Tetsuji; he looked emotionless, though Nathaniel had a feeling it was just a facade. Even he had to know what was coming for them.

The Education Director stared down the athletes. “After the departure of two of your athletes, one with severe injuries, one in need of ‘time away’, we grew suspicious. We planned to have done this already, but we were told it would have been of no use,” he said, sliding a look to Tetsuji. “Now, though, it either seems that it was of use, or one of your top athletes doesn’t know how he broke his hand. We have a warrant from the board to search through your dormitories-” He held up a piece of paper. In his other hand were black garbage bags. “-You all will stay here as we do so, and no one is permitted to take anything from their dorm or leave.” He paused. “This team is in hot water right now. Even if all of you are confident in that nothing incriminating is in these dorms, it would bode best for all of you to listen and comply.”

Nathaniel hoped that they would see Riko as incriminating evidence, but he didn’t know if they could remove a person and take him to the Board of Education for inspection.

The Athletics’ Director looked over the athletes in front of him, and his eyes came to a stop at Nathaniel. It had only been a few days since Riko hit him, and the bruise on his jaw was an unmissable, ugly green. The Director didn’t say anything, but Nathaniel imagined that he would take note of that.

Both directors waited a moment longer, a dare to see if any of the athletes would disapprove. When they were satisfied with no one’s response, they headed down the hall that led to the red dormitories. They were the dorms for the athletes with two digit numbers; the ones suspected to leave no impact on the Exy world. They weren’t the reasons for the Directors being down in the Nest, but maybe the two of them hadn’t heard about their corrupt captain.

It wasn’t long until the Directors came back to the lounge. The bags in their hands looked empty, perhaps one or two items that were prohibited thrown in, but nothing major. Nathaniel didn’t expect them to find anything there in the first place. The black dormitories would grant them much more success in their search. The single digit players were the ones expected to yield success, five (now three) of which were expected to be stars in the Exy world, three of which were expected to earn the Moriyamas money, one of which was a Moriyama. The Directors would have fun in that wing.

Nathaniel believed some bloodstained clothes were still tossed in a pile somewhere in his room. Laundry was such a hassle sometimes.

Nathaniel also knew that Riko had knives somewhere in his room, along with who knows what else, and that Kevin’s belongings were still in their shared room.

The Ravens watched as they entered the black wing. Nathaniel shifted his eyes to Riko, who was staring blankly down the hall. The tension in the room seemed to shift from bad to worse. Just twenty-four hours before, the Ravens who were not Perfect Court hadn’t expected anything. They believed that Kevin broke his hand in a hit-and-run. They knew Riko was violent but they didn’t know the extent of it. Nathaniel found himself wondering if they knew what he did to Jean. He wasn’t going to ask to find out.

But now, everything had changed. Kevin had revealed that perhaps Tetsuji -who was standing perfectly still, watching over his team- and Riko had lied about what happened to him. Their rooms were being searched for evidence that the Ravens were a corrupt team, and how it was to be found in their captain’s room. Nathaniel always knew the corruption in the Ravens and how it tiered down from the Moriyamas, and he saw how blind they all were to it when they all believed Tetsuji’s words with no question, but now they couldn’t trust who they were forced to.

In this room, everyone’s lives were being flipped around. The rest of the Ravens couldn’t be blind, or play blind, any longer. Their team was at stake, and if Nathaniel knew any of these people, they either played Exy or they died. There was no way they could turn away from the corruption and the violence when there was a chance they would lose their only way of breathing easy.

What a tragic life these Ravens lived.

A couple minutes passed and the directors came back. Their bags were significantly more filled. The Athletics’ Director sweeped a cool gaze over everyone in the room before landing on Tetsuji. “We need to speak with you about some of the… belongings your athletes had, specifically in that room at the end.”

The room at the end was Riko’s.

Tetsuji nodded once. He followed them up the stairs.

When the door swung close, eyes shifted from one to another but, in the end, they fell upon their captain. Nathaniel turned to Riko and opened his mouth. The words he said next could have been borderline suicidal if Riko wasn’t under such heavy scrutiny. His next words told Riko that he had no secrets any longer; everything that he had done was bound to be brought to surface:

“Careful Riko, everyone’s watching.”

Riko said nothing, but he did tense his jaw. Out of his peripheral vision, Nathaniel saw Andrew give the smallests of nods to Riko.

It was enough to show that this secret between Riko and Nathaniel was never really between them at all. It was a sign that Riko was never as subtle as he hoped.

Nathaniel wondered if Riko’s stomach flipped at his fall from grace, or if it fell freely because, in the back of his mind, he knew everything would come crashing down at one point.

#neil josten #andrew minyard #riko moriyama #aftg #tfc #hawk in the raven nest #stuff i write

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shihoran · 7 years ago

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"I forgive you."

Rated: T / M Warnings: Abuse, Abusive Relationship Relationship: Riko Moriyama / Kevin Day Word count: 1760

He could end it all, right here, right now. He could end his and his own misery. He could put a stop to his childhood friend growing more and more into a monster under his uncle’s hands. Kevin could save him. Kevin could save himself.

Kevin’s fingertips laid softly against Riko’s temple, watching the eyes move beneath closed lids and his chest rise and fall with each breath. He appeared awake enough to know it was Kevin at his side, yet today’s punishment left him drained of words and action. Kevin had been made to watch, while Tetsuji instructed to both of them what it meant to hold captaincy and that they may not lack behind on the set goals as they did today.

His reasons were always the same, the scale of violence was dependant on his mood. This time, after a week of impatient prods of the steel cane, Tetsuji deemed it to be fitting to repeatedly force his nephew’s head into a tub of cold water, until he’d half drowned; and as he gasped for air, had his mistakes barked right into his ear. This method didn’t leave visible wounds, so even if it was rarely used, it still counted as ‘free game’ for the coach to practise.

Kevin shuddered at the thought, but kept his hand steady as he trailed along Riko’s features. His skin was pale, and soft, but sometimes he caught Riko with the same expression as Tetsuji, and the resemblence was terrifying. Of course, it wasn’t the only thing to scare him at those moments - when Riko punished the other teammembers as they disobeyed him, or, no, sometimes he’d only push them, because he know he could. Sometimes, Riko wanted to see the whole world burn, because he held the matches in his hands, and a fire in his chest that threatened to devour him and everything around him.

As of now, Riko’s face could not have been more removed from cruelty, with his eyes and mouth shut to not protest whatever it was that Kevin was on and about to do. It wasn’t trust, not necessarily. Kevin was aware that Riko let him, because if he were to make a wrong move, he’d receive payback tenfolds later on. He knew that very well, and yet he couldn’t peel his eyes off the slender white throat laid bare in contrast to black sheets.

Before he knew it his palm ghosted against the bare skin. His head was spinning, replaying the crimes Riko committed against him and his teammates. Everything he’d done to Jean. Everything that Kevin had been made to watch. Events where Kevin would have had a chance to step in and maybe change Riko’s mind, if he had just tried.

His hand flinched back before he knew it, his breath almost audibly ragged, and sweat burning down his back. The possible results were endless. The possible guilt even more so. He had watched Riko and Tetsuji destroy lives without raising a hand at any moment. Who was he to cast down judgement on either of the two - who was he to stop Riko down his path to hell? And was it all really that bad? Kevin’s mouth felt dry, his body hot and cold, as he ran his mind through all of it. It’s not always like this, he thought. It could be worse. It could be far worse. Kevin could have killed Riko, and Riko would have come back from the grave to drag him along.

When Riko opened his eyes, Kevin knew that terror sat naked on his features. As if he had been caught red handed, he broke contact, stared at the far end of the room to his collection of history books. Riko had allowed him to choose a subject, because Riko didn’t care about anything but Exy, which translated the choice of subjects as irrelevant anyway. Was it kindness, that he let Kevin chose? Probably not. Kevin swallowed, steadied his breath before he turned back to look at Riko.

His eyes were met with dark pools and eyelids slowly closing and opening again, tired; and either unaware or simply indifferent to the thoughts throwing Kevin’s mind into chaos.

“Cold”, he said after a while.

Before Kevin could get up to fetch him a blanket more or maybe a hot drink, Riko’s hand caught his wrist and froze him in place. Their eyes met again, Kevin’s heartbeat a shrill and alarming scream in his ears.

“I’ll get you tea.”, he replied, while hanging awkwardly between sitting and standing. Riko considered him for another minute, before letting him go and tucking his arm back under the blanket.

Kevin walked out the room, towards the kitchen isle, and found his palms pressed tight against the cold surface of it. His next exhale felt like as if he had been holding his breath the entire day and the moment between Riko catching his wrist and saving himself out the room was by far the most straining of them all. He didn’t know if he himself felt hot or cold. He didn’t know what he felt at all.

The pressure of Riko’s palm around his wrist still lingered. It was something needy, something a child may do to ask their guardian to not leave them alone. And even though Riko would never allow himself to say those words out loud, Kevin knew that this was exactly what Riko had wanted and not wanted to tell him. Kevin cursed under his breath as he prepared two cups of tea. He was helpless. Both of them were, in their own way, and neither of them had any answer to their troubles. Kevin cursed again when he burnt his finger on the boiling water. At least this kind of pain, he understood.

When he returned to the room, Riko sat at the head of his bed with his back against the wall and the blanket pulled up to his shoulders. He watched Kevin’s movements, attentively, not sparing the two cups placed ontop his nightstand any mind. Kevin settled on the chair next to the bed.

