#until he and aaron move in with nicky in columbia

[junkangelic]

what do y’all think about my headcanon that when andrew comes to live with the minyards aaron ends up cooking most of his meals for him. aaron doesn’t even ask he’s just used to cooking for himself anyway and he’s secretly thrilled to have a way to take care of his brother who’s acting like a starved shelter dog (affectionate). andrew would never admit it but his second favorite food after ice cream is aaron’s tomato soup and grilled cheese

[bisexualchaosdemon]

I don't know why, but for some reason, I always think that Nicky and Aaron grew up together. But they didn't.

They grew up on opposite sides of the country, over two thousand miles apart. Aaron didn’t move to South Carolina until he was around 13, and Nicky was 16. Then Nicky moved to Germany less than a year later.

They would have barely known each other. Nicky said himself that he was too depressed to pay Aaron any mind when he moved to Columbia. And he'd never even met Andrew before Tilda died.

But he still came back. He came back to a place and a family that had almost been the end of him, for a boy he hardly knew, and another that he absolutely didn't.

[allforthegaymes]

Neil loves everything about Andrew.

He doesnt care when Allison teases him about it, saying thats what everyone says when theyre in a relationship.

He loves when theyre kissing and Andrew always pauses to smile against his lips. When he snorts at Neil when he dives back in to continue.

He loves the glimpse of Andrews chipped canine tooth from a snow sledding accident. Nicky had been driving the Maserati, Andrew dragging behind it on a sled as they coasted through the parking lot, slick with ice. Before the sled hit a curb hidden by the snow and he’d gotten tossed into a tree.

He loves the way Andrew glares, half pouting, drunkenly at him when he stands in the Columbia kitchen cutting marshmallows up to try and mimic the mini marshmallows Andrew insists on having in his cocoa.

He loves the way Andrew stands in some supermarkets clothing department trying to decide if paying $20 is worth having the pack of spiderman boxers. He loves the way Andrew washes them the second they get home and groans as he rips at least two seams on them after they shrink outrageously small after the wash. He loves the way Andrew stubbornly refuses to stop wearing them anyways.

Neil loves how Andrew leans over the counter in the bathroom, dragging beard dye over his eyebrows to tint them a shade so they can actually be seen. He loves the way Andrews head tilts back with an annoyed groan when they come out too dark and Aaron takes at least 20 pictures of him with dark bushy eyebrows. He loves the way Andrew lets him drag him to the girls dorm so Allison can give him an evil grin and fix them.

He loves the way Andrew refuses to let him light his own cigarettes. The first few times he’d lit his own Andrew would snag it from his mouth for himself, and light Neil a new one himself. Usually he just presses the tips of their cigarettes together, the lit cherry of his own lighting Neils. Or Neil will just pass his lighter over to Andrew, leaning forward with the cig held between his lips, wobbling slightly from the way hes trying to squash a smile.

He loves the way Andrew has no opinions when it comes to which video game they all play on tuesday and thursday game nights, but is the loudest at insisting which movie plays on friday movie night, arguing with everyone that they have to do the hat method for picking one and insists everyone else is teaming up on him when his doesnt get picked. He loves the way Andrew refuses to let Neil copy his movie choice onto his own piece of paper, even if itd give his choice better odds of being picked out of the hat.

He loves the way Andrew groans and grumbles when theres a heat wave and tells Neil he runs like a furnace, but stays firmly wrapped around Neils back anyways as the fan points directly at them in bed. The connected skin between them slick with sweat that makes Kevin complain about the smell in the room until Andrew points at Kevins stinky gym bag in the corner.

He loves the way Andrew asks him ‘yes or no’ whenever theyre about to do something new. Loves the way ‘yes or no’ slowly evolves into different situations. Texted to him from across a sports gala once theyre pro to ask Neil if he wants to ditch it with him early. Mumbled against his neck when he shows Neil the transfer request to move back onto the same pro team together.

He loves the way Andrew understands when Neil says no, that he wants to finish up talking to a few more coaches around the gala first. When Andrew asks him if he wants to try a new steakhouse and Neil would rather get Thai from down the road and sit in the Mas instead.

[jtl-fics]

Fluent Freshman - Part 10

PREVIOUS

He calls his grandma to thank her for everything. She promises him that if anything keeps him from her on Christmas she’ll just make her way over to South Carolina to see him. “Maybe I can give that boy who is bullying you a piece of my mind!” She says and he loves her for it even if the thought of Andrew vs. his 70 year old grandma gives him heart palpitations that have nothing to do with the five hour energy he just slammed when no one was looking.

(He had eaten turkey because Abby had asked if he didn’t like it when he had forgone the white meat being passed around. She looked SAD so he just piled the dark meat onto his plate (at least it has less tryptophan) trip and now he needs to counteract the turkey. He could not afford to be sleepy on the impending car ride.)

He lets her know that everyone likes her pie and Abby had been overjoyed when he informed her that his gran always attaches a recipe card to the bottom for any pie in transit / for public consumption. (This is a woman who has been asked enough that she has the confidence to assume).

He gets off the line and feels the 5 hour energy kick in when Captain Neil appears out of nowhere next to him and he thinks he strains something when he resists the flinch his rapidly beating heart almost forces him into. “What language was that?” He asks.

“Polish.”

“You really do know a lot of languages. Just like your friend said.”

DANGER. DANGER. DANGER.

“Not that many.” DEFLECT DEFLECT DEFLECT “When are we heading out to Columbia?” DAMMIT

Captain Neil blinks but smiles, “We’ll be heading out in a little bit. Abby’s packing us leftovers. Too bad there’s no pie left. Do you think we could make it at the house? Andrew really liked it.” Neil says.

Pie is a safe topic. Pie will not betray him. Also if Andrew wants pie then he can’t kill FF until FF makes it and, perhaps, the pie will buy him a few extra days of mercy from his executioner.

“We can try. The secret ingredient is a grandma’s love though.” He says because it’s on the recipe card. It’s the most important ingredient in the whole pie. It’s what can keep a pie warm across a country. “Gran always says whipped cream can be used as a substitute though.” he says.

Captain Neil blushes.

DAMMIT WHY? WHY BRING UP THE WHIPPED CREAM?

“Well, we’ll have to pick some up from the store.” Captain Neil manages.

FF blanks his face as best he can and nods but gets up his heart beating too fast to remain seated. “I’ll be outside.” He says because he needs to walk around in some circles while he can. The car ride to Columbia is going to be a nightmare in general but especially since he slammed the five hour energy.

Kevin is the reason for the hold-up and the reason that FF gets 80 more laps around the house. He’s reminding them that they can’t stop exercising just because it’s a break gesturing to himself and the 20 minutes of squats that he just did to burn off the pie and then to FF who passes a window for the 10th time since this conversation started “See FF is keeping up with his fitness. Be more like him.”

Wymack eventually drags Kevin out of the house and into his car since they’re spending the break together. He flashes FF a thumbs up as FF passes and FF (unaware as always but great at mimicking social cues) gives him a thumbs up back.

It’s then that they get into the car. FF (as is the way of the world) is sitting bitch with Aaron and Nicky on either side of him.

Captain Neil is up front and starts to play some music. Both Nicky and Aaron are conked out before they even reach the entrance to the interstate. They have also slumped onto FF with Aaron asleep on his shoulder and Nicky drooling into his hair.

“You can just shove them off.” Andrew says.

“It’s fine.” FF says reminiscing about the last time he’d had something like this.

20 minutes later it’s not fine because the five hour energy is definitely kicking in but it would be so rude to move and wake Nicky and Aaron up. Nicky is probably tired because he came to check on FF five different times the night before and kept dragging him away from whatever Saw movie he was taking notes on and Aaron ate a LOT of white meat so he’s filled to the brim with tryptophan.

But he thinks he’s about to vibrate out of his skin.

He closes his eyes to try and breathe through this when.

“Smith said that we can try and recreate his grandma’s pie. We’ll just have to do a grocery run tomorrow.” Captain Neil says in Russian.

“It was good pie.” Andrew returns in the same language.

“He said that the secret ingredient is grandmotherly love.”

“It was on the recipe card. It said for best results be sure to add throughout the baking process.”

“His grandma said whipped cream was a good replacement. That it goes great with the pie.”

Uh-oh

FF knows that tone.

FF has fled across campus, the bus, the dorm room, and (one one notable occasion) the locker room when he has heard that tone coming from Captain Neil.

“Pie isn’t the only thing it will enhance the flavor of.” Andrew says back and FF feels as the car speeds up.

FF wishes that Andrew would just hurry up and crazy murder him already. He’d take the reverse bear trap over this psychological torture. He wants to pull up his phone and read if the Geneva Conventions list this as a war crime.

NEXT

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[orange-foxes]

Amnesia

💭 loving you is muscle memory by Talls (3,5k)

Neil has temporary amnesia, and Andrew is disconcertingly attractive. This is especially disconcerting because Neil was pretty sure he didn't swing. Nicky is endlessly pleased by the entire situation.

💭 Secondhand Lovers by alex_wh0 (22k)

“Mr. Minyard,” said the doctor, “Can you tell me who this is?” Andrew looked at Neil, his gaze clinical, “I don’t know.” Memory is a funny thing, Neil thought, even as he felt himself unravel uncontrollably as he looked into the eyes of the man he loved and saw only distrust.

💭 Back to the Start by fuzzballsheltiepants (29k)

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

💭 Pause and Restart My Heart by knoxham (series)

Andrew Minyard often got 2am cravings for ice cream. He would often get up and drive to the store to pick some up if they were out. Neil Josten would often go with him on these night time outings. It was not often that they would be hit by a drunk driver. After a bad car accident that lands Neil in the hospital, Andrew deals with the aftermath and the fact that Neil might not wake up.

💭and in a flash, it's gone. by Idnis (series)

‘I wouldn’t associate with Andrew anymore, nor with any of the others. You can’t trust foxes after all.’ The man’s fist connected precisely where his head wound was, and then Neil Josten was gone. Neil loses his memory and has to somehow make sense of the pieces of his past and present. And Andrew.

💭 Muscle Memory by elesary (20k)

Andrew wakes in the hospital, years after the last thing he remembers, with nothing but a handful of out of date promises and a wrecked car. He is purposeless, adrift, unable to find solid ground. Except in the blue, blue eyes of the scarred stranger at his bed side.

💭 you're not next before forever by Andy_Day02 (29k)

Andrew could practically feel Neil’s smile from across the court yet that wasn’t what he was thinking about. Exy was considered a violent sport not just because of how people played during the game. Andrew was moving before anything happened and yelled at Neil to turn the fuck around from where he was talking with his sub. Or even run for fuck’s sake. If there was ever a time Andrew had wanted Neil to run, that would be it. - Neil gets badly hurt during an exy game. Andrew gets arrested. Almost everything goes to hell.

💭 Help me remember by ok555 (47k)

Neil woke up with a pounding headache and from the feel of it, probably a couple broken ribs. The memories of the previous night were fuzzy at best. He remembered paying some random guy at the club to knock him out which would explain the headache, but he couldn’t come up with an explanation for the ache around his chest. or Neil has amnesia and forgets everything that happened after his first night at Columbia.

💭Inked Petals by KweenDay (15k)

Andrew spent 3 years in a shithole small town in Florida trying to get through the loss of the only person who made him feel something. Then Aaron convinces him to move to New York to start living his life again. It all goes well until Andrew makes a tinder account and matches with his dead boyfriend.

💭 i only need the working of my hands by allyasavedtheday (21k)

Andrew gets injured during an Exy game and loses almost two years' worth of memories. It leaves him with a nasty pain in the head and far too many questions. Namely, who the fuck is Neil Josten?

[otdiaftg]

Eventually Neil gets Andrew to open up a bit about his transition to Columbia.

