#tntwme

[foxsoulcourt]

Hej. I am looking for a fic and I thought maybe you or your followers could help me. It’s Jerejean and the premise is that they are neighbours and Jeremy knocks at Jean‘s door in the middle of the night because he thinks his apartment is haunted. Further things I remember: Jean owns a bookstore and Renee and Robin work with him. There’s also a cat. It’s sweet and funny and also slightly angsty (at least the introspective thoughts are). Thanks for your help!

Hey Nonny!

I didn't know it myself, but reached out to a friend who found it on Tumblr through a post on @aftgficrec:

Interestingly it's currently inaccessible on AO3

I don't know what this means, but I bet you could reach out to the author to find out more. And when you do Nonnny, lemme know when it will be acccessible again because this looks like a fab fic!

[kweenkday]

Nine people you'd like to get to know better

Thank you so much for tagging me @c-lion!

Last song: Hozier - Too Sweet (on repeat... I might have pulled an old wip out of the dust)

Favourite colour: purples, mulberry, smoky prussian blue

Currently watching: the last season of the Young Royals

Sweet/savoury/spicy: Savoury

Relationship status: I have 3 OG wips, about 34 aftg wips and a delusional crush on a fandom person, what do you think? 😅

Current obsession: aftg fanfic obviously, thrifting old porcelain cups and anything writing-related

Last thing you googled: elbow bursitis symptoms, shut up 😅

Tagging: @knickknacksandallthat, @fullyvisible, @nanatsuyu, @foxsoulcourt, @eloquent-apollo, @hannabeee69, @mostlymaudlin, @thetrojeans, @tntwme and whoever sees this!

[thejostenator]

Golden Boy Orange: Chapter Seven

I live! And its only been like seven months since I last updated. For those of you who don’t know or have forgotten (and, once again I wouldn't blame you), this is my project to tell AFTG from Matt’s perspective. If you haven’t read the first six chapters (or if you need a refresh) you can read them here on Tumblr, or out on Ao3.

Tagging those I know were interested all those aeons ago haha (@youhaveahomeinmyheart, @accal1a, @sickbunsbro, @tntwme, & @stay-because-now-you-have-a-home) but if you want to be added (or removed) to (or from) the tag list, just let me know

Matt had decided to stay up until Neil got back. If Neil was going to up and obey the Monsters’ every beck and call, against common sense and reason, it was the most Matt could do to wait and hope and put him back together at the end. Dan had done the same for him after Columbia, and since Neil had come out of his trip down there far better off than Matt had, hopefully little more intervention would be needed. 

He knew the gesture couldn’t turn back the clock if the monsters did fuck Neil up, but it was the most he could do. He just hoped it was enough.

He’d taken to busying himself on his computer as the hours slid slowly by. His monitor was the only light in the room, bathing him in cool blue, and by this point he was doing little more than clicking links, going back a page, and then clicking them again. He had been reading up on the Raven’s stats, but he could only do it for so long without feeling sick, and he’d let it dissolve into this mindless pattern, just enough to keep his bleary eyes open. 

The door swung open and Matt snapped out of a daze he hadn’t realised he’d been in. 

“You good?” He heard himself ask, voice tinny in his own ears.

Neil nodded, and had the grace to look a little guilty. “Yes. He’s teaching me Raven drills.”

Matt stood up and shut his computer down. “You’re going to hate getting up in the morning.”

Neil murmured something unintelligible, then promptly turned to the bedroom.

Matt considered asking him to repeat it, but he’d figured out by now there was no point. Instead, he collected his thoughts with a deep breath and went to bed.

He was asleep before Neil was even finished changing.

Wednesday, June 21st:

Nicky and Aaron were having a heated spat in German, the foreign language in the middle of the changing room meaning it was probably about them or one of them, and even though it was indecipherable, it was hard to ignore. Still, Neil seemed to be having particular trouble tuning it out; Matt was curious, but their new striker was rapt, hands trailing down from adjusting his collar as he listened with not-so-subtle confusion.

