Heya, pal! Thanks for sending me this ❤

26. How do their friends feel about their relationship? Their families?

Their friends i.e. the Foxes, after TKM, are kind of certain that what they have is serious and not just a fling, but they (namely: Dan, Matt, Nicky) are sometimes left wondering still because Neil and Andrew are an unconventional couple, and I think that they find that hard to grasp, y’know? Plus, Andrew and Neil are very private people. Their relationship is an open secret that they don’t try to hide but it’s theirs and nobody else’s business; they don’t really give a fuck about what other people think tbh. Renee and Bee, who are arguably closest to Andrew aside from Neil, understand that his feelings are Legit and his thing with Neil is long-term and they’re very happy for him. Kevin doesn’t care as long as it’s not detrimental to their future career, but really? He’s silently grateful that they found each other because of the effects they’ve had on each other’s lives – Andrew with a newfound purpose (re: Kevin’s promise to him), and Neil with something besides Exy to lean on. Also the two of them make a formidable pair on court and Kevin respects that

29. How do they handle disasters or emergencies? Minor injuries? Sickness?

How does Andrew Minyard deal with Neil Death Magnet Josten, you ask? With profound patience and love, of course. Luckily for Andrew, he never has to deal with the all-consuming fear that was the Baltimore incident ever again, but he does have to deal with Neil being reckless on court and getting injuries now and then, like a sprained ankle or a concussion. These are handled in the typical Andrew fashion: calm and brisk, but very attentive and meticulous. The biggest hurdle is keeping Neil in bed, tbh. Andrew claims that he never gets sick, but one time he got down with a nasty flu and Neil treated it like he would treat any life-threatening wound and not with the kind of care that he would ever expend on himself – and Andrew was. Touched, really, even through the fever that left him rather scattered and more than a little vulnerable. He doesn’t get injuries very much on the court because of the nature of his position, but when he gets scratches and bruises/shiners from a sparring session with Renee, he lets Neil clean and dress the wounds. He low-key loves the trust and intimacy that comes with it :’)

Send me a ship and a number and I’ll tell you

What’s up, my guy! Thanks for sending this 😀

31. Do they finish each other’s sentences? Pick up any phrases or habits from each other? Know when the other is hiding something?

Neil: Matt and I have a special relationship where we finish each other’s –

Matt: – sentences.

Neil: Please don’t interrupt me.

Lol for real tho, Neil can predict Matt’s speech patterns and behaviors pretty well. He’s always been observant – living in an abusive household and on the run does that to a person – and he sometimes finishes Matt’s sentences because he notices that it’s things like this that sends Matt over the moon. Matt (and Nicky) are the biggest memes and Neil, through exposure, picks up on a few slangs and vine jokes from him. You’ll find Neil saying, “I won’t hesitate, bitch” or “Then perish” with the most blank expression and Matt will crack the fuck up. Sometimes Neil won’t get all the references, but you know how even when you don’t really get a joke you’ll pretend you do and then you’ll probably google that shit up when you’re alone? That’s what Neil does, all the time, and that really helps when Matt starts quoting a vine or movie line and Neil can actually finish it. Matt isn’t too good at lying. This, coupled with Neil’s expertise in reading certain aspects of people’s behavior, makes it almost impossible to hide anything from Neil. But he doesn’t have a reason to, anyway. He considers Neil to be his best friend and he Neil’s so you can back off right now Kevin and he’d talk to him about his problems if he has any and if Neil is okay with it. (And Neil is always okay with it, because he has Matt’s back, just as Matt has his). Neil, though. Oh boy. He’s good at keeping secrets and lying, if the 3 books aren’t enough of an indication. He keeps his promise to stop lying to his family though, but habits die hard, man. Sometimes he’ll unconsciously hide things from Matt and Matt will sort of notice that there’s something going on but he will never push Neil to talk about it. He’ll just let him know that he’d always be there for him if he ever wants someone to talk to.  

