nickyklose:

Russian study sessions and integration:

• Neil attaching vocab words onto furniture (bonus points for when he starts doing it at the court too)
• counting off their workout reps in Russian
• accidental introductions of new words via surprised shouts (usually rude ones snarled during heated games or practices) you can’t tell me andrew didn’t learn swears quickly
• Andrew dumping his person onto Neil’s flashcard covered bed with a bored look and quizzing him
• small study sessions at the back of the bus
• some vocab drilling but mostly they talk about the area they’re passing through, or they might play car games–picture I spy
• I like to think that they have more heart-to-hearts like the one in tkm, just Neil passing the time telling Andrew little stories of him and his mom. Or that during Andrew’s 5th year when the team is on the way home from distant away games Neil can’t help but reflect on what’s going to happen with Andrew leaving and he just needs to say something but there are too many foxes in the bus at that point
• during exy games when they’re both on the bench, they take turns narrating the game (well, Neil narrates, and Andrew picks out mistakes the other goal keeper makes)
• covert dirty talk there’s no getting around it
• Andrew wanting to annoy/unnerve the more grating freshman so he picks up the habit of staring at them and talking to Neil about their weekend plans
• kid gets back to his dorm later like, “do u think minyard’s out to get me?” “bro, maybe you shouldn’t be a dick to his cousin” “bro, I didn’t even start that” “…dude”
• having alone time where they’re committed to only speaking with e/o in Russian:
• imagine that they’re just hanging out on the roof: Neil’s head resting against Andrew’s thigh, one of Neil’s hands is holding a burning cigarette while his other is curled up near his face, thumb rubbing circles into Andrew’s knee cap
•  (they’re never deep conversations: Andrew mentioning what Bee is going as for halloween, Neil talking about potential players he and Wymack are scouting, Andrew reporting on his sparing lessons with Robin, getting up to date on their teammate’s bets, Neil filling in Andrew on the upperclassmen’s Real Life adventures)
• It’s comfy and relaxed so they let their sentences lag. depending on the day they might be left unfinished for lack of energy
• save for when they’re left unfinished because Neil can’t quite find the word that he’s looking for
• Neil has a habit of squinting at his smoke trail when he forgets a word, a tail Andrew picks up on, smoothing his hand through Neil’s hair as he tries to fill in the blanks