Seemingly finally noticing the attention, Nicky’s voice took on a pleading tone. Aaron’s response was short, succinct, and probably something along the lines of “Fine.”

Nicky shot something back, and Aaron deigned to reply in English to tell him to fuck himself.

“Hey,” Matt interrupted. “Break it up, you two. What the hell?”

Aaron scoffed as he pushed himself off the bench, barely giving Matt a second glance as he stormed from the room.

Matt looked from his departing figure in the doorway back to a glowering Nicky.

“Nicky?”

Nicky put on his best wounded look, tilting his entire body towards Matt in a purposeful change of tone. “Aaron hurt my feelings! Kiss it better, Matt?”

Seth spat out his favourite slur and stalked from the room looking like Nicky had just asked for Matt to fuck him raw against the lockers.

Matt ignored him and raised his best sceptical eyebrow at Nicky. “You guys all right?”

More fake emotions. “Of course we are. Why?”

Matt looked to Kevin (silence), and then Neil (the slightest of shrugs — a small reaction, for someone so visibly affected).

Matt dropped the subject, following Aaron and Seth out a few minutes later.

Neil’s only other real interaction with him that day was a quick assurance that he’d be fine when leaving for another evening practice with the monsters, and since Matt opted not to wait up this time, he was asleep when Neil crept back in. Thursday went by much the same.

Friday, Wymack’s call came in; the ERC had finally decided to stop tiptoeing around the truth, and they’d revealed to the Exy-loving world that the Ravens had come South.

Matt flicked on the TV in their dorm just in time to catch the anchorman’s wild gesticulations and mile-a-minute ranting. One of his guests was shaking his head in exaggerated disapproval, and the other trying and failing to interrupt.

Matt leaned forward on his seat. “Here it comes,” he breathed. “They’ll be all over us like white on rice. Coach’s phone is going to be ringing off the hook for weeks.”

Seth cracked open another can of beer. “I didn’t sign up to be part of a freak show. Let’s just send him back north and be done with it.”

It was clear 'him' was referring to Kevin.

Neil twitched. “Why do you hate him?”

Seth shot Matt an are-you-seeing-this look, which Matt opted not to return. 

“Told you this kid was stupid,” Seth said, taking a swig and then belching.

“Why do you hate him so much,” Neil clarified, “that you’d wish such a thing on him?”

“Because I’m sick of him getting everything he wants just because he’s Kevin Day.”

Matt opened his mouth to speak, but Seth cut him off with a warning finger.

“Do you know what fame gets you, shitface?” He spat. “Everything. All he has to do is ask for it, and someone will give it to him. Doesn’t matter what. Doesn’t matter who. The world is dying to give him anything he wants.”

Neil looked quietly uncomfortable, but there was a real hint of anger in there Matt couldn’t help but appreciate.

“When he broke his hand,” Seth trailed on, “his fans cried for him. They flooded our locker room with letters and flowers. The amazing Kevin Day can’t play anymore, they said. Their lives were over. They’d grieve the loss forever.”

Neil shifted in his seat on the couch, and Seth took that as his cue to lean right into his personal space.

“But tell me, when’s the last time anyone cried for you? Never, right? They’re there for Kevin very step of the way, but where were they when we needed them?”

Neil blinked. “So you’re jealous.”

Seth raised his beer can like it was a fist. “His life is not more important than mine just because he’s more talented.”

“You have to admit your attitude makes it hard for anyone to care about you,” Neil said bluntly.

Matt snorted, and Seth shot him in irate look.

“You and Kevin both have impossible attitudes, but he can play better.” Neil finished. “Of course they chose him.”

Seth looked on the verge of violence. His drink can fist was still raised. “Look here, shortbus-”

“He has a point,” Matt cut in quickly. “This is your last year, Seth. Maybe it’s time for a fresh start. Give the people someone to rally behind and you’ll win them over.”

