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Neil wasn’t entirely sure when it started, or even how it started, but shortly after he graduated and joined a professional team, the phrase “Minyard-Josten Rivalry” was everywhere. It was mostly on social media, hardcore exy fans sharing videos or pitting Andrew and Neil against each other in some meaningless debate. Though, it became a running joke on some of the popular news channels. It wasn’t that they didn’t believe the rivalry was real. The older sports fanatics who hosted those shows liked to use it to showcase how “kids these days” weren’t as serious about exy as they were. It was a bit annoying to watch, really.
One night, mostly out of spite, but also because he thought it would be funny, Neil logged into the Twitter account his PR team set up for him, and sent out a tweet. Usually, someone just told him what to post and when to post it, the only work Neil ever had to do was hit send. He just didn’t see the point of posting about what he ate for lunch or what he had planned for a random Saturday night. Subsequently, he didn’t see the point in posting about his relationships. Why did anyone need to know?
Either way, that night was different. He was already annoyed by what some commentator said about the rivalry and he saw a video of Andrew’s post-game interview from last week. He always missed Andrew when they weren’t together, but the feeling was infinitely more prominent the night before they had to play against each other.
So, he tweeted:
@neiljos10: @ajminyard hope you’ve been practicing #minyardjostenrivalry
@ajminyard: @neiljos10 no point in practicing, i can stand in the goal while you miss just fine #TeamMinyard
Neil grinned at his phone, not realizing what he’d just started.
~
When Neil’s team won the next day, the Minyard-Josten Rivalry was all anyone could talk about. It happened again for the next game, and the next game, and the next game. Neil and Andrew never debunked anything because they never thought they had to. Who cared if people thought they have a stupid, little rivalry?
In the coming months, it escalated from harmless posts to people genuinely taking sides. Even the mainstream media started taking it a bit more seriously. It was entertaining at first, but soon, Neil wasn’t having fun anymore. He sensed that Andrew had gotten bored of it too, especially when that’s all they got asked about in post-game interviews.
Neil shut the TV off and groaned after watching a sportscaster talk about Andrew’s work ethic for what seemed like the hundredth time. It seemed like such a menial thing, yet people were grabbing onto any comparison they could make if it meant they had more proof to throw at the other side.
“I hate this,” Neil said.
Andrew, who was organizing Neil's stack of DVDs (which was really just Andrew’s stack of DVDs), looked over at him. “Backing out because your side is losing? Hashtag Team Minyard has some very compelling points,” he deadpanned.
Neil cracked a smile. “Yeah, that’s exactly why. My ego can’t take this many hits.” He got up to join Andrew on the floor.
“What a shame,” Andrew said sarcastically. “I guess, in that case, we could just tell them about us.”
“I thought there was no us,” Neil said with a smug grin. Andrew shoved his face away, which just made Neil laugh. “Okay, yeah, I agree. We should tell them, put a stop to this.” He let out a sigh. “Our poor privacy.”
“Not like we had any in the first place.”
“True,” Neil said. He pulled out his phone and opened Twitter. “What do I even say?”
Andrew thought for a moment. “I have a better idea,” he said, then got up to get his overnight bag. He tossed whatever he got out of it at Neil.
A little black box.
Inside it, a ring.
Neil stared at it, almost disbelieving. Andrew, who was still backed against the wall, stood there like he hadn’t just stolen the breath from Neil’s lungs. “A grand reveal,” he said casually, the only thing betraying him being the red tips of his ears.
Neil got up and walked over to him. “Are you serious?” he asked, though Neil already knew the answer. Andrew wouldn’t joke about something like this.
He watched Andrew nod anyway. “Yes or no, Neil?”
“Yes.” Neil’s voice was shaky when he spoke. It surprised him just how much this was affecting him. Marriage had always been something meaningless. He watched his mother and father. He watched the adults around him. A ring wasn’t a solution. Even when Dan and Matt got married, he saw them as an exception to the rule. A one in a billion chance. Something that could never happen to him.
