And it's just a key to his house, which doubles as a key to his heart. That signifies his desire to keep Neil close because only a heart makes a house a home. Neil has never had a home, but Andrew invited him into his life, his home, and into the tiny ugly part of his heart that yearns to be proven wrong about the world. This is why he hates Neil so much, because it means for once that he was wrong and someone could understand him. In this essay, I will dissect the layers of
This was an argu-- no, a debate -- that had been long-running. And neither of them were backing down. Neil could see the smirk on Andrew’s lips, so he knew that Andrew wasn’t at the stage where he stabbed-first-asked-questions-never.
“We should flip for it,” Neil suggest. He’d never seen Andrew’s face scrunch in such disgust.
“Neil. I will not be called Andrew Josten. It sounds so hideous it should be a crime.”
Neil pouted, hand on his hip, from across the living room. Neil couldn’t take Andrew seriously when he was holding Sir like a cherished baby, simultaneously putting off the air that he didn’t care.. Neil saw the way his fingers carded through Sir’s fur. He saw, okay? That man loved his cat.
“Andrew, I think you’re being a little dramatic.”
“And you’re being totally moronic,” Andrew returned immediately.
Neil glared at him once more, “mature. we’re flipping for it.” rummaging in his pockets, he found a coin. “Heads, you take Josten. Tails I take Minyard.”
Andrew glared but otherwise didn’t object.
Nail flipped the coin, smirk fully in place. He didn’t really care either way. He could always hyphenate. That would be another battle later on.
The coin was smoothly tossed, caught in his hand, and flipped onto the back of his other hand.
Neil looked, and pursed his lips, looked back at a smirking Andrew.
“What’ll it be, junkie.”
Neil looked Andrew straight in the eye, “Tails.”
“Hm, guess tossing a coin was a good idea. Didn’t know you could have one of those,” Andrew brushed past him into the kitchen.
“Sir was my idea”
“Yeah, and she’s a whining cow, Josten.” Andrew turned, “or, should i say Minyard?”
Wymack: Listen up! Exy fans are turning attention away from us. If our personal view count goes down, we are going to start losing rep.
Foxes:
Wymack: So.. Josten, Minyard, you two are on press tonight. I am going to go home after the game and have some vodka for dinner. I don't care what you do, fix the views. I will not be watching or responsible.
Foxes:
Abby:
The Next Day:
Reporter: Exy views at an all time high after a minyard/josten interview scandal! Stay tuned for details.
Wymack, shaking: *turns TV off*
Wymack: They did what I told them... I don't want to know. I don't. Want. To know..
"I would die for you," -Neil, turning into Nathaniel to keep his father's men away from the rest of the team. Knowing his clock has run out of time but stealing precious seconds from death to say goodbye to Andrew.
"Well I would kill for you." - Andrew, losing his mind with rage and fear over the man he called nothing disappearing. Not ready to admit that nothing was everything to him. Or that it was anything other than a flimsy useless promise that was used as an excuse. Just to hold on to that new dim light a little bit longer.
The man in front of him was pathetic. No more than a spineless whimpering coward. A drunk. Andrew couldn't understand how Kevin could let himself get this disgusting over such trivial things. Yet, there they were, in the kitchen, at two in the morning.
Andrew had to swallow his commentary as he watched Kevin drunkenly sob and shake on the floor. He was curled in a tight ball, wrapping himself around the vodka he'd been drinking. Thea had finally done it, left the guy with probably some bullshit excuse. What he couldn't comprehend was why Kevin actually cared so much. He never spent time with the woman, as far as Andrew knew, they hardly texted either. No mail, no photos, nothing to show for their dismal unfortunate excuse of a relationship.
Somehow, though, Kevin was devastated. To be fair, Andrew thought, If I was groomed all of my early teenage years into a relationship as an adult, he paused and corrected himself. If Neil was, he might be devastated, too. No. Probably not. Neil had enough braincells and flight instincts to recognize grooming and manipulation.
He sighed and kicked at the lump on the floor. "Kevin, get out of my kitchen. Go sleep on the couch,"
Big sorrowful eyes stared up at him. A face carved with sheer indignation.
"Andrew have a goddamn heart.. I love her." The words were slurred, washed down with tears and self-righteous pity. This numbskull really saw no issue with his relationship at all. For that matter, it didn't seem like anyone did.
"And she loves younger men. Now we can all be happy when you get your first grey hair. Get. Up."
"Fuck you," Kevin paused, fighting back a gag as he sat up which made Andrew take two steps back. "We are getting back together in a couple years, it's just too difficult with our exy schedules. When I can transfer teams and join her in court.."
The muttered words were slightly strained as Kevin briefly flailed, trying to stand. Andrew snatched the vodka out of his hands and screwed the lid back on. He'd have to take that to bed with him unless he wanted to wake up in an hour to take Kevin to the emergency room. He watched Kevin trudge into the living room and collapse on the couch. He'd probably be warm enough without a blanket. Vodka was most likely the only warmth he needed right now anyway.
After he brought a bottle of water over to Kevin, Andrew finally went back to his own room. Neil, the asshole, cracked an eye open, clearly giving up on pretending to be asleep. The red head scooted back to let Andrew slide into bed, taking the spot against the wall for once. Andrew immediately recognized that Neil only took Andrew's normal side so that he himself wouldn't have to be on Kevin duty.
"Our first kid, what a nightmare," Neil whispered, pulling the blankets back up around both of them.
"Don't dismiss King like that, rabbit. Kevin is nothing compared to our son."
Neil snorted and slid slightly closer in the bed, staring at Andrew. He'd never admit it, but most of the tension seeped out of his body as he finally relaxed next to the junkie. Kevin's whole pathetic mess of a situation made Andrew halfheartedly wonder what they'd be like, if things ended. Would Neil cry for him?
"What is it, Andrew? You have a staring problem,"
Andrew choked on the words he heard, Neil throwing him a feral smirk.
"A goddamn hypocrite," he muttered, pinching Neil's arm. "For the record, rabbit, if things ever end, I expect you to kill yourself over it."
"Ah of course, Romeo and Juliet style?" The dry response made Andrew roll his eyes.
"No, just you. I'm not willing to stoop that level. I'll give you a nice funeral though. Good burial spot. It's in the backyard, should we take a look tomorrow?"
"Is it the spot next to the orange tree?"
"No. It's the spot marked off next to where the sewer line is,"
