aftg blog ❅ she/her ❅ headcanons, textposts, and shitposts ❅ feel free to send me prompts or just reach out!
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Latest Posts by twirlingflurry - Page 3
Here’s a promt. Like Andrew, Aaron has a similar memory and a couple trigger words such as being called “ungrateful”. But unlike Andrew, Aaron shuts down.
Oh.
(cw: past abuse, trauma, trauma responses, apathy, foul language.)
"You're an ungrateful little bitch sometimes, you know that? Fuck, sometimes I really wish I'd given you up."
The first time someone called him ungrateful, Aaron tried to defend himself. It didn't go well for him in the end, but he supposed afterward that he should have learned how to duck from a punch before demanding life be fair.
When it happens now, Aaron knows consciously that nothing was meant by it. It's another matter of Coach being Coach, being a gruff old man with an attitude that Aaron normally admires. He likes that Wymack doesn't take anybody's shit, he likes even more that Wymack won't take his. There's some sort of safety in knowing he could be an asshole to the man and not get in any real trouble for it. (There is safety in knowing he won't be hurt for talking back.)
They're in the lounge when Coach says it. Aaron is perched on the armrest of the couch, with Nicky, Neil, and Andrew all seated on the cushions, and Kevin on the opposite armrest. The team is going over some basic shit for their next game, something Aaron has heard Kevin repeat time and time and time again. He's half-tuned out, but comes back to it when someone says something about dinner.
"You owe us, Coach." It's Nicky. He's whining about it, and Aaron tries not to roll his eyes. "We won last week, I think we deserve a team dinner after this week's game!"
"I owe you squat," Wymack says, his expression flat. "All the shit I do for you assholes?"
"Come on, Coach!" Matt this time, a grin spread wide on his face and a mischievous glint in his eyes. Aaron looks back at Wymack.
For his part, the man isn't swayed. He gives Matt the same dead look he gave Nicky. "You're all ungrateful little shits," he says.
It takes a surprisingly long time for Aaron to process what's been said. The word doesn't quite hit him right away, and at least four seconds have elapsed by the time he really reacts. Ungrateful.
The world feels less real than it did five seconds ago, Aaron decides. He knows what's happening, it isn't the first time he's gone through this shit, and he knows it sure as hell won't be the last. That doesn't make it any better though, so he just as easily dismisses the past experience in favor of trying to keep up with the conversation instead of being unresponsive.
It doesn't work. Not as well as he wants it to anyway, and definitely not well enough to convince his family that nothing happened. Aaron can feel Andrew's gaze on him, steady and unyielding and oh so suspicious of the man he calls his brother. For a moment, Aaron wonders if he looks the same way Andrew did last week when Kevin said the word "misunderstanding". They both have their words, he knows, and now Andrew knows one of his.
The conversation is still going on, Aaron realizes belatedly. He's trying too hard to get his eyes to focus to really pay attention to it, and when he looks down at his hands they're so fucking blurry he's not even sure if they're his. They must be, though, because who else would they belong to? They can't be anyone else's hands, they wouldn't be in his lap if they were.
"Aaron," Andrew's voice says, and Aaron blinks and looks away from his blurry fingers. There's less noise now, and when Aaron forces his eyes to look around the room, he realizes that the others are gone. When did they leave? How long has he been sitting here? It can't have been that long, he wasn't — he wasn't gone that long.
Andrew is standing in front of him, he realizes — that's his face. That's his, his and Andrew's face. They're the same. That's his brother. Aaron wants to say something, tries to say something, but his voice isn't quite working and he doesn't get why.
"Aaron," Andrew says again, and Aaron returns his wandering eyes to his brother's face. Andrew looks... bored. Bored? Bored. He always looks bored, though. Except when he's angry. Or when he's talking to Neil. Or when... when he's playing Exy. Andrew likes Exy, he does, but he won't ever say it. That's okay, though. Aaron won't tell.
Then Andrew is holding up his hands, and Aaron follows their actions with his eyes. Andrew grabs hold of his hands, or at least that's what it looks like, but Aaron still can't really tell if they're his. He feels it, he thinks, but that could just be his mind playing tricks on him. The connection between visual reception and tactile stimuli fascinates him, but—
"Aaron," Andrew says a third time, and this time Aaron meets his eyes. Andrew breathes slowly, obvious enough that Aaron can slowly start to match it. It helps, he thinks, and his fingers twitch against Andrew's. Andrew squeezes his hands in return, not enough to hurt, but enough that Aaron can feel it. His eyes still aren't entirely focused yet, so he blinks a few more times, startles a bit when he feels tears fall onto his cheeks. When did that happen?
Andrew looks indifferent as ever, Aaron realizes as he takes another slow breath in time. There's nothing in his expression, but Aaron tries to see through that — Andrew stayed for a reason. Andrew's saying his name for a reason. A year ago, Aaron isn't sure he would have.
"Aaron," one more time, and whatever Andrew sees when they lock eyes again must convince him Aaron is okay. And he is, Aaron thinks, he thinks he's okay. Or at least he will be.