“Did you try” Riko’s voice came rough from his throat. “to kill me?” Kevin might have wanted nothing more than to faint on the spot, but his eyes kept him still. There was no point in trying to lie to Riko. He would know. Kevin whispered: “I couldn’t do it.”

Something cold and ugly twisted Riko’s mouth into a smile. It reached his eyes like water reaching Kevin’s neck, relentless and daring him to take another gasp, only to swallow him whole with the next wave.

“But you did try.” Riko moved away from the wall, closer to Kevin, and caught both his hands this time. “Come on. Show me how you do it.” He placed Kevin’s palms around his own neck. “Do it.”

Kevin mind was blank in terror. His fingers, his hands, his arms - his whole body trembled with the madness of it all. He might have stuttered Riko’s name, but he couldn’t tell if he did or if he’d only imagined it. Kevin couldn’t feel Riko’s pulse either, and maybe he was already dead - drowned by his uncle just today and Kevin was hallucinating out of the guilt for not saving him. His mouth opened for one shallow gasp, and that is where Riko pressed their hands tight around. As if burnt by his skin, Kevin jerked back with a force that put him on his feet.

“I can’t.”, he stuttered between erratic breaths. “I could never, Riko, I-”

Riko hushed him with a finger pressed against his lips. It was enough to keep Kevin from completely falling apart. His other hand patted next to him on the sheet.

“Come here.” , like a siren luring Kevin into his early death, his soft voice was eerily comforting. Kevin couldn’t resist him and so he settled, carefully, with his heart and mind in chaos, next to Riko.

Immediately, Riko grabbed a fistful of hair jerking him down, forcing Kevin into another spine breaking position. He gasped in shock and in pain, but didn’t dare to move away.

Riko leaned back for a moment, reaching for the still hot tea on the nightstand and took a sip. His lips pressed together immediately, licking at the burnt skin, before he turned back to consider Kevin again. Their eyes met. Riko smiled.

“You always make it too hot. It turns bitter.” Riko’s cup hovered daringly above Kevin’s face. In his mind, Kevin was gauging the pain a full cup of cooled down but still hot water on his face and the possibility of leaving marks. If there were marks to consider, Kevin was safe.

The same thought process seemed to have gone through Riko’s head, before he would take another sip to test the waters, but then put the cup back down and out of reach. His fingertips touched his lips, the twisted smile long gone after his expression slipped back to indifference. He lost interest, it seemed, but his fist held Kevin steady in place.

“It’s burnt.” Suddenly, Riko let him go. Kevin ached, but didn’t dare to move just yet. Riko’s fingertips brushed his lips. “Make it better?”

The taller man slowly pushed himself up, careful not to break eye contact. He didn’t know if this situation was any better than the one before, but the mood had changed from a haphazard spark on a dry wheat field to a quiet evening bonfire with a gallon of fuel deposited right next to it. Kevin leaned in, pressing his lips softly against Riko’s.

They stayed in silence for a while, until he found his face cupped between Riko’s hands and himself pulled down to hover over him. Kevin was careful not to withdraw or let doubt creep onto his expression. Like always, interacting with Riko was a tightrope walk. Like always, anything Kevin did could be the one push to start a forest fire. Riko, right now, though, buried his fingers into his hair, picking wild strands back into place and caressing his face as if Kevin was the most precious thing in the world. Riko’s thing.

“You’ve been bad.” Riko’s voice dripped like warm honey into Kevin’s muddy thoughts, luring him in again for another, this time, open mouthed and outdrawn kiss. His own body weighed down ontop the much smaller frame. Riko pressed his lips steady against the number beneath Kevin’s eye.

“I forgive you.”

#written works #fan fic #riko moriyama #kevin day #rikev #tfc #the foxhole court #tw abuse

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c-valentino · 8 years ago

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Have a Kevin of the Day - Day Three

– The Day Kevin dragged them to the pool Day 3 Kandreil Verse

It was getting too cold to run outside. At least Kevin thought so. Neil, on the other hand, insisted on going for his runs every day, even though it had snowed for the last three.

“Why don’t you come with me instead?” Kevin asked during dinner. He had switched to swimming recently. It was great cardio. His two boyfriends seemed reluctant to join him though. Andrew not so much maybe, but the goalkeeper had fallen into line behind Neal as their partner had refused to go. Now Andrew was giving Kevin a look across the table as the striker was pushing the topic again.

Neil looked up from his plate, swallowed and frowned. “I like running.”

“I know you do. But it’s freezing outside and I don’t want you to get hurt. At least run at the gym.” Neil didn’t like treadmills, and Kevin had to agree that there were biomechanical differences that made treadmills less effective than running outdoors.

“I’ll be fine,” Neil mumbled and Andrew sat his fork down.

“Do you hate swimming or something?” Kevin wouldn’t let it go.

“I don’t,” Neil answered at length, and they could all hear that there was more to it but the young man wouldn’t elaborate on it.

“Then I don’t get it,” Kevin said.

“Clearly, you don’t,” Andrew agreed for the first time during this conversation. Kevin shrugged and raised his chin at the shorter man.

“But you do?” he challenged. He hated the feeling he got when Neil and Andrew seemed to understand each other without words. It made him feel left out, and worse, it made him feel like he lacked the understanding those two had of each other. Like it was his fault. That usually applied more to situations with Andrew, since the goalkeeper still had a lot of issues, and Neil always managed to establish a line of communication with their blonde boyfriend —more often times than not non-verbally.

“Since I have more than Exy on my mind,” Andrew shot back, clearly trying to antagonize Kevin, maybe to redirect the attention away from Neil, but obviously at the cost of picking a fight with the taller man. Neil looked between the two and sighed. He hated when they fought because of him.

“There are too many people at the pool,” he explained. Kevin’s thoughts came to a screeching halt, like always when he had missed something that seemed to be painfully obvious to begin with. Dammit, he thought. Fuck, I’m stupid. It happened sometimes. He had gotten used to Neil being comfortable around the two of them. Just because the young man was fine showing himself to them or the team now didn’t mean he had gotten over his issues with exposure. All Kevin had thought about were the benefits of working out in a safe environment during the harshest days of winter. ‘Exy brain’ Andrew called it.

“I see,” he replied, a little ashamed, “Sorry.” Neil just shook his head and shrugged, declaring the debate for ended.

Having a one track mind came with its advantages too. “I’ll take you two to the pool tonight,” Kevin declared a couple days later at breakfast.

“Kevin,” Andrew said warningly.

“After it’s closed,” the striker elaborated, and the other two looked questioningly at him. “I know a guy who knows a guy…” Kevin shrugged but then came clean, “Okay, Coach knows the owner. Happy now?” Couldn’t they let him be the hero of the story for once? “They’ll let us in and we lock up afterwards.” He couldn’t tell what exactly flashed across Neil’s face at that moment, it happened too fast and then the auburn haired man was hugging him, standing on tiptoes and mumbling,

“Thanks” into his neck. Kevin automatically put his arms around him and looked at Andrew over Neil’s shoulder. The short goalkeeper had those little dimples showing that indicated the beginning of a smile that never reached its full potential on Andrew’s lips. It always caused Kevin to smile in return, a little bashfully now.

The pool at night was a strange place. They had it all for themselves. Kevin had come during the day for nearly two weeks now. His life revolved around sports, mainly Exy, and he was fine with that. His time as a professional athlete was limited and he intended to make the most of it. He liked spending his time with his two partners though, and doing that while playing Exy or training was one of the best things in his opinion. Didn’t mean he couldn’t also have fun with them.

“No, no you won’t,” Neil chuckled and tried to defend himself against the much taller man who came after him in the pool, managed to grab him, lift him, and throw him a few feet through the air, causing Neil to shout. Kevin liked being the tallest of the three of them. It came with some advantages.

He turned and looked at Andrew, who arched an eyebrow at him. The shorter man wouldn’t allow such treatment, no matter how playful the mood was getting. Kevin just shrugged at him and smiled, then dove under and swam across the pool to come up in front of the goalkeeper, who leaned against the edge to observe his two partners. Kevin wiped the wet hair out of his face and put his hands on either side of Andrew.

“Hey there.”

“What?” Always the suspicious one, Kevin thought.

“Nothing. Just checking on you.” It was strange seeing Andrew like this, wearing swim-shorts, nothing else; as strange as it was seeing Neil like this. Stranger than seeing them naked, Kevin realized. But it was only the three of them here right now.

“Well, don’t,” Andrew rebuked him.

“Alright,” Kevin agreed, leaned down and waited, their lips almost touching. He left it up to Andrew to close the gap and the blonde did. Kevin smiled into the kiss, and when Andrew felt it, he grabbed the taller man by the wet hair with both hands and pushed him under. Kevin went with it, took a step back and reemerged still smiling. He turned around then, reaching behind himself over his shoulders. “Hands,” he demanded of the goalkeeper.

“Yeah, right,” Andrew scoffed. “A knife in the back is what you can get.”

“You are not wearing any. C’mon, hands.” He waited and waited some more until Andrew sighed.

“What are you doing?” Hesitantly, Andrew took one of Kevin’s hands, then the other.

“Just hold on,” the taller man told him, submerged in front of his boyfriend and tugged, then again, holding his breath until he managed to get Andrew to put one leg over his shoulder. He nudged the other one with his elbow until Andrew finally gave in and climbed onto his shoulders, hands gripping Kevin’s and the striker stood up again, lifting Andrew out of the chest-deep water.