Down came the drink hand, and Seth slouched back on the couch. “What’s the point? We’re the laughing stock of the NCAA and Edgar Allen is going to massacre us this fall. It doesn’t matter what I do. No one will ever recruit a Fox to the pros.”

“Awesome attitude, Seth,” Matt said drily. “Way to encourage the rest of us.”

“I am encouraging you,” Seth said, taking another vehement swig now that he no longer had to reserve his can for use as an improvised weapon. “I’m encouraging you all to stop being stupid. You’re not going to get anywhere so long as you play for this team.”

“You’re too big of a coward to try,” Matt said. Dan’s enthusiasm and Kevin’s know-how were getting to him. Also, Seth was being a little shit and it was annoying.”Neil and I will prove you wrong. Right, Neil?”

“I’m just here to play,” came Neil’s curt response. “I don’t care about the future.”

Matt blinked in surprise. Unexpected answer, from someone doing nightly practice of Raven Drills with Kevin. “You don’t really believe that.”

Neil shrugged. “Afraid so.”

Matt looked between them, dumbstruck. Waiting for something else, a “ha gotcha!” that never came.

Seth raised his beer in a silent toast, somehow managing to look both smug and angry.

“I can’t believe you two,” Matt said at last. They responded with silence, and Matt looked to the heavens, then got up. “I guess our dinner plans are scratched. I’m not going downtown if the press is out and about; I don’t care how many campus police Chuck gave us. Let’s see about ordering in and watching a movie or something.”

Neil nodded, and Seth took a sip.

“You guys sit here and wallow in self-defeat or something while I check with Dan,” Matt said, then turned to leave.

As he walked out, he heard Seth shift on the couch, turning towards Neil.

“Maybe you’re not as stupid as I thought,” he said.

“Maybe I am,” Neil responded, and then Matt was gone.

[jtl-fics]

Fluent Freshman AU - Part 45

Those who requested to be tagged are below:

@i-have-three-feelings @blep-23 @dreamerking27 @andreilsmyreligion @belodensetdust @rainbowpineapplebottle @yarn-ace @iwouldlikesometea @lily-s-world @obscureshipsandchips @booklover242 @whataboutmyfries @sahturnos @pluto-pepsi @dreamerthinker @passinhosdetartaruga @leftunknownheart @aro-manita-muscaria @hologramsaredead @Chaoticgremlinswishtheycouldbeme @tntwme @tayspots @nick-scar @crazy-fangirl2524 @blue-jos10 @stabbyfoxandrew @splishsplashyouropinionistrash @sammichly @the-broken-pen @bitchesdoweknowu @very-small-flower @ghostlyboiii @its-a-paxycab @bisexual-genderfluid-fan @cheesecookie @theoneandonlylostsock @blueleys @adverbialstarlight @elia-nna @can-i-just-stay-in-the-corner @nikodiangel @foxandcrow-inatrenchcoat @hallucinatedjosten @satanic-foxhole-court @vexingcosmos @chalilodimun @insectsgetcooked @angry-kid-with-no-money @neilimfinejosten @lillyndra

[fuzzballsheltiepants]

10 Fandom, 10 Characters, 10 People

Name 10 different characters, from 10 different Fandom, and tag 10 different people to do the same.