41. Are they party-goers? What are they like when they’re drunk? Does it happen often?

Matt is a party-goer (parties with his teammates, with other jocks, etc), and Neil – not really. He enjoys partying with the Foxes, especially if it’s after-game celebrations and holiday get-togethers, and he’ll enjoy a night out at Eden’s, but he’s not exactly the life of the party. He likes to observe, and maybe sometimes he’ll dance when Dan or Matt drags him to the floor. Matt is a happy drunk and he likes to hug and cuddle with whomever he can reach (that is to say, his girlfriend and the rest of his friends) and he’s a Great hugger. Contrary to popular consensus, I believe that Neil isn’t a lightweight. He’s not on Andrew’s level of course, but his tolerance isn’t anything to laugh at either. (People forget that he’s used to drinking on the run, when he has wounds to be tended to, and that he drank a few shots at the cabin and didn’t show any effects at all – he just commented on “the harsh taste” but not anything else). He’ll join his friends for a couple of drinks, but I don’t think he’ll ever really like the taste of alcohol. Nicky thinks it’s sad that he won’t ever find out what kind of drunk Neil is, but at least he has bofa Matt’s beefy arms wrapped around him 😉 

Send me a ship and a number and I’ll tell you

4. First impression of each other? Was it love at first sight?

Nicky’s first impression of Erik was oh no, he’s hot, quickly followed by a heavy sense of shame and dread. Like, this was during a time where Nicky still had a hard time accepting himself and learning to reconcile his faith and his sexuality. He’s young, he’s been hurt – it still fucking hurts – but he’s Nicky, and he still has hope and faith and he’s trying, okay, he’s fucking trying. He didn’t really want to but he fell head over heels in love with Erik anyway – because how could he not? Erik is handsome, sure, but he’s also very kind and a bit of of a klutz but he’s very athletic and strong and he has nice parents who love Nicky the way his own parents never did. And then Erik helped Nicky get better – helped him understand and accept himself, and Nicky just – loves him a lot, but this love made him sad because there’s no way Erik would ever feel the same way, right? Jokes on you, Nicholas Esteban Hemmick. Erik has had a crush on him since early on. Maybe not love at first sight per se, but Erik definitely thought that this gangly American teenager who’s living with his family over the summer and who still has trouble pronouncing some German words is cute and he thinks it’s his responsibility to be nice and hospitable and show the kid around but oops he also fell in love with him in the process 

Thanks for the ask darling!

Send me a ship and a number and I’ll tell you

hey there! sorry I fell asleep right after posting that lol but here we go

For Andreil

5. Nicknames? Pet names? Any in-jokes? 

Uhh you right they don’t seem the type to call each other by pet names unless they’re being sarcastic about it, haha. Andrew calls Neil Abram sometimes – he’s the only that does – and as we’ve seen in canon, he also has a few nicknames he throws out once in a while because he thinks he’s so funny. They might call each other darling or babe or cupcake just to mess with other people probably… They do, however, have plenty of in-jokes. You’re telling me that Andrew and Neil, two boys who are in love and live inside each other’s pockets and spend a lot of time together won’t have any stupid inside jokes that they can understand with just a Look or a Hand Gesture?? Sounds fake. Andrew would probably catch Neil’s eye from across the room and do a snipping motion with his hand and Neil would be in stitches or smirking all night. Nobody knows why but they’re happy that Neil is happy.

For Renison I chose this

4. First impression of each other? Was it love at first sight?

Renee is a big ol’ lesbian and she definitely was attracted to Allison at first sight but her feelings develop in stages and takes quite a while to bloom, if you catch my drift. Like, Allison was in a relationship with Seth and despite the ups and downs, she really did love him, y’know? It’s the kind of love that she’ll be quietly thinking about many years down the line, with a bittersweet feeling, even though she’d be super in love and happy with Renee by then. She’d be thinking that she is Allison’s friend, first and foremost. Her intentions were pure when she comforted Allison during her time of grief and she never expected anything more. Allison, when she met Renee, thought that she was definitely more than just a goody two shoes religious girl. It put her off a little, because who’s this girl pretending to be, thinking that she’s better and kinder than the rest of us? But they quickly become good friends though, bc like I said, Allison isn’t blind and she can see that Renee can be vicious when she wants to. Allison is a big ol’ bisexual and would realize that her feelings for Renee exceeds that of a friend and she’ll be flirting with her all the time but you know how lesbians and wlw relationships are like is she flirting with me?? Does she gay??? She’s just being nice she’s not into me – so yeah, it takes like a while before they become girlfriends and not just girlfriends 

Send me a ship and a number and I’ll tell you