The first thing Andrew did after their mother was out of the way was take care of Aaron's addictions. He stocked the upstairs bathroom with canned food and barricaded Aaron in there until he finished withdrawal. Luckily they had a house, not an apartment, so there were no neighbors close enough to hear Aaron's best attempts at breaking out. When Nicky moved in to keep an eye on them he started as a host at Sweetie's. He found out about Eden's Twilight from the customers he chatted up and, after going out of his way to befriend the bouncers and Roland, snagged a gig there as a bar-back. Eventually Nicky got Aaron and Andrew part-time jobs in the kitchen washing dishes and doing basic food prep. The more comfortable the staff got with the odd twins, the easier it was to talk drinks out of them. It wasn't until they went off to college that they had to get those drinks at the bar counter like the rest of the club's clientele.

Day: Friday, March 8th / 9th* Time: 2:00 PM EST

*Due to the Leap Year, I have opted to highlight the day rather than the date to keep the events in occurrence to the 2007 year. I will continue to mark both days accordingly.

[stabbyfoxandrew]

I beg thee pleeease for some Arsonist Neil I am invested

WIP Wednesday (4/10) | Arsonist Neil / Firefighter Andrew AU (Part 137)

On Thursday morning, Andrew drives home and takes himself a little nap. Sure, there are beds at the station. But it’s sort of hard to fall asleep there most of the time. And last night he spent several sleeping hours anticipating a text that never came. He got so bored he finally answered Kevin’s long-winded ramble from the other night.

And that somehow sparked a two hour long text conversation about anything and everything. But Andrew surprisingly didn’t mind, because at least Kevin is prompt at answering messages. Unlike some people.

Andrew lies awake in his own bed for a little while, wondering if 10 really isn’t going to answer him. If he’s been royally snubbed. It would make sense, he guesses. 10 stood him up for their not-date and now he won’t answer a simple— or many simple— texts?

Andrew finally gets up and takes a shower at three o’clock. He dresses himself in a tank top and jeans, then grabs the baggiest sweater he owns to put on top. Not because he’s anticipating a blizzard, but because he needs it to hide the candybag. The candybag is a fanny pack originally belonging to Nicky, who used this method of candy-sneaking every time he took them to the movies.

When he moved back to Germany, he gifted it to Andrew so they could keep the tradition alive. But he hasn’t used it since Nicky left. Hasn’t gone to the movies since then, with Aaron or anyone. Even though it's been year, it doesn’t take him long to find the bag in his closet. It stands out, being the only neon pink item he owns. He takes it out to the kitchen and stuffs it full of the candy he bought on the way home earlier. 

Three packs of M&Ms, some Twizzlers, and a box of Milk Duds. Andrew doesn’t like Milk Duds, they’re too hard. But he packs them up regardless, straps the bag to his chest, and pulls his sweater on over his head. It doesn’t sit right on Andrew— Nicky had less bulk— but he thinks it’ll work.

Before Andrew heads out, he texts 10 that he’s going to the movies. Because he’s apparently keeping a diary in their text thread. What does it matter, if 10 blocked him? He’ll never know.

Andrew wonders if 10 left Columbia after their argument, since Andrew's genius ass practically threatened to turn him in to the fire chief.

The thought makes his stomach drop. 10 is definitely a flight risk. But surely he knew Andrew wouldn't really... Well, hell. How could he have known that?

Andrew has no way of knowing either. He supposes he could go around to every hotel in town and beat down every door until 10’s hot, stupid ass pops out. But… that would most certainly get him arrested. And he’d rather not have to call Aaron to bail him out.

Oh, right, Aaron. Shaking his head, Andrew shoves his phone into his jeans and gets going.

[thisuserdead]

The Twins - PJO AU

This is part of a PJO AU - To the Masterpost!!

-----

The Twins

Greek demigods, sons of Nemesis. Tilda is still their mum (LISTEN if Apollo is able to have kids with other men, then so can my girl Nemesis! ALSO, gods can disguise themselves as whatever they want so…). She’s not a very good mum and as per Nemesis’ rulings, for every action follows a consequence of equal gravity. It’s only poetic that it would be the fruit of her short-lived love to serve it. It’s safe to say no good or bad deed goes without retribution with the twins. 

Backstory After Nemesis left, Tilda descended into a spiral. She came from a family with The Sight, both she and Luther are able to see beyond the mist. However, due to their religious upbringing, they’d always believed that what they were seeing were actually demonic forces at work. When Nicky (more on him to come) starts showing signs of unexplained powers it just reinforces Luther’s beliefs. Tilda, who was initially set on defying what her parents had taught her, suddenly found out she was pregnant seemingly out of nowhere and, being unable to explain it to herself in any other way, fell back into the old teachings. These in turn caused her to descend further and further into madness and later addiction.

When Tilda had the twins she still decided to give Andrew up. Aaron managed to fly under the radar from monsters, probably from the heavy smell of smoke, alcohol and other stuff that emanated through the house at every hour of the day (as well as the fact that he was often neglected, and I can’t imagine Tilda was always on time with the water bill or very dedicated when it came to hygiene and house cleaning) which camouflaged his smell.

Andrew had a few more run-ins with monsters than his brother. They often ended up being the reasons why his foster families decided to pass him along. (Although they couldn’t see the monsters, only the aftermath of these encounters, i.e. broken expensive kitchen counters, trashed music rooms and one too many visits to the principal’s office).

Andrew still ended up at the Spears’ house. Except, Cass was also a demigod (a daughter of Hermes) and when she realised that Andrew was being pursued by monsters she gifted him a celestial bronze knife to protect himself. Only it couldn’t protect him from the real monster, not when it really mattered. Because Andrew had allowed himself to get close to Cass, to hope for a better future and in his mind he couldn’t let her down like that. 

Cass had talked about Camp Halfblood and her childhood spent there but, due to Andrew being a foster kid, he wasn’t allowed to leave the home unattended for long periods of time. That and Andrew had refused on principle of having to be in such close quarters with so many other people in a potentially unsafe environment. 

He was intent on waiting it out until the adoption. When he was 15 he got a letter from Aaron asking to meet. In the letter he gave few details about his home life, but unlike in the books it was enough for Andrew to sense that something was wrong. So when he found out that Drake wasn’t leaving anytime soon, he took a drastic course of action and decided to run away. His goal was to reach the sender’s address on the letter. By then Tilda and Aaron had already moved back to Columbia so the address on the letter was out-dated.

When Andrew didn’t find anyone at the address, he decided he would try to reach Camp Halfblood. In his efforts to reach the east coast, he ended up in Columbia as well. 

There he was approached on the streets by Luther, who thought he was Aaron. Once the confusion was cleared and the situation was cleared with Tilda and the authorities. Andrew moved in with Tilda and his twin. He quickly realised the situation. Long story short, Tilda died. Nicky caught wind of what had happened and fought his parents for custody over the twins. Then there was the forced rehab. Etc.

Cass asks to meet with Andrew a couple of times. He continuously ignores her. Only his cousin asks about it once. Andrew refuses to answer. Nicky doesn’t push.

Eventually something happens that ends with Drake killed by Aaron’s hands.

Heritage Andrew is the one who seems to take most after their divine mother. Most of his relationships form from a give-and-take dynamic. Part of it is that it's something familiar. Something that gives him power and allows him to draw strength from his very being. The balancing plates of the scale of retribution are something he can always count on. Everyone will eventually give what is due.

At the Foxhole It’s Andrew who first discovers it first. He was being attacked by a group of empousa when Wymack and Kevin happened to be walking by. After a talk over some overly sweet coffee, they offered him a place there and he brought Aaron and Nicky along.

Weapons Aaron’s talents, they find out, lie more in the healing department. Regardless, he often uses an enchanted greek fire flamethrower that he can easily stash in his pocket and a small imperial gold dagger (easy to use and carry for a medic as well as being potentially useful as tools). 

Andrew initially tries to learn how to use a sword as well. He’d realised at some point that one knife wasn’t enough. When Renee gave Andrew her knives for safe-keeping (More on Renee soon) and told him he could use them (they’re made of a mix of iron and imperial gold in this, for this reason they’re deadly to monsters and mortals, Wymack is not too enthused about this fact), he was initially reluctant to do so. Using them reminded him of Cass, of the afternoons spent with her, learning how to fight. At the same time, they made him feel safe, knowing that if something were to happen to him or Aaron or Nicky (and later Kevin and Neil), they would pierce any skin. He eventually learned to use them very proficiently. Enough that he almost never reverts to a sword. He keeps Cass’s dagger on him at all times but he never uses it.

-----

Ahhhh this ended up being so long but I was just so excited to jot down all these ideas! I think making them sons of Nemesis is one of the best decisions I've ever made.

[youareapipedream]

Aaron and Andrew

Here is a sort of guide to the twins pasts and how they met, and their relationship with each other throughout the years.

(I really hope this makes sense, do let me know if anything is confusing)

When they were separated 

Tilda Minyard became pregnant after what Nicky believes is a one night stand. Once the twins were born, Tilda gave them both up to foster care a few days after they were born. Consumed by the guilt of giving her children up, she returned to the system and decided to take only one of them back. The one she chose wound up being Aaron. 

Due to the fact that Tilda didn’t register the twins under a last name, Andrew wound up staying in the foster system under the name 

“Andrew Doe” and bounced from family to family, none of them good, until he was thirteen. At this time, he moved in with the Spears. Cass and Richard Spear were the first family Andrew truly felt a connection to, more so Cass than Richard. Cass wanted to adopt Andrew, and he wanted to let her. 

The problem was, the Spear’s biological son, Drake, started to sexually abuse Andrew. Andrew finally felt like he had a real family, a real mother, in Cass. Drake was graduating soon and he wanted to join the army right out of high school. Andrew thought that if he could last until Drake graduated, then he could have the mother he wanted and wouldn’t have to give her up because of Drake’s abuse. 

Then, Officer Higgins from Oakland PD, who knew Andrew, saw Aaron who was with his mother and her boyfriend at a football game. Higgins believed Tilda was another foster parent and that the twins got separated in the system. 

Higgins convinced Tilda to give him her number so he could give it to Cass Spear. She did, likely out of embarrassment and received a call the next day. Tilda told Cass that she wanted nothing to do with Andrew. Aaron, aware of what the call was about, listened on the home phone upstairs. He heard Tilda say that she didn’t want Aaron to meet Andrew. Aaron had a huge fight with Tilda but she wouldn’t budge, so Aaron went behind her back and contacted the Oakland PD. Aaron told them to give his information to Andrew’s foster family. Two weeks after, Aaron got a letter from Andrew telling him that he wanted nothing to do with Aaron, and to leave him alone. 

While Aaron was trying to convince Andrew to meet him, so was Drake. Drake harassed Andrew, trying to get him to agree to meet Aaron. This was the reason Andrew refused to do it. Andrew didn’t care what happened to him at the hands of Drake, but he didn’t want anyone else to deal with it, especially the brother he’s never met. Cass convinced Aaron to try again later, and he was going to but he waited too long. Andrew decided to get himself locked up in a juvenile facility to escape Drake’s abuse. Juvie is where Andrew learned to play Exy, 

With their mother

About two months after all of this happened, Tilda took Aaron and moved him to Columbia. Once Luther, Tilda’s brother and Nicky’s father, found out about Andrew, he went to interview Andrew’s foster family. A month later, Luther flew himself and Aaron out to California to see Andrew. Aaron picked up Exy in school as a way to get out of the house for a few extra hours to escape Tilda’s abuse. 

Andrew noticed something was wrong and didn’t believe that the bruises came from Exy, and so he did everything in his power to get out. A year after this first short visit, Andrew got released from Juvie on good behavior, and put on probation. Luther managed to convince Tilda to take him in and so Andrew moved to Columbia. Andrew found out that Tilda has gotten Aaron addicted to drugs. 

