Follow Your Passion: A Seamless Tumblr Journey
I always wondered how the foxes would react to finding out that it was andrew that "hit on" neil first (specially Kevin, since he was just standing right there while that happened)
(now, i don't think they would willing just talk about it but if one of them slip up...)
Btw: i absolutely adored the goodbye kisses series
AHHH sorry for being so MIA lately but i'm absolutely loving this! also i'm realizing that i'm very bad at actually getting to the point so enjoy a shit ton of irrelevant exposition :)
read it on ao3 here
— ··· —
Kevin didn't understand why they had to come to the zoo. It was smelly, there were kids screaming everywhere, and he'd nearly been stepped on three times in the past 10 minutes. He much rather preferred exy to this.
Team bonding sucked.
He trudged along beside Aaron as Dan, Matt, and Nicky actually tried socializing with the new Foxes. Normally, Kevin would jump at the chance to talk about exy with these recruits, but also, normally he didn't feel like he'd just just rolled through a flaming dumpster filled with screeching, pooping monkeys.
Kevin let out a sigh as they passed some sort of mildly interesting snake exhibit. He nudged Aaron, who was on his phone with a red face, which meant he was either texting lovey-dovey things to Katelyn or blasting an idiot in his Ochem class. You never really knew with him.
"Aaron."
Aaron just scowled at him. Kevin sighed again. Conversing was always so much more exhausting than he anticipated.
"Snakes."
"What."
"Do you want to... see the snakes?"
Aaron blinked in confusion. "Okay?"
Kevin led them to the snakes.
There, they shoved past some families and made it to the front of the glass enclosure.
"Well?" Aaron asked. "Now what do we do?"
Valid question, Kevin thought. He hadn't really considered what they were doing. He just wanted to see snakes.
He told Aaron as much, who rolled his eyes aggressively and went back to his phone.
Kevin felt a tap on his shoulder and twisted around, coming face-to-face (well, more like chest-to-face) with some sort of tour or information guide.
"Hi!" she smiled all too brightly. Kevin wanted to cover his eyes. "How are you enjoying the exhibition?"
"Um," Kevin gulped eloquently, then remembered his media training. "Oh yeah, it's great!"
"Awesome," she beamed. "You know, there's a snake feeding session in about 5 minutes if you and your son are interested."
Kevin's face contorted in confusion. He whirled around, assuming some tiny, lost child was latched near him, but when he turned back, the lady — Sandy — had her gaze intensely focused on the only other small person near him: Aaron.
Oh dear.
Aaron seemed to come to the same conclusion as Kevin did because his eyes widened comically and he hissed "I. am. not. his. son."
Sandy blinked owlishly. "Little brother then?"
Aaron threw his hands up. "I am 21! Leave me alone." He then proceeded to stomp out of the enclosure, dragging Kevin along and leaving a very flummoxed old lady behind them.
"I can't believe it," Aaron kept muttering. "Your son. Your son! I hate life."
Kevin was a bit miffed that he hadn't actually been able to see the snakes, but he figured Aaron's plight was slightly more significant than that.
After a few moments of silent walking (Kevin) and angry grumbing (Aaron), Kevin realized he couldn't see any of the Foxes anymore. He glanced around, instinctively searching for Andrew.
"Hey, do you know where Andrew and Neil went?" Kevin asked.
Aaron scoffed. "They're probably making out somewhere."
"Who's making out?"
Aaron and Kevin both gave unholy screeches as they turned around to find Nicky standing between them, a wide, innocent grin on his face.
"What the fuck," Aaron complained. "Don't do that again, you bitch."
Nicky waved him off. "Shut up. Who's making out? Might be able to close some bets."
Kevin rolled his eyes. "We just can't find Andrew and Neil anywhere. Aaron seems to believe they're off deflowering a zoo Port-A-Potty or something."
"Well then, we wouldn't want to interrupt them, right?" Nicky winked. "Anyways, we're all going to the butterfly exhibit right now so y'all have to join us. I'm not taking no for an answer."
It seemed that they had no choice, so after sharing a resigned glance, Kevin and Aaron trudged behind an overly enthusiastic Nicky while he babbled on about some parrots that he saw. It really didn't seem as interesting as Nicky was making it out to be, but Kevin didn't want to say anything lest he was expected to participate in the conversation too.
They finally reached the butterfly exhibit where the other Foxes were waiting for them. They entered as a mass of loud, mildy buff, smelly athletes and got more than a few glares from the parents of young children who moved out of the way.