“Put me down, idiot,” Andrew grumbled, hands clutching Kevin’s, feet tugged behind his partner’s back to keep his balance.

“Why? I like being between your legs.”

“I’ll drown you.”

“Dammit, if Matt were here, we could have a match!” Neil exclaimed when he saw them.

“Next time!” Kevin promised.

“There will be no next time,” Andrew growled.

“You are just afraid you’d lose!” Neil waved him off and came over to them.

“We wouldn’t,” Kevin claimed confidently.

“Why does everything have to be a competition with you two? Now put me down.”

“Fine,” Kevin sighed and simply shrugged Andrew off, letting go of his hands. The goalkeeper went under with a splash.

“Next time,” Neil insisted, it was already a challenge. Kevin nodded.

“So,” he looked at the other two. Andrew shook the water out of his hair like a dog and glared. “Race you?”

“Only if we swim free and you don’t,” Neil said and crossed his arms. Kevin was the better swimmer and Neil and Andrew had not been at the pool in quite a while.

“Fine,” the striker agreed. Andrew didn’t seem too thrilled about it but humored them anyway. They raced for two lengths, Kevin showing off by swimming butterfly and still beating them. He had been practicing for the last two weeks, but he didn’t tell them.

“Teach me,” Neil demanded of him afterwards, and so Kevin did, having both Andrew’s and Neil’s eyes on him while he demonstrated how to do it.

“Everything comes naturally to him. He makes it look so easy,” Neil observed standing next to Andrew.

“Only sports,” Andrew disagreed. “Sometimes I think he is a little bit challenged in other departments.” He got an elbow to the ribs for that one but pretended to not have noticed. “And sex,” he added belatedly, and Neil hummed in agreement this time.

While Neil practiced and Andrew swam a few lengths of his own, Kevin gave the backliner a few suggestions on how to improve his form. He did it in his usual way, a little too over-confident, arrogance coloring his voice, but Neil had long ago come to understand that this was Kevin’s teaching mode; zero-tolerance, no excuses, nothing less than everything you got, and he was fine with that. It was what Kevin expected of himself after all.

They made it a regular thing. As long as the weather didn’t improve, the three of them went to the pool.

“What a show-off,” Andrew said evenly while he sat next to Neil on the edge, both taking a break. He wanted a cigarette, but instead they were watching Kevin jumping off the diving platform for the third time. In truth he didn’t mind watching Kevin and neither did Neil.

“Yes, but he is our show-off,” the backliner agreed. He too had jumped a few times. Not from the highest platform, but he had added a few somersaults. “Besides, you are the one to talk.” They had found out that Andrew was the one who could dive the farthest of them all, being able to hold his breath the longest, and Neil and Kevin had agreed that that was a fucking miracle since Andrew was the only smoker. They watched Kevin perform a triple backflip that ended in a big splash.

“3.9 Day. That entry was disastrous,” Andrew mocked. Kevin just grinned at him and flipped him off. He was already on his way to try again. “That endless energy,” Andrew sighed, “it’s tiring just watching him sometimes.”

“You were like that when I first met you,” Neil reminded him.

“Drugs don’t count.”

“Maybe, but I still can’t complain about your stamina.” The backliner grinned and Andrew raised an eyebrow at him.

“Does your mind always stay in the gutter?”

“You like it,” Neil claimed and pushed off the edge to swim a few more lengths. “Kevin!” he called. “Come over here and show me again!” The striker waved at him and jumped off the platform, botching the entry once more. He joined Neil at the other end of the pool, going over his form again. They were at it for some time; both of them never minded when it got late, and Andrew never complained in earnest about it either. Neither of them noticed the short goalkeeper disappearing after a while.

Somehow it was always Neil who spotted Andrew first. When Kevin looked up, following Neil’s gaze, he saw the goalkeeper's legs dangling off the diving platform all the way up on the ten meter platform. Seeing Andrew up on high places drew Neil close to him, but this time Kevin held him back.

"I'll go," he told him. "Work on that," he added and pointed at his boyfriend who met his gaze and nodded once. Kevin left Neil in the water and climbed the tower. This one too was closed for safety reasons, but it cost him almost no effort to climb it anyway. He found Andrew lying on top, eyes on the ceiling half covered in skylights, the other half shining bright lights down on them. Andrew wore his jacket again, maybe already done with swimming for tonight. Kevin sat next to him on the edge, long legs dangling next to Andrew's shorter, paler ones. He spotted Neil down below, practicing as instructed.

"Hiding up here?" he asked Andrew.

"If that'd be the case, I'd have done a poor job." Andrew's eyes met his.

"Doesn't matter. Neil will always find you. Sometimes I think he has chipped you or something." Being compared to a pet prone to running away didn't agree with Andrew it seemed.

"Want me to push you off, Day?"

Kevin huffed a short laugh. He knew that line. It was one of those that meant a lot to his two boyfriends. The right response here would be 'I'd drag you down with me' but he wasn't Neil. It wasn't his line, had never been his. He turned forward again, let his gaze wander. "I trust you," he finally answered. That was his line and he could feel Andrew looking at his back.

Kevin wasn't afraid of heights and he had overcome his fear of falling. It was a requirement for all Ravens after all, metaphorically speaking. Growing up in the Nest, they had lived in constant fear of falling for a while. As they had grown old enough to finally leave the Nest, Riko and him, it had just been another test. They had been pushed over the edge, forced to spread their wings and take flight. The question had always remained but had never been spoken aloud: what if we are not good enough? Oh, they had know what would happen then. Failed Ravens didn't survive the fall, one way or another. They had seen it happening to other players before them. Somehow that fear had never left Riko, had crippled his wings from the start, while Kevin had conquered it and surpassed him in the end. The young Moriyama hadn't survived his fall— and then there was Jean. His team kept it a secret, but Kevin knew of the young man's suicide attempt last fall. It had shocked him, not because he had thought it impossible, but because it had been a harsh reminder.

Kevin frowned, forced the memories down again and got onto his feet. "Did I never tell you that I learned to fly?" he asked Andrew, not looking at the goalkeeper. In response he felt Andrew's naked foot touching the back of his legs; not pushing, but threatening. Kevin leaned his head to the side and spoke over his shoulder. "I meant it. I trust you."

"Think I won't do it? Aren't you just flattering yourself?" Andrew smirked.

"I know you would. I know you would be the one running into a burning building for us, pushing us off the side to save us. You know the fall will hurt us, but we would survive."

"Maybe," Andrew admitted and his smirk was gone.

"What I don't know is if you'd jump with us." Now Kevin turned around, toes gripping the edge, heels in the air. He saw Andrew staring at his feet for a moment, saw him swallowing. "'Cause no one ever taught you to fly, and you are still afraid of falling."

Andrew shot him an angry look for that accusation. "Careful, Birdie."

Kevin stepped over him then and went onto his knees, straddling Andrew's lap. He kept some space between them. He wasn't Neil. Andrew had other boundaries with him. Then again, Kevin thought, having someone of almost the same height on top of you was something entirely different, and he never held it against Andrew. He placed his hands on either side of the blonde's head and looked down at him. The slip-proof surface of the platform was uncomfortable on his bare skin but the ignored it.

"Sometimes I can still feel the wings on my back," he said in a low voice. The message wasn't lost between them, even in this moment when Andrew was getting close to another limit, being pushed by his fear of heights and Kevin towering over him like this. It was another one of their lines. It was one he had whispered in the dark during a sleepless night after he had fled the Ravens and joined the Foxes. Deep down Kevin still felt like a Raven sometimes. He knew what happened to failed Ravens.

"Looks to me like you shed those feathers for fox fur, Kevin." The striker didn't hold back then, leaned down and kissed Andrew, hard. Strong hands gripped his hair, but only to hold him there while Andrew kissed back. It didn't last long. It was the wrong place, the wrong time, and they both felt it. When Kevin pulled back, he took hold of Andrew's hand and covered his eyes with it, Andrew's fingers still in his hair, so all the young man below him could see was his smile.

"I guess what I meant to ask was: Would you jump with us?" The pause that followed was tense and Kevin waited it out patiently, letting Andrew decide on his own.

"Yes."

When he was sure that his smile actually reached his eyes this time, Kevin kissed Andrew's palm, keeping hold of his hand. He stood up and pulled the shorter man with him. The higher you got, the more you felt the vibrations in the diving platform. It wasn't exactly shaking but you could feel it in your feet. Kevin could tell that the feeling made Andrew nervous.

"I'll drag you higher." It was a promise. His eyes locked with Andrew's and Kevin's free hand pulled down the zipper of his training jacket. Andrew might not yet know it, but the best part of jumping down from great heights was the moment you escaped gravity for a split second.

He pushed the jacket off Andrew’s shoulders and threw it off the tower at the back. Then he flashed a gin at the shorter man. “Do you trust me?” How many times had he been the one facing that question? He gripped Andrew’s hand again, holding on to it tightly.

“Yes.” That one word felt better than any praise he had ever gotten for his performance. It felt like victory after a hard match. White teeth flashing in a brilliant smile, Kevin pulled at Andrew’s hand and ran with him across the platform, jumping off high at the end. He gave a shout but Andrew remained silent, his white-knuckled grip crushing Kevin’s fingers. The surface rushed up to meet them, and then the world caught up to them again, slowing down, submerging them, pulling them under. Kevin never let go. They broke the surface together, looking at each other, Andrew gasping, a little wide-eyed. The adrenalin rush made him a little giddy. Kevin felt suddenly proud of him, but he knew he wouldn’t find the right words to express that feeling. Andrew wouldn’t accept it.

