Work Text:
1.
POV: Your best friend has hyperfocus on Exy
“The Foxes’ last game against the Trojans was incredible, Alli!” Neil says, opening the fridge and taking out a bottle of cold water.
“Mm-huum.” Allison mumbles from behind the phone. “I’m sure it was, sweetie.”
“Robin was like a living wall!” He says, right before drinking the water straight from the mouth of the bottle. “And Sheena has evolved like hell over the last few years! You-”
*
“Watch the ball, Alli!” Neil's voice echoes, right before an Exy ball flies straight into the cell phone's camera, and the device falls to the ground.
*
"Hey! What the hell is this?!” Neil yells, standing up from the couch as he glares angrily at the television. "He deserved a red card!"
Allison held her cell phone so that the front camera was able to frame her and Neil. Allison held out her index and middle fingers in a sign of peace, while Neil fell heavily onto the couch, looking frustrated with the match.
*
Neil was sprawled out on a beanbag chair, looking comfortable with a smile on his face, as he said with an old edition of 'History of Exy' in his hands, "It's just that exy started as an experiment, but it spread so surprisingly quickly across the world that- ”
____________
2.
POV: Your best friend seems to live under a rock
“Alli.” Neil mutters, his frown being illuminated by the bluish light of the computer screen. “What the hell is a ‘Crush’?”
“Oh my god-”
*
"Sweetie! You opened the link I sent you?!” Allison yells from behind the phone.
A few seconds later, Neil appears from the hallway, wearing a sweatshirt that looks more than three years old and a pair of shorts – in not much better condition.
"Hmm? What link?" He asks, taking his last-century phone out of his shorts pocket. Neil simply shrugs and slides his gaze over to her as he says: “I guess I forgot to carry that thing.”
"You guess?”
*
"Guy! Have you seen the discussion going on on Twitter?!” Allison asks, appearing to lean on Neil's bedroom door frame.
"Discussion?" Neil asks, from where he's sitting on his zoned bed. "Not really. What about?”
“About you and Catalina!”
“Me and who?” He asks, leaning forward a little to hear better.
“Trojans’ backliner!” Allison explains.
“Oh! Yeah! Alvarez. What's wrong with me and her? I don’t know how to use Twitter.”
*
“Neil, sweetie, would you record a dance with me for Tik Tok?”
"No?”
*
“Alli, what is a trend-”
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3.
POV: Your best friend doesn't know irony
“Alli, can you do this for me?” Neil holds out a sheet of paper to the camera.
“Of course, I’m just sitting here doing nothing, right?!” Allison responds from behind the phone.
"For real?! Thanks, Alli!” He responds with a huge smile and lets the sheet of paper glide to Allison's lap.
*
“Will you give me one?” Neil asks, approaching the bowl full of strawberries.
The camera pans to Allison, showing the blonde girl biting into a large red strawberry. "Nope." She responds.
"What? Why-”
*
“Did you know that there are people who perform sexual acts with a grave in Paris?” Allison asks Neil, who frowns at his friend's question.
“Is this serious?” He asks, arching an eyebrow.
"No-”
*
“Oh!” Neil exclaims, walking through the apartment door right after his morning run. “Are you here?”
“No, I’m at Renee.” Allison answers. “Go and look.”
"Like this?”
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4.
POV: Your best friend is going through the ‘First love’ phase
“Neil, sweetie, calm down.” Allison comforts, running her hands through Neil's red curls, who has his face buried in a worn-out pillow.
“How will I calm down, Alli?!” He mumbles, his voice being muffled by the pillow.
She lets out a low laugh. “It’s going to be okay, sweetie…okay?”
"No, it's not-”
*
“Oh my fucking god!” Neil exclaims, throwing himself on the couch while reading something on his cell phone screen.
"What's up?" Allison asks.
“I've never felt like this before!”
*
“There is such a thing as asexuality, sweetie.”
"Hmm? What the hell is that?" Neil asks, finally lifting his face from the pillow, looking somewhat curious.
*
"Oh my- fuck, Alli! Holy shit!”
“What happened?” Allison whines, rolling her eyes affectionately and making room for Neil to sit next to her on the couch.
“He’s- fuck! He’s asking me out!”
*
"Help me! What should I wear, Alli?!”
*
“You look beautiful, sweetie!” Allison praises, her voice sounding proud. “That’s exactly why you should let me dress you!”