Andrew didn’t like Tilda, and made that very clear, but he and Aaron had a cautious, but somewhat friendly relationship. Andrew and Aaron made a deal, Andrew would stick with Aaron until high school graduation, and protect him from women who wanted to hurt him, on the condition that Aaron ice out anyone else. Andrew initially did this to get Aaron to stop seeing the friends who enabled his addiction. Aaron, even with the deal in place, tried to make friends and even date a few girls. One night, Andrew pretended to be Aaron and got into a fight with Tilda. Andrew made it to Luther’s house, which is how the Hemmicks found out about Tilda’s abuse. Luther called Tilda to talk but she took Andrew and left. 

It’s uncertain what exactly happened to cause the car to crash, Nicky thought maybe Tilda panicked when she realized it wasn’t Aaron in the car, or Andrew did it on purpose, or if they were fighting. It is later implied by Andrew that he staged the entire accident, yet what exactly happened that caused the crash is still not known. Tilda wasn’t wearing her seatbelt and died during the accident. 

Aaron believes that Andrew killed Tilda because she left him in the foster care system. Andrew says that he killed Tilda because she hurt Aaron. Tilda’s death destroyed the fledgling relationship between the twins. 

With Nicky 

Nicky Hemmick was in Germany when he found out about his Aunt Tilda’s death and when he came back to the states for her funeral, he was told that his father was planning to take in the twins. Nicky was miserable when he lived with his parents and didn’t want the twins to have to deal with what he went through so Nicky became their legal guardians. They got a house in Columbia and the first thing Andrew did was stock the upstairs bathroom with canned food and other supplies and lock Aaron in it, forcing him through withdrawal. Nicky got a job at the restaurant Sweeties where he and the twins were introduced to a non-addictive drug called “cracker dust” to try and help Aaron with his addiction. He found out from customers about Eden’s Twilight and got a job there by befriending one of the bartenders, Roland. Eventually he got both of the twins part time jobs at the club. 

Medication

Two years before the start of The Foxhole Court, Nicky was attacked outside of Eden’s Twilight by four men because of his sexuality. Andrew stepped in and nearly beat all four of them to death. The courts rules that the violence took a step too far past self defense and Andrew’s lawyer managed to convince them to have Andrew engage in intensive counseling and be medicated for three years  instead of going to prison. 

With the Foxes

Andrew was scouted by Edgar Allen University, with Kevin and Riko, but he turned them down and nearly immediately signed with the Palmetto State Foxes. He signed with the Foxes because Coach Wymack was willing to sign his brother and cousin as well as let Andrew come off his medication for Exy games. All three joined the team. 

During the series, the twins rarely interact with each other unless they have to, showing a distant and oftentimes cold relationship. Aaron blames Andrew for Tilda’s death, and Andrew refuses to apologize for keeping his end of the deal they made, even if Aaron won’t. 

In The Raven King, while Nicky is trying to reconnect with his parents, Drake is waiting upstairs and attacks Andrew. Neil notices something is wrong and takes Aaron upstairs to help Andrew. Upon seeing what was happening, Aaron murders Drake to help Andrew. After the attack, the decision is made to send Andrew to rehab to get him off of his mood altering medication. He comes back and seems even more uninterested in his brother than usual. 

During The King’s Men, Neil manipulates Katelyn, Aarons girlfriend into shutting him out until the twins go to counseling together. Eventually, they do start going and attempting to work out some of their issues. Later in the book, Aaron uses their deal against Andrew, if Aaron can’t have a relationship with Katelyn because of their deal, then technically Andrew was breaking their deal by doing what he was doing with Neil. Andrew angrily and reluctantly agrees to end the deal with Aaron and confronts Katelyn in the library where he tells her that even though he is allowing her to see Aaron, that doesn’t mean he approves of or likes her. He tells her to stay away from him. Aaron and Neil end up switching rooms, Neil moving in with Kevin, Nicky, and Andrew, and Aaron moving in with Matt. 

After the books 

The twin’s relationship improves slowly over time, but eventually they acknowledge each other outside of the counseling sessions. According to a post from Nora’s Twitter, after the twins graduate and figure out they have to leave each other “Aaron catches hold of Andrew and Andrew is the last to let go.” After graduation, Aaron proposes to Katelyn right before his fifth year at Palmetto and they get married shortly after graduation. Neil manages to convince Andrew to go to the wedding but it takes two separate favors to do so, one to get Andrew to go and the other to make sure Andrew doesn’t threaten Katelyn. Aaron and Katelyn move to Chicago after graduating from Medical school and decide not to have children because of their busy careers and general disinterest in having any. Andrew lives with Neil and they adopt two cats while having successful professional Exy careers. 

[neverafters]

ANDREW MINYARD WAS A LOT OF THINGS. romantic was not one of them. but it was VALENTINE'S DAY. and nicky was with erik in germany. and aaron was with katelyn. and even kevin had betrayed him by making plans with thea. that left andrew. and neil. and the house in columbia that none of them were stupid enough to try to fight him for. that was as far as his planning went. except for the grocery shopping he did a few days ago to restock the pantry, and the colossal heart shaped box of chocolates andrew bought because he wanted a goddamn cavity and DEFINITELY NOT because he wanted to spoil his boyfriend . because that wasn't the type of boyfriend andrew was. until it was.

he parked the maserati in the driveway, but instead of leading the way inside, he waited for neil to go first. keys were tucked away into his back pocket in the same move that was pulling a pack of cigarettes out. he could have unlocked the front door himself, but he wanted @parabathai to remember that this place was his home too. so he could use his own damn key. "it's just the two of us this weekend," he pointed out, in case neil missed the otherwise empty car. the car ride was unusually silent, but that was the way andrew liked it.

[aquared46]

Out for Blood (Chapters 1-3)

Note: These chapters are as completed and posted on AO3. Unfortunately they are inaccessible :( Hopefully once I've complete chapter 4, AO3 will be back up and running. If not, you will find it on my Tumblr.

TW: kidnapping, needles, blood, violence

Summary: Neil is prime real-estate for kidnapping.

Chapter 1 - Neil

Neil’s first thought upon opening his eyes was that he was lucky to be in the trunk of a car instead of the back of a van. His second thought was that even if he survived this, Andrew might finally give into the temptation to kill him.

Neil’s head ached; his mind foggy. He wondered if someone knocked him out, but he didn’t feel the telltale goose-egg on his scalp. He struggled to remember what happened, only coming up with images of flashing neon lights and the warm buzz of liquor in his system.

Eden’s.

It was one of the rare nights Neil wanted to drink, Andrew limiting himself to only two so he could watch over him. Neil remembered the feeling of Andrew’s hand on his hip as they sat at the table, Kevin steadily listing more to one side the more he drank, Nicky disappearing frequently to dance, and Aaron with his nose buried in his phone as he texted Katelyn.

Neil drank some more, felt woozy and ended up going to the bathroom, worried he was going to throw up. Things got a little hazy from there.

Was he drugged?

Neil shifted, his body aching from laying in same position for hours, his arms numb from where they were tied behind him. Aside from that, he couldn’t feel any other injuries. Whoever captured him had some sort of fabric over his head, obscuring his vision. No matter how he moved his head, he couldn’t manage to dislodge it.

But his legs were free and he was still wearing his clothes and shoes from Eden’s: ridiculously tight pants Andrew bought him, as well as heavy combat boots with thick soles, with a little something extra stored in the right one.

While Neil found the armbands Andrew got him comforting, he would never feel the same about the heavy weight of knives against his skin. However, the tiny knife in his boot was unnoticeable. It was something Andrew gifted him in case Neil “ever got kidnapped again”.

Hilarious.

Neil wriggled until he could reach the sole of his shoe with his numb fingers. He squabbled uselessly at the rubber for a minute before he finally found purchase, opening the secret compartment and immediately almost cutting his hand open. After getting a proper hold of the blade, he started cutting through his bonds.

They split surprisingly easy. Neil tore the fabric off his head as soon as his hands were free. He blinked up at the glow-in-the-dark emergency trunk release.

What the fuck.

Cheap rope binding his wrists – not even metal handcuffs. What seemed to be a t-shirt covering his face – his mouth not duct-taped. And finally, the most glaring evidence of an amateur kidnapping Neil had ever seen.

The car slowed down, then began to turn. Neil took the opportunity. He pulled the latch and then prepared to throw himself out of the trunk. He gritted his teeth, remembering how it felt to have his skin tear against the road.

It’s just road rash, Abram. If your father catches up with us, he’ll peel off the rest of your skin before he kills you.

He jumped, covering his head as he rolled –

Right out of bed and onto the floor of Andrew’s bedroom in Columbia. Neil’s cheek stung from where it struck the floor, his head spinning from disorientation and a colossal headache ��� a hangover. That was right. Eden’s. Andrew abstained from drinking so Neil could let loose – he’d never really gotten drunk for fun before – and Neil decided once was enough for him. It wasn’t as fun as everyone made it out to be. His mouth was horrendously dry, his head ached the longer he laid on the floor, and he felt like he got hit by a car instead of jumping out of one.

Neil cracked his eyes open, squinting from the light streaming in through the blinds in the bedroom. Andrew’s face was above him, golden hair haloed by the sun, his expression dispassionate as he watched Neil suffer.

Neil remembered now.

 Andrew followed Neil into the bathroom at Eden’s and stood guard outside the stall as Neil hurled into the toilet. Sometime afterward, he’d dragged Neil back to the Maserati, shoved some bags into his lap and threatened him not to throw up in his vehicle.

Neil wet his lips. Blinked against the bright light and tried to remember whether or not he threw up in the Maserati. But he couldn’t remember the ride home. The only thing he could think of was his dream. “What kind of kidnapper puts someone in a trunk that has a trunk release?” His voice sounded like he gargled gravel.

Andrew’s expression didn’t change. He rolled to the opposite side of the bed and stood, back cracking as he stretched. He padded out of the room without a word.

Neil’s body ached, his fingers tingling and his scars aching as circulation returned to them. He must’ve somehow managed to sleep on top of his hands before he woke up. He made a fist, curling and uncurling his fingers.

“Quit that.” Andrew walked back into the room, carrying two mugs smelling of coffee. He settled cross-legged on the floor beside Neil before setting the mug down within his reach.

Neil picked it up, humming his thanks. His coffee was made just the way he liked it – with a splash of milk instead of cream. Meanwhile, Andrew’s had more cream and sugar than coffee.

“Seriously though, a trunk release?” Neil still couldn’t believe it.

Andrew blew the steam off his coffee. “It was your dream.”

“Yeah, but –” Neil huffed in frustration. “A trunk release.”

Andrew rolled his eyes. “Fine. What bothered you so much about it?”

Was he bothered by it? No. There was no way. It’s just that it was too ridiculous. It was too easy. And it was so very not real and yet –

Neil could still feel his heart pounding in his chest. His fingers were trembling slightly, causing ripples along the surface of his coffee. The terror in the dream had felt so acute – so much like his regular nightmares that it threw him for a loop. He’d take this ridiculous dream over any of his worse ones any day, but still…

Neil felt stupid that something like this could affect him so much.

Two months ago, the feds told him they were upping the personal attached to him because of a potential threat. He had yet to hear back from them again. He only had a handful of decent sleeps since, his nightmares more frequent and his paranoia seeing heights in hadn’t since his father was executed in Baltimore.

He asked Andrew to keep an eye on him last night so he could drink, so he could maybe have one night to relax.

He couldn’t even have that.

Neil drank all his coffee, Andrew waiting patiently by his side as he waited for an answer.

Neil scrubbed a hand over his face, eyes crusted and brain aching. “I’m just so fucking tired,” he finally said.