Thank you @justadreamfox for the tag! It's been a long time since I've done one of these so here goes

Andrew Minyard, AFTG (duh)

Evan Buckley, 9-1-1 (my SON)

Murderbot/SecUnit, The Murderbot Diaries (still feel guilty using its real name)

Alex Claremont-Diaz, Red White & Royal Blue (particularly the book version)

Elizabeth Bennett, Pride and Prejudice

Daemon Sadi, The Black Jewels Trilogy

Aedion Ashryver, Throne of Glass series (Kingdom of Ash doesn't exist in this house)

Valancy Stirling, The Blue Castle

Yelena Zaltana, Poison Study

Pat Merton, Proper English

and to tag some people: @foxsoulcourt, @tntwme, @annawrites, @littlespoonevan, @cats-are-assholes, @sig66, @filteredred, @jeni182, @bookofmirth, @curvedyellowfruit

[lyndiscealin]

Inspired by a twitter post from @tntwme I started writing an accidental marriage proposal Selkie AU on twitter. Here is the tumblr version:

Sometimes change came silent. It creeped up on you until you found yourself one day a different person in a life you would never have imagined. This time wasn't like that. This time change came with a bang.

It was instinctive for Andrew to plant his feet and lower his core so he stood more stable. The person crashing into him bounced off of him like a ball, sprawling on the sidewalk. People around them covered themselves in ignorance and just stepped aside, looking slightly offended

The man in front of Andrew seemed disoriented, grabbing the back of his head and moaning slightly. In his arm he clutched an expensive looking fur coat that didn't match with the rest of his exterior. He didn't look like someone who could afford such an item.

Andrew wasn't a people person, but he knew from experience that if he let the thief run it would bring him much more trouble than if he just took the coat. For a second he doubted his assessment, but then he heard the thundering of feet on concrete.

It was easy to grab the coat. When the man tried to push himself up to hold onto it he just moaned and sank back on the ground, gagging once like he was about to retch. Maybe Andrew hadn't needed to secure the merchandise, but better safe than sorry.

When he looked up, another man stood a few feet away from them, gasping in air, eyes wide and blue like the ocean. "That's mine," he said and Andrew nodded.

The victim of the theft seemed too shocked to come closer himself and Andrew wanted to get this over with, so he bridged the gap between them. The surprisingly silky coat felt warm in Andrew's hands when he held it out.

This man didn't look like much either. He wore a simple button down and jeans. He still looked like a deer caught in headlights when he tentatively took the coat back.

"Thanks," he breathed.

"It's nothing," Andrew answered and before the stranger could get emotional on him, he turned around and left.

tbc

[this-witch-writes]

WIP GAME

(tagged by @anon-lemon)

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descript or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs

I write in two fandoms at the moment All for the Game and Stranger Things so my WIPs are from both (and two AUs that are universe swaps ST characters playing exy and AFTG characters in Hawkins)

AFTG

Stranger Games A Side

Built in a Day

Days Gone By

8760 Hours

Another Minute

Stranger Things

Stranger Games B Side

Broken Rebuild

Before We Lose Ourselves

We'd Feed Well the Land

Fight the Powers

Afterwards

That's too many fics to tag everyone but: @exy-shmexy @tntwme @intangibel @meetmeaftertheapocalypse @oh-stars

[pipedreil]

What’s your favorite movie? What do you think Andrew, Neil, and then Andreil’s favorite movie is?

my favorite movie is kiki’s delivery service! tbh i don’t watch movies that often and this may just be coming from my own opinion of movies but i think andrew would also be a fan of animated movies, especially ghibli ones like spirited away.

i don’t think neil would really have a favorite movie, especially at first because he wouldn’t have had time to watch them while in the run except for a few minutes of a movie playing on the tv at a rest stop. however, after he joins the foxes and is roped into movie nights with the rest of the team, his favorite movie constantly switches between his friends favorite movies.

since neil doesn’t really have a favorite movie, whenever andrew and him watch them together, he usually just goes with whatever andrew wants to watch. i don’t think neil would be very hard to please with movies especially if it’s something he knows andrew enjoys

[redrabbitspod]

Andrew, have you ever made macarons? I want to attempt them but the recipes all state they can be tricky. If you have, any suggestions?