“Andrew,” he said, loud enough only for them to hear. Neil had been watching them, had given a little cheer. “Andrew—“ he tried again but came up short. The goalkeeper looked at him questioningly. Kevin laughed a little nervously, feeling foolish all of the sudden. He felt so close to his partner right now, and he wanted to write that off to the jump, but the knew it was the intimate display of trust between them. He wanted to give Andrew something in return, but he feared rejection. “Nevermind,” he rowed back, covering it with a fake chuckle. He wanted to turn and swim over to where Neil was watching them, when Andrew gave him a tug on the hand.

“Say it,” the blonde demanded, not letting him chicken out of this.

“I…” Kevin felt himself blush and felt foolish for it. He heaved a frustrated sigh. Here goes nothing, he told himself and reached up to run a hand through Andrew’s hair, resting it at the back of Andrew’s head. “Tonight,” he began, “fuck me.” The offer didn’t come easily to him. They had some unwritten rules in the bedroom. One of them was that no one would do something that hadn’t been offered first. All of their threesomes revolved mostly around Neil. Andrew would only top and the same went for Kevin so far. Not because the striker couldn’t imagine changing it up a little; in fact, he had fantasies where Andrew would push him down, but they had never talked about it. The timing had never been right.

Andrew’s eyes narrowed a little and Kevin held his breath. “Do you want that,” the blonde made sure. He had to, Kevin knew that.

“Yes, I want that,” Kevin admitted. “I’ve been thinking about it.” Every time he had watched Andrew taking Neil lately. “Do you?”

Andrew smirked, let go of his hand and took a handful of dark, wet hair, pulling Kevin close and kissed him hard. “Yes.” He chuckled at Kevin’s relieved exhale. Kevin touched their foreheads together.

“Think Neil will like it?”

“Like what?” The backliner had grown tired of waiting and came closer.

“Me topping Kevin,” Andrew said without hesitation.

“Fuck yeah,” Neil exclaimed. “Do you even have to ask?” He looked between the two, already imagining it.

<<Day 2 Day 4>>

#kandreil #have a Kevin #kevin of the day #andrew minyard #kevin day #neil josten #tfc fanfic #atfg fanfic

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soullessminyard · 8 years ago

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@palesandwichobject asked for a part 2 of the Andreil Twilight AU (part 1) (special thanks also goes to @alecolightwood )

Neil needs some time to adjust to his new vampire body

He is still surprised when his body moves faster than he anticipates

Stupid accidents in school happen

Like Neil just disappearing and then showing up at the other side of the room a few seconds later

The other students think he is even weirder since he started hanging out with Andrew

They are also concerned because the two of them seem really close now

Who would voluntarily want to spend time with Andrew (he is scary af)

But the Foxes are worried too because if Neil keeps acting like that they´ll have to move soon

Riko may be dead but if they call too much attention to themselves the humans will soon start to notice that they aren´t normal

And if other vampires (possibly members of Riko´s clan) become aware of the fact that they have revealed their true nature this could start yet another war between the Foxes and the Ravens

So they decide that it´s time to move

Nicky wants to move to Germany because he wants to move in with Erik again

But he´s overruled by the rest of the Foxes

Kevin suggests moving to Alaska and living with the Trojans a clan who has a similar lifestyle (Kevin is also close friends with the clan leader Jeremy)

Andrew of course chooses Kevin´s side

Neil doesn´t care (he just wants to be with Andrew) so he votes for Alaska

Most of the other Foxes also really like or at least tolerate the Trojans so most of them are ok with moving to Alaska

It takes some time to pack all their stuff (Allison has a lot of clothes and Kevin wants to take all his Exy gear with him)

They also need to make up an excuse about why they are moving in the middle of the school year

It takes about a month and a half of preparations until they are ready to move

At first Neil didn´t really care about moving because he´s been on the run for most of his life but when moving day rolls around he is actually pretty excited

The last few month were exhausting

He always had to pay attention to not blow their cover and to get used to all of his new abilities

Neil had to come to terms with his new scars

Andrew gave him a matching set of armbands when he found Neil silently tracing his scars one night

Neil has been wearing them ever since

He was also very busy figuring out his relationship with Andrew

There has been a lot of kissing and figuring out each others boundaries

They figured out that Andrew is ok with Neil touching his hair and neck and even his shoulders on most days

But the most important thing that Neil has discovered is the spot Neil has to kiss to make Andrew shudder

It happened one night when they sat on the roof together (like most nights)

Andrew had a cigarette between his lips and Neil´s new sense of smell allowed him to inhale the smell from just sitting next to Andrew and watching him smoke

Andrew looked good

The pale glow of the moon illuminating his straight nose, strong jaw line and long eyelashes

The smoke curling around Andrew´s expressionless yet beautiful face

Neil couldn’t resist

He leaned even closer inhaling some of the smoke surrounding Andrew

When Andrew didn´t shy away Neil moved another few inches closer

“Is that ok?”

“Yes”

Neil leaned in and gently kissed Andrew´s neck

His skin there was just as cold as the rest of him but Neil couldn’t help but think that Andrew`s skin is particularly soft there

Andrew´s hair tickled Neil´s skin while he explored Andrew´s neck

But then something happened

Andrew has been stock-still the whole time but when Neil reached the

spot right behind his ear his body shuddered and Andrew made the most beautiful little noise (almost a sigh)

Neil smiled against his neck

“You like it”

“Shut up”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No”

Neil still grins whenever he thinks back to that moment (it has its advantages that Andrew can´t read his mind because he would just glare at him 24/7 if he knew what Neil is thinking about most of the time)

Yes, the last few month weren´t always easy for Neil but that just makes moving more exciting

He is now ready to build a new life with the Foxes and especially with Andrew

Even tho Andrew gave him a key and a home the house never felt like a real home to Neil

Andrew´s room has always been Andrew´s room even after Neil moved in with him

Now they can finally start over and built a new home together

Neil can´t wait to do that

Andrew and Neil drive to their new home together (they were supposed to take Aaron and Nicky with them but Andrew just started the engine when they were going back for the last bags that were still in the house)

Neil got used to Andrew´s driving style by now

He actually really enjoys going on road trips with Andrew

This always means quality time and at least a few kisses when they have to stop for gas or Andrew simply gets bored

They are the first to arrive at their destination

Jeremy stands in front of the house to greet them

Nothing seems amiss but Andrew has a weird feeling and his instincts are right more often than not

He can smell something or rather someone

Jean

Andrew grits his teeth but can`t stop the hiss from escaping

“What is he doing here?” snarls Andrew

“He is one of us now”, answers Jeremy calm as always

“Then we won`t stay here”, states Andrew before he turns and starts walking back towards the car

“Andrew wait”, Neil runs after him (his new abilities allow Neil to reach Andrew before he can leave)

“No!” Neil protests when he reaches him

“I´m not letting him near you. Maybe you forgot but I still remember everything”

Just when Neil opens his mouth to say something Jeremy catches up with them

“When Riko died Jean came to us asking for help and a shelter. We decided to give him a second chance and if you can´t accept then I´ll have to ask you to leave. But I hope that you´ll think about it before you make a hasty decision”

Andrew just stares blankly at Jeremy and then continues walking towards the car

Neil jogs after Andrew

“Please”

“What?”

“Let us stay here. At least for a little while. If something goes wrong we can always leave immediately”

Andrew looks at him before he nods

He turns around to look at Jeremy “If something happens to him I´m going to kill you all”

Jeremy ignores Andrew threat and just proceeds to show them the house and the property

After a few difficulties at the beginning Andrew and Neil soon settle into their new room

It takes some time for both of them to adjust but they manage eventually

Kevin and Jean fight a lot the first few months after the foxes have moved in but after some time and a few talks they decide on a truce

Andrew and Jean still don’t really talk and Andrew almost killed Jean twice but other than that everything seems pretty chill

Neil FINALLY gets to play vampire Exy

To say he is excited is an understatement

He loves every second of it

Andrew and Neil stay with the Trojans for a few years until they decide that it´s time to move on

They want to live on their own (without the others breathing down their necks every second)

Having their own house instead of just having their own bedroom

They want to settle down far away from the civilization; somewhere in the woods (They are tired of changing identities and pretending to be human. They just want to be left alone)

After some research they find the perfect house in middle of the Canadian forest

It´s very remote and the next village is a three hour drive away

They choose their final identities so they can purchase the house

When Neil checks the new passport he splutters

“This says Josten-Minyard?”

“I am aware”

“We´re not married”

“You´re exceptionally clever today”

“Do you want to get married?”