Wordlessly Andrew stood and put his coffee on the nightstand. He offered Neil his hand. Confused, Neil took it, allowing Andrew to pull him up to his feet and walk him back to the bed. He buried them both under the covers, poking a prodding Neil until he turned his back to him.

Andrew pressed his chest to Neil’s back and wrapped an arm around his waist, hand splayed under Neil’s shirt against his scars. Neil melted into the touch. They’d only done this a couple times before. And only when both of them were awake and alert.

“Andrew –”

“Sleep,” he said.

He didn’t have to tell Neil that he’d stay awake. Neil knew Andrew didn’t like to wake up to a body pressed against him.

Andrew pressed his lips to the back of Neil’s neck – a feather of a touch that had Neil shivering. He focused on the absentminded tracing of Andrew’s fingers against the skin of his stomach, the way they followed the ridges of his scars, then the lines of his muscles, then over freckles Andrew had memorized.

Everything was too warm and Neil’s head still ached fiercely, but he was helpless to do anything but drift off back to sleep.

~ ~ ~

They drove back from Columbia later than usual, Kevin grumbling nonstop about missing hours of practice. Everyone dutifully ignored him on the long drive back to campus. Aaron was texting Kaitlyn, as he’d been doing all night. Nicky, who was sandwiched between Neil and Aaron with hardly any space for his knees, kept trying to peek at Aaron’s phone to see the messages. As a result, Aaron’s back was practically facing the door. When they reached campus, Aaron was out before the car even stopped moving, eager to get away.

Nicky frowned at his back for a moment before turning towards Neil with a sunny smile. “I was thinking of having a couple’s dinner with the six of us, since Erik is coming to visit next week. I told you that, right? That he was coming to visit?”

He had in fact, over a dozen times.

“Nicky,” Andrew warned.

“Right.” Nicky deflated, watching as Andrew also turned and headed towards the dorms. He turned to Neil. “It could be nice, don’t you think? If we could all sit around a table together?”

“Maybe if you adjust your definition of nice.”

Nicky pouted.

Neil sighed. “Look. It doesn’t have to be a dinner, and it doesn’t have to be all six of us.” If anything, that’d just make everyone uncomfortable.

Movement in Neil’s periphery caught his attention, but when he turned, there was nothing there. He squinted across the parking lot, scanning the rows of cars, but didn’t see anyone else.

“Hey,” Nicky drew Neil’s attention back to him. “Are you good? You’ve seemed spaced out lately.”

Neil had chosen to keep the fed’s warning mostly to himself. Andrew and Wymack knew, which meant that Abby and Betsy also knew by extension. Kevin seemed to suspect that something was up, but still hadn’t questioned Neil about it. There was not much anyone else could do, and Neil didn’t want to stress his team out and affect their season.

“I’m fine,” Neil said.

Nicky’s expression cracked. “Oh my god, something happened, didn’t it? It’s okay, you can talk to me.” Nicky placed a hand on his chest. “Erik tells me I give very good advice.”

“That’s your boyfriend and he’s biased.” Neil desperately glanced towards Kevin, grateful that he was waiting for Neil instead of following after Andrew. “And I’m good. Everything is alright.”

If there was one thing Neil and Kevin could wordlessly communicate about, it was exy.

“We need to go practice, Nicky.” Kevin nodded towards the dorms. “Neil and I needed to grab our equipment and head to court. We already lost enough hours today.”

And with that, Neil was able to escape. Andrew was already in the dorm, sitting on the couch with his feet kicked up onto the table. He spared Neil and Kevin a glance as they entered, but went right back to watching the television. It seemed like today was one of the days he would hang out on the bench rather than joining them on the court.

When they got to court, Kevin and Neil ran drills, soaked with sweat within the hour. With the ball in his net and his feet pounding on the floor, Neil felt the last coils of tension leave him. The only thing that existed on the court was exy. Neil didn’t allow himself to think of much else.

On their water breaks, Neil couldn’t help but glance towards Andrew, who opted to lay on the bench with his eyes closed – resting but not asleep – Neil could tell by his breathing. He had dark circles under his eyes, which were no better than the ones under Neil’s. Neither of them was getting much rest lately, but Neil managed to capture a few more hours that morning with Andrew at his back.

Practice went longer than it usually did, Kevin and Neil both trying to make up for lost time. Eventually, Andrew pounded on the plexiglass to them to stop. Kevin frowned as he checked the time, then turned back towards Andrew as if he was about to argue, but Andrew had already turned away. Kevin glanced towards Neil.

“If you want to walk back, that’s on you.”

Kevin scoffed, but obediently followed Neil off the court. Neil showered quick, eager to catch a smoke with Andrew outside before they headed back to the dorms. The adrenaline of playing was already fading and Neil felt like he was crashing back into reality.

He rushed to meet Andrew, who was already smoking as he leaned against the Maserati. He raised an eyebrow as Neil jogged over.

“Twitchy,” he commented, then handed over the half-finished cigarette and lit a new one for himself.

Neil couldn’t help but glance over his shoulders, scanning the parking lot. “Yeah,” he said. He couldn’t say he had a bad feeling. The entire past two months were one bad feeling.

Neil eyed the nearby street connecting to the parking lot. There were hardly any vehicles this late in the evening. A few passed. One slowed down like it was about to turn in the parking lot, then kept going. He couldn’t escape the way his stomach squirmed.

Andrew followed his gaze and clucked his tongue. “You’re thinking too much.”

“Maybe.” Neil closed his eyes. Tried to focus on the smell of the smoke and the silent presence of Andrew beside him.  He focused on the feeling of callouses on his fingers. Not only his usual ones from exy, but also the newer additions from him practicing with his knives again for the first time in years.

He breathed in. Held it. Breathed out. Counted.

He’d be fine. He could protect himself. “I think I’m going for a run when we get home.”

Home. Their dorm room shared with Kevin. It wasn’t much, but it felt like more than Neil ever had. He didn’t know when he starting thinking of it as home – when he started referring to it as home – but Andrew hadn’t told him to stop. Therefore, he kept doing it.

“Take Kevin with you.” Andrew was scanning the street too. Maybe Neil’s anxiety was bleeding over into him. “Wear him out and maybe I’ll get to sleep in.” Andrew tossed his cigarette to the ground and snuffed it out with his heel.

Kevin was on his way, working through his damp hair with his fingers. He paused when he saw both Andrew and Neil staring at him. “What?” Swiping his hand through the air in front of his face, he scowled at Neil. “I thought you agreed that you were going to make an effort to quit last week?”

What Kevin really hoped was that Neil would quit and somehow manage to get Andrew to quit too, since Kevin knew he wouldn’t be able to convince Andrew himself.

“I lied,” Neil said. He climbed into the backseat of the Maserati where he sat behind Andrew. “Come for a run with me.”

Kevin got into the passenger side and twisted towards Neil. “You know that the smoking is going to ruin your endurance.”

“If you can keep up with me, I’ll consider listening to you for a few seconds.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Andrew caught Neil’s eyes in the rear-view mirror. “Cellphone.”

Neil dug it out. “Twenty percent.” He had some unanswered texts from the foxes. The first he saw was from Nicky, who again asked about dinner between the six of them. Neil put his phone away without looking at the rest.

Engine roaring, they pulled out of the parking lot. Andrew always liked to drive later in the evening, when the roads were almost empty and he could drive quickly without having to weave in and out of traffic. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of his music, turning it up loud enough to drown out any further conversation when Kevin tried to launch into an anti-smoking rant.

When they parked at the dorms, Andrew lit up the second he was outside the car, blowing smoke in Kevin’s direction to make him go away. Neil smirked as he watched him retreat.

Andrew tapped Neil’s phone through his pocket. “Call me if you’re going to be longer than two hours.”

“Okay.” Neil grinned.

Andrew pushed his face to the side. “Go away.”

“See you later.” Neil gave him a salute, then jogged after Kevin.

He threw on a pair of joggers for his run, the air too cold for shorts even once he worked up a sweat. He grabbed a t-shirt off the floor and sniffed it before changing into it. It smelled like Andrew’s cologne. His runners were beginning to show too much wear. Andrew told him to buy new ones, but he kept forgetting to.

He saw Andrew again on their way back down. He ignored them, except for the split-second Andrew’s eyes latched onto the shirt Neil was wearing. Kevin, being Kevin, hardly noticed. He was fiddling with his iPod, which was apparently some little fancy device that could play music. Like a Walkman, but smaller and with no CD, Andrew explained to Neil. Wymack bought it for Kevin and offered to get some for the rest of team as well.

Kevin insisted Neil get one too, but he didn’t like the thought of having his hearing blocked while he was running. He wanted to know what was going on around him. He didn’t need music to help him run.

They started at a decent pace, Kevin keeping stride easily beside Neil. For the first two miles, Kevin kept entirely silent. His headphones kept slipping off his head the more he sweat, and eventually he just settled for hanging them around his neck with the music turned up as loud as it could go. Unfortunately, Kevin decided he could multitask by speaking to Neil now that he could hear without music blaring in his ears.

“I don’t get why you two are being so difficult about the smoking,” he started.

Neil picked up the pace. They were making their way out of the university’s trails and into the nearby neighbourhood. The slapping of his feet against the pavement helped him drown out Kevin’s voice.

Kevin huffed as he picked up the pace. “Neil. Seriously. It’s bad for you. It might not seem like it now, but I’ve read some studies and it could seriously affect you in a couple years. What are you going to do if you end up with crappy lungs and can’t pick up a contract? What will the Moriyamas –”

“Fuck off, Kevin. I’m more concerned with surviving the next few months.”

Kevin’s steps faltered. “What is that supposed to mean? …Neil?”

“You’re not one to talk,” Neil said. “With all the vodka you put away, I won’t be surprised if you need a new liver by next year.”

Kevin stayed silent for a long time. “I’ve been trying to cut back. You know that. But can you back up and tell me why the fuck you’re talking like you have another execution date?”

When Neil didn’t answer, Kevin grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him to a stop. Neil fought the urge to kick him in the shins.

“Don’t do this. Don’t shut us out again. I’m not the only one that’s getting worried. Tell me what’s going on.”

Neil yanked his arm out of Kevin’s grip. “I don’t know. All I know that the feds told me that there was a threat and nothing else. I have no clue what the fuck is going on. Who’s threatening me or with what.” Neil started running again. “I didn’t say anything to anyone because there’s nothing to tell.”

Neil picked up the pace, ignoring Kevin’s shout of his name from behind him. He should’ve just gone on the run alone. He wanted to run to escape from his problems, not have Kevin throw them back into his face. He dug his phone out his pocket to check the time. He’d need more than two hours tonight. He’d probably go for another run once Kevin was finished just to burn off his pent-up frustration.

He thumbed over to Andrew’s contact.

Tires screeched against the pavement. Neil glanced up just in time to not run face-first into the van that pulled up onto the curb in front of him. The sliding door shot open and two figures darted out.

Neil wasn’t Andrew. His first instinct wasn’t to draw a knife. Wasn’t to fight. Despite his weeks of practicing, his first instinct would always be to run.

Fingers caught the back of his shirt. Neil’s face twisted into something terrible and he lashed out with all he had. He hardly felt the blows that rained down on him in turn. There were too many hands, pulling him, tugging him.

He heard Kevin shouting.

Then he was in the van, head spinning, blood pounding, disoriented and confused.

Blood ran down his cheek. His neck.

His hands were pulled behind him, cuffed tightly with metal. They settled into the grooves of his old scars like they were meant to be there. He could hear laughter. There was the phantom smell of burning flesh.

Not again. He couldn’t go through this again.

But like so many times before, that choice was stolen from him.

