my favorite things about andreil, an extensive list because i need to talk about them:
- this bone deep understanding they have for each other. this is something neither of them have been able to achieve with anyone else. andrew sees right through neil's lies, and neil figures out the truth about andrew's supposed sociopathic tendencies when his even his own cousin didn't. neil knows when not to push andrew, and andrew knows how to bring neil down. they will be able to understand the meaning behind the other's words, the way neil understood the percentages and the 'i hate you's'. they just get each other in a way i've never seen before in a ship, ever, and i think it's beautiful.
- the amount of trust they have for each other. not just in the content way, bcs that gets a whole other section, but just. the trust. neil trusts andrew with his life, he trusts andrew to keep him safe and he trusts andrew with his secrets. neil has never done this before, ever. he was trained to never trust anyone, so to see him give up bits of his soul for andrew? there's something really special about that. andrew in turn, trusts neil to never push too hard, trusts neil to know when to stop asking, and they trust each other so much it- *sobs*
- the yes or nos. the consent. this was really beautiful to read, especially now, in 2020, when explicit consent is seen as an overreaction or being too dramatic. it was refreshing to see neil accepting these yes or nos without question, and answering them everytime even if the answer was always gonna be yes. andrew refusing to kiss neil again until he gets an explicit yes, because "i won't be like them. i won't let you let me be." neil only ever wants to learn andrew's boundaries so he won't ever go too far. andrew is okay with their relationship because neil listens to nos.
- andrew is perfect for neil. andrew doesn't shy away from the harsher parts of neil's life, he doesn't get scared or disgusted when neil talks about his father or his life on the run. andrew accepts this, andrew takes these parts of neil and moves on. andrew's brand of caring, the harsh, blunt way he approaches neil's panic attacks and breakdowns is exactly what neil needs. he doesn't trust kindness, and andrew isn't kind.
- neil is perfect for andrew. neil is someone who took the time to try and figure andrew out, even when the rest of the team brushed him off as a monster. neil learned the way andrew viewed the world, the way andrew views other people and himself, before anyone else did. i already talked about it, but the way neil understands andrew is something that keeps me up at night. neil knows andrew better than anyone ever will, not because andrew let's him but because neil tries and succeeds in learning him himself.
- their WORDPLAY. andrew doesn't ever say things clearly, or at least when he's talking to neil he doesn't. neil takes andrew's words and remembers them, just so he can throw them back at andrew later on. they remember these things, these words and phrases that everyone else would file away as unnecessary and keep them close to their hearts. that's a terrible way of explaining it but yeah, their wordplay is the best.
- the way they view each other. neither of them believe that the other can fix them, neither of them believe that the other can make them whole. they are enough for each other, they provide distraction when necessary and listen when it's important. they know that this thing, whatever it is, is not going to be able to heal them and give them their happy ending, but it's important enough that it makes both of them want to try. try to heal, try to grow, try to get their happy ending.
- their communication! they don't shy away from telling each other the truth, they don't try to soften the blows of harsh words and they tell each other exactly what they need and what they're thinking. they don't hide behind softer phrases and expect the other to figure it out for themselves. they do the wordplay and the banter but they don't try and hide their own personal issues from each other. they might not talk about feelings constantly, but communication is one of the biggest aspects in andreil's relationship and it's a lot of the reason why neil stuck with it, i think at least.
- bouncing off of that, their silent communication. they know each other SO WELL. neil can, for the most part, tell what andrew is thinking from just looking at him a little closer than everyone else. he notices andrew. andrew reads neil like an open book, which is impressive considering neil is really good at hiding what he is thinking and feeling. they don't need words.
- the fact that these two are actually really fucking soft, just not in the way anyone would expect them to be. they talked for 3 hours on the bus on the way to birminghamton. neil stares at andrew in a way that makes andrew tell him to 'stop staring'. andrew makes neil smile. they steal each others cigarettes. they have matching coats. they have matching phones. they have matching ARMBANDS for fucks sake. andrew kisses neil like the world and stops and starts with his mouth. they will follow each other without question. they sit on the fucking rooftop and look out at the sky. neil watches andrew on flights to make sure he's okay. andrew holds the back of neil's neck and tells him he's real.
- they don't say i love you. they don't get married. i don't hate when fics or hcs say they do these things, bcs some people can actually find a way to go about it without trying to change them completely and shove them into a stereotype of them being a happy couple and bash nora for the fun of it, but i personally like it. them not saying i love you literally just means they find thousands of other ways to express how much they mean to each other. they hold hands, they tell each other secrets, they have cats, they have an apartment together. andrew let's neil push him down, and when neil reaches for a gun he finds andrew's arm instead. they trust each other and that, i think, means more to them more than any i love you or marriage certificate ever will.
these two are soulmates in every sense of the word, and i can't believe i was lucky enough to find them.
(alternatively: all the reasons why andreil isn't overhyped and you just have no reading comprehension skills)