Let´s be real Neil definitely thought about it more than once but he never imagined this could be something that Andrew wants as well

“Yes or no?” Andrew looks like he couldn’t care less when he asks the question but Neil sees right through him

He sees the slight shimmer of nervousness in Andrew´s eyes and the way the corners of his mouth twitch in anticipation

“It´s always yes with you”

This is how Andreil decide to get married

They don´t want a ceremony (their passports already say that they are married and the simple agreement that they want to acknowledge that fact is enough for them. They know that they are each others forever. They don´t need to prove that to anyone)

Renee saw their talk in one of her visions and when Andrew and Neil come back she doesn´t even need to ask Andrew how Neil reacted

She can see that her vision came true in Andrew´s eyes and can hear it in Neil´s carefree laughter

Renee doesn´t tell the other foxes about it because she knows that Andrew and Neil don´t want to make a big deal out of it

It´s actually Neil´s fault that the foxes catch up on what´s going on

Sometimes he just needs reassurance that all of this is true

That he doesn´t need to run anymore

That Andrew is his home

That Andrew is his husband

So he takes out his new passport sometimes to look at it and make sure it really reads Josten-Minyard there

In a house full of people it only takes so long until someone catches him doing that

It ends up being Nicky who walks in on Neil just quietly staring at the little booklet in his hand

“What is that?”

“Nothing”

Neil tries to hide the passport behind his back but Nicky is faster and grabs it right out of Neil´s hands

“When did that happen?” Nicky asks barely able to contain his excitement when he reads their combined surnames

“What do you mean?”

“Don´t be stupid. When did you and Andrew get married?”

“Uhm technically we didn´t get married. We just changed our names on the passports so it would be easier to buy the house”, Neil tries to downplay the whole thing in the hope that Nicky will just forget about it

But of course he won´t

He tells everyone he comes across about his new discovery and after a few hours everyone in the house knows about it

When they all sit together in the evening Nicky of course mentions how sad it is that Andrew and Neil didn´t have a proper wedding and that it would be a nice way to say goodbye before they move

Andrew and Neil immediately disagree

They don´t need a ceremony

Not to mention a ceremony planned by Nicky

But Renee gives Andrew a look and a few seconds later he can see the vision she had earlier that day

It´s an image of Neil in a nice black suit standing at the end of an aisle decorated with flowers, waiting for Andrew to join him

But what strikes Andrew most about the vision is the smile on Neil´s face

It´s so radiant and bright

His dead heart clenches at the sight

Renee nods her head in Neil´s direction (a gentle gesture that says just think about it)

And Andrew knows that he would do everything to make Neil smile like that (even if that means having an actual wedding)

So it´s decided that they will get married on the day they move

Their belongings will already be a on the way to Canada and will wait for them there when they come back from their honeymoon

The ceremony is simple and nothing official

Just an exchange of vows in the garden

But that didn´t keep Nicky from going all out with the flower decoration

Sunflowers line the way to the makeshift altar (it´s a table with a white tablecloth) and at the end of the aisle an arch of yellow and white roses completes the ensemble

Allison choose the suits

They are both black and very fashionable

Wymack officiates the wedding

All the Foxes and Trojans are invited (even Jean)

There are several betting pools on how the whole thing will go down

They bet on a lot of different things but no one expected them to actually take the wedding seriously (except from Renee but she is not allowed to bet on anything because she probably already knows the outcome)

Neil is nervously standing in front of the altar waiting for Andrew

They are already married on paper but that doesn´t make the strange feeling in his belly go away

And then the music starts

It´s a lovely song but Neil doesn´t really pay attention because Andrew´s just arrived

Bee is walking him down the aisle

He looks breathtaking in his black suit with the white dress shirt and his silver tie

When he reaches Neil he puts out one hand and Neil is glad that he has something to hold on to

Andrew is his anchor

He holds Neil in place and will never let him go (Neil is glad for that)

Neil can´t help but give Andrew his biggest, brightest smile and he is pleased to notice that Andrew´s eyes soften the tiniest bit

Wymack gives a heartfelt speech

Saying goodbye to both of them and wishing them the best for their future

If vampires would be able to cry there would be only a few dry faces

Then it´s time for Andrew and Neil to exchange vows

Neil goes first

“Andrew, you gave me a place to call home and a new life. I promise that I will never forget about the second chance you gave me and that I will cherish that gift until the end of my existence. I promise to trust you and that I will stay by your side. And if should feel the need to run I´ll always come back home to you”

It is short but still more than anyone expected

When it´s Andrew´s turn they all sit stock-still and no one dares to make the slightest noise

Neil giving a little speech was surprising but Andrew saying something he actually means in return seems entiretly impossible

The silence stretches for a few more moments

Then Andrew opens his mouth

His voice is quiet but clear

His face entirely impassive

“This means something”

Neil doesn´t need to breathe anyone but he still gasps at Andrew´s words

“I vow to never bring you any harm and to protect you for the rest of my existence”

If Neil´s heart was still beating it would be jumping right out of his chest

His knees feel weak

He is not the most emotional person but this is the first time Andrew admitted that there is something between them

And he offered his protection

AGAIN

All Neil can do is hold on tighter and hope that Andrew will keep his promise and never let go

Andrew of course notices that something is going on

He squeezes Neil´s hand and tucks him forward

Neil stumbles a bit but Andrew stops him with two hands on his shoulders before he barrels into Andrew

“Alright?”

“Yes”

Neil stares at Andrew for a few more seconds until Wymack interrupts their moment to continue with the ceremony

Renee stands and comes up to them

She has a little velvet box in her hand

Andrew and Neil turn their heads to look at her

While Neil´s mouth opens wide in surprise Andrew merely raises an eyebrow

“I saw you consider it and thought I´ll help you to make a decision. You don´t need to take them if you don´t want to. What you do with them is your choice but I just wanted to give them to you”

She smiles gently at them

When Andrew extends his hands towards her she places the box in his palm

Then she goes back to her chair

Andrew lets go off Neil`s hand and opens the box

In the box are two plain gold rings

“Yes or no?”

“Yes”

Andrew takes one of the rings and puts it on the ring finger of Neil´s right hand (later Neil wears his on a chain around his neck because he is scared to lose it on a hunt)

Neil does the same with Andrew´s ring

“Andrew and Neil by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and husband! You may now kiss!”

(They don´t really need that part because it´s not an official ceremony but Nicky insisted it is mandatory)

Neil is unsure if Andrew is comfortable with kissing him in front of everyone

So he waits what Andrew will do

Andrew holds out his hand again

They intertwine their fingers and walk down the aisle together

They´ll save the kisses for their honeymoon

The wedding reception is short and mainly consists of saying goodbye to everyone

Andrew and Neil will spend their honeymoon on a small island in the Caribbean

Their flight is on the same day so they need to get ready to leave soon after the wedding

Nicky put a big Just Married sticker on the car they will drive to the airport but Andrew and Neil don´t care

They get into the car and Andrew starts the engine

Neil waves a last goodbye to his new family

When he can´t see them anymore he turns back around to find Andrew looking at him

He isn´t smiling but it´s a close call

Neil fiddles with the ring on his finger and smiles back

He can´t wait to spend his forever with Andrew

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100storiesin2020 · 5 years ago

Text

Chapter 10: Welcome Home, Henry

Guess who’s back, yall! Come read on AO3!

******

Henry took a deep breath as he looked up at the Foxhole Court. He was a nervous ball of excited energy, emotions matching the bright shade of orange that surrounded him, almost too much to handle. He’d always loved cheerleading, but hadn’t exactly had the option to pursue that at Aglionby.

It wasn’t ‘a proper demonstration of masculinity’, whatever that meant. Henry smiled, remembering the fit that Blue had thrown when she first heard that phrase. He didn’t much care for the concept of masculinity himself. He just wanted to cheer, to yell, to tumble across the floor, and to be part of something bigger than himself. He wanted to put all his energy to a good use, and cheerleading seemed like a fun way to do that. Plus, he could be close to his friends that way. Exy wasn’t his forte, but he could, at least, make sure to be at all the games. This was his chance. With just one full week left before school started, the Vixens were holding open tryouts, followed by a week-long cheerleading camp. If he made it in today, he’d be set.

His phone started ringing, interrupting his thoughts. It was his mother’s ringtone. He ran his hand through his spiky hair and sighed as the country twangs blasted from his phone, then reluctantly answered. “Hey, mom.”

“I thought you were taking a gap year.”

Henry sighed again. “Not even going to start with a hello?”

His mother continued as if she didn’t hear him. “You’re welcome to start school right away, of course, but I would prefer to be told before you just show up in Palmetto.”

Henry rolled his eyes. “I stopped in to say hi to the Gang,” he told her. He really didn’t want to have the cheerleading discussion until after he made the team, assuming he did. “How did you know I was in Palmetto?”

“I always know where you are.”

“As much as I appreciate the in-case-of-kidnapping precautions,” he groaned, “I’d really rather you did not use them until after I get kidnapped.”

She laughed. “I didn’t, actually. One of my acquaintances was passing through and mentioned seeing you at the airport in Columbia. Complete coincidence. I hadn’t spoken to him in years, but he called to ask if I had any more magical items like RoboBee. Not RoboBee specifically,” she said hurridly, “but anything else along those lines.”

“I’m not asking Ronan if they have anything else lying around, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“Oh, no,” she said airily, “I’ll ask the older Lynch boy about that. I was just wondering why you were in Palmetto. Enjoy seeing your friends. Keep an eye out.” She hung up before he could respond.

Mood soured, Henry picked up his backpack and started walking around the Court building. He knew the tryouts were here, and that he was on time but he wasn’t sure where -- there it was. A gate was open with a sign that said Cheerleading Tryouts and a large arrow pointing through. At least he knew where he was going now. Henry followed the arrows until he could hear music going. He walked through a final open door and found himself standing on the edge of the court.

It was a stunning view.

