I’m gonna write this later but I wanted to toss this into the void.
Neil “jokingly” propose to Andrew in an interview.
He’s doing a TV spot on one of those Late Night shows and the interviewer asks him “if you had to be stuck with one of your teammates forever who would you pick”
Neil promptly responds “Andrew” and the audience and the interviewer kind of laugh thinking he’s joking since it’s just the type of show to make celebs look personable and fun
And they just think Neil has a very dry sense of humor
So Neil is like “yeah Andrew would make a great husband, he’s good with kids and animals too”
Which is not what the interviewer expected but they kind of roll with it like “you put a lot of thought into it”
Which Neil kind of shrugs at and makes some other offhandedly comment before the interview is redirected to another topic
When the episode airs, Neil uses his very official business only social media account
(Twitter?? Instagram?? It doesn’t matter he’s not even sure of the password and has to ask his publicist/manager for it)
Anyway he posts some kind of cutesy photos with Andrew or of Andrew. They’re not too intimate but they’re all way more human than most of the public views him.
(One of him on the couch in his glasses reading a book and a cat on his lap. One of him with Dan and Matt’s kids letting them put fake makeup on him and paint his nails. One of a random blonde tuff of hair burried in blankets vaguely flipping off the camera. And a selfie with Neil who’s only half paying attention to the camera with a huge smile and on his face while Andrew stares at him and ignores the camera entirely.)
The fans are caught between celebrating and wondering if it’s all a joke.
Neil refuses to comment on anything that isn’t exy and Andrew isn’t one to comment on anything.
The buzz dies down for a while until Neil once again decides to revive his dying social media accounts to post a single photo from their wedding reception of Neil feeding Andrew a slice of cake. The caption is just a ring and a heart.
– Aaron marching into Neil and Andrews room being like YOU BETTER NOT BE HAVING SEX. and he walks in and just freezes bc they’re just sitting, andrew reading, and neil is watching exy with his head on Andrew’s lap and Andrew’s fingers in his hair.
Aaron pretends to be disgusted and all that, and internally he does feel a bit of disgust (leftover homophobia ingrained by his mother and uncle) But honestly, most of what he feels is just relief, that andrew gets to have that with someone even if it has to be Neil fucking Josten the most annoying human in the planet.
(it also helps his opinion of Neil, seeing him being soft with Andrew, because it stops him from seeing them as simple hate sex. It’s impossible to think of Neil as using Andrew in any way when you see him truly looking when he talks to Andrew to make sure he doesn’t go too far or dig too deep in his questions.)
– Aaron may not like Neil, may never like Neil (although i like to think they do end up liking each other. But by the end of university he sure as hell appreciates what Neil does to, and for Andrew
honestly as funny as the idea of neil and andrew purposely playing up a “rivalry” to fuck w the press I genuinely think we’re underutilizing the concept of neil just having. no idea. he’s just here for the game?? he doesn’t keep track of dumb gossip about who hates who??
and meanwhile the media is going oh man minyard and josten! they hate each other!! whenever they’re asked about on another in interviews neil always has something bitchy to say. andrew straight up says he hates him (andrew knows what they think of course he just doesn’t care enough to mention it). but nobody actually uses the term “"rivalry”“ directly to neil they’re just ask stuff like “what do you think of andrew”
then like three years in a reporter finally goes “so, considering your well-known rivalry w andrew minyard—” and he’s just like my WHAT.
Nothing but My Aching Soul 