ok ok but the upperclassmen planning a team bonding night and someone pulls out a puzzle. while they’re building it, neil casually mentions that he’s been there before. after that, it becomes the foxes’ goal to find as many puzzles of obscure places neil’s been as possible. they hide the picture so that neil can’t see it ahead of time, and build until either a) he recognizes it and gives them a random piece of info about that place or b) says he hasn’t been there, but still somehow always has an obscure fact to share about the place
it’s so wild that nicky and aaron could understand everything neil and andrew were saying to each other during the baltimore reunion scene, all the easy conversation and percentages and references to past comments, and they STILL had the absolute audacity to appear surprised when allison pointed out andreil’s not-a-thing relationship like-
my knowledge of west virginia comes solely from aftg and that one song, and i would like to suggest aftg where everything is the same except the ravens’ fight song is “take me home, country roads”
nicky has such a big heart and prioritizes everyone else over himself and i feel like we don’t talk about it enough. he’s the type of person who soothes the foxes during their panic attacks. he’s the type of person who will leave the only place that truly feels like home behind to go look after two difficult teens. he’s the type of person who will sit next to a crying stranger in the hallway and comfort them however they need (talking, distracting, joking, quiet support) without expecting anything in return
erik showed him joy and love and acceptance. i think nicky made it his goal to do the same for everyone he even remotely cares about
honestly, what a power-move for neil to be an absolute asshole to the feds and get his way because of it. like damn, yes, let them know that you know how vital you are to their case. speak a different language so that they can’t understand you. call them out on their lies. insult them. go off my guy, that’s what we like to see
(and also shoutout to the rest of the foxes for refusing to tell the feds anything because they said they couldn’t see neil. this is the friendship neil deserves. this is the family that he didn’t dare to dream for. iconic)
hc that andrew’s really good at drawing, and bc of his eidetic memory, he can depict scenes perfectly. he didn’t draw much when he was on his meds, but got back into it when he was sober again. here are some memories i think he would recreate:
the “you know, i get it” speech (this one is a kaleidoscope of colours bc of his drugged state)
neil at ground level, andrew’s cigarette between his lips, giving andrew a mock salute (that scene right after andrew returns from easthaven)
seeing neil’s scars for the first time
aaron and nicky dancing, carefree, at eden’s
bee’s glass figurines (he adds to this drawing every time he gets her a new one)
sparring with renee
neil sitting on the ground at the foxhole court after calling andrew during his panic attack
neil leaning over the bus seat
matt grinning during an exy game
neil at the baltimore reunion (the rest of the foxes are blurs in this one because he only had eyes for neil)
sleepy neil curled up in the beanbag chair
allison and renee curled up beside each other
kevin coming in, drunk, with his new tattoo
nicky and erik hugging when erik came as a surprise
kevin and wymack right before the final match
riko with his racquet raised above neil (he wasn’t going to draw this one, but he couldn’t get the moment out of his head and thought it might help to get it down on paper)
aaron smiling for a split second at a sarcastic comment andrew made
neil, yawning and wearing andrew’s hoodie
matt ruffling neil’s hair
allison painting renee’s nails
neil sitting on the rooftop, the sunset setting his hair ablaze
ice cream at sweetie’s (no cracker packets in this memory)
the first goal robin blocked during a game
neil on facetime, staring at andrew like he could never get enough
the first house that andrew could really call home
sir and king climbing all over neil
neil and kevin wearing olympic medals
neil and andrew’s hands linked together
aaron and his family when they come over for dinner
neil, soaking wet and laughing during a watergun fight in their backyard
neil, smiling and happy and home
i’d like to think that, when andrew feels ready to show neil his drawings, they hang them up around their home. and when the foxes come over, they’re in awe at the memories and the love that is captured in the artwork, but they know not to say anything. dan gives them pictures, though, to hang up alongside the drawings, and they do