He was a little overwhelmed by the space. This was a proper stadium, so it was huge, and it was so orange why is this place so orange. Girls and guys alike were milling around on the court, warming up and chatting with each other.

A tall, redheaded girl ran up to him as he was taking in the view. “Hi! Are you here for tryouts?”

He flashed her a grin. “Sure am!”

“Sweet! I’m Katelyn. Come on over here, we will get you signed up.” She led him towards a table set up on one end of the court. “I’m excited to see you here. We always have plenty of girls come to tryouts, but we usually need to go recruiting to add boys to our ranks,” she grimaced. “Apparently they all think they’re ‘too manly’ for cheerleading.”

Henry laughed. “I went to an all-boys school, and we didn’t even have cheerleaders for that very reason.”

Katelyn groaned. “Sounds just about right, for the patriarchy. At least you’re not like that. Or, I assume you’re not, since you’re trying out. Do you have any cheerleading experience?” She eyed him up and down. “You look a little wiry to be lifting girls.”

Henry laughed. “Yeah, I haven’t done any of that,” he admitted. “I have done gymnastics though, and am decent at tumbling. Also my friends constantly accuse me of having too much energy for my own good, so I’ve got that going for me.”

She laughed. “An abundance of energy will help, yes. Come on, I’ll introduce you to Coach.” She pointed out various cheerleaders as they weaved through the crowd of hopefuls. “That’s Laura. She throws the best parties. That’s Pete, we dragged him in here freshman year and he stuck around. That’s Marissa.” She paused for a second as the brown haired girl walked past. “Are you straight?”

“Excuse me?”

“We have a bet going on,” Katelyn explained. “Marissa seems to have a knack for only flirting with boys who are not into girls. You don’t have to answer, but it would be fun to add you into the test pool, if you will.”

Henry smirked. “I’ll let you know if she flirts with me.”

Katelyn raised an eyebrow but didn’t push the subject. She pointed out a few more cheerleaders before they came to a table. “And this here is Coach Taylor.”

The coach was about Henry’s height if you accounted for the extra inch his hair gave him. She shook his hand firmly. “Hello, young man. I’m Samantha Taylor but these hooligans call me Coach Sam. Welcome to tryouts. What’s your name?”

“Henry Cheng, ma’am.”

Her iron grey eyes seemed to pierce his soul as she gave him a once over. “You look like you’re probably good at tumbling.”

Henry grinned. “That’s my specialty.”

A smile split her serious face, transforming her almost into another person. “I’m glad to hear that. Go warm up, I’ll look forward to seeing your skills.” He did so, chatting a bit with the many girls and handful of guys he saw while he stretched as thoroughly as he could. The Vixens as a whole seemed very nice, but Henry could tell that Katelyn was going to be his favorite.

Soon the tryouts were officially underway. Coach Sam took charge, leading the whole group through a short routine and then testing them on it in smaller groups. They did some cheers and some test lifts. Henry was new to this bit, but the others were helpful and encouraging. He wasn’t sure if he was doing well, but he was definitely having a lot of fun. Then it was time for tumbling skills, his chance to shine. He stood at the end of the mat, received his signal to go from Coach Sam, and took a deep breath.

run run roundoff handspring flip handspring handspring aerial

He stuck the landing with a flourish and looked over to where Coach Sam and her assistants were sitting with big grins. Katelyn ran up to him. “That was great!” she said enthusiastically. “We haven’t had any guys that could do proper aerials in ages! You’re going to be so much fun to work with!”

He gave her the trademark Henry grin. “I’m sure looking forward to it, assuming I make it in.”

“Oh, you will,” she stated. “I’ll take it up with C.S. myself if you don’t.”

**********

The results were posted and Henry was in. Almost all of the boys who had come to tryouts were in, except for a creep who had been thrown out after a rude comment to one of the girls. Still, he was the only boy who got a high five from the Coach, so that was something.

“Welcome to the team,” Katelyn said as everyone packed up their stuff. “Most of the team is going to go get pizza tonight. You in?”

Henry smiled but shook his head. “I’ve got some friends on the Exy team that I want to track down tonight.”

Katelyn raised an eyebrow. “You’re from Henrietta then?” Henry nodded, surprised. “My boyfriend is on the team. He’s been complaining about the freshman this year.” She smiled. “I’ve heard something about a pet bird.”

Henry laughed. “That would be Chainsaw. Ronan thinks he’s so edgy.”

Katelyn laughed. “Well, the Exy team is having a movie night, and I was off to it.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “Do your friends know you made the team?”

“They don’t even know I’m in the country right now,” he replied. “Want to help me surprise them?”

“Absolutely!” Katelyn fired off a quick text which was answered almost immediately. “They’re in the girls’ dorm room tonight. Do you need a ride over or do you have a car?”

“A ride would be great, as long as I get shotgun.” They headed to the parking lot and hopped into her car. Katelyn fired it up and drove towards the dorms.

“So what brings you to Palmetto, exactly? Did you come here specifically to be a Vixen or did you just like the school?”

“My friends all came here,” Henry responded. “I’m closer to them than I am to any family I have remaining, and I couldn’t leave them behind for long.” Katelyn’s eyes were soft. “As for cheerleading, I’ve always wanted to do it, but it wasn’t a deal breaker for college. I’d find something else to keep me busy, but it will be fun to watch the Squad at their games.”

“The games are great,” Katelyn agreed. “How did you meet the Squad?” Her lip twitched at the last word.

“Oh, fancy rich kid boarding school, you know how it goes.” Henry waved a hand airily. “You scare a boy half to death and he adopts you into his magical myth-hunting squad.”

Katelyn laughed heartily as they pulled into the parking lot. “That sounds like a story I need to hear sometime.” She parked her car and they headed into the building. “I’m going to stop by my room and change real quick. Would you like to do that?” Henry agreed, and they took turns in her bathroom. The dorms were fairly nice, in Henry’s opinion. Once they had both freshened up a bit they climbed the stairs to the 6th floor.

Katelyn pointed out the correct door. “I usually just walk in since they know I’m coming. Do you want to know or would you rather sneak in behind me?”

“I have an even better idea.” He reached into his bag and pulled out RoboBee, which he handed to her. “This is RoboBee. I can control her from my phone, so don’t be surprised if she moves, okay?”

Katelyn inspected it. “Isn’t one of your teammates deathly afraid of bees? Aaron told me that all three of the boys freaked when a wasp got into the room. Matt had to go kill it for them.”

“Blue told me all about that one. Gansey is allergic to bees, but he knows RoboBee. Plus, if I scare him again that’ll just be a bonus!”

Katelyn laughed and took the bee. “This will be interesting then.” She opened the door and walked in. “The fun has arriiiiiiived! Thank you very much.”

“Stop quoting the movie before Neil sees it!” a boy called. The door swung shut behind her. He typed some instructions into the RoboBee app and waited. The commotion started about 30 seconds later. “A bee! A bee! Everyone hold still, I’ve got this!” said an unknown voice. Then there was Blue. “Hold up, that’s RoboBee! Don’t smash it!! HENRYYYYYYYYYY!” She threw the door open and launched herself at Henry, tackling him to the ground as RoboBee buzzed in circles around them.

Blue had her true smile on. “You’re supposed to be in Venezuela!” She helped him up and gave him a hug. “Also you scared Gansey shitless, I hope you know.”

Henry laughed. “I wanted to surprise you guys. The scare was a bonus.” He looked up to see Gansey himself in the doorway, looking a little shaken but overall happy. “Gansey-boy!” It’s good to see you!”

“It’s a pleasure to see you as well!” Gansey replied before joining the hug.

Some more faces came to the doorway. “So this is the famous Henry,” Captain Wilds said. “Blue talks about you even more than she does her own boyfriend.

He chuckled. “I hope you haven’t gotten any ideas about that working out,” he said to Blue.

She shoved him away. “In your dreams, weirdo.”

“She didn’t even mention that you’re cute as hell,” a boy said. Henry was pretty sure that it was number 8, Nicholas Hemmick. “That’s a crucial detail.”

“Depends on who you ask, I think. Where are Adam and Ronan?”

“Oh, they’re in here,” Captain Wilds said.

“Yes, Ronan has missed you,” Blue said loudly.

“Shut up, maggot!”

“He even said you can get glitter in his car any time.”

“I did NOT!”

Gansey spoke over their continued bickering. “What brings you to our lovely corner of the world, Cheng? Last we heard you were still in Venezuela.”

“You’re talking to one of the newest members of the Vixens,” Henry replied.

“No way!” Blue high fived him. “I thought you were going to try out in the spring!”

“I couldn’t wait. I missed you all too much,” he admitted.

“We missed you too.” Blue grinned and dragged him into the room. “Hey everyone, this is Henry Cheng, one of our best friends and apparently now a Vixen. Henry, you knew who everyone on the team was before we did, but that one-” she pointed to the Minyard twin sitting next to Neil “-is Andrew, and that one there next to Katelyn is Aaron. And on that note, we have some catching up to do so we will see you all later.” She dragged him back out of the room. “Adam, Ronan, we’ll be in your room whenever you come back.

“But you can’t just ditch movie night!” Nicky called, pouting.

“Try me!” she slammed the door. “Anyway, Henry, let’s all do a sleepover in the room tonight! It’ll be like old times!”

“We should look into the Fox Tower rules, see if we can add you to our room,” Gansey said.