And Neil didn’t need it to happen to him. His feelings for Andrew didn’t change with a ring and they wouldn’t change if there was never a ring. It didn’t feel like Andrew was locking him into something he couldn’t leave. It wasn’t Andrew’s guarantee that Neil would stay. Andrew already knew Neil wasn’t going anywhere, ring or not.
Another layer of trust. That’s what it was. Another wall torn down, another door opened. It said, “I trust you enough to tie myself to you.” It said, “I trust you enough to know you won’t break me.”
Plus, the tax benefits weren’t so bad.
Neil laughed as he looked at the ring again. “No more breaking into hospital rooms, huh?”
Andrew rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched up nonetheless. “There’s also a chain in there.”
“So I can wear it during games?” Neil asked. He knew he was making that face, the one Allison always described as heart-eyes that was reserved only for Andrew, but he couldn’t help it.
Andrew looked like he wanted to roll his eyes again, but refrained. “So you’d have another way to wear it,” he explained. “You don’t have to wear it at all, if you don’t want to.”
“Aren’t you gonna put it on me? I think you’re supposed to put it on me,” Neil said with a tilt of his head and a small grin.
“Do you want me to get on one knee too?” Andrew retorted, taking the box from Neil. He held Neil’s hand and gently slipped the ring on his finger.
“Save that for the performance, Minyard.”
Andrew shook his head. “Nope, that’s your job.”
“Huh?”
“I already did my part. It’s your turn now,” Andrew said before pushing away a confused Neil. “Better get going, Josten. You only have two weeks to find a ring.”
~
The day of the match came and Neil had to admit he was more than a little nervous. He and Andrew planned it all out over the phone the night before, but it was still such a big declaration. There was a lot of asking if it was still okay and many reassurances as the date approached. Now, it was here. Neil still had time to back out. He knew Andrew wouldn’t be upset about it. However, he thought they deserved their moment of drama.
It was the least they were owed.
The game went back and forth for a while until they got stuck in a tie. They entered the last few minutes, and no one could manage to break it. The minutes ticked down, then the seconds. They were heading for a shoot out. Ten seconds, nine seconds, eight seconds.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
The goal behind Andrew lit up red. Neil, racquet frozen post swing. The ball went back out, but there was no way the other team could score.
Four seconds.
Three.
Two.
One.
The clock ran out and the crowd cheered. Neil’s team crowded around him, jostling him around in a group hug. He looked over at Andrew, who was leaning on his racquet as he watched it all unfold. Neil gave him a fierce grin. After that, he all but pushed his teammates to line up for the handshake. His heart was pounding, he was breathing hard, and it was only partially because of the match. When he finally got to Andrew, he held onto his hand for a little longer than usual. Andrew gave a slight nod, a sign that he was still okay with the plan.
Their teammates paused when they saw Neil and Andrew weren’t moving. Murmurs of confusion spread through the crowd. He could make out words about the rivalry, questions on who’d throw the first punch. However, none of that mattered to Neil. It was all going to end soon anyway. All Neil cared about was the man standing in front of him.
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to say anything. He simply got on one knee, pulled out the ring tucked into his armband, and grinned up at his fiancée. The beginnings of a smile were forming on Andrew’s face, whether it was from the proposal itself or the hilarity of the situation, Neil didn’t know.
The crowd went dead quiet as they waited for an answer, but Neil was waiting for something else. Just in time to save it from being awkward, a reporter with her singular cameraman walked onto the court. Their teammates stepped back to let her through, all with little to know idea about what was actually going on.
Surprisingly, it was Andrew’s idea to have a reporter there. He didn’t want to have to pantomime an emotional reaction and a simple head nod wouldn’t cut it. This way, when Andrew blankely said yes to the camera, it would be justified. It was easy enough to get her to agree. They didn’t even have to tell her what they were doing, just that it’d be big. With their rivalry being the thing that got the most views, she wasn’t slow to jump on the opportunity.
“This is a momentous occasion,” the reporter said. “For the first time in exy history, there has been a proposal on the court itself. The only question is: will it have a happy ending?” She finally made it over to them. Good thing too seeing as Neil was starting to feel very uncomfortable in the position he was in. “So,” she started up again, shoving the microphone into Andrew’s face. “What do you say?”