But in all this movement, the path cleared and Kevin found... Andrew and Neil? He was about to turn to Aaron and tell him that they evidently not making out, until he noticed how still Andrew was standing and the glee on Neil's face.
Nicky's gaze caught onto them a second later, because he squealed and grabbed Kevin's arm, jabbing his finger at the sight.
"Oh my God," he whispered. "Is that a butterfly on Andrew's nose? That is adorable."
Kevin squinted, and yes, that's exactly what it appeared to be. Nicky's outburst had caught Allison's attention, and she began marching over to Neil and Andrew, the rest of the Foxes in tow.
Kevin could already tell this was going to be a mess.
When they finally reached Andrew, Aaron was the first to speak. "What the fuck?" he asked flatly. Andrew glared at him. Slowly, as to not move the butterfly, he raised his hand to gently flip off his brother.
Nicky immediately started cooing. "Aww, don't worry Andrew! I think you look adorable."
Andrew began slipping out a knife.
On Allison's left, Kevin saw Dan practically shaking with laughter as she pulled out her camera and snapped a picture.
Neil opened his mouth, probably to tell off Dan but Nicky rushed in to talk to him.
"Soooo," he waggled his eyebrows. "I didn't know you could see the future, Neil."
Neil stared at him blankly and turned back to Andrew as he pulled out a map, but Nicky rallied on.
"Like, you must have been able to predict that one day Andrew was going to be this adorable. That's why you asked him out, right?"
"What?" Neil asked distractedly. "I never asked him out."
Kevin blinked in surprise. After a moment's consideration, he realized that considering how utterly oblivious Neil could be, it really was no shocker that Andrew had to ask him out first.
"Wait wait wait," Matt shook his head. "So Andrew asked you out?"
Neil waved them off as he continued squinting at the map he was holding. "Yes yes, just go ask Kevin, he was there."
All eyes turned to Kevin. Kevin was very lost.
"What the fuck," Aaron repeated. "I'm so confused."
"Me too," Kevin muttered. "Me too."
— ··· —
After their long day at the zoo was over, the Foxes finally began the trudge back up to their respective dorms. The younger Foxes dozed off immediately, but the older Foxes gathered in the girls' room to drop off the bags they had borrowed for the trip.
In all the commotion, no one really noticed Andrew and Neil leaving together. But right before they slipped out the door, Renee caught sight of them.
"Good night, you two!" she called. Neil turned around and gave her a tired wave, his body slumped on Andrew.
"Wait!" Nicky scrambled off the sofa. "Before I forget: Neil, how did Andrew ask you out?"
Neil blinked sleepily. "Well," he slurred. "He asked if he could blow me."
The room went silent.
Andrew heaved a sigh and dragged Neil out the door, leaving seven wide-eyed, very much awake athletes in their wake. Slowly, everyone turned to Kevin.
"You!" Allison weakly jabbed a finger in his direction. "You knew about this!"
Too late, Kevin realized what Neil's statement meant. Andrew had asked out Neil in front of Kevin. By offering sex. Nothing could have possibly ruined Kevin's night as much as this information had.
He met the Foxes' eyes slowly. Even Renee looked a bit surprised at Neil's admission, but she was clearly biting back a smile. "Trust me," Kevin groaned. "If I had known this had happened, I would have won myself so many bets."
"Damn," Nicky sighed. "I wish Erik and I had such an iconic story. Who knew the quiet, stabby cousin was such a horny gay bastard?"
"I," Aaron announced hotly. "have never wanted to forget a conversation more than this one."
"But Aaron. Andrew asked to blow him."
"Nicky, I swear— "
"OH MY GOD. They're probably having sex right now! Kevin, could you— "
Aaron put his head in his hands. "Please shut up now."
i had an idea i would love to see from your perspective (you're so good at andreil oh my god) if you wanted to write some stuff about it? i always wondered how andrew reacted when he first found neil missing after the binghampton game (starts pg 235 in the king's men). thoughts? (-- the ttyl blog <3)
omg i literally finished re-reading that scene before seeing your ask skjflsj ~ i hope you like this ! (i'm just realizing that i barely followed ur request and just rambled a lot but that's FINE 😬)
read it on ao3 here :)
«««———»»»
Andrew walked in line to the bus with the rest of the Foxes, mind going a million miles an hour behind his impassive expression.
"Thank you," Neil had said, eyes truer than Andrew had ever seen them. "You were amazing."
