Since George Devalier deleted his fanfics, I tried to search some links of reposts people posted on other platforms. If you can find more of his stories, feel free to add them.
headcanon that neil met all the foxes while on the run, they just didn’t realise it
@my-friends-are-foxes and i were talking about this idea together, so this hc will come from both of us. (i took some liberties with the timeline for the sake of this, so it may not be entirely canon compliant)
it started with renee
not chronologically, exactly, but it was the first encounter that neil remembered
it was neil’s sophomore year, and the original foxes were playing never have i ever. neil didn’t really get the point of the game, but he’d promised to be more truthful with his teammates, and so decided to participate
the questions started off fairly normal, until eventually someone said ‘never have i ever been shot’. they weren’t really expecting any response, but it was late and they were running out of questions.
neil and renee both drink.
naturally, there were a lot of questions. neil didn’t really want to talk about it - didn’t really want to think about it - but renee decided to share her story
it was while she was with the bloodhounds. she was making rounds one night when she saw two people, probably a mother and son, hiding out on the gang’s territory
locals normally knew better than to trespass where the bloodhounds were involved, so it was clear they were outsiders. that, and the gun the woman was carrying
renee - natalie - snuck up on the pair and attacked her with knife; not enough to be fatal, but enough to scare her away. she wasn’t anticipating the kid, who couldn’t have been much older than eleven, to be carrying a gun, too, much less for him to shoot her.
the foxes were quiet for a moment, before neil gave a quiet laugh.
'i didnt realise that was you’
The next one he remembered was allison
It was just after Baltimore when all the foxes found out who neil’s father is
Allison’s family had a house in Baltimore where she spent her summers as a kid
It just so happens to be in the same neighborhood as neil
Allison remembers hearing about someone in the neighborhood getting arrested and the police not knowing what happened to his wife and son
After Baltimore, allison and neil are talking
Allison remembers playing at the neighborhood park with a boy a few years younger than her
he always seemed worried about his parents finding out he was at the park
and even in the middle of summer he was wearing long pants and shirts
As a kid, she had tried to be friends with him, but it was too difficult
all his answers seemed planned and calculated
‘that was you, at the park all the time, wasn’t it?’ she asked him
‘I always tried to go out and play and be a normal kid. I still remember the time I got caught.’
then we have nicky
neil didn’t remember much of his time in europe. mostly, he remembered the stress of trying to keep his mother happy, and the feeling of constantly looking over his shoulder.
nicky, however, remembers his time in germany perfectly. it was the greatest part of his life, really, although it was difficult at first.
his first few weeks as an exchange student were awkward and frustrating. he was in a new place, where most people were fluent in a language he’d only been studying for a year, and he was still trying to deal with everything that had happened with his parents.
being around erik wasn’t easy, either. he liked him, perhaps too much, and sometimes his feelings were overwhelming. he needed fresh air and time to think.
that was how he ended up at the park one day. he’d told his host family he was going for a walk, and wanted to explore the area for a bit. erik asked him if he wanted company, but nicky turned him down
he wasn’t expecting to see the small blond kid, sitting alone by the swings. in a way, he reminded him of aaron - maybe that was why nicky found his feet taking him towards him. or maybe it was just the fact that a small part of him needed company, after all.
the pair of them sat on the swings in silence for a while, before the kid spoke up, in a quiet voice.
'i dont know what you’re going through, but it’ll get better. these things are temporary, you know? they always get better, even if they get worse first.’
he paused for a moment and winced, before repeating it in german.
nicky mulled over his words, before replying in english. 'there’s a lot happening, i guess. i dont really know where to start.’
'ive got time to listen, if you want to try.’
so he did. he talked about his parents, erik (not mentioning him by name, in case they knew each other), everything. maybe he shouldn’t have emptied his heart out to a stranger, especially not a kid, but in a way, that made it easier.
the kid was quiet as he thought about what nicky had said, before smiling slightly.
'i think you know what to do, deep down. parents are complicated, and they’re not always right. yours definitely aren’t. who are they to say who you can or can’t be? be what makes you happy. it might be hard, but i think it’ll be worth it.’ he paused. 'i dont really know much about these things.’
'you’re a smart kid-’ nicky’s voice faltered. he’d been so caught up in everything, he’d forgotten to ask the kids name.
'stefan,’ he supplied
'you’re a smart kid, stefan.’ nicky said. 'thank you.’
nicky never forgot about stefan, but as stefan moved to austria and became alex - or was it chris? - the encounter slipped from his mind. when neil josten met nicky hemmick, and spent one afternoon talking about his life before and after going to germany, he could have sworn something sounded familiar.