“As much as I like that idea, I’m probably going to be put in a room with my fellow Vixens. I’m pretty sure we are just downstairs though, so I won’t be too far, and I wouldn’t want to bother you guys.”

Gansey looked stricken. “You’d never be a bother. You’ve been with us since-- you’re a part of us now,” he said softly.

Henry hugged him. “I’ve missed you guys.”

Both of them hugged him right back. “Welcome home, Henry,” Gansey said.

#a chainsaw in fox tower #chapter 10 #all for the game #the raven cycle #aftg #trc #the foxhole court #the raven boys #henry cheng #blue sargent #gansey #ronan lynch #adam parrish #neil josten #andrew minyard #all the foxes #i don't know how to tag #anyway i hope yall enjoy this #cheerleading

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gaytrojangirls · 8 years ago

Text

Chapter One

Prologue

“Welcome to USC!” a guy said, bouncing over to the huddled group of freshman standing around the court parking lot. Laila was pretty sure he wasn’t a guy at all, but perhaps a human ray of sunshine, or possibly a puppy walking on two legs instead. She exchanged a glance with the blue-eyed, dark skinned girl next to her with coppery hair curled on top, the rest shaved to the base of her skull. The slightly taller, eastern looking girl raised her eyebrows with a smirk before turning back to the human ray of sunshine that Laila assumed was their junior captain.

“That stands for University of Southern California,” the guy clarified, and damn was he too excited for this early in the morning , Laila thought hypocritically. She was bouncing up and down in her converse from her own, unrestrained enthusiasm.

“Named by Robert Widney when he founded it in 1880, making it the oldest private research university in California.” Another girl standing near Laila added quietly. Laila turned to look at taller girl - everyone was taller than Laila fucking Dermott it seemed - and couldn’t help but smile. Her hair was tied back in a loose braid that floated around her silky skin.

They briefly met eyes before Laila caught sight of something that made her look back down at her own skin instead. Curving around the other girl’s neck was elegant black scrawl. She couldn’t quite make out what it said but the implication was obvious: this girl has met her soulmate.

Laila briefly scoured her own arms, wondering if any of her soulmate’s thoughts had appeared there. There was nothing. If Laila’s soulmate was thinking about her, the thought was hidden somewhere else on her body.

“I’m Bryant Wolfe,” an even taller guy said from behind Mr. Grin and Smiles. His smile just as wide and his dark arms were covered in permanently inked words and images in the form of tattoos, but no soulmate scrawl in sight. “And this is Jeremy Knox. We’re going to be showing you all around today so follow us!”

They entered into the building like a flock of lost geese as the two kept talking, keeping up an easy banter as they showed the new freshmen the sights. Eventually, they came to a stop outside the dorm building. Jeremy stood at the head

“I’m excited to have you all on the court this year. I can’t wait to see what we can do together this season once summer practices start this Wednesday..”

“However,” Bryant cut in, “you don’t have to wait that long to get to know each other. We’re having a freshmen meet and greet with the rest of the team tonight and you’re all expected.”

“Joy,” the blue-eyed girl muttered next to Laila, her sarcasm thick.

“Not a fan of parties?” Laila asked as they filed into the dorm building.

“I didn’t come here to party, I came here to play Exy.”

“Letting loose isn’t gonna kill you,” another girl said. The females of the newly recruited Trojans had flocked together it seemed. Laila was surrounded by the four other girls in a sea of testosterone. This one was tall, even taller in the pumps she was wearing, with dark brown, sunkissed skin. Laila eyes betrayed her, obviously following the rather impressive curves of the girl’s body.

Shiiitttt, I’m gay , Laila thought, something like a smirk playing across her lips.

Blue Eyes - Laila really needed to learn their names - rolled her eyes with such force it was almost painful to watch.

“Sue me if I don’t want to spend my college years high and plastered.”

“Okay, break it up, break it up,” an older girl said, coming up from behind. It was obvious she wasn’t a freshmen simply by the way she carried herself and made even more obvious by the Trojans letterman jacket she wore with her name and number on the back. Berker, #7 was written in embroidered red and gold.

Lalia recognized her almost immediately: Diana Berker, #7 Defensive Dealer. Laila knew all of the female Trojans by heart, Diana especially. She took the Exy world by storm when she made starting line up during the season opener her sophomore year. It was a faster rise to starting line than the Exy world had seen in years and, in Laila’s humble opinion, Diana had every right to be on track to take over the captaincy. Laila was gay enough to admit to nursing a not so small crush on the start of her junior year. Diana, along with Vivian Bhat and Beatrice Watson, were pretty much her heroes.

“I’m going to take you guys to the less male driven side of the dorm and let you get settled,” Berker said, gesturing for the girls to follower her. Glancing back to the moody group she added, “And if you want to listen to some unsolicited advice, I’d suggest spending less time fighting each other and more time figuring out how to get along.”

Blue Eyes stared back defiantly to which the dealer responded with a hard look, “We might not be the foxes, but we are still girls. We’ve got enemies in our own right, you don’t need to go making more. Especially not of each other. So play nice for the next five years, understood?”

As a smile spread across her face, Laila decided she liked Diana even more in person than on the field.

The freshmen girls followed Diana to where the female Trojans’ dorm rooms were clustered. As they walked, Laila’s eyes drifted again to tall girl with the sunkissed skin. God, she was gorgeous.

“Okay, Winger and Montalvo, you’re in room 312. Alvarez, Dermott, and Jones, you’re in 314. Me and the other girls are just down that hall in 322. Take a couple hours to settle in, shower and sort out your shit and what not, me and the girls will be by to pick you up a little after noon for lunch and a campus tour,” Diana said, tossing keys to each of the girls and leaving them with a mock, two finger salute.

The two other girls, the one with the facts about USC and a shorter blonde who hadn’t spoken yet, headed off to room 312 leaving the breathtakingly gorgeous girl who held a solid four inches over Laila and Blue Eyes standing awkwardly in the hallway.

“Shall we?” Laila said, nodding towards the door to room 314.

Laila looked into the full length mirror attached to the back of the door to the dorm room. Her white dress had thin straps looped over her shoulders and a floral print of pink roses, seeing as Laila loved roses. Her wedge heels were white to match the dress, and her lips were painted bright pink to match as well.

Blue Eyes, whose name was Annabeth-Not-Annie-Don’t-Fucking-Call-Me-That, was curled up on her dorm bed. She wasn't any more thrilled by the prospect of a team party given how it looked like she was planning on sleeping through it. Laila, on the other hand, was practically bouncing with excitement. She turned to the other girl, Sara Alvarez, and grinned.

“Help zip me up?” Laila asked, gesturing to the zipper on the back of her dress.

“Sure, shortie,” Sara replied playfully. The five foot eight Latina relished in the height difference between her and other other girls in a way that sent Laila scrambling for her favorite pair of heels. Even in her wedge sanders, Sara still held two inches on the smaller girl.

However, two inches or not, Sara Alvarez was at perfect kissing height. And if Laila let herself engage in the harmless fantasies, no one needed to know.

Laila wondered if her soulmate would be as pretty as Sara Alvarez. She doubted it.

“You look nice.” Laila told Sara, which was the understatement of the century. Sara looked much more than nice. She was stunning, especially in the little red outfit that made Laila’s breath catch in her throat. Laila suddenly felt childish in her floral dress.

Sara’s eyebrows quirked for half a second before a smile broke on her face. “Thanks, you too.” Her phone lit up in her pocket and she pulled it out. “It’s Naomi.” She announced. “The other girls are ready and waiting for us in the hall.”

Sara glanced over at Annabeth, who was still on her bed, in the same clothes she’d been wearing all day. “You coming, Grumpy the Dwarf?”

Annabeth grumbled something in a language Laila didn’t understand, but then pushed herself into a sitting position, stretched, and climbed out of bed. Laila waited for a moment to see if Annabeth planned on changing or freshening up, but the girl just gestured towards the door with an enthusiastic “let’s get this thing over with,” before picking up her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder.

Naomi, Ms. Fun Facts, and Anya, the near-silent freshman, were waiting in the hallway. Naomi greeted them with a smile, while Anya was busy staring down at her feet. She nervously toyed with the hem of her floral skirt. Naomi was in simple jeans and a white button up, looking the most at peace with being there.

Before they had a chance to exchange niceties, the door down the hall opened and Diana stepped out, closely followed by Beatrice Watson and Vivian Bhat, the other older Trojan girls. Laila had spent half the day with them, but she had to admit she was still more than a little starstruck.

Beatrice stood taller than even Sara in three inch, baby pink stilettos which paired perfectly with her lacy crop top that fell of her slim shoulders. A soft smile graced her lips as she smiled at the freshmen. Beatrice hadn’t said much earlier, leaving the forceful Diana and Vivian do most of the talking. Not that Vivian had done much talking earlier, but her facial expressions spoke volumes. Hilarious, sarcastic volumes that made Laila want to get to know the striker better.

“God, I’m fucking proud of you,” Vivian muttered to Bea just loud enough for the others to hear. “You picked out almost all of that outfit yourself, I’m going to get you a girlfriend yet.” The striker herself was in a low cut, slim fitting black dress that came to rest mid-thigh.

She surveyed the freshmen with a critical eye and her perfectly manicured eyebrow shot up a few inches when they came to rest on Annie.

“Oh god, the new gremlin is worse than you, Bae.” Annabeth just met the sophomore girl’s eyes with an uncaring shrug and a fierce glare.

