Matt And Neil’s Relationship Is So Sweet And I Just KNOW That As Soon As He Figured Out That Neil Loved

neil “i’m fine” josten telling wymack after coming back from evermore that no, no, he’s not alright just... pierces my heart every time i think about it. you can really see how much neil’s grown by how he finally begins to trust someone other than himself or his mom. he puts himself in such a vulnerable position when he reaches out, especially by asking for help from an older man (given his past). and the way that wymack drops everything during winter break to immediately rush to the airport, i just- 

it’s so wild that nicky and aaron could understand everything neil and andrew were saying to each other during the baltimore reunion scene, all the easy conversation and percentages and references to past comments, and they STILL had the absolute audacity to appear surprised when allison pointed out andreil’s not-a-thing relationship like-

love your hcs!!!! do you think you write one about the legacy neil left at palmetto and with the foxes. like he goes back when wymack retires. and next to where he carved his and andrews initials into the bed post just before andrew left, there’s other foxes initials and he sort of unknowingly created a tradition. or like eventually he gets his old exy racquet back from the cops and it sits at the court and before a game he slapped it so so did the rest of the team and has become a team ritual

hi anon - thank you so much! sorry for the delay, this week has really been something skhdskgjhd but i hope you enjoy <3 i had lots of fun with this :) 

years down the line, wymack is retiring (dan will be taking over for him)

neil and andrew are still playing pro together, but there’s a lull in their training and it’s nearing the end of the collegiate exy season, so they drive to palmetto together

andrew says he’s only going because he doesn’t want to have to deal with the cats alone

“you were alone with them for two weeks last year”

andrew pretends he doesn’t hear him

and then neil and andrew are standing outside wymack’s apartment, unannounced, and he grumbles that “at least you didn’t break in this time” but there’s fondness in his tone and he ushers them in

they have a night of comfortable chatter and silences, and andrew grabs the alcohol from the same cabinet it’s always been in. it’s familiar, and neil falls asleep on wymack’s couch with a smile on his face and andrew curled up on top of next to him 

and the next day, neil and andrew go to fox tower, and they walk the stairs that they know as well as they know each other

they get to the third floor, and a small group of foxes is leaving their dorm room, the one that used to belong to neil and andrew, when they see the two and just. freeze. 

it’s nothing new to be recognized by fans, but it’s weird for it to happen somewhere that feels like home. they tolerate it and ask if they could go into their old dorm room

the young foxes scramble to let them in and frantically pick up clothes and throw away trash to give the room some semblance of tidiness. neil and andrew don’t care

the bean bag chairs are gone, but there are still faint ash stains on the windowsill, and the crystal-clear memories of long since faded moments wash over neil

they drift over to the bedroom, and the young foxes leave them be as they silently make their way to the bunk. neil gingerly sits down onto his old mattress, andrew right beside him

andrew catches neil’s attention by tracing the carvings of their initials on the bed post, then trailing his finger down an array of other scrawled letters below. other initials, carved by foxes who came after them, and a smile ghosts over neil’s face because,,, he stopped running and he left solid evidence behind and people actually continued it after he was gone ?? and it’s such a weird thought but he loves it 

he asks the young foxes if there’s anything else that continued after he left

they show him the roof, fitted with new locks that have also since been sabotaged. it looks like their secret spot was less secret than they thought, but at least someone’s still enjoying it

they proudly demonstrate how they’ve all memorized neil’s riko roast which baffles him because that was never even televised ?? where did they hear it ????

andrew ofc will never tell him that he transcribed it when nicky asked him to. he doesn’t even really know why he listened, so there’s no way he’s ever going to try to explain it to neil

all of them have orange bandanas, which is a tradition that started neil’s second year and has apparently continued ever since

they don’t know that that’s where it started so they don’t mention it, but neil noticed from games 

they take neil and andrew to the court and show them the two lucky racquets (the drake one they got back from evidence when the case was closed and the one andrew used to shatter riko’s arm) and they all absent-mindedly tap them on their way in

it used to be a thing the foxes would only do before games, but slowly spread to. every single time they go to the court

apparently it’s also become custom for them to link arms on to way back to the bus after games, after neil’s kidnapping from binghampton

it took a while for them to get the order of the line right bc if they’re not careful, their attempt at keeping each other safe becomes a fist fight

bonus (not one of neil’s legacies): dan’s photo wall continues! they don’t ever take down pictures of the older foxes, just keep squeezing more pictures in. it expands beyond only one wall to every wall of the foyer, and they’re still having trouble finding room. sometimes they have to pile photos on top of each other

they also mention that movie nights are still a thing! they’re bi-weekly, and they always try to find a classic movie that at least one of the foxes has never seen bc of a shitty childhood

night practices are also still happening. not everyone goes every night, but a couple of the keeners do