Get a mat. I make good fucking macarons and getting a silicon mat specifically for making them was the best investment. Also use food coloring paste instead of liquid. -A

[jostenminyard]

tntwme reblogged your post:it’s my bday tomorrow :)

On national log off tumblr day - epic!

tumblr banning tiddies on my bday..... a hate crime

[foxsoulcourt]

What are your thoughts on the Murderbot book series? I've been thinking of getting into it and noticed you reblog stuff about it occasionally ☀️🌸

Dear Nonny,

Thank you so much for noticing my MB posts, sending this ask + your patience while I answered it. Here’s a two part response.

First, the condensed version of @fuzzballsheltiepants' sales pitch which hooked me:

OK SO! Take an agender, asexual, snarky and sarcastic autistic human-robot construct who has been a slave for its entire life, give it found family, freedom, and anxiety, and turn it loose in a universe in which almost nobody is white or straight. Add a talking spaceship and a background anti-capitalistic message and voila! Brilliance!

with a VERY important addition from @tntwme:

It’s also addicted to trashy tv.

Second, my experience of the series:

I don't read Sci-Fi. At all. Ditto anything to do w/robots or AI. Not even much fantasy. I cannot overstate this. Partially it's because space-as-a-concept creeps me out: it's literally untethered from the Earth, there's no sunlight + so.many.stories take place in small spaces. All three of those aspects disturb me. Machines + AI do not engage me. Finally, I came of age when when a lot of SciFi was written by white cis het men. Navigating misogyny + patriarchy in daily life was enough; I wasn't interested in reading about a future where these two systemic forces had not been replaced with something more equitable. (NOTE: I am reading an Octavia Butler book (Kindred) + I KNOW: Ursula K LeGuin, but haven't gotten there yet. I've also watched The Martian (enjoyed it very much) + some other similar movies, but only because someone lobbied me hard to do so.) HOWEVER. H O W E V E R. I looooooove this series. This came as a HUGE surprise! The aspect of MB's journey I resonate most DeEpLy with is its quest to disconnect from being programmed by unseen forces + instead take responsibility for its own agency. D A M N, if that hasn't been the story of my life these past 5 years, especially this last one. Another thing which surprised me --someone allergic to sarcasm-- I LOVE ITS SARCASTIC HUMOUR! I LOVE witnessing MB learn how to interact w/others. I LOVE many of the other characters.

There you go dear one! I cannot say anything more because it would spoil YOU from enjoying the experience yourself. I hope you take the plunge + then circle back to tell me about YOUR experience w/the series, trusting that if you don't like it, that's OK too!

With love 💜,

foxsoulcourt / Fox / Cory

P.S. When/if you do read it, 10/10 recommend reading the articles + books in this, chronological, order:

The Future of Work: Compulsory (short story, 2018)

All Systems Red (2017)

Artificial Condition (2018)

Rogue Protocol (2018)

Exit Strategy (2018)

Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory (short story, 2020)

Fugitive Telemetry (2021)

Network Effect (2020)

[andrewandneilforever]

@tntwme sending me all the love. 💕 thanks for liking what I find. :D so many notifications makes me all warm and fuzzy.

[thejostenator]

Golden Boy Orange: Chapter Six

.....and it has been over 200 days

For those of you who don’t know or have forgotten (and I wouldn't blame you), this is my project to tell AFTG from Matt’s perspective. If you haven’t read the first five chapters (or if you need a refresh) you can read them here on Tumblr, or out on Ao3.

Tagging those I know were interested all those aeons ago haha (@youhaveahomeinmyheart, @pipebomb-malewife, @accal1a, @sickbunsbro, @tntwme, @shayebutterrrr & @stay-because-now-you-have-a-home) but if you want to be added (or removed) to (or from) the tag list, just let me know!

The rest of the afternoon passed without any major incidents.

Coach called Matt up later in the day — he all but dove for the phone when it started buzzing on his desk — quashing the worst of his fears with a few barked words and mild allusions to things Matt was apparently not important enough to know. All he could glean from the call was that Neil had arrived (safely, thank goodness) at the big man’s house a little earlier and would be making his way back as they spoke, alongside The Monster. The two had apparently had what Wymack gruffly referred to as “some bloody weird heart-to-heart” and that the foxes shouldn’t fear for Neil’s safety. 