“Break it up,” Diana said with a roll of her eyes, “again,” she finished before shouldering past Vivian and corralling the freshmen down the stairs and towards the sidewalk where Beatrice quickly ditched her shoes in favor of walking barefoot in the carefully tended, vibrant grass. When Vivian sent her an exasperated glare, Beatrice just grinned back, clearly enjoying what Laila surmised was friendly teasing.

The march to the party wasn’t a long one; it was held in a rec room a building or two away from the sports players’ dorms. The music of the party was heard before the party itself was seen, Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” blasting through stereos inside the building. Laila immediately perked up a the song, one of her favorites, and wondered who was choosing the music.

Laila’s thoughts were pulled away from the music selection as the fleet of testosterone made their way to the girls. Jeremy lead the pack, and Bryant was corralling the eight or so freshmen from behind. Trailing right behind the older boy was a short, slouching kid who seemed very adamant at staying in Bryant’s shadow. Laila could only make out long, curly brown hair and a pair of wide eyes made even wider by his thick framed glasses before she began taking in the rest of the freshmen.

All of them were insufferably tall, well muscled, and if Laila wasn’t more gay than a double rainbow, she probably would’ve been attracted to them. However, she was, in fact, gay as a double rainbow, so her thoughts roved back to Sara Alvarez. Laila searched for the unfairly tall girl in the crowd of Trojans, only to be jostled into the rec room.

The room itself was a sight to behold. There was red and gold everywhere, on every chair, table, every brick on the wall it seemed. Streamers hung over rafters and were tied to chairs. Once the group was through the door, they dispersed in different directions.

“I thought this was a freshmen meet and greet?” a voice from behind Laila questioned with obvious amusement. Laila turned, nearly tripping over her own heeled shoes, and found the arms of Sara Alvarez steadying her.

“Meet and greet, no freshman qualifier,” Bryant corrected. His shadow from earlier had disappeared so the sophomore was alone. “There wouldn’t be much meeting and greeting if it was just the freshmen, so a few others came over to meet the fresh blood. Now come on, go have fun,” he shooed at them playfully before headed towards another group of freshmen boys to give the same short lecture.

Laila turned away from the retracting form of Bryant and towards the inner workings of the party. There were groups hanging around in different places: Annabeth had slinked off to somewhere Laila couldn’t track, Naomi was over talking to a group of girls in cheer uniforms, and Anya was off hiding - maybe with Annie.

The girls Laila assumed were from the cheer team were easily the most dynamic group from one girl’s sparkling outfit and another’s cotton bright blue hair tied up in playful braids. Laila turned to Sara and smiled. “Wanna get punch?” she said, nodding over to the refreshments table.

“Sure,” Sara agreed, returning Laila’s smile.

Like the rest of the room, the refreshments table was decked in red and gold - team spirit was not in short supply around here. There was a plate of cookies frosted with the USC logo, and Laila was impressed someone had taken the time to make them. She picked up one and took a bite.

“Mmm,” Laila mumbled. She needed to find out who made these cookies, because they were incredibly amazing.

Sara was smirking at her. “So much for a sports diet, huh?”

Laila shrugged. “I’ll start tomorrow.” She held the other half of her cookie out to Sara. “Want a bite?” Sara shook her head, so Laila finished the cookie in one bite.

“You have a little something-” Sara waved her hand in the general direction of Laila’s lips. “Here.” She reached out her hand and ran her finger under Laila’s lip, wiping away cookie crumbs. Laila could’ve sworn Sara took a moment too long to pull her hand away, and the touch left Laila’s lips tingling with the remembered sensation and longing to have it again.

Laila ignored her goosebumps. “Thanks.”

Sara poured two plastic cups with the punch, which was of course red, and held one out to Laila.

“A toast,” Sara announced, after Laila had taken her cup, “To our first night as Class I Exy players.”

“I’ll cheer to that,” Beatrice Watson said, suddenly materializing at their side. “I’m happy to have you two on board. We’ve been needing more girls around here. Di practically bullied the coach into taking y’all on.”

Laila felt her eyebrows shoot up. She hadn’t gotten the impression that Diana was all that fond of them, but then again, maybe it took a while for the older Trojan to be more than just professionally courteous to the new recruits. After all, it had only been a day.

Beatrice looked like she was about to say something else until the sound of a microphone crackling to life drew the crowd’s attention. Standing on top of a makeshift stage at the front of the room was the human ray of sunshine himself, Jeremy Knox, grinning wide enough to light up the entire room.

“What’s going on?” a freshmen piped up as the lights dimmed a little.

“Oh, god, not again,” someone groaned in contrast from behind Sara and Laila. Despite the clear dismay of the older Trojans, Beatrice was smiling dopily. She looked around the crowd, silently laughing, and waved someone over. Vivian sauntered through the crowd, her smile slicing wickedly through her features.

“You’re in for a treat, gremlins,” she drawled, looking at the girls like they were fresh meat in a slaughter house. Laila gulped nervously before turning her attention back to Jeremy.

“It’s karaoke time!” Jeremy practically jumped up and down. Laila got the picture karaoke time was one of Knox’s favorite times. “Karaoke time?” Sara asked in a breathless laugh, turning her cheek to give a questioning look at Beatrice. Beatrice simply smiled back as the beat of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” began. Jeremy cleared his throat, grinning out at the crowd, and then began to sing.

It was a truly atrocious performance that sent even the most polite freshmen cringing internally - and sometimes externally - but sent most of the older Trojans into either fits of groans or playful laughter. Either way, almost everyone was singing along by the end of the song.

“Oh my god, I love Taylor Swift!” Laila’s voice raised into an excited squeak before continuing to sing along. She heard Alvarez’s laughter from beside her, and Laila felt her stomach turn at the beautiful sound.

Later in the night, sometime after the 15th Taylor Swift song and no where near the end of the party, Jeremy Knox took the stage again. As he walked up, he high fived a grinning Beatrice who had just performed a stunning rendition of Who Says by Selena Gomez.

“Now, let’s have some volunteers from the freshmen,” Jeremy’s smile was wide and playful as he gazed over the crowd. Vivian got a honest-to-god terrifying look on her face that had Laila already forming the word “no” in her mouth.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Beatrice said, boxing Laila in on one side as Vivian took the other. “It’s tradition.”

“It’s horrible, I love it,” Vi said, her eyes gleaming. “Hey, Knox!” she called out, waving to get the striker’s attention. “We’ve got two volunteers right here.”

“No, you don’t,” Laila tried to say but was cut off by Sara grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the front of the room. Her contagious laughter filled the air around the pair but did nothing for the nerves growing in Laila’s stomach.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea.” Laila said quietly, so only Sara could hear her, as Sara dragged her to the stage.

“Don’t worry, Strawberry Shortcake, it’ll be fun,” Sara assured her. Jeremy outstretched a hand to the two of them, giving them each a microphone.

“What song do you two want?” he asked cheerfully. “How about some Taylor Swift?” Jeremy suggested with a knowing look at Laila, able to tell she was more than a little nervous.

“You Belong With Me?” Laila immediately suggested one of her favorite songs, and only then did the realization hit her that she was about to sing a romantic song with a really pretty girl. Not just a really pretty girl, Sara Alvarez ; her new roommate, teammate, and what was beginning to look like her new crush. At least she hadn’t said Love Story.

The lyrics started at the same time Laila began singing. She knew the song by heart and could probably serenade anyone with the song at any given time. Of course, that didn’t make her prepared to serenade an entire room full of people.

Her voice was quiet at first, barely audible over the background track. Sara shot her an encouraging look, and Laila sang just a little louder.

After a few lines, Sara joined in, singing with much more confidence and beauty in her voice than in Laila’s. Sure, Sara’s voice wasn’t superstar quality, but it filled the room and made Laila smile despite the nerves.

Lalia found a boost in her confidence, and by the end of the first chorus, she was singing almost as loudly as Sara. As long as she was looking at Sara, she didn’t even think about the crowd. By the very end of the song, Laila was laughing as the crowd cheered. A few playful wolf whistles could be heard from within the group. Laila was too happy to even give the crowd a second thought.

The pair of girls bounced happily off the stage, back down from the clouds. Beatrice high fived them both, told them how well they did, and left them with Vi.

“See, tradition,” Vi said, her smile cunning and sharp as a knife before she followed after Bea.

Sara turned to Laila. “I told you it would be fun. We make a good team, Shortstack.”

Laila was too far in the clouds to feel insulted by the nickname. Sara was grinning at her and Laila wanted to do nothing more than make that girl smile for the rest of her life.

“You belong with meeee,” Laila and Alvarez sang loudly as they entered their dorm at the end of the hallway. Naomi gave Annabeth a bemused-if-pitying look, knowing she’d be stuck with the two, before disappearing into the dorm with Anya. Annabeth grunted an unintelligible question before retreating to the small dorm bathroom.

“Tonight was fun.” Laila said, once her and Sara were alone. “I’m glad we’re roommates.”

Sara smiled back -- god, her smile was beautiful -- and whispered, “Me too.”

As Sara went to go flop into her own bed Laila turned around to change, only to feel her eyes widen in surprise and her breath catch in her throat. Written in beautiful, swirly letters, across her wrist was the word Enchanting.

Laila felt a giggly laugh bubbling up inside of her and held onto the feeling. Someone loved her. Someone loved Laila Dermott. And they were at USC.

#the fic #chapter one

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