Andrew lets go of his hands and steps back, giving him another silent once-over before nodding to himself and walking out. The room feels empty without Andrew there, but it's enough of a motivator for Aaron to stand up and follow him.
if nicky knew neil and andrew were making out in the dorm, he would’ve left them to it and found somewhere else to sleep for the night
reblog and put in the tags the last book you read, the book you’re currently reading and the next book on your list
neil’s too preoccupied with analyzing other people’s emotions to care about his own. like his feelings never,, mattered to him ?? it was always about survival, not about living, so of course he doesn’t bother interpreting his own emotions, he only worries about those of others because that’s what has always been important for his survival
hEY remember how the foxes got a tv for the bus because they asked and wymack’s a sucker when it comes to his kids they won finals ?? can you imagine the CHAOS ??? these dumbasses can’t agree on a single thing, there’s no way choosing which movie to watch on their trips to games will cause anything other than absolute mayhem
andreil would die for each other in a heartbeat, and i think that’s from a mix of wanting to protect each other and not wanting to be the one left behind. if one of them dies, they want it to be themselves - because, yes, they want the other to continue living, but both of them also finding the thought of living without the other unbearable
picture this:
andrew straddling neil’s hips but leaning back and Furiously Ranting because neil said some dumb shit about a book to annoy him. neil being completely fucking heart eyed because not only is andrew healing to the point of giving a real shit about books but also?? while one hand is violently punctuating his sentences, the other is holding onto neil’s hand, allowing neil to rest his hand on andrew’s thigh. neil would be so utterly torn between Hanging On To Every Single Word and his brain going all static because Andrew Trusts Him Enough To Let Himself Have Something
can we talk about how neil gave andrew back his armbands immediately upon his return from easthaven, even when he was warned against it? the neil josten at the beginning of tfc never would’ve willingly armed him. it speaks volumes for the trust the two have built that he gave andrew back his knives with absolutely no hesitation
daily aftg hc: people talk about neil falling asleep all the time around the foxes, but no. see, i raise you a more accurate andrew falling asleep. not with the foxes, obviously, but with neil. constantly. when they get their own apartment, neil cannot sit down with andrew for more than five minutes before he is a body pillow. when they're standing together waiting for coffee, and andrew is glaring at the sun like it's targeting him specifically, neil will just lightly touch his hair and let him lean against his chest. in about three seconds he's dead weight. neil has to fill out a whole mental checklist to make sure he has everything done (going to the bathroom, eating, etc.) before going to sit with andrew on the couch because he knows he won't be getting up until andrews done with his nap
the binghampton bearcats are such assholes ??? i haven’t really seen this brought up before (i feel like they’re just overshadowed by the ravens lol), but they’re genuinely horrible people. neil was kidnapped and tortured after a riot broke out after their game at their court, and they then proceeded to face the foxes again and played horribly dirty just to try to red card one of the remaining foxes to put them at a further disadvantage ???? like what the actual fuck
ahh i love this pic crew so much omg!! here’s me :) thanks for the tag <3
just gonna leave the tag part open! whoever wants to do this, go ahead - it’s very fun
Found this cute picrew so I’m going to start a chain
Here’s the link:)
credit:
Instagram - @hunbloom
Tagging a bunch of people!!
@fictional-loves-are-better @andrew-minyards-bitch @andrews-spotify @andrews-jort-loving-pipe-dream @andrews-maserati @askmydoppelganger @bambazzle @cigarettesandpipedreams @sexyexystick @kevinssexy @kevindayscrown @kevindayprotectionsquad @neilmfjosten @all-for-the-gay @twirlingflurry @thedambookdragon and anyone else please hahah!!
so i'm currently consuming only orange food (on accident) and my mind just decided this needed to happen so consider this:
it's neil's sophomore year and they've managed to make it to championships again
this year it's a home game, so they don't have to travel anywhere
enter neil
it's the morning of the game, and as he pulls an orange from their fruit bowl he gets an idea
how much orange food do you think can he eat before the game?
he tells no one, but eventually they all catch on
the foxes were never one for superstition or pre-game rituals
the closest they got was tapping the "riko racquet" before each game
but suddenly it's like they're on a mission
that first year it's mostly neil, but after he scores the winning shot of the game it's cemented in the team forever
the next year almost all of them join in, going to every length to keep it orange
neil buys orange ice cream and special orders all orange m&m's to try and get andrew to join, to no avail
his junior year he stops to pick up coffee (the one thing they agreed to allow, though they usually shoot for orange mugs) when he has an idea
"do you think you could make an orange coffee"
the barista: 👁👁 can i what now
turns out they can
when neil shows up at the dorms with orange coffee for everyone andrew has never been so close to murdering him
nicky all but loses his mind when he sees the tray
matt very excitedly adds it to their running list of orange foods held to the fridge with a fox magnet
when neil graduates allison frames it and they hang it next to the trophy stand
by his senior year andrew still outright refuses to join in
until it's his last college championship game
neil comes home from his run early and flips on the kitchen light to find him on top of the counter
3/4ths of the way through a pumpkin pie, orange whipped cream and all
and halfway through a two liter of orange crush
they both freeze
for a long moment nothing is said
a clock's ticks echo through the room
neil grins, "don't believe in superstition, huh?"