Chapter 2 - Andrew

Andrew’s peaceful, quiet dorm was interrupted by a heavy knock on the door. He didn’t bother glancing up from his textbook. He didn’t have to study much, and most of the time he simply read his textbooks in class while ignoring the professors, but sometimes he had to occasionally do it. When he did, he tried to get it over with as efficiently as possible.

Another knock, more insistent this time.

Andrew tossed his book to the side and drew a knife, striding towards the door. He yanked it open to find Nicky, tentative smile on his face, hand still raised to knock.

Andrew put the knife away, although he allowed his annoyed expression to stay. “What?”

“Peace offering?” Nicky held out a bag.

Andrew snatched it, expecting to peek inside and see storebought candy and chocolate bars – some good ice cream, maybe. However, the smell hit him first. It was something freshly baked, smelling of butterscotch and chocolate.

Homemade chocolate brownies with butterscotch chips. Andrew’s favourite when Nicky first started looking after him and Andrew.

“Accepted,” Andrew said. He put them down on the tiny counter in their tiny kitchen, snatching one while it was still warm and gooey. Nicky was a good baker. It was a shame their dorms didn’t have room for much more than a tiny fridge, a microwave and a kettle. Nicky must’ve gone to Wymack’s to make these, which meant this was a highly premeditated peace offering.

Andrew shoved half a brownie into his mouth, waiting for Nicky to start his spiel.

“About the dinner I’ve been planning…”

Andrew held up a hand. To his surprise, Nicky actually stopped talking for once and allowed Andrew to swallow the brownie before he said, “no.”

Nicky didn’t immediately burst into protests or wheedling like Andrew expected. Instead, his expression pinched with thought. “Is there any way you’d say yes?”

And oh – wasn’t that funny? Maybe old dogs could learn new tricks. Had Nicky actually been paying attention for once? “What would you be willing to offer?”

Nicky’s face cleared with understanding. “It’s really important to me. What do you want?”

Andrew didn’t expect this. Rarely, he was so caught off guard. He couldn’t let his hesitation show. “I’ll think of something. And how do you plan to get everyone to go along with this?”

Nicky grinned. “Well, Neil will come if you do. Don’t even bother suggesting he wouldn’t. You know he will. And I’ve already talked with Katelyn. She’ll convince Aaron to come. He’s still on thin ice since we last saw her.”

Katelyn was beginning to become braver. She was stopping by after some of their practices to visit with Aaron. Andrew ignored her as much as he could allow himself to. His and Aaron’s deal was off, but if she so much as raised a finger against his brother, he’d make her regret it.

A week or so ago, she’d stopped by when their practice was ending. Aaron hadn’t noticed her. Nicky had picked up a new way of trying to bond with Andrew, which unfortunately pivoted on the fact that they were both gay. He made a comment about Orlando Bloom’s ass, since he’d just rewatched Pirates of the Caribbean the night before. Aaron told Nicky he didn’t want to hear about that gay shit, unknowing that Katelyn was within hearing range.

The entire team stood in silence as she verbally tore a strip off of him for talking to his family like that. Nicky looked a little surprised and uncomfortable. Andrew didn’t feel anything as he watched Aaron try to apologize to her, then hurry through an apology to both Nicky and Andrew upon Katelyn’s insistence.

Apparently, Katelyn cared more about the incident than Andrew did if she was still upset about it.

 “Look at us,” Andrew said. “One big, happy family.”

Nicky snorted. “I know it’s messy, but you’re the family I’ve chosen. I just want us to have dinner together. It sounds kind of silly, but when I was younger, I used to dream of having a big family, of marrying a boy and having my parents accept him. Accept us. I know now I won’t ever get that from them. And I know now that I don’t want anything from them, not after…” Nicky shook his head. “I have you and Aaron now, and you’re both more important to me than they’ll ever be.”

Andrew put a hand on his chest. “Is this some attempt to make my heart grow three times in size?”

“No,” Nicky said. “And I think your heart is just fine. I’m sorry that it took me so long to understand. That I kept pushing things when you’d say no. I was so wrapped up in my feelings and wants that I didn’t always listen to you. I questioned Neil a long time ago about how he’d get you to do things, and he told me that he ‘asked’. I didn’t understand then, but I do now.” Nicky wiped his eyes with the edge of his sleeve.

“Don’t get all weepy on me.” Andrew wanted to go for a smoke. Instead, he dug into their tiny fridge for the mickey of whiskey he kept. He poured two glasses, offering one to Nicky.

Nicky nodded, taking the glass and continuing to wipe his eyes. “I just wish I’d done better by you. By Aaron. It’s just–”

“No.” Andrew said.

Nicky froze and stared at him as he took a big gulp of his whiskey, fingers tightening on the glass.

“You were the best guardian either of us had.”

Nicky went quiet. After a moment, he sipped his whiskey and leaned against the counter. “Thanks.”

Andrew shrugged. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He figured his junkie would be out running for a while, especially when he was with Kevin and as fired up as he was. Knowing the two of them, they’d try to turn it into some competition. Idiots.

He pulled out the phone without looking and answered. “What.”

“Andrew.”

Kevin. Kevin, not Neil. Kevin, whose voice made the hair on the back of Andrew’s neck stand up. Something had happened. Something bad. Andrew hadn’t heard Kevin sound like that since Neil was taken to his father in Baltimore.

“What happened?” Andrew tossed his glass onto the counter. Whiskey spilt everywhere. He dug into his pocket for his keys. “Where are you.”

“It happened so fast – I couldn’t – I couldn’t stop them. They took him.”

“Who took him?” Andrew fumbled the keys. Andrew watched them fall in flow motion. He squatted to grab them. “Where the fuck are you.”

Kevin stuttered out apologies, giving no useful information until Andrew finally, finally got a street address. Andrew had long memorized the city map. Too often Neil would dissociate and go for a run, coming to somewhere far from campus with no idea how to get home. It’d take Andrew less than ten minutes to get to Kevin.

He didn’t bother to lock the door as he booked it out of the apartment. He took the stairs – they were quicker than the elevator. He practically threw himself into the driver seat of the Maserati, not even noticing Nicky was following him until the passenger door opened a split second before he hit the gas.

It would take too long to argue with him. As soon as the door slammed shut, Andrew floored it.

The city was a rush around him. His heart was pounding. He whipped past cars driving the speed limit, ran stop signs and only had to slam on the breaks a few times to avoid accidents. He was no use to Neil if he was dead or in the hospital.

He saw the flashing lights as he approached. The police had the scene tapped off. A single ambulance was parked, Kevin sitting at the edge of it, a paramedic attending to him. The scene had already drawn numerous onlookers. Andrew pulled up as close as he could and killed the engine. A police officer tried to stop him as he crossed towards Kevin, but Andrew brushed him off. Kevin shouted for the officer to leave him alone and that Andrew was with him.

Kevin looked like a mess. His face was bruised and bloodied. There was gauze on his forehead that covered what Andrew assumed was the source of the blood. The paramedic was shining a light into his eyes.

Andrew grabbed him by the front of his shirt, damp with blood and sweat. The paramedic jumped aside, shouting. He raised his arm to flag down an officer. Andrew ignored them. “What happened.”

Kevin explained. About how him and Neil got into an argument. About how Neil ran ahead. How the car pulled up and a trio of men with their faces covered jumped out and grabbed him. Neil put up a fight, but they still got him into the vehicle. Kevin only managed to get there soon enough to have his own share of hurt before they drove away.

“What did the car look like?” Andrew demanded. “Come on, Day. Anything? Did you know any of the people? How tall were they? What did they sound like?”

“I don’t know,” Kevin said. “I don’t fucking know. It all happened so fast.”

Andrew shook him. He wanted to wrap his hands around Kevin’s throat like he had before and wring the answers from him. But he couldn’t, not with the police there. Nor would he gain any useful information. Kevin didn’t have the same memory Andrew did. If it had been Andrew there instead, maybe he could’ve managed to fight the men off. And if he couldn’t, he would’ve at least managed to remember a hell of a lot of useful information for tracking them down later.

“You’re fucking useless.” Andrew shoved away from Kevin, disgusted.

“The feds are on their way,” Kevin said. He was squeezing his hands together in his lap, boney knuckles white from the force. “Maybe they’ll know something.”

“If they knew something, then this shouldn’t have happened in the first place.” Andrew glanced around the scene, looking for anything useful. He saw nothing except the tape, the little yellow numbers on the ground. There was blood, glistening in the streetlights. There wasn’t much.

“Is that yours or Neil’s?” Andrew asked.

Kevin followed his gaze. “A bit of both. I –” Kevin’s breath hissed through his teeth. “They seemed to want him alive.”

“They wanted him alive last time too,” Andrew snapped.

Kevin flinched.

A nondescript black car pulled up to the scene. Andrew glared at the two figures that climbed out. Agents Asshole and Dipshit. They were the same two that questioned Neil after Baltimore, who tried to take Neil away from him. Figured they would be the ones on the case. It figured they’d be the ones who’d fail to keep Neil from being taken again.

Andrew started towards them.

Dipshit noticed Andrew and elbowed his partner. “Minyard,” he called. “Can’t say I’m pleased to see you again.” He rested his palm on his gun, reading the violence in Andrew’s stiff posture and gait.

Andrew smiled, all teeth. His heart went thump thump thump in his chest. The knives nestled into his armbands felt heavy and comforting. He ached to pull them out now and sink them into skin. Watch the blood flow and hit the pavement.

“Andrew.” Nicky was at his shoulder – not touching. Normally when Andrew was like this, anger boiling and ready to spill over, Nicky would be afraid. He’d give him space. Now, he was looking at Andrew with such concern that it made him want to throw up.

Unfortunately, it was in Neil’s best interests to keep the agents alive. “There was a car,” Andrew bit out. “It was about to pull in to parking lot at the court, but it kept going. Neil was bothered by it, and he has good instincts for that type of stuff.” Let the feds listen to him. Let them believe him. And hope, hope that it was useful information, because it was the only thing he had to offer. He rattled off the description and the license plate.

Dipshit scoffed, but Asshole noted down the information anyway. They went to join the rest of the pigs, leaving Andrew to simmer with Nicky at his side.

He pulled out his carton of cigarettes and put one in his mouth. He tried to light it, but his fingers were intent to betray him. He couldn’t get them to stop shaking. He threw the lighter to the ground and took a seat on the nearby curb.

Nicky sat beside him. Andrew had ignored him up until then, not needed to deal with Nicky’s inevitable breakdown on top of everything. He had Andrew’s lighter in his hand. He flicked it a couple times to start the flame, protecting it from the wind with his other palm.

He held it up to Andrew so he could light his cigarette.

The first pull of smoke into his lungs was a relief. His heartbeat slowed. Another pull helped stop his fingers from trembling so much. Bee never encouraged his harmful habits, but he always found smoking to be so much more effective than the box-breathing technique she seemed intent to teach him.

Nicky was crying beside him, his face drawn and his mouth screwed up. He scuffed at the ground with his shoes, arms hanging limply over his knees. “They’ll find him,” Nicky said.

Poor, naïve Nicky. He didn’t know how easy it was to hide a body – especially if they were the type of people Andrew suspected they were. The last time, the feds only found Neil because of his uncle’s interference. What hope did they have for finding him this time?

Andrew knew Neil had a way to contact his uncle, but he never shared it with Andrew. He knew Neil wouldn’t leave information like that lying around, not even coded. He’d have memorized it, which meant there was no way for Andrew to contact Stewart and let him know what had happened.

The Moriyamas were also a possible option, but Andrew didn’t have a way to contact the main branch either. They were the type that would come to you if they needed something. And even if Andrew could contact them, that didn’t mean they’d be willing to do anything. That didn’t mean that they weren’t involved in the first place. Had they changed their mind? Had they decided that Neil wasn’t worth the risk?

There were too many possibilities, and Andrew didn’t like a single one of them.