Andrew wasn't such a fool for Neil Josten that he couldn't figure out there was something more happening under the surface, something bigger than just an Exy shutout, that he wasn't telling anyone. Something forcing truth out of him.
Neil looked scared.
Apparently, no one else received the memo, because behind him, Matt Boyd kept kicking at Andrew's heels and Andrew could nearly see the nosy smile on Reynold's face. Boyd's voice was drowned out by the cacophony of both jeers and shouts of approval coming from all around them, but he had no doubts that Boyd was fishing for information surrounding his and Neil's "not this" to settle a bet of some sort.
Andrew didn't really care. He was more focused on leaving Binghamton, getting some answers out of Neil, and then kissing him senseless.
Of course, Andrew had no plans to tell Neil of that last item on the list, but he was sure he (and everyone else, apparently) knew anyway.
Maybe not Nicky, though. For all his cousin boasted about having an "incredible gaydar," he tended to be a bit clueless about Andrew.
Andrew's eyes were unfocused, gazing at the bounce of Neil's red curls while his thoughts wandered around nothing at all.
Nothing? his mind mused unhelpfully. Or Neil? Or is that one in the same now?
Shut up, he huffed internally. I hate him.
Lost in his head, it was only until he heard a pained curse from Aaron that he jerked straight and saw the world burning around him.
«««———»»»
Andrew's vision went red.
He nearly would have broken out of line and straight into the tidal wave of rioters had he not noticed the police trying to push back the crowd. He had never trusted the pigs, but Andrew supposed he could let them handle the mess until he'd gotten a chance to check on Aaron at the bus.
He had nearly fooled himself with that thought when an ice cooler sailed through the air and missed Danielle's face by an inch. An enraged shout came from Andrew's right, and he could feel the familiar heat of adrenaline in his stomach that always came when he and Renee sparred.
There was going to be a fight.
No sooner than he had that thought, the crowd around him exploded into madness, nearly running the Foxes over. Andrew may have been ready to throw some punches, but he was not at all prepared for the onslaught of unfamiliar bodies piling on him. Moving around him. Touching him.
Andrew couldn't breathe.
He lost sight of Neil's head in the mess, hoping one of the security guards would bring Neil to safety while Andrew tried to ground himself. What had Bee taught him?
What is your name? Andrew Minyard.
How old are you? 20 years old.
What is upsetting you? Hands. Everywhere.
Can you do something about it? Yes. I can move now.
He felt the glancing blow of someone's elbow on his face, nearly hitting his eye. It was sure to bruise later, but for now, the sharp pain mixed with Bee's words were enough to shake Andrew out of his stupor.
He ducked to the left, neatly missing a thrown shoe and was grateful to his limited stature for once. He kept an eye out for a flash of red, the glint of blue eyes, but seeing that Neil was nearly as short as Andrew himself, the effort was futile.
He'll be fine, Andrew thought. Find Nicky, Aaron, and Kevin, and get to the bus.
To his surprise (or maybe not), Andrew found Reynolds trading fierce blows with someone twice her size, Renee at her back. He caught Renee's glance and she gave him a firm nod of reassurance.
He nodded back, already swiveling to find the rest of his group.
After a few minutes, he spotted Nicky and Kevin huddled together, slowly moving to the edge of the crowd. He caught up and grabbed Nicky's wrist, who jerked away and reared his hand back for a punch before realizing it was Andrew.
Despite it all, Andrew felt a thrum of satisfaction. A few years ago, Nicky had let people beat him down over and over again. At least now he was learning to fight back.
"Oh thank god," Nicky cried, catching Kevin's attention, before his eyes widened. He reached out, remembering himself at the last second. "Andrew... your face, what happened?"
Andrew shrugged. He'd been through worse.
Nicky looked like he wanted to say something, but Kevin cursed loudly and began pushing out of the sea of bodies with renowned vigor.
"It's getting more violent and more people are joining," Kevin said, voice strained. "We need to get out and regroup at the bus."
"Aaron?" Andrew asked. Nicky glanced around a few moments before pointing to his right.
"There!" he exclaimed, and motioned to Kevin to go in that direction. Kevin nodded and they made their way over to Aaron, who was ducking under beer bottles and was nearly smacked in the face by a PSU banner.
"Aaron!" Kevin called, and Aaron's shoulders dropped with relief as he swerved a growing fight and made his way over to them.
Andrew scanned his brother quickly and, after seeing no visible injuries, motioned to start back towards the parking lot. They made their way over to the bus and found Boyd and Danielle standing, the former looking like he'd just lost a fight with a mountain lion.