“junkies”

neil is,,, stunned, honestly. he didn’t ever imagine he could have this concrete of an impact, didn’t think he could keep existing in a place even after he left it

before, he’d never wanted to be remembered. the idea slowly became more bearable over the years, but this is,,, he never expected anything like this

it’s overwhelming and it’s wonderful and he loves it

and later that night, neil and andrew go up to their rooftop (there are two young foxes up there that scurry away as soon as they realize who stepped onto the roof) 

and as they look out over the city, hands linked, neil’s heart feels so light and he can’t get rid of - doesn’t want to get rid of - the smile that seems to be glued to his face, even through the pang of nostalgia - another new feeling

and neil and andrew sit under the comforting blanket of the night and talk into the darkness

just like old times

and it’s comfortable and familiar and once upon a time, neil wished that it would never end

but now? now, neil knows that while he may leave,,, this will never end. not really

as he sits under the stars next to the man with whom he will spend the rest of his life, neil knows the memories and whispers of the past live on through love and legacies

in aftg, words often go “in one ear and out the other” when neil’s listening to others, but never with andrew. he clings to andrews words, absorbs them, hoards them like the upperclassmen hoard neil’s breadcrumb truths. he listens and he cares, he read between the lines and fills in the blanks, and that’s exactly what andrew needs

aftg au where aaron realizes that the only way he can safely date katelyn is if andrew is also dating somebody so he embarks on the dangerous and daring quest of Setting Up Andreil. phase one of his plan requires that he befriend neil (🤮), so he reluctantly puts away his disgust and starts being nice to him. neil is confused because Why Is Aaron Suddenly Interested In Exy When Did He Memorize My Coffee Order Why Is He Accompanying Me To Classes but he manages to look past the weirdness and starts genuinely enjoying aaron’s company.

now that aaron has neil in his pocket it’s time for phase two of the plan, in which aaron attempts to get neil and andrew on a date. the catch is that andreil have been hooking up for literal months, so now there’s the fun dynamic of neil and andrew worrying aaron is onto them and deliberately distancing themselves when he’s around as aaron tries more and more desperately to get them together. the end result is neil and aaron accidentally becoming besties and aaron walking in on them making out one day and accrediting himself with their relationship

tags via @karmiky​

andrew definitely sets alarms for like 6:13 and 8:19 and it makes kevin So Mad

aftg hc of the day: neil is completely horrified by root beer floats. milk and soda should not come in contact under any circumstances. this is completely unknown to andrew until a night at the columbia house. andrew loves them, would eat them any time of any day, and happened to make a stop at the store on the way. of course neil is in the kitchen with him, distractedly messing with things here and there, until andrew starts pouring root beer into a glass. with ice cream. andrew of course notices the pure horror on neils face. neil manages something along the lines of 'are you possessed' which starts the absolute shenanigans of andrew trying to get neil to drink one. the next time the two of them are out, andrew gets one. problem being neil is gone before he's done ordering. the entire time they walk together neil is at least five feet away from him until he throws it in the trash. the next time they're out for dinner, and neil literally waits in the bathroom until andrews done with it. next time it's at their shared apartment, later on with the cats, and andrew has the fucking audacity to bring that cursed thing that came straight from the depths of hell into their home. andrew gets up to go to the bathroom and neil tosses it in the trash, glass included. the last time is in a costco. andrew foolishly thinks neil will keep some composure, only to find neil and the cart missing. it takes him ten minutes to find him again, busily loading cat food into the cart. they make eye contact mid sip, and andrew very simply says 'youre being dramatic.' but instead of a usual smart-ass response, neil replies 'im sorry, do i know you?' unfortunately, andrew makes the mistake of thinking neils making a quick joke. he's not. which leads to andrew literally following neil around for 30 minutes like something out of a horror movie while neil avoids and runs away from him at every bit eye contact. when andrew finally finishes the drink neil just asks 'oh where have you been?' the very final time is planned very strategically (white board and cats included). neil is busy while andrew orders his root beer float, making sure it's in a completely opaque cup. he tells neil it's iced coffee. neil literally acts like he's been shot. he's never been betrayed like that before, and has taken a drink of anything andrew has offered him since (unless it's in a clear cup and/or thoroughly inspected)

(dedicated [and credited] to @archiveofourfoxes ) (also the scenarios just for laughs because i had way too much fun talking about this)

popping back in to ask: what are your fave fic tropes? do you have any fave fics to recommend that follow those tropes?

i KNEW that my notes document filled with fics i’ve read would come in handy someday! i’m a sucker for hurt/comfort and angst, those are always tags in my ao3 searches :) here are a few of my favourite aftg ones:

say something by Willow_bird - my most reread fic. andreil learn ASL bc neil goes mute sometimes. lots of content, awesome writing, fluffy but also angsty and lots of hurt/comfort

this is what hollows by constellationqueen - raven!neil, great writing, LOTS of angst, true to characters, in progress (i’m subscribed!)

heaven can’t help me now by history11huh - kevaaron fic (didn’t love the ship before reading this but obsessed now), love-hate relationship, definitely angsty, in progress (subscribed!)

a switchblade is my preferred weapon by badacts - raven!neil, diff povs, overall great, love it

staring at the sun by TheirHighestMajesty - jerejean fic! jean adjusting to the trojans. tons of angst and hurt/comfort. i vibe more with the first half of it and am not subscribed anymore, but i think it’s still in progress! highly recommend. (fair warning, the slowburn is... very slow)

the unkindness of ravens by crazy_like_a - raven!neil, first fic i ever bookmarked, wonderful writing, obsessed with this one. in progress, subscribed :)

be sure to read the TWs for these, especially the raven!neil ones, bc some parts are pretty dark

also most of these are pretty long LMAO i’m sorry, i like getting invested in fics. i also tend to skim filler chapters etc

i honestly cannot stop picturing him as coach hedge from pjo and i'm not even sorry

So I know Coach Wymack is meant to be all big and buff and super badass with lots of tattoos but since Day 1 of reading AFTG I have only been able to picture one person as Wymack and that is this motherfucker from Teen Wolf

boy overthinks literally everything else