He took longer drags of his cigarette, exhaustion beginning to weigh him down. He’d remembered the last time Neil was taken – how angry and useless he’d been. There was nothing he could do but wait until the feds contacted them. He was sure that they were going to tell them that Neil was dead.

He remembered the relief he felt when he knew Neil was alive. The anger.

What the hell would Andrew do if they came back this time and told him Neil was dead? If they never found a body at all and Andrew spent the rest of his life wondering what happened to him?

Andrew pushed it all away and wrapped his apathy around himself like a protective cloak. The only thing that existed was the cigarette in his hands and his knives in the sheaths. This was familiar. This was safe.

Rain was beginning to fall. His cigarette was doused when he didn’t bother to protect it. He didn’t try to light a new one. The ambulance was gone and so was Kevin. Maybe it took him to the hospital. Maybe he found a different ride home. Nicky was still sitting beside him, silent and shivering from the cold. Andrew couldn’t tell the difference between tears or raindrops. Some of the cops were leaving, saying goodbye to others. They were probably heading home for the night or taking evidence back to the precinct.

The feds were still standing around. Useless. Fucking useless.

“Hey.” Nicky waved a hand in front of his face. His voice was rough and strained. “We should get back in the car. At least it’ll be warmer.”

Andrew didn’t respond.

“Andrew. Give me the keys.” Nicky crouched in front of him, arms wrapped around himself to keep warm.

Eventually, Andrew dug his numb fingers into his pocket and handed his keys to Nicky.

“Come on.” Nicky waited for Andrew to stand before heading off towards the Maserati. Nicky stood by the passenger side, then opened the door for Andrew, gesturing for him to get in.

Andrew’s wet clothes would probably damage the seats, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He expected Nicky to get in the driver side right away, but instead saw him walk away to speak to one of the officers. Moments later, Nicky returned and started the vehicle, hurrying to turn on the heat. He held his fingers up to the vents with a sigh.

“I told him you and Neil were together. He said he’ll see what he can do about getting you updates on the situation. I gave him your number,” Nicky said.

Andrew knew they wouldn’t tell him anything useful. Anything the cops found out, they wouldn’t share and risk compromising their investigation.

“They said they might call you in for questioning tomorrow,” Nicky continued. “See if there’s anything you might remember that could help. They already took Kevin’s statement.”

When Andrew still didn’t give him a response, Nicky buckled his seatbelt. “Let’s go home,” Nicky said.

Chapter 3 - Neil

“Good job, idiot.” There was a smack and a gasp of pain. “You could’ve slit his throat by accident and then all this would be for nothing.”

Neil focused on calming his breaths, counting in his head. His body was aching, but he forced himself to turn onto his side so he could see his attackers. They were dressed in dark clothes, faces still covered. One had a knife, which he wiped off on his pants before he put it in his back pocket.

“I thought he was supposed to be afraid of them. You two didn’t have a good handle on him, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try.” The man said. “Sorry, sir.” He glanced towards the third man in the back of the van with them. He was burlier than the others. He hadn’t talked yet.

“I’d prefer to keep this from getting too ugly,” the leader said. “Although, how this happens from here on out will be entirely up to Nathaniel.”

Neil twisted his wrists in the cuffs, testing them. He wouldn’t be able to slip out of them. They were sturdy and good quality. He was stuck in them until someone used the key or cut them off. However, his legs were left free, which was one point in Neil’s favour.

“What do you want?” Neil asked. He didn’t think it could be anything good, but he’d be a fool to ignore information if they were offering it. He didn’t believe he had control of the situation for an instant. Whenever his father told him that ‘what happened was up to him’, it just meant he got to choose one hurt from another.

The leader crouched before Neil and removed his mask. His face was surprisingly good natured – bearded and jolly like a mall Santa. It tickled the back of Neil’s mind, but he couldn’t place where he saw him before. The leader waited expectantly; eyebrows raised.

“I think I’d remember someone as ugly as you,” Neil said.

That earned him a laugh. “Can’t say I’m surprised you don’t,” he said. “You were pretty young and we only met a couple times. That mouth you have on you now is sure a change. You used to be a pretty quiet kid, but I suppose your daddy was to thank for that.”

Neil didn’t respond. He scanned the van. The two others in the back had settled into their seats. The front of the van was blocked off from the back, but Neil guessed it would only fit two people – one driver and one passenger. Therefore, he was dealing with five people at most. Four if he was lucky.

“Can’t say I’m sad to see him go. He really monopolized the business in the area, which is a shame, since he worked for the Japanese. See, my colleagues and I were looking to capitalize on the gaps he left behind before the Moriyamas regain their footing. I personally think its best for us Americans to run things on American soil, don’t you?”

“How patriotic,” Neil said.

“Now you’re getting it.” The man patted Neil on the shoulder, smiling like he didn’t see the flinch. “Don’t think I don’t know that the Moriyama’s have a deal with you. I’ve seen the results of your trials. It’s only you father’s people dropping one by one as the feds pick up their trails.”

Neil had been giving his testimony over the past few months. It was a long and tedious process that left him more exhausted than he could’ve imagined. He only occasionally had to fly out of the state, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t spending hours with agents that asked far more questions than Neil felt comfortable answering. 

“What, are you next on the fed’s list or something?” Neil said. “Do you want me to retract some testimony?”  

“No, no.” The leader waved a hand and laughed. “Not at all, unless of course you told them something about me. However, you already confirmed you didn’t recognize me, and I’m quite good at finding out when someone is lying. You’re not lying to me right now, are you Neil?”

“No.”

“Good. I’d really hate for our friendship to start out like that.”

“Yeah,” Neil said. “We’re really starting off on the right foot here.” He twisted his wrists in his handcuffs, his shoulders beginning to ache from the strain. “You’re great at making friends.”

“Alright, alright.” The leader laughed. “You’ve got me there. But we can talk some more, and then we’ll see what we can do about removing the handcuffs.” He gestured to one of the men sitting down. “Water.”

The leader was handed a bottle, which he opened with a crack. He held it out to Neil with a raised eyebrow.

Neil glared. “I’m not drinking anything you offer me.”

“Fair.” The man shrugged and the chugged almost half the bottle. Then held it out again, wiggling it. “It’s clean. And you do sound hoarse. Are you sure?”

Neil gritted his teeth. “I’m sure.”

Another shrug. The leader leaned to the side and grabbed a black bag. From it, he withdrew a first-aid kit. He put on latex gloves. He pulled out a piece of cloth, then wet it with some of the water. Neil fought to keep still as the man leaned down and began cleaning the blood from his face and neck.

“Whatever the Moriyama’s have offered you, I’ll cut you a better deal.” He was painstakingly gentle around the gash on Neil’s cheek, bisecting the scars that were already left from Lola. “You’d be under my protection. Technically, under my employer’s protection, but he’s willing to allow me to negotiate in his place with you.”

“That must make you feel important.”

Neil hissed as he pressed the cloth directly to the wound.

“Try not to move around so much. You’re interfering with it clotting.” He held the cloth to Neil’s cheek with one hand, reaching back into the first-aid kit with the other. He held up a needle so Neil could see it. “I trust this won’t make you squeamish.”

Neil fought to keep his breathing even. He was used to be stitched up without anesthetic. He’d done it to himself numerous times. When he couldn’t, it was his mother that had. That was when she was at both her best and her worst. Sometimes she would run her fingers through Neil’s hair to calm him. Other times she’d smack him when he wasn’t keeping still.

He bore the pain before. He could do it again. He tried not to think of his mother stitching him up. He tried not to think of Lola carving into his face. The needle dug into his skin, hooking up and dragging the thread through and through. Skin pulling and pulling until it was pressed back together. The snip of scissors cutting the thread was far too close to his eye for comfort.

“There’s one,” the leader said. “Under normal circumstances, I think ten would do it, but the existing scar tissue makes it a little more difficult, so I’ll probably end up doing about thirteen.”

Neil couldn’t stop the strangled noise that escaped him.

“You should really be more thankful, Nathaniel. I’m trying to help you here. That’s all I’ve been doing this entire time.” He began putting in the next stitch. “Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m no saint. How could I be living in the world we live in? So, here’s how this is going to work. I help you. You help me.”

Neil closed his eyes and tried to pretend this wasn’t happened. He tried to focus on what the leader was saying, but everything was muffled by his thunderous heartbeat.

“I’ve done my research. The Moriyama’s take eighty percent of your salary once you go pro. And if you fail to make yourself useful, well. Then it’s bye-bye Nathanial. Now if it was me, I’d guarantee your livelihood. I’d take only sixty and arrange an alternative option for you if Exy didn’t pan out. I think that’d be a fair deal.”

Neil wasn’t sure what sound he made, but the leader must’ve taken it as an affirmative.

“So here’s what I need from you. I’ve heard you’ve got some information about the Moriyama’s operations in the eastern states. I need you to tell me all you know. All the people involved. Everything you’re keeping from the feds.”

Neil blinked. He spoke the best he could while moving his mouth as little as possible. “I don’t fucking know anything.”

The needle pressed into his cheek. Further and further. Neil felt it come through the other side. Press against his tongue.

“Don’t bother lying to me. I have my informant.”

Neil’s response was garbled as he tried to avoid brushing against the needle with his tongue. He still felt it scrap against it, filling his mouth with the taste of blood. “Then why don’t you ask the informant?”

“Because I’m asking you.” The leader withdrew the needle. Smiled. “So, I’ll ask you to think over your next answer. I’m a patient man.” He went back to stitching Neil’s cheek.

Neil didn’t know what he was expected to say. Sure, he knew the Moriyama’s were connected with his father and his associates. He could make some educated guesses about the why, but not the who, what, when or where. He didn’t have any useful information to give, nor did he know why these people thought he did. But there was no way he could tell them that. If he did, they’d only torture him more before inevitably killing him. However, if Neil pretended to play along…

“How can I be sure you’ll make good on your word?” Neil asked as the leader finished his tenth stitch. “How do I know you can protect me? Keep me from being killed by the Moriyama’s once they’ve found out I’ve told you?”

It was a gamble, to pretend he knew anything useful at all. But Neil had to operate under the impression that they were already certain he had information to offer. Otherwise he wouldn’t be alive in the first place.

Neil braced himself for another jab in the cheek, but it didn’t come. The leader likely expected some reluctance from him. He certainly couldn’t expect Neil to give up the information easily, even with the way they’d already threatened him. Nathaniel was the son of the butcher and had seen and experienced far worse than this.

“We’ll be making our move during the off-season for your little sport. You can stay under our protection for a few weeks while we accomplish the takeover. The feds won’t know anything and the Moriyama’s won’t be able to touch you. It’ll all be done before you know it. You can go back to playing and studying at Palmetto like nothing ever happened.”

“Sounds too good to be true,” Neil said.

He was almost done stitching Neil’s face. What would happen once he was? Would he do something else to hurt him?

“I assure you; it isn’t. I understand you’re afraid. It’s a difficult position to be in, but I know you’ll make the smart choice.” He cut the last stitch, then patted Neil’s injured cheek. “All done. Only ended up using twelve.”

Up until this moment, the ground they were driving on was relatively smooth. It was pavement when they were in the city, followed by more of the same, but at a greater speed on the highway. Now they were driving on what felt and sounded like gravel. They were headed somewhere rural. Somewhere people wouldn’t hear or see them. Somewhere Neil’s body probably wouldn’t be found.

Neil didn’t believe the leader for a second. Even if Neil ended up giving him everything he wanted – even if he could – it would all end the same way for him. If he was a liability to the Moriyama’s, then he was to these American mobsters too.

He had to toe the line just right. The leader promised he’d possibly uncuff Neil’s hands if he behaved. He planned to hold him to that request.