Andrew looked from her to the camera behind her, battling his spite-driven instinct of not answering questions from the press. Eventually, he leaned in and said, “Yes.”
For any other proposal, the crowd would’ve gone wild, but there was still some lingering confusion. It happened slowly. First, with a few claps, then a few whoops, until human psychology won out and everyone was cheering loudly. The reporter turned back to the camera. “Well, there you have it, folks. A happy ending, indeed. What a great way to end today’s game.”
While she was talking, Neil and Andrew subtly made their way out of the camera's view. They were aiming for the locker rooms, but unfortunately forgot that their teams were still there, witnessing the whole thing. Neil got pulled into different hugs. Congratulations were passed around. Andrew received a few fist bumps before he grew bored and walked away.
Neil never got dressed so quickly in his life. He just wanted to be out of there, wanted to spend time with Andrew before he inevitably had to leave again. Though, it was all in vain because Andrew didn’t exit the building for another twenty minutes. Neil was about to ask what took him so long, but decided it didn’t matter. He was here now. They could finally go home and rest.
Neil didn’t check the news or any social media all night. If they still didn’t understand that there was never a Minyard-Josten Rivalry to begin with, Neil couldn’t help them. Well, maybe he could explicitly tweet that out, but he didn’t want to. He had done his part. He thought he deserved to have a lazy night in with his fiancée.
Fiancée.
It had a nice ring to it.
Andrew gently tapped the side of his face. They were both on the couch, leaning against each other as a movie neither of them were paying attention to played in the background. Takeout containers littered the coffee table. Their jackets were in a pile on the floor. Only when Andrew was around did Neil’s apartment feel so lived in.
“You’re thinking too loud,” Andrew said.
Neil grinned at him. “Sorry.” Though, he wasn’t sorry at all.
Andrew waited for him to elaborate.
“I was thinking about how much I liked the word fiancée,” Neil said. “Then, I thought about how, even though we just got engaged, you still have to leave tomorrow.”
Andrew was silent, thinking, before getting up to get his overnight bag.
“You’re not going to propose to me again, are you?” Neil teased.
“Ha ha.” Andrew continued to ruffle through his bag before he pulled out a stack of papers. He dropped them into Neil’s lap, then got comfortable at Neil’s side again. On the top of the very first page were the words: Request for Transfer.
Neil read it over and over again to make sure he was understanding it correctly. “You’re transferring to my team?” He looked over at Andrew for confirmation. “When?”
“Once the season’s over,” Andrew said casually.
“What— When— How?”
“You seem more stunned by this than when I proposed.”
Neil let out a laugh. “I mean, you basically just announced that you’re moving in with me. Weren’t we supposed to do that first?”
Andrew shrugged. “Since when have we ever been traditional?”
Neil agreed, then went back to examining the paperwork again. Andrew would still have to leave the next day, there were still a couple more games to go, but at least there was a finish line, a light at the end of the tunnel. In the morning, he’d have to deal with calls from PR, with sports channels replaying the clip of their engagement to death, with a new hashtag circulating around to replace the old one.
But, for now at least, he let himself enjoy Andrew’s company. They discussed getting a bigger apartment, maybe even one that allowed cats. Neil was fine with it. This apartment was never really home. It only ever felt like home when he was with Andrew. Anywhere he was with Andrew was home.
They fell asleep on the couch, Neil’s head on Andrew’s chest. There was a moment of consciousness at some point in the night. Not enough to get up and move them to the bed, but enough that he recognized the sound of Andrew’s heart. He counted the beats out, one two three, one two three , before he drifted off again, feeling completely at home.
~
@neiljos10: @ajminyard last game of the season, better bring your A game
@ajminyard: @neiljos10 the only thing I’m bringing is the takeout I’ll order after my win
see you at home #TeamMinyardJosten
@neiljos10: @ajminyard I’ll see you on the court first (and I’m pretty sure it’s #TeamJostenMinyard )
don’t forget my side of fries!
@ajminyard: @neiljos10 idiot
<3
@neiljos10: @ajminyard <3