JTL-Fics

WIP Wednesday - 10/18/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

Andrew almost cracked a smile.

"Alright, same for you two." Abby says looking at both Cass and Maria. "Get the hell out of my house." she hisses.

"Wait, I think we can still-" Cass tries to wrench her hand away from Neil's hold but he kept her wrist in a firm grip. "Andrew-"

"I don't have anything for you Cass." Andrew says simply and the look of devastation on her face feels a bit like vindication for all the nights he'd been left to a monster with only Alex to protect him.

Neil drags her out as Aaron and Kevin shepherd Maria out of the house. The door closes and there's yelling and pleading at the door but the Foxes are great at ignoring noise like that.

"My contacts are killing me." Neil says rubbing at his eyes and Andrew hates the image of Neil in thick black glasses that pops into his head. He hates the burst of interest that comes with it.

WIP Wednesday - 10/18/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

"You do not grab a lady like that!" Luther exclaims nearly apoplectic with anger rising to his feet to head towards Neil but Wymack merely caught the man around the upper arms.

"I don't think there's anyone in your little group that could count as a lady but you're definitely not." he says and starts to physically lead Luther out of the house as Maria turned to Nicky with a pleading expression.

"Nicholas, help your father!" she pleads and Nicky got up and trailed after Wymack getting ahead of him.

Andrew felt disappointed in his cousin until, "Let me get the door for you coach." Nicky's voice floated from the front of Abby's house.

WIP Wednesday - 10/18/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

"So I'm sure those kids are telling the truth and I'm not sure Richard is rotting in hell with Drake. He was pretty uninvolved with the foster kids wasn't he?" Andrew says voice even as he looks at Cass' face. He remembered the brief hope before Drake's gaze crashed it to the ground.

He still thinks about the knock on his window. About Alex. Is it strange that he looks at Cass' face and it makes him think of some of the best times in his life. No one had ever had him like how Alex had had him.

"But you washed those kid's sheets didn't you Cass?" he asks and he watches her go red with anger. He sees her hand coming up and hears Luther yell but nothing happens as Neil catches Cass' hand before she can even start to swing.

"I think it's time you listen to the owner of this house and leave." Neil says.

WIP Wednesday - 10/18/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

Andrew's tired of this whoel song and dance in an instant.

"Cass what do you want?" he asks just wanting this all to be over holding a hand up to silence Neil. Neil's mouth audibly clicks shut. "Say it and leave." he looks at her.

He watches her face shift from tightly controlled anger to one that he knew was going to be uncomfortable. "Drake was a good brother to you Andrew, won't you please testify that those other kids a-are just...they're just lying! They have to be. Drake never ever touched any of them or you." Cass asks pleadingly.

"Drake was a monster." Andrew says, "He didn't touch me because he didn't get the opportunity to touch me." he says and tries to ignore the quiet table, "Since I had a friend who looked out for me." he says.

WIP Wednesday - 10/11/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

"No! N-not entirely just-"

"Just all the allegations against your son might have driven him to an early grave?" Neil asks wiping his face still. "What, do you want Andrew to talk about how Drake was a wonderful big brother who never did any of what the 13 other kids are saying he did to them?" Neil asks.

The table is silent again.

"Why do you know about that?" Cass asks voice tight.

"I like to keep up on current events. Quite the scandal for the Foster System in California." Neil says. "There's a reason I think if your husband joined your son then he must be in hell." he huffs.

WIP Wednesday - 10/11/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

"I think it's pretty clear that you're not here to make up with me in any way shape or form. You wanted me to bring Andrew to that initial meet-up you proposed. Was she why?" he asks pointing at Cass.

"He has a right to know that he had family that died Nicholas." Luther says.

"Then just shoot him a text message or write him a letter. You had to meet in person?" Aaron asks standing next to Nicky with a hand on his cousin's shoulder.

"You seriously just came here to tell me that Richard died?" Andrew can't help but question Cass as he offered his napkin to Neil who took it and pressed it to his eyes. The wine had seemingly splashed right in them.

WIP Wednesday - 10/11/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

"Out." Abby's voice is firm as she points to the door.

"You heard her you insolent rude welp of a boy. Get out of here." Luther says looking as if he wanted to strike Neil as well for what he'd said to Cass.

"Not Neil. You three." Abby grits out. "You've been nothing but rude since you brought an uninvited guest. I draw the line at that uninvited guest striking one of our players." Abby says.

"You can't be serious." Luther says indignant rising to his feet in an obvious attempt to tower over Abby.

"Oh she is." Wymack ways and he is not the only one to rise to his feet at the table.

"Nicky?" Maria questions.

WIP Wednesday - 10/11/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

The table went silent at Neil's remark.

Andrew is turning to look at Neil surprised by the comment about a man that he had never known. He's even more shocked that it's so accurate but before he can turn he catches something in the corner of his eye. Andrew turns back and sees something he never thought he'd get to see.

He gets to see what Cass looks like when she's angry.