“But…will he like it?” Neil asks, scrutinizing himself in the mirror. “I'm...not okay, I'm afraid-”
“Don’t you dare say that!” She interrupts. "You are wonderful! A hot one, I must say.”
He just sighs, still unsure.
“You know, Neil, you really look so really hot…” Allison ponders. “Wouldn’t you go out with me instead of that-”
*
“He also plays Exy and studied criminology in university. And he seems interested in fashion, I think you'd like him, Alli.” Neil says, throwing himself onto Allison's bed. “And…dude…those eyes-”
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5.
POV: Your best friend is dating – or rather, obsessed
“Alli, can you sleep over at Renee’s tonight?”
Allison's eyes widen, but she soon gives him a mischievous look and a smirk. “Neil, you rogue bitch!”
*
“If you hurt him, I’ll make Exy’s ball out of you!” Allison says, with an extremely stern expression.
"Okay?" A voice says nonchalantly from behind the camera.
*
“Whoa!” Allison screams, followed by a laugh. The camera shows her leaning against a wooden door. “I didn’t realize you were passive, Neil!” She screams.
“Fuck you!” Neil's voice comes from beyond the door.
“Lock the door next time!”
*
“His game was incredible, Alli!” Neil says. “He played very well.”
“I thought you were more focused on his ass than anything else-”
*
“Today I met his brother and cousin.” Comments Neil, as he braids Allison's long hair into a dutch braid.
"And how was it?" She asks, smiling proudly.
“They’re so cool…I was scared by your cousin’s scream when he saw me but-”
*
"Neil, where's my orange skirt?" Allison screams from her own room.
“She’s with me.” He shouts back.
“You used her again to fuck-”
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6.
POV: Your best friend is – literally – THE NEIL JOSTEN
“Neil, know something I noticed?” Allison asks, positioning her cell phone against something on the dining table. She straightens up when Neil answers.
"Hmm?" He murmurs, chewing on what looked like meat on his plate.
“You are more famous on TikTok for the videos I post than for Exy.”
He swallows the food, and challenges: “I doubt it.”
*
Neil frowns. “That’s impossible!”
“What’s impossible, sweetie?” Allison asks, pulling the camera away to reveal Neil's fingers moving deftly across a Rubik's cube.
“This damn 'Magic Cube' that Robin gave me for my birthday!"
*
"Alli!" Neil walks in through the apartment door. "Look what I brought!" He extends a chubby cat that he holds between his hands.
"Neil Abram Josten! What is this?"
"This is Sir FatCat McCaterson!"
*
"I don't understand." Neil says.
"What do not you understand?" Allison asks, putting her feet up on the couch, dressed in her baby pink summer pajamas.
“I don’t understand how you can feel like having sex with just anyone you see on the street.”
“You-” She starts, looking at him in disbelief. “Are you calling me a whore, Neil Abram Josten?”
"Yeah-”
*
“What if you got a tongue piercing?” Allison asks, tilting her head to the side as she looks at something besides the camera.
"Hmm?" Neil's voice murmurs. “No fucking way-”
*
“Alli!” Neil's voice echoes. “Help me?! I can’t reach the mints!”
*
“Your new haircut looks perfect, Alli.” Neil praises, giving a slight smile.
"Thank you, my sweet." Allison replies, twirling the strands of hair on her index finger.
He gives her a wink. “Anything for my favorite lady.”
*
“-Oh! Oh! Alli!” Neil's voice echoes through the hallway, while thudding footsteps are heard. "I got it!" He says, when he reveals himself to be disheveled and with dark circles under his eyes.
Neil shows off the completed Rubik's Cube to Allison.
*
“Do you know that one time I hitchhiked from New Mexico to Phoenix with several truck drivers?” Neil rambles, looking at least a little tipsy. “I pretended to be a sociology student conducting research on different types of realities in relation to social classes in capitalism.”
*
“Take this, sweetie.” Allison holds out an iPhone 11 Pro Max box. “You look so really old.”
"What's this?" Neil snorts and frowns. “Are you giving me a tracker and a bomb?”
*
“Are you going to abandon me again, Neil?” Allison whimpers, frustrated. “All you think about is being with ‘Drew’.”
“Where did you get that I’m abandoning you?!” Neil asks, rolling his eyes and glaring at Allison in defiance. However, he ends up losing miserably. "Fine…! Do you want to come along? We are going to the cine.”
“If you insist.” She scoffs, shrugging her shoulders as she tossed her long hair to the side.