At least, not from Andrew. Matt still couldn’t help but wince as Coach had described Neil’s painstaking hitchhike journey from Columbia all the way back to the court. It defied all belief, logic, and sense — and judging from Dan’s choice words when she heard about it, he wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“What the fuck was he thinking?” She scoffed, hand raised to her temple in a mixture of exasperation and more exasperation. “Hitchhiking back from Columbia? Who does that?”

“Neil, apparently,” Allison shrugged, tossing her hair back with just enough classy nonchalance to demonstrate that she really didn’t care. “He’s a freak, just like the monsters.”

Dan’s eyes flashed. “He’s a fucking kid.”

Allison raised a hand in the air in a ‘so?’ sort of gesture. “And? Who said he couldn’t be both? He reeks of freak. It’s all over him.”

“Look, look,” Matt raised a placating hand between them, caught between the rock of not wanting another confrontation so soon after the group’s last with Andrew and the hard place of standing up for Neil when it was such a witless decision. “We’re all freaks, we’re foxes. Our job is making sure all our freaks are okay.”

Allison clicked her tongue. “Fine by me.”

He turned to Dan. “Dan?”

She looked away. “Sure, fine, right. Sounds good.”

“And Neil is okay, Coach has confirmed. He’s fine and on his way back right this second.”

“He’s lucky he came out of this shit okay, or I would have killed him for it,” Dan said. 

Matt chuckled to himself and reached out to grasp her hand in his own.

“Andrew first,” she continued, squeezing back, “for putting him in the situation. But Neil would be close second for making it worse.”

“It’s okay,” Matt said softly. “We can breathe now. He’s okay. Now we need to make sure he stays that way.” 

“You’re right,” Dan sighed. “You’re right.”

Matt smiled, but he couldn’t help but shift in his seat. As much as he couldn’t control the flood of relief in his body now that Neil was okay, part of him (a very, very large part) wouldn’t believe it until he saw it. And, clearly, the other foxes must have felt the same, since they all gathered — in their two distinct groups, naturally — in the corridor to wait for his arrival.

When he did walk through the door, Dan was the first to him, catching his shoulders and patting him down for injuries. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Neil breathed. Poor kid sounded exhausted, not to mention cagey as ever. There was something in his voice, though, that Matt couldn’t quite place.

“Andrew?” Kevin asked from the doorway to his dorm.

“I’m washing my hands of this,” Andrew said coolly, pushing past him. “He’s your problem now.”

The Monsters followed him in, and just like that it was the Upperclassmen and Neil alone.

Matt had yet to say anything. He stared, probably a bit too obviously to be acceptable, still reeling in the fact that not only was Neil coming back from Columbia seemingly unharmed (normal shiftiness aside), but he had actually come to an agreement with Andrew.

In his silence, Dan took charge once again. “Coach said you hitchhiked your way back here,” she said. “I’d yell at you for being stupid, but Coach said he handled that already.”

“Lesson learned,” Neil replied, ghost of a chuckle on his lips. “Next time I’ll just call for a ride.”

“There won’t be a next time,” Dan said, then sighed and rubbed at her eyes. “Come on.”

Matt followed as she led them all back to Neil’s suite, pointedly ignoring Seth and Allison rummaging through the fridge for more beer cans than the crumpled army littering the floor. Renee joined them, nudging aside some of the cans to reveal a half-finished card game.

Sending one last fleeting look her way, Matt closed the door behind them. 

“You were right,” he said, turning to Neil. “Andrew tried to get in.”

He hated that that was the first thing he said to Neil.

“We didn’t let him,” Dan said. “He didn’t make it further than the front door.”