Her hand rears back and hits Neil's cheek with a loud crack and then she's throwing her wine in his face. "How dare you." she hisses in fury with tears threatening to run down her face.

WIP Wednesday - 10/11/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

"He wanted me to stay for dinner didn't he?" She asks kind smile not fading and Andrew remembers that he'd been impressed with how she could just take anything he had thrown at her when he first came to the Spears' house. "Andrew, earlier, you asked me where Richard was?" she reminds.

"To be clear, I said I didn't care if you stayed." Andrew says wanting to get the record straight, "and yes I did ask that." he adds.

"Well...he..." Cass says voice growing tight as she looks upward, "...he's joined Drake." she says wiping at her eyes as she looked heavenward.

"Weird way to say your husband went to hell." Neil says.

WIP Wednesday - 10/11/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

Any time that Cass started to try and engage in a conversation Neil would engage in it instead and draw the other Foxes in on his mayhem. Andrew focused on his meal and tried not to be irritated that Neil's attention was elsewhere at the moment.

It all came to a head when Cass rose up from herself and came over with a glass of wine. "It was hard to talk to you across the table Andrew." she says with a smile and Andrew can feel Neil growing tenser and tenser at his side.

"Maybe you could have taken the hint that he wasn't interested in talking to you?" Neil asks with a raised eyebrow.

WIP Wednesday - 10/11/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

Andrew pointedly took a seat as far from Luther, Maria, and Cass as possible and Neil sat on the side that put him just one seat closer as if to act as a shield.

It was painful watching Nicky attempt to speak with his parents throughout the meal. It was becoming more and more apparent that Luther and Maria had zero intentions on apologizing to their son for ostracizing him and casting him out. It was also obvious that no one on the team had any interest in Cass getting to have that private word with Andrew.

Especially Neil.

WIP Wednesday - 10/11/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

"I brought some and also have pie in the car." she says.

Cass made a very solid pie. It had been the best thing that he could say about her and he suspected that in a way she knew that.

"I don't care if she stays." He says answering Abby's unasked question but he almost regrets it when he sees Neil tense further but it's too late as Abby takes Cass' hand and shakes it firmly before releasing it.

"I'm sure I can squeeze in another chair at the table." she says with a smile that's all forced politeness.

WIP Wednesday - 10/11/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

"Dinner's ready!" Abby's voice called out from the kitchen snapping the tension between them all as she walked out into her living room and immediately caught on to the new guest.

"Oh, I didn't know you were bringing someone else." Abby says and somehow the way she says it has both Maria and Luther looking a bit more chagrined.

"I'm Cass Spears. I was one of Andrew's foster mothers." Cass steps forward and offers her hand to Abby, "I apologize for coming unannounced but I wanted to speak with Andrew about a few things and this was the only way I could think of." she says.

Abby looked at the outstreched hand and then to Andrew.

WIP Wednesday - 10/11/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

"She isn't a stranger." Luther continues seemingly displeased that he was not the one to get the last word in which Andrew things is about par for the course. "She was Andrew's foster mother." Luthor says with an air of superiority.

"Lisa and Donald were my foster parents for a lot longer than Cass." Andrew says, "They even looked after Aaron too after Tilda got herself killed." he tilted his head towards his twin who still flinches at the mention of their mother's 'unfortunate' passing. "Are they out there too?" he asks pointedly looking behind Cass.

Considering Cass' wringing hands and flinch when he had asked about Richard he's sure that Lisa and Donald's bland disinterest would be more tolerable.

WIP Wednesday - 10/11/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

"Mr. Josten, this is a private family conversation. I would ask that you-"

"I mean you brought some stranger to a 'family conversation'." Neil shrugs pointing at Cass with a raised eyebrow. "Also a 'private family conversation'?" he looks around at where the other Foxes were lingering, all too hungry for gossip to not be listening in. "We're in someone else's living room?" he laughs.

"Neil," Nicky says Neil's name in a way that lets him know he wants Neil to stop.

"Sorry Nicky." Neil says with a shrug.

WIP Wednesday - 10/11/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

"Probably less rude than showing up with an unexpected," Neil's voice draws Andrew's attention from Cass, "and unwanted guest." he says voice forcibly casual.

Andrew blinks. He didn't know that Neil had a smile that sharp, he hadn't even seen it when he'd been dealing with Riko on the Ferdinand show.

"Who is this?" Luther asks looking at Andrew but before Andrew can answer Neil's mouth proves to be as fast as his feet once again.

"Not too smart are you? You're at a Team Thanksgiving dinner." Neil says with a condescending look that shouldn't look so attractive on him. "I'm Andrew's teammate. Neil Josten." he says.

WIP Wednesday - 10/11/23 (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

"This is someone we had wanted to reunite Andrew with privately but you had insisted on coming to this...event." Luther's voice is gruff and irritated.

Reunite?

Andrew moves to see who the hell Luther wants to 'reunite' him with because there isn't really anyone in his past that he had an inclination to see. Well one person but he doubted very much that he was here.

He hadn't expected Cass to walk in.