jerbearknox:

‘You like me because I’m a scoundrel. There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life.’

for @minyardjostenrivalry 

When Neil came to Palmetto State University, it was to play exy. He didn’t expect the group costumes each Halloween. The first year is Star Wars-themed, and Andrew is, surprisingly, spearheading the effort.

He has a spreadsheet of who each of the foxes has to be for the costume to work. He doesn’t say much, just sends out an email with the details to each of the team members. He CC’s Wymack, who apparently had appointed himself costume chaperone after last year’s incident — no one will actually tell Neil what it was.

When Neil gets the email, he almost deletes it, but Matt stops him before he does.

“Why did you do that?” Neil asks.

Matt grins. “The costumes are so much fun. Plus, Andrew will probably kill you if you don’t at least do something. Even Kevin does it. We make the school’s Instagram every year.”

Neil frowns. He really doesn’t want to be involved in more stuff. He’s already failed spectacularly at flying under the radar, and he doesn’t want to make things worse.

One day after practice, Matt offers to take him shopping, and Neil sighs. He doesn’t want to do it, but Matt is persistent, and he can feel Andrew’s eyes on him from across the court. Neil turns and makes eye contact with Andrew. Andrew merely raises an eyebrow, but Neil reads the challenge in his expression.

He turns to Matt and agrees to go with him.

—

5 p.m., the day of Halloween, Neil is standing in front of the mirror, pulling at his clothes. He saw Star Wars once, when he was little and his nanny at the time was more lenient than most. He adjusts the toy blaster at his hip. Matt is standing behind him, mask sitting on top of his head and grinning widely.

“Ok, let’s go,” Neil huffs.

Matt thumps him on the back. “Let’s do this!”

Neil and Matt join the others, who are gathered in Dan’s room. Renee is wearing a knee-length dress patterned to look like R2D2, and Allison is standing next to her. Allison is clad entirely in gold: gold stilettos, gold stockings, a gold miniskirt, a gold crop top, gold nails, gold earrings, a gold headband, and gold glasses.

“Who are you supposed to be?” Neil asks her.

Allison rolls her eyes. “C3fuckyou.”

Dan snorts. She’s dressed in blue and black with a blue and gold cape on her shoulders — Lando, Neil remembers. Her cocky smile and short, curly hair make her perfect for it.

Matt roars, and Neil jumps. He spins around to look at Matt accusingly. Matt lifts his mask up. “What? I’m in character. Chewie only roars.”

Nicky is, unsurprisingly, in Leia’s slave bikini. He keeps striking poses and pouting. Kevin is standing near him, dressed entirely in beige robes and looking incredibly uncomfortable. He’s Ben Kenobi, Neil realizes. A very grumpy Ben Kenobi.

Aaron is there, but not wearing a costume. Neil furrows his eyebrows, wondering why he’s the only one not in costume.

Andrew sees Neil wondering and answers for Aaron. “He’s here for the group picture. He’ll leave after.”

Aaron nods. Neil’s eyes finally fall to Andrew. Andrew is wearing a poncho and a bucket hat, and the corners of his mouth are curling into a smirk. Neil opens his mouth to ask, but then it hits him. He’s Luke Skywalker at his peak twink.

Neil wants to say something, but Andrew gives him a slow once over, and Neil flushes. He’s Han Solo, down the blaster and boots, and Matt coiffed his hair for him. Andrew is looking at him like he’s a piece of meat.

Neil puffs out his chest and gives Andrew his best cocky Han Solo smirk. “Hey,” he says.

A faint pink dusting appears on Andrew’s cheeks, and before Neil can say anything else, the door to Dan’s room violently swings open.

It’s Wymack, dressed in his usual clothes save for a baseball cap with a piece of paper taped to it that says “Millennium Falcon.”

“Let’s do this shit,” he booms.