Neil sighed. “What exactly do you want to know?” He had to be careful with what he gave away. Anything he said here could make it back to the Moriyama’s. He couldn’t risk telling them anything important that could be correct, but he also somehow had to make it convincing enough that the leader would think he was telling the truth. How much did they already know?

Usually when his father was interrogating someone, he’d begin with a question that he already knew the answer to. He’d know if he was being told the truth. He’d keep going until they began to tell it. And if they didn’t, then they were either too resistant for that method to work, or didn’t know anything in the first place.

Would the leader begin the same?

“Why did your father work in Baltimore instead of West Virginia?”

Neil frowned. He didn’t think he even had to lie for most of this question. He took what he knew and hoped what he assumed was correct. “The branch family largely runs the business in the eastern states. However, my father was one of the select people who operated under the main family’s command from Baltimore. While they often did work for the branch family, their loyalty was entirely to the main one in New York. The proximity wasn’t just for the branch’s benefit; it was in case they also needed discipline.”

The leader nodded. His eyes gleamed. Neil didn’t know if that was good or bad. Was he being lulled into a false sense of security?

“And where did they operate out of?”

“Before my father’s arrest, they worked out of his law firm and his home.” There were such a large number of people that came through both that Neil was sure it was possible.  “My father’s associates were also implicated, as I’m sure you know from the trials. While the Moriyama’s have replaced their lawyers since my father’s downfall, they haven’t continued to operate out of the law firm.”

A gesture to keep going.

Neil wracked his brain. He didn’t know much about Ichirou, other than the fact that he valued that which his father did. He respected Neil’s father and what he did. However, he also would want to distance himself from the people the feds were arresting.

He didn’t know what to tell the leader. He didn’t know how to lie his way through this. Sweat trickled down his neck, making him shiver.

“Can I still have the water you offered earlier?” Neil asked.

The leader helped Neil sit up against the door. His skin crawled everywhere he touched him, but he couldn’t let it show on his face. He needed to buy himself some time, but he didn’t think he had anymore of it. The van was slowing, taking more sharp curves. It was rocking with every divot and pothole they hit.

The leader came closer. He held up the bottle to Neil’s lips. The van slowed. Neil had thrown himself out of moving vehicle enough times to know whether the fall would likely kill him. He knew how likely he would be to break a limb. He knew how much it would hurt.

The handle to open the sliding door was right beside his head.

“You’d better not do anything stupid, Nathaniel.” Maybe he saw something in Neil’s eyes.

“But it’s my best quality.”

Neil kicked him as hard as he could. The leader made a wheezing sound as he fell back. The others shouted. Neil almost fell over as the driver began to break. He pushed himself onto shaking legs. The leader was back on his feet, lunging for Neil, but he braced against the door as he kicked him again. Neil felt behind him until his fingers hooked the handle. He yanked the door open just enough to throw himself out of it.

He landed on his side, tucking his chin so he wouldn’t knock himself out with the initial impact. The momentum made him roll and he felt a sickening crack in one of his arms as they were trapped under his back. There was a familiar sensation as the gravel tore into his skin. Then he was on softer ground as he ended up somewhere in the ditch.

Neil didn’t have time to take in all his injuries. He assessed his legs as he forced himself to stand, the world spinning around him. So long as his legs were working, he could run, and that was all that mattered.

He heard screeching brakes and tires sliding on gravel. The van was coming to a stop a little down the road from him. The men were beginning to get out. Neil took in his surroundings. They were in a thick wooded area, the roading curving through the forest. He had a few dozen feet before he’d be able to escape into the trees.

Neil took off, his entire body aching with every step. The jostling of his broken arm was the worst, but he gritted his teeth and bore it. There was a sharp crack as a gun went off, but Neil didn’t feel it connect.

There was more shouting, but Neil heard only the leader’s voice clearly.

“I want him alive!”

Neil made it to the relative safety of the trees and kept going.

[odetojupiter]

I'm really confused about this, but can you tell me where Aaron grew up with Tilda?

hiii! so nicky tells neil and the upper classmen in the raven king that aaron was born and raised in san jose, which is california. it’s just after the twins 13th birthday that aaron crosses paths with higgins and finds out he has a twin (so that would be november), and then the following march is when andrew goes to juvie. tilda and aaron move to south carolina 2 months after andrew goes to juvie (so, in may), which means aaron lived in san jose CA for just over thirteen years and in columbia SC up until they go to palmetto.

[purpleshadow-star]

Does anyone know how long Andrew was with Aaron and Tilda before he killed her? Because I've read the series 3 times and I was convinced that it was never mentioned... until I was looking for something random in the first book and came across this:

So, here's a rough timeline of Andrew's life (mentions of SA, as per Andrew's backstory):

Born: put in the system

7 years old: His first time being SA. Steven (foster father) makes him say please

7 (or 8)-12 years old: SA at least 2 more times (Jesse and Samuel)

Overall 0-12 years old: moves around 12 different houses, none of them good

12 years old: Moves in with the Spears, start of Drake

12-13 years old: Andrew meets Higgins

13 years old: Higgins meets Aaron, Aaron contacts Andrew, Andrew gets himself thrown in juvie (in March)

(Side note in May of that year Tilda moves herself and Aaron to Columbia)

13-16 years old: Andrew is in juvie, starts playing Exy

15 years old: Aaron, Luther and Andrew meet for a half hour while Andrew is in juvie

16 years old: Andrew leaves juvie, moves in with Aaron and Tilda, Aaron and Andrew make their deal, 5mo later he kills Tilda, moves in with Nicky, gets Aaron clean, starts playing Exy in high school

17 years old: starts working at Eden's, meets Roland (who was 22-23), starts his thing with Roland, Andrew defends Nicky and get put on the drugs

17-18 years old (Sr year of hs): visited by Kevin and Riko

17-18 (most likely 18, 1 month after the Kev&Riko stuff): recruited to the Foxes by Wymack

18 years old: Andrew graduates, starts with the Foxes

18-19 years old: 1st year of college, Betsy tells Andrew the story of Robin Cross during one of their sessions

19 years old: meets Kevin and makes their deal

19 years old: The Foxhole court

19-20 years old: The Raven King, 2nd year of college

20 years old: The Kings Men

20-21 years old: 3rd year or college

21 years old: The Goxes go skiing

21-22 years old: 4th year of college

22 years old (February): Andrew tells Wymack to recruit Robin Cross

22 years old (July or August): (Robin joins the team in June) Andrew tells Robin to fight back, takes Robin to Eden's and they talk, Andrew allows Robin into the group and has her move in with them, starts sharing a bed with Neil

22-23 years old: 5th year of college, Andrew teaches Robin how to use Renee’s knives, Andrew (and the rest of the monsters that are left) help Robin get better at Exy

23 years old: Andrew graduates, he leaves Robin his knives (and Nicky leaves her a key to the Columbia house)

23 years old: Andrew joins his 1st pro team

24 years old: Neil graduates

24-25 years old: Andrew continues on the 1st pro team, Neil joins a different pro team, they make an effort to see each other

25 years old: Andrew joins a pro team with a former Raven as the coach, Andrew and Neil make an effort to see each other a lot

26 years old: Neil joins Andrew's team,

26+ years old: Neil and Andrew move in together and get cats, the rest of his life

(24+ years old (as in at some point during his professional Exy career but idk when): he qualifies for Court, they win gold at the Olympics)

That took quite a bit of research, but it was fun to make! Everything is confirmed through the books and the Extra Content. If there wasn't an exact year I put a range. Should I do a timeline for anyone else?

I didn’t go into details with the stuff in the books but I totally could. I already have a timeline of specific events with exact dates in the books if anyone is interested. Let me know and I'll post it!

[aftgficrec]

Staff Recs - A Skulk of Foxes

This month’s recs feature fics with a whole lotta Foxes. -AFTG Fic Rec Fam

what’s yours is mine by bazookajo94 [Rated T, 15534 Words, Complete 2021]

Neil sees Kevin Day everyday at the train station, but Kevin Day never recognizes Neil.

When Kevin finally does notice Neil, he also immediately falls on the train tracks and succumbs to a coma of indeterminate length.

Then all of Kevin’s friends and family assume Neil is dating Kevin, and Neil doesn’t know how to tell them he hasn’t spoken to Kevin—or anybody at all, really—for almost seven years.

So Neil lets the Foxes think he’s dating Kevin. Just for a little while. Just until Kevin wakes up.

(tw: implied/referenced suicidal ideation, tw: scars)

reaching for the heights by loveroulettes [Rated M, 119203 Words, Incomplete, Updated Feb 2022]

"I'm not a hallucination."

The warmth of Neil supported that. So Andrew said the next most reasonable thing, "You're a pipe dream." An awful fantasy Andrew dreamed up through all the stupid misery in his life. He didn’t want to believe in the reality of him. Not when he was beautiful and close, trying to make Andrew believe that he was worth something.

--

The King's Men in Andrew's POV

(tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: violence, tw: dead animal, tw: alcohol, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced torture)

The Foxhole Force by Luna_Moon_26_20 [Rated T, 169200 Words, Incomplete, Updated July 2022]

Neil Josten did not expect to find trouble within the hour of arriving to Palmetto City, yet trouble seemed to find him in the version of some scary looking Ravens looking to recruit him to join their ranks.

Suddenly, Neil finds himself in the middle of a war between the Ravens and... and... who are those people again? And Neil is supposed to be their leader now? That was definitely not on Neil’s agenda.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Or otherwise known as the Power Ranger AU I just had to write because the idea got stuck in my head and how is the idea of the foxes being Power Rangers not appealing?

Come give this story a chance and, who knows? You might be hooked!

(tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: violence, tw: blood)

Make This Leap (Geronimo) by Firefly_shy [Rated T, 24021 Words, Incomplete, Updated July 2022]

At the request of his therapist, British-American Neil Hatford begins attending Palmetto High after being unsuccessfully home schooled by his retired FBI agent uncle. Neil just wants to quietly survive until graduation (or until he can run away), but he's going to have to make friends instead. Meanwhile, high school junior Andrew Minyard has a well-deserved reputation for violence, attends a bi-weekly book club, and lives to annoy his foster brother, Kevin Wymack.

Will Andrew ever finish his book report? Will Neil choose Exy or the Academic Team? Will Katelyn ever get Aaron's number? Will Nicky ever get a clue about anything?

Read more to find out.

(tw: implied/referenced csa, tw: implied/referenced child abuse)

The Game is True Columbia. by bazerella [Rated M, 102,729 Words, Incomplete, Updated July 2022]

Andrew decides it's time to move out of his childhood home and answers an ad on Craigslist. His new roommates are not at all what he expected and he's convinced all three of them share a single braincell.

Matt is a former boxer with teddy bear tendencies; Kevin is petty, proud and never seems to not have an opinion; and Neil is an underachiever with a bit of mystery surrounding him that Andrew can't help be intrigued by.

Somewhere along the way they form a bit of a dysfunctional family along with Andrew's twin brother Aaron.

(tw: alcohol)

In Reel and Rout by maydaykevin [Rated M, 91936 Words, Complete, 2022]

On the hunt for treasures large and small, Neil and his Foxes stumble across something far more extraordinary. Adventure ensues, paths are carved, and the sea takes as much as it gives.

(tw: violence, tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: scars, tw: blood/gore, tw: implied/referenced torture)

Crazy Rich Neil by bazookajo94 [Rated T, 11553 Words, Complete, AFTG Big Bang 2021]

When Andrew returns home for his brother’s wedding with a scarred man in tow, everyone and the world assumes that Neil won’t be able to survive the Foxes, notorious for their hazing of new people trying to join their special brand of family.

But as soon as Neil realizes that the Foxes don’t have a problem with him but actually with Andrew, one of their own, Neil decides it’s time to show everyone and the world who the real monster is:

one very crazy, very rich, very much-in-love-with-Andrew-Minyard, Neil Josten.