Danielle was gripping his arm as Abby tended to his wounds, but Andrew heard her say he might need to go to the hospital for the more serious injuries. Boyd looked pained at the thought, but when he glanced up and caught Andrew's eye, he smiled and waved them over.
"Andrew, here," Abby said, noticing his injury. He took an ice pack from her and glanced around.
"Where's Neil?" he asked, choosing to ignore the suggestive look between Boyd and Danielle. Abby shrugged and opened her mouth before her eyes caught on something behind Andrew and she waved.
Andrew turned around to find Renee and Reynolds walking proudly towards them. Reynolds had a mosaic of bruises all over her, and Renee was holding her wrist precariously.
Abby sighed and began treating them as Wymack rounded the front of the bus and finally found his team.
Not the whole team, a ringing voice said in Andrew's head. Neil isn't here yet.
Which was odd, no? He had a security guard in front of him, surely he would have made it here first? Perhaps Wymack had seen him and taken him somewhere. Maybe he was already safe in the bus and Abby hadn’t noticed him.
Andrew pushed past Danielle and boarded the bus, walking the length of it but not finding a loudmouthed striker in its shadows. His stomach became knotted with a curious feeling he slowly identified as dread.
Andrew was at the door of the bus again. He looked at Wymack.
"Where. Is. Neil." he demanded. He saw Wymack's confused expression and before he even said anything, Andrew felt his heart stop.
"I don't know. I thought he was with you."
Reynold's knowing smirk gave way to uncertainty as the rest of the Foxes quieted. There was silence for a moment. Two.
Then Andrew threw his ice pack on the floor and raced back into the heart of the riot.
«««———»»»
He ignored the shouts coming from behind him, his mind an endless loop of Neil, Neil, Neil, is he safe, has he been hurt, he was supposed to be nothing, NEIL
After a few minutes of searching and more than a few near punches, the police finally regained some control over the situation and Andrew was able to scour the grounds for any hint of where Neil might be.
He saw the racquet first. The duffle bag was a few meters away from it.
Numbly, Andrew picked up both items, grabbing Neil's phone as it fell from the netted side pocket.
0, it said.
Andrew felt a piercing emptiness when he saw Neil's things without their rightful owner beside them.
He slowly walked back to the Foxes' bus, head pounding but unable to really register the dwindling fight behind him. And when the Foxes finally came in view, he saw the confusion on their faces when they saw no Neil walking with him.
Andrew mentally ran through everything that he knew. Neil was scared. He was running from someone, someone Kevin knew about? A zero on his phone from an unnamed number — a countdown, perhaps. He would never leave his things unattended, so maybe he wanted to tell Andrew he had been taken unwillingly, knowing that Andrew would never leave without him.
There was something he was missing, some vital piece of information that Neil hadn't told him that was causing this mess.
The guilty look on Kevin's face told Andrew everything he needed to know. He knew something.
He dumped Neil's things on the ground by Wymack's feet, mentally assessing himself. His cheek throbbed, each breath he took was sticky with sweat, his heart was pounding.
Neil was gone.
Andrew felt such a blind hot rage at that, the likes of which he hadn't felt in so long, the type where he felt like laughing at how cruel the world could be.
And before he could tell his body to stop, Andrew's hands were around Kevin's throat.
«««———»»»
"Shit Andrew! You're hurting— " "Andrew, stop— " "Get off of— "
«««———»»»
Andrew couldn't remember what happened after that, not immediately at least. It was a bit disorienting, going from a perfect recollection to being so overrun by anger that his mind went blank. Was this how everyone else felt all the time? He felt like someone just took out a Jenga piece from his mind, like it was close to collapsing.
Distantly, he recalled being yanked off of Kevin as he gasped some explanation about a mob boss, Kengo's right hand man, Nathaniel Wesninski. But none of it mattered. Andrew had broken his promise. He had hurt the person he had vowed to protect, just like so many had done to him.
And he still didn't have Neil.
«««———»»»
Neil used to make the emptiness a bit fuller, a bit easier to manage, Andrew thought. It felt so impossible to navigate himself now without Neil by Andrew's side.
«««———»»»
There was a hospital. A hotel. There were FBI agents. The news turned on. Off. On. There was another hotel. Handcuffs. Taken away.
«««———»»»
There was Nathaniel Neil. Standing in front of him. Blue eyes, wild hair, bandages unable to hide how irresistible he was, unable to stop the jolt in Andrew's heart.
There was Neil. And everything felt right again.