Neil’s face broke into a cautious smile. 

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“Thank Renee,” Dan said. “She doesn’t take sides all that often.”

“It’s so much easier when she does, though,” Matt said.

“Andrew seems to like her,” Neil nodded.

“They have an understanding,” Matt said, as if he actually understood the full depths of it. Then: “We’re between rounds in our game. You should join in. It’ll help clear your head, I think. Spending too much time with Andrew’s lot will rattle anyone.”

Neil definitely looked rattled, there was no doubting that. So, it came as no surprise, really, when he replied: “I’m probably going to crash early. It was a long day.”

Dan nodded gently. “We’ll take our stuff to my room.”

And then they were gone, Matt still puzzling over that implacable edge to Neils's tone. Still puzzling over just why it seemed as though, behind the stress and skittishness, a fraction of a burden had been lifted from Neil’s back.

Tuesday 19th:

Matt, Neil and Seth were lounged out on the couch with a movie blaring loudly opposite them. A whole lot of noise and action, and not much substance, if you asked him. Plus, not nearly enough good music.

Seth was sprawling out with his legs, and Matt was letting himself take the middle with a bowl of popcorn in his lap, but Neil so far to one side it might have been more accurate to say he was on the arm of the couch than any seats. He had been more tense ever since Kevin paid him a visit the night before — even though Matt hadn’t let so much as let him set a foot into the dorm or interact with Neil (as far as he was concerned, the Monsters were never to touch him again), he still got the sense that Neil knew everything anyway.

A knock on the door, and somehow he was up before Matt could even start to move, like a spring launching out from its coil. Matt decided, a trifle confused, not to doubt his own reflexes, and instead blame it on the bowl of popcorn, which he was being careful not to spill —  until, that was, Seth gave out a great big “Fucking bastard!” and leapt up from the couch, kicking the bowl straight from his hands.

Matt looked up to see what inspired the reaction, only to find himself eye to eye with Kevin once again.

He leapt up, anger coursing hot through his veins. “What part of ‘You’re not welcome here’ do you not understand?”

Kevin opted to ignore him, shoving an Exy ball hard against Neil’s chest. “Let’s go.”

Matt sucked in a hiss of breath. He was gonna punch him so fucking hard he wouldn’t be—

Neil stuck his arm out, and Matt — having already overtaken Seth — ground to a stop. 

“I’ll be back later,” Neil said over his shoulder. 

“Are you stupid?” Seth asked.

No, Matt said in his head.

“Yeah,” Neil said out loud. “Finish the movie without me. I don’t mind.”

Matt felt Seth’s huff of breath against the back of his neck before he turned away. He stood, silently, and watched as Neil passed the Exy ball back and forth between his hands and followed Kevin out of the dorm room.

Neil had never struck Matt as stupid — but then he had hitchhiked back from Columbia. Neil had never struck Matt as stupid — but then he had continued to talk with Kevin and the monsters despite it all. 

He turned around, closed the door, and switched the movie off.

Neil still didn’t strike Matt as stupid. But then again, who knew what would happen next?

[jtl-fics]

@i-have-three-feelings @blep-23 @dreamerking27 @andreilsmyreligion @belodensetdust @rainbowpineapplebottle @yarn-ace @iwouldlikesometea @lily-s-world @obscureshipsandchips @booklover242 @whataboutmyfries @sahturnos @pluto-pepsi @dreamerthinker @passinhosdetartaruga @leftunknownheart @aro-manita-muscaria @hologramsaredead @Chaoticgremlinswishtheycouldbeme @tntwme @tayspots @nick-scar @crazy-fangirl2524 @blue-jos10 @stabbyfoxandrew @splishsplashyouropinionistrash @sammichly @the-broken-pen @bitchesdoweknowu @very-small-flower @ghostlyboiii @its-a-paxycab @bisexual-genderfluid-fan @cheesecookie @theoneandonlylostsock @foxsoulcourt @blueleys @adverbialstarlight @elia-nna @can-i-just-stay-in-the-corner @nikodiangelos @foxandcrow-inatrenchcoat @hallucinatedjosten @satanic-foxhole-court @vexingcosmos @chalilodimun @insectsgetcooked @angry-kid-with-no-money @neilimfinejosten

Fluent Freshman AU - Part 33

[fuzzballsheltiepants]

#29 for Andreil

Thank you for the prompt!  If you want some irony, this could be considered a prequel to Back to the Start.

1:29 p.m.

Neil’s flight left in two hours, the latest possible one he could take and not earn Wymack’s wrath.  They had to leave for Logan if he was going to make it on time, but Andrew hooked his ankle around Nel’s calf to hold him in place.  Neil let himself melt back against him.

Just another minute.  Just one more.

“I can’t believe I won’t see you again for months,” he murmured into Andrew’s neck.

“You just survived four months, you can do it again.”

But Andrew shivered as Neil grazed his neck with his nose, then his lips, and when Neil pulled away there was something deep in those hazel eyes that he had never seen before.  He wanted to hold on, tighter, tighter, until he couldn’t tell where he ended and Andrew began.  Instead he squeezed his eyes tight for the count of one, two, three, then released Andrew’s hoodie and got to his feet.

The car ride was quiet.  Neil’s head was buzzing uselessly, unable to hold onto a coherent thought for more than a few seconds.  Andrew’s hands, strong and calloused and flecked with tiny scars.  The faint light of dawn seeping through the windows, paler here than at Palmetto; the way it delicately traced across Andrew’s face, relaxed in sleep into something beautiful.  Andrew’s voice calling his name, sending a ball up the court where no one but Neil could possibly catch it.

Too soon, they were pulling up to Departures.  Andrew pulled up to the curb and hit the hazard lights.  Neil undid his seatbelt, but couldn’t make himself reach for the door.  He had once counted his remaining days down to zero, had walked away from Andrew and the Foxes knowing this was the end of the line. But the reset button had been hit on his life, and now time was something he actually had.  This should be easy.  They had done this already, with Skype and texting and late night phone calls, with watching each others’ games and reading the press clippings.  Neil had Andrew’s old PSU sweatshirt tucked into his bag, and the taste of him on his tongue.  

This should be easy.

He took a shuddering breath.  “Don’t forget me while I’m gone,” he said, trying for lightness.

Andrew’s mouth tightened, but there was an amused glint in his eyes.  “I’m not the one who needs to worry about that.”

Neil leaned across the console, feeling just the tiniest bit lighter.  Andrew reached up, cupping Neil’s jaw in his hands, fingers toying lightly with the short hairs at the back of his head before pulling him in.  

Even though he didn’t have Andrew’s perfect memory, he could never forget this.  The heat of Andrew’s mouth, the faint graze of his teeth, the slide of his tongue.  Every second of it a question and a promise, one Neil knew Andrew would never break.  I won’t forget you.  His eyes burned.  Here, here in this moment he was safe; he could take the memory of this with him.  

A car honked behind them, and Neil flinched at the sharp sound.  He gave himself a moment to rest his forehead against Andrew’s, relishing their shared breath for just one second longer.  With a shuddering sigh he pulled away, his lips quirking up against his will at the way Andrew’s fingers twitched to hold him in place.

“I’ll watch your game tonight,” Neil said, and laughed, a true laugh, at the flat look Andrew gave him in response.  

The weight of the duffel on his shoulder was a familiar one; the pull of walking away from the one thing that mattered most in the world was too.  But this time, there Andrew’s unbreakable promise.  

He shifted the bag a little and headed towards security, warmth blooming in his chest.

[bookofmirth]

Lionhearted is AMAZING!! You've captured Nesta perfectly! I relate to her soooo much and you've put into words exactly what it feels like! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

THANK YOU for your kind message!