"shut up, junkie"
"i'm not the one devouring an all orange pie like a gremlin right now"
"i will kill you"
"you'd have to put down the pie first"
eventually he does, in favor of a very different pre-game ritual
it’s funny to think that kevin was completely oblivious while watching exy in the bedroom when neil and andrew were making out right outside the door. BUT it’s even funnier to imagine that since he likely already knew andreil was a thing/not-a-thing and he heard the nicky leave, he was just,, sitting in there and trying so hard to focus on the game while turning his headphones to max volume and internally screaming at himself not to leave the room
okay uhhhh describe what neil looks like in your head (hair, if he has freckles, is he pale? etc.)
omg thank you for reading my tags and sending this ask hahah ily anon <3 okay so for me, neil has like wavy wiry hair and it’s a dark red/auburn, he has faint freckles but he wears hoods and so many layers that he doesn’t have a ton bc he’s protected from the sun, his eyes are just slightly too calculating and make him v intimidating (esp without the contacts), and he’s definitely pale - i get people wanting him to be tan but like,, have you ever seen a redhead tan?? nope! me neither! bc they burn and/or freckle (so i guess i picture him w extra freckles in the summer then too)
no but did you notice how easily neil started thinking dan instead of danielle and nicky instead of nicholas when they told him their preferred names,, like say what you will, but i just know for a fact he would absolutely use everyone’s correct pronouns and names with absolutely zero hesitation or issue idc
Hello please reblog this if you're okay with people sending you random asks to get to know you better
i relate to seth gordon because i, too, laugh at the most inappropriate times
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
neil going around the baltimore hotel and checking the drawers to make sure nothing was left behind is too pure. they may have adopted him, but he still looks out for his own. and he also definitely thinks they’re not responsible enough to remember to check
the real reason seth had to die wasn’t so that the team could all work together and make it to the finals, bc honestly i bet they could’ve done that with seth there. no, it’s because he was way too hetero
Apparently this is a Broadway play, but all I can think of is Katelyn 😂
i haven’t sent an ask in a little bit so i just wanted to say hi!! how are you :3
hi!! i can’t even tell you how happy i was to see your ask in my inbox, i hope you’re doing well :) and i’m pretty good, tysm for asking <3 i’m super close to being done exams (and my first year of uni!), i’m excited for more time to read. overall, it’s a vibe. and your ask seriously made my day, thank you so much!!!
neil spent his whole life trying to blend in and desperately avoiding being remembered, and i feel like a monumental moment that shows how much he’s changing is when he sees himself on the foxes’ photo wall. he even reaches out, ready to tear the picture down, but he hesitates and leaves it up which is just... huge
he allows that small piece of himself to live on, he lets is stay there, and he even thinks ahead to the future. he thinks of being dead in a few months and of how that small picture will keep him in people’s memories, and for once, he WANTS to be remembered. he wants people to know that he lived and breathed and was a part of the palmetto state foxes. that he was, however briefly, part of their own little messed up, flawed, perfect family. for the first time in his life, he doesn’t want to let himself fade into oblivion
and for the first time in his life, he’s ready to die if it means protecting the people he loves
andrew’s the type of person that won’t move an inch when neil falls asleep on him but then grumbles about it when neil finally wakes up
Marissa: hey neil, what's your number?
Neil, visibly texting: i don't have a phone.
it’s SO ADORABLE how eager matt was to join neil and kevin’s convo at the end of tkm when neil switched it back to english. like, no hesitation, he just jumped right in and offered his opinions and acted like it was totally normal. and all the while he was probably internally combusting of happiness because !! neil purposely brought the conversation back to english !!! specifically so that matt could be included !!!!!
the hemmicks ask andrew to lead the prayer one (1) time at a “family dinner” and he goes “rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub, yay god”. they never ask him to say grace again
@pluto-pepsi okay you know what, you're absolutely right, so i present this alternative
maximum chaos! the foxes have started to make extra icing just so that they can re-ice the edges after andrew takes his pieces, and he responds by taking all of the edges again. there's no winning.
also! when andrew eats cupcakes, he's that person that only eats the top and leaves the rest. the icing is too sweet for neil though, so it actually works out bc he'll eat the remains. the foxes want to scream at the blasphemous display of dessert eating
andrew cuts cake pieces from the middle, and it’s not even because he doesn’t like the edges - it’s just for everyone else’s reactions
does he cut a square out of the middle? or does he make it triangular so it looks like a regular slice? or hell, does he just cut a circle out of the middle and steal the core of the cake? (i can totally see him doing that)
re: this post
andrew does all three because he’s an Asshole™ and likes to mix things up, but his favourite is the 3rd bc it causes the most outrage :)
andrew cuts cake pieces from the middle, and it’s not even because he doesn’t like the edges - it’s just for everyone else’s reactions