NB: fic art by @sleepytimelea here and @pnkmoneel here

The Greatest Show by sirfatcat_mccatterson [Rated T, 23106 Words, Complete, AFTG Big Bang 2021]

Dan Wilds has always dreamt of fame and fortune. Exotic performances, daring feats, flashing lights. If the whole world is a stage, her life was to be the greatest show on earth. After some hard work, Dan and her family seem to have it all. And it was them against the world.

When a charismatic singer pulls her away from her family, she has to fight to get her life back, and hope that it's not too late to save what's left.

NB: fic art by @punchsomeoneforme-willyou here

The Sound by jemwrites [Rated M, 17796 Words, Complete, 2019]

The cottage looked unassuming and quaint, with a wooden ramp up to the front porch and rose bushes beneath the windows. A little sign was nailed above the door, reading The Foxhole. It seemed peaceful. Quiet

Its patrons, however, were neither of those things. Neil could already hear the raucous lot from where he was stood outside the door. Having never spoken to anyone outside of rare, whispered words to his uncle, or his cat, or his mother's grave, Neil knew this would be interesting.

A blond woman opened the door with a smile and glittering eyes. Neil's stomach rolled over itself. He hoped this wasn't a dumb decision.

(tw: violence, tw: derogatory language)

Maybe it was the Zombies by ennui_ephemera [Rated M, 45441 Words, Complete, AFTG Big Bang 2018]

“Turn it off. I can’t watch this any longer,” Matt said.

“We need to know what’s going on,” Andrew replied flatly.

“Andrew, we know what’s going on – the fucking world is ending. I don’t want to see it anymore.” Matt grabbed the remote off the couch beside Neil and flicked the TV off. Andrew didn’t move to stop him.

Near the end of Neil’s last year at Palmetto, an outbreak of a disease, nicknamed the Brazilian Fever, throws the world into anarchy when the diseased bodies that started piling up acquired a hunger for flesh. With so much on the line, Neil and the rest of the Foxes decide Palmetto isn’t safe anymore. While decked out in orange and Exy sticks, there’s zombies, violence, enemies dead and alive, and the underlying need for survival.

NB: Zombie Apocalypse Au art for this fic by @cats-are-assholes 

(tw: blood/gore, tw: gun violence, tw: alcohol, tw: vomit, tw: infant death, tw: fire)

the foxhole hotshots by stormwarnings [Rated T, 16722 Words, Complete, AFTG Reverse Big Bang 2021]

Neil had gotten used to quick turnarounds, what with the suddenness that inmate firefighting often had. He’d learned to go where he was directed, when he was directed. But this was a different kind of toughness, the looks on the rest of the crew’s faces as they loaded up their gear. It wasn’t grim, or determined; they knew what they were heading for, and they were ready for it.

They were excited for it.

He wondered, briefly, why he was here. This was everything he’d sworn never to do. He didn’t love fire, not like these people did, and he didn’t love the land, not like they did. But he glanced around and saw them all talking and laughing, and him on the outside, and he thought, that. They were all pretty asshole-ish people. But for some reason all of them, even Andrew-Minyard-his-maybe-psycho-roommate, wanted to be here. Wanted to do this together. Wanted to be part of this family.

Neil wanted that with a bone-deep ache, so much it hurt.

NB: art for this fic by @buriedinbaltimore can be found here 

You're the Sunflower by Stjosten [Rated M, 40365 Words, Complete 2020]

Neil and Stuart make a deal. Neil will stay at Stuart’s house for the rest of the summer and in August Neil can decide if he wants to stay or if he wants to go. His decision is already made. There isn’t anything here for him and he knows that if he stops running he will be as good as dead in a few months.

It’s unfortunate that this is the moment in his life when he finally meets a group of people that are willing to see past all of his never ending issues and give him a second chance at life. Even if they can manage to give him a thousand reasons to stay, he doesn’t think that it will be worth it in the end. He’s leaving and nothing is going to stop him, at least that’s what he keeps telling himself.

A summer trope filled story that takes place over three months.

(tw: panic attacks, tw: scars)

wingpeople by likearecord [Rated T, 11313 Words, Complete, 2021]

I mean, what else could Nicky have done when he spotted Andrew smiling at the hot guy making his coffee?

Not meddle?

Not get all the Foxes on board?

It's like you don't even know him.

take yourself home by moonix [Rated T, 18846 Words, Complete, 2020, Locked]

Despite his best efforts, Andrew finds himself a family.

[the-chicken-or-the-banana]

andreil and goodbye kisses (pt 3) ft. nicky

part 1, part 2 <3 ||| part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8

contrary to popular belief, nicky is actually a relatively observant guy, especially when it comes to his cousins

andrew is a bit more closed off than aaron, but even before nicky found out about andrew and neil, he noticed that andrew was a bit... lighter. happier, almost

so it comes as no surprise that he would be the next one to catch neil and andrew

the cousins, kevin, and neil all head over to Columbia one weekend after a stressful few weeks at school

and it's nice. relaxing. minimal chaos occurs

(ok sure, nicky realized that he forgot about a Marketing project and maybe kevin kept muttering about a "PDA draft" of some sort and yes, aaron nearly flushed his anatomy flashcards down the toilet but that's beside the point)

the five of them had originally planned to come back to PSU on sunday morning so everyone could catch up on their work

but kevin and aaron had gotten weirdly competitive over dance dance revolution the previous night

so everyone was severely lacking in the sleep department

(there was a collective decision to forget about school and instead stay in bed until 1 pm)

nicky ends up waking up around noon though, feeling more rested than usual

and of course, being the oldest person there, nicky decides to check in on everyone, make sure all his "children" were doing okay

he peeps into aaron's room. he finds aaron half off the bed and goes in to quietly fix his cousin's blanket

he peeps into kevin's room. he finds kevin sleeping perfectly straight and wrinkles his nose at the sheer strangeness of sleeping like a literal rod

he peeps into andreil's room. he find them... not there?

now, for all of nicky's good qualities, it cannot be said that he's always the most rational person

so he races over to aaron's room, ready to break down the door screaming that his favorite couple has gone missing

just as he's about to fling open the bedroom door, he hears a quiet laugh coming from downstairs

he freezes

"right. there's another half to the house. i remembered that"

nicky quietly drops his hand and moves away from aaron's room, tiptoeing down the stairs

he moves around the house, unable to find the source of the laugh until he finally reaches the kitchen

there, he finds andrew sitting atop the counter, his legs wrapped around neil, their noses nearly touching

nicky can't see neil's face, but he does notice neil playing with his and andrew's hands, occasionally bringing them up to press a kiss to andrew's knuckles in the middle of conversation

andrew says something quietly to neil, causing him to laugh again and lean up to kiss andrew

(it does not escape nicky's notice that this is the first time andrew has been taller than neil, but really, the adorableness of his two stabby children takes greater precedence over that)

nicky wants to keep looking, wants the reassurance that his cousin is safe and happy and loved

but he also knows that andrew is a private person and nicky should respect his wishes

nicky trusts his cousin. really, he does. it's just— andrew has been through so much, and getting like 5 more seconds of confirmation that andrew's doing okay wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

the beeping of the coffee pot jerks nicky out from his thoughts

he decides to leave, that andreil will be going fine and strong even without his intervention

but in the few seconds it takes to make his decision, something so adorable happens that nicky's poor heart stops functioning for a moment

andrew pouts — pouts! — and tightens his grip on neil, not uncrossing his legs

neil rolls his eyes and brings his hands up to andrew’s face, caressing his cheeks

neil kisses andrew on the nose

andrew hums and begrudgingly lets go of neil

nicky is internally hyperventilating

he’s frozen to the spot as neil pours the coffee into mugs and brings them back to the counter

andrew takes his mug and promptly wraps his legs around neil’s waist again, burying a hand in neil’s hair

he runs a hand through it slowly, bringing it down until his hand is resting on the back of neil’s neck, their foreheads nearly touching

nicky suddenly turns away, feeling raw and surprised by the amount of intimacy he just saw

he lets out a breath. they’ll be okay. andrew’s going to be okay.

he goes back up to his room and lies in his bed, mind running a million miles an hour

after a few seconds of staring up at the ceiling, he turns over, burying his face in his pillow, and screams a muffled proclamation that andreil is the cutest ship to have ever sailed

(a few hours later when they’re on the road back to PSU, aaron turns and asks nicky why he heard screaming coming from his room. nicky shrugs.

“i was just really hoping that the titanic situation doesn’t occur again. wouldn’t want my favorite ship to sink, you know?”)

[otdiaftg]

The Raven King - Chapter Seven

Day: Thursday, October 5th Time: 11:30 PM EST

"I mean literally soft. Too many curves, see? I feel like my hands would slide right off. It's totally not my thing. I like..." He drew a box with his fingers as he searched for words. "Erik. Erik's perfect. He's a total outdoors junkie, rock climbing and hiking and mountain biking, all that awful bug-infested fresh-air stuff. He's stronger than I am, and I like that. I feel like I could lean on him all day and he wouldn't break a sweat." "Funny," Nicky said. "That didn't used to be my type. None of the others I crushed on growing up were anything like that. Maybe that's why none of them could help me." Nicky turned his hands palm-up on the table and considered them. "My parents are kind of crazy, you know? There's religious and there's super psychotic religious. Me and Renee, we're the decent sort, I think. We go to different churches and have some different ideas, but we respect each other anyway. We understand that religion is just an interpretation of faith. But my parents are the black-and-white crazy kind. It's only right and wrong with them: hellfire and damnation and judgment from on high. "For some reason I tried coming out to them anyway," Nicky said. "Mom was pretty upset. She locked herself in the bedroom and cried and prayed for days. Dad took a more direct route and shipped me off to Christian gay camp. I spent a year learning that I was infected by a disgusting idea from the devil, that I was a living test for every other good Christian on the planet. They tried using God to shame me into being straight. "It didn't work," Nicky said. "For a while I wished it did. I went home feeling like an abomination and a failure. I couldn't face my parents like that, so I lied. I pretended to be straight for the rest of high school. I even dated a couple girls. I kissed a couple of them, but I used my faith as an excuse never to get further than first base. I knew I just had to keep it together until graduation. "I hated my life so much," Nicky said. "I couldn't do that, you know? I couldn't live a lie like that day after day. I felt trapped. Some days I thought God abandoned me; sometimes I thought I failed Him. Halfway through my junior year I started thinking about suicide. Then my German teacher took me aside and told me about a study abroad program. She would set it all up for me, she said, if my parents would sign off on it. She'd handle admissions and get a host family and everything. It'd be expensive, but she thought I needed a change in scenery. Guess she knew I was that close to the edge. "I didn't think Mom and Dad would go for it, but they were so proud of me for my so-called recovery they agreed to let me go my senior year. I just had to last another semester and then I could go. I was so desperate to get out of there I didn't even really pay attention when Aaron and Aunt Tilda moved to Columbia that spring. All I cared about was keeping it together until May. I know now I should have tried harder, but I would've been no good to him how I was. "When the plane took off from Columbia, I was scared to death," Nicky said. "I was so relieved to leave my parents and everyone I knew, but I didn't know if being in Germany would change anything. When I landed, my new host brother was waiting for me in Arrivals. Erik Klose," Nicky said, sounding it out like he was saying it for the first time. "He taught me to believe in myself. He showed me how to balance my faith and my sexuality, and he made me okay again. I know it sounds dramatic, but he saved my life." Nicky flipped his hands over and laced his fingers together. The look he turned on Neil was as reassuring as it was worried and made Neil want to edge away. "That's what love is about, see? That's why Exy isn't ever going to be enough, not for you or Andrew or anyone. It can't hold you up, and it won't make you a stronger or better person."

Art used with permission by Kurra